Thursday, March 28Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Author: Samantha Davis

Pride Is For Everyone
Features

Pride Is For Everyone

The icon rainbow flag, also known as the Pride flag, has been used as a symbol of pride and solidarity amongst the LGBTQ+ community since 1978. First designed by openly gay activist Gilbert Baker, the flag first flew on 25 June 1978 at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade, although it looked a little different to the flag you might recognise from today. The original pride flag contained eight different coloured stripes which all carried a specific meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and purple for spirit. The hot pink was removed in 1978 due to a lack of fabric when attempting to replicate and distribute the flag. The turquoise soon followed and was later removed in 1979 to modify the f...
Life is a Battlefield
Science & Technology

Life is a Battlefield

It is undeniable that there is a need for diversity and equality in anything created in the modern day. However, there is still a question as to whether this holds in the recreation of historical events that were dominated by white males. This debate has been forced back into the public's attention after the release of the trailer for DICE’s upcoming Battlefield V. Promising to be the most realistic World War II first person shooter game, Battlefield V is said to allow gamers' to explore “unseen locations and untold stories”, creating the most genuine representation of the gritty realities of the war. Consequently, when the trailer first premiered with the inclusion of female soldiers the creators received a lot of backlash. Some fans of the previous Battlefield games took to the intern...
You’d Be Wilde To Miss It
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

You’d Be Wilde To Miss It

With a pre-existing collection of beautiful and comedic Wildian plays to choose from, I can’t deny I was surprised to hear that these options had been axed for the adaptation of the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, upon leaving the performance I can without a doubt understand the decisions that compelled this magnificent choice. The Picture of Dorian Gray stands alone as Oscar Wilde’s only novel and tells the tale of the conflicting relationship between morality and pleasure which aids to the corruption of the the once beautiful soul of Dorian Gray. It is clear that the production team had this complicated motif in mind and executed it fantastically. Upon entering the hall, Basil Hallwood (Sean Simmons-Barry) is rotating between admiring his artwork and dabbing at the canvas w...
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
Lifestyle

Don’t Throw Away Your Shot

The old adage is true: did it really happen if you didn’t take a picture? University is no different and you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the best shots. Whether it is to keep pestering parents knowing that you are happy, or showing off to others how great your university is, here are some hot spots on and off campus to show off these new adventures. Founders Building Did you ever really go to Royal Holloway if you have not posted at least one picture of this iconic building? From any angle, or in any light, the castle-like exterior and the increasingly uncommon red brick is sure to draw attention and steal focus in amongst drunken Fresher pictures. Founders Square A recent addition to our beautiful campus and an area that creates many photo opportunities. An Instagram photoshoot ...
Artificial Rights
Opinion

Artificial Rights

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a term that can cause excitement in some, and strike fear into the hearts of others. However, with the current developments in the technology industry, and the future we’re clearly heading towards, we cannot deny that AI is a rapidly growing phenomenon. This has been made especially clear after the emergence and popularity of Sophia. Described as a ‘social humanoid robot’, Sophia was developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and was activated on April 19 2015. Able to display 62 facial expressions, convey human feelings, and have a sense of humour, Sophia’s design is also said to have been modelled after Audrey Hepburn. Sophia quickly became mainstream news when in October 2017 she was granted official Saudi Arabian citizenship, making her the first eve...
Dogs at Risk in Surrey
News

Dogs at Risk in Surrey

Locals to the Englefield Green area have been warned to be extra vigilant of their dogs after several cases of potential dognapping have been reported. Cases started being compiled mid-April when an increasing amount of reports were taken from local residents saying strangers had been paying particular attention to their pets or had been caught attempting to lure them away from their owners. Runnymede Beat (Surrey Police) took to Facebook on Friday 13 to warn followers that at around 20.45 that evening a resident had witnessed a man on her driveway showing a great interest in her Jack Russell which had got out into the front garden. The owner described the man to be Chinese or mixed raced and in his mid-40s. He spoke with a ‘local accent’ and was wearing jeans with a dark grey t-shirt ...
Dancing To Victory
Sports & Socs

Dancing To Victory

It’s hard to deny that this year has been great for sporting achievements across the Royal Holloway sport societies. Dance Society in particular have had an incredible run of competitions, achieving more wins than students can remember achieving since the society was set up. This year started off with a bang on Saturday 25 November when the Wildcard dancers won first place at Kings College London. This champion routine was expertly choreographed for this competition by Emily Coombes. The winning streak continued as Dance Society came away from their competition on December 7 with six dance numbers coming away with top three placings. The contemporary dance, ‘Death Row’, choreographed by Marie de Rooy and Ashley Parry achieved first place alongside the Tap piece, ‘Tribal Beats’, choreogra...
Insanity Radio’s 20th Anniversary
Sports & Socs

Insanity Radio’s 20th Anniversary

Whether you’re an avid listener who tunes in every week to catch your favourite shows, or someone who just enjoys the music whilst relaxing with a bubble tea in Imagine, Insanity Radio is undoubtedly an integral part of being a student at Royal Holloway. However, the radio station will take an even greater spotlight throughout campus in the upcoming weeks as its long-anticipated 20th birthday celebrations commence. Insanity Radio aired under its current name for the first time back in 1998 on FM but under a Restricted Service License. Broadcasting was originally done from a spare room in the Founder’s Building, but was then forced to move into the Queen’s Annexe a year later. Despite the move only meaning to be short term as the Annexe building was only meant to be a temporary addition ...
South Western Rail Criticised
News

South Western Rail Criticised

South Western Rail has come under fire after allegations that it is refusing to properly staff Egham station. Although the station is frequently busy due to it being the closest rail link to Royal Holloway University and Strodes College, the ticket office has often been forced to close due to a lack of staff to operate it. This disruption caused by the lack of employees has also been exacerbated by the 24 hour strikes that have been affecting this service continually in recent months. Monday January 8, Wednesday January 10 and Friday January 12 saw the station remain unmanned due to a walkout over a long-running dispute over the role of the train guards. One local resident angered by the frequent closing of the ticked office has reported to Get Surrey that “we have enough passengers ...
Hamilton: I’m Willing To Wait For It
Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Hamilton: I’m Willing To Wait For It

Hamilton: whether you've been listening to the soundtrack non-stop or have been lucky enough to see it live on Broadway, it's a near guarantee that you've heard the name. The musical written and composed by the genius Lin-Manuel Miranda - whose other works include In The Heights and Bring It On - tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers of America as they create the foundations of the political system that is still in use today. Having opened on Broadway in August 2015, the show was immediately a smash-hit, producing sold-out performances almost every single night. Hamilton also broke records, beating Wicked's $3.2 million for nine performances with a record breaking $3.3 million in a week for only eight shows. In fact, as tickets were difficult to obtain and sold ...