FLEX 15

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NEWS

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remough Campus is set to develop in the near future, and the development is something we should all be excited to witness. The construction of The Exchange, ESI and AIR buildings will offer Tremough a further cutting edge student experience for us all to enjoy. Since my first year here, Tremough has undergone a fair few developments, and it is exciting to see even more happening now.

In the time of a recession, for Tremough to expand and offer more facilities for students is remarkable. Co-existing with the growth of the campus will be a growth of service sectors for students. FLEX will endeavour to be at the front of all issues during the growth, and aspires to be able to work alongside the powers that be so that we can report what happens in meeting rooms to

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appy new year! This year will bring a lot of change for FLEX, and I’d like to highlight the fact that we will be looking to fill our Editorial positions soon. While we always look to current contributors to FLEX who consistently work hard, if you think you would be interested in editing FLEX, or getting involved in any way, give one of us an email and we’d love to talk to you. We’re especially keeping an eye out for those of you with the drive and enthusiasm to improve FLEX and continue to bring an independent student paper to Falmouth and Exeter students both at Tremough and Woodlane. It’s been a bumpy ride for this newspaper, but we have always aimed to create something that you will enjoy reading, but most importantly a place for student

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t was confirmed this week that Pastor Terry Jones had been banned from travelling to the UK to take part in an English Defence League demonstration on Feb 5th. Jones’ gained notoriety last year for his plans to stage a September 11th ‘Burn the Koran’ day in his Florida parish. Jones’ plans caused consternation across the globe and needlessly so; at the time Jones’ congregation in Florida contained only a handful of members and was generally viewed as extreme, even amongst inhabitants of the congregation’s home town of Gainesville.

The trouble is Jones’ plans could easily have been ignored. What significance does the smallminded act of a man of highly questionable intellect in a rural Florida parish have on issues of international cultural relations? Answer: none. None at all, that is unless the act catches the imagination of a news-hungry editor or two. The prospect of Jones’ protest only became important once news organisations from a local to international level had made it seem so. The idea that Jones’ plans alone were responsible for or even warranted the worldwide storm of controversy that followed at the time is laughable.

Terry Jones issued a statement in response to this week’s travel ban claiming that it “exemplifies the sabotage of the basic human rights of freedom of speech and freedom of expression”. It’s unlikely that Jones will make a more relevant point. When a person’s personal opinions - as extreme as they may be - warrant closing the country’s borders, serious issues of liberty arise. The problem is not that Jones thinks what he does - Jones’ ignorance is his business. The issue lies instead in the fact that we were made to listen in the first place. Jones’ prospective burning was deliberately provocative and completely lacking in intellectual substance. Jones would not have

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isclaimer: The opinions expressed in FLEX are not necessarily those of FLEX Editors or the team, nor FXU Students Union. Every care is taken to ensure information is correct in each issue, but when it is incorrect, FLEX cannot accept any liability for the incorrect

FLEX STAFF

Managing Director Ian Pogonowski- 07854 087536 imp202@exeter.ac.uk Chief Editors Anna Grant-Casey - ag335@ex.ac.uk Seren Adams - sa118778@falmouth.ac.uk Paul Tucker - pt249@exeter.ac.uk Graphic Designers Omari McCarthy- Design Manager - Cover Design Morwenna Smith Nadya Pandelieva Rachel Maria Smith Guro Lindahl Flåten Lou Robinson Henry Brown Photographers V. Gopi Mohan Emily Whelan Jack Scott

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you, the student.

Needless to say, FLEX has undergone many transformational phases in the last two years, and the way we report, the frequency of reporting, and the dedication of the team is astounding. We have our set-backs yes; but from these we build stronger so that we can do what we do best; present the only student newspaper to Falmouth and Exeter students. In this issue, read our new section Science. Editor Michael Hawkes will be bringing the best of interesting scientific research to the paper each issue, we hope you enjoy this new addition.

Managing director

Ian Pogonowski,

views to be voiced freely and without the worry of censorship.

For a lot of people, this year means final year and the next few weeks and indeed the rest of the term will mean a cloud of essays, word counts and deadlines that decide our degrees. While January can be bleak in Falmouth, here’s hoping that the grey days don’t last for too much longer and that summer, which we’re all waiting for, isn’t too far around the corner. Good luck to everyone, of all years, with exams and deadlines, and we hope you enjoy this issue of FLEX. Chief Editor

Seren Adams

been invited by the EDL if media figures had acknowledged the insignificance of Jones’ plans instead of focusing on the “Will the crazy with the funny moustache burn the books or won’t he?

And what will the Muslims do if he does?” narrative.

Eventually recovering from its Bieber-induced scheduling nightmare, the latest release was initiated on Sunday through national newspapers in France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US. It is so large, that the documents are being released over a period of months to allow time for each broadcast to be properly digested (one wonders if this delay will, ironically, lead someone to leak the whole lot early in an audacious attempt to out-leak the leakers).

Whilst there have been some fairly shocking revelations involving espionage and nuclear ambition, it is fair to say that, surprisingly, the leaks have often involved nothing more than diplomats from one country expressing bemusement or even out-and-out hilarity at the words and actions of visiting political figures from other countries. Take, for example, the account of a meeting in Kyrgyzstan attended by various diplomats in which Prince Andrew, acting “cockily” and “rude” (admirably following the lead of his old man) claimed that “Americans don’t understand geography.

Never have. In the UK, we have the best geography teachers in the world!” As the old ad slogan goes: If you can, teach. Teach members of the Royal Family that such blind, ignorant patriotism only opens people up to untold depths of ridicule should the public find out - just ask those BNP members whose names were leaked by Wikileaks last year.

Chief Editor

Paul Tucker

information. The publisher cannot accept any liability for loss or damage of artwork submitted.

The content in FLEX is the property of FLEX. If you wish to use any content, please contact the managing director.

Michael Etherington News - ag335@exeter.ac.uk Anna Grant-Casey - ag335@exeter.ac.uk Rebecca Griffiths - rg121808@falmouth.ac.uk Science Michael Hawkes - Science editor - mh317@exeter.ac.uk Lifestyle Hannah Banks Walker - Lifestyle Editor - hb264@exeter.ac.uk Features Mark Burton - Features Editor - mb349@exeter.ac.uk Sarah Stevenson - Features Editor - SS121826@falmouth.ac.uk Art & Design Catherine Durham - cd122522@falmouth.ac.uk Rhiannon Williams -Illustration Editor rhi_u_williams@hotmail.co.uk Jemma Green - Creative Writing Editor jemmaruthgreen@googlemail.com John-Paul Somerville - Fine Art Editor jpsomerville@msn.com

Kayung Lai - Photography Editor - kl119169@falmouth.ac.uk Reviews Dora Eisele - Reviews Editor - de224@exeter.ac.uk Alex Raffle - Reviews Editor - alex.raffle1@gmail.com Emma Thompson -Reviews Editor - et246@exeter.ac.uk Sports Chris Rushton - Sports Editor - cr267@exeter.ac.uk Proofing Team Charis Bryant - Copy Editor Anna Grant-Casey - Proofing Manager Kathryn Hosking Dominique le Grange Anna Kilcooley Emma Chafer Samantha Webster Becca Hadfield Marketing Kaylie Finn - kf228@exeter.ac.uk

news@flexnews.co.uk

Campus Improvement Text Liam Corcoran

The Exchange – The extension to The Stannary and Library.

ESI – Environment and Sustainability Institute. Exeter’s new building.

AIR – Academy of Innovation and Research. Falmouth’s new building.

University College Falmouth (UCF) and the University of Exeter (UoE) are about to undergo a £50 million improvement at Tremough Campus.

The investment, which has come from a variety of investors, will see a new Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), The Exchange and an Academy for Innovation and Research (AIR).

The building works began this month and the new buildings are scheduled to finish in Autumn 2012.

Steve Smith, UoE Vice Chancellor & Chief Executive, said: “This exciting new development is a vital step forward for the Tremough Campus.”

“It will raise facilities to a new level, improving the quality of the student experience and providing a cutting-edge resource for learning.

“Alongside our £30 million Environment & Sustainability Institute, it will help us fulfil our ambitions to create a world class centre for study, research and enterprise around the theme of sustainability.”

University College Falmouth’s proposed AIR, is a £9M investment, which will enable staff and students to work with busi-

nesses on large scale development projects. It will offer opportunities to engage with key challenges of our time including; new applications for superfast broadband, health and well-being and sustainable transport.

At its core will be a design innovation centre, a primarily openplan building enabling researchers and business development staff to work with businesses in flexible project teams.

At the heart of the building will be a technology-rich, 3D enabled, interactive ‘Sandpit’ for creative idea generation and planning of R&D projects, plus a range of flexible spaces for multidisciplinary, live project work.

Andrew Chitty, Managing Director, Illumina Digital and Chair of the National Skills Council for Interactive Media said: “AIR will be one of the most significant developments in building the new relationship between Higher Education and industry that we looked for when writing the Digital Britain report.

“We have many projects that would prosper through AIR and I look forward to bringing them to Falmouth.”

The ESI will create a world-class research centre in the field of environment and sustainability that will aid the economy of Cornwall as well as, the Isles of Scilly, creating jobs and GVA, and contributing to a vision for Cornwall as a low carbon economy.

It will generate first-rate research into the causes and consequences of environmental change and how to adapt to and to manage its technological, political, economic, social and behavioural effects.

To achieve this, the project proposes to recruit 23 top quality academic staff led by Professor Kevin J Gaston as inaugural Director. Professor Gaston is an award winning ecologist and will be joining Exeter from the University of Sheffield. The ESI team will work across the three selected themes of clean technologies, natural environment, and socio-economic research.

The Exchange, a £10 million investment in innovative learning, teaching and research facilities at the Tremough Campus in Penryn will help UoE and UCF to achieve their shared vision to create a first-class campus for Cornwall.

It will increase the capacity of the existing Learning Resource Centre (LRC) at Tremough.

A ‘social street’ will run through the building to provide a series of informal learning environments and link the existing LRC to a range of distinctive new spaces that reflect the needs of 21st century students.

This includes a collaborative lecture theatre and learning lab for ideas exploration to ‘eddy’ spaces for small group learning and exhibition areas for display.

UCF’s Rector & Chief Executive, Professor Anne Carlisle said: “The Exchange will be the kind of space where conversations begin in lecture theatres and carry on in informal settings; where people gather spontaneously as well as intentionally; where students study and reflect as well as receive information and support.

“In an increasingly competitive market, the quality of learning resources will be a key element in student choice”.

“It is therefore vital that we offer facilities that provide the best possible student experience and reflect UCF’s determination to become one of the top five multi-arts universities in the world.”

Steve Trotter, UoE’s academic services assistant director, Cornwall said: “At a time of both recession and uncertainty this is an exceptional achievement, and one that recognises the important contribution these projects will make to the regional economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

The investment will also mean a rise in students from the current 4,000 to 5,000 by 2016. To deal with this rise, the Tremough Campus Services (TCS) Board has agreed a strategy for the provision of residential accommodation to meet the demand from forecast future growth in student numbers at the Tremough and Woodlane Campuses.

UCF and UOE are seeking to complete the planned residential blocks at Glasney Village, to provide 224 rooms. The institutions are also working with the owner of the site at Penryn Station to support his proposed development of approximately 230 rooms.

Get Extra After Graduation!

Text Charlotte Presland

Whether you’re in your first, second or third year, saving money is most likely to be at the forefront of your mind, and having a student discount makes this a lot easier. But third years do not fear! With the end looming (no I’m not talking about 2012) you no longer need to worry about missing that all-important saving method. This summer, The National Union of Students released the Graduate Extra Card that will allow you to continue saving money at 85 companies, even after student life. It can be applied for on the NUS website, costs only £30, and even though a degree is needed to be eligible, it is not needed in order to understand the application process.

The NUS call it “the lifestyle card for fun, freedom and getting on in life” and it offers just that. With discounts in insurance, motoring, phone, TV and broadband, graduates will no longer feel the full

stress of shopping for those all-important necessities. The likes of Virgin Media, Endsleigh, and the AA have signed up with the NUS to give offers and discounts to students who own the card, making independence slightly more affordable.

But for those who hate that dreaded question “what are you going to do after uni?” and would prefer to don their backpacks and traverse the world for a bit, the Graduate Extra Card can help you too! They have teamed up with Trek America, Frontier and GapWork to help lower that intimidating budget, and they also seem to be aware that for some, gap years are an unattainable dream. Instead, advice and discounts are available for volunteering companies such as Africa Volunteer and Do-It Graduate Volunteering, allowing you to boost your CV before hunting out that all-important job.

There is however a dramatic decrease in the amount of companies compared to the NUS Extra Card, and an obvious move away from high street stores such as Matalan, New Look and Dominos, to more ‘upmarket’ companies. This may be beneficial to some, but for those

who can only look wistfully upon dresses in Kelly Ewing and suits in MyTuxedo, the opportunity to save money is significantly limited.

However, for those who would like to splash out on that formal attire in order to exude class and professionalism to prospective employers, the card will make it that little bit easier to do so.

Clearly the NUS are aware of a difference in demands from students to graduates, and not only offer potential savings as they do for students, graduates can also expect access to top career advice from companies such as Career Energy, Brave New Talent and Pitman Training, an offer I expect most of us will relish! But I would hurry, the Graduate Extra Card is currently in its year trial period, so might not be available after August 2011.

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NEWS

VAT Rises Text Joe Henry

Item

17.5% VAT.

20% VAT.

DIFFERENCE

DVD BOXSET

£17.99

£ 18.37

£0.38

UNI TEXTBOOK

£41.99

42.88

£0.89

TRURO - MANCHESTER

£80

£81.70

£1.70

TRAIN FARE

VAT increased 2.5% at the turn of this year, sparking widespread media attention.

Value Added Tax is a tax added to goods and services, which is passed to the government as a form of revenue. The recent rise is part of governmental plans to make the UK budget deficit smaller.

It is said that the poorest people will be hurt the most, as the economic case concerning a regressive tax is seen here. A 2.5% rise on a £100 product will see £2.50 added to its value, and to a poorer person, this impact will be felt more so than to a wealthier person- a view supported by Labour leader Ed Miliband, claiming this to be “the wrong tax at the wrong time”.

Goods and services which won’t see an increase are food,

children’s clothing, and newspapers and magazines.

Retailers also fear that they will be hit hard by the rise in VAT as consumers are not as happy to spend money. It is rumoured that the downbeat performance of HMV this Christmas is due to the expected rise in VAT and the pricing policy of HMV during the festive period.

It will be interesting to see also how retailers price their goods.

The old rate of 17.5 % meant goods and services were marketed at the special 99p rate. The 20% rate of VAT may well eliminate the 99p, or push prices further so as to maintain the £0.99 marketing technique.

Are you keeping your valuable Christmas presents safe?

Having received all those expensive Christmas presents, including a new IPod, a specialist mountain bike and top of the range Sony laptop you don’t want to have them stolen never to be returned.

It makes it even worse when you realise you have lost all your previous term’s coursework on your new laptop. What do you do – panic?

Well there is a way you can help prevent this from happening in the first instance or at least increase your chances of having these items returned.

It is unlikely crime is the first thing you associate with returning back to university after the Christmas break. Yet one in five students will be a victim of crime while studying at college or university*.

Criminals see students as easy targets but fending these thieves off is easier than you think.

By following the advice and information from Devon and Cornwall Police you can reduce the chance of becoming a victim of burglary:

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•Keep all windows and doors locked and secure •Keep valuable items, such as laptops and mobiles out of sight from people who might be looking in •Make sure you have strong doors and windows – talk to your landlord if you have any concerns PC John Dukes said “By taking a few simple security measures students can reduce the chances of being burgled”.

To increase your chances of having stolen items returned we recommend you mark and register your valuable Christmas presents.

•Mark your Christmas presents by using your house name or number followed by your postcode •Join Immobilise online - the world’s largest free register of possession ownership details - www.immobilise.com PC John Dukes said “For the Police, Immobilise allows front line officers to search the serial numbers of recovered goods or suspected stolen property and then take the appropriate action”.

For more advice on marking your property and preventing your student house from being burgled visit:

www.devon-cornwall.police.uk *NUS website - http://www.nus.org.uk/en/Campaigns/TheLock/ Additional Immobilise information PROPERTY from over 250 burglaries is returned every week to those who have signed up to a free national database.

Immobilise has 22 million members who have already registered property on the website.

Immobilise can be used by tenants to register valued possessions, and once signed up all registered items and ownership details are viewable on the police national property database.

This online checking service is used by police to trace owners of lost and stolen property. In addition Immobilise is checked daily by a range of recovery agencies and lost property offices including the Transport for London and the mobile phone industry.

news@flexnews.co.uk

What’s all the FUSC about?

Text Ian Pogonowski

FUSC may well be one of FXU’s most active and successful new societies having been doing this that and the other, seemingly all the time!

FUSC was set up last year by current 2nd year Phoebe Griffiths and Harriet Skinner, and the Snow sports society has rocketed since.

Who said that a lack of snow in Cornwall would stop people enjoying snow sports? With a solid 200 Facebook members on their group page, the FUSC society has enjoyed many socials including the Valley Rally, and Russian themed Tsar Bazzar on Jan 24th. But FUSC have also been to the dry ski slopes, and this past Christmas they ventured to Tignes in the French Alps. The full story of this can be read in our sports pages near the back.

FUSC are also making a team to take to the British University Indoor Snowsports Championships 2011, set to take place between March 1st-3rd. The rapid growth and support FUSC are getting is great, and hopefully they will do great at the championships.

Flex got a little time out of the busy schedule of FUSC’s Vice President Harriet to ask a few questions to get an insight into the success of a society like FUSC. FLEX: When and how did FUSC set up?

FUSC: Phoebe (president) and I both approached FXU around the same time last year to propose the club and we were put

into contact with each other. We set to work on the paperwork required to set up a new club/society with FXU and discovered you need at least 10 proposed members to do so, this coupled with curiosity caused us to call a meeting for anyone who might be interested in being involved with the FXU Snowsports Society. We then affiliated to BUSC (British Uni Snowsports council) which meant we could enter a team. We managed to get 8 people signed up and had a fantastic first trip to the Alps! That was how it all began.

FLEX: Your active year has brought many interested members to the table. Do you believe FUSC is one of if not the most active new societies with FXU? FUSC: For sure, we took 50 members at Fresher’s Fayre alone and have many more people signed up now! Snowsports at uni is vital for British skiing and snowboarding; members generally either started as young kids on family holidays and it’s a diehard passion, thus they are looking to meet other people with the same enthusiasm, or they have just started up and want to get involved by means of the affordable trips and training sessions provided by univeristy snowsports clubs.

FLEX: And why do you think so many people are interested in snowsports? Especially in Cornwall where snow is pretty limited!?

FUSC: Cornwall is as good a place as any in the UK for a snowsports club - the nearest (skiable) mountains in the UK to anyone are Scotland, so we’re doing just as well as the rest of them! Indeed, it would be awesome to be able to ski more in Cornwall (Ahem...snow dome please!), but we use local resources as we can, such as Plymouth Dry Slope.

FUSC also allows us to formally enter teams into national competitions such as BUISC (British Uni Indoor Snowsports Championships), coming up in early March; just because we attend uni in the warmest corner of the country doesn’t mean

we can’t shred some rails ever now and again! (Apply to join the team before 27th Jan at hs300@exeter.ac.uk!)

FUSC: FUSC, much like snowsports in general, is about so much more than the physical act of skiing/snowboarding. FUSC is rapidly becoming a community of snowsports enthusiasts sharing a passion for the mountains; it provides a forum for people to share experiences and knowledge. We also run multiple social evenings in Falmouth along with surf trips around Cornwall, so there are plenty of other reasons to get involved with the only Cornish Snowsports Club than just snowsports!

FLEX: Can you say anything that may well attract those people interested in joining, but who are unsure of doing so?

FUSC: FUSC is...so many things. It’s a place to meet people into the same things as you, to join in with crazy socials, to go on tour around the French alps, to even learn to ski or snowboard (or dare I suggest it..switch!). FUSC really is a club for everyone who has any interest whatsoever in snowsports.

It’s important to add, as FUSC is such a new club, there is so much potential here. We are currently putting together plans for next academic year already; the committee isn’t fully formed yet as is open to applicants (for 2011/12), we are currently in the processes of hunting down designers for team jackets (looks great on your portfolio sports fashion students!), and plans are being formed regarding a cornish charity glacial ski event for the coming winter season too. If you have an interest in snowsports and enthusiasm, FUSC is a great place to flex those ideas!

So, whatever the weather, if you feel like adding some adventure to your studies, FUSC appears to hold the magic. If you’re interested in joining FUSC or for any more information, contact Phoebe or Harriet on: Fee_griffiths@hotmail.co.uk or hs300@ exeter.ac.uk

Predictable By-Election Victory for Labour Text Owen Hind In what was clearly a protest vote, Labour retained their seat in the Northern constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth. The result was announced just before two in the morning, however so clear was Labour’s victory that the new MP, Debbie Abrahams and her election team began celebrating almost an hour before.

Labour won with a vote share of 42%, beating the secondplaced Lib Dems by 3,558 votes. Despite the historic nature of the by-election, the electorate clearly did not want to reward Elwyn Watkins, the Liberal Democrat candidate for bringing the disgraced Phil Woolas to justice.

Instead, a below 50% turnout returned a Labour MP to

Parliament, maintaining their hold on the seat they have held since 1997. After a collapse in the National Polls, the Liberal Democrats will take heart that they polled over 30%, perhaps surprisingly with a fractionally higher vote percentage than in May. Instead it was the Conservative vote which disintegrated to 12%, a figure that will concern the Prime Minister.

Both coalition parties have been punished for their deeply unpopular policies such as the VAT increase, tripling of university fees, and removal of the EMA grant. Disgruntled parents will have no doubt helped the Labour victory after the cost of putting their children through education has dramatically

increased. However this result will not significantly affect the coalition and this election only maintains Labour’s 258 MPs. All eyes will now turn to the Alternative Voting referendum on 5th May. Losing that will be far more damaging to the coalition, but a victory and Oldham East once again becomes a three-way marginal.

In other political news, Labour have won a County Council byelection in Camborne. The election was called after the previous Conservative Councillor resigned following allegations of sexual assault.

I’m sat on the floor Text Thomas Cole This is unusual. More unusual is that I’m sat on the floor of the Lower Stannary. I don’t often spend a week camping there either. Staggering from my tent, my gaze wafts over the passively bemused faces of the gathering students. Amidst the endless mugs of coffee, several members of the occupation are watching the cricket. Some of us leave periodically to update the Twitter, but mostly the morning is cricket-orientated. This, my friends, is a slow news day.

Slow news didn’t come often to the occupation. Over the course of the occupation, we met two Cornish MPs, several very senior

members of Falmouth and Exeter leadership and reporters from various news stations. We made it onto the local newspapers almost immediately, and several members were interviewed by the BBC. Our numbers peaked during an interview with local MP Sarah Newton to around 80, where she was presented with a petition urging her to oppose the rise in tuition fees, signed by hundreds.

Whist nationally the tuition fees bill was passed, it is important to remember that it was passed with only a small majority – we still have cross-party support. Furthermore, it is important to

oppose people’s perceptions that of the bill – it is still important that lower-class people are given the opportunity to pursue higher education despite the threat of increased debt. Finally, it should be taken into account that the cuts Britain is facing will extend beyond education and will threaten the entirety of the public sector. It is not unrealistic to oppose an unequal spread of cuts, and the only way we shall be able to do so is through solidarity with all affected.

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NEWS

Relationship update: Facebook is now listed as ‘it’s complicated’ with Goldman Sachs Text Frances Ivens

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has privately invested $450 million into Facebook (approx £291 million) valuing Facebook at $50 billion dollars. The money allows Facebook to continue growing at its

current rate without having to abide by the regulations of a normal stock market flotation; by accepting large private investments such as this, Facebook can avoid being a public company, in which anyone

could own shares. This would significantly impact the central control over Facebook, most notably the control held by founder Mark Zuckerberg who currently owns a quarter of the company worth an estimated $14 billion. Furthermore, if the company did go public it means crucial financial information, currently held in top secrecy, such as the income and profit gained from the site, would also be in the public domain.

Although there are reports of the company seeking public flotation in 2012 Zuckerberg has warned “don’t hold your breath” What do these changes means for the humble Facebook user? Well currently nothing will change with the running of the site; its main revenue is still from online applications such as ‘Cityville’, and advertising, with Zuckerberg very much in charge. However, if Facebook does become public then anyone be able to own their own piece (albeit very small) of Facebook. The impact of this would be substantial for the everyday Facebook user; millions would be able to give their view on the running of the company, vote on key changes to the infrastructure of Facebook and ultimately have a powerful say in its future.

Contaminated eggs in Cornwall Text Ian Pogonowski

Thousands of eggs imported from Germany have been contaminated and were baked into products in a Cornish bakery.

Kensey Foods in Launceston, Cornwall used the imported eggs to bake into quiches and chilled desserts for Tesco, Cadbury’s, and Ginsters.

The contamination came from what is known by scientists as a dioxin. Dioxin is a by-product of industrialised actions. What the European Union discovered was that the dioxins entered the food system because some fatty acids from a biodiesel company mixed with vegetable feed fat which is used to make animal food. The high levels of dioxins in the fatty acids from biodiesel resulted in high levels of dioxins being fed to chickens on 4,700 German chicken farms.

14 tonnes of eggs were sent to the UK, and Kensey Foods used this batch in processing many famous brand names found in UK supermarkets.

There is little to no immediate health risk to having consumed any of these products. In early January, the FSA (Food Standards Agency)

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said in a statement that: “There is no food safety risk from eating these products. The majority of products will have been sold and most have passed their ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ dates.”

The FSA also said that “Supermarkets are removing the small amount of products that are still in date.”

Despite the little human health risk in the eggs due to the dilution of other ingredients in the product, dioxins are known to last in your body for a long time due to the length of time of the natural breakingdown process. Only if absorbed in high concentrations can dioxins prove a health risk for individuals.

A positive side to this story is that Cornish egg farmers may well have seen a rise in demand for their eggs. With the consumer fear from eating standard supermarket eggs and egg-based products, it would make a pleasant change for locals and students to support the local economy by purchasing fresh local farm eggs which are readily available around Falmouth and Penryn.

Some food items you may have eaten over the holiday may have been contaminated: Products removed from stores:

Tesco •Tesco Raspberry Sponge 5.5”- Best Before 07/01/11

Morrisons •Morrisons Chocolate Tray Bake - Best Before 10/01/11

Asda •Asda Lemon Sponge - Best Before 9 Jan, 16 Jan

Sainsbury’s • Sainsbury’s Caterpillar cake - Best Before 10 Jan and 11 Jan There are other similar products to these that were removed due to contamination. If you want more of a definitive list of what was removed, see the Samworth Brothers website, www.samworthbrothers.co.uk .

SCIENCE

Do foxes have magnets in their heads?

By Michael Hawkes It’s the dead of winter and a mouse is diligently searching for food underneath a canopy of snow that covers the landscape.

The mouse finds what looks like a small berry when a dull thud echoes suddenly through the white roof, followed only by silence. As the mouse raises his head to investigate the sound, he is greeted by two gleaming rows of sharp teeth bursting through the snow. After receiving the surprise of his soon to be ex-life, the mouse momentarily wonders what it was that gave him away.

Unbeknownst to the mouse, the dull thud was the sound of a red fox launching itself high into the air only to come crashing down in an aerial ambush. This hunting behaviour, inventively called “mousing”, can be problematic for the fox when its prey is hiding under snow cover or tall vegetation. How should the fox judge where to jump when it cannot see its prey?

The foxes depend heavily on their sense of hearing during their stealthy approach when they cannot rely on their vision. They move their head from side-to-side and cock their head at jaunty angles to try to locate the direction of their prey via sound.

However, there seems to be something else going on.

Researchers from the Czech Republic have observed that the foxes reliably prefer to approach their hidden prey in a northeasterly direction. The success rate of mousing increases significantly when foxes approach in their preferred direction compared to any other.

This increase in success only happens when the foxes cannot see their prey and happens regardless of the time of day, season, location, cloud cover or wind direction. So why does pouncing in a north-easterly direction seem to increase the foxes’ hunting ability?

The researchers suggest that the foxes are using the inclination of the Earth’s geomagnetic field lines as a “range-finder” to work out the distance of their prey.

Many different animals are able to sense magnetic fields, including various birds and cattle. However, this would be the first case of an animal using magnetic fields to hunt and to calculate distance rather than direction.

When the foxes cock their head at a jaunty angle, they are actually raising one ear above the other, allowing their brain to work out the elevation of sound being made by their prey as well as the distance.

By approaching in a north-easterly direction, roughly along the geomagnetic field lines, the researchers suggest that the foxes

Hidden in plain sight

By Michael Hawkes If I were to ask you to imagine an insect with beautifully coloured and patterned wings, what would you think of? A butterfly? A moth?

Whatever you chose, I’d be willing to bet that it wasn’t a small fly or wasp.

However, an international group of scientists have recently discovered that these insects’ tiny wings aren’t as plain as you might think.

Under the right light conditions, the wings reflect a vibrant array of rainbow colours and patterns that are believed to be used to signal information to other insects, for example when trying to attract a mate.

These wing interference patterns, or WIPs, are not formed by any pigments, but by a process called ‘thin film interference’ caused by the physical structure of the wings.

The wings are made of two compressed transparent layers that reflect a small percentage of the light that strikes them. The thickness of these layers varies across the wing and determines what colour of light that they reflect, creating mosaics of vivid colour.

WIPs were first identified before

Darwin published On the Origin of Species, but they were dismissed as random and changeable reflections, like the iridescence of a soap bubble.

That is, until now.

The scientists found that the ridged, almost fingerprint-like surface of the

wing is able to stabilise the WIPs and allow a static pattern to be seen from almost all angles.

The WIPs are unique to each species, like a tiny version of the colourful plumage patterns of birds, leading the scientists to believe they are used

can relate the position of their prey obtained via sound to the inclination of the magnetic field. When the two senses align, the fox is a fixed distance away from its prey.

Being able to reliably position itself a predictable distance from its prey, the fox can gradually perfect its pounce for that known distance, increasing its success rate.

Although this explanation is enticing, there isn’t yet any direct evidence for the involvement of magnetic fields. The researchers must now go on to look for evidence that positively supports magnetism as the answer, and identify a physiological mechanism by which foxes could detect magnetic fields.

What do you think? Do foxes have magnets in their head?

Want to read the original paper?: J. Cerveny et al. 2011. Directional preference may enhance hunting accuracy in foraging foxes. Biol. Lett. In Press.

Red foxes. Photo: G Dallimore

to signal information. This could be used by the insects to tell if another fly is of the same species, but also as an ornament to attract mates like a peacock’s tail.

Colour signalling and wing displays are both common in insect behaviour.

For example, the bright yellow and black stripes of wasps are a warning to anything that might consider messing with them, and many flies vibrate their wings towards potential

mates during courtship dances.

Another clue that WIPs are used in signalling is the range of colours they are made of. Most small flies and wasps cannot see the colour red and their vision is primarily made up of sensitivity to ultraviolet, green and blue light. The way in which WIPs are made means that they do not produce pure red, and the colours that are produced overlap with the colours that the flies and wasps can see.

WIPs vary greatly, from solid transitions to spots, in a breathtaking kaleidoscope of colour. The discovery of these fixed wing colour patterns opens the door to a new dimension of insect behaviour that scientists were previously unaware of.

The researchers conclude: “the claim that fly and wasp wing patterns are no match for the incredible diversity of colourful butterfly wing patterns is obsolete”. As you can see, they were quite right.

Want to read the original paper?: E. Shevtsova et al. 2010. Stable structural color patterns displayed on transparent insect wings. Proc. Natl.

Acad. Sci. USA. 108: 668-673

Wing colour patterns on display.

Source: Shevtsova et al. 2010.

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Libraries: Not for the Faint Hearted Richard Shepherd has a near-death experience in the law library, and a near-depression experience in the main one.

I don’t know if you’ve visited the law library recently? It really is a coo! Not somewhere you would take your first love perhaps, probably not somewhere you would choose to walk your dog, have a tea party or indeed take to tap dancing but somewhere certainly worth a visit.

I don’t think you even have to be doing law?

Who knows, I just walked in there.

The first thing you notice is the deathly silence, like someone’s put a hoover through the door and sucked all the noise out. This renders even the notion of a tea party unthinkable in the law library. The second thing you notice are all the terribly clever people in there, heads down, reading. So no tap dancing either. But the third thing that strikes you is a distinct lack of books.

a more adamant assertion towards me.

It wasn’t buggering about. The great towering edifice of books was bearing down on me like a lion in pursuit of its prey. I scampered to my feet, scrabbled for my bag and stood up. This only made things worse of course because the shelf now had more empty space to fill. A heavily bound issue of Media, Culture and Society came right up to my nose as I became intimately acquainted with what it must feel like to be a pressed flower. Luckily my stout walking boots, which I had only put on because I had intended to walk the dog around the library that morning, saved the day as they became wedged between the two sets of shelves that I now found myself curtly sandwiched between.

can’t get into unsupervised. If that doesn’t make you ache with excitement, then what does?! In the same way that ‘do not touch’ signs make me want to touch whatever it is more than anything, this locked part of the library presents something of a quandary.

What are they hiding in there? Books that talk, books that walk, books that read from back to front, books so lurid they could hurt your eyes, or books that are written entirely in chalk?

Who knows, whatever is in there one thing is for sure: it must be dreadfully important.

But I’m actually making a serious point here.

What I find so exciting about the law library is the polar opposite of what I find so despairingly dull about the reference library and collection up the stairs at Tremough. Beige is a colour

excellent pursuit for anyone to spend a few hours perfecting, but it’s just feels a bit, you know, bodged. Like our library is on the run.

Perhaps it goes out walking to the sea.

And I wouldn’t blame it. Everyone needs some fresh air from time to time and you certainly can’t get it in the library. Maybe I’m just a delicate fruit, but the density of the library in its regulated air-conditioned state gives me the heebie jeebies and/or a headache. You can’t stare out the arrow slit windows – it’s not a fort for pete’s sake – and there is nowhere to hide for those of us that perhaps find other library users shuffling past every three minutes slightly distracting.

But at least there is an antidote. If you’re lacking lust for the library, and can’t bring

They are there, however. Just hidden. Those of you of a rebellious ilk reading this will no doubt share my own excitement for, what turn out to be, not just bookshelves, but moving bookshelves! Shelves that actually roll, have the potential to squash someone and, if you roll the handle very fast, can move at quite a pace.

It seems there are actually so many books in this library that there just isn’t the room for normal book shelves with a set perusing space in between. No, there is only room for use of one shelf at a time so they roll back and forth revealing and hiding lines of books as they go.

This is where it gets nasty. There I am, sat on the floor flicking through some back copies of the National Geographic from 1975. Maps and diagrams, pull out posters and reader subscription offers scattered about me as I read an article on mysterious Jupiter. And Jupiter is still a mystery to me, because at that moment the shelf decided my time was up. I had to move. It teetered towards me with a gentle nudge then, just as my pulse had jumped up a few beats to 'ah-crap' mode the shelf started on

I must admit I have never had so much fun in a library. No one got hurt, the demon shelf roller retrieved his or her text and, luckily, rolled the shelf shut again releasing me from my temporary imprisonment and I had a good, if not shaken, chuckle to myself. I was too embarrassed to say anything. Sitting on the floor between the shelves is not the done thing apparently but I couldn’t help myself. All of a sudden, upon discovering these curious moving shelves, the excitement of the library came rushing back. My eyes were bright, pulling books from the shelves and reading them there and then. Too excited to wait until I could find somewhere ‘proper’ to sit and read them. The rolling shelves hide ancient magazines, music scores, books on rocks, journals on photography, and all are ever so slightly dusty - a chest of interest and intrigue.

I felt a desire to simply pick out the books with curious titles and read a few pages, dive into something I’ve never looked at before, and chuck it to one side when I’m done.

Then there is the locked section. The bit you

for golfers in retirement so why am I subjected to great swathes of the colour in the library?

Half the shelves are empty, there’s this one light that’s been flickering since the start of term and you can’t open the windows. It’s like being stuck in a submarine. As if it couldn’t get any more clinical you don’t even have to speak to a librarian any more. Obviously you know the score, the efficient and, I must say very convenient, computer does the job for you. Like those self-service checkouts at the supermarket turning the everyday into a microchip-related experience that will one day render human interaction a thing of the past.

What happened to rubber date stamps and little old ladies with round spectacles on that purse their lips when you come into renew that book; again. Where are the window seats so you can stare out at the world and contemplate poetry? Where is the brass plate that directs you to the Philosophy section where you find cobwebs? Instead we get laminated paper signs typed up in Comic Sans. Not that I don’t like laminating, on the contrary I find it an

yourself to get down to that all important reading list, or want to redefine why having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card, then I suggest you pop into the law library and look out something dusty. Find a space to hide and discover the art of discovery itself. Be fascinated by what treasures hide themselves away within the many hundreds of thousands of pages lining the library’s walls. Just be careful, during your search, not to squash anyone.

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Do you agree with Richard? Do you find the main library depressingly dull and soulsucking? Have you ever lost a loved one to the rolling stacks in the law library? Let us know on Twitter: twitter.com/flexfeatures

FEATURES

Born to Drill Camborne School of Mines is an often forgotten gem on Tremough campus – a small college with a big reputation. Emily Smith delves into its history.

The saying goes, that in every hole in the world you will find a Cornish man. If this is the case, then it stands to reason that many of those people will have passed through the doors of Camborne School of Mines (CSM), a college that dates back to 1888 and has been based at the CUC’s Tremough campus for the last six years.

CSM is part of the University of Exeter, is the only school still teaching mining engineering in the UK. Today there are an estimated 278 students studying as part of CSM over three courses, Mining Engineering, Renewable Energy and Geology compared to 168 students in 1900. Frances Wall, CSM head of department and associate professor in applied Mineralogy says: “The courses evolve all the time; we are always changing the content and syllabus of the modules.”

The mining industry in Britain has diminished but CSM’s reputation hasn’t. Its expertise is valued around the world. When the recent Chilean mining disaster occurred the press came directly to CSM. The BBC needed expert opinions and lecturers at Tremough could provide them.

“CSM will thrive.”

The reputation of CSM is so well established internationally that students who graduate from the school do not struggle to find employment. This year alone 22 of the mining engineer graduates had good jobs lined up before they had finished their three year course.

Frances Wall believes the school is so renowned that it will not have any problems when tuition fees are raised. “We have degrees that lead directly to employment; they will still be very attractive degrees for people even if they cost more money. CSM will thrive because of this reason.” There are over 1,000 members of CSM in existence all over the world and half of these are living or working overseas. Many are employed in production mining, exploration, tunnelling and quarrying.

Frances Wall says: “The CSM degree is your ticket to travel the world. A lot of students travel and get very high salaries.” The brand

of CSM is so apparent that prestigious mining families from Africa to Peru send their heirs to CSM to study, regardless of the demise of mining on British soil.

Cesar Fernades, an international student born in Brazil comes from a mining background, his father a trained mining engineer, working all over the world. “The reputation of CSM is so good internationally that my dad told me to come and study here in Cornwall, it's one of the best traditional mining schools today.”

CSM is so famous for its research and applied sciences that many students are from further afield even though the industry may have been more accessible to them.

CSM has a traditional constituency and many of the graduates regularly come back to visit Cornwall. Locals and past students alike are particularly keen to support the school at the yearly event, The Bottle Match, a sporting competition taking place against Royal School of Mines in London almost every year since 1902.

CSM Student president Alex Cox says: “We have lots of support when we play in the Bottle Match; many locals come to watch and support us. The locals like to see us not only supporting Camborne but supporting the history of the mining school. It is very important for us to continue to promote the history we all are so passionate about.”

“It makes them feel part of a group.”

CSM students are passionate about what they do and believe strongly in becoming part of the CSM family, however this is not always the first thing other students think of when hearing the CSM name. The stereotype of a CSM student at Tremough is that of boisterous, heavy drinkers.

But the miners try very hard to prove this stereotype wrong.

There are certain periods when CSM comes alive on campus. CSM Freshers’ week being the first held shortly after the FXU equivalent.

CSM Freshers’ week is a time where the second and third year students make the new arrivals feel part of the ‘family’. Then after the Christmas break the school also promotes raising and giving week, or 'Crazy Week' as it’s

more widely known on campus. The 'Crazy Week' is entirely organised by the first year students and allows them the chance to raise lots of money for charity. Alex Cox says: “It's really good to get first years involved, it makes them feel part of the group and allows them to organise a really good event which raises lots of money for charity. CSM are a big group of people who are there for each other.”

Behind the scenes of Tremough lies a history that continues to grow, an institution providing great employment and opportunities worldwide, a home for many students that feel part of a family.

Strong minded miners with a passion for work and a loyalty to the CSM brand. Open your eyes to this gem.

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Surfers do it on a Flowrider Text: Sarah Louise Stevenson

Surfing students from Falmouth and Exeter Surf Club (FXSC) celebrated the end of the winter term in style, with two evenings of riding Cornwall’s only standing wave at the Loop Flowrider, at Retallack Resort and Spa in St Column Major. Participants were geared up in the latest Quiksilver wetsuits and headed out onto the spongy surface where jets pumped streams of water at a speed of 40mph over a wave shaped floor.

After initially mastering the skill on body-boards, most surfers were standing up in no time. “It was very amusing, especially watching Keith (Freeriders legend) dominate James Harris.

Surprisingly painful, but damn good fun”, said Sam Kendray, a keen FXSC member.

Following the Flowrider session, the end of year wind-down continued in traditional surf social style, with a quiet Friday night drink at Waterman’s.

FLEX caught up with FXSC team rider, Andrew Mitchell, to get some inside information on being a member of the surf club.

Andrew, what’s the best thing about being an FXSC Member?

Since I joined the FXSC I have felt like a bona-fide surfer (see what I did there), for me that beats the women (see what I did there as well), drinking and roast dinners. Life's all about weighing up the pros and cons, and being a member of FXSC most certainly tips the scales in your favour.

Did you feel the Flowrider sessions went well?

The Flowrider sessions definitely opened up my eyes to the potential of being able to ride human beings. After seeing a middle-aged man get shacked on another human being, it just hasn’t been the same out in the water. The Flowrider session just about sums up the FXSC and what they can offer! From history lessons to free alcohol and Jacuzzis, the question answers itself.

What do you think of this hotly anticipated Morocco trip?

I’m not sure Morocco is quite ready for the FXSC, but the year is 2011 and as far as I’m concerned it's on like Donkey Kong!

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What message would you send out to people thinking of getting involved but haven’t yet?

What’s wrong with you?

FXSC are now proudly sponsored by LOADING bar, and all members showing their cards will receive a 10% discount. For more information, or to get involved with the club, check out the Facebook page; just search “FXU Surf (Falmouth and Exeter Surf Club). Members receive a quality limited edition FXSC card, and access to exclusive discounts, events and the FXSC clothing range.

FEATURES

A Life Without Social Networking Charlie Derry discusses the pros and cons of our addiction to social networking sites.

A life without what? How is that even possible? I'd like to say that we're not all obsessed with such social networking sites, but I think it's safer, and probably more accurate, to say that we are.

It started off on Bebo when we were 10, before switching to Myspace when we started wearing skinny jeans. Now the place to be is Facebook, and for those who feel they're opinions are worthy to more than just their university friends, there's Twitter. So why are our lives so heavily focused around these sites?

And why, as university students, are they so useful to us?

Is it simply enough to say that we use these sites because they make our lives that little bit easier? (easier or lazier, you decide.) Instead of asking our friends personally to come round for a few drinks on our birthday, we make an event page where the only people who select 'Attending' are those we've never met before. Instead of walking all the way down the hall to ask our housemate a question, we simply pop up a conversation on Facebook Chat whilst we remain in our beds watching Jeremy Kyle on the telly.

On a hangover day, we can sit and refresh our news feed to waste a few hours. We can spy on those who we've told we never want to see again, because by that we meant we'd constantly flick through their recently uploaded photos. More pleasantly, we can keep up to date with our close friends and family whom we left behind to attend university; having my mum ring me up concerned about a recent "frape" always brightens up my day.

These sites aren't only useful to keep in contact with those we already know either. Facebook especially was a great place to meet people before Freshers' week who were going to study the same course, at the same universities as ourselves (And also to search for the random person we got with in Remedies the night before).

But it's not only socially that they come in handy. As a Journalism student, I'm told to be a part of all of these social networking sites to better my chances of a career as a successful journalist. I'm told to use Twitter to express my opinion about the latest newsworthy topic - in my case I have about 2,000 tweets expressing my love for tea and Harry Potter – and to upload all of my work onto my blog so that my work is essentially selfpublished - now I find that I'm checking my blog views daily and celebrating to myself when I hit a new milestone.

Sam Batt, second year Journalism student at UCF says: “I think there is an element of them that is really useful. You can keep in contact with people you are working with and can organise projects. For my course, they are also useful for collecting vox pops and public opinion.”

Although they are potentially useful for our courses, they are also the main distraction from them, and why we are handing in our essays minutes before the deadline, rather than researching for them months in advance. Sam adds: “Mainly, I think they are distracting. I think they’ve done my work a lot more damage than good.”

I think it’s fair to say that we could all gain a few marks if we weren’t spending our time on these sites. But then without the distraction of these sites being there in the first place, I don’t think I’d have the motivation of opening up my laptop and completing my work in time. The distraction makes sitting on my laptop, mainly pretending to do work, seem a little more worthwhile.

So in conclusion…What’s that? I’ve just found a new networking site, so I’ll…Ahh, I’ll see you on ‘Path’ sometime soon – you’ll get a better response from me online.

And you’ll get a better response from us online too: twitter. com/flexfeatures

Writing a beautiful picture Text: Matthew Smylie

"A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket." Charles Péguy What is it to be a good writer? Is it charisma, charm, or style? Writing is an unusual art form in that it isn’t necessarily an art form. It can be seen as an integral component of day-to-day life, from reading the morning paper, to the sign post on the motorway, to the options on a menu in a restaurant.

Writing isn’t subjective in the sense that someone can instantly see a visual, such as a painting, and behold it as gorgeous, breathtaking; a marvel. The written word, however, holds the power to instil all of these emotions within people, possibly to a greater extent, harnessed only by the power of imagination and thought.

Writing can be fiction or non-fiction, possesses a variety of objective standpoints, can prove to be informative, humorous, even scary.

Some enjoy more complex writing, if it can be called thus, as a basic written style can possess as much complexity as that with sophisticated vocabulary and complex devices.

As Charles Péguy’s quote indicates, writers

can be of two trains of thought. That of the thinker, the writer who “pulls it out of his overcoat pocket”, a writer such as Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter, who utilises lengthy descriptive passages to paint elaborate pictures of his characters and their thoughts and feelings.

Then, there is the writer that conveys sheer raw emotion, sometimes through simplicity, such as John Steinbeck, author of Of Mice and Men, one of the great American writers and one who is known for using basic sentence structure and language.

“Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” - Nathaniel Hawthorne Contrast this with such non-fiction fare as news writing, which adheres to a strict pyramid system of introduction, main points, and quotes. The quality is evidenced in its simplicity and its ability to convey information effectively.

Magazine and column writing is another beast altogether, an amalgamation of simplicity and

complexity, tone and aim. Success is achieved by engaging and maintaining the reader’s interest, be it liberally strewn with quotes and evidence, or more of a thought piece.

To use the painting analogy once more, you can appreciate that something is beautifully painted but it still may not be to your taste. So it is with the written word. Whether pulled delicately from the overcoat pocket or torn from an open vein, writing will convey its author’s thoughts, feelings and emotions. That is what it is to be a writer. Whether it is to someone else’s liking or not.

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reviews

FILM LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS Text Sarah Connelly To be perfectly honest I was not sure what to expect from this however, Maggie’s disease proves a difficult stumbling block in film. I have been a huge fan of the beautiful Anne Hathaway for their relationship and unable to withstand Jamie’s determination many years, and so to see her act alongside the equally beautiful to find her a cure, she bitterly, if somewhat reluctantly, demands Jake Gyllenhaal was too good an opportunity to resist. However, that they go their separate ways. Those in need of a happy ending I was unsure how to perceive a film that dealt with the onset of will not be disappointed, however, (as happy as a film dealing Parkinson’s disease in a woman aged only twenty six. Hathaway with such a contentious issue can provide), as their time apart makes an admirable performance as Maggie Murdoch, a young allows Maggie and Jamie realise how much they need each other. artist tragically suffering in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Love and Other Drugs is not the typical romantic comedy one might encounter in the cinema, however; it raises This determined young woman meets her serious questions regarding the morality of match when she encounters the smooth “Uplifting, inspirational pharmaceutical sales, and deals sensitively talking pharmaceutical salesman Jamie and energizing” with the issue of mental illness; an issue Randall (Gyllenhaal) in her doctor’s surgery.

Jamie, a womanising med-school drop-out, is fired from his that at some point in many people’s lives will affect them in one previous job for, shall we say, illicit conduct in the stockroom with way or another. This refreshingly adult romance then provides an attractive colleague, and turns his hand to pharmaceutical a much needed break from the juvenile ‘childhood sweetheart’ sales to fuel his fast-and-loose lifestyle. Maggie, meanwhile, plots that so often hit our screens and target a youthful audience. determined to live her life unaffected by the degenerative disease Uplifting, inspirational and energizing: the beauty of this film that she must cope with each day, is unsure what part Jamie will comes in its ability to leave us with such feelings even when a play in this life. The relationship between the two moves pretty degenerative disease is interwoven into the romantic plot. For quickly to say the least; the film reveals some of the sexiest scenes the music lovers out there – listen out for some iconic 90s tracks I’ve seen on the cinema screen for a long time! Of course, the usual and the beautiful Regina Spektor who ends this beautiful film romantic pattern follows and eventually both characters realise perfectly. twitter.com/flexnews how much they care and love each other. Despite her best efforts,

TRON: LEGACY Text Mathew Smylie The legacy Tron left behind was one of a technologically advanced world, the likes of which had never been seen before within cinema. Minimalist landscapes highlighted with neon oranges and blues, futuristic light cycles, humanised computer programs at their helm bedecked in skin tight suits and a master computer programme whose malevolent reign over the universe is represented through his pixelated face stretched over a rotating cylinder. A lot has changed since then. Such is the premise of long awaited sequel Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski, which tells the story of the son of original protagonist (Jeff Bridge’s Kevin Flynn) in his hunt for his missing Father.

Sam Flynn (Garret Hedlund) is a rebellious 27 year old desperate to evade the responsibility of running his missing Father’s company ENCOM, when Kevin Flynn’s best friend and business partner Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) comes to Sam with information. He has received a page from the dilapidated arcade that Kevin left in his absence. Upon investigation Sam finds himself trapped within the same world as his Father two decades before, a world much changed, with a malevolent dictatorship needing to be overthrown.

The film falls more into the action genre than the also applicable science fiction, with emphasis placed heavily upon the most marketable Disney friendly aspects of the story; the games grid, the disc battles, the light cycles. For a film that is predominantly based around these action sequences they each run at a surprisingly lax pace. The events methodically unfold akin to the laboured pace of the original, something that would have been thought to have been so due to the technical restrictions at the time, but not so with the break neck speed of action sequences in mainstream contemporary cinema.

The buzz building around this film was the potential technological breakthrough in the computer generated representation of Jeff Bridges as a thirty year old man. A thirty year old version of himself, as computer program Clu, acting alongside the other performers, as well as a Bridges in his sixties. Unfortunately the technology is inadequate to provide a photorealistic Bridges and any scene involving Clu is somewhat jarring, his performance and appearance seeming so out of sync with the others. Another jarring aspect is the dialogue, cliché ridden, Sam’s in particular utilises any spoken action tropes which see him talking like just another expendable, not showing the vulnerability and lack of faith and confidence a character searching for his lost Father in a strange digital world should probably have.

However, successful performances come in Olivia Wilde’s wide eyed wonder as Quorra, lending a sweetness to the character that makes her more likeable than the archetypal ‘bad-ass’ fighting girl cipher. Garret Hedlund is effective as the protagonist; his frame, notably deep voice and cocky swagger lends Sam charisma, but this is coupled with an arrogance that seems too much for the character.

Tron: Legacy is an average action/science-fiction film and serves to be nothing more. Another instalment within the burgeoning 3-D revolution of Hollywood, not serving to add much to the mix. Another entry into the ongoing evolution of CGI, again not proving to be the game changer it may have hoped to be, and possibly, thefinal instalment of the story of Tron - not taking away from the quirky charm of the original, yet not really achieving the high-score with this story. As for the fate of Tron himself? That would be spoiling.

Matthewsmylie.wordpress.com

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TV MISFITS Text Ed Holman I know Misfits has been and gone, and all the fans have to wait another torturous year without knowing the outcome of the cliff hanger at the end of that last episode- but it was an excuse to watch it all over again, throughout the Christmas holidays as I was stuck in bed, wounded (a story for another day).

If you have never seen it, or live in a hole, Misfits is like Heroes with comedy and teenagers in orange boiler suits. Which to be fair it was missing, and it should be noted that without the success of Heroes this wouldn’t be possible. Channel 4 would have said “What? You want to make a show about hoodies with super powers?! Pull the other one!” So they get caught in a storm, while doing community service and get struck by lighting with their community service officer, who goes nuts and tries to kill them, and in defence they kill him and hide the body, and drama ensues.

‘They’ are Nathan, a mouthy Irish kid who was arrested for stealing

“Can I give it a billion gold stars?” pick ‘n’ mix, who is immortal. Kelly, a chav who can read minds, and says what she’s thinking. Curtis, a runner who got caught with drugs and was made an example of, he can travel back within his own personal timeline; a good plot device, as he can’t change anything he likes, as Hiro did in Heroes. Then we have Simon, who can turn invisible- you start to see that all of their powers are attained to their own desires, hopes and feelings.Then, Alisha, who can make anyone want her by touching them.

Now in the second series, the focus switches from Nathan to Simon, and a mystery man that is looking out for the misfits by being able to predict things and free run all over the place. Then there is a new probation worker, who’s brilliantly dry. This series

ramps up the comedy and drama to new levels. This show twists like a roller-coaster, but doesn’t make you dizzy. The twists are mostly quicker and strange but at the same time it works, like the boy who can control milk and all dairy products and secret love

DR.WHO: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Text Alex Raffle To me, Christmas Day means three things; opening presents far nips back and forth through time like nobody’s business visiting too early in the morning, eating far too much for lunch, and in the Sardic as a child to try and prevent him becoming who he is in the evening there will be a Dr. Who Christmas special. Unfortunately, present, and to give him a few great Christmases and help him this year I was given an extra gift of the flu and a chest infection meet his love interest Abigail (played by Katherine Jenkins), and as she’s a famed classical singer, naturally she sings a couple of which slightly spoiled all but the latter.

This year’s instalment was one of the most high-concept Who times. Expect some classic Who unusualness to liven things up in episodes to date, entitled ‘A Christmas Carol.’ The plot doesn’t the form of frozen people as loan collateral and flying fish.

The episode has some great jokes plan on surprising you, but of course there are Who tweaks here and there: “this episode doesn’t have as much about climbing down chimneys, and a rather subtle nod to Rory, a spaceship carrying 4,003 passengers, threat and impending doom as Amy dressing up hobby, kinky. The including Amy and Rory, is caught in previous adventures, and it feels dialogue feels comfortable and a cloud storm above a new planet all quite refreshing actually” doesn’t come across as on-the-nose set to crash; not the best holiday plans as Who has done in the past, and that I’ve heard. However, all could be saved provided, that resident scrooge Kazran Sardic, (played by strangely this episode doesn’t have as much threat and impending Micheal Gambon, you might know him as Dumbledore) uses his doom as previous adventures, and it feels quite refreshing actually. cloud manipulation device to free the doomed ship, but he just It is a lot smaller than, and perhaps not as exciting as previous happens to be grumpy and has no intention of helping. Now enter specials, but still was quite the treat I had anticipated. And it was the Doctor to play the ghosts of Christmas and convince him followed up by a very intriguing trailer for the upcoming series, which hints at the some changes in location, new aliens and a otherwise.

This episode utilises time travel better than most, the Doctor whole lot of excitement. I cannot wait.

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story arc, in the show that pulls all the right strings.

To say this is like Skins but with super heroes is, just understating it. It’s in a league of its own. Can I give it a billion gold stars?

reviews

BOOKS LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA Gabriel Garcia Marquez Text Graham Earclay On the exterior, Love in the Time of Cholera appears to be with the third apocalyptic force: love. Civil war and cholera act a narration of the stoicism of love amid the many sordid as powerful metaphors for love’s destruction in different ways. corruptions of life. However, within the intricacies, Marquez Creating the backdrop of civil war, Marquez suggests love is poignantly highlights the moral depravity of humanity through similarly futile and fatal as it involves unnecessary conflict and questioning the very ethos of love itself. He superbly illuminates subsequent trauma in its brutal arbitration of the soul. Cholera the overwhelming decadence of society with his subtle, yet sharp appropriately presents love as a disease which eats away at the lyrical eloquence; a masterful technique exposing the duality colonic tissue, rendering the sufferer helpless as does love by of humanity. Marquez does this in his portrayal of the main consuming the heart and the mind. protagonist Florentino Ariza, whose emotive passion for his first Marquez’s message is therefore simple, albeit pessimistic. He love Fermina Daza quickly evolves into a corrosive obsession. The suggests love is something of folly and farce; an entity hapless, adored “Romantic” that is Florentino, whose heart is besieged reckless, and ultimately fruitless. In fact, Marquez’s metaphors with infatuation, axiomatically displays his love for Fermina of love: war, disease and lunacy, brilliantly mirror Nietzsche’s metaphors of nihilism which are the through his unrehearsed violin solos “of the “the explicit conclusion bottomless abyss, madness, and death. What soul” and his laboriously detailed poems for is that love is dead and this fatalistically suggests is that there will her. However, in the knowledge that Fermina we have killed it” never be a ceasefire in this catastrophic is married and therefore unreachable, Florentino tragically drinks “a bottle of contraband cologne” and war, there will never be a cure for this lethal disease, and there gets “drunk on Fermina”, symbolising the catastrophic moment will never be a treatment for this psychological trauma. Within when his loins become infiltrated with intoxication. This pathetic Marquez’s paradoxical novel of lyrical beauty and human display on Florentino’s part serves as the catalyst for sequential obscenity is the boding question of whether we as human beings in events, in which the many labyrinths of female sexuality as a all our complexity are the builders of our own Bedlam, the guards “solitary hunter” are explored. Florentino’s emotional obliteration of our own Pandemonium and the very root of our own emotional following his failed courtship with Fermina leads him to conduct incarceration. Within this riveting read, the explicit conclusion is that love is dead and we have killed it. I disagree: rather, love is sexual predation in his quest to “posses” her.

Imperative to the moral message of the novel are the motifs of a the dictator of the soul and we are merely its subjects. Ironically, perennial civil war and a cholera pandemic which are juxtaposed in questioning love itself, you will find yourself loving this book.

THE BLACK MAGIC TRILOGY Trudi Canavan Text Jimmy Green To state that the Black Magician trilogy is a series that everybody detestable, portraying Trudi Canavan’s ability to tune the reader’s would enjoy is fake praise. It isn’t. It’s neither a book for those who feelings. Indeed, when the novel comes to a close there is a desire love a fast paced novel, as the story-line takes a while to get into, that it would, somehow, continue as the characters become well nor is it a book for those who enjoy a short read, for the books get known on a somewhat personal level. There is also a powerful thicker and thicker. Indeed, there are moments when the average political and moral aspect to the story, as Canavan takes great reader would, in all probability, like nothing more than to skip care in developing the world in which this story unravels, to the to the climatic end fight and finish the book, especially as there extent of giving the various nations strong, individual cultures. is a singular strong pattern that begins to repeat itself. On top of The political is revealed within these differing cultures and the way that they interlink and this, there is the feeling that “A wonderfully and meticulously detailed interact with one another, The Black Magician trilogy world, and an edge-of- the-seat plot, this whether that is through the is the tale of Harry Potter but book is a must for lovers of good fantasy” present or historic narrative. set in a different world and in Jennifer Fallon (Fantasy Author) The moralistic side to the a past time. Similar aspects tale is portrayed through the show themselves, such as the protagonist being an orphan from the slums, which is a place interactions of the various characters; the main ethic explored despised by the rest of the city. This seems to be similar to Harry being that of discrimination and segregation.

To tell you the narrative’s plot would ruin it immensely for, being an orphan and treated with disregard by the Dursleys.

However, stories are always being retold in new or unusual despite the feeling of ‘I’ve been here before’ whilst reading the ways and, although there are negatives to the series, The Black novel, there are various kinks in the story that make it far more Magician does have its merits. The characters are either likable or rugged and tangible.

In brief, it follows the story of a slum girl, Sonea, who slowly grasps the reality of whom she is and where she fits in Kyralia.

Further depth to this piece derives from other characters being given strong tales of their own which are important for reasons that, eventually, reveal themselves.

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reviews@flexnews.co.uk

GAMES

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Text Oli Haydon First impressions are everything. When I first imagined what an indie game developer’s studio would be like I couldn’t help but picture a shed, a laptop and countless Red Bull cans. Indie games are, in a nutshell, games designed without the support of a major game publisher. These are proper games. Games that have simply stemmed from a great idea and not because the mass public are shouting out for it.

Shank fits aptly into this back to basics gaming concept since it was developed in a small studio in the backstreets of Vancouver, Canada. Shank is a 2D side scrolling fighting game released for PC, PSN and XBLA. Without giving too much away, our testosterone filled hero Shank is out there to rescue his girl from the grasp of another outrageous, hormonally-fuelled villain. From the start the game tries to immerse the player in this gritty, profane and violence-filled world with the help of beautiful landscapes and character design. The game plays very well; the countless combos that Shank has under his belt along with the various different weapons (ranging from Chainsaw to Flamethrower) - the player could seemingly play it for hours. Sadly, this is not the case as Shank falls at the simplest of hurdles.

The combat style, albeit certainly not lacking in gore, lacks in flow. Although racking up 200+ hit combos is thoroughly satisfying, the fighting style becomes rapidly monotonous and irritating. Shank’s dodge move is completely unpredictable and is therefore rendered useless, making larger group fights completely impossible. Bosses are poorly designed and although intense and occasionally enjoyable, they become tedious while you wait for the game’s quick-time events to guide you through defeating them. The level design visually is incredible but, sadly, practically it is the game’s biggest downfall; it simply becomes running from

with a coffee at one side to the other until the game tells you to stop running and gets you to fight 15 enemies before being allowed to run on a little more.

Where the game does excel is when you look past these problems and into the heart of the game. It is not one of the big show off combat titles like Bayonetta or Ninja Gaiden, it’s a 2D, absolutely beautiful side scroller developed by some friends in a small

office (not a shed) in Canada. You could get EA or Eidos to spend millions of dollars to try and develop a game with the same flair and refinement as Shank, and I know all they would end up with would be another Tomb Raider. The game has some pretty massive issues but for £10 I think you could do a lot worse.

2010: INDIE SPOTLIGHT Text Alex Raffle With everyone and their mother very strongly confirming that considerate of these faults before I tell you everything’s the new Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption and Super Mario Galaxy 2 best thing ever. were the cream of the crop gaming-wise this past year, it would But onto some credit where it’s due, indie developer Frictional be kind of silly for me to argue with them, plus they are probably Games presented us with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a first person horror game, with kind of slow pace and a few gripes in professionals that get paid and have name badges or something.

So instead of telling what you already know is good or bad, I’m the game play and design departments but strong ability to test going to shine a dull little desk lamp onto some games from last out how your bladder works, by that I mean it plays well for an year that may not have been the best thing ever but are really indie game but it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

Still indie here but for those with a more retro inclination, damn special and deserve your attention. there were two stylish releases We’ve most likely been far too nice “[The Dark Descent] plays well for an in the form of Limbo and Scott in our games review section this indie game but it’s the scariest thing Pilgrim vs the World: the Game, year, and it something I should I ’ve ever witnessed” the former being an eerie address, especially when some monochrome platformer where of these so called five star games turned out to have some dark secrets, such as Fallout New Vegas half of everything wants you dead and the other half have the being full of hidden bugs and Call of Duty: Black Ops has very skills to make it so; the latter being a throwback to the classic little replay value, even online. So In future I should be more side scrolling beat-em-ups, ala Streets of Rage based on rigidly

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on Brian Lee O’Malley’s comics rather than the movie. Both of them not only look lovely but were quite fun to play, despite being unfortunately short.

Since smartphones are now more common than appropriate use of grammar, games have popped up for them in mass and noteworthy titles include Angry birds, Doodle God and Plants vs Zombies, providing surprisingly immersive fun for your bus rides, awkward dates or any spare five minutes really.

reviews

MUSIC N0.5 COLLABRATIONS (EP) Ed Sheeran Text Dora Eisele No. 5 Collaborations isn’t just an Ed Sheeran product. It is, in fact, than) the money and fame that signing to a record label promises. a set of collaborations (as the title suggests) in which Sheeran And, economics aside, No.5 Collaborations is a musical novelty shares the stage with an impressive lineup of MCs. Because the that breathes life into our contemporary music-radar that has, concept of the guest star has spread like wildfire across the charts of late, threatened cyclic and endless repetition. “You + Wiley” of late, I involuntarily find myself courting cynicism, whose and its soft mix of grime and acoustic is both lyrically tender influence obliges me to visualise an assortment of generic fat- and aurally surprising for those unacquainted with the ‘grindie’ cats, sat behind their desks, flicking through their wads of cash. genre. Wiley chants “I wanna see you happy, I wanna see you Cash that they’ve raked in from the profits of one song that sucks smile, ‘cause you’ve been tresspassin’ and you won’t leave my at the pockets of multiple fan-bases – the Kanye West fans and the mind” in a striking fusion with Sheeran’s flickering guitar and Daft Punk fans, the Kid Cudi fans and the MGMT fans, the Linkin velvet vocals. This highlights, broadly, the importance of contrast in the concept of collaboration; the Park fans and the Jay-Z fans and, of “No 5 Collection is either Ed MC’s verbal staccato and the singer’s course, those who prick their ears at Sheeran’s crown jewels, or the melodic (and in this case arguably more than one genre. ‘Two birds and promise of great things to come.”

Coldplay-esque) accompaniments one stone’ is now the appropriate and interjections are mismatched, metaphor to describe multiple targetaudiences and one collaboration. And yet, I’m not complaining. In but this equals musical beauty, here saving Sheeran from assuming fact, where the gap between two traditionally discordant genres the guise of one more surplus Chris Martin. Indeed, a great deal is so brazenly bridged, I am just one of many who are more than of credit is owed to Sheeran’s collaborators, who not only provide him with the contrast essential to the charm and allure of this willing to fatten Mr. Record Company’s wallet.

Thankfully, though, what Ed Sheeran’s eight track diamond proves nugget of Grindie, but who are also lyrically masterful in their is that cross-genre collaboration is more than just a money-maker; own right. Fast-forward to the ballad of “Little Lady + Mikill four years in the making, it was deliberately released before Sheeran Pane”, a crushing account of a prostitute’s tangled misery and signed to Atlantic Records in mid-January 2011, in what seems to dread - or to “Radio + Jme”, which laments the authority of the have been a conscious assertion that the process of making and radio playlist. recording music is possible without (and is indeed of higher value Although Sheeran is now officially a signed artist, he has promised

to carry on making the music “I wanna make, how I wanna make it…”. Now all that remains is to wait, to see whether it was, in essence, his independence that nurtured this gem of musical loveliness, or whether in fact his Grindie vision will continue to develop under Atlantic’s direction. No. 5 Collaborations is either Ed Sheeran’s crown jewels, or it is the promise of great things to come.

CRUSH

Abe Vigoda Text Aisha Nozari I first heard about Abe Vigoda a couple of years ago, when they clearly distinguishable here. It’s packed full of jittery synths and released their third album, Skeleton. They were one of a few droning lyrics; it seems Abe Vigoda may have had a rough couple good bands I found in NME, which suggested them for fans of of years, if this album’s anything to go by.

Animal Collective. Although, I’m not too sure that this is a valid And at last! We come to a little bit of ‘thrash-yness’ with “Crush”, comparison, and I’m even less sure after listening to their latest the stand-out song on the album. Here the band go back to their musical roots. It seems they’ve tried lovely little album, Crush.

“The album is darker, packed full to cram as many of their original The first few things that come to of shadows, spiders, and a little traits into this four and a half minute mind on the first listen were not Ian McCulloch” track as possible, resulting in a skating, dirt, and sweat. And I’m sure beautiful tangle of jittering noises. there was shock at the lack of that tropical-electric punk sound and those lovely chunks of rattling The song is annoyingly but endearingly catchy, something that guitar that characterise Abe Vigoda. Then I’m pretty sure there was never made a possibility in Skeleton because of the fact that it was a bit of ‘Hey, why have Abe Vigoda gone all Eighties?’ And wasn’t humanly possible to hum along to such a variety of sounds.

Another song that catches the attention was “Repeating Angel”. they have, a little, but they’ve done it very, very well.

The album is darker, packed full of shadows, spiders and a little It’s different to the other songs on the album; less droning lyrics and more charm. It’s slightly magical, and the chilling synths that bit of Ian McCulloch. All signs that a band has matured.

First up on the album is “Sequins”. The track is very poppy (an tinkle throughout make it a dreamy and intriguing listen. unusual intro for the band) but it’s poppy in a nice, light way. Although the songs could be criticised for being similar and sameThink Coke Zero. I’m continuously tempted to compare this ish, the album is a much easier listen than Skeleton (which could song to a stereotypical Foals song, although I’m sure Abe Vigoda arguably be both a positive and negative aspect of it). In a few words, the album is sleek and classy which, interestingly, aren’t wouldn’t be too happy about this comparison.

Another notable song in this wave of darkness is “Dream Of My words you would have thought to associate with tropical punk.

Love (Chasing After You)”, and again Eighties influences are And for this, well done Abe Vigoda.

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ART&DESIGN

ART&DESIGN Photography Photography - Arts Editor Catherine Durham

Samuel Glazebrook Nye Levett, a young competitive swimmer from Cornwall. Studies Sports Science at St Luke’s Campus at Exeter University. 2011

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arts@flexnews.co.uk

Interview: Luke Frost Fine Art editor: John-Paul Somerville

I travelled to Penzance to talk to Luke about being an artist. As usual I was interested in the practical aspects of making a living from art. I asked Luke about his experiences after graduating from Bath in ’95.

‘I think everyone, all my contemporaries, all my friends from that 3rd year all said the same thing when we all left, ‘what do you do now?’. You come out with a degree but you can’t just walk into a job, just like that. I found jobs in the arts, in organisations, as a technician, working for other artists. You meet other artists, which I’m still friends with now and they can tell you a lot, like a tutor down the years, like a mentor. I met loads of people like me, ex students who were doing the same thing.’

Volunteering is another avenue Luke promotes, having worked for the Tate in the early days of his career, ‘I’ve got friends now who volunteer down at the Newlyn gallery, just below us. It’s a way of making contacts, and you get more contacts from them. Most people have another job that’s nothing to do with the arts.

But keeping their eye in with the arts organisations that way, and if you’re lucky, if you’re an artist, you can get a piece on show and you never know where it goes from there.’

Curious as to the possibilities of staying in Cornwall after my degree I asked Luke about the art scene in Penzance, ‘Really good, yeah when it was during the boom time when people were making and selling art left right and centre. There was a lot happening down here. It was all very exciting.

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Big shows, joint artist led shows, with friends of mine, who were artists and curators. They hired public spaces for a few months of which some are now actual galleries themselves’. which leads on to the well explored comparisons with London, but I’m reassured to hear that Luke doesn’t feel at all out of the loop down here.

‘I’m not really, because you’ve got the Tate here, and Newlyn, you’ve got big curators and lots of other artists, it’s easy to go off and see other shows in London and maybe Europe’. That’s not to say it’s an easy living, Luke observes that the ‘boom period’ he graduated into in the 90’s has become a less nurturing environment, ‘it’s such a hard game being an artist . . . and actually now, many of my friends who are artists and living quite happily for the last ten years are having to do workshops in schools and other things’. This sentiment is immediately balanced with optimism though, ‘but you can think about it too much, when in actual fact, you just have to get on with it’.

I also wanted to hear about Luke’s working routine, and how he physically goes about making the paintings. ‘Yeah I have more of a routine, it’s the only way I can work, each to their own I say but I’m set by paint drying times, so I have to work through the day because I need the best light, so now it’s like nine until four’. As for creating the paintings, ‘I make everything myself, I put the canvas on the stretchers so they’re all perfectly square. Everything has to be perfect. I prime them five times, sand them five times’, and I know from browsing his website (lukefroststudio.com) that he can apply up to a dozen layers of paint before he’s satisfied with their resonance. ‘It’s a process of making it all leap, making it perfect, unbelievably exact, so it has the optical intensity from wherever you look at it. I want to draw the viewer in, right up to their nose, so there’s no getting away from them, they’re going to bombard you on the head wherever you are’.

The conversation moves back to routine, I ask if Luke works in the studio everyday, ‘not every day, because sometimes you’ve got to think, sometimes it’s best to just get in the car, or get on the train, or go on holiday or go away, do anything. It’s probably best not to come into the studio then but just go and get some inspiration or get some ideas, it comes from nowhere.

You could go and do some Go-karting

one day for a laugh or whatever and you see something while you’re doing that and pursue that idea, it just comes from anywhere. You can come to the studio searching for an idea, searching for inspiration and you end up frustrated I think. It sounds pretentious but all types of processes, everything becomes involved, your studio, what you’re doing, you know the walk from your studio to your home, to the pub, whatever, everything becomes involved in your head about what you’re doing. The creative process. They’re few and far between but they’re great’.

As a soon to be graduating art student I found it inspiring to have the opportunity to meet Luke. In part because he is a nationally acclaimed, exciting and contemporary artist, but more because he is a young, balanced, Cornish local who started his journey here in Falmouth on the foundation course only sixteen years ago. He is a great ambassador for Cornwall and serves to dispel the myth that creative success can’t be achieved outside of London. It was a pleasure to speak with him and get an insight into his practice.

“

You could go and do some Gokarting one day for a laugh or

“

I just googled Luke Frost, I’m impressed with the results. I already knew he was accomplished. I knew that he’d had a solo show at the Tate St.Ives following a twelve month residency in the historic Porthmeor studios. I knew that he’s one third of three generations of major abstract painters to emerge from Cornwall post Second World War. I did not know that art critic and broadcaster Matthew Collings, and author of Painting Today (Phaidon Press) Tony Godfrey are two on a list of critics to have written essays on his practice, that his work is in the collection of The Bank of America, or that in only a few articles I’d find him shoulder to shoulder with Donald Judd, Barnett Newman, Ian Davenport, Dan Flavin, and plenty of others that I’m not familiar with, but probably should be.

Like I said I’m impressed.

whatever and you see something

while you’re doing that and pursue that idea

ART&DESIGN

Creative Writing

Creative Writing Editor: Jemma Green | All poetry by Emma-Jane Howman

Canopy

Colour Consumption

The Bionic Age

Listening to the silence, isolation permeates.

Sirens and houses falling chaos is beautiful.

Colour consumes my day my life I am colour but now without colour I see only the colours my eyes will allow me the colours with which I would paint my life have now vanished and seem to be playing some cruel trick on me they hide somewhere knowing that I can’t find them or use them for now I have clouds before my eyes and they are clouds of sombre colours only found in the recesses of a cold winter ochre yellows and browns and heavy reds merging into a darkened forest green of subdued hues and radiance where once fresh and bright colours emerged now all I have is blurring and I feel abandoned by my floral vision alone in some sense of captivity where the world appears dim and muted where the bright floral shades of blue and pink have disappeared the tones have left me as has my clarity of sight the world is a darker and uglier less intense place without colour I cannot paint the world how I see the world for how can an artist paint when he is blind

Undo your shoelaces and take off your dress, sprinkle the rose perfumed powder into the folds of your skin.

A concertina of lines and shadows, gathering dust in a forgotten room.

No longer an ornament to admire and shine, merely an expression of life’s imperfections.

As once a studious pair on the cusp of adolescence: She, an enthusiastic gadget maker, he an encyclopedia buff.

Interlopers engaged in the trafficking of wildlife.

Eerie figures popping up on rooftops, a huge glass box filled with fog a stunning hallucinatory love letter.

Things we would save in the fire.

Intractable difficulties of simply coming home, the lock is frozen and the windows sealed shut.

The invisible presence of human frailties, buried beneath our highly concentrated duet.

Snowdrift Emerging from the consciousness, we return to decades past, walking with heavy feet.

Streets under amber light, footprints lost in the snow.

Incomprehensible mumbled sounds, a passing subway train, electrical striding jazz storm.

The noise and clarity rouse the whole city.

He sits alone at his piano, singing at a funeral.

Trying not to stumble and cry too deeply.

The horizon melts into a phosphorescent haze, the lulling song of the city thawing the arctic lichen and creating a sludge, freezing and refreezing a moment.

Photograph by Jemma Green

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arts@flexnews.co.uk

Linda Aslaksen Illustration Editor: Rhiannon Williams Linda Aslaksen recently graduated from Falmouth with a BA (Hons) in Illustration. She lives in London as a freelance illustrator, and talks to Flex about life after university.

Flex: What do you draw inspiration from?

Linda: “I mainly get inspiration through stumbling online, networking, and seeing other people’s blogs, websites, and other sites where they have collections of artists’ work. After going to galleries in the East of London couple of times a month, looking at mostly illustration, contemporary, and urban art, it makes me want to produce more work. I also invest in certain art books for inspiration; hopefully I will have a good collection in a couple of years. I enjoy playing games online too; I don’t work all the time, but they are pretty much for inspiration too. I’ve found these point-andclick games, which use mixed media; photography, detailed drawings, and objects. A few examples: Machinarium, Haluz, and Alchemia. It would be amazing if I could do a game like that. I don’t think I will ever grow up.”

F: You use mixed media in your work. Can you tell us the process you go through when designing an illustration?

L: “When I am collaging it’s a bit spontaneous how things end up. It’s actually a little bit entertaining putting these characters together and sometimes it makes me laugh. I add drawn details and few textures to get a different feel to the collages. I draw details and get inspired by old technical machine drawings and old decorative patterns. I want to mix in some paint eventually, but it’ll have to wait for now. I also draw my own type using the same inspiration and by finding typography online and in books. I scan all the collages and drawings into Photoshop and I change composition, sizes, colours, and layout for the final result.“ F: Who are your favourite artists/ designers?

L: “I’m not sure if I have one specific favourite, I’ve always said Salvador Dali, but after seeing artwork and illustration online, it’s just never ending. I’m not any good of remembering names at all, and unless you can explain the style/image of an artist, I’m lost. I’ll blame the dyslexia for that. Haha!

If you check out my illustration page on Facebook or Twitter, I will post up artists and illustrators I find inspiring and I’ve stumbled across.”

F: What have you been up to since leaving uni?

L: “After uni, I moved to London straight away, as I don’t think Norway has a massive industry for illustration, and I thought I might as well dive right in the deep end. Before graduating I received an e-mail from the AOI(Association of Illustration), saying that I was shortlisted for the ‘Cycling in London’ competition I entered in April. My piece was 1 of 50 selected from nearly 3000 entries to exhibit in the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, during two months this summer. I also did a tiny commission for a band from Dartington College to make a poster for them, which took a week to make. This lead to another commission to make a big piece with a lot of characters for an opening image for a website, this took two weeks to do. The few weeks after this in the middle of the summer, I had to spend all my time trying to find a part-time job to basically pay the rent. CV

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developing and job hunting is definitely not a favourite of mine. Then, through really good contacts and probably massive LUCK sent my way, I got a pretty big commission from the Scientist Magazine (US). I was to do a feature editorial with 7 pages, which I found out later when I saw the magazine.

It was a heavy editorial about Insulin signalling and how it functions inside certain cells, and that the insulin plays a mayor role in several complex diseases. I only spent two intense weeks working on this, also having the part time job the first week. I did 5 intricate info-graphic illustrations, 1 opening art, and the title. The funny thing is that I did so much extra during the sketching process that they kept adding to the original payment. I think it’s a little bit ironic that I’ve just graduated and I’m sitting on Skype discussing and arguing with a professional about bioscience, and how I’ve interpreted the text and their sketches. In one case I won and I managed to keep my ‘trucks’, and it saved me from doing more work. I will post these pages online in beginning of October. I can say I already miss uni life because it was so easy compared to the “real” world. People say the three first months after graduating are hard, and it sure is. You have to learn how to structure yourself basically straight away, and I’ll admit I’ve struggled a tiny bit. I think it’s good for you to go through it to learn, get stronger, and hopefully get more confident about what you are doing or want to do.”

F: What are your plans for the future? Where would you like to be in ten years time?

L: “Keep working to maybe have illustration paying my rent? That would be amazing. I also want to do my own personal artwork on the side to show in galleries eventually; doing art is a job, hobby, and my life. They say doing this kind of job, being freelance, that you can work from anywhere in the world. If it were true, I wouldn’t mind testing that out. I’m definitely not planning on living in Norway any time soon. Maybe the States next?!”

F: What advice would you give students going into their last year at Falmouth?

L: “Enjoy it, work hard but don’t let the stress mess with your health. It definitely did with me. Don’t let the dissertation scare you too much or eat you alive, you’ll make it in the end. Being Norwegian and dyslexic/ dyspraxic, trying to write thousands of words and discussing with teachers wasn’t easy at all. I passed, not with the best grade, but in the end it’s not all about a number on a piece of paper that makes you succeed in what you want to do. Remember to hang out with your friends, use them as inspiration too, and remember to keep in contact with them during the year and when you leave. It’s the best connections to start off with, and it’s also fun to see what they have done and what they are up to. To make sure you have a little extra to do, network like mad, get people to see your work! See you all out there next year and good luck!”

To see more of Linda’s work visit www.lindaaslaksen.com

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LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE THE KEY TRENDS FOR 2011 Text Samantha Howard That time of year has come around again, yes you guessed it; trend setting for the new year. With January known as a depressing period, fear not, as we try to cure this by giving you a insight into the next season’s must-have clothing to help you stand out amongst the trend setters.

Spring/Summer ‘11 collections are presented on catwalks in September, however it takes a lot longer for the rest of the world to keep up. Researching this is simple, but extremely painful to realise that what you wouldn’t think twice about putting your dog in, actually turns out to be the biggest trend setter of the year; and where is the fun in that? A key example of this is skin-tight flared trousers; no more flattering than skin-tight jeans – unless you have a body as thin as Barbie.

So, in order to save you wasting precious time searching through hideous catwalk trends of spring 2011, here they are..

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the key items to remember whilst spending those pennies: Blazer - any colour, any shape, perfect for both day and night; giving a slight office look with a twist of sophistication when worn with jeans and a t-shirt.

Peg leg trousers - Girls, not the most flattering trousers; however if you hunt the right style for your figure differing on waist bands, they can look stunning.

There is a currently a huge selection on the market in a range of print and embroidery.

Fashion tip - buy a size smaller so they fit around the thigh which can make your legs look slimmer.

Male Crop Tops - One of the hottest items is going to be the men’s crop top. It will no longer be women that are walking around showing the mid drift, but it will now be the fashion for men to do so. So it’s now time to tone up!

1. 70’S GLAMOUR In recent years we have taken influence from a whole host of decades: the 1920’s the 30s, and of course the 80s has had its fair share of moments within the fashion world. This time, fashion has gone all nostalgic for the glamorous 70s. We would all like that vintage vibe in our wardrobe, but with money being tighter than ever, the current replica retail market comes second best. This is the enticing chance to choose the sexiest, sleekest and flattering items from 1970 at a lower cost. At night time, think Bianca Jagger at Studio 54, shimmering fabrics and a cut of fabric that drapes the whole body.

2.BIKER Imagine a military trend without a military trend? It wouldn’t happen. So this is why the motorcycle jacket is the key statement piece for motorcycle/biker trend. Take a look into Burberry’s recent spring ‘11 collection to be inspired with colour, as with this jacket, any colour will suit - just watch out for over sized studding.

3. 60s LADYLIKE Say Hello to fuller figures and longer hemlines as the late 50s/early 60s continue to take over; introducing the divine silhouette skirts and dresses from this era swinging back on to the scene throughout the year. Fitted sheath dresses are perfect sleeveless or with a three quarter length sleeve. The peg-top skirt is also another alternative.

4.BALLET Yes, you guessed right, Ballet is one of the hottest trends this spring. Already winter brought influences of ballet into designer collections, such as Chloe which is being continued throughout spring/summer ’11, particularly due to Natalie Portman’s new role in Black Swan. It is oh so pretty, feminine and will make you feel gorgeous; with the soft draping fabrics and neutral colours.

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rECIpES

Valentines Heart Cake Text Annabel Charlesworth

Not to get all sentimental... but Valentine’s Day is coming up. I’m not one to fall for the cheap card, naff flowers and inedible box of chocolates routine- I’d far prefer a nice meal cooked for me! So if you are cooking for Valentine’s Day, I thought I should push this in your direction. If you mess up the cake, then the icing can always cover it up, and if you mess up the icing.. well it will just look ultra squishy and gooey- it’s a winner all round! This is an amazing way to finish off a romantic meal for two, or just to show your housemates how much you love them. If you are still unconvinced, there aren’t many people who don’t like or even love chocolate cake, so it will never go unrewarded...

Ingredients For the cake 150ml milk 1 tablespoon butter (or tub stork) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3 eggs 200g caster sugar 175g plain flour 3 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the filling 125ml double or whipping cream 125g raspberries

For the icing 150ml double cream 150g dark chocolate 1 tablespoon golden syrup (optional, only if you have it) Heart shaped sprinkles or more raspberries to sprinkle over

Preheat the oven to 170 c/ gas mark 3. Grease two 20cm round sandwich tins and set aside.

Place the milk and butter in a saucepan over a medium to low heat. As soon as the butter has melted remove from the heat to cool and add the vanilla essence.

Weigh out the flour and add the bicarbonate of soda and cocoa power to the pile.

Using a hand whisk, or an electric one if you have one, whisk the eggs and sugar until frothy. Whisk in the cooled milk and butter, swiftly followed up by sieving in the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will look very runny, but that’s normal.

Now pour it into the waiting sandwich tins and place in the waiting oven. The cakes should take around 20 minutes to cook, but check after 15 to make sure that they don’t burn. They are ready when the top is firm but when you press down on them they spring back up. Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely in the tins.

To make the heart shape, trace round, onto a piece of paper, the bottom of one of the tins. Then draw a heart inside the circle and cut it out. Now using the paper as a template, place it on top of each cake and cut round it to (hopefully) make two heart shapes.

Make the icing first by finely chopping or grating the chocolate and putting it into a saucepan (you can use the saucepan that you put the milk in earlier to save on washing up), add the cream and syrup to the saucepan. Now place on a medium to low heat in order to melt the chocolate into the cream. When the chocolate has melted, take off the heat and whisk, you should get a smooth

glossy icing, now set aside to cool.

Whip the cream for the filling using a hand whisk, and when it thickens up to form soft peaks tip in the raspberries. Use a fork to squish the raspberries into the cream, so that the cream turns a pink colour, but don’t mash them up too much.

Put one half of the sponge on a serving plate and spread the cream over the top. Now place the other sponge half on top of that and pour the chocolate icing on top, spreading with a knife to make it reach the sides. It doesn’t really matter if the icing runs off the side, it adds to the gooey, indulgent appeal. Now sprinkle over your decorations or raspberries and stand back to allow admiration of your beautiful creation!

Looking To Retune Your Lifestyle?

Jenny Gramnes shares her tips on how to get healthy in 2011…

Are you one of those ”real” members that get really annoyed in January when new people flood the gym, eager to pursue their New Year’s Eve resolutions? Or maybe you are one of those who made a promise to yourself that this year you are really going to stick to your exercise routine past February? The beginning of the new year is the time we are most committed to overcoming what could be years of yoyo-dieting to finally achieving that elusive ideal-weight. So what are some of the things that we can tell ourselves to keep motivated through this season of grand promises and long falls back to reality? If (and when) that trip to the gym is absolutely the last thing you want to occupy yourself with, here is a statement worth considering: apparently the difference between fit and unfit people is that fit people work out even when they don’t feel like it.

Another important thing to remember is that you will have to forgive yourself for your unavoidable setbacks along the way. Chances are that even though you probably felt very determined to follow through with your resolutions this New Year, you spent January 1 already munching on pizza and coke to cure that excruciating hango-

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ver. Fair enough, it is not really realistic to start your new routine the day after New Year’s Eve, but some days like that will most likely follow in the new year as well. The ability of accepting defeat on January 1 but still being able to regroup and start again with pursuing your goal shortly afterwards can be a very useful tool in the rest of the year’s battle for that ideal weight. One could say it is what it all ultimately boils down to: if you mess up your diet plan for a weekend, a public holiday or because you fell ill, you will have to accept the fact that you steered off track for a while and try to repair the damage and do better in the future.

Being able to keep your New Year’s Eve resolution of losing weight has everything to do with what happens in the everyday life of the entire year. One way of making the act of dieting a bit more fun is focusing on the positive aspects instead of the negative. So instead of obsessing about how badly you want food that you cannot have, give yourself a mental compliment and add up the items in your head when you turn

something down or leave it on your plate. Instead of feeling like you are rude to pass up on unhealthy food that is being offered to you, rejoice in the feeling of self-contentment that comes with the knowledge of that you could have eaten all that unnecessary food but chose not to.

Also, engage in other forms of exercise as well to get out of the regular gym routine sometimes. Engaging in physical activity with your friends can also be a hugely more rewarding and stimulating experience than just sitting around a café or pub. Make plans to gossip while walking or jogging together or why not try an ice-rink, a golf course or a yoga center sometime this year.

Most importantly, do not go down that self-destructive path that almost pathologically will make us gain the weight we lost back again. There is no real reason as to why you should not continue with your new habits and feel good about yourself… these are the things I tell myself anyway!

LIFESTyLE

FAShIoN

From Sale to Spring...

Text Michael Swann

It’s that time of year... the Post-Christmas winter. No longer does the sharp cold wind, or the gently falling snow or the layers upon layers of warm woollen garments build up to the celebration of Christmas, or the party of new years.

Instead, the cold hangs around like a persistent relative who “only popped over for a coffee”; the fun has been had, the conversation has dried up, yet there they still are, on your sofa, at an ungodly hour of the morning. Winter’s time is up, we are all now bored and looking to Spring and Summer, when we can shed several layers of material and bask in the immense heat-wave (says the optimist in me) we will be having this year in the UK. Of course, with the turn of the New Year come the January sales. The few days when every high street store becomes a Primark with frantic customers, piles upon piles of dishevelled and discarded clothes and breathless shop assistants that emerge at the end of the day looking like survivors of war. Now I’m all for a great deal when it comes to clothing, but there’s something slightly sinister about the January sales that I can’t quite put my finger on. Perhaps it’s the queues and the rampaging customers, or the fact that some shops open their doors at ridiculous hours of the morning (word on the street in the first few days of January was that Next were opening at 4am!), or maybe it is the idea of people being inspired to spend all their Christmas money (or whatever money they have left after the fund destroying festive season) on clothes that they probably don’t need. On several occasions, as I innocently browse the rows and rows of mismatched railings in search of a gem, I’ve been booted

Jil Sander’s minimalist approach to brights. consumed by consumption. But hey, why shouldn’t I treat myself? With a new year comes a new start, and to achieve a new you, you need a new wardrobe right? Maybe not, but it helps, particularly as Spring/Summer 11 looks particularly promising this year, with many of the designers having pulled out great collections. I am not really one to pay attention to trends, I prefer timeless fashion, this way you do not spend your hard earned money (or hard borrowed money, as is probably the case for you dear fellow student readers) on those sparkly PVC leggings or that pair of stone-washed denim drop crotch trousers that will only be in fashion for a fleeting few moments. However, the collections from Jil Sander and Prada have had me trawling through pages and pages of ASOS sales in search of pieces that could potentially recreate these looks. Standing alone really this season on the bold colour front, Jil Sander sent a great deal of bright t-shirts, long coats, striped jumpers and large flower printed shirts down the runway for Summer. Prada opted for a more clinical look, using the suit (a basis for most men’s outfits) and what looks like a doctor’s tunic paired with some amazing half brogue, half trainer shoes. Summer this season, for men, saw pretty much everything go down the catwalk at some point, which should make stocking up on summer clothes now so much easier. In any case, ensure you avoid those crafty sale traps and instead head for Jil Sander inspired minimalism, D&G florals or Christopher Kane neon brights. Whatever you do, just ensure that you avoid the punch-ups. And the PVC.

or shoved or glared at as I reach for the same shirt as some woman with fire in her eyes. She’s developed an insatiable thirst for gingham (for her 20 year old son, don’t presume I was browsing the women’s section) and she’ll do just about anything for it. Alas, said woman won the war and I found myself wondering whether it was really all worth it. The violence, the aggressive rummaging, the venomous lust for half price cloth cut to look pretty, can’t we just stroll in and try to attempt at looking calm? This thought quickly died as I found myself standing in the doorway of the wonderland that is COS. How to describe COS? I’m sure plenty of you will know of this store, this cathedral of fashion, where garments are not just “made” by “people”, they are artworks designed and crafted by the hands of God. But for those who don’t, COS is the Jil Sander, the Calvin Klein, the Raf Simons, the Margaret Howell of high street fashion. It is forward thinking, it delves into the minimalistic trends of the runway that no other store does. It’s style out for those who wish to find it, not for those that wish to be found. There were very few people in the store, it has always been a fairly unpopulated shop, however the sales signs in the window still had a somewhat Jekyll-and-Hydian effect on me, and with a piercing yelp and a fall to my knees I morphed into the glaring woman I had done battle with only moments prior. There was no doubt about it, I was leaving the shop with SOMETHING in a COS bag. Upon leaving (with a gem of a shirt might I add) I felt a wave of shame pass over me as I realised; I too had fallen into the January Sales trap,

Jil Sander’s Spring/Summer 11 Menswear Collection

Prada’s take on colour

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Sports

SPORTS Cool runnings Text Harriet Skinner

In the last week of term, the FUSC society went on a ski trip to Tignes. FUSC is the Falmouth and Exeter Ski and Snowboard Club (however this is a highly debated subject in FUSC- what does FUSC actually stand for? Not many know except Phoebe Griffiths and Harriet Skinner, our President and Vice-President respectively). Tignes is in the French Alps, and is situated in the next valley over from the better known resort of Val D’Isere.

The trip started with an exhausting coach journey: 28 hours! After a mostly incident-free trip - Oakley (Turner) and Harriet nearly leaving two members in a service station in Wilshire - we finally arrived. We stepped out of the coach at

28

8pm on Saturday evening and were met by the awesome sight of the Aig Noire de Pramecou mountain looming out of the dark.

The first day out on the slopes was a mixture of freshfaced FUSC trippers and half-dead FUSCified members, who had fully enjoyed what the notorious night-life of Tignes had to offer. Everyone divided off into smaller groups (well I say small, but one group at one point was skiing with 13 people; which was an interesting sight to witness and be a part of on the slopes).

The first incident of the trip was when Nathan Bartindale bailed, and managed to wind himself so badly that he couldn’t breathe. Luckily our very able Vice-President Miss Skinner put on her in-control hat, and calmly tended to Nathan until all was fine again. This was closely followed by a collar bone breaking incident from Billy Lucas – poor fellow was off the piste for the rest of the week!

After all these injuries, we felt it was time for lunch! A stop at Aspen followed - which quickly became tradition for the food-baby inducing aspen burger. For myself this also meant a scrumptious chocolat chaud avec chantilly, which was a necessity for afternoon skiing in temperatures as low

as -27°C. The rest of the week was filled with adventures of going down blacks, some which were basically vertical whilst being extremely icy. These types of runs required the first rule of FUSC…which is to just say “man up” and do it. I would just like to say that myself and Matt Sutton did stick to this FUSC rule and owned this particular black run. Only after our owning of the ‘face’ world cup skiing black run did Matt inform me that he had only been boarding for 2 weeks, to which I was supremely impressed. There were a few further accidents on the piste, which were not that awesome, but they were reconciled by many nights out in Tignes. A standard night started with a game of ring of fire, which then resulted in: some secret video recording, drinking of bottles of wine, disgusting dark rum for 10 euros, Drop Zone, Blue Girl and Melting Pot, some interesting dancing with whipped cream on the bar from Harriet, and many drunken hilarious times. So, all in all, an amazing week out in Tignes with the FUSC society.

Anyone who missed out this time would definitely benefit from the next trip in April (2nd – 9th April 2011, £369 for accommodation, travel, lift pass, and basic travel insurance, Tignes! Enquiries to Fee_griffiths@hotmail.co.uk), or even next year’s Christmas trip.

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Like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Sunday 14th November 2010 CSM 1STs 20 – 14 Perranporth

Text Chris Rushton

On 9th January, 2 days after their nation’s crushing defeat to England in The Ashes, a gathering of Australians in New South Wales tried – and failed – to break the world record for the largest-ever gathering of Elvis impersonators.

It seems apt that whilst England were done and dusted breaking a plethora of records of their own, the Aussies again managed to come undone in their pursuit of glory, despite a quite unerring belief in their ability to succeed.

Ken Keith, the mayor of Parkes, New South Wales, where the gathering was held, reassured us that he is “confident we’ll break the record in 2012”. I wonder how confident the Australian Cricket Team will be next time round.

I should probably preface this article with an assertion that you may find me being unduly critical of the Aussies. Yet the statistics glaringly show that they failed. They weren’t just beaten by a better team, but soundly thrashed with pomp and circumstance. Both English batsmen and bowlers alike took part in the mêlée. Five Englishmen averaged over 50 for the series: Cook, Bell, Trott, Pietersen, and Prior. Only Mike Hussey could achieve that feat for the Australians. Cook’s 235* at The Gabba broke the mercurial Don Bradman’s record score on that ground. The Englishman’s record 2,171 minutes spent at the crease during the series broke Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 2,057 against India in 2002. And again, Cook’s 766 runs is the second-highest by an English batsman in an Ashes Series, behind Wally Hammon’s 905 in 1928-29. It wasn’t just Cook who shone. His partner for the highest second-innings partnership by English batsmen in Australia, the 329 in Brisbane – Jonathan Trott – averaged 89.00. Matt Prior’s 109 in Sydney was reached off only 109 balls. Jimmy Anderson’s 24 wickets puts him top of the bowling figures by 7 dismissals. Below him comes Tremlett on 17, having only bowled 122 overs for an average of 23.

The two highest Aussies wicket-takers can only hold joint honours in the table; Johnson and Swann managed 15, Siddle is tied with Finn on 14. To really hammer it home, and wrap up my statistics orgy; England scored 51.14 runs per wicket, the third highest by any team - ever - against Australia. That this came in the first Ashes win on Australian soil for 24 years is not merely a coincidence.

The Australian Cricket Team are in a state of transition, one that is obvious to see, particularly when watching the Ashes. The old guard were not in-form and showed their frailty; both Ponting and Clarke failed with the bat. Yet their replacements and those who’re meant to supplement Australia’s ageing talents just aren’t good enough. As has long been pointed out, Phil Hughes is an atrocious opening batsman. Steve Smith and Marcus North are interchangeable; both pedestrian and neither of the quality required to play first-class test cricket for Australia. At the other end, Mitchell Johnson has become a laughing stock, a player that fulfilled as much promise as Nick Clegg.

Doug Bollinger was left flailing in Adelaide, with figures of 1-130. The spinners face - and will continue to face - an insistent comparison with the figures of Shane Warne; a benchmark they can never live up to. Of course, it doesn’t help that Nathan Hauritz was exasperatingly overlooked for Xavier Doherty. Of the positives, one is the 35-year old Mike Hussey, yet he cannot carry on forever. Shane Watson is useful and consistently gave the Aussies a strong opening.

Usman Khawaja too; how he wasn’t picked from the start of the Series is a glaring oversight, almost as bad as ignoring Hauritz. Of the bowlers, Ryan Harris’s 6-47 at Perth finished off the second innings and possessed the lowest averageper-wicket of any Australian bowler. Yet these positives came too few and too far between.

Ladies Rugby Round-up

Text Graham Barclay

The fixture against Perranporth was one that was especially poignant for all CSM players who were in the squad last year.

The last showdown between these two teams ended prematurely after a thirty-man brawl saw the game abandoned and the RFU subsequently informed! A particularly proud moment came when the squad realised that their own disciplinary inquest was being investigated by the same authorities who handled the blood-gate scandal not long ago. Therefore, CSM were naturally expecting a physical, aggressive match, and prepared themselves accordingly.

For a large segment of the game, things were at stalemate, as neither team could really penetrate the other’s line of defence.

The CSM pack was without a doubt the dominant force on the day; out-muscling Perranporth’s pack with apparent ease.

This allowed for clean balls to be fed to the backs, which proved dangerous; the ball was whipped out quickly from fly-half to winger before it could be killed by the defence. When this strategy proved too much for Perranporth, what was a clean, enjoyable game of rugby turned sour when inside centre Graham Barclay (myself!) received a well-positioned, albeit illegal, shoulder hit, leading to a dislocated shoulder. This only spurred CSM on further, and as appropriate vengeance, the lads dislocated the Perranporth defence, allowing Tom Fawsey to score in the corner.

The game ended in the favour of CSM, despite a final onslaught by Perranporth which almost won them the match.

The match against Perranporth is yet another battle CSM has won in the season-long challenge to win the war, and be crowned Cornwall champions.

Hockey Round-up Saturday 27th November 2010 CSM 1ST s3 – 2 Plymouth Marjon Text Jonno Harris

Text Katie Pascoe

The Penryn ladies’ rugby team have said a fond farewell to their long-standing coach with a surprise leaving party held at the Club before Christmas. Sam Cuff has been coaching the girls since November 2009. Sam has to be congratulated to sticking with Penryn as coaching a bunch of ‘gossiping girls’ had its challenges! Sam’s been great at not only pushing the experienced players but also bringing on the novices during training and always managing to have a laugh at the same time.

The ladies have seen continued improved performance over last year, with many of the girls now playing for County and trying out for Divisional in the new year. He has managed to turn the girls from a group of misfits into an actual team, and they’ve had a scream on the way! He will be sorely missed.

The party held at the Club saw lots of fun and silliness although many of the players couldn’t attend because of going home for Christmas. The girls were also pleased to be able to fashion our new match shirts for the first time, kindly sponsored by ETeach, JL Byrne Builders and Rugby Tackle, although only for a short time for fear of spoiling the new tops with beer spillage!

Good news to follow the sad parting as we have another coach to jump straight into Sam’s boots. Georgina Rozario,

Rugby Round-up

a member of the England squad, has agreed to continue the ladies’ development. It will be amazing, not only for current players, but also for any new people who want to give rugby a try, to have an experienced coach and player to deliver training sessions. The team are now looking forward to a new start in 2011 with a promising new coach and more fixtures until the end of March. Their next game is scheduled for 16th January at Penryn RFC against Exeter University, where they will be proudly sporting the new match shirts (which have managed to stay clean!). Come down and support your local ladies’ team (or your University for all you Exeter students), as we love having people there to cheer us on, and after match drinks are never quiet or boring!

Now is a great time to start playing rugby; new year, lighter evenings, brand new pretty match shirts and a new coach.

Why not give it a try? Anyone interested in giving rugby a go please feel free to contact Anna Penrose on 07969199443; no experience necessary, only a good sense of humour!

Hope to see you in the new year!

The winner on the weekend of 27th November should have been the snow! And although the 2nd XI game had to be cancelled because of it, the CSM boys showed their ability to overcome any obstacle. Within an hour we had cleaned the entire astro, using the goals and an assortment of instruments from Jamie’s tool shed.

All this ingenuity meant that the pitch was in perfect condition in time for the 1st XI game against Plymouth Marjon.

We put out a strong team, with debut appearances from myself and Sam Gregory. We dominated the first 15 minutes, going up one goal thanks to the wizardry of Mike Cockerill. In true Harry Potter style - as observed from the sidelines - Mike slithered into the D, before unleashing a magical strike, seeing the snitch hammer its way home, leaving the keeper hupplepuffing! The game continued in this magical style, with two more goals from CSM that, to this day, cannot be explained. Jamie’s short corner strike enticed the defender into a game of rather sexual footsie, before finally finding its way in. I was awarded the 3rd on the basis of a coin flip!

The end result was 3-2 to CSM, a well-deserved victory and a good weekend had by the squad who watched from the sideline, BBQ burger and beer in hand.

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