3
Friday 7 June 2013 Volume 64
Issue
Raising of the Rainbow Flag What’s
Inside?
Emily King
Friday 17th May is the International Day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and this year the University of Reading honoured this day by raising the Rainbow Flag in the heart of campus to show support. The raising of the Rainbow Flag and the support shown by the University of Reading comes at a time when homophobic hate crimes have once again risen in number. Over the last few years the number of hate crimes directed towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people has been rising, slowly but continuously. In 2010, reported homophobic crimes rose from an average of 4,805 offenses at the start of the year to an average of 4,885 offenses by the end of the year. In 2011 it was reported that crimes against transgender people was up by as much as 170 percent, and as many as 17 percent of gay students have received death threats because of their sexuality. On the day that flag was raised two speeches were given from the Vice Chancellor Sir David Bell and from Reading’s LGBT, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, representative Ben Rider. Both speeches praised the university for the support shown on this globally important day and emphasised the importance of equality in communities such as a university. The Vice Chancellor stated that: “The Rainbow Flag is a hugely important symbol. Having it up in the heart of the campus creates a very positive message and shows that the University of Reading is intolerant of homophobia.” In his speech Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell also mentioned the ar-
News:
Cambridge law students set peculiar exam question
Film
ticle he wrote for ‘Pink News’ in honour of IDAHO. In his article and speech he talks about the huge influence one of Reading’s previous Vice-Chancellor’s, Lord Wolfenden, had on gay rights and British laws concerning gays and lesbians. Sir David Bell discusses in his article that Lord Wolfenden was asked to lead the Home Office on the issues of homosexuality and prostitution. He also put forward a report reviewing Britain’s laws on homosexuality which stated that what consenting homosexual adults do
in private is their business and should not be considered illegal. It would seem that the University has always been intolerant of homophobia. Raising the Rainbow Flag on campus was of great importance to the members of LGBT as the government are now reviewing British laws on civil partnerships. After the flag was raised, Ben Rider stated that: “This is a very proud moment for LGBT and the University. We are honoured to have the Vice-
Chancellor here to show his support on IDAHO.” More than 53,000 civil partnerships have been carried out since they became legal in December 2005. The government have said that if the law regarding civil partnerships is abolished those who have already entered into a civil partnership do not need to worry about their partnership being annulled, the new law would just prevent more gay couples from forming them.
Sketch worth £75,000 found in cupboard Zoe Crook
The University of Reading’s art department have discovered an original Ruben sketch worth £75,000 hidden away in a cupboard. The drawing, purchased for a mere £50 in the 1950s for teaching purposes was brought from Henry Wellesly, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Wellington. Although it was assumed to be a replica at the time of purchasing due to its low price, a collector’s stamp has verified its authenticity.
4
This proved that the drawing was once owned by Jonathan Richardson, a renowned art collector who had a keen interest in Ruben. It was then purchased by Henry Wellesly, an Oxford based collector, before being sold on the the university. The modest 10.8cm x 8.9cm piece is a portrait of Marie de Médicis, the second wife of King Henry IV of France, and is thought to have been drawn in anticipation of one of his 21 life-size studies of her. These portraits follow her life, documenting her from a child until elderly.
Four of these are currently held in the Louvre, where this sketch will join them. Other portraits from the collection of the former Queen of France are currently held in the British Museum and the V&A. Professor Anna Gruetzner Robins, from the university’s Department of Art, stated: “This is an extremely exciting discovery. Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a major seventeenth century artist whose has a special significance for Britain because he undertook several commissions in Britain including a
decorative ceiling for the Banqueting House at Whitehall.” Professor Robins added: “The University of Reading has a rich cultural heritage, from fine art to film and music to museums. “ With the University of Reading’s Department of Art ranking 7th in the Guardian’s University Guide 2013, this will no doubt boost their reputation. The discovery of such a fine and rare piece of art showcases the high caliber of teaching within the subject.
8
Does The Great Gatsby live up to the hype? Top ten: Movie remakes
Arts & Books
14
Travel
25
The year ahead and in review for RUDS
Nepal trekking special
2 News
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
news.spark@reading.ac.uk
Essay feedback: Is it helpful or too harsh? By Correy Faccini
As the academic year comes to an end and grades start to be released, Spark* asks whether the feedback students get from lecturers is fair or whether it is overly critical? It is a common problem that every student at some point will experience, you've worked hard on a piece of work but the grade does not seem to correlate with the amount of effort put in. This feeling of disappointment is only worsened when the feedback seems to be more rude than constructive but how often is this the case?
“I can’t mark this” Speaking to students this week we have found that this is a topic close to many of your hearts with one individual claiming: “The confidence in my own ability has been completely ruined by the harsh and downright hurtful written feedback given at the end of an essay." Another student spoke of how a lecturer had written: "this is terrible, I can’t mark this." There are however two sides to this topic. It is also apparent that the university provides lecturers with a vast amount of tools and advice on giving feedback to stu-
dents all of which is available on the university website, accessible to anyone. These resources include a ten point guide to providing good quality feedback which highlights points such as ‘balance positive and negative feedback’ as well as ‘explain all comments’. Feedback is also routinely checked by an external source to ensure it is of the highest quality. When looking at these resources in depth there is a trend to be noted, the advice empathises with the work load of lecturers. Upon discovering the 'Common Staff Views' section it is clear that the general views are mainly negative in relation to feedback, with the section quoting: "marking students' work can be tedious and disheartening." Some would argue that this is not the most suitable way to address a section aimed at improving the level of feedback given to students and some would even argue that since the increase in tuition fees these attitudes should be deemed as unacceptable. Upon speaking to students however, it is apparent that feedback varies greatly between departments and even between lecturers. One student stated: "It is obvious when looking at the feedback I have been given in the past, there is a lot of difference between the amounts
Malcolm in the Music By Daniel Mitchell
Former Malcolm in the Middle star, Frankie Muniz, played a music set with his new band Kingsfoil at the University of Reading. Frankie Muniz joined the band in 2012 after former drummer, Joe Cipollini, left the band to pursue a different career path. Frankie is best known for his lead role as Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle which was a hit US television series that ran for seven seasons and produced a total of 151 episodes.
“I don’t like still being associated with Malcolm in the Middle but I don’t dislike it.” Frankie found fame in his youth and sometimes this can be hard to live up to and the star commented that: “I don’t like still being associated with Malcolm in the Middle but I don’t dislike it. The band has a very strong product and I think it speaks for itself. The other guys in the band are just incredible musicians. I’m just the drummer and I think as soon as we start playing
they forget about the fact I was on TV.” Kingsfoil are an indie-pop rock band from the US and are on the verge of an international tour and their album, ‘A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart’ and their live shows are receiving a rapturous response from audiences worldwide. The band were voted winners of the Tri-State Indie Music Award for ‘Indie Pop Rock Band of the Year’ in 2012 and have played live shows with many popular artists including Lovedrug, The Ting Tings, Chiddy Bang, Stone Temple Pilots and the Goo Goo Dolls. Frankie said: “It’s been awesome, I was a huge fan of Kingsfoil before I thought there was a possibility of being in the band. It’s cool to be a part of something you were a fan of. I love the music and the guys. We put on a pretty fun, rocking show and University gigs are some of our favourite shows to play - students are so appreciative, they love hearing music.” If you are interested in Kingsfoil or want to listen to their music or see where they are playing next visit their website, kingsfoil.bandpage.com Follow us @Spark_News_!
each lecturer writes for each person. I've had it once where my lecturer was just brutal about my work, she basically told me it was rubbish but the next piece of work she marked was fine. I guess it is just whatever mood they are in, it's unfair but I guess that's just how it goes."
Some students have been profoundly hurt by their essay feedback comments Kara Swift, VP of Academic Affairs said: "“The formative function of feedback is key to the improvement and success of any student’s work. Effective feedback cannot just be a tick box exercise with a percentage mark. The qualitative feedback has to refer to the individual student’s piece of work, highlighting what had been done but most importantly, giving advice on where the student can improve for the next piece of work.” Have you got a view on this topic? Have you experienced harsh feedback yourself or are you a lecturer who disagrees with the views given here? Get in touch and tweet us @ Spark_News_ or email us.
Rate your shag pages prompt outrage By Daniel Mitchell
The new University Facebook pages, ‘Rate Your Shag’ have been removed after outrage from students and campaigners. The Facebook pages saw students rate their sexual partners with marks out of 10 and had been set up for universities including Reading, Southampton, Newcastle, York, Durham, Loughborough and many more.
The pages saw thousands of likes in just a matter of days The unofficially linked university pages saw thousands of likes in just a matter of days. The pages received so much attention that several companies were reported to have spoken to the website as they were unhappy that their adverts were appearing alongside such material. More negative feedback was received when a campaign led by Women, Action and the Media demanded that Facebook take action to address the representation of rape and domestic violence on the site. Facebook responded to the negativity by saying that the pages were in breach of their guidelines and were consequently removed by the following morning. A Facebook spokesperson said: “There is no
place for harassment on Facebook, but unfortunately a small minority of malicious individuals exist online, just as they do offline.”
“Imagine that was your family member, partner or friend. It’s not funny. It’s tantamount to bullying” One ‘Rate Your Shag’ page encouraged students to: “name them, shame them and if you must, praise them.” Many comments posted named the person being ‘rated’ in full whilst others went as far as linking students to their personal Facebook pages. The outrage by these pages was even addressed by NUS President, Liam Burns, who said: “Imagine that was your family member, partner or friend. It’s not funny. It’s tantamount to bullying.”
“There is no place for harassment on Facebook” The deliberate naming on these pages is something that could have left Facebook open to legal action and it seems that Facebook’s system to police hate speech has clearly failed.
20% of students suffer from mental health problems Sophie HARRISON
The National Union of Students (NUS) have released research that suggests 20% of students consider themselves to suffer from a mental health problem. Of the 1200 students who were surveyed, a large majority, 92%, admitted to feeling some degree of “mental distress”, which is defined as feeling “stressed”, “down” or “demotivated”. A worrying 13% also said they had experienced suicidal feelings.
“We have a great counselling service on campus and it is important students know that they can utilise this.” Reasons for suffering mental health problems at university were explored in the survey with 65% of respondents blaming the stress of coursework, 54% suggesting studying and exams to be the reason and 47% citing financial difficulties.
NUS Disabled Students’ Officer, Hannah Paterson commenting on the survey findings said: “These stats are confirming what I have been hearing on campuses for some time. My primary concern is the fact that over a quarter of those surveyed did not tell anyone about their problems with a mere one in ten using care provided by their institution. We are currently meeting with mental health organisations in a bid to bring all stakeholders together to examine the standard of mental health care in UK universities and hope to make an announcement in the coming weeks on the shape this will take.” At Reading there is help and support available for students who feel under pressure or distress. RUSU Vice President Welfare and Respresentation, Sophie Davies commented on the research saying: “We have a great counselling service on campus and it is important students know that they can utilise this. However, it is also important to remember there is plenty of other support you can access if you are feeling stressed or anxious but don’t feel you need a counselling appointment. The most prominent of these services
is ‘Peer Support’ which allows students to discuss worries or concerns in a more informal manner. It is so important to take care of your mental health and I would encourage any student to access this service – sometimes it’s just good to talk!”
“Of the 1200 students who were surveyed, a large majority, 92%, admitted to feeling some degree of ‘mental distress’” RUSU recently ran their “RUSU Says Relax” campaign over the duration of exams. The season featured a mini farm visiting campus, film nights with icecream and several free yoga sessions for students to enjoy while having a break from studying. For students who feel they would like to find support for mental health problems on campus, the counselling service and peer support can be found on the first floor of Carrington Building or online through the student section of the Reading website.
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
news.spark@reading.ac.uk
Are Personal Tutors personal to you? University personal tutoring process under review Daniel Mitchell & Tess Deakin
Reading University’s Student Support sub-committee are reviewing the effectiveness of the Personal Tutor system. A working group has been formed to report on and assess the rapport between students and tutors. The group aims to investigate how successful the system is and how it is received by both students and staff. The results of this investigation will be deliberated by the University Board of Teaching and Learning in June and will later be available for students to read. The University states that the minimum requirement for staff and students is three meetings per year and that all students are entitled to a Personal Tutor. Students are actively encouraged to view their Personal Tutor as a first point of contact and as someone who can advise and support students across a wide range of issues whereas Staff are expected to clearly communicate their availability to students regarding tutorial meetings and the most effective method for contacting them. The recent NUS charter stated that around 70% of students still receive zero hours of contact time with their personal tutor whose role is essentially twofold and will assist with academic development and with pastoral care. A good and
active personal tutor will positively help students feel part of a learning community and reassure them that there is support available if there are any problems. When questioned about their experiences with personal tutors, students have responded with mixed opinions. One second-year Business Management student explained that although having requested a meeting multiple times, she was still yet to meet her personal tutor. Whilst a third year History student said he was apprehensive about the reference he would receive from his tutor having barely built a relationship with them.
According to the NUS, 70% of students have no weekly contact with their Personal Tutors Other students have told Spark* that they felt an inconvenience to their personal tutor’s time and that the staff had no interest in getting to know them. Kara Swift, Vice President of Academic Affairs, commented: “The biggest problem with the personal tutorial system is the variability of student’s experience. The personal tutorial system can be an excellent support mechanism and it is something
that every student should be able to benefit from. However, for this to be the case personal tutor meetings have be engaging and, therefore, tailored to the individual student with a good balance of academic and pastoral support which genuinely meets the needs of the tutee.” When asked why some students have no or little interaction with their personal tutors and that personal tutors can often be uninterested, Kay Dickinson, the Student Support Manager who provides central support for Senior Tutors, responded that: “Any student who really feels that their relationship with their personal tutor is not working well for whatever reason can request a change of tutor through the School Senior Tutor. The University’s view is that the current system is fundamentally successful. However, we acknowledge that there is variability of experience amongst students and staff and that there is room to make the system more consistent.” It is for this reason that the Working Group was set up by the SubCommittee on Student Support to review the Personal Tutor system. Kay Dickinson continued to say that: “There are guidelines that are relevant to all personal tutors, as well as a handbook which outlines what the University expects of personal tutors in supporting
the academic and personal development of their tutees. As well as this, RUSU’s new gold star awards recognise the best Personal Tutors, as nominated by students, and this raises the profile of some of the truly excellent tutors we have here at Reading who really go the extra mile in supporting our students.”
The review is expected to be completed and published for student consumption after June Positive feedback has been received on the topic of Personal tutors and a group of students from Reading’s Film, Theatre and Television degree programme said that their tutors were active and enthusiastic about getting to know the students on a personal level. As well as this, an English Language student also regarded their tutor as reliable and helpful and it really seems that people’s opinions really are split when it comes to the necessity of personal tutors. Spark* want to know what you think of your Personal Tutor? Do they go out of their way to help you, or out of their way to avoid you? Come and let us know @Spark_ News_ and tell us what you think!
Quidditch tournament Refurbished ‘Lawrence comes to Whiteknights Rooms’ become home to Reading student media Daniel Mitchell
The Reading Rocs Quidditch team is to host their very own Quidditch tournament on the Whiteknights Campus over the weekend of June 22nd and 23rd. The Whiteknights Tournament will see a selection of nationwide teams take part in the new sport, Muggle Quidditch. Muggle Quidditch tries to stay as close as possible to the game described by J. K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series. With the lack of magic and flying broomsticks this may seem hard to do but Muggle Quidditch has developed to take all of this into consideration. The positions and points system remains the same, except for the value of the snitch which is worth 30 points rather than 150 and rather than having bludgers, Beaters throw dodgeballs at players in an attempt to disrupt play and force a change of possession. The most notable change, aside from the use of magic, is the fact that the snitch is an actual person who is dressed in yellow and is above the rules of the game. The Reading Rocs have recently had a lot of press coverage and
have featured on BBC News Online, The Daily Echo, Soton Tab and have been interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire. Sophie Macfadyen, Captain and Beater of the Reading Rocs Quidditch team, stated: “Quidditch is best summed up as a full contact rugby, dodgeball, hide and seek hybrid that is played by mixed teams. We’ve had three matches this year against, Oxford, Leicester and Southampton: two of which were friendlies and our home match against Leicester we won.” Tom O’Toole Mills, the team’s vice Captain and Seeker commented: “We are definitely excited having the chance to host our own tournament. It is a fantastic opportunity which gives us a chance to exhibit the sport. Our team is a real mix of Harry Potter fans and those who fancied a new challenge that requires skill, stamina and strength. Muggle Quidditch is harder than it looks!” Reading Rocs are looking to expand their team and encourage all muggles to come along, join in and try out. The team are holding taster sessions in June and practice every Sunday from 2-4pm outside Mojo’s.
Ceri Jones - VP Democracy and Campaigns
Stephen Lawrence was a black teenager who was murdered in London on April 22nd 1993 in a racist attack. In the 20 years since, his case has shaped the world we live in and exposed major faults within our society with the Metropolitan police being accused of failing to investigate Stephen’s death properly. Stephen Lawrence’s name is enshrined in British culture and his mother, Doreen Lawrence, has spent 20 years campaigning tirelessly for justice for her son and ensuring the UK listens to the issues of racism that still exists. In 2012, nearly 19 years after his death, Stephen’s killers, Gary Dobson and David Norris were finally brought to justice when they were given life sentences for his murder. RUSU has previously dedicated a set of rooms to his memory, these were places students had meet-
ings and planned their campaigns and it seemed like an appropriate dedication to a man whose death made our country move and start dealing with the racism that exists. In the years since, the ‘Lawrence Rooms’ have become disused through bigger developments in the Union Building. This year RUSU has decided to refurbish the ‘Lawrence Rooms’ and move our growing media streams, Spark* newspaper, RU:ON television station and Junction 11 radio station, into the space as they are beacons for the search for truth and justice on our campus. The ‘Stephen Lawrence Student Media Centre’ will be officially opened by Symon Sentain, Chair of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust on June 17th 2013, just over 20 years since his death. The Stephen Lawrence Trust was set up to benefit aspiring architects, the profession that Stephen wanted to pursue but to which he was so brutally denied the chance.
News 3
Editor’s Picks Barack backs UoR
President Barack Obama has recently tweeted about the University of Reading and the research that they have done on climate change. Obama’s tweet read: “Ninetyseven percent of scientists agree: #climate change is real, man-made and dangerous” and included a link to the research that Mark Richardson from the University of Reading contributed to. The tweet was viewed by Obama’s 31.5 million followers and retweeted 1,800 times. Anyone interested in reading the article that President Obama tweeted can do so at reut.rs/12C8pta or by looking at President Obama’s twitter page.
UoR comes 69th Now in its third year, the University Sex League has been published and revealed that Roehampton University is the most sexually active university in Britain. The University of Reading finished in a rather humorous 69th place with students averaging 3.45 sexual partners since starting University compared to Roehampton’s outstanding average of 6.32. This year saw over 6,000 students discussing their sex lives and relationships and Oliver Brann, editor of studentbeans.com said: “University is often the time when young people have the freedom to explore, experience new things and express themselves, and that includes sex and relationships. Although the average number of partners per student has decreased from last year, our survey shows that students are certainly getting more adventurous and experimental when it comes to sex.” Royal Holloway and the University of Salford had the fewest average number of sexual partners per student and averaged around 1.5 partners.
Great Big Giveaway
RUSU’s great big giveaway is taking place again on Friday 14th and Monday 17th June from 11am until 3pm. RUSU are offering students the chance to collect unwanted clothes, pots, pans, mixing bowls, plates, crockery, notebooks, folders, files and lots more for a small donation to charity. Students are encouraged to come along and find some bargains for the start of their next academic year and any students who have items to donate should do so to the Student Activities Team in RUSU before Thursday 13th June. Ever fancied writing for Spark* News email us at news.spark@reading.ac.uk or follow us on twitter @ Spark_News_. We’re always on the lookout for new writers!
4 NEWS
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
news.spark@reading.ac.uk
How em-barristering: Cambridge law freshers set edgy exam question Gideon Rupert-Holmes
On June 1, Cambridge students taking their first year Criminal Law exam received a bit of a surprise upon turning over their question papers, as reported first by student Sebastian Salek on his blog. They were challenged to assess what crimes (“if any”) were committed by the president ‘Sandra’ in a fictional initiation of three students to her drinking society ‘The Vizards’. After waiting until the company is thoroughly sodden, Sandra kicks things off by fooling ‘Billy’ into receiving same-sex fellatio. Sandra then orders that the next entrant to this esteemed band be held down while she forcibly sodomises him with a drink bottle, which he apparently comes to enjoy. The symposiarch’s plot comes awry, though, when she “waxes Richard’s pubic hair” with such gusto that parts of the unfortunately named student’s skin come flying off. This causes an infection which Richard is too embarassed to have looked at and, alas, he succumbs to his wounds. Oxbridge drinking societies’ shenanigans have been riotous since the 19th century, featuring prominently in Evelyn Waugh’s 1928 novel Decline and Fall. They
are regularly covered in the local and national press, especially at the end of the summer exam season whereupon some groups make drink-fuelled battle upon Cambridge commons. One organised fight in 2011 involved the Caeserians (one of Cambridge’s largest Dyionisiac squadrons) marching into the fray clad in togae with a pig’s head on a stick as its legionary standard. Cambridge University has historically turned a blind eye to its societies - “food and drink” societies are fleetingly mentioned in the Oxbridge prospectus - and so some students were surprised that they were the subject of an exam paper.
Oxbridge drinking societies have been notorious for centuries The student reaction was mostly subdued. Though one (non-law) student did comment on the question was “disgusting”, Cambridge student paper The Cambridge Tab have described students as mostly being amused by the question more than upset. The subject matter arguably signalled to students that the University was ‘keeping up with the times’.
History professor wins Wolfson Prize Sarah Barratt
Reading’s own Professor Christopher Duggan of Modern Italian History has been awarded the well respected Wolfson Prize for his most recent work; ‘Fascist Voices: An Intimate History of Mussolini’s Italy’, which examines the contentious issue of Italian support of its Fascist regime. The book is a bottom up exploration of Italy under Mussolini’s authority, which utilizes previously unused resources such as private diaries, letters and secret police reports, in order to gain an accurate and particularly intimate perspective of ordinary people under the Fascist regime. Professor Duggan distinguished his aim: “ To get inside the minds of ordinary Italians and tackle the very vexed question of levels of support for Mussolini”. He poses the question: “What it was which really made them engage with Fascism”. He refers to ideas of identity crisis, cult and faith in Mussolini. The book speaks of the regime as more than one of violence and suppression but rather one which “offered to fulfil long frustrated hopes”. During a recent interview the Professor paralleled the “capacity of people” during the 1930s and 40s “when facing uncertainty
crisis to start engaging in illusions and myths” with Europe today, and expressed that it was “something to be wary of”; making this a work of acute relevance to modern day Europe. Judge, Sir Richard Evans praised Professor Duggan’s work as one which ‘illuminates Mussolini’s relationship with the Italian people to a degree that has never been done before’ and adds that it does so with both ‘style and flair’. The £25, 000 Wolfson Prize is awarded annually to “exceptional historical or biographical works published during the year” and is described as a “beacon of the best historical writing being produced in the UK”, the prize seeks to applaud and embolden historical writing which can be read by the wider public rather than solely the scholarly elite. Judges praised Fascist Voices’ compulsive readability and persuasiveness. Professor Duggan’s other accomplishments include Fascism and the Mafia, Francesco Crispi. From Nation to Nationalism and A History of Italy since 1796. ‘Fascist Voices’ is available in hardback, paperback and e-book format. Most easily found on Amazon.
Oxford Uni’s ‘The Last Ball’ probably was their last ball Jonathan Billington
Oxford University’s Last Ball was going to be a huge night for students, a big send off for many and a great night to remember for the rest. Prior to the event, it was described as: “one last night of decadence, debauchery and indulgence.” Yet, the night turned out to be a complete shambles. The ball had already attracted the press’ attention after they had arranged to have a living shark at the event which was later cancelled after they received too many complaints over animal cruelty.
“These are not excuses, but explanations” Two of the entertainment acts ‘Clean Bandit’ and ‘Cancun Kid’ that were booked to play at the ball cancelled, although the students were aware of this prior to the event through the Facebook page and if this had not already annoyed the students, both food and drink were low on supply. Although this was definitely already turning into a disaster and to add to this, there was also only one hog roast stand and the vegetarian option ran out early, leaving them with lettuce filled wraps and cupcakes for the remainder
of the ball. The queue for the hog roast was reported to be very large which caused people at the back to start pushing and as a result of this, many of the people at the front of the queue received burns to their clothing and bodies from the unsafe food stand. By 1am the only alcohol left was rum, which ran out a few hours later and on top of all of this, students were charged up to £150 per ticket. Understandably after the event, many enraged Oxford students took to Facebook and made a page to express and share their views and opinions. Oxford University has since apologised for the incident and identi-
fies four main reasons for the ball’s shortcomings: “misplaced trust in our catering company, poor set up due to unforeseeable problems, a lack of careful consideration of the demand for vegetarian food, and a lack of events management experience.” The letter then continues and states that: “These are not excuses, but explanations.” Many students were expecting this to be a truly epic night, as it had been built up to be. However, the majority were extremely disappointed and outraged at the poor organisation of the event. Follow us @Spark_News_ or email us at news.spark@reading.ac.uk to have your say!
TomSka shoots zombies in Reading April Minnie-Potterton
Youtube sensation Thomas Ridgewell, better known as TomSka, has filmed his latest short film here in Reading. Tomska is known as one of the best content creators and more than 320 million people regularly watch his videos. These are a selection of short films, comic animations and live action sketches plus he currently has over 1,800,000 subscribers and earns up to £10,000 a month.
320 million people regularly watch Tomska’s videos A bespoke, abandoned mall in Reading was the scene of his latest short film, a comedy about a zombie invasion, filled with firepower, blood, gore and most definitely humour. It was the first time TomSka had shot a film in Reading, with his work is usually set around his current home town of London. Thomas asked via his Facebook page for volunteers to play zombies during the 9 hour shoot and several University of Reading students turned up to get involved. This included having
their make-up professionally done, their clothes torn and their bodies drenched in fake blood and covered in replica wounds. The venue, due for demolition in the near future, is currently used for paintball and is also coincidently used as the setting for a Zombie experience day offered by the company Wish. Also present on the day were a series of Tom’s closest friends who starred alongside him as gun wielding rebels ready to attack the oncoming undead. Chris ‘Bing’ and Jenny Bingham also had starring roles, as popular YouTubers ‘Slomozovo’ and ‘ThatJennyBee’. For any keen YouTube viewer the day was full of well-known faces and the opportunity to be shot in the head by some of the biggest names on YouTube was unmissable for one University of Reading student currently studying Law: “For me there was no question about coming today. I’d get to meet Tom and Bing, dress as a Zombie and then be part of a film which will be seen by millions of people”. For most of the extras the hours spent in heavy makeup were worth it and during a talk with TomSka, although he wanted to keep the name of the video under wraps, he was happy to admit that he was planning on finishing the editing
and uploading to YouTube some time during June.
The opportunity to be shot in the head by some of the biggest names on YouTube was unmissable In an exclusive he also shared that he has a short animation coming out this month and is about to attempt to remake his student film “Hit It” which he uploaded as part of something he called “Scrapped Week” and admits that he struggled during the making of the original: “I bit off more than I could chew and crumbled under the pressure.” As the film is more of a serious piece and deviates from his usual content, it is undoubtedly something else that his fans will be excited to see. If you are interested in TomSka, keep an eye on his YouTube page and stay alert for any other opportunities to be part of his future work as he is always keen for fans to be involved. Have your say! Follow us on Twitter @Spark_News_ or email us news.spark@reading.ac.uk.
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
Reading drops 13 places in 2014 University Guide
news.spark@reading.ac.uk
Spark* weather forecast for the weekend ahead Moving into next week, the South will remain relatively bright, but weather is likely to become more unsettled and rain showers will be likely. Temperatures will be cooler than this weekend, but should remain around average for June, with maximum daytime temperatures of approximately 16̊C. The unsettled, showery weather will likely persist throughout the week
Sophie harrison
The University of Reading dropped thirteen places in the Guardian’s 2014 University Guide. The new positioning sees Reading in 38th place overall in the annual guide, down from 25th last year. Subject specific guides show Reading in third position for Education, fourth position for Agriculture and 14th position for Art and Design courses. Reading’s Business and Management courses are rated 17th in the country while Psychology scored 25th position. Less impressive positionings include Maths in 50th place, History and History of Art in 46th place and Law in 39th place. The Guardian’s University Guide is compiled by students’ responses to the non-compulsory National Student Survey. Their methodology explains that responses of mature students (those aged 20 or over when starting their degree) are not taken into account. Reportedly Reading’s results were calculated on less than 200 responses to the National Student Survey.
News 5
Rebecca Emerton
This weekend could bring some of the highest temperatures so far this year in Reading, with sunshing and blue skies all weekend. Temperatures could reach up to 22̊C on Friday and up to 21̊C on Saturday and Sunday. There is very little to no chance of rain throughout the weekend, and little cloud, mostly some small cumulus and cirrus. Temperatures will feel hot on Friday with only a slight breeze, but
and into the week beginning 17th June. Follow @SparkWeather on Twitter for more regular updates, news and photos. Ask weather-related questions and send your photos of interesting weather and sights around campus! (Note: This is a student project and forecasts are not a product of the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading)
the weather will likely be breezier for Saturday and Sunday, bringing the “feels like” maximum temperature down to approximately 17̊C in the early afternoon. Maximum temperatures will occur at around 3pm, and overnight/early morning temperatures are unlikely to drop below ~10̊C. The Met Office have also issued a “moderate” UV index for the entire weekend, meaning it is advised to use sunscreen for the hottest hours of the day, particularly 11am-4pm.
VOTE NOW GO TO RUSU.CO.UK/CHANGEIT AND VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVOURITE IDEA!
VOTING PERIOD MONDAY 10TH JUNE - FRIDAY 14TH JUNE
6 COMMENT
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
comment.spark@reading.ac.uk
comment Belay that barbaric badger butchery Alexander Hyams
From the 1st of June there will be a trial badger cull for farmers to shoot badgers to try and stem the spread of Tuberculosis in cattle. On the face of it this sounds like a good idea. Kill the animal that can spread TB, but behind this misguided assumption, there is clear scientific evidence to show that the cull is a barbaric waste of time. There will be a cull in
two trial areas, where an estimated 5,000 badgers will be killed. The cull will aim to kill at least 70% of badgers across areas about the size of the Isle of Wight. The zones are in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset respectively. The cull will cost £4million even though there has been a petition signed with 228,000 signatures against the cull. In West Gloucestershire, a target has been set for killing between
2,856 and 2,932 badgers over the six-week period - around 70 badgers a day. The target in West Somerset is between 2,081 and 2,162 badgers - around 50 badgers a day. Yet there is scientific evidence from previous studies, that DEFRA should have taken account of evidence that shows random culls do not work. When there is a cull in a certain area badgers will flee their sets and make new ones elsewhere, further
Photograph by Gary Sanderson. Published on hmbadgergroup.co.uk
spreading TB to cattle in the new areas, rather than containing it. There has been a rise in TB in cattle and the badger has been used as a scapegoat. In popular culture farmers have always hated badgers and their ardent support for the cull backs this assumption. Either way this scheme is flawed. Unless DEFRA decide that all badgers in the UK are to be culled, killing a few thousand will make very little difference in the overall scheme of things, as the results of such culls have often been very inconsistent, with reactive culls never stopping the spread of TB. The arguments against the cull have been well publicised, with ex-Queen guitarist Dr Brian May, a scientist in his own right, leading the battle against the cull. However, this has been ignored by DEFRA who are still willing to trial another cull, at the taxpayers’ expense, with scientific and public disapproval, to see if they can somehow create new evidence to prove their arrogant stance right.
Not only is there strong scientific evidence to show that culling is unnecessary, there are alternatives. Badgers, like humans, can be vaccinated from TB by a BCG. This has been used by a number of wildlife and conservation bodies in England, including the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the National Trust. In past culls badgers were caught in traps and then shot, when they can be humanely vaccinated. Nevertheless, this has been seen to be an ineffective means of controlling TB. Yet, even without this working, the culling of badgers, without arguments of its morality, is still a scientific farce. Farmers need to cut their losses instead of cutting down badgers. This cull has no scientific basis, is inhumane and will leave many animals in pain. What needs to be done is to spend the £4million on licensing vaccines to try and prevent the inhumane destruction of thousands of badgers.
Why the media’s fascination with Anjem Choudary is getting very irritating Calum Mcintyre Rogers
Whenever there’s something in the news about Islamic extremism, the media knows what’s in order - controversy. And if you can’t find any controversy going free, then make it yourself. Since 2003 there’s been one man who’s on speed-dial under ‘controversial Muslim spokesman’ for editors and newsroom managers across the land; Anjem Choudary. Choudary isn’t an academic or a community leader in any sense – he began life in a comfortable semidetached in Kent, leaving for Southampton University to read medicine. Away from home he reportedly whiled away his much of his time drinking cider, using marijuana and chasing girls. After failing his first year he switched to law, in which he had more success until his career was terminated in 2002 when he was prohibited from practicing. By this time Choudary had found his true calling, namely, functioning as a surrogate spokesman for anti-establishment Islam in the UK and getting his thoughts aired by the media. The period after the September 11th attacks were a boom time for anyone hoping to
stir up hatred and the bacchantturned-Ayatollah was intent on riding the wave right to the front pages. He’s been there ever since, for little apparent reason than his being a font of contentious comment.
The bacchant-turned Ayatollah has a less than holy history In 2009 he and his few associates tried to organise a protest against soldiers in Luton, targeting the 20,000 resident Muslims with a week’s worth of leafleting beforehand. 20 people turning up but in a triumph of sensationalist journalism Choudary and the protesters were a front page splash. I’m far from the first to comment on his being a no-one. If he were starved of the oxygen of publicity given him by the umbilical cord of the media he’d probably be back to swigging strongbow and flicking through crusty copies of Maxim at the drop of a hat. But he fulfils the same role as ‘enemy leader’ Emmanuel Goldstein in 1984 – he’s a pantomime
villain for us to boo and hiss at. Alex Jones, Choudary, Griffin, the Westboro Baptists, if an editor’s lacking in material then you can give them a bell and get them on board as controversy mercenaries – ‘the dogs of furore’. His tenuous association with Michael Adebolajo, the alleged killer of Lee Rigby who Choudary claimed he had not seen for over two years, was not reason enough to give him a prime time platform on Newsnight. Viewers were subjected to his usual tired spiel, culminating in the shock revelation that he didn’t abhor someone being murdered in broad daylight. The charade was panned by commentators, and rightly so. Journalists have been criticising the public profile of Choudary since 2009 and despite that his headline presence has only swelled. Considering who he really is – a small time leader of a disparate band of extremists – the attention he receives is grossly disproportionate to his real importance. The truth is that in media, sex sells, but nothing does it better than outrage.
Pictured: Choudary before and after his religious awakening
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
comment.spark@reading.ac.uk
DEBATE 7
Debate
Is having the library open 24/7 a good idea?
Alfie Brierley
Yes
While I shall be arguing that the 24 hour library is indeed a brilliant thing, I can’t help but assume my opposition will be deploying the all too inevitable point of 24 hour libraries being conducive to the development of bad habits. While this may be the case for some people, in the grand scheme of things, such an argument surely proves insufficient to render the 24 hour library unsuccessful? An argument of such inadequacy shall be my first port of call in the refutation of day time libraries. Is it really the case that a 24 hour library will lead students to leave their work till the last minute? Well in some cases, yes, of course, but not most cases, and because of this minority, I feel it unsatisfactory to thus make a case for the prevention of a 24 hour library. To emphasise the vacuous nature of this point, one needs only to look at their own student halls or student house to identify that both environment are the same. To assume that a 24 hour library will produce bad habits is surely to assume the same for a house or student accommodation? Such habits are not merely produced by a 24 hour library but rather, they are innate within the student at the very start, in fact, getting rid of such habits is all part of the process of becoming an undergraduate right the way through to a graduate and even a postgraduate, which leads me on to my next point. However, the point still remains, students are at university to learn and develop as social and intelligent beings, and without a 24 hour library, such a resource would prove to be wasted as it would fail in providing students with the knowledge and environment they need to succeed. Reading does not only contain undergraduates, but a wide range of different people here at the university, for a number of different reasons. However, the fact remains that each person enrolled at the university, normatively speaking, should have a right to access the library at any time they want in the day or night. It may be the case that students who fund their own courses such as PhD students
or Ma students have to hold part time jobs down in the day meaning they are only able to work at night. Similarly, this is equally applicable to undergraduates who have a full day of lectures and/or other extra-curricular commitments to fulfil, again rendering library use throughout the day unachievable. Moreover, perhaps it is the case that many students, speaking from experience, simply work better in the dead of night. This is not suggests bad habits, but rather individual differences in the completion of different tasks varying in nature. Perhaps what I am trying to say is that yes, in an ideal world everyone will have finished their work for the day by midnight, yet this is unrealistic and surely contradictory to everything that the university values, or claims to value: the looking after of every individual need as best they can. University can be an extremely strict and tough place, academically speaking, especially with the presence of overly arrogant and self-involved lecturers. Why on earth then, would the University of Reading want to make things harder for students? Is it their fault that work is often left till the last minute thus proving the 24 hour library essential? Well yes in many cases, of course, but this does not mean to say that there were other reasons why such work is being left till the last minute. In fact I know a handful of people who have achieved 2:1 and 1:1 grades on work which was completed all through the night, yet why punish students by restricting such a liberty and limiting their potential for success? For someone to argue that it costs more to keep more staff on, well then I simply reply with: I pay £9000 a year. The sense of camaraderie one feels when in the library late at night is as much social as it is intellectual. A 24 hour library does not produce bad habits nor is it an unhealthy lifestyle; it is rather one which encourages, on the contrary, students to work as hard as possible. We pay the money and so we deserve such a small requirement if anything.
Charley martin
“Leaving the library open all night could create more stress amongst those panicked crammers” than if it were shut
“I know people who have achieved 2:1 and 1:1 grades on work which was completed all through the night”
No
For a University which has launched a whole scheme on encouraging students to calm down this exam season with their campaign ‘RUSU says relax’, we seem to be receiving mixed messages with the library being open 24 hours a day. By opening the library throughout the night, students are presented with the opportunity to work extremely long hours which is both unhealthy and not conducive to productive work anyway. The ‘RUSU says relax’ campaign is being undermined by this new and improved library facility. If the university really wants students to remain calm during the stress of exams then they should be encouraging us to work hard during normal work hours but allow us time to rest and sleep. By opening the library all night, students are presented with the facilities to work late into the night, and ironically instead of producing better work as we have more time so use the library facilities, we will become more tired and run down, eliciting, if anything, worse results. Whilst is it important to give students the message that they should be focusing on their exams and coursework, leaving the library open all night could create more stress amongst those panicked crammers than if it were shut, allowing us to relax, socialise and get some sleep. These things are important to maintaining a healthy mental attitude towards work. Whilst I’m not going as far to suggest hitting Q bar mid-exam season, having time to socialise and get a proper meal, get an episode of New Girl in (or Game of Thrones, whatever floats your boat), is important and having the library open all evening actually deprives students of this time which is needed to break up revision and make it more effective. It is widely promoted that we work best when we take regular breaks and get a good night’s sleep but when we are worried about impending exams it can be tempting to get down to the library instead and do some last minute cramming. This is the worst thing we
could do. Late night cramming is rarely as effective as the work we do in the day when we are more alert. Not only does having library facilities open 24 hours a day mean people get less sleep and therefore have less productive revision, but it also encourages people to be less vigilant with coursework deadlines and exam revision as they know they have more time in the late evenings to get the work done. We all have the occasional all nighter, madly typing to get an essay in for the morning; however, these will become more commonplace if we know that the library is open to facilitate this last minute work. One of the skills it is important to master whilst as university is time management as the opportunity to work until the early hours of the morning may not always present itself in later professional life. Being able to stick to tight deadlines is essential for future work after graduation and we will end up losing the opportunity to hone in on these skills if we use the library until the early hours and push our own University deadlines. The amount of facilities that are now available on the library website now mean that students can access a lot of the databases from the comfort of your halls/house without trekking onto campus anyway. It can be such a pain lugging a bag full of books and paper to and from the library when it seems that a lot can be achieved without having to leave your room at stupid o’clock to get to a desk at an off-peak library time and find a chair with a plug for your laptop. Despite the apparent advantages of the extra working time in the library, giving students the chance to work late into the night can only impair our ability to produce good work as it prevents students from maintaining a healthy lifestyle which is particularly important during revision. It’s time for people to realise the importance of breaks during the stressful exam season and not work throughout the night, probably producing worse work.
8 FILM&TV
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
film.spark@reading.ac.uk
film&TV
The Great Gatsby: All-glamour, little substance Directed by: Baz Luhrmann Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carrey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire Length: 142mins Genre: Drama/Romance Zoë Annabel Richardson
Baz Luhrmann's much anticipated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel is an interesting one. The Great Gatsby follows the events of 1920s stock worker, Nick Carraway, moving to the excessive neighbourhood of the roaring 20s, befriending the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is a mystery; throwing wild parties when rarely any of his guests have met him and it is through Nick's eyes we learn of Gatsby's character, as well as his long-held love for Nick's cousin, the glamourous Daisy Buchanan. Luhrmann is a very exessive director; he likes lavish scenes and in-your-face camera, so he covered the wild party scenes very well. However he failed to capture much of the subtlies of the book. People who have not read the book
from him in playing and he just
may prefer it to those who have, as many plot points from the book move around, and not for the better, diminishing both mystery as well as resulting in a sentimental scene never appearing. Whilst there is much promise and excitement through a lot of the film, sadly, it loses its way near the end and begins to drag.
never seemed to be as amazing as Gatsby as he could have been, though he was good. Some of his soundtrack worked very well, with 20s style songs by modern singers, though the rap numbers occasionaly inserted felt jarringly anarchronistic, bringing
Luhrmann is a very
us out of the lavish 20s world he
exessive director; he
had created on screen. The sets
likes lavish scenes and
and location were gorgeous, and
in-your-face camera Nick and Gatsby's relationship is far more exciting to watch, as the former is introduced to the excessive 20s lifestyle as well as trying to learn of his new friend's true self, than Gatsby and Daisy's, where the chemistry does not seem to be there much. Perhaps this is what the director wanted, so we could see that it was nothing but mindless infatuation by Gatsby. Carey Mulligan, usually a fantastic actress, seemed misscast as Daisy, not being as charastimatic as one should have been
for being the subject of someone's long-held love. Tobey Maguire too was miscast as Nick, just very plain and dopey a lot of the time, for a character based on Fitzgerald, and to have some friends, you would think he would be a more interesting or engaging a person. Yes, Nick is our eyes to this lifestyle, but he should be more than narrator and camera for the audience, we should understand why these glamarous people would want to be his friend. Elizabeth Debicki, who played socialite Jordan Baker, seemed to understand the exagerated 20s
style but not many of the actors seemed to, meaning she seemed full of life and vibrant on scene amongst though trying to. Joel Edgerton too, as Daisy's cheating husband, seemed to capture the 1920s man and attitudes very well but they seemed like the only ones who truely got lost in their characters. Leonard DiCaprio was good as Gatsby, as expected, but, and I really forgive the title drop here, he never really seemed great. I felt he could have pushed himself in such an iconic role much more, it was a character that so many people expected amazing things
The Great Gatsby is a fanatastic tale of identity, hopeless love and the false culture of the rich and the beautiful. The costumes too were highly impressive, as well the party scenes. The 3D did make many of the scenes look gorgeous but it was quite unnecesary for a film that should have been about analysing the nature of lost love, desperation and indentity.
HHH
Fast & Furious 6: ‘Cor blimey guvnor, another one! Directed by: Justin Lin Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez Running Time: 130mins Genre: Action, Thriller Matthew Crowe
By 2015 the Fast and the Furious franchise will have 7 movies and 2 short films to its name, meaning it
will have a larger movie mythology than Star Wars. I’ll let that sink in. No one could have expected this in 2001, when the original was merely an entertaining take on Point Break, with nice cars and a career solidifying performance from Vin Diesel. This movie expects the viewer to know this series. If you don’t Fast and the Furious 6 may confuse you, as its plot is directly connected to the 3, 4 and 5 in the
franchise. But then it’s not like the plot is that intricate; there’s a computer chip that’s been stolen and the crew from Fast Five have to get it back. On top of this Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) is discovered to be alive after being presumably shot dead in the fourth movie, although is working for the enemy thanks to that helpful cliché of amnesia. We could talk about the characters, but there aren’t any really, just walking forms of charisma. No one is going into FF6 expecting character development; in the first five minutes Brain O’Conner (Paul Walker) has a child, is told that his life will change forever, and then is brought back into heisting anyway. The likability of the characters comes from the actors. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hobbs is back as one of the many protagonists, and his moments with Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto (who puts the d**k in diction) are, like in Fast Five, some of the film’s best moments. Also Ludacris’ Tej is still a fun character, and the welcome addition of Gina Carano
made it clear that the writers had watched Haywire, and decided to include her impressive hand-tohand combat skills in their movie. However as a result of all these characters the villain does not have the opportunity to stand out, and is as a result weaker than “The Rock’s” in Fast Five. Also some of the writing is silly. Perhaps not as
ridiculous as Toretto’s psychic car sense in the 4th movie, but there are some annoying characters with the worst Cockney accents, some clunky lines like “smelling an ass whooping”, a whole unnecessary section in an LA Jail that and psychics defying moments that make the vault drag in Fast Five look plausible. However the main selling points of these movies are the action set pieces, and the film delivers in this respect. In particular there’s a well executed chase around Piccadilly Circus, a fight through the London Underground that recalls Skyfall and a whole exciting scene with a tank, although you will not be surprised at this if you’ve seen the trailer. Is this movie as good as Fast Five? No, because no one expected Fast Five to be as good as it was. However Fast and Furious 6 is still a fun and action packed movie, with much to recommend to those who are familiar with the franchise.
HHH
FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Sam Mendes could be about to make a spectacular U-turn on his decision not to direct Bond 24 - he’s in talks with Sony...
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
film.spark@reading.ac.uk
FILM&TV 9
The Hangover Pt.III: The 100 minute hangover Directed By: Todd Phillips Starring:Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong Running Time: 100mins Genre: Comedy
first films, notably the awkward love story between Alan and a Las Vegas pawn shop owner (Melissa McCarthy). The film seems like a long journey that finally picks up in the last segment and is more of a coming of age film for Alan than the outrageous comedy that was expected. The only true Hangoverstyle moment is lost at the end of the credits and is maybe where the movie should have begun, creating more laughs in the cinema than the rest of the film put together.
Kate Holman
Only one word comes to mind that sums up the end of one of the most popular comedy film franchises to date: boring. Unfortunately, the third instalment of the trilogy failed to fulfil the exceptional shoes of the first film as it is led by a very sober journey without the actual ‘hangover’. The shocking and hilarious spontaneity of the first film is far off in the distance
The drawn out plot is a series of awkward in this disappointing end to the trilogy. It’s not necessarily one of the worst comedies Hollywood has to offer, but in comparison to the popularity of the first two films, this is instalment is outstandingly inferior.
There are a few scenes that are reminiscent of the humour of the first films The drug and alcohol induced memory loss narrative is not used for this one, which would perhaps
be seen as a little far-fetched, however it could also have been the biggest downfall of the plot. The ‘wolfpack’ are on their way to taking Alan (Zack Galifianakis) to a rehab clinic in the wake of his father’s death when the men are hijacked by a drug gang who are in search of Mr Chow (Ken Jeong), using them to capture him and taking the ill-fated Doug as captive until they find him. There are barely any crazy disasters or gasping shock moments; instead the drawn out plot is a series of awkward scenarios on the journey to find Mr Chow. Alan takes centre stage yet his quirky behaviour is now por-
trayed as selfish and rude, without many funny oddities to praise the character. There is a continuous tension between Alan and Stu, but their bitter arguments create more yawns rather than laughs as the lack of one-liners and wit ruins any potential jokes.
To say the Hangover Part III is a disappointment is a huge understatement
scenarios on the journey to find Mr Chow Like so many film franchises that dare go through the route of the dreaded third sequel, to say the Hangover Part III is a disappointment is a huge understatement. With no actual hangover throughout the bulk of the movie, it seems like the viewer is the only one left with a sense of a headache at the end of the film.
HH
There are a few scenes that are reminiscent of the humour of the
Epic 3D: An epically-average comedy outing for kids Directed by: Chris Wedge Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson & Colin Farrell Runtime: 102mins Genre: Animated Adventure Nathan Taylor
First things first, this is a film for children, and not in the sense that it’s accessible to all ages. This isn’t like a Pixar film that anybody can see and reasonably expect to enjoy. Every joke, character and theme in this film is designed to entertain young folk, so if you are neither an infant nor mentally stunted, you will not enjoy this film as much as you would enjoy something more age-appropriate. That being said, it’s actually pretty good. When MK (Amanda Seyfried) loses her mother, she is sent to live with her insane, estranged father who lives in a forest trying to find evidence of the tiny civilisation that he’s convinced is living there. After spending about five minutes with the nutter, MK tries to leave the house, only to get lost in a
sudden storm, shrunk down to the size of an insect and caught up in a massive civil war being waged by the tiny civilisation which, surprise, surprise, totally exists. From there, the plot follows MK attempting to help her new friends Ronin (Colin Farrell), Nod (Josh Hutcherson) and Mub (Aziz Ansari) in their increasingly desperate plans to stop Mandrake (Cristoph Waltz) from desolating the forest they all live in.
combination creates some quality entertainment, at least for a while. Unfortunately, the film starts to lean on its cast and rest on its laurels. The jokes, while funny, don’t really change at all over the course of the film, so while I was laughing along at the beginning by about halfway through I knew what the Comic-Relief Slug was going to say before it said it. Introducing a few new characters kept things fresh for a while, but even then there were never any of
the truly hilarious moments that I expect from an animated film. Meanwhile, the action suffers from the opposite problem. There are about two great scenes in the film where we get to see Ronin be a badass and the baddies get whaled on, but aside from that there’s really just a lot of walking and talking. The truly final showdown has a quick, disappointing solution which felt even more lacklustre following Ronin’s Stand than it actually was.
To conclude, there’s a lot of
wasted potential here, strong actors and great characters that could have made this film great if they’d had the chance. Despite that loss, the film is still pretty fun. The kids will enjoy it, and so will you.
HHH
The jokes, while funny, don’t really change at all over the course of the film This film has loads of characters in it, all of whom are memorable and stand out in their own way, ranging from a generic teenaged love interest to a lecherous slug. Even minor characters with five to ten minutes of screen-time are memorable thanks to a great voiceacting cast (the combined salary of which I shudder to consider). Some of the characters are funny, some of the characters are heroic and a few are stoic and dramatic, and the
FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Fast and the Furious 6 has topped the U.S. box office in its opening weekend, taking in an impressive $98.5 million...FF7 will have to do better!
10 FILM&TV
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
film.spark@reading.ac.uk
FILM&TV
The Purge: A straw dog with no bite
Directed by: James DeMonaco Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headley, Max Burkholder Running Time: 85 mins Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi Thriller Matthew Crowe
Almost everything wrong with The Purge can be found in its initial concept. Regardless of its ability to ignore every sociological study of the last 10 years, and having many plot holes you can argue with your friends over, the premise of a 12 hour period in which the government legalises crime is an idea which could make for some very interesting imagery of mass panic, or even a study of America’s self interest and attitude to poverty. Indeed the best moments of The Purge revolve around these elements. From CCTV style footage of widespread hysteria which sets
the tone, to a disturbing television message which reminded me of a theme-park attraction, The Purge takes its ridiculous foundation and runs with it. At least, in the beginning.
The Purge’s failures are all the more frustrating because of the wide possibilities of its premise However, instead of going any further with these elements, they are simply there to establish a generic home invasion movie. At least the divisive Funny Games (which this film references with the main villain’s appearance) followed its ideas to their logical conclusion. The Strangers didn’t pretend to be anything beyond a well crafted horror film, and The Purge can’t even claim to have that; the plot involves people hiding inside the home, but it is clear that the set
is not big enough to convey this sense of loss, so the movie tries to hide this by constantly using close-up shots of actors’ faces. However, this sense of claustrophobia, in what is supposed to be a big setting, just ends up being distracting. The acting is relatively good across the board, with Ethan Hawke giving his second well performed “father figure in a disappointing horror movie” in twelve months, and Lena Headley providing a mother character who is strong and decisive, which is so often not the case. I will give the movie credit for not being as needlessly sleazy to its female characters compared to other home invasion films, although it says something when a big positive of The Purge is something that is NOT in it. Tony Oller also provides a great scenery-chewing villain. However, his character is not consistent, with him at one moment saying he doesn’t kill his own, and in the next shooting his masked “friend”.
There is also matter of the brief and predictable subplot of the teenage daughter’s boyfriend, which had no purpose other than to invoke “DRAMA” and pad the short running time (which despite being 84 minutes still felt too long). And the ending, despite admittedly being foreshadowed (perhaps too obviously, along with the fate of one of the protagonists) is infuriating and makes most of its villains, tension and conflict utterly pointless. The Purge has some tension inducing set pieces, but they are lost in amongst various other inconsistent ideas, plot threads and characters. In the end The Purge’s failures are all the more frustrating because of the wide possibilities of its premise, and expecting any interesting insights from the movie is like watching a porn film and expecting to learn about Swedish plumbing.
HH
TV Review: Arrested Development
Starring: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera Airing: Online, Netflix Zoë Annabel Richardson
Sunday 26th May saw the return of the beloved cult show, Arrested Development, cancelled by Fox in 2005 and brought back as an ambitious project by internet streaming site, Netflix. Fans were rightly apprehensive as to whether or not this new show could retain much, if any, of the old charm and fantastic humour of the original three series and, personally, I think it has. If you have never watched the show, it revolves around the dysfunction Bluth family; a wealthy, selfish family whose patriarch ends up in prison and the family must deal with no longer having their money whilst the most-level headed member tries to keep them together, regardless of how little he wants to at times. It has great actors who have all gone onto good things since, beloved characters both major and minor, fantastic dialogue and background, selfreferencial humour that you might not pick up on until perhaps even your tenth viewing of an episode.
The first episode was disappointing; we see the main character, Micheal, as a broken man and it is rather uncomfortable and very cringe-worthy, especially as we see how far in his life he has fallen. However, it picks up after about three episode - it might be that the later episodes are better written or it is from getting used to the format, but they get so much funnier and better and back to all the jokes, call-backs and fantastic characters that left our screens all those years ago. The new series, consisting of 15 episodes, does not maintain the traditional structure of the past 3 series of Arrested Development, in which there are about 3 storylines
going on, and the family interact with each other and the audience can see all their favourite characters but rather each episode is a certain character's episode and revolves around them.
If you are a fan, this new series is not a disappointment Obviously, the writers had trouble trying to fill in the gap of what happened at the end of the third series to now, which is why the format makes sense, though it does sometimes mean having to sit through an episode of a character you
might not enjoy as much, hoping to see them ever so briefly interact with one you care more for. Whilst it was so rewarding when you catch glimpes of other characters' storylines in the background of the one you are watching, it could be frustrating when you wanted updating on some characters who don't get their own individual story until the series is nearly ended. It's an incredibly interesting series structure in that all fifteen episodes were put online at once, rather than having to wait a week or more for a new episode like traditional series. This meant viewers could pick and choose episodes to watch out of sync (perhaps not recommended as there is a core storyline going on in the background that is easier to follow if you watch in order) and viewers could binge on all fifteen episodes at once. Or save them, if you have that kind of will power. If you are a fan, this new series is not a disappointment and won't tarnish your memory of the previous series, and if you're not, well, series 1-3 are on Netflix now and you can sign up for a month free subscription, so get watching. C'mon!
The Top 10 Remakes Annie Potts-Lewis
10. The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The American heist film tells the story of an infamous art thief played by Peirce Brosnan; underrated and definitely worth a watch.
9. Father of the Bride (1991)
Having only just discovered this was a remake, I had to include it. A funny and touching family comedy; Steve Martin at his best.
8. The Fly (1986)
A sci-fi horror classic, directed by David Cronenberg, with a disturbing yet captivating performance by Jeff Goldblum. If you haven’t seen it, watch it!
7. The Amazing SpiderMan (2012)
No offense to Toby McGuire, but Andrew Garfield is the perfect Peter Parker. A highly entertaining Marvel blockbuster, co-starring Emma Stone and Martin Sheen.
6. Hairspray (2007)
An excellent musical remake of John Waters’ 1988 quirky comedy, complete with catchy songs and a star studded cast.
5. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)
I had to list all three because it’s too difficult to choose! Christopher Nolan’s dark and visually stunning trilogy totally reinvents the DC superhero.
4. The Parent Trap (1998) Possibly a controversial choice but I just couldn’t resist a childhood favourite, starring an adorable, pre-rehab Lindsay Lohan.
3. True Grit (2010)
The Coen brothers recreated this American western masterpiece, featuring incredible, Oscar nominated performances from Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.
2. Ocean’s 11 (2001)
An impressively casted film, with a dynamic plot; George Clooney (as Danny Ocean) fills Sinatra’s shoes successfully.
1. Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig’s debut as 007 did not disappoint, with Martin Campbell rebranding the film franchise with amazing special effects and all round great acting; completely changed the way I looked at Bond.
More remakes for 2013:
Man of Steel - produced by Christopher Nolan and starring Brit Henry Cavill Carrie - A very difficult film to remake but looks even more terrifying that the original!
FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Filming has recently started on Michael Bay’s Transformers 4, with comedian/actor TJ Miller joining the cast for some comic relief
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
Starring: Grant Bowler, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray Airing: Syfy, Tuesday’s 9pm Jack Marshall
This show was made for Sci-Fi fans: both literally (it’s broadcast on Syfy for one) and in terms of what it delivers; the perfect setup and background, plenty of questions to keep you rooted to the screen, then all of the answers that you want – everything in the very first episode. And then of course is a mysterious epilogue that draws – no, wrenches– you into the next episode, salivating in your des-
film.spark@reading.ac.uk
TV Review: Defiance
peration to see more (or was that just me?). Defiance is set on planet Earth in the future after a collection of alien races known as the Votans were forced to abandon their own star-system, subsequently arriving at Earth after hundreds of years of hyper sleep. What ensued was a long and bloody fight between humans and the Votans known as the Pale Wars which ultimately ended in the apocalyptic ‘Arkfall’ event which formed the Earth that Defiance pulls us into. From the very start it is evident to see how much time, effort and thought has been invested into this show: the backstory is steeped in detail, the characters are so rich and full of life that they seem to
have been hand-crafted and there are seven different races, two of which have fully-developed languages (created by David J. Peterson who created the Dothraki language for Game of Thrones) that add to the authenticity of this future Earth.
The relationships and bonds between people give Defiance an emotional depth that a lot of other science fiction series struggle to incorporate We start by following Nolan (Grant Bowler, True Blood and Ugly Betty) and his adopted Irathient daughter Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas, Whitechapel) as they scavenge fallen space debris for valuable items of wreckage. Their latest venture ultimately leads them to the town of Defiance (formerly St. Louis); seemingly one of only a few places on the planet where nearly-all Votan species peacefully coexist with humans. However this description might be a bit of a stretch on the word ‘peacefully’. On the surface, Defiance is the perfect, utopian town. But as you delve deeper
into the minds and psyches of the many different characters it soon becomes clear that the town is wrought with tension, blood-feuds and cultural clashes. Yet despite this world, which is completely alien even though it is our Earth, everything that happens is set against the relationships and bonds between people; across species and at different levels, all of which give Defiance an emotional depth that a lot of other science fiction series struggle to incorporate. Nolan and Irisa’s relationship is endearing throughout as she battles with accepting herself as an Irathient after so long along with Nolan whilst he struggles to let her go much in the same way a
TV Review: Hannibal speech that make him seem almost real. But, then, the whole show seems almost real. I generally have a strong stomach for gore, but the gore in Hannibal actually made me hold back retching a few times. It is glorious in its reality, captivating in just how far it is willing to drag you. It strikes right to the core, and that is something to be commended.
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy Airing: Sky Living Siobhan Whitebread
Hannibal is the latest show from the mind of Bryan Fuller, the man who created Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me. It is a sort of prequel to the events we know so well – examining the relationship between Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy); the man eventually destined to catch him.
characters perfectly The show is, on the surface, yet another crime procedural along the lines of CSI. There are crimes of the week, and Graham must solve them with the help of Hannibal. But Hannibal is far more than “just” a crime procedural. It feels more like a dive into the very darkest sections of the mind. It is anything but simple.
parent is reluctant to allow a child to grow up. It is these two characters that carry the show; they are never lost in the swathes of characters around them and each episode always seems to come back to them. In science fiction it is very easy to neglect your characters in the face of adding depth and expanding details, but Defiance never fails to stand by Nolan and Irisa. From the very first episode this series has been gripping. It seemed that as the first episode drew to a close, it wouldn’t be possible to excel any further or better itself upon what it achieved in that first hour and twenty minutes. But oh it does. It really does.
Check out more movies, more TV shows and MORE exclusive content online at: www.sparknewspaper.co.uk
Use your smart phone to scan the QR code below
There are crimes of the week, and Graham must solve them with the help of Hannibal
Both Mikkelsen and Dancy seem to get their
FILM&TV 11
This blessed lack of simplicity is partially due to the excellent writing. I have seen few shows that are so tightly plotted. The writing carries off the idea of dreammeets-reality perfectly. The writing for the two main characters is beyond excellent, the subtle shifts of their personality are captured so perfectly that it’s a pleasure to listen to. Another part of this perfection is down to the fantastic acting. Both Mikkelsen and Dancy seem to get
their characters perfectly. Mikkelsen is subtly chilling, unafraid to go small in a role that could otherwise seem like an invitation to overact. Dancy, playing opposite him, is also brilliant. I’m not sure if his character is supposed to be somewhere on the autism spectrum, but I’ve never emphasized so strongly with a TV character in my life. Yet again it’s the little quirks that make him perfect – his obvious inability to meet the eyes of people, the stutters in his
From the writing to the fantastic acting to the stunning sort of realism – Hannibal is a treat of a show that should not be missed. It feels like a nightmare, yes – but a glorious nightmare that you just can’t tug yourself away from. It delves into the darkest parts of the mind and somehow manages to make a show that is absolutely glorious out of them. A show that I encourage absolutely everybody to watch with all my heart.
Keep up-to-date this Summer with Film & TV Online
FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - head online to check out the new promotional posters for World War Z, starring Brad Pitt. The film is released in the UK next month
12 MUSIC
music.spark@reading.ac.uk
ALBUMS
We take a look at two of the biggest new album releases at the moment
Disclosure Settle
seLondon born singer Sam Smith hold the lead vocals. The song is
Queens Of The Stone Age Like Clockwork
PMR/Island
infectious and one which always
Matador
Siobhan maguire
The extremely popular Disclosure are releasing their widely anticipated new album, ‘Settle’ in the near future. The Dance/Electro/ Garage duo have a distinctive sound and this has been well and truly cemented in the compilation.
gathers a crowd in a club and is the one which shot Disclosure into fame. It cannot be denied that the duo are different. Yes, they fit into the new surge popular, but they manage to hold their own among other artists. able as the artist, the album, a little monotonous though as I said, not a bad thing.
HHH
SINGLES Island Records
George Reed
Jessie J is back, but to be honest it’s hard to think of a time when she ever went away. After releasing her debut album “Who You Are” back in 2011, Jessie stormed the charts worldwide and hit the top spot in 19 countries. She then released a slew of hits, performed at the London Olympics and become a judge/coach/mentor on BBC’s The Voice. Oh and she shaved her head (for charity that is). She hasn’t stopped! Yet some critics still can’t believe how quickly this London girl has shot to stardom, but then neither can Jessie apparently. “I just can’t believe that this is my life” she proclaims during the chorus of Wild; her return to the music scene and the first tease of her upcoming album. From the opening bars you can sense that this track is a little different, blending the typical Jessie J pop
It feels like it’s been years since Queens of the Stone Age have released anything decent, though that’s probably because it has.
Josh Homme has written some good songs, with some good people
perfect easy listening and that is
The tunes themselves are quite malleable to different environments, be it just for chilling or for pre drinks with singles like ‘Boiling’ and ‘Control’ being incredibly easy listening background music. Many of the singles have the accompaniment of female vocals and it is widely this which makes them so memorable. The hits of the album are mainly the single releases, ‘White Noise’ featuring Aluna George and ‘You and Me’ with Eliza Dolittle are both lyrically and vocally strong and suit the tones that Disclosure are famed for. A personal favourite from the album has to be ‘Latch’ which
Jessie J Ft Dizzee Rascal and Big Sean Wild
Rachel Price
of dance music which is newly
Each single is instantly recognis-
The Dance/ Electro/ Garage duo have a distinctive sound
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
2007’s Era Vulgaris was a disappointment to most, especially after the superb Lullabies To Paralyze LP in 2005. But in between raising children and ruining the Arctic Monkeys it seems that frontman Josh Homme has had some time to write some good songs… with some great people. Nine Inch Nails’ virtuoso Trent Reznor lends his Midas touch to the production, Alex Turner co-writes the track ‘Kalopsia’ and the piano tinkle on ‘Fairweather Friends’ is played by none other than Sir Elton John. Adding to the astonishing array of guest stars are the usual QoTSA friends: Mark Lanegan, Dave Grohl and ex-QoTSA bass player Nick Olivieri all feature on the
record, and so it’s no surprise that …Like Clockwork boasts the familiar thuds and grooves of a typical QoTSA album. The album opens with a steady robotic trance, gradually building up enough pace and suspense to lead into the second track, ‘I Sat By The Ocean’; a sure fire crowdpleaser with a hint of Songs for the Deaf’s ‘Long Slow Goodbye’. In contrast, the slow tempo of ‘The Vampyre of Time and Memory’ utters smooth, sensual guitar licks, not dissimilar to those of Rated R’s ‘Auto Pilot’ or ‘The Lost Art of Keeping A Secret’. Homme once again lends his frontman swagger and raised eyebrows for another probable single, ‘If I Had A Tail’, in which he matter-of-factly declares, “If I had a tail/I’d swat the flies”. Grohl’s drumming can be heard on ‘My God Is The Sun’, the first single to be taken from …Like Clockwork, and it’s as fierce and as energetic as usual.
beat creating something you can’t quite put your finger on. Female vocals offered by Brody Dalle, wife of Homme and frontwoman of punk band The Distillers, and the twelve-string guitar played on ‘I Appear Missing’ add a certain depth and tone rarely heard in their previous works. The songwriting throughout, however, is exquisite: a pleasant balance of soft and loud, ridiculous lyrics, and the sheer musical talent of all involved is obvious. The singles perhaps won’t become classics, but as a complete ten-track album it is a good attempt and definitely worth a listen.
HHHH
The album opens with a steady robotic trance The second half of the album takes a musically more interesting route. The general sound of ‘Kalospia’ and ‘Fairweather Friends’ is clearly influenced by the smorgasbord of collaborators, incorporating their styles whilst retaining the band’s signature stoner-rock
Take a look at the most recent hottest singles
with sparse hip hop beats and a firece R&B attitude. It’s more Do It Like A Dude than Domino for example. A further twist in the track comes with rappers Dizzee Rascal and Big Sean who bring their urban stylings to the table. They both use this song to brag about their own accomplishments, with Dizzee saying modestly “I’m at the peak and I can’t be topped”.
It blends typical Jessie J pop with sparse hip hop beats Yet Jessie is still the main star of this song and the chorus is the major pull. It’s catchy and powerful, with lyrics brimming with swag and fire. Jessie’s vocals soar over minimalist guitar chords, before sliding up and down the scales in a style that she has become famous more. The fact that it may be one of the best hooks this year also means that you’ll be singing it long after it’s finished. But ultimately more Jessie and less Dizzee might have made this
track better. In fact having two rappers on one track is a little bit g-g-greedy of J-J-Jessie J, and perhaps the track would flow better without the somewhat pointless interruptions (especially Big Sean’s “Fish Dinner” monologue). But it’s a bold move to do so, as is the progression away from her previous releases. Plus with such a killer chorus it’s hard not to love this single. Wild is a definite contender for the track of the summer, or even pop anthem of 2013.
HHHH
Robin Thicke Ft Pharell and TI Blurred Lines NU America
Siobhan MAGUIRE
This single instantly grabbed my attention the first time I heard it. It has an immediately soulful sound from the moment Pharell encourages ‘Everybody [to] get up’ and the song draws whoever is listening to dance. Thicke’s vocals are as rich as ever, and his range is second to none especially for a male singer, hitting the highs as well as the low notes.
Thicke’s vocals as as rich as ever and his range is second to none Being joined by such famed rappers, the union of the three artists is simply one made in heaven. the vocals combine perfectly. TI’s rap adds another level to the songs sound, breaking up the catchy
lyricism which centralises th song. The record is slick, as is the revealing video where the men comfortably surround themselves with dancing models, and Thicke stays out of sleazy territory. It is the perfect summer tune, one to be played in the car or in a club. It is memorable and enjoyable listening and it is sure to chart well on release.
HHHHH
Spark*
Friday 7 June 2013
music.spark@reading.ac.uk
MUSIC 13
music
LIVE:
Siobhan looks at highs of the Gucci Chime For Change concert
Siobhan Maguire Last Saturday evening saw Twickenham Stadium play host to some of the biggest stars of music. Gucci launched the Chime For Change concert in aid of women’s rights across the globe, to promote equality in terms of education, health and employment. A truly worthy cause I was more than pleased to be a part of it. “A surge of delight rolled through the audience as Beyonce first graced the stage” The minute we stepped foot in the small town of Twickenham there was a buzz. The streets, lined with food vans, police on horses and security guards there as clearly something big about to take place. The crowds were dense and the walking pace into the stadium at a crawl but it didn’t even matter. The inner stadium itself was breath taking, the stage itself being more than a focal point and various technical crew running around anticipating the BBC coverage of the event. The four hour show kicked off with Jessie J. Not expecting the appearance it was a nice surprise. Her vocals were spot on from the start to the finish
of her three song set, including ‘Price Tag’ and ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ as her tiny frame strutted across the stage. Following Jessie was Rita Ora with a sparkling set and a sparkling suit. She managed to get the crowd up and dancing and performed spectacularly. The night brought peaks and troughs in excitement, especially in the early stages. Dotted inbetween the big starring acts were appearances from even bigger celebrities including; Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Madonna all of whom were preaching the good cause of the concert and of course added to the exciting atmosphere. “As each new musical performer was announced there was almost an Olympic feel about the show” The whole show was laced with class and richness and as each new musical performer was announced there was almost an Olympic feel about the show. Among the wealth of stars there was John Legend, one of whom I am personally not a massive follower of, but I am sure to be from now on in. He sung ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Ordinary People sat simply at a grand piano in
his snappy polka dot suit and his vocal ability was well and truly demonstrated. Other prize acts included Florence and The Machine who in her green floating dress and bare feet pranced around the stage like an angel. Her stage presence in such a large stadium was phenomenal and she captivated the audience with her version of ‘Dog Days Are Over’ and the Great Gatsby featured single, ‘Over The Love’. “The inner stadium itself was breathtaking” Someone who did surprise was Jennifer Lopez. I certainly didn’t expect her to be as good as she was. Her vocals were great as was her set. She really maintained the upbeat atmosphere and performed a wealth of songs from some of her older stuff like ‘Jenny From The Block’ to her newer work like ‘On The Floor’. The song which really stood out was her cover of ‘Come Together’. J-Lo was joined by the legendary Mary J Blige and the two of them really made an impact both vocally and lyrically with the cover. All of these acts however were somewhat of a warm up for the
headliner, Beyonce. It was the one which I had been waiting for and a surge of delight rolled through the audience as she first graced the stage.
kicked in, however, there were rumours floating around of a star appearance from Mr Carter himself which added to the anticipation.
The four hour show kicked off with Jessie J
Dotted inbetween the big starring acts were appearances from even bigger celebrities including; Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Madonna
Opening with her version of Etta James’ ‘At Last’, Beyonce performed her rendition beautifully. With just some instrumental accompaniments and a video montage to join her on stage, the crowds were captivated as her vocal range was well and truly showcased. Even the singer herself shed a tear, and it was clear how important such a cause is to her. As her set continued there were ups and downs in tempo, ‘Irreplaceable’ featured with Beyonce urging the audience to throw their arms to the rest to rid all those “ex-boyfriends” of the past. Following that was ‘Run The World’ which undoubtedly had everybody dancing, even the old couple beside me, the power of Beyonce’s voice and her dance moves was incredible. The highlight of the evening however, was ‘Crazy In Love’. A personal favourite of mine, I was delighted when the opening punchy chords
When his opening rap came on and Jay Z did not appear we thought that those rumours were dead and buried, however it was in his central rap that the star embraced the stage, the crowd went wild. The excitement was at an unbelievable level and the husband and wife performed together in a rare spectacle, Jay Z grabbing Beyonce around the neck demonstrating their strong partnership. Before finishing her set, Beyonce sang a short rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, in which she commemorated the legendary singer. The final song was none other than ‘Halo’ and it fully delivered. The single sounded even better than the record and more than successfully rounded off what was a fantastic concert for such a worthy cause.
14 ARTS&BOOKS
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
arts.spark@reading.ac.uk
Arts&BOOKS ‘As you like it’? You will LOVE this! As You Like It Review RSC, Stratford-Upon-Avon Olivia Jeffery
‘We that are true lovers run into strange capers.’ Is certainly the case in, the RSC’s new production of one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies, As You Like It, directed by Maria Aberg. The three hour and fifteen minute production encompasses all the ingredients you would expect in one of Shakespeare’s plays: an evil uncle, young lovers, a fool, cross-dressing and true love’s kiss.
members of court juxtaposes wonderfully to the later costumes (worn by the multi-rolling actors) of the festival-esque, free-spirited hippies of the Forest of Arden. Fearing she is a threat to his rule, Duke Frederick banishes Rosalind. Celia (Joanna Horton), his daughter, refuses to leave her cousin and departs with her to seek Duke Ferdinand in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind and Celia disguise themselves as brother and sister and enter the forest ac-
companied by Touchstone (Nicolas Tenannt), the fool.
The production encompasses all the ingredients you would expect in one of Shakespeare’s plays The story continues on love’s ever complicated, twisting and turning
route until it ends, like all happy endings do, with a marriage and a kiss. The clever set allows these numerous settings within the play to be fully realised and shown. The wooden slats, that line the back of the stage at the beginning, represent Duke Frederick’s repressed court but open up to create the trees in the Forest of Arden. However, as Rosalind begins to walk amongst them, they begin to turn, flicking light across
Happiness leaps off the stage and strikes a chord The play begins with the introduction to the oppressed court of the Duke Frederick; his brother, the former Duke Ferdinand has been exiled. The highly stylised, repetitive yet slick movements performed by the chorus emphasise this restricted land. Although brilliantly choreographed, they become a slight distraction to the vital first meeting between Rosalind (played by Pippa Nixon) and Orlando (Alex Waldmann), where the couple fall in love. The costumes of sleek black tuxes and ball-gowns of the high-society
the stage, moving you through the forest. The final scene sees bunting, ribbons and fairy lights draped around them. Lanterns are lowered and the heavens open onto the mud splattered dancing characters. Brit Award winner, Laura Marling’s brilliant folk music, especially composed for the play, transports you to todays’ summer bohemian festivals. A hypnotic and enrapturing performance by the actors; Pippa Nixon’s transformation to Ganymede is perfectly done, her relationship with Orlando is so enchanting, that it sparks a glimmer of hope that true love does exist in our ever cynical world. Joanna Horton’s comic timing, as the quite often overlooked character of Celia is also second to none. Nicolas Tennant’s breaking of the fourth wall to a slightly stunned audience, who were certainly not expecting it, was also very amusing. The play ends in a raucous festival of colour, which celebrates life and vitality. Happiness leaps off the stage and strikes a chord within the hearts of the audience. A very engaging performance and a must see for those eagerly anticipating the summer. As You Like It runs at the RSC, Stratford-Upon-Avon until 28th September 2013 Tickets at: www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/as-youlike-it/
This year at RUDS: Romeo and Juliet and Edinburgh Fringe Sophie Macfadyen and gavin leigh
This year’s RUDS annual summer Shakespeare production is Romeo & Juliet, with a twist. Shakespeare’s tragic love story is retold in an open air production at the historic London Road Campus. This production, directed by Gavin Leigh, who has previously directed Hamlet with RUDS, features elements from Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories, tied in with the more traditional elements usually associated with Romeo & Juliet. Romeo and ‘Alice’ seems a curious inspiration for ‘Romeo and Juliet’. After all, Alice is an eight-yearold girl and Juliet is almost fourteen. Both Alice and Juliet have, however, a need to rebel against the grown-ups’ worlds in which they find themselves: Juliet
refuses to marry Paris, as she has secretly wed Romeo; Alice won’t put up with the Queen of Hearts ‘nonsense’. The comparisons get darker too, with suicide a theme in both stories: Friar Lawrence assists Juliet in a ‘Thing like death’; Humpty Dumpty, too, suggests that ‘With proper assistance’ one can ‘help growing older’. Finally, much of the stories are about dreams (or nightmares): Mercutio ‘talk[s] of dreams’; ‘Alice’ is ‘but a dream’.
The Summer Shakespeare production is inspired by Alice in Wonderland So far this year we have had several outstanding productions:
The Pillowman, Sweeney Todd and The Importance of Being Earnest, all of which were critically acclaimed. We have high hopes for our Edinburgh Fringe project and this year’s Shakespeare, as both are shaping up to be completely captivating. In the past few years, RUDS has put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing, both of which were very well attended and received great reviews. This year, we find Matt Young (Much Ado, The Importance of Being Earnest) as Romeo and Ellie Massam as Juliet, accompanied by the charismatic and amusing antics of Charis Edwards (Much Ado, Sweeney Todd) as the Nurse. Some more familiar faces return, with Nick Askill (Much Ado, Pillowman Sweeney Todd), Lydia Woolley (Much Ado, Sweeney Todd), David Dodd (Sweeney Todd) and Jenny
Jope (Wild Allegations, Pillowman, Sweeney Todd) taking the roles of the Capulets and the Montagues. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will be performed on the grass behind The Old Library, on the London Road campus, on June 21st (7pm), 22nd (2pm; 7pm) and 23rd (2pm). Tickets are available at www. ticketsource.co.uk/rudstickets and priced at £5 (RUDS) £6 (NUS) and £7 others. ‘Doors open’ at 6pm - an hour before the performances - for picnics and afternoon tea, including plumcakes and tarts, made by Reading University’s Baking Society. Please direct any enquiries to committee@ruds.co.uk.
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
arts.spark@reading.ac.uk
ARTS&BOOKS 15
Reading University Fine Art Degree Show DEGREE SHOW 10/06/13 21/06/13 DAILY 10AM - 4PM ELLEN NORTH-ROW
Come along to the University of Reading’s BA and MFA 2013 Degree Shows. Displaying the student’s talents through their multi-media works, it looks to be a vibrant, innovative and exhilarating exhibition. Check out their website: www.degreeshow2013.com Lauren Harrison BA Art “I think this year is pretty strong. We have some excellent performances demonstrating impressive skills aquired throughout”
Re-reading The Great Gatsby What’s Hot? Book Review Charlotte Coster
This weekend I reread The Great Gatsby for the first time since my A level years, in readiness to see how completely it has been destroyed on the cinematic screen (I’m sorry but whoever is in a film and whoever is directing it, I am strongly of the belief that nothing can be as great as a book itself!)
Depictions of parties, gangsters, crime, affairs, love, lust, intrigue and murder Following this, it has reminded me why English teachers adore it! There is just so much symbolism, which could easily make the writing dull and heavy going. Instead The Great Gatsby is an extremely readable social commentary on 1920s culture. With depictions of parties, gangsters, crime, affairs, love, lust, intrigue and murder, this novel sounds like almost any other
trashy read that you can find in modern bookstores but Fitzgerald seems to have arrived there 90 years early! Not that you can ever call his work trashy, although why people enjoy it as much as they do is a slight mystery considering the lack of storyline and underdeveloped characters. The story is narrated by the enigmatic Nick Carraway and gives his spin on the events of one summer when he first goes to live in New York. There he meets his neighbour Jay Gatsby, as well as his cousin Daisy and a number of other rich ‘careless’ people who effect each other’s lives in a way that none of them quite expect to. And if you think that sounds cryptic, then try reading the novel!
Fitzgerald’s talent for description draws you into a completely different and attractive era This novel relies a lot on your own imagination and analytical ability
to fill in the gaps that Fitzgerald tantalisingly leaves. But if you enjoy doing this (as many English literature enthusiasts such as myself do!) it is one of the most rewarding explorations of the flappers culture in 1920s America. With Fitzgerald’s talent for description, which he vastly underuses throughout the book, he draws you into a completely different and somewhat attractive era. And then proceeds to tell you everything that is wrong with it. Despite this, it will still leave you wishing you were born hundred years earlier to be a part of it and for many this has been revered as one of the greatest pieces of literature in the 20th century.
Ellen North-Row
STARTER FOR TEN David Nicholls A tale of one student’s passion to live up to the challenge, amidst the trials and tribulations of falling in love, making the team and experiencing university’s low and high points. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS John Green THE CASUAL VACANCY J.K.Rowling A GAME OF THRONES George R.R. Martin A mixture of passion and battle; give it a chance, you may be suprised! 1984 George Orwell Never got around to reading this classic? Now’s your opportunity. CATCH 22 Joseph Heller AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED Khaled Hosseini Writer of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, this striking novel will sweep you into an exotic landscape of war and fate.
marketing@rusu.co.uk
Do you want it sugar coated or straight up? It’s a complicated world. And, every day, it seems to get just a little bit more complicated. Our job is to cut through this complexity – for our clients, and our people. And we think often the best way to do that is to cut to the chase. So, when it comes to developing your graduate career with us, let’s be straight. It’s going to be a lot of hard work. You’re going to have to study. You’re going to need an open mind. And you’re not going to be running the show from day one. But you will be valued. You will be supported. You will be encouraged to push yourself even further. And you will get all the training, development and exposure you’ll need for when you’re ready to run the show. Sweet. To find out more go to www.kpmg.co.uk/graduates
Graduate careers in Audit, Tax and Advisory
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
© 2012 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, is a subsidiary of KPMG Europe LLP and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity.
16 ADVERTISEMENT
Spark Friday 7 June 2013
interview.spark@reading.ac.uk
INTERVIEW 17
interview The Jobshop: A successful first year? For the majority of students there is a genuine need to have a part time job, especially with the increase in University fees. We have had prospective students and their parents contact us directly here in the Job Shop asking what service we provide, which clearly illustrates the pressures many students are under. As a policy, the University recommends working no more than 16 hours per week. Having a part time job has a good range of benefits, it can help develop a broad range of skills and looks good on your CV, and of course the money is always useful.
75-90 part time vacancies are available to students trhough the Jobshop Can you help find most students a position of their choice?
We can certainly help, provided the students have the right skillset to do what they want to do, or are quite flexible -there are always opportunities, even if you have little or no experience.
The Jobshop in the Students’ Union! lily brown
The Jobshop in the Students’ Union is about to celebrate its first year helping students find part time jobs and placements so Interview Spark* caught up with Jonathan Bainbridge, the Job Shop and Internship Co-ordinator to see how successful its first year has been. If you are looking for a part time job or internship for next year or for over the summer pop in and have a look. With opportunities in retail to catering and events management there is something for everyone! Could you briefly outline what the JobShop does? The Job Shop, run by the University’s Careers, Placement and Employment Centre, located in the Students’ Union, provides students with a wide range of part time and vacation jobs along with internship opportunities. Our professional staff also offer employment advice, anything from how to get a National Insurance number to advocating on a student’s behalf with their employer. In addition to this students can receive feedback on their CV as well as interview advice. The JobShop is coming up to being one year old, do you think it has been a success so far? There’s been a really positive response from students; I think it’s a real statement from the Careers Centre and the University as a whole to give students the opportunity to access a good range of opportunities and advice in the heart of the Students’ Union. The
numbers speak for themselves with over 2,200 Job Shop visitors since opening in September 2012, we’ve also received over 100,000 total page views on part time and vacation jobs via our online jobs board My Jobs Online. So we have made a good start, however there is still plenty of scope to develop the service.
The Jobshop has elicited a really positive response from students Could you please give some examples of jobs that the JobShop has helped students get? A whole range from retail opportunities with Hollister, House of Frazer and Top Shop, catering and serving with top local restaurants and bars, marketing, admin and IT support with local firms through to corporate events management at Ascot, Henley Regatta and Wimbledon for example. One memorable opportunity sticks out, an eccentric local author who is blind advertised a Proof Reader position after his editor moved to Scotland, he was inundated with applications, just under a 1,000 people viewed his advert on line. I think one of the real positives about having the Job Shop is that there is now one central place both for employers to advertise and for students looking for work. Would you recommend getting a part time job to students? And do you think that there is more pressure on students to get past time jobs since the fees have increased?
The University recommends working no more than 16 hours per week.
What other services do you offer to students?
As well as the CV and interview advice we offer general employment advice, especially useful if you’re an international student, we have also advocated on students behalf when students have experience issues with their employer. As we are part the Careers, Placement and Experience Centre we can sign post students to the range of employment related activities on offer such as employer visits, the RED award and UROP. How many employers engage with the JobShop?
We consistently have between 75-90 part time vacancies advertised at any one time, and actively meet employers over the academic year. The Part Time Jobs Fair, which is taking place on 16th October 2013, also attracts a range of employers keen to engage with students.
Did you recently win an award from the National Placement & Internship Awards?
We’re an active member of the National Association of Student Employment Services and were awarded under their Student Employee of the Year Awards 2012 “Best Job Shop Newcomer” which we’re very proud of. We were also a finalist in the Rate My Placement Awards in 2012. Do you think the JobShop’ s success will continue next year?
Yes, more so than ever there is a demand from students to have the service, we are looking to building on the lessons learnt this year and continue to develop the service.
What is the best way to get in touch with the JobShop?
To drop in an see us would be the first thing we’d advise students to do, or alternatively, email: jobshop@reading.ac.uk, tel: 0118 378 6040. All our jobs are advertised on line via www.reading.ac.uk/ careers/myjobsonline or you can get live jobs updates via Twitter @ UniRdg jobshop or www.facebook. com/UoRjobshop
Students can register for email alerts from the site, or just browse this as when they choose. We also promote the vacancies via Twitter and Facebook and in the Job Shop itself.
Any suggestions or advice for students looking for a part time job or placement?
How do you advertise the posts
Come and visit us, there are still plenty of vacancies for the summer, we’re open 10am-4pm Mon-Fri.
from employers and what is the most successful type of advertising?
All employers register their vacancies on our online job site My Jobs Online.
Want to write for Spark*? Email us at interview.spark@ reading.ac.uk
18 BEAUTY
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk
BEAUTY
Blog of the moment: Caroline Hirons Elle Turner
As a fully qualified, international level facialist with 16 years in the beauty industry under her belt, Caroline Hirons is the ultimate expert when it comes to skincare. Her little black book boasts more cosmetics and skincare clients than I own nail polishes (and I own a LOT!) So monumental is her impact that she is the go-to guru for every skincare need, tip and trick with clients such as Zelens and Chantecaille queuing up for her recommendations. And as an industry insider, Caroline is inundated with P.R skincare samples,
you name it, she’s tried it… and blogged about it. Caroline knows what she’s talking about and she’s not afraid to share it, with matras such as “my line with wipes: fanny’s festivals and flights” and “Nothing good ever came from scrubbing your face with a peach kernel”. Not only does Caroline always provide refreshingly honest and hilariously phrased advice, but just to make her readers lives a little easier, her blog also features a “Cheat Sheet” to direct you to specific skin concerns such as “Acne”, “Dry or Dehydrated?” and “Top Tips for
Great Skin”. With tailored advice to fit any dermatological necessity, Caroline provides targeted suggestions for specific skincare needs, recommending the best products available for dry, oily and combination skin whilst dispelling common myths and misleading products, with her “excellent BS detector”. So, if you’re looking for straighttalking, helpful advice, Caroline’s your woman. *adds blog to favourites for a daily dose of skincare-y goodness* Check out her blog now at http:// www.beautymouth.com
Tease your tangles Elle Turner
With summer on its way, beachy summer hair is a must. Avoid gettig in a tangle by investing in a Tangle Teezer, available atBoots for £10.99. The Tangle Teezer’s unique teeth configuration delivers rapid, pain-free detangling as well as polishing hair for high shine. So get down to Boots for pain free, beautiful summer hair!
Summer hair inspiration 2013!!! Sabina Rouse
Loose Fishtail Plait
Floral Headband
Messy Ponytail
This summer, getting sexy beach hair has never been easier. Look to these three gorgeous girls for easy hair inspiration. Try a boho-esque loose fishtail plait inspired by Blake Lively, or channel your inner festival chic with a flirty floral headband like Una. For an easy sexy updo, why not recreate Doutzen Kroes’ loose messy ponytail!
Splurge, spend, steal: Lip crayon
Make your makeup Sleek
Elle Turner
Elle Turner
Splurge: Chubby Stick Moistuizing Lip Colour Balm, £16 Try the shades Curvy Candy or Super Strawberry. Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm is a lip treatment with sheer colour that relieves dry, cracked lips and provides immediate moisturisation. The unique pencil-style applicator provides easy to apply sheer soft lip colour and rolls up for ease of use.
Spend: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain £7.99 Try the shades Love Sick or Cherish Is a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain in an adorable chubby crayon. Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of colour that lasts hour after hour. The gel formula comes in 12 vibrant shades that match any look or mood.
Steal: MUA Power Pout Colour Intense Tint and Balm £3 Try the shades Broken Hearted or Irreplaceable MUA Power Pout is a lip treatment with colour intensity that relieves dry, cracked lips providing immediate moisturisation. The handy pencil-style applicator provides easy to apply sheer soft lip colour and rolls up for easy use. Available in six rich bold shades from chic nude to deep rich raspberry.
Sleek is quickly becoming one of my favourite brands on the High Street. With excellent quality products and student friendly prices you really can’t go far wrong with Sleek. My most recent purchase was the Storm i Divine Palette which not only boasts 12 super pigmented neutral shades but also comes complete with a massive mirror for makeup on the go.
Plus the blend of light and smokey shades alongside th matte and shimmery textures makes for a versatile day to night palette. And at a purse-friendly price of £7.99, each shadow works out at less than £1! Sleek also do some beautiful blush palettes for £9.99. My favourite is the Blush by 3 palette in Lace which includes a pretty coral shade, a daring tangerine and an elegant rose gold.
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk
FASHION 19
FASHION The battle of the bikinis Top of the crops Molly Fifi Morgan
This year it’s all about variety for swimwear. Forget the traditional itsy-bitsy teeny, weenie bikini; high waisted bikinis and one pieces are all hot news this season. So don’t be fooled into thinking a bikini is the only cool option for your hols. One piece swimsuits (think modern cut outs, edgy prints and vintage cuts) no longer have frumpy or child-like connotations. Look to French Connection for some daring, modern cuts and even George clothing (ASDA) online for some budget one pieces (starting at a mere £12! They feature photo
print swimsuits of the NY skyline, animals and summery sunsets. Looking at the pieces across the catwalks and in stores one pieces are the new summer scorcher for your holiday wardrobe. Why? It’s all about the versatility and wearability of these pieces that make them a must have and a lust have. Luggage problems because you really did need four pairs of heels, two sandals and those glittery wedges? A carefully chosen swimsuit is your answer. It can double as a body top with a glamorous skirt, can be worn in place of a cami underneath sheer shirts for a meal, and of course you can soak up the rays by the pool in it!
High waisted bikinis, 50’s style are the trend you’ll want to be rocking this year. Super flattering and effortlessly stylish, high waisted is the way to go. Topshop have got some edgy pieces in for those of you worrying high waisted might look a little old fashioned. ASOS have a stunning array of choices ranging from red and white true 50’s pin up girl bikinis to glamorous well cut black pieces with detailing and bows on the bust-line. So which will you opt for: two piece or one? Bikini or swim suit? Whichever it is you choose you’ll be bang on trend whilst looking your hottest enjoying the (fingers crossed) sunny weather!
Perfect placement picks Charlotte Coster
Dressing for placement is hard enough on a normal day. You are trying to impress and fit in with the rest of office, while definitely earning £100,000 less a year than even the lowliest worker! But when it comes to summer and battling with temperatures of 30 degrees (if we’re lucky!) then it becomes almost impossible. Luckily, the key to this season’s trends are all about simplicity seeing a return to classic styles that can definitely be exploited on placements. Therefore the purchase of a bodycon pencil skirt is a must. Black is a preferable colour, because, although a slightly obvious choice, it can be matched with a number of other pieces and be used over and over again and any
extra patterns or details can be beneficial. To go with these and in keeping with the more traditional styles of officewear, light floaty
blouses are great. For the same reason that men wear a tie to work a bow necktie is a perfect and easy way to smarten an outfit up. A blouse can be tucked into shorts or a pencil skirt to elegantly highlight your curves. The material is perfect for the summer months as it allows the skin to breathe and is not too clingy when the office heats up. Finally, by sticking to more understated colours such as black, white and pastel colours, it allows for you to add to it further through your accessories or your blazer. These are very much in fashion at the moment and if you pick a light one such as this Topshop one it allows you to brighten your whole outfit while still being comfortable and fitting in with the stylish office trends.
Debate: Online or high street? Ellen Bendix-Lewis In recent years there has been a massive change in the way in which people shop. Traditionally, the only way someone could update their wardrobe was by fighting against the hustle and bustle of the UK high street in order to bag that limited edition Topshop dress. Usually finding that that dream dress only remains in size 16 and 18. Nowadays shoppers can bag the dress they want with a simple click of a button, ensuring no disappointment and no wasted trip into town. Online shopping has introduced a new type of market. Online stores such as Boohoo and Missguided provide up to date fashion at the lowest
possible price, undercutting any of their high street competitors. Online consumers receive cheap up to date trends more efficiently due to the dynamic nature of the online market. Recently there has been a large buzz around the decrease in sales on the high street, with the undercutting of prices by online stores being largely to blame. However a recent report by the BBC showed that 70% of consumers still prefer to purchase their items in store. The high street enables the consumer to try their products on before committing to spending their money. With the majority of us having less cash than ever, people approach money spending
as a ‘quality rather than quantity’ activity. It seems that although online fashion sites are offering bargains and simplicity when it comes to updating an individuals wardrobe, the high street still reigns as the most popular method for the consumer to spend their money. Personally, I like to touch a product before I commit to purchasing, an image on a website just isn’t enough. Being able to try my dream dress on is a necessary bonus. Online stores are great for your staple white vest, but when it comes to buying a one off luxury item the high street will always be my first and last stop.
Hannah Wynne
Brace yourselves: 90s style crop tops are on their way back in. Crop tops are no longer reserved for the beach or the festival, this summer they are making an impact as casual day wear. Crop tops are ideal for those celebs with toned and tanned abs who want to show off the results of their tough exercise regime. But for the average student, this trend seems like a lot of hard work. However, don’t start reaching for your trainers and diet food just yet, because I’ve found that with some clever outfit arrangements, crop tops can suit most body types. Crop tops seem daunting at first, but only having a small strip of skin on show is an easy way to tackle the trend. The most flattering way to wear a crop top is so that only about two inches of skin are showing around the bottom of your ribs. This is naturally the slimmest part of your midriff, and so teamed with a high waisted skirt or shorts it can create a really flattering silhouette. Amaz-
ingly, by only revealing the top of your waist you can cheat your way to looking toned, because the slim section on show gives the illusion of a toned stomach underneath. Bear in mind that crop tops don’t
have to be skin tight - baggy crop tops or tied up shirts can work well as a sporty and laid back look that doesn’t cling to your figure. If you’re still not convinced then a cropped jumper over a dress or skirt looks good but without the skin on show. Crop tops are definitely a style statement, and they don’t have to be reserved for the skinny or the brave. This summer I think they’re worth a try – even if it is only to the beach!
Festival fashion Sabina Rouse
With summer having finally arrived, it’s safe to say that the festival season is now truly upon us. We’ve picked out the three best festival trends that will leave you in no doubt about what to wear: 1. Fringing Although very old school, fringing has made a return this year, especially seen on tops and bikinis. This Fringe Bralet from Topshop is the perfect accompaniment to leggings, skirts or shorts. However, fringed bags are also very popular right now especially in black or brown (white being too clean to take to a festival) which have the perfect festival aesthetic.
2. Aztec print With sites like Missguided hold a huge variety of Aztec print shorts, t-shirts and leggings, there is no excuse this summer not to indulge in the trend. Aztec prints liven up any outfit, especially when set against a plain black t-shirt or leggings and give your look a summery and festival chic flare.
3. Denim Denim is a staple trend every year because it is so versatile. Fringing, embroidery, acid washes and leather inserts are all now popular on denim shorts and all fit the festival trend much more than a plain pair do. Additionally, neon colours are huge, not just the standard garish green, yellow and pink, but neon coral and violet will also fit the trend whilst being easy on the eyes.
20 HEALTH&FOOD
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
health.spark@reading.ac.uk
HEALTH ‘Healthy’ foods, fact or fad? Steve Smith
This article is about some of the pet peeves of the health industry and myths that surround health and nutrition marketing. A lot of controversial ideas are always cropping up, whether it’s an argument in a pub or something you’ve always questioned. This article will hopefully clear up some of your questions and keeps you thinking of what exactly you’re eating when we ask whether ‘healthy’ foods are really healthy as healthy as their marketing would have us believe. There are always new adverts on the TV saying try this new product (‘insert catchy one liner about vitamin C’) and then they concentrate on why vitamin C is good for you. In fact, this is often only a miniscule value of the nutrition content in the product being advertised. The government keeps a supposedly ‘strict’ guideline on what can be claimed as healthy and what can not. However, often big businesses can use loopholes to focus on the good things about their product, whilst side lining the actual contents. Here’s an example of Kraft and
Nestlé’s new product, Belvita: “Belvita is a range of biscuits specially designed for breakfast. Made with wholegrain, rich in cereals, a source of fiber and containing a selection of vitamins and minerals” At first glance this sounds good. It’s claiming that the biscuits are a great way to start your day with added vitamins and minerals. However, looking closer at the ingredients you will see that it contains Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Cane Sugar and Inverted Sugar. The marketing blurb fails to mention that it contains added fat and sugar: maybe it’s not as good as first thought. In fact it contains nearly the exact ingredients as a pack of digestive biscuits, which ironically were also once thought of as a healthy alternative snack. It’s not just Belvita; there a huge range of products in supermarkets now that are marketed as healthy. One question that we as consumers need to ask is why they need to put so much emphasis on convincing the consumer that it is healthy. If you want to really be sure of what you’re eating, don’t read the product’s marketing slogans before you pick up the item - read what’s
in the ingredients instead. If it contains added sugars, chemicals or words that an 8 year-old can’t pronounce then there are better choices you could be making. Chose the non-marketed options like fruit, vegetables and fresh meat. A 230-calorie breakfast biscuit will never be a nutritional equivalent of 230 calories of foodslike eggs and fresh fruit. Another culprit of the healthy marketing fad is Subway. You may
remember last summer, Subway launched an advertisement campaign featuring Olympic athletes stating what their favorite Subway sandwich is. This was meant to reflect that Subway is healthy and if you want to be a competitive athlete, Subway can guide you there! Actually this may not be as true as first though. Looking deeper into what’s contained in a typical wheat bread roll at Subway, it’s so far removed from ‘real’ bread that it
could be a different food category itself, totaling 29 different ingredients. Maybe that’s not so bad compared with other breads, but you would expect the beef to be… beef, right? Unfortunately, Subway’s ‘beef’ totals 39 ingredients, even including beef flavoring to hide the other contents and make it even more beeflike. Still sound as appetising? The confusion that ads like this create around nutrition makes it so difficult for people to know how to make the right choices. We are constantly bombarded with different messages; not just from advertising but also from the government, magazines, and the news and ‘diet’ clubs. With all this misinformation and marketing jargon, how is anyone supposed to know what a ‘good’ choice for their lunch is? To quote Ali G, the best advice is to ‘keep it real’. If you want to make the best choice, simply steer clear of ‘healthy’ ready meals and breakfast biscuits and stick to eating real, whole, unprocessed, fresh foods - you know, those foods that don’t need a marketing team to convince you that they’re good for you.
Stay safe in Kavos. Hidden €20 note optional Sarah lienard
Unfortuntely, what happens on holiday doesn’t always stay there. Injuries, sunburn, STDs, illnesses and whopping great medical bills can and do follow millions of Britons back home every year. Here’s what you can do to make sure that what happen in Kavos stays there (unless you agree to have it filmed and aired on national TV).
Get your jabs early
Getting a funny tummy might
mean that you miss a few days of your trip - get a serious infectious disease, and you could be affected for months or years after you return home. Its really not worth skipping your jabs, and the earlier you have them done, the more effective your immune response. Six weeks before you travel is the ideal time frame, so contact your GP well in advance to schedule them in. The NHS site www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk has vaccine information for every country in the world, so you can check out
what you need for your holiday destination. Instead of jabs, some diseases require tablets, such as malaria; it can be helpful to set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take them on time.
Stay safe in the bedroom
Having a holiday fling might seem like an attractive prospect, but if you’ve only just met the person, you might not want to exchange bodily fluids just yet. With alcohol, poor planning and language barriers, holidays are the one time we are most likely not to use a condom. A study in 2009 from the University of Athens showed that HIV, the precursor to AIDS, is often spread in ‘vacation’ destinations, so it’s worth packing plenty of condoms with you when you travel. If you buy condoms abroad, make sure they are from a reputable chemist or doctor, and check the expiry date. Products such as insect repellents and sunscreens can damage condoms, so make sure your hands are clean before using them. But even if you take all the precautions, accidents do happen. Its a good idea to buy and pack the morning after pill in the UK, just in case the condom breaks or a pill gets missed.
Access the care you need
Studies show that 41% of students travel without insurance, which can prevent them from accessing the care that they need in the case of an emergency. But you also need to remember a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when travelling in Europe, which will give you access to basic medical care either for free or at a reduced cost. Many insurers won’t pay out if you travel without one, so you need to remember both to make sure you’re covered. The EHIC is free to apply for on the NHS website and can take up to seven days to arrive.
Pack a travel kit
Especially if you’re jetting off somewhere secluded, it can be tricky getting hold of even basic products while you’re away. Making up a small first aid kit can save you time and effort during your trip. Things to take include plasters, painkillers, tweezers, sunscreen, aftersun, antibacterial hand gel, insect repellent, bite cream, immodium and travel sickness tablets. Its also important to remember to take any medication that you take regularly, such as allergy tablets or athsma inhalers. So that way whatever happens in Kavos can stay there!
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
health.spark@reading.ac.uk
Food Review: Pau Brasil Ebba Fredriksen
Located a bit out of town and a comfortable walk from Reading campus is Pau Brasil on 89 Mount Pleasant. Downstairs is the South American shop and upstairs is the coffee bar/restaurant. Now, we got a bit overwhelmed and decided to pretty much eat whatever they had to offer! We started with passion fruit juice (recommended by the waitress) and a cheese ball for starters. The cheese ball was crisp on the outside and delightfully gooey on the inside. A tiny bit more seasoning in the cheese itself would have made it better, but it was still very good. It is hard to go wrong with cheese. The Passion fruit juice on the other hand was great! The consistency of the juice was quite thick, not as thick as a smoothie but not as watery as juice. A first sip revealed it to be a bit on the sour side, which I happen to love. My friend found it almost too sour, but only almost - not quite too sour. It was fresh and, I bet it would taste even better on a hot summer’s day. The lunch dishes consisted of four choices; we had a Brasilian twist on Stroganoff and vegetable sausage and lentil stew. The Stroganoff came with rice and potato stick, which is exactly what it sounds like. The three textures of crisp potato sticks, soft rice and creamy Stroganoff worked together very well. The vegetable stew was surprisingly nice and came with a good helping of greens. Again, it lacked a touch more seasoning and could have done with a
bit of acidity to freshen it up. Juice, cheese roll and stew... we were not done yet! The dessert section happens to be fabulous. What sounded good on paper looked lovely on show and just deciding what to get was a task in itself. We eventually went for Portuguese rice cake, a custard pastry pie, and, of course, coffee. The rice cake was very much like a muffin - not an over embellished American cupcake, but simple with a bit of lemon. It was perfect post – dinner. The custard pie was a true treat. We were lucky to have them straight out of the oven and still warm. I would describe is as a mixture between puff pastry and a croissant with a helping of thick custard in the middle. Delicious! We went to Pau Brasil out of curiosity and the fun of trying
something new, and we stayed for the hospitable and personal service. The service was actually one of the reasons our lunch managed to take us two hours. I have no idea how it happened; we never waited long for food, drinks or dessert. I think it comes down to one word: atmosphere. We could not doubt have stayed much longer and tried all the desserts and juices but we did not want to spoil it. I will certainly be back another day for second helpings. Pau Brasil specialises in Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine. It has savoury snacks priced from £1.50 and main meals from £7.50 upwards, and is located at 89 Mount Pleasant. Opening hours are listed on their Facebook page. For more information or to book a reservation, call 0118 975 2333.
HEALTH&FOOD 21
Hotpot recipe sarah lienard
Make one chicken breast go further with this sweet potato, chicken and bean hotpot for two.
Ingredients
1 small sweet potato 1 chicken breast, chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped 70g leeks, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large stalk celery, finely chopped 1 small red pepper, chopped 5-6 button mushrooms, sliced 1/2 pint chicken stock Salt and pepper 1 tsp mixed italian herbs 1/2 tsp mustard 2 tsp tomato purée 1 level tbsp flour 100g cooked cannelini beans
Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/ Gas Mark 5. In a pan of water, boil the sweet potato for 10 minutes, or
until just soft, then remove carefully and leave to cool. Slice into circles about 1/4 inch in diameter. In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan, add the chicken, onion, garlic and leeks and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the celery, pepper and mushrooms and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Once everything is soft, add the stock, salt and pepper, mixed herbs, mustard and tomato purée. Place the flour in a mixing jug and add enough water to make a liquid consistency. Add this gradually to the pan, being sure to stir well so the sauce thickens up without any lumps. Cook for 10 minutes or so. Finally, stir in the beans and add more salt or pepper to taste. Place the mixture in a casserole dish and layer the slices of sweet potato on top, dusting with more herbs if wanted. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the sweet potato is soft on top. Serve with green beans and crusty bread.
Getting Mexi-crazy with Doritos Niki igabaroola
Having been bought a copious amount of lightly salted Doritos by my mother, I was faced with
the dilemma of having to consume them in different ways so as not to develop a life-long hate for them. One of the best moments I have had with these delicacies is
my Dorito-nacho epiphany during a tedious essay writing session. Perfect for an after exam Mexiparty and uses up the vegetables your mother makes you buy. This recipe makes quite a lot of salsa, so if you don’t use it all up with one bag of Doritos it will keep for the next day.
Ingredients 225g bag of lightly salted Doritos 3 pack of mixed peppers 1 can of chopped tomatoes 1 cooking onion 1 clove of garlic ½ a scotch bonnet or chilli pepper Salt Parsley Ground ginger A handful of grated cheese of any variety
Guacamole/Sour cream/Both 1 tablespoon Olive/Vegetable oil
Method Chop your peppers, onions, garlic and scotch bonnet or chilli pepper so they are ready for frying. If you have a good non-stick frying pan then you may not require any oil but a tablespoon of oil will be adequate if not. Heat the pan with or without oil till hot then add the onion and garlic. After about two minutes, add the peppers and scotch bonnets. How long you want to cook this for depends on how crunchy you like your peppers - cook for longer if you prefer them soft. Then add the chopped tomatoes - the sauce in the can will create a sauce for your salsa. Season to
taste with salt, ginger and parsley. Let this simmer for a few minutes on a lower heat to allow the tomatoes to cook through until soft . Whilst this is simmering, lay out the Doritos on a plate in a nacho style heap and have the grated cheese at the ready. Turn off the heat on your salsasauce and let cool for a few seconds before pouring as much as desired over the Dortitos. Sprinkle as much cheese as you like over the sauce. Finally, place the plate in the microwave for about one and a half minutes to allow the sauce to soften the chips into a more nacholike state. Add some sour cream and guacamole to the sides and you are ready to dig in!
22 SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY Editorial
Hello sci-tech readers,
Treasure beneath the sea floor jenna grabey
So this issue is the last one for this term. The next will be out in the last week of September - just in time for Fresher’s week. If this is your last year here, you can keep up-to-date with Spark* online at www. sparknewspaper.co.uk Even if you’re not leaving Reading university just yet, new articles still may appear on the website during the Summer. As always sci-tech Spark* is looking for writers, the topic can be of your choice, and you get to have your say about the world of science and technology. Have a great Summer and if you haven’t seen Iron Man 3 yet I implore you to see it! Lastly, if you’re at the Fresher’s fair then see you there!
Jenna
Editorial position available at Sci-tech Spark* Want to contribute to Spark* Science & Technology? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch by emailing: scitech. spark@reading.ac.uk or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ groups/scitech.spark/
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) have announced that licences for deep-sea mining can be applied for from as early as 2016, but type in “deep-sea mining petition” into google and there are countries of people who object to this. Natural resources are not going to be available forever. This is fact. They may last throughout our lifetime, but society is guzzling these from Earth faster than the Earth can provide. Seabeds, however, are rich in minerals and “one square kilometre could meet a fifth of the world’s annual consumption of rare metals and yttrium” (phys.org, 2011). Deductibly then, extracting minerals and metals from the seabed - deep-sea mining - seems like a good idea. Yet drawbacks will inevitably arise from exploiting this method. Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface, so islanders are surely marginal in comparison, right? The debate is unfortunately not as simple as that. The biggest drawback being environmental issues and secondly financial factors. The environmental issues include maintaining biodiversity, contamination and increased pollution levels. Financial factors include the cost to protect biodiversity and the amount to carry out the operation. Biodiversity cannot be disregarded. It is vital in regulating climate and atmospheric gases, cycling water and nutrients; also the greater the diversity of the Earth’s species the easier it is for all life forms to sustain themselves – the recent depletion of fish populations is already a great hindrance to any involved in the fishing industry, which is due to over fishing the oceans. So, although humans are the dominate species, humans need other species to keep the ecosystem in-check. It is all about having a symbiotic relationship.
and environmental issues are attended to. Conservation objectives include protected sites that are adequate to sustain biodiversity in all its forms. These protected areas also act as ‘control’ areas, this is so the effects of human impact can be measured; this is featured in ISAs rules and regulations. Education on environmental issues is taking place. However, faith in protected areas actually being designated is extremely low, considering the prolonged legislation of Marine Conservation Zones to come into act. On the flip side deepsea mining may be beneficial for conserving protected areas. In practice, deep-sea mining involves ‘ore pick-up’ that causes direct destruction and disruption of benthic habitats and organisms including noise and light pollution. Furthermore groundwater is introduced to these habitats, and groundwater does not have the same minerals and carbon dioxide as the seawater, and inevitably degrades the quality of the sea water causing disruption to the ecosystem. On top of this ‘ore-lifting’ disrupts mid-water species. Thirdly, ‘de-watering
discharges’ cause temperature anomalies, excess nutrients and decreased oxygen levels. Fourthly, the ‘onboard processing’ produces wastewater discharges due to processing chemicals and accidental discharges of fuel, oil and processing agents. Fifthly, transporting the ore to land further disrupts fish, marine mammals and birds, additionally accidental discharges are likely to happen in harbours and traffic flow will significantly increase. Lastly, ‘metallurgical processing’ emits air emissions and utility bills will be effected according to Environmental Planner Dr Morgan.
Exploiting resources beneath the sea bed carries grave risks of environmental contamination In retort, resources are much more concentrated in the seabed than those on land. This means a significantly smaller area of earth needs to be mined in order
The memory of the Deepwater Horizon disaster haunts the debate surrounding sea bed exploitation In-keeping with the above, ISA has issued a set of rules and regulations for deep-sea mining that state conservation
A hydrothermal vent: the origin of many rich sulphide deposits, NOAA PMEL Vents Program
to extract the same amount of usable minerals. This has the added effect that less materials need to be processed, and it is this procedure that has the most damaging effect on the environment. Also, current technology minimizes the amount of sediment heaved-up from the seabed habitat. During hydrate extraction from seabeds, a method used to obtain the gas that’s used for central heating and powering gas cookers, accidental release of gases such as methane occur. If this exceeds a threshold, then methane could end up in the water supply, and this is toxic. Also mining for phosphates opens the risk of land contamination with Cadmium and Uranium. The crux of this issue is whether the resource benefits outweigh the financial and environmental factors. Despite any precautions taken marine biodiversity will be reduced at the mining locations, but the impact may not be as severe as first thought. Thus where resources are extremely rich, and if conservation legislation is strictly adhered to, then deep-sea mining is
scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY 23
The Snoopers’ Charter will only enrichen IT contractors calum mcintyre rogers
If you were to browse the 123page Draft Communications Bill and search for the terms ‘proxy’, ‘VPN’, ‘bitcoin’ and ‘TOR’ you would find no results. And if you were a criminal you would breathe a sigh of relief. To give some idea of how Theresa May interprets ‘the online threat’ the bills forward states a major target is ‘the threat of crime from e-mail’. It’s as if Saddam Hussein were to prepare for ‘the threat of the horseless carriage’. The four words I entered are common means of anonymising one’s internet use. For those intent on concealing themselves in cyberspace sidestepping the surveillance measures the draft bill heralds is easy. Using a virtual private network allows one to encrypt and re-route internet traffic through servers abroad, par-
ticularly Switzerland or Sweden. Subscription to a VPN costs as little as £20 a year – some are even free – and you needn’t leave traces that you’ve paid for them as most VPN services accept Bitcoin, the most popular anonymous ‘cryptocurrency’ which allows for sub rosa transactions across the globe.
The Draft Bill reads like something written in the age of steam Most modern smartphones and laptops come with VPN capability as standard. Theresa May and her peers bury their heads in the sand with the hope that those they want to target with the bill have no means of defence from it and that Osama Bin Laden types communicate with their staff using Facebook and Gmail.
It’s just not the case. People around the country employ VPNs every day, particularly when using Bittorrent services and avoiding ‘site blocks’. The rabbit hole of internet secrecy goes deeper with ‘onion routing’ (patented by the US Navy), the use of virtual machines and a myriad of other easily used tools to stay in the shadows online. The infamous ‘Silk Road’ is an example of a resource that can be safely accessed anonymously to purchase drugs, firearms and more using Bitcoin. It is in the news frequently; it doesn’t feature in the draft bill once. When the bill’s history is researched, however, it becomes clear there are some serious commercial interests behind it. Britain’s security industry is experiencing something of a boom this decade and one key company is BAE Detica (bought
Who is watching you online?
jenna grabey
Cyber crime: Internet fraud and hacking are a threat to any internet user. Although security measures are always improving their performance, such as the card reader for internet banking and Bitdefender’s safe screen when entering sensitive information online, internet criminals still keep ontop of the game.
Passwords are all individuals have to keep them safe A student from Reading University reported: “Just 2 months ago, after having a paypal account linked to the same bank account for 6 years, £485 was stolen from my bank account! I hadn’t even used it in months.” Fortunately the issue was resolved as “paypal’s fraud department refunded the money.” Passwords are all individuals and businesses have to keep their information safe. With hacking software that can guess from a few hundred to one hundred trillion different passwords per second, is why passwords which seem as mundane as brushing your teeth these days are actually very important. This article suggests ways to keep you secure from hackers online. This is why Reading University ensures that all student passwords contain numbers and letters which do not form an actual word. An online attack for an 8 character password consisting of
2 numbers and lower case letters would take 92.27 years to crack, according to Gibson Research’s tester (www.grc.com/haystack. htm). Therefore making it an effective password. The test assesses how difficult it is to hack any given password; in other words how secure your password is. It is not an indicator of strength. This is because if a computer has a virus with a keylogger then no matter how secure a password is it will still be hacked. Password Tips Do’s and Don’ts Do use uppercase letters, lowercase letters and special characters when they are allowed (!”%^*()<>#) Do choose your armour. This is something which you can add to your current password to make it more secure. This involves adding additional characters which is a simple way to make a password longer. This could be adding a string of t’s “ttttttttttt” which would make “pas55wordttttttttttt” more secure. Password armour needs to be original otherwise hackers will cotton on and that will be addedd to their hacking software. Do use a long password, at leaset 12 characters is recommended. Do use different passwords for different sites, or at least for those containing personal or financial information. If you’re worried about trying to remember so many passwords there are free password managers which you can download. If you want to look into this further, from reviews the best two seem to be
KeePass and LastPass (www. spiceworks.com). Do change your password regularly. On some sites now, such as hotmail, you can set it so you have to change your password every 72days. Once a year is also as good and can be remembered by using the date within the password, see above. Don’t use whole words – as mentioned above. Hackers can test every word in the dictionary.
“SfUyBdNmYaC” is easy to remember Don’t use numbers to replace letters such as pa55word or d0dg3ba11 can also be searched for. Hackers that use “dictionary crackers” can manipulate enteries by placing a filter on enteries so “dodgeball” can be searched for using “d0dg3ba11”. There is no need to remember a sequence of arbitary letters and numbers. Rather you can use your favourite phrase or quote and then take the first, second or last letter from each word. So “sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken” can become “SfUyBdNmYaC” is easy to remember; then add the date “20SfUyBdNmYaC13” and now you have simple yet complex password. Don’t use personal information. Favourite animal/colour/sports team/band, pet, child and year of birth are out. If a hacker knows you or has access to any personal information, such as via your Facebook profile, this will be the first attempts they make.
up by the aerospace behemoth in 2008). In 2011 Detica published its ‘Cost of Cyber Crime Report’, commissioned by the UK Cabinet Office. In the report Detica estimated over £27bn was lost to the UK economy each year through computer crime. The report was derided by academics from LSE, Harvard and Cambridge as “nonsense” but Detica suffered little for the criticism and shortly secured a two year contract with the Ministry of Justice.
IT contractors BAE Detica were paid by the government to assess cyber-crime in the UK Computing and internet-related contracts are increasingly important for BAE, given the global cuts in defence spending. Don’t use any of the common passwords as seen in the image below. In a nutshell: The longer and more complex passwords are the
In 2012 its Cyber and Intelligence division (including BAE Detica) increased its revenue by 16% due in part to contracts with multinationals but most steadily the government. The companies charged with assessing the issue are being contracted in to resolve it. The conflict of interest is palpable and with such a growth in revenue at stake you begin to wonder whether the support behind the bill is purely pro bono. The government is being sold a lie that wiretapping the internet is as simple as collecting information from British ISPs. The clue is in the name – ‘world wide web’. Westminster needs to wake up to the fact that putting a border fence around Pandora’s box is far beyond their powers.
harder it will be for a hacker to crack it. *The quote is from the film Fight Club.
24 GAMING gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk
Friday 7th June 2013 Spark*
GAMING Tomb Raider: The remake
In Patnership with www.ZiiP.co.uk
There’s a Lara things to love in this killer reboot Aaron Hall
As she stands high on a cliff gazing out onto a ferocious sea, Lara finally has the chance to take in her surroundings. Broken and exhausted, and the ordeal to get this far already proving to be an experience like no other, she stares out as the waves crash against the rocks below. It’s hard to imagine what’s going through her head as the rain washes away the dirt and dried blood upon her skin, but one’s thing for certain. This isn’t the Lara Croft you remember from yesteryear. And then the title drops. Welcome to Tomb Raider. The newest game in the longrunning series, Tomb Raider exists as not just a simple refresh or introduction of new ideas, but as an entire franchise reboot. Crystal Dynamics have reinvented the dual gun-wielding, kick-ass archaeologist from the ground up; an innocent and sweet natured young woman now taking her place. Beginning out at sea, Lara is part of a reality television show crew on the hunt for the long lost kingdom of Yamatai. From here, the story is told with beautifully crafted cutscenes as their endeavour takes a dramatically predictable turn for the worst. Finding herself shipwrecked and alone, the journey you are to take with Lara on this island is made clear from the beginning. To spoil what comes next would be an injustice, but once the titles roll you’ll find yourself already rooting for this unexpected heroine. Miss Croft is useless, in the beginning. Fumbling around environments, falling and tripping over obstacles and having a lame aim with her bow is all something to expect. After all, she’s as new to
this survival business as we are, and to play and develop Lara’s skills and expertise over time really deepens the immersion not felt in previous titles in the series. Her skills exist like the beginnings of a tree, XP gained through the game allowing you to branch further and further honing her ability to hunt, fight or craft better weapons and equipment. Each increment of progress gives a satisfying and noticable change in gameplay, encouraging you to carry on each skillset advancement. Combat in Tomb Raider like previous iterations is incredibly engaging and now for the better, satisfyingly brutal. Working in synergy with the skillset tree, Lara over time becomes increasingly confident and adept at taking down enemies with utmost efficiency. Melee attacks become especially merciless, and once certain skills are unlocked, become an integral part in dispatching inhabitants of the island. Exploration has always be a key element of previous games and here it is no different. Traversing the island, which not only progresses the story but gives further chances to gain experience, is an utter joy. Divided into sections and absolutely laden with collectables and secrets, it is never tedious or dull to take time out and just have a look around. Each environment is well designed, with distinct themes and unique puzzles to test what you’ve learnt throughout your journey. The vast number of collectibles to search for is unbelievable and even when the story is done and dusted, I guarantee you’ll be back
The island features a whole variety of luscious environments
*Insert joke about Bambi’s mum or Katniss Everdean here* to hunt down every last artefact, journal or GPS cache. The overall presentation and sound design is of consistently high quality throughout, in both gameplay and pre-rendered cutscenes. Realism in all that Lara does and that happens to her is always clear to see and the island is luscious and detailed, with enemies and allies showing intelligence in and out of combat, even when unware of Lara’s presence. The story is always fully engaging with an incredibly well written and voice acted script which will keep you hooked right until the end credits roll. A notable mention to Camilla Luddington, of William and Kate: The Movie fame, who gives Lara the voice that captures this newly refreshed heroine perfectly. The only criticism regarding the story would be that a few supporting characters feel underdeveloped, and whilst the focus is rightfully on Lara, the fleshing out of those around her would give yet another layer of immersion Crystal Dynamics have so expertly strived to create. What however, is Tomb Raider without some dark and mysterious tombs to go exploring in? Within the game, the tombs are entirely optional, and whilst they play no significant bearing on the story, are more than worthwhile of your time to hunt down. The difficulty of finding each tomb is lost after the first two or three, once you figure out what to look for, but
thankfully each is entirely unique inside and in fitting with the island environment they’re found in. Admittedly, the formula of each tomb is a simple twist on moving platforms, weight distribution or just getting to the other side, but they do all force you to think of the bigger picture. It is not just about single components of each puzzle, but instead the intricacies of how they interact in order for Lara to reach the treasure at the end. Too few tombs however offer sound and challenging puzzles, with far too many relying on timebased events which elicit annoyance, overshadowing the victory when you finally get it right. It’s a shame a game named after raiding tombs falters most spectacularly in it’s namesake. Issues also arise in certain scripted action sequences, where Lara is plummeting down a hillside or swept up in a river’s current, and your goal is to avoid all instadeath obstacles in her way. There is seemingly no way to manoeuvre these sequences without impaling Lara on tree branches or smashing her into rocks a fair few times to work out the safest route down. A mix of the action being just too fast and the controls feeling a tad too sluggish are to blame for this, however this problem does not affect all of these sequences and for the best part they provide a welcome change in pace. Tomb Raider also features a first for the series; a multiplayer mode, which the less is said about the
better. It features the standard affair such as free for all and team death-match, plus a few new takes on existing modes which work well within the island setting. However, there is such little variety and lack of enjoyability, it is unlikely you’ll play for nothing other than initial curiosity or to unlock all the achievements. It’s clear to see exactly why the series hasn’t ventured beyond the single player experience before; it just doesn’t work. Tomb Raider had begun to grow stale in recent times and never really showed any sign of progression with each new iteration... until now. It is easy to see the influences of modern gaming finally making a mark on one of the most beloved franchises, and it is certainly all the better for it. Comparisons to Uncharted and similar games of that style are undeniable, but Crystal Dynamics have given Lara enough unique components and perfected existing elements to make it feel like something entirely new. Even if you aren’t a fan of Tomb Raider or have never played a game in the series before, this iteration comes highly recommended. Whilst a few things knock a bit of shine of this incredibly polished and of superior standard video game, at the very worst you’ll walk away with a few minor scrapes and bruises. Tomb Raider is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
travel.spark@reading.ac.uk
TRAVEL 25
trAvel A trip to Nepal: Monks and mountains food and other items are all very affordable, with a small budget going a long way.
Monks wearing vibrant clothing and sporting some very impressive facial hair!
Ollie fitzgerald
Nepal is a country that seems to be regularly overlooked compared to other countries in its close vicinity, such as India and Thailand. The country itself is one of the more diverse in terms of culture, wildlife and terrain. Nepal offers some of, if not the best, trekking in the world with the world famous Annapurna circuit and Everest Base Camp treks. The country is very student friendly, the people are naturally some of the most amiable you are likely to meet when travelling. It is very rare that you’d feel threatened when in the big cities such as Kathmandu and Pokhara. It is also incredibly cheap; accommodation,
However, when travelling throughout this country you do need to be extremely careful when it comes to water. Nepal is a developing country, and due to this one must take great care, never drink directly from the taps, or even brush your teeth with it! Water based bacteria can cause nasty bugs such as giardia, this can ruin a trip. However this is easily avoided and even the remote mountain villages supply safe bottled water. Kathmandu is a vibrant and very busy city, and therefore very fascinating. It is far less hectic than its Indian equivalents, and therefore easier for someone not used to travelling in Asia to adjust to. When visiting Kathmandu there is some essential viewing. The Pashupatinath temple complex is one of the most important places in the Hindu religion, it is also a great opportunity to see some very fascinating ‘wise men’ or sadhus; monks who have given up everything in order to worship the God
Shiva. They wear very vibrant clothing, as well as sporting some very impressive facial hair! They live off donations given to them from photos so you shouldn’t feel nervous to approach them and ask for a photograph. Other highlights include the almighty Boudhanath and Swayambunath temples also within the Kathmandu vicinity, Durbar Square is also picturesque. Although Nepal is most famous for its trekking, it also has some unmissable safari opportunities. In Chitwan National Park you have the best chance of seeing tigers and black bears here than anywhere else in Asia. You are also very likely to see the famous one horned rhino here, as this park has the highest population of them in the world. There is also the chance you will see leopards, elephants (although mostly tame), crocodiles and many different kinds of birds.
Trekking as high as 5415m brings such a massive sense of achievement! Pokhara is a more tourist friendly version of Kathmandu. The atmosphere here is far more relaxed, there are plenty of bars and restaurants to enjoy. Although more touristy than other towns the atmosphere here is still Nepalese.
The sacred mountain Machapuchare Apparently, it is one of the best places to hand glide in Asia. It also has a very large lake framed by the Annapurna mountain range for a breathtaking sight. The best time to visit is around October to November and then mid March to April. Although with these come many tour groups and trekkers, so it is best to start a little earlier than these peak times. Another tip is to not book anything activity wise such as tours or other activities until you arrive in the country. A lot of tour companies make a healthy profit, and usually will not pay the very hardworking guides as much as you think they are. It is much cheaper to book out there, as well as buying any specialist trekking equipment.
Kathmandu has many camping shops and although a lot of the items can be fake, they are still incredibly cheap and probably just as good quality. Particular trekking highlights include the Annapurna Circuit. This is quite a difficult trek as you are required to go as high as 5415m in order to cross the Thorung La Pass. There is a massive sense of achievement! On the off peak season it is cheaper and there is much more space in the lodges. Nepal is an incredible country and is highly recommended for students due to its friendly atmosphere, inexpensive living costs and incredible scenery. If you give it a chance, take it, you will certainly not regret it.
also given a musical performance, radically different from those in England, which included a lot of drumming and feet stamping! Bambako was just one village I got to visit and each village was as welcoming as the next. We were always welcomed with singing, dancing and a series of bright colours. The Gambians were happy despite facing many difficulties each day such as not having access to clean water and schooling. In the centre of the Gambia there is an array
of tourist activites. We visited Banjul, the culture is different from England, watermelons were in abundance and people are in brightly coloured clothes. We visited the Banjul market which sells everything from food (raw meat was even sold on the roadside!), to clothing and jewellery, which is a must see. In the markets the Gambians are willing to enter into some bargaining where you can pick up some beautiful souvenirs and speak to the locals. The Gambia also has beautiful beaches many of which have mini markets, a wonderful climate and a chance to sample some of the local produce such as exotic fruit juices. In rural Gambia awaits the real hidden gems, particularly for those interested in wildlife. Tendaba Camp runs daily boat rides on the River Gambia where you may see alligators as well as a variety of birds. The Gambia has much to offer and for many is still an unknown gem in Africa waiting to be explored!
Gambia: An Exploration of Africa Katie parris
My first visit to The Gambia was in 2008 due to my love for the culture, I returned a year later. My week long trip included a mixture of charity work and sampling what Gambia has to offer tourists. The Gambia, in West Africa after gaining its independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 has become known for its tourism industry and agriculture, particularly its production of peanuts.
Beautiful beaches, mini markets, a wonderful climate and exotic fruit juices However many are still unaware of the delights that the Gambia has to offer. I gained the opportunity of going to the Gambia on a Sixth
Form charity trip, which has wellformed connections with the small villages in the core of the Gambia, formed over a period of 19 years. We soon began our charity work by proceeding to the core of the Gambia in safari like trucks, which was an experience. Although the Gambia is developing its roads, the rural areas are still undeveloped and we travelled along dirt tracks. On our arrival to rural Gambia our group checked into Tendaba Camp which has basic lodges and its located on the River Gambia. The next day we were split into groups and all went to a separate village to offer financial aid, review projects from the previous year and example true Gambian culture. We presented our aid, which included clothing, stationary and so on, which they were delighted with. We sung some English songs to the Gambians and they joined in with ‘Head, Shoul-
ders, Knees and Toes’ which the children found very comical. There were speeches to welcome us and we even got given a tour. Every village is given £50 each year, as well as further financial aid if they need it, so we provided them with money for medicine. We saw where their crops grew and the children fascinated by our appearance clung to our hands. At the end of our visit we were presented with traditional Gambian tops as a thank you. We were
Contact us! We’d love to hear all about your travel related tales...
Facebook: Travel Spark
Twtter: @travel_spark
Email: travel.spark@reading.ac.uk
26 CAREERS editor.spark@reading.ac.uk
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
Careers Remember - It’s not too late! It’s not too late to……. •Get a graduate Job •Complete the RED Award •Find a Summer Placement or Internship •Secure Summer vacation Work •Think about Postgraduate Study
Finally, the exams are at an end and you’re free to enjoy the sunshine….phew, relief or possibly not, especially if you’ve not yet found and secured a graduate or summer job, placement or internship – or perhaps you’re still stuck for ideas or interested in further study?. Don’t worry, we’ve got lots of activities and sessions to help you up until the end of term, it’s really not too late…. ‘It’s not too late festival’ Thursday June 13th, 11.30-2.30 We’re holding an ‘it’s not too late festival’ on Thursday June 13th from 11.30-2.30pm outside in the RUSU meadow (behind Mojos) if it’s sunny, or in the lower corridor in RUSU (between Mondial and Mojo’s) if it’s raining.
Graduate careers provision from the Careers Centre
The Careers, Placement and Experience Centre is here to help you take the next steps into a career or further study once you have graduated. We offer friendly and professional graduate support, including: • Access to hundreds of immediate job vacancies from employers targeting Reading graduates. •A regular, dedicated e-newsletter outlining the most recent vacancies and employer messages for graduates. •The opportunity to attend one of our careers fairs or Headstart workshop sessions. •An open invitation to attend employer workshops – as well as our largest recruitment event of the year – the Careers and Placements Fair, 30 October 2013. •A dedicated Graduate Career Adviser to ensure that graduates receive well-researched and tailored information that is relevant to their needs and interests. •One to one support for up to six months after graduation - whether in person, on the phone or via email. •Access to practice assessment tests. For full details and updates, visit: www.reading.ac.uk/careers/graduate
There will be something for everyone, including the following; •Graduate Careers Services, what to do if you’re finalist and haven’t found a job yet, how can we help once you’ve graduated ( and up to 6 months afterwards) •The ‘Talking Sofa’, come and take a pew and chat informally to a careers adviser / placement officer if you’re still at a loss as to what to do for a job / placement •The PG Tips team, considering doing a postgraduate degree? Come and have a chat about how to get planning •Student Activities, thinking of volunteering and getting more involved in clubs and societies? then come and talk to us and some societies including Circus Arts and the Baking Society •Reading Rep – local drama group looking for volunteers interested in theatre / marketing •Reading Voluntary Action, hundreds of local volunteering opportunities for you to get involved in •Enrych – Disabled volunteering •Ridgeline – Get involved with lo-
cal gardening therapies / volunteering •UROP – learn more about the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme •The RED Award •KTP, come and talk to someone from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships about the possibilities for combining work with gaining a postgraduate qualification •Institution Wide Language Programme, would you like to learn a language, come and find out how we can help you? •Spark*, would you like to become a top journalist?, it all starts here!!! •Job Shop, Need a summer, job / internship – let us help you It’s not too late………. week. Monday 10th June •PG Tips event (Run by RUSU) this is the perfect opportunity to ask any informal questions about Postgraduate study and find out whether PG study is for you! ALL DAY in RUSU •So you want to be a Postgrad? 1-2pm RUSU Boardroom
•Get ready for your summer placement, 1-2pm room 101, Carrington Building Tuesday 11th June •RED Award Evaluation Session, 2-3pm, Room 175 HUMSS •Developing ‘Brand you’, 3-4pm URS 2s14 Wednesday 12th June •Career ‘drop ins’ for life sciences 11-5pm Careers centre, Carrington Building •Career drop ins for Psychology 12.30-2pm Careers Centre, Carrington Building •Making first impressions count, 2-3pm Room 201 Carrington Building Thursday 13th June •‘It’s not too late……’ festival, please see above. •Careers Drop ins for Arts and Humanities 11.00-2pm, Careers Centre, Carrington Building Friday 14th June •Get that local summer job, 1.302.30 room, 101 Carrington Building •RED Award Evaluation 1.302.30pm, Room 201, Carrington Building.
You can still get careers support after you’ve graduated! Register as a graduate with the Careers Centre for the careers and vacancy resources, help and information that you need. Our job is to make your move into work or further study easier – so just get in touch. The Careers Centre is encouraging all graduating students to contact them as soon as possible at graduatecareers@reading.ac.uk in order to book in for a one-to-one careers session with a Careers Adviser. The one-to-one service is only available for six months after graduation – so it’s vital that you take up this opportunity as soon as possible. Permanent careers provision for graduates includes skills presentations and workshops, with many sessions delivered through webinars – providing easier access for those graduates that can’t make it back onto campus. There is also a regular e-bulletin with the latest graduate career information and to promote vacancies that employers want to advertise directly to Reading graduates. Details of all the vacancies can be found on My Jobs Online, but to access this once you have graduated you will need to register first: www.
Have your say!
Do you want to help us improve the careers centre’s resources and services? We really want to get your views about what a careers centre should be offering its stu-
reading.ac.uk/careers/graduate/ register. The Careers Centre will be open for most of the summer – if you are staying in Reading come across to the 1st Floor of the Carrington Building. Just call on 0118 378 8359 to check appointment times and the opening hours. Help on a huge variety of issues is offered - whether you have an interest in a job sector but don’t know where to start, need help with your applications, can’t decide between different options or have an interview coming up and feel a little nervous. Come in to the Carrington Building and get help from a member of the team – there is even a dedicated Careers Adviser for graduates!!!. In the meantime, a few key pointers for graduating students. Don’t forget that you will be a graduate from the University of Reading – which is a valuable asset in the current economic climate. The University of Reading is targeted by employers, with thousands of adverts a year placed on My Jobs Online - showing that employers are specifically choosing Reading students and graduates as their future recruits.
However, it’s crucial that you tailor your CV when making applications – blanket applications do not work. Employers want to feel that you want them too! Look at the job profile and the person specification and address all the key points. Make sure your CV is professional, succinct and clear – recruiters will often only skim read applications – so you need to make an excellent first impression. Look for jobs that will make the most of your relevant experience and include this in your applications. If you are interested in a job that you don’t have relevant experience for, then make sure you get it! If you’re not sure how, contact the Careers Centre to ask for help. Finally - whatever you do, don’t panic. Although there is a lot in the press about graduate unemployment, there is also a significant number of jobs out there – especially if you have broadened your experience through work experience, sports, society activities or volunteering. Contact the Careers Centre for help in finding the career you are looking for – graduatecareers@reading.ac.uk.
dents. Get a free lunch and a £10 amazon voucher!!!!!!! – PLEASE Book your attendance via www. reading.ac.uk/myjobsonline The Careers Focus groups are run-
ning on; •11th June, 1-2pm, HumSS G10 •13th June, 3-4pm, HumSS 124 •20th June , 2-3pm, HumSS G10
Top Jobshop Jobs
Job Title: Student Helper Company: University of Reading Location: on campus Pay: over £6.19ph Closing date: 20-June 2013 Job Title: Open Day Ambassadors Company: University of Reading Location: on campus Pay: £7.01-£7.50ph Closing date: 12-June 2013 Job Title: Front of House Assistant Company: University of Reading Location: on campus Pay: over £6.19ph Closing date: 27-May 2013 Job Title: Retail Opportunities Company: Oracle Shopping Centre Location: Reading Pay: over £6.19ph Closing date: on-going Job Title: Tutor Company: Explore Learning Location: Local Pay: over £6.19ph Closing date: 31-Aug 2013 Job Title: Summer Teaching Assistant Opportunities Company: The American School in Surrey Location: Surrey Pay: £6.51-£7ph Closing date: 15-June 2013 Job Title: Translators required Company: Prestige Network Location: Reading Pay: £14ph Closing date: 30-June 2013 Job Title: Support Workers Company: University of Reading Location: on campus Pay: over £6.19ph Closing date: 24-Jul 2013 Job Title: Driver Required Company: Charlie Williams Location: Reading Pay: £7.51 - £8.00 Closing date: 11-Jul 2013 Job Title: Harvest Worker Company: Welford Estate Partnership Location: Berkshire Pay: £7.51-£8ph plus overtime Closing date: 15-Jun 2013 @UniRdg_jobshop: for live job updates www.facebook.com/UoRJobShop: for live job updates
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
editor.spark@reading.ac.uk
LETTERS 27
Letters & Events
Graduation doesn’t mean goodbye As summer approaches, many of you are no doubt preparing to leave the University. But did you know that graduation definitely doesn’t mean goodbye? Once you leave Reading, you will automatically join a network of 100,000 graduates (aka ‘alumni’) worldwide. And with the help of the Alumni Relations Office, you will be able to keep in touch with this network, plus all the other latest news and opportunities from the University of Reading, throughout your life. Here, we meet one of our 2011 graduates, Eddy, who shares his University memories and the story of his very intriguing career so far. We hope that you too will choose to stay in touch and share your news and stories with us once you graduate! Share your Story Eddy Barrett (BA Management and Business Administration 2011) Biography I graduated from the University of Reading in 2011 with a degree in Business Management and Administration. Whilst in my final year of university I saw an opportunity to begin importing and selling Japanese animal onesies. This grew quite quickly and is now known as kigs.co.uk. How did you get to where you are now after graduating from the University of Reading? After university I moved back home and my brother and I were running the business from my parents’ loft. We quickly realised things had to change when we began worrying the roof might collapse under the weight of hundreds of kilos of animal onesies. Our orders are now fulfilled by a dedicated team in Kent, leaving us with more time to concentrate on product development and marketing. What makes your business so distinctive? Believe it or not when we started nobody had really heard of an animal onesie so it was a fairly unique and niche product! Now we’re
working with our manufacturer to make sure our product stands out by being the best quality. Little things like making sure our pockets have zips on and that our fleece is slightly thicker to make sure our product is better than those of our competitors. What top tips would you give to people who are thinking of starting their own business? Get started as soon as possible. Don’t spend weeks writing a business plan, test your idea first by trying to actually sell what it is you want to sell. Once someone who isn’t your mum/brother/best mate buys one, then start writing up a business plan! Why did you choose to study at the University of Reading? It was highly rated for the course I wanted to study. As well as this, Henley Business School on the Whiteknights campus was under construction at the time I started my course, so I knew there were going to be really good facilities available for me. What was the best bit about living and studying at the University of Reading? It probably sounds quite cheesy but, the people I met. I was lucky to meet people in my halls of residence who I really got along with and am still friends with to this day. As well as this, being a
campus university, Reading has a great vibe to it. Especially during the summer months after exams when everyone’s buzzing around campus. What does the University mean to you and what is your favourite memory? University means to me a fantastic three years of my life that I’d go back and do again in a flash if I had a time machine. My favourite memory is probably a mish-mash of the three summer balls I attended, always great fun! And finally, what’s next for Kigs? We’re super busy at the moment. It’s great. We’re expanding into the US market and also developing the wholesale side of the business with some big department stores fairly interested in taking on our range for the Christmas season which is exciting. As well as this we’re also developing other product offerings for completely different markets – we don’t want the company to be a one(sie) hit wonder. Discover Eddy’s wonderful range of animal onesies>> www.kigs. co.uk
community assistant
On the 16th June the annual East Reading Festival will take place in Palmer Park. This is a totally free, big fun day out for the whole of the East Reading community with music, performances, food from around the world and a wide variety of stalls and entertainment. This year, students and societies
from the University will be displaying their talents to the general public and it would be fantastic to see as many students there as possible in support. If you’re not going to the Summer Ball the night before then there really is no excuse. If you are, what better way to recover than chilling out in the sun to live music, nice food and good vibes. East Reading is a culturally diverse area and
P.O. Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AZ Vol 64. Issue 3
Editorial Staff
Editor:
Sophie Harrison editor.spark@reading.ac.uk
Deputy Editors:
alumni@reading.ac.uk Facebook: University of Reading Alumni Twitter: @UniRdg_Alumni
this is a great opportunity to come together with other members of your community to relax and enjoy each others company. The day runs from 12-6pm and is staffed entirely by volunteers, if you would like to help out on the day (it will count towards the RED Award) then please contact sp017695@reading.ac.uk ASAP
Calum Mcintyre Rogers deped.spark@reading.ac.uk
News Editor:
Correy Faccini news.spark@reading.ac.uk
News Sub-Editor:
Catherine Russ news.spark@reading.ac.uk
Comment Editors:
Harriet Weston & Patrick Gaughran
comment.spark@reading.ac.uk
Political Comment
Adam Roberts
Editor:
politics.spark@reading.ac.uk
Interview Editors:
Lily Brown & James Clayton interview.spark@reading.ac.uk
Film, DVD & TV
Jack Marshall, Ollie FitzGerald & Charlotte Coster
Editors:
film.spark@reading.ac.uk
Music Editors:
Siobhan Maguire & Patrick Scott music.spark@reading.ac.uk
Science & Tech
Jenna Grabey
Editor:
scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk
Gaming Editor:
Tom Wood gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk
Arts&Books Editor: Lucy Snow & Ellen North Row arts.spark@reading.ac.uk Fashion Editors:
Samantha Yates & Sabina Rouse
fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk
Beauty Editor:
Elle Turner beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk
Travel Editor:
Hannah Banks & Emma Reeves
The Alumni Relations Team
Come along to the East Reading Festival - 16 June scott compton
Spark* is now online! Go to our website at www.spa rknewspaper.co.uk Follow us @SparkNewspaper ‘Like’ our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/SparkNewspaper Get in touch!
travel.spark@reading.ac.uk Health Editor:
Sarah Lienard health.spark@reading.ac.uk
Fun&Games Editor: Paroma Guha
fun.spark@reading.ac.uk
Sport Editor:
Tom Newbold sports.spark@reading.ac.uk
PR:
Alice Stentiford pr.spar@reading.ac.uk
Design editor:
Sam Winslet
Spark* is written, designed & typeset by students at the University of Reading. Printed by Newbury News Limited, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, Berkshire. RG14 2DW. Published and funded by Reading University Students’ Union vp.studentactivites@rusu.co.uk. Spark* is completely editorially independent. Complaints should be made to the Editor, in the first instance, and thereafter to RUSU. All complaints should be made in writing. All articles, letters etc. must include a name, address, and contact number/e-mail address. These may be withheld from publication at specific request. Spark* or RUSU can take no responsibility for products or services advertised herein. Spark* reserves the right to reject or edit any submissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the Editor. The views expressed in Spark* do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, particularly those expressed in the comments pages, which are often the opinions of the specific authors. Photographs in Spark* are copyright to the photographer concerned.
28 FUN&GAMES
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
fun.spark@reading.ac.uk
fun&games Crossword Sudoku
This week’s Sudoku
Matthew Sapsed
Last week’s answer...
Answers coming in our next issue!
Across
Solve the famous phrase from a Jack Nicholson movie.
1. 5.
Down 2. 40’s effort, say, with skirt on short “Bloke” (7) 3. Wimp playwright (6) 4. Allow consumption of ale tomorrow (3) 5. Sorry tale of essay after deadline? (4) 6. Quivering person turned upside down – takes bottom off for men (4) 7. Make honorary writer lose lid of dutiful sort? (7) 8. Student’s initial activity in outfit (3, 2) 10. Worker in kitchen takes in lesson on steering device (6) 11. Inspection of European? (5) 12. Adopt swifter exchange of Africa with Oceania (6) 14. Fear initially lost in blunder (5) 18. Rip meat into shreds with this animal (7) 20. Apparent show takes in bar requirement (7) 21. Nail 40% of brave measures? (5) 23. Animal’s heads take large eggplant to other animals (6) 26. Barren enigma riddled internally (4) 27. Unknown consumed by path to description of internal build-up? (4) 29. Show European loss in conflict (3)
Bye everyone, thank you all for reading and contributing to the Fun and Games page over the past year. I wish the next editor the best of luck! Paroma
Fancy becoming the next Fun and Games editor? Get in contact at fun.spark@reading.ac.uk Or find us on Facebook (Spark* Newspaper)
Scan for our facebook page
“Stand Up Man” is a riot (7) Finding misheard depth was actually on top of animals with elastic inside (7) 8. Film leaf’s movement in autumn? (4, 4, 3, 4) 9. Two elephants initially call for unknown nerve (8) 11. Object when youngster sits on Edward (4) 12. Search inside – if I should… (4) 13. …he sits on topless hat pile (4) 15. Fair happening is baseless (5) 16. Modern student, say, is true crossing first item off agenda in colourful starts (9) 17. Raps backwards in fight (4) 19. Retain stronghold (4) 22. Topless beau is done (4) 24. Career politician, say, is concealed by total I arranged (4) 25. Birth to establish endless particle (8) 28. Later I am confusing sign of court participant (8, 7) 30. Booze maybe goes from morning till night in student’s schedule? (7) 31. Second goal of rocket – to again act as contestant in competition (2-5)
Cryptogram
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
marketing@rusu.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT 29
FOLLOW US ON @DominosPizzaSK
DH01284 Reading Wok Lunch Llet_OL.indd 1
03/08/2012 08:50
30 ADVERTISEMENT
marketing@rusu.co.uk
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
44% OF CUSTOMERS PAY LESS THAN ÂŁ55 PER MONTH WITH ENDSLEIGH STUDENT CAR INSURANCE.* See how much you could save.
Get a quote now
0330 3030 281 www.endsleigh.co.uk/car
*Based on 44% of student customers who purchased between Jan 1st - Jan 31st 2013. Actual premiums depend on individual circumstances. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting their website at www.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited. Company No: 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.
alien-motor-285x330.indd 1
22/04/2013 10:55:21
Spark* Friday 7 June 2013
sports.spark@reading.ac.uk
SPORT 31
England’s progress remains stagnant luke Fry
As the British football season winds down, fans were treated to a couple of ‘pointless’ England friendlies. They did, nevertheless, give the public a chance to gauge what shape Roy Hodgson’s team were in with the World Cup in Brazil just over a year away. A respectable 80,000 turned out at Wembley to witness the first meeting between England and the Republic of Ireland since 1995. There has been much debate in the Irish media regarding the Republic’s style of play since their pitiful showing at Euro 2012, but it was England’s tactics that sparked discussion between high profile pundits such as Gary Lineker. The Three Lions set up in that formation I like to call ‘just about good enough for League Two’ 4-4-2 and Ireland followed suit. The Irish started quickly and netted on thirteen minutes when man of the match Seamus Cole-
man crossed for the diminutive Shane Long who rose above the English defence to head home emphatically. England responded ten minutes later when Daniel Sturridge’s cross from the left was met by Frank Lampard on a typical late run into the box. The thirty four year old celebrated signing his one year extension at Chelsea by finding space in the Irish box and slotting past David Forde. The rest of the game fell into a pattern of long balls from the Irish being recycled by England who lacked a cutting edge and any real fluency to find a winner, with captain for the night Ashley Cole wasting the best chance by firing over from close range following Theo Walcott’s volleyed cross. Lineker summed up the thoughts of many England fans, myself included saying, “Don’t like England playing this system. So easy to play against, predictable and dated. It’s not about playing in straight lines, it’s about playing between the lines.
Depth gives flexibility, passing alternatives, creativity”. Next up for Hodgson’s men was a trip to Rio de Janeiro and the redeveloped Maracana, the scene of John Barnes wonder dribble and finish that showed the Brazilians how to play the beautiful game. It was however an energetic Brazil side that preceded to give England a lesson in football throughout the first half with Hulk, Neymar and Fred all going close for the home side. Despite deploying the more favoured 4-3-3, England lacked creativity which was personified with Phil Jones appearing in the hole behind Rooney numerous times in the first half. Unlike England, the Brazilians had pace on the counter and were effectively pushing full backs Dani Alves and Felipe Luis forward with Chelsea’s David Luiz spraying balls all over the park. Yet at half time it remained 0-0 and saw England sporting their new away kit for the first time come out with a rejuvenated
spirit, which was inevitably quashed when second half sub Hernanes curled a superb effort which came back off the woodwork for Fred to pounce and volley home. Hodgson having had questions asked of his tactics previously, used all of his managerial nous by bringing on Alex OxladeChamberlain for Glen Johnson and changing to a 3-5-2 system which saw Michael Carrick sit just in front of the centre halves. This allowed the full backs to push up and Chamberlain to orchestrate the play, which he did to perfection as some clever interplay saw him hit a stinging volley into the bottom left hand corner which stunned the Maracana and showcased to the world one of England’s emerging talents. Then as if to defy logic, Rooney cut in from the left and curled a tremendous effort past Julio Cesar, and in doing so sent a message to potential suitors interested in the want away Manchester United star, that he was in fact still a world beater.
England were unfortunately brought back down to earth as Paulinho exquisitely volleyed Lucas Moura’s cross past Joe Hart three minutes later. Despite the start, England recovered to secure a respectable draw. Roy Hodgson was left to dwell in the knowledge he had momentarily answered his critics who still crave a perfect ninety minute performance from the Three Lions.
Chamberlain was impressive
Summer’s sport preview: Better than last year? ellis lane
Last summer will be hard to beat as one of the best summers of British sporting achievements and simply great sporting moments. Euro 2012 kicked off a summer that rolled into Wimbledon, which raised the curtain for Wiggins’ mammoth achievement at the Tour de France, before it all culminated in the festival of sport in London, the Olympic Games. Can this summer be as good? It’s a tough act to follow but yes, there are some brilliant events over the summer while University is on hold, and there are some scores to settle. The British and Irish Lions have already started their summer with a convincing 59-8 victory over the Barbarians. Their tour continues until the 6th July
when they play the third test against the Australians. There are another 9 games in total and if they are all as good as the opener in Hong Kong then we are in for a treat.
The Confederations Cup in Brazil will host the top teams from each continent All of the home nations are also on tours of their own in the meantime, Wales in Japan, England in Argentina, Ireland in North America and Scotland to the Pacific Islands once again. Whatever home nation you support there is something to keep an eye out for. The football season is largely over but there will be one more
festival of football to keep us entertained until the autumn. The Confederations Cup (June 15-June 30) in Brazil will host the top teams from each continent. Although Nigeria, Japan and Tahiti would argue otherwise, they are a sideshow at this competition, with the rest of the world tuning in to watch Spain, Brazil, Uruguay, Italy and Mexico play samba football in what is effectively a World Cup run through for the stadium organisers. With Suarez, Neymar, Mata and Balotelli all involved it will be worth a watch. Back on home soil Wimbledon (June 24-July 7) gives Andy Murray a chance to go one better than he did last time out when he lost in the final to Roger Federer. This year however, two times Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal will be back which will make the
route through the competition somewhat harder for the Scot. Murray has put all his focus into this Wimbledon this year, pulling out of the French open in order to try and be fully fit by the time centre court is opened.
TENNIS
ATHLETICS
Wimbledon gives Andy Murray a chance to go one better this year The Tour de France (June 29-July 21), the world’s largest cycling race, starts in Corsica for the first time, winding through the French countryside for 3 weeks until it finally rolls into Paris. Wiggins became the first British rider ever to win the event last year, with Kenyan born Brit Chris Froome in second. Wiggins has been declared out of this year’s race leaving Froome
Round-up: world sport in brief TOM NEWBOLD
FOOTBALL
Its a summer of managerial change in the Premier League with four high profile clubs employing new coaches. David Moyes
and Jose Mourinho have been confirmed at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, whilst Roberto Martinez and Manuel Pellegrini are expected to immenintely join Everton and Manchester City. The reshuffling of managers
The French Open is nearing its conclusion in the absence of injured Andy Murray. Roger Federer has continued his 36-tournament long record of reaching Grand Slam quarter-finals.
It has been a slow start to the season for Britain’s athletes on the Diamond League circuit. Mo Farah could only manage a second place in Eugene whilst Olympic medallists Christine Ohuruogo. Robbie
the runaway favourite and ITV pundit Ned Boulting has already said “he is nailed on to win”. Although as cycling fans will know the tour will throw up far more surprises over the 3 weeks than Boulting suggests.
These four events will certainly be enough to keep us occupied in the ‘off-season’ from regular sporting events. A few more worth taking a look at will be the F1, which is turning into one of the most exciting championships in years and comes to Silverstone (June 28-June 30). The Ashes (July 10-August 21) returns to this country with England aiming to retain the Ashes for a third successive series. All in all a busy summer of sport, and it’s going to be a good one.
Grabarz and Greg Rutherford are yet to reach the high standards they are capable of. Britain is set to host two athletics events this summer, the highlight of which is the London Anniversary Games in July.
32 SPORT
Friday 7 June 2013 Spark*
sports.spark@reading.ac.uk
SPORT Summer tournaments begin Inside...
FOOTBALL: England’s postseason friendlies PREVIEW: A summer of sport awaits
ROUND-UP: World sport in brief
Squash club kick-off summer competitions tom newbold
Squash club’s annual summer tournament took place from 31st May to 2nd June with Youssef Abdulla emerging the winner. Abdulla triumphed 3-1 over Welsh national player Sam Fenwick. In the B final Charles Smith won a tight contest 3-2 over Emilio Gate. The tournament was a separate event from the one organised in recent years with players other than just students at Reading invited to compete. Squash club president Henry Withrington described the weekend as going ‘fantastically’. Several further sporting tournaments have been organised by RUSU as students finish exams and begin the summer season. The Hockey Social Sixes tournament took place on 5th June at
SportsPark accompanied by sunny weather and a BBQ. The Netball Social tournament is taking place on Friday 7th June from 11am-5pm on the outdoor
in 43.15min before Clayton in
tom newbold
Youssef Abdulla and Sam Fenwick in action contesting their final netball courts, with the hugely contested Football Fives Tournament the next day. Reading University Football Club organise the anticipated
five-a-side competition, with many teams expected to compete. The event is held on the grass fields at SportsPark from 10am to 4pm, and is always a highlight of the postexam summer period. £100 cash and £100 bar tab are among the prizes. Man of the match tokens, trophies, and a photographer are also on offer. The Lacrosse Summer tournament wlll then conclude the official set of competitions on Saturday 22nd June. The event will run from 11am to 4pm, with an entry fee of £80. The tournament is open to everyone and anyone, including non-Lacrosse players who are more than welcome to compete. A BBQ and refreshments will also be served throughout the day. The event will be held at the SportsPark Pavilion.
RUKA run Woodley Claire Taylor talks cricket Tom fricker
The Woodley 10k 2013 proved a successful event for Reading University Athletics Club (RUKA), with many members performing well after a hard BUCS competition the weekend before. Hosted on 12th May by the local community, the good weather immediately set the event off on a positive footing. The competitors set off in the sun at 11am with seven athletes representing Reading university. Tom Fricker was first to cross the line in 34:58min, as he picked up third place in the male 17-39 category. Fricker was closely followed home by Asa Burnett who finished sixth in 35.16min. Presdient Nathan Davies was then pleased with his PB of 37.58, nearly two minutes off his previous best! Davies quickly sought medical aid after the race, a sure sign that efford had been exerted!
Tom Fricker was first to cross the line for RUKA Jack Leafe and James CLayton continued a race-long battle right up to the final kilometre with Leafe eventually coming home
43.23min.
Natalie Pecoraro was the first lady from the university home Natalie Pecoraro was the first lady from the university home in 44:41min. She had previously runthe 10k at BUCS the weekend before. Then came Toni Bamford in a time of 48min exactly.
Former international cricket player Claire Taylor represented England more than 150 times. She is also the only woman to have ever been named Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Taylor is now based at the University of Reading, and has been open and candid in her experiences as a top cricket player. When asked what makes a top cricket player, Taylor responded, “someone who enjoys the game, who plays in the right spirit, and has the ability to take on a losing
The last event of the year for RUKA is the BUCS Olympic
She reminisces her greatest moment as hitting the runs to beat Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup
Distance Triathlon Gratitude is in order for all the marshals and helpers at the event who helped a mammoth 599 runners round the course. A special mention, as the tannoy speaker said, must also go to Mr. Whippy for supplying the much-needed ice cold refreshments. The last event of the year for RUKA is the BUCS Olympic Distance Triathlon on 23rd June.
situation and turn it around for their team.” Taylor was certainly a player at the top of her game. Her greatest sporting moment in general was the Jonny Wilkinson drop goal to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup. “I was in New Zealand at the time playing cricket, and crowing about how we were now Rugby World Champions!” She reminisces her greatest personal sporting moment though as hitting the winning runs to beat Australia in the Twenty20 World Cup in 2009 to help England reach the final, something that helped enable the highlight of her career. “The highlight of my career was winning both the One Day and Twenty20 World Cups in 2009.
Taylor in Twenty20 batting action
“We celebrated by gathering together in the changing room and singing the team victory song. “Both evenings were spent having a drink together; the England team, the opposition, friends and family who had watched the games all came together.”
Taylor is a highly-motivated
individual, but also knew how to unwind. “With cricket there’s so much more than physicality to the game. Being fit and strong is important, but so is decision making and knowing the tactics of the game. “To unwind I cook, listen to music and read. I play the violin at a local orchestra so rehearsing for concerts is relaxing, but also challenging at the same time.”
During Taylor’s time at Reading university she has helped provide taster sessions During her time at Reading university, Taylor has helped provide taster sessions in an effort to create a women’s cricket team. She may have retired from cricket, but her motivation and dedication remain the same. You can find the full transcript of Claire Taylor’s interview on the Spark* website at www. sparknewspaper.co.uk