Impact Magazine Issue 220 by Impact Magazine

STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

SEGREGATION AT NINGBO THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN STUDENTS

WWW.IMPACTNOTTINGHAM.COM

ISSUE 220 DEC 2012

LEAVING LENTON ARE WE BEING MOVED ELSEWHERE?

SPEAKING OUT

IMPACT EXPOSES HOMOPHOBIA IN HALLS

EDIT RIAL by the media as the birth of mass student brutality The government must be reminded that in spite of the scale of their cuts, students remain an active against government solidarity. and significant part of society and, crucially, the Either way, it would have been much worse if the electorate; the student vote is powerful and protests streets of London were to have been remembered are a potent reminder. on that day for being deserted, like a postI’m with friends and a few thousand like-minded apocalyptic vision; picture Hallward at 9am or This is an editorial full of conditional statements so I’ll finish with a couple of absolutes. students. It’s possible that I’m surrounded by a ring Ocean at 9pm. of police too, armed with truncheons and the power to take away my liberties and forsake my future - a And yet some people will always ask: “Why bother? Demo 2012 was the first national student demonstration since tuition fees were trebled. And It’s too little too late, no?” little like the government I’m protesting against. however the media has spun it, we’ve proven that It’s the National Union of Students’ Demo on 21st No. If any group in society turns out in their it takes more than an auto-tuned sorry to make us November: the event that was a successful display thousands to protest against this government, or forget. of student solidarity in the face of government any other, they are reminding those in power that we’re here to stay, and that they will be ignored at brutality. the government’s peril. It’s an argument UoNSU Or rather, this is what I imagine. I’m really writing admirably applied to the Police and Crime this four days before Demo. For all I know now, Commissioner elections. They should have Oscar WIlliams the protest may have been successfully displayed applied it to Demo too. Editor-in-Chief

I’m in central London - maybe outside Parliament, Downing Street or Buck Pal - somewhere I could feel like a tourist. History is everywhere and everyone can capture it with a lens and a flash.

WE WROTE, YOU RESPONDED ‘Kamiah’

‘Kat Dixon’

‘Ryan Holmes’

on Controversial Anti-Abortion Group Comre To University Park Campus*

on Controversial anti-Abortion Group Comre To University Park Campus

on Student Responses to the PCC Elections

The entire thing irritates me, how women can’t empathise with other women in regards to their reasons behind abortion, but what especially grates on me is there’s men there. Who on earth do they think they are trying to tell women what to do with their womb?

Feminism is about equality, so trying to exclude men from protesting and debate is very narrow minded. Telling people that they can’t voice their opinions because of their gender makes half the population second-rate citizens. Sounds familiar, no?

I don’t see what else the SU could have done to be honest - emails [...], notices on [...] the SU website, regular Facebook and Twitter campaigns as well as engagement from the Exec, several societies and SRSes [...as well as] the Politics Society [who] put on a heavily publicised Question Time event for the PCC candidates which attracted the attention of the BBC and was covered by all of the media SRSes.

*See p. 5 and visit our website for more info.

Join the discussion at www.impactnottingham.com... 2

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41 54

CONTENTS FEATURES Editorial News Comment Sport

2 4 8 10

Speaking OUT

REGULARS 14

Alumni Focus: Alex Hoban

From Nottingham to North Korea: Impact interviews the adventure journalist

Impact outs homophobia in halls

Big Trouble in Little China

Naughty Nottingham

Are Chinese students second class citizens at their own campus?

Is the Tattoo still Taboo?

The death penalty debate from a student who worked on Death Row

More of your scandalous confessions

Uncle Sam

The art of the Baywatch strip

Nottingham is “the most tattooed city in England”

A Fight to the Death

Impact Columnists 22

Exposure Style Food Science Travel What’s On Arts Film & TV Music Last Words Heard in Halward

30 32 38 40 42 48 50 54 58 62 63

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NEWS As Developers’ Drive for Purpose-Built Gathers Force:

“With University of Nottingham students there are two things: they must provide an offer that is attractive in terms of how you are living i.e. not simply a ‘box’, and the accommodation must be competitively priced to compete with HMOs. Then the city centre does become attractive to live in; that is, after all, where most things happen. Flexibility must also be built in, as students may not all want to live six or eight people to a cluster; they may just new builds will be: “I can’t see students moving want a two or three bed place”. out of Lenton in any great numbers. They would have to offer a really good alternative. I don’t think Dan Lucas, a member of NAG and a former that developers have ever tried to replicate what University of Nottingham student, thinks that students in shared housing get.” students may choose to leave Lenton if the offer is attractive: “One thing property developers can be The Students’ Union position, meanwhile, remains good at is creating demand for a product that didn’t one entirely against the construction of more purpose appear to exist beforehand. Maybe developers built accommodation. The SU’s Accommodation can be successful in creating a market for students and Community Officer Sian Green argues, “There in apartments in the city centre. The other thing is absolutely no evidence suggesting that students developers are good at doing, which isn’t a good want to go into purpose built accommodation. In thing, is going into overkill when they see some the last year, Opal have reduced their rates from people making money. Developers have to get around £130 to £60 - purpose built accommodation the product right: they are in it for profit and, if they providers are desperate to get students into their want customers, they have to deliver something that accommodation as they are unable to fill the spaces. students will want to live in”. From our research, we know that international students often prefer to go into purpose built housing Councillor Sarah Piper thinks that new tram lines are but for home students it is a very expensive option.” more likely to make an impact: “I think that students will be more cost-aware in future and, if they can get The Nottingham Action Group on HMOs (NAG) a new town house in another area for a much lower has said that new purpose builds will need to take cost that they are currently paying then you would student needs into account. Maya Fletcher believes have to wonder whether the market would head that “there is an awful lot of optimism being put into that way”. the market that is not particularly well founded. I think Ben McCabe there will come a point, though, where pure money

WILL STUDENTS STILL WANT TO LIVE IN LENTON? New plans have been announced for a ‘student mansion’ in Radford, the latest in a long line of initiatives by property developers keen to encourage students to leave privately-rented houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) in favour of purpose built student accommodation. According to The Nottingham Post, the project, which would be situated on Player Street in Radford, would be composed of six large flats, each with 1119 en-suite bedrooms. It is just one of many such types of accommodation in Nottingham that have recently been completed or are in the pipeline. Over the summer the Lawrence House building on Clarendon Street was converted into a student block for 200 people, while another 1,436 further bed spaces are to be added through various projects by September 2013. This comes at a time when there is a housing surplus for students in the city, particularly in Dunkirk and the Lenton triangle. While the City Council has designated two ‘student quarters’ in areas it would like to see more student accommodation, there are doubts as to whether students will be tempted to move out. Councillor Sarah Piper is dubious as to how popular the

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will dictate some movement. There is likely to be more movement from Nottingham Trent students because of their central location.

ANTI-ABORTION GROUP PROTEST AT UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM On 6th November anti-abortion group ‘Abort67’ visited University Park Campus, aiming to educate students about ‘pro-life beliefs’. The main target of their visit was Nottingham’s large medical and nursing student population. The visit to Nottingham is part of a tour to universities around the UK. They have so far visited Cambridge University and the University of Sussex.

NOT YE OLDEST TRIP?

pub is almost impossible, so I focused on the age of the buildings themselves”.

His research found that the Trip’s building is over 200 years younger than the others, which could be seen by investigating the age of the timber used in The quest to find the oldest pub in England the construction of all three pubs. continues after new evidence about the buildings When Impact asked Al Brown, the manager of themselves was unearthed. Salutation Inn, what he thought about the situation, Three of the contenders for the accolade can all be he said that although the building of the Trip was found in Nottingham: Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, not the oldest, it could potentially still be the oldest the Salutation Inn and the Bell Inn. They have long pub. fought over which is the oldest pub in England and, until recently, Ye Olde Trip was considered to be “In regard to being used as a pub, Ye Olde Trip might be the oldest, but because the building has the best contender. been renovated it is not the actual oldest [building]. However Dr. David Cross, who has studied I know we’re not the oldest pub because we’ve the history of Nottingham for over 20 years, has only been used as a pub since the 1400s,” he said. discovered new evidence that disproves this. Brown added that the Salutation “didn’t really care Dr. Cross said: “Knowing the identity of the oldest that much” because “if people want to come in they come in”. A Greene King spokesperson said: “We have always had reason to believe that Ye Olde Trip in Nottingham is the oldest pub in the city due to anecdotal stories given. Since there is not any formal evidence or documentation to prove otherwise, the oldest pub in Nottingham is, and always will be, a popular discussion held at the bar.”

Abort67’s group director Kathryn Attwood said the group follow the steps of slave trade abolitionist Thomas Clarkson, who also toured the country with graphic images. Protestor Pauline Peachey commented that the pictures show “something which people want to forget”. The SU’s Women’s Network organised a counterprotest, taking their own signs to cover up Abort67’s posters. Speaking to Impact, Women’s Officer Rose Bonner said: “As the Women’s Network, we’re prochoice”. The network also set up a petition on the day to pressure the University to remove the campaigners. “We’re aiming to have over 200 signatures in the next few hours.” All in all, a total of 100 signatories were collected. Bonner added that “the counter-protest was really successful... we managed to mobilise a lot of people in a short amount of time and as a result of that action they vacated their protest”. By 11.30am all protesters had left the campus. Abort67 also hold images outside abortion clinics. “The people who are going in to have abortions will walk past and say I wasn’t told it was like this,” said Group Director Attwood.

Customers at Ye Olde Trip were adamant that it was the oldest of the three. When asked about the changes, regular Trip customer Ian Crane, 37, stated that the new evidence was “bollocks”.

Regarding the issue of abortion as a consequence of rape, Attwood commented that continuing with the pregnancy was a way of bringing “life out of a deathly situation”.

He stated: “This is the oldest pub, because the bloke who did the crusades hundreds of years ago stopped here for a drink before he went down south. That’s gospel.”

She noted that incest does not justify abortion. “You would never kill people when they’re born with a disability or illness from that circumstance, so why would you justify killing them in the womb?”.

He added: “I’ve been puking up in here for 22 years”. Antonia Paget Image by Tom Hicklin www.impactnottingham.com/news

The Students’ Union condemned the group’s use of graphic imagery, stating that they are against “any campaigning taken by Abort67 on campus that will result in students feeling harassed and victimised”.

For the full story, visit: www.impactnottingham.com Emily Tripp Image by Antonia Paget IMPACT 220 215

NEWS

WORLD NEWS STUDENT PROTESTS AROUND THE GLOBE

Canada In 2011 the Quebec provincial government of Jean Charest agreed that university tuition fees were to be raised from $1,625 to $3,800, a decision that led to a student uprising in Quebec. On 22nd March, 200,000 university students voiced their discontent at the planned fee increase during a protest in Montreal, causing the city to come to a standstill. This led to regular protests over the ensuing months - some peaceful, others violent - including 175,000 college and university students joining together in April for an ‘unlimited general strike’. These protests are now a symbol of the general disaffection of the Quebec youth, who are being guided under the leadership of the radical student movement, Classe. As a result of these protests, university fees were frozen by Pauline Marois, of the Parti Québécois, who replaced Charest. Zara De Belder

Mexico Students in the state of Michoacán, Southwest Mexico, campaigned to put pressure on authorities to delay the new legislation that would make English and Computer Science compulsory subjects in the teaching colleges. After a week of riots across three teachers’ colleges, police intervened after on the 15th of October. Some protesters set fire to buses, patrol cars and other vehicles. It is believed that a minimum of 120 people were arrested, although some figures said it was as many as 300. Police had to control the situation with extreme methods, including the use of water cannons, a tactic which caused controversy in Britain during the London Riots. Zoë Ashton 6

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In light of the NUS protest in London on 21st November, Impact takes a look at student protests from around the world. For coverage of the NUS Demo 2012, visit: www.impactnottingham.com

Italy On 6th May, a general strike was organised by the Italian Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union. Students and employers took to the streets to stand up for public, democratic and safe schooling and to oppose a lack of opportunities. A trade union strike on 6th September was supported by a national student mobilisation, followed by the Indignados day in Rome on the 15th September to demonstrate Italian studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; support for the Spanish fight for political reform. Erica Doro

Greece Student riots have been spreading across Greece in response to the European Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s austerity measures. A relatively small number of students gathered outside the Greek Parliament in Athens to demonstrate peacefully against budget cuts. The measures will affect education spending, particularly those in the humanities and the arts, as well as the transport systems in place to take students to and from schools. Aatish Thakerar

Lebanon

Spain This year thousands of students have marched in widespread protests against government proposed cuts, which would see both class sizes and tuition fees increase. In February, protesters clashed with police in Barcelona after a peaceful march turned violent. Some demonstrators set fire to bins and threw rocks through the window of a local bank. In May, both teachers and parents joined students in protests across the country, demonstrating against the plans which include extending working hours of teachers while keeping their pay at the same level. These proposals are part of an extensive plan of austerity measures designed to help the country cut its deficit and meet its spending target. Ellis Schindler

www.impactnottingham.com/news

In early 2011 the Arab world experienced an explosion of revolutionary reform and thought. In Lebanon, however, a modest protest broke out between students and the police. Named Laique Pride, it was not a protest calling for an end of a dictatorship but for change in social reform, calling for the introduction of civil marriage in place of strict religious ceremonies. Although it was headed up mostly by the middle classes, students from every corner of Lebanese society protested for the cause. Even though the student protest has ended in Beirut, organisers of Laique Pride have turned to Facebook and Twitter to keep their prospects alive. Hadi Harb

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COMMENT

Kenyan University Opens Its Doors To Somali Refugees Kenyatta University

welcome news for the Somali refugees in Dadaab who have so far lacked the opportunity to pursue education further. Somalia, the “failed state” on Africa’s East coast, appears to be forever marred by disrepair. Without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, it has been dominated by seemingly irresolvable clan warfare. This domestic crisis has only served to exacerbate issues of famine and disease which have plagued Somalia and resulted in the deaths of up to one million Somalis.

Some vocational training is available but many refugees want education on their doorstep, largely to overcome concerns that lack of education and employment opportunities increases the potential for disenfranchised youths to be recruited into militia and banditry. In July, eight aid agencies reported that around 164,000 children – more than 70% of those in Dadaab – were not in school. Children who did go to school were attending classes containing More recently, Somalia and the international more than 100 pupils. community have been faced with further The campus in Dadaab promotes the aim to first preoccupations, including the presence of an and foremost improve education opportunities for Islamist insurgency which has consolidated its refugees. The University has already allocated power in Southern Somalia. The notorious Somali two-thirds of its places to refugees, with the rest set piracy operation has also proved a massive aside for locals. Self-sponsored students and those headache for the international shipping arena, backed by donors are due to start next January, prompting NATO action. while students admitted under The Borderless Kenya, on the other hand, provides a stark contrast Higher Education for Refugees Project will join early to its lawless neighbour. In comparison to the rest of next year and have tuition fees waived. the East African region, it is deemed to possess a The Kenyan government has repeatedly called for well-established and prosperous economic, political international NGOs to repatriate Somalis to safe and social infrastructure and justly deserves its title areas in their homeland. These calls have increased as East Africa’s “economic hub”. in recent months, as African Union peacekeepers It is therefore unsurprising that an estimated 623,000 and Kenyan troops have begun to successfully refugees have fled to Kenya, which is also home counter Islamist insurgents al-Shabaab. The to Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in the world, peacekeepers drove al-Shabaab out of the capital, 100 kilometres from the Kenya-Somalia border Mogadishu, last year and have already seized and home to the vast majority (470,000) of Somali several towns in the South. refugees in the country. It is this recent pacification of key areas in Somalia, Dadaab has recently made headlines as Kenyatta and the Kenyan government’s assertion that the University, whose main campus is based in the overcrowded camps at Dadaab pose “serious Kenyan capital of Nairobi, has opened a second security threats to Kenya and the region” that forms campus there, making it the first refugee site in the the basis of the argument for why Somali refugees world to offer tertiary education. This is especially should return home. 8

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The NGOs, who join Somalis in welcoming the Kenyatta University Campus in Dadaab, have refuted the Kenyan government’s calls to repatriate Somali refugees, warning that it is too early to talk about sending them home given the conflict. Last month, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) said: “While Somalia remains embroiled in armed conflict, calls for the repatriation of refugees are grossly premature. Security conditions on the ground do not allow for adequate protection or the secure delivery of humanitarian aid.” Whether Somali refugees in Kenya should be repatriated is a burgeoning discussion but what is certain is that the latest educational opportunity provided for the Dadaab refugees is invaluable not only in terms of how their qualifications will be able to contribute to Kenyan society but also in terms of what they can give to rebuilding their own country when the time comes. For Somalis, access to tertiary-level education will prove to be a powerful weapon and crucial to the long-term development of a shattered population. Rebecca Meeson-Frizelle

The Police And Crime Commissioner Position Should Not Be Politicised The Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Office website emphasises that Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections were a top priority. The post has been introduced in an attempt to make the police service more accountable to the public. Whilst there can be no doubt that this is an admirable goal, serious questions must be asked about the reforms initiated by the government.

post. However, when it came to it, both Conservative and Labour ran candidates in all forty one areas, and the Liberal Democrats and UKIP fielded twentyfour and twenty-three candidates respectively. As such, the politicisation of the PCC role, and by extension the Police, seems almost certain. Indeed, Nottinghamshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PCC, Paddy Tipping ran on a Labour platform.

The probable outcome of a politicised Police and Crime Commissioner is, ultimately, the exact opposite of the aims of the reforms. Incumbents, desiring to maintain popular support and their offices, will be likely to engage in populist activities, emphasising high profile and easily deliverable results, over the difficult and often unpopular tasks that the Police must carry out. Furthermore, the very real possibility of Chief Constables being appointed The powers granted to the Police and Crime and dismissed for political reasons, rather than upon Commissioner are not revolutionary or excessive. They are broadly in line with the powers previously granted to the independent Police Authorities that they replace. PCCs are tasked with a varied set of duties and powers that include setting the budget for the Police Force in their area, setting strategic policing priorities, holding the force to account and consulting the public. Perhaps the most significant power of the PCC is to appoint, suspend and dismiss the Chief Constable, a role previously reserved for the Police Authorities. It cannot be denied that there is at present a lack of trust in the Police, given recent scandals such as the exposure of the Hillsborough cover up and the response to widespread riots in 2011. However, the decision to introduce populist legislation such as the PCC reforms not only risks the continued efficacy of the police but also their political independence and impartiality.

their merits, cannot be ignored. The likely outcome of this is not only a less effective police force, but also a further loss of public trust and confidence in the Police. The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is meant to create and enforce accountability upon the actions of the police services across England and Wales. Far from being the far-reaching democratic force it is intended to be, the PCC will introduce yet another level of bureaucracy into the very complex history of the British police services. If the setbacks of the recent past have taught us anything, it is that the supposed abuse of power and the culture of secrecy within the police force will require bold, new solutions to tackle. This is something the PCC role has so far shown no sign of doing. Aatish Thakerar and James Rathbone Visit Impact online for more on the Notts election.

However, where Police Authorities typically consisted of seventeen members, the PCC is held by a single individual. These powers were previously held by an experienced and diverse body which operated by consensus and majority decision, but these will now fall upon one person advised and aided by their staff. Initially, in an effort to retain the neutrality of the Police and Crime Commissioner, all main parties indicated that they would not run candidates for the www.impactnottingham.com/comment

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SPORT

AU Spotlight: BADMINTON The University of Nottingham Student Badminton Club enjoyed smashing success last season. The club achieved silver status as an AU club, which does not only give them a better stand at Freshers’ Fair but also increases funding and training. The accolade is owed to a growth in membership and numerous victories in the local and BUCS leagues.

TRAINING TIMES: 7-10.30pm at University Park Sports Centre, and Saturdays 7-9pm at Jubilee Sports Centre

players in lower league matches. Yet despite this, all the teams were successful.

For this season? Well, the pressure is on! Although the club had a huge turnover in both the Men’s and Ladies’ teams this year, the trials have successfully brought new talent to light, including a Kenyan Out of the ten teams entered in local leagues, international and a sports bursary beneficiary. As seven of them achieved promotion and there were a result, the hope and expectations for this season no relegations. The Men’s 1sts were promoted to are justifiably high. the Premier Division - a fantastic achievement while the Mixed 1sts solidly reinforced their right There is a lot of competition for the squad but the to be in the Premier Division by finishing fifth. The club welcomes players of all abilities and talents. Ladies teams also enjoyed huge success over The main reason why the club achieved silver the past sporting season with both the Ladies 1sts status at the end of last year was for its inclusivity and 2nds being promoted to the First and Third and popularity as a university sport. This year in December, the club is trying to break a world record Divisions respectively. for the greatest number of people in a successive The teams encountered a few difficulties last year; rally, which will be an exciting yet challenging feat there were struggles in finding a consistent team and is inclusive of all members. for BUCS and in the local league, and there was Colette Davies a minor points penalty regarding the use of starred

AU SCORES ON THE DOORS A brief round-up of some of our BUCS teams’ results from the past few weeks: Basketball

Football

Hockey

Lacrosse

Netball Rugby League Rugby Union

Mens Womens Womens Mens Mens Womens Womens Mens Mens Womens Womens Mens Mens Womens Womens Womens Mens Mens Mens Mens Womens

Worchester 2nds Nottingham 1sts Birmingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Northumbria 1sts Nottingham 1sts Northumbria 1sts Nottingham 1sts 6KHIÀHOG +DOODP VWV Nottingham 1sts Manchester 1sts 6KHIÀHOG VWV Manchester 1sts Oxford Brookes 1sts Nottingham 1sts Birmingham 2nds Coventry 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Leeds Met 1sts Leeds Met 1sts

77-67 93-52 46-52 0-0 2-3 1-7 4-3 1-0 4-3 2-5 3-2 14-8 8-8 6-13 15-9 38-42 16-20 18-16 29-10 56-15 76-0

Nottingham 1sts Lincoln 1sts Nottingham 1sts 6KHIÀHOG +DOODP VWV Nottingham 1sts Durham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Durham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Durham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Warwick 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts Birmingham 1sts Newcastle 1sts Nottingham 1sts Nottingham 1sts

For a full round-up from all BUCS teams head to: www.impactnottingham.com William Cook 10

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HALL OF FAME: FRED PERRY We all know the name. Some of us wear it and some of us dread listening to Andrew Castle refer to him for a whole fortnight at Wimbledon. But how much do we really know about the man himself?

the wealthiest people and was dominated by public school men. It is said that he was once denied entry to a tournament on the grounds that he was not educated at a public school. In his first Wimbledon final, he beat the Australian, Jack Crawford, but the Born in 1909, Perry finished his career having won champagne bottle went to Perry’s opponent for the eight grand slam titles and to this day, is the only Brit reason that Perry himself overheard: Crawford was to have ever completed the career Grand Slam, that deemed ‘the better man’. is, winning all four major trophies. Of course his most famous win was taking the Wimbledon title in 1936, Biographers have noted that it was the inherent the last time a British man has done so as we are elitism of the game that gave Perry the drive to be so often reminded. His success on the court was as successful as he was. Disillusioned by the state heralded around the word and yet not in Britain, of the game in Britain, he moved to America and his home country. Despite leading his country to gained citizenship there serving in the US Air Force four successive Davis Cup titles from 1933, he was during the Second World War. Perry then began never popular with the Lawn Tennis Club. to make money on the US tour playing against the best players abroad. The public have now generally So despite all his achievements and the adoration forgotten that he took American citizenship, largely of the fans at Wimbledon, why was he so unpopular because of the lack of quality in British men’s tennis with the people who ran the game in England? ever since, with Andy Murray the first man to win a Much of this is to do with his background. Born grand slam since Perry’s era of dominance. in Stockport, he moved to London at the age of nine when his father became involved in politics. His off-the-court antics didn’t particularly help his It was here that he first began to play tennis. His popularity in the British game either. Fred Perry was background did nothing to endear him to the the first to employ certain gamesmanship tactics game’s elite at a time when the sport was played by against his opponents, often shouting out sarcastic www.impactnottingham.com/sport

comments when his comparatively weak backhand was exploited. His relationships were very well reported in the media as well. Perry was often seen dating the successful actresses and models of the time and in total married four times, his last marriage lasting over forty years until his death in 1995. Fred Perry lives on culturally. He launched his polo shirt at Wimbledon in 1952, which became extremely fashionable in the 1970s and remains so until this day. His clothes line has ensured that his cultural significance is immeasurably bigger than his sporting impact. Despite this, Perry did leave a sporting legacy. He trained intensely and worked on his fitness with Arsenal football club, the only player at the time to train in this manner. Physically strong, his technique was revolutionary with his forehand unlike that of any other player of the time. Today, he is considered one of the best to ever have played the game and his records still live on. His tactics and gamesmanship drove his opponents crazy but he was certainly a character and gave tennis worldwide media attention. Yannick Mitchell IMPACT 220

SPORT

The Impact Sport the Ye Having won the 2008 Young Athlete of the Year Award, Ellie Simmonds became the face of the London Paralympics and continues to raise the profile of Paralympians. Ellie has achrondroplastic dwarfism and competes in the S6 division in the 400m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle. She now holds 10 World titles, 5 European titles and has broken 8 World Records Simmonds is the 17 year-old swimmer who was on shooting her way to stardom. brought to national fame when she was just 13 at At the age of 17, Simmonds could well become the Beijing Paralympics, winning two gold medals. the Phelps of the Paralympic arena and will surely Her selection for Team GB was never in question dominate events in the pool for at least another and she proved her star status by winning another decade. A perfect year for Simmonds, two golds two gold medals and breaking two World Records. and two world records to boot.

Ellie Simmonds

Katherine Grainger At age 36, Grainger capitalised upon her previous Olympic experience and determination by securing the gold medal in the Women’s Double Sculls Olympic race earlier this year. Having competed in 3 previous Olympics, she is heralded as the most successful British female rower of all time; she won silver medals in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and has 6 world championship titles. She closed a spectacular career with a deserved gold medal in one of Britain’s most favoured and successful sports.

President of Edinburgh University Boat Club in 1996/97. Grainger was given an MBE in 2006 for services to rowing, and her Olympic achievements make her the first female Brit – in any sport – to gain medals in four consecutive Olympic Games.

Mo F The winner of this year’s Impact SPOTY award: Mo Farah. The ‘Mobot’ was the most iconic celebration of three silvers the Games in London, and its tell vastly creator arguably the Games’ different most iconic figure. Farah was stories: the only the seventh man ever surprise silver of 2000, to achieve the 5,000 and the expected 10,000 metre double at the silver of Olympic Games and the 2004, and first from our great isle to the crushing do so. That coupled with silver of 2008. the fact that Farah’s Gold was well10,000 victory came deserved for on the Britain’s greatest

She took up rowing in her first year at Edinburgh Grainger’s story of three silvers dominated oarswoman. University and continued on to become the proceedings at Eton Dorney this summer. Her

Bradley Wiggins In 2012, Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France, holding the yellow jersey from stage seven through to the finish. This achievement is perhaps the most impressive in our national sporting history, but he wasn’t done yet. Just 19 days after winning the Tour, Wiggo won gold in the Olympic time trial. That triumph makes him Britain’s joint-most successful Olympian in terms of medals won, with only Sir Chris Hoy standing beside him on seven medals. These phenomenal accomplishments haven’t changed the media-shy Londoner though, and he has gained many fans along the way with his cool, down-to-earth attitude, and his nickname as the ‘King of the Mods’. 12

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His sporting spirit has also shone through, particularly in his actions during stage 14 of the Tour. When a rival’s bike fell foul to tacks, In any other Wiggins slowed down year the award to allow him to catch up with the leading would be Murray s, but pack, causing the after winning the Tour de French press to label France and Olympic gold him “Le Gentleman”. while still remaining humble However, the only and grounded, Bradley thing standing in Wiggins deserves it. the way of him taking Josh Jackman the SPOTY prize, is a sense that his own Olympic triumph was a leveller to the agonising defeat in the road race just days earlier.

ts Personalities of ear 2012 Jess Ennis

Farah

same night as golds for Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford, the greatest night in the history of British athletics, has both served to romanticise Farah’s rise to the summit of sporting greatness. In a year when the undeniable patriotic spirit encapsulated the masses during the London Games, everyone will remember where they were on that fateful August evening, and it’s all because of Mo.

Andy Murray Andy Murray In any other year, Andy Murray would have strolled to the Sports Personality victory. Not since Fred Perry won the U.S. Open in 1936 has Britain produced a Grand Slam winner, and not since Bunny Austin in 1938 has our country had a finalist at SW19. There is no pressure in tennis greater than that on the men’s British number one, a pressure that came to define the career of Tim Henman before Murray. In 2012, Murray has rewritten both of the aforementioned records, yet the Sports Personality award is just out of reach this year. Since the Scot’s first Grand Slam final defeat to Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows in 2008, the whole nation has toiled with Murray as he again and again fell one short of the great prize, www.impactnottingham.com/sport

The poster girl of the London Olympics has had a year to remember. More than any other member of Team GB, Ennis had to shoulder the expectations of an entire nation, with her image even splashed across the Heathrow flight path. This pressure was intensified on a personal level by the trauma of missing out at the Beijing Olympics and then conceding her World Championship title in 2011. The pride of Sheffield delivered in style this year, clinching heptathlon gold with a dominant performance that kick-started the best night in British athletics history. She broke her own national record by claiming an astonishing 6,955 points, the fifth best score of all time, to finish 306 points clear of second place. To put that into context, 306 points covers the gap from second to eleventh place, with points to spare. In the words of Denise Lewis, another British heptathlon champion, “We have witnessed greatness”. In addition to this incredible

I would love for Jessica Ennis to win, the poster girl of the Olympics proved her talent even with all of Britain s expectations upon

her. Her sport is also one of the most testing as it requires skills

in numerous disciplines, so .... feat, she also Team Jess! charmed the Colette Davies public with her humility, happiness and tears after winning the 800m in front of a TV audience of 16.3 million. Despite having a stand at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane named in her honour, Ennis is unlucky in that she only competed in one event - she pulled out of the 100 metre hurdles in spite of the fact that she was fourth fastest in the world. Winning just one gold in 2012 does not make her stand out as it normally would.

Writers’ Poll Mo Farah

losing to all of the big three: Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Most distressing of these defeats was to the Swiss at this year’s Wimbledon, where an imperious Federer tore Murray apart after the first set. This was ironically enough perhaps the lowest point of Murray’s career: a fourth Slam final defeat in a row and this one on home turf to a man some thought to be a declining power. But Olympic gold, beating Federer on Centre Court in the final, gave him the platform to produce his best ever tennis to defeat Djokovic in the U.S. Open final and banish the demons that must have haunted him for the last four years. Had he won Wimbledon he may have got the nod, but unfortunately for him he came of age in the greatest of Olympic years.

45%

40%

The Brownlee Brothers

Bradley Wiggins

Andy Murray

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SPEAKING OUT

Students speak out against homophobia, as Impact uncovers shocking statistics about the treatment of LGBT students in the University’s halls of residence.

“You’re a fucking gay cunt.” It’s 2am and Alex* has been woken up by one of his flatmates banging violently on his door. “You’re a bastard. You’re a poof.” Alex is not alone. In a survey conducted by Impact, 491 students told us their stories of homophobic abuse in the University’s halls of residence. The following article reveals the disturbing results. Two thirds of Nottingham students have witnessed sexuality – a 4% increase from the previous study. homophobic abuse in halls over the past year and anti-gay bullying has noticeably risen since 2010. Eight out of ten students also claimed to have encountered homophobic slurs while in halls. Comparing our results with a survey conducted by the Students’ Union two years ago, we discovered One student told Impact that “negative LGBT that 27% of LGBT students had personally language creates a culture in which being gay is experienced discrimination because of their implicitly bad. It can be very alienating”.

Another said that he was “sick and tired” of the verbal abuse. He explained, “[In halls] the very idea that a person could be gay is considered wrong. Imagine how you would feel if who you were was used as an insult?”

“Shameful” The bigotry on display in Nottingham’s halls has forced many LGBT students into silence. A third of gay students apparently felt “uncomfortable” being open about their sexuality while in catered accommodation, a 12% increase from 2010.

halls of residence. In response to Impact’s findings, Bezant insisted that the LGBT Network is working to “campaign against homophobic language and behaviour on campus” and improve diversity training for hall staff.

homophobic jeering was actively encouraged by the reps. During a Blind Date social, “men were made to dress up as women and then publicly humiliated.” Says the source, “How would a young transgender student expect to respond to that?”

A source says, “I am reluctant to be open about my In addition to this data, our team was overwhelmed sexuality – I fear what should happen should I ‘come by the number of students who came forward to offer out’ to certain residents.” their own personal experiences – which provided a bleak insight into the discriminatory culture within The results, described as “shameful” by LGBT Nottingham’s halls of residence. Officer Charlotte ‘Bez’ Bezant, show that anti-gay discrimination remains a problem in university One source alleged that, during Week One activities,

Another reported that a group of male students were “incredibly averse” to attending a Freshers’ event held at a gay bar – despite the fact it was not a gay night. “They made derogatory comments,” says the informant, “and thanked each other for the ‘heads up’ so they knew to stay away from that event”. > IMPACT 220

Furthermore, half of the students who answered our survey believed that homophobic hall chants would be considered “highly offensive” to LGBT students. One student told Impact that his Week One reps tried to cover up the use of a chant after a series of unofficial complaints, although “it still did continue among some students even after Week One”.

students, who accused them of spreading a homophobic message. “I overheard a CU rep saying that homosexuality is a sin that could be cured,” says the anonymous Fresher. “I am highly concerned about [their] presence in halls – especially considering there aren’t any representatives for other religions offering an alternative viewpoint”.

Roger Doxat-Pratt, who issued a statement saying that the organisation “is against discrimination on any grounds. CU reps volunteer to remain in halls for a second year to help students settle into university life and are not affiliated with the hall management”. “We would certainly welcome other faith societies to have a greater voice within the hall system”.

The Christian Union also came under fire by Impact presented this testimony to the CU President

65% OF STUDENTS HAVE WITNESSED AN ACT OF HOMOPHOBIA IN NOTTINGHAM IN 2012

A QUARTER OF LGBT STUDENTS HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION

20% OF HETEROSEXUAL STUDENTS HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE OR INSULTS

“Tolerant environment” Contrary to our findings, students are still convinced that university halls are less hostile to LGBT students than two years ago. 72% responded that their hall was “tolerant or understanding” of LGBT persons, compared to just 60% in the Students’ Union survey from 2010. LGBT Publicity and Outreach Officer Sam Sherratt blasted these figures in a statement, saying: “It may be convenient to blame vicious language and violent behaviour on a few unnamed individuals – but part of the problem seems to be the discrepancy between the discrimination witnessed by many non-LGBT students and their belief that campus still remains a tolerant environment.”

LGBT Officer Bezant responded to this charge, saying: “While we had problems with being perceived as cliquey in the past, we want to confirm that everyone on and off committee works hard to be welcoming to all members and our socials are varied to suit the diverse Even the LGBT Network, which aims to offer a interests of our students. support base for all students, has been accused of failing its members. “My only mildly homophobic “We’ve had lots of positive comments this experience during Uni was from the LGBT year about how at home people feel, and Network themselves!” says one insider. “Cliquey, don’t want anyone to be discouraged from unsupportive to those of us who don’t define as getting involved.” LGBT or don’t like going out to NG1, and frankly heterophobic toward the straight friends I brought with me – halls was a far more welcoming place”. Some sources have suggested that Nottingham’s predominantly middle-class student body is responsible for this. “I guess it’s not a massive surprise to find bigotry here – the student body is about as representative as the fucking Queen!”

A THIRD OF STUDENTS 80% OF STUDENTS FELT “UNCOMFORTABLE” HAVE ENCOUNTERED BEING OPEN ABOUT HOMOPHOBIC LANGUAGE THEIR SEXUALITY IN IN HALLS (75% IN 2010) HALLS (A QUARTER IN 2010)

HALF OF STUDENTS ARE OFFENDED BY HOMOPHOBIC HALL CHANTS

“Lad culture” In an interview with Impact, Ancaster hall tutor John Coffield explained that an increasingly narrowminded culture has contributed to the recent spike in homophobia rates. “When you have hundreds of 18-year-olds that have just finished school and you put them in a very closed environment, many tend to group together into familiar cliques. “Rather than expanding their tolerance of others, they get locked into another year of the same laddish, closed-off and intolerant behaviour they could get away with at school and completely ignore the racial, gender and sexual diversity around them.” He continues, “I say ‘lad’ because it is almost invariably this group which are guilty of homophobia above other groups.”

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Coffield went on to state that if an incident of homophobia was reported to hall staff, he firmly believes that it would be dealt with in a serious fashion. However, our research revealed that over half of Nottingham students believe homophobia is not considered a serious disciplinary offence. Additionally, 41% say that university staff lack sufficient knowledge of LGBT issues.

student experience this – I would advise them to speak to a member of the Student’s Union Exec team as we have a full complaints procedure.” Dore, who pledged more LGBT campaigns in his 2012 SU election manifesto, praised Impact for bringing this vital issue to the SU’s attention and said that the thought of any student experiencing discrimination at Nottingham was “upsetting”.

Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer Mike Dore also expressed concerns over the “disheartening” *Pseudonyms have been used in this article to statistics and promised to push “equality and protect the sources’ identities. diversity issues in our JCR training.” He added: “The Students’ Union does not tolerate harassment or bullying of any form and should any

By Rosie Feenstra, Sarah Murphy, Rebecca Scott and Izzy Scrimshire Images by Charlotte Albert, Martin Bassot and Grace Mclaughlin

41% OF STUDENTS BELIEVE THAT UNIVERSITY STAFF LACK SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE OF LGBT ISSUES

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BIG TROUBLE

IN LITTLE CHINA

It pays to be a foreigner in China. At the University of Nottingham s Ningbo Campus (UNNC), international students have access to better paid jobs, more opportunities and are exempt from the 11pm curfew that applies to Chinese students.

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HOWEVER, this ‘international privilege’ has given rise to a culture of resentment in the satellite campus. According to an Impact survey, two thirds of Ningbo students believe that the University’s policy on domestic students is “unfair” and over 80% claim that the unequal rights distribution is harmful to inter-student relations. Tensions simmered between international and domestic students in the weeks leading up to the recent Ningbo Students’ Union survey in which 55% of students voted against the curfew. An incident involving two domestic students and an English student led to a heated exchange described as racially motivated by onlookers. One student reportedly claimed “this is a UK campus”, which prompted the Chinese student to respond angrily “this is our university, you must abide by our rules”.

The following day, an anti-Internationals hate page was set up on Renren (China’s equivalent of Facebook), where comments included “go back to where you came from” and “foreigners don’t respect the Chinese”. Unsurprisingly, the curfew – common policy at China’s universities – has been a source of conflict among students. Last month, a Halloween party held in the international block ran until half past one in the morning, resulting in a series of complaints. A threatening poster was left in the foyer blasting international students for “partying” and calling female partygoers “bitches”.

9 out of 10 students believe the University of Nottingham should do more to integrate its students overseas In our survey, international students overwhelmingly wanted to see the abolishment of the curfew. As it stands, the UNNC’s policy means that international and domestic students live in separate accommodation – and over half of the international students we surveyed said that living conditions made it difficult to socialise with the Chinese students.

an hour. In Ningbo, foreigners are a brand – a brand within the student population are something to be that sells. overcome but, as Lu stresses, change will need to be gradual. After all, if the curfew was removed, The UK campuses must take note and do more Ningbo would be the first campus in China to do so. to support their Chinese partners in reconciling the differences amongst the student body. Outside To ease the transition, some have suggested of academic services, Ningbo has no say in living creating separate accommodation so that students agreements – yet UoN can surely make its influence would be able to choose whether they want to felt. live in a curfew or non-curfew residency. This way The division within the student population is living experiences would be decided by personal The combination of British education with traditional intensified by the vast array of opportunities that preference, not on the basis of nationality. In the Chinese living experience has created a confusing are available solely for international students. A meantime, a potential curfew-free Friday and image of what Ningbo stands for. Professor Lu, the foreign student can earn up to two hundred pounds Saturday night has also been proposed – an idea Chinese Communist Party Deputy at UNNC (a modelling and fifteen pounds an hour teaching. that Lu is in favour of. BNOC if ever you saw one), has strongly advocated Conversely, Chinese a more “UK-styled university social life”. So if the The promise of change has not yet received library staff at Ningbo students want it and the Chinese government support from university administrators. However, earn a fairly representative wants it, why is it not happening? if successful, access to equal rights would standard wage undoubtedly promote better campus relations and that averages Only eight years in the making, Ningbo is still a work towards a more positive learning environment at around 80p developing campus. The inequalities present for all students. Kayleigh Renberg-Fawcett

www.impactnottingham.com/features

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The /01 Ŷ//% $)16 ). .', . Emily Shackleton Additional reporting by Will Hazell Bottom Opposite Image by Emma Charalambous

Nottingham “is the most tattooed city in England” But is the trend still taboo? Despite being a prehistoric tradition, the old French saying goes that tattoos are for ‘criminals and Germans’. In the 21st century, however, it has become an increasingly popular trend, prompting Vogue Magazine to comment, “They walk among us, people. The tattooed.” Questions about the acceptability of tattoos were also raised recently when retail chain HMV’s new staff guidelines asked employees to cover up “extensive body art” so that customers feel more “comfortable”, suggesting that even today there are negative perceptions about tattoos in the workplace. It is hardly surprising, with steep competition for graduate jobs, that many students are inclined to think twice before getting ‘inked’ while at university. But are they really a no-go area? Impact asked a selection of tattoo artists and inked students for their views. Nottingham students’ exposure to tattooing is notably large. Rebecca Cooper from Access All Areas tells Impact that “Nottingham is the most tattooed city in England. Most of our customers are students and most of the money we make is from students”. 20

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Gray Silva from Rampant Ink in Netherfields says that “tattooing is popular all over the world right now and Nottingham is no exception. With the current glut of awful tattoo-related TV shows people have opened their eyes to the possibilities of tattooing”. One issue raised by many contemporary artists like Silva is how body art’s media profile has been raised globally thanks to stateside reality shows, like Kat Von D’s L.A. Ink. This celebrity obsession has also placed greater emphasis on the tattoos of famous people, from Cheryl Cole’s Maori design to the questionable image of a battered woman on Chris Brown’s neck. Access All Areas’ Rebecca discussed this phenomenon, saying that students often come into the shop to imitate their favourite stars. “We tend to get a lot of the ‘trendy’ tattoos – ones that Rihanna has got or Angelina Jolie has got. A lot of hands, ribs, feet, they’re all very popular”.

a girl coming in a tattoo studio on her own”. Having tattooed icons like Angelina Jolie and Cheryl Cole, it appears, has made it more acceptable for women to get inked. Nevertheless, in light of HMV’s recent move and reports earlier this year that the tattoo removal business has boomed since the financial crisis, young people are perhaps reluctant to get tattoos in an unstable job market.

We asked the artists about the popularity of more visible tattoos – including facial – and responses were mixed. Rebecca commented, “We do a lot of hands. People used to worry about jobs, but now thanks to equality laws people are having it done more.” Paul, however, still sees a problem with potential employers. “I used to refuse to do neck and face tattoos all the time, up until about four years ago. Tattoos among women have never been more If you go for a job with a tattoo like that, you’re not prevalent. Whereas before it was considered a going to get it are you?”. man’s accessory, now an estimated 23% of women are getting work done - 4% more than men. “Twenty years ago,” says Paul Long from Danny’s Tattoo Studio near the Lace Market, “you wouldn’t have got

)%,,%

Dec Student, 20 Tattoo(s): Mexican sugar skull, shoulder He says: “I liked the artist [Phil Kyle of London Ink]. He has an excellent reputation around the country for his work. However, I wouldn’t have a tattoo I can’t hide, I wouldn’t want to jeopardise any career. So hide it if you can!”

www.impactnottingham.com/features

Student, 20 Tattoo: “Liliana: 09/12/2011”, wrist She says: “This marks the birth of my daughter when I was 18. I got it because I enjoy incorporating the milestones of my life into ink on my body. It shows where I’ve been, who I am and where I’m going”. The Canadian-born student tells Impact “People from the army often get tattoos symbolizing their part in the war. Many gang members also have matching tattoos. “Personally, I like to try and promote how tattoos are done, the healing process, and why so many people choose to have them. People are afraid of concepts they don’t understand, so encouraging people to do their own research may help”.

#, +% Student, 19 Tattoo: “Type 1 Diabetes”, forearm He says: “I got it done just before freshers’ week. I needed to let people know about my Type 1 Diabetes. I knew what Week 1 would be like and people might think I was passed out drunk! The conventional diabetes bracelets cost up to £300, and this only cost me £60.” “Some people’s attitudes have changed” adds Blake. “Tattoos are more openly accepted now. But I would still wear a long sleeved shirt to an interview”.

0-). Student, 20 Tattoo(s): Yellow smiley, wrist; “This is the story of my life” written in Thai, foot She says: “[The smiley] was my first tattoo. I was 17 so I just thought it would be nice and it always makes me smile when I look at it! The writing commemorates a five month excursion in Thailand. “My mother already has a small tattoo on her leg and so wasn’t bothered – however, the rest of my family were worried and told me to think carefully about getting any more work done”.

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REINTRODUCTION OF THE DEATH PENALTY WOULD BE AN ELBISREVERRI MISTAKE ‘Tough on Crime’. It’s a mentality that wins over tabloids and the masses alike. For all we disagree on crime, nobody wants to see a criminal go unpunished. Sadly, talk of toughening up the criminal justice system inevitably includes a pinch of rhetoric about how we should bring back the death penalty. In September, Conservative peer Lord Tebbit branded the arguments against capital punishment ‘thin’ in a statement concerning justice for the two murdered police officers in Manchester. It has not escaped the student forum either: reintroduction was the topic of a debate on campus on 29th October. Working at the ‘Capital Punishment Center’ in Texas, I got to see how the death penalty worked in practice and it convinced me that it is a system we should be glad to have abolished. At the debate, it seemed that the proponents of reinstating capital punishment in the UK were all too happy to make their claim without addressing the realities of operating such a penalty. The cost of the death penalty is one such reality. At the debate, the proposition understated this important economic consideration by playing off the moral claim that society shouldn’t pay for prisoners to live a ‘life of luxury’. It is a common misconception that bumping criminals off would save the costs of housing them and divert state funds towards more admirable pursuits. It sounds too good to be true - because it is. The death penalty costs the state of California approximately $138 million a year; life incarceration would only cost them $11.5 million a year. In fact, California’s current referendum on keeping the death penalty is likely to turn on the economic strain of capital punishment. The proposition asked why “we” should bear the cost of upkeep for a criminal but it 22

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seems illogical to do so by setting us up to bear an even greater social cost by executing them. The focus of their case, unsurprisingly, was the moral justice which an ultimate punishment can provide. Yet a prerequisite to that moral debate is an assurance that the system works. In a perfect legal system, the perpetrator would conveniently commit his atrocity under the watchful eye of a CCTV camera and leave his DNA all over the crime scene. Under those circumstances we could begin to debate the morality of allowing a state the power to kill the guilty man, but our system is not perfect. The prospect of executing an innocent man slipped through our fingers as the last death sentence to be handed down in the UK was later quashed because the so-called confession had been made after six hours of water torture. We made the mistake once and abolition saved us; it is hardly a ‘thin’ argument. America is the exception to the Western world for its unquenchable support of the practice so we must consider how they deal with the question of innocence. The double-edged sword of DNA technology highlights the growing tension. In the 90s cowboy labs and ‘expert witnesses’ allowed for a false confidence in trial outcomes but its recent use in exonerations is changing the game. The Governor of Illinois used his discretion to commute the sentences of the entire Illinois death row after a series of exonerations shook his state’s faith in capital punishment. It seems even across the Atlantic, where support for tough punishment is fervent, the ‘fear of executing the innocent’ argument is developing a powerful public persona. In the 1970’s America suspended its use of the death penalty for 4 years as they tried to restructure their laws to ‘improve’ the death penalty. This aim of improvement is exactly what was asserted by the

proposition as an answer to problems of procedure. Whether improving or reinstating, the following questions should be posed: Should death simply be the mandatory sentence for those found guilty of murder or do you attempt to make it only the punishment for the most severe crimes, in line with the proportionate reasoning that we usually use to determine sentencing? If so, how does one pick which cases are the 'worst of the worst'? When you have to strike a balance between aggravating factors like child victims, multiple murders or additional crimes like rape and mitigating circumstances like mental illness or extreme abuse in their own life, does it not become merely a battle of the lawyers?

“WE MADE THE MISTAKE ONCE AND ABOLITION SAVED US”

Justice Ginsberg of the US Supreme Court famously pointed out that the well-represented do not get the death penalty, which inevitably points to an advantage of wealth. The proposition in the case dismissed this wholeheartedly as they spouted rhetoric about trusting the system and how they would do all that one could reasonably expect. Whilst it comforts me to think such dedicated people have ambitions within our legal system, I cannot forget what I experienced working with some of the best death penalty lawyers in Texas. My client had used a lawyer named Jerry Guerinot, a lawyer with such a bad reputation that a part of the Texas death row has been dubbed 'The Guerinot Wing' after all the ex-clients of his which it houses. In the current economy, as we face cutting www.impactnottingham.com/features

our own legal aid programs, the concern now lies with how comfortable we should be with asserting that our own legal system is less susceptible than America to what is at best human error and at worst, abuse. Issues of access to justice harbour an even darker home truth which the proposition failed to address at all. It is easy to dismiss a discussion of race by reference to America because their history is so much more turbulent, but its impact is underdiscussed. What can be quantified is that victims of US cases which are tried for the death penalty are mostly white, overwhelmingly so when the defendant was actually executed. Inherent in its operation, there is a hierarchy of victims according

to their race which is precisely what the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry suggested was true of access to justice in the UK. Our last death sentence was not only of an innocent man but a northern Irishman during the troubles of the 1960’s: a time of deep resentment and social divide. Frankly, it would be an injustice to underplay how the weaknesses in our criminal justice system would carry over to an attempt to reintroduce a death penalty. The bottom line is that, in an imperfect system, a death sentence is an irreversible mistake. After 40 years of jurisprudence, the problems of innocence and fair trial are still pertinent in the USA. Why would we want to re-open that can of worms? Lucy Taylor Image by Magdelena Šteflová IMPACT 220

ALUMNI FOCUS Impact Interviews:

ALEX HOBAN Alex Hoban has the kind of graduate lifestyle that most students dream of. His job as an international journalist has enabled him to experience a wide variety of cultures, travelling from the fringes of Europe to Japan, via North Korea. He has written for The Guardian, The Japan Times, Vice and NME, and has also worked as a copywriter for international corporations such as Apple and iTunes. He is also the Creative Director of North Korea News (nknews.org).

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at the Impact Media Conference

What have you been up to since the Impact Was it hard to settle down and adjust in Japan When you do your research and you find a Media Conference? derelict site do you know it will appeal to your when you were a writer for The Japan Times? audience? A: I finished off the redesign and re-launch of North A: I don’t know if adjust is the right word, but I A: I normally go on adventures for my own sake. Korea News, which I’ve been working on for the certainly got through it. I had a worse culture shock I don’t necessary do it with a story in mind. I do it past month with my colleague in Washington DC. actually when I returned to the UK. I left for Japan the for my own benefit to see what’s there. Normally I We were able to get really good coverage with The day after the graduation ceremony at Nottingham. I go with friends and drag them off on an adventure. Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and CNN the had been three years in the Nottingham bubble and It was often a bonding experience - it’s interesting week before, so that was a good start. everyone just went their different ways. I came back what happens when you take people out of the a year later and immediately got onto my masters at context that they know. After your graduation in 2008, you wrote the King’s College and everything had changed. It’s far script for Peaches Geldof’s appearance at the more difficult to return to a culture that you think you What was a night out in Moscow like in ITV iTunes Music Festival. Was that a daunting understand, but being unaware of the changes that comparison to your student nights out in experience? you have been through yourself, rather than going Nottingham? A: The experience was really funny because three into a culture which you know is foreign. A: (Pause) That’s a very good question! Best night years of ‘in jokes’ amongst all my friends on the out I ever had in Nottingham was actually when we English degree at university got channelled into had a house party at our house. I think we lived on 24 the script. It was a TV show with live performances, Wollaton Road so I really hope whoever lives in 24 all based on the iTunes Festival. You had to write reads an issue of Impact and drops me a message. scripts for Dave Berry and Peaches. I just took the Unlike Moscow, everything at Nottingham was very piss - no joke. Whatever happened at university grassroots. Nottingham was like this bubble where got in that script. Peaches stood up in the middle you could try anything and get away with it. of filming and said “Who the hell writes this stuff”. I

“ Peaches stood up in the middle of filming and said ‘Who the hell writes this stuff’. I said ‘It was me’. ”

said “It was me” and she was like “That’s so weird, what’s wrong with you?!”. It is probably the only time that Peaches Geldof and Dave Berry have been on Did you prefer living in Japan or in the UK? TV making subtle references to James Joyce and A: I definitely prefer it back home. I love Japan, I’ve Ulysses. had a lot of very enriching experiences there but it’s not a country in which I could live long term. How did your role within Impact influence your current work? Your first article for Vice, ‘Battleship Island’ A: It influenced it a lot. I was just a writer in the first temporarily crashed the website on its year and then I was music editor. I was writing for the publication. Did you know when you wrote the NME - just little writing bits and bobs, but Impact was article that it was going to be such a success? still my focus because I had way more control as A: I knew it was fucking cool! I wanted to break into music editor than in writing small articles for a huge Vice somehow and prior to that I hadn’t really much national magazine. to offer them. I knew it was a good story but I didn’t know it was going to crash Vice. Was it when you were in Impact that you decided you wanted to travel and experience From your articles on Vice, you seem to like new cultures, or did you have an inherent exploring abandoned buildings. What do you interest in North Korea and the arts? find draws yourself to such forgotten sites? A: North Korea didn’t come in till later. When I was an undergraduate I was studying Japanese as a subsidiary and I had been to Japan once, just before going to university. I had this experience of entering a culture that was so alien, I couldn’t make sense of it. I felt completely lost - I didn’t realise you could feel so alienated by culture. I think that’s what kickstarted my fascination.

A: I am fascinated by the urban environment. I’m interested in the way that urban space confines and controls the way that people move and interact with each other. It defines the parameters in which we form as individuals. There is a lot of ideological attachment to it; it’s a lot more than bricks and water.

Is there anything else you wish you had done at University? A: There were a few girls I didn’t get off with that I would have liked to! Is it alright if I email a list to say the call is still out there for these people? (laughs). Do you have any advice for budding photographers or journalists? Perhaps how to write the best article or how to capture a powerful picture? A: My advice for anyone is to think of an original angle. It’s such a basic thing but work out your take on the world. Don’t aim to be the generic journalist who can just do what anyone else does and turn out a generic copy. That’s boring; you’ll never get anywhere. Is finding an original idea a knack or is it developed out of practice? A: Both. In terms of writing, that does take practice. You don’t become a good writer overnight. You need to constantly read what you like and learn from that. Learn styles largely to then subvert them - you’ll be able to bring out your original twist over time. Just don’t be afraid to try it. Zara De Belder

Follow Alex and NK News on twitter: @alex_hoban @nknewsorg www.impactnottingham.com/features

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[ Naughty Nottingham ] Oh Nottingham, you never fail to deliver. Whilst some of you might be polishing your halos on a Friday night, we caught up with those who like to get down and dirty. Bringing out the wild alter-ego in all of us, your sins and dirty secrets just get better and better. “I have currently shaved all my genitalia hair. My “I was trying to finger this girl in a field but these “I’ve kissed a priest!” girlfriend was not impressed.” bloody stinging nettles left her raw...” “I had sex on the balcony of Newark hall last “I slept with two people in one night...in the same “I peed all over the Portland cash machine last year” year and a builder saw me!” hall” “At a festival, I went to this girl’s tent for a bang. Felt “I got sucked off by a hooker once” “Someone actually threw a toilet seat at my face so rough and ended up chundering in her bag!” in a club last year” “I know someone who had anal in the corner in “I got caught shagging in the disabled toilets...” Ocean during Freshers” “I had sex with this girl, 4 nights in a row during “I had sex with a table. Like, have you ever seen Freshers. I still haven’t called her back” “After a heavy night out, I woke up naked on the kitchen floor with my MOTHER making American Pie?” breakfast around me”

Ask Uncle Sam Dear Uncle Sam, Every time I go out clubbing on a student night and the Baywatch song comes on,I am always too self-conscious to take my top off. I am too scared to strip – please help! Yours, Scaredycat

Dear Garfield, This is something that students at the University of Nottingham have struggled with for years, ever since David Hasselhoff’s rippling torso first made its debut appearance on our television screens. The first thing to remember is that on any student night, the room will be far too dark, the dance floor too jam-packed and everyone far too drunk to notice and/or care what you look like under your shirt. 26

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The second thing to note is that taking off your shirt undress in public. After shaking that booty all night is more likely to impress girls; whether you’ve got long, you could probably do with the extra ventilation. the abs of Brad Pitt or body of Jack Black, women Go shake what yo’ mama gave you! love men who are confident. Use Baywatch as an opportunity to make some shapes on the dance floor. Pretend that your shirt is a lasso with which you can entrap any prospective partners. Go for the Ricky Martin shirt rip. The options are endless. Do you need Uncle Sam’s trusty advice? Send Finally, take advantage of the one chance in the your dilemmas to night where it is socially acceptable (and legal) to features@impactnottingham.com

Uncle Sam

IMPACT COLUMNISTS:

Lizzie Neep The Exodus

Five weeks into autumn term and the line between student kitchen and soup-kitchen becomes increasingly blurred. That’s when you wonder...is it time to go home?

We all know students who choose to go home every other weekend. This may result in a number of upgrades, i.e. cashing in the Tesco ready meal for a mum-made Sunday roast. But back in Uniland, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. You may be willing to sacrifice a dip in the Ocean for a pint in your local, but you can’t expect those that don’t not to grow closer to their fellow bathers. So, nine times out of ten, when faced with the urge to join the exodus homeward bound, it is better to ‘man up’ and stay put.

Whether once a month, once a term, or once a year, there comes a time in every student’s life when the ‘quirks’ of student living become increasingly hard to meet with your usually impeccable sense of humour. Suddenly the home where you wasted many a school night looks like a five star hotel in That said, there will always be that one. That one comparison. time where we just know that home is the only But just like the full tub of Ben and Jerry’s, which calls answer. You’ll head home, have a brief stint in to be consumed in its entirety, sometimes giving student-life-rehab - and then will return to university into that urge will leave you feeling more sick than recharged, revived and ready to relapse. satisfied. Your bomb-sight of a kitchen will once again become Many see our university years as among the best in a tribute to an almighty pre-lash. Layers upon layers our lives. They are unique in allowing us to be boldly will be peeled back to reveal Crisis-worthy attire. independent and wildly irresponsible in almost equal Welcome back to student life. We wouldn’t change measures. If we ran away every time we felt a little a thing. Except maybe the Tesco ready meal... and worse for wear or stressed from work, we may as maybe the cold. well commute from home or simply not bother at all.

Suzi Collins I’ve Got Santa’s Number

Do you know what you want for Christmas? Fifteen years ago I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. I’d spent months pouring over the Argos catalogue and, when I was told that no, I COULDN’T have a miniature car, I settled on the next best thing: Barbie roller-skates.

For the next couple of years I became convinced that my mum was always on the phone to Santa. I’d try to eavesdrop on her conversations, and even stole her phonebook a couple of times (sorry mum!). I didn’t find a ‘Santa’, but I did find a ‘Sandra’. I briefly entertained the notion of calling this ‘Sandra’, in case it was some kind of cover-up, but decided against it. Upon making my decision, I went straight to my After a couple of years of sneaking around, I finally mum and told her to write to Santa to tell him what worked out that my mum didn’t have his phone I wanted (I was an incredibly lazy child). She kindly number, because he DIDN’T EXIST. obliged and the next day told me that she’d sent the letter. I quietly took my older sister aside to tell her, just in case she was still being deceived. Luckily she’d But then it hit me. Santa didn’t know my shoe size. already worked it out but told me that, as the I ran to my mum in a wild panic and quickly explained youngest, I had to continue to pretend to believe in the situation. ‘YOU’LL HAVE TO WRITE AGAIN!’ I him ‘in case the presents stopped’. yelled. ‘HOW ELSE WILL HE KNOW?!’ As it turned out, I was quite a talented actress. My Now, my mum is a very quick-thinking lady. And I was quite a simple minded child. She calmly replied parents thought I believed in Santa until I was 12. that she had Santa’s phone number, and went off to phone him up and tell him my shoe size. I ended up with a pair of perfectly fitting Barbie roller skates that year. It was a good year. However, I now realised that my mum was in possession of the most valuable thing in the world ever: SANTA’S PHONE NUMBER.

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YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN

a few

CHANGES to the way we do things in the

STUDENTS’ UNION cently re

change E V I S S A Its a M we use to do hat from w ed it up quite and we’ve mix we’re using a lot, literally, n of graphics, a combinatio g ts and amazin different fon look g e everythin photos to mak g. ore interestin a whole lot m

Here are a FEW EXAMPL E S of what we’ve been up to;

Have you noticed the pretty

NEW BRANDING

WE FRESHERS WEEK

LOOK OUT FOR MORE DESIGN

loveliness in the future... UNIVERSITY OF NOT TIN GHAM STUDENTS’ UNION

TEER!

VOLUN

2012 to

2013

Mmmmm, foodâ&#x20AC;Ś

As they have everything including light bites, sharing plates and proper meals, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bound to find something you fancy. Also, back by popular demand, is (drum roll please) the Yorkshire Filler! If you get yourself a Mooch liberty card, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also be in for some seriously good food and drinks offers. Recent deals for those students who are part of this exclusive club have included a pizza slice and a coke for ÂŁ2.99, and a free side of garlic bread for all orders over ÂŁ4. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll send you a weekly email with the latest offers, and if you fancy any of the tasty deals, flash your loyalty card at the bar when ordering. Simple.

Delicious Cocktails All the classics are on the new Mooch Cocktail menu, including the Sex and the City favourite, the Cosmopolitan, as well as Mooch Specials (Mandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Coconut Bikini sounds interesting).

Plus, cocktails are

on Thursday evenings from 5pm.

2 41

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always loads going on at Mooch, so keep up to date via the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Facebook and Twitter pages.

Look out for the Mooch Daily Deals too â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a great offer every day of the week (Fish & Chip Friday anyone?) we know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re watching the pennies! www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/barshops/ mooch/takeliberties

JANUARY ini â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fair â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a m Refreshers , still with Fair Freshersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; d the eebies an fr s u fabulo ports meet our s itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chance to ut b , societies clubs and th of rm a w in the g. all indoors nd Buildin the Portla

Main Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union election s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fancy being an Executive Officer and real ly making change for your fellow students? Nom inations open in January for the biggest elec tions of the year.

Visit our website www.su.nottingham.ac.uk

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/UofNSU Follow us on Twitter @uonsu

EXPOSURE

Photography Competition Tiitle: ‘Nottingham Captured’ Winner: Callum Mclarty Title of Picture: Panorama of the Trent Building in the Snow 30

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STYLE

VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD

E L TY CLOSET

The yuletide season is upon us, so deck the halls and don your stars and stripes, because nobody does it better than the USA! This holiday season we are celebrating all things Hollywood and glam. Think back to a timeless era of Grace Kelly, Dior's New Look of 1947 and Hepburn vs. Monroe. Whether you opt for demure skirts and gloves, or cinched waists and siren red lips, add a touch of Hollywood glamour to your christmas wardrobe. Term is drawing to an end, and so too are the long nights in Hallward. It's party season, so take off those woolly jumpers and don your decadent jewellery, faux fur and luxurious fabrics. Feeling the pinch? Here's where to get the look. Update vintage pieces with plenty of sparkle and a killer pair of heels. For a modern alternative to the full skirt, opt for a pair of high-waisted embellished shorts or trousers and team it with soft curls and scarlet lips. Emily Devonald

Skinted: Rhinestone Necklace byTopshop (Freedom), £15. Black Bodice by Topshop, £36. Fur Jacket by Pilot, £35. Clutch by A|Wear,£20. Jewel Shorts by Miss Selfridge, £48. Boot heels by Vestry, £45. Diamonte Cross Earrings by Accessorize, £5. Minted: Dress by Miss Selfridge, £65. Faux Fur Jacket by Dorothy Perkins, £69. Shoes by Office, £75. Penny Necklace by Monsoon, £25. Diamond encrusted studs by Boticca, £59. Clutch by Accessorize, £55.

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HOW TO...

HOLLYWOOD MAKEOVERS Your guide to mastering Vintage Glamor with a contemporary twist… Get the Lana look…

THOSE LIPS Songstress Lana Del Ray perfectly embodies retro glamor. Her signature pout and luscious locks, inspired by an era of Hollywood sirens, are reinvented through her modern edge. She proves that Urban Grunge and ‘The Sixties Bombshell’ is a match made in heaven.

• First line the lips with a dark red lip liner. We recommend Mac or Avon. • Keep the amount of product to a minimum to avoid smearing and to get that long lasting look. • For orangey tones we recommend Mac Ruby Woo or, for a false safe option, pick up Mac’s Russian Red. • Compliment siren red lips with demure eyes or make an impact with 60’s inspired cat eye flicks. We recommend gel eyeliner from Mac. • Mention of blue mascara as seen on Stella Catwalks

THAT HAIR Get Blake’s Barnet… Whether she’s storming the streets of New York as Serena in Gossip Girl or posing as the face of the latest Gucci fragrance, Blake Lively encapsulates the notion of classic Hollywood glamour with a 2012 twist! Update your hairstyle with a fresh take on those tight vintage curls.

www.impactnottingham.com/style

• Apply volumising moose to towel-dried hair. We recommend TreSemme Thermal Creations • Use a round brush and run it through to smooth out strands whilst blow drying. • Use curlers or opt for an iron followed by pinning the coil for 2 until the hair cools • Brush or run your hands through to soften the waves

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STYLE

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Opposite: Shift Dress: Vintage. Necklace: Celiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vintage Nottingham. Shoes: New Look. Bag: Vintage This Page: Dress: Miss Selfridge.Fur Coat: Vintage Model: Rose Markes Photography: Emma Charalambous Styled and Directed: Grace Fleming & Hannah Wilkinson

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STYLE

WHO RUNS THE FASHION WORLD? The American public has voted, the results are in and the outcome very much celebrated over here in Blighty. The glamorous and powerful Michelle Obama is to be the first Lady for another four years! Ah yes, Mr Obama has retained his Presidential title too…

he saying goes that “Behind every great man there is an even greater woman.” It would seem that, looking back on history, nothing less can be said about the post of President of the United States. The First Ladies of the US have often been the cornerstones of political campaigns. Not only have these remarkable women helped to shape the intricacies of American politics, they have along the way shaped the world of fashion too. Frances Cleveland was one such First Lady: in the 1880’s she voiced her dislike of the universally worn ‘bustle’ dress. Frances ignited a trend amongst the women of the country in refusing to wear this structured skirt. She was also one of the first public figures to wear sleeveless gowns and was heavily criticised by the Christian Temperance Union! Mary Todd Lincoln was another trendsetter

who become known for her ridiculously long gown trains and exposed neck lines, prompting her own husband Abraham Lincoln to remark that she needed “a little less tail and little more neck.” Undoubtedly, the crown for the most influential first lady of fashion would have to go to the fabulous Jackie Kennedy Onassis, or, ‘Jackie O’ as she was eventually known. On her husband’s appointment to The White House in 1960, Jackie enlisted the help of Olegg Cassini, a designer whose legacy encompasses the contemporary A-line, Sheath and the Empire strapless designs. Pillbox hats, sleeveless A-line dresses, kitten-heel pumps and elbow length gloves defined Jackie’s personal style and as a result quickly came to define a nation of women, all eager to achieve the, ‘Jackie Look’. It’s speculated that in her first year at The White House, Jackie spent almost $46,000 on outfits and accessories, which equated to almost half of John F Kennedy’s annual salary as President. Jackie Kennedy also exemplifies the changing nature of fashion. In the years that followed, the First Lady developed her style dramatically, ditching the modest attire and choosing to wear more flamboyant colours, all the while initiating new trends. You can see why, ‘The Jackie look’ was so revered by women all over the world, being referred to by designer Edith Head as the, ‘single biggest fashion influence in history.’ The First Lady also became more experimental with designers such as Gucci and Chanel. It was her pink Chanel suit that was to become, “the most

“NOT ONLY HAVE THESE REMARKABLE WOMEN HELPED TO SHAPE THE INTRICACIES OF AMERICAN POLITICS, THEY HAVE ALONG THE WAY SHAPED THE WORLD OF FASHION TOO.” 36

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legendary garment in American history”, worn on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Jackie refused to change during the swearing in of new President Lyndon B. Johnson, the suit still stained with the blood of her husband. Fast forward to today and we look to Michelle Obama, whose role is not only The First Lady of the USA, but also The First Lady of Fashion. The Harvard graduate, who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, is famed for her sleeveless dresses and regularly wears outfits by Calvin Klein and Donna Ricco. Michelle has also received praise for her financial consciousness through her wearing of J.Crew attire, as well as her recycling of outfits. One of her most memorable garments is certainly the white one-shouldered Jason Wu gown worn to the inauguration ball in 2009. The dress has since been donated to an exhibition at the Smithsonian. Long may the First Ladies continue to inspire an interest in fashion, all the while fighting to improve America and the rest of the world. And who’s to say we won’t be writing about the influence of the ‘First Man’ of America in four years’ time? As Bob Dylan quite rightly said, “the times they are a-changin,” and I’d quite like to see a crisp Tom Ford suit waving from the side of the Presidential podium. Grace Fleming

LIKE WHAT YOU READ? READ BY THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS EVERY WEEK, OUR WEBSITE IS UPDATED DAILY WITH BREAKING NEWS, ORIGINAL FEATURES AND EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS. BRAND WE ALSO HAVE THREE S PA N K I N G N E W SECTIONS THAT ARE EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE:

GAMERS’ GUIDE, COLUMNS AND IMPLODE (OUR SECTION DEDICATED TO ALL SHIT CRAY)

WWW.IMPACTNOTTINGHAM.COM

FOOD ORANGE, CHERRY AND CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS CRUMBLE CAKE For the sponge: 5 medium eggs 300g light brown sugar 350g self-raising flour 330g margarine 60g dried cranberries Zest of 3 large oranges 120g of red currants

For the crumble: 100g unsalted butter 100g dark brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 150g plain flour 100g toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts 1 pot of cherry compote

This is a great alternative to a Christmas pudding and tastes delicious warmed with Chantilly cream! 1. Start by making the crumble by melting the unsalted butter and add it to the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, plain flour and hazelnuts. Mix this with your fingers until crumble consistency and put this aside for later. 2. Take the red currants and cook on a low heat with 2tbsp of brown sugar for 10 minutes or until softened and leave to cool. 3. For the sponge mixture, cream together the margarine and light brown sugar then slowly add three tbsp of self raising flour and one egg, and gently mix into the butter and sugar. Repeat this process until all the eggs and flour has been used. 4. Add to this mixture the dried cranberries, 60g of your red currants and the orange zest to your sponge mixture

BRANDY ALEXANDER Pour all ingredients save the nutmeg into a mixing glass/container, shake with ice or stir vigorously, and strain once. Liberally grate the nutmeg over the drink to give it a final kick, and then sit back and enjoy this festive drink whilst watching re-runs of The ‘Brandy Alexander’, which dates back to “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “White Christmas”. the early the 20th Century, incorporates flavours Recipe: that are sure to make the cold nights warm and 40ml brandy snug, whilst being a chilled and creamy drink. Named (according to legend) after either Russian 12.5 ml crème de cacao white/brown tsar Alexander II or after drama critic Alexander (chocolate liqueur) Woollcott in 1922, this recipe requires a taste 25 ml sugar syrup (or 1tbsp sugar + 1tbsp for smooth creamy flavours with a bite of grated water) nutmeg and chocolate. A cocktail kit isn’t essential but does drastically improve the quality of the 50ml double cream (or milk if cream is unavailable) finished product. Winter is coming, and not only for fans of a certain HBO series. What better way to ease through the chilly winter nights than with a delicious cocktail, one that nicely incorporates the best parts about the latter season of the year.

This drink is intended for a martini glass, so when 3-4 scrapes of grated nutmeg drinking remember to enjoy the taste, this is most certainly not something you would wish to miss. 38

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Alex Knight

5. Grease and line your tin with baking parchment and assemble a layer in the bottom of your tin using 1/3 of your crumble mixture. Then add half of your sponge mixture and another layer of crumble on top of the sponge mixture using another third of your crumble mix. Finally, add the rest of your sponge mixture and leave to cook in a preheated oven at 165° for 30 minutes. 6. After 30 minutes add a layer of the cherry compote, then the remaining crumble mix and return it to the oven for a further 55 minutes. 7. Once removed from the oven leave to cool and then decorate with remaining red currants. Charlotte Hoare Image by Dev Sharma

Restaurant Review:

KAYAL “You won’t find a chicken korma here, and that’s no bad thing.”

Hidden in plain sight, the Kayal restaurant looks like a typically unassuming Indian restaurant nestled away down Broad Street in the heart of the Lace Market - yet a meal here certainly leaves an impression. Its unimposing exterior hides a wonderful menu full of Indian cuisine that most people are unlikely ever to have heard of. You won’t find a chicken korma here, and that’s no bad thing.

Accompanying my meal was a side of steamcooked rice dumplings in a white sauce that perfectly complimented the heat and spice from the chicken. Having chosen to disregard portion control, I ordered extra dishes, including some of the best okra I have ever eaten and a paratha flat bread. Both were exceptionally tasty and completely unnecessary, as the sauces from both the dumplings and chicken were Instead we are treated to the fantastic regional beginning to make their whereabouts known in delicacies of the Kerala territory in southern India. my stomach. I am not normally a man to give in Upon gazing at the menu, the most striking element to my expanding waistline, but the Kayal was was my complete lack of knowledge about any doing its best to challenge this. of these dishes. With the obligatory poppadoms The restaurant’s decor is simple, if not ordered it was time to try and work out the menu. characteristically Indian, with old wine bottles I opted for the ‘Ammachi Pidiyum Kohziyum’, sitting proudly on dusty shelves. I turned up with an extravagant poultry dish matched only by its five friends at 7.30pm on a Thursday evening complex name. Arriving at the table, you could be and the place was buzzing with chatter and forgiven for thinking that the portion sizes seem a swollen stomachs. The Kayal manages to be little inadequate, although after several helpings it group friendly, accommodating to students and proved deceptively filling. Coated in earthy Indian families and is both relaxed and intimate. The spices, the chicken was succulent and tender and prices are reasonable, if a touch expensive, but the sauce was rich without being overwhelming the service and food is exemplary. So if you want - a genuine pleasure compared to many heavy to support the most British of national dishes flavourless sauces out there. The Indian Curry - make your way down to the Kayal and you won’t be disappointed. Ben Palmer

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CAFÉ CORNER: THEA CAFFEA A hidden gem in the heart of the hustle and bustle, Thea Cffea is another charming tearoom that Nottingham can add to its ever-growing repertoire. This truly ‘vintage brew’ has only been open since May 2012 but it has got off to a flying start; if you visit you’ll understand why. As you stroll down the hidden walkway just off Low Pavement you leave the crazed shoppers behind you and step back in time. Open the door to everything you would imagine a traditional English tearoom to be. From the chessboard flooring, the mismatching floral chinaware, right up to the ornate porcelain chandeliers: the attention to detail is clear. The effort that has gone into creating an authentic atmosphere just proves that it is the little things that count. There are, unusually, two menus at Thea Caffea: one for cakes and lunches, another for tea. To open the ‘Tea Directory’ is to enter into a whole new world of unusual tea leaves and flowering teas. Given the setting it seemed only right to choose the ‘Thea Caffea Cream Tea’: £5.95 for a pot of tea for one, and two scones. When in Rome and all that! Thea Caffea is a world away from the type of coffee shops churning out ordinary coffee in paper cups. This quaint little haven has so much more to offer, and all on a gold-rimmed china plate. Victoria Onions

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SCIENCE & TECH

WORK EXPERIENCE: NASA-STYLE

Not every University of Nottingham student gets to join the teams searching for extra-terrestrials and new ‘Earths’. But that’s just what Gareth Shannon did earlier this year when he spent two months on placement with NASA. The Pharmacy PhD student told Impact about his time at the Ames Research Center near San Francisco and why he’s going back for more.

Upon arrival, my new roommate from the International Space University (seriously - this actually exists) promptly gushed to me about how Barack Obama had visited the facility the previous day. He proceeded to dazzle me with a slide show of his photos of Air Force One landing on one of the base’s runways. Despite the disappointment that I wasn’t around to watch the US president swoop in to visit arguably the most exciting organisation in science and engineering, I couldn’t help but feel pretty awe-inspired. Little did I know that this was soon to become a very familiar feeling.

School scholarship called BESTS and decided to apply for funding to work for the NASA Astrobiology Program.

centrifuges in action. I attended some mind-blowing events and talks during my stay, not least at the neighbouring SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). The most noteworthy presentations at NASA were given by the bigwigs that monitor the paths of asteroids (so we can save the planet Hollywood-style if necessary), scan the skies for the aforementioned ‘Earth-like’ planets and run the SOFIA airborne observatory: a really powerful telescope built into a plane. As chance would have it, I happened to be working at NASA when Venus passed between the Earth and the Sun, an event which only happens every 243 years. This was a big deal at NASA: a day-off unofficially commenced and a forest of telescopes sprung up around the visitor centre with the media, general public and staff enjoying a party atmosphere with food, drinks and a big screen inside.

Over the 9 weeks I was there, I had the pleasure of working in a phenomenally inspiring environment. This was first and foremost because I got to work on cool stuff with scientists whose abilities are many times greater than my own but also because I had the opportunity to attend tours of some awesome pieces of kit. Ever been in a flight simulator at a museum or theme park? You should see NASA’s - rather than being fixed in a spot, astronauts To explain what pharmacy has to do with space ‘fly’ around a huge warehouse at frightening I had the good fortune to witness first-hand what a remarkable organisation NASA really is. I’m writing exploration: earlier this year NASA landed a rover accelerations. this article whilst flying back for a second trip that called Curiosity on Mars, which is now searching for Next was the JET complex in which heat I’m hoping will live up to the first. Considering that I signs that the red planet was once fit for life. NASA resistant materials and designs are scorched at have already signed up for a tour of the ‘Free flight also recently announced the discovery of more unimaginable temperatures to test their suitability aeroballistic facility and vertical gun range’, I’m pretty than one ‘Earth-like’ or ‘habitable’ planets, including for spacecraft. Then there were the wind tunnels. confident it will. the poetically-named Kepler-22b last December. The base boasts the world’s largest wind tunnel in It turns out that NASA are interested in life in the which the Apollo capsules, the Space Shuttle and Note that all views in this article are entirely my universe and all ventures under the broad header more recently Curiosity’s supersonic parachute own and may or may not represent the views of of ‘astrobiology’. As pharmacy and astrobiology are were tested. As well as the tour of Pleiades - one of NASA. Thanks to all involved particularly Dr Andrew both biologically-centred but strongly intertwined the most powerful supercomputers in the world – I Pohorille and Professor Phil Williams. Thanks also with the physical sciences, the two fields actually was shown their 20G centrifuge. If you don’t have to the Graduate School BESTS scholarship and the have a lot in common. I heard about a Graduate a weak stomach, check out YouTube for clips of School of Pharmacy for funding. Gareth Shannon 40

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But they do have a purpose for some fish and amphibians – they breathe by pushing water across their gills, and close their glottis to stop water from getting into their lungs.

Have you ever wondered…

WHY WE GET HICCUPS? We all have our different cures, from the mundane to the ridiculous; some insist on holding their breath, others swear to standing on their heads. One of my teachers, bizarrely, always told me to think of ten bald men that I knew. Cures are one thing, but why do we actually get hiccups in the first place?

This adaptation seems to have persisted from our fishy ancestors to modern mammals, but why? Researchers think it might be useful as it could be an early stage in the development of suckling – sort of like crawling before you start walking. Babies actually start hiccuping in the womb even before breathing movements occur.

As far as we know, hiccups do nothing for us and seem to have no purpose apart from being a nuisance once in a while. They are abrupt contractions of muscles that we use to breathe in and the ‘hic’ sound comes from the glottis shutting off the windpipe just as the muscles start to move.

The record holder for hiccuping was Charles Osbourne of Iowa, who died in 1991, having hiccuped constantly since 1922. So next time you find yourself hiccuping in a lecture, just be thankful you’re not him and maybe test out my teacher’s bald men theory. You might be surprised. Text by: Faiza Peeran Illustration by Harry Dinsdale

TIME TO GET SERIOUS OR STILL A LAUGHING MATTER? For most people exposure to laughing gas, or nitrous oxide (NOx), is limited to its use as an anaesthetic numbing agent on the operating table. But for some it is rapidly becoming the party drug of choice.

NOx

induces a euphoric sense of detachment from the body that many users feel as a warping of their surroundings. With most dealers offering the experience for as little as £1, the sub-minute high is very appealing. The insignificant cost and the rapid onset of this high has attracted some students to laughing gas on a regular basis. Although the recreational use of laughing gas is illegal, acquiring the drug is quite simple. This is due to the lack of regulation over the online sale of NOx for propellant systems. NOx is the primary propellant used in the ‘squirty cream’ industry and is distributed to food outlets nationwide, which makes determining the client list very difficult. Unless laughing gas is removed from the food industry, it’s unlikely to become any less popular as a recreational drug. The drug’s associated health risks are forcing authorities to take a much stricter line in tackling its use. Although it is inhaled at room temperature, laughing gas is stored below zero degrees Celsius. If not allowed to warm up completely beforehand, inhalation can

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result in suffering from ‘cold burns’ to the lips, throat and lungs, killing cells in the same way as heat burns do. In addition, longterm side effects include mental problems such as depression, which can arise when the user becomes dependent on the short bursts of euphoria provided by the drug. The dangers were made apparent by the shocking death of Joseph Benett, aged 17, who died on 27th September this year. After inhaling laughing gas at a friend’s house party on 31st August, he suffered a cardiac arrest, fell into a coma and later died in hospital. Tragedies such as this bring home the fact that NOx is not always a laughing matter. Ben Munson Image by Magdelena Steflova IMPACT 220

TRAVEL

“All Good Marriages Begin With Tears”

BRIDE KIDNAPPING IN KYRGYZSTAN

yrgyzstan is a relatively undeveloped Central Asian country striving to assert itself politically, economically and culturally after being under Soviet rule for almost a century. A country of almost unparalleled natural beauty, steeped in the historic traditions of the nomad, it is becoming an appealing destination for adventure and eco-tourism. However, one practice which is often omitted or glossed over in promotional material is the disconcertingly popular practice of Ala Kachuu, or bride kidnapping. Although there are cases of consensual kidnapping, non-consensual abductions dominate and are becoming increasingly frequent in a country where approximately half of marriages are a result of kidnapping. Even if brides are compliant and know their abductor (many do not), the practice is marred by its innate brutality, violence and the degrading humiliation of the women involved. According to Equality Now, an organisation which advocates women’s rights, one quarter of the abducted women are raped before marriage and 73% of kidnapped brides are threatened with verbal and physical violence. These pressures come not only from the prospective groom’s family but from wider societal expectations. If the girl is retained at the ‘in-laws’ house overnight during the period of coercion, marriage is inevitable, as her reputation will be tainted - virginity still holds great currency in Kyrgyzstan. This means that society and the bride’s own family might reject her if she tries to escape the tainted union. Regrettably the violence of kidnapping is not 42

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unique to the act of abduction and forcible coercion into marriage, but is indicative of broader inequitable conditions and gender discrimination. The ensnared women are frequently denied access to education and marriages are often unregistered, meaning that they are not protected by the same legal rights accorded to officially married couples, further diminishing the women’s political as well as social status and authority. Additionally, marriages originating from kidnapping are more likely to suffer from domestic abuse - hardly surprising given their brutal origins. Nevertheless, kidnapping is commonly justified and rationalised by many, who suggest it is an historic and elemental part of Kyrgyz culture. However, this claim is rejected by a number of informed observers, such as the Kyz-Korgon Institute who have rigorously researched the practice. They highlight that bride kidnapping is not mentioned in the national epic, the Manas, and was a rare occurrence historically, only being undertaken by tribes to undermine rivals and often resulting in serious reprisals. In reality, during the 20th century the frequency of kidnappings increased in reaction to significant social changes during Soviet rule, which initially improved gender relations. As young people moved out of traditional villages, they met new prospective partners, but were prevented from marrying freely by the other common tradition of arranged marriages. Therefore, consensual kidnappings emerged as an acceptable way to manipulate traditional systems by the enlightened youth. However, this had serious ramifications, as

consensual kidnappings re-emerged, the practice became accepted, which enabled the proliferation of violent and non-consensual kidnappings. This was further exacerbated with the assertion of dominant male Kyrgyz identities following the collapse of the Soviet Union in Kyrgyzstan in 1991. In addition to being a vicious violation of the female’s fundamental and undeniable human rights to security, freedom and equality, it is in direct contravention of Islamic Sharia law (the dominant religion in Kyrgyzstan), as well as Kyrgyz traditional and criminal laws. Unfortunately, legislation is rarely enforced. This, in part, is due to endemic corruption, and economic and democratic instability. But these limitations are further compounded by engrained institutional and gross cultural disregard for women. What else can explain the unnervingly widespread acceptance of such a barbaric practice and a criminal justice system which condones the imprisonment of a sheep thief for a maximum of eleven years, but a kidnapper for three? Although attempts to address this situation are increasing - for example protests followed the suicides of two kidnapped brides in 2011, and the Kyz-Korgon Institute are trying to change opinions via education - these promising initiatives are often ridiculed and dismissed. Considering kidnapping’s culturally and ethically defunct status, renewed efforts must be introduced to eradicate this deplorable practice, to ultimately ensure that “all good marriages begin with tears” of joy, not pain, humiliation and despair. Abigail Henry

LIFE’S A PARTY WHEN YOU’VE BEEN TO WAR Arriving back to the six-man mixed dorm, a strong smell of smoke and fermented mud greeted us along with two tired looking faces. Tomer and Andi had just arrived from the aftermath of the local psychedelic Ozora Festival - two seemingly open minded Israeli youths travelling around and having a good time, not too dissimilar to ourselves. It transpired however, that their interests in travel were very different to our own. Home for them was Israelandsince1949theIsraeliDefenceForcehas had the authority to enlist any citizen, current laws making sign-up mandatory from the age of 18. Over a coffee and a Dobos Cake at a cafe on the edge of a dusty square we were soon into deep conversation, the majority of which focused on the reality of growing up in the religious state of Israel. Andi explained that she and “every other woman had to serve two years in office-based counterintelligence work”. Whereas Tomer, as a male, had spent three years in full combat duty as part of a mortar team touring in the Gaza strip and the West Bank. For these two very liberal-minded individuals it was clear that their attitudes towards both the conflict and institutionalised military emphasis did not align with that of the Israeli government, a view that I knew would be reciprocated by my student peers back home. However, I was swiftly reminded that the difference in Israel was that the issue is much closer to home; the hostilities are taking place on their country’s own borders. Secondly, the Israeli youth had grown up in this system. Throughout school, adolescence and their childhood each one of them was aware of the impending years of service. This disillusionment was propagated throughout the troops with 36-straight-hour shifts at border

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checkpoints, unsatisfactory rationing and unforgiving punishments. Tomer, often on the wrong end of one of these sentences, was incarcerated in the base for 50 long days after allowing a civilian to slip through a security post unchallenged. These stories of warfare and camaraderie seemed so far removed from our student bubble at Nottingham. It struck me as strange that the same fascination and disbelief was reflected in their faces as I began to explain to them how life was back in Britain. The fact that it was normal for most of my friendship group to attend university took them by surprise. What I had previously taken for granted and thought of as almost an inevitable 17 year slog within the education system had suddenly become precious. Despite everything over the last three years, Tomer remarked that he “would not have changed anything even if given the opportunity to not serve in the Israeli Defence Force”. It had been the huge learning curve he’d needed, forcing him to become independent. Ultimately, these experiences have shaped him into the man he is today. Andi, for her part, looks back less favourably. The endless administration of covering up 24 months of state control for a system and a cause that she didn’t buy into had lost its charm. Although the maturity from both of them shone through in a way that would suggest that many teenagers in Britain could greatly benefit from a similar military-based scheme, it was apparent that over the years, the lack of freedom and the stunted career progression had taken its toll - an inevitable outcome of an experience we will never have to comprehend. Ben Munson

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TRAVEL AN INTERVIEW WITH

JOHN GIMLETTE Having touched down in over 60 countries and written four travel books, John Gimlette is a highly experienced travel journalist. A regular contributor to a number of nationals including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph he is also a travel photographer as well as being a barrister. Earlier this week Impact sat down to chat with Gimlette about bedbugs, philanderers and bear-trappers. Gimlette’s first experience of travel, and one that subsequently whet his appetite for future excursions, occurred at the tender age of 17 when crossing the Soviet Union via the Trans-Siberian railway – an extraordinary journey which took a total of eight days, with only three stops per day. Beginning in Nakhodka near Japan and ending in Moscow, Gimlette was “spied on, admonished (for talking to the locals), and half-pickled by the Soviet soldiers.” After completing such a challenging and bizarre trip where he could neither wash nor eat any hot food, Gimlette says he “felt that anything was possible.” trappers in Labrador, and a homeless tramp in the Scottish Highlands.” Perhaps the most interesting Confessing to be someone who easily gets lonely character came in the form of a man called Fridge, on the road and is happy to team up with just an ex-cannabis farmer who guided John along about anyone, he has consequently met some the Berbice River in Guyana: “As a guide he was odd characters on his travels: “Over the years I superb, and had a nose for the 18th century”. Along found myself travelling along with drunks, bums, the way Fridge had proved a dab hand at pointing philanderers, a fascist lawyer in Paraguay, bearout sites of interest and remaining debris from the aftermath of the great Berbice slave revolt in 1763. Gimlette has stumbled into his fair share of shady situations when travelling, particularly as his destinations usually wind up to be parts of the world “without fluffy towels.” Constantly stumbling into misadventure, John admits to being “mugged by a Corsican pig” as well as finding himself “amongst a herd of buffalo on the edge of the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania.” Yet ironically he seems to think that his inability to look dangerous is what often causes him the most trouble: “In Bolivia, customs officers left me in charge whilst they went shopping” and in Thailand, “the navy…recruited me on a patrol of their frontier with the surly Lao-Pathet.” Of all the countries that Gimlette has travelled to, for him, Paraguay holds the most fascination. In 1982, on the eve of the Falklands War, Gimlette happened to be working on an estancia in Northern Argentina. As the hostilities got under way, he crossed the border into Paraguay. “It’s remarkable in many ways; it has its own architecture, its own music, its own art and its own indigenous language (Guarní)” 44

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He adds that during the Paraguayan War of 1865, “they took on all their neighbours at once (including mighty Brazil). It was the bloodiest war mankind has ever known, with 80% of Paraguayan males being killed. The people are as tough and resourceful today as they were back then.” Everything that I have been chatting to Gimlette about is exhilarating, but I am curious to know what the biggest reward is in the life of a travel journalist. “Obviously the prizes (The Shiva Naipaul and now the Dolman Travel Book Prize) have been very encouraging! However, it’s a rather transitory thrill. There’s no doubt that the best bit of any book is the travel itself. I’m not going to lie on my deathbed and say I wish I’d never been to any of those places although I’d probably skip North Cyprus next time. It looks almost derelict.” I asked Gimlette to spill the beans - what’s the secret for someone considering a career in travel journalism? “Look out for travel writing competitions that will help you get noticed. Start writing articles before you build up to a book, and get another job to have in the background.” After absorbing all of John’s adventurous tales I was feeling truly inspired to jump on the next train to the back of beyond; instead I settled for the more pragmatic approach by typing up the interview, and wistfully dreaming of a career that would lead me on a road just as exhilarating. Helena Murphy

SWEDEN

ASTRID LINDGREN

DELICACIES Kanelbullar (cinnamon bun) – This delicacy is omnipresent throughout Sweden and these little delights can even be found freshly-baked at petrol stations. They are such a popular delicacy that there is even a National Kanelbullar Day! The Swedish bun differs to the American ones by being smaller, slightly dryer and less sticky as they are sprinkled with sugar pearls rather than frosting. Kotbullar (Swedish meatballs) – These are an all year-round delicacy in Swedish households and restaurants. Most commonly served with a sauce, boiled potatoes, lingonberries, and a plain salad, they are also a mainstay of the Swedish Christmas table. Fika (coffee break) – It is the norm in Sweden to invite friends to fika for a few hours during the day - but fika is also a break between seminars and lectures at university. But do not fear, going for fika doesn’t equate to compulsory coffee drinking - you can have the traditional English cup of tea too!

LUCIADAGEN (LUCIA DAY)

Sweden’s national hero! Hugely successful, Lindgren was responsible for creating Pippi Longstocking - a headstrong little girl with carrot coloured hair tied in plaits - one of the feistiest heroines around.

When Pippi Longstocking was first published in 1945, it was an instant hit and has since sold 80 million copies worldwide. In 1989 a special theme park was opened in her home town Astrid Lindgren Varld, where there is a recreation of Pippi's house!

LYKKE LI & ROBYN

Lucia Day, held in Stockholm, is one of Sweden’s best-known festivals and is typically celebrated on the 13th December, in the heart of winter darkness. In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. All over Sweden, a procession of singers, dressed in white with full-length chemises with red ribbons around their waists, are led by a woman dressed as Lucia, with a crown of lit candles on her head.

Lykke Li – A singer-songwriter working within the genres of pop, indie rock and electronic music, her vocals range to soprano and her songs creatively encompass the use of violins, synths, cellos, trumpets, saxophones and tambourines. Her debut album Youth Novels was released in 2008 to great acclaim while her follow up album, Wounded Rhymes, has appeared on several lists of 2011’s best albums – including Q, Mojo and The New York Times. Lykke Li also recently announced the start of what could be an equally successful modelling career. Robyn – An artist who burst onto the international music scene in 2005 with the massively popular hit ‘With Every Heartbeat’, but Robyn has been churning out electro pop hits since 1997. The star’s lively sound effectively bridges the divide between electronica and pop and her latest album Body Talk, released 2010, is proof that she is certainly an artist for the dance scene with much left to offer.

Sonia Johar

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PAUSE

46 WHAT’S ON GUIDE The best Arts, Film and Music events in Notts this month

48 ARTS

“You call THIS art?!”

52 FILM&TV

The Hobbit: An Unexpected(ly Long) Journey

56 MUSIC Is it all about the money, money, money?

WHAT’S ON GUIDE: DECEMBER Impact's selection of the biggest and best Arts, Film & TV and Music events in Nottingham this month SAT 1ST DEC

THU 6TH DEC

WED 12TH DEC

Contemporary Craft Fair:

Madness:

Lionel Richie:

Nottingham Contemporary Struggling to find something special to buy your loved ones this Christmas? Here for one weekend only, make sure you head down to the Contemporary Craft Fair where local designers and makers will be offering up the best of their unique jewellery, paintings, homeware and vintage clothes. Even if you just fancy a bit of window shopping, it might be worth going for the mulled wine and mince pies! (Until Sunday 2nd Dec.)

Capital FM Arena Madness bring one of their high energy live shows to Nottingham this December, expect a huge party in the Capital FM arena, backed by some classic ska.

Capital FM Arena Hello, is this the gig you’re looking for? If you’re looking for some of the best known pop of the last forty years then it certainly is.

JustTheTonic’s Christmas Specials: Just The Tonic’s Comedy Club, The Forum See website for ticket info: http://justthetonic.com/nottingham-comedy/ Fed up of essay deadlines and need a laugh? Well Just The Tonic are getting into the Christmas spirit and offering up their best comedians: four performances in one night and there are a lot of nights to choose from! The Forum will be transformed into a mini Santa’s grotto and there is even the option for an included sit down Christmas Meal. (Throughout Dec.)

FRI 14TH DEC FRI 7TH DEC dollop - Scuba, Jackmaster, Blawan:

Ghouls, Frankenstein and Murder:

Broadway A night of frivolity to fill you with Christmas fear Stealth Boasting one of the strongest DJ line-ups on offer hosted by Nottingham film collectives Kino Klubb, Mayhem and Kneel Before Zod. this December, dollop is Nottingham’s premiere night for all those who take clubbing far too seriously.

SAT 17TH DEC SAT 8TH DEC Gary Numan:

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Exhibition -The ‘Authentic Moment’ in British Photography:

WED 5TH DEC

Rock City Synthpop legend Gary Numan returns to relive the Lakeside Art Centre highlights of his past achievements and to You may have read the book, seen the film but now showcase his new offerings. you can see the artwork inspired by Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Pinpointing key themes from Cinderella:The Greatest Pantomime of the book and including never seen before stills from them all!: the film which was shot in Nottingham, the exhibition Theatre Royal, Nottingham captures the changes in working class culture and Christmas isn’t Christmas without a panto! John showcases the best of contemporary photography. Partridge (of Eastenders’ fame) and Sheila Free. (until 10th Feb.) Ferguson star in this fairytale favourite. Glittery garish outfits, cross dressing dancers and some MON 31ST DEC ugly sisters...so pretty much your average night out but with a bit of magic thrown in (and some sweets dollop NYE - Julio Bashmore, Miguel if you’re that lucky audience member at the front). Campbell, Oneman It’s a must thing to do around this time of year. http:// Stealth www.trch.co.uk/ (until 13th Jan) A second great dollop club night this time for New

Natalie Duncan:

SUN 9TH DEC

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians – Interactive Screening +Talk: Broadway This interactive screening of the 1964 cult classic, in which a group of Martians hatch a plot to kidnap Santa Claus in order to entertain their bored children, promises to be the perfect thing to get you into the festive spirit.

Nottingham Arts Theatre Natalie Duncan returns for a homecoming show The Best of the Kendal Mountain Film after a hugely successful year in which she has Festival 2012: released her debut album and wowed the Jools Broadway Cinema Holland audience. A showcase from this year’s festival featuring the very best outdoor action movies produced within the last 12 months.

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Year’s Eve, with yet another fantastic line-up Impact can’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of the year.

Kafou: Haiti Art and Voodoo Exhibition is on at The Nottingham Contemporary until 6th January 2013 Image by Alshaima Alhinai

FILM RELEASES Impact’s picks of this month’s releases: Seven Psychopaths

Life of Pi

Wednesday 5th December A screenwriter is embroiled in the seedy Los Angeles underworld after his friends kidnap a gangster’s Shih Tzu. Dir: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) Stars: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken.

Thursday 20th December Based on Yann Martel’s novel, the story of a 16 year old boy who finds himself stranded at sea with a Tiger, an Orangutan, a Hyena and a Zebra. Dir: Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Jack Reacher

Thursday 13th December Bilbo Baggins sets out with Gandalf the wizard and a company of thirteen dwarves on his famous adventure, in the first of the trilogy based on Tolkien’s novel. Dir: Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy). Stars: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian Mckellen, Hugo Weaving.

Wednesday 26th December Homicide detective Jack Reacher pursues a military sniper turned serial killer in this adaptation of Lee Child’s novel, One Shot. Dir: Christopher McQuarrie. Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins.

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ARTS

YOU CALL

As an aficionado of modern art, I love milling around galleries of obscure shapes, colours and textures. Yet time and time again the peace is broken with pitiful snorts, irritated splutters and the inevitable disgusted comment: “You call THIS art?”

THIS ART ?

Art is a very difficult term to define. Once you may have imagined a rustic picture of a landscape on a stereotypical easel with a paintbrush in the corner - but something new, fresh and modern has approached us. Our characterisation of art has been shaken to its very core. The once colourful painting on a wall has now been replaced by a shark suspended in a tank. Many people refuse to accept this as ‘art’, taking the attitude that “they haven’t even tried”, “they haven’t actually done anything” or (the most common) “even I could have done that”. So let me stop you right there. Yes, anyone in the world could have done it, even you - but you didn’t. The combination of what someone could have done but didn’t do is exactly modern art. I believe that art is not defined by how many hours an artist has invested or what it presents; modern art is about the vision, a vision that is unique and has never been seen before. Modern art craves attention, thought and interpretation. What it makes the viewer think and feel, THAT is the art. But modern art is getting harder and harder to defend. The artist Paul Noble’s 2012 Turner prize entry at the Tate Modern, Mucky Model led to uproar. Why? Because it is a marble sculpture of two pieces of black and white human faeces copulating. Another example is Mirror on Canvas by Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden. It is exactly what it says on the tin: a mirror on the wall of the Tate gallery. Nothing else. Are modern artists getting cheeky? Are they abusing the system and mocking art culture, or are they genuinely conveying what they believe to be their message? In 1917, Marcel Duchamp entered his piece Fountain, a urinal signed “R.Mutt” for the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists. It wasn’t long before the critics and gallery experts were commenting on the ‘avant-garde’ statement of his work. Since art is something we, the viewers, judge

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and are inspired by, ‘modern art’ can arguably be anything, something that we see every single day. The cult film American Beauty summarises this article in a mere few seconds. The character Ricky, entranced by a video of a plastic bag being blown by a light breeze, whispers: “It was one of those days when it’s a minute away from snowing and there’s this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that’s the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video’s a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world I feel like I can’t take it, like my heart’s going to cave in”. In this day and age we have broken down the walls that categorise art. Although some works may be harder to understand, we should all stop judging what is and is not art since it is something we do not see with our eyes but receive with our minds. HyeRan Kim

Mirror On Canvas Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden Joe, 2nd Year (Politics): “Oh no I wouldn’t see this as art, it’s just a mirror.” Jade, 1st Year (Psychology): “It is art because art is everywhere, life itself is an art, we are surrounded by art.” Lydia, 3rd Year (History and Politics): “Art is art if you consider it to be art. This piece is literally giving you a different view of the situation [of viewing the mirror as art in an art gallery].”

HyeRan Kim asked students of The University of Nottingham for their opinions on Mucky Model, Mirror On Canvas and Fountain...

YOU CALL THIS ART?

Mucky Model Paul Noble Jess, 3rd Year (Art History): “I can see the historical influences from the use of marble and sculpture, but it’s a much more abstract shape. I like it, it’s playful.” Alice, 2nd Year (English Studies): “Art is an interpretation of anything, I think this is art, I like it.” Stu, 2nd Year (Politics): “This isn’t art, it’s a pile of shit.”

Fountain Marcel Duchamp Hugh, 2nd Year (Maths and Philosophy): “I’m not arty, I’m very cynical about art. It’s probably worth quite a lot of money and it’s probably something to do with society, but personally I couldn’t care less.” Emma, 3rd Year (English Studies): “It just looks like a urinal.” Amy, 2nd Year (English Studies and Applied Linguistics): “It’s not art, it just looks normal. I can’t see a deep meaning behind it.”

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ARTS

: Haiti, Art and Vodou at the Nottingham Contemporary Nottingham Contemporary is hosting a new exhibition centred on Haitian artists. Haiti’s credentials as the only nation born of a successful slave revolution certainly sets the tone for the robust, frank visual language found throughout the galleries.

aside, but these form the vital backdrop before which the images and objects play. These grave facts are the depth and success of the exhibition. Gaining independence seems to be the extent of Haiti’s good fortune, following which economic segregation caused a spiral of poverty.

Across all media, whether painting, sculpture or sequined flags, the work is steeped in the symbolism of the spiritual Vodou religion - a possessive belief system based on West African ancestral worship, Catholicism, Islam and European Folklore. Getting to grips with the complexity of the imagery and historical contexts of the work is no mean feat but they are organised chronologically across the Contemporary’s four main galleries and grouped into ‘movements’ to soften the challenge.

Often the more popular Haitian artwork is said to have a ‘naive’ quality that art collectors and dealers also seem to find attractive. That the work lacks perspective and realism in its technique is not to say that the artists themselves are lacking in the skills to deliver it. It is worth mentioning that although Haiti does have a strong culture of keeping skills in the family and teaching them down the generations, many of the artists in this show did have a formal art school education.

However, it is perfectly possible to enjoy the work at aesthetic face value if time and patience are scarce. The paintings are intensely colourful, the intricacies of the sequined flags shimmer alluringly while steel sculptures leer hauntingly. There is a richness that really excites and intrigues; Haitian art has a truly unique personality and it is refreshing to see our local, international gallery step outside of the eurocentric comfort zones of art. It would be nice to say that all those thoughts of slave brutality, poverty and disaster associated with the island can be put

Either the artists prefer to express themselves in a style more akin to their heritage, or the art world is comfortable in its preconceptions of Haiti being a savage, backward nation and this style of work validates the attitude. The latter reading may seem cynical but, in truth, all artists work for a living - who can blame them for recognising where the money is and producing pieces that will sell, especially in an economy as unstable as Haiti’s?

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The curatorship at Nottingham Contemporary for this show claims to “reflect the richness of Haitian

history and culture” but the typical aspects of Vodou feature quite heavily and it doesn’t feel like it delves deeply into the soul of Haitian culture. It is the sculptures from the Atis Rezistans movement which engage with a larger audience and give this show its true social significance. The pieces by Andre Eugene and Jean Herard Celeur are exemplary of what is currently emerging from the scrapyards of the Grand Rue (the main road through downtown Port au Prince to La Cimetière and Carrefour). Since the earthquake in 2010 caused many industries to collapse, the art market included, people have surely had to reinvent their lives in more creative ways and this work reflects that. If you are looking for challenging artwork with an engaging socio-political context, Kafou is certainly the exhibition for you. There is plenty of information on the walls to help you to decipher the basic codes within Haitian Vodou as well as free Spot Talks for individual galleries on offer. In a broader sense, this exhibition addresses the commercial aspects of a creative ‘industry’ and how economic mechanisms drive, push or pull artists in certain directions. There is a lot to think about here but you have got until 6th January to see it. Shamiso Sithole Image by Alshaima Alhinai

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF....

Actor, Gyuri Sarossy Gyuri Sarossy, University of Nottingham alumnus and former resident of Harrington Drive, is now an established actor. He spent his lunch break talking to Impact about life on tour with Cheek by Jowl’s production of ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore... So, how would you describe your typical day? A day in the life of an actor very much differs, depending on if you’re working or not! On tour we usually get a touring allowance and get a list of digs or hotels where you can stay in each place you’ll be performing. With this production it is constantly a work in progress. We do our tech runs, important for each new venue and because this performance has a lot of movement. After each show we get notes from our director and then before we leave for the night we have to go and ice down; that’s how much of a physical piece it is. Did you always want to be an actor? I went to university when I was 18, doing French and German but then realised I should have been doing English. I was such a young age as well and so took a year out, came back and started an English degree. I got quite involved with the New Theatre; I acted and directed. It was in my final year of university that I decided I wanted to be an actor. From university, I went to the Bristol Old Vic drama school. I purposely looked for two year courses because I had to fundraise the money myself. How did you find the rehearsal process for ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore? We only had 3 weeks so it was quite an intense process, especially as Tis Pity is a highly www.impactnottingham.com/arts

choreographed, ensemble piece. The movements have to be sharp. We had to learn an existing production as it had already been on tour but because we were a new cast it was still quite exploratory. How do you deal with things going wrong on stage? You just need to move on. Sometimes you don’t have a good night but the audience won’t know unless you show them. If your mates saw the show and you go to the bar afterwards and start complaining about how bad you thought you were, it’s actually quite insulting to them because they’ve had a good night. What’s the best thing about your job? You never get bored. It’s very uncertain what you’ll be doing a year down the line and that can put people off, but for me I love the possibility that comes with that. Nothing is ever the same. On tour as well, there’s always another day, another show and you get really close to the company. Getting to travel and visit different places is great. For me, being in Nottingham feels quite nostalgic. Is there a downside? Yes, on tour you are away from home for long periods of time, not staying in the best of places,

travelling a lot. It can be tiring. How have audiences reacted to this play? We’ve had quite a range of audiences, all have been really attentive. We actually did have one woman who fainted once, not from what was happening on stage but from what she had imagined was happening. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to be an actor? It helps to have a good agent and the start you get in the industry really matters. Start building up your work because it is a competitive industry and in TV especially it is more celebrity led; everybody wants to be famous. My drama teacher once said ‘Don’t become an actor unless you don’t have a choice.’ Of course you do have a choice but I mean make sure it’s the only thing you really want to do. I’m quite militant on this; you have to do something you like. I remember standing in the dinner queue in Derby Hall and meeting people doing something like Urban Planning, which is fine if you love Urban Planning, but some just looked really miserable because they were just doing it for the money prospects or because their parents had forced them to do it. You have to enjoy what you do. Kiran Benawra

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FILM & TV

THERE AND BACK AGAIN: IS PETER JACKSON GOING TOO FAR? When Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson announced The Hobbit would be adapted into a trilogy and not the originally planned two films, there was an audible groan that permeated through the entire Tolkien fandom. “Two was bad enough!” “How can he make one book into three films?” worked for other series such as Harry Potter and the growing evil when he is not accompanying the others. Tonally, this would be completely different more recent Marvel films. and may clash with the image many fans have of On the other hand, adding material to draw out a film The Hobbit. Even more worrying is the potential for series can prove to be disastrous. Take Francis Ford these additions to overshadow the central plot of Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III. After using up the the film. The one element in his favour is that he is original novel for the first two entries, Coppola made still working from Tolkien instead of creating his own the mistake of extending the universe into a third. misguided contributions. The result was a less than warm reception that has remained a stain on his legacy. Jackson runs the Some might say that Jackson is just trying risk of doing the same with The Hobbit. Moreover, to recapture the magic of Lord of the Rings; material from Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, which also understandable, given their success and his own covers the same time period, cannot be used as devotion to Tolkien. But how many people are likely Jackson does not have the rights. This means he to swoon over something they have already seen is drawing from only one source and potentially risks once? It didn’t work for Lucas and his prequels, after all. Firstly, the length of The Hobbit is not enough to extending it too far. facilitate a fully formed trilogy. Lord of the Rings At its heart, The Hobbit is an adventurous, light- At the end of the day though, many fans – including drew from 1,031 pages for inspiration; The hearted road-trip. It was intended as a children’s sceptical ones like myself – will be queuing up to Hobbit comprises just over 400, including crucial book with the focus firmly on Bilbo and his thirteen watch all three instalments. It helps that Jackson is appendices from the former. As a trilogy, LOTR companions with occasional appearances from both a devout Tolkien fan and a master filmmaker: it benefited from its lengthy source material because Gandalf. Jackson’s additions, without revealing couldn’t be in safer hands. Besides, it’s much better Jackson had enough room to tinker with the any spoilers to the uninitiated, are likely to focus on to be cautiously pessimistic and be very pleasantly elements he wanted to convert to the screen, such the efforts of Gandalf - along with Galadriel, Elrond, surprised than to be annoyingly optimistic and be as omitting Tom Bombadil or changing Saruman’s Saruman and Radagast the Brown - to tackle a disappointed beyond belief. death. This pick-and-choose technique has largely Ibtisam Ahmed If we look at the success of Lord of the Rings we can empathise with his decision. 249 critical film awards, including 11 Oscars for the final instalment, the ninth highest-grossing film franchise of all time and millions of fans who were, for once, satisfied with a cinematic adaptation. As a business-savvy filmmaker, Jackson would be very aware of the potential to mint some more cash from an already lucrative franchise, much like George Lucas and his returns to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. And unlike Lucas, Jackson’s film making has rarely, if ever, been called into doubt. That being said, there are some genuine concerns regarding his voyage back to Middle Earth.

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ne day, about 50 years ago, a young lad was given a bike. “Make sure you look after this bike, son,” said his father, “it’s the embodiment of all my love for you.” With wide eyes and hopeful heart, the boy nodded earnestly, eager to validate his father’s love. It was then, with flaming eyes and spittle-ridden manic rage, that his father tore the bike apart – claws and teeth – laughing maniacally all the time. “This,” he bellowed at the shell-shocked snivelling child, “this is what love is really worth!” The child in question is, of course, the harbinger of the apocalypse himself, film director Roland Emmerich. While the story above is false (maybe), its sentiment is true: for whatever reason, Roland Emmerich feels no love (except for dogs) and has spent his entire life trying to unequivocally murder all that has ever had the audacity to live. Starting with Independence Day and moving on to merry ventures such as The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, Emmerich’s career has been one thundering attack against humanity, an escalating tirade against all that us pathetic humans hold dear. Having first destroyed New York (and again with Godzilla) and then the entire world – twice - the only direction is up for Emmerich. Literally. His next target is obviously a sun/solar-system based cataclysm. So what do we say then, in this year of the definitely definite Mayan apocalypse, about this relentlessly violent man? We praise him. For what is Emmerich if not an embodiment of the can-do attitude so paramount to the democratic idealism of the

CARRY ON, ROLAND! Western world he so desperately wants to condemn to eternal hellfire? You heard it here first kids, Emmerich is assuredly a man destined to the same bated breath reserved for the likes of Ghandi, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Alan Sugar, Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. Emmerich too had a dream and believed. Zack Fox

For instance, in this year’s TV adaptation of the novel Parade's End, aristocratic Christopher Tietjens comes to realise that his values of monogamy and chastity are falling out of fashion in World War I England. He must come to terms with the fact that his world is falling apart and move on. The same could be said of Downton Abbey, where the insular decadence of the Crawley family is threatened with a more progressive world. This is not a traditional ‘end’, but a realisation that their current way of life will have to adapt if it is to survive. 2012’s films have also reflected this Darwinian trend. Looper and The Hunger Games are all about dystopian worlds, where values of freedom, peace, or even a certain standard of living, have died out. So perhaps it is not always a case of the world having ended, but of it having moved on and of you having to adapt along with it.

IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

e traditionally think of the apocalypse as a world-rending explosion, but the end of the world need not be so destructive. Rather, on a subjective level, it might mean different things to different people. In TV and in film there are countless examples of worlds coming to an end through personal tragedy.

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Worlds end every day – it all depends on how you define the end of the world. For someone, it could be losing their job; for another it could be the realisation that their values are no longer relevant. Perhaps the most important thing is to learn to treat these endings as beginnings, another chapter in an ongoing story, because despite our wishes, nothing lasts forever. Everything must end when the time is right, just like a TV series must when it has exhausted its potential. So the apocalypse may come, or it may not – that is unknown. But if the end is nigh, bring on the future – anything is possible. Imagining where it’ll take us is half the thrill. Alex Nicholson IMPACT 220

FILM & TV

BEST. CHRISTMAS MOVIE. EVER. Our writers duke it out in a Battle Royale for the title of the greatest ever Christmas film... (Warning: contains spoilers)

DIE HARD Why is it that the 1988 action film Die Hard is played at Christmas so regularly that it’s more of a classic than It’s a Wonderful Life? Well for starters, it’s often considered the finest action film ever, with its tale of Bruce Willis’ now iconic John McClane, an everyman New York cop who must fight the terrorists who have held hostages in an LA tower block. But Die Hard is also a perfect mixture of high octane action and great characters, particularly Alan Rickman as the wonderfully conniving lead terrorist Hans Gruber, William Atherton as a scrupulous reporter and Reginald VelJohnson as McClane’s buddy on the outside, Al Powell. It’s set against the backdrop of Christmas Eve, and there are frequent references to it throughout, such as the dead terrorist that McClane dresses up as Santa to taunt his nemesis, Hans Gruber. When McClane, bloodied and broken, is finally reunited with his wife, we’re given a happy ending easily on par with that of It’s a Wonderful Life’s George Bailey coming home with a new zest for life; McClane is a changed man who has remembered why he married her in the first place. His phone call to Al is a confession with the same message of It’s a Wonderful Life, albeit with more explosions. It’s a Wonderful Life is a long, sentimental story that borders on schmaltz and takes too long getting to the main plot point when George’s life starts taking a turn for the worse. Why watch a good-hearted fella make a forced U-turn into a reprobate when you can watch that elevator bomb sequence, or Willis’ quick witted lines, or his jump from an exploding rooftop? Sure, you’ve seen terrorists killed in various, gruesome ways, but you’ve also seen a great action movie full of twists and turns whilst also feeling that warm Christmas glow as the limo drives off down the street from the flame-engulfed Nakatomi Plaza, burning like a Christmas tree. Tuhin Chowdhury

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

VS .

Setting a film at Christmas does not a Christmas film make. If the bitter, cynical wisecracks of John McClane are a cold winter shower, then the warm, Southern drawl of George Bailey is a comforting, roaring fire. You can keep your Die Hard this Christmas Eve; I’ll be watching Frank Capra’s seminal 1946 movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Do-gooder George Bailey (James Stewart) suffers a crisis of faith towards the town he’s dedicated his life to helping. Losing his business and fearing a jail sentence, George feels the world will be better off without him. Standing on the edge of a snow coated overpass, George’s prayers for salvation are answered when he’s approached by his guardian angel Clarence, who takes George on a magical journey showing him just how the town would cope without him. Without It’s a Wonderful Life, the Christmas film would not exist as we know it. Themes of family, friendship, redemption and the all-important 'Christmas miracle' are what make It’s a Wonderful Life a classic. It’s a film that makes you appreciative of what you have and a reminder that no matter how bad things get, “No man who has friends is a failure.” Die Hard is a reminder that no matter how bad things get, “Killing is always a solution.” The town of Bedford Falls is a mystical one, the blanketing snow covering the streets and rooftops is the perfect Christmas setting, especially when compared to the inside of an air duct. It’s a Wonderful Life remains warming and inspirational. Over 50 years later, Die Hard remains a cold, hard punch to the face. I know what I’d prefer this Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas, and happy trails. Sam Todd

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ROLLING THE DICE: BOARD GAME TO SCREEN ADAPTATIONS With the news that Hasbro has sold the screen rites to Hungry Hungry Hippos and other board games, Impact decided to come up with a few game-themed film pitches of our own...

Hungry Hungry Hippos The year is 2146. After North Korea is overturned, Marine Biologist Dirk Rogers travels to inspect the mysterious rivers of Tao Mai. There, he witnesses a girl being attacked by a gargantuan creature. On closer inspection he realises it resembles something not unlike the legendary Hippopotamus, long thought extinct. Stunned by this discovery, he resolves to find out more about this ominous river and, more importantly, what lies within. In ancient tomes, Dirk reads of tales of the Hippos: creatures created by Kim Jong-Il in his scientific endeavours towards world domination. Borne of hatred and corruption, they immediately developed a taste for human flesh. One night, Rogers decides to venture down into the river, only to find they’ve amassed an army - they’re organised. He is chased from their underwater lair and takes sanctuary in an abandoned apartment. The next morning, he awakens to find the city in ruins. Streets are littered with bodies, trees have been uprooted, nothing has been spared. Can anyone stop these hungry, hungry Hippos?

Chess Side Story Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield play Maria and Tony, the new stars of their respective university chess teams, the Sharks and the Jets. The teams have had a long-running rivalry stemming back to a controversial decision when judges overruled a Shark checkmate into a draw. Thrown into the ugly, high-pressure world of competitive chess, Maria and Tony start off as fierce rivals only to fall in love with the other’s geekiness. While their teammates are convinced they are fighting it out to the death, the two star-crossed lovers dream vivid song and dance sequences based around their matches, like ‘One Hand, One Pawn’ and ‘Gee, Bobby Fischer’. But how long can they keep up the charade? And when the others find out, will the ensuing chaos lead to a few broken glasses or two broken hearts? Ibtisam Ahmed

Snakes & Ladders

Michael Fassbender is getting dressed in front of a mirror, from butt-naked to fully suited and classy as you like. As he exits, he kisses the two women asleep on the bed. Later, we catch up to him watching Shia LaBeouf work his way through a bar filled with Washington’s most powerful women. Slipping the younger man his card, “H. Montgomery Python, Assistant District Attorney”, he recruits him to assist in seducing his way into upper echelons of society. Fassbender is trying to work himself into a Senator’s seat, but smart-yet-sexy investigative Wahab Iqbal reporter, Anne Hathaway, catches onto his ways when he tries to spin her. When LaBeouf is

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given a shot at the same title, he’s shown the error of his mentor’s ways. As Fassbender gets closer to his goal, he is stabbed in the back (not in that way) by his apprentice and Hathaway exposes the whole grisly affair. Xavier Ribeiro

Trivial Pursuit Ed and Nick are addicted to danger. On a winter’s night in Swindon, they throw caution to the wind and embark on a night of destructive mayhem, culminating in a violent attack on their neighbour’s flowerbeds. Shocked at their outrageous daredevilry, they go on the run, but it’s not long before our heroes, Detective Cameron and Osborne, are on the case. In a hair-raising 20 minutes of intense car chase, pausing briefly to argue the world’s fastest marine mammal and observing all 30 mile-an-hour zones, our heroes reach the dockside. They crash spectacularly through stacks of cardboard boxes, shedding unending packets of smoked salmon and crustless bread, screaming out the world’s tallest mountains in excitement. It is here that they pin down our sobbing villains and, in true British style, apologise profusely for any inconvenience they’ve caused, offer different flavours of infused olive oil for the wasted bread, and recite their Miranda rights in Latin, for extra bonus points. Kat Dixon

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MUSIC

MONEY IN MU$IC

usic is doomed, right? Wrong. Record sales may have been slowly declining throughout the twenty-first century but we now have an entirely different music industry. With declining record sales, there will always be a discussion about

bands living on the breadline. This is not something that has come about recently. Most musicians have never had any money; we are just alarmed at the number of people who are willing to steal the music they treasure, that is all. Out of the ashes of declining record sales, however, has been born a whole new musical landscape. Live music is on the increase, even if (as Daniel discusses below) certain evils

may come out of this. The live music boom has also led to the festival boom, which is a form of both exposure and financial income - Tame Impala funded their entire last album on festivals alone. As well as this there are more creative ways of making money, as discussed opposite - and at the end of the day everyone loves a t-shirt, if nothing else. Put simply: the music industry is fine, it's just evolving. Liam Coleman

The Price of Being a Fan With the Rolling Stones announcing their 50th anniversary tour with tickets starting at £109, it has to be asked whether priorities are changing in the music industry and if more experienced artists are now just for the elite. The Rolling Stones had claimed that this tour was for the fans - can that really be true when tickets are being sold online for up to £11,000? The band itself are set to make an extortionate £15 million from the tour. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary and have one of the most lucrative music careers to date, so the desire for this extra money is by no means a necessity and is most probably just personal greed. Many artists would now argue that with the increase in illegal music downloads it is a necessity for the band to go on tour as a way to make money. Ed Sheeran argues that because he only sold 1.2 million copies of his album + legally - compared to the 8 million who downloaded it illegally - he argues

that charging over twice the price of the album for tickets is justified. Yet according to BBC Newsbeat, the number of illegal downloads has decreased significantly over the last 5 years. There was once a time when tours were just a way of promoting albums and the chances of making money from them was slim, but now bands have the ability to make significant profits out of both albums and tours. It is the fans who finance these extras and yet, after buying the records, they can’t afford to see them live. As well as this, numerous bands reform after long periods away and the only opportunity to see them is at festivals. Although they themselves are not explicitly asking for high priced tickets, for those wanting to see them £100 will be an expected minimum price. Festivals themselves have rocketed in price in recent years, from the average weekend ticket in 2000 being just £80 to the more substantial £200 that are more common today.

The Libertines were considered to have inspired a generation and their final performance to date was at Reading and Leeds. Though not to sound hypocritical I bought a ticket for the full weekend, not just to see the reunion but also to see Blink 182. Was it an expensive venture just to predominantly see these two bands? Yes, undeniably. But do I regret it? Not at all. However, I don’t believe that loving the gig justifies the high prices that stop many people from seeing the bands they love perform live. This is the downbeat conclusion about the ever-increasing cost of the music industry: regardless of price, the venues will still sell out and the artists will still perform. It would, however, be nice for these more well-known bands from time to time to make their gigs accessible to all their fans, rather than just those who can afford them. Daniel Jones

Music in an online era In a time of rising digital sales (a third of all albums due to the level of potential exposure that can be are now sold digitally), how can musicians utilise this generated. YouTube can be thanked for its role in new online market? establishing the careers of unsigned artists, such as Justin Bieber, who has sold 15 million albums The music streaming service Spotify is one of the as of May 2012. Bands can upload videos for free most notable examples. It has been claimed that and broadcast their music to a potential audience of Spotify pays artists 0.0025 pence per song listened 800 million individual users per month. An additional to and 0.026 pence per album. Spotify thus acts as bonus is that corporate enterprises pay artists to more of a promotional tool. The ‘try before you buy advertise on their music videos. policy’ can potentially generate a larger fan base and encourage sales of gig tickets and records. Similarly, the self-release of records is becoming increasingly popular on websites such as The old-school concept of giving away music Bandcamp because this minimises the revenue has similar consequences. Sales are boosted

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shared with record companies. Selling records on Bandcamp means that the musicians receive 78% of the record sale, as opposed to the 70% of royalties received through purchases on iTunes. Active use of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, can help bands achieve exposure by effectively promoting tours and records, which is likely to retain the interest of the musicians' followers. Former Dresden Dolls member Amanda Palmer claimed to have made $19,000 in 10 hours on Twitter through a live video auction of her possessions and a guest-only gig. Grace Marsh

Merchandise, but not as you know it... The strange world of music memorabilia is filled with a plethora of wonderful and eccentric items. Bands have released a huge variety of merchandise for their most passionate fans, everything from badges costing less than a pound to unique goods worth over a million pounds. It would seem that the creative juices that flow into a musician’s lyrics can be transferred into the merchandise they create for their followers.

sexual products on offer to more adventurous fans several groups have sold self-branded condoms. If this doesn’t provide the closeness desired, German industrial metal act, Rammstein sell a deluxe box set of their album Liebe Ist Für Alle Da. The kinky kit comes complete with handcuffs, lube and six dildos, each measured and designed supposedly to the specifications of the respective band members’ genitalia.

Anyone attending a gig or who simply loves a certain group’s music appreciates something symbolising an attachment to their favourite band. Few things express these sentiments better than the various

The most valuable memorabilia are unique pieces, many of which can be unexpectedly lucrative. A Britney Spears pregnancy test was sold to gambling website The Golden Palace for £2,500 after being

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found in her hotel bathroom. Often pieces belonging to a deceased artist can prove to be the most valuable. John Lennon’s psychedelic 1965 RollsRoyce Phantom V sold for a record £1,768,462 at a 1985 Sotheby’s Auction. My own collection of memorabilia includes several setlists and signed albums. These individual and personal momentos represent moments in time, tell stories and embody my love for music. Whether they are a one of a kind pieces or factory-produced, memorabilia is an interesting and creative way of letting music aficionados show true adoration for their idols. Joe Izzard Image by Martin Bassot IMPACT 220

MUSIC

SHOULD BANDS REFORM? YES

hether we like it or not, eventually every single one of our favourite bands is going to split up. When put into perspective in this manner, the idea of bands reforming becomes a lot more appealing. There is always speculation around bands getting back together, mostly whether their only incentive is to make money. However there is more to reunions than just this. For the older generation it is a chance to see their favourite band again, to relive an atmosphere they never wanted to forget. This isn’t just true for classic bands like Pulp or The Pixies, it can also be said for bands with less mass appeal, such as post-

hardcore legends At The Drive-In. There has even been success in reformed younger bands such as The Libertines, whose reforming proved that even when a band breaks up, the fans never stop listening and never forget. It seems as if when a band leaves a legacy there is always room for return. For many people, seeing a band live brings their music to life. Falling in love with a band that broke up before you turned 10 (or even before you were born) is painful; the closest experience to seeing them live is watching shaky videos on YouTube. Therefore, if given the chance to witness them in the flesh, who would refuse? There are always going to be doubts

over whether the band will perform as well as they used to and sometimes they don’t. For instance, it is clear from their performances at Heaton Park that Ian Brown had undergone a vocal decline since The Stone Roses were in their prime. Jarvis Cocker, however, seemed more alive than ever during Pulp’s sets at Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds last year. In fact, it seems almost pretentious to openly disregard bands reforming purely because ‘it won't be the same as before’. Bands may be known for old infamous concerts and glorified for unforgettable set-lists, but if they never play again, we will never know if they can revive their legacy. Sarah Dear

his summer The Stone Roses reunited for a handful of shows at UK and European festivals and a little part of the Madchester magic was lost forever. Regardless of the quality of the band’s performance, their legacy was indelibly tainted. In the late 80s, The Stone Roses captured the mood of a very specific time in British cultural history, blending the elements of traditional indie with the burgeoning rave culture of the time to create danceable rock music. The band’s ceremonious split following their disastrous headline slot at Reading and Leeds in 1994 was all part of the prophetic significance of their story, representing the

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inevitable mortality of their fiercely burning light. Their work therefore, ought to be bottled and left unspoiled as a musical artefact, a shred of unblemished perfection for generations to look back on as the defining sound of that forgotten time. Dragging the haggard corpse of the band back from the dead for a few meaningless gigs is not only an insult to the fans that were part of the Madchester revolution, but a slight on the band themselves for disregarding their music as insignificant and cashable. It’s not only The Stone Roses who are guilty of this sad crime. It’s become something of a fad in recent years for classic bands to ham-fistedly cobble

together a reunion in order to ease the strain on those withering accounts. Out trot all the old faces, looking wearier than you once remembered; they fumble about with instruments they haven’t played for a decade and perform alongside former friends now held in the greatest contempt because of ‘that court case’ or ‘that affair’. Music is a wonderful thing when it’s alive. In moments of sadness and euphoria, it’s always there to soundtrack our experiences. But music takes on an even greater significance after its passing, cataloguing our memories of specific times, places and people. For this reason, it must be allowed to rest in peace. Jack Dixon Image by Callum Mclarty

IMPACT INTRODUCES: SONS RECORDS SONS records is by no means a new company. Founded in 2004, it has already had moderate success with This Is Seb Clarke’s debut album ‘Rover’ selling 5,000 copies. Yet, in the large scale of things it is still a small record label. Situated in Stoke-on-Trent only 43 miles from Nottingham, its base is a residential house near the town centre and is overseen by just three people in total. The effect of the financial crisis on the music business is as apparent here as it is everywhere, but SONS records show a surviving determination to not only power through and grow as a Midlands company but also to maintain their unique ethos. The company champions a sound that has modern relevance and yet harks back to the lost era of Northern Soul, Motown and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Seb Clarke, the company director, told Impact of his intentions of “capturing a very wide field, but not be sloppy or cheap”, commenting that the way music is produced now can make it “metronomic and stale”. Seb voices his desire to recreate what he

believes is the more authentic sound of the 50s and authentic ethos and innovative spirit. While 60s, telling Impact that “the way those musicians depending a lot on the success of Sonstream, hopefully it will be enough for them to keep played was with a lot more swing and musicality”. developing. In an environment where even heavyweight EMI Emily Shackleton is struggling under financial pressure and the unstoppable force of the internet, Seb also spoke about the new strategies he has had to implement to keep the company afloat: “It is so hard to make cash at the moment, we’ve had to have a complete rethink and develop a new concept”. This concept will be in the form of their new streaming website ‘Sonstream’. Launched next year, it works on a pay as you go basis as a platform not just for SONS records to make money, but also other labels and the artists that it features. Think of it like Spotify, though giving everyone a fairer share of the profit. SONS records have also attempted to extend their student opportunities by offering work experience last summer. What marks SONS records as unique is their

FORGOTTEN CLASSICS: THE AVALANCHES - SINCE I LEFT YOU some error, The Avalanches pieced together Since I Left You revealing an astonishing hour of electronica far removed in style from any one genre of the samples used. Such an album is the ideal retort to anybody claiming sample-driven music is unoriginal.

As the Mayans probably did not predict, the millennium did reveal an exquisite tapestry made up from approximately three and half thousand vinyl samples. Through much trial and perhaps

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Endtroducing has not. In spite of critical lauding and ever-more stringent sampling laws, The Avalanches have been restrained in reinforcing the legacy of Since I Left You; the group haven’t released a followup in the decade since.

And yet, from a horse’s neigh in ‘Stay Another Season’ to Hollywood strings in ‘Summer Crane’ via some foghorns and a few more animal sounds, The Avalanches pack an eccentric batch of samples into the album. It never sounds overwrought, pretentious or unwelcome. The genius of the album is discovered as they persistently hold together this bag of sonic oddities. It’s uncompromising yet primed for the radio, artistic without being exclusive and due a second wave of popularity as rapid as the one found on its album cover. However, the album’s initial commercial appeal Jeremy Dobson seems to have undergone a gradual disintegration in ‘pop culture’ in a way that, say, DJ Shadow’s The tone of the album’s namesake – the opening track – is overwhelmingly soulful. The beats tend to be mellow but still as contagiously catchy as any one of their contemporaries. Lyrically, loops of lifted stately voices in ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ repeat the maxim of the orderly: “The boy needs therapy.” The phrase is creepily interjected with the isolated label of “psychosomatic,” among other equally clinical phrases. The effect is unnerving but the inimitable bass grooves are no less danceable because of it.

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LAST WORDS

FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK FORWARD

S.A.D. TIMES FOR STUDENTS

The bruising elections that led to President Obama gaining a second term were a welcome change to the headlines, even managing to push the constant frenzy over paedophiles off the news agenda for a few days while the most powerful nation in the world voted for the person that would lead them into the next four years. It was apparent early on that the competition would be one of the ugliest yet. The candidates did their best to knock metaphorical lumps out of each other, particularly during the debates. An embattled incumbent versus a man who has flip-flopped on national issues more often than I’ve had hot meals, it was a brutal, harsh and unforgiving contest. What did come out of it, tellingly, was the widespread fact checking that took place throughout the campaign. TV stations were able to pick up on factual inaccuracies and barefaced lies almost immediately; social media use meant that these revelations were disseminated to a much wider audience than would previously have been possible. It kept politicians on their toes – it was a lot harder to get away with lies in 2012. The ability to analyse candidates’ policies robustly is exactly what the media’s role in elections should be, so I was delighted to note that Democracy & Communications Officer Luke Mitchell has said that he is keen to “allow media groups the freedom to question SU candidates’ policies and to hold candidates to account if they make mistakes and don’t act on promises”. Student media coverage of Students’ Union elections is often the most thorough yardstick by which prospective voters will judge the prospective candidates. It is vital that student media outlets be allowed to challenge and question candidates in order to prove that their manifestoes are both reasonable and feasible. With reduced campaigning time limiting the ability of student media to cover the elections last year, it was of no surprise that voter turnout fell from a record high of 7,756 in 2010 to a mere 5,610. Should a smaller window of campaigning be maintained for a second year, it is of vital importance that student media has the freedom to cover elections thoroughly in order to inform the electorate. An ignorant student body is, after all, an apathetic student body. Let’s hope that the Union follows through with its promise. ‘Why Aren’t Students Voting’ can be read online at impactnottingham.com Ben McCabe

Amongst the 2 million people in the UK who have Seasonal Affective Disorder, our age group (the 18-30 year olds) is the most likely to be affected. SAD is a type of depression that’s believed to be caused by reduced exposure to daylight, which means that the university environment - spending long days in Hallward or in poorly lit student accommodation - can make matters much worse. As the first term progresses, the days get darker and your workload builds up. For SAD sufferers, this leads to a Catch 22 situation - you have to spend more time indoors to get the work done, which in turn exacerbates the symptoms, leaving you unable to concentrate, which means you get less work done, so you have to spend more time indoors... My worst episode of SAD was during the coursework and exam season last January. I spent all the daylight hours trying to work in my dingy attic bedroom. I was stressed, exhausted, and unable to concentrate. I became so reclusive that I could barely walk two minutes down the road to the supermarket. A few days before my exams I looked up ‘Extenuating Circumstances’, but by this stage it was clearly too late. Emerging from that winter felt like a mental fog lifted; I looked back and realised I hadn’t been myself for at least three months. I felt angry at myself for not acting sooner and addressing the problem. But although a doctor should advise you on the best action for you to take, there’s a lot you can do to help yourself. Don’t make the mistakes I did. Get out the house, take a walk and talk to people. The Christmas holidays can provide the ideal opportunity to do this. SAD can sap all the enjoyment out of life and make being sociable almost impossible, but you can’t let it hold you back and make you miss out on things. I always throw myself into making the most of the festive season because enjoying time with friends and family can be one of the only things to drag me out of bed each morning. Just a little festivity can go a long way to making a bleak winter more bearable. Fiona Crosby

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HEARD IN HALLWARD

OVERHEARING YOUR EVERY WORD AT ‘HEARD IN HALLWARD’ ON FACEBOOK!

I saw her nipples before I even saw her face.

Gangnam style makes my limbs cry. I’ve had arguments with cats… and lost.

Sharing is for girls.

Does Hallward have a restricted section... you know, like in Harry Potter?

Yeah, we did have sex, but she wanted it really rough ‘cause she’s been reading 50 shades of Grey, but I’m not really into that sort of stuff They wouldn’t let us into Ocean... I mean, my mate had only technically pissed himself.

So tea bagging is not actually a British tea making ritual? It’s been three days and I still can’t walk straight I just wish she’d be unconscious.

He took a book to Rescue Rooms in case he got bored. -·H FI E KVIEX WXVMTTIV (I¿RMXIP]

- WE[ E ¿PQ XLMW [IIO - XLMRO MX LEH (ERMIP 'VEMK MR MX 1: “I think Eminem is the greatest rapper of all time, even though he’s white” 2: “Eminem is white?”

I only post stuff on Facebook to get likes and feel better about myself. I think he reproduces by mitosis. I was told I was a communist over the weekend.

I’ve yet to wash my clothes this year - legit.

I was thrown out of mandatory choir. 1: He kept going on about capitalism. I don’t even know what that is. 2: It’s like, when you work…?

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CONTRIBUTORS

Zoe Ashton, Zara De Belder, Aatish Thakerar, Hadi Harb, Erica Doro, Rebecca Meeson-Frizelle, James Rathbone, Colette Davies, Josh Jackman, Yannick Mitchell, Rebecca Scott, Emily Shackleton, Will Hazell, Lucy Taylor, Uncle Sam, Suzi Collins, Lizzie Neep, Emily Devoland, Charlotte Hoare, Alex Knight, Ben Palmer, Victoria Onions, Gareth Shannon, Ben Munson, Abigail Henry, Sonia Johar, HyeRan Kim, Shamiso Sithole, Ibtisam Ahmed, Zack Fox, Alex Nicholson, Tuhin Chowdhury, Sam Todd, Wahab Iqbal, Xavier Ribeiro, Kat Dixon, Daniel Jones, Grace Marsh, Joe Izzard, Sarah Dear, Jack Dixon, Jeremy Dobson

APOLOGIES

To Andreas Bilman and Harry Dinsdale for not crediting their photography in the last issue.