Ripple

Edition 4: February 2011

University of Leicester student magazine

Est. 1957

One reader speaks out about the

Sexual Objectification happening in the name of entertainment at our Students’ Union

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Contents

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ripple?

Editor Laura Blumenthal editor@therippleonline.com Deputy Editor Charlie Harding rippledeped@therippleonline.com

Features | 4 David Willetts Interview Sexual Objectification at the Union

Current Affairs | 8 Naomi Green currentaffairs@therippleonline.com

Opinions and Debate | 12 Adam Langley opsanddeb@therippleonline.com

University News | 16 All pictures in this publication are either taken by students or are under creative commons license

Daniela Murphy

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Owen Jones Features master of the universe

Interview: David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science Laura Blumenthal

A couple of days before the vote on tuition fees went through I attended a small and short meeting between the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, and the editors of a few university newspapers at the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation in London. Apart from myself, the other university editors present were those of newspapers and magazines at Oxford, York, Birmingham, London and Kingston. It was relaxed and intimate and he was chatty and pleasant. We were invited to ask questions and bring up topics that interested us and his comments were as follows:

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David Willetts by flickr user bisgovuk

On fees rising.

Willetts stated that repayments would actually be better for the generation paying higher fees than us as they would have to start paying them back when earning over £20,000 pounds, compared to our £15,000, and the repayments would be more spread out and manageable.

On the possibility of a rise in fees deterring poorer students from attending university.

Willetts said that the Government would not have thought of implementing the fees if they thought this would happen. Willetts stated that students do need to know the facts but there is adequate support for poorer students, and fee increases in the past had not deterred a large number.

On the Welsh Government’s decision to subsidise Welsh students’ fees.

Willetts says that this is Wales’ personal choice and means that they shall have to cut funding to crucial areas such as health and transport services to subsidise this. He said that the long-term prospects of this does not look good for Wales and Scotland’s subsidisation of resident students’ fees has not worked out that well.

On some degrees being a waste of time and money.

Willetts said that some degrees at certain institutions and in different fields can get a graduate a job easily and some cannot, but it is based more on the individual and their own efforts to become a success. A girl in his constituency came to him with a degree in Biology from a Russell Group university who could not find a job as her degree was not recognised by employers. He discussed the plan for degrees at institutions to receive ‘stamp of approval’ if it had a track-record of getting the graduates in it employed, so students can make a more informed choice of where to go.

On the possibility on cutting funding to degrees that seem a waste of time so the cap can be kept on the rest.

Willetts said that a useful degree could not be defined. Apparently, centuries ago, you would have been looked down upon if you had studied Law over Mathematics. He also said that the University of Birmingham had been set up so academic and non-academic courses could be taught side-by-side and this is very successful. The Government cannot decide what a useful degree is or not.

Sexual Objectification at the Union

Melodic by flickr user Caeser Sebastian

Disturbing apathy of the student audience at grotesque humiliation on stage

Georgina Smerald

Our Students’ Union is meant to be a safe place that does not tolerate the promotion of sexual objectification or exploitation. Yet at our Union I witnessed the blatant exploitation of a female student in front of a cheering crowd. It was the Battle of the Unis night on a Friday which was meant to promote friendly competition between Leicester and De Montfort; alas this so-called friendly competition resulted in the humiliation of a female student on stage. The game was Find the Bailey’s, in which the student had to kiss a row of people to find out who had drunk the Bailey’s. When the girl volunteered to partake in the game, the DJ asked her sexually explicit questions and insinuated equally graphic things about her to the audience before proceeding to further humiliate her. When she kissed the first boy the DJ crowed that he was surely gay for not trying to grope her. When the girl kissed the second guy in the line, the DJ proceeded to incite him to grab her breasts and while the guy groped her the DJ made a joke comment of ‘don’t rape her’. There is a clear difference between consenting to kiss someone in a game and consenting to let someone grope your breasts and for the DJ to encourage this behaviour is completely unacceptable. This is clearly objectification and exploitation both by the boy touching up the girl and also by the DJ (who should have known better) for encouraging him, simply to entertain the crowd through objectifying the girl, without any consideration for her feelings. To add further insult, when the girl kissed the final person who happened to be a girl she was made to kiss the

girl for longer than the boys, while the DJ exclaimed ‘I love my job’.

Watching a girl being groped and sexually harassed verbally and physically onstage is made out to be some form of entertainment, but instead is uncomfortable and disgusting to watch. What was almost as infuriating as the treatment of the girl during the game was the fact no-one seemed to be disgusted or furious at this in the audience but rather entertained or apathetic. No one was infuriated, or if they were they were not showing it. Is this really how we want to treat female students, by objectifying them for entertainment, not even noticing that there is somethong wrong with this, as if it has become such the norm?

Although it is up to the girl involved to decide whether it was sexual harassment it was, however, still blatant exploitation, offensive viewing and showed and encouraged a total lack of respect for the girl, as well as the other students. In the ideal world no student would humiliate themselves by partaking in a game like this, but I do not think we can hold the students fully accountable for what happened.

It is by having these sort of games, that allows the girl to be taken advantage of and students coerced into actions, which is something that should not be allowed to happen in our Students’ Union, as it is meant to be against sexual harassment. It is by having these sorts of games and the vocalisation of attitudes such as the DJ’s, which results in the drip-drip message to men that it okay to treat a girl like this and exploit her. Our Students’ Union should not be encouraging this sort of behaviour and impressing the view of women as unfeeling objects, but rather be attempting to clamp down on it. Our Students’ Union is well-known for its genuine concern for students’ welfare and active attempts to promote a safe and nurturing environment. However, the failings of the DJ to subscribe to the Union’s values and instead to promote the humiliation and objectification of a female student on stage as a form of entertainment deeply worries and embarasses me for my Union. I hope that the apathy from the student audience disintegrates, as disregards for this example also disregards respect for women, students and the Union’s principles.

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Dear Ripple Editor, Tom Wilmot

The article, ‘students or customers?’ was interesting although inaccurate and full of unsubstantiated opinion.

First, the facts: · The Union did spend £825,000 on many highly benficial facilities, far more than the article implied. Students got a new activity centre for student groups, a far larger welfare service, a bigger education unit, a new accommodation service, a revitalised second hand bookshop, disabled access to the whole building, the Square – a huge living room for the campus, a state-of-the-art 2,500 capacity venue, and yes, two shops, a restaurant and a Starbucks. · The money spent was all done via proper procurement processes that ensure best value for money. £120,000 did not go to Starbucks, it was spent on building a coffee outlet, the money went to the builders and electricians and plumbers. · Different providers of coffee were looked at, including the small unit at Sheffield University.

Last year students were asked what they wanted and they said, by a narrow margin, Starbucks (which beat Costa, then Neros, then Coffee republic – the ‘independent’ unit came bottom).

A strict environmental and ethical policy, based upon the policy of Oxfam, was instilled so everyone we considered, and Starbucks came out ahead. They were also cheaper for the brand licence which is a small percentage of sales. · The furniture was not cheap. It had to be very strong to withstand wear and tear; it had to comply with fire regulations, and it had to be of a good quality to fit the space. £140,000 is not ‘offensive’ for furniture. The article stated that £140,000 is a fifth of the money spent overall on the Students’ Union building – the total was

over £15 million (or 7.5 million snakebites). · The whole of the Union’s surpluses, of around £500,000, are spent on students and services for students, such as society grants and the safety bus service subsidy etc. The Union is a charity and nothing is paid to shareholders – it all goes to students. There is nothing wrong in making money from non-essential items that students want in order to pay for other things. The popularity of Starbucks is evidence that it was the right decision and it pays for lot within the Union. The 1923 restaurant and the Scholar bar both serve great non-Starbucks coffee if you do not like Starbucks.

Now for the opinions: · ‘The Union made bad decisions on our behalf’ –Students elected student officers to make decisions on behalf of students. The fact that the writer does not like Starbucks does not prove it was a bad decision. · You say that a Ripple survey gave negative feedback. How many students did you survey? Was it truly representative? We did extensive research and surveys and focus groups before we spent the money. You said half the students you talked to did not use Starbucks – again, half of what? Anyway, it was never the case that everyone would want to use all the services. The different offerings are pitched at different parts of the student market. I make no apologies for using the jargon of the market – good commercial operations talk to their customers and listen to what they want. · You imply that £70,000 spent on Nourish is not good value. Nourish turns over £700,000 per year. Spending 10% on refitting the shop to reduce queuing time and to increase the range of products to include international foods and subsidised essentials is good value.

Anyway… the real answer to the issues raised is simple: the Union is directed by students. Get yourself nominated for the elections in February and get on the Board of Trustees and make a difference.

If you feel strongly about the matter then get involved and put your vote where your mouth is. I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this year so far as a Sabbatical Officer and, while it is disheartening to hear that some students are not happy with what has been achieved, I am confident that the Students’ Union is going from strength to strength and is something that all of us can be proud of at Leicester.

Starbucks Mug by flickr user smithcam

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The Rubbish facts about Clarendon Park Andrew Moyse

The Bins on Street project is currently being run in the Clarendon Park area, and we have already sent out information-packs to all the properties involved. This information-pack explains that we would like residents to remove their wheelie bins from the street after collection and also gave some information about free bulk collections and recycling.

After delivering the information-pack we monitor the bins left out over a number of weeks. If the bin is left out the following week we try to visit the occupants and talk to them in person. Over the next couple of weeks if the bin is still left out we then put a sticker on the bin and serve a Legal Notice requiring the occupants to remove the bin from the streets, except for the time allowed for collection. The last resort is a Fixed Penalty and in most cases this would be after around 4 to 6 weeks. If occupants continue to leave the bin out we would then issue a Fixed penalty on each occasion and for persistent offenders we would look to prosecute in a magistrates court.

We try to give every opportunity to residents to take bins in before we issue Fixed Penalties and this also

allows time to resolve any problems such as blocked alley ways etc. The responsibility is ultimately down to the residents but we will try and help as much as possible. We have found that it has had some positive side effects as residents are now talking to there neighbours more as when they are away they are asking neighbours to take the bin in for them and helping each other, the streets also look nicer and are better for disabled users and parents with pushchair's.

We work along side the fire service as they have highlighted the dangers of bins being a target for arsonists and with most of these bins being left outside of peoples front doors occasions of exits being blocked by burning bins. Since we have started the project we have reduced bin fires across the city by 35.5%. This of course has the added benefit of reducing the costs incurred by the fire service of attending these fires.

Andrew Moyse (Senior City Warden) A4 New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester LE1 6ZG Tel: (0116) 2528514

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Owen Jones Current Affairs

Editor: Naomi Green currentaffairs@therippleonline.com

master of the universe

Student Woollard Put in Prison The thrower of Fire Extinguisher off Millbank Tower gets 32 months

Photograph by Sam Whitcher

Naomi Green

A student who joined the protests in London last November has been jailed for 32 months, a highly controversial sentence which has been described as a scare tactic and even as an act of political revenge.

Edward Woollard, 18, from Brockenhurst College in Hampshire was encouraged by his mother to hand himself in after he was shown on Sky News throwing a fire extinguisher from the seventh-floor of the Millbank building during the student fees protests. Despite Woollard’s pleas that he felt ‘sick’ when told he could have endangered people’s lives, police said his actions ‘could have resulted in catastrophic injury’. The empty extinguisher narrowly missed police and protesters in what Woollard’s barrister, Hossein Zahir, described as a ‘moment of madness’.

This moral intervention by his mother gave Woollard the chance to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity, despite police being unable to identify the student in the video.

However, it appears that he received no credit for his early plea. Paul Cotterill, an ex-magistrate, points out in his blog ‘Though Cowards Flinch’ that

in standard sentencing the judge decides on the appropriate sentence before taking into account when the plea was made. Therefore, the judge must have felt a sentence of 4 years (out of the maximum sentence of 5 years for this type of offence) was suitable, reduced afterwards by a third to 32 months when taking into consideration the early guilty pleas.

The hefty sentence has provoked outrage among the pro-student camp, with one ‘tweeter’ declaring: ‘Apparently a moment of madness by Student Edward Woollard warrants a tougher sentence than robbery. Child abusers get 9 months. What a joke.’

However, others have taken a different stance when viewing the footage, describing Woollard’s specific ‘aiming’ of the extinguisher and the impact as ‘chilling’; with this in mind Woollard can be seen as lucky not to have faced an attempted murder charge. Although as Cotterill argues ‘The point is, in law, that he didn't harm anyone (just as we don't send people to prison for speeding on the basis that they might have killed someone).’ Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC told Woollard he was ‘exceedingly fortunate’ his action had not resulted in death or serious injury to others and described Woollard’s case as a ‘deterrent sentence’ to protect the ‘precious’ right of peaceful protest.

“32 months? Child abusers get 9 months. What a joke” It is undeniable that this sentence will severely affect Woollard’s future. With reports that Woollard was hoping to be the first member of his family to go on to higher education one cannot help but notice his bitterly ironic situation: if Woollard wishes to go to university after jail he will be faced with the increased fees he was protesting against and would not have faced upon entry this September.

Perversely, the harshness of this sentence which has roused so much anger in pro-student groups may increase the level of student protest in future.

Millbank Tower by flickr user Cosimo Matteini Ripple 8

U.S. Shooting Inspires Empathy The capacity for humanity’s caring is shown by Arizona shooting Matthew J. Jones

‘The Gunman by flickr user Wasfi Akab

On 8th January, Jared Lee Loughner opened fire and shot Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman for Southern Arizona, at a ‘Congress on Your Corner’ event. At the time of writing, he has been formally charged with five crimes. Among the dead were a federal judge and a nine-year old. It is a poignantly heartbreaking, making one feel nauseous at the thought of Loughner firing indiscriminately at those gathered there. There is a vivid picture in my mind of him taking aim at the crowd, enjoying the spectacle of twisted faces as he pulls the trigger again and again. He stands as the executioner, smiting the helpless as they weep and beg.

However, the sad thing is, it probably was not like that at all. It was probably clumsy and coarse as people panicked in the confusion.

When the gun went off, I doubt people knew where, or what was going on. In this picture, he holds himself awkwardly, his face is the twisted one, he cries for attention. Perhaps he should be juxtaposed with the heroism of the individuals who wrestled him to the ground.

It probably was not like this either. All we can imagine is a bleak picture of a loner firing a gun for reasons we do not know.

When the silence falls it hurts to be in the dark. It is unpleasant to wonder, and the lack of answers in our wondering leads to depression. It is sad, miserable and it just sucks to live in a world that is so unfair. No-one has won in any way from what Loughner did. The community, victims and perpetrator have all lost in their various ways.

For all my reservations about certain sections of American society the universal condemnation and empathy of the American people is something to be admired. As Gabrielle Giffords lies in that hospiPhotograph by Emma Howard tal, her website boasts an amazing message from her husband Mark

Kelly. It thanks people – ordinary people – for caring, and care they should. This amazing empathy is one of the things I love about the human race. The way people will care, or worry, or love someone altruistically because someone has done them an injustice.

The Christian, who believes in a personal, intimate God, must face the problem of suffering.

Wanting to scream at God, shout at injustice and weep in His presence is all part of the Christian journey. The God of the Bible is moved to his core when he sees injustice (look at Amos, or Jesus’ actions toward those on the edge of society), and his followers should also be moved.

Putting together the pieces and a lot of thinking leads to a sort of theological ‘shit happens’, the realisation that Earth is not perfect, and looking toward heaven where things will be is the inward response of the individual. The outward response should be the compassion of Jesus upon those affected. When silence falls it should not necessarily mean you are alone.

Normally I would rant about U.S. gun laws and the successes of Glock who makes products designed to kill people. There is a time for that. But now, when silence falls, we should just stand with them and let our numbers speak volumes.

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Tunisia’s Wiki-Revolution Internet aids the catalyst for the Revolution Zindzi Rocque Drayton

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right to know. The events in Tunisia, publicised on the net have influenced neighbouring Arab countries including Egypt, Libya, Jordan and Syria, whose people are also under extreme economic pressures and who live under the presidency of aged dictators.

With copy-cat cases of self-immolation occurring in these countries it is evident that with the establishment of the internet at times of political instability or turmoil, in order to gauge the reaction of others and express their own thoughts and opinions, the world will look to the web.

110118 Tunisia unity government by flickr user magharebia

14th January 2011, Zine el-Abidine Bouazizi stood outside the governBen Ali, the president of Tunisia had ment office with gasoline and lighter his twenty-four-year reign, over the fluid and set himself alight.

North African country, dramatically The striking and horrific images of ended. The 74-year-old Ben Ali, after the event quickly circulated around experiencing the longest protest in the world. Such extraordinary footmodern Tunisian history, was forced age was captured by ordinary people to abandon his long held post and flee witnessing and storing history on into exile. After two decades of suffer- their video phones. The use of the ing under a corrupt, never ending re- internet has played a significant role gime, the people of Tunisia took to the in the protests. In an environment in streets. Outside the government of- which informers lurked around every fices and presidential palace they pro- corner, the Tunisian people opted to tested for the overthrow of a man who express their frustration through the had brought oppression, unaffordable internet on social networking sites usfood prices and mass unemployment ing the hash tag #sidibouzid to alert to their lives. The tensions within the the world to their protest, after the country were unspoken. Before the city Sidi Bouzid, in which Bouazizi uprisings there was an estimated one made his tragic statement. Images of police officer for every forty adults, Bouazizi’s burning body were uploadtheir plain clothed uniform allowed ed onto websites such as Youtube. them to integrate fear and suspicion As people publically rallied, videos into society, paired with the counties recording the events were uploaded; lack of freedom of press, meant that giving people the strength to join the the revolts occurrence seemed spon- demonstrators. Debates about the retaneous but maybe even inevitable? pression that plagues the Arab world The culmination of the uprisings, were discussed on blogs. Cables by that led to the dissolution of the presi- WikiLeaks were released detailing the dency, has been named the Jasmine greed and corruption of the Tunisian Revolution but quickly gained the title government which further spurred of the ‘Bouazizi Revolution’ after the the indignation of Tunisian civilpinpoint incident that sparked off the ians against those that had exploited rest of the events. Mohamed Bouazizi them over two decades. Corrupt till was 26 years old, unemployed and the end, it is reported that Ben Ali’s unable to be supported by his par- wife before fleeing the country stole ents, he sold goods on a market in a 1.5 tonnes of gold bars from the counmodest attempt, not to gain a living, try’s central bank worth between 30but as a means to survive and help 50million U.S. dollars. The internet support his mother and six siblings. became the platform that stood high From the time he was a small child above the media censorship that had city authorities had harassed him silenced the people for so long. Some and others in a similar position under have even begun to refer to the Tunithe grounds that they did not hold li- sia uprising as the Wiki-Revolution cences to trade in the area, although or Twitter-Revolution. However, deyou do not need a license to sell from spite the role of the internet to unite a cart. On the 17th of December 2010 Tunisians in overcoming oppression, Bouazizi’s wares were confiscated, it should not be seen as the cause of some speculate because he could not the revolution, but rather it emphaafford to bribe the officials. Whatever sises the internet’s role as a forum the reason, when Bouazizi attempted that will create and document history to regain the goods he had bought on as its search topics and uploads correcredit he was slapped in the face by a late with the social atmosphere of the female official and publicly beaten by period. It also reveals the necessity of her two colleagues. He appealed for the internet as a medium to enlighten help from his local governor but was individuals that they are not alone in ignored. Probably feeling raged with their subjugation and that the details humiliation, it‘DEBT?B was atStop thisSaying point that of corrupt government are their “Awesome” ‘ bytheir Flikr user iDanSimpson

Israel’s Fallen Star Former Israeli president convicted of rape and sexual assualt Bernadette Olusola

Israel by flickr user maxnathans

It could be argued that the people of Israel are currently in a state of emotional confusion and turbulence. It can definitely be said for the family of Moshe Kastav, who now have to deal with a husband and father being sentenced for various sexaully related assaults…

Four and a half years after the allegations first came to light, the former president of Israel, Iranian born Moshe Kastav, has finally been found guilty and convicted of two counts of rape and various other counts of sexual assault.

Previously looked to as a star in Israel and presently seen as a liar, cheat, sexual assaulter and rapist, Kastav now needs to deal with the shame that follows his name, which comes as a result of the claims, made against him by his former female employees in 2006.

Kastav made complaints to the Israeli police force, four and a half years ago, saying that he was being blackmailed by his female members of staff. It was shortly after this, that the women he made complaints about came forward and shed more light to the story, revealing that the former president of Israel had been sexually assaulting and even raping some of them.

This in turn caused chaos in the country of Israel for the married man and father of five, who

was not only held in high esteem by the Israelis, but who also held a very strong position of authority. Kastav was forced to resign from his official post in 2007 due to the unprecedented threats and his drastic loss in popularity.

Kastav called off a plea bargain in 2008, saying that he wanted to stand trial and fight for his name to be cleared of the sexual assault and rape accusations that he faced. The plea bargain meant that Kastav would have been found guilty of sexual misconduct but face a less serious charge.

In another attempt to redeem himself and to prove his own self claimed innocence, Mr Kastav, supported by his wife of 42 years, Gila, made a public appearance on Israeli television, in 2009, proclaiming that he was merely a ‘victim of lynching’ by the media and other political and judicial entities that were in place in the country at the time. He also said that he and his family have all suffered due to the claims and that he was ‘determined’ to prove that the allegations made against him were indeed false and that he is an innocent man.

This television appearance however, was viewed upon by many, as a way of easing himself out of the trouble that he had landed himself into and also trying to get the Israeli population to feel pity for him and favour his cause.

Moshe Kastav has now read out his guilty verdict although it is alleged that the former president will make an appeal to the Supreme Courts.

This is shows us that no matter how much of a star someone may be in your eyes, at the end of the day, they are just humans and are capable of doing absolutely anything.

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Opinions and Debate Editor: Adam Langley opsanddeb@therippleonline.com

Resident Writer: Matthew J Jones

Tuition Fees: Why they Needed to Rise

The controversial increase in University fees was the right thing to do, argues Frederick Bailey.

Frederick Bailey

why you may have seen adverts for British universities in foreign countries, most noticeably at the side of football pitches in away games.

One of the main arguments is to create a policy similar to that of Wales where the government subsidises the cost of fees so that the students still only have the usual three and a bit thousand per year. This provides the universities with extra funding and negates the increase in fees and all that comes with it. But what is the point? This could either go one of two ways. Either the government, and in turn the taxpayer, pays out its teeth for people to go to university - many for pointless degrees at worthless institutions - for the sole purpose of having that “university experience”. It is not going to help them in their future in any real way. Therefore, the only viable option is to retain a similar system to the one we have now in the form of our indispensable student loans. This will undoubtedly be the way things go, but we will still have the same debt. This allows for the universities to receive their funding and regain their deserved spots in the tables. It also saves the economy millions due to all of those that really have no need to go to university being put off by the cost. Education is an investment: you pay the fees in the hope that consequently you will earn a greater salary. If this is a probable outcome of your university career then there is nothing stopping people from taking on these larger loans and enrolling in a reputable institution on a worthwhile course. The increased fees will merely prevent people from wasting three years when they could be starting their life.

At the same time, it helps the economy.

If this article has not swayed you, then maybe the fact that the vote went through after violent protests, involving a police ‘horse charge’, harking back to the eighties and nineties, will have.

Student Protest Liverpool Walkot by Flickr User Matt Baldry

You would have had to be living in a cave, half a mile under ground, with some serious sound insulation in place to be unaware of the tuition fee hooha that has taken over our nation’s media outlets recently. Students have been a talking point of the country albeit in a rather marmite-esque way.

The population either loves us, agree with the demonstrations and criticise the government, or they hate us and despise our actions in London. I am a student, and a member of a population that has been put into one of these categories by pretty much everybody: I have to admit that I fall within the hate category.

I realise that this opinion - this being a student paper after all - will not be taken well. Many of you will disagree with me. I accept this. However, this is not an argument based on gut feeling and the desire to be different, nor to cause outrage and fuel the debate. No, I have based this opinion on the fact that it is a necessary act that must come to fruition. The idea that we should not raise tuition fees is an incredibly selfish one at the core.

Students are against the rise in fees due to the subsequent rise in debts and the forcing of those from poorer backgrounds out of the Higher Education system. This obviously is not an ideal situation to find ourselves in, but the simple fact of the matter is that the nation’s universities need the money. In the global tables our institutions are falling back, and although the University of Leicester leapt many places higher over the summer, institutions are still falling back in general. Of course, the top universities in the country (Cambridge, Oxford, and UCL) do not necessarily have this problem due to their prodigious funding, and their immense pulling power of international students. As I am sure many of you are aware those outside of Britain and the EU pay higher tuition fees than us. This is the reason

Restorative Justice

Is there an alternative to our current prison system?

Matthew J Jones

“Rehabilitation is not working” an open prison can do. Concerns about the inmates leaving the prison were raised as far back as 2006 when 70 prisoners absconded in twelve months. The riot that made the headlines was caused by alcohol, thought to be the most commonly abused drug in the 100-acre facility. Fourty bottles of vodka were found in the weeks leading up to the riot. This is not a new problem: During 2008’s Easter weekend, thirty bottles of vodka were found on the site.

So what is the aim of an open prison? Well, the aim of open prisons is to reduce the number of re-offenders by gently easing the transition of the inmate into society. This has other benefits too, presumably it allows the prison system to remove inmates who do not require such high security from closed prisons. Those housed in open prisons are category ‘D’ inmates, those who are least likely to escape. Here we encounter our first problem: are those least likely to escape least likely to re-offend? While open prisons have eased some of the burden of coping with freedom, studies show prison sentences do not reduce

the likelihood of re-offending. What if liberals were to embrace a different philosophy?

My answer is restorative justice through direct responsibility. Restorative justice is the process of encouraging the offender to take responsibility for their actions and to repair the harm caused by their crime. It helps offenders recognise the damage crime causes to others, while giving the victim a bigger voice in the justice system. By working up from the grassroots level rather than punishing what the state sees as deviant, relationships and communities are rebuilt. In this way, restorative justice works for the restoration of community, victim and offender. This act of taking pride in one’s community and developing strong relationships between members of that community provides a sense of belonging, preventing social exclusion.

Methods of restorative justice, including mediations and constructive sentencing, have been widely praised. Victim-offender mediation has both parties meet in order to try and understand why the crime was committed, and to help put in place a constructive or preventative measure.

This often means that the offender does something more productive such as community service, rather than stewing in a prison cell, or playing computer games. The road to restoration will be hard for many offenders, but if no-one takes responsibility for the damage caused, then no progress will be made. Restorative justice is the only system where this aid is present.

‘Knife&Fork on red table-napkin’ by Gytis

It is far easier to sympathise with prisoners when they are viewed as the end product of powerful social forces beyond their control, rather than an individual who has engaged in deviant behaviour. The statistics reflect that poor education and inadequate housing breeds crime, yet the determinism that such a thesis relies on is inherently flawed.

Having read about the riot that occurred over the New Year at HM Ford, an open prison in West Sussex, liberals must concede that rehabilitation is difficult and currently not working.

While it was sleaze that began the debate about open prisons, inmates at HM Ford have cost Ford its reputation by proving resistant to change. Allegations of inmates smuggling alcohol and drugs and a high rate of abscondment have all helped push the limits of what

Wormwood Scrubs Prison by Flckr user Kradlum Ripple 13

The True Cost of Wind Farms Is this energy source more trouble than it’s worth?

Adam Langley

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ar energy, would be a better use of resources, especially during these uncertain economic conditions.

This country will face many challenges in the years to come. In order to meet them, we need a source of power that we can rely on.

Wind farms are not only expensive eyesores, they are also inefficient.

Therefore, the question we need to ask is: why are our leaders pursuing an idea that they know does not work?

Wind Turbine by Flickr user Graham_T

The recent cold snap brought the United Kingdom to a grinding halt. Airline passengers were stranded at airports up and down the country for days. In Northern Ireland, thousands of people went without water after the pipes supplying residential areas froze and burst. The one bright side to all this chaos was that, for the most part, the electricity grid managed to remain functional during the poor weather conditions. However, it has been revealed to the public that Scotland and many Northern areas of Britain were forced to rely on electricity imported from French nuclear power plants due to the fact that Scotland’s major wind farms were completely unable to cope with the freezing weather. Output from major wind farms fell to almost 2.5% of their expected capacity, prompting fears of mass power shortages during the coldest winter recorded since the 1970s.

Helen McDade, Head of Policy of the John Muir Trust, stated: “The statistics show that when demand is at its peak because the weather is so cold, output from wind farms is at its lowest. This is a problem we could have to face repeatedly.”

With this recent damning revelation, it would stand to reason that the Government - particularly the Scottish Parliament and those MPs from areas such as Manchester and Newcastle - would be seeking alternative sources of green energy. Even at the best of times, wind farms only generate 30% of their potential electrical output, and the cost of building and maintaining a single wind turbine runs into thousands of pounds. However, despite their lack of cost-effectiveness and their proven unreliability, many Government officials still support the plans to build at least 7,000 more turbines across the country in order to meet EU targets on cutting greenhouse emissions.

These projects will cost the taxpayer roughly 100 billion pounds. The wind farms will be erected in some of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom such as the Scottish Highlands and Cornwall. In exchange, the people of the United Kingdom will be getting a source of energy that is at the mercy of the elements and will barely generate 30% of their energy needs.

Both past and present governments should be commended for their work on tackling climate hange, however, there has to be a better way of creating renewable energy than 7,000 expensive eyesores that will not even work when we need them the most. True, wind energy is only a part of the planned solution to our growing energy problem- but surely investing money in a source of power that has proven reliable, such as nucle-

The Last Action Heroes Has the Hollywood Action Film had its day?

Freddie Morris

When revisiting my ‘Hollywood classics’ selection this summer and reliving the cheesy but brilliant action blockbusters of the previous century, my mind was stretched to find a successful contemporary release which would fall into the same category. With Godzilla, Rocky, Alien and Die Hard all something of a distant memory, it seems the ruthless and mindless violence of the previous century’s blockbusters has become somewhat obsolete.

I need draw your attention no further than Stallone’s summer flick The Expendables to emphasise the point. While at face value the film appears to offer a tantalising array of action superstars (and Steve Austin), the film ultimately falls short of any kind of compelling narrative. It relies too heavily on the reputation of the Hollywood big guns and the audience is left with two-dimensional characters that do not capture their imagination.

The question I have been asking myself, is whether the failure of the film is down to a badly executed narrative plan or a shift in the desires of the thrill- seeking public.

Perhaps the generation of film viewers who were content to see two hours of mindless gratuitous violence have moved on, paving the way

for a new breed of cinema-goer. It seems the era of the psychological thriller is well and truly upon us. Films such as Christopher Nolan’s Inception or Scorcese’s Shutter Island have demonstrated the power of a psychologically disturbed protagonist to shock and entertain the audience. If we look even as far back as the early 21st century we realise this shift from ‘gun toting’ to ‘mind bending’ has been moving at a considerable pace. Fight Club, Se7en and Donnie Darko all stand out as those which have stood the test of time and I find it difficult to come up with a conventional Hollywood Blockbuster that could boast the same levels of entertainment.

The superhero genre is another which seems to have picked up steam in the 21st century. With the respective success of Spiderman, Batman, and more recently Iron-man it is clear that this particular branch of the action genre is still very much alive. The superhero movie still retains the same one-man-against-the-world motif and the violence remains a fundamental part of the plot, but what has changed is the depth to which we see into the mind of the action hero.

The superhero often seems fundamentally flawed and thus approachable to a modern day audience. If we compare this to the latest Rocky film which failed to compel me into any kind of empathy whatsoever, it leaves me questioning whether the power of a good Hollywood blockbuster lies in a mentally exhilarating protagonist more than big guns and bigger explosions.

The transformation within the action-film genre is unquestionable: today’s audience demand exciting, relatable and generally speaking psychologically invigorating lead characters. Perhaps the Stallones and Schwarzeneggers of this world just do not cut it anymore.

2010 Kick-Ass_01 by Flickr user Yu Chieh-Fang Ripple 15

University News

Editor: Daniela Murphy

Yoga In Prison?

According to new research at the University of Leicester, yoga - a meditative practice which first originated in India - could help improve prison environments. The study in question examines the potential of yoga to benefit prisoners and staff by helping them get in touch with their spiritual sides.

Former probation officer, Rose Parkes is assessing the role of yoga in prisons as part of her PhD at the University of Leicester, Department of Criminology. She made a presentation about this research on 8th December 2010.

“I believe that prisoners can benefit from yoga” Dr Rose Parkes

Parkes is a British Wheel of Yoga teacher. The British Wheel of Yoga is a registered charity and is the largest yoga organisation in the country, running for 40 years. It is members-based and organised into 11 regions. The aims of the BWY include encouraging and helping all persons to a greater knowledge and understanding of all aspects of yoga and its practices. This explains why Parkes is keen to incorporate yoga into a part of society which needs focus and inspiration.

In her research, Parkes discusses the way in which spiritual activities can empower and motivate prisoners to survive their incarceration and suggests that putting ‘karma’ into prison life may provide health and safety benefits for a variety of people. Through this study, Parkes hopes to discover whether yoga enables individuals to adjust to the prison environment and post-prison life better. She comments: “I believe that prisoners can benefit from yoga because it is a practice which helps to foster understanding, self-acceptance, peace and wellbeing.”

In addition, the study aims to discover whether prison

yoga practices can help prisons achieve the HMIP ‘healthy prison’ criteria set out by the Government in 2008 after concerns about prison conditions. These criteria are particularly concerned with eliminating suicide, self-harm and violence in prisons. Yoga is concerned with both physical and mental meditation, this making it clear why Parkes believes it could help with these particular issues.

While working as a part-time probation officer, she witnessed the effectiveness of the technique at forming positive relationships with other offenders, prompting the study to ascertain whether yoga can help people cope with incarceration. Parkes added: “Prisons are highly stressful environments and yoga may offer prisoners a much needed physical and mental release of the tensions of prison life, paradoxically turning prison cells into places of retreat, where prisoners can develop self-discipline and concentration skills.

Dr Rose Parkes, Department of Criminology

If prisoners are better equipped to deal with their emotions, particularly fear and anger, then it could be possible that they may become less likely to harm themselves or others, which can only be of long-term benefit to society.

The current political drive to reduce prison populations and to revitalise rehabilitation agendas, reflects the timeliness of this research.

Image by Terriko Ripple 16

Robo-Op Dr Andre Ng, who is a senior lecturer at the University of Leicester and consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Glenfield Hospital is due to carry out the world’s first remote heart procedure. This procedure will use a robotic arm alongside advanced 3-dimensional mapping to fix an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation in a 63 year old male patient from Alvaston in Derby.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance seen in clinical practice, with over half a million sufferers in the UK. It also increases the risk of a person having a stroke by five times and doubles the risk of death.

Patients with this disturbance benefit from catheter ablation which is being used more and more. However, the

procedure carried out by hand, can take several hours and results can be variable. Dr Ng said: “The new Amigo robotic system we have at Glenfield is unique and a new improved version of the original system. It can now be used with different types of catheters, especially allowing the combination with the CARTO-3 3D mapping system.” CARTO-3 is the latest version of the established and widely used advanced mapping and navigation system which displays and guides the precise location of catheter positions in 3D space. Dr. Ng comments; “We are the first centre in the world to use this new Amigo system and hence the first to be able to combine the two cutting edge technologies together for the ablation procedure.”

The initial experience has demonstrated that the doctor can use the Amigo to move catheters via the remote controller safely in an adjacent room outside the x-ray zone, thereby reducing the radiation exposure and eliminating the need for wearing heavy lead aprons. Dr Ng is to conduct two clinical research trials at Glenfield on the safety and efficacy of the Amigo system in electrophysiology and ablation procedures with the support of the University of Leicester and the Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit.

The versatility of the new Amigo system also allows for cross-platform use of different types of catheters and different mapping systems which greatly enhance treatment options.

Renaissance Space Science It is perhaps a strange concept to think of space technology helping historians to virtually reassemble tomb monuments, but this is reality in a University of Leicester-led project. A group of Renaissance tomb-monuments in Suffolk are being analysed with tools developed in Space Science to unlock their mysterious past and offer new insights into the Tudor Reformation. Dr Phillip Lindley of the University of Leicester is examining the Renaissance sculpted tomb-monument of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk.

This innovative Heritage Science project draws together space scientists, art-historians, archaeologists and museologists from Leicester, with historians at Oxford and Yale, and archaeologists and scientists from English Heritage.

Principal Investigator Dr Phillip Lindley, from the Department of History of Art and Film, said: “Key to this programme is the innovative employment of techniques borrowed from Space Science, principally three-dimensional scanning and non-destructive materials analysis, to solve a complex set of historical, archaeological and art-historical problems.”

The researchers will first analyse the great Renaissance monuments of Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk (d.

1554) and of Henry Fitzroy (d. 1539), Duke of Richmond, Henry VIII’s illegitimate son.

Dr Lindley claims that “both monuments seem to have been dramatically altered when they were moved in the middle of the sixteenth century from their original locations in Thetford Priory to Framlingham Parish Church, where they now stand.”

Puzzlingly, pieces excavated at Thetford in the 1930s seem to have originally belonged to these monuments and this

suggests that they used to look very different. Dr Lindley will virtually disassemble the monuments and reconstruct their original forms for the first time in half a milllennium, trying to integrate the excavated fragments in virtual reconstructions. He comments that “it is as if we have two (or more) three-dimensional jigsaws; we need first to sort the pieces out and then put them back together.”

The research project led by Dr Phillip Lindley comprises work teams in the University of Leicester departments of History of Art & Film (Dr Lindley, with Dr Jackie Hall), the Space Science Centre (Prof George Fraser), Museum Studies (Dr Ross Parry) and Computer Science (Dr Effie Law).

Ripple 17

Crossword

Across 1. A consonant characterised by a hissing sound (8) 5. Involving financial matters (6) 9. Envoy (8) 10. Bath powder (6) 12. Heaps (5) 13. Not deciduous (9) 14. Appease (6) 16. Scorched (7) 19. Visual (7) 21. Flood (6) 23. Complainant (9) 25. A large stringed instrument (5) 26. Clouded (6) 27. BĂŠarnaise ingredient (8) 28. Account book (6) 29. Surreptitious (8)

Down

Sudoku

Fun fact of the

1. Savvy (6) 2. Judge (6) 3. A synthetic silklike fabric (5) 4. It makes bones strong (7) 6. A public declaration of intentions (9) 7. Generous gifts (8) 8. Dissertation (8) 11. Supplication (4) 15. Get rid of (9) 17. Forgiving (8) 18. Fort (8) 20. Radiate (4) 21. Move forward (7) 22. Small (6) 23. A short break (6) 26. A synthetic fabric (5)

Easy

Challenging

month

Dating back to the 1600s, thermometers were ďŹ lled with brandy instead of mercury.

Your Wave 35

Puzzles Compiled by Phil ‘Frill’ Mart in

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“A-minus-minus” by Randall Munroe XKCD.com

“You can do this one in every 30 times and still have 97% positive feedback.”

Your Wave 34

England vs. Australi

a Ashes Greats

Ashes 2010 5th Test by Flickr user stuandgravy

The succesful retention of the Ashes this winter has prompted Ripple to select its best Ashes team players of the past 10 years.

cwg_corporate by flickr user nocwg2010

Matthew Hayden The enormous Queenslander spent the first half of the decade destroying England’s bowling attacks; his huge 6 back over the head of Andrew Caddick in the opening Test of the 2002/3 series was described by Jonathan Agnew as “the most frightening thing I have ever seen”.

Alistair Cook His performance in the 2010/11 will surely go down as one of the greatest of all time; smashed all manner of records with his batting and a useful fielder at short leg too.

Ricky Ponting Poor performances in the recent series underlined his vital importance to the team; if he doesn’t get runs, the team doesn’t get runs. One of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Michael Vaughan (Captain) Scored a huge amount of runs in 2002/3 Down Under, but in the side for his captaincy that at times verged on genius. Responsible for a change to a more aggressive attitude and professional approach which laid the foundation for future England success.

Steve Waugh Stoic batting performances from “Iceman” saved many a game for Australia. Useful swing-bowler as well.

Andrew Flintoff The best all-rounder

since Ian Botham, his career statistics do not do justice to the hero of the 2005 Ashes victory. His 5-wicket haul at Lords in 2008 was the perfect end to an illustrious career that was tragically marred by injury.

Adam Gilchrist (Wicketkeeper) Wicketkeeper/batsman who single-handedly ended the role of the specialist wicketkeeper. His 152 from 143 balls at Edgbaston in 2001 was an Ashes classic which set the tone for the rest of the series.

Shane Warne The greatest bowler of all time, destroyed many England batting line-ups. Useful batsman and superb slip-fielder.

Brett Lee Toss-up between Lee and sim-

ilar pace man Steve Harmison, but Lee’s greater consistency and better batting just edge out the Durham quick.

James Anderson Watching him in 2010/11 was like watching a swingbowling masterclass. His ability to move the ball both ways was sublime, in conditions that many said would not suit him. His control was also outstanding.

Glenn McGrath Bowled a consistantly nagging line and length around the top of offstump for his entire career, he despatched dozens of English batsman caught behind the wicket.

Howard Sisson

Ponting shows Gilchrist and Warne how it’s done...

MCG Day 5 by Flickr user Prescott Your Wave 33

up the Teeing n o s a e s 1 1 0 2 2010 was an incredible year for European golf; one that saw golf’s traditional powerbase in America begin to shift across the Atlantic. Worksop’s Lee Westwood ended Tiger Woods’ 281-week run as the world’s No.1 golfer; Graeme McDowell (US Open) and Martin Kaymer (USPGA) both won majors and the cherry on the top was watching Colin Montgomorie’s men regain the Ryder Cup for Europe with their win over the US in October. With the 2011 season in its infancy, Ripple takes you through the men to watch in the coming year.

Where else is there to start than Lee

Westwood. ‘Westy’ has enjoyed an incredible past three years, seeing him become world number one in October 2010. However, despite 33 professional titles, he is yet to put to bed his biggest challenge: winning a Major.

After 2nd place finishes at the Masters and the Open last year, and now free of the persistent calf injury that has dogged him over the past year, surely this is the season Westwood joins the illustrious list of major champions.

I fully expect Tiger to roar again in 2011. Woods has suffered a well-documented turbulent past 12 months, yet still managed 4th place finishes at the Masters and the US Open.

His form in late 2010, including the Ryder Cup, was Tiger at his best. The smart money is on him regaining the Green Jacket he has won on four occasions at the Masters in April, and adding to his current total of 14 major championships.

European golf could not be in ruder health with six of the world’s top 10 being Europeans (Westwood, McDowell, Kaymer, Casey, Donald and Poulter).

All of the aforementioned names are expected to be in the shake-up in this seasons’ Majors. The same can be applied to Rory Mcllroy for whom it is surely a matter of when, not if, he wins the Open. At the age of 21 Mcllroy has already secured two wins on tour and a 3rd place finish at the Open at St Andrews last July (including a tournament record low opening round of 63). Could he potentially be the winner when the great competition returns to Sandwich, Kent in July?

Two other names to keep an eye out for are Italy’s teen sensation Matteo Manassero and young Welshman Rhys Davies. Manassero became the youngest ever winner on the European Tour when he triumphed in the 2010 Castello Masters in Valencia and is a force to be reckoned with. Davies, firmly embedded in the world’s top 100, won the Trophee Hassan in Morocco to secure his first European Tour victory and has possibly the steadiest putt on tour. He was unlucky to not gain a wild card into the Ryder Cup on his home turf after he finished runner-up at the 2010 Welsh Open, and has every reason to look forward to 2011. As too, do all European golf’s players and fans.

“I fully expect Tiger to roar again in 2011”

Charlie Croasdale Lee Westwood by Flickr user zrim Your Wave 32

FIFA’s Folly

The straw that broke the camel’ s back...

The choice of Qatar as the venue for the Fifa 2022 World Cup has left the rest of the World bewildered. Almost immediately after the decision was announced FIFA have been scrambling to minimise the ensuing damage caused by the decision.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s maladroit attempts to stave off criticism for the choice of Qatar have not stopped since the announcement. After first suggesting that homosexual fans should refrain from sexual activity during the event, he then hinted that the tournament could be moved from its traditional setting in the summer to the winter, a decision which would clearly interfere with the European club season. Michel Platini, the UEFA president, has suggested that Qatar could share the tournament with neighboring countries such as the UAE. As a result of the controversy Blatter’s ambitions of being re-elected for a fifth term unopposed have been dashed by the emergence of the president of the Asian Football Federation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, as a direct challenger.

Bin Hammam’s challenge is gathering support as a backlash against the de-

IMG_8912 user stabbysox World Cup by BidFlickr Celebration

by Flickr user sean

cision-making process in choosing the World Cup host. Countries such as England are angry after jumping through various hoops for no reward. England’s excellent technical report left them with two votes out of twenty four among FIFA’s selection committee, whereas Qatar’s report labeling them a ‘high risk’ destination did not prevent them from enjoying a successful outcome.

There are numerous reasons why Qatar is an unsuitable venue for the World Cup. The complete absence of any football pedigree or following for a domestic league is a good place to start. Qatar’s FIFA ranking of 113 does not inspire confidence.

Furthermore, there are legitimate concerns that Qatar is simply too small a nation to be equipped with handling the amount of foreign visitors expected to attend. Last summer in South Africa there were roughly 3.2 million fans in attendance, double the population of Qatar. Public consumption of alcohol is forbidden and anyone suspected of being under the influence on the street will be arrested. Homosexuality is illegal in the country, punishable by hanging. Qatar’s

searing heat in the summer where temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees is clearly problematic. The promise of air conditioned stadia will not prevent the problems of searing temperatures for fans outside the stadia.

FIFA’s obvious discomfort over the fiasco created by their horrendous decision is being exacerbated by countries twisting the knife. Many representatives of countries who were passed over in favour of Qatar are now using the opportunity to seek revenge on Blatter by backing the Qatari Bin Hammam to replace him as head of FIFA. The prospect of getting rid of the odious Blatter and more enticingly a change to the unsound voting system for choosing the World Cup host would leave many people to back Bin Hammam.

The average footballing fan weary of the off the field scandal could be forgiven for feeling confused and dispirited as the sorry saga continues to unfold. They, and Blatter, can only hope that events on the pitch soon distract them once again.

Timmy Jones

Your Wave 31

Sport

Picture by Craig Teall

Sport Editors Lindsey Fernandes Howard Sisson sport@therippleonline.com

ty i r a h C C F U R ULLAX vsn. UL Santa Ru s-over..? s

ewildering cro

Sport’s most b

Last term, in order to spread some festive joy, a group of eleven men from the university’s Lacrosse and Rugby Union Football Club left the warmth and comfort of their beds on a Sunday morning and braved the cold to dress up like Santa and run 5km around Victoria Park for the charity When You Wish Upon a Star. Competing against each other in friendly rivalry, a team of five from Rugby and six from Lacrosse took part in the fun run and combined, raised just under £500 for the non-government supported charity which takes terminally ill and disabled children on a once in a life time trip to Lapland to meet Santa Claus.

In spite of the early start and the bitter cold, the eleven men, as well as a team from the Women’s Rugby Union Football Club, adorned their Santa suits and took part in the charitable festivities. A fantastic effort was put in by both teams and out of over 200 runners who took part, a total of seven of the Leicester Men finished in the top ten. Rugby’s Jonny Pryce took the gold in an impressive finish despite going the wrong way, closely followed by Tim Bretherton, Adam Wookey Your Wave 30

and Lacrosse’s Craig Teall, taking second, third and fourth. Ian Read, Students’ Union Development Officer for Sports at University of Leicester, impressed by the two clubs’ efforts commented “It is good to see two clubs combining for an excellent cause and to get some positive publicity”.

“Jonny Pryce took the gold despite going the wrong way” The Wednesday night before the run at Red Leicester, the two teams took to the stage to publicise the event and competed in Lacrosse vs. Rugby games as team members wandered the crowd accepting donations, as well as a few dedicated individuals who waited in

the snow as people left collecting loose change, a total of £200 was raised in one evening. Combined with an online JustGiving page, the two teams managed to collect an impressive sum to help benefit less fortunate children across the Midlands.

Additionally, to make matters more interesting, numerous wagers were placed by boastful and competitive team mates and supporters. In a clash of the titans, and egos, a bet of an additional £20 donation was placed by team leaders Aaron Boland from ULRUFC and Craig Teall from ULLAX: a bet in which Rugby took the victory through their overall faster finishing time. Pride aside, the charity came out on top.

Regardless to which club won the wager, the children came first: both teams had a fantastic morning and through their combined endeavours helped to make an unforgettable Christmas for hundreds of ill children.

Craig Teall

Brisbane may be the capital of the state of Queensland and home to Australia’s Gold Coast, but it can be easy to forget this fantastic city. With the vibrancy of Sydney and Melbourne hogging the Australia-tourist-dollar Brisbane often struggles to draw the same kind of attention icons such as the Sydney Opera House afford.

However, in recent years Brisbane has blossomed; improvements include the cultural precinct titled The South Bank. It now houses a new Gallery of Modern Art, a refurbished Queensland Performing Arts Centre, as well as the redevelopment of the State Library.

The precinct is linked to the city centre by Cox Rayner's spidery Kurilpa Bridge, which opened last year and has already become a city landmark.

If you are the kind of person who prefers climbing bridges to crossing them, consider the Story Bridge climb which offers breathtaking views of the city. Established in 2005, it is only the third licensed bridge climb experience in the world (the other two being in Sydney and Auckland) and you can climb at dawn, during the day, or at the recommended twilight time slot.

The 900m climb takes place on the southern half of the bridge and reaches heights of 80m above the Brisbane River.

The Tivoli is another of Brisbane’s key attractions, having played host to one of Britain’s national treasures, dear old Noel Gallagher. This elegant, fully licensed theatre was built in 1917 and restored in an Art Deco style, complete with state-of-the-art technical features and top-of-the-range facilities.

If you have more time, take a day trip to Stradbroke Island, a design mecca and home to a plethora of dwellings designed by some of Queensland's hottest architects. Not only that, north of Stradbroke, Moreton Island is a natural wonderland teeming with miles of sandy beaches, freshwater lagoons, rampant wildflowers and prolific birdlife.

Sadly, in the last few months the development of Brisbane has taken a shocking turn, as Queensland has been hit by horrific floods. It is reported that an area the size of France and Germany combined has been effected, and that these are the worst floods the area has seen in 36 years. People were forced to evacuate their homes and livelihoods as ‘walls of water’ swept through Brisbane and other towns, causing a total of 25,000 homes to be effected across 35 suburbs. Furthermore, the floods have resulted in the tragic deaths of more than 30 people since November, with nine people still missing.

The clean-up operation is expected to take at least12 months, and charitable donations are being sent from across the globe. If you are interested in helping with the efforts to restore Brisbane and Queensland to its former glory please go to: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.htm

Melissa Burfitt

Brisbane by flickr user brewbooks

The Best and W o rst of Aussie Times

Your Wave 29

t p e K t s e B s â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Berlin Secret Berliner Dom. The Berlin Cathedral. Totally ruined in the Second World War, it started to be rebuilt anew in 1975. Completed in 1993, it is magnificent on the inside; its newness causes its classical architecture to look brighter- a cleaner kind of ancient. I arrive outside the Berlin Cathedral on a drizzly day. The Cathedral is visually stunning from the outside, surprisingly much dirtier and olderlooking than its young age. Stepping inside, I feel the space. The air is calm and perfect. The faint echo of German from a tour guide can be heard bouncing off the beautifully designed and sculpted walls. There is gold everywhere, with what seems like an impressive wooden organ on one side. Everything looks as if it could have been built at the same time as St Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathedral, but the clean atmosphere, stained glass windows and walls, betray its age. The Cathedral is so tall that there is a desire to get higher

within the building to admire its beauty.

I find stairs that seem to go up and up and up. I reach a beautiful balcony and admire the yellows and purples that are thrown onto it by the large stained glass dome above. I want to rise farther. I find some stairs that do not seem in use, but they are not guarded either, so I ascend.

Now I find some much narrower stairs; I ascend. They seem to go on forever and I grow tired. I now seem to be on a strange level. There are glass windows all around. I can see outside. I see the proud Reichstag and the tall, impressive Fernsehturm. There are some narrow stairs in the corner that seem to be crumbling.

I dare to ascend; they seem to twirl around like a lighthouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stairs. These now turn into metal stairs that clink and reverberate. Is there a top? Or will it cease with a sign to not enter; should I not be here? It stops. There is a metal wall in front of me, no, a metal door, do

I push it? Is it alarmed? I push and all of a sudden a whoosh of air nearly topples me over. I am right at the top of the Berlin Cathedral. I can walk around the top overlooking the views of the city. I notice the angels that adorn the cathedral and how the pollution of the city has damaged them, turning their green wings black. I notice the beautiful sparkling river Spree and that in a green area that faces the cathedral a large heart has been carved by a member of the public through what looks like the repetition of cycling. There is a couple in the middle having a photo taken by their friend. At the top of Berlin Cathedral I can see the whole city and feel the peace and life that now consumes it, where once it was disastrous and numb.

Laura Blumenthal

Berlin Cathedral by flickr user yatsek

Your Wave 28

American Adve

Grand Canyon by Flickr userB Rosen

nture

Chance to Win Trip to Korea

Want to travel?

Experience a new culture?

Make friends?

Improve your CV? Why not apply for a Summer Programme at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea?

-The University of Leicester is currently offering one scholarship for an undegraduate student to attend the Summer programme at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Korea. The successful applicant will be awarded £400 towards flight costs and will not be required to pay tuition fees.

-The four week programme. 28 June – 23 July 2011, will provide a unique insight into Korean culture and perspectives.

-Accommodation on or near the campus is guaranteed.

-The deadline is 11th February, so apply now!

For more information on the programme and how to apply see our website at: http://www.le.ac.uk/international/sa/summerprogrammes.html If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email studyabroad@ le.ac.uk “I highly recommend the participation of international programmes such as these to everyone. They are amazing cultural experiences that allow you to encounter so many different things and meet so many interesting and diverse people... This was an experience of a lifetime that I hope to repeat.” Jessica Cooke who attended the Summer programme in 2010.

Central North America is not a typical holiday destination, especially for lone travellers, but having friends there allowed me to see alternative places. I landed in Kansas City, Missouri in September 2010; there was much warmer weather than that in England at the time.

We decided to go on a river trip for a few days. The idea of camping out and spending days canoeing down a river to various scenic spots along the route is a novelty to me as this is something that is not a norm in England; however that may purely be my experience, coming from the suburbs of London where the closest thing to a picturesque river is the Thames.

We set out on our 30 mile journey down the Current River one late morning. Unlike when I encounter people in England, everyone who we crossed paths with made sure not only to wave, but to talk to us and offer advice about the river. Although we were taking the slightly more daring routes, and trying to maintain a steady pace, many people were lounging in the sun, reading books while floating in their canoes. There were points when it looked as if there was a sea of red white and blue, the US (unlike us) generally have much national pride so flags are a regularity. I was used to seeing the US flag on houses, at ceremonies and in restaurants, but on boats was a new idea. Although the Current is hardly the roughest river around, it was very surely a flowing river of varying speeds, twists, turns and rocks. Many people did not even have life jackets on, yet they had flags attached to their boat. The patriotism clearly held most importance, as unusual as this seemed to me.

The USA is a great destination for those wanting to see such national pride, the opposite of how many of the British feel towards their country, as we see in much British humour. Not all trips have to be mass-tourist-infused places either. Try some of the less tourist packed states and experience variations of American life. Organisations such as Trek America allow you to do just that with a group, if it is not something you fancy doing on your own.

Many second year American Studies or joint honours students have recently found out their destination for their year studying in the US. Locations vary from the heat of Long Beach, California, to the predominantly cold north of New York state. I am sure everyone will come back with completely different variations of how they perceive the USA. One thing I have been aware of, no matter where I visit, is the great patriotism.

Sacha Sinclair Your Wave 27

Travel

Evening at Chandhi Chawk by Flickr user denharsh

Travel Editor Melissa Burfitt travel@therippleonline.com Resident Writer Hayley Symington

i h l e D w e N e c i N o s t o N ‘I really, ah, enjoyed Delhi’, yawns a young yuppie type, cigarette elegantly balanced between her fingers, as we sit in a typically threadbare traveller’s café. We, my patient girlfriend and I, are in McLeod Ganj, a charming hill station nestled on the just habitable fringes of the Himalayas. It is the home-awayfrom-home of the Tibetan government in exile. It is also populated by smart-ass ‘travellers’ who will be more than happy to regale you with their tepid travel stories. This one in particular – ‘Emma’ - has been travelling in India for four months or so. She monologues with the conviction of a Simon Schama: “Yah, so Chennai was depraved and unsafe, faeces literally everywah. Shimla, Himachal Pradesh’s greatest hill station, was all hustle and bustle. But yah, Manali was just amazing.”

But something is bothering me. It’s the Delhi comment I think. It has become a litmus test of sorts: I harbour a categorical mistrust of anyone who ‘enjoys’ Delhi.

This abhorrence of Delhi is my own fault, and it can be traced back to our arrival in India two weeks ago. In our infinite wisdom, we booked our flight to Delhi when the government was ‘reclaiming’ land off its puzzled street side vendors in order to make the roads wider for the influx of traffic that was supposed to engulf the streets of Delhi during the Commonwealth games later this year. “Not an issue”, I can almost hear you mumble.

Yet bear in mind this land ‘reclamation’ is not conducted by health and safety Nazis in high-visibility jackets and hard hats. It is literally unemployed Indian men thwacking the crap out of alleyYour Wave 26

side real estate until nothing but rubble remains. Drunk with jet-lag, we arrive in Delhi. Being hit by flying shrapnel or having a cow-sized slab of building dropped on your head is a genuine fear as we negotiate our way through the dust and humidity to our hotel, right in the nexus of all this tumult.

We spend the evening clinging to each other. An inability to digest such naked culture, fatigue and what can only be described as lily-livered panic, has left us questioning why we so willingly left the soft-corned Western bastion of England to go romping among such hellish climes. Now ‘Culture shock’ is a term I court at arm’s length. Despite humming of cliché, it seems, at least to me, an idea evocative of our embarrassing colonial past, a time where our ancestral forebears would shirk at the thought of anything less than the Queen’s English and the reassuring sound of willow on leather. Yet it certainly seemed a reasonable explanation for our completely unreasonable behaviour since we arrived.

The horrible gastric implications of ‘Delhi-Belly’ had left us grazing on Tesco’s vacuum packed peanuts and dried apricots. Needless to say, the night was long and hot.

We awoke with replenished vigour. Yet much like how Ghandi’s steely pacifism had gradually uprooted the truculent British from his homeland, we found ourselves thwarted at every turn by Delhi’s anodyne resistance. Need train tickets? Fine, so long as you have the mettle to dodge the legions of unscrupulous touts – read cunning street criminals who, rump deep in the city’s sprawling

corruption racket, will try to convince you that the ticket booth at Delhi’s train station is no longer there and instead you should try the ‘Tourism Offices’. Being the polite Englishmen that we were, prone to bouts of flattery and congenial conversation, we were repeatedly waylaid by gentleman that professed to having friends from increasingly bizarre locations in Britain.

I would believe you if you said that you enjoyed Delhi, but you would have to be a cocaine-guzzling diplomat or some other grotesquely wealthy bigot cut from a similar cloth. You could tour Delhi’s captivating minarets and its crumbling old Fort, observing the masterful architecture with faux-wonder from the interior of your hired Bentley Continental. Fancy a spot of retail therapy and you could have your personal driver whisk you off to Delhi’s ‘New City’ where western shopping franchises are spreading faster than the country’s AIDs epidemic. Sure, it is a stroll in the park if you can afford to avoid where we hunkered down for the duration of our stay: the Paharganj area, a dust-encrusted heap located in Delhi’s ‘old city’. Squatting at the heart of Delhi’s urban sprawl, it is a swirling dervish of cash-strapped travellers, impoverished traders, dealers and have-a-go business men swarming like honey-drunk bees among its gaudy colours and labyrinthine bazaars. Needless to say, we fled Delhi with all immediate haste. Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, was next on our itinerary, and for us both it could not have come sooner.

Charlie Harding

Price of Pardis e too high?

“Out with the old and in with the new”, maybe that is what Katie Price a.k.a.

Jordan, had in mind when she decided to end her relationship with cagefighter Alex Reid. The split comes as no surprise. Katie is said to be resentful of Alex for not giving her what she wants most right now: no, not new boobs or more crazy surgery; a baby.

The rumours have been circulating for months that they are due to split but with the controversy that always sur-

rounds Price, it was not taken seriously until she publicly announced there were problems on Twitter: ‘To answer my fans questions, News of the World did a accurate story Sunday about our marriage in crises’. (sic) It is a shame about the marriage but I do not think anyone is shocked by the imminent split. That is, except for the man involved in this, as Reid seems to be in a bizarre state of denial.

He has repeatedly refuted the claims that he is set to split from Katie or ‘the missus’

“Katie Price was keen to portray a picture of perfect happiness”

as he calls her. He spoke of their marital problems earlier this week with an air of confidence exclaiming: ‘it was like a weight had been lifted when we admitted we were having problems, and since then we’ve been getting on like a house on fire!’. Poor Alex. We do not know the exact cause of the break-up but I suspect that Alex has just been a pawn in one of Price’s great charades. She was keen to portray a picture of perfect happiness when they first wed but it was not long before things started to turn sour.

I think the whole marriage saga has revealed just how insecure Price is. Not only has this woman spent thousands of pounds on pointless surgery because she does not like the way she looks but she is also said to not be over the breakup of her marriage to her former husband, Peter Andre. In an effort to appear unfazed by the break-up she quickly started a relationship with Alex Reid and they wed just six months later. Katie got the wedding and got the man but after being seen leaving countless IVF treatment centres, she still has not got the baby to add to her perfect set-up.

It seems that they rushed into the marriage, just hoping for the best, but the reality is, when the cameras stop rolling, they have no connection. It is claimed that Katie and Alex have not been intimate with each other for a long time, which may I add, will not help Price’s desperate bid to have a baby.

With no official confirmation, the controversy is still flying around their relationship; maybe this is exactly what Price wants. Perhaps the whole episode is just another publicity stunt!? While Price revels in the limelight, her ex-husband Peter has just announced his relationship with the gorgeous Elen Rives, a woman who is classy, intelligent and a (more-orless) natural beauty. Everything Price is not, then!

Eloise Levey

‘Hi concept weekend magazine cover’by flickr user mrlerone

Your Wave 25

flickr user massdistraction

Reports reveal that the average human gains half a stone of weight over winter. Still, do not fret, because nearly every front cover of the magazines are littered with celebrity bodies promising to kick us back into shape while plugging the sale of their weight-loss DVDs. Cue Claire Nasir, a forty-yearold mother-of-one who cannot really be classed as a celebrity. You may remember her from early morning weather reports on GMTV; perhaps her diet advice is more accurate than her weather advice.

However, there is no denying that she looks good, in fact her transformation is amazing. She has reportedly lost three stone, dropping from a size 16 to a size 6. Her secret is regular exercise three times a week and a lowfat diet. She promises that her DVD will help you lose up to 4lbs a week.

Excellent, two weeks of that and it is bye-bye winter belly. If that does not tickle your fancy then there’s Kerry Katona and Nadia Sawalha, who, may I add, have both had sneaky help from ITV’s Dancing on Ice intense training regime. Kerry plugged her DVD while sat on the This Morning sofa, encouraging viewers that, ‘If Kerry Katona can get off kebabs, get off her drugs, get off her bum - if I can do it, anyone can do it’. I am glad to hear that she has got “off her drugs”, but I do not think that sort of advertisement would work for the majority of housewives. Perhaps Nadia’s approach to losing weight, which involved cutting out meat and bread for the first month, is more appetising? Her daily dinner now consists of boiled brown rice with garlic and celery, steamed vegetables and a naughty blob of hum-

mus on the side. She looks fantastic but has turned into a calorie-counting vegetarian to achieve her great result. The truth is, we all over-eat at during winter, but I doubt that a DVD is quite necessary to lose that pesky half a stone. After all, it will probably end up forgotten about and hidden under a pile of more entertaining DVDs after two weeks.

Surely, when the sunny weather returns and the warmth discourages

“if Kerry Katona can get off kebabs, get off drugs, get off her bum-anyone can do it”

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‘Weighing in’ by

t h g i e W r a e Y w e N e s i c r e x E ? s e i r r o W . . . s e i t i r b e l e c h t i w

you from adding to your warm body blanket, your body will naturally shrink back to its former self? This is what I am bargaining on anyway. If that fails then I am sure that the average student lifestyle in which we strategically sacrifice food to spare money for the newest fashion purchase or night out, and the nerves of looming exams, will do something to minimise our waistlines.

Eloise Levey

y

BAFTA Best of British Rising Stars

Britain has produced some of the finest actors in history. Think the late Pete Postlethwaite, Dame Judi Dench and Peter Sellers. But now there is a new generation of talent dominating the headlines, and this year’s Orange BAFTA Rising Star nominees are right in the thick of it.

Gemma Arterton, Tom Hardy, and Aaron Johnson have everything to smile about as they are in with a chance of winning this prestigious award, where past winners include James McAvoy and Shia LaBoeuf. The three are nominated alongside US talent Emma Stone, of Superbad fame, and Andrew Garfield, of The Social Network. So why is 2011 the year for these British actors?

From school girl to Bond girl to Britain’s golden girl, Gemma Arterton’s career has risen to new heights over the past few years. At just 24 years old, Arterton has left her stamp on some of the most successful films of recent years. She makes the perfect English Rose, having avoided the curse of the type-cast, can be the provocative tease in Tamara Drewe, the heroic princess in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and the feisty heroine in gritty dramas such as The Disappearance of Alice Creed and period dramassuch as Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

The RADA graduate is currently on the London stage, and is also filming Men in Black III, ready to tick yet another blockbuster movie off her list. Arterton, originally from Gravesend in Kent, has certainly proved her worth in the film industry and it is no wonder that BAFTA recognise her as a ‘rising star’.

She is joined on the nominees list by Tom Hardy, who is most recently known for playing the forger in Inception alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. The 33-yearold from Hammersmith stunned critics

when playing the title role in Bronson, their daughter in July 2010. The young where he put on three stone of muscle father is obviously mature for his age for the part. Often cast in gangster and very committed to his work as he roles, his forceful persona is terrifying was nominated for Breakout Male at the at times, and this is recognised Teen Choice Awards for Kick-Ass. Johnby many directors, having son certainly is a rising star but his work kick-started his career in cannot rival that of Hardy and Arterton the US war drama Band right now, so perhaps in a few years of Brothers.

Hardy’s time, he will be better placed to win the performances on stage BAFTA. have been rewarded too, and he won the Jenny Sims London Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer in 2003. It seems fairly late in his career to be named a ‘rising star’ and one could wonder whether his role in Inception was what caught the eye of the BAFTA panel.

It is better late than never though and Hardy deserves all the recognition he can get.

The third British nominee is Aaron Johnson, who has an extremely varied body of work behind him.

Playing the teenage heart-breaker in TV series Nearly Famous and feature film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Johnson fortunately broke away from this cliché and moved to grittier roles in Nowhere Boy and Kick-Ass. The 20-year-old from Buckinghamshire is in a relationship with Nowhere Boy director Sam Taylor-Wood, who gave birth to ‘War Child/O2 Brits After Party’ by flickr user O2UKOfficial

“2011 is the year for these young English actors’”

Your Wave 23

Grapevine

‘Victoria and David Beckham’ flickr user friskytuna

Editor Emily How grapevine@therippleonline.com Resident Writer Eloise Levey

y o J y b a B ’ s m a h k c Be The Beckham family’s last public appearance in Britain was at the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, and little did we know that they were hiding the exciting news that Victoria is expecting her fourth child this summer.

The news comes eleven years after Victoria had her first child and the critics doubted her mothering skills.

However, the ex-Spice Girl proved them all wrong by successfully bringing up three charming and well-mannered boys.

Brooklyn, aged 11, Romeo, aged 8 and Cruz, aged 5 who are “very excited” at the news.

They have grown up in the US and are now back in the UK as their father, David, trains with Tottenham Hotspur football club.

Britain’s most famous celebrity couple who have been married since 1999, revealed the baby news to family and friends at their Hertfordshire mansion early in the New Year, and the public have embraced the news. The family

have received support from many celebrities including Kylie Minogue. Victoria said on Twitter, “Thank you so much for all your kind and beautiful messages.

We are all so happy and excited”. The fashion designer is certainly looking forward to the arrival of the fourth Beckham, but it was always inevitable that as soon as she became pregnant again, the media speculation of the baby’s sex would begin. Will it be yet another boy, or the first girl? Either way, the child will be born into a world of glamour. Having a successful fashion designer for a mother can’t be bad can it? And saying that, having a professional footballer for a father couldn’t be bad either… A baby girl would give Victoria a chance to impart her female wisdom onto the child, and she would be looked after by her three older brothers, especially Brooklyn who will be 16 when child number four is five years old.

You can bet on the sex of the baby,

“the baby should be named Saffron- a posh spice’’

Your Wave 22

and also on the names. Seeing as it is likely the baby was conceived in LA, many are favouring the name Angel. It seems the public just cannot get over the way Brooklyn was named, ignoring the fact that Romeo and Cruz are clearly not named after where they were conceived. Other jokers out there are saying the child should be named Saffron - a posh spice. How clever.

The 36-year-old who just cannot shake that ‘Posh’ nickname has before spoken of her intentions to expand the family saying “I think one day, if we're blessed to have more children, it would be amazing.” Taking on four children is no walk in the park, even when you are rich. But if Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are anything to go by, Victoria and David (and the nanny) will manage just fine.

Victoria joins many other celebrities in pregnancy, including ex-band mate, Emma Bunton, and French Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, who is expecting her first child in the spring.

Jenny Sims

The Beauty Co

rner

Make Up by Flikr user Dia

It’s all about th

e base....

We all know th foundation is v at finding the perfect help you with thery frustrating! So, to Jessica Pilkin is difficult task, the foundation gton looks at some of s in stores this month.

Facing the task of finding a new foundation can be understandably a daunting experience. You do not want to choose one that will make you look like, heaven forbid, Katie Price, but then again you do not want to end up looking like The Corpse Bride. So here are a few that I have tried and tested to perhaps that search a little bit easier...

First in the firing line is: The Body Shop Moisture Foundation SPF15 in shade 3. RRP £13

This had a very nice texture and blended well. As the name suggests, it felt exactly like a moisturiser and made my skin feel extremely soft- maybe due to the fact that it contains Marula Oil (community trade obviously, this is The Body Shop) which is a natural facial moisturiser. Although it did not manage to cover all my blemishes (a hard task I must admit), it did even out my skin tone overall, promoting a more natural rather than a cakedon look. Another thing that impressed me was that it managed to achieve what I thought was unach-

ievable: a perfect balance of matte and shine. Overall, this is the ideal day-time foundation.

Next up is: Bare Minerals Original, SPF15 in Medium Beige. RRP £23

I like the idea of mineral foundation.

The naive side of me still believes that it will contain some sort of miraculous formula that will transform my skin the more I wear it. Unfortunately, whether it is better for my skin or not, I am afraid to say I am not its biggest fan.

The packaging claims it ‘visually eases blemishes’, however I think it created them, along with tide lines. I found that the description of the colour was really inaccurate, it was far too dark for it to be described as medium. It was also ridiculously hard to blend and combined with the bright orange colour, the more I tried the more I looked like I had had an allergic reaction. On a whole, I was disappointed, and had to quickly search for a make-up wipe!

Last but by no means least, is: Yves Saint Laurent New Teint Radience in shade 6. RRP £29.50 The first thing I noticed about this foundation was the silky texture. This made it very easy to apply and blend. It achieved the perfect balance of feeling very light but giving a great coverage. I also felt that it lived up to its name as after hours of wearing it I still felt that my face was practically glowing, without looking horrendously greasy. It also had great durability. After a full day of wearing it, it was near perfect and only required a few touch ups. This is perfect if you are pushed for time getting ready for a night out. The only problem I had was the hefty price tag which is obviously not kind to a student budget! Overall, I think that this is a perfect example of you get what you pay for!

competition Win a Benefit make over for you and a friend!

A single winner will be chosen randomly. Please enter by the 8th February.

fashion@therip

pleonline.com

Your Wave 21

Photo from Flikr user the boyBG

provoking azretie asks us in her though really mean to cle- what does fashion tyou?

It is all well and good people telling you what fashion is, but what does fashion mean to you? Over the Christmas period I decided to undertake a little research study to find out what you think.

Being from London and being exceedingly familiar with Oxford Street, I decided to take a day out of my family celebrations and take to the streets with one main question, what does fashion mean to you?

My main aim was to ensure the answers were pretty free flowing, I wanted to know what people felt fashion was, not what they had been told. I also decided to split it up into male and female, just to see whether there is a major difference in the male and female view on fashion. Undeniably, fashion has taken many unconventional turns over the years and as it stands in many cases, girls are perfectly allowed to step into a male shop and pick out clothes – well I do – and to some extent a man can step into a female shop. We can agree that fashion is somewhat androgynous, and items such as carrot leg jeans or trousers, the aviator and mac jacket and of course the military boot and among others are very much unisex.

On the male front, fashion for some was their ‘lynx’, it had an effect that only Your Wave 20

a few could withstand. A bold statement I hear you cry, it most certainly is but I think it is quite true for both males and females. One student said that fashion let him experiment with his personality.

This for me was unusual and so I asked him to elaborate. He went on to say that fashion as it stands now is constantly changing and it means he can keep trying out different looks. In terms of his personality, fashion helps form whether he is a more expressive and loud person, or if he is more subtle and easy-going.

This would make sense, because arguably you can tell a lot about a person’s personality via the way they dress.

Moving on to the women now, I will start by telling you what fashion means to me. In my world fashion is all about being noticed. I want people to look at me; I want to make you say ‘woah, she looks good’; I want that acknowledgement that I made an effort to look fashionable and you have noticed and applauded me, but obviously not in a narcissistic way. Just a ‘yeah I’m cool’

kind of way. Anyway, I just feel that if I make the effort, no matter how effortless it may have been, people should bat an eye lid; why not? I found that many young women shared this feeling; a lot stated that fashion was in essence the ability to feel and look good, suggesting its external and internal effect: you can be admired or simply noticed and this gives you pleasure. A lot of students said it makes them feel beautiful; the idea that what they lacked facially is made up through the ability to create a smashing ensemble. I liked this but at the same time I reminded them that they were exceptionally beautiful and that was not because of their clothes. Finally, one student said something that really stood out for me- she quoted a line by Karl Lagerfield: ‘Fashion is like a poem, it merely suggests’.

It suggests that fashion is complex yet simple, enjoyable and perhaps solemn, imaginative and of course undeniably beautiful.

So now I ask you to consider for a few minutes, what fashion means to you…

‘I want people to look at me and say ‘woah she looks good’’

‘Fashion Days’ by Flickr user Yago1

What does fash i o n m e a n t o y ou?

Chloe Oba

Best Dressed St

udents

Photohraphs taken by Alice Askwith

This month we have been trek king our camp of the best dress us in search ed students our beautiful univer to offer. We wil sity has l be searching h igh and low fo of Leicester fash r University ionistas each m onth.

Here are our fa vourites:

Archie Burnha

m

Q: Where do you regularly shop?

A: Sometimes high street, such as River Island, but I also mix vintage pieces with high street, this coat is my Dad’s!

Alice Harmswo

rth

Q: Who are your fashion icons?

A: Rihanna and Alexa Chung! I think they both have fantastic style and I love Alexa’s bag collection.

The New Era o

f Fashion

Fashion has embarked on a new era. We are constantly told to follow fashion; we often want to know what is in fashion.

It is time to do away with the old and in with the new. Step into 'The New Era of Fashion’, where we embrace the fearless, the creative and the experimental looks.

Take four simple steps: ‘Make it work!’ Just as the lovely Gok Wan taught us. Make your wardrobe work ladies and gentlemen. You are young so be free; take fashion chances.

You are not obliged to play it safe with the fitted outfits. You are permitted to pump up the volume. Ladies, gone are the days when fitting mattered for casual wear. Whatever it is- a top, jumper or sweater, if it is a little over-sized, whip a waist belt round and you are sorted.

Go for the fashionable unisex look.

Throw on a neutral coloured normal or v neck shirt and patterned harem jeans/ trousers with a pair of neutral coloured wedges (girls) or boots (guys) and you are good as gold. As it is winter you can top it up with a warm leather aviator jacket and a warm co-ordinated scarf, and there you have it. However, when it comes to the corporate lifestyle, the look tends to become more rigid, but then you can jazz your look up with affordable, moderate accessories.

Make it your own, be fearless. ‘What people say isn't going to stop me. I have to try things for myself.’ exclaimed Kate Moss. Make mixes, fearlessly collate items of clothing and make sure you never have colour, texture or pattern clashes and you will be fine.

Set trends. ‘I don't DO fashion, I AM

fashion.’ stated Coco Chanel. This is where vintage comes in and as students it may be in your best interest to save a pound or two. You can spend less, look different, set trends and still make your own statement. Do not be afraid of the critics. There will always be critical views of an outfit; some will be constructive some will not. However, it is your choice to accept it or decline it.

Celebrities cannot avoid the critics. Noone can, not even Lady Gaga.

To conclude: be original, be yourself, spend less and be fearless.

'The New Era of Fashion'. For more advice, tips and tricks visit :www.bellemodereve.blogspot.com

Irene Awosika Your Wave 19

Photohraph by Lucia Hardy

Fashion Fashion Editor Hannah Adkins fashion@therippleonline.com Resident Writer Alice Askwith

Bag A Bargain A Bargain Bag ! Or Even Better, ...

Paige Hollowa y gives you a g sales. uide to get th

e best out of the

Do we know what a bargain really is? It is something you pick up in a sale, easy yes, well actually no. How many times have you bought something in the sales, taken it home, put it in the wardrobe, and there it stays, sound familiar? Therefore, I am going to give you tips on how to bag a bargain that really is a good buy.

Firstly look in your favourite shops before the sales start and let your eyes roam on things that you would love but probably cannot afford; in my case a bag I have had my eyes on that would usually cost a month’s wages or in my case half my student grant!

Make sure you have a few items on your radar as not all you like will go in the sales.

Secondly do not hold high hopes on buying a classic item unless it is in a seasonal colour, again my favourite colour bag will not go in the sale as it is a classic which are available season after season.

So I have to look at the ones that are the same design but are the colour of that season, a compromise yes, but one you have to be willing to make if you want to get it for half the price, or if you are really lucky even less on the second round of discounts.

Third tip is to get there early. It is no good doing all the ground work if you

have a lie-in and get there two hours after the door opens, you know what they say ‘the early bird catches the worm.’

Find out the store opening times and be there on the dot if not before, wear comfortable shoes and sharpen those elbows as you never know when or where they may be needed.

Tip four is bring a shopping buddy with you, mine is my mum who is willing to forgo her sale wants to make sure I bag mine. I send her in one direction while I elbow my way to the coveted prize. Grab exactly what you want and do not deviate from your plan as this is where many fall- your eyes are drawn to something sparkly and before you know it you have got an armful of goodies.

Your buddy should have grabbed anything else you had in mind on the other side of the store as we cannot be in two places at once.

Do I try on or not? That is the question.

My advice: nooooway! Do not waste valuable shopping time; if you are not sure on the blue or green take them both, you can always take one back tomorrow after you have looked at the rest of your wardrobe to see which goes with what.

‘Do you know what a bargain really is?’

Your Wave 18

Another tip is making sure you know the shop’s return policy. You do not want to end up with two things in different colours. Last but not least , enjoy yourself! When you have finished, put your feet up, have a drink and know that all the planning was worth it and you came away with what you really desired. I have yet to get my designer bag, but who knows you might feel an elbow in your side when we both reach for my bargain bag.

Tip of the month: Check out New for their great Look of shoes in the range saleand hurry! They be snapped up will fast.

Cirque Du Soleil: Totem all, 7/1/11

Royal Albert H

Aristos do cirque by flickr user Fotos Gov/Ba

The slogan attached to the show promises â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a fascinating journey into the evolution of mankindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is certainly an interesting premise for Canadian acrobatics company Cirque du Soleil. Their productions have been seen by over 100 million people and staged in over 300 countries in the world. Totem is Cirque du Soleilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest artistic offering, which showcases individual performers at their best, with a theme that charts the evolutionary process in a way never before seen through dance, music and acrobatics.

Director and writer Robert Lepage was the man set to revolutionise the Cirque du Soleil experience, and although the acts were unbelievable and stretched the limits of their physical fitness, the narrative and music was incomprehensible. There were glimpses of promise- a visual representation of ape transforming into man is demonstrated humorously, and in the finale the audience is fast forwarded to the future, where a troupe of space man rule Earth. These futuristic figures, in some of the most incredible choreography of the entire show, proceed to execute triple somersaults onto and along precariously thin luminous flexible planks among other feats of flexibility.

As soon as you enter the hall your ears are greeted with the sounds of birds singing and the pleasant sound of water trickling downstream. The sounds played from the orchestra behind the rustling reeds on the stage are fantastic. The lighting effects projected images of the sea lapping the shore onto a ramp which was clever, but at times the strobe lighting dominated the stage and moved into the audience, becoming extremely distracting. The musical score, supposedly set to an Amazonian theme was less tribal and more faux-Bollywood if anything.

Highlights included a group on unicycles double their normal height, balancing rice bowls on their feet and then flipping them onto their heads. A duo who interwove themselves on a trapeze left you feeling that you did not know whose body was whose, and their acting was similarly impressive, adding variety to the show.

This is a fantastic production, in spite of the loosely structured narrative, which might just leave you wanting to become a gymnast.

Tamsin Crouch

3 stars*

Your Wave 17

Tim Minchin by Flikr User Simon Scott

DVDa/ y Blu-R Release:

Tim Minchin: Ready For This

Your Wave 16

3 stars*

When Assassin’s Creed 2 was released in 2009 it was a surprising success, taking the ambitious yet ultimately flawed first game and adapting it to become a striking, layered and above all fun game. So with another sequel does the series climb to new heights or dive into the waiting haystack below?

Brotherhood begins immediately after the conclusion of the last game, and continues the adventures of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his mission to free Rome from the rule of the tyrannous Borgia family. Instead of moving between several cities like the last game, Brotherhood restricts you to just Rome, (besides a few arbitrary side missions flinging you to random Italian locations). Fortunately, this limitation to one city does not dampen the fun, with Rome containing enough different environments to keep things interesting, and the city (as with the previous game) is beautifully rendered and a joy to run aimlessly around.

As with appearance, very little gameplay-wise has changed from the previous game, with the free running and combat being essentially the same, allowing you to scale buildings, run across rooftops and fight off hoards of guards with your trusty sword, dagger and hidden blade by your side. While some could argue ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ others, this reviewer included, could say that this is a missed opportunity to fix the previous game’s flaws. The free running is still not as intuitive it should be, with falling off rooftops still an occupational hazard when your character fails to obey your instructions.

However, one new feature is the ability to recruit the civilians of Rome to your assassin’s brotherhood. These allies can be called upon in battle to assist your fight against the enemy, or can be sent on missions throughout Europe to increase their skills. Having control over a group of assassins and co-ordinating their movements does add a new level of depth to the game, and it is a lot of fun to fight side-by-side with fellow assassins. However, too often these allies can act as a ‘get out of jail free card’, defeating any challenge the game may present with an instant kill just a button click away.

New for the series is the addition of online multiplayer, where you, or you and a partner play a game of cat and mouse with other online players; your objective is to assassinate your target opponent while being wary of the player whose job it is to assassinate you. This multiplayer is a small but addictive addition and helps extend the game’s lifespan long after the main story has been finished.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood cannot be considered a huge step for the series, and the plotlines are still as nonsensical and disjointed as ever, but we can forgive these flaws for it is still an excellent game in its own right and a must have for fans of A.C. 2.

Andrew Nicholds

4 stars*

Assassins Creed Brotherhood by Flikr (Uruviel)

If you are a Tim Minchin fan, then there is nothing too unexpected going on in his newest live DVD, Ready For This. It is the same Minchin we have come to know and love – exceptional piano skills teamed with ever so slightly risqué comedy and political messages awaiting us at every chord change. Playing to a full Hammersmith Apollo, Minchin appears comfortable on a big stage: shoeless as always, making offhand comments about ‘fisting midgets’ and the like.

However, his set has expanded far beyond the original off-beat poetry and occasional parodied piano sets on Australian late night TV which you will find if you trawl through some of his earliest performances on youtube – as I have wasted endless afternoons doing. Tim is rapping, playing the guitar, the keytar, doing straightforward stand-up, and of course amazing the audience with unadulterated self-indulgent piano solos - not to mention sharing the stage with a troupe of dancing bears (no, seriously). Maybe the most striking difference though is how Tim’s original awkward, neurotic stage persona has begun to recede (though only very slightly), and suddenly he is becoming a comic much more giving of himself to the audience.

Though his work remains often surrealist, you will find yourself waiting throughout all six minutes of the encore ‘White Wine in the Sun’ for jokes which never materialise – only to realise it is actually a genuine sentimental song about Minchin’s family.

Still not one to watch with your Grandma, Ready For This is a must-see for hardcore fans and Minchin newbies. Besides, if all else fails, the guy has amazing hair.

Alex Burton

Assassin’s Cree d Brotherhood

Photo from Curve

s r u o H 7 2 1

Stephen Fry by flickr user Documentally

yle swapsof o B y n n a D r to c e Dir gs for the nli..fe. u r d d n a s ie b m o z Ralsto adventurer Aron

Perhaps Danny Boyle’s greatest asset is his unpredictability (having blessed our cinema screens with films as diverse as 28 Days Later, Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire) and fans of these recent classics will no doubt be looking for more of the same in the director’s latest offering, 127 Hours.

The film depicts the real life events of adventurer Aron Ralston as he gets trapped under a falling rock on one of his climbing expeditions. With no-one knowing his whereabouts, and his food and water supplies running low, 127 Hours charts his descent into hallucinations and despair as he desperately tries to release his trapped crushed arm in the desert canyon.

The fundamental problem of the film is that in an hour and a half, not a lot actually happens. Within twenty minutes, Aron is already trapped and only finally reaches his gruesome solution in the closing fifteen minutes of the film. Therefore, the audience is subjected to nearly an hour of James Franco doing pretty much nothing in an awkward and confined space. While the lack of action clearly reflects the reality of the situation, it does not make for particularly thrilling viewing. With nothing really happening in this chunk of the film it becomes all too easy to lose sympathy for Franco’s character and lapse into boredom. Indeed, interest is only really reignited in the final moments of the film when we finally see him escape. Franco’s encounter with the exploring duo, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, seems to bear little relevance to the rest of the film’s events, while his flashbacks to his girlfriend Clémence Poésy seem arbitrary and do not explore their relationship in any great detail.

On a positive note, James Franco suits the determined Ralston well and his monologues to his video camera are poignant and at times tragic. The treatment of his family in the film is also moving, providing the much needed determination to escape his predicament Ralston’s story is certainly remarkable but unfortunately does not make for a great film. Neither particularly good nor bad, it is just okay, ultimately leaving this reviewer in a numb state of indifference. If you have seen the trailer then you have seen pretty much all you need to see. Franco single-handedly carries the film (excuse the pun) but ultimately it could have been a lot better.

2 stars*

e t u b i r T A : e t i a w h t e l t s o P te

Jason Noble

Pe

Pete Postlethwaite by Flikr User spannerfilms

From his early work on the stage at the Old Vic Theatre in Bristol to his progression to TV drama in the ’80s, all the way through to parts in some of the biggest blockbuster movies of the last 30 years, Pete Postlethwaite was an actor whose attention to detail for every single role he played set him apart as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Despite Spielberg describing him as ‘the best actor in the world’, you would struggle to describe him as a ‘superstar’ (nor would he have wished for such flattery), yet he leaves behind a reputation as a remarkable actor both on stage and screen, whose consistently powerful and evocative performances made him a household name, both in his native England and all over the world.

Beginning his career initially as a drama teacher, Postlethwaite could not resist the lure of the bright lights and spent the ‘70s and early ‘80s performing at various theatres in and out of London’s West End, with notable stints at the Manchester Royal Exchange alongside Helen Mirren in The Duchess of Malfi, and on tour with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

However, it was in the ‘90s that his career in TV and film really took off, landing small but significant roles such as the vicious Obadiah Hakeswell alongside Sean Bean in TV period drama Sharpe, and as the father of IRA suspect Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day- Lewis) in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father, receiving an Oscar nominaPete Postlethwaite by Flikr User spannerfilms tion for the latter. But it will be for his role as Mr Kobayashi, the imposing lawyer and fixer to the mysterious Keyser Söze in 1995 film The Usual Suspects, starring alongside screen heavyweights Kevin Spacey and Benicio Del Toro, that many will remember him best. Following this brilliant performance came a string of roles in some of the most memorable films of the decade, such as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and Brassed Off, culminating in a prominent role as hunter Roland Tembo in The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997.

Recently, the actor had taken small roles in multi-million dollar epics such as Inception, The Town and Clash of the Titans. Yet on the 2nd January the actor finally lost his battle with the cancer that he has fought for two decades. An inspiration to many for his versatility on both stage and screen, he remains, as in life, an understated yet brilliant actor.

Jamie Megson Your Wave 15

John Bishop by Flickr User The Queens Hall

Reviews

Reviews Editor Jamie Megson Resident Writer James Harland reviews@therippleonline.com

p o h s i B n Joh

De Montfort H

It has been a big year for John Bishop. After years of anonymity, the Liverpudlian comedian has quickly risen to become one of Britain’s most recognisable comics, now a regular fixture on panel and stand-up TV shows.

Bishop’s new-found fame has allowed him to undertake this year’s massive ‘Sunshine Tour’– so-called to reflect his ‘moment in the sunshine’ – which encompasses such huge venues as Wembley Arena, and tonight brings him to a sold-out auditorium at Leicester’s De Monfort Hall. Bishop is still coming to terms with this sudden leap of fortune; by his own admission, his last visit to the city was to perform at last year’s Comedy Festival, “in front of about 12 people.”

When watching Bishop perform, it is easy to see why the nation has warmed to him. Onstage he comes across as modest and likeable, discussing with humility the madness of show business and his own rise to fame. Most importantly, Bishop is able to amuse his audience with seeming effortlessness, his anecdotal delivery making him easy to relate to as a comic.

The audience at tonight’s show are predominantly of an older generation; in fact, I wonder if I’m the only student present.

Accordingly, much of Bishop’s material focuses on the perils of being middle-aged, such as the burdens of parenthood and married life. He also declares his distain for teenagers and students, to which the audience applaud with concerning enthusiasm.

But despite being ‘adult’ in this literal sense, Bishop’s routine does not rely on explicit humour to excite the crowd. This is not to say the show is completely family-friendly – the phrase “wank off a tramp” comes up quite a lot – but it is refreshing to watch a comedian whose performance does not contain an abundance of sexual references. It takes a lot of skill to make an audience laugh without resorting to cheap gags, which puts Bishop in a league above many of his contemporaries.

Many of the show’s funniest moments come when Bishop digresses from the script, revealing a knack for improvisation.

When latecomers arrive he chastises them with faux anger, Your Wave 14

all, 17/11/10

and he rants at an individual who takes a phonecall before resuming the show smoothly. He also makes various gags aimed specifically at tonight’s crowd. “It’s a shame Leicester’s most famous inhabitant was the Elephant Man,” he quips at one point, “You know they’ll never make a statue of him.”

The show concludes with a compilation of popular adverts with Bishop replacing the lead role in each, conveying the life he may have been bound to, had he not succeeded in comedy.

Bidding a highly amused audience farewell, he seems humbled by the number of people who have come to witness him living his dream. If this is John Bishop’s moment in the sunshine, let’s hope he enjoys it.

(Editor’s note: John Bishop will return to De Montfort Hall in March 2011)

Alexander French

4 stars*

competition WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO CUPID’S BALL ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 12TH at the stately Stanford Hall at Melton Road, Stanford On Sour, near Loughborough, LE12 5QW. -Secret Party Project returns for their mighty Valentines Love fest. Boasting all night movies in The Theatre and 4 Rooms of cutting edge music from top notch DJ Guests, Cupid’s Ball promises bespoke partying for an intimate but clued-up crowd. For the latest information check http://www.secretpartyproject.co.uk/ or their 24 hour hotline 07773 377793 or 07854 587619. Email below address by 10th Feb.

leonline.com

editor@theripp

d Sex

an Picasso, Cubism

When you read the word 'Cubism', it should certainly make you think of geometric art. It is the breakdown of the traditional perspective and re-assemblage of objects which became a huge movement in modern art. We saw how the Impressionists changed how artists used colour by noticing how light changes our perception of it in the early stages of the avant guard; Cezanne may have initially pioneered this 'cubist' technique of simplifying and exaggerating form, but the joint effort of Pablo Picasso and George Braque took this perspective and made it into a new type of realism, just like the illusions of the Renaissance, but before I reveal its importance you must understand its definition. The first phase of cubism is named Analytic Cubism which is highly geometric in its form so that what is depicted is only hinted at, therefore the viewer would construct the subject in their own mind because it is not strictly apparent. The avoidance of colour and embracing of a monotone canvas suggested avoidance of emotion, because colour can evoke feelings from a viewer. The second and more prolonged phase was Synthetic Cubism which introduces texture to art such as collage but remaining abstracted, yet not to such a degree as Analytic Cubism. Synthetic Cubism could be considered as a response to mass production and materialism which can be noticed by the inclusion of motif yet Cubism continued to be imaginative and fragmented as the artists promoted that by doing so the technique brought the public closer to understanding the object.

The Picasso exhibition at Kunsthaus Zurich recently confirms Picasso’s talent in all areas of the avant guard, as well as classical art which he exuded his modern style. The exhibition progresses chronologically through his early work of analytic cubism, his blue and rose period as well as more classical depictions showing his mastery of anatomic form. His early sketches show his interest in conversational scenes, possibly religious scenes that Gaugain also experimented with, as well as primitive, animal depictions that soon became his ‘Guernia’ masterpiece. However, what dominated this exhibition more than the history, the ability and elusive technique was sex. He consistently uses metaphors in his work giving organic objects a ‘sexually charged’ nature, as well as hinting entrances for genitalia. The more I looked at his work, the more meaning behind was merging his cubist style with surrealist imagination. No wonder the Surrealists saw these paintings and were inspired to indulge in illusion with double meanings. If you watch any documentaries on Picasso, he was renown for his many mistresses of whom he painted, inspired by intercourse, including seventeen year old Marie-Therese Walter who appears in this painting 'The Yellow Belt'. What is also interesting is the vivid, bright colour in his later work but the meaning behind his paintings is also interpreted as distressful, disturbing, perhaps like this affair with a young girl or the devastation of war. There was a reason why this exhibition was so popular; Picasso left a significant mark on the world in this exact museum back in 1932. His work makes an impact on the eye with his use of bold line and form, simultaneously what we see is distorted realism through just simple form but never lacking anywhere for the eye to become unoccupied because it is forced to move around the painting until we achieve its aesthetic satisfaction.

Yasmine Rix

READ THIS...

YW

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is unusual to say the least. His collection of short stories, Smoke and Mirrors, instantly grabs the reader as a work of pure originality. Gaiman strives to give range in his writing with an odd collection of prose, long verse and short verse with a rondel among other obscure writing styles. The book challenges convention from the offset; Gaiman rewards attentive readers by even hiding the initial short story in the introduction. The themes in the stories range from the serious to the downright ludicrous. Perhaps the most befitting of the former would be ‘When We Went To See The End Of The World Again’, a heartbreaking tale of dysfunctional marriage, told from the perspective of a naive daughter. At the more nonsensical end of the scale is ‘Bay Wolf’, Gaiman’s retelling of Beowulf as a futuristic episode of Baywatch for a Detective Fiction anthology, irregular to put it mildly. Gaiman has an attraction to retelling stories, showcased again in ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ where here we have the story of Snow White, retold with Snow White’s stepmother as the protagonist. Many of the stories contained in this book may appear to be aimed at younger readers, but themes of loneliness, incest, gender identity, murder and sexual violence assure the reader that this is most definitely adult fiction. These intense themes are only intensified when used in seemingly innocent settings. Outlined here are but a few of the dazzling tales by Neil Gaiman. Among others included are a most sinister Christmas story, an account of the most sought after drug on the planet (one to change a person’s sex overnight) and a murder mystery set before the creation of the universe.

Gaiman displays in Smoke and Mirrors his perfect skills to satirise the much darker side to storytelling.

Casey Hill

Open Book by flickr user Honou Your Wave 13

BPP Protest in Leeds

Kate Andrews

www.kate-andrews.co.uk

Lucia Hardy

www.flickr.com/photos/luciagrace

IN NEXT MONTH’S WARHOLA....

We will be supporting the upcoming event ‘Love Music Hate Homophobia’. If you would like to submit artwork, photography, poetry or a creative writing piece that would be thematically appropriate to ‘Love Music Hate Homophobia’, then please e-mail warhola@therippleonline.com Details for ‘Love Music Hate Homophobia’ will be released shortly, so keep a look-out.

Your Wave 12

Louise Barry www.louisebarry.co.uk

d n a l g n E r o e Receipt f

Th

Come, take a seat in my greenhouse of power, Let’s waste some time talking bollocks for an hour, False promises and propaganda, that’s our speciality, Fuck the unemployed, they’re living for free.

Sorry what did you say? I had my head in Obama, Your son died in Iraq? We’ll write it off as karma, Education, education, education, Oh yeah that reflects the birth rate that’s sweeping the nation We’re improving hospitals, it only takes six hours to get seen, So sit back, relax, and hold onto your spleen, As for your pensions it’s looking unlikely, So take what you’re given and take it quietly.

Louise Owens

Jack Stevens

http://colobravo.blogspot.com/ Your Wave 11

YW: Are there any musicians or bands that inspired you and your music?

TS: It’s so dangerous to say ‘this is our favourite band’ because then we’ll only ever be compared to that band and we as musicians will only aim towards being as good as we consider them to be. If I had to drop some band names through Sublime, Wailers and Bad Bones make music that make you always sit up and go wow, that’s wicked.

YW: You’ve recently supported Gogol Bordello on tour; do you have any big plans coming up for next year?

TS: Supporting them was cool and we have some gigs along those kind of lines coming up in the new year but we can’t really give any details about them yet, we are however also finishing our new albums at the moment which will be out very soon.

YW: Now your music is becoming more well known generally have you found that you’re becoming recognised as a band when you’re out?

TS: I’ve [Josh] actually recently been recognised in Kings Cross toilets which was flattering but a bit unnerving [laughs].

People who generally recognise us are usually the ones who have their ear pressed to the depths of the music scene and it’s always nice to hear that people appreciate what you’re doing.

YW: Finally, what has been your favourite moment so far as a band?

TS: Last year as a whole was absolutely mad, but there are some absolutely milestone gigs such as Reading that will always be special to do. Of course we also supported the first Sublime reformation, which was absolutely amazing and an insane experience.

The Skints - UNIT-26 by James Warwick

Ska with Laurel New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is currently holding the exhibition ‘Ska with Laurel’. This exhibition shows the influence of Leicester born Ska musician Laurel Aitken on the first wave of Ska in the ‘50s and ‘60s as well as showing the transgression of Ska from its roots to current day. With sections on the genre’s history, style and performance it is a fascinating insight into one performer’s influence on such a major influence in the history of music.

Laura Boyd Your Wave 10

Warhola

Louise Barry

Warhola Editor Lisa Parhad warhola@therippleonline.com

Louise Barry www.louisebarry.co.uk

Resident Writer Laura Boyd

y r e l l a G e h t o t e m o c l We e artists

where you are th

? a k S f o e v a W h t r u o F A

Ska in english modern music is almost unrecognisable from its original Jamaican roots, yet it has kept much of the genre’s original ethos and style. Ska is a genre originally rooted in late 1950s Jamaican culture and is considered to be the precursor to both Reggae and Rocksteady. When looked at historically, Ska is usually seen in three waves. In 1960 the first wave of Ska hit Britain and was predominantly popular with Mods and later Skinheads, with the band The Skatalites normally associated with pioneering the way towards the genre being recognised in the mainstream music scene. In the 1970s the genre returned with the emergence of two-tone, a genre in which bands mixed the sounds of original Ska with British Punk and is still popular through bands such as Madness and The Specials. Howver, the third wave of Ska found its home in America when the bands Sublime and Reel Big Fish, along with others such as No Doubt, transformed the style into a commercial success. It is bands such as these that have inspired the new generation of British Ska which has emerged in the underground music scene over the last couple of years. Tonight, the gig at the Cockpit music venue in Leeds is a startling show of how this new generation of bands is affecting music in a big way. The crowd is lining up all the way down the street for the nights ‘ska all nighter’ in which 6 different bands have come together to give one massive illustration of what they do, and the alliance that exists between them. The night started with Leeds-born local band Acid Drop, followed by Mouthwash, Bad Revolution, The Flatliners and headliners The Skints and Random Hand. I chatted with The Skints before the gig to see what they had to say about the new style of music they are launching upon the music industry and their plans for 2011.

Your Wave: So for anyone who doesn’t know about The Skints or the type of music you play, can you give a brief description of the band and what you do?

The Skints: I’m Josh and I play guitar and sing in The Skints, and in the band there is also John who plays bass, Jamie who drums and sings and Marcia who sings, plays keyboard, saxophone, flute and anything else she tries. We are four very old friends from east London who play our own take on Reggae and Ska. YW: Reggae and Ska influence so many different parts of the modern music industry, how does it influence your style personally? Is it something you’ve always aimed towards or something that just happened naturally?

TS: Well, where we were brought up Reggae has always been a massive influence for almost as long as the genre’s been around. When we were growing up it influenced us in different ways, firstly we were around a lot of Grime, Jungle and Drum and Bass, and now obviously the Dubstep culture, all of which came originally from Reggae which started to shape our interest. We were also little skater kids when we were younger who listened to all the Ska Punk of the time and we just found that we preferred the Ska part of that music and started listening back to the roots of it because of that.

Your Wave 9

W IE V R E T IN S U T A T S CHASE AND Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status) have been tearing up the dance-floors across the country with their brand of drum and bass and dubstep infused hip-hop. With admirers including Snoop Dogg, Pharrell and Jay Z, and having produced remixes for the likes of Plan B and Example, on speaking to Will, I found out who gave them inspiration to create such innovative music and what their focus is in their rapidly moving lives.

Your Wave: What did you make of the new 02 Academy in Leicester? How does it compare to other venues you performed at?

Chase and Status: It was really, really nice. One of the best venues we played at. Very slick and I remember thinking the sound was phenomenal. We particularly liked the balcony going around the sides, it made the room seem so much bigger. Definitely one of the slickest venues we’ve performed in.

YW: The new LP is out at the end of January, No More Idols. What’s the idea behind the name of the album?

C & S: We wanted it to be a little bit non-promoting. The album’s got quite a punk feel to it and this has been shown in the carnage at the live shows. We wanted to give it a bit of a rebellious feel and it’s a commentary on how music these days is a little corporate and we wanted to move away from such a mainstream philosophy.

YW: You collaborate with such a wide range of artists it’s impossible to tell how the next Chase and Status track is going to sound. Is this the thinking behind your music?

C & S: Yeah definitely. It’s not planned out that way but we’re into such a wide range of music, the grimier sound (with Tempa T) and more soulful stuff (with Liam Bailey), so it keeps things really interesting for us. We like being unpredictable and there are no expectations which is an ideal position to be in as an artist.

YW: Where do you find these new guys? Mali (who features on ‘Let You Go’) is only 17 and it’s really refreshing to hear new artists come up through your music.

C & S: We just love working with such fresh, exciting talent and can get contacts through our manager and other bands who know what we like. It doesn’t matter how old or famous they are as long as they have the talent.

YW: You recently met Jay Z and Rihanna. Is there any chance of a collaboration with either of them on the new album?

C & S: Unfortunately they aren’t on the album. The timing didn’t work out and obviously they are very busy in their whirlwind careers. Jay was really talking about it and it just didn’t happen as he was currently working on his new album. As for Rihanna, it would have been great to work with her too but we made a very conscious decision from the start that we were never going to use a feature because of the main compromise in music. We didn’t want a pop record on the album.

YW: Does it really hit home that ‘Chase and Status’ are recognised globally when you see people like Jay Z knocking at your door?

C & S: Yeah it’s amazing. It’s really pleasing and makes you think “Wow, that’s not bad”. There’s a big market in the States and a very exciting one too. So it’s great.

YW: You were at the Warrior’s Dance Festival over the summer performing alongside Pendulum and The Prodigy. How much have bands like that influenced your music?

C & S: They’ve been hugely influential. That day was definitely the highlight of our year and we got an amazing response from 65,000 people. The Prodigy have been a massive influence on our music since the early ‘90s. Going from clubs to performing at live events has changed the sound of certain tracks and it’s through guys like this that we can draw such inspiration.

YW: You’ve got another tour in March after the release of ‘No More Idols’. How excited do you get about unleashing your new music for the first time live?

C & S: Very, very excited. A kind of nervous excitement. It shows us how the new tracks have gone down. We get a great vibe on the tour and the tour bus so it will be fantastic. Tunes like ‘Hypest Hype’ and ‘Let You Go’ have now got some exposure and it’s great to see them doing better and better.

YW: Now the festival season’s over and it’s back to gigs at indoor venues do you notice a significant difference? What’s most significant for you?

C & S: You can take things from both of them. Festivals are unbeatable in a way with the atmosphere and vibe but club gigs are so much more intimate and we feel you connect with the crowd more effectively. It’s a big part why we do what we do so we are fortunate we can get the best of both worlds.

YW: And finally, what CD is in your car stereo at the moment?

C & S: I’ve got the new Kanye West album and it’s really, really cool. There are so many great features on this album and Maverick Sabre’s mix tape as well on a sort of underground level. Also, Nero’s soon to be released album. I’m blown away by the quality of their music and am very excited about helping them get out there next year. Luke Lambert Your Wave 8

: W E I V E R M ALBUrhead - The Moto d is Yours Worl

Twenty studio albums in 35 years and a string of imitators longer than Lemmy’s mutton-chops: let’s face it, the world isn’t waiting for another Motörhead album, but nevertheless it’s ours, warts and all. Forever having to live up to that iconic 1980s metal song, ‘Ace of Spades’, have the band finally broken free of their past and come up with something different?

The answer is no. But maybe that’s a good thing. For their last three albums, the band have stuck to pretty much the same formula which has seen their fan base continue to grow and for this band once deemed as a rock ‘n’ roll institution to gain acceptance amongst today’s

younger rockers. This is Motörhead for the 21st Century and they are back more brutal than ever!

Kicking off with the thundering ‘Born To Lose’ the band have clearly lost none of their primal rock ‘n’ roll chops and deliver riff after bone crunching riff. While this record does sound very similar to the rest of their output from the last 6 years, the band have taken on a more old school rock approach to this, their twentieth studio release, and this sees the band clearly happy to be where they are right now. On ‘Get Back In Line’ the band refreshingly sound like they’re having fun while ‘I Know What You Need’ proves just why the band are

revered so much, sporting a riff better than most of today’s young metal upstarts. Closing number ‘Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye’ sounds so retro, you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s a rehash of their late ‘70s songs.

The production is neat and suitably loud for what is probably the loudest band on the planet right now, with Lemmy’s rasping vocals recorded so close he could well be in the room with you. Clocking in at just under 40 minutes combined, the listener’s attention is keenly held, with the band proving it’s quality not quantity that counts.

This is not a classic record, nor will it ever claim to be. It’s just good, honest rock ‘n’ roll, played loud and proud, with a Jack Daniels and Coke in hand.

How much longer Motörhead can go on for is anyone’s guess, but right now the band have never been better, enjoy this belter while it lasts!

Jason Noble

YW A recent tweet by Kanye West encapsulates the man, his career, and his success beautifully: “You have to balance ignorance with intellect.” For without the former would we have had such breathtaking statements as “George Bush doesn’t care about black people?”

Or would we have had the MTV Video music awards ceremony coup d’etat in which we saw West boorishly proclaim Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ as “one of the best videos of all time.”

Without the sobering influence of the latter, would we have had such landmark records as Graduation or College Dropout? Bereft of one of them and you have just a good – but not exceptional - producer-turned-rapper, or a celebrity attention whore. Existing in twain, you have Kanye West: popular culture’s most bonkers and brilliant iconoclast.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy benefits gloriously from this mischievous alchemy of ignorance and intellect that has come to symbolise West’s career to date, resurrecting Kanye West: The Ego (circa Graduation) and somewhat thankfully laying to rest the tender and forlorn, Kanye West: Victim of Heartbreak (circa 808s & Heartbreak).

West doesn’t disappoint. Alongside lucid societal comment – “With so much of everything, how did we leave with nothing?” - come the hilariously inane pseudo-profundity: “but what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?” My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy may evidence

ALBUM REVIEW : Kanye West - My Beautiful D ark Twisted Fantasy

West’s strongest lyrical work yet. Fizzing and zapping through an interminable litany of popular culture references, he is a man at the peak of his powers when with great relish he proclaims: “praises due to the most high, Allah, praises due to the most fly, Prada.”

The arrangements and production are to be applauded too, if not because they demonstrate West’s gradually coalescing pursuit of the total creative package then certainly because they aid in the cultivation of a subdued, post-Obama political anti-climax – a feeling that though not pervasive throughout the album certainly makes its presence felt. It is not by happenstance that the transitory Gil-Scott Heron sermon, ‘Who Will Survive in America’, is the second track in. Perhaps more tellingly, it is indicative of the status quo that West’s religious allusions are if not thin on the ground then barely noticeable on the album. Where tracks such as ‘Jesus Walks’ were obvious paeans to religious strength in times of moral and political misdirection, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy can only offer self-loathing: ‘So Appalled’, bolstered by

a beautifully plangent string arrangement, speaks of disgust and decadence: “Champagne wishes, 35 bitches. I mean this shit is fucking ridiculous.”

Inevitably, and in this writer’s opinion, rather disappointingly, the album will be remembered for its more traditional turns on rap’s machismo archetype.

This is not to snipe at the percussive braggadocio of ‘Monster’ – on which Jay-Z offers one of his strongest verses to date – or ‘All of the Lights’, a glitzy and somewhat saccharine follow-up to ‘Flashing Lights’. Indeed, just the sheer number of guests on ‘Monster’ – Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and even folk’s greatest heartbreak merchant, Bon Iver – makes the album well worth the retail price. But West is certainly at his most creative, most powerful, and most original when confronting the pithier, dance-floor unfriendly issues. A triumph of ignorance and intelligence, now more of the darker stuff please, Mr West.

Charlie Harding Your Wave 7

plaguing all modes of media, Woon taps into the shadows of obscurity to communicate stunning poetic music. With comparisons to the likes of Jeff Buckley and Lewis Taylor, Woon’s strain of electronic neo-soul is sure to be worth brooding over.

T: N E M M O C 2011 D OF

BBC SOUN

‘DSCF5105’ by Flickr user Paul Capewell

2011 heralds a new horizon for the music industry, as we shift into the ‘tennies’ and an era in which there is no set format for musical creation - long gone are the days of reconstituted pop music for the masses.

There seems no better way to marvel at the newest offerings to the swarm of eagerly awaiting listeners than to meander through the top five of BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll.

5. At number five in the poll stands 22 year-old Clare Maguire, until recently a hidden gem from Universal Records.

Boasting the idiosyncratic vocal tone of Kate Bush, the Birmingham-born singer combines a rich haunting tone with infectiously catchy lyricisms. Expansive and reverberate instrumentation underlies Maguire’s soulful lamentations, adeptly instilling a vintage classiness to her music.

4. Soul meets electro: Jamie Woon blends layered synths and hollow beats with his silky-smooth vocals, teetering on the edge of dubstep. At a time when darkness à la Edward Cullen seems to be If you’ve not listened to them before, with a name like Funeral Party, you may not be sure what to expect. Happily (for most people), the band’s debut album Golden Age of Knowhere definitely fits in more with the ‘Party’ side of their name.

The band from Whittier (southeast of Los Angeles) have experienced a quick rise from relative obscurity to being a firm fixture on the Radio One playlist and supporting 30 Seconds to Mars on their recent tour. This album could easily propel them even further into the mainstream and by the sound of their

2. James Blake, out of the entirety of the poll’s nominated musicians has definitely received the most media attention and it is therefore only right he slides in at number two. Like many of the above artists, Blake’s innovation comes in his ability to synthesise, making clever use of his classically trained piano abilities and melodic vocals to craft a truly unique musical encounter for his audience. He sits at the vanguard of post-dubstep and acts as a precursor for 2011’s regeneration of music as we

YW

1. Jessie J – Lady Gaga from Essex: all of the attitude minus the overrated media stunts. Having been somewhat of a wellkept secret of the music industry for the last couple of years, this pioneering singer has finally emerged into the spotlight, having previously written for Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus. Jessie J’s vocal talent is only matched by her performing bravado and her ability to configure such jagged, honest pop laden with societal issues. Having won the Critics Choice Award as well as the BBC accolade, Jessie J looks set to follow in the footsteps of another BRIT School attendee, Adele, who picked up both awards back in 2008.

So 2011 seems set to shake the foundations, thrusting the boundaries of genre into new crooks and crannies. With the plethora of talent that stands in the top five of this poll alone, prepare to have your preconceptions shattered. Long gone are the days of reconstituted pop music; this is the time for the progressive individual.

Jessie Bland

REVIEW: Funeral Party

upbeat dance anthems, they are looking to be a firm favourite at any Indie night. Look out Propaganda!

The album starts off high tempo and barely pauses for breath as it whirls through eleven catchy ‘disco-punk’ tracks. Throughout, it is underpinned by Robert Shaffer’s frantic drumming and Chad Elliott’s desperate vocals. Album opener, ‘New York City Moves to the Sound of LA’ builds tension through its verses until you almost want to scream the chorus out loud. This track alone wants to make you want to experience one of their supposedly manic live shows.

‘Just Because’ is the song that has been on rotation on radio stations and catchy as it is, there are much better on this album.

Latest single, ‘Finale’, opens like The Libertines’ ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ but quickly soars into a distinctive sounding tribute to youth, the driving theme behind

- Golden Age of Know

here

the album. Even Funeral Party’s breakup songs sound upbeat, though the lyrics tell a different story in ‘Where Did it Go Wrong?’. Chad croons: “I have a life of my own now/ and nothing compares/ the only thing you brought to it/ was all your despair.” Yet this is still a song to which you can dance . As exciting as this album is, it is not one for every occasion and certainly not one to which you can relax. This is one of the problems, as it would be nice to hear one or two tracks stripped down and slowed down just to calm it down before the tempo races up again. Having said that, this is still an excellent album and definitely one to get you in the mood for any big night out.

Chris Brookes

‘Flying Lotus’ by Flickr user Jurriaan Persyn

Your Wave 6

3. The Vaccines arrive as the latest indie group of the 21st century, but there’s something markedly mature about the quartet’s sound. Sweating pure vintage pop. Lead singer Justin Young (formerly of Jay Jay Pistolet) offers up an openness to his voice reminiscent of Morrisey’s distinctive velvety tone. The group cleverly master that sense of the retro that their music exudes alongside a more youthful, up-beat vitality which is commanded by the energetic guitar rhythms and pulsating drums.

know it. Brimming with expansive electronics and samples from a multitude of ‘90s R&B hits, there is something hugely exciting about Blake’s ambitiousness at only 21. A musical chameleon that’s going to do anything but blend in.

INTERVIEW : Frank Turne r

extensive touring. How would you balance recording and touring? I got the impression that you’re championing a paradigm shift of sorts in regard to touring because of music downloads.

FT: Certainly financially, yeah - it’s very hard to make money out of selling records anymore because no-one buys them. I mean, that is a completely separate thing from the fact that personally, your life, even as a musician, I prefer playing live to re- though it is short, and painful and cording. It’s actually a fortunate thing for generally uncomfortable. It will suck, you know all your friends will die me, it’s like ‘Phew!’ For me, I like and so will you. So have a good interacting with a crowd. time in the meantime. I think If I had to give my job “I think that the point of music is to description I would call that individual bring people together to myself an entertainer, liberty is the go ‘Yes! Isn’t this shit? Let’s and my job is to enterhighest goal we can have a good time! At least tain a crowd, and I love it’s part of my music, anydoing that. It’s much strive towards as way, hopefully. more interesting for me a society” to play a song when there YW: How would you define are people singing back at your progress as an artist since goyou than when it is just singing ing solo? into a microphone in the studio.

FT: Good [laughs]. Generally forwards YW: How do you feel you fit into the bal- and upwards, not unbroken, but it’s been ance between artistry and commercial- amazing. When Million Dead broke up, I did my first shows where three people ity?

FT: That’s a good question. On the one would come down. I did shows in peohand, I have 100% artistic control over ple’s bedrooms and squats and did one what I do, and nobody tells me what to in a hallway of a university block once, do in any aspect of my music career and that was fun. Roofs, warehouses, shacks, I’m really quite proud that I’ve set up my that kind of thing, and now we’re doing life in that way - it’s important to me. academies. The news I got before you But at the same time something that I’m guys came in: Brixton Academy’s sold quite keen on is not the actual songwrit- out!’ Five thousand tickets for one show ing process but, because I’m engaged in is ridiculous, and that still blows my fuckessentially every aspect. This is my job - ing mind. So yeah, good, erm, good! it’s a fucking brilliant job - but it is a job, and I’ve gotta eat. I get kinda frustrated YW: Is there a difference between univerparticularly when it comes to things sity audiences and other demographics? like the downloading but there’s a lot of I suppose because this is an 02 Academy bands who basically try to pretend that it’s not just students. they never think about finance and how FT: Well, I know there’s going to be a lot of students here tonight, it’s not going to pay the bills and stuff. to be just students though. I’m quite YW: It seems you have an ability to both proud of having a wide demographic. I uplift and depress your fans with your like the idea - and hopefully I’m not commusic - where do you think the balance pletely up my own ass in this - that there lies with you between pessimism and are people who meet at my shows who wouldn’t otherwise cross paths at a gig. optimism?

FT: I think if one is a pessimist, one is gen- My favourite person I met this year was a guy in Derby. He came over and was erally pleasantly surprised - how’s that? like: “My name’s Reg!” and I was like “alright, Reg?” and he was like “I’m 64 years YW: Beautiful!

FT: For me, I think that life is a fundamen- old and I haven’t been to a gig since tally awful and painful experience - as 1971!” I was like “fuck, alright”. He was a Thomas Hobbes put it: “a nasty, brutish cab driver who had just heard me on the and short experience”. But I think that the late night radio and turned round and secret, therefore, is essentially to attempt decided he was gonna go to a gig for to laugh in the face of fate, and have a the first time in 30 years. I said: “Did you good fucking time. Do not be put off by have a good time?” and he was like “Yes, that fact. Do something interesting with I’ve had a lovely time! I even bought a t-

shirt!” It was just like “oh-fucking A!’ and that made me really happy. Sorry, I kind of forgot what the question was.

YW: Can we ask you about your take on the current university cuts?

FT: You can...

YW: Will you give us an answer?

FT: [laughs] Yeah, I find it difficult because it’s like: “Here’s something going on over here,” and my opinion is kind of over there. Do you know what I mean?

Put it this way: if the state is to use its monopoly of organised violence to steal the income and resources of its citizens, it might as well spend it on higher education. That seems like a good thing to spend it on - I’d prefer it if there was no state bullying and stealing from us at all. But that’s obviously ideological and not particularly realistic in a way. But I mean, I got a state-sponsored university place myself. I went and I enjoyed myself enormously and learned an awful lot, so I can see students’ point. I get very fucked off when, for instance, people are rude about the Cenotaph and Winston Churchill and stuff like that. The fact of the fucking matter is that a generation fought and died for us to live in a free society and if you’re too fucking stupid to appreciate that then you don’t fucking deserve anything at all. You should piss off and you obviously haven’t been taught anything thusfar.

YW: You stated: “Life is too short to live without poetry.” What is more important to you, poetry or melody?

FT: That’s a fucking good question!

Damn! The best thing is when you get both at the same time; when you’ve got a great lyric and - it pains me to say it but probably poetry at the end of the day. I don’t feel comfortable saying that, but it’s probably true. So I’m gonna say poetry - but don’t tell anyone!

James Stokes and Sam Price-Salisbury

“Jónsi på Øyafestivalen 2010” by Tommy Bjerke Your Wave 5

Music

Music Editor Jessie Bland music@therippleonline.com Resident Writer Jason Noble

Photograph by Jason Smith

Your Wave: You attended the prestigious Eton College, and you have stressed in previous interviews that you obtained a scholarship for the school do you feel you have to justify that, and do you feel you have to dispel the associations of such a background?

Frank Turner: There are days when I do, but I think overall I try really hard not to give a fuck about what other people think about me. I think one of the defining things for me and my personality was that I was kind of socially out of my element at that school - most of the people there all lived in the same place, went on holiday to the same places, their sisters all went to the same schools and shit, do you know what I mean? And

the fact that I wasn’t really a part of that, and getting into punk rock was my kind of solution to that kind of conflict. But I get kind of frustrated, not that I’m having a go at you in any way, but just constantly talking about where I went to school.

YW: Do you think musicians have any obligations to the wider world, and what are they?

FT: Erm to not be shit [laughs] and that’s it. I don’t see any other obligations. Well in fact, no. Well, I mean they can be shit if they want and no-one will listen, hopefully. Damn, Scouting for Girls are still here.

YW: A lot of people misinterpret your politics, and I read that you describe yourself as a libertarian. In your own words, how would you describe your politics?

FT: I guess I’m a practical anarchist. I believe that the state is just another gang, and that human beings are worst to each other when in enforced collectives, and I think that individual liberty is the highest goal we can strive towards as a society. Within individual liberty you can have voluntary collectivism, but it’s

a forced collectivism. I think if the 21st century taught us anything it’s that enforced collectivism is terrible because I view Fascism and Communism as being essentially the same thing. I just believe in freedom to the maximum extent possible all the time, everywhere.

YW: That’s a very good answer! You said you got tired of being associated with protest songs, for example you stopped playing ‘Thatcher Fucked the Kids’, but do you think there are things worth protesting for?

FT: I think there are, but the problem with this is that as soon as you get tarred midlake by flickr user Guus Krol with that whole protest thing, people stop paying attention to the music. If I wanted to be a politician I would have gone and done that, but I wanted to be a musician. I want people to take stock with me on the music I make. I have political opinions, but suddenly I got a lot of people who would, for better or worse, describe themselves as socialists, who think I’m on their team, and I think Socialism is terrible and awful personally. I just got tired of those associations.

Plus, I wrote the song ages ago and I don’t think it’s very good [laughs]. The lyrics are pretty cool but musically it’s a bit throwaway.

YW: A lot of people comment on your

Frank Turner Press

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