Written by Sabrina Collier and Craig O'Callaghan
Ideally, at this time of year, you want there to be as few distractions from your revision and essays as possible. Which is why it sucks that, this May, we’re having to deal with several crucially important elections, millions of people potentially losing their health insurance, angry dictators proposing World War Three and a politician who can’t even eat chips properly.
Don’t worry though, at least one of this week’s headlines should help with your revision ahead of this summer’s exams. Here’s a run-down of everything important you’ve missed while you were studying.
Elections, elections, elections
Macron v Le Pen Depending upon when you read this, France may have already elected its next President. In a TV debate this week, centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron cemented his frontrunner status. A clear majority of interviewed viewers agreed Macron was the most convincing, in a two-and-a-half-hour debate that was watched by over 15 million people. Those who tuned in were treated to a lot of open hostility, with insults hurled amid arguments on terrorism, the economy, and the EU.
UK councils The general election in the UK is still a month away, but this week saw council elections take part in some parts of the country. Although they aren’t as high-profile as national elections (turnout was around 30%), the results have been seen as a preview of what to expect next month, with the Conservative party making gains at the Labour party’s expense.
Not all bad news for Corbyn Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn can at least take some comfort from the news that his party is doing particularly well with younger voters. 55% of students are supposedly planning to back Labour, and voter registration among students has soared. Nine out of 10 eligible students are now registered to vote. If you’ve not done so yet, click here to find out how.
How not to eat chips Things might be looking good for the Conservatives at the moment, but they could be better. On a seaside trip to Mevagissey, Cornwall, Theresa May was photographed looking incredibly awkward as she tucked into a cone of chips. Former Labour leader Ed Miliband was quick to comment, having been famously photographed eating a bacon sandwich during the 2015 election campaign.
.@theresa_may we should talk... https://t.co/rQolJH2mPl
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) May 2, 2017
This week’s top revision tip
Wear rosemary A study by researchers at Northumbria University in the UK has found that students can enhance their memory simply by sniffing rosemary. Not only does it taste great with lamb, but the herb can also boost your brain power, and has been associated with memory improvement for hundreds of years. You might look odd, but maybe consider making like the Ancient Greeks and wearing a garland of rosemary to your exams?
Standing out from the crowd
Black students at Cambridge A photo of 14 black male students at Cambridge University went viral this week, gaining more than 2,000 Facebook likes. Why? Because that’s almost all the black male students at the entire university.
The group posed for several photos, hoping to encourage more black students to apply to Cambridge. As student Folajimi Babasola explained: “Many people get discouraged by a particular image or stereotype of a Cambridge student that they have in their mind, thinking that they won't fit in or be accepted”.
Bilinguals According to researchers at Lancaster University and Stockholm University, bilingual speakers experience time differently. Their study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, discovered that bilingual people think about time differently depending on the language context when estimating the length of events. It also means bilinguals are more flexible thinkers, which should come in handy when having to study.
Seven-year-old Anu This video of a young girl in Birmingham, UK, has made headlines for all the right reasons. In it, seven-year-old Anu shows off her new prosthetic leg, and her friends’ reactions are adorable. Anu, whose leg had to be amputated shortly after she was born, was filmed showing her new pink prosthetic leg to her friends at school, who happily greeted her, sharing a hug before running around the playground together. Anu normally wears a regular prosthetic leg, but received a new custom-made blade to give her more freedom, and she’s very pleased, saying: “It makes me run faster and do my street dancing faster."
Anu is seven and goes to school in Birmingham. Look what happened when she showed her friends her new sports blade. It's just gorgeous! pic.twitter.com/Aa1UlnhlQy
— BBC Midlands Today (@bbcmtd) May 3, 2017
Trumpland
Don't fall ill President Donald Trump finally had a legislative success this week as a revised version of his healthcare bill made it through a vote in the House. It still has to be approved by the Senate before it becomes law, which is probably a good thing given nobody knows how much it will cost yet and millions of people are likely to either lose health insurance or see their premiums rise. Still, that wasn't enough to stop Republican politicians celebrating with a few beers.
CELEBRATE: 24 million citizens lost health ins today! Cases of Bud Light just rolled into the Capitol. @SpeakerRyan must be happy. pic.twitter.com/pQKXvJquDF
— Mike Larose (@mikelarose1) May 4, 2017
Finally, how not to cheat on an exam
Kentucky student arrested Sometimes, revising is actually easier than trying to cheat. That’s what a student at the University of Kentucky learned this week, after they were arrested for attempting to steal an exam paper from their teacher’s office. The student had planned to crawl through the air duct of the building to steal the statistics paper, but was caught in the act when their teacher, who was working late, came back and caught them in the act. The student and an accomplice have both been charged with felony burglary.
Lead image: Michael Bentley (Flickr)
