Spark 20111209 - Vol. 58, Issue 6

6

Friday 09.12.11 Volume 58

Issue

Reading UCU members go on strike in national show of worker solidarity

from work, and others a much needed catch up period.

One student’s opinion, which reflects that of the majority asked, was that ‘the lecturers agreed with us (students) when we protested about our tuition fees, why shouldn’t they strike about their pensions? It will be us who will be claiming them in the future ourselves anyway’.

However, there was a small minority of students who did not agree with the strike. One undergraduate said ‘they know the amount of debt that we are putting ourselves in to be here, it seems unfair’. Despite this, from the students asked this view appears to only be held by a small minority of the whole student demographic.

There has been no final decision reached concerning the pension dispute Staff picketing on the University of Reading Campus Mark Powney

On Wednesday 30 November, according to the unions, up to two million public sector workers, including university staff, went on strike to protest over discrepancies in their pension plans.

The University and College Union is angry after claims and negotiations which the government promised about pension plans have fallen through. The government wants workers to be paying more into their pension funds during a pay freeze,

while at the same time the value of pensions is being dropped by 15 percent as a result of a “move to an inferior ‘career average’ pension scheme”, according to the UCU. The current average pension for Higher Education lectures is around £11,400 which, when considered in comparison which private sector pensions, is not that great an amount at all.

The university staff joined other public sector working on Wednesday who marched through the town centre, gathering at Fobury Gardens for a rally and speeches.

It was the biggest protest which Reading has seen since the general strike of 1926, which was in protest of the poor working conditions and reduction of wages of miners, and lasted nine days.

However, the strike meant that many of students’ lectures, seminars and tutorials were cancelled on Wednesday morning, and this would have totalled as an even greater number had it been scheduled for any other day of the week.

Support from the students across campus varied, with some seeing it as a welcomed lie-in and break

The University and College Union along with the other national unions stated that this strike was not directly to do with individual contracts, but rather aimed at creating a fairer pension scheme across both the private and the public sector divide. Currently there has been no final decision reached regarding the pension dispute involving the government and the unions.

It seems that overall the general consensus amongst students is one of support for the staff’s civil action, with a smaller sense of apathy in other students: not quite the total disruption that was feared.

UoR receives 5% less applications Chayya Syal

According to reports from the university, early undergraduate applications for 2012/13 entry are starting to pour in. At the end of November, the university’s home and EU applications were down 5% on 2011/12 entry in comparison to the 2010/11 entry. After a slow start this year, the university has said applications are now coming in at a rate of 350-450 per day with

little uniformity amongst candidate’s subject choices.

Applicants have been making choices in light of the fee increases The University of Reading said that these results show that applicants have been taking the time to research their university

and course choices thoroughly in light of the increase in tuition fees introduced earlier this year by the Government. The university has also seen attendance at open days increase by a third this year alongside reports that more applicants are asking admissions staff more questions about university and are exploring other options.

The university is maintaining its reputation as a university of choice.

In recent years, it has attracted an average of six applications per place.

The end of November provides an indicator of applications for the coming academic year. The university expects the recent statistics to improve before Christmas.

Although it is too early for the university to identify any patterns, the strong signs from last month show that Reading remains a popular place to study.

What’s Inside?

Political Comment

7

A review of the term’s politics

Music

16

A round up of the artists to watch out for in 2012

Beauty

24

Christmas gift tips for everyone

Gaming

28

Halo’s gleaming Anniversary

2 News

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Reading students redesign national grid Zoe Crook

The national grid is controlled not far from Reading, in Wokingham. Image from telegraph.co.uk

Reading University Mathematics students compose an innovative power distribution system. The street-levelled electricity grid aspires to assist in striving towards a greener environment, declining carbon usage.

The grid distributes electricity from suppliers to consumers, whilst also generating and transmitting electricity. The students are analysing theories and concepts to evaluate the application of electricity at a street-by-street level.

The five-year project, funded by Ofgem, cost £3million pounds. As the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets, Ofgem prioritises its consumers whilst regulating all of the other gas and electricity companies.

Withholding an ethic of moderating greenhouse gases, and endeavouring to reduce climate change, the project emerges as exceedingly applicable and valuable to the company.

The students, from the Centre for Mathematics of Human Behaviour researched electricity employment and phenomena, such as compelling to abide with a crowd, and advertising .

This will provide rationale for behavioural patterns, and uses of electricity. This acquired knowledge will permit students to supply alternates to fossil fuels, whilst reducing their usage.

The partnership, amounting to £2.5 million to the university over five years, constructs collaborations with Scottish and Southern Energy, who are supplying increasing quantities of renewable energy. As one of the foremost energy companies in the United Kingdom, and the principal renewable energy generator, it appears a constructive relationship for the university to form, likely to amount to numerous future benefits.

The project cost £300 million, provided by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets Professor P. Grindrod, who is the Director of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange, Professor of Mathematics and its Applications, and also the director of the Centre for Mathematics of Human Behaviour at the university, when asked about this stated, “We are proud and excited to be part of this New Thames Valley Vision team.

This is a large scale project and the role of modelling and adaptive analytics, in which the University of Reading is already a centre of excellence, sets this project apart, and will help it lead the way in preparing Britain for the low-carbon future ahead.”

Peer support at UoR Naomi van Gundy

Ever felt disappointed after responding to a friend’s willingness to listen because actually there is so much more to listening than most people think? When you’re not feeling your best, the easier option seems to be admitting that there is really nothing wrong at all. The prospect of speaking to a complete stranger seems more daunting than worthwhile. However, those who know you are often very willing to listen but may give you more than you bargained for.

The best of intentions will lead well-meaning friends to produce a whole list of solutions that didn’t fit the problem, or worse still, to see more problems than we do.

Scientific research suggests that skilled talking and listening is the cornerstone of healthy living at university and that is why Peer Support is one of the most exciting forms of training there is on campus.

Psychologists have argued that non-professional forms of therapy are effective even when compared to other more established forms of treatment. Whilst professional forms of counselling are crucial

for mental health, having a confidant is critical to an individual’s wellbeing.

Bottle-topping issues doesn’t lead us to peace of mind, but can being listened to and understood truly provide much needed emotional support? Students play a role of social support that they don’t often get fully appreciated for.

Peer Support helps students tackle the issues they face This is what leads most students to turn to their fellow peers at the first sign of difficulty and often this is enough. However, there will be situations that can cause the helping friend to feel at out of their depth when it comes to helping someone they deeply care about. Homesickness in the first few weeks can be intensely difficult for some, whilst an ever-prevalent party culture of unending drinking games and nights out can leave others feeling uncomfortable to say the least. Money, work, and exam anxiety are reasons for which we may be concerned

for ourselves as well as those around us. Peer Supporters have faced many problems themselves.

Their training enables them to take a more accurate empathetic approach to understanding, whilst providing the listening space in which clarity and renewed hope can swiftly arise.

Peer Support helps students at the university tackle the difficult issues they face themselves but more importantly be better equipped to support others in diverse circumstances. Relationships are as different and peculiar as each individual student. The training aims to strengthen communication skills and promote active listening, drawing out the available options in every situation without imposing advice or opinion. Listening is a skill where empathy and restraint are the most efficient tools in understanding and empowering ourselves and others. Peer Supporters also receive support and supervision from the Counselling & Wellbeing Service throughout, so that they in turn are effectively peersupported as well. No one should go through university entirely without it.

Access to Peer Spport can be found in the Carrington building.

Image from the University of Reading website

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 3

Mailboxes arriving at a RUSU near you Kate Delaney

After R U Being Served? was shut down to make room for the larger Campus Central, the space left remained empty for a few weeks while the replacement shops were being confirmed.

For a few weeks now the larger section of this space has been home to Korean food shop Seoul Plaza. The opening to this new shop was a success with many students attracted by the samples of exciting and unusual Korean foods.

The shop offers a range of different food and drinks to encourage students to try something new.

The University of Reading is home to the seventh shop in this chain, with six others previously opened in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cambridge, and three others in London. Their website claims “Our range includes rice, snacks, cakes, fresh fruit and vegetables, kimchi, noodles, sauces, frozen food, beverages including beers and spirits and so much more including household wares and catering sized items of our ranges”.

The second space will be filled with Mail Boxes Etc (MBE). The service will offer a worldwide postal service, courier, printing and copying, mailbox rental options and a virtual office parcel

service. This will be particularly useful for students in their third year as they can get their dissertations printed and bound without having to walk to town.

MBE will offer a worldwide postal and courier service For international students the service will be particularly popular as it boasts a range of students baggage shipping services so students can send their belongings home and back with ease. MBE allows students to keep their possessions in storage over the holidays to save them carrying it back and forth all the time. The service can also tend to all of your student stationary needs.

Patrick Woodlock, Managing Director or the service said “Mail Boxes Etc already has a Business Services Centre in Reading with a large number of student customers and having the opportunity to set up within the Students’ Union is great”.

The two new services should hopefully attract more students to the centre of campus and help the surrounding businesses by increasing foot traffic.

The new facilities will allow you to mail your copy of Spark* to your loved ones!

Debaters deliberate the merit of part 1 counting towards your degree classification Chayya Syal

On Wednesday 30 November 2011 students and staff gathered in the Madejski Theatre, Agriculture Building from 2.00-3.00pm to attend a teaching and learning debate discussing the question: Do You Think Part One Should Count? The debate followed a poll earlier in the year which revealed that opinions on this matter were divided almost 50/50.

One view is that students work hard in their first year. They have motivation from coming straight out of school and this effort should be recognized. Some say it should contribute an equal part of the degree programme, while others say it should make up 10% of the overall mark.

The issue is split 50/50 across the students On the other hand, coming to university can be a trying time and students need the first year to adjust to a new way of life and the new standards expected. It can take a whole year to settle in and the extra pressure of knowing that

performance in Part One can affect the whole degree is too much.

The event was well attended by staff and students, with different attendees expressing mixed opinions. One view expressed was that not all students need an extra nudge to work hard and this should be recognized, but that having Part One count towards the degree would be motivation for some people to work harder.

One question raised was whether mature students who work hard in Part One should be given recognition for their efforts. A mature student responded by saying, “I don’t want recognition, I simply want the assurance that all I need to do is pass at the end of this year and then I won’t have sacrificed all that I have for nothing.”

The general consensus is that staff and students would not be willing to blindly accept any changes made, and this debate is ongoing and affects all of us.

There can be no significant conclusion made at this point, except that everyone agrees that however much we learn at university, whether during Part One or subsequent years, it is all down to the attitude with which we approach work.

Should your first year of university count towards your degree classification?

4 NEWS

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Green week at Reading University Chayya Syal

The university’s Green week kicked off on Monday 7-11 November and showed signs of promise.

Highlights of the week included: staff and students gathering to create an aerial photograph, those who cycled and walked to campus were treated to free breakfast baps at Cedars/ Park Eat, events at 3Sixty and an eco-film showing in Cafe Mondial.

The university’s Environmental Champions attended an award ceremony and received prizes for all of the hard work they put in to the Green Impact Awards.

Towards the end of the week, over 400 people attended Dr Nick Klingaman’s public lecture about extreme global weather and its effects upon humanity.

The university’s EST made recommendations to reduce consumption In comparison to the same time last year, the university used 10% less electricity in the week 7 – 13 November. Whilst the university shows signs of progress, there

is still room for improvement in buildings across campus.

The university’s Environment, Energy and Sustainability Team (EEST) has identified over two thirds of the savings that need to be made in order to reach the 35% carbon reduction target by 2015.

The remaining savings are down to the small daily changes that can be made by members of staff and students.

The university used 10% less electricity in the week 7–13 November These include turning off computers when you finish or leave your desk for more than 30 minutes, wearing warmer clothes instead of turning up the heating as this could save you £1.50 per week. A rise of 1°C increases energy bills by 10%.

Throughout Green Week, EEST monitored the electricity consumption of 23 buildings to see if we are starting to make savings.

To see how each building fared and more information on how to save more energy visit www.reading.ac.uk/cleanandgreen.

Above: the university offered entry to a prize draw as an incentive to attend Green Week events, with help from Reading Buses and Mansell construction

Reading lingerie shop named one of the best independent vendors in the country Robert Burns

The ‘Pudding’ Lingerie store came runner-up in the Drapers’ ‘UK Lingerie Retailer of the Year’ award of 2011.

Pudding was started by ex-banker couple Paul and Helen Masters in Reading in 2007. This year it was the only retailer in the nation to be described as ‘highly commended’ by the juding panel. The store received the same award the previous year.

Pudding was the only retailer in the nation to be described as ‘highly commended’ Helen said that “we’re delighted to have been named as being in the top two lingerie retailers in the UK in the Drapers’ awards. Beating so many other stores is a tremendous accolade.”

The shop hosted a party on the evening of 8 November, featuring models sporting the shop’s Christmas range. The awards ceremony was held at the opulent One Mayfair venue in London.

The all-women judging panel of five included the ‘head of lingerie

The shop is located on the glitzy Kings Walk in Reading Image from citikey.co.uk

buying and design’ at Debenhams, Sharon Webb, and Rigby & Peller owner June Kenton.

Other award winners include recent University of Leicester graduate Leanne Brook, who won the New Designer of the Year.

Breast health concern group ‘Busts4justice’ noted in June that there was no ‘sports’ category,

although inclusion of categories such as ‘ethical brand of the year’ received acclaim.

The total value of the UK’s lingerie market was worth £2.8 billion in 2009, a 16.1% increase in value from 2005, defying the pressures of the financial crisis. Marks and Spencer claims national market dominance.

The event was attended by over 250 designers and business managers.

Image from the awards website www.uklingerieawards.co.uk

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 5

Students defy economy to raise record funds James Saunders

The University of Reading raised a record- breaking £205,000 in five weeks in its autumn Annual Fund telephone campaign.

Reading students telephoned graduates to ask for donations to the Annual Fund, informing them of the state of campus life.

These donations support many innovative teaching projects and extra-curricular activities on campus. The fund also provides for the bursaries, scholarships and hardship fund grants to students who would otherwise be disadvantaged due to lack of funds. These funds may be even more important over the coming years as the prices of attending universities will rise sharply.

Donations support innovative teaching projects and extracurricular activities Natasha Ratter is in her final year studying Zoology; she has taken part in the last two telephone campaigns.

She said: “I have really enjoyed speaking to Reading alumni from

across the decades. So many stories have unfolded here and they are always interesting to hear! I am delighted to have been a part of this campaign that is raising money to help students at Reading today.”

The telephone campaign ran over a period of five weeks this autumn The Annual Fund was established in 2004, and since then over 6,000 donors have raised almost £3 million. Astonishingly, a third of alumni who werre spoken to through the telephone campaign chose to make donations to the fund.

Each year, the University holds an annual ‘Donor Day’ event to thank those who are supporting the Annual Fund. Donors can find out how their gifts have made a difference and learn about current and future developments throughout the university. The 2011 donor event was held in March and showcased research and projects from across the University.

Paul Armitage is a 1986 graduate who studied Physics and Meteorol-

ogy. Paul became a member of the University’s Blandford Club. The club awards special recognition to those who make regular donations to the Annual Fund. After receiving a telephone call from a student during one of the telephone campaigns in 2010, Mr Armitage has attended the last two Donor Days at Reading. In a University of Reading press release he said: “I think it’s important that as many people as possible have access to higher education. I donate because the Annual Fund is used to help people who would otherwise not be able to consider a university education.”

A third of alumni spoken to chose to make donations to the fund For further information about the Annual Fund, or to make a donation, please email annualfund@ reading.ac.uk or telephone 0118 378 5238. Donaters can also gift shares to the university by emailing a.j.wood@reading.ac.uk or phoning 0118 378 8255.

The Blandford club donates to many funds, including provision for guide dogs. Image from the University of Reading website

Fourth-year Reading student acclaimed for research into pharmaceutical distribution for diabetics Kate Delaney

A fourth-year pharmacy student at the University of Reading, Ranveer Bassey, has won the prestigious award ‘Future of Pharmacy Award’.

Ranveer received the award at this year’s Alliance Healthcare Pharmacy Student Awards in celebration of his innovative ideas, which aim to help pharmacies deliver the Government healthcare agenda. The award is open to students and new pharmacists to give them a platform for their ideas about the industry.

As well as winning this award, he also blogs for Pharmaceutical Journal Online The winner said: “I’m really pleased to have been given this award. It is great to see the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association and Alliance Healthcare working together to gain recognition for students.”

“Wholesale pharmaceutical organisations are the critical link between manufacturer and pharmacy and ultimately the patient, and are therefore ideally placed to help deliver part of the Government’s healthcare agenda to expand the role of community pharmacy to include delivering clinical services.”

The award gives students and new pharmacists a platform for their ideas “Effective medicine supply chains are vital to ensuring that people who need medicines get them whilst providing value for the taxpayer. In the future community, pharmacy is expected to provide more clinical services (e.g. medicine reviews) rather than just dispensing drugs.”

Helen Osborn, Head of Reading School of Pharmacy, said: “We are delighted that Ranveer Bassey has been awarded this prestigious award, and we would like to con-

gratulate him on his success. To win this prestigious award so early on in his career is a truly outstanding achievement. Ranveer is a real asset to the Reading School of Pharmacy and we are proud that his skills have been recognised in this way.”

Not only has Ranveer won this prestigious award, he also blogs for Pharmaceutical Journal Online and is an editorial board member for the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation.

“We are proud that his skills have been recognised in this way” Chris Martin, the Non Executive Advisor and National Chairman of Customer Forums at Alliance Healthcare said of Ranveer’s winning entry that it “showed that he has a clear understanding of the importance of adding value to the efficient and effective supply chain function in supporting better patient care and better patient outcomes.”

Alexander Armstrong presented the awards

6 NEWS

Friday 2011 Spark*

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

The fortnightly media blog will return in 2012!

what’s going on? what

where

10th

RUDS production of The Trial

Cafe Mondial

10th

Saturday Union ft.

Peaches Geldof

3sixty

12th

Free self-defence class

TBC (check at www.rusu. co.uk)

13th

Comedy Night

3sixty

14th

Flirt (last Union night of term)

3sixty

when December

December

December

December

December

next issue of Spark* out:

Friday 2011

across the students’ union

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

POLITICAL COMMENT 7

POLITICAL COMMENT The top five News Natters that mattered this term....

Jessica Leah Rees

Eurozone Catastrophe Undoubtedly the biggest nightmare of them all, the Eurozone crisis has seen the Greek democratically elected leader removed from his post, France and Germany dominating talks and bail-outs taking place. With the recent announcement on 5 December by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the EU needs changes to be made to the Lisbon treaty, many Eurosceptics are holding their breath as we await more turmoil amongst crisis talks.

Undoubtedly the biggest nightmare of them all It is hoped, by the two domineering leaders, that more checks on budgets and individual states economies shall negate any future catastrophes in the Eurozone and result in a stronger and more unified European economy.

Occupy LSX Occupy London have done a good job during our term time to keep put. Defying eviction notices, and occupying the forecourt of St. Paul’s Cathedral has attracted mass media coverage of Occupy LSX over the last two months.

Spirit remains strong amongst the movement and their cause The main aim of their game was to ‘voice ideas for a better future,’ A future Occupy LSX say ‘free from austerity, growing inequality, unemployment, tax injustice and a political elite who ignores its citizens, and work towards concrete demands to be met.’ Despite not achieving change and being pretty much ignored by the business community, only attracting support from more religious and spiritual leaders, spirit remains strong amongst the movement and their cause.

Eurosceptics are holding their breath as we await more turmoil Only Thursday’s Euro Summit will tell, but whatever the weather, Cameron claims he has the UK’s best interests at heart as he slammed down Tory Eurosceptics this week who want to use the EU summit as a place to repatriate powers from Brussels.

ClimateGate Round II

TOM PUDDY

On 22 November well over 5,000 emails were leaked from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia.

Almost exactly the same thing happened in 2009 in what became dubbed “Climategate”, and thus unsurprisingly the recent leak has been dubbed “Climategate II”.

Although the emails are still being verified, the latest scandal looks big. The original Climategate caused no end of embarrassment for the CRU, most notably for its head of research Dr Phil Jones and for renowned scientist Dr Michael Mann, due to some extremely worrying statements. Many at the time, such as The Guardian’s George Monbiot, called for Jones to resign due to statements such as “hide the decline (in the rise

Public Sector Strikes

in temperatures)” or declaring that certain articles would never be published “even if we have to redefine what peer-review literature is!” as well as the deletion of emails relating to raw data.

After several inquiries, all of which have been declared “whitewashes” by sceptics, the leaks were found to be little more than a series of unfortunate misunderstandings and that climate scientists aren’t great on PR (on this last point many sceptics agree, for example the symbol for the climate talks in Durban looks like a mutant radish) However, now there has been another round of leaks, which although much less shocking than before ought to be seen as far more damaging, not least because these leaks are not isolated incidents. Indeed between

Last Wednesday witnessed mass strikes across the country as public sector workers staged protests against government reforms on their pensions. It was thought that it would bring the country to a standstill, when in reality the strikes achieved little disruption, much to the disappointment of the workers on strike. For most of us students the strikes meant a day off lectures as University lecturers were just some of the workers striking, alongside schools, hospital staff and more. Unions have estimated around two million workers went on strike against not only reforms for pensions, but also against a call from the government for public sectors to work longer hours. Unions have argued that their workers will be working longer, paying more, and ending up with far less. Although the strikers did cause around two-thirds of schools to close, operations to be cancelled and a duvet day for students, surely this is a time when all of us are grinning and bearing some form of cuts, higher fees or facing longer hours. The economy is still in dire need of reform still, or are people forgetting, or just not wanting it in their back yard?

the two Climategates there have been: Glaciergate, Amazongate, Wikipediagate, the inconvenient debunking of Al Gore’s film, a rise in the number of polar bears and no global warming in 15 years.

What is interesting (apart from a lack of people getting the sack) is that with Climategate II it would appear that it is the person

Gaddafi loses Libya fight

Leveson Enquiry into British Press ethics

20 October 2011 saw the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as he was captured and shot near his home town in Sirte. The death followed months of searching for Gaddafi by Libyan rebels. Libyan Senad el-Sadik el-Ureybi is said to have been the assassin responsible and after the shooting, Gaddafi’s body went on public display for four days.

Opening hearings for the Leveson Inquiry on 14 November 2011, Lord Justice Leveson, Chairman of the inquiry has faced testimonies from celebrities including Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller, JK Rowling, and from families of victims including the family of Milly Dowler and the McCanns, on the brutal force, negligence and practices of the British Press.

It will be a long and grueling process until the Libyan people truly find freedom Whilst many Western communities may have welcomed the announcement of the death of Gaddafi, the world expressed revulsion outside Libya over subsequent events prompting the interim government to make a stop to the tasteless antics. Under Gaddafi’s ruling ‘iron fist’ since 1969, political parties were banned, tortured and rebels even killed.

After demanding change, Libya rebels are finally receiving what they want. However, despite initial calls for a more democratic and representative country, just two weeks ago it emerged that 7,000 prisoners are stil being illegally detained. It undoubtedly is going to continue to be a long and grueling process until the Libyan people truly find the freedom they are looking for.

responsible for the leak which is being portrayed as the villain by the media rather than the incompetent or misleading individuals who have brought down the entire name of climate science, particularly when this is in comparison to the reverence previously enjoyed

by Wikileaks.

Although much less shocking than before ought to be seen as far more damaging However, what is most important to remember is the political scenario behind all of this. To this day, “deniers” are derided both in the media and parliament and to suggest an openness to debate is

Following on from the News International scandal that saw News of the World close for business, the Leveson Inquiry has opened, ‘to inquire into the culture, practices and ethics of the press,’ and seeks to provide a scrutinising review of relationships between the press and police, between press and politicians and a look into overall media misconduct. Lord Justice Leveson himself has announced the reason for the Inquiry, and just why it is so important, stating ‘the press provides an essential check on all aspects of public life. That is why any failure within the media affects all of us. At the heart of this Inquiry, therefore, may be one simple question: who guards the guardians?’ The Inquiry continues...

to spout heresy. It must above all be remembered that the Climate Change Act 2008 has been estimated to cost between £324billion and £404billion. This is money that we could not afford to waste when the Act was first introduced, and it is money which the economy simply cannot afford to spend in these desperate times.

There is an ever growing question mark over anthropogenic global warming, with a lot of credible science being mixed up with hysteria, misdirection and naked politicking. Until there has been a complete overhaul in the way in which climate change is monitored, covered and debated the only option seems to be to put the economically suicidal Climate Change Act onto the backburner and focus on the economic crisis.

8 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 9 December 2011

Spark*

interview

Has Vogue noticed the return to the ‘retro’ before we have?

Fawcett Society interview: ‘Don’t turn back the time on women’s rights’ The government has scrapped EMA, student budgets have been cut and students face a loan system which doesn’t guarantee them a thing.

How are these issues relevant to female and, perhaps, less relevant to male students?

Some of the cuts will limit the access to education for certain women. An example of this in the scaling back of Care to Learn -a vital fund for student parents- and Open University fees for Access courses, cutting some of the most vulnerable women in society out of education.

Another of my interviewees, Kate Smurthwaite, comedian , feminist campaigner and vice-chair of Abortion Rights UK, also has her say.

Why have so many people turned up today?

We are here at this important event for ourselves, but also for all those women who are already so disenfranchised by this society that they can’t take a Saturday lunchtime off, to come down and walk the streets with us. eLLIS WHEATLEY

Unless our readers have not left the library since the plague of cold weather arrived this winter, it would be impossible for you to have missed the return of the forties in fashion. On 19 November ‘retro’ protesters took to the streets of London with a display, which was equally as unmissable. Protestors represented the fear that our social attitudes, are returning to those of our fur-stole clad counterparts - a movement which is mirrored on pages of Vogue this season too.

Here, I have collated the views of three women, helping to lead this campaign, who also attended the demonstration in London.

The first of these three women, Estelle Hart from ‘Against Student Cuts’.

The cuts to women are seen as soft, easy cuts. In the past year we have seen huge changes to education. Many of these changes have a huge detrimental effect on women’s access to education.

Could you tell our readers about these, specifically?

Make no mistake, refused abortion is forced pregnancy Your role as vice-chair of Abortion Rights UK illustrates your passion for the subject, tell us more..?

The government’s excessive, unjust and probably illegal cuts constitute nothing short of a war on women. It is a war taking place in our homes, our workplaces and in our own bodies.

The NHS is being asked to make £20 billion of efficiency savings, how will this effect women?

The line between efficiency and necessity is going to get blurred.

Amid the carnage we must not forget that women’s reproductive rights: our right to abortion, contraception and sexual health services are a key part of the NHS and must be protected. They are called rights for a reason.

What are your fears for our female readers’ future sexual health services?

Under the new health and social care bill the government plans to take abortion, contraception and sexual health services away from the NHS and into the hands of lo-

cal authorities with strictly limited budgets; these posts are locally elected and thus open the door to localised campaigns to restrict access to services. We face ... a postcode lottery where millions of women will be told they cannot have the contraception, abortion and sexual health services they need. Make no mistake, refused abortion is forced pregnancy.

The line between efficiency and necessity is going to get blurred Whilst on this demonstration I have seen many references to Nadine Dorris; for our readers who have not heard of this name could you tell us a little about her work with regard to your own?

A small group of relentless MPs, led by Nadine Dorris, are bringing in a raft of legislation. They have attempted to get anti-choice groups to provide counselling for women considering termination through the amendment to the health bill, but now they are pushing to do exactly the same thing through guideline changes.

Dorris also advises teaching ‘abstinence only’ sex education in our schools, additional sex education that focuses purely on abstinence taught only to girls.

The government and these cuts highlighted are anti-women and anti-sex, they overtly seek to penalize, stigmatize and even criminalise any women whose experience falls outside that of ‘the good wife’. It appears that this government is hell-bent on turning back the clock on women’s reproductive rights. I fear this can only mean one thing; a return to the coat hanger; dangerous back street abortions cost women their lives, the battleground is our bodies.

Refuse to accept people trying to question or belittle you Josie Long, BBC New Comedy award-winning comedian and supporter of the Fawcett Society.

I went to an all-girls school, where they treated us so well, they made us feel like we could, would and should achieve anything, they didn’t even let us know that we were going to have a rough-old time of things as soon as we left.

So, when it started happening to me I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe it; I was surprised, and above all I was outraged – I was like ‘what the hell, it’s not 1921, you freak!’ And that is something that has never died down; I cannot believe how relentless and pervasive sexism still persists in being.

I cannot fathom why in this society, where we have all been educated equally, where we are all lead to believe that we have equal life-opportunities, we are still being given a horrible ordeal, in so many ways.

Now before my profession - and I call it a profession in the loosest sense of the word, as a professional show off - I encountered so much casual sexism, it was like a little drip in my head. I have been doing stand-up since I was a teenager and, since then, every couple of days I get someone coming up to me and saying statements aimed to hurt me.

They weigh down my self-confidence and they have done for ten years and that is a thing my male counterparts will never experience.

What amazes me, too, is that when I try to explain to my friends about some of the rubbish that youngwomen have to deal with, they cannot believe this.

You need to fight attitudes in the smallest, most annoying, most traffic warden-ish way imaginable; what I mean by that is, every time you hear someone use sexist language, challenge it. You don’t have to be a p***k about it, but every time someone tries to put you down by saying ‘Oh there aren’t any female scientists’, challenge it, because what they are trying to

do is to question your legitimacy, that hurts and it should be stopped.

You can change attitudes.

There are ways to do it, with ‘good-grace and poise’, like we should Refuse to accept people trying to question or belittle you, people who try to wind you up when you say you are a feminist or try to, like, ‘play a fun game of devil’s advocate’; these things might have been fun for you in the past, they might have been accepted in the past, but no longer. I am not willing to say ‘well, it’s my friend’s dad so I had better shut-up’, no, challenge it.

You may look like a d**k, but people will appreciate it. Plus, there are a lot of ways to do it with ‘good-grace and poise’ like we should.

The rights we are clinging to were demanded by our grandmothers Just because they have decided to adopt a retro 1980s tribute government that does not mean that we have to participate with their version of the future.

If you would like to write for us we would love to hear your ideas. Get in touch with us and tell us what you want to write about by emailing interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

DEBATE 9

Debate

Strike that from the record Does striking really make a difference?

Yes No

Mat Greenfield

It’s very easy to see why people may view strikes and protests as futile. The public sector strikes a few weeks ago were met by Home Secretary Theresa May declaring in an interview with the BBC that a generous offer had been made so the strikes were “irresponsible”.

This is the language of impatient parents, not elected representatives. Strikes cannot make a difference where those in power have such little regard for the workers who keep this country functioning. This, of course, speaks to a much larger and only somewhat related issue which is sadly not the topic of this discussion. Neither is the validity of the public sector strikes.

Strikes are not entered into lightly. Continuing the recent public sector strikes example, I know from personal experience that these workers (particularly those in healthcare) are often reluctant to take time off because of how vital their role often is. Anyone who feels such a sense of responsibility to their job would only strike if they felt that their plight was so severe and their outcry through more amicable means so categorically ignored that they felt there was no alternative.

If, as is so often the case, the powers that be are unmoved by a strongly worded letter, then the only alternative is to refuse to continue to perform the task: to strike. In a corporate world where protecting oneself legally is so tantamount in people’s minds that almost every course of action that a mistreated worker can take has been preempted and cut off in a miasma of legal manoeuvring and contractual doublespeak. Strikes remain the only course of action remaining for the workers. If done en masse it demonstrates how vital the workers are, and forces those in charge to reach a compromise.

Going on strike or having a protest, in some circumstances, at the very least can have a consciousness-raising effect.

All strikes and protests of public interest in recent memory at large population centres have received

abundant media coverage, which brings the issue to the attention of the population (all of whom have an opinion and a vote) and can force change, if that is the will of the majority. The publicity it garners puts the issue under close scrutiny, from which people can make their points and counterpoints and a consensus reached.

Without causing a disruption, the issue could (and probably would) be completely overlooked by the media and the voting public alike.

During the march against the tuition fee hikes in London last year, the disruption (for better or worse) that was caused, though it failed to get the issue resolved, generated a lot of publicity and the people behind the hikes were openly criticised for their actions.

Nick Clegg has single-handedly disenfranchised a sizable chunk of young voters from the Lib Dems for his actions on an issue that was brought to the attention of the general public through the protests and strikes of students and academic staff alike.

Jeremy Clarkson’s comments on the disruption caused by Public Sector workers, though made in jest, have done more to garner sympathy and attention for the workers on strike than the strikes themselves ever could. These are the effects of a media frenzy that only come from strikes and direct disruption can bring. Be it the police nonchalantly pepper-spraying a dozen or so peaceful protesters at a University of California sit-in, the immovable residents of Dale Farm or ‘Occupy Wall Street’, strikes and protests gain attention, that in turn begins a public dialogue and then we can work seriously to bring change.

Strikes can and have made a demonstrable difference in the past, and remain the last legal route that the common worker can take in order to protect themselves against self-interested higher-ups. It is vital that we, as a society, do not lose belief in it or allow feelings of apathy or powerlessness against mistreatment to creep in. Otherwise, we will remain the 99%

Home Secretary Theresa May declared that the strikes were “irresponsible”

In reality, the strikes felt like a damp squib rather than a roaring success

If done en masse strikes demonstrate how vital workers are

The publicity the strikes garners puts the issue under closer scrutiny Strikes don’t work like they used to because no one powerful takes them seriously

Chris Brook

The history of strike action is an interesting tale, dating all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians. The artisans under Pharaoh Ramses III were the first recorded strikers, refusing to work until they got better wages. The idea of a rebellion so terrified the Pharaoh’s authorities, that they gave them their wage increase to preserve their own power.

Since the formation of the unions in the UK in the 1850’s, strike action has been taken for various reasons. The General Strike of 1926, in support of coal miners, lasted nine days and ended with the unions achieving nothing and many hundreds unable to find employment, let alone settle for longer hours and lower pay.

The strikes of the 1970’s, where the trade unions exercised great influence over the Labour Governments though balloted and wildcat strikes were a successful period for strikers. However, this culminated in the Miners’ Strike of 1984-85 and became the great defining moment of British politics since WWII, where the unions led

by Arthur Scargill, were defeated

by Thatcher’s Conservative government, leading to the waning of union power and the rise of neoliberal economic growth in Britain.

Many would argue that this moment between Thatcher and the unions, was the moment strikes ceased to make a real difference in Britain. The utter defeat of the union’s demands by the government through forward planning and a concerted publicity campaign against the strikers, as well as breakdown of control from the union side, where strike-breakers (people who defy the strike by going to work) were attacked and several injured and killed by strikers, put public opinion against them and led to their loss. By the end of the strike, so much damage had been caused by the strikers to their employers that many lost customers permanently and on top of the already planned pit closures, this put tens of thousands out of work long-term.

Since then, regulation of strike

action in Britain has been tightened up in the law to the point that many strikes can be nullified on mere technicalities, the more famous examples being the disputes of British Airways’ cabin crews, where several strikes were declared illegal because of balloting of members for strike action who no longer worked for BA. This probably goes some way to explaining why Britain has so few strikes compared to our European neighbours (France, we’re looking at you here) and why turnouts can be lower than hoped for important issues.

Looking at the current N30 strikes, many had hoped for large sections of the workforce to march and demand better concessions for their professions. Some of the largest unions balloted and went on strike to protest against the changes in pension’s schemes for public sector workers. In reality, the strikes felt like a damp squib rather than a roaring success.

Considering only 7-8% of the entire workforce is in the public sector, it’s not like they have majority public support for more money at a time where there is none and including that the turnout was only around half, meaning only a few thousand were on strike. This wasn’t the large turnout union leaders were hoping for.

Strikes just don’t work like they used to because no one powerful takes them seriously – after the defeat of the miners’ dtrike in the 1980s, large scale action just seems to lack that fear it used to hold over those in power. Government and industries now have action plans in case of strike, and are usually able to cover all bases if strike action occurs, and there’s little public support for a case where more money is demanded when it’s clear there isn’t any.

I’m not against the idea of strikes, but it seems the public just see them as inconvenient rather than a rallying call for support.

The public just does not seem to care in the same way anymore, after all they too have the same problems of a longer working life and lower wages too and this is really the crux of the argument.

10 COMMENT

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

comment

The Autumn Statement?

Chris Brook

Entering the Twilight Zone?

Kerrie Black

The Autumn Statement from the Chancellor George Osborne was given last week in the Houses of Parliament, where he announced several new measures, revised forecasts and generally gave a review on how the economy has been performing.

For those of you not remotely interested in economics or politics, my apologies, this could get a little technical but I’ll do my best to keep things light.

The economy itself is struggling.

Growth has been sluggish and the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) has forecasted growth to be only 0.9% for this year – well below where the coalition government wanted it to be. Problems with the Euro and European debt markets, in particular Greece and Italy, have been holding back British exports and growth, as well as issues surrounding the debt status of major economies, including Britain, have made investors unsure and the markets jittery, with the FTSE 100 seeing large rises and falls over the last few months.

OBR is predicting higher growth post 2012, but this is very much dependant on the Euro-crisis and how that turns out. With Europe our major trading partner, if they are suffering, then so are we. There is no recession forecast, which is the good news, but again, this is dependant so much on Europe sorting itself out, so the chance of recession happening are still very real.

The debt issue continues to rumble on, with government borrowing set to peak at 78% of GDP by the 2014/15 fiscal year (April to April) before falling off rapidly.

What this means is that the amount the government intends to borrow to pay for public services like the NHS will keep rising, despite the amount of cuts being made across all departments. British GDP stands at about £2trillion, so the debt will peak at around £1.5trillion, before being paid off. Interest payments on this debt will be £22billion lower than predicted, due lower borrowing costs, which is a good thing. Borrowing this year will be around £127billion, eventually reaching around £24billion in 2016/17.

Public sector pay will be capped at 1% increases for the next 2 years and pensions will get a cash rise to £107.26 a week. The State pension age will be raised to 67 by 2026, saving £59billion, and benefits will see a rise with inflation at 5.2%, apart from child tax credits which will be frozen. A very good thing is that fuel duty increases

have been scrapped in January and will only be 2p in August next year. £400million has been set aside for construction of houses and the government plans to underwrite mortgages for first time buyers, allowing them onto the property ladder. New infrastructure projects have been announced on the railways, with a new line between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Bedford, and the electrification of the Leeds-Manchester route – it aims to create 25,000 jobs. Most importantly, rail fares are being capped at Retail Prices Index inflation (RPI) +1%, which basically means rail fares shouldn’t increase in large amounts like they have been.

There are also plans to invest £1billion in youth employment as well as £380million in extending childcare benefits to disadvantaged two-year-olds.

The chance of recession happening are still very real On the whole, while it seems quite technical, the chancellor is extremely limited in what he can do to try and get the economy going again. Nearly all these measures are tinkering and fine-tuning various policies already in place, and with growth stuttering and cuts still taking place, the chancellor’s original plan seems increasingly strained. Ed Balls, shadow Chancellor, accused Osborne of breaking his promises on the debt and actually having to spend more than what Labour was planning to do. Of course, to make such a statement is slightly unfair – who knows what position a Labour government might be in right now under these ever-changing circumstances. But the important point from the statement was this – the economy is suffering and will continue to suffer for some time. The risk of recession is still there, but the ‘government will do everything in its power’ to stop that from happening. There are of course, no guarantees, but the next few years are going to be tough.

Last weekend I decided to go to my local cinema to watch the newest installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn (Part One).

Having purchased American editions of the books before they were even printed over here you could say I was one of the first generation Twihards (Twilight fan) out there. It is probably because of this- and I am not ashamed to say it- that I have watched all the movies in the cinema. For me it was a kind of nostalgia, going to the cinema to watch characters that I adored in my late childhood become real on the big screen.

Let’s not beat around the bush here shall we, the films have always been pretty poor, the casting of English pretty-boy Robert Pattison as American Edward Cullen was dreadful, and letting 40-something women ogle over Taylor Lautner’s only just postpubescent chest is a bit creepy.

Yet it seems to me that everyone gets stuck up on these ideas as the only reason why the Twilight Saga is bit rubbish, and that makes the reviewers just as ignorant as Twilight itself is. There are much deeper problems at work within this film and yet no-one ever seems to want to touch them in their review on the franchise.

So the basis of Twilight is that a teenage girl, Bella Swan finds herself attracted to the tall, dark and handsome Edward Cullen.

The twist? Edward is a glittering vampire. And it is here that the problems start. Bella is attracted to Edward because of his looks and Edward is really only after one thing (okay maybe two, but it is mostly Bella’s blood). Is it right to teach our children that you should be attracted to someone based

purely on their looks? Probably not. Then Edward tells her that he is a monster, a vampire and could kill her, and she stays with him.

Now, I know that it is not a good message to tell any women that they should stay with a partner that is dangerous and could potentially harm them.

Lets jump forward a few movies now shall we? Breaking Dawn the latest instalment. We get a very moralistic film here yet all the morals are so twisted and buggered up I can’t even work out which way is up any more. No sex before marriage, a child must be born in wedlock, abortion is never a option, full stop. There is never any other viewpoint.

There are much deeper problems in this film but no-one wants to touch them in reviews Should we really encourage young marriages? In the films Bella is 18, she’s not even old enough to legally drink in America, and yet she is getting married. Does she even know what love is? Arguably she is just entranced by the I-watch-you-while-you-sleep obsessed vampire Edward. Bloody hell, in the previous film she kisses werewolf Jacob and tells him she loves him too so she can’t really be sure, can she? Marriage is seen as a bit of a whim and a means to an end, namely sex.

Then, of course, while on honeymoon Bella falls pregnant (don’t even get me started on the completely ignored safe-sex route).

This is embarrassingly cringworthy in itself as Bella has to practically beg Edward for sex. Once

again is it right that Edward is the one who makes all the decisions in what is supposedly a relationship based on equality? And is it really right to show a young teenage woman begging for sex on screen?

It seems the main message of Twilight is that sex is evil I can’t say that the question of whether Bella should keep her baby is handled particularly sensitively in the film. Bella never even considers the abortion of her child, and while I am not pro-abortion at all, I am not impressed by someone who is practically committing suicide, giving up their life for a baby that was probably going to be either a maniacal killer or unable to survive in the real world.

It seems the main message of Twilight is that sex is evil, yet you too should go around begging for sex just like your favourite heroine. Even if you are married and in a stable relationship, sex is not allowed. A quote from another stellar movie Mean Girls comes to mind: “Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!”

Twilight’s Author Stephanie Meyer comments that “In my own opinion the foundation of feminism is this: being able to choose”. What Meyer forgets is that Bella never considers the alternatives- not once does she give any genuine thought to aborting her baby, graduating from high school, getting a job, or having a life outside of her relationship to Edward who is nothing short than a emotionally abusive manipulator. And this is the multi-million dollar franchise which we subject our children to.

Fangtastic isn’t it?

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

When life IS black and white Lucy Ponder

In a time of economic uncertainty, soaring unemployment and essay deadlines, it’s somewhat reassuring to know that there is still a little sunshine in the world. But sometimes sunshine comes in strange and rather furry forms.

Two Giant Pandas have been welcomed to the UK for the first time in nearly 20 years. ‘Sunshine’ and his new roommate, ‘Sweetie’ or as they’re formally known, Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived in the UK yesterday, and were quickly escorted to their home for the next 10 years at Edinburgh Zoo. They had apparently been given mineral water, carrots, bamboo and special panda cakes on their speciallychartered flight.

The new arrivals mark a political as well as cute plan for Scotland.

The two bears symbolise a “growing friendship” between Scotland and China and their loan coincides with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond’s visit to China.

But this loan is not coming cheap.

Their new homes, (the bears will be kept separate until Tian Tian comes into season in about February) have been designed by animal psychologists and cost the zoo £270,000 to build. The bamboo alone will be costing £70,000, being imported from the Netherlands, and the thank you gift for the Chinese? A nice £636,000 a year.

The Scottish Government has said that the pair will be worth every penny, having had so much interest in them that the Edinburgh Zoo website crashed last week due to over demand.

Whatever the costs, I’ve been to Edinburgh Zoo and I think it’s fantastic for the country to be welcoming in such animal royalty at such a miserable time. Hopefully Tian Tian and Yang Guang will quickly settle in and get over their jetlag, and soon Scotland will be hearing the pitter patter of tiny panda feet.

Modern society or just modern sexciety?

Gemma Lumsdale

‘My wicked heart’ is a relatively recent, captivating song by Diana Vickers- an upbeat floor-filler to shake your hips to. Idolised by fans of all ages who supported her nerve-racking journey through The X Factor. Vickers peaked at number thirteen in the UK Singles Chart with this track, making it her second Top 15 single and third consecutive Top 40 hit.

But what’s happened to Vickers? Where has that angelic little hippie gone? ‘Thank the Lord’, we thought when she first appeared on our screens. Someone new has arrived on the block. The backcombed, blonde hair that was naturally gorgeous, a ‘just got out of bed look’, girlish but not too-sexy, adorned in skirts and tops with ruffles, spots, flowers, you name it, all hanging loosely on her yet unsexualised body.

The media has allowed our children to be bombarded with sexual images of women

Body Gossip Campaign Anja Neilsen

In coming to university, we all struggle with different things. For some of us, it’s friendship. For others, coursework. And for many, body image is one struggle that has just followed them onto the Whiteknight’s Campus.

As a student population, we are clearly not alone in this. According to BEAT, an organization dedicated to helping Britain overcome eating disorders, an estimated 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by eating disorders.

But the other aspect, and I may only be speaking for myself here, that is so worrisome about eating disorders, is the fact that there is so much negative energy surrounding them. To be honest, I find the discussion about eating disorders and body image, if not tiring, then certainly not a new, innovative and interesting concept.

This year Student Run Self Help and the Women’s Campaign here at Reading have decided to participate in the Body Gossip on Tour Campaign. This event is UK wide, and aims to support University students in expressing their own views on body image. This is done through allowing and encouraging students to submit one or more pieces of writing based on body image, which is then turned into a play, performed and organized by University students.

Everyone has something to say about their body, whether it relates

to an experience, or a perception of media expression, or thoughts that have always been in their head, and this is an amazing opportunity to express them. You need not have had an eating disorder, or even know someone who has.

You need not be anything specific in fact; everyone has thoughts on their body.

That is why this opportunity is such an incredible one, and we are seeking to make it as informative and reflective of the Reading community as possible. At this point, we are addressing the written portion of the event; encouraging students to submit pieces of writing to reading@srsh.co.uk by 16 December. Anything and everything is encouraged, no word limit, no topical question. Issues of body image are so personal and diverse, this would be impossible!

In January we will begin piecing together Reading’s story of body image, told by everyone who participates. At this point, you’ll probably be hearing from us again, as we will be looking for anyone interested in portraying their thoughts, or those of fellow students.

Please consider it! This is your chance to write about your perception or experience with body image, to express your frustration or positivity, and to be a part of history at Reading (because it’s the first one!). We literally can’t do it without you!

COMMENT 11

She showed up the vampish, gyrating versions of womanhood topping the charts at the time. Far from trying to please men, Vickers seemed to be genuinely pleasing herself with her look. But then what happened? Some middleaged man from the pop world got hold of her and turned her from adorably scruffy to just another one-size-fits-all sex object of mass popular appeal.

I point the finger at the media generated ideal of female perfection that forced Vickers to change.

They are just unrealistic and so perfectionist in this society. Only an airbrushed Jordan look-a-like would meet them with her stupidly underweight figure, big but perfectly groomed hair, lots of makeup, skin that makes her look like she’s been ‘tangoed’, oh, and don’t forget the extremely large boobs.

These ridiculous standards set by our over-sexualised culture, it seems are imposed on newcomers to the music industry otherwise they will not be as successful as artists like Rihanna. Diana Vickers has now become an identikit of a sexualized female artist since having gained her record deal with RCA records in March 2010. In My Wicked Heart her innocence has morphed into the recognizable plastic Barbie doll just like the rest of the celebrity crew. Making all of us ‘ordinary people’ resemble a real- life version of ‘bubbles’ in Little Britain: slightly overweight and in need of a makeover.

And Vickers is now one of a long procession of promising young

somethings who have been sexied up by the music industry moguls and flashed on our big screen with ‘nothing but a t-shirt on’. A thought popped into my head yesterday about the sexiness of 21st century children. How do parents feel about their children being exposed to these sexy celebrities?

The media has allowed our children to be bombarded with sexual images of women. Guess what? In October, the film Burlesque was advertised, before the watershed.

Successful artist Christina Aguileria in stockings, strutting her stuff in her bustier with boobs centregaze and dancing with whips. She had her buttocks grinding, hips thrusting and chest pumping.

Do all these sexual images affect our child’s body image? Yes, of course they do. Children as young as two are now seen wearing miniskirts, flaunting their small legs and low cut tops exposing their undeveloped chest to potential paedophiles. Are artists like Diana Vicker to blame for this? Personally, I would say yes. I mean how confusing to be a child. What message does it send? Oh look, sweet little Diana is exhibiting all parts of her body in public! The encouragement of major retailers to be sexy such as Primark who are selling padded bikinis for children as young as seven years old. David Cameron branded these bikinis as “disgraceful” and Gordon Brown supported the campaign to have them removed. “Ah,” thinks child, “all the girls are wearing padded bras and carrying whips at school, I must get some!”

These young children walking with pride as they sing, “ ‘Cause tonight I need to kiss a sexy little dirty scream” (lyrics from Nicole Scherzinger’s new hit Poison) around school. It was only when I sang the song myself that I realised that this song alongside many others are full of sexual innuendos.

Children are now exposing their undeveloped chest to potential paedophiles No wonder Alfie could have potentially fathered daughter Maisie at the age of 13, and a third of 16-24 year olds have lost their virginity below the age of consent. Sex, by one of Britain’s top hip-hop bands, NDubz, a North London trio of two boys and a girl has just won two awards at the Music of Black Origin awards (the MOBOs), for Best UK Act and Best Album, and have so far had three Top 40 hits.

There is a big BUT coming though I’m afraid. They got into hot water because a 12-year-old girl

had been temporarily suspended from church school as she wrote a pornographic poem. What is the world coming to? How old is old enough to be exposed to women resembling skint hookers on a Saturday night? Children should not be exposed to these images until they are 16 or much older. Children should be focused on learning who they are and what the world is all about rather than having sex and reproducing at such a young age.

There is so much more opportunity for success in children in our society than just having sex and having children. Especially us women, we are now more capable of being successful in the education system and careers. Talking of women being successful, where are all the females in the music industry?

The current industry is maledominated. This is the root of the problem. Because it is dominated by the male population, their tastes and ideas of what is attractive are projected on to the rest of us; explaining the shocking sexual images and lyrics being used.

There is an encouragement for major retailers to be sexy The music industry is in need of a women’s touch and a women’s more realistic idea of what is attractive and sexually appropriate for others to see. That’s the solution. Women should be up there helping to define what constitutes attractiveness in our society rather than being dictated to by the (largely male-run) world of popular culture. But for now, Diana Vicker will have to get used to being slobbered over by desperate men and criticised for her contribution to the over sexualisation of young children in modern culture. It’s hard to see these artists morph into one of those identical male and female Barbie dolls that dominate popular media in our ‘sexciety’.

12 FILM&TV

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

film&TV

50/50: A comedy about cancer? the end of the film. Cancer may not strike you as funny, but Reiser manages to write scenes that are due to the awkwardness of the situation Adam finds himself in, such as the inexperience of his therapist and his first chemotherapy session, where his fellow patients give him sweets containing weed.

The latter is a prime example, as you find yourself laughing at Adam’s drugged state but you stop instantly once he has woken up the following morning and started vomiting.

Some emotional moments in the film were predictable but all were beautifully underplayed, containing little or no dialogue. In some humorous moments, Reiser resorts to crude humour, especially from Seth Rogen’s character, but these are balanced with quieter scenes towards the end. Towards the end, I found myself actually questioning whether Adam would survive his illness, which surprised me and I won’t reveal whether he does or not.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt perfectly captures Adam’s normality and gives a genuinely heart-breaking performance. Seth Rogen provides the majority of the film’s

Directed By: Jonathan Levine Starring: Joseph GordonLevitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick Running Time: 99 mins Genre: Comedy, Drama Jonathan Edney

Cancer has the power to turn your world upside down, as it did for the writer of 50/50, Will Reiser.

The film is informed by Reiser’s experiences and does not merely dwell on the threat that cancer has against life but also the importance of relationships in this time of emotional crisis. The film follows Adam, an ordinary guy working in radio, who discovers that he has a rare form of cancer. Despite the efforts of his best friend Kyle, his therapist Katie and his mother, he finds it more and more difficult to cope with the effects of his treatment and struggles to keep those he holds dear close to him.

This film could be the most depressing film of the year, but despite the subject matter, it only feels like it when building up to

humour, which is indeed absolutely hilarious but when he is needed to play it straight, he does so admirably. Anna Kendrick is truly adorable as Adam’s therapist, showing true patience and calm even when she is clearly struggling to help him with his difficult situation.

Anjelica Huston is also really lovely as Adam’s all-too-caring mother.

While delivering the emotional beats and moments you would expect from a movie about cancer, 50/50 also surprises due to its brilliant humour. This proves to be a realistic, funny and heart-warming story of one ordinary man’s struggle against a truly life-threatening illness.

HHHHH

My Week with Marilyn: All-star cast pays homage to legend Directed by: Simon Curtis Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh Running Time: 99 mins Genre: Drama Saskia Whelan

Marilyn Monroe is one of the sexiest women in history, and is somehow adored by both men and women. But part of that magnetism isn’t just that she happens to look spectacular in a sequinned gown; there’s a vulnerability to her that makes her even more captivating. Michelle Williams captures both sides of Marilyn perfectly, giving a tiny glimpse of the woman behind the starlet.

My Week with Marilyn is based on the true memoirs of Colin Clark, who is portrayed in the film by Eddie Redmayne. Aged 23, Clark worked on the film The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. As with all films that are based on a true story, authenticity

is key, and My Week with Marilyn certainly did not disappoint. A sneaky Google search revealed that costume designer Jill Taylor had managed to replicate almost identical versions of Monroe’s actual costumes from the 1957 film and Williams’ other costumes were reminiscent of memorable Monroe looks, from a classic white shirt and camel pencil skirt combination to those fabulous cateye sunglasses and headscarves.

Something else that really rang true was the world created behind the scenes of the film business. It’s difficult not to get swept up with Colin’s enthusiasm for the theatre and film when we’re given such a privileged view of the drama that occurs off camera and in front of it.

It would be impossible to review this film without mentioning the all-star cast; the credits are absolutely packed with great British names, such as Dame Judi Dench, who is very much in her element playing a charming yet slightly intimidating theatre veteran, and Kenneth Branagh, who does justice to playing the great Olivier.

Emma Watson pops up playing

Hermione-from-the-50s, so this is not the performance that will help her shrug off the Harry Potter franchise. It seemed to be pretty odd casting to choose such a well known face in a supporting role that really doesn’t go anywhere.

My Week with Marilyn did not disappoint Michelle Williams is the undisputable star of the film. Though she does not look exactly like Marilyn Monroe, that doesn’t matter at all; she somehow just IS Marilyn.

Every mannerism, every little quirk has been captured perfectly.

Eddie Redmayne gives a solid performance as Colin, but he’s just a little too naive, and instead of being a love story about two people, the film ends up more like a love letter to Marilyn Monroe and the complicated person she was behind all the makeup and camera flashes, which frankly is a lot more interesting.

HHHHH

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Steven Spielberg has been defending Crystal Skull in an interview recently and has also been speculating a fifth Indiana Jones film!

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

FILM&TV 13

Moneyball: Brad Pitt knocks it out the park Director: Bennett Miller Starring: Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Jonah Hill Running time: 133 mins Genre: Sports/Drama Tom Hill

I'm not going to lie, I went into this film thinking it would be The Social Network but with baseball.

Unfortunately, it's not, but it's still a hell of a good film.

Moneyball follows Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, a retired baseball player turned manager, struggling to compete against teams with

five times the amount of money to spend.

I’d recommend this film to anyone Jonah Hill (as economics graduate Peter Brand) convinces him to rebuild his team based on the statistical certainty of each player to gain runs, not on each players quality. This goes against everything baseball has been about for the past several hundred years and causes him to lose popularity with his coach, his scouts, and the baseball community at large

An important thing to note is that you don’t need to know anything about baseball to see this film, as it shows you baseball from the managers point of view (think Championship Manager over Fifa), so you find out the bare essentials, and these aren’t even needed to enjoy yourself.

Though the film feels slow to start with, lacking music almost completely and having the characters interact in an awkward manner, it picks up, and once Brad Pitt gets into it he really shines.

His chemistry with Jonah Hill is a joy to watch; the dialogue between them and others creates scenes more exhilarating than any action film, from things as arbitrary as buying a new player.

is a drawn out ending, though I would happily sit through it again, just to see the rest of the film.

Brad Pitt’s chemistry with Jonah Hill is a joy to watch As well as Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman is also a treat as the seasoned coach who hates the idea of turning baseball into a game of statistics and Chris Pratt is good as the underconfident catcher no one wants (and who obviously gets his time to shine).

I’d recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the wonderful dialogue and quick wit from the likes of The Social Network or Inglourious Basterds. Although this movie has its flaws, it is most definitely up there with the big hitters this season (I’m so hilarious).

With truly great actors and a more light-hearted story compared to many of the dramas this Christmas (Hugo, why are you so dark?), it shows the world that it is possible to make a good film about pretty much anything...as long as it’s an underdog story. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t love an underdog?

HHHH

You don’t need to know anything about baseball to see this film This film is at its best when Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are discussing baseball and player statistics (it sounds odd to me too) but these amazing high moments are unfortunately broken up by the scenes in which Brad Pitt visits his daughter. These are not only out of place but also have no purpose and had me wishing they would start talking about baseball again.

The only other negative of the film

The Thing: Something for everyone science fiction novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr and whilst I’m unable to remark on the previous two versions (The Thing from Another World, 1951 and The Thing, 1982) this remake appears to have benefited greatly from the modern developments in CGI. The Thing itself is hugely grotesque, and whilst the CGI isn’t the most subtle production ever – and sometimes it’s a little too gross and can almost be laughed at – van Heijningen does well to maintain the tension and suspense in a relatively long and simple movie.

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen Running Time: 103 mins Genre: Science Fiction/ Horror/Thriller Jack Marshall

The thing that I love most about this film is that is doesn’t try and hide from what it is. Within the first two-and-a-half minutes this genre is clearly defined and you know exactly what you’re in for.

Even having watched the trailer and knowing that this film is about some kind of monster in Antarctica which transforms into people in order to kill, nothing is spoilt by the fact you know this. This film has been made in such a way that prior knowledge is actually a good thing – you know what’s going to happen, you just don’t quite know when…or who.

Guiding us through this action is Dr. Kate Lloyd (Winstead; Final Destination 3, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), isolated in a male-dominated base and haplessly taking

However, I think this is true of all science fiction films or television shows; what makes them popular is their ability to ‘keep it real’. The Thing does this by having human nature as a central theme: on more than one occasion a character allows a friendship or relationship to overrule practical reasoning.

Bearing this in mind, I don’t think this film is just for hardcore

sci-fi fans, simply because the horror/thriller element dominates so much. So if you like a bit of a scare, enjoy sitting rigidly on your seat for 103 minutes and are partial to some very slight mental teasing, then this film is sure to satisfy.

HHHH

It benefits greatly from the modern developments in CGI

charge to sort out the men from the monster. Winstead does well in her portrayal and there is little ‘scream-queen’ drama for which she is allegedly renowned.

This is the third time that this film has been adapted from the

The plot slightly lacks any major twists; nothing is really going to shock you mentally, though you’ll definitely jump at least once.

There’s also the small problem of how far to take science fiction. As I already stated, this film stays true to itself throughout but as my friend commented afterwards, the climax does take it slightly too far from the realm of believability.

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Despite shooting down the idea in the past, Michael Bay has agreed to sign on for a fourth Transformers movie. Boom!

14 FILM&TV

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

film&Tv

Hugo: A spellbinding visual feast Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield Running Time: 125 Mins Genre: Family Jonathan Edney

Hugo is unique, as it is Martin Scorsese’s first family film as well as his first in 3D, but also manages to be a charming tale that expresses the director’s love of cinema.

A young boy called Hugo Cabret secretly works as a clock-mender in a train station in Paris. He also possesses an automaton that his father worked on, but did not complete before his death, and Hugo yearns to fix the machine. He is intrigued by the people who populate the train station, particularly a toy merchant named George, while he avoids capture by the station inspector. When he meets George’s goddaughter Isabelle he comes closer to unlocking the mysteries of the past.

As Scorsese’s first film in 3D Hugo shines as an example of how the format should be used to enhance the story, not just the

visuals. The format allows greater focus on Hugo as he looks through the clock faces and in the film’s final scenes, adds an extra dimension to some of cinema’s earliest films.

The visuals, naturally, are also incredible, with the opening shot gliding over a snowbound Paris, through a busy train station and finishing on Hugo staring through a clock face. Having read the first few pages of Brian Selznick’s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, on which the film is based, it is clear that as Selznick’s book uniquely tells a high proportion of the story through illustrations,

Scorsese has faithfully lifted the author’s vision from the page on to the screen.

Scorsese gives audiences the chance to savour the wonders of early cinema and highlights the debt we all owe to these early pioneers throughout the film. It is also a story of loss, for Hugo searches for ways to complete his father’s work and George has become miserable due to his work being forgotten and mostly lost.

Ben Kingsley gives a heartfelt performance as George and Asa Butterfield carries the film confi-

Top 10 Santas Thom Dixon

dently, proving to be one of Britain’s up-and-coming stars. While some characters, like Sacha Baron Cohen’s station inspector, are seemingly only for comic relief, Scorsese and screenwriter John Logan invest them all with a sense of humanity so that ultimately, there are no villains.

Whether you are an ardent film buff or not, Hugo has plenty of heart to entertain audiences of all ages and will surely be nominated for a few Oscars next Spring.

HHHH

Phil Lamplugh

There are certain things I just love about animated films. It’s probably because of the simple rule that anything goes. Happy Feet Two breaks out the singing and dancing penguins once more, with Mumble’s (Wood) son Erik

(Ava Acres) joining his father on an adventure which leads them to meet new and old acquaintances, whilst making some discoveries about themselves and each other along their way.

Most of the cast reprise their roles from the first film, excluding Brittany Murphy who unfortunately passed away in 2009. Gloria is instead voiced by Alecia Moore - better known as P!nk. A key new character is Erik, whose timidity is portrayed very well by the child actress Acres, as well as the animators who make the chick’s shyness and bursts of excitement adorable to watch. Hank Azaria also deserves a special mention for the enthusiastic voice work demonstrated through the aweinspiring Mighty Sven who is all too happy to act as idol for the penguins to worship.

The real show-stealers are Will and Bill, two krill played by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon respectively.

Will is a philosophical type who wants to go against the food chain by becoming a carnivore, leading to hilarious consequences, whilst Bill plays his loyal friend and companion through thick and thin. The use of the pair of tiny krill is bril-

9. Santa Claus The Polar Express gives us the only one on this list to actually be called Santa Claus. This movie is magical, even if it is a little close to the uncanny valley.

8. Malcolm Christmas As the latest Christmas film to revolve around Santa, Arthur Christmas gives a new take on it all. And Jim Broadbent’s bumbling, less than tech-savvy Santa is a joy to watch.

7. Scott Calvin A man dealing with the repercusions of accidentally killing Santa as he gradually turns into the new one in The Santa Clause

6. Bad Santa Sure, he’s a conman trying to rob department stores. But he’s funny, dammit!

5. Robot Santa

Happy Feet Two: Flipping great!

Director: George Miller Starring: Elijah Wood, Alecia Moore, Robin Williams Running Time: 100 mins Genre: Animation/ Family

10. Nick ‘Santa’ Claus Paul Giamatti does a great turn as the slightly exasperated but kindly Santa in oddball Christmas comedy Fred Claus.

liant in creating some of the best animated 3D scenes I’ve watched in the cinema: any situation that they are involved in becomes epic in scale, as their tiny size in relation to everything else is exploited to brilliant effect.

The film suffers in very few places, but unfortunately not so much so that such occurrences are forgettable. Humans do play a part in this film, as in the first one, and their inclusion is cleverly executed considering that they share the screen with animated penguins in some shots. However, their part in this film really serves little purpose, and isn’t explored fully enough. It would have been more worthwhile to give them a greater part to play, or better still, to not include them at all.

The 3D hasn’t been more welcome in any other film that I’ve watched than Happy Feet Two: there are only a few occurrences near the beginning of the film where it feels slightly overwhelming. There is also one part in particular, when Mumble and Erik are looking over a crevice, where the film suffers from a ghosting effect (in this instance seeing a slightly faded Erik in front of the original).

Though the film isn’t flawless, these are minor points against an otherwise sterling display of 3D application, and unless you really can’t stand 3D I’d definitely suggest opting for it over the standard version.

Happy Feet Two on the surface is an uplifting film: it’s a film that wants to cheer you up if you’re sad; it wants to make you smile, or even chuckle. If you haven’t seen the first film then I would definitely suggest watching that before you see this as the story does follow pretty much directly on, and it isn’t too easy to latch onto: indeed the first thirty minutes of the film act more like stepping stones to the plot than anything else. The film can be happily watched by adults and children alike, as there are some subtle messages about the way we live delivered throughout without it appearing like the film is preaching to you. The cast are brilliant, from veteran Williams to relatively fresh Moore; the score is enriched with a variety of music; and the animation is wonderful.

HHHH

In Futurama the people of New New York are brought together at Christmas time in the year 3000 to huddle in fear as this mechanical monster roams the streets, judging everyone as naughty!

4. Sandy Claws Although a little misinterpretted by the denizens of Halloween Town, he still brings the true spirit of Christmas to the skeletons and ghosts of The Nightmare Before Chistmas

3. The Grinch He may not be the real deal, but, despite being intent on sealing christmas, he eventually learns the holiday’s true meaning. Which is always a good thing, right?

2. Father Christmas Starring in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wadrobe for only a few minutes, he helps the heroes no end and, y’know, it’s all snowy and that. Enough to make anyone feel Christmassy.

1. Kris Kringle The original and the best. Played

by Sir Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street, this Santa is the perfect combination of kindly, wise and magical. Go, watch this film now! And feel tingly all over!

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Jack Bauer will finally be looking stern and shooting people on the big screen! Shooting of the 24 film will start in the Spring

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

FILM&TV 15

Frozen Planet: Attenborough in a Winter Wonderland Hayley Garwood

“At the frozen ends of our planet, the struggle for survival never eases” declares the knowledgeable, charismatic Attenborough.

His most recent programme’s

success is no mystery. We are placed into the rapidly fluctuating world of the North and South Poles where the Arctic and Antarctic is hit hardest by the atmospheric results of global warming. This seven- part programme is already

five episodes in and all shown episodes are available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer (so get watching).

After the first episode, Attenborough and his team have studied the extremities of the poles in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The winter sees six months of 24-hour darkness cast upon the frozen land which reaches lows of -80°c and subsequently only the toughest of creatures survive in the barren snowscape.

Alternating between the vast spectacular scale of the Arctic and Antartic to the intimate focus on individual animal lives, we witness the beauty and cruel harsh reality of survival in these regions of the globe. A pod of orca killer whales unite to form waves with their tales, forcing a desperate seal into the water. They relentlessly play with the seal’s life until he can withstand no longer and lets go of the ice. We follow a pack of wolves taking down the baby Bison ofa herd, and watch ducks freeze where they stand.

But, it isn’t all doom and gloom.

The spring sees the arrival of little baby wolf cubs, penguins, polar bears and pretty much everything cute, white and fluffy. We watch a tender scene between two alba-

All I Want for Christmas is...

What some of our favourite film characters are secretly hoping to recieve Batman

The Pale Man

The Dark Knight (2008)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Throat lozenges

Extensive Plastic Surgery All those gross folds of skin clearly get in the way. And the whole eyes-on-his-hands thing?

Monsters deserve to feel beautiful too!

All that gruff-talking just to hide his true identity? He could probably use a break this Christmas, making these the perfect gift.

tross who stay together for more than fifty years in the longest animal union there is. Accompanied by George Fenton’s fantastic score, there is a true roller coaster of emotions to accompany the tales of these animals. More than this, there is the study of absolute wilderness, the science of ice, volcanoes and the northern lights.

Although we are never really sure where Attenborough has taken us, North or South, it matters very little. It is impossible to comprehend the conditions of filming this four year documentary from the very depths of the ocean

Merry Christmas From Spark* Film and TV Be sure to check out all the great films coming out this month Including: Puss in boots Iron Lady Another Earth

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo Mission Inpossible: Ghost Protocol

This fortnight at the

Phil Connors Groundhog Day (1993)

RFT...

The Bumper Book of Sudoku The man is practically immortal, living the same day over and over!

What else do you expect him to do with his time?

Carl Fredricksen Up (2009) Plane Tickets to South America Way easier than all that hassle with the house and balloons. Plus, this way, there’s less likelyhood of him kidnapping a small child...

Doc Brown Back to the Future (1985) Luxury Spa Day All that rushing about, shouting “Great Scott” and time-travel hijinx can take its toll on a scientist.

Doc needs to relax!

Student Tickets: £4.50

Tuesday 13 December (20:00): Alice Alice in Wonderland (1951) Therapy Sessions This girl has issues, and even if it’s not what she wants, it’s obviously what she needs.

Andy Dufresne

Ripley

The Shawshank Redemption

Alien (1979)

(1994)

Strappy Stillettos

Deodorant After an escape like his, this is the sensitive way of letting him know that the smell has...lingered.

bed to high above the mountains.

Although we are shown short ‘freeze frame’ sections towards the end of each episode detailing the difficulties of filming, it is none-the-less the most impressive thing to be seen on television. It is sublime, compelling, captivating (especially in HD!) and reminds you that we are just one species in this planet. Attenborough and the team teach us to consider a place where nature is ultimately in charge, and we must do our hardest to respect it.

Frozen Planet is on BBC1, Wednesdays, 9pm.

Because every girl deserves to dress up nice and hit the town!

It’ll relieve the stress of constantly being chased by horrors from outer space.

Jack Goes Boating (15)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (15)

Thursday 15 December (19:45):

Prices: Members £4.50 Non-members £6.00 Annual Membership £10.00

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Big news for all the fans of the Wolf Pack out there! The third installment of The Hangover is going to start filming next September

16 MUSIC

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

music

2012 - ONES TO WATCH

The artists you need in your life for next year

scene, to capture that same vitality and deliver to a starved audience of eager rock fans.

Parlophone signed newcomers Morning Parade represent the ideal candidate – their track Blue Winter strikes an eerie, ethereal tone somewhere between the floating soundscapes of Delphic and the steely sheen of Editors. Their music is beautifully rhythmic, animalistically alive in its intensity – when let loose to their fullest extent the band even veer into

Radiohead-esque levels of sonic craft.

The joy of Morning Parade’s music is that it stands not just as great songwriting, but artistic statements, installations of sound; carefully tweaked and constructed into an artefact of both raw beauty and trembling sensitivity. Carousel turns the pace up, packing more of a bite – it’s like the Bravery crossed with the grit of a Stereophonics classic. For an upand-coming act, Morning Parade resound with a confidence telling of a band ten years their senior.

They’re versatile too – cinematic ballad Running Down The Aisle is a thing of utter beauty.

With previous support slots for the likes of the Wombats and the Kooks, their credentials are well established - progressing up the rungs of the slippery indie ladder, their experience shows in the knowing, considered wisdom of their tracks.

The band are set to play a headline set at London’s Heaven on March 6th – the perfect chance to catch them live and find out why this is one band deserving of the hype.

Lana Del Rey

Azealia Banks

Rachel Pilcher

Jamie Milton

style of hip-hop, namely through the aforementioned 212 and a Machinedrum produced effort, Grand Slam, which clocking in at just 90 seconds, could not be more teasing.

And like every young, confident star, Azealia is aptly aware of her talent and potential. When a Youtube commenter started poking fun at her “giant hands”, she promptly replied to say that “big hands hold more money”. There’s nothing to dislike about Miss Banks.

Lana Del Rey has already made a huge impression on 2011 with her captivating debut single Video Games. Appearing on Later…with Jools Holland, as well as having the single covered by both Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian, she has clearly gained herself much popularity in just a few short months. Not only has she received recurring radio play, but both her debut single and Blue Jeans have appeared on the likes of Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex. With her debut album Born to Die set for a 2012 release, there’s no doubt that Lana Del Rey is set for a huge year ahead.

Rarely does a track hit you as hard as Azealia Banks’ 212. It throws the majority of its listeners off guard, it alienates those who like their singers to have a mouth full of soap and it begs for a dozen repeated listens. With her earliest efforts - and she’s only been around for a good year or so you’re left with so many questions as to her identity, her intentions - each little, swear-addled lyric can be picked apart and intensely examined. Banks is an extraordinary talent, already cited by many as a step-up from Nicki Minaj, and you can see why. To date, we’ve only had glimpses of her unique

Morning Parade Laurence Green

The UK has been crying out for a decent new rock band. The old stalwarts of the past decade – Kasabian, Keane, Bloc Party – while still very much alive, have slowed and slackened in their elder years, losing some of that keen vitality that made them so exciting in the first place. The gauntlet has been laid down then for a fresh upstart to take to the

Friends Jamie Milton

Brooklyn, NY is often seen as the birthplace for hipster-cool groups, all with bright ideas and prone to a ferocious backlash, but never has it produced something quite as self-aware and undeniably brilliant as Friends. At their very essence, the five-piece make pop music, capturing the excitable nature of 90s R’n’B (their cover of Ghost Town DJs’ My Boo testifies this) whilst retaining a more modern sleek, a sound perfectly equipped for the next 12 months.

Early work carries some basic

Fixers Rachel Pilcher

Oxford five-piece Fixers first graced the airwaves in 2009 when they were played on BBC Oxford Introducing. Since then, they have started their own vinyl/cassette label ‘Dolphin Love’ and headlined the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds this year. Not charm, and songs like Feelin’ Dank and Friend Crush were promising statements for a breakthrough act. However, Friends only truly stamped their appeal in October with the release of I’m His Girl; a ridiculously sexy, potentially seminal work that ought to be remembered in a decade’s time. It sneaked onto the Radio 1 playlist whilst also being made king of the 6 Music schedule, but you can see it gaining something of a new lease of life in 2012, becoming some kind of summertime beach anthem. A ferocious frenzy of labels nearly bit each other’s heads off to get a piece of this lot and it’s plain to see that the eventual victor will reap the rewards.

Theme Park Jamie Milton

It took only a few months for Theme Park’s music to be used in a Match of the Day montage. So, if interest from advertisers and TV executives is a sign of success, this four-piece will be counting the minutes before they make their mark. In a similar vein to Two Door Cinema Club and Bombay Bicycle Club, we’re given accessible guitar pop, stamped ‘approved’ for

bad for a band who are seemingly doing a lot of things their own way.

Third single Swimmhaus Johannesburg, aside from being a really bloody good song, has gained considerable favour with Radio 1, being played regularly and gaining them the opportunity to play a session with Huw Stephens. Fixers are set to be undoubtedly big in 2012. festival singalongs and teenagers’ house parties. Formed at the beginning of 2011, their career began with being dismissed as a watered down version of Talking Heads.

Stamped ‘approved’ for festival singalongs and teenagers’ house parties A first self-released track, Milk, seemed to channel David Byrne (a new re-recorded version of the song, released as the band’s next single, tries to downplay the similarities) whilst debut double-A single Wax and A Mountain We Love backed up the comparisons.

But recent works are far removed from obvious homages, instead routing for smart pop with few peers. They’ve recently found themselves working with Ben Garrett (frYars), having already traded ideas with Jeremy Warmsley of Summer Camp fame. So it’s sensible to conclude that all the right people working around them, Theme Park have little chance of messing this up.

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

MUSIC 17

2011 - THE BEST ALBUMS Spark* writers choose their favourite releases of the past 12 months

Five Finger Death Punch American Capitalist Phillip Whittaker

PJ Harvey Let England Shake Jamie Milton

We’ve seen Polly Jean Harvey transform herself from Rid of Me’s ragged, enraged figure to a stadium-keen rockstar in Stories From the City, Stories from the Sea, right through to the draped, sullen character from White Chalk, but few could have been prepared for the next theatrical change. Bellowing out war stories with the perspective of an on-looking child, PJ Harvey becomes this pensive woman,

discovering the darkest corners of the Earth and reciting these grim stories to an unprepared listener.

It’s an album of few flaws Whilst showing a fondness for England’s very beginnings, Harvey nonetheless reminds us of the permanence of battle and the gruesome damages that come with it.

Various interpretations have attempted to grasp the central message of this album - considering it

took years to write, there’s nothing stopping us from considering this one of the most rehearsed and well thought-out works of the year.

In the album’s fascination with themes and ideas, many miss the stark fact that Let England Shake is blessed with a fantastic eye for melody.

Songs like Words That Maketh Murder and Hanging in the Wire are both immediate and harrowing, brilliantly written songs, expertly carrying the darkest of messages. It’s an album of few flaws.

The Saturdays On Your Radar Laurence Green

Every band worth their salt has that ‘magic moment’ when they hit their stride and when everything

Birdy Birdy Bon Iver Bon Iver Rachel Pilcher

I found it extremely difficult to pick my favourite album since 2011 has been an amazing year for music. I could probably sit here and continually list all my standout albums of the year, from Noah

and the Whale to Adele, Coldplay’s recent release to James Blake.

However, after much deliberation, I’ve decided to give my Album of 2011 to Bon Iver. I was nervous to see how he could improve after his stunning debut album, but his second self-titled record showed that he has still got a lot more to give. It’s a beautiful LP that I can’t stop listening to.

George Reed

It could be argued that Birdy’s debut effort is the album of 2011, if not for the quality of it, but for the length of time it took to be released. The first single to be released from the album, a cover of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love, hit the UK charts way back in January of this year. Her haunting vocals and simple piano style gained her

that neatly flows into an almost rap of lyrics which name famous American brands such as Smith & Wesson and Facebook. The song is basically about rebelling against your circumstances, laziness and mediocrity, not the system “You can choose to be a zebra or join the pride”.

The rest of the album follows this relatively aggressive feel and contains more riffs than you could quite frankly handle. The guitarists seem to have taken a page out of Yngwie Malmsteen’s book (an insanely fast guitarist, who I feel must have some form of guitar Tourettes) especially in track four, Coming Down.

Selling more than 93,000 copies in its first week of release, landing it at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, you can see why I’ve chosen this record as my album of 2011.

This is without a doubt the most aggressive Five Finger Death Punch album to date. Under and Over is my personal favourite of the LP, and appears to be several radio stations’ favourite track to play too, weird considering it contains controversial lyrics such as ‘Did you know I don’t care? You can suck my…’ and ‘C’est la vie, adios, good riddance f*** you’.

The third track on the album, The Pride, begins with an introduction

I’ve been a Five Finger Death Punch fan for a long time now and every new album never ceases to amaze me. They aim to release an album within every two years of the last, so that they can always continue ‘riding the wave’. Looks like I’ll be writing a pretty similar review to this in my third year then.

goes right for them. On Your Radar – the Saturdays’ fourth album is their magic moment. Notorious, All Fired Up and My Heart Takes Over represent the strongest trilogy of pop singles you’ll hear this year and if that wasn’t enough, the album features a couple of straight-up all-out dancefloor stormers easily just as good.

Get Ready Get Set and Move On U – this duo of club-rocking energy and alco-pop drenched goodtimes are The Saturdays operating at their very best. Move On U in particular is the kind of sci-fi electro banger that pop fanatics’ wildest dreams are made of; accelerating to a frenetic Euroinfluenced chorus, it’s the sound of the mythic everlasting night out.

Add in the fist-pumping feistyness and neon-illuminated choruses of

Get Ready Get Set and you’re onto a winner.

Do What You Want With Me goes for a massive-sounding explosion of dubstep – taking the skyscraper choruses of past Sats successes and lashes these into the mix with screwdriver synths. It’s a prime example of the now well established ‘classic Sats sound’ the group begun to create on Wordshaker. Four albums in and the group have undoubtedly found their feet, their place in the pop market; the confidence and solidity that affords them shows in tracks like these.

The Saturdays have never sounded as streamlined as they do here.

The tracks are bigger, bolder and precision packed with hooks so big they’re positively bursting.

a Top 20 UK single, 7 million hits on Youtube and critical acclaim.

But, it wasn’t until June when another single was released, a cover of Shelther by the XX. Yes, it is technically an album of covers, but it worked for artists such as Mark Ronson and it certainly works here too. Birdy, born Jasmine van den Bogaerde, has a powerful and emotive voice that could rival the power of Clare Maguire and the soulfulness of Adele. The folk style is carried throughout the

album, which was finally released in November of this year, and the simple piano and guitar arrangements allows Birdy to take songs, mix in her sweet vocals and make them her own. Birdy chose to create a debut album of covers so to give her more time to concentrate on her GCSEs. Yes, she is only 15! Plus, when she does write her own music, the beautiful Without A Word, the results are brilliant, hinting that she is more than just a staggering voice.

This is without a doubt the most aggressive Five Finger Death Punch album to date

18 MUSIC

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

ALBUMS

Lady Gaga A Very Gaga Holiday Streamline

George Reed

A Very Gaga Holiday is a fourtrack mini Christmas EP created

by Queen of Pop, Lady Gaga, just in time for the holiday season. The tracks for this mini album were taken from recordings of Lady Gaga’s recent TV Show, A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. Aired on ABC in America on Thanksgiving-day,

Luke Ritchie The Water’s Edge Angel Falls

Joe Leonard

Luke Ritchie’s album The Water’s Edge has pulled off a feat that not many can, make his debut sound unlike a debut. This may be influenced by the artist’s rocky past, having been dropped from a previous label. You get the sense that after two years of writing for this album, every note has been paid attention to and refined. Richie’s vocals and guitar lines provide a

Lady Gaga presents her festive offering to the masses...

this 90-minute special saw Gaga sing eight songs, including a duet with Tony Bennet, give a frank and honest interview and cook and create the perfect Gaga turkey dinner. All of this was done in the intimate location of the Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City in front of a small audience.

And this intimacy can be seen on this digital download, as each song is toned-down, sedate and almost lounge style.

Gaga’s cover of White Christmas kicks off this intimate EP, but it could be argued that this is more than a simple cover. After explaining how she believes that this Christmas classic is too short, Gaga adds an extra verse that blends seamlessly with the original. Already, it is clear that this album showcases a different side to Lady Gaga’s musical range.

Orange Coloured Sky, a cover of a Nat King Cole song, is a true jazz number. It’s fun and funky, and Lady Gaga’s voice suits this style perfectly. In fact, she explains about how she used to sing this

track when she was touring the bars and clubs of New York City as an up-and-coming artist. This track makes the listener wonder whether Gaga will return to her roots one day to create a jazz influenced CD. The album ends with stripped down and stripped back versions of Lady Gaga’s latest hits, You And I and Edge Of Glory. By doing away with the heavy beats, autotuning and electronic sounds, Gaga is left with the power of her voice and the simplicity of the piano keys. It is truly beautiful and reveals how musically talented Gaga is, proving she is so much more than just those dresses and mad hats.

Sadly this EP doesn’t contain all the performances from A Very Gaga Thanksgiving and does feel a little bit too short. But the intimacy and warmth in this mini album is certain to bring a bit of festive cheer that only Gaga could create.

core to the record and really show talent. That said, the addition of stings and drums are not an after thought and help to provide a refreshing feel rather than producing a ‘typical’ acoustic album.

Varying the moods throughout also helps to stop the album becoming over melancholic.

The emotive passion of Richie can be felt throughout the album, taking rather dark concepts and looking at them from a lighter perspective. Comparisons will be made with Damien Rice with songs like Off Your Guard, which simply illustrate the artist’s skill

and passion. The beautiful piano based Words provides a brilliant backdrop for Richie’s vocals.

The strings really help to build the track while some more rocky songs like Shanty create a Frank Turner-esque sound. The album moves through different paces from track to track, never allowing the listener the opportunity to become bored.

A very accomplished debut by an artist who I feel may just have something different to offer the current music scene.

SINGLES

Jasmine Ash has created a perfect formula for quirky pop

Starlight Black Unicorn Music

Becky Cromie

Los Angeles singer-songwriter Jasmine Ash is bringing her acoustic pop to the UK, and her debut

HHHH

HHHH

Rebecca Ferguson Heaven Epic

Laurence Green

With last year’s X Factor ‘winner’ Matt ‘credible’ Cardle drowning in a seemingly never-ending sea of his own unfortunate press statements, it falls to the release of Rebecca Ferguson’s album to make a genuine case for why the ITV show is a force for musical good.

On the X Factor, it was clear that Rebecca was the ‘talent’ – week after week she blew the audience away with inspired, powerful cover versions. And if there’s one overriding theme to Heaven, it’s that it stands as a genuine statement of that talent. Her vocals are flawless, the production of the tracks equally faultless; infused with a timeless gloss of class.

Heaven is by no means the yeardefining 5/5 record The Telegraph would lead you to believe it is, but it is undeniably stately, regal – an album that manages to shake off the X Factor tag in its confidence and polished sheen.

In a year of vocally superior empowered female artists, Adele

has trailed the banner, managing to break out from the samey cling that affects so many retro-pop records. Rebecca, it has to be said, doesn’t quite manage this – Heaven is a samey-sounding album, but her saving grace is that she does what she does here exceedingly well. Heaven treads a predictable path from track to track, but it treads it with an unrivalled elegance.

Glitter & Gold struts with the same timely bounce as the Aloe Blacc anthem I Need A Dollar while Mr. Bright Eyes recalls the halcyon days of mid America and white picket-fenced perfect houses. It is here that Rebecca’s vocals are at their heavenly best – and looking to Adele, Shoulder To Shoulder is the album’s real Hometown Glory moment, full of a haunting procession of string laced piano chords.

The lasting impression of Heaven is as an album that ‘serious music’ fans can stroke their beards to and go ‘oh she’s rather good isn’t she’. Of course, it’s important to remember that underneath all the grandstanding of the album, there’s still a fun-loving Scouse girl – if there was ever an artist to bridge young and old in union and mutual appreciation of something, it’s Rebecca.

It’s in Too Good To Lose that Heaven finds its pinnacle. The album’s most up-tempo number, it’s a Cee Lo Green-esque concoction smattered with a dash of drum machine and synths. A tantalising glimpse at just how brilliantly amazing Rebecca can be when she wants to be.

HHHH

A duo of great singles to pop on your iPod over the holidays

single Starlight with a boxing day release, is guaranteed to lift you out of the post-Christmas hangover/ food coma. After all, we all could do with a bit of a pick me up after we’ve spent days stuffing our faces with festive treats.

Jasmine Ash

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

A strong yet simple melody and the more than generous use of synth and percussion give the song a jingle like quality. The chorus guarantees that you will be humming the song to yourself for weeks after listening and the lyrics are simple but honest - you feel like they are sung with genuine, heartfelt intent. Jasmine’s vocals,

though arguably not the most powerful, are charming none the less, and combined with the endless chiming and repetitive melody, Starlight has a captivating quality.

The result is slightly eccentric and definitely infectious; I am aware that I shouldn’t like this jingling, chiming, rattling tune, and yet cannot seem to help it - there’s something deeply irresistable lying right at the heart of it.

Apart from the backing choir of varying vocal abilities (think dad doing karaoke), Jasmine Ash has created a perfect formula for quirky pop, and will soon be delicately swirling through the airwaves of Great Britain’s radio stations with her sickly sweet and strangely hypnotic sound. Best of luck to her.

HHHH

Girls Lawrence Turnstile

Rachel Pilcher

Two-piece Girls is consisted of former Holy Shit guitarist Christopher Owens, and bassist Chet ‘JR’

White. Written by Owens whilst in Holy Shit, Lawrence is a tribute and a gift to Felt, Denim and Go Kart Mozart frontman, Lawrence.

Whilst the track is purely instrumental, aside from the occasional haunting ‘ooh’ and ‘ah,’ there’s a beauty to it that makes it unique and memorable. You can feel all his gratitude and love for Lawrence pouring out in his music, making the track seem all the more personal. When the track changes pace and melody, a distinct air of happiness seems to appear, as it becomes more upbeat and cheerful.

Lawrence is proof that you don’t need a mountain of good lyrics to make a track sound heartfelt and beautiful. All credit to Girls for proving this.

HHHH

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

marketing@rusu.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT 19

20 ARTS&BOOKS

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

Arts&BOOKS Walking in a Winter Wonderland Review of Winter Wonderland event Hyde Park, London Rebecca Mole

Each year, Hyde Park plays host to one of the most magical Christmas events of all time: Winter Wonderland. This event is a brilliant day out for people of all ages and it is definitely no to be missed. Stretching across Hyde Park, it offers visitors a multitude of activities whilst adding to that Christmas cheer we all crave at this point in term. It has something for everyone and entry is free, so no need to worry about digging deep into those empty pockets to enjoy the Christmas spirit.

Winter Wonderland is open from 18 November to 3 January, 10am to 10pm; so there are plenty of opportunities to visit it over again, and trust me, you’ll want to! As I said before, there are a variety of activities to be enjoyed including ice skating, Zippos Circus, an observation wheel, the Angels Christmas Market, amusements and of course food! My advice to anyone considering going is to do everything as you won’t regret it.

And if you want to make your visit that extra bit special, then visit the park at night when Winter Wonderland is lit up by its beautiful Christmas lights.

Winter Wonderland is a brilliant day out for people of all ages Ice skating costs around £10.50/£13.50 for an adult, £8.50/£9.00 for a child, £34.00/£36.00 for a family ticket and £9.50/£12.50 for concessions (these are the off-peak and peak prices; I shall give both prices for all the priced attractions at Winter Wonderland). Take a glide across the beautiful rink with your friends and show off your skills as you pass nearby penguins that are learning to find their feet. At night the rink looks magical as it circles a decorative Christmas tree and Christmas lights lace the sky above; perfect for a night out with the other half, no matter how bad a skater you may be!

Alternatively, if you like your shoes a little more grippy and don’t fancy joining the penguins for a dance, then head over to the observation wheel to enjoy the sights of Hyde Park and the surrounding area. An adult ticket

costs around £7.00/£8.00, a child is around £5.00/£6.00, a family ticket is around £20.00/£22.00 and concession are around £6.00/£7.00.

The observation wheel offers relaxation and there is the choice of Christmas music or commentary to accompany you on your way round. You can even have a private pod at around £40.00/£45.00 and throw in a bottle of champagne for around £30.00. VIP pods are also on offer at around £55.00/£60.00; ideal for celebrations with family or friends.

And if that isn’t enough for you, then take a leap into the world of Zippos Circus and prepare to be left amazed. Zippos Circus offer two shows; the first is a Christmas circus, ideal for families as it is light hearted and entertaining, and the second is Zippos Cirque Extreme, a fast paced, intense experience for those in search of something mind blowing this Christmas.

Both the Christmas Circus and Cirque Extreme cost around £8.50/£9.50 for adults, £5.00/£6.00 for children, £20.00/£24.00 for families and concessions are around £7.50/£8.50. Having never seen a circus myself, I didn’t quite know what to expect from Cirque Extreme, but with stunning costumes, astounding dancing, fantastic music and jaw-dropping acrobatics you won’t want to miss it. Cirque Extreme is worth every penny, it’s guaranteed to leave you speechless and wanting more.

All of these attractions are extremely popular, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings, so I would recommend booking in advance on their website: www. hydeparkwinterwonderland.com.

This will also give you all the information you need to know about what is going on, attraction times and an all-important map, so you’ll be sure not to miss anything.

On the other hand, if you want to start your Christmas shopping early for a change, then take a walk through the Angels Christmas Market. Beautifully lit, festive wooden huts line the entrance to Winter Wonderland. Every hut is a treasure trove, offering special hand-made Christmas gifts. From confectionary to decorations, knitwear to wacky trinkets, you’ll be sure to find something.

Whatever else you do, make sure you visit the food huts! These festive wooden food huts are scattered throughout the park and wherever you walk you’ll be enticed by the delicious smells of warm food floating in the air.

You’ll find German sausages, hog

roast, mulled wine, hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, Belgian waffles and much more. Being a fine critic of food myself, I can personally vouch for the Belgian waffles and my very reliable source tells me

the German sausages are divine – so much so, he wanted seconds!

All in all, Winter Wonderland is a fantastic opportunity that isn’t to be missed. The atmosphere is like nothing else you will experience.

It lifts your spirit and will leave

you feeling that magical Christmas feeling you had as a child. The lights, the smells, the sound of people enjoying themselves, truly capture the Christmas spirit. You would be mad not to go and experience it for yourself!

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

A farcical adventure in Britain Review of The 39 Steps Progress Theatre, Reading 17 - 26 November 2011 Jim Birdsall

Part of the charm of going to the Progress Theatre is that it is a local affair; this charm is boosted this time of year when I've been feeling quite the curmudgeon and not wanting to travel as a means to go see theatre. This theatre is perfect in this regard for many of us who live in close proximity to the University campus. For those who have never been, it is a cosy theatre seating a maximum of 95 people. This production of The 39 Steps, in line with the small size of the audience, had a cast of four, each of whom, save the protagonist Richard Hannay, played by Owen Goode, took on multiple roles.

A familiar story to many from the John Buchan novel and Hitchcock film, The 39 Steps is adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow. The setting is one that truly captures the imagination in a pre-WW2 conspiracy-rich Britain.

The story starts with the main character Richard facing the audience and giving a monologue in his London flat from his chair centre stage, a fine place for anyone to talk from and a very personal way to start a theatrical experience. Soon during the course of the play he is rendered unable to deliver such monologues from the comfort of his chair as he runs into a femme fatale by the name of

Annabella Schmidt who is dressed in a bright green dress and is clearly a troublesome seductress: an attractive nuisance? The association between Richard and this fraulein acts as a base for the rest of the plot to unfold from, as though she dies in a very slapstick manner, before her last breath she mentions the 39 Steps but did not have chance to explain. This role would not have worked unless the woman playing it was very attractive; fortunately Laura Sherman is very convincing as this intimate and mysterious Germanic woman.

This chance encounter means that Richard has to flee his home and is on the run from the police, being suspected of murder.

The setting is one that truly captures the imagination Ending up on a train to Scotland, the suitcases look very authentic and I did have a word with the props man Antony Powell, who is very into his voluntary role there

and some of the best props were made by him, such as the two model aeroplanes used in one scene.

The enthusiasm of everyone is felt in this play full of japes and slapstick; however, sometimes it can be a bit too much. The two men who assume many roles each in the play were both too loud on multiple occasions. It is vital for performers in any space to be mindful of the acoustic properties of the place of performance and these two at various times overstepped the mark and it was a pain for my ears as they bellowed their lines out. For the most part though, they are both very entertaining.

One of the highlights of the show was Christopher Hoult's portrayal of an angry Scot saying a fiery grace before a meal, complete with fire and brimstone. And Craig Daniels, the other multi-purpose male actor, provides some brilliant comedy when he is entering the scene as a stereotypically evil German megalomaniac and keeps on failing to mount a swivel chair in a routine that is reminscent of some 30s comedy such as the Marx Brothers.

The whole farce is an adventure up and down Britain with juicy characters and deliciously awkward situations. It's refreshing to see that such a small ensemble can pull something like this off so

RUDS presents: The Trial Alexandra O’Brien

Kafka’s novel The Trial is the story of a man who has been accused of a crime by the police. He has no recollection of committing any crime, and the authorities refuse to disclose the reason.

The characters were multi-roled superbly by the cast In RUDS’ 2011 production of The Trial, the audience is individually led into a dark staging area by actors in chilling mime makeup, and placed around a prop indistinguishable in the darkness.

Immediately the atmosphere of suspense is thick, and an uncomfortable feeling grows before the play starts.

The only lights come from the spotlights and the actors’ torches, creating an effective illusion of a black and white setting which

illustrates the time in which The Trial was written whilst adding to the uneasy atmosphere. The production is a piece of promenade theatre, with the audience being moved around the staging area at various points, usually to different scenes. An interactive aspect is introduced by this, and one memorable part involves everyone being herded onto a tube train to great effect.

Having seen a couple of RUDS productions, each time I have been very pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the actors and the production teams. Freddie Hall as Josef K captures the frustration of his character perfectly, whilst involving the audience in an often comical fashion.

All other characters were multi-roled superbly by the other members of the cast (Ellie Harmsworth, Joanna Coulton, Claire Davey, Daniel Rands, Luc Tudor, and Arun Sharma), each dipping in and out of characters with great skill and enthusiasm.

ARTS&BOOKS 21

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

Top 10 Christmas Reads 1. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) 2. How the Grinch stole Christmas (Dr Seuss) 3. The Hogfather (Terry Pratchett) 5. Miracle on 34th Street (Valentine Davies) 5. Letters From Father Christmas (J.R.R Tolkien) 6. Twelve Days of Christmas (Trisha Ashley) 7. The Night Before Christmas (Scarlett Bailey) 8. Skipping Christmas (John Grisham) 9. The Jolly Christmas Postman (Janet Ahlberg) 10. The Gift of Magi (O. Henry)

PRESENTS

KAFKA’S THE TRIAL ADAPTED BY STEVEN BERKOFF

DIRECTED BY JACK WILSON

The character of Block caught my eye, a truly deranged individual brought to life by Luc Tudor.

He was very convincing in his portrayal of such a crazed person and gave a truly superb performance.

The audience are involved in the performance in an often comical fashion The ending was ambiguous and quite abrupt, with the audience receiving a programme in the style of court documents as they left, which is the perfect finishing touch to a very unusual play.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing play and would urge others to experience the remarkable performance; the next (and final) showing is on Saturday at 1:45 in Café Mondial. Don’t miss your last chance to catch this unique play before it ends!

MONDAY 5TH DECEMBER & TUESDAY 6TH DECEMBER 7.45 PM SATURDAY 10TH DECEMBER 1.45PM

CAFÉ MONDIAL

READING UNIVERSITY STUDENT’S UNION £3 RUDS £4 NUS £5 OTHER www.ticketsource.co.uk/rudstickets

WATCH THE TRAILER AT WWW.SOMEONEMUSTHAVEBEENTELLINGLIES.TUMBLR.COM

22 FASHION

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

FASHION Fair Isle poppy nowicka

Knitwear is, of course, a massive trend for the Autumn/Winter months but this season the style has a classic, heritage twist. Fair Isle is this season’s must have print, and it is practically obligatory to own at least one Fair Isle garment. Even if you are not familiar with the term, you will have definitely seen it around.

Named after one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, the Fair Isle jumper became popular in the 1920s when worn in public by the Prince of Wales. Today, the print continues to offer a traditional and timeless winter look. Spotted on knitted gloves, scarves, hats, leggings, socks and even bags, Fair Isle is not just for jumpers.

Garments can be found in Topshop, ASOS.com, River Island, Ted Baker, New Look, Urban Outfit-

Handling the snow: what to wear ters, Oasis, French Connection and most other high street stores. It is very versatile and can be worn as day to day attire, to look fashionable on the slopes if you’re lucky enough to be going skiing or even to inject some festivity into an evening look. Be sure to invest in a Fair Isle piece this winter to instantly update your wardrobe for the festive season.

Jumper, French Connection, around £100

Blogspot Tweetbox james quinn

roguefashion.tumblr. com/ Rogue Fashion, despite the clichéd name, contains some great items that could build an excellent winter look. The blog features regular updates of trending looks, both formal and casual. Including plaid shirts, knitwear, boots, shoes, accessories and jackets, the great thing about this blog is that it often notes the source of the items, often from affordable well known stores – ASOS, River Island, and more.

Rogue Fashion is a great blog to check out if you’re looking for something casual with a punch, or formal with some presence.

‘Fashion Crowd having quick gag before dinner at #britishfashionawards twitpic.com/719w7c’

-@paulaGRAZIA

‘@paulaGRAZIA oh for goodness sake, I really shouldn’t tweet without my glasses. Sorry.

Meant ‘fag’ not ‘gag’’

- @paulaGRAZIA Follow us on Twitter @FashSpark

hannah merican

It’s that time of the year again when the temperature drops and there just might be a forecast of heavy snowfall. As much as you would like to just wrap up in your duvet and run outside, it just might prove to be impossible as it starts to pelt down in little droplets. With some easy basics to choose from (and affordable prices) you don’t have to have a hard time deciding what to wear when the temperature drops.

Wellington Boots Ranging from posh Hunter wellies to simple affordable ones you can find in TK Maxx, wellies are an essential piece in your winter wardrobe. It helps you avoid from slipping in the snow and provides good support to your feet if you happen to be walking long distanc-

es. Accessorise and warm them up with colourful socks to make your look complete.

Parka Currently a hit with the fashion circuit and functional in daily life, a parka is definitely something you need when it snows. It will keep you warm and comfy when you’re outside and attract lots of admiration from strangers. The best places to buy a parka would be from Zara, Topshop, H&M and New Look.

Knitted Scarf The best accessory to keep you warm on a cold day. The trick is to wear something colourful to brighten up your day if you are suffering from the winter blues.

Knitted scarves are available in

all high street shops at affordable prices.

Jumper With high street shops coming out with lots of different designs the key to finding the perfect jumper is comfort, then you only have to decide on the colour and design.

Make sure the jumper of your choice is fully functional for daily wear.

Beanie To complete your look, and just in case you are still feeling slightly cold, a beanie is a good accessory to warm you up. Available at a wide range of shops in different colours and designs you will be spoilt for choice when deciding what to buy. My pick would be the beanies from Topshop which are affordable and keep you warm!

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

Winter coats fiona king

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Looking pretty on piste

There’s no denying that a winter coat is essential, but shopping for a great winter-warmer can be a bit of a nightmare. It’s a lot to ask of one item of clothing to be stylish, warm and look great with every outfit. Thankfully, finding such a coat is not all that difficult for this year the high street is packed with designs that will have you dying for a day cold enough to wrap up warm.

Coat, SNO Topshop, around £95

Fur coat, starting at around £30, charity shops

Faux fur is huge angain and is lining the walls of our favourite high street and vintage stores. Vintage is your best bet for this style so invest some time to rummage through second hand and charity shops.

Boyfriend coat, around £75, Topshop

Slouchy, tailored boyfriend coats are the designer favourite this year,s easy to wear with almost any outfit. Thanks to the great British high street, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get this style spot on.

stephanie weeks

If you’re thinking about going skiing this winter break but are unsure about what to wear, here’s a few pointers on how to look ohso-pretty on piste!

Around this time of year, high street stores often release ski collections to cater to their customers who like to escape to a winter wonderland for the cold months.

If you were lucky enough to bag yourself a pair of diamante ski goggles from River Island last year, my hat goes off to you – they were so cute that I thought about buying some, and I didn’t even go skiing!)

This year is no exception, as on 10 November, all eyes were on Topshop, when they brought ski wear to the high street in a BIG way. British designer, Ash-

It’s a blast from the past as the school-style puffa jacket makes a comeback this year. There’s no chance of getting cold in one of these and it’s a great way to add a bright and unique statement to your style this winter.

head to TKMaxx either in-store or online, for an impressive selection of styles (and where legend has it, someone once found Roberto Cavalli ski pants for just shy of £30).

Look out for plaid, camouflage, floral and animal prints, which are big skiwear trends this year, as are primary colours; or instead opt for timelessly chic black.

Accessories for skiing, just like any occasion, are key. Backpacks, which were featured on the catwalks this year, offer somewhere stylish to keep your hot chocolate/cocktail fund! Faux-fur will always look amazing, and keep you warm – Cossack hats, earmuffs and faux-fur headbands can be found all over the high street at the moment, so invest!

Before you hit the slopes this winter, make sure you hit the shops! www.topshop.com

Tis the season to be sparkly!

Hayley garwood

I’m not sure what it is exactly about glitter that releases some sort of inner-magpie in me, but when I ambled into a shoe shop on a gloomy December day and caught sight of sparkly platforms I was instantaneously transfixed, thinking “I absolutely must have these shoes or I will die miserable!” At which point I turned into a cast member of Sex and the City I will never know, but my usual nonchalance over shoes was shot to pieces. Fighting the urgency to buy something pretty and shiny right away, I have made certain to search for the perfect pair first.

Christian Louboutin and Miu Miu set the magical trend for red carpet trotters such as Taylor Swift, Alexa Chung and Camilla Belle, but these will set you back over £500. Luckily, you can get your mits on some reasonably priced pieces of heaven in pretty much any (worthy) high-street shop around. Worth checking out are ASOS, New Look, Primark and Very.co.uk.

Topshop has got it right (again) with these gorgeous Glitter Court Shoes for around £60.00. Also available in silver, the pewter metal cone-shaped heel provides some good old-fashioned stability so you can ooze vintage glam, whilst retaining your elegant, dignified swagger (of course).

His & hers: party pieces katie brown

Chiffon Bandeau Dress: Rare* for Topshop around £55 Puffa jacket, around £70, River Island

ish Gupta, released his amazing collaboration with the store last month, offering a nine-piece collection of what he calls “matchymatchy leopard print ski pants and puffer jackets and backpacks”.

Though there is no sign of his trademark sequins, the animal print provides more than enough glamour, putting the ‘funk’ into functional. The oversized sweatshirts and tees that also feature in the collection, are emblazoned with tongue-in-cheek phrases like “Piste Off”, “Snow Bored” and “Chalet Come with You” which will make you look so cool après-ski.

If you’d rather be a ski bunny than a snow leopard, Topshop’s SNO collection offers monochrome ski wear, with bright yellow injections. However, if the price tags at Topshop are too hefty for your student pocket, girls and boys should

FASHION 23

Red is always a festive favourite and you can’t go wrong with this beautiful party dress from Topshop. Both block colours and sheer fabric have been massive this season. Accessorise with some statement earrings, an oversized clutch, and your favourite pair of heels and you are ready to hit that dancefloor.

Gretta Gold Glitter Heels: Missguided.co.uk, around £35

Make sure your first step into the new-year is fabulous with these gorgeous glittery heels from missguided.co.uk. With a raised platform and extra-high heel, you’ll be ticking all the style boxes and even better, you’ll be able to wear them throughout the party season; they’ll look great with everything from leggings and a blouse to your trusty LBD!

Schuh have always loved their extreme glam shoes but these are something else! These multiglitter princess wedge, around £70, will jazz up any LBD you throw on this Christmas.

Black Velvet Blazer: H&M, around £29.99 Velvet is all over the high street at the moment (and not just for ladies) and this ultra-luxurious blazer, from H&M, is the epitome of stylish winter warmth. Dress it up with some tailored trousers or team it with dark jeans for a more casual occasion. At this bargain price, there’s no excuse not to be the hottest and most on trend boy at the bar.

However, if you’re looking for a little less full-frontal glitz then Dorothy Perkins have these wonderful glittered-base peep toe platform sandals, in both black or teal, for around only £30.00. No matter what your budget make sure you sparkle all the way home this Christmas holiday.

24 BEAUTY

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk

BEAUTY Christmas gift ideas for everyone LILY BROWN

It’s that time of year again!

Christmas is a great time for giving gifts to those we love but finding something unique and economically viable is not always easy so I have compiled a list that should hopefully give you a few ideas for your Christmas shopping.

Mum: Our mums are often the ones doing most of the work at Christmas so it would be nice to give them something to help them relax, like the Scholl Feet Treat Footspa. It is less expensive than a spa treatment and it comes in both hot pink and green.

Friend: It is always a good idea to organise a ‘secret Santa’ with big groups of friends to keep the costs down and make sure everyone gets a present. Put all of your names into a hat and each take it in turns to pick a name (making sure you don’t choose your own name!) All agree on a price limit before you go shopping so no one ends up spending too much. A good price limit might be between five and ten pounds. This means you have to be creative with your gift ideas and will have to browse everywhere from Claire’s Accessories to The Body Shop for great beauty items.

Sparkle this Christmas ROBYN SWEENEY

OK I’ll admit, the last time I had a craving for glitter nail polish I was about six and received it with my latest Barbie product. But glitter is back and it’s huge for the festive season. The high street is littered with sparkle so why not let your nails join in?

The best product, based on reviews, would be Technic’s ‘Rainbow Effect Nail Polish Lacquer,’ providing a practically ‘un-chippable’ coat of sparkly multi-coloured glitter. However, the nail polish is in high demand, and that’s not even the biggest problem, as it’s priced at around an extortionate £19.99. To know that the price was bumped up from around £3 to almost £20 based on high demand makes this product all the more

off-putting.

So let’s stick to what we know best – ‘student-budget friendly’ pricing and a guaranteed effect.

Yes, I am indeed talking about Barry M. My favourite is ‘Silver Cascade’ priced at around a mere £3.95! But why not add the whole Christmas Special Selection (around £19.99 - four glitter polishes & topcoat) to your wish list and take your pick. Amazon.com is the best place to grab these deals so drop some hints and guarantee you have a sparkly Christmas!

With the party season well and truly on its way, every girl faces the same dilemma: ‘How do I make my hair look that little bit special for Christmas?’ The simple side pony can be used for any occasion this seasion. Start by scraping all of your hair over one shoulder.

If you have short or layered hair then it will require pinning in place at the nape of the neck. If

Brother: Brothers can be tricky to buy for. However, if your brother is image conscious try buying him a pair of mini hair straighteners made for styling shorter hair. Try the Babyliss Pro 200 Nano Mini Hair Straighteners

this is the case, then this is the perfect opportunity to add some sparkle to the look with jewelled hair pins.

The charm of this particular hairstyle for Christmas is that this style looks great with hats –a must over the festive season.

From the cracker hat to the sexy Santa hat, this will see you through with minimal hat hair and maximum glamour. How could you go wrong?

in green available from the Boots website. Priced at only around £14. 99, they won’t break the bank but will be a welcome gift come Christmas day.

Grandma: Grandmothers tend to like fancy hand creams and soaps that can be found at The White Company or scented candles like those at Jo Malone. They come in a range of colours and fragrances, a personal favourite being the Orange Blossom Home Candle available from the Jo Malone website for around £38. Although this may seem a little pricey the candles look lovely as decorations, smell lovely and will be a much appreciated gift.

ELLE TURNER

This Christmas, why not ask for a new fragrance to fill your stocking? There are some beautiful scents out there and with celebs like Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian and even the TOWIE girls trying their hand at perfumery; wearing the must have scent is becoming ever more popular.

Moschino’s I Love Love is a good choice this Christmas Moschino’s I Love Love is a good choice this Christmas as its versatile fragrance stretches right through winter to summer with festive red currant and cinnamon flavours combined with more summery top notes of lemon and grapefruit. Shop around to make sure you find a new favourite fragrance to add to your Christmas lists!

My Christmas wish list

KATEY WATKINS

Christmas hair EMILY BUTLER

Dad: Nivea does a great range of products for men, ranging from deodorant to moisturisers for all skin types. If your dad is worried about ageing, try the DNAGE Antiage moisturiser available from Boots online for around £15.99 for 50ml. This will help him look his best both on Christmas day and the morning after all those Christmas parties!

Festive Fragrances

With festivities just around the corner, why not take a little time out for all those luxuries you can only dream about for the rest of the year. Here’s a little taste of what I’m hoping for under the tree for Christmas.

1) Cucumbers, lemons, teabags; they’ve all been used to try and get rid of tired looking eyes, but nothing does it quite like Clinique’s All About Eyes. A simple, lightweight eye cream with the promise of putting an end to the dark circles and puffy eyes, it’s definitely worth a try.

2) For those wintery nights when all you want to do is soak in a nice warm bath (if you’re lucky enough to have one), the Sanctuary Luxury Bath Float will surround you in a light-scented cloud of rich bubbles. This can be found in Boots for around £10.

3) Are you, like the rest of us, sick of using hair spray to try and get your makeup to last longer on a night out? Urban Decay’s makeup setting spray is the answer; a lightweight solution to help keep you looking good for up to 16 hours straight!

4) Weird and wonderful, eyelashes

by Shu Uemura are just too cute to

ignore. Offering a collection of both subtle and statement lashes, to make you stand out from the crowd. I love Dance in Glitter premium false lashes.

5) Deciding on a make-up product can be a daunting experience for even the most skilled of shoppers.

Bobbi Brown offers the best solution, their Ultimate Party Collection combines a choice of eight eye shadows, four lip glosses and two mini make-up brushes for easy application on the go.

6) Make the most of the lipstick trend by adding a great colour to your lips. Guerlain’s famous KissKiss Lipstick range has a palette of warm reds and dusty pinks, great for this season and a much needed essential in any girl’s make-up bag.

7) Not content with mastering the shoe world, Jimmy Choo has extended his range to perfume, and is the only fragrance to make it onto my Christmas wishlist this year. A fruity blend, with warm, rich and woody depths, this fragrance is the perfect accessory for every occasion.

8) If you are lucky enough to get any of these gorgeous products, you’re going to need something equally gorgeous to put them in!

I would recommend any of the cosmetic bags by Cath Kidston, gorgeous designs at reasonable prices. Merry Christmas to me!

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

marketing@rusu.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT 25

26 HEALTH&FOOD

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH Top tips for a healthy, happy Christmas

Renate Cumming-Benson

Ditch the diet If there’s one time when it’s acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast it’s Christmas. Of course there’s a fine line between letting yourself off the hook a little and bingeing for the sake of it (making yourself sick in the process), but there is absolutely no point in trying to watch your weight when there’s so much good food around. If you need to keep your weight down for medical reasons and don’t want to undo your hard work then that is fair enough and I applaud you, but for the rest of us, why make yourself miserable? In short eat, drink and be merry!

Keep active I am not advocating venturing out

on a 10-miler on Christmas morning (though if that’s what makes you happy, go for it!), but removing your hand from the tin of Quality Street and leaving the sofa for a spot of exercise does have its benefits. We all know about those wonderful endorphins released when we exercise and at a time like Christmas when the body is under a lot of physical and sometimes emotional stress, exercise can be a good release of tension.

Plus, you will feel more toned even if you aren’t, making that little black dress seem more wearable.

Beat your hangover There is no point in saying “stick to one glass of wine”, because over Christmas you will inevitably be drinking more than ever.

It is advisable, however, to give your body a break from drink-

ing a couple of days a week, and always alternate your alcoholic drinks with soft ones. Not groundbreaking advice but good advice nonetheless. My friends laugh at me for drinking tap water in clubs, but I rarely get bad hangovers and I am sure this explains why.

Another hangover cure I learnt a while back is to drink one pint of water and eat two bananas before you go to bed. The potassium in the bananas replaces that which is lost through the excess consumption of alcohol, and helps to prevent headaches associated with dehydration.

Too late for damage limitation?

Tried and tested hangover cures vary from person to person, but one of my friends swears by a fry-up and a full-fat coke. Honey on toast and a coffee is also a good one; providing you have the carbs,

the sugar and some caffeine you will get through the day. Not standard “healthy living” advice, but you’ll feel a whole lot better.

Take milk thistle A good party season supplement is milk thistle. Taken in tablet form, and also found in some detox teas, milk thistle helps to protect the liver from toxins and is even used to treat conditions like cirrhosis. Needless to say it’s a good pill to pop when heavy drinking is unavoidable.

Sleep All that partying and fatty food is going to take its toll, so it’s important to give your body a chance to repair itself. Ensure you get 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and if that is impossible take naps.

Eating disorders: A friend’s perspective Collette Nadan

I have known my best friend Ava* since we started primary school at the age of five. However, for a while now someone has been trying to steal her away from me.

It isn’t another friend, or a boy, it is anorexia. When I look at my friend, her hipbones jut out at me through her clothes. When she turns sideways her arm appears wider than the width of her body.

She can literally hide behind her arm. The trouble is, Ava doesn’t see what I see. Ava sees her tiny frame as huge. To watch somebody you love hurt themselves is very difficult, especially when you feel so helpless. Eating disorders are very complex. Whilst I cannot make Ava better, I can do my best to support her whilst a professional tries to bring her back to health. At university, students are away from home. Parents who will nag you to eat well and drink your milk are absent. Tutors do not know their students in the same close proximity as teachers may have at school. You become surrounded by new friends who are unlikely to recognise your abnormal behaviours as different from your normal ones. Assignments begin to build up and life becomes very stressful as deadlines approach. One way to feel a sense of regaining control may be through dieting. University is therefore a place where eating disorders can

manifest themselves and easily go unnoticed. Eating disorders are estimated to affect 1-3% of our student population. This article will now focus on three eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating.

Anorexia

Anorexia comes in many forms, but the most commonly talked about type is anorexia nervosa.

There are many journalists who will lead you to believe that eating disorders are caused by magazines and their constant use of beautiful, thin models. The problem is, anorexia is far more complicated than that. By implying that it is simply a vanity issue trivialises eating disorders, meaning that they are taken less seriously than other mental health issues.

Another misconception is that anorexia only affects females. In reality, it affects males too and is becoming more and more common.

Over the past 10 years, the NHS has reported a 66% increase in hospital admissions for male eating disorders across England.

If you have anorexia, what, if, and when you eat may feel like the only part of your life which you can control. Negative associations are linked to eating. Not eating and losing weight becomes a way of feeling safe.

Symptoms of anorexia may include:

• Denial of feeling hungry despite not eating.

• Obsession with losing weight.

• Counting calories meticulously.

• Hiding food or secretly throwing it away.

• Complete avoidance of highcalorie foods.

• Making yourself sick.

• Excessive exercise.

• The use of drugs to reduce appetite or speed up digestion.

• Wearing baggy clothes to cover up any weight loss, or to keep warm.

• Cooking for others but not eating the food yourself.

Anorexia is a life threatening illness that can result in weighing at least 15 per cent less than the expected weight for a person’s age and height, being physically underdeveloped, amenorrhea (the loss of menstrual periods), losing interest in sex or experiencing sexual dysfunction, changes in personality, depression, poor concentration, hair loss. Long term effects may include osteoporosis and even death.

Bulimia

Bulimia nervosa is more common than anorexia. Sufferers feel compelled to eat large amounts of food, and then try to reverse doing so.

Symptoms of bulimia may include: • Eating in binges (excessive quan-

tities all in one go).

• Starving oneself after eating.

• Purging (making oneself sick or using laxatives).

• Constant preoccupation about eating • Eating secretly.

• Distorted body image.

Unless a sufferer has tendencies of anorexia with their bulimia, the sufferer’s weight is likely to stay the same. Visible changes are not always apparent and so the illness is likely to go unnoticed. However, the health effects of bulimia are extreme and may include: • A stretched colon, constipation, heart disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can occur with excessive use of laxatives, as they deprive the body of vital minerals.

• Epileptic fits, muscular weakness and heart problems can arise from frequent vomiting.

• Poor skin may develop due to dehydration.

• Bad teeth can be caused by stomach acids eroding tooth enamel when vomiting and insufficient minerals remaining in the body (this is why dentists tend to spot bulimia before others).

• Menstrual periods may become very irregular or stop altogether (although this may not occur if you are taking a contraceptive pill).

Compulsive Eating Compulsive eating is a way of trying to hide problems. Compulsive

Get your 5-a-day and take a multivitamin For the same reason as above. No matter how many other unhealthy foodstuffs you consume at Christmas, you will feel better if you get in some nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. An additional multivitamin will give you that extra bit of protection from illness and bad skin when you are burning the candle at both ends.

Have some me-time All those party invitations and making small talk with relatives you only see once a year is enough to drive the most level-headed person to distraction. Take some time to yourself to relax, whether it’s going for kickabout with your friends in the park or simply locking yourself in your room with the Sex and the City box set.

eaters will pick at food all day, often eating large amounts and feeling unable to stop. Food becomes a comfort and something one relies on for emotional support. Compulsive eating is connected with low self-esteem. If you are low, eating seems the answer to lift one’s mood. However, compulsive eating leads to feeling depressed.

One may also feel inadequate because one cannot regain control.

Compulsive eating is likely to lead to obesity and may cause other serious health problems such as diabetes. Fat is a Feminist Issue,

by Susie Orbach is a very insightful book regarding compulsive eating and provides some helpful quizzes and exercises to assist with compulsive issues.

Getting help If you are worried about yourself or someone else, it is important to talk about what is happening. For advice, contact Reading University’s SRSH organization, which provides support for students with eating disorders. They meet in the lounge fortnightly and the next meeting will be on 8 December.

Alternatively, email them on reading@srsh.co.uk. Other useful resources include the National BEAT campaign. Their website contains all sorts of information and help: www.b-eat.co.uk. Acknowledging the problem is the first step to recovery.

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

Food Edible gifts Sophie Elliot

This Christmas, I am baking away and giving edible Christmas gifts to family and friends. I’m not a cheapskate – believe me, I would be shopping all day long if I could – but I really feel that I need to take it back to basics this Christmas. And what better way could there be than baking Christmas presents whilst dancing madly round my kitchen to some rocking festive tunes?

So here are a couple of the easiest recipes to bring some Christmas cheer:

Christmas Tree biscuits

These can even be hung from your Christmas tree so double up as decorations!

Ingredients: 175g dark muscovado sugar 85g golden syrup 100g butter 3 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 egg, lightly beaten To decorate: 100g white chocolate Edible silver balls Method: 1. Heat the sugar, golden syrup and butter until melted. Mix the spices and flour in a large bowl.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in one tsp cold water. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the melted sugar mix, egg and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well. At this stage the mix will be soft but will firm up on cooling.

2. Cover the surface of the biscuit mix with cling film and leave to cool, then put in the fridge for at least 1 hour to become firm enough to roll out.

3. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.

(At this stage the dough can be put into a food bag and kept in the fridge for up to a week.) Cut the dough in half. Thinly roll out one half on a lightly floured surface.

Cut into shapes with cutters, such as gifts, trees and hearts, then transfer to baking sheets, leaving a little room for them to spread.

If you plan to hang the biscuits up, make a small hole in the top of each one using a skewer. Repeat with remaining dough.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they darken slightly. If the holes you have made have closed up, remake them while the biscuits are warm and soft using a skewer.

Cool for a few minutes on the

baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and harden up completely.

6. Break up the chocolate and melt in the microwave on Medium for 1-2 mins, or in a small heatproof bowl over simmering water.

Drizzle the chocolate over the biscuits, or pipe on shapes or names, then stick a few silver balls into the chocolate. If hung up on the tree, the biscuits will be edible for about a week.

Christmas Chutney

This is a classic from Mary Berry.

I’m buying jars and some cute lids and ribbons to make these into useful gifts for all those leftovers on Boxing Day. Ingredients: 900g tomatoes 3 red peppers, 1 large aubergine and 1 green pepper (total weight of about 900g/2lb) 700g onions, peeled and fairly finely chopped, by hand or in a food processor 4 fat cloves garlic crushed 350g granulated sugar 300ml/½pint white wine vinegar or distilled malt vinegar 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed 1 tbsp paprika 2 tsp cayenne pepper Method: 1. Peel the tomatoes - prick them with a sharp knife, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water.

Leave for a few seconds then drain and cover with cold water.

The skins should now come away easily.

2. Chop the tomatoes and aubergine and seed and chop the peppers. Put in a large heavy-based pan with the onions and garlic and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat and gently simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally, until tender.

3. Tip the sugar, vinegar, salt, coriander, paprika and cayenne into the pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.

4. Continue to boil for 30 minutes or so, until the mixture achieves a chunky chutney consistency and the surplus watery liquid has evaporated. Take care towards the end of the cooking time to continue stirring so that the chutney doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.

5. Ladle the chutney into sterilised or dishwasher-clean jars (Kilner jars are perfect) and top with paper jam covers. Seal the jars while still hot. Leave to mature for at least a month in a cool dark place.

HEALTH&FOOD 27

The Click List: Christmas

Edition Our pick of the web’s seasonal treats BBC Food’s Mulled Wine Ingredients: 1 bottle red wine 60g/2oz demerara sugar 1 cinnamon stick Grated nutmeg 1 orange, halved 1 dried bay leaf 60ml/2fl oz sloe or damson gin (optional) Method: 1. Put the wine in a saucepan with the orange, sugar, bayleaf and the spices.

2. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.

3. Off the heat, stir in the sloe or damson gin if you are using it.

4. Strain into heatproof glasses and serve at once. www. bbc.co.uk/food

Nigella’s Little Mince Pie Cupcakes Ingredients: 140g /5oz mincemeat 175g / 6oz self raising Flour 100g / 4oz light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar 1tsp mixed Spice 175g / 6oz softened butter 3 eggs 2tbsp milk Icing sugar to dust Method: 1. Heat oven to 190C /fan 170C /

Gas 5 .

2. Line 12 bun cake tin with cake cases.

3. Put flour, sugar, butter, spice, eggs and milk in a bowl and mix with electric mixer or wooden spoon for 2-3 mins until light and fluffy.

4. Put a spoonful of cake mix in each cake case, then a rounded tsp of mincemeat.

5. Cover the mincemeat with a spoonful of cake mix and smooth.

6. Bake for 15-18 mins until golden brown and firm.

7. Dust with Icing sugar and serve. www. nigella.com

Delia’s Spiced Cranberry and Orange jellies with frosted cranberries Ingredients: ½ level teaspoon ground ginger.

1 stick cinnamon, broken into pieces.

1 pint (570 ml) cranberry juice.

2 oranges 1 x 135 g pack Rowntrees orangeflavoured jelly 3 oz (75 g) caster sugar For the frosted cranberries: About 24 cranberries.

1 egg white, lightly beaten with a fork.

1 level tablespoon caster sugar.

Method: 1. First, using a potato peeler, pare off the outer zest of the oranges then squeeze them. Place the zest and juice in a saucepan with the spices, cranberry juice and sugar

BBC Food’s festive mulled wine. Photograph from www.bbc.co.uk/food

and bring everything just up to boiling point - this will take 4-5 minutes.Next place the cubes of jelly in a measuring jug. Strain the cranberry juice mixture through a sieve into a jug and stir until the cubes of jelly have dissolved.

2. Leave the mixture to cool a little before pouring it into glasses; now cover and leave them until completely cold. Then put them in the fridge to set overnight. For the frosted cranberries, all you need to do is dip each berry first in the beaten egg white and then roll in caster sugar to give them a generous coating. Store until the jellies have set and are ready to be decorated. www.deliaonline.com

Chocolate Covered Katie’s Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Dough Balls Ingredients: 6 Tablespoon Peanut Butter .

Around 1 1/2Tablespoon Molasses (20g) 1/2 teaspoon (heaped) cinnamon.

Scant 1/8 teaspoon ginger and nutmeg.

Optional: cloves, sugar.

Method: Simply mix peanut butter and molasses, either using a blender or a fork. Add the spices and mix again. If you add enough spices then the dough is dry enough to be rolled into balls et voila! A simple Christmas treat. www. chocolatecoveredkatie.com

28 GAMING

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

GAMING

Halo: Anniversary Will it be golden?

Jonathan Welford

In 2001, Bungie released Halo: Combat Evolved. Ten years, six games and nine novels later, the Halo series is one of the biggest franchises in the industry today.

It helped the Xbox break in to the gaming market and has amassed millions of fans worldwide. Love it or hate it, no one can deny that Halo has changed the face of console gaming.

Anyone who wants to know what the fuss was about the first time around has no excuse The Halo story depicts a galactic war between humanity and a collective of alien races known as the Covenant. The storyline spans from first contact with these aliens (Halo: Contact Harvest) to their ultimate destruction (Halo 3). To pay homage to that legacy 343 industries, the new owners of the Halo franchise, has released Halo: Anniversary Edition, a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved which started this monolithic franchise. For those of you who haven’t played it, Halo: Combat Evolved tells the story of a small ship of humans who happens across the ring world Halo following a blind jump through slip space, whilst on the run from the Covenant. After a brief space battle the humans land on Halo to continue the fight. They discover that the ring world is in fact an ultimate weapon, and attempt to take control of it before the Covenant.

You play the role of a Spartan; a super soldier built for war, and the last of his kind (unless the books are to be believed).

gameplay and the much anticipated (and controversial) Kinect support.

The closely guarded secrets of the Kinect functionality were a prime source of debate prior to release. Kinect allows you to do things like throw grenades, reload and other in-game actions using your voice. These are cool but don’t really work that well; there is a very noticeable delay between issuing the command and seeing it take effect. Plus, it is always easier to press a button than to shout at your TV. A Kinect exclusive feature is the Library. Using the ‘analyse’ and ‘scan’ voice commands, you can capture character, weapons and vehicle models, and then view them later with a full 3D render and description. While the average player will probably never use this, fans of the series will enjoy, if only briefly, the opportunity to take a closer look at the models.

These features don’t really improve the gameplay and can make talking to someone whilst playing the game quite annoying. They are a flashy gimmick that you will probably use once, then turn off after the fifth time you’ve thrown a grenade at the wall by asking for a cup of tea.

Hidden throughout the campaign are terminals, similar to the

devices of the same name found in Halo 3. These depict various story additions told primarily from the Monitor‘s point of view. They give a glimpse into the events leading up to the creation of the Halos as well as their creators themselves, the mysterious ancient alien race known as the Forerunners. These mini stories are told in the form of animated comics which look great and are more involving than the text format that Halo 3 used.

The skulls which made their first appearance in Halo 2 and have since become iconic to the Halo franchise, also make an appearance in Halo: Anniversary. The regular skulls such as Mythic and Iron are present, along with some new and interesting ones. This includes the first purely positive effect skull in the form of Bandanna, which gives you infinite ammo.

Updated graphics are all that are needed to bring Halo up to modern standards Multiplayer in Halo: Anniversary is not from the traditional Halo: Combat Evolved, instead it is taken from Halo: Reach. They have six multiplayer maps adapted from

Halo was the game that changed the public perception of consoles forever Ultimately, Halo: Anniversary is the same as the original, but with additions and changes that bring it into the modern age. The 360 platform brings with it more some updates, including full Xbox Live

Master Chief found himself on the set of Avatar

the original three games including Battle/Beaver Creek from Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 and (my personal favourite) Headlong from Halo 2. They also included a new fire-fight map, the first to have friendly AI in the form of ODSTs fighting alongside you. The map is a similar layout to a part of the second campaign mission; it boasts a man-cannon as well as a Mongoose and Warthog. A cool feature is that at the end of each wave during the weapon drop, a pelican drops off a vehicle if it has been used, little touches like these show that the game is a labour of love and create a warm familiar feeling for those that played and loved the original at release.

The most obvious change in this edition is no doubt the new graphics which supports full HD and 3D. These changes make the game look beautiful; each level looks as unique and amazing as it did 10 years ago. There is a feature where you can switch back to the original graphics, which does very little other than show how much better looking it is today.

The major advantage of this new release is the full Xbox Live functionality. This makes it possible to play the entire story with a friend over Live. This definately makes playing through that little bit easier but at the same time that

little bit more fun. Get the right friend and even the infamous library level on Legendary becomes doable. Being a 360 game, it also has achievements, none of which are impossibly hard to do. With a little perseverance (and someone to play co-op with) a score of 1000 points is pretty easy to achieve.

Don’t overlook this great game This release is for two types of people: those who missed the original the first time around and have since become Halo fans, and the hardcore fans who will always buy a game with the Halo name stuck on it. The fact that the major changes to this game simply alter asthetic and minor gameplay elements to fit into the current-gen goes to prove how well built the original was.

At the budget price of £30, anyone who has wanted to see what all the fuss was about the first time around has no excuse. Unfortunately however, when compared to some of the other releases this month, this is probably at the bottom of most people‘s piles. It is still a great game, so don’t overlook it.

9/10

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

GAMING 29

Is this the end of WoW? Pandas in the mist Stanley Jackson

Let me take you back to August 2005. Our story starts on Tatooine, a busy Tatooine. The game is Star Wars Galaxies. Sony Online Entertainment and its President John Smedley were very happy, the game had exceeded their target of 1,000,000 users and a bustling Universe was filled with Bounty Hunters, Medics, Spies and Officers, all indulging in that most fantastically geeky fetish: the Star Wars Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO). The game was fairly well received from critics and gamers, the lush graphics, enormous world size and varied character customization led to an all round good MMO experience.

Fast-forward two years. In 2007, coming to the stage a bit late, I brought a copy of the Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit. I enjoyed the game, but one thing was missing, where was everyone? The server I played was mostly empty of people around my level, there was no one I could do any missions with, and purely max-level blueglowy Jedis, who had no intention of helping a lowly level 10, inhabited the town centers. What’s the point? I thought to myself, when I can have no hope of ever catching up to the games high-end elite.

So I quit. I went to play WoW, it was vibrant and there was always something to do.

tine. I’d succeeded in the Arena in The Burning Crusade and Wrath of The Lich King; I’d raided Karazhan, Black Temple, Ice Crown, et al to my hearts content. Re-rolling a new class and doing dungeons with friends was fun for a while, but there was nothing new, nothing to keep you captivated. But I was still in a minority; most people still (rightly) contend that WoW is the King.

Even so, times are changing.

Recent reports have suggested that WoW may no longer be the undisputed champion in terms of monthly subscribers; Habbo Hotel is nearing 10 million a month.

Despite a recent loss of 800,000 players, the subscribers still make up more than the entire population of Cuba, and possess the economic clout of Samoa. WoW still boasts around half of all MMO users and rake in $800,000 a year for Activision, so let’s not feel too sorry for them just yet. So why are people staying, and why are people leaving? There are complaints about the changes in both PvP and raiding. Blizzard is in a difficult position in this sense. It must cater for those who have been playing for seven years, and at the same time attract new members.

There are those who hark back to the days of all-night Alterac Val-

leys and the excitement that went with forming actual rivalries with your enemies on your server. You would recognise names and create genuinely interesting battles. Now everyone knows the drill. You’re grouped in with faceless counterparts from other servers, none of whom feel like an ally. However, if Blizzard reverted back to this they would lose many of the casual gamers who don’t want to spend three hours winning one battleground. The effort that goes into making a new event or dungeon is quickly nullified by the high end guilds, and as this information on how to beat a boss trickles down through the server, Blizzard must again react with new content before the players grow tired of the current high-end dungeon. It’s all a bit formulaic. The gear too, becomes a formula of success, with old gear becoming quickly obsolete. There is no option but to add better gear and increase the level cap every expansion, but it leaves the better players strolling Azeroth like demi-gods, leaving new players to view the venture to what will soon be level 90 as a chore, an unthankful task, which by the time they have finished will be a replaced with a new expansion, more gear, more dungeons.

“I used to enjoy five-man dun-

Warcraft has 10.3 million subscribers As early as 2006, just a year after the good days of Star Wars Galaxies and two expansions later, there were only 10,000 subscribers playing a night: fortunes in the world of MMOs can turn quickly.

It will not surprise anyone to know, that as of December this year, Star Wars Galaxies will shut down its servers for the last time. There are still some remnants of the hardcore, but the huddle of blue glowies outside the Tatooine Space Station must feel awfully alone in the desert, trudging through the sand searching for life in the chat channel like some post exodus apocalypse. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and they don’t come much bigger than World of Warcraft.

I quit WoW mid-way through Wrath of the Lich King, the games’ second expansion. It just didn’t excite me, those elusive shiny purple shoulders no longer felt like an unknown quantity, it felt rou-

Is this what WoW should really be about, a panda fighting a bird?

geons,” says Tom, a player who left WoW around the same time as me. “Finding a group used to be fun, you would get to know people: you had to in order to consistently find groups. If you were an idiot then the server would quickly hear about it. Now it’s just a race, with people from other servers you will never see again. If someone goes to the toilet now, they get kicked from the group: everyone is replaceable. The new system was successful in the short term, but in the long term I think it will be very destructive.”

This may not be the end, but it could be the start of it Blizzard has been tweaking and adjusting WoW since its sunrise, and if anyone has to know-how to give it an overhaul that as of yet, has not been forthcoming, it is them. The Mists of Pandaria is the latest brainchild of Blizzard and features the Pandaren, a race that existed before as only a bonus character in Warcraft 3, and despite the defenses of fans who (correctly) say ‘It’s not just like Kung Fu Panda because WoW did it first’ I’m not sure the general

public, or the casual Warcraft fan is going to see much past the fact that the mighty WoW is reduced to fighting Pandas. There is also the by now standard level cap increase, the new playable race (Pandaren) and the new class (Monk), as well as a rehaul of the talent tree system. Of those who still play, not many I have spoken to are thrilled about the Panda expansion. The new raids and dungeons will be exciting, but it also looks increasingly like Blizzard has run out of villains.

This does not mean WoW has become a bad game; it still provides one of the most complete MMO experiences. But seven years after release, it is beginning to feel old. There is nothing that Blizzard can change about that save a full overhaul, which would risk decimating player numbers. World of Warcraft, due to the unique expertise of the people who run it, will likely not be murdered by a sharp fall in membership like Star Wars: Galaxies was. But we are now witnessing its twilight years. I do not believe the Warcraft series will end with this game, but one day in the not-too-distant future, the old King will be quietly put to sleep, after a truly magnificent reign.

30 SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY The engine of the future?

Shenol chakar

Dear reader, please check out the two diagrams. One of the illustrated devices requires no cooling and has no valves or crankshaft. A car engine?

No way! Or is it? Enthusiastic mechanical engineers from Michigan State University have recently come up with a new engine concept which leaves out many of the systems used in conventional car engines.

A challenge to the internal combustion engine used in motor vehicles today, the concept takes this critical vehicle component to a new level and has the potential to change the automobile industry for good. The first prototype has already been constructed and is based on a disk-shaped container with many channels inside the structure and a powerful rotor. As the rotor is set in motion, it starts feeding oxygen and fuel inside the channels, while also mixing them up.

The concept takes this critical vehicle component to a new level The spin cycles block the channels and thus cause the internal pressure to rise to a point high enough to generate a shockwave and ignite the fuel. There are many, many advantages to this revolutionary idea. The prototype has been designed to be better than the average engine in almost every way – including size, weight and fuel efficiency.

Initial calculations show that a car of the future using a fully developed model would weigh around 400kg less and would use three times less fuel than one with a normal engine. Lighter motor vehicles typically consume less fuel on average Fewer moving mechanical components mean less friction and heat, enhancing engine longevity and reducing maintenance costs.

production costs would be considerably smaller as well, resulting in much more economical, lighter and cheaper vehicles. On paper, the concept saves money and reduces an automobile’s carbon footprint at the same time.

Everybody wins.

The debate whether video games contribute to rising violence has been a heated one since the days of Doom.

The latest report from Indiana University School of Medicine concludes that playing violent video games has a direct effect on brain activity and specifically on the portion of the brain responsible for emotions, making young people more prone to aggression. I guess gamers should watch out.

Only time can tell whether we can leave combustion engines in the past The engineers are very excited about their initiative and are trying to secure a grant worth two and a half million dollars from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency which the next crucial stage of the project is dependent upon. Now they have to actually construct a full, working model of their new engine and test it.

If the concept enters mass production soon enough, I might as well buy a car equipped with such an engine.

It requires no cooling and has no valves or crankshaft. A car engine? No way!

Let’s hope it costs less than a fortune. Does it sound too good

The engine of the future

to be true? I bet it does. We are used to the old, reliable, fuelhungry combustion engines. It

remains to be seen whether we can leave them in the past. Good luck, scientists!

Grand Theft Auto 3: 10 Year Anniversary Edition will be released in about a week for Apple iOS and Android devices. The first time I saw this I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Grand Theft Auto III on a smartphone? Awesome!

It will cost US$5 so it’s not going to burn a hole in anybody’s pocket for Christmas.

Android Market, one of the world’s most successful proprietary mobile app stores, has reached 10 billion downloads. Apple’s app store is still leading

The prototype is designed to be better than the average engine in almost every way Taking all these factors into account, we can safely claim that

In other news

A diagram of how this new engine will work

though, standing at more than 18 billion downloads.

Spark*

Friday 9 December 2011

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY 31

Top 5 Christmas gadget ideas

MAT Greenfield

it stands as arguably the most up-to-date console around. The main gimmick of this particular handheld is the ability to play games in 3D without having to use glasses (though if you’re buying this for a geek that wouldn’t be an issue), but there have been numerous complains of it hurting the eyeballs after prolonged use. Regardless, its

Everyone has a nerdy friend; this has been proven by science. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to have been landed with him or her for Secret Santa (or in the off-chance you actually care about them) you’ll have been looking for present ideas to match their utter lack of ungeekiness this Christmas. Look no further, as Spark* Sci-Tech’s annual ‘Top 5 Christmas Gadgets’ list is here to help.

5. Amazon Kindle We’re cheating a bit here since the Kindle was on the list last year, but a reworked user interface, a keyboard-ectomy and a modest price drop has made taking the first tentative steps into the eReader market even easier.

Everyone has a nerdy friend, this has been proven by science The lowest price Kindle we could find was £89 by most high street shops or direct from Amazon, and the slightly pricier models come with contract-less 3G connection to download eBooks.

But bear in mind that the gleeful recipient of the Kindle will still have to sink some cold, hard

moolah into eBooks to deck it out with.

4. Windows Phone 7

It’s about time. However, with rapidly upcoming competition and no Steve Jobs to fill it’s charisma-quota, there is a buzz that Apple have run out of ideas.

Another slight cheat, but now that Microsoft have had time to iron out the kinks of the Windows Phone 7 operating system, and cram it into a few handsets, it’s a much more appealing prospect. Choose between the big manufacturers of Apple or the lawless abandon of Android, though the somewhat lacking app store of the latter may put some people off.

3. Nintendo 3DS Though the 3D can be a polarising feature (nerdy pun intended), there’s no denying that as the only major games platform released in the last 12 months,

It wouldn’t be a gadget list without the JobsCo making an appearance

relatively low price, good screen and wide selection of games make it an ideal present for your local gamer that won’t break the bank or your back trying to carry it.

Anyone in a long, boring lecture knows the addictive draw of Angry Birds 2. iPhone 4S It wouldn’t be a gadget list without the JobsCo making an appearance. Apple’s long-awaited iPhone 4S shattered all rumours of new casings and new cameras and gave us...a slightly better iPhone 4.

It’s most notable feature, of course, being the silver-tongued/ golden-eared personal assistant ‘Siri’ application that finally shattered the prejudice associated with having conversations with inanimate objects.

It may be that come next Christmas the iPhone 4S will be incredibly out of style, and you may be stuck in a 24-month contract. So be careful.

1. Angry Birds Cookbook No, seriously. Anyone unfortunate enough to be sat in a long, boring lecture but lucky enough

to have a smartphone knows the addictive draw of Angry Birds; it’s not just for geeks anymore.

If your token nerd happens to be a fan, and validates the stereotype with clueless cooking skills, then this cookbook based on Angry Birds, containing mostly egg recipes (ironically provided by chef Aldo Zilli, the guy from the Optivita adverts who’s really concerned about your cholesterol) will keep your resident geek alive at least long enough to fix your computer.

So whatever your budget this Christmas, you are now armed with the knowledge of how to please your well-loved nerdy friend. Whatever gadget or gizmo you choose to buy them, they will certainly be pleased.

32 TRAVEL

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

travel India: Colour and life

Simon Truscott

Somewhere between gate 213 of Dubai airport and my seat aboard the fully-laden plane, I entered a microcosm of another country that would begin a two-month long trip.

This was a huge step from my life at home into the mysterious area that Geography lessons told me sits east of Europe, is densely populated and unimaginably colourful: India.

As it turned out, those things all turned out to be true. The flight to Jaipur meant a transfer in Mumbai airport – which, despite armed

guards inside the terminals, the exterior was a mass of people, confusion and luggage. Slum housing jutted out over the barbed wire and jet-liners diced with unforgiving-looking improvement works.

Arriving in Jaipur airport, almost a full day after leaving my front door in rural Derbyshire, I was greeted by my host ‘mother’, who was, unusually for the country, a feminist activist and university lecturer. Although her welcoming words were never-ending, so was her horrific driving.

I saw nothing of Jaipur until daylight the next morning when I

stood on the rooftop and saw the orange mountains in the distance and heard the general buzz and honking horns from the streets below.

Still jet-lagged, and not entirely secure in the boot of a tuk-tuk, (with no room for the five people on its rear bench) we made our way to a slum school twenty minutes away, where we would spend the weekdays during February.

Needless to say, the ride was a near-death but fantastic experience – every inch of land had people living and trading on it, with their rubbish being pulled apart by semi-wild goats which occasionally strayed into the traffic. Both a motorbike with a whole family perched on it and a Hindu funeral procession with a very visible corpse passed within inches of us as we weaved through the chaos. I would just have to get used to their way of life – that is, life goes on and death is part of it.

During visits to ‘The Pink City’ at the heart of Jaipur, I noticed how I was regarded with either blank, slightly threatening stares from locals or the hard-sell approach from tourist-shop owners. That said, the former was because I did tend to go off the tourist trail and it must have seemed a little unusual.

My job description at the school alternated between ‘keeper of peace amongst very lively toddlers’ and ‘reader of ladybird books to teenagers’. The incred-

ible fact was that the children were there at all, with school fees being only one US dollar a month per child, but the majority not being able to easily afford it despite having two parents in work, if they could find it.

Skyscrapers rub shoulders with barren patches of land Most rewarding was the feeling of being useful, though I doubt if any of the children got much better at reading ‘Thumbelina’ during my spell there. On International Women’s Day, we taught some local women to play pass the parcel and a campaigner educating them about their rights was only briefly interrupted by the principal of the school firing up his extremely loud motorbike, parting the assembled crowd in two before disappearing into the slum.

Later on, a few of the volunteers ate dinner at his house and this involved a great deal of Kingfisher beers (several of which were for the principal’s mother-in-law), a huge Dalmatian (unusual in India where pets are rare), and half-way through the meal, three Jesuit priests arrived and joined in the jovial but bizarre atmosphere.

After a month in Jaipur, I headed back to Mumbai to for a few weeks’ work experience. Here, I found it a relative luxury to be in

even an old taxi after the harsh tuk-tuks of Rajasthan. After a sweeping motorway, the city of Mumbai seemed to grow out of an beautiful mass of tropical-looking plants and trees. Skyscrapers were rubbing shoulders with barren patches of land where children played cricket constantly.

One morning, I walked from the Lower Parel district to Chowpatty Beach – finding that, just like London, everyone gets on with their own business in Mumbai, and I was not always met with quite the same looks as I had been in the self-proclaimed ‘backwards states’ of the north. At Chowpatty beach, even though there are surfboards, and hotels which look like they belong in Miami, the sea water is toxic and shouldn’t be swum in.

On the plus-side, the beach itself was mostly very clean whilst I was there.

Afterwards, I travelled to the Gateway of India, right by the hotel that got attacked by terrorists in 2008. As I left Mumbai for home, everyone was watching the India vs. Pakistan cricket match and so it left the streets pretty empty. Interest in the match was meant to provide a means of cohesion between the two countries, however, more recently other areas of the Mumbai have been attacked – a constant reminder of the region’s political fragility.

Despite this, India is well worth a visit even if you only do it once. It will be unforgettable!

Prague: A place to add to your ‘to do’ list Milly Chick

Prague warms you with its lowlylit cobbled streets, beautifully coloured buildings, and of course, the occasional shot of absinthe, making it the perfect winter weekend away. A perfectly balanced combination of grandeur and history permeates this metropolis, and begs you to explore every inch further. Our accommodation represented fantastic value for money and although it was furnished with little more than a bed and table, it was a mere stumble away from the old town centre.

Having arrived in the evening we thought it best to drop our things and venture straight into the night life. Being overly cautious of Prague’s seedy ‘stag party’ repute, we avoided many windowless dwellings, especially those that featured full length pictures of dancers plastered over the window. However, if you are that way inclined, this side of Prague

exists within New Town, but you do not need to go there otherwise.

The bars exist in huge variety and serve inexpensive drinks and food until the early hours of the morning. More often than not, the bars embody a causal and mellow mood, fashioning themselves as the ideal retreat after a day of culture.

It contains a certain modesty and shyness, unlike grander cities Moreover, the local bartenders were more than happy to set us up for the next nightspot by lighting a sugar cube above the infamous green liquor while then proceeding to laugh at our wincing faces.

Off to the next bar/pub/nightclub (as they all sort of merge into one), which was accessible down a steep set of stone spiral stairs. Feeling slightly intoxicated and worried we were about to enter a medieval

torture chamber, we were relieved to find good music and a cave-like bar and dance floor. Most of the bars and clubs are like this and embrace a spirited atmosphere.

Day one comprised of beautifully crisp air and glorious sun beams. We found the best option was simply to forget any guides and just walk. The castle rests on the top of the hill over the other side of the river and exists almost as a town in its own right. It really is spectacular.

Enclosed within the walls lie a magnificent cathedral and various royal house buildings with balconies and windows that offer the most stunning views of the City.

History fills each wall, nook and cranny and is mostly fascinating.

Nevertheless, the dressing up box in the grand hall certainly helps to place you in the correct mindset for the medieval royal court, perhaps for the less mature of us.

The decline back to the city centre passes many a quaint café,

each boasting its own unique view of the rooftops. The walk is charmingly romantic and not what I expected from a once communist and tumultuous country. One of the main dishes here is goulash, which remains from the less prosperous times, and is essentially a stew with meat and/or vegetables, (not too bad on a briskly cold day).

This is always bettered by the beer, which is supposed to be some of the best in the world.

History fills each wall, nook and cranny The bridge, dividing the royal part and the old town fills with street entertainment and reminds one being in a Parisian boulevard (albeit a slightly more subtle one). The atmosphere diffused throughout Prague seems to capture something mysterious yet, magical. It contains a certain modesty and

shyness which differentiates it from other grander city breaks.

Everything that defines culturefrom great modern and classic art to awe-inspiring architecture and ground-breaking literature exists within this city. However, rather than boasting about them, Prague holds them dearly and unassumingly and waits for you to discover them yourselves.

The rest of our time in Prague consisted of further exploration into a deep-routed culture. The Jewish quarter incorporates a fantastically eye opening history and the squares, mainly Old Town Square, hold the most impressive amalgamation of cafés, shops, restaurants, galleries and stunning clock towers which again offer arresting views over the city.

Prague is a city that has been through turmoil and come out the other side as a strikingly alluring and decidedly noble place. It’s certainly somewhere to add to your ‘to do’ list!

33 SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

Society spotlight

In this feature, Spark* investigates one of the many dance clubs at the University of Reading This issue: Reading University Tap and Modern Club (RUTAM) Lizzie Pollington

Above: A close up on one of our dancers feet. Right above: Technical Tap footwork. Right below: The modern dancers stretching at the start of the class. All photographs by Laurence Stech.

Dance is very well represented at the University of Reading, and amongst the various clubs is Reading University Tap and Modern club (RUTAM). As the name suggests the club teaches tap (where metal plates on the soles of the shoes accentuate each beat as sounded by different steps) and modern dancing (similar to what you would see in music videos).

Tap is quite a technical form of dance. The focus is on footwork more than anything else and the moves are quite intricate and subtle. It is quite a good form of dance to pick up if you have never danced before, as the steps generally only involve one body part, so it demands less multi-tasking.

Modern is a very versatile dance style as it is quite a general name, encompassing many different dance genres. If you want to just have a bit of a boogie, modern is the dance for you. It covers lyrical almost balletic styles, popular music video styles, jazzy musical theatre and sometimes verging on street dance.

With a tap class for absolute beginners, intermediate dancers

who have done tap before, and advanced tappers who can manage whatever the teacher throws at them, there is something for everyone. The mixed ability modern class allows varying levels of experience to all dance together, sharing dance wisdom and generally having a good time.

The feel of the club is quite laid back. Although they take the dance seriously it is not competitive or elitist and all members are given equal opportunities to showcase their skills and talents.

In Spring Term RUTAM is putting on a dance show extravaganza. There will be many different types of modern performed, including musical theater, lyrical, and street inspired. The dances will range from large group numbers, to solos and duets, showcasing each and every dancer in the styles that suit them most. The tap routines will show how flexible a style it is and intend to impress the audience with just how many beats can be made by human feet! Dates and venues are not confirmed for the show yet but keep your eye out in Spark* for all the details.

If you want to have a go at dancing, RUTAM is a great place to try.

Reading University Tap and Modern Club train weekly on Thursdays in 3sixty: 6pm-7pm Beginners and Intermediate Tap 7pm-8pm Mixed ability Modern 8pm-9pm Advanced Tap Membership for the year costs £30, but Sports Federation Insurance is also mandatory and that is an extra £14. You don’t have to pay for every lesson though, so each class works out at less than £1!

For more information email us at tapandmodernclub@live. co.uk or follow our Facebook group Reading University Tap and Modern Club.

Come along for a boogie!

The intermediate tappers’ technical footwork. Photograph by Laurence Stech

Intermediate tap dancers practising their routine. Photograph by Laurence Stech

Modern dancers learning some new steps. Photograph by Laurence Stech

34 LETTERS

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

Letters & Events SIFE needs you Merry Christmas from the Spark* Editorial team

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is an international non-profit organisation active in over 1,500 universities across the globe. This unique network of students, academics and business leaders come together to make a real difference to our world.

Together, we share the vision of using enterprise, initiative and expertise to create student-led projects which empower people to improve their environmental, social and economic circumstances.

SIFE Reading is looking to recruit a new member to our committee responsible for all media relation activities on pro-bono basis.

A flare of creativity is a must for this role. This person should be self-motivated, innovative and able to think of new ways to promote the society and our events. They must be a team player with good communication and interpersonal skills as they will be representing our society to the student body and

the local media. Support would be provided by our SIFE UK corporate sponsors from the Guardian and Edelman.

Your responsibilities in the role will include leading the marketing team. You will also have to increase the profile of the society on campus and within the local community through story telling.

Writing project update articles and sending it over to media links like Spark*, local newspapers and radio stations, will be your responsibility too. Using Google News to identify relevant journalists and bloggers who will write about our projects and our impact on community developments with the aim to gain more corporate sponsors and support to make our projects a success. You would also have to monitor the Society’s social media links e.g. Facebook, Twitter and website. Planning, co-ordinating and organising all marketing and recruitment related events will be

Annual Fund news Season’s greetings from the Development & Alumni Relations Office!

I am delighted to report that the Annual Fund telephone campaign finished earlier this week, raising an amazing – and record breaking - £205,000 in just five weeks!

Over a third of the Reading graduates telephoned by our student team chose to make a donation to the Annual Fund, with gifts ranging from £20 to £1,000. Together, all of these donations will make a huge difference in supporting students at Reading, and will mean that we can provide more bursaries, hardship funds and scholarships than ever before. And guess what? We are starting to recruit for the spring 2012 Annual Fund telephone campaign today!

So why should you get involved?

Well, taking part in the campaign is an excellent opportunity to develop your communication skills, seek careers advice from our graduates, learn a little of the University’s colourful history and to make a difference to the lives of your fellow students. Oh, and

the pay is pretty good too - £7ph plus other great incentives. If you are interested, email Lizzi and she will send you the link to apply: e.k.hollis@reading.ac.uk In other news, you should have recently received a ‘season’s greetings’ e-card from our team, telling you about the ways in which you can stay connected with University life: now, and once you join the alumni community after you leave. There is a very funky digital Christmas tree included in this ecard too, which you can hang your own virtual decorations on, along with a little message. Check your email inbox now to find the e-card and get writing on the University Christmas tree!

Have a great break over Christmas, and if you have exams – good luck! Remember, you can find us on Facebook (search ‘University of Reading Alumni’) and Twitter: @ UniRdg_Alumni Laura Garman Alumni Communications Officer

Does Spark* talk to you? If not, talk to us!

Email: editor.spark@reading.ac.uk Any comments, suggestions, complaints or praises are always welcome.

part of the job too. For , organising Fresher’s Fayre, Refresher’s Fayre, careers fairs and employability week – including posters, stalls, lecture shout-outs and any other appropriate marketing materials.

If you are a budding journalist or writer this would be a great means of gaining work experience on campus and developing networks within the media industry. Moreover you will have the opportunity to meet some of the most fun-loving, enthusiastic and driven individuals from not just the University of Reading, but also other SIFE UK teams.

What do you do next? Send an email of 250 words by 16/12/11 to enquiries@sife-reading.com explaining why you want to apply for the role and what you aim to achieve from your role as an MRE. No experience in the media industry is required, just your commitment and wiliness to learn.

Term time employment (£7 an hour + great incentives!)

Hello dear readers!

Well, we’ve done it, we’ve reached the end of term and now Christmas awaits us with all its festive cheer. Only a few more deadlines stand between we poor struggling students and good food, too much mulled wine and a well deserved break from working.

This term has been very successful for Spark*. Our reinstated Society Spotlight page is going from strength to strength, and the university sports teams have been showing off their achievements in our Sports pages and it’s been great to see what they have all been up to.

So this is the last issue of the Autumn Term. Look out for Spunk, our very own satirical pullout, which will be coming out towards the end of next term, as well as all of our usual fantastic issues of Spark* to come.

Remember it’s never too late to write for Spark* so if you want to get your name in print, don’t hestiate!

That’s it from us for now. Enjoy the vacation and try not to work too hard. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Lizzie Pollington and Rosi Hirst

P.O. Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AZ Tel: 0118 378 4140 Vol 58. Issue

Editorial Staff

Editor:

Rosi Hirst editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

Deputy Editor:

Lizzie Pollington deped.spark@reading.ac.uk

News Editor:

Kate Delaney news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News Sub-Editor:

Calum Rogers news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Comment Editors:

Lucy Ponder and Kerrie Black

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

We are recruiting NOW for students to work on Reading’s sixteenth Annual Fund telephone campaign. This four week job will involve telephoning our graduates to update them on University of Reading news while raising money to support bursaries, scholarships and projects that benefit students across the university.

Political Comment

Jessica Rees

Editor:

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

Key dates: The campaign will run from 4 February to 4 March 2012.

The deadline for applications is Friday 20 January at 2pm.

Gaming Editor:

Tom Wood gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

Contact: e.k.hollis@reading.ac.uk for further information and to apply.

“As a previous Annual Fund caller I can honestly say the rewards from this job are overwhelming.

The warmth of our alumni and hearing about their anecdotes while they were students is as satisfying as receiving a donation.

This job is the perfect opportunity to seek careers advice, learn a little of the university’s colourful history from a student perspective and to make a difference to the lives of your fellow students today and in the future.”

Lizzi Hollis, Annual Fund Officer and MA student.

Editor:

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

Interview Editor:

Ellis Wheatley interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Film, DVD & TV

Steven Howse and Thom Dixon

Editors:

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

Music Editor:

Laurence Green music.spark@reading.ac.uk

Music Sub-Editor:

Jamie Milton music.spark@reading.ac.uk

Science & Tech

Mat Greenfield and Shenol Chaker

Arts&Books Editor: Nadine Michaels arts.spark@reading.ac.uk Fashion Editors:

Petrina De Gouttes and Roberta Sarll

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Travel Editor:

Erica Macheriotou travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

Health Editor:

Renate Cumming-Benson health.spark@reading.ac.uk

Fun&Games Editor: Chris Ryder fun.spark@reading.ac.uk Sport Editor:

Sophie Elliot and Cameron Humphries

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

Head of PR:

Collette Naden pr.spark@reading.ac.uk

Proofreaders:

Katey Watkins, Steven McCauley

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.

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

fun.spark@reading.ac.uk

fun&games Crossword 031 America is not a plus (5) 19. Playing the part of Bottom, taking it to pieces (7) 20. Queasy lumberjack cuts down haven (6) 22. Passive protest with no-good placement? (3-2) 24. Starting to require old dear’s stick (3)

Straight Clues ACROSS

Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1. Ache really hurts, but starting to fade in oil, perhaps (9) 6. God finally striking back (5) 9. Recount beginning, middle and end of decomposition (3) 10. Told to kick out manufacturers?

Cobblers! (10) 13. Getting it out, realize easy-open icing is French (6,4,5) 14. Friend guarding revolutionary with a large knife (7) 15. Live dressed like a monk (7) 16. Diversion produces a problem when beginning to drive back (7) 18. Old man’s loud after 101, but at 99 calm (7) 21. How to get things packed for a holiday? The answer is obvious (4-3-4,4) 23. Oddball is rowdy, but also a dish

(5,5) 25. Came across something often done well in Shakespeare? (3) 26. Wise words in the modern era (5) 27. Goblins have taken up (it’s rumoured) pens (9)

DOWN 2. Article sounds like it should be on the main channel (5) 3. Lacking status, after all? (15) 4. One evening, the point was taken with understanding (7) 5. Fine land (6) 7. Eat moist cake – it’s to be chewed on when it arrives? (4,2,2,2,5) 8. Wind up in trial (3) 11. Mother with child who works with stone (5) 12. Exhibition of glass? (9) 13. In part, takes a measure of alcohol and doesn’t quite make 21 (9) 17. Having the least possible on

1. Pictures that can be watercolour, oil, etc. (9) 6. Map of the world (5) 9. Decay (3) 10. Creators of footwear (10) 13. Speaking your mind (6,4,5) 14. Large knife especially good for cutting through foliage (7) 15. Dwell (7) 16. Hobby (7) 18. Earth’s largest ocean (7) 21. Trial in which the outcome is clear throughout (4-3-4,4) 23. Healthy mixed dish eaten as an appetizer or dessert (5,5) 25. Encountered (3) 26. Saying; proverb (5) 27. Locks up (9)

DOWN 2. Main artery carrying blood from the heart (5) 3. In spite of (15) 4. Wisdom (7) 5. Instruct in the fundamentals of a subject (6) 7. Only worry about a thing when it happens (4,2,2,2,5) 8. One of the four elements (3) 11. Person skilled in building with stone (5) 12. A person seen publicly as ridiculous (9) 13. Old term for evidence from only one witness (9) 17. A number below zero (5) 19. Apart; in pieces (7) 20. Place of refuge (6) 22. Passive seated protest (3-2) 24. Long, thin metal bar (3)

Dear Aunt Adelaide...

Adelaide Featherstonehaugh returns from her sojourn in Mauritius full of Christmas cheer and mince pies to feel smug over the people who still have problems at this time of year.

flower and sum chokalot and pleez cood I hav a cat pleez. I hav bin a very good girl this yeer and my mum sez that meenz I wil get wot I wont.

From Amy Wilkes, age 6

Dear Farther Krismas, Dear Amy Wilkes, age 6, For krismas I wood lik a barby doll and a doll house and a blue toy car and a bel for my bisikle and a film abowt poniez that woz on the tv on munday and a pink hat with a

I think you may have got me confused with somebody else, unless the postman has made a big mistake in which case I do

hope Father Christmas knows how to advise someone who’s going through a tricky divorce.

However, I have a feeling it was your father who wrote to me recently with a particularly embarrassing problem, so as it happens I may be able to arrange for you to receive all the things you want if he still doesn’t want it to go public.

All the best dear and have a very Happy Christmas, Adelaide

FUN&GAMES 35

Recipe for mulled wine Having enjoyed her stint as ActingAgony-Aunt, Imogen Colquhoun has insisted on retuning this week to give us her family’s coveted recipe for mulled wine.

3.

Mulled wine is one of the easiest recipes in the world and it really is delightful. Five simple steps are necessary: 1.

2.

Gather as many of your friends as you can find - nine or ten is usually a good number.

Nip up to the supermarket

4.

5.

and buy yourselves a lot of your favourite wine - try to allow at least five or six bottles per person if possible.

Return home and sit thinking about the wine for about half and hour. This is what we in the cooking business call “mulling”.

Drink the wine.

When all the wine has been drunk, anyone still conscious is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, buy more wine.

Crystmas Cryptograms Decipher the codes to read the six quotations below, which are all extremely cheerful and Christmasthemed. Ho ho ho! Beware - the code is different for each puzzle!

Try looking for single and two letter words at the start, as well as recurring endings such as “-ed” and “-ing”. Good luck!

1. MBKZQNYGQ ZQ NBW NZYW XBWE IZCQ NWOO QGENG XBGN NBWH XGEN GEC GCDONQ FGH TRK ZN. CWTZMZNQ GKW XBWE GCDONQ NWOO LRJWKEYWEN XBGN NBWH XGEN GEC NBWZK IZCQ FGH TRK ZN. - Richard Lamm 2. D ISQHBKUDB IDXWRN HB D RAENRC KSHXM: HK UDFNB XA XAHBN DK DRR, GPK BAOKRC MHENB HKBNRO DTDC; TSHRN VPHKN PXBNROHBS, HK MQATB BUDRR. - Eva K. Logue

3. CRJ CW XOJ DCTX VZCESCYT DJTTJT SR XOJ ICEZF ST XOJ DJTT AEJPXJF SR XOJ ZSMSRV ECCD CR AOESTXDPT FPH. FCR’X AZJPR SX YL XCC GYSAUZH. - Andy Rooney 4. N ZJVKKUO IUHNURNDC ND ZMDJM QHMBZ STUD N SMZ ZNW. PVJTUL JVVA PU JV ZUU TNP ND M OUKMLJPUDJ ZJVLU MDO TU MZAUO XVL PE MBJVCLMKT. - Shirley Temple 5. ZPYZDP RCF’U RYFRPFUWCUP ZWYZPWDM YF LDYOTFA YUIPW ZPYZDP UY ZTPRPH TJ UIPTW KTFEH CWP ZYTHYFPE LM UIYGAIUH HGTUCLDP UY UIP UOPFUM-JTJUI YJ EPRPKLPW. - Ogden Nash

Answers to last edition’s puzzles (Friday 25 November 2011)

36 ADVERTISEMENT

marketing@rusu.co.uk

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

We’re behind you

Keep pedalling… …we replace stolen and damaged bicycles within �� hours* Specialist Bicycle Insurance from the number one student insurance provider

Cover starts from just £27.25** a year

Get a quote today Visit endsleigh.co.uk/bicyclecover Call 0800 389 1920 insurance recommended by * 24 hours represents 1 working day from us accepting your claim. **£27.25 is based upon a student living in Cheltenham at postcode GL51 on 09.11.11 with a bike valued up to £149.

Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This can be checked on the FSA Register by visiting its website at www.fsa.gov.uk Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited. Company No: 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.

SPORT Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT 37

F1 Season Review - Top five drivers

1st: Sebastian Vettel, 392 Points

2nd: Jenson Button, 270 Points

3rd: Mark Webber, 258 Points

4th: Fernando Alonso, 257 Points

5th: Lewis Hamilton, 227 Points

The youngest double world champion in F1’s history, Sebastian Vettel’s season was as close to perfection as he could have dreamed.

Vettel recorded 11 victories and 15 pole positions, and was only off the podium on two occasions.

If there were any remaining doubts about Vettel’s ability to ‘race’ going into this season, they were surely answered in his stunning pass on Fernando Alonso at Monza in September.

Vettel will go into next season as the clear favourite, and not many would bet against the German making it a hat-trick of world titles.

Jenson Button more than proved he is a match for teammate Lewis Hamilton this year, becoming the first of Hamilton’s teammates to beat him over a whole season.

Button’s victories were majestic in Japan, Hungary, and particularly Canada, where his last lap overtake of Sebastian Vettel capped one of the sport’s greatest ever races.

Following a successful second half to the season Button will live in the knowledge that should McLaren provide him with the car, he is more than capable of adding to his solitary world title achieved in 2009.

This has been a disappointing season for the veteran Australian. Despite finishing third in the driver’s standings, Mark Webber was consistently out-qualified and out-raced by teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Never far off the pace, Webber thrice failed to convert pole positions into race victories.

His only race victory came in the dead rubber that was the season finale in Brazil, and even then only after his teammate Vettel had run into technical problems.

Webber will undoubtedly fight on, but questions remain as to his long term future at Red Bull.

One would expect Fernando Alonso to have underperformed based on his fourth place finish this year; however, that could not be further from the truth.

Alonso battled all season with a disappointing Ferrari car and it is testament to the double world champion that he accumulated the points total he ended up with.

His luck came back in July with a win at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, although many fine drives led to an impressive 10 podium finishes.

If given the car, Alonso will undoubtedly challenge for titles once more.

This has undoubtably been a season to forget for the 2008 champion.

An entire article could be written on the McLaren driver’s season. It promised so much but was marred by numerous racing incidents, characterised by a season long feud with Felipe Massa.

His wins in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi showcased the Hamilton of old, yet all too often Hamilton’s impatience led to lost points.

There has been much talk of personal problems, and Hamilton will need to put such issues to bed if he is to challenge for the title next season.

Cameron Humphries

Drivers could now use the old KERS system combination with reducing drag if they were within a second of the driver in front when entering a specific DRS activation zone.

Overtaking was rife this season, and although some purists have questioned the introduction of DRS, its introduction was surely a success.

Pirelli’s fast degrading tyres also caused havoc, with many a race strategy ruined. Team strategy and tyre management have never been as important as they were this season.

Some of the racing on show was outstanding. Jenson Button’s victory in Canada will be remembered for years to come, his last lap overtake on Sebastian Vettel a special moment.

Felipe Massa and Michaeal Schumacher both had seasons to forget.

Nico Rosberg remains promising.

Scottish driver Paul Di Resta also made for an impressive debutant, finishing 13th.

After 18 years in Formula 1, Rubens Barichello’s career may well be over, with his drive for next season yet to be secured.

Meanwhile, former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is set to return to F1 with Lotus Renault next season.

Whether anyone can match Red Bull next season remains to be

seen, but few would bet against their continued success.

F1 Season Review - Season Summary Five world champions, nineteen races. It was billed as the greatest F1 season yet, and in terms of the quality of the races, the quality of the drivers, and the quality of the overall product, they were probably right.

Adjustments to some technical regulations in particular certainly made for a really exciting formula. In addition to KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems), DRS (Drag Reduction System) was recetly introduced to the fast-paced sport.

Adrian Newey and Christian Horner masterminded Vettel’s victories

Five world champions, nineteen races. It was billed as the greatest F1 season yet Looking beyond the top five, the season also had many ups and downs for the other drivers.

Jenson Button’s victory in Canada will be remembered for years to come Vettel undoubtedly has the qualities that are needed to create a true legacy. As long as Red Bull can continue to provide him with the right car, the German will be able to dominate for years to come.

Dominant: Vettel leading in Singapore, something he was very much accustomed to throughout the year

38 SPORT

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

Reading University Knights Knights achieve a narrow victory over the Bears in closest game yet Matthew Kubisa

Sunday saw the last game of this half of the British University American Football League season, with the Reading Knights going head to head with the Royal Holloway Bears. The match came down to the wire as both sides relentlessly pushed for victory in what came down to a decisive 15 yard drive in the final quarter as the Bears tried to push past the Knights defence, coming just short after a intercepted pass sealed Reading’s 14–7 victory.

The match came down to the wire as both sides relentlessly pushed for victory The Knights started off the game with some bad luck as defensive lineman Dan Chalkley was taken out in the first quarter by a dislocated knee injury. The bad luck continued as the Knights struggled to score, the play conditions not helped by the rain that marked the first half of the game.

In the second quarter the Bears managed to rush through for a touchdown as their number 80 running back, Callum Scowen, caught the defence off guard. The kick afterwards was good, leaving the Bears with a 7–0 lead at half time.

The start of the second half was a struggle for both sides as neither scored in the third quarter, and each received a few injuries, no less than five players between the two sides had to be given medical attention on the field during play;

a testament to just how hard both sides were fighting for survival into the play-offs (both the Bears and Knights were 2-2 prior to the game, and a loss would have destroyed hopes of reaching the top two in the Thames Valley Conference).

The game entered the last quarter with the Knights yet to score a single point, and the ferocious plays continued as the fight for even a single yard pushed the players to the limit. Finally, after a brilliant run from quarterback Ed Hopkins, the Knights broke through, placing them at 7–6.

The chance to take the lead was there with a possible two point conversion. Ed once more made a rush, aiming straight down the centre but the gamble didn’t pay off, as the Bears defence once again locked down the Knights charge. The Bears breathed a sigh of relief as they maintained the lead and were once more on the offensive.

The Knights defence which had managed to keep the Bears out of

the red zone for most of the match once again had their work cut out.

Not only were they playing against a tough offence, but also against the clock which only had around six minutes left on it. The defence held tight, and pushed the Bears into punting on the fourth down. At this point tensions were running high, the game was still undecided, and both teams were fighting for every inch of ground.

Both sides were fighting for survival into the play-offs With the Knights offence back on the field it was a critical point for them, their play-off hopes rested on these plays and they had to beat down the defence that had held them back all match. The rookie offensive line held their blocks like they had most of the game giving critical seconds to quarterback Jon Saville, who delivered a perfect pass into the hands of wide

Rugby: Reading 2nd XV vs Portsmouth 2nd XV

receiver Douglas Queree, securing a 12–7 lead. The two-point conversion was run in by Ed Hopkins, increasing the Knights lead to 14–7 and forcing the Bears to score both a touchdown and a two-point conversion of their own if they wanted to win.

By now there were only a couple of minutes left on the clock, the Bears were going all out and the Knights defence had to nail their opponents to the floor. The Bears forced their way through, breaching the defence for first downs several times. Eventually they reached the 15-yard line with roughly 30 seconds left on the clock. At this point rush plays were far too risky (they do not stop the clock, whereas incomplete passes and out of bounds plays do).

The first three plays were stopped by the iron defence of the Knights. The final play of the match with 10 seconds left on the clock had begun and the pressure was on both sides to perform. A solid pass was thrown but the Knights defence was one step ahead, with Sam Brittain grabbing the sole interception of the game for the Knights, sealing the score at 14–7.

With the victory against the Bears, the Knights are now standing at 3–2 in the league. Prior to the game against the Bears the Knights played the Worcester Royals, winning 56–2 (the two points being from a safety off a bad snap), with seven touchdowns complete with seven two-point conversions from players Oliver Campbell, Jon Saville, Steve Charley, Douglas Queree, Ed Hopkins,

After last year’s ‘antics’ from Portsmouth, this was a much anticipated match from Reading’s point of view. Our faithful leader Tom Biggs, was unavailable for the game due to exam commitments; however, knowing that the opposition were yet to win a match in their league, despite it being the league above ours, gave us great confidence going into the match.

A strong squad was provided

by Reading with a few new faces and a few returning from injury.

Toby Spark was back in the lineup which gave Reading a much needed kicking option. This was put straight to use as a multitude of penalties from Portsmouth gave Reading the opportunity to kick at

goal from straight in front of the posts.

Reading played smart rugby and kept the ball close to the pack As the game went on the Reading pack imposed themselves on the Portsmouth team in every way possible. Scrums were marching forward, line-outs being stolen and men crashing through attempted tackles from the opposition players. This gave the Reading backs a great platform to work off and ultimately led to some well worked scores from all over the pitch.

A yellow card was given to Jack Harrison for a dangerous tackle on the opposition 12. For the next

10 minutes Reading played smart rugby and kept the ball close to the pack. With Jack back on the pitch after his rest Reading were restored to 15 and continued to pile the pressure onto the Portsmouth side.

The second half brought much of the same. Substitutions made and a try scored Reading were able to relax. There was just enough time for another yellow to be shown to a Portsmouth player for one of the worst attempted tackles on Reading’s Ted Polkey. Although not the tallest, Polkey was scythed down from the neck in what can only be described as a deliberate cheap shot as he was storming down the wing.

After 80 minutes of rugby, Reading emerged 28 - 0, the winners of a great match.

Everything is still to play for in the Thames Valley Conference With their final game of this term played, the Knights are now looking to rest up and recover so they can hit hard again in 2012. Everything is still to play for in the Thames Valley Conference and the Knights are looking to improve and incorporate a lot of new plays into their game plans. Next term should see a fully-recovered Tom Powell return to the team, and with any luck a lot of the smaller injuries that have been afflicting some of the players should be gone, putting the Knights on top form.

The next game is scheduled for 5 February and is against the BNU Buccaneers, followed by the Portsmouth Destroyers in a home game at Bulmershe Campus on 19 February. The team can be followed on Facebook under the group Reading Knights. Thanks to Hazel Jacobson for providing photos and good luck to the Knights in the rest of their season; get some decent rest in lads, you’ve earned it.

Pistol and Rifle Club Stephanie Piri

James Alexander Riley

Alex Hughes, Dan Peel and Liam White.

The defence completely shut down the Worcester attack, resulting in only three 1st Downs in the entire game for the opponents, one of which was from a penalty.

Not one point was scored against the defence, who even managed to return a fumble for 53 yards and a touchdown, courtesy of Oliver Campbell.

The autumn term has been a good one for Pistol & Rifle Club. Each week, the trip to Bisley has been a success with people regularly wanting to go. Attendance each week has been at maximum capacity on more than one occasion.

This should not discourage anyone who wishes to give it a go as the club are hoping to have more transportation next term and more than one trip a week.

Currently, the club has only been shooting air rifle but aim to start full and small bore weapons soon.

Keeping the club going are the enthusiastic committee: President Martin Oakes, Secretary Stephanie Piri, Rifle Captain Claire Peacock and Treasurer Adam McBain.

Martin and Stephanie shoot air rifle at international level and Claire

and Adam are no strangers to the larger calibres of rifles. Overall, the club aims to make the sport a safe, enjoyable and friendly atmosphere whilst training its members up to a competition level.

The club is hoping to host an inter-university air rifle competition some time during the spring term in order to make air rifle an event at BUCS. Martin and Stephanie recently took part in The Surrey Open shooting competition. Their scores were 571 and 555 (out of 600) respectively. They are hoping to improve their scores for The British Open which will be held in February.

Anyone who is interested in joining the club, or even just giving it a go, can contact pistolandrifle@ reading.ac.uk for more information.

Spark* Friday 9 December 2011

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT 39

Reading Knights netball match reports Amelia Burrows

Reading 1st team vs. Portsmouth The first team experienced their first loss away against Portsmouth University this week. The final score was 41-35 however this does not reflect the intensity and competition of the match. Many occasions found us drawing with the opposition however it was clear that when we caught up, we’d become complacent.

There were many positives to take away from the match though, Harriet Morgan, had some promising passages of play in the attacking third, aided by well fed balls from Jane Minto and Becky Pope.

The Reading defenders, (Katie Bedford, Maria Colmer and Vicky Mobbs) clearly began to read the Portsmouth attackers play towards the second half of the game, capitalising on some great tips and interceptions. However, the transition through the centre third of the court was not as well executed as in previous matches, which was a clear downfall for the team, but something to work on in future training sessions.

Tori Ballerino received our players player of the match. She performed excellently with numerous clean interceptions and followed through to attack with the ball well, bringing it down the court

for the shooters to (in many cases) take advantage of.

Reading 2nd vs. Imperial The game started off quite slowly, Imperial were sloppy and we were playing down to their level. It was like watching a yo-yo match to begin with, they would score then we would score, we were pushing for a break but unfortunately they got there before us and pulled ahead by two goals. The first quarter ended 9-7.

As a team we were playing much better netball than the opposition, however with inadequate umpiring constantly stopping and starting the game, it interrupted our flow and messed with the girl’s heads.

We took control of the play, we played our own game and really rattled Imperial We knew we were a much better side than Imperial and it was extremely frustrating that nothing seemed to be going our way. But the girls kept their heads and stuck at it and carried on playing as good netball as they could.

We were bringing the ball down the court so much smoother and using the entire court which we had previously worked on in training. During the second quarter

Abbie was struggling with her shins and had to come off, which was a real shame, however Lauren adapted well to playing WA.

We knew we were a much better side than Imperial By this point the girls were wound up because we knew we were a hell of a lot better than they were and had the determination to bring it back. The third quarter got under way, the defence were constantly being penalised for ridiculous things, but they did well to carry on and keep their heads held high. There was some outstanding shooting by lady of the court, Emma. The girls were putting pressure on Imperial and they were struggling; not only were they making silly mistakes but their fitness was not as good as ours and we were wearing them down.

In the last quarter we really pulled it back, we were nine goals down going into the third quarter and bought it back to being only two down with two minutes to go.

With some unfortunate decisions Imperial pulled back, finishing up at 29-24. The last quarter we really owned it, we took control of the play, we played our own game and really rattled Imperial. They were getting frustrated because we were pulling closer and closer

Reading Knights Basketball: one victory, one loss Reading vs Portsmouth With a very efficient start, Reading put eight points on the scoreboard before Portsmouth could answer.

With a lot of fouls called in the first quarter and a small percentage of made shots it was easy to see that most of Portsmouth’s points were going to come from the free throw line.

The Knights finally found the basket and were able to come back after trailing 9-0 Leading the first quarter, Reading went into the second looking strong. However, due to the inconsistent play that has bothered the team throughout the start of the season, Portsmouth looked like they were going to pull ahead going into the half, combined with a

half court buzzer beater, the score was tied at the start of the third.

Due to a low morale and inability to finish plays, Reading faced a point deficit before the buzzer went for the end of the third quarter. But with a dominating fourth period, Reading managed to pull back into the lead and run down the clock for a home victory.

Reading vs UCL After a difficult start for the Reading side with more than six scoreless minutes, the Knights finally found the basket and were able to come back after trailing 9-0 to finish the quarter with only two points behind at 10-12.

In the second quarter the UCL team managed a quick start again and was able to build a comfortable 10-22 lead four minutes into the quarter.

As in the previous quarter, the Knights needed some time to find the groove in the quarter and

managed to get back into punching distance with only five points behind at 21-26. However, a weak performance at the end of the quarter gave UCL a 25-35 lead at halftime.

The story of the second half was similar. After trailing by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, the Knights managed to cut the lead to five within the last three minutes of the game.

Most of Portsmouth’s points were going to come from the free throw line However, too many unnecessary turnovers throughout the game deprived Reading of the chance to win and made UCL come off as winners who will deservedly move on to the next round of the cup.

to them and if there were a few more minutes left in the game I know we could have won.

The girls played really well showing up Imperial with some first class netball. It was a very disappointing loss, however the girls gave 100% and knew that deep down the result wasn’t a fair reflection of the game.

Reading 3rd vs Surrey 3rd Back on top after last week with another win for us, final score 34-25. Surrey provided us with our most equal competition so far, which resulted in an enjoyable game for us where we actually had to work hard for a change. Each quarter was quite close in goal difference; although we lead the way, they were always only about four or five goals behind us which kept us on our toes until the final quarter when we managed to widen the gap to a nine goal difference.

Play generally worked well throughout, but due to how large our squad is every quarter we had different combinations which everyone had to re-adjust to.

Defence in the circle was strong as our girls soon picked up on the oppositions’ weaknesses and tactics, blocking out the GS because the GA was a weaker shooter.

However, back line passes do need to be worked on in training as there seemed to be some mis-communication and quite often they

didn’t flow smoothly, resulting in the ball being turned over.

For the first few quarters as a team we could have been more energetic because everyone plays better if they are on their toes and making movements even when the ball is at the other end of the court.

Then, by the time the ball reaches you, you are ready and have possibly worn out your opposition.

More movement is needed in both attacking and defending, staying static until the very last moment won’t get you anywhere, as soon as the ball is on it’s way down the court we need to defend or attack immediately.

In the attacking circle we were rejoined by Naomi, resulting in a little bit of a re-shuffle. Bex moved into GS and played a fantastic game with high shooting stats as usual, and the movement in the circle flowed well despite these new combinations. There is always room for improvement on accuracy of passes but it was generally a really good game, giving us that extra bit of competition we needed whilst still giving us a clear win.

It was generally a really good game Excellent play by everyone and we all worked well as a team as usual.

Georgia won player of the match again and Jocelyn won players’ player, so congratulations!

Knights Hockey Simon Pettett

Men’s 2nd XI vs Greenwich 1st XI Reading started the game well and made early pressure pay when Tom Barton scored to finish off a good Reading move.

Tom Hunt then increased the lead to 2-0 after continued dominance

by Reading. Reading really began

to play some good hockey in the first half, with great team work and complete control on the game.

At half time the score was 2-0.

Goals in the second half came from Hunt again, Gareth Nicholas and Tom Coleby to put the home side 5-0 up by the end of the game.

A well deserved victory in a game that Reading clearly dominated. A very promising finish to the first half of the season.

Calling all teams...

If you would like to see your team or sport in Spark* Sport then email us at sports.spark@reading.ac.uk.

Look us up on Facebook ‘Spark* Sport 2011-2012’ or on Twitter @ Spark_sport

40 SPORT

Friday 9 December 2011 Spark*

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT Premier League round up Inside...

City build on impressive start to the season

Jack Bowyer

With the halfway stage of the season closing in, every team in the Premier League will be looking to go into the congested Christmas period in good form.

at the hands of City, although a recent 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle set the Red Devils back.

Despite the fact that United have been unlucky with injuries, their fans will be expecting vast improvements if they are to remain in the hunt.

Andre Villas-Boas clearly needs more time to build his own team

Reading Knights Match Reports

Roberto Mancini will be delighted with his side’s form As things stand, it looks like Manchester City will be in pole position come Boxing Day, having amassed a five point lead at the top of the table, with a recent point at Anfield serving to confirm the club’s title ambitions.

The Citizens have been devastating so far this season, scoring 48 goals and have rarely shown signs of vulnerability.

Arsenal have been recovering from a shaky start Their city rivals, Manchester United, lead the chase, having strung together a series of unconvincing 1-0 wins since their 6-1 humiliation

Tottenham Hotspur are on a great run of form having gone 11 games unbeaten, and can overtake United in second place with victory in their game in hand.

With the likes of Bale, Modric, Parker and Van der Vaart, Spurs can match any team in the league for quality and keeping these players fit will now be key to their success this season.

Spurs are the highest placed London club ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal, both of whom have struggled to hit top form.

Chelsea overcame a minor blip by beating Newcastle 3-0, but new manager Andre Villas-Boas clearly needs more time to build his own team.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have been recovering from a shaky start with front man Robin Van Persie in scintillating form as the league’s top scorer, with 14 goals to his name already.

Championship Review Cameron Humphries

F1 Season Review

As the season approaches the midway point, Southampton currently lead the way in the Championship.

The Saints have enjoyed a dream season thus far; however, two defeats in their last three games will offer hope to the chasing pack.

In second place, just two points back, are Sam Allardyce’s rejuvenated West Ham outfit.

With Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan, Hammers fans will feel confident of promotion The club lost club captain Scott Parker to Spurs back in August, yet with the likes of Carlton, Cole and Kevin Nolan, Hammers fans

Robin Van Persie has been in exceptional form to fire Arsenal back up the table, with 14 goals thus far this season Newcastle’s miraculous unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt end after 12 games and they have now lost twice, but their fans will be overjoyed with what they have witnessed so far.

Newcastle’s miraculous unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt end Liverpool find themselves in seventh place, having been able to raise their game in the big matches but struggling to maintain top form against the teams in the bottom half.

Stoke, Aston Villa and Everton occupy the remaining top half positions. No doubt their respective

current sixth place, although it remains to be seen whether or not the Seagulls can make it their own.

As ever in the Championship, the gap between the play-offs and the relegation zone is fairly small.

Reading are currently stranded mid-table Southampton forward Rickie Lambert has fired the Saints top will feel confident of promotion.

Currently occupying the play-off spots are Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Brighton.

With respect to Cardiff, Middlesbrough and Leeds, all three will be disappointed if they are anywhere other than in the top six at the end of the season.

Following last seasons promotion, Brighton manager Gus Poyet will be delighted with his teams

managers will be looking to build on their solid starts.

Currently none of the newly promoted sides (QPR, Norwich and Swansea) occupy the relegation zone, but it will be interesting to see how their squads cope in the long run.

It is Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan that fill the bottom three places.

Blackburn and Wigan in particular will be seriously worried about the prospect of relegation, whereas a combination of a tough start and injuries to key players has kept Bolton from reaching their potential.

Sunderland, Wolves, West Brom and Fulham will most likely be looking over their shoulders as a poor Christmas period could easily see them dragged into a particularly nervy battle to avoid relegation.

At just 12 points it is not inconceivable that a team near the bottom may make a late surge, nor that a team in the top half may be dragged into the relegation dogfight.

Currently stranded in mid-table are Brian McDermott’s Reading side.

The Royals came agonisingly close to Premier League promotion last year as losing play-off finalists, and will feel that another

Brian McDermott’s (above) Reading side currently sit mid table play-off push is not beyond them if they can add consistency to their performances.

Struggling at the bottom are Coventry, seven points adrift from safety, with Doncaster second from bottom.

Nottingham Forest, Ipswich amd Bristol City all continue to have disappointing seasons, although all three will harbour ambitions of a late season push for mid-table and beyond.