A Cherwell survey has found that 57% of respondents were not satisfied with their college’s handling of self-isolation last term. One student commented that...
It may distress some of our readers that Cambridge ranks first with a score of 348 out of a possible 700. However, Cherwell would like to remind any concerned citizens that it would hardly be sporting if Oxford was better at everything.
"The University’s Covid-19 impact monitor shows that the January lockdown has so far had “one third less impact on movement” than the initial national lockdown last March, and that some areas are still moving at above 50% of pre-pandemic levels."
"Cambridge University has announced a new foundation year program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program has 50 places available across 13 pilot colleges, and will have an offer of BBB rather than the university’s standard A*AA."
Photographs of the ongoing Indian farmer strikes have trickled through to social media feeds across the world, in stark contrast with the relative silence...
"In COVID-19 policy and beyond, the government continues to view the North as expendable, both politically and economically, putting lives and communities at stake."
Many want a Men in Black-style mind wipe that will erase the past year from our collective memory, only to be recalled 50 years down the line when a funky new virus dredges up the memories from the bottom of the dustbin. This, I think, is a mistake.
'It is difficult to overstate the rage I feel against America’s right wing for allowing us to get to this point. Shame on Mitch McConnell. Shame on Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. Shame on every Republican who acquitted Trump of impeachment charges. Shame on the entire Trump family and every single one of his enablers.
"Some scientists argue that the use of psychedelics can drastically cut medical costs by generating a shift in psychiatry from the current palliative approach towards a curative one. "
"The Style Guide for the Daily Stormer (a neo-nazi alt-right blog) that was leaked a few years ago offers a painful insight into how the alt-right intentionally blurs humour and hate speech online."
"If not for a healthy dose of nostalgia to remedy bitter envy, remembering the cultural importance of clubbing will ensure the scene doesn’t collapse entirely."
"The Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, depicts the rise of social media and personalised online services. Deeply unnerving, it shows us not only their power over each and every one of us, but also their damage to society."
"As part of the UK government’s “Energy White Paper” released in December, the UK has unveiled its own Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), ... a mechanism used to reduce CO2 (or equivalent) emissions."
"Women have historically been side-lined from medical attention at a greater degree than men and there is little known about the premenstrual syndrome (PMS)."
'I am not sure what broke me. I think it's a close tie between the discussion around NaCl when I asked for the salt to be passed down the table or when someone genuinely asked the group what their favourite way to measure the centre of mass was.'
Recalling the first time I read Grief, on a thankfully empty train, I’m very glad no one was present to witness what must have been a harrowing and confusing parade of expressions as I progressed. It’s a few hours I will never regret.
Hamnet — Maggie O’Farrell
The subtle majesty of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell’s eighth novel,would have been welcome in any year, but it was a particular blessing...
"Modern academics are reexamining genre fiction, helped by a number of critical movements breaking down literary elitism, and there’s a world of horror which is intelligent, complex and, most importantly, terrifying."
"Are we destined to become who we are as adults, or are we formed by our experiences on the way? It happens to all of us, but the process of growing up continues to fascinate writers, artists, and filmmakers, for it surrounds the struggle to forge an identity in a chaotic and often harsh environment."
"The essay I would go on to write, and, reader, the article I had drafted and readied for this very publication, would, I see now, have Mansfield, alongside pretty much every other writer of fiction, willing to cross both space and time in order to beat me around the head with a copy of Crime and Punishment."
"Memoir is an exploration of the complex layers of human memory: fallible, emotional and moulded by subsequent reflection. Like life itself, memoir is messy - but all the more enjoyable for it."
"Each of this week’s recommendations demonstrate that female voices are far more nuanced and diverse than fiction has traditionally led us to believe."
"Tender and thought-provoking, The Vanishing Half offers a reflection on whether a person can choose who they are. In a world where Stella and Desiree represent black and white, Bennett embraces the grey area of personal, racial, and gendered identity."
"This week’s recommendations each represent a unique “texture of lived experience” to perfection, proving that historical fiction is a genre full of excitement and experimentation, and one that also demands to be taken seriously."