I began watching Dead to Me on Netflix on Saturday night and despite the fact I had an exam on the Tuesday afternoon, I had finished it by Sunday morning. The balance achieved between the very real and traumatic loss of Jen’s husband, Nick, and the easy watching aspects of the series that Netflix was trying to […]
death
Is professional photography dead?
The ‘death of photography’ debate is not a new one. As digital photography made strides past film in the 1980s, so the smartphone, internet era now seems to threaten photography’s status as a profession and an art form. However, while the traditional (if it ever was) industry and practice of photography faces undeniable challenges, this […]
Memento mori: Escaping death
‘I have always been terrified of death, and no philosopher or holy man has been able to convince me otherwise.’ Such are the words of the celebrated novelist Howard Jacobson. From the moment we conceive of mortality, we are doomed to know that, whatever we think lies beyond, we will never be able to know […]
Current Despairs: The passing of 2016
This year has been bad. Globally, politically, socially, et cetera. But has it been the Worst Year Ever that Buzzfeed and the listicle brigade would have us believe? Maybe, but probably not. A lot of bad things have been concentrated in 2016, so many that people have finally sat up and taken notice. But the […]
Obituary: In Memory of Shimon Peres
”When you have two alternatives, the first thing you have to do is to look for the third that you didn’t think about, that doesn’t exist.” – Shimon Peres If you follow the news you are more likely than not to have heard of the recent death of Shimon Peres, who died from a fatal […]
Column: “Did you hear about…”
Nas – Nassau Coliseum, New York – September 13th 1996 It was the end of the sweltering summer of 1996, and the east coast / west coast hip-hop rivalry was at its peak. East coast rapper Nas was performing in New York, his home turf. He’d just released a great album and the show was […]
Exeter alumni J.K Rowling voices her sadness following Alan Rickman’s death
Exeter University graduate J.K Rowling has tweeted her respects following the death of actor Alan Rickman earlier today. Best known for his phenomenal portrayal of Professor Snape in Harry Potter, Rowling described him as a ‘magnificent actor & wonderful man’. The actor sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 69 after fighting cancer. Rickman made a name for himself […]
Be an MP and live longer, says Uni research
Long hours and high pressure decisions don’t seem to have done MPs too much bad – in fact, they’re living 28 per cent longer than their constituents, according to new research involving a University of Exeter PhD student. Conducted by John Dennis from the University Medical School and Dr Tim Crayford, chief medical advisor to […]
Why I owe it all to… Halloween
I’ll be honest, I’ve never quite understood the appeal of Halloween. I roll my eyes when the Halloween stock floods the high street, refuse to touch toffee apples and loathe – yes, loathe – the entire idea of trick or treating: a rookie’s guide to high cholesterol. Sadly, Halloween and I never quite clicked. It seems to be […]
Second thoughts: Euthanasia
The case against: Our right to freedom of choice is one of the pillars of our society – what to wear, what to say, how to act – but this does not extend to our decision on how, or indeed when, to die. Whilst the popular argument states that euthanasia is a dignified way to […]