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Spotlight – All work and no play makes an exhausted Oxford student
I have now finished my long eight-day stint of shifts. In the next few days off that I have, I look forward to utilising my local library and coffee shops every day to pursue my academic work. I’m not bitter to have had to work; I’m grateful to have a job in the current economic…
WHAT’S NEW
Braids: How do they represent us?
“Hair represents us. It is a means of self-expression, and a channel for our creativity, used for centuries, if not millennia, in this way. Since I first got my box…
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What’s in a Title
“Let’s say you’ve written a novel. Now comes the tricky question: what punchy word or phrase could you possibly use to encapsulate your story? You have poured so much time…
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As You Like It at Green Templeton College Garden: Reviewed
The play was a success: entertaining, well-staged, and followable without a necessarily perfect understanding of the Shakespearean language.
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I Don’t Remember Choosing Arsenal.
Arsenal fan Mili Thakrar reflects powerfully on what it means to have been a supporter in the last month, year, and lifetime. Image by Mili Thakrar.
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Outside OX1 Week 6: Australia, China, and the US
Editor’s Note Welcome back to Week 6 of Outside OX1! I hope everyone is surviving the final few weeks of Trinity well, although a few members of the Global Affairs…
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Social Media Personas: Do we show who we really are?
Nancy Pierre questions whether social media shows the real us or only a curated version of ourselves.
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Oxford
‘Agua do Rio, Agua do Mar II’: Oxford’s Connection with Capoeira
Over the weekend of 15-17 May, a range of activities and workshops took place as part of ‘Agua do Rio, Agua do Mar II’, a festival organised by the Oxford Capoeira Society. But what exactly is Capoeira, who is behind the society, and what do they do? Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form, a martial…
Oxford’s Chabad Society Host Lag BaOmer Celebrations on Broad Street
On 5 May, a celebration of Lag BaOmer, a Jewish religious holiday, took place on Broad street, run by the Oxford Chabad Society. Lag BaOmer is a holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, a ritual in Judaism counting each of the 49 days between the holidays of Passover and…
Oxford University Pioneers Development of New Ebola Vaccine
In the wake of the recent Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) is working with Oxford’s own Clinical BioManufacturing Facility and the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. to develop a new vaccine to mitigate the spread of the virus. This vaccine uses the…
opinion
Jerusalem Day in the context of the persistent violence waged against Palestinians.
Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday celebrating Israel’s capture and control over Jerusalem after the Six-Day War in 1967. Following Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem, Palestinian inhabitants who were not registered as Israeli citizens, were granted residency but were not allowed to vote in national elections. The annexation of East Jerusalem, which has a predominantly…
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Sellouts or Scapegoats? : Why do Oxford students funnel into finance and consulting?
For many of Oxford’s students, their time at the university can be fondly measured by a series of firsts, whether it be their first formal dinner, their first time wearing sub fusc, or even the inevitable first essay crisis. Most memorable of all, however, should surely be their first moment of realisation that life’s true…
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University counselling is failing its students abroad
Having received a diagnosis in the month before going abroad, I remember being consumed by a genuine fear, learning that I wouldn’t have access to university counselling. Fear that I would repeat the mistakes of first year. Fear that I would be away from my support system. Fear that it would all come falling down.…
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Outside OX1 Week 5: Türkiye, Ghana, and US-Iran
Outside OX1 returns for Week 5, with three new headlines from around the globe. Lewis Haynes explores the ousting of Türkiye’s opposition leader by the courts, and the implications it has on an opposition that has failed to win a Turkish election this millenium. Noah Allerton looks at the cracking down on LGBTQ+…
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A Closer Look: At this Cave in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Nancy Gittus takes a closer look at the Shanidar Cave in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and the amazing discoveries made within. With a new Netflix documentary recently released, it is an incredibly important time to reanalyse the impact of these discoveries on Kurds, and the region at large. Image Credit to Khoshhat.
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Judge Tosses McDonald’s Backpack, Allows Gun in Mangione Case
Christine Savino explores another high profile court case, this week taking a look at an update on the trial of Luigi Mangione. Accussed of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Mangione’s case has been incredibly controversial, and Savino takes a look at the new evidence admitted, and perhaps more importantly, not admitted…
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COLUMNS
Risk Appetite: On Long Tables and Still Eating Alone
“The next time at a long dining table, I’ll treat it like it’s an Oxford exam I’ve studied for: I’ll eat, ask questions about others that stem from genuine curiosity, and take peace in the fact that I’ve already done all the preparation I can and that it’s time to put it into practice.”
Second Draft: But can you do a split roll?
“When I read the list back, I found it quite ticklesome. Was this my vernacular now? Since when was it normal to be scrolling through the Croquet England website on a random Wednesday in May? Most concerningly, had I become an Oxford stereotype?”
Low Concept: Detours; Some Endless, Some Brief
“I was taken aback, but not for long. Having now the benefit of hindsight, I see that it was this comment above all else which made the interaction remarkable – I began to think that I would certainly recount this story to friends.”
CULTURES
Alex Rawnsley’s The Moro Affair at The North Wall Arts Centre: Reviewed
When I first entered The North Wall’s theatre, I found a mess. Stools and chairs and pieces of clothing and paper lay haphazardly on the floor, but the spotlight drew…
Completely Bloody Incoherent at the Michael Pilch Studio: Reviewed
Crumpled pieces of paper hang from the walls of the Pilch. The lights are down. In darkness, two figures, dressed in all black, take their positions in the centre of…
The Effect at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
Is there a difference between us and our brain chemistry? Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, by Fennec Fox Productions, reviewed.
LIfestyle
Criminally Good Beer with Tap Social
Our team here at The Oxford Blue was recently invited to come learn more about the exciting new projects that Tap Social are working on, as well as the community-driven…
Reflections from the Botanic Garden
Right at the bottom of the Botanic Garden, past the walled garden, beyond the water lily pond, and the lawns, there are two benches sitting side by side. Being an…
Spotlight – Clarity in the chaos: are Oxford terms helpful or a hindrance?
In a university where the academic pressure is a marathon and not a sprint, the short distance of the race is always appreciated. There’s always plenty to do to pack…
Identity
Losing and Finding
Sambodhi Jindal comments on the pressure to succeed at the University of Oxford and discusses feelings of being inadequate.
Breeze & Brew: Reimagining Community Curation through Fans and Tea in Oxford
Dr Jenny Wang writes about a community curation project at the Ashmolean Museum, exploring Chinese fans and tea culture.
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