InQuire 9.8

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men’s mental health

comment - page 6

marlowe panto reviewed

iq entertainment - page 15

Issue 9.8

13th December 2013

unpopular cultural opinion rupert & Buckley interview

iq culture - page 19

iq features - page 13

mandela remembered

sport - back page

reported assault at kent

Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor

POLICE cordoned off and shut part of the Parkwood path on Sunday 8th December after a reported incident between 2am and 4.30am on the morning of Saturday 7th December.

Parkwood path was searched by officers and forensic officers for evidence.

Kent Police said “she may have been the victim of a serious sexual assault” and are appealing for any information on the incident.

In a statement, Detective Inspector Jon Hall said: “Clearly this is a very serious incident and we are following a number of lines of enquiry.

“We have seized CCTV and have cordoned off the area to allow forensic evidence to be gathered. We are also working closely with the University Campus Watch.

“At this stage we are not ruling out the possibility that the victim may have known the suspect, but it is important that we are able to piece together the events of the evening and

I would ask anyone who may be able to help us with this investigation to come forward.”

The woman’s injuries were not life threatening. Kent Police said that they believe the incident to be an isolated one.

There has been a considerable student response to the incident, and an emergency meeting on safety in Parkwood was held on Wednesday 11th December.

The meeting, spearheaded by Your Rights Zone chair David Lewis and Parkwood Student Committee President Victoria Buck, was aimed at gathering feedback from students on safety in Parkwood.

The Your Rights Zone is mandated to support increased security measures, and confirmed they will be lobbying the University for the installation of a security camera in the area, Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information that may help the police is asked to contact Kent Police on 01227 868032, quoting reference: ZY/037335/13

Photo from Spotted: Kent University Facebook page

second lecturers’ strike: support from kent union and students Benjamin Coode STUDENTS joined striking lecturers in the second episode of industrial action over a pay dispute.

The dispute, between lecturers from the University and College Union, Unite and Unison (as well as the Education Institute of Scotland, who are not present

at Kent), and the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), has been over a 1% pay rise for lecturers.

The UCU argues that lecturers have had a 10-13% real terms pay cut since 2008, and that a 1% pay rise does not cover the real terms loss because of higher inflation.

The other Higher Education

union, the GMB, voted to accept the final pay deal from the UCEA in October.

The second strike, which took place on Tuesday 3rd December, came after the initial strike on 31st October failed to result in a satisfactory resolution.

Along with the lecturers, there was a considerable number of students who supported the

strike in person as a show of solidarity.

Strikers and students were present at various locations around the Canterbury campus, picketing at the top of Eliot Hill, the Plaza, Central Campus and on Darwin Road.

There were around 30-40 staff picketing, with a similar number of students joining

them.

An incident was narrowly avoided on Darwin Road when students attempted to pass leaflets through a bus window, and the driver almost ran over students who were slow to move from their positions on the road.

Continued on PAGE 3

2

News Editor’s Note

Hey everyone, It’s Christmas! Well, it’s not, but it nearly is. Just in case you hadn’t noticed yet.

Appropriately then, InQuire is full of seasonal fun. There’s recipes, history, film, a review of the wonderful Marlowe pantomime, and more. Really, there’s nowhere else you need to go for all your Christmas media (if for no other reason than that by the 25th you’ll be thoroughly sick of the whole thing).

So nothing remains but for me to wish you a Merry Christmas, God bless and enjoy your break.

Matt.

InQuireMedia

2013/2014 Editorial contacts: Alasdair Lawrence Chairman chairman Matthew Gilley - Editor newspaper.editor Chad Greggor - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Christopher Heron - News newspaper.news Samantha Baldwin - Comment newspaper.comment Emma Shelton - Features newspaper.features Rebekah Chilvers - Culture newspaper.culture Emily Adams - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Dan English - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Simon Terhaag - News website.news Tom Vine - Comment website.comment Tom Hagues - Features website.features Caroline Wadham - Entertainment website.entertainment Emma Greenacre - Culture website.culture Hetty Sieling - Distribution distribution LaShanda Seaman - Promotions and Events events Daniel Barnby - Design design To contact the committee, add @ inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the address under their name.

introduction of alcohol tax in canterbury Chad Greggor Website Editor

CANTERBURY City Council is looking into a new tax on businesses that sell alcohol after midnight, such as clubs, bars and off-licences, which will fund extra policing and street cleaning but could also see alcohol prices soar and venues shut down.

A new ‘drinks tax’ proposed by the Canterbury City Council last week could mean that Canterbury venues selling alcohol after midnight will pay an extra levy.

The new fees are intended to go towards the council expense on extra policing and cleaners required to manage Canterbury’s night-time revellers.

According to reports, 70% of the levy will be paid to the police force, and 30% will go to the council.

Barton Councillor Paula Vickers made the proposal at the Canterbury Area Member Panel meeting last week.

She has said that “the idea is to give more money to the police

so they can patrol the streets and make the area safer, and the council so they can… have more street cleaning.”

The proposal arrived during Alcohol Awareness Week on the 18th-24th November.

The councillor argues that Canterbury residents are exasperated with the amount of mess and noise that is caused by party-goers, and that “it simply isn’t fair residents have to foot the bill for costs related to the night-time economy.

“With government cutbacks to funding to the police this

levy could pay for additional policing of Canterbury.”

While many late-night venues will be wary of these proposed changes, Councillor Vickers argues that “This is not intended to restrict late-night businesses.

Safer streets may actually see their profits rise”.

Many pub and bar owners have already expressed discontent with the idea, however.

Charles Smythe, a manager of several local pubs including the Black Griffin and Thomas Becket, has been quoted saying “Yes, we do make money out of

the students. But why should we be penalised for running a successful business?”

He argues that, on top of VAT, corporations tax and business rates, local pubs and bars could easily close down with the new levy.

A spokesman for Canterbury City Council has said that the council “would want to look at evidence from elsewhere, but so far, only one other council, Newcastle, has imposed this levy, and only quite recently, so evidence of how it operates is quite limited.”

kent union ‘what matters’ campaign released

Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor

KENT Union has released the results to the ‘What Matters’ campaign, which is aimed at reviewing and updating its Strategic Plan.

The campaign involved an online survey which focused on the themes from the current Strategic Plan.

973 students completed the online survey, 5.05% of the student population at he University of Kent.

The survey focused on four areas, namely ‘Creating Change’, ‘Enhancing the Student Experience’, ‘The Voice of Students’, ‘Supporting Graduate Employabiliy’ and ‘Sustainable and Healthy Organisation’.

More than 80% of respondents rated Kent Union as 4 out of 5 or higher regarding their overall satisfaction with the Union.

Of the themes from the Strateigic Plans, ‘Enhancing the Student Experience’ and ‘Supporting Graduate Employability’ were the most relevant to students, with 55% and 54% of students

calling them ‘very relevant’ respectively.

Students were also asked about their key priorities, with ‘passing exams and coursework and ‘getting a job’ being the main priorities amongst students.

The ‘What Matters’ campaign also included members of the student body writing on both physical and online chalkboards, as well as on postcards, their answers to the questions ‘What matters to you as a student?’

This research highlighted several areas which mattered most to the students who responded to the survey.

20.58% of the respondees were most concerned with the social aspects of university.

14.92% were concerned with money, and 12.52% with employment both during and after university.

Studying was fourth, with 10.46% of students highlighting it as what mattered most.

Other aspects of student life such as facilities, good teaching, food and good grades were also important to students.

In response to the results of

the campaign, Megan Wells (Kent Union’s Vice-President Welfare) said: ““We want students to have a say in the direction of Kent Union. All the research we have conducted will help us to shape a plan that will benefit the student body and enhance their University

experience.

“We’re really pleased about the number of students who engaged with the Strategy Review; thank you to everyone who took part.”

The report can be found online at: www.kentunion.co.uk/ whatmatters/

News 3 lectuers’ strike contines around campus some student loans frozen Continued page:

from

front

However, the strikers and students were largely non-confrontational and enthusiastic, serving ‘solidaritea’ to strikers and students.

Student support came after an interim Union Council motion supporting the strike was passed by union counsellors 214, with three abstentions. The motion mandated Kent Union to openly support the lecturers’ strike.

Due to the interim nature of the motion, it expired before the Union Council meeting on Thursday 12th December.

A full motion, named ‘Support Our Staff’, was tabled at that meeting.

The motion calls for full Kent Union support for any future strikes over pay.

However, the motion states that if there is a marking boycott by striking, a further vote will have to take place on whether to support the motion.

Opposition to the motion largely revolves around the effect the strike will have on the

daily lives of students, affecting their education due to cancelled lectures, seminars, labs and tutorials.

InQuire talked to two students who supported the strike. Rory Murray, a second year Politics and International Relations student said: “University is about a partnership between Students and Staff. When the government proposed the changes to tuition fees, both Academic and Support staff showed solidarity to the student movement...

“At a time when the University is making surplus it is only fair that the University should be prepared to offer the Unions a fair pay agreement.”

Dave Cocozza, a second year

Film Studies student and Mature Students Officer, also supported the strike, saying: “I believe it is in Kent’s best interest to retain high calibre lecturers and seminar leaders.

Those lecturers will perhaps naturally be drawn to career posts where job satisfaction is high; appropriate remuneration being one key aspect of high job satisfaction.”

He went on to say that “some of Kent Union’s own members are PhD teaching students at Kent; I feel it’s important we stand beside them as members of our Student’s Union”.

At the time of writing, there has been no resolution to the dispute between the unions and the UCEA.

Photo by Christopher Heron

Emma Shelton Newspaper Features Editor STUDENT loans for Romanian and Bulgarian students have been frozen. It is estimated that about 5,500 students have been affected.

David Willets, the Universities and Science Minister, made this decision following a “suspicious” increase in Romanian and Bulgarian student enrolments at British colleges. Many of them are entitled to grants and loans worth £10,000.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) provide loans for tuition fees and living costs.

All European Union (EU) citizens can apply for loans to cover tuition fees and then EU citizens who have lived in the UK for 3 years can apply for both loans and receive full student support. These aforementioned students have been applying for full support from the SLC. Willetts informed MPs: “We identified that there had been a significant increase in the number of Bulgarian and Romanian students applying for full student support in

England this year.

“This support is usually only available to EU citizens resident in the UK for a minimum of three years.

“We have asked each of these students to supply additional information to support their applications for maintenance, before any further public funding is made available to them or to their institutions.”

So far, up to three quarters of the 5,500 students have been unable to prove their eligibility for the loans.

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills have lost £80 million due to the increase in loan application. Until the students can prove their eligibility, their loans will be “clawed back”, according to The Telegraph.

The government has also told various private colleges to stop taking on further students to study Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates.

Willetts said that he had written to 23 colleges after a rapid surge in students led to loans that cannot be afforded.

£5bn of loans written off

cap on student numbers lifted by osborne

Julia Mitchell

Tom Hagues Website Features Editor

THE government has written off five billion pounds of student loans after losing track of information regarding loan repayments, according to a document released by the National Audit Office (NAO).

The employment records for around 368,000 students who took out the loans as undergraduates have been lost by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Without this information the government cannot determine the student’s earnings, and therefore, whether repayments are due to be paid on the loans.

Using the current system, the repayment of student loans is determined by the borrower’s salary. Repayments do not need to be made unless the student is earning a salary of at least £21,000. The loan is then written off after 30 years.

NAO have suggested that students whose information has been lost may have since moved from the UK, currently be unemployed, or are students from the EU who have returned after their studies.

Both BIS and the Student Loans Company have been criticised for not taking enough action to follow up loan repayments, indicating that groups should be better targeted in order to ensure the repayment of loans.

Speaking on the matter, a BIS spokesperson has said: “We are continually improving the collection process for borrowers and we will carefully consider the NAO’s recommendations as part of this programme”.

CAPS on the number of students allowed into English universities are to be lifted in 2015.

The announcement came from Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement on 6th December. The change will allow university to expand if they choose to.

According to Osborne, universities next year will be

able to admit up to 30,000 extra students.

Speaking to the Commons, the chancellor told MPs: "Next year we will provide 30,000 more student places - and the year after we will abolish the cap on student numbers altogether.

"Extra funding will be provided to science, technology, and engineering courses.

"The new loans will be financed by selling the old student loan book, allowing thousands more to achieve their potential."

Around 60,000 people who achieve good grades at school and college miss out on places at universities each year because of what the chancellor called ‘arbitrary caps’.

At the moment, the government funds a certain number of "core" places at universities by lending students money to cover their fees, although universities are free to accept as many top-performing applicants as they wish.

If universities exceed the number of other students they recruit, they are fined.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said the lifting of the cap was

"good news".

"More graduates is good for the economy, developing a strong society and improving the lives of individuals," she said.

Professor Les Ebdon, director of the Fair Access to Higher Education watchdog, said he had been pressing for this change because it would allow more students with potential to go to university, not just those with the highest grades.

The chancellor’s plans to lift the cap comes alongside his plans to sell-off some student loans to private debt companies.

While it has not been officially announced, the Chancellor’s statement confirms rumours that the government is planning to privatise student loans and completely sell of the old student loan book.

Rachel Wenstone, NUS Vice pPresident for higher education, said: “Using the sale of public assets to fund this project is a short-term fix because the current student loans system is completely unsustainable and this selling of public assets is stacking up problems for the next generation.”

4

News

“with that kind of stuff, it’s a good way for people who have never done any fundraising before to get involved with it.”

Monday 2nd December until Sunday 8th was the December RaG Week. Kent Raise and Give (RaG) ran a week of fundraising for their chosen charities, with various events such as the Darwin Committee Skills Auction, Winter Wonderland and the Eliot Pantomime raising money for charity. In light of this, InQuire’s Christopher Heron had a chat with the RaG President, Laura Hunter, about RaG week and what’s happening for the rest of the academic year...

So Laura, who are you and what do you do with RaG? I’m Laura, I’m RaG President, and I’m a third year studying English and American Literature So for those who don’t know, what is RaG? RaG stands for Raise and Give.

So Kent RaG is the fundraising branch of Kent Union, we oversee the fundraising on campus and run lots of fundraising events ourselves.

We have RaG weeks, we also help organise the Snow Ball and run international challenges like climbing Mount Kilamanjaro.

Sounds awesome. So this week has been RaG Week, what’s been going on?

So we’ve had a lot on this week, we’ve teamed up with lots of different societies and committees. So RaG have collections on campus and outside campus for our nominated charities.

Darwin Student Commitee did their skills auction so we auctioned them off, providing different... things.

The Christian Performing Arts Society had their open mic night in Mungo’s. RaG’s main event of the week was the Winter Wonderland which was on Wednesday where we had the ice rink and the Christmas Market outside essentials.

How did that go?

It went really well, we were really pleased how it turned out. It’s the first big event on campus event we’ve ever done so we were really pleased how it turned out. But it went really well, we had about 200 people go onto the Ice Rink over the day.

It seemed to be made of jigsaw pieces!

Well, we couldn’t actually have real ice so we had the synthetic stuff which did look like a jigsaw. But it was really good, I fell over several times!

What was the ‘snow’ made from?

We ‘think’ it was fairy liquid, it certainly had that smell of washing up liquid. It was good fun!

You were talking about the world challenges, is there any more information on that?

With that kind of stuff, it’s a good way for people who have never done any fundraising before to get involved with it.

It’s about £2,500 for each of the challenges and throughout the year RaG help you with your fundraising and at the end of the year you get to go on a fun adventure! We have Mount Kilimanjaro and the Great Wall of China If

you

wanted

to

get

Photo by Kent RaG

involved how would you do it?

We do it with a company called Student Adventures and that’s who we choose our charities with. so if you get in contact with RaG or the Student Adventures website you can find all the information there and work together that way.

We have our weekly meetings on Wednesday so if you want to get involved you can come along to that and have a chat about charities.

Where are the meetings?

KLT3 at 2pm Who are your nominated charities this year?

This year we’ve chosen Pilgrim’s

Hospices, East Kent Rape Line and the Kent branch of the HFT (Home Farm Trust).

So you’ve had your RaG Week this week, do you have any others planned?

We have another one in the last week of February, the 24th I believe. We decided to do two throughout the year, one in the first term and one in the second term.

We’ve started thinking about the next one, we have some regular events that we’d like to do. We’d like to do some speed dating event in Eliot Hall. It’s sort of following on from the Take Me Out event which we’re doing in Venue this year so it’ll be a lot bigger.

So how did you get involved RaG? I’ve been involved in RaG since my first year. I went along to one of the meetings and wanted to get involved with some fundraising.

Throughout my first year I was just a general member, in my second year I was the Big Challenges officer and then I ended up running for President!

It was something I fell into and something I was interested in.

Photo by Kent RaG

Has it impacted on anything else?

No, it’s been alright. I’ve managed everything pretty well. It’s made me a lot busier and I have a lot less free time but my committee have been brilliant and really supportive.

I’ve really enjoyed it.

Brilliant, thanks for your time.

Kent RaG raised over £2,000 for their chosen charities over the course of RaG week.

Part-Time Children’s Fun Science Instructor - £25 per 1 hour presentation Dynamic individuals required with big personalities to present programmes, including after-school clubs, special event shows, in-school workshops, birthday parties and holiday clubs.

Part-Time Business Tutor - £18 ph, based in Canterbury City Centre Required to deliver one module of a Business Foundation Course for International Students.

For full details head to: www.kentunion.co.uk/ jobs or email jobshop@ kent.ac.uk.

Comment 5

the age of consent: is it still relevant?

Georgia Hingston LEADING health expert Professor John Ashton recently advised that the current age of consent should be lowered from 16 to 15 in order that health advice would be more readily

available to the sexually active.

Official figures revealed that half of all UK teenagers have their first sexual experience by the age of 14, and a third have had full intercourse at 15.

The government has disregarded the idea out

of hand, claiming that the ‘modernisation’ of sex education in schools is the answer. But is this swift dismissal a wise decision? The fact is, the age of consent clearly does not prevent young people from having sex.

The age of consent is

unrepresentative of reality, with many arguing it only succeeds in criminalising sexually active teenagers. Despite this, I believe that lowering the age of consent would only encourage teens to start having sex younger, driving the average even lower.

With peer-pressure to ‘do it’ and the ever increasing presence of sex in TV and advertising, I would argue such a change would leave young people more vulnerable to social pressures and over-zealous partners.

For such a change to be even considered, sex education needs to face some serious scrutiny.

Yes, teenagers are told the basic mechanics of sex, such as how to use contraceptives and what sexually transmitted diseases you are at risk of, but as far as I’m concerned this does not mean young people are fully prepared to engage in intercourse, or indeed emotionally mature enough There are still many facets to the subject which remain taboo within our oh-so-liberal British culture. I remember being told about the pill as contraceptive, but the chemical and biological mechanics of it where left as a mystery that I would have to

unravel myself.

The sex education British teenagers are given is, at best, rudimentary - I learnt more about sex from my contemporaries than my teachers. Teachers need to discard their conservativeness and talk positions and porn, not just biology. The damaging influence of pornography on what teenagers come to view as ‘normal’ sexual experiences needs to be acknowledged. If discussing the nitty-gritty of sex is still problematic within our education system, is lowering the of age of consent really the most sensible option?

The current age of consent not only protects children from abuse but also offers a standard against which inappropriateness can be measured, such as age ratings of films, advertisements, images etc.

Anything we can do to try and preserve the innocence of Britain’s youth is a positive in my book. As Guardian journalist Lucy Mangan puts it, I have never heard any of my contemporaries or elders say “I wish I’d lost my virginity earlier”.

the problems with fashionable feminism Ayla Soguksu NOWADAYS the word ‘feminism’ seems to crop up in every direction you take. Since the late twentieth century, where Hélène Cixous and many other female writers felt guilty by the sheer act of writing, the female gender has come a long way.

Political figures, societies in universities, campaigns. All of these encourage girls to become more feministic, to feel the need to write and raise their voice against the repressing men of the world, to support gender equality and stand up for their rights.

Recently, however, it has come to my attention that everyone is saying that they are feminist; it is now a lifestyle choice. Could it be that feminism has become mainstream?

In my opinion there are two types of feminists: ‘the pure’ and ‘the extremist’. The pure is an honest feminism group that actually fights for gender

equality, believing that not all but some men do repress

the female gender. Instead of fighting for gender equality, the

extremist fights for and believes that women are better and stronger than men.

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, an influential blogger (The Vagenda), went to talk to women in schools and universities about the concept of feminism.

Cosslett said: “They told us that they think feminism is angry and scary and difficult and ‘not for them’, and that feminists aren’t feminine or sexy and that they hate men.”

Many men feel the same way, it seems. It has gotten to the point where groups such as the Men’s Rights Activist and Men Going Their Own Way are real, and overwhelmed by women’s hatred towards the male gender.

Although the fact that women all over the world are standing up for their rights and are gaining the liberty they deserve, it has become more apparent that both men and women feel the mere concept of ‘feminism’ is corrupt.

It has become less likely that women are actually feminists

and more likely that they tweet, write and blog about the idea of feminism as a lifestyle choice: more words than action involved.

Social media and feminist groups constantly encourage women to raise their opinions on the matter, which has made the blogs and articles seem abundant in words and empty in meaning; a collective of hyped up, angry teenagers trying to keep up with the status quo. Empty politics.

Every single time I find a new interesting blog to read online I’m faced with these girls writing about how much they hate misogyny.

Left, right and centre, teenagers write without truly knowing what they are writing about.

This is no rare emergence on the internet. Feminism is now just another topic to get angry and write about rather than an issue that people research, understand and develop opinions about.

6

Comment

step into christmas, let’s come together Joel Tennant

I’VE always hated the guilttripping tactics of anyone who tries to force a moral down your throat at Christmas – after all, who needs morals when you have presents?

Granted, every time I see a charity TV appeal about an endangered Snow Leopard or abandoned donkeys in sheds, I do get a little teary and wonder why Bob Geldof hasn’t written a song about them yet.

Cheeky irony aside, if there is a day to tone down that insufferable ego of yours, to be a little less annoying or to even speak to your siblings without insults, then why shouldn’t that day be Christmas Day? I grew up not celebrating Christmas. As a child in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you learn to view the 25th December as the day when Wallace and Gromit might do a special, and that’s about it. If you don’t know, members of the religion

refuse to celebrate Christmas or birthdays, and so it’s up to the children to make sense of that and the parents to unfailingly devise a way of making sure their offspring don’t feel like they’re missing out on all the Lego and Action Men. Introducing, “Family Day” – you get the presents and the family, but none of the Christmas stuff, and it’s usually a week later.

Despite the fact that it’s cheesier than a second-hand shoe shop in Cheddar Gorge, Family Day has always seemed like a good idea to me and, although my family never named a specific day to spend this time together, I’ve grown to appreciate it for those who did.

Fast forward to the age of 16 when I’d abandoned religion, found heavy metal and read books written by substance abusers, and that’s when I had my very first Christmas.

It turned out to be just like all those Family Days I’d heard

about.

What I’ve come to learn in these past seven years of Christmas spent with different friends, and a few family members, is that we need to stop feeling bad about the whole thing. People are quite decent really, as it turns out.

Yes, it may be true that Britain suffers from some of the worst consumerist ills the subservient obeisance to Special Offers, the immense emotional pressure placed on many parents to provide the perfect presents, and the bulkbuying of luxuries, food and drink that may never be used.

But what underlies most of these, most of the time, is the desire to create happiness, maybe to even express love.

After all, no one is going out and buying things for other people out of spite.

But before I turn into the personified version of a Richard Curtis film, it’s time to moan about what makes Christmas

time terrible, just in case you thought we were ending on a high note. First of all, perfume adverts. I do not want to see actors I respect parading around as though the chemicals in an obnoxious little bottle deliver mansions and stupidly inconvenient golden clothing.

Secondly, special offers are rarely ever special. In my first job at a supermarket, I noticed one very interesting thing when I looked through the price history of most of our Special Offer products: it’s not halfprice at all, it’s just that when

it’s not on offer it’s double what it’s worth.

Finally, the Scrooges. It’s OK to dislike Christmas - but the people who feel the need to lecture everyone on its preChristian history, or to criticise the “sheeple” of consumerism, need to realise that they’re missing the point more than the people they are moaning about.

The point is to enjoy all this niceness, to show a bit of love to your fellow human beings, even if you’re only able to manage the façade for little more than one day a year.

a long way to go for men’s mental health George Hopkin WHEN it comes to mental health, telling a bloke to “man up” probably won’t work.

The truth is, men’s mental health still has a long way to go, and when I was asked to run a basic session or forum on the subject for Kent Union’s annual Mental Health Week, I looked forward to the chance to start a conversation about it.

So on 5th December a group of Kent students met in Grimond to discuss men and mental health, and it was the first time to my knowledge that we have had this kind of event at Kent.

Being aware of the sensitive subject matter, I approached it worried that I was going to slip up and that something awful would be said in the forum atmosphere of the room.

Fortunately, the forum went smoothly, so it was probably just my own doubts that led me to worry, but there’s not much that’s pleasant about the topic.

For instance, to look at some of the statistics we have on men and mental health, the Men’s Health Forum (MHF) estimates that men commit 3 in 4 suicides, and that 73% of those that go missing are men.

The Health & Social Care Information Centre 2009 household survey found that about 2.7m men in England currently have “a mental health problem like depression, anxiety or stress”.

Mental health charity Mind conducted research that suggested that 37% of men are “feeling worried or low with the top three concerns being job security, work and money”.

The three organisations don’t paint a pretty picture of men and mental health and they don’t mean to. It’s a tricky topic, and the suicide figures alone are shocking. This is why in June of this year, the annual Men’s Health Week focused on men and mental health.

In the Guardian in June 2013, for Men’s Health Week, Dr Luke Sullivan, the director of Men’s Minds Matter, wrote: “Traditionally, men are reluctant to seek help, have high levels of isolation, high rates of drug and alcohol misuse, are at greater risk of homelessness, display more externalised and destructive behaviours, and are more involved with the criminal justice system.

“Underlying many of these experiences are complex

psychological problems, but rarely do we empathise with their causes.”

At Kent, for all students, let alone men, there can be a counselling waiting list spanning over a month for those with mental health concerns, covering everything from exam stress to a more serious illness.

Meanwhile, academic pressure has never been higher, students are taking on more jobs and

volunteer roles to get money in their pockets and enhance their employability, and stress can take its toll.

We need more support for mental health, and what Kent Union can do is lobby for that and signpost the services that are currently on offer.

We also need to get the message out that asking for help is all right. It could help bring down stress levels, give

students the chance to speak to a professional about serious worries, or reach out for help with a more serious condition.

Mental Health Week is a good event for Kent Union to put on, just as Men’s Health Week was nationwide. They raise awareness of difficult subjects and can start a conversation.

Still, we have a lot of work to do, and we’re not even close to getting there.

Comment 7

THE RELATIONSHIP THAT ALCOHOL BUILT

Natalie Tipping RESEARCH from the University of Buffalo has concluded that couples who drink together frequently are more likely to stay together in the long run.

The study followed the lives of 634 couples during the first nine years of their marriage and found that the couples in which only one person drank heavily had a higher divorce rate than the couples who both drank.

Today’s culture seems to be one which glorifies frequent drinking, but according to this study, this may actually be a good thing.

Indeed, many of the students reading this article will be thrilled to have a decent excuse for going out on the lash – their relationships may survive longer because of it.

That said though, there are some very obvious reasons why drinking together may

make your relationships seem stronger, whilst actually being simple mind tricks.

Firstly, there’s the fact that if you’re both drunk, you’re not going to annoy each other as much. Let’s face it, when you’re the sober one in a group of people who are completely off their faces, they will all inevitably royally piss you off.

Even if you love your boyfriend and your friends to bits, being the sober one always opens

your eyes to how stupid people get when they’re drunk.

You’ll get fed up of holding them up, trying to convince them they definitely don’t need another jaegerbomb, or, worst of all, holding their hair back while they do the classiest of all things, puking in the street.

This embarrassment is only ever going to end one of two ways; either you leave, or you scream at them. Neither is good for your relationship as a whole.

If you’re both drunk however, neither of you realise that you’re probably acting like total arseholes, so it doesn’t matter. People tend to lose their inhibitions when they’re drunk, so you might end up realising just how attracted you are to your other half and deciding you want to take them home right that second for, well, let’s not go into too much detail on that one. All in all a good night for your relationship, but do try to be kind to each other the next morning when the hangover kicks in.

The joint drunkenness can go horrifically wrong however. If you lose your inhibitions, you may also lose track of the guy you’re with, and find another that’ll do just fine. This is always going to cause trouble, you know this, but you’re not in

your right mind, so why not just go for it? ‘Live in the moment’, right? Wrong.

If you’re aware that you get like this when drunk, maybe going for the sober option is the best choice in order to save your relationship from external drunken invaders.

Surely though, the survey misses out a category. What about the couples in which neither of them drink? Yes, I know that’s rare these days, but it must happen sometimes. If neither of you are getting drunk and rowdy, there’s one less way to get on each other’s nerves.

That said though, if you don’t lower your inhibitions it could prevent you from ever being completely open with the person you’re seeing, which is not going to bode well for the continuation of the partnership.

Overall, there doesn’t seem to be a foolproof option to continue your relationship. For me, this whole idea seems a little ludicrous.

Relationships shouldn’t be founded on a mutual love or hatred of alcohol, they should be based on a mutual love for each other.

Personally, I choose to be like Bridget Jones, instead of choosing a man, “I choose vodka”, but not Chaka Khan.

me: who on earth is buying a three bird roast in November?

Despite all the warm, fuzzy feelings that Christmas often stirs up, it’s also rife with stress as I’m sure many people know.

Booking a Christmas party is one of the most irksome things

I’ve had the misfortune of doing. The first issue is finding a restaurant. Most places book up very fast, so it’s a struggle in itself just to get a table.

Then its getting deposits off people and making sure all the choices are correct and no one has food intolerances (or are not just picky eaters).

Christmas Music is also something that annoys me as I don’t think it is played enough (though in January I will probably change my mind).It is great when you hear a festive tune in a shop or a choir in the high street.

But on the radio or on the television there is a distinct lack of yuletide entertainment. Why do I have to wait until Christmas eve to watch The Snowman for the 20th time? Get it on earlier I say!

So I don’t want to rant, as yes, Christmas is a time of joy and merriment, but let’s not forget it is also a time of stress, anger and annoyance.

“who buys a three bird roast in november?”

Robert Linton

SO Christmas will soon be upon us, however, it feels like the nation’s favourite holiday is approaching earlier and earlier each year. One thing to blame is Christmas adverts which seem to start in flipping October nowadays.

We are two weeks into December and only now am I beginning to feel marginally Christmassy.

I don’t want to see a bear and a hare getting together or hear Christmas tunes blaring out over clips of happy families tucking into a turkey. Wait until the first door of your advent calender is open at least; only then it is allowable to start promoting, marketing and encouraging festive spending.

I hope this doesn’t come across as if I dislike Christmas, it’s just Christmas could be made a lot more special and less commercial by starting their marketing campaigns much

later in the year.

One thing that I do enjoy is all the Christmas food adverts - especially the Iceland prawn rings or 100 piece platters.

It looks good on the telly and everyone is in the festive spirit, but really we know it is a load of

rubbish when you get it home.

They don’t cook in time, or its soggy or burnt. But there is still something quite special and festive about buying 50 volovants for a quid. Though there is something that has always particularly bothered

8

Editorial

cultural plurality and why we need it Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor BRITISH culture (music and TV are the focus here, but also literature, film, etc) has been remarkably plural this year.

Take, for example, These New Puritans, who probably made the best album this year.

Field of Reeds is rooted firmly in Essex marshland and the Thames Estuary; it’s British and yet it draws heavily on latetwentieth century orchestral minimalism (particularly the patient, chiming Eastern European variety, of all places considering recent worries about immigration from that part of the world) and the vibrant contemporary classical blossoming in America and Iceland, amongst other places,

as much as it is influenced by British post-punk and art rock.

It does not pay attention to the divisions with which you might usually try to categorise music, intertwining genres to a point where the divisions no longer exist in any meaningful way. It is new, plural and exciting.

Rory Kinnear’s troubled news reporter blamed the town and its inhabitants for getting to ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable’ so that it blinded them to reality; they deserved it, he said. It’s a bitter statement, and not one that I think the show encourages you to agree with, but you can still take its point: Southcliffe gave a portrait of a Britain decidedly broken, in no small part because of its insularity and inability to interact healthily.

Forest Swords’ debut album Engravings achieves a similar feat, except this time its location is The Wirral, near Liverpool and it reaches further east, with its pentatonic melodies, and into black American R&B traditions. All of this is translated – immigrated, even – into a British soundscape that sits somewhere between dub and drone without ever really being anything except itself.

British politics, meanwhile, seems to have gone in the opposite direction. Take recent propaganda spreading the fear

of a Romanian and Bulgarian invasion come 1st January, or the rise of UKIP, or even internal divisions in the widening rich/ poor gap and the demonisation of benefits claimants.

Britain’s history is one of immigration, emigration and cultural transfer. And if there’s anything good to be salvaged from the wreckage of colonialism, it’s an increased contact and dialogue with other peoples. We at the University of Kent should know better than most how vibrant and vital a mixture of national and international cultures is, given the pride the University takes in its overseas students. Some myth of an insular, small-town, ‘British’ Britain, is just that, a myth.

The year’s two best TV shows dealt with just that kind of small-town insularity, and it didn’t come out so well.

Southcliffe (amongst the best British TV I’ve ever seen, and directed by an American) showed a mass-murder in the titular town and its devastating after effects in such a way allowed you not to absolve the killer of his heinous crimes, but to at least understand his cares and frustrations and, indeed, his possible illness.

Les Revenants (a French programme scored by a Scottish band, just in case you weren’t getting the point about heterogeneity) found the residents of a French village returning from the dead – talking, eating, walking perfectly capably. Amongst the

many reactions and mysteries of the show, which was all the better for its refusal to give you easy answers, was a complete inability to deal with the past, let alone the present. Again, any attempts at insularity or compartmentalisation came under heavy fire.

Modern British culture does not thrive in some kind of island vacuum. Now, I know that David Cameron and his government do not oppose immigration entirely. But there seems to be an attempt to shift the focus to a point where immigration is inherently bad, except in particular circumstances, not the other way around. That subtle change of focus is an important one, where plurality and things from outside of Britain will, like the immigrant, be viewed suspiciously. In fact, this has probably already begun.

It would be a shame to lose our multiplicity. Innovation and excitement lie at the margins, at the confluence of various cultures and influences.

This isn’t multiculturalism – that word was tainted by New Labour’s polemicising – or some kind of melting-pot theory; it is Britain at its most open and vital.

university system – higher education has a greater gender pay gap than the rest of the public sector, and nothing has been done to address this. So, put simply, the question being asked by those who went on strike last week is this: what is to be done?

Personally, I support the efforts of our lecturers, our seminar leaders, and our cleaners for a pay rise. But many don’t share the same viewpoint. Over and over, I’ve heard people argue that lecturers are paid enough already and that it’s time the teachers or the nurses get a pay rise instead. Of course, teachers and nurses don’t have their hard work reflected in their pay, but it is up to them to join a union and fight for an improvement in their own working conditions.

This is what the lecturers are doing now.

This, for instance, is what the outsourced cleaners at the University of London have done. The campaign, which became known as ‘3 Cosas’

(Three Things), won improved sick pay, increased holiday pay and access to a pension scheme for the cleaners. People don’t just strike to cause a nuisance.

What struck me about students’ reactions to the lecturers going on strike at the University of Kent was how much their hard work and their contributions to our education can be ignored.

These people are providing us with the tools to learn and work towards a degree. To point out the obvious, not only do they teach us on a weekly basis, but many will run our seminars, mark our essays and convene the modules we choose to study.

They put in a lot of work for us.

I am only touching the surface here as to why students should support lecturers’ efforts for a pay rise, because this isn’t a matter concerning only lecturers’ wages. The pay cut in real terms they have experienced over the last few years is part of a wider attack on British students and the education system. Remember

the tripling of fees to £9,000?

Or have you noticed the recent privatisation of services at a number of universities, including Sussex, which led to the wave of student occupations across the country?

These examples are not disconnected. The Tory-led coalition is leading an attack on our education system and isn’t

hiding it. If we do not resist this attack, we’ll end up paying more and more for the right to study, and probably for less contact hours, too. The only way to defend, preserve, and even improve our education system is to fight for it, and one very important way of doing this is to support the UCU, Unison, and Unite in their strike efforts.

why students should support strike efforts Tom Vine Website Comment Editor ON 3rd December, members of the University and College Union (UCU), Unison, and Unite went on strike in universities and further education colleges across the country.

The reasons for this strike are simple. In the last four years, pay has fallen in real terms by almost 15%, meaning the currently-offered pay rise of 1% for lecturers, and others employed by universities, is meagre. What’s more, the University of Kent alone is sitting on a surplus of between £9 million and £14 million, suggesting there is more than enough room for a pay rise. At the same time, over half of vicechancellors earn over £242,000 a year – a slap in the face for those who are fighting for a pay rise.

The gender pay gap is also a serious problem in our

Photo by Christopher Heron

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iq christmas

recipes, features pg. 11 festive phraseology, features pg. 12 christmas apps, entertainment pg. 16 rag’s winter wonderland, entertainment pg. 16 end-of-year reviews, entertainment pg. 17 christmas origins, culture pg. 18 best and worst christmas films, culture pg. 19 budget christmas, culture pg. 20

IQ Features 11

christmas: on your marks, get set, bake!

Natalie Turco-Williams Chocolate Log with Buttercream Filling Serves 8 8inx20in Swiss roll baking tray lined with parchment paper Ingredients: 3 eggs 75g Caster Sugar 50g plain flour 25g Cocoa Powder For the Filling: 75g Butter 125g icing sugar, sieved 1 tbsp vanilla essence 20g Cocoa Powder Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 200C (180C in fan oven). Add eggs and sugar in a bowl, then place over a pan of simmering water and whisk the mixture for about 10 minutes untill it is thick and creamy.

2. Add flour and cocoa powder by gently folding them into the mix with a metal spoon. Be careful not to knock out all the air in the mixture, otherwise it won’t be light and fluffy.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and bake for 10 minutes or until

the sponge is springy to touch. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes.

4. Lay out a damp tea towel on the work surface and cover with greaseproof paper, then sieve cocoa over the top. Now turn the sponge out onto the paper and carefully roll, starting from the short side with the paper inside. Leave to cool.

5. To make the buttercream filling and topping, beat butter till creamy.

Then beat in icing sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla essence until combined, light and smooth.

6. Unroll the cake, remove the paper and spread buttercream, then roll it back up. Spread buttercream over the surface and decorate as desire. My tip is to use chocolate flakes.

Photo by Natalie Turco-Williams

Louisa Maycock Mince Pies Serves 24 Fairy cake tins, a round biscuit cutter and a small star shaped biscuit cutter.

Ingredients: 570g shop bought mincemeat (customise with orange zest and nuts) 95g lard 75g butter 350g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting Pinch salt 3 tbsp. cold water 1 egg Icing sugar for dusting Instructions:

Photo by Louisa Maycock

Caitlin Webb Yes, vegetarians can have Christmas.

No, Christmas isn’t just about turkey.

As a vegetarian, you can still have the trimmings, the stuffing, the mince pies (with vegetarian suet), the mulled wine and even christmas pudding!

Without meat you can still enjoy the festive season!

Instead of the turkey, there’s a nut roast. Full of protein, it makes a delicious addition to the christmas dinner!

Vegetarian Christmas Serves 3 1 loaf tin Ingredients: 2 slices of bread (made into crumbs) Handfuls of crushed nuts 3 mushrooms 1 carrot Any vegetables of your choice, chopped up A can of baked beans 2 tbsps of mixed herbs

1. Preheat oven to Gas mark 6, 400F or 200C. 2. Put the sifted flour into a large bowl and add pinch of salt. Cut the fats (butter and lard) into small chunks and work them into the flour into fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add the cold water. Form the mixture into a round ball with your hands, then wrap the pastry in cling film and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

4. Then roll the pastry out onto a floured surface. You will need a rolling pin for this - please don’t use a bottle of vodka. How many mince pies you get depends on how thinly you roll so roll it well but not too thinly.

5. Using the round cutter, cut out circles, leaving enough to make the lids. Place these gently into the tin.

6. Add a small teaspoon of mincemeat into each.

7. Cut out stars from the remaining pastry and place one on top of each mince pie. Then whisk the egg and brush onto the tops.

8. Place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden brown and have filled the kitchen with that warm Christmas smell.

9. Leave to cool slightly, then carefully ease them out of the tins. If you like, dust them later with snow (icing sugar). Eat and be merry!

Spread the potatoes evenly in the roasting tin, around the turkey, it being almost full cooked. Roast, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes until golden and crispy.

Sausage and apple stuffing.

Serves 8 approx.

Photo by Ewan McIntosh Photo by Rooey202

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C. 2. Finely cut up your carrot and boil until soft. While doing this make your bread crumbs, either by hand or blender and chop up the mushrooms.

3. Mix the chopped veg in a bowl.

Add the mixed nuts and baked beans.

4. Combine all ingredients together, and put the mixture into the loaf tin that you’ve greased.

5. Place in the oven for around 40-50 minutes until browned. (recipe originally taken from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/ recipes/1852658/nut-roast)

Emma Shelton and Lizzie Cross How to roast a turkey Buy a turkey that can feed the people you are catering for and cook according to its weight.

Wash it, and place in aluminium foil in a roasting tin. Season accordingly, then cover with the foil which will ensure it doesn’t burn but goes golden.

Remove from the oven when the juices run out clear.

Roast potatoes Peel and chop some potatoes. Boil them until just cooked. Remove water from the pan and cook for several minutes until edges are fluffy.

Ingredients: 1lb of sausage meat.

3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 1 onion chopped 2 sticks of celery chopped 8oz breadcrumbs 2 medium eggs Seasoning to taste Instructions: Brown sausage meat and remove from pan. Drain the fat, retaining 3 tbsps.

Cook the apple, onion, celery in the fat, until tender.

Return the sausage meat and all other ingredients in the pan. Mix together throroughly and put into a greased ovenproof dish.

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes.

12

IQ Features

christmas back home Julie Bílková, where are you from? What are you studying?

I am from the Czech Republic and my field of study here at Kent is English language and linguistics with French.

How do you celebrate Christmas back home ?

Christmas eve is the big day! Unlike the UK, Christmas meal comes before the opening of presents, in the evening hours of the 24th December: Fried carp in breadcrumbs and potato salad - one with a vinegar base, full of pickles and often mayonnaise. After dinner, the family goes into a separate room, except one who ‘calls’ baby Jesus. Yes, in the Czech Republic, it is baby Jesus (Ježíšek) who puts your presents under the Christmas tree. As soon as the bell rings, children are curious to see if they will unwrap what they asked baby Jesus in a list they put behind the window prior to Christmas.

Regarding traditions, some are shared with the UK but the solely Czech ones include plenty of superstitions and fortune telling: a dried fish scale in your wallet ensures wealth, the shape of a star in an apple cut in half crosswise reveals what your future will bring and if you fast on Christmas Eve you will see a ‘golden pig’ vision appear on the wall – a sign of good luck.

festive phraseology news in Jake Cunningham

As Christmas draws that little bit

closer, we all start repeating those same old phrases again and again. Now is your chance to change it up a little so here are some new words and phrases from around the world to boost your festive lexis.

Photo by chatirygirl

Mamihlapinatapei Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) - A few drinks down at the Christmas party and two star crossed drunkards stare lovingly across the room with “the wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start”. Looks like a Christmas romance is on the cards this year after all.

Jayus Indonesian – Perfectly suited to describe the post-Christmas cracker awkward chortle. Yes, once the phrase

‘shark infested custard’ has had its yearly airing, prepare to wow grandma by describing said joke as a jayus. It’s “a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh”.

Hyggelig Danish – There’s no literal translation for Hyggelig. Just imagine sitting around the fire, listening to a bit of Cliff, drinking something a bit mulled, seeing how much you’re willing to loan your drunken great uncle in Monopoly. That cosy, warm, friendly feeling is Hyggelig.

Snorker Early English – This is applicable to anyone standing at the kitchen door on the 25th of December, sniffing at the gravy aromas. Anyone with their nostrils pressed up against the oven door, pawing violently at the potatoes like Lassie at an Eminem show during ‘Lose Yourself’. They are a Snorker, “one who smells at objects like a dog”.

Sgiomlaireachd Scottish Gaelic - imagine the horror of the doorbell going just as you’ve lifted your knife to go to town on that turkey.

Or a phone call coming from those cousins who live in America and who always forget about the time difference just as you drown yourself in gravy.

Sgiomlaireachd is that very moment, “when people interrupt you at meal time”.

getting in the mood for christmas Sophie Hand “T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...”

A Visit from Old St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore (1822)

It’s almost Christmas at last! And

there is no better way to get into the seasonal festivities than listening to Christmas carols, or if you’re like me finding your old favourite Christmas poems.

You don’t have to look far to find Moore’s classic poem within popular culture, and it is no surprise that it is one of my preferred poems. It’s everywhere, always referenced in adverts and films, scattered throughout every walk of life; as soon as the opening lines are recited, it takes me back to Christmas as a child.

So if you are ready to fully embrace Christmas 2013, why not curl up on the sofa with a warm hot chocolate and remind yourself, with a little help from Moore, why Christmas is so great.

Photo by wolfsavard

Jessica Mills Christmas Poem

So December has rolled around once again And though the nights grow dark The city glows from shop windows From Christmas lights and candles From warm pubs to cosy coffee shops Laughter pours out, as festive cheer grows And the trees are slowly casting away their summer selves Limbs preparing for the cold The golden glow of autumn sun will make way

For winter’s pale light Streaming weakly through empty boughs Shimmering on icy pavements Sparkling through fresh snow And animals large and small Tuck themselves away Hunting for a piece of warmth Amongst the cold So that they may be reborn in the warmth of spring And, donning our winter armour We brave the harsh cold For what could be better Than a fresh winter morning On Christmas Day?

Photo by Docktor West

science

Stefan Vassalos

Watch out, Rudolph...

Although no red-nosed reindeer has yet been discovered, British and Norwegian scientists have found that reindeers have one part of their bodies that turn an unusual colour this time of year – their eyes.

In the winter, the colour of their eyes changes from the common mammalian gold to a more striking blue, much of it ultraviolet, according to the study published on October 30th 2013. The researchers, from University College London and the University of Tromsø, believe that this seasonal shift is caused by pressure due to the constant dilation of their pupils during the dark Arctic winter.

They also believe that, although this blurs the reindeer’s vision, the extra light collected by the eye can give them an edge over well-hidden predators.

It’s not quite as fantastical as a glowing red nose, but as winter accessories go, it’s much less likely to attract a pack of wolves.

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.

You think you’re a savvy consumer, clued-up about the tricks of the Christmas merchants’ trade? Think again.

You may be aware that shop displays are arranged to make certain objects more appealing but research suggests that retailers can even use ‘Christmas scents’ to lull customers into buying more.

Eric Spangenberg, the Dean of Washington State University’s College of Business, documented in a 400-person study from 2005 how different smells relaxed customers, and in some cases increased the amount they spent by up to 20%.

He explained that simple scents, such as orange, pine or cinnamon, were able to relax customers and help create a congruent festive perception.

However, presenting “too complex of a scent environment” can end up “overwhelming the Christmas smell”.

The key, he said, is to keep the aroma subtle so as to not distract the parts of the brain focused on shopping.

What’s more, these scents were even more effective when used alongside Christmas music, so next time you feel like splashing out on a titanic inflatable reindeer, remember that it might just be a trick of the mind.

IQ Features 13

“the t-shirts are meant to be a little geek chic, a little fun”

As Christmas approaches, and the mad rush to find presents begins, why not check out Rupert & Buckley for a unique quirky, clothing line? Newspaper Features Editor Emma Shelton was able to interview the Literature T t-shirts collection designer, David Briaris, and the owner of the company Rupert & Buckely, James Buckley Thorp. Both are alumni of the University of Kent. the law school. A highlight was starting the company from my student bedroom whilst trying to study Law at the same time.

Following Kent, where did life take you?

Photo by Alex Wightman

Both of you were at Kent.

How were your experiences of it? What courses did you study?

David Briaris: Kent was an incredible experience and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I studied English and American literature and the friends I made and the experiences I had while there are those I still treasure.

I never took a second of it for granted.

Certainly, the memories I have from all the adventures and mischief me and James got up to, including many a night in the Venue are certainly in my top uni moments.

James Buckley: We met via a large social group that are still in contact today. We are very close friends and we still reminisce about our time at Kent. I studied Law.

What societies did you get involved with at Uni? What was the highlight? How did you get involved in InQuire?

DB: I tried out many societies while at Uni, from meditation to InQuire. I even joined a singing society and I cannot sing in the slightest! Needless to say, I did not last more than one session with them. Joining the LGBT society in my third year was probably one of my best highlights. It took me two years to go along but when I did I made some of the most amazing friends and it transformed that year into something incredible.

As for InQuire, I joined the paper in my first year, when it was still known as Kred and worked as the lifestyle correspondent. Some of my articles are a little cringe-worthy now but it proved to be an excellent platform for journalistic experience. It was actually working for InQuire that got me noticed by a lecturer who recommended me for a news reporting job!

JB: I got involved with the rowing society, and I ran for support roles at

DB: Life has been a rollercoaster since Kent. Unfortunately, I graduated the year of the recession and so had to be as creative as possible when it came to job hunting.

I was able to secure internships and work experience with the magazines Vogue, Attitude, Psychologies, AXM and Red as well as a PR placement with Random House. I loved every second of each placement and was published in both AXM and Attitude.

I then decided I wanted to travel and see the world and I now work for a top long haul airline as well as writing in my spare time.

What did you learn from Kent that you used to launch down this career path?

DB: The English Department at the University of Kent embraces creativity and thinking ‘outside of the box’, which helped to shape the way I think creatively. It was by fusing my passion for literature and my creative side which led to the idea of the literature t-shirt.

Kent taught me to try new things and to not be constrained by convention. By taking what I learnt at Kent, I am able to think in different ways and come up with things that are unique and a little surprising.

JB: Kent was an interesting platform to launch this idea. I always remember that there really was no other uni that I could have launched this idea from. The support was fantastic.

Where did the inspiration come from? Did you and James know you wanted to do this?

How does the collaboration work?

DB: The inspiration for the collection came to me over a dinner with James.

It was one of those Eureka moments.

I was talking about literature and the culture of geek chic and the idea fell into place.

My passion is Literature and writing and like most writers I am always working on new ideas. I never considered myself as a t-shirt designer until this range but in a way these t-shirts are a blank canvas in which the writer in me got to play with.

JB: My inspiration for launching Rupert & Buckley was to fight back against student companies that insist on over charging for their products. I wanted to deliver the same high quality tailored products but for an affordable price. This is why I believe people shop at Rupert & Buckley. David approached me with an idea to expand the tshirt range. His idea about putting literature on the tshirts was an instant sell to me, because it was different. It was not your standard ‘quotes on a tshirt’, but it was word play on a tshirt, and I thought this was fun and vibrant, which are key elements to Rupert and Buckleys spirit.

Who did you have in mind as an audience for the t-shirts?

DB: I wanted to create something for people who enjoy literature or people that like to have fun with words and meanings. The t-shirts are meant to be a little geek chic, a little fun. The customer for the t-shirts are people who wear what they want to be wear because they like the design not because culture dictates them to. They are confident in themselves, a little cheeky and fun.

JB: We used to focus on the student market only, however we do see that the age market is bigger. Ever since supplying to Harrow Boys Schools, we now see a market that starts at 13 and goes all the way up to 25, which I think is a great achievement.

How old is the company?

JB: The company is still only a baby at two and a half years old. We have roughly 7 people on the tailoring team, we have 7 retail assistants, and one full time admin manager. Our models and photographers are always freelance.

What is the meaning behind the name of the company?

have the copies in my desk draw. Also something to notice, in the collection video on the website, when you see the two models on the bed waking up, the magazine that is on the bed is the one which Rupert & Buckley is in. We love to hide messages in our stories where and when possible.

Any plans for the future?

DB: This opportunity has been an exciting challenge and I have enjoyed the experience, from working on the t-shirts to writing and liaising with the press. It has all been a massive learning curve. I’d never say never to designing another range as long as I got to work on something with a message.

I think the LBGT cause is gaining massive momentum at the moment and designing a range of T-shirt for a charity or a company to support that cause would be something I’d be interested in.

As for now, I’ll continue to work on my creative writing.

JB: We currently have our first physical shop on Bath High Street.

And we hope to have a permanent shop by 2017. In the mean time, we are expanding our brand ambassador scheme to become a highly rewarding scheme and which we deliberately have made more competitive than any of our competitors.

Christmas: what have you got in store?

DB: Christmas to me is all about friends and family and so I plan to spend lots of time just catching up with everyone and spending quality time with my partner and my family. (for more information, visit www. rupertandbuckley.com)

JB: Rupert is the name of the Owl. I am Buckley. And together, we are Rupert & Buckley.

How does it feel to be quoted in Vogue and Marie Claire?

DB: l’ll keep this short, as I don’t want to gush but it feels incredible to be covered in Marie Claire and Vogue!

JB: It was an honour to feature in Vogue three times, and to be in Marie Claires hot picks. It was fantastic! I

Photo by Alex Wightman

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IQ Features

soap! candy casino what’s on at Friday 13th December #Trend Saturday 14th December Soap presents the biggest Winter event: The Snow Ball.

Get all your friends to go along, dress up fancily, and have a great Christmas night out.

Wednesday 18th December Jelli Baby present ‘Let it glow’ Christmas party. This is your last Christmassy event of the year 2013 so before all those deadlines are up, take break with your friends.

Friday 20th December #Trend ‘End of term party’!

And then guess what? You are officially on holiday!

IQ Entertainment 15

events

jingle bells: inquire’s christmas playlist

jack and the beanstalk: inquire goes to the panto

All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

This Christmas, the InQuire committee got into the festive spirit by heading to The Marlowe Theatre’s annual pantomime. This year saw actress Samantha Womack, children’s TV presenter Phil Gallagher and a whole host of talented actors come together in Jack and the Beanstalk. This is the story of what happens when some students, free food and drink and the odd celebrity are thrown together.

Emily Adams joke and an interesting Tommy Cooper energetic and upbeat with many pop impression that stunned us all. But it hits getting a child-friendly pantomime Newspaper Entertainment Editor was Dame Trott that stole the show for twist. At the mention of Jack defeating me, the talented Roddy, who wowed the ‘roaring’ giant, the cast launched us with her floral dresses, permed wigs into a rendition of Katy Perry’s Roar, a and stripy socks and not forgetting the tenuous link but apparently anything’s basket of flowers that sat neatly upon acceptable in panto these days.

The InQuire Committee her head. Roddy fits his role perfectly, Speaking of which, nothing was more Photo by Rebekah Chilvers clearly enjoying himself on stage whilst entertaining than seeing Dame Trott giving everyone a master class in how to re-enact Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball Taking our seats, right at the front be the best pantomime Dame in town. video or see the cast, along with Daisy amongst excitable kids, you might have At the peak of the show, animated the break-dancing cow, sing to One thought a group of university students giants (not one, not two but three), Direction’s Best Song Ever, Moooves were out of place. Surely we’re too old filled the stage whilst the audience Like Jagger and I Like The Way You for the pantomime? Oh no we’re not! got to throw balls at them.

Margate Mooove. Oh, and who knew that I Need After a glass of wine, (or five for some A Hero was a Jack and the Beanstalk editors, mentioning no names, *cough* showstopper?

Tom Hagues *cough*), we were all enjoying it as much as the kids. Website Some fast paced, witty Kent related Editor Chad Greggor confessed, “I jokes went down well with the audience thought I was going to hate it but it was coming thick and fast throughout whilst actually quite funny and a bit bizarre”. even the odd student joke about Chill on a Tuesday night crept its way into the The cast were on top form throughout, script. managing to stay wildly animated and energetic for the whole two hours with After the show we were treated to a everything fantastically over the top reception with the cast and a few more like every great pantomime should be. glasses of wine. Talking to Samantha Phil Gallagher Womack, we heard tales of her meeting We saw the usual array of cheers for the Photo by Rebekah Chilvers Olivia Newton John and got to know fairy, boos for the villain and a “hi Jack” for the hero. Oh, but best not say that more about Phil Gallagher’s upbringing born Lloyd Hollett made for an on a plane. in Canterbury, had (a little bit too impressive baddie with his exaggerated much) fun getting photos with every With most of us not having been to goofy movements and creepy cast member in some less than ordinary a pantomime in years, it felt nice to rolling eyes as the brilliantly evil Dr poses. Thank you to the cast for putting actually understand the more adult Hefferflumphenstein. Bursting into up with our photo demands. jokes as well has enjoy the slapstick song and dancing on stage with some humour provided by Billy Trott, (Phil creepy skeletons however, was perhaps Gallagher, more familiar to children unexpected and what Features Editor as Mr Maker) and Dame Trott (Ben Emma Shelton could only describe as Roddy) slipping and sliding across the “surreal”. stage whilst making ice cream in the Let’s not forget the other talents on dairy. Credit must go to Phil Gallagher Samantha Womack stage in the form of our story’s hero, for his willingness to cover himself in Photo by Rebekah Chilvers Jack Trott, played by the very down to cream, eggs, nuts, chocolate sprinkles earth and friendly Jo Parsons. Look out and who knows what else every night Hearing us talk about the show nonfor Jack ‘trying’ to float up the giant all for the audience’s entertainment. It stop the next day, Chris Heron, our inflatable beanstalk whilst attached to a has to be said, though, it looks like they Newspaper News Editor had just this to harness. Trina Hill plays the helplessly have a lot of fun in that scene. say: “I wasn’t there, but it sounded like innocent Princess Mayflower and John the greatest show to grace our shores Samantha Womack was brilliant in her Barr, West End veteran, makes a great since Cats.” role as the ‘vegetable’ Fairy Sugarsnap, appearance as King Eric. speaking in rhyming couplets with great A GIANT success for The Marlowe Musically, the show was incredibly timing, throwing in the odd Eastenders Theatre. Go and see it!

Get into the festive spirit with InQuire’s pick of the best Christmas jingles. Listen out for a few alternative ideas that we’ve thrown in too. For the full playlist, follow the QR code below.

Father Christmas - The Kinks I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard Merry Christmas Everyone – Shakin’ Stevens It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop – Frightened Rabbit Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree Brenda Lee Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Frank Sinatra She Came Home for Christmas – Mew Stay Another Day – East 17 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – The Jackson 5 Step Into Christmas – Elton John Christmas is Awesome - Reuben Is This Christmas? – The Wombats Merry Christmas (I don’t Want to Fight Tonight) - The Ramones Happy Christmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon/Yoko Ono Mistletoe And Wine – Cliff Richard Wombling Merry Christmas – The Wombles

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IQ Entertainment

listen, watch, play and follow Chris Heron Newspaper News Editor Listen: Somewhere Only We Know- Lily Allen Despite the horrendous plot holes in the John Lewis Christmas advert (is the Rabbit’s Christmas present to the Bear some defenceless prey or something?), the accompanying music to the advert has become the tune that defines Christmas 2013.

I’m not going to forget John Lewis’ Christmas edition of The Fox and the Hound, and Lily Allen’s song will unfortunately will be associated with it. A good song, even if you listen to it for the wrong reason.

Watch: Legacy - BBC2 (BBC iPlayer) A feature length Cold War drama from the BBC, starring Charlie Cox (Tristan Thorne from Stardust), Legacy is a good escape from the inevitable slew of Christmas specials. It follows a trainee spy who is called to ‘turn’ a former friend, who is now a Soviet diplomat, that he knew at university. While slightly clichéd, it does keep with the increasingly prominent thriller drama which is a BBC favourite. Incredibly atmospheric and well worth a watch.

Play: Dishonored Christmas is coming and the online sales are here. As such, I have gone back to the 2012 game Dishonored (which at the time of writing is a mere £3.74 on the Steam online store). It is essentially a first-person Assassin’s Creed but this time you have magic. Kill your way through the game and sneak around without disturbing a single soul.

Follow: Waterstones Oxford Street - @WaterstonesOxfordSt My all-time favourite twitter account is the parody account of a bookshop.

Run by an enigmatic bookseller, he just tweets about book related things, such as how repeating Charles Dickens’ name three times will summon the revered author to hunt you down.

Some of the best publicity Waterstones have ever had.

have an ‘app’y christmas everyone

Emily Adams Newspaper Entertainment Editor

In preparation for just one single day of the year, we stress, we shop, we cook, we eat and we drink, but do we actually have a chance to get into the real Christmas spirit and enjoy it. Take a look at these free festive apps that could make your Christmas that little bit easier and help you get excited for the big day.

Gift It: You’re making a list, you’re checking it twice, you can’t work out who’s naughty or nice; It’s just so complicated! Well not anymore, thanks to Gift It. With a handy tutorial to get you started, you can sort out all your Christmas shopping into one neatly organised place. Make a list for all your favourite people this year, set your budget and write down all your gift ideas and a price for each of them.

Then simply cross them off when you’ve purchased them. Simple. Now all you need is the money to buy them. Not so simple. If you want some extra present ideas too, take a look at Christmas Wrapped Lite which throws in a bit of added help if you’re struggling to think

of something a bit more original than socks and smellies.

Perfect Christmas Dinner: As a student, it’s always fun, and a real challenge, to prepare and cook a festive feast with your housemates before the holidays.

Plan it out on the app and teach yourself some new skills. With over 25 video recipes, get tips from professional chefs and learn how to cook your favourite Christmas dinner treats, from the appetisers to the drinks. There’s even a menu shopping list to add all your ingredients to so you won’t forget anything on the day.

Amazon: It might not be all Christmassy and have pictures of dancing elves and prancing reindeers everywhere, but for me, this is the only app you should have.

Purchase everything you need from Amazon.co.uk at the tap of a button.

It’s oh so simple. There’s more choice, it’s normally cheaper and you can avoid every other maniacal Christmas shopper out there. No need to even get out of bed and at this time of year, I’m sure that’s all you want to hear.

Christmas Countdown: Santa Claus is coming to town! But when? Sure, I know the big day is 25th December, but it’s always nice to know how soon Father Christmas will be knocking on your door (I’m not stupid Mum and Dad, I’ve put two and two together and I know he won’t fit down the chimney). So grab yourself a countdown app and prepare yourself for greatest day of the year. I recommend Sleeps To Christmas Lite for some fun animated characters, a Christmas playlist and the magical sound of sleigh bells when you shake your iPhone. I’m waiting Santa!

ElfYourself: Okay, fine, you’ve got me. This one clearly isn’t going to make your Christmas workload smaller, but it is going to make you chuckle. Well, in my sleep deprived, essay overloaded head it sure seemed funny. Let’s just say procrastination took on a whole new level this week. So why not turn yourself and your friends into elves and watch them dance the night away in a whole number of scenes, wearing delightful green elf suits. There really is an app for everything.

winter ? yes. wonderland ? no.

Photo by Rebekah Chilvers

Tom Hagues Website Features Editor

The promise of a Winter Wonderland with a Christmas market, mulled wine and an ice rink on campus tempted many out into the cold on Wednesday afternoon. Most were left winter wonder-ing where the magical market was. Others were missing their mulled wine, and everyone was eyeing up the ice rink’s lack of… well, ice.

One of many couples who braved the plastic ice said that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, which probably had more to do with the fact that they had an excuse to skip half a lecture rather than the colossal mound of mediocrity that was the ‘ice

rink’. Others, though, were less than impressed. “I was expecting a lot more”, said one young lady as she skated – no, walked – along beside us. “From the advertisement, I was expecting something quite spectacular. Really it’s quite disappointing, but it’s all for a very good cause so I don’t mind too much!”

As the owner of the so-called ice rink fired faux snow over it (and also into the wind meaning it all just blew away from the shoddy show of Christmas spirit), the music began to play loud pop songs of varying speeds. For the professional plastic ice rink skater, trying to glide your way around to a soft, gentle R&B track becomes quite difficult when Gangnam Style comes on. Not one Christmas song was played.

Despite the fact that there were some serious missing links between what was advertised and what was delivered, everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

And that is the most important part of the whole event. The event, just one of many going on all of this week, aimed to raise money for the Kent Union organised charity RaG (Raise and Give)

Helping to fundraise for local charities, the RaG team are hard-working and committed volunteers. From putting on a pantomime in Eliot to climbing the Great Wall of China, the RaG volunteers will do all they can to raise as much money as possible. The best thing about them is that they do it all year round, not just at Christmas.

InQuire spoke to RAG President Laura Hunter, Vice President Rosie Melville and Media Officer Asim Janjua who said “We’re really pleased with the event. It’s nice to do something different. There’s been a real buzz on campus”.

So, if you see a bucket with RaG on it, throw in a few coins! Ignore the miserable market set-up and remember why it’s there.

Photo by Rebekah Chilvers

IQ Entertainment 17

the pick of christmas tv 2013

Natalie Tipping

It’s something we all look forward to

every year. When the nights draw in, term draws on, a certain advert for a carbonated drink comes on the telly, we know Christmas is on its way. For me though, this also means the publication of the Christmas Radio Times. This year I’m living in Paris without access to British TV, but no fear! The internet has managed to get me sufficiently prepped for the beauties of Christmas TV. Here is my top five of what to look forward to!

1. Sherlock (BBC1) Yes, that’s right. It’s back. The first episode of the third series of the critically acclaimed show is called ‘The Empty Hearse’, with Sherlock returning seemingly from the dead. The long awaited return of Sherlock will inevitably draw in millions of viewers for its three episodes. For all concerned

– and I suggest you all should be – the air dates are 1st, 5th and 12th January.

If you’ve never watched Sherlock before, catching up is the perfect way to procrastinate from those end of term essays, so get on it!

2. Doctor Who (BBC1) I’m not even sure I’m over the 50th anniversary episode enough to even talk about the Christmas one, but here goes.

Entitled The Time of the Doctor, this year’s Christmas special sees the end of Matt Smith’s stint playing everyone’s favourite Time Lord, with Peter Capaldi taking the reins. That’s not all however, with the 11 second trailer showing not only Daleks and Cybermen, but also Weeping Angels and The Silence, along with the statement that the Doctor is at his most dreaded destination, Trenzalore.

3. Open All Hours (BBC1) Not much to say about this other than if you’ve never watched the original series of Open All Hours, featuring the comedic genius of Ronnie Barker, watch it. Right now. I’ll wait.

But seriously, get on this. Obviously this won’t feature Barker, but David Jason will reprise his role of Granville for some sure-fire comedy gold.

4. Educating Yorkshire (Channel 4) Again, what more can I say about

this show other than it’s hilarious and you should get straight on 4od ready for this Christmas special. The heart-warming show about children attending Thornhill Community Academy attracted millions of viewers earlier in the year and is sure to be an entertaining watch.

5. Christmas Bake Off (BBC2) If you don’t like GBBO, never speak to me again. I was genuinely gutted to have missed most of the latest series, so imagine my joy when I discovered that they are doing a Christmas special!

Whether they make Christmas cake, pudding or cookies, I’ll be giving them a go! That said, you all should have done your Christmas Cakes by now, you need to keep feeding them with booze for weeks before Christmas – isn’t that the real point of Christmas after all, as much booze as possible? No? Just me?

Oh.

albums on the go

Rathe Temple Green Jake Bugg Shangri-La There’s something comforting about Jake Bugg. It’s nice that someone can have two No. 1 guitar albums by 19, and if you can get into his somewhat nasal voice, he’s got a real knack for vocal melodies.

On the other hand, it’s too comforting: the songs quickly feel samey, and there’s nothing really here Bob Dylan and Neil Young weren’t already doing decades ago, but it’s a welcome presence in the usually electro-popdominated charts.

Buckethead - It Smells Like Frogs Eccentric electric guitar virtuoso Buckethead has outdone himself this year; It Smells Like Frogs is his 27th full-length album this year alone.

Bridging everything from classic rock to metal shredding, he’s as impossible to predict as ever. If you’ve got a thing for loud, instrumental showing-off, there are a lot of impressive riffs here to get stuck in your head. By the time you read this though, he’ll have probably released another two albums.

looking back at the top 5 films and albums of 2013 and director Alfonso Cuaron will get the Oluwamayowa Idowu help but feel that this

Jake Cunningham 1. Upstream Colour: As the end credits roll the name Shane Carruth appears as writer, director, actor, producer, editor and composer. On first appearances Mr Carruth may be a little egotistical. However, Upstream Colour has been 8 years in the making, and when you’ve spent that much time on a project you want it to be perfect. That is exactly what the film is, perfect. A story so strange it’s impossible to explain, but visualised so beautifully it leaves you sitting in the dark even after the credits end, just waiting another 8 years for the name Shane Carruth to appear.

2. Gravity: So much has been said about Gravity that I’m not sure I could really add much more. Audibly, it has the best score of the year.

Narratively, better than Apollo 13

and as surprisingly deep as Kubrick too. Sandra Bullock pulls another powerhouse performance out of the bag,

Oscar he deserves.

3. The Place Beyond the Pines: Each of TPBTB’s three acts could easily be entire films in their own right. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Dane DeHaan respectively lead each third of the film with Oscar winning prowess.

On a surface level this film is a story about guilt, revenge and acceptance.

However it is in its exploration of paternalism that it truly makes it’s mark. A wonderfully scripted, intense and beautiful human drama.

4. The World’s End: History will sadly reveal it to be the least popular of the Cornetto trilogy. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg et al could have quite easily stuck with the same hilarious but light referential as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. But steering clear of this formula and opting for a darker, less reference reliant piece, they’ve arguably made their best film to date.

5. Pacific Rim: Guillermo Del Toro’s giant aliens vs giant robots deserved more praise than it got. A solid film, paying homage to the Japanese Kaiju films of the 70s and revamped for the 21st century.

1. Yeezus - Kanye West: Kanye West is a genre unto himself.

Yeezus is unlike anything we’ve ever heard and whilst the lyrical content could be stronger, the production is flawless.

In a post modern world, this is the ultimate fusion album with elements ranging from New Wave to Punk Rock and Reggae to Hip Hop. Like Mr West said, “this is what frustration sounds like”.

2. Love in the Future - John Legend: Legend is one of the greater male R’n’B singers of the 2000s in that he has balanced the traditional requirement that R’n’B is love based with a stream of social consciousness.

Love in the Future lived up to my expectations with its soft beats and top notch lyrics. Slip it on whilst engaging in coitus? Want lines to impress girls with? You’re welcome.

3. Matangi - M.I.A: Don’t let her ‘controversy seeking’ personality detract from the greatness of her music.

The 808s thump loudly and one can’t

is one of the definitive dance albums of 2013. It’s often said that adversity brings joy and with the personal issues she has struggled with this year, it rings true.

4. The 20/20 Experience Justin Timberlake: The adage in entertainment circles suggests you should never leave when you’re hot.

Fresh from conquering Hollywood, JT proved the exception. He’s put one foot forward as one of the greats of our era. He made Timbaland hot again and ‘Mirrors’ was one of the best songs this year.

5. L.I.F.E - Burna Boy: Since D’Banj conquered the UK scene with ‘Oliver Twist’, the African Pop scene has gotten greater attention.

With his memorable debut album, 22 year old Burna Boy cements his place as one of the standard bearers, inspiration coming from Fela Kuti’s Afrobeats and Bob Marley’s brand of Reggae.

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IQ Culture

this week in...

2003: 14th December Sadam Hussein, former President of Iraq, was arrested after being captured by US soldiers. Hussein was found about 10 miles south of Tikrit, his hometown, hiding in a bunker.

As the news spread throughout Iraq, people began celebrating in the streets of Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

1969: 16th December MPs voted, by a large majority, for the permanent abolition of the death penalty for murder.

The voting was 343 in favour, 185 against, a majority of 158, to permanently end hanging in Britain.

1983: 17th December A bomb blast near Harrods department store in central London killed six people.

Three police officers and three members of the public were killed and 75 other injured after a car bomb attack. Police believed the IRA planted the bomb in a side street near the department store in Knightsbridge.

1995: 20th December The Queen urged Charles and Diana to seek “an early divorce”; Buckingham Palace said the Queen called for an end to the marriage in a letter to each of them earlier in the week. The Queen’s action came just weeks after the princess’ interview on Panorama, which sparked a national debate on the future of the monarchy.

the origins of christmas

Rosanna Shaw

Nowadays, many people moan that the meaning of Christmas has been lost amongst all the commercialism that surrounds it. So I think it’s time we explore some of the original meanings of Christmas.

Now unless you’ve been living under a rock every December, you’re aware that Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birthday (the clue’s in the name). Christ’s Mass is held in churches globally on 25th December; that date closes the Advent season and begins the twelve days of Christmastide. Well now we’ve covered the basics, what about those Christmas traditions which we look forward to once a year? Those origins are not so well known, and some are very interesting indeed.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the delicious dinner, the turkey with all the trimmings. But actually, turkey was not always our meat of choice at Christmas, it was far more common to eat goose, but you could even find peacock or boar served at some tables.

It was in the 16th Century that six turkeys were brought over from America by William Strickland, and there began the UK’s love of turkey at Christmas. They were large enough to feed a whole family, and of course they were much more affordable than

peacock. It is rumoured that Henry VIII was the first monarch to eat turkey at Christmas dinner.

The Christmas cracker is a common addition to the dinner table; the inventor is believed to have been Tom Smith in 1847. When his bon-bon trade began to dry up, Tom tried to think of new promotional ideas. Firstly he inserted love messages into the twisted wrappers, and later added the characteristic noise, inspired by hearing a log fire crackling. The paper hats and jokes were later introduced by Walter Smith, Tom’s son.

One of my personal favourite parts of Christmas is decorating the tree.

Evergreen trees don’t shed their leaves in winter and are a symbol of everlasting life; this stems from Pagan beliefs which are much older than Christian ones. Indeed, many of our traditions actually stem from preChristian ideas, including gift-giving

and carol singing. The 25th December is not ever stated as Jesus’ birthday in the Bible; it was joined together with an older Roman celebration, the Winter Solstice.

Today, Father Christmas is possibly the most popular figure associated with Christmas. Santa Claus, St. Nicholas and Kris Kringle are a few other names which are attributed to this legendary figure from other nationalities. He has evolved through time into one man, but really is a compilation of many.

The American term Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which in turn is linked to the celebration of St. Nicholas’ day which falls on the 6th December.

St. Nicholas was a Greek bishop who was a reputed gift giver. He was said to put coins in shoes left out for him, a practice which still occurs in Germany on the eve of St. Nicholas’ day. The Norse God Odin is also thought to have influenced ideas about Father Christmas, with his white beard, and also his habit of entering houses through chimneys and riding at night on his horse Sleipnir.

So if you thought Christmas was losing touch with its roots, don’t be so cynical!

The truth is many of the elements we incorporate, without even thinking about, are actually deeply rooted traditions with plenty of meaning.

ian watkins case: should we denounce offenders’ art?

Oliver Kenton

A fter the recent underage sex, rape and drugs offences which Ian Watkins, Lostprophets’ lead vocalist, pleaded guilty to, controversy has sparked as to whether it is morally acceptable to continue to appreciate his band’s music.

Seemingly, many people are so disgusted by Watkins’ acts that they are now burdened by guilt or repulsion when they listen to his music. Just by looking at the response on social media, a large quantity of people believe that Lostprophets should now be forgotten and their work should no longer be appreciated, played or enjoyed.

When asked about how she felt, a friend of mine said: “I don’t know if I’d refuse, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to them, just because the thought of Ian Watkins makes me feel a bit gross.” This seems to be a fairly widespread opinion, that individuals are refusing to listen to his music, as they are either too horrified by Watkins’ offences, or because they feel guilty in doing so.

Reinforcing this is the news that HMV have now pulled Lostprophets albums

from their shelves. Whether this is due to marketisation and public appearance, or their own moral grounds is irrelevant as the overall argument still applies, that many now wish to denounce the work of Lostprophets due to Watkins’ scandal.

But should we, as consumers of media and artwork, just forget about who the creator is when they have sinned?

Asking another friend of mine her opinion, she had this to say: “Even though I hate the artist, I still love the art; therefore I will still listen to and appreciate the music of Lostprophets, as I will disconnect myself from the horror of Watkins’ acts.”

It could be argued that a number of people who are in the public eye have committed morally “wrong” acts, but still have recognition. Take Rolf Harris, for example, who was recently charged with child sex offences, and high-profile celebrities such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, who have experienced past drug scandals.

These three celebrities are still widely celebrated for their work, with most people detaching themselves from the

artist’s personal affairs. There are a number of people who believe that Lostprophets’ work should not be denounced or that they should stop appreciating their art, as the music itself hasn’t changed in their eyes, and the other members of the band have engaged in no such scandal.

The debate about whether or not it is acceptable to continue to listen to and appreciate the music by Lostprophets is one that cannot be definitively answered. The answer, naturally, lies with each individual as to what they believe, in particular whether they are able to separate art from artist or not.

IQ Culture

best and worst: christmas films

Emma Brazell

It’s now December, meaning that we can stop sighing as we walk past our neighbour’s house (don’t know about yours, but ours have had their lights up for a month already), and well and truly embrace the Christmas atmosphere.

‘Tis the season after all, and what would the end of the year be without Christmas films to watch while we’re laid on the sofa, wishing we hadn’t eaten that one last mince pie? Here are some to make you smile and others that will make you wish your Auntie had bought you those ear plugs last year after all.

The third best Christmas movie is Love Actually. A Marmite film with many people either at one extreme or the other. Personally I adore it. A multi-plotlined stroke of genius from the king of feel-good films, Richard Curtis, this film is guaranteed to bring a spot of much-needed Christmas cheer to any household. Featuring many of the British film industry’s very best, Rowan Atkinson makes the film with his 3 minute cameo. We’ll never agree to have a present gift-wrapped again.

In second place is 1946’s It’s A Wonderful Life. It seems unlikely that a film beginning with the prospect of a man’s suicide would make the top three.

Despite three-quarters of this film spent cowering behind a pillow, cringing at

George Bailey’s misfortune, the last fifteen minutes earn its place in the countdown, in true cheesy Christmas spirit, reminding us all just how lucky we are.

The best Christmas film award has to go to The Muppet Christmas Carol, the finest adaption of Charles Dickens’ renowned novel. It’s a given that the book is a masterpiece, but why plough through Dickens’ lengthy narrative when you could experience this wonderful story in Muppet form?

Kermit the frog, original Disney tunes, along with a triumphant Muppet ending: seriously, what more could you want? It would take a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge not to love this.

Some Christmas movies are better left forgotten, though; one such film is Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, which is the third worst. Santa Claus is coming to town. But not to a town near you. A regular on the list of worst films ever made, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, tells the story of Father Christmas’ abduction to Mars. So bad that it’s somehow good? Nope, just blooming awful.

In second place is Star Wars Holiday Special. Question: How do you know when a film is truly dreadful? Answer: When the creator of the film says “if I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that film and smash it”. A long time ago

in a galaxy far far away, a Star Wars Christmas special was born, featuring Chewbacca returning to his home world of Kashyyyk with Han Solo for company. Never rebroadcast or officially released on video or DVD, the televised atrocity has become somewhat of a cultural legend, labelled as ‘the horrible Christmas special that no one talks about’. Shush, you didn’t hear about it here.

But the worst of the worst is Elves.

Yep, you read it right. Elves, not Elf. Rather than lovable human-turnedelf Buddy, I present you with a true Christmas devastation that will make you want to rip down all of your decorations and burn your tree to ashes.

When teenager Kirsten cuts her hand while taking part in an anti-Christmas pagan ritual, her blood awakens a demonic Christmas elf who is the leader of the campaign that Hitler apparently always dreamed of… No, not a race of pure blood Aryans, a race of halfhuman/half-elf hybrids. Obviously.

Love Actually is somehow seen as a Christmassy movie… In my opinion, a film that starts 5 weeks before Christmas is not a Christmas film. Elf, Miracle On 34th Street and The Muppet Christmas Carol are Christmas films, this is not.

We then move on to the plot. Now don’t get me wrong, I like trashy romance films as much as the next person, but Love Actually is bursting at the seams with predictable, saccharine, lovey-dovey characters. Take Hugh Grant, the Prime Minister who falls in love with his secretary - yawn. Colin Firth and his Portuguese housekeeper – oh, a language barrier, how sweet! Bill Nighy and his manager – you’ve got to be kidding me…

Only three things in this film made me laugh: 1) Hugh Grant’s dancing.

That, I will admit, was funny. 2) Rowan Atkinson. And 3) My constant repetition of Liam Neeson’s gravelly catchphrase “I don’t know who you are,” which brought me out in shrieks of laughter every time he appeared on screen.

The myriad of British actors from the last decade only just makes up for the predictable, cheesy and sickly-sweet plotline.

Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor

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cultural events calendar Fri 13th Dec-Tue 17th Dec Gravity 3D The Gulbenkian Cinema Fri 13th Dec-Sun 12th Jan Jack And The Beanstalk The Marlowe Theatre Sat 14th Dec Artisan Chritsmas Market Canterbury Sat 14th Dec Choral and Orchestral Concert The Gulbenkian Theatre Sun 15th Dec It’s A Wonderful Life The Gulbenkian Cinema Wed 18th Dec Good Bye Lenin!

The Gulbenkian Cinema Sat 21st Dec Arthur Christmas 3D The Gulbenkian Cinema

inquire’s unpopular cultur al opinions

Will Shillibier

“Never speak to me again”, “This is not okay”, “Get out”, and “We can’t be friends” were all comments on my Facebook status a couple of weeks ago. What god-awful opinion was I expressing? Was I against gay marriage? Had I rudely insulted someone important? Nope, I was expressing my dislike for Love Actually.

In the immortal words of Perry Como, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, and as a result, friends, sports teams and societies are gathering together to watch Christmas films. The members of Kent Pole Fitness recently got together for a film night, complete with onesies and snacks. Never being one to shy away from free food and wearing a onesie in a social occasion, I, of course, was in attendance.

The company was great, the conversation even more so, and the human-poling was an absolute triumph.

But the film was, in my opinion at least, one of the worst I have ever seen. My first point lies with the very notion that

I prefer the Harry Potter films to the books. Before you reach for your pitchforks and burning torches, let me just say that I do like the books, much as I sometimes pretend not to for argument’s sake. There are just a few things that I think the films do better.

The most important of these is their blending of the adult and childfriendly. After the first few titles, the books get a little stuck in a noman’s-land between the two, neither the bright, adventurous children’s literature they began as, nor the dark, complicated, philosophical tomes they apparently wanted to be.

With a more gradually developing visual style (compare the fireworkdisplay colours of The Philosopher’s Stone to the darkness of The Deathly Hallows pair, with The Order of the Phoenix as a midway point) and the playful gravitas of Michael Gambon, the films handle this shift better.

A related strength is their improved character development. For all her qualities, JK Rowling was never great with dialogue. The scriptwriters and actors bring more naturalness to the

speeches, and don’t incessantly follow them with “said”. The supporting cast in particular give their characters much more depth and interest.

Finally, Alfonso Cuaron and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I don’t think much more need be said here; it’s a good book, but a brilliant film.

Of course, the films aren’t without their flaws. The entirety of The HalfBlood Prince, for example, is one big, gaping flaw, taking the book where Rowling got that tonal balance just right and smothering it in a rom-com disaster. But as a whole body of work, I find them to be more coherent and compelling.

20

IQ Culture

pause for thought It’s nearly Christmas, and you

know what that means! Father Christmas, reindeer and a sleigh full of presents, that’s what.

Here’s an extract of the poem Twas The Night Before Christmas to get you in the festive spirit.

Twas the night before Christmas Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away!

Dash away all!”

Clement Clarke Moore

christmas on a student budget Rebekah Chilvers Newspaper Culture Editor

We all know that Christmas is the time of year where you’re most thankful for your student overdraft, because it isn’t just “the most wonderful time of the year”, but also the most financially draining.

If essentially having two Christmases – one at uni and one at home – wasn’t enough, then there’s also the cost of actually getting home (if you aren’t lucky enough to have parents that’ll transport you to and fro) to worry about. But fear not, there are many ways in which you can scrimp your way through the Christmastide without becoming the Grinch himself, or ever using the phrase “Bah, Humbug!”

If you haven’t already bought hoards of Christmas decorations to distract yourself from end-of-term essays, there’s loads of things you can do to get your student house looking like a winter wonderland without spending very much at all. Any decorations you can make using just paper, a pair of scissors and sellotape are always going to be cheap and cheerful. As well as

paper chains, a prime example of this is paper snowflakes which you can just stick on to your windows. Once you’ve followed a few simple guidelines (just a quick search away on the web), your house will be feeling much more festive already. There are so many different patterns you can choose from, so there’s no excuse not to get Christmassy!

For more personalised decorations, you could even make amusing photos of your friends into baubles, like our house has done this year. And perhaps instead of getting presents for your uni friends, you could again do something collectively, such as make a game like pass-the-parcel more student-friendly by having the ‘present’ for each round

as a few sips of slightly-more-expensivethan-usual alcohol. It is Christmas, after all.

Presents tend to form the bulk of the Christmas expense, so to avoid spending more than you need to, here are some original ideas. Of course, you can make your own cards, and perhaps even presents if you’re creative enough, but you can save yourself some of the time that would take with the following suggestions.

Last year, a friend of mine had a great idea, and instead of buying a present for each member of her family, she bought her family a collective present instead.

Yes, it might be difficult to think of something that all the family would enjoy, but if, like my friend, you pick something that could encourage you and your family to spend quality time together, then it’s bound to go down a treat.

There may not be cheap answers for everything this Christmas, but follow just a few of these ideas, and your Christmas could well be as “merry and bright” as your bank account. Okay, maybe that’s a bit too hopeful…

archbishop of canterbury: cross about the symbol

Lucia Ennis

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has compared the use of the cross in fashion to “wearing an electric chair, or a golden gallows, around your neck”. The comments were made in the foreword to his upcoming book Looking Through The Cross, to be published in February 2014.

2000 years ago the symbol of the cross was regarded as a badge of shame – with Romans having used crucifixion to execute criminals from the 6th century BC onwards. Today, the emblem of the cross is just as likely to be seen on a D&G runway as it is a religious icon. The fashion powerhouse recently referenced the golden mosaics of Sicily’s Cathedral of Monreale for their Autumn 2013 collection. A pair of D&G cross earrings are currently selling for £730.

The Archbishop condemns the commercial fashion trend as a trivialisation that “empties” the impact of the cross as a religious symbol.

He argues that Christianity with a “powerless Cross” is “Christianity without a throne for Christ.”

But is the cross really powerless?

Madonna’s 2006 Live to Tell performance in Rome – in which she poses as a crucified Christ hanging on a mirrored cross – was blasted

by Italian cardinal Ersilio Tonini as

“blasphemous” and a “profanation of the cross”. Jewish and Muslim leaders also critiqued it as “disrespectful” and suggested that Madonna should just “go home”. The uproar was so widespread that Madonna was forced to issue a statement of clarification insisting she was not “mocking the Church”, but rather literally “taking up the Cross” in the way the Bible encourages.

An increasing fashion trend is the inversion of the traditional Latin cross, in which the symbol is physically turned upside down. This has been popularised on the high street by Topshop’s crossprint leggings and jewellery range.

The symbol has also been picked up as an emblem by Satanist movements, who associate it with the opposite, or inversion, of Christian ideals. It has appeared in horror films such as The Omen and Paranormal Activity as a symbol for the Devil as well.

Ironically, the inverted cross, known

as the St. Peter, is actually based on Catholic tradition. The apostle Simon Peter is said to have requested his crucifixion on an upside down cross due to feeling unworthy in comparison to Jesus. In Catholic culture the cross of St. Peter is subsequently considered to be a symbol of humility.

The Archbishop’s claim that the cross has been “beautified” by the fashion industry is interesting. To many, the cross is no longer seen as a method of execution, but rather a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for the survival of mankind. For others it’s an emblem of hope, or a symbol of peace. For others still, it is simply a fashion accessory with no religious weight attached.

Ultimately, the cross belongs to nobody and everybody.

As for the Archbishop’s fear that the symbol has become “powerless”, Madonna’s controversial (and perhaps calculated) performance drew a lot of attention to the number flashed on screen behind her: 12,000,000 – the number of children who have been left orphaned by the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

The cross can hold just as much power, or weight, in popular culture as a symbol of compassion and human kindness as it can in the Christian context from which it gets those characteristics.

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22

Sport

not so special one? mourinho’s return blues Tom Beresford

IT took thirteen seconds to turn the ‘Special One’ into the ‘Questioned One’ during Chelsea’s home victory on 1st December over highflying Southampton, when Jose Mourinho’s side found themselves behind after an early strike from Jay Rodriguez.

Despite the early setback, however, Chelsea recorded a 3-1 win placing them comfortably behind Arsenal at second in the Barclays Premier League only thirteen games into the season.

Having all but cemented their place in the Champions League knockout stage and have progressed into the quarterfinals of the Capital One Cup this year one has to ask, what has a manager got to do to be given a break in this sport?

In his post-match interview, the Chelsea boss claimed: “We played with balance, we played with calm. There was no panic.”

This doesn’t sound at all like a man under any sort of pressure.

The squad is notably different

to the side under Mourinho’s first stint in charge in the 20042007 ‘Golden Era’ so it’s only natural for the players to get used to his certain style of play.

“It is a sign of a team that is building step by step, understands my ideas and my mentality.

“Some of the players who

do not share completely my philosophy are adapting and progressively feeling their responsibility” the Portuguese manager admitted.

Questions began to arise after Mourinho’s decision to send inform Belgian striker Romalu Lukaku to Everton on a longterm loan, as he has been in

prolific form for the Toffees.

As well as this, his decision to leave arguably Chelsea’s player of last season, Juan Mata, out for the majority of this current campaign as come under some scrutiny also.

Mata, who scored 20 goals and provided 28 assists in 64 appearances last season, has

only been included in 8 games so far this season.

The pressure at Stamford Bridge this season will be felt more as both Manchester clubs have produced unsettled performances under their new managers.

This apparent pressure, however, will be affected by Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures in the Christmas period.

In-form Arsenal and Liverpool will both prove tough opponents for Mourinho’s side and the outcome will play a huge role in the title-race.

Nevertheless, pundits shouldn’t be so quick to criticise.

His track-record speaks volumes all over Europe and he continues to show his stylish self-confidence despite the irrational probing from journalists.

I think I can speak for most football fanatics and followers in saying that, that is one special feat. So, is he the ‘Questioned One’?

No. He remains the ‘Special One’.

british skiing medal won referee scrutiny - should they apologise?

Percival Kleft JASMIN Taylor has become Britain’s first ever medallist at a Telemark skiing World Cup event.

Taylor, 20, from Ipswich took silver during the parallel sprint in Austria.

Telemark Skiing, also known as ‘free heel skiing’, is a version of downhill skiing where the ski boot is attached just at the toe, and as a result the skier is in more of a lunge position throughout the race.

“I was totally overwhelmed and elated, it was incredible and all the hard work was worth it,” she told BBC Sport.

“I hope it’s the first of many, but the season has only just begun so it’s very hard to judge.”

Taylor has been in good form throughout the World Cup campaign so far, narrowly missing out to Swiss World Champion Amelie Raymond in the first round of races, eventually securing second and earned a landmark medal for British Telemark.

Henry Sandercock OVER the past few weeks, referees across the sporting spectrum have had their decisions called into question.

From Howard Foster’s controversial stoppage of the boxing match between George Groves and Carl Froch to Nigel Owens allowing Aaron Cruden to re-take a crucial conversion kick that he had originally missed which won the game for New Zealand, they have certainly been getting a hard time.

Perhaps the worst cases of all though can be found in the world of football, where referees are constantly hounded by coaches and the press after every match if they have made a marginally contentious decision, so should they apologise for getting decisions wrong?

As a rugby referee, I can certainly sympathise with the pressures that come with refereeing a sports match.

For one, there is the pressure of knowing that your decisions could make the difference between either or both teams’ enjoyment of the game.

Added to this, there are always mouthy parents and coaches

whose verbal bile is often projected at the referee every time his whistle touches his lips.

However, the plight of the professional rugby referee is a lot better than that of the football referee, particularly when they make decisions as they have the support of video technology.

The International Rugby Board introduced video technology at professional level a number of years back with clear improvements to the game.

Video technology has been built it into the laws of the game so that stoppages to check their decisions are allowed.

As a consequence, there is a lot less criticism of referees as the vast majority of decisions are correct and ratified by the hightech equipment.

Football referees have not been given this luxury.

This season has seen the introduction of goal-line technology so that they now know whether a goal has been scored or not.

However, they are still unable to stop the game in instances of foul play or to see whether the build-up to the goal was indeed legal.

Not only this but with up to 80,000 fans in some stadiums and some massive egos on the touchline breathing down their necks, it takes a lot of confidence to make certain decisions.

So I would argue that the professional football referee’s job is a lot harder than that of their rugby counterparts.

So should they apologise?

No. In my opinion, until video-referees are introduced it is not the fault of the referee but rather of the international governing bodies who keep shying away from it.

True, not every football stadium has the capacity to introduce this technology and but I believe that they have to start somewhere and where better than in the Premier League, which is arguably the best in the world?

Until that day, though referees will still be lambs to the slaughter. even though they are doing the best job they can.

The RESPECT campaign was launched by the FA to combat this issue, but it is clear that work still needs to be done.

So next time the referee makes a mistake put yourself in their shoes; it’s a lot harder than it looks.

Sport 23

sledging is just a part of cricket we should embrace Stuart Smith

WELSH paceman Greg Thomas is bowling at Viv Richards in a county match in the 1980s and an uncharacteristically nervy Richards playing and missing in consecutive attempts.

Thomas, in an attempt to further knock Richards out of his stride, says: “it’s red, round

and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering”.

An unmoved Richards slogged the next ball out of the ground and into a nearby river, and replies to Thomas: “Greg, you know what it looks like, now go and find it”.

Sledging has come under a lot of criticism since the start of the winter Ashes series and perhaps

for good reason.

Michael Clarke’s “get ready for a broken fucking arm” taunt directed at England’s Jimmy Anderson is probably the least creative sledge ever heard and there’s no place in cricket for such aggressive words.

Similarly, after England’s defeat in the opening test of the series, Australia’s David

is mark webber f1’s greatest loser?

George Dagless

IT wasn’t just the 2013 Formula One season that the curtain fell on in Sao Paulo.

The final race saw Mark Webber’s career come to an end rather fittingly in 2nd place behind team mate Sebastian Vettel.

Seemingly permanently in Vettel’s shadow, Webber can consider himself one of the best drivers to never win the World Championship.

He certainly had the car to deliver it was just the man across the garage who denied him on every occasion.

Indeed it was this, at times, fractious relationship between the teammates that may have cost Webber a chance of the title.

Vettel always appeared to be the number one driver at Red Bull, something Webber alluded to on a number of occasions.

2010 was Webber’s best chance as he led the Championship with a few races to go, only to see his advantage chipped away as Vettel took the title in the final race.

Webber never came as close again yet for many he is considered a people’s champion.

He’s likable and refreshingly honest with his opinion, something that racing fans endear to.

However the Australian isn’t the only man to forever be the F1 bridesmaid.

For many the greatest driver to never win a World Championship is Sir Stirling Moss.

The British racing legend’s first of his 16 Formula One race wins came at the British Grand Prix in 1955. Coming second in four straight World Championships between 1955 and 1958, it was only poor car reliability that denied him on each occasion.

His talent was undoubted, across a variety of formulas, Moss won 212 of the 529 races he entered in a career that lasted fourteen years.

The real testament to his legendary status is based on talent mixed with the way he conducted himself.

It’s clear that there is competition for this unwanted accolade, but for many, Mark Webber will go down as a ‘so near, yet so far’ driver, and will be sorely missed.

Warner called England’s number three Jonathan Trott “poor and weak”.

Two days later, Trott announced he would play no further part in the current series, citing a stress-related illness which was may have aggravated

by Warner’s comments.

These types of sledges, ones with no wit or tact, have no place in the game but the ability to deliver a considered and non-malicious sledge is a very valuable weapon in the armoury.

Jimmy Anderson is clearly in agreement with this, telling the media: “Certainly in the past few years I’ve developed it as a skill and it has helped me take the wickets I have”.

You’ll often hear people write sport off as ‘only a game’ but that could not be further from the truth.

It’s a competition and one that millions of people are desperate to see their team win.

Winning the Ashes is seen as the pinnacle of cricketing achievement for both English and Australian players and if they’re not striving to fulfil that goal then they should be

dropped from the team.

If a bowler thinks sledging can get under the skin of a stubborn batsman and make him play erratically, then that is the very least he must do to gain an advantage for his team.

At the end of the winter’s Ashes, regardless of the result, both sides will shake hands and congratulate each other on an exciting and close-fought series.

The mutual respect between all the athletes will be enough for them to walk away from it all and see that sledging was an important part of the game but was all done in good spirit.

If the players can embrace it as part of the game why not the unaffected general public?

This is certainly an issue that isn’t going away anytime soon, with focus on whether the ‘gentleman’s sport’ is losing its grace.

For more sport news check out our website at www.inquirelive.co.uk Play for a University Sports Team? Get your match report in the paper!

england given tough draw Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor ROY Hodgson would’ve been left feeling slightly deflated on 6th December in Brazil, as England were handed a tricky group stage draw for the 2014 World Cup. The England manager looked concerned as the Three Lions were placed in the same group as Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica, one of the toughest groups in the tournament.

Hodgson said: “With Uruguay and Italy, we almost have two number one seeds in our group.

“It does not surprise me at all to get a tough draw. But I am still very positive about the whole affair, as you never know.”

For England, there is comfort that it could have been worse.

With some mouth-watering ties, the draw is as follows: Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon.

Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia.

Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan.

Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica,

England, Italy.

Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras.

Group F: Argentina, BosniaHerzegovina, Iran, Nigeria.

Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA. Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea.

It’ll certainly be a tough campaign for Hodgson and his side, especially as England will now have to play in Manaus, the most remote location within the competition.

The draw also brought shock for England fans hoping to watch the tournament at home, with initial confirmation suggesting that the opening match against Italy would be broadcast at 2am BST. A FIFA meeting took place shortly afterwards and adjusted this however, with the kick off time brought forward meaning the Three Lions will kick off on the 14th June at the slightly earlier time of 11pm BST. But the side must accept that to be the best, you have to beat the best, and so England must hit the ground running come June.

visit our website at - www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport

InQuire sport how sport helped change a nation

Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor THE great Nelson Mandela sadly passed on 5th December.

As tributes from across the world poured in for the former South African President, many came from the sporting community, all glowing for a man who truly changed the world.

It should not be ignored, therefore, that Mandela used sport as a tool during his time as president, and to help restructure and change the image of South Africa.

For many, the rebirth of the country took place on the sports field.

Sport, whether directly or indirectly, had some impact upon his political beliefs, stemming perhaps from his time incarcerated on Robben Island.

During his captivity, Mandela watched from his cell in solitary confinement as his fellow prisoners played football in a fully structured prison league, where teams were formed based on political views.

The league was assembled using official FIFA rules from a handbook found by an inmate, with rules adhered to correctly, essential for maintaining the harmony within the volatile environment.

Fellow inmate Marcus

Solomons, who took part in the league, said: “We’d gone to jail for democracy, and this was a chance to show ourselves that we could put that into practice.”

The league took on a symbolic function, a representation of how the outside world should work, and a demonstration of how democracy could be introduced.

Despite not being able to take part, Mandela learnt from this, and learned how sport could unify.

Three years after his release, and the then President Mandela watched on in 1995 as his South African side, brought back from sporting isolation due to the Apartheid rule, hosted and

triumphed in the Rugby World Cup, with Mandela encouraging the slogan “One Team, One Country”.

When handing the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, a brief moment of unification appeared, as the working of races side by side finally seemed possible.

As Mandela congratulated Pienaar, the captain replied “it is nothing compared to what you have done for our country”.

A year later, and South Africans were cheering once more, with the national football team now celebrating African Cup of Nations success.

Sure, not so much a global achievement, but another

opportunity for patriotism to unite.

More recently, the 2010 World Cup saw South Africa host one of the largest sporting events in the world, and showed it was more than capable doing so, and do it well.

Sporting achievement could bring together a divided country, and Mandela recognised that.

Mandela sought to build a euphoric sense of patriotism through a nation coming together through success and sport, rather than conflict and devastation.

The world is certainly a sadder place now Madiba is gone, but it’s a better one than if he had never arrived at all.