InTuition

Lily Frost - Writer William Shakespeare wrote a tale full of twists and turns in the making of Romeo and Juliet. It is a story of two people who found true love amongst their feuding families. Whilst the ending saw the fatalities of both lovers, the story of the star crossed lovers is everlasting. For many people, the figure of Juliet is far more than a fictitious character, but in fact a real life love guru, who can offer you a chance at love. However, in order to get this chance you may require assistance from Club di Giulietta.  Juliet’s tomb is located in Via Luigi da Porto in Verona, which many claim to be a must-see attraction. In the 1930’s one of the groundsmen of the tomb noticed that letters were being left, all addressed to Juliet herself. These were letters of love from people who needed Juliet’s help, whether that be in matters of love, loss or heartbreak. Moved by the raw emotion that these letters were filled with, the groundsman Ettore Solimani decided to respond ...

Interviewer: Lily Frost  Interviewee: Martin Hopley  Date: Tuesday 16th June [12:23 PM] Interviewer: So to start with, how did you hear about the Juliet Club and writing to Juliet in the first place?  Interviewee: Genuinely I don’t remember, because I’ve had eighteen brain operations and radiotherapy, there’s a lot I don’t remember about my own past. Every time a memory from my childhood comes back to me I just try and hold on to it as tightly as possible because they’re so rare, so precious. One day, I had a thought come up that: ’if you write to Juliet, Juliet will write back to you’. I just thought that was magical. I searched on the internet about writing to Juliet and that's when I found out about the Hollywood film Letters to Juliet and I found an American Radio Story about people who write for Juliet in Verona so I looked at that and I decided - well I wasn't convinced at first,  so I thought okay I’ll give it a try and see what happens. When I was writing the...

Matthew Race - Guest Writer When Marx first wrote the above words in his catchily-titled A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, he was speaking out against the threat to true freedom caused by religious institutions. Religion was seen as a numbing agent that would distract the individual from the oppression of the unjust structures of society. We see today the real and tangible impacts of western institutions which still propagate discrimination, and our ignorance in not addressing these problems. This has been so clearly demonstrated over the last month with the murder of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests that have erupted around the world calling for an end to the systemic racism that pervades society. But if religion, as Marx suggested, is even slightly to blame for this oppression being so prevalent, then why write in support of a movement grounded in Roman Catholic tradition, an institution that stands above all others in western imagination as the ...

Megan Lacey - Guest Writer Since the Brexit referendum on 23rd June 2016, the UK’s future role within Erasmus+ has become unclear. Ambiguous statements from the UK government; the defeat of a bill that would have guaranteed full membership after Brexit; and the general mess of prolonged Brexit negotiations have left students and institutions across the UK (and the rest of Europe) confused. As Lib-Dem MP Layla Moran states, ‘Staying in Erasmus should be a no-brainer, yet we have a fight on our hands to save it.’ What is Erasmus+? Many people equate Erasmus+ programmes with the urban myth that students go away for a year to party, forget about university, and “find themselves”. Of course, a bit of that does happen, but Erasmus+ is so much more than that. According to the European Commission, ‘Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, and...

Matthew Hodder - Writer In this article, the principle discussion will be the moral question around the subject of Euthanasia. More specifically, the distinction between Active and Passive Euthanasia, as examined carefully by Rachels (1975). We will first need to examine the difference between killing and letting die, and if they are morally different. Furthermore, we will be able to discuss the morality of Voluntary Active Euthanasia and whether we can ever allow a physician to intentionally end a life. We shall find that there are no suitable moral distinctions between killing and letting die, and therefore we should allow the practise of active alongside passive euthanasia. Firstly, we will need to distinguish between two forms of euthanasia: active and passive. Broadly speaking, passive euthanasia involves the withholding of life-sustaining treatment to allow for death, whereas active euthanasia involves deliberate steps, such as a lethal injection, to end life. A loose synthesis o...

Niamh Brook - Writer I first learnt about Onward early last year and honestly I wasn’t fussed. It tells the story of two elf brothers on a quest to bring their father back to life for a day. It sounds like your generic Pixar, right? Now, I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not a fan of fantasy. I have tried and failed countless times to enjoy the realms of orcs and trolls but I’d choose aliens and spaceships any day.  Fantasy just doesn’t appeal to me. That’s one strike against my intrigue for Onward, the second comes from my rocky relationship with Pixar. Like most relationships, the first few years (or 10 in Pixar’s case) were great, fantastic storytelling and characters. Life was good. But Pixar got complacent in our relationship.  Getting lazy, putting in little effort, thinking Cars 3 and some petrol station flowers were enough to get by. I’m sorry Pixar, but it wasn’t. I feel like they have lost my trust. Granted they have released some great original films in the last ...

Dylan Freestone - Writer Speech and Language Therapy is a field of medical science that I am hoping to study in the future and I think the most fascinating aspect of it is the fact that it is an ever- developing science which requires innovation and creativity in the formation of new practices to treat conditions like stuttering and aphasia (the impairment of speech following damage to the brain). I would like to share a few examples of new technologies applied in this field and what it will mean for the future of patients with speech disorders.  If you’ve seen The King’s Speech (2010), you’ll remember Colin Firth’s portrayal of a frustrated King George VI who had a severe stammer, working tirelessly alongside his speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. The practice of speech therapy at this time was in its infancy and, as one would expect, very limited. The treatment of the King’s stutter involved prolonged sessions of breathing and voice exercises to increase flue...

KF - Writer It is not recent news that BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities are disproportionately impacted by poor environmental regulation and left to fend for themselves against enormous fossil fuel corporations. A study carried out by the EPA in 2018 found that “black Americans are subjected to higher levels of air pollution than whites, while a 2011 study found that communities of color and low-income populations are disproportionately exposed to chemical releases”.  Numerous studies have found levels of air pollution to be worse in areas populated mostly by ethnic minorities. Poor air quality does not just make air unpleasant to breathe, it can also increase the severity of suffering for asthmatics, making a serious attack far more likely.  Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, who is a “World Health Organization advocate for health and air quality” lost her daughter Ella in 2013 to a severe asthma attack which has since been “linked to spikes in air pollution”. This cas...

KF - Writer “If somebody who comes into office does not believe in the science of climate change, do they have the capacity and the power to dismantle everything that you’ve already worked for?”  This was the question actor, environmentalist and UN messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio posed to President Obama in his 2016 documentary Before the Flood. Obama, being a President known for his more progressive environmental views, was optimistic about the future and the USA’s ability to increase its climate targets to ever ambitious levels. However, I couldn’t help but notice his answer wasn’t exactly a firm no. “Even if somebody came in campaigning on denying climate science, reality has a way of hitting you in the nose if you’re not paying attention and I think that the public is starting to realise the science, in part because it’s indisputable.”  Ever the politician, an optimistic message that gives no solid answer. Could that have been because he was well aware just how easy i...