Impact Magazine Issue 227

SHORTLISTED FOR GUARDIAN STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR 2013

STUDENT MONEY MAKERS Impact speaks to student CEOs in Nottingham

SEX, GUNS AND SICK Nottingham’s taxi drivers share stories from the front seat

OCEAN’S LOVE POTION Finding love on the Ocean carpet WWW.IMPACTNOTTINGHAM.COM | ISSUE 227 | DECEMBER 2013

EDITORIAL Following the *NQBDU Media Conference at the start of November, Alexander Chancellor, former editor of 5IF 4QFDUBUPS and keynote speaker at the event, wrote in his column for 5IF 4QFDUBUPS that the future for young journalists looked bleak.

This is not news to the many students hoping to go into the media trade after graduation. To quote Chancellor, our ‘youthful enthusiasm’ is often shouted down by journalists already working in the industry, who tell us that we are unlikely to be successful in journalism.

But do the pessimistic speeches of these established hacks take into account the new direction of journalism for which the new ranks of wannabe journos are equipped? Do they just fear the security of their jobs from the younger journalists rising up the career ladder, or is it more sincere?

Peter Aldhous, in an exclusive interview with *NQBDU 4DJFODF in this issue, questions whether ‘listicles’ and ‘infotainment’ are the new direction of science journalism. And indeed, this concern is true for journalism as a whole.

But as he says, while these new forms of journalism predominate our consumption of news, (students would prefer to trawl through Buzzfeed posts shared on Facebook instead of writing essays), they can co-exist alongside the indepth, investigative ‘serious’ journalism Chancellor predicts the decline of.

This new interaction between immediate sharable content and articles that editors can justify paying for, will be the realm in which new, young journalists can thrive.

From *NQBDU T own editorial perspective, we know that student media is capable of producing both in-depth investigations about issues that matter to students, and content that we think will keep you entertained during the long, dark nights in Hallward.

Take a look at our news investigation, exploring the pressures of research and teaching on our lecturers, or read about couples that met on the infamous Ocean carpet, and tell us whether you think our writers and editors deserve a place in the ‘bleak’ future of journalism.

"OUPOJB 1BHFU BOE &NJMZ 5SJQQ &EJUPST JO $IJFG

WE WROTE,YOU RESPONDED Georgia Power on Shadow Cabinet Minister Headlines Launch for UoN Living Wage Campaign

‘Uni Lecturer’ on It is the Lecturers Who Didn’t Strike Who Deserve a Pay Rise

Many other universities in the East Midlands pay the living wage to all staff, including Loughborough and De Montfort, I believe UoN has the responsibility to do the same.

The UCU would be delighted if, as the NUS has stated, the employers were to agree to actually discuss things. They have even also ‘awarded’ this real-terms pay cut to their low-paid staff in support, administration and security who are indeed more deserving that lecturers; but this is no reason to criticize those who are XJMMJOH UP mHIU PO FWFSZPOF T CFIBMG

2

‘Micah’ on album review: Arcade Fire 5HĂ HNWRU If you just “likeâ€? music, then go pick up the Miley Cyrus album. If you truly love music, 3FnFLUPS will deeply and profoundly reward every minute you put into listening.

32 22

4

42

52

21

11

40

25

53 28

38

CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

REGULARS

News Investigation: ‘Teaching is 4 seen as a lower-status activity’ Uncovering the pressures on UoN lecturers

Textbooks and turnovers

8

Meet UoN’s student entrepreneurs

Devotion in Ocean Couples that met on the Ocean carpet reveal all

Sex and sick

Do you have faith in university life? *NQBDU looks into the religious lives of students at UoN

11

12

What do students get up to in the back of the cab?

14

Comment Travel Science

6 20 22

Food

26

Style

28

Exposure

32

What’s On

34

Film

36

Gaming

40

Music

42

Arts

46

Sport

50 3

NEWS INVESTIGATION

IMPACT INVESTIGATES DEMANDS ON ACADEMICS AND THREATS TO STUDENT LEARNING

‘TEACHING IS SEEN AS A LOWER STATUS ACTIVITY’ At a time where students are paying and demanding more of their lecturers, Impact News investigates the pressures on academics in The University of Nottingham. In a series of exclusive interviews with Impact, UoN lecturers speak frankly about the tension between teaching and research as a result of an increasing obsession with rankings in Higher (GXFDWLRQ :H ÀQG RXW KRZ IDU WKLV WHQVLRQ LV likely to damage both student experience and academic progression.

Universities which are research-intensive institutions, like The University of Nottingham, are thought of as the elite within the UK Higher Education sector. The University states that its strategic aim is to “advance knowledge by undertaking research of international standing across a wide range of disciplines”. Research attracts both investment and funding and as a result the University favours hiring staff who will be good at research. The increasing emphasis on the Research Excellence Framework (REF), a system for assessing research in UK Higher Education, has put pressure on all UK Universities to submit a certain quality of research in exchange for funding.

One lecturer at UoN told *NQBDU that she now feels under pressure to produce research that will be considered to be of extremely high quality, purely for the purposes of preserving the reputation of the University.

5IJT XBT DPOmSNFE CZ B TPDJBM TDJFODFT academic who told *NQBDU: “The higher that a university thinks of itself or the higher it wishes to be in rank orders, the more research metrics are going to matter. At the same time, the higher the university is in research, the more it seeks to recruit higher ability students and charge higher fees.”

All academics interviewed by *NQBDU emphasised the tension between carrying out research and teaching, with some describing their profession as “almost like doing two jobs”.

One lecturer commented that UoN academics are “being pulled in opposite directions”.

“The University wants us to teach more BOE research more,” stated one lecturer, even though there is no extra funding being allocated to their departments. Consequently, TPNF BDBEFNJDT TBJE UIBU UIFZ mOE UIFNTFMWFT in a situation in which they are unable to research or teach to the level that they would like to.

However, the focus on research output often comes at the expense of teaching. “The University doesn’t want to be seen as an institution primarily concerned with teaching,” explained one lecturer. “Teaching is seen as a lower status activity.” Another admitted that as a result, “teaching is not necessarily high up on the agenda.”

This tension between research and teaching highlights the balancing act that the University must maintain; on the one hand attracting funding through research and maintaining its reputation and on the other, obtaining high student satisfaction scores by giving UoN students ‘value’ for their money.

*NQBDU also learned that if an academic’s research output drops, they are put onto a teaching contract, which is regarded as a demotion.

One science lecturer admitted that in light of the tripling of tuition fees, UoN academic staff now feel that they need to be more available to their students.

4 | KATERYNA ROLLE AND ELLA FUNGE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY WILBURN VIA FLICKR

NEWS INVESTIGATION

‘IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE PERMANENT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OR EVEN “LIVE A NORMAL LIFE�’

‘THE UNIVERSITY DOESN’T WANT TO BE SEEN AS AN INSTITUTION PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH TEACHING’

‘IF WE STOPPED WORK AFTER 38 HOURS EVERY WEEK, THE UNIVERSITY WOULD FALL APART AFTER ABOUT THREE DAYS’

This demand from students for value for money is expected to increase if fees go up after the 2015 general election.

permanent culture amongst certain groups of staff [in order] to attract, retain and motivate high calibre staff at all levels�. The University noted that “the perceived low status and NPSBMF PG mYFE UFSN FNQMPZFFT QSFTFOUT B SJTL to the achievement of these aims�.

participation of UoN staff in the joint UCUUnison-Unite day long strike.

Another pressure on academic staff is the increasing amount of hours that they are expected to spend on administration. Growing CVSFBVDSBDZ SFRVJSFNFOUT TVDI BT GPSN mMMJOH and timetabling, mean that lecturers spend an unprecedented amount of time carrying out administrative tasks, taking them away from time spent on research and teaching.

An arts lecturer told *NQBDU that academic staff do not get enough support from UoN staff administrators. The lecturer told us that this XBT B QSPCMFN XJUI VOEFS TUBGmOH SBUIFS UIBO administrative incompetence.

An hours-based workload model similar to the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) has recently been introduced internally at Nottingham. TRAC was originally used by Higher Education institutions for costing their activities and working out how time should be allocated to tasks by academic staff. This system dictates that academics should be able to complete their work within a 38 hour week.

However, the majority of lecturers *NQBDU spoke to told us that they usually work an average of 45-60 hours per week. At marking times, it was estimated that this could increase to 80 hours in one week. One UoN lecturer half-joked that, “If we stopped work after 38 hours every week, the University would fall apart after about three days.� Another told us: “It’s fairly obvious that all of us are working more than our contracted hours [but] we can’t [afford to] hire more staff to lessen that.� *NQBDU found that there was a common concern amongst academics over the lack of job security and in regard to the steady decline in real terms of pay. Job security is particularly an issue for younger academics as many can CF IJSFE PO mYFE UFSN DPOUSBDUT 5IF 6OJWFSTJUZ FOGPSDFE B mYFE UFSN DPOUSBDU policy on 1st May 2008. UoN outline in their EPDVNFOU PO mYFE QPMJDZ UIBU UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ needed to establish a “shift towards a more

However, in spite of the University’s promise to BEKVTU JUT QPMJDZ mYFE UFSN DPOUSBDUT BSF TUJMM used for new employees. Of the 36 vacancies currently being advertised on the UoN website, WBDBODJFT BSF GPS KPCT PO mYFE UFSN contracts, ranging from seven months to four years.

One young UoN lecturer told *NQBDU that IJT mYFE UFSN DPOUSBDU XBT TFU UP FOE FBSMZ next year. As a result, he had to consider the possibility that his contract may not be renewed, meaning that he was now spending his time searching and applying for jobs at other higher education institutions.

Another lecturer revealed that it is impossible to make permanent living arrangements or even “live a normal life,� as they do not know where they will be in a years time.

Nevertheless, there was some consensus that temporary contracts enable younger lecturers UP PCUBJO TVGmDJFOU FYQFSJFODF UP CF PGGFSFE B permanent contract when they apply for their next job. However academics can get stuck JO B DZDMF PG DPOTUBOUMZ CFJOH SF IJSFE PO mYFE term contracts, rather than being offered a permanent position.

The pay of university staff in real terms has been cut by 13% since October 2008. One 6P/ NFNCFS PG TUBGG DPOmSNFE UP *NQBDU that they are currently paid less than they were four ZFBST BHP 5IF MBUFTU QVCMJD mHVSFT GPS QBZ BU UoN were released in 2010. They indicate that the highest paid academic at UoN receives ÂŁ67,377 while the lowest is paid ÂŁ13,486. There are 57 different pay brackets altogether, which are split into six different career ‘levels’.

Professors salaries are negotiable and can range from ÂŁ55,758 to ÂŁ76,544, although in exceptional cases can reach up to ÂŁ91,475.

Objections over pay for lecturers came to a head at the beginning of November, with the

The pressures on academics are not exclusive to UoN. David Willetts, Minister for Higher Education, recently called for a “cultural change back towards teaching�, while also increasing the pressures of REF point scoring.

In the context of this national issue, one lecturer admitted that at UoN “there’s more balance here than at a lot of universities�. However alongside more attention to administrative tasks, the introduction of impractical contract hours and job insecurity, this investigation reveals the real concerns felt by academic staff at the University about being able to maintain high quality teaching alongside research.

In response to our investigation, the University commented: “Last year the University surveyed every member of staff about their work. We note the concerns raised in *NQBDU and advise anyone wanting to discuss these matters to make use of the formal routes established through our management structures and trade union representatives. “Times are tough across public services and as B SFTVMU UIFSF JT TJHOJmDBOU SFTUSBJOU PO QVCMJD spending which we can expect to remain.

Despite these challenges, the University continues to offer a good working environment BOE QBZ BOE CFOFmUT QBDLBHFw "MUIPVHI UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ TUBGG TVSWFZ DPOmSNT that academics view UoN as ‘a good place to work’, some of the issues that this investigation has uncovered were highlighted by this survey as areas in need of improvement, such as ‘training and career development’ and ‘work load pressure’.

-FDUVSFST JOUFSWJFXFE DPNF GSPN FJHIU EJGGFSFOU EFQBSUNFOUT BU 5IF 6OJWFSTJUZ PG /PUUJOHIBN BOE SFRVFTUFE UP CF LFQU BOPOZNPVT

RESEARCH BY ALEXANDER BARTLETT, CAROLINE CHAN, JACK FOX-POWELL, HOLLIE POULTER, AMY JACIUCH AND PRIYA THETI | 5

COMMENT | DEBATE

LECTURERS: TEACHERS OR RESEARCHERS?

YES From the point of view of students, lecturers are there to teach and guide our learning, not facilitate their own.

I am not denying lecturers need to research.

It allows them to stay up-to-date with the academic world and to help develop new theories and ideas for their discipline. This can lead back to the students, and may help increase the quality of their teaching.

But it can’t be denied that time spent on research is time away from students, and it is when this impacts on students that it is TJHOJmDBOU .BOZ TUVEFOUT BSF DPNQMFUFMZ unaware that their lecturers may take time off for ‘research leave’ during term to research their own academic areas. In my opinion, this is fundamentally wrong; we are given personal tutors to build relationships with, yet they may leave for a term or two but return later?

Which leads to the next issue. By spending so much time researching, do lecturers lose touch with students, and how to effectively teach? Or even worse, do lecturers choose the profession purely because they can spend time researching and teach a few classes on the side?

But it is also the fault of the universities and wider educational system. Increasingly, there is an emphasis on research in order to gain

6 | GOLDIE ABOUTORABI AND ELLA FUNGE

funding and prestige. Who can blame lecturers for pursuing research when the university encourages it? In 1963, there was a 55:45 split in universities in favour of teaching. The Universities Minister, David Willets, says that analysis shows it is now a 40:60 split in favour of research at those universities. Considering the ÂŁ9,000 rise from 1963 to now, this is unacceptable.

Ultimately, a university exists to facilitate higher learning for their students, and the lecturers are the means by which that occurs. If MFDUVSFST are spending more time researching than lecturing, shouldn’t they be called SFTFBSDIFST?

NO From a student point of view, giving lectures and taking seminars is just what staff in our departments are GPS. But as we all know, that’s only a part of what an academic really does.

Research should not be a secondary pursuit within the University. In fact, it’s arguably the most important facet of an academic’s job.

It’s not about pitting research and teaching against each other. The two should inform, not oppose, the other and there’s certainly room for both in the timetable. It’s about getting the balance right, and that balance should be tipped slightly in favour of research.

The UK’s academic research is acknowledged as some of the best in the world, second only to the US, despite the fact that we only invest only a fraction of government money into it.

It’s a shame if our place in the rankings were to slip because of the new ‘consumer culture’ in education, where students demand all of the department’s time. *U T BMTP OPU KVTU B TFMmTI EFDJTJPO XIFO EFQBSUments choose to focus on research. Every university department’s research output is monitored by the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which then allocates funding depending on quality. Many degree costs aren’t covered by tuition fees, even at the increased level of ÂŁ9,000, so some of the cost of your education might actually be paid for thanks to your lecturer’s research. *U T BMTP BDUVBMMZ SFBMMZ CFOFmDJBM GPS VT BT students if our lecturers can boast an excellent research output. If we are not taught by people XIP BSF BDUJWF JO UIFJS mFMET IPX XPVME PVS syllabuses ever be kept up-to-date?

Whilst we should not accept sub-standard teaching or decreased contact time, we should want, and actively push to be taught by cuttingedge researchers who let their work inform their teaching. That is real value for money.

COLUMNISTS | COMMENT

POLLYANNA TALKS

LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN The end of term is fast approaching and while you’re feverishly trying to write essays, people have the audacity to distract you with the word ‘Christmas’. While your online news feeds gradually become more festive, coffee brands start getting bitchy with their tag lines in the war to be UIF winter beverage supplier.

Your housemates have started to plan the house Christmas dinner, you spot a few keenos in Christmas jumpers wandering UISPVHI 1PSUMBOE BOE NBSWFM BU UIF DPOmEFODF of those buying advent calendars (as if anyone has the willpower to stick to just one small chocolate a day).

Since when was it Christmas already and why are you all okay with this so close to all your deadlines?

Christmas also comes with its awkwardness.

As someone rushes up and excitedly tells you ‘I can’t wait to give you your present!’, you can’t help but think when you signed up for this? Since when were we doing presents?

You’ll get a Merry Christmas text on the actual day but I certainly do not have the pennies to spare for a personalised gift.

It could also go the other way. You’ve made some solid friends, even got yourself a BFF, and you go all out and buy something fantastic and amazing and you just know that the person will love it. You’ve even gone to the USPVCMF PG IBOEXSJUJOH UIF DBSE POMZ UP mOE that they just bought a six-pack of mince pies and shared them around with anyone.

‘“I CAN’T WAIT TO GIVE YOU YOUR PRESENT!�, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT THINK WHEN YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS? SINCE WHEN WERE WE DOING PRESENTS?’

There’s always the one housemate that hangs a stocking up. Then you get someone who puts up a small tree in your living room and coerces you all into a group photo. You later see this on Instagram with sixteen hashtags that comprise of several different ways of saying Christmas.

But then again maybe I should just suck it up. After all I do love twerking with Santa, his reindeer and band of elves.

ROBERT TALKS

SHINING A LIGHT ON UON’S CYCLING NANNY-STATE At the start of this year I bought myself a Peugeot. Not of the electric blue, boy racer 206 type, but one with two wheels, rusty pedals and brown tape over the handlebars. %FTQJUF JUT T EFTJHO nBXT DZDMJOH JO and out of campus was proving a quick and cost-effective alternative to the daily 34 bus experience. So it came with much frustration when a pesky little nail on Lenton Boulevard retired the bike to the garage, where it now remains.

Every cloud has a silver lining, though. At least I haven’t joined the growing number of students who have fallen victim to the bike MJHIU mOFT BHFOEB PG $BNQVT 4FDVSJUZ The ‘Brighten Up’ campaign by the University raises awareness of the issue, but rather less

JT NBEF PG UIF b mOFT DPNJOH UIF XBZ PG those who don’t comply.

University policy states that cycling without a bike light once the sun falls on campus is as illegal as it would be if you were doing TP PO UIF . 5IF nVPSFTDFOU DIFTUFE infantry patrol every hotspot like a scene from Guantanamo Bay. Hopping onto that saddle becomes the equivalent of swiping your sweaty palms across the Mona Lisa.

‘CYCLING IN AND OUT OF CAMPUS WAS PROVING A QUICK AND COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO THE DAILY 34 BUS EXPERIENCE.’

But there must be a better way than such an extortionate, slap-dash response. Boris Johnson admitted to cycling with a faulty backlight recently. If Britain’s most well-known cyclist - sorry, Wiggins - cannot conform, what chance do we have? My Peugeot didn’t even have gears. Surely, students should at least be given a second chance to correct their mistakes.

How about this: campus security patrol around with a supply of bike lights, and those who SFGVTF UP CVZ POF BSF UIFO mOFE &WFO JG UIJT more reasonable approach does not prevail, at least you can no longer blame ignorance.

In the interests of safety and - equally as important - your bank balance, do light up.

POLLYANNA WARD AND ROBERT SMITH | IMAGES BY EBONY INYANGETE | 7

FEATURES

TEXTBOOKS & TURNOVER Impact investigates the CEOs of UoN “Free broadband for every student home in Nottingham.” These are the words of Callum Hives, the fresh faced businessman and medical student. “Naturally we’re hoping to move past Nottingham pretty quickly, but it’s a great place to start. It’s disruptive, but that’s the idea. We know it’s going to upset a lot of people.”

by offering affordable one-off services to small businesses. Within a few years, the business OHK P[Z V^U VMÄJL H ZVSPK J\Z[VTLY IHZL HUK several employees. Becoming a limited company in 2012, CalCom Enterprises (the main business, imaginatively named after its creator) is now THRPUN P[Z ÄYZ[ MVYH` PU[V [OL ^VYSK VM [LSLJVTZ

Callum Hives is a hugely successful part-time CEO of a company that currently turns over around £100,000 a year and looks set to grow ZPNUPÄJHU[S` /L PZ HSZV H [OPYK `LHY TLKPJHS student at The University of Nottingham.

‘If I feel like the business is going particularly well I might consider becoming a full-time CEO, but if I still fancy becoming a Doctor I’ll stick with it.’

Starting at the tender age of 15, Callum set up a small, IT support network in his native rural county of Lincolnshire. Undercutting the existing corporate IT services available in central Lincoln, Callum, along with like-minded school friends, capitalised on the gap in the market

10

Along with a partner, Callum is setting up Snap Broadband, a revolutionary new service provider geared to completely usurp the current dominance of Virgin and BT in Nottingham.

Although not technically completely free, after a one off installation payment residents in a house will have free access to their unlimited 10meg internet for as long as they want.

To have done all of this on top of gaining excellent GCSEs/A-levels and getting into medical school at the age of 20 seems like a huge achievement. So, is Callum proud of himself? “Not particularly,” he shrugs. “It sounds like a lot, but if it comes naturally to you, you don’t look at it in the same way. I suppose in the same way that you turn up to Uni every day and at the end of it you get a degree. It’s just what you do every day, so I don’t really feel like I’ve over-achieved.

FEATURES

“I want to continue with my medicine degree. If I feel like the business is going particularly well I might consider becoming a full-time CEO, but if I still fancy [becoming a Doctor] I’ll stick with it.” Even with this huge workload, Callum has high hopes for his Snap Broadband model’s popularity: “We’re hoping to have around 66,000 people signed up. Those numbers are enormous.”

His average day certainly doesn’t make it sound as easy as he makes out: “I wake up at around seven or eight, make any business calls that are outstanding and sort out the time-sheets for my employees. Everything sorted- I then put my phone on silent and head off to be a medic.

Around two I will try and check my emails and chase up any jobs that haven’t been done yet.

At four I’ll check in with the guys [his employees] and do the accounts, which are always fun.”

‘Let’s just say the modules we chose in our ÀQDO \HDU ZHUHQ·W H[DFWO\ the ones where you had WR RYHUH[HUW \RXUVHOI · What if something urgent needs addressing?

“Obviously I’m on call 24/7 to our biggest clients and that’s interrupted a few nights out in the past, which can be frustrating. I’ll pick up client emails in lectures and if I get an important call I will just walk out, but it’s actually not that bad. I get away with quite a lot.”

Callum’s work ethic is undeniably rigorous. That said, there is one vital aspect missing from his day, one element of the university experience [OH[ PZ JY\JPHSS` HIZLU[! [OL YLÄULK Z[\KLU[ HY[ VM doing absolutely nothing “Yeah I do feel I miss out on the wider student experience sometimes,” he says. “I would love to sit in my pyjamas and watch Jeremy Kyle all day if possible. I’d love to spend more time in the skydiving society and TEC [the PA and lighting services society], but I just know that I’ll never have enough time. I’m just too busy and tired, and at the end of the day I want to chill out.”

Not all of these student business owners express a similar strain on their student experience. Adam Bodini, co-founder of clothing label Bungo, found the academic/business balance more straightforward: “Let’s just say that the modules we JOVZL PU V\Y ÄUHS `LHY ^LYLU»[ L_HJ[S` [OL VULZ where you had to overexert yourself”. “However, this gave us the freedom and the time to start Bungo. I think our decision to start this business was probably the best decision we made at uni, a far better decision than deciding to study Business Management. Bungo has taught us more about business and the world than the entire three years of studies put together.”

Evidently your degree has a huge bearing on how you run your business whilst at University. Adam

and his partner, James, both started Bungo partly as an escape from the essays, lectures and seminars that are part and parcel of university life: “With Bungo being a hobby that we love, the IHSHUJL ^HZ T\JO LHZPLY [V ÄUK ¹ If you’re thinking of setting up your business whilst juggling a degree, a driving passion seems vital. Tom Barnes, recent alumnus and co-founder of 2Magpies Theatre – a company which focuses on site responsive theatre around Nottingham – puts his entrepreneurial spirit down to his love of the stage and a desire to reach a large audience.

“Our inspiration is to make exciting shows that are seen by as many people as possible. We’d like to tour nationally. It’s an exciting job that doesn’t feel like one, so to continue to do that would be great.” All of the students that spoke to Impact H[[YPI\[LK H KLLW ZLH[LK SV]L VM [OLPY ÄLSK as the reason they started up.

So you’ve got the idea, you’ve got the passion; now you just need some experience (and preferably a bit of money). At Nottingham, help is at hand to aid young entrepreneurs start up their own businesses. The Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located in the Sir Colin Campbell building on Jubilee Campus, might not sound particularly exciting, but through this institute the EnterpriseLab is run; a free-to-use student-only help centre for anyone seeking assistance in the formative stages of their business. Among other things, the 3HI VMMLYZ UL[^VYRPUN L]LU[Z VMÄJL ZWHJL HUK one-to-one business surgeries with professional advisors. If you’ve got even an inkling of an idea for a workable business, the EnterpriseLab is an indispensable resource.

When setting up Bungo, Adam and James JLY[HPUS` ILULÄ[LK MYVT [OL YLZV\YJLZ H]HPSHISL! “The EnterpriseLab is a fantastic resource for networking and an ideal workspace for students with an idea they want to explore.”

‘Our company has taught us more about business and the world than the entire three years of studies put together.’

Tom of 2Magpies Theatre is also full of praise: for the Lab. “They are brilliant. Highlights include sitting down with an accountant and saying: ‘We know nothing about tax, insurance, anything.

Can you start at the beginning?’ They were really helpful and didn’t patronise us, which is always nice. We also had the opportunity to apply for a grant which involved a training day and then a pitch to a panel. We got that and it was invaluable for covering initial costs and giving us some capital to try out some new ideas.”

Every single student start-up business Impact approached has somehow been involved with the Enterprise service at some point. But what

else is on offer for UoN students who want to work more directly with other students?

Joe Kaz and Ian Botterill, two members of the Nottingham Entrepreneurs society committee, tell Impact what opportunities their society can offer: “The society itself provides students who are hoping to, or perhaps already run their own business, a forum through which to share, explore and improve ideas and conceptions about entrepreneurship and the running of business. We host events on a weekly basis ranging from ‘idea hacks’ where ideas are pitched, peer-reviewed and discussed by the ZVJPL[` [V [HSRZ MYVT [OVZL ^OV OH]L ÄYZ[ OHUK experience of creating a start-up at university.”

‘I think the Midlands is big enough to be worth being a part of, but small enough to make a big impact.’

One resource they are currently setting up for society members is a “skills database” that will allow members to search for entrepreneurial Z[\KLU[Z ^P[O ZWLJPÄJ ZRPSSZ VY PU[LYLZ[Z [OH[ may be of help to them. Joe explains why he thinks this particular tool is needed for UoN entrepreneurs: “Nottingham has a huge community of students who want to start a business, but they are often put off by the lack of H ZWLJPÄJ ZRPSS ^OL[OLY [OPZ IL P6: KL]LSVWTLU[ or marketing. Providing a tool to help students overcome this issue could prove to be very powerful.”

The society has gone from strength to strength in the few years that it has operated, working in conjunction with the EnterpriseLab to support some of the University’s most successful business alumni.

But what if you’re not hoping to take the world by storm with an iron-clad business model that will completely change the way we think/eat/do the washing up? One way creative types have ILLU Z\WWSLTLU[PUN [OLPY JHZO ÅV^ [V M\UK Z\JO projects is through the advent of crowdfunding: the most popular crowdfunding site being Kickstarter, which has been used to fund L]LY`[OPUN MYVT AHJO )YHMM»Z UL^ ÄST [V American Psycho the musical.

Alice Child, a producer at the Nottingham New Theatre, successfully raised £150 through her Kickstarter page. She explains to Impact how it all worked: “Kickstarter seemed ideal as all the projects I saw were small, creative and privately funded. You offer rewards in exchange for people’s money. These rewards could be as small or as big as you liked - it seemed perfect for our little show. The rewards are basically a way of giving something back to people who decide to give money towards your project. We gave themed cupcakes - the more money, the more cupcakes! It was win-win.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALLUM MCLARTY | ALEX MAWBY | 9

FEATURES

Would Alice recommend it to other student projects? “It's a good platform that people trust, and gives you a chance to explain your project, make a video, and give your backers rewards,” she says. “I would however say that if you have time, raising money in other ways is probably more rewarding. Organising socials, events or cake sales will get more funds, and it will feel less like begging...”

“I was once thrown out of Coco [Tang] with some IULHQGV DIWHU RXU ÀIWK bottle of Moët.”

If you’re passionate about what you’re doing and you’ve managed to scrape some resources together from the various options on offer, the question may pose itself: why stay in Nottingham? 2Magpies’s Tom Barnes makes a good case for staying in the Midlands: “I think it’s big enough to be worth being a part of, but small enough to make a big impact. We’d get swallowed up in the tide of new theatre companies in London.”

The general consensus is that Nottingham is an ideal location from which to launch your business. A place to make mistakes and get things wrong before it really counts.

And what if things don’t go wrong? What if you legitimately begin to make a lot of money doing what you love? Impact asks Callum, telecoms prodigy, about the most extravagant thing he has ever done. Smiling coyly, he says: “I was once thrown out of Coco [Tang] with some friends after V\Y ÄM[O IV[[SL VM 4Vw[ >L ^LYL ^HSRPUN HYV\UK like we owned the place and being very loud... there were some girls involved I believe.”

“Oh!” He then exclaims. “We also just bought a tumble-dryer for the house!”

Clearly you can take the businessman out of the student, but you can’t take the student out of the businessman.

8

FEATURES

DEVOTION IN OCEAN Trent or Uni of?

We don’t care: love is blind. Meet the couples who found their other half on the Ocean carpet.

Dave (International Relations MA, UoN) and Sophy (Physiotherapy BA, UoN) *U XBT B NPOUI JOUP mSTU ZFBS BOE UIFSF XBT this girl who I fancied in halls. She seemed SFBMMZ DPPM BOE mU UPP 8F HPU UBMLJOH JO UIF Sherwood quad one Friday, and she told me that she and her corridor were going to the Ocean Halloween night, and I should come too.

I really liked her and she seemed to like me too, so I decided I had to get myself there. I got the ticket and met them for pre-drinks. She was dressed up as a zombie, with fake blood all over her mouth and so on. I didn’t care though.

So after we got inside, I went for it. And we pretty much just made out the whole evening, which must have been really rude. But it did produce loads of pictures of me appearing to be attacked by a minion of the undead, which are hilarious. That was exactly four years ago, and we’re still going out now. Thanks Ocean!

Emma Lomas Me and my Mr got together in Ocean in 2008 and we’re getting married next April!

Maria Parkin (Photography BA, Trent) and Martin ‘Shane’ Rivers (Media and History BA, Trent) I met Shane in Ocean on the 25th Febuary 2012. Shane used to go to Ocean every week but it was only the third time I had ever been I’m more of a Bar11 and Rock City kind of girl. I was only really there because it was my friend’s birthday. My friend was born on a leap year so technically it was her fourth birthday, so I was dressed as a schoolgirl with an elephant shaped rucksack. I accidentally stood on the foot of one of Shane’s friends on the carpet, and after apologising I asked him if Shane was single and that was that. There’s a bit of a dispute concerning whether I stood on his foot on purpose, but in all honesty I can’t remember.

We’ve been together ever since -a year and OJOF NPOUIT OPX 8F NPWFE JO UPHFUIFS mWF months ago and are planning on buying a house in Leeds in July.

Jessica Tresham Fell in love; got married in 2009; twins born 2010. Ocean devotion!

Hayley Good On those sticky carpets, to a backing of Boy Meets Girl ‘Waiting For A Star To Fall’’ on legendary Thursday 80s nights, I would sing the lyrics to my secret love until it couldn’t be secret any longer (probably due to one too many VK Oranges, priced at approx ÂŁ1.60 that year!). I won him over! He’s now my husband, so didn’t do too badly. Thanks Ocean!

Anna Kourtoukov * mSTU TBX NZ CPZGSJFOE BU UIF HZN CVU OFWFS had the courage to talk to him. At Ocean with a bit of Dutch courage I saw him sitting down and went up to him and said “excuse me, is this seat taken?� It wasn’t. We have now been together for a year.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALLUM MCLARTY | 11

FEATURES

SEX AND SICK ‘I MUST HAVE COMMITTED SOME SINS IN MY PAST LIFE TO END UP IN ENGLAND, ESPECIALLY NOTTINGHAM.’ TAXI DRIVERS TELL IMPACT WHAT DRIVING STUDENTS AROUND IS REALLY LIKE.

12 | SARAH DEAR

FEATURES

Taxi drivers are an essential but often overlooked part of student life. After paying our fare and decanting our drinks, we sometimes forget that there’s someone else in the car – and they hear everything. Here are some of their funniest, strangest and scariest stories.

RAJIV MALHORTA Rajiv Malhorta has seen a lot in his 20 years as a taxi driver, with many of his experiences leaving him with a negative view of students.

“They all just dropped their pants and did a wee on the doorstop of a bookshop,” Rajiv recalls, referring to six female students on a

Saturday night: “They didn’t even care that I was parked with my full headlights on and could see everything.” Originally from India, Rajiv told us that he came to England with expectations of English gentlemen and reserved ladies. Drunken Z[\KLU[Z ^LYL KLÄUP[LS` UV[ ^OH[ OL OHK PU TPUK! “I must have committed some sins in my past life to end up in England, especially Nottingham.”

The stupidity of drunk students to a sober driver is both amusing and annoying. Rajiv tells Impact about an incident where four boys needed a calculator to split a £4 fare between them, spending more time on the easy sum than the time of their journey. Rajiv mentions another night, when a student tried to get away without paying: “This guy ran away and jumped over the fence of Derby Hall, and he tore the skin off his feet. I had to phone an ambulance for him. It was only a £4.50 fare.”

Possibly one of the worst things about giving lifts to students is that sometimes things get a bit frisky in the back seat: “Couples get intimate all the time. A few weeks ago, two of them were having sex in the back of my car. I was taking them to Lenton and Wortley Hall, so I pulled up on Derby Road and kicked both of them out, and they were half naked.”

And the most annoying thing passengers can do? Eat in the car and get the sauce everywhere: “We’re the ones doing them the favour, and they should respect that.”

Through his countless bad experiences of drunk Z[\KLU[Z P[ PZ UV ^VUKLY [OH[ 9HQP] JHU»[ ÄUK anything positive to say about students: “They do not listen, they do not respect. I love driving, picking people up, but I don’t like students. I want to take myself out of the student culture.”

BRETT SHAW Brett Shaw has been a taxi driver, now Senior Contracts Manager, for almost 10 years. He has experienced much worse things than ketchup spilt on the seats.

“I picked up this arguing couple and their friend, and they got into the cab with two black binliners. They kept arguing, so I politely asked them to be quiet when the friend turned to me and said: “You do realise he’s got a gun?”

Luckily, Brett dropped them off safely, but what happened after was even worse: “As I began to drive off two police pulled up and told me to put my hands behind my head. They then proceeded to open my car door and held a machine gun to my head as they searched the car. I told them that they had the wrong guy but they didn't listen and not long after eight more police cars pulled up. They all had guns pointing at me; I was Z\YYV\UKLK ¹ /V\YZ SH[LY [OL WVSPJLTLU ÄUHSS` accepted that Brett had nothing to do with these passengers: “I really wish I hadn’t picked them up.”

Of course, Brett has also had his fair share of dealing with drunken students. “I was taking these students to a nightclub, and they’d all had

a drink. The lad sitting in the front passenger seat decided he wanted to drive the cab himself. So, he then tried to climb onto my lap and grab the steering wheel; they all thought it was hilarious...

I didn’t!”

He also shares his strangest experience involving a student – a girl stripped down to her underwear in the back of his cab during the journey: “I didn't know what to do, but she just walked out the cab and off into the club.”

And it isn’t uncommon for students to treat the taxi as a confessional either: “People want to bare their souls, so you have to be very broad minded.” Brett says that the best times for confessions are Saturday or Sunday mornings – the morning after the night before.

“You can see the horror on their faces as their TLTVY` ÅVVKZ IHJR HUK [OL` NV [OYV\NO HSS the stages of the previous night; sometimes you do have to laugh. Once I was waiting to pick someone up from outside a house one morning, the front door opened and a boy came running out while doing his trousers up and dives into the car yelling me to 'just drive!'”

AMRITPAL SINGH Amritpal Singh has been working as a taxi driver in Nottingham for 15 years, and despite various incidents with drunk students, he still has a positive view of university culture.

“There’s nothing wrong with students,” Amritpal says. “They’re angels… unless they’re drunk.”

Amritpal has often had to refuse a lift to passengers who are too drunk, even before their night has started: “Sometimes they’re paralytic, and if you take them to a club, they aren’t going to be let in so it’s a wasted journey for them.”

Like many other taxi drivers, Amritpal has to deal with sex and puke on a regular basis: “It’s common for couples to start kissing in the back, but you just have to let them get on with it. As long as they keep their clothes on, I keep my eyes on the road.”

Despite saying that he has had relatively few bad experiences with students, Amritpal recalls how the most disgusting thing he’s had to deal with is people throwing up. Despite this, he’s never had to ask someone to get out of the car – or at least, not yet.

Surprisingly, Amritpal’s worst experience as a taxi driver doesn’t involve students: “I had someone pull a knife on me once,” Amritpal tells Impact: “He asked me for my money bag, and I gave it to him. He jumped out of the car and that was the end of it, I never heard back from the police.”

“We all go out for a drink and want to have a nice time,” Amritpal sympathises with the student lifestyle. “But sometimes when students get drunk they just do what they want to do.”

And the rudest sex? Females. “Drunken ladies can be very awkward, putting the music on, bringing their drinks into the car. Males are more understanding.”

IMAGE BY EBONY INYANGETE | ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ANNA VUJICIC, ISABELLA MILLINGTON AND JESS MACKENZIE | 13

FEATURES

DO YOU

HAVE

FAITH IN

UNIVERSITY

LIFE? IMPACT LOOKS INTO THE RELIGIOUS LIVES OF STUDENTS AT UON

Starting a new life at university can be hard.

You leave behind everything you took for granted at home and start again – new people, new ideas and new challenges. But for those with strong religious faith, how does the stereotypical student life of loose morals and booze-based antics function alongside traditional religious devotion?

For some, their religious beliefs make VOJWFSTJUZ MJGF JODSFEJCMZ EJGmDVMU 5IJSE ZFBS chemistry student Rashid Basim* explains how DPOnJDUFE UIF UJNF DBO CF i#FJOH .VTMJN does affect my university life. People treat ZPV EJGGFSFOUMZ BT TPPO BT UIFZ mOE PVU ZPV SF .VTMJN w 3BTIJE BEEFE i* EPO U mU JO XJUI UIF .VTMJNT IFSF FJUIFS * mOE UIFN UP CF TP judgmental and elitist because I don’t have a beard that goes all the way down to my navel.

I’m not a perfect person, and neither are you.

So cut it out with the holier than thou attitude!�

What Rashid has struggled with most with his life here, however, is having to hide his homosexuality: “I will be a social pariah if I were open about my sexuality. My family will

14 | WILL HAZELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MR.T IN DC VIA FLICKR

disown me. I tried to approach certain Muslims here at university to ask them in a roundabout way what they think Islam has to say about homosexuality. I was told that it was a sickness and a mental disorder. How do you expect me to be openly gay in an environment like this?�

For Rashid, his religion is stopping him living the life he wants, and is ruining his university experience: “I’d love to have a boyfriend.

I want intimacy,� he implores. “I want a relationship. I want to love and be loved.

How can I accomplish that? I feel like I have to choose between being gay and being religious.�

‘I WANT TO LOVE AND BE LOVED. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BEING GAY AND BEING RELIGIOUS.’ The university environment itself can be the main challenge, which the President of the Catholic Society Hugh Potter admits himself:

FEATURES

“It’s ridiculously hard living in an environment where all the temptations are so obvious. We have to look at the way the Catholic Church says we have to live. I mean the modern culture of university goes against that quite strongly - the drinking and the sex – these make things quite hard.�

But the focus isn’t all on sex and alcohol there are minor inconveniences as well. Noura Rkiouak, a Muslim PHD student researching nVJE NFDIBOJDT TBZT i* UIJOL UIF NBJO UIJOH is the fact that we don’t have a lot of access to food that is convenient for Muslims to eat.�

Going to university with a religious conviction can also be a massive source of comfort and support. Hugh reveals that he didn’t know how he’d manage university without it: “There’s no way in my head I could get through periods of intense stress and workload without prayer and the support of other people. When I have a very stressful day, I can go to the chaplaincy and sit down and have a cup of tea with people who will listen to me.� Noura adds: “I came to the UK last February to study

my PhD. I’ve had a good experience - the Islamic society has helped me a lot because it stopped me feeling lonely.�

‘GOING TO UNIVERSITY WITH A RELIGIOUS CONVICTION CAN BE A SOURCE OF COMFORT.’ It isn’t just about having a large support network though, it can also lend new opportunities to practise and develop a religious faith. John Catchatoor, a second year English student, is currently a Christian Union rep in Ancaster hall and is enthusiastic about the opportunities to apply his Christianity in a practical way: “I’m happy that I stayed as a CU rep and followed what I thought God wanted me to do,� he says. “I’m having a really good time.� Conor Gaffney graduated last year, and currently works as part of the Catholic Chaplaincy team – he agrees that you can be religious and live in halls: “It’s a great

opportunity for students of faith to be a real life characterisation of what you believe.�

University has also provided Conor with an BGmSNBUJPO PG IJT GBJUI UFMMJOH *NQBDU: “After three, going on four, years, I’m still pursuing it. That’s a positive sign that I’ve decided I want to follow this for myself instead of my dad and mum saying that I have to go to church.�

It’s not as though all religious students shun mainstream university drinking culture either; Rashid admits that: “I drink! Not all Muslims have beards, go to the mosque every Friday, BOE QSBZ mWF UJNFT B EBZ w The university culture of hedonistic debauchery is not as ubiquitous as it can seem. Despite the frequent claim that this generation is turning its back on organised religion, faith is obviously still central to the lives of many students - for better or for worse.

For some, like Hugh or John, university has BMMPXFE UIFJS GBJUI UP nPVSJTI 'PS PUIFST MJLF Rashid, it has caused them a great deal of hardship. Either way, organised religion clearly still has a huge role in shaping students’ university lives. *Name has been changed.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DACEY MORMONT, SARAH DEAR AND MILLIE CEPELAK | 15

FEATURES

HEY BIG SPENDERS Perhaps not. *NQBDU reveals your spending habits at university.

£ £

60% are given a hand by their parents.

33% are awarded bursaries.

84% of students are funded by a student loan.

CONTRACT LAW

£ 55% say that a consideration of money affects their day-to-day life.

DGPLWWHG WR ÀQDQFLDOO\ SULRULWLVLQJ a night out.

55% occasionally buy food on campus.

16

Only 21% of students save their money for books.

Nobody buys DVDS anymore.

Literally 0%.

FEATURES

HEATING: THE BIG SWITCH ON

ONLY 15% OF NOTTINGHAM STUDENTS HAVE THE HEATING ON ALL THE TIME. 10% WOULDN’T PUT THE HEATING ON FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR HEALTH.

Why you should turn on your heating.

ONE PERSON ADMITS TO NEVER HEATING THEIR HOUSE DUE TO ENERGY BILLS.

/PX UIBU UIF TFBTPO PG TJOHMF mHVSF UFNQFSBUVSFT JT mOBMMZ VQPO VT UIF (PWFSONFOU are urging people to keep their homes heated this winter‌and that includes students. But with a recent hike in energy prices, combined with £9000 tuition fees looming overheads, it is easy to see why heating falls short on many students list of priorities. But should we let it?

With all that in mind, it’s easy to see how living in cold and damp accommodation can potentially have an effect on our work performance and attendance. Students are often missing university due to acquiring nasty coughs from the conditions of their cold homes. Shockingly, the %SFBNMBOE survey reveals that more than a third of UK students believe that the quality of UIFJS XPSL IBT TVGGFSFE *U T EJGmDVMU UP HFU TUVDL into an essay if you’re waiting for your hands to thaw out.

Although students are unbeaten in their abilities at swinging a free night out and living off frozen QJ[[B TBDSJmDJOH IPU XBUFS BOE DFOUSBM IFBUJOH to save extra money is a little extreme and potentially detrimental to your health.

A survey conducted by %SFBNMBOE this year reveals that 51% of students in the UK have confessed to falling ill due to the conditions of their cold accommodation. The typical British downpours that grace us at this time of year have meant that many students’ unheated houses are becoming damp. Second year English Language and Literature student, Hannah Gooch, has recently acquired dampness in her room: “I have always suffered from asthma and the damp in my room escalated so quickly it led to me getting a chest infection.�

As students we occasionally come across mould on that last slice of bread, but when it

comes to mould in our homes, this should not be taken lightly. Third year Sociology student William Hazell, like many students, has come to discover that when left untreated, those damp patches will eventually become mould: “When I moved into my room this year there wasn’t any mould in my room at all,� he tells *NQBDU. “As the weather got colder though, black mould spread over large portions of my wall, near where I slept. I’m asthmatic, so it really worried me. I tried to get rid of it with bleach and water, but got seriously ill – it hurt to breathe and my throat swelled up – I had to go to A & E. Mould is nasty stuff.�

Occupants of damp or mouldy accommodation are at increased risk of respiratory problems and students are the main victims. In an *NQBDU survey of Nottingham students, a third say that their cold student house had made them ill.

As every student is aware, getting up for a 9am lecture is a task in itself. But a chilly room on a Monday morning makes it even harder for us to get out from under our warm duvets, with 9% of UK students missing university altogether to avoid the cold.

As these stories show, though, taking risks with heating your house can have serious consequences for your health. 40% of Dampness and mould can also be a general Nottingham students in our survey admit they annoyance. Second year Modern Language only put on the heating when it’s really cold Studies student, Connie Leroux, found out the IBSE XBZ i-BTU XFFL * XBT TIPDLFE UP mOE UIBU - unfortunately though, it seems piling on the extra layers to save a few quid just won’t cut it my favourite vintage leather satchel that was hanging in my wardrobe was covered in mould!� this winter.

It’s not just our walls that are a breeding ground While a heating-free house might be kind to our for mould, but our wardrobes and cupboards bank balance, it isn’t necessarily kind to our too. health.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN TYNEGATE | ABBY ROSS | 17

FEATURES

Interview: Ken Clarke Ken Clarke on ‘talking clock’ politicians, the ‘neurotic’ Europe debate and Labour’s ‘childlike’ energy plan.

18

FEATURES Ken Clarke is not only the biggest name in Nottingham politics, but one of the most well-known Westminster characters of the QBTU mGUZ ZFBST 3BSF JT UIF HPWFSONFOU department where the one nation Tory has not made a mark. Having served most notably as Chancellor of the Exchequer 1993-1997, Clarke is now Minister without Portfolio. He spoke to *NQBDU prior to a recent debate on campus.

Do you enjoy visiting universities and talking to students?

I try to do a political meeting at The University of Nottingham at least once a year. The best meeting I had at the last general election was here. Student audiences tend to be more political, and tend to be, though not always, more informed.

You’ve served Rushcliffe for 43 years.

What’s the best thing about being a Nottingham MP? I got elected in 1970, when Ted Heath beat Harold Wilson, and I’ve been in Parliament ever since. I happen to be a Nottingham man. * GPVHIU .BOTmFME UXJDF GPS FYQFSJFODF XIFO I was a very young barrister. After that, I was looking for a seat which I had a decent chance of winning. I was very lucky to be adopted in Rushcliffe at a ridiculously young age in 1966.

I must have been 26 years old and got elected when I was still 29.

You recently announced that you’ll be standing again?

That’s right. Obviously I’m a fanatic Parliamentarian; a bit of a political anorak. I’m still in the Cabinet, so I very much enjoy the privilege of being in the middle of the national debate and involved in quite a lot of decision making. I toyed with the idea of retiring and thought I’d just be reading the newspapers and barracking the television when political programmes came on.

What does your Minister without Portfolio role involve?

It’s a totally mysterious title. I’m in the Cabinet 0GmDF BOE * BDUVBMMZ EP B XIPMF WBSJFUZ PG things. The biggest thing I do is my role as the British lead on the proposed EU-US trade agreement, which would make an enormous difference. Although it’s negotiated by the European Commission, the British government is its most active supporter. I spend my time pressing what Britain thinks should be done and what we want out of this deal. $V D SUR (8 7RU\ GR \RX ÀQG \RXU 3DUW\ҋV Euroscepticism frustrating?

It’s become a neurotic and hysterical debate with people quite manically nationalist in a way XIJDI XBT OPU USVF XIFO XF mSTU KPJOFE *U T particularly bad at the moment because we’ve had a very deep recession, and when times are hard it’s quite easy to persuade people to blame foreigners and foreign entanglements.

8F WF CFOFmUUFE FOPSNPVTMZ GSPN UIF European Union. The single market is by far the most important basis for our economy and attracts a lot of inward investment into the UK. It’s the biggest political and economic union in the world, and I still profoundly believe it would be complete folly to leave.

When I used to debate it as a young man full of enthusiasm for the European cause, I found that the right-wing nationalists opposing me were outnumbered by the left-wing socialists.

It was the Left who were really against the EU. They believed in a command economy and they worked out that the EU was based on free market economics. Now there aren’t many leftwing opponents; it’s ultra right-wing nationalists who lead the Eurosceptic cause.

‘Student audiences tend to be more political, and‌ more informed.’ As a former Chancellor, how do you see the current economic situation?

My successor, Gordon Brown, was the most catastrophic Chancellor since the war. I’m very supportive of George Osborne, and I’m probably his closest ally in Government. He’s pursued a very courageous course which is beginning to work. It’s absolutely essential that XF UBDLMF UIF QSPCMFN PG EFmDJU BOE EFCU CVU we’ve also tried a lot of supply side and public sector reforms.

At the moment, like most people in my Party, * N RVJFUMZ TBUJTmFE UIBU UIJOHT BSF HFUUJOH TP much better. But they haven’t got better enough yet. Most ordinary people haven’t seen any CFOFmUT GSPN UIF SFDPWFSZ 8IFO XF EP mOBMMZ emerge from the crisis, we need a different economy to the one we had; more modern, hi-tech and competitive when we’ve got new competitors from Asia and elsewhere.

Speaking of ‘ordinary people’, Ed Miliband has made a big deal of the ‘cost of living’.

Has his energy price freeze plan struck a chord?

It was well chosen as a populist gesture.

People read that the economy is doing better in the newspapers but their own living standards remain seriously pressed. So he suddenly came up with this rather childlike notion of UBLJOH UIF NPTU EJGmDVMU QSJDF JODSFBTF HPJOH on at the moment and simply declaring that he would stop it.

The cost of generating energy keeps nVDUVBUJOH XJMEMZ *G IF NBLFT UIFN BMM MPTF money they’ll stop investing here. We need new investment in generating more capacity of a greener kind, and if you think the companies could be squeezed a bit more, then it’s the competition system you need to look at, not making daft speeches saying it’ll be a lot

cheaper if you vote for me.

What we can’t have is the Labour Party saying what their price of electricity will be and the Conservatives naming another price, and the Liberal Democrats no doubt having a price somewhere in between the two.

‘Gordon Brown was the most catastrophic Chancellor since the war.’ Many commentators suggest the Conservatives have recently shifted to the Right. What has happened to the ‘modernisation project’?

I think what David [Cameron] says gets interpreted as going to the Right. He’s made concessions to the Right, primarily the referendum on the European Union. We are making more noise about immigration because we are steadily developing policies which are beginning to get down the uncontrolled level of immigration which we inherited.

Otherwise our public service and welfare reforms are perfectly enlightened. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on what we can do to improve opportunities for disadvantaged people if they’re prepared to work hard for success. That’s all still part of Cameron’s modernisation project.

Do you think your disagreements with many Conservatives over Europe and justice issues have contributed to your popularity?

I’ve not always been popular, but you gain authority as you get older. I hope I haven’t quite drifted to becoming a ‘national treasure’. I dread that moment.

My views were perfectly orthodox in the Conservative Party when I joined. I give reasonable one nation Tory views and there’s still a lot of support for those. I also am not one of these ‘talking clock’ politicians. I don’t take much notice about the advice on what slogans I should use. There’s no point being in politics if the opinions you’re giving are written by some PR man.

Can the Conservatives win the next general election?

I think they can. We need to be 8% ahead in the popular vote to get a majority in the House of Commons, so winning a majority will require giant strides. The chances of us being the biggest single party are extremely good, but the chances of either of the main parties getting a majority are distinctly dodgy. All over the Western world democratic politics has changed. The populist right and the populist MFGU NBLFT JU FWFO NPSF EJGmDVMU GPS NBJOTUSFBN parties. This Coalition has worked extremely well, but I’d rather we didn’t have to have another one.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONSERVATIVES VIA FLICKR | ROBERT SMITH | 19

TRAVEL

ALL THAT

JAZZ Marciac is a small town in the South West of France. It is a sunny spot not far away from Toulouse where, every summer, jazz reigns over. The town, with around 1,000 inhabitants - and three times more geese and cows than people - live for the sake of music.

It’s during the festival season called ‘Jazz in Marciac’ that the town fully blossoms. If you don’t like or don’t know anything about jazz, it doesn’t matter. You will be charmed by this lovely medieval town and by its warm inhabitants bathing in the beat of jazz.

‘PEOPLE DANCE AND DRINK, CELEBRATING MUSIC AND SUMMER’ The music festival ‘Jazz in Marciac’ takes place every year for about three weeks, from the last week of July to the second week of August. This renowned festival is always a success, and it celebrated its 36th edition this year. It was created in 1978 by Jean-Louis Guilhaumon, then Mayor of the town, and his musician friends.

What started as a little ‘jazz party’, now welcomes more and more music-lovers each

20 | SOPHIE DOUCE

year. Nearly 250,000 people were there in the summer of 2012. It has become one of the most important jazz festivals in the world. ‘Jazz in Marciac’ has seen a great number of prestigious artists performing on stage, such as Ray Charles, Dizzie Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Bill Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, Paco de Lucia. But it is not only on stage that jazz can be heard; music is everywhere on the streets of Marciac, being played day and night.

Concerts and jam sessions of jazz, and also of blues, rock, psychedelic and African music.

The town livens up as people dance and drink celebrating music and summer. On top of those gigs, there are exhibitions, shows, arts and crafts stalls everywhere.

The best way to fully enjoy the festival is by being a volunteer. It offers the opportunity to catch a behind-the-scene glimpse of the festival. Nearly 900 volunteers - students, people in their forties, retired and general music fanatics - helped this summer.

Volunteers can work in many different sectors.

Catering, logistics, welcoming musicians or for the festival newspaper ‘Jazz au Coeur’ are just a few options.

Volunteers work a couple of hours per day in exchange for food and free-access to concerts.

Being a volunteer is not only a way to save

money (concerts can be expensive) but also a way to meet a massive number of people.

The party does not end when the music TUPQT 5IF GVO SFBMMZ TUBSUT XIFO UIF PGmDJBM DPODFSUT mOJTI .PTU PG UIF WPMVOUFFST UIFO wander about the village and the surrounding mFMET "NPOHTU UFOUT BOE BSPVOE POF PS UXP DBNQmSFT FQJDVSFBO WPMVOUFFST HBUIFS BMM night long, sharing rosĂŠ, beer and their love for music.

Marciac is not only a place for jazz, it is also a place of authenticity. The festival takes place in a typical village surrounded by southern landscapes and delightful culinary specialities like foie gras, olive bread, wine and armagnac.

Clint Eastwood, himself a great jazz lover, said: “Jazz is a music for meeting people�. Marciac proves him right.

‘VOLUNTEERS GATHER ALL NIGHT LONG, SHARING ROSÉ, BEER AND MOST OF ALL,THEIR LOVE FOR MUSIC’

TRAVEL

LIFE ON LA RÉUNION: ‘WE ARE EXILES IN OUR OWN COUNTRY’ It’s been over two months since I arrived on the small tropical island of La RĂŠunion as an Erasmus student. Approximately 60 kilometres from tip to tip, La RĂŠunion lies roughly 500 kilometres to the east of Madagascar, and about 200 kilometres from Mauritius.

The island is a part of France – an overseas dÊpartement – of equal status to all mainland E�QBSUFNFOUT 'SFODI JT UIFSFGPSF UIF PGmDJBM language of La RÊunion, though it is by no means the only language spoken on the island: RÊunionais Creole is spoken by all natives, and there are also some Asian languages (Tamil and Mandarin) spoken by minorities.

Debate has been raging for decades as to whether Creole should gain greater public recognition and importance. Most children on the island grow up knowing Creole, yet, after nursery, French is the language in which they are taught and expected to learn.

In an article from 2010, a prominent 6OJWFS TJU� %F -B 3�VOJPO academic, Axel Gauvin highlights some of the incompatibilities of the French national curriculum to La RÊunion: pictures of warm coats, hats and gloves tell RÊunionais’ nursery children that winter starts in December, yet La RÊunion has just two seasons- and by December summer has well and truly arrived. Fortunately for Erasmus students, the academic calendar is the same here as in France but, unfortunately for native students, they have to work through the swelteringly humid summer months.

Tension between mainland France and La RÊunion has been exacerbated by the high level of unemployment on the island, which rests currently at 36%. Youth unemployment almost doubles that in some areas, and measures 60% across La RÊunion. According to a BBC investigation, many young people on the island feel that France is not doing enough to solve the problem, merely treating it with jobseekers’ allowance.

The alienation felt by many here occasionally manifests itself in violence. In 2012 mainland riot police were sent to La RĂŠunion to deal with violent protests at the rising cost of living. While such demonstrations are sporadic, the anger sometimes lingers: on one bus journey into St. Denis, a local woman took exception to my presence. *O B nVJE NJY PG 'SFODI BOE $SFPMF TIF FYpressed her view, to anyone who would listen, UIBU -B 3Ă?VOJPO JT FYQFSJFODJOH EJGmDVMUJFT EVF to the European presence here. “You come here and take the school places which should be kept for RĂŠunionais children, and think of us as savages.â€? Albeit extreme, such accusation paints a picture of the extent which anti-French thinking has reached: “RĂŠunion pour les RĂŠunionnaisâ€?, she concluded.

0O UIF XBZ CBDL GSPN B CBS PO PVS mSTU OJHIU a friend and I were accosted by four men who stole my friend’s wallet and my watch and phone. Little did we know that the quartier we’d KVTU XBMLFE UISPVHI XBT POF PG UIF MFBTU BGnVent of St. Denis, notorious for risk of that sort of thing, and the site of violent riots in 1991.

It has been suggested by a number of commentators that those riots were a response to the sense of disenfranchisement from the (French-speaking) administration held by a large number of the (Creole-speaking) population. “We are exiles in our own countryâ€?: translated from Creole, the response of a RĂŠunionais local in the aftermath of the 1991 riots.

For the foreseeable future, this Indian Ocean outpost will remain a French overseas dĂŠpartment, but one of my lecturers believes its society will continue to have a communal Creole identity. Recognition of this information should lead to a bilingual system, as the Creole language is the only way to articulate a truly enfranchised RĂŠunionais population. This does not mean a total rejection of French, but an acknowledgement of La RĂŠunion’s “bilingualismeâ€? and “bicultureâ€?.

‘THE ALIENATION FELT BY MANY HERE CAN MANIFEST ITSELF IN VIOLENCE’

‘THE HIGH LEVEL OF UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE ISLAND RESTS CURRENTLY AT 36%’

STEPHEN GILMORE | 21

SCIENCE

CRACKING THE CODE ‘Coding is not all about being a nerd, staring in front of a computer.

It’s about having an idea and implementing it.’

To most of us, coding is completely alien. Many of us simply see it as a foreign language that should be left to the tech whizzes. But is that really the best attitude? Every single one of us uses technology in our day to day life – for communication, for banking, for gaming – and yet hardly any of us know how to code.

Recently there has been a surge of popularity from leaders, celebrities and technology innovators who are determined to teach people how to code. In the US, a dedicated team have TFU VQ $PEF PSH B OPO QSPmU PSHBOJTBUJPO dedicated to growing computer science education.

They want computer science to have a place in the school curriculum and believe that all students should have the opportunity to learn how to code. Endorsed by well-known technology wizards such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and entrepreneurs Richard Branson BOE "SJBOOB )VGmOHUPO UIFZ BEWPDBUF UIBU coding is useful no matter what your ambitions in life are.

In the UK, coding has been included in the new curriculum to be introduced in 2014. More of an emphasis has been put on computing skills – tasks such as coding and understanding algorithms will replace the basic word processing that many of us learnt at school.

22 | FAIZA PEERAN

Decoded is a company based in London which was co-founded by The University of Nottingham alumnus Ali Blackwell. Their mission is to remove the stigma attached to coding and get them learning how to code in one day. Before university, Ali had been setting up his own websites, and while at UoN, he was President of the New Theatre and continued his work in coding by building the group’s website.

*NQBDU asked UoN students for their thoughts on coding and its greater accessibility. Arjun Sharma, a third year studying Computer Science, says: “I think it’s a very good idea introducing coding at school level as it teaches logical thinking and can be a creative outlet for children. I personally would have loved the opportunity to write code during primary and secondary school�.

Decoded was also involved in the introduction of coding into the school curriculum. “We have recently launched the Decoded Education Fund that provides teachers from state schools with free access to ‘CodeED in a Day’, a course UIBU HJWFT UFBDIFST UIF TLJMMT BOE DPOmEFODF UP teach the new Computing curriculum�, Ali told *NQBDU

Adil Manji, also studying Computer Science, agrees: “Coding is not all about being a nerd, staring in front of a computer. It’s about having an idea and implementing it. If people are taught coding from a young age, it will make DPEJOH TFDPOE OBUVSF *O FWFSZ PGmDF CVJMEJOH there are computers, and most jobs involve sitting at a desk with a computer. The rises of technology companies in industry suggest it’s almost imperative to stand out with an arsenal of programming languages under your belt�.

When people hear that Decoded can teach them coding in one day, Ali said they never VOEFSTUBOE BU mSTU i*U TPVOET TP PVUSBHFPVT and ridiculous to claim that we can teach you how to code in a day! But as more people have got to know us, they see that it’s not about producing expert developers. Learning to code is the medium we use to transform people into DPOmEFOU EJHJUBMMZ TBWWZ QFPQMF UP JMMVNJOBUF the previously murky and mysterious world of coding. People leave our workshops genuinely empowered – they get how it works, how it all mUT UPHFUIFSw

But is coding helpful even if you don’t intent to work in the technology sector? Ali thinks so. “It’s important that you have a basic VOEFSTUBOEJOH PG IPX JU BMM mUT UPHFUIFS CVU you don’t need to be an expert. The key thing is that people who want to learn can, and that everyone has the opportunity to do so. Who knows, lots of people in the world who are unemployed now might have made excellent programmers if they’d only had the opportunity!�

SCIENCE

9AM LECTURES:

MORE HARM THAN GOOD?

Staring at that 9am block in your timetable late at night, and forcing yourself awake after a weak struggle with your alarm clock is never a good feeling. But while we’re all at university to study, and the prospect of 9-5 employment is looming after graduation, should we really complain? Would an extra hour in bed really make much of a difference?

According to research from the University of Surrey Sleep Research Centre, extending your usual sleeping pattern by one hour could be FYUSFNFMZ CFOFmDJBM %VSJOH UIF TUVEZ HFOFT associated with stress response and immunity were more active in those sleeping for longer, meaning one hours extra sleep makes your life MFTT TUSFTTGVM BOE NBLFT mHIUJOH PGG GSFTIFST nV UIBU MJUUMF CJU FBTJFS Participants in the study also took part in mental agility tests and those with less sleep performed worse. Other studies have shown that failing to get a good night’s sleep can reduce your exam scores by up to 40%. So, getting up at 9am could be making your grades fall rather than rise.

This poor exam performance observed in those who don’t sleep for long enough, even if they stay up late revising, is thought to be linked to the reduction in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep. This occurs towards the end of your sleeping period so that extra hour in bed ensures you get your quota of REM sleep. REM sleep is the period in which

your brain converts short term memories from the last 24 hours into long term memories.

Without it, you would effectively become Drew Barrymore in ‘50 First Dates’.

Other ways of increasing your REM sleep is to avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine late at night, and ensuring you are in a dark environment when you want to sleep. Fluorescent ‘blue’ light from laptop screens, phones and digital alarm clocks all suppress your body’s natural melatonin production - your sleep hormone and throw off your natural body clock. While this not only makes it harder for you to get a good night’s sleep, researches at Harvard Medical School state this could also increase your chance of developing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Getting into a regular sleeping pattern is also important. While this might be harder for students going out a couple of nights a week, if you go to sleep at the same time each night and set your alarm for approximately seven and a half hours later, your body clock will RVJDLMZ BEKVTU BOE ZPV MM CF XBLJOH VQ mWF minutes before your alarm every morning.

1BSUJDJQBOUT JO UIF TUVEZ GFMU UIF CFOFmUT PG this extra hour of sleep after just one week, showing the dramatic affect our sleep patterns have on our lives. So moving lectures back an hour could mean students are better educated, less stressed and healthier in the long run.

Down with the 9ams.

DID YOU KNOW? *G ZPV GBMM BTMFFQ JO VOEFS mWF NJOVUFT UIFO you are sleep deprived. Ideally you should fall asleep in 10 to 15 minutes.

REM occurs in bursts that last about two hours B OJHIU UIFZ mSTU PDDVS NJOVUFT BGUFS ZPV GBMM asleep.

18-24 year-olds who are deprived of sleep suffer greater impaired performance than older groups.

One of the greatest sleep distractions is 24hour Internet access.

Snoring occurs only in non-REM sleep.

Teenagers need up to 10 hours sleep, the same amount as small children, whilst people over 65 need the least sleep.

Studies have shown women need an extra hour of sleep compared to men.

Our natural alarm clock which wakes us up is caused by a burst of stress hormone adrenocorticotropin.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOANNE BLUNT | JESSICA HEWITT-DEAN | 23

SCIENCE

IMPACT TALKS TO‌ PETER ALDHOUS Peter Aldhous, a former PhD student at UoN, now works as a freelance science journalist.

He has worked as the News Editor and San Francisco Bureau Chief of /FX 4DJFOUJTU, and has also worked for 4DJFODF BOE /BUVSF. He studied under Chris Barnard whilst at Nottingham and returned to Nottingham to deliver a talk for the 2013 Chris Barnard Memorial Lecture. *NQBDU 4DJFODF asks him about the highlights of his career and the current state of science journalism.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET STARTED IN SCIENCE JOURNALISM? I wrote bits while doing my PhD, pitching stories on interesting new papers, or meetings and talks I’d go to. I did most of my writing for ##$ 8JMEMJGF .BHB[JOF, one piece for /FX 4DJFOUJTU (that I really struggled to get them to pay me for!) and for some national newspapers. Chris Barnard, my supervisor, was really supportive, despite science writing not necessarily being seen as a respectable thing to do in those days. On the basis of that, I got a job straight after my PhD working for /BUVSF as a news reporter, and never looked back.

‘SCIENCE JOURNALISM IS IN A STATE OF FLUX’

24 | FAIZA PEERAN

HOW DO YOU THINK TECHNOLOGY AND NEW MEDIA HAVE CHANGED THE NATURE OF JOURNALISM? I characterise the situation we are in now as ‘the best and worst of times’. [Technology and new media have] broken the business model of journalism. This is the ‘worst of times’ in that newspapers and magazines are in a world of declining circulation, revenue, and staff as more people are being laid off. But although it’s a challenging time, I’m optimistic. I think people do still want good quality science journalism – we just have to work out how we’re going to pay for it and develop a model that works.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON HOW SCIENCE IS REPRESENTED IN THE MEDIA? I think certain pressures are pushing the media in the wrong way. There’s a lot of science journalism as ‘listicles’ (such as Buzzfeed) or ‘infotainment’, such as weird science stories BCPVU #JHGPPU BOE HPMEmTI MJTUFOJOH UP #BDI This is all interesting stuff, but is it what we want our science coverage to be like?

But at the same time, people are doing really good journalism – a colleague of mine, Anil Ananthaswamy, did a piece recently about people who think their limbs aren’t part of their body and want to have them cut off. He even went out to the Far East where these sorts of operations take place. So there’s not a simple BOTXFS UP UIBU RVFTUJPO o XF SF JO B TUBUF PG nVY and turmoil.

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER? I’d had opportunities to do some amazing things, such as catching quolls in the dead of night in in Australia and going to the forests of Borneo. But what I really liked doing is putting science and data analysis into science journalism. The piece I’m most known for in /FX 4DJFOUJTU is called ‘How My Genome Was Hacked’ and the idea behind it is if someone picked up a cup I’d been drinking from, could they get my DNA from it and analyse it?

It turned out it was absolutely possible. No RVFTUJPOT XFSF BTLFE BOE UIFZ DPVME mOE PVU some pretty sensitive things – including that I have a genetically elevated risk of Alzheimer’s EJTFBTF * UIJOL UIBU BSUJDMF IBE TPNF JOnVFODF in the US where they are no laws to prevent this, whereas there are in the UK. ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING SCIENCE WRITERS? You just need to start doing it! Write for a student newspaper or blog. It will make a huge difference if you can get paid for your work.

You ought to be thinking about other options – not just writing but video, audio, programming and coding, and how you can apply that in journalism. People who get on are the people who EP, not people who ask IPX.

SCIENCE

FUTURISTIC GADGETS The past few years have seen the rapid growth of touch screen technology, tablets and smart phones. *NQBDU 4DJFODF investigates what the future have in store for new technology.

ATOMIUM: THE 3D FOOD PRINTER 3D printing is already set to be the future of medicine and engineering, but what about food? Atomium was designed by student Luiza Silva, and works by allowing you to choose the nBWPVS BOE EFTJHOT PG ZPVS GPPE #Z TLFUDIJOH out whatever you would like to eat the machine then recognises and makes the shape using molecular ingredients.

GOOGLE GLASS They might look like a cross between TPNFUIJOH GSPN B TDJFODF mDUJPO mMN BOE B pair of lab goggles, but what does Google Glass actually do? Designed by Google X it is a computerised hands free set which connects with the internet using voice commands. It BMMPXT ZPV UP UBLF QJDUVSFT mOE EJSFDUJPOT BTL it facts, send messages and translate whatever you say, all from your voice. The glasses EJTQMBZ EBUB JO ZPVS mFME PG WJTJPO VTJOH B QSJTN screen so information literally appears in front of your eyes. (Image shown above)

DRIVERLESS CARS Also being developed by Google X, the software for these autonomous cars is called Google chauffeur. So far three states in America have passed laws that have legalised the use of self-driving cars. The cars have a laser radar system on their roof which allows the car to create a 3D map of its surroundings.

This is then compared with detailed world maps, providing the car with the information of whatever’s around it. The car sticks to the local speed limit and uses sensors that keep it the correct distance from the car in front.

TRANSPARENT TOASTER: MAGIMIX The invention that could save a million breakfasts; the toaster you can see through.

How many times have you put bread into the toaster, not realising how high it was turned up and then been alarmed by the sight of smoke and that burnt smell you just can’t get rid of.

Well not any more, the Magimix transparent toaster allows you to watch your bread as it toasts so you’ll know just when it’s perfect. It’s made of double insulated glass and places metal plates behind quartz elements that sit in the corners of the toaster, evenly toasting the bread.

SAMSUNG GALAXY GEAR The Samsung Galaxy Gear is the latest development of one of the hottest topics in the world of technology; Smart Phone watches.

The Gear synchronises with your Samsung phone and enables you to take calls, send texts, control media, search for the local weather and even take photos with the tiny inbuilt 1.9mp camera. With a clear 1.6 inch touch screen on a coloured strap of your choice, the Gear is well built when compared with rival smart watches from Sony and Pebble.

But all this comes at a hefty ÂŁ300 price tag and has not fared well among critics, some citing it useless and frustrating to use. However smart watch development is still in its early years so will surely promise exciting things in the future.

SELF-STERILISING DOOR HANDLE This door handle uses UV light to sterilise itself.

When someone touches the handle the UV light switches off, as a concealed switch triggers it to turn on and off. Bathroom door handles in particular carry the most bacteria, with over 121 per square inch. The UV light kills these bacteria and prevents them from spreading.

BEV KING AND JESSICA HEWITT-DEAN | 25

FOOD

ARE TURKEYS FALLING FOWL

THIS CHRISTMAS? Be nice to yu turkeys dis Christmas Cos’ turkeys just wanna hav fun Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked An’ every turkey has a Mum. Be nice to yu turkeys dis Christmas, Don’t eat it, keep it alive, It could be yu mate, an not on your plate Say, Yo! Turkey I’m on your side.

While everyone jumps onto the festive bandwagon the minute Halloween is over, selling overpriced coffees in Christmas cups or mMMJOH FWFSZ BE CSFBL PO PVS UFMFWJTJPO TDSFFOT with tinselled adverts, *NQBDU 'PPE wades through the commercial crap and looks at the more traditional aspect of Christmas: The feast.

Although the turkey has always been a staple at Christmas dinner, it appears more people are opting for other kinds of meat on Christmas day, with turkey becoming a rather lacklustre and unexciting option. Beef, gammon and lamb are becoming regulars on the Christmas table. *NQBDU 'PPE asked Nottingham students about UIFJS GFTUJWF GFBTUT UP mOE PVU JG JU JT CJSE PS beast that wins the Christmas race at UoN. While she argues trimmings are a staple; pigs in blankets, bacon and brussels sprouts being a must, Alice Ratcliffe, third year English student, says: “It has to be turkey at Christmas, that’s tradition. When else would turkey ever get eaten?”

THE CENTRE PIECE When it comes to buying the turkey, frozen JT EFmOJUFMZ UIF NPTU TUVEFOU GSJFOEMZ BOE cheapest option; but can take up to two days to defrost.

Tip – take the giblets (the guts and organs) out before you defrost. .BLJOH UIF TUVGmOH DBO CF B QBJO TP JU T QSPCably best to buy it fresh, or, if you’re on a tight budget you can buy it out of a packet. Put UIF TUVGmOH JO UIF UVSLFZ BOE IFBU UIF PWFO UP around 170C. A turkey for 8-12 people should take roughly four hours to cook.

Tip – when you stab the turkey with a knife the juices should run clear once cooked.

Take the bird out and wrap it in tin foil.

26 | ANTONIA PAGET AND LOUIS FITZHERBERT | POEM BY BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

FOOD But other students seem to be more adventurous. Sarah Stewart, a masters student studying International Law, says: “You can’t just have turkey at Christmas. We always have gammon as well - you need a bit of pink on the plate. We tend to have a lot of people over for $ISJTUNBT BOE ZPV DBO U FYBDUMZ mU UXP UVSLFZT in the oven.�

Law student Hannah Butcher says that her Christmas dinner is usually made up of leftovers from Christmas eve: “We always have turkey and gammon on Christmas day, but also the leftover roast beef from the day before.

Everyone needs a choice!�

So why is it that more and more people have started to look for alternatives to turkey? It seems to be increasingly ‘trendy’ to cook an unconventional Christmas meal, especially due to gourmet chefs and cookbooks illustrating new and innovative ways of feeding the family on Christmas day.

Ian Fillingham, a second year English student, says they always have a vegetarian option

on the table alongside their traditional turkey: “Sometimes it actually tastes better than the turkey itself,� while Dolly Montgomery, Zoology student, says she eats quorn as a vegetarian, “but parsnips are a staple in my Christmas dinner. They’re the shiz.�

It’s also becoming easier to buy pre-made Christmas meals. The standard Iceland ‘bird-in-a-bird-in-a-bird’ advert that graces our screens and bus stops, might not be the nation’s favourite, but ready made and stuffed alternatives are becoming more available and popular each year.

Whether our cooking have become more and more adventurous, or our shopping habits lazier, people have started questioning why we need to stick to the traditional, when instead we could be broadening our palette.

So...

Be nice to yu turkey dis Christmas Invite dem indoors fe sum greens Let dem eat cake an let dem partake In a plate of organic grown beans, Be nice to yu turkey dis Christmas An spare dem de cut of de knife, Join Turkeys United an dey’ll be delighted An yu will mek new friends ‘FOR LIFE’.

TALK TURKEY TO ME Cooking for large numbers can be a real hassle, but when it comes to cooking for Christmas just follow a few simple steps and you can have yourself a stress free dinner party for you and your friends or family. Don the apron and grab the baster.

THE TRIMMINGS While the turkey is in the oven you can get on with the rest of the meal.

When it comes to the Christmas dinner trimmings, pigs in blankets are a must. Buy some chipolata sausages and wrap them in streaky bacon. They are really easy to make and can be shoved in the oven with the potatoes.

Part-boil the potatoes after peeling for about 10/15 minutes and drain. An hour and a half before the bird comes out (buy a tin foil tray if you can) heat some oil in the tray and leave it in the oven for 15 minutes (goose fat if you’re feeling extra generous). Carefully remove the

THE GRAVY tray and put the potatoes in, alongside the pigs in blankets.

While these are cooking, peel and boil the QBSTOJQT GPS BCPVU mWF NJOVUFT 0ODF EPOF drain the water and coat them in honey, then cook them in the same tin foil dish as the potatoes. They will take 30 minutes or so. While the bird is resting, and the potatoes roasting, peel and cook the rest of your veg; sprouts and carrots if you’re feeling traditional.

Tip - to make things easier, buy the cranberry and bread sauce.

Drain some of the oil from the roasting tin and then heat up the remaining juices, add some blackcurrant jelly (about 1tbl spoon), a touch of red wine and a little of the water left from cooking the veg. Leave to reduce on a low heat until it has a reasonably thick consistency.

TO STARTER OR NOT TO STARTER? If you want to make it an extra special occasion then you could prepare a very easy starter of smoked salmon on buttered brown bread with a squeeze of lemon. Easy as it sounds, but no less delicious.

GEORGE HUGHES-DAVIES | 27

STYLE

0L[HG Berries Berry stained and jewel toned lips with cranberry eyes make this season’s make-up both statement and sublime.

Go online for the #FIJOE 5IF 4DFOFT video and shoot.

28 | J. ROSEBLADE AND H. BROWN | ASSISTED BY E. RYDER, T. BELL, A. SANTOS, S. DEAR, R. COONEY AND B. FEARN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY B. TYNEGATE

STYLE

DON’T

GIVE UP

How to get ahead in the fashion industry

It is a well known fact that the fashion industry is notoriously hard to crack. Your economics studies friends have jobs secured thanks to a well-paid stint at Barclays, and your pals with marketing dreams have a myriad of options on Milkround. But for those who would rather swap salary for Slimane, then getting a lucky break is only the start of the challenge.

1PMJUJDT HSBEVBUF +BNFT OPX mOET IJNTFMG working at FINLAY & CO - an independent sunglasses brand. Having turned his internship into a paid role, we wanted to know the secret of his success. Is he secretly harbouring the bulging address book of connections that we all covet? “Absolutely not�, he says. “Connections are extremely helpful in getting your foot in the door but are not essential. If you can prove that you are willing to work hard, roll your sleeves up and get on with things then you will be successful.

Be prepared to work unpaid at the start - listen, learn and embrace any opportunity that you are given. Make yourself indispensable and prove your worth, and you will feel the rewards�.

“Be persistent and be creative! It may seem like a hard task but there is space in the industry.

Find out what sector you like most and focus on working towards that�.

Point proven. You don’t need to be Karl Lagerfeld’s goddaughter, Caroline Rush’s brother, or armed with a degree from an arty DPMMFHF UP mOE ZPVS XBZ JOUP UIF GBTIJPO XPSME These three have proven that hard work, persistence and drive can get you through.

coat

%BJTZ 3BZNBOU )JTUPSZ (SBEVBUF

And does the degree subject matter? “I don’t think it matters too much if you don’t have a related degree. I did a short course in fashion PR at the Fashion Retail Academy which helped me grasp what PR involved and also showed employers how committed I was�.

But you don’t need to always rely upon that elusive lucky break to make it in fashion.

Kayleigh forged her own way into the fashion blogosphere with her successful blog ‘One In A Million’. “I needed a fun hobby that could distract me from my student work, so I started my blog and just went from there�.

Unpaid internships, a supply and demand imbalance, and competing against Central Saint Martins graduates are all mixed into this fearful equation. But it is possible. Three University of Nottingham graduates share their hints and tips at getting noticed in the fashion world and attaining those highly sought after golden nuggets of employment.

1

,BZMFJHI #SFXFS 4PDJPMPHZ (SBEVBUF

+BNFT 'SFF 1PMJUJDT (SBEVBUF This was certainly the case for History graduate and former Fashion Soc president Daisy, who is set for a career in the competitive business of fashion PR. Daisy told *NQBDU 4UZMF: “Do as much as you can at uni to make sure you stand out. I found being part of the Fashion Society helped me a lot because you have a lot to talk about in an interview and the experience itself is such a learning curve�.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN CRONIN | EMMA WILLEY | 29

STYLE < Boohoo.com £35

> H&M £24.99

THE PARTY EDIT 30 | COMPILED BY THE IMPACT STYLE TEAM

< Oasis £50

> Miss Selfridge £65

As the festive season approaches, *NQBDU 4UZMF have been busy looking at the new host of party dresses. From sequins to leather, maxi to mini, we’ve put together an edit of our favourite dresses for the glamourous months ahead.

STYLE

> Zara £59.99 < Oasis £85

< Romwe.com approx. £44 < Rokit Vintage £60

> Topshop £195

> Warehouse £160

1 < Topshop £75

< Warehouse £90

31

EXPOSURE

32 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN TYNEGATE | A TILIT AND SHIFT IMAGE TAKEN OFF THE SHORE OF ZANTE

EXPOSURE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREAS BILLMAN | 33

WHAT’S ON

DECEMBER 02

03

Jack and The Beanstalk The Playhouse (all month)

JP Cooper Rescue Rooms

09

10

Flux Pavilion Rock City

16 The Firebird Lace Market Theatre

23

04

Warhol’s LA Nottingham Contemporary Titus Andronicus New Theatre

Boyzone Capital FM Arena

17

11 The Big Reunion Christmas Party Capital FM Arena

18

06

Michael Monroe Rescue Rooms

07

08

Adrian Edmondson CLUMP Presents Kagoule and the Bad The Lacehouse Shepherds Rescue Rooms

White Lies Rock City

Purson Rescue Rooms

12

14

15

13

Black Star Riders Rock City

Twisted Wheel Bodega

Status Quo Capital FM Arena

21

Geoffrey Farmer Nottingham Contemporary (all month)

19

20

Foul Humour The Golden Fleece

Shed Seven Rock City Loom Bodega

Levellers Rock City

Black Veil Brides Rock City

Brad Dear Rescue Rooms

Roy Ayers Rescue Rooms

24

25

26

27

28

29

Arco: No Movies Nottingham Contemporary

30

05

01

Acoustickle Winter Fair The Maze

31 Dollop NYE Stealth

34 | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MLUFOTOS VIA FLICKR

22

PAUSE

36 | FILM

41 | GAMING

THE DR. WHO GUIDE TO THE GALAXY AND THE FESTIVE SEASON IN FILM

BEING AN ONLINE NEWBIE AND AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN ARNOTT

42 | MUSIC

46 | ARTS

OBEYING THE TREND AND INTRODUCING SAINT RAYMOND

FAIRYTALE FRIGHTS AND THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BOOK PRIZES

PAUSE | FILM & TV THE DOCTORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY As Doctor Who celebrates its 50th Anniversary, we take a look at some of the top holiday destinations the universe has to offer.

NE W E AR TH Excitement: 6/10

MON D A S This planet will make any human feel right at home. Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twin, it is identical in almost every respect. Same size, same atmosphere, even the same sized continents. Perfect for any home-sick traveller. The only small issue is that the inhabitants have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;upgradedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; themselves into the deadly Cybermen, and are hell-bent on upgrading the universe.

Probably best to make it a quick stop.

Danger: 8/10

Tropicality: 2/10

So, having just seen the Earth destroyed, why not visit Mark II? With the scent of apple grass on the breeze and two moons hovering in the sky, nZ BSPVOE /FX /FX :PSL BOE WJTJU UIF Senate Chambers and the Hospital of Plenitude. For the more adventurous traveller, the dark under-city of New Earth is perfect. Here you can purchase â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mood patchesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;- a mood for every occasion*. (*This publication does not endorse mood patches and are used at travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own risk.)

WARNING: If the planet seems deserted, DO NOT investigate the local tombs.

Excitement: 6/10

OOD SP HE RE A perfect winter retreat. The beauty of the snow-covered Ood sphere and its monumental glaciers are nearly unrivalled.

The peaceful natives, the Ood, may look odd but are incredibly friendly to visitors and are always willing to serve. The ruins of Ood Operations are currently off-limits but can be viewed from a distance.

Visitors are warned that the Ood, though generally the perfect host, are susceptible to possession and/or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;red-eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; syndrome.

Any Ood found with glowing red eyes should be avoided at all costs.

Whilst in the Horsehead Nebula, visitors may wish to visit the Sense Sphere, with its intricate and fascinating cave systems.

Danger: 2/10 Excitement: 5/10 Tropicality: 5/10 Danger: 3/10

Tropicality: 7/10

PLAT F O RM O NE #PSFE PG mSFXPSLT $PNF BOE TFF UIF CFTU â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the universe: The death of the Earth.

Enjoy the hospitality of Platform One whilst you watch the Sun expand and destroy Sol 3. Whilst on board, mingle with the Platformâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other guests: The Moxx of Balhoon, the Face of Boe and even The Last Human.

PO MPE I I 23rd August. AD 79. The mountain above Pompeii is smoking, and yet life continues as normal. Despite the frequent earthtremors, the city is unaware of its coming fate. Visit the last day of the Pompeii market, the forum, the baths and the amphitheatre. Perhaps even make a trip to the local soothsayers who claim to see the future - complete accuracy guaranteed.

Make sure, however that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve left town BEFORE the eruption.

Excitement: 7/10

Danger: 1/10

Tropicality: 5/10

#F XBSOFE 5IJT JT B mYFE QPJOU JO UJNF What happens there must always happen.

Do not interfere.

Excitement: 7/10

Danger: 6/10

Tropicality: 3/10

36 | HENRY STANLEY | IMAGE BY DAVE YOUNG VIA FLICKR

PAUSE | FILM & TV EAR T H - 100, 0 0 0 B C A trip back in time? Well, why not visit Earth during the Stone Age? The local tribes are not particularly friendly though, so proceed with caution. It is recommended that, when visiting this period, travellers should carry a box of matches - a perfect distraction for a speedy getaway.

Excitement: 6/10

S KAR O Danger: 6/10

Tropicality: 3/10

The homeworld of the terrifying Daleks, and probably best avoided unless you have a death wish. Skaroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burnt red atmosphere and sulphuric rain perfectly SFnFDUT UIF IPSSPST UIF %BMFLT IBWF JOnJDUFE PO UIF universe. Mutated by the Thousand Year with the Thals, the Daleks (once the Kaleds) retreated into tank-like casing, removed all emotions bar hatred and began their campaign across the stars to become the POMZ MJGF GPSNT JO UIF VOJWFSTF *G ZPV mOE ZPVSTFMG PO 4LBSP B RVJDL USJQ UP UIF QFUSJmFE GPSFTU PS UIF 0DFBO of Ooze are probably the most interesting (and safe) sites on the planet. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably best you just run.

N.B. Skaro is now a ruin due to the Last Great Time War with the Time Lords.

MAR S Our closest neighbour â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Red Planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has a lot to offer travellers. From Bowie Base to the pyramid bases of the Osirans, this planet is jam packed with sights to see. As the home of the Ice Warriors there is, however, an element of danger so proceed with caution. Visitors are also advised to bring their own water.

Excitement: 4/10 Excitement: 8/10 Danger: 11/10 Danger: 7/10 Tropicality: 5/10 Tropicality: 6/10

Seriously. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drink the water. Not one drop.

GAL LI F RE Y

RAX A CO R ICOFALL APAT O R IUS ( AN D C L OM) Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite unpronounceable planet (and its much simpler twin). Sample local delicacies such as Rakweed and visit the Hatcheries.

Raxacoricofallapatorius and Clom TIBSF B EJGmDVMU SFMBUJPOTIJQ TP itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best not to mention the other in polite conversation. Most of the families that dwell on the planet are peaceful beings, but beware in particular of the Slitheen and Blathereen families. These two have a vicious streak and are well known to roam the universe searching for a way to make a RVJDL QSPmU 0GUFO BU UIF DPTU PG whole races. Always have a bottle of vinegar handy (but get ready to be gunked if you have to use it).

Excitement: 6/10

Danger: 7/10

Tropicality: 7/10

The mighty planet of the Time Lords. Though destroyed in the Last Great Time War, it may be possible to venture back in time to visit Gallifrey before the war. The mighty glass-domed citadel of the Time Lords is a truly breath-taking must-see. Set between the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, this is the home of the Time Lord council. Must-sees are the Untempered Schism and the TARDIS bays and sunrise, where the silver-leafed trees BQQFBS UP DBUDI mSF Excitement: 8/10

Danger: 1/10

Tropicality: 8/10

HENRY STANLEY | 37

PAUSE | FILM & TV

%PXOUPO "CCFZ

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SPECIALS FRIENDS: THE ONE WITH

THE SIMPSONS: MIRACLE

FAMILY GUY : ROAD TO THE

THE HOLIDAY ARMADILLO

ON EVERGREEN TERRACE

NORTH POLE

SARAH NEWMAN

TOM WELSHMAN

JOE BOOTHMAN

This episode comes in the ninth season and chronicles the aftermath of Bart accidentally burning down the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree on Christmas Eve. A rather dark episode of an otherwise quirky and upbeat series, the black comedy may leave too sour a taste in some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mouths but plenty of classic gags still run throughout.

Margeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance on +FPQBSEZ! to try and win back money owed is a particular highlight, along with Homer crashing a brand new car. In the end the family realises the true meaning of Christmas in a, albeit corny, narrative twist and return to the antics we know and love.

What better way to celebrate Christmas than by following Stewie and Brian in their quest to kill Santa. Of course, contrary to the majority of Christmas specials, 'BNJMZ (VZ put a more sinister twist on the festive period. A dying 4BOUB JOCSFE &MWFT BOE nFTI FBUJOH 3FJOEFFS all add to this alternative take on Christmas and Santa Claus. This being said, the inclusion of catchy songs like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Christmas Time is Killing Usâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gives the episode an unmistakably festive feel.

When you combine this with the addition of Ron MacFarlane (creator Sethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father) as narrator, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Road to the North Poleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; turns into your stereotypical Christmas tale albeit with a number of twists. For those sick of the feel good Christmas specials, this is a perfect alternative which still keeps the festive feel.

'SJFOET A great Christmas episode resonates with the viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences of what Christmas is, and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just rehash clichĂŠs. 'SJFOETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The one with the Holiday Armadilloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; does this from the opening. Phoebe shows her friends a skull that belonged to her mother to demonstrate that even though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas, people still die, setting the theme of dark humour from the onset. While everyone has their own festive traditions, for Ross itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that his son Ben includes Hanukkah as part of his celebrations as well as Christmas. Superman, Santa and the holiday Armadillo all make an appearance in this episode, making the mix of tradition and just plain weirdness (as we have all come to expect from 'SJFOET) the perfect combo for an all time favourite Christmas special.

5IF 0GmDF 38

5IF 4JNQTPOT

THE OFFICE AYDIN EMSLEY 5IF mOBMF UP UIJT HSFBU TFSJFT SFVOJUFT UIF DBTU PG UIF PSJHJOBM TFSJFT B GFX ZFBST BGUFS mOBM TFSJFT The hint of a fairy-tale ending which sees every character evolve into something genuinely likable, (even the hard-to-love David Brent) is written so well the Christmas special has made many tear up. In spite of all the sarcastic SFNBSLT BOE RVJQT BU DPMMFBHVFT %BWJE mOBMMZ gets the sympathy and respect he deserves.

Gervais and Merchant knew the time was right to draw the series to a close and exactly what the fans wanted â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tim and Dawn together. The 0GmDF Christmas Special is one of the rare series mOBMFT UIBU FOET JU QFSGFDUMZ XJUIPVU UIF VTF of special effects, or cheesy American sitcom CBDLJOH MBVHIT *U TJNQMZ EFMJWFST BO FOEJOH mU for the fan base by using its traditional take on the human condition that we can all relate to. An absolute classic that cannot be missed.

'BNJMZ (VZ

DOWNTON ABBEY ALISON SMINK The %PXOUPO "CCFZ Christmas special is truly magical. It makes you want to snuggle up in a thick blanket with a nice big cup of tea and some gingerbread. Although the episode requires previous knowledge of the show, the whirlwind events that take place are worth the two season marathon. From the heartwarming display the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gifts to the servants, to a TOPXnBLF DPWFSFE QSPQPTBM UIJT FQJTPEF IBT UP be one of my favourites. There is just so much packed into this 90 minute special. Another element that heightens the holiday spirit is the multitude of Christmas decorations covering the already grand estate. This Christmas special is sure to bring some holiday cheer along with a dose of drama.

PAUSE | FILM & TV

CHRISTMAS MOVIE DRINKING GAME Tis the season to get jolly! TAKE A SIP IF : Although if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re forced to sit through -PWF "DUVBMMZ for the fourth time this season you may need a little something extra to get you there. So why not play *NQBDU T Christmas Movie Drinking Game? Guaranteed to make your Christmas viewing more festive.

Or at least youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pass out before the sickly, sentimental ending.

The movie opens with a voice over (and every time you hear it throughout) It snows (double if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Christmas Day) The central family has more issues than a Jeremy Kyle episode Christmas dinner is ruined A child gets his tongue stuck to a lamppost Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a terrible child actor (a drink every time they appear on screen) Someone loses their faith in Christmas Someone regains their faith in Christmas Tim Allen stars A last minute miracle saves the day

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHRISTMAS MOVIES? 1. In +JOHMF "MM 5IF 8BZ, which prized toy is everybody searching for?

2. In )PNF "MPOF, which â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goodfellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; played a common crook trying to break into Kevinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house?

3. In &MG, which three animals wave goodbye to Buddy before he boards an ice slab?

HOW DID YOU DO? IF YOU SC ORED BET WE E N :

4. What was the subtitle of the third movie in 5IF 4BOUB $MBVTF series starring Tim Allen?

0-5: 1PPS TIPX ZPVS mSTU OBNF JTO U &CFOF[FS

5. In %JF )BSE, which Western star does Hans Gruber incorrectly credit as walking off into the

by any chance?

sunset with Grace Kelly?

6. In )PX 5IF (SJODI 4UPMF $ISJTUNBT where is the town of Whoville located?

7. Which toy does Ralphie desperately want for Christmas in " $ISJTUNBT 4UPSZ?

6-10: Not bad, like Jack Skellington you mean well but you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really get the point of Christmas.

8. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the name of the family at the center of /BUJPOBM -BNQPPO T $ISJTUNBT 7BDBUJPO? 9. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the name of Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guardian Angel in *U T " 8POEFSGVM -JGF? 10. Which legendary British actor stars as Scrooge in 5IF .VQQFU $ISJTUNBT $BSPM? 11. What is Bill Murrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupation in 4DSPPHFE? 12. What is Jack Skellingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honorary title in " /JHIUNBSF #FGPSF $ISJTUNBT? 13. In which Christmas movie is Santa famously put on trial?

14. Which wrestling star plays the leading role in the critically panned 4BOUB 8JUI .VTDMFT? 15. :PV WF (PU .BJM is loosely based on which 1940 Christmas classic?

11-15: Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting there. Maybe your Guardian Angel could show you the way.

16-19: Yippee ki yay! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Christmas Movie expert, even Hans Gruber would think twice about messing with you.

20: Congratulations! Buddy the Elf would be proud of your Christmas cheer.

8IJDI XFMM LOPXO "NFSJDBO TJOHFS BMTP TUBSSFE JO UIF mMN 8IJUF $ISJTUNBT? 17. How does Willie in #BE 4BOUB celebrate the end of another year as a mall Santa?

18. In the 4OPXNBO what piece of fruit does the title character use as his nose?

19. Which former Batman is transformed into a snowman in +BDL 'SPTU? 8IBU TPOH JT QMBZFE PO B MPPQ JO 4BOUB T XPSLTIPQ JO UIF mMN 'SFE $MBVT?

A N SW ER S 5VSCP .BO +PF 1FTDJ " QFOHVJO B QPMBS CFBS BOE B XBMSVT 5IF &TDBQF $MBVTF +PIO 8BZOF *O B TOPXnBLF ## (VO 8. The Griswolds 9. Clarence 10. Michael Caine 11. TV Executive 12. The Pumpkin King 13. Miracle on 34th Street 14. Hulk Hogan 15. The Shop Around the Corner 16. Bing Crosby 17.He wet himself 18. A tangerine 19. Michael Keaton 20. Here Comes Santa Claus 39

PAUSE | GAMING

IMPACT MEETS ROBIN ARNOTT *NQBDU (BNJOH met audio designer and interactive artist, Robin Arnott, creator of the game Deep Sea following the annual GameCity festival in Nottingham.

FIRST OF ALL WHAT IS â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SOUNDSELFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, AND WHAT INSPIRED IT? 4PVOE4FMG is a trance experience; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designed to help people chase themselves in meditation state. It started as a psychedelic trip at the Burning Man festival a few years ago, in an art project called the reonion, during which I started chanting. The voices and the music mMMFE UIF TQBDF * GFMU UIBU UIFTF WPJDFT XFSF a part of my own voice and the space those WPJDFT XFSF mMMJOH XBT B QBSU PG NZ CPEZ * IBE this expanding sense of self and it occurred to me that this was an experience I had on psychedelics but it is a product of the brain.

I felt that I could surely facilitate this sort of experience without the chemical help and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why 4PVOE4FMG is a second iteration of that.

HOW WILL IT WORK? WILL IT REQUIRE OCULUS RIFT (VIRTUAL REALITY 3D HEADSET)?

It does not require the Rift, although it adds isolation, but you can also obtain that just by putting on headphones and switching off the lights. Right now all technology is there and we will be exploring a whole lot of different audio visual stories and adding more content. It will have an ark that lasts for about an hour so that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just there zoning out for a whole day.

40 | RICHARD LAKUCS

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SOUNDSELFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IS MORE ABOUT THE SENSORY EXPERIENCES. DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY IS MOVING INTO A NEW DIRECTION? Yes, but only in a certain segment, which I call â&#x20AC;&#x153;video-dreamingâ&#x20AC;?. I have observed a whole lot of video dreams that people have tried to design instead of exchanging experiences that are self-contained indescribable moments of self. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Video-dreamsâ&#x20AC;? are designed to facilitate the shift of consciousness in that space instead of necessarily having a set of symbols and ideas that you could take away afterwards.

Gamers have this idea of what video games are supposed to be, but more and more people in the industry are experimenting with experience orientated rather than extrinsically oriented games.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I HAD THIS EXPANDING SENSE OF SELF WHEN I WAS ON PSYCHEDELICS AND FELT THAT I COULD FACILITATE THIS SORT OF EXPERIENCE WITHOUT THE CHEMICAL HELPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

WHEN DID YOU START OUT IN THE GAMES INDUSTRY? WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? I was creating an experiment called Deep Sea a few years ago, and people were very attracted to it because it was a really new and weird idea. I started by chasing something I really liked and people also liked it and that gave me innumerable opportunities. I think one of the XBZT JOUP UIF JOEVTUSZ JT UP mOE PVU XIBU UIF industry wants and get the skill set to do it, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that is a particularly interesting entry in to any art form.

If you are true to yourself and what you are expressing then chances are it is going to be true to other people. From there youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to hopefully make a living out of it or at least doing something you love. What Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing now is very niche and strange things that QFPQMF OFDFTTBSJMZ EPO U XBOU UP USZ BU mSTU * mOE UIBU XBZ NPSF JOUFSFTUJOH BOE SFXBSEJOH than working at a triple A studio or somewhere where you hear horror stories of people being PWFSXPSLFE BOE OPU GFFMJOH DSFBUJWFMZ GVMmMMFE Do what feels right, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to follow a certain path that everyone says you need to.

You should not listen to anyone who says â&#x20AC;&#x153;hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how you get into gamesâ&#x20AC;?.

PAUSE | GAMING

BEING A â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NOOBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ONLINE *NQBDU (BNJOH go undercover in the world of online games to see how the internet treats gaming â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noobsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

PAYDAY: THE HEIST

NATURAL SELECTION 2

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

TIM MALLARD

ROBERT PRIEST

TOM WELSHMAN

The main experience Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had being a new player in a multiplayer game is with 1BZEBZ 5IF )FJTU. This cooperative game sets a group of up to four players as bank robbers who carry out various missions which surround their criminal life. Most of these missions are split up into stages, and without prior knowledge of these the game can be confusing for new players. As a result you can quickly start to slow your team down.

I originally bought /BUVSBM 4FMFDUJPO in Steamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer sale but due to a mixture of me splurging out on lots of new games and poor internet connection at home, I never really played it. In retrospect, I probably should have given it more of a chance. Now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m at uni again and I have better connection, I decided that I would try to get into it and see how, as a new player, I would be treated. The answer: very well.

-FBHVF PG -FHFOET has a possibly unfair reputation as being a game with a very â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;toxicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, community. We found that playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; emotions in battle mirrored those we would expect in real life. An obviously unskilled player that was visibly a low level in the game (a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) was given help, and advice on character selection and abilities was frequently received. Even when conceding â&#x20AC;&#x153;my bad!â&#x20AC;? after a mistake, one player replied â&#x20AC;&#x153;no problem.â&#x20AC;? No fury and foul language there.

Clearly this can be annoying for others, but my experience with playing this game a year after its release showed nothing but a helpful and open community who wanted to share their collected knowledge of the game. This was most evident in a level called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Diamond Heistâ&#x20AC;? which is a mission best completed in stealth - a EJGmDVMU DIBMMFOHF GPS OFX QMBZFST

There is a big push by the developers to get players to be accepting and friendly towards new players and it seems to be working; none PG UIJT UPYJD TUVGG ZPV HFU PO NBOZ mSTU QFSTPO shooters and multiplayer online battle arenas.

I especially like the fact that there are a lot of servers that openly welcome new players; this helps anyone who hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played the game properly (like me) to feel like they can delve into it without feeling alienated.

The fun I had learning how to best approach this level and being guided by different team members to success, as well as the fun antics when we (rather inevitably) raised the alarm, is still one of my favourite gaming experiences so far. As a result of this I thoroughly believe that a friendly community is one of the best attributes a game can have, especially one which is predominantly multiplayer.

However, much changes when the stakes are raised. High level players are heavily persecuted for making mistakes, often resorting to profanity in order to communicate their rage.

On one occasion we met players who believed they were extremely good and that it was their teammates that were the cause of the problem.

These players enjoyed belittling everyone else and speaking primarily in capitals.

This can be put down to the Dunning-Kruger effect (whereby inexperienced players are made to feel inferior); something widespread amongst the higher level players. Overall, we can take away from this that there is little room for error amongst the big leagues in League of Legends, but the online community can (and will usually) be forgiving to new players that are clearly inexperienced.

41

PAUSE | MUSIC

OBEYING THE TREND â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Obeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: An unsurprising slogan coined by the new-age â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;house-lover.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Standing as a symbol PG UIF ASBWFS UIJT CSBOE OPU POMZ JEFOUJmFT UIF individual as a strict member of the scene; but also serves as a point from which to begin the history of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;how House became cool.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Obey,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or as it was known at its birth â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Andre the Giant has a Posseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, was created by Shepard Fairy in 1989 as an in-joke directed at the hiphop sub-culture of the time. Of course, the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Posseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; originates from the slang of artists such as Public Enemy and NWA. How this brand has found its way onto the backward baseball caps and pointy woollen hats of every Julio Bashmore fan in Nottingham is extremely puzzling, yet not particularly out of character for the scene.

The above illustrates two important points inherent in the popularisation of House music during recent years. Firstly ignoring the music in order to be cool, and second, the confusion of uniformity with individuality, resulting in a sloppy and uniform approach to production.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;HOW THIS BRAND FOUND ITS WAY ONTO BACKWARD BASEBALL CAPS AND POINTY WOOLLEN HATS IN NOTTINGHAM IS PUZZLINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

This article rebuts the establishment of social conduct derived from music where those involved do so not because they have any connection to the music, but because they wish to be part of the scene.

the masses as being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;edgyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; it loses its majesty. As people are less concerned with the sound of the music, and more how being a part of the scene will reinforce their individuality, the music follows suit.

*U JT TJHOJmDBOU UIBU UIF NBJO CSBOE DPJOFE CZ the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;House Sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; derives its roots from hiphop. Subsequently it can be inferred that the purchasing-process involved when acquiring the bold-red-boxed slogan involves not a desire to represent the music, which of course would result in a swell of t-shirts presenting House JNQSJOU MPHPT BOE BSUJTU UJUMFT CVU B EFTJSF UP mU JO with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; current trend of the moment.

5IJT JT OP CFUUFS FYFNQMJmFE UIBO /BWZ 4IBEF T â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh My Love.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This song is characterised by a terribly panned/compressed beat, a bunch of sine-waves sloppily slapped on top of each other, a little bit of noise and, an admittedly catchy, vocal sample. Yet, everyone loves it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s considered â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

-FU VT DPOTJEFS UIF CJ[BSSF nJQ TJEF XIFSFCZ B Rhode Island rap fan strides around displaying a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Juiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Original Flavourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; t-shirt. Clearly this image is out of place, yet what makes the converse so acceptable? Ignoring the smalltime nature of these brands, it is quite clear that the reason this situation does not exist is due to what is perceived as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; within the various communities.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ONCE A MUSIC GENRE IS PICKED OUT BY THE MASSES AS BEING â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;COOLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; OR â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;EDGYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IT LOSES ITS MAJESTYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

In buying clothes branded with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Obeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, most individuals are concerned not with what they are representing, which is apparently House music, but instead with the social implications associated with their clothing.

But, if being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is considered being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and everyone knows and loves the song not because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good but because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, then surely this means you are no longer â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Until everybody then realises that this is whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening and a new genre surfaces.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only natural that whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cool,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but the fact is, once a music genre is picked out by

House these days is not a music preference but a perceived life-style.

42 | DAVID SHAMTOOB | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN TYNEGATE

PAUSE | MUSIC

IMPACT INTRODUCING: SAINT RAYMOND YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE CURRENTLY IN LA MAKING YOUR DĂ&#x2030;BUT ALBUM, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE RECORD? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still writing it out here! Not too sure where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be recorded yet but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m aiming for the record to have a lot of energy, I want to make a record that people will want to listen to right through and not just a track here and there.

WHERE DID THE STAGE NAME SAINT RAYMOND COME FROM? The name comes from a street name and my grandadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name.

CAN YOU THINK WHY THE NOTTINGHAM SCENE HAS TAKEN OFF OF LATE? I think the main reason is everyone seems to be backing each other and people are realising that

if we all support each other, we can really make Nottingham a focal point in the music scene.

YOU MUST BE BORED OF BEING LABELLED â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THE NEXT JAKE BUGGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, WHO DO YOU REALLY ASPIRE TO BE LIKE? The Jake Bugg thing is obviously a compliment in the respect that Jake is smashing it. I really MJLF XIBU IF T EPJOH BOE JU T nZJOH CVU JU T KVTU been lazy for people to say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;he also plays guitar and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from Nottinghamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, when, in fact, our music is very different.

There are a lot of people I aspire to such as the obvious ones like The Beatles and Oasis but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always wanted to do my own thing whilst still UBLJOH JOnVFODFT GSPN PUIFS HFOSFT

RECENTLY, YOU PLAYED A HEADLINE SHOW AT BODEGA TO A SELL-OUT CROWD, HOW WAS PLAYING THERE? That moment will live with me forever. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always nice to know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have family there but when you step out in your hometown and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a group of real fans singing back at you, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something to treasure.

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE SUPPORTING HAIM THIS WINTER, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING BIGGER VENUES? %FmOJUFMZĂž *U T HPJOH UP CF TVDI B HPPE UPVS Every night is sold out so that is pretty exciting.

Also looking forwarding to getting to travel all over.

FORGOTTEN CLASSIC:

OCEAN COLOUR SCENE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MOSELEY SHOALS Released amidst the Brit Pop madness back in 1996, Ocean Colour Sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second and seminal album .PTFMFZ 4IPBMT shot to Number two in the charts following a successful support slot with Oasis the year before. Well distinguished from the brash indie-rock of Oasis and the jangly pop of Blur, OCS split the market XJUI UIFJS TUZMJTI BOE SFmOFE BSN TXBZJOH CSBOE of indie pop crossover. .PTFMFZ 4IPBMT, a pun on Muscle Shoals, Alabama - often regarded as the home of soul - seemingly slipped quietly under the radar gaining far less critical reception than its more well known counterparts. That said, by the end of 1996, the album had sold over 1.3 million copies and slid up and down the charts throughout the year.

1MVDLJOH UJUCJUT GSPN UIFJS PXO JOnVFODFT UIF album sees R&B vibes rubbing shoulders with prog-rock riffs and cigar-lounge pianos. Paul Wellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right hand man and mod guitar demi-

God Steve Cradockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Led-Zep dusted guitar line kicks off proceedings on the then radio favourite â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Riverboat Songâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; followed by the punchy sing-along â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Day We Caught The Trainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Although written almost 18 years ago, these USBDLT TUJMM mOE UIFNTFMWFT PO IFBWZ SPUBUJPO JO indie nightclubs today.

7PJE PG mMMFST UIF BMCVN UJDLT CZ GSPN UIF psychedelic swirls of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Circleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to Simon Fowlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swooning vocal in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lining Your Pocketsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;40 Past Midnightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; samples the Rolling Stones â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spends The Night Togetherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and is one of a few tracks on the album that sees Paul Weller on keys. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;One For The Roadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the most Brit-Pop tinged track on the album with its jangly guitars and tambourine overtures. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s My Shadowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sounds as though it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be out of place on a Rod Stewart era 'BDFT record and trickles into the raucous â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Policemen and Piratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; where Cradockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gibson punctuates

Fowlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growling vocals. The mournful A%PXOTUSFBN NBLFT XBZ GPS B SPVTJOH mOBMF JO â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Got It Badâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Get Awayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. .PTFMFZ 4IPBMT remains one of the most EFmOJOH BOE DPIFTJWF #SJU SPDL BMCVNT PG PVS generations and arguably one of the best and most complete albums never to have reached number one.

ADAM KEYWORTH | 43

PAUSE | MUSIC

3PCJO 5IJDLF

THE POWER OF THE MUSIC VIDEO GOOD

BA D

Though there are clear issues with a lot of music videos, there are also ways in which the music video can actually be a force for good.

Music videos are becoming more popular as an art form. Take Sigur RĂłsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; set of short videos for their newest album, the most iconic being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FjĂśgur pĂ­anĂłâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; featuring Shia Labeouf, lollipops and a lot of poetic JNBHFSZ TVSSPVOEJOH CVUUFSnJFT 5IPVHI QFSIBQT QSFUFOUJPVT BU QPJOUT the whole set of videos commissioned are beautiful and artistic.

Most important is the way music videos connect with an audience, especially music videos with a message - regardless of it being good or bad. This is clear from the media hype surrounding Robin Thickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Blurred Linesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and Miley Cyrusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wrecking Ballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - both videos set off so much debate and discussion both online and in person.

They provide ways for people to express ideas in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friendly to the general public. Even if videos are sometimes tasteless and offensive in content, the discussion around them is mostly productive and is, in most instances, a silver lining to the raincloud that the video may bring.

Media in general is a powerful tool, and I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to be fully opposed to videos that provoke such a strong, impassioned reaction from almost everyone.

Music videos can be used as a beautiful art form: a way for artists to visually interact with their audience and craft their distinctive persona.

However, as the mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shock factorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grows, their primary function becomes apparent. Music videos are just another form of advertising.

The scantily dressed (if at all, depending on the version) girls in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Blurred -JOFT BSFO U UIF mSTU UP SFBMJTF UBLJOH ZPVS LJU PGG HFUT :PV5VCF IJUT Everyone from Justin Timberlake in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Senoritaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to The White Stripes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I Just Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Know What To Do With Myselfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; featuring Kate Moss pole dancing, have realised that sex sells.

Glamourising taboo issues like promiscuity is a way of getting viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attentions and essentially, earning the dollar. Other questionable subjects have been featured in music videos, such as Madonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s provocative portrayal of Christianity in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Like A Prayerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or Nirvanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tactless depiction of the Ku Klux Klan in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Heart Shaped Box.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The recent Disclosure video â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Help Me Lose My Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has been banned due to their referencing of drugs in their video. This could indicate that the shock factor crammed into a two minute video is going too far.

We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to humanise our music videos. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want Miley Cyrus to jump off her wrecking ball and moan about the weather or her period pains. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s human yes, but she is a celebrity. They do reinvent themselves and push the extremes. They are called artists, after all.

Boobs, bottoms and the horrible amount of violence that is, unfortunately, present in society should not be glamourised. Music is a form of art and escapism. So, as an artist, let us escape from girls being PCKFDUJmFE BOE ESVHT CFJOH MBCFMMFE BT ADPPM BOE HP 4BMWBEPS %BMJ PO that shit.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WANT MILEY CYRUS TO JUMP OFF HER WRECKING BALL AND MOAN ABOUT HER PERIOD PAINSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 4JHVS 3ĂłT 44 | BRYONY LINGARD AND DAISY FOSTER

Deutsche Bank db.com/careers

You need a unique mind VQ ɦPF [QWT QYP YC[ We need minds like yours at our $KTOKPIJCO QɨEG There are so many investment banking graduate programs out there, it can be JCTF VQ EJQQUG DGVYGGP VJGO 5Q YJ[ PQV RKEM CP CNVQIGVJGT FKɥGTGPV RCVJ as part of our Birmingham team? Joining one of the fastest-growing parts of our global investment bank, you’ll be providing vital support at the heart of our business. So you can make your mark from day one, then make the most of all VJG TGYCTFKPI RQUUKDKNKVKGU VJCV QPN[ EQOG HTQO VT[KPI UQOGVJKPI FKɥGTGPV &KUEQXGT ITCFWCVG ECTGGTU YKVJ C FKɥGTGPEG CV db.com/careers/dbAccess

ALEX NEELY | 47

PAUSE | ARTS

ONCE UPON A NIGHTMARE The fairy tales of our childhood are not all they seem; the princesses and castles conceal something much darker that lurks behind the sugared Disney veneer. Read a story from Grimm or Perrault, and you may be in for a surprise; a world of handsome princes and Happily Ever Afters replaced by traps, tricks and gruesome fates.

The scope of study on fairy tales has been vast. As folk traditions the stories have been manipulated and altered by generations and generations across multiple cultures, each alteration telling something of the social climate. Initially these fairy tales were not just entertainment; the French â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;contes de feesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were written as critiques of the social order, and many others, particularly those of Germanic origin, were written to warn or to teach. Images of violence and victimisation were simply expected to reinforce the message of the tale.

Although initially it may appear that the tales have been toned down in recent years, there are still elements within the stories that unnerve. Issues of gender presentation exaggerated in the Disney versions, passive princesses with powerful princes, and beauty as social validation all receiving much critical attention. So next time you cast your mind towards Cinderella or Snow White, take a second to look past the magic at what lies beneath.

TH E LI T T LE ME R M A I D AMELIA SMITH Written in Danish by Hans Christian Anderson in 1835, the original story is somewhat less heart-warming than Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well-loved adaptation. The plots are initially similar; the little mermaid saves a prince from drowning and falls in love, swapping her voice for human legs despite the warnings from a protective father.

However, Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version has more serious undertones.

Every step on land for her is like walking on broken glass, and yet she fails to win the prince.

The little mermaid is left heartbroken while he marries someone else. If the mermaid kills the prince and lets his blood drip on her feet, she can become a mermaid again, but she is too nice to murder him. Instead, she throws herself into the sea and dissolves into foam, becoming a spirit, and has to earn her soul by doing good deeds for 300 years. Moral of the story - young ladies must obey their father and avoid men... not quite a Happily Ever After.

46 | ARTWORK BY HOLLY PURCHASE

T H E FR O G PR I NC E ANNA BROWN Every little girl will tell you that if she kisses a frog he will transform into a beautiful prince and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll fall madly in love and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, in the early Brothers Grimm version, the amphibious prince tricks the unsuspecting princess into making a deal with him. He then stalks her home, harasses her until she feeds him, and forces his way into her bed VOUJM mOBMMZ TIF UISPXT IJN BHBJOTU UIF XBMM JO disgust. Somehow, the blow to the head turns him back into a prince. Who knows what he does to the poor princess after that.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD REBECCA ROWLAND Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood escaped being lunch by pretending to need the bathroom. In the original folk tale, men were represented by the #JKPV, a werewolf. He does his worst, namely devouring most of grandma before tricking poor Red into tucking into a TDSVNNZ nFTI BOE CPUUMFE CMPPE DPNCP 5IF cannibalism seems a little extreme, but if the tale is trying to warn about both moral and sexual threats, I guess it does its job. Sadly, Red doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t question being told to strip off, burn her clothes and hop into bed with a wolf-ingrandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-clothingâ&#x20AC;Ś

PAUSE | ARTS SLEEP ING BE A UT Y

R AP U N Z EL

C I NDE REL L A

ANNA BROWN

BETHAN WILKES

BEA BEARD

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty.

1SJODFTT "VSPSB QSJDLT IFS mOHFS PO B TQJOEMF and falls into a deep sleep, awaiting true loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kiss. Unfortunately, the original tale is slightly more X-rated than Disney let on. In the 1634 version the princess, originally named Talia, gets a poisoned splinter stuck under her nail and falls into a coma. Along comes a neighbouring king and proceeds to rape her. Nine months later, she gives birth to his twins (whilst still out cold...)

BOE mOBMMZ SFHBJOT DPOTDJPVTOFTT XIFO POF PG them accidentally sucks the splinter from her mOHFS #BDL JO IJT PXO MBOE UIF LJOH CVSOT IJT wife alive to be with Talia, but not before his wife tries to kill her and cook her children - so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all morally legit.

The origins of Rapunzel are a far cry from 5BOHMFE T innocent love story. Earlier versions of the tale have the witch discovering Rapunzelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secret visitor when Rapunzel lets slip her dress JT HFUUJOH UJHIU *U T EJGmDVMU UP HFU IPME PG CJSUI control when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re locked in a tower! When the Prince discovers she has been thrown out to fend for herself and her children in the wilderness, he jumps out of the tower window and blinds himself.

Eventually they are reunited and the inevitable happy ending occurs, but the real life story itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s based on is a little more sinister. According to legend, a wealthy pagan merchant locked his daughter away in a tower to keep her away from men. Stories differ as to whether she embraces God or, like Rapunzel, falls pregnant, but when her father discovers this he has her tortured and beheaded.

Cinderella â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an archetypal fairy tale with the handsome prince, a magical fairy godmother and the natural triumph of Cinderellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goodness. Or maybe not. A tale of good overcoming evil essentially, but the lovely version we all know and love does leave out the stepsisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drastic attempts at ensnaring UIF EFTQFSBUF 1SJODF *O PSEFS UP mU JOUP UIF UJOZ golden slipper, one stepsister is encouraged to slice off her big toe whilst the other hacks off her heel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a tad gorier than the well-known tale...

Furthermore, on Cinderellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding day, her GBJUIGVM nPDL PG CJSET HSVFTPNFMZ QFDL PVU IFS stepsistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; eyes, and the fairytale ends with the line: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they livedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The moral of the story? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mess with Cinderella.

47

PAUSE | ARTS

BOOKER TO BOOT? Literary awards are a universally popular means of judging books.

But should we consider abandoning them?

Logan Wamsley argues that â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need awards like the Booker more than everâ&#x20AC;?

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Man Booker Prize belongs to the young Ms. Eleanor Catton for her 832-page epic 5IF -VNJOBSJFT, and unfortunately that means she inherits all the backlash that comes with it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The prize is no longer relevant,â&#x20AC;? some say. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are prizes necessary when we all live in the brave new frontier of consumer capitalism, where the people can decide for themselves whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good or not?â&#x20AC;?

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re absolutely right. But they only prove why we need awards like the Booker today more than ever. The capitalist world of dollars and cents is a cruel mistress indeed. As much as we like to think that quality art will always triumph over bureaucracy, the sad truth is that art, like everything else, is a slave to the system. For a writer to reveal their work to the world, they need a way to get the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undivided attention.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;CAPITALISM ISNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T KIND TO THE LITTLE GUY, WHICH IS WHERE AWARDS COME IN.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; But capitalism isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kind to the little guy, which is where awards come in. The Man Booker Prize, like any other such award, actually JODSFBTFT consumer choice by allowing options to enter the public sphere that would go unnoticed otherwise. People usually spend their valuable time and money only on books theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard of, and industry heavyweights are going to have far more resources to accomplish that than any noble starving artist.

What so many fail to realize is that awards are OPU EFTJHOFE UP EJTDPWFS UIF iCPPL mMN BMCVN PG the year.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible; everyone will have an opinion, and the Booker judges would be UIF mSTU UP UFMM ZPV UIBU 5IF #PPLFS JT EFTJHOFE merely to be a suggestion of what that book of the year DPVME be.

No one is forcing you to agree, and certainly no one is forcing you to buy it. In fact, whether the winning piece is considered good or not is irrelevant; whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important is that the award starts a dialogue, which in turn spreads knowledge. There can be only one award SFDJQJFOU CVU VMUJNBUFMZ XF BMM CFOFmU

Talia Samuelson argues that OLWHUDU\ DZDUGV DUH DUWLĂ&#x20AC;FLDO condescending and unnecessary It seems that literary awards, among them UIF .BO #PPLFS PP[F BSUJmDJBMJUZ 5IFZ QBTUF nVPSFTDFOU TUJDLFST PO UIF XJOOFS T DPWFS which then, having embedded themselves in the public conscious, proceed to mould the book charts. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contrived, not to mention unnecessary. Books have historically had an array of hurdles to clear before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re permitted B nJSUBUJPO XJUI TVDDFTT 1VCMJTIFST DSJUJDT BOE B DZOJDBM QVCMJD BMSFBEZ QVSQPSU UP mMUFS UIF XIFBU from the chaff, so why do we need the book prize?

5IFSF T EFmOJUFMZ BO FMFNFOU PG DPOEFTDFOTJPO apparently we require the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;literary directionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of intellectually superior individuals with a host of QPTU OPNJOBM MFUUFST UP nBVOU 5IJT ZFBS UIF .BO Booker judging panel was entirely white and all ex-Oxbridge. So for Ion Trewin, of the Booker Prize Foundation, to champion its â&#x20AC;&#x153;common manâ&#x20AC;? approach, is rather amusing. These people are far from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;common man,â&#x20AC;? having

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

That literary awards are losing focus, and thus their authority, is hinted at by some frankly incongruous sponsorships. Baileyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, for FYBNQMF TIBSFT MJUUMF XJUI UIF XPNFO T mDUJPO prize that it sponsors. With a sponsorship repertoire including %FTQFSBUF )PVTFXJWFT, such an association for any winner will surely demean their work in the eyes of the public. It appears the appreciation of good literature is now secondary to the money-making schemes of the sponsor.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THE APPRECIATION OF GOOD LITERATURE IS NOW SECONDARY TO THE MONEY-MAKING SCHEMES OF THE SPONSOR.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible, that like books themselves, UIF MJGFTQBO PG UIF CPPL QSJ[F JT mOJUF 5IF conventional bound book with its crisp white sheets and *AWARD-WINNING* sticker is losing its allure as we witness the rise of the ebook.

We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to heed the subjective views of judges- weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to download a host of samples in seconds and judge for ourselves.

Only then will we be freed from the direction of the book prize.

51%

of students said they are more likely to buy a book that has won a prize.

57%

of students said they found book prizes helpful.

6%

of students knew what types of book the booker prize is promoting.

16%

of students knew who had won the Booker Prize this year.

Only

Only

48 | LOGAN WALMSLEY AND TALIA SAMUELSON

no doubt enjoyed privilege unimaginable to the best of us. Why should they judge books on behalf of the general reading public, when they all issue from the Olympus of academia?

PAUSE | ARTS

BIBLIOTHERAPHY:

IS LITERATURE THE CURE?

Bib lio the rap y is the us e of lite rat ure to he lp an ind ivi du al ac hie ve he alt h an d we ll-b ein g.

Di ffe ren t ag en cie s ac ros s the co un try are be gin nin g to de ve lop ne w wa ys for bu ild ing up on the se ide as of rea din g as a for m of the rap y.

Th e Re ad ing Ag en cy is a na tio na l org an isa tio n tha t run s in co nn ec tio n wi th loc al lib rar y se rvi ce s in ord er to pro mo te rea din g as a for m of en ha nc ing co nfi de nc e, co mb ati ng me nta l he alt h diffic ult ies an d en co ura gin g co mm un ity de ve lop me nt.

De bb ie Hi ck s, a fou nd ing me mb er of the Re ad ing Ag en cy, ex pla ine d to *N QB DU tha t the co nc ep t of bib lio the rap y wo rks fro m bo th a top do wn an d bo tto m up ap pro ac h: “B ibl iot he rap y ca n me an bo th rea din g rec om me nd ed fro m he alt h pro fes sio na ls, wh ich we ca ll ‘bo ok s on pre sc rip tio n’, as we ll as rea din g rec om me nd ed by a hu ge ran ge of rea de rspe rha ps wh o the ms elv es ha ve su ffe red fro m me nta l or oth er illn es se s”.

Alt ho ug h rea din g is oft en an ind ivi du al ac tiv ity ,

Hi ck s no ted tha t the re ha s be en an inc rea sin g em ph as is on so cia l gro up s in bib lio the rap y.

In a su rve y co nd uc ted by the Re ad ing Ag en cy in 20 08 , the re we re 10 ,00 0 lib rar y ba se d rea din g gro up s ac ros s the UK . Th is fig ure is clo se to do ub le the nu mb er of gro up s me as ure d in 20 04 . Hi ck s ex pla ins thi s hu ge inc rea se in so cia l rea din g as a res ult of “re ad ing be ing ac kn ow led ge d as a me an s to co mb at iso lat ion ”.

Sh e als o pu ts the rec en t res urg en ce of int ere st in bib lio the rap y do wn to “th e res tru ctu rin g of he alt h se rvi ce s alo ng the lin es of ea rly int erv en tio n” , pa rtic ula rly in ref ere nc e to me nta l he alt h.

Stu de nts ha ve to de al wi th a hu ge ran ge of dif feren t ex pe rie nc es an d em oti on s in a ve ry sh ort sp ac e of tim e.

So ca n lite rat ure he lp ma ke the un ive rsi ty ex pe rie nc e a lot les s da un tin g? Ca n bib lio the rap y be co me the ch ea pe r, mo re ha nd s-o n alt ern ati ve to ‘co nv en tio na l’ co un se llin g?

y Un ive rsit ies are alread up gro g din rea pilo ting ive rsit y sch em es, wit h the Un y ead alr ary libr ds Lee of on ure rat lite pro mo ting , and bo oks on pre scr ipt ion up s. gro g din rea ing ag enc our turer Ke vin Ha rve y is a lec The at tics uis in So cio ling am Un ive rsit y of No ttin gh g din rea a run ps and hel ora tes the gro up , wh ich inc orp ap y. me tho ds of bib liot her

iss ues ab out me nta l hea lth hel p cla rify iss ues for tha t ind ivid ual s, bu t als o ativ e cre in ue val “th ere is a po etr y rea din g; nov els and mo ting pro vid e wa ys of pro we ll-b ein g tha t let you rrie s esc ap e you r ow n wo ow n r you out ab and lea rn exp eri enc es” .

att itud es He told *NQ BDU tha t not e hav y ap her to bib liot c: “Th ere alw ays be en op tim isti cis m is a de gre e of sce pti enc e. sci d har no be cau se its op le’s Oft en you rel y on pe ir sto rie s exp eri enc es and the the m bu t d pe ab out how it’s hel int exa ctly -po pin to lt ficu dif it’s wh at it is ab out it”. me nte d: Ho we ver he als o com ble m pro a t’s tha k thin “I do n’t and rk wo to ms be cau se it see I thin k g. thin in ma the t’s tha ere ntly rea din g in itse lf is inh the rap eut ic” . for Thi s ide a is the ba sis Re ad ing the as h suc s up gro Ag enc y.

BDU tha t De bb ie Hic ks told *NQ bo oks tion -fic not onl y do non

Ke vin Ha rve y ag ree s: tha t “Th at it is som eth ing ed , lud inc nts de pe op le, stu Bu t I ma y not be aw are of. re to thin k bo oks hav e mo inin g off er be sid es the ga m of inte llec tua l wis do re’s and art isti c val ue. The out som eth ing ma gic al ab a be can ure rat how lite pe op le pla tfo rm or spu r for thin gs, nal rso pe out ab talk to ise erw oth uld wo y wh ich the sin g. hav e difficu lty exp res for Ou r bra ins are wired ma ke nar rat ive . We try and cha os the of out the of se sen rie s sto h oug thr rld of the wo y the and I thin k tha t’s wh the rap y wo rks ”.

Jan e So – a pre scr ipt ion of ria n Ma of se do A Au ste n? an you r Ke yes ? Is Ian Mc Ew cus sio n on rem ed y? Joi n the dis te. bsi the *NQ BDU we

BEA BEARD AND EMILY TRIPP | 49

SPORT

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AT YOUR UNIVERSITY?

CHEERLEADING Impact spoke to Maddie and Amy from the Nottingham Knights Cheerleading Squad about calendars, competitions, and being kicked in the face.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE IDENTITY OF THE CLUB? M: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a really friendly club, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no animosity between anyone. We had loads of people wanting to join this year, but after tryouts we have to cap the squad at 50 because it allows us to keep a positive atmosphere within the group.

A: Our socials are compulsory, which might sound a bit harsh, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own good â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good for everyone to get to know each other outside of practice and performances.

NO MEAN GIRLS BITCHINESS HERE THEN? M: No, not at all. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something we actively try and get away from. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny because you get girls that come onto the squad and say: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really not like we thought it would beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

A: Our socials often involve us dressing up JO SJEJDVMPVT PVUmUT SBUIFS UIBO UIF TMVUUZ stereotype. I was Snape for one last year.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;THIS YEAR WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE INCLUDED SOME FULLY CLOTHED PICTURES [IN OUR CALENDARS]â&#x20AC;&#x2122; WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD CHEERLEADER? M: Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no ideal cheerleader we look for. In general terms itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a combination of gym and

50 | JONNIE BARNETT

dance, so a background in either would make it easier to pick it up.

A: People that are willing to try really hard are the ones that make the best cheerleaders.

The ones that get kicked in the face and just get back up and want to do it again.

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE PEAK OF THE CHEERLEADING YEAR?

WHAT DOES THE CLUB DO OUTSIDE OF PERFORMANCES AND COMPETITIONS? A: We work with the local charity, ForgetMe-Notts, which has recently merged with Operation Orphan, to give chocolates to children in care at Christmas and Easter.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve recently shot a calendar, from which all QSPmUT XJMM HP UP UIF DIBSJUZ

A: 7BSTJUZ EFmOJUFMZ 5IF DPNQFUJUJPOT BSF really fun but the Ice Hockey Varsity game is my favourite.

COULD THE CLUB RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY IN A WAY WHICH DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T PERPETUATE THE STEREOTYPES?

M: Also, Varsityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice because our routines are always at their best and it feels like a culmination of all our hard work. The whole Uni is watching too, whereas at competitions itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often just family.

M: We do the calendar because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s by far our biggest fundraiser for charity. At the end of the day, if it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make any money then we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it. We also get involved on a personal level, helping pack the boxes and deliver them, which I think the charity really appreciates.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;GIRLS COME ONTO THE SQUAD AND SAY â&#x20AC;&#x153;ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REALLY NOT LIKE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BEâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; DO YOU STRUGGLE GETTING MANY BOYS ON THE CHEERLEADING TEAM? M: Yeah, absolutely.

A: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried really hard this year. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made sure that there are boys on our promotional posters and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also spoken to a couple of the other clubs to see if they can help us PVU BU 7BSTJUZ UJNF GPS FYBNQMF *U T EJGmDVMU because there is such a stereotype of it being a girly sport.

M: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so keen to get as many as possible, because they are able to make the lifts look so much better. Any guys that might be interested, please get in touch!

A: We do other things during the year too, like donut and cookie sales, so there is a longterm commitment there. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been raising money for Forget-Me-Notts for four years now.

This year weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve included some fully-clothed pictures too, to try and get away from the stereotype.

M: Everyone who took part was completely happy and it was a really funny day.

A: Loads of other societies do them too, including boys ones, and some have way NPSF nFTI PO TIPX UIBO PVST * EPO U UIJOL XF should be a victim of the stereotype.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIFFICULT [GETTING GUYS ON THE TEAM] BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH A STEREOTYPE OF IT BEING A GIRLY SPORTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

SPORT

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON YOUR DOORSTEP?

CAPITAL FM ARENA

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON OFFER? 5IJOL ZPV E FOKPZ B TQPSU XIFSF mHIUJOH BOE brutally smashing people into plexiglass are allowed? Where large, angry North Americans nZ VQ BOE EPXO B TIFFU PG JDF TIPPUJOH frozen rubber at goals at 100mph+? Where cheesy pop (and some rock) music is played in between the game every few minutes? Then HFU EPXO UP UIF DPVOUSZ T mOFTU WFOVF UP XBUDI the Nottingham Panthers: Elite League, Playoff and Cup Champions of last season, play some â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hockey sur glaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

WHAT OTHER ENTERTAINMENT CAN YOU EXPECT? The Panthers get the largest crowds in the UK, with around 5,000 fans, on average, attending each contest, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a decent atmosphere inside the Capital FM Arena on game-night. Young cohorts of the National Ice Centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skating schools take to the ice in period breaks to show off their skills.

Plus, music is a large part of the experience too, with the home teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s introduction to the ice built up by a stirring video montage on the million-pound scoreboard and some pumping beats. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a perfect eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment for any group of students.

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no-drawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rule is another exciting asset of the game. If the score is level after 60 minutes PG QMBZ mWF NJOVUFT PG TVEEFO EFBUI PWFSUJNF

are played and no one scores during that, we go to a nerve-racking penalty shootout. So there always has to be a winner.

Over the other side of the complex, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another Olympic-size rink set up if you fancy honing your own skating skills and becoming the next Torvill and/or Dean. Speed and synchronising skating are also on the programme in Nottingham if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really good.

The arena boasts a large shop too, selling a range of hockey equipment, jerseys and even NHL snapbacks.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A PERFECT EVENINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ENTERTAINMENT FOR ANY GROUP OF STUDENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; COST The student rate of ÂŁ13 or ÂŁ14 a ticket for the high-octane, high-intensity action is excellent value for money. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be at the arena for around two and half hours with the breaks in between periods and the clock being stopped every time the whistle is blown during the game. If you really want to and can afford it, you can sit in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;centre iceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; blocks for ÂŁ18.50.

Food and drink are where it goes somewhat downhill. Pints are around ÂŁ3.70 each; pasties, the only hot foodstuff they seem to sell around the arena concourse, are ÂŁ3.30. Or, incredibly

generously, you can combine the two for an absolute bargain ÂŁ6.70. So perhaps take advantage of the better offer at Pizza Express in Hockley, where, if you show your match ticket, you can receive â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;buy one pizza, get one for ÂŁ2.50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Soft drinks are also extortionate inside the arena.

If your own pre-game skate sounds appealing, JU T KVTU B mWFS GPS TUVEFOUT UP UBLF UP UIF JDF TRAVEL The impressive Capital FM Arena stands right in the heart of Nottingham, so is extremely easy to reach by any public transport. If you have a car, parking can be a little awkward. But donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay the ridiculous prices in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;properâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; car parks: there are avenues near the Subway next to the arena which are ÂŁ3 to park in. Also, there is plenty of residential parking a few roads behind these avenues, just several minutes walk away.

FACE OFF So, take advantage of the fact that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re living, as a student, in the city that currently boasts the most electric, powerful ice hockey side in the UK and enjoy an exciting evening of chanting, trying desperately to follow where the puck is and clapping along to Depeche Modeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s +VTU $BO U (FU &OPVHI.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN TYNEGATE | MATT MCGLADRIGAN | 51

SPORT

WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHO IN YOUR AVERAGE FOOTBALL CROWD Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a football crowd. You disregard all previous socio-cultural differences, join your chosen tribe and dive into the turbulent waters of interstadial relations. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the Yellow Wall of the Westfalenstadion or on the terraces of Nyewood Lane, you are elbowto-elbow with certain stock characters who pervade stands around the world. So yes, Dortmund fans from the Ruhr DBO relate to those from Bognor Regis. But, stadium-going supporters of the footballing world, who are you?

THE FAITHFUL As the heart (and lungs) of the club, they watch every game from the back of the home end starting chants and standing proud.

They offer the team refreshing optimism and encouragement even in the face of large EFmDJUT #FGPSF LJDLPGG TFF UIFN nPDLJOH UP UIF local pub to preview and predict over pie and pint. (Drum optional).

THE ARMCHAIR PUNDIT 5XP WFSTJPOT IFSF mSTU UIFSF BSF UIF TFMG righteous characters whose coping mechanism consists of a minute-by-minute channelling of questionable strategy. Constant grunts of doubting the manager are replete with Twitter tirades and attention-seeking outrage.

Listen out for the comical mispronunciations of foreign playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names. Then, there is the calm rationalist who knows his libero from his

trequartista, evidently plays Football Manager and reads Jonathan Wilson. A tactical Grand Master, see him turn to his mate and evaluate players and formations with encyclopaedic knowledge.

THE SHAMELESS SHOUTER A season ticket holder who always seems to be there, this oft-tattooed yob attempts to start chants even when nobody joins in.

He contests every referee decision with an unintelligible rant of swearing and abuse, much to the annoyance of quieter onlookers nearby.

Most likely candidate to be escorted out by stewards. Least likely candidate to marry.

THE NEW-AGE DAD A 30 to 45 year old bringing his kids to their mSTU NBUDI )F JT PWFSMZ DPOTDJPVT PG UIF JOnVFODFT UIFZ BSF FYQPTFE UP BOE JT GFUUFSFE by restraint to give the ref a piece of his mind too. He has just blown ÂŁ30 on his Bovril, two half-and-half scarves, lidless soft drinks and soggy hot-dogs.

THE YOUNG PRETENDERS 16 to 21 years old, these have started going to games on their own. Forgetting the example their fathers have led by, they join in with The Shameless Shouter and exuberantly taunt opposition players and fans. Look out for faces scanning Twitter feeds or posing for Instagram TFMmFT

52 | JOHN MASTRINI | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASPER JUINEN

THE CORPORATE FANATIC Still suited-and-booted from his job in the City, this bigwig arrives late to kick-off for midweek games and vents his emotions after a stressful day. At half-time, he gets drunk on clientmOBODFE MBHFST BOE QVUT B UFOOFS PO IJT UFBN to lose. After the game, see him heading back UP UIF PGmDF UP TQFOE UIF OJHIU UIFSF BHBJO THE PREMATURE SEAT-LEAVER Middle-class and blissfully ignorant, this one always gets up in the middle of a half to BQPMPHFUJDBMMZ TIVGnF QBTU FWFSZPOF GPS ZFU another cuppa or toilet break. He watches the game absentmindedly and seems to stay up for a bit too long after standing to applaud, prompting calls of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sit downâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;siddaanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, depending on where you are). Usually misses UIF mOBM XIJTUMF BT XFMM BT UIF mSTU TJODF IJT EFTJSF UP CFBU UIF USBGmD DMFBSMZ PVUXFJHIT UIBU of clapping the players off.

THE WAGS *O TPDDFS TUBEJB JU T SBSF UP mOE TPNFPOF without a Y-chromosome. When you do, ZPV NJHIU mHVSF TIF T CFFO ESBHHFE BMPOH because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday, or that she wants to prove her eclecticism, or wants to check out the footballersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; aesthetics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but actually, believe it or not, she might just really like football.

SPORT

AWAY DAYS THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM DARTS TEAM

Walking towards our away venue for the evening, the Boat Inn pub of Dunkirk, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to expect from the lads who proudly represent the Notts Uni darts scene. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all seen the pictures of braying, drunken 30-somethings at the World Darts Championship bellowing their rainbow of emotions at the likes of Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld.

The preconception - and prejudiced one at that - was that darts, as a sport, provides nothing other than the perfect backdrop for having a skinful at either a backstreet pub that you would usually swerve, or sporting arenas BDUJOH BT HMPSJmFE CFFS IBMMT 8IFO TQFBLJOH to the team as they practised painstakingly at The Den, they assured us that although the eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match would assume a quieter tone; the stereotypical darts revelry was to be found mSNMZ FNCFEEFE JO UIF NBEOFTT PG 7BSTJUZ Darts.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;An away trip with the darts team doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require pricy tickets or any big commitmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; However, upon departing the Boat Inn on a most sedate of Tuesday evenings, it felt as if a nostalgic, if not a little bizarre gem had been retained amidst a whirlwind of Ocean, Crisis and organised fun. The hosting pub was by no means a boozer in the traditional, grubby sense. It had a warm and devilishly inviting atmosphere, with a few locals huddled around the one small bar, silently enjoying each

otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company. The interior was beautifully decorated around a predictably nautical UIFNF BOE UIF UBQT CPBTUFE B mOF TFMFDUJPO of ales; the perfect accompaniment to kicking back and savouring a slow yet increasingly tense game of darts.

and at one point the sound of a gurgling urinal could be heard as a hush fell on the oche (the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;throw lineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;).

One of the lads spoke before the game and said both they and their opposition had failed to win their opening two games, turning 5VFTEBZ T mYUVSF JOUP TPNFUIJOH PG B TJY pointer. The concentration was visibly etched on each of the playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; faces, although one of the opponents seemed just as engrossed with the fruit machine as the game at hand. Yet the result needed to kick-start their season was not to be, as UoN were consigned to another bout of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what ifsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match would assume a quieter tone; the stereotypical darts revelry was to be IRXQG Ă&#x20AC;UPO\ HPEHGGHG Âś7KH H[SHULHQFH in the madness of UHDIĂ&#x20AC;UPHG P\ IDLWK LQ Varsity Dartsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the local watering hole In this situation, many would expect pub darts to involve teams of rotund, balding as a bedrock of lightand intimidating middle-aged men, eager to dominate and humiliate their fresh-faced hearted community funâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; undergraduate opponents and send them packing with their favourite Chomsky book between their legs. Again, stereotypes were dashed as the home team consisted of a few friendly blokes all of varying ages. Similarly, our boys were approachable, cool-headed and clearly united by their love of having a good round of darts. As such, even though they fell to a crippling defeat, they were highly sporting throughout and remained in good spirits, although the role of the attractive post-match feast cannot be underestimated in this regard.

The game itself was played out in a small area on the opposite side of the pub, right next to the toilets. This meant having to awkwardly TIVGnF JO GSPOU PG FWFSZPOF UP SFMJFWF ZPVSTFMG

Going to see the darts was something completely out of the ordinary, but the FYQFSJFODF SFBGmSNFE NZ GBJUI JO UIF MPDBM watering hole as a bedrock of light-hearted community fun. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just go there to watch the darts and leave. From discussing the downfall of right-wing America while ordering ZPVS QJOU UP CFJOH nFFDFE PVU PG Q GPS B Football League team â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lucky dipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, an away trip with the darts team doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require pricy tickets or any big commitment. Arrive, soak up the homely pub atmosphere, appreciate some good beer, watch some darts and have a proper chat with your mates.

TIM COLE | 53

Impact is Ones to Watch Student Publication of the Year 2012 and has been shortlisted as ‘Student Publication of the Year’ in the Guardian Student Media Awards 2013.

Editorial Team

/ImpactNottingham

@ImpactNottingham

EDITORIAL

impactnottingham01

@impactstagram

Editors-in-Chief Print Editor

Antonia Paget and Emily Tripp Adam Keyworth

MANAGEMENT Managing Editor PR, Distribution Secretaires Events Manager Advertising Manager

Francesca Garforth Lily Glasson, Grace Patten Ryan Bagnall Katy Roe

DESIGN

Design Editors Harry Dinsdale, Grace Mclaughlin Associate Design Editors Leah Bingham, Charlotte Albert, Saanchi Prithani, Imran Zubir

IMAGES Image Editors Video Editor

Ben Tynegate, Callum Mclarty, Andreas Billman Ntobeko Chidavaenzi

WEBSITE Web Editors Antonia Paget and Emily Tripp Associate Website Editors Olivia de Courcy, Hannah Kirby Web Developer

Ryan Shaw

SECTIONS News Editors Comment Editors Sports Editors Features Editors Travel Editors Music Editors Film Editors Style Editors Arts Editors Science Editors Food Editors Gaming Editors

Ella Funge, Elliot Stone, Kat Rolle Robert Smith, James Rathbone John Mastrini, Jonnie Barnett Alex Mawby, Will Hazell, Emily Shackleton Gianlluca Simi, Alexander Fitzgerald Alex Neely, Daniel Jones Sam Todd, Lucy O’Boyle Harriet Brown, Jessica Roseblade Alice Child, Eve Wersocki Morris Jessica Hewitt-Dean, Faiza Peeran Louis Fitzherbert, George Hughes-Davies Robert Priest, Richard Lakucs

Contributors Alexander Bartlett, Caroline Chan, Jack Fox-Powell, Hollie Poulter, Amy Jaciuch, Priya Theti, Goldie Aboutorabi, Pollyanna Ward, Abby Ross, Sarah Dear, Anna Vujicic, Isabella Millington, Jess Mackenzie, Dacey Mormont, Millie Cepelak, Stephen Gilmore, Joanne Blunt, Bev King, Emma Willey, Henry Stanley, Sarah Newman, Tom Welshman, Priya Thethi, Joe Boothman, Aydin Emsley, Alison Smink, Anna Brown, Amelia Smith, Rebecca Rowland, Bethan Wilkes, Bea Beard, Tim Mallard, Matt McGladrigan, Tim Cole Cover Image: Callum Mclarty

Get in touch editor@impactnottingham.com managing@impactnottingham.com prdistribution@impactnottingham.com website@impactnottingham.com webdev@impactnottingham.com design@impactnottingham.com images@impactnottingham.com videoeditor@impactnottingham.com news@impactnottingham.com features@impactnottingham.com comment@impactnottingham.com style@impactnottingham.com travel@impactnottingham.com science@impactnottingham.com food@impactnottingham.com film@impactnottingham.com music@impactnottingham.com gaming@impactnottingham.com arts@impactnottingham.com sports@impactnottingham.com

Apologies: Apologies for misspelling Ryan Bagnall’s name, and for not crediting the cover images to Ben Tynegate and Andreas Billman in previous issues this year.

Published by UoNSU

Student Property the way it should be Ultra-fast fibre optic broadband set up before you arrive Double bedrooms as standard All properties within a fifteen minute walk of campus Beautifully refurbished homes Under 24 hour maintenance response Tons of storage

36 Derby Grove

ÂŁ97 weekly

More properties available online Book a viewing at sweetspot.com/nottingham

5 Trinity Avenue

ÂŁ90 weekly

020 7633 9452