2018 Whitby Goth Weekend (WGW), Whitby, North Yorkshire

Attending WhitbyGoth Weekend, a biannual festival in Whitby, North Yorkshire, is one of the most interesting experience while living in Yorkshire.

 

To witness this British Cosplay Show, this weekend I took a 2.5-hour bus journey to there and returned to York by 3-hour train. What I want is having a look at this traditional costume play (Cosplayコスプレ kosupure) since 1994.

Why Dracula’s cosplay takes place in the seaside town of Whitby? According to English Heritage, 'Whitby’s windswept headland, the dramatic abbey ruins, a church surrounded by swooping bats, and a long association with jet – a semi-precious stone used in mourning jewellery – gave a homegrown taste of such thrilling horrors'. 

No wonder, when Bram Stoker’s visited to the harbour town of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast in 1890, he was inspired by the atmospheric locations to create his Gothic novel – a famous vampire –Dracula. (HOW DRACULA CAMETO WHITBY)

In 1994, Whitby Goth Weekend was founded by Jo Hampshire and starting with a meeting of Jo Hampshire’s pen-pals. Hampshire thinks that Whitby was chosen for the setting of Dracula—the fictional vampire in a gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker—and such a unique connection had become part of local cultures and businesses. As a result, many fans from all over the UK flock to Whitby every year to spend the Goth Weekend. 

Although the main event includes the Bizarre Bazaar 'Goth Market' in the daytime and a popular live Goth music concert at night, the highlight of this biggest weekend is people flock to the town in fancy dress, making the harbour town very colourful and spectacle. The brilliant Goth outfits different themes, including Victorian style, steam punk, film adaptation and a tantalising twist on the traditional fairy tale. 

Walking from the seaside, Whitby Swing bridge, and up to Whitby Abbey and the hill, then turn to the Whalebone Arch and down to the town centre…here are some highlights of photos! Enjoy! 

  

The boat shipping Draculas is coming......

英國人的角色扮演秀: 惠特比哥特週末（WGW），惠特比，北約克郡

參加北約克郡Whitby舉辦的兩年一度的節日惠特比哥特週末（WGW），是居住在約克郡時最有趣的體驗之一。

這個週末，我乘坐了2.5小時的巴士去那裡，然後乘坐3小時的火車返回了約克。我想要的是看這個自1994年以來傳統的角色扮演秀（Cosplayコスプレkosupure）。

為什麼吸血特德庫拉的角色扮演發生在海濱小鎮惠特比？據英國遺產報導，“惠特比風吹草原的岬角，戲劇性的修道院遺址，被蝙蝠擊倒的教堂，以及長期相關的黑玉 - 用於悼念珠寶的半寶石 - 給人一種如此驚心動魄的恐怖的地方味道。難怪布拉姆斯托克在1890年訪問約克郡海岸的海港城鎮惠特比時，受到此一地點氛圍的啟發，創作了他的哥特小說 - 著名的吸血鬼 - 德拉庫拉。

（為什麼德古拉會到惠比特來: http：//www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/victorian/dracula-whitby/）

1994年，惠特比哥特週末由Jo Hampshire創立，並以Jo Hampshire的筆友會開始。Hampshire認為，惠特比被選為德拉庫拉（Dracula） - 布拉姆斯托克哥特式恐怖小說中的虛構吸血鬼 - 這種獨特的聯繫已成為當地文化和商業的一部分。因此，來自英國各地的許多粉絲每年都會去惠特比度過哥特週末。

儘管主要活動包括白天的Bizarre Bazaar'Goth Market'以及晚間流行的現場Goth音樂演唱會，但這個最大的周末亮點是人們湧向城市，穿著奇裝異服，讓這座港口城鎮變得絢麗多姿。輝煌的哥特裝扮有著不同的主題，包括維多利亞風格，龐克，電影改編和對傳統童話的誘人轉型角色。

從海邊步行，惠特比（Whitby）Swing橋，惠特比修道院（Whitby Abbey）和小山，然後轉到鯨魚拱門（Whalebone Arch），然後到鎮中心......這裡有一些照片的亮點！…這裡有一些照片的亮點！請欣賞!

CIA, MI6 vs terrorism my trip to Sheffield, South Yorkshire

In 2016, Professor Blakeley and another scholar published a journal article—‘British torture in the “war on terror”’, and stated that ‘we can now provide the most detailed account to date of the depth of this involvement’. This makes academic work more exciting and appealing to read for the general public. As we know, after 911—a series of terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001—the terrorist has become the ‘Enemy of the state’. Is the enemy a ‘home-grown terrorist? Or he/she is from outside the country?

This Wednesday, I visited the University of Sheffield, one of The White Rose University Consortium: Leeds, Sheffield and York, to listen to Professor Blakeley’s extraordinary research experience about how CIA and MI6 use cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment in post-9/11 prisoner abuse in order to investigate terrorism.

In general, human rights organisations are willing to give the interviewer a hand to access the victim information. However, my question is how to build up the relationship with CIA, MI6, MI5 and other sectors which involved in investigating terror attacks. Instead of understanding the relationship between terrorism and political violence, I would say that I am curious about how Professor Blakeley successfully had access to CIA, and MI6 and interview ‘James Bond’ and terrorists.  However, I have to say I did not have had a satisfying answer for that, perhaps it cannot be revealed in public.

After her speech, I strolled around the campus. Although it was a quirky day while I stay in Sheffield as the weather was very changeable with alternate rain and sunshine, the city tour is good. The University of Sheffield is located in the hill within 30-minute walk from the train station linked with Sheaf Square. And the Cutting Edge water and fountain outside the train station provide a stunning entrance to the city centre.

Sheffield train station in the morning

the Cutting Edge water and fountain in the evening

The way to the main campus, I walked through beautiful school buildings, and a pretty park: Weston Park and museum is within campus areas. 

Weston Park and museum

Particularly, the Arts Tower which belongs to the university has been praised by English Heritage as "the most elegant university tower block in Britain of its period".  But what a pity, I forgot to take the lift to the top of the building to have a bird's-eye view of the city.

Arts Tower

 

a small London eye standing on the city street

2016年，布萊克利教授和另一位學者發表了一篇期刊文章 - “’在“反恐戰爭”中“英國酷刑”，並指出“我們現在可以提供迄今為止最詳細的關於涉入事件深度的報導”。這使得學術工作更加刺激，並吸引大眾閱讀。據我們所知，在911-2001年美國發生一系列恐怖襲擊事件-後，恐怖主義已成為“國家的敵人”。 這個敵人是“本土恐怖分子”嗎？ 或者他/她來自國外？

這週三，我到謝菲爾德聽布萊克萊教授發表有關她研究美國中央情報局和軍情六處如何濫用殘酷，不人道或有辱人格的待遇和懲罰對待在9/11事件後囚犯,以調查恐怖主義的非凡經驗。

一般來說，人權組織願意提供訪問人士受害者資料。然而，我的問題是如何建立與中央情報局，軍情六處，軍情五處以及涉入恐怖攻擊調查的其他部門的關係。與其說我要理解恐怖主義和政治暴力之間的關係，我覺得我是很好奇她如何和中央情報局，聯邦調查局或軍情六處成功地交涉，並採訪007及恐怖分子。然而，我不得不說，我沒有得到滿意的答案，也許它的密訣不能公開透露。

演講結束後，我漫步在校園。 雖然當我待在謝菲爾德時過了一個古怪的日子，忽雨忽晴的，天氣變化很大。但城市之旅很不錯。謝菲爾德大學坐落在距離與Sheaf Square相連的火車站30分鐘步行路程內的山坡上。而火車站外前衛的水瀑和噴泉提供了一個令人驚嘆的市中心入口。

通往主校區的路上，我走過美麗的校園建築物，還有一個美麗的公園：韋斯頓公園和博物館位於校園區內。特別是,隸屬於大學的藝術大樓被英國文化遺產部評為“英國最優雅的大學時代大廈”。但可惜的是，我忘了乘電梯到大樓頂部鳥瞰城市了。