Issue 51
Man of Many Worlds We interview Richard Garriott, on his many eclectic interests.
Monday January 9 2012
Was the Arab Spring Irrelevant? Most important event of 2012, or a change of figureheads? Page 5
Focus on Page 4 The Newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union
Job Centres fail 80% of young people » QM research reveals that only 20% of young people find the service useful
Kaamil Ahmed Young people in search of work are being failed by government-run job centres, according to a Queen Mary Olympics survey. The research by the Geography department found that most young people looking for work did not find Job Centre Plus or online job applications to be useful. The government’s job centre service had not been used at all by 60% of the 160 young people who were interviewed for the survey, with half of those who had used the service saying it had not been useful to them. Queen Mary’s borough, Tower Hamlets, is home to five government-run job centres in all, with over 11,000 people currently described as unemployed. Though existing official forms of job-seeking seemed to be failing young people, the research did show general optimism about the locally-focused recruitment policy being used for the Olympic Games. London Citizens, a community organising group, has been involved in organising recruitment days with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), that are focused towards young people in Olympic
boroughs, and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Professor Jane Wills said that she believes the personalised, community based recruitment style being used by London Citizens is more effective at making sure that jobs are found for local young people. “This research shows just how vital it is that community groups such as London Citizens are empowered to broker employment, rather than just leaving it up to contractors who may not hire locally.” “The success of recent Olympic recruitment events highlights the importance of taking local jobs straight to local people, and the value of promoting these events to young people through their schools and colleges. Our students have shown that young people are keen to be a part of the Olympic experience and that they believe the work they do at the Games will be hugely important in helping them find work in the future.” The surveys, which were carried out at recruitment centres for the London 2012 Olympic Games, also found that while young people were worried about long-term employment many were keen to capitalise on the opportunities provid- Research by Queen Mary shows that young people in the local area feel let down by these government run ed by the Olympics. centres. Image courtesy of GeoBlogs (via Flickr cc)
Queen Mary takes the lead in mayoral campaign
» Manifesto puts forward policy demands to the candidates in the 2012 London mayoral race Chris Smith Dominic Bell, Vice President Student Activities at Queen Mary Students’ Union (QMSU), has taken a lead role in the campaign to put student issues at the heart of this year’s London mayoral race. The campaign, which kicked off at the beginning of the academic
year after a speech by Emilie Tapping, the outgoing vice president academic affairs at King’s Students’ Union, inspired planning meetings at LSE, King’s, UCA and QM. After months of work, planning, and coordination between Students’ Unions across the capital, the plan is nearly coming to fruition. It’s official launch is still to be decided, but it is expected to be announced
by the end of January 2012. Bell has taken the role of drafting the manifesto upon himself, as well as organising meetings and delegating tasks to other involved unions. The manifesto was previewed at the last QMSU Student Council meeting in draft form. The manifesto will put forward policies for each of the four areas which fall un-
der the jurisdiction of the Greater London Authority: housing, crime, transport and employment, all of which have a significant impact on the lives of students. The specific policy proposals are still being formulated and will likely not be made public until the official launch of the manifesto. However, it is thought that the document will contain proposals for creating
a charter governing the relationships between students and landlords, a re-evaluation of the role of Prevent within the police force, having the student discount on TfL travel extended to Pay As You Go Oyster cards, and a fair wage for interns, among other proposals. “It can change the lives of students considerably if it works”
» Continued on page 2
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
News
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60 Arab League observers sent to Syria have found that gunfire and snipers are still a threat to the safety of protestors in the country.
Two more missiles have been successfully test fired by the Iranian government, ending their 10-day exercise near the Strait of Hormuz.
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@QMessenger I’m very excited about the party we’re having with @QMTVchannel at Drapers on the 24th Jan. #mediapartiesharder
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Queen Mary researchers have found that new forms of torture such as rape, bestiality and witnessing violent acts are leaving serious psychological scars on victims.
A 15-year-old Afghan girl was rescued after suffering 6 months of imprisonment and torture by her inlaws for refusing to become a prostitute.
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A new particle called Chi_b (3P) has been discovered by CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which will enable scientists to examine the forces that hold matter together.
Two researchers who helped to create the material graphene, which is sheet of graphite a single particle thick, have received a knighthood.
In his New Year message, Prime Minister David Cameron said that he would use the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to “up the strength” of Britain in 2012.
By Ariane Osman Images by: LHC by Image Editor (Flickr) Iranian Flag by Steve Connor (Flickr) Queen Elizabeth by Michael Gwyther-Jones (Flickr)
London Student Manifesto demands that candidates take notice » continued from page 1
dents if it works,” Bell explians, “it really depends how much the four or five lead unions put in over the next couple of months. We can make this something really big or it can disappear. It’s going to need support from a lot of people, people are going to have to turn out for this.” With 139,000 students registered at the University of London alone, the student vote has the potential to sway the election. However, this is dependent upon students both registering to vote and then turning out to the ballot box on the day itself. Signs that the candidates running in the London mayoral election will begin to ramp up their campaigns have already begun
to surface, with Ken Livingstone launching a leaflet drive last week, which attacked Boris Johnson’s TFL policy, and in particular rising tube fares in the new year. This tactic demonstrates that students’ concerns, expected to be expressed in the manifesto, over the price of London travel, are reflected in the general electorate. The election will be held on May 3rd 2012, and negotations are currently underway between Dominic Bell and Tower Hamlets council, for the establishment of polling booths on Queen M a r y campus.
A three horse race: Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick (Lib Dems) are the most serious challengers to Boris Johnson’s position as Mayor of London. Images courtesy of Liberal Democrats, Kate Grey and soulmate02 (via Flickrcc).
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
News
Report says Unions should veto speakers Aamna Mohdin Hannah Stuart, co-author of Islam on Campus: A Survey of UK Student Opinions and Islamist Terrorism: The British Connections, has called for stricter regulations on external speakers to prevent the Students’ Union facilitating hate speech and spreading Islamist extremism. Stuart presented her evidence to the Home Affairs Committee’s inquiry into the roots of violent radicalisation, but many critics have voiced concerns over Stuart’s suggestions, claiming they do more harm than good. Out of 138 cases of individuals convicted of Islamic extremism, 30 percent “had at some point attended university or a higher education institute.” While the report doesn’t suggest that this correlation implies causation, Stuart argues that “schools and universities were definitely involved in that linking-up of individuals.” Second year student Nisha Bargota feels “uneasy” with Stewards evidence to the enquiry. She says: “while it’s important that students feel comfortable on campus, I feel like Steward’s suggestion promotes the complete opposite.” Nabil Ahmed, president of the
Federation of Student Islamic Societies dismisses Stuart’s argument that there is a link between radicalisation and university attendance, he said: ““It’s upsetting and hurtful for Muslim students to be caricatured as potential extremists, potential radicals, when none of this is applicable to 99.9 per cent of not just Muslim students, but all students.” Students’ Unions across the country struggle with providing campuses with an open platform for debates, without being accused of compromising the safety and wellbeing of their students. The NUS has a no platform policy against the EDL, BNP and Hizb-ut-tahrir. However, despite some small instances of controversy surrounding external speakers, Queen Mary Students’ Union Council (QMSU) recently voted against implementing an No Platform policy. QMSU Campaigns officer Ozzy Amir opposes Stuart’s proposal claiming it is “impractical” and “absurd”. “The whole point of university is to challenge and be challenged intellectually and this notion of ‘problematic speakers’ is so vague and unclear it could be applied to anyone with views outside the mainstream.” He also warns that Stuart’s proposal risks “alienating and ostracising a large proportion of our student population.”
Queen Mary academics uncover the invisible scars of modern torture Kaamil Ahmed Modern forms of torture are just as damaging as old ones, even if they don’t cause physical harm, according to new research carried out by Queen Mary. Though the UN Convention against Torture had outlawed torture in most countries, Dr. Nasir Warfa’s study confirmed that the practice is still widespread and has become more sophisticated often leaving ‘invisible’ scars. Dr. Warfa, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, led the team of researchers who focused on the experiences of asylum seekers being detained in Cambridgeshire who had experienced both physical and psychological torture that triggered serious mental health issues for many of them. The researchers highlighted the need to understand the issues that face asylum seekers who come to Britain.“The torture reported by these people is horrific,” said Kate Izycki, a specialist Trans-cultural Psychiatry. “This highlights that the use of torture continues and that the perpetrators are finding more elaborate methods; some of which often leave no physical mark.”
Hannah Stuart has proposed to the Home Affair’s Select Committee that Students’ Unions, such as QMSU, should have more power to veto “problematic speakers” Image by Keeren Flora
QM academic condemns flu research “censorship”
The research found that many asyer Nature... The biggest risk with lum seekers had been forced to wit- Alex Badrick bird flu is from the virus itself.” ness violent attacks such as rape and Researchers in Rotterdam creatmurder or were immersed in water. A Queen Mary academic has spoken ed the deadly strain by inducing five Those who experienced physical tor- out against an attempt by the US mutations in two key genes, which alture, were often beaten, stabbed and Government to stop details of new lowed the virus to spread via coughhad body parts ‘extracted’. influenza research appearing in two ing and sneezing. Currently, bird “Finding yourself in a foreign coun- prestigious scientific journals. flu is only transmitted by incredibly try where you must negotiate a diffiQM’s Professor John Oxford has close contact, which limits its spread. cult asylum system, where you can- joined other scientists in condemnProf Oxford told The Independent not work and where you may not be ing the US Government’s request the researcher’s paper provides a able to speak the language would be that the editors of the journals Sci- “huge service” by reminding the scidifficult for anyone,” said Dr. Warfa. ence and Nature remove key details entific community “how wafer thin “Then add mental health problems from a new academic paper pro- the barrier is between a benign H5N1 caused by torture and the ever-pre- duced by Dutch and US researchers. virus and one that could spread easisent possibility of deportation”. The paper outlines how researchers ly. The 120 WHO flu labs around the “This new study clearly shows that produced a deadly strain of the bird world can use the DNA sequence inwe need to identify and address the flu virus H5N1, which they hope will formation to identify and stop the health needs of those who have fled prove useful in producing drugs that spread of new H5N1 variants.” to the UK following torture in their pre-empt H5N1 mutations, preventNot all scientists share Profeshome countries.” ing possible pandemic. The US Gov- sor Oxford’s conviction, University Although modern forms of torture ernment funded the research, but of Oxford Professor Michael Parker are increasingly psychological, this fears bio-terrorists may recreate and told the BBC “The position that evewas banned alongside physical tor- release the deadly flu strain if the full rything should be published is not ture in the original draft of the conven- paper is released. tenable. There must be some sciention in 1975: “torture means any act by “Scientists should not be looking tific information which contains an which severe pain or suffering, wheth- over their shoulders” Professor Ox- immediate threat to public safety if er physical or mental, is intentionally ford told the BBC, “This is about hu- it fell into the wrong hands.” inflicted on a person”. man endeavour - pressing ahead and Professor Oxford is a world leader Dr. Warfa has previously been in- transferring knowledge to the wider in virology, based at QM’s Blizzard volved in several studies into mental world. That is the culture of science.” Institute, and was recently listed as health problems that could be associ- Professor Oxford says the flu re- one of London 1000 most influential. ated with migrants and refugees in the searchers “should definitely publish” “When any new strain of flu threatens, UK and has worked specifically with adding, “we should forget about bio Oxford is a key adviser” the Evening some of the Somali population. terrorism and concentrate on Moth- Standard notes.
Queen Mary grad tipped to be PM A former QM student has been tipped by The Observer as a future Prime Minister. Tom Chigbo, who completed a Masters in community organising at QM and has worked at Citizens UK for a year, was also named in the Powerlist as one of Britain's 100 most influential black people. He was also Cambridge's first black student president, and was recognised by Rare Rising Stars as the UK's number one black student. Tom says, “I'm interested in people. I think the way politics is conducted in this country does not give people enough respect and recognition, and that needs to change."
Queen Mary Prof awarded a CBE A QM computer science professor who has worked tirelessly to attract more women into electrical engineering has been awarded a CBE. Professor Ursula Martin was previously the first female professor at the prestigious University of St Andrew’s since its foundation in 1411, before joining Queen Mary in 1992. She has also chaired the London Mathematical Society’s computer science committee and served on the women in mathematics committee. Her current research concerns fundamental ideas for a new understanding of control in engineering applications and designing digital control systems.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
Newsfocus
Out of this world: Richard Garriott talks Antarctica, video games and space tourism Caz Parra Matthew TK Taylor “Most people might think there is a separation between exploration and creativity but I’ve actually found that they are very closely linked”. Meet Richard Garriott, video-game developer, entrepreneur and one of the first space tourists. Garriott is a man of real and virtual worlds. Creator of the Ultima games series, and pioneer of various other video-game enterprises, Garriott coined the term “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game” (MMORPG), a genre of video-games in which many thousands of players interact with one another within the same virtual world. For Garriott, these fantasy worlds are born out of his own experience of the real world, “I find that my exploration of the world in which we live directly feeds into my desire to integrate those same feelings in the work that I do”. Perhaps it was this principle that led him to pursue his childhood dream of visiting space. On October 12th 2008, Garriott launched into space, becoming one of the first ever private citizens to step off the face of the planet. The son of an astronaut, this dream was 30 years in the making and his lineage broke more ground: he is the first ever second generation space explorer. “As you can imagine, chartering a flight to the International Space Station is a pretty monumental undertaking. Now that it’s been done it seems like it could be pretty easy to do again,” he says. The three decade wait was not filled will thumbtwiddling, Garriott, famous for his initiative, tried several different way to turn his dream of otherworldly travel into a reality. He explains: “When I had the idea to go pursue this when I was a teenager, there were no commercial means to go into the space of any kind. The governments weren’t interested in flying any private citizens and yet there were plenty of people l i k e me who wanted to go and there were plenty of people like NASA who had the ability to go. Finding people who wanted to support the general idea wasn’t difficult but figuring Man of many worlds: Richard Garriott, space explorer and game designer talks to QMessenger. Image by Kaamil Ahmed.
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out how to pull it off was.” His began by getting astronauts to try and convince NASA to allow private passengers aboard space flights. However, the ploy didn’t work. Next was the XPrize Foundation, of which he is still a trustee. The organisation started by offering $10 million to the first team who could build a three-person rocket that could take commercial passengers into space. The result was several vehicles which are able to penetrate the planet’s orbit but have not yet taken flight. Success finally came when the Russians were convinced to allow private citizen to charter their Soyuz rocket, which has since taken seven people beyond their world in eight flights. Even with his methodology planned, a 12-day-long stay in outer-space was far from certain. “Even after rockets exist, even after you have a contract with a company to go, even when you’ve paid money to go, it actually turns out that there are other significant hurdles”. These “hurdles” involve a year spent in Russia on a gruelling training programme and constant medical tests. Failure to pass any of these tests would have meant a premature end to Garriott’s space adventures, and failure wasn’t unimaginable to him at the time. “They want you to be pretty darn close to perfect to be able to go to space. So, even after I had paid most of my money to go to space, they found a mayor internal anomaly, where one lobe of my liver did not have a vein to drain it, so I had an over pressured liver lobe that they made me remove.” After this surgery, Garriott passed every test thrown at him. He says his journey aboard the Soyuz TMA-13 felt was more like “ballet” than the loud violent buffering we see in Hollywood productions. “It’s the same is for re-entering the atmosphere, it’s very smooth, very elegant, while the flames go by at the window, and the plasma gets hotter than the surface of the sun, just a few inches from your shoulder.” “Floating in space is a very giddy feeling,” he enthuses, “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t instantaneously have a smile on their face and just constantly feel that way while they’re in
space. Looking back at the earth is probably the most important part, you not only see a sunrise or a sunset every 45 minutes but you go around the Earth every 90 minutes. You see how weather systems form and move around the earth, you see how tectonic plate movement has modified the surface of the earth, you see the result of erosion by water, erosion by wind, but most importantly you see the impact of humanity.” Garriott’s day job as a celebrated games designer led some to suggest that he should channel his experiences in space into his field of profession. However, he sees the process differently. ”I’ve never been inspired to do that and I don’t think that I could. I’ve got a friend, Chris Roberts, who wrote the Wing Commander space games way better than I ever envisioned and he’s never been into space.” Garriott says that it’s recreated feelings rather than carbon-copy experiences that make a good game. Talking about his trip to Antarctica he recalls when hunting for meteorites, finding in a valley a mountain range where then wind have blasted and scoured the surrounding ice, shaping it into what looked like a wave. “It was about 100 feet tall that was frozen at the moment when it was about to crest and you could see into the clear blue ice like you might expect to see frozen sharks or fish somewhere in there and like in a Tim Burton movie there was snow dripping off the top and the edges as the wind would b l o w by and t h i s wave
went on for a mile, or two, or three. It was a monumental emotional experience.” He says he wants to create this kind of experience in his games, this sort of “grandeur”. However, personal experiences don’t merely transfer into game design, “you won’t do it by creating a polygonal wave that’s frozen because it won’t really come across the same way. A virtual experience like that won’t create the same reaction.” So, what, then, is the future of MMO? The success of games like World of Warcraft (or WoW, as it’s known among fans) makes clear that there is a healthy market for the massively-multiplayer genre. However, most of these are “challenge and reward” games, with cycles that repeat level after level, there isn’t a story to them. Garriott prefers more narrative-driven games: “I’m a big believer in more literary inclusions, my motivation as a creator and as a player is to play games that have more story. One of the real challenges of MMOs is storytelling. Storytelling in an MMO environment is definitely hard to achieve, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. However, it’s not necessarily the thing the buyers with t h e i r m o n ey will reward as game me-
chanics.” What about the players? One of the things about MMO is that games have become social. The solo player is no more, MMO is the future. “I’m looking into the new era. What I’m trying to do now is reinvent role-playing again by creating a casual or free to play, or impulse purchase browser, executable or mobile platform play” says Garriott. Facebook games, purchased, downloadables or freemiums, they are all following the same trend. “What has changed”, says Garriott enthusiastically, “is the fact that people no longer have to go into a store to purchase a game, they can download and start playing immediately.” “When you sit down to play [these games] they need to be synchronous, so we can sit down and play it at the same time, and asynchronous meaning that if you logged off, I should be able to pass things to you or do some things to help each other in some way.” Good ideas need to be supported by a good business plan “Is the next thing to create a massive game or create what I want but for a smaller market?” asks Garriott, answering his own question he tells us he is as motivated by business as he is by creativity “Without a successful business you don’t get to do what you want to do creatively, so you have to think about the business side of it.” But in a market saturated with tons of free games, gaining profit seems unrealistic. “I think I’m uniquely suited to tackle this problem to make a compelling literary game that is free or an impulse purchase to acquire, that respects you and doesn’t spam you too much but also says ‘Well if you’re willing to play this for a days and days, you eventually have to pay me or be valuable to me some h ow ’”. We can’t wait to see what Richard Garriott is coming up with.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
Comment
The Great Debate
Was the Arab Spring the most important event of 2011? Make Your Vote Count With the race for London mayor about to commence it’s time to hear an uncomfortable truth. I’m sure each and every one of us has railed against the stereotype that students are all lazy louts who don’t really get up to anything useful. Well, to be frank, it does, in some respects hit the nail bang on the metaphorical head. As a group, we students make up a not-too-shabby chunk of the London populace and this gives us great power to influence the policies of those running for the position of London mayor. The problem however, is that most students don’t even bother sending off the letter to register to vote, and even those who do don’t tend to materialise at a ballot box come voting day.. The mayor has power of transport, crime, housing and employment, the four areas that surely impact the lives of students more directly and more immediately than any others. Yet, despite this motivation, last year the student turnout was pitiful. This year, hopefully, that will change. The London Student Manifesto seeks to articulate to both students and candidates what exactly they can do for one another. We should take advantage of this and take advantage of the clout we have as a voting block. Voting takes seconds but what it achieves could shape London for the rest of our lives.
The Irony of Job Centres Not Working The idea that work is merely an inconvenient necessity, a slavish duty to be endured only for the purposes of self-enrichment, is not a good one. Productive, creative work is not only rewarding, it is the fulfilment of basic needs intrinsic to human nature. That Britain’s, and Tower Hamlet’s, unemployment figures continue to rise is therefore of great concern. That the rise is particularly steep among 16-25 year olds is of even greater concern. Macro-economic forces outside of the control of local government control are, obviously, more to blame for this than job centres. But that only 20% of those seeking productive work, as rare a commodity as it is, find the job centre as an institution to be of value in helping them find work is an outrage. A nation of self-made entrepreneurs is structurally impossible. Reincorporating those who lose work must, then, be a primary concern for all of us. Whether by increased funding, structural reform, or both, this must be addressed.
Yes
Paddy Ford Hunter S Thompson wrote in 1986, that Muammar Gaddafi was “savage and treacherous and crazy” and cautioned that he would “probably be around a long time, unless Reagan can have him killed”. Twenty-five years later, Libya united in celebration as one of their own put the final bullet into the Colonel. That unity will be tested in the coming months and years, as it has already been in Egypt and Tunisia. But the reason why the Arab Spring is so important is that it touched the heart of us all. We may have disagreed with NATO intervention; we may be sceptical of the motives of Western support, but in a year of financial crisis, natural disasters, and mad predictions of the end of the world, the triumph of genuine hope was remarkable. We should all applaud the foot-soldiers of democracy who flooded squares across the Middle East, to bring worth to their lives. It’s extraordinary that normal people can make such a difference. We have been reminded of human frailty by earthquakes and tsunamis rocking New Zealand and Japan. 2011 saw apparently competent people battling to contain a financial wildfire, fuelled by greed, the damage of which will be felt for generations to come. With institutionalised immorality at News of the World, the un-
timely demise of Dominique StraussKhan and the death of Steve Jobs, we could be forgiven for thinking that the ordinary man or woman in the street was increasingly worthless. The Arab Spring jettisoned all these ideas. When Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian market trader, set himself on fire in protest at the bureaucracy and crackdowns confining him to a life of fear, poverty and abject misery, he surely couldn’t have predicted the response. Protests, and with them increasingly meaningful concessions, have followed all over the region. Another overthrow may yet happen in Syria. It was the year when people woke up to realize that it made no sense that a woman boarding a plane in Britain, with almost total freedom, could find herself powerless five hours away in a different county. People are campaigning in ever-greater numbers for transparency, accountability, and a say in how we live our lives; the recent Russian demonstrations were a testament to this fact. 2011, as all years, had highs and lows. But it was a year when the tinderbox of tyranny exploded. The fallout has only just begun to settle, but we’re running, energised, into a brand new world of hope, freedom and liberal-mindedness. Now that’s worth a toast. Paddy Ford is a first year student studying Modern and Contemporary History.
No
Kevin Omwenga
Revolution: it has a lovely ring to it. Instantly images of the Tiananmen Square man, Lenin on the podium, Delacroix’s ‘la Liberté Guidant le Peuple’ tingle through every humanitarian fibre in the body. Finally, our generation had its moment: the ‘Arab Spring’. Millions, with one accord, demanding liberty. The people, creating a fairer world for us all. In their wake, despots, tyrants, old divisions and attitudes crumbled. It’s surely a time for celebration! A year later, Mubarak is on trial, elections are being held, the army is more powerful than ever and the dubious Muslim Brotherhood have their bloody hands on the prize. Brilliant. “Think about the human rights!” you cry. In how many of these countries are the rights of minorities assured? Can women, the LGBT community, or religious minorities say they’re better off? The culture of oppression and suppression pervades. Who did the Arab League choose to lead their delegation to Syria? General Mustafa al-Dabi, a suspected war criminal. We were conned. Regime change was sold to us under the guise of democracy. For all our military aid and goodwill, we’ve set the foundations for longer lasting dictatorships. The
people were angry at corruption, not because two men could be beheaded for kissing in public. Be realistic, the secular-liberal-progressivism we envisaged was far removed from the cultural and religious climate. The West conflated a desire for the material benefits of a western lifestyle among the elite with a desire for it’s ideals. Across the board the picture is becoming clear, the people were rescued from the devils they knew and shepherded into the arms of angels they will wish they had never known: the packs of religious fanatics wanting to roll society back to the dark ages. Arab Spring? Damp showers more like. The flames of intolerance burn on. We are not witnessing a momentous occasion but in the words of Howard Zinn a “steam valve”, useful for releasing anger rather than letting it foment into revolution. There are people who demanded change, even died for their convictions and now we have less good people in the world. The will for change that took decades to accumulate lies wasted. It’s very much like the changing of the guard; different soldier same uniform As a commentator mused, the real revolution will happen only once the patriarchal hierarchy is challenged. For me, only once power is transferred from minarets, barracks and hereditary titles to the ballot box. Kevin Omwenga is a second year student studying Aerospace Engineering and part of Newturn and the Philosophy Society.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
Comment
Can 0.009% of people really speak for all?
The University of London Union seeks to represent all 120,000 students at the University of London but, if the General Meeting is anything to go by, only engages with 11.
Chris Smith Eleven students in total. That’s how many people turned up for University of London Union’s (ULU) Annual General Meeting (AGM). And the meeting lasted nine minutes. Nine minutes! This is meant to be the beacon of unions. ULU is meant to be guiding Students’ Unions, providing support and rallying the way for change. If you go on the AGM turn out, then people don’t believe it can change a thing. As a student Representative for QMSU, I was there out of general interest. I attended just before Christmas but unfortunately due to lack of attendance, we couldn’t make quorum. So take-two and we started after waiting half an hour for 239 students to magically appear. They didn’t. After running through the accounts, affiliations and trustee reports (I highlighted a comical spelling mistake) we moved on to student submitted motions. Two had been scrapped before the meeting started as this was the wrong forum. They proposed to increase the number of associate members allowed to join an ULU society or club. However this is a constitutional matter. God knows why the ULU staff member who accepted the proposals didn’t point this out when they submitted the original motion. A motion passed with no objections to support World Aids Day every year and fly the rainbow flag above ULU for LGBT History month. A motion for No War on Iran had been already sent and accepted by the Senate so there was little point of discussion or voting. We then moved to ‘Any Oth-
er Business’ and that was the meeting done. Why was I one of only 11 students there? Out of a union that represents all unions of University of London, only 11 could be bothered to come. Is it ULU’s fault? Is it student apathy? I don’t have that answer so I can only guess. Student politics have a history of low electorate turn out. Students will only care about their Students’ Union if, by not caring, they are negatively affected. Basic human survival if you will. So if Drapers keeps pouring pints and Ground keeps making
of a union “ Out that represents
all unions of the University of London, only 11 could be bothered to come.
”
ULU: The who, what, WHO - ULU stands for the University of London Union. It’s the federal union representing all students studying at any of the 19 colleges making up the University of London (UoL). The current president is Vratislav Domalip, who was president of Queen Mary Students’ Union last year, and the Vice President is Sean Rillo-Raczka. WHAT - ULU runs clubs and societies. It published the London Student newspaper and hosts social events. It
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coffee, the student population can absently allow QMSU to pass them by. Dave Meslin, described as a “professional rabble-rouser”, gave a talk for TED on apathy. He believed that the general population truly cared, citing several examples, but that establishments such as city hall made it difficult/borderline impossible to get involved. The true source of apathy was due to the lack of want from the public sector for public involvement. So the student union has to act. They have to convince others to get involved. But even that is a task in its self. The ability to convince someone that giving up their free time will make a difference is an impressive skill. Even if they are doing nothing, a student will not join a student union event or rally for ‘Stop the Cuts’. I can barely get people to listen to Quest, let alone help to decide the future of QMSU’s policies. It’s not through lack of care, but through the belief that they cannot make a difference. Yet this rant isn’t a new thing. TIME Magazine published an article in 1978 and nothing seems to have changed.
Maybe it’s a systemic part of being human. Something we can’t avoid. A small percentage of the population are willing to take up the mantle and made decision that the student population just don’t seem to worry about. Some may argue that the tide of student apathy is over. That after voting for the liberal democrats and be-
Image by Matthew Black (via Flickr CC)
recent march, November 9th, attracted less than 5% of those who originally marched back in March. The strikes were described as a “damp squid” by David Cameron. We lost our sting because we lost our fire. Students are still angry about tuition fees and will moan about the government. But when it comes to it, we do nothing. Student apathy is truly tested every year on Queen Mary campus. From the 9th January to 16th February, students will have the opportunity to become fully involved in student politics. Whether you run for a position, or you just walk through library square, you are involved. By the end of this you will have enough flyers that are equivalent to a small London park. Voting is important, even if it’s to register that you don’t care. A proportion of the sabbatical officers elected will go on to be furing betrayed, students were so moti- ther involved in student politics e.g. vated and engaged, they took to the NUS. Last year’s president, Vratislav streets. Politicians feared us for once. Vraj Domalip III, is now president of They felt our power. Then we realised ULU. His start came from QMUL that £9000 was here to stay and a lot and successfully rallied the support of people stopped fighting. The most of many students to be elected three times. Whatever people may say, NUS has contributed to student life where, when, why and how like no other and is still an organisaacts as a representative body for all UoL £20,000 because membership of ULU tion for change. Should any QMSU students. Last year, the president, Clare is a compulsory requirement of memsabbatical officer reach that level, Solomon, appeared on Newsnight and bership of the UoL. they can thank QMUL students for met with Nick Clegg to discuss the new their start. fee regime. HOW - Every year all students studySo as a student representative, as ing at the UoL are able to elect the prespart of QMSU, I still plan to fight. I WHERE - It is based on Malet Street, ident and vice president of ULU and want people engaged. I want people next to Senate House library. the London Student editor. There is to care. We can be a force to reckalso Senate, which is a decision makoned with if we just try. WHEN - It was founded in 1955. ing body made up of the presidents of the Students’ Union in all UoL collegChris Smith is a second-year studying WHY - The University pays QMSU’s es. There is also the Board of Trustees biomedical sciences, is a member of the hockey yearly membership fee of approximately which has elected students sitting on it. club and a QMSU Student Representative.
Drapers keeps “Ifpouring pints, the student population can absently allow QMSU to pass them by.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
What’s this year’s lie? Stevie Rankin Being anti-New Year’s resolution does not make me anti-makingchanges-towards-being-a-betterperson. I become restless at Christmas with all the superficial niceties, and by the New Year my lack of faith in human potential adapt becomes inflamed by the reckless initiation of ‘resolutions.’ A ‘resolution’ is defined as a commitment to a lasting personal goal. You have 365 days to make this change, so why do so many people fail to complete the journey? I pondered on what the cause of this dissolution of resolution was. I thought first (because I’m a misanthrope) that it was to do with the inadequacies of human character. I thought that it might be to do with the nature of the resolution. If one believes they are addicted to nicotine, one believes they must writhe in withdrawal as they attempt to end their love affair with cigarettes. This is no easy resolution. Love, like addiction, knows no easy fix. Scoff, scoff. I thought about why one might believe that the turn of the year is appropriate as an anchor for a broken promise. Why are we dependent on time to motivate us? The New Year should not be our reason for embarking on improvement. Lifestyle changes are most likely to be successful if commenced with no more motivation than one’s own desire. There will be a New Year every 365 days, but there could be a new you every day (cheesier than intended, but you get the message). We do ourselves ill by contending with the tides of years; we don’t orbit our own existence, but shape it. We should compose by the day, not by year. We are not planets, but moons. Stevie Rankin is a first-year studying English Literature and is co-comment editor of QMessenger.
The hypocrisy of New Year’s Resolutions. Image by Angel Lambo.
Comment The End of the Affair: The new year and the Coalition has led to cries that the Coalition is trying to privatize the NHS. This underlying concern has caused a rift The romantic post-election press between many Lib Dem and Conserconference of Clegg and Cameron vative MP’s and will continue to be in the gardens of Westminster now problematic this year. seems a distant memory. The two The most recent rupture has been party leaders locked horns on many around the Cameron’s decision to issues last year. The formation of the veto the EU treaty changes. The PM Coalition marked a significant shift was doing his utmost to avoid any in modern British politics and many possibility of a European financial commentators questioned the lon- tax hitting the city. However, the degevity of this rare political marriage. cision did not hold too well with Nick For us to predict the stability of Clegg who heard the news on televithe Coalition we must look at the sion the following morning. He statsticking points that characterised ed on the Andrew Marr Show that 2011. Firstly, the rise in tuition fees the decision “isolated and marginto cause divisions within the Coali- alised” Britain from involvement in tion. Many senior Lib Dems, such rescuing the Eurozone. as Simon Hughes, the party’s depFurthermore, the PM has been acuty leader, are critical of the policy. cused of over representing the interPre-election, Nick Clegg has prom- ests of Eurosceptics in his party. The ised to scrap tuition fees altogether, issue of the EU remains a touchy a pledge that now seems laughable. subject for the Conservative Party, as These sort of decisions have made John Major found out on 1992. the British public question the integDespite the trials and tribulations rity of politicians altogether as politfacing the Coalition this year, ical careers become the partnership remains more important than rolling along. Howevpolitical mandates. er, with the new fee Secondly, the conregime coming into troversial reeffect, the spotlight forms to the will once again NHS forreturn to the mulated by broken promhealth secreises of the Lib tary Andrew Dems. MoreLansley have over, with the caused fricforecast of ecotion. Meanomic growth sures inbeing downclude prograded by many posals to give financial instiGP consortiums An tutions, 2012 will 80% control of affair to prove to be a testing the NHS budget. remember: year for the most unOther proposIs it over? usual of political afals included inImages fairs. creased private courtesy of sector involveLiberal Democrats Zubair Suleman is a secment in the health& Bisgovuk (via ond-year Geography and care sector. This Flickr cc) Economics student.
Zubair Suleman
When it comes to your job prospects it’s time to LinkIn or GetOut LinkedIn is often viewed as “Facebook for professionals”, but this doesn’t necessarily paint the whole picture. Yes, it is a social media site for business people and professional types, but it is also an extremely useful tool for others, including us students. Students can, and should use LinkedIn as a way of increasing their job prospects when they graduate. It allows you to create an online presence to impress potential employers, which is completely constructed by you: no compromising photos that your lovely friends decided to tag you in, and no old comments coming back to haunt you. However, I think more importantly than this, it
is an excellent way to network while you are still at university. For example, you can connect with the people that you worked alongside during your internship or work experience. If
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Yes it’s a social media site for business people, but it’s an extremely useful tool for others too.
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David Watson
you feel like you did a good job whilst you were working, be cheeky and ask for a reference. This will be visible to
those who can see your profile, and having someone else’s word to support your own goes a long way to help impress potential employers. Basically, LinkedIn can be viewed as an extended, online CV. Much in the same way that you join groups that interest you on Facebook, the same principle applies on LinkedIn. So if your interest lies in marketing, you join groups that reflect this. By posting regularly in these groups, employers can see that you genuinely care about the profession you are trying to enter, and that you are serious about the industry. One aspect of LinkedIn that is particularly useful is the “search jobs” facility. You type in key words, for example, “marketing assistant, entry level”, and it will come up with a series of vacancies.
This is not the most useful part. The useful part is that it will show up if you know someone at that company. You can then ask this person to aid you. This will ultimately give you a much higher chance of securing a job. Intro-
The numbers game: Social network users in 000,000s Facebook: 800 Twitter: 453 LinkedIn: 135 Google+: 62 Flickr: 50 Tumblr: 34 (number of blogs) Myspace: 30 Path: 0.5
ductions are another feature which is particularly helpful for students. If one of your Dad’s friends happens to be in charge of graduate recruitment for a company, use this: ask for an introduction on LinkedIn. You can then converse with that person and be as well prepared as possible for the application process. Whilst LinkedIn is never going to be the most entertaining social media website, I believe it is the one that all students should be active on. With so many graduates vying for so few graduate positions, networking through LinkedIn may help to increase your chances of gaining employment if it is used effectively. David Watson is a second-year English Literature student and a member of the Amnesty International Society.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
Comment
Why you should be vice president!
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In no other graduate job do you get such a broad and varied portfolio of activities.
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comment@qmessenger.co.uk
ships and bursaries, changes to specific courses and modules, IT, the library, assessment, exam and course-
work feedback, admissions, and a host of other aspects of the university. There will be times in these meetings when everyone in the room will turn to you and ask, ‘what do the students think?’ Remember: there at sixteen thousand of them. Two main sources you can refer to are Course Reps and surveys. Course Reps hear about specific issues with modules, lecturers or departments, and they can ask around and find out how many other students are affected. If you need to check something quickly – how many hours does a second year Law student do? How many students are affected by a specific timetable clash? – the Course Rep will have the answer. Regular Faculty Forums between Course Reps from different disciplines help join the dots. You will also use surveys. The annual National Student Survey asks final-year students about their time at university, and the College takes the results very seriously. The NSS, the International Student Barometer, the big survey of Medics and Dentists, and other surv e y s the Students’ Union r u n throughout the year give you the bigger picture. Your job also involves investigating, campaigning and lobbying. You will
“ VP Welfare is a totally new
role, and you will have a lot of freedom in determining what should be included.
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N
est year is support of your fellow fullgoing to be a and part-time officers, of great year to the students, of Union be a Sabbat- staff, and of many people ical. VP Ed- in the College. You will get ucation & Welfare is be- a detailed two-week handing split into two posts, so over in which I’ll introduce the two Officers will have you to the job and the peomore time to concentrate ple with whom you’ll be on the issues in their area. working. It’ll all be writIt is also the first time in ten down so you can refer many years that you won’t to it throughout your year be running against an ex- as a Sabb. You are elected with a isting Sabb in any position, so it will be an en- strong mandate to carry out your policies and do tirely new team. Being a Sabb is brilliant. what’s right for students. In no other graduate job If you set your mind to it, do you get such a broad there is little you can’t do. An effective VP Edand varied portfolio of activities, and so much au- ucation needs to tonomy to try out new know what’s going on. projects and approach- You’re going to be es. As well as your port- busy in 2012-13, as folio, you will sit on aca- this is the first year of demic appeals, on inter- the new higher edunal reviews into academic cation policy. More schools and departments, money has been cut and have input in Col- than is being added lege procedures and pol- by increasing fees, icies on everything from and it is up to univerlibrary hours to appeals. sities to find out how You have a platform for to pay for it. the issues you care about. You will be inYou might be welcoming vited to meetings new International stu- about scholardents, encouraging kids from a local school to go to university, or pressing the Principal to improve disability provision. Being a Sabb is a lot of work, b u t you also g e t the
Oscar Williamson QMSU Vice President Education and Welfare
read leaked documents and have quiet conversations about cuts, changes, and other reforms with teaching assistant, unions and individual staff. You will work with students, Course Reps and Student Councillors to push for or against specific policies. You will ask awkward questions, and, on occasion, object to proposals that university staff have spent months putting together. You will campaign, picket, and make undiplomatic comments to QMessenger. And best of all, you’ll have a lot of fun. VP Welfare is a totally new role, and you will have a lot of freedom in determining what should be included. In the past, the majority of the VP Education & Welfare’s time has been spent on Education issues, so we have a much clearer idea of what VP Education’s week will look like. Beyond what I consider to be your three core areas of responsibility, the role is up to you to define. One thing I haven’t done enough of this year is celebrating the diversity of our student body. VP Welfare will work with part time officers, clubs and societies, and local community organisations to organise Black History Month, LGBT pride, and other celebrations. We have links with Tower Hamlets Council, London Citizens, the NHS, nearby schools, and a host of voluntary organisations, and it will be up
to you to boost these links. You will also represent students on issues such as personal safety, disabilities, the environment, equality and diversity. This might be to Student Council, to the university, or to local groups, or through an awareness campaign on campus. Finally, you will run the Mums & Dads programme. Arriving at university is a totally new experience, often in a new city, country and language. The Mums & Dads scheme puts first years into little families of five or six people, paired with a Mum and a Dad in the year above them on their course who can help them out with all that is new and different about university. We started the scheme in Science and Engineering in 2011 and you will be involved with setting it up in Humanities and Social Science in 2012. It’s a lot of fun and is a really useful way for you to keep up with the issues affecting students in other departments – almost like a Welfare equivalent of Course Reps. I’ve kept this list deliberately short. If you feel something is missing, then why not run? If you think that the role should focus more on housing, on international students, on women’s issues, then this is your opportunity to make that happen. Put some ideas together and let people know why you are the right person to put those ideas into action.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY DECEMBER 9 2012
Satire All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Please don’t mistake anything on this page for fact.
A selection of Warner Bros’ New Year’s commission resolutions Potter sequel "No more pool parties" - Michael Barrymore "I'm quitting charlie" - Charlie Sheen Robert Jopson “Buy a new tin opener and have my picture taken on a beach next to a washed up whale" Elliot Angell "One more year" - Margaret Thatcher Leif Halverson "Keep Promises"-The Lib Dems Tahmeed Zaki
Boris fights economic crisis Women become redundant by banning snow in London as men become more beautiful Keumars Afifi-Sabet In a bold move, set to upset millions of Londoners, Boris Johnson is looking to outlaw all forms of snow from falling in the Greater London area during the winter season. The Mayor, running for re-election in May, told reporters “The economy needs, well, a bit of a kick, and hopefully we can keep things going where in the past they’ve somewhat diminished. We’ve been lucky so far, there hasn’t been a whiff of the stuff anywhere.” In the new proposition it’s stated that the Met Office will be held responsible for maintaining the ban, despite their poor track record in predicting the weather; rumoured to be their primary purpose. He continued to state “it is regrettable, after all. Children love the snow – I love the snow –
I love a good twiddle on a snowy day, but something’s got to give – Caroline Walker we can’t have another year of this madness.” More men are wearing more make up. ‘This Madness’ refers to the chaos The cosmetics industry has exhausted often caused on London’s roads and every possible mascara brush shape the public transport system during and is now targeting a new market with times of snowfall, with many com- their esteem battering scrutiny: men. muters unable to reach their plac- This has prompted a whole new range es of work. “Yes, I think we’ll fig- of butchly named products such as the ure something out,” said the mayor ‘Biotherm Force Supreme Eyecream’ positively, “the Russians did work and the ‘Steel Beefcake Transformer with ‘cloud seeding technology´ a Foundation 3000X’. few years back and hopefully we Despite the stress this adds to their can press on with something like lives, men are embracing this new that in the future.” source of admiration. Campaigners Whether or not the technolo- for equality are also hailing the introgy will be ready in time remains duction of male physical insecurity as a doubt. It’s looking increasing- a much needed and long awaited symly likely that boisterously shout- bol of equality between the sexes. One ing to the heavens for the next few gentleman commented “I think it’s months will be the only realistic al- great, a good complexion is not a questernative. Boris, howev- tion of gender, it’s a universal iser, will remain confident sue”. that the future is bright S o and snow-free. far, Boris’ best friend Stephen is more upset than most at the Mayor’s decision to ban snow from London.
Men are now being targeted by cosmetic companies. Image by stopsign (via Flickrcc)
Warner Bros announced last week that pre-production for a sequel to the highly successful ‘Harry Potter’ film franchise has begun; the final decision spurred by the immense box office success of “Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” This news comes in regardless of the fact that J.K Rowling, author and mastermind behind the franchise, is yet to write any follow-up material. Although it’s thought she is desperately wanted for the script writing process. The film, rumoured to be entitled “Harry Potter and the Rigorous Midlife Crisis,” will be set twenty years after the events of “Deathly Hallows.” One man thought to be considered for the role of the aged, decrepit Harry Potter is former “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen; exposed for extreme drug consumption and a series of enthused public outbursts. However given his immense camera presence he finds himself among the likes of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale on a potential list of candidates. Warner Bros claim the new film is set to divulge in “much darker territory, exploring themes of mental instability and severe post-traumatic stress in a magical context.” Rumours are also rife that number of the original cast, including Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright, may opt to sign on to play younger versions of the characters in a string of flashbacks or hallucinations, which may be welcoming news for many fans of the original film series. Recently appointed Executive Producer Donald Graeme supplemented the rumours by claiming “We’re taking a new direction with the series and it’s exciting for everyone involved. Hopefully we can get somebody like [Tim] Burton or [Guillermo] Del Toro in to direct – that’d be amazing.” Despite still being in early stages of development, it’s thought the filmmakers are confident of making a winter 2014 release.
Joke of the week
Timesaver of the week
Quote of the Week
Michael Gove. Seriously, just read his wiki page.
Don’t bother with toast, just eat bread. Time saved 2 to 7 mins depending how carbonated you like your toast.
“That awkward moment when I think you’re a dick for liking all the awkward moment groups on Facebook.”
Mark Chapell
satire@qmessenger.co.uk
so harmless. But what happens when men start to look good enough to sell yogurts just by posing next to the pot? A recent Dolce and Gabbana advertising campaign has certainly sent ripples of insecurity through thousands of women as they see the rug of beauty pulled out from under them. The advert depicts a bewitching and shapely nude male delicately arranged to cover his fancy bits. For some, it seems to have over-stepped the line. “Enough is enough” Germaine Greer whined “If men continue to usurp woman’s role as sexual objects then thousands of women will be thrown upon an employment system that depends on intelligence.” It is likely that PMS would have affected the rationality of her comment but Greer’s views do not seem to be isolated. Many women are beginning to fear for the reverence of their breasts. When asked about this dangerous change in the modelling industry David Cameron refused to comment. However, while he was absent Nick Clegg whispered that “we’re allowed to be beautiful too” before flouncing after Cameron to imitate his every cosmetic move.
Keumars Afifi-Sabet
Leif Halverson
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
Societies
Society in Spotlight: Christian Union
READ Naked Calendar!
Helen Drew
Zoe Shearing
I don’t know about you, but I’ve Zoe Shearing got that January feeling. You know the one, where you’re determined things will be different this year, where you will keep the new years resolutions. You will make sure you do all the readings this term, and you will eat less (as I write this I’m munching my way through a chocolate orange, telling myself that the sooner I eat the Christmas chocolate the sooner I can be healthy again). In short, you will become superhuman. But never the less, I’m up for something new. The Christian Union are holding ‘uncover week’ in the third week of term, where there will be lots of room for you to think, question and maybe even take on something new! The Christian Union invite any and all Queen Mary students to join them for a variety of upcoming events Image courtesy of QMCU From 7-9pm on Monday 23rd January we are holding a live mu- Christians really believe and what We also meet throughout the We really do welcome anyone sic night in ground, then at 1pm that could mean for you. week for small groups at people’s from QM, and if you want to find on Wednesday 25th a lunch in ‘What is this Christian Union?’ I flats or in cafes, where we catch out more check out our facebook drapers room 2 accompanied by a hear you ask. Well we are a group up on the week and support each group QMCU - Queen Mary Chris‘menu of conversations’ where we open to any student at Queen Mary, other. And from time to time you tian Union or email christianunwill eat together and discuss our and we want everyone to hear might see us around campus, we ionsociety@qmsu.org. views on questions ranging from about Christianity and decide for have special events ranging from We hope to see lots of you at ‘Mac or PC?’ to ‘is religion a force themselves whether to respond to ‘coffee and carols’ which we held in our ‘uncover week’ events! All the for good or evil?’. it. We meet every Thursday even- ground before Christmas to ‘Grill events are open to anyone, and On Thursday at 3pm we are hav- ing in the chaplaincy, 6.15-7.45pm, a Christian’, also coming up in un- we would love you to come full of ing a talk on creationism - also where we talk about the Bible, wor- cover week, where anyone can ask questions, ideas and that January in drapers room 2. Come along ship God, and spend time socialis- a panel of Christians any questions feeling. and uncover who Jesus was, what ing together. they would like to hear answered.
Finally, the READ naked calendar ready for sale! As a lot of you will know, last term I had the pleasure (or not in some cases!) of seeing 12 of the university’s clubs and societies naked. All in the name of charity, of course! So, if you want to support your fellow students and feel good about yourself by doing a little bit for charity, buy a calendar! They cost £8 and are available to buy from the Students’ Union website and can be collected from The Blomeley Centre. All the proceeds of the calendar go to the charity READ International which is a university led charity that sends old and disused secondary school textbooks to Tanzania. The charity began in 2005 and to date they have sent over 1 million books. It never costs READ more than 50p to send a book and here at Queen Mary we have a dedicated group of volunteers that help to fundraise the money that is needed. To raise the money needed we hold events throughout the year. Small events include book sales, cake sales, and tube raids; the big events include things such as the Naked calendar, and Jailbreak, which will be taking place at the end of this term. We also sort all the books we receive from local schools and organisations so that we only send the most needed books out to Tanzania.
Society in Spotlight: Queen Mary Philosophy Society Priya Soni The Queen Mary Philosophy Society provides a platform for students to discuss contemporary ideas from a philosophical perspective. Queen Mary does not have a Philosophy department, although it does boast a number of philosophical modules in subjects ranging from the arts to the sciences. We aim to provide a platform for students from all departments and year groups to come together and engage with the social, ethical, cultural and philosophical issues of our world. The society began this September and has already attracted over 200 online members. Our QMUL membership base consists of members from a number of different departments and this creates a great diversity of thought and interest. Our sessions take place fortnightly on a Monday, in Francis Bancroft 1.01.1. The society is open to all, irrespective of academic field and philosophical experience, always ensuring fruitful and open-minded debates. We are a friendly bunch and have great respect for anyone willing to engage in healthy discussion and debate. Our discussions, ranging from drugs,
sexuality, politics and the concepts of “truth” are continued on our lively Facebook page. Recent topics have sparked huge interest; we recently had over 170 comments on a debate centred on ‘Perceptions, Authenticity and Beauty’ in contemporary society. We also engaged in a heated discussion concerning the funeral of Kim Jong-II. Our Facebook page is always being updated with announcements of talks at LSE and UCL, which are popular with our members. W e are al-
societies@qmessengerco.uk
ways open to suggestion and adhere to a number-attendance policy. This means that if there is an event which the majority of members will attend, we make this a calendar event for the society. In October 2011 we affiliated with the international event ‘The Battle of Ideas’ and arranged discounted tickets for QMUL Philosophy Society members. The event gave our members an opportunity to be involved in discussions with over 300 global speakers, with over 75 talks ranging from the arts, politics, and religion. Having gained media passes from the organisers of this event, we were able interview speakers, and hope to invite selected speakers to our meetings at Queen Mary in the coming months. To maintain our friendly and relaxed atmosphere, we organised a successful Christmas dinner, and will also be organising an annual black tie event in the final term. We also look forward to an optional participation summer charity fete where all our proceedings will be donated to several charities decided upon by our members.
QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 9 2012
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Sport
QM Snowsports club hit the slopes Hollie Carter During the Christmas holidays Queen Mary’s Snowsports club took sixty-five eager skiers and snowboarders to the French resort of Tignes. A distinct lack of snowfall in the weeks leading up to the trip had the committee members and trip goers worried alike. Checking the Tignes webcam eagerly anticipating snowfall became a regular part of the morning routine and just a week before the trip it was looking like the snowsports members were in for a week of hiking and mountain biking as opposed to skiing and boarding. But then the Gods took pity on us and good news finally came our way in the form, of the biggest snowfall Tignes has ever experienced. In the space of a week the resort had 80% of lasts winters snowfall. From a barren wasteland, Tignes had been transformed into a snowsports enthusiast’s heaven. With the snow set, essays completed and bags packed QM snowsports were ready to set off on the mammoth twenty hour coach journey to France. The coach journey proved itself to be a great warm up for the week ahead with a few light refreshments and the introduction of the classic car game, ‘I went to the supermarket and I bought...’ to entertain the masses. As we got nearer to the mountain resort excitement grew as the view from the coach window became, frozen lakes and cars engulfed in mountains of powdery white snow – it was clear to all onboard this was going to be an amazing week.
The Queen Mary snowsports club pose for a group photograph on the slopes. Conditions on the first day were fantastic, the previous week many of the lifts had been close due to the epic snowfall which meant that we were some of the first to experience the incredible snow laden slopes. The powder was unlike anything most of us had ever experienced and everyone was out hitting the slopes hard. The close of the day saw the resort plunged into darkness as Val Claret experienced a power cut. Whilst for some of us this posed problems cooking and showering, others were less fortunate and second team football player, Richard Treadwell, was forced to use all of his army
training to survive the hour long delay on a chairlift in minus 18C. This unfortunate end to the day was soon forgotten, however, as the revellers donned their togas and hit the bar harder than the slopes. The next few days saw the snowfall continue and on Tuesday many of the lifts were closed due to concerns of avalanches. This did little to stop our hardy Snowsports members however, as they braved blizzard conditions and poor visibility to make the most out of every run that was open. Wednesday saw the return of the ever competitive ‘Valley Ral-
Image by Hollie Carter
ly’ in which Queen Mary teams competed against Hull University in a test of endurance, creativity and adaptability. QM put up a valiant fight and bared all they could, but, on the day they were outperformed by Hull who were the eventual winners. The winning QM team, ‘Team Shola’ led the deflated troops back to base and after some consolation jelly the teams were back to their winning ways on the dance floor. On the final few days of the trip the snowfall stopped and the sun came out to provide us with conditions most of us had only ever dreamt of. The last night of the trip
saw the presentation of the Tignes 2011 awards. Awards included; Most improved awarded to beginner snowboarder TJ Johnson for his impressive performance on a challenging red slop and his inventive ‘on the stomach’ boarding technique which he adopted after his board broke during the valley rally. The Party Pooper of the week award went to Adam ‘Drapers’ McDaid for his uncharacteristic refusal to join us on a night out, opting instead for a quiet night in! Finally special mention must be made to Trooper of the week Lucy Allman who even after difficult travel conditions and frustrating accommodation arrangements, still persevered to make the most of the trip. This award is made even more pertinent given the fact that Lucy unwittingly skied on a broken wrist all week after she headed calls for her to, ‘man up’ following an epic domino fall on the first night! It was with heavy hearts on Friday afternoon, that we returned our ski hire, packed away our salopettes and boarded the coach back to England, however, we did so with the knowledge that we had all experienced one of the best weeks of skiing and socialising ever imaginable. Tignes 2011 was an amazing week, thank you to everyone who came and got involved. For those unfortunate enough to miss out on the trip, the Snowsports club runs regular trips to the Milton Keynes snow dome and are looking to establish a competitive race team this year. For more info add us on Facebook: ‘QueenMary Snowsports’
The 8,000 mile road to the London 2012 Olympics Ashleigh Jay Now that the 8,000 mile route that will see the Olympic torch snake it’s way around the British Isles has been revealed, the wide array of different torch bearers will all be undergoing intense physical training. The route that the Olympic torch will take has finally been unveiled,
and what a route it is. With 1,018 destinations and 8,000 miles to cover, it is clear that this torch will not be getting a lot of rest. As tradition goes, the torch will be lit in Olympia and will be flown- presumably first class- here to England where the relay will really get underway. Starting on the 19th of May 2012, the torch will begin at Land’s End and go on to take on the British Isles where
it will begin its 70 day marathon. The torch will brave the summits of Snowdonia, pay visit to the Angel of the North and even enjoy a stay in the Tower of London. And don’t be surprised to see the torch travelling in somewhat unconventional means of transport, you can see the torch on zip wire, horseback and hot air balloon. The torch will be passing through the hands of 8,000 carefully select-
ed torchbearers. Did you notice how there are 8,000 bearers to cover 8,000 miles? The east Londoners who designed the torch noticed this too which is why Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby decided to perforate 8,000 circles into the torch to represent those inspirational torchbearers who were chosen. Each evening the torch will be welcomed into a different town or city where it will enjoy celebrations and be
invited to stay the night. The torch will complete its final leg down the home straight of the river Thames and reach Stratford’s Olympic stadium on the 27th of July when the real race for gold can begin. It has been claimed that the torch will reach within 10 miles of 95% of the population which gives you no excuse to cheer on the torch on its journey, unless of course you are that unlucky 5%.
sport@qmessenger.co.uk