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FREE Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Tuesday December 3rd 2013 | www.thebeaveronline.com | No 800

The Feature Interview: Jeremy Scahill Award-winning author of Blackwater and Dirty Wars

It’s our

8issue! th And to celebrate, we’re going mobile. IN THE NEWS... Two motions tabled for Thursday’s UGM No Platforming and Students Rights activism both to be debated. NEWS page 3

IN PARTB THIS WEEK... Alumni Interview: Alessandro Acquisti questions the privacy and transparency of the internet *LOOLDQ &DஊHUR PartB page 15

FROM OPINION... A British mining company’s exploitation of Sierra Leone Isabella Mosselmans Opinion page 10

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Election Update The deadline for manifestos has been extended to this Friday (December 6th) because the editor still hasn’t figured out how to book rooms. If you want to stand for any of the positions listed below, please send a 150-word manifesto to editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk. PartB Editor Sports Editor Collective Chair

8QLRQ %DVKÄ? We’re editorially independent, but he’s not. And he’s cold. move the clouds

No platform motions Threaten our freedom of speech. Winter is coming. %DVKÄ? LV WKH %HDYHU‍ڑ‏V KDLNX SRHW 6RPH VD\ WKDW KH WKLQNV DV RQH GRHV WKDW WKH FUHGLW FUXQFK LV VRPH NLQG RI EUHDNIDVW FHUHDO DQG WKDW KH‍ڑ‏V WHUULŕ­˝ HG WKH /6( ZLOO UH YHDO KLV VDODU\ EHFDXVH KH‍ڑ‏V SDLG LQ WKH VRXOV RI ZDQQDEH LQYHVWPHQW DQNHUV

TheBeaver Established in 1949 Issue No. 800 - Tuesday December 3 2013 Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk Website: www.thebeaveronline.co.uk Twitter: @beaveronline

The Beaver, Regenerated Print, they say, is dead. We happen to disagree, at least in part because ‘they’ haven’t referenced their sources properly. We can’t hold back progress though, and if print isn’t dead, it’s certainly down and taking a bit of a kicking from the internet and increasingly mobile technology, in both senses of that expression: the blows are raining in from more and more devices, and those devices actually work

in more and more places. They have 4G in Leeds now, EHOLHYH LW RU QRW DQG ZLன RQ the trains that take you there. You probably already know all this; you might well be reading this on one of those devices. That’s because, partly in celebration of our 800th issue and partly just because we can, we’ve gone mobile. Thanks to the lovely folks at Issuu and the technical wizardry of our very own Alex-

ander Fyfe (No, Clare Market Review, you can’t borrow him - Ed), and we suppose retrospectively to Tim Berners-Lee for starting the whole ‘internet’ thing, you can now read The Beaver whenever and wherever the mood takes you. Obviously, we appreciate you’re all busy people, but we’d still love you to take a paper copy, sit down and read it properly. But to be honest, we just want you to read it.

W\ ன YH \HDUV DZD\ IURP EH LQJ XQன W IRU SXUSRVH 7R EH fair though, the library did have a functional staircase. In that time, we’ve printed brilliant reporting, passionate opinions and entertaining criticism, and we’ve probably had more than our fair share of controversy (Careful - Ed). We’ve been lucky enough to have such luminary contributors as Richard Bacon, MP for Norfolk South, not the Blue Peter presenter and, ahem, substance enthusiast (I thought

1RZ ZH‍ڑ‏UH PRELOH \RX GRQ‍ڑ‏W KDYH WR EH RQ FDPSXV WR UHDG XV 6R LI \RX‍ڑ‏UH UHDGLQJ XV VRPHZKHUH FRRO VHQG XV D SKRWR ZH‍ڑ‏OO SULQW WKH EHVW RQH ZH JHW HYHU\ ZHHN +HUH‍ڑ‏V D FRX SOH IRU LQVSLUDWLRQ LQFOXGLQJ RQH RI RXU JRRG IULHQGV -D\ DQG &UDLJ UHDGLQJ XV LQ WKH ODWWHU‍ڑ‏V YHU\ QLFH RIILFH

Room E204, East Building, LSE Students Union London WC2A 2AE Executive Editor Dennis Mooney

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I said be careful?), Justin Webb and Bernard Levin. We’ve been a hard-left broadsheet, a moderate berliner, and, according to Wikipedia, we’re now a centreright tabloid. We are, sorry to keep banging on about this, also available on mobile. Who knows what the 1600th issue will look like, or what format it will appear in? Not us, that’s for sure, but here’s hoping the next 800 issues are DV PXFK IXQ DV WKH ன UVW

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. — Bertrand Russell

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800 Up! 800 issues, dating back to the 5th of May 1949. When WKH ன UVW %HDYHU UROOHG RŕŽ‰ WKH presses, the Berlin Wall hadn’t gone up, Margaret Thatcher hadn’t even stood for parliament, and tinder was someWKLQJ SHRSOH XVHG WR VWDUW ன UHV At LSE, a Sir Alex (CarrSaunders) was in charge, everyone had just got back from camping out in Cambridge during the war and the Clare Market building was twenty years away from being built, and perhaps as many as twen-

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Industrial Action: ,PPLJUDWLRQ ELOO WR H૸HFW Teach - Out Tuesday international students 5RVLH &ROHPDQ (GXFDWLRQ 2ૻFHU

The University College (UCU), Unite and Unison Unions are taking industrial action on Tuesday 3rd December. There will be picket lines on campus, a ‘Teach Out’ between eleven o’clock and two o’clock on the John Watkins Plaza outside the London School of Economics’ (LSE) Library organLVHG E\ VWDŕŽ‰ IURP DFURVV WKH university. It may also be the case that some lectures will be DŕŽ‰HFWHG 7KH WKUHH 8QLRQV RQ strike represent a wide variety RI VWDŕŽ‰ DW /6( IURP DFDGHPLFV WR VXSSRUW VWDŕŽ‰ DQG *UDGXDWH Teaching Associates. 7KH EDOORWV IROORZHG WKH னQDO RŕŽ‰HU RI SHU FHQW WKURXJK the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education -1&+(6 LQ 0D\ ZKLFK the unions have pointed out would mean academics will KDYH VXŕŽ‰HUHG D UHDO WHUPV SD\ FXW RI SHU FHQW VLQFH LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) think that lecturers DQG RWKHU VWDŕŽ‰ VKRXOG EH SURSerly supported and remunerated. They believe that fair pay is an issue of fairness in itself, but also note that there DUH YHU\ FOHDU EHQHனWV WR VWXdents that pay is at a level ZKLFK DWWUDFWV H[FHOOHQW VWDŕŽ‰ and helps to support the maintenance of a happy and motivated workforce. They also VXSSRUW WKH ULJKWV RI DOO VWDŕŽ‰ to challenge unfair practices, including challenge to pay and conditions which they democratically deem to be unfair. Industrial action is an entirely

legitimate means of raising such concerns. They believe that it is entirely possible to undertake industrial action in a manner which limits negative impacts on students, and which encourages active support from students over issues of common cause and concern. The Teach-Out on Tuesday 3rd December is not designed to cause disruption to students but is rather supposed to be a positive educational event. There will be a series of speed OHFWXUHV E\ VWDŕŽ‰ IURP GHSDUWments such as Law, Anthropology and International History. LSESU encourages students to get involved and show solidarity to their teachers’ cause. After all these changes really do DŕŽ‰HFW HYHU\ERG\ DW /6( 7KH\ also wish to inform students that LSESU’s support of the event is reliant on limited disruption and robust communication. Any students who want to avoid the event entirely, are advised to seek alternative study spaces such as those is in New Academic Building, 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, or the Old %XLOGLQJ IRU WKH KRXUV DŕŽ‰HFWHG Rosie Coleman, LSESU’s Education Officer, stated “I will be around on the day, showing support but also making sure disruption is kept a minimum. The use of megaphones and unnecessary shouting has been UHVWULFWHG DQG /LEUDU\ VWDŕŽ‰ DUH aware that I, as LSESU Education Officer and LSE students’ main point of contact on the day if they have concerns [or] complaints and not the library KHOSGHVN VWDŕŽ‰ ‍ڕ‏

Giulia Saudelli

A new immigration bill currently under review in the UK Parliament, is likely to have an impact on LSE international students, who represent 60 per cent of the LSE’s student body. The Bill, proposed by members of the government this October, is now going through the report stage in the House of Commons. According to Immigration Minister Mark Harper, it aims to reduce pull factors for illegal immigration and prevent migrants from “abusing public services to ZKLFK WKH\ DUHQ‍ڑ‏W HQWLWOHG ‍ڕ‏ The bill requires people with a temporary immigration permit, including students, to contribute to the National Health Service. The amount to be paid will depend on “the range of health services that are likely to EH DYDLODEOH IUHH RI FKDUJH ‍ڕ‏ It also states that landlords will be responsible for checking

on their tenants’ immigration status: the landlord in person must verify that the person has D ‍ڔ‏ULJKW WR UHQW ‍ ڕ‏,I WKH ODQGORUG fails to do so, he will be subject WR னQHV XS WR e The bill requires banks to FDUU\ RXW ‍ڔ‏VWDWXV FKHFNV‍ ڕ‏EHIRUH allowing a temporary resident to open a current account. When it comes to visas, the option to appeal a visa refusal or request an extension will now be limited to ‍ڔ‏KXPDQ ULJKWV‍ ڕ‏DQG ‍ڔ‏SURWHFWLRQ‍ ڕ‏ cases, thus excluding the majority of students. The Labour Party announced that it will support the bill, though the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that amendments would be proposed, since the bill’s current form doesn’t address “the chaos at border control and reduction LQ HQIRUFHPHQW‍ ڕ‏DQG LW IDLOV WR “make the immigration system IDLU DQG HŕŽ‰HFWLYH IRU HYHU\RQH ‍ڕ‏ The LSE Students’ Union

is strongly against the bill, especially in consideration of the fact that 75% of visa requests are made by non-EEA students. Anneessa Mahmood, Community and Welfare Officer of the LSE Students’ Union, called the immigration bill “an attack on LQWHUQDWLRQDO VWXGHQWV ‍ڔ ڕ‏7KLV bill is being rushed through Parliament, and now is the time to DFW ‍ ڕ‏VKH DGGHG When asked to comment on the Bill, Aditi Sahasrabuddhe, Masters student in International Political Economy, said that although she is aware of problems pertaining to illegal immigrants, she thinks this bill “is unfair to WKRVH WKDW DELGH E\ DOO WKH ODZV ‍ڕ‏ A campaign launched by the Students’ Union, labeled “OneLSE: One voice for InterQDWLRQDO 6WXGHQWV‍ ڕ‏HQFRXUDJHV students to sign the NUS petition and to write to their MP, Immigration Minister and Home Secretary to try to block the bill.

Thursday’s UGM will see No Platform and Student Rights News Editors

Two motions to be debated at 7KXUVGD\‍ڑ‏V 8*0 The London School of Economics Students’ Union will be KRVWLQJ D 8QLRQ *HQHUDO 0HHWing on Thursday, 5 December to vote on two proposed motions. 7KH ‍ڔ‏1R 3ODWIRUP 0RWLRQ‍ ڕ‏ LV WKH னUVW RI WZR PRWLRQV WKDW are set to be debated and voted upon. The motion’s most GHனQLQJ FODXVHV LQFOXGH ‍ڔ‏7KDW no officer, Committee member or Trustee of the Students’ Union will share a platform with a fascist, Holocaust denier or rape apologist, or use any platform provided by fascist, Holocaust denier or rape apologist RUJDQLVDWLRQV RU LQGLYLGXDOV ‍ ڕ‏ Additionally, it states “that no fascist, Holocaust denier or rape apologist organisation may participate in the Students’ Union, its clubs and its VRFLHWLHV RU WKHLU HYHQWV ‍ ڕ‏ The vice president of the Hayek Society and a Student *RYHUQRU KDYH VXEPLWWHG DQ amendment to the “No PlatIRUP‍ ڕ‏PRWLRQ 3UHIDFLQJ WKH proposal with a description of WKH FODLPHG QHJDWLYH HŕŽ‰HFWV RI communism, citing, violence and terrorism “demonstrated

by the ongoing communist insurgencies in the Columbia [sic] and the Republic of WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV ‍ ڕ‏LW VXJJHVWV inserting the word “commuQLVWV‍ ڕ‏DIWHU HYHU\ PHQWLRQ RI WKH ZRUG ‍ڔ‏IDVFLVW V ‍ ڕ‏ZLWKLQ the existing motion. Those that submit the amendment claim it seeks “to increase the intellectual consistency of the motion, extending it to other radical ideologies without altering its EURDG PHDQLQJ ‍ ڕ‏ A second motion has been submitted which addresses the organisation Student Rights and their relationship with Islamic student societies on campuses across the country. The organisation was established in 2009 that claims to support ‍ڔ‏IUHHGRP IURP H[WUHPLVP‍ ڕ‏RQ UK university campuses, but has expressed opposition to VWXGHQW XQLRQ ‍ڔ‏QR SODWIRUP‍ ڕ‏ policy. The Students’ Union notes that Student Rights is not transparent about its origins or funding but has never refuted claims in the press that it is “a side project of the neoconservative Henry Jackson SociHW\ ‍ ڕ‏7KHLU PRVW UHFHQW UHSRUW on gender segregation focused on Islamic society events and resulted in headlines in the

mainstream media associating ‍ڔ‏H[WUHPLVP‍ ڕ‏DQG JHQGHU VHJregation. In the motion proposal, it is stated that the Union believes that Student Rights activities fuel Islamophobia by targeting Muslim students unfairly, marginalising and ostracising them. They add that it is not Student Rights’ place, an external organisation, to undermine the Students’ Union autonomy as it interferes with the Union and the LSE in making sure that well-established guidelines are respected by external speakers. To resolve this, the Students’ Union aims to release a public statement addressed to Student Rights, calling on them to change their approach and mentality. The Students’ Union also wants to circulate D ‍ڔ‏5HDO 6WXGHQW 5LJKWV‍ ڕ‏SHWLtion; to write to the university management, explaining their concerns regarding student ZHOIDUH DQG னQDOO\ WR PDLQtain ongoing communication on any developments with Student Rights activities. Students are encouraged WR DWWHQG WKH 8*0 ZKLFK ZLOO take place Thursday, DecemEHU WK IURP 30 LQ WKH 2OG Theatre.

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Protests over student loan privitisation Joey Davison

Students from the London School of Economics (LSE) took part in a national day of action against government’s plans to privatise the student loan book. Student advocacy groups gathered over 150 signatures for a petition opposing the privatization which will be presented to Mark Fields, the local Minister of Parliament for the jurisdiction of the LSE and took pictures of students opposing the sell-off for a photo petition.

The action at LSE was part of a national day of action taking place on over 25 of campuses nationwide coordinated by the Student Assembly Against Austerity. Joey Davison, an undergraduate Government student and organiser of the LSE branch of protest against the privatisation of student loans ,said: “The issue was brought to my attention and completely shocked me, not only because of the underhandedness of the whole process, but also because how little I and many people I knew had heard about it. I felt we had to get out there and raise

awareness on campus, and with the support of the SU I am confident that we can show the government that students will not take this lying down.� National Union of Students Black Students’ Officer and spokesperson for the Student Assembly Against Austerity, Aaron Kiely, added: “The government’s plans to sell off the student loan book to private companies are the latest outrageous attack on students and education. We are determined to build a mass movement on every campus in the UK to stop the government in its tracks and

the protests happening on campuses across the country on 20 November was just the start of the campaign. To ensure the student loan book is profitable for private companies the cap on interest for repayments would need to be increased. This means graduates would face years more of repayments on our loans. To put it bluntly, this proposal would lead to a retrospective hike in tuition fees, in violation of the agreements we entered into on getting the loans.�

LSE amongst climate experts at 2013 Dahrendorf Symposium 0DULQH 6WUDXVV 6WD૸ :ULWHU

Climate Change experts presented five key proposals for the fight against climate change at the 2013 Dahrendorf Symposium in Berlin. After the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Summit in Warsaw and Typhoon Haiyan’s devastating impacts on the Philippines, the 2013

Dahrendorf Symposium saw scholars, policy makers and practitioners get together to discuss climate change as an environmental problem with economic, social, developmental and legal aspects. The latest symposium, “Changing the European Debate: Focus on Climate Change,â€? took place at the Akademie der KĂźnste, Pariser Platz in Berlin, on the 14th

DAHRENDORF SYMPOSIUM

and 15th of November. During that time, five expert working groups presented challenges that need to be overcome if Europe is to play a key role as a leader in the matter. Firstly, Europe must speak with one unified voice in climate negotiations. Secondly, it needs to share a common European vision in energy governance. Thirdly, climate justice cannot be “an afterthought�. Fourthly, Europe should set effective post2020 targets and reform its Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Finally, Southern European countries need to be more involved as they can play an important role in the fight against climate change. The symposium featured contributions by prominent London School of Economics (LSE) staff: Arne Westad, Co-chair and Director of LSE IDEAS and Professor of International History, Conor Gearty, Chair of the Working Group on the Social Legal Aspects of Climate Change and Director of LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs and Luca Taschini, Chair of the Working Group

on Economics and Climate Change and Research Fellow at the LSE Grantham Research Institute. The Grantham Research Institute’s working group investigated how the EU’s energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets could be structured post-2020 to achieve emissions reductions and decarbonisation at the lowest cost possible. The project is a joint initiative with the Hertie School of Governance, the LSE and Stiftung Mercator. Since 2011, the event honours the legacy of Lord Ralf Dahrendorf, who urged academics to question and challenge the status quo and “political Zeitgeist.� The objective of the symposium is to emphasise the role and influence of academics on socio-political discourses and to make academic research accessible to society. It aims to challenge firmly embedded patterns of thoughts and arguments on the future of Europe, as well as offer new perspectives on the most urging European challenges and debates.

Adoption of North American titles for staff James Evans

The administration of the London School of Economics have adopted titles similar to those of North American universities. Professor Craig Calhoun was appointed to the LSE in 2011 under the title of ‘Director,’ however, following a string of foreign visits the term ‘president’ is often used. However, a spokesman

for the university insists that Calhoun has not changed his official title, stating that “Craig is still the Director of the LSE‌[but] for some overseas visits the term president is better understood.â€? Earlier this month it was revealed that the title of “Lecturerâ€? would be replaced with the US – style “associate professor.â€? The intention of this change, according to the LSE, is to “bring clearer procedures and greater equity

to faculty members.� The change in title, although not compulsory, also brings a change in the pay level for staff. All those adopting the new title and American style career structure will receive an ‘automatic pay rise’ but lose their right to ‘annual incremental pay rises.’ To date, LSE have reported that 83 per cent of non-professional staff have chosen to move to the new structure, with 56 per cent of these being professors.

Concern for the changes was suggested by Mick Cushman, secretary atthe LSE’s University and College Union branch, “placing academic related staff such as librarians on a different pay structure could lead to resentment and internal divisions in the long term.� The LSE believe all recent changes made will help secure its status as a leading international university.

ÂŁ20.1 million donation creates Imperial’s Brevan Howard Centre Brevan Howard - the third largest hedgefund in the world, has made a historic ÂŁ20.1 million donation towards the set up of ‘The Brevan Howard Centre’ at Imperial College London. The centre is set to be “one of the most important centres for financial research in the worldâ€? according to Mervyn King (former governor of the Bank of England) and will be based in Imperial’s renowned business school.

Outsourced workers at Senate House win concessions following strike Hundreds of outsourced workers at the University of London (UoL) have won improved sick pay, holiday pay and pension rights from their employer, Balfour Beatty (BBW), having staged a twoday strike and protest this week. It was announced on Thursday that the workers – who include cleaners, security guards and receptionists – will be entitled to sick pay if they have been in their job for over three months. In addition, those employed for over three years will receive 25 days annual leave, with all other employees being entitled to 22 days off.

One in ten students has suicidal thoughts Suicidal thoughts are experienced by 13% of students during their time at university, the recently published National Union of Students’ (NUS) Mental Distress Survey revealed. Commissioned in May 2013, the study paints a worrying picture for the welfare of students throughout the country. Of those who claimed to have experienced suicidal thoughts, 11% stated that they experienced them all the time. Meanwhile, 40% of students had experienced a feeling of hopelessness or worthlessness during their time at university.

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LSE IDEAS lecture Islamophobia Awareness faces protests Month concludes Stanislava Kunovska

On the 26th November, Dr. Sergei Stanishev, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Party of European Socialists, was due to speak on “The Future of EU Enlargementâ€? during an LSE IDEAS lecture. Shortly before the event, however, his attendance was cancelled and a panel debate on the topic was scheduled as an alternative. The credibility of Dr. Stanishev as a speaker at the LSE was disputed by some due to the precarious situation in his home country, Bulgaria, which has allegedly been exaggerated. Bulgaria has seen more than 160 days of demonstrations against the current government, where there is a coalition with the Socialists, ethnic Turkish party and ultranationalist ATAKA (meaning “attackâ€?). Having supported the appointment of a notorious media mogul as the head of the Bulgarian Agency of National Security, Stanishev’s ideas are not being received well by the Bulgarian population; the consolidation of the new budget that significantly increased the national deficit, the failure to adequately respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, the use of police violence against the protestors and, generally, the refusal to resign despite the continuous large-scale protests and demands for new elections by a majority of the population. On this occasion, DANSwithme London, an informal group of Bulgarians supporting the protests in their home country, sent a letter to the chair of the LSE event, outlining their concerns about the viability of Dr. Stanishev as a speaker. According to the statement, â€œâ€Ś the future of EU enlargement lies in bringing the EU closer to its citizens, bridging the gap of democratic deficiency and endorsing the EU’s role as a democratic an-

chor for the post-communist states especially in the Western Balkans. Given the abovementioned, we do not see what lessons for the future of the EU Dr. Stanishev can share.� Indeed, participation of the Bulgarian Socialist Party leader in the event was cancelled. Instead Dimitar Bechev, Senior Policy Fellow and Head of Sofia Office, European Council for Foreign Relations, was invited to attend the panel debate organised by LSE IDEAS. During the discussion on “The Future of EU Enlargement�, Dr. Bechev pointed out that EU membership has sometimes been seen as a substitute rather than a support for democracy in recently-acceded countries; this is one of the flaws of the enlargement process. Such an unhealthy dynamic has been perfectly illustrated in Bulgaria, where democracy has failed in the face of a government that refuses to step down after protracted protest against its rule. Robert Cooper, a visiting professor from LSE IDEAS, reminded us that the “EU does not export democracy, it exports bureaucracy�. He and other participants in the IDEAS lecture, Lawrence Meredith from the European Commission, John Peet from the Economist and Piers Ludlow from the LSE, thus concluded that EU Enlargement requires genuine reform if it were successful. They expressed sympathy with the protesters’ demands in EU members like Bulgaria, and in countries aspiring to accession like Ukraine. They maintained that transparency and participation are crucial for the successful functioning of every state and the Union as a whole. Tackling the failure of democracy is thus crucial for overcoming the currently dominant enlargement fatigue, a core topic of Tuesday’s lecture. The general consensus, however, was that the European Union will not remain a group of 28 for much longer.

Rahat Siddique

On Tuesday 26th November, the LSESU in association with SUARTS (Students’ Union University of the Arts London) hosted an Islamophobia panel discussion, to conclude Islamophobia Awareness Month. The discussion was organised by LSE’s own Anti-Racism officer, Rayhan Uddin. Celebrating its two-year anniversary, Islamophobia Awareness Month has been commemorated across the country, with a range of talks and discussions taking place in various cities such as Birmingham and Manchester. Islamophobia has various definitions, but is synonymous with an exaggerated fear and hatred of Muslims and Islam. Thus the discussion intended to break down these barriers and provide an open platform for debate and learning. Assuming the structure of a two-tier discussion, the first panel debated the prev-

alence of Islamophobia on campus while the second debate took on the wider issue regarding Islamophobia in the UK. Chaired by LSE’s PhD student Nabila Munawar, the evening was filled with reflections on the face-veil, the role of Student Rights in fuelling Islamophobia and the government’s response to hostility towards Muslims in the political sphere. The first panel consisted of students and professors from different walks of life, who reported accounts of spying, hostility and violence towards Muslims on campuses across the UK and closer to home, in London. Tiana Bayemani , a Masters student at SOAS indicated her concern for the ‘rise of institutionalised Islamophobia’ on campuses. While AbdoolKarim Vakil, lecturer at Kings’ College London, indicated the inability to reorientate the university power structure to openly accept minority groups into posi-

tions of influence, indicated stagnation and cultivated Islamophobia. The perspectives in the second panel were as diverse as in the first, arguing a shift to the right in the political mood of the country and a pressing need to reverse the effects of Islamophobia in the legal system. However the gloom of the topic affected some in the audience, as one individual question how it was possible to look forward without feeling depressed, to which the panel replied ‘concrete action is when you can feel most optimistic’; final words that cemented the notion of activism and unity in the struggle against Islamophobia. The debate ended with the resolve to work harder in the effort to remove Islamophobia from within our own individual areas of work, and to achieve “inclusion and visibility� on campus as highlighted by Vakil.

TONIGH T!! TICKET S STILL AVAILA BLE RAG Sleeps Out for Spires on Houghton Street 0HJDQ &URFNHWW 6WD૸ :ULWHU

Thursday was not only American Thanksgiving, it was the night Raising and Giving (RAG) spent the night in Houghton Street in order to raise awareness and money for Spires, their dedicated charity for the year. 21 London School of Economics (LSE) students braved the cold conditions outside the Old Building and along Houghton Street in order to highlight the plight of the homeless. The event, which was organised by RAG with the help of Students Advocates International (SAI), has raised ÂŁ1,711.51 for

Spires to date. Spires is a day centre for homeless and vulnerable people in Lambeth. The centre not only provides shelter but also food, clothing and hot showers to those who need it across South London. Kanan Parida, a first year History and International Relations student said, “the sleepout showed me the value of human company and opened my eyes to the problem of homelessness with just a snapshot into the lives of the homeless.� Similarly Georgina Krause, a third year International Relations student and RAG committee member said, “The sleepout

opened my eyes to how isolating an experience it would be ‌ I so appreciated the company of others that I realised how incredibly lonely and vulnerable I would have felt without them.â€? The issue of homelessness is prevalent at the LSE as there are eight people who regularly “sleep roughâ€? around the LSE campus. Additionally, there are daily soup kitchens being facilitated in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which RAG had distributed food to thanks to donations from SAI.

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A lecture given by the CEO of Britain’s leading fracking company has attracted controversy. John Browne, Lord Browne of Madingley, delivered a talk entitled ‘A Fractured Future: climate change in an age of fossil fuel abundance’, in which he proposed the continued exploration of shale gas as a solution to the world’s energy crisis. He met with significant opposition in a vociferous but informed debate. The Cuadrilla head and former CEO of BP reflected on the famous 1997 speech he gave in the latter role, when he acknowledged the problem of climate change to widespread criticism in the oil industry. Sixteen years on, Browne drew a direct parallel between the action taken by BP under his leadership, positing that the company’s ‘response to climate change has delivered real success’. He presented increased exploration of gas as a necessary step towards a zero-carbon economy, and went on to praise the American government’s financial commitment

to fracking research as an energy alternative, accusing its opponents of ‘misplaced fear and dread threats’. Fracking, involves drilling into the earth to release shale gas. A rapidly growing sector of the American energy industry, the Energy Information Administration predicts that 46% of the United States’ gas supply will come from shale gas by 2035. In contrast, fracking has attracted increasing controversy in Britain. In April of this year, Cuadrilla was forced to withdraw advertising materials after they were found to contain misleading information on fracking. At the beginning of November, the company signed a new thirty-year lease on land in Balcombe, West Sussex, the site of much-publicised anti-fracking protests in August. Local campaign group the No Fracking in Balcombe Society claims its surveys shown that eighty per cent of villagers are opposed to fracking. One such resident was present at John Browne’s lecture. Unconvinced with his emphasis on ‘proven safety’ and the increase in property value that

follows the arrival of the energy industry, she questioned how Browne could advocate a process which carries serious health concerns. LSE Divest, a student group lobbying the School to adopt a ‘fossil-free’ divestment policy, protested in a statement released to the Beaver before the event. Much of their ire was focused on the Grantham Institute’s offer of an ‘unchallenged platform’ for Browne to ‘advertise his own interests’, with the group claiming that he was inaccurately portrayed as ‘a pro-climate maverick in the oil world’. Indeed, his ties to Cuadrilla were not divulged in the event description. While Browne spoke eloquently and with great conviction, a large section of the audience remained noticeably unconvinced. One audience member was ejected following an outburst aimed at the speaker’s perceived conflict of interest. At the end of the lecture, Browne described himself as optimistic. For the time being, perhaps that optimism is misplaced.

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The 25th of November marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. To raise awareness, the LSESU Feminist Society set up a stall as well as hosted a salon event in conjunction with TEDx LSE screening TED talks on violence against women, followed by a discussion of violence against women over tea. The stall on Houghton Street provided an opportunity for people to approach

the society, and ask about violence against women, and how it relates to feminism. The society supports Rape Crisis as its charity, as it provides crucial, long-term support to women who have suffered sexual violence, and raises awareness on the issue. The Feminist Society believed this to be a worthy cause, and sold zines for 50p each, but thanks to generous donations, raised twice the amount expected. The salon event looked at different talks on the subject matter, focusing on why

women stay with abusive men, and why such violence should be considered a men’s issue. The event created a safe space for attendees to discuss violence against women, and possible solutions to the problem. According to UN statistics, up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime, while between 500,000 to two million women are trafficked annually. The violence against women counts as a human rights violation, and impedes on development. Although violence against women is not inevitable, the United Nation has stated that, “prevention is possible and essential.� These are the figures that the society and the day hope to achieve awareness of, and open up a forum to discuss the causes and solutions for such a global pandemic. Sally Bonsall, President of the LSESU Feminist Society, described the topic as “very difficult to talk about on Houghton Street�, but added, “on the whole I felt very positive about the support we received.� It was maintained that although the issue is a troubling one, the awareness raised in the community proves a positive force.

Although Scahill has been criticized by the Guardian Jeremy Scahill, an Ameri- for using “silly, Bourne-style can investigative journalist, thriller graphics,� placing seeks to expose criminality himself at the centre of the and corruption at the centre story and failing to be ‘objecof the American system in tive’, there is a wider debate the documentary adaptation here to be discussed. With of his book Dirty Wars. Struc- funding slashed, the investitured like a thriller, Sca- gative journalism undertakhill starts en by Scahill to piece is few and together far between. small parts The culof a puzzle ture of the to create a newsroom is picture of dominated hidden wars by profesthe Unitsional norms ed States that prevent is waging, report such beginning as this to WIKIMEDIA firstly in Afeven begin. ghanistan Journaland leadists are uning him to der intense Yemen and pressure to Somalia, churn out among other ‘hot’ stocountries. ries, which Scahill bee n c o u r gins his ages the journey in use of elite Afghanisources and stan with is unintenan innocent tionally perfamily who petuating has been the status the victim quo. of a night This is inraid led tensified in by “Ameriwar reportcans with ing, where beards.� In journalthis incident ists need a an Ameriquick story. can trained FurtherAfghan pomore, since lice commander and two journalists are often embedpregnant women were mur- ded with a military unit this dered, under the accusation creates tensions between a of being part of the Taliban. journalist’s duty to uncover Scahill uncovers an increas- the truth, and the fact that ing number of drone strikes they are dependent on the and targeted assassinations unit they are assigned to, being carried out by the and encouraged to deviate US. His investigation leads away from for their safety. him to the Joint Special Op- This is deepened when a erations Command (JSOC) a journalist is facing a choice seemingly mysterious organ- between reporting in a patriization that reports directly otic or professional way. The to the White House; the same pressure to adhere to the fororganization that have been mer could mean the public celebrated for the assassina- in many cases are unaware tion of Bin Laden, has a far of the dark truth, which has more complex story to tell. been brought to light in Dirty We are told a gruesome tale Wars. This highlights the imof the deaths of blameless portance of Scahill’s mission children, men and women to delve deeper and break in countries the US is not at free of the constraints and war with by this organization web of relations that are ofgiven the power by the US ten associated with journalPresident to operate beyond ism. the law. Perhaps the widely acknowlHis message is clear; killing edged criticism of Scahill as leads to more killing. Unde- giving the impression of a clared wars are being waged self-important journalist is across the world and the not too far off the mark, but ‘war on terror’ perpetuates nonetheless, he should be as unlawful killing and radi- praised for pursuing rigorcalizes people at the receiv- ous investigative journalism ing end of these attacks. Sca- despite a newsroom culture hill claims ‘the war on terror that does not support it. One [has been] transformed into a can only wonder what else self-fulfilling prophecy’, with there is we are being kept in no end yet in sight, and only the dark about. intensifying under Obama’s Presidency. $OH[D 1DVK

“The world has become America’s battlefield. And we go anywhere and everywhere we want.�

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Tuesday December 3, 2013

Opinion It’s time to stop demonising Muslim students Mohamed Harrath and Rayhan Uddin At a time when hate crimes against Muslims are rapidly rising in the capital (up 92.3% in the year to August 2013 according to the Metropolitan Police), the second annual Islamophobia Awareness Month, happening this November, could not have come at more apt a time. Whilst events and exhibitions held on campuses across the country to raise awareness about this pernicious form of prejudice are crucial, what is most important at a time like this is that students of all backgrounds stand alongside their Muslim classmates to say that hatred, prejudice, and bigotry are unacceptable and ought to be challenged. That is why we are proposing a motion at this week’s UGM urging students to say no to Islamophobia, especially when directed at Muslim students. How the ‘campus extremism’ debate fuels Islamophobia At a recent conference on campus extremism at the LSE, featuring experts on the issues of extremism, freedom and security, there was a consensus view amongst the speakers that the debate on campus extremism has been

exaggerated and distorted creating a climate where Muslim students are increasingly demonised. Indeed, Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, has consistently sought to redress this misconception by explaining that there is no evidence of a link between “student radicals” and violent extremism, a view endorsed by the Home Affairs select committee report on ‘The Roots of Violent Radicalisation’. So why all the hysteria? In his book, The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims, Nathan Lean argues that “the tide of Islamophobia that is sweeping through Europe and the United States is not a naturally occurring phenomenon”, he insists it is the “design” of a network of anti-Muslim bloggers, politicians, pundits and religious leaders who have been all too successful in whipping up anti-Muslim sentiment with all its devastating consequences. ‘Student Rights’ Organisations such as Student Rights, a supposedly ‘non-partisan’ group, yet which has strong links to the

hard-right Henry Jackson Society, an organisation who’s senior staff features Douglas Murray, who infamously argued that “conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder,” has continuously sought to inflate fears of campus extremism. This injurious campaign has had a detrimental impact on the welfare of Muslim students by feeding into a climate that increasingly demonises them. In turn, this has contributed to a climate of suspicion surrounding Britain’s 100,000 Muslim students, who nonetheless work tirelessly to build more inclusive and accepting educational environments. (For example, Student Rights has been instrumental in motivating far-right groups, including the notorious English Defence League, in their efforts to intimidate Muslim students at campus events in Essex, Nottingham, Reading and other towns and cities across the country.) It’s also worth noting that the organisation has zero input from actual students, and further diminishing credibility in face of the growing calls for the organisation to cease its activities. Liam Burns, former President of the National Union

of Students, was right to express his concerns about Student Rights and condemn the organisation’s tactics in seeking to divide students at a recent meeting in the House of Lords, a sentiment I know is shared by many students’ union leaders up and down the country, including our sabbs here at LSE. If Student Rights wants to play a positive role in contributing to more inclusive and cohesive campuses, they ought to have a radical rethink of their approach to questions on faith, the public square and campus life. But until then, organisations that serve to inflame Islamophobia on our campuses ought to be made aware that students, regardless of their political leanings, will not sit idle whilst a hostile campaign of intimidation and bullying is waged on some of the more vulnerable in their number. Muslim student contribution Muslim students contribute immensely to their campuses and are an integral part of our national fabric. The annual ‘charity week’ has raised a total of £2.4m since its inception in 2004. Not bad for a bunch of stu-

dents living on shoestring budgets. Or there is the Islamic Society at Oxford University which organised the ground breaking ‘Rethinking Islamic Reform’ conference in 2010, demonstrating the leadership of Muslim students in grappling with the big questions of faith, politics, identity and citizenship. And even on the question of campus extremism, the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) held a conference with leading experts and stakeholders in 2011 and supported another one organised by the LSE Students’ Union this year. Who can say then that Muslim students do not play a key role in enriching university life and building inclusive campuses? The problems faced by Muslim students met with an often indifferent and silent mainstream, the problem is only becoming exacerbated. The increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in Britain has had disastrous consequences for the inclusion of Muslim students in civic society. It’s time we took a stand against hate and bigotry and put an end to the demonisation of Muslims on our campuses.

LSESU General Meeting, Photo Credit: LSESU Tumblr

UGM “No Platform” Motion Vote December 5, 2013 1PM - Old Theatre Make your voice and vote matter!

Tuesday December 3, 2013

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Opinion

You don’t defeat fascists by behaving like them Jason Wong Christopher Hulm :LOO 'XૻHOG On December 5th, the UGM will vote on a ‘No Platform’ policy proposed by members of the Feminist Society Natalie 1XQQ DQG +HOHQD 6FKRனHOG If passed, the motion will ban any individuals the SU deem to be a ‘fascist’, ‘holocaust denier’ or ‘rape apologist’ from being a member of any student union societies and AU clubs or from speaking on campus. ,Q HŕŽ‰HFW WKH ‍Ú?‏1R 3ODWIRUP‍ ڑ‏ motion would grant the Executive Committee McCarthy-like power to arbitrarily label students as ‘fascists’, ‘holocaust deniers’ or ‘rape apologists’ before forcefully banning and

silencing them. Instead of confronting and defeating extremist ideologies, this motion quashes free speech and prevents debate. Most worryingly, it gives unchecked and undue power to the SU Executive, which could easily be abused in the future. The beliefs of fascists, holocaust deniers and rape apologists are undoubtedly vile, backwards and repugnant. If allowed to spread unchallenged, these ideas can cause real harm. The disagreement between classical liberals and our opponents, the authoritarian left, is not in whether we

endorse the ideologies of fascists, holocaust deniers and rape apologists. We share the concerns of Natalie and Helena in that the politics of hatred and radicalism has no place at /6( ,QVWHDG WKH GLŕŽ‰HUHQFH between classical liberals and the authoritarian left is in how we wish to confront and defeat these vile ideologies. And as proponents of free speech, we believe that you don’t defeat fascists by behaving like them. The only way to truly put vile ideologies in the ground is to expose them to the scouring presence of public scrutiny. By censoring extremists, the

students’ union will only grant them a veil of persecution to hide behind and instead of being forced to back their indefensible positions, the SU will allow fascists, rape apologists and holocaust deniers to play the ‘victim card’ of marginalisation. If passed, this motion will KDYH D FKLOOLQJ HŕŽ‰HFW XSRQ campus debate and award a small portion of the student body the power to behave in an authoritarian fashion. It could also provide a convenient means for the SU executive to silence their political critics.

We don’t doubt that Natalie 1XQQ DQG +HOHQD 6FKRனHOG‍ڑ‏V intentions are in the right place. The proposers of this motion are entirely correct in that the politics of hatred has no place at LSE. However the disagreement is in how we confront such vile ideologies and unfortunately the ‘No Platform’ motion is simply insufficient in achieving such goals. It is clear that no proponent of liberalism, whether left or right, could support such a motion.

Why I will resign from LSESU politics: the “No Platform� motion on Thursday 5th December Alistair Hughes, Head of Politics & Forum Society We should be happy. Political debate is front and centre on the LSE campus again, playing a key role in students’ lives at the School. When I re-started the Politics Society at the beginning of this year this was precisely my aim: like many people at LSE, I was fed up with the apathy on campus towards key political issues and therefore sought to expand and formalise debate between students from all backgrounds and across academic disciplines. And yet just nine weeks into this new project to build a strong and successful political culture on campus, I am forced to consider resigning from my position as President of the Politics & Forum society. This is not a step I take lightly. But the No Platform motion to be debated in the UGM on Thursday 5th December would make my ability to run the society untenable. The premise of the motion is a good one. Banning hatespeakers of any kind from campus is a necessity that cannot be argued against. The beliefs detailed in the motion are all

ones which I share and uphold passionately. I also would not share a platform or allow my society to host a person who is simply there to propagate his or her intolerant views. If this motion simply condemned those the School community consider fascists, rape-apologists and holocaust-deniers then I would not be writing this article today.

“It is clear that neither the authors of this motion, nor the students who will be voting on LW NQRZ GH૽QLWLYHO\ what constitutes a ‘fascist’.â€? Unfortunately this is not the case. This motion, withRXW GHனQLWLRQ H[SODQDWLRQ RU due democratic process seeks to ban people from speaking at LSE. It is clear that neither the authors of this motion, nor the students who will be vot-

ing on it, and that includes P\VHOI NQRZ GHனQLWLYHO\ ZKDW constitutes a “fascistâ€?. In fact the motion is so open-ended as to include the resolution ‘That the Executive Committee of the Students’ Union may designate organisations and individuals, beyond those outlined in this motion, as fascists, Holocaust deniers or rape apologists’. Why is this clause so important? Because it means every single speaker which any society or club seeks to engage with would have to be cleared by the SU as politically acceptable before you could invite them in. If AU Football was offered the chance to be trained for a day by Paulo Di Canio, would the Executive Committee allow it? If the Liberal Democrats (as happened earlier this term) had the chance to invite prospective Member of Parliament Maajid Nawaz, would the SU allow this former radical Islamist speak about his organisation which QRZ OHDGV WKH னJKW LQ WKH 8. against extremism? More importantly who would want to come to speak

to LSE societies in the future? If every time you contacted a speaker you had to warn them that you would have to clear them with your SU in case their politics didn’t match whoever had been voted in as Gen Sec and that the process

“If this motion is passed I could not remain President of the Politics & )RUXP VRFLHW\ EHFDXVH P\ UROH ZRXOG EH WR ૽JKW SHWW\ EDWWOHV RYHU HYHU\ VLQJOH speaker event...â€? could take weeks because it would require a UGM debate etc., most would simply walk away. The system we have at the moment is one which provides oversight of society activities while also allowing elected committee members to act on behalf of their members to

provide the best events line-up possible. If members do not agree with their actions, they can choose not to attend, they can leave the society, or they can propose a vote of no conனGHQFH 6RFLHWLHV KDYH ZULWWHQ constitutions which protect members and the wider community from holding events WKDW ZRXOG RŕŽ‰HQG ,W LV VLPSO\ not necessary to impose arbitrary and abstract powers on a structure that already works well and has seen LSESU clubs and societies become some of the most successful in London. If this motion is passed I could not remain President of the Politics & Forum society because my only role would EH WR னJKW SHWW\ EDWWOHV RYHU every single speaker event I would ever want to run. Politics & Forum society belongs to its members and its committee should be answerable only to them. I did not get involved with politics at LSE to cause division, which is exactly what this motion seeks to do. It is not good for the community at LSE. And I strongly urge you to vote against it this Thursday.

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Tuesday December 3, 2013

Opinion

Sexism at LSE Credit: Sexism at LSE Facebook photo album

Gabriel Everington A Facebook page was created the other called day called ‘Sexism at LSE’. The idea is that people submit reports of sexism they experienced or witnessed at LSE (there is now an option to do so anonymously, via sayat.me) and the page publishes those reSRUWV DQRQ\PRXVO\ 0\ னUVW UHaction on seeing the page was one of admiration for the administrators, and to speculate over whether any of the submissions would mention the reports I had heard of men in the crowd at the AU’s ‘Take Me Out’ the previous evening chanting ‘sluts’ at the women on stage. Sadly, that was quickly followed by the sinking realisation that this was a troll’s paradise. Sure enough, the trolls arrived in their droves. Even worse, they just were not very good at trolling, a giggling herd of unimaginative, unrepentant morons. These are the sort of people who think writing ‘LAD’ in block capitals is a legitimate substitute for chat. Listen up,

Nona Buckley-Irvine )RU WKH னUVW WLPH VLQFH ,‍ڑ‏YH been at the LSE, there has been some serious discussion of sexism, feminism, and misogyny between students. Not just the left wing hipsters, not just the feminists stereotyped as braburners, but between those who are regarded as the worst perpetrators of misogyny: the Athletics Union. Let’s start by saying that the AU is not the only place at LSE where sexism takes place, nor the worst. Speak to a smug quantitative student who thinks that women cannot do maths, or check out the macho culture at the School itself among academics who refuse to let women progress to leadership positions. The AU is where incidents are most highlighted, largely due to the strong social life on campus it provides and the long standing negative perception certain individuals have generated over time. Two weeks ago, a particular sports team chanted ‘Slut’ at a girl who was on stage during their annual showing of ‘Take Me Out’. Personally, I love the show. I think it’s entirely cringe worthy, but a lot of harmless

bruh: it wasn’t in 2009 when it was actually a thing, and it isn’t now. Such feeble attempts at comedy might be endearing if they weren’t, y’know, symptomatic of a culture which oppresses people according to morally arbitrary characteristics like gender. Then came the most startling realisation: plenty of these people actually believed that the group, and in particular its coverage of the event the night before, was unfair. One post on the group read ‘the fact the cover photo says “it’s like a boys’ clubâ€? which suggests sexism is RQO\ DQ LVVXH ZRPHQ VXŕŽ‰HU IURP because men are the perpetrators’. Sigh. As Martin Falder’s response to the post pointed out, ‘in fairness, cismen can’t experience sexism’. In their righteous fury the author of the post not only forgot to use correct punctuation, they also conveniently overlooked the issue that maleERGLHG PHQ GR QRW VXŕŽ‰HU JHQGHU discrimination in our culture.

Men are the dominant gender in our society. They hold higher political office, are paid more and celebrated more. Every day we partake in a vision of society which promotes misogyny. We subscribe to gender roles and norms that subjugate women to the will and views of men. This is not radical political thinking, it is a statement of fact. These are facts just as it is a fact that there is massive wealth disparity in our society, and that those in poVLWLRQV RI SRZHU UHŕŽ‹HFW DQG VHHN WR PDLQWDLQ WKDW VWDWH RI DŕŽ‰DLUV And just as there are those who choose to ignore or dispute that fact to serve their own perceived interests, there are those who deny the existence of patriarchy. Defenders of ‘men’s’ rights’ (I’d call them ‘neckbeards’ if my own facial hair didn’t resemble a blow-dried weasel) will doubtless counter that several women ‍Ú?‏OLNHG‍ ڑ‏WKH RŕŽ‰HQGLQJ SRVWV DQG comments in the group. Admittedly, it is difficult – wrong, even – for a man in my position

to criticise those women. So, guess what, I’m going to criticise men instead. Internalised misogyny – that is, when women with otherwise egalitarian views unconsciously characterise their own gender as inferior to men, or resent other women – is a result of misogynistic oppression; we live in a society which normatively ascribes these roles for men and women. There are plenty of men who dislike such revelations of truth, who resent what they see as stigmatisation and indeterminate discrimination against their gender. Ignoring the spectacular irony of white men, doyens of privilege when it comes to these morally arbitrary criteria, complaining about sexism, there is a simple solution to this problem: don’t be a dickhead, mate. To use a Christian phrase (a religion which, it should be noted, has a lot to answer for historically when it comes to gender VWUDWLனFDWLRQ DQG WKH RSSUHVVLRQ of women), treat others as you

would wish to be treated yourselves. If you behave in a manner which cannot reasonably be criticised, treating women as you’d ideally like to be treated as a man, you cannot be insulted by criticism of sexist men. Recognise women’s oppression, and RŕŽ‰HU \RXU VXSSRUW DV DQ DOO\ ,I it is declined, which it may reasonably be, accept the refusal graciously. Do not act in a manner which entrenches or furthers that oppression, on an individual or societal level. Don’t be afraid to criticise your peers. Again, you cannot be insulted by characterisations of men if you are not one of those men. It really is not that hard to recognise your own privilege as a man and to act accordingly. Obviously women do not need men like me to speak for them. There is value though in talking to your own peers, in men taking up the issue with other men. Don’t like being called a sexist? Simple – don’t be one.

AU Sexism fun. It went wrong that night because of the behaviour of a select few, who chose to vilify a girl over her preferences for a certain sports team over another. Not only was this sexist, it was bullying. Under no circumstances should a woman or man be made to feel embarrassed over their choice of sexual partner. Someone responded to this criticism of sexism by making a passing comment that the women on stage were objectifying boys by judging them on their looks and talents, and that is equally sexist. Well that’s wrong, but it’s an important point to bring up because the lines between appreciation of VRPHRQH REMHFWLனFDWLRQ DQG sexism are easily confused. Firstly, let’s start with us humans appreciating the fact that ZH DUH D ELW VXSHUனFLDO DW WLPHV and enjoy good looking people. 2XU னUVW LQVWLQFWLYH MXGJHPHQW of a person is based on what we see, and then what we hear. It is a fact of life, and there’s nothing wrong with that either, as long DV ZH GRQ‍ڑ‏W VROHO\ EDVH RXU னQDO judgements of people on looks alone.

A show like Take Me Out is an example of that. A sexist element does not exist – a superனFLDO RQH GRHV LW LV D ELW FUDVV DQG QDŕŽ‰ EXW WKDW‍ڑ‏V ZKHUH WKH fun lies. It’s not the most wholesome way to judge a person, but to deny our judgemental natures would be to become pretentious and disingenuous. Alas! These things can go wrong. A sexist element arose on Wednesday when a group of boys chose to chant ‘Slut’ at a girl who was standing on stage engaging in light hearted ‘banter’. Slut is a word we use to describe a female who is sexually promiscuous, and you and I both know that it is far from complimentary. It’s disrespectful, it reduces females to sexual objects, and is a hideous label designed to make girls feel bad about the fact that they have sex. And let me just make clear – it is both sexes that use it against women, which is the worst part about it. But on this occasion, it was a group of ‘lads’. It was sexist, and wrong, because it was used as a gendered insult to cause harm. Imagine a Take Me Out where it is girls being judged by boys. Boy says something

about the girls. Would we hear netball yelling ‘slut’ at that boy? No. We do not actually possess a negative word that is gendered towards a man, designed to ridicule him for his sexual activities. That double standard represents what was so wrong in the situation and how women DUH DQG FRQWLQXH WR EH YLOLனHG for enjoying what boys enjoy so much themselves. Wikipedia states that ‘ObjecWLனFDWLRQ PHDQV WUHDWLQJ D SHUson as a thing, without regard to their dignity.’ Firstly, the boys were not treated as ‘things’ as they had the opportunity to show sufficiently hilarious videos of them to the audience, and the girls on stage. If anything, WKH JLUOV ZHUH PRUH REMHFWLனHG as LSE’s boys chose their dates with little knowledge or information of what they were about, basing their decisions on the girls’ looks. It’s hard to see where the obMHFWLனFDWLRQ DURVH WKHUH 0RVWO\ the girls in the room had a lot of respect for boys being so selfdeprecating and willing to put themselves on stage – there was no real loss of dignity for the boys, and it was all friendly and

in jest. I struggle to see when a boy loses status even if he is ‍Ú?‏REMHFWLனHG‍ ڑ‏:KHQ LW KDSSHQV WR a girl, it undermines her credibility as an intelligent person, and lends her to jokes about sleeping with people. Would the same happen with a guy? No, because even if he is subject to ‘banter’, he is still seen as a lad. There is nothing wrong with people judging each other’s looks as long as it is done in a way that respects the fact that people are also human beings, with intelligence, talents, and a sense of humour. It should be a laugh. That doesn’t fall guilty of REMHFWLனFDWLRQ DQG VH[LVP EHcause it doesn’t disrespect the essence of that person. It isn’t a double standard in the slightest, as some have argued. However, making girls feel like they are in the wrong for expressing interests in guys, or having sex with them, is sexism through and through. Making them feel embarrassed about something

that men can freely enjoy is a display of engrained inequality. For every ‘slut’ deplored, there is a ‘lad’ cheered on. There’s the real double standard, and no more of it please.

Tuesday December 3, 2013

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10

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Opinion

A British mining company’s exploitation of Sierra Leone “Exploit and go, love, that’s all we’re here to do, exploit and go.” Isabella Mosselmans As the supervisor accompanied by two fellow engineers working for London Mining, uttered these words to me, I realized that the the word humane in the English language was wrongly constructed, because some humans, and more prominently some human organizations, are devoid of passion or benevolence. Sierra Leone: Civil war, rape, murder, corruption, devastation, child soldiers, blood diamonds. No. These words may be the words that come to your mind when you hear the country’s name but that’s not what the country is now. Having spent 3 months in the country, peace, hope, reconciliation, perseverance, tolerance, strength, potential are what define Sierra Leone. The country has exemplary religious tolerance. Muslims and Christians inter-marry, vans drive by with “God bless Allah” written on them. The sense of community, solidarity and hospitality is overwhelming. People look out for each other, people help each other, and people appreciate everything, no matter how small, that they have in life. What still hinders the country from developing is corruption and foreign exploitation. 70% of people live below the poverty line. While natural resources should offer West African countries a route out of such poverty, many obstacles remain before the wealth that these minerals create reaches the poor. This is not a situation where you can simply place the blame on the government. British companies exploitation of both the government and the people also play a major role. If mining companies demonstrated corporate social responsibility in Sierra Leone, this resource curse could disappear and they could significantly improve the lives of 6 million people. Currently, these companies exploit Sierra Leone in three different ways, legally, economically and socially. One of the major grievances that the people of Sierra Leone have with foreign mining companies is their refusal to pay adequate levels of tax. Neither of the British mining companies working in Sierra Leone have conformed to the Mining Act of 2009

that was created with international support to ensure that foreign mining companies operated in a responsible way. Instead of ensuring this legal framework is honoured, the Government has

es, the poverty rate could be reduced drastically. Let me demonstrate with an example: it costs on average £15 to send a child to school for a year in Sierra Leone. So let’s say 4 million of the popula-

It is one thing to economically exploit a country; it is another to socially exploit their population as well. White British miners in major towns in Sierra Leone sleep with under-age and vulner-

Credit: photos taken by the author, Isabella Mosselmans

sharply lowered the tax rates paid by both companies, while simultaneously introducing a tax on goods and services that has raised consumer prices. The companies persuaded the Government that their unorthodox fiscal arrangements and opt-outs were justified by the risks of a post-conflict society. Yet it has been 10 years since the civil war; the people are hard-working and peaceful there are very few “risks” of conflict breaking out again. The 2010 election passed without problems. The company’s argument for evading tax is therefore outdated and invalid. Sierra Leone gross domestic product (GDP) is $2 billion, with a population of 6 million, whilst African Minerals is expected to receive $1 billion dollars revenue from its iron ore project in 2015. If a fraction of mining profits were given to the government to go towards resourc-

tion is under 18. That’s 60 million pounds to send everyone in Sierra Leone to school for a year. That’s 6% of African Mineral’s expected revenue. By giving 6% of their profit to the country could ensure all children have education. Obviously these statistics are approximate and Sierra Leone has many other pressing needs, but this is a clear example of where the money could go. The social exploitation in Sierra Leone by mining companies goes from land grabs to the fueling of prostitution. One town I came across that had been affected by land grabs was Lunsar. London Mining has put beacons all around the town claiming these mark the boundaries of their leased land, including through the site of the oldest Secondary School in Lunsar. The local population sees the impositions thus made by London Mining as an attempt to wipe Lunsar off the map.

able prostitutes. A student in Makeni, Foray Sawanneh, explained to me that “Everyday they pass around the town going to bars using prostitutes - most of whom are underage. They are supposed to tell these girls to pursue their education but instead they sit at a big table and call my schoolmates to have sex with them. One of my friends, Abiatu, decided to sell herself to provide for her family and fund her education - her father had advised her not to become a prostitute but she decided she had to because of money. After the first person she had sex with, one of the white African Minerals workers, she was HIV positive. That is why I hate these people. She was ashamed to talk to me because she thought she would expose the HIV sickness. I asked her for the man’s name and address but he lived in a hotel. She did not come back to school because she felt too

ashamed.” Abiatu, aged 17 years old, died on September 17 2012 of AIDS. And as Pascale Hall, an adviser at Christian Aid, who lived in Sierra Leone for a year points out “the worst thing is that they show no guilt, no remorse”. This is not just happening in Sierra Leone; HIV/AIDS in South Africa is heavily fueled by prostitution surrounding mining circles. The problem is the girls, like Abiatu, often see it as their only choice. In post-conflict countries people are very apprehensive to question anything. They are instinctively nonconfrontational due to the fact that they are terrified that civil war might visit their country again. Moreover, the government is also too weak to stand up to anyone for their country’s rights. What this leaves is a perfect condition for foreign exploitation. Mining companies are not dealing as best as they can with the troubles resulting from the war as they claim, what they have on their hands is a country of people full of potential, but one that is acutely susceptible to any form of economic exploitation due to their reluctance to question anything. When I explain this problem to people- the suffering people in Africa are caused by Western mining companies the response I usually get is: “well someone has to exploit the resources - if it wasn’t them it’d be someone else,” or “it would be impossible to change.” Perhaps, for once, instead of being complacent and just accepting society as it is, we should all try and change something and call upon corporations to take social responsibility. If you don’t aim for something, you’ll never achieve it. To dismiss something as “impossible” to me seems a feeble excuse to condone the exploitation occurring worldwide. I am not asking everyone to join a NGO, all I ask is that the companies you deal with and work for makes a profit while still being socially responsible. And, if you’re inclined, join our campaign in January to STOP BRITISH EXPLOITATION IN SIERRA LEONE, and just this once decide to decide.

the

Beaver

11

Tuesday December 3, 2013

Opinion

Our system of higher education is broken Dan Martin This is not a good time to be involved in UK higher education. This week The Times revealed that university press officers have deleted negative information from Wikipedia to improve their institution’s public image – just the latest in a string of bad news stories surrounding British universities, suggesting they are in a huge mess. Last month, the universities minister revealed that undergraduates now receive less tutor feedback and assessments than 50 years ago. Only at Oxford and Cambridge do students receive a comparatively good service; small tutorial groups, individual feedback, continuous rigorous assessment and significant contact time with leading academics. But Oxbridge receives additional funding for these activities (much criticised by other universities) and other institutions cannot compete. Even at the LSE, supposedly one of the UK’s most prestigious institutions, we receive an extraordi-

narily poor service. These failings are systemic. Undergraduates’ contact with leading academics is often limited to large lectures of 800 students and while some PhD student teachers are excellent, many are mediocre; very few have enough knowledge to promote truly stimulating debate. Classes led by senior academics can be revelatory for students because they are so much more engaging than those led by graduate teaching assistants. But evaluation of students’ engagement with course material is inadequate – it is not uncommon for qualitative courses to require just one essay through the whole academic year. Without regular assessments, students have little indication of their ability in any given course until the summer exams. Assessment feedback is also unsatisfactory and inconsistent between departments because the School is obsessed with department independence.

These problems are not insurmountable. The LSE is a profitable institution, making a surplus of around £20 million last year. Some of that surplus should be ploughed back into undergraduate programmes and departments could easily align in some areas. Indeed, Craig Calhoun made an early commitment to raising teaching standards. The School’s leadership, however, is on course to make the situation even worse. Inevitably, there will soon be major changes to the LSE, regardless of the results of the Students’ Union’s recent survey. Paul Kelly, among others, is too committed to many of his proposed reforms to pull out now. Those proposals – including increasing department independence, seminars of 70 students, and radical changes to the School term – address none of our biggest problems but have the potential to undermine the LSE’s reputation even further. We face the same pressures

as other higher education institutions in this country: cuts to funding, demands on academics to produce the ‘right’ research, and a shortage of resources. Instead of responding to these threats by protecting our most valuable commodity – academic excellence – the LSE is pressing ahead with plans to splurge on new buildings, increase undergraduate student numbers without corresponding increases in teaching staff, and move towards a model that places even more onus on individual students. It would be no surprise, then, if the LSE was following other universities in doctoring its Wikipedia page – it will soon need to, if it has any hope of holding on to its reputation. The UK used to set the standards for higher education. No longer: the US now leads the way, in terms of research output, teaching and value: average graduate debt in the US is just £15,700. The introduction of £9,000 fees without the financial aid available in the US

means UK graduate debt will soon outpace that of Americans’. And we give our students far less. The LSE claims the direct cost of educating an undergraduate is £8,400 but fails to mention that this figure includes costs associated with the library, IT, administration and more. That the School quotes this figure and charges international students over £15,000 is ludicrous; the service received does not match the fees charged. Of course research must be paid for somehow, but all funding options must be explored before undergraduates are squeezed. We are teetering on the brink. The UK has already fallen behind its key competitor in higher education, and the fee to service balance, even at our most elite universities, is a disgrace. The system requires a radical overhaul – one that the LSE could be at the forefront of, but one that the School’s leadership seems unwilling to pursue.

:KHQ EUDYHU\ SD\V R૸ YLFWRU\ DJDLQVW ‘revenge porn’ Martha Petrocheilos - Online Editor Shame, disgust, and aversion - these only begin to describe my first reaction towards Hunter Moore, and it’s safe to say they constitute a euphemism. The “most hated man in the Internet” is the creator of a - now defunct - revenge porn website “Is Anyone Up?” It’s contents included revealing photos and videos, mainly of women, linking them to their social networking profiles on Facebook and Twitter. The outrage does not stem inexplicably - most of the photos were hacked from the users’ personal computers (a despicable 40%) or were submitted by partners from their previous relationships. The salacious interest following this revenge porn website in effect destroyed the lives of millions of women, since Moore did not hesitate to also include their family names, phone numbers, and places of work. The notorious Internet provocateur proudly claimed that the photos on his website would “question if you will ever want to have kids” - and from this alone, the legal aspect of it all comes to light. Although he had received various lawsuits and takedown requests

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from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, he evaded any serious criminal accusation. Also, he was fortunate enough to rely on the legal umbrella of the U.S. Communications Decency Act 1996, s.30 which explicitly states that website proprietors are not to blame for content submitted to them by third parties. Nevertheless, potential legal problems can indeed arise, under Tort Law, since those parties providing Moore with the content can be accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress and publication of private facts. Nevertheless, all this never stopped him or seemed to even annoy the infamous domain owner, until one week ago. Charlotte Laws, mother of one of the victims, changed all that. Her 24-year-old daughter, Kayla, was taking photos

in her bedroom, one of which revealed her left breast. She emailed them to herself, with the intention to save them on her hard drive. Hunter Moore naturally took hold of them via his fabled hacking techniques. A few months later her photos appeared on the ‘Is Anyone Up’ website. Despite her mother’s countless emails to him to take it down, followed by kind requests to his lawyer, and publicity officer, the pictures were still up. It seemed that Moore was untouchable; lawsuits would cost $60.000 and he was well aware victims would fear if not the financial burden, the exposure that the pursuit would cause. For him, the victims were pure “sluts”, “ugly whores” and “whales”. Pornography was just taken to a whole new level; the goal had now shifted to ridiculing

and destroying lives. Kayla - as with many of the other embarrassed victims felt hopeless, defenceless and withdrawn. The website was operating in a platform that the law was still, to a great extent, untested in civil courts, and non-existent in criminal ones. Kayla’s determined mother met with numerous victims who had been featured online; she had gathered various testimonies and had now established the basis for a big time lawsuit against Moore. The stories she listened to were horrendously depressing: photos were being hacked, morphed, photoshopped, stolen. Charlotte Laws contacted Facebook who warned Moore of being potentially banned from the website since he was infringing copyright laws by linking to his victims’ Facebook profiles; and Moore’s response was a photo of his penis. The social media website had no choice but to kick him out, as did Paypal, thus barring him from collecting donations to fund his website. It was only when the FBI got involved that Kayla’s photo went down. Now, a collective directive had been cre-

ated with names and numbers of victims from all over the country, which left the most hated man in the Internet with no choice but to sell the domain to an anti-bullying organization. The police raided Moore’s home and when an interviewer tried contacting him in order to get a statement he responded with his usual not-so-discrete use of curses. When he realised it was some Mrs. Laws that had led him to lose control and legal rights of his company, genuine terror entered her life. He publically announced that now the website would become even more insidious than before, containing the addresses of the victims for his fans to have in handy - just in case. The team assisting Mrs. Laws was finally able to hack Moore’s servers and expose his personal information online, including his social security number. In the end, California passed an anti-revenge porn bill, with the prospect of a federal law to be introduced in due course. Justice has to some extent been restored, and the notorious Hunter Moore has been exposed.

Tuesday December 3, 2013

the

12

Beaver

Opinion

A response to our General Secretary Franck Magennis It is unfortunate that, in his Beaver article last week, Jay Stoll (to whom I will henceforth refer to as ‘Nick Clegg’) seemed to take criticism of LSESU so personally. ‘Nick Clegg’ is not responsible for the institutional structure which he inherited on assuming the position of General Secretary in 2013. The democratic deficit and lack of accountability that currently characterise our Union, as well as the question of the process by which it formulates its policy priorities, are in need of vigilant re-examination if the Union is to avoid inaction, irrelevance, and a tendency to stifle political debate. A long-overdue campuswide discussion needs to happen regarding the future of this Union. My aim here is to begin that discussion. How can the Union once again become an active, coherent political organisation rather than the tedious exercise in gift shop management that ‘Nick Clegg’ defended in his Beaver article last week? Historically, LSE and its Students’ Union represented social justice, speaking truth to power, and shining the light of reason onto the social problems of the day. Today, it is renowned as the investment banker crêche which produced many of the minds responsible for the emiseration of millions following the 2008 financial crisis. It is all too common for Union hacks to use the SU as a stepping stone to a well paid financial career. As an example of the way in which the Union is letting students down, consider the question of the University of London Union (ULU), which represents all University of London stu-

dents. There is a growing campaign in opposition to a recent decision to abolish ULU and replace it with an unaccountable services centre run by Univer-

“A long-overdue campus-wide discussion needs to happen regarding the future of this Union. My aim here is to begin that discussion” sity management. ‘Nick Clegg’ appears happy to stand idle while this huge change occurs, without allowing students to have their say. On what basis might the executive committee’s policy be challenged by students? With a weekly Union General Meeting (UGM) which meets in person and passes policy in real time; where any concerned student could submit a motion, have the issue debated, and establish Union policy. The executive committee, as our representatives, would then be bound to give effect to our collective voice. Why should this pose a problem? Answer: because it would end executive impunity, including their ability to permanently modify our Union’s position in the wider community of London students without our consent. When asked recently about Living Wage campaigns, ‘Nick Clegg’ proudly declared that LSE has paid its staff the London Living Wage since 2007. While ‘Nick Clegg’ was diligently studying for his GCSEs,

our Union was busy winning this important victory under precisely the institutional structure for which I am advocating. Fast forward to 2013, and ‘Nick Clegg’ is busy trying to claim credit for the various successes of previous administrations (the Student Services Centre, for example) rather than pursuing the current “3 Cosas” Living Wage campaign at the University of London. Our Union’s policies are almost entirely focused on LSE students, making virtually no mention of broader local, national and international campaigns. After heroically leveraging £26,000 of support from the University, ‘Nick Clegg’ snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by squandering the whole lot on free access to the FT’s website, forgetting that the FT was already available to students at a subsidised price. A UGM might have voted to spend that money on a fulltime welfare officer, a campaigner for international students’ rights, or on any other example you or I might think of. To criticise rampant careerism at LSE is not to reject the

“Broadly speaking, why isn’t our Union aiming towards a more ambitious, progressive set of policies?” existence of employment, nor to diminish the struggles faced by young people in securing work post-study. Rather, my criticism is leveled against

those cynical individuals who, in accordance with Union literature, view volunteering not as an intrinsically valuable use of time but solely as an instrument with which to further their career. Students in Canada provided an inspiring example of the potential power of collective action when they defeated the Canadian Government’s plans to increase student fees in 2012. In 2010-11 LSESU successfully campaigned for an (admittedly small) £500 reduction in fees. Why hasn’t ‘Nick Clegg’ sought to build on this important victory? Doing so would have a much greater financial benefit for every student than would free access to the FT’s website. Broadly speaking, why isn’t our Union aiming towards a more ambitious, progressive set of policies? I don’t doubt that it will take considerable political will, time and effort to re-establish a political, socially outwardlooking culture on campus. There has been a marked decline in student participation since sweeping constitutional reforms in 2010 modified our Union’s institutional structure. But the answer to the decline in direct student participation is not to further eradicate participatory institutions, but to strengthen them. ‘Nick Clegg’ is not scared of “50 people in a room”, as he disingenuously claims, but of 450 people in a room holding him to account, and passing policies that he might not want to enforce. Such, however, is the nature of democracy and accountability, and such should be the nature of LSESU. It is symptomatic of the

sorry state of our Union that I should have to occupy this newspaper’s valuable space with a political discussion that could and should have taken place at our UGM. The question of our Union’s institutional structure is important. The question of how we collectively interact and decide policy is important. The question of inclusiveness and democracy is important. We used to have the right to decide these things.

“In 2010-11 LSESU successfully campaigned for an (admittedly small) £500 reduction in fees. Why hasn’t ‘Nick Clegg’ sought to build on this important victory?” That right has been taken away, and ‘Nick Clegg’ doesn’t want us to have it back. A debate needs to happen about the future of this Union, and it needs to stretch beyond the closeted Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In last week’s Beaver, ‘Nick Clegg’ appeared to suggest that a belief in democracy was the preserve of the “extreme left”. I believe that democracy is the preserve of every student, and that his attempt to exclude us from the decision-making process is the real extreme position. Now more than ever, and regardless of our differing political positions, we can surely all agree that we need our UGM back.

Do you have a strong opinion on something going on at school or around the world? Drop us an email at Comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk and see your name in print!

The Beaver is one of the oldest student papers in the UK, and one of the few to print weekly. Visit us on thebeaveronline.com

The Beaver 03.12.2013

13

PartB maddy gynoid

14

03.12.2013 PartB

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fter months of anticipation, Katniss Everdeen is back on the silver screen for the second instalment of the hugely successful Hunger Games trilogy: Catching Fire. Following their rulebreaking achievement in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, where children from each of the 12 districts of the futuristic Panem are forced to compete in a televised fight to the death, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) attempt to adjust to life back in District 12 where they are now victors, celebrities and role models, trapped in a crowd-pleasing romance that had ensured their survival. However, during their Victory Tour of all 12 Districts in Panem, an unexpected impact of their little ruse in the arena was made apparent; the spark of the beginning of a revolution against the Capitol in the districts, ignited and inspired by the belief that Katniss and Peeta's double suicide attempt at the end of the last Hunger Games was a sign of rebellion and defiance against the Capitol. At the orders of the deadly President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the new Games Maker Caesar Flickerman (Philip Seymour Hoffman) suggests a simple solution to silence the discontent of the people: commissioning a special Hunger Games featuring previous victors, thus bringing Katniss

straight back into the arena in an attempt to damage her newfound reputation as the symbol of rebellion, and ultimately end her life. Catching Fire is an excellent sequel to the Hunger Games, and new director Francis Lawrence has confidently taken over the reigns and continued to steer the franchise in the right direction. With a whole host of new actors, including the brilliant Jena Malone and Sam Claflin (and a small cameo from Magda from Sex and the City), this film feels a lot older and more mature than the last one. It’s no longer a cast of children, and with adults now killing one another as well, this is even more cut-throat than before. Watching children kill each other was abhorrent and harrowing enough, but the Games this time around seems almost worse; these are adults who were once the children who had managed to survive the Games in the past (at great emotional and mental cost—look at Haymitch's drunkenness and Katniss's recurring nightmares) and are now forced back into the arena again to relive the most horrifying moments of their lives, psychologically scarred and twice as dangerous. As a result, the film is a raw, tense and an absolutely thrilling ride from start to finish. At first glance, Catching Fire seems to adhere to a tried and tested love tri-

angle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale: the unavoidable plot point in virtually every young adult film. In the second instalment of the franchise, Katniss and Peeta attempt to adjust to life after the Games as their “relationship� is paraded on national television and poured over by the residents of the Capitol during the Victory Tours. Back in District 12, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) watches forlornly from a distance as his best friend and the love of his life turns into an unrecognisable stranger. It does seem to tick all the boxes on the surface. However, the beauty of the Hunger Games is the fact that Katniss is wholeheartedly uninterested in being thrust into the middle of a battle for her affections. The marketing campaign doesn't hinge on fans picking to be on either Team Peeta or Team Gale. This film is unquestionably Team Katniss, and it’s truly refreshing to see a script that acknowledges the teen romance angle and dismisses it in favour of celebrating the strong female protagonist. This is the story of Katniss’ desperate fight for survival, the love for her sister and her attempt to find a place in a society on the verge of a revolution that she had unwittingly started. This isn’t Twilight; the story isn’t dictated by which strong, alpha male Katniss eventually settles on. It is by questioning the typical stereotypes and gender roles and refusing to adhere to them by focusing on more important and interesting issues that really makes this film stand out. It’s impossible to talk about the Hunger Games and not mention Jennifer Lawrence. Since the first film, Lawrence has enjoyed a meteoric rise in fame, achieving international success (and an Oscar) thanks to the amazing Silver Linings Playbook and firmly cementing a place in everyone’s hearts as a result of her honesty, sense of humour and lack of filter in interviews. In a world saturated with washed-up Disney stars, seeing Lawrence go from strength to strength with varied and

"

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script that acknowledges the

teen romance angle and dismisses it in favour of celebrating the strong female protagonist. carefully selected projects is fantastic. Originally dubbed too large to play Katniss, Lawrence has proved all her critics wrong by championing a positive and healthy body image for young girls. She’s one of the only actresses her age who can successfully pull off such an emotional, intelligent and complex character with moments of unabashed comedy and vulnerability as well. In some respects, therefore, Lawrence has become larger than the Hunger Games in the same way that Katniss has. The main draw is no longer the

devastating games forcing children to kill each other for entertainment but the smart young woman at the centre of it all. Catching Fire is a wonderful, thought-provoking film that is exciting and emotionally charged from the onset. If anything, it shows that it is possible to follow a book closely and still produce an excellent film: a concept so often lost in Hollywood. It’s worth seeing not only because of the talented Jennifer Lawrence, but because despite being a mainstream box office hit, it is anything but average, with questions of politics, morality, and reality television all informing and providing surprising depth to an already empowering and thrilling film. EMMA FORTH

Director: Francis Lawrence Writer(s): Simon Beaufoy, Michael deBruyn Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth Runtime 146 mins In cinemas now

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15

The Beaver 03.12.2013

ALESSANDRO ACQUISTI

TECHNOLOGY D

r. Alessandro Acquisti is a former MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics student at LSE. Now, he is the co-director of Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Center for Behavioral Decision Research (CBDR) and an Associate Professor of Information Technology and Public Policy at the Heinz College at CMU. His work focuses on the economics of privacy and privacy on social networks. In this interview to The Beaver, he reveals the story behind his professional development and some of his insights into the value of privacy in our everyday life. How did you go from being an Econometrics and Mathematical Economics student at LSE to researching privacy and social networks? From LSE I went on to do a PhD at Berkeley, where I applied the economic modeling I learnt during my MSc to the economics of information. That’s when I started exploring the economics of privacy. When I finished my PhD in 2003 and joined CMU, we were at the onset of Web 2.0: users as producers of content online. Like many, I was really curious about what was happening, so I started working not just on the economics of privacy, but also the behavioral economics of privacy, as well as disclosure and privacy in social networks. Your work now is dedicated primarily to the interface between privacy and big data. Do you think these two concepts are reconcilable? Firstly, I don’t really like the term 'big data'. It seems to be the trendy word that people currently have to drop in their CVs, presentations, and articles. In reality, people have been doing data mining for a long time. The main difference now is that we have more data. I’m a bit sceptical of the propaganda that big data is a tool that will fix every problem humankind has ever had. It sounds like ‘CoolAid’: we want to drink the CoolAid of easy and objective solutions to very complex problems. Behind every analysis there is an underlying algorithm, and behind the algorithm there is a form of decision-making: in choosing which data to analyse and which algorithm to use, one is already making subjective value judgments. Therefore, we need to view big data-driven solutions to societal problems as well-grounded and quantifiable, but nonetheless still partly subjective analyses. Researchers at CMU just developed Never Ending Image Learner (NEIL) which is said to develop a mechanical ‘common’ sense. How

ALUMNI INTERVIEW: ALESSANDRO ACQUISTI

TECHTWEETS

The professor at Carnegie Mellon University discusses big data, the fallacy of the term, and how we take privacy for granted do you relate to this type of work? In a rich academic environment like that of CMU there is room for different opinions. When I criticise the notion of big data, I do not criticise the work of people investigating how to better analyse data. I try to point out the potential limitations of what we believe to be objective analyses. I am not against business analytics; this is a term less loaded than big data. Among the courses we teach here on the subject, I insist that there should be a segment about Privacy, not because I teach it, but because, if we are training professionals to use data, we should also make them aware of the potential downsides of using and collecting vast amounts of personal information. In your TED talk “The Battle Between Public and Private” you compare the state of Privacy regulation today to a knife in a gunfight. What exactly do you mean? In the US, the almost dominant approach to public policy in the area of privacy right now is the focus on transparency and control mechanisms: namely, telling people how their data is collected and used, and giving them some level of control over their data. It is rare to find a policy approach almost everyone agrees on (at least here). Indeed, who would be against transparency and control? Who is against giving candies to children on Halloween? What we point out in our experiments, however, is that transparency and control may be necessary, but not sufficient, mechanisms for privacy protection. Giving people some control can paradoxically lead them to share more sensitive information with more strangers. Furthermore, it is easy to bypass privacy transparency and awareness through “sleight of hand” techniques. Like a magician engages in a sleight of hand, so that you focus on his right hand and don’t pay attention to the left, we’ve shown through a series of experiments that it is easy to distract people with privacy notices while nudging them into disclosing information. So, whilst control and transparency are useful, they are not sufficient—like a knife in a gunfight. What measures can be taken to render Privacy a more compelling weapon? Going back to the original OECD Fair Information Practices (FIP), measures such as purpose limitations and remedies for those who have been wronged can be useful concepts. Right now, in the US, if someone’s privacy has been violated, most of the time they can’t be compensated, unless they can show actual economic damage. It is important

that we allow those who have been wronged to correct those wrongs, going after entities that have harmed them. How does the internet change understandings of reputation and ideas of collective memory in society? A paper we’ll publish shortly on the depreciation of past behaviours shows an interesting asymmetry regarding how people assign value to the information in your recent or far past depending on its positive or negative valence. What we’ve found is that when positive information is presented as having happened in the recent past (Alex won a prize last week), a positive impression formation that others have of the person is produced. However, when the same event is presented as having happened in a remote past (Alex won a prize five years ago) the impression formation that others have of the person is not boosted. Instead, negative information doesn’t have this kind of decay: regardless of whether a negative event is presented as relating to the recent past (Alex was arrested for driving under the influence one month ago) or the distant past (Alex was arrested for driving under the influence five years ago) the information equally negatively effects the impression. This asymmetry in the way information about others affects us is an example of why recalling everything everyone has done is not always a good, or fair, thing. Finally, do you have any recommendations for those interested in pursuing a career in technology, analytics or any other vocation? I always encourage students to take courses in areas that they don’t really expect to be their focus. I think really interesting ideas come when you are able to connect two theories, or two fields, or two concepts, which have not been connected before. You may find a new relationship, and from this relationship comes a unique new understanding. The challenge is that inter-disciplinarity is not an excuse for mediocrity: you cannot be half-good at many things, you still have to exceed at several things. This is hard, though. It really helps if you can work alongside smart people who work in different areas. Luckily, inter-disciplinarity is built into CMU’s DNA: Herbert Simon, one of our most renowned (and beloved) professors, was the only person to have won a Nobel Prize in Economics and a Turing award in Computer Science—and he was also a successful psychologist! GILLIAN CAFIERO

THEFUTURE'SBRIGHT

Developing world's innovators are saving the planet

T

he threat of global climate change weighs down hard on Western nations; D IHDU RI KDYLQJ WR VDFULஊ FH HO ements of our lifestyle underpins many sceptic’s views. The primal fears of being without electricity to charge phones, update Facebook or watch Geordie Shore haunts individuals, how will we survive? How can life go on when the human race has never been without electricity before? Sadly, in the eighty or so years which Western nations have been basking in the glow of electricity, reaping unfathomable wealth and riches, the planet has been brought to its knees. Yet, our reactionary Western perspective on climate change is jaundiced. And as a result, the developing world will be hardest hit. Geographically, the developing world already comprises countries that will be hardest hit by climate change. The resulting food shortages, water contamination and a host of other catastrophes will hit billions of people. Climate change will beat developing countries senseless, whereas we may face just the mild inconvenience of being unable to buy pineapple twelve months a year. But that’s not all, will we deny developing nations their impending industrial revolution and subsequent wealth? Can we deny other countries the social change that created the Western world on the basis that when we did it, we ruined the ecosystem for everyone? This is where developing world eco-tech pioneers come in; innovators for whom solutions must be cheap and environmentally clean. These inventors will be the developing world's salvation in the face

of a monster not of their own creation. Brazilian Alfredo Moser is the innovator behind charity A Liter of Light, with his invention of a solar bulb. An empty SODVWLF ERWWOH LV ஊ OOHG ZLWK ZD ter and bleach, and then embedded into the roof of homes in developing worlds. The refractive properties of the bottles means during daylight hours 50-60w of light is produced, ending reliance on kerosene lamps. It is unbelievably cheap, recycles materials and is bringing about a social revolution in the countries to which it has been inroduced. It also increases female participation in the workplace, as previously dark houses are now lit up, enabling women to run businesses and create products for sale. School buildings and doctors' surgeries can now be lit up for free, along with a host of other potential uses. The charity estimates some thirty thousand solar bottle bulbs have been installed, and the number is increasing exponentially. The potential of these innovations is massive, and can bring about social change mirroring that of the industrial revolution, most crucially without contributing to climate change. There are numerous other inventions that are similarly bringing about such change; solar fridges made from tin cans, smokeless cookers and bicycle pump ZDWHU SXULஊ HUV Maybe even one day we’ll be installing solar bottle bulbs in our homes here in Britain, illuminating our bedrooms so we can scrape another witty status update onto a rock before passing it around our friends. The future’s bright. ALEXANDER FYFE

16

THEATRE

03.12.2013 PartB

review Â?Â?Â?Â?

the showstoppers

THE SHOWSTOPPERS

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asily reached from Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square stations, the literally underground Leicester Square Theatre houses several comedy shows a night. For three nights only, this venue hosts The Showstoppers’ Improvised Musical. My recommendation in a nutshell is to get your tickets now, and thank me later. Available to students for £10, I can guarantee it’s a bargain. Once in the intimate auditorium with two bars, and

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Justin Brett and Philip Pellew who were part of the ensemble. All three were consistently hilarious, keeping the plot and VFHQH FKDQJHV ŕŽ‹ XLG ZLWK SUR fessionalism and skill. The 'improvised' promise RI WKH VKRZ LV IXOன OOHG E\ WKH audience's directorial participation. By responding to the compere's suggestions, the audience is at liberty to select the play's settings, musical styles and title (thankfully through a mostly-adhered-to hands-raised system to avoid

AUSTENTATIOUS review

Â?Â?Â?Â? ter and amusement. With no set and very few props, the magic lies within the improvised dialogues of the cast and the impromptu sound HŕŽ‰ HFWV IURP WKH FHOOR SOD\HU RQ the side of the stage. Although sometimes a bit crude (admittedly, they are just following the audience’s orders), the jokes are extremely perspicacious and witty. The actors have the impressive abilities to think on their feet, coordinateZLWK WKHLU FROOHDJXHV IHHG RŕŽ‰ one another and deliver a modern and riotous take on Jane Austen’s literary conventions. The plot doesn’t necessarily develop seamlessly; the one I saw was marked by an extremely complicated familial situation with the actors forgetting the names and relationships of their own characters. However, this is all part of the improvisation and the performers manage to play with it in such a way that gets the audience going even more. For an abs-toning, 60 minute laughing session, catch Austentatious at any of their three London venues. ALEXIA LAIRD

Until 15 June

22, 28 DEC Leicester Square Theatre

is to be expected and actually increased the authenticity of the show, supporting the full improvisatory concept. Gender role reversal and an almost Shakespearian plot gave this particular show clever twists and turns. Stereotypes were addressed with humour and appealing honesty, with pop-culture references as well as feminist issues and rugby jokes making the piece relevant and malleable for a range of tastes; whether this was intentional or a by-product of the improvised nature is ambiguous. Regardless, the show was truly fantastic and really exceeded my expectations. So much so that I plan to go back and take friends to see how different the show will become on a second performance. I expect it will be just as impressive as this one was, undoubtedly earning itself another standing ovation from this very satisன HG DXGLHQFH

NATASHA VALLADARES

DON'T MISS Soho Theatre =KH >1RXQ@ 8QGHŕ­˝ QHG Until 8 DEC 2013 Royal Court Theatre Gastronauts Until 21 DEC 2014

Leicester Square Theatre and other locations

Ovalhouse Re-staging Revolutions: Alternative Theatre in Lambeth + Camden 1968-88 Exhibition Until 21 DEC 2013 Arcola Theatre Lizzie Siddal Until 21 DEC 2013 The Shape of Things Until 21 DEC 2013 Bush Theatre Jumper for Goalpost Until 4 JAN 2014 National Theatre The Light Princess Until 2 FEB 2014 The Harold Pinter Theatre Mojo Until 8 FEB 2014

Austentatious

aving reached great critical success through its many accolades following the show's debut in Edinburgh, Austentatious is now entertaining London. And I, for one, cannot be more grateful. Upon arrival, the audience is duly asked to scribble down the title of what could be one of Jane Austen’s lost novels. One is then picked out at random and serves as the basis for 6o minutes of pure comical genius. ‘Fifty Shades of Mr Darcy’, ‘Sense and Incestibility’ and ‘Saving Ryan’s Privates’ are justa few examples of previous show titles, giving you an idea of how witty and grotesque this inspired audience can be. In my peformance, a quizzical ‘Innocence and Indolence’ was picked out of the hat. After a few confused looks amongst one another (and a quick look-up of the meaning of indolence), the six actors moulded into character and created a thoroughly enjoyable play which got the entire room roaring with laughter. Cleverly crafted around the title, the story of a hopelessly boring town in the middle of England is thrown into disarray by the arrival of a revolutionary who aspires to bring life back to the community through peculiar tactics such as zumba classes (a deed which lands him on death row, no less). The plot develops into an utterly preposterous and absolutely hilarious spectacle, with even the actors having trouble containing their laugh-

seated in a plush velvet chair with more room than a conventional theatre, you’re in for just over an hour of nearly non-stop laughter. I must admit, ‘improvised’ and ‘musical’ together made me nervous, and had the cast not shown so much talent, WKLV ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ MXVWLன HG Although each musical performed is going to be difIHUHQW DQG PD\ LQFOXGH GLŕŽ‰ HU ent members of the fourteen possible cast members, look out for Ruth Bratt who played supporting actress, as well as

an unintelligible cacophony). My experience, titled 'Swansea Lake' was set in South Wales, with music based on Stravinsky, West-side Story, The Book of Mormon and 1940s Jazz. Throughout the story, the compere pauses the show to take more suggestions on plot twists or just to throw a spanner in the works, forcing such things as a montage RI ன YH VHFRQG HQFRXQWHUV EH tween characters. It was a really interesting style of performance that kept the audience constantly involved and interactive, as well as emphasised how impressively improvised the show really was. Despite some actors' struggles to keep composure and maintain the strength of their voices, not to mention the songs' fairly basic and repetitive nature, the performance was engaging and entertaining throughout. Laughs began one minute in and did not stop. Witty lines and quick-thinking were abundant. A testament to their storytelling skills, the actors even managed to construct recurring themes and a full story arc out of the admittedly electic materials. Frequently two actors tried to speak or sing at once, but this

Improvised Musical

Temple Studios The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable Untl 23 FEB 2014 Duke of York's Theatre Jeeves and Wooster: Perfect Nonsense Until 8 MAR 2014

17

The Beaver 03.12.2013

THEATRE

what you may have missed

)RU D WKHDWUH HQWKXVLDVW /RQGRQ FDQ SURGXFH DQ DJRQLVLQJ PL[ RI FRQŕŽ‹ LFWLQJ HPRWLRQV 2Q RQH KDQG DV QRYHOLVW 6DPXHO -RKQ VRQ RQFH VDLG ZKHQ D PDQ LV WLUHG RI /RQGRQ KH LV WLUHG RI OLIH 2Q WKH RWKHU WKLV VDPH PHQWDOLW\ FRPELQHG ZLWK WKH DODUPLQJ JURZWK RI FXOWXUH MRXUQDOLVP DQG VRFLDO QHWZRUN KDV EURXJKW about yet another newly articulated psychological phenomenon.

)RPR WKH )HDU 2I 0LVVLQJ 2XW GHVFULEHV WKH DQ[LRXV FRQGLWLRQ GHULYHG IURP WKH NQRZOHGJH WKDW RXW WKHUH VRPHZKHUH LQ WKLV LQFUHDVLQJO\ FRQQHFWHG GLJLWDOO\ JOREDOLVHG ZRUOG VRPHWKLQJ exciting is happening without you as a participant. Whether it EH LPPHUVLYH WKHDWUH LQ DQ DEDQGRQHG (DVW (QG ZDUHKRXVH D FHOHEULW\ FDVWHG UHYLYDO RI DZDUG ZLQQLQJ /*%7 SOD\ RU D PHWD PRGHUQLVW GDQFH DFFRPSDQLHG E\ LQGLH SRS VFRUH WKHUH LV RQH thing in common: you weren't there to see the performance. :LWK XWPRVW FRQFHUQ IRU RXU SRVVLEO\ )RPR D� LFWHG UHDGHUV PartB has done write-ups of these lesser-known shows to help DOOHYLDWH WKLV GUHDGIXO ZLGHVSUHDG HSLGHPLF

BOB DYLAN & HIS BAND @ ROYAL ALBERT HALL

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YH GHFLGHG WR UHŕŽ‹ HFW simultaneously upon two plays I have recently seen because doing so neatly encapsulates WKH GLŕŽ‰ HUHQFHV WKH VLPLODUL ties and the hidden pleasures of watching large and small SURGXFWLRQV , VSHDN RI VL]H not only in a grand physical VHQVH EXW DOVR LQ WKH ன QDQ cial (The Love Girl and The Innocent was produced by the start-up sized Jagged Fence SURGXFWLRQ FRPSDQ\ WKH FULWL cal (The Amen Corner has reFHLYHG ன YH VWDU UHYLHZV ZKLOVW Love Girl’s success has been PRUH PRGHVW DV ZHOO DV WKH relative ambition of the plays. Solzhenitsyn’s The Love *LUO DQG 7KH ,QQRFHQW IHDWXU ing the hellish experiences of SULVRQHUV LQ D 5XVVLDQ JXODJ predominantly follows the VWRU\ RI 1HPRY D UHFHQWO\ GLV missed army captain who naively attempts to govern the camp in an honest and honourable manner. Meanwhile 1RUULV‍ڑ‏V QHZ SURGXFWLRQ 7KH $PHQ &RUQHU LV VHW LQ Harlem and interweaves stoULHV RI IDLWK IDPLO\ DQG FKXUFK during a time of great hopelessness. I believe the content of both plays are of a comparative TXDOLW\ DOWKRXJK , IRXQG 7KH Amen Corner’s mid-section not to drag as heavily nor for as long as Love Girl’s. Both feaWXUHG FRPSHOOLQJ FKDUDFWHUV solid narrative development and believable dialogue. Both plays also feature VLPLODU WKHPDWLF DVSHFWV VXFK as faith and love in a time of KLVWRULFDO RSSUHVVLRQ EXW P\ relative experiences and enjoyment are nonetheless sigQLன FDQWO\ GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW 2QH RI 7KH Amen Corner’s strongest features is its large and authentic cast. Powerful hymn song from the London Gospel Choir catapults the play and the bold soul spectacle is maintained WKURXJKRXW /RYH *LUO E\ FRQ WUDVW UHOLHV RQ D FDVW RI VL[WHHQ WR SRUWUD\ WKH ன IW\ RU VR FKDU acters of the play; thankfully no attempt was made by the performers to imitate Russian accents. 0RUHRYHU 7KH $PHQ &RU

ner’s stage and props were meticulous in comparison to the box-and-wall stage of Love Girl. These comparatively large constraints could have hampered Love Girl’s suspension of disbelief but the compromises made were handled elegantly. Special mention must also be made to the inventive and engaging light and sound design used by director Matthew Dunster during the performance. The price of entry was comSDUDEOH e e EXW DW WKH National Theatre such a price was on the condition that I queued early in the morning on the day of the production and was then squeezed into the EDFN RI WKH JDUJDQWXDQ 2OLYLHU 7KHDWUH ,Q FRPSDULVRQ /RYH Girl’s more modest Southwark Playhouse stage welcomed me ten minutes prior to the start of the performance and I was able to sit perilously close to the action in the front row. Any subtle changes to the actors’ faces and any mummer of noise could be sensed. I could even smell the canned food the actors cooked and ate on the stage. It all led to a far rawer experience than the detached bird’s eye view of sitting in the upper circle when viewing The Amen Corner. 'XULQJ WKHVH PRPHQWV , UHDOLVHG WKH KLGGHQ EHQHன WV of theatre beyond the beaten track. For those willing to WDNH D ULVN H[SORULQJ /RQGRQ‍ڑ‏V VPDOOHU VWDJHV RŕŽ‰ HU IHHO JRRG serendipity that large productions cannot.

ALEXANDER HUGHES

Southwark Theatre & National Theatre

bob dylan

THE LOVE GIRL AND THE INNOCENT / THE AMEN CORNER

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he instruction by the HYHQW VWDŕŽ‰ QRW WR WDNH ŕŽ‹ DVK SKRWRJUD phy immediately reinforced the historical nature RI %RE '\ODQ‍ڑ‏V UHWXUQ $IWHU \HDUV RI DEVHQFH WKLV VHPLQDO DUWLVW ன QDOO\ UHYLVWHG WKH 5R\DO Albert Hall. The entire set-up indicated an event worked out RI VSRQWDQHLW\ ZLWK D FHDVH less desire to keep things fresh and maintain respect for the unique nature of the moment. Standing as if braced for the literal coming of the title of his most recent album Tempest the sepia-tinged Dylan immediately snatched everyone’s attention from the awesome JUDQG RUJDQ ORRPLQJ DERYH evoking memories of the Hammond organ that stood out from the wall of noise which GHன QHG '\ODQ‍ڑ‏V 7RXU RI England. The opening song ‘Things Have Changed’ reminded us that almost half a century has passed since Dylan’s last stint here. The weight of time LV FOHDUHVW ZLWK '\ODQ‍ڑ‏V YRLFH which for some renders his live renditions today almost LQGHFLSKHUDEOH DQG DQ DŕŽ‰ URQW to his previous work. Although Dylan’s voice was never his VWURQJHVW SRLQW WKH GRPLQD tion of the set list by his newer material and the incredible musicianship of his band provided his growling with a perfect context. ‘She Belongs to Me’ provided a rare venture into his sixties works and his voice transcended the lyrics to remould him as the villain of song. Dylan’s ability to surprise followed with a dreamy perforPDQFH RI ‍Ú?‏:KDW *RRG $P ,‍ ڑ‏ where his voice was akin to the purring of a cat.

There could be no doubting the freshness that permeated through the bluesy ‘Duquesne Whistle’ and the downright angry ‘Pay in Blood’. The former really did cast the set as a EUHH]\ MDPPLQJ VHVVLRQ ZLWK the guitar of Charlie Sexton GULYLQJ SURFHHGLQJV ZKLOVW WKH UHVW RI WKH ZHOO GUHVVHG KDW GRQQLQJ EDQG FRQன UPHG their importance to the recent revitalisation of Dylan’s live performances. Swapping duties between leaning into his piano or standing with a peculiar hand-on-hip stance at the PLFURSKRQH WKH VHW FRQWLQXHG through a slightly subdued ‍Ú?‏7DQJOHG 8S LQ %OXH‍ ڑ‏ZKLOVW ‍Ú?‏/RYHVLFN‍ ڑ‏SURYLGHG D ன QDO rasp of the harmonica before a short intermission. The second half of the set immediately appeared more energised with a racing version of the blues-inspired ‘High Water (For Charlie Patten)’ and a snarling ‘Early Roman Kings'.

$ 6LPSOH 7ZLVW RI )DWH‍ ڑ‏ZDV XQIRUWXQDWHO\ WKH RQO\ RWKHU appearance from the seminal Blood on the Tracks. Although LW ZDV DW ன UVW XQUHFRJQLVDEOH the lyrics quickly reasserted the album’s enduring nature. 2QH RI WKH JUHDW UHDVRQV IRU VHHLQJ '\ODQ LQ WKH ŕŽ‹ HVK UH PDLQV KLV DELOLW\ WR GHன QLWLYHO\ UHPRXOG KLV VRQJV RIWHQ XQ recognisable from the studio YHUVLRQ EXW RI HTXDO LI QRW LQ creased worth and intimacy. ‘Forgetful Heart’ was the VXUSULVLQJ EXW XQGRXEWHG highlight of the set. To many it was nothing more than a passLQJ QRWH RQ WKH DOEXP 7R JHWKHU 7KURXJK /LIH %XW KHUH accompanied with the gentleness of a violin and Dylan’s VKRW WR SLHFHV YRLFH LW ZDV VRPHKRZ WUDQVIRUPHG DOEHLW

EULHŕŽ‹ \ LQWR D JHQWOH ZKLVSHU where you could have heard a pin drop; the rendition was a fantastic achievement. Keeping in line with his recent performances in Glasgow DQG %ODFNSRRO DQG ZLWK WKH desire to keep his set focussed RQ KLV UHFHQW ZRUNV WKH VKRZ ended with the powerful ‘Long and Wasted Years’. This has come to replace his timeless ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ as the showstopper: some feat considering it was only crafted in +RZHYHU LW ZDV PHW ZLWK D VWDQGLQJ DSSODXVH DQG WKH sight of the visible pleasure of the septuagenarian congratulating his band and revelling in his own ability to still produce classics was inspiring. Then followed a roaring demand IRU DQ HQFRUH WKDW ZDV ன QDOO\ yielded and in all truth included a rather subdued ‘All Along WKH :DWFKWRZHU‍ ڑ‏DQG DW ன UVW D barely recognisable ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. $W WKH FORVH WKH VWUDQJH VWDQFH RI '\ODQ‍ڑ‏V DJHLQJ IUDPH comparable to a cowboy about WR HQWHU D VWDQGRŕŽ‰ VWRRG VWLOO amongst the crescendo of applause and his remarkably skilled backing band. Very rarely can a single gig be so PDMHVWLF DQG RFFDVLRQDOO\ VR IUXVWUDWLQJ HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK WKH non-appearance of each fan's personal favourites from his YDVW FDQRQ +RZHYHU WKH SHU plexing ability of the man who constantly evolves his own performances and songs is the true essence of this live perforPDQFH DV LV WKH VKHHU UDQGRP ness of what each song would bring. 3+,/ %2<&(

18

03.12.2013 PartB

VISUAL ARTS

Images: akram zaatari / thomos dane gallery

Akram Zaatari: On Photography People and Modern Times

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he Thomas Dane gallery opened an exhibition by Lebanese artist Akram Zaatari, DQ DUWLVW னOPPDNHU DQG FXUDtor born in 1966 in Lebanon. Integral to Zaatari’s work is the history of the Arab World, ZKLFK D WKHPH WKDW SHUPHDWHV his photography and other SLHFHV =DDWDUL LV D FR IRXQGHU RI WKH QRQ SURனW RUJDQLVDWLRQ $UDE ,PDJH )RXQGDWLRQ 7KH IRXQGDWLRQ DLPV WR SURPRWH photographs from the Arab ZRUOG DQG LWV GHVFHQGDQWV GLaspora. Boasting over 600.000 SKRWRJUDSKV LQ LWV FXUUHQW FROOHFWLRQ LW UHPDLQV FRPPLWWHG WR LWV VWDWHG UROH DV D PHGLXP between the art world and the SXEOLF =DDWDUL V LQWHUHVW LQ SKRWRJUDSKV IURP $UDE FRXQWULHV JRHV EH\RQG WKHLU DUWLVWLF YDOXH DV WKH\ FDQ EH VHHQ DV LOOXVWUDWLRQV RI WKH UHJLRQ V

FRPSOH[ KLVWRU\ 7KURXJK KLV art, Zaatari provides a viewLQJ H[SHULHQFH WKDW DUH RIWHQ LQ FRQWUDVW ZLWK WKH LPDJHV and videos of the Middle East RŕŽ‰HUHG E\ WKH PDLQVWUHDP PHGLD 7KLV LQFOXGHV VXFK JHPV DV WKH SURYRFDWLYH LPDJHV RI WKH $UDE 6SULQJ UHYROXWLRQV RU WKH LFRQLF IRRWDJH RI WKH WRSSOLQJ RI 6DGGDP +XVVHLQ V VWDWXH E\ WKH 86 FRDOLWLRQ IRUFHV ZKLFK LQ PRVW FRYHUDJH grossly exaggerated the size of WKH FURZG =DDWDUL PDQDJHV WR give a seemingly honest repreVHQWDWLRQ RI WKH FXOWXUDO VRFLDO DQG SROLWLFDO IDFWRUV DŕŽ‰HFWLQJ the region. =DWDDUL V XVH RI னOP SKRtography and time lapse videos, allows onlookers an insight LQWR KLV DQDO\VLV RI WKH SROLWLFDO power of art and its ability to FDSWXUH PHPRULHV 8SRQ DUULYDO DW KLV H[KLELWLRQ DW 'XNH 6WUHHW WKH YLVL-

tor is presented with a solemn IDFH RI D ZRPDQ VWDULQJ IURP KHU VFUDWFKHG SRUWUDLW 7KH ZRPDQ‍ڑ‏V IDFH JD]HV GHனDQWO\ as if she knows her portrait has been damaged. The series of images of two boys posing with a Gevaert Film advertisePHQW RŕŽ‰HUV D MRYLDO MX[WDSRVLtion as the two boys pose for WKH FDPHUD 2QH RI =DWDDUL V VNLOOV LV WKH PXOWLWXGH RI IDFHV he presents to the observer; KRZHYHU HDFK H[SUHVVLRQ UHPDLQV FDSWLYDWLQJ DQG D GHVLUH for empathy arises. 7KLV VDPH JDOOHU\ VSDFH LV DFFRPSDQLHG E\ WKH ZKLUULQJ VRXQGV RI D VPDOO னOP SURMHFWLRQ ŕŽ‹LFNHULQJ LQ WKH URRP V FRUQHU $ UHFXUULQJ WKHPHâ€ŤÚŒâ€Ź WKH PDNLQJ DQG PHFKDQLVPV RI னOP UHOD\HG WKURXJK YLGHR DUWâ€ŤÚŒâ€ŹVHUYHV WR FRPSOHPHQW his other works and involves WKH RQORRNHU LQ WKH SURFHVV 7KURXJK KLV GLVVHPLQDWLRQ RI

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LO\ KRPH EXW XOWLPDWHO\ UHIXVing to do so as long as it is ‘in WKH KDQGV RI WKH -HZV‍ ڑ‏3DLQIXO QRVWDOJLD LV QR GRXEW RQH VXFK HPRWLRQ UHOD\HG WR WKH DXGLHQFH 2WKHU VXEMHFWV GLVFXVV the wearing of the veil; one ZRPDQ GHVFULEHV KHUVHOI DV seeing no need for it as she FRQVLGHUV KHUVHOI DKHDG RI WKH WLPH $QRWKHU PDQ H[FODLPV ‘here is real art!’. What all the interviewees share are deeply SHUVRQDO DQG HYRFDWLYH VWRULHV <RX FDQ VLW IRU DJHV VRDNLQJ XS WKH LQWHUYLHZV DQG LPDJHV WKDW FROOLGH RQ WKH ELJ VFUHHQ 7KH H[KLELWLRQ LV VLPXOWDQHRXVO\ EHDXWLIXO DQG XQGHUVWDWHG PDNLQJ LW D WULXPSK IRU WKH Thomas Dane gallery. MARYAM AKRAM Thomas Dane Gallery 27 NOV 2013 - 1 FEB 2014

WHAT'S ON Tate Modern Project Space: Inverted House 129 0$5 Institute of Contemporary Art Zhang Enli: Space Painting 2&7 '(& Artists Film Club: Masculine/Feminine Film / ÂŁ5 '(& Design Musuem Hello, My Name is Paul Smith '(& 0$5 The Photographers' Gallery In Conversation: Susan Bright and Mirander Sawyer e FRQFV '(& Saatchi Gallery Body Language 129 0$5 Barbican Art Gallery Pop Art Design 2&7 )(%

19

The Beaver 03.12.2013

FOOD An Afternoon with Tony Kitous Last Tuesday PartB met TONY KITOUS, the man who brought Middle Eastern food to High Street. We interviewed him about his restaurant Comptoir Libanais, his new book of the same name and, well, food.

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ony Kitous is a hardworking man. When he arrived for our interview at Levant, a sensual Aladdin’s cave of lamps, mirrors and, of course, mezze, he is busy giving instructions for yet another opening. He manages with this sort of hands-on interaction in KLV EXVLQHVV DQG \HW VWLOO ன QGV time for another feat: completing the Marathon Des Sables, a gruelling six-day desert trail, in April. He puts it down to having a great team, but it’s clear that this sort of focus and diligence is a core work ethic of Tony’s. Hailing from Algeria, he arrived in London a holidaymaking 18 year old, and fell in love with it so much he decided to stay. He then worked WZR MREV ZLWK QR GD\V RŕŽ‰ IRU two years, before opening his ன UVW UHVWDXUDQW DW WKH WHQGHU age of twenty-two. With thirteen restaurants under his belt now, Levant and the wildy popular Comptoir Libanais chain included, he shares with us the source of his inspiration and his love for the Middle East. It's very impressive how you saved enough at twenty-two to open your own restaurant. How did you do it? I was supposed to go to university, but I made a decision to stay in London. At the same time, I thought, you know, if I didn’t go to university, I had something to lose. But I replaced that goal to start my own business. At that time, I didn’t have any one advising me. I did it my own way, and I made a lot of mistakes, but for that goal, I needed work hard. I didn’t smoke or do drugs, I had my head for an 18 year old. Instead of saying it was too far, everyday I said, I’m getting closer. And, when I was only twenty-two years old, I had ÂŁ65,000 in my account. But I had been working hard. At the same time I was enjoying it. It didn’t feel like work. What are your goals for yourself and Comptoir? Obviously it’s a business. So we SODQ WR RSHQ ன IW\ UHVWXDUDQWV And there’s my new book. But my personal goal? Since I’ve arrived in London, I’ve only felt out of place twice; it’s so multi-cultural, every religion or race or gender is treated the same. But when you go to supermarkets, you see Italian food, Chinese food‌ what happened to the Middle Eastern food? I think Middle Eastern food should be out there with the Italian food. All it needs is one try. This is my personal challenge, to educate the nation about Middle Eastern food and the culture. Unfortunately what you see on TV is often all most people know about Middle Eastern culture.

This is very interesting. You’re not only trying to change how people eat but how people see. Oh, absolutely! Something positive would be nice, but the press doesn’t like that. Bad news sells more, gets more readers and viewers. Naturally, everyone is very proud of their culture, but I feel that we KDYH D ORW PRUH WR RŕŽ‰ HU 2XU culture is about hospitality and the warmth of the people. Of course there are problems, but imagine if people only talked about America in reference to hurricanes, shootings or the wars they like to create. So food is politics for you? Well, no, but it breaks my heart that we are viewed through a keyhole in the media. People don’t know much. They know about Angel road. Unfortunately that’s not the best advert nor environment, and it’s unhealthy. It is street food, fast food. I made it real and accessible, in some of the nicest locations: South Kent, Gatwick, Bluewater. And I wrote a cookbook. If you come here (to Levant) in the evening, you will be transported, as if you’re not in London. Dimmed lights, rose petals, incense. This is our culture. We’ve heard lots of fantastic reviews on the food. Where do you get your inspiration from? I travel a lot, when I’m in the Middle East and when people hear I run restaurants, they’ll tell me that their mother’s a good cook and I’ll go to dinner. So I see new things all the time and I know I don’t know enough. I get overwhelmed. It gives me the drive, the kick, especially when people send me messages saying, wow, we admire what you do. I say thank you very much, it’s very ŕŽ‹ DWWHULQJ DQG LW PHDQV D ORW WR me but I hope I can carry on having that drive. On awards‌ They are extra, bonuses which come when you put your mind to it. I don’t do this to win awards. I look at my customHUV DQG DVN LI WKH\ FDQ DŕŽ‰ RUG it, would they feel good? ,Q 6RXWK .HQW RQH RI RXU ன UVW customers was Pippa Middleton. We have all sorts of people—actors, football players, celebs and singers. It’s so ŕŽ‹ DWWHULQJ ZKHQ \RX JHW WKHP but I care about the average customer. My place is for everybody. If famous people come to us, it’s because we welcome everyone. And we provide good, healthy food with an ambience. We are unpretentiously simple and welcoming. When I design, I try to create a certain experience that represents our culture. I like to put everyone at ease. None of

the “let’s see and be seenâ€?. You don’t have to plan it a month in advance. I remember many years ago, on a date, I was in D UHVWDXUDQW DQG IHOW OLNH D ன VK out of water. I dropped a knife and everyone turned around! :KDW DUH \RXU GL૸ HUHQW FRQ cepts for your restaurants? Food quality is close, but Levant is obviously more classy, Comptoir is more easy going and casual and also faster and convenient, cheaper. You can JR WKHUH IRU WKH ன UVW WLPH DQG like it. If I look at Comptoir as a girl, she’s beautiful, attractive, interesting, and I know there’s personality there. The more you try to meet that girl you get her smile, personality and friendliness. I also pay more attention to female clientele. They’re harder to please but also the decision makers. For example, Levant is more homely and also sexy. We have belly dancers, they are not vulgar and women think, I love the way she dances, her costumes. People meet their spouses or girlfriends here. What would you have for your last meal? (looking slightly anguished at having to choose): A taEOH‍ ڞ‏IXOO RI GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW IRRGV I like. Middle Eastern food. I love it, I’m not biased, but it’s simple and unpretentious. I would just mix dishes, dip the falafel into the hummus. I wouldn’t care if someone thought it inappropriate—life is too short, what’s the point of not being genuine?

AKINA KABIR & DOROTHY WONG

Comptoir Libanais www.lecomptoir.co.uk :HVWૹ HOG : :LJPRUH 6W : :HVWૹ HOG ( 6RXWK .HQW 6: %URDGZLFN 6W : %OXHZDWHU *DWZLFN $LUSRUW &KHOVHD 6: Levant www.levant.co.uk 020 7224 1111 -DVRQ &RXUW : 8 6info@levant.co.uk

Another chapter in Tony’s quest to introduce Lebanese and Middle Eastern food into the UK’s kitchens, this book is meant for the home cooks, the students, and the curious. Full of vivid pictures of crisp salads and colourful vegetables, it is fronted by Comptoir’s trademark siren. “They make great giftsâ€? was an oft-heard remark, a waiter at Levant attests to this with a stock of signed copies ready for birthdays. Tony: The book is a perfect gift. It’s sold in some of the restaurants, but you can buy it on Amazon for ÂŁ13, bring it to me and I’ll sign it on site. Or contact me on Facebook. When did you get the idea to write the book? The idea was always in my head. A friend of mine—Dan Lepard—has done many books, so I said, Dan, I really want to do a book, I really want to do a book, I really want to do a book and I pestered him till he agreed. He has the experience, he called 4 or 5 big publishers, they all said yes, but one person showed a lot of passion and believed that it would be an instant success so we went with them.

and the ingredients don’t cost much Not a scary cookbook? No, it’s not! In fact in the book I say that I’m not a chef and this book is not for chefs. It’s for me, you, everyone else. It’s not intimidating at all. You know, I’ve seen cookbooks with just one picture, of the writer, but I feel it’s like reading terms and conditions. I made my book easy to read, bright and full of pictures so you know what your dish is going to look like.

How long did it take? About a year and a half. Dan was also involved in the big $XVWUDOLDQ %DNH RŕŽ‰ ZKLFK took up a lot of his time.

There are a lot of dishes PHDQW IRU VKDULQJ VHHPV like it’s pretty suitable for students? Yes, you can make hummus for, what, ÂŁ2? A big dish for 5 people for, what, ÂŁ4 or ÂŁ5? It’s really healthy, and fun! It’s perfect for people who ZDQW WR WU\ VRPHWKLQJ GLŕŽ‰ HU ent

What can readers expect? The book is full of pictures, and very attractive itself, ZRXOG EH JUHDW RQ WKH FRŕŽ‰ HH table. It captures the atmosphere and vitality of Comptoir. The recipes are easy

So what’s the plan for the other book you’re writing? Comptoir Express. Lebanese recipes you can make at home, even faster than the ன UVW RQH

20

03.12.2013 PartB

FOOD / FASHION

review

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ND VKHUEHW JUDSHIUXLW VRGD and prosecco, was perfectly EDODQFHG DQG IUXLW\ HQRXJK WR MXVWLI\ DIWHUQRRQ GULQNLQJ ,QWHUHVWLQJO\ KHUH LW LV SUR VHFFR WKDW LV VHUYHG RQ WDS DQG drinks are a key feature of the UHVWDXUDQW ZKLFK DOVR ERDVWV D EDU GRZQVWDLUV 7KH GULQNV PHQX LV H[WHQVLYH DQG FKRLFHV OLNH P\ FRPSDQLRQтАл┌СтАмV DUH GHроК QLWHO\ ZRUWK D WU\ , RQ WKH RWK er hand, opted for traditional, FKRRVLQJ D EHHU EUHZHG E\ WKH &DPGHQ 7RZQ %UHZHU\ VHUYHG RQ WDS DQG H[FOXVLYHO\ PDGH IRU %RRSVKLтАл┌СтАмV $OWKRXJK QRW TXLWH FRQYHQWLRQDO LWV SOHDV DQW роЛ DYRXU RI KRSV FRPSOH PHQWHG P\ PHDO ZHOO )RRG DW %RRSVKLтАл┌СтАмV LV VLPSOH WKHUHтАл┌СтАмV QR IXVVLQJ ZLWK DSSH tisers or starters and it is quite refreshing to see a restaurant WKDW LVQтАл┌СтАмW MXPSLQJ RQ WKH VPDOO SODWHV EDQGZDJRQ $W %RRS VKLтАл┌СтАмV \RX VHOHFW \RXU PDLQ EH LW D WUDGLWLRQDO 6FKQLW]HO RU D PRUH REVFXUH GLVK VXFK DV WKH )ULWWDWHQ D EHHI DQG VDYRXU\ pancake soup, along with side GLVKHV WR KDYH ZLWK \RXU PHDO We stuck with the traditional, FKRRVLQJ WKH UDUH EUHHG SRUN 6FKQLW]HO DQG WKH %UDWZXUVW D YHDO DQG SRUN VDXVDJH VHUYHG ZLWK PXVWDUG VDXFH :LWK RXU PHDWV ZH DOVR FKRVH WKH 6SDW ]OH тАл┌РтАм1тАл& ┌СтАмKHHVH ZLWK 6SHFN HVVHQWLDOO\ WKH EHVW PDF DQG FKHHVH \RXтАл┌СтАмOO HYHU WDVWH WRSSHG ZLWK EDFRQ EXW PRUH RQ WKLV ODWHU :H DOVR RUGHUHG VRPH 6DXHUNUDXWтАл┌МтАмLQ RXU RSLQLRQ a good test of the restaurant

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┬Р┬Р┬Р┬Р┬Р Boopshi's 075 4962 5984 info@boopshis.com 32 Windmill Street W17 2JN

THE RISE OF AFRICAN FASHION

we want to bring African Designs closer to the rest of the world. We want to see our African talent become household names globally. We want to see someone wearing тАШSura the TailorтАЩsтАЩ ILH\[PM\S ^LSS ├Д UPZOLK V\[├Д [ H[ H KPUULY PU 7HYPZ on a catwalk in New York, at an award show in Los AngelesтАжтАжWe want to make African design labels accessible to everyone, everywhere

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21

Tuesday December 3 2013

Features THE SOCIETY COLUMN features Politics & Forum Society, Finance Society and Law and Financial Markets Society

1. Bitcoin was introduced in 2009 by a developer who goes by the name of “Satoshi Nakamoto” *& Af dYl] G[lgZ]j *()+$ l`] ogjd\ k Ú jkl :al[gaf 9LE Z]_Yf operating at Waves Coffee House in Vancouver, Canada. Users set up an account by scanning their palm on the machine and can exchange domestic currency for Bitcoins 3. Silk Road, an online black market which conducted all transactions in Bitcoins, was closed down in October 2013. It is believed that the value of transactions in Bitcoins from 2011 to 2013 on the site totalled roughly $1.2 billion 4. You can pay for a boob job with Bitcoins! Vanity Cosmetic Kmj_]jq af EaYea$ >dgja\Y$ Yj] Y[[]hlaf_ :al[gafk Yk Yf acceptable form of payment for their services which include liposuction, laser hair removal and breast augmentation. -& 9f gfdaf] eYjc]lhdY[] o`]j] qgm [Yf hYq gl`]jk af :al[gafk to carry out assassinations has been set up by “Kuwabatake KYfbmjg & L`] kal] ogjck Zq Z]llaf_ gf Y \Yl] Yf\ lae] l`Yl Y hjgeaf]fl Ú _mj] oadd \a]$ Yf\ Y [gjj][l hj]\a[lagf j]kmdlk af a payout to the user. Names on the asssasination list include :YjY[c GZYeY$ :]f :]jfYfc] Yf\ >jYf[gak @gddYf\]& .& 9j_]flafY dgn]k :al[gafk <m] lg afÛ Ylagf Yf\ [YhalYd [gfljgdk$ 9j_]flafaYfk `Yn] Z]]f dggcaf_ ^gj Y oYq lg hj]k]jn] l`]aj o]Ydl`& Af EYj[` *()+$ 9j_]flafaYf :al[gaf \gofdgY\k j]hj]k]fl]\ d]kk l`Yf ) g^ _dgZYd \gofdgY\k& :q Bmdq$ 9j_]flafY represented over 3% of the global market for Bitcoins. 7. James Howells threw away a hard drive which contained 7.5m \gddYjk ogjl` g^ :al[gafk& Ej& @go]ddk$ ^jge F]ohgjl$ `Yk Z]]f k]Yj[`af_ Y dYf\Ú dd kal] lg j][gn]j `ak /$-(( bitcoins. So far he has been unsuccessful.

8 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT BITCOINS

8. Wordpress, Baidu and OkCupid all accept payments in Bitcoin

Rohan Grey; on behalf of Politics and Forum Society, Finance Society and Financial Markets Society

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lobal furor has erupted in recent weeks over the digital cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin. Proponents herald it as a liberating force in an era of heightened financial regulation and internet supervision, and point to its growing acceptance by financial exchanges and businesses as evidence of long-term viability. Conversely, critics decry Bitcoin’s speculative history, and question its security credentials in light of recent hacking scandals and regulatory crackdowns. Conspicuously absent from both sides of this debate is any mention of the thousands of successful private currencies already operating around the world. In contrast to Bitcoin, most of these parallel currencies derive their value from community buy-in and relationships of trust rather than institutionalized scarcity and a purportedly ‘objective’ algorithm. Some, like the proposed Brazilian educational “Saber”, are national projects geared towards achieving a particular social outcome. Others, like the Toronto dollar, are designed to encourage local investment and business resilience in the face of global competition. Notwithstanding the wide diversity of system design, members of the parallel currency movement overwhelmingly share a belief in the transformative potential of bottom-up monetary innova-

THE SOCIETY COLUMN

features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

tion. This belief is not grounded in utopian fantasy, but rather lived experience. Various parallel currency experiments, from the Swiss business community’s decades-old “WIR” Franc to the recently established Bristol Pound, have been highly successful in improving economic outcomes within their target communities. Moreover, in contrast to zealous Bitcoin proponents that loudly proclaim the impending destruction of the state, most parallel currency users accept the unique and enduring role of state-backed money. Nevertheless, they emphasize the potential for parallel currencies to educate the public about how public currency systems work, and even more importantly, how they can be improved. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City, economics students are “taxed” in the university’s currency, called the “Buckaroo” (named after the college mascot), and can only earn new Buckaroos through volunteering at approved community or charitable organizations. According to Buckaroo developers, the program generates invaluable opportunities for experiential learning about fiat currency operations, as students see that the University, as sovereign issuer of the Buckaroo, can a) run a permanent deficit without fear of default, b) employ its tax and spend powers to maintain full employment, and c) use its employment program to stabilize the Buckaroo’s value – including its exchange rate value – around an

average hour of labor. These lessons, they claim, are relevant to contemporary macroeconomic debates around government debt, deficits, and economic revitalization. Such initiatives, moreover, are just the beginning. As online social networks grow, and accounting software and alternative payment technologies become more widespread, the logistical difficulties associated with P2P coordination will rapidly diminish. Thus, we are likely to see an increasing proliferation of parallel currency experiments, and a growing awareness of the social importance of monetary design. So while Bitcoin may be a passing phenomena, monetary pluralism is here to stay. For those interested in learning more about the future of complementary and social currency, please come to an upcoming panel discussion hosted by Finance, Politics and Forum and Law and Financial Markets Societies (In conjuction with Modern Money Network) at 3.30pm, Wednesday December 4th, in 32L-G15.

WIKIMEDIA: TARGARYEN

BITCOINS: ONLY THE BEGINNING

If your society would like to be featured in

R A G C O R N E R features charities Spires and Delete Blood Cancer Nona Buckley-Irvine A tiring week in the life of RAG! This week LSE students slept out on Houghton Street in Hஉ RUWV WR UDLVH ERWK PRQH\ IRU a charity, Spires, and to raise awareness of the ever growing problem of homelessness. Over twenty RAGlets braved the cold on Thursday through to Friday, and were well rewarded when £1,959 was raised in online and R஍ LQH GRQDWLRQV IRU WKH FDXVH RAG would like to thank these people who took time out of their LSE schedules, and gave up their beds, in order to raise such an incredible amount of money. However, rather than talk

about the money, let’s talk about where it is going: Spires. Spires is a charity based in Lambeth. It aims to improve the quality of life of people who are homeless, insecurely housed, unemployed RU VXஉ HULQJ IURP WKH Hஉ HFWV RI poverty, mental ill health and loneliness. As a day centre, it does not provide overnight shelter, but has facilities that these people are able to use. For rough sleepers, there is a morning service where they can receive food parcels, clothing, hot showers, and advice and support from WKH VWDஉ WKHUH 7KH\ DOVR Rஉ HU healthcare services for those unable to access basic healthcare and run a weekly nurse’s clinic. The charity receives no statu-

tory funding and relies solely on donations, which is where RAG comes in! Money that we raise throughout the year for Spires could potentially be used to renovate the showers, which have been used by 500 people already this year, as well as support the day to day running of the charity. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated over the past week. The generosity of LSE students, friends, and family, was overwhelming and we hope to work throughout the year to sustain this enthusiasm for the cause. Onto the next week: we have lots going on for you! Monday is our fabulous RAG Annual Christmas Ball held at Funky Buddha, complete

with photobooth! It should be a great way to celebrate the end of the year so make sure you’ve got your tickets. Tuesday is our fabulous RAG Annual Postgradute Winter Ball dedicated to our favourite postgraduates – proceeds will be going to our three charities and there will be lots of entertainment throughout the night so buy your ticket now! However, for those of you whose loans are running low, we have a free way to get involved with RAG. Tuesday and Thursday we are running events to register people to become stem cell donors, in association with Delete Blood Cancer. Essentially blood cancers can be cured provided there is a donor who can give

stem cells to transplant. With only 10,000 students in the UK registered on the database for stem cell donation, it is a pressing problem that we are hoping to help with. We will not be taking blood, we will simply be registering you to be eligible for stem cell donation. This means that someday you may receive a call from the registry asking you to give your stem cells if there LV VRPHRQH VXஉ HULQJ IURP EORRG cancer that you are a match with. Come by, get registered, and do something simple this week for charity! That’s all folks, big RAG love for this week.

Tuesday December 3 2013

the

22

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Features 7KH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO %ULHĂ€ QJ 7KDLODQG 3URWHVWV Background In 2001, Thaksin Shinawatra, a multimillionaire business tycoon won the Thai general elections as leader of the Thai Rak Thai Party. Since, Thai politics has had its’ dividing lines drawn over support and opposition to Thaksin, taking the form of the ‘red shirts’ and the ‘yellow shirts’ respectively. Thaksin enjoys support in the poor rural North and North-East, whilst opposition is found in the centre and south, and amongst the urban population. However, in 2006, Thaksin was ousted in a military coup following allegations of corruption, extrajudicial killings over the ‘war on drugs’ and human rights abuses. After the coup, the former Prime Minister found himself in exile, leaving the country to avoid a two-year prison term over corruption charges. How did the current disturbances come about? Pheu Thai, led by Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra, won the 2011 elections with the majority of support coming from the rural north. Pop-

ulist policies such as a rise in the minimum wage secured Pheu Thai a majority in the House of Representatives, securing 106 more seats than the Democrat Party led by the then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. In October 2013, Pheu Thai drafted an ‘amnesty bill’, which would have provided an amnesty for people involved in political unrest between 2006 and 2011. However, a scrutiny committee revised the bill to include people found guilty by groups or organisations set up after the military coup from 2004 to the current date. Critics argued that the amnesty bill would give Thaksin Shinawatra amnesty from his corruption charges and allow him to return to Thailand as a free man. After passing a vote in the House of Representatives, the Thai Senate unanimously rejected the bill by 140 votes to 0. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stated that there is no intention to revive the bill. The amnesty bill reignited the simmering political tensions in Thailand between the pro-Thaksin and anti-Thaksin divisions. Protests against the government initially started during the passage of the bill through parliament, however, they have since continued.

Since then, protestors had entered the Army Headquarters in Bangkok and shots were fired as rival protestors clashed on Saturday. Three students were injured and taken to hospital. What are the protestors demanding? Although initially campaigning against the passing of the amnesty bill, the street demonstrations have turned into anti-government protests. Some protestors are calling for an unelected “people’s council� to choose the leaders of Thailand. Calls for an early election have been dismissed by Yingluck after surviving a vote-of-no-confidence earlier last week. In an interview with the BBC, Yingluck stated: “I need only one thing for the country: we need to protect democracy� and stated her commitment to end the current situation through dialogue with the protestors. However, many of the protestors are skeptical of Yingluck’s reconciliation efforts after the proposed amnesty bill and perception that Yingluck is a ‘puppet’ of Thaksin.

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WIKIMEDIA: HOWARD THE DUCK

Mike Pearson Features Editor

#HullYes - Hull takes over Capital of Culture title from 2017 +RZ PLJKW WKH <RUNVKLUH FLW\ EHQH૽ W IURP EHLQJ QDPHG 8. &DSLWDO RI &XOWXUH" In October, the Economist published an article calling for the resettlement of people from post-industrial cities in the north of England such as Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Hull. They argued that government intervention to revitalise these areas only led to dependence on handouts, which come and go with elections and changing economic times. These cities have high unemployment rates and poor schools. Talented young people will flee these places for better opportunities in cities such as London. Similar things were said about Liverpool, dating as far back as the 1980s when the Toxteth riots highlighted racial tensions in the inner-city area. Margaret Thatcher was asked to consider the “managed declineâ€? of Liverpool and the Merseyside area. Although not all areas have been rejuvenated in the years since, Liverpool’s image has improved in recent years. Liverpool One, an open-air shopping and entertainment complex not unlike a Westfield shopping centre, opened in 2008 in the downtown core, and in 2011, both an embassy promoting Liver-

pool as a place to do business was opened in London and the “It’s Liverpoolâ€? marketing campaign was launched to dispel negative images of the city. Much of this boost to Liverpool’s fortunes came from being a 2008 European Capital of Culture. The brainchild of the Greek and French Ministers of Culture in 1985, the aim of the European Capital (now Capitals) of Culture is to hold a year-long programme of brand new events during the year it holds the title, with the goal of “highlight[ing] the richness and diversity of European cultures.â€? Liverpool organised, among other events, a concert from its homegrown son Sir Paul McCartney, an exhibition by Gustav Klimt at the Tate Liverpool, the hosting of the MTV Europe Music Awards, and the launching of the Tall Ships’ Race for young sailors from Liverpool’s docks. The preparations that are required to host a European Capital of Culture have the potential to revitalise cities, their cultural spheres, and their reputation. Financially, Liverpool generated ÂŁ40m in 2008 from 1.5 million visitors to the city, yet the events cost only ÂŁ11m to organise. The benefits were not limited to 2008. In 2009,

over 900,000 tourists spent ÂŁ33m in Liverpool for events that cost only ÂŁ2.5m to organise. (Some of the increased margin may be due to the setup costs for new events having been borne for 2008.) Moreover, research commissioned by the Liverpool City Council found that visitors considered Liverpool to be a “vibrantâ€? and “contemporaryâ€? city, dispelling dated associations with the Beatles and social deprivation. Following Liverpool’s success, the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport announced the start of the UK City of Culture programme. After a long consultative process, it was decided that the prize be awarded every four years starting in 2013. This year, the City of Culture was given to Derry~Londonderry, as it was branded for the event, and this past week, Hull won the award for 2017, beating Dundee, Leicester, and Swansea Bay. Culturally, Hull is known mostly for its cream telephone boxes (a legacy of municipallyowned telephone system) and as the home of Philip Larkin, named as Britain’s favourite post-war poet in 2003. For 2017, however, Hull proposes to use Larkin’s poem “Daysâ€? as a motivation to deliver 365

days of new cultural events to transform the city and its image. Although most of the events remiain confidential due to the competitive nature of the bidding process, the organisers plan to host roughly 1500 special events, including 25 festivals and 15 new commissions of pieces, for ÂŁ15m. There have been mixed opinions about the Derry~Londonderry City of Culture this year. Although many events have taken place, including the hosting of the Turner Prize for art and the arrival of charttoppers for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, ticket sales have not matched expectations with only 600 000 people visiting the city so far. Jobs have not materialised and unemployment has actually risen. The division of tasks between the public Derry City Council and the private culture company, who organised the actual events, has led to tensions. Yet, both sides realise that they were the “guinea pigsâ€? in the City of Culture project, and a major benefit to the city has been the support from both Unionists and nationalists. Learning from the failures of Derry~Londonderry and the successes of Liverpool could help Hull deliver on its planned

programme. Moreover, the expected revenue of ÂŁ60m from 2017 alone, followed by over ÂŁ120m over the four years afterwards, could bring down the 15% unemployment rate recorded in 2012 and restart many halted construction and development projects. The passion exhibited by the bid committee – which the chair of the judging panel said sealed the win for Hull – will be exhibited in Hull’s 2017 incarnation of its annual Freedom Festival through Larkin’s words “What will survive of us is love.â€? As trended on Twitter, #HullYes.

WIKIMEDIA: KARL ANTON KICKEL

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Tuesday December 3 2013

Features The Feature and PartB Interview Jeremy Scahill, the award-winning investigative journalist, talks to The Beaver’s Ian Plunkett

M

eeting awardwinning investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill on Thanksgiving is awkward. There’s the inevitable icebreaker, the “have you had your turkey yet?” moment. Screw it, I ask him anyway knowing Scahill is a man that has probably long cast off the trappings of celebratory American patriotism. He has after all witnessed first-hand the underbelly of the US freedom agenda and spoken extensively to those that kill for its propagation. It doesn’t go well. “That stuff doesn’t really matter to me, but thanks.” I instantly warm to him. It’s pulpy and Rock’n’Roll; and all those other things that cutting edge, investigatory journalists are supposed to be. A lecturer of mine called them “the cream on the journalistic milk bottle.” However, it becomes abundantly clear that Scahill is no Hunter S. Thompson, nor Carl Bernstein, or Howard Zinn. He may in fact be something of a rarity, a 21st century hybrid of old school terrier-like journalistic tenacity and the new technologically enabled activist. He dropped out of college, worked in homeless shelters and began working for activist news organisation, Democracy Now! before taking over at The Nation as National Security Correspondent. He published his groundbreaking account of the use of Blackwater private security contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2007. From there it’s been a justifiably meteoric rise. He is intense, impassioned and infectiously uncompromising. One gets a sense that for Scahill it’s vocational, his heart bloodily imprinted on his sleeve. He is in London to promote his new documentary Dirty Wars. A winner at Sundance and adapted from his New York Times Bestseller of the same name, it is a searing look inside the covert operations of the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the

Arab world – an elite force of trained killers, answerable directly to the White House. After the killing of Osama Bin Laden JSOC were publicised as heroes by the administration, a development Scahill believes was not popular amongst the forces themselves. “It was used as propaganda on Capitol Hill to increase their funding. People within the organisation were not happy with being made celebrities… there were a lot of angry people in the Special Ops community who were pissed at Obama and John Brennan, the CIA Director. They felt they used their actions and the raid on the Bin Laden compound to score political points.” Is he concerned that war is being represented in this simplistic ‘us vs. them’ prism, as typified by movies like Zero Dark Thirty? “The night after the raid on Bin Laden’s compound, Disney Corporation tried to trademark the name Seal Team 6. They wanted to use it make movies and thankfully they lost the battle, but this cuts to the core of a glorification of the culture of war that exists in the US.” Travelling further afield than his competitors, Scahill uncovered covert JSOC operations that result in the killing of pregnant women, children and innocent civilians in Gardez; a dangerous no mans land far from the Green Zone, in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. The events Scahill uncovered, which included allegations that US soldiers attempted to remove bullets from the corpses, were buried by the spin of the NATO public relations machine. Scahill himself was intimidated, his hard drive hacked and he received calls from unnamed top-level officials warning him to stop digging. It’s uncomfortable, raw and impeccably researched journalism. Unsurprisingly, Scahill is palpably outraged by his findings. “There is a growing chorus of voices within the military community of people that more or less share my view that this is going to blow back against us. It is actually undermining the stated objective of securing the nation. The only beneficiaries of the War on Terror have been huge corporations. They make a killing off of the killing. Those corporations spend a huge a amount of money to purchase politicians

in what is a legalised form of corruption.” Whilst he was uncovering key information on the lists of names that were mooted for targeted assassination by JSOC, and indeed a covert bombing in Yemen that was covered up by the administration, Scahill sought to publicise his findings by speaking to Congress and the mainstream media. However, the door was resoundingly slammed in his voice. I wonder does he feel the media have covered American foreign policy adequately in the 21st century. “No. I do not” he responds emphatically. “You could sit on my couch and we could flip the channels everything available on TV news and you would find almost no serious journalism being done. Media in the broader sense has utterly failed to provide information that people can use to make informed decisions. It’s an endless string of who killed their boyfriend, what’s the latest wine being drunk by housewives or who Miley Cyrus is twerking. It’s not that there isn’t investigative journalism, it’s just that corporate advertising controls what ends up on the air. Sadly that’s how the majority of American news works right now.” In fact, Scahill is so disillusioned with mainstream journalism he is starting a new global news organisation with acclaimed journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras. The billionaire founder of Ebay, Pierre Omidyar, will back the venture. The core mission of the organisation will be to take an adversarial stance against the state for its violations of freedom of the press and also privacy. It is going to be a hybrid of longform investigative reporting, disclosures from protected whistleblowers and rapid response journ a l ism.

The organisation looks set to attract some big names. Visibly excited, Scahill says, “It will be a full spectrum media operation and we are bringing on board some pretty influential figures from established news organisations who will be leaving their jobs to come and join us. We will also work with young talented journalists who are finding it difficult to break through by the conventional means.” Chillingly, towards the end of Dirty Wars, the focus shifts to the case of US citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki; an Imam whom in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan called for pacifism and calm from his Virginia mosque. Observing the development of America’s War on Terror and the disclosures around the state-sanctioned use of torture, infamously burned into the public memory by the Abu Ghraib images, al-Awlaki himself became radicalised and left the US. He was assassinated by drone attack in Yemen in 2011 and subsequently his 16-yearold son suffered the same fate. No arrests, no trial, no legal recourses. I couldn’t help but feel the war in its c u r r e n t

guise may be a never-ending cycle of terrorist threat, American response by force, and subsequent religious radicalisation - a cruel and violent irony. At the conclusion of Dirty Wars, an exhausted Scahill battles to publicise and uncover new details from anonymous and off the record sources. He narrates in a monotonic voice over emotive images of young Afghani and Yemeni children, referring to the current cyclical model of covert war as a “twisted logic without an end.” Is Obama’s 2008 campaign, which was predicated on hope and tangible change a distant memory? Has he failed the American people and is Scahill hopeful for a more optimistic American experience? “I’m not optimistic. People projected onto Obama what they wanted to see. I don’t think he was a transformative figure. His public speech was aimed at trying to give that perception but if you analysed his policy platforms that those he surrounded himself with on the campaign trail, it was clear that he was going to be a president that embraced the politics of empire. As long as elections or won and lost on the basis of who spends the most money, Obama is probably the best that this system can produce and I’ve been very critical of his practices as president.” With a resigned and wearied expression etched on his face, looking at his feet, he continues, “That’s about as good as it gets in the current American political system.” For more info, visit www.dirtywars.org

FLICKR: CHATHAM HOUSE

Jeremy Scahill is the National Security Correspondent for the liberal American magazine The Nation. His first book, Blackwater, was an exposé of the military firm of the same name, and his newest book Dirty Wars has been made into a film, which he co-wrote and narrates.

Tuesday December 3 2013

the

24

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Features 3ROLWLFV &DQ /DERXU $IIRUG WR /RVH LQ "

With constitutional changes up in the air, the next election could have an impact beyond the next parliament /LDP +LOO 'HSXW\ )HDWXUHV (GLWRU

The 2015 election could be one of the most tightly contested in a generation. An austerity Prime Minister promising a leaner state and a referendum on Europe will face the first truly social democratic Labour leader in a decade and a half for the keys to number ten. Take the blue pill and the Conservatives will be unimpeded by the Lib Dems: a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union that could have a momentous effect upon our economy, Michael Gove’s revolution of the education system will continue unabated, further cuts to public services and a perpetuation of the transition to an increasingly neo-liberal low-tax economic model. Take the red pill, and the Labour party will freeze energy prices, force “land hoarders” to build houses or risk losing their land, reverse many of the coalition’s changes to tax and benefits and being less afraid to promote the

role of the state in regulating and shaping markets. There is one sense in which the Labour Party quite literally cannot afford to lose the next general election. It will run out of money, or have to do with much less than at present. Ed Miliband’s radical reform of Labour’s relationship with the trades unions will cost the party millions of pounds. A Labour government or a Labour-Lib Dem coalition might well pass legislation introducing state funding of political parties. This would solve Labour’s funding problem but would also be presented as a method of restoring trust in political parties. It would prevent the Tories from beating Labour with the Len McCluskey stick. The Conservatives, comparatively well-funded largely by wealthy donors, many from the financial sector, would be likely to resist state funding of political parties but would be powerless to do so in the face of a Labour or a Labour-led government. The new date for the recon-

sideration of the redrawing of constituency boundaries is December 2015; so whichever party wins the next election will decide whether and how the redrawing of constituency boundaries takes place. The current boundaries confer a structural advantage to the Labour Party. Constituencies with a concentration of urban and working-class workers tend to have lower turnouts, so Labour needs fewer votes nationally to win a majority of seats in parliament. A Labour government could choose to discontinue boundary reform and continue to benefit from this structural advantage. The coalition government’s reforms to constituency boundaries, as they were before Nick Clegg forced their abandonment, would have penalised Labour and the Lib Dems the most. It is hard to see that a Conservative government would not resurrect boundary reform in time for the first election after 2015. Add into this mix the introduction of individual electoral

registration (IER). The shift from household registration to individual registration is likely, according to projections, to lead to millions of voters, mainly working-class potential voters in urban areas, becoming disenfranchised, no longer being included on the electoral register altogether. Given that voters who do not enrol themselves onto the electoral register are perhaps among the least likely to vote in any case, the impact of this change in itself may not be momentous. Combined, however, with the redrawing of constituency boundaries, IER could confer a real advantage to the Conservative party, as Labour-leaning constituencies become larger with many more voters per Member of Parliament than at present. If the Conservatives do win in 2015, the combined effect of boundary changes, IER and the funding shortfall caused by the recalibration of Labour’s relationship with trades unions, will have a pronounced effect upon Labour’s ability to

compete at elections. The upper hand Labour enjoys at the moment because of low turnout in Labour-leaning constituencies would be transformed into a severe disadvantage. The Tories will see the reforms they would make after 2015 as a levelling of the electoral playing field, but accusations of partisan foul play may well stick as the Tories make it more difficult for voters to eject them from office. 2015 is an election that neither can afford to lose. Labour will not face an existential crisis if it loses, but it will certainly face drawbacks. Voters will be deciding on much more than one government’s policy when voting opens. 2015 might well be the most polarized election since 1983. The government that is formed as a result will transform Britain and shape British politics for many years to come. The election in 2015 will be historic in determining the future of Britain as a political system, as an economy and as a nation.

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Universities in the UK often apply what is called the “trimester structure”: the division of the academic year into a Michaelmas, Lent and Summer Term. In general, most examinations take place in the Summer Term. The question is: is this the optimal educational structure? There are perhaps at least two main problems with the structure as it is currently being applied: one regarding its didactic implications, and one regarding its (in)efficiency. Let’s start with the didactics. As numerous scientific studies have shown, feedback – and especially imme-

diate feedback – are of great importance in the learning of new material. This is because, when mastering new material, it is important to be made aware in an early stage of errors that, if not resolved, might turn into significant problems. And although immediate feedback is part of most lectures and seminars, there’s one crucial area in which this aspect seems to be ignored: examinations. As mentioned before, an intrinsic part of the trimester-structure is that by far most of the examination takes place in the last term (i.e., the Summer term). This implies that material studied in the first term (Michaelmas term) gets tested in the third term (Summer term). It seems

reasonable to assume that, in this case, the feedback period between absorbing the material and the material being tested is very long (a couple of months), and therefore lacks the impact it could have upon correcting students’ knowledge. Besides a didactic argument, one could employ what might be called an “economical” view on studying. Scientific research – from Psychology Today – shows that students have the tendency to study more when the exams get nearer. One could say that the “marginal knowledgeoutput of learning” is higher when the examination period gets nearer. For now it is irrelevant whether this is due

to procrastination on the side of the students, or due to an intrinsic part of human motivation. The fact of the matter is that, when applied to the trimester-structure, this tendency implies that most of students’ studying will take place in the (short) period before the Summer Term. But isn’t this an inefficient usage of both the Michaelmas and Lent Term? There seems to be an easy way in which the current system could be improved upon (in the light of the aforementioned two arguments). One way would be by moving away from 100% examinations in the Summer Term to – let’s say – 33% exams per term. Another option might be to keep the

100% examination structure in place, but simply create more courses that take up one term only, and test these after the respective term. Besides being optimal from an economic perspective, since students will be studying “at full capacity” all the time, these options would drastically shorten the feedback-period between the absorption of new material and the testing of it, therefore being beneficial from a didactic point of view as well. It might be worthwhile to take a look at these, and likewise options, to improve upon the current structure.

7KH 3RFNHW 3KLORVRSKHU 5Hૺ HFWLRQV RQ 7LPH 7UDYHO Could we re-write 800 editions of Beaver history? $OH[DQGHU +RZHOOV

Given the centennial nature of this edition of The Beaver some particularly avid readers may be indulging themselves, casting their eyes over the archive of 799 previous issues or ruminating over the founding of the paper itself back in 1949. Perhaps they have contemplated – and here I am perhaps ascribing a little too much hypothetical fanaticism – how momentous it would have been to be a part of that original gathering of aspiring journalists. Maybe they dream of transporting themselves back to that day, to sign on to that first issue, or perhaps even nefariously travelling back a

year earlier and releasing ‘The Beaver’ themselves, taking all the glory in their own name. But hold on, I hear you cry, – and if not, you should be paying closer attention – surely that would create a paradox? If an aspirant journalist, inspired by the 1949 Beaver, travels back in time to publish ‘The Beaver’ in 1948, presumably destroying the 1949 Beaver, what caused them to be inspired to do so? By stopping the 1949 Beaver from ever existing they stop themself from ever having the inspiration for stopping the 1949 Beaver from existing. The supposed time travel paradoxes are numerous. They range from such extremes as killing your own grandfather,

to simply potting a billiard ball into a time-traversable wormhole in order to knock its original-self off path. Sorry, did I say ‘simply’? So, do these paradoxes spell the end of our hopeful journalist’s dreams of time travel? Some would argue that this is the case, that there are simply too many paradoxes involved with time travel to make it possible. There are others, however, who would attempt to resolve them, suggesting that they merely constitute rules which we must follow should time travel ever be attempted. Consider a few potential resolutions to the paradox created by our journalist. Firstly, a classic: perhaps time branches off at the point of change. By

changing the past our journalist creates an alternative timeline, a ‘parallel universe’, and the impact of the change unfolds in this new future. This circumvents any interference with the journalist’s past as the effects of the change have been diverted down another dimension. Perhaps, instead, the journalist creates a sort of self-consistency loop. Upon publishing the 1948 ‘Beaver’ it will turn out that, in fact, it was this Beaver which inspired them all along. Or perhaps our journalist simply couldn’t publish their new ‘Beaver.’ No matter how they try the universe prevents them from changing the past. Maybe their printers consistently jam or the news-

paper fails to garner any attention. In some way or another, the universe doesn’t allow the real Beaver of 1949 not to be published. From Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to last week’s 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, time travel has proven to be a consistent fascination of mankind. Some may argue that philosophy has little place in theorizing about it, that it should be left to physicists. Perhaps, however, the consideration of these paradoxes will cause the reader to reflect on how philosophy may have some important insights into what could be the next phenomena to make the transition from science fiction to reality.

the

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Tuesday December 3 2013

Diary of an LSE Student

diary@thebeaveronline.com

LSE events and gossip - know something is going on? Email us.

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Tuesday December 3 2013

the

26

Beaver

Are you going to London?

Amelia Thomson - Social Editor

The early 7am start for RAG gets lost led to a tired and somewhat apprehensive atmosphere as all participants were given T-shirts and a photo was taken so that just in case we got lost for ever they would have an official last record of our existence. We were pleasantly surprised to be allowed to look out the window of the coach as we took a rather scenic exit from London past Trafalgar Square and St James’s Palace. However all too soon blindfolds were handed out and the world went dark (well not quite as the blindfolds were white so all sunlight was not blocked out). A journey of chatting and listening/singing along to music then ensued with my RAG gets lost teammate Robin. A service station stop was a frantic moment for us all to google map our location: we were nearing Bristol on the M4. Thankfully the curtains of the bus were then drawn and we were allowed an hour or so of actually being able to see (well around the bus anyway). The roads slowly became windier and trafனF OHVV IUHTXHQW %OLQGIROGV ZHUH WKHQ ordered back on and we slowly found ourselves at a dead end – the sea! BunGOHG RŕŽ‰ WKH EXV ZH ZHUH WROG ZH ZHUH QRZ ‍Ú?‏RŕŽŒFLDOO\ ORVW‍ ڑ‏ :HOO DV SODFHV WR EH ORVW JR ZH ZHUH in a rather beautiful spot. The sun was warming the beach up beautifully such that the idea of having a little holiday here seemed a wonderful plan. The WHDPV VRRQ KXUULHG RŕŽ‰ DQG ZH IRXQG RXW ZH ZHUH LQ 0LQHKHDG 6RPHUVHW thanks to a lady walking her to dog who found the idea that this place could possibly have a train station very amusing. So we walked towards the ‘centre’ RI 0LQHKHDG HVVHQWLDOO\ D SODFH ZKHUH WKHUH ZHUH D IHZ PRUH SHRSOH DQG thanks to another team 6 of us managed to get on a bus to Taunton for free which took us down some pretty tiny A roads. Taunton was evidently larger than Minehead (it would not be difficult) and so we hopped on another bus. $W னUVW WKH GULYHU VDLG KH FRXOG QRW OHW us on due to CCTV on the bus however no sooner had he said that then he let us on the bus! At the train station it seemed as if this challenge was going to be very easy as a train to London

Paddington was leaving in 5 minutes; all we had to do was get on the train for free. However apparently Great Western train services no longer allow charity hitch hikers on their trains for free. 7R WKH EXV VWDWLRQ ZH ZDONHG LQ RUder to attempt to get a bus to Bristol. $IWHU FKDWWLQJ WR D ORYHO\ ROG ODG\ ZKR was rather concerned about our health SK\VLFDO RU PHQWDO , DP QRW VXUH ZH realised the bus went to Wells and then you had to get another bus to Bristol.

used rugby and cricket chatter to make friends and the kind driver grew into KLV UROH PHDQLQJ KH WRRN XV WKURXJK all the Bristol traffic to the train station. The ticket attendant proved even less pliable than the one in Taunton who had at least appeared sorry that he could not let us on the train this person however seemed to relish it. A little stumped we went back to the trusty favourite of the bus whose driver kindly

Seeing as Wells was smaller than Taunton and Taunton was already proving tricky to get out of we thanked her for her advice and moved on to attempting to hitchhike. After an age of fruitless attempts we found a couple who were happy to drive us to a petrol station on the entrance to the M5. The next petrol station was a pretty quiet spot but one car was indeed going to London; the only problem was they had broken down – not ideal! So we found someone heading down the M5 a little way who turned out to be lovely and we chatted about his holiday to India. Being GURSSHG RŕŽ‰ DW VHUYLFHV RQ WKH 0 ZDV probably the only time I felt a sense of panic. Seemingly no one was heading anywhere from here (or were not willing to take us). We brought out the cookies to boost morale and headed to our favourite spot at the petrol station. A rather youngish chap rocked up and was heading towards Bristol. We gave him the best puppy dog eyes we could and he said alright I’ll take you. We

let us on for free. We got chatting to a lady who herself was a veteran hitch hiker and she gave us some tips. The bus stopped and the bus conductor then announced ‘people for the M32 here’s your stop’ as well as amazingly giving us instructions on how to get to the petrol station for the M32. With our now perfected petrol station chat we waited outside the shop and soon found a man going to Essex. So thankful for his kindness and the warmth of the van we found ourselves London bound. He turned out to be a lovely chap who was a cameraman and musician. He was a drum player in a band called ‘Dingus Khan’ and had played at literally all the festivals as well as being played fairly regularly on the radio. As we neared the M25 we suggested Uxbridge (the end of the tube line) as the place to be dropped RŕŽ‰ 'HVSLWH QHHGLQJ WR FDUU\ RQ DURXQG the M25 he went down the M40 for 2 junctions before driving through Uxbridge to the tube – all just for us. Our

Listings Monday (9th) The Houghtones RAG Christmas Concert from 7pm - 8:45pm in KSW G01. Think Christmas carols, mince pies, tinsel, the lot! Tickets will be ÂŁ2 and Christmas refreshment will be available at a very reasonable price, with all the proceeds going towards RAG! Tuesday (3rd) Join Music Society for Jazz Night from 7:45pm - 10pm in The Three Tuns. LSE Postgraduate Winter Ball from 9pm - 3am at Loop, Oxford Street. Tickets available online for ÂŁ17.50.

Thursday (5th) Sustainable Project Fund Launch in 32L.LG.08 IURP SP SP &RPH DORQJ WR ୽QG RXW PRUH about how to apply and projects that have won in the past. Your project could be about anything e.g. if you want to start a garden at your student’s accommodation or want funding for your research regarding LSE and sustainability. Teams will provide some free food and drinks, an interesting talk and detailed information about your applications. Submit you proposal by 2nd February 2014 and be part of shaping LSE’s future! 6VK &RPH DORQJ WR ୽QG RXW ZKDW LW‍ڑ‏V DOO DERXW from 6pm - 7pm on Houghton St. Friday (6th) Join LSESU Literature Society for a Christmas Book Stall in partnership with Alpha Books.

sad farewells were genuine. Once at Uxbridge the feeling that we were not going to make it back started to subside. We were back in Greater London! We went to chat to the tube conductor who said he could let us through but that if we were stopped it ZRXOG EH DQ e னQH KRZHYHU KH DVNHG if we could take money from other people. We said yes and he then gave us his own money so that we could put the money on our Oyster cards and get to Holborn. From here it was a just a tube jourQH\ WR +ROERUQ WKHQ D UDWKHU ORQJ run up the escalators at Holborn and a hurried walk to the Penderel’s Oak. Although we knew we had not won we ZDQWHG WR னQLVK LQ VW\OH DQG UDWKHU out of breath if I’m honest). We came through the pub doors and low and beKROG WKHUH ZHUH WKH RWKHU னQLVKHUV :H KDG னQLVKHG WK RXW RI VR ZHUH LQ the top half and seeing as only a few hours before we had been at a service station halfway up the M5 being only 30mins walk from my warm bed was rather relieving. Prior to the challenge I had been rather apprehensive. Mainly about the hitchhiking but also about the thought of letting down people who had sponsored us and allowed us to raise ÂŁ150 for FoodCycle. However the day was a million times better than I could ever have imagined. The sheer kindness of people shocked me. In a world where all we seem to hear about is bad news it was incredible to meet people so willing to go out of their way to help. I am not saying that hitchhiking is 100% safe (as my parents comment when they sponsored us said ‘Well done Amelia and Robin... Please don’t do this high risk activity again!) but rather do not always think the worst of people. Living in London and seeing unsmiling faces on the tube can become somewhat disheartening. But there are kind people everywhere we just all have to engage and talk to one another. So perKDSV QH[W WLPH \RX WDNH WKH EXV WXEH etc. don’t just stare at the ground and listen to your iPod in an isolated world but rather smile at people and attempt to show everyone just what a friendly place the UK (and the world) can be.

Don’t forget to grab copies of your favourite titles at bargain prices, just in time for the holiday season! Starts at 10am in the Clare Market Building. There will also have a book donation box at the stall, with all books being donated to Lewisham Hospital. Please show a little Christmas spirit and give your books to a great cause! LSE Choir Lunchtime Recital from 1pm - 2pm in the Shaw Library. Programme includes selected choruses from Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Christmas Carols.

For more information on any of these events or other events you may be interested in go to www.lsesu.com or email events@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 6043.

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Tuesday December 3 2013

Connected or disconnected? Vikki Hui

Smartphones, tablets, laptops – these are the essential tools for a modern university student. Whether in lectures or at the WK ŕŽ‹RRU FDQWHHQ \RX FDQ DOways spy people checking their Facebook newsfeeds, scrolling through Tumblr posts, and tweeting away. Social media is the number one activity on the Internet, surpassing porn. Its array of functions includes networking, media sharing and facilitating discussions - functions that sound harmless and

EHQHனFLDO 7KH DFFHVVLELOLW\ RI social media has increased exponentially in tandem with that RI ZL ன DQG VPDUWSKRQHV The question is, is social media too accessible? The instant accessibility of social media has made it an indispensable part of our daily lives. We are constantly accessing social media, whether uploading pictures of food during meals or documenting our hectic day at school. Many would argue that we are too involved with these sites and that we prefer socialising over social media rather than in person. Indeed, it seems

to be increasing so that people are using their phones rather than talking to each other at restaurants. Interestingly, social anxiety is also a recurring theme on popular multimedia blogging site Tumblr, where bloggers express their fear of socialising and interacting with new people. This is potentially problematic since it is easy for XVHUV ZKR னQG VRODFH LQ VRFLDO media to stay in the comfort zone of such sites, hence leading to the deterioration of their social skills. On the other hand, social media is no doubt a key part of

our lives with numerous benHனWV ,W DOORZV XV WR VWD\ DZDUH of current events, reconnect with old friends, network with potential clients and employers, as well as being a form of entertainment. There are many types of social media, and we cannot simply generalise them for we will miss the potential EHQHனWV DQG GUDZEDFNV )RU VRcial networks such as LinkedIn, it is highly unlikely that people would be addicted to it, and it is highly important for the working population. Although others such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr appear to have

LSE Student Counselling Service

Disordered Eating Therapy Group 2014 January 2014 - specific time TBC

Do you worry about your weight? Do you wish you could stop thinking about food, weight and body image? Do you feel out of control around food?

In this six-week group participants will have the opportunity to develop new behaviours and more helpful thoughts affecting their eating habits. This group is part experiential, part psycho-educational and is suitable for bulimic, bingeing, restrictive or compulsive eaters. A therapy group provides a consistent, confidential and supportive environment, and can offer help with a broad range of emotional problems. The LSE Student Counselling Service is running a psychotherapy group for students with eating problems. This group will offer psychological help within a confidential reflective space over the rest of the academic year. The group facilitator will be Mike Bryant from the LSE Student Counselling Service. Mike is an experienced therapist who has been working with clients with eating problems as well as students in Higher Education for many years. How do I find out more? All potential group members will have the benefit of a full psychotherapeutic assessment before committing to the group. This assessment will also offer an opportunity to find out more about the group and to ask any questions you may have about it. An assessment session is often helpful in itself, and may or may not lead to you joining the group. You will be advised if another form of help may be more suitable for you.

Participants need to be able to attend each session of the group. If you would like to reserve a place, please see the website, visit the office in KSW 5.07, email student.counselling@lse.ac.uk or call 0207 852 3627. LSE LUNCHTIME SALSA IS BACK! Give your Tuesdays a bit of variety and come along to laugh and learn with Samantha and her Team. Suitable for anyone and everyone - beginners and those with more experience. No partner necessary, no special clothes required but please wear shoes that support your ankle. Just bring yourself, a smile, a bottle of water and a t-shirt to enjoy a fun hour. Classes will be every Tuesday starting 26th November, 1-2pm in the Parish Hall, next to the Peacock Theatre, costing ÂŁ4. We will also be returning in January with Tango and Zumba classes so watch this space! For more information, email Samantha at s.e.da-costa@lse.ac.uk. **** Bring the advert and you get ÂŁ1 off your first class! ****

less practical use, they allow users to express themselves with creativity and without restraint, acting as a great source of stress relief. All in all, social media is great, just as any other thing, as long as it is used with moderation. Addiction to social media happens easily, as social media is so easy to access. 5DWKHU WKDQ னGGOLQJ ZLWK \RXU phone or being glued to your computer because you’re on Facebook, why not pull your friends away from social media for a while and socialise by playing monopoly?

The Art of Procrastination Louis Montebello

We’ve all done it. Books out, laptop on, word document open, essay deadline to hit, word count still at 23 (the title). Yet the ability to shoot a paper ball across the room LQWR DQ DOUHDG\ RYHUŕŽ‹RZLQJ ELQ takes priority. What is it about us that makes procrastination so interesting? Checking the latest feeds on Twitter won’t get you any closer to completing your degree. Neither will watching “singing bananaâ€? vines (look it up!). The fact that you’re reading this is probably of little use in itself. However, we all continue to ZDVWH WLPH DQG SXW WKLQJV RŕŽ‰ Maybe it’s your brain telling you to stop doing what you’re doing, because clearly wanting WR னQG RXW ‍ڔ‏KRZ WR UDLVH \RXU IQ by eating gifted childrenâ€? may suggest the need for a degree change. Or maybe it is a good thing. Some of the greatest philosophers in the history of the world thought up their best ideas by sitting around doing very little. And even today managing delay can be a good thing; Lastminute.com can work wonders. Procrastination could be considered an art and is it a matter of whether we procrasWLQDWH HŕŽ‰HFWLYHO\ WKDW LV WKH biggest concern? Or maybe this whole article was just a waste of time‌ Sean MacEntee

There are many pressures about being a student at LSE and ways to relieve these pressures are manifold. However, sometimes the coping strategies we use can create real difficulties, such as dependence on alcohol, recreational drug use or withdrawal. Disordered eating can be one such response to pressures, but it often leads to a range of other problems too. The LSE Student Counselling Service will be running a 6 week therapy group for any student with eating problems, such as bulimia and binge eating. In this six-week group participants will have the opportunity to develop new behaviours and develop a healthy relationship to food and eating. Being part of this group will involve discussing experiences as well as receiving some information about new ways of understanding and coping with eating problems. The group is suitable for bulimic, bingeing, restrictive or compulsive eaters. The Disordered Eating Group will be facilitated by LSE student counsellor Mike Bryant, who is an experienced counsellor and published author with over 30 years experience. Mike facilitated the னUVW GLVRUGHUHG HDWLQJ JURXS in January 2012 and received positive feedback from participants. The group discussions will be led by what arises from members. Throughout the six sessions, information will be introduced that looks at topics such as self esteem, body image, unhelpful thoughts that lead to unhealthy behaviours. In the latter sessions, we will look at new ways of developing healthier coping skills. If you are interested please contact the LSE Student Counselling to book a brief meeting before the group begins in January.The group will meet weekly on a date to be arranged for the convenience of the applicants based on their schedules. Participants need to be able to attend each session of the group.

Social

Tuesday December 3 2013

the

28

Beaver

Social

Beaver Games

Mae I Help You?

Crossword

Send your questions to social@thebeaveronline.com

Dear Mae, Since coming to uni I’ve been approached by girls quite a few times, and gotten their numbers. But I don’t really know what to do, because it seems a bit awkward texting these people who I’ve barely spoken to. Can you give me pointers on what to say when texting some of these girls? I don’t really know what to say, considering I barely know these people, and in some cases don’t even remember their faces. Or should I just not bother with it? Sincerely, - Texting Conundrum Dear TC,

ACROSS

DOWN

1 Returning drunkard sees several more (8) 5 Chap captures knight with queen – that’s how Arab may move? (6) 9 Worry oneself about a feature of some bats (4-4) 10 Causes alarm and anxiety on board (6) 12 Build sports ground in abandoned encampment (5) 13 Good man consumes small dinner perhaps – like some biscuits (9) 14 Try comic line to start to soothe raving road user (5-7) 18 Not easily wound up, happening to lose one’s rag about politician sacking son (4-8) 6RPH EDG ÀHOGLQJ OHDGV WR GHIHDW

23 Island institute gets rid of Academician (5) &OHUJ\PDQ·V ZLIH GLVPLVVHV ÀUVW FRXSOH to show affection (6) 25 After short trip, detective has extremely communicable disease (8) 26 Noisily knocked back a delicious drink (6) 27 The majority should be kept in the warm – it stops bleeding (as American has it) (8)

1 Insectivore that’s often recognisable? Not entirely (6) 2 Most strict, keeping one’s woman in order (6) 3 Craft shop’s closing and left a bit too untidy (5-4) 4 With yours truly absent, teaches class about mounting special electrical items (12) 6 Necktie accepted by Hamish? (5) 7 Spice sexual excitement up with married man (8) 8 Determined to rule out taking pills (8) 11 We had a celeb dancing outside hotel, maybe right on the Strand? (7,5) 15 Cut short street party that’s getting noisier (9) 16 One cuts corners, sloppily producing chemical used in dyeing (8) 6DWLVÀHG E\ LQWHUSUHWDWLRQ RI (URLFD except the last bit, which is very fast (8) 19 Refuse to take exam again around start of semester (6) 20 Fresh money to support soldiers (6) 22 Opera for La Scala at heart? (5)

If you don’t remember these girls then why do you want to text them? If you have absolutely no idea if you will get along then why bother? I know sometimes during these nights out everyRQH FDQ EH ஋LUWDWLRXV and it may be tempting to just get as many numbers as possible. But in the grand scheme of things this won’t be too helpful if you want to date. TC, I suggest you only take down a girl’s numbers if you actually like her. If you have time to have even a short conversation you PD\ ஊQG WKDW \RX JHW along really well. Then it’ll be easy to send over a quick text! You can just ask her if she wants to hang out at some point. Be it, getting coffee, a meal, or a drink. Especially since LSE has so many fun events you could easily invite her to one of them. Then you can continue the conversation you started when \RX ஊUVW PHW KHU DQG hopefully things will go swimmingly. Good luck, TC! -------------------------

Dear Mae, A friend of mine told me that my ex-girlfriend has gone out with a guy a couple times and it’s only been a few weeks since we broke up. Does this mean that she never really cared about me after all? How can she move on so quickly? Sincerely, - Hurting After Break Up Dear HAB, Sorry to hear you’re hurting after the break up. Dealing with a breakup can be hard enough, but when you ஊQG \RXUVHOI REVHVVLQJ over how quickly your ex is moving on it can make LW WZLFH DV GL஌FXOW First, it’ll be easier to move on yourself if you try to distance yourself from your ex. You are obviously not over her so it won’t be helpful if you know everything she does. Tell your friends to not keep you updated on her dating. And for good measure you might want to hide her activity from your facebook newsfeed. Second, HAB, the fact that she has been on a couple of dates doesn’t mean that she never cared. Everyone recovers from a relationship LQ D GLஉHUHQW ZD\ 6RPH people need to rebound into a new relationship in order to feel better. Don’t take it too personally. And again, try to avoid obsessing over her new dating life. Instead, allow yourself some time to grieve the relationship, and then when you’re ready you should move on as well, HAB! ------------------------

PRIVATE B

‘Where’s all the damn news? What is this, Royal Holloway?’

68 ('8&$7,21 6859(< 5(68/76 +,*+/< 8168535,6,1* $ ŕŽ‹ XUU\ RI QRWKLQJ LQ SDUWLFX lar has swept student life at /6( DV WKH SUHOLPLQDU\ UH sults of the Students’ Union’s sweeping Education survey have revealed that students feel pretty as you’d imagine about most things.

component parts and no particular direction. Said EducayUVKXQ 2ŕŽŒ FHU Rosie Coleman ‍ڔ‏:H QHHG GDWD WR FRQIURQW Paul Kelly and the School on the important issues, and it GRHVQ‍ڑ‏W PDWWHU LI WKH VWXŕŽ‰ ZH get back is freakin’ obvious’. 0LVV &ROHPDQ WKHQ ZHQW RŕŽ‰ WR do some important and empowering Instagramming.

Early indications are that students are in favour of more WLPH RŕŽ‰ DJDLQVW PRUH LQWHQ sive assessment, totally indifferent to departmental auWRQRP\ DQG ZLOG\ LQGLŕŽ‰ HUHQW WR WKH 68 LWVHOI 2WKHU UHVXOWV indicated that students were generally in favour of feedback, chocolate ice-cream and the sky, whilst broadly opposing classes of over ten million, DQ HQWLUH \HDU RI /6( DQG 1RHO (GPRQGV 7KH\ ZHUH split on whether or not the XFactor was good for the British economy.

Many students had been shy RI ன OOLQJ LQ WKH IRUP 2QH anonymous student governor and general nuisance whose name rhymes with ‘song’ blamed Jay Stoll, and argued that students were better RŕŽ‰ ன OOLQJ LQ PDUNHW UHVHDUFK surveys where you get paid a patronising amount of money at the end. (is this going anywhere? It doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. Ed.) The full results of the survey won’t be known for several more months, but it is hoped that the information will help the SU to tell the school a

The survey was part of the Union’s confusingly-named 21( /6( FDPSDLJQ ZKLFK unfortunately has several

ORDG RI VWXŕŽ‰ WKDW HYHU\RQH already knew in a formal conWH[W ‍Ú?‏7KLV ZD\ ZH‍ڑ‏UH FRYHUHG when the School passes loads of reforms we hate regardOHVV‍ ڑ‏VDLG $FDGHPLF %RDUG rep Bullshit Barnett, electioneering shamelessly. ‘Standard make-yourself-look -good tactic. Vote for me?’ The other $FDGHPLF %RDUG UHS -DPLH 5HSHOOLQJ ZDV WRR EXV\ ன VK ing his cardboard sword out of the toilet to comment. IN OTHER NEWS because this story has no legs at all ‍ ښ‏38/6( 5DGLR VWDWLRQ PDQ DJHU ‍Ú?‏:LUHOHVV‍ ڑ‏0LNH 3HDU son admits he’s been playing banned song ‘Blurred /LQHV‍ ڑ‏RQ D FRQWLQXRXV ORRS for the last two months and nobody has noticed.

Totally Legit Letters Dear Beaver I am disgusted by the way that the some sections of the school have been attacked on gender lines in these past few weeks. I would like to remind people that calling footballers d**ks and w**kers is entirely heteronormative, and that we can’t help but objectify women due to our place in the patriarical system and our upbringing. Furthermore, comments in the Beaver that we need to ‘grow up’ are frankly sizeist. I am therefore proposing that V all SU hacks, RŕŽŒ FLDOV and FemSoc committee members attend mandatory diversity and seeLQJ LW RŕŽ‰ WUDLQLQJ QH[W :(1' 1(6'$< 1,*+7 +2//$ Ever yours ) & /DGG

‍ ښ‏1RWKLQJ LQWHUHVWLQJ KDV happened this week.

Craig Calhoun defends his pie against an interloper Checklist for RAG Sleepout MacBook: Just because it’s a sleepout doesn’t mean you should miss out on Masterchef :DUP FORWKHV 3UHIHUDEO\ -DFN :LOOV RU MXVW \RXU VNLLQJ JHDU

‍Ú?‏:KDW LV WKH HVVHQFH RI /6( WR \RX"‍ڑ‏

“If you had the power to change one thing about /6( ZKDW ZRXOG LW EH"‍ڕ‏

:KDW GR \RX WKLQN LV the biggest issue on campus?'

‍ڔ‏7KH YLEH ‍ڕ‏

“The immigration bill. I don’t want to be sent EDFN WR &DQDGD ‍ڕ‏

‍Ú?‏:DDUN" :DDUN ‍ڑ‏ This week's edition compiled by Tam Banters FrĂŠdĂŠric Photochopin Col. Honey-Badger Captain Hack Sparrow Eirik Bakke

JOIN US NEXT WEEK AS WE FIND OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL WHAT THE FOX SAYS

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'U\ 6KDPSRR <RX‍ڑ‏UH KRPHOHVV for the night, but that doesn’t mean you’re not worth it Food: try and get it free from 3UHW RU LI DOO HOVH IDLOV :DVDEL :KLVWOH )RU VHFXULW\ LQ FDVH any actual homeless people approach you iPhone: For the obligatory VOHHSRXW VHOன H

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the

30

Beaver

Success for LSE triathletes in BUCS Duathlon Rebecca Windermer

/DVW 6XQGD\ PDUNHG WKH னUVW event for the LSE triathletes, DQG WKH னUVW WLPH /6( KDV been represented in the BUCS Duathlon. For four team memEHUV LW ZDV DOVR WKHLU னUVW WLPH competing in a duathlon. A duathlon is a run-bikerun event and is basically a winter alternative of a triathlon where the swim is replaced by another run. Sunday’s event involved a 2 mile run, followed E\ D PLOH F\FOH IROORZHG E\ another 2 mile run, with the idea being that your transition between the disciplines as

quickly as possible without any break . The race was held at the racing car circuit at Castle Coombe, with the run taking place around the outside of the circuit and the cycle being on the same track that is used in the F1 car races. There were a lot of Universities representHG DQG FRPSHWLWLRQ ZDV னHUFH ZLWK RYHU FRPSHWLWRUV LQcluding some GB Duathletes. First to race were the men; F\FOLVW 3D\QH *ULIILQ ZDV னUVW home for LSE followed by Maurice Banerjee Palmer and -DFN :LQWHUWRQ ,Q WKH :RPen’s race Rebecca Windemer ZDV னUVW KRPH IRU /6( IRO-

lowed by Vicky Wei, who had a very impressive bike time despite being one of the only competitors not competing on a racing bike. The team had a great time and are excited to build on this success. Next term we will see the start of the triathlon race season and the team will be competing in DTXDWKORQ 6ZLP ‍ ڋ‏UXQ UDFes as well as both sprint and Olympic distance triathlon races. The team is now continuing to train in all three disciplines ready to represent LSE for WKH னUVW WLPH DW WKHVH UDFHV ,I \RX DUH LQWHUHVWHG LQ MRLQing the triathlon team email R.M.Windemer@lse.ac.uk

LSE RC take on the Cambridge Winter Head LSE Rowing Club

On Saturday the 16th the men and women’s senior crews of 8+ and their coxes made their way to Cambridge to race a twisty 2.5k down the river Cam against University crews from all over the UK. On race day the women’s team caught the 8:45 train from Kings Cross, a welcome change from the XVXDO DP VWDUW VXŕŽ‰HUHG PRVW Saturdays. We arrived at Cambridge in plenty of time to soak up the race day atmosphere in DQWLFLSDWLRQ RI /6(5&‍ڑ‏V னUVW race of the season. After preparing our boat NLQGO\ ORDQHG WR XV E\ 4XHHQV College Cambridge) and last minute carb loading, we rowed 3k down the course to the start line. This warm up row was met with numerous compliments from rival teams on our LSE ‘stash’. Stripping down to our rowing onesies and feeling nervous, we lined up ready to row our hardest. Once our number was called our cox called for us

to bring up the rating. By the time we crossed the start line we were rowing at race pace ZLWK IXOO SUHVVXUH )RU WKH னUVW full 1k we rowed just as we’d practiced on our home stretch of the Thames. Our strokes were technical and together as we focussed on our cox’s motivational calls. With 1.5k to go our strokes became looser as the prospect of a 5 minute sprint weighed on our minds. The third quarter of the race felt like it would never end as our cox’s attempts to raise spirits were silenced by our screaming muscles. Yet DW WKH னQDO P VSULQW ZH rowed past the men’s team who shouted encouragement from the banks. The support of our teammates and the prospect of lunch back at the boathouse inspired all eight of us WR SXVK KDUG WR WKH னQLVK OLQH :H FURVVHG WKH னQLVK OLQH happy that we’d all given our EHVW HŕŽ‰RUW DQG SURXG RI RXU cox’s navigation of the infamously tricky course. Back at Queens College boathouse we

enjoyed a well-deserved round of beers and a walking tour of Cambridge! The results posted later that day revealed that our sen-

ior Men’s 8+ came in 21st out RI LQ WKH VHQLRU PHQ‍ڑ‏V category whist our women’s team came in 9th out of 16 in the senior women’s 8+ cat-

egory. With much food, team bonding and physical exertion, the Cambridge winter head proved a great day out and a successful start to the season.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

This week was Pride Week, a festival of colour, co-operation and conviviality as the AU celebrated the LGBT community. And now back to our usual heteronormative column. Uppalling scenes took place as, with all the colours of the rainbow to choose from, Willski and the cricket captain unfortunately chose the same one, each failing to maintain a monopoly over a certain hockey player. Frodo, on the other hand, only had eyes for one twin, the twin of power; one twin to rule them all, one WZLQ WR னQG WKHP RQH WZLQ WR bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. #omgguystheyretwins

Rugby got Simon from AlSKD %RRNV WR VHH RŕŽ‰ VRUU\ ‘speed imbibe’) two pints. We KDYH UHFHLYHG FRQனUPDWLRQ that he did not just stare at it, he did in fact eat it. #SOFF #AlphaMALEmorelike!!! Their 9&& GUDQN VRUU\ ‍Ú?‏LPELEHG‍ ڑ‏ a swimming poole’s worth of 6PLUQRŕŽ‰ ,FH GULQNLQJ VRUU\ ‘imbibing’) 21 bottles before KH HYHQ UHDFKHG WKH 7XQV VRUU\ , PHDQW WKH QXPEHU DIWHU 63((' ,0%,%( 'HVSLWH IDOOLQJ QDNHG RŕŽ‰ D FKDLU KH VWLOO managed to complete his insurrection of the club, taking over shanter-leading duties as the captain once again had one too many mocktails. Women’s rugby’s Mega

member put on her Trainers and ran into a footballer. His captain, a certain elsomeone, FRQWLQXHG KLV UHFHQW HŕŽ‰RUWV WR help one netballer practise her social skills. Captain Lee got tired of pining for President 4XDUWHUEDFN 8QFUHGLWHG ,Q 5DFH 7R 7KH :LQG 79 0RYLH and decided to get silback in the game, seducing his soonto-be Cali girl with tales of tank tops, tailgate parties and tequila. 7KH )& (OGHU ZHQW ,Q )RU The Kill after his clubmate had done the hard work, stealing his French La Roux. Meanwhile, a netballer had the tall one in the parm of her hand. The Ghost of Zoo Bars Past con-

tinued to haunt Wednesdays, refusing to take a sabbatical and continuing in a Rich vein of form that this week claimed a footballer. Like rainbow face paint running in sweaty streaks down cheeks, now we must depart. Pride n. 1. a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of one’s close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. ,I \RX‍ڑ‏UH SURXG RI \RXUVHOI on Thursday mornings, you ain’t doing it right. zoobar@thebeaveronline.co.uk

So that’s where the AU budget went...

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BEAVER SPORTS FANTASY FOOTBALL Every week we’ll print the top three and the bottom three teams.

772 Points

Mutant Ninja Skrtels (Joshua Goldman) 719 Points

The 0 Show (Matthew Cleary 710 Points And the BOTTOM...

Menton Marvels (Jon Allsop) 490 Points Los Diablos Verdes (Hari Prabu) 444 Points Shayree’s (Shaheer Ghoury) 414 Points Can you do better? 970297-228156

SPORT IN BRIEF Rugby League Australia win their 10th Rugby League World title with a 34 - 2 win over New Zealand Football Managers Dave Jones and Martin Jol leave their clubs, 6KHૻHOG :HGQHVGD\ and Fulham, after disappointing campaigns Rugby Union Wales’ Autumn campaign came to a disappointing end with a 26 - 30 loss against Australia. Wales have now failed to defeat one of the ‘Big 3’ since 2008.

Ameya Badwe

Despite the annihilation of the tourists at the Gabba at the hands of a very strong Australian team and especially Mitchell Johnson, a more prominent issue has dominated the Ashes series VLQFH WKH னUVW WHVW VOHGJLQJ ,W KDVQ‍ڑ‏W EHHQ FRQனQHG WR WKH WKH pitch, either, but has broken out into sledging in between the FRDFKHV ,W‍ڑ‏V D FRQWHQWLRXV LVVXH during this series but it will simply make the Ashes all the more LQWHUHVWLQJ 0LFKDHO &ODUNH KDV EHHQ னQHG 20% of his match fee for telling James Anderson to “get ready IRU D I LQJ EURNHQ DUP‍ ڕ‏,Q D YHU\ LQWHQVH னUVW PDWFK WKLV ZDV GHனQLWHO\ QRW WKH னUVW ELW RI VOHGJLQJ ,Q IDFW 6KDQH :DUQH later defended Clarke, saying that he was only doing his captain’s duties because earlier George Bailey and James Anderson had been at each other and Clarke was just defending his WHDP PDWH :KHWKHU &ODUNH‍ڑ‏V actions were simply an act of team bonding or just a separate act it doesn’t change the fact WKDW VOHGJLQJ LV VOHGJLQJ Despite all of this controversy it doesn’t seem as if the sledgLQJ LV JRLQJ WR GLH GRZQ 2Q WKH FRQWUDU\ 3HWHU 6LGGOH VD\V WKDW Anderson got what he deserved! $FFRUGLQJ WR 6LGGOH $QGHUVRQ has been in the Australian players ears for the past three Ashes series constantly insulting them in the name of sledging, and Clarke’s actions were simply him getting a taste of his own PHGLFLQH 7HQVLRQV PD\ KDYH boiled over because Anderson was unable to make the same LPSDFW RQ WKH 7HVW DV KH GLG consistently during the summer VHULHV LQ (QJODQG %XW WKH PDQ who did, Mitchell Johnson, has

Credit: Zoonabar

The TOP... Monstars (Hitesh Gulati)

Sledging; Scourge of Cricket or Part of the Game?

said that ‘throughout the series WKHUH ZLOO EH PRUH RI LW‍ ڑ‏-RKQVRQ was voted Man of the Match at the Gabba for his 9 wicket haul that destroyed the England batWLQJ RUGHU +H PDGH D YDOLG SRLQW which is that regardless of what anyone says the sledging will continue from both sides, and that it was generally quite harmless until the last day when it was clear that England would have to face an embarrassing ORVV +RZHYHU -RQDWKDQ 7URWW‍ڑ‏V GHparture from the England camp due to a ‘stress related illness’ has taken this debate up to a ZKROH QHZ OHYHO ,W KDV EHHQ linked, in the short term at least, WR 'DYLG :DUQHU‍ڑ‏V RSHQ FULWLFLVP RI 7URWW‍ڑ‏V EDWWLQJ RQ WKH VHFRQG day of the test, widely reported LQ WKH $XVWUDOLDQ SUHVV 7URWW‍ڑ‏V dismissals were described as “pretty weakâ€?, enraging the (QJODQG FDPS 7KLV KDV VLQFH been denied but will surely be a point of tension between the (QJOLVK DQG $XVWUDOLDQ SOD\HUV :DUQHU KDV DOVR HVFDSHG DQ\ SRWHQWLDO VDQFWLRQ IURP WKH ,&& XQOLNH KLV FDSWDLQ Andy Flower has since come out of the England camp to get some sort of truce and have some peace between the teams before

WKH QH[W WHVW +RZHYHU KH GLG not get the response from the Australian camp that he would KDYH ZDQWHG 'DUUHQ /HKPDQQ has rejected the truce and the idea of having talks about ‘acFHSWDEOH OLPLWV RI VOHGJLQJ‍ ڑ‏KH VDLG WKDW KH IHOW EDG IRU 7URWW but that Australia will continue WR SOD\ ‍Ú?‏KDUG FULFNHW‍ ڑ‏ Australia are crediting their ELJ ZLQ DW 7KH *DEED WR WKHLU aggressive mentality and the sledging, so why would DarUHQ /HKPDQQ ZDQW WR FRPH WR peace with England if he knows that this can help them in the QH[W WHVW" +RZHYHU WKHUH LV D fear that this could get out of hand eventually and maybe then /HKPDQQ ZLOO KDYH WR UHHO KLV WHDP LQ ,Q IDFW $XVWUDOLDQ FULFNHW OHJHQG ,DQ &KDSSHOO KDV UHPLQGHG KLV FRXQWU\PHQ RI WKLV +H IHDUV that if this level of sledging continues then it could end with a physical confrontation at some SRLQW LQ WKLV VHULHV Chappell has added a new dimension to the entire debate E\ VD\LQJ WKDW WKH ,&& VKRXOG come in and regulate the level of VOHGJLQJ LQ WKH $VKHV )XUWKHU he added that umpires should have the power to punish any EDG ODQJXDJH ,Q OLJKW RI -RQDWKDQ 7URWW OHDYLQJ WKH WRXU WKLV seems like an appropriate measXUH But sledging is as old as the JDPH LWVHOI 6OHGJLQJ KDV EHHQ going on at the Ashes for ages and the f-word is so common QRZ LQ 7HVW FULFNHW WKDW UHJXODWing it would seem almost ridicuORXV 6OHGJLQJ LV VLPSO\ VHHQ DV D IRUP RI RQ னHOG EDQWHU ZKLFK LV

IRXQG DQ\ZKHUH 6KDQH :DUQH said boldly that to be tired of VOHGJLQJ LV WR EH WLUHG RI FULFNHW ,W LV W\SLFDOO\ YHU\ ORRVH EDQWHU WKDW LV QRW PHDQW WR EH RŕŽ‰HQVLYH 7KH FODVVLF H[DPSOH LV WKDW RI ,DQ %RWKDP DQG $XVVLH ZLFNHWNHHSHU 5RGQH\ 0DUVK ‍Ú?‏+RZ‍ڑ‏V your wife, and my kids?’ asked Marsh, as you may have read EHIRUH ‍Ú?‏0\ ZLIH‍ڑ‏V னQH ‍ ڑ‏UHSOLHG Botham, ‘your kids are retardHG ‍ ڑ‏7KLV PLJKW VHHP OLNH KDUPless banter but there is a line past which it can become violent DQG DJJUHVVLYH DQG LW LV WKLV WKDW &KDSSHOO LV ZDUQLQJ DJDLQVW 6RPH SHRSOH KDYH HYHQ FKRVHQ to see the funny side of the entire situation and suggested that the level of sledging is in fact YHU\ SRRU 6RPH RI WKH *XDUGian’s writers have mocked the sledging as ‘not very witty’ and that it shouldn’t really be ofIHQGLQJ DQ\RQH 7KLV DGGV D light-hearted dimension to the entire issue by reminding us that sledging is such a big part of the game and that it is in fact supposed to relieve the tension RI WKH னYH GD\ WHVWV DQG DGG DQ H[WUD GLPHQVLRQ +RSHIXOO\ LW won’t challenge the players to get too carried away with their VOHGJLQJ Regardless of the view we take on sledging it is hard to deny that sledging does add even more spice to this Ashes series DQG WHVW FULFNHW LQ JHQHUDO 3HUVRQDOO\ , WKLQN WKH ,&& VKRXOG just leave this age-old tradition to continue, as long as it doesn’t JHW RXW RI KDQG $OO RI WKLV VLPSO\ gives us something else to watch out for in this Ashes series, if the test at the Gabba is anything to JR E\ ZLOO JHW EHWWHU DQG EHWWHU

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Tuesday December 3 2013

FREE!

D ZOO BAR! Credit: CTG Photography

TOP OF THE LEAGUE Results will return next week, but this week, Beaver Sport pays homage to those LSE teams that are currently top of their respective Leagues. GO BEAVERS!

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LSE Athletics Union joined in the Pride Week festivities on Wednesday to prove that homophobia has no place within our Students Union. At 11 o’clock club captains representing clubs from across the AU joined together on Houghton street to showcase the Pride bands provided by the AU. Squash representative Ethan Thornton said ‘I was really pleased to be asked to do this as it’s a cause close to my heart. It’s great to see the AU showing their support!”

In the afternoon clubs donned face-paint and bands for their matches and training at venues across London ranging from Berrylands to the Home of Cricket at Lords, with some RI WKH EHVW HஉRUWV VKRZFDVHG here. In the evening clubs got a second chance to get painted up before Zoo with help from the Visual Arts Society, which was enthusiastically embraced by all present. The result was arguably the most colourful Wednesday night (and Thursday morning) of this year! Speaking about the event,

LGBT officer Matt White said ‘It was fantastic to have so many teams stand with us against LGBT discrimination. from the AU both at Pride Zoo and from the photos that came in throughout the day. Big thanks to the Harold and the AU Exec for sorting it. Great to have you on side.” Harold Craston, AU President, said , “We are always happy to support a great cause and we are delighted with how many of our members took up the opportunity to participate throughout the day.”

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