Spark 20130118 - Vol.62, Issue 1

1

Friday 18.01.13 Volume 64

Issue

Reading leaves 1994 group What’s

inside?

Games 36 We welcome the return of the Crossword to Fun & Games!

Photograph of University of Reading, courtesy of university.which.co.uk Anthony Gargan

The University of Reading has left the 1994 Group of researchintensive universities following the end of the Autumn Term.

The university had been a part of the group since its inception in 1994 and the decision to leave was taken by Vice-Chancellor of the university, Sir David Bell.

The 1994 group is a group of small research-intensive universities involving institutions such as the University of Sussex, Loughborough University and Lancaster University – it has worked together to influence government policy-making and implement these policies to improve the university experience for students.

The Vice-Chancellor said of the decision: “While the 1994 Group has served us well in the past, it is important that we have the flexibility to forge our own alliances.

We will now concentrate on how we make the best use of our newly acquired non-aligned status.

“There are certainly opportunities to establish different kinds of partnerships with a much broader group of universities. Equally, enhancing our public profile and influence is something that we will continue to do vigorously and energetically in the months ahead.”

In the wider perspective, these are uncertain times regarding universities and this decision can be one that will give the University of Reading more freedom

over its own direction and as a result, a better chance to show off Readings individual character.

The University of Reading has not been the only university to exit the 1994 Group. In recent times, as in August 2012, four universities left: Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London, and in Autumn 2012, a further three universities left: Bath, St Andrews and Surrey.

As an organisation, the 1994 Group had represented these research-intensive universities on a national scale and given them a voice in policy-making, but the groups main rival - The Russell Group – has offered a similar role to the universities it represents.

2012 Olympics. All those who received the award were former students at the University of Reading.

Amongst the recipients were Gold medallist rower Anna Watkins, Bronze medallist rower Ric Egington, Gold medallist rower Alex Gregory and Bronze medallist rower Alex Partridge.

Other Olympians who received recognition for their extraordinary efforts in the summer were rowers Bill Lucas, Charles Cousins, Natasha Townsend, Debbie Flood, Adam Freeman-Pask and hockey player, Jonty Clarke.

Anna Watkins, currently studying for a PhD in Mathematics at Reading, said: “It’s a really, really lovely thing. When you first set out as a rower you don’t expect it

She adds: “I knew Reading was the best choice for me as it has the right combination of academic excellence and passion for rowing.

I’ve been able to take time out of my PhD to focus on the Olympics and the University has been positive and helpful throughout.”

Events over the past year have perhaps made The Russell Group the more influential of the two.

Of the eight universities that left the 1994 Group in 2012, four of them have joined The Russell Group since.

Maybe David Bell’s comments are true and the university is seeking its own independent direction. However, this is perhaps too simple an answer as the University of Reading has grown massively over the past few years. Overall Guardian university rankings: 2011 = 45th, 2012 = 32nd, 2013 = 25th.

Perhaps in the future, the University of Reading may be the same as Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London’s: in The Russell Group.

Olympians become Distinguished Fellows Ania Wronski

University of Reading graduates were joined by University of Reading Olympians at their graduation ceremony last December.

Eleven Olympians, along with David Watkins, the Designer of London 2012 medals, received the honour of becoming Distinguished Fellows of the University of Reading, at the Great Hall on London Road Campus.

All those who received the award were former students at UoR Watkins and the Olympians received the award in recognition of their extraordinary performances and contributions in the London

to lead to a day like this.’

“When you set out as a rower you don’t expect a day like this” Reading has the right combination of academic excellence and passion for rowingDavid Watkins, who studied Fine Art at Reading, and graduated in 1963, said: “It’s fantastic to receive the award at the same time as some of the medal winners.’

Bill Lucas reflects on his time at Reading: “I had a sports scholarship at University and that gave me access to the gym and facilities so I could train between my lectures. My tutors were very understanding of what I was aiming for too. I had an awful lot of support.

Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am.’

Professor Gordon Marshall, was made an honorary graduate In recognition of his contribution to the University of Reading, former Vice-Chancellor Professor Gordon Marshall, was also made an honorary graduate.

Beauty 26 Pimp your lips

Travel 34 Fiji

Spotlight 38 Capoeira

2 News

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Science Education Conference Ania Wronski

During the Christmas holidays the University of Reading hosted the largest science education exhibition in Europe on Whiteknights Campus.

The Association for Science Education (ASE) hosted its Annual Conference at the University of Reading. The Conference took place in the New Year, between Wednesday 2nd and Saturday 5th January 2013. It was located in the space infront of the HumSS building.

The Association for Science Education hosted its Annual Conference Amongst the leading scientists attending the conference were speakers Lord Rees, who gave the ASE Presidential Address; Micheal Rosen; and Professor Micheal Reiss, who presented the OCR policy and review lecture.

The conference was open to nonmembers as well as members. All of the University of Reading staff, and anyone involved in science education, were invited to join in.

The conference also included some of Reading’s own academics, who spoke on a number of different subjects, and contributed to the conference’s Frontier Science lecture programme. They lec-

tured on subjects such as climate change, archaeology, cardiovascular disease and chemistry.

Reading’s own academics lectured alongside delegates and speakers from around the world The theme of this year’s conference: ‘Constructing the future of science education; tackling 50 year challenges’ celebrates the role the ASE has played in the shaping of science education over the last 50 years, and its plans for the future.

The conference ran several different kinds of events, including booked courses and workshops, as well as over 250 varied talks and lectures, launches of products from leading contributors of science education. An International Day was held on the first day of the conference, which welcomed delegates and speakers from around the world.

The conference also presented opportunities for academics and professionals to network and share knowledge on best practice.

The conference ran smoothly.

The marquee was swiftly and efficiently removed from the University grounds, after the conference finished. Just in time, before the start of term, and the return of Reading’s students.

Reading faculty election voting to begin next week

Friday 18th January 2013 Spark*

Annual fundraising campaign generates substantial profits Avnita Shergill

No doubt we have all received emails over the last few months pledging for support and participation in the ongoing Annual Fund Telephone campaign, and with the help of 50 current students at the University who volunteered it was able to become a huge success.

During the last campaign, 50 Students worked for five weeks These students dedicated five weeks speaking to graduates from the University of Reading from the past sixties years, to discuss their views and opinions on what makes our institution part of the top 1% in the world and how, if any improvement could be made.

More importantly, around 500 of those graduates generously donated to the campaign and raised an unbelievable amount of £200,000 in donations.

This money will not only aid the numerous projects at the University but will also continue to provide student support to talented individuals, including sports scholarships, and Study Abroad bursaries.

It will encourage innovative teaching and learning for students,

It’s time for you to decide who will represent your Faculty in the next academic year (2013-14). Faculty reps represent the whole Faculty, speaking up on issues that affect students and ensuring you find out what’s happening within your Faculty.

Student can contact their Faculty reps regarding improvements in the Faculty, any problems facing students, along with any suggestions for change within the Faculty. The faculty reps endeavour to voice the student opinion on Academic issues and gain feedback from students here at Reading University.

This year Faculty reps have represented the student opinion on matters like, assignment feedback quality and turnaround time, Reading lists, learning resources and much more!

The candidates elected as Faculty reps will represent you at Faculty Boards of Teaching and Leaning (FBTL), Senate, the University Sub-Committee on Student Development and Employability and RUSU committees. Make sure you log on to the RUSU website and vote for the person you want to represent your views and speak up on behalf of your Faculty in the next academic year!

Voting will close Friday 25th January, 12noon.

Correction:

In the last issue, the article entitled: “Hindu Society celebrate Divali.”, should in fact have been named “Sikh Society and Bandi Choor”.

It was also Harsimrat Kaur who wrote this article, and Miriam Katz that wrote the article “Jewish Society Mitzvah Day”.

The fund has supported the numerous and successful careers events The University of Reading Annual Fund campaign was created in 2004 as a means of support for current and future students here in Reading. It has already achieved much success and positivity.

The campaign and raised an unbelievable amount of £200,000 Last year the fund supported projects including the Chemistry Ambassadors Initiative, which allowed Chemistry students to visit local schools to encourage and inspire the next generation to continue the subject at degree level.

In addition the fund has been the pillars supporting the numerous and successful careers events and fairs that have taken place over the years as well as provide much

needed financial support to students during each year of study.

Speaking to one Alumni, Barbara Bray (BSc Food Technology, 1995), spoke of the reasons why she chose to donate: “I chose to make a donation to the Annual Fund because of the direct support it gives students who would otherwise struggle to afford a university degree. I really value the experience I had at Reading and during my career I have seen how Reading graduates stand out from the crowd”.

500 graduates made generous donations The University of Reading Director of Campaigns, Shaun Horan, also added: “We are lucky to have incredibly engaged and supportive alumni at Reading. They know the importance of their gifts in transforming the lives of students here and now, and the immediate impact that their donations have.”

The University of Reading is always looking for more support, if you are interested in aiding the campaign as a volunteer or donor please visit the link provided: reading.ac.uk/alumni/annualfund.

University professors discuss wettest year Faye De Silva

Kara Swift

Who’ll Represent your Faculty?

Faculty rep voting will open Monday 21st January, 12noon!

and support extra-curricular activities that are so popular and important among students here at the University of Reading.

Hats, scarves and gloves out! Winter’s about!

The end of 2012 marked one of the coldest December months for Reading in over two decades.

On December 12th 2012, the University of Reading’s weather station’s Mike Stroud reported that the maximum temperature was a shocking -1.6 °C, with its minimum temperature being recorded at -5°C.

The end of 2012 marked one of the coldest Decembers In recent years, temperatures across Central England and Wales have taken a drastically cold turn, where 2012 has been the most prominent of them all.

The freezing temperatures, furthermore, led to the likelihood of the UK experiencing their first white Christmas since 1999. Although this was not the case, such weather conditions are expected to continue through the early months of 2013.

Between 1962 and 1963, Reading experienced its coldest winter during the months of December and

January. The UK endured heavy snowfalls, intense fog and torrential rainfall, most notably in the terrain of Reading.

The maximum temperature was a shocking -1.6 °C The development of such conditions occurred just before the Christmas of 1962, and followed on through to the next year where temperatures only worsened. In spite of such cold weather conditions, Reading missed out on a white Christmas, but only just, since it was on the 26th December for ten consecutive days that snowfall hit the UK. Reaching levels of 31 cm. Reading experienced one of its bitterest winters yet. This was heightened by strong blizzards and ghastly winds that continued throughout January 1963.

The Met Office predicts heavy snowfall So could we see this again? Is snow on its way? It seems very likely. Over the next few weeks, the Met office predicts that Read-

ing along with most parts of the UK will encounter heavy snowfall, as well as increased rainfall showers.

2012 saw the second wettest year in the UK since 1910. The flooding in the last months of 2012 aroused concern that increased greenhouse gases were considerably affecting the world’s atmosphere.

Although the UK had a warm summer in 2012, it was nonetheless interrupted by wet and dreary weather, most specifically in June where 123mm of rainfall made it Reading’s wettest June since 1971.

Professor Nigel Arnell, the Walker Institute Director, form the University of Reading, notes that the development of greenhouse gases will continue to affect rainfall in the coming years, unless beneficial environmental change is successfully brought about.

With the spring term commencing students might start preparing for the weather conditions that lie ahead.

Students are advised to take extra precautions when travelling to and from the University, and wear suitable clothing. Wearing many layers is a good way to keep warm when the temperture changes.

Keeping safe and protected from the effects of Reading’s 2013, predicted chilly and wet winter!

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 3

New RUSU Student VP Ceri Jones discusses changes Officer roles announced Zoe Crook

RUSU’s student officers, Kara Swift, Ceri Jones, Nick Cook, Sophie Davies and the president, James Fletcher, got together for the University of Reading’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) last term, on 11 December. They discussed RUSU’s past year, as well as future changes to be made in the next year, whilst allowing students to voice their opinions.

One of the key points made was the changes to the student officer roles.

This was presented by Ceri Jones, the Vice-President for Democracy and Campaigns. The roles have been altered partially in order to distribute the committee work load more evenly amongst the officers, but she also added: “We changed them to reflect of aims for the future and the growing staff support”.

These new full-time officer roles will be: President, Education Officer, Student Engagement Officer, Community and Development Officer and Welfare Officer. Candidates will run for these new roles in the upcoming RUSU elections. Nominations for this open on 4 February.

The Student Engagement Officer’s role includes being the Head of Stu-

dent Media, administering the Student Fora, chair Student Activity groups, and leading sport and society initiatives and strategies with the Student Activities Manager.

Focusing on academic matters, the Education Officer must attend university meetings on Teaching, Learning and Research, manage the National Student Survey Campaign, and be responsible for the Academic Societies, to name a few of their responsibilities.

The role of the Community and Development Officer includes developing Student Volunteering Schemes and Community Relations, attending University meetings regarding Student Employment and Employability and bettering the Students’ Union’s relations with the local community.

Lastly, the Welfare Officer will deal with matters such as meeting regularly with the Part Time Officers, organising the election, training, promotion and oversight of the Part Time Officers. They will also be responsible for the election, training, promotion and oversight of the JCR committees and their work, leading the campaign to improve Student Housing and are responsible for Culture and Faith Societies.

The Student Engagement Officer’s responsibility will now look at how students can make change in their union, they will also have the responsibility to lead on the strategic development of our Sports, Societies and Student Media.

This will lead to a better structure of democratic feedback into the Union

Photograph from www.rusu.co.uk Ceri Jones

This year RUSU undertook a review of the Student Officer roles and responsibilities. The current Officers strategically considered the responsibilities they currently have alongside what they believe RUSU should be concentrating on in the future.

The democratic responsibilities of my role, the Vice-President Democracy and Campaigns, will now be split between the President and the Student Engagement Officer. We hope that this will lead to a better structure of democratic feedback into the Union.

Changes in sports and societies

Photograph from www.rusu.co.uk Ania Wronski

On Tuesday 11th December 2012, Reading University Student’s Union (RUSU) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and announced three of the ‘Big Changes’ that they were working towards.

One of these changes was in the restructuring of how sports and societies funding is allocated.

Last year, 16.5% of RUSU’s entire income was given as funding to Student Activities.

The Vice President of Student Activities (VSPA), Nick Cook, presented the proposal for changing the structure of allocating budgets for student activities.

The current model was

introduced after 2010/11 when Sports Federation and Societies Convention were disbanded, these groups had elected committees that helped to set budgets.

The model since 2010/11 is based on individual clubs and societies submitting a Budget Request Form to the VPSA and Activities team.

This form allows the clubs or societies to provide details of their expenses, including affiliations, licences, tournaments, conferences, travel, facilities, coaching, equipment and equipment maintenance. The VPSA and Activities team then consider each club’s needs and requests on their forms, allocating budgets as fairly as possible according to this.

During deliberation the VPSA and Activities team take into consideration the size and membership of the club, and other sources of funding, such as membership fees, sponsorship money, and fundraising.

Cook explains: ‘whilst the current model was an effective way to allocate budgets. It was not sufficiently transparent and did not allow for a high level of student input in the decision making process. The model is therefore being replaced with more transparent and effective system.’

The new model, Cook says, is ‘more transparent’ as it will have more communications with actual clubs and societies. There will be a central pot of funding which will

be put aside for the ‘basic’ costs.

This money will be ring-fenced and spent only on the ‘essential’ costs necessary for student activities. The distribution of the leftover money will be decided on by the societies and clubs themselves.

This year Activity Groups were introduced as a way of aiding communication between societies and RUSU. Each activity group contains societies that share common needs and interests and cover categories such as Sport and Leisure or Culture and Faith.

The new funding model will utilise Activity Groups in the Budget allocation process. Two representative from each of these Activity Groups will gather at an Activity Budget Meeting and, Cook explains, reach a: ‘consensus on how much each group gets’. These meetings will also be overseen by the Student Activities Officer, who will only intervene if any differences cannot be overcome.

Cook says that these meetings will: ‘not be about arguing but about discussing’. He also says that this is a ‘consultation process’ which will enable student clubs and societies to have more of a role in the decision over where funding goes. Cook also ellaborates on the definition of ‘essential’ costs. He claims these will factor in health and safety, contingencies, and service and replacement of ‘essential’ equipment, so that no club or society will be jeopardised.

This workload is made possible by the high level of staff support for this role whom can assume responsibility for operational work, leaving the officer to be forward thinking in developing new strategic direction for these groups. This officer’s level of communication with students mean that they will be in a good position to develop the most effective democratic feedback.

Societies can have direct feedback into the Officers Along with the changes to my role, we have added responsibilities to the role of President, including running the RUSU elections and

being responsible for the governance of the organisation.

We have added the role of Community and Development Officer

We have also now shared the responsibilities of the Activity Groups, currently run by the Vice-President Student Activities, between many different roles so that societies can have direct feedback into the Officers who are trained to understand their needs, such as Culture and Faith groups being looked after by the Welfare Officer.

Students come to University to gain more than a degree We have also added the role of Community and Development Officer, this role intends to progress RUSU’s role into the local area and work with the University on student development while at University.

RUSU recognises that students come to University to gain more than a degree and we hope that this role will help in our work to lobby the University to extend their sup-

Other points from the AGM Zoe Crook

The University will be responsible for collecting JCR fees with rent, and they will then transfer them to RUSU. JCRs will be able to run their elections through the RUSU website, a similar process to that of electing the Officers. Students will be able to see copies of JCR committee meeting minutes and accounts from the JCR co-ordinator.

There will be a new model for funding sports and societies coming into effect this term when the. Making the allocation of next year’s activities budgets more transparent.

2,021 students became involved with sport in the last year, and there are hopes to develop the Knight’s brand.

There has been a 250% increase in the numbers of students involved in volunteering programmes over the last year. There are currently 10 different student lead volunteering projects. In terms of students and fund raising for charity RAG raised £80,450 in the past year.

2,021 students became involved with sport in the last year, and there are hopes to develop the Knight’s brand.

A record 2,942 students voted in the RUSU elections, in which 29 students ran for the Officer roles.

Reading achieved a gold standard in the NUS “Green impact Students Unions” and “Green impact university” award schemes.

Two student trustees, one less than the three in place this year, will be elected in the upcoming elections.

This year, Faculty Representatives must be, or must have been Course Representatives.

RUSU have hopes of opening a RUSU lettings agency and a Student’s Activity Centre There was a 20% increase in the amount of students that take part in activities, in comparison to last year.

4 NEWS news.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

Lecturer features on BBC4

University gives formal notice of de-recognition for Trade Unions

University of Reading Senior Lecturer, Dr Matthew Nicholls featured in a series broadcast on BBC4.

The Ancient History lecturer can be seen in “Rome: The History of the Eternal City”. Although the three part series has now concluded, episodes can be found on BBC iPlayer.

The series, presented by Simon Sebag Montefiore, delved into religion’s role in the creation and maintenance of power in Rome.

The episodes studied how the Romans worshipped and sacrificed to the Gods, Rome’s rise to become the hub of Western Christendom, and finally Rome’s rise from the collapse of the 14th Century into the seat of papacy.

Spark* has learned that the University of Reading has given 12 months notice to the UNITE and Unison trade unions as being representative of ‘grade 1-5’ staff.

An example of a grade 5 staff member is an Erasmus/Study Abroad Officer, on £22-27k a year.

A grade 4 staff member’s job is advertised as offering between £18 and £22k a year. Grade 5 and below staff are non-teaching roles; staff with grades of 6 and above are represented by the UCU union, with a staff membership of around 30%, which is unaffected by this change.

Zoe Crook

Dr Nicholls was approached by the BBC Dr Nicholls was approached by the BBC, and was requested to participate in the series, following his study of the reconstruction of ancient Rome. He then became a consultant during the making of the programme, assisting the series to be as historically accurate as possi-

ble. Following on from this, he was then flown out to Rome during their filming in the Capitoline Museum.

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with the BBC on these projects” The Department of Classics lecturer shared: “I thoroughly enjoyed working with the BBC on these projects.There were various unusual challenges involved, from negotiating muddy fields full of temperamental livestock to matching up the flight paths of digital animations with aerial footage shot from a helicopter, which do not form part of my usual working day, so it all made an invigorating change.”

Dr Nicholls will discuss his Virtual Rome project at MERL on 6 February. Here, he will share and discuss his digital model of the entire ancient city of Rome, c. AD 315. It is also be highly likely that he will discuss this recent BBC project also.

To book onto the event, visit: http://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/ To watch the full series of Rome: The History of the Eternal City, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

Calum Mcintyre Rogers

Unite and Unison are the unions which represent ‘grade 1-5’ staff The University Human Resources Director, John Brady, gave notice to the two unions after noting that combined union membership of grade 1-5 staff was now below 10%. In an email to Spark*, Mr Brady informed us that sometimes

union members had not been able to find union representatives to assist them during formal proceedings. Additionally, he informed us that the University learned that union membership fell below 10% some time last year during balloting for industrial action.

The two unions are planned to be replaced in their roles by a University-convened Staff Forum To replace the two unions in representing the interests of grade 1-5 staff, the University intends to form a Staff Committee, in which some present Union representatives will have guaranteed places.

In his email, Mr Brady stressed to us that the change was a consequence of statistics, and there was no animosity between the two unions and the University. He also told us that “the door is open to reconsider matters should the numbers improve meaningfully”.

There are presently three unions recognised as staff representatives by the University; both Unison and Unite are to be de-recognised

Spark* weather forecast for the week ahead As temperatures don’t look to be above 0 oC throughout the weekend, settling of the snow is likely, with models predicting 4-8 cm of accumulation possible through the course of Friday and Saturday.

Snow and wintery showers are predicted through both Friday and Saturday.

Rebecca Emerton

This weekend looks to be relatively unsettled throughout, with several frontal systems approaching the UK. Temperatures will remain very cold throughout the weekend, with maximum temperatures of -1 oC on Friday, and 0 oC Saturday and Sunday. Winds primarily from the North on Friday will mean the already sub-zero temperatures will in reality feel like -6 to -7 oC throughout the day. The wind looks to approach more from the West on Saturday, so the wind chill we be reduced, to around -4 oC. Winds will not be strong, the main

associated factor being the bitterly cold temperatures.

Snow and wintery showers are predicted through both Friday and Saturday. This is likely to be light snowfall, throughout the day on Friday, and continuing into early Saturday afternoon. Conditions will be icy with snowfall and very cold temperatures, throughout the weekend.

Snowfall should cease by sunset on Saturday, leaving Sunday cold but overcast, with some sunny spells possible Sunday afternoon, meaning temperatures will feel more like -2 to 0 oC.

Later on Sunday, we may also see a period of rain; however this could turn wintery if temperatures do not rise as much as expected during the afternoon.

Looking into the next week, temperatures will remain cold and below average for January, with more unsettled weather, so rain, sleet and light snow showers likely. Frosts will be common overnight, and conditions will be icy for much of the week. 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)

Spark* Friday 18 January

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6 POLITICAL COMMENT politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 18th January 2013 Spark*

POLITICAL COMMENT Met Closes Ranks on News in Brief May-days for students Home Secretary Theresa May announced ‘drastic’ government plans to reduce immigration, with huge effect on the 242,000 overseas students who choose to study in the U.K. While an easy vote winner with the right-wing and mail readers of the country, plans such as face-to-face interviews for all prospective students and being quizzed along the same farcical lines as the American Citizenship test. Quite frankly, this writer could not care less if you know who Edward Heath was, considering most British citizens now struggle to identify Churchill!

Going after abuse of the system seems all well and good, but to take easy targets such as overseas students in order to maintain immigration targets? Must do better I think.

E.U Struggles Whether it was a crude tactic of intimidation or simple rallying of public opinion, the debate on the E.U. has opened again after a passionate speech by Prime Minister David Cameron on our prospects and future in the E.U. Whatever its reasoning, it’s sent a storm through the coalition, and even Mr Milliband has put his two cents forward as the air-time grew.

Blazing Lib Dem Vince Cable was as ever the most vocal opponent, condemning the government as taking “dangerous gambles” with E.U. policy, while Conservative MP Douglas Carswell said Mr Cable was wrong and “did not speak for British businesses”. While this isn’t likely to split the coalition, its another crack in the wall for Clegg to cover as his position grows ever more tenuous. Watch this space...

End of the Line Its been a bad week for British Airways as they lose yet another suit, this time in the lofty heights of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Nadia Eweida, a former employee at check in for British airways, took her case all the way to the ECHR after BA made her stop wearing her white gold Christian cross visibly.

The court said BA hadn’t struck a fair balance between Miss Eweida’s religious beliefs and the company’s wish to “project a certain corporate image”, despite claims that the request was actually against company policy.

However, four more employees cases, each similarly a case of Christian Iconography, were thrown out alongside Miss Eweida’s win, but still throws an unwanted light on BA in this troubling economic climate.

Vive le Mali pour France There was no call for surrender this time as France declared its intentions to send up to 1,400 troops into the Malian conflict, with the intention of reppelling islamist rebels intent on overthrowing the Malian government. The tough talk continued yesterday, with French Defence Minister French Mirage and Rafale jets, Gazelle helicopters an-Yves Le Drian quoted saying of his forces combat moves; “They took place yesterday, they took place last night, they took place today, and they will take place tomorrow!”. However, in Mali it is seen as rather superficial, with one commentator noting that it was still mostly Malian forces doing the fighting.

As for our end, Britain is sending two C-17 cargo planes, along with Denmark and Belguim.

“Mitchell conspiracy” With allegations of conspiracy abounding, the words ‘Pleb’ and ‘scandal’ are again tied in headlines across Britain as it is revealed the police account is almost entirely fabricated, with more than two other officers involved in the aftermath of ‘plebgate’.

In Channel 4’s investigative documentary Dispatches, it was revealed that not only was there almost no time for the alleged violent rant, it seems Mitchell was all but compliant, and the supposed crowd of onlookers total one passing walker and little else.

“There almost no time for the alleged violent rant...”

With an even deeper twist, it was revealed that an email, sent by a supposed member of the public, was in fact an entirely fictitious account by a serving police officer who was as events unfolded actually miles away from the incident. Not only was this email integral to No.10’s position on the incident, but led directly to

Mitchell’s subsequent dismissal... sorry, ‘resignation’, and to have been written would have needed an advance copy of the police log, not even available within the Met, never mind to the general public, leading most commentators to call foul, with conspiracy leading the charge.

These statements, while seemingly insane, are not in fact as farfetched as you would first imagine. Consider these facts: firstly, ‘plebgate’ came at the perfect time for the Met, with police pay and pensions being discussed, and much of its future in serious doubt, which was smoothed readily by these allegations in both the Press and Parliament.

The serious nature of this cannot be overestimated. Lets not forget, a man lost his job over this, and according to his recent statements is suffering from stress, marital issues and quite frankly entirely reasonable symptoms of a man who’s entire career has been shattered out of what now seems to be spite of a few police officers and the bandwagon jumping opposition.

Insert headline here Political Comment is still on the lookout for writers to fill headlines and get opinions across. You need no background in writing or journalism, what we’re looking for are opinions and ideas.

Do you disagree with something we’ve said? Or perhaps want to see your opinion put forward? Or just want to write and beef up the CV. Contact us at:

Sparkpolcom@gmail.com

Whoops! New video shows no pedestrians and Mitchell hardly raises his head. So much for the furious tirade!

However, the truth will mostly never totally come out. Like organisations everywhere, including cabinet government I might add, the Met will close ranks and call it quits. A future of internal boards of inquiry, perhaps a passing parliamentary inquiry and six months down the line someone fired and its all over.

If I was Mr Milliband, I would hope not to reap what I have sown.

The blame here lies not with the Met, who despite this are mostly made up of decent officials and lawmen, but with the snake-like tactics and underhand methods of Milliband and his cronies in having, lets be honest, a mostly unimportant and brand new minister unceremoniously fed to the media and humiliated. Here’s hoping Karma takes a big swing back; if I was Mr Milliband, who’s gleeful cries of, “You’re toast!” rang throughout the commons, I would hope not to reap what I have sown.

Spark* Friday 18th January 2013

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

Last call: off-licenses hit by new legislation

Adam Roberts

As of November, Ministers have begun a 10 week consultation into drastically changing the pricing of drinks in the U.K. Proposals by Home Office Ministers call for a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in England and Wales as part of a drive to tackle the age old problem of binge drinking. The Home Office, on launching the scheme, argued it will help reduce the levels of ill-health and crime related to alcohol. Amongst the plans were considerations including banning multi-buy promotions, such as two-for-the-price-of-one.

However this is nothing new, the “45p proposal” as it is known, is only 5p higher than the figure suggested by ministers in March of last year, and comes on the heels of a proposed Scottish initiative, where the proposed a staggering minimum of 50p per unit.

“The aim of a minimum price would be to alter the cost of heavilydiscounted drinks, or the supermarket own brands that we have all come to know and love in Halls” Supposedly, the aim of a minimum price would be to alter the cost of heavily-discounted drinks, or the supermarket own brands that we have all come to know and love in Halls, suggesting that the targets were not the pubs but the “harmful drinkers and irresponsible shops” who sell the cheapest

produce, adding that “Those who enjoy a quiet drink or two have nothing to fear from our proposals.”

“This has met strong challenges from the Industry, Student Groups, Think-Tanks and in fact the legal arm of the European Union!”

As shown below, this new proposal would mean a can of strong lager could not be sold for any less than £1.56, and a bottle of wine below £4.22. According to the BBC, there has been evidence of some outlets selling alcohol at a loss to encourage customers through the doors - although nowhere that I can think of - with cans of lager going for 20p and two-litre bottles of cider available for under £2.

However, the bad news came not in the pubs and the clubs, but to the endless masses to whom “pre-drinking’ has become a time honoured ritual. For those of you who are unaware of this practice, it involves drinking before going into town, and I advise if this is not known to you going out a little more! Apparently, Ministers have been particularly critical of this, such practices, blaming this not on their own huge taxes on alcohol in clubs and bars but instead on the cheaper alcohol available.

I wont try to deny that there is a drinking problem in this country, but I can’t see how putting the prices up will make any effect.

Anyone bent on the idea of getting drunk will be doing so, no matter what the cost, and it is likely that the more reasonable drinkers, and already strapped-for-cash students will simply stop drinking, leaving a market that will increasingly be targeted towards this smaller sect of more drunken members of the public.

“There is an argument that this could indeed be good for the British student, notorious for drinking lowerpercentage brands” Fortunately, all is not lost as since March this has met strong challenges from the Industry, Stu-

Political comment 7

dent Groups, Think-Tanks and in fact the legal arm of the European Union!

The “drinks lobby”, such as it is, has legally challenged the Scottish proposals, which according to online sources were heard in the Court of Session in Edinburgh last month. A judgement is expected before the end of the year.

Separately, as aforementioned, the European Commission is looking into the legality of the Scottish government’s actions.

“The government should recognise the role of personal responsibility.”

Snappiest criticism has come from Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, who said: “The government should recognise the role of personal responsibility.

It should not allow interfering in the market to regulate prices and promotions to become the default approach for public health policy.”

Undoubtedly there is much truth to this, as always in matters of per-

sonal responsibly it comes down to the individual, regardless of the price of the beer!

There is an argument that this could indeed be good for the British student, notorious for drinking lower-percentage brands such as Lambrini, WKD, Jaques Cider and mostly spirits with mixers, which will still be priced relatively similarly to the present. All this does is stop people buying decent, branded alcohol for their own moderate consumption, and will likely turn those who already drink the stronger lagers and ciders to black market or worse illegality brewed produce that can only account for more crime and drunkenness.

This is most likely the same as every drinking initiative that the Government has proposed in the last few years, a desperate attempt to appear to be doing something about a problem that is far from solved and growing by the day.

Finally they may be on the right track as to who to target, but nowhere close on the how.

Clinking glasses could now cost double as ministers pour on plans to tax supermarkets and small chains.

No Minister: Party Games Bernard WoolLey

With a flair that would make Sir Humphrey sit down and cry, the Department of Education (DfE) has decided to tackle its budget cuts, with a game involving party hats!

The PCS Trade Union has written of their horror as employees were asked to play a game whereby, according to the Departments blog: “We did an exercise with party hats that I was not allowed to photograph. We all had to say what we were stopping, as part of the DfE Review, and we could then take our hat off.”

This bizarre musical chairsesque approach to job loss has been denounced by the Union as an attempt to make light of serious

“We did an exercise with party hats... We all had to say what we were stopping then take our hat off.” job losses, as over 1,000 civil servants look to be loosing their jobs in the cutbacks.

With a press release that could have been drafted by the famous Permanent Secretary for Administrative Affairs, the DfE shot back saying that “Directors were asked to propose how they would remove inefficiencies in systems/processes and to reduce bureaucracy in their areas. The item was not, as your letter claims, concerned with staff reductions” This embarrassing incident further highlights the problems noted in across Whitehall, as the lacklustre establishment continues to show how out of touch it really has become.

8 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 18 January 2013

Spark*

interview Places still available Mizuno Reading Half Marathon We begin planning in May 2012, there’s a lot of organisation that goes into a race of this scale.

Marathon runner!

Last year I finished in one hour forty-seven minutes, so I would like to get between one hour thirty minutes and one hour forty-five minutes this year!

The official race entries have now closed, are there are other ways runners can still secure a race spot?

Ellis Wheatley

This week, Interview at Spark* covers the run-up to the 2013 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon. Interview speaks with a representative of the 2013 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon and Thomas Whitlock, a seasoned marathon runner and Zoology student, at Reading University.

Firstly we talk to Nicki Petitt on behalf of the Mizuno Reading Half Marathon organisers.

How many runners have signed up to the 2013 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon taking place on March 17th?

20,000 runners have signed up for this year’s event including the Half Marathon, Green Park Challenge, a 2.8km run for all the family, and Corporate Relay.

Knights Park. There were 5,000 runners and it was won by a 21 year old local University student, Mark Curzons in a time of 67.45.

The first marathon was won by student Mark Curzons in 1983 In 2003 Sweatshop took over the organisation of the Reading Half Marathon. Sweatshop’s aim was to make the event all about the runner. In 2012 Mizuno became the new headline sponsor of the event.

Whether you run for fun, run to stay fit, run for a club, or run professionally the Mizuno Reading Half Marathon has the organisational capability, friendliness and reputation that are all second to none.

How many years has the Mizuno Reading Half Marathon been ‘running’ for?

What route do you take on the run?

The course not only takes in the highlights of the city centre of Reading where you will experience huge crowd support but also passes through the beautiful grounds of the University campus. The race culminates in a finish rarely found outside an Olympic stadium with 15,000 people cheering you into the Madejski stadium and over the finish line.

The first ever Reading Half Marathon was organised and run in 1983, when the start and finish venue was Reading University at White

What month do you begin planning the Mizuno Reading Half Marathon?

20,000 runners have signed up for this year’s event

Charities such as CLIC Sargent, The Berkshire MS Therapy Centre, Sue Ryder, Against Breast Cancer, The Royal Berks Charity, The Firefighters Charity, DKH Legacy Trust and the Duchess of Kent House Charity are seeking new fundraisers. Visit www.readinghalfmarathon.com to secure your race entry with your chosen charity today.

No, this is actually my third half marathon. I ran in 2010 and in 2012.

Charities are seeking new fundraisers

I have been training since July 2012 for the 2013 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon. When I started I would run five miles, three times a week.

Now I am running five miles, three times a week, plus seven miles once a week.

Running is believed by many to be an individual sport, but is there a team option at the Mizuno Reading Half marathon?

The Corporate Relay Challenge offers companies the chance to promote a healthy workforce.

Teams of four can raise money for charity and build team spirit and camaraderie. You could support The Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and help them build on their work in Reading and supporting disadvantaged local young people across the UK. Rally round three of your colleagues today and be in with the chance of winning the 2013 Corporate Relay Challenge; each team member will run approximately three miles of the iconic course.

Places are filling fast, so secure your place today at www. readinghalfmarathon. com Many thanks to Nicki Petitt for participating in this interview on behalf on the 2013 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon.

Finally, let us introduce Tom Whitlock, Reading University student and 2013 Mizuno Reading Half

What is your target finish-time?

Is this your first half marathon?

How many months have you been training and how is it going?

What will you be wearing, so that if our readers spot you they can cheer you on!

I will be wearing my bright blue running shirt and, probably, be completely out of breath!

I’ll be wearing my bright blue shirt and, probably, be completely out of breath!

How will your training change nearer March?

Nearer the marathon I will run the five miles, three times a week, and ten miles once a week.

Are you running for a great cause, or just for fun?

This year I am just running for fun. Last year, however, I ran for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity and for my local hospice.

Thank-you Thomas for your contribution to this issue and good luck in the Half Marathon!

Next week:

What made you want to get involved in the run?

Last year I ran the marathon in memory of my late grandad, who I lost to cancer. This year is to beat last year!

How did you go about gaining sponsorship last year?

I gained sponsorship online via virgingiving. I found it easier online.

Interview will find out about St John’s Ambulance and the work of the volunteers at Reading University!

Interested in being the next Interview Editor? Email us! interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

DEBATE 9

Debate

Is New Year’s Eve worth the hype?

No

Yes

Carys Jones

New Year’s Eve is one of the only times of the year that the whole world is in a mood of celebration.

It is the time that we say goodbye to the past year, and welcome the new one with open arms. It is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts and, most importantly, it is a great opportunity to get incredibly drunk with your friends. New Year’s Eve therefore seems to represent everything that is positive, so to say that there is too much hype surrounding this night is surely ridiculous?

Indeed every year, I do hear a few of my friends making the general complaints about New Year’s Eve; “it’s too expensive, it’s going to be rammed in the clubs, it’s always the same and too hyped up, etc”; however, these objections against this special night of the year come from people who are not organised.

They have already spent all their Christmas money/wages and have left it too late to book tickets for the same place as their friends. Many more people are out for New Year’s compared with normal nights out; however if you plan this night in advance, there is no reason why everyone can’t have a great one!

New Year’s Eve really is what you make it, and I would put specific emphasis on the word YOU here! Within big friendship/family groups, there are normally numerous plans concerning what to do on this night, involving different clubs, towns, restaurants, house parties etc. However, the way to have a great New Year’s Eve is to do what YOU want. This night only comes round once a year and so if you just follow your friends’ plans and your night ends up being something that you did not want it to be, then you are going to be left with the opinion that New Year’s Eve is too hyped up, and is not as good a night as it is built up to be. But if you focus on what you want to do, there is no doubt that you will have a great time and have no regrets from the night.

As a student, New Year’s Eve is a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends that you have not seen for a while as you

have been living away at university. I have found that the best thing about meeting up with these people over the holidays is realising that nothing has changed between your relationships since you were at school, for example. The jokes and the banter remains as it always has been, and reliving old stories with these people can really make your holiday. Therefore, if you take the opportunity to see your old friends on New Year’s Eve, it is likely that you will have a very special night, which will be a nice change from nights out at uni. New Year’s Eve is not just about starting a new year, it is always about reflecting on the past, so the kind of night suggested above would most likely leave you feeling that your New Year’s was definitely not too hyped up, and it lived up to your expectations perfectly.

Christmas Day is obviously lovely for all, but it is mostly centred on children and Santa Claus. New Year’s Eve, on the other hand, is definitely a night for us adults, due to the excessive amount of drinking and late nights that occur. Also, most working people have New Year’s Day off work, and for those that do not, double pay is normally on the cards, which definitely eases the hangover pain. Most adults have worked hard throughout the year, whether it is at university or in the office, so it is nice to have the last day of the year to let off some steam or just stay in and chill out and watch the fireworks on TV. Furthermore, if we compare the hype that surrounds Christmas to that of New Year’s Eve, the former day most certainly is the most hyped up, considering Christmas adverts start to grace our screens from about September!

It cannot be denied that New Year’s Eve is a hyped up night every year. However, if you plan your night, do what YOU want to do and spend it with people you love, you will most certainly have a great night and find that all the hype about New Year’s being fantastic is actually true.

Alfred Brierley

It is the time that we say goodbye to the past year, and welcome the new

one

with

open

arms

The celebrations that take

place

on

New

Year’s Eve are merely a reflection of our human stupidity

As a student, New Year’s Eve is a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends that you have not seen for a while

To anyone that thinks New Year’s Eve is a special time of the year is not only deluded, but damn right sheepish. I mean, is it really a time of change? Well not in my eyes. In fact, this is how I see it, in the most succinct and inoffensive way I can think possible: although New Year is indeed a time for celebration, it appears to go no further in provoking appraisals, but rather, assists in the ridicule of human stupidity.

Essentially, New Year’s Eve is an excuse to redeem our pitiful lives with made-up, meaningless, and, quite frankly, unimportant resolutions, only to find that most of us (to be precise: 17%) regress even further out of sight of these resolutions. First of all, I shall look at the smaller arguments.

At Christmas, gifts are exchanged, carols sung, and peace and goodwill extended towards all humankind. On the other hand, the 31st of December ends with choreographed bursts of pyrotechnic financial haemorrhaging which sums up New Year’s Eve really – a waste of money. I will be telling you exactly why I think this shortly. Throughout the UK thousands of mediocre restaurants and clubs string absurd velvet ropes outside their doors, inflate black and white balloons as decoration, and charge three times the usual price for the same old champagne. Is it really any wonder that our elders, as they grow older and wiser, opt to stay home and turn in before midnight?

I know for sure that any person my age will at least agree with me on the unnecessary and unjustified price rise. And so what does this say about the person? One must be so deeply dependent upon other people that they have no sense of independence nor have an ounce of personality. For if one is to conform to society’s norms of celebrating on New Year, spending obscene amounts of money, despite the fact that they disagree with it themselves, they are nothing but weak minded, sheepish and sponge-like human beings who possibly need to seriously reflect on what type of person they want to be seen as - a sheep or a person with a strong

mind? A tough question I’m sure you will all agree…..

And so it has dawned upon me as to why people are not only sheepish to follow such a trend, but rather foolish to claim New Year as an excuse to better their lives, when in reality, all people are doing is massaging their egos for 24 hours only to find their ego and dignity in tatters come 11 o’clock the next morning. Happy New Year? I think not.

Technically speaking why is January 1st so important? Most of you readers will be thinking ‘well it’s the start of a new year obviously, thus one must celebrate’. This is not the case as there is nothing special about January 1st; in fact every day is just as special, just as much a reason to better one’s life, to set new goals and to celebrate life itself. Why should it be the case that January 1st is New Year’s Eve, when in actual fact every day is a New Year as each day we live is a year on from the last?

From this technicality we can infer that everyday should be treated a new year. If nothing else, the celebrations that take place on New Year’s Eve are merely a reflection of our human stupidity. It is truly a sad and tragic state of affairs when the only time of year when people are prepared to enhance their lives, whether it is on a personal level, self-improving or to improve ambition, is dedicated to one day. The art (because it is an art) of self-improvement and discipline must be a constant battle throughout life. One must not regress back to their old ways after having carelessly pretended to set resolutions; but rather, they must establish genuine goals from the moment they are able to think for themselves. If this philosophy is not to be restored in the individual, I fear that our British culture could go from bad to worse.

And so with great pleasure I spent this New Year on the sofa, on my own watching the fireworks, only to find myself somewhat smug and content, knowing that I haven’t been foolish enough to succumb to the social pressure of celebrating the New Year. In other words, New Year’s Eve just wasn’t worth the hype.

10 COMMENT

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

comment

Body Image Woes Gemma Lumsale

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? Definitely not me, I can tell you that. All most of us see is a brash, overweight, unfit and ugly image staring back at us. I mean, is anyone actually THAT perfect?

We are accustomed to be puppets of society’s expectations What happened to the quote: “it’s what’s inside that counts”? We all have our imperfections no matter how conscientious we are at striving to be the ridiculously underweight models who have seemingly every inch of their bodies exposed, and are considered to be the height of perfection. The main reason we are so obsessed with the possession of a superlative silhouette? The media.

A crap-load of vanity is what we consist of. That’s it. We are accustomed to being puppets of society’s expectations of physical attractiveness. Up to 8/10 women in the 21st century are dejected by the duplicate glaring back at them.

Our self-esteem plummeting as we revive the memory of the paradisiac glamour model we caught a glimpse of in The Sun yesterday.

Size 0 girls strutting their stuff

down the street in next to nothing.

We females feel as though we have to compete with these standards, which for most women is just not viable. What’s so wrong about embracing our curves? The inspiration of curvaceous models (like the striking, yet stunning Marilyn Monroe) give us some sort of hope that society is changing; yet girls are still aspiring to achieve that skeletal look purely because the TOP models are emaciated and not exactly the most attractive without the forgotten airbrushing scam.

Why exactly is this famished look considered beautiful? The ridiculous amounts of celebrities that idiotically sculpt themselves to achieve this ‘look’ are dreadful role models for females of all ages in our image-conscious society.

We females feel though we have compete

Our values have changed considerably in the 21st century woman; but remember girls, there is much more to life than body image. Your intelligence, humour and great personality is what shapes our society, but most importantly: it’s what makes you, you.

Perks of Living Harriet Weston

We are human. We are prone to making mistakes and to letting our fancies overwhelm our common sense. Are they excusable? A sneaky cake or three: yes. An afternoon dedicated to films and not a looming essay: yes. Rejection of a stranger because they did not meet the right criteria: no.

Believing in something higher than yourself is great, but it should not come at a cost of harbouring a hatred towards people brave enough to live a life that is not considered to be the norm. However, friends are still dropped because they feel secure enough to finally realise their sexual orientation, strangers are condemned for showing their legs, and women are shunned for being pro-choice. I could not be friends with those who hold a more conservative faith purely for the reason that they won’t be friends with me.

I consider myself a respectful person, with common sense principles, but in some people’s eyes my liberal views deem me morally inadequate.

as to

I put my hands up to Ann Summers this year, however, because of to their celebration of curvy women in their skimpy underwear. But our attitudes towards curvy women are still stuck in a rut; with men and women thinking ‘the bonier the better’. Plus, being bigger does not necessarily mean you are unhealthy (as is widely stereotyped)..

Terrible news has hit the headlines.

And it warranted many minutes of airtime on Wednesday’s news: it has transpired that Tesco has been selling its poor, unwitting customers horse meat in their beefburgers!

Despite the fact that I agree with the fact that customers deserve to know what they are eating, I am confused by the utter revulsion with which this news story seems to have been met. Would there have been such a fuss if the burgers had been found to contain pork?

I very much doubt it. Tesco have now taken their Value beef burgers off the shelves and has admitted that they are in fact one-third horse meat. This, to my mind, is quite inconsequential, and will definitely not deter me from buying burgers which will save me money in the future (I am a poor student after all). Would it not be more sensible, and far less wasteful, to just mark the current boxes of meat with a sticker that informs the customer

that these burgers contain horse meat? There is nothing stopping them subsequently removing the offending equine traces and then getting on with life. However, we seem to react to the thought of eating a horse with an extreme kneejerk reaction in this country, and are willing to dispose of mountains of perfectly good food in order to pander to this ridiculous notion that it is ‘disgusting’ to eat a horse.

The food has been declared safe to eat, so what is the problem?

We seem to react to the thought of eating a horse with an extreme knee-jerk reaction I have complete sympathy with the fact that the law has been broken with regards to not declaring the presence of this foodstuff in the burgers, and this should definitely be investigated. However,

er they want with their bodies.

People should be able to live their lives however they wish to

Why the long face?

Jessica Cropper

to one another and everyone

should have a say in doing whatev-

comments such as this woman’s (who was speaking to ITV): “It’s just not normal. Fine we eat cows and everything, but horse meat?

No”, are blowing the issue completely out of proportion. She does hit the nail on the head though; we do eat cows. And pigs. And sheep.

So why the disgust at the thought of eating horse meat? It is consumed in other European countries, such as France and Italy. The theory put forward by the RSPCA is that people see them as companions rather than a food source, and I suppose they have a point. People would most likely be revolted at the idea of eating cat or dog meat. But people should step back and look at the situation more rationally: either be a meat-eater or don’t be. It is ludicrous and bizarre to be quite happy to tuck in to a lamb stew and then pull a face of disgust if I were to offer you a horse pie. Hmmm... now that could be tasty.....

I am at the stage in my life when my confidence is built just so that I like myself and am learning not care what others think of me.

Time should not be wasted in negativity One should be able to safely live in a world without judgement – if I want to wear a pink tutu with slippers and a sombrero, I will. If I want to kiss that girl purely because she is rocking awesome, I will. If I want my life kept secret, I will.

Religion should not rule us in this modern age Time should not be wasted in negativity and agonising over whether you should eat cake or fruit (the solution is apple crumble), so make sure you are happy, because you can never earn back time like you can money.

People should be able to live their lives however they wish to, simply because it is THEIR LIFE. In other words, people should not infringe on other people’s lives because they feel they have a moral obligation to do so. If it is being moral they are concerned with, they should keep themselves to themselves and help only when asked.

Religion should not rule us in this modern age to the extent that it promotes discrimination. People of whatever faith should talk equally

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

COMMENT 11

The War on the War on Christmas Mat Greenfield

Christmas traditions are a wonderful thing. The religious right in the US spent December waging its annual war on the ‘War on Christmas’: a non-existent “militant” secularisation of the winter solstice, dreamed up by Fox News as an excuse for some good old self-righteous indignation. Stories of Nativity displays being removed from public spaces were puffed up as capitulation to crybaby-atheists, rather than a legitimate defence of the First Amendment. Shops daring to acknowledge the existence of other religions with an inclusive call of “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” was derided as political correctness gone barmy. Specious slogans like “Jesus is the reason for the season” and “Keep Christ in Christmas” were tossed around with no apparent awareness of the irony.

In late 2011 a rumour, swiftly proved untrue, circulated that President Obama was insisting all Christmas trees in the White House

be referred to as “Holiday Trees”.

Despite being debunked, it resurfaced in 2012 and was jumped on by right-wing pundits, including monotonous Professor Honeydew lookalike Ben Stein, who penned a viral letter to the President about his fictional edict. The fact that Obama has characteristically been nauseatingly obsequious to Christianity, or that this myth has been roundly rebuked online, evidently didn’t register for those who repeated it as gospel.

urnalia. What we now call “Christmas Trees” were still considered a pagan symbol in the US as recently as 1840, but gradually gained uptake in Christian homes.

Specious slogans were tossed around with no awareness of the irony.

However, it actually would be far more accurate (not to mention patriotic, considering the US was founded on secular principles) to refer to Christmas trees in such an unassuming way. The practice of bringing evergreens into the home was originally a Pagan one in celebration of the winter solstice.

Generally celebrated on December 21st, the solstice celebrates the point that winter abates and the days start to get longer, often characterised as the rebirth or resurgence of the Sun (or sun-gods... or son-gods, for that matter). This was also picked up and modified by several other traditions, including the Ancient Roman festival of Sat-

According to historical record, it wasn’t until the fourth century that early Christianity chose to celebrate the solstice at all; their only religious holiday was Easter. In the Bible, no date for the birth of Jesus is ever given and, when Pope Julius decided to make the birth of Christ a holiday, it’s believed that he chose December 25th in order to absorb the festivities of Saturnalia.

If Christ was born in the deepest part of winter, as so many modern defenders of Christmas tacitly claim, then it should be considered suspect that the Bible talks of shepherds tending their flock.

So despite cries to not let the “meaning” of Christmas become

compromised or replaced, the traditions of the holiday itself come from sources that are outside Christianity, including places considered heretical by the faith.

You’ll notice, however, that I’ve referred to the modern holiday as Christmas throughout this article, simply because (despite being an atheist) that’s just what I call it.

But I won’t begrudge anyone whose religious or cultural affiliations or upbringing compel them to refer to it as something else. It’s not my place, nor is it anyone else’s, to insist that they acknowledge my interpretation as the “true” meaning of the holiday, since it’s no more valid than anyone else’s. Jesus may be your “reason for the season” but you may not presume it to be mine.

Christmas

disjointed a mixture of traditions as most do, the best you can say is that you celebrate a secular Christmas.

A secular Christmas is not about gutting the holiday of any religious meaning, if that’s what you wish to celebrate, in fact it’s the opposite. It celebrates the diversity of culture and tradition. Far from diminishing your particular belief, it strengthens kinship with those celebrating other (or no) gods. Secular Christmas celebrates common humanity, since the basic ideals of family, generosity and unity are brought to the forefront, absent of any divisive religious dogma.

traditions

come from sources that are outside Christianity Nor may you retroactively claim that these borrowed traditions are so intrinsically part of your holiday that they are thus the property of your religion. You may not say that, since we refer to the pagan symbol as a “Christmas Tree” that it is thus the exclusive property of Christ followers. Having as

Comment and Debate Want You!

Have you always wanted to write for a newspaper? Are you an aspiring journalist? Or maybe you just have an opinion you want heard? If so then Comment and Debate is the section for you!

Here at Comment and Debate we are always looking for opinionated new writers who are studying a range of degree subjects to get in touch and get involved in our section (you don’t have to be doing English!)

You are free to write about a range of subjects, and even if you have an idea for an article but aren’t sure where to begin writing then please also get in touch.

So if there is anything that you feel is of interest to students then don’t hesitate to email us. The more writers we have, the more relevant the page can be to you!

Don’t worry if you don’t feel your grammar and spelling is completely up to scratch either

- editors and proofreaders are here for that.

Writing for Spark* also counts towards the volunteering section of the RED Award, so if you are looking for something flexible to do that can fit around your busy student lifestyle then this is perfect.

Being involved with an award-winning student newspaper looks great on your CV too, and you’ll get to see your name in print!

So give it a go, it doesn’t have to be a long article. We look forward to hearing from you!

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FILM&TV 13

FILM&TV

Feature Article: What we watched at Christmas The writers and editors of Spark* Film & TV come together to share their Christmas TV favourites!

Doctor Who

Zoë Annabel Richardson

This Christmas saw the return of Doctor Who to our screens, using the episode as a vehicle to introduce the latest companion, Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Clara.

Whilst the episode could have been solely used to showcase this new companion to our screens, we were also treated to a “different” Doctor; one who has become bitter and isolated due to losing yet another companion.

The Victorian set adventure was a great improvement on the previous rather lacklustre Christmas Special episodes the BBC have been putting on in the past few years. An interesting story playing the backdrop to the new companion introduction with a twist ending and new story arc that will be sure viewers shall be returning to find out the answers.

Merlin Finale Charlotte Coster

Normally I believe Christmas Eve to be the best day of the year, even better than Christmas Day itself. But not this year! In fact, I, along with the majority of the Merlin fans, was actually dreading it because it was the end of an era.

Or rather the end of Merlin, which has been on our screens for the past 5 years.

important overriding themes– the friendship between Arthur and Merlin, which came to a head with THE BIG REVEAL that we have all been waiting for.

Mr. Stink

Siobhan Whitebread

Keeping with the tradition of heartwarming telly that tears your heart out and stamps all over it several times, Mr. Stink

was one of my favourite things on over Christmas. An adaptation of a book by David Walliams - it follows Chloe Crumb (Nell Tiger Free), the 12 year old daughter of a wonderfully played political candidate (Sheridan Smith), as she meets the titular Mr. Stink (Hugh Bonneville), a homeless man with adorable dog in tow, and learns the true meaning of family. It was hilarious, thought-provoking and honestly brought tears to my eyes. … Oh, and it also contained a brilliant moment that actually made up for every ‘forgive the bullies’ message that has ever been shoved down my throat. Which made Mr. Stink worth it on its own, really.

The Snowman and the Snowdog Emmeline Walls

But I am pleased to say that it ended with a fitting grace and was a brilliant episode. Hugely dramatic as well as poignant, it concentrated on one of the most

The sequel to the festive classic The Snowman, this muchanticipated short film tells the story of a boy who asks for a dog for Christmas, and stumbles upon the accessories from the original snowman, inspiring him to cre-

ate – you guessed it – a snowman and a snowdog. The animation is beautifully hand-drawn much like the original, with the only CGI additions being some falling snow and lighting effects.

One of the popular criticisms for the new film is that it didn’t use the incredibly famous track ‘Walking In The Air’ that appeared in the original. However, the main song ‘Light The Night’ is both modern and in keeping with the style we are used to.

viewers – more than any programme did on Christmas Day! It was as fun, crazy and borderlineslapstick as ever, with fantastic comic performances all around.

Miranda Hart shines as the lead in this sitcom and the storylines never tire of finding ways for her to fall flat on her face (literally, at least 3 times an episode!).

In this episode Miranda tried a new job and is forced into weight loss after appearing in a news report about obesity. In frequently Miranda Hart once again proved why Jennifer Worth wanted her to play the part.

Although this series is often bleak, each episode ends with an uplifting note and this one was no different. It was ultimately heartwarming in its Christmas spirit triumphing over adversity.

Downton Abbey Jonathan Edney

Outnumbered

breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly,

Charlotte Coster

Miranda is able to generate hu-

I have to admit that I don’t always find Outnumbered funny! The mostly improvised show is sometimes a little hit-and-miss, in the same way that children themselves can be either hilarious or simply annoying.

However, I absolutely loved the Christmas special. Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner were on fine form with their long-suffering quips while the three child stars were equally funny with their entertaining moments that I really hope weren’t scripted! Although, it might be a little difficult to call them ‘child stars’ any more considering that the eldest is almost 18 and Daniel Roche’s voice has broken…we will have to see whether they are just as funny when they become young adults rather than the children they once were.

mour that is unique and refreshing

Miranda

Jack Marshall

Miranda Hart bounced onto our screens on Boxing Day with a brand new series of her eponymous BBC hit series. The series 3 premiere pulled in 9.47million

at a time when a lot of comedies are struggling for attention.

Call the Midwife Jonathan Edney

1950s Poplar was preparing for Christmas while the Nonnatus midwives were kept busy. The gritty stories of an old woman’s illness and separation from her children and a young girl’s secret pregnancy were balanced deftly with Chummy’s attempts to put together a nativity with the scouts. Jessica Raine was as adorable as ever looking after old Mrs Jenkins and

A low-key and not particularly festive episode, where a year after the events of the third series, the Crawleys went to the Highlands to visit Shrimpie and his miserable wife. Meanwhile, the servants got excited for the latest Downton fair while the family were away. There were developments among the servants, romances were ignited for Mrs Patmore and Branson before being snuffed out again and Julian Fellowes is clearly placing Rose, the Grantham’s cousin, as the new ‘young woman with big ideas’ to replace Sybil. All seemed happy when Mary gave birth to a son until Matthew was killed in a car crash (not entirely unforeseen due to press speculation about Dan Stevens not returning next year), which is a shocking and depressing end to 2012’s stint at the Abbey.

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Steven Spielberg’s Robopocalypse has been delayed indefinitely. He’s re-writing the script to reduce costs and get it back on its feet!

14 FILM&TV

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

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film&TV

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey: mixed reviews from our critics!

Emmeline Walls and Jonathan Edney share their experiences of Peter Jackson’s latest take on J.R.R. Tolkien heavy journey. The scenes with Radagast the Brown may initially seem irrelevant but in terms of the wider threat to Middle-Earth, they are necessary for ultimately bridging to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Jackson once again shows his flair for the action sequence, with the escape from Goblin City and a fight between stone giants being the highlights, even if most of the enemies are now CGI rather than made-up actors. The film is heavy on fighting but holds back when it counts, such as the tense riddle game between Bilbo and Gollum (once again played by the outstanding Andy Serkis).

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Directed by: Peter Jackson Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage Running time: 169mins Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

One Long Snore-Fest!

Emmeline Walls

Films that are adapted from books typically have two kinds of viewers: those who are familiar with the book and those who aren’t. In the case of The Hobbit there is a third category: those who do not know the book but are familiar with the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, set after the events of The Hobbit. I fall into the category of the clueless audience member – one who thought the Lord of the Rings looked too dark with too much fighting and couldn’t work up enough enthusiasm for the book – and this film was most definitely not aimed at me.

The pace of the film was also badly arranged The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of three films adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, has a quiet life by himself when one day Gandalf, a wizard, turns up along with a group of dwarves and throws a party in Bilbo’s hobbit hole without being invited in order to persuade him to come on a quest with them. As you can guess from the title of the film, Bilbo agrees to go, and thus we get two hours of meeting a whole variety of fictitious creatures, many of whom the group end up fighting with.

As a viewer without prior knowledge of the characters (beyond the fact Gandalf was apparently a bit like Dumbledore and Gollum is an ugly creature that says “My precious” a lot), the characters’ relationships and development seemed to me to be poorly done.

We didn’t get much insight into Bilbo’s character, particularly his motivations for going and also why Gandalf chose him specifically. It is mentioned that one of Bilbo’s

ancestors was an adventuring sort but it did not feel like an adequate explanation. Bilbo’s decision to go is made too quickly. There is no explanation as to who Gandalf is, what he’s doing there, why he goes off and comes back repeatedly and whether we are supposed to like him or not.

The pace of the film was also badly arranged, like a rollercoaster where every uphill climb and downhill rush feel exactly the same. Repeatedly the group end up in danger with seemingly no way out and then Gandalf suddenly turns up and fixes everything.

It’s boring and fails to build up to the finale properly.

but it was originally written as a stand-alone novel for children. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to think that a film version (or versions) of such a book might make sense without having read the novel or seen the films that would come after it, but that was not the case.

Unless you are a fan of the previous film trilogy or the original book, this film is just one long snore-fest.

the characters’ relationships and development seemed to me to be poorly done

From the opening moments, it is clear that An Unexpected Journey has been made primarily for the fans, as Howard Shore’s familiar music takes us back to the Shire.

Although not as epic and emotional as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit proves how fantasy filmmaking and film adaptation should be done.

The extended prologues help to establish the goal of the Dwarves and Bilbo’s character before moving into the actual story. From his first moment on screen, Martin Freeman completely owns the role of Bilbo, bringing his experience in playing the baffled everyman thrown in to a bizarre situation to the fore and he shares a great chemistry with Ian McKellen,

Also – and while some might argue this is Tolkien’s problem rather than Jackson’s I would argue otherwise – there is only one female speaking part in the whole film. There is plenty of talk about fathers and male ancestors but not one word about characters’ mothers. We don’t see them or hear about them. What do they do with them? Are they shipped off to another country or something?

The Hobbit may have preceded the three Lord of the Rings books

HH

Great for fans!

Jonthan Edney

back in his grey robes as Gandalf with a twinkle in his eye. Peter Jackson and each actor work harder than Tolkien did to give each dwarf their own personality.

Some are more prominent than others (Richard Armitage’s intense Thorin, Ken Stott’s wise Balin and James Nesbitt’s joking Bofur) but the three films will give more time for them all.

Jackson once again shows his flair for the action sequence There is more humour but that comes from the source material being more aimed at children and it helps to lighten the occasionally

From the opening moments, it is clear that An Unexpected Journey has been made primarily for the fans This first film is all about Bilbo’s journey from a humble hobbit to a courageous hero, prepared to help the dwarves reclaim their homeland. The long game that Jackson and his team are playing will ultimately benefit every aspect of The Hobbit: more time for the actors to inhabit their characters, more time for the book’s events and Tolkien’s extra material to be adapted faithfully and more time to savour this rich world that he created and Jackson and his team are endeavouring to bring to life so vividly again. If you don’t want to immerse yourself in it, DON’T!

HHHH

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - after a lukewarm box-office performance, Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher is unlikely to get a sequel, not having met the $250 target

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

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FILM&TV 15

The Impossible: a poignant take on the boxing day disaster Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona Starring: Naomi Watts, Tom Holland Running Time: 114 mins Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller claire minnitt

Already sparking controversy before its release from viewers who deemed it inappropriate to advertise during screenings of The Hobbit on Boxing Day, The

Impossible bases itself on a true story of a family’s experience of the 2004 Tsunami disaster in South East Asia.

The Impossible pays truly deep respect to those who were affected by the 2004 Tsunami The Boxing Day cinemagoers that complained felt it was incredibly insensitive to show a trailer of a

disaster before a family film showing apparent harrowing scenes of the devastation. However, The Impossible itself is merely rated a 12A and there are surely far worse films that have been advertised recently before a so-called ‘family film.’

The Impossible certainly presents a brave subject matter with a mildly wellchosen cast Pre-release controversy aside, The Impossible certainly presents a brave subject matter with a mildly well-chosen cast. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor play the parents Maria and Henry as they set out on a Christmas family holiday to Thailand with their two children Lucas (Tom Holland) and Thomas (Samuel Joslin). The scene is set very quickly and is it not long until the moment the Tsunami hits the shores.

Rather than most films based on disasters within this century, The Impossible pays truly deep respect to those who were affected by the 2004 Tsunami. It strikes an

emotional chord, which is almost impossible for the viewer not to tune into. The story sticks almost entirely to the truth and presents every harrowing scene to represent reality and not inflate the film’s emotional value.

An extremely emotional and thought-provoking film that makes you appreciate what you have just that little bit more.

HHH

Jack Reacher: A shining example of completely O.K Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog Running Time: 143mins Genre: Action, Thriller Matthew crowe

No, I have not read the Jack Reacher Novels. No, I don’t care about Tom Cruise’s height. Let’s move on...

Jack Reacher, which is the ultimate porn star name, is called for his expertise when a comatose man named Barr is suspected of shooting five seemingly random civilians. However he soon uncovers that Barr may be innocent, and a part of a larger conspiracy that places Reacher and attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) in danger.

Individual elements of comedy and thriller do not mesh in a solid way Contrary to what the advertising would have you believe, Jack Reacher is not a nuts and bolts ac-

tions movie, but rather a detective story akin to the 70’s Dirty Harry movies. In fact one key action scene appears reminiscent to the seminal car chase in Bullitt. As a result the action is more focused on the characters outsmarting each other, rather than excessive explosions or stunts, and feels much more gripping as a result, the only exception being a “really(?!)” moment in which two characters put down their guns in order to have a forced punching and kicking sequence.

Acting is strong throughout most of the cast, with Pike giving some of her best work - even if she ends up being the film’s “damsel in distress” – and Jai Courtney’s brutal turn as sniper Charlie giving some future promise as John McClane’s son in the upcoming A Good Day to Die Hard . Tom Cruise, although given a few ego strokes with the women of the film repeatedly fawning over him, gives us an aggressive character that means the movie does not just feel like a Mission Impossible spin off.

However there are many character problems that come as a result of shortened screen time.

Character development is flirted with in Pike’s character, exploring the families of those killed in the shootings, but they are never fully realised or finished up on. Many cinema legends are given far too little to work with; Robert Duvall’s Cash is only introduced in the final third, and one of the main villains known only as The Zec (played by film deity and all around awesome Werner Herzog) is given an

interesting back story, but nothing much else, which results in the final scene between him and Cruise feeling very anti-climatic.

Individual elements of comedy and thriller do not mesh in a solid way. At one point two henchman appear to ambush Reacher in a bathroom, which turns into a sub-par Stooges for no apparent reason that no one in my audience screening laughed at. Also, despite a script given by Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie, some of clunky dialogue is just plain awful, to the point that sometimes it is not clear whether a scene is meant to be tense, camp or funny.

Although containing decent action and performances, unrequested comedy and a weak script lets Jack Reacher down. I doubt this to be the start of a new action franchise, but I’ll no doubt buy it on DVD in a few years time. Then forget to watch it.

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FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Good news to all Muppets lovers- Disney are planning to release The Muppets 2 in March 2014, with Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell

16 FILM&TV

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

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FILM&TV

Life of Pi: A remarkable and memorable film Directed by: Ang Lee Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain Running Time: 127mins Genre: Adventure/Drama Jack Marshall

Visually stunning, awe-inspiring and beautifully crafted. Life of Pi i is everything that the book had painted in my imagination and more – and it’s not often you can say that!

Despite being stuck at the very front (3D hurts at the front, don’t be daft – make sure you book!), I was completely captivated and washed away with everything about this film, even the 3D elements. With the exception of omitting the cannibal, the film stays true to the book and the treatment of the flashback features are tweaked perfectly so that we see them all at the start of the film.

This enables us to develop emotional connections with the subcharacters. Then, when Pi leaves India or when they are killed dur-

ing the sinking of the Tsimtsum and Pi (Suraj Sharma) is left alone on a lifeboat with a zebra, hyena, orang-utan and Richard Parker the tiger, we appreciate just how great Pi’s loss is and just how harrowing his journey is.

There is no simple way to surmise Pi’s story and you really need to see it (or read it!) to believe how good it is. As he unwillingly embarks on his lonely journey not only is his faith put to the test (of which he has three; Christianity, Islam and Hindu) but so too are his courage and bravery. In order to survive he must establish his territory in the lifeboat with the merciless Richard Parker whilst contending with nature’s vicious and cruel nature. On his way he encounters incredibly sights; spectacular starlit skies, glowing sea life that lights up the water and a floating carnivorous island. All are brought to life through Ang Lee’s visionary skills and some of his shots are just breath-taking. He has proven once more that he has an impeccable eye for storytelling and I’m sure that the Golden Globe for Best Director has his name written on it already.

Suraj Sharma must also be mentioned as he is simply brilliant as Pi. He spends the vast majority of the film alone, on a lifeboat with a CGI tiger for company. His acting is superb and the emotional depth of his performance is unquestionable and touching, just as Yann Martel envisioned for the character when he wrote and published The Life of Pi back in 2001. For a debut performance, this role was certainly challenging but Sharma rose to the mark and gave it his all.

Les Miserables: This time it’s for real...

Directed By: Tom Hooper Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway Running Time: 158 Mins Genre: Musical [Jonathan Edney]

After 27 years of captivating theatregoers worldwide, the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic novel has finally made it to the big screen. For those who don’t know the story, it follows the convict Jean Valjean, who robs a bishop and is compelled to turn his life around when the bishop lies to prevent his arrest.

On his journey, he is relentlessly pursued by the policeman Javert and shows kindness to the fallen woman Fantine by adopting her daughter before becoming embroiled in a student revolution.

The story certainly receives the epic treatment from Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), who opens the film with a massive shot of convicts pulling a boat into a harbour.

There are a few similar shots but Hooper lets the actors drive the

emotions of the story by shooting most of their songs in close-up.

Generally this works well but the editing of certain sequences can detract from the performances.

The sequences that benefit the most from the cinematic treatment are the barricade battles, which become full-blooded combat.

Hooper lets the actors drive the emotions of the story by shooting most of their songs in close-up Hugh Jackman commands the screen as Valjean, effortlessly transforming from an angry convict to a loving father and deserves what may be his only Oscar chance. Russell Crowe is the film’s weakest link vocally but brings a more vulnerable and humane side to Javert that helps him carry it off. Anne Hathaway is heartbreaking as Fantine, singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ in one uninterrupted close-up and Eddie Redmayne is extremely impres-

sive as Marius, showing naivety and ultimately devastation in his tearful rendition of ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’.

Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks are also great as Cosette and Eponine but Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are slightly disappointing as the comical Thenardiers.

Fans should be forewarned that there are numerous changes to the score, with one new song and additional bridging material to clarify certain plot points. Some songs have been reshuffled to suit the narrative flow of the film but only one song has been completely cut, with others receiving minor cuts/alterations. The most striking aspect of this adaptation is the realism: raw live singing, real sewage, which perhaps makes a first viewing from a die-hard fan such as me slightly jarring. However, it is an expertly crafted adaptation and one that should be seen by everyone, from die-hard fans to those wondering what all the fuss is about.

HHHH

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF -MGM have their beady eye on a new Ben Hur, which will bear more parallels to the life of Jesus Christ

Usually I fail to give 3D films 5 stars because it is often misused, not used enough or just a waste of time. But for the first time it was perfectly fitting and proved that you don’t need to have a bigbudget action outing for it to be appropriate. It brought it to life on the screen, pulled you into the film and then washed you up in the cinema two hours later.

HHHHH

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

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FILM&TV 15

Seven Psychopaths: Psychotic fun to be had in Hollywood Directed by: Martin McDonagh Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken Running Time: 110mins Genre: Comedy/Crime Drama

whilst Woody Harrelson is at his crazy best. Though the protagonist, Farrell plays the sensible straight man which means he is lost in the chaos that fills most of the screen time, but brings all the characters together. A mention must be made to the very good soundtrack too for the quirky but somewhow fitting song choices made.

Zoë Annabel Richardson

The sophomore film from darkcomedy crime director McDonagh, who brought us the fantastic In Bruges suffers from comparisons to the former, as it lacks both the new and exciting factor and the temptation for big Hollywood excitement is apparent. The film involves a screenplay writer, Marty (Colin Farrell) , struggling with his latest offering whilst unknowingly getting inspiration from his best friend Billy (Sam Rockwell). His best friend also earns money by kidnapping dogs then claiming the rewards from the owner by returning them, the money going to pay towards his accomplice’ (Christopher Walken) wife’s cancer treat-

A mention must be made to the very good soundtrack

ment. When they steal a mobster’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved pet, a series of bodies follow in their wake. Whilst trying to escape the mobster, Marty also hears tales of various “psychopaths”, of which he chooses to put into his own screenplay.

The cast is fantastic

The individual stories of the “psychopaths” were glorious. Absolutely beautiful, individual stories of, usually, people killing for “justified” reasons, especially the Quaker and the Vietnamese Monk, though these are interludes to the main story, which usually lacks in comparison.

The cast is fantastic, notably Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken,

The marketing of the film is rather misleading, especially regarding the two female characters as two of the “psychopaths” when, in fact, they account to about five minutes of screen time together. This lack of development of the female characters is noted by the characters within the play, but it does not make it excusable. Another problem is that, maybe, it is too American. It will, inevitably be compared to In Bruges, of which it is its failing because In Bruges

is a far more confined film, rather than the extravagant, over-stuffed film that Seven Psychopaths becomes, a factor that is alluded to in a rather entertaining, fictional Graveyard Shootout Scene.

Interestingly, another film it can be compared with is Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation, with the main character sharing his name with the director/writer as well as working on a screenplay called Seven Pyschopaths. Throughout the film, references to the struggles of Marty to write this big Hollywood tale could very well stem from the own writers’ turmoil before conceding to write this self-referencing piece.

If you enjoyed In Bruges or any other dark-humour stemming in crime, you will enjoy this, as it’s bigger, louder American cousin.

In fact, you might just enjoy it more for that reason. It is fun and thoughtful, with superb acting.

HHH

Pitch Perfect: Almost picture-perfect!

Directed by: Jason Moore Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson Running Time: 107mins Genre: Comedy/Musical Jessica Moore

The first thing I would like to say is that if the very thought of Glee makes you tremble in fear and horror then steer well clear of Pitch Perfect. On the other hand, if an abundance of singing and dancing galore alongside unrestrained cheesiness is your idea of 107 minutes well spent then I would thoroughly recommend it.

Beca is an aspiring DJ but has reluctantly started to attend Barden University due to the influence of her father, a professor. Despite being frustratingly unsociable she is cajoled into joining The Bellas, an all-girl a cappella group. The plot follows their progression as a group and their battle against rival a cappella ensembles, most notably all-male group The Treblemakers.

This is all spiced up with a bit of comedy and an inevitable lovestory.

The plot itself is as predictable as it gets but this doesn’t seem to matter as the musical numbers certainly deviate your attention.

The vocal arrangements are impressively put together resulting

Rebel Wilson is brilliant as ‘Fat Amy’

in a stunning display of a cappella, leading you to forget that the profusion of sound is all produced solely from their mouths. Beca’s innovative audition song using a cup is particularly memorable, perfectly executed by Anna Kendrick with her hauntingly beautiful voice.

The comedy is integral to the movie However, aside from the showstopping musical routines, the film certainly does not encourage identification with the characters, most of which are horribly stereotyped. This includes two Asians who rarely say anything, a black lesbian who exudes masculinity, a Star Wars nerd with noticeably long sideburns and a gorgeous, blonde radio presenter (although no complaints there). Nevertheless these stock characters suit the light-hearted tone of the film which consciously strives to avoid being intellectually deep or emotionallycharged.

The comedy is integral to the movie and is predominantly provided by Rebel Wilson who plays Fat Amy. Her comic timing is superb and she consequently steals many of the scenes, even alongside rising star Anna Kendrick. For me it is the humour that alleviates Pitch Perfect above other cheesy American musicals; the film is

essentially a funnier and wittier version of Glee.

One thing is for sure, this film is certainly not for everybody.

However if you want something to lighten your mood and put a smile on your face then it really is picture-perfect!

HHHH

Perfect simply by Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy) in the trailers. She’s an absolutely fantastic character and, as Jessica pointed out, her comic timing is just perfect.

The film is pretty standard although the music (once The Bellas are brought into the 21st Century

by Becca!) is actually entertaining

Editor’s Take:

I’m definitely not a fan of Glee nor do I particularly like cheesy musical films, but I was drawn to Pitch

and enjoyable to listen to.

It’s light, it’s funny, it’s cheesy and it’s definitely worth a watch!

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean is getting a 5th outing with Catch Me If You Can writer Jeff Nathanson writing the script

18 MUSIC

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

music

2013: Who We’re Looking Out For We run down the acts who look set to dominate the next 12 months in music.

HAIM One of the most celebrated sounds of 2013 comes in the form of HAIM. The all-girl group consisting of sisters Danielle, Alana and Este differs from any other girl band around at the moment. With their influences ranging from TLC and Destiny’s Child to The Strokes, when listening to them it is clear to see where their sound originates.

Though they were previously part of the band Rockinhaim with their parents, the now separate siblings have created a swarm of interest around them amongst music bloggers and the general public.

The group released an EP in the early months of 2012 named Forever, and it was this free download which got the band a record deal with Polydor Records. Since then

it has been onwards and upwards for HAIM and their debut single Don’t Save Me was first played in the UK in October 2012 on BBC Radio One. Don’t Save Me mixes elements of classic folk with that classic 90’s RnB sound that bands like TLC are renowned for and has presented the band’s own ‘brand’ of rock which compliments their strong vocals and guitar backing. As if touring with the likes of Mumford and Sons and Florence and the Machine was not enough, HAIM have recently been made BBC Radio One’s ‘Sound of 2013’, a great accolade which surely only lays the foundations for their continued success and a hopeful debut album for the upcoming year.

[Siobhan Maguire]

Roses Gabor

Having already featured on tracks

by Redlight and SBTRKT, Roses Gabor is racking up those electronic music credentials, a route which Delilah and Jessie Ware have already proven can work.

Signed to Toddla T’s label, she released her debut solo single Stars earlier this year and it’s pretty darn good. Think Ellie Goulding but less howly and more street.

[Katie Langford-Foster]

The Neighbourhood

Palma Violets Palma Violets are a Londonbased Indie Rock/Garage Rock four-piece that has already accomplished so much. Their debut single, entitled Best of Friends, was released in 2012, and was recently voted NME’s song of the year. This still very young band was also nominated for the BBC Sound of 2013 poll. Not bad for a band that only formed in 2011.

Constantly compared to bands like The Libertines (a comparison that is both a measure of how talented this band is, yet also perhaps slightly unfair to them, as it heaps more pressure onto their young shoulders), Palma Violets amassed an army of dedicated fans long before anything was released, due to their energetic live performances and numerous fan-recorded gigs being uploaded to YouTube. After appearing on Later... with Jools Holland, they

have established themselves as one of the most exciting new indie bands in the country.

Expectations for [the debut] are very high Anyone hoping to see them soon is in luck. They appear as part of the NME Awards Tour 2013, alongside Django Django, Miles Kane and Peace. Surely a show worth seeing.

Palma Violets’ debut album, 180, is set to be released on 25th February on Rough Trade Records. Expectations for it are very high. In the meantime, the latest single Step Up for the Cool Cats was released last week, and is well worth a listen.

Hopefully Palma Violets can live up to their hype, which at times, reaches levels unseen since the early days of the Arctic Monkeys.

[Richard Lewington]

The Neighbourhood aren’t your conventional pop group. Beneath soul vocals capable of stealing the show in an X Factor final, there’s grit, a hatefulness even that turns a standard, well-written song into something enigmatic. Combined with some Alfred Hitchcock-style imagery for their videos and imagery, they’ve set themselves apart, all while sporting a sound that’d appeal to Maroon 5 fans and vinyl-hugging hipsters alike.

[Jamie Milton]

Peace

The myth that guitar music’s on its last legs could finally be put to bed, if Peace end up anywhere near as big as they deserve to become.

The Birmingham four-piece lend anthemic quality to a Horrors’ circa-Primary Colours sound. Instead of wallowing in a series of warped textures and experimental synthwork, the group put more onus on giant hooks and unforgettable choruses. Latest single Wraith is a game-changer.

We interview AlunaGeorge, tops of many a tastemaker’s 2013 tips.

Canny, right? Their music is a little less simplified. It’s very much of the moment, too; like a compression of all of R&Bs recent fusion with toxic beats and smart beatmakers, George produces smart, interchanging backdrops and Aluna’s saccharine vocals are the perfect companion. Spark* chatted to the pair about their recent rise in popularity.

Jamie Milton

AlunaGeorge consist of a girl called Aluna and a guy called George.

What’s it been like for you to get so much radio airplay, to get so much attention on such a big platform?

G: It’s been amazing, to be honest. It’s all a bit overwhelming because you can only really work

on something to the point where you’re all really happy with it that’s as much as you can do from your end. And it’s just been really incredible actually, genuinely surprising for one. I got a call from my Dad yesterday and he heard us in his car on the way home. It’s funny how it can reach so many people like that.

A: Yeah and the fact that my Grandma will call me up once or twice a month to say that she’s seen AlunaGeorge in a normal newspaper, even if it’s just a little list of songs, she’s calling me about it! That means a lot when an old lady can get in touch with your music (laughs).

Did you ever envisage being within walking distance of the charts or getting on the radio so much when you started?

A: Not really because at first, people liked the sound but they really didn’t know what to say in terms of what genre it was, what they wanted to call it, what they wanted to do with it... So it’s always been based on an individual liking it and passing it onto another individual who’ll like it, so we just had to wait for more than a few people to like it.

Maybe the radio works like a little family where one person passes it onto another.

Is there one moment that you might describe as a turning point so far of your first couple of years?

G: For me, there was a point about a year and a half ago when we started writing music that was closer to the sound that we’re making now.

So for me that was a huge turning point because everything suddenly clicked, we stumbled on the sound that we’ll be trying to do for the next, however long...

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

RELEASES

A$AP Rocky Long.Live.A$AP RCA Records

Richard Petty

The year 2012 looked to be A$AP Rocky’s year to claim ascendency to hip-hop royalty after his well received 2011 mixtape LiveLoveA$AP and a steady stream of critical acclaim. However by delaying the release of his major label debut several times Kendrick Lamar swooped in and released an album that ranked among the best of 2012, and an album that will likely join the classic ilk of Biggie’s Born to Die, Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers and Nas’s Illmatic in time. A$AP’s effort has finally arrived in 2013 but how will it match up?

Proceedings begin apocalyptically with a moody soundscape on

Scott Compton

Music is a truly beautiful thing; a vast web of interconnected sounds, rhythms and styles encompassing dozens of genres that all too often divide into their own sub-genres, and sub-sub genres, until it gets so absurd even the people producing it don’t know what to make of it any more.

Now you get snobs in all walks of life. Sadly, music is no different. We’ve all experienced it; the sneering dismissal of the self-appointed music police as you discuss a favoured artist of yours or put on a track at a party – people who feel their taste in music is so much more refined than yours that they actually presume to assume that look of smug superiority and inform you that your choice of music is simply WRONG. There is scant more subjective to the individual than one’s taste in music, whether it’s Celine Dion, Chase & Status or the soundtrack to the Lion King (which, I should add, is superb).

This diversity of interests common to most people is what makes

Knock knocky. Who’s there? A$AP Rocky!

the title track, continuing his favouritism of murk and haze that mimics the effects of cough syrup laced with codeine, more commonly known as purple drank. Whilst A$AP possesses a catchy flow complete with his instantly recognisable vocal ticks, his lyrical ability doesn’t quite reach the heights of other freshmen Lamar and Joey Bada$$, staying true to the topics that have carried him thus far, namely women, weed and money, all helpfully summed up in the song ‘PMW’ (pussy money weed).

and Flosstradamus to churn out the

You can’t help but feel that he’s somewhat going through the motions.

even rapped about at the start of

bangers. In 1Train, Rocky gives his fellow up-and-comers a leg up to fame, combining to make what will probably be the best posse cut of the year with Hit-Boy, the genius behind Niggas in Paris behind the boards. BIG K.R.I.T’s verse finishes off the procession, and it’s basically a case of saving the best for last, the hunger behind his verses clearly audible and springing out at you, making you forget what A$AP the song.

At the end of the day it’s a highly listenable prospect, but you can’t help but feel that he’s somewhat going through the motions on his

Fashion Killa is a modern day update of the GZA classic ‘Labels’.

Whilst GZA rapped in a form of double-entendre about record labels, here Rocky raps (and croons) about his favourite fashion coutre, all over lush production by Friendzone who make their major label breakout with style (pun intended).

Whilst the Skrillex helmed Wild For The Night is nowhere near as bad as expected, his usual squiggly bombastics are condensed into a fairly unimaginative trap effort suggestive of an debauched American frat party, which suggests he should leave it to TNGHT

OPINION

MUSIC 19

debut major release, making the most of his new found fame with a pantheon of well known guest stars (who unfortunately outshine him on several tracks) and the hottest new producers rather than focussing on consistency, which Lamar’s

Good Kid M.A.A.D City possesses in spades. Long live A$AP indeed, but may his future efforts expand upon this solid but frankly rather average entry in his discography.

HHH

David Bowie Where Are We Now? ISO/Columbia

George Reed

The papers stopped, the news were sent into a frenzy and Twitter was ablaze with one phrase: Bowie’s Back! After suffering a heart attack in 2004, turning down singing at the Olympics in 2012, and no new releases for 10 years, it was presumed the David Bowie had slipped silently into retirement to become a reclusive living legend. But, to the surprise of everyone (literally everyone) Bowie released new single Where Are We Now? on his 66th birthday. No fanfares, no countdowns and no gimmicks. But then there didn’t need to be any modern pop gimmicks. Every radio station, rolling news network and social media site were alight with excite-

ment. Followed by the news that David will release a new album too, The Next Day, (due March) the rumour mill started up and fired off what Bowie’s next move would be: Would he tour again? Would he headline Glastonbury? Would Ziggy Stardust make a spectacular return? But one thing was overlooked, would he be any good?

And that’s where Where Are We Now? comes in. The lyrics tell a tale of the time from David’s “Berlin era” of 1976-79, where he lived and breathed the German music, arts and cultural scene, whilst writing some of his best-known hits including Sound and Vision and Heroes. However, Where Are We Now? features a different side to Bowie than on these tracks. He sounds older, more restrained, but ultimately more human. His vocals are beautifully subdued, haunting almost, and suit this melancholic ballad perfectly as he intertwines himself with simple piano chords and 80s synths. The track builds into a brilliant crescendo of high pitched soaring guitars and simplistic drumbeats with Bowie’s poignant last words being “as long as there’s me, as long as there’s you”.

Happy birthday Bowie, and welcome back Starman.

HHHH

Music snobbery: why can’t we all just get along? WORLD PEACE 2K13 LOVE

the music snobs even more irritating because it’s a simple truth they can’t seem to grasp.

Music snobbery can come in several forms; you have the radical snobs who worship Bob Dylan as some sort of god-like figure for musical empowerment. For them, only songs with a distinct political message meet with their approval.

Some go even further; these are often young people with questionable personal hygiene railing against the ‘THE SYSTEM’. They take bands like Rage Against the Machine at face value, failing to spot the hypocrisy of musicians who make a great deal of money by exploiting a system they spend so much time criticising. We might call them the ‘music-anarchists’ of the far Left.

Then you have the ‘Underground’ snobs, those who immediately reject anything once it has achieved a mainstream audience. You’d think fans would be pleased that their favourite artists start to reach a broader appeal, but a certain level of success seems to incur the displeasure of a particularly purist

sect of their early fans who usually decry it as ‘selling out’, a complaint which rarely seems to amount to more than ‘if we can’t have them to ourselves then no one can’.

Heavy Metal is such a huge genre that has evolved considerably and accordingly it has found itself, in my experience, to be riddled with snobs, though that’s probably too soft a term for them. I am quite fond of metal but I know many ardent metalheads would be furious to hear that I include certain bands within their hallowed genre. The heavy metal snob is a particularly dangerous variety as they are actually prepared to visit violence upon people that don’t adhere to their stringent guidelines. If you boldly venture into the moshpit with the wrong band t-shirt on then you might as well have wandered into the wrong part of south-central LA with a red bandana on your head.

Then there is the snootiest lot of all, those who with a flick of the hand would dismiss an entire genre of music, totally writing off all of the rich, wondrous, beauti-

ful diversity of it on some utterly absurd pre-conceived notion. For example, I recently posted a link on a discussion website to what I considered a particularly good remix of a ‘Nero’ track. I was immediately shot down by a number of people who dismissed the track out of hand simply because of the d&b/ dub overtones. They declared that it was typical ‘chavvy’ rubbish. I could only shake my head at how someone could dismiss such a vast body of work with such a lazy label, particularly one that’s far more associated with the rave scene than kids on council estates in trackies and baseball caps.

There is certainly an argument to be made that thoughtful, well-executed music has the ability to stir powerful emotions in people and appeal to them on many different levels, but what I do dispute is that this somehow gives it more worth.

Music is entertainment. It is not, as some seem to suggest, a pathway to enlightenment or the conduit to existential transcendence. You’re not more socially liberated than

your neighbour because she blasts out George Michael of an evening and you prefer to dwell on the political exigencies embedded within White Stripes lyrics. By all means take from music what you will, but please extend that courtesy to others. There is no shame in listening to music purely for mindless enjoyment. Granted, no one over the age of fifteen really wants to listen to One Direction on repeat at a house party or in a club, but there must be a line between having a consideration for others’ mental health and the ineffably smug sense of superiority adopted by music snobs the world over. Not that I believe this article will change anything, the snobs will continue as they are because by their very nature they believe that only they are educated enough about music to form an opinion, but this music fan has had enough of being sneered at.

20 MUSIC

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

LIVE

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

The singalong gig to top all others: Ed Sheeran arrives in our modest little town. and his mates did, and the story goes a bit like this.

If you’ve been missing the proper NME guitar bands of your teens then you’re in luck

The Gin Circle Friday December 7 2012 katie langford-foster mojo’s, Reading

If you’re a third year, then it’s probably getting to that time of year when frantically googling graduate schemes is becoming a part of your daily routine. And if

you haven’t yet reached that wonderful third trimester of higher education (lucky you), you’ve probably still suffered those periodic freak-outs when you realise that your ability to deconstruct the work of suicidal poets might not help in the real world. But never fear, there is another option. Why not just start a band? That’s what Reading graduate Dan Clampin

After jacking in his second year of University in the Big Smoke, and frustrated with the lack of ‘big, new bands’ (Exhibit A: Festivals dragging up the golden oldies, Madness, The Deftones), Mike Penfold saw an opportunity to make the world a better place. There was a gargantuan Gin Circle shaped hole slap bang in the middle of the music world, and so he called on the only people he knew could fill it: childhood friends Ben Green and ex-Reading Uni boy, Dan Clampin. Dan selflessly postponed his dreams of ‘gap yahhing’ round China in the belief that the bands inevitable worldwide success would result in them touring there anyway. And so, The Gin Circle was born. faces. When the final verse came I wondered if we were even seeing the same band. And then they followed straight afterwards with Today’s Supernatural, the first single off the new album, a song that is being belted by Avey Tare, energetic and a complete jumble of sounds which, somehow, work, “come on le- le- le- le- le- le- let go, erratic see-saw” is catchy and punky and raw, it should be completely evoking energy from the crowd and yet STILL I am having a party-for-four with maybe the only people who (it seemed) turned up after giving the new album a chance.

Animal Collective Sunday November 4 2012 elvina rivers camden roundhouse, London

My initial thoughts going into the Roundhouse were that if I were to turn around for just a second, I would definitely lose my friends.

Not because it was particularly busy; surprisingly for only one of three UK tour dates, it was not as packed as (in my opinion) Animal Collective deserved the crowd to be. No, because everybody looked exactly the same. We were all white, middle class, hipsters, and

this gig was our time to shine as pretentious music-types. Or so I thought at least. When I walked in, I was in absolute awe of the stage set, my notes at this point only read “Trap Door, bouncy castle, rave, acid” so make of that what you can. And then there were the teeth. What did it mean?! They are the almighty tongue in this mental light up psychedelic mouth!?

They opened with Rosie Oh, a song that’s psychedelic circus-like rock almost reminds me of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. A song that should have been sang back at the group.

But I was amidst a sea of expressionless

When the final verse came I wondered if we were even seeing the same band Yes, this tour illustrates a massive change from the airy, lucid trip of Merriweather Post Pavillion, to a spinny and nonsensical Khole that is Centipede Hz. But it seemed that the way the crowd felt about this new sound was exactly like someone getting into a relationship because they love their partner’s spontaneity, only to start to resent them because they are not organised enough.

I can understand the confusion.

When I first heard the album I couldn’t even explain what had just happened to my ears, violated by

They’d like you to believe that this kind of pretentious, adolescent bravado is what they’re all about, but actually, it turns out they’re pretty nice and they work pretty hard.

Having earned a reputation for themselves on Twitter as the kids that just won’t shut up, the band’s relentless self-promotion has obviously paid off. They’ve been interviewed on BBC Radio Leicester and racked up 8,067 Twitter followers (last time I checked). They’ve played all the best venues in their hometown and even secured themselves a gig in Camden next month.

Not bad, eh? But until now, there was one thing missing from The Gin Circle’s rock star credentials that would really put them up there with the greats: a write up in Spark* Music. And so they headed down to our beloved Mojo’s for Perk’s live music night.

Donning some rather festive outfits, and yes, tights, the boys smashed straight into their set. It could have been a harsh crowd. A three piece, almost-indie guitar band taking to the stage in front of a bunch of metal heads, but delivering their to the point, often humorous lyrics, frontman and guitarist

Mike charmed them all onto their feet. Or maybe it was bassist Dan’s incredible moves. Either way, the bands blend of garage band guitar and driving drum beats will inevitably result in comparisons to the metallic anarchy of The Courteeners, or maybe even the Libertines, only more tongue in cheek, and hopefully, less druggy.

possibly every electronic sound ever invented. But as so many people have said, this is an album that needs to be listened to several times before any of it starts making sense. It is chaotic and busy and this is why it is great. Centipede Hz was the first time in three years that the band have written, or even recorded anything together, in the same room. There is so much input that it definitely could come across as a mess, but the point is that it hasn’t. It’s a glorious shambles.

As I predicted, there was a dramatic change in atmosphere as soon as the MPP song BrotherSport began to be played, which induced a mass frenzy of people who all of a sudden recognised one song and started to enjoy themselves. Peacebone followed, marked not only by its bouncy electronic beat but also by the performance on stage, finally the impact of Deakin being back in the band and Panda Bear being reunited with the drums hit, and it came together perfectly, perhaps the highlight of the whole set. I found myself thinking it was lucky that they ended on some ‘old classics’ otherwise I doubt the absolutely boring crowd would have even called for an encore. Sure enough, the beautifully simplistic My Girls was played as the penultimate song, with its harmonies echoing in the Roundhouse. Its haunting euphoria was embraced whole heartedly by the audience, as predicted, potentially leaving the

concert on a high. And yet Animal Collective still had one more song to play, Amanita, a punchy oriental infusion which sounds naturally militant. It was an abstract song to end on; being neither a hit nor a new single, but this is why I love Animal Collective.

it turns out they’re pretty nice and they work pretty hard If you’ve been missing the proper NME guitar bands of your teens, the kind that made you whack out your skinny jeans and start growing Gallagher hair, then you’re in luck. They even treated us to a Christmas Song: ‘All I Want for Christmas is Divorce’. With bells on. Literally!

They’ve just finished recording their debut EP and you can catch them at The Enterprise in Camden on February 12th. Looks like they’re all set to take 2013 by storm, and in their own words, Just. Watch Them.

The

band

plays

the

music they want to play The band plays the music they want to play, as opposed to pandering to people’s desire to relive old albums. They prize themselves on constantly growing and moving forward. Their whole take is to never make the same album twice, and yet they manage to maintain something that is distinctly them.

It is almost like their audience had completely forgotten that. It was like saying you are the biggest fan at a Radiohead gig and wonder why they don’t play Creep. Watching people so reluctant to liking the new album was frustrating because the performance the quartet put on, the complexity of the music, and even the stage set alone, was phenomenal, and I don’t think realised by many of the audience members.

That being said, the ones who were enjoying it were in their own utopian universe, and were not concerned about the lacking enthusiasm of others.

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

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22 ARTS&BOOKS

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

Arts&BOOKS Not such a loser after all!

Review of Loserville, The Musical Charlotte Coster

the Garrick theatre last October.

It was meant to run until March 2013, but instead closed yesterday after a mere 3 months. Why? A rubbish storyline? No! Lack of ac-

opened at the Garrick, this soon dwindled and so did the audiences!

Which is a shame because it meant that the majority of you missed a truly fantastic show. A show which

were very good voices so should be heard. And the execution of the dance routines were, similarly, of a very high standard, that made even watching it feel exhausting. Cos-

Who else would make the backdrop work as a picture painted onto a giant notebook that the chorus then held up? A daring concept that could have gone horribly wrong but which worked perfectly and meant that stage changes were much more efficient than they easily could have been!

5th January was a sad day for the West End theatre and all the lovers of it who go there to see the beautiful shows! It saw the end of Loserville - a good 2 months earlier than it was meant to. You probably have never even heard of it - I hadn’t either really, except in passing, but an opportunity for cheap tickets, a front row seat and the last chance to see something was too good to miss. And I am so glad I did! What the next two hours entailed was a wonderful, colourful mash of singing and dancing! And I loved every minute.

the execution of the dance routines were, similarly, of a very high standard, that made even watching it feel exhausting.

What the next two hours entailed was a wonderful, colourful mash of singing and dancing!

Loserville, with songs written by ex-Busted member, James Bourne, started life up in the North, in Leeds and entered the West End in

tion? Nope! Inadequate singing?

Definitely not! So what...? As always, I believe it is a lack of publicity that let it down. Although there was a lot to begin with, when it first

gave a voice to the geeks and led them to victory over the popular bullies...nothing new there, I suppose, not in a musical fantasy world anyway. But, to be fair, they

tumes were wonderfully vintage in keeping with the 1970s fashion where it was set and the stage a wonderfully simple design.

An absolute cracker of a show.

Review of The Royal Ballet The Nutcracker Simona Angelini

The Royal Ballet’s magical performance of The Nutcracker enchants its audiences, making for the perfect Christmas treat: festivities, toys, magic, adventure, glitter, glitter, and more glitter. The clock strikes midnight in the Stahlbaum household and Clara’s adventures with her magical Christmas gift begin.

the first tinkle sends shivers down your spine, and evolves into a melody so magical The Nutcracker is brought to vividly to life, as is E.T.A Hoffmann’s story, through Peter Wright’s spellbinding production, Julia Trevelyan Oman’s captivating designs and extravagant costumes. A hu-

the majority of you missed a truly fantastic show.

morous battle scene between the Nutcracker and his army of toy soldiers with the Mouse King and his mice is followed by a journey into the land of snow.

We are then whisked away to the land of sweets, greeted by one of the Royal Ballet’s principal dancers Sparkling snowflakes come to life in the form of the company’s artists, lightly dusting the stage with their glittering presence. We are then whisked away to the land of sweets, greeted by one of the Royal Ballet’s principal dancers, Sarah Lamb as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Nutcracker tells the Sugar Plum Fairy of his bravery in battle with the Mouse King and so, she rewards him with a celebration of cultural dances. As we move through the beautifully sustained Arabian Dance, to the energetic Chinese Dance, to the graceful Waltz of

I feel bad for anyone who didn’t get to see this show. And I feel bad for the talented cast who definitely didn’t get enough audiences. But personally, I feel amazing because this musical really cheered me up!

So I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I hope they will bring it back for a tour or another run in London at some point in the future!

Flowers, one musical number is anticipated by all – The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Tchaikovsky’s famous melody stands for all things Christmassy in today’s culture.

But, stripped back from the tacky TV ads, on stage with the help of Lamb, the music really comes to life. The first tinkle sends shivers down your spine, and evolves into a melody so magical, that so warmly is sends all hearts a-flutter. Another mesmerising performance from the Royal Ballet Company; be sure not to miss it in Christmases to come!

Sparkling snowflakes come to life in the form of the company’s artists For spring’s programme of Ballet and Dance and Opera and Music at The Royal Opera House, visit www.roh.org.uk.

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

ARTS&BOOKS

Viewing The Other Side of Hope...

Romanian Film Festival Review Interview with Ramona Mitric Roxana Tohaneanu-Shields

Some obsessions are worth indulging, contrary to what the doctors or the critics say, and other are not. In recent years one of my obsessions has been world cinema and I think this is one of the most rewarding and healthy obsessions I have. In November, last term, I had an interesting discussion with a Polish friend about films. To my surprise when I mentioned my admiration for the Polish Film School and the golden age of Polish cinema – for directors like Wajda, Munk, Zanussi, Polanski or Kieslowski, she told me that Poland is nowadays more interested in contemporary Romanian cinema. I said: ‘Really? How extraordinary!’ but, immediately I realised that I should not be so surprised because in the last eight years starting with the astonishing film The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Romanian film is one of the most inspiring forces in cinematic storytelling.

..one of my obsessions is world cinema and I think this is one of the most rewarding and healthy obsessions I have.

At the end of last November I went to the 9th edition of the Romanian Film Festival in London, entitled The Other Side of Hope (www. rofilmfest.com). The four new Romanian films screened at the festi-

val were: Beyond the Hills directed

by C. Mungiu (a film that won two awards at the Cannes Festival in May last year for Best Screenplay and Best Actress); Principles of Life directed by C. Popescu; Everybody in Our Family by R. Jude; and Periferic directed by B. G. Apetri.

are sorry not to include the majority of them in the final programme, all these viewings create a complete picture of the contemporary Romanian film scene. We noticed there was a strong vein coursing through the greater part of all the films we saw: a certain concern to explore the limits of hope, a de-

tions to images of life in the region, offering audiences a detailed understanding of Romanians as individuals like themselves.

Of course, winning prizes in major international events is an important factor to the consequent career of a film, but it is not necessarily the main reason for selecting

sire to search for what lies beyond hope. This is how we chose the title The Other Side of Hope, believing it to be a good short description of the entire programme. All the characters in the films shown in the Festival have their hopes – if these hopes are fulfilled, is for the viewers to discover.

it. With the Festival, the main criteria have always been the overall quality and the capacity of the film to tell a powerful story.

A: Without any doubt, the most rewarding part of the Festival was to see so many people coming to our events. We had sold out screenings before, but this year it was the first time that both the opening and closing films – Cristian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills, and Calin Peter

For me the festival offered moments of intense aesthetic pleasure For me the festival offered moments of intense aesthetic pleasure, it displayed new creative cinematic talent of an international standard and it had a friendly cultural atmosphere. The festival is usually hosted by an art cinema – this edition took place at the Curzon Renoir in Russell Square, which is a real bonus for film buffs. My favourite film was Periferic (which was also translated and is probably going to be released as Outbound) a film about the human condition, alienation, the margins of society, failed relationships and resilience.

The director of the Romanian Film Festival is Ramona Mitric who was able to fit an interview with me into her busy schedule.

Interview with Ramona Mitric, Director of the Romanian Film Festival in London: Q: What was the significance of this year’s festival title The Other Side of Hope?

A: I think this year’s title – The Other Side of Hope – managed to capture the essence of the films presented in the programme.

When working on the selection for the screenings for each edition of the Festival, we have to see a good number of films, and we have to see them many times. Although we

it displayed new creative cinematic talent of an international standard and it had a friendly cultural atmosphere Q: One of the films screened during this year’s festival received very good reviews in the British press because it won two prizes at Cannes. Could you tell us what were the criteria used for the selection of the other films presented in the festival?

A: Outside Romania – in London, Berlin, Cannes or New York – the Romanian New Wave films have been recognised as a challenge to stereotypes about Romania and the rest of the East and Central European region. In contrast to routine media coverage, these films are among the few positive contribu-

Q: What were the biggest challenges that you encountered as the festival director?

A: I am afraid I will have to reply with what has become a tired – but sadly very true – cliché. The biggest challenge to culture-making today is navigating the tough conditions imposed by the current economic climate. Funding has become increasingly difficult to find – luckily there are still many friends of the arts out there who are not afraid to commit themselves in an enterprise that does not generate financial gain. However, there is a net gain, which can be quantified, and that is the reputation of Romanian cinema and, with it, that of Romanian culture and Romania itself.

Culture is, most of the time, one of the most efficient ambassadors any country can have. Through our Festival, we manage to convince our London audience that media stereotypes do not represent Romanians, and that Romania has many interesting and valuable facets that are worth attention.

Q: What was the most rewarding experience of this year’s festival?

Netzer’s Medal of Honour – were sold out before the Festival event started.

Yes, Romanian contemporary cinema does offer a fresh approach to cinematic storytelling Q: Do you think that the Romanian contemporary films presented to the British audience offer a fresh approach to cinematic storytelling in addition to a unique insight into contemporary Romanian life?

A:Yes, Romanian contemporary cinema does offer a fresh approach to cinematic storytelling, and a unique insight into Romanian contemporary life. Furthermore, it also shows the Romanians for what they are: people with qualities and defects, people who love, aspire to better things, live, fight, fail or succeed. Audiences can find themselves in these characters, even if the context is different. I think this is one of the main assets of contemporary Romanian cinema.

24 FASHION

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

FASHION Crossing the line Shades of grey

Meggings, yes or no?

Nicole Correia

If you thought men nudging their way into women’s clothing ended with men in UGGs, otherwise referred to as MUGGs, you can think again. 2013 introduces ‘meggings’ to shop floors, and possibly male wardrobes near you. This new legging/jegging spin off is specifically designed for men and is one of the most talked about trends this season- for a number of reasons!

89% of voters in our poll voted no for men wearing leggings

Your thoughts Saranya, Female I literally hate the idea of meggings! It seems it is an attempt to merge men and womens fashion, but it just doesn’t work. I can see ‘metrosexual’ men wearing them but I don’t think girls would see men who wear them as being particularly attractive.

I think men and womens fashion should be kept seperate from one another. Mens fashion should be more classic and understated and meggings are just too much.

I really hope the trend doesn’t grow!

Sam, Male I wear skinny jeans all the time but I think this could be a step to far! Maybe they’d catch on better if they weren’t called meggings though...

Neil, Male I wear this anyway, I didn’t realise I was so far ahead of fashion!

Tsui Chung

This season’s catwalk saw the rise of the stripes. But instead of the familiar nautical patterns, it’s all about reinventing the traditional to make a statement. Dismiss all the myths about stripes being unflattering to your figure; with the large variety of colour combinations and designs, there’s one to suit every body type. There are no excuses for anyone without stripes in their wardrobe.

Marc Jacobs was this season’s designer leading the trend, revolving his entire show around stripes. Distinguished pieces include stripy gowns with a ruffled hemline, two-piece monochromatic suits and graphic stripes on maxi dresses that don’t just travel from horizontal to vertical, but in every direction possible. They fit together to form an optical illusion that meets the fantastical world of Dr Seuss. However, it’s not just Marc Jacobs that has taken aboard

this trend, but the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Moschino and Dolce and Gabbana have all got into line too. These designers are all about experimenting with different assortments of stripes, from thick to thin, or horizontal to vertical, to add a little individuality to the mother of all stripes: the Breton shirt, as popular now as it was when it was worn on Coco Chanel’s back.

As well as on the catwalk, stripes are everywhere on the high street this season. Why not try mixing and matching styles to create a unique look. It’s all about finding the right stripe to compliment your body shape; vertical stripes help to elongate the figure whilst horizontal stripes accentuate and highlight the body. If you’re still not sure how to pull it off why not try accessorising your favourite outfit with a striped scarf or hat.

No matter how you wear stripes this season, you can’t go wrong with this easy and chic trend.

Rebecca thompson

The spring 2013 fashion shows are over but the trends that they have left behind will shape your wardrobe this season and storm our campus this term.

From style icon Michelle Obama’s grey manicure that caused a frenzy back in October, to the spring catwalk shows in London and New York, grey is the trending colour for spring 2013.

Grey consists of black and white, it is a mediating colour and this spring the colour grey will mediate your fashions flaws and be your agent to achieving on-trend style.

Some of you might be thinking that grey is a colour which is dull or boring, so we shall consider how to work the grey trend to achieve a stylish and eye-catching look. This spring grey symbolises class and elegance, it is chic, futuristic and modern, whilst being soft and easy to wear. Therefore the grey trend

Colour of 2013: Emerald Syahirah syed Jaafar

I am loving the colour of the year, emerald, as it is my birth stone and also my favourite shade of green. What’s more, as the colour of the year, we should take this as an opportunity to get excited and experiment, incorporating this exotic shade of green into our everyday lives, most importantly, our wardrobes.

“Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that

enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”

I love Emerald for its subtle, yet bold appeal, allowing you to look down to earth, but vibrant at the same time. Incorporating this colour into current fashion trends, think emerald pants and a bright blue sweater (earthy colours with an attitude), or how about an emerald coloured peplum top with a short black or white skirt?

There are so many ways to incorporate this colour into your

wardrobe; one can choose to wear head-to-toe in this shade, or merely decorate your look subtly with an emerald stone necklace.

Emerald has a subtle and yet bold appeal I’m definitely looking out for an emerald coloured dress as I like to keep it simple; an emerald dress with black tights and a headband is my ideal preppy look.

is perfect for combining with other fashion trends this season. Zoo animal prints, bold stripes, pretty pastel shades and vibrant neon colours are also hot trends for spring 2013, what is brilliant for us is that they can be teamed with the grey trend for a sassy look that still oozes class and is easy and comfort to wear this season.

So start hitting the high-street stores; ASOS have a wide range of dresses in grey, which are jersey, over-sized or knitted for a daytime look, or, lace, midi or bodycon to rock the evening. Jeans or jeggings are a great way to follow this seasons grey trend, as statements pieces like these can be assessorised, reworn time and time again, and dressed up or dressed down. You’ll find a variety of jeans and jeggings online at ASOS or in store at Warehouse and Topshop.

This spring grey is the must have shade, so get shopping fashion followers and purchase 50 shades of grey for your wardrobe.

Other ways you can decorate your look is by using an emerald clutch, or even emerald high heels! Such an unusual colour but definitely compliment worthy.

I love this colour for it’s versatility; capable of keeping it simple or jazzing up your look with some glitz and glam accessories, this colour is one to try out. And as we approach Spring, there will be more colours to mix and match with making it ever more versatile and fun!

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

FASHION 25

The V&A club to catwalk summer exhibition Sophie O’Neill

The Victoria and Albert Museum will unveil its major summer 2013 Exhibition, ‘Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s’ on July 10th.

The exciting new exhibition will be focused on how the infamous club scene of 1980s London had such a radical impact on the international fashion world. The vast array of eighties clubbers that took to London’s underground nightlife spots created a host of fashion styles, including Fetish, Goth, Rave, High Camp and New Romantic, and the V&A will be

celebrating this fashion revolution in its mezzanine, with an impressive collection showcasing all of these styles.

The exhibition will also showcase an area recreated in the theme of one of the infamous clubs that sparked the fashion, multiple vintage accessories, and an archive of magazines that helped spread the style to a nation and international audience. An exciting highlight of the collection will be nine exclusive denim jackets, which were commissioned during the era itself, by Blitz magazine in 1981.

Other highlights include the input of designers such as John Galliano

and Vivienne Westwood, who have designed over 85 outfits for the collection, which will be displayed alongside vintage clubwear. The importance of the contemporary designers themselves will also be celebrated, with the first floor gallery focusing on those whose collections took inspiration from the clubbing scene, and helped it to make such a revolutionary impact on the fashion world as a whole.

The V&A will be sure to make a statement with this summer exhibition, with a collection celebrating one of the biggest revolutions in the fashion world.

Masculine womenswear Interview do’s and don’t Samantha Yates

Masculine styled womenswear rose to fame thanks to the styles of Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung and hoards of bloggers looking to make their girly blogs more chiseled.

Now the look is everywhere and easy to achieve too.

Zara’s recent SS13 collection features tailored blazers, the most popularized masculine piece for a feminine wardrobe. Tartan suits pack a punch stating smart meets sassy. Meanwhile a black blazer can add simple slick to any outfit.

Textures and materials originally associated with menswear have seeped into our wardrobes. The rise of leather is proof. No longer

constrained to motorcycle jackets, the material toughens up any feminine garment; leather skater skirt?

Don’t mess with her.

We’ve also shown the men how to rock serious shoes. Once associated with the menswear department, loafers and brogues now sport chunky heels and fantastic colour.

Comfort and practicality meets fun and stylish; step aside boys, we’ll show you how it’s done.

Accessories listed as ‘unisex’ have soared in popularity. Masculine styles of watch especially.

Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs led the way last year with large, heavy pieces. The days of the dainty are over; chunky and solid are in favour for 2013.

Street style loves masculine styled womenswear, it’s easy to achieve and thoroughly effective.

Cigarette trousers paired with a fitted blazer creates a powerful silhouette, pop on some statement stilettos and you’re ready to face anything. If casual is more appealing, a simple flannel shirt with an oversized cable knit jumper and satchel should achieve the desired look. Be careful to avoid hipster connotations. But the crisp white shirt, a little oversized, half tucked in, half unbuttoned, has to be the iconic piece of a masculine wardrobe. What’s not to love in a world where girls can not only wear the skirts, but the trousers too.

Sabina Rouse

The time is finally upon us. It’s January and that means it’s time to start applying for placements and jobs for the summer. So you’ve sent off countless CV’s and made an insane number of phone calls.

As it happens, looking good on paper and getting the role is the easy part, the hard part comes later down the line. On the day of your interview you are faced with the almost impossible challenge of finding something suitable to wear: you have a wardrobe stuffed with clothes, yet nothing to wear. Sound familiar? Choosing an outfit for an interview can be tricky, yet, if you stick to a few simple rules then looking suitable for the job and stylish won’t be a problem. First rule to stand bye: more is less. Say goodbye to sequins, ruffles, cartoon prints and bodycon; the simpler the better.

However, this does not mean wearing an admittedly plain and boring

white shirt and black trousers combination. Second rule: stick to chic, block colours. Instead of walking in dressed in canary yellow and neon pink and giving your interviewer the fright of their life, tone it down and stick to classic shades including black, navy, red, white and nude. This also works the other way, don’t go dressed in head to toe black as if attending a funeral. Finally, if you choose to wear a dress to an interview, the most important thing to consider is its length and modesty around the chest. On a night out, us girls would normally go by the rule ‘boobs or legs out, but never both’.

However at an interview, it is suffice to say that neither, let alone one or the other, is appropriate.

Midi dresses are on trend this season and apart from providing the wearer with the perfect length it also elongates your figure and cinches in the waist, making it ideal and smart interview wear.

Fortnightly newspaper not enough for you?

Check out our website at www.sparknewspaper.co.uk Are you interested in everything and anything fashion?

Are you a writer or photographer?

If so, we want to hear from you!

Get in contact at fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk or via twitter @fashspark

26 BEAUTY

Friday 18th January 2013 Spark*

beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk

BEAUTY My Christmas pick!!!

Urban Decay rival it’s a lovely alternative.

Elle Turner

I was lucky enough to receive a whole array of incredible beauty products from Santa this Christmas and I thought it would be nice to share my new favourite products with everyone, since sharing is caring!

First up is probably my favourite beauty gift since I had been eying it up for sooo long! Nars “Laguna Bronzer” is, in my opinion the best bronzer out there, and I’ve tried a LOT! It has a really soft velvety texture and is beautifully pigmented so that it provides a gorgeous sun-kissed look as opposed to producing a cakey tangoed effect, Keith Lemon style! At £25 it’s rather expensive for a student budget, which is why I didn’t have the heart to splash out myself and added it to my Christmas Wish List. However, hopefully some lovely relative may have given you some Christmas money, in which case go wild!

The next product came as a complete surprise to me as although I am acquainted with the brand Stila, I had never come across the “In The Light Palette” (£25) which bears a striking resemblance to the Urban Decay “Naked Palette” (£36) which I also love!

It’s a lovely alternative product

Finally, I’ve been going mad for M.A.C lipsticks, spending ages in the M.A.C store poring over the different finishes, with lustre, satin, matte, crème sheen and loads more to choose from as well as the MASSIVE range of colours. I was lucky enough to receive “Crème Cup” (a pretty, light creamy pink) and “Viva Glam V” (a darker pearly pink) for my birthday and I’m addicted!

Both are beautifully pigmented and share a similar colour range with Champagne, Gilded Gold and Night Sky from the Stila palette being near dupes for Half Baked, Darkhorse and Gunmetal respectively from the “Naked Palette”.

Although the “Naked Palette” has two more eyes shadows than “In The Light”, the Stila palette makes up for it by providing larger samples of each of its eye shadow.

So at over a tenner less than it’s

Hair extensions unfortunately seem to bring to mind women with talon nails, fake tan and big designer bags. However, 2013 marks the revival of fake hair; Kim K is shamelessly wearing a ‘winge’ – a clip in fringe.

And it looks good, despite the questionable name. Apparently the fringe is trustworthy too, seemingly more so than the au natural fringes- no dodgey gaps!

You can even have it fitted by experts. Topshop and Debenhams have fringebars (who knew?!) and so you can head hunt for your perfect fringe and take it home with you. Wonderful.

As you may have also seen Kate Middleton has also done something with her fringe. We suspect it’s not a winge, but it has gone 70s, and I like it too. It’s unfair that she can have a real flawless fringe when

the rest of us, including Kim Kardashian, must shop around, holding pieces of fake hair to our foreheads to get the correct colour in order to buy one.

However, from one princess’s barnet to another - Princess Diaries star, Anne Hathaway (more recently talked about for her role in Les Miserables,) is sporting a short and chic haircut. She has also jumped on the hair bandwagon, and seems to be growing out a side fringe. Despite the ‘good girl’ status that remains pinned to Anne, even after her role as a dying prostitute, it does give her a sophisticated grown up appeal.

Admittedly, you’d have to be brave to chop off your locks, without the promise of an incredible role and salary in a new film, but if you have pretty features like Anne, perhaps the change would be refreshing and bold. I’ve not heard anyone yet adamantly say ‘a new year, new me’, and I know that

Elle Turner

Flaky, chapped lips are an absolute no-no when it comes to flaunting your pout. Whether you want to go au natural or apply some lippy, smooth, soft lips are the way to go.

However, with the weather playing havoc and the wind whipping the moisture from your lips, it’s pretty tricky these days to achieve the perfect pout. I’ve suffered as much as the next girl, stocking up on gazillions of lip balms, moisturisers and repair creams, you name it, I’ve probably tried it.

pout paradise! The scrub gently removes dead, flaky skin from your lips and provides some much needed moisture. Plus they come in several different flavours from Mint Julips (my personal favourite) a mint chocolate flavoured scrub, to bubblegum and popcorn, and at £5.25 for a pot they are well worth investing in.

Since stumbling upon Lush’s lip scrubs, I’ve been in pout paradise!!!

However, after stumbling upon Lush’s lip scrubs, which are specially formulated for the delicate skin on your lips, I’ve been in

Oui s’il vous plait!

Jessica Headdon

The Hair Trends of 2013!!

Nicole correia

Pimp your pout!!

for some reason losing weight and changing your hair always seem to be top of the ‘New year to do list’.

So whether you choose to get the chop, go au natural with a side fringe, or start the year banging with your winge, I do hope 2013 is a successful and happy year for all!

After one too many trips to Paris and a sizeable handful of French films, the realisation eventually dawned that, over every other nation, French women always look so damn perfect.

Clémence Poésy, Audrey Tautou and Marion Cotillard all consistently flaunt fresh faced, effortless looks. And the secret? The radiant skin, glowing cheeks and soft, tousled waves are a product of the ritualistic approach to beauty that French girls are brought up withmaking time to take care.

Most notably, they never look overdone- pared down is much, much chicer than slapped on, and at night, less is more- opt for either a dramatic eye or smouldering lip; never both.

They look after their skin- simply, they’re brought up with routines and they stick to them. Often “no water” routines are described to me; the Paris water system doesn’t allow for it to be particularly skinfriendly. The general consensus is that a cleansing water or lotion is used instead of a wash- try brands like L’Occitane and Sephora’s own for first timers. Honestly, after spending so many years trying to be religious about keeping my face clean, it feels awful to just be putting something back on at the end

of the day, but it’s pretty effective, especially if you’re harboured with Paris-like water cleanliness.

As far as brands go, it seems tedious to list the best that you can get your hands on it Britain, I’m sure everyone’s familiar with Bourjois, L’Oreal, Chanel and Dior. But dig a little, find brands like Renée Rouleau and Caudalie.

Pricey for students, yes, but so worth it.

Blogs everywhere are consistently debating the ‘rules’ of French skincare, but find the right ones and the advice is golden- reneerouleau.com is full of beautiful tricks, and frenchwomendontgetfat.com is my go-to bible for ‘eat healthy, but eat cake!’ advice. T’es beau! “

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

CAREERS 27

Careers

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION? TOP JOBSHOP JOBS

If this is your final year at Reading there can be something very uncomfortable about coming back to the University this term, everything is so… final, your final Spring term and your final set of exams starts to loom much quicker than you expected. Some finalists will know what they want to do after they graduate in just six months’ time, while some of you will possibly have a job offer or postgrad course in the bag.

However if last year’s statistics are anything to go by, the majority of students at Reading are still looking to put something in place.

If that sounds like you, then the University Careers Centre (CPEC) is here to help. You don’t need to

know what you want to do to come and use us.

Here are three simple things you could do; •Drop in to Careers on the first floor of the Carrington Building and see a careers adviser for fifteen minutes. These slots are available on a first come first served basis between 11.30 and 2pm, Monday to Friday. Just one session can help you start thinking about your career options. If you need longer, we can book you into a 30 minute careers discussion with a careers adviser responsible for your course and /or refer you to other relevant sessions and events that will help you on the road to success.

CAREER EVENTS Thurs 17th Jan, 1.00-2.00pm, Study abroad in the USA: Palmer Building room 1.03

Weds 23rd Jan, 1.00-2.00pm, Studying Abroad - All you need to know: Palmer Building, 1.03

•Come along to our Headstart session for finalists on Thursday 7th Feb at 1pm. This is a joint session run between Careers and Student Well Being which will address the issues of what to do this term and tips on coping with uncertainty.

To find out more and book a slot go to My Jobs On-line or book at Reception on the 1st floor of the Carrington Building.

•Check out all our Headstart programme of events this term which will allow you to meet employers, find out about possible career areas and help you through the recruitment process with workshops to improve your CV or interview performance.

More details and bookings on www.reading.ac.uk/careers/myjobsonline

Job title: Customer Experience Programme Assistant Company: Amazon Location: Slough Pay: above NMW Closing Date: 08/03/13

Job title: Conference Steward Company: Connexions Berkshire Location: University of Reading Pay: £50 per day Closing Date: 07.03.13

Job title: Front of House Assistant Company: University of Reading Location: Reading Pay: National Minimum Wage Closing Date: 01.02.13

Job title: Catering Assistants Company: Compass Group Location: Madejski Stadium, Reading Pay: NMW Closing Date: 05.03.13

Job title: Scientific Equipment Marketing Assistant Company: Flexicom Location: Berkshire Pay: £7.00ph Closing Date: 11.03.13 Job title: Study Skills Presenter Company: Elevate Education Location: Berkshire area Pay: £20.00-£45.00ph Closing Date: 30.01.13 To apply go to: www.reading.ac.uk/ jobshop

Job title: Promotional Staff Company: Square in the Air Location: Berkshire and South East Pay: £10.00-£20.00ph Closing Date: 01.02.13 Job title: Research Participant Company: School of Psychology Location: University of Reading Pay: £10 for 1 hour session Closing Date: 28.02.13

28 HEALTH&FOOD

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH How can I... beat the winter blues?

Ebba Fredriksen

Shorter days, more rain and longer nights are enough to make anyone’s spirit drop, but fear not, winter does not have to be all doom and gloom. Diet and lifestyle, but also an element of fun, can improve your mood.

The best way to keep your energy levels and your mood up is by regularly eating three balanced meals a day. A balanced meal consists of proteins, carbs, vegetables, and a small amount of fat. It’s also a good idea to eat healthy snacks in between meals, such as fruit, rather than drinks with sugar or caffeine, which causes blood sugar levels to spike and crash.

Wholegrains, fruits and veggies help to keep your bowls regular but also contain important nutrients that your brain needs. By eating your five a day you will get folate and zinc which are important in combating depression.

We all know that protein can help us feel fuller for longer and build muscles but they can also help with a good mood. One of the building blocks of protein has been associated with improving depression. Food such as pulses, plain nuts, meat, fish, eggs and dairy products can help you feel cheerier.

Oily fish is good for you: not only can it protect against heart disease but it turns out it can also improve mood. Just two portions a week of fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and herrings are enough.

Vegetarians can try eggs and milk and vegans can instead use flax seed, rapeseed, soya or walnut oil.

Dehydration can also affect your mood; a good plan is to drink about 1.5 - 2 litres a day. This obviously does not include drinks with caffeine or alcohol, which act as diuretics.

Exercise releases endorphins in the body making you feel happier.

You don’t have to go full out body builder at the gym but try something that makes your heart work a bit, such as running, swimming, or cycling.

Take a moment to think about what makes you happy, whether that’s exercising, travelling, seeing

of self-criticism and change it to self-celebration. A time to leave behind the woes of 2012, or revel in the joys of the past year, and find true love in the mirror.

Want to lose weight? Why start the year with choosing to lose?

Instead, what about making room to gain? By letting go of the negative aspects of your life, you make room for new experiences, feelings, goals and most importantly, opportunity.

SRSH would like to encourage everyone at Reading to consider making these changes in the New Year- because January is dark, cold and miserable enough, without the added blues of feeling down on yourself. Make room to gain and fall back in the love with the person who rocked the year of Gangnam Style. No more “New Year, new you:” let’s say “New Year, new opportunities.” It’s not as catchy, but it’s much more positive. And what a lovely way to start the New Year.

Simona Angelini

your family and friends or even shopping. Plan ahead, so you can make sure you have some of these things to look forward to if you are feeling a bit down.

It is natural to be more tired in the winter than in the summer due to the reduced hours of sunshine.

If the sun is out take a walk, play some football or just sit in the outside area of the café. Cherish every moment of sun.

Instead of cursing the darkness, make it work for you. Light some candles, buy some turkey and drink some mimosa cocktails.

Winter only comes round once a year, so why not make the most of it? Who says you can’t continue the festivities well into January?

Feeling strong and energetic in the winter is not impossible. If you make sure that your meals are balanced, that you having fun things to look forward to and trying to catch some sun when possible you should be able to stay positive and well until Spring.

If you just can’t shake the winter blues, you’re not alone. Why not chat to someone on campus in confidentiality? Email counselling@ reading.ac.uk, call 0118 3784216 or pop into Room 106, on the first floor in the Carrington Building.

Time to think Ballet: ‘Give it a GO’ Anja Nielsen

January may be the first month of the year, but unfortunately the opportunities of such a fresh start are often overshadowed by incessant messages of a need to change who you are. Take a walk on the High Street, turn on the television, or browse nearly any internet site and you will be bombarded with all the negative reinforcement needed to feel that everything about you must be changed.

In spite, or more accurately because, of all this, here is your invitation to rethink a New Year’s Resolution. The you of 2012 made it through the Olympics, Jubilee, End of the World, Exams and the second rainiest year to date, all amazing feats that deserve to be celebrated.

Want to find true love? Why not choose to fall in love with yourself.

Who else is, literally, always there for you? A new year is an opportunity to break the ingrained pattern

The University’s ‘Give it a GO’ week starting from Monday 28th January, is giving you the perfect opportunity this new year to try something new. Make your overall personal well-being the focus of this year and give ballet a go. Ballet offers many potential benefits for your body and mind, as well as it being thoroughly enjoyable.

Why try Ballet?

Improvement of posture: when most of your day is spent slumped over a desk engrossed (hopefully) in your work, posture starts to slip.

Some simple balletic exercises encourage correct postural alignment making good posture a habit in day-to-day activities.

Strength and Sculpture: ballet strengthens core muscles: the back and abdomen. A strong core is vital for the development of a good technique, and control. Ballet also provides a whole body workout; the movements are designed to strengthen, tone and define all of the muscles in your body.

Relaxation and body awareness: in a ballet class there is no time to think about anything other than you. However simple, each movement requires 100% focus and attention on everything, everywhere! This engagement and self-awareness removes you from the worries of that exam you’re already dreading.

Increased flexibility: this is useful in any sport. Maybe if you were that little bit more flexible in your hips you would have scored that goal?

Confidence: ballet really gives you the chance to express yourself and feel comfortable within your own body. Psychologists also believe that developing new skills can improve confidence overall, so ballet can have a knock on effect on all areas of your life.

For more information on how you can give ballet a go, come along to the Refreshers Fayre on Thursday

24th January at 3Sixty, from 123pm and speak to the university’s ballet society committee.

Did you know?

At the age of 11, Rio Ferdinand won a scholarship to the Central School of Ballet, which he attended four days a week for four years, dividing his time between intensive football training and the rigorous discipline of dance.

In an interview with ‘The Week’ he claims that ballet helped him develop as a footballer, improving his balance and timing.

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH&FOOD 35

Food Restaurant review: Chiquitos Sarah Lienard

As far as cuisines go, Mexican is a definite favourite with me. I love the contrasts in textures and flavours, the crunch of a taco shell, the chewy dough of a tortilla, the contrast between fiery hot chilli and cooling sour cream. And what other country has perfected the art of the DIY meal, aka the fajita, which is fully customizable even after its been served on the table?

You can count on this food to have something to suit everyone’s tastes, and on that point Mexican chain Chiquitos doesn’t fail to deliver.

Chiquitos is one restaurant that is truly student friendly, offering ‘Freshers Freebies’ all year round, with up to 25% off. Those with a valid student ID can take their pick from a variety of offers including 4 beers for £10, a free starter or dessert, £10 off the bill

or a free cocktail. See the website (given at the end) for details.

On entering, the restaurant was cosy, but despite booking a table fairly early on in the evening, we were asked to wait at the bar for 30 minutes. Once seated, however, the service was friendly and attentive. The menu is refreshingly diverse, offering all the Mexican classics, with some twists thrown in for good measure. Fajitas, one of the most popular dishes, come in 10 variations, ranging from the usual Chicken, Steak or Vegetables, to more interesting offerings of Mango Glazed Cod, Blackened Steak or the ‘Ultimate’ BBQ Ribs.

I started with the Prawn Skewer: juicy, fresh prawns skewered with peppers, grilled, and served over salad. The real flavour came from the lime and tequila sauce that came on the side in a little dish, which is perfect for those who are calorie-conscious or just plain picky about their sauces.

My friend ordered nachos, messily piled high and smothered with melted cheese, jalapeño peppers, salsa and guacamole.

Next up was steak fajitas, served sizzling in a skillet with onions and peppers with the usual accompani-

-ments of tortillas, cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole. The steak was juicy and tender, cooked medium rare as ordered, and substantial enough in size to fill all the tortillas (as well as my friend’s stomach).

My order of Veggie Five Bean Chilli was also filling, served over Mexican spiced rice and topped with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. The dish was warming and rich, but as spice lover who likes a good bit of chilli in my chilli, it wasn’t quite fiery enough for me.

To finish, we decided to split the

Spiced Apple & Cinnamon Crumble Pie, which was served warm with a cooling scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. This was absolutely delicious, and although the pastry-to-fruit ratio definitely erred on the side of pastry, anyone who appreciates a crunchy, crisp crumble topping should definitely give this a go over the other tempting desserts on the menu.

Chiquitos offers hearty dishes of comfort food, with numerous offers available to students year round. Check out www.chiquitos. co.uk for more information.

I have quite a few ingredients used in that type of cooking but have started to fall short on ideas of what more to do with them. This show takes a very calculated visit through China discovering their art of cooking in the modern day, and while a lot of what is shown is quite technical and needs years of skill, if watched more for the basic recipe ideas then a lot can be taken from it. The part of the show where the hosts go to family homes are particularly useful and

can be translated to a student’s kitchen in some way, and for that I do recommend the show if Chinese cuisine interests you.

For anyone out there like me who struggles to decide what to make for dinner, I advise giving these shows a quick look - having easy, appetizing recipes to hand has definitely helped me out.

Repping the TV recipes Vinay Chauhan

Food for me seems to be more of an afterthought during my day rather than something I put serious thought into. I’m usually doing something and then look at the clock and feel like I should be making something to eat. Don’t get me wrong, I like food but it isn’t always on my mind. So when it comes to a meal time I’m usually stuck as to what to make. The internet is a useful resource for finding recipes, but because there is so much out there it’s hard to go into it not knowing what you actually want. Which for me is all too often and I’ve found that it is more useful when I know what I want but need a few perspectives on how to make it. Coming to the rescue of this dilemma are the TV cooking shows. It may seem obvious, but I hadn’t realised how useful they are for everyday recipe ideas and for telling you what to make. It seems that more and more shows are coming on that are about simple meals that can be made everyday. For me this is a perfect way to find things to make

without too much hassle, also seeing the meal being made definitely helps whet the appetite. I thought I’d highlight a couple of shows that have inspired me.

A show I’d like to mention is ‘Nigel Slater’s Dish of the Day’. It was on BBC 1, unfortunately no longer on iPlayer, but still has an active show page and can be found lingering in full on the internet somewhere, [cough Youtube cough]. This type of show along with Lorraine Pascale’s, also on the BBC, is not about the cook. I’ve found these new types of shows are about simple food and the ‘chefs’, to give them some credit or ‘hosts’ if you want to say it how it is, are pretty interchangeable.

One of the stand out recipes for me was the simple butternut squash soup risotto. That recipe is what I watch these shows for, as it had never really occurred to me to use butternut squash soup in that way and intrigued me enough to decide to make for the next day’s dinner. Solving my 8 o’clock, yes I tend to eat late, ‘oh crap I need to make something’ issue for at least another day. These shows

aren’t perfect though; the critic in me would take issue with the edgy camera angles, unnecessary slow-mos and use of chart music carefully balanced between just old enough to be cheaply licensed but not too old that it can still be considered ‘current’. However if you use these shows as a tool to get recipe ideas, and can bear the host enough to ignore the show’s ridiculous aspects, it’s possible to build up an intriguing catalogue of things to try out.

Another show I’d like mention is ‘Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure’. This show is a little different as it is also a brilliant documentary about China. The show is hosted by actual chef Ken Hom, who has received a honorary OBE for ‘culinary services’, and also by Ching He Huang who falls more into the other category of TV chef I described above. The show page can also be found on the BBC and in full loitering around the same parts of the Internet as Nigel Slater’s.

This show appealed to me as I really enjoy oriental food and tend to cook with its style a lot. As a result

Below: Ken Hom and Ching He Huang cook with chefs across China on ‘Exploring China’.

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk 30

Spark*

Friday 18 January 2013

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY

Editorial “Opposing the privatisation of knowledge”

Hi all, Another year, another term another two pages of science and technology. I hope everyone has had a good holiday and that you’re all refreshed enough for what always is a busy term.

The internet and the technology world was recently shocked by the news of Aaron Swartz’s passing. He achieved so much in his short life and was a figure who’s actions helped safe guard our freedoms from erosion. The fight is an ongoing process and sadly he will not be the one to continue it, but with hope he will have spurred many to fill the tragic gap. I take a look over some of what he fought for and why there is still so much left to do.

We have an opinion piece that goes through Joe Thomas’ turbulent relationship with computers. Our long running feature ‘Wildlife on campus’ is back with George giving us a look behind a familiar sight. The holiday period usually means a lot of developments happen and naturally won’t get printed by us, so I created a short roundup of few stories that seemed interesting.

Lastly the current stewardship of this section will be coming to an end and the search for the new editors has begun. Contact us through email or Facebook if you are interested in taking over and in knowing what’s involved.

Keep it real.

Vinay

Want to contribute to Spark* Science & Technology?

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

Aaron Swartz delivering a keynote speech at a SOPA and PIPA protest Vinay chauhan

The software programmer Aaron Swartz, credited with coauthoring the RSS specification at the age 14, took his life on the 11th of January. I don’t plan this to be an obituary; more pertinent words have been said by people who carry more weight than these columns could ever. These names include Sir Tim BernersLee and, senior member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Peter Eckersley. The BBC has done a good job of collecting some of these messages so you can head there if you wish to read them. Instead I would like to show, as I have always tried to do within these articles, the effect of this tragedy and what means for people as well the technology industry.

Many of you had perhaps not heard of Aaron Swartz before this, but it is certain that all felt the effects of his work. From the work he did as a prominent developer of RSS and Reddit, to his effects as an internet activist.

By selling his stake in Reddit, for a not too shabby sum, he was able to pursue political activism with some gusto.

Aaron was a figure who when he spoke out he held the power of a million voices and was capable of leading an echo of millions more. It was with this power that he helped destroy the worrying progression by the US government of the draconian Stop Online Piracy Act. Many of you would have noticed the strange

day nearly a year ago where many of the big websites went dark (put themselves offline) in protest. It was the momentum built by the group founded by Aaron, Demand Progress, that helped bring the attention of the Act to the masses and rally up strong support against it, decisively killing it.

We as students are the privileged few who have this unfettered access JSTOR is a familiar name to students the world over, and I’m sure nearly every student at Reading has been overjoyed as their search query comes back with exactly what they wanted.

It is the revolution in the world of academic papers, or at least it should have been. It’s this falling short of a great technology that perhaps created the scenario for his tragedy. In 2010 Aaron was caught using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) network to scrape academic papers from JSTOR. This meant he plugged in a laptop and set a custom built programme to automatically download papers.

With the laptop hidden he managed to get around 4.8 million papers. The whole incident got a lot of attention, especially from JSTOR who after a small cat and mouse chase was forced to cut MIT’s access off briefly. Federal

prosecutors charged him with four counts of offences under the vastly under-equipped Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 1986, and later began going overboard by excessively applying more charges, by extending the murky scope of the CFAA which was dreamed up when the internet hadn’t even learnt to crawl.

The internet was a little taken back by the ratchet being twisted and even JSTOR had decided he had fair access to the files and denied any intention for prosecution after he gave them back; the US government however decided to proceed heavily and even subpoenaed JSTOR to testify. The charges if all succeeded would have amounted to 35+ years in prison.

It is perhaps necessary to balance that by saying that it would be unlikely to have been sentenced as such for what was a non-violent computer crime, but the case stands that it was being sought when more relevant charges should have been brought, and with them the far lower sentences they carried.

It is a sentiment he expressed in his ‘Guerilla Open Access Manifesto’ that I also share, the sentiment that the model for distributing these academic papers is fundamentally broken.

I have encountered papers that would have helped my research for which the University has not paid to access, this presented me with a $25 buyout screen. For one paper. This represents the broken system of the freedom of academic information and the desperate aged model the publishing industry is trying to hold onto. The academic papers are often, in all but a small few cases, surrendered to publishing houses who resell at large increases. The academics who produced the work are in general not reimbursed. It perhaps ties in too with the ever increasing cost of higher education, that the government is stuttering to subsidise at the extent it had been doing. While a break-down of the University’s expenditure is merely speculation here, it would not be surprising if it perhaps was being spent more and more on access to these papers from the publishing houses. This is even to disregard the fact that we as students are the privileged few who have this unfettered access, and that the average person does not because they simply cannot afford to. The implications of this are vast. I have known instances

where the media has reported a certain line on a scientific study and created a mass consumption headline, which would, when read with context of the actual paper, have been tutted away. Instead it is digested as ‘news’. I do believe in freer access to these papers by the average population, and not just to the enfranchised first world but also to whom Aaron acknowledged as the ‘Global south’.

These sort of things just should not be stuck behind immense paywalls in the age of the internet. Aaron successfully highlighted this with the JSTOR incident along with his earlier liberation of public information on public court records behind a paywall on PACER, the website used by the US judiciary. It is a sentiment I think many people would hopefully share and any progress made away from the archaic models of the present will be greatly welcomed. And especially away from the deluded thought process that freeing such information is treated with words like ‘theft’, that are so often waved around by politicians and industry moguls.

The overzealous charges (now officially dropped for obvious reasons) by the US government is a tragedy and has worrying connotations for the future of our information age. To lose a voice like Aaron’s in the minefield that is the current technology law is a great loss for us all, of course it goes without saying, but should be said anyway, it is nothing compared to the personal loss suffered by those close to him.

Be an editor!

It’s going to be all change for the editors at scitech and we’re on the lookout for new editors to replace us. It’s a great experience. There’s no requirement for any prior knowledge of editing or anything like that, it’s open to anyone! Contact us if you’d like to apply and to find out more. scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

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

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

Op Ed: Modern computers- built to die? Law and disordera holiday in review Joe Thomas

I’m sitting in my room typing this article on my new laptop.

Perhaps you might think the most exciting part of this is that I have a new laptop, and normally you would be right – getting new technology is normally a happy time – but I have a problem that I bought a new laptop less than two years before this one. I needed the laptop for the start of university and I had never owned a computer before so naturally upgrading from the desktop at our house - only slightly more technologically advanced than a toaster – was a good day. Or at least it should have been. I wish I could look back now with fonder memories, but my old laptop sadly passed away last month - along with two years of university work – without even a goodbye. For a student this is about as desirable as alcohol being illegal in the EU.

the voice of rationality inside my head: we’d had a good run but all good things must come to an end and you can’t expect a computer to last forever.

And this is my point: modern laptops, despite their glossy appearance, are rubbish. It seems expected that a laptop now has a life expectancy less than that of a hamster – that’s 1-2 years on average for anyone not studying zoology – but always slightly longer than the warranty. Trying not to sound too old, I remember the days of Windows 98 when the family computer actually

lived longer than you wanted it to, refusing to die like a nearindestructible terminator. It was with you for so long that it felt like an old member of the family; it would wet the bed occasionally in its frailty but it was loveable.

If my old laptop could talk it would have been more of a whiny teenager.

Of course, I know the arguments about how technology now is improving exponentially and how it enriches our lives and so on, but really I don’t care how many ‘RAMs’ my laptop is or how advanced the processor is

It seems expected that a laptop now has a life expectancy less than that of a hamster.

After swearing enough to make even a Millwall fan blush I calmed down enough to listen to

The infamous ‘blue screen of death’ on Windows PCs

or whatever. It’s hard to think of ways the public has benefitted from most improvements in computers other than improvements in speed and disc space – and anyone that can use up a terabyte of anything should probably be investigated by the police for illegally downloading the majority of the universe.

It’s expensive to try and play games on a computer since you have to inject the graphics card with steroids every few months.

Windows insists on updating constantly, adding on more and more unnecessary features which slowly reduce the performance of the computer, like gradually injecting vodka into Lewis Hamilton’s blood stream as he tries to drive. It would just be nice if the technological advances were more noticeable to normal users than the obligatory £400 updates every couple of years.

I just want a computer to do the basics rights, allowing me to do uni work, waste countless hours of my life on Facebook and watch videos of laughing babies riding delirious cats.

Maybe there is a gap in the market for more old-fashioned customers who appreciate how things were always better in the ‘good old days’. It could even be made of tweed.

Wildlife on campus: Profiling the wood pigeon that produced by mammals. The milky substance is secreted by the crop- a part of the digestive tract used to store food before it is fed to the chicks. The crop is remarkably good at this and can store up to 1,000 wheat seeds at a time. It is little wonder then, that young pigeons fledge only a month after hatching- one of the shortest periods of any bird of its size!

george holliday

The wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) is a familiar sight to all British country folk, and increasingly, people living in large towns and cities throughout Europe.

They seem able to co-exist with town pigeons by virtue of living and feeding in more suburban areas that border woodland and countryside, as opposed to the city centre pigeons that for scraps amongst many a commuter’s feet.

A rather bold kill by a cat that I recently witnessed, outside a hall of residence Wood pigeons are very common around campus- I see them every day. They can be identified by their white neck-ring and white wing bars, visible in flight, which the town pigeon lacks, although newly fledged birds have no white on their necks. But despite their ubiquity, I cannot help notice that they are attractive, healthy looking birds- quite the opposite view to farmers, who see them as pests for raiding their crops.

Familiar, soft cooing sound you hear every morning Image: www.introtoglobalstudies.com The familiar, soft cooing you hear every morning is the sound of the wood pigeon, and although it may appear to say “coo-coo”, the actual cuckoo’s call is louder and the syllables are more pronounced.

The success of the wood pigeon can be largely attributed to the change in farming practices in the last century, which leaves them enough trees to find suitable nesting sites, and large fields over which to forage which enables them a good view of their surroundings. This is

undoubtedly one of the reasons they have become less shy, as open areas provide less cover for ambush predators such as hawks, and some may have moved into suburban areas due to lack of hunting pressure from humans.

However, this did not stop what appeared to be a rather bold kill by a cat that I recently witnessed, right outside the front of a hall of residence.

Pigeons are the only birds to feed their young on “milk”, although it is very different from

Wood pigeons are very resourceful birds and are largely non-migratory in the UK, as their food needs can be met all year round. They are especially partial to berries, beans, acorns, and oilseed rape, and these foods are plentiful enough so that the birds are very tolerant of one another- feeding flocks can number many thousands of birds, and even then, there is minimal conflict between them.

If you want to learn more about birds and their conservation please visit the RSPB website: www.rspb.org.uk to give support.

vinay chauhan

The technology industry has seen a few interesting developments over the time of the Spark* winter hiatus. Here is a round-up of some of the more intriguing things that went on home and abroad that you might have missed.

Instagram or Instagrab?

Instagram, fairly recently acquired by Facebook for the value of $1 billion, attempted to change its user policy in a bid to try and monetise the platform.

Facebook has always said it had plans to turn it into an earner but the way in which it tried to do this sent a shockwave across the internet knocking many off their desk chairs. The policy change was one in which users automatically (through continuing use) allowed their pictures to be used by Instagram for promotional purposes, with the caveat that while Instagram my be paid for this they would not pass any money on to the user.

This caused some outrage as ‘the people’ feared for their pictures of their lunch, of cause made so unique by the oversaturated light filter they applied. On the serious side the National Geographic said they would suspend further uploads as they felt ‘concerned’ by the development.

Let my music go!

The law changed in the UK so that it is now possible to rip CDs and put the files legally onto a mp3 player and also to transfer digital media across devices.

This means that you no longer have to carry round that Discman and a rucksack full of your CD collection anymore, because you were obviously doing that.

The Musicians’ Union claimed they were being discriminated against.

Two copywrongs don’t make a copyright The US patent office has notably issued some pretty broad and vague software patents, and from which some petty court cases (Apple v Samsung) have arisen. But now they have asked for feedback from the industry on how to make improvements.

Personally I feel they should be scrapped altogether.

Spark* Friday 19 January 2013

gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

GAMING

GAMING 32

In Patnership with www.ZiiP.co.uk

Far Cry 3: The Lost Expeditions Or: “What I did on my holiday”

James Hockaday

Far Cry 3, developed and published by Ubisoft, is the latest addition to the Far Cry series. The game does not deviate from the proven formula of a first person shooter set in a tropical paradise from hell, but does it improve the series or just a copy of the previously successful formula?

The game puts you in the shoes of Jason Brody, an American student on holiday with a group of friends to the beautiful Pacific. After a skydiving session gone wrong, the group find themselves taken captive by the island’s ruthless and psychotic pirates (think Somali rather than Capt’n Hook) who want to sell the group into slavery.

After managing to escape from the pirates, Jason finds himself on a mission to find his friends and rescue them, aided on his way by the island tribes and a huge amount of weapons and vehicles.

Insanity is certainly a theme of the game’s story Far Cry 3 has been described as Skyrim with guns and while that that isn’t quite true, you can really see why. Like Skyrim, Far Cry 3 has an XP based leveling system and a large skill tree to allow you to play how ever you want, a large and attractive world that tempts you to explore, treasure and dozens of other hidden secrets and discoveries to get stuck into.

Although the tropical paradise you find yourself on has nowhere near the same density of side quests

and secrets: in Skyrim you couldn’t throw a stone without it bouncing off three lost children and a fetch quest. On Stone Island you have to at least walk a short way through the dense jungle in order to find them.

But what sets Far Cry 3 apart from the other shooters is the survival elements: As well as heavily armed and angry pirates, the player also must face the beautiful but dangerous island’s wildlife, most of which will attack you on sight, making the lush green of the forest much less attractive after fleeing from a hungry tiger that took a dislike to your face. Although this id result in some hilardious moments when a tiger got bored chasing us and ended up clearing out an entire village instead.

One of the major addtions to the game is hunting, kill and harvest the animals of the forest in order to craft bigger and better items: larger weapons holsters and loot rucksacks, with the occational hunting based side missions where you are tasked with hunting down a particular beast with a specific weapon. Even the plants around the island are used to make medicine and other performance enhancing drugs to help. All of this combined means that Far Cry 3 will have you feeling like Bear Grylls in no time.

But you have something that Mr Grylls will never have: access to a wide variety of weapons: assault rifles, landmines and bows and arrows, even a flamethrower to aid you on your quest for justice. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea you can use stealthy knife takedowns and the dense undergrowth

Should have let those sleeping dogs lie

Everything the sunlight touches is yours to destroy to help avoid the attentions of the guards. The game encourages you to use a variety of ways to go about taking out pirate outposts, helping keep the game interesting: you can sneak around and take out pirates silently or tactically place explosives all over the place if you are feeling a little more flamboyant, snipe them from a distance or just go for a full frontal with all guns blazing. Far Cry 3 gives you all of these toys and just lets you run amok in an incredibly satisfying way.

The game’s map is divided between the friendly and helpful Rakyat tribes territory and the not-so-friendly pirates. Climbing up radio towers and switching them back on allows you to see who owes what and plan you next move. Taking over pirate outposts gives you control of the area and means a safe place to buy and upgrade weapons. It also allows you to work out how many ways there actually are to kill a pirate (we are still working on a definative answer for that question).

One criticism is that, despite the extra tasks and side missions, the game can being to feel a little repetitive after the tenth ‘go here, kill them’ mission. However the extra gameplay features still add an additional element to the game, which has yet to bore us: they are still fun and satisfying to play and give you the chance to see

more parts of the island including massive underground caves and ancient temples. There are even a few levels that involve the taking of hallucinogens, which makes for some very... interesting gameplay with vivid imagery.

These trials and obstiles transfrom Brody from a man who’s never shot a gun before in his life and whimpers in fear in his initial escape from the pirate’s camp, to an experienced killer who almost begins to enjoy doing what he’s doing. This even begins to affect his relationships with the people he’s trying to rescue, making for some interesting moments in the game.

Far Cry 3 will have you feeling like Bear Grylls in no time The voice acting in the game, bar a handful of questionable local accents, is very well done. The angry outbursts of the unhinged and sociopathic pirate leader Vaas makes him a believable and intriguing character. As the back of the box suggests, insanity is certainly a theme of the game’s story, and the game’s psychotic and unstable characters sells this in spades.

Not only does Far Cry 3 have an extensive single player story, it also has online multiplayer and a separate co-op campaign, offering

you the chance to see the events prior to the fame from a very different perspective. The co-op campaign gives you the choice of playing as one of four characters seeking revenge on their former cruse ship Captain who has sold them out to the pirates and left them for dead. This mode gets stuck straight into the action, which is great for those who don’t enjoy the effort needed to collecting plants and animal skins in the single player. The multiplayer includes 4 different game modes and has a level up system with new weapons. The gameplay is nothing new and the maps also have the tendency to be a little bit confusing, although the multiplayer mode is still enjoyable and offers a break from the campains.

The game’s scenery and overall gameplay are superb, with a storyline that is easy to get immersed into and there are lots of features that set the game apart from other first person shooters. You may find some of the extra tasks a little tedious, but nobody is forcing you to do them, and if you insist on being spoon fed, you’ll miss out on XP points, perks, and the chance to get useful equipment, weapons and drugs.With the multiplayer thrown in, although not comparable to the main campaign, it’s still perfectly fun and playable. Farcry 3 on PC, Xbox and Playstation 3 and is avalible from ZiiP.co.uk for £24.99

33 TRAVEL

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

trAvel Don’t worry- It’s FIJI TIME! Emma Reeves

The sound of the assembly hall coming alive with the children’s leaving song pricked tears from my eyes as it dawned on me that home was on the horizon. Home, it seemed a hazy memory after experiencing life in the remote south pacific. Home, where people wore shoes and were on time- what was that again?

After a seven hour delay, the supposed welcoming sight of three Fijian’s merrily singing with guitars was suffocated by the lack of air conditioning. I was yet to see the postcard perfect paradise that I presumed would embrace me with one arm, passing me a cocktail with the other. I told myself the stress of the flight delay was a mishap- a schoolboy error that Fiji would not dare to repeat. After all, I had backpacked Australasia for two months and this was meant to be a calming end to an adventure.

Turns out it was only the beginning.

‘Welcome to Fiji Time’ the customs officer beamed, ignoring the collective sigh of weary Westerners in line. I gritted my teeth.

The next day we left the dusty chaos, cars and rain of the town Nadi for the Yasawas. Soon the sun was shining. The sea opened up its secrets through its clear looking glass, the sun spotlighting areas of colourful coral and exotic fishincluding areas of depth where the active ecosystem housed many sharks. Sharks that included bull, tiger and black fin, all of which our snorkelling trip leaders later described as ‘friendly’ before I cut my leg on the rickety boat to swim with them. As you can imagine, as they swam around me I hoped beyond hoped they were even friendlier than the haven’t-heardof-health-and-safety Fijians.

I will never forget the priceless excitement at being given homework!

Islands soon slowly rose to conquer the horizon that had showings of the most breathtaking orange engulfed sunset every night, followed by light shows of shooting stars pushing through the blanket of darkness. Our postcard paradise

had been delivered- though I was not yet to know what came with that.

The tourist heavy boat finally cut the tie with the outside world as it spat us onto a boat resembling little more than a ‘Castaway’ style creation- but with bananas, sweet bread and three smiling Fijians that radiated happiness. I gripped on to the boat thwart of life jackets that were only provided in storms (that we later experienced) filled with dread- this was it. My grip only relaxed as the sound of Fijian song danced from the white sands. The ‘one coconut’ resort had gathered to greet us- our luggage disappeared whilst we were greeted with coconut scented embraces and ringing laughter.

Previous stress melted away as we were led to the ‘office’; little more than a bench shaded by rippling palm trees.

We all felt humbled. I decided to embrace the unexpected- even if the closest thing to a cocktail was a fresh coconut with a straw.

The Fiji islands were picture perfect, but the real experience was teaching The Fijian islands were definitely picture perfect, yet the real experience was teaching, and getting to know the people. I spent little time on the beach, more with the local people playing nostalgic childhood games, volley ball, dancing and learning about their way of life, that usually never involves never leaving their island. Days were spent on outings (including the terrifying snorkelling experience) around the islands such as to the ‘Blue Lagoon’ caves and experiencing the touch of quintessentially British afternoon tea, with nights spent drinking Kava (a Fijian alternative to alcohol with interesting effects) around a

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Senga Na Lenga - No Worries!

fire with little more than singing and the lapping waves to fill our calmed minds.

At my teaching project two weeks later on an island further North, I fully embraced the simple, happy Fijian way of life.

Even though I was left to teach my class whose third language is English (my teacher returned a poorly student to the mainland as there is no proper medical care on the islands), having to live off basic food rations, cold showers and electricity for only three hours a day, it was probably the most unique, and special part of my travelling experience in Fiji and overall. I will never forget the look on the children’s faces when I brought in musical instruments for a lesson, or their priceless excitement at being given homework! It is definitely a place where the concept of a city or Western culture cannot be understood, yet education is embraced and appreciated- along with life in general.

The song came to an end, and I wiped my eyes as my class giggled. Home really was on the horizon. Once again one of us fell into the water triggering our group into hysterics as they attempted to get on the rickety boat with all the construction, and school materials to return to our Island base nearby.

Sulus off, waterproofs on; for one last crazy soaking!

Although I could never sum up the beauty of the Fijian people, I can justify that my time in Fiji was well spent, from island hopping to teaching in a school desperate for support. There were rats and an invasion of nipping ants in my backpack.

There was basic food, twenty bed dorms and barefooted grinning volunteers all around. Gorgeous scenery, afternoon tea, and lots of head torches that definitely came in handy when navigating into mosquito nets at night.

There was the best cake shop on the beach by our base, new friendships, dancing, coconuts, coral, sharks, and the odd sting from a jellyfish. There was sunbathing and happy children. There was even eventually a cocktail when we grubby volunteers took the 20 minute walk to the other side of the island one weekend, to a honeymoon exclusive hotel for a treat (though I wouldn’t replace our basic volunteer base, or any of the islands I stayed on with little more than two other tourists, any day!)

Of course laughter featured in all of these situations, being Fiji’s cure for everything.

And yes-there was Fiji time, and lots of it.

Introducing the new travel editors Hannah Banks and Emma Reeves who have taken over from Simon Truscott. A big thank you for his contribution to this section.

We encourage everyone to get involved with travel and share their experiences, travel tips, and even to inspire ideas for your next holiday.

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Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

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36 FUN&GAMES

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

fun.spark@reading.ac.uk

fun&games Crossword One Sudoku

This week’s Sudoku

Last week’s answer...

Matthew Sapsed

answers coming in our next issue!

Cryptogram

Solve the phrase from a famous movie.

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Topless tea group for snobs, say (5, 5) Eric, for example, is lazy (4) Incomplete snog interrupted by all clear in booth (5) His confused first half topped bit of poem with a shake (6) Hooting creature, future student? (3) All our tomorrows after this (5) Heard girl and letter created opponent (4) Stop! Raging single wanderers! (6) Thread sequence (6) Small, cold but with a short fuse? (6) Wiped out everyone by mishearing upbringing? (6) Ignorant, nasty twit offers initially to be a fan of something (4) Vehicle driven before heartless times preceded by these? (5) Post Office egg gives dismissal (3) Unusual trio hesitate, one goes on the rampage! (6) Relic to be found when track arrives after the seventh (5) Investigator got half a glance at vital sewer element (4) Firm grip and castle (10)

Comics

Down Travellers to Sun are aware of nothing holding nobody (7) Ace confused soulless blame for this crossword, say (7) Romeo – or leaf gatherer? (4) Great! End replaced by only initial musical term (5) Simon Young’s leaders took on burden’s carrier – that’s bold (5) Stroppy woman on new couch (5) In another year, Ringwald shows off jewellery (7) Comparative rating of plates? (7) Fuss appropriate and headless? Choose! (5) Rosette docked two marks and scrambled for boots, say (5) Incite with rogue for boot holder (7) Sentry interrupted, reversed, managed opposite boss’s singer (7) Bird – halved and reflected – guided what bored artists did in school (7) Backwards 27 and Roger Taylor starts military company… (5) …with front and back of 20 resting on letter addition for another (5)

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Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

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LETTERS 37

Letters & Events 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 Welcome back to the spring term!

The weather may be a bit gloomy, but here at the University of Reading, we have many reasons to be cheerful as we enter the new year– especially if 2012 was anything to go by.

Our top moment of 2012 had to be when the University of Reading was, once again, confirmed to be amongst the top 1% of universities in the world. This news prompted many of our graduates, staff and students to get in touch to share their thoughts on what makes Reading their ‘number one’.

From groundbreaking research to our beautiful campuses, there are many factors that make us

proud to be part of such a worldrenowned institution, and we look forward to maintaining our ‘top 1%’ status in 2013 and beyond.

One of the best things about the University of Reading is the people. Our office in particular ensures that all of our graduates can stay connected with University life, and last year, we were honoured to catch up with our former students who represented Team GB in the London 2012 Games. University of Reading students – past and present – won two gold medals and one bronze in the Olympic Rowing, making us extremely proud. There may not be another Games for three years,

RED Award “Lots of people are talking about the RED Award, and I’d like to know what it is, why I should do it, how long will it take and how do I get started?

What is RED RED stands for the’ Reading Experience and Development Award’ and has been designed to help students make the most of the extracurricular activities and experiences outside of their academic studies, and reward them for it on their degree transcript and also with a certificate signed by the Vice Chancellor.

Why do RED? In today’s competitive jobs market, recruiters consider everything a candidate has to offer, not just their educational achievements. RED helps you to build and articulate the skills and experience you’ve gained in order to impress potential employers and help you to stand out from the crowd.

RED comprises of three main parts which you record in an activity log: •Core Activity which is 35 hours (this can be work experience, part time job or volunteering) •Volunteering which is 10 hours (this can include University, RUSU

or community based volunteering activities) •Training and Development (anything featured in the Student Training and Experience programme available on the student portal, which includes sessions from study advice, careers, living positively talks and RUSU, it also includes peer support, course rep and SEED and UROP training) Once all of these activities have been completed, you can come along to a RED evaluation session (scheduled through the year) which you can register via the RISIS portal. You’ve then completed the award!

How long will it take?

The RED award can be completed anytime during your degree programme, but we do advise you will get maximum benefit from completing within a year of enrolment. You can also count summer vacation activities between Years 1-2 and 2-3.

How do I start?

Sign up for the RED Award on the RISIS web portal, under the ‘Programmes and modules tab’.

If in doubt, email RED@reading. ac.uk

but the memory of their victory will keep us buzzing for a while yet!

So here’s to another winning year at the University of Reading.

And if you want to keep up to date with all the latest news, photos and stories from our graduate community – or if you want to tell us what makes Reading your ‘number one’- join us on Facebook (search ‘University of Reading Alumni’) and Twitter (@UniRdg_Alumni).

Laura Garman Campaigns and Supporter Engagement Office

A note from the Editor Dear readers, I hope everyone is settling into Spring term well. We are busy here at Spark* as usual and looking forward to the year ahead, which is proving to be jam-packed one.

Next week will see lots of clubs and societies getting involved with re-freshers’ fayre, Spark* included, so we hope to see many new faces signing up to be part of the newspaper. Contrary to popular belief, we aren’t just looking for English Literature students who want to write - proofreaders, new section editors and designer editors are also in demand here.

Week 3 will then be Give it a Go week and we would love you to take this opportunity to get involved with Spark* and all the other clubs and societies open at the university. It seems like a bit of a cliché but joining something new really is the best (and easiest) way of meeting new people and making new friends at uni, so you should all definitely “give it a go”!

We are always really keen to hear all of your news, ideas and suggestions for Spark* so do not fear to get in contact by sending an email or joining the Facebook page.

Continue working hard (and playing hard) throughtout Spring term!

Sophie

P.O. Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AZ Vol 61. Issue 3

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 Editors:

Jess Cropper

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

Arts&Books Editor: Lucy Snow arts.spark@reading.ac.uk Fashion Editors:

Katey Watkins and Poppy Nowicka

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Travel Editor:

Simon Truscott travel.spark@reading.ac.uk

Health Editor:

Sarah Lienard health.spark@reading.ac.uk

Fun&Games Editor: Paroma Guha

fun.spark@reading.ac.uk

Sport Editor:

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,

38 SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

editor.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 18 Janurary 2013 Spark*

Society spotlight Capoeira: Putting the art into martial art Kiran Sahonta

Ever felt compelled to learn a new dance? Or maybe learn a martial art? Ever wanted to learn both but just didn’t have the time and money? Yeah, so did I. That was until I heard of capoeira; the Brazilian martial art that puts the art in martial art. Capoeira is a unique martial art that mixes elements of dance and fighting to increase your balance, stamina, flexibility, gymnastic ability and strength.

A big part of the history and tradition of capoeira is the music and singing that accompanies our practise

Did I mention that we’re big fans of music too? A big part of the history and tradition of capoeira is the music and singing that accompanies our practise. Not only do you train hard physically but you

also get a chance to learn about Afro-Brazilian history through its folk music giving you a chance to learn the language and how to play the instruments that make these songs so distinctive and fun; increasing your sense of the rhythm all the while – let’s face it, some of us have got no rhythm at all.

On Wednesday 30th January the Capoeira society would love it if you and your friends came and joined us for a training session in 3sixty from 6-7:30pm!

Learning something new isn’t always the easiest thing in the world and can be daunting which is what makes our university’s ‘Give it a Go Week’ so great! On Wednesday 30th January the Capoeira society would love it if you and your friends came and joined us for a training session in 3sixty

from 6-7:30pm! Of course if you want to come before then we’ll be just as welcoming. Capoeira is a very social activity and despite being a martial art there is very little contact. Training is tailored to the student’s ability but you are still pushed to the best of

your ability – a workout that’s fun and intensive.

Don’t panic if you can’t make it to the Wednesday training session though, we have now added a new class in the week, on Thursday’s in the Sportspark from 8-10pm.

Capoeira is a very social activity

Our teacher Graduado Gringo is a Brazilian native and has been teaching and training capoeira for more than 10 years and has been very successful as a capoeirista and free runner. In addition to his teaching he also regularly appears in shows around the UK and has even been in a few TV adverts. His young and fresh teaching style is not only educating but also fun and entertaining.

He can be reached on gringocapoeiraclub@gmail.com and if you’d like to see some of his videos and/or get a better of idea what capoeira is

and what it looks like, check out his YouTube page: www. youtube.com/user/Fabiosantostube.

Our teacher is a Brazilian native and has been teaching capoeira for more than 10 years

There are plenty of ways to get into contact with us if you want more information and we’d be more than happy to give it. Check out the ‘University of Reading Capoeira Club’ on Facebook or look up our page on the RUSU website If you have any specific questions please e-mail me (Kiran): db027128@reading.ac.uk or our treasurer Stephen at: a.haben@pgr.reading.ac.uk.

Just to remind you, classes are: Wednesday, 6-7:30pm in 3sixty and Thursday 8-10pm in the Sportspark. See you soon!

Spark* Friday 18 January 2013

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT 39

SPORT

January Transfer Window

Signings of the season so far Luke Fry

With the Transfer Window open for business once again, there has been a lot of debate as to who has been the signing of the season so far. After rafting through the numerous transfers of last summer I’ve selected my top five Premier League signings of the season so far.

Number five on my list highlights the quality that can be found in the Championship. In recent years we have seen players such as DJ Campbell and Grant Holt make the jump from the Championship to the Premier League appear seamless.

When Robert Snodgrass signed for Norwich from Leeds for the small fee of £3 million hardly anything was made of it, but after Norwich’s poor start to the season Snodgrass has been one of the main reasons behind their upturn in form.

With four goals and four assists so far this season, it is the Scotsman’s ability to play on either flank combined with his accuracy from dead ball situations that sees him make it onto my list.

At number four is Sunderland forward Stephen Fletcher, follow-

ing Wolves’ relegation last season Fletcher was their prize asset and they were not going to let him go cheap. At £15 million many believed Sunderland had paid over the odds for an average player who had been relegated from the Premier League with his previous two clubs, how wrong they were.

Having scored just under a third of Sunderland’s goals and assisting four times this season, I think Martin O’Neill would agree with me that he is well on his way to repaying the transfer fee.

Lukaku has flourished under the stewardship of former Chelsea coach Steve Clarke Number three is a player that until signing Demba Ba, Chelsea wished they hadn’t let go. I of course speak of Romelu Lukaku, having joined in a £13 million move from Anderlecht in August 2011 Lukaku hardly featured in his first season at Stamford Bridge and as a result West Brom signed him on a season long loan deal.

£24 million for a twenty nine year old injury prone striker on the face of it doesn’t sound like good business, seventeen goals in twenty two appearances certainly does.

RVP is the dictionary definition of the term ‘money well spent’, he has saved Manchester United on several occasions this season and his goals have taken an underperforming side to the top of the Premier League.

RVP is the dictionary Revelation: Miguel Michu has impressed for Swansea this season He has flourished under the a coin, both Michu and Robin Van stewardship of former Chelsea coach Persie have been unbelievable this Steve Clarke scoring nine times in season but I am of the opinion that twenty league appearances, many of RVP is worthy of the number one those from the bench. spot. At £2 million Michu takes the Whilst Fernando Torres has flataward for bargain of the season, tered to deceive with his lethargic thirteen goals in twenty appearances displays, Lukaku has astounded Bagtells you all you need to know about gies fans with his mix of raw power, Miguel Pérez Cuesta. pace and technical ability.

His form for the Swans has atIn my opinion a future Premier tracted the attention of Spanish League top scorer and very deservnational coach Vicente Del Bosque ing of his place in my list. and I believe he is destined to move The top two spots in my list could have been decided by the toss of to one of Europe’s elite.

definition of the term ‘money well spent He is pound for pound the signing of the season so far. The January transfer window has so far seen Daniel Sturridge move to Liverpool, Demba Ba move to Chelsea and Joe Cole return to West Ham. Clubs will be working right up to the deadline to sign the player that could transform their season.

A trip to Milan: A back three and its fall and rise Sam Smart

I recently had the pleasure of taking a trip to the beautiful Italian city of Milan. Milan is a gorgeous place with its high end fashion, beautiful cathedrals and fantastic food.

However there was somewhere above all that I wanted to visit during my time there, the footballing cathedral of Milan. The San Siro.

The San Siro is of course home to both Internazionale and AC Milan of the city and is one of the most iconic and historically rich grounds in Europe. The list of successful sides that have graced the hallowed turf includes Arrigo Sacchi’s side of the late 80s and early 90s, Carlo Anceilotti’s champions league winning team of 2007 and Jose Mourinho’s 2011 European Cup Winning group.

Like any good cathedral the San Siro has its own deities such as footballing idols Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Javier Zanetti, Marco Van Basten, Ronaldo, Ruud Gullit and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

I managed to get tickets at the gate for an AC Milan tie against Fiorentina. With Milan in somewhat of a rebuilding phase and Fiorentina in form under Vicenzo Montella I was eagerly anticipating the game.

So after I took my seat in front of the rabid away support and taking in

San Siro: Long considered one of the world’s finest football stadiums the atmosphere the teams took their place on the pitch.

Immediately I had noticed that Fiorentina had lined up with a back three. This got me thinking deeper about this once broadly used formation that is in the midst of a renaissance after falling heavily out of fashion.

3-5-2, 3-4-1-2 or any of its variants was once a widely used method of setting up a football team across the globe. Used essentially to combat

perhaps footballs most well-known formation 4-4-2 it was used effectively by England at Euro 96 and by successful Brazilian and Italian sides across the years. The main strengths of a back three are as follows.

Firstly with the majority of teams playing with two strikers having three central defenders created a numeral advantage in that zone of the pitch. Two of these central defenders could man mark the opposing

strikers, leaving a sweeper as the spare man to cover behind and be in a good position to begin attacks. The wide midfielders or wingbacks would then track the other team’s wingers and monitor their fullbacks. These players would have to have high stamina and be positionally aware, also with the ability to slot into the fullback zone at times should the backline shift.

With one less player in the defence teams could then pack the midfield with a spare man, creating another overload in that zone of the pitch, aiding the side in maintaining possession and with attacking intent.

However as the millennium ticked over, teams were gradually becoming more focused on both defending effectively whilst still maintaining control in the centre of the park.

Formations incorporating a back four and an extra midfield man such as 4-5-1 and 4-2-3-1 proved to be successful, championed by messrs Mourinho, Benitez et al.

This proved to be a problem for the three man defence. Now pitted against just one striker there became two spare men, fine defensively but creating a shortfall elsewhere on the pitch. If the wide players in a 4-5-1 were pushed high into a 4-3-3 this left no spare men and resulted in either the outer centre backs getting dragged wide, leaving the centre of

the field open or the wingbacks/wide midfielders becoming too defensive.

Full backs in the modern day game have also becoming far more of an attacking asset, posing further issues for the aforementioned players. The three man defence became almost non-existent.

Now though it seems to be on the rise again. A large proportion of Serie A teams line up with a back three on a number of occasions this season including Napoli, champions Juventus, Genoa and the aforementioned Fiorentina.

Barcelona experimented with a bold 3-4-3 towards the end of Pep Guardiola’s reign and both Liverpool and Man City have lined up with a back three this Premiership campaign. Potential reasons for the resurgence are varied and could include the need for increased tactically flexibility in the modern day game, the ability of the modern player to do this and a slight bump in the use again of 4-4-2.

Fiorentina went on to win the game 3-1 using their advantage in midfield effectively, bravely positioning their fullbacks and through Milan not exploiting the weaknesses of the back three. It is exciting to see from a tactical point of view that back threes are making a return and based on the evidence, they could be around for a while longer yet.

40 SPORT

Friday 18 January 2013 Spark*

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT Late show gives hope to Royals

Inside...

January Transfer Window

A trip to Milan: Resurgence of the back three?

Three goals in final eight minutes down West Brom Saturday 12 January Reading 3-2 West Brom Attendance: 23,495 Jack Parker

Reading FC scored three goals in the last eight minutes to see off an inform West Bromwich Albion side in a thrilling encounter at the Madejski Stadium. Reading were two-nil down in the eighty-second minute and sensationally managed to take all three points leaving the Baggies scratching their heads and ruing missed chances.

The pre-match atmosphere entering the ground was notably subdued as Reading lay in nineteenth position in the Barclay Premier League table.

This was reflected in a tamed first half performance from the Royals, with manager Brain McDermott admitting, in the post-match press conference, that it had been a ‘flat first half’.

The pre-match atmosphere entering the ground was notably subdued West Brom, however, were playing with confidence, as they dominated the early stages. George Thorne’s surging run teed up James Morrison on the edge of the box on eighteen minutes; Adam Federici however was equal to Scotsman’s shot on target. The Baggies continued to keep their foot on the gas and got the first goal of the game just a minute later.

Strong hold-up play from Romelu Lukaku released Morrison down the left wing before a return ball to the Belgian striker saw a simple tap in.

For large parts of the game it appeared to be Lukaku show. The on loan Chelsea striker has been prolific so far at The Hawthorns this season, scoring nine goals in twenty league appearances. In the opening moments of the second half, the nineteen year old steered a free header on to the post and crashed a powerful strike on to the crossbar, leaving Federici twice a mere bystander. Lukaku was not to be denied a second though, in the sixty-ninth minute turning defender Adrian Mariappa before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful left-footed shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

All seemed over for the Reading side until the eighty-second minute, when a teasing cross from midfielder Gareth McCleary reached Jimi Kebe at the far past for a delightful diving header past goalkeeper Ben Foster.

For the first time a sense of belief rippled through the home side and they pushed on for an equalizer.

An incredible finale to a great game of football.

A clumsy challenge from Jonas Olsson brought down Kebe in the box on eighty-seven minutes to give Reading the perfect chance to level from twelve yards. Up steps substitute, and Mister Reliable, Adam Le Fondre to convert the penalty and gain his eighth goal of the campaign.

Australian Open 2013

Can Murray make history Down Under?

fitness levels sure to play a part over

Cameron Humphries

the fortnight Murray will have been pleased to get through his opening two matches in a little over three hours.

What do Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe have in common? Aside from being a collection of the finest tennis player’s from any generation , not one of them managed to follow up their maiden Grand Slam title by winning the following major.

In his victory over Sousa on court temparatures hit 40 degrees This is where Andy Murray can make history. Following his long awaited Grand Slam title win in New York last September the 24 year old Scot is bidding to begin 2013 with a bang in Melbourne.

Murray ended Britain’s 76 year wait for a Grand Slam winner last year After that victory Murray spoke of becoming more consistent and making a bid to be World Number One by the end of 2013.

As we go to press Murray has passed safely into the third round, comfotably seeing off Robin Haase and Joao Souse in straight sets.

In his victory over Sousa on court temparatures hit 40 degrees, with

Last year Murray was defeated in an epic hour semi final If all goes to plan at the back end of next week Murray will find himself facing Roger Federer in the semi finals with a potential final meeting against Novak Djokovic.

Last year Murray was defeated in an epic hour semi final against Djokovic but following his victory at the US open few would bet against the Scot going a long way here.

Priceless: Pogrebnak’s late winner gave Reading a 3rd league win The atmosphere inside the ground team all the way to the end. Readhad the Royal fans roaring, with ing are now three points from safety an undeniable sense that there was and are second to bottom of the to be yet another twist in the tale table. before the final whistle. The moment However, McDermott and his came in the ninetieth minute. A forside will be hoping that this result ty-yard free kick, launched up field can really kick start their fight for

by Ian Harte, was headed down by survival.

Alex Pearce and Pavel Pogrebnyak emphatically flicked home the loose ball to seal the three-two victory.

Bottom 6 Pts An incredible finale to a great 15.

Southampton 22 game of football. With results elsewhere falling in favor of fellow 16. Newcastle 21 relegation rivals Southampton and 17.

Wigan 19 Queens Park Rangers this was a vital three points for Reading.

18. Aston Villa 19 After the match, McDermott was 19. Reading 16 quick to thank the persistence of the 20. QPR 14 Reading supporters who rallied the

Give it a Go Week Rusu press release

Give it a Go Week is your chance to try something new for 2013!

RUSU’s clubs and societies are putting on a whole host of activi-

ties for you to try out during week 3 (28th Jan onwards).

Come along to Refreshers’ Fayre at lunchtime on Thursday 24th January in 3sixty to find out about what clubs and societies have planned and sign up!

Reading University Jewish Society

Alexander Hyams

The University of Reading Jewish Society fielded a team in the Juefa cup over the holidays, the biggest Jewish 5 aside football tournament in the world.

The team were valiant in their efforts, but facing opposition of semi-professional teams, and of

JSocs with hundreds of men to pick from, Reading’s JSoc did not make it through to the knockout stages.

However, they did manage to keep a semi-professional team from making it to the knockouts, so it was not all bad news.