InQuire Issue 14.5

EXCLUSIVE: THE SOUR REALITY OF A SUGAR BABY Lying naked on the strange sheets, she felt used and ashamed. ‘It’s just sex’, she thought. She picked up the money he had left on the side and tried to suppress the nausea. Page 16

In uire

Eliot College vandalised with Neo-Nazi graffiti By Alejandro Javierre News Sub-Editor

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eo-Nazi racist graffiti was found on the University of Kent Canterbury Campus. The graffiti, which read ‘KKK’ followed by a swastika, a Nazi symbol, was found at the back of Elliot College as early as Thursday evening. It has since been removed having been covered by a black tarpaulin on Friday morning. It is currently unknown as to who drew the graffiti or whether there will be a police or campus investigation. The graffiti comes following a rise in hate crime on campus, with the University’s local

Mosque on Giles Lane being part of a racist attack involving fake poison powder and letters detailing a ‘Punch a Muslim day’, where individuals would score ‘points’ for committing hate-crimes of varying degrees of seriousness, was sent to Kent residents earlier this year. Elsewhere, University campuses across the country have seen racist crimes committed by students, such as Nottingham Trent University students chanting racist abuse in University halls where a number of ethnic minority students were in residence and a number of incidents around Neo-Nazi and racist writing in Exeter University.

The graffiti came two days before Remembrance Day on the 11th of November, to remember the sacrifices of armed forces personnel in wars, including the Second World War. In a statement made to InQuire, Kent Union wrote: ‘We take incidents of racism extremely seriously and are working with Kent Police and the University regarding the offensive graffiti. ‘Kent Union abhor this behaviour, which is completely against our values of inclusivity and support, and we will continue to stand up to harassment, discrimination and acts of hate crime including anti-semitic attacks where and whenever it is encountered.’

1918-2018

True Mark of Honour PAGE 27

MOVEMBER KENT CALENDAR

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The University of Kent’s Student Newspaper Issue 14.5 Friday 16 November 2018 inquiremedia.co.uk FREE

NUS facing bankruptcy By George Knight Head of Marketing

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he National Union of Students (NUS) is facing a ‘£3 million deficit’ and is undergoing ‘democratic and governance reform’ in order to ‘address the structural issues in the group which have led to the current situation’. The confederation of students’ unions in the United Kingdom was revealed to be facing severe financial difficulty, with the organisation projected to post a significant deficit without enough resources to cover the loss. The revelation comes from a leaked letter sent by NUS President Shakira Martin and NUS Acting Chief Executive Peter Robertson ‘to all 600 affiliated Students’ Unions’. The letter reads: ‘It’s important that we respond to this competition collectively and collaboratively as a movement, if we are to continue to protect the interests of students and students’ unions. ‘If we’re right and our income streams suffer as much as we predict we’re looking at a £3m deficit for the group in this and future financial years. ‘Because there are not sufficient reserves to cover this amount, we are taking urgent action to stabilise our position.’ This letter, attained by

conservative blog Guido Fawkes, explains how the union has been facing financial instability due to ‘structural problems’ and competition from ‘competitors in student discounts, trading support, and policy and strategic support’. As a result, the NUS are deciding to secure the problem by ‘undertaking three streams of work.’ These include ‘measures to save money and become financially viable within six months’, ‘radical reform’, and ‘clear strategy and new way of working’. The organisation may also need to mortgage its headquarters in West London and cut staff to remain solvent. The organisation has asked affiliates do ‘five immediate things’, including: attending ‘Strategic Conversation’, sending feedback to Peter Robertson, making ‘Student Officers’ aware, watching for ‘Peter’s weekly email’, and protecting ‘the interests of students and students’ unions from competitors who exist for the purpose of profit’.Kent Union is one of those unions affiliated to the NUS and they insist they are ‘not liable, or at any financial or operating risk’. President Aaron Thompson told InQuire: ‘[We] will continue its support and guidance of NUS, with a member of the Kent Union Senior Management Team active on the NUS Finance Committee’.

A GUIDE TO THE 1000MPH

BLOODHOUND SSC PAGE 28

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News

2018/2019

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Listen, students...you are spending your loan far too quickly

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niversity of Kent students have been spending their student loan at an alarming rate, with 5% of students having spent the entirety of their first instalment by October 20th, according to a survey by Sellmymobile. Whilst not topping the standings, Kent finished 8th nationally, with Sheffield Hallam students taking the record with 10% of students most likely to spend their loans before November.

The most common reasons as to why students had spent their allowance were down to nights out (87%), clothes (74%), and food (59%). For most students their next loan payment won’t be deposited in their bank accounts until the next term begins in January, leaving them poor in the run-up to the festive period. Earlier this year a NUS report declared that workingclass university students were suffering from a ‘poverty premium’ and consequently left those affected asking the ‘bank of mum and dad’ for assistance.

Surveying over 2,700 students, Sellmymobile also found that 23% of UK university students were close to running out of their maintenance loan, with 66% having already done so. This has consequently led to students getting credit cards (75%) and part-time jobs (32%) in a bid to stay in the black. Despite students turning to varying measures to cover government loans, 41% of undergraduate student believe that they will never pay off their student debt, according to a YouGov poll last year. The Spokesperson

for Sellmymobile, Jack Webster, elaborated: ‘With a healthy looking cash sum dropping into the bank for students who have typically relied on pocket money from their parents and Saturday jobs up to that point, it’s no wonder the urge to spend is strong. ‘But our research shows that those acting like payday loan day millionaires are already counting the cost of their decadence and living their last weeks of term on very strict budgets or, worse, running up debts to maintain their lifestyle.’

Mungos’s new menu By Jesse Bedayn Newspaper Editor

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ungos’s menu has been updated by Kent Hospitality, the organisation that runs most of the restaurants on campus. Their new menu includes three new wraps, including a falafel wrap and New York Deli wrap, along with three gourmet burgers, including the ‘Mighty Vegan’ and ‘The Clucker’. They’ve also added a new flatbread, the ‘Halloumi and Pesto’.

Review: M

ungos, hidden deep within Eliot, is worth getting lost to find. The bright restaurant has a modern décor during the day; and at night, the atmosphere changes as subtle pink and blue lights illuminate the counters and walls as it seconds as a fun, upbeat bar. Daria, the website editor, and I, ordered one of their most popular dishes, the Classic Chicken Burger, £5, along with a smoothie, and I ordered the new, gourmet, New Yorker burger. Though the staff needed to be reminded about the smoothie after our food arrived, the meals appeared in under 10 minutes. The chicken was cooked well, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The bacon added a nice crunch, and the bun was toasted to avoid any sogginess from the sauces.

Their new range of food includes more vegan and vegetarian options, as different UKC organisations push for less meat on campus. Along with the meat guidelines, Mungos, has made a change to recyclable boxes, cups, and straws. The restaurant and pub is a centre for sports socials on Wednesdays, not only offering good music and lighting, but a side room for student groups to rent out.

The fries, however, were wilted and soft, failing to meet the chicken’s crunchy outside and tender inside standard. The gourmet New Yorker burger was delicious, with the pastrami adding plentifully to the overall flavor. The burger itself was well seasoned, but overcooked—then again, what burger isn’t overcooked on campus. The smoothie was light, much more airy than typical smoothies, but still offered a good, and healthy, combination of ingredients and flavors.The bar offers good food and an upbeat atmosphere. If you like ‘club-like’ music, there is always some playing, adding to the exciting environment. (If you want a quieter setting, I would find another bar—the music is quite loud.) If haven’t yet been able to find the elusive bar in Eliot, don’t fret—as you walk in, follow the signs posted on the walls, and you’ll start hearing the sounds of the top 50’s hits and smell the chicken frying.

Photos by Daria Istayeva, InQuire’s Website Editor

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

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Feminists bid to ban ‘hateful’ Youtuber from speaking at Kent

News

The Feminist Society attempted to deplatform Carl Benjamin, A.K.A. Sargon of Akkad, from speaking at a society lecture in two weeks time because of his views on feminism, race and more By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

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group of University of Kent students have launched a campaign to deplatform YouTube personality Carl Benjamin from giving an address on campus this month because of his ‘horrible’ views on race, religion, and other subjects. An online petition created by the Feminist society to remove Benjamin, known online as Sargon of Akkad, as a keynote speaker for a UKC Liberty Union event had drawn more widespread support from feminist members, students and Kent Union representatives. The petition reads: ‘Carl Benjamin is known for his controversial views and appalling statements including use of the n-word and telling a female MP [Jess Phillips] ‘I

would not even rape you,’ along with many incidents of racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic speech, which are clearly not compatible with Kent Union’s ‘values of inclusivity and support’. ‘He has also been identified as a key figure in radicalisation on Youtube by a recent Data and society report, and has links to multiple white supremacist including former Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon. ‘In light of the recent appearance of Nazis and white supremacist imagery on campus, it is alarming to see Benjaman given a platform [at Kent] to spread his hateful rhetoric further.’ The document goes on to read: ‘We do not believe Benjaman should be welcomed into our campus by a Union-affiliated group and we would hope Kent Union shares this view and will exercise their

authority over Union societies to cancel this event.’ Around 20 people had signed the petition as of 10 November, many of whom where Kent Union part-time officers, including Student Trustee Lily Dedman and Ethics Officer Douglas Carr. The document has since been removed from the Feminist Society group page, nor is it available to access on Change It. One member from Liberty responded to this revelation with a Facebook post on the group’s page highlighting how signatories of the petition had also attempted to bar students from attending the event by buying out the free tickets on offer. The post included a screenshot of the admin page showing who was involved in the plot, including those from the Feminist Society, Liberty confirms. The post was later removed after complaints for being ‘unprofessional’ and for revealing ticket-buyers who were ‘implicated in the issue’. The society, created in September of this year, apologised for their actions the

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

next day, saying: ‘Whereas it was in response to a group of individuals that attempted to undermine our event, we agree that it was an unprofessional way to react. ‘Unfortunately, however, due to tickets being bought in large quantities by this group of individuals, which we believe a clear attempt to no-platform Mr. Benjamin, we have sadly been forced to charge for entry.‘ They go on to say: ‘We do, however, still invite all to come. The UKC Liberty Union values the freedom to speak and to argue, and encourages those who disagree with the viewpoints of any of our invited speakers, be they from the left or the right, to attend our events and express their arguments in open debate. ‘We might not agree with every speaker we invite, or identify with their politics, or condone everything they might have said or done in the past. ‘We believe that no-platforming speakers has the perverse effect

of radicalising and amplifying their opinions, and allowing them to go unchallenged.’ Kent Union Vice-President (Activities), Sasha Langeveldt, told InQuire: ‘The Feminist society are within their rights to protest and campaign so long as what they are doing is not violent and breaking the law.’ When asked whether the event will still go ahead of schedule, Langeveldt replied: ‘The external speakers application is still in its possessing stage and its status will be confirmed once the process is complete. ‘Permission needs to be sought by both Kent Union and the University which can take up to two weeks. ‘Kent Union acknowledges and respects that everyone has the right to free speech within the law. It is important that Kent Union as a democratic organisation respects each other’s views, even when they differ from their own. However, freedom of speech is limited by the law when necessary.’

News

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Becket’s tunic is returning to Canterbury 850 years after Thomas Becket’s murder in Canterbury Cathedral, the Vatican will be sending back his bloodstained tunic By Jeanne Bigot Writer

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anterbury has long been linked to the figure of Thomas Becket and to the remembrance of his martyrdom. Following his disagreement with King Henry II over, among other things, the way in which clergy who committed secular crimes should be dealt with— Thomas Becket argued they should only be trialled by an ecclesiastical hierarchy—the Archbishop of Canterbury famously went into exile.

After Henry II complained about Becket, famously saying ‘Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?’ Four knights set to Canterbury in order to confront the Archbishop on 29 December 1170. After a gruesome assassination, and famous last words ‘For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death,’ the four knights were excommunicated and the number of pilgrims to Canterbury rose during that time period. Becket was made a saint three years later, in 1173, as a testimony of reparation for the crime committed. Since then, Becket has become a figure of British, and even European, culture and history. His story inspired Chaucer’s ​The Canterbury Tales​, and T.S. Eliot wrote the verse drama Murder

in the Cathedral​portraying his assassination. French playwright Jean Anouilh even wrote a play recounting the murder in 1959, called ​Becket or the Honour of God​, adapted five years later into a film by Peter Glenville, starring Richard Burton. To this day, many schools and churches in England are named after The Martyrdom of Saint Thomas of Canterbury by Master Francke, 1426, Thomas Becket. It is, however, quite interesting Kunsthalle Hamburg (Photo by Wikimedia Commons) to note that in a 2006 poll by who shared some of his views Becket’s position as a saint and BBC History, Becket came thought unnecessary and self- a holy figure within the religious second after Jack the Ripper for indulgent. He was a founder community, but also within the ‘worst Briton of the previous of gesture politics. He was also British history, the return of millennium’. greedy. the relic to Canterbury seems While he is an important ‘Those who share my prejudice celebrated. figure for British history, against Becket may consider Jane Walker, spokeswoman Professor John Hudson of St his assassination in Canterbury for Canterbury Cathedral told Andrews University named Cathedral on December 29, Kent Online on the 8th of Thomas Becket as ‘worst villain 1170 a fittingly grisly end.’ November: ‘The tunic is one of a of the 12th century’ and stated: Despite the debate in the number of pieces we are looking ‘He divided England in a way historiographic community at to commemorate the Becket that even many churchmen around the validity of Thomas anniversary in 2020.’

In Conversation with Matthew Goodwin

Chancellor Gavin Esler sat down with the Politics & IR professor talking about his new book National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy By Giulia Chiesa Writer

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n Thursday 8 November 2018, Professor and Matthew Goodwin joined Chancellor and journalist Gavin Esler for an In Conversation held at the Gulbenkian Theater. The Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent and senior visiting fellow at Chatham House is well known for his work on European and UK politics and populism.

During the talk, which was to promote his new book National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy, the Professor addressed the questions of what prompted the current populist revolt in the West and of what will happen next. Goodwin explored the reasons behind the rise of populism in Europe and the United States, from Brexit in the UK, Marine Le Pen in France, Matteo Salvini in Italy to Trump in the US. The Professor asked, ‘this churn and this change, does it signal that we are at the end of a period of great volatility as generations replace on another or does it signal that we are entering a new period of volatility?’. Interrogating the causes of the rise of populism, Chancellor Elser raised the issue of education asking to what the extent it plays a role in

influencing how people vote. In response to the question, the Professor clarifies that while the educational divide permeates throughout, it is not the only reason for the current populist movement. On the evidence, he states that about 1 in 4 Leavers and about 1 in 4 Trump voters had a university degree. According to the Professor, the different life experience of people who do not pursue a university degree has a profound effect on who they vote for. He expressed concerns that this educational divide will grow creating a greater divide between views and values of people with different levels of education. Goodwin identified ‘four Ds’ as the reasons behind the rise of populism in recent years, namely distrust, destruction, deprivation, and dealignment. The first driver identified is

that of distrust, people feeling that their voice does not count. Goodwin argues that those who are part of the working class in Britain have good reason to feel that they do not have a voice. He stated that the number of MPs in Britain who have some experience with manual labour is down to 3%. While this reflects some changes in society, Goodwin argues that it makes rulers socially liberal especially on identity issues such as immigration. He claims that the effect is what is known as the ‘exclusion bias’, policies that are enacted but are not necessarily well received by the ‘left behind’. Another reason for the populist revolt advanced by Goodwin is that of destruction, this refers to identity issues such as concerns over immigration and ethnic change. Deprivation as a driver for the

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

populist revolt relates to the sense of ‘relative deprivation’, the fear of losing out compared to others. Moving on to the final ‘D’, dealignment, the Professor asks whether what we are experiencing are profound long-term currents. Addressing the question Goodwin contends that people feel disconnected from their political parties and are not loyal to one, as such, the evidence indicates that this period of volatility is going to stay for a while.

Armistice Day Centenary 1918-2018

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

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True mark of honour News

Last Suday marked a century since the signing of the Armistice Agreement, marking the end of the First World War. Canterbury residents stood united to remember those souls who made sacrifices before and since By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

Poppy Appeal display

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n the 11th hour of the 11th month, 2018, Canterbury and the nation fell silent to mark the 100th anniversary since the end of the First World War; Armistice Day. The falling of gunshots in 1918 symbolised an end to four years of bloody conflict between the Central Powers and the Allies. Every year, we as citizens stand shoulder to shoulder, united on the streets of our towns and cities, to reflect on that very war that caused such destruction and division between nations and the people who fought so hard to defend our country. A number of services took place across the region in remembrance of those millions who sacrificed their lives for our rights and freedoms. These included a special service held at Canterbury Cathedral, including a Nave and Quire Sung Eucharist featuring local choirs and HeinrichSchutz-Kantorei. The event concluded with an evening reconciliation by Adrian Bawtree praying for those who had been affected by the Great War and other conflicts. A number of beautiful and moving tributes were also erected over the last few weeks to mark the centenary, including the Poppy Appeal display.

Dreamers

Westgate Tower

Wreath

Army Cadet Force Canterbury ‘War Horse’ based on Michael Morpurgo’s classic novel

Canterbury Cathedral evening service

By Siegfried Sassoon WWI Poet (1886-1987) Soldiers are citizens of death’s grey land, Drawing no dividend from time’s to-morrows. In the great hour of destiny they stand, Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows. Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives. Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives. I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain, Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats, And mocked by hopeless longing to regain Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats, And going to the office in the train.

Photos by Chole Lee and Oliver Trapnell

Opinion

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The views and opinions expressed in the opinion section are those of the authors and do not necessariy reflect the official policy or position of InQuire Media.

The kingdom of the University of Kent

By James Marriott Writer

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niversity Council has allowed student access to their meeting agendas and minutes online. This can be found at their governance page, and the contents of these documents along with the University charter and ordinances clearly delineate

in the University is counter-intuitively dominated by sixteen persons external to the University. The Council hence maintains control over the £150,000,000 of money students pay—often through debt— towards the University’s income with only two studentelected members on the Council. This would be equivalent of Photo by University of Kent everyone in the United Kingdom paying their every right we are not privy to. taxes but only having 60 out of The university sets out the the 650 members of the House main principles of organisation of Commons elected by the within its charter. The first people. body to be discussed is the There is a historical reason for Council, a collection of mostly the democratic deficit between external members who are who pays for and who runs the ‘the supreme governing body’ and have control over the the university. Following the Second World War, the UK University’s revenue, property, government began to take over and overall planning. the financing of Universities. This extremely powerful body This meant, reasonably, they

also took over the management, signifying weakening of the lay committees such as the Council. The financial stringency of the 1980s and 1990s however, resulted in both Labour and Conservative governments cutting funding and abolishing the government’s hand in University management. The financing of the universities was remitted back to the university councils without any democratisation process of universities’ finance and management. The privatisation of the University also brought about the corporatisation of the University with councils, entrusting control to the CEO and a board of directors. The post-WWII government asserted its control over the universities by right of the fact it funded them. The responsibility of funding universities has now fallen on students’ shoulders, however the right to run them has yet

been transitioned. The students are consequentially saddled with financial responsibility with none of the democratic right they can claim. This is only a small exposition into a fairly unexplored aspect of our University, partly because the Council functions under an opaque manner. I hope any readers will take the opportunity to look at the Council’s minutes on the University of Kent website and decide for themselves. I also challenge any reader to think of another institution within the UK whose council members lack effective representation or control over decision-making; to think of an institution where the majority of its income its directly payed for by the majority but controlled by the minority; where the potential combined expertise and intelligence of the mass is overridden by the limited capacity of an unelected council.

International students aren’t paying tuition for nothing By Kanon Ikehata Writer

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hen talking about future plans and career paths with friends, it often starts off with the question: ‘Are you going to stay in the UK after graduation, or are you going back home?’ This sentence is not unheard of by any international student studying in universities in the UK. During the Empfest, my friend and I attended an event titled ‘Working in the UK for international students’. The presenter began by stating that statistically, the percentage of international students staying in the UK after graduation is less than 3%. Most students would head back home, or at least a region nearby it after receiving their diploma. While personal circumstances can definitely be a deciding factor for this choice, there are other more systematic ones that explain the current outflux of international students from the UK after their graduation.

The complex and timeonline petition to stop Theresa say the least, especially if you consuming process of applying May (then Home Secretary) are paying significantly more for and being issued a work visa from enforcing even harsher than the home students. inevitably leads one to dismiss guidelines for international This uneasy feeling leads the idea of working in the UK students. May’s argument one to another reason why as ‘too troublesome’. Currently, was that UK universities some international students, international students must especially whose home abide by several strict rules if countries offer a similar they wish to work in the UK living wage to the UK may after graduation: receive choose to return home. a job offer within four A friend of mine months after graduation, returned to Japan which pays a minimum after completing her of £20,800 (may masters in London depend on the job), the despite achieving employer must hold a an opportunity Tier 2 sponsor license, to remain in the and the student must UK. When asked have £945 in savings why, she simply for the past consecutive replied that she was Photo by International Students of University of Kent 3 months. In addition to ‘tired of feeling like this, the employer must a minority’. Having pay an annual fee of £1,000 to stand out more or per Tier 2 employee. While compete for longer to gain smaller Tier 2 employers can the right to stay in any country pay reduced fees, not many may just be enough of a reason businesses are willing to risk should become less dependent for some to drop the option paying more than they could on international students. entirely. receive in return. Knowing that the country you For others who, despite I first came across these are studying in is discouraging the challenge, wish to stay restrictions during my first year you to stay once you complete and work in the UK, should of university when signing an your education is frustrating to thoroughly research visa

procedures and regulations. This does not simply mean googling ‘how to get a job in the UK as an international student’. Contact the companies that interest you. Ask past international students who are currently working in the UK how they did it. Consult University Careers and Employability service for advice. Plus, just last month the Universities UK began urging Government to bring back ‘post-study visa’ which was abandoned in 2012. This visa would allow international students to remain in the UK for an additional two years after graduation to work. Such is the disconcerting truth about the effort an international student should put in to work in the UK after earning an expensive degree: as twice the effort of the home students. After all, international student or not, we are all educated graduates trying to navigate through our new life.

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

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Opinion

Crown Prince of cruelty: Mohammed bin Salman By Josh West Writer

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n 18 April 2018, cinemas in Saudi Arabia opened after 35 years for showings of Black Panther, with plans to have 2,000 cinemas by 2020. This was one of the many reforms of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Crowned Prince and the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia since 2017. Others include the introduction of female drivers last September, the restriction of religious police in 2016, the welcoming of women into sporting events in January and, most revolutionary, his alleged support for a Jewish homeland. Such liberal reforms were welcomed by the west, some hailing MBS as a true Saudi leader for the modern age. Yet the murder and torture of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul on 2 October, and the suspected links to MBS, has led to a revision of the character of this young Arabic ruler. The son of autocratic King Salman, Mohammed took control of Saudi Arabia in 2015 due to Salman’s Alzheimer’s. He was made Crowned Prince in 2017 after the removal of his cousin Muhammed bin Nayef. Within months, 200 high-ranking Saudi princes and

politicians were confined to a for unwavering political Riyadh hotel and later purged obedience. on grounds of corruption, with Mr. Khashoggi broke this MBS claiming, “no one will contract. His major complaint survive in a corruption case”. was the autocratic regime, Whilst some saw this as more something MBS has no desire welcome modernisation by to reform. Forced to flee Saudi the prince, others saw it as an Arabia last September after archetypal consolidation of his articles criticised MBS and power, as it was no coincidence his father, he wrote for The that those purged were supposed-supporters of bin Nayef. Indeed, this dual-system of oppression with liberalization very much characterises MBS’s rule. Whilst Saudis sit in cinemas, Mohammed is blockading Qatar and Photo by Russian state departmemt bombing Yemen. Whilst women drove around Riyadh in March, Loujain al-Hathloul was Washington Post accusing extradited from Abu Dhabi to MBS of conducting the same Saudi Arabia and arrested with oppression he claimed to have sixteen other female-rights removed. His creation of the protesters, only eight of which political party Democracy for have been released. These cases the Arab World Now, which only scratch the surface of the posed a huge political threat hundreds of political dissidents to MBS, seems to have been that have been arrested and the final straw. Entering the civil rights abuses that have Saudi consulate in Istanbul, occurred. MBS’s revolution of he was drugged, his fingers Saudi Arabia almost seems like severed and then dismembered a deal made with his people: alive by fifteen men. Whilst social liberalization in exchange accusing MBS of sanctioning

this is risky, the fact eleven of the men were members of his personal bodyguard and the Saudi attorney general stating on 25th that the murder was premeditated, it doesn’t take much imagination. But what can we expect of a new autocratic leader who needs to assert his power? As a history student, it’s something I’ve seen time and time again; Stalin’s purges, Hitler and the Night of the Long Knives, Mao’s oppression under the banner of social revolution; MBS is nothing new. If he is launching a revolution it’s a revolution from above, and history tells us these rarely deliver on the liberalism they promise. One Saudi source wrote, ‘he was raised in a palace, being told you can do everything you want’. This is exactly what is being seen now; MBS wanting to appear as a modern and respectable leader but also wanting to call the shots and maintain power, attempting to do both and not acknowledging the devastating irony. But what of the western response? Whilst Trump and May emphasise their discontent at MBS and demand answers, it is highly likely

nothing will happen. Saudi Arabia is immune to criticism given to Russia or Iran over such issues, namely on two grounds. Firstly, Saudi Arabia contributes billions to the western economies. In 2017, the UK made over £1bn in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, whilst deals worth $14.5bn have been signed with the US since 2016. Of all western powers, only Germany has dared to threaten a ceasing of trade. Secondly, Saudi Arabia’s dominance in the middle east enables the ‘peace-keeping’ principle as the primary ally of the west, especially regarding their role in anti-terrorism. Consequently, whilst protesters despaired at MBS’s visit in March and the numerous US officials visiting him in Riyadh, it is unoptimistic of any real action being taken against the prince, exactly the same as Russia and Iran. Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of Crown Prince Mohammed. But the way things are at the minute, no matter how reforming he wishes to appear, he shows every likelihood of becoming another middle-eastern dictator, oppressing all dissent with inexhaustible cruelty, and ruling absolute until his son takes control, and so the cycle begins again.

The politics of gendered marketing By Lauren Drozd Writer

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ho can forget the old, divisive branding of the Yorkie chocolate bar? ‘It’s NOT for girls’, it screamed out on the wrapper, the female icon contained in the ‘O’ streaked with a red line to emphasise its message—it was the arbitrarily forbidden fruit. Of course, there was no law preventing young girls like me from buying Yorkie bars, but I always felt deterred, uninvited. The effect of it, much like the advertising slogan ‘Mums go to Iceland’ and the distinct girls’ and boys’ sections of Toys R Us, was insidious, feeding

slowly and undetected into the growing childhood mindset of mine. Women seemed to be separate, and consequently unequal. It told me I would inherit the domestic space— as was framed within the television constantly cooking, constantly ironing, or at the sink with a Fairy liquid bottle in manicured hand. It was similar with Kleenex, having recently scrapped its ‘mansize tissues’ amid backlash and accusations of sexism. Gendered marketing does nothing but alienate women and contribute to a deeply ambivalent view of their own femaleness. The ethical issues of gendered

marketing are twinned with the business-oriented concerns it produces. More and more, we notice and balk at sexist portrayals of men and women in advertising— and businesses suffer. On television, we notice the fewer depictions of traditional gender roles, because the roles and responsibilities of parents have been gradually blurred, accommodating a growing consciousness of patriarchal and limiting gender standards. Our language is constantly evolving and moving towards gender neutrality as our societal understanding of the complex spectrum of gender and its distinction from sex

expands. The world is made up of far more than two rigid identities to market towards, and the more we learn from this, the more innovation we might obtain in marketing that is far more memorable and effective than the surreptitiously sexist fare. Think of the Always’s #LikeAGirl campaign, which had a revolutionary outreach to people all over the world despite the business being a feminine hygiene brand. The campaign tapped into the insecurities that manifest in young girls during puberty, examining the traditionally derogatory connotations of something or someone being

‘like a girl’. This shows an irreversible step towards progress of business marketing, as well as people simply communicating in their dayto-day lives, probe harmful gendered language, and reinvent it. Backlash to stereotyped marketing doesn’t signal the presence of a millennial determination to be offended by seemingly innocuous things. It comes from a recognition that we deserve more than to be made to feel excluded on the basis of gender. Language is important, and how we use it shapes and is shaped by how we perceive the world and ourselves.

8

Opinion

American midterms: pink and blue waves over Congress By Jeanne Bigot Writer

L

ately, mentions of American politics had me rolling my eyes and trying to change the subject. The words ‘Trump’ and ‘American politics’ made me sick, not only because of what they stood for, but also because of the relentless coverage they get in the media. Tuesday’s midterm elections however, managed to bring back my attention with a glimmer of hope in my, and a

lot of other people’s minds. The House of Representatives moved from a Republican to a Democrat majority. Last year, six Democrats in the House failed to gain a majority vote when trying to bring articles for Trump’s impeachment to the floor. The recent blue wave over the Houseand Democrat majority could lead one to think Trump’s time has come. The President will surely experience difficulty with passing bills in Congress with a Democrat majority in the House. The problem is not all

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

that simple, though. Opponents of Donald Trump can celebrate Tuesday’s victory, but an actual impeachment seems unlikely. While Democrats could technically vote in the House with a majority to impeach the President, the Senate needs to agree on a two-thirds majority for impeachment. With a Republican Senate, the odds for the scenario are low. Nancy Pelosi, predicted Majority Leader of the House, seems to stand against impeachment: ‘I get criticized in my own party for not being in support of it. But I’m not.’ Democrats might choose to collaborate with the executive branch rather than battling for impeachment and dividing the House and national politics even further. Should fervent opponents of Trump still rejoice about the Democrats’ takeover of the House? One can look into the composition of the house, and the voter turnout, in order to consider this midterm election a milestone of American

politics. Indeed, the turnout rate was at least 35% higher than that of the last midterm elections. Young-adult turnout for early voting surged by an estimated 188% compared to the 2014 elections. The makeup of the House itself seems more female and diverse than ever. Nearly a year after the first Women’s March, it is predicted that more than 100 women will enter Congress following the midterm elections. Massachusetts elected its first Black woman to Congress, Ayanna Presley. Ilhan Omar is the first hijabi woman to be elected to Congress, the first Somali-American woman, and one of the first Muslim women alongside Rashida Tlaib. Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids are the first NativeAmerican Congresswomen, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Latina representative, is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. The list goes on, and it is nearly impossible to name all the diverse people who took seat in Congress this Tuesday. The

number of women elected to the House of Representatives is higher than ever, and might shed light on the voters’ reaction to Trump’s repeated attacks on women throughout his campaign and the first part of his presidency. As Democratic pollster Celinda Lake stated, ‘Democratic women in particular and independent women, progressive women, upscale suburban women were clearly energized by the Trump victory and the Trump presidency in a negative way’. As a feminist and as a progressive, I was thrilled by the outcome of the House race earlier this week. It is however important to remember that one swallow does not a summer make. Women still only make up less than a quarter of the House, and only time will tellwhether the supposed pink and blue waves of the 2018 midterm elections contributed to changing the face of the current American politics.

Bolsonaro: Brazil’s turning point H

omophobic, misogynist, and racist; those are just some of the words used to describe Brazil’s next president, Jair Bolsonaro. The leader of the Social Workers Party (PSL) won 55% of the vote in the final stage of voting, marking a dramatic shift in the country’s politics. Brazilian citizens supposedly have had enough of socialism, opting instead for a man perceived as controversial, polarising, and staunchly conservative. How did this relatively unknown congressman garner so much support? What does his appointment mean for democracy? In order to answer these two questions, we need to look back at Brazil’s somewhat troublesome history. The Land of the Palms had not been a domain of

democracy until the third wave of democratization during the latter years of the Cold War. The country was previously ruled by a military regime marred by censorship, violence, and exile where a young Bolsonaro began his political career, first as an army captain and then as a representative for Rio de Janeiro. There, he began to display support for militarism—a belief that the state should maintain a strong military capability to expand national interests—as well as other convictions, such as homophobia and the use of torture. After 7 terms in office, he made the decision to run a populist campaign that strived to appeal to ordinary people who felt like their concerns were being disregarded by left elitists. The term populism is not uncommon in Latin America. For more than a century, populists have been

immensely successful at gaining high office, holding followers’ allegiances far better than so-called traditionalists. Bolsonaro’s victory however, is a by-product of right-wing populism sweeping the west and not the socialist rule of the Worker’s Party (PT) that has tormented Brazil for the last 15 years. Lula da Silva and her successor Dilma Rousseff amounted millions in public debt, causing inflation to rise and the economy to dip, entering Brazil into financial recession. In part, it was due to the government’s expansion of state-owned enterprises and its extended loans to countries such as Cuba and Venezuela. Brazil has also suffered from corruption, from scandals such as Operation Car Wash, a money laundering investigation into many Brazilian delegates, adding to the increased levels

of apathy and distrust felt by citizens. Coming out as a reformist, Bolsonaro pledged to deregulate the economy in classic capitalist fashion; free markets, privatisation and an independent central-bank. He promised to repair the state pension system, fight rising levels of crime, and change the destiny of Brazil for the better by draining the corrupted swamp. He never shied away on his previous view of militarism, which stroke accord with the electorate and made him a champion of law and order. The 63-year-old’s subsequent appointment signals a turning point for Brazil. His victory speech recited segments of the Bible, weighing a heavy emphasis on

family and the concept of liberty. Indeed, he called his appointment a ‘celebration of freedom in Brazil’, a stark contrast to those who manifest Bolsonaro as a grave threat to Brazil’s fledgling democracy. Is he a threat? Only time will tell, but for now, it is up to Bolsonaro to deliver on the promises that got him into office. Photo by Gustavo Lima| Wikimedia Commons

By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

Editorial

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

9

Rise of the people’s right InQuire’s Website Opinion Editor sheds light on the recent rise of populism across the world

Photo by Darron Birgenheier | Flickr

By Matt Nuttall Website Opinion Editor

P

opulism reached the peak of the political mountain in 2016 with the crowning of its figurehead, Donald Trump, in the heart of the Western world. His election stunned everyone. Left-wing politicians reeled and made excuses. News anchors sought ‘experts’ to provide answers. Progressives took to the web to cry foul and blame the system. And all of suburban, middle-class society wondered how on earth this happened. In reality, we all should have seen this coming. The rise of the Tea Party, Le Pen’s sudden support in France, the landmark Brexit vote; all have been signposts for the rising populism that carried Trump to the top. The year of 2016 was simply the pinnacle of a process that began when Wall Street crashed in 2008. Populism has, of course, existed long before 2008. Leaders that appeal to nationalistic ideals, the corruption of recent times, and the rights of the people have been winning elections since

Ancient Rome. But populism needs a crisis to rear its head. Berlusconi only got elected in Italy because the entire political elite in Rome were revealed as horrendously corrupt in the early 1990s. Reagan won in the United States because of the perception that they were losing the Cold War. Hugo Chavez had success in Venezuela after a decade of economic crisis. The difference with the 2008 crisis, however, was that its impact hit worldwide. The Great Recession was felt across the Western world, and duly all of the West saw a gradual populist climb. At first, the growth was hardly noticeable. UKIP and the BNP attracted 1.5 million votes combined in the 2010 election, but that wasn’t nearly enough to win any seats or attention. Marine Le Pen rose to the fore of the National Front and attracted 6.5 million Frenchmen to finish third in the first round of the Presidential election. Geert Wilders, leader of the populist Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, tripled his

previous share of the vote in the general election of 2010, but still wasn’t notable enough to seriously impact the regular running of the country. As the recession dragged on, however, populism continued to grow. By 2015, UKIP were a notable party, comfortably coming third in the popular vote and were ultimately very unlucky to not win more than one seat in parliament. It was this success that gave populism the breakthrough it needed for the general populace to finally pay attention to it: the EU referendum. Brexit started with David Cameron’s fool’s gambit. By announcing the EU referendum in the weeks after the election of 2015, he dared populism to either hit the political elite hard, or quiet down. The referendum was the ultimate put up or shut up. It was a ridiculous move. Either Cameron had totally missed the growth of populism over the last half decade, or he was prepared to risk it all to get that monkey off of his back. In short, either he was a halfwit, or unbelievably reckless. We all know what happened next, as

populism scored its first serious victory. Its second came later that year, through similar ineptitude. Both Republicans and Democrats dismissed Trump’s rise until it was far too late, paying too little attention to him and his strategy, infighting with one another, and giving him a legitimate path to the White House. It was exactly what Trump needed to mobilise his base and seize control. So now here we are, at the peak of populism. For many of us, it is an unpleasant scenario, one that many of us never expected to come to pass. But populism never lasts forever. It requires crisis, a negative scenario to draw off of. As economies stabilise and worldwide tension cools, populism has historically cooled off. Reagan passed power to his more politically established VP, Bush Snr. Berlusconi flamed out and was replaced by more traditional members of the political elite. People tire of the endlessly negative and insular rhetoric, and look

for an alternative as things improve. As such, with the economy slowly recovering, the terrorist threat quieting down, and the civil wars of the Middle East finally drawing to a close, we may be reaching the wane of populism, only two years detached from its height. More optimistic viewers might see the Democratic gains in the midterms as a sign of this decline. It is far too early to feel any certainty, but it is certainly a positive sign. Regardless, the political establishment must learn from this decade-long flirt with populism. This could have been far worse. If nothing else, populist successes have stayed within the limits of constitutional rules and precedent. The higher-minded like to view populism as dirty and improper, but it is not. You can dislike the policies put forward, but the populist phenomenon itself is a tried and tested formula, and it must be considered to prevent its full success. Ignoring it does not work. If we only take one thing from this past decade, let it be that.

10

Lifestyle

A glimpse Homeless into life with for a night seasonal W depression By Rowan Parris Writer

S

easonal depression (otherwise known as Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a condition which often goes undiagnosed owing to the nature of its symptoms. It’s easy to think that low energy, grumpiness, and dejection in winter is just a result of the cold weather and darker days. SAD is actually a type of depression which typically gets worse in winter, although it is possible for the symptoms to occur in the summer for some people as well. I interviewed a friend with SAD to find out more about this condition:

‘I try to give myself more time to complete deadlines which are due in winter. I find that it’s a lot easier if I start working on them as early as possible. It particularly gets harder to find the motivation closer to deadlines. I think anticipating how SAD might affect me can help making my life a little easier, but it is definitely a struggle— sometimes I can’t find the energy to get out of bed. I have to force myself to get up and go to lectures, even if I feel tired as a result of my SAD. It definitely pays off in the end though.’

How did you find out that you have this disorder?

What do you do to help you deal with SAD?

‘I noticed I was feeling more depressed in the winter months, particularly in the deepest parts of winter when it would get dark early and be cold all the time. I had already been diagnosed with clinical depression, but it seemed to get radically worse between November and February. I didn’t know why this was, so I asked my counsellor if seasons can affect your mental health, and that’s when I first heard about SAD. After more discussions with my counsellor, and discussing my symptoms I was eventually diagnosed.’

What were the specific symptoms you noticed? ‘I tend to feel more tired in Winter. I’m also generally far moodier and more depressed and I find it difficult to motivate myself to do work or see friends. Since being diagnosed I find it slightly easier to deal with because I now know that it’s a condition and not my fault if I feel this way during this time of year.’

How does SAD affect your life at university?

‘I find that talking to my counsellor about how I feel can help, as she understands the reasons behind what I’m going through, making it feel a little more normal. Telling friends how I feel also helps, taking a little of the pressure off, such as if I feel the need to cancel plans If I’m feeling unmotivated, then they understand. They know it’s not personal, just another symptom of my disorder. I also try to exercise a lot more during the winter, even though it can be hard to find the motivation. I find that it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, even if it is just going for a run, or to the gym for an hour.’

Do you have any advice for people who think they might have SAD? ‘If the symptoms are a persistent issue for you, and you find that they tend to strongly appear in the winter months, then it might be worth talking to a doctor or a professional counsellor to discuss the possibility of you having SAD. I think that a lot of people, including me before my diagnosis, have the tendency to brush the symptoms off as just part of the season, however, SAD is a real disorder which you can get help for if you reach out.’

By Nina Yulo Writer hen we think of charity, the first thing that comes to mind is giving. Giving may include donating old clothes, or volunteering with charity cake sales; it may be as small as purchasing gift-aid items at charity shops; in extreme circumstances, it may take the form of near nude cycling. All of this, in order to help those less fortunate than us. Late last year, however, I was introduced to a different kind of charity: it was a sleep-out organised by the UKC Catholic Society, to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless. I remember feeling hesitant when I first learned about the sleep-out, mostly because the idea was quite daunting. The idea of sleeping outside for a night was not one I warmed too, however, I thought that if a person can stand in the middle of a high street holding a charity bucket, dressed in a ridiculous costume, spending the night out on the grass couldn’t be that bad. I set off with my housemate, armed with nothing but cardboard boxes, bin bags, thin blankets and makeshift pillows. We walked up Eliot footpath to meet the other people joining us. It was the first week of November so the temperature was in the single digits. All ten of us lay on the field outside the Templeman library. We huddled together for warmth, talking and making up songs as the evening wore on. Occasionally a passerby would see our handmade sign and stop to chat. Because it was a weekend, most of those who came to speak to us were either stumbling home from a night out in Venue or walking back from a day of studying. Sometimes they would drop some change in the bucket we brought with us. Others were a bit more generous and came back with coffee and biscuits. The place where I decided to set up camp turned out to be the most uncomfortable. I could feel the shape of the stones digging in my back through the bin bag, and the temperature plummeted

during the early hours of the morning. Yet it was as I lay there, trying to sleep, that certain realisations dawned on me. It is easy to say that we sympathise with the poor, claim we understand their situation, and then be able to go back to our comfortable lives. It made me aware of how much we take things for granted, simply because we have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep on. This was just one night of sleeping outside—laid bare on a field, with no protection from the bitter autumn winds, or the perils of strangers’ drunken antics. For homeless men and women, this is their everyday reality. It taught me the importance of empathy and charity. How both necessarily go hand-in-hand. Empathy requires us to open our minds to the sufferings of another. Charity requires a giving of our time, energy, or belongings, forgetting our own comfort, and giving it to our neighbour instead. The sun rose and the day broke. I got up and walked home, humbled.

Photo by Steve Knutson | Unsplash

Photo by Ev | Unsplash

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

11

Lifestyle

How to cost-effectively layer up this autumn

A

s students, our lives are dictated by the figures in our bank accounts, or lack thereof. To wrap up warm in the British Autumn every year is one of the many financial challenges we have to face. With weather like ours, and the climate situation at hand, every day is unpredictable. It’s therefore time to prepare our wardrobes for all that may come, in the most frugal way possible. It cannot be stressed enough—layering is essential. Doing it correctly, however, can be a challenge. Nobody wants to look like the Michelin Man after all. Wearing a big t-shirt with a thick jumper, a fat coat, and a hat, scarf and gloves isn’t your only option. It’s all about utilizing light layers of clothing. Clothes which you can adapt to suit your day, and believe it or not, don’t need to cost you your month’s rent. Forget storing your summer attire in the back of your wardrobe, they can be worn throughout the year. It’s time to layer up. A personal favourite of mine is to take a sleeveless shift dress and partner is up with a polo neck jumper. Add a pair of tights and boots and you

have an outfit that can be styled to suit any weather. This can be done with jumpsuits and dungarees as well. Don’t unnecessarily spend your money on new clothes that you can only wear for half the year. Look at what you have and think about how you can adapt it. Just remember: layer, layer, and layer again. Coats—an obvious necessity. If you want to remain frugal, then only buy one. You don’t need a coat for a different outfit, it’s not essential. As it’s autumn, warm colours pair beautifully with our changing scenery. But don’t restrict yourself to caramels, reds and browns. Other block colours, such as black, grey, or blue are perfect for the season as well. A strong colour is a statement all year round, and is easy to pair an outfit with. So, bundle up warm and grab your nearest and dearest coat for the late autumn and upcoming winter. If you really need to buy some new clothes for the upcoming season, but are struggling with money, leave the large retailers alone. Forget about New Look, River Island, and our beloved Top Shop, with the exception of Primark, they are

not your friend. Every Wednesday and Friday, Canterbury city centre has an amazing market. There tend to be clothing stalls, with items that are both gorgeous and very affordable. This is a high recommendation for those looking to pad out their wardrobe for less, you’ll be surprised by what you can find there. Charity shops are also your friend— it’s the land of fantastic bargains. With over twenty dotted around Canterbury, there definitely are some hidden gems out there. A wonderful variety of clothes are waiting to be purchased, ranging from designer to high-street, Prada to Primark. But most importantly, not only will you be helping yourself, you’ll be helping those in need. Overall, wrap up warm and use your initiative. Have another look at what you have already. You may be surprised with what you might find, a brand new outfit that only cost five minutes of your time. By Sophia Christodoulou Writer

Photo by Alica Petresc | Unsplash

Winter skincare for dry skin

A

s a sufferer of dry skin and eczema, winter takes its toll. The lack of moisture in the air leaves it vulnerable to dehydration and patchiness. This is why skincare is more important than ever in the winter months. I find that by buying products specifically catered towards dry and sensitive skin, I am able to mitigate the worst the winter’s harsh effects.

Face:

I find that my skin gets much drier in winter, so I adapt my skincare routine to reflect this. Using hydrating face masks such as The Body Shop Ethiopian Honey Deep Nourishing Mask helps me to replenish the moisture in my skin. This counteracts effects of the cold winds and dry air of winter. It creates a good base for other skincare products by feeding your skin with natural ingredients such as olive oil.

Cleansing: for a face wash, Nivea

Gentle Face Cleansing Cream Wash for Dry & Sensitive Skin, helps to prevent the tightening of my skin, which I usually feel when I first wake up. It is

also soothing enough that it doesn’t irritate my skin. I find that the formula of a cream-based cleanser is more suited to dry skin than gel or foam cleansers, which make it drier and tighter.

Moisturising:

to wear under makeup, the Garnier Moisture Bomb 3 in 1 Day Cream moisturiser gives my makeup a smoother application, ensuring that my skin is moisturised all day. It also creates a barrier between my skin and makeup, which helps protect my skin from the cold winds and prevents it from being irritated by heavy makeup.

with hydrated skin even in the coldest months. In the past, I often woke up with skin with far drier than it was the night before. After trying this night cream, I now wake to skin that feels comfortable and soft. Just this simple step in my skincare routine is an example of what has made my skin a lot easier to deal with.

Body: Exfoliating:

for my body, I find that exfoliating Photo by Ian Dooley | Unsplash before moisturising can help to get rid of dead skin cells and Overnight: using prevent ashy, dry, dull overnight treatments such as skin. Personally, I find that the, Botanics’ All Bright Hydrating the Sanctuary Spa Classic Night Cream, ensures you wake up Body Scrub is a great product for

skin softening. This provides a clean, smooth surface for my moisturiser to work with.

Moisturiser: I then use Cocoa

Butter Formula Body Lotion which is specifically designed for sensitive skin. It is designed to be compatible with eczema prone skin and is extremely hydrating for my dry skin.

Eczema: when specifically battling

my eczema, Lush’s Dream Cream is a wonder product which is inexpensive and always manages to soothe my skin, no matter how sensitive it feels. Additionally, for particularly bad outbreaks, E45 Dermatological Cream quickly stops the itching and inflammation which is symptom of eczema. These two products are my go-to skin saviours for this time of year, when my eczema is at its worst. Disclaimer: If you suffer from skin conditions, consulting your doctor or pharmacist is advised. By Rowan Parris Writer

12

Lifestyle

Is vegetarianism the answer to saving our enviroment? Kent thinks so.

Food

Photo by Ja Ma | Unsplash

I

t’s been plastered all-over the news and social media. Scientists from around the world have released reports explaining that this is our final warning. If we don’t make a drastic change by 2040, the climate could increase by three degrees. This, we have been told, is the ‘best case scenario’. What’s our solution? Reducing meat consumption, according to recent reports. Kent Hospitality, Kent Sport, The Gulbenkian, The Estates Department and the Kent Union Environment Officers are leading an

have all

‘significantly improved their vegan and vegetarian

Photo by Dikaseva | Unsplash

options’ according to Kent Hospitality. Reports recently published by the ‘UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’ have said that UK beef consumption needs to fall by 90%, as well as a dramatic cut of pork, poultry and milk. For vegetarians this is no problem, but for meat lovers, adopting a ‘flexitarian’ diet seems to be difficult. This would consist Photo by Alto Crew | Unsplash initiative of eating meat once a week or less. to reduce This is about more than a choice of diet meat consumption now, however. This is about our planet. across campus, additionally increasing Food production is a huge stress the amount of Red Tractor Assured on the environment. Greenhouse label livestock by 10% a year. gases from livestock, deforestation, Director of Commercial Services’, farming, and vast dead ocean Kevin Stuckey said: ‘The university zones from agricultural pollution recognises its responsibility to carry are all beginning to take their toll on out its procurement activities in the earth. Perhaps we shouldn’t be an environmentally and socially questioning whether or not reducing responsible manner, and to encourage our meat consumption is a good idea, healthy and sustainable food production as the facts are objective. It’s about and consumption’. Bars, restaurants, whether or not it’s necessary. Unless and cafes around campus including we’re ready to welcome wildfires, rising Mungo’s, Rutherford, and Dolce Vita sea-levels, and permanent drought,

it seems undeniably necessary. Our oceans will swallow cities from Miami Beach to Jakarta. River flooding damages will grow 30-fold in Bangladesh, 20-fold in India, and as much as 60-fold in the U.K. This is just a three degree

Photo by Noah Buscher | Unsplash

politically charged will suffer the consequences of climate change, along with the rest of us. Reducing our meat consumption may seem daunting, however, with the right mix of the education, changes in school and work-place menus, alongside tax subsidies for plant-based food, scientists say it’s achievable. It’s time to stop ignoring our planet’s cries for help, and start doing what each of us can.

difference. It makes one wonder what could happen if no changes are made—if the climate increases by four, or even five degrees. Professor Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, says: ‘we can do it. We need a much more proactive government, however, to provide the right Photo by David Nueschelar | Unsplash framework. People can make a personal difference by changing their diet, but also by knocking on the doors of politicians, demanding better environmental regulations. Do not let politicians off the hook’. By Ellie Fielding It’s clearly about changing more than Food Sub-Editor just our diets. It’s about becoming activists, for even those who aren’t as

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

Food

13

Lifestyle

Autumn comfort food A

Method

s the days get shorter and deadlines loom, what is it everyone’s craving? Comfort food. There’s nothing better than a bowl of warm soup, reminiscent of winters back home, cuddled up on the sofa, to get us through the season. These long months can be difficult without proper sustenance and comfort. Not to fear, I have the perfect cure. My homemade ‘Farmer Soup’, wholesome and nourishing, will help satisfy all of these cravings.

•Melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. •Add the diced onion and sauté till transparent. •Add the diced potatoes and fry until soft. •Add the diced ham and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant. •Pour in both cans of tomato soup, and further add in half a cup of water. •Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. •Finally, pour in the thickening cream, and salt and pepper to taste. •Bring the soup to boil, then take it off the stove. •Serve the soup hot in bowls, garnish with some coriander and a pinch of black pepper.

Homemade farmer soup: Serves 4-5 Ingredients: • 3 Big Onions (finely diced) • 3 Potatoes (skinned, diced into small cubes) • 1 Packet of Ham diced (Preferably turkey ham, but it can be altered to personal taste) • 2 Cans of Tomato Soup • 300ml of Thickening Cream • A pinch of White Pepper • A pinch of Salt

TIP: Serve with a slice of bread, as it adds an element of comfort.

An alternative to soup as a warming meal this winter is ‘Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin) and Aubergine Curry’. Sweet potatoes and pumpkins are a classic for this season, full of vitamins A and C. Aubergines are energising, with potassium and fibre, making this meal delicious and nutritious. Not only is it simple to cook at home, you can also freeze it, a comforting meal just waiting to be defrosted. (Suitable for vegetarians and vegans).

Method

•In a large non-stick frying pan, sauté the sweet potato and onion for 5 minutes, turning half way through. •Sprinkle over the Metamucil and stir to coat. •Add the aubergine and sauté for 2 minutes, turn and sauté for another 2 minutes or until golden. •Pour over the Korma sauce (‘Korma’ is an Indian sauce based on a mixture of spices, including ground coriander, cumin and yoghurt). Sweet potato and •In the empty jar, swirl approximately ½ aubergine curry: cup (125ml) of water to use the remaining sauce and gradually add to the pan. Serves 3-4 •Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, allowing time for the flavours to Ingredients: develop or until the vegetables • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil are nice and tender. • ½ Spanish onion, (peeled and •Serve over rice, seasoned sliced) with coriander and a drizzle of • 400g sweet potato or pumpkin freshly squeezed lemon juice.

• • • •

(peeled & chopped into bite-size pieces) 1 tablespoon Metamucil LEMON LIME Smooth (or similar product) 1 aubergine, chopped into 2cm pieces 500g jar of Korma sauce ½ cup (125ml) of water

Don’t forget to check out Kent’s locally grown produce in town on the weekends, so go get your ingredients and start cooking. By Sheenaz Iqbal Writer

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14

Entertainment

Music

A Star is Born album by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga B

radley Cooper has proved with A Star Is Born that he is not only an actor but also a bright producer and an unexpected singer and songwriter. What is striking from the beginning to the end of Bradley Cooper’s film A Star Is Born is the musicality. Not only has he made a great film but an impressive soundtrack. The film tells the story of a hard-drinking rock musician, Jackson Maine, played by Cooper, who falls in love with waitress and drag bar singer, Ally, played by Lady Gaga, and takes her on tour with him. The soundtrack features songs like Black Eyes, which opens the film, with Cooper playing an electric guitar. It announces the atmosphere of the film. The loud heavy guitar riffs show you that he is a freaking rock star. Accompanying guitars is a piano and drums, it is a song worthy of an actual rock band. The song was recorded at a Willie Nelson concert but Cooper wrote it. You can

By Charlotte Delangle Writer

hear a strong dynamic in the whole album partly due to the very wellproduced guitar riffs. In the same vibe,

there is the track Alibi, with a touch of country sounds. The electric guitar solo is just insane. Out Of Time reflects the authentic blues, country and rock song, the drum entering the melody in the middle and bringing a huge dimension to it. The song that is going to make people

crazy like City of Stars from La La Land did is Shallow. Bradley Cooper is in the role of a lover with his acoustic Gibson guitar and Lady Gaga is bursting through the light of fame. This powerful hymn for love appears at the turning point of the movie where Ally is going to be revealed to the public and become Photo by YouTube famous. Then comes Maybe It’s Time, an acoustic song interpreted by Jackson, telling about the reality of life and about his proper life. Music To My Eyes is a duet ballad written by Lukas Nelson reminiscent of Jeff Buckley. Their voices complete each other, here comes the perfect symbiosis that everyone is searching in their lives.

However, there is a shift from the rock music style to a more R&B/pop, one which goes along with the changes in Ally’s life. The soundtrack and the film both end with the song I’ll Never Love Again, a minimalist piano ballad performed by Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga wrote the song with Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Raitiere. It’s an ode to Jackson expressing her feelings: ‘No other name falling off my lips / Don’t wanna give my heart away to another stranger’. The remarkable and unexpected thing is that both the film and the soundtrack act in symbiosis as do the duo Jackson and Ally. The film is full of captivating evocations of live music on screen and it shows authentic rock’n’roll. Some of the concert scenes were actually shot at Coachella and Glastonbury. If you have not seen A Star Is Born yet, I’d recommend it, enjoy the intoxicating chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and then listen to this fantastic soundtrack.

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

TV

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Entertainment

Madden stuns in The Bodyguard T

By Daniel Gibson Writer

he first season of the BBC drama The Bodyguard has made quite the splash, boasting the highest viewership of any U.K. drama program since records began in 2002. The series follows PC David Budd (Richard Madden) as he is assigned to protect the Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) and what follows is a tense thriller that is a must watch. The standout star of the show is undoubtedly Richard Madden. Playing an ex-soldier with PTSD his portrayal of PC Budd’s wrought emotional state gives off a sense of vulnerability but, as the episode two set-piece shows, he is more than capable of handling himself. If you need any more proof that Madden was the right man for the role look no further than the first seventeen minutes of episode one as PC Budd confronts a potential suicide bomber in an emotionally harrowing and unforgettable opening to the series. As the story progresses it begins to split focus away from PC Budd and towards other players in a strange conspiracy surrounding Budd’s charge, Julia Montague. This conspiracy engulfs the Home department, Secret services and Counter Terrorism Command with

each party suspecting the other of foul play and trying to gain leverage against them. In the middle of this are DCI Sharma (Ash Tandon) and DS Rayburn (Nina Toussaint-White) who are

pad the runtime—its six episodes keep it concise and prevent it overstaying its welcome. It keeps a healthy balance of action and intrigue, with each episode ending with a hook that’ll keep you

Photo by BBC

attempting to get to the bottom of the events surrounding Montague. The series has plenty of pros, for a start its premise is gripping enough to keep viewers guessing and it doesn’t suffer from filler episodes or attempts to

wanting to watch, making it the perfect show to binge. Additionally, it makes a welcome change from the abundance of shows based on the FBI and CIA with the main showrunner also having a hand in the police drama Line of Duty.

live action marvel villain put to screen; D’Onofrio is pitch perfect. His quiet rage is contained so masterfully behind his microexpressions. The performance stands as the defining example of the Kingpin of Crime across all media. This season is fully Matt vs. Fisk and their ever-evolving game of cat and mouse is simply captivating to watch. New blood this year includes a poignantly resonant performance from Joanne Whalley as Sister Maggie, and Jay Ali as federal agent Ray Nadeem who for a large part of the season suffers from a typical case of making decisions that serve only to frustrate the audience. The standout, however, is Wilson Bethel’s unhinged performance as famed Daredevil antagonist Bullseye (referred to as Ben ‘Dex’ Poindexter in the show). Bethel is phenomenal in the role, slowly changing from a calm, collected individual to an obsessed psychopath and the transition is always seamless. I’d be remiss if I did not take a

moment to praise the incredible action scenes that take place throughout the season, in particular, those involving Poindexter’s innovative offence and marksmanship. With each year, Daredevil attempts to outdo itself in fight choreography and I think they may have accomplished that here with a clear example being a roughly 10-minutelong, seemingly uninterrupted take featuring Matt trying to fight his way out of a prison. The action is as visceral as it’s ever been and you certainly won’t be disappointed in that department. It’s not flawless however, minor gripes include something I can only describe as ‘interactive flashbacks’ which just didn’t land well with me and a small but notable collection of scenes that feature Matt talking to an illusory Fisk. I imagine this was mainly done due to the fact Matt spends a surprisingly large amount of time on his own this season but the scenes feel out of place and almost make Matt seem unstable which he certainly is not.

The show doesn’t set Budd up as some sort of superhero who can solve all the conflicts on his own, but rather keeps him grounded and realistic, being far out of his element but still persevering. The show does have some flaws. Its attempts to keep you guessing and its curveballs can backfire as it does get confusing at times. While it doesn’t prevent the overall enjoyment of the show, following all of the different threads of logic can get frustrating at times. The other major criticism of the show is focused on the characterisation of one of its Muslim characters. To prevent spoilers I won’t go into too much detail, but in essence they manage to run the gamut of stereotypes in a way that was clearly meant to be a big shock but just results in a half-baked borderline offensive portrayal. It’s easy to see why The Bodyguard has attracted so much interest and acclaim. It’s a unique story that is well realised, boasting a talented cast and impressive writing. With talk about Madden returning for a second series, it’ll be interesting to see if the showrunners can capture the same lightning in a bottle or if they attempt to go in a different direction.

Daredevil season 3 review D

By Tyler Rigby Writer

aredevil returns to Netflix for a third season with new showrunner Erik Oleson at the helm, and it’s never been better. After a notable dip in quality for Marvel Netflix shows since Daredevil’s sophomore season and the recent cancellations that have hit them (Luke Cage, Iron Fist) there was a great deal of pressure for Marvel’s flagship show to display a return to form and that certainly happened here. Charlie Cox is back as Matt Murdock… well sort of. Matt has decided to give up his life as the blind attorney for hire and now solely focuses on being a masked vigilante. Matt is having a crisis of faith when we first see him again, questioning any meaning he previously felt his life had. Cox is exceptional here and it really gives him some strong emotional material to play with across the seasons 13-hour run. That being said, it is the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk who firmly steals the show this year. Without a doubt, a strong contender for the best

Overall, this season has a sense of dread about it not previously felt on the show, as our main characters struggle to defeat an ostensibly unstoppable foe. It feels more personal than it ever has before and represents the best chapter in the series to date.

Photo by Netflix

16

Feature

The Sour Reality The experiences of a cash strapped Kent student Written by Ellie Fielding

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ying naked on the strange sheets, she felt used and ashamed. ‘It’s just sex’, she thought. She picked up the money he had left on the side and tried to suppress the nausea. Over 700 Kent girls currently have an account on the website seekingarrangement.com. This website allows young girls to meet up with wealthy, older men. The front page of the website states that these men will indulge them in “shopping sprees, expensive dinners, and exotic travel vacations.” Kent student Chloe Richards, 21, [fake name], a former member of the website believes that this glamorization is fake and dangerous. In

an exclusive interview with her, I found out the truth behind the life of a ‘sugar baby’. Out of ‘childish curiosity’ Chloe made an account on seekingarrangement. com, before her first year of university. She told me that she had heard of and seen the luxurious life that young girls were living due to the help of a rich, older man. Media had drawn her into the strange new world of the sugar baby, leading her to sign up and explore. A year later, Chloe is a fresher at the University of Kent with no money left to survive. Coming from a low-income family, she couldn’t ask her parents for money, and so, was left to her own

devices. She remembered the account she made a year previously and decided to finally complete her profile. The thought of fast, easy money was too much for Chloe to resist. Upon revisiting her account, she had already received several messages from older men. ‘Most of the messages were very long. They would tell me about their profile, comment on mine and ask what kind of “arrangement” I was looking for’. Some of them would offer to take her all over the world, or monthly allowances from £2,000 to be at their beck and call. These offers, however, seemed too intense and risky for Chloe to begin with. Although at first these messages were confusing, Chloe managed to navigate her way around them and come up with her terms. ‘It was just supposed to be a one-time thing’. Her plan was to meet a man, get some cash to get her through to her next student loan, and leave. Expecting to accompany a rich man to an exclusive restaurant, Chloe’s first encounter with a sugar daddy was nothing like what she expected. ‘Everything you see online about rich men wanting to take you out for money is bullshit. They all have high-profile jobs, so most want to meet discretely’, meaning most men want to meet in hotel rooms or their own place—and almost all of them want sex. The first man she gave her number to, called her

These are descriptions from the Seeking Arrangement website. It seeks to connect older, wealthy men, with young, attractive women.

straight away. He asked how much she wanted, and they arranged to meet the following night. She spent hours getting ready in order to feel ‘worthy’ of his money, a feeling she had never really experienced before: ‘I had never really evaluated my selfworth in this way before’. They met late in a hotel room. ‘It wasn’t even a nice hotel room’. The life of glamour and luxury wasn’t turning out to be what she had expected. ‘He was nice, young even. But he only wanted one thing’. What was she supposed to do? She had bought a train ticket with the last of her money. She couldn’t leave empty handed. ‘I slept with him’. Chloe wasn’t planning on sleeping with anyone to get this money, but she felt ‘obligated’. She lay there in the hotel room bed and let him do what he wanted in order to get the money. Afterwards she felt cold. Ashamed. ‘I just felt so gross afterwards. I remember showering as soon as he left. I felt dirty. But I had £400 in my bag, so I just brushed it off’. She realised that this was prostitution. This was the definition of it—but she had met him on a dating website and no one had used that word. Her money problems were finally over, however, and she could continue her university experience without the looming dread of money. After a few weeks the money she had received had run out. Even though her first experience with a sugar daddy wasn’t enjoyable, all she could remember was how quickly and how easily she got money. ‘I did try to get a regular job, but employers take one look at ‘student’ and you never hear back from them’. She found herself back on the app before she knew it. This time, more permanently. In the space of a few weeks Chloe received countless messages from men ages twenty-five to sixty-five. All of which offering her around £500 for a few hours of her time. The second time was the same as the last. Hotel room. Alcohol. Sex. Money. No matter how bad she felt after each date, she couldn’t help but think of how easy the money is, ‘You get addicted’. Not only was Chloe

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

of a Sugar Baby

17

who hoped for a glamourous lifestyle Newspaper Food Sub-Editor surviving back at university, she was going out, buying her friends drinks, and going shopping. She told me: ‘It felt so good to have money. I felt safe, I felt in control, I felt happy’. For two years, Chloe kept up her double life. She was lying to her friends, to her family, and to herself. Her trips into London started to feel much harder. It wasn’t just the constant travelling and the getting ready that was effort, it was keeping up the façade: pretending that she actually enjoyed spending time with these strange men. On one occasion, a date had managed to avoid payment even after sleeping with her. The whole process started to feel tedious. It was dangerous, it was hard work and it was objectifying. Finally, a fifty-year-old man got in contact with her, who lived close by. Although there was over a thirty-year age gap, he was offering more money than anyone had before and a ‘long term arrangement’. This meant she would receive a steady income of £600 a week. ‘I thought for that much money, that often, I would be able to look past his age’. She remembered thinking that maybe if she could get drunk enough beforehand, she wouldn’t remember spending the night with him. But this one would be harder to forget. They arranged for him to pick her up and take her to his house. When she first saw him, it was even worse than she imagined. He was ‘short, out of shape and unattractive’. Chloe found herself trying hard to make it seem like she was genuinely enjoying his company, but it wasn’t easy. After sitting on his sofa for a while, pretending to listen to him talk about his career and the reason he was ‘lonely’, he began to move closer, to touch her. She shivered at his touch. It was that part of the night again; but she wasn’t sure if she

could go through with it. ‘Everything about it repulsed me. I felt sick knowing that he thought this was okay, that this was normal’. Once again, she suppressed her feelings and did what she thought she had to do. After they had sex, Chloe began to get her stuff together. “Where are you going?” he asked. She wanted to leave. She always left. She couldn’t stay there all night with a fifty-year-old man, with the thought of what just happened lingering in her head. She saw him three more times, each time feeling more disgusted than the last, and each time he wanted her to stay the night. ‘Those nights were the worst I’ve ever felt about myself in my life’. Until finally, she couldn’t ignore her feelings. The emotional scar cut too deep. ‘Waking up in his bed was the worst I’ve ever felt in my life’. He dropped her home for the last time. ‘Am I going to see you again next week, sweetie?’. She winced at his

question and couldn’t even look at his face. It made her feel sick, all of it. Chloe smiled, nodded and left. When she got back home, everything from the past two years finally caught up with her. ‘I threw up, I cried, and I completely purged everything from that world. It was the worst and best day of my life’. Chloe bravely wanted to confess her story to warn other girls. The sugar baby life isn’t what you think it is, it’s not living the life of a

playboy bunny. Most men want sex, and once you’re in that situation it’s difficult to get out. The original promise of ‘shopping sprees, expensive dinners, and exotic travel vacations’ becomes a stereotypical strategy used by the website to allure young girls into taking a dangerous risk. ‘It’s not glam. It’s dark and lonely and the pervasive feeling of guilt and shame that doesn’t leave’. If anyone desperately needs financial help, talk to the university. Don’t sacrifice your self respect. Take it from the girl who has lived this life, because ‘no matter how many showers you have, it won’t wash away the memory’.

Photo by Asdrubal Iuna | Unsplash

Entertainment Film Lady Gaga shines in A Star is Born

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By Hal Kitchen Film and TV Sub-Editor

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Star Is Born’ tells the ritualistic story of the ageing male music star who discovers a young talent, gives her a chance at stardom, and makes her famous, and as her star rises his descends. It’s a story we’ve seen in not only the three other movies of the same name but also in the likes of ‘Yuri On Ice’, ‘Walk the Line’, ‘The Artist’, ‘New York, New York’, ‘La La Land’, ‘Begin Again’ and many more. But we’ve never seen it told this well. The “stars” of the film are rock musician Jackson Maine, played by the film’s debutant writer-director Bradley Cooper, and the young ingénue Ally played vivaciously by Stefani Germanotta (an unrecognisable Lady Gaga), a waitress whom he meets at a drag bar and takes on the road with him. Germanotta is astonishing in her role, singing, acting and writing with both force and subtlety, bringing her character into vivid reality without an ounce of the manufactured image that the film parodies in its second half. As well as his directing duties Cooper holds his own opposite her onstage, he sings convincingly, has some great drunkacting scenes and wrestles with complex emotions in a very believable way. Both

onstage and backstage together they are electrifying, they have wonderful chemistry, they’re funny, they’re weird, they’re romantic and Cooper directs their scenes with impressive instincts and a guileless realism that

is rarely seen in films of this scope. It feels real, it feels honest and genuine and immersive, an effect enhanced by the screen-shaking sound design and brilliant cinematography from Matthew Libatique, here using his now trademark intimate handheld close-ups to

tremendous effect. The film moves from outdoor music festival stages where crowds break on the stage like waves against a harbour wall. to intimate drag clubs, bleary backstage after parties, modest suburban homes to the NASA-

ultimately does a disservice to its own central theme, the rite of passage from old to young, from old to new, from male to female. Perhaps it was a vain choice from Cooper to increasingly focus on his own character from the midpoint onwards, but the film’s strongest asset, Ally, gets progressively less screen time as the film draws towards its conclusion. The scenes stay powerful, but the way he allows himself to pull focus away from the film’s unambiguous star just doesn’t work in service of the theme. Consequently, the films last act falls flat, ending on a disappointingly conservative note. Obviously, not every film has to be pushing a progressive agenda, but this one did, this is a story about letting go of our social history, waving it a sad goodbye and taking solace Photo by Warner Bros in the innovation of the new. But Cooper frames that innovation as like control room at the SNL studio, unambiguously negative and retreats all the while shot with a directness into a regressive self-aggrandising and improvisational spontaneity that stupor. borders on the documentarian. It’s a shame that for a film that gets I don’t, however, like the message. I remade once a generation this wasn’t don’t like the implications of what the allowed to be this generation’s version, film is saying with its ending. The film not wholly.

Mandy: LSD-inspired action homage By Hal Kitchen Film and TV Sub-Editor

‘M

andy’ is a Reagan-era set macho-paranoid-grindhousemovie, now with a postmodern fog of irony and nostalgia so thick that the film virtually defies any kind of interpretation. It’s a psychosexual revenge fantasy without any trace of political or philosophical leaning. If I were to go into a dissection of the film’s commentary about pantheism versus organised religion or the phallic symbolism and homoerotic subtext to its skull-crushing climax, it would be wasted print. Because this film doesn’t care to be analysed, it is doing these things because they are recognisable tropes of the revenge movie not because it means to say anything through them. If you like this movie, I’m not judging, I love Drive and that’s doing something very similar, I’m just pointing it out. The film stars Nicolas Cage as Red Miller, whose wife Mandy is abducted and killed by a psychedelic, occultist hippie commune whom he then proceeds to hunt down and kill one by

one. It’s ‘Heavy-Metal-Album-Coverand their dreams that I think are this the-Movie’ basically, he even forges his movie’s idea of character development. own special Viking war The first half also sets up the cult axe before setting off who are more annoying on his quest for than sinister, everyone vengeance. is competing One of the over who can biggest give the most problems uncomfortable with the line reading and film is you really just how slow want the camera it is. Cage to stop focusing is barely on their gurning in the first expressions and half and it’s hissing deliveries. more than an Once the film hour before the kicks into gear in film really gets the last third it actually Photo by RLJE Entertainment going at all. The first becomes kind of fun, half is shot almost entirely for once the rest of a Nicolas in headache-inducing pink lighting Cage movie feels like it’s on the same and is more boring than anything else, wavelength as him and we get scenes Red and Mandy share bland pseudowhere he takes LSD, fights people profound but ultimately meaningless with chainsaws, breaks their necks for exchanges about the solar system ripping his shirt and lights cigarettes

of the flaming head of a biker he just decapitated. Writer/director Panos Cosmatos clearly has more of a way with images than words and by almost cutting the dialogue completely in the final third works greatly to the film’s benefit. There were a few striking visuals worth committing to memory, even if not worth serious analysis. I probably would have enjoyed this film more if it had embraced that side of itself sooner and crucially, hadn’t weighted down its first half with a needlessly dark, bleak and tortuous setup. When these scenes are motivated by grief of this intensity, they just aren’t fun. This film was directed by Panos Cosmatos, whose father was the director George Pan Cosmatos, and if you want a much better way to spend an evening track down a copy of the elder Cosmatos’s 1973 film Massacre in Rome. It’s one of the most overlooked masterpieces of the 1970s and is much worthier of your time and money than this.

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

Film

Entertainment

Venom? More like Boredom! By Josh West Writer fter a phenomenal year for the Marvel movies, with the recordbreaking ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and the cultural phenomenon that was ‘Black Panther’, you can imagine my anticipation to see ‘Venom’, the next endeavour (the first in Sony’s Marvel Universe) into the universe only this time with an anti-hero. But how disappointed I would be. Two hours of the most cheesy, boring and clichéd monotony I have seen in a superhero film for a long time. The film begins with the most uneventful prelude consisting of a rocket crash and an introduction to the villain, hardly provoking interest for what’s to come. Then comes forty minutes of nothingness, with the protagonist, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), going from top investigative reporter to unemployed down-and-out after an interview with villain Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) and break-up fiancé Anne (Michele Williams). Only after this agonising soap opera does the ‘action’ begin with the parasitic Venom possessing Eddie, yet still little in terms of storyline and character development occurs apart from a few flashy action sequences reeking of cheap kicks. Like

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all badly conceived superhero films, all like a Laurel and Hardy sketch with the action and suspense begins, occurs, one insulting the other and other cheap and ends in the final half-hour with laughs. Mastery of the comedic-action a literally explosive finale, balance has been a mainstay making the preceding of MCU since it began and ninety minutes was expertly conducted pointless. But when in ‘Spiderman: a film actually Homecoming’ features the line, if not so much ‘let’s save the in ‘Thor: planet’, what Ragnarok’, so hope does it to watch such have? an agonising The film patchworkcouldn’t quilt of decide if it themes was action was very or comedy. disheartening. Scenes of The acting quite often gory was actually violence would commendable be immediately but compromised followed by some by poor character cheesy line or mishap, writing. Hardy one well-used line, ‘you once again shows his Photo by Sony Pictures bit that guy’s head off!’, versatility, portraying a being repeated to death. Most socially-destroyed, psychotic, problematic were the dialogues between possessed host at the mercy of a Eddie and Venom, whereas some murderous, psychopathic parasite with was sinister and sympathetic towards as much gusto and heartiness as one can helpless Eddie, others sounded more for such a character and was certainly

an improvement on the flaccid portrayal given by Topher Grace in Spiderman 3. Williams, whilst being no stranger to the blockbuster, ‘The Greatest Showman’ for example, is far more at home in gritty or heart-warming independents like ‘Manchester by the Sea’ or ‘My Week with Marilyn.’ So, to see such an able actress be reduced to playing the stereotypical helpless and often annoying girlfriend in a superhero movie was a shock, and whilst they do try to give her some feminist connotations it just doesn’t come off. Ahmed’s acting is overshadowed by his predictable and character, Drake. A typical evil genius rich, conscious lacking, ashamed of the human race…it’s a character as familiar and unimaginative as a Disney princess, robbing Ahmed’s opportunity to make the character his own and more intriguing. Ultimately, Venom is a movie to see if you want mindless action and violence with cheap laughs after a meal with mates. If you want compelling characters or an exciting addition to the Marvel universe, you will be sorely disappointed.

happened or what is about to happen, strung together with endless incoherent battle scenes. At one point a character who I was sure had died in an earlier scene resurfaces.

film that neither makes itself neither comprehensible nor incentivises the viewer to want to follow it anyway. The characters are all dull with the exception of the lovely Florence Pugh who is given so little to do that the film gives up and locks her in a room for the second half. The performances are all unexceptional and bring little to their roles. Chris Pine is bland as Robert, showing neither great magnetism nor emotional range and Aaron Taylor Johnson is as much of a charisma vacuum as ever, totally unconvincing in a pointless supporting role. The only character who seems to actually have an identity is Billy Howle as the Prince of Wales, and it wasn’t a good one. I suppose it isn’t terrible and if you’re missing Game of Thrones and want your fix of bearded cardboard cut-outs in chainmail knocking each other over then it will make for a forgettable two hours ill spent. But for audiences with a real interest in history or cinema, go watch ‘Peterloo.’

Dull action scenes in Outlaw King D

By Hal Kitchen Film and TV Sub-Editor

irector and star of ‘Hell or High Water’, David MacKenzie and Chris Pine, reteam to give the story of Robert the Bruce the ‘Game of Thrones’ treatment in this thoroughly mediocre historical action movie. Robert the Bruce was a Scottish lord who rebelled against Edward I and crowned himself king in 1306, sparking a war between England and Scotland eventually leading to winning 400 years of Scottish independence. I wasn’t overly blown away by either Hell or Water or David MacKenzie’s other celebrated work ‘Starred Up’—at its very best Outlaw King is only the equal of those films at their weakest. The film has fully five credited screenwriters so perhaps it’s no surprise that the film’s fundamental flaw is that it doesn’t have any individuality. There is no distinct unique approach to its material, it is just a bland telling of the story that never feels convincing or historically accurate either. The script mostly consists of characters telling one another what is happening or what just

slashing. It makes a spectacle of rape and slaughter, but at least in Thrones we had spent hours getting to know the characters beforehand. This results in some of the most boring action I can

Photo by Netflix

There is a similarly nasty, leering factor to the violence here that you get in some moments of Game of Thrones, with geysers of mud and CGI blood and endless identical shots of stabbing and

remember, in a film, no-less, that is a 50% action scenes. Sadly, the other 50% is little better, suffering from equally poor editing and lack of effective character development resulting in a

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Games

Red Dead Redemption 2: don’t believe the hype

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he prequel to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 looks set to be the bestreviewed game of 2018. Both the PS4 and Xbox One versions currently sitting at an astonishing 97/100 on Metacritic, with the word masterpiece being thrown around a little too carelessly for my liking. The previous rendition fell short of the gaming communities praise. I founding the gameplay somewhat repetitive and too sparsely distributed across its gigantic open world, on top of finding its story, by nature of its open world format, too fragmented and predictable to create a sense of real drama. Unfortunately, although this game retains some of the strengths of the last game, principal among which is it’s compulsively playable and underutilised old west setting, it also maintains its weaknesses. The biggest of these is that the game consists of about 25% actual gameplay and 75% riding on horseback from one location to another many miles away, usually with someone by your side trying to fill the awkward silence. The game is like one long car journey with a stranger who insists on making conversation. The game is undeniably enriched by its predecessor in terms of its characters. Although this does make playing through the game a decidedly melancholy affair, seeing how this band of outlaws started out as a crew of anti-establishment renegades pursuing their own utopian dreams of a new life out west, eventually laid low by just one

more moral compromise after another until their talk of hope and honesty sounds painfully hollow. Despite being a blank slate, the player character Arthur Morgan is a tragic articulation of this descent, fiercely loyal to the gang’s leader Dutch and carrying embers of resentment to the young rogue John Marston, who we played as last time. There are hunting minigames, frontier setting and the small band of homesteaders around you with the little tasks they all have, the missions are mostly mundane and the characters are mostly overly talkative mission dispensers, but they do feel like a community. Whether you have played the previous entry may affect your appreciation of this one, mechanically it is almost a carbon copy, with one added layer of depth to each mechanic. For instance, when hunting you can now ruin the quality of your kill with too many bullets, they’ve added a fishing minigame to the hunting, when using a repeating rifle you need to pull the trigger twice, once to reload and once to fire, which was reason enough for me to stick with a pistol, and you can now customise your weapons at gunsmiths as well as purchase new ones. However, there isn’t much beyond this one additional layer, yes you can customise your gun but they’re mostly small aesthetic changes and slight stat boosts. You need to equip an overcoat when you go up into the mountains, that’s a nice detail but why not have clothes with other effects? Big pockets that change

how much you can carry, thick leather that reduces the damage you take, light, loose-fitting clothes that make you run faster. Once you realise that that’s all these features are, nice additional details, the game becomes a string of missed opportunities, it’s better than last time but nothing like what it could have been. The shooting was not far past passable in Red Dead Redemption 1, and it seems to have gone backwards since then. It feels very clunky which when combined to how rigidly on rails the main story encounters are results in the combat feeling either depressingly mechanical or completely disorientating during random encounters. The UI was pretty poor in the original, I hate item wheels, and the added depth makes it even fiddlier. To take a consumable, for instance a healing item, in combat you have to hold down L1, pull R2 while still holding down L1 to cycle from your weapons to your consumables, use the thumb-stick to select the item from the options wheel and then release L1 while the item is selected. It’s fiddly, overcomplicated and unintuitive. Rather than a simple health bar, you now also have a ‘core’, five of them in fact, a healthcare, a stamina core, a dead-eye core for slowing down time for more accurate shooting, and health and stamina cores for your horse, and all of them have associated bars that determine your actual levels in these things. The core tells you how quickly each of your associated statuses will refill

By Hal Kitchen Film and TV sub-editor

once emptied. If that sounds needlessly complicated it’s because it is, and the bars denoting these stats are a very small cluster around your radar that requires constant maintenance. The game also throws occasional pointless quick time events, where a game will present you with what is basically a cutscene that freezes every ten seconds until you push a button to move it on. The game does make several narrative improvements over the previous entry. There was a dissonance between the original game’s John Marston’s motivations—bringing down his old gang in order the be reunited with his wife and son—and what the game allowed you to do, go hunting, gamble, commit crimes, shoot innocent people, etc. Here Morgan has no real end goal or clear moral objections to criminality so the dubious activities of the average gamer feel more in character and more well balanced than in the previous game. There are actual rewards to tempt you into criminal behaviour as opposed to ‘I wonder what would happen if I did this?’ If you’re a fan of the original or other open world games like the tedious and absurdly overpraised The Witcher 3, then there’s a good chance this will be game of the year for you. Personally, I see it more as a oneand-done game that, like the original, won’t be bringing me back for a second playthrough and will have me back replaying Dark Souls 2 for the 12th time in fairly short order.

Photo by Rockstar Games

Puzzles

Down: 1 Gotham, 2 Bed linen, 3/12 Rain Man, 4 Lockin, 5 Full-back, 6 Origin, 9 Chi, 13 Initiate, 14 Kate Nash, 15 Hostel, 16 Olsson, 18 Blouse, 21 Limb.

Crossword

5 2

2

3

8 6 3

5 1 2 3

Across 1. 11 November 1918 as kept as an anniversary until 1946, kept since then as Remembrance Sunday (9,3) 7. English river that rises in Northamptonshire (4) 8. The Devil’s ___, a 1997 horror film (8) 9/17/13. 20th-century conflict that began on the 28th of July, 1914 (5,5,3) 10. The covering of the body (5) 11. Call Me By Your ___, a 2007 Andre Aciman novel (4) 13. See 9 14. Commune of northwestern France mostly destroyed by conflict in 1944 (4) 15. A cornfield plant or its large scarlet

1

5 8 6 1 2

8 4 5 3 9 7

7 8

flower (5) 17. See 9 19. A dodge, trick; trivial mechanism (8) 20. A proceeding, a manoeuvre (4) 21. Polish social worker who saved Jewish children from the Holocaust during the Second World War (5,7) Down w1.Theme song of the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop (4,1) 2. John ___, seven-time singles major-winning US tennis player (7) 3. A sloping surface, line, or ray (5) 4. An attacker; encroacher; overrunner (7) 5. Informally, a master of ceremonies

4

5

6

6

Sudoku Hard

Across: 7 Oregano, 8 Ulcer, 10 Helen, 11/20 Killing Eve, 13 Ian Rankin, 15 Handiwork, 17 Tab, 19 Species, 21 Lingo, 22 Event, 23 Osmosis.

Entertainment

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Sudoku Easy

Last Issues’s Crossword Answers

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

9 5

1 7 8 6

5 7 3

4 7 5 9 8 3 7 5 3 5 8 6 4 1 9 2

(5) 6. A public performer, entertainer (7) 12. A person who puts something to use (7) 13. Irish poet who won the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature (2,5) 14. A chewy sweet made with sugar, butter, etc. (7) 16. A North American hickory or its edible nut (5) 17. Finally ___, a 2004 Jem album (5) 18. City in southeastern England, a major port and the nearest to France (5)

Fun & games Puzzles by Matthew Sapsed

Arrowword Shades?

Note in music

And not

Begrudge

Join

7

Carry out again

Money Dread

Animal's hair

Soon (literary)

8

8 3

Tableau Crayon

9

11

10

12

13

Append

Grumble Oxygen, say

14

Shellfish Country house

Kisses (slang)

Assault Roomy (room, say)

Pig pen Defect

15

16

17

18

Sieve, strain

Without

Choice

19

20

Royal Therefore, thus

21

Darn, stitch

Meeting of lovers

Nasal mucus

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Culture

Arts

Austentatious

A literary masterpiece based on nothing more than a title suggested by an audience. Here is a review of the hysterical and much-loved improvised Jane Austen show.

O

n the 20 October, I went to see a production from a rapidly growing improvisation company, Austentatious, at the Y Theatre in Leicester. At any Austentatious show the cast and crew will walk through the aisles or the foyer handing out suggestion slips asking audience members to invent their own titles to Jane Austen novels. Out of these titles one will be chosen to be performed, and unsurprisingly, in the style of a Jane Austen novel. The performance begins with cast member, Rachel Parris, improvising the part of a Jane Austen historian, hilariously attempting to explain some of the suggested titles as Austen’s lost works. Peter the Pythons Promised Land was Austen’s adaptation of Genesis, with Peter as the snake that tempts Eve. It was well read and a

concept which came with no hesitation to Parris. The scene is seamlessly carried out and it can be argued that for a moment, audiences forget it is all improvised. A final suggestion is read out: The Great British Bonnet Off, which ends up being the performance that we see. The show begins with Parris sewing a bonnet, and discussing with her brother, played by Joseph Morpurgo, the upcoming Bonnet Off which will be held, once again, in the tent. The pair go on to make numerous witty Bake-Off references. It includes the fact that the tent is a terrible place to ‘make bonnets’ and that the heat will cause it to melt. They also suggest that Malcom Hollywoods’s – a now Bonnet-off contestant’s – eyes really do glisten blue. There are clever

conventions put in place, to aid the actors in their improvisations. These include subtle tell-signs for scenes being cut because of actors crossing the stage, a cueing of the lights to fade in and out, and an on-stage pianist, who can emphasise the mood of the actors. A personal highlight of the show, was following the revelation of Parris’ character, Lady Braxley. She had been cheating in the Bonnet Off for years, when two of her competitors set out a ruthless plan to harm her and equally discourage her from ever competing again. The plan eventually resulted in her being simultaneously punched in both of her hips. To anyone that was not present, this just seems like a silly improvised idea, but to the audience this had been a long building joke after one cast member, Amy Cooke-Hogson,

By Sarah Saxby Writer accidentally punches Lady Braxley in the hip in a stage fight. This is part of the charm of going to see an improvised piece as it allows for the audience and the actors to develop a comical and understandable rapport. It creates greater chances of genuine laughter and goes on to fuel the hilarity of the piece. If I were able to pick out every hilarious moment of Austentatious’ performance of the Great British Bonnet Off, this review would run ten pages long. After seeing them perform once at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and again at the Y Theatre, all I can say is that every performance is unique and worth seeing.

Frida Kahlo Exhibition: ‘Making herself up’ By Ella Porteous Writer

F

rida Kahlo is arguably one of the most famous Mexican artists, known not only for her depictions of traditional Mexican culture within her art, but also her revolutionary feminist behaviour during the twentiethcentury. Kahlo was born in a small village, Coyoacán, just outside Mexico City, in July 1907. She grew up with her three sisters, her German father and Mexican mother. At the age of eighteen, Frida was severely injured in a road accident, where her bus collided with a car. An ironhandrail pierced her pelvis and she spent the duration of her life, suffering the pain and illnesses that followed. The accident left her bed-bound, where she began to paint and experiment with art. The V&A museum in Knightsbridge, London, is the first place outside of Mexico where they held exhibitions from Frida Kahlo’s home.

Locked away for fifty years after her death, Casa Azul has been opened, and her possessions have been discovered. The exhibition exposes the intimate details of her life, and makes her audiences feel as though they have been transported back to Mexico in the 1950s. The exhibition takes you through here personal struggles and relationships, not only depicting her as an artist but also as a revolutionary and as a feminist. Through various forms, she paints the casts, corsets, and prosthetic limbs, which she was forced to wear after the accident. The lighting throughout the exhibition is kept quite dark, attracting people towards the bright colours of her traditional Mexican dresses, and overall shade schemes of her artwork. One of the reasons Kahlo is seen as an iconic feminist of the twentieth-century, is her authentic and raw portrayal of womanhood. Many of her paintings reflect the hardships

she faced throughout her lifetime, and through her choice of art, she brought light to important topics that are shared by women across the world. These issues explored in her work (and were prominent throughout the exhibition) included many taboo subjects of the time, such as: miscarriage, breastfeeding, birth, and abortion. Kahlo was unable to conceive after her accident in 1925, and it has remained a topic she often revisited in multiple interviews and paintings. She states that her paintings ‘are the frankest expression of [her]self’. Kahlo not only broke boundaries in the artistic world, but also created ideas of what it meant to be a woman. She wholly embraced herself and refused to shave her mono-brow and moustache, both features which were deemed as ‘un-feminine’. The exhibition will continue until the 18th November, and more information can be found on the V&A website.

Photo by V&A Museum | Facebook

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire 23

Culture

Canterbury’s Artique Gallery presents:

Anna Razumovskaya By Rachel Claxton Writer

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nna Razumovskaya is a Russian artist whose portfolio consists mostly of portraits painted in oil. Her work depicts female figures as a way of celebrating womanhood and femininity, as her subjects tend to pose in ways which showcase the grace and elegance of the female body. She is therefore the antithesis of many modern feminist artists, such as Tracy Emin and Jenny Saville, whose representations of women are often highly eroticised and provocative. Nevertheless, Razumovskaya’s work is equally empowering. Born during the height of the Cold War, and growing up under the repressive communist regime, her background influenced her artistic style. Her liberal family, and fashionenthusiast mother, both contributed towards her growing interest in the world of art. Her upbringing manifests itself in her expressive use of colour and uninhibited painting style. Razumovskaya often depicts her female

subjects in evening dresses, which emphasise the beauty of the female form. She is well-travelled—having held solo exhibitions in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Berlin—citing her travels across Europe as another key influence on

Canterbury, located in the Marlowe Arcade. One piece, ‘Luminous Day’, captures two women with their backs

to the viewer. It uses a colour palette of primarily muted cool tones, so that the warmer tones of the subjects’ skin become the focal point of the piece. Razumovskaya is

Photos by Gallery 3 | Facebook her style and colour palette. Some of Razumovskaya’s work can be seen at the Artique Gallery in

heavily influenced by the portraiture of the Renaissance era, seeing as there are classical elements present to this piece. Her use of heavy, visible brushstrokes, make the painting a better fit amongst contemporary artwork. This piece is an overall empowering and unapologetic celebration of the female body. A second piece in the gallery, ‘Time Goes Slowly’, depicts a solitary female figure viewed from the side angle. The piece features Razumovskaya’s iconic icy blue background, so that the emphasis once again falls upon her subject. The vulnerable pose of the subject is a significant element of the painting, as it shows that she does not shy away from depicting the realities of being a woman in the modern world. As with the rest of her work, there is an underlying likeliness to fairy tales. It is one of the qualities that makes viewing Razumovskaya’s paintings such a captivating experience. It is no surprise that art experts have called Razumovskaya ‘one of the most exciting and collectable artists on the contemporary scene’.

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Culture

Books

InQuire’s top five empowering feminist books By Olivia Barr Writer

Photo by Emmanuel Omodeinde

Naomi Alderman: The Power Naomi Alderman’s The Power contains thought-provoking themes, setting up a world where women are the dominant gender, and men are fearful of women. The cleverlywritten concept on gender dynamics compels the reader to question what this dystopian world could mean for women. Alderman explains gender as a ‘shell game’, she asks: ‘What is a man? Whatever a woman isn’t. What is a woman? Whatever a man is not.’ It is these gender Photo by Maryah Chughtai dynamics which make the novel so captivating, as the role and purpose of gender is questioned and explored. This smart book is a must-read for anyone looking for an empowering novel. Carol Ann Duffy: The World’s Wife Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife takes stories and crafts them into poems told from a feminist perspective. ‘Little Red Cap’ is one example: it follows a young girl entering the woods and meeting a wolf. Duffy transforms the usual story of Little Red Riding Hood, and the female becomes the more dominant character in comparison to the wolf. Duffy remodels the original foolish young girl into an independent young woman, who kills the wolf and is the hero of her own story. Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own is a more classical approach to feminist empowerment. The novel examines the role of women within the creation of literature. A particularly interesting concept which she explores is the possibility of Shakespeare having a sister. Woolf investigates what life would have been like for ‘Judith’, who is as gifted as Shakespeare but not

Photo by Molly Hope

female writers previously had, including the effects of being denied education.

Photo by Katinka Pim given the same educational opportunities as him. This novel offers a critical view of the limited opportunities

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We Should all be Feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book was originally her TED talk. It is more of an essay than a book, exploring the subject of gender equality. Adichie elevates the importance of feminism. Her own

Photo by Timea Koppandi definition of a feminist is someone who says ‘yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it, we must do better.’ Beyoncé’s track ‘Flawless’, incorporates snippets of the essay and has somewhat reintroduced Adichie’s messages. It also highlights concerning phenomena, including, teaching ‘girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller’. Her honest and relatable arguments empower women to recognise their importance in society. Naomi Wolf: The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf’s book The Beauty Myth is an honest portrayal of how the beauty industry influences society. Wolf explores the emotions of dislike women have towards themselves. In an honest account, she describes the ‘dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of ageing, and dread of lost control’. This book was a bestseller in 14 countries—and although it is slightly outdated (1990)—it remains an essential feminist reading. The Beauty Myth accurately depicts a world in which people are obsessed with their physical appearances.

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire 25

Culture

Book reviews: Haruki Murakami’s Nikita Gill’s

Norwegian wood Fierce By Paru Rai Books Sub-Editor

H

aruki Murakami’s words are simplistic and comforting, yet profound and striking at the same time. Murakami’s writing reminded me of the sheer power of expressing one’s ideas and emotions through words, how it grasps its readers, and leaves them with a lasting emotional impression. Set in Tokyo in the 1960s, it tells the story of a young college student, Toru, who falls in love with the beautiful and

Although the story is quite simple in its plot, it is the charm and eloquent language that is a powerful force throughout the novel. It is a story focused on the protagonist’s internal thoughts, and exploration of fascinating and insightful conversations. The dialogue is truthful, witty, and devastatingly beautiful. Murakami’s authentic, honest, and realistic writing provides readers with an insightful understanding of Toru’s feelings and struggles. Essentially this is a coming-ofage story, as the young characters gradually learn how to cope with their grief and loss. In addition, Murakami illustrates obstacles of

introspective Naoko, who also happens to be his dead friend’s adolescence, girlfriend. such as: His friend’s struggling suicide sets with one’s self the tone for the identity, feeling rest of the novel. helpless and lost, Both characters and not knowing struggle to come to how to enter the terms with it. Their grief intimidating ‘adult becomes more and more world’. unbearable with each day, It is up to the individual Photo by Paru Rai seriously impacting their to learn how to change mental health. It especially their outlook on life, and to threatens Naoko, who eventually ends move forward into the future, rather up in a sanitarium. than being stuck in the past. It is when Toru Toru, unable to let go of Naoko, starts to talks to his dead friend, and says: “Hey, there, alienate himself. Toru explains: “In the midst Kizuki, I thought. Unlike you, I’ve chosen to live – of life, everything revolved around death.” Both and to live the best I know how.” characters become increasingly haunted by the The transition into adulthood is painful at times. figure of death and are unable to escape the The success and popularity of this book is for this lasting effects of it. reason. That is, until the lively and outgoing Midori Murakami writes of sentiments and struggles enters his life. He has a fresh, new attitude and which people from all over the world face at some offers Toru and lending hand back into the point in their life. The power of novels is that we real world. The protagonist however, struggles can all come together in our universal experiences, accepting help from others. despite all our differences.

Fairytales: & other stories to stir your soul T

here are many different By Peggy Walsh interpretations of Writer fairytales, from Disney to The Brothers Grimm, but never have I found retellings quite like those found in Nikita Gill’s latest poetry anthology, Fierce Fairytales. Gill completely subverts traditional ideas of character traits, making her audiences question the impact of the supposed heroes and villains of the stories. For instance, she turns iconic relationships between supposedly opposing characters on their head. We are reintroduced to Peter Pan and Captain Hook as best friends, and, Red Riding Hood as the leader and protector of the of the wolf pack. The poems tell newly captivating stories, each with feminist undertones. They start by initially focusing on mainly traditional fairy tales, and towards the end of the book, there are also poems set in the modern

‘We have all taken turns being Red Riding Hood and we have all been the wolf.’ day. These final few poems address the reader, and feature messages of self-care, healing, and most importantly, how to save yourself. Some of the poems are accompanied by Gill’s own illustrations. This adds an extra dimension to the stories she tells and gives the book a wonderful aesthetic appeal. Overall, Fierce Fairytales is an explosive and empowering collection of poems that are both heartbreaking and heart-warming, at the same time. It is beautifully written and illustrated by Gill, and is a truly enjoyable read for all, regardless of age and gender. Beware: you may just stay up all night reading it in one sitting.

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UKC’s Movember Calendar These events are to raise awareness and money for mens health during November. The month is known for the widespread moustache growing, but there are other ways to get involved: check out these events to support mens health.

InQuire

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UV sports nights, guided bike rides and much more!

28

Science and Technology

Bloodhound sniffs out 1,000mph gave a talk at Canterbury Christ Church University to tell a gripped audience about his mission to break the 1000mph barrier. The project has been christened Bloodhound, a fittingly evocative title for a car that will produce an astonishing 135,000 break horsepower (bhp). To give that figure some context, the

Photo by Wikimedia commons

By Michael Lear Writer

L

ast year, Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg set a new top speed benchmark when their Agera RS model reached a staggering 277.87mph two-way average speed on a stretch of closed public road in the USA. It is officially the fastest production car of all time. For a British team led by former land speed record holder Richard Noble OBE, that just isn’t enough. After piloting Thrust II to 633mph in 1983, Noble oversaw the creation of ThrustSSC, the world’s first supersonic car, which set a new record of 763mph in 1997. Now he’s back, and recently

aforementioned Koenigsegg produces a paltry 1160bhp in comparison. A hybrid rocket motor combined with the jet engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon military aircraft provides the Bloodhound’s stratospheric power output. Pumping the fuel for the rocket is a 550bhp V8 engine from Jaguar that would ordinarily be found in the likes of their F-Type sports car. Meanwhile, the rocket itself has an astonishing 96%

combustion efficiency. The ‘bodywork,’ a term used loosely as the Bloodhound is unlike any car seen before, is based around a steel ‘backbone’ and is constructed from a mix of carbon fibre and titanium. Even Bloodhound’s most car-like feature, namely its wheels, eschew traditional rubber tyres and are instead made entirely of aluminium. Noble plans to take the Bloodhound to South Africa in 2019, where the car will make its first attempt at breaking the existing land speed record, before aiming for the 1000mph target in 2020. The location is the Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape region, where 16,000 tonnes of stone have been cleared by hand to ensure the surface is safe for driver Andy

Green OBE, the man behind the wheel of ThrustSSC, to reach the previously unimaginable speeds Bloodhound is capable of. Not surprisingly, achieving such a feat takes vast amounts of money, with £30

million raised so far and more urgently needed. It was announced recently that the Bloodhound Project has gone into administration, but the team remains confident in their ability to attract new investors. While the financial hurdles loom large, Noble is used to a challenge. In the race to break his own 1983 record, he took on the might of the McLaren Formula 1 team with a budget of just £2.5 million (10 times less than McLaren). Regardless of the uncertainty currently surrounding Bloodhound, it has already left a legacy perhaps even greater than its record-breaking ambitions. The excitement and enthusiasm generated by such an innovative project is something that Noble has capitalised on to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians through a highly successful educational programme. In spite of its achievements so far, the future of this ground-breaking project appears to hang in the balance. With the right financial backing, Bloodhound could be making its first land speed record attempt in less than a year’s time. The world is watching as Richard Noble and his team attempt to turn the quest to reach 1000mph from a dream into reality.

New threats to the Amazon By Steven Allain Writer razil has recently celebrated the election of its new President Jair Bolsonaro, but with the far-right President-elect comes potential new threats to the Amazon. Bolsonaro plans to merge the current ministries of agriculture and the environment, which to us may not seem like a bad idea, DEFRA has a very similar role here in the UK. It is the radical ideas about how Bolsonaro wishes to change Brazil, which threaten both the Amazon and most importantly—the world. Just like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro had committed to quitting the Paris Climate Agreement. One of the main aims of this agreement is to

B

ensure that the increase in global average temperature is kept below a 2°C rise above pre-industrial levels. This may not sound like much, but it requires the cooperation of all world governments in order to substantially reduce the risks and effects of climate change. Thankfully, this is one idea that was quickly over-turned by national pressure. Bolsonaro’s plans for Brazil include stripping back the amount of environmental protections for the Amazon rainforest. The loss of environmental protection of the Amazon opens up existing land to mining, agriculture, and logging which will create irreversible damage and push species towards extinction. The Amazon region is mostly contained within Brazil and holds the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world. It is home to thousands of plant and animal species, some of which are

still being discovered by scientists. For example, Brazil has over 1,000 species of amphibians which is 1/8th of all amphibian species known to science. A more selfish way to look at things would be to look at the benefits the Amazon may provide, an example being the medicines that are derived from plant species. A cure to certain types of cancer or debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s could be lost due to the destruction of plants before we get the opportunity to study them. The Amazon is also a huge carbon sink that helps to lock away some of the carbon dioxide that we produce, turning it into oxygen for us to breathe which has earned the rainforest the nickname of ‘lungs of the planet’.

Deforestation rates hit an all-time low in 2011, but trends seen only a few decades ago may return. With them will be the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, along with the indigenous peoples that still thrive in the region. Unfortunately for environmental activists, the new government plans to persecute anyone that aides them. Brazil already has a notoriety for its high murder rate of environmental activists – with 57 murders in 2017 alone. Despite the pessimistic outlook for Brazil in the coming years, there is still hope. Bolsonaro has already changed his mind in terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, with growing pressure from inside Brazil and the rest of the world perhaps there is still a chance that the future of the Amazon can be safeguarded.

Photo by Tobias Tullius| Unsplash

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire 29

What’s on... Johnny English Strikes Again 17th - 25th Nov 2018 Venom 17th Nov 2018 Tehran Taboo 18th Nov 2018 National Theatre Live: The Madness of George III 20th Nov 2018 Anchor and Hope 19th Nov 2018 Suffragette 21st Nov 2018 He Named Me Malala 22 Nov 2018 First Man 24th - 27th Nov 2018 Bad Times at the El Royale 24th - 28th Nov 2018 Dogman 30th Nov 2018 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sing-Along 30th Nov 2018 The Guilty 1st Dec 2018 Bohemian Rhapsody 1st - 14th Dec 2018 The Polar Express 2nd Dec 2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 2nd Dec 2018 National Theatre Live: Antony & Cleopatra 6th Dec 2018 Manu Delago: Parasol Peak 7th Dec 2018

Prices Full - £8.50 GulbCard Member - £6.50 Senior - £7.50 Registered Disabled - £7.50 Student - £5.30 Student GulbCard Member - £4.30 Unemployed - £7.50

What film should you watch this fortnight? By Kateryna Slobodian Gulbenkian Correspondent What stories do you like? • Inspirational: makes you want to change the world (1 point) • Hilarious: with superheroes and characters of inhuman forms (2 points) • Smart: includes science and drama in them (3 points) • Historical fiction: the good old days (4 points) • Your own: the ones I can take part in (5 points) How do you write an essay? • Start preparation five weeks in advance, think your argument through, and submit one week in advance (3 points) • All-nighter before the deadline would (2 points) • Focus on how powerful your argument is and forget to include comprehensive list of references (1 point) • Write an idea, re-read, delete the whole essay and write it again (4 points)

•

Forget about deadlines, wear corset and high heels and have the night of your life (5 points)

Ideal historical era you would like to live in? • It’s late 18th century: the era of wigs and lunatic kings (4 points) • In the Cold War: era of scientific rise and political turbulence (3 points) • Quirky 70s of the 20th century (5 points) • Living in the present is great—you can influence your own time (1 point) • I would like to see scientific advances of the future! (2 points) • What did you do on your first Freshers’ Fair? • Joined musical theatre! (5 points) • Signed up to army opportunities alert (3 points) • Pitched your own film idea to campus TV station (2 points) • Took all the freebies! (1 point) • Showed up to the fair in a cape and with a sword, looking for a historical cosplay society (4 points)

(4-6 points) He Named Me Malala Not all superheroes wear capes and Malala Yousafzai is here to prove this. An inspirational documentary about her life and struggle for rights of girls to receive an education will make you lose a sense of time. The great thing about this screening is that it’s free. Just like education for girls should be. (7-9 points) Venom Are you a Marvel fan? Even if you aren’t, it’s a great time to start getting acquainted with the comic Universe that is taking over the world with their hilarious action-based comics and big screen adaptations for them. This time one of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy award nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.

Photo by The Gulbenkian

(10-13 points) First Man This film will take you on a journey to explore the year leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969. Rocket science intertwined with family drama in an emotional and cinematically beautiful work based on the book ‘First Man: The Life of Neil A. Amstrong’ (14-17 points) The Madness of George III If you are looking for a chance to go back to 1786, National Theatre will give you this opportunity with their multi-awardwinning drama about the King George III. At the time of his regime, King George III is the most powerful man in the world. But his behaviour became increasingly erratic as he succumbed to fits of lunacy. With the King’s mind unravelling at a dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten to undermine the power of the Crown, and expose the fine line between a King and a man. (18-20 points) The Rocky Horror Picture Show Would you like to be a part of the performance? Quirky 1970s Sing-Along musical will take you to the atmosphere of the Halloween, doesn’t matter if it’s already the end of November. Expect, fishnets, a host of crazy antics and lots of fun. So dig out your fancy undies, slip on those high heels and join us in those steps to drive you in-sa-ane! Prop bags will be available to purchase on the night for the ultimate audience participation! Can’t find something to suit you? Why not come to weekly Gulbenkian Uncovered meetings and help us make the Gulbenkian a place you want to see? For more info see http://careers.kent.ac.uk/student/home.html

Sport The mental health benefits of sport

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By Clara SanchezIzquierdo Writer

’m sure you heard a thousand times when you were little your mum’s famous phrase: “go outside, move a bit!” Well, even though that cliché was annoying as a child—especially if it felt like the North Pole outside—we all know she was right. Any kind of sports, even as little as a 15 minute walk every day, can have lots of benefits such as high energy level and decreasing the probability of developing chronic diseases such as obesity or heart conditions. Aside from the health benefits of sports, our brain and mental health are also bettered. Sarah (fake name) from the University of Kent’s Swimming club says: “I love to do Sports. It helps me relax and destress. The feeling afterwards is incredible too. When I’m in the water I’m just myself; no problems, no worrying. It makes me feel so good about myself”. There has been much research linking exercise with better mental health in the last years. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recognises that some treatments for several mental health conditions should even involve exercising as a prescription. Physical activity has many benefits, especially when starting from a young age. A study published in Canada in the Journal of Adolescent

Health shows that students in grades 8 until 12 who play sports have lower amounts of stress and improved mental health when being young adults. If you did not start when you were young, don’t worry, it’s never too late to benefit your brain. Here are some of them:

disorders like, for example, Alzheimer or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Reduction of Stress Everybody that has done sports can say that it’s a good distraction from other things like

Improve your mood Even the smallest kind of physical activity is a trigger for the release of chemicals known as endorphins, that make you feel happier and more relaxed. The best part is that you don’t need the most intense Photo by Jared Rice | Unsplashed activity; it’s all about moving for a bit while having a good time. studying Being part of a team is or work. When exercising especially good in this case, as you focus on your feet, on it provides the opportunity to your breathing; the least thing engage in gratifying challenges. that (usually) comes to mind The social benefit of it will is when your next essay is also help in making you more due. Endorphins play a role satisfied, therefore, happier as here as well, acting as a mood well. enhancer, making you feel less levels of stress and more Improvement in optimistic. concentration Possible improvement in Regular sports help in sleep quality keeping your mental skills including critical thinking This works in a really simple and concentration abilities way; when you do sports you on point. What’s more, it has get tired and when you’re been shown that physical tired, you fall asleep quicker. activity helps preventing some Through strenuous physical neurological and cognitive activity the quality of your sleep

Movember in numbers: Left - Movember Cocktails on sale at Woody’s and K-Bar, with a percentage of profits raised going to the Movember Foundation. Right, near - UKC societies ranked by the amount of money raised, as of November 14th Right, far - UKC societies ranked by the amount of money raised. as of November 14th Photos by Kent Sport | Facebook

make become better. On the other hand, it can have the opposite effect if done too close to bedtime in the evening. You don’t want to be completely awake and energized right before going to hit the hay. Just organize yourself for doing it in the morning or afternoon, before or after lectures.

Self Image

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sports including cycling and running, is recommended as a healthy way for maintaining weight. Although this could be seen solely as a physical benefit, this helps with self-image and, therefore, with the next benefit. Self-Confidence Boost Being part of a team, for example, and feeling that you contribute all together as a group towards the same goal, makes you feel like you’re doing something important. Even if the goal is as simple as having fun in a friendly game, this can increase your feelings of confidence and self-worth. Socialization Sports is quite an interactive activity, being the perfect opportunity for socialising and improving existing bonds or even creating new ones. Socialising then has many

benefits, including a more positive mood. It has been shown that participating in a team sport can even improve academic performance. These are just a few. Obviously, this is just a good recommendation for taking care of your mental health. Maybe you don’t fancy the commitment of being part of a sports team or feel you are just not good in sports. That’s fine. Just try and get some activity into your life by simply changing some small habits, such as walking to lectures instead of getting the bus, not taking the lift but walking up the stairs in the library. These might seem unimportant but will hugely impact in your day-to-day mood and, therefore, your mental health. You do like sports but don’t know how to get started? Joining a sports society is the best way I’ve found since joining University, even if you don’t want something as serious as being part of a team. Feel it’s too late? Well, I have some good news: it’s never too late. Today, tomorrow, next term – any day is a good day to start doing exercise while you have fun, socialise with new people and benefit from the advantages of sports. So, if you are not doing any sports, what are you waiting for? It’s a wonderful way to keep your mental health in check.

Friday 16 November 2018 InQuire

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Sport

European Super League only aids greedy clubs By Joe Acklam Writer

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realised that twenty football clubs would essentially be making themselves exponentially richer, whilst ruining every other football

ith all the riches of modern-day football it has become clear, in the past few days, that we have reached a new high for the lengths some clubs will go to satisfy their greed. The story, broken by German magazine Der Spiegel, is probably the biggest footballing story since the corruption at FIFA was officially proved back in 2015. This, of course, is the proposed European Super League. This plan, in essence, is that Europe’s twenty biggest football clubs would Photo by Wikimedia Commons break away from their respective football associations and compete in a club league of their own creation, in the world the European Super League. because most of the firepower In the new league, founding and global names would be members would be immune confined to one division and from relegation for at least the casual fan would need twenty years. On its face, it to look no place else for sounds like a novel concept— entertainment. which fan wouldn’t want to There are two developments watch Manchester United that have provoked these talks. versus Real Madrid instead or First is the astronomical TV Brighton versus Huddersfield? deal of the Premier League. This is, of course, until you Because English football has

this huge source of income and attention, clubs like Real Madrid (logo above), who used to flaunt their brand on the opulence of their ‘Galactico’ sides, can now only just compete with their English counterparts financially. This has been a particular source of annoyance for PSG, who play in an extremely uncompetitive division and are usually home and dry by March in the quest for their domestic title. It is because of this that their revenue from TV can never match that of the notoriously competitive Premier League, as nobody wants to watch Caen play Rennes, and so despite the vast wealth of their owners, PSG are struggling to make a permanent impact on the European scene. Thus, by forming this league, all of the TV money that was committed to English football’s top flight will now be coming their way. The second reason is the tradition of these clubs to take moneymaking tours across the globe. Spain recently tried to adopt this

moneymaking strategy by staging two games in America per year, a move which was derided in the football community. But, in this league, they would not be beholden to UEFA, FIFA rulings nor tradition or history, and so could easily play some or even all of their games in showpiece stadiums across the globe, bringing in huge ticket revenue each week, on top of the already astronomical TV rights deals. Whatever any of these clubs may say about such a move, they aren’t fooling anybody. Nothing in this venture would be anything but financially driven. I am not one of the football dinosaurs you may see clogging up twitter feeds with their talk about the good old days, when people had passion; but, as somebody who cares about football and enjoys nothing more than seeing a fiercely intense and gripping game of football, I pray to any God that is willing to listen, that this crusade of avarice and corporate self-interest does not happen.

Sports at a Glance

- With the discusson of changing the role of Sports Vice-President, Kent Union asked for feedback from students using an online democracy review. - The University of Sussex brought to an end the trailblazing start UKC women’s basketball had made to the season. The women’s team had won their first two games before falling to their 46-59 loss last week. Captain KG Banjoko says the team will ‘learn from our loss’. - The Kent Falcons recorded a stunning 78-0 win in their opening BUCS game against Imperial College London as they look to build upon last season’s impressive results. - On November 19th, Team Kent are running a quiz for all sports teams to take part in. It is not too late to register; the event is on Facebook. Men’s Hockey won last year, who will win this?

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

How to get your Kent football fix By Kieran McDonagh Writer

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or many attending a University away from home, a change of day to day activities is expected. For me, this meant having to stop attending Premier League football matches once a fortnight. No more travelling to watch West Ham for 19 home games a year, something that had been a staple feature of my social life for nearly 14 years. It seemed as though my footballing love affair was over. At the University Of Kent,

however, such opportunities are available. Unknown to me when I began attending, the University does run a free shuttle bus that goes from the Keynes and Darwin bus stops to the Medway campus in around 40 minute. From the Medway campus, the local town of Gillingham is just a 20 minute walk away. If you are a football lover like myself, this means that from Medway you are only a 20 minute walk away from seeing Sky Bet League One Football action at a student friendly price at the Priestfield

Stadium (left). Gillingham football club themselves have recently stated that ‘for the second season running we have a fantastic student deal offering discount on all our match day tickets.’ Students can get home tickets for as little as £7 if booked in advance or £9 on the day—saving of around £15. So the next time you are sitting at either in your campus accommodation or your student home on a Saturday morning wondering what you can do with your afternoon think about the fact for just £7 you can travel across the county

and watch a high level of football at Gillingham Football Club. Currently the Gills sit 17th in the league, so be sure

to show your University’s local team your support as they look to stave off relegation.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

S port Movember mood hits UKC www.InQuireLive.co.uk/sport

InQuire

Leading Kent charity campaigners talk to InQuire on the crucial cause of male physical and mental health and why the fight is so important

Photos by Emily Heath | Inquire Media By Meg Warwick Writer

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rom Movember themed cocktails to Movember t-shirts and tattoos they are trying to raise over £20,000. InQuire sat down with the four individuals who are organising the Movember campaign this year. The Movember committee is made up of the follow men: Cameron Jones, who is heavily involved in RAG (Raise and Give), trying to grow a moustache, and hosts events across campus. Peter Wampamba Strain, who is 2nd Team Captain for Men’s Rugby and very involved in getting Sports Clubs fundraising for Movember. Harry Copping, Vice-President for Men’s lacrosse, and is the highest individual fundraiser for Movember this year, at £700. Toby Loynes, Social Secretary for Men’s Hockey, who is tirelessly promoting the Movember merchandise even though he says that he can’t really grow a moustache but is

trying regardless. The team have a £20,000 target, and here’s how they’re going to smash it. Q. What is Movember and what does it mean to you? Cameron: It is the largest men’s health charity, there new campaign being ‘Man Up Speak Up’, centered around mental health and wellbeing for men. The goal is to reduce suicide by half. Harry: It is a fantastic way to raise awareness for mental health, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. Pete: I’ve always been involved in big sports clubs my whole life, I’ve sometimes felt there is a culture of suppressing your problems and not talking about it. I think that’s unhealthy. Movember erodes those concepts of what it means to be a man. Cameron: Statistics have shown that men are a lot less likely than women to talk to their friends, seek help or get checked up on. Movember helps men to gain to courage to

improve their life expectancy. Toby: Everyone knows someone who has been affected by suicide or mental health issues. Even if it isn’t a family member, you would have heard of someone affected by at least one of the things Movember is fundraising for.

than last year. Harry: Lacrosse are doing a 24-Hour lacrosse session in the plaza. Anyone can give it a go by donating. Toby: The t-shirts as well, which we are selling for £5 on campus. They’re really popular, we’ve sold out half already.

Q. What are you best events and fundraising ideas? Pete: All of them! Cameron: Yeah, they’re all the best events on campus. We’ve got hot wing challenge, dodgeball tournament and Movember club night at Venue with a photobooth. With GBK burgers [and] vouchers as prizes. Quiz night this Sunday as well as we’re still looking for teams. Got some CCCU teams as well, so pre-varsity competition. Harry: We’ve also got the cocktails (Movember fuzz and Movember rain) on sale in Woody’s and K-Bar. £2 from each cocktail goes towards Movember. Pete: The casino night went really well, much more sales

Q. Should and how can women be getting involved? Toby: Women should definitely get just as involved in this campaign as men do. Even though you can’t grow a moustache, you can still buy the tops and support events. You can also host events, you could have a party and charge people to get in on the door. Harry: Women can try and grow a moustache if they want, but I feel they may struggle. There’s also a move with Movember, where you can walk run or cycle 60 kilometres, so display the 60 men that committee suicide every hour. Pete: Anyone can put up an Instagram story and promote Movember on social media.

Q. What do you want to tell readers in order to get them to donate? Harry: We have all agreed that if we reach the target of £20,000, we will all get a tattoo of the Movember logo. Pete: Mind you, a small tattoo. Cameron: Attend our events. We are on £9,000 as of today, so we are well on track to get to £20,000 if everyone donates. Read the full interview on InQuireMedia website. Follow the Movember at UKC page to keep updated on information, and don’t forget to check out the Movember Calendar we have in the classified section of the paper.

More on Movember on Sports Page 1 Also inside: the mental health benefits of sport and everything wrong with the European Super League idea