Spark 20121207 - Vol.61, Issue 5

5

Friday 07.12.12 Volume 61

Issue

Campus voted third greenest space What’s

inside?

Interview 9 An interview with security

Image courtesy of University of Reading Kitty Ruskin

Reading University has once again been voted one of the best green spaces in the country.

In a nationwide public poll, Whiteknights’ Campus ranked third place out of nearly 1,500 entries.

As part of the Green Flag scheme, the university was awarded a People’s Choice Award.

The Green Flag Award scheme is a nationwide recognition of the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces across the UK. Organised by Keep Britain Tidy, it recognises not only the beauty of the area, but also grounds management, innovation, and the way that

facilities are tailored to the needs of the community.

Paul Todd, Scheme Manager of the Green Flag Award, said: “Whiteknights is clearly a site that people love, and unique in that it’s not only used by students and staff but also the local community who live close to the campus and local schools. This is exactly what we’re looking for in Green Flag sites; one that serves and benefits the whole community.”

He added: “The campus is a particularly complex site to manage, but the team do an excellent job.”

The well-managed and wellmaintained status of our campus was, in particular, recognised in the award. Steve Boon, Head of Grounds and Maintenance, said:

“We’re delighted to have done so well in the People’s Choice Award this year. The award is testament to the commitment of our dedicated grounds team, as well as our staff, student, community and volunteer groups who work alongside them to help us maintain the campus to such a high standard.”

The judges were impressed by the University grounds team’s “dedication”, “enthusiasm” and “willingness to go the extra mile”.

Our 134-hectare site, containing wooded areas, open meadows, the lake, shrubs, borders, and county standard sports pitches, impressed not only the judges but also consistently attracts new students.

The University is one of the most consistently chosen higher educa-

tion choices, with its campuses being an important factor. In the 2012 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey, students voted the University’s “environment on campus” as the best in the UK. University Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell announced: “We are delighted that our Whiteknights campus was voted one of the best green spaces in the country. We take great pride in the campus which is one of the most beautiful university settings in the UK. This award is testament to the commitment of the University’s grounds and facilities maintenance team.

Without their hard work, our campus would not be such a wonderful place to work, study and visit.”

NUS demonstration takes place in London Zoe Crook

Approximately 10,000 people took to the streets of London to protest in the 2012 Demo, organised by the National Union of Students (NUS).

Following on from the protests two years ago, which criticised issues including the university fee rise, students are still not satisfied. This year, it followed the slogan: “Educate, Employ, Empower”.

NUS have recently shared that 42% of students they asked were considering leaving their degree or course. Following on from this, 49% of these students admitted that it was due to money issues.

Students are not only concerned with money whilst at university, but more students are concerned about applying in the first place. After the rise in university fees, university applications dropped by around 20%.

NUS: “Educate, Employ, Empower” The removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which financially supported students through college, has also affected university applications.

Many universities joined the march, including the University of Winchester, who carried banners stating: “Stop attacking our education!”

Yet, Reading University Students’ Union decided not to participate. Following a referendum entitled: “Shall Reading University Students’ Union go on the National Union of Students Demo in London on November 21 2012”, the majority of voters were against the idea of participating.

University of Reading student, Adam Goodkin, attended the campaign prior to the Demo, stating: “I attended the National Campaign Against

Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) feeder march before the demo itself, as I am hapier marching under the democratically elected slogan ‘tax the rich to fund education’ than the NUS’s chosen ‘educate, employ, empower’.

Protesters shouted: “NUS shame on you” “The route of the NUS demo was meaningless, with the march hidden away on the embankment, and the rally at the end in Kennington Park, the demo avoided the centres of power, and national attention.

“Both the NCAFC feeder march and the main demo had a brilliant atmosphere, with neither the ubiquitous samba drummers, nor the police helicopters managing to drown out the chanting.”

Whilst delivering a speech to protesters in Kennington Park, London, the president of NUS, Liam Burns’ stage was taken over by protesters. Shouting: “NUS shame on you”, Burns was forced to leave the stage.

The audience also booed and threw objects at him, before his departure from the stage. Despite this, Burns claimed: “On the whole the week has been a massive success.”

Beauty 27 Goodbye Movember

Travel 34 Hong Kong

Careers Jobshop Jobs

35

2 News

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Students Celebrate Mitzvah Day New RUBC Sponsor accommodation and turn their lives around.

Some of the food is being used for their Severe Weather Emergency Project which provides emergency food and shelter for those most in need. The food will also be used to help those who have just moved into Launchpad’s longer term supported accommodation.

Next year’s Mitzvah Day will launch Interfaith Week

Photograph of students outside Sainsburys Harsimrat Kaur

Students from the Reading Jewish society have been supporting local homeless charity Launchpad for the second year running with their food drive outside Sainsbury’s.

Students from the society asked customers to buy an extra item of food along with their shopping to donate to the charity. The generosity of the public was astounding with the food collected filling two large trolleys and several baskets – over thirty five bags in total.

The food drive was a part of Mitzvah Day, meaning day of good deeds, a Jewish-led day of social action with over 25,000 volunteers worldwide. The initiative encour-

ages people of all faiths and backgrounds to get together to give their time to support the local community.

The public filled over thirty five bags in total University of Reading students launched the first ever Mitzvah Day in Reading in 2011 and it has gone from strength to strength – with nearly double the amount of food collected this year.

The food is currently being distributed by Launchpa.

As a charity which helps some of Reading’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people to find long term

Hindu socitey celebrates Divali Miriam Katz

13 November was a special day for the Sikhs. It’s a day when we remember that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.

Sikhs, celebrate Bandi Chhor, the day of freedom and liberation as shown to us by our 6th Guru.

Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned Guru Hargobind Ji, the 6th Guru on the basis that the Guru was more popular than the emperor.

Whist in prison he met 52 princes, and began to meditate with them.

Bandi Chhor is the day of freedom for Sikhs The emperor started to become very ill and no medicine was helping, so he went to the wise man on top of the hill. He said that the emperor would get better if he was no longer in prison.

The emperor’s advisor said that divali is coming and to release the Guru, then it would make him look good to the people of the town.

The Guru refused to be let out without the other 52 princes as they too were being unlawfully held in prison.

The emperor, said that whoever can hold on to the Guru’s cloak/

shawl can leave. The Guru had made a shawl with 52 tassles leading all the princes out of prison.

The Sikh Society went down to the local Gurdwara and listened to some hymms, and helped out in the seva by helping make the langar, and doing jorria di seva.

“They showed us to live our lives” On Wednesday we had an external speaker come and discuss what we can learn from the Gurus, and how they showed us to live our lives through compassion, humility, honesty, and most important acceptance.

On Wednesday, we had a follow up event on learning about these morals. There was a talk on “Anand Karaj: the ceremony of bliss – is it just a wedding?” which the Vice Chancellor Sir David Bell and Lady Louise Bell attended.

We explored the idea that the Anand Karaj is a spiritual union between two souls centred around a greater force and where a contract is made between husband and wife .

We celebrated Bandi Chhor and remember that Guru Hargobind Ji taught us to stand up against the injustice in this world .

The success of Mitzvah Day 2012 illustrates the positive effect that students can have in the local community; the Reading Post included an article before and after the food drive, showing that the local community is interested in how students can give back.

The event has 25,000 volunteers worldwide The aim of Mitzvah Day is very much long term – Reading Jewish society is planning on maintaining their links with Launchpad, with exciting events for Spring and Summer term already being planned.

Next year’s Mitzvah Day will launch an Interfaith Week. This is an initiative that encourages people of faith to get together and make a difference in their communities.

Grace Boosey

The University of Reading’s Boat Club (RUBC) has recently received a new sponsorship, which will make a significant improvement to the facilities and training offered to its members.

It is one of the leading student rowing clubs in the country The club is one of the leading student rowing clubs in the country and prides itself on its long tradition of excellence in the sport.

This challenging sport requires a high level of commitment and dedication, which has always been encouraged by the club’s coaches, who have a professional approach towards the students’ training.

These attributes were displayed in the London 2012 Olympic Games, where seven alumni and three current students, the highest number from any UK university, represented Team GB in the rowing, with two members winning gold medals.

The sponsorship has been provided by IFS 360 Scheduling, the world’s leading supplier of realtime mobile workforce scheduling and optimisation software.

This donation will go towards purchasing essential equipment and supporting the large number of members in their training.

Laurent Othacéhé, Managing Director of IFS 360 Scheduling,

said: “We are thrilled to be associated with Reading University Boat Club. Both organisations share a common ambition to be world-class at what they do. It requires belief, investment and great teamwork plus an unswerving focus and dedication to meet challenging goals.”

This new sponsorship will also end to the club’s 2012 fundraising campaign on a high. Starting in 2009, the campaign aimed to raise £150,000 to purchase new equipment. Thanks to IFS 360 Scheduling, as well as other sponsors and alumni, the Boat Club has exceeded their target, raising over £160,000 to benefit current and future students.

“We are thrilled to be associated with RUBC” Since much of the equipment which the club uses is costly, donations from sponsors are much appreciated by its members and coaches.

Will Rand, Director of Rowing at the University, said: “We are extremely proud of our long-standing history of training elite athletes, many of whom go on to compete at Olympic level. Our new connection with IFS 360 Scheduling means that RUBC can continue to provide the best experience for the students and alumni who train with us, while encouraging more people to aspire to race at the highest possible level.”

For more information on the Boat Club please visit readinguniversityboatclub.co.uk

Researchers discover super rats Lily Burch

Henley-On-Thames, the host of the royal regatta has hit the news recently for a more unsavoury reason. The town has been invaded by what specialists are calling a ‘super rat’.

The rodents have earned this title after scientists discovered they possessed a mutated gene which results in a resistance to the pesticides. Pest-controllers are unable to kill them to help to wipe-out the infestation which is not only endangering the reputation of one of Oxfordshire’s finest towns, but causing a worrying public health hazard.

They possess a mutated pesticide resistant gene Dr Alan Buckle, a researcher from the University of Reading who is leading the study said: “The reason we need to get rid of them is because they transmit diseases from themselves to humans and farm animals. They can be lifethreatening.”

Though these rats are identical in appearance to the standard rat and carry the same diseases, the danger lies in the mutated gene that causes poison-resistance as they are impossible to control.

Picture of Henely-on-Thames Nearly 3 out of 4 of the 10.5 million rats in Britain are known to carry the poison-resistant gene in regions where there is resistance.

Nine different organisations funded a survey which allowed the location of the mutant rats to be discovered. This was done by testing genetic material from the tails of many rats using innovatory DNA-analysis methods. Results of the investigative work showed that there were mutant rats inhabiting farms on the periphery of Henley and areas of Berkshire such as around Caversham and Sonning.

There is hope as more powerful pesticides would in fact be able to destroy the disease-carrying rats.

The problem is that these stronger pesticides are currently illegal due to their unknown effects on

wildlife. Dr Buckle however said: “My view is that we need to use the stronger poisons but we need to tell people how to use them carefully. If we can do that we can solve the problem.”

The tragic death of champion Olympic rower Andy Holmes shocked the nation in 2010. The sportsman died after contracting Weil’s disease. This waterborne disease causes kidney dysfunction and has flu-like symptoms.

So how are public health officials planning on solving the problem?

There is a possibility that the more powerful rodenticides will be temporarily legalised in an effort to combat the rodent invasion.

However if this is not approved, the infestation and threat could become extremely severe.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 3

Students take record 24-Hour library campaign launched chlamydia tests in 24 hours Zoe Crook

The University of Reading’s Student Union (RUSU) has broken the record for the most Chlamydia tests taken in 24 hours, managing to get 528 students tested within the allotted time.

The event, organised by Sophie Davies was held on Tuesday 27 November, and continued on until the early hours of Wednesday 28 November. Societies also became largely involved with the event, with the university’s cheerleading squad drawing in the most students, reaching 39 people.

The local sexual health clinic, The Florey Unit, were keen to support our idea and provided us with the ‘test yourself’ kits All students had to do was collect a kit from outside of Café Mondial, take the test in the toilet, and place the sample in the envelope, so that it is ready to be sent off. With this taking only a matter of minutes, it is no surprise that RUSU beat the record.

528 students were tested in RUSU Running through Wednesday night, the event continued through the evening’s Student Union, where they became closer to achieving their goal. Surrey Union’s original record standing at 460, Reading has beaten this by 68 people.

As part of RUSU’s Sexual Health Awareness Week, “Let’s Talk Sex” was one of many events that were held, including, the Safe Sex Ball, which rounded the week off, featuring DJs Unitrash, R3wire and Varski.

Sophie Davies made promises about the Safe Sex Ball in her manifesto, and she kept to her word of: “Making it as successful as in other institutions with bigger acts and create an amazing night while spreading awareness”.

People aged 16-24 account for 63% of cases of all Chlamydia Sophie shared that” “The purpose of this exercise was to encourage students to keep an active check on their sexual health, and to help fight the stigma around getting tested, and hopefully highlighting how simple it really is”.

With 70-80% of women, and 50% of men going without any noticeable symptoms, RUSU felt that it was important to get as many students tested as possible, especially as young people aged 16-24 account for 63% of cases of all Chlamydia and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Causing serious complications, including infertility and miscarriages in women, it is important to catch Chlamydia in its early stages.

Ania Wronski

The Reading University Conservative Association (RUCA) has launched a new campaign ‘Library 24’ to try and extend the library opening hours, so that student have 24-hour access.

RUCA say: “For too long, Reading University Students have been subject to ruthlessly short opening hours.”

RUCA are make the library 24-hour They claim that student lifestyle means working antisocial hours, working late into the night, or arriving early in the morning. Some students actually prefer working in the evenings, as this is when their lives are less busy.

RUCA points out that, in line with the University’s new status as being part of the world’s top 1% of

Student rent prices double

Mackinder Hall, Childs Hall and Stenton Hall opened in October 2010, and were built to replace the University’s previous out-dated accommodation.

Alex Brannen, a spokesman for the University of Reading explains: “We’ve invested hundreds of millions of pounds in accommodation because student expectations are rising.

“The new accommodation is at the top of the price range but it’s the most popular with students.”

Ania Wronski

A study by the NUS has shown that rent for student accommodation has doubled over the last ten years. There has been an increase of 97% of the cost of university owned accommodation.

On average students used to pay £59.17 in 2001-2002 per week, and now the cost of student accommodation has risen to an average of £117.67 per week.

Reading graduate, Peter Holman said: “The rising prices might make accommodation unaffordable for some students”.

The NUS Vice-President Pete Mercer urges universities to plan their accommodation supply and to cap rent increases to ensure

affordable accommodation for students in halls.

Mercer continued: “Student rents have skyrocketed, leaving fewer reasonably priced accommodation options for students from lower and middle income backgrounds who are really feeling the pinch. The responsibility of universities to support their students does not begin and end at the doors of the lecture hall.”

Jim Taylor, a reporter from BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat spoke to students from the University of Reading about accommodation costs.

The University of Reading has recently spent £200 million on an accommodation development project which resulted in the building of the new student accommodation.

Student expectations are rising James Harrison, a fourth year student, remembered his first accommodation: “I was in a dingy, horrible hall which was falling to pieces, but it was very cheap.”

James has gone back into halls for his fourth year, believing: “Now in a way it’s way too nice. The flats are much more expensive and you miss out on the community spirit.”

The problem of pricing still remains an issue. James Fletcher, the President of RUSU, expressed” “I think the halls are a very good quality across the board, but as a union we’d like to see some of the rooms a little bit cheaper.”

universities, Reading should replicate the standards of other top universities in England in order to promote its status, believing, “Many of the UK’s top universities offer at least one 24-library, including: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Imperial College, London.’

Maddi O’Brien, a recent University of Reading graduate says: “The University already provides 24hour study spaces. I used the 24hour room in Palmer to finish writing my dissertation in my final year.”

The ‘Library 24’ team claim: “while overnight study spaces are available, these are of low capacity, and lack the books, IT facilities and the working environment the library affords’”.

RUCA have also considered the issues around funding for the library opening hours which they propose: “Making this change would cause little extra spending by the University, with basic overheads like lighting and security guards (who

already operate throughout the night) weighing in with no comparison to other areas of expenditure.

This might be the most cost-efficient decision the University could make, raising academic standards and student satisfaction, both of which play vital roles in league tables and inspections.”

It fits with the University’s 1% status RUCA wishes to encourage students to sign an online petition which will be given to the ViceChancellor and University management next term. The petition has already received 500 signatures, and can be accessed through the RUCA website. The ‘Library 24’ campaign plan to increase numbers of signatures on the petition by holding action days on campus in the Spring Term to raise awareness of their aims.

University wins Shinfield planning appeal Ania Wronski

On 9th November 2012, the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, announced his decision to approve the University of Reading’s planning appeals to develop land in the west of Shinfield.

The appeal was approved when Natural England withdrew its objections to the plans, after the University’s proposal to alleviate any effects on the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (TBH SPA).

The University plans to build 1,350 homes, a primary school and a supermarket in Shinfield. The project also includes plans for a community building and sports pavilion.

The University plans to build 1,350 homes in Shinfield.

David Savage, University of Reading’s chief operating officer said: “We are delighted with the Secretary of State’s decision in favour of the University’s proposals.

During the course of the public inquiry last autumn, and throughout the lengthy application process, the University put forward

a robust case and established significant areas of common ground with Wokingham Borough Council.

“The release of the land for future development will provide funding for the required associated infrastructure, including the Eastern Relief Road, recreational facilities, a new school and community centre in Shinfield as well as the infrastructure to support the University’s planned Science and Innovation Park for the region.”

The University is looking forward to working closely with the Council However, not all of Wokingham Borough Council is in agreement with the plans. Councillor Keith Baker expresses some concerns: ‘We are tremendously disappointed the Secretary of State has decided to rule in favour of the university and ride roughshod over residents’ views.”

The University is looking forward to working closely with Wokingham Borough Council, Shinfield Parish Council and the local community.

4 NEWS news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Alumni recalls tragic memory Zoe Crook

A member of the University of Reading’s alumni, and former student, Maxwell Mutema, was reminded of the tragic incident, where a student lost their life in an elevator accident, whilst visiting the campus.

Whilst returning to their former campus on 21 November, Mutema recalled the incident which occurred in the university’s former halls of residence, Sibly Hall.

“It was so refreshing to be back on the beautiful campus” He told us: “I visited the university to enquire on a post graduate programme in the School of Construction and Engineering. It was so refreshing to be back on the beautiful campus again with well tendered hedges, lawns and flowers, a wonderful institution that I have great memories of; simply one of the best in the world.

“This joy was short lived when I got stuck in a lift in the University’s URS Building between about 10.20am and 11.10am. This was a big shock since this was my first experience of this kind in life.

“The response was swift by the security personnel and the engineer who came to rescue me,

but this incident revived some sad memories of a student who was killed by a malfunctioning lift during my days in one of the university’s halls of residence”.

Security personnel responded swiftly In May 2003, Andrew Tucker, a first-year undergraduate, died in hospital, after being trapped in the elevator.

Whilst in the packed elevator with friends, it began to drop.

Tucker attempted to leap out, yet did not make it completely. With half of his body being trapped in the elevator, his friends gave their best efforts in attempting to free him.

Despite there being a plaque stating the maximum capacity was six people, or 450kg, nine students, weighing 678kg slotted into the lift.

Professor Gordon Marshall, then the university’s vice chancellor stated: “Our thoughts are very much with Andrew’s family and friends at this sad time. We are offering counselling to any students who may need support.

“The university takes safety very seriously and we are working fully with the police and health and safety executive to establish what happened.”

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

Entrepreneur of the Year lectures students Sarah Martin

Charles Wilson, Financial Times Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of Booker, inspired a next generation of entrepreneurs this week at an event to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week. Wilson joined the University’s Professor Mark Casson, author of The Entrepreneur, to talk to an invited audience of Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship students and guests.

Mr Wilson is Financial Times Entrepreneur of the Year This was the first of an annual series of conversations between leading theorists and practitioners of entrepreneurship, and was introduced by Deputy Dean, Professor Ginny Gibson, who underlined that Henley Business School’s mission was to develop better interaction between business school theory and business practice.

Wilson outlined his own entrepreneurial career starting with making jam at a young age before working in a wide range of organisations, most notably in partnership with Sir Stu-

art Rose in a series of turnarounds culminating in a hugely successful period at Marks and Spencer’s.

He left Marks and Spencer’s in 2005 to take on the CEO role at Booker, a move initially greeted with some surprise by leading retailers. But Wilson transformed near-bankrupt Booker into one of the UK’s strongest and fastest growing retailers today.

He reflected on the intensified speed of change within the current business environment and the increasing need to produce quick, short-term business plans for new ventures, whether start-ups or new projects within larger organisations. He dismissed the value of those business plans that had become long documents: “If you can’t explain the idea in one page, you don’t know it well enough.”

Mark Casson then elaborated on Charles Wilson’s reflections, emphasising how much of what rang most true was not particularly well emphasized in the academic literature. That leadership could be learned while serving as a subordinate to another leader was obviously true, yet is not covered in the academic literature. And above all what rang most true were features that were wholly absent from

the populist ‘airport’ literature on entrepreneurship, confirming that there is enormous value in bringing together the best of theory and practice in entrepreneurship studies.

“Leadership can be learned while serving as a subordinate” James Green, a Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship alumni, now employed in the blue chip sector, explained: ‘It was really interesting to hear about intrapreneurship within large organisations. Working within a large organisation myself, it made me appreciate how key it is to provide evidence of success very quickly when you are implementing new projects.’

James commented: ‘It was inspiring to hear Charles talk about his business experience, particularly as new entrepreneurs. Professor Casson’s commentary was also very useful at setting Charles’s practical experience in context. It is a while since we were sitting in lectures ourselves, but we found this session really helpful and it would have been great to have had something similar when we were at University.’

Dramatics Society put on play at London Road Stenton JCR taking flak over Christmas social plans: future events in peril Calum Mcintyre Rogers

The Reading University Dramatics Society (RUDS) put on their first play of the semester this week, with performances daily between Tuesday 4 and Friday 6 December.

‘The Pillowman’ was written by Martin McDonagh. It theatrically debuted in 2003, to great critical acclaim; in it, Katurian K Katurian, an amateur short story writer with a nasty secret, finds himself arrested by the secret police of the autocratic state. He finds out that the murders of several children were conducted in ways similar to those found in his stories, which often feature violence against

young boys and girls. While trying to defend himself and his mentally disabled brother, who has also been arrested, he struggles to ensure the safety of both the people he loves and the survival of his work, mostly unpublished, which the police threaten to incinerate - I was reminded of one of RUDS’ previous plays, ‘The Trial’, performed a year ago to the day.

“It isn’t about being or not being dead - it’s about what you leave behind”

The producers advertised The Pillowman as a 16+ dark comedy, featuring gunfire, unnerving details of child murder and torture, probably most graphically described in Katurian’s story of ‘The Little Jesus’.

Next up for RUDS is the production of Sweeney Todd as the spring musical, the casting for which was announced on 19 November.

Having performed two Kafka/Kafkaesque plays in a row, this writer deems it unlikely that RUDS’ production will be for the faint hearted, though if can match the quality of ‘Cabaret’ last summer, Reading students are in for a real treat.

Calum McIntyre rogers

Bitter words were exchanged on Stenton halls Facebook pages this week concerning the funding and organisation of their Christmas formal.

On the night of Saturday 1 December, JCR staff posted the Stenton Hall Christmas Ball event, which is planned to occur on December 9. The JCR paid up front £65 a head for a three course meal plus cocktail reception, casino and DJ at Oakley Hall in Basingstoke, to which coach travel is provided.

The tickets cost £25, the £40 difference covered by the JCR using their own budget, much of which is collected using the mandatory £40 contributions from Stenton residents (although a discounted £30 contribution was available earlier in the term). According to one JCR member, the gross expenditure amounts to £11,000.

The event is open to people from outside of Stenton with no apparent price difference, meaning that Stenton residents may be subsidising the tickets for those who don’t pay JCR fees themselves.

The demand for tickets was apparently weaker than the JCR expected, prompting posts from staff that “we will need to pay

the venue for 250 meals whether people attend or not”. Further, the JCR posted that “if the JCR do not make the money back from these massively reduced ticket prices then we will be unable to fund all of the events for the next and final term”. As of the time of writing, the Facebook event had 69 confirmed guests.

Stenton students may have to subsidise the tickets of non-Stenton guests This prompted an exchange between Stenton residents and their JCR, some claiming that the event had been poorly planned and that they had not been given enough notice to calender accordingly.

Others claimed that it was unfair that their JCR fees would be used to subsidise an event they would not attend, and that the event was badly timed to clash with their weeks work (it is planned to finish at 2am on Monday 10 December).

The JCR responded that they would host a Q&A at 6pm on Thursday 6 during which they would explain what was going to happen and why.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 5

Spark* weather forecast for the week ahead

High pressure looks to dominate this weekend, and as such it will be mostly cloudy with some sunshine breaking through particularly around midday and early afternoon on Saturday. Temperatures will remain cold throughout the weekend, and predictions show maximums for this weekend to be around 5 oC. Minimum temperatures overnight will drop as low as 0 oC. Frosts will occur overnight.

Any precipitation should fall in the early hours of Friday morning, leaving a dry weekend with little chance of rain or snow. Winds will be from the North and West, bringing a chill across the UK, and as such temperatures will likely feel a couple of degrees colder than reality. Friday is likely to be quite blustery as a cyclone moves away from the UK, but winds should calm down through the day and

remain calm for the rest of the weekend.

Monday is also expected to stay clear, but rain and possibly some wintry showers are expected on Tuesday in the South of England.

The rest of the week could remain unsettled, and the forecasts are somewhat uncertain. Forecast models currently show some precipitation in the form of sleet and snow likely towards the end

of the week, particularly towards the following weekend. The North of the UK in particular could be affected by snow, which may also reach further South and affect the Reading area. Between showers of rain and possibly snow, we should see some clearer spells and some sunshine. Temperatures are going to remain cold throughout the week, and are unlikely to reach above 6 oC.

Are you or have you been a course rep?

Follow @SparkWeather on Twitter for more regular updates, news and photos. Ask weather-related questions and send your photos of interesting weather and sights around campus!

(Note: This is a student project and forecasts are not a product of the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading)

6 Political comment

Friday 7th December 2012 Spark*

Sparkpolcom@gmail.com

POLITICAL COMMENT

United Student Adam Roberts

The first rule of Model United Nations is you must talk about RUMUN. The second rule of Model United Nations is you must talk at RUMUN. This was apparent from my first sit-down with the society president to the last laugh in the closing ceremony. Then again, when you are re-creating the world’s greatest talking shop, chances are there will be nothing but that.

After a weekend of debates and discussions, arguments and anecdotes, I can only say I have never enjoyed being sat in meetings more than I was that weekend.

Let me clarify this. On the face of things, a Model United Nations could not seem duller. You spend hours stuck in rooms with several students, debating topics to possibly the most strict debate format imaginable, under a rapidly increasing time pressure to come to what is usually a near impossible concenus.

After a weekend of debates and discussions, arguments and anecdotes, I can only say I have never enjoyed being sat in meetings more than I was that weekend.

This could not, however, be further from the truth. One might describe it as a highly regulated strategy game, with delegates

pushing and bending the rules, setting one off against the other and at times actually making an incredibly reasoned and impressive speech in favour of a regulation that many could barely muster the strength to talk about! And far from being designed for the nerds and policy-wonks the process is incredibly inclusive, with first time delegates given every assistance, and often keeping up with the practiced veterans with ease, some of whom left with awards and commendations for the future. Yes, it does take some knowledge of your topic, but no more than a few evenings worth of casual research, more important is a willingness to speak and, let’s be honest, the ego to think you can win. The conference here did fall down at times, with personal pride overtaking reasoned debate, but if you’re going to ask 200 people to argue for 3

Nations

days this has to be expected.

What exactly happens at one of these conferences? Well, you are greeted in the all-embracing arms of Palmer G-10, where one might be forgiven the assumption that a business conference or professional debate was occurring. Rows of suited students sit before what can only be described as a thoroughly impressive panel of notable speakers and serious looking members of the Secretariat (see the translator). For an inaugural conference, there was a wealth of knowledge and experience present, with the guest speakers including a former UN undersecretary and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, rounded out

by University regular Sir David Bell, who for those of you who have not met him sound much more Scottish than first appears!

Almost immediately after this, delegates head eagerly into the

V

I T A L S T A T I S T I C S

7

6

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DELEGATES

220

DIFFERENT

CAUCUSES

MOTIONS

HOURS

TWEETS

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PASSED

DEBATES

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first hour of meetings, all of which flowed with a professionalism that was expressed afterwards by both speakers, and one can see why! The next two days are dominated by whatever committee each delegate has chosen, each of which is set two topics to ruminate upon, discuss in their sessions and eventually come up with a UN resolution, which depending on type is passed either further up the ladder, usually to the UNSC, or passed straight to the Secretariat. It is in this second step, the discussion, that the most time is taken and quite frankly the most fun to be had. See below (Drama in DISEC - walk out at conference) for a more in depth look, but briefly these are the wheels around which the whole conference turns, and as seen below can be catastrophic if one of them falls off the wagon! It’s very much like an absurdly regulated, energetic seminar in many respects. One chair even lamented his member’s distinct lack of reading anything on their subject, leaving them well behind the rest on sending their final resolution. Chairs are the

powerhouses of debate, the rule sheet treated as gospel that is simply unbreakable, and utterances such as “Canada, you have been warned” are more common than you might expect. They to seem to take their roles as seriously as many of the delegates, if not more so, developing whole persona to maintain order in session. One particular Chair seemed at first rather prickly and strict, barking orders like he was playing Jeremy Paxman at a Mock University

RUMUN translator Drama at DISEC! walk out over

Committees

UNSC - United Nations Security Council - everything runs though here DISEC - Disarmament and Security Council - directly under UNSC SOCHUM - Social, Humanitarian and Cultural - international relations ECOSOC - Economic and Social Council - matters of money and people AU - African Union - Speacks for itself, the council of African Nations ASEAN - Assossiation of South Asian Nations - Asian version of above Terms

Moderated Caucus - debate under full UN regs presided over by chair Unmoderated Caucus - real political arena, no rules, often a break Point of Personal Privilage - anything personal, usually a loo break Point of Parliamentary Inquiry- a question of debate or procedure Secretariat - responisble for running the show, including a Sec General Chair/Co-Chair - in charge of each individual committee Delegate - diplomatic representative of each chosen nation

I’m reliably informed by many delegates of other universities this weekend that Reading has something of a reputation for scandal, which was begrudgingly (and somewhat proudly) admitted by the secretariat. Sunday morning highlighted this with the much anticipated amendment 13, unlucky for some, subject to two vetoes in the Security Council, and with no delegates in support it had officially failed. This left the delegate of the United States flexing his muscles, while I’ll admit that the SC had two or three particularly adept delegates he seemed to lead the show, at one point highlighting that he would “personally bomb” anyone who messed with the

resolution. He demanded that the amendment be taken off or risk the wrath of his permanent veto,

“highlighting that he would “personally bomb” anyone who messed with the resolution.” while France just mumbled something about Amendment 8b. This left Venezuela, who had amazed many by bulldozing the amendment in late on Saturday, with somewhat of an issue as

neither side was close to backing down.

Tight towards the lunch deadline, and let me tell you it’s a deadline you do NOT want to miss after two hours of hard politicking, an emergency meeting between the two councils and their respective delegations in DISEC and the SC was called in a hurried attempt to sort the problem. Ten minutes seems little time for such rifts, even the Secretary-General himself was unsure if it would be enough, and yet with ten minutes later the Libyan delegate announced to thunderous banging on tables that the motion could possibly be dropped, and we went to lunch hopeful! It was not to be.

Spark* Friday 7th December 2012

POLITICAL COMMENT 7

SPECIAL FEATURE Sparkpolcom@gmail.com

repeated pressure from almost every other delegate. This was mostly dealt with in a light-hearted manner, with the delegate seeming rather embarrassed at times to give such an extreme position, and was later seen to have little in common with any known foreign policy, but the commitment was clear to see. Flexibility in country is often actively encouraged, over the course of the weekend some delegates willingly changed nation in order to keep the debate flowing, and there were always two or three voices of opposition, for which all were grateful.

stared at me as if I had broken some illusionary fourth wall and should return to my underworld press room from whence I came!

when approached turned out to be one of the most pleasant people at the conference, going so far as to copiously thank me for some mi- nor note-passing I had been doing for him.

This is not to say the delegates don’t do their part! It’s astonishing, the depth into which the delegates can immerse themselves in their respective fields is unrivalled in any society I have witnessed. More than a month before the conference many were working on their position papers,

attention paid to foreign policy was paramount and many followed to the letter, although I would agree that producing a duplicate paper in Filipino, as the delegate for the Philippines did, is taking things somewhat too seriously. There is little question on the morality of such policy positions too. One of the more interesting debates of the weekend was in ECOSOC, with an incredibly belligerent delegate, representing a North-African nation, maintaining that homosexuality was in fact criminal, and refused to back down despite

Libya disarmament Over an hour and a half later, out of DISEC storms the curious alliance of Venezuela, Libya, China and North Korea, walking out over Libyan sovereignty! The furious Libyan delegate bereted the “stupidity” of the proposed motion, seeking to extend and arms embargo, while behind them the caucus broke up into unmoderated disarray. A break session was immediately called, leading to heated arguments between morocco and China, while a cool Venezuela, likely the instigator of such action, casually took a smoke with the DPRK. Refusing to apologise, a compromise was brokered with the Chair apologise not for the intent but simply the action taken,

and were eventually allowed back into the room! The result of all this chaos?

“out of DISEC storms the curious alliance of Venezuela, Libya, China and North Korea, walking out over Libyan sovereignty” Clause 13 was always doomed to death by amendment, but that seemed to be the point, and as a result of debates the key amendment 8B was also removed, effecting serious consequences on a ceasefire

Topics ranged from the mundane to the mildly outrageous, and despite what many would consider extremely restrictive guidelines for debate the speakers are uninhibited, with the debate flowing smoothly and with a certain amount of humour. One ECOSOC session involved ten minutes on the economic downsides of summarily hanging homosexuals, followed by a motion to table the issue and “go down the pub”, this was to my amazement rejected by all but three delegations, although it was only half four. This particular debate was surprisingly in-depth, which I was soon to discover was somewhat of a staple of MUN debating, covering all topics from the legality of the councils position, through impacts on national sovereignty and the councils legislative portfolio (a

agreement, and the resolution. It gets sent to the UNSC and it looks like a cert…and is almost immediately vetoed by France. Apparently what the chairs, delegates and even myself had all missed was a slight speech, if two sentences can be called that, saying to would veto is another clause that had sailed though was not taken out.

At first it was thought a joke, but sure enough it was all over, and with only a few minutes before the closing ceremony DISEC was left with no resolution to pass. It isn’t always evident walkouts, but the politicking is always clear, and this more than anything made one point grossly apparent, this is about as Model, as a Model United Nations could get.

Quotes of the Week

Secretariat Member - “The African union is the only body in the world designed forpeople to argue with each other...its just no-body likes each other!”

Delegate on humaitarian efforts in Syria - “they will simply trade their ham sandwichesin for an AK-47s” Delegate of Morocco - “This resolution is much like Jimmy Saville… you’ll sign it and then it’ll screw you!”

On the Conduct of Venezhuela - “dishonest, disgusting and snakelike... and shouldbe removed from conference on the grounds of cheekiness!”

TWEET OF THE CONFERENCE

ASEAN chair just dropped USB into his coffee - gets award for most disruptive chair! position quickly corrected by the chair) to motions towards three more moderated caucuses and a procedural vote, all in the space of twelve minutes. Sitting through several of these one can barely imagine managing four, five hour sessions (with coffee breaks), with the sheer amount of politicking that occurs every ten minutes, and yet the environment has been relaxed and enjoyable in almost every room, save the constantly shifting secretariat and their endless twitter update. Unmoderated, the council descends to Dol’chevita and the water fountains, and yet still they continue to debate and deal. At one point, I made a chance remark to a delegate on his way to the latrines, who stared at me as if I had broken some illusionary fourth wall and should return to my underworld press room from whence I came! Despite every delegate having their inevitable Apple Mac open in front of them there was no sign of Facebook, their screens buzzing instead with every kind of deal or data available. I cannot stress the seriousness with which the conference is held, and yet surprisingly the unmoderated sessions seem more relaxed than the coffee breaks, in which huddled groups pour over the latest joint resolutions.

In the end, almost every committee managed to get one or both of their resolutions passed, the with notable exception of DISEC, who spent so long arguing over Libyan sovereignty and the arms trade that they were only able to pass one resolution, which was subsequently vetoed twice by the security council. These are not just broad themes either, often these are voted on clause by clause, ranging from around 10 to 15 causes and sub clauses, written in excruciating diplomatic language and often amended just to change the important first few words, or change “sincere” to “resolved”. Here many of the more experienced delegates show their colours, their knowledge of the

loopholes and rules allowing them to slow down or speed up debate, and using ploys to deceive an opponent or a well-placed Point of Personal Privilege to break up another member’s speech. As time became more of a factor, people began to make way for the power players, the G20 countries or the more powerful speakers, and generally this lead to consensus, through either agreement or, as the Delegate to the USA in DISEC put it, “sheer tiredness”. It should be added at this point that this is anything but the only facet of the experience, as socials and dinners after the first two days of the conference had left many tired and many more hangover, making it that much more difficult to concentrate but had little effect on the overall effort of many.

After two days of haggling, nagging and bragging the conference finished with a final closing ceremony. A much more relaxed affair, awards were received by the best delegation, Bath University taking the honours, and by the best delegates, which were often chosen to the incredible surprise of the winners. This is an honest assessment of the quality of the speakers here, the decision of who to award must have been extremely tough in almost every case, not a decision I would have wanted to make. After a laugh at the expense of many, more intense delegates and much self-depreciation from the Chair-people, the conference ended in a sea of tired but pleased faces, and the secretariat went for a much needed sleep. Personally, it was a delight and a pleasure to be a part of such a huge undertaking, even in a small way. In many ways, it is the most frivolous kind of seriousness one can imagine, students as always bring their own unique, flair to the proceedings of an organisations many deem to be at times ineffectual and somewhat meaningless. For those of you who feel like taking something like this up, I thoroughly recommend you give it a try. I know I wish I had.

8 Political comment

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

POLITICAL COMMENT Israel and Gaza - bombs and bullets? tom Dunham & Liam Carter

The recent missile attack instigated by Israel targeted and killed Ahmed al-Jaabari, a known Hamas military official.

This has sparked retaliatory missile attacks from Gaza, the total number of which is sketchy though the Times estimates the number lies around 200 in the last few days. This has in turn instigated a robust response from Israel. On Friday the 16th they called up 30,000 Army reservists in preemption of a full scale ground offensive. Yet, why is this so important? What makes this small regional confrontation so significant in the eyes of the international community?

“Bullets and bombs aren’t the answer, pens and peace are what will secure stability in the region.”

The root of the argument seems to lie in legitimacy, both sides have received condemnation from the international community regarding their actions. Nevertheless, it appears that recent hostilities reflect a continuous cycle of unrest in the region. Both the sides claim self-defence in their actions, something that has so far claimed 18 lives, a number of which are non-combatants. So can either side claim legitimacy or are their actions merely reflective of conflicting national interests.

Israel finds itself in the precarious position of maintaining security of its disputed borders against predominantly hostile neighbour states. As the Six- Day War illustrated, they are predisposed to seeking pre-emptive measures to ensure what they see as the long term survival of the Jewish state.

Nevertheless, it could be argued that their strategy has accentuated the problem, that through their anxiety they have come to see military force as a tool of containment rather than a last resort. From an Israeli perspective, such a mind-set may seem necessary as their strategic culture has been shaped by the notoriously hostile neighbourhood

in which they find themselves.

Yet, from a Palestinian perspective we see an almost paradoxical viewpoint which removes all sympathy towards their Jewish neighbour.

“It’s no secret that $3,000,000,000 a year is sent by the United States in Aid to Israel” Palestine, since the establishment of the state of Israel, has found itself at the forefront of a potent ideological battleground.

Whilst there is a predominant argument revolving around the acquisition of land, one can see that there is a distinct clash of interests, one that has run since the procurement of Arab lands by the British post-World War 2. So, is this why the international society pays so much attention to the region? Is there a deeper guilt that underlines the West’s approach to the region or are there sincere concerns for the legitimacy of the conflict?

It is no secret that $3,000,000,000 a year is sent by the United States in Aid to Israel, yet does this mean that in the eyes of the west, the Israeli approach is the right one? As the Times states, the continuing conflict is a ‘battle that solves nothing’. Surely war is the final option only after other mediums have failed? And surely it should only be pursued if a country is genuinely seeking a peaceful end-state? Their current operating procedure of repeated incursions, or more crudely put ‘trimming the grass’ seems to go against this logic. Israel have long been privy to a positive relationship with the West. Perhaps the failure of Mitt Romney to get into office will see an infringement of this, something that will enable more concerted efforts from the US to make Israel seek an alternative method of action.

“repeated incursions, or more crudely put ‘trimming the grass’ seems to go against this logic” Moving back onto topic we could say that Hamas, in firing rockets into Israel, is itself acting illegally. Yet, many indigenous Palestinians see this ‘militant group’ as a legitimate source of gover-

nance and protection.

There seems reluctance on the part of the Israeli’s to go to the negotiating table.

Evidently, it is heavily reluctant to open dialogue with what it perceives as being an illegitimate terrorist organisation.

Regardless, does Israel have the inherent right to infringe the sovereignty of another nation in pursuit of its own survival? In its self-defence of course, however the ambiguity of such a term leaves many confused. In theory, any offensive action in the region could be seen as a form of

defence yet, their repeated military offensive seems never reach a satisfactory state of affairs.

Israel finds itself in an extremely fortuitous position in the Middle-East. Surely though, with such military power comes great responsibility, a responsibility to seek a lasting peace. As past experiences unfortunately highlight, this has not occurred. In this light, it is imperative that the international community pushes Israel to acknowledge the importance of political dialogue with Palestine.

‘Its not good for us, its not good for Israel. We can’t keep killing each other; maybe peace shall come if both Israel and Palestine both want it’.

As the 27 year old Palestinian Hassan Tamer Abu Daqen states; ‘its not good for us, its not good for Israel. We can’t keep killing each other; maybe peace shall come if both Israel and Palestine both want it’. Bullets and bombs aren’t the answer, pens and peace are what will secure stability in the region.

Speeches of Freedom The Atheist, Humanist, and Secularist Society (RAHS) are continuing our campaign for free speech at the University this week with a ‘Free Speech Day’ event held at the London Road campus.

“celebrating free speech, exploring what it is, and explaining why it must be protected” Speaking at the event will be Peter Tatchell, the renowned LGBT campaigner and human rights activist, Maryam Namazie of One Law For All, an organisation campaigning for human rights and against Sharia law in the UK, as well as representatives of English PEN, who campaign to promote literature and uphold writers’ freedoms around the world, and the British Humanist Association. The theme of the event is “celebrating free speech, exploring what it is, and explaining why it must be protected”, and the event will present a wide range of experience and perspectives.

RAHS has spent much of this term campaigning on issues of free speech after facing censorship by RUSU at the Freshers’ Fayre. Since then, we have been campaigning for freedom of expression to ensure that all viewpoints are treated fairly, as we believe that censorship only damages our university.

Friday 7 December 2012

Spark*

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 9

interview Let’s Talk:

Security at the University of Reading What sort of things are included on this webpage, which students would find interesting?

We can use Thames Valley Alert to put out general security messages, we can say ‘this weekend we had three or four bikes stolen’, what we typically say is ‘… and they have all, either, had no locks or cheap cable locks’.

Ellis Wheatley

This week, Interview at Spark* speaks to Gary, the University Deputy Security Manager and Inspector Greg Elphick of the Reading Neighbourhood team.

Both Greg and Gary work closely to help keep Reading University safe and want to tell Spark* readers about their ideas on staying connected and staying safe on campus.

Firstly, staying connected, how can Spark* readers keep in regular contact with you?

Greg: Thames Valley Alert - I suppose it is the modern version of Neighbourhood Watch, but from the police. You can sign up to Thames Valley Alert and get messages. Now there is a webpage which can be accessed on your smartphones, or you can even choose to be contacted via text message.

Replacing cable locks with good quality D-locks is my campaign; I would be very happy if, by this time next year, we didn’t see any cable locks around.

Replacing cable-locks with quality D-locks is my campaign Are there any problems on the campus at the moment which you feel the students should be aware of?

Greg: The University, so far, has not had a massive problem, in fact crime - compared to the previous two years - is down. Interestingly, in five years or more, there hasn’t been a bike stolen, which was fitted with a D-lock.

Gary: That doesn’t mean to say that there won’t be, but it would be a lot safer.

Is Thames Valle Alert exclusive to students at Reading University?

No; anyone can sign up to Thames Valley Alert. It is updated on a daily basis, as the police become aware of crimes; we put out messages on the Thames Valley Alert, within a self-selected group (e.g.

Reading University) so that you are not going to get bombarded with crimes on your phone, everyday, necessarily.

Fantastic, do you also have a Twitter or Facebook page?

TVP-Wokingham is the twitter page for Police tweets. It would be great if we had enough followers, then they could retweet our tweets to inform other students of relevant news - who are not already following TVP-Wokingham and it could grow, as it should, exponentially.

Gary: University of Reading also have a Facebook page, which we hope will become more popular as a way of communicating with students.

Greg: The cheaper D-locks can be bent - with enough strength and no disturbances or onlookers - but the cable locks can be broken, in moments, by a bolt cropper no bigger than your forearm. Jointly, Thames Valley police and the Reading University security team are trying to persuade everyone from using cable locks and, instead, buy a good quality D-lock; I would love to make D-locks compulsory on campus!

You can get a Gold Standard Sold Secure D-lock for £45-50 and it’s

almost impossible to destroy. We are trying to secure a Criptonite Sold Secure bronze lock - which is alright - for £10 at the Union, we make no profits but just buy in bulk.

It sounds like a great deal - how do you promote this as a Security effort?

We would love to have access to all the first year students’ email addresses or home postal addresses to contact the students’ parents, to say: ‘Your son/daughter is entering a wonderful new campus, but they are not necessarily going to be interested in security, so we are appealing to your better nature please buy them a D-lock’.

The difficulty which we do have is selling the security message, without frightening the life out of people. There has got to be a balance and we believe that admissions and the university hierarchy would rather we were a bit less seen - but I am curious as to what Spark readers’ views on this…?

I suppose that this is where the Thames Valley Alert concept returns again, because - for months on end - we may not have any criminal activity, but so much of the activity which we deal with is preventable.

You have got a really good security team who are setting the pace on campus and who are immediately at hand for any serious issues the contact number through 6300 (internally). The University building programme - as an outsider - does seem to be developing to have the capacity for student to move away from the East end of Reading - where my colleagues police - into lovely halls.

Campus watch provides more eyes across the campus Gary: Campus-Watch is a system which is rolling out and alerts us to someone suspicious through students calling in to the security team - it provides more eyes across the campus.

Has it worked so far?

Greg: The system works! I was spotted after Freshers’ week; two of my team were students here - not that long ago - and we

organised a social which began at Park Place and ended at 3Sixty.

Being the Inspector, I left before it got too embarrassing, headed to the kabab shop - opposite the Sports Park. I then thought that I would walk right across campus, towards my home near Wokingham road, across the lake, out through Earley Gate and I would have a look (ever the professional) at the lighting and the path to see how safe it was - and I was quite impressed with it. On Monday Gary sends me a summary of the weekend’s events to ensure that the Police know what the staff are dealing with. One of my PCSOs came back to me and said ‘where were you at 01:01 then?’ On this log, at 01:01 - called in by one of the students - was ‘being followed by a suspicious male from the Kabab shop, up Queens Road, wearing a dark coat, white, short grey hair, late fifties’; I am 49. Security responded and I was spotted on the CCTV cameras!

back and arrange something.

Greg: You do not have that service at many, if not any, Universities at the moment; that is really good.

Do you have any other exciting new services for us?

Gary: The Shaparone Service started this week.

We have gone into the library, with a jacket on, and noticed that three or four laptops were left unattended - these are opportunities for thieves. Use the cable ties - I don’t know how many people do but there are holes drilled into the tables for this reason!

[The Shaparone Service] call us, book a time that we can walk you across campus It is a service for students or staff - especially for the route which is described above - from Earley gate to the main campus, or visa versa - can call us, book a time that we can either walk you across OR, if you feel that you would just like to know that someone is watching you, we will follow you on the camera as much as we can. So, you can call us and say…

Greg: (for example) ‘I am stranded and I am walking back from Union’ - you might have had the opportunity for a Shaparone, or the might have said to you ‘we have got CCTV cameras dotted along the route, we know what you are wearing and we will keep an eye on you’ Gary: We can’t keep you on the phone - obviously - because more people might be calling in, but we will take your number and call you

How is the situation with laptop thefts? I have seen the signs in the library and the tables with holes...

Greg: Figures are well down, we would like to think that it is because of a lot of things which we are doing - it might be a bit of luck at the minute, and we might get hit later - but the messages which have been left on the entrance desk seem to be warning people, entering the library.

Let us not forget iPhones and iPads; If you own an iPad or iPhone you have the access to the ‘find my iPad/iPhone software’ use it! We helped a girl through this software and located her lost phone - which was in the middle of the woods - on campus.

You can find our Security Office using the map, find our page on facebook, find TVP-Wokingham and Thames Valley Alert online too.

Many thanks to Gary, Greg and to Steve for organising this interview.

10 DEBATE

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

Debate

Should students be worrying about a career during their degree?

Patrick Gaughran

Yes

The term worry here conjures sentiments that I cannot support without being more than a touch disingenuous. I don’t think people should worry about their careers as much as they should always be mindful of the implications their decisions are having on the rest of their lives.

Most people are granted a finite run at higher education and absent a bank-of-mum-and-dad loan will not have the chance, past a certain point, to change certain things about the direction they are taking themselves in. Thus, and this is especially true for people who have a clear and defined view of what they want to achieve, people should not be quick to assume that decisions they make now that prove harmful later will be easily mitigated.

The world is a tough place and the job market is competitive so people who want to enter competitive careers need to be aware of what it takes to get ahead. Even those who as yet don’t know what they want to do (I count myself very much among them) need to be mindful of prerequisites they may need to meet for the myriad careers they are considering so as to ensure they leave as many options open for themselves later on.

Freedom exists essentially in the ability to make choices and there is every chance that people who spend their student years poorly may find themselves unable to, or at least significantly less able to, pursue the opportunities that they would like.

Many reading this will be making the perfectly valid point in their mind now that not everybody wants to get competitive or well-paid job after they graduate and that, for many people, life is about so much more than what job you get and how much money you earn; I count myself, again, very much among these people as well but I still think it important that the future is something I, and others who share my views, are constantly evaluating with regard to how they see their life progressing.

It is wonderful to have the confidence that whatever happens – in

the aftermath of even the most apolaustic student life – you will fall happily on your feet but can we really be that confident? I’m personally unconvinced that we can be.

Too much is uncertain and while now I may care not for my future career I do have hopes that I will be happy one day and, as is obvious to anyone who has spent a day working any kind of job they didn’t enjoy, the way we make a living can have a considerable effect on our happiness.

So too, though, you may be thinking that I am being presumptuous by assuming the various things I assume above, and you may be wondering what I say to the argument than an unhealthy long-termist focus on careers can serve to undermine the intrinsic benefits of education and that, in placing additional stress on students, it can be counterproductive and in fact dilute academic success and thus job prospects as a result.

Aside from the fact that getting a job is about far more than academic success, I would agree with these people as well. My rebuttal rests firmly on my interpretation of the question. You don’t need to worry about the future to care about the future. It is healthy to have an idea of where you want to be in five years, and healthy to be serious about getting there.

In conclusion, while I can’t advocate “worrying” about your future career in itself with any force, I can advocate “worrying” about being happy. Or, more appropriately, always considering what is likely to make you happy. Being mindful of your career doesn’t have to have anything to do with how much you will earn or how important you can pretend you are but it is likely to have a whole lot of impact on whether or not we are able to live fulfilled, happy lives – albeit as one of a great many factors.

“Don’t worry, be happy” as somebody once said….

Kathleen rao

“Why should a university student be worrying about their career when this is the last time to enjoy being young?”

“Many people say that you ‘find yourself’ at university”

“Don’t worry, be happy as somebody once said...

No

When a student enters the halls of their university for the first time they have an expectation of what their university life is going to be like. Yes this includes worrying about deadlines and making it to their lectures, managing their money, but it also includes going out, meeting new people and just having fun while they can. The fact that the idea of future careers is now being drummed into our heads is downright unfair.

Why should a university student be worrying about their career when this is probably the last time they will have a chance to enjoy being young? University is an opportunity to experience new things and face new challenges. I understand that you have to be thinking about your future but we should be getting the chance to live our lives to the full before having to go out into the real world. Realistically we are never going to get the chance again to roll into bed at 6am after a night out and have to get up 2 hours later to make it to our 9am lecture; in the working world this wouldn’t happen.

University creates new challenges that students have not had to face before, independent working, more deadlines, being thrown into a new life with completely new people and so many more. We should be focusing on these challenges first before even thinking about adding more to our baskets, embracing the precious time we have at university before entering the inevitable real world.

According to a careers connection website one is expected to be looking/thinking about finding a job 5 days a week for at least 3 hours a day, locating between 5 and 10 opportunities per day. So students are supposed to do this on top of the hundreds of hours of workload that they acquire? Highly unlikely. I can certainly tell you that the students I know are doing work towards their degree probably everyday of the week and are definitely spending more than 3 hours on it. Once they’ve finished even part of the work they have to do, do you really think they then want to sit for another 3 hours looking at careers? No, they don’t.

Enjoying one’s time at university is extremely important because it is here that we learn to build our characters and gain social skills that we have not necessarily had to use before. If we spend our time worrying about future careers we will not have the chance to develop our social skills and we would be of no use in the working world at all, regardless if you had thought about your career, because you would not be able to socialise with your co-worker, clients and your boss. Many people say that you ‘find yourself’ at university, you have the time to discover your character and who you are as a person. You do this by being put in a situation where you have to socialise to become comfortable with your surroundings but if you are spending all of your time worrying about work and careers there isn’t much chance of this happening.

Another issue that students already have to worry about is money management. Most students come to university and they have never really had to look after themselves before. For many this is the first time they will be buying food and cooking for themselves, remembering to save money to buy washing up liquid, for those in houses having to put money aside for the bills every month. It’s tiring having to always add up your expenditure. I know some may see this as practice for the future for when you are in a job and working, but in reality it is actually quite scary. A student has to rely completely on himself/ herself; thrown into a whole new world and they do not need more worry on top of it.

As students we should be learning to balance our time equally between working and socialising. I am not disputing that we shouldn’t be thinking about our futures but that doesn’t mean we should be worrying about them all the time.

A student’s priority should be working towards getting their degree, enjoying the perks and sometimes the downfalls that come with being at university because it is not something that any one of us is likely to experience again.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

comment Happily Ever After...?

Jessica Phillips

Have you ever been dumped? Has he left you for someone else? Did you give him everything you had, when all he gave you was a broken heart?

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all heard of this situation. Boy meets girl. Girl and boy fall in love. Then boy leaves girl; it’s the ending that’s always left out of the fairytale storybook. It is never mentioned that boys hardly ever show up on a white horse, buy you roses or wake you up from an enchanted slumber. The reality of the matter is that most girls will find that they’ll be lucky to experience a cheap horse and carriage ride by the seaside once in a lifetime and that roses can be easily forgotten on Valentine’s Day. It’s also more than likely that it is they who will have to perform the honour of waking up their other half after he falls asleep in front of the TV…..again!

But it can also be argued that not doing things by the book can lead to bliss. It could be a sweet goodnight text or an unexpected doorbell ring or even something as silly as him holding the car door open for you. These are things you rarely read about in fairytales, but does that make them less special?

Just because it didn’t happen to Snow White, does that mean it shouldn’t happen for you? Love can be unexpected, unexplained and unbelievable…….. Unfortunately, this can also be said for break-ups.

The break-up is one of those things most don’t see coming as they’ve been wrapped up in a fantasy for so long. Who can blame them? Girls, for generations have been brought up to believe that they are bound to be swept off their feet and whisked away to a magical castle by a dashing young prince. It’s what Walt Disney

taught us ….. So it must be true, right? Cinderella got her perfect ending, along with Sleeping Beauty and Belle. Why not you? Yet I’m still pretty sure that if heartbreak hasn’t affected you directly, it’s more than likely that you’ve been on the receiving end of a 3am phone call, listening to a rambling friend trying to explain why boyfriend X left her. You may have been the one buying the chocolate, chick flicks and tissues for a girly night in or you could have been the person helping to toss his things in black bags ready to be thrown out onto the street.

24 hours a day? When does losing a boyfriend lead to losing your mind? When does post break-up syndrome turn into obsession?

It has been claimed that there are 4 stages a girl goes through after a break up. First there’s vulnerability, then comes denial, followed by hatred and finally acceptance. But for the unlucky few, they only experience the first three. They never move on, they never get over the loss, they never let him go.

Are a few cinema dates, midnight rides in his car and all day movie marathons really worth losing your sanity over?

Most girls will experience heartbreak in their lives. It’s almost inevitable. But everyone deals with it differently. Some get a new hair cut, join a gym to make themselves feel better….. or to make their ex jealous, others act like nothing’s wrong whilst the pain remains buried deep inside. We all have different ways of dealing with rejection. In most cases sadness, anger and self pity brew for a few days, but most realise that sitting around moping isn’t that enjoyable. Crying for hours on end only makes your face blotchy and that too much chocolate simply makes you fat.

As I mentioned, most girls experience heartbreak in their lives… and most girls get over it.

But what happens when you don’t?

What are the consequences when you can’t forget about him? What happens when he’s on your mind

for trespassing on an ex lover’s property. They’re the ones with a greater likelihood of modelling a room full of old photographs, stuffed animals, birthday cards from a past relationship in their home (even if it had only lasted a few days). They can even end up with restraining orders filed against them. In extreme cases, they are the individuals who are sent to prison for harassment, stalking, and even murder!

Do you listen to his voicemail repeatedly just so you can hear his voice? Do you still have his face as your screen saver? Do you still wear his old shirts that he left at your house? Nostalgia? Or obsession…..?

As much as we all want to believe in fairytales and fantasies, they’re just children’s bedtime stories.

For these people, listening to a few sad songs by Celine Dion and finishing off a few too many tubs of ice cream doesn’t lessen their anguish. Taking their anger out on a punch bag doesn’t make them feel any better. Writing letters dripping in hatred that are never sent doesn’t empower them to move on. Put simply, these people become obsessed with their ex’s.

The person who used to love them dominates their minds and influences their emotions and actions continuously, and negatively.

Their ex becomes the focal point of their existence, which compromises their future as they’re so fixated on the past.

These are the people you are most likely to read about on the front page of your local newspaper

And then comes the revelation…..

So girls, I think the message that we all need to learn here is that boys just aren’t worth losing our minds over and shouldn’t cost us a life sentence (even if he does look like Jake Gyllenhaal!) . Are a few cinema dates, midnight rides in his car and all day movie marathons really worth losing your sanity for? The real realisation here is that fairytales just don’t exist…. so stop chasing something that’s unreachable. Don’t obsess over a man who probably wasn’t a prince; more likely he was just an idiot who clutched on to a naïve girl’s heart and took advantage of an innocent dream she’d had since childhood; the dream of Prince Charming.

So now ask yourself, do you really miss him, or the fantasy you’ve held on to for way too long?

Going Home For Christmas Wesley Gyechie

The Christmas holidays are seen as one of the most euphoric and exciting times of the year, particularly for University students (where some have not seen their family and friends since enrolling into University). As a result, going back home for Christmas can also be a strange experience. Some will feel jubilant that they are going back to their beloved warm radiators and not having to perfom the

repetitive task of washing their own clothes, when they have their parents to do this for them! It may also be particularly heart-warming for the first year international students who may not have moved away from their home country before.

Consequently, University is bound to change an individual, even for just the first term. Some of these changes may appear to be very dramatic or quite subtle. For instance, one may have forgotten

to comply with the house rules, since spending three months with essentially no rules (except the odd essay deadline).

Going back home for Christmas can be a strange experience But remember, that you will not be the only person who has changed since starting University. Your

family will have adjusted to you not being at home for a substantial period (so don’t be surprised if you find someone else sleeping in your bed!).

Some students may become overwhelmed with the prospect of Christmas, due to the clichés that come with it, such as Christmas lights, presents and the Christmas dinner. But the implication of this is that it can build idyllic visions of Christmas, which may not specifically match your reality.

COMMENT 11

Is the heartbreaker who imitated a prince worth your tears... or just your pity? Is what you’re truly missing simply the idea of a fictional character?

The break-up is one of those things most don’t see coming As much as we all want to believe in fairytales and fantasies, they’re just children’s bedtime stories.

Not a grown woman’s guide to eternal happiness. Besides, do you really think a man in tights who sings to you every time he wishes to express an emotion and picks flowers as a pastime is really your vision of the ‘ideal man’? Wouldn’t you get tired of this supposed ‘perfection’ and actually want to escape back to reality, not escape from it? Wouldn’t you rather attend parties and not balls, sing in the shower and not in enchanted forests and wear wedges instead of glass slippers?

A break up isn’t the end of the world; it isn’t something you need to run from, but embrace. It can give you time to realise that maybe the prince was the villain in disguise after all and, though bittersweet, save you from a lifetime of misery. It’s meant to provide you with strength that you never knew you had, nourish you with life lessons, and if you’re Taylor Swift, supply you with material for your next post break-up song.

So, the real question is this (one that most women don’t want to confront); it means leaving childhood behind and facing the big scary world without the reassurance of fairy godmothers, spells, potions, magic and everlasting contentment, it means growing up: Do you really want him back, or just the innocence to believe in Happily Ever After?

Just with everything in life, one cannot expect that everything will be perfect, so even if you Christmas is slightly different from the ‘perfect’ Christmas that we are all conditioned to expect, do not let that dampen your festive mood.

On a final note, remember that Christmas can be a time of to reflect on your first term in University, where you may find that you have matured emotionally and even physically since beginning your step into full independence.

marketing@rusu.co.uk

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Graduate careers in Audit, Tax and Advisory

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FILM&TV

FILM&TV 13

The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 2: Twihards will love it!

Directed by: Bill Condon Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner Running Time: 115 mins Genre: Romance, Drama, Fantasy Jessica Moore

I was slightly apprehensive about seeing this film. Having read the book and seen all previous films, I was interested to see how the final installment would tackle certain issues. In particular that of the mutant baby, Kristen Stewart’s devastatingly gloomy portrayal of Bella combined with Robert Pattinson’s awkward Edward and finally the terrible ending of the book.

Stewart was much less depressing The film is the last movie of the Twilight franchise and at the end of the penultimate film, Bella was turned vampire after giving birth to a half human, half vampire baby. This provokes all kinds of

and Pattinson’s far more laid-back Edward was sweet relief.

Thankfully the intense romance did not dominate the entire film, although there is still plenty of gooey lovey-dovey-ness to go around.

There are also a few laughs to be had, making a nice change from the cringe-worthy cheesiness of the love scenes. I also think it is worth noting that Jacob only takes his top off once. Shock horror, sorry ladies. On the plus side, this may perhaps encourage more boyfriends to accompany their girlfriends to see this film if they know it is not all topless men and over-the-top romance? Or maybe not.

To those who have always hated the franchise, you are definitely

not about to start liking it; but to those die-hard Twilight fans this will certainly not disappoint.

HHH

Bill Condon has problems regarding the Volturi, seen as the Royalty of the vampire world, who go in search for the Cullens with the intention of killing the baby and those associated with it. Add to that the various vampire superpowers and Jacob’s imprinting (if you don’t know, don’t ask); it’s all a bit strange.

However, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Direc-

tor Bill Condon has created an extremely visually pleasing film - and I’m not just talking about the plethora of pretty people that dominate the cast. The film is shot beautifully, from the elaborate opening credits to the impressive construction and technical brilliance of the fight scene. Even the acting was better. Stewart was much less depressing than usual

created an extremely visually pleasing film I mentioned earlier that the ending of the book is terrible. Unfortunately the same goes for the film, but when the author of the book is also the producer of the film, you can hardly expect a great deal of change.

Argo: This won’t be a ‘fake’ hit Directed By: Ben Affleck Starring: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman Running Time: 120 Mins Genre: Thriller Jonathan Edney

Ben Affleck is rapidly becoming a hot property in Hollywood.

Although a prominent leading man in the 90s, he is now lauded for his directorial flair in Gone Baby Gone

(2007) and The Town (2010). Argo is his latest film, concerned with the real-life event of the CIA pretending to make a film in order to rescue six Americans from the Canadian embassy in Iran in 1979. It sounds ridiculous and the characters frequently acknowledge how ridiculous it is but it makes for tense viewing across two hours.

Affleck deftly combines real footage with his own in the opening attack on the US embassy in Tehran in response to America sheltering

their recently deposed leader. It could be argued that one of the film’s drawbacks is its stereotypical portrayal of the Iranians as aggressive but the final credits montage suggests that this is not so far from the truth, where some of the shots highlighting the Iranian violence are proved to have been taken from real life photos.

Argo is another jewel in Affleck’s crown and is already creating Oscar buzz Although tension is rife, the film stands out among other thrillers for its ability to balance humour and tension. The humour comes mainly from Alan Arkin’s Hollywood producer and John Goodman’s make-up artist who won an Oscar for Planet of the Apes (1968). Lines such as “If I’m making a fake movie, it’s going to be a fake hit” come from this sequence where Affleck’s CIA agent approaches the pair to come up with a concept for the ‘fake film’. A read through of the film’s script is intercut with Iranians preparing

to execute captured Americans as another example of the fine line the film treads between humour and tension.

Ben Affleck is fine as the CIA agent who comes up with the crazy scheme but the film is stolen by Arkin and Goodman with their cynical but true attitude to the Hollywood system. The hostages are played by lesser known actors but are very convincing in their portrayal of the scared Americans

who must suddenly take on the identities of a film crew to survive.

The last 40 minutes are some of the most suspenseful in recent years, as the ‘crew’ pretend to scout locations and perform their daring escape. Argo is another jewel in Affleck’s crown and is already creating Oscar buzz due to its poignant, humorous and thrilling nature.

HHHH

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Matthew Vaugh has dropped out of directing the X-Men - First Class sequel, and we know why...jump to page 17 and read to find out!

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The Master: a true masterpiece of filmmaking Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Amy Adams Running Time: 144 mins Genre: Drama Oliver Fitzgerald

Paul Thomas Anderson is still on a winning streak of films. From the hit drama Boogie Nights, to the incredibly successful There Will Be Blood, of which he gained three Oscar nominations and a huge amount of respect. His latest film, The Master, runs in the same vein of quality. The film, set just after the Second World War, is about Freddie Quell (Phoenix), a man who finds it more and more difficult to adjust to life outside the navy, a drunken drifter. However, a chance meeting with Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) leader of a new cult name The Cause, offers him the opportunity to change this.

Although the film takes a while to actually introduce The Master himself, you immediately get the idea that Joaquin Phoenix is back

to his best once more. The character he plays isn’t too distant from his 2005 portrayal of Johnny Cash, this does not mean to say he does not offer something new. His character is immature and often crude; however, what he also offers is a great insight into a vulnerable and troubled person who eventually becomes an unlikely hero. Alternatively Seymour-Hoffman offers us a new kind of character, one who is funny and charming. The most successful aspect of this film

is the bond that develops between the two leads, one that feels a lot like the father-son relationships that seem to be a theme in Anderson’s films.

Joaquin Phoenix is back to his best So much of the press release was associated with whether or not the film is about scientology, and although the comparisons that can be made are rife, those that go into the film looking for an answer and a somewhat exposure are to be very disappointed. There are no hidden meanings here, nothing to “get”, other than perhaps that there is no real master at all, just two sides of the same coin, each looking to the other for the answers. One man is completely sure of himself and the other is not. Lancaster Dodd represents the former, he does not seem to give up on Freddie Quell as he finds his savage purity a great interest, and he tries to find purpose in a man who has and wants no purpose. The clashes that occur between the egos of these two men

are the driving force for the film, the scenes where they reach the height of this are the ones that offer the most.

The film overall is written superbly, the camerawork inspiring and the acting Oscar-worthy. The Master is a film that offers a great deal, and although the story may become lost at times it does not seem to lose track of its purpose.

Its interest is not in tidy narra-

tive satisfactions but rather the excesses and extremes of human behavior, the interplay of troubled souls desperate to find their footing. If you appreciate filmmaking at this level you are more than grateful that it's happened again.

HHHHH

Here Comes the Boom: Something here will take your fancy!

Directed by: Frank Coraci Starring: Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler Runtime: 105 mins Genre: Action/comedy Charlotte Coster

What with several majorly anticipated blockbusters being released at the moment (*cough* Skyfall *cough* Twilight *cough*) Here Comes the Boom has managed to kind of slip below the radar.

Despite this lack of attention, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie which turned out to be

a comedic, gently moralistic and hugely enjoyable film.

The basic premise of the story is currently a topical issue, with the film opening as a group of teachers are told that the arts funding in their school is being cut. Meaning that all the after school music activities within it will have to be removed. Quite a common occurrence in schools at the moment.

The basic premise of the story is currently a topical issue What is not quite so common is the way that biology teacher,

Scott Voss (Kevin James) chooses to raise the $48,000 needed to reinstate music as he proceeds to enter into cut throat NFC fighting arenas, tempted by the $50,000 top prize. What follows is a heartwarming depiction of Voss’ determination to reach the top.

The fights themselves were competently acted portraying realistic battles Although it is a little slow to start with, once you reached the actual fighting scenes, the film became a lot more interesting. But I appreciate you needed the whole beginning section to understand his motivation behind his decision to fight.

The fights themselves were competently acted portraying somewhat realistic battles, and they do not shy away from the gory injuries that many amateurs who are new to the sport, sustain. The final fight in particular was very skilfully shot, using a mixture of slow motion and unusual angles to ensure you were right in the middle of the action, placing the audience in the position of Voss himself as he experienced the fight. I have not seen this unique perspective used to such a successful extent.

The increased emotional empathy that the audience felt for the main character was essential to the plot line and helped to recreate the feelings that Voss was experiencing for the students in his school.

Therefore we could understand why Voss was putting himself through the whole ordeal.

I do realise that not everyone will care for the characters quite as much as I did. But even the hard

hearted cynics amongst you should enjoy it. Whether this is because of its gentle humour, the not-sobudding romance or the action filled fight sequences, you should find something in here that will take your fancy.

HHH

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - With the Twilight franchise concluded, a film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s other novel The Host hits our screens next March

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FILM&TV

Silver Linings Playbook: Don’t miss this, at any cost!

Directed By: David O. Russell Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro Running Time: 122 mins Genre: Comedy, Romance Mukundwa Katuliiba

At no cost should you miss David O.Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook. The film follows Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) who was put in a psychiatric ward after discovering his wife in bed with her boss and savagely beating him. After being released and moving in with his parents (Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), his best friend’s sister-in-law. An erratic widower, she has also recently gone through psychiatric counselling.

Their equally asocial peculiarities creates an immediate chemistry between them; however, while Tiffany is clearly interested in Pat, he is solely focused on winning his wife back. The film chronicles how Pat and Tiffany deal with their traumas and how they help

eachother to reach their different goals, which ultimately brings them together.

Naturally the cast can be divided into main and supporting. However, each actor delivers exactly as much as the next. There was not one weak link; the movie is impeccably cast with each actor adopting idiosyncrasies that added to the hilarity and believability of their character. They were all very endearing despite their flaws (or perhaps because of them) and felt very familiar.

This is incontestably Cooper’s best performance to date: the character of Pat allowed him to showcases his commendable acting range.

His co-star is equally fantastic.

Lawrence exudes both youth and maturity and has a way of conveying a thousand feelings with one glance. If anything, I imagine she played the character better than it was written. DeNiro, Weaver and Chris Tucker (as Cooper’s fellow ‘wardmate’) are effortless: it feels like they truly are the character’s they’re inhabiting. The tone of

the film is flawless. Many times one finds themselves on the verge of crying but then ends up laughing out loud. O.Russell marries sadness and humour so that the audience never really experiences one without the other.

Silver Linings Playbook is a film for everyone. It isn’t afraid to showcase emotional capacities.

In fact, this is its main focus: it depicts how people hurt and heal and work with the cards they’ve been dealt. Each performer delivers, down to the most supporting cast, which is rare and incredibly refreshing. The movie itself is hilarious, raw and unselfconscious, and most importantly is rooted in a spotless script full of real, empathetic characters. I will say that that the camera movements move from jarring to steady as Pat stabilizes. The former can get nauseating at times but this soon forgotten once the second act kicks in. This film is a must-see, very worth the time and money that it asks for.

HHHHH

Gambit: Time to bamboozle!

Directed By: Michael Hoffman Starring: Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Cameron Diaz, Stanley Tucci Running Time: 89 minutes Genre: Comedy, Crime SIOBHAN WHITEBREAD

Gambit is a film that is extremely quirky: and, I ask, could a film starring Colin Firth as a curator trying to get revenge on his boss (Alan Rickman) with the help of a cowgirl (Cameron Diaz) and an elderly art forger who used to be in the army (Tom Courtenay) be anything but?

This quirkiness has its flaws.

The plot veers into the ludicrous at some points, the character of the Major is underused and the cowgirl is a little too rammed down our throats - to the point where her over the top accent can become a little grating and her relationship with Firth’s art dealer seems just a touch forced.

I only mention these flaws, however, because otherwise Gam-

bit truly shines as a film. While some plot developments are convoluted, the rest of the film makes a perfect sort of madcap sense.

It obviously homages a lot of old greats, including numerous Ealing Comedies, and in this the influence of the writers (the Coen brothers) can be seen wonderfully. The humour is also fantastic – there are some completely obvious moments, most seen in the trailer, but the rest is subtle and wonderfully witty. Watch out, in particular, for a group of surprisingly cunning Japanese businessmen.

The characters are also all pretty much wonderful. The Major is underused, yes, but the fact that I’m complaining surely shows how great he was in the bits he had. And while the cowgirl does become a little grating she’s still fantastically strong and Diaz is a pleasure to watch. This pleasure can be extended to Firth – the film truly revolves around him, and would not work with anybody less capable of projecting that essential air of britishness. For me, however, the true star of the show is Rickman – deeply unpleasant (with moments that are guaranteed to make you wince), he still

FILM&TV 15

The Top 10 Christmas Movies CHARLOTTE COSTER

1. Home Alone After a very dysfunctional beginning to the film, the family eventually discover how much they mean to each other, just in time for Christmas Day. Just as well.

2. The Scrooge A vaguely scary movie, with a very strong moral to not be a selfish horrible person. Just what you want to hear at Christmas.

8. The Holiday Two women who are unlucky in love swap lives for the Christmas break and manage to find amazing men in the most unlikely of places.

7. The Snowman An absolute classic. And if you don’t cry at the end, you have a heart of stone.

6. Nativity A musical Christmas film about two different primary schools competing to make the best Nativity play. Not only is it super cute but hilarious as well and the children are unbelievably talented.

5. Muppet Christmas Carol A really fun retelling of the classic Dickens novel, with all your favourite characters.

4. Elf I don’t think you can get more Christmas-y than this film with everything embraced from Santa Claus and the North Pole to family, love and acceptance!!

3. Love Actually Love is one of the most important emotions that is embraced at Christmas. And this movie is full of it!

somehow manages to make you half-root for him.

Gambit is a brilliantly off the wall film from the titles to the credits. While its plot may overcomplicate itself at times, the events a few minutes before the brilliant ending made me consider downgrading it a star, and some of the characters are woefully underused it is still an absolutely great

film. Some moments are genuinely hilarious, some characters are decidedly brilliant and the ending is one that’ll probably have you sitting up in your seat and clapping. …Oh, and Colin Firth definitely has better legs than you. You’ll see what I mean.

HHHH

2. Polar Express An amazingly cute film which is not only full of adventure but inspires children to carry on believing even If it might not be obvious that they should.

1. Arthur Christmas It may have only come out last year, but I think this film will be around for a long time. Reminds us what really is important at Christmas – Santa Claus and presents (just kidding!)

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Steven Spielberg has revealed he once had the chance to direct a Bond film in the 70’s but was snubbed - were they crazy?!

16 FILM&TV

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Feature Article: Disney Takes on Star Wars Star Wars Episodes 7-9: A Hope Restored?

the franchise for fear of the Trekkie stigma. Whilst we have to wait until next year’s Star Trek Into Darkness to see if he can continuously write well and excitingly, or if, like his work on Lost creates great characters and scenarios then doesn’t know where to take them from there, leading to a disappointing pay off for invested fans. However, if it he does prove his chops, there’s no reason why he can’t write fantastic adventures should he establish a new general of Skywalker clan.

Zoë Annabel Richardson

The world of geekdom was left reeling at last month’s news of Disney buying up Lucasfilm, George Lucas’ film company that gave the world such cinematic film series in the late 70s/early 80s, such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, and subsequently ruined them in the new millennium. The fear of this new trilogy being as shoddilyacted, poorly-scripted and filled with “how can I make a toy of this” characters and scene inclusions that added nothing to the plot as the Prequel Trilogy is perfectly justified.

“[I wish to] pass Star Wars onto a new generation of film makers.” - George Lucas However, George Lucas has since confirmed that, unlike the Prequel Trilogy, he will have very minimal involvement and certainly won’t be directing which is great as the Star Wars film considered by most fans as the best (and has the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating of all six films) Empire Strikes Back was one of the few in which he neither directed nor wrote the screenplay for. So, forgive the pun, we might have a new hope in a new creative team building on the universe and characters that Lucas created.

This announcement might be a good thing after all For many people, they think of Disney and they think of a theme park that is so intent on making everything happy and perfect that it’s sinister, a mascot mouse and a large series of animated films involving well-off, pretty girls singing about how they want so much more in their life. Before the fear sets in of the potential of Leia joining the Disney Princess Line Ups and having her own sing-along cooking book, remember that Disney has proven to have a fairly successful track-record with film.

After acquiring Marvel Studios, they went on to make The Avengers, without a doubt one of the best superhero films, lauded even by people who do not enjoy superhero films. Yes, their most recent sci-fi live action outing, John Carter, did so badly that the head of Disney resigned from his position, but a lot of that was due to marketing

Star wars is all set to be passed on to a new generation and Disney is hardly going to fail on marketing something as big and controversial as the new Star Wars trilogy. Likewise with Disney’s takeover of Pixar, it did sadly mean that they did less original tales and more sequels, but, Cars 2 aside, Toy Story 3 and (hopefully) the upcoming Monsters University show that fantastic sequels can be made with the right team, story and dedication.

George Lucas, since the news was announced, has stated that he wishes to “pass Star Wars onto a new generation of film makers.”

Whilst the film is not going to be released until 2015, we will no doubt be waiting in equal fear and hope as announcements of writers, directors and casting slowly leak.

So why not speculate?

Joss Whedon With Serenity considered one of the best (if not, arguably, the best) space-set films of recent years, we know that he can write roughish characters, strong females and shady, overpowering enemies. His work on The Avengers shows he can take a well-established franchise (under Disney’s umbrella

Guillermo Del Toro A gorgeously visual director, with beautiful and harrowing Pan’s Labyrinth showing just how original and wonderful his mind is, whilst his work on the Hellboy series shows that he can write amazingly well for source characters. What’s more, his use of puppets over CGI would hopefully mean a return to the less CGI-laden efforts of the original trilogy, making this galaxy far, far away and its unusual creatures seem more “real.” He would no doubt be able to write fantastic, humorous dialogue and create beautiful locations and creatures. Besides, as we will never see his take on The Hobbit, his take on the Star Wars universe will no doubt ease our pain

Edgar Wright

The Director

There are a plenitude of directors who have recently shown their science fiction chops, here is a list of some great directors of the moment, and how, under their direction, these films might be even half-decent

Or could J.J Abrams be the one to lead Disney’s take? guidance too) and make something wonderful. However, with Avengers 2 coming out in the same summer that Disney want Star Wars released in, it’s highly unlikely that he’d have the time. Still, a girl can dream.

J J Abrams

Could Joss Whedon take the helm as Director?

George Lucas will have very minimal involvement

Whilst a competitor to the Star Wars universe, JJ Abram’s recent reboot of Star Trek had great establishment of well-written characters, distanced away enough from the source material to make it new and exciting but was still faithful to make it wildly enjoyable for Star Trek fans and people previously too scared to approach

The British director who be a great representation of English talent taking on this franchise.

Scott Pilgrim has established him as able of working off source work and we know from Spaced that he is a massive fanboy. His distinctive style might have to be toned down, sadly, but I believe you can rely on him to be faithful to the series and not be motivated by greed to make, to quote Spaced’s Tim Bisley another “jumped-up toy commercial.”

Will the empire and the Sith be the villains?

Matthew Vaugh Whilst far lesser known than the previous contenders on my list, he has proven he can adapt source material extremely well (Stardust and Kick-Ass good examples of this) and give it a charm and universal appeal.

[As this issue goes to press it has been revealed that Matthew Vaugh will be directing Disney’s venture

into the Star Wars franchise - good speculation Zoe! Editor].

The Story

Now, the question is, how will they do this trilogy? Whilst many people consider the series to have “ended” after the 3rd film, Return of the Jedi, there was in fact a continuation with novels, quite in-depth series that explored just “what happened next?” after we saw Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca and the droids celebrating the collapse of the Empire with the Ewoks.

So, imagine if it could be done right.

It might be that they continue the series with Han and Leia’s children, whether this means Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will be reprising their roles, or if any of the original cast will even have cameos is yet to be seen. There might very well be a new generation with the old actors (Luke now taking Obi Wan’s role to mentor new jedis) appearing briefly in order to pass their torch onto the new batch.

Another suggestion, though one I personally am not fond of the idea of, is having the story be set very close to the end of Return of the Jedi, with the roles recast by new, young actors. As long as poor written “love” stories aren’t commandeering the majority of the film time, we know it’ll at least be an improvement on the prequels.

How will they do this trilogy?

The film makers might wish to disassociate the story from the characters of the original trilogy and focus on greatly different characters, but within the universe. Unlike the sequels, the filmmakers can’t rely in marketing with iconic characters such as Darth Vader and Yoda, and it would anger fans greatly if they dared to bring them back.

Will the empire and the Sith be the villains? Have the jedis fully returned and returned everything back to the way it was? No doubt some new evil will be rising, most likely old remenants of the empire, though it would be interesting to see new enemies. They have a whole universe, why not something a bit different, why do all the enemies have to be the standard lightsaber-wielding, force-channelling villains?

So, of course, this is all speculation, and a highly doubtful account too. Still, it’s better to be a tad bit hopefully optimistic and realise that this announcement might be a good thing after all!

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart will be returning to the X-Men Franchise in the next upcoming prequel Days of Future Past.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

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FILM&TV 17

FILM&TV Actor profile: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Oliver Fitzgerald

Born in Los Angeles in 1981, Joseph Gordon-Levitt started acting at a very early age. His breakthrough came when he starred alongside John Lithgow in the six season sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, starting in 1996. He left acting for a while in order to pursue more academic interests at Columbia University. He eventually returned to film and appeared in independent movies including the very successful (500) Days of Summer in 2008, as well as Inception. He collaborated once more with Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2012.

Gordon Levitt is an extremely diverse actor. He can portray serious characters such as Brendan Frye in Brick and more light-hearted roles such as Tom Hansen in (500) Days of Summer.

He openly describes his views on being famous; in an interview he stated “fame has always been a downside to acting for me. It gives me the creeps”. He is also very selective of the films he appears in and the characters he portrays, he states “I'm attracted to characters who feel like real human beings, not stereotypes, or plot points.” His work ranges from indie pictures to major studio releases.

He also states how one of his main inspirations is Gary Oldman and therefore fulfilled another dream by working alongside him

When he is not working on films he is mostly focused on his production company HitRECord, he established it in 2004 and since then it has been going from strength to strength. The company uses video, music, literature, photography, performance, spoken word, screenwriting, graphic art, etc. from different artists around the world to make various projects and workings such as short films, books, and DVDs. He started acting when he appeared in a school production aged four. His family has a history in the movie business, his maternal grandfather was Michael Gordon, a director who worked on films such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Pillow Talk. Gordon-Levitt soon moved onto appearing in TV commercials for products such as peanut butter when he was six.

He finally gained a role in the TV series Dark Shadows, and although popular, his career really took off when he got the part of Tommy Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun.

ting the recognition he deserved.

It wasn’t until he played the lead role in (500) Days of Summer that his hard work really started to pay off and in the end he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the film. His next big role came in 2010 where he got to play the character Arthur in Christopher Nolan’s Inception. This would become the biggest financial success of that year, for those who had still never heard of Joseph Gordon-Levitt they most certainly did now. Later on in that year, he got some of his best reviews for a much more realistic picture, by appearing in the hit comedy 50/50.

Gordon-Levitt plays Tom, a young man who learns that he has cancer.

The film, which co-stars Seth Rogen, explores both the challenges and the humorous possibilities of Tom's situation.

According to Gordon-Levitt himself he had fulfilled a personal dream by appearing in a Batman film. He also states how one of his main inspirations is Gary Oldman and therefore fulfilled another dream by working alongside him.

His next big picture was the sci- fi Looper, a film directed by the creator of Brick. Again his performance in the film was met with great praise, the film itself

He returned to film in 2004 but was determined to experiment in the movie industry The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family in order to observe the behavior of human beings. This programme was immensely successful and ran for six seasons, although GordonLevitt’s character only made guest appearances in the sixth season due to him enrolling in Columbia University. During this time he studied subjects such as French Literature, he himself has admitted to being a Francophile and it is well known he can speak fluent French.

He returned to film in 2004 but was determined to experiment in the movie industry rather than go into Hollywood once more. The result was that he appeared in various independently made films with challenging roles such as a teenage detective in Brick and a street hustler in Mysterious Skin.

Although these films were very well received, he still wasn’t get-

He returned to film in 2004 but was determined to experiment in the movie industry rather than go into Hollywood once more However, the biggest year in his career was 2012. During this he appeared in the Dark Knight Rises, the seventh highest grossing movie of all time. During this he played the character John Blake, being in the film meant that once more he would be collaborating with Christopher Nolan.

being financially and critically successful. To cap off what is to be a career defining year for Gordon Levitt, he is set to appear in a biographical war drama film named Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is unique for the fact he is one of only a handful of actors to have made the successful transition from child to adult acting. Although appearing in some of the biggest films ever made, such as Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, Gordon-Levitt still maintains a widely respected artistic integrity and a great level of modesty. Give him a few more years and he should be considered one of the greatest actors of the time.

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - the next X-Men Prequel (X-Men - Days of Future Past) has been described as ‘X-Men meets Terminator’...this could be interesting!

18 MUSIC

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

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music

2012 in Hashtags and Records Spark* Music writers share their favourite albums and singles from the past 12 months Richard Petty

Top 5 Albums 5) Holy Other - Held 4) Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream 3) Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE 2) Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City 1) Burial - Kindred EP Technically it’s an EP, but its 3 tracks total nearly 31 of aural night time bliss. His otherworldly vocal sampling returns but what it accompanies has developed, with each track carrying a clear sense of progression.

Top 5 Tracks

5) Kendrick Lama - Swimming Pools (Drank) 4) Blood Diamonds ft. Grimes Phone Sex 3) Chromatics - Kill For Love 2) Kanye West & GOOD Music - Mercy 1) Frank Ocean - Pyramids Pyramids is set into two separate ages. Starting off with a funky strut accompanied by abstract lyrics about the Queen Cleopatra it distorts into a swirling and hazy modern day ode to a muse of Ocean’s , where rather than an architectural wonder the pyramids have now become something a bit more sleazy and sinister…..

A Word From The Editors...

Jamie Milton and Nia Thomas

It’s been such an exciting year.

Many might belie the lack of standout albums from over the past 12 months, but if you look at some of our writer’s choices up above, you’ll see a range of stunning albums and tracks. From banjo-peddling upper class folkery to Mumford and Sons (eh!), the

Katie Langford-Foster

Top 5 Albums 5) Alt-J - An Awesome Wave 4) Dry The River - Shallow Bed 3) Ellie Goulding - Halcyon 2) Jessie Ware - Devotion 1) Azealia Banks - Fantasea She’s just so dirty. If you thought that the utter lyrical filth of 212 was a one off, think again.

There’s a whole load more where that came from and I cannot get enough of it. Track by track she throws down a hip hop, soul or even motown intro, only to drop that house beat half way through.

This Harlem girl never disappoints and she’s only 21!

Rhys Williams

Top 5 Albums 5) Mumford & Sons – Babel 4) King Charles - LoveBlood 3) The View – Cheeky For A Reason 2) Tribes – Baby 1) Spector – Enjoy It While It Lasts Young upstarts Spector lived up to all the hype with their album released this year, containing incredible singles such as Chevy Thunder and Celestine amongst other fantastic songs. Coupled with their appearance at Reading & Leeds festivals and their UK tour, this has been a great year for Spector.

Richard Lewington

Top 5 Albums

5)Aesop Rock- Skelethon 4) How To Dress Well- Total Loss 3)Tall Ships- Everyone Touching 2) The xx- Coexist 1) Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid m.A.A.d City 2011’s Section 80 provided several of the best rap song as of the decade thus far, but on his major label debut Kendrick Lamar managed to outdo himself. Good Kid is a flat-out masterpiece; Kendrick’s album-long storytelling is flawless but every track stands tall on its own merits as well.

Top 5 Tracks

Top 5 Tracks

5) The Maccabees - Pelican 4) Rudimental - Feel The Love 3) Frank Ocean - Thinking About You 2) Disclosure - Latch 1) AlunaGeorge - You Know You LIke It This song is the stuff hazy, summer days are made of. Accompanied by light, poppy synth bouncing its way under the title lyric, Aluna Francis’ chilled out vocal found itself on repeat around my kitchen all summer.

5) Foals – Inhaler 4) Tribes – In The Corner Of An English Field 3) King Charles – Bam Bam 2) Spector – Celestine 1) Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait Folk heroes Mumford & Sons scored another hit in August this year with ‘I Will Wait’, complete with their trademark soaring harmonies, intense banjo playing and bittersweet folk-pop stylings.

As anthemic as it is beautiful, this single was by far my favourite of the year.

futuristic R&B pop of AlunaGeorge, to the boundary-pushing lyricism of Azealia Banks, almost every genre’s represented here (with the exception of the often overlooked avant-garde Phillipine tropical jazz). Amongst the other releases mentioned by our trusted writers, the Spark* Music editors have more than enjoyed filling the office with the sounds of Icona Pop, Grimes, Sharon Van Etten

and even a little bit of JLS. In the next issue - the first of next term - we’ll be inundating you with our tips for 2013. Some names spring to mind immediately - even some mentioned in writers’ tracks of the year, we should add - but there’ll also be some fresh faces you might have yet to encounter. Some of our musical highlights from 2012: finding out that Justin Bieber could rap; Susan Boyle’s infa-

mous hashtag; and the autotuned version of Nick Clegg’s public apology. We also enjoyed heading off to some of the year’s most prized festivals, including one on our own doorstep. Seeing a bloke with a Kasabian tattoo on his forehead was a real low, but watching Grimes put her Visions album into life was a highlight of our year.

Our wellies survived but our wallets didn’t (nice one, £5 pints). And

Top 5 Tracks

Top 5 Albums

5) Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball 4) Mumford & Sons - Babel 3) Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts 2) Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg.

1) The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten The best album of the year, and perhaps my favourite album ever. This is the best work ever produced by a band that is so far ahead of their peers. A modern masterpiece of blues-rock and punk.

5) Jake Bugg - Two Fingers 4) Billy Talent - Viking Death March 3) Fun. - Some Nights 2) Spector - Chevy Thunder 1) The Gaslight Anthem - Here Comes My Man Written by a man, from the perspective of a woman. It works brilliantly, and slots perfectly into an album filled with songs that are almost impossible to criticize.

Tip for 2013: Ryan Keen. After supporting Ed Sheeran and Jake Bugg, Ryan is set to make his mark. Definitely one to watch.

Top 5 Tracks

Patrick Scott

5) The Shins- Simple Song 4) Aesop Rock- Cycles to Gehenna 3) Azealia Banks- Liquorice 2) Kendrick Lamar- Swimming Pools 1) Gotye- Somebody That I Used To Know Somebody That I Used to Know is one of those songs that shifted millions of copies around the world and topped every chart, solely because it’s really, really brilliant.

It’s a masterful example of songwriting and cuts deep to anyone who has ever been in a relationship. finally, we’d like to thank every single one of our beloved writers for turning up each week, showing huge amounts of enthusiasm and realising music makes the world go round. Thanks to our readers for consuming the world class prose. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope that Santa brings you all the records you want. Keep music alive. Go spend your Xmas dosh on some music.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

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SINGLES

perhaps befallen previous winners.

All four girls also get a chance to show why they were chosen in the first place, with solo sections highlighting their fantastic vocal abilities.

Little Mix are definitely bringing back girl power, and we’re more than grateful for it. I’m pretty confident we can expect more pop gems from these four for many years. Dare I say the new Girls Aloud?

Little Mix DNA

HHHH

REPRISE RICHARD LEWINGTON

Psychedelic Pill is Neil Young’s thirty-fifth studio album, and the second he has released with Crazy Horse in 2012, following Americana, which came out in June. It is Young’s longest album so far, spanning two discs and an incredible 87 minutes, 27 of which are devoted to the first track on the album: Driftin’ Back. Clearly, the man shows no sign of slowing down.

Many of the songs on Psychedelic Pill originated from extended jam sessions during recording

Foals have evolved their sound to create more groundbreaking indie music.

There is still a killer sting in the tail The deep rhythm of the song makes it impossible not to move to, whether you’re on a dance-

the song perfectly. The song opens with a trippy, delayed riff, and has many long instrumental periods that it’s easy to lose yourself in. Yet with all the distance in the track, there is still a killer sting in the tail with the song’s chorus that will have you invol-

Foals Inhaler transgressive

rhys williams

ALBUMS

A step by step guide to Steps’ decline Steps Light Up The World warner

Philippakis’ vocals compliment

RACHEL PILCHER

Neil Young with Crazy Horse Psychedelic Pill

Inhaler shows that once more

floor or sat at a desk, and Yannis

SYCO

Look at today’s charts and you’ll see an abundance of girl power, from the ever-present Rihanna to the return of Girls Aloud. Pretty convenient for X Factor winners Little Mix. Having broken the curse of the girl bands on the show, Perrie, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade have consistently hit big in the charts and gained many a fan along the way.

DNA shows a darker and more mature side to Little Mix, far removed from the polished pop sound we’ve come to expect from them. This more grown-up style makes a bleeding good tune, and moves them away from the X Factor manufacturing that has

an uncharacteristic dark crunch,

untarily headbanging no matter where you are. I don’t see myself turning it off repeat any time soon.

The single was released earlier this week alongside its incredibly

Foals prove once more that they are the masters of their craft with their new single Inhaler. Sparse and atmospheric as ever, yet with

stylish video (not for the faint-

for Americana. Consequently, this album has a similar feel to its predecessor. However, unlike its predecessor, Psychedelic Pill has generally been met with good reviews.

This is, to some extent, a step up. Songs like Ramada Inn and Born in Ontario are some of the best work Neil Young has produced in decades. Unfortunately, these moments of brilliance are lost amongst never-ending and meandering riffs and solos, some stretching out for minutes at a time with little variation.

Lyrically, Young appears to be in a nostalgic mood. Born in Ontario and Twisted Road are essentially snapshots of the younger days in this man’s life, centred on how music and his surroundings around him whilst growing up helped to shape him. This, at times, appears to be at odds with the world around him. One moment he is complaining about the complexity of producing and recording music in the modern age, the next he’s filtering the title track with a phaser effect to give it a ‘psychedelic’ feel. This is poorly executed, as the song just sounds like its being played through speakers where the volume is being constantly fiddled

with. Perhaps Young realised this was a bad move, as the bonus track on the album is the original recording of the song, which sounds far better. It was really good, and I certainly recommend them!

All in all, this day was not as much fun as I hoped it would be.

The idea is good, the music was not all bad, but the organisation and advertising could have been better.

According to their website, their goal was to raise £8,000. As of now, no final amount is mentioned either on their Facebook page or their website. I hope they at least managed to reach their goal and perhaps they will do better next year.

hearted).

HHHHH

HHH One Direction Take Me Home SYCO

SIOBHAN MAGUIRE

I started listening to One Direction’s second album Take Me Home, in the hope that I would discover a handful of happy, heartwarming songs to heal that bad mood or enhance a stressful day.

MUSIC 19

rACHEL PILCHER

Thought you’d rid yourself of cheesy 90s pop? Think again.

Having already attempted one comeback, Steps are yet again trying to infiltrate the charts by entering the dreaded Christmas market.

Yes, they are releasing their own Christmas album… sorry. As much as they are a guilty pleasure for me, being a fan of them however many years ago, I think a Christmas album may prove to just be a cheese overload.

This, their first studio album in twelve years, mixes their unapologetically cheesy pop sound with some Christmas classics, although I’m not sure how many are recognisable at first listen. The album opens with History is Made at Night, complete with seasonal saxophone and standard Christmas beat. Perhaps an attempt to secure a more mature audience, they have chosen an album opener that compares a romantic night scene with a school-based scenario. I’ll quickly gloss over the error over ruining a Stevie Wonder song, and talk about the one original song on the album, Light up the World,

I was however, left disappointed.

That may sound a little harsh especially coming from me, a selfconfessed One Direction fan who cannot resist the uplifting lyrics and melodies of the band. However, with the exception of the two single releases, I can honestly say that I am having trouble remembering any of the other songs on the album.

Every song portrays the signature style of the band. “Live While We Are Young” being the best example of that, echoes the sound of 80’s new wave pop whilst presenting the idea of harmless romance, a theme which runs through the majority of the album. The majority of the songs on the album sound fairly similar. There is very little technical depth attached to any of them but then again they would not want to risk alienating their niche audience of screaming teenage girls which keep them in a job.

There are a couple of ‘nice’ songs on the album, which I am sure will win over One Direction’s fan base. Summer Love and They Don’t Know About Us are undeniably easy to listen to, though they are somewhat immature in sound. On the flip side the bands new release Little Things reflects a sound in

conveniently also the title track.

Not exactly encompassing the Christmas theme, this is where the cheese really hits, and messages of encouragement are showered upon us. “Imagination will set you free/just gotta work it out” is the height of this, encouraging us, I assume, to be creative and achieve our dreams. Only at Christmas I suppose.

From Christmas [Baby Please Come Home]¸ the idea of this being a Christmas album really starts, and it’s from here that you can really imagine this being on in the background on Christmas day. The album ends on the classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a relaxed, pleasant end with a lot of instrumental, to an album that you’re probably sick of by now.

I’m in two minds about this album. The child in me loves the cheese, which you can’t slate Steps for, as their bubblegum pop is still loved by many around the world.

The vocals aren’t completely tragic (note: completely), but this album brings an amount of cheese and an element of boredom that doesn’t quite click. I’d love to love this, but for some reason, it just doesn’t work. Sorry Steps.

HH which I hoped the whole album would follow suit. Written by Ed Sheeran and obviously so, the song echoes a grown-up vibe which has inevitably made a wider audience’s ears prick up. Making the band more accessible and even more popular, the acoustic backing and soft vocals of the song makes it one of the best things to come from the group’s second album by stripping them back vocally nand presenting a different vibe.

I was hoping that the second album for One Direction would bare them in a new light. However, it is highly disappointing. I cannot promise that I won’t be singing along to their future releases, but I can safely say that I will not be playing the album tracks on repeat. However, One Direction have got it spot on, they are slowly dominating the world with expansion to America and beyond, and with their popularity growing every single day, I am certain that the album will be a massive success anyway.

HH

20 MUSIC

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LIVE

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

The singalong gig to top all others: Ed Sheeran arrives in our modest little town. as always, played lyrically poetic songs with great sensitivity.

Rosenburg has an incredible voice, and his songs are remarkably personal which really emanates.

Not allowing the evening to lose pace, Passenger kept momentum with the witty I hate… which proved very popular with the audience (with the exception of his disparaging references to X Factor which seemingly enraged the young audience) and participation numbers like Holes, which sung en masse are pretty powerful.

Ed Sheeran Friday October 26 2012 Rosie Knight Rivermead Centre, Reading

Returning to Reading not long after Ed Sheeran’s concert at the Rivermead Leisure Centre opened with an impressive folk line-up, Foy Vance beginning the evening.

Vance is a great act to watch; an acoustic-folk musician (with harmonica and all) with a soulful streak and classic Irish charm.

Vance played original tracks such as Like an Animal with a distinctly blues feel, and as a relatively

unknown artist to the audience, kept attention with a few acoustic covers such as Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. Vance has a distinctive voice and great stage presence, his tour supporting Sheeran hopefully gaining him some welldeserved recognition.

Passenger aka. Mike Rosenburg, was Sheeran’s second support act.

The two have worked together before; Ed featuring on Rosenburg’s beautiful 2010 collaborative album Flight of the Crow. Passenger, much like Foy Vance, had brilliantly raw set; simply man and guitar.

Playing tracks from his new album All the Pretty Lights, Rosenburg,

Great as it is, + is entering a phase of overkill Ed Sheeran opened with the chart topping Give Me Love, but as with the rest of his show, his act was somewhat dwarfed by the mass sing-a-long; but you can’t blame him for the popularity of +.

Sheeran puts on a great show, filling between songs with anecdotes and personal stories. From a year which saw performances from Sheeran at the Brits and Diamond Jubilee concert, it was great to see Ed’s show back in the smaller

venues, or rather a sports centre.

There was an audience-performer intimacy despite the singer’s remarkable success this year.

Many of his songs require the audience to play a part, whether it was acting as the chorus to his acoustic take of Nina Simone’s Be my husband, or simply to “shut up” through his rendition of the beautiful folk ballad Wayfaring Stranger. It’s an audience participation show: in Ed’s own words, “if you don’t like singing along, you’ve gone to the wrong gig”. The audience were treated to all the popular hits of +, such as Drunk and Small Bump, which was exactly what the audience was anticipating. Sheeran made sure to emphasise his diversity away from the popular hits of +: fast rapping through UNI and impressive beatboxing - all to bass reactive lights making an impressive show. At times, Sheeran departed the microphone yet his voice still resonated, testifying Sheeran’s talent as a vocalist rather than just a popstar.

It was refreshing to see Sheeran have both support acts up on stage to perform different numbers with him, adding a diversity to the songs that have become remarkwere invited onto stage to provide the backing vocals. However, the scene began to look (and sound) more like a school concert. About ten or so members of the audience swayed awkwardly on stage, whilst a microphone was passed across them with only the odd yelp being audible to the rest of the audience.

“Members of the crowd were invited onto stage”

Delilah Monday October 29 2012 Simran Lotay Shepherds Bush Empire, London

After being serenaded by the soulful musings of Josh Kumara (best know for his vocal on Wretch 32’s Don’t Go) and then shocked by a short lived, but energetic performance from Wiley, an expectant audience keenly waited for Delilah to emerge on stage.

After an hour long wait, the 22 year old strutted onto the stage to a very warm reception. Scantily clad in a shimmery leotard, she

oozed confidence and attitude, and luckily, she has the voice to back it up.

Her set showcased tracks from her debut album From The Roots Up. T he album combines jazz, soul, electro, dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass, bringing them all together with a pop sensibility.

The set started strong with her impressively powerful voice resonating in the venue as she opened with Never Be Another, and quickly moved on to the popular Shades of Grey. As anticipated, the set offered a good amount of variety.

Delilah moved the crowd as her backing band left the stage and she

sat behind a keyboard alone to play 21, a song about the passing away of a friend. Her acoustic songs such as 21 and Tabitha, Mummy and Me really showcased her vocal abilities.

She oozed confidence and attitude The set flowed well with Delilah upping the tempo and lifting the mood with a cover of the 90’s house classic Gypsy Woman. In an attempt to create an intimate atmosphere, members of the crowd

ably familiar from the once-upona-time youtube sensation.

However, as enjoyable as the concert was, Sheeran’s setlist remained remarkably centred around + - an album that, as great as it is, is entering a phase of overkill.

“It was great to see Ed’s show back in the smaller venue, or rather a sports centre” With a tour that continues long into next year, fans (and probably non-fans too) wonder, when are we going to hear something new? That might sound a touch ungrateful when you consider how out of the blue the record was, and how much of impact it’s subsequently had.

You don’t blame Sheeran for milking it, and most fans in attendance couldn’t care less that this is the five-hundreth time they’ve heard each respective song, but as each day passes, anticipation heighten’s for one of the past year’s star’s breakthrough efforts.

Gigs Over the Xmas Holiday

Bastille, Sub89 - Thursday 6th December Foals, Aldershot West End Centre Saturday 8th December Christopher Owens, St Giles In The Fields, London - Monday 10th December Scroobius Pip, Sub89 - Tuesday 11th December The xx, Brixton Academy, London Sunday 16th December

The energy was kept high as The Prodigy, Brixton Academy, LonDelilah performed Time, her coldon - 18th-20th December laboration with Chase and Status, from within the crowd eventually Kendrick Lamar, Indig02, London make her way back onto the stage.

Sunday 20th January Delilah finished the set on a high with a drum ‘n’ bass rework of Go, her first single, accompanied by a heavy showering of glitter.

Aside from a few theatrics, which just might not be my cup of tea, the musicality of Delilah and her band was impressive and the set was powerfully emotional at points, and energetic and fun at others. Overall it was a middling set, with the odd moment of brilliance interrupted by consistent slip-ups. Delilah has some way to go, but this show was nevertheless a bright indication of her future.

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22 ARTS&BOOKS

Friday 7 Decmber 2012 Spark*

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Arts&BOOKS Girl in Translation...The big move uses her talent for school to try and make a better place for herself and her mother.

Hiding her background of poverty and excelling as a star student by day, working in the factory by evening, Kim “learns to translate not just her language but herself, back and forth between two worlds... and all that gets lost in translation.”

Book Review of Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok Rating: Older Teen Hui Chow

Young Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong with the help of her exploitative aunt who is married to a Chinese businessman owning a clothing factory in America. They speak no English and only own debt.

They are full of hope for a better life, but find only a dilapidated, filthy apartment with no heating, only roaches and bugs - and backbreaking work as cheap labour in her aunt’s clothes factory.

While her story of triumph is a fairly commonly-told one, it has a very bittersweet feeling at the end.

Finding her mother and herself continuously, cruelly exploited by her aunt, Kim

range of emotions because she isn’t perfect - she has moments where she is utterly dissatisfied with her life and the way her aunt treats them, moments when she breaks rules and does things she isn’t supposed to do, moments of falling in love, jealousies and reasons why things don’t always work out perfect in the end - all of them make Kim a very real girl, to me.

It evokes a range of emotions because she isn’t perfect

I think that this is an amazing book

I think that this is an amazing book. While there are an abundance of American Chinese children stories out there, this really stayed with me - the idea of her having to hide the embarrassment of her circumstances while protecting her mother and her friends, her life, makes me feel that Kim truly shines through. It evokes a

While her story of triumph is a fairly commonly-told one, it has a very bittersweet feeling at the end. I also really enjoy the clear, meaningful link between the title ‘Girl in Translation’ and the idea of her double life, the idea that sometimes you have to be two different people to survive in a cruel world. I definitely recommend this.

Poetry Seasons

Poetry Love Lift Off

Poetry My local Pantheon

Helena Fornells

Lucy Snow

S. I. Burgess

Back again with past memories Come the different seasons; A year is long and heavy.

Wild animals cause us trouble Bringing that carefree manner, that polite speech: “You are human, yet I’m perfect, I am...”

I am bottling it up, but really I want to sparkle like a firework, tell the world it is almost time to meet with those starry eyes and jet off in your spaceship to Venus.

My local Pantheon, they say, weaves dead men in its roots.

They displayed here once a gravestone, from which a story shoots.

I want to burst that bubble and forget what is behind.

Leave earth. Abandon this trembling train and solitary seat. Soar into your warm arms, feel you close. Lock ourselves in and fly away to the moon.

No Zola, nor a Hugo, no Voltaire ‘neath our feet, but a forgotten man with no renown lives here in endless sleep.

And they easily fly away again, Light, carried by the force Of the eternal change of seasons.

Nomads enjoying the freedom To fly wherever beauty and warmth go, While we are worn out By the passage of the months.

Tireless nature protects us violently, knowing: “All pain endured on earth, Will be virtue in Heaven”.

So many nights I would dream of you, flashback to summer and our adventures. The breeze in my hair and you taking my breath away. Another planet another paradise, it was all yellow.

This building in utero that grave man had once known.

Some talk he heard of Lambs and Love, from neither Albion nor Rome.

The butterflies are fluttering inside me. I have missed you.

I am longing for shooting star kisses to land on my lips, fall into my heart. Your blue diamonds will twinkle, melting my soul. Those three words.

From the dome come psalms in echo, with no façade to block the light that shines northwest at evening-time, And turns the glassy halo bright.

Are you ready for me? No more living in black holes.

The rattling rail is slowing; I’m ready to launch...

One small step is on the platform; I’m searching for my love.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

But this story has been lost, now the teller’s locked away, and other tales grow new fresh buds picked here each and every day.

Supernova! You are all I see now. A chemical reaction sparks.

My Gemini. My first love. My star.

Light the rocket and begin the journey, our love will last to infinity and beyond.

Ripe or stale they all fall down, all caught by plastic traps, and my local Pantheon, these days, puts dead and living on its racks.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

ARTS&BOOKS 23

Creative corner: Without Reason Short Story Without Reason John Wiliams

David sat alone in his dark apartment, the only light provided by a small muted TV that sat at the front of the room. David stared blankly at the TV before him, his mind wandering. This man was no normal man, the blood of dozens of innocents stained his psychopathic hand. This murderer’s most sicken trait was not the number of victims that he had claimed but the fact that he took so much pride in the randomness of these killings - there was never a motive, just chance. He had evaded capture and judgement for many years, his crimes had never caught up with him, but in the place he felt safest his life would rapidly fall apart.

A colossal crash rattled through the apartment with such potency that the TV’s picture flickered.

David slowly turned his head to the left and away from the TV to survey the rest of his apartment, looking for the source of the disturbance. The rest of his apartment was nearly bare, the kitchen and sitting room were joined together making them easily survivable from his current seated position. However, the two wooden doors that existed in this room remained a mystery and could potentially conceal the source of the noise. David rotated his head to the right and stared out a small and solitary window.

Rain beat against the glass with an unrelenting persistence as pitch black clouds swirled in the sky above. David found the constant drumming of water on glass relaxing. He gazed at the storm outside, as if entranced, though this peace would only last for a moment. David was thrust from his near coma like state as a strike of lighting severed the darkness and slammed to the ground below.

For a brief moment David saw his own reflection in the glass, but that is not all he saw. Standing behind him was a shadowy figure, its arm slowly reaching for him. David’s heart raced, he span his head to face this ghostly reflection, but in the split second it had taken him to react it had vanished. Breathing heavily he quickly rose from the chair and backed close to the window behind him. His eyes darted from place to place, desperately searching for the apparition.

He could see nothing abnormal; however he found that his eyes were drawn to the door that lead out of the apartment. He could not explain why he was drawn to this door: it seemed normal, but he could tell it was not, something was very wrong. David glared intensely at the door, questioning every aspect of its existence, but as he did the handle began to turn.

Slowly it was pushed down. David found himself transfixed, unable to move, perhaps due to his own curiosity or perhaps due to his intense fear of what lay behind that door.

Was it the ghostly shadow that he had seen? T he door began to creak as whatever was trying to open it pushed against the steel locks.

David backed as far as he could away from the door, pushing his back into the window behind him.

The creaking sound got louder and louder as it coupled with the splin-

without his sight he could feel the presents of something monstrous in that doorway, something that emitted pure negativity and nothing else. One thought raced across his mind: the enemy I know is better than the enemy I do not. With this in mind he gradually opened his eyes, only then did he realise that he was wrong. What stood in the doorway was truly more dreadful than any he could have imagined.

A dark mist cascaded through the open door, its colour was an almost impossible tone of black, so dark that no light could penetrate it no matter how bright. It moved without purpose and in a truly haphazard manner. Within this swirling mass of darkness was a

was no use. His already exhausted heart began to fill with fear and despair, but these feelings of hopelessness felt unnatural, as if they had been forced upon him.

Unable to withstand this physiological assault he collapsed to his knees, sweat poured from his face.

He fell forward, breaking visual contact for the first time since the encounter began, both his hand collided with the apartment’s floor, holding the rest of his body up. His eyes shifted in and out of focus as he looked down upon on his shaking hands, the same hands that had killed so many before was this the punishment for his crimes? What a strange form for justice to take. The words “I’m sorry” fell quietly from his mouth.

tering of wood and the screams of straining metal. The door’s locks failed seconds later; however the door did not fling open, it gradually rotated on its hinges. The force that had shattered the steal locks was clearly intensely strong, but it was not wild and uncontrolled this is perhaps what David found to be the most menacing. Adrenaline poured through his every vein, he readied himself to come face to face with the hellish shadow that he had seen just moments before.

His heart slammed repeatedly against chest, each beat pumping dread throughout his body. David could no longer bear the horrific suspense. He slammed his eyes shut and desperately prayed that this nightmare he found himself in was in fact simply that, a nightmare. His own despair magnified the creaking of the door to a near deafening level. That simple noise drowned out every emotion and thought within David, it was all he could focus on, it was just him and that one sound. Moments later he was left with nothing as the creaking came to a halt. He needed to open his eyes but could bring himself to do so. He needed to see what was menacing him but even

concealed figure, standing six feet tall, its form strongly resembled that of a man. Only one of its features could be distinguished under its veil of darkness, its eyes. Much like its outline its eyes were very human, dark brown in colour they glared at David. Every instinct in David’s body screamed at him to look away, but he fought back, maintaining his analytical stare.

Despite his defiance he could not look the entity in the eye, he could not bear their humanity, such a creature should not have such human characteristics. Man faced monster in an intense motionless standoff. David began to move his hand towards the window behind him; he needed a way out, and he had to get away from this creature. His palm pressed against the cold glass, his movements where subtle and cautious. He began to push against the glass but as he did the figure responded.

The black mist pulsed, expanding quickly as if it were alive. S uddenly David’s head fill with the sound of a thousand people screaming in agony and terror. They echoed through his skull. He desperately covered his ears in an attempt to muffle the dreadful chorus but it

He gritted his teeth and threw his head back.

A colossal crash rattled through the apartment with such potency

Every instinct in David’s body screamed at him He stared straight in to those dark eyes. “I’m sorry!” he shouted, desperately trying to make his voice heard over the screams that existed only within the confines of his own mind. Its eyes stared back at him, never blinking, projecting only despair. David waited for a response to his desperate pleas. After a silence that seemed to last an eternity David got his answer. The concealed figure said one word, its voice deep, calm and incredibly menacing, “die”. It was with that word that the true reality of this situation dawned on him, this was not his punishment it was quite simply a random coincidence. This was not justice, how could it be? This monstrosity had already made him regret his actions with every fabric of his being and he would never repeat them, yet this fiend continued to torment him. In the same way that he had

picked his victims, by random chance, this creature had chosen him in the same way. David slowly began to stand back up, anger quickly replacing the despair within him. That creature had made him regret the things he was most proud of, he was sickened that his own weakness had allowed him to throw away what he considered to be his greatest achievements just to gain a chance to survive.

He would not allow his pride to be taken again, he would not allow himself to become a victim of chance and he absolutely would not die here. David began to run towards the door and the monster that still stood motionless within its frame. He yelled aggressively as the gap between the two began to close. Now just feet away from the creature he clenched his fist and threw it with all his might at the figure in the dark. His arm penetrated the swirling mist while his target remained motionless, a sense of victory swept through his body. Seconds later the monsters life would come to a brutal end.

The dark figure moved with incredible speed, David had no chance to think let alone react.

A human hand burst from the cloud of darkness and violently grasped David’s throat. David gasped desperately for air as the hand gripped tighter and tighter around his neck. David used all his strength in a futile attempt to loosen the choking grip and as he did he felt himself being lifted off the ground. He tried to plead yet again with his attacker but he could not muster the strength to speak. The black mist pulsated again, for a brief moment David was able to see the face of the being for the first time since their encounter began. Its face was human, a man, with dark hair and the same unblinking eyes that David had seen through the mist.

David recognised his face, the face of one of his randomly selected victims, but those eyes, those eyes where different. Only one thought race though David’s mind. That thought was not of how a man had become this supernatural entity, that was no longer relevant, whether the hand around his neck belong to a man or demon he was still going to die. The same face, but different eyes. The words “his son” echoed in David’s head.

This attack was not random it was justice. The monsters life began to drain away, suspended in the air by the man. As David’s vision began to narrow the man spoke again, “monsters such as you cannot be allowed to exist, so lowly that not even a motive is necessary to kill”. David’s vision faded to black.

24 FASHION

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

FASHION Sparkle in sequins this Christmas Cicely Groom

If you’re hoping for a romantic rendezvous beneath the mistletoe this festive season, make sure you invest in a dress that’s sure to put a twinkle in his eye. For me, there is no better Christmas party showstopper than a sequin dress, and this year the high-street is awash with sparkly styles to suit every shape and budget. Read on to discover how to dazzle this season:

The Apple

it also cinches in your waist-line.

Perfection.

The Pear

The ‘pear’ shape refers to women with bigger hips and a smaller bust. This Love dress is ideal for women of this body shape looking to nail the sequin trend. The halter-neck ensures that all the attention is on your slim shoulders and away from your hips, while the sequinned body accentuates your bust and dazzles in the process.

Women with an ‘apple’ shape tend to have big boobs and skinny pins. When choosing a sequinned number, apples should look for ‘wrap’ style dresses that draw focus towards the legs and away from the tummy. This ASOS dress is fantastic because the sequin belt not only adds the desired sparkle,

The Hourglass

Women of an hourglass shape are blessed with the most versatile of figures and can therefore afford to

be bold when selecting a sequin style. This sparkle-encrusted peplum dazzler from TFNC is a must-have for the festive season: it’s fun, feminine and flirty and is bound to turn heads at a glamorous New Year’s gathering. My advice? Snap it up now!

Whatever their shape, a woman in a sequin dress will always ooze glamour and sophistication.

Amongst the flickering candles and golden champagne glasses of a festive gathering, sequins glitter opulently like fairy lights on a tree. So, if you want to tick all the festive fashion boxes this winter and dazzle at your Christmas party, be bold and invest in sequins. You can thank me later...

‘Tis the season to wear red Avnita Shergill

It’s not Christmas JUST yet, however we can’t help but get very excited (and a little shocked) at the masses of clothing collections, TV advertisements and promotional sales associated with this well-loved tradition suddenly emerging. In fact when it comes to keeping a keen eye and sporting the latest fashion trends before anyone else, I would say Santa has it spot on this season!

Luscious shades of red, have flooded the Winter/Fall 2012 catwalks, gracing us with knits, furs, handbags and footwear all fashioning this festive shade. In particular models have been dabbling with ruby red and maroon coloured nails polishes and even matching lipstick to encapsulate the intensity of such a bold colour.

DKNY and Tommy Hilfiger were among the many who experimented with this shade in the form of glossy, leather militarystyle coats, whilst Michael Kors and House of Holland opted for a more subtle ensemble going for ruby red fur detailing around the cuffs and neckline of jackets.

Not only that, but the velvet revolution is back and sweeping its way through to our media sources and social networking platforms.

Leading the pack seems to be Alexander McQueen and Emporio Armani showcasing varieties of red and maroon in their fitted shirts and corduroys creating an effortless yet audacious masculine appearance.

The colour, most associated with the gemstone, passion and love,

displays richness and intensity through the signature pieces that sport it. Seeing as we don’t have the budget for a ruby gemstone nor the collections seen on fashion shows, we shall scour the high street for copy-cat versions instead! A particular fave snatching the look are River Island who have masses of items from boots to blazers, cardigans to hats all painted in this rich vision of colour. A particular must is their incredible pair of red skinny trousers. Team these with their red Christmas fairisle jumper and a pair of their on-trend creeper boots for the perfect Christmas look.

Go bold. Go beautiful. Go red!

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

FASHION 25

New Years Eve metallics Festive knitted jumpers Erin Harding

New Years Eve is fast approaching and finding that perfect, eye popping dress is always a tricky one.

But never fear, turn to metallics and it’s oh so simple. Metallics were everywhere on the Winter 2012 runways and, luckily for us, have invaded the highstreet. The metallic trend is one that is easy to adopt, and any metallic party dress will fit right in with the shimmering, glamorous feel of New Year celebrations, yet will set you apart from the crowd and quite literally make you shine! ASOS, as always, have a variety, and boasts metallic peplum, maxi, asymmetric and prom style dresses that are eager to be jotted down on your Christ-

mas list. If you’re not too keen on the bold glimmer of metallics, why not go for something with a light dusting of metallic shimmer, such as the Chelsea Girl High-Low dress from River Island. Or if you’re not a fan of the plain metallic look, River Island also has some gorgeous metallic baroque dresses which radiate elegance and class and come in a number of different styles, including bodycon and shift. Dresses are by no means the be all and end all of a New Years party, however. Some metallic leggings or even a play suit are perfect for a more casual yet eye catching look. So grab something shiny and begin 2013 in some dazzling metallic.

Jenny Purves

Christmas is fast approaching and what better way to enforce festive merriment on your family and friends than by wearing a Christmas jumper? If you need more of an excuse, then Friday 14th December is national Christmas Jumper Day, which has been organised by the charity Save the Children. TOWIE’s Mark Wright and Myleene Klass are amongst the celebrities backing the charity’s campaign to ‘make the world better with a sweater’.

Christmas wishlist Lily Brown

So it’s that time of year again when the stockings are hung above the fireplace and the Christmas decorations are beginning to go up. Alright, so we may be too old for letters to Santa but we can still dream about the goodies that are going to be left at the bottom of the tree.

From Dad – It’s often hard to know what to ask your dad for Christmas but slippers are always a safe option and this year’s slipper boots will keep you warm and right on trend on Christmas day and beyond. My favourite pair are the blue Christmas knit fluffy slipper boots from River Island priced at £17. The Aztec feel to the print

and the fluffy lining mean they are bang on trend for the winter and look so good you’ll want to wear them out of the house too. There are plenty of other styles and patterns out there too so start looking now.

From Mum – You can finally ask mum for all the things you have been coveting accessories wise all year but have been too broke to afford, including the lovely collection of festive necklaces at Zara coming in at around £20.

Also, don’t miss the rather wonderful leather gloves with mini stud detail priced at £39.99 and perfect for bringing a little extra sparkle to that early evening walk on Christmas day.

From Santa – Pyjamas are a Christmas must. Personally, I think I have received a pair of pyjamas every Christmas since I was born. Zooey Deschanel, playing Jessica Day in New Girl, has single-handedly made plaid pyjamas (as well as those with spots, stripes, hearts and butterflies) cool again, so make sure you’ve got a pair on your Christmas list.

Inspired by New Girl I found a pair of green pyjamas with white polka dots with pink trim and buttons from Dickens and Jones at House of Fraser. Even better, they are now in the sale at £42 down from £60! It even comes with a cute pyjama bag too!

Here’s to a very fashionable (and merry) Christmas!

to spend the last of your loan on.

Topshop is the pricier option but well worth it for the cute motif jumpers featuring snowmen and polar bears. New Look and Primark are other shops that have a great range and websites like Boohoo and ASOS are the best places to shop online if you can’t face the thought of the Oracle on a busy weekend before Christmas. A particular favourite is the sequinned robin jumper that will give your outfit an added little sparkle!

Fairisle jumpers are another alternative to Christmas motif jumpers- they still feel very Christmassy but you can get away with wearing them all winter! Again, ASOS have adorable and affordable patterned jumpers which are sure to be the best winter investment you could make. So crack out the credit card, or crack out the jumper your Nan knitted last year, and get into the Christmas spirit!

Across the UK, people are being invited to don a festive jumper in exchange for a £1 donation. For more details visit the Save the Children website.

Of course the high street is also jumping on the festive bandwagon and there are plenty of options

Top dresses for New Years Eve 2012

Samantha Yates

If it ain’t baroque, don’t fix it. At £24.99, New Look shows you can rock the biggest night of the year on a budget.

Sequins are big this A/W and what a night to wear them! Mango’s sequined bodycon dress (£69.99) has got enough shimmer to make the fireworks jealous.

What if you’re sick of sequins?

Buck the trends with this tassel top bodycon dress from Boohoo.

At only £20, is there really any risk at all?

Bite me! Post-Twilight, channel the vamp trend in this beautifully textured velvet dress from Motel (£38). Also available in deep, dark, navy and classically elegant bottle green.

Wrap up against the cold in Topshop’s appropriately named Party Print dress. A little expensive (£140) and a little more outrageous; the 3D print frock will be a conversation piece of any NYE party!

26 BEAUTY

Friday 7th December 2012 Spark*

beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk

BEAUTY A GIRL’S NIGHT IN WITH SPARK* Model’s Own Nail Varnish!!!

Katey Watkins

There is nothing better than a girly night in with lots of pizza and the prospect of finding some new beauty favs; especially in the middle of a term of nonstop stress!

Our lucky Beauty Editor, Elle, had been sent various beauty products to try out and started the night off by tipping all her beauty treats out in front of us!

I’m not the best at looking after my skin, or knowing what the best skincare products are, but it is a rarity that my nails don’t have a bit of colour on them… so it was the Models Own nail varnish that grabbed my attention.

I absolutely love wearing nail varnish and it feels like I’ve tested every type to try and find the perfect nail varnish in terms of colour, coats and chip resistance.

Models Own are already in my make-up bag with their studentfriendly volume mascara, but I

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks!

Nicole Correia

have never tried their nail varnish range before.

The two colours I tried were Becca’s Brown and Mystic Mauve.

In terms of coats, I was pleasantly surprised that just one coat of Becca’s Brown nail polish gave great cover and strong colour compared to some nail polishes that are relatively translucent with one coat.

The Mystic Mauve polish, a glittery polish, was even better; perfect in one coat with a great neutral tone! Both nail varnishes proved to be long-wearing; it took at least a week before they started chipping!

I’ve been looking for a neutral shade this season and I think I may have found the winner with Becca’s Brown! You couldn’t get a much better nail polish for the price of £5!

Buy online at www.modelsownit. com or from high street stockists Boots and River Island.

This week my desk has been a sight for sore eyes: decorated with sheets of paper, post-it notes, notebooks, pens, sweetie wrappers…

Just disgusting really. There’s no excuse as to why I have so many pieces of paper. Yesterday, in the search for a sheet I needed for my assignment, I pulled out a Montagne Jeunesse facemask… Oops.

I took it upon myself to stop searching for the sheet and to sample the facemask, in the name of Spark* and beauty readers across the campus! Fantastic.

The mask that I pulled out was actually my “Masque Anti Eruption” which I had been saving for one of my “help-me-my-face-is-ugly” days. It contains tea tree oil, which I love, and I will definitely self prescribe when those sweetie habits catch up with my face. However, it was later in the evening that night and no-one was going to be looking

at me so I thought I’d try the other mask I’d been burdened to sample, the “Melted Hot Chocolate” one.

Mmm, yes, a real burden… I’ll have to take them off all the shelves so that no-one else has to endure the simply incredible orange-chocolate smell that they have! So Christmassy, lovely and thick, a real mud mask!

The mask almost warms up when it is applied, “auto-chauffant” as they say in France (and on the packet, next to the picture of the woman with orange slices for eyes!) It all sounds a bit crazy and too good to be true, but, honestly it is such a treat!

I hate facemasks that wrinkle up and peel off, but this one simply dried out and washed away with a flannel. Easy! My skin was calm and refreshed; I really want to try more similar to this. Plus at 0 chocolatey calories, you really cannot go wrong!

I Love... Winter Berries!

Dazzle with Dirty Works

When I opened up this ‘I love…’

Winter Berries Mini Treat Box, it was exactly that, a treat. Not only does it look super cute and would be a great present for Christmas, the products inside are also great!

The box contained a Winter Berries bubble bath & shower crème as well as a moisturising body lotion and a body puff that was purple to colour co-ordinate with the products. The first product I decided to try was the bubble bath and shower crème, which was calling to me in all its purple shimmery-ness – who doesn’t love

‘I’m feeling sexy and free, like glitter’s raining on me, you’re like a shot of pure gold, I think I’m bout to explode!’ – Jessie J Girls, we all like feeling, ‘sexy and free,’ and absolutely love having ‘glitter raining on me,’ so with Christmas slowly approaching, Dirty Works “Bling it On” shimmer lotion is a must! It is like ‘a shot of pure gold,’ that is ‘about to explode’ from the bottle with lots of sparkles and shimmer! This illuminating lotion, not only gives your skin a radiant, yet glittery glow ready for a glamorous Christmas party, News Years bash or even just a night out, it also keeps your skin smooth for the rest of the day! It is lightweight, so it is easy to apply all over the body and has a sweet floral scent that will leave everyone dazzled! However,

Sophie Woollan

a bit of sparkle around Christmas time?! The first thing I HAVE to comment on about this range is that is smells amazing! (Although very sweet so if you’re not into sweet fruits maybe steer clear of this one.)

However, the thing I was most excited about, if you hadn’t noticed, was the tiny bits of glitter that were inside. Unlike a lot of products, you can actually see it shimmering on your skin when you use it, although obviously this washes off so no need to worry that you’ll look like one of the cast of Twilight! After using this (the body puff was also very handy), I

applied the body lotion, which also smelt yummy enough to eat and made my skin ultra smooth and moisturised. So all round this was a great treat box, and id definitely recommend it! Also, the packaging has a cute Christmas theme, with pictures of reindeer and snowflakes to get you in the festive mood. After researching I’ve found that the I love… company also do flavours like peaches & cream and also a new limited edition one called Calypso Dreams – I think I’ll have to give it a try!

I may have found myself a next review…

Georgina Kaur Pasricha

if you do not like being covered in glitter then this product might not be right for you, although the glitter does eventually fade after a few hours, whilst still leaving your skin silky smooth!

If you have been searching for the perfect scrub, which has a creamy touch, yet is still quite rough, I definitely recommend starting your mornings with Dirty Works “Buff Your Stuff” body scrub.

When trying out this body scrub, not only did it gently exfoliate my skin, it also left my skin moisturized and smooth after too, giving it that extra clean feeling as it buffed any roughness away.

Containing Shea Butter, Sweet Almond oil and Vitamin E, it is definitely a winner for me.

Also, at only £3.99 for a 200 ml bottle, you can’t go wrong. The result is just beautifully soft skin, with a sweet floral scent.

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk

BEAUTY

Bourjois Magic Nail Varnish Remover!!!

Isabelle Flynn

We all know the faff of taking off nail polish, the cotton pads everywhere, spilling the remover and generally getting yourself to the stage where nail polish is more of a chore than anything else.

Bourjois and a few other brands have come out with a new innovation. This nifty little pot hasn’t been on the market long but is already making a big impact on us nail polish addicts. Inside is a segmented sponge soaked in remover, when you want to remover nail polish you simply dip your fingers in one at a time and wiggle then around against the sponge. While this might earn you some strange looks from your housemates it definitely does the trick. A few swipes and your nails are clean

and the vanilla scent and almond oils mean that there’s no obnoxious smell and your cuticles are soothed too.

It’s also a must have if you’re thinking of rocking glitter nails this Christmas. The usual cotton pad route means getting fluff stuck on your nails and often scraping away the gritty excess, but with the remover pot a few seconds and you’re ready to repaint.

The Bourjois pots retail for £4.99 and can be found in most Boots and Superdrugs. While a standard bottle of remover and pads works out cheaper, my own bottle has lasted me four months and is still going strong despite being frequently stolen by my flatmates!

No doubt a hit this season as I’m positive we shall be seeing more of this dazzlingly arty look soon…

Elle Turner

I recently received, a lovely little lip balm, from Balmi. Not only is the packaging SUPER cute... (it looks like a little pink plastic bubble) but it also smells delicious!

With the choice of 5 different flavours - Raspberry, Mint, Coconut, Blackcurrant and Strawberry (which is the one I have), these gorgeous little lip balms, which you can buy from Boots for £4.99,

Goodbye Movember...

Jamie Cherian

Going Barmy for Balmi!!!

BEAUTY 27

Movember has drawn to a close and the moustaches are rapidly disappearing but for those of you who watched the ever increasing moustaches, and still didn’t understand the fundamental reason behind it, read on. Since 2004, the Movember Foundation charity has been raising money for Men’s health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer. Now in 2012, the awareness and money raised has been higher than ever, with over £184 million given to charity.

The requirements were fairly simple. ‘Once registered at movember. com each Mo Bro had to begin the 1st of Movember with a clean shaven face. For the entire month each Mo Bro had to grow and groom a moustache. There was to be no joining of the mo to the sideburns (that’s considered a beard), no joining of the handlebars to the

chin (that’s considered a goatee) and each Mo Bro was to conduct himself like a true gentleman.’

The chances of looking like Hulk Hogan or Johnny Depp from this endeavour were unlikely. In most cases, our prepubescent moustache hair looked scraggly and we looked like tramps. Although the dream is to have an amazing moustache, the chances are it won’t happen for a few more years at least. Whatever happened though, it is important to wer your mo with pride! RUSU have done their bit to help generate money for this brilliant cause, so if you haven’t handed in your sponsorship money yet, head down to the student activities centre to make a difference. For those of you who missed out this year, don’t despair, there’s always next year to embrace your moustache and ignore the snickering from friends. You can do it.

are the perfect handbag accessory.

They taste yummy and are lovely to apply (straight onto your lips rather having to put your finger in the product) they dry clear and are really moisturising.

Complete with a little key tag so you can attach it to your keys, it comes in super handy when trying to find it in your bag.

I really recommend them and am looking forward to trying all the different flavours!

THE CHRISTMAS EDITION!!!

Elle Turner

I know I’m an “adult” now, but I still can’t help feeling super Christmassy! I’m like a magpie, being drawn to all the glitter and tinsel. I crave Gingerbread Hot Chocolate and Mince Pies and I’ve already wacked out Love Actually over a warm cup of tea!

With December in full swing, I feel I am now justified in cooing over the latest sparkly nail varnishes, lusting after the gorgeous indulgent treats that are popping up all over the high street and swooning at the deliciously festive fragrances that are spilling out of all the shops.

So... here are just some of my fave Christmas products to get me in a festive mood!!

First up is Barry M’s glitter nail polish trio, which comes in three beautiful shades: a dusky rose gold, a shimmering silver and a warm goldy/bronze colour. All three shades would add a bit of sparkle to your winter wardrobe

and complete any Christmas look perfectly! Plus at £8.00 from stockists such as River Island, they work out at under £3 each!

Next up is Lush’s “The Melting Snowman Bath Melt” it smells good enough to eat! “Exquisitely fragranced with Hot Toddy” Lush describe this product as “a favourite blend from Christmas past containing cinnamon, clove, patchouli, benzoin, lime and sweet wild orange oils.” Made up of “water softening bicarb of soda, cocoa butter and shea butter, when this wonderful little treat becomes warm and he finally melts away, he fizzes those wonderful butters through your bathwater, leaving you soft and moisturised. What a way to go!”

Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a bright, berry red lip shade, and this year my vote goes to MAC’s Ruby Woo, a deep sultry rouge lipstick that has “kissmas” written all over it... Although at £14 maybe it’s best to put it on your wish list?

Philosophy are winning the Christmas crown this year for me with their delicious sugary scents such as the “Candy Cane Stocking Stuffer”complete with a 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath, as well as a handy, travel sized, candy cane flavoured lipgloss, this is Christmas with all the trimmings! But if sweet minty scents are not your cup of Christmas tea, then why not try their “Cinnamon Buns shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath” to “experience the joy of this decadent indulgence 100% guilt and calorie free.”

Finally, if you love to feel cosy by the fireside, why not invest in a Yankee Christmas Eve Candle (currently reduced to £19.95 from £33.98 on amazon.co.uk for a large jar). They smell like the epitome of Christmas and are a real indulgence... *drool*...

So get down to town and have a look around for some Christmas treats and festive fun, after all “tis the season to be jolly!” Merry Christmas everyone!

28 HEALTH&FOOD

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH Spark*’s pick of the top health apps Sarah Lienard

If you’re anything like me, you probably use your smart phone to organise every aspect of your life, so why not use it to improve your health as well? And don’t worry about the bank balance - all these apps are available to download free.

Map My Run GPS Running

Map My Run won the about.com Best Running App 2012, and we can see why. Using GPS to track your route on a map and allowing you to log your pace, distance, calories, elevation, nutrition and stats, this app is a runner’s best friend - you won’t want to go for a jog without it!

Ab Workouts Free App

Core strength is important to prevent injuries and back pain, but if you’re bored of the same old crunches, this app will help you discover some new and much more interesting ways to help work your tum. With 4 difficulty levels, a trainer voice, and animations to walk you through each step, you’ll have a six pack in no time.

NHS Quit Smoking App

CoppaFeel!

Sarah Lienard

You might be thinking that the costume in this picture looks unfortunately like a giant boob.

Well, it’s not unfortunate – it is, in fact, a boob, worn by the CoppaFeel! University Boob Team here at Reading during the Fresher’s Fair to raise awareness for the charity. Chosen as Cosmo’s charity of the year, CoppaFeel! aims to highlight the importance of checking their boobs regularly and knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Knowing what your breasts feel like normally can help you detect abnormalities early, and we all know that the sooner you can get these checked out by a doctor, the better.

This autumn the charity launched their new campaign, ‘CoppaFeel! in the Shower’.

CoppaFeel’s Founder and C.E.O, Kristin Hallenga explains: ‘When’s the best time to

check your boobs? Well, in short, any time is good for Boob Time.

To keep it simple, we’re reminding students to do it in the shower.

No more excuses, you’re already starkers and your boobs need some attention!’ So how can you check yourself effectively? There are 8 signs to check for, so look out for nipple discharge, swelling in the armpit or collarbone, changes in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling, changes in size and shape, nipple inversion or changes in direction, and a rash or crusting on the nipple and surrounding area. You also need to feel for constant pain in your breast or armpit or any lumps or thickening, so now’s your moment to CoppaFeel! If you think you’ll forget to check on a regular basis, you can even have free monthly reminders sent to your phone: simply text READ to 70500 to sign up.

Not only have the Boob Team been busy at the Fresher’s Fair, they’ve been organizing events all over campus this term. On 2nd November, they had a CoppaFeel!

Fair with games such as pin the nipple on the boobie, a photobooth to dress up in boob costumes, boobs in a bucket and a cake sale.

Be sure to check out the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CoppaFeelAtReadingUniversity).

Giving you a daily message to support your during the first 30 days of stopping, this app also includes instant tips and facts at your fingertips. It also shows you how many days you’ve been smokefree, and keeps track of the money you’ve saved by not smoking that’s pretty good motivation!

only have a few seconds to decide what to do. In that moment, having read through the information on this app could mean that you’re able to act quickly and confidently, and hopefully to save someone’ s life.

three premade workouts lasting 20, 40 and 60 minutes each, so it’s easy to fit some ‘om’ time into your day.

Relax Melodies App

Simply Yoga App

St John’s Ambulance First Aid App

This app really could save a life.

Every year, nearly 150,000 people die in Engand and Wales in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live. This app has illustrated guides and voiced instructions, which could help keep you calm if you find yourself in a situation where you

Before you yawn - yoga’s not just for relaxation. Helping you to build strength, flexibility and balance, it has also been found to improve concentration and reduce stress - and you can learn it all from the comfort of your bedroom.

Just follow the video and audio instructions, covering more than 30 poses suitable for all abilities.

Alternatively, take your pick from

If you have any trouble relaxing before going to bed, this is the app for you. With 46 soothing sounds designed to help you chill out or drift off, you can pick and choose your favourites to make a gentle playlist that should have you snoring in no time. Another great feature are the alarms and timers, which you can set with calming sounds to help you wake up in the most relaxed way possible - much better than waking up to that screeching alarm clock.

Talking changes lives

Rachel Holloway

I was unfortunate enough recently to overhear a conversation in the library in which one friend told another that her flatmate would enjoy the drinks only night that they were planning ‘because she’s anorexic’. I doubt many people would dispute that this joke has the potential to be extremely upsetting to the girl in question, although I doubt that it would ever be repeated to her face. Words such as ‘anorexic’ or ‘schizo’ have crept into our everyday vocabulary, and using them to make jokes can belittle people who suffer from serious disorders. A lack of knowledge about mental health means that many people seem to think that disorders are the person’s choice, rather than something that is beyond their control, like catching glandular fever or the flu. As one in four people suffer from mental health issues in

the course of a year, there’s no logical reason for this stigma to even exist – and yet as many people will tell you, it definitely does.

Why am I so interested in making people aware of the stigma around mental health problems?

As someone who has personally experienced mental health problems, I know all too well the pain of being avoided or stereotyped as a result of opening up to people.

On a bigger scale, I work voluntarily for two fantastic charities, Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, on a campaign called ‘Time to Change’ (see time-to-change.org. uk for more information) which aims to improve public attitudes towards people with mental health problems, reduce discrimination in all areas of life, and increase people’s confidence to stand up to the stigmas that they face. They even have a special section on their website specifically aimed at

young people, so why not head online and check it out?

Here at Reading, there are many students who suffer from eating disorders, or just have a bad relationship with body image and food. Being at university with an eating disorder can be isolating and you can feel that you’re struggling through university life. That’s where we come in. We at Student Run Self Help (SRSH) are a friendly bunch who run regular group sessions for those who are struggling with food and self-image. We aim to provide a safe, confidential space for people to come along and chat about what’s going on in their lives and, if they want, about recovery from their issues. We meet fortnightly on Thursday evenings in the HUMMS building, so why not pop in for a chat? Email reading@srsh.co.uk in confidence for more details, or come along to our next meeting on November 15th, 6.30-7.30pm in HUMSS G10.

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH&FOOD 29

Food Mmm... Warming winter breakfasts NICOLE CORREIA

There is no denying that winter is creeping up on us. The fact that it is now cold and dark outside at just five o’clock in the afternoon makes me want to get into hibernation mode with a cuppa, biccies and an imaginary log fire at the end of my bed. However, we all know that the best way to keep going throughout these bitterlyweathered weeks is by starting with a hearty breakfast. Yawn. As everyone’s busy, here are a few ideas that are quick, warm

and tasty to start your day a little better.

Overnight Oats seem to be very blogged about on American sites, and rightly so. All it is really, is pre-prepared porridge left in the fridge overnight with the flavouring already added for you to enjoy in the morning, hot or cold. Many people let the oats soak overnight in a mixture of half yoghurt and half milk to create a more indulgent taste, which we all definitely need when we are awake before the sun in winter. I keep mine in a cylinder container and before adding the oaty mixture I swirl runny honey in a spiral motion around the side of the container so that when I eat it, with each mouthful there is a little sweetness. Often people add cinnamon, which is particularly lovely around December time. If you’re a die hard sweet tooth, I would simply mix in (similar to the idea of marbling) some of your favourite flavoured jam before pouring into your container.

If you’re watching your waistline in time for mince pies and Christmas Dinner then you could

try a more “humble” version of the creamy oat recipe. Crush up two Weetabix pieces, add a little milk and put in the microwave for a minute. Take it out, and add chopped banana on top with a sprinkling of brown sugar. Heat for 30 more seconds, or more if necessary, and enjoy.

But oats and wheat are not the only things that can keep your winter mornings warm - don’t forget about eggs! Eggs in the morning are a great way to get some of your protein intake (especially important if you’re vegetarian). I would say that an omelette is the most filling and satisfyingly healthy egg recipe as you can pretty much add what you please: mushrooms, spinach, cheese, tomatoes, ham, peppers… the list goes on. Sometimes if I am making a stir fry the night before I will cut up a few veggies and save them for an omelette in the morning so that I can easily chuck it all in at once. To add a posh twist to your morning omelette, add a teaspoon of green pesto into the mix - it’ll taste more like something you ordered out for breakfast than

made yourself, bleary eyed and sleepy!

If you’ve gone off tea and coffee (although I highly doubt there are many who have) try a traditional polish twist to your tea. I was told about this through a colleague of mine at Starbucks last year, who said that it is a sweet and popular drink among polish children: black

(normal) tea, with a slice of lemon and a teaspoon of honey. Sounds comforting already, doesn’t it?

All in all, make sure that your wintery breakfasts give you that little bit extra comfort and warmth and hopefully the days will start to fly by until we look forward to opening our advent calendars at breakfast time!

Spanish Stew Minced Beef Slice Emily Glanfield

1tsp sugar

Louisa Cowell

Feeling a bit cold during these dark blustery November nights?

Get warm and cosy with this simple, Spanish chorizo and butter bean stew that’s cheap, easy to make and perfect for a night in. All it takes is one saucepan and simple ingredients, so there is hardly any washing up either! I’ve used chorizo sausage and butter beans as the main components for this stew but you can also add chicken or even tofu to create a great vegetarian option.

This recipe makes enough for two servings so you can save some in the fridge for another time when you don’t really feel like cooking. This is an inexpensive, simple dish that will set your taste buds alight with delicious flavours and warm you up for many cold winter nights ahead.

Method

Bored of spaghetti bolognaise, but have some mince to use up? Why not try this delicious alternative, which looks fancy, but is actually really easy to make, and tastes delicious - ther perfect winter comfort food. Bear in mind that this recipe serves 6, so why not cook it for your flatmates - they’ll love you more for it!

Ingredients 120g chopped chorizo 2 garlic gloves, crushed ½ onion, finely chopped ½ can of butter beans ½ can of chopped tomatoes 150ml of water 1tsp paprika

Put the chopped chorizo in a heated pan with cooking oil and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook till the onions are soft. Then, drain the butter beans if they are in water and pour them into the pan with the canned tomatoes, water, sugar, butter and paprika. Allow this to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes and then serve with a jacket potato or even toasted pita bread. Add a light sprinkling of extra paprika to finish it off, and enjoy!

Ingredients 320g Jus Roll Ready Rolled Puff Pastry 500g mince beef One medium onion, diced 3 large carrots, diced 1/4 beef stock cube 100 ml water A pinch of salt and pepper Gravy granules

Method Turn on the oven and preheat to 200oC. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the diced onion and carrot. When the onion turns golden, crumble in the stock cube - this will give it a delicious flavour. Continue frying for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add

the mince, fry for 5 minutes until browned, and then add the water and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 2 minutes before removing from heat.

To make the pastry case, cut the pastry in half and roll out both halves until they’re between 7 and 10 mm thick. Place one on a baking tray and cover with the mince, leaving a 1.5cm border. Brush milk around the border and place the other half on top. Go around this border pressing down with a fork (not too hard!) to seal in the filling. Pierce the top layer with a

fork a few times, brush with milk and sprinkle with salt - rock sea salt is best, if you can get hold of it. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and piping hot throughout.

Serve with roasted peppers and tomatoes - just drizzle them olive oil and sprinkle with salt. They also take about 20 minutes in the same temperature oven.

Serve together drizzled with gravy - let your inner masterchef out!

For a vegetarian version, swap mince for quorn mince or beans.

30 GAMING

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

GAMING

In Patnership with www.ZiiP.co.uk

XCOM: Enemy Unknown E.T, go home. Or else.

Iain Farquhar

Ah, fresh meat for the grinder I am not a nostalgic gamer. Due to the fact that I was introduced to computers fairly late in my childhood, I never played many of the games that people often describe list as some of the best games even made. But if you talk to gamer’s of a certain age one specific title gets brought up time and time again as one of, if not the, best game ever made: X-COM. Fusing turn based strategy and base management into a game that somehow appealed to everyone who gave it a try, and which is still praised for almost every single aspect of the game. Now a re-imagining of this classic has been released by Firaxis and it is time to see if this modern release is as good as the original was.

First, a quick mention of the graphics. The game has a wonderful, comic-book-esc art style that looks amazing on a high end system, but still looks great on an older setup. The levels all look great, but rapidly become boring nd samey, as you will frequently see the same level over and over again, even if each visit does present a differnent set of challegenes each time. Now, onto the game itself.

You take on the role of XCOM commander, the faceless leader of a multinational organization that is funded by a shadowy (and also faceless) cabal called the Council of Nations. Tasked with defending the world from your underground lair you have to ensure that ET and friends go home, dead or alive.

And boy do you have your work cut out for you. You start with the bare minimum of facilities, depending on the XCOM member counties for a monthly pay-out to fund all of your activities. Ignore

a member’s requests for help and the countries will begin to panic and, if their panic level gets too high, the country will withdraw from the council and take their funding elsewhere To only way to lower a nation’s panic levels is to place a satellite into orbit over a nation, allowing you to detect and destroy any alien activity. While this mechanic sounds simple to begin with it rapidly becomes a balancing act as missions are presented in sets of three. Do you help Russia in exchange for a number of scientists to help unlock the secrets of the recovered alien technologies? Or do you help India for a cash lump sum so you can afford to increase your satellite coverage or to upgrade your base? Choosing which nations to help and which one to leave to their fate is just the start of many difficult decisions that XCOM forces you to make.

Your underground base/lair is laid out like an ant farm and watching as it grows and spreads is an incredibly pleasant experience, as each new facility you construct changes how the base’s layout. Even better you can zoom all the way in and watch your troops as they relax in the bar, or watch Dr. Valen playing around with some lightly charred alien remains. While this does not really add much to the game, this ability to spy on your minions is surprisingly fun, even if you only use it to go and shout insults at the rookie who nearly got his whole squad killed.

But as tempting as it is to spend all of your time and cash on building that all important lab or satellite, remember that you need to upgrade your troops as well, bring

yet more difficult choices. Armour or laser rifles? Increase the maximum squad size or try and work on reducing the time for troops to get over their skinned knee?

Concentrate on weapons and your troop’s lack of armor will mean your troops are cut down. Only researching armor will mean that you can’t deal enough damage fast enough before your foes grinds your squad down into so much dog food.

But managing your base and research is only half the game, as ET is not planning on going quietly: with opponents ranging from four foot high Sectoids, who stay in cover and run if they do not have the advantage of numbers, to two meter tall chitinous Chryssalids that love to ambush your team and implant their eggs into their still warm corpses, there is a huge amount of variety in the threats that your squad will have to overcome if you want them back in one piece. Each enemy is unique and instantly recognizable, with their own set of abilities and behaviors.

They even have their own cries and shouts, which can lead some incredibly tense moments as you cautiously hunt though the map for the group of Muton assault troops who are moving around just beyond your line of site.

Combat is simply the best thing about this game: incredibly tense and engaging. Although it uses very basic turn based game mechanics, XCOM’s user interface is

designed perfectly; presenting all of the relevant information in a clear and easy-to-understand way without overwhelming you with numbers and statistics. The AI is brutal on anything higher than easy and will use any tricks at its disposal to hunt down and kill your squad: flanking, using grenades to flush your men (and women) out of cover. ET will seize a single mistake and make you regret it because if a squad member dies its permanent, resulting in the loss of equipment and experience. But for more importantly, you lose a friend. Because each squad member will have dozens of miraculous pot shots and disastrous mistakes meaning that you can’t help feeling protective of your sniper who stopped a mission from going south with a single, well paced shot. Or the assault trooper who gunned down half the invaders on his own as this squad panicked and ran.

You can replace all of your fallen veteran’s with rookies, but rookies are far more likely to crack under the pressure and act unpredictably, firing on their squad mates or simply running away. Therefore keeping your squad in cover and out of harms way is vitally important, which is much harder as the majority of the terrain can be destroyed, opening rather interesting tactical options: if your sniper can’t line up a shot at an enemy in a building? Get your squad to focus their fire until ET’s cover

collapses. Or just get a Heavy to use a rocket launcher and level the entire building.

Each squad member’s specialization is selected randomly, which occasionally has a rookie who missed everything becoming a sniper and the guy who was a killing machine becoming a support.

While not the end of the world, this can be a little frustrating at times. But apart from that you have complete freedom to form strategies that suit your play style: have a squad of snipers to keep the invaders at arms length, or use assault and support troops to get up close and personal with shotguns and laser rifles.

There is even a multiplayer for if you get bored of the campaign, with allows you to play as either the Aliens, humans or a bizarre mix of the two. While not as gripping as the singleplayer it is still a rollercoaster of emotion, as you go from pure joy as your trooper manages to pull of a headshot from the far side of the map, to the despair of defeat as two thirds of your squad are ambushed and killed with a single, well paced grenade.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a beautifully design game, full of tense moments as you struggle to defeat the brutal and unforgiving AI. But the challenge is one of the most appealing parts of this game and if you get this game you won’t regret it.

Combat is gripping and full of tense moments, despite it’s turn based nature

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

GAMING 31

Planetside 2 - The MMOFPS of the year The acronym from hell for a game with the violence to match Iain Farquhar

Describing Planetside 2 is a daunting task. Is it Battlefield 3 in space? Sci-fi Call of Duty?

Skyrim with guns? In truth, it is none of these, but something truly, wonderfully unique. Planetside 2 is a free to play, Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter (MMOFPS). What that means is that you and your friends can player together in a never ending, constantly evolving war between three factions, each with their own tech, vehicles and aircraft.

But the first thing that you need to know is that there is nothing even approaching a tutorial.

The world is simply jaw dropping at times, especially when the night sky is filled with tracer and aircraft The only thing the game offers is a link to a series of Youtube videos explaining the basics of the game.

So, before you press play go watch these videos, because the game will take your brand new character and throw you into the biggest fight on the server without a single helpful pop-up. While the basic shooter mechanics are all there you will have no idea how to destroy a spawn generator, activate a squad beacon or even how to use the rather intimidating map, resulting in a large amount of alttabbing until you find your feet.

But once you get over the initial culture shock, you can start to appreciate the world that you have so unceremoniously thrown into. Auraxis is simply massive, with more than 64 square Km’s of

gorgeous terrain for you and 2000 other people to explore. The world is beautifully designed, with a fully realized day/night cycle that is simply jaw dropping at time, especially when the night sky is filled with tracer and aircraft. Not only that, but there are three continents for you to try and conquer, each with a different environment.

There is Indar, a hot desert world divided by a mountain range that can be the death of a tank column if not protected by air support, Amerish, who’s rolling grasslands allow for massive tank battles, and finally Esamir, an icy wasteland and an ideal hunting ground for aircraft.

All of the beauty does come at a cost, with Planetside 2 needed a beast of a computer to run with everything tuned up all the way.

But if you have a slightly more modest computer it still looks great on lower graphical settings.

Even with all of the fancy lighting and particle effects turned off the game can still get a little sluggish at times, especially when the battles start to get really heated.

Fortunately this does not happen very often, but it still does ruin what is mostly a very smooth experience.

Before jumping into the game you have to pick sides. There are three unique factions within Planetside 2: The hard hitting New Conglomerate, the Futuristic Vanu Sovereignty and the militaristic Terran Republic. Each faction has individual strengths and weaknesses: the Terran Republic weapons tend to have the highest rate of fire, but the lowest accuracy while the Vanu Sovereignty use high tech laser weapons to that lack the punch of conventual weapons but with pin-point accuracy. The fac-

Planetside 2 looks staggeringly good, not matter the time of day tions even have their own aircraft and tanks and, while no single faction is over powered, that they all feel different.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the basics, you realize that you have been given the keys to a vast playground. Scattered around the vast landscape are a number of huge installations, each the size of a Call of Duty Multiplayer map. Each installation provides the faction that controls it a steady stream of resources that can be used to purchase vehicles, aircraft and supplies, such as grenades or medical kits.

Some facilities, such as tech plants and bio-labs, are also required to spawn heavy tanks and other more powerful vehicles. This means

Playing together with an organized Outfit is a amazing experience

that you shouldn’t just constantly swap facilities, but actually defend specific objectives to ensure that you have access to the equipment that you need to drive the other factions off the map.

But even with the best toys, each facility is still a fortress. With walls and a number of turrets to keep any unwelcome visitors out, simply rushing the objectives will not work but requires a combined effort from air, ground and tanks forces to efficiently break through the opponents defences. It is these spontaneous events, where you get have literally hundred of players coming together to help break through, is where the game shines.

And this is also where the Outfits come into play and change the Planetside 2 experience.

Outfits are groups of players that work together to try and bring a little military precision to the chaos of war, and in doing so changes the experience completely. Playing as part of an Outfit means that you can start making more strategic offensives: From the use of 12 person Galaxy dropships to strike behind enemy lines, to the organization of massive armor columns of 20 or more tanks to break a stalemate; the sight of an Outfit in action is often one of the most awe inspiring sights in the game. Whether a single squad of 12 men or a multiple 32 man platoons, a single well organized force can completely change the course of a continent wide conflict and the feeling of satisfaction that you get from defeating a vastly larger force, all the while supporting your friends and coordinating with other platoons in the area, is

one that keeps us coming back to Planetside 2 time and time again.

The game is not without its flaws, however. The in-game progression system is frustratingly slow, with Certification points (which are used to unlock new weapon and vehicle upgrades) are earned painstakingly slowly. This meaning that to unlock new weapons and equipment you either have to player for days on end or resort to buying them outright with real world money. This issue can be slightly reduced with the use of a temporary Boost, or by signing up to a monthly subscription fee, means that this free to play game can get very expensive very quickly.

Planetside 2 is a game full of “were you there?” moments: time a Vanu Sovereignty force struggled to defend their last tech plant on Indar, caught in a desperate fire fight between two different forces that culminating in a vast tank battle as organized reinforcements arrived after a 3 hour pitched battle, finally allowing the defenders to take the fight to the enemy.

Or how about the time that you and your friends organized a massive column of 5 Sunder troop transports to break an enemy blockade keeping you trapped within your stronghold. These are the memories that keep drawing us back to Planetside 2, because no matter how you play, you will experience something wonderful and that you can get in almost no other game.

And because its free, you would be an idiot not to at least give it a try. What have you got to lose?

32 SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY Editorial

Hello!

It’s been nearly a month since our last issue but we’re back in time to bring you your last Spark*-sized dose of Science & Technology for the term, and for 2012.

Oh, how time flies. It’s time Vinay and I started looking for two people to be the next Science & Technology Editors.

The job can be done by one but we’ve found that having two people share the responsibility has really worked well.

I’m hoping that by around mid-February, we’ll have found our successors and can begin the handover process.

That way there’ll be plenty of time for settling in and learning the ropes, ready to take over when Summer term starts.

Please get in touch via our email scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk if you’re interested! It looks good on your CV and while you’re here it counts towards the RED Award. If you have a genuine interest in science and/or technology, are self-motivated and have good spelling and grammar then we’re interested in hearing from you.

And we’re always on the lookout for new submissions so if you get bored over the holidays, why not get in touch and write for us?

If you’ve never written for us before, it’s never too late to start and it’s also the best way to be considered for the role.

Get in touch by email or via Facebook if you’re interested in the role or have any questions.

Dave P.S. As Web Editor, I’m also looking for someone to take over from me. Interested? Email web.spark@reading.ac.uk

Want to contribute to Spark* Science & Technology?

We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch, via email: scitech.spark@ reading.ac.uk or via our facebook page: www.facebook.com/ groups/scitech.spark/

The global carbon time bomb Peter Burgess

Last month, the International Energy Agency published the World Energy Outlook. Top of their list of findings? “The world is still failing to put the global energy system onto a more sustainable path”.

The gist of WEO-2012: We need to be far more energy efficient.

Otherwise at the current rates of growth, in 5 years warming will exceed the 2-degree limit we’ve set ourselves.

Their best guess is that global energy demand will rise by a third in the next 25 years, with fossil fuels still at the heart of our energy supplies. The result of burning all these fossil fuels?

The rather dry and boring “global temperature increase of 3.6 °C”.

The World Bank’s projection is 4°C. We make a lot of a two degrees limit and rightly so.

Where we are going wrong is in talking temperatures.

Everyone has a good understanding of temperature because yesterday it was sunny and about two degrees warmer than today which is cold and grey. Perhaps to some, climate change doesn’t sound so bad - I love Spain, if it’s warmer I’ll be able to get a proper tan without getting on a plane to Tenerife!

Only that’s not how it works.

Firstly that’s averaged across the whole planet and polar regions are warming up much faster than

The 2012 edition of the World Energy Outlook was released on 12 November 2012. everywhere else. Secondly, as should be obvious from the way that basically every environment journalist tried to link Sandy with climate change, the impact is really felt most strongly at the extremes. Looking at what might happen if we get beyond the 3-4 degrees the IEA and the World Bank think we are due for if we carry on the same as we always have, then basically all bets are off. At that point there is every possibility the world will do some really screwy things, not least increases in heat waves and droughts hammering crop yields.

The IEA makes a big deal of the urgent need for energy efficiency and the lack of success in making it happen. Energy efficiency is basically always the cheapest way to hit energy goals. Simple things like loft insulation can often pay back within a year, especially in leaky old terraces like my house.

If we keep building roads and power stations as we have been doing, we will reach a point of no return in five years. Everything we need to shoot past the goal of no more than two degrees of warming will be in place. Energy efficiency in industry and in buildings can hold that off for another five years but it can’t

We need to be more energy efficient: the carbon time bomb is ticking.

Image: GuenterHH via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/8ctncR stop climate change on its own.

The most dangerous fossil fuel is coal. The World Bank has called for less reliance on coal and climate change economists have calculated that we can only burn at most a third of the coal we know is in the ground. This is a really disturbing and really dangerous fact for our economy.

Between them, the world’s fossil fuel companies own enough coal, oil and gas reserves to produce nearly three trillion tonnes of CO2, more than five times the amount we can ‘safely’ burn.

Just two of these companies, BP and Shell are responsible for a fifth of the dividends paid out to British pension funds. The share price of all fossil fuel companies are based on the amount of longdead things they have the right to dig up and sell to people who want to burn them. So either we

have to wipe out 80% of the value of a third of the FTSE100 and reap ourselves an unmitigated economic disaster now or we have to keep burning fossils and reap ourselves an unmitigated ecological disaster that not only threatens our economy but the ability of our governments to keep us fed, watered and out of harm’s way.

The most dangerous fossil fuel is coal. The World Bank has called for less reliance on coal Cheery stuff but if the US elections taught us anything it’s that it doesn’t matter what you want to happen if the numbers keep telling you a different story.

Graphs from World Energy Outlook 2012, “Presentatiom to Press” http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/publications/weo-2012/

Spark*

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk 33

Friday 7 December 2012

The cloud storage showdown David Thai

device that has the app installed.

Bitcasa Dropbox

CloudMe

Google Drive Microsoft SkyDrive SpiderOak Ubuntu One SugarSync Wuala

Most of us are no strangers to the practice of emailing files to ourselves or copying them to a USB stick so that they can be accessed elsewhere.

Maybe some of our readers might even remember using floppy disks.

However, times have changed and far removed from the floppy disk, the options for getting access to your files are many, mainly in the form of cloudbased storage services. Dropbox is well known but it’s not the only

such service out there. In truth there are many alternatives.

In this article we look at other promising services.

Something all these services have in common is that they provide a small application that will run in the background to automatically upload files from your own computer, while also downloading a copy of files of which there isn’t a local copy, thus making those files available through a web browser and on any

A particularly interesting offering is Bitcasa, which offers “Infinite Sync” and is just what it sounds like. If lots of space is what you’re after, there may be no beating Bitcasa’s infinite storage and the best thing is that for now at least (while it’s still in Beta) it’s also completely free.

However that’s not the really interesting part. It gets better.

Bitcasa is a service which invites you to “make any folder infinite” and do away with external drives.

It envisions a world with reliable high-speed always-on Internet access. This aspect of the service makes the cloud your hard disk so that files in your “infinite” folders are not stored locally but saved to, and retrieved from, Bitcasa.

It sounds rather exciting but at time of writing I haven’t yet been able to fully test it out so once I have, I may write a fuller review of it.

In a similar vein, perhaps less exciting but still noteworthy, CloudMe also allows you to use it like a local hard drive by mounting it as a WebDav network drive which means that you

directly access files on CloudMe rather than storing a local copy which is uploaded when you make changes to it. It’s possible for other services to be used in such a way but perhaps not in an officially supported manner.

Microsoft’s own SkyDrive is probably worth a mention as we all have one, since our Reading email accounts use the Live platform.

Installing the official app so that you can use it like another folder on your computer might make it easier to use than accessing it through your browser. It also integrates with a web version of Microsoft’s popular office suite.

Google meanwhile, has Google Drive which similarly integrates with Google Docs, it’s own cloudbased office suite.

For the privacy-conscious, there’s SpiderOak which touts a “zero-knowledge” privacy environment. The only way to access stored data is with the user’s password that was used to generate the encryption keys and that password is never sent to SpiderOak servers - so secure is the approach that SpiderOak

cannot even reset your password for you.

I myself mainly use Dropboxand having benefited from various promotions granting extra free space (most recently the Space Race which gives all of us University of Reading students 25 GB for two years), I’m likely to continue. Also, by virtue of being so well established, there are third party applications that make use of Dropbox to provide extra functionality, such as BackupBox. However there’s nothing stopping us from using several services to capitalise on storage space. You could have one for your music (some services even allow music streaming), one for work stuff and another for personal stuff.

These services all have client apps for Windows and Mac. For Linux as well, with the exception of SkyDrive, SugarSync and Google Drive (although a Linux client is purportedly in the pipeline). There are smartphone apps for Android and iPhone and in a most cases, for Blackberry too.

Bats in the United Kingdom Torin Clarke

It may come as a surprise to readers that almost a quarter of the mammalian inhabitants of the UK also have leathery wings.

A total of 18 species of bat have been recorded on our shores with 17 remaining resident throughout

the year. In fact as recently as 2010 we had 16 resident species until DNA analysis uncovered the secretive Alcathoe’s bat in caves in Yorkshire and Sussex- hidden in our midst, naturally. Even in our small well studied corner of

Noctule in flight.

Image: Isles of Sicily Bat Group http://www.scillybatgroup.org.uk/

the planet, nature still manages to keep to itself.

From what we have studied we know that the smallest bat, the common pipistrelle, can weigh as little as 4g whereas the largest, the Noctule bat, can reach ten times this weight with a wingspan of almost half a metre!

The Noctule bat’s size means that it can forage over large distances (up to 20km in a single night) feeding on insects - the diet of all British species. This tendency to operate over a large area can make bats difficult to monitor.

The power of flight may be a great attribute in the natural world but for researchers it has its follies. What is beneficial to the scientists monitoring bat populations is that bats are relatively long lived animals that reproduce slowly and many species roost communally.

Furthermore if they do decide to head out for a bite they tend to make an inaudible racket.

Their use of echolocation can be picked up on a bat detector

and the signature frequencies of different species distinguished.

So what is the current state of bats in the UK? Well with over 100 local bat groups around the country and more than a thousand volunteers contributing to the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) scientists have managed to build up a picture of the population trends for 11 UK species. For 2011 almost 50% of these species showed a population increase. If only science was that simple.

In fact the NBMP use 3 different techniques for monitoring bats and this is where it gets confusing and, quite frankly, from a scientific point of view, quite frustrating. One technique uses bat detectors during field and waterway surveys.

This is considered the most robust method for data collection. The second, the hibernation survey, is carried out in the winter. Finally the colony count takes place at summer maternity roosts.

No surprises then that given they occur at different times of year and in different parts of a bats territory occasionally the data retrieved from these methods contradict each other.

During monitoring on common pipistrelles for example the field bat detector surveys implied a population increase but a significant decline was recorded during the colony counts.

Hopefully with the advent of improved online data entry systems and thus increased efficiency, as well as a greater public interest in our bats, data collection will occur on a larger scale across a wider area. The discrepancies and anomalies may just be smoothed out and country wide population trends can finally be revealed. Only then can ongoing conservation efforts be best implemented.

34 TRAVEL

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

trAvel Hong Kong | The Asian city of extremes EMMA REEVES

From the metro I caught flashes of skyscrapers reaching upwards and competing for space. Bright advertising lights painted in any gaps in the metropolis. The fauna of the hills loomed in the background, now a distant memory after spending a few days in the bustle of the concrete jungle; full of an array of sights, sounds and life.

Hong Kong. Originally a stop over to break the longitude of travelling on to Australia as part of my backpacker adventure, I had not really known what to expect apart from a bustling city. But oh no - it was much more than that. Already it had taken me by surprise by the sheer amount of things to explore.

From the wet markets on Graham Street filled with live fish and

“This was a concrete jungle beneath the fauna of the hills” many other surprises; to the grandeur of Soho, sipping cocktails at Aqua - one of the highest bars in the city, exploring the history museum (for free on Wednesdays!), the bargainers’ paradise of the Jade markets, the famous Starry Ferry, the Peak high up on the Island (recommended on a clear day) and trying a huge array of cuisines. These were just a few of the many sights, tastes and smells to experience in the City.

Everyone appeared friendly but left me alone, seemingly I was just another wandering tourist passing through their ever-changing city. I felt fairly safe - even around the ‘fake monks’ who constantly tried to

fool tourists into donating money.

I had not expected any more surprises, or for Hong Kong to be a city of such extremes, until the day I went on a day trip to the nearby Lantau Island. I passed up on the expected Disneyland visit (I was tempted), and instead decided upon visiting the tiny fishing village of Tai O and the ‘Big Buddha’.

As I sat on the metro I realised the flashes of life outside no longer contained skyscrapers or dazzling artificial colours. Instead a glorious view of the sea marking the horizon came into view, with yards upon yards of sand devoid of any footprints. Paradise - if it was not for the oncoming thunderstorm marked by the specks of rain - a common weather forecast in Hong Kong.

We were spat out into this time warp of a place with little more than rich vegetation and rolling hills in view. I was concerned but also curious. I expected Hong Kong to be the easy part of my travels; an international, tourist catered city. Not the rickety bus I was told to get on, following the other passengers, with little notion of when or where to get off.

After climbing high into the clouds on the hills, we finally made our descent down to the village of Tai O, down from the dreamy heights of Hong Kong Island to the past times of many generations before. Wooden and metal houses littered the waterways, stilts firmly in the ground after being pounded

by Mother Nature’s rages. They were charming, if basic. A startling contrast to the modern construction on the mainland suggesting this was a school boy secret to be kept-unchanged by the drive of construction, changed only by what fish there were to catch. I began wandering in the rain,

mesmerised by the street sellers and the pungent smell of fish, open cafes with broken English sug-

“I began wandering in the rain, mesmerised by the street sellers and pungent smells” -gestively serving ‘the best coffee’ and a monastery, grandly perched on the cliffside, looking forth to the ocean, ready for the oncoming storm. An unfamiliar but comforting silence filled the air - easing my ears from the musical renditions of Hong Kong mainland.

‘Umbrella?’ Laughed a voice, breaking me out of the spell. I looked around to find a friendly face grinning back at me. I suddenly realised how soaked through I was and laughed, taking up the offer for little more than £2.00 before being on my way.

I later visited the ‘Tian Tan Buddha’ also known as the ‘Big Buddha’ in all its glory, placed high on Lantau Island for all to worship. As I bravely opted for a meal requiring chopsticks at lunch I could not believe how versatile Hong Kong was, with such natural beauty so close by - if only I had time to visit the other nearby islands such as Macau. It was definitely an insight into a culture that is sewn tightly into modern society, yet rarely glimpsed by those on the mainland or beyond in the rest of the world. Hong Kong had truly surprised me, marking the stopover as more than simply a visit, but a discovery.

‘Fork by any chance?’ The waiter asked politely, as I tried and failed once again to use the chopsticks.

I nodded sheepishly - one step at a time..!

Above: THE BREATH-TAKING VIEW FROM ‘THE PEAK’ ABOVE HONG KONG

Above: Tai O fishing town, over the hills from hong kong city

Facebook: facebook.com/travelspark

Twitter: twitter.com/travel_spark twitter.com/simon_truscott (Travel Editor)

Email: travel.spark@reading.ac.uk Above LEFT: THE ‘BIG BUDDhA’ of lantau iSland; above right: EMMA AT the entrance to the ‘BIG BUDDHA, LANTAU ISLAND

“Where did you come from? Where will you go?”

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

LETTERS 35

Letters & Careers

Spark* is now online!

Go to our website at www. sparknewspaper.co.uk Follow us @SparkNewspaper ‘Like’ our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/SparkNewspaper Get in touch!

A note from the Campaigns and Supporter Engagement Office Hi everyone, The Annual Fund Telephone Campaign has almost finished and we are delighted to report that, thanks to the generosity of all the graduates we have been calling, almost £200,000 has been raised!

Over the next year, these donations to the Annual Fund will be disbursed across the University to support a huge variety of academic and extra-curricular projects that would otherwise not happen on and around campus. So what kind of projects has the Annual Fund made possible in the past?

Last year, the Circus Arts Society received a grant to develop their skills so they could continue to run interactive workshops for many local charities, young carers and

adults with learning disabilities.

This is a fantastic example of how the Annual Fund can benefit not only current students at the University, but the wider community too.

The Annual Fund also gives students invaluable real-world work experience which cannot be learnt from text books alone, whether that’s through supporting field trips, providing tools for practical experiments or transforming the facilities for our societies run entirely by student volunteers.

And on a larger scale, the Annual Fund helps us to better understand issues like climate change, conservation and food security, through purchasing equipment and materials for those of you who are

undertaking cutting-edge research in your course.

From these few examples (and there are plenty more where these came from!) we hope you can see the amazing difference that donations make to student life at the University of Reading and the surrounding communities. So here’s to a fantastic year of fundraising– we look forward to supporting a project near you in the future!

Laura Garman Communities and Supporter Engagement Officer

Hear what former students are talking about on Facebook (search ‘University of Reading Alumni’) and Twitter (@UniRdg_Alumni)

Careers News - All I want for Christmas...

When you are writing your Christmas list this year, you might feel like putting ‘work experience’ or ‘a graduate job’ on the end of it, in the hope that Father Christmas will pop one in your stocking for you to discover on Christmas morning!

In reality, securing a job, be it for a short while, or as the start of your career, requires a bit of work. So when better to get started than over the Christmas vacation?

Make a new year’s resolution to get the job issue sorted in 2013 and get started over Christmas by looking at the great advice and resources on our careers blog at: http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/careers/.

Once on the blog head to ‘Career Coaching’ for the list of articles: •I want to know what my options are. Try reading the article on ‘what can I do with my degree?’

•I want to work out which roles I want to apply for. Head to the coaching topic on ‘working out what you want to do’ to get you started.

•I want to understand how to find the jobs opportunities that interest me. Look at the coaching articles on ‘I want to find a job’ and ‘I want to access the hidden job market’ to feel better equipped to track down opportunities.

•I want a great CV. In the ‘applications’ section of the blog focus

on ‘I want to write a successful CV’ to help yours stand out from the crowd.

•Find the vacancies. Head to www.reading.ac.uk/careers and click on ‘My Jobs Online’ to search around 600 job adverts for graduate jobs, placements, work experience and more.

When you get back to University in January, remember we are here to help you keep your new year’s careers resolution, so come and see us for further support, advice and encouragement.

Merry Christmas!

Careers, Placement and Experience Centre

P.O. Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AZ Vol 63. Issue 4

Editorial Staff

Editor:

Sophie Harrison editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

Deputy Editors:

Calum Rogers and Ellis Wiggins deped.spark@reading.ac.uk

News Editor:

Zoe Crook news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News Sub-Editor:

Ania Wronski news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Comment Editor:

Jess Croppper comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

Political Comment

Adam Roberts

Editor:

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

Interview Editor:

Ellis Wheatley interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Film, DVD & TV

Ellie Holland and Jack Marshall

Editors:

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

Music Editors:

Jamie Milton music.spark@reading.ac.uk

Nia Thomas music.spark@reading.ac.uk

Science & Tech

David Thai and Vinay Chauhan

Editor:

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

Gaming Editor:

Tom Wood gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

Top Job Shop Jobs

Career dates for your diary

Fashion Editors:

Katey Watkins and Poppy Nowicka

Here’s a few of the top jobs we have currently open within the job shop – for more info, please visit: www.reading.ac.uk/careers/ jobshop

Monday 10th, 1-1.50pm Palmer Building room, G05 - CV Workshop for Graduate Jobs

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Travel Editor:

Simon Truscott travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

Health Editor:

Sarah Lienard health.spark@reading.ac.uk

Tuesday 11, 1-1.50pm Palmer Building room G05 - CV Workshop for placements

Fun&Games Editor: Paroma Guha

Wednesday 12th 5 -7.30pm Palmer Building 105 - Career Development Workshop for Masters students in Science and Life Sciences This event is designed for Masters students across the Science and Life Sciences faculties. The primary focus of the event will be on creating CVs that stand out in the job market and advising on how to formulate strategies for tracking down the often specialist roles that Masters students aspire to fill.

There are 55 spaces left, so make sure you book online via ‘Myjobsonline’ at www.reading.ac.uk/ careers

Job title: Study Skills Presenter Company: Elevate Education Location: Berkshire area Pay: £20.00-£45.00ph Closing Date: 30.01.13 Job title: Tutor Company: NJ Teaching Location: Berkshire and Surrey Pay: £18.00-£22.00ph Closing Date: 04.02.13 Job title: General opportunities Company: Expert Retrieval Location: National Pay: National Minimum Wage Closing Date: 26.12.12 Job title: Front of House Company: Bel & Dragon Location: Central Reading Pay: £6.19 - £8.19ph Closing Date: 04.01.13

Job title: Support Workers Company: Ranstad Care Location: Berkshire Pay: £7.00-£8.00ph Closing Date: 11.01.13 Job title: Casual Guest Service Agent Company: Penta Hotels Location: Reading Pay: National Minimum Wage Closing Date: 12.12.12 Job title: Student Marketer Company: Graduate Promotions Location: University of Reading Pay: £7.51-£8.00ph Closing Date: 10.12.12 Job title: Web Assistant Company: Mark Seymour Photography Location: Burnham Pay: £7.01-£7.50ph Closing Date: 08.02.13

Thursday 13th, 1-1.50pm, Palmer Building, G05-CV Workshop for Graduate Jobs

Arts&Books Editor: Lucy Snow arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

fun.spark@reading.ac.uk

Sport Editor:

Cameron Humphries

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

Head of PR:

Charlie Allenby pr.spark@reading.ac.uk

Art director:

Piers Rudgard-Redsell

Design editor:

Sam Winslet

Proofreaders:

Jessica Hodges

Precious Ayemere-Okojie

Elizabeth Reilly

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.

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FUN&GAMES

Winter word search Double Puzzle

FUN&GAMES 37

Sudoku Last week’s answer...

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Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

Spark* Friday 7 December 2012

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT 39

SPORT

England go from shocking to sublime on sub-continent Chris Porter

India 327 & 142 England 413 & 58-0 England won by 10 wickets The second test match between England and India is likely to remembered by English cricket fans for a long time to come.

The inability of English teams to conquer the subcontinent conditions haunts players past and present – especially the present – as it has undoubtedly cost the most recent incarnation its world number one ranking and ultimately cost Andrew Strauss his career.

With that in mind, what made England’s victory, which levelled the four-match series at one apiece, even more remarkable was the manner in which it was achieved. England dominated the entire match from start to finish.

This was no smash-and-grab affair.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for Cheteshwar Pujara’s first innings effort of 135, things may have been even simpler for the visitors, who recorded only their third test win on the subcontinent (excluding Bangladesh) in over a decade.

behind), to a position of strength from which they never looked back (382-6 and a first innings lead).

Though Monty Panesar’s match figures of 11-210 were deeply impressive coming from a man who must feel aggrieved that the England management seem to only value him as a “horses for courses” selection, this game will be remembered for a sensational innings by Kevin Pietersen, whose knock of 186 steered England from vulnerability (at 68-2 and 259

It perhaps shouldn’t have surprised us that Pietersen mustered up such a memorable innings. His technique, like his temperament, balances on a knife edge. For the most part, he is sublime; yet there are occasions, like during the first test, where he is ridiculous, to the point where even a village amateur would fancy a bowl at him.

However, he almost always delivers when it matters and after a feeble first test, to a self-publicist such as himself, it couldn’t possibly matter more than to make an unforgettable contribution on the toughest stage, in an attempt to persuade everyone from his teammates, to the media and wider public to erase the memory of a cricketing summer undermined by his disgraceful selfinterest.

The home side’s short game fell apart and the team struggled to hold on to possession. This led to a strong spell from Essex for 15 minutes in the first half as they piled on the pressure posing the most threat from corners and their skilful left winger.

Goalkeeper Josh Young came under serious pressure but with the help of some last ditch defending, Reading weathered the storm. Against the run of play Reading managed to carve out the better chances on the counter with Stefano Carnevale having a field day against the Essex full back.

Maxwell Shirt had the best effort at breaking the deadlock with a preplanned corner only for his header to hit the post.

Reading’s superior quality was clear and it was only a matter of time before they converted one of their chances. A quick counter attack from Gerard Flanagan ended in a confident finish from striker Alex Geerts placing him on 8 goals in 7 games this season.

Reading’s central midfield remained compact successfully breaking up the play giving Reading a firm grip of the game, allowing them to play some very positive football.

The second goal came from simple, high-tempo passing demonstrating the cut-throat football this side are capable of playing.

With a throw-in deep in the Essex half, Robert Frackowiak flicked the ball into O’Fishal’s path who threaded it into the path of full back Chris

England dominated the entire match from start to finish.

Whether he managed to achieve that, only time will tell – but the performance was special.

One man whose commitment and performances in an England shirt certainly are unconditional is Alistair Cook. The captain was once again in total control at the crease, notching scores of 122 and 18* to take his series tally to 357 already.

He provided the platform from which Pietersen and the rest then built the first innings lead of 96, a figure that proved decisive.

The captain was once again in total control at the crease Throughout the match, the spin pair of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar carried a noticeably greater threat than their Indian counterparts, exposing fragility in

Reading’s finest cruise into last eight Reading 1st XI 6 Essex 2nd XI 0 Cup last 16 Scorers: Alex Geerts, Chris Doggett (2), Gerard Flanagan, Cameron Hodgkins, Rob Frackowiak Gerald Flanigan

Reading’s football first team went into this last 16 cup tie in great form with 6 wins out of 7 off the back of a 4-0 victory over Surrey.

Reading got off to a strong start having a real go at the Essex defence and created numerous chances in quick succession.

Essex struggled to cope with the pace of the game and were unable to break down the solid Reading formation but this quickly changed.

Doggett who calmly slotted the ball off the inside post.

Reading came out very positively in the second half forcing a few early saves off the Essex keeper and quickly grabbing a third through centre back Cameron Hodgkin’s rising above the defence to head home, placing him on minus one goals for the season after his two own goal shocker against Brunel.

With the score line comfortable, Reading began to move the ball around effortlessly, against a tiring Essex who were simply out matched man for man across the pitch. Rob Frackowiak completed a lovely 8 pass move by delivering the ball into the box for Gerard Flanagan to slide in for his 8th goal in 7 games. Frackowiack’s persistence around goal

the opposition batting line-up similar to that witnessed in England last year. With speed through the air so critical for spin bowling on slow Asian pitches, the relatively pacey Panesar and Swann bundled India out for a meagre 142 in their second innings, leaving England’s openers to make light work of a small victory target.

The captain was once again in total control at the crease It completed a remarkable turnaround from the doom and gloom following the first test, after a predictably toothless display, and has now seen England take the initiative in the series. The outcome of the third test in Kolkata, which started on Wednesday, will give us a clearer idea as to whether England will leave India as heroic victors, or scarred, like many before them, by failing to overcome the seemingly insurmountable challenge of winning on the subcontinent.

paid off grabbing a powerful header from Parsa Sadigh’s floated cross.

Frackowiak was once again involved in the scoring process by crossing the ball for Chris Doggett to grab a brace from left back. Despite his best efforts and growing attacking confidence there wasn’t to be a hat-rick for the left back.

Reading march into the quarter finals against either LSE or Brunel in a tough Quarter final to be played at home on 6th February.

Team: Josh Young, George Rogers, Cameron Hodgkins, Matt Rozee, Chris Doggett, Stefan Carnevale, Maxwell Shirt, Dean O’Fishal (Motm), Gerard Flanagan, Alex Geerts, Rob Frackwiak. Subs: Matthias Ferstl, Parsa Sadigh

Reading University Graduate ‘England’s Toughest Mudder

Simon Griffiths: England’s Toughest Mudder. 56th overall, completing 50 miles in total.

Cameron Humphries

Simon Griffiths, who graduated university with a degree in Geography

earlier this year, can call himself ‘England’s Toughest Mudder’.

Tough Mudder events take place over courses designed by British Special Forces and are designed to test a competitor’s mental grit, strength and camaraderie.

With ice tanks, electric shocks and obstacle after obstacle the courses are incredibly challenging.

Having finished in the top 5% and granted the ‘Mudder Samaritan’ award at the South East Tough Mudder in May, Simon, was invited to compete in World’s Toughest Mudder - a 24 hour test held in New Jersey on November 18th.

The concept was simple, whoever completes the most laps in 24 hours wins but for many this was not about winning, it was about pushing them-

selves to their mental and physical limit.

Griffiths certainly did that, with temperatures below freezing from sunset to sunrise and facing various spells of dehydration alongside an injured ankle the 22 year old came 56th out of over 1,000 competitor’s and over 500,000 who took part in this year’s Tough Mudder events.

The 22 year old came 56th out of over 1,000 competitor’s Covering 5 laps of the 10 mile course, 50 miles over hellish terrain made for a satisfying debut.

56th place was good enough to secure him the title of England’s

Toughest Mudder and Griffiths will be sure to look for an even more impressive finish next year.

The former student’s trip was entirely self funded and to date he has raised over £700 for Help for Heroes.

I battled with my body and my mind Griffiths, from Oswestry, described his experience to Spark* upon arrival back in the country, “I battled with my body and my mind but it was my determination to not fail that kept me moving forward. Fighting dehydration for 14 miles was probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done, it made hobbling 22 miles when I injured my ankle seem simple. What I proved to myself in that 24 hours was that with self belief, what seems impossible becomes possible.”

World’s Toughest Mudder: A supreme challenge

40 SPORT

Friday 7 December 2012 Spark*

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT Drama at the Mad-Stad continues

Inside...

England fight Reading beat Everton but succumb by United in thriller back in India Saturday 12 November Reading 2-1 Everton Attendance: 24,184 Tom Newbold

Men’s Football

Reading Grad England’s Toughest

Reading recorded their first league win of the season with a heroic second-half performance against Everton.

Adam Le Fondre scored the goals that ensured three points for the Royals as they fought back to beat a high-flying Everton side. Everton were sitting in fourth place coming in the game, and looked every bit the part as they dominated the early exchanges.

The first chance swiftly came inside two minutes as Everton defender Phil Jagielka attacked a corner, but Reading managed to clear the ball to safety. Reading neglected to clear successfully soon after however, as Steven Naismith opened the scoring on 10 minutes.

After a long ball forward, there was a catalogue of errors from the Reading defenders, who failed to clear the ball on numerous attempts.

Naismith eventually stole in amongst the turmoil and shot past the helpless Federici. For the rest of the half Everton continued to control the game as the Royals struggled to gain any foothold on the game.

Reading were caught out time and time again on the break, and can count themselves lucky that Everton’s finishing betrayed them as they looked to extent their lead.

The half-time whistle was a blessing to the home side, and Brian McDermott had fifteen minutes to inspire his team. And whatever he said evidently worked as the Royals came out for the second half a changed team. There was an evident purpose to the team’s play, and it

didn’t take long for Adam Le Fondre to level the scoreline on 51 minutes with a neat header from a Nicky Shorey free-kick.

The game then adopted a furious pace in which both sides were frantically playing from end to end.

Everton were still dangerous on the break, but Reading had a new energy in their attacking play. With ten minutes remaining Seamus Coleman ungraciously clattered into Le Fondre inside the area. It was a penalty. Adam Le Fondre confidentally stepped up and scored with ease.

Reading had turned the tide.

The inevitable onslaught from the Merseysiders never came, and Reading held on to their win. Boss Brian McDermott will hope this win inspires the team to go on and claw themselves out of the relegation zone. For the meantime though, Reading fans will be basking in the glory of their first league win of the season.

Saturday 1 December Reading 3-4 Manchester United Attendance: 24,095 Tom Newbold

Reading eventually succumbed to high-flying Manchester United in what was a remarkable contest at the Madejski stadium. Seven goals in a topsy-turvy first half ultimately resulted in a 4-3 win for United over the Royals, but boss Brian McDermott will be proud of his team’s spirited display.

Reading stunned United with an early goal from Hal Robson-Kanu, but as has so often been the case this season, this only served to awaken the Red Devils from their slumber.

Poacher: Adem Le Fondre has been in fine form for the Royal’s Anderson struck a quality equaliser five minutes later, before Jay Tabb unceremoniously barged into the back of Jonny Evans to concede a penalty. Wayne Rooney shot it low to the bottom right to complete the comeback. Or so it seemed.

United’s comeback had only served to spring the game into life. Two minutes after United took the lead, Reading equalised to make it 2-2 as Adam le Fondre lost Jonny Evans at a corner to power in a header.

Then Reading shocked even the on-looking John Madejski as they regained the lead. Jonny Evans again went walkabout in his defensive duties allowing Sean Morrison to give Reading a 3-2 lead.

Once again United were stung, and once again they responded. Wayne Rooney finished unmarked from 6 yards after good work down the all too open left-hand side by Patrice Evra, before he cleverly flicked the ball to Robin van Persie on 34 minutes who finished to make it 4-3. The team from Manchester had regained their lead.

Robin van Persie then had a shot, clearly over the line, not given as a goal 5 minutes before half-time. Anderson, due to injury, and Rafael, due to poor performance, were hauled off and substituted by Sir Alex Ferguson, and so was completed a remarkable half of football.

The second-half failed to live up to the dizzy heights of the first. The moment of the half was when van Persie disposed Reading keeper Federici as he dilly-dallied in possession, only for the Dutchman to send his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Reading appeared to run out of ideas towards the end of the match, as United tightened up after their first-half defensive horror-show.

The Royals quality delivery, and attacking spirit will have pleased boss Brian McDermott after this fixture.

His team may remain in the bottom three, but only after a gallant effort against a strong Manchester Unite side. This performance may not have resulted in three points, but will certainly be an encouragement for the season ahead.

Day of days at Twickenham as All Blacks conquered

England celebrate following fine 38 - 21 victory Cameron Humphries

England’s victory over New Zealand last Saturday was as good as it gets.

The World Champions quite simply do not lose games of rugby by a 17 point margin. 38 - 21. It wasn’t even a smash and grab, the better team won. Every now and then the All Blacks may find themselves second best for a period in the match, sometimes even for a half, but the thing that defines them is that time after time they find a way to win.

Not this time. England were sublime, strong in the tackle, tenacious at the breakdown and with the confidence to forge attacks of their own.

Stuart Lancaster’s men may not have believed in the possibility of a World Cup victory on home soil in three years time - they do now.

England’s last victory over the All Blacks came 10 years ago This was a performance that will live long in the memory and with good reason. England’s last victory over the All Blacks came nine years ago, based on this performance it should not be another decade of defeat.

On Monday the draw for the World Cup was made and it is safe to say England find themselves drawn in the ‘Group of Death’, due to face Grand Slam Champions Wales and World Number Three ranked Australia. Joining these three sides will be the winner of the Oceana qualifying process as well as the winner of the repechage play-off in 2015.

However the reality is to win the World Cup any side needs to win big games against big teams - following this victory, and the performance to go with it, England should have no fear going into the tournament. Who knows, at Twickenham in three years English Rugby may well have its crowning glory.