Une Femme Libre

Saturday, March 20th  saw a coalition of grassroots organisations and individuals gather in Birmingham's Victoria Square to raise their voices in solidarity. These past few weeks have seen other major cities such as Manchester, Brighton, Bristol and Liverpool holding protests of their own as outrage spreads across the nation following the murder of Sarah Everard. Sarah was walking home through Clapham Common in London on March 3rd when she disappeared. Her body was found just a week later inside a builder's bag in the woodlands of Kent, about 40 miles from where she was kidnapped. No sooner had this news reached the rest of the UK, than the vigil that was held Clapham Common in her honour turned violent between attendees and police officers sent to oversee COVID guidelines.  Occurring in tandem with this catastrophe is the proposal of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSCB) which was published March 8th of this year. If this bill were to come to fruition, it woul...

We're well into February - or 'Forever Alone' month - and lovers are scrambling for ideas on how to make their special day unforgettable, despite the looming cloud of bollocks that is quarantine. If you're like me, you've already trolled through the top searches on Google and found these: 20 Best and Most Romantic Valentine's Day Ideas 12 ways to enjoy Valentine's Day in lockdown from home Valentine's Day 2021 date night ideas All containing great ideas, but after 20 minutes of scrolling, you'll start to see a pattern arise. Suggestions like "cook dinner together", "have a spa day", and "breakfast in bed" are the top recurring suggestions; or if you have an affinity for the outdoors, "go for a walk" and "go for a picnic" are the two for you. But seeing as we're coming up on our one year anniversary of quarantine here in the UK, these brilliant ideas were already exhausted back in August.  Every da...

First, let me start off by commending (or is it condemning?) Apple for absolutely nailing this 'capitalism' stuff. I can't even begin to get into their profit margin which is supplied by outsourcing cheap labor from Asia paired with a high market demand, egged on by the ruthless advertising and outrageous qualities these phones posses. Apple's market success is only furthered by their use of planned obsolescence, which has recently gotten the company into some pretty deep waters in mainland Europe just a year ago.  'Planned obsolescence' is a policy implemented by Apple that involves the use of non-durable materials (fragile glass screens) and changes in hardware (the removal of the auxiliary jack in the iPhone 7 and newer generations) or software (regular iOS updates) that result in consumer goods becoming obsolete and needing to be replaced frequently. The use of this ingenious but still malicious strategy is illegal in France, and the lawsuit filed in Decem...

(Disclosure: the following poem contains allusions to suicide and self harm. If you struggle with these thoughts in any way, please, decide for yourself if you should read this. We should not be afraid to talk about mental health, and that's what I'm doing here today, but know your own limits and do not push yourself.) What use is the 999 when they won't send somebody unless there's a body Unless there's a villain masked and oddly enough 'Is the patient still breathing' is not something to be asked when the patient is alive but not well Living but no one can tell what hell she's lived through The things she's done or that have been done to You walked away your white jacket shining bright as the night enveloped you like a beacon to our wary eyes But we needed no beacon to hear your cries concealed behind the 'do you have a cigarette' and 'I want to be left alone' but you knew we wouldn't, couldn't do that Up...

Another milestone to check off the 'life' to-do list: the long-awaited university graduation. This occasion is traditionally celebrated by decking out the 'graduands' in black gowns that more closely resemble poorly tailored capes and matching caps that are equally unflattering. You have to give them credit, though; it must have been difficult to design a co-ord that nobody actually looks good in.  It doesn't take a Paris Fashion Week judge to notice that the 'academic dress' is ill-fitting in general: students of extreme stature are especially cheated. Despite inputting measurements of height and head size prior to ordering the dress, this feels like a farce as they appear to be a one-size-fits-all deal. Taller individuals show an excess of leg (scandalous!) - rather than the traditional mid-calf hem ending - which looks comical. While shorter students are positively swimming in their gowns, looking as if the shroud is trying to swallow them. Nevertheless,...

When anybody says the word 'diversity', I immediately think of race and ethnicity. I think about people of color and the dominance of Caucasians throughout history. I may even think about women and the patriarchy and the overbearing male presence in everything that we do as a species. But never do my thoughts turn to those with disabilities, either learning or hearing or otherwise. Never do I think about individuals with mental illnesses. And, for some reason, nor does the LGBTQ+ community come to mind. Until now. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion on diversity in theater, in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I met a deaf actress, a bipolar director, a writer who struggles with depression. All of these people expressed a desire to make classical works of art accessible to more people. Meaning they want to create and adapt pieces that feature more diversity, so that the wider audience can see themselves portrayed in art and relate to it through that exper...

F*ck the education of the younger generation, right? Because grades are getting lower and expectations are getting higher We're not allowed to ask why or how we're meant to pass our classes Passing out in bed after a long day, textbooks in the way of our closing eyelids Sleep Precious sleep that we can never achieve because wealth is more valued than health To hell with your Zs when all you need are As to get through this life To get a wife and a house and a kid and a car and a job and a dog and so what? For what? Divorce Joint custody Eviction Repossession Regression Depression If mental health was treated like abortion at least we'd talk about it more than the hushed voices and whispers of lives lost too early, of children turned surly, of thoughts turning sour in the darkest hour of our minds Be kind It's as simple as that Tell each other 'you're doing your best, and that's all anyone could expect' The insouciants who brush ...