Rachel Hains, Author at The Orbital

3Jun

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Opinion

Black Lives Matter.

I’m tired. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken. As I sit here at my computer, I genuinely do not know if I have the words to describe the pain I feel right now. Over the last couple of days I’ve done a lot of thinking: About the situation in America; About what it means for us in the UK; And what it means for white people like myself. Now is the time for change. It’s true, I’ll never know the struggles of being black. From the moment I was born, I was granted a privilege I was not aware of. Trying to comprehend the full extent of it is like asking a ‘fish to notice water or a bird to notice air’ (Kendall). It's everywhere. It's a part of our every day lives. After all, what can you expect from a country where students are taught a sanitised version of History in schools? For instance, I'll ...

How Shinto Philosophy can Bring us Closer to Nature

20Mar

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Lifestyle

How Shinto Philosophy can Bring us Closer to Nature

We collectively as a society place the majority, if not all, of our time and energy into technology. We can’t help but consume the latest gadgets and apps and TV shows, the newest hashtag, fad, and visual instruction. But in the process, we have lost our care for the natural world. The Hegelian view that conceives religion as a progression away from nature worship towards monotheism and secularism as a society develops, is the broadly accepted Western philosophical view. However, ‘The Question Concerning Technology’ by Heidegger sees nature as a resource and evaluates it in terms of human utility. Although Heidegger’s analysis brings nature back into the importance of our system, it is only the recent environmental issues that has triggered the discussion on nature being a major part of...

Let Wabi-Sabi Bring Wisdom to a World Obsessed with Materialism!

20Mar

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Lifestyle

Let Wabi-Sabi Bring Wisdom to a World Obsessed with Materialism!

Materialism is a word we all nod at with guilt when we think about our daily lives, and is a word that is just generally ugly. Why are we so obsessed with buying things when we know it will not bring us happiness long-term? The desire to own new things is insatiable – the process of buying fills us with temporary ‘success’; the more you own, the better your life will be. It’s all about the dopamine! It seems even just the thought of buying something new gives us the same dopamine rush as actually buying a tangible item, despite the conclusion that objects don’t make us happy. So why do we persist? Identity. What is a better way to express who we are to the world, than with materialism? We all want to be unique, whether we are taking inspiration from our idols, or setting a new trend; we ...

20Mar

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Bring Back the Bees by Planting Trees!

With numerous natural disasters including the Australia wildfires that opened our 2020 by burning through more than 10 million hectares and took the lives of over a billion native animals, Cyclone Idai that claimed over 1000 lives of those living in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique in March 2019, and the East African drought that occurred throughout 2011, 2017 and 2019 that left 15 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in need of aid… It is hard to turn our backs on a world seeking a helping hand. It’s easy to feel helpless when it seems as though time is passing far too quick for us to even remotely think about making a difference, BUT, what if our everyday routines, habits and guilty pleasures can be a part of the process of rebuilding our home? How many times have you googled m...

‘Strike while the iron is hot’: An inside account of the UCU strikes.

1Feb

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Features

‘Strike while the iron is hot’: An inside account of the UCU strikes.

With another strike having just been announced on campus, many students are rightly concerned about the impact the strike will have on their degree. This is, after all, the third strike to occur since I joined the university, back in 2017. However, there is a reason for the chaos. There is always a motivation behind a cause. To help students better understand the reasons for many of their lecturers choosing not to attend lectures, Orbital have spoken to various members of staff about their reasons for striking. The following article contains submissions from staff striking in the UCU dispute for pensions and working conditions. It was submitted to myself, with the interviewees choosing to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym under which to share their experiences in the hopes it will encou...

19Jan

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Opinion

The Bright Future of Journalism.

Why would you want to be a journalist? All news is fake news. Isn’t it just depressing reading about all that death and disaster? These are things any journalist, even a student journalist, will be more than familiar with hearing. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the same. Yes, is the honest answer; sometimes it can be depressing to sit and stare at an endless news feed of death, chaos and crisis after crisis. Sometimes we wonder why the hell we didn’t just sign up to some other society back in Freshers’ week - after all, watching Harry Potter movies or running around campus with nerf guns sounds like a far better way to spend our time. We have enough on our plates as it is trying to achieve a degree, pay our bills and make sure our rooms don’t end up with a Mount Everest of dirty laundry....

A WARM WELCOME FROM ROYAL HOLLOWAY’S VP OF SPORT: DOM BROWN.

25Nov

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Sports & Socs

A WARM WELCOME FROM ROYAL HOLLOWAY’S VP OF SPORT: DOM BROWN.

For those completing their second or third year as an Undergraduate at Royal Holloway, or those who are Postgraduate returners, the name Dom Brown will be familiar as it has graced this campus for two years following his successful campaigns, running for the position of Vice President of Sports. For those who have joined the Royal Holloway Family this year, it is a name you shall be hearing a lot around the University. In welcoming you first years to Royal Holloway, I had a chat with VP Sport, Dom Brown about his role and why he believes it is an important part of University life to join a Sport or Society during your undergrad. So, Dom, during your time at Royal Holloway as an Undergrad, what did you study?“I studied Film and Television Production for three years, so I was quite artsy a...

25Nov

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Features

A LIFE OF ADVENTURE AND HOW TO GRAB IT!

For many, joining University is a big step forward in discovering who they want to be. But when it comes to graduating and venturing into the wider world, that is when the page in your book stops turning. Like a novel, you need to know the character and plot in order to continue the story; but as an undergrad, you often leave it on pause. Knowing what degree to take is one thing, but finding a career is another – I spoke to Isaac Kenyon to find out how he coped as an Undergraduate, facing the challenge of creating a future, and the opportunities he encountered along the way. So, Isaac, as an alumnus at Royal Holloway, tell us a little about your time here – What degree did you study, your hobbies and things you liked to do on campus? “The key thing to know about me is that I am known a...

15Nov

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Spotlight on: Shakespeare Society

Can you tell me about Shakespeare society? Shakespeare Society is a friendly and open environment for lovers of both Shakespeare and wider forms of art. We love experimenting with new ways to read and perform Shakespeare and welcome anyone who is prepared to give it a go. This year, we are aiming to make the society 50% performance and 50% academic-based to ensure that we can involve as many people as possible. What was your favourite production from last year? My favourite production was probably 'A Midsummer Nightmare' -a comedy spoof of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' done in the style of 'The Play That Goes Wrong'. It was a lot of fun both on and off the stage and everyone just had a really good time with it. Can anyone audition for shows? Absolutely! It does not matt...

League of Legends Finals at Clapham Grand

10Nov

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Science & Technology

League of Legends Finals at Clapham Grand

FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) was able to beat G2 esports (G2) 3 nil in the finals.The event was held by @Cosxpo, @FNATIC and @budlightHad awesome cosplays on show as well as having a pretty cool and chilled vibe. This Sunday, Insanity Radio 103.2FM was able to attend a screening of the finals for 2019 League of Legends World Championship at Clapham Grand. The event was sponsored by Cosxpo, FNATIC and Budlight. The League of Legends final had FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) playoff against G2 Esports (G2). With FPX earning a cool 3 nil victory over the European team, allowing them to earn the right of champions of the championship. What was of particular interest and perhaps as a reflection of the events last year, was that the event was started with a holographic hip-hop concert. With last year sho...