My flatmate’s response when I mentioned that I would be writing an article on boys in ballet perfectly demonstrates the stigma that many boys who take ballet lessons experience. While ballet is a much-admired art form, it cannot be denied that the stereotypical image of a ballet dancer is female...
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When you actually take a good hard look at this year’s TV Christmas line-up, there’s not a whole lot on that’s really that festive. Perhaps the best offering is this year’s Upstart Crow Christmas special, ‘A Crow Christmas Carol’, in which the Shakespearean sitcom reimagines the work of another classic...
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As a young and keen reader, I tended to find adult works of fiction more compelling than those for children. However, as a 12-year-old (and somewhat nerdy) child reading J.D.Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, I had two primary concerns. One was whether or not my efforts would in fact...
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Lauren Turner reports on recent discoveries that certain genes are associated with the skin condition acne vulgaris, meaning new targeted treatments may be on the horizon.
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Without even listening, it’s clear who The 1975 aim to follow. As early as last March, outspoken frontman Matty Healy insisted that “our next album needs to be like OK Computer”, and more recently proclaimed that if Radiohead were his ‘artist of the 90s’, “the band of this decade has...
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We all know that Britain’s High Street is rapidly changing, with department stores such as House of Fraser, John Lewis and Debenhams reporting lower sales and fighting for every pound. Slowly, traditional stores are being replaced by coffee shops and Greggs stores, as consumers prefer more food outlets to Dorothy...
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In 2016, my life was changed forever. No, not by the American election, nor by Brexit. No, my life was irrevocably altered by the discovery of that magic called Crusader Kings 2. I love games like Crusader Kings 2, more than is healthy. I adore sprawling strategy games with complicated...
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2018 has been a year of strange occurrences. With scandals unravelling, climate catastrophes, and increasingly polarised politics, 2018 was not an easy year to get through. Perhaps Oxford Dictionaries has most successfully summed up the status quo with its Word of the Year: toxic. Although a formal definition of the...
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If someone had asked me in the summer holidays where the Eritrea is situated, I would have stared back blankly. If you haven’t heard much about it, it can’t be that important, right? Wrong. In 2016, Eritrea belonged to the group of countries with the highest number of people fleeing...
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Hamish Inglis reports on a recent study by the University of Warwick that suggests the use of VR in education may provide an improved and more engaging learning environment
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The world of classical literature often feels introspective and insular. Yet some texts rise above this world and retain their place in the pantheon of literature today. Homer’s epic poems are the prime example. From Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida to Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, Homer’s shadow has loomed...
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During this festive period, there have been many midweek and weekend football matches. From the EFL to the Premier League, every team is in fierce competition with another. While we all take time off for our Christmas break, footballers prepare for more work to fulfil our festive entertainment needs. Premier...
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It’s not often that I watch BBC4, but I make sure to tune in every year on Christmas Eve for a night of ghost stories. Since Dickens, hauntings and spectres have been a Christmas staple, and there seems something incredibly fitting about knuckling down and enjoying a bit of fright. This year, Mark Gatiss has written a new ghost story for the channel - The Dead Room is a wonderful homage to the classic ghost story, powered by a fantastic performance by Simon Callow, if not necessarily by its scares.
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