From Our Editors
CIB: Normalise nodding again
Unless you're living under a rock, you’ve noticed that all our teaching is on Zoom.My pet peeve on Zoom is that when I speak others just don’t react to it at all. In pre-Covid times people would be so engaged in what you said, and they would show it with a simple nod or eye-contact. Now I feel like I am literally talking to no-one. I always make the effort to nod or smile when other people are speaking. It validates people in what they are saying. Just because it's virtual doesn’t mean we can’t still support each other in the ways we used to - bring back nodding! - Matthew King
NIB: York first uni to sign the Good Business Charter
The University of York has become the first University in the country to sign onto the Good Business Charter (GBC). The charter promotes ethical and sustainable business practices, including living wages, promoting diversity, giving employees fairer contracts and hours, and promoting environmentally friendly and ethical sourcing of resources. The GBC’s founder is hopeful that the inclusion of a University in the charter will encourage other universities, and businesses in York to join the movement towards more ethical capitalism.
CIB: Spinach, please stop shunning us
Why do all supermarkets insist on mammoth bags of spinach? I love getting my greens but even I can't chomp my way through 300g of the stuff before it goes bad. Freezing it makes it go soggy. I hate food waste and try to produce as little as possible so whenever I buy it I feel dutifully bound to incorporate it into every single meal or palm it off onto my housemates. And it takes up so much fridge space! Honestly it seems like just another affront on single person households along with rent prices and less tax benefits. I just wish the government would let me live in peace with my moderately sized bag of leafy goodness. - Ellie Parnham
From Our Editors
MUSE Recommends: Books
MUSE Editors give their picks for your next read.
Jenna, MUSE Editor - Writers and Lovers, Lily King:
About a young female writer who, whilst struggling to come to terms with losing her mother, finds herself stuck both in a prospect-less job and a complicated love triangle. Easy to read but not lacking in substance.
Elizabeth, Arts Editor - Conversations With Friends, Sally Rooney:
Conversation with friends is easily up there in my top 5 books. The fact that I finished it in two days is a testament to this. The book follows the lives and affairs of friends Frances and Bobbie. Real, raw and raunchy you won’t be able to put it down!
Emily, Deputy MUSE Editor - Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami:
I had been meaning to read this book for a while and although I haven’t finished it yet, I can already tell I’m going to be recommending it to everyone I know. This book is perfect for my fellow students who find that the only thing they can currently do is uni work and their daily walk.
Cara, Deputy Arts Editor - Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell:
I wrote a review of Hamnet early in the first lockdown (and it was actually my first post for Nouse!) but 10 months on from reading it I’m still thinking about it. Despite not being the escapist story I’d hoped for, being set in the era of the plague, seeing a different side to history and a familial side to Shakespeare makes for a gripping read.
