Spring Issue 3 - March 20 2015

friday 20th march 2015

spark volume 70, Issue 3

NEWS

LIFESTYLE

ENTERTAINMENT

SPORT

SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

DITCHING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DIVERSITY

A SNEAK PEAK AT THEATRE

WINNING GOLF

Find out what the University’s theme park society has to offer!

New York Fashion Week challenged traditional beauty

Imogen Gibbs discloses tricks of the FTT trade behind the ‘Lights, Camera, Action’

The Uni Golf team has made it to the Final of this year; Thomas Price looks back

PRESIDENT V. PRESIDENT ALEC WOOLFORD Deputy Editor

RUSU Elections are over and our new full time officers have been chosen. The Spark caught up with our current RUSU President, Natalie Harper as well as her successor Oliver Ratcliffe to discuss what they’ve achieved and what plans Ollie has for next year. Here’s what happened: NH: So, Ollie, congratulations on winning! How did you find the campaign?

OR: Thank you so much!

The campaign was draining and frustrating at times, but on the whole, it was a fantastic experience. No matter how the results were going to go, I was very glad to have gained an invaluable experience in marketing and met some great people along the way. All of the candidates supported each other so well. The hardest part was dealing with outright apathy, but most people were friendly, and responded well to my ramblings.

I was proud of the efforts that I had put in; from doing lecture shout-outs to handing round lollies outside the library, it was a really unique experience.

NH: What you are you most excited about for the next year at RUSU?

Image Credit: Farah Shaqhirah

OR: One of my policies which I can’t wait to take forward next year is about careers fairs.

I really want to have a broader range of companies represented at them. At the moment we have various careers fairs throughout the year but these tend to be of a quite business-centric. The same companies will come in all the time and there’s not much variety.

Having a variety of employers so people feel as though they can go to careers fair and see something they like as opposed to going and feeling out of place.

I also really want to address sexual harassment and lad culture. This is something which I’ve had issues with since first

year. I want to raise awareness about ‘lad culture’ and how its become normalised under the banner of ‘banter’ and actually protect students who feel offended by it. An example came up recently, where a student social had a fancy dress of homies, homos and hobos and obviously that’s very offensive to the LGBT community that they’re ostracised as being a costume, fancy dress.

I really want to carry on the zero tolerance policy towards sexual harassment which was debated last year and is currently in place - making sure people know about that and making it ...Continued on page 8

University’s research into medicinal cannabis impresses at trials BELA SONECHA 3rd Year Pharmacy

The University’s current research into the medicinal properties offered by cannabis has now reached the stages of clinical trials, and with dazzling results.

Believed to aid the symptoms of epilepsy, the drug has shown a significant reduction in seizures by up to 80%.

Dr. Ben Whalley, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, designed the drug based on nonpsychoactive chemicals from the plant.

When asked about his reaction to the success, he told The Spark: “‘Very surprised, very lucky and very anxious. When I think about how we started out, it was essentially growing plants in the basement of London School of ...Continued on page 8

NEWS|EDITORIAL

I can see the ending

EDITOR.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

Looking on the bright side of the year’s finish line NATHALIE SIAH The Editor

CONTENTS

20|03|15 NEWS

Sketches from famous children’s literature illustrators have been found – in our University’s cupboards!

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LIFESTYLE

Elizabeth Andrews speaks to Instagram’s @ nadiaswholesomekitchen to find out more about, becoming a successful food blogger and more.

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ENTERTAINMENT University of Reading to host international film season The ‘Children in War 1993-1945’ film series kicks off with German feature, Die Sprungdeckeluhr, and a student discount, for 70th anniversary

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SPORT

It is finally here, Mayweather and Pacquiao is officially happening and it is set to break most boxing records, we take a look at the fight.

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WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO...

Designer- Jessie Webb Designer-Anna Scully Designer- Ben Cross Designer- Sophie Rahier Designer- Kit Lane Proofreader- Emma Knowles

In Greek mythology, it has been said that the daughter of the goddess of harvest (Persephone) was abducted by the god of the underworld (Hades). After a series of unfortunate events and some pomegranate seeds, they got married. They must’ve worked out a system since Hades allowed Persephone to return to earth for part of the year kicking off the start of spring. Then when she was dragged back to the underworld, things started getting cold again. I do feel sorry for all her days spent in a literal hell.

With the unfortunate blur of Law papers and exams ahead I find myself thinking about Persephone a lot. She spent half of her time wishing she could go back where days were brighter and the other half wishing she didn’t have to go back to a place where souls are literally sucked into darkness.

I wonder if she suffered from depression at all.

As students, like Persephone, we have two lifestyles we must flip from one side to another; a toss-up between exciting summers and a time of tediousness. When the sky starts to grey, University feels like we’re trapped in a world of dusty books, bad coffees and mostly useless meetings. We start

off with high hopes but gradually the positivity fails. The rainy days get to the best of us and the ache of academia is a sore on life. I know that there are days in which the ultimate torture is heading off to class on a rainy morning and after spending 48 hours holed up in your room, jailbreak is an obsession.

It’s these days it’s hard to remember why we’re here. But here’s my advice for this month: you’re halfway there—living on a prayer (well mostly an energy drink). And although you’ve been reading for what feels like an eternity, at least the pages are finally sinking in. Rome wasn’t

Deputy Editor

“I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed,” wrote Christopher Isherwood in the 1930s.

You’ll see it all the time now.

Go to a gig and you can expect to see the act, but you can also guarantee that dotted around you there will be people - arms raised high in the air with a screen glowing brightly held between their hands. Sometimes the crowd will be encouraged to raise their phone in the air, as a digital kind of lighter. But usually the screens will be facing

flip from spring to fall was just too much. I always knew he was clever enough to understand the material but it just wasn’t in his personality to stick to it. After almost six years of downward spiraling, he got a dull job and is about to graduate with a degree from a small college. Although it was painful to see him learn his lesson, I’d like to think that it was all part of growing up.

So here’s to student life filled with Domino’s, drinks and too much rent. Things are rough for now but unlike Persephone, we have the rest of our lives to see the sunshine. Just open those books and hang on.

Drawn by: Kate Bowen

I am a camera ALEC WOOLFORD

built in a day, and Rome is just a couple months of away.

One of my friends that I grew up with had a lot of problems studying. He had every tactic in the book on how to avoid starting anything that counted in life. I watched him as he joined a fraternity, bought a ukulele, started rowing and even tried to learn Russian (he was studying for a degree in French). He failed his first year and in Canada, if you don’t pass that year you get one shot to take it again. He went home.

I’d like to think he just couldn’t bear to sit down and do some homework. Maybe the

away from the stage as the user records the performance to relive the experience later. Frequently, for a moment or two, the user will watch the screen record the performance.

Since the advent of camera phones, the idea of an intimate gig is swiftly dying. What once would have been an unrepeatable event can now be captured and replayed millions of times over. 150 years ago, recorded music didn’t even exist. Today you can record a ten second clip, slap a filter on it, and show it to the world faster than you’d be able to make a cup of tea.

This isn’t an argument for a ban on photographs or recordings.

That would be senseless. One of the most bewildering advances of the last decade is that we have the

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power to capture and share things so quickly. For many, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have already become indispensable tools for day to day life. Without the ability to check your Facebook for a day, one can automatically feel slightly disconnected. We are overwhelmed with images and videos and statuses and tweets.

Mostly, there’s nothing wrong with it. Documenting your day to day life can be an immensely gratifying and worthwhile thing, and engaging with others as they do the same is a rewarding experience. But these tools are all immensely addictive and, at times, blinding. We rush so quickly to document something while it’s still happening that we sometimes

miss out on the experience itself.

Without running into cliché, it’s all too possible to try and relive something before we’ve already lived it. Heavy.

I am the camera, Isherwood writes. Memory is a powerful thing and one that is directly tied directly to emotion. There is no substitute for experience - not even a recording.

Leonard Nimoy died at the end of the last month. In a dizzying sign of the modern era, many have noted his ‘famous last tweet’:

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.

LLAP”

GENERAL NEWS

NEWS@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Researchers at the UoR find cure for broken hearts

Consuming omega three not only keeps your heart healthy, but your blood vessels too LEIGH ANDERSON

3rd Year History and English Literature

Scientists at the University of Reading reckon they may have just found the cure for a broken heart, well, broken blood vessels in the heart that is.

It is a well-known fact that eating oily fish filled with Omega three is the key to a healthy heart as the fatty acid improves the elasticity of blood vessels. It may, however, actually help fix damaged blood vessels faster, which would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research carried out by scientist working at the University.

Professor Parveen Yaqoob, who carried out the study, works within the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and said: “Our study shows that fish oils could be better for our heart in more ways than previously thought, decreasing damage to the lining of blood vessels and by increasing the numbers of cells which repair those linings. It also

offers crucial new insight into exactly why oily fish is good for our health.

“Unlike the routine markers of cardiovascular disease such as cholesterol, EPCs [endothelial progenitor cells] and EMPs [endothelial micro particles] are cellular markers. They are notoriously difficult to measure, so very little robust research has been conducted on them until now.

Both are of great interest because we know where the cells are coming from and what they might be doing in the blood vessels. This means that we can try to find ways to target them to improve blood vessel health.”

"It is a well-known fact that eating oily fish filled with Omega three is the key to a healthy heart as the fatty acid improves the elasticity of blood vessels. It may, however, actually help fix damaged blood vessels" faster..."

While the reasons behind these positive effects are less clear, the

study tested two new emerging markers of heart disease that are particularly interesting to researchers in this field.

The first one tested was EPCs; these are stem cells that are made in the bone marrow and repair the linings of blood vessels when they become damaged. Previous studies have shown that those with a higher number of EPCs have a lower risk of heart disease.

Three grams of fish oils a day were introduced to a group of volunteers who had a mild risk of cardiovascular disease over the course of eight weeks. By the end of this time period their EPD’s numbers had increased by 15%.

The second marker was EMPs; these are tiny circular vesicles which are shed when the lining of blood vessels is damaged. A high number of these can indicate a high degree of damage to blood vessels and are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

At the end of the trial, the group consuming the oily fish decreased EMPs by 20% compared to the control group.

|NEWS

Cash-strapped female students more likely to develop eating disorders DANIELLE NICOLE PAGLIONICO 2nd Year English Language

According to new research, eating disorders are more likely to emerge amongst female students experiencing financial issues at university.

Indeed, findings by the University of Southampton and Solent NHS Trust suggest that the more financial problems a student has, the more severe their attitudes are towards eating and food Throughout the study, 400 undergraduate students at UK universities were encouraged to express their views regarding statements such as “I feel extremely guilty after eating” and “I am preoccupied with a desire to be thinner” among others.

Dr Thomas Richardson, the clinical psychologist leading the study, said: “It may be that those at higher risk of having an eating disorder feel like they have no control over events in their life, such as their financial situation,

.

and they may then restrict their eating as a way of exercising control in other areas of their life.”

For others, the pressure of student life may cause an increase in the number of eating disorders.

Rosanna Hardwick, a spokesperson for Student Minds, pointed out some of the difficulties of student life, namely “living independently for the first time, away from the core family unit…lack of sleep and managing finances among other things.”

She added: “We want to make sure the right support is in place to deal with health issues. We look to integrate our support with the university support, as well as that of the NHS to make sharing these problems as easy as possible.”

As well as Student Minds, other charities such as Beat are available to support those with eating disorders. Additionally, UK universities offer counselling services to which students can self-refer with the hope of getting on the road to recovery.

Students rally to support the Green Party HANNAH CROFTS 2nd Year English Language

The Green Party has recently seen a momentous rise in interest and popularity from students, according to numerous surveys and researchers.

In December 2014 the party ranked as students’ second choice after Labour according to polls by youth research company, Youthsight. With students turning away from the mainstream political parties, the Green Party’s popularity has been steadily rising.

This lack of faith in the big three political parties stems predominantly from the sharp rise in tuition fees. The main party affected by this has been the Liberal Democrats. With frustration specifically focusing on Nick Clegg. The President of

the National Union of Students, Toni Pearce, summarised many students feelings, and said: “Nick Clegg’s broken tuition fee promise severely undermined trust in politicians, and saying sorry just isn’t good enough.”

Faith in the Liberal Democrats from students has dwindled at a rapid rate since they formed the coalition government with the Conservatives. In fact, in 2010 they were the most popular party for students at a 50% high.

This figure has since dropped to a shocking 5%. The general consensus of students clearly hold Nick Clegg in some disdain, with students from the Free University of Sheffield group recently occupying his constituency office, in protest.

Here, at the University of Reading feelings seem to be similar.

Theatre Arts, Education and Deaf studies student George Fellows used to support the Liberal Democrats, but told The Spark: “They lost my vote the minute they teamed up with David Cameron and tripled tuition fees.” Now George is “100% team Green” as, according to him, they are the only trustworthy party

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around.

Another student, Seeta Bedi, declared her support for the Green Party, and said: “Unlike the other parties they have a clear direction that makes sense; they don’t contradict themselves with their policies either. And while many politicians ignore the issue of fracking, the Greens are

the only party supporting small communities and the environment by standing against it.”

Overall, tired of broken promises and being used as political pawns, students seem to be rallying to support the Green Party, and their support only seems to be on the increase.

THE EDITOR'S PICKS

WANT TO BE A CAMWHORE? Is your self-worth at an all time low? Try taking a selfie! The study that discovered that the selfie might actually be a confidence-boosting tool

AY AY AY FOR AI WEI WEI Check out this review of the famous Ai Wei Wei exhibition at Blenheim Palace. You’ll be in the know about his controversial art pieces causing a stir around the world

JUMP THE GUN

Get to the point with Ollie Weeden’s review on American Sniper. This enticing tale on a war hero has got the critics fuming about propaganda, but this writer disagrees

GLAMOUR? BEAUTY?

Let’s critique the pricey gowns in town. Are they really worth the eye candy this season? If you’re eager to find out what’s buzzing at the long awaited Oscars, read Hannah McDowell’s bit on her flair for fashion

LET ME TAKE A SELFIE INJUSTICE? New research has found that It’s just as important to selfies are good for you P4 recognise male injustice as well female injustice P6

NO CONNECTION! Students say their biggest stress is living without internet, is it yours? P4

ASK HER MORE Vicki Camfield explores the importance of the #askhermore campaign P5

NEWS Living without internet is the most stressful thing, students say HARRIET LYNDS 2nd Year History and English Literature

A new study has found that 27% of UK students voted losing digital communication for a fortnight to be the greatest stress in life.

Conducted by property removals service Tom’s Van, the study also found that, out of the 500 students questioned, 21% thought that finding a job was the most stressful, while another 15% voted moving house as being the worst.

English Literature student at the University of Reading, Sophie Clinton, said: “It amazed me to realise how much I relied on the internet and how anxious I felt without it. It is one of those things that you depend upon without thinking, and struggle to function without.

“You cannot do the actions that you subconsciously do every day, for example scrolling through Instagram, checking e-mails or catching up on TV.” The research showed that the only situation more traumatic for students was a break-up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Tom of Tom’s Van said: “It’s good to know we still value real-life relationships over online ones.”

Indeed, Sophie said: “We live

in a self-conscious world, where we no longer seem to solely communicate face to face.”

Tom added: “Whether students are completely dependent on digital learning or just can’t get enough of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter – it confirms we are more reliant on the internet than ever.

And while the stress of moving in with new people or leaving home for the first time can be overwhelming, it’s reassuring to know moving home is no longer considered one of life’s most stressful events – for students at least.”

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Study finds the ‘selfie’ is a confidenceboosting tool NIKI IGBAROOLA

3rd Year Classics & English Literature

In an unlikely twist on everything we know about life, Kim Kardashian actually supports something that might be good for our sense of self-worth: the selfie. Although still an outlet for narcissism, new research shows that the selfie may actually be a confidence-boosting tool.

Conducted by Transform Cosmetic Surgery, the study found that selfies increase both happiness and self-appreciation, which helps boost the way we operate.

What’s more, 25-34 year olds are reported to love their bodies the most, with the age group spending approximately £63 a month on health and cosmetic products.

Steven Taylor from Transform Cosmetic Surgery said: “It is interesting, but not surprising, to see that looks and image are very

important to young people. We’re not sure whether this has always been the case or if it has, in recent times, been heavily influenced by the onset and proliferation of social media profiles and platforms.”

So important is image to young people that selfie hybrids have even emerged, namely the ‘bum selfie’, or belfie, and gym selfie. These, however, have now brought weight issues even closer to the forefront of society. Indeed, many of those surveyed rated their bellies as the least favourite part of their bodies owing to the constant barrage of defined abs and weight loss stories that seem to dominate mainstream media.

Nevertheless, the original selfie has been shown to hold promising benefits for young people. So let the selfie serve as a mode of selfaffirmation, rather than a way to tear yourself down.

COMMENT

NEWS@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Why I recommend running in your Union Elections

|NEWS

Running in the RUSU elections was an incredible experience, here's why you should run too!

TIANNA SHANKS

3rd Year English Literature with Creative Writing

Week Seven of this term saw me donning the ugliest orange t-shirt, tying 500 teabags to labels saying 'Time For T - Vote Tianna For Welfare', and generally bugging every paser by on campus. As the dust all settles, I realise it's over and I continue on with my lectures, I can't help but feel a little bit sad that it's all done.

Around this time each year a handful of enthusiastic, determined and wonderfully energetic students gather in the Boardroom of RUSU every morning and prepare for a day of blood, sweat and tears... or campaigning, if you will. This year I was proud to announce that I would be running for the position of Welfare Officer, and my god did I work hard to prove to everyone else I could do it. While I would love to tell you that my efforts got me the job and that next year I will be a student officer, I can't. A very wonderful and deserving girl named Nina beat us other candidates to the post, but my god did she work for it, and

she'll be great at it, and I can tell you, I'd run again in a heartbeat!

The week was draining, it was a week of pushing past my comfort zone and it was a week of intense pressure, but it was also a week of friendship, of hungover breakfast meetings, of flash-mobs in the Palmer Quad and nights I'll never forget. The team of people I was running against and those running for other posts were some of the best people I've met since moving to Reading and I only wish I'd known them longer!

I recommend that anyone considering running for a Student Officer position in their Union next year just does it. This campaign pushed me out of my comfort zone, talking to complete strangers about why I was the best person to receive their votes and bigging myself up has never been a strong point of mine! It was a huge boost of confidence to see this take action, to watch people finish talking to me and go to the voting station. I was approached by strangers and told how passionately I came across and how much they hoped I got the post, and this alone, regardless of the results of the week, gave me a huge boost in confidence.

Putting together a campaign is hard work; it requires patience, creativity, determination and the willingness to go a week without sleep. This being said, it is a skill that once mastered, is never lost. The organisation and time management required to effectively put forward a convincing campaign, alongside the ability to manage a team of people, are highly sought after by prospective employers, and these are just some of the skills you have to utilise when campaigning for a job with your Students Union.

As well as building my skill set and confidence, this campaign also proved to me that I could speak in public without shaking like a leaf.

As a drama kid, I'm constantly on stage, yet the minute it becomes me in the spotlight and not the character, I stumble and blush, stutter and shake. This campaign brought out enough passion in me to step past the shaking and stumbling and give me the drive to say exactly what I meant, as I meant it, to an audience of willing listeners. The Candidates Question Time was my idea of a nightmare. Yet, when asked how I'd promote campaigns on the importance of consent to the male

Image credit: Tianna Shanks

population of the student body, and how I intended to keep students in the loop concerning progress of Welfare issues, or what qualities I possessed that made me right for the job, I was able to stand there confidently, take the mic, look at my audience and answer, clearly, confidently and with enough passion to convince a few more people that I could do this job.

On top of this, there are the friendships that are forged. I finally understand the expression ‘fast friends’ thanks to this campaign.

When you spend every minute of every day with the same people, all of you shouting out your catch phrases, all of you slowly going mad from spending all day on campus and all night convincing drunk students to vote for you, you end up with a bond that no one else can really understand.

You've all been through the same exhausting process, you've all put your heart on the line and you've all cried in front of each other at

least once and that's the sort of friendship that lasts.

So here's why I recommend running in your student union elections: When all else fails, your degree's coming to an end, you're not ready to leave university and you realize you owe a lot of your personal development to the university you love, your union could need you. I ran for these elections because I love my university and the people I have encountered here and I wanted to give something back. I've made mistakes, I've had moments I regret and I've definitely been homesick, but I've come a long way from the timid first year who considered dropping out, and I owe a lot of this to the University of Reading.

Ask her more

Vicki Camfield explores why it’s so important to value female talent, not just their clothes VICKI CAMFIELD Lifestyle Editor

At the Oscars this year, the #askhermore Twitter campaign reemerged and, once more, caused a heated dialogue in the media. #Askhermore was introduced in 2014 by The Representation Project as a way to encourage reporters at the Oscars to change the way they talk to women on the red carpet. The hashtag was used to send suggested questions to reporters in order to initiate more substantive conversation between

themselves and their female interviewees.

One of the most ridiculous questions asked might have been to Naomi Watts: “We want to talk to you about your frittata. What went into your choices of what to put into the frittata?”

“Who are you wearing?” and “What is your fitness regime?” are no longer cutting it for these women, who deserve to be appreciated and respected alongside their male counterparts for their talent and their contribution to the industry.

However, a debate was sparked about the possibility that glamour

will be undermined by equality at these awards shows, because of such a campaign – would that really be so bad? One article that emerged online argued that women should be asked who they are wearing because the red carpet is “a party”, and that not talking about the fashion creations they are wearing is a discredit to the designer. This view is naïve and poorly thought through: who said that women can’t be talented, intelligent, inspiring and glamorous? It is entirely possible to appreciate the glamour of the event as well as the talent that inspired it.

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Credit will be given where credit is due in relation to the clothes worn, some which take months to create, but credit should be given where credit is due to the people wearing those garments too. All that is being asked is that

the reporters – and indeed the media overall – become consistent in their treatment of actors, irrespective of their gender.

Image credit: Lena Dunham, Twitter @lenadunham

NEWS|COMMENT

NEWS@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

It’s just as important to recognise injustices against men as it is women

In order to achieve gender equality, society needs to identify discrimination of both the sexes HANNAH RAVENHALL 3rd Year Psychology

I once overheard a woman claiming that the only reason she had received a ‘good’ present from a man was because of her assumption that his wife had bought it. ‘Loose Women’ presenters are frequently sexist, advertisements often ridicule men, and ‘Race for Life’ and ‘Brownies’ only accept females. If men are equal to women, then why are copious inequalities towards men ignored?

The Guardian revealed that women only represent 23% of MPs across the country. As illustrated by campaigns and petitions, there is no dispute among feminists that this calls for change, and

short-listing women in elections is usually praised rather than criticised for suggesting that women cannot win such positions on their own merit.

What goes unnoticed, however, is that men too are underrepresented in careers of power and responsibility.

The fight for female politicians, rather than male-dominated jobs, such as refuse collectors, is presumably due to parliamentary authority over society; in which case, the influence of teaching is underestimated. " This University has a Women’s Officer, but what resources are available for our male students?”"

The Independent reports that men only represent 12.4% of

primary school teachers and just 48 men work in state-run nurseries across England.

Research concludes that this is a result of gender stereotypes combined with fears of false accusations of paedophilia (The Telegraph).

How can we expect our children to grow-up under the impression that men do not have teaching and nurturing capabilities?

According to the ‘feminists’ I have asked, moving women into politics creates opportunities for men in child-orientated professions. This does not exemplify gender equality, but prioritises women instead. Men are rarely asked if returning to work after having children is difficult; one to two weeks of Ordinary Paternity Leave is offered compared to a 26-week Ordinary Maternity Leave; baby-

changing rooms are often situated in women’s toilets with a sign depicting a woman tending to a child. This skewed perception of men in childcare needs to change to allow progression towards gender equality.

This University has a Women’s Officer, but what resources are available for our male students?

Despite females dominating fulltime officer roles since 2012 to 2013, the Women’s Officer encourages female participation in the Students’ Union so that it is democratic and representative.

The officer represents women’s issues by standing as an individual with experience of oppression that women face, however, its very existence disregards oppression and stigma faced by men.

Slowly, society is becoming aware of male victims of rape and

violence, however, many assume that violence towards men is not as bad or as common as violence towards women. In fact, The Telegraph reported that men are statistically more likely to be attacked by strangers in public places. What’s more, Mankind found that 38% of domestic violence victims are male yet only 17 spaces are reserved for men in 11 organisations across the UK, whereas approximately 4,000 spaces are reserved for women in almost 400 female organisations.

I am not disregarding injustice towards women, nor am I claiming to have acknowledged all injustice towards men. However, the main message is that we should recognise and alter male-centred discrimination as well as femalecentred discrimination to move towards gender equality together.

Society Spotlight: Reading University Theme Park Society

Whether you’re a longstanding theme park fan, or a rollercoaster virgin, the society offers something for everyone KIMBERLY BOOTH 3rd Year Environmental Science

For those with the taste for the dynamic and enchanting atmospheres at theme parks, or avid thrill-seekers, we give students the opportunity to discover and experience the exciting attractions that the UK has to offer.

Previously known as the Roller Coaster Appreciation Society, we have rebranded ourselves this year to share our passion by running trips to a wide variety of theme parks and attractions nationwide, and with theme park season just around the corner, our society is about to get very interesting!

Our previous events have included a wide collection of attractions, including Thorpe Park, Chessington, Blackpool

Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers.

Our first trip of the year was held at the London Dungeon, of which proved a huge success with our new members who had not experienced this unique attraction before.

Trips are always catered with students in mind, offering discounted prices for all visits. " Our previous events have included a wide collection of attractions, including Thorpe Park, Chessington, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers" These are organised primarily on our private Facebook group, where we will always ask for feedback from our members as to which events they would like to see next. Future trips planned for this year include Thorpe Park and Alton Towers, alongside smaller

parks including Oakwood Theme Park. These have proven very popular from past events, giving students the perfect opportunity to try something different, or even ride their first roller coaster!

We’re incredibly thankful for the response we have had from students so far, and we cannot wait to run more trips in the future - so why not give one a try? Membership is free and open to all students and non-students.

We’re a very friendly bunch and are always excited to meet new members and fellow enthusiasts alike!

So whether you are a dedicated theme park fan, or a roller coaster virgin, we offer something for everyone who wants to give our trips a try. If you would like to find out more about us, you can find us on Facebook (facebook.com/ groups/rurollercoastersociety/) or on the RUSU website (rusu.

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co.uk/societies/themepark/).

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of us. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far - we

look forward to seeing you on our next trip!

London Dungeon, 2013 Image credit: Kimberley Booth

GENERAL NEWS

NEWS.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

Law students put on masks for an evening of mystery EVIE SARGENT 2nd Year Law

The Annual Law Ball is one of the most anticipated events of the year for the Law Society here at the University of Reading.

After being selected for the role of Law Ball Chair, I was excited but also apprehensive of the task of organizing such a prestigious event. From the outset I was keen to throw a Masquerade Law Ball, giving both the students and lecturers an opportunity to attend a sophisticated evening. I also knew I wanted to make some changes to what had been carried out in previous years, and to ensure that the students got the best return for their money.

I chose to hold the event at the

Mansion House at Wokefield Park here in Reading, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in my role. In previous years the Law Ball has been held at the beautiful Town Hall, however, I wanted to see what a new venue could offer us. The night itself consisted of an array of entertainment and food along with the obligatory supply of alcohol.

On arrival there was a champagne reception with canapés, which was the perfect opportunity for everyone to take photos before we sat down for the evening meal. A string trio had been arranged for this hour to provide background music. All of the guests that attended made a huge effort with their masks and outfits; everyone looked amazing.

We started off the entertainment

|NEWS

Peter Smith receives award for Best Lecturer Credit to Sam Hardy

Credit to Sam Hardy

Law Society Committee attends Law Ball Credit to. Sam Hardy

The Liquid Strings Credit to Sam Hardy

for the night with our guest speaker, Lorliee Gates, giving a humorous speech about her time in Law School and her experience as a lawyer over in America.

This was followed by the annual speech from the President of the Law Society, Adnan Khaliq who, in his charismatic way, succinctly summed up the academic year.

Elizabeth McArthur, our alumni guest for the evening and a DJ ended the night’s entertainment with a live performance.

The highlight of the evening had to be handing out the awards to both students and lecturers.

Peter Smith, who won the award for Best Lecturer, took to the stage and gave a short yet brilliant acceptance speech. I also wanted to give the students as many opportunities to capture the night so along with the photographer; disposable cameras were placed on all of the tables. After we had finished the three course meal the photo-booth was open for the

guests to use which proved to be very popular as can be seen in the array of photos found on Facebook. The night itself was a huge success and I owe thanks to all of those on the committee who put up with me when I was extremely stressed! All that is left to say is good luck to the next Law Ball Chair as I am sure they are going to throw an amazing Law Ball. I am already looking forward to attending next year’s Law Ball in my final year here at Reading.

UoR finds sketches produced by famous children’s illustrators in its storage SARAH PENNY

2nd Year English Literature & European Literature & Culture

Sketched illustrations from some of the most distinguished contributors to children’s literature have recently been unearthed by the University of Reading…in its cupboards.

Found while moving books to the University’s new Learning Hub, the illustrations were stored in response to a letter sent to nine illustrators twenty years ago asking what books they would recommend for children stranded on a desert island.

The letter was sent by the ‘Reading and Language Information Centre’ in 1993 and asked the questions: ‘What novels would you give to an eight-ten year old marooned on an island?’ and ‘Which work gave you the most pleasure?’

In response to the University’s letter, Quentin Blake’s illustrations give a revealing insight into his interests as an illustrator, despite not naming what desert island books he would choose. He chose his story ‘Cockatoos’ as the most favourite book he has worked on because “picture books aren’t as simple as they look” and “it meant I could draw birds (which I like) and also all the things in that old French house (which I also like).”

Shirley Hughes, author of the Alfie books, picked the much-

loved stuffed toy dog Dogger for her own work which echoes her book Chips and Jessie, alongside her desert island books Treasure Island and Fairy Tales of the British Isles.

What’s more, Anthony Browne’s illustration of a gorilla revealed that his most treasured work was Zoo and that he would also choose Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick among a variety of others to take with him.

Director of the University’s Learning Hub, Karen Goulding, who also found the collection said: “It was a wonderful surprise - our own CS Lewis magical wardrobe moment. Although we can’t be certain, it’s likely that these letters and illustrations that hold the hand-written musings

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from some of the UK’s best authors have only been seen by a handful of people.

Due to the interest surrounding these illustrations and letters,

the University plans to put the collection on public display in the near future

NEWS|GENERAL NEWS

NEWS@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Reading’s iGEM team gears up for another year of success THOMAS WARDLEGGAT 1st Year Microbiology

Slumped with tiredness in my 9am lecture, after mentally preparing myself for a 2 hour struggle whilst waiting for the lecture to begin, a bashful Hannah Collard (3rd year biomedical student) stood before us and briefly talked about a meeting involving something called iGEM later that week.

You’ve probably never heard of iGEM - I know I certainly hadn’t until that hazy Tuesday morning – but I was intrigued, so decided to attend the meeting to see for myself if it was worth the hype, which was held by 2 members of the previous year’s team: Hannah, and Jarek Bryk a postdoc from the NCBE. They briefly introduced the concept and ideas of iGEM and what getting involved would entail. iGEM stands for ‘Internationally Genetically Engineered Machine’.

Described as “world-class”, ... continued from the front page

easy to report sexual harassment if you do receive unwanted attention.

OR: What about you? What have you been most proud of since you became president?

NH: There’s been quite a few things. My main point on the manifesto was to increase representation.

It seems like such a vague point to have on your manifesto, it actually was better because there’s a lot of ways that could be interpreted.

We had the biggest elections turnout that RUSU has ever seen this year with over 3,600 students who voted. All of our changes this year have met priority which means that the union is now campaigning on lots of different issues. This, of course, means that we’re also much more democratic. I think this is because we’ve campaigned hard to raise awareness of what the union’s doing because obviously the first step towards representing people better is to have a better line

iGEM is a massive international competition held in America, allowing students to show off projects involving synthetic biology. Teams represent their universities and prizes are awarded for the best projects.

My first thought was, “Why hasn’t everyone heard about this already?” I organised a further meeting with a few members of the team to find out more, which is how I found myself in the musicfilled, snakebite-smelling depths of Mojo’s with Jarek, Hannah and Andrew Moynihan, a 2nd year Artificial Intelligence student.

“This will be only the second year the university have put forward an iGEM team”, Hannah explains. “It’s a competition between more than 200 universities that aims to promote the integration between synthetic biology and engineering. It’s held in Boston.”

Andrew was enthusiastic about last year’s project. “It was not the standard summer project from what I’ve seen. We had our goal, we had the means to achieve it

and for a lot of the time we were left to our own devices. It was liberating!”

Jarek speaks with his mouth full whilst tucking into a curry.

“We managed a bronze award last year which is impressive as it was the first time the university had competed. I’m hoping this year to score a gold at least.”

The university’s work is showcased in front of the other hundreds of international universities competing, which is a

of communication.

The rate your landlord scheme will be up and running by the time I leave as well. It’s an awkward thing to set up because obviously the best time to do it is when students are moving out of their houses, which is when the handover happens. It makes sense for the current officers to start this project off so that it gives the new team something to work with because obviously there’s a little bit of a handover period when it’s difficult to actually get things done.

November to February/March.

It’s basically all about timing, and we need to to make sure I get the timing right.

OR: I agree. There’s only so much you can do in a year. If you have people who are likeminded in two year structures or three year structures you’re far more likely to get it done because you can lay the foundation for things and then it can be continued in the following years. I’ll do my best to continue the good work of what you full-time officers have done and obviously bring forward the policies in my manifesto as well.

With the rate your landlord scheme there’s a very small window for when people are moving out, and slightly broader one for when people looking at houses is from

great opportunity for showing off the cream of Reading’s biologists iGEM is more than just working in the lab. They take part in fundraising and hold talks in schools. It is an “awesome opportunity” which more students should partake in, because “it’s great work experience, it’s fun and it’s really rewarding,” says Hannah.

At this point Jarek looks at his empty plate and wraps up the chat.

“This sort of funding and support

from the university should become a regular event at the university, the interest in the students is quite high and it would just be bigger the more we do it.”

Past team members are optimistic for this year’s project.

Without a doubt this year’s project looks promising, with previous members predicting vast improvements on Reading’s previous accomplishments.

Recruitment is still ongoing as the iGEM team is still seeking out all talent in various UoR departments. If you’d like to find out more about the iGEM project, its team and their upcoming events, email Hannah at collardhannah@ gmail.com.

Image Credit: Sam Hardy

NH: Something which we’ve campaigned hard on as well is to keep the university aware that students are not very happy with their halls prices in Reading. We’re really keen for the next officer team to keep the pressure on to make sure that halls prices aren’t increasing ridiculously and that they’re still being kept at an affordable amount for students.

Are you excited to work with your new team?

OR: Yeah it’s a great group of people. We got to know each other over campaign week very well but I didn’t actually know them that well before. We’re contacting each other quite a lot now through Whatsapp and things but yeah it’s good fun.

I’m looking forward to getting started and working with all four of them, its going to be a surreal experience but I’m very much looking forward to it.

... continued fromthe front page Pharmacy; I was just a PhD student at the time.

“I was just doing that because it was interesting. My main motivation was much more around seeing if cannabis actually had use as a medicine, I just wanted to put this argument at rest!”

There are a rare number of cases where children with epilepsy are drug resistant, and these children are treated with a variety of high-dosage antiepileptic drugs that only reduce seizures by 50%.

Dr. Whalley explained: “Cannabis contains around 500 different compounds, 100 of these compounds being unique to the plant. There is a wonderful library of cannabisbased compounds but there is

no insight into what they might do. Everyone is interested in ‘THC’; the thing that gets you high. The question we were asking is when you take the ‘THC’ away; do these compounds unique to cannabis have any therapeutic potential?”

When asked about the potential legalisation of cannabis, Dr. Whalley told The Spark: “From my point of view, the number of alcohol and smoking related deaths far outnumber the number of deaths that are linked to cannabis.

Is that a reason to legalise cannabis? No, I don’t think so.

There are risks; there is clear evidence that in a susceptible portion of individuals the use of any psychoactive runs the risk of triggering a later psychiatric disorder. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

Image Credit: University of Reading

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NEWS|GENERAL NEWS

NEWS@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Student debt is not necessarily the problem, so has Ed missed the point?

CHRISTIAN MUELLER 4th Year German Studies

Ed Miliband has promised, if elected, to cut university tuition fees in England to £6,000 per year from autumn 2016. Miliband has pledged to reverse the Coalition’s controversial £9,000 tuition fee policy and increase the maximum non-repayable maintenance grant to roughly £3,800.

This proposal was announced in 2011, but Labour have taken the opportunity to push it to the forefront of their election campaign, as the Coalition admit that the latest estimates suggest that its £9,000 policy will be more expensive than anticipated.

Miliband hopes to draw students away from the Coalition, reminding students that the current Government: “left a whole generation doubting politics – doubting anyone can be believed or trusted.”

Labour intends to fund the change by cutting tax relief on pensions for those earning over £150,000. Chancellor George Osborne responded by saying: “Ed Miliband’s sums don’t add up,” explaining that Miliband’s policy would hurt universities in

the long-term and that ultimately it would be bad for both the taxpayer and students.

Labour hopes to support universities by replacing the fee cut with a £2.7 billion per year fund, but Universities UK estimates that even with £3.1 billion per year pressure would be on universities to cut investment on research and social mobility.

Ed Miliband reiterated that the long-term policy had not yet been finalised but would play a key part in their upcoming manifesto.

The reduction in fees is designed to save the taxpayer’s money by increasing the number of students who actually pay off their student debts.

Under the current system, despite the higher fees, it may end up costing more money as the Government estimates almost half of the current student debt will have to be written off. NUS Vicepresident Megan Dunn agrees with Labour’s plan saying: “The current model of university tuition fees is totally unsustainable and those new proposals begin to address this.”

If Labour does come into power this policy may convince those who felt betrayed by the Liberal Democrats to vote for Mr.

Miliband. But has Ed completely missed the point?

The debate over student fees is an avenue Labour can comfortably win a debate on – the coalition made a mistake with their policy and Labour can now rub salt in the wound. The truth behind the matter is that student debt is not necessarily the problem. Unlike most European countries, in the

UK we tend to live away from home when studying, which hugely increases our living costs.

Labour is assuming every student has a bottomless pit called the bank of Mum and Dad. It is the families caught in the middle that suffer - students who do not receive the full maintenance grant but whose families cannot afford to support them away from home.

Labour’s new policy is by no means harmful for future students – decreased student debt and an increased grant will be great news for students who receive the maximum support. However, once more, it seems the politicians are ignoring the large majority of students.

UK students turn to European universities for affordable courses SARAH ROBERSTON 2nd Year English Language

Many students who struggle with the current £9,000 undergraduate yearly tuition fee worry about accruing more debt from studying for a postgraduate degree at a university in the UK. Fees charged for postgraduate courses in the UK vary hugely depending on course and location.

According to UCAS the the average course costs £11,000 per year with no guarantee of funding.

High tuition fees in the UK means

that students are beginning to look abroad to further their studies.

With many universities in Europe teaching postgraduate courses in English, more students are making the move abroad to more their education. Indeed, many European universities offer EU citizens subsidised or even free courses.

What’s more, Germany offers approximately 900 courses taught in English for undergraduates and postgraduates, with many of their universities featuring in the Times Higher Education World Rankings. Many Scandinavian

countries also don’t charge tuition fees including Norway, Sweden and Finland if you are a EU citizen.

Other European countries such as France and the Netherlands charge you for attending one of their universities but it comes at a fraction of the cost that it does in the UK. The average cost of tuition fees for 2015 to 2016 in the Netherlands is €1,951 and to complete a masters in France it will cost an average of €259.

It is also thought that doing a postgraduate course abroad will be a benefit when it comes to

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getting a job. Indeed, The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) said that an ability to work with people from a range of backgrounds and countries was a top quality they look for in graduates. The experience of moving abroad for a year and making your way in a foreign country is likely to be something that employers will admire.

Charlie Ball, Deputy Head of Research at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, believes that students who study abroad will do well in globalised job markets.

The temptation of not paying thousands of pounds for a postgraduate degree is attracting more students each year with people feeling ‘pushed out’ of the UK because they cannot afford the tuition fees. Students who opt not to take a gap year may also find the option of moving abroad for a postgraduate course appealing. Many students who want to travel, both undergraduate and postgraduate, will find the attraction too good to miss.

Careers

What I’ve learned from working as a Careers Assistant JO MURRAY

Student Careers Assistant

Having reached my 4th year studying Art at Reading, still with no idea of what to do after I graduate, working with Careers has provided me with the crucial insight into job searching I really needed.

I’ve narrowed this knowledge down to the top three things I’ve learned from the job so far: 1. Your degree doesn’t define you There’s one fact I’ve heard more times than any other during this job: 60% of jobs are open to any discipline. Maybe after three years of studying you’re fed up with your subject, or perhaps you’ve found an area of work you’re really interested in but you think your degree isn’t relevant. When you discover this fact it makes job searching a lot less scary. Getting hired is far more about your passion, your skills and you as a person than it is about your degree subject. There are certain key skills you pick up in any field, such as teamwork, time management and self-motivation.

Alongside this, employers are after a balance of people from different backgrounds.

place to look for work. The reality is, most people don’t join a large company or formal scheme, and those who do make up a very small percentage of the graduate opportunities available. Smaller companies are less likely to advertise on large job searching sites because there’s a high cost for such advertisements. Many will advertise on smaller, more specialist sites, or simply on their own websites. A good place to look as a pointer to these smaller job search websites is www. prospects.ac.uk - you can narrow down search areas to full job descriptions, then on these pages you can find links to where you might find those positions.

Jobs of the Week

My Jobs Online

All of the jobs listed below can be found on My Jobs Online, the Careers Centre’s online jobs portal (see www.reading.ac.uk/ careers/jobs)

My Jobs Online (MJO) is a onestop shop for all things careers – it’s more than just jobs! MJO offers:

Graduate Job of the week: Employer: The British Council Job Title: : Future Leaders Scheme In brief: This 3 year scheme aims to develop cultural ambassadors for the British Council and provides international work experience. Closing Date:30 April 2015 Placement of the week: Employer: YMCA Job Title: Social Media & Marketing Intern In brief: This summer, work with YMCA for 12 weeks to develop their social media and marketing campaigns. Closing Date: 31 March 2015 Part-time job of the week: Employer: Eye Candy Art Group Ltd Job Title: Production Assistant In brief: Learn to make picture frames, stretch canvas and mount prints. Closing Date: 17 May 2015

3. Don’t neglect the Careers Centre If you’re not sure that your degree qualifies you for the type of job you want, a Careers Adviser can help you articulate the skills you’ve acquired in a way that shows you’re suitable. If you can’t quite hone your niche search skills to find the specific type of work you’re after, the Careers staff have a rich knowledge of job requirements for specific areas.

The Careers Centre can help you 2. You’re looking in the wrong no matter what stage you’re at in places! your search, and will help you feel The big websites – TargetJobs, like you’re not going it alone.

Milkround, etc – are not the only

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A jobs board that covers part-time work, placements and graduate roles An event management system where you can explore the events we offer and book a place A system for managing appointments with Careers Advisers and Placement officers (for some Henley Business School and ICMA students, these appointments can be booked online) An e-guidance system that allows you to send queries to a Careers Adviser or Placement Officer My Jobs Online is designed specifically for Reading students and graduates – all the employers advertising jobs and placements are targeting you! MJO also allows you to set email preferences to receive targeted information about jobs and events that interest you.

To find out more, log in using your University username and password at: https://reading. targetconnect.net/student/login. html

AI WEIWEI EXHIBITION Abigail Ballantyne reviews the extended Ai Weiwei exhibition at Blenheim Palace P17

PENNY TRAVEL Island hopping in the Mediterranean sun: how to enjoy Croatia for less than £200 P16

BEAUTY DUPES Discover cheap, good quality alternatives to lessthan-student-friendly priced products P18

CAMPUS STYLE Caitlin McClinchy and Christian Walters looked to Whiteknights campus to find some of this month’s best dressed P13

LIFESTYLE The Oscars

HANNAH MCDOWELL

2nd Year Philosophy and Italian

The long awaited 87th Annual Academy Awards typically saw some of the best and worst style choices of the fashion calendar.

These choices do not just apply to the nominees of this prestigious award but to anybody who is invited. I for one would love the invitation but the pressure that goes alongside the event is astronomical. With people and cameras from around the globe waiting on your arrival, the anticipation of what gown or tuxedo you have decided upon is high.

This year as ever had everybody talking about the choices made by the ladies.

Interestingly, Cate Blanchett opted for a statement Tiffany And Co. turquoise necklace with a long black John Galliano for Maison Margiela dress. This differs entirely from the couture gown by Armani which she wore to last year’s event which cost over $18.1 million. Nevertheless, the necklace was exquisite as each bead was perfectly hand crafted. The choice of a statement piece compared to a statement dress was wise but incredibly underrated. The world usually points to the best dress as opposed to the best dressed. For me, Cate was definitely up there with the best dressed as the necklace and herself made a lasting impression and potentially a new trend for the red carpet. However, not all statement pieces worn on the night were as successful. Scarlett Johansson was seen head to toe in an Atelier Versace emerald gown. The dress itself didn’t need the necklace as it was beautiful on its own, especially the colour.

Instead, the necklace stole the

“The long awaited 87th Annual Academy Awards typically saw some of the best and worst style choices of the fashion calendar.” original beauty of it resulting in an intense clash and overbearing choice to her ensemble.

Those who decided upon the traditional route of incredible gowns alone still wowed us all.

Reese Witherspoon was another one of my favorites wearing a custom Tom Ford gown to the event. The dress was extremely flattering to her figure and the black paired with the white

emphasized class and elegance.

Rosamund Pike wore a Haute Couture laced overflow Givenchy gown and looked amazing. The high slit at the front and the detailed satin at her sides showed of her incredible figure. But for me it was Jennifer Lopez who stole the entire show. She wasn’t a nominee but a presenter on the night and the choice of gowns for her were stunning. The Elie Saab couture gown was breathtaking.

She looked like a princess in a ball gown. It was nude with sprinkles of gold glitter displaying a low cut out at the front. It elegantly draped out to the sides displaying a short train proving its magnificence.

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Not only did she wow on the red carpet for the Oscars itself, but she also wowed at the Vanity Fair after party wearing my favorite Zuhair Murad couture gown which I mentioned last month. She looked unbelievable and her stylists made astounding and unforgettable choices.

It wasn’t just the ladies who wowed. The men did a good job too! The trends for the men were of course the navy blue suits.

Eddie Redmayne rocked his blue and black suit in Alexander McQueen whereas Miles Telor and Ansel Elgort wore theirs in Prada. Of course, all eyes were on Jared Leto to see what he would

wear this year and I secretly loved the Givenchy baby blue suit. I wasn’t a fan of the white plimsole shoes however but he still looked incredibly fabulous.

Unfortunately the men are often overlooked on the red carpet but the options for suits vary just as much as there are options for dresses. It just narrows down to whether the men are brave enough to experiment and go out of their comfort zone. Nevertheless, this incredible event brings out some of the best and classic pieces ever and gives a chance for them to be on display for one extremely memorable night.

FASHION

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Name: Jack Course: Business Management Wearing: APC jacket, Jaeger jumper, Rag and Bone trousers from New York, Russell and Bromley shoes.

Influence: “I chop and change, I like to keep people guessing.

I go from being reasonably formal to casual. There’s no one I can really think of who influences me.”

Campus Style: Style spotted on campus this month CAITLIN MCCLINCHY 2nd Year German and Economics

|LIFESTYLE

Name: Niall Course: Film and Theatre Wearing: Denim shirt from Brick Lane, Ralph Lauren shirt, chequered trousers by Topman, Black Stan Smiths.

Influence: “Probably like Wes Anderson films and things similar to that, I like the style of his characters.”

CHRISTIAN WALTERS 3rd Year English Language

Name: Berite Course: English Literature and International Relations Wearing: Coat from the Reading Vintage Fair, Nike Rugby shirt, Cheap Monday jeans, Reebok Classics trainers, hat from Brother.

Influence: “Musicians, I like the clothes and style from the UK Garage 90s scene and London street wear from the mid-2000s.” ”

Name: Will Course: Politics and International Relations Wearing: Adidas tracksuit bottoms, Adidas Ascel Loops, Nike jumper, Brothers hat.

Influence: “Where I'm from back home really, Notting Hill. It has a lot of great boutiques and vintage stores that are interesting for me.”

Name: Ben Course: Classical Studies Wearing: Vintage black overcoat, vintage plaid shirt, tapered Levi 501 jeans, Converse.

Influence: “More-so brands than individuals. I appreciate Americana aesthetics: looking laid back and not too contrived. Dana Lee is probably my favourite brand.”

Name: Chloe Course: Politics & International Relations Wearing: Zara jacket, Topshop top, Topshop jeans, Miss Selfridge boots.

Influence: “I’m not really inspired by anyone famous, just what my friends wear.” of his characters.”

Name: Jo Course: Art and Philosophy Wearing: Shirt from a charity shop in Finland, H&M trousers, Doc Martens.

Influence: “90s fashion, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’: loud shirts are in. I go for anything colourful.” ”

Name: Charlotte Course: English Literature Wearing: Jack Wills coat, Zara jumper, Jack Wills jeans, Topshop loafers, Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Influence: “I take my influences from a lot of different people and the English Heritage trend. I really like preppy style and minimalism.” ” Name: Deborah Course: Art and Psychology Wearing: Coat from a market in Taiwan, H&M scarf, TK Maxx belt, Office shoes.

Influence: “I take a lot of my influences from what’s on the internet like the blog Street Etiquette. I also like Solange Knowles’ style, but I am inspired by a myriad of different things.”

Name: Nicky Course: Art and Philosophy Wearing: Urban Outfitters bomber jacket, H&M top, Topshop cropped jeans, Adidas Superstar trainers.

Influence: “Art and being creative. Beyoncé influences me at times, and I like Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn.”

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All Photography by Christian Walters

LIFESTYLE |FASHION

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

London Ditching discrimination against Fashion Week: Fashion Scout diversity HANNAH GAY

4th Year French and International Relations

Banzai Studio Barcelona/

ERIN PEACOCK 1st Year English Literature

Are times finally changing for fashion? New York Fashion Week’s 2015 runways were adorned with a more strikingly diverse range of models.

The fashion industry has never really been regarded as a place particularly celebratory of diversity. If you think ‘fashion show’, images may come to mind of white, size 0, cis female models strutting down runways looking miserable. For a long period of time this is exactly what would be found at most of the best-known fashion shows. Yet, it seem as if this is beginning to change for the better.

Uniformity is slowly becoming decreasingly popular, and some designers at New York Fashion Week opened up their casting to incorporate a more diverse range of models for their newest collections. People of different sizes, abilities, sexual orientations, ethnicities and gender-identities are being involved in what was previously seen as a very closedminded industry. This is a step in the right direction for fashion and it would be great to see this diversity become the norm, rather than simply shocking or exciting.

Fashion prides itself on its being innovative, original and

ground-breaking. Yet for so long this innovation has come from the garments themselves rather than the people involved. The majority of internationally recognised designers are men. A significant 84% of models cast during fashion month this year were Caucasian.

Clothes on the runways have always been designed for the ‘ideal’ body shape, so often presented (yet misrepresented) by the media. This doesn’t leave much room for people of other backgrounds to thrive in the fashion industry.

Nevertheless, cracks in these limitations are beginning to emerge with the first and largest female model signing a contract with one of the biggest model agencies in the UK. Tess Holliday, aged 29 and size 22, has been signed by MiLK Model Management and it appears that the fashion industry is finally starting to realise that all body types are beautiful and should be accounted for.

Chromat’s collection at NYFW included women of all sizes, and a diverse range of ethnicities, proving that we no longer should adhere to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ method which is seen as the norm.

Every woman is different and this collection supports this concept through and through.

A stand out moment during New York Fashion Week was actress Laverne Cox’s appearance at the Go Red for Women

campaign event, looking stunning on the runway in a flowing red dress. This symbolises such a change in the world of fashion.

As a transgender advocate, she flies the flag high and proudly for the LGBT+ community. Another actress, Jamie Brewer, made history, being the first woman with down’s syndrome to take to the runway during NYFW, looking beautiful in a Carrie Hammer black belted shirt dress.

This unofficial theme of diversity was also portrayed elegantly in the FTL Moda collection where a large amount of the models cast were people with disabilities. The show displayed some beautiful new talent and makes a great attempt at beginning to demolish the struggles the fashion industry has faced regarding diversity.

Canadian model Winnie Harlow, a woman with the skin condition vitiligo, has become an icon for diversity in fashion. She led Desigual’s Autumn/Winter collection this year at NWFW. A spokesperson for the brand stated that she is "a whirlwind of positive energy, an example of strength and achievement, who demonstrates that we are all special and can achieve what we set out to do."

We can only celebrate and welcome these new changes with open arms as the fashion world really begins to embrace, rather than discourage, diversity.

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London fashion week is not only one of the most prestigious fashion showcases in the world, but it is renowned for presenting up and coming designers with a platform for exposure.

‘Fashion Scout’, a one day event at London’s Freemasons Hall, hand picks collections of innovative and interesting designers, deemed to be the ‘ones to watch’ for the coming year.

The last event of the day was a showcase by California-born Candice Cuoco (AKA CCuoco), whose Autumn/Winter collection was entitled Definition.

CCuoco is known for her dramatic pieces, which often include exaggerated geometric shapes alongside fierce colours and theatrical accessories. As the head designer, she has often described her collections to be formations of “beauty and darkness”, and this certainly translated into her catwalk show.

There was a continuous use of leather throughout the collection, alongside strong A-line skirts and sharp cuts. Many of the outfits which were showcased were two-pieces, giving the models a feminine vibe, despite the toughness of the garments.

The heavy materials used were of strong, dominant hues, including scarlet, reflective gold, bottle green and deep black.

This feisty attitude within the collection was not only attractive but also intriguing.

The striking models were covered in decadent accessories, including nose rings and jeweled headpieces, giving the Definition showcase a strong sense of the exotic. Their heavily kholed eyes paired with harsh, gelled, black hair produced a sense of mystery within the collection, and certainly accentuated CCuoco’s aims of “beauty and darkness.”

It was evident that Candice Cuoco’s collection intended to immediately capture the audience’s attention and break the contemporary expectations of fashion.

The audience sat enchanted as the mysterious models showcased the outlandish collection which was set to a soundtrack of dark tribal music, adding to the enigmatic feeling of the evening.

As Candice appeared for the final catwalk of the night, it was evident that she had transferred her own style into the collection.

Her long dark hair and oversized leather jacket proved that she too holds an air of both attitude and mystery.

Overall, the evening was certainly an interesting watch: CCuoco’s Definition collection was like nothing I have seen before and certainly contrasted with the current UK fashion trends.

Perhaps this exotic fierceness is something that will be transferred into high-street fashion later this year.

TRAVEL

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Easter city breaks BASIL AL-ALI

3rd Year Business and Management

Paris, France Using the Eurostar, you can get a return to France for just £69.

Hotels can be found for as low as £60 per night, which brings your travel and accommodation costs to around £189 for three days in the French capital. There are a multitude of things to do in Paris, especially if it is your first visit.

You can climb the Eiffel Tower,

visit the Louvre, watch the driving chaos around the Arc de Triomphe and experience the wonderful French cuisine.

Brussels, Belgium Flights to Brussels can be extremely cheap with some dipping just under £25 one-way.

Hotel prices aren’t much more expensive, starting at around £40 per night. The Atomium is said to have great views of the city, and so it is unsurprisingly an

international tourist attraction.

You can also spend some time in the botanical gardens and visit the rows of shops dedicated to Belgium’s finest chocolate.

live art. The dancing house is a superb structure, designed to appear as if the building is swaying and holding her dance partner.

Prague, Czech Republic Prague is a city which boasts a lot of history and a plethora of beautiful architecture – “a textbook of styles throughout the centuries”. Charles Bridge is a very busy tourist attraction within the city on which can be found a multitude of entertainers performing a variety of things, including dancing, singing and

Lisbon, Portugal If you would like to catch some sun, Lisbon is an ideal place to visit at this time of year. Cheap hotels and flights all year round make the city a continuously busy and entertaining place. There are many landmarks to see that resemble famous ones around the world, such as the Vasco da Gama Tower, similar to the Burj Al Arab and 25 de Abril Bridge,

Visit Berlin

|LIFESTYLE which resembles the Golden Gate Bridge.

Oslo, Norway Norway is a country of natural beauty and the capital succeeds in retaining this beauty.

While visiting the city, amazing opportunities present themselves: you can see the Aurora Borealis, a truly magical experience. Or, you might choose to go dogsledding through the snowy outskirts of the city. Flights to Norway can be as cheap as £18 one-way.

EMMA REEVES

3rd Year English Literature

Berlin. Its previous mayor, Klaus Wowereit termed the city as “poor but sexy”. Whatever your take, it challenges expectations of a country’s capital. It is a city of contrasts, being Germany’s greenest city with three UNESCO heritage sites, but it is also filled with street art, abandoned spaces, cocktail bars and infamous clubs.

It is historical and cutting edge; raw and decadent, polished and tranquil.

After spending a month in Berlin last summer I discovered just how much it has to offer. Here are some of the many reasons to visit: History It will not be long before you notice Berlin’s history stamped around the city – from the Prussian rule to the Soviet era.

The Bibliotek memorial is discreet yet poignant, red bricks line the pavement where the Berlin wall once stood, abandoned buildings remain in areas of gentrification with anecdotes about squatters and underground cultures. The neo-classic Brandenburg Tor was the old gate to the city, and Gendarmenmarkt is a square which allows you to step back in time.

Credit to Emma Reeves

Berlin has over 200 museums, such as the Filmmuseum, a museum of letters, the Currywurst museum and the Olympic Stadium. There is a museum for almost (if not all) everything in Berlin. The Pergamon Museum is full of artefacts from the Middle East and Europe. The reconstruction of the Ishtar gate is a highlight. Best of all, most of the museums are free or very cheap to enter.

Food Hour long queues for a kebab stall (Mustafa’s), lengthy brunches, a burger bar in an old public toilet with the U-Bahn roaring overhead (Burgermeister), the Nordic Embassy’s canteen, vegan and vegetarian options aplenty, cucumber ice cream (Fräulein Frost), a beer garden where you can hire a paddle boat Museums When a city boasts a museum on the surrounding lake (Cafe island, you know they're serious. AM Neuen See) and of course the

currywurst.

There are so many cheap food options in Berlin, which take the average kebab to a level of deliciousness you didn’t know was possible! Street food Thursday, in the undercover Markt Halle Neun, is slightly more expensive, but it provides a taster of the huge range of food options available, and is definitely worth a visit.

Nightlife Berlin does not sleep, with many nightclubs open from Friday to Monday. Electronic music pounds the city, but head to the notorious Berghain or Watergate.

Do not be surprised if it becomes logical to try and gain entry at 10am on a Sunday, or if you see revellers leaving as you start a day of sightseeing.

There are also many live music venues, Electric Swing and bars for a quieter night. From a ping

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pong bar, top-quality craft beer, Bingo with a twist (Kiezbingo), to Green Door – to enter, you must ring the doorbell.

Green spaces There are so many parks to make the most of the bike-friendly city. The historic Tempelhof airport closed in 2008, and Berliners demanded that it be kept as a green space. It is perfect for roller skaters, cyclists, runners, dog walkers, and those simply wanting to hang out at an old runway!

There’s also Tiergarten, lakes further afield, plenty of palaces, such as Schloss Charlottenburg, and Kreuzberg’s Prinzessinnengarten - an urban garden with a nice cafe, allotments, and workshops!

Neighbourhoods Each neighbourhood

has

something to offer, and many are still developing and changing.

Examples include dreamy bookshops and brunch in Prenzlauer Berg. Mitte, a cultural collision of historic sites, third wave coffee (The Barn) and the Street Art alley. Kreuzberg is filled with vintage stores, cafes, the turkish market and many bars dotted around the river. The East Side Gallery, food spots, and many clubs are in Friedrichshain.

There are reasons to visit all of Berlin’s neighborhoods, so do your research and take your pick!

TIPS: Pay for your U-Bahn ticket! It works by honesty policy, so non-uniform officers will regularly perform inspections.

Take the free ‘alternative Berlin’ tour for a historic, but different, view of the city. The guides have lots of knowledge on what’s on and the best places to visit.

LIFESTYLE| TRAVELWWW

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Penny Travel:

Island hopping in the Mediterranean sun ESSENE TIGHE

3rd Year Politics and International Relations

If Morocco didn’t tickle your travelling taste buds in last month’s Penny Travel, then perhaps an escape to the coast of Croatia, in the historical city of Dubrovnik, will.

Spend the weekend being sun kissed on the secluded island beaches unreachable by anything but a kayak and the evenings tasting the catch of the day, the freshly picked olives and sipping cocktails at sunset.

Croatia is culturally stimulating, offering oodles of history and interesting architecture. Spend your days wandering Croatia’s thrilling natural beauty, swimming in the Adriatic ocean or lazing on soft sand beaches and discovering Robinson Crusoe-style islets. The attraction of Croatia is its unique combination of mountain hiking, a walk along the ancient city walls (two-hour walking tour costs £10 and are an essential for the breathtaking views, but not for the faintheartened) and an early morning dip in its turquoise waters.

Croatia offers diversity: you’ll find glitz and glamour in the cliff top bars with celebrities docking their yachts, families holidaying on the white sweeping beaches and hostels full of backpacking Aussies.

A mid-week flight averages at around £75 return, although this

takes a bit of deal searching and a flexible timetable, so perhaps it is a trip best taken during the easter rather than the summer break.

Communal coaches leave every hour from the airport and don’t require booking, costing only £6 each way. Unfortunately, a trip to Europe often means steeper prices for tourists: the majority of your money will probably be spent on sleeping and eating.

Nevertheless, there are lots of money saving tips allowing you to scrimp in other areas. The majority of your days will be spent on the beach and sightseeing, advantageous since they’re both free. During the day you can take your own walking tour of the city’s marbled streets and baroque buildings, explore their handicraft markets or snooze on a secluded beach. Join the locals in a supermarket-bought, traditional, Mediterranean platter. The delis in Croatia offer freshly baked bread, sliced meats, strong cheeses and olives straight from the Croatian trees. These picnic lunches will save you a lot of money.

Dubrovnik is a small city but accommodation is scattered between the old town and the port. Because of its size and its draw for tourism, it is one of the most expensive cities in the country, so expect to pay more for a room here. Within the city walls the accommodation choices are few and far between and what is available offers steep prices. The

best option is a hostel in Lapad, a 25 minute walk from the centre and as the bus system is good, it’s not so bad to be located away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

Island hopping is what attracts most to the Dalmatian coast; catching the small ferry from Dubrovnik to the nearby Elafiti islands for the day is the perfect getaway from the city heat. The most popular islands are Koločep, Lopud and Šipan, dotted along the coast.

Koločep is the nearest of the islands, only a 15 minute boat ride away and departing regularly throughout the day. Just make sure you don’t miss the last boat back around 6pm or you will be sleeping under the stars. Koločep is home to several white sand beaches and secluded coves scattered around the island. If you walk across the spine of the island to the Šunj beach, a little bar serves griddled fresh seafood: I would recommend the big cooking pots of mussels at only £6! If late lunches and lazing on the beach isn’t your cup of tea, then rent a kayak for the day to see Dubrovnik from all the best angles or take the cable-car up Mount Surd for around £20 per person.

Finally, a trip to the Buza Bar one evening is where you will find all the bohemian travellers catching the last of the sunset.

Here you can sip on a cool Osječko – the oldest, and best, of

Credit to Essene Tighe

the Croatian beers – before cliffdiving straight into the ocean. The bar has a great buzz at all hours and is situated just outside the old town wall’s main gate.

If the summer sunshine, crystal

clear water and Buza Bar don’t pull you in, then a visit simply for the fact that Dubrovnik is the setting of the ever-so-popular Game of Thrones series makes it one for the bucket list, regardless.

A Weekend in Bruges SARAH FOSTEREDWARDS

3rd Year English Literature, Film and Theatre

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Belgium lies the quaint, medieval city of Bruges. Cobbles pave the Flemish streets boasting architecture, historical sites and a canal. Although a small city, it is bursting with things to do and places to explore.

For a bird’s eye view of the city, climb the 366 steps of the Belfry tower, the centrepiece of the Markt square. If heights aren’t for you, take a boat along the

canal or perhaps a romantic trip on a horse and cart but the best way to explore the city is by foot. Take long walks in and around the city to seek out those hidden corners of Bruges. A must see is the Basilica of the Holy Blood, located just off the Markt. The Basilica is believed to hold the blood of Jesus Christ and is home to some truly stunning architecture.

Bruges offers everything you could want in the way of typical Belgian specialties: beer and chocolates. The selection of beers is never ending, varying from blonde to brown and even fruit based. To get a taste visit the Beer

Museum, located centrally near the Markt square. Another option is to go right to the source at De Haalve Maan Brewery, where some local beers are produced, a short walk from the Markt.

For the chocoholics, Bruges has its very own Chocolate Museum offering the history of chocolate and more importantly, tasters. If the museum isn’t for you then not to worry, the streets are lined with chocolatiers offering handmade chocolates in their kilos. There is a wide selection of restaurants both in the centre and in the connecting streets. For a local dish, try the beer infused Flemish beef stew

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Credit to Sarah Foster-Edwards

or, for something sweet, try an authentic Belgian waffle.

The closest airport to Bruges is Brussels, however, Eurolines run a daily service from London Victoria directly to Bruges railway station making travel easy,

convenient and best of all, cheap!

With Easter just around the corner, Bruges is the perfect destination to get your chocolate fix whilst enjoying the picturesque surroundings.

CULTURE

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Campus Crushes

I saw you crying in the library when you’re dissertation wouldn’t print off. Maybe a spoon would make us both feel better.

From the long haired guy in the electric blue adidas jacket to the teary-eyed girl by the printer.

You spilled your snakebite over me in Ice House. It was love at first pint, and thanks for buying me another.

From the guy in the wet t shirt, to the guy with the glass half full.

To submit your campus crush, email deputyeditor@sparknewspaper.co.uk .

You got kicked out of my lecture dressed in your lifeguard coat.

Please can you save me, I’m drowning in your eyes.

From the person in the front row to the guy in the bright red jacket.

My jaw dropped when I saw you out the other night, I’ve never seen anyone look so good in a tiger print t shirt. You make my heart roar.

From the girl in the Topshop top, to the guy in the wild t shirt!

Is your love life limited to the library?

Are you raring for a Reading romance?

If so get in touch with Campus Crushes!

|LIFESTYLE

To that guy in that signature striking jacket…

It was not your looks, nor your smile, nor how a gentlemen you are…but your wit beyond measure that nearly took my heart away.

Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace ABIGAIL BALLANTYNE

3rd Year English Language

From his condemnation of the Beijing Olympics, to his infamous house arrest, to filling the Tate Modern terminal with porcelain sunflower seeds, it seems reductive to represent one man’s freedom with 140 characters and a hashtag. However, dedicated activist and controversial artist Ai Weiwei took to Twitter – bypassing the ‘Great Firewall of China’ – to not only share his political insights, but to voice his unique perception of freedom. By recognising the extensive power and influence of social media, he was able to harness the ability to reach millions across the globe and spread his message of integrity, honesty and compassion.

It is worth noting that I am not well versed in art criticism. I enjoy visiting galleries and I have a handful of favourite artists, but prior to my trip to Blenheim, my attitude was “I know what I like and I know what I don’t, but I can’t articulate why”. As a result, I can aim only to review the exhibition as an experience, but an experience that has irrevocably altered the way I feel about art.

After hearing about his exhibition at Blenheim Palace, I decided to take the day off from crying in the library to attend.

Not only was I excited to see

some of my favourite pieces of contemporary sculpture, but the choice of location was intriguing.

Three-hundred years old and spanning over eleven thousand sprawling acres, the Blenheim Palace estate is a breath-taking national monument. Revered for its status as the birthplace of Winston Churchill and housing around a thousand MI5 employees during World War II, the integration of Ai Weiwei’s work, which feature strong political themes throughout, made for a surreal exhibition experience.

I naïvely had vague expectations of seeing a few of my favourite pieces in a stark, empty room in some outbuilding-cumgallery, separate from the grandeur of the palace which stood as an extravagant display of aristocracy and squandered inheritance (of which I had very little interest in). I was therefore astounded to find that the exhibition was to take place within the open rooms of the palace.

The first and arguably most glamorous piece – an enormous glass crystal chandelier, measuring seventeen feet long and named simply “Chandelier” – marked the entryway into the world that the artist had created. Through the maze of corridors and drawing rooms, his pieces were placed amongst the historical displays exhibiting the illustrious past of the palace. In Churchill’s birth room, a pair of wooden handcuffs lay on the chair next to the bed (Handcuffs, 2012). At the back of

the hall, the usual plush red carpet had been replaced by a pale brown runner that mimicked a dusty dirt road. I didn’t know what it meant, but I liked it.

In the Long Library, I met a curator named Hiro Tenui, standing next to a statue of Queen Anne, surrounded by the famous images of Ai Wewei holding his middle finger up in front of various landmarks across the world. He asked me what I thought of the photographs. When I had seen the photographs on the internet, they were always the “right way up”, so that the finger pointed to the sky. For this exhibition, however, they had been rotated by ninety degrees. I told him this and he stuck his middle finger up at me, grinning. A nearby American couple gasped disapprovingly, but Hiro did not seem concerned.

“This means hate, yes? But what about this?” He rotated his hand to mimic the photograph. “Does it still mean hate? You decide.

That’s what Ai Weiwei’s work is about. His message is clear but he allows freedom for interpretation.

Like the table in the other room [here, he is referring to Slanted Table]. It represents inequality, but what do you think about the table’s function? The Han dynasty vases – to many Chinese people, he has desecrated an important historical artefact by repainting them [and branding them with] “Coca-Cola”. He understands and respects the influence of the past, but he’s still questioning it. It’s the same with the crabs! [The piece]

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Credit to Abigail Ballantyne

is called “Hie Xie". That means harmony. What is the colour of China? Many of the crabs are this colour!” Hiro spoke with passion and enthusiasm, asking more questions than offering answers.

I began to feel as though he were interviewing me. He seemed to revel in the opportunity to proudly present his middle finger, albeit sideways, and talked in length about unity: “There is unity in his art. There is one message – you decide. If you see hate, then it is hate.”

There is something about the work of Ai Weiwei that, to me,

always seemed so loud. Not only does his work seem to represent that which is reactionary and critical but also that which is deeply personal. It’s a celebration of liberty and imagination, challenging the image of the state, of contemporary global politics and the reality of national security.

It’s a celebration of concepts over aesthetics, of breaking from the past and into the future. It is a celebration of the individual, screaming not only “autonomy” but also “harmony”. It’s all these things, and probably a million others.

LIFESTYLE|BEAUTY

Beauty dupes

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Make-up Jenneration II AMBER IVATT

3rd Year English Literature with Creative Writing

Last month we wanted to achieve Kylie Jenner’s look, but this month it’s all about Kendall. Kendall Jenner tends keep her look nude and understated, perfect for every day make up. Because this look is not high maintenance, it can also be very affordable.

AMY GASHMAN

3rd Year English Literature and Film and Theatre

The end of term is coming and you’re losing your glow (alongside your will to live). So, what better way to rejuvenate your spirits than a beauty product haul to liven up your boring, old makeup bag?

First on the list: contour kit. Kim Kardashian, queen of contouring, recently revealed to Grazia the secret behind her impossibly defined face as the Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Pro Series Contour Kit. It’s no surprise that girls everywhere are in bits trying to recreate her look for a price more economical than £39. Here are two far more reasonable options that won’t break the bank and will leave you looking chiselled and smouldering: Topshop’s Contour Cream, priced at £9, comes in two different shades and is ideal if you can’t be bothered with the hassle of an entire palette. If you already have a good base foundation and various concealers, all you really need is this single cream.

If your makeup bag is slightly scarcer in the facial product region however, it is worth ordering Sleek’s Makeup’s Face Contour Kit for an incredibly cheap £6.49, and they have an online store offering a whole variety of inexpensive dupes, too!

The rise of the matte, vampireinspired lip is still looming over us: one smear of this devilish colour and your girly daytime makeup is transformed into a sultry evening look. One of the best products for this look is Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution lipstick in ‘Glastonberry’, but who has £23 to spend on their lips?

Of course, MAC, with their reign of high street lip colours, have an alternative: Sin, at £15.50.

But, this is still rather pricey.

Revlon’s equivalent Super Lustrous Lipstick in ‘Black Cherry’, at £7.49, is a cheaper option that doesn’t lose the quality of higher-end brands.

The last product on the list may not seem essential, but it is worth investing in: make up fixer.

Monday night Q, one o’clock in the morning: smeared eye makeup, blotchy bronzer, and an overall dishevelled look greet you in the mirror. This can be avoided with this miracle spray: like hairspray for your face!

If you’re feeling flashy, Cosmopolitan gave Urban Decay’s All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray a 10/10. For £19.50, one would hope it worked! But for the more frugal among us, Kiko’s Face Make Up Fixer, at £7.90, is amazing and well-priced.

Face To begin, use a liquid foundation such as Revlon’s Nearly Naked (RRP £8.99) and blend with a beauty blender, brush or your fingers, for flawless looking skin.

Then, apply bronzer, like Avon’s Ideal Luminous Shimmer Block (RRP £4.50), just beneath the cheekbones to add a polished glow. This is an optional step, but it does sculpt the face more. Add a small amount of highlighter to the top of your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose – to make it look thinner like Kendall’s – on the centre of your cupid’s bow and on your chin. I recommend Benefit’s High Beam (RRP £19.50), but a powder highlighter like MAC’s Lightscapade (RRP £23.00) works just as well.

Eyes The only bold thing about Kendall’s look is her outlined eye. Line the rim of the top and bottom lid with a kohl pencil.

You can buy one from as little as £1.99, from Collection. For eye-shadow you can double-up and use your bronzer palette for golden, sun-kissed eyes. Avon’s Ideal Luminous Shimmer Block is divided into five light to dark segments. Apply the second lightest colour to the top lids and underneath your eyeliner on the lower lids. Then, in the crease of the eye, add a neutral brown such as ‘Buck’ from Urban Decay’s Naked Palette (RRP £37.00), enhancing the hollow of the eyes and providing a nice contrast to your golden lids. Next, use a liquid liner, such as Soap & Glory’s Supercat eyeliner pen in ‘Carbon Black’ (RRP £6.00). An eyeliner pen offers more precision than a brush, which is ideal for Kendall’s look. Thinly line just above the lash line and then add a little wing. To finish the eyes, use a black volume mascara, such as Bourjois Paris’s winner of the 2014 beauty awards, Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (RRP £9.99), on the top and bottom lashes.

Blonde hair maintenance HANNAH CROFTS 2nd Year English Literature

If you dye you're hair blonde, you'll know how much of a task it can be to maintain its colour and condition. It's no easy feat.

Dying wrecks havoc on your hair, and being unnaturally blonde's not easy. If you're an undeterred bleach blonde devotee like me though, these are the products to invest in if you want to maintain your golden locks...

Happy Hair Days Colour Care Marshmallow & Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner £4 This is the shampoo and conditioner I use most days. You can only buy it at Sainsbury's

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which is annoying, but currently there's a buy 2 for £5 offer, which is really good as you're essentially getting one product for £1. This is seriously the loveliest smelling shampoo and conditioner duo, it smells exactly like marshmallows with a hint of coconut, but in a subtle non-sickly way. It's free from parabens, sodium laureth sulphate and mineral oils, making it a good natural alternative that I have no qualms about using. This is also one of the best value natural haircare ranges I've come across.

TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Shampoo for Chemically Treated Hair £17.55 You can get this from Feel Unique for £17.55, which is less than the high street price of £19.50. It doesn't seem like much

Lips To achieve Kendall’s pout, you only need two products.

Firstly, using a nude lipliner such as bareMinerals’ Marvelous Moxie range in ‘Liberated’ (RRP £13.00), outline the shape of your lips before filling them in with the same lipliner. Kendall tends to emphasise a dip in her top lip, whereas her sister Kylie likes to draw above it, what you do depends entirely on what works for you, but for Kendall’s look go for the former. Finally, after applying lip liner, add a clear balm or butter like Rimmel’s Keep Calm and Lip Balm (RRP £2.99), to give your lips moisture and shine.

of a bargain though as the price is still quite hefty for a student budget. It is Bed Head though and this bottle is a huge 750ml.

I stumbled across this in TK Maxx and got it for around £14.

I've never seen it in there again but there's no harm in having a look just in case. You can use this everyday all though as it's quite pricey I use it sparingly. It does all the things you want in a shampoo: nourishes, adds shine, and makes your hair smell gorgeous. The consistency is quite thick, similar to that of a conditioner which is great because it makes it truly intensive, much more than a regular shampoo. It smells like an exotic cocktail. I can't exactly put my finger on the precise scent but the product description describes the fragrance as 'tropical guava'.

Buying this might be a bit of a splurge, but it's one I'd thoroughly encourage you to make.

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Tone Correcting Conditioner £5.89 This is the conditioner I've used ever since I first went blonde.

Continues on next page...

BEAUTY & NEWS

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK ...Like all purple conditioners it knocks out brassy tones by neutralising the colour of your hair. I slather lots on straight after dying my roots and leave it on for about 30 minutes; it's an absolute life saver. I always end up having a mare when dying my hair as it tends either to turn out a little bit brassy or too yellowed toned, but this conditioner always sorts this out. The results are instantly noticeable, and for £5.89 from Feel Unique it's not a bad price either.

Bleach London Reincarnation Mask £6 You get this with Bleach London's hair dye kits but can also buy it separately from Boots.

I love hair masks and this is my favourite by far; it really restores my hair when it's feeling really dry and damaged by adding lots of moisture and making it feel luxuriously soft. It's super intensive and I haven't found anything else just as good.

Touch of Silver Intensive Treatment Conditioner £3.19 I picked this up recently as I've nearly run out of my John Frieda conditioner and this was the only product specifically for dyed blondes at the Co-op. I'm

glad I did though as it's so good.

You're supposed to use this as a weekly intensive hair mask, for up to 10 minutes depending on your hairs condition. The formulae includes UV absorber which means it gives extra protection to your hair from damaging sunlight rays, helping retain the colour and quality of your hair for even longer. For £3.19 it's super cheap and is definitely something I'll repurchase.

|LIFESTYLE

Getting a job whilst at university

Batiste Dry Shampoo Light and Blonde £3.99 Dry shampoo's great when you've got uni in the morning but haven't got time to wash your hair; this one's great for blondes as it has a hint of colour so it also covers up those pesky roots, too.

Vatika Naturals Coconut Hair Oil £2.99 This soothes sensitive scalps and replenishes hair, leaving it healthy and beautifully glossy.

This particular product comes in a green bottle. I bought mine from a grocery shop for £2.99 but they also sell it on Amazon. Drench your hair in it and leave it on overnight, then wash out in the morning and revel in the beauty of your newly nourished, and glossy hair.

RACHAEL HOPLEY 2nd Year Classics

We’re coming towards the end of another term and our student bank accounts may as well show a sad face rather than a balance. Rather than making severely different lifestyle choices, a few hours of work a week can make a huge difference to those dwindling bank accounts. If you’re feeling the strain here are a few tips and places to look: The best place to get a job while studying at university is within the university itself. From the Sportspark Café and shops in RUSU, to the campus shop and the library, the university relies on a mixture of full-time and parttime staff.

Of course, these kinds of jobs have their perks as well as disadvantages. They will usually be term time oriented, meaning there’s no issue of having to take time off from your job during holidays. Of course, the campus is also usually fairly close to home (unless you’re a rare type of student who can tolerate more than a 20 minute walk to and from campus every day). Possibly the biggest benefit: the low-hours contract. This means that you can work as little or as much as you like. So that means extra flexibility during that one dreaded week

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of term when every assignment seems to be due in.

However, there are also drawbacks to getting a job on campus. The University of Reading will only usually pay minimum wage. Also, these kinds of jobs aren’t for those who don’t enjoy bumping into old acquaintances, love interests or lecturers.

If you are interested in something even more casual, another way to work on campus is as part of the more seasonal activities.

These include becoming a student ambassador, either centrally or within your own academic department. Or you could apply for a job in the telephone campaigns ringing alumni in order to raise money for the university.

If a job on campus does not sound good for you then there are plenty of other options. The easiest way to find a variety of other job vacancies is at indeed.co.uk. This website allows you to search for jobs in your area which can be filtered down to suit your needs.

Many high-street employers are available here and it is a great way to easily see what is available to you, as well as highlighting new options, which you might not have thought of initially.

If both university and indeed. co.uk come up dry there are still plenty of other jobs out there.

Almost any shop or service based employer (like a cinema or restaurant) will have a careers and jobs section on their website. You could always do it the traditional way by handing in your CV to various places in the city center, but there is no guarantee that they will have vacancies.

While work experience of any kind is preferential, it is astonishing how many things you might have done in your life that will count as valuable life experience, and will ultimately help you in getting that job. If you have been on a society committee and organized drunken night outs, on a job application this can be presented as loyalty to an organization.

So you’ve been successful in your job application and you have an interview. Most parttime jobs will have some sort of face-to-face interaction with customers. In these situations you need to present yourself confidently and friendly, and make sure to maintain a healthy and appropriate relationship with staff and customers. Maintaining a job is that easy: be confident, hard-working, and loyal.

LIFESTYLE|MR & MRS ADVISED

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Dear Social Media Susie,

Miss Advised Miss Advised, I’m starting to think that I’m addicted to social media. I check it before I go to bed, but I’ll be on my phone for over an hour! I always check Facebook and Instagram and Twitter in the mornings too. Again it becomes a laborious task which could take hours. I am always checking social media sites during the day and I think I’m becoming obsessed with checking how many likes I’ve received for a post, or what other people are up to. I even find myself being jealous of people, and it’s causing me to be judgemental about other people’s photos and statuses, even about my own friends! It is taking over my life! How do I control this addiction? Help!

From Social Media Susie.

Firstly, don’t panic, it is very normal in this modern day to be checking social media and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you! Maybe you’re checking them so much because you’re procrastinating from a task you really are trying to avoid? (Is your dissertation due by any chance?)

Secondly, it’s very easy to see how social media can be addictive. The likes give you a weird sense of popularity, and assurance that people still “like” you – and it’s hard to explain (or even admit) why it’s such a good feeling. You’ve got to try and remember that people embellish the truth tremendously over social media, and if you’re getting jealous, then think about why that person wrote that post bragging about a new pair of Kurt Geiger’s or an internship they are just so excited (tongue emoji, wink emoji, grin cat face emoji) to start.

A lot of people seek re-assurance over social media and the likes help them to feel a sense of accomplishment. The judgement you’re feeling is probably because you’re so invested in what people are doing online that it annoys you when someone accomplish something that maybe you haven’t. This is very common, but it’s a bad habit to find yourself in, albeit a hard one to break.

Try only letting yourself look for fifteen minutes at a time - set a timer on your phone so you don’t over-indulge.

Maybe look at societies you can join: use Facebook to your advantage, look for clubs and interesting activities. These will also take a couple of hours of your day where you are not sitting down, bored, scrolling through your phone. If all else fails, delete the apps. If you can’t control yourself, they’re going to have to go, or else it will take over your life!

Good luck, and remember, if your selfie only gets two likes, you’re not any less beautiful.

From Miss (also a little addicted) Advised

Mr Magnetic I was recently asked by one of my many adoring Facebook fans if I had celebrated St David’s Day. Whilst not a traditional question and not one that requires me to give any of my usual advice, I, living up to my reputation, feel inclined to answer.

With this answer does come some advice to all of my faithful readers. The answer is: of course I celebrated St David’s Day! Every day is a gift, that’s why they call it the present… as the cliché goes.

We should all celebrate everyday, we should all take time out of our busy lives and just go nuts – even if it’s just an hour of dancing in your underwear. Think about how much happier the world would be if everyone could take time everyday to celebrate.

The problem is: how do you celebrate everyday – I mean, how is it possible to celebrate every day and not allow it to become stale? After all, what is there to celebrate every day?

This is why days like St David’s Day are so important. Think of it not as a day to celebrate the Welsh, or for the Welsh to celebrate. (Though, a nation which boasts Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Tom Jones and a top notch Rugby team certainly do have a lot to celebrate).

No, what St David’s Day is – all that St David’s Day is – is a theme for that particular day’s celebration. So have some leek soup, all of you, and eat some rarebit and drink some SA Brains. You don’t have to be Welsh, you don’t even have to like the Welsh – any excuse is a good excuse to have a good time.

This doesn’t just go for St David’s Day, any of the British Isle saint’s days is a wonderful theme for a party. Invite all your friends round, drink tea and listen to the Beatles every April 23rd. Don’t just stick to British holidays: embrace holidays from a variety of different cultures. Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving or Bastille Day. Spice up your life and just try it, find a good reason to give yourself a good time, every day. If you’re struggling to think of a theme for today’s party, pop onto the web and check out the Google doodle of the day – there’s an excuse right there.

I’m not suggesting that you drink every night (a lot of you don’t need me to suggest that for you to do it) and I’m not suggesting that you spend a lot of money. But just think of a reason, even a personal one, why today is a day worth celebrating and do it.

Thank me later, Mr Magnetic

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Drawn by Kate Bowen

FOOD

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

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|LIFESTYLE

@nadiaswholesomekitchen ELIZABETH ANDREWS

4th Year Food Technology with BioProcessing

With awareness of healthy eating improving in both the UK and worldwide, food blogging and writing is becoming a very popular hobby for budding foodenthusiasts. As a real foodie, I love using Instagram to find new recipes and flavour-combinations.

Never have I been more inspired than by Nadia Damaso, who runs Nadia’s Wholesome Kitchen (nadiaswholesomekitchen on Instagram) and I was lucky enough to interview her.

Where did your interest in healthy food come from?

Growing up, I took part in lots of sports and competitive crosscountry skiing, so being healthy and fit was always a big part of my life. At the age of 16, in 2012, I went on an exchange in Canada for half a year. I had an amazing time there but also gained quite a few kilos (which happens to a lot exchange students). When I came back I wanted to lose weight, but to me it was really important to do it in a healthy way. I did quite a bit of research and quickly realised that the only good and healthy way to lose weight is by eating good, healthy and wholesome food and, of course, working out.

Where do you get inspiration for your dishes?

A lot of my inspiration comes from other cook-books and food blogs. When a food picture wows me, I feel really tempted to make something similar, and I always try to add things and make it my own.

Some of my inspiration comes from my fridge! It is usually (over)filled with lots of different fruit and vegetables, so my mind becomes instantly inventive. I love to try out new things and combine different foods that I've never combined before. It's not only lots of fun, but it's amazing what flavours can be created!

I also get inspired when I work out, especially when I run. I always come back with new recipe ideas and I get really excited to try them out as soon as I can!

What is the best way to eat one of your recipes from a jar?

They look so delicious and yet so messy!

I guess all you need is a long spoon and a good appetite! I like eating the breakfast recipes in a jar from top to the bottom. However, with the jarred salads and savoury foods, it’s always best to shake them up.

The recurring theme for your Instagram and blog is ‘Eat Better Not Less’ – where did this come from?

Eating less just because you want to stay healthy and fit is just not the right solution. With my slogan "Eat Better Not Less" I also want to show people that eating healthy and being fit is not a diet, it's a lifestyle. It doesn't have anything to do with restrictions because you can create so many amazing things with good, healthy ingredients.

That's actually what's most important to me! I want to show people what chances they have to feel good, fit and healthy and still enjoy delicious food. After all, it's all about moderation. If you eat better and your body is used to this kind of eating, you can enjoy sweets and unhealthy foods from time to time without feeling guilty.

everything in life, sometimes you’ve just got to persevere.

What advice would you give anyone wanting to move in to food writing and food blogging, and do you think Instagram is a good place to start?

I think Instagram is a great platform to start! The most important thing when you start food writing or blogging is that you know what exactly you want to do. What do you want to post, what people and age-group do you

Do you have any tips for people who are trying to eat healthier?

You know I think something we're all looking for in life is health and happiness. If it makes you happy to eat pizza everyday and your body can handle that, I don't really have anything to say against it.

But, personally, eating fresh and healthy food made me feel happier!

So if I was to give you advice on eating healthier: try to avoid processed foods, deep fried foods, foods full of sugar (like soda) and white flour products. I hope to show people, through my recipes, what amazing options you have and hopefully inspire others.

It might take you some time to get used to foods like quinoa, bulgur, millet, things naturally sweetened with banana or dates, using healthy fats like coconut oil and others, but I'm sure you'll love it because in combination with fresh fruit, vegetables and protein it does not only taste and look great, you won't feel guilty eating any of it and ultimately feel better and become happier.

Don’t forget that working out is also an important part of a healthy lifestyle. There's so many things you can do I'm sure you'll find something you love. But, like with

want to reach, how do you want do it and why do you want to do it? Once you know the answers to these questions it's about creating your own style.

To me, a great look and good-quality pictures are really important.

You also have to have a clear message. What will your reader gain from reading your blog? Is it a blog about health and fitness to mostly just give you information and tips or is it a blog with great food-pictures to inspire people to

this kind of cooking and inspire them to create their own dishes?

Keep it clean, simple, organised and always stay true to yourself and your own style. At the end of the day what matters most is that you enjoy what you do.

Mango-Banana & Vanilla Breakfast Dream Image credit to Nadia Damaso

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LIFESTYLE |FOOD

LIFESTYLE@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Understanding diet rules Are diet rules worth sticking to?

ANDRZEJ LENARTOWICZ

3rd Year International Relations and Economics

If you’ve ever been on a diet, either to lose weight or simply to lead a healthier lifestyle, you will have most likely encountered ‘golden dietary rules’. They present themselves as standards that must be followed, but personal need should always be prioritised.

Eat smaller more frequent meals: A vast majority of diets recommend eating 5-6 smaller meals a day, instead of 2 or 3 bigger ones.

By eating smaller portions we accelerate our metabolism and supply our bodies with energy more often. As a result, our bodies don’t have to save energy for later by accumulating fat.

However, it is difficult to stick to this rule, especially as students.

It is a good idea to eat smaller portions more frequently, but don’t panic if your lifestyle does not enable you to do so. Simply try to make your bigger and less frequent meals as healthy as possible.

Cut out carbohydrates: Experts agree that the excessive amount of simple carbohydrates in our diets is one of the main reasons for problems such as obesity and diabetes. Both simple and complex carbohydrates provide us

with energy, however, the energy from simple carbohydrates does not last as long. As a result, if we don’t use this energy rapidly (by doing physical exercise) it will be converted into fat. Consequently, if you don`t exercise regularly, it is a good idea to reduce the simple carbohydrates in your diet.

On the other hand, if you run, swim, cycle or work out regularly in other ways, supplying your body with simple carbs after each training session is necessary in order to rebuild glycogen stores (energy stores). If you don’t, your recovery process can be longer.

Don't eat before sleep: According to dieticians, you shouldn’t eat later than about three hours before going to bed.

They claim that our metabolism slows down during the night, so eating before bed means storing additional fat instead of losing it.

However, this claim is true only if your last meal is large and fatty.

If you consider the fat content and size of your meal, you can eat your dinner, or snacks, up to one hour before sleeping. This is surely a better idea than going to bed hungry, which will affect your sleep negatively. But be cautious, eating pizza or a burger with fries straight before sleep will never pass for healthy.

more calories than you consume.

Assuming that you take in 2000 kcal every day and you want to maintain your weight, you should burn off 2000 kcal.

Though this theory looks plausible, it has one huge drawback. It disregards the quality of the meals. If caloric balance matters most, it would mean that whether the source of these calories is fruit, vegetables and lean meat or fast foods and fizzy drinks would not matter.

However, the quality of meals matters significantly. In order to avoid health problems, and concentrate not only on weight, caloric balance is not the only thing to be considered.

These rules are considered dietary standards because they work well for the majority of people. However, it is absolutely possible to lead a healthy life or lose weight without following all of them. If you feel constantly hungry due to eating small meals or have no energy after cutting out simple carbs, following these rules is likely to do more harm than good for you: you must listen to your body.

Simple student suppers: three ways with pasta Students are renowned for their pasta consumption. What do you do with yours?

ELIZABETH ANDREWS

vigorously, add drops of milk until a thick sauce forms. Mix in a generous amount of grated cheese.

4th Year Food Technology with BioProcessing

Pasta is very student-friendly food: it’s cheap, easy to cook, versatile and you can make many meals from one packet. Here are a few simple tips and recipes which will help you shake up your mealtimes!

For those of you who may still be unsure – pasta is best cooking for 9-11 minutes in a pan of already boiling water, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Once cooked, what do you do with it? It is very simple to make a quick sauce to simply add flavour to your supper; Vegetable Sauce Fry an onion in a frying pan, with some garlic if you’ve got it. Season before adding a tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chopped vegetables of your choice (e.g. peppers, tomatoes, spinach, carrot) and any herbs.

Caloric balance matters most: One of the most popular dietary rules is extremely simple: to lose weight, you must burn off

Cheese Sauce Melt a lump of butter in a pan.

Gradually add plain flour, stirring continuously until a ball of dough is formed. Continuing to stir

Spaghetti Carbonara Whilst your pasta is cooking, fry some bacon, onions and mushrooms in a pan. In a bowl mix 1-2 eggs, grated cheese and crème fraiche until well combined. Once cooked, drain the pasta and stir in the creamy sauce, then add the bacon and onion mixture. Serve hot and enjoy!

Bake it!

If you fancy making several portions for the next few days, why not try a pasta bake? Easy to store in the dish and reheat the day after, it is very convenient food! Simply boil some pasta and make one of the sauces above, or another of your choice. Stir in any meat you may like into your sauce (sausages go well with the tomato sauce) and mix this all in with the pasta until well combined.

Transfer in to an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes at 180ᴼc. The beauty of pasta bakes is their versatility – you can add anything you like to them, so be creative and experiment with your favourite foods!

Spicy Tomato Prawn Pasta Adding your favourite foods to a tomato sauce can create a whole new dish Image credit to Elizabeth Andrews

22

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HOWARD OF WARWICK TURNS TO READING Author talks to The Spark about his weird and wonderful writing P29

SHOWCASING THEIR JOY: RUGC Warming up their vocals, Reading University Gospel Choir invites you to their annual concert P25

CONSCIENTIOUS GAMING Characters come forward as video games take the immersive experience to the next, caring, level P28

VOICES THREATEN TO DROWN OUT SINGER Cotton Club hosts live performances with differing success P29

ENTERTAINMENT

A look down the barrel of Clint Eastwood's American Sniper

OLLIE WEEDEN 2nd Year English Literature

DIRECTOR | Clint Eastwood CAST | Bradley Cooper, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis, Ben Reed, Elise Robertson, Luke Sunshine, and Troy Vincent RUNNING TIME | 132 minutes GENRE | Action

American Sniper is the 34th film directed by Clint Eastwood. A superb Bradley Cooper plays the late Chris Kyle, a real-life Navy SEAL sniper credited with the most kills in U.S military history, as he returns home and struggles to leave the horrors of the Iraq

war behind him. This tense film is adapted from Kyle's own memoirs, detailing his four tours of Iraq before being honorably discharged in 2009. With 160 confirmed kills to his name (the actual number suspected to be close to 250) this man was very good at what he did. So good, in fact, that the Iraqis saw fit to place a six-figure bounty upon his head.

The film begins by placing us at the heart of the action, in the centre of a war-torn Fallujah where Kyle stares down the barrel at a young boy who's about to hurl a grenade at his platoon. Just as we think he's about to pull the trigger, we are suddenly taken back to Kyle’s childhood to watch him learning to shoot with his father.

From the beginning it is clear just

how committed Cooper is to this role. Having bulked up to the size of a small tank, Cooper captures the moral difficulty which Kyle faced expertly. Between his many tours of the Middle East, we see Kyle returning home to spend time with his wife Taya, skillfully played by Sienna Miller. The couple's problems at home don't command the audience’s attention, but instead provide us with some dramatic downtime terrifically performed by both Cooper and Miller.

Clint Eastwood has been forced to deny that American Sniper is a political movie in any way. Many have been quick to point out the (occasional) rather patriotic slogans and the heavy focus on 9/11 as the event which

incensed Kyle to join the military.

Any claim that this movie could be described as American propaganda (as the Twitter community seems to believe) is an extreme statement. American Sniper is not concerned with the morality of the Iraq war itself, but rather Kyle's own actions within it.

Overall this is a welcomed return by Eastwood, taking us back to the likes of Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of our Fathers. An inspiring story, American Sniper is a fitting tribute to someone seen by many as a modern day American hero.

UK BOX OFFICE

CHART

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

2. Fifty Shades of Grey 3. Focus 4. Big Hero 6 5. Shaun the Sheep Movie 6. Kingsman: The Secret Service 7. The Boy Next Door

8. It Follows 9. The Wedding Ringer

American Sniper Photo credits to Warner

24

ENTERTAINMENT.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

TV & FILMS

| ENTERTAINMENT

Joyful Joyful Showcase!

HELEN BONNEY 1st Year Economics

BETHAN TAYLOR

2nd Year Speech & Language Therapy

We are Reading University Gospel Choir: a student-led society that meets once a week for a thoroughly enjoyable singsong! Singing in four part harmony, we cover a mix of gospel music and newer, more contemporary songs. It is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy signing in a relaxed atmosphere.

Throughout the year we perform at various concerts and events; you may have already heard us sing at the Culture Show or RUTAM’s annual performance.

We occasionally venture out into London and this year we were lucky enough to sing at the Southbank Centre as part of their Winter Festival. Amidst singing some of our own songs, we did some traditional carolling (standing out in the cold wrapped up in hats, scarves and gloves!). A great time was had by all.

In previous years we have participated in, and made it to the final of, the University Gospel Choir of the Year competition.

The experience was not only tremendous fun, it also motivated us to work even harder this year, helping us to bond as a choir and cement already strong friendships.

Now our annual showcase is

fast approaching! An evening filled with firm favourites, including Happy, Amazing Grace and a medley of songs from Disney’s Frozen, we will perform the entire year’s repertoire along with some solo and group performances. There is definitely something for everyone! Fancy a fantastic fun-filled night of catchy feel-good songs? Come along to Palmer G10 on Friday 20th March at 19:30. Tickets cost just £3 and are available both online from the RUSU website and on the door. It’s time we got back to rehearsing!

The Tempest goes down a storm

Cast and Crew Credit to James Corrall

GARY GORDON 3rd Year English Literature

The Reading University Drama Society’s recent production of The Tempest was a great success, masterfully crafted and perfectly cast. Set in the round so the audience was inches away from the performance at all times, the cast utilised the space intelligently. Frequent moments saw the action seep into the aisles and put the audience the edge of their seats. Audience involvement was one of many well thought out artistic flourishes from the brilliant director, Josh Oliver, and his equally talented assistant,

Emily Marshall.

The Tempest was cut to a decent length and most important scenes were included. For the most part the cuts did nothing to impact the story telling and Shakespeare’s tale was told, albeit by idiots, with fluidity. Somewhere in the middle of act II I lost the plot, despite knowing the play fairly well, but the abridged version quickly found its feet again in time for the conclusion.

The performance was fronted

by Hywel Williams, who took on the iconic role with confidence.

He commanded excellent stage presence and spoke with authority and passion. Williams had great chemistry with his onstage daughter, Miranda, played by Juliana Süß. But no chemistry

could match that of the central two young lovers (Süß and Chris Fletcher). Despite a disturbingly high number of references to her ‘virgin knot’ there were real romantic sparks between the pair. The two talented young actors worked exceptionally well together and you almost thought they were really in love. The fourth principle character was Ariel, played by Coral Richards, who has to get the award for bestdressed; the trousers, rocking a galaxy print, were certainly eye catching. But being the formidable actress she is, Richards shone even brighter and enchanted characters and audience alike.

Henry Rayment-Pickard gave a devilish portrayal of Caliban.

Certainly channelling some Heath

25

Ledger Joker, Rayment-Pickard was simultaneously hilarious and disgusting. The poor audience members he mounted each night might never recover. The stand out performances from the supporting cast, however, has to be that of Tess Agus and Josh Clarke who played the double act Stephano and Trinculo. The duo was a match made in heaven. During sections of dense dialogue and when high drama started to slow the piece, Agus and Clarke came in and picked up the momentum.

Their comic timing in delivering 400-year-old jokes was second to none – take note Brucie, this is how to make old material fresh!

The pair was a definite highlight of a brilliant show.

Overall The Tempest was a roaring success. Josh Oliver’s calm and collected style pulled together a performance that left audiences lifted; there was nothing amateur about this piece.

Producers Yasmin Zeitoun and Megan Turner said “We are so proud of everyone in the cast – they’re some of the most talented, hardworking people we’ve worked with. They’ve kept up RUDS’ strong reputation”. A piece like this needs a strong production team, which was run by Zeitoun and Turner with professional efficiency.

Congratulations to the all cast and crew of The Tempest on an excellent show.

Credit to Leila Saglioni

Amy Gilks, Josh Oliver, Mitch Smith Credit to James Corrall

Josh Clarke, Tess Agus.

Credit to James Corrall

ENTERTAINMENT | ARTS & BOOKS

ENTERTAINMENT.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

A hidden gem: Yve Blake’s The Lie Collector LAUREN READ

4th Year German and History

An entire festival takes place underground. The Vault arts festival, now in its third year and set in the Leake street tunnels near Waterloo station, was something I had never heard about until now.

The festival entrance is through a tunnel covered in graffiti and it was only by seeing other people that we realised we were in the right place. The door led to further tunnels, inside which there was a showroom of art you could buy, a bar, many different theatre rooms, a stage for music and even a restaurant. There was a great vibe in The Vault, lots of people and drinks were flowing; it felt very cool and in turn I felt like a hip Londoner. Many different performances featured at The Vault that night, which all sounded amazing, and the one we attended, Yve Blake’s The Lie Collector, definitely did not disappoint.

The room we entered had a similar feel to a concrete bunker, but it was filled with chairs and a stage with a mac on a table at the front. Yve Blake, a very bubbly and charming Sydney-born Londonbased comedian, first explained the concept of her piece. She had, literally, collected lies from strangers on the internet which she then turned into music, costume and dance. It was extremely well thought out and incredibly funny.

My personal highlight was a song

about an Irish bartender telling American tourists about the plight of the Leprechauns. Blake kept her audience engaged throughout the entirety of the performance with her lively effervescent personality and amazing costumes. To top it all off, there were numerous dance breaks! Blake has managed to get over 2,000 submissions to her website whowerewe.com from people in over 155 countries so the numerous story subjects are incredibly varied. Yet Yve still manages to transform them into fantastically clever comic songs.

Everyone in the audience was amazed by her, by how friendly and funny she was. I thought I was laughing hard but the woman in front of me was crying with laughter.

Yve really is an emerging star and I would recommend looking look at her website to see if there are any other performances.

I cannot recommend her performance enough or the festival itself, as there were so many different performances on every night, the prices for which were very reasonable. The entire experience was really superb and even though the Vault festival is over for now, running from January 28th to March 8th, I cannot wait for next year to see what other hidden gems I can find.

Credit to Lauren Read

Reviving Beatle Mania in Let It Be NATHALIE SIAH The Editor

If you could figure out a way to bring The Beatles back together, this is it. The musical Let It Be is the best way to leave your hard day’s night behind and feel revitalized.

Having followed the band quite closely, I was skeptical of another line-up smash-hits played by a bunch of half-hearted imitators.

However, these covers were an excellent tribute to the legends.

It was a light-hearted experience for all, allowing fans to twist and shout to their hearts’ content.

The show is a jukebox musical,

featuring hit after hit by the Fab Four. It is essentially a concert at best without any attempt to create a story-line (as in Mamma Mia!) or any biographical account of how the band rose to fame (as in Jersey Boys). However, the music style follows a timeline from their early tracks in Liverpool to their last in the US. It was slightly disappointing not to find much of a narrative however, after trading expectations of a show in for that of a concert, the experience was much more enjoyable.

Quirky as ever, the show puts on newsreel footage on screens, cheeky commercials and colourful costumes from the ‘hippy’ period of their career. A fantastic display of lighting also accompanies the acts which make every moment

exciting from start to finish. The only oddity to the flow of the performance is an intermittent speech, which is slightly awkward but luckily the group makes it endearing. Still, with suit and tie, cool denim and flamboyant floral prints, they connect the audience to a former time.

Emmanuele Angeletti is perfect for the job and makes a smooth and seductive Paul McCartney with the moves and voice to match.

John Brosnan alongside him gives a marvelous portrayal of George’s cool demeanor, while Michael Gagliano is a fun glasses-wearing John Lennon with a strong sense of his voice. Also, one must not forget the Luke Roberts’ solid drumming in the background. His technique and livid hair tosses add

26

splendidly to the energy of the music. The foursome are a perfect blend of harmonies at any tempo.

Soft and melodic, classics such as “The Long and Winding Road”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Yesterday” serenade the crowd and leave them misty eyed.

Touched, it is hard not to sway with a loved one or another next

to you over the bare acoustics.

If you want a getaway from life and a reminder of the time when The Beatles reigned, bring your family or a friend and forget your troubles. I guarantee it will be an experience to remember. Come together right now, over The Beatles.

FILM & THEATRE

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

|ENTERTAINMENT

Reading’s Children in War film season starts!

GABRIELLE LINNETT Entertainment Editor

70 years ago, in 1945 for those of you who struggle to think so far back, a war which ravaged the world of money, resources and men finally ended. Involving a host of nations, it was a time to face the light at the end of the tunnel and venture on. What would happen after such a dark period, no one was certain. But it had to be better than the destruction of humanity demonstrated on astounding magnitude.

Yet, as many would argue both for and against, it is crucial that we not only remember the atrocities that occurred during the war period, but also the path which led the human race there, how it coped and eventually moved on. Within such a framework of remembrance and understanding cinema plays a crucial role. Providing spectators with just a glimpse of a past they

will never have the misfortune of experiencing for themselves, through the means of both sound and imagery, films have the potential to evoke feelings in us that would otherwise become extinct as time goes on. Yes, some films looking at the Second World War are melodramatic, while others take a more documentarystyle approach. However there is a place for both variants, and many others, if it means that we can still consider, discuss and appreciate the tribulations that people across the world had to face on a national and individual level.

It is with this understanding that the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies here at the University of Reading is holding a film season, dedicated to those who epitomised the potential for a better future in which we return to our natural innocent selves: the children. Highlighting the unique perspectives that children had on the devastating and progressive world and political events of the time, films

will be shown in French, German, Italian and Spanish across a number of weeks, with subtitles in English. The first screening in the Children in War 1933-1945 film season is the German film Die Sprungdeckeluhr (The Pocket Watch), which will take place in the Palmer lecture theatre at the end of this term, Friday 27th March. An evening event, tickets cost £5 for students which are available to buy either on the door or online.

Watch as young Hansi and his sister Rosi have their lives turned upside down by the National Socialist hunt for communists which results in the capture of both their parents. Then, alone in a world of extreme mistrust and trust, experience the children’s journey to flee towards the open arms of that lost love.

Think your degree is tough?

These children will make you think twice.door or online.

Watch as young Hansi and his sister Rosi have their lives turned upside down by the National

Socialist hunt for communists which results in the capture of both their parents. Then, alone in a world of extreme mistrust and trust, experience the children’s journey to flee towards the open arms of that lost love.

Think your degree is tough?

These children will make you think twice.

“evoke feelings in us that would otherwise become extinct”

FTT- Behind the Curtain IMOGEN GIBBS

3rd Year FIlm, Theatre and Television

Third year has certainly been a dramatic one for the Film, Theatre and Television finalists.

Those who opted for theatre as their specialism have worked incredibly hard to produce performances which are both critically and visually engaging.

Being a film student, I had the pleasure of being able to wholly enjoy these performances during festival week whilst also taking part in one. Seven students of the 31-large FTT family chose theatre and they did not disappoint.

Jack Lovegrove, who directed two short plays by Bertolt Brecht He Who Says Yes and He Who Says No, explains the excitement of seeing his piece come alive, “Although the process was stressful it’s fantastic to see it all coming together. My play was heavily reliant on audience participation and I was apprehensive as I had

only rehearsed with the cast!”.

Lovegrove also discusses the development, from researching, deciding on a script, auditions and rehearsals, to four months down the line where the piece has come alive, “Although we had assistance from FTT tutors and technicians (who were incredible throughout) part of the assessment was to ensure that we made all the decisions, including lights, sounds, staging, costume and more!.”

Rachel McMillan explored The Events by David Greig, which is a fictional play written in response to the Anders Breivik attacks in Norway, 2011. The Events explores the social, political and religious factors contributing to the creation of a killer. I questioned why Rachel choose to tackle something so resonant, “I wanted to choose a piece that was culturally still relevant, after the outbreaks in Woolwich and more recently the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Such events keep repeating themselves and I wanted to explore and begin to

understand factors that could lead someone to commit a massacre of this magnitude in contemporary society.” Rachel worked with two main cast members and a choir of 11 members, solely creating soundscape through voice which underpinned the narrative.

“Conducting a choir was a challenge. I have never worked in that way before. It was very important to have this nostalgic group sound in a piece about community identity. It really helped working with a group of such talented and supportive people.”

Other productions included two devised pieces: Burn Britain Burn

by Lottie Gilbourne, which was an immersive piece exploring the London riots of 2011 and Nuclear

by Kadisha Williams. Nuclear explored postnatal depression, not only in women, but also in fathers.

“Devising meant that there was a long research and development process, even before constructing a script for my actors. It was challenging as we created our own performances from scratch

27

Behind the Curtain James Polley Photography

and for the first time doing this, it can be quite rigorous. I chose the smallest of the three theatre spaces as I felt that the intimate setting would allow the audience to feel more connected to the performance.”

The Theatre festival was highly varied with other interesting works by Philip Ridley, Sarah Kane and Anthony Nielson, directed by Sam Cahalin, Sam Moore and Jasmine Pastakia respectively. What was amazing about our festival was the sense of community that came from everyone producing something so creative together. The directors

did an incredible amount of work to create these projects, alongside them were student actors who rehearsed religiously and students from the department who assisted in teaching. It may sound cliché (but so true) FTT truly is one big family, and what a talented family it is.

ENTERTAINMENT|GAMING

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

Do good games need to make us care?

Shadow of Mordor vs. Dragon Age: Inquisition in the arena of narrative and character development GEORGINA PETT-RIDGE

3rd Year English Literature and Creative Writing

A recent addict of the roleplaying game Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest edition to BioWare’s Dragon Age series, I was pleasantly surprised. 20 hours into a game that can take another 130, or more, I realised something rather rare; I cared about the nonplayable characters (NPCs) that accompanied my main character throughout the game.

In the Dragon Age series your playable character has the opportunity to choose how they respond to NPCs in both cutscenes and the semi-open world, similar to previous BioWare titles. You can even affect the outcome of their individual stories. Encouraging one of your advisors to kill a traitor, spare him or simply not intervene can have a lasting impact on that character.

Each character has their own story thread, like the abovementioned, which ties into the main story of

Inquisition. Some of them, if the right actions are taken, can even end up in a romantic relationship with your character, or, as I found out to my amusement, each other.

Depending on your actions, and how the story evolves over the course of the game, NPCs can even end up befriending, loathing or being indifferent towards you. Not everyone will like you; each character has their own personality and will either agree or disagree with your actions… and they will remember them too! By the end of my first play through my main character had made a best friend, two enemies (one of which promptly left the game due to anger) and romanced the commander of her forces.

The characters in Inquisition certainly feel real. It was as if they had their own lives beyond that which I saw on screen and it made me think: why does this seem so unique? Surely this should be a normal feature of the immersive experience, right?

Not necessarily. Prior to my discovery of Inquisition I had been playing Monolith Productions’

Shadow of Mordor and whilst I enjoyed the Nemesis system, whereby enemies will remember how, if at all, you offended them and react accordingly, the story and character development was lacking. The premise behind why the main playable character, Talion, takes to killing Orcs is to seek revenge for the murder of his family and himself. Upon his resurrection Talion finds he has merged with the spirit of a dead elf who hopes to uncover the truth about his identity. The two set off to achieve their respective motives so they can both rest in peace. Albeit not original, the premise has the potential to flesh out the game as a believable and immersive experience. My experience, however, leads to me to believe the narrative and character development were an afterthought. Talion’s family are not developed beyond the initial tutorial phase of the game, making them seem mere tools for the player to learn how the controls work. Thus, when they died in what is supposed to be a traumatic experience for the

Shadow of Mordor

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Darkest Dungeon: the meat grinder simulator 2015 WING LAM KAR 2nd Year Law

Dragon Age: Inquisition

playable character, sparking his murderous rampage for revenge, I could not have cared less.

What’s more, I found myself not particularly caring about the dead elf, Celebrimbor, and his story either. Both main characters felt undeveloped. The main story missions were uninteresting and dull, compelling me to avoid them. Instead I spent my playthrough wandering around aimlessly and seeing how many

Orc commanders I could take out.

Both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Shadow of Mordor have brilliant gameplay, but one has far superior narrative and character development. Perhaps that is why Dragon Age: Inquisition championed Game of the Year at Game Awards 2014. It shows just how important good writing is to video games and the overall player experience. However a well-written game is also

dependant on having equally good gameplay. A good story does not redeem a mediocre game, as recently released Order 1886 proves by feeling little more than a relatively interactive movie. The relationship between a game’s writing and its gameplay is a symbiotic one and should be treated as such by developers, rather than sacrificing one at the expense of the other.

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When your family is left in ruins, an ancient unsettling tale suggests the family mansion is a gateway to a fabulous and unnameable power. An excavation begins, exhausting your family fortunes to enter a damned portal to the elusive evil. Through the darkness and madness, you can only go deeper…

Darkest Dungeon is a hard-core side-scrolling game, featuring a gothic grim comic art style and is an immense challenge to the player. It is a rogue-like, dungeon crawler video game developed by

Read Hook Studios and another successful indie game, which has already received very positive comments on steam at its early access stage.

Like other rogue-like game, Darkest Dungeon has a randomly generated dungeon, all sorts of magical item loots, turnbased battle, and permadeath – once a character dies, it is non-recoverable including their equipment. Luckily it is not you who dies a million times but others. The player acts as a recruiter, hiring flawed heroes and sends them to face monsters.

Progressing through the game, there will inevitably involve many ...Continued on next page

BOOKS,& MUSIC

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK ...Continued from previous page deaths, but don’t worry about running out of labour, since men seeking fortune pop up like new graduates.

To make the game harder or—realistic, Darkest Dungeon introduces a stress system. Your heroes will gain stress very quickly during exploration and when their stress level is full, they will either develop a positive trait, which will help you in combat; or a negative trait, which will make your heroes who are halfway to death’s door die faster. Heroes with full stress may refuse to take orders, decline healing from other heroes, give up fighting, blame teammates or escape from battle, rendering your hero unusable.

Stress can be increased in a lot of situations, the length of time exploring, being surprised by enemies, hunger, getting hurt by traps; basically all accidents. You are responsible for stress relief as well. Depending on your heroes’ preferences, they may need to pray or repent. Some will need to get drunk, gamble, or even find prostitutes.

One other brilliant aspect of the game is that it’s highly fortunebased, which makes the gameplay quite arbitrary. The chance of

encountering enemies is random and the chance of a hunger event is random. You may enter a low level dungeon with endless weak enemies, heroes all stressed out and say goodbye to your A-team.

Or, you may enter a dangerous dungeon with only few battles, but dig up the finest items ever and walk out with four newbies.

One drawback of the game is that the main character gets frustrated very easily. The combat system is totally randomly generated, including how your heroes and enemies take turn in battle, as well as critical hits and dodging. Most of the time it’s fun but it can become irritating to a keyboard smashing level when your entire team is wiped out before they even have a turn. Of course it can be entirely the other way around when your heroes are all stressed but become heroic, killing all enemies in one shoot.

If you don’t like the feeling of losing control it is suggested that you watch a number of gameplays before buying the game. However, if you are a hard-core gamer, or simply masochistic (with a character that has a trait that makes you want to touch everything and get Syphilis) then this is game is for you.

|ENTERTAINMENT

The Spark meets Howard of Warwick ALICE WINTER 1st Year English Literature

Howard of Warwick became Howard of Reading for an hour as he came to talk to The Spark about his writing and the publication process. After rejecting regular work writing on something that didn’t interest him, kicking it back and scribbling novels wasn’t an option for Howard. Yet, his desire

that publishers ask for specific ideas and rarely stray from their list. They want the new *insert canonical author here* instead of new voices. Are they wary of taking risks? In either case,

"Howard of Warwick has found his gap to fill in the market" to write never subsided. Medieval crime comedy literature has never been canonical and it seems Howard of Warwick has found his gap to fill in the market, even if he did carve the gap himself.

The problem, he found, was

Howard of Warwick met Amazon and saw sales rise. His answer to the question “Well, what now?” was to pursue his venture further.

After selling many copies of his trilogy, Howard had the novels printed so he could hold his hard work.

A great life lesson was drawn from Howard of Warwick’s talk.

Here was a man who just loves to write and make people laugh, even if it was just himself. But the lesson to be taken was that ‘no’ is never a definite answer when it comes to pursuing passions. If you want to put something out there, you can! Whether it be publishing on Amazon or setting up your own publishing company, never giving up seems to be the defining line.

Cotton Club comes alive. Just NICK HAIGH 4th Year History

The original Cotton Club operated as a nightclub between 1923 and 1935 in prohibition-era Harlem, New York. Hosting some of the biggest jazz musicians of the period, such as Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, you can almost sense the texture of the heavy curtains as if you were making your way into the venue, the air thick with smoke and the bustle of the crowded room punctuated by sharp bursts of Armstrong’s trumpet. While nights like these are perhaps all but long gone, there was certainly a similar anticipation for live music at our own beloved Cotton Club on London Road. The room was full, with some of the student and non-student audience having to lean on the bar due to a lack of space as the ale flowed in the background.

Peter Bruntnell opened the evening but quickly shattered any comparison between the Cotton Clubs of New York and Reading.

Explaining his opening song,

When My Head Gets to Phoenix, as one about someone trying to cryogenically freeze themselves but only being able to afford the head, the evening opened as far away from spontaneous jazz excitement as is imaginable. The macabre continued when the topic of his second song was explained as land re-development and local residents not being able to afford new houses. Later Bruntnell would talk about his dieting techniques, suggesting heroin as an effective method for weight loss. Admittedly the latter did get

a laugh and there was certainly a subtle black humour beneath the performance; but at times I was confused whether to appreciate the music or to try and decipher it all in terms of the black comedy. “a subtle black humour beneath the performance”

That being said, Bruntnell is an extremely talented musician and while his music was, at points, too melancholic for my own taste, his

Small Town Jones Photos by Beth Rebisz

29

music was soulful and interesting.

Sadly this interest did not rub off onto all of the minority student audience who, content with their snakebites, could at times be heard above the performer. Awkward glances and piercing looks were shared between students and paying non-students. At times "Awkward glances and piercing looks were shared between students and paying non-students" you could even sense Bruntnell was trying to play louder and drown out the laughter. As his set finished, the evening really needed some oomph which was surely to be provided by Small Town Jones. Their drum set stared at the audience enticingly, so it was to my own horror that their opening two songs were also acoustic and unable to fully drown out the laughter and chatter. Fortunately for their third song Small Town Jones brought on their drummer, with Bruntnell returning to play bass. This was certainly more

Peter Bruntnell Photos by Jim Jones

engaging and grabbed the evening by the scruff of the neck, as was needed. But only just. While the evening was really enjoyable and Jim Jones, lead singer, gave an excellent performance, I would have preferred to see a rock’n’roll band get the place swinging.

Yet the event was more aimed at the non-student audience who thoroughly showed their appreciation of the evening.

ENTERTAINMENT|WATTSUP

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

WATTSUP? Do you put the ‘ha’ in laug-ha-ble?

Prove it and try doing WattsUp on for size.

6.

1.

March 14th is National Pi Day, celebrating the number Pi. What is the most imaginative thing you can do with a pie?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Distribute it! (the Chinese word 派, pronounced "pai" means to distribute).

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: Proving Pi is actually pie by the mirror image of 3.14.

Farah S., 2nd year Law: Make a chart out of it.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Not sure, don't look to the American Pie films for inspiration though (who else remembers THAT scene?).

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Eat it, preferably with vanilla ice cream. On a side note, I'll take apple or pecan pie.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: You don't want to know...

In Canada, fans of Star Trek have ‘spocked’ the $5 bill turning Sir Wilfred Laurier to Leonard Nimoy after the actor’s death. What would you do if you were handed one of these in a comic shop??

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: I would frame it on my wall.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Draw a speech bubble saying “Beam me up Scotty”.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Nail it on my wall and salute it every night before I go to bed. Godspeed Leonard Nimoy.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Who's Spock?

2.

McDonald’s sells shamrock shakes during February and March in the US, Canada and Ireland. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen the chain store sell?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Adding some green colouring as a collaboration with the release of Shrek.

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: Mcrice, it's literally a box of rice with meat and veggies on top, which is available in Hong Kong.

Farah S., 2nd year Law: Expensive stuff which I can't afford.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: McRice...I hear they actually have it in Malaysia.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Rice Patty Burgers. Imagine your BigMac bread replaced with Rice patties. I'm Asian and I can't stand my beloved rice done like that.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: I once bought a milkshake which mixed chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana?

3.

7.

Trending right now in China is one of Jackie Chan’s shampoo commercials dug up from way back in 2004. What do you think is so bad it’s good and needs to make a come back?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Duang....he thinks he's some sort of a word inventor?

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: His fabulous waving hair with his own sound effect "duang" is just so unforgettable that people start worshipping him again.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: The Crazy Frog...no wait that's just bad.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Hold on, you're telling me there's a Jackie Chan work that's bad? Excuse me while I puke in disbelief.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: I've never even seen it...

In London, a photographer took a shot of a weasel hitching a ride on the back of a woodpecker. Do you think animals have started taking the easy way out, or have they just gotten smarter?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Both! Or maybe they had been doing this for a millennium but we didn't notice.

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: After I saw a pigeon and a dog taking the tube, I’m sure they’re smarter than we think.

Farah S., 2nd year Law: Neither, I can still eat a chicken.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: A slug took a ride on a tortoise once, fastest trip he ever made.

Scared to death.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: The easy way out. I'm not one to give credit.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Definitely the easy way out ;)

4.

Chris Brown has suddenly found he has a 9 month year old girl with a former model Nia. What would be an appropriate celebrity name for the child?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Chrisnia Brown.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Cleveland (geddit!).

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Rihanna "If you're reading this it's too late" Brown.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Donthitmedad Brown.

5.

Lady Gaga is leading next season of American Horror Story. What should her character name be?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Ladeh Garhgarh!

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: Ms. Germa.

Farah S., 2nd year Law: Does she even need one?

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Lady Rawr rawr...OK that's terrible.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Herself.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Steve.

8.

The photo of a ‘lace dress’ has got everyone stirring about what colours people actually see. Team white and gold or Team blue and black?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Strangely, blue and gold.

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: Blue and black…I have tried 10 times and it's always blue and black, still don't understand how people get white and gold.

Farah S., 2nd year Law: I thought it was light blue and gold.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: White and Gold, unlike Miss T. Swift.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Blue or black. I've received a few death threats about that so far.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: I saw a dress...

9.

Actor Russell Crowe has recently considered buying Leeds rugby league. If he was the mascot, what would he be?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Javert. :P Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: A pony.

Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North. You guys know the rest ;) Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Himself.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Definitely a gladiator.

10.

The film Chappie features a robot with human-like intelligence destined to save the world. In a battle of cuteness between Chappie and Wall-E who would win?

Hiew TJ., 2nd year Law: Wall-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wing Lam K., 2nd year Law: Wall-E apparently, because he has bigger eyes! By the way doesn’t Chappie really look like the robot from apple seed?

Farah S., 2nd year Law: Wall-E! Ollie W, 2nd year Law: Chappie, Wall-E was boring.

Christopher J L, 2nd year Law: Robots being cute. Yeah right, and I'm Beyoncé.

Ian S, 2nd year Law: Definitely Nemo. Without a doubt.

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HOROSCOPE

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

|ENTERTAINMENT

horoscope KIRSTY SAGGERS

Find out what the stars are saying about you this month...

Horoscopes Writer 2nd Year History

Aries

ARIES MARCH 21st-APRIL 20th

LIBRA SEPTEMBER 24th- OCTOBER 23rd

You have something to look forward to as good fortune seems to be on the horizon when you put your abilities to the test in the upcoming weeks.

Always remember to smile this month, it will make you feel happier inside and out, and you could make a connection with somebody who smiles back at you. However, make sure that your happiness is genuine or you may give off bad vibes to potential partners.

You may find yourself getting stressed out this month but an idea that comes from nowhere will help you feel more enthusiastic about your future and minimize your worries. Making time for old friends will help you to make decisions and you will benefit from their advice, don't forget those who were there from the start. Some interesting news to do with the letter T could be coming your way, so stay alert.

libra

SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 23rd-DECEMBER 21st

TAURUS APRIL 21st-MAY21st Taurus

Your top priority this month should be getting yourself organised - focus on getting the task done. But this doesn't mean there isn't time for a new relationship to blossom, or for an existing relationship to get stronger.

The next few weeks seem to be positive for your love life, no matter what your situation currently is. Your favourite day this month will be spent at home just relaxing with friends, so don't overfill your schedule.

Sagittarius

GEMINI MAY 22nd-JUNE 21st Gemini

SCORPIO OCTOBER 24th-NOVEMBER 22nd

Now is the perfect time to challenge yourself and step out of that comfort zone. You will feel more accomplished for pushing yourself.

Some seemingly bad news may be heading your way but try to remain optimistic, you can turn anything into a positive with a bit of creativity.

Look out for opportunities that involve the letter W if you are looking to get ahead of the game.

Scorpio

It's easy to get stuck in a routine and you may find yourself doing this if you don't force a little change. There may be obstacles between you and Capricorn your next goal but these can be overcome with optimism and self belief.

Don't think you can't achieve something because that's what you've been told - listen only to what your instincts say.

As the weather gets warmer so will your attitude to something you never imagined liking - it could even be the start of a whole new you! A friendship could turn into something more this month if you are willing to give it a try and it could be the beginning of something long lasting.

Your lucky numbers seem to be 12 and 22 and you should avoid the number 13 if you want to be a success.

LEO JULY 24th-AUGUST 23rd leo

AQUARIUS JANUARY 21st -FEBUARY 19th

You may be faced with a tough decision this month, but you will become stronger for it. It seems that people will be very friendly with you, however you must remember that popularity is not the most important thing in the world. A day out with old friends could make you realise that a few close friends are better than a dozen acquaintances any day.

A burst of spontaneity will result in you doing something new and exciting, which could have a positive long-term effect on your life; jump at every opportunity you get! You should expect good news about Aquarius something you are passionate about towards the end of the month, so keep your ears open for new information. Bear the number 21 in mind as it seems to be lucky for you this month.

VIRGO AUGUST 24th- SEPTEMBER 23rd virgo

Something you have been waiting on for a long time could finally start to happen this month, but you need to set the wheels in motion. Be productive and resist the temptation to give up, no matter how strong it may be. Weekends seem to be your most productive time in the next few weeks, so don't worry if you don't seem to achieve much during the week.

CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22nd- JANUARY 20th

CANCER JUNE 22nd-JULY 23rd Cancer

Romance could be on the cards for you this month, especially if you have more confidence in yourself and accept yourself for who you are - this will definitely come across to others as an attractive quality. Relationships all round seem to be going quite well for you, with a friend becoming close to you through a shared experience and seeking your advice in a tough time.

PISCES FEBUARY 20th-MARCH 20th

This month will be all about finding something new. Perhaps this could be discovering something about a friend that will surprise you, or accepting that a relationship isn't working and moving onto something better. New opportunities will throw themselves at you so be observant and don't be afraid of the change. Pay attention to the number 3 as it seems fortuitous for you this month.

Pisces

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With all the stresses of day-to-day life, it wouldn't hurt to let your hair down and just forget about your worries. Having a day dedicated to you will allow you to discover something new about yourself. Although your creative side might only come out once in a while, when it does, you tend to shine. So get imaginative! The number 11 seems to have a positive impact on your life this month.

ENTERTAINMENT|CREATIVE CORNER

ENTERTAINMENT@SPARKNEWSPAPER.CO.UK

LOUISE INGHAM 2nd Year Law

Clipped Wings Sometimes I feel I am a free bird with clipped wings.

I could go wherever I please if only I could, But life always gets in the way.

Lack of time, lack of money, Lack of impulse, Lacklustre.

Designed by Freepik.com

I want to see it all, So I will toss a coin in the fountain, I will see the northern lights in Iceland, In Athens I will stand where Goddesses once stood And one day I’ll make time to fly from my self-built cage.

Creative Corner

Drawn by Laura Burridge, 3rd Year Art and English Literature Drawn by Harry Richardson, 1st Year Archaeology

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COMICS & GAMES

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|ENTERTAINMENT

Name: Name:

The Spark Quiz

The Spark Quiz

Complete the crossword below

Complete the crossword below

1 2

3

1

4 2 5

3

4 5

6

7

Name:

8

6

The Spark Quiz 9

7

8 10

Complete the crossword below

9

10

1 2

3

4 5

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7 11

12

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11 9

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10 13

Cannabis Careers Duff Elections Golfers iGEM Masquerade Oscars

13 Persephone 14 President 14 Sniper Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker Created on TheTeachersC Across Down Tempest 5. When you take11a photo of yourself 1.

Something you do to lose weight Across Down 12 The Beatles 7. When you owe money 2. Synonym of gale 5. When you take a photo of yourself 1. Something you do to lose we 8. Capital of Spain 3. Takes photos 7.

When you owe money 2.

Synonym of gale Warwick 9. Capital of Germany 4. Something that isn't visible 8. Capital of Spain 3. Takes photos ballofand Weiwei 11. A team sport played using a small9.rubber Capital Germany 6. Labour Party Leader 4. Something that isn't visible 13 a long-handled stick 10.using Something you vote 11. A team sport played a smallwhich rubber ball andin 13. The county town of Warwickshire a long-handled stick 12. Opposite of Beginning 14. A type of stone 13. The county town of Warwickshire 14 stone 14. A type of

6. Labour Party Leader 10. Something which you vote 12. Opposite of Beginning

Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

Across

Down

5. When you take a photo of yourself 7. When you owe money 8. Capital of Spain 9. Capital of Germany 11. A team sport played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick 13. The county town of Warwickshire 14. A type of stone

PUZZLE POINT

1. Something you do to lose weight 2. Synonym of gale 3. Takes photos 4. Something that isn't visible 6. Labour Party Leader 10. Something which you vote in 12. Opposite of Beginning

FANCY WINNING UNION TICKETS? Send your named crossword solutions to editor.spark@ reading.ac.uk. The first two to successfully complete the puzzle will win tickets for 25 March!

33

FOOTBALL What should happen after the pitch invasions at Villa Park? Ollie Weeden explores the subject P38

JITSU Fresher Charlie Knight wins bronze medal at Jitsu’s Randori Nationals event P39

LACROSSE A look back at a successful season for the Women’s Lacrosse 1st Team P37

SPANISH FOOTBALL Spark looks at the history behind Spanish Football and what the future holds P38

SPORT

The Reading Knight’s crusade ends in bronze, with an American sponsor supporting the club

Credit to Hazel Jacobson

SAM BONSTOW 2nd Year Consumer Behavior and Marketing

The Reading Knights American Football team have now completed their 2014/15 season. The Knights have finished 3rd in Division 1 of the BUCS London conference.

This season in particular marks a turnaround in the performance of the club, having won five out of eight games this year – the first winning season that the Reading Knights have witnessed for a number of years.

The season kicked off against the toughest team in the league: the Kingston Cougars. Although

the Knights were defeated, they gained valuable experience and motivation after shutting down the Cougar’s offence in the second.

Following this, the Knights went undefeated for the next two games, beating the Kings College Regents 8-2 and slaying the Westminster Dragons 18-6. The final game of the first half of season against Brunel University saw the team lose for the second time in the season due to a field goal kicked by the Burners in overtime after drawing the game 8-8. Coming back from the Christmas break the Knights were full of passion and hunger for further victories. They were rewarded winning three out of the four games against London

South Bank University Spartans, the University of Greenwich Marines and the City Sentinels 28-0, 16-6 and 30-7 respectively.

The final game of the season saw the Knights square up against the Royal Holloway Bears who finished the league in 2nd place after defeating the Knights 21-8.

Alongside the results on the pitch, there are several highlights for the team which have occurred off of the pitch. The first highlight to mention has been the effort and dedication which the senior players have put into the team over the years of playing as a Knight.

Their hard work and enthusiasm for the sport and club has been noticed and reciprocated by the

34

rest of the team. They will sadly be leaving us this year and we wish them the best in their future endeavours and hope that they are able to come down and watch the team play at future games. Best of luck guys!

Another noticeable highlight to mention is an addition to the coaching staff the team has seen this year in the form of a new running back and special teams coach: Phil De Monte. Coach Phil has an impressive coaching history, having most recently been the Head Coach of the Kingston Cougars, who are now fighting for promotion. Coach Phil joined the team and has made an immediate

impact, raising the moral of the team with motivational posts on the Knights page the night before game day. He reminds the team of the benefits of drinking plenty of water and eating right. We would like to say a big thank you to Coach Phil for the effort that he has already poured into the team and hope that he will continue to do so upon his return next year.

A third highlight of the season to mention takes the form of the Knights imported defensive lineman, in the form of Uba Emole, who has been interviewed previously by The Spark at the start of the year. This highlight Continues on next page...

GENERAL SPORTS

SPORT.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

Mayweather Pacquiao to break all records CHRISTIAN MUELLER 4th Year German Studies

Credit to Hazel Jacobson

...comes from the Knights game against the London South Bank University Spartans. The game was held in London and saw Uba break through the Spartan’s offensive line during the second half. Uba charged straight for a now terrified quarterback and took the ball straight out of his hands. With the ball secure, Uba ran the few yards between himself and the end zone to add another 6 points to the team’s lead over the Spartans, securing his first ever touchdown for the Knights.

We hope that Uba has a chance to repeat this highlight during the 2015/16 season.

A final highlight for the Reading Knights team has taken the form of Hazel Jacobson and her delicious cooking. Hazel, mother to the Knights quarterback, Jason, who will sadly be leaving us after graduating this year, has been at the side-lines of every game. She has provided the team with photographs of the games, as the Knight’s chief photographer.

However once the game is over she takes on another role: the Knight’s unofficial cook. Hazel delivers the best in home baking with her treats ranging from pulled pork BBQ sandwiches to homemade brownies. On behalf of the team, coaching staff and anyone who was in receipt of her delicious baking, we would like to thank Hazel for going above and beyond the call of duty, and invite her to return next season if she is able to.

As the Knights now enjoy some well-earned downtime ahead of our varsity match against the Oxford Brookes Panthers on the 21st March, we look forward to the next season. One particular feature to the Knights 2015/16 will be the addition of a sponsor for the team in the shape of a subreddit page: College Football.

After contacting the club they have done a fundraiser for the team and another cause, Doctors Without Borders. The result of the fundraiser is $1,500 being

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generated for the club, which will gratefully be put towards re-kitting the team for next year.

In return for the fundraiser, the Reading Knights will produce a series of documentaries to show the impact of their generosity on the club, as well as their logo on the club’s jerseys, which has been “knighted” and sponsorship of the pitch. This sponsorship shows the international reach of the sport and we look forward to seeing the impact of the money raised as it will make a real difference to the club in their upcoming season.

The success of this season should spur on the Knights as they move into their next season hoping to lead a crusade in the London conference to make the playoffs to the premiership division. The success and support the team have had at their games from spectators and coaching staff has left the team in good state to turn the dream into a reality.

Credit to Hazel Jacobson

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It has been a long wait for the fight of our generation, but after six years of gruelling negotiation Floyd Mayweather confirmed he will fight Manny Pacquiao on the 2nd of May 2015. The two fighters, largely seen as the best of their generation, and the top two pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, will fight at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas for the WBC, WBA (Mayweather) and WBO (Pacquiao) Welterweight titles. Mayweather, with an unbeaten record of 47 wins, is the favourite to Pacquiao’s 57 wins from 64 contests; but the sporting world is split with just about every world champion from the last thirty years weighing in on the result.

The fight is projected to generate over £160 million, which will make it the most lucrative fight in history; breaking Mayweather’s former record of an estimated £97 million when he fought Saul Alvarez in 2013. It is also expected to break the current pay-per-view record, again, set

by Mayweather in his 2007 bout against Oscar de la Hoya with 2.4 million buys. TV rights for the fight are still under negotiation in the UK, with Sky or Boxnation looking the most likely hosts. In the US, however, Showtime and HBO have teamed up to co-host

the fight (something they have not done since Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson 2002), another indication of the magnitude of the event.

Mayweather himself amplified the hype declaring, “What the world has been waiting for has arrived…

This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport.”

Of course there is the everpresent reminder that the fight should have happened six years ago. The American Mayweather, 37, and the Filipino Pacquiao, 36, are no longer at the prime of their early thirties. That said, Mayweather has produced a masterclass in boxing in his latest fights and Pacquiao (despite a freak knockout loss and a bad decision) has looked a slick as ever recently. Even at this point in their careers the fighters have not left the top positions in any respectable pound-for-pound list and perhaps that is what makes this fight so special. Here are two warriors who have held their greatness despite the longevity of their careers, it is the fact that this fight has taken so long to come to fruition that it is so significant now. They, between them, have held twenty world titles in eight different weight divisions. It is thought that a mega-fight with this sum of money and this sense of excitement surrounding it may never happen again. It is a fight that allows fans to forget the mangled politics of boxing and enjoy the fact a five-division world champion and an eightdivision world champion will finally touch gloves.

Credit to Black Sport Online

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Exams looming, golfers book their seaside escape

THOMAS PRICE 2nd Year Mathematics

The Knights will be travelling down to the seaside resort of Brighton after capturing a stunning victory in the cup semis on Wednesday against Royal Holloway.

A wonderful 4.5 – 1.5 victory has secured Readings’ place in this year’s cup final, setting up a clash against league champions Brighton. Whilst a loss earlier in the year is still fresh in memory, Reading will be going with bags of confidence from overturning Holloway, who we had previously lost to in the autumn.

Whilst Captain George Mitchell didn’t have the chance to stretch out his elbow and play in the semi, he did provide an essential support network for the team. Much like Jose Maria Olazabal did at the ‘miracle at Medinah’, Georges’ day constituted of whizzing around the golf course (with cameraman Kris Morgan Jones in hot pursuit) relaying critical snippets of information amongst team members and keeping everyone up to date. Some have whispered that George became a curse to anyone that he was watching (Danny Watson even attributing a topped 4 iron at the 12th to Georges’ mere presence) however, I think this unfair, as

George was certainly the picture of composure in the pressure cooker that was the semi-final. Captain Mitchell showed his desire after victory was assured, bursting into tears and just shouting “Seve” over and over.

As for the matches themselves, Welshman Will Evans got us off to a strong start, gaining half a point against a strong opponent.

Will; a fluffy haired fresher, went down early on but strung together a couple of birdies around the turn to establish a lead in the match.

A courageous birdie from his opponent down the last meant that Will was pegged back, however it was clear that the match was high in quality and we are certainly proud of our resident Celt! In the second group, we saw the now familiar pairing of Aran O’Doherty and Danny Watson step up and deliver maximum points. After Aran had boomed a ‘tiger line’ drive off the first to leave just 90 yards in (caught on camera) it seemed like it was going to be his day. In reality, his opponent found the better of the front nine and Aran found himself 2 down in the match. A crucial birdie down the ninth was cited as the turning point and after the 12th, Aran cruised home, winning all of the remaining holes to secure the biggest victory of the day. Meanwhile, Watson found himself in a real tussle as his game looked like going the distance. He

Credit to Thomas Price

managed to break the stalemate, pulling clear with some solid par golf in the windy conditions and a few holes later, Danny had the win in his pocket, holing some crucial clutch putts along the way.

This just leaves the final pairing of President and Matt O’Doherty to anchor the team home. Whilst the President was subjected to endless chatter from his opponent, O’Doherty in comparison was getting the silent treatment from his challenger. Both matches were extremely tight from the offset and both stood at all square after 12 holes. Price managed to pull slightly ahead in his match, reaching a score of 2 up with 3

Ladies Lacrosse 1st team secure promotion to South Eastern 1A

REBECCA SKEGGS 3rd Year Biological Studies

All of the season’s hard work has paid off and the team is extremely proud to have won the league and gained a promotion to South Easter 1A. Every member of women’s lacrosse this year has demonstrated consistent performance and the utmost

dedication to training, matches and the social aspect of being part of a team. We start each year with an influx of players that are brand new to lacrosse, which makes this win even more of an achievement.

Everyone has shown great sportsmanship through win or loss, as a result of each individual applying the best of themselves.

As a smaller sport, everyone has worked extremely hard to make the team work, from

running our first preseason to considerably improving last year’s performance. Making it feel like lacrosse has had just as much of an impact in the sporting community as the larger sports do.

It’s just a shame that it is all nearly over. Hopefully we can match our success with a win at Varsity on 21st March against Oxford Brookes, and the club can move from strength to strength.

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holes to play thanks to some steady golf. He eventually managed to grind out the win down the last, remaining composed to roll in a four-foot putt just after a 50 foot bomb had been landed. Matt played some quality golf and certainly deserved more from his match. Some stunning iron play kept Matt in with a chance of the win against worthy opposition and on another day, a couple more putts here and there, the outcome would have been very different. In particular, Matt must have been pleased with a more penetrating ball flight courtesy of the wonderful fellas at Celtic manor.

Certainly, excitement is high

for the fast approaching final, the twins are buzzing already and the president has felt good vibes whistling in the sea breeze. With our new sports psychologist, Suzi on side, Brighton can certainly expect to face a team who produce mental conundrums and not one which suffers from them. There will be no doubt that the golf team will travel down to Brighton for the final ready and raring to go.

Captain George will keep applying his prescription elbow ointment so that he will be fighting fit for the final and who knows… maybe it will be his elbow that delivers the crucial putt for the Knights next week?

Credit to Rebecca Skeggs

SPORTS |GENERAL SPORTS

SPORT.SPARK@READING.AC.UK

The return of football's uglier side at Villa Park OLLIE WEEDEN 2nd Year Law

Disgraceful was the word chosen

by West Bromich Albion boss Tony Pulis to describe the scenes at Villa Park on the evening of March 7th 2015. An invasion by Villa supporters forced the match to be suspended deep into injury time. The game was resumed after a short delay, before another invasion after the final whistle had blown. The club have been quick to distance themselves from the actions of their supporters, with Villa releasing a statement saying that “the club does not condone supporters invading the field of play under any circumstances”, adding how their fans had “let both themselves and the club down.” With the England FA set to investigate, the question remains, what can be done to stop this kind of behaviour?

Villa Park that night resembled something which would have been commonplace in the ‘dark ages’ of football. The stage was set for a game which always had the capacity to be, in the words of Pulis, “tasty”, with the obvious ill feelings between the two sets of supporters separated by only a few miles in Birmingham.

The atmosphere was obvious from kick-off, and provided an ominous undertone for what was a roaring Villa Park. After Fabian Delph gave the home side the lead

in the 51st minute the first signs of trouble began. Fans began setting off flares in the crowd, filling the air with a thick smoke. After a harsh red card for Claudio Yacob and Villa's second goal from Scott Sinclair, the stadium began to erupt with the away fans ripping up claret seats and hurling them in the direction of the home stands.

This provoked an angry response from the Villa fans as they goaded their opponents before staging a mini invasion of the pitch. Referee Anthony Taylor attempted to hold up the game as the stewards sought to restore order but the authorities were powerless to hold back some two thousand Villa supporters.

They stormed the pitch, partly to celebrate with their own team but also to cruelly taunt members of the beaten Albion squad. Pulis calls for greater stewarding, when in actual fact the problem is far greater. It is questionable just how many you would need to halt an incensed army of supporters. The safety of many of the West Brom players was clearly compromised as keeper Boaz Myhill and winger Callum McManaman were made the subject of abusive taunts by many. The West Brom players were not the only victims, with Delph as Villa captain claiming he was bitten in the commotion. As the BBC's Mark Lawrenson said on Match of the Day Live 'It's like a scene from the 1980s all over

Credit to Reuters UK

again, absolutely ridiculous'.

There can be no excuse for the Villa fans who invaded the pitch that day. Similarly, the actions of the West Brom fans ripping out seats deserves equal punishment.

So what can be done? Is it simply a case of increasing security, training more stewards and reviewing safety measures? The matter extends far beyond this, with echoes of football's notorious dark ages striking fear into many.

Some may ask, why change at all? Many might enjoy the spectacle of a good pitch invasion, with the crowd striving to celebrate on the pitch with the

players themselves. This misses the point. The simple act of embarking on the pitch constitutes an offence and the obvious vindication of the away players.

The solution may need to be in greater punishments, not only for those directly involved, but possibly, if slightly harshly, for the club itself. Should a greater degree of accountability be introduced and harsher penalties brought in (such as forced elimination/points deduction) then supporters may think twice before storming a pitch and compromising the game entirely.

As for the future, it is not clear

just how many more games we might see like the one at Villa Park. It is perhaps fortunate that these occasions are rare, and the consequences for both the club and the supporters often harsh.

Pulis has also been quick to talk rough justice, and I'm sure there are more than a few who would be inclined to agree. If the response to these events is proportionate and fair, then no further action should be taken. In the meantime, let us hope that Villa can enjoy their Wembley prize without Fabian Delph getting bitten again.

The dominance of Real and Barça in Spain

BASIL AL-ALI

3rd Year Business and Management

In the last twenty seasons the La Liga trophy has been won by either Barcelona or Real Madrid fifteen times. This is largely due to the vast amounts of money Barcelona and Real Madrid have to play with and they have used these funds to purchase the best players in the world every year.

Since 2005, only two winners of the award for the world's best player did not play for Real or Barcelona. Kaká and Cristiano

Ronaldo ended up arriving at the Bernabéu anyway. Real Madrid is the world’s wealthiest club and Barcelona is the fourth richest.

The two clubs earn half of the La Liga TV rights money. This equates to about €650m, €325m each.

Barcelona won three league titles consecutively, the Club World Cup twice and two Champions League trophies during Pep Guardiola’s managerial reign.

They also won the Copa del Rey twice, the UEFA Super Cup twice and the Supercopa de Espana three times. Real Madrid completed La Decima last year after winning

the Champions League trophy for the tenth time. With the recent editions of Neymar and James Rodgriguez, respectively, this dominance looks set to continue.

The other La Liga clubs are, however, currently trying to sell their TV rights collectively in order to end the financial dominance of these two Spanish giants. Spanish clubs currently sell their rights individually, which has lead to a huge gap in how much some clubs are able to spend compared to the two huge clubs. This new deal will make it much fairer for other teams to compete when buying players.

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Their nearest ranked rival, Atletico Madrid, receive less than half the amount these two do.

This has made it hard for them to purchase world-class players and have had to develop their own players instead. Atletico Madrid did however win the La Liga trophy last year, but are struggling to keep up this year with the almost unlimited amount Barcelona and Real Madrid can spend to buy new players and have ultra-talented squads.

Although the wealth disparity between these two teams and the rest of the league is a major factor in the result of the league, it has

caused other teams to become more financially sustainable and forced them to change their strategies.

Teams like Villarreal and Valencia are focusing heavily on their youth academies, developing players through their systems and then selling them on for big profits. Nurturing talent together for many years also allows for the players to understand the club’s philosophy and develop a certain style of play that usually produces better results than just buying players. This continuous need to sell in order to survive does however impact the possibility for long sustained success.

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Charlie Knight takes bronze at Jitsu Nationals ELIZABETH REILLY 2nd Year English Literature

The Editor Nathalie Siah Deputy Editor Jessica Phillips, Alec Woolford News Editor Abbie Weaving Lifestyle Editor Vicki Camfield Entertainment Editor Gabrielle Linnett Sport Editor Zak Prior Design Editor Paula Whetstone, Elliot Spain Online Editor Jamie Gostlow Secretary Isabella Langheim

It is 13:45 on Sunday, 1st of March and tensions are running high. To my left, a group of female brown belts are warming up. Behind me a yellow belt from Canada is yelling encouragement to their new friend from Manchester. In front of me, Charlie Knight is sitting back to back with the man fighting him for bronze.

“One, two, three, hajime!”

Charlie gets in there first and pins his opponent with speed and confidence that is impressive for a novice, who has only had a few sessions to practice groundwork.

“I had attended a couple of self-defence sessions when I was younger”, he told me when I asked him if he had extra experience ‘it wasn't until university that I joined a club. I started Jitsu in November last year because it seemed like an effective self-defence martial art with a range of interesting moves.’”

Although the Randori Nationals are focused on groundwork, only about 20% of the syllabus is grappling-based. Mostly we use throws, joint locks and strikes, so the groundwork is always a fun challenge.

The Jitsu Foundation holds two annual events. The Atemi Nationals, in autumn, and the

Randori Nationals, in spring.

Hundreds of Jitsuka from all over the UK, and sometimes as far as Canada and South Africa, turn up to get on the mat. We train in the morning, compete in the afternoon, and party in the evenings.

Charlie and one of our Assistant Instructors, dark blue-belt Helen Raynes, managed to snag a medal each for the club despite us getting back to the hotel at close to 1 the previous morning. A special mention goes to yellow-belt second year Samantha Faggetter who won three of her fights and almost became a medallist too.

“I enjoyed every minute of Nationals and especially the experience to train with instructors and others from around the country… Winning a medal was an amazing feeling and has improved my confidence significantly’ If you fancy your chances at the next Nationals, you should come and try out the club. We train at London Road on Tuesdays 19:3021:30, and Thursdays 19:0021:00. You do not have to be super fit and you can have any level of experience with martial arts. It’s a fantastic way to challenge yourself and meet some great people.

“Since my very first session every single member of the club has been supportive and friendly. Joining the Jitsu club was one of the best decisions I

Credit to Jitsu Foundation

have made at university. There is a great atmosphere and I would recommend it too anyone who is interested.”

When asked what he was looking forward to, Charlie said “I always look forward to

learning and practising different techniques…hopefully I will be able to move up a grade soon!”

Credit to Elizabeth Reilly

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