Author: LSU Media
Protests erupted in Kazakhstan on the 2nd January, resulting in at least 225 being killed. The protests were sparked due to the doubling of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) prices in the Mangystau region. They started in in the city of Zhanaozen, then spreading to the country’s largest and former capital city, Almaty. Liquefied Petroleum gas is used to fuel between 70 and 90% of the vehicles in the region of Mangystau, the prices rose from $0.14 to $0.28 per litre. This happened as a result of the trading of LPG moving fully online, a transition which began in 2019 and…
Label volunteer, Sydney Tarrant, shares her thoughts on the new Marvel film. *SPOILERS AHEAD* As a big marvel fan and even bigger Spiderman fan, I was counting down the days for No Way Home to finally be released, and it did not disappoint. Spider-Man: No Way Home was probably the most anticipated film in the MCU since endgame, and it definitely lived up to the hype. There was a lot of speculation as to whether the previous Spiderman actors Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be featuring, and I was anticipating it the whole film. As the film got on, my…
Joan Didion was an American writer, known for her emphatic literary style and contributions to Journalism and the modern literary genre. Label volunteer, Rebecca Pearson, explores Didion’s life and legacy upon her recent passing. “You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.” I remember reading those words from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking (2005), finding them imprinted in my brain. The book is a powerful meditation on grief, the associations with lost loved-ones that appear in everyday life, and retracing life in an attempt to find signs and foreshadowing of a calamitous event.…
Each year, ‘Veganuary’ sees more individuals trying vegan food, switching to a vegan diet and exploring their food choices and impacts. Whilst making dietary changes can be daunting, Label Volunteer, Olivia Connelly, explores her experience with being vegan, her reasoning for doing so, and her suggestions for anyone who would like to make the change. Quick Backstory: My name is Olivia and I have been vegan for about 6 years now, so since I was 16 and I’m nearly 22. The backstory is not the most exciting but I decided to be vegan because I did not enjoy the taste…
Everyone loves a villain. In the world of tennis, for some time, it is Novak Djokovic who has been gloriously vilified and booed like the pantomime baddy. Now, it is his legal status that has come under fire, the tennis world number 1 being deported from Australia, after losing a visa battle that pressed upon the fact that he was unvaccinated. It is a controversial decision, one that has shrouded the tennis media coverage for the last few days, but what does it all mean? Some have described Djokovic’s deportation as an ‘Orwellian’ measure. Whilst Djokovic had yet to disclose…
His and her point of view: The empowerment of women in grime music Volunteer Charlotte Allitt discusses the difference in perspective of women within the world of rap and grime music. When unpicking the lyrical narrative of discussions of women in grime music words such as oversexualised, derogatory, and disrespectful may come to mind. Grime artist Solo 45 has been recently jailed for his crimes against women and other headlines highlight the influential power media can have on causing violence against women. The consumption of such grime music may then have two-fold-implications for women: firstly, if correct and the…
Following his death in late-November, Virgil Abloh has left a legacy within the creative world with his pioneering work in fashion and streetwear. From his partnership with Kanye West to becoming the first black Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, label volunteer, Emily Jackson, explores the legacy Abloh has established and will be remembered for. The Early Life of Virgil Born on 30th September 1980 just outside Chicago, Abloh and his sister were raised by Ghanian immigrant parents. From a young age, the soon-to-be designer learnt the tricks of the trade from his mother who was a seamstress. Abloh then attended the…
Loughborough Students’ Union have announced that this week’s remaining club nights will be cancelled after a rise in Covid cases. In their statement, LSU are “aware that nightclubs can still legally operate under the current Government guidelines” but, the growing rise of Covid cases, particularly the Omicron variant, is concerning. This means that Hey Ewe, Incognito and FND will be cancelled this week. In regards to refunds, LSU have announced that “all original ticket holders will be automatically refunded over the next couple of weeks”. However, the SU are “unable to refund Season Pass tickets”, due to the fact “they…
Volunteer writer Valeriya Pukhova sheds light into how TikTok affects the music industry such as Nimco Happy. TikTok is a social media platform for sharing short videos with over 1 billion users around the globe. Without a doubt, it has influenced many parts of our lives, such as fashion, make-up and interior design trends. It has also greatly affected the music industry, with a song “Isii Nafta” by Nimco Happy being a perfect example. In this way, TikTok appears to be a powerful promotional tool for artists, mainly due to new trends that emerge on a regular basis. What…
In a recent email sent out by Chief Operating Officer Richard Taylor, in-person teaching will move online from Wednesday 15th December for the final few days of term. This change comes after the rise in Covid cases on campus over the weekend and applies to lectures, tutorials and seminars. However, campus operations will “otherwise operate close to normal”. In regards to teaching in January, Taylor has stated that “in the absence of changes in Government rules, we will resume in January as planned”. Students do not need to return home early but, if they “may do so if [they] wish…