Soapboxes

Scientific Selections

Yeah, here’s a weird fact – I was going to run as Editor of the Courier this year. If you look at the candidate list, however, you’ll notice that my face is (in)conspicuous by its absence.

This is the problem with being an MRes student: your lab project hoards time like a dragon with a twisted view of economics (time is money, after all). I suspect that very few of the full-time NUSU officers over the years have been STEM students. Partly because we can be so often focused in our discipline so we don’t want to leave, but this time constraint may also be a contributing factor.

Last year one of my friends, in his third year of Physiology, ran for a position. Poor guy didn’t do too well, as while everyone else was campaigning, he was stuck electrocuting muscle cells. Couldn’t we move elections to Easter instead?

Jack Coles

TicketDisaster

Ticketmaster. The worst ticket selling website to ever taint the online marketplace. I know that I’m not alone in suffering through Ticketmaster’s loading screens and the false apology when it finally reveals that there are no tickets left – but no worries, go onto their partner sites and buy resold tickets for double, triple, even quadruple the price!

Their customer service is barely a service, just a series of scripted tweets saying ‘Sorry, just try again!’ I’ve been trying, that’s why I’m asking for help because your website isn’t working! Trying to buy tickets for popular bands or events is like an Olympic sport. You need multiple tabs, browsers, devices – hell, even get your friends involved to help! Sit refreshing like your life depends on it until the page finally loads. Or…just give up and go on another site. And lo and behold, there are still reasonably priced tickets left.

Ticketmaster? More like TicketDisaster.

Charlotte Boulton

Storm(i) In A Teacup

Unless you live inside a minute media-less cave, you’ve probably heard that yet another baby Kardashian has graced the earth with its existence. Everybody, meet Stormi Webster. I’ll be honest here and say I take an unusual stance when it comes to the Kardashians. All of my peers’ attitudes towards the renowned billionaire family take quite a love it/hate it marmite approach. I, however, remain relatively indifferent.

I am however monumentally pissed off at the reaction Kylie Jenner has received by people questioning how capable a mother she will make on account of her age. Those teeth-suckers and eyebrow raisers who comment on the fact that she’s ‘only 20’, seemingly totally unaware of how patronising they’re being. Yes, she’s 20. But she’s also incredibly financially stable, has a good relationship with the child’s father and a large support network of family and friends around her to support and help her. People should stop treating her like a child and acknowledge that she is an adult, who can make adult decisions.

Carys Thomas

editor kylie jenner lab project stem subjects stormi webster ticketmaster tickets

Last modified: 23rd February 2018