Courtney Bridges, Author at The Orbital

“I don’t recognise my country”: Orbital Reacts to Roe v Wade

27Jun

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

Features, News, Opinion

“I don’t recognise my country”: Orbital Reacts to Roe v Wade

“We are better than this”, my mother says. “I don’t recognise my country.” I can’t help but agree. Because this isn’t what the United States of America should be. This is not what it was founded on. This is not a reflection of its population’s views. This is an act of ostracisation in the pursuit of control. This is not democracy. There have been many times in recent years that I’ve been embarrassed by my country, by my accent and by my passport. Friday’s overturn of the Roe v Wade ruling topped everything else (a high boundary to break after the election of our last president). Equality, that often-distant dream, felt obtainable. We could see it off in the distance, and if we could just get a bit closer, keep moving forward, then maybe we could reach it, touch it, smell it, lick...

Canada’s First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: is it enough?

7Dec

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News, Opinion

Canada’s First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: is it enough?

September 30, 2021, marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada (Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code). This federal statutory holiday was passed through legislative amendments made by Parliament earlier this year, receiving Royal Assent on June 3. The aim for this holiday was set to ‘[honour] the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities’. Residential schools were ‘government-sponsored’ and created by ‘Christian churches’ to ‘assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture’. Their focus was placed on conversion and education. Over 130 schools operated in Canada between 1831 and 1996. They ‘disrupted lives and communities, causing long-term...

The Future of Afghanistan and its Women under Taliban Rule

18Oct

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

Features, News

The Future of Afghanistan and its Women under Taliban Rule

‘The women in this part of Kabul were a different breed from the women in the poorer neighbourhoods’, Khalid Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khalid Hosseini an Afghan-born American novelist, outlines a mother-daughter story within the context of a contemporary Afghan society when published in 2007. As the above quote demonstrates, Hosseini tries to reflect what he recognised as a 'thriving city' that ‘by the standards of a conservative religious country… was quite liberal’ in his memory of living in Afghanistan in his early years. Like the rest of the world, Hosseini saw the gradual reclaiming of Afghanistan; as ‘Kabul had fallen’, he watched woefully. Hosseini now comments that he has ‘no idea what the future holds’. That he is 'deeply sc...

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: is the COVID-19 vaccine the best ‘shot’ at reviving live music?

1Jun

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: is the COVID-19 vaccine the best ‘shot’ at reviving live music?

The Eurovision Song Contest 2021, Rotterdam, marked the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song contest. Markedly, with 39 entries, this was the first large-scale, global, live music event the world has seen so far in what appears to be the hopeful, post-COVID-19 era. Although a sad loss for the UK, James Newman focused on the experience and atmosphere in comments about the night, mentioning that he ‘loved the crowd’s reaction… and everyone cheering’. This was not reflected in the United Kingdom’s final score – but what can be focused on here is the joy of the crowd as live music seems to be making a return. The question now being asked is, is the COVID-19 vaccine the best shot at continuing what appears to be the revival of the live music industry? Over the c...

27Feb

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

Lockdown Letters

Dear Lockdown 3.0: Series Revival

“Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of youCaught up in circlesConfusion is nothing newFlashback, warm nightsAlmost left behindSuitcase of memoriesTime after…” Cydni Lauper’s 1983 song ‘Time After Time’ is now perhaps more relevant than ever as lyrics resonate an infamous soundtrack for the UK and many internationally as we are all too familiar with the rigmarole of you, Lockdown. It has been proven as much taxing as necessary. Last time we spoke, I was saying a ‘see you later’, perhaps with a slight pessimism that casted doubts of what the future held for us when restarting university. Sadly, we are still not at a point of a permanent goodbye. Since last speaking, I have been graced with your presence twice more and wait in the coming weeks to see whether you ...

Implications of the Pandemic Era on Human Security and the rise of EVD in the Dominican Republic of Congo

27Feb

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

Implications of the Pandemic Era on Human Security and the rise of EVD in the Dominican Republic of Congo

The rise of COVID-19 in 2020 saw a revival of attention paid to healthcare, global health, and cases of emergency medicine that the pandemic pressured. Amidst this global rise, attention on the resurgence of EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) and the strain COVID-19 placed upon this outbreak has not yet gained this level of traction, which is likely because of the current disparity in scale between the two viruses. But what now needs to be noted are the possible implications of a dual-virus presence in areas affected in the Dominican Republic of Congo (DRC), and a need to research how virus management will be maintained. What COVID-19 has brought to light within public and political debate is the policy emphasis on military preparedness, preserving security against the t...

Trump Turns to Endorsing ‘Domestic Terrorism’

25Jan

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

Trump Turns to Endorsing ‘Domestic Terrorism’

Within a short matter of days, as we grew closer to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Trump was successful to secure his adamant position of abstinence against conceding the presidential election. This was first cited in The Washington Post on January 4th, which leaked private-call transcripts ‘berating Georgia secretary of state, [urging] him to ‘find’ votes’. And again, later re-confirmed in the Washington rally January 6 where he refused to admit defeat. Arguably leading to instigating and enthusing rioters that continued to descend on to Capitol Hill after he claimed, ‘we love you’, in what was supposed to be an appeal to ‘go home’. This was all before turning to signal there would be an ‘orderly transition’ of power to the Biden presidency, after ...

25Jan

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

Human Rights Wins to Celebrate in 2020

During 2020 it became easier to focus on the negatives and to become lost among global pandemic news consuming media, government and public attention. It was also the year that saw ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) protests gain international media traction, another increase in reporting on the continued repression of Uighur Muslims in Xinjang China, and a refocus on the achievability of the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). These are few of many important human rights discussions taking place across the global stage, and some of which caused a subsequent surge in the use of social media for activism. What this transcended into was an increased attention on human rights campaigns and organisations facilitating them, including Amnesty International and the Unite...

Fast Fashion: How ‘turnover trends’ are impacting the environment

18Dec

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

Fast Fashion: How ‘turnover trends’ are impacting the environment

Courtney Bridges ‘Fast Fashion’ is a term used to describe a new accelerated fashion business model that has evolved since the 1980s. It involves increased numbers of new fashion collections every year, quick turnarounds and often lower prices. Reacting rapidly to offer new products to meet consumer demand is crucial to this business model.‘Fixing Fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability’, House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee ‘Thegoodtrade’ also effectively summarises this market to be one which ‘utilises trend replication, rapid production, and low-quality materials in order to bring inexpensive styles to the public’. Fast Fashion has evolved due to traditional ‘seasonal’ production models of larger brands, or catwalk producers, to adopt bi-weekly merchan...

The “Fine line between health awareness and health obsession”

23Nov

By Courtney BridgesNo Comments

News

The “Fine line between health awareness and health obsession”

Courtney Bridges The wearable health market has seen a significant influx in sales over recent years, with the market worth originating at $2 billion , in 2014, to now see continuing growth. With this increased use, and increased media exposure to the fitness industry, discussions on the effects of wearable fitness trackers are more frequently being highlighted. Grazia Maria Lally’s article in 2016 is one that alludes to points of this discussion that seem even more relevant today. Main themes include whether they complement the progression of fitness habits, or hinder the mental health of its user, as Matt Roberts states ‘it is the fine line between health awareness and health obsession’, with voiced concern about ‘over-reliance’. This has developed further ...