2012/13 Week 20 Issue 606

“The SSB is sending out the message that women are about one thing only”

Ann Widdecombe on society’s “absolutely crazy” attitude towards sex, page 11

The University of Exeter’s Independent Student Newspaper

Since 1987

Tuesday 5 March 2013 • Issue 606 • www.exepose.ex.ac.uk • Twitter: @Exepose • www.facebook.com/Exepose

Free Photo: Joshua Irwandi

BY ROYAL DEMAND The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Exeter last week NEWS, PAGE 4

Exeter’s dirtiest eateries Beccy Smyth News Editor

Beggars target students Tom Payne Editor AN “aggressive” group of beggars in Exeter are earning up to £80 per night to fund drug and drink addictions, according to city council leaders and police.

The news was revealed after research carried out by the city council found that the majority of ‘homeless’ people asking for money in Exeter were actually accommodated. The beggars pose as homeless people in order to benefit from lucrative nightly earnings, funding addictions to drink and drugs.

City council leaders and the police

have warned that students are at a particular risk as beggars target clubbers on nights out.

The Students’ Guild and the police have advised students “not to hand over any money if approached by someone who is begging.” They added that some individuals beg “in an aggressive manner”, and that students who feel harassed should alert either security men and women working in bars and shops at night, or the police by calling 101.

Chris Hancock, the city’s housing needs manager, said: “We have identified a small number of prolific beggars in the city. They tell people they are homeless or that they need £15 to stay

Comment: Your responses to our Cocaine investigation - PAGES 7-9

in accommodation overnight but this is simply not true.

“They have accommodation, they have benefits and are supported by people who are trying to help them learn to budget so that they can support themselves.” Hancock added that money from begging is feeding a drug habit that “is ultimately going to kill them”.

Council leader Pete Edwards said the beggars take money away from “people who have a genuine need.” He added that “if people want to help the homeless they would be better off giving the money to St Petrock’s. They are intimidating people and enough is enough.”

In response, the council has said

Lifestyle: Sparks fly in a Blind ‘double’ Date. - PAGE 18

they will launch a “targeted campaign” with the police over the next six months in order to raise awareness of beggars, and to promote alternative giving schemes.

The city council added: “With regards to begging, people shouldn’t feel ashamed about not giving. Begging is a criminal offence.”

Andrew Webber, local police inspector for Exeter, said: “The public needs to ask themselves: what is this person going to use the money for?

“Giving money is just perpetuating the problem – people complain about people begging in the streets and yet they give them money.”

Music: Interview with veteran Ska rockers Reel Big Fish - PAGE 22

TWELVE of the most unhygienic restaurants and businesses in Exeter have been named, following an environmental health inspection by the city council. Details of the findings were reported by the Express and Echo, after the newspaper submitted a request to the council under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).

All of the restaurants and businesses named in this report have a one-star food hygiene rating, which indicates that “major improvements are necessary” according to official food safety standards. Some of the one-star establishments that attract a large number of students include Mega Kebab on Sidwell Street, 6 All Day on Palace Gate, the Real McCoy Café Bar in McCoy’s Arcade, New Horizon Café on Longbrook Street, Yonk Asian Foods on Summerland Street and Thai Shanghai on Cowley Bridge Road.

A further six establishments with a low one-star rating include South West Catering Ltd on Budlake Road, Passage House Inn on Ferry Road in Topsham, Heart of Oak on Main Road in Pinhoe, Kong’s Fish Bar on Cowick Street, P5 Oriental Foods on North Street and Shauls Bakeries on Fore Street in Topsham. A total of 29 businesses in and around Exeter have been given a one-star rating.

Mega Kebab was inspected last November. The inspectors found that staff members were wearing unsuitable clothing that was unclean and several fridge door seals were dirty and in an unfit condition.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has revealed that it held over 12,000 animals for use in testing by various University departments during 2012.

Of these 12,000, at least 6,606 were used in experiments between January and December of last year, including 537 Zebra fish, 28 basking sharks and 994 pheasants. Other animals held by the University for testing include 29 pigeons, eight grey squirrels, 510 guppies and 70 roaches.

This is almost double the number of animals used in experiments by the University in 2011 when only 3,512 were involved in testing. The University currently holds 12 Home Office project licences that allow the use of testing on animals, all of which are classified as ‘Mild’.

Deputy Editors Ben Murphie & Ellie Steafel comment@exepose.com News Editor Beccy Smyth news@exepose.com Features Editors James Crouch & Megan Drewett features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Thomas Ling & Alex Tindall lifestyle@exepose.com Music Editors Callum McLean & Anthony Prodromou music@exepose.com Screen Editors Louis Doré & Owen Keating screen@exepose.com Books Editors Tom Bond & Emily Lunn books@exepose.com

“It is important to remember research allows insight and analysis of complex animal behaviours and mechanisms that are difficult to observe in the wild ” Sam Ginger, President of Wild Society

Arts Editors Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner arts@exepose.com Games Editors Marcus Beard & Jonathan Jenner games@exepose.com Sport Editors Will Kelleher & Mike Stanton sport@exepose.com Photography Joshua Irwandi photography@exepose.com Senior Proofreaders Elli Christie, Megan Furborough & William O’Rourke

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A spokesman for the University said: “In order to continue to expand world-leading research, it is sometimes necessary for the use of animals to be involved. Research involving animals at the University of Exeter is of the highest quality and is only conducted when there are no feasible alternatives.

Our policy is to minimise the use of animals in research, wherever possible. Where research involving the use of animals is necessary, the University strives to provide housing and care that exceeds legal requirements.”

The ‘Mild’ classification is the lowest on the Home Office scale of levels of suffering for animals used in experiments. Tests in the ‘Mild’ category could be anything from taking a blood sample to a change in the animal’s diet. More invasive procedures may also take place within the ‘Mild’ classification with an anaesthetic given where appropriate.

The release of this information comes after the University initially

refused to provide data regarding the number of animals held for experimentation on their premises to a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request in 2011, due to fears for staff safety.

The University told Exeposé: “While the University believes that we have no specific research which would provoke criticism, it remains the case that some activists do not differentiate between experiments, but would like

“Something just doesn’t seem right about testing on animals - we can’t always tell the extent an experiment is hurting an animal” Fourth year English and Spanish student

to put an end to all animal-related research, however mild. While incidents of extremism are rare, we have a duty to protect our staff and students, as well as the animals themselves.

“The University’s Science Strategy is investing £230 million of internal and external funding into our key areas of research. This is resulting in a significant increase in research activities which are helping to tackle some of the major issues facing the globe.”

Sam Ginger, President of Exeter University’s Wild Society, a society for those concerned with animal conversation, said: “It is important to remember research allows insight and analysis of complex animal behaviours and mechanisms that are difficult or impossible to observe in the wild.

“Without research like the studies being conducted here at Exeter University development of conservation techniques would be near impossible and simply guesswork. World leading research institutions like Exeter University pave the way for conservation efforts around the world.”

However not all students feel as comfortable with animal testing on campus. A fourth year English and Spanish student, said: “Something just doesn’t feel right about testing on animals.

“We can’t always tell to what extent an experiment is really hurting an animal, despite testing classifications, and it’s not right to inflict any pain on an innocent creature”.

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Dishing the dirt: Exeter’s ropiest eateries • Report reveals 12 of the most unhygienic places to eat in Exeter CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 There was also a lack of soap and a hygienic means of hand-drying at the hand-washing sink in the servery, the sink in the staff toilet was out of use and needed repairs. Staff members were also insufficiently trained in food hygiene. According to food safety standards, this is unacceptable for staff who prepare high-risk food.

A second year geography student had a “nightmare” experience at Mega Kebab at the start of February. He told Exeposé: “I ordered chicken wings after a night out and half way through, I realised the meat was still frozen in the middle. Safe to say, I’m never buying food from that place again.”

Health inspectors visited 6 All Day in October last year after a customer allegedly found a cockroach in their meal. The inspectors found that staff members were wearing dirty aprons instead of suitable, clean over-cloth covering. Additionally, a large amount of perishable food, including semiraw chicken and prawns, were being stored at room temperature, rather than cooled at the safe temperature of 8oC or below.

Out-of-date food was discovered in the Real McCoy Café Bar when the premises were inspected in December last year. However, a new owner has recently taken over, claiming that many improvements have been made since the initial inspection. Nathan Gregory explained: “We now have a new chef in place and a whole new system of food management.” Gregory also suggested that the café will be revisited by inspectors in the coming weeks, when he hopes that the business’s current one-star rating will be

improved.

The manager of Thai Shanghai has been warned by the Council to “contact a pest control officer as a matter of priority”, as a “large number of mouse droppings” were found in several places on the premises, including in the washing-up room. Many canned food items were also found to be well past their best-before date, including bean sauce that expired almost 13 years ago.

“I ordered chicken wings after a night out and half way through, I realised the meat was still frozen in the middle. Safe to say, I won’t be eating there again” Second year geography student A “scores on the door” system is currently in place, whereby businesses are advised to display their food hygiene rating on a window or door outside. A spokesperson for the Council explained that the main purpose of the system is to encourage businesses to improve their food hygiene standards: “Members of the public can now make informed choices as to whether they go into a restaurant or not. The score of five is not a gold standard – if you are compliant with food hygiene regulations you will get a five.”

Each business was inspected according to criteria set by the Food Standards Agency, including how hygienically food is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored, the overall condition of the building including cleanliness and ventilation, and how the business manages and records its food safety methods.

One star restaurants: 9. Shauls Bakeries: 9.7oC tuna mayonnaise

1. 6 All Day: Allegedly a cockroach was found by a customer in his meal

5. Heart of Oak: Raw beef and raw turkey stored above ready to eat food

2. South West Catering Ltd: Marked for poor cleanlieness including meat debris and blood on the floor of the freezer

6. New Horizon Cafe: Chopping board and butcher block had deep knife marks filled with dirt

10. Thai Shanghai: Large number of mouse droppings noted and black/ rotten potatoes found underneath shelving

7. Kongs Fish Bar: No soap in the kitchen and fridge fan encrusted with mould.

11. Yonk Asian Foods: Large number of unlabelled vacuum packed Chinese sausages

8. P5 Oriental Foods: “No evidence of any food safety management system in place”

12. Mega Kebab: Fridge door seals in poor condition and dirty and staff were not wearing suitable clean clothing.

3. Passage House Inn: Cream and cheese held at 11 degress in the beer cellar.

4. Real McCoy Cafe Bar: Food past sell-by date found on premises

EUMCC to be immortalised as the faces of Ashes Cricket 2013 James Crouch Features Editor EXETER UNIVERSITY MENS’ CRICKET CLUB have won a national competition to be immortalised as the faces of the English Cricket Team in a new game, Ashes Cricket 2013.

16,245 votes were cast for a total of 290 clubs in the competition that had the official backing of The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia. The competition also attracted considerable national media interest.

Exeter’s main competition was Oxford Brookes Cricket Club, who were placed second.

EUMCC’s rise to first place was assisted by celebrity twitter support from the likes of Hugh Grant, Gary Lineker and Kevin Pietersen.

Richard Croney, EUMCC Captain, commented on the team’s success: “It’s great in terms of getting the club publicity during the off-season, but more importantly it has allowed the hard work of all involved to be realised.”

Photos of Exeter’s cricket team and their home ground will be used to build them into the game, as part of the aim to deliver “the most authentic cricket experience to date.”

Enthusiastic sports gamer and second year history student, Tony Prodomou, said: “It’s really exciting that a familiar setting and faces are going to appear in what promises to be one of the best sports games of the year.”

The game is being developed by Melbourne-based Trickstar Games who were behind games such as International Cricket 2010. Ashes Cricket 2013 will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Wii U on 21 June 2013.

Photo: EUMCC

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NEWS

Experiment causes fire to break out in Laver Building A FIRE started in the Laver Building Friday 27 February after an accident during an experiment. Two fire engines were called to the building, which houses the Department of Archaelogy, at about 4pm.

Firefighters on the scene said that the fire started in a furnace on the ground floor. Items inside the furnace caught fire, filling the room with thick smoke.

The building was subsequently evacuated, and no one was injured.

The university said that no disruption was caused to the post-offer open day which was taking place at the time.

New peacock sculpture struts its stuff on campus Zoe Bulaitis Editor A NEW sculpture has been welcomed to the extensive collection at the University’s Streatham Campus this week.

The sculpture is a large peacock made from recycled metal and perspex hoardings which originally surrounded the building site of the Forum Project.

The sculpture was made by students, with the expertise of Devon based artist Ed Crumpton.

“We have used the old hoardings to create something new and beautiful” Amy Foreman, Student Artist Amy Foreman, student, says: “As well as being an animal of beauty, the process of replenishment in the peacock’s feathers mirrors the construction of The Forum project, converting old to new. This is fundamentally what the sculpture is; we have used the old hoardings to create something new and beautiful.”

The peacock can be seen in the woodlands at the back of the Forum, at the top of Poole Gate.

Folk Music to Bragg about FOLK singer Billy Bragg is set to grace The Great Hall at the end of the year. Winner of the ‘Roots Award’ at the 2013 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, with the release of his first new studio album in five years Tooth and Nail out 18 March.

Bragg announced a UK tour with his band, including a performance on 5 December at Exeter’s Great Hall Tickets are on sale now available from http://www.exeterboxoffice.com and are sure to sell out in advance of the concert in December.

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Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall visit Exeter Cathedral Photos: Joshua Irwandi

Hazel Morgan THE PRINCE OF WALES and The Duchess of Cornwall made a flying visit to Exeter Cathedral on 26 February to celebrate its eight million pound fundraising appeal.

After visiting North Devon and Plymouth earlier that day, the Royal Couple attended a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral to celebrate the success of the Third Millennium Campaign.

The Prince of Wales, as Patron of the Campaign, attended the service, which was organised as a thank you to those who supported the fundraising efforts.

Their Royal Highnesses were then shown the refurbishment that had taken place thanks to funds given by Campaign donors. This included the now empty organ case, whose 4,000 pipes have gone for refurbishment, and the Historic Exeter Book. This collection of Anglo-Saxon poetry has, along with the rest of the Cathedral’s libraries and archives, benefited from nearly one million pounds of fundraising meaning they can be properly housed and cared for.

Restoration of the Cathedral is on going. The Cathedral Development Office will focus in particular on fund-raising for music, fabric conservation and restoration work.

Sir Ian Amory, Campaign Chairman, said: “The success that we are celebrating is the culmination of a great Campaign to mobilise support for the Cathedral across the whole of Devon as well as further afield.”

Despite the money raised and royal presence the turn out at the event was low. One of the few students present, Rosie Young, first year Law Student, said she was excited to see the Prince of Wales but surprised that more people didn’t turn up to the event. She suggested that not many students had heard about the visit.

“The success that we are celebrating is the culmination of a great Campaign to mobilise support for the Cathedral across the whole of Devon as well as further afield” Sir Ian Amory, Campaign Chairman Jonathon Draper, the Dean of Exeter Cathedral, told Exeposé: “Most importantly there is a Full House inside the Cathedral so we are able to properly thank those who have supported the long process of the fundraising campaign.”

The visit ended with Anne Hall, aged 11, from Exeter Cathedral School presenting the Duchess with a posy of pink flowers, which matched the Duchess’s coat.

Although the visit was not as much of a spectacle in comparison to the Queen’s opening of the Forum last May, the visit was a welcome tribute to the work done, and still to be done, to preserve one of the oldest Cathedrals in England.

Dragons’ Den Doug Richards to advise students Naomi Poltier DOUG RICHARDS, a Californian entrepreneur and former Dragon on Dragon’s Den, is coming to give a talk on entrepreneurship at the University.

Richards started teaching entrepreneurship on a “How to Start and Grow a Business” course at Newcastle University in 2010. The program, ‘School for Startups’, for this course was set up in 2008 with the collaboration of the Royal Institution and the British Library.

He believes that entrepreneurs can always lead the way out of recession as they “actively package invention and innovation into new products and services”, which is what he hopes to instigate in his teaching.

An Exeter student commented on Richards’s upcoming visit: “It’s quite exciting to think that Exeter University

can now attract faces like Doug Richards to come and talk to us about things such as entrepreneurship, another benefit surely of being titled University of the Year by The Sunday Times.”

“It’s quite exciting that Exeter University can now attract faces like Doug Richards to come and talk to us about things such as entrepreneurship” Exeter student Another student said: “I would love to attend the talk. It’s always good to hear stories and advice from people who have made it to the top and have been successful”.

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Members of the public try their hand at robotic surgery Salonee Kakodkar PIONEERING new research in robotic surgery is progressing thanks to a partnership between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E).

Dr. Sam Wine and Dr. Mark Wilson from Sport and Health Sciences at Exeter University are the beneficiaries of this prestigious grant from Intuitive Surgical in California, manufacturers of the da Vinci surgical robot. The doctors will examine the benefits of robotic surgery for surgeon training and performance under pressure.

On Thursday 28 February, members of the public were given the opportunity to try their hand at robotic surgery. A demo robot, complete with computer console, was located in the main reception of Wonford Hospital in Exeter. Surgeons were on hand to answer questions and demonstrate how the equipment is used and visitors were invited to try out the robot for themselves.

The Trust received its first batch

Photo: 2013 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

of £2.5 million state-of-the-art robotic equipment in late December 2012 and is one of only 20 hospitals in the UK using robots in complex surgery to target prostate cancers.

Hina Morjaria, medical student

>> The da Vinci surgical robot

the safety of it. This is a great opportunity for the public to experience the robot for themselves and hopefully this will enable them to become familiar

with the new technology. This insight will be an asset to the use of robots in the future and a very exciting prospect for medicine.”

Volunteering Week celebrates success Ellie Steafel Deputy Editor

Diversity on campus Tom Payne Editor FROM 25 February to 5 March the University and the Students’ Guild played host to Diversity Week, a series of events intended to raise awareness of cultural differences on campus.

The annual event is organised in collaboration between the Students’ Guild, International Students’ Council, the Business School and the University.

Exeter is currently home to approximately 4,000 international students from 130 countries outside of the UK. Jon Bagnall, VP for Participation and Campuses stated that Diversity Week “provides an opportunity for both home and international students to socialise and to experience the cultures, and customs, which are rooted in countries from all over the world”.

Organisers hosted an event on

everyday of Diversity Week, including a football tournament, a talent show (pictured), a global affairs awareness presentation, and the ‘Diversity Challenge’ quiz show.

On Thursday 28 February the Forum was filled with stalls representing a variety of countries at the Diversity Fair (pictured above).

Nick Davies, Guild President, said: “With thousands of students from all over campus coming together to celebrate all the different cultures we have at Exeter, this year’s Diversity Week was truly the best one yet.

“I would like to thank the International Students’ Council for all their hard work on making the week happen.”

Diversity Week ended on Saturday 2 March with the black-tie Diversity Week Ball, which featured cultural performances from various countries and a showcase of art forms from different cultures.

National Student News Warwick Guild President Apologises Owen Keating Screen Editor

“When any new technology is introduced, the public have their own ideas and worries about the safety of it. This is a great opportunity to allow the public to become familiar with the technology” Research and clinical tests have already confirmed the benefits and safety of robotic surgery for patients such as a faster recovery and reduced blood loss. However, little is known about the benefits that robotically-assisted surgery may offer the surgeon and the operating team in theatre.

Hina Morjaria, a medical student at the University said: “When any new technology is introduced, the public have their own ideas and worries about

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NATIONAL Student Volunteering Week saw students, staff and local charities come together on campus to celebrate volunteering in Exeter.

Sponsored by PwC, the week gave students the chance to connect with local charities and sign up to exciting new volunteering opportunities.

In honour of National Student Volunteering Week, the Student’s Guild formed a new partnership with Exeter Foodbank. The organisation provides financially vulnerable people in the local area with emergency food supplies.

They rely on donations and a team of dedicated volunteers.

The Foodbank ran two pop-up recruitment sessions during the week, where students who had never volunteered before were encouraged to sign up. 100 per cent of the students who got involved said they would work with Foodbank again.

“There are so many wonderful opportunities to volunteer in Exeter and it really is so easy to fit around your degree. ” Rachel Tait, CA Project Leader Final year French and IR student and CA project leader Rachel Tait said the week was a great success.

“I enjoyed talking to people about what they are interested in, and discuss-

ing how that could relate to volunteering.

“There are so many wonderful opportunities to volunteer in Exeter and it really is so easy to fit around your degree. The week helped to raise awareness and get people involved.”

“Through pop-up opportunities, we have been able to inspire students to give volunteering a go” Sara Bennett, Students’ Guild A volunteering fair in the Forum brought local charities such as Help for Heroes, Headway Devon and Age UK onto campus. The organisations talked to students about the charitable work they do in the local area and explained how to get involved. A significant increase in sign ups was reported after the fair.

Sara Bennett, Activities & Volunteering Manager at the Students’ Guild, said: “Student Volunteering Week at Exeter has been fantastic.

“Not only have we paid homage to our wonderful volunteering students, but through providing pop-up opportunities to try volunteering, we have been able to inspire new students to give volunteering a go”.

The week was a great success for the University of Exeter Students’ Guild, allowing them to build new partnerships with charitable groups in the local area and raise awareness about student volunteering opportunities on campus.

NICK SWAIN, the President of the Warwick University Students’ Union, is being investigated over footage that shows him unhooking a girl’s bra in a video from a university ski trip in 2011.

Swain, 22, is filmed sneaking up on the woman from behind before removing the garment with one hand. He is running for re-election as President this week.

The 90-second long clip was uploaded to YouTube this week, and has already accrued 5,000 views. As well as showing Swain’s unhooking of the bra, the video also shows half-naked students wearing Hitler moustaches and inviting fellow students to ‘get their t*ts out’.

The video ends with a sign stating “we demand an apology from Nick Swain for his foul, sexist behaviour. We will not tolerate misogyny from our elected representatives. Societies and their exec committees must respect all students.

That includes women.”In a statement released this week, Swain apologised for his behaviour, saying “the woman involved is a good friend of mine and has reassured me that I caused her no harm or offence as a result, but I nevertheless offer my apologies.”

Warwick Students’ Union is now ‘actively investigating’ the video, while the university said it was a ‘matter for the Students’ Union’ to deal with.

Oxford accused of bias against ethnic minorities

OXFORD UNIVERSITY has been accused of “institutional bias” against black and ethnic minority students.

Figures obtained using the Freedom of Information Act showed that white applicants to some of the most competitive courses were up to twice as likely to receive an offer of a place, even when they had the same grades as the ethnic minority students.

The figures, which cover applications to the university in 2010 and 2011, show that 25.7 per cent of white applicants received an offer from the university, as opposed to 17.2 per cent of those from an ethnic minority. Application statistics for medicine, one of the most prestigious and competitive courses offered by Oxford, stated that white applicants were twice as likely to score a place than minority ethnic competitors, even when each candidate had achieved three A-stars at A-Level.

The disparity in the success rates of white and ethnic applicants to Oxford and Cambridge, the country’s two most prestigious universities, has previously been explained as being due to ethnic minority students being more likely to apply for more competitive courses, such as medicine. David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, cited this figures as disproving that notion, as well as suggesting that they showed “sustained institutional failure” from Oxford.

SCH

Summer School in China

O AVA LARSH I ILA BLE PS

23 JUNE - 13 JULY 2013

Spend 3 weeks in Beijing, with access to one of China’s top universities for Politics and Law.

For the fifth year running, the University is offering Exeter students the opportunity to

• live in China’s capital city • discover first-hand how China views itself and the world • establish links with Chinese students

experience a 3-week Summer School at the

• taught by CUPL academic staff

China University of Political Science and Law

• immerse yourself in one of the world’s most ancient cultures

(CUPL) in Beijing.

• explore Beijing, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China • International Exeter scholarships available

Find out more by contacting outbound@exeter.ac.uk The application deadline is Friday 29 March, 4pm

Students from any College may apply, and this opportunity may be of particular interest to postgraduates with research interests in China. Participating students will be expected to make a financial contribution and meet eligibility requirements.

For a full range of approved Summer School opportunities and scholarships on offer, visit the International Exeter website:

www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/summerschoolscholarshipfund

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COMMENT

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Comment Exeposé

SEND US YOUR LETTERS: editors@exepose.com

est.

1987

people in Exeter, these people have a home.

“The serious problems facing homeless people are being tarnished by the emergence of a group of intimidating beggars” While the police and the Guild are right to say that students should not give money to beggars, these warnings do little to help the case of the genuinely homeless. The government recently cut funding to prevent and combat homelessness by a huge 44 per cent in Devon: meaning that 204 “supported bed” spaces were lost in Exeter alone.

In order to help the homeless, the council should be doing more to stop those aggressively begging in Exeter, rather than spending so much time simply telling us we shouldn’t be giving them money.

Perhaps the University should consider the vast swathes of unused accommodation across the city – including St Lukes’ and James Owen Court – which could be used as a temporary sanctuary for those truly in need.

Dear Editors...

CLEARLY last week’s story surrounding our investigation into cocaine on campus caused controversy amongst the student body.

Although our results only indicated traces of one specific Class A drug the response we have received from students has been an indication that the results came as a surprise to some.

The intention of the investigation was to bring questions about drug use to light and raise awareness of its presence on campus.

Several students have had letters published in Exeposé Comment this week – all are disappointed to find instances of drug abuse occurring within the University institution.

Perhaps the results of our investi-

DEPUTY EDITORS

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Homeless Exeter THIS week Exeposé has taken a slightly different editorial approach from our usual campus-based investigations and focuses on an issue affecting students and local residents alike – homelessness and begging. Both are serious issues in Exeter, and ones that we feel need acknowledging.

When walking through Exeter at night, it’s hard to ignore the significant amount of homeless people sleeping rough in the city centre. According to an audit carried out by the city council in December, a total of 104 people were seen to be sleeping rough, busking, and selling the Big Issue. This means that Exeter has the fifth-highest number of rough sleepers and homeless in the UK, while the latest council audit shows an increase of 30 per cent on 2011.

But while rough sleepers have always been commonplace in Exeter, the serious problems facing homeless people are being tarnished by the emergence of a group of aggressive and intimidating beggars. The city council says that these beggars can make up to £80 a night working the streets of Exeter, intimidating shoppers and taking advantage of students enjoying nights out. The lucrative earnings incurred from begging fund drink and drug addictions, but, unlike other homeless

EDITORS

gation will not change the situation on campus overnight, but we are proud to have brought the results to your attention through investigative journalism.

Only with continued discussion, as found in the letters in Comment, can concerns over the cocaine findings be developed.

Sending articles and letters to Exeposé can seem daunting to those who have not submitted before, but we encourage multiple views on subjects which affect all students on campus.

Exeposé is happy to act as a mouthpiece for student opinion and without your input, cannot be said to be “Your Independent Student Newspaper”.

Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Megan Furborough, Elli Christie, Will O’Rourke, Natalie Clark, Salonee Kakodker, Tim Halliday, Amrita Pal, Bethany Stuart, Gemma Joyce, Becky Mullen, Charlotte Earland, Alex Phelps, Kitty Howie, Conor Byrne, Thomas Ffiske, Vanessa Tracey, Dale James, Callum Burroughs, Harrison Jones, Josh Gray, Niklas Rahmel, Emma Holifield, Ciara Long, Dom Ford, Jeremy Usborne, Alice Boorman, Rob Harris, Naomi Poltier, Alex Carden, Rory Morgan, Ricky Freelove, Sophy Coombes-Roberts, Lauren Swift and members of the Exeposé editorial team

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Zoe Bulaitis & Tom Payne Ben Murphie & Ellie Steafel

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Cocaine on campus: your reactions Dominic Woodcock argues that whilst finding cocaine on campus may not be astonishing, Exeposé’s report should not be shrugged off Dominic Woodcock THE fact that students are experimenting with drugs should not come as a surprise to even the most naïve of onlookers. Beyond this, the discovery of cocaine traces, a Class A drug, in so many locations around the campus is certainly worrying but surely not all that astonishing.

“Finding Class A drugs around the campus is certainly worrying but surely not that astonishing” Surely, what is more of a concern are the positive results in buildings such as Northcote House which are home to the offices of senior University staff.

The prospect of those in positions of authority consuming what is technically the second most harmful drug after heroin in terms of both dependence and bodily destruction is, frankly, rebarbative. Use of drugs in public toilets, logically, is implicative of use by staff hiding a habit as students have private locations such as their house if their friends are also users. As such, locations such as the Queen’s Building which saw higher traces should be followed up by the University.

However, whilst the results showed evidence of cocaine use in 12 out of 15 test locations, the importance of this should not be overblown.

As the original report pointed out, cocaine residue can remain on surfaces for a month or longer meaning that, in locations with weaker traces, cocaine use is presumably infrequent.

These results, consequently, are hardly suggestive of endemic cocaine use amongst the student or staff population.

Indeed, whilst cocaine is clearly consumed on campus, other drug

issues ought to be highlighted due to their prevalence. To anyone gifted with a decent nose, it is not a tough job to sniff out cannabis being used by students by simply walking around accommodation areas. The statistics from Estate Patrol (23 drug incidents last year) are undoubtedly just the tip of the iceberg.

“The statistics from Estate Patrol are undoubtedly just the tip of the iceberg” Beyond cannabis, the most commonly consumed drug amongst students is likely to be MDMA as it is a so called ‘party drug’ that accompanies the student nightclubbing lifestyle.

If they wish to clean up the level of drug use on campus, the Guild and the University would do well not to shrug off the issue of this recreational drug use as easily as they did with Exeposé’s report on cocaine.

Is anybody surprised there is cocaine on campus? We should celebrate the fact that it was only found in 11 places!

Emma Brisdion FIRST of all, I am not one of those lurking in the Forum library toilets, and I don’t do drugs. But is anybody really that surprised they found traces of cocaine on campus? It’s a University after all, and a big one at that. It’s

“It’s not like Streatham campus is rife with half naked students wasting their tuition fees and spreading their STI’s; the press made such a big deal about it” the one time in our lives people almost expect drugs to be experimented

with, and play a somewhat commonplace role in our student society.

The University has recently got a bad rep from the national press over the ‘SSB Sex Tape Scandal’. But it’s not like Streatham campus is rife with half naked students wasting their tuition fees and spreading their STIs; the press made such a big deal about it because anything of that nature rarely happens publically in Exeter. Spend a weekend in London, Manchester, or even closer to home, Plymouth, and I guarantee you will see people doing far worse than laughing about someone’s cheeky blowjob getting caught on CCTV. SSB was a charity event plagued by drama from start to finish, and it was embarrassing when the £48 million Forum leaked, but it’s more embarrassing that students will overdramatize commonplace university occurrences to such an extent that the university reputation is slowly being tarnished for the rest of us.

We shouldn’t be advertising

the fact 11 places on campus tested positive for the drug, if anything we should be celebrating the fact that it was ONLY 11 places on campus, and that the drugs scene in Exeter, much like violence or crime, is SO small compared to most.

“We shouldn’t be advertising the fact 11 places on campus tested positive [...] The drugs scene in Exeter, much like violence or crime, is SO small compared to most” With up to 60 per cent of students at universities such as Kings College London admitting to drug use, and only 23 reported cases of drug use occurring here in Exeter last year, surely those are the statistics that should be making front page news.

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COMMENT

Ben Murphie In a perfect world, last week’s revelations about cocaine found on campus would have been met with shock. Students and staff would have started an uproar, demanding to know the reasons as to why there was such a widespread presence of the drug across their place of work. Substance abuse of all kinds would have been dealt with and everyone would have skipped off into the sunset. The truth of the matter is however that cocaine appears to be a sad reality of University life.

The suggestion that the drug is used to help with studying or merely as a chemical pick-me-up during a work breaks, reveals a casual attitude towards a substance that can ruin lives.

Without commenting on the wider issues of the drug trade, the fact that some people can be casual drug-users without significant repercussions in no way makes up for those that fall victim to addiction. Whilst it does not appear that the library will become akin to a needle-exchange in 70s New York, the incredible hypocrisy of buying and using drugs whilst training to get a degree that will help with greater

5 MARCH 2013 |

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employment possibilities still stands.

It seems unlikely that many of the drug users responsible for the traces found on cisterns all over campus will suffer from the kinds of issues that affect those who are not at university. Substances such as cocaine have the most devastating effect on those without a support network and the large majority of university students and staff probably have families and friends they can turn to if their behaviour starts to spiral out of control.

Drug addiction does not discriminate however and giving business to a dealer who also sells to the less fortunate, working hard to snort themselves to an early grave, does not seem to be a morally defensible position.

“The truth of the matter is that cocaine appears to be a sad reality of University life” It would be nice to think that the investigation conducted by this newspaper would create greater awareness of the dangers associated with cocaine.

Perhaps the users will keep using and the dealers will keep dealing but at least they do so whilst knowing the true implications of their actions.

Alex Green Around this time in 2012 the Guild and student body took sabbatical election participation to its highest levels ever, and yet this year those figures have taken a turn for the worse with a 4% drop in the numbers of those casting a vote. What has changed?

“The sabbatical elections normally call for a week of inventive ducking and weaving [...] this year such emergency manoeuvres seemed less pressing” In a short piece I penned for Exposé last year, I lamented that the elections came across as little more than a popularity contest, with policies (and God forbid actual suitability for the positions) playing little to no role whatsoever for the majority of voters. With the Guild effectively operating as a business and subsequently needing to be run efficiently rather than by ‘personalities’, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is a problem – but hey ho, that’s democra-

Exeposé

Alex Green argues offensive, in-your-face SABB candidates increase voter participation cy for you.

In contrast, the impression I received during this year’s elections was definitely one of muted campaigning. Without any desire to cheapen what I’m sure were many hard, cold hours handing out uninspiring flyers in the rain for some, the sudden politicisation that campus normally sees during this period was relatively underwhelming: this is my fifth year in Exeter and the sabbatical elections normally call for a week of inventive ducking and weaving, sudden, intense conversations with people you’ve never met simply because they’re heading the same way as you, and keeping ones disconnected earphones in and maintaining as surly a visage as possible in order to avoid the dreaded conversation of ‘Have you voted yet? You should vote for ***** – they are going to make accommodation cheaper, improve representation and solve the Palestine-Israel conflict’. And yet this year such emergency manoeuvres seemed less pressing than usual.

Regardless of how voter apathy reflects on the University, the years

have taken their toll: I can’t help but be grateful for this new development. With the benefit of experience, the privilege of being allowed to continue about my business without

“The privilege of being allowed to continue about my business without being handed three dozen pamphlets that I will only ever have to recycle suddenly seems far more appealing” being handed three dozen pamphlets that I will only ever have to recycle suddenly seems far more appealing.

Does that mean I’ve become apathetic to campus affairs? Probably. More conscious of green issues? Circumstantially. Can we conclude that offensive, in-your-face marketing of candidates is a regrettably efficient way to improve voter participation?

Definitely – but hey ho, that’s democracy for you.

Cartoon: Charlotte Micklewright

Exeposé

| WEEK TWENTY

Letters

RE: Issue 605 Spotted, confessed, overheard...

Emma Thomas Dear Editors, IN response to Emma Thomas’ column, ‘Spotted, confessed, overheard… over-analysed?’ I’d like to underline a few concerns. Within the first passage, Thomas questions why, “the choice of laptop so heavily influences our perception of others’ school history?” However, far from drawing the sensible conclusion, that this question is redundant, the brand of one’s laptop not in any way influencing our perception of another’s schooling, Thomas launches an attack on

RE: Issue 605 In a class of their own Owen Keating Dear Editors, IN last month’s edition of Exeposé, Owen Keating reported that the number of First class degrees awarded to students at the University of Exeter has increased by 12% in just a decade, with 20.3% of Exeter students alone being awarded a First Class degree last summer in scenes of joy and rapture of the kind conveyed in the photograph above.

The University has linked this due to a higher standard of students being admitted to the university each year, with Imogen Sanders, VP Academic Affairs, commenting that the rise is ‘consistent with the rise of the university’s academic strength’. But is this really the case?

Hmmm... a tricky issue, and I’m not so sure.

To a degree, it can’t be denied that yes, a higher standard of students are admitted to Exeter each year, a university which has rapidly shot up both the British and the global rankings to its current position of 7 amongst UK unis.

For my Single Honours History degree, I was required to attain the A Level grades of A*AA – grades required for the same course at the best universities

COMMENT

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Send your letters to editors@exepose.com

An unjustifiable piece of bias: insular, sweeping generalisation that is quite unacceptable. Why should privately educated students be subjected to so much hate and ridicule?

privately educated students, resolutely maintaining to be “too embarrassed” to use her MacBook on campus through “fear of being deemed a private school rah”. Now speaking as someone who was educated privately, this point leaves me feeling somewhat perplexed. Where do I fit in, when my laptop is adorned by Acer, rather than Apple?

If Thomas were to see me on campus, would I be instantly branded a “stateschool peasant”? And would this assumption be based on nothing more than my laptop? It does seem a bit

bizarre.

My school, albeit private, was also inner-city. The ‘grounds’ consisted of three concrete netball courts and I certainly never played lacrosse. Yet Thomas’ tired example of lacrosse players and an evident mockery of a sport unfamiliar to her own schooldays, merely accentuates her ignorance and refusal to accept alternatives to her own upbringing.

The outrageous statement, “this isn’t Oxford: I highly doubt many people got in via a fat cheque to the chancellor from Daddy,” is really

A higher standard of students are admitted to Exeter each year - they are in a fantastic position to get a First at the country for History, Cambridge and Durham – and I know that students who study Economics and English have also had to gain these grades to enjoy a place here. So on some level, there are very bright students coming to study here, meaning that they are in a fantastic position to get a First, because of sheer intellect alone.

“There are very bright students here at Exeter, and we want the best possible chance in life” On the other hand, I agree with Zoe Hope, a graduate of 2012, who opined: ‘I don’t think that more people getting First means that people are getting better academically, rather getting better at understanding what is required to score high grades with regards to marking criteria’. To me this is just repetition of the controversy surrounding A Levels – you don’t actually need brains, academics suggest, you just need to regurgitate the syllabus and reproduce it in an exam!

But look at the economic and social

situation on an international scale.

Students are more aware than ever that you need a 2.1 at least, if not preferably a First, in order to have any chance of securing a well-paid, prestigious job following graduation. This surely indicates that students are working harder than ever, particularly for us poor first years who have to pay the horrendous fees of £9000 a year.

I honestly think standards have increased at the university, and I don’t think this is limited to Exeter alone. I was very very jealous when a Classics teacher at sixth form college commented that he required only BCC or something to get into Durham to study Classics, when now students there need at least 3 As. Unis now want higher grades from students. There are very bright students here at Exeter, and we want the best possible chance in life.

With the unbelievable fees and intimidating economic climate, it wouldn’t be a surprise if students are working harder in order to be successful – and gaining Firsts in the process. Why complain about it? Let’s celebrate their success.

Conor Byrne

quite offensive. I have friends who worked their socks off to get in to Oxford and I am so proud of them for it. The notion that they would ‘buy’ their way in is horrid and entirely unfounded.

Thomas seems quick to pass judgment on people she has never met and indeed knows little about. She writes in defence of herself and her peers, yet I wonder just how many of them would agree with her exaggerated views. It almost seems that the tables have turned: why should privately educated students be subjected to so

much hate and ridicule? We don’t all conform to the caricature that Thomas has conjured. You would never see the reverse in print and it is about time something was said.

Overall I found the column to be little more than an unjustifiable piece of bias: an insular, sweeping generalisation that is quite unacceptable. It served only to widen whatever class chasm Thomas maintains to dominate the student society of Exeter University.

Anonymous

We don’t actually enjoy levying fines we use them to encourage borrowers to return their books promptly RE: Issue 605 Library fines Clara Plackett Dear Editors FURTHER to Clara Plackett’s ‘Library Fines’ article in Exeposé (19th February), I wondered if a little additional background and perspective might be of interest to your readers.

It seems clear from comments within the article that students are primarily concerned that the University is currently unable to offer an exact breakdown to illustrate how fines money is spent. I can reassure you that the funds are ringfenced for Library, to underpin services and resources for students. The accounting system we use doesn’t currently enable us to break this down further, but given the level of interest I do agree that this would be beneficial, and I will do my best to bring it about.

In the wider context, we, as is common practice in academic libraries, use fines to encourage borrowers to return their books promptly so that they are

available for other users. We don’t actually enjoy levying fines at all, and do our very best to help borrowers avoid problems by issuing reminder emails, offering advice, and providing facilities to either renew online or to return books 24 hours a day. We often waive fines where there are extenuating circumstances, and because we want to be sure that our students are not disadvantaged we benchmark regularly against other libraries to make sure that our fine levels are appropriate, proportionate and fair.

Indeed, our efforts in this ensured that Exeter did not appear amongst the top ten highest generators of library fines (Guardian (January 2012)) – one of the few top-ten lists Exeter were happy not to be included in! We would like to do more to avoid unnecessary charges to students, and are working to ensure that a new Library Management System (currently under investigation) would bring with it the opportunity to look at these things in different ways. We will be working closely with the Guild and student Library Champions to explore the possibilities.

Library Staff

The fact that it’s happening on campus is worrying, not for legal purposes so much as for health issues RE: Issue 605 Cocaine on campus Editorial team READING the article on the findings of cocaine was quite strange because in a way it was shocking (as all you ever hear about is weed, not cocaine, and cocaine has more dangerous connotations), but somehow it was slightly expected; as said in the article, with so many people it would be hard not to have anyone doing class A drugs.

The non-shocking part of it is that we are at university, the years some

people will call “the party years” or “experimental years,” and I think we all know one or two people who have done hard drugs. However the worrying part of the Exeter Cocaine Investigation I think was that positive cocaine tests were found in bathrooms on campus.

These are not dorm rooms where predrinks for parties are taking place or even club bathrooms (except for the case of the Lemmy) but everyday places like the library and Queens building.

This would insinuate that there is a regular day to day use of cocaine; that people are walking around campus under the influence. So many questions rise from this like, why would you

spend 9000 pounds on University a year to spend it drugged during the day? And if you do, it seems a bit stupid since as stated in last week’s paper, 5 years of jail can be given for being in possession of Cocaine. But it’s not that simple, there are many reasons for using drugs, and it feels unjust to judge anyone who has taken them based on cocaine swipes.

The same goes for the tests carried out in toilets in staff sections of the university. In truth, the qualitative ambiguity of the tests brings a lot of questions up. Like, does this mean we are being taught by people under the influence? Is the university not careful

enough with who they hire? But again, these are quick deductions to make.

“The qualitative ambiguity of the tests brings a lot of questions up. Like, does this mean we are being taught by people under the influence?”

If anything, I think the tests are to be taken in a light of awareness. They do not tell us how many people are doing cocaine on campus, for what purposes, and whether they are addicted to it or not. They only guarantee the

presence of cocaine.

Do I think the university should do something about this? Yes, the fact that it’s happening on campus is worrying, not for legal purposes so much as for health issues. Are people addicted?

Shouldn’t they have help? It’s a bit of a shame really when you don’t have control over what your body craves and doesn’t crave, and drugs don’t offer a productive reality, I think. University is meant to stimulate your mind daily and educate you on the greater issues of the world, cocaine may not be the best stimulant for this.

Naomi Poltier

Nominations open 9am Monday 25 February 2013 and close 4pm Friday 15 March 2013

Voting opens 9am Saturday 16 March 2013 and close 4pm Friday 22 March 2013

www.exeterguild.org/elections

Exeposé

| WEEK twenty

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“Part and parcel of political life”

FEATURES

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James Crouch & Meg Drewett features@exepose.com

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Features Photo credit: Josh Irwandi ; Words: Francesca Gillett

As she visits Exeter to speak at a Catholic Society event, Exeposé Features talks to former MP, Ann Widdecombe about the SSB, students and Catholicism in our society SINCE standing down as an MP in May 2010 after an astounding 23 years in politics, Ann Widdecombe has been enjoying herself. Perhaps surprising for an ex-politician notorious for her controversial and uncompromising views, since her retirement 65-year-old Widdecombe has transformed herself into a public entertainer. She’s appeared in pantomime, French-language opera, quiz shows and of course that 10-week stint on Strictly Come Dancing, during which she “galumphed like an elephant”, as she puts it.

“[SSB] is sending out the message that women are about one thing only, which of course they’re not” It is this self-mockery and good humour which may initially seem at odds with Widdecombe’s strong traditionalist views and sometimes forceful tone. As well as enjoying regular walks across Dartmoor, writing best-selling novels and most recently hosting Sky Atlantic quiz show Cleverdicks, the former Shadow Home Secretary often tours the country as a speaker. Her theatrical persona and unashamed courage in holding controversial views - most notably her stances against gay marriage and abortion - is what makes her such a celebrated and sought-after guest.

Fiery at the podium, she once said how former Conservative Party Chairman Michael Ancram “nearly laid an egg” when she decided to speak without notes at the Party Conference. It is as a

seasoned speaker, arriving in Exeter for a talk entitled ‘Morality in Public Life’ organised by the University’s Catholic Society, where we meet her today.

It is timely that she is visiting Exeter after her recent condemnation of the Guild’s now-cancelled Safer Sex Ball, which she previously called “the height of irresponsibility to have a lot of people running about in their underwear.”

Interesting then, that she agreed to appear on a primetime television show involving scantily-clad women performing racy dance moves, but Widdecombe ensured that her Strictly Come Dancing contract was ‘sex-proofed’ with no immodest or suggestive clothing. When questioned about the SSB, the veteran Tory MP remains disapproving. “It’s sending out the message that women are about one thing only, which of course they’re not. So of course it isn’t very surprising that women aren’t respected in the way they used to be, and largely because they don’t respect themselves anymore.” What would she say to Exeter’s female students who would ever consider attending such a ball? “I would say, don’t… if you respect yourself then you’re worth waiting for.”

Regarding society’s attitude to sex in general, the former MP is equally critical of the dominance of sex in the public sphere. “It’s ridiculous. When I was growing up it wasn’t talked about at all. And we’ve gone from that almost to making it compulsory; that if there isn’t sex in a play or sex in a book, or in an act or a dance then somehow it’s not worth having. The pendulum’s gone absolutely crazy. And it’s very bad.”

As a student at Birmingham University in the sixties, and then later going

on to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford, she is well acquainted with student life. Despite the obvious changes in funding, she says that she doubts that student life has altered much from her day. “Students divide into two and they always did. There are the students who come here to work. And there are students who also regard university as a much rounder experience.” But she speaks contemptuously of the prevalence of binge-drinking in student culture, a phenomenon which she recently explored in a radio programme following a group of young female professionals on their night out. “You’ve got young women wearing virtually nothing staggering along on huge heels, falling off pavements because they are too plastered to know where they’re going. And of course they’re in danger.”

“If we can put 100,000 Christians on the streets of London, I think we might actually be heard a bit more” One of Britain’s most high-profile Catholics, former Anglican Widdecombe is clearly keen to talk about her faith. Unlike the traditional responses of contraception in Africa and the abuse scandal, Widdecombe cites attitudes towards Christianity in the Middle East as

one of the most pressing issues that the next Pope will have to deal with. When asked about the position of Christians in Britain, she says that “we’ve regarded it as safe to ignore”. She says that she’d like to see a “very big gathering of Christians in central London where David Cameron can’t miss us, and if we can put 100,000 Christians on the streets of London I think we might actually be heard just a little bit more.” In spite of her retirement, it is clear that the former MP has lost none of her appetite for political action.

After a career in politics spanning more than the age of most Exeter undergraduates, it is perhaps surprising that Widdecombe’s contribution to public life has not yet been formally recognised in the form of a peerage. Just last month talk of a seat in the House of Lords was reignited when she was granted a Papal Honour by the Catholic Church making her Dame Ann of the Order of St. Gregory. Interestingly, in a letter sent to be read out at the ceremony, David Cameron wrote that the honour was “richly deserved.” Does she still see it as a snub that she hasn’t received a peerage? “It’s part and parcel of political life. It’s an occupational hazard. Cameron doesn’t like me, so there we go. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Perhaps her lack of peerage is due to her strong socially conservative views; after all, Widdecombe arguably does not quite fit the desired image of the

modern day Conservative Party. Asked if she misses frontline politics, she is adamant that she does not. “If I’d gone any earlier I would have missed it, and if I’d gone later I think I would have been very jaded by now.” And what is her opinion on one of today’s most popular Conservative politicians, Boris Johnson? “Although he regularly acts like a buffoon, he’s got a brain like a laser.”

“If I’d [left politics] any earlier, I’d have missed it, and if I’d gone later, I would have been very jaded by now” Speaking with Widdecombe, one is left with a sense of the passion that she has nurtured for politics, her Catholicism and now for her various projects in her retirement. What would she say to Exeter students keen to begin a career in the public eye? “Don’t do it immediately. Particularly politics. Go away, have a career, get yourself financially secure, have a family, then see if you still want to do it. And if you do, do it then.” It is this forthright appraisal of situations that has served her well throughout her time in politics and will surely continue to do so well into her retirement.

INTERVIEW BY FRANCESCA GILLETT AND CHRIS IVORY

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5 march 2013 |

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Exeposé

A pretty poor Italian Job

With the Italian Parliament in deadlock, Sophie Duncan reviews the campaign in the recent general election MUCH hinged on the result of the Italian general election last week. Whoever won would not only have to tackle a debt burden that is among the worst in Europe, but must look to restore faith in a political class on which many citizens have all but turned their backs.

In Italy, each day brings fresh economic speculation and public indignation. Signs of the country’s financial woes are everywhere: Turin, once a thriving industrial capital, is losing out to foreign competition and Naples, one of the poorest cities in Europe is plagued by outbursts of violence. For far too many Italians, a secure income is extremely hard to come by. Many are resorting to cash-in-hand jobs on the black market and, in doing so, fuelling an annual tax evasion bill that runs to over 200 billion euros. With the Italian banks unwilling to loan, an increasing number of people are turning to the mafia for money.

“For far too many Italians, a secure income is extremely hard to come by. Many are resorting to cash-in-hand jobs on the black market” However, Italy has other problems besides those economic. During the build-up to this election, the country’s political integrity has dominated headlines, often for all the wrong reasons.

One controversy after another has drawn attention away from the key issues that voters want to see addressed.

First there was the removal of a number of politicians from the ballot lists, for reasons relating to fraud and illicit dealings with the mafia. According to La Republica, at least 80 potential

candidates were deemed ‘ineligible’.

Among them was Nicola Cosentino, a former minister who served for several years under Silvio Berlusconi, and who was sentenced to four years in prison for fiscal fraud.

Then there was the scandal surrounding Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world’s oldest bank. It was revealed that the institution had concealed a number of loss-making risky trades to which the Italian Government, under Mario Monti, is suspected to have turned a blind eye. As Mr Monti was running for re-election, this did little to boost his popularity.

But he was not the only candidate to have seen his campaign tarnished. Next came the turn of the master of political incorrectness - who, amazingly, has also put his name forward, Silvio Berlusconi. In comedy they say that timing is essential. Mr Berlusconi may have timed this gaff to perfection, but what he said could not have been less funny. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the former Prime Minister claimed that the discriminatory racial laws imposed

by Benito Mussolini were a black mark against a leader who “in so many other ways did well”. Mr Berlusconi went on to say that, despite the deportation of thousands of Italian Jews, Italy does not hold the same amount of responsibility as Germany because its role in the Holocaust was “partly unwitting”. The press, both in Italy and elsewhere, reacted accordingly.

And it was not long before they were handed another Berlusconi blunder, not

by Silvio but by his brother, Paolo. It is widely suspected that the former had the election in mind when he forked out 20 million euros to bring Mario Balotelli, one of the liveliest personalities in football, to his own team, A.C. Milan. If so,

Italian general election results

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19 345

117 SENATE

CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES

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Berlusconi’s centreright coalition

Five Star Movement

Italy. Common Good (left)

Mario Monti’s coalition

Photo credit: euronews.com

he will not have been best pleased by his brother’s casual referral to the player as the “little black boy”. Then again, far be it from Silvio to criticise.

“Monti is not the only candidate to have seen his campaign tarnished. Next came the turn of the master of political incorrectness, Silvio Berlusconi” “Exactly what sort of world is our political class living in?” read a recent headline in La Stampa. One would be inclined to agree. With the main parties struggling to run a clean campaign, this election has offered others the opportunity to give them a run for their money. One such is the Cinque Stelle, or Five Star Movement, led by comedian Beppe Grillo. Having made it his mission to speak in almost every piazza in the country, the charismatic Mr Grillo denounced the dominant parties and called for a greater level of political representation on the part of ordinary citizens. The party did gain a sizeable presence in the new parliament. And if Cinque Stelle delivers on its promise to give Italian citizens a greater say in how their country is governed, that would by no means be a bad thing.

>> Former PM Silvio Berlusconi came within spitting distiance of victory

Pistorius trial: and the

In the wake of the tragedy, Caitlin Edwards slams the media coverage an

REEVA STEENKAMP was tragically killed, intentionally or not, by her boyfriend, a man she loved and trusted, on Valentine’s Day. Oscar Pistorius allegedly shot Reeva four times through the door of the bathroom. A week before police had been called to the house regarding “allegations of a domestic nature”. Reeva Steenkamp was a law graduate, a campaigner for an end to violence against women and had a promising career as a professional model.

This is how headlines and news articles should have read on the 14 February when this tragedy occurred.

They should have been respectful, understanding of the sensitive nature of the tragedy and objective, looking at the facts without preconceived ideas of the people involved. But this is not what happened. The Sun ran a truly abhorrent front page with the title “Blade Runner ‘Murders Lover’ on Valentine’s Day”, accompanied by a full page picture of Reeva Steenkamp in a bikini. They also neglected to run page three that day, as apparently the sexualised image of a murder victim is an appropriate substitute for the soft porn image they usually let their readers get off on. The Sun’s front page was shocking enough to merit widespread criticism and an online petition for an

apology to be issued but they weren’t the only paper to get their coverage so wrong.

The Daily Mail thought it appropriate to run an article on Oscar Pistorius’ “complicated love life” on the

“Apparently the sexualised image of a murder victim is an appropritate substitue for the soft porn on page three” 14 February, the day Steenkamp was killed. A New York Times article on the 14 February began with the words “she was a platinum-haired model on the cusp of the big time… he was a global sports hero”, as though her hair colour detracted from her murder. They also decided to run a homage to him entitled “The Adrenaline-Fuelled Life of Oscar Pistorious”, again on the 14 February, the very day of Steenkamp’s death. In this was written that Pistorious was “not as cautious as he always should be… but I didn’t see anger in him”. The Independent went with the same angle, publishing articles including “Oscar Pistorious: The Boy Who Fought the Odds to Inspire Millions” on the 15 February and “Shock for Oscar’s friends in London after Reeva

Steenkamp is found dead” on the 14 February. If one didn’t know better it would appear through these articles that Oscar, not Reeva, was the victim here.

Exeposé

| WEEK twenty

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Is Hilary Mantel totally mental?

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Rachel Alcock-Hodgson defends the Man Booker Prize winner over her comments on Kate Middleton IN her London Review of Books lecture, ‘Undressing Anne Boleyn’, Hilary Mantel set out to answer the questions “Is royal flesh different from ours? Do royal bones live?”

Mantel’s deliberately “rude” undressing of our fascination with royalty is appropriate given the media wide “bump watch” and adoration of Kate Middleton. The lecture made pertinent comparisons between a selection of royal women to discuss how society views and uses the body.

“The media have pounced on what they have painted as a cat-fight between the female virtues of youth, beauty and fertility and childless age” Mantel centred her lecture around Kate as an example of how the “royal body exists to be looked at” and as a vibrant link to current concerns.

Despite the ensuing media furore, in her description of Kate as “a shop-window mannequin, with no personality of her own,” who had been entirely defined by what she wore and is now determined by her status as radiant mother-to-be, Mantel highlights the press and the royal institution’s understanding of Kate’s value.

Mantel perhaps stared a bit too

“rudely” at the Duchess, but she illustrates the constraints on the voiceless mother figure waiting to be clothed.

The final plea; “I’m asking us to back off and not be brutes,” is Mantel’s intelligent call for restraint. Not a harpy’s battle cry.

The lecture was characteristically perceptive and measured, making observations which seem especially relevant in the midst of the current explosion of questions surrounding media, and social, (mis-)use of the female body. See the growing success of the “No More Page 3” campaign.

However, perhaps predictably, the media have pounced on what they have painted as a cat-fight between the female virtues of youth, beauty and fertility and childless age. Never mind that Mantel is the first author to win the Man Booker Prize and the Costa Book Award in the same year.

The Sun calls Mantel’s lecture a “bizarre rant”, the Mail a “jibe”, while the Metro tackles how she “hit out” at the Duchess.

These staggeringly misfired opinions are not confined to the tabloids. The Telegraph calls Mantel’s lecture “outrageous.” Freeman of the Guardian comments on the Independent’s provision of “a kindly list, allowing readers to compare ‘the author and the princess’, again emphasising Mantel’s weight.”

The naturalisation of the jealous older woman narrative underlying these depictions is shown in commentator

Richard Fitzwilliams’ statement; “The duchess has millions of admirers around the world and is a woman of great charm. Hilary Mantel’s comments are ridiculous and say more about her than the Duchess.”

What do they say about Mantel? That she can never be a princess? That she is bitter and twisted? That her literary achievements mean nothing if she dare scrape away the surface of media representations, calling attention to the institutional machinations that physically manipulate the bodies of (female) royalty?

“Irony is necessarily beyond the media who deal in caricatures” The Mail accompanies its “defence” of Kate with an inventory of her outfit in picture after picture of her and her blossoming bump (handily identified in

Oscar goes to... jail?

nd reaction which has ignored the real issues of violence in South Africa It is not clear if Pistorious is innocent or guilty of premeditated murder, and one must presume innocent until his full court hearing in July. However, the news coverage of this crime

reveals deep rooted prejudices about domestic violence, widespread sexism in the media and harmful macho ideals of male athletes. Indeed the only story the press seem to have not told fully is that of domestic violence. Many of the papers, after reporting that Pistorious claimed to have mistaken Reeva for a burglar, commented on the wider issue of intruders in gated communities and how many house owners in South Africa had guns in their homes for protection. Few, if any, mentioned the widespread issue of domestic violence in South Africa. Many neglected to mention that a week before Reeva’s death police had been called to the house for “allegations of a domestic nature” or that Pistorious had been in previous allegedly violent relationships. None of this makes Pistorious guilty but surely seems more important than the fact that Reeva had once modelled for FHM? South Africa has some of the worst rates of domestic violence in the world.

Every 17 seconds a woman is raped in South Africa and of those rapes reported only 14 per cent end in a conviction.

In a country of 50 million people, three women are killed a day by their partners. Women in abusive relationships are seven times more likely to be killed by their partner if their partner owns or

has access to a gun and gun ownership is rife in South Africa. The message which should be coming out of this tragedy is not one of a fallen sport hero but one which highlights to the world an issue which is all too often swept under the carpet; that violence against women is a global epidemic, which transcends the boundaries of wealth, class, location or fame. It was an issue which Reeva Steenkamp would have wanted to promote herself.

“The message which should be coming out of this tragedy is not one of a fallen sport hero but violence against women is a global epidemic” Shortly before her death there was another murder in South Africa where Anene Booysen was gang raped and killed. Reeva sent out an instragram message which now reads with bitter irony “I woke up in a happy safe home this morning. Not everyone did.

Speak out against the rape of individuals in SA. RIP Anene Booysen”. Reeva Steenkamp’s death was a tragedy; her tragedy. The press should have reflected that.

the captions), engaging beauteously with primary school children.

Of course it is only Mantel’s Kate that is a symbol of the “mother-to-be, draped in another set of threadbare attributions.”

While Freeman spots lazy journalism at work, Sam Leith comments that in being misunderstood by the press, Mantel is only the latest in a line of authors, from Martin Amis to Anne Enright, subject to being deliberately misconstrued.

Leith argues that Mantel’s “clobbering” stems from the press’ inability to understand irony. The idea of “inhabiting more than one position at once – of being able to observe something, but also to stand back and think about the way you are observing it, about the off-the-peg narratives and received ideas that shape your perceptions.”

Irony is necessarily beyond the media who deal in caricatures. “Mantel was attacking the paper doll in which newspapers have imprisoned the real Kate Middleton. That can’t be acknowledged

without admitting the idea that there’s a gap between this paper doll and the real person – that the Kate of your own front page is a brutal and sentimental fiction maintained for ease and profit.”

“Cameron’s comments were another blithe dismissal of the value of Mantel’s opinion” It should not mean that politicians feel bound to abet these blunt instrument arguments. Cameron, who has recently been shouting for the need for more women in government, said of Mantel: “I think she writes great books, but I think what she’s said about Kate Middleton is completely misguided and completely wrong.”

Another blithe dismissal of the value of Mantel’s opinion, seemingly without having read the actual lecture - does he think press restraint is misguided? Perhaps so.

“Writers, whose business is representation, will from time to time seek to examine the wilful and damaging stupidities of our culture. We should not be surprised if from time to time stupidity fights back with the only weapon it has – which is to say, more stupidity.”

We are, however, entitled to be disappointed when our “dim-witted balloon-on-a-stick of a prime minister” agrees.

South Africa: the crime facts South Africa is often thought of as an area with incredibly high crime rates, and almost never characterised as safe. As in many countries, most crime centres in and around the major urban conurbations. In South Africa’s case this means most crime takes place in and around Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria, with other more localised hotspots.

Some of the figures are completely and utterly staggering.

Almost 50 murders are committed a day, racking up to an annual figure of 18,000. And for every murder committed, there is another attempted murder which isn’t successful. This translates into a staggering 37 murders per 100,000 people - compared to the UK figure of 1.1 (or 34 times higher).

50

The number of murders a day in South Africa Other forms of violent crime are no better. Sexual crime towards women are almost unprecedented. 1 in 3 women said they they have been raped, and in a similar vein almost 1 in 4 admitted to rape.

The crime situation in the

regional power meant that serious worries swirled around the World Cup, particularly around the safety of the players during their stay in the country.

1 in 3

Women said they had been a victim of rape in S.A. This nation riddled by crime is so prevalent it’s not particularly surprising that it has played itself out in anecdotal evidence just as much as in facts in figures. The Oscar Pistorious case feared collapsing completely into a total farce, when as Oscar was on trial for murder, his brother was revealed to also be had up for possible murder while none other than the chief investigator into the Pistorius case was himself being investigated for murder.

The extraordinary killing in this case has served to highlight and illustrate the dreadful situation that South Africa finds itself in at the moment. Despite the fact that the situation is appears to be improving, it’s odd that it takes a celebrity shooting for the rest of the world to look up at the dreadful state of South Africa’s crime ridden streets.

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Profiting from our own mess?

Exeposé

Rory Morgan asks if Britain should really be investing so much in India, considering our colonial history?

WITH David Cameron currently chasing trade and profit in India it would be easy to forget that the country was not too long ago a British Colony vying for Britain’s attention and generosity.

A pleasing irony seems to come from a European leader wearing a Turban and shamelessly using the tactic of flattery to a rising power their country previously oppressed. Cameron has been in fierce competition with Francis Hollande to open up trade with India and recently lost out to the French in his bid for a fighter jet contract with New Delhi. In the last decade India has developed into one of the world’s largest economies and this seems to beg the question could this have happened earlier without British colonisation?

The sad truth is no. India might be an economic powerhouse but it is also one of the most impoverished countries in the world and this imbalance of wealth is something the British helped to implement. India is 129th in the world for its per capita of wealth.

This shocking discrepancy indicates the country’s economic structure. Capitalism was an ideology brought by the west and is one of the key reasons India has become so rich. They are able to use their natural resources to trade and accumulate wealth and then hold onto and control this wealth by not distributing it. Who was this economic structure learned from? The British, of course.

This is certainly not something to take pride in and Cameron’s trip seems to almost condone this out-dated behaviour.

But Britain cannot be too critical of India’s extreme class division as it helped to shape and define it, and poking at this structure would create some obvious double standards. But should we

“India might be an economic powerhouse but it is also one of the most impoverished countries in the world” really be seeking trade from a country so socially backward?

The answer to this is not clear. On the one hand Britain is economically weak and needs to be forming bonds with countries that have larger and

more lucrative economies and the state of India’s social system is not something we seem to have a massive effect on. But then there is still that nagging matter of principle. We are a country with a brilliant welfare system to cater for the less fortunate, but a century ago our social structure was not so different to India’s. Maybe with the right amount of international pressure and scrutiny Pranab Mukherjee, his ruling party and the more privileged would feel compelled to actively try to lessen the wealth gap. Or maybe this notion is just futile idealism.

Regardless of the outcome it still does seem important as a democratic and comparatively fair socially structured country to uphold certain principles.

Going and seeking trade with a country that does not seem to have these principles and shows little inter-

“Is it right to butter up a country that still accepts poverty aid in millions from us despite having the means to begin improving conditions themselves?” est in developing even the most basic of them feels wrong. It almost feels like the same questions are popping up as when Prime Minister Cameron visited China two years ago. The motivations can be understood, as many h a v e already stated it is likely that the economies of China and India will soon take the reigns from America. But it is still right to butter up a country that still accepts poverty aid in the millions from us despite having the means to begin improving conditions themselves? This will come to an end in 2015, but it is impossible that India’s poverty will even slightly deplete by then.

With quite a conundrum of guilt mixed with financial reliance it seems that Britain ultimately has little power over the social mess it has created and if things don’t change will continue to ignore and profit from it.

Decision long overdue Meg Lawrence looks at the decent decision to allow same-sex couples to qualify for IVF treatment on the NHS earlier and asks if this development should have happened sooner?

HERE is a question: how do you judge someone’s potential to be a good parent?

According to some it’s simple; if they are a heterosexual, young couple, they tick all the boxes, but this is obviously an oversimplification of parenting. And clearly the latest NSPCC statistics are being ignored – as every ten days in England and Wales one child is killed at the hands of their parent. In almost two thirds of the 55+ cases of children killed at the hands of another person, the parent is the principal suspect.

But it is not the callous, cruel individuals who abuse their position of trust that many prioritise when they think of who should be prevented from parenting. It’s same sex couples and older parents.

“It’s about time we looked at the statistics and stopped judging people for an apparent - but unproven inability to be good parents” The debate about who should qualify for IVF treatment isn’t anything new.

But it’s about time we looked at the statistics and stopped judging people for an apparent – but unproven – inability to be good parents.

IVF treatment should have been available to same-sex couples on the NHS the moment it was available to heterosexual couples. Unfortunately, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have only just allowed same-sex couples to qualify for the treatment on the NHS- a move that should have been taken years ago.

Along with homosexual couples, women aged between 40 and 42 will also be eligible to receive the treatment, which usually costs between £3,000 and £8,000 a cycle.

NICE Chief Executive Sir Andrew

Dillion stated that, ‘thanks to a number of medical advances over the years, many fertility problems can be treated effectively. It is because of these new advances that we have been able to update our guideline on fertility.’ This statement clearly applies to the availability of new treatments for older women, but does not explain why same-sex couples have been denied the treatment until now.

The process of IVF doesn’t change because of the patient’s sexual orientation- this shouldn’t even be a factor that comes into consideration when deciding whether a person can have children or not. Far more important is the love, support and care they will give to the child, and any person, gay or straight, should have access to any treatment that may heighten their chance of having a baby.

Dr Clare Searle said in a recent interview that the altered IVF guidelines are ‘not a response to social change’ but about taking advantage of clinical effectiveness. This point lacks any credibility- sexual orientation has no impact on how a person responds to treatment.

As long as IVF has been available, it should have been available for couples of any orientation.

Clearly, social change has had an impact on these improved guidelines.

The recent adaptation of gay marriage laws, allowing same-sex couples to marry in a church, has made society more aware of its still backward approach to homosexuality. Ideally, these developments will gradually lead to a more open-minded society, where points like these aren’t issues to be debated, but accepted ways of life.

The availability of IVF treatment for same-sex couples isn’t as controversial an issue as the legislation of gay marriage, because the church doesn’t have the ground to argue against it. If the NHS were a religious organisation, I’m sure they would’ve protested about the availability of the treatment for gay

couples. This is so wrong. Frankly, I find it terrifying that an institution followed by so many can express such bigoted, discriminatory, small-minded opinions.

I just hope people following the church feel they can make their own minds up about such important issues.

“Parenting isn’t about sex.

A successful parent is caring, nuturing and giving. If a single mother or father can raise a child successfully, why can’t two mothers or two fathers do the same?”

The idea that anyone could be against same-sex couples being helped in the process of having children is appalling. Parenting isn’t about sex. A person’s ability to be a good parent is in no way affected by their sexuality.

A successful parent is caring, nurturing and giving. If a single mother or father can raise a child successfully, why can’t two mothers or two fathers do the same?

Many people argue that same-sex couples don’t provide the influence of the opposite sex in their child’s life.

Other relatives and family friends can easily compensate for this, and parents adapt to fulfill any of their child’s needs.

There were 22,331 children in the UK on child protection registers in 2011perhaps we need to focus on the issues of parents who don’t deserve their roles, rather than those who don’t even get a chance to try.

Sir Andrew Dillon said that including same-sex couples in the IVF NHS guidelines for the first time ‘reflects the right thing to do.’ Hopefully this is one more step towards the complete eradication of homophobia. For now, it opens up opportunities for homosexual people that should have been available a long time ago.

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Coca-Cola on campus

Dotty Pease talks about about the health hazards of Coke THEY are the company that turned Father Christmas red and the recipe to their most popular drink is locked in its own special Secret Vault. However, with the increasing focus on fighting obesity even the global super business Coca-Cola has been caught in the firing line. Recently, people in America are starting to call for new regulation on unhealthy food and drink, saying that campaigns to encourage exercise and healthy eating have failed and it is now time for more severe measures.

Coca-Cola’s response to this includes a TV advertising campaign that claims their drinks have lowered their calorie count on average and thus this has led to a reduced daily calorie count in school meals. “Irony!” I hear you cry, as surely they have reached their multi-billion pound success from the sale of mainly sugar-based drinks, which is at least a contributing factor to obesity?

But are Coca-Cola and other fizzy drinks really to blame for the two out of three adults in America that are clinically obese?

Time to shock you with a few fun facts: Every time you open a can of your favourite fizzy drink, you could think about the fact that a normal can of Coke contains the equivalent of 10 spoonfuls of sugar. The only thing that stops your body from vomiting from this sudden intake of sucrose are the other ingredients in the can. Research also shows that more than half of us drink one fizzy

drink a day, and this is our main source of excess sugar.

“Are Coca-Cola and other fizzy drinks really to blame for the 2 out of 3 adults in America that are clinically obese?”

This sweet excess is the main concern of the new Coke advert and the anti-obesity campaign. Having spent two years denying that sugar consumption is directly linked to obesity, Coca-Cola have finally given in and admitted that their fizzy drinks MAY be a contributing factor to obesity. In fact, research from Harvard has shown that the consumption of sugary drinks is a major contributor to obesity, particularly with children, and Coke is by far the most popular soft drink in America, followed

by Diet Coke.

This is another problem; it’s a common misconception that the alternative ‘low calorie’ drinks, for example Diet Coke and Coke Zero, are not as bad for you. It’s true they don’t contain sugar (and calories) but the artificial sweeteners trick you into thinking you are taking in actual sugar, and this means your brain then becomes unable to tell how many calories you are consuming, making it harder for you to realise when

you are full and more likely to eat excessively.

Interestingly, Coca-Cola was the one of the main partners of the London 2012 Olympics, and their adverts continually boast about the number of healthy eating and exercise campaigns they set up, sponsor or lend their name too. At first glance this seems to at least partially redeem the company, however the problem is that Coca-Cola have used and are still using these campaigns as a handy smoke screen when anybody questions their company’s commitment to a healthy diet.

“Drinking sugary drinks can significantly harm your health and increases your chance of weight gain”

Over time it has become more and more obvious that drinking sugary drinks, especially Coke, can significantly harm your health and increases your chance of weight gain. Although Coca-Cola can’t advise against drinking their own products, as this would be the worst advertising in the world, they could at least not ‘sugarcoat’ the effect their drinks have on global obesity problems. Nice try, Coca-Cola, but this new advert isn’t fooling anyone.

Herby Tomato and Chorizo Granary Loaf One particularly boring weekend in January spurred me to overcome my bread-making block and breach the threshold into the domain of bread-making. The result of my endeavours follows thus…

Takes: 30 mins INGREDIENTS 400g granary bread flour 75g strong white bread flour 1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 2 x tsp herbes de provence 1 x tsp basil 1 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp honey 325ml lukewarm water 120g chopped sundried tomatoes 100g chorizo – chopped into small chunks METHOD 1. Mix the flours, yeast, salt and herbs 2. Make a well and add the honey 3. Add the water and mix in 4. Knead for 15 minutes until elastic 5. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling-film, place in

warm place for 2 hrs 6. Pre-heat oven to 200C/gas 6 7. Tip dough onto lightly floured surface and push the air out 8. Roll out to a flattish surface and sprinkle on half the tomatoes and chorizo 9. Fold sides of bread into its centre and add the other half of ingredients 10. Mould into oval shape, place in tin, cover with clean tea towel and leave for 30mins

11. Dust with flour 12. Bake for 15mins, reduce the temperature to 180C/gas 4 for 35 mins RECIPE BY SOPHIE DAVIES

Exeposé

| WEEK TWENTY

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Drinking games: a case by case study

Has your pre-lash gone stale? Liven it up with our advice

DRINKING games got a bit boring didn’t they? International drinking rules became second nature, the little blue man stopped getting his cheeks wet and the Queen never needed saving.

Let me introduce you to the brave new world of Drinking Articulate. I’m going to assume that you’re all familiar with the Articulate boardgame. If you’re not, club together with your friends/flatmates and play. Then progress to the new dizzying heights of DA (though that might be because of the inevitable and often dreadful £3.99 wine!)

Here’s how we play, but feel free to adapt and switch the rules to suit you.

You need an Articulate board game, a partner and a drink. Quite frankly I’ve never seen the point of that poxy spinner in normal Articulate, and we normally ignore it.

But not in DA! Before each round with your buddy, spin it.

Nothing happens if it lands on green, but if it lands on orange, then prepare yourself and your partner to take a sip/gulp/ finger. If it lands on red take two.

Feel free to adjust these amounts depending on your preference/tolerance!

DA sees the elimination of three maximum passes in each round when you’re navigating your increasingly inebriated chops around words like Mud Hut and people like the mysterious Train Driver. Feel free to pass

as many times as you like within the time constraint - but bear in mind that each pass is another sip/gulp/finger!

Factor in punishments for general rule breaking (sounds like, rhymes with etc,) and before you know it, the wine (not dissimilar to paint stripper) will have traversed your tonsils.

Especially if you have a wanker enforcing the rules at every opportunity.

Whether you stick to the rules, adapt them or end up completely abandoning them, the main point of any game is to have fun - so only do what you feel comfortable with (and consider the possibility of upgrading to a nicer beverage next time!)

KITTY HOWIE, ONLINE LIFESTYLE EDITOR FOR the budding student who’s eager to earn their First in Inebriation Studies, the dissertation on new and unheard of drinking games is always a popular topic choice. Let’s be honest, there’s only so many times you can play Ring of Fire until you actually start getting ‘good’ at it - and no one wants to see that!

Some opt for more complicated games, with 19 and a half different rules, all changing depending on our gender, hair colour or just because you get them confused. Falling under this

category often comes games revolving around TV shows, for example the Made In Chelsea drinking game: mercifully dreamt up before the phenomenon of ‘porting’, it requires the consumption of various different shots every time a character performs one of their many annoying traits. The complicated nature often means, unfortunately, the game ends up getting scrapped half-way through, as the washed-up participants forget even why they started playing.

Then of course there’s the games that get all the protagonists involved!

Sing-alongs are the best. Try the Grand Old Duke of York drinking game, where you all as a group sing the age old nursery rhyme on repeat, every time dropping a word from the lyrics until someone slips up. It’s great fun, and a sure way to transform your cosy living room into a raucous den of iniquity!

My personal recommendation though is simple games that you can’t ‘win’. Black or Red, or even On the Busses - a game where every contestant’s number of fingers to down racks up at a stunning rate. Maybe that’s what we’re missing with so many of these new fangled drinking games - keep it simple and boozy. The point is to get completely gazeboed, and any game which falls short of that simply isn’t worth the white board that the rules are scribbled on.

JAMES CROUCH, FEATURES EDITOR

Exeposé would advise all of our readers to drink responsibly, and would remind society social secretaries to follow the society drinking code of conduct. See www.drinkaware.co.uk

Sex-on-the-Exe: are blowjobs really that hard to swallow?

An anonymous student explains her opinions on the virtues of oral sex DESPITE being an ardent feminist, I love blowjobs and being dominated in bed. When discussing sex with other like-minded females, they recoil. How can I be so submissive to the opposite sex? I get labelled a hypocrite. What these ladies don’t realise is that giving blowjobs is anything but submissive.

I don’t know why I like them, they just turn me on. There’s nothing better than knowing a man is completely at your mercy and you can control his orgasm. You can prolong it, you can tease him…the possibilities are endless and he is putty in your hands. I find it downright empowering. It’s really not everyone’s cup of tea.

The mere thought sends shudders through many people’s spines. I’m not trying to convert people via extolling the virtues of giving head. People need to stop viewing it as degrading because it isn’t. You are pleasuring your partner and therefore giving them one of the best feelings physically possible. As a consenting participant, how can it be wrong?

If you’re prepared to go down on

him, chances are he’ll be more inclined to return the favour. Besides, nothing is more satisfying than making your partner moan with sheer, delirious pleasure.

Having a man moan because of me is an aphrodisiac in itself!

“There’s nothing better than knowing a man is completely at your mercy and you can control his orgasm” Admittedly, the taste could be better and I believe that this is what makes the act so off-putting for many would-be givers. If you’re prepared to give him head, he can always help you out by ‘sweetening’ his semen via pineapple juice and reducing his salt and saturated fat intake. In any case, the best thing to do is swallow. Honestly. Spitting just brings the taste back up past the tastebuds on your tongue. Just down

it like it’s the remnants of whatever’s in a Ring of Fire jar and bask in the knowledge that you have made him cum hard.

The much-celebrated Steak and Blowjob day is fast approaching (14 March – mark it in your diary) and, whilst many may be willing to give the former to their partner, there will be a few apprehensions about the latter. Remember, the way to a man’s heart isn’t just through his stomach; a lot of his heart lies in his penis.

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Tweets of the week Follow @exeposelstyle to see your tweets in Lifestyle!

RHYS GRAVELL @rhgravell I am probably the first person ever to have my online food shop to be delivered to my home address in llanelli instead of to Uni. #legend DAVID RIZBAF-NAUBARI @DrNaubari Just went to the forum to get some lunch and got lost in an art exhibit with a girl playing a grand piano #onlyinexeter KATE SCOTT @BigEyedKitty Casually came across Prince Charles and Camilla by the cathedral #onlyinExeter LAURA PEPPER @LauraJanePepper Buying Saunders 65p lemonade with just 5ps whilst in my hunters #ironic #onlyinexeter MITCHELL TRAVIS @DrMitchTravis Reasons I should win an Exeter teaching award 3) I drank a litre of rum last night then got up and ran 9k this morning.

MARCUS BEARD @marcusbear Love seeing groups of prospective parents and students walking past the “COCAINE ON CAMPUS” headline CJ @CharlotteJewellJ Just met the Exeter uni classics professor who jk rowling based the character Dumbledore on haha! #museumlife LAURA DRON @LauraDron Open Day at Exeter Uni yesterday, overheard parent on mobile “It’s lovely, very hilly and smells of manure.

SCOTT JENKINS @MeltingMeteor In the Old Library, miserable because I don’t have a spoon for my Perle de Lait. #firstworldproblems MATT FOXX @foxxation Hilarious how the library is always packed on Monday and sparse by Thursday. #PartTimers JONATHAN JENNER @JonJenner Gym is absolutely dead out after a Wednesday timepiece JAMES CROUCH @TheBig_JC Has ANYONE, EVER, bought something full price from Debenhams?!

JOE TRIGG @joetrigg Two students coming out of a student house and getting into a black Audi TT #onlyinexeter

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Exeposé

What happened when two blind dates went to the same place?

Double Blind Date

When George Keleny went out with Emma Sudderick What George thought of the evening What were you hoping for before your date?

Not to be set up with an ex girlfriend or one night stand. Unlikely I know, but let’s face it, that would have been awful.

What were your first impressions?

This girl is pretty, when do I find out she’s insane (she isn’t by the way) What did you talk about?

University, favourite films (she hasn’t seen any). It turned out she’s a magnet for marriage proposals from bar staff and I may technically have suffered child abuse by means of Shakespeare.

Any awkward moments at all?

Just a hint, if your date asks you to try and shock them, don’t actu-

ally try (or do if you want an interesting evening).

“Would you meet up with your date again?

Yes” Do you think they fancied you?

I think she was just happy not to have been set up with a dwarf What was their most attractive physical feature?

She had very nice hair What was the worst thing about them?

She has never seen Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or read past the third Harry Potter book.

This is just not acceptable.

When you saw the other date, how did you think it was going?

I didn’t get a good enough look

Did they look as if they were having more fun than you?

No On face value, would you have preferred to be on the other date?

No Would you meet up with your date again?

Yes By the end of the night was there a hug, kiss or something more? If so, how was it?

Nothing like that Snog, marry or avoid?

Snog What mark would you give the evening out of ten?

7.8

What Emma thought of the evening What were you hoping for before your date?

Interesting conversation, a laugh, nothing serious.

What were your first impressions?

He was slightly awkward but made an

effort to be civil. He shook my hand!

“Would you meet up with your date again?

He was a nice guy, but not my type” What did you talk about?

Quite a lot. Our courses mainly, and Top Gear. Then we started finding ways to freak each other out. He proposed.

Any awkward moments at all?

Not really. It was quite a fun evening.

Do you think they fancied you?

I’m not sure.

What was their most attractive physical feature?

His eyes.

Did they look as if they were having more fun than you?

I’m not sure, we didn’t stare at them for too long.

On face value, would you have preferred to be on the other date?

He was taller, but the conversation might not have been as good.

Would you meet up with your date again?

He was a nice guy, but not my type.

By the end of the night was there a hug, kiss or something more? If so, how was it?

A hug. It was amiable.

What was the worst thing about them?

He’s shorter than me. I’m quite tall, a giant if you will. They put me on tins of sweetcorn.

Snog, marry or avoid?

Apparently marry because he proposed to me.

When you saw the other date, how did you think it was going?

They seemed...happy. I think they left quite early.

What mark would you give the evening out of ten?

7

What did you talk about?

Uni courses, houses, Exeter and its nightlife, animals, and drunken stories about friends and ourselves.

On face value, would you have preferred to be on the other date?

No.

When Charlotte Haynes went out with Thomas Seaman What Charlotte thought of the evening What were you hoping for before your date?

A hilarious anecdote to reassure me single life isn’t so bad.

What were your first impressions?

He bought me a drink no hesitations, so that was sweet.

What did you talk about?

All the classic things you ask when you meet someone at uni, courses, halls, houses next year, Cheesy Tuesday’s (my one true passion) and llamas, randomly.

Any awkward moments at all?

Surprisingly not actually!

He seemed interested in what I had to say, so conversation flowed pretty easily.

Do you think they fancied you?

I’m going to take a punt on no, it would be pretty awkward if I said yes then faced public humiliation when I open the next issue up.

What was their most attractive physical feature?

He had a really nice smile which is always a plus!

What was the worst thing about them?

He did Biology and Animal Behaviour... Probably two of my worst nightmares!

When you saw the other date, how did you think it was going?

It looked like it was going well!

Did they look as if they were having more fun than you?

Our date seemed a lot more relaxed. At one point I saw the other guy leaning back on his chair looking all suave... I’m glad I dodged that bullet.

On face value, would you have preferred to be on the other date?

I only really saw the back of his head, so from that I’m going to say no, the back of Tom’s head was definitely nicer.

Would you meet up with your date again?

Yes, he was lovely to chat to, but only as friends unfortunately.

By the end of the night was there a hug, kiss or something more?

He walked me to meet my friends then it ended as it began with a friendly hug Snog, marry or avoid?

Sadly it would have to be an avoid, he was genuinely lovely just not my type!

What mark would you give the evening out of ten?

7/10, as a date it wasn’t wild but as an evening I wasn’t desperate to pretend I’d left the oven on and escape, so I call that a success.

Any awkward moments at all?

No not really.

Do you think they fancied you?

I don’t really know, it’s hard to really tell.

What was their most attractive physical feature?

She had a beautiful smile What was the worst thing about them?

There was honestly nothing bad about her.

What Thomas thought of the evening

When you saw the other date, how did you think it was going?

It looked like it was going all right.

They were talking, laughing having fun by the looks of it.

What were you hoping for before your date?

I was hoping for a fun evening out with someone new. Someone that I perhaps would have never met otherwise.

Did it look awkward at all?

It was a tad awkward when they kept looking at us...but other than that no.

What were your first impressions?

She was funny, bubbly, friendly and very pretty.

Did they look as if they were having more fun than you?

It was difficult to tell, I wasn’t paying huge amount of attention to them.

Would you meet up with your date again?

Yeah, it was a great evening.

By the end of the night was there a hug, kiss or something more?

A hug If so, how was it?

It was a good end to a lovely evening.

Snog, marry or avoid?

I definitely wouldn’t avoid her and after an evening together marriage would be crazy to think about, so that leaves a snog.

What mark would you give the evening out of ten?

8/10

20

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Listings Tue 5th Mar Exit 1st Birthday w/ Tom Shorterz & Hannah Wants Cellar Door Tue 5th Mar The Joy Formidable Phoenix

12 NOVEMBER 2012 |

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Interview to a kill

Exeposé Music pulls off a hat-trick of its biggest ever band interviews for this special four page bumper edition

Interview

Wed 6th Mar Beats and Bass Cavern

Down the rabbit hole

Fri 8th Mar Tom Odell Thekla, Bristol Mon 11th Mar Foals O2 Academy Bristol Mon 11th Mar Mama, It’s 2013! w/ Illuminations, Sweet Nothings & more Mama Stones Tue 12th Mar Danny Howard Lemmy Tue 12th Mar Jessie Ware o2 Academy Bristol Tue 19th Mar Palma Violets Lemmy Tue 19th Mar Pink Floyd Tribute Presents Dark Side of the Moon Lemmy Sun 24th Mar Stornoway Phoenix Tue 26th Mar Thick as Thieves w/Duke Dumont Cellar Door

Fortnightly Freebie

SCNTST-JDIillaChangedMyLife tinyurl.com/dillachanged Still old enough to be a fresher, this up and coming German techno talent releases a free beat mixtape over on his soundcloud, inspired by the master that was J Dilla himself. Lovely stuff.

Daisy Meager, Online Music Editor, catches Frightened Rabbit’s frontman Scott Hutchinson at Exeter Phoenix to work out why fourth album Pedestrian Verse has been their breakthrough THE fourth album of a band’s career does not seem like the time for them to hit their peak. However, following the mixed reception of The Winter of Mixed Drinks in 2010, it seems that Frightened Rabbit have got into their stride with their new offering, Pedestrian Verse.

Upon hearing the title my inner music journo cynic sighed exasperatedly, but as frontman Scott explains, it was the starting point for the album, scribbled on the front of the notebook before any of the lyrics or music were written. “If I’ve got that in mind when I’m writing then I had to avoid cliché and look at things more interestingly and with more depth…it was also about branching out into writing about other people’s lives i.e. pedestrians. It has that meaning too. There was never any other title in mind.”

“I love putting that layer of darkness on top” Listening through the album the sense of observation seeps through, which marks a departure from previous albums where a more personal note is struck, as Scott admits that he relied a lot on his own experiences. The emphasis for Pedestrian Verse is on other

times, it was only when I paid attention to the words that I caught myself in a moment of epiphany as to why I was getting strange looks from my house“Songwriting is a way mates when singing to myself while doing the dishes. Scott beams at this, of putting lyrics in a “I guess from the very first song that I neat picture frame and wrote I loved that contrast…To put that putting them away” layer of darkness on the top of it, I find of: “I sort of challenged myself in order that intriguing and interesting.” Frightto try and become better at writing and ened Rabbit’s latest album has been a see if I could write about other peo- continuation of this style of songwriting and Scott cites the record as more ple’s lives, and when I found I could subtle and grown-up, commanage it I was quite pleased pared to anything they’ve with that.” The two tracks Search ever made in the past. provide points around Exeposé This change in tone which the rest of the Music and Xmedia may be attributed album oscillates, telling the indiMusic on Facebook for to a new, collabovidual stories of a more music, exclusive rative approach to writing. “I think man and a woman, competitions, it’s made it slightly which almost talk interview more diverse withback to each other. opportunities & out it being forced… I Lyrics such as “the more think that means you natknight in shitty armour urally get other personalities / Rips the drunk out of her creeping in and it takes turns I never dress” reply to “All thighs, hair, and magpie handbags / Saturday’s uniform could have expected or could have happened under the old circumstances.” for the fuck me parade.”

This dark lyricism pervades the However, while musically the record album but is juxtaposed with more is comprised of five heads instead of uplifting, rousing melodies. Listen- one, Scott still holds the reins when it ing through the whole album a few comes to the lyrics. He describes his people’s lives, with Scott highlighting ‘Acts Of Man’ and ‘State Hospital’ as tracks which he is particularly proud

songwriting process as a filing system: “it’s a way of putting them into a neat picture frame or something and putting them away. A song can make sense of something that previously I wasn’t quite sure why it happened or how I felt about it, so writing a song can do that.”

Raw emotion seems to be at the surface of Frightened Rabbit’s music, particularly on previous records, but playing the songs again and again live has been cathartic for Scott, as the original sentiment drops away and it feels less like a song is about him and more about what anyone else in the room is bringing to it.

“If you can’t take a song back to a guitar and voice then maybe it’s not that good a song anywhere”

From a man who likes drawing beards and a band who recorded their album in the dining room of a house in Scotland, Pedestrian Verse is anything but pedestrian. Scott sums up the record quite eloquently, “There’s a story, there’s colloquialism as well and I think if you can’t take a song back to a guitar and a voice then maybe it’s not that good of a song anyway. So we always try to start there and then build.”

Exeposé

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Django restrained

Interview

21

Djan-gofish

Django Reinhardt Though The Guardian’s Paul Lester speculated four years ago that the band were so-named “after one of Django Reinhardt’s teachers, who had a terrible stutter and always struggled with the Belgian jazz guitar legend’s name when he called the register”, it has sadly been confirmed that this is not the case. Which is good, because gypsy jazz sucks.

Callum McLean, Music Editor, ambushes NME Awards Tour headliners Django Django in their tour bus outside the Bristol o2 and finds less beer and cocaine, more Trivial Pursuit and matching shirts “WE just didn’t really know what we were doing”, admits Tommy Grace, keyboardist for Django Django, whose selftitled debut was nominated for the Mercury Prize last year and sees them now headlining NME’s prestigious Awards Tour. “It was just one massive learning curve…we just sort of learned as we went along, as we recorded.”

“Our show is full of light bulbs, blinds and hula hoops - as much for people to take their gaze off us as possible” Hardly the leather-jacketed braggadocio often associated with NME’s flagship bands – yet this London/Edinburghbased group take over the slot from past acts The Vaccines, The Cribs and The View. And tonight they’re sharing the bill with Peace, Palma Violets and Miles Kane, who swaggers and thrusts his way through his own set in a crisp cream suit and mod-cut. Django come on stage in matching homemade shirts: “Vinny’s one was this sort of hot pink”. “–Magenta”, bassist Jimmy Dixon corrects. “We do sit a bit oddly in amongst them…”, relates Dixon gingerly, whose bandmate’s thick-rimmed specs complete an already uncanny resemblance to Brains from Thunderbirds,“…but that’s fine!”

Grace extrapolates, “Peace and Palma Violets have been pretty rock and roll.

They’re flying the flag! We’re just being really boring and professional about the whole thing.” It’s worth noting that neither member of Django Django’s tongue ever really leaves their (in Grace’s case, expressively dimpled) cheek. “We borrowed a Trivial Pursuit board game off someone and got absolutely hammered just playing that”, adds Dixon. “It didn’t

their gaze off us as possible”, chips in really work.”

The Libertines they ain’t. But be- Dixon – “Smoke and mirrors!” concludes yond differing touring habits and shirts, what stick out about Django are traces “Writing, you sketch of their art-school sensibility and their out a story of someone eclectic reference points. NME is “somewalking through a thing [they’ve] grown up reading”, but their musical direction is far from that of dustbowl, and you also lad-rock, even indie rock itself. “I kind have this palette of of listen to anything but [guitar music]”, colour in your head” says Dixon. “We’re really keen to kind of explore music, and the more you do Grace. Live, they rouse crowds to ‘walk that the more you realise there’s a whole like an Egyptian’ to the psychedelically kind of other world of music beyond arabesque ‘Skies Over Cairo’, and comiguitars.” This is nothing exceptional cally stutter the digital refrain of ‘Default’. In these boys’ case, any – in fact, Django have often gesture at artful derivation been pigeonholed into a and pop culture refernew wave of supposRead an encing comes with a edly ‘intelligent’ cheeky grin, not a guitar bands (“the extended Q&A knowing smirk. ‘intelligence’ from Django Django, “Stuff just sort bit is a bit of a of seeps through fallacy for us”, Frightened Rabbit & I guess? I dunno grins Grace): more online, and hear – what am I geta mythological ting at?” chuck‘return to guitar our audio version on les Grace. music’ as antidote Facebook Part of the playto a David Guettaful sincerity to their ised Top 40, including experimenting lies in the bands like Alt-J and Evealbum’s conception – four artrything Everything. But, doubleword band names aside, Django Django school friends piecing together samples don’t fit snugly alongside those falsetto- in a bedroom, never getting near a studio. Grace extrapolates: “[When recordwielding cerebral-popsters either. ing], you think of a couple of things - one “Vinny’s shirt was this is like, you think about trying to tell a story, and you sort of sketch out this sort of hot pink” idea of a sort of bare bones story about Sure, there’s a canny maximalism to someone walking through a dustbowl or their music (see also Everything Every- something, you know. So you have that thing’s melange of math rock, synth pop in your mind and you also have this idea and R&B). But take their live perfor- of a sort of palette of colour that you’re mances, featuring “swinging light bulbs thinking of - and that can be like a guide and blinds and hula hoops”. “–And hid- to what everyone else can then contribute eous shirts…” adds Grace, “…the full to it”. Their live set – a seamless blend of shebang.” “As much for people to take “sort of 12” disco edits of all the hits”,

turns out to be a seemingly natural extension of this: each member bashes away jauntily at their kit to disco-ify tropes of rockabilly, electronica, surf, psych rock etc. and throw together everything else that’s touched their ears/hearts. “And I think that’s a really nice way of working.

That’s something [producer-drummer] Dave and [singer-guitarist] Vinny have been doing from the start. Yeah, I think we’ll carry on that way.”

If they seem unsure, it’s because they haven’t had a chance to consolidate a game plan

“I listen to anything but guitar music - the more you explore music, the more you realise there’s a whole world beyond guitars” over the past whirlwind year. Grace racks his brain: “For me it’s just been like we’ve been on this one big massive tour...So I still can’t reflect on the past year and a bit with any decent perspective at all.” With so many awards, nominations and cooing critics, how do they plan on extending their strategy to that difficult second album? “It’s about trying to be smart, trying to retain what made the first album unique, without being too stubborn-headed and just illogical”, ponders one quarter of Django Django, resorting – oddly – to doubling words to explain this: “because it was just a bit daft, the way that we did some things.

I mean just daft daft - not like creative daft - just daft daft. So [we’ll have to] just try and be smart about it, just retain the special qualities that made the album a good’un.” Hear hear.

Django ‘The “D” is silent’ Ahem, so, Tarantino’s lace-cuffed slave-come-revenger badass was an insipiration for our bo-diddley psychsurf popsters, who are also worldclass quick draw gunfighters, with family histories of violent oppression at the hands of the English. Not really - they’ve been around since 2008, when our Quentin hadn’t so much as a script. But the soundtrack and DD’s album do both mix spaghetti westerns and, err, hip hop.

Get in tune: online and on air Head to Exeposé Music Online for an exclusive interview with Cosmo Jarvis, weekly interviews with local artists in Best of Ex, Beginner’s Guides to bands and genres and loads more reviews and comment pieces. www.exepose.ex.ac.uk Tune into our radio collaboration with Xpression FM Music, The Xmedia Music Show 6-7pm every other Monday, or listen back to past episodes featuring the rest of the Django Django interview, an exclusive mix from ojf, interviews with Alt-J, Peter Hook, Ethan Johns & much more www.facebook.com/ xmediamusicshow

22

MUSIC

Fishing for ‘condiments’

Exeposé

5 MARCH 2013 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Interview

Marcus Beard, Games Editor, shows ska punk veterans Reel Big Fish around campus

“So this is where to get the cocaine”...

SAYS Aaron Barrett as he flips through the latest issue of Exeposé.

Lead singer and only founding member remaining in the pop-punkska ensemble responsible for the up-tempo condemnations of the record industry ‘Sell Out’ and ‘Everything Sucks’, he’s walked into the room halfway through the interview, followed by a tall, heavily made up, blonde embodiment of the rockstar lifestyle.

Matt Appleton, the group’s newbie sax player, also paws through the scandalous issue. “Does it tell us anything about where the

marijuana is on campus? I’m looking for that too.”

Sitting backstage in Cornwall House, the band look different to their colourful appearance in the video for ‘Sell Out’, still often played on VH1. Half the band members have been switched out, facial hair is less questionable and outfits much less saturated. But for Reel Big Fish, the crowd hasn’t changed. In 1997 they were playing to pits of energetic teens, and in 2013 they’re doing the same thing.

“That’s something that’s confused us over the years,” explains Dan Reagan, trombone blower since 1994, as our interview began. “We thought they’d all be thirty-” he pauses as the band chuckles at their age. “-One! Thirty one, just like us.

“Once [older fans] realised we were silly and full of crap, they stopped coming to the shows and it was all the younger people.”

The literal, narrative style of their angsty numbers sound like they could have ripped from a teenager’s TMNT diary. “Aaron has the wisdom of an older gentlemen but the heart of a 17-yearold,” says Dan. But the band aren’t trying to harken back to simpler times in the summer of Ska. “I don’t think there’s a feeling of nostalgia about it, it just comes out. You’re writing about what you know. Even when people get older they still want to tell people to fuck off - people giggle [at the songs] because they’re too polite. But kids,” he laughs, “Kid’s are gonna go ‘fuck you mom!’, or

‘fuck you Gerry!’”

“Fuckin’ Gerry!” shouts Matt as he starts to giggle. The groups starts talking about ‘Modern Sienfeld’, a twitter feed they have just discovered. Matt can barely control his laugher as he starts recalling supposed alternate plots: “I can’t break up with her now, her Netflix knows me too well!”

After a bout of nostalgia and discussion about which actors would be in ‘Reel Big Fish: The Nickelodeon High School Sitcom’ (FYI Dan would be Nic Cage - “we have the same buggy eyes”), Dan explains how he misses the surrealism and irony of 90s alternative music. “Now it’s the opposite. Screamo and emo is all about being very honest it’s all like ‘Uh. Ow. My. Heart. Hurts.’” he ‘sings’, pounding his fist against the table rhythmically.

“Would it help the interview if I picked up a chair like this?”

It’s only as we’re about to wrap up when lead singer Aaron strolls into the room, complete with leather jacket, checkerboard scarf and quivering groupie. He decides every member of the room deserves a brief shoulder massage as we continue to talk about the band’s releases after going independent in 2006.

“I feel like I used to be a lot more clever and funny. I’m old,” he laments while his eyes wander around the room. “‘Monkeys for Nothing’ was leftover

Great gig in the sky/Lemmy Emily Lunn, Books Editor finds Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon in a Cornwall House back room, where a cherry-picked group of student musicians rehearse their epic rendition

PERFORMING an album as iconic as The Dark Side Of The Moon is always going to be a bold choice.

Lucky then, that this latest offering is from some of Exeter’s most talented musicians. The group who have taken on such a challenge have been cherry picked from a variety of student bands, including EUJO and Soul Choir, under the leadership of Timian Brierley. As a fan of both of these groups, I had high expectations.

If you don’t know much about Pink Floyd, this is the album that cemented their talent, becoming a worldwide best seller shortly after its release back in

1973. It deals with themes as weighty as conflict, greed, the passage of time and mental illness. Timian admits that it is an ambitious choice, but has long held it as a musical aspiration, and he’s not going to do it by halves. He’s looking to create an atmospheric display by incorporating psychedelic lighting effects and video footage into the performance. A screen behind the band will show recordings of Pink Floyd’s live shows, combined with live footage of the Exeter gig and original footage created by Timian.

Even the infamous sound effects from the record (that manic laughter and wailing for starters)

will be performed live by the band.

Despite the great ambition of the project, the rehearsal had the zeal and focus necessary to pull it off. Yes, there was still work to be done, but I am confident that they can pull it together in time. A huge amount of energy is clearly going into this and they’ve even arranged for XTV to stream the performance live.

As if I haven’t given enough reasons to see them live already, the whole thing is for charity. All proceeds will go to CLIC Sargent, a cancer charity for children and young adults. All the stops are being pulled out and even if you’re not a massive Pink

Floyd fan, this promises to be quite a show.

bullshit.”

“There’s your endorsement form lead singer Aaron Barrett!” says Matt.

“It was just a piece of shit. On a stick.”

There’s a moment of silence before Aaron grabs the furniture in front of him.

“Would it help the interview if I picked my chair up like this?” He lurches

CHVRCHES Recover EP ...............................

Out now

Come to the Lemmy on 14th March at 7.30pm to see Dark Side of the Moon.

Ticket prices: £6.50 adults, £4 students.

Find the band on Facebook for more information.

CHVRCHES’ new EP Recover - their first full release - emerges from a wave of hype generated by ‘The Mother We Share’ that earned them a Top 5 spot on the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2013’ poll. The three-piece from Glasgow play tightly produced throwback synthpop.

The EP opens up with its namesake, which blasts out immediately with the chirpy collaboration of unashamedly 80s synth arpeggios and the painfully catchy vocals of Lauren Mayberry.

The lyrics are clichéd with a seemingly self-aware emotional intensity, but there is a satisfyingly shallow aspect to their predictably recounted tryst, over throbbing bass stabs and melodramatic chords. All the while the production remains joyfully crisp: CHVRCHES’ synthesized snares always ring out wonderfully clearly.

Exeposé

| WEEK TWENTY

Photos: Joshua Irwandi

towards me. “And was like ‘goddamn why did you ask me that stupid fuckin’ question aah!’”

As Aaron and the band feel as though they’ve put on enough of a show for us, they started to shuffle about the room and some of them head back to the trailer. We give them a copy of Exeposé and after ‘ZVVL’, suitably stylised, is an almost anthemic track that seems to constantly build to nowhere… in a good way. Iain Cook’s vocals deliver an understated sigh of a performance that builds a suspenseful darkness through the track. The bridge suddenly adopts a harsh breakbeat that wants to become something angry and intense.

Instead, the song falls back into that aching buildup. The track is a healthy departure from saccharine pop, tonally and structurally, and refuses to follow the rudimentary structure that we begin to expect from the trio.

‘Now Is Not The Time’ is a return to Lauren’s candy vocals and an incredibly successful synthpop formula. From the first second or two of the track, you can tell what you’re in for: the lovesick chords, the obnoxious eighties snare and clinically treated female vocal.

The bass that climbs in rigid arpeggios in combination with Lauren’s vocal is evocative of Kavinsky’s ‘Nightcall’, the song that rode the retro aesthetic of the movie Drive into indie hearts. That is not to condemn CHVRCHES for being derivative; the track simply doesn’t do anything new, and unfortunately it doesn’t rise above as the best of its kind.

The remix certainly does something worthy with the track. Its production maintains a preciseness that suits the band’s aesthetic. The sound design built around the single arpeggio that morphs a bongo into a harp and back again, takes the foreground in the track perfectly.

This centerpieces an immaculately made electronica remix of the track, without losing its catchiness.

JACK REID

Music

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

locating the prime spots for their next hit (“In the disabled toilets.. fuck that, I’m not licking any toilet seats”), Aaron makes a collection of paper hats for the band.

Reel Big Fish are all about happygo-lucky spectacle with an occasional dark ironic twist - it’s the ‘Candy

Atoms For Peace AMOK ...............................

Out now

BACK in 2006 Thom Yorke released a little album called The Eraser.

Centering on the staggered beats and stuttering synths that had skirted around the periphery of Radiohead’s 00s output, it was immediately clear that this was the music that the self-declared perfectionist really wanted to be making: twitchy triphop uncompromised by the talents and ambitions of band mates and collaborators. AMOK can be seen as a semi follow-up to Thom’s debut, but in no way is it another solo album. Bassist Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, drummer Joey Waronker from Beck and R.E.M, percussionist Mauro Refosco and long-time collaborator Nigel Godrich (all of whom toured as Thom’s live band for The Eraser) each manage to translate the torrent of

Coated Fury’. Though ageing and tired of the road, the sextet still have their classic sense of cruel, puerile humour.

“Awesome,” we overhear hat-wearing Matt say as we leave. “A flasher was seen publicly masturbating near halls of residence in the St. David’s area.

“Is that near here?” ideas spilling from the singer’s head into nine songs’ worth of beautifully connected unity, while also managing to add their own unique stamps on the finished product. The interplay between various beats from Waronker and Refesco is so multi-layered that you’ll hear something new on every replay, but it’s Flea’s subtle versatility that really commands the listener’s attention: he holds himself back on most of the record to allow his pulsating basslines on ‘Dropped’ and ‘Judge, Jury And Executioner’ to drive the songs forwards and add a strangely appropriate injection of groove into the album. Despite this, however, AMOK is all about the (Radio)Head Honcho. Thom Yorke’s vocals seep into the inner ear like a syringe full of treacle, alternating between cracked vulnerability and a dovelike coo at the drop of a top hat. If the soft croon of “And you know it” on ‘Ingenue’ (for my money the best song of 2013, so what if we’re just hitting March?) doesn’t make you feel weak at the loins then there must be something wrong with you. Or maybe there’s something wrong with me… Moving on – I would have said that the only man who rivalled Thom as the king of chameleonic genius and inspired collaborations was Damon Albarn. But seeing as he also made an album with Flea and it was shite, nothing remains but to crown Thom Yorke overlord and high priest of all music. Atoms For Peace have set the standard, the challenge for everyone else will be to even come close to it.

JOSH GRAY

23

THE FIRING RANGE Tyler the Creator Domo 23

Kwabs Spirit Fade

IF Odd Future put as much effort into their music as they do their visual media, it probably wouldn’t feel like it was so thrown together. “Domo 23” feels as if Tyler made a substandard processed beat, wrote a few emotionless verses riddled with lazy wordplay and some mindless gang vocals consisting of vacuous Odd Future slogans.

Presumably he then chucked these elements into a blender in the hope that something vaguely saleable would emerge after a few minutes. But the most irritating thing of all is that despite this, I can’t get its tinny synths out of my head.

AFTER dipping into the musical consciousness with his cover of James Blake’s ‘A Wilhelm Scream’, Kwabs, a rising soul star, has reached celestial heights with his latest release ‘Spirit Fade’.

Deep drum claps rain down on a meandering synth stream as the track flows forth into Blakensian depths.

Nuanced yet powerful, Kwabs sings like a soulful Siren as husky gospel tones float irresistibly across rolling acoustic rhythms and twitching electronics. Voluptuous bass lines surf along wave after unstoppable wave of layered vocals, surging forward in a tsunami of fluid emotion that baptises the listener. I’m converted.

DOMINIC WOODCOCK

BEN CLARKE

Primal Scream 2013 PRIMAL Scream joined the middle aged comeback train, given their history of one decent album a decade this should be pretty good. It’s better than the Flaming Lips, I’ll give it that.It’s that time of the decade again but their newest effort is really nothing to write home about.

It won’t blow you away. It’s a solid hook and chugs along at a fairly solid pace, which is good since the video is depressingly dull artsy crap. Gillespie’s vague but he’s not bad either, especially now he seems to have realised that middle aged, white, drugged out rockers rapping is the kind of thing that the word misery was invented for.

HUGH DIGNAN

David Bowie The Stars (Are Out Tonight) DAVID Bowie’s second single is a meditation on the fame that he has been avoiding since his last release a decade ago. ‘The Stars (Are Out Tonight)’ begins with trashcan drums and stabs of sluggish guitar, backed by an ambient wall of grunge-inflected feedback. Surprise comes two minutes in when the groove transforms into a 70s-esque Bowie number with wizened howls about how the famous will “burn you with their radiant smiles.” Managing to maintain excitement and relevance after a long absence is an impressive feat that Bowie carries off here with suitable aplomb, hinting at more treasures to follow.

BEN MURPHIE

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Newsreel US Senate drop Zero Dark Thirty enquiry The high profile governmental investigation that arguably ruined Zero Dark Thirty’s award season chances has been dropped. The enquiry centred on the CIA’s alleged use of torture on suspected terrorists, and whether or not Kathryn Bigelow were granted access to “inappropriate material” by government officials.

Paramount considering Jack Reacher sequel Tom Cruise’s most recent action flick is being considering for a sequel, despite the fact that it failed to reach the box office target set by its studio. Paramount are allegedly thinking that the sequel might have a wider appeal than the original, which fell well short of its $250million target.

Silver Linings Playbook wins at Independent Spirit Awards Despite only picking up one Oscar, Silver Linings Playbook had some success this week, winning four gongs at the Independent Spirit Awards. David O. Russell’s work won Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Director.

Oscar Winners Best film - Argo Best actor - Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln Best actress - Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook Best supporting actor - Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained Best supporting actress - Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables Best director - Ang Lee, Life of Pi

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Amour, Amour, Amour : How do you like it?

It was to no great surprise that Amour, after winning best film at the César awards, Cannes, and Best Foreign Language film at Toronto and the Golden Globes, would also add to its impressive tally by taking Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. It arguably would have been even more shocking than Ben Affleck’s snub for Best Director or host Seth Macfarlane’s opening song with a ‘memorable’ tribute to Hollywood’s actresses.

Michael Haneke, Amour’s esteemed director and celebrated European auteur’s latest work focuses on the deterioration of a marriage and couple, after the elderly wife suffers a stroke. With an introduction that essentially ruins the end of the film, as what ultimately happens to Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) is revealed within minutes. We watch the aftermath of an operation, following a stroke, which leaves her paralysed on one side and needing the use of a wheelchair. And that readers, is effectively the rest of the movie, with a few appearances from the estranged daughter and former piano protégé of blooming fame.

“The casting is brilliant and Trintignant’s performance, whilst inevitably overlooked when paired with Riva’s, is strong”

Emmanuelle Riva’s performance is compelling, and at 85 years of age, it would have been fitting for the Oscars’ oldest ever nominee to win Best Actress.

Amour Director: Michael Haneke Cast: Jean-Louis Tritignant, Emanuelle Riva 127 mins (12A) However, as Amour seemingly complies with Haneke’s pessimistic movies, perhaps it was never meant to be! She really does steal the movie, convincing the viewer she is gravely ill and yet, this juxtaposition with her reluctance both to lose her independence and not be a burden on Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is powerful and eerily realistic.

One of the two most memorable and striking moments of the movie is when she tells Georges that she no longer wants to live. Credit where credit’s due; the casting is brilliant and Trintignant’s performance as Georges, whilst inevitably overlooked when paired with Riva’s, is strong and you really do empathise with the situation he is faced with, whilst feeling moved by the reality of his situation.

Considering its impressive reper-

toire of accolades, you’d expect a keen film enthusiast to jump at the opportunity to view Amour. However, unlike most of the films up for the Best Picture category, Amour is not a film you can immerse yourself in. Let me put my viewing into context; having seen three other Haneke films, I was well accustomed to his style and yet had the smallest of hopes the auteur may have wanted to have more happening in two-plus-hours than usual.

Alas, staying true to form, he did not.

It’s hard work and you’d expect nothing less from a Haneke film, which ultimately leaves you feeling depressed, cold, and wishing Georges had smothered Anne an hour earlier, and then you, with that pillow too.

The problem is that Haneke is of the philosophy that cinema is meant to

be challenging, thought-provoking and have a clear separation between viewer and film. With regards to the latter, that is no problem at all, as Amour is two hours of Emmanuelle Riva incrementally leaving Earth with a sensational, but uncomfortably realistic performance and very little besides.

An analogy I would offer is he is the anti-Tarantino. Where Tarantino loves action, Haneke thrives on a lack of it.

Where Tarantino is escapism, Haneke is intellectual stimulation and will stop you at every opportunity, including even getting comfortable in your standard cinema seat. Nonetheless, for Trintignant and Riva’s performances alone, this film is worthy of a watch – just don’t expect to feel alive inside for a day.

BEN LEWIS

Oscars Review Best Picture This year’s nominees were all part of a spectacular mystery-bag of films. Each deserved to win and each had a good chance of glorious failure, so what is it that made Argo walk away with the coveted statuette? It was fantastically written, performed and directed, but what likely edged it is that Hollywood can’t help but love a movie that celebrates its own history (The Artist, anyone?). Above all other candidates, Lincoln seemed the next most obvious choice for the honour; however, a win here would have raised some uncomfortable questions about ‘Best Director’.

Best Director It is hard to say who was unluckier this year, Ben Affleck or Steven Spielberg.

Affleck’s exclusion from the hallowed list raised questions, but in terms of the sheer amount of effort and dedication to his work, Spielberg seemed untouchable. Unfortunately, a win in

this category and a loss for Lincoln in ‘Best Picture’ would have been a colossal upset, so it was lucky that Life of Pi was bursting with so much visual artistry as to provide Ang Lee with a justifiable win.

Best Actor An impressive year for actors was marked with an even more impressive landmark in Daniel Day-Lewis’ stunning career.

Joaquin Phoenix may have made a welcome return to form in The Master and Hugh Jackman may have grabbed his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables by the throat, but frankly if Day-Lewis did not win for his role in Lincoln there would have been riots in the streets.

Deserved.

Best Actress Throughout the evening, Jennifer Lawrence was quickly confirmed as everyone’s favourite flawed star, and with two nominations and an Academy Award under her belt at the age of just 22, it is a great testament to her talent and indeed her popularity among audiences and critics alike.

Despite entering the race as the favourite, it still came as a shock to the many people who expected Emmanuelle Riva, who was celebrating her 86th birthday, to scoop the award after her heartfelt role in ‘Best Picture’ nominee Amour.

Best Supporting Actor Oh, Leonardo DiCaprio, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Much like Ben Affleck’s absence from the ‘Best Director’ category,

much of the interest surrounded who was omitted from the list of nominees rather than who should win. Tommy Lee Jones’ turn in Lincoln could have won in any other year, but Christoph Waltz’s part as Dr King Schultz in Django Unchained oozed charm and charisma at every turn.

Best Supporting Actress Much like Daniel Day-Lewis, Anne Hathaway had this award in the bag as soon as her name was put on the list. Les Misérables was a peculiar film in the way that it managed to win over many people whilst simultaneously alienating much of the musical’s core audience, but nearly everyone could agree that Hathaway gave nothing but quality with a performance which even won over hardcore fans.

ROBERT J. HARRIS

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5 MARCH 2013 |

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“Ferris Bueller, you’re my hero!” Free man to Freeman Megan Furborough takes a teeny trip down memory lane I LOVE teen movies. I love their soft rock, bubblegum pop soundtracks, I love their hammy acting and I love trying to decipher their apparent deeper meanings. Consuming a vast diet of box sets, eBay bargains and £3 HMV offers (R.I.P.) over the years, it’s fair to say that I’ve seen a lot of teen films.

Yet I still don’t quite understand why everyone is so quick to name the 80s as the superior decade of teenage film making.

The 80s were certainly the first time that teenagers were given a voice that was uniquely their own. 30 years on from the birth of the teenager in post-war culture, the famous movies of Molly Ringwald and co. were the first examples of stories where young people didn’t necessarily get the perfect resolution to the many troubles and issues that they faced along the way.

Whilst James Dean may have been rebelling way back in the 50s, for all of his moody looks the film still ended up with him conventionally introducing his girlfriend to his parents. John Hughes and the brat pack re-imagined the adolescent story, creating the stock characters that formed the bulk of 80s

and early 90s films. Whilst The Breakfast Club remains one of my favourites, I also believe that the argument that this was the superior decade of teenage filmmaking is far too steeped in nostalgia.

“The 80s was certainly the first time in which teenagers were given a voice that was uniquely their own” Despite Hughes’ innovation, the late 90s and early 2000s are arguably when the genre came into its own. Between 1995 and 2004 more distinctly teen films were released than any in other period, and the conventions of what makes a teen movie were redefined in ways that threw the 80s out of the window, as everything Hollywood thought they knew about their young audience was mocked and satirised.

1996’s horror Scream is a key example of the irony and Hollywood self-referencing that litters films of this period.

The brilliant opening scene has Drew Barrymore quizzed on horror movies by a killer dressed in a Halloween costume, the characters joke about who would play them in a movie of their lives and later in the film Jamie Kennedy drunkenly informs his fellow students the rules of how to stay alive according to the movies (it doesn’t do much good).

The genre itself also diversified, as teenagers incorporated the road, body-swap and psychological into its sub-genres, to name just three. The jokes got funnier, cruder, and more accessible, whilst teenage sex and violence was depicted more truthfully.

Just imagine what TV and film today would look like without American Pie? In the HIV era, Harmony Korine’s Kids was a shocking but brave piece of film-making that dealt directly with anxiety and confusion that accompanied new and frightening issues that real teenagers were facing. Gay and transgendered teenagers had their own stories told (although there was still a very long way to go) in films such as The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love and Boys Don’t Cry, whilst non-white characters – how many black characters can you remember in Pretty In Pink? – were very much present for the first time.

Quite simply there were just so many great moments during this period. Cher in Clueless gave us “whatever” as an appropriate answer to every question. Donnie Darko blended science fiction with teen angst and became a cult classic. Claire Danes showcased the most realistic crying expression of any other actress. ‘Bandcamp’ and ‘apple pie’ became synonymous with sex. And Mean Girls, possibly the most quotable film ever, entered our lives. So next time you fondly recall Matthew Broderick singing atop a car, spare a moment for Heath Ledger serenading Julia Stiles and remember the superior generation.

Alex Palmer investigates the phenomenon of Secret Cinema MOVIEGOERS today want more than a seat and a bucket of popcorn. They want an interactive experience – and Secret Cinema gives them just that.

The concept was conceived in 2005 by Fabien Riggall, who wanted to bring back the ‘experience’ of going to the cinema. In essence, Secret Cinema bring the film they are ‘showing’ to life, through the unique fusion of film, improvised performances, detailed design and interactive multimedia. The company create a wholly immersive world that ‘stretches the audience’s imagination and challenges their expectations.’

Last week I went to see their showing of The Shawshank Redemption. I was told very little about what to expect prior to the event. I was given a dress code (smart for my ‘court hearing’) and told to wear white undergarments. We didn’t know until the day before where the performance was going to take place.

“People want more than just a film or a play; they want an experience, and one that feels almost tailor-made to them” We arrived at our secret location, in suits and ties, eagerly awaiting our journey into the night and into the film. We both got sentenced to prison for crimes we did not commit (Sound familiar?). Then, with about 20 others, we were marched into an old American police coach (much like in the film) and told various instructions. The film had started!

We drove around central London for about 20 minutes before arriving at the prison. Driving through the gates I was struck by the detail of everything, and was also aware that I was very nervous. I could see four big muscly

inmates standing intimidatingly, waiting for us to get off the coach.

We were then put into prisoner clothes and marched to our cells. By this point I had been split up from my friend and was experiencing the film on my own. The rest of the night was almost video game like, there were ‘characters’ who would give you ‘rewards’ (shots of whisky or Jagermeister) if you participated in the films plot, all of which were events in the film.

It wasn’t long before I forgot I was an audience member and started acting like an inmate. (I even started putting on an American accent – like the actors!) Secret Cinema in my view captured the essence of the film very well, however the actual organization of audience, which is always the hardest thing to manage in immersive performance, was poor. I would have liked more structure, more marching to cells and less free time to roam as I pleased.

I wanted to feel more like a prisoner under watch, than a spectator who was passively wandering through sequences which were already set up for me.

When it came round to watching the film (about two hours into the experience), I have never empathized with a character on a screen as much.

I felt Andy Dufresne’s injustice at the start of the film, I felt how it was to be put into a cell. It was a surreal experience because I was sat with 100 other ‘prisoners’ (still in our ‘costumes’) watching other prisoners in the same position I had been.

I think this is the sort of experience you don’t forget in a hurry, this is also where theatre, film and performance are going nowadays. People want more than just a film or a play; they want an experience, and one that feels almost tailor-made to them. Secret Cinema delivers this personal experience by combining theatre and film. It is certainly an event which is not to be missed.

Black Mirror: helpful or harmful?

Amy Young thinks Charlie Brooker is trying to tell us something CHARLIE BROOKER’S Black Mirror presents a different cast, setting and even a different reality in each episode. Mark Monahan calls this series “barely fictitious”, and I believe he has a good point.

Black Mirror works because it shocks and scares its viewers into questioning themselves. The dystopian realities of Black Mirror may seem incredibly unlikely, but it is how the characters act within a scenario and draw similarities with real-life humanity that makes the show terrifying.

“Black Mirror works because it shocks and scares its viewers into questioning themselves” For example, take the second episode of Black Mirror’s second series,

“White Bear” – a young woman (Lenora Crichlow) has amnesia, and is convinced that she is being hunted, whilst the majority of the population are being controlled by a signal on their screens called ‘White Bear’. In reality, she is Victoria, a woman sentenced to be locked up in a ‘Punishment Park’ as retribution after she helped to murder a little girl with her boyfriend. Her amnesia is inflicted on her by the park, so that her suffering is fresh every single day. The ‘possessed population’ are in actual fact visitors to the park, who are encouraged to enjoy themselves and record her plight on their mobiles.

Now, such devices to wipe a human memory as the one presented in “White Bear” seem ludicrous, but this is not where its terror comes from. What scared me was the behaviour of the ‘viewing public’, which I think is scarcely different from some members of the public in reality. How often do you see, in the

news, footage of some horrific accident or disaster people holding up their mobiles and recording it? Or even YouTube videos of ‘fails’, where you can hear

“This kind of terror in television is important” people laughing as they record some injury that has befallen their friend? To some extent, the public are revelling in other people’s misery, and though this is exaggerated in “White Bear”, this still evokes a fear that humanity is not too far away from this reality.

But this kind of terror in television is important. As Charlie Brooker stated, Black Mirror analyses “the way we live now – and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy”. It warns us of our own nightmarish flaws, allowing viewers to look into an ugly future of our own doing. So, isn’t Black Mirror more helpful than harmful?

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What I’ve been watching: Mr Selfridge

SUNDAY nights can often feel quite sad, with the weekend exploits over and the looming prospect of a rainy Monday morning. Not when Mr Selfridge is on TV. The charismatic American invites you into his world of fashion and glamour with a swish of the hand, letting you escape from the dull reality of life where the women don’t wear outrageous hats on top of pompadour hairstyles. Indeed, some of the best scenes are when Jeremy Piven is simply parading through his shop, admiring the empire he has built for the wealthy Edwardian aristocrats. The show pays great attention to detail in the costumes and accessories department, bringing the rich, illustrious world of commerce and respectability alive.

There’s something about the stilted manners of the early 20th century that makes for compelling drama, as characters compete to achieve the illusion

of class and composure whilst engaging in damaging private affairs. It is difficult to judge the morally ambiguous Mr Selfridge when the tone of the show is so light, allowing you gloss over the fact he’s unfaithful in the same way his wife prefers to stay together to keep up appearances. Nevertheless, there are darker mo-

ments in the show, including a violent outburst from Mr Selfridge against his employee’s drunken father after flashbacks of his own harmful paternal relationship have been portrayed. The show manages to keep a good balance between actual drama, and surprisingly intriguing storylines such as the dilemma over the position of perfume in the store. Mr Selfridge presents a vastly changing cultural landscape, bringing in narratives about the suffragette movement and the invention of air travel, while there is also a wonderfully nostalgic rivalry with a certain Frank Woolworth. A second season set to deal with the First World War has already been commissioned, meaning there’s plenty of potential left for a surprisingly absorbing programme about a department store.

MATT BUGLER

Films to see before you graduate: True Romance IN a word True Romance is cool. It is the perfect marriage of sharp direction from Tony Scott, witty and engaging writing from Quentin Tarantino and an all-star cast of talent including Christian Slater, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman and many more. It all culminates into a hilarious, stylish and action packed experience.

The film follows Clarence (Christian Slater), and Alabama (Patricia Arquette), a hooker, who fall in love and get married (pretty sharpish). They eventually steal cocaine from her pimp (Gary Oldman)

and then move to Hollywood not realising that the owners of the drugs will do anything to reclaim it. Immediately the Tarantino script opens up as the film begins with engaging dialogue about Elvis Presley not unlike the opening of Reservoir Dogs.The main characters (Slater and Arquette) are the only constant presence in the film as every other appearance seems to be a series of powerhouse cameos from Gary Oldman’s ‘gangsta pimp’, Christopher Walken’s terrifying mafia don and Brad Pitt’s hilarious stoner. All these small performances are so gripping and numerous that the audi-

ence is constantly in awe of the performances.

The relationship between Clarence and Alabama is delightfully naïve as they are a young couple swept away by their own passions, completely oblivious to the fact half the mob is after them. It makes the experience more loveable and it keeps the film together. The film is mainly comprised of lots of little memorable scenes but the greatest has to be the confrontation between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. It is the best example of the direction, writing and acting working together in perfect harmony.

YouTube it, you will be impressed!

One of the pleasures of True Romance comes from watching it more than once. It’s layered in such a way that every viewing feels unique. However, it may not appeal to everyone. It is very violent and full of swearing (as you would expect from Tarantino). It moves at an odd pace and it is not a realistic world; the characters are just that, characters.

The viewer that will get the most out of this will be the person who wants to be immersed in a great story full of interesting characters that are so likeable and so memorable.

ALEX PHELPS ONLINE GAMES EDITOR

SCREEN

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“Eat my goal!”

Owen Keating, Screen Editor, suffers from an overdose of Adrian Chiles FOOTBALL broadcasting is an expensive, competitive industry. Thousands seek a foothold in one of the most lucrative entertainment industries, and with good reason. Including overseas contracts, football television rights that come into force from the 2013/14 season will bring in over £5billion in revenues for both the football clubs and the broadcasters. Customers pay increasingly high tariffs for their football coverage both at the stadiums and on the screen, yet, I would say, they are repeatedly let down by the ineptitude of the coverage presented to them.

“Sky are definitely leading the way in terms of football coverage” I’m going to start with ITV, perennial underachievers in covering matches. Their coverage is hosted by Adrian Chiles, a man who deserves credit for managing to carve out a career in broadcasting despite actually having no discernible talent. His “everyman charm” would be better suited to a career as a chirpy travel agent in a grim provincial town, since if he was selling holidays in my town, I’d be the first on the plane.

Tragically, Chiles’ cackhanded attempts at banter with his pundits aren’t even the worst thing about ITV’s coverage. Their decision to employ Gareth Southgate as an “expert” was a poor one, when you consider that Southgate can only validly claim to have expertise in missing penalties for his country and guiding well-run clubs to dismal relegation. (For non-football fans, neither of these things are good.

At all.)

The one decent thing about ITV’s coverage is their continued employment of Roy Keane, a man who clear-

>> Keane and Neville are streets ahead

ly hates his fellow armchair dwellers with a passion. It’s sadly funny to see one of the game’s most aggressive competitors have to share studio space with Southgate, a man who I can actually imagine being beaten up by his own gran, simply because she felt like it. (On a side note, Keane’s autobiography is the sweariest £3 I have ever spent on Amazon. He is terrifying.)

My opinions may be the least of the BBC’s worries, but considering they paid £178million for the Match of the Day rights, they could probably allocate their resources better than funding Mark Lawrenson’s appalling shirt habit. I mean, seriously. He looks like a sad packet of Refreshers.

He and Alan Hansen give analysis that makes me waver between cynicism at their ineptitude and a nervousness that one of them is going to say something unforgivable. If I wanted to spend my Saturday nights feeling nervous about what blokes in shit shirts were saying, I’d go to the Lemmy.

“Neville combines knowledge of the game with the under-valued skill of actually being prepared” Despite their drastically OTT adverts, Sky are definitely leading the way in terms of football coverage.

They’ve evolved since the days of Richard Keys and Andy Gray’s oldschool broadcasting, even if their rolling sports news channel still uses buxom female presenters like Charlotte Jackson with all the subtlety of your average rugby player on a Timepiece Wednesday. An increased reliance on recently retired ex-professionals, including the excellent Gary Neville, has elevated their coverage above the rest of the chasing pack. Neville combines knowledge of the game with the undervalued skill of actually being prepared for his on-screen stints. His analysis is knowledgeable without being patronising, and he’s not against airing opinions that would rub the rest of the footballing fraternity up the wrong way.

Unfortunately, however, Neville is the exception rather than the rule, and like Lawrenson’s shirts, the industry is still rammed full of content that’s bloated, full of itself, and altogether low on quality. Lead the charge, G-Nev.

As Hot As... the hot or nots of this week’s film news SETH MACFARLANE - Despite possessing arguably the best voice ever, Family Guy creator McFarlane has come in for strong criticism after his hosting of the Oscars. He even got battered by critics for making a joke about Chris Brown and Rihanna. Oops.

Razzies

EDDIE MURPHY - Never a man to turn down cross dressing as a “hilariously” overweight woman, Murphy’s Norbit has been awarded the dubious award of the ‘worst comedy ever’ by Total Film magazine. Very, very fair.

LENNY HENRY - Midlands funnyman Lenny Henry has been awarded the freedom of Dudley, his home town, as recognition for the charity work he has done throughout his career. We hope he celebrates with a well-deserved trip to his local Premier Inn.

BEN AFFLECK – Bearded Ben had the ultimate response to his critics as he accepted the Oscar for Best Film for Argo. Steven Spielberg was not amused, as he watched the ceremony from atop his pile of box-office dollars.

SETH ROGEN – Lovably chubby Rogen basically won Twitter on Oscars night when he tweeted to his 578,000 followers telling them that he, not Seth McFarlane, was hosting the Oscars.

Revenge of the Seth.

Oscars

Exeposé

| 5 march 2013

Books

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Books Playlist In honour of World Book Day, we choose five of our favourite children’s authors 1. Roald Dahl

One of the world’s best-selling children’s authors, as well as a writer of short stories. Even after his death he is inspiring readers, such as with the annual Roald Dahl Day. His children’s books are often darkly humorous and refreshingly unsentimental. His work includes James and the Giant Peach, The Twits, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG and Matilda (the latter of which is almost enough to put you off chocolate cake!)

2. Beatrix Potter

Her classic children’s stories are instantly recognisable by their beautiful illustrations. Best-known for The Tale of Peter Rabbit, her work has inspired song, ballet and screen adaptations. Who would’ve thought that clothed animals could capture the imagination of so many readers!

3. C.S. Lewis

His most popular children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, has led to many children having a fascination with wardrobes. His work includes adventure, mythological creatures and epic settings. Memorable characters such as Mr Tumnus and the Christ-like lion Aslan have become legendary and beloved by many.

4. Jacqueline Wilson

One of the most prolific children’s (and young adult) writers of our time. She often tackles difficult themes in her fiction, which has made her controversial for some.

We particularly recommend The Illustrated Mum and Double Act.

5. Anthony Horowitz

Horowitz inspired a generation of boys to start reading thanks mainly to his classic Alex Rider series. Living out every boy’s fantasy of becoming a spy, Alex battled through nine thrilling and sometimes surprisingly emotional adventures. From Stormbreaker to Scorpia Rising he took on adults at their own game and normally won. Horowitz also wrote the brilliant Groosham Grange and Diamond Brothers books featuring a supernatural boarding school and spoofs of noir detective fiction respectively.

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Treating books Emma Holifield discusses the politics of THE other day I committed a dire crime.

No, don’t worry, I didn’t murder anyone. But the guilt I felt afterwards was still fairly acute. Urged on by my housemate’s pleas to replace the tinsel in my room with something less festive, I was inspired by a friend’s arty idea to string together shapes cut out of the pages of books. Literary bunting, what’s not to love?

But, wielding a pair of scissors to an unsuspecting paperback I was faced with the overwhelming feeling that what I was doing was wrong. “Stop, you’re maiming it!” a part of me shouted as I cut into the pages. It’s not that I’m a person who usually worries about things getting damaged or messy: the contents of my wardrobe frequently migrate to the floor, becoming a cluttered floordrobe. Nor are my books completely pristine - I don’t mind if the pages get a little bent, or I have to write a few notes in them. Occasionally I can even bear to mark them

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with pen. But often I will only allow myself to mistreat texts after trekking across campus has caused them to get bashed about in my bag. It’s akin to having a new phone. After the horror of the first scratch, or in this case bent page, the ones that follow never seem as bad.

“The guilt I felt taking a pair of scissors to the text was the result of such an act having become an unspoken taboo” Despite having no attachment to the book I was cutting up (it was simply the cheapest one in the charity shop), I was highly sensitive to the fact that I was defacing the text by turning it into a decoration. Throughout history the destruction of books has been an extremely political issue. With one of the most

with love

handling books with care

infamous examples being the Nazi party, burning books has been held among the atrocities committed by oppressive regimes.

Symbolising a threat to freedom of speech, the anger felt towards such acts is clear.

A s recently as 2010, there was p u b l i c outrage when Pastor Terry Jones’ dubbed the ninth anniversary of September eleventh ‘International Burn a Quran Day’.

Jones had to be put under police protection after receiving death threats.

Linked to the ability to express one’s thoughts and ideas freely, books are symbols of our beliefs. Recognising the work that has gone into bringing them to fruition, defacing them feels like showing a lack of respect to the author’s efforts. My bunting was in no way part of

a political agenda: the guilt I felt taking a pair of scissors to the text was rather a result of such an act having become an unspoken taboo.

The bookish bunting that now graces my shelves may confirm my status as a literary

nerd, but while others have no qualms about manhandling their books, I think in future I’ll stick to keeping mine intact. I may, however, one day make an exception for the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, a text I suspect many English students would be all too pleased to see defaced.

The pen is mightier than the sword Sticks and stones didn’t break their bones, but words hurt the literary greats.

Sophie Beckett explores the exciting history of literary feuds

FEUDS are common among those in the public eye, but none are more entertaining than those between literary greats.

Ever since Thackeray published Vanity Fair in 1848 and Dickens began to feel under threat, arguments between writers have been eagerly reported. The success of a writer’s career frequently depends heavily upon their reputation, and when a facility with words is combined with a desperate sense of what is at stake, some witty and very amusing put-downs can be produced. Disputes are rarely won by the banality of a physical fight when Norman Mailer punched Gore Vidal at a literary soirée following six years of feud-

ing, the bleeding Vidal remarked “as usual, words fail him”.

“Literary feuds are most satisfying when both parties have an equal amount at stake” Some writers seem to attract disagreement more than others. Ernest Hemingway feuded with a long list of fellow writers including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and, perhaps most memorably William Faulkner.

When Faulkner remarked of Hemingway: “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary”, Hemingway retorted “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?”

While some feuds eventually end in a truce, such as that between VS Naipaul and Paul Theroux which ended after fifteen years with a handshake at the Hay festival, others are never resolved.

The lifelong animosity between Gore Vidal and Truman Capote did not come to an end with Capote’s death, which Vidal described as a “good career move”. Vidal then went on to call Capote “a pathological liar” in his memoirs.

Literary feuds are undoubtedly at their most satisfying when both parties involved have an equal amount at stake and both are able to give as good as they get. When critics lash out venomously at writers it is clear that they have much less to lose, with the writers’ attempt at retaliation often falling flat. Similarly, the disagreement between Hemingway and Fitzgerald seemed to be bullying rather than mutual dislike.

Hemingway repeatedly called Fitzgerald a sissy, a moaner and a drunk, but Fitzgerald’s response was one of patient acceptance.

Disagreements resulting from personal clashes are entertaining, but it is those which spring from differences in ideas which are perhaps the most valuable. As literary critic Nilanjana Roy observes: “You don’t have to be a writer to fight over sex or money or politics”. Instead, she points out, it is the clash of ideas which brings to the attention of the public subjects which might otherwise be ignored.

Perhaps this could explain why Hemingway’s feud with Faulkner, revolving as it does around the contrasting voices of the

American experience, is so much more enjoyable to read about than the insults he hurled at Fitzgerald. But one thing remains certain - the caustic remarks and witty epigrams which are a constant feature of literary feuds ensure that they are not about to lose their popularity any time soon.

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Books, costumes

In a piece of book-related nostalgia, Megan Furboro MARCH 7 is the annual ‘World Book Day’ where children and teenagers are eligible to receive a £1 book token to spend on one of the specially written books or use as a pound off a book of their choice. Now in its 16th year,

“I loved World Book Day but at primary school a number of problems surrounding childhood literacy were illuminated and at secondary school the day was barely mentioned” World Book Day is an incredibly important event that encourages children not only to read, but to take pleasure in the vast range of literature available to them.

I loved World Book Day. As an avid reader, it was a chance to add an-

other book to my collection that I was expected, even required, to get. I can still remember the excitement of running to WHSmiths, the only place that sold books in the West London town I grew up in, armed with my token and deliberating over what book I should get that year. As I got older this decision was made more complicated by whether I could convince my mum to give me the remaining money as I chose to use my token as a pound off a bigger, more exciting book. The occasion was also marked at primary school where I would dress up as my favourite book character – particular favourites include Anne from Famous Five and Little Red Riding Hood – and choose to play literary based games.

Yet it was at primary school that a number of problems surrounding childhood literacy were illuminated.

Many of my classmates dressed up as film or TV characters that weren’t

The new age of writing:

“It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times?!” Naomi Po

The mysterious mind of Murakami Tim Halliday follows in the strange and surreal footsteps of a modern master after the announcement of his newest novel HARUKI MURAKAMI’S surrealist fiction has attracted millions of readers from across the globe. Perhaps it is the unique blend of Japanese and Western culture that infuses his work which lends to his appeal, and this crossing of cultures certainly raises questions about cultural identity in the modern world. From talking cats to fish raining from the sky, Murakami’s bizarre world might leave you enchanted or just plain confused.

Born in Kyoto, Japan in 1949, and raised in Kobe, Murakami is in this respect as Japanese as they come.

However, upon examination of his biography, it is apparent that there are strong Western influences on his life.

He owned a small jazz bar in Tokyo for seven years, claims to have had a literary epiphany during a baseball game, and states Vonnegut, Brautigan and Chandler as his key influences. One of his defining works, the award winning The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, was written during a four-year sojourn at Princeton University. The wonderfully eccentric Kafka on the Shore weaves together aspects of the Oedipal myth with ideas of isolation propagated by Franz Kafka (Spot the connection, anyone?). Is this an indication of an increasingly global culture, in which cultures of the East are moving towards Western sensibilities? Or perhaps just a

reflection of one writer’s experiences?

Arguably more important is the surreal aspect of Murakami’s work, who affirms that ‘writing a novel lets [him] dream while [he] is still awake’.

This is certainly what people tend to remember about his writing, and is ultimately what either captivates or bewilders his audience. The collection of short stories, The Elephant Vanishes, features a factory that produces elephants, as well as a green goblin with an uncommon obsession with the woman whose garden he inhabits.

“From talking cats to fish raining from the sky, Murakami’s bizarre world might leave you enchanted or just plain confused” For a reader of Murakami, the unusual becomes commonplace. Whether you interpret this as a metaphor for modern feelings of alienation or as simple whimsy, it is a defining feature of his literature that certainly lends to its intrigue.

Having said this, it is Murakami’s one realist novel, Norwegian Wood, which resonates the most for me.

Through the reminiscences of the pro-

tagonist, Toru Watanabe, the book details his relationships with two highly different women in 1960s Japan. Toru’s conflicting feelings for the emotionally unstable Naoko and the outgoing, vivacious Midori make for a hauntingly beautiful and sad tale.

Although not typical of his work, I can strongly recommend Norwegian Wood to a first time reader, or at least the reasonably well-adapted film.

With three years since his last novel, 1Q84, was published in Japanese, and just over one since its English translation was released, excitement was high when Murakami’s new book was announced last week. As of yet, however, no details other than the book’s April publication date have been released, which undoubtedly adds to reader anticipation. Sadly for English readers, it appears the wait will be longer, as a translation has ‘not yet been commissioned’. Whatever it turns out to be, Murakami’s new book is bound to captivate and confuse readers in equal measure.

AS robots become more and more advanced, the originality and uniqueness of humans has often come into question. A common thought has always, however, been that humans will always have something that robots do not: emotional intelligence. But in the past few years we have seen the emergence of machines which can paint tableaus and write books. Software developed

by Professor Philip Parker has produced over 200,000 books on differing non-fiction topics from cheese to crossword puzzle guides. Criticism has also been made towards approaches at teaching creative writing in creative writing classes as pattern poems and short stories are taught as a writing construct, which very much resemble an algorithm of some sorts.

As a creative writing student, I can say that this does ring partially true, as we are graded on a

specific set of checklist components needed in our writing. Can the novelist thus be replaced by a formulaic pattern known by a robot?

The question itself is very scary, and I imagine that any writer should like to think not, but it must be at least considered. It is undeniable that there are some stories which seem to recur over and over in modern day fiction; for example the cancer-struck child who either falls in love, or is rescued by their family (The Fault in Our Stars, My Sisters Keeper, etc.), or the couple who meet in weird circumstances and undergo a journey the length of half the novel before they can finally admit to being in love with each other (This is not a Love story, One Day, etc.).

“It seems like the robot would only be recycling all the ideas and human experiences of the past to hash them out into a new story” Still, to think that we may be entranced by said books if they were written by robots raises several issues. First of all, when we read a book, is there not a part of us that falls in love with the author as well?

With the style of writing and the wonder at what kind of life the author must have lived to write so vividly about certain subjects?

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s and freebies

ough considers the importance of World Book Day based on adaptations of a novel. Others didn’t participate in bringing books from home to school, or picking one from the (tiny) library to talk about. Some years my teachers would simply forget to hand the tokens out. Even more worryingly for a school where the majority of students did not did have English as their first language, too many children just didn’t bother taking a token. At secondary school the day was barely mentioned.

Research conducted by the National Literacy Trust last year showed that of 21,000 children and teenagers, 17 per cent said that they would be embarrassed if a friend saw them reading.

Only three in ten read in their own time whilst 54 per cent said that they preferred watching TV to reading.

Encouraging children to develop regular, independent reading habits is hugely important in their literacy development in later life. Reading is changing, as tablets and kindles make acquiring books faster and more accessi-

ble. This should be encouraging young people to take pleasure in reading, rather than turning them away from the huge amount of material that’s out there.

World Book Day has evolved in countless ways over its 16 years. An

“Of 21,000 children and teenagers, 17% said that they would be embarrassed if a friend saw them reading” increasing focus on young adult fiction, online communities and apps available for download has increased its visibility within British culture, and authors ranging from Anthony Horowitz to Dawn O’Porter have written the special £1 books this year. In an era where over 200 libraries were closed in 2012 alone, World Book Day is a testament to the power of encouraging children to read, and the joy that they can gain from doing so.

the rise of the machines

ltier argues that machines can’t match up to human authors It seems like the robot would only be recycling all the ideas and human experiences of the past to hash them out into a new story, thus losing its authenticity and calling into question whether the book it writes can be called original fiction at all. Which brings me to the next point of innovation: Dr Reynolds professes “I couldn’t think of anything more pointless than reading a piece of fiction written by a robot. I can’t imagine a piece of software being capable of producing something that would stop you in your tracks.”

“I would like to think that the characters I fall in love with in a book are only shapeable with the right dab of humour and sadness that a human could write” Although a robot may be able to produce Shakespearean like sonnets (as has been done), could it create something completely new? For example, when a novel such as The Waves

by Virginia Wo o l f comes along, the style baffles its readers because it attempts to re-write the way novels are written.

The narration is so unique that it could not possibly be written by a simple recycling of old writing. Surely we need the human mind’s innovation to keep inspiring readers in this way.

Now, is this to conclude that a robot couldn’t pull out a decent well-written fiction novel to win a Booker prize? I would like to think so.

I would like to think that the characters I fall in love with in a book are only shapeable with the right dab of humour and sadness that a human could write, that a human life with human experience and opinion is needed to write a masterpiece which will transcend time and inspire writers to write in new and innovative ways rather than hashed out fiction. If this is a belief that can’t hold true, the whole of human nature and its capacity is to be put into question. If a robot can innovate and imagine the way J. K Rowling or Dickens does, are we just extremely complex robot like animals?

Only the future will tell.

First They Killed My Father Loung Ung CASUALLY picking up First They Killed My Father from a random bookshop in Thailand, I had no idea what new human horrors and atrocities I would be enlightened to. Loung Ung’s first book is one of two chroni-

“The saddest thing is how oblivious young westerners are to the genocide that claimed one quarter of Cambodia’s population” cles of her childhood and tells the story of a five-year old Cambodian girl’s family and country being ripped apart by the Khmer Rouge headed by Pol Pot. We follow the young Loung wit-

nessing numerous deaths in her family, struggling to survive starvation and her dramatic escape from the then dangerous and unstable Cambodia.

Perhaps the saddest thing about this book however is how oblivious young Westerners are to the genocide that claimed one quarter of Cambodia’s population. Despite happening around the same time as the Vietnam War and claiming more lives, this genocide appears nowhere on the national syllabus. It is quite frankly embarrassing to realise your country knew of such crimes of humanity and chose to still recognise the deposed culprits as the rightful leaders for so many years.

The tragic fallout is fully disclosed by Ung. The abandonment, torture and systematic crushing of her heritage are just some of the miseries she shares with us. The death of her father is perhaps the most chilling instalment as we see a young girl’s hopes of a return to her old life shattered and the way she is abruptly forced to grow up before her time. There are few happy moments of relief and this only adds to

the strong sense of reality Ung creates.

It is difficult to not become emotionally involved in this book and read-

“This is a book that should be read because this is a suffering that should be known” ing it was at times almost draining.

This book is not one of the greatest works of literature - I could criticise the narrative structure and style, but this seems futile. Although I have not given this book five stars this should not dissuade the reading of it. This is a book that should be read because this is a suffering that should be known. It is just as important to remember this atrocity, as it is the Holocaust or the Rwandan genocide. Pol Pot deserves to have his name tarred in history with the same brush used for Hitler and other ferocious dictators.

rory morgan

Any Last Words?

This week we asked you: which book character would you dress up as for World Book Day? There’s a picture somewhere of 6-year-old me dressed as Matilda for World Book Day. I’m probably a bit old to go as Matilda these days.

KATE GRAY Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

It would give me a good enough excuse to wear my dressing gown outside my house.

ROB HARRIS I dressed up as Hermione Granger for seven years at primary school...probably should have mixed it up a bit!

CLARA PLACKETT

Gimli from Lord of the Rings we share a love of beards and the adversity of being short.

ALEX PHELPS I’d be a character from the novelisation of The Human Centipede, but I’m not sure which one.

CALUM BAKER I’d dress up like each of the Exeposé editors... just one piece of clothing for each one... slowly morphing into a hideous and yet verbosely literary uber-mensch... or Robin Hood again... any excuse to wear tights.

HUGH BLACKSTAFFE I’d like to be Medusa.

ZOE BULAITIS

Peter Pan. Petrified of growing up and I’ve already got the leggings (size 10, if you’re interested).

JON JENNER I’d dress up as Sirius Black. I’d get to wear robes and let’s face it, I’d be the coolest wizard in town.

Everybody loves a tragic hero, especially one who can transform into a dog.

TOM BOND Marius from Les Miserables, with the wishful thinking that by dressing up as him I’d become a heartthrob and sing well...

JAMES CROUCH

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Arts Diary Our regular Arts Diary column shows you all the important events going on in Exeter...

Art Maia Conran @ Phoenix 1 February - 16 March

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Defence against the dark arts

Bryony James discusses the theft of a Dali piece and why the artist would have been amused LAST summer Salvador Dali’s drawing, Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio, 1949, was stolen from a Manhattan

“The thief simply took it off the wall, placed it in a shopping bag and walked out” gallery where it was displayed in order to be sold. This was particularly concerning for the art world, as it was

return the item and sent it back in the post ten days later, just in time for the last day of the exhibition. The package was intercepted when it arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Sent from a fake address, the drawing was in pristine condition but covered in fingerprints, which enabled the police to track down the perpetrator as the prints matched those found on a drinks bottle he had previously stolen from a New York grocery.

Exeter’s Fine Art Collection @ RAMM until 30 March

New York under the pretence of a job offer and was subsequently charged with grand larceny theft on Sunday 17 February; he has pleaded not guilty.

Measuring a small 28x35cm, the artwork is worth a massive $150,000; just over $150 per cm2. The incredible story has raised a number of questions. How was it so easy to take the drawing in the first place and what was Mr Istavrioglou’s motive for sending it back? Perhaps he felt guilty or maybe he decided it wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing as he’d first

Comedy Edge Comedy Exeter: Carl Donnelly & Rob Deering @ Exeter Phoenix 10 March

Drama Aubade @ Bikeshed Theatre until 9 March Curiosity Shop @ Exeter Phoenix 8 - 16 March

Dance Layers of Skin @ Exeter Phoenix 20 March

Art Attack As the retrospective Lichtenstein exhibition is now open at Tate Modern (until 27 May) we have focused on Lichtenstein’s famous painting ‘Look Mickey’ for this week’s ART ATTACK! Are you a Lichtenstein fan? What are your views on Lichtenstein’s representation of popular culture? Do you find it satirical?

Exeposé

taken in broad daylight under the surveillance of security cameras. The thief simply took it off the wall, placed it in a shopping bag, and walked out. The owner of the gallery, Adam Lindemann, described his incredulity about the incident. “We had him on tape and I don’t know why the security guard didn’t notice it. He was in the gallery for 14 minutes.”

Bizarrely, the culprit decided to

The man who took the artwork, Phivos Istavrioglou, from Athens, was on holiday at the time. He was lured back to

The 5 Greatest Art Robberies in history

included Picasso and Gauguin and were worth tens of millions of pounds.

1:Rotterdam Art Heist: 2012 A late night raid at the Kunsthal gealley was one of the biggest thefts in history. The paintings stolen

JAMES CROUCH: Oh Lichtenstein, where sexual euphemism and adorable cartoons go hand in hand.

ZOE BULAITIS: I like Lichtenstein a lot better when there is a beautiful woman involved.

EMILY TANNER: Lichtenstein has never been my favourite of the pop artists (Warhol always wins for me) but I actually really like this piece. It’s so different to the usual comic bookesque images we associate with this artist and almost takes you back to

2: The Mona Lisa: 1911 In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. After two years the theif was caught and the work returned.

childhood with the bright colours and Disney characters.

GIVERNY MASSO: After looking at the children’s comic book image from “Donald Duck Lost and Found” on which Lichtenstein’s “Look Mickey” is based, I can’t say I particularly like Lichtenstein’s rendition. He has entirely flattened the intricately detailed children’s painting into a simple line drawing with garish colours [...] I think he does this better when he takes inspiration from adult comic books than from children’s.

thought?

Dali is arguably one of the most prolific artists of the twentieth century. His detailed paintings of melting clocks, giraffes set on fire, 3: The Scream:1994 1994 saw the famous Edvard Munch painting held for ransom after its theft from a Norwegian gallery.

4: Van Gogh:2002 Two Van Gogh paintings were stolen from a gallery in Amsterdam. The FBI

and distorted figures are incredibly complex and innovative. Like much of Dali’s work, the stolen piece is extremely intricate and imaginative, with different objects making up the outline of something else entirely. Upon first inspection the focus of the painting appears to be a skull, yet when examined more closely the black shapes in-

“What initially appeared to be a simple robbery became something complex when the drawing was returned.

The whole escapade would have amused the unconvential Dali” side the form can be identified as the silhouettes of ants. From a young age, Dali was fascinated by ants and their ability to collectively consume larger animals, and they became a recurring symbol in his work, alluding to death and decay.

The fact that Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio was returned in the post fits in with the surreal nature of his work.

What initially appeared to be a simple robbery became something more complex when the drawing was returned.

Personally, I think that the whole escapade would have greatly amused the unconventional Dali, who was never shy of media attention. It is reported that he avoided paying restaurant bills by drawing on the back of his cheques.

This made them so valuable that they were rarely cashed. Perhaps Istavrioglou was a great fan who wanted to emulate Dali’s eccentricity.

Art Crime Team estimated the value at $30 million. Neither of the paintings have been recovered although the theives were convicted.

5: Montreal: 1972 The largest art theft in Canadian history. One pianting alone was worth $1 million. None of the artefacts have been found.

Exeposé

| WEEK twenty

Writer’s Rapid Response EUTCo

16 February WRITER’S Rapid Response is arguably one of EUTCo’s most eagerly anticipated events for writers, directors, actors and spectators alike. For those who are not familiar with this new concept, the process starts with a stimulus given to four writers; this time around they were given John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger. In just two weeks they hand over their short plays to four directors who then have another two weeks to cast their actors, rehearse and put their own stamp on the new writing.

Osborne’s play presents post-war youth as it really is. Look Back in Anger is a reflection of its time and one can see easily how applicable it is for both adaptation for a contemporary audience, and also how it lends itself to new writing. It is not surprising, then, to see the diversity of the short plays produced and the variety of topics that they were commenting on.

Anger, written by Adam Foster and directed by Sian Keen, commented on women’s role within society. Taking us from Victorian Suffragette Britain to the modern day, in a bid to explore the treatment of women over the last century.

Ganymede, written by Matt Quinn and directed by Liam Johnston, asked questions concerning terminal illness, the effect of the media and the power of belief in religion.

The Angry Gentleman’s Society, written by Tom Milton and directed

by Helen Cracknell, excellently conveyed an aging working-man’s club, who were once angry but have lost their spark. Through dark and light moments, Milton’s writing provoked questions into our ability to stand up

Pirates of Penzance Northcott Theatre

12- 16 February A RIVETING romp, Exeter’s Gilbert and Sullivan society’s production of The Pirates of Penzance is nothing short of a superb rendition of perhaps one of their best known musicals.

Without a doubt this cast can be said to be nothing short of exceptional.

From the off we are met by a brilliant Ruth (played by Lucy Harrison), who with great comic timing and sturdy voice introduces us to the fact that she had indentured her charge Frederic to a pirate, rather than the very similar sounding pilot! This is met soon after by the stunning vocals of both the Pirate King (Andrew Horton), Frederic (Jonathon Wood) and later the daughters and Mabel (Nicola Wilkes).

The production did not let the cast down either, not least with the excellent staging and costumes. But throughout it was the sheer energy and oomph that the cast exuberated that kept the whole audience with nothing but smiles on their faces for the whole time. There are rarely only a handful of people on stage, and the large number of rambustious actors often in sight keep you constantly looking around the stage trying to see what every protagonist and antagonist is doing, desperate not to miss a bit of the action!

Of course, no review would miss mentioning perhaps one of the most famous introductions in theatre: “I am the very

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for what you believe in. Even though the characters were sixty-somethings I still found the writing very relevant for a young, student audience, especially with government cuts and student riots becoming more and more evident within our culture.

The highly entertaining short play The Complaints Department, written

by Ellen Pye combined with superb direction from Camilla Borges, satirising the banal grumbles of contemporary Britain. Perhaps indicating that our anger may not be so serious after all, and may need to be taken with a pinch of salt!

The overall reception to Writer’s Rapid Response was that of appreciation for the raw theatre that was created here. EUTCo are normally renowned for their naturalistic productions and take pride in producing authentic, ‘traditional’ theatre. Ultimately forcing the audience to reflect on the world around them, this is arguably theatre’s biggest power, the power to provoke change in an audience.

ALEX PALMER

Artist Profiles Tim Wheeler

Photographer A RIVER-FLOODED enchanted bedroom, a Spitfire bursting through the walls of a mansion, and a group of sherbet-coloured Persian cats. These aren’t just the fantastical imaginings of a wandering mind, but the beautiful – if not bizarre – scenes realized by the photographic genius that is Tim Walker. With big brands, bigger names (models including Lily Cole and Kate Moss), and stratospheric ideas, it’s hard to believe that Walker cites his inspiration from his ordinary upbringing on the placid Dorset-Devon border. After graduating from a three-year photography BA at Exeter College of Art in 1994 and completing freelance work in London, the then 24 year old

model of a modern Major-General”. I am often confounded as to how anyone can sing this piece so quickly, but this Major-General (Daniel Morris) deserves a promotion for his clear and strong rendition that left the audience, if not himself, breathless!

The comic brilliance of the work is not lost on many of the actors, including Gruffydd Evans playing Samuel, the lieutenant pirate - whose facial contortions kept a constant grin not far from the audience’s mouth.

“I can find little to nothing to say against it!

Those who saw it simply confess that it was better than West End versions, and I don’t doubt a word of it” Obviously so far I have only listed things which are great about the piece, but frankly I can find little to nothing to say against it! Those who saw it simply confess that it was better than West End versions, and I don’t doubt a word of it. I can do little more than offer commiserations that you did not see a play that was in every aspect professional, funny, enjoyable, and dare I say it, pitch perfect.

JAMES CROUCH FEATURES EDITOR

Cradle to Grave British Museum

Current Exhibition WANDERING through the vast halls of the British Museum I found myself coming out of a tiny Aztec exhibition into a huge, bright hall. Jarringly different, the walls of the latter room were hung with modern pictures and art from around the world. A giant Kodak camera hangs from the high ceiling. Most striking of all is the central glass box. Being over 13 metres long, the cabinet itself makes quite an impression. But upon closer inspection the contents are equally as intriguing.

Titled Cradle to Grave the installation, created by ‘Pharmacopoeia’ (Susie Freeman, Dr Liz Lee and David Critchley), contains over 14,000 pills. Each is individually sewn onto two vast strips of fabric, the painstaking work reveals the average number of drugs prescribed to a person i n Britain

throughout their life; one length of fabric reflects an average man and the other a typical woman.

took off to New York to work as assistant for photography legend Richard Avedon. Returning to London in 1996 to focus on newspaper portraiture, it wasn’t long before Vogue took Walker under its wing – it was in the very same year of his return that his work was first published.

Nowadays his biggest works still revolve around his status as one of

“What’s wonderful with Walker is that despite championing the utterly surreal, what you see is what you get” Vogue’s most recognisable names, but he has successfully forayed into short narrative film such as his award winning 2010 short ‘The Lost Explorer’.

His mark can also be seen in pop culThe number seems vast, especially considering the figure does not even include over the counter pills. Taking these into consideration could bring the figure up to as many as 40,000.

Being a bit of a pill-phobic myself (always trying my trusty Poundland head-soothe before reaching for the Paracetamol) I

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ture such as Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl’ video, and commercially he is the brains behind publicity for brands such as Dior and Mulberry – adverts which often in their whimsical brilliance it is easy to forget are trying to sell perfumes and handbags.

What’s more wonderful with Walker is that despite championing the utterly surreal, what you see is in fact what you get – even if it involves model Lindsey Wixson being chased by an 18-20 foot rag doll. Shying away from Photoshop, his ethos is one of honesty: laborious preliminary work, and quite often a stroke of luck, is essential to every shoot. Tim Walker’s lack of post-shoot editing has enabled a perfected style; one which no doubt will only continue to grow in both size and quality over the coming years.

LAUREN SWIFT was staggered by this statistic and found it hard to believe. But the piece highlights the extent to which treatments are often a huge part of our lives. Starting with injections at birth, the drugs span from hay-fever medicines and blood pressure tablets to contraceptive pills and HRT. This makes you realise that on-going treatments can result in an individual taking a huge amount of drugs over the course of a lifetime.

H i g h l y thought-provoking, the exhibit is definitely worth a look. Coupled with photographs and hand-written captions outlining the lives of real people, the piece serves as a harrowing reminder of our modern day reliance on medical advancements. And somehow, en mass, the piece has the ability to make something as mundane as a tablet strangely beautiful.

EMMA HOLLIFIELD

YOU SAID FEEDBACK TURNAROUND WASN’T FAST ENOUGH Lobbying by the students’ guild saw the introduction of a maximum 3-week turnaround policy.

YOU SAID RENT WAS TOO HIGH We froze or decreased the price of rent on over 80% of University rooms for 2013/14.

YOU SAID RECEIVING YOUR JANUARY RESULTS LATE WAS UNACCEPTABLE We secured a six-figure investment in IT from the University to prevent this happening again.

If there is something that you want changed in the Guild, the University or the wider community then go to

www.exeterguild.com/haveyoursay

RAG’s Safer Sex Ball needs YOU We want the students’ opinion.

Should the ball go ahead?

What can be improved?

YES

YES, but with changes

NO

Exeposé

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Destiny: Halo for next gen?

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Alex Phelps, Online Games Editor, previews Bungie’s 10 year MMO shooter franchise WITHOUT a doubt Bungie has become one of the most popular game developers out there. This is not just due to the fact they created the Halo series - it is because they constantly listened to their community and catered their new games to them. They rewarded fan loyalty and showed endless devotion to their games.

So who better to lead the way with the next generation of consoles, as they said “we’re Bungie, we’ve got this”. Bungie’s first step into the next generation is a

“Every single player will have an influence on Destiny”

fluenced them most. Destiny has been in production for six years now. Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland and humanity only survives by the grace of an alien protector called the Traveller, a white globe that floats ominously above Earth. Humans, since being saved, have regained their technological prowess and are exploring new worlds; however, other alien races seek to wipe out humanity.

Though that is the basic plot, Bungie are really aiming for the majority of the story to be told by player’s experiences and achievements in the universe they have created.

Pillar two: A bunch of fun things to do

brand new creation called Destiny which they describe as a “shared world shooter”. Not much is known about the actual story but it is a semi-massive multiplayer sci-fi experience that can be played alone but is really at its best when shared with friends. There will be no subscription fee, it will be playable across all consoles and it will require an internet connection to play.

Bungie has boiled down its aims for Destiny into seven ‘key pillars’:

Bungie want to create an environment where things are constantly changing as a result of yours and other players actions. They want to give players a chance to leave their mark. For example completing a quest can give you and other places a permanent place to stay or unlock new experiences and adventures for the player to take that are unique and individual. Overall the aim is to create a shared experience.

Pillar one: a world players want to be in

Pillar three: Rewards players care about

This is probably the one that has in-

The game will be filled with items

and weapons to earn, buy and create yourself. Every piece of kit from weapons to helmets and capes will be unique to the player. They hope this will make the player keep coming back for more

Pillar four: A new experience every night

Bungie want you sit down to intend to do something and then find an hour later you have been taken in a completely different direction. There will be a variety of small and larger scenarios. As an extension of this Destiny will not have a main menu, instead the player will just dive right in.

Pillar five: Shared with other people

Bungie have stressed that Destiny can be enjoyed thoroughly as a single player experience, however, it is much

more fun when it is spent with friends.

There will be a competitive multiplayer but players will not be forced to fight each other in the main game. Everything is by choice. Bungie are remaining silent apart from that on the issue of competitive multiplayer.

Pillar six: Enjoyable for all skill levels

Destiny seeks to appeal to everyone from fresh first person shooters to the hardcore veterans. It will be easy for them to attract new players but Bungie say the real challenge is keeping the most advanced players constantly interested and coming back for more.

Pillar seven: Enjoyable for the impatient and the distracted

The world of Destiny is alive wheth-

er or not you are in it but players are busy and can’t be in there 24/7. Bungie have extended the world of Destiny through a mobile phone app that can keeps player up to date on what is happening in their world while they are not playing. Players can receive quests and information from other players. Again Bungie remain quiet on the finer details of this pillar.

Destiny seems to be one of the most ambitious gaming projects to date.

Bungie are attempting to create a new world that is completely immersive and influenced by every individual player.

Bungie are going to need a big and devoted audience to pull this off but they are oozing confidence and ability still gleaming from the success of the Halo franchise. Whether or not they do it remains to be seen but if all they aim for is achieved we could be seeing one of the milestones in gaming history.

The Destiny preview: a bungle from Bungie?

Bungie’s reveal was all style and no substance, writes Becky Mullen

BUNGIE’S preview of Destiny at the PS4 conference was an underwhelming experience. The trailer was short and unclear, with only a few seconds of footage, and the follow-up developer’s presentation wasn’t much better.

There were a lot of buzzwords, a lot of vague descriptions, and not a whole lot

of explanation. Some big claims were made, but when you looked closer, they were meaningless. How exactly have they turned the first person shooter on its head? And how will the world be connected again? More importantly, is this new space-based FPS really going to be that different to Halo? Ex-

clusive content sounds nice, but when you barely know anything about what you’re getting in the first place, it’s also pretty pointless. In the end, some nice panning shots of the sky and a vague promise that things will be different isn’t that much to go on.

Bungie aren’t the only ones guilty

>>Bungie executives, amateur boyband or simply men who don’t know what to do with their hands? The jury’s out.

of this. Game announcements seem to be more and more about crossing off bingo squares than actually telling you about their product. It makes for a pretty fun drinking game (thanks for that,

“By holding back in their previews, developers are shooting themselves in the foot” IGN), but it’s also getting stale. This vagueness doesn’t really stop with announcements, either. Adverts do it as well. Developers love to bust out the CGI and show off some incredibly rendered shots of their generic action hero mowing down the latest big bad.

There will probably be a rock song or, if you’re really unlucky, dub-step. It’s all good fun, but not exactly showing off the final product.

Is there really a point to these things, or is it just empty hype? Keeping the plot close to the chest is one

thing, but by holding everything back in the first few months, gaming companies are essentially shooting themselves in the foot. If you’re not already a fan of the developer or franchise, you’re unlikely to be that interested.

If you’re vaguely aware of them, you might be wondering what makes their new title different. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already pre-ordered it anyway. So who does the preview serve? No-one, really. Unless you’re playing the drinking game.

Granted, most big titles probably don’t actually need the extra push.

Word of mouth is a far bigger player, and Bungie could probably be vague right up until launch date and still shift copies. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. It’s cheap, but boring. But maybe that’s the point of the preview.

It gets the name out. There are probably people out there who didn’t know about Destiny, and now they do. But at the same time, they still have no idea what it’s actually about.

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Top 5: PS3 games in 2013

5 MARCH 2013 |

Exeposé

The PS4 may well be here by Christmas, but Robert J Harris proves that there’s life in the PS3 yet for 2013

5. God of War: Ascension

4. Beyond: Two Souls

3. Bioshock: Infinite

2. The Last of Us

1. Grand Theft Auto V

IT is strange to think that it has been three years since we last saw everyone’s favourite bald-headed hard man (well, except Ross Kemp obviously) on our screens.

God of War III successfully raised the bar for hack ‘n’ slash action-adventure games, so it is great to see that our little Spartan psychopath is once again onto a winner.

With an even larger emphasis on scale, a deeper look into Kratos’ past and enough violence to make Eli Roth blush, this is one trip to Greece that should definitely not be missed.

YOU’VE got to give it to Quantic Dream; they sure as hell know how to make games cinematic. Despite being thoroughly enjoyable, their last release, Heavy Rain, undeniably had its flaws, so now is the perfect time for the studio to show us what they can do, and it looks like they have gone and done just that.

Whilst details are scarce at the moment, with Juno and Inception star Ellen Page as protagonist Jodie Holmes you can be certain that this plunge into the supernatural will be a story worth getting lost in.

OH, Bioshock: Infinite, you infinite tease. First it was October 2012, then February 2013 and now March 2013?

Thankfully, with the release less than a month away it’s safe to say that the wait is nearly over.

Taking on the role of Booker DeWitt, you will soon find yourself in a society where the populace are less than welcoming and the best way to say hello is a murder of crows to the face. Being set in the floating steampunk city of Columbia, expect an experience that will take you higher than any improper trip to the Guild toilets ever will.

PART Uncharted, part The Walking Dead, all a barrel of apocalyptic fun.

Yes, civilisation has definitely seen better days and it is up to you to guide Joel and Ellie through a world that has collapsed in the wake of a mysterious fungus.

With the population reduced to mindless infected or desperate survivors, the only advice I can give you is to stay sharp, trust no one, and to expect developers Naughty Dog to add another few notches to their belt of gaming achievements.

THERE may have been some murmurs from the gaming community that the upcoming entry into this infamous series has been delayed in order to be ported onto next-gen consoles, but this has since been dismissed. Luckily, this means that come September the current generation will bow out in one of the best ways possible through what could be one of the most ambitious games ever made. Los Santos is not only rich in detail, activities and fleshy pedestrians, but spans an area larger than GTA: San Andreas, GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption combined.

With Rockstar’s signature satire, hilarious characters and intense mayhem, this will be the game to beat in 2013.

Broken Promises If he had actually played Aliens: Colonial Marines, Hugh Dignan would hate it. Here’s why...

I HAVEN’T played Aliens: Colonial Marines. Based on reviews and videos I’ve seen I am incredibly glad about that. Therefore I guess it would be pointless to talk about gameplay that I have no experience of but which everyone knows is hugely unsatisfying, graphics I’ve never seen in person but which everyone can see are refreshing call backs to the PS2 in the same week the PS4 is debuted, or a storyline which seems to be best described through curses and screams for mercy.

So instead, I’ll review Gearbox. Or who-

ever it was that made Aliens: Colonial Marines happen to innocent people, since no one seems to be sure anymore.

An ex-Gearbox employee said that

“I’ll review Gearbox.

Or whoever made Aliens: Colonial Marines happen to innocent people” most of the single player game had actually been done by TimeGate Studios, noted developers of, erm, some F.E.A.R expansions packs. In fact one guy from TimeGate claims to have pretty much singlehandedly made the entire first level. If one guy made the whole first level then not only do the reasons behind this atrocity start to become clear, it also makes Randy Pitchford (Gearbox CEO) seem way off the mark with his estimate of the game being 25% TimeGate.

Gearbox has thus far claimed responsibility for the multiplayer segment, which to their credit is regarded as a rare bastion of mediocrity amidst a storm of animated vomit. They also apparently tried their best to clean up the mess

TimeGate had left behind once they finished Borderlands 2. It didn’t work.

What was left post clean-up was a game that’s suffered a 65% drop off in players in one week. So at least people had the common sense to put down the controller and put the game in a dark, dark corner.

What’s perhaps most depressing is that this game has been in development for a decade, as in ten whole Earth years, as in it was announced over half of my lifetime ago. That’s how long it took them to release this absolute omnishambles of a game. Ten years for a game that managed to somehow look infinitely better in pre-release demos than the actual retail release that they wanted people to actually, really, seriously use.

“Ten years. That’s how long it took them to release this absolute omnishambles of a game”

I mean just look at some videos they released of this game during development, some of them genuinely looked really good. The lighting looked incredible, the aliens looked terrifying and the world of LV 426 looked like something

Sandbox Which one life lesson have you learnt from video games?

Hernán Romero: Max repel.

Rob Harris: If any container can be opened, then it is your right to loot it.

Hugh Dignan: That we live in a world that is apparently filled with empty crates.

straight out of the films. Most importantly it looked like something that Gearbox, a fairly prestigious developer, could proudly put its seal on. Instead they’ve just kind of scrawled aimlessly in crayon and left a smiley face; and then to top it all off, asked for your money.

So for lying about the progress of their game, lying about actually developing their game, taking a decade to defecate on a beloved franchise, and for then deciding to release it regardless of knowing it wasn’t fit for human interaction, I give Gearbox and Aliens: Colonial Marines one star and a very lengthy fart sound.

Kate Gray: That taking a breather will heal all ailments.

James Roberts: Taking an arrow to the knee will seriously harm your adventuring career.

Dom Ford: Backpacks are only ever constrained by weight, and exceeding that weight only makes you move slightly slower.

Ben Murphie: Age does not equal experience Clara Plackett: Don’t jump on boxes labelled ‘Nitro’ or ‘TNT’ Join the community! Search Exeposé Games on Facebook, or tweet us @ExeposeVG

Throughout the week, we offer enterprise skills workshops, idea competitions, business showcases and networking events providing you with the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

Find out what’s on at: www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/enterprise/sew

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Exeposé

Feature

In the Clubhouse

In the Clubhouse this week Hugh Landsman, Rifle Club Publicity Officer, has a conflab with Mike Stanton and Will Kelleher, Sport Editors THE UNIVERSITY RIFLE CLUB has existed since before the Second World War in various formats and most likely started from government initiatives to improve marksmanship amongst the population following the Boer War. Target shooting has evolved in its own right since those days and is now focused entirely on sporting aims. Target shooting involves both smallbore, which is shooting smaller bullets at distances up to 100m, and fullbore using larger calibres up to 1km away.

The club shoots in both of these disciplines but has traditionally been more accomplished at fullbore shooting – ranking either first or second 8 times in the last 10 years.

A good smallbore shot is capable of hitting a target the size of a 5p coin repeatedly at 25m and a good fullbore shot will hit a 14 inch target despite the sizeable effects of wind and gravity.

The club also has some recreational rifles, including a semi-automatic smallbore ‘M4 Carbine’ for shooting lots of bullets quickly for fun shoots.

“All standards are catered for with the keener novices able to shoot at a competitive level within a few months” Membership has grown from a small amount not so long ago to more than 80 members, varying from the completely inexperienced to those who’ve shot before at school or in previous clubs and a few who shoot at an international standard. All standards are catered for with the keener novices able to shoot at a competitive level within a few months and we always

60 seconds with...

Jonny Lindsay

Aled Williams

Club Captain

General Secretary

What is the best aspect of Rifle Club?

Fullbore weekends and the peculiar social life at Bisley. Lots of working hard and ‘socialising’ harder every night.

What is the best aspect of Rifle Club?

Being a part of one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and seeing beginners get passionate about a sport that they’d never heard of before coming to uni.

Best sporting moment?

Getting 42 out of 50 at my first 1000 metre shoot. Not as easy as it sounds!

Sporting Hero?

It would have to be Hannah Pugsley from the club who’s likely to be shooting for Team GB in the Rio Olympics. And Sharpe of course.

What are your pre-match preparations?

Before a shoot I have a ritual involving a lot of music, obsessively tightening everything on the rifle and taking my shoes off.

What are your goals for the season?

I want to compete in the Fullbore BUCS competition this season and fixing my Lee Enfield for a service rifle competition in the summer.

Best sporting moment?

Beating the Club Captain on one of the fun shoot challenges!

Sporting Hero?

Lord Roberts who was the founder of modern small bore target shooting.

What are your pre-match preparations?

Pre-match I tend to clean my rifle incessantly. Recounting all the settings on my jacket and sling. Making sure all of my kit is in order, definitely.

What are your goals for the season?

This season I’d like to improve my full-bore shooting. We go to Bisley each term to shoot long distance which is the best part of the sport for me.

enter them in competitions.

The range is open for members to shoot smallbore 6pm to late on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, followed by visits to favoured watering holes after each session to indulge the clubs’ social traditions.

A few weekends a term the club goes to Bisley for weekends giving the chance for any members attending to shoot the fullbore rifles with their larger recoil and range as well as to socialise in the many different clubhouse bars we have access to.

Regularly combined training with other Universities takes place which enables the club to get to know other people in the target shooting community.

A regular highlight of the year is Easter training at Bisley where the club rents a large clubhouse complete with bar, kitchen and accommodation

for a week with Imperial College and Durham University, allowing a large amount of low-cost fullbore shooting and the infamous ‘dew-drop’ social.

“The 1st team recently came 7th out of 45 teams at the BUCS smallbore competition and three of the team qualified for individuals” The week allows experienced shots and novices alike to benefit from a mass of experience enabling them to train hard and socialise in a safe and exciting environment.

The 1st team recently competed in the BUCS smallbore competition, coming seventh out of 45 teams and facing stiff competition from experienced and well-equipped shots. Three of our best

shooters also qualified for the individual competition, with Liam Cheek and Andy Woodward posting excellent scores whilst unfortunately Hannah Pugsley was otherwise engaged with Team GB. This stands the club in great stead to make use of the upgraded rifles and equipment that will be applied for, benefitting our now more experienced and growing membership to achieve an even better result next year.

For the remainder of the second term membership for the rest of the year is £35 which covers everything except for ammunition and trips, both of which are offered at subsidised prices and cheaper than in regular target shooting clubs.

Anyone who wishes to come and see what we do for themselves can contact us on our Facebook page (University of Exeter Rifle Club) or email jl457@ex.ac.uk.

Photo: Rifle Club

Exeposé

| WEEK TWENTY

2. EUMCC on Ashes Game After coming 1st out of 288 English teams on an online vote, Exeter’s cricketers will be created on the next Ashes game. A superb effort!

3. Women’s Tennis The 1st Women’s Tennis team finished 2nd in their BUCS league, beating Leeds Metropolitan on 20 February 4-2 in the knockouts

to set up a home tie versus Durham on 6 March.

4. Squash The squash club have just finished a great season; The Men’s 2nds won their league with two matches to spare and are in the cup final versus Cardiff. The Men’s 1sts, Women’s 1sts and Men’s 3rds all finished second in their leagues with the Men’s 4ths third in theirs.

5. Badminton On the weekend of 22 to 24 February the Badminton Squad performed admirably in the BUCS individuals. Beth Hunter won Ladies Player of the Tournament and Raj Ram won the

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Crossword No. 46 by Raucous

News in brief

1. EURFC into BUCS semis Exeter’s 1st XV are into the semi-finals of BUCS after crushing Loughborough 50- 31 at Topsham last Wednesday. The boys now have a tough trip up to Durham on 6 March in the semi-finals.

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Men’s Player of the Tournament.

Sarah Preece was one of the most successful competitors, making it into the 4th round.

6. Golf Having beaten Plymouth 8-1 sees the 1st team safely through to the BUCS semi-finals on 6 March where they will host St. Andrews.

7. Amber Reed EUWRFC’s centre Amber Reed has been playing for England in the Women’s 6 Nations over the past few weeks. England beat Scotland but then lost to France and Ireland.

Six-goal thriller keeps EUMHC in the hunt for promotion Photo: EUMHC

Across 1. Pumping iron (5,8) 7. Sportingly within play (6) 8. Beginning (6) 9. Pachyderms (6) 10. Note (4) 11. E.g. headlock, nelson (13) 16. Lazy (4) 17. Much smaller (6) 18. Current situation (6) 19. Require (6) 20. Renegade (13)

Down 1. Wartime US President (7,6) 2. Spinier (anag.) (7) 3. Hiding place (7) 4. Metallic superhero (7) 5. Victory (7) 6. Treasonous 1605 plan (9,4) 12. Dissenter (7) 13. Communication (7) 14. Someone who smiles (7) 15. Paper folding (7)

Promote your society here. E-mail editors@exepose.com

Men’s Hockey Andrew Ross EUMHC Team Member

SUNDAY 24 February saw Exeter University travel to Team Bath Buccaneers for a contest between two of the Western Conference powerhouses.

Both are pursuing a place in the rapidly approaching play-offs.

The opening stages displayed the clear intentions of both sides to play free-flowing and offensive hockey.

The lion’s share of possession remained with Exeter, however, Bath’s defence seemed equal to the task.

The men in white remained vigilant, mounting considerable pressure upon the Bath defence, eventually resulting

in a goal for Ed Matts. A deficit that Bath were forced to endure through to the half-time break.

The second half saw a reinvigorated Bath side burst out of the blocks.

Exeter displayed a potent desire to extend their lead. However, after a scrappy exchange in the circle, the ball was forced into the back of the Exeter net. 1-1. Game on. Exeter immediately responded in the best possible fashion with Andrew Ross gliding into the Bath circle and firing a reverse stick shot into the bottom left hand corner.

As the game progressed it became clear that Bath were not prepared to simply roll over. Another goal-mouth battle resulted in a penalty corner to Bath which was expertly converted

through a competent drag push. 2-2.

Grit and determination on the part of both sides became evident. Exeter pressed forward, seeking to respond in a similar fashion to the 1st Bath goal.

Their efforts came to fruition as Ian Haley found himself in possession five yards out from the goal, an opportunity that is seldom missed by such an experienced player. 3-2. Advantage Exeter.

The final stages saw Exeter attempt to maintain possession in the Bath half as the game descended into a dog fight. The Buccaneers continued to pour forward, and in the last five minutes equalised. 3-3. The final whistle blew soon after, ending an impressively resilient display from Bath against a dominant Exeter side.

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The Final Whistle Here is your guide to a few upcoming sporting courses, classes and events 11 & 18 March

19:00 – 20:00 Yoga class FREE Birks Grange Contact- Paul Mouland 01392 722039

12 & 19 March

Yoga class 17:00 -18:00 FREE Cornwall House Contact - Paul Mouland 01392 722039

14 & 21 March

19:30 – 20:30 Capoeria Class £1 per session Birks Grange Contact - Paul Mouland 01392 722039

17 March

EUAC burst out of the blocks Athletics Abbie Rudd Club Secretary

THE WEEKEND of 22 February saw Exeter University’s Athletic Club hit Sheffield for their first big track meet of the season. With a talented intake of freshers in September and the biggest squad ever taken to an indoor championships, this year was set to be bigger and better than ever - the team did not disappoint.

“Good performances in the field events provided a solid base for the track events, where EUAC made more semi-finals than ever before” The weekend started with some promising results in the 60 metres on the Friday evening, with Tyler ‘fastest man on campus’ Johnson making the semi-finals with a season best perfor-

mance.

Saturday proved to be more exciting than anyone could have expected. Some good performances in the field events provided a solid base for the events on the track, where EUAC made more semi-finals than ever before in the club’s history.

“EUAC’s men’s 4x200m relay record was broken in a time of 1 minute 32.49 ” In the 800 metres, Steve List qualified comfortably for the semi-finals and in the 400 metres three out of EUAC’s four athletes competing; Chris Churcher; Sarah Kearsey and Abbie Rudd, qualified for the semi-finals with some personal best performances.

The Saturday evening was set to be a promising one with the heats of the 4 x 200 metre relay. The squad had formulated the strongest teams possible for this event and both the wom-

en’s and men’s relay records seemed to be under threat.

The boys were off first and after a storming first leg by Ian Whittaker, two fantastic legs by resident sprint rivals Joe Houston and James Clayton and an absolute flyer from Tyler Johnson, EUAC’s men’s 4 x 200 metre relay record was a broken in a time of 1 minute 32.49, beating the previous record set back in 2007 by almost a second.

More excitement was to come though. With the girls in the last race of the day, EUAC gathered all the support they could muster and cheered the relay team of Becca Jones, Laurence Thill, Abbie Rudd and Sarah Kearsey, home to a time of 1 minute 47.4 seconds smashing the previous record of 1 minute 48.65 seconds set in 2010.

Whilst the teams narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final, both secured team points for the club. Sunday was another action packed day with the heats of the 200 metres first off.

Girls, Becca Jones and Laurence Thill,

ran impressive heats to qualify for the semi-finals, in personal best and seasons best times respectively. In the boys, Tyler Johnson, ran another great race to qualify for the men’s semi-finals, in winning style.

“EUAC returned to Exeter the most successful track and field team the club has ever seen” Everyone was nervous for all the semi-final performances on Sunday afternoon but all athletes, supported by the rest of EUAC’s athletics squad, exceeded expectations and ran fantastic races to secure yet more personal and seasons bests.

EUAC returned home absolutely exhausted, but the most successful track and field team the club has ever seen. Special mention should go to the club’s captain Tyler Johnson who not only performed to a very high standard but also led the team brilliantly.

Self Defence Course 10:00 – 16:00 £15 Sports Park Contact - Paul Mouland 01392 722039

24 March

Hockey Varsity Sports Park Water Based

2 - 5 April

UKCC FA Level 1 coaching course £90 (students) Where - Sports Park Contact - Annie Watts 01626 325914

22 - 26 April (Book Now) NPLQ (National Pool Lifeguard Qualification) 9:00-17:00 Cost: £175 (students) St Luke’s Sports Centre Contact: 01392 724940