royal holloway – Page 13 of 25

7Dec

By Emily WindleNo Comments

Creative Writing

Spiking…

Going out should be fun with lots of drinking, Dancing away, not overthinking. But what can you miss even if you quickly blink? The substance that was quickly put into your drink! Our mums always told us cover it with your hand, And do not become a one man band. Stay with your friends and don't be too late! Otherwise you could end up with an unwanted date. The problem with spiking is it’s not taken seriously. The victims are just looked at pitilessly. We need to do more to stop this crime. So girls can go back to having a good time. Image credit: Photo by Michael Discenza on Unsplash

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...

7Dec

By James ReynoldsNo Comments

Features, News

‘Danke Mutti’ – Merkel’s Legacy

There is a tale repeated by Germans that dates back to 1963. It speaks of a young girl who had changed into her swimming costume and shuffled reluctantly into the main foyer of her school’s swimming pool. A shy creature, she moved to climb the steps of the highest diving board one by one. Finally, having reached the end of the board, she became paralysed with fear and shivered at the prospect of making the leap. For what felt like an eternity, she stared into the murky abyss calculating the risks involved. After tentatively creeping back and forth for 30 minutes, she glanced at the clock on the wall and jumped. As she glided into the water, the school bell rang out and reverberated across the pool. Angela did what needed to be done. Dr Angela Merkel, the quantum physicist turn...

VINTAGE COOKING SERIES – 1907 Recipe for Rice with Maple Syrup (The Student Version)

7Dec

By Leah EdwardsNo Comments

Features, Lifestyle

VINTAGE COOKING SERIES – 1907 Recipe for Rice with Maple Syrup (The Student Version)

There are many things one can learn from the March 1907 issue of Good Housekeeping. Such as, “A luncheon for one’s women friends is a most popular form of entertainment.” Or you can learn how to boil rice in milk, only to fail. Yes, I learnt that boiling pudding rice in milk is not a good idea lest you want your housemates to accuse you of feeding them uncooked rice. Admittedly, it may have been a known fact to add water as well as milk, so the author may have assumed one was smart enough to know that and didn’t bother adding that detail. Just for reference, the type of rice is never specified but as this is essentially rice pudding, I chose to use pudding rice. Due to the source material being over 114 years old, which is older than the Titanic, we’ll never know what type of ric...

22Nov

By Beth McCowenNo Comments

Features, News

An Update on the Kyle Rittenhouse Case

In August 2020, Black Lives Matter protests began after Wisconsin police shot Jacob Blake, a black man, seven times in the back. On the third night of the protests Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois, shot at three men using a semi-automatic rifle. Two of them were killed, and the third was left seriously injured. Clearly, this act of murder was motivated by white-supremacy and vigilantism, again highlighting the racism problem in America, which so many continue to deny the existence of. Rittenhouse claimed that his intention was to protect property. Whilst patrolling the area, he was pursued by a group of protestors and shot one of them. Following this, he is further followed and identified as ‘the shooter’. He then fires bullets at three people who approached him. During...

15Nov

By Millie DraperNo Comments

Lifestyle

Heart-Broken: simply ‘Move on’?

Why telling somebody to move on from a breakup is unhelpful Most of us in our teenage years will go through a breakup at some point. I can undoubtedly say that going through one is an awful experience. The questioning, crying, and loss of your favourite person is truly painful. Your shoulder to cry on is suddenly gone, and there is nothing you can do to change that. In these times, we seek comfort in those around us, hoping that they will offer good advice. But their first line of consolation is too often: "I'm really sorry that happened, you have to try to just move on." Saying this to someone going through the motions, the ups and downs of feeling better and significantly worse, is insensitive. In the first few weeks of losing somebody who you thought would be in your life fo...

Thomas Cramer: Sexually Harassing Girls on the Royal Holloway Campus

14Nov

By Elena-Teodora ChiujdeaNo Comments

News

Thomas Cramer: Sexually Harassing Girls on the Royal Holloway Campus

Thomas Cramer. The horrific actions of the 29-year-old have taken Royal Holloway by storm. In a cowardice act of harassment, on the 27th May 2021, he was seen driving around the university campus taking photos of young girls. A total of seven pictures surfaced later that day on his Instagram and Cramer was swiftly reported to campus security. I wish his behaviour was considered abnormal but being harassed and sexually objectified is sadly just something women are forced to live with in their day-to-day life. Imagine walking around campus to your lectures and later being told, by a friend or even a stranger, that a photo you were unaware was being taken in the first place was posted to Instagram. Scroll down to the captions and you’ll find @thomasjosephcramer attached vile d...

14Nov

By Victoria BurdenNo Comments

Features, Film & TV, News

The 12 Days of Christmas Films

With Christmas well and truly underway here are twelve festive favourites to get you in the spirit! Day 1 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005) While not technically a Christmas film, Narnia’s eternal winter and an appearance from Santa himself gives enough reason to consider this film a great way to ease you into the festive season. With a mixture of action, adventure, fantasy, and a sprinkle of Christmas, there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy in this children’s classic. Day 2 How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) / The Grinch (2018) For the Scrooges among us, this one is ideal for you. If you’re not quite ready for the chaos of Christmas but equally don’t want to miss out on the fun, sit yourself down and give this a watch. You might just find the Gr...

14Nov

By Leah EdwardsNo Comments

Film & TV

The Artistic Mother: Maid – A Review

Based off Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, the new Netflix drama series Maid is a must see. Margaret Qualley (who you may recognise from Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) stars as Alex, a twenty-six year old woman who leaves her emotionally abusive boyfriend Sean (played by Nick Robinson) to try and make a better life for her and her two year old daughter, Maddy (played by Rylea Nevaeh Whittet). The title soon becomes clear as the protagonist lands a job at Value Maids cleaning wealthy people’s homes on the picturesque Fisher Island. The unglamorous job is challenging; Alex battles both low wages and entitled clients while simultaneously battling the flaws of the American Welfare system. On top of all this she must also...

Seasonal Depression: more than ‘down in the dumps’

14Nov

By Beth McCleanNo Comments

Lifestyle, News

Seasonal Depression: more than ‘down in the dumps’

With November drawing to a close, any remnants of warm afternoons or bright mornings have disappeared. December often marks a time of festivities, curling up around fireplaces or sharing blankets with friends. However, it can also become a time when mental health plummets and you feel at your lowest. If your mental health rapidly fluctuates in line with seasons, there could be a medical condition behind it. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, is a mental health condition that 1 in 15 people may have, according to the NHS. The most common type, “winter depression”, is where people become more affected by symptoms of depression during winter, with symptoms lessening in the warmer months. This is caused by a lack of sunlight, which can lowe...