by Siddiq Islam Mathematics is a rare but serious condition that not many know about, and yet, it may be quietly affecting many of your friends at university. It is often caused by a degree in mathematics, and it gives rise to many symptoms, ranging from minor to debilitating. The condition is characterised by a […]
Read moreA Century of Wave–Particle Duality
by Andrew Boothroyd What makes a good PhD thesis? One hundred years ago, Louis-Victor de Broglie completed a 70-page doctoral thesis in which he proposed that electrons, and by extension all matter, have an associated wave. Within a year or two, de Broglie’s conjecture was to become one of the central ideas of quantum theory, […]
Read moreCentury Puzzle
by Siddiq Islam In wishing The Poor Print a happy one-hundredth issue, I submit a puzzle of unwarranted length (sorry). The aim of the puzzle is to highlight the ambiguity of relationships and the conclusions to which we jump. As you read, check the assumptions you make along the way, remember the information you receive […]
Read moreAULT: Reflecting on the Future of Architecture
by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]
Read moreA Word from the Editors: Century
by Siddiq Islam Now that one hundred Poor Prints have come and gone, what better a time for us editors to reflect on our time with this wonderful student publication. The Poor Print for me represents not only a physical newspaper, but the courage and talent with which Oriel students share their writing and art […]
Read moreThe Peculiar World of a Scientist
by Maria Kyriazi Imagine yourself. It’s past 9pm on a Friday night, and you’re sitting in a room full of microscopes, dim light, almost completely dark, listening to the gurgling noises of the computer and the microscope. The building seems empty, but you know that there are still about ten or fifteen more people hiding behind […]
Read moreSENECA LVCILIO SVO SALVTEM
by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood If I had a hundred mouths and a hundred tongues, I would not even be able to begin to speak of the evils of take-away coffee. Shall I first say how this habit enslaves man, or how a man is a liar if he practises it? Ah, in the same way that […]
Read moreNocowley Road
by Siddiq Islam I wander down to Cowley Road To see where all the cows are stowed, But when I find no cows are there, They tell me I should look elsewhere. ‘How rubbishly they named’, I muse, ‘A cow-named road where no cow moos,’ But on I trudge to find the cattle, My own, determined, bovine battle. I think to […]
Read moreAULT: Voyage in Our Vertical Space
by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]
Read moreEvolution, Eugenics and Euthanasia
by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood I will begin with the premise. Then, with painstaking care, I will draw out some conclusions. I hope that you disagree with the conclusions; I’m sure you’ll be shocked by some. But then, why? Is it because the premise is wrong, or because the argumentation is flawed? At what point? You […]
Read moreRude Frog
by Siddiq Islam
Read moreAULT: Mastering the Craft
by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understanding. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into it. […]
Read moreThe Elephant in the Room
by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood A habit is a quality of the soul which disposes us to certain acts; a virtue is a good habit which dis— … woah woah woah, hold on a second … soul?! Aren’t humans, like, the product of millions of years of evolution or something? How can we sincerely claim that […]
Read moreHindsight Is a Horrible Thing
by Anonymous Strolling I was, down the soft dunes of a sea-facing shore. A man squatted, staring out at the susurrous undulations before him. His eyes glowed like pearls, his skin fair and spotless. His cheeks proudly rose out from dark hairs around his chin. How beautiful a beard can be on a man. And he […]
Read moreAULT: Must Good Art Involve Pain?
by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understanding. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into it. […]
Read more‘Dear Beary …’ [24]
by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) worries, […]
Read morePursue Pleasure
by Vittorio P. Cuneo-Flood I’m a raging hedonist, As hedy as can be. You’ve never met a man who loves Pleasure more than me. Never ever I tell Thee! Let me assume, that you, like me, wish to live the most pleasurable existence possible. It seems to me, that since this is the ultimate aim […]
Read moreA Word from the Editors: Realism
by Siddiq Islam REALISM – late 18th century: from real + -ism, after German Realismus Realism is humans’ attempt at capturing the world around them in a ‘realistic’ way. The word applies itself in many contexts, from the art world, where painters try to depict natural objects as accurately as possible rather than the more symbolic […]
Read moreRealism Unleashed: Sonic Choreography
by Alessandro MacKinnon-Botti Embrace sonic realism through Sonic Choreography: use your body’s movements to create a living auditory canvas that captures the everyday. Sonic Choreography is an innovative way to express everyday realism. Your visual map becomes a musical score, translating the everyday into a unique auditory performance. For instance, once the idea has been […]
Read moreSonnet to the Pigeon That Keeps Excreting and Trying to Get into My Room
by Tarquin Parry-Wingfield Sonnets speak of love, mine will speak of hate; Our relationship quickly went downhill, When you kindly began to defecate Both on and inside my two window sills. You know what you have done, you must feel smug; To make it worse, you litter your feathers; Did no one warn you that we all hate thugs? I am […]
Read moreRealism Resurgent: Lessons from Ukraine
by Anna Bartlett In 2023 there are more state-based conflicts than in any other year since the end of World War Two. Is this a return to realism or a signal of a new era of conflict? One of the oldest approaches to global politics, realism in international relations highlights the primacy of state self […]
Read moreAULT: Limitless
by David Akanji Welcome to AULT, the arts and culture column of The Poor Print, written by David Akanji (me). AULT exists to refocus some of our minds, re-engaging ourselves with art and cultural understandings. I’ll be focusing on current opinions/events/issues in the art world, but more importantly how we as students, citizens, and humans fit into […]
Read moreOctober Champagne Concert 2023: A Review
by Jerric Chong As you will undoubtedly have gleaned from the grey, hulking buildings occupying the northern half of Oriel’s usually picturesque Second Quad, the Senior Library is out of commission as one of the nicest spaces to study in Oxford, instead awaiting its conversion into a temporary dining facility while the hall closes (for […]
Read moreOrigin
by Kilian King The JCR President and porter looked at each other, then back at the gently smoking crater in front of them, then at each other again. After an awkward silence, the porter cleared his throat and looked at her impatiently. ‘Are you not even going to try and explain yourself?’ he asked, in […]
Read moreA Word from the Editors: Origin
by Jerric Chong ORIGIN – early 16th century: from French origine, from Latin origo, origin-, from oriri ‘to rise’. [Oxford Languages] So here you are at last, donning your sub fusc and gown and traipsing up the steps of the Sheldonian with hundreds of others to hear some unintelligible Latin muttered at you, before filing out into […]
Read moreRenaissance Reminiscence
by Hani Ali You may, or may not, know about Beyoncé’s recent five-day stint in London for her Renaissance World Tour. If you weren’t aware, I may be tempted to ask you ‘what rock have you been living under?’ Five nights, three hours, sixty thousand attendees per night – Beyoncé’s first world tour in seven […]
Read moreAfter Belbroughton: Jude Bellingham and I
by Ben Nolan Extract from the New York Times bestselling autobiography of 24 June – the afternoon of 24 June 2022. Former football star Ben Nolan shares his experience of meeting his co-star Jude Bellingham in the long years after their Belbroughton debut. What follows is a tale of broken promises, sprained ankles, and strained […]
Read moreThe Importance of Being Earnest: A Review
by Emily Lazell-Taylor ‘Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere?’ The annual Oriel College Summer Garden Play this year was the performance of one of Oscar Wilde’s greatest works – The Importance of Being Earnest. Having studied the play for my English Literature A-Level course and been captivated by Wilde’s genius ever since, […]
Read moreNostalgic Movie List
by David Akanji From all-time classics to trashy child-hood highlights. Indulge your older and wiser self in some throwback flicks, whether it’s Samuel L. Jackson reciting scripture or Amanda Bynes toppling the sporting patriarchy.rom all-time classics to trashy child-hood highlights. Indulge your older and wiser self in some throwback flicks, whether it’s Samuel L. Jackson […]
Read moreA Word from the Editors: Summer
by Jerric Chong And so we arrive (as Oxford students have always done and always will do until the day of judgement come) at the end of another academic year, accompanied by the ever-gradual turning-up of the summer heat. As is traditional, our last issue of the year is dedicated to looking back, reminiscing about […]
Read moreThe Poor Print: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
by Michael Angerer The very first issue of The Poor Print was published in Trinity term 2013. To celebrate our tenth birthday, we’ve asked past Poor Printers to provide retrospective editorials on their time with the newspaper. Here, Michael Angerer reflects on his time as an executive editor from 2017 to 2019. Ten years of The […]
Read moreA Quick Summary of Oriel’s Summer Eights Campaign
by Carolina Cortés Vilaplana Boat Wed Thu Fri Sat Finish M1 → → → → Head! M2 ↑ → → → 22nd M3 ↑ → ↑ ↓ 58th M4 → ↓ ↓ → 67th M5 ↑ ↑ ↑ → 64th Boat Wed Thu Fri Sat Finish W1 → ↑ ↑ ↑ 4th W2 ↑ → […]
Read more‘Dear Beary …’ [23]
by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) […]
Read moreStressed About Exams This Trinity? Here’s Why You Should Go and See Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
by Hani Ali Whether you have finals, prelims, or obscure second-year exams (why?) coming up, I can imagine you are probably under a lot of stress. Your friends are too busy to see you, the work never stops, and you’ve had to cut down on formals and other leisure activities. Why wouldn’t you be? As […]
Read moreSisyphus House: A Review
by Sam Hardaker Subtitled a ‘time bending rom-com’, the student-run Sisyphus House touched a nostalgic and sentimental nerve. Written by Abbie Nott and Megan Bruton, the new play had a unique and fresh voice, both loving and honest, truthful and fantastical, and Sisyphus House was able to transform a rather grey Thursday and my rather […]
Read more‘Dear Beary …’ [22]
by Beary McBearface Hello there! My name’s Beary, one of the giant teddy bears who hang out in the JCR – I’m the brown one; my purple counterpart is John Henry. As The Poor Print’s self-anointed agony aunt, I’m here to help you with any troubles you’re facing. Please send me your college (or general) […]
Read moreChampagne Concert: A Review
by Jerric Chong We at Oriel are quite privileged indeed to be able to listen to an extraordinarily broad range of live music. Even discounting the superb ensembles and performers of every genre who can be heard across the city and university, Oriel is fortunate to be able to put on a wide array of […]
Read moreA Sophisticated Analysis of Sadomasochism and Cannibalism in Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ ft. Snoop Dogg (2010)
by Anonymous The heavy psychoanalytical undertones of Katherine Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ has been the subject of much scholarly attention in recent years, as has the Oedipal complexity that dominates the lyrics. However, less well documented is the gastronomic and culinary imagery which pervades the song both lyrically and videographically. This, coupled with a recognition of […]
Read moreThe Poor Print: Ten Years On
by Monim Wains The very first issue of The Poor Print was published in Trinity Term 2013. To celebrate our tenth birthday, we’ve asked past Poor Printers to provide retrospective editorials on their time with the newspaper. Here, Monim Wains reflects on his time as an executive editor from 2019 to 2022. I think I […]
Read moreKnocking on 697’s Door: ‘It Tastes Like Beer’
by David Akanji Nothing’s like the excitement of trying a new beer for the first time. The anticipation builds as you crack open the bottle and the aroma wafts up to your nose. The first sip is always the most telling, as you try to discern the flavours and characteristics of the brew. While the […]
Read more