Week 10 - The Student - 20082009

Be Careful What You Drink: Liz Rawlings looks at Scotland’s growing date rape epidemic, as a shocking story from a student victim comes to light Features pages 14-15

The Truth Seeker: Zeenath Ul Islam talks to award-winning journalist Robert Fisk

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Interview page 12

Student

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SCOTTISH STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2007

Week 10 25.11.2008

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World AIDS day 1 in 3 HIV positive men in Edinburgh don’t know of their condition - News page 5 Is medicine a human right? Mairi Gordon debates the ethics of pandemics - Comment page 8

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Calum Morley

Taskforce taken to task • Scottish Government accused of ‘barbaric anti-intellectualism’ • Anger at report which ignores £100 million funding gap Neil Pooran SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES could be facing a bleak financial future after the Scottish Government’s taskforce on universities failed to call for more funding.

There are fears that Scottish institutions will fall behind English ones in the wake of a tight financial settlement from the SNP administration. The £168 million that universities asked for last year was met with just £40 million of public money.

The Joint Future Thinking Taskforce includes Vice-Chancellors from all of Scotland’s major institutions as well as Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop, but critics have said it is nothing more than a distraction from the issue of the level of fund-

ing designed to keep Vice-Chancellors happy.

Labour MSPs and the Scottish Conservatives have also warned of a looming funding crisis. Since English universities can raise significantly more money through charging top-up fees, figures in Scottish universities argue they are struggling to keep up.

Edinburgh University Students’ Association president Adam Ramsay warned that the lack of public money would be dangerous for the Scottish economy, saying: “We were promised a visionary report into the future of Higher Education in Scotland.”

“Instead we’ve ended up with a pointless waste of time that plays around at the edges. The Scottish Government robbed higher educa-

tion of the money it needs. It then spent months writing a report into how to allocate the little funding it has promised.

“Our economy and society depend on higher education, yet our government invests substantially less than most western countries” Adam Ramsay, EUSA President “Our economy and society depend on higher education, yet our government invests substantially less than most western countries.

This failure to invest is little more

than barbaric anti-intellectualism, and is damaging to the future prospects of Scotland. It’s time for the parliament to stand up for education.”

Scotland spends just one per cent of its GDP on universities, compared to 1.2 per cent among other OECD nations.

Lothians MSP and candidate for Edinburgh University Rector George Foulkes echoed other Scottish politicians in calling for more money.

He told Student: “The £168 million that the universities asked for was carefully costed. £30 million is nowhere near achieving that.

My feeling is that the Joint Future Thinking Taskforce was a bit of a stopgap for the Vice-Chancellors to keep them happy.”

“In reality it’s been a distraction

from the main issue which is the level of funding… there’s still this huge disparity between Scottish universities and English universities, there does need to be a substantial increase in funding of Scottish universities.”

He also said the situation came about as a result of the SNP’s taxcutting policies: “It is yet one more of the victims of the council tax freeze.”

“This was hailed as a great triumph by the Scottish Government and the SNP are taking a lot of credit for it. It is for us to spell out that this means cutbacks across the board and in all sectors of education.”

Continued on Page 4

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2 News

This week in Student Comment 8-10

Mairi Gordon looks at the case for universal treatment for AIDS

Features 13-15 Liz Rawlings looks at date rape, and it’s question time with Rupert Thompson, editor of The Skinny

Film 16-17

Andy Chadwick waltzes with Bashir, and fourstar reviews for Body of Lies and Quarantine

Tech 22 2008: A wii odyssey Tech go a wii bit crazy for Nintendo’s console

TV 23 The Ascent of Money: Susan Robinson on Niall Ferguson’s new C4 series

Lifestyle 24-25

Vegetarian recipes galore in Lifestyle, and Lynsey Woods looks at love online

Sport 26-28 David Wagner calls time on William Gallas’s days at Arsenal, while Thomas Kerr sticks up for Scotland’s minnows

25/11/08

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Hike in food prices sparks VAT protest Cafes such as DHT’s Spot and Absorb come under fire after “outrageous” inflation Lyle Brennan EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY’S catering outlets were facing potential boycotts last week, as students protested against ‘outrageous’ and allegedly unlawful prices.

Following the second price rise in a year, cafés and restaurants such as Spot Café in the David Hume Tower and all three branches of Absorb have been criticised for charging higher prices than several high street vendors.

This has been augmented by the fact that prices in Edinburgh First’s outlets include a VAT charge of 17.5 per cent; a policy that opponents have claimed puts students at a financial disadvantage that could be avoided if the university were to apply for exemption.

According to EUSA’s Academic Services Convener, Ross MacRae, “the law says that students don’t have to pay VAT on campus catering.”

“Despite this the university charges students VAT so that it can make a profit from external customers too.”

“It’s time the university took a look at the outrageous prices being imposed on students. They have a monopoly on campus and are abusing it.’

Campaigners gathered on campus last Wednesday, brandishing placards and posters claiming that based on current prices, it is cheaper to eat breakfast at BHS or House of Fraser or to eat lunch at Marks & Spencer, Pret A Manger or Costa

Source: NUS

Julia Sanches CATERING CRISIS: Although students don’t legally have to pay VAT on campus catering, restaurant and cafe outlets such as Absorb continue to charge the tax to make a profit from external customers too. than it is to dine at one of these university-owned outlets.

“It’s time the university took a look at the outrageous prices being imposed on students.”

Ross MacRae, EUSA Academic and Services Convener Student support appeared to be

largely in favour of reducing prices, with EUSA’s online petition, entitled Bring Back Student Prices, showing around 300 signatures as Student went to press.

One signature was accompanied with the following comment: “The University seeking to make more money by not bothering to complete the necessary paperwork to gain students a discount that they are entitled to is a disgrace.

“Without students the university could not exist so why, in this era of increased financial pressure on us,

do Edinburgh First seek to maximise their own profits at the expense of our ability to continue our education? I am appalled and will not be giving them my custom, at any of their outlets, however hungry or thirsty I am!”

The protests came shortly before Chancellor Alistair Darling’s recent budget proposals were announced, which will reportedly involve temporarily lowering VAT from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent. news@studentnewspaper.org

BNP list reveals face of far-right in Edinburgh James Ellingworth STUDENT CAN reveal the level of membership of the far-right British National Party in Edinburgh, after a list containing the details of party members was leaked online.

28 city residents are listed as members, although one appears to have left the party. No evidence has yet been found of any BNP members being either students or lecturers at the University of Edinburgh.

The membership list contains almost 13,000 names, with the greatest concentrations of support for the BNP found in the North of England, the South-East and the West Midlands.

The names on the list include current and former members, as well as some people who made inquiries about joining in the past.

The controversial far-right party, which advocates a complete stop to all immigration, still has its strongholds in predominantly white working-class areas, but appears keen to shed its image as a group of skinhead racists. One member from Kent is listed as having

left the party because he “objects to being told he shouldn’t wear a bomber jacket.”

Those listed also include a “male witch”, dozens of former and serving military personnel and at least one serving police officer – who faces dismissal from his job under race relations legislation.

Three of the party’s members in Edinburgh have postgraduate degrees, including one in ethnology, and at least one member is a graduate of the University.

The party’s support on university campuses appears small, with only 10 members across the UK listed as students.

An investigation by the Cherwell student newspaper at Oxford University found that three Oxford dons were among the members listed, provoking concern among students.

Other university personnel on the list appear to include a lecturer for the Open University, a researcher at the University of Manchester and a manager at the University of Strathclyde.

Party leader Nick Griffin has convictions for inciting racial hatred, relating to articles published in an antiSemitic magazine in 1998, and was acquitted of further charges under the same legislation in 2006 for describing Islam as ‘a wicked, vicious faith’ at a BNP meeting.

The party has blamed the leaking of the list on a ‘disgruntled former employee’, and is attempting to block its distribution using human rights legislation.

Griffin has also described the leak as “a nasty piece of intimidation on behalf of the Labour government”, and has claimed that it has actually increased support for his party.

The BNP leadership has also been forced to deny that a spokesman threatened violence against the source of the leak. Simon Darby had earlier said that the culprit “wouldn’t be sleeping very well tonight” and that if found, “it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life.” news@studentnewspaper.org

28

Edinburgh residents listed as BNP members

3

Oxford University Dons on the controversial leaked list

25/11/08

News 3

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Rector race kicks off • Lord George Foulkes, veteran Labour politician, is first declared candidate for rector • Student activists critical of his voting record on Iraq and top-up fees

Neil Pooran

Neil Pooran

Clockwise from left: Veteran Labour politician Lord George Foulkes MSP launches his campaign at Teviot, where he spoke with students. Protests against top-up fees, a policy Foulkes voted in favour of.

Neil Pooran LOTHIANS MSP George Foulkes launched his campaign to be Edinburgh University Rector last week.

The Edinburgh alumnus is the first person to throw his hat into the ring for what promises to be an exciting election race.

The veteran Labour politician and life peer kicked off his bid for the prestigious job by hanging a variety of students’ ‘Christmas wishes’ on a tree in Teviot last Thursday, as well as chatting to students about their concerns over academic and financial issues.

The move comes after Gavin Strang, a Labour MP, ended speculation that he would run for the position two weeks ago. If elected, Foulkes will represent University of Edinburgh students and staff in the University’s Senate and the wider world.

At the launch event, Foulkes announced his desire to reform the University’s troubled feedback system, saying: “I’ll be ensuring that not only the quality of feedback improves but that teaching staff have the time and space necessary to fulfil these huge demands.”

The campaign is being spearhead-

ed by Sociology student and Labour activist Matt McPherson, who said: “There’s no doubt that George Foulkes has been a champion for Edinburgh University throughout his life.

I know that this campaign for rector, for him, is local and personal.”

“It’s about ensuring staff get the best possible pay deals and working conditions in the current difficult economic climate and ensuring that

“George Foulkes has been a champion for Edinburgh University throughout his life” Matt McPherson., student and Labour activist students get the very best from their University experience.”

“George’s political life began around the SRC table and I know that he passionately wants to use all that experience to give something back to the university and its students by serving as rector.”

Foulkes has sat in the House of Commons, the House of Lords and most recently the Scottish Parlia-

ment. During his time at university he was President of the SRC, as the students union was then known, and went on to become President of the Scottish Union of Students.

He has initially thrown his support behind an effort to refurbish Pleasance theatre at a cost of £40,000, but will consult with students and staff in the run up to releasing his manifesto in the new year.

However, some students have raised concerns over Foulkes’ voting record from his time as MP for South Ayrshire.

Student and Green Party activist Devin Dunsieth said: “In recent years he has voted in favour of topup fees and in favour of the war on Iraq, among other things that, I believe, negatively affect society as a whole.”

“I believe a rector should be somebody who believes in education - not somebody who thinks an illegal war deserves public funds more than our tertiary education system.”

Online voting will take place in February, with all staff and matriculated students entitled to vote.

Read more in Editorial p11

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Foulkes hero The rise and rise of George Foulkes - Born January 21 1942, in Shropshire - Educated at Edinburgh University, he attained a BSc in Psychology - His political career began in student politics, he became President of the SRC, as the Student’s Association was then known, in 1963 - He later moved on to represent students nationally, serving as President of the Scottish Union of Students (now known as NUS Scotland) from 1964 to 1966 - From 1979 to 2005, he was MP for Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley in Ayrshire - Foulkes was the first parliamentarian to propose banning smoking in public places in 1983 and age discrimination in 1985, both with Private Members Bills.

- After the 1997 Labour landslide he was appointed Under Secretary of State for International Development and in 2001 as Minister of State for Scotland - He is currently a Labour life peer in the House of Lords, titled Baron Foulkes of Cumnock, and a member of the Privy Council - In 2007 he was elected as an MSP for the Lothians region of Scotland

4 News ID cards deadline passes From November 25, overseas students will be required to apply for a biometric ID card when they extend their visas.

The process requires will require students to give information including fingerprints and iris scans, and has prompted concerns that foreign students may be deterred from applying to UK universities.

Two motions urging EUSA to join the campaign against ID cards were passed at the recent AGM, although the quorum of students required to make the votes binding was not present.

JE

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

Uni cuts out the carbon Emma Lunec

The right not to remain silent Last Tuesday, one week after the Israeli Ambassador’s controversial talk, EUSA invited a delegation of Palestinian students for a discussion at the University of Edinburgh, during The Right to Education Week.

Seema Quran, a delegate from Birzeit University, spoke of the difficulties of studying under occupation, “How can you be able to study when you have had to carry a dying child in your arms, that day, looking for medical help when you know that there actually is no hope in finding any to save the child’s life.”

In response to a question about the importance of education for the Palestinians given their humanitarian crisis, she explained, “We want to better ourselves through education, make our nation strong, end the oppression and live in peace with our Jewish cousins.” ZI

Tip reform will bring fairer pay A Government consultation announced last week looks set to bring about fairer pay for workers in the hospitality industry, after it was proposed that tips should no longer count towards the minimum wage.

New measures would ensure that any gratuities would be received on top of the National Minimum Wage, which currently stands at £4.77 for 18 to 21-year-olds and £5.73 for those over 22.

At the head of the consultation is Employment Relations Minister, Pat McFadden, who said: “When people leave a tip they expect it to go to staff on top of their pay, not to be used to make up the minimum wage.”

“This is an issue of fairness and common sense.”

As many students currently work part-time in bars, restaurants and hotels, the consultation is likely to be met with a positive response from campuses across the UK. LB

Calum Morley GRASSROOTS ACTION: The University of Edinburgh has received an accolade for its carbon-cutting efforts

Uni Funding crisis looms Continued from page 1 However the Taskforce’s New Horizons report, released last week, promised more autonomy on spending for universities, a move likely to be welcomed by Vice-Chancellors. The Scottish Government have also promised that students will have more input in the allocation of funding.

Gurjit Singh, President of the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland said: “I had a meeting with Fiona Hyslop to discuss student engagement and student representation in the new proposals of the New Horizons report, and she guaranteed me and NUS Scotland bi-annual strategic meetings.

“Students will be feeding into the process at every level and NUS will ensure that the best comes out for students and that we can deliver for students.”

He added: “Overall, more funding for the sector would be great.

There’s no denying that anyone in

The University claims that as a result of its energy efficient projects it is making savings of £1 million per year.

Kevin Houston, President of the Edinburgh University Carbon Management Society, told Student that the award showed that: “Edinburgh is at the forefront of the whole issue of climate change,” and that the award was just one dimension of the university’s, “leading role” in new technology, research and teaching.

He is also one of over 35 postgraduate students studying for a new MSc in Carbon Management, which involves a pioneering collaboration between the School of Geosciences and the Business School, and is described as preparing students for, “careers in carbon and climate change management by business, industry and government.”

Crucially, the criteria for the Carbon Trust Standard further stipulate that, “an organisation must be committed to making further reductions year on year.”

Accordingly, the University of Edinburgh has a proposed target to cut carbon emissions by 40% by 2010 against 1990 levels, which Houston comments, “compares very favourably with other institutions.”

To retain the Carbon Trust Standard the University will be reassessed every two years.

Read more in Editorial p11

THE UNIVERSITY of Edinburgh has received significant recognition for its efforts to reduce carbon emissions by being named the first educational establishment in Scotland to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.

The accreditation is the first of its kind to merit organisations who can, “demonstrate commitment to and achievement of carbon emissions reduction.”

Furthermore the Carbon Trust Standard focuses on acknowledging the direct action an organisation is taking to decrease its carbon footprint, beyond measures such as offsetting, which minimise the impact, but do not reduce the original emissions.

The major component in the sustainability project that allowed the university to claim this award was the installation of three combined heat and power engines at George Square, King’s Buildings and Pollock Halls’ energy centres.

Each of these seeks to maximise energy efficiency and therefore minimise the environmental impact. It has resulted in a 13% carbon saving relative to turnover.

However decreases in carbon dioxide production that accompany increased energy efficiency are more than eco-friendly, they also come with considerable financial advantages.

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QUALITY MUSIC, QUALITY VENUE

the sector would like more funding but the reality is that that funding is not there.

“I welcome where we are right now but I’d like to make it clear that there’s a long way to go to make sure that the student voice is heard at the highest level. We’ll ensure that by engaging with the funding council” Rectors from Scotland’s four ‘ancient’ universities spoke out about the lack of money in September. The Scottish Government maintains the funding levels are adequate for the sector, with First Minister Alex Salmond saying the Scottish government has adequately invested in the higher education sector.

One of the Taskforce’s recommendations was to create a Horizon Fund to help universities meet Scottish Government priorities, but it makes little of the shortterm drop in funding.

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News 5

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1/3 of Edinburgh men with HIV don’t know A new study released for World Aids Day finds HIV undiagnosed in 12 out of 33 infected men Guy Rughani OVER ONE third of Edinburgh men with HIV do not know they have the disease, according to a new study released to coincide with World Aids Day on 1 December.

Academics from Dutch-based Wolters Kluwer Health took mouth swabs from men in five city gay bars and an unnamed Edinburgh university over several weeks to produce the results.

100

new cases of HIV diagnosed in Lothian each year Of the 599 men surveyed, the team found that 12 of the 33 people found to have HIV were undiagnosed.

In 2006, NHS Lothian reported that 40% of gay or bisexual men did not know that they had the virus.

In light of this, the “HIV Comeback Tour” campaign was launched to warn the Edinburgh public, and the gay community in particular, against sexual complacency.

Flickr: angus mcdiarmid A CRY FOR HELP: Some local residents are opposed to development plans at the Caltongate site Calum Morley This week, NHS Lothian restarts the ‘tour’ with 8000 posters and 20 buses carrying messages to boost condom use.

Jim Sherval, a spokesman for NHS Lothian said: “The HIV Comeback Tour is now a well established and effective Lothian campaign.”

Noting that in recent years HIV has faded from the consciousness of some gay and bisexual men, Mr Sherval commented that “highlighting the

re-emergence of HIV as a continuing sexual health risk for men who have sex with men is important.”

Despite an increase in HIV test uptake in Lothian from 23,911 in 2006 to 29,407 in 2007, Wolters Kluwer Health suggested that more tests should be carried out.

Steve O’Donnall from Gay Men’s Health said, “In many cases, HIV transmission occurs within relationships, so we are reminding gay men

that it is dangerous simply to assume that neither they nor their partner has HIV or that unprotected sex will be safe.”

“World Aids Day is a day to combat prejudice and remind people to protect themselves. It seemed absolutely right that we should bring both campaigns together.”

There are roughly 100 new cases of HIV diagnosed in Lothian each year. Following an early HIV diagno-

ses, a 20 year old student could expect to live at least another 40 years.

Across the UK it is thought that 200 people die every year because they are diagnosed with HIV too late.

NHS Lothian’s ‘c:card’ free condom scheme has a branch within the University of Edinburgh, and in 2006 handed out 269,000 condoms.

Read more in Comment p8

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A royally good week for Fair Trade awareness Stefan Hyman

As well as the EUIDS debate, campaigners in George Square pushed the benefits of Fair Trade. One campaigner even dressed up as the Queen, lobbying Her Majesty to switch to Fair Trade tea and biscuits.

Last Tuesday the Edinburgh University International Development Society held a special debate on the merits of Fair Trade versus Free Trade.

Andrew Parker from the NGO Scottish International Relief and Marc Sidwell from the Adam Smith Institute addressed an enthusiastic audience in the Teviot Dining Room.

Parker argued that it was not inevitable that a large section of the world’s population must remain poor.

To address this he recommended that consumers use their “immense economic power” wisely.

Using the example of Malawi he claimed that “Fair Trade enhances Free Trade” and “has real benefits and returns” since unlike “free market economics Fair Trade does distinguish between where monies are spent”.

However, Mr Sidwell argued that the free market was already “strongly regulated”. He highlighted a number of other development schemes which tackled inequality but were losing market share to the “big brand Fairtrade”.

He expressed deep concern over the creation of monopoly on the branding which gave it an uncompetitive advantage and huge power.

Sidwell also continued by expressing that it was not just to label all other producers as “bad” and only those who subscribed to the Fairtrade scheme as “virtuous”, citing examples in Africa and Brazil. Fair Trade, he claimed, also led to “sustainability” but not “market growth”.

After the debate, fourth year Philosophy student James Pullen said: “I thought the Free Trade argument was easier to make although I didn’t think Mr Sidwell pushed the point home well enough about the link between free market economics and human nature. Also sometimes there was too big a focus on the micro picture and not enough on the macro”.

A spokesperson from Edinburgh University International Development Society told Student: ”We were really pleased to hold the Fair Trade vs. Free Trade debate between such high calibre speakers.

The different approaches of the two speakers certainly complimented each other and served to emphasise what great economic power we wield”.

EUSA was one of the first students’ unions in the country to adopt Fairtrade status, following a vote in 2003. news@studentnewspaper.org

6 News

25/11/08

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Prestigious pan-Arab journalist slates US In a talk to the Politics Society, Abdel Bari Atwan referred to Osama bin Laden as a ‘spiritual leader’ and labelled US foreign policy a ‘disaster’ Patrick Andelic ABDEL BARI Atwan, Editor-inChief of the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, gave a talk last week in which he called the ‘War on Terror’ a “disaster” and heavily criticised the conduct of the US. In a talk to the Politics Society entitled “The Middle East and the US President-elect: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the Arab-Israeli Conflict”, Atwan delivered a comprehensive personal assessment of that region and a stinging attack on American involvement in the region.

Atwan is perhaps best known for a 1996 interview with the then relatively obscure Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, believed to be the last conducted by a Western journalist.

To speak to bin Laden he had to travel through the mountains dressed in Afghan clothing and later called the experience his “most frightening trip.”

He said that American policies had manifestly failed to defeat AlQaeda, and had in fact led to its proliferation: “It’s like every franchise, fried chicken or McDonald’s,

it’s spreading everywhere.”

Atwan added that the key to understanding “many phenomena in that part of the world, especially extremism” is humiliation: “The Middle Eastern people nowadays feel that they are humiliated by the American Empire.”

Atwan commented that he

“It’s like every franchise, fried chicken or McDonald’s, it’s spreading everywhere” Abdel Bari Atwan on Al-Qaeda was one of the few who had been “saying that [the war in Iraq] will be a disaster, and the real war will begin after the occupation of Baghdad.”

He said that it was a “huge fabrication” for the Americans to claim that they were winning the war in Afghanistan.

Commenting on Barack Obama’s pledge to concentrate

American forces on Afghanistan, Atwan said: “I don’t know who told him this will be easy. Nobody ever controlled Afghanistan except the Taliban.”

When assessing the Arab-Israeli conflict, Atwan said that the twostate solution “is a myth. It is nonexistent completely.”

He criticised President-elect Obama’s call for Israel to be “a Jewish state” saying: “How is he calling for a racist state, a Jewish state? He should call for a multicultural state in the region.”

When asked why Osama bin Laden had yet to be captured, he joked: “They couldn’t find him simply because he is living in my house in London.”

He went on to say, however, that bin Laden had evaded capture for three reasons: his “very humble way of life”, his refusal to use electronic devices and the fact that he stays on the move.

Atwan concluded by saying that bin Laden is no longer directing Al-Qaeda’s activities in any practical sense: “He is like a spiritual leader now.” news@studentnewspaper.org

Julia Sanches Atwan called US claims to victory in Afghanistan ‘a huge fabrication’

UK’s top Rabbi speaks on faith in the modern world Stefan Hyman

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Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, last week delivered a Gifford lecture at the University of Edinburgh exploring why faith survives in the twenty-first century.

Speaking to a 300-strong audience in Old College’s Playfair Library, Sacks said he believed the main reason why faith continued to grow 200 years after the Enlightenment and the secularisation of state was because “faith” and “scientific reasoning” addressed different parts of consciousness.

He said that individuals possess two types of thought-process: one type of logic being “linear” and “rational” which “breaks components down to see how they work”, the other being more subjective and entailing analysing concepts as a whole and “seeing what effect they have”.

Accordingly, the Chief Rabbi claimed that there was little clash between science and religion since they were different ways of looking

at material.

He claimed the problem came when “linear” and “rational” logic was applied to theological documents intended to be viewed “metaphorically”.

Dr Sacks also upheld that no one religion held the key to salvation and that the other monotheistic faiths approached the same God but from a different angle.

He also praised the work of atheists in spurring on religious people not to sit back and watch the gross inequalities of the world, claiming that this was God’s will, but to act to redress them.

He paid tribute to Adam Smith and David Hume, who had been an important part of his personal formation.

Third year Biology student Lauren Weinburg said afterwards: “I think it was a really interesting talk, I couldn’t help but be taken by his passion. I liked the bits about the importance of interfaith relations and the relationship between religion and science”.

A spokesperson from Edinburgh

University Jewish Society commented, “We are delighted that Rabbi Sacks was invited to give one of this year’s Gifford lectures.”

“Our feedback from the event has been very positive. We think he is a great scholar and ambassador for UK Jewry. We hope he comes back to Scotland soon”.

The Gifford lectures comprise a series of annual talks given at each of the four ancient Scottish Universities concerning faith, philosophy and humanism. Previous speakers have included Noam Chomsky and Iris Murdoch.

Sir Jonathan Sacks has been the Chief Rabbi since September 1991.

Most notably, he is asscoiated with building positive relations with the Progressive community, and is the first Chief Rabbi to sit with a Reform Rabbi as joint President of the Council of Christians and Jews in the UK. He was knighted in 2005 for services to the Community and InterFaith Relations. news@studentnewspaper.org

25/11/08

News 7

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Reports predict universities of 2028

Pedro Sanches BACK TO THE FUTURE: Student imagines how George Square might look in years to come

Samantha Groenestyn

that government should do to make it as likely as possible that our uni-

A SERIES of reports by Vice Chancellors from various UK universities and others were recently published in response to John Denham’s call for visions of how UK universities should look in 20 years time.

Denham, the Innovation, Universities and Skills Minister, commissioned the reports as part of a broader discussion with the academic and business communities of the future of British higher education.

In a video clip posted on YouTube, he said the government is looking for “the few key things…

“There is a perception that our universities are solely interested in international students as a source of revenue” Professor Drummond Bone, University of Liverpool versities will be, in ten or fifteen

years’ time, the world-class, leading institutions that we need them to be.”

Professor Drummond Bone of the University of Liverpool produced a report emphasising that the UK must retain its role within the international academic community and redress its weaknesses regarding incoming students.

He noted: “From the point of view of overseas governments and perhaps at least as importantly the press overseas, the main problem with the UK is a perception that our universities are solely interested in international students as a source of revenue,”—a perception, he con-

tinues, that while not strictly true is difficult to overcome.

Sir Ron Cooke of the University of York submitted a response to the quality of Information and Communications Technology provided by universities, stating that “until recently the UK was world class in providing e-infrastructure for research and in e-science.”

He is concerned that the UK must regain and retain its position as a global leader in terms of the technological resources available to students and researchers.

Other reports deal with responding to the greater needs and expectations of students for flexibility in undertaking study, as many students are also carers, employees and in many cases are already actively involved with industry while studying.

The suggestions call for increased expansion and updating of university resources, a move which is likely to generate ongoing costs and which will require drastic administrative changes within universities.

The University of Edinburgh attracts an increasing number of international students each year.

However, many exchange students currently encounter administrative difficulties stemming from problems with the university’s collaboration with overseas institutions.

Denham’s proposed adjusted framework for higher education will be published next year.

Read more in Comment p9

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Flush mobbing Alexandra Taylor Student activists campaigned for better access to hygiene in the developing world on World Toilet Day on November 19.

A group of ten students ran a stall in George Square, where they asked people to sign a petition pledging support for WaterAid and pushing the government to regard this issue as a higher priority.

Overall, they attained 50 signatures throughout the afternoon, which will contribute to the nationwide petition.

The activists had earlier devised a plan to block all toilets at the university with ‘do not enter’ tape to encourage people to stop and think about the issue.

To the likely relief of many on campus, they instead decided to put up posters reading: “You take it for granted that you’re sitting on a toilet now - but think of the 2.5 billion people who cannot and now are suffering death and diseases from it...”

Marina Vincent, a student campaigning for WaterAid said: “We

think this [the awareness campaign] was quite effective overall.”

This project has been one of the first major campaigns of the reformed WaterAid society, which was previously known as Medsin.

The society also recently had a very successful World Music Night during Charities Week and next term it hopes to run another similar campaigning day for World Water Day. 40 per cent of the world’s population do not have access to a toilet, leading������������������������������ to the spread of preventable diseases which cause the deaths of over 5,000 children every day.

WaterAid aims to change this and claims a donation of £46 will give a family a gift that ‘restores a family’s health, pride and dignity – a toilet’.

The organisation suggested many ways for supporters to mark the day.

This included dressing up in tacky ties and earrings, charging to use the toilet and playing games on the WaterAid website such as the aptlynamed Turdlywinks. news@studentnewspaper.org

Fake doctor operates on 200 A German banker has been jailed for three years after it was discovered that he had forged qualifications to gain his dream position - as a trainee surgeon.

After creating a fake diploma from Oxford University on his home computer, the 29-year-old was accepted to work at Erlangen University Clinic in Bavaria.

While there, he successfully participated in almost 200 operations, with 17 of those being organ operations.

Johannes Eissing, a spokesman for the clinic, told AFP: “The head of the clinic never noticed anything out of the ordinary with his work.”

“No one would have noticed if it hadn’t been for an anonymous tipoff.”

LB

Record drugs seizure at Edinburgh airport LOTHIANAND Borders Police have seized their largest ever amount of cocaine in a startling find.

Officers found 16kg of the drug after officers from HM Revenues and Customs searched the luggage of two individuals entering the country.

The huge haul is reported to have a street value of £800, 000.

Two Mexican nationals Noe Isaias Romero Muchado, aged 40 and Erendidael Rudi Arrendondo Lechuga, aged 37 have been arrested and made no plea when in court on November 12.

Bill Skelly, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said: “This is the largest recovery of cocaine the force has made to date, and is an excellent example of partnership working between Lothian and Borders Police and HM Revenue & Customs.

“Safe-guarding communities against the scourge of drugs is a priority for Lothian and Borders Police” NP

A shot in the eye

LOOKING FLUSHED: Student campaigners raise awareness of World Toilet Day

Young drinkers in Brighton & Hove have been discouraged from taking part in a ‘drinking craze’ in which spirits are consumed through the eye, with medical experts warning of the risk of scarring of the cornea and blindness.

Sussex local newspaper The Argus reported that drinkers were taking inspiration from Harry Enfield’s Kevin and Perry Go Large, despite the film being released more than eight years ago. The 2000 comedy features a hedonistic DJ, portrayed

by Rhys fans, who pours vodka into his eye for quicker inebriation.

One former student told the newspaper: “We did it sometimes at university. It was mainly a punishment between friends or we would all do it together. I don’t know if it gets you drunk.”

LB

8 Comment

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

Harriet Brisley

The Human Cure With World AIDS Day approaching Mairi Gordon makes the case for treatment as a universal right

“But tell me, this physician of whom you were just speaking, is he a moneymaker, an earner of fees, or a healer of the sick?”

-Plato

D

ecember 1st 2008 will mark the twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day. Twenty years later and the lives of too many men, women and children are destined to be cut short by the AIDS epidemic, tuberculosis and other treatable, and at times incurable, diseases.

AIDS is a tragedy in any country but for many in the developed world it has ceased to be a death sentence.

In prosperous countries the individuals who do die of AIDS and tuberculosis often have more in common with victims of these diseases in far poorer countries than luckier citizens of their own country—their lives are also blighted by the violence of poverty and inequality.

It is the violence of poverty and inequality that systematically denies millions of people their single most basic human right: the right to life itself.

Without this primal right there is no freedom of speech or religion, no right to justice or to representation.

Our own humanity is contingent on our right to life. Yet human rights are rarely mentioned in the debate over poverty, inequality and health. The fact is that even before the devastating impact of AIDS was felt, the median age of death in sub-Saharan Africa of less than five years old wasn’t generally considered an abuse of human

rights. Considering that arbitrary forces of geography, race and poverty have ensured millions of children never see their fifth birthday it could be described as little else.

Until recently global human rights organizations have been hesitant to adopt a leading role in protecting the right to life. Even today conventional legal wisdom often places social and economic rights far below their political and civil counterparts. This distinction has little bearing on the reality of global poverty and human suffering.

What value does freedom of speech have when no one will listen to your cry for food, shelter and medicine?

The global non-profit organisations that aim to protect the rights of the poor are tied by another over arching theme of our times. Market based concepts like cost efficiency have been applied as relentlessly to charity as they have to profit making.

Limited resources naturally lead to limited solutions and at times the defeated acceptance that some patients cost too much to treat.

It would be easy to stop here and accept that amidst the greatest prosperity and scientific advancement human history has ever witnessed the suffering of the poor remains an insurmountable fact of life. But it is undeniably the wrong place to stop.

There remains a resilient brand of

hope in some of the world’s darkest corners.

Doctor and anthropologist Paul Farmer is just one individual who has devoted his life’s work to challenging the conventional wisdom that there are people too poor to treat or to cure. Farmer’s work began in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

When his organisation, Partners in Health, encountered increasing cases of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis, a twin plague that along with high rates of HIV drastically increases the mortality rates of the poor, they refuted the conventional wisdom of the time that stated neither virus could be treated in ‘resource poor settings’. Instead they lobbied the World Heath Organisation to accept that MDRTB could be treated at an affordable level through a second line of drugs, several of which had already come off patent.

Partners in Health received criticism from those in the field who argued their approach was neither cost effective or sustainable. Farmer however remains uncompromising, asking: “What if we confess, from Haiti or Rwanda, that many of our patients are hungry and that, last time we checked, the treatment for hunger was food? What if we tell those who hold the purse strings that we don’t

really know how to treat diseases, much less to prevent them, without promoting basic social and economic rights for the poor?”

Partners in Health weren’t alone in asking these questions. Priests and nuns casting their theology in the terms of poverty, college students and most notably the poor themselves all

“Poverty and inequality cast the choices of the poor in a starker lighteither you receive life-saving treatment or you don’t.’’ joined him and gradually more powerful and wealthier groups began to listen. Access to testing, anti-retroviral drugs and medicine that can prevent HIV from being passed onto children are gradually being cast more and more in terms of public good and human rights.

While this progress is undeniably a reason for hope Farmer’s questions demonstrate a fatal mismatch in how we address the poverty and inequality. World leaders and global

aid and human rights organizations still operate in the relative terms of cost and affordability. Poverty and inequality cast the choices of the poor in a starker light—either you receive life saving treatment or you don’t.

Either you have enough food to feed your children or you don’t. Either you live to protect family or you die early, helpless in the knowledge that you will be leaving them behind.

In response to these real and absolute choices we must uphold that first and most basic right—the right to life itself. This means access to the first and second line drugs that we know to be life saving along with food, shelter and education that are the pre-requisites to freedom and equality. These rights are already explicitly stated in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Raising these rights from words on a page however requires commitment— commitment capable of matching the absolute choices that the poor wake up to everyday.

Casting the AIDS crisis in the language of human rights won’t in itself make treatment more available or reduce the human suffering this epidemic bears. But it represents a challenge to stand with the poor and echo their voice—put simply, it is a challenge to try. comment@studentnewspaper.org

25/11/08

Comment 9

www.studentnewspaper.org

Occupation Education

I

Jonny Stockford

Stalin’ Tactics Playing the political game: Calum Leslie argues that Gordon Brown is using trying times to dodge difficult questions

O

n March 20th 2007, Gordon Brown was compared to a man who once ousted the editor of a national newspaper and turned it into a political propaganda sheet. It might not have been Joseph Stalin’s most famous exploit, but his coup of Pravda, a Russian tabloid, was an early sign of his desire to rule supreme. And as Brown’s contest for the leadership of the Labour Party began, his one-time advisor, Lord Turnbull, claimed of the then Chancellor: “[Gordon’s] view is that ‘they will get what I decide’... you cannot help admire [his] sheer Stalinist ruthlessness.”

Almost twelve months later, exLabour cabinet minister Charles Clarke was equally unforgiving.

In February this year, following Brown’s ascension to Number Ten, he declared that the electorate had ‘no confidence’ in the Prime Minister, and told the Daily Mail why he rejected an offer from Brown of an envoy job. “I would say what I think, which he would hate.”

Clarke, days earlier, had branded his former colleague a ‘control freak.’

The Prime Minister has done well to disassociate himself from this image, or at the very least, make people forget about it. A few recent successes have helped Brown to distance himself from early criticism. Most notably, he has pretended to have a one-of-a-kind user’s guide to ‘how to see out a credit crunch’ on his bedside table. With devastating effect, Brown has acted

like he is clued up on whatever the world economy may throw at us, while making it obvious that David Cameron and George Osborne are absolutely not. Despite falling twenty-eight points behind the Tories as recently as late September, Brown has reduced that deficit to as little as 3 percentage points in the last week. These developments have been based on the old message of prudence, now married to a sense of the greater good.

Brown sounded electable again.

That is, until he was criticised. With such a surge in Labour support, or perhaps a recapturing of it from the blue side of the British political divide, the Shadow Chancellor felt he had to do something, deciding to fulfil his role as a front bench member of the Opposition and break the political truce Brown had engineered and exploited to maximum advantage.

Osborne criticised the ‘fiscal stimulus’ – in plain English, the extra borrowing – which the government would now implement, and pointed to a danger that the value of the pound would completely collapse. Brown professed he was ‘disappointed’ at the Tories resorting to party politics at a ‘difficult time.’ I’m sorry, Gordon – what?

Political truce is a given in times of natural disaster, of great loss of life, of national security threats, yes. It appeared, however, that now the Opposition could no longer have an economic policy of their own. They were no longer allowed

to be critical of anything the government was doing to ease the economic recession or to be concerned over the potential repercussions of government action. Argue over the bits and pieces as much as you like, but denying the opportunity to point out potential problems, to criticise, is undemocratic. Some may even call it Stalinist.

Cameron turned instead to

“[Gordon’s] view is that ‘they will get what I decide’’... you cannot help admire [his] sheer Stalinist ruthlessness.”

Lord Turnbull Former head of the Civil Service social welfare, asking difficult questions of Brown over the Baby P case. And Gordon, as Charles Clarke might say, does not like difficult questions – especially those critical of his government. “I am saddened the Opposition is turning this into a party political issue”, crowed the PM across the dispatch box. Apparently, social policy is off the agenda for the Tories, too.

Finally, and most bafflingly, Brown’s administration rounded on the SNP. This is not, of course, baffling in itself. Yet when the SNP leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson, called on FIFA to look over

apparent political interference in attempts to set up a team for Great Britain, a government spokesman called upon the SNP to “stop making party politics out of football.” For the sake of this article, I will only fleetingly acknowledge the stunning hypocrisy of that statement. Government policy on football, sport, leisure- perhaps even national identity- was now also banned from scrutiny. What Pravda says, goes. No questions.

We can only conclude that Gordon Brown is no longer in favour of politics or democracy.

The PM seems incapable of realizing that by declaring each case a ‘party political issue’, he himself makes it one. He seems equally incapable of accepting that it is the job of opponents and politicians to question his decisions, to question how his policies affect livelihoods, health and prosperity, and to question if others are better.

According to the PM, economics, welfare and national identity are not up for debate. With so few issues of substance remaining, what motivation is there left for the political process? Disillusionment and apathy are inevitable. Participation plummets and scrutiny disappears.

The Soviet Union flourished on such oppression.

But Gordon doesn’t like criticism, as Charles Clarke might say.

Perhaps we may conclude that he and Lord Turnbull know Brown the best after all. comment@studentnewspaper.org

Thea Thomison

n a humanitarian crisis the right to an education is of paramount importance. As students ourselves we can hardly disagree, for where would we be today without our education?

As the blockade of Gaza reaches the crisis point the right to education may seem insignificant. If you’re incarcerated within a tiny space of land, denied basic rights and access to food and clean water, what is the point of education?

The delegation of students from the Occupied Palestinian Territories who spoke here last week are testament to the endurance of humanity and the aspiration of bettering and empowering through education.During the first intifada, when all schools and universities were closed down and many students and teachers were arrested, detained or harassed, sometimes just for carrying books, the Right to Education Campaign began to document the obstacles that Palestinian students face in their quest for an education.“This is not about politics, this is not about occupation, this is not about resistance, this is about giving over 1.5 million innocent people in blockaded Gaza basic humanitarian needs. I feel ashamed to talk about the students when the people are suffering.

Over 300 Palestinian patients on medical waiting lists, have died because they are denied basic treatment.” said Rami Abdo, student delegate from Gaza. “it becomes too difficult to talk about education when hundreds of patients are denied access to medicine.

There is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is no electricity, fuel, clean water.

My wife had to find wood for a fire to boil water for my baby daughter - this is the 21st century!” He discussed his experience of being refused permission to take up his scholarship at the University of Manchester. Over 1000 students in Gaza with places and scholarships to study abroad are arbitrarily denied permission to leave by the Israeli government.

Since November 2003, 372 students from Birzeit University have been incarcerated as prisoners of conscience, and are often held without charge.

Seema Quran (Ramallah) explained the logistics of Israeli occupation in terms of everyday life: checkpoints, restriction on movement, detention, violation of human rights, and harassment.“98% of children from Gaza are suffering from psychological trauma.

How can you be able to study when you have had to carry a dying child in your arms, that day, looking medical help when you know that there actually no hope in finding any to save the child’s life.”

Why were the delegates so intent on achieving an education? Might their time be better spent raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis rather than attending university? The answer is simple; without education they would always be subject to oppression. With it, they can lift their country out of poverty and occupation. Education is an important tool in improving peoples lives but is also our basic right that we must uphold at all costs. comment@studentnewspaper.org

10 Comment

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

Your Right to Parties

T

Neil Pooran

his month’s Presidential election was exceptional for many reasons, not least of which was the remarkable 62% turnout, up considerably from the previous time. Barack Obama’s election bucked a depressing trend towards political apathy that has emerged in almost every Western democracy. Yet, as many commentators have pointed out; the Obamamania phenomenon is unlikely to spread to these shores.

Everyone has their own theories as to why the public are becoming so disenfranchised with their politicians, but the truth is there is no one unifying reason. Concrete solutions to the problem are harder to come across.

Somehow amidst the debates around the UK’s constitutional future –����������������������������� �� whether ���������������������������� it be the wrangling over the EU, arguing over devolution, or haggling over civil liberties – the way we conduct our elections has slipped off of the political agenda.

It has almost become an archaic, obsolete phrase, but proportional representation (PR) would give Britain’s democracy a much-needed breath of fresh air. The current system sees smaller parties underrepresented time after time in Parliament, despite them making considerable gains in popularity and votes, as well as producing governments that only have a fraction of the electorate’s vote. A change in our electoral system would not solve all of democracy’s problems, but it would make voting a more attractive proposition to a jaded public.

PR means Parliament will more accurately reflect the will of the public expressed in the election.

Simply put, the percentage of votes a party gets equals the percentage of seats they receive. A species of it has worked a treat here in Scotland, and many European countries get on fine with similar systems.

This will inevitably mean some unsavory characters find their way into official representation- the BNP and other far-right parties spring to mind- but keeping these groups out of the mainstream political arena can only lead to further radicalisation.

There will be those who argue that in times of recession a stable government is needed more than a representative one. But we should never give up on our attempts to improve what is essentially a failing system.

It’s time to put PR back on the agenda. The Labour government has hinted at doing this in the past but amid wars, scandals and recession people seem to have largely forgotten about it. If PR doesn’t succeed in at least partially revamping our democracy, the problem of declining engagement may well be incurable. comment@studentnewspaper.org

Henry Birkbeck

Power of Love Dream team: Henry Birkbeck asks if political partners are a match made in heaven or in hell

M

isogynists of the world: bow down and accept that your doctrine has failed. The rise of feminism has brought us a long way in the past hundred years, and now more than ever, equality is something that can be achieved with the right amount of determination.

Perhaps Hugo Chavez would agree with this through clenched teeth, however. Recently, the Venezuelan president has had to stomach the rise of a political opponent he knows far better on a personal level than professional: his ex-wife.

Marisabel Rodriguez is not the ‘quiet housewife’ type: she has had a successful career in media, and since their divorce, has become ‘both a political irritant and a social embarrassment for Mr Chavez’. Now, she is running for mayor of Barquisimeto, the fourth largest city in Venezuela, in the country’s upcoming regional elections, and polls predict that she has a strong chance of beating the pro-Chavez candidate, Amalia Saez, to the position. According to most reports, Chavez’s popularity is beginning to plummet around the country, and with Rodriguez collecting the majority of the female vote, along with those unimpressed by the present political regime, it may not be long before the former married couple will have to interact once more, this time in the public eye.

Talk about emotional baggage.

How, I wonder, could you act professionally and impartially with

a political opponent who you once knew so intimately? To her credit, Rodriguez remains tasteful—and tactful—about the questions she chooses to answer concerning her ex-husband. However, she has expressed her abhorrence concerning his method of governing, and the role she believes he wanted her to play as Venezuela’s first lady: “a blond with blue eyes who could go to all the political functions on his arm”. Not prepared to be a trophy wife, Rodriguez followed her beliefs, even when they began to differ from those of her now ex-husband. She has said publicly that if Chavez is not an oppressive dictator, he certainly behaves like one.

Nevertheless, these remarks should be taken with a pinch of salt, given that (a) Rodriguez is now a major representative of his opposition, and (b) they haven’t spoken since she remarried, so clearly things could have ended on better terms. After all, in an interview with CBS, she claimed that their divorce was for both political and personal reasons, as the former eventually merged with the latter. Indeed, a marriage that has been governed by presidential duties may unravel in a spectacular manner, and to what extent private issues became—and may again become—entangled with public affronts is unclear.

This is an example of what happens in the wake of the collapse of a power couple. Once so happily married and dually successful, the two

now polarise views of one another, and their personal history will only be making things worse. The Venezuelan media is revelling in the story, and the two figures blame one another for the development of what Chavez contemptuously refers to as Rodriguez’s political “soap opera”.

Where did things go wrong for the couple?

“Not prepared to be a trophy wife, Rodriguez followed her beliefs... she has said publicly that if Chavez is not an oppressive dictator, he certainly behaves like one.’’

The other former First Lady that springs to mind is the formidable Hilary Clinton. Unlike their Venezuelan counterparts, the Clintons are still together, despite a slightly turbulent chapter of their marriage in which certain personal ‘issues’ became extremely public. On the bright side, at least they’re still in the same political party, a fact key to their success. Alas, the Clintons won’t be returning to the White House as Mrs President and the First Gentleman, (although Bill would surely have

done the title more justice than Todd Palin). But with Hilary’s career still on the rise—she is expected to become President Obama’s Secretary of State—it is unlikely that Bill will drift into the background anytime soon, either. In the race for the Democratic candidacy, he campaigned fiercely on behalf of his wife, leading many to question the fairness of this tactic given his status as former president. Indeed, he is hardly a househusband, considering he has already had his turn at being ‘leader of the free world’. Yet the Clintons have managed to maintain power by handling matters professionally: even when faced with an extramarital affair, Hilary chose to stay married, and has since stated the reason as love—though it is impossible to ignore the potential political advantages of her decision in determining her own future. Especially now, one could speculate that power and love are bound together for the Clintons This, it seems, is how power couples need to operate in order to succeed in the political world. But is the world ready for more Clintonesque double-team strategy, or will the pressures of professional responsibility and increased divorce rates lead to more Chavez/Rodriguez enmity? Whatever the case may be, I think it’s safe to say that politics and marriage can be a dangerous combination.

comment@studentnewspaper.org

25/11/08

Editorial 11

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Student Since 1887 - The UK’ s oldest student newspaper

A Foulkes story

A

s far as qualifications go, George Foulkes MSP is almost stereotypical in his suitability for the role of the University of Edinburgh’s Lord Rector. He has gone from being SRC President in the 60s to a stint as a Labour MP to a peerage as Baron Foulkes of Cumnock and has now found himself as an MSP for the Lothians list. His history as a public representative for Edinburgh and elsewhere is a central part of his campaign, and his high-flying political career makes him a strong candidate.

Yet his voting record in Westminster and Holyrood has not gone unnoticed, and some students have already questioned the appropriateness of having someone who voted in favour of topup fees as a representative of the stu-

dent body.

Foulkes has yet to outline his full manifesto, and as yet no one else has announced a challenge, but what is clear even at this early stage is that whoever gets the job will have to be a ‘working’ rector who will unequivocally stand up for students.

Rectors often very much enjoy holding the title while doing little to contribute to the welfare of the university, but in a climate of uncertainty over university funding and worries over the introduction of ID cards for foreign students this will not do.

Someone who has the ear of power may well be a good candidate in times such as these, but personal opinions and a commitment to the job are also important.

Student will be following developments in the race very closely.

Carbon Credit T

he awarding of the Carbon Trust award to the University of Edinburgh must have put a smile on the face of all university staff and students who have worked to cut carbon emissions at our university.

The award, which recognises ‘commitment to and achievement of carbon emissions reductions’ follows years or hard work and steady progress by countless individuals at our university.

Frankly, it’s well deserved.

In particular the award has been given for three combined heat and power engines around campus, at George Square, King’s buildings and Pollock Hall’s energy centres. The engines have been responsible for an impressive 13% reduction in carbon emissions, relative to turnover, while the £1 million per year savings they have also produced are not to be scoffed at. Crucially however, these projects are just a few amongst many.

But what is also important is our University’s contribution to the public perception of environmental issues Editors Lee Bunce/Neil Pooran Comment Mairi Gordon/Robert Shepherd/Zeenath Ul Islam Senior Comment Writer Henry Birkbeck Copy editing Jenny Baldwin Culture Rupert Faircliff /Emma Murray Hannah Ramsey Features Jonathan Holmes/Rosie Nolan/ David Wagner Film Tom MacDonald/Sam Karasik

through its teaching programs and significant public profile. Esteemed academics like Dave Reay and Paul Palmer have made important contributions field of carbon management and climate science respectively, while our Rector Mark Ballard and EUSA President Adam Ramsay are great for our profile as a ‘green’ university, forgetting their other achievements. The personnel we have here are second to none.

Teaching in Edinburgh is also important. The Carbon Management MSc for example is pioneering, and currently boasts some 35 postgraduate students, while even first year courses such as Sustainability, Society and Environment has inspired countless students in the short time it has existed, and allows students from any discipline to enrol.

For all these reasons then Edinburgh has become an important centre in the battle against runaway climate change. Long may it continue.

Illustrations Harriet Brisley/Zeeneth Ul Islam Interview Anna Dudina/Catherine McGloin Lifestyle Kimberlee Mclaughlan/ Maddie Walder Music Andrew Chadwick/Thomas Kerr News Lyle Brennan/James Ellingworth/ Sarah Morrison/Liz Rawlings Senior News Writers Patrick Andelic/Guy Rughani/Anna McSwan

Your Letters

Silly solidarity In last week’s Student the head of Edinburgh University Palestinian Solidarity Society (EUPSS) claimed “there are questions why the Israeli ambassador was invited [to speak] in the first place”, indeed the literature distributed across campus just before the event claimed that under the NUS no-platform policy the University should not afford the ambassador the opportunity to speak. Ms. Basheer immediately contradicted herself by claiming that “he obviously has a right to speak”, presumably paying lip service to freedom of speech. What she really meant was that ‘people have the right to speak, but only when I agree with them’.

The EUPSS protestors did not attend the event but instead stood outside with their banners and drums, assured that they were ‘right’ and the others were ‘wrong’.

This is the main problem with the pro-Palestinian lobby on this campus, they refuse to listen or acknowledge any validity in the opinions which do not conform to their own. Mr Sugden was not willing to listen and participate in dialogue, instead, towards the end of the talk he was ejected from the hall for approaching the ambassador bellowing “that’s complete shite”, later claiming pathetically that “he was trying to shake his hand”.

A few weeks ago Student published an article claiming that proIsrael supporters were “wrapping themselves up in cotton wool” on confronting the Israeli/Arab conflict, presumably believing that Israel was completely at fault and no other actor bore any responsibility for the situation in the middle east. One of the key skills which should be developed at university is the ability to critically analyse information from a wide-range of sources before taking a position. However, the behaviour by the pro-Palestinian lobby over the last few weeks demonstrates that they have little capacity to do this, and they are the ones who have cotton wool in their ears.

Name withheld

Photography Katy Kennedy/Julia Sanches President John Herrman Secretary Rachel Hunt Sport Martin Domin/Misa Klimes Tech Alan Williamson/Craig Wilson Treasurer Madeline Rijnja TV Rory Reynolds/Susan Robinson Website Bruno Panara/Jack Schofield

Medical madness I would like to bring the reader’s attention to some errors made in last week’s editorial titled ‘And justice for all?’, which outlined details of the motion on greater access to medicines developed at Edinburgh University, passed at the EUSA AGM. Many of the arguments stated in the article simply do not hold true.

Firstly the statement that the aims of this motion are ‘not realistic’ is inappropriately pessimistic. I would like to tell the reader that owing to a huge student led movement 11 universities in the USA now have concrete policies that have meant a drastic change in their licensing policy and thus acknowledging the same aims as those outlined in the Edinburgh motion. In the UK, we know that Oxford University has similar though less forceful policies already adopted without student lobbying.

The article then highlighted the barriers that would be imposed by pharmaceutical companies in the drive to get these policies accepted. To say that pharmaceuticals will be difficult owing to the cut in their profits is incorrect. As it stands, all of SubSaharan Africa with its huge disease burden accounts for a mere 1.3% of Pharma profit.This is not least because they are too busy catering for the rich countries drilling home bigger profits but also because their medications are simply too expensive for the poor to access.

The proposed change in university licensing policy would allow generic manufacture of medications discovered by Edinburgh in poorer countres.

Generic companies producing these medications are liable to pay a royalty to the university and the pharmaceutical company holding the license. Thus, contrary to popular belief, Big Pharma’s revenues in poorer countries would still be maintained.This fact in itself addresses the next point the article makes about private companies being discouraged from investing in our university. Add to this the fact that the majority of our research funding comes out of the

taxpayer’s pocket and our university is further obligated to work for the public good.

Despite these crucial errors in the article, it is important to avoid complacency on this issue and realise the challenges ahead for bringing change in our university.

We are at a very exciting stage with administrative staff willing to listen and a mighty support from the student body. It remains to be seen if the university succumbs to the pressure and brings about change. As the USA has demonstrated, student support will be pivotal in making this movement a success in Edinburgh.

Vasundhara Verma 4th Year medical student

Advertising Tony Foster (Contact @ 0131 650 9189) Student Newspaper 60 Pleasance Edinburgh EH8 9TJ Email: editors@ studentnewspaper.org

Student welcomes letters for publication. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity.

Anonymous letters will not be printed but names will be witheld on request. The letters printed are the opinions of individuals outwith Student and do not represent the views of the editors or the paper as a whole.

A not-sogenuine Foulkes hero I was just going over George Foulkes’s voting record, and I have to say, it’s pretty alarming. According to the PublicWhip, he has repeatedly voted against investigations and inquiries relating to the Iraq war and voted against a motion which stated that the case for war with Iraq was ‘unproven’, and apparently last night opposed an anti-ID card motion in Holyrood (fortunately, he voted with the minority).

In the very weeks that ID-cards and the intrusive government database are going to be forced upon international students, one of the most voracious supporters of those ID-cards hasannounced he will run for rector to Edinburgh University.

Given that at the AGM two weeks ago a vast majority of students voted against the introduction of IDcards, I think it would be a mistake to allow him to represent student views and issues.

Stephanie Irene Spoto Postgraduate English Literature

Published by and copyright © Student Newspaper Society, 2008 Printed by Cumbrian Printers Distributed by Lothian Couriers, North Berwick Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office.

12 Interview

The Truth Seeker Zeenath Ul Islam conducts an incursion into the hotel room of Robert Fisk, The Independent’s awardwinning Middle East correspondent .

I

ndependent man, the outspoken, award-winning veteran journalist Robert Fisk has finally been tracked down. A hectic five weeks of travelling to New Zealand, Beirut, Norway, Toronto, California, has culminated in a speech at the Oxford Union. Catching him with a TV crew still in his hotel room, and amidst the constant interruptions of the moving media paraphernalia, our interrogation begins.

Speaking at a frenzied pace, appropriate given the journalistic creed he embodies, his intrinsic eloquence combined with his sharp recall of dates and location, allows for a rapid framing of thought. Beginning wryly, Fisk is quick to impress his loyalty, “I think my own paper The Independent is a very good newspaper, however the popular papers are intrusive, scandalous, slanderous and in many cases do not purvey the reality of the world we live in. Especially on the Middle East, the American press constantly reduces the criticism of Israel and make out that the Palestinians, for example, are a generically violent people even though it is Israel which is occupying Palestine not the other way around.”

Fisk argues that this results in “one sided, pro-Israeli and anti-Arab reports. Many cartoons of Arabs in

Profile: Robert Fisk - Born July 12, 1946 in Kent - His father fought on the Western Front during WWII - When actor John Malkovich was asked who he would most like to fight to the death, he named Fisk - Fisk has won numerous awards for journalism, including two Amnesty International UK Press Awards and seven British International Journalist of the Year awards - He interviewed Osama bin Laden three times between 1993 and 1997 - Fisk holds a BA in English Literature, PhD in Political Science, and Honorary LLD

25/11/08

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the press are very similar to the cartoons which Hitler’s Germany printed of Jews before and during the Second World War.” Fisk is adamant that “there is a racist element to the whole thing which is very distressing and worrying. The obvious example would be the Danish cartoons of the

“Most politicians tell lies; but Blair made it an art form” Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, which were childish, provocative, and not about free speech. If a newspaper, after an Israeli air raid on Lebanon, printed a picture of a Rabbi with a bomb in his hat, it would be right to call such a cartoon anti-Semitic and racist. It was equally racist to publish that cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.” We momentarily break the interview while the television crew leave and he helps them manhandle out the last pieces of equipment.

You have to work hard to establish a reputation for journalistic integrity, he says. “I started off on the Newcastle Evening Chronicle as a humble reporter, on £17.93 a week. I had to fight my way for years to gain the trust of the editor into printing what I wrote. It was hard but journalism is my religion.”

Fisk was one of the first journalists to enter the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps after the massacre of the Palestinian civilians, an experience he describes in Pity the Nation. Gravely he states that “it was the first time I had seen a massacre, and the result of a massacre of civilians, although I have seen it since- many

times.”

“The first bodies I saw were two babies next to a dead horse. Their mothers had been stabbed to death, and then a young woman in a backyard who had just been shot. The killers were still in the camp when I went in on Saturday 18th September 1982, and then I came across piles of corpses, I had to climb over them to get to the next street- physically climb on other peoples bodies.”

“I felt very sorry for them and anger that this should have happened and a great sympathy for the fact that most of the people were really young. One man was very old; he had a beard and a walking stick and he was lying dead in his pyjamas on the road. This was a tragedy and was also of course an outrageous war crime. I think it was anger

and sorrow that I felt about it when I saw it.”

At the time Fisk was working with The Times and “was able to let rip with my anger, say what I thought and the paper printed it.” According to Fisk the “people who were responsible for the massacre were twofold. The actual murderers were Lebanese Christian Phalangists, they were not brought to justice as part of the agreement to end the civil war. Since the victims were Palestinians there was less interest in Lebanon in prosecuting their own people for it.”

Secondly he continues that: “The Israeli Inquiry held Ariel Sharon, defence minister 1982, personally responsible for the massacre. He was forced to resign, but was later elected as Prime minister. Those people who are war criminals associated to our side tend to get away with it for some strange reason.”

The camps were left defenceless “because they had specific American promises. The American envoy at the time, he’s now dead but he told me in his own words that ‘the Israelis would not enter that part of Beirut where the Palestinian refugees were living.’ Yassar Arafat, the Palestinian leader, accepted these promises because he believed the Americans and that the promise of the Americans would prevent such a massacre occurring. They were wrong.”

Fisk concludes, “when you see massacres like this it puts in perspective the version of war we get from our politicians; most have never been in a war or seen a dead body.” The political class thus adopt the ideological canard of war and glory. In Fisk’s eyes, Blair adopted a “Churchillian waistcoat”.

“Blair took the level of government mendacity to new heights. Most politicians tell lies. But Blair made it an art form. When papers use the term ‘spin’, they really mean lying. There were no weapons of mass destruction but hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died because of those lies. In a ‘just’ world we would have to talk about war crimes and trials.”

Continuing with sardonic wit on a pessimistic reality, Fisk delves further, “Lord Blair, the man who was so mendacious, is now a peace envoy to the middle east! He won’t go to Gaza of course, because they don’t wear ties there. He has set up a faith foundation for heaven’s sake! To which my reply is: doesn’t God ever give Blair advice? In February 2003 why didn’t God say, ‘Tony this Iraq thing may not be such a good idea.’ App a rently

Blair talks to God but he just doesn’t seem to listen to him.”

The last ‘just’ war was the Second World War and for this reason every time politicians want to justify a war they accuse their enemies of being a Hitler or Mussolini and they believe they are a Churchill or Roosevelt. They constantly replay World War Two.” Fisk believes that politicians need to draw a line under the Second World War because there haven’t been any just wars since.

The safeguards put in place to protect the world after the war such as: “the United Nations, the General Assembly, the Security Council, international law of human rights were effectively torn to pieces after 9/11, particularly by Bush. Through instituting prison without trial, secret torture - basically all the things with which we previously accused the Arabs and the Russians of the Eastern bloc of doing.”

His newest book, The Age of the Warrior, “is really a collection of essays about my anger on the Middle East, my obsessions – the Titanic, Steam trains, the cinema, journalistic clichés.” Whereas his magnum opus, The Great War for Civilisation distils his thirty years experience and insight of the Middle East. The background noise emanating from his room increases as the room is cleaned. Someone then manages to get stuck at the door. Swiftly swooping to their rescue, Fisk ensures that his assortment of visitors leave in good humour. Moving on to democracy in the Middle East, he says “people in Gaza voted for Hamas because they were sick of the corruption in the Palestinian Authority.”

“When you see massacres like this, it puts in perspective the version of war we get from our politicians” He recalls, “once in Jerusalem I got a phone call from Ramallah that an Israeli tank had fired a shell into the home of a leading Palestinian authority official and I jumped in my car and went to the house. And sure enough the tank was still there - and there was the big shell hole in the wall. But what I noticed when I went inside the house were the gold fittings on the taps in the bathroom!”

“That’s what gets votes for people like Hamas.” Fisk also believes that “The dispute between Palestinian groups is very much provoked by us.

By supporting one group the ‘moderates’ while we are starving the people of Gaza because Hamas won too many votes there. It’s back to the same old story again, we insist that the Arab people have democracy, but when those pesky Palestinians vote for the wrong group we sanction and starve them. As the Citizen Newspaper said ‘they should be threatened with more elections’!”

Sadly he says the reaction to violence is always more violence. “People want restitution. That’s why the word you would hear the most in the Arab world is not democracy, it is the demand for justice.”

25/11/08

Features 13

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Q&A: Rupert Thomson Jenny Tzakova meets the editor of The Skinny, a man with his finger firmly on the pulse of Edinburgh’s creative scene, and discovers that there’s plenty of hidden cultural flesh in a magazine heavy on the arts

R

upertThomson, 26, is not just a journalist. In the course of an hour, I discovered he also holds interesting perspectives on art, inspiration and literature, all of which were discussed with a burning energy and enthusiasm. It was Thomson’s very first time on the other side of the tape recorder, so just how did he get on?

I’m originally from England but So where were you born and what did you study?

moved to Edinburgh at fifteen. I did English Literature at Bristol University and later on, an MA in Modern Literature and Culture at York University. Bristol was a nice town to be a student in, it had a great music scene.

How did you realise literature was right for you?

I read Samuel Beckett as a teenager and he really made me think that this was ultimately what I wanted to be doing. In terms of journalism, that came about when I was doing student journalism. When I was a student I tried a lot of different societies, I even did improvised comedy but in the end the music journalism was what stayed with me. Now it has developed more into arts and culture journalism, I have always been interested in theatre in line with my reading. I come from a fine arts background in terms of my family so I’ve always felt broadly interested and enthusiastic about the arts.

What is it that inspires you about writing?

I think it is very different with all types of writing that I’m involved with. In terms of arts journalism, the chance to interest people in things they might not previously have heard of I think is really important, and a really useful social role. And equally getting people to reappraise things they already know is really valuable too in terms of classic texts or music that people know they like but just getting them to think why they do or even getting them to think again about things they thought they didn’t like, to make them open their mind up to things that are different to what they are used to.

How was your transition into ‘real life’ after university? What jobs did you have?

I have only had two jobs so far. The first one I got was pretty grim. It was at a call centre, in a building with no windows, just calling people about pension plans and Scottish tourism but the people I worked with were all artists and musicians not there for the job itself. But after six months of rather boring work I quit and ended up making a short film, though it certainly didn’t make any money. It was very much as I was getting to the very bottom of my overdraft that the Skinny job came along which initially was just a sales post. Such was the nature of the thing at the time as

a relatively new company with relatively small staff that, because I came in and threw myself into it, volunteered for everything and was able to combine that with selling advertising, gradually the editorial stuff rose up my priority list as well and it sort of rolled from there.

Is volunteering something you would reccomend to aspiring journalists?

It worked for me for sure, but I think there is a tricky balance to be had. Volunteering certainly is going to help but equally be aware that what you do early on can pigeonhole you a bit, so you don’t want get too far down the line of writing about things you really are not going to care about. Regarding education, what is most important is the approach you take to things

“I think it’s really valuable in a world when the media is responsible for a lot of distorted truths, that there are people who at least do their best to be totally straight up” and if you are a professional, hardworking and realize what the purpose of the project you are working on is, then the training you’ve had won’t matter so much as your own attitude. But I don’t know how it works in other publications.

What is the Skinny attitude then?

Photos: Tahra Yien

The Skinny started as a social enterprise and was very much about giving a voice to writers who would not otherwise have one, and although its remit has changed a little bit in the time it has been running, there is still very much that emphasis close to its core that voices are there to be heard and it is about filtering that to the public.

I think most people believe that by telling what you think is the truth about what you have seen in terms of culture and art, that is how you get most value. I think it is really valuable in a world when the media is responsible for a lot of distorted truths, that there are people out there who at least do their best to be totally straight up about things.

Musicians and artists often support independent publications whose tone they value; also advertisers see the value of readers trusting the publication and its tone.

Why do writers prefer working for an independent magazine compared to a larger established publication?

Freedom to make your own decisions is really important, feeling that you have direct access to the people who ultimately run the company is really important, feeling that your own personal input can make a really big a difference. I turned down a job at the Guardian two years ago and other members at the Skinny have turned down jobs at places like the Scotsman and so on. I think it is directly related to that sense that you can work on something that goes on beyond just furthering your own career, without sounding too smug about it, there is that chance to really shape something in a way that would take years if you would go up through a bigger organization. It is exciting to be in that position in your twenties.

Equally it carries a lot of risks. But it is a fun challenge.

What is the most exciting part of your job?

I suppose in a lot of ways the cover is an exciting aspect. When you’ve got something that you know is going to be seen by thousands of people, even if they’re not reading the magazine, that one image is going to convey so much information. And when you get one you’re really pleased with, it feels great. We try to create a striking image that shows the creativity we would like to apply to our own coverage as well.

If you were not an editor, what would you be?

Well the other thing to mention is the other thing that I am.

This month I launched a music subscriptions website called “ten tracks”. It is some of the best up and coming music we can get our hands on coming out for a bargain price. For a small fee of £1 subscribers get ten specially chosen tracks. The principle is to pay artists a very generous proportion of the revenue and charge as low price as possible because so many people are downloading for free.

The intention is to create a new niche for the music industry.

What inspires you?

It is exciting to encounter new people and the way they exist within their own nexus of fantasy and reality. In terms of someone who has consistently inspired me to think, “Wow that is one way you can live your life”, then Samuel Beckett is my hero. It is

a combination of the passionate integrity of his art with the very committed way he lived his life politically, the commitment to reflection and the perception.

But reflection can also put you down Oh yes. I’m a big fan of melancholy; it is well underrated as a human state. You need it. It is a means to inspiration. I don’t know if it’s a better means than happiness, it just makes sense to me that you have your up and down times and both are of value. I think a life lived that combines heightened experiences with times of reflection will generally keep you moving on.

Why does society need art?

I think in general art and creativity can exist as a triangulation point between reality and fantasy. I think in the way it helps to give people a perspective on their lives, it is equally important as scientific research but equally there is bad art and wrong research.

In what way does The Skinny contribute to Scottish culture?

It can be hard to qualify but we have had anecdotal stories that suggested that people travel more between Edinburgh and Glasgow for gigs and clubs since the Skinny started and that would be great to think. I hope we encourage engagement from the audience.

Any must sees to reccomend to our readers?

Personally, I reckon a trip through to Glasgow to see Stereolab on 16 December would be well worth your trouble. Oran Mor is a great venue - arrive early to give time for a drink upstairs - and Stereolab’s feminine yet full-on pop style is inspirational stuff.

14 Features

“They were asking for it” Liz Rawlings investigates the increasing threat of rape for students, uncovering a world in which rape-drugs are easily obtainable, victims are discouraged from reporting their ordeals and public perception is mired in misunderstanding and idiocy

A

SURVEY conducted by the Scottish Government last year revealed that 26% of the Scottish population believe that women contribute to rape if they have been drinking. This statistic, coupled with Edinburgh student ‘Ruth’s’ account of her terrifying sexual assault (see below), which she believes originated from a drink-spiking in a university union raises important questions about the prevalence of date-rape drugs in Scotland, as well as exposing dangerous attitudes to rape among the Scottish population.

The 2007/2008 police report states that there have been 202 ‘rape and attempted rape’ offences committed in Lothian and Borders this year - the second-highest in the country behind Strathclyde with 381. However, it is likely that the true figures are actually much higher – with Edinburgh police estimating that only 15% of women come forward to report the crime.

It is difficult to ascertain why so few women come forward after experiencing sexual crimes. However, several reviews by the Crown Office in Scotland have highlighted consistently prejudiced attitudes held by the public which blame women for their victimisation by attributing the assault in whole or in part to their demeanour or behaviour. This is particularly true in cases where women have been drinking – an activity commonly associated with student, and university life.

As a result, sexual attacks in which alcohol has been consumed are significantly less likely to receive a conviction even if there is a suspicion of daterape drugs being used.

Considering that in Scotland only 2.9% of rapes reported by the police currently result in prosecution, this leaves a slim chance of an attacker, like Ruth’s, being brought to justice, and all because she had ‘a couple of drinks’.

Bearing in mind that there was a reported rape in the Potterrow toilets last year at the ‘Big Cheese’, it seems that, under Scottish law, students aren’t being sufficiently protected

against sexual crimes; simply because they like a drink.

Alcohol is not the only factor in the mix. If women dress in a manner deemed to be provocative; or if they have engaged in some level of intimacy with their attacker before the assault they are likely to be blamed in part for the crime perpetuated against them.

The Rape Crisis Scotland website maintains that ‘the way women dress is routinely cited as an incitement to rape’ with references to ‘sheer and

“Her underwear was used to demonstrate she was the ‘kind of girl’ unlikely to refuse sex” clinging fabrics, low-slung jeans, lowcut tops and short skirts’ common in the context of rape trials. While holding a woman up to judgement in court based on the clothes she was wearing at the time of an attack may seem ludicrous considering the obtrusive nature of the sexual crime against her, it isn’t difficult to find examples of this happening across the country: Lindsay Armstrong was raped in Ayrshire in September 2001. At the trial of her attacker, she was asked to hold up the underwear she wore at the time of the attack. Although this was supposedly to allow the defence to argue that the pants had not been damaged, Lindsay was asked to tell the court what was written on them: the words ‘Little Devil’.

At the time, anti-rape campaigners argued that putting Lindsay though this public humiliation served no purpose other than to allow the defence to try to smear her reputation – it allowed them to suggest that her underwear and the motto they bore were enough to demonstrate that Lindsay was the “sort of girl” unlikely to refuse consent to sex and therefore unlikely to have been raped. The campaigners were right to be concerned; although the man who raped her was convicted, three weeks after the trial ended, Lindsay Armstrong killed herself.

The perception that certain women were ‘asking’ to be raped because of their drinking or provocative clothing has become so common in Scotland that Rape Crisis counsellors do not

recommend women talking to the police about sexual attacks. Eileen Maitland, a counsellor at the Rape Crisis centre in Glasgow said, ‘we are cautious of urging women to report attacks’ because their characters and integrity are likely to be brought into question, and considering the low conviction rate, the ‘investigation can be for many women as traumatic as the assault itself’.

All the evidence points to a dangerous psychology among victims, perpetrators and society at large with regards to sexual attacks – that women subjected to rape should not expect their attacker to be charged. This attitude was highlighted in September when Helen Mirren admitted to being a victim of rape but didn’t report the crime to police stating: “You couldn’t do that in those days. It’s such a tricky area, isn’t it? Especially if there is no violence...I guess it is one of the many subtle parts of the men/women relationship that has to be negotiated and worked out between them.”

Although Mirren came under intense scrutiny for her comments, Maitland argues that her view is indicative of the feeling among the general population: “While recent initiatives to improve both the law on rape and the way in which such cases are investigated and prosecuted are welcome, the fundamental shift that really does need to happen in order to arrest the plummeting conviction rate for rape in this country is the attitude of its citizens towards the dress, conduct and sexuality of women. Instead of

“Instead of assigning shame and blame to women, we should be upholding thier human rights and placing blame where it belongs”

assigning shame and blame to women, we should be upholding their human rights, and placing blame where it really belongs: with perpetrators” she said.

Ruth’s story illustrates the dangerous attitudes to rape in Scotland, but her experience also exposes the difficulties in monitoring and

policing date-rape crimes across the country. The notorious date-rape drug, gamma-hydroxybutyic acid (GBH) was banned five years ago. However, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4 butanediol (1,4 – BD) known as ‘One Comma Four’ whose effects are identical to GBH are still legal in Scotland because of their widespread use in the plastics industry.

GBL and ‘One Comma Four’ are colourless, odourless liquids and a few drops of either in alcohol can bring on euphoria, loss of inhibition and amnesia and can cause loss of consciousness. An overdose can lead to the victim being sent into a coma, with scientists warning that they are contributing widely to the ‘significant problem’ of drug-aided rape.

Moreover, it is increasingly easy to track down these drugs. Student managed get hold of 250ml of GBL – enough to drug hundreds of women for just £30, without being asked who we were or why we needed such large quantities in a high-street store. It is also widely available in quantities of up to 10 litres on UK based internet sites such as ‘Alloy Cleaner.com’ and ‘gbl-london.com’ which offers sameday delivery – the pure chemical being posted straight to a would-beattacker’s door.

The UK Government has promised to ban the drug, despite its use in diverse products including nail varnish remover, the coating of children’s toys and motorcycle chaincleaning fluid. However, no legal bill has been passed despite hundreds of women a year thought to be subject to drug-facilitated rapes and sexual abuse, as well as the US banning the drug in 2000.

Graham Rhodes, a spokesman for ‘The Roofie Foundation’, Britain and Europe’s only charity dealing exclusively with issues surrounding Drug Facilitated Sexual Abuse (DFSA) through drink spiking said: “It’s time for the government to start taking risks of GBL seriously. Not only does the government need to criminalise the drug, it needs to teach people how to recognise it and acknowledge the devastating effects on its victims.”

Rape Crisis Scotland are weary about using the term ‘date-rape’ with Maitland stating that ‘we do not use the term “date rape” ourselves as it

25/11/08 15 ‘Ruth’, a Scottish student, recounts her harrowing experience of being drugged, then raped

A

S YOU wake up in the morning you drearily open your eyes. You can’t really focus properly, but something seems odd. Then, through the fuzz, you realise that you don’t recognise the room at all.You turn over and see the back of someone’s head, but who is it? He turns around. Then it hits you – you’ve never seen this man before in your life.

What are you doing here?

How did you get here? You don’t remember leaving the club. So why are you naked? Did you have sex with him?

You rack your brain for answers to these questions but, try as you might, you can’t remember. After a point, there’s just a big blank. You assume you met him the night before, but you’ve never had a one-night-stand.

Why would you go home with him?

The only thing you can do is to make your excuses and leave.

That’s exactly what I did. I left his flat with absolutely no idea where I was, and had to wander around the streets until I found Great Western Road. I couldn’t understand why my memory had gone – usually I can drink for Scotland, but I’d only had three drinks over the course of the night. It wasn’t until speaking to my friends and my sister that it really sunk in. The more questions they asked me, the more I realised I can often confuse, rather than clarify what people mean. As far as we are concerned rape is rape, and that does not require further qualification.”

Maitland’s justification against using the term “date-rape” is admirable, all rapes are indeed serious crimes. However, considering how easy it is to get hold of GBL, and taking into account Ruth’s experience, it seems that a distinguishing category of rape would be useful in assessing how large a problem “date-rape” is becoming.

According to police figures sexual attacks (which are not split up into separate categories) are becoming more common, with reported crimes increasing from 922 in 2006/7 to 1053 in 2007/8. While Government spin could see this as a triumph, with more women reporting their attackers to the police, Maitland and her colleagues at Rape Crisis Scotland counsel victims every day, and believe that more women are being subjected to rape than ever before.

All the evidence points to a crisis in Scotland between conceptions of rape and its harsh reality. More women are being raped, yet less are

couldn’t remember.

I know I had gone to my departmental Christmas party within the university campus and had two drinks.After that had finished I went to one of the unions, had one more drink, and requested a song. The DJ said it would be about half an hour before it would be played.A while later my song came on, and I went crazy for it. Then suddenly it was 8.30am, and I wasn’t dancing anymore.

I went through all the correct

“I can never get over it...it’s ruined my life, and ruined my degree” procedures. My sister made me phone NHS 24, then I went to the hospital to be checked out by a doctor and get the morning after pill. They sent me to the STI clinic to make sure that I hadn’t picked up any infections. I didn’t contact the police, because – like many victims – I doubted that they would be able to do anything to help, and I wanted to try and move on and leave the attack behind me. I contacted the union concerned, who let me watch the CCTV tapes from the night to see if I could identify the attacker, but all we found was footage of the bouncer escorting me out after he reporting their attacks to the police due to plummeting conviction rates and a ‘blame-culture’ in the courts which questions the women’s integrity and character before focusing on her perpetrator.

Moreover, drugs like GBL and ‘One Comma Four’ are still widely available to buy cheaply and easily in Scottish stores and over the internet.

Ruth’s ordeal is horrific, not only because of the unacceptable and intrusive crime perpetrated against her, but because it exposes the harrowing reality of rape in this country. With the current laws in Scotland, it is highly likely that a man who commits rape will never have to answer for his crime because societal attitudes continue to limit justice for victims of sexual assault.

apparently became concerned that I was losing control. There was no image of the man I woke up with leaving with me, and I still doubt that he was even the same person who spiked my drink.

Date rape can happen to anyone – male or female – at any time, and anywhere. It is not so much to do with the victim being careless as just being seriously unlucky. That night I was the unlucky one, as I was in the same place as the attacker, and it was my drink he chose to spike. Eight hours of my life disappeared into oblivion that night, probably never to return. All I can be thankful for is that I got off lightly – I didn’t wake up in the street or down a dark alley somewhere, I wasn’t brutally raped or physically harmed in any other way. I’m not pregnant.

I know that this is not something I can ever get over, even though it’s now more than two years since t h e

incident. It’s ruined my life, and ruined my degree. At the time of the first anniversary I began to get panic attacks.

These are scary and uncontrollable; I’ve had them in lectures, in the street and at work. They, along with all the comments about date rape that I hear from friends and strangers, and remarks on the TV, are a constant reminder of what happened that awful night. I came extremely close to dropping out of university; the only thing that stopped me is that I knew I would not be capable of explaining to people why I was leaving.

All I can hope is that I become stronger after this.When I finish studying I now plan to leave Glasgow, to get

away from as many of the memories as possible. It may seem like running away, but by the time I leave it will be two and a half years since that night, and it isn’t much easier now than it was at the time.

16 Film

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

Ridley Scott’s Amazing Body Laura Peebles on Ridley Scott’s unfairly maligned critique of American policy in Iraq

ticated. Dispensing with the use of mobile phones and computers, they take it back to basics: everything is done face-to-face and they have become virtually untraceable.

It is Crowe who, with the least screen time, really steals the show as the removed (emotionally and

geographically) desk man living his comfortable life in the US while managing to create havoc in the Middle East. His callous disregard of human life and ignorance of the precarious situation on the ground is very effective, turning him into the unanticipated ‘baddie’ of the film. Scott amusingly juxtaposes this with his monotonous domestic life – Hoffman can simultaneously fight the war on terror and drops his kids off at school. Crowe’s character is effectively contrasted with that of the suave Hani, who, prepared to be patient, beats the Americans to their prize. What a kick in the teeth.

The cinematography is of particularly exceptional note and the action scenes very well choreographed. The plot remains interesting throughout with the many unexpected complications.

What was disappointing however was the weak, generic romance subplot between Ferris and a hot nurse.

Being unnecessary, it really brings the film down, especially towards the end where DiCaprio’s goal suddenly changes from saving civilisation to saving a woman with whom he has only had one date. However, in spite of this one weak point and what the critics may say, Body of Lies is a compelling and relevant comment on the continuing war against terrorism.

original.

One of the strengths of the film is the believable range of emotion shown by the actors, who show strength to survive balanced with the fear and frustrating loss of control such a situation might produce. This is a welcome change from the genre-specific stereotypes of helpless screaming all the way to inevitable death.

Although Jennifer Carpenter’s (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) acting features a fair amount of stereotypical womanly shrieking, her gradation from flirty TV reporter to borderline hysteric illustrates the plot well, as do the appearances by Steve Harris (cameraman Scott) and Greg Germann (the vet with a deadpan attitude).

As people tend to be more disturbed by things they cannot see

– the off-screen horror of darkness and screams, the overemphasis on dreadful images in the film detracts somwhat from Hitchcockian conventions of terror. Having already glimpsed the gory fate of several of the characters, any traditional tension building is ruined by the predictably bloody deaths the audience knows will ensue. This, of course, does not make the film any less terrifying, but makes it more of the panic of 28 Days Later than the unknown terror of The Blair Witch Project.

Despite the frightful moments being predictable to anyone who has seen [REC], the makers of Quarantine have added additional value to the story, rendering it a good example of a subtly improved remake.

Helen Harjak

Body of Lies directed by

Ridley Scott

aaaad For some completely unfathomable reason Body of Lies has apparently not been received too well, with critics blowing apart Ridley Scott’s latest spy thriller. In America especially, the film is most definitely not going to be smashing any box-office records. This could be, perhaps, due to the fact that that Body of Lies is almost an exposé of American blunderings in the Middle East and their war on terrorism.

The CIA are working tirelessly to track down Al-Saleem (Alon Abutbul), top-dog of the terrorist world, responsible for a number of devastating bombings across Europe. Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the man on the ground, risking his life daily in acquiring intelligence for his boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), who is safely out of harm’s way back in Washington.

After losing an invaluable source and colleague in Iraq, Ferris is relocated to Amman, Jordan, where a terrorist safe-house has just been discovered. Ferris works hard in forging a relationship with the ice cold head of Jordanian Intelli-

gence, Hani (Mark Strong) and in establishing moles within the actual safe-house itself. The plot twists and turns through a network of deception and double dealings as Hoffman continually undermines Ferris’s good work and upsets the powerful Hani.

Body of Lies presents audiences with a shocking glimpse into what we don’t see happening in relation to the war. Scott poses the slightly terrifying idea that even with all the CIA’s uber-powerful, modern spying technology, it is actually the terrorists who are the more sophis-

Quarantine directed by

John Erick Dowdle

aaaad

My Best Friend’s Girl directed by

Howard Deutch

aaadd The popularity of ‘romantic comedy’ is due to its universal accessibility. Films from the genre have a predictable central plot-line that requires little from the viewer.

The only limiting factor to their appeal therefore is the level to which the humour is pitched. In My Best Friend’s Girl it is aimed low (“If ifs and buts were cocks and nuts, I would be getting gang-banged right now”), but those going to see a film co-starring the actor from American Pie (Jason Biggs) should not expect anything else.

At many points the dialogue was offensive but mostly engaging and often amusing. Its sincere delivery was dependent on the two stars, Dane Cook and Kate Hudson. This

is a credit to them because despite wavering sympathies for their characters, they were at no time unbelievable.

Although Biggs takes roles with recurring character traits, he does have a talent for playing the fool.

This is shown here in moments of physical comedy and stuttered exchanges, which definitely added to the film’s lighter moments.

The score was enjoyable and appropriate to tone and setting, mostly consisting of recent pop music. It was, however, a device by which the director laboured many of his points; Teddy Thompson’s ‘Separate Ways’ playing over a montage (one of three) of the feuding male leads is a blatant example.

For those who don’t adhere too fervently to political correctness, My Best Friend’s Girl is an undemanding but nevertheless enjoyable experience.

Edward Bower

A remake of the Spanish horror film [REC], Quarantine follows the original’s plotline and set design very closely. The film begins with a TV crew producing a reality segment about the Los Angeles Fire Department on a regular night out.

When the fire unit gets a call about terrifying screams coming from an elderly woman’s flat, the TV crew sets off with the firemen and soon find themselves in the midst of an unusual situation.

After some very strange, violent behaviour from the elderly lady, the firemen and TV crew find themselves suddenly quarantined in the building by police and government officials. From this point, the unedited tape of the reality program makes up the remainder of the film as the last testimonial of the events.

When remaking a foreign horror film, Hollywood tends to either censor some of the more graphic horror, or spend so much time on blood and guts that the plot gets lost in a feast of gore. Quarantine manages to keep the original’s horror and even take it further by giving the events a more convincing and explanatory feel, moving away from the questionable supernatural innuendos of the Spanish

25/11/08

Film 17

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Matthew McConaughey’s

Hollywood Roundup!

WALTZ WITH BASHIR DIRECTED BY

ARI FOLMAN

AAAAD On paper, a documentary about the first Lebanese war in 1982 told almost entirely through comicbook style animation looks like an insincere, almost disrespectful way to deal with an important part of recent Middle Eastern history, but in its execution, Ari Folman has made one of the best, most innovative documentaries this writer has seen.

After a friend recounts a story

from the conflict to him, filmmaker Ari Folman realises he has no recollection of his time in the Israeli Defence Forces, and sets about tracking down friends who fought alongside him to hear their stories and try to remember what happened himself.

The sharp, detailed animation allows Folman to piece together a narrative from these accounts, which slowly starts to explain his one recurring flashback. What he discovers about Israeli involvement in the massacre of civilians stands as a powerful testament to the futility of war, and while this is a subject that has been covered countless times on film, Waltz With

Bashir brings a new significance to the message, and a method of getting it across that has rarely been more effective. Often, it is easy to forget you’re watching animation, especially in the most gripping, detailed war scenes, and the real footage, kept right until the last few seconds, is all the more harrowing for its absence from the rest of the film.

Waltz With Bashir is also a film about memories. It is gripping to see Folman put the story together, piece by piece, slowly revealing the events he has been blocking out for so many years, the mystery only adding to the impact of what is found out. Folman asks why these

terrible events have been forgotten, not only by him, but by Israelis in general. The dream-like sequences and exaggerated detail of the animation perfectly illustrate the surreal nature of modern warfare, and are reminiscent, as many have said, of Apocalypse Now. We are left with a film that eschews the now clichéd techniques and motifs of the modern war film, and tells a story of the horrors of war in a new and forceful manner.

Waltz With Bashir is an important film, not only for it’s innovations but for the questions it asks and the disturbing truths it aims to reveal.

Andrew Chadwick

self-confessed sex addict well, providing an unexpectedly charming screen presence and helping to hold up the film. Anjelica Huston as the emotionally crippling, senile mother who can’t even remember the face of her son shows the sharper side of Victor’s life, and various flashbacks to his childhood show us the complex reasons as to how he became the way he is. The story’s dwelling on addic-

tion and death is evened out somewhat by Victor’s love interest, his mother’s new doctor Paige Marshall, who proves to be the only person in the world Victor has trouble sleeping with. Both female characters are well cast and add a touch of subtlety to the film; the romantic subplot is successful in providing relief from the overwhelmingly depressing nature of the overarching story.

It is a good idea to avoid Choke if you are elderly or faint-hearted. This is a sometimes brutal comedy and it does not shy away from the central character’s troubles. By no means is Choke a masterpiece, but it is certainly an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours. I for one will look forward to more of Clark Gregg’s comedies in the future.

Lancelot Jordan

CHOKE DIRECTED BY

CLARK GREGG

AAADD CHOKE IS a film about love, sex, drugs, lies, deceit, crazy people, and everything else that’s fun in the world. Victor Mancini is a sex addict.

This is all you need to know about him. Choke is an adaptation of Chuck Palanuik’s celebrated novel and, unusually, stays mostly true to the tone and pace of its source.

Long time actor and first time director Clark Gregg saw fit to keep Choke pretty accurate to the novel and in doing so has created what can only be described as a random assortment of storylines which conflate and will leave most people completely oblivious as to the main focus of the story. It becomes so bad, in fact, that two-thirds of the way through the story you think it’s about to end but find an extra half an hour of film and are grateful for it.

What is most strange about this approach is that in a completely unexpected way it has worked. The story sticks and creates a thoroughly entertaining and even laugh out loud comedy with all the trappings that sex addicts bring with them.

Sam Rockwell plays the central

Hi kids, Matthew McConaughey here.

Tyler Durden as portrayed by Brad Pitt in Fight Club has been voted the Best Movie Character of all time by readers of Empire magazine. Personally I would have gone with Steve Edison of The Wedding Planner, Dirk Pitt of Sahara, ‘Ben’ from How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days or my role in…I mean ‘his role’…I mean ‘the role’…(thinks: have they noticed?) as Ed ‘Eddie’ Perkunny from EdTV. Spike Jonze’s long awaited adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s picture book Where the Wild Things Are is nearing completion, with Jonze describing the film’s genesis as hard work. “It was just exhausting and insane to be out on these cliffs in southern Australia where there’s 60 mph winds, and you’ve got all these guys in tenfoot monster suits, and you’ve got this little boy who’s freezing. Absolutely ridiculous.” The film will be let out of its room around this time next year.

That ol’ Nutty Professor!

What is he like! Well, complete drivel for one thing. Eddie Murphy’s lowest point, the once respectable comedian keenly sweeping the dregs of filmic rubbish into a blender and producing The Nutty Professor, is set to make a third appearance next year. Boy howdy!

What was the ‘Bourne’ trilogy may now become a franchise similar to Bond. Both Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass are already signed on for a fourth film with the possibility of more to come. I’m pretty sure I’m a shoo-in for the role of Damon’s long-lost brother Jimbo Bourne in Bourne Seven.

Some good news regarding my own career as an actor; I’ve been signed up to star in next year’s adaptation of cancelled, mocked, but universally respected cop show Magnum P.I. My views on the economic crisis? Invest in my perfume ‘The One’ by Dolce and Gabbana.

Next Week...

Russell Crowe: I Fought a Shark: My Story

25/11/08 Saturday Pictures

Morning

It’s cool to hate the singer snapper

aaaaD It IS cool to hate the singer. Prancing around up there, the focus of all that attention and clearly revelling in it. Even in an innocent game of Rock Band, if one person repeatedly goes for the microphone, it’s a pretty good indicator they fancy themselves a little too much. This particular singer should be quite easy to hate as recipients of scournful evaluations go, but for some reason I can’t help but love the little tyke.

His nasal delivery commits that most heinous of crimes; sounding like he’s from California when in reality he lives in that most rock’n’roll of places – Surrey. The tweeness of the songs should really aggravate such a bitter man as

Music 19

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IS THIS NEWS?

myself, but for some reason there’s something alluring in this sickly sweet release.

Sounding like an emo Jamie Callum who is more concerned with sunshine than suave, Saturday Morning Pictures are shamelessly pop. And not the annoying bubblegum kind either, the good kind that Take That are currently throwing back at the charts with surprising success. Indeed by the time most of these songs climax complete with resplendent horn sections, I can’t help but picture the end to their video ‘Shine’, or think the song should be accompanied by the Simpson’s couch gag where the entire cast end up in a huge kick line.

There is no doubt as to the songwriting skills on display here; grandiose arrangements add sprinklings of brass and strings to good effect, whilst a walking jazz bassline keeps the whole thing swinging nicely. If, like me, you can’t resist a bit of pop indulgence, you could definitely do worse than this to brighten up your wintry evenings.

Mike Ellis

Live Reviews

Laura Marling

Cold War Kids

1 November

4 November

Glasgow School of Art

ABC

aaaaD

aaaaD

There are times in which I regret moving so far away from London, and tonight it’s not just the cold that’s making me wistful. The current London-based folk-esque scene is a remarkable place to be right now, and already established acts such as Laura Marling are merely the tip of the iceberg. Tonight’s support is a demonstration of this – we are greeted by a Barbour-clad, charming yet timid young chap performing under the name of Jay Jay Pistolet.

His meek stage presence soon produces talent as robust as his jacket however, as he impresses with a lovely mellow voice, complemented by sweet melodies.

Similar things, of course, can be expected of Marling. A shy 18 year old, it’s hard to believe both her talent and her mature outlooks on life and love. She’s a little shy of the Glasgow crowd; a tad odd considering she’s previously played Glastonbury.

Starting off the set with the singalong ‘Ghosts’, she goes on to play a lot of new material, giving a taste of the vast amount of songwriting ability yet to be uncovered. There’s also plenty from debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim; Marling’s enchanting voice resonates over the crowd with ‘Old Stone’. The more lively tracks ‘You’re No God’ and ‘Cross Your Fingers’ are delightful. The set is rounded off with the morals of ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’, and we’re all sent on our way to “live more, have more fun”. Hoorah!

Although being slightly surreal that teenage Marling can offer me words of wisdom that I could see my own mum imparting, one feels her shyness does let the show down somewhat.

However, it’s the music I’m here for, and if she’s an ambassador for what’s to come from the London folk scene I’m on the first National Express home.

Jennifer Johnson

If a little more mellow than most, last Tuesday night’s gig was definitely not lacking in atmosphere.

Either the whole of Cold War Kid’s touring budget has gone on smoke machines or ABC have a very crafty tactic for ensuring the audience buy plenty of drinks to moisten their parched throats. For most of the set the drummer remained completely engulfed in a white cloud, whilst the rest of the fourpiece cavorted about in the semi darkness in front of him.

Nevertheless, the haunting vocals of Nathan Willett emerged from the mist in a powerful performance that evoked the Deep South circa.

‘O Brother Where Art Thou’, rather than their native California. It was there in 2004 that the band formed

Cage the Elephant King Tuts Wah Wah Hut

13 November

aaaaa If music was a person, Cage the Elephant would be my new best friend. The band from Kentucky, hailed as the next great American rock band and supposedly ‘the mouthpiece for a disillusioned working-class America in 2008’ are clearly on target for rock n’ roll glory - something which is cemented in my mind after seeing tonight’s wild performance.

The fivesome launch energetically into their set, displaying an epic amount of attitude; jumping around and swinging guitars in the air, rather like maniacs on speed. The whole spectacle has a ‘bull in a china shop’ feel about it. Songs like ‘In One Ear’ (previously Radio 1’s record of the

after three of its members met at a Christian College, an influence that shines through in both their delivery and lyrics.

Despite not being known for the most upbeat of tunes, their performance possesses the energy of an evangelical preacher – accompanied by the off-kilter piano, jaunty guitar playing and pounding drumming.

The band profess that their religious beliefs do not determine their writing, although many of their songs are narratives of antiheroes on the path to redemption, such as ‘We Used To Vacation’.Taken from their first album Robbers and Cowards, it is the tale of a drunk, constantly disappointing those around him.

This was the second song on the set list, easing the audience in to what was predominantly material from their latest release in September this year, Loyalty to Loyalty. The new album continues

in much the same vein as the old, so much so that it was often easy to zone out as the tracks were rolled out.

The outlook was pretty bleak, hitting a particularly depressive note with the domestic abuse themed ‘Every Man I Fall For’.

However, the more upbeat ‘Mexican Dogs’ and ‘Something Is Not Right With Me’ lifted proceedings. It fell to the classic ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ to really grab the audience’s attention, finally shedding the moody lighting to illuminate the stage.

Cold War Kids are more than capable of creating a spectacle and their gigs are definitely not the norm. It is difficult to tell whether they are taking themselves too seriously at times but regardless, their unique mix of blues, country and rock create a timeless feel and a refreshingly interesting experience.

Rachel Hunt

week) have truly catchy melodies about them and the crowd –who look as wacky as the band itself- dance and twist and bounce to the music.

I love the loud, fast, shouty angularity of it all – it makes a refreshing change from the whining of lovely contemporaries Keane, for example. However it’s ‘Ain’t no rest for the wicked’ that’s the true crowd pleaser –a song that merges influences as diverse as Bob Dylan and the Pixies. In addition there’s an intricate dollop of Hendrix style guitar work provided by the youngest member –the amazingly talented 18 year old lead guitarist Lincoln Parrish.

KingTut’s is so cosy it almost feels like I’m in a friend’s living room.

But the cosiness is threatened when lead singer Matt Shultz jumps on top of the speaker, crouching like Spiderman before swinging down onto the crowd; it adds a definite Iggy Pop vibe to the night.

Interviewing the band members

beforehand, I get more of a feel for the sentiment behind their sound – and when asked to describe themselves in 3 words they laughingly respond: ‘Bom-boombastic, intergalactic and fantastic’, later proving this to me in their larger than life performance.

I admit I was initially a bit sceptical about such hype, but it turns out these boys are genuinely cool indie rock tearaways. Having appeared in Lollapallooza and supporting Foals on tour before releasing their debut album this Summer, they deserve all the future success they can reap – (which will hopefully amount to more than an NME front cover).

I had to run like crazy to catch the last train back to The Burgh, but I figure it’s worth risking a night on the streets of Glasgow just to catch the last song.

Juliet Evans

Hello from Dubai, readers. Yes, as you might well have suspected, the Is This News? team have spent the past week swanning about Dubai while waiting to cover the Party of the Century at the Atlantis Palm Jumeriah hotel. It’s been great; we’ve been all over the place telling everyone we met how bloody important and rich we are, smacking taxi drivers and other sundry staff for the slightest hint of disrespect, and racking up enormous bar tabs we have no intention of paying.

So, anyway, we were hanging out with (our good friend) Lily Allen and Richard Branson (a close friend) on Thursday night at the £15 million bash, discussing all the gripping issues of the day (how to skip the waiting list for a berth in the Monte Carlo marina, intergalatic travel) quaffing champagne made from diamonds and space dust, when Lily said the most hilarious thing. We’d just forced a small Arab porter to dance the tango for a dollar (which we didn’t even give him, ha ha!) when Lily paused, making that adorable pouting face that means she’s about to come out with something so damn plebeian, “It’s like a posh Centre Parcs!” she squealed, falling backwards and breaking her fall with two dozen orphans from the Congo, crushing them completely. “Oops!” Lily giggled, extracting her bloated face from the gently whimpering debris, “that was close!” She’s a blast, our Lily.

Of course, you’ll have heard about Kylie Minogue (an old friend) and her set, but the entire party was superb. It was the most expensive party ever thrown, you know. But it’s all for a good cause. You can’t expect a hotel to do a roaring trade without an A-list party to kick things off, and surely if it can’t do a roaring trade it can’t make money and then all sorts of little foreign folks will be out of their near-feudal employment, won’t they? No need to thank us, though.

The remarkable Sol Kerzner (one of our closest friends) gave a great speech too, sagely noting that “From the beginning, I have been working with my team to create places where people can escape their everyday lives.” And boy, he’s done a great job. For just $3000 dollars a night you can sample the delights of Atlantis, and remove yourself from your dreary everyday lives of playing high-stakes poker, buying priceless artworks and swimming with your own privately owned dolphins.

But I’ve got to go now, me and Mary-Kate Olsen (close friend) are going to go up one of the skyscrapers and throw solid gold bullion off the roof. God, it’s good to be alive.

Thomas Kerr

20 Culture

25/11/08

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The Low-down on Edinburgh’s Fine Libraries Claire Burgess checks out George IV Bridge’s forgotten literary havens

T

he National Library on George IV Bridge may seem intimidating (or even just another building) but the process of obtaining a readers’ ticket is not as complicated than it might at first appear.

There are two kinds of ticket: short-term (valid for four weeks) and a general readers’ ticket (valid for up to three years), applying for either kind of ticket also requires proof of identity. Third year and beyond Honours students are able to apply for the short-term ticket (Postgraduate students also need to show their matriculation card).

To obtain a ticket, an Edinburgh student must also provide a ‘Request for Admission (Undergraduate Student)’ which needs to be signed by a university librarian and detail the items required – this form is available from the University Library.

Students from elsewhere do not have to fill out this form, although must still present a list of the items they wish to study with their application for a ticket.

Four of the five of the National Library’s reading rooms are located at the building on George IV Bridge, with the Causewayside site housing the Map Library. Opening hours vary slightly between the two, with the George IV Bridge site staying open later on weekdays.

On the opposite side of George IV Bridge sits one of Edinburgh’s twenty-seven council libraries; The Central Lending Library.

Aside from the large selection of fiction and non-fiction (it has taken me two years of increasingly obscure titles to stump its search en-

La Traviata Festival Theatre 19 & 23 November

aaaad David McVicar’s La Traviata is a traditional interpretation of Verdi’s opera which explores the tragedy of a woman (Violetta, played by Carmen Giannattasio) who leaves her hedonistic lifestyle as a courtesan, for comfort with the man she loves and who promises to redeem her.

However, she is then forced to leave him to conform to the very morality system that brands her a whore. As a further tragic element she is dying of consumption, a fact that the audience is made aware of throughout with the onset of coughing fits.

This build up of despair, enhanced throughout by the music, leads to a very moving final scene in which the lovers are reunited just before Violetta dies on the last note of the performance.

Giannattasio’s Violetta is played

Cecily Rainey gine) on the ground floor, the Carnegie-funded, French-Renaissance style building houses many other services and collections, including the Edinburgh Room, in which all material relating to Edinburgh history is kept, as well as the comprehensive Art and Architecture Library located through a door off a landing on the main stairs. At the top of the stairs is the spectacular Reference Room, while the building next door houses the Central Children’s and Music Libraries (it is worth noting here that, legally, the

libraries cannot release music titles for loan until three months after the commercial release).

The City of Edinburgh Council has recently introduced the Library Elf scheme (www.libraryelf.com) which members of the library can sign up to for free. The scheme enables you to track all the items you have on loan and will email you (at a point decided by you) reminders to return your items on time and once they become overdue, will keep emailing you until you take them back. Should you need it, you can

very honestly and her wonderfully expressive arias’ describe the elemental nature of love which drives her character to sing of forgoing her previous self-indulgence to selflessly experience sadness rather than allowing Alfredo (her lover) to suffer.

Her voice especially shines at one point when the music stops and she is left singing a cappella with Alfredo’s father (Richard Zeller), such is the quality and musicality of her voice that the transition between vocals and instrumental sections is barely noticeable.

It is unclear however, why Violetta would want to leave her life of parties and immoderation; there is no obvious motivational factor in her loving Alfredo. This may be due to Federico Lepre’s portrayal which is overshadowed by the performances of Giannattasio and Zellar. This meant that his character seemed fairly weak willed, hindering the creation of depth in the lovers’ relationship and making the ending’s sadness purely for Violetta’s sake and not his. Although this distance between the performers could be

due to the story that is left out of the opera between the lovers meeting and them being together, we are not allowed to see their affections progress.

Despite this, you would have to be incredibly immaterialistic to not fall in love with Alfredo’s home. The set is very grand with chandeliers, chez-longues and roses aplenty. The action is mirrored by the colour scheme with the white bedroom, reminiscent of the lovers’ purity of feeling towards each other, although the set is always framed by ominous black curtains symbolising Violetta’s impending death .

A more colourful scene is Flora’s party, which brings us back to the shady side of Paris. This is also the most visually engaging part of the performance with plenty of chin-skimming bust lines emerging from some very Moulin-Rouge-esq dresses. A particular highlight in this scene is the story about a matador who kills five bulls in one day, dramatised through dance. Although it is initially comical when one of the party guests emerges wearing horns, the animated ballet dance

also sign up more than one card to the Elf scheme. It also offers the option of informing you that a requested item is ready for collection, and in conjunction with this, reservations are now free for any item in stock (there is still a £5 charge in the instance that you request an interlibrary loan).

In some ways, use of the council libraries for academic purposes comes down to luck: they are not first and foremost academic libraries, but it is definitely worth checking the libraries (online at http://prism.

between the matador and the bull is very expressive and leads nicely into jealous Afredo’s angst and scorning of Violetta.

Truly the highlight is the final scene as the story hinges on Violetta’s impending death and whether or not she will be allowed to die happily in love.

Violetta’s illness is captured in her voice as she realises that not even Alfredo’s return will save her from death. When she realises

edinburgh.gov.uk/TalisPrism/index. jsp) for that elusive, essential reading - the majority of students seem unaware of the multitude of things that the council libraries offer. I have previously found three copies of a required reading sat on the shelves at the Central Library, which would suggest that not enough students are aware of the opportunities offered by libraries outside of the University sphere, something that is a great pity as libraries have always struggled for support, from both the council and the public.

her life is over the music changes periodically between loud and soft as her pain is relieved of her and she imagines her strength is returning. Her life ends with the final words “O gioia” meaning joy, as she realises that she has found love once more and the black curtains close upon the scene leaving the audience very impressed by the portrayal of emotional turmoil.

Alanna Petrie

25/11/08

Culture 21

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Baroque, paper, scissors....

The Art of Italy in the Royal Collection: The Baroque The Queen’s Gallery Until 8 Mar

aaaad The Baroque sequel to the Queen’s Gallery’s ‘Art of Italy’ collection is not for the faint-hearted. Watching your every step are the eyes of villains, murderers and femme fatales; their swords brandished high, their snakes hungry and their decapitated rivals served up on a platter. Encased together in a single windowless room there is no escape and, like Domenico Fetti’s unfortunate Goliath; it is hard not to lose your head.

Cristofano Allori’s Judith and Carlo Dolci’s Salome grace the first wall, welcome you on arrival. Alongside them hangs Cleopatra at the moment of suicide, clutching a scarily realistic looking asp to her sickly green-tinged breast. Like its sister Renaissance exhibition, the ‘B’ list artists are the true jewels in the gruesome and macabre Baroque crown stealing the attention away from the big names.

Annibale Carracci’s An Allegory of Truth and Time, although generally considered a masterpiece, becomes an

anti-climax. Its comparatively gentle squashing of deceit does not satisfy my new-found taste for violence and drama, the old-style good-conquersall moralising message seems pretty empty considering the surrounding carnage of brazen-faced seductresses; the fantastic painting style only half compensates. The exhibition title is focused on the Baroque, and I wanted it in all its shadowy, gory splendour. Carracci fails to live up to expectations.

Because of the limited space of the Gallery it has to be divided into two separate shows; Renaissance and Baroque. It completely ignores the Mannerist tradition which emerges out of the transition, in which Carracci’s elongated figures would have sat quite comfortably. One potentially magnificent show is awkwardly forced into two good exhibits.

After all the hard work Charles II put into reclaiming and expanding his father’s scattered art collection I can’t help but think he would have loosened the purse strings and invested in a bigger space or at least a more apt one for displaying art works that had formerly hung in palatial courts. The Queen’s Gallery teeters between an oppressive, claustrophobic gallery and an overlydecorated country pub with its huge chandeliers and gaudy blue walls.

But fortunately the uncomfortable space and seemingly climatic paintings upon entrance cannot detract from the real high point of the exhibition.

There is one big name that refuses to

be outdone. In true theatrical style there are twists and turns and the plot thickens. Caravaggio’s The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew is an only recent discovery, thought to be merely a relatively worthless copy of a lost original. Yet after extensive cleaning and analysis it has turned out to be the real deal. A fairy-tale ending that shows like Cash in the Attic can only dream of, this recent coup elevates the status of the exhibition as well as venerating the eye of King Charles.

The life-size figures, powerful gestures and dynamic rendering of movement totally embroil the viewer within the scene, Peter and Andrew blindly follow Jesus’ request to follow him and become fishers of men – powerful and effective iconography within an increasingly powerful Catholic 17th century society. However, in this context, following Jesus’ direction leads not to towards men, but to a room filled with drawings and although this may be an initial disappointment to some, the perceptive and beautiful drawings will soon redeem themselves.

The drawings are engaging and insightful, elucidating the processes the artists go through to produce paintings.

Yet the exquisite quality allows them to stand as interesting finished pieces in their own right. Susannah and the Elders by Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole has the same allegorising tone as Luca Giordano’s comic-strip style narrative paintings and Guido Reni’s portrait of Christ is as appealing and anatomi-

cally precise as Carracci’s painting of a Head of a Man in Profile.

Thrilling from start to finish, the Queen’s Gallery has truly made the most of the unfortunate and limited space it has to play with and orchestrated an exhibition that encapsulates the repelling horror and strange beauty of the Baroque along with the technical innovations in both painting and drawing the period boasts.

It is a rare chance to view work usually locked away in a private collection, and as the Queen would probably say herself, one considers it a jolly good show!

Rachael Cloughton

Caravaggio, Boy Peeling Fruit, c.1592-3

Location, Location, Location Alanna Petrie gets specific on theatre venues

T

Zeenath Ul Islam

heatre has evolved somewhat since the days of Shakespeare; genres have been blurred, women are allowed on stage and theatre roofs are no longer thatched. In fact more recently it has become popular to perform not in a theatre at all but in the place where the play’s events would actually happen.

For example, a play about cooks could be set in an actual Indian restaurant, as was the case for the 2004 production Curry Tales, but is this departure from tradition an exciting theatrical development or just a big pile of nonsense?

On-location performance is known as site-specific theatre and involves performing anywhere other than in a traditional theatre. This allows the set to fully participate in the action, as the director has to work his directions around the set rather than create a set that compliments the pre-made production. Because of this, much sitespecific theatre is borne from improvisation. That is to say the cast are told the location and then have to assemble a story around it.A few years ago I was involved in a site-specific project located on a bus. The obvious problem with this being the highly reduced space compared to a theatre stage, particularly as the audience would be sitting on the bus seats and bus isles are not very wide, especially when your character is heavily pregnant (as I discovered).

In putting this piece together not only did the lack of space present numerous directional challenges, but there was also a distinct absence of changing facilities meaning that we exposed a good deal of ourselves to the public who must have wondered why five teens were rampaging around on an unattended bus. However, the play received positive feedback, not least of all because the audience are more involved - how can you distance yourself from the action when the performers’ faces are ten centimetres from your own? It is also beneficial for the actors as it aids the relationship between them and their surroundings and so helps them get into character.

At least the performance I was involved in was held inside. As you may be able to guess, entirely new problems come to light when considering outside locations (e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in an actual forest), problems particularly to do with the unpredictable Scottish weather. This could potentially result in a very soggy cast and a miserable audience who miss all the dialogue through the chattering of their teeth and the howling of the wind.

In Edinburgh this type of theatre is incorporated by the Traverse Theatre who have been involved with a number of unusual productions. Ladies and Gentlemen (2003) was performed in a public bathroom at St James Place

and won the title of the Sexiest Show of the Dublin Fringe 2002 and was described in the Scotsman as “vivid, shocking… beautifully directed”.

More recently (2008) Walden took place in Stills gallery at 23 Cockburn Street.

Also earlier this year at the Fringe Festival, held in Pleasance Dome The Meeting, starring two of the cast of TV’s Inbetweeners was set in an actual board room. It offers a comedic corporate experience which invites the audience to join the meeting and observe the boss, his right hand man and the head of IT go through a series of discussions including the need to move the business on account of the second floor of their current residence being plagued by demons.

This type of theatre could potentially be very awkward if the audience were not seeing the humorous side or in expectation of a serious play within this serious setting. However, reviews of the trio seem positive, with The Times describing it as “a truly unique new voice” showing that the unusual element of the location was a positive thing.

With all this in mind don’t shy away from site-specifics just because they sound a little odd and a bit arty.

But be warned that you may not be treated to the most comfortable seating and will probably be close enough to the actors to smell them.

22 Tech

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

2008: A Wii Odyssey

Wii will rock you: four great games

Alan Williamson, like all real men, Wiis standing up

Super Mario Galaxy IT’S-A HIM! Who else but Mario could show how wondrous and utterly charming it can be to play the Wii? Where else would you find such colourful and inventive levels? When was the last time you were so skillfully and creativity shown things you’d never seen before? If you don’t smile when you play this game, I’m not your friend any more.

Okami Craig Wilson

Monolith: Wii sales in Amazonia have sky-rocketed, but software sales are strangely much lower. Damn those dirty apes.

T

HE NINTENDO Wii stands astride the gaming world, a miniature colossus. Two years ago we were still making hilarious jokes about urination: now with 35 million consoles sold worldwide it’s Nintendo who are laughing, their executives swimming around in vaults of money like Scrooge McDuck and developing games devoted to water sports with no sense of irony.

Like its little brother the Nintendo DS, Wii has changed the rules of the game forever. Its simplified motionsensing fun is ubiquitous in modern society; Wiis are as commonplace in your local watering hole as a Bullseye quiz machine. Perhaps the most important test for any technology is the ‘granny test’. Mine could pick up a remote and, varicose veins aside, have a decent game of Wii Sports.

Give her an Xbox with a copy of Gears of War the results would be predictably disastrous.

At the Wii’s launch in 2006, Microsoft and Sony laughed off any notion of competition with the Wii for market dominance. In fact, Microsoft invited consumers to buy a Wii to complement their Xbox 360.

When the Wii overtook Xbox sales worldwide within a year of release despite Microsoft’s head start, you have to wonder what advice the Big M would have given with the benefit of hindsight.

Despite the Wii attracting folk who would normally avoid computer games like the plague, it has failed to resonate with one group: ‘hardcore gamers’. They are the ones fretting over high scores and online competition, avoiding socialising and

sunlight at all costs. While Nintendo were once the darling of the hardcore crowd with brilliant franchises like Mario and Zelda, their focus has now shifted onto titles like Cooking Guide, Brain Training and Wii Fit

“Varicose veins aside, even my granny could have a decent game of Wii Sports” that can barely even be called computer games in the traditional sense.

As a result many older gamers have abandoned the Wii in favour of Xbox and Playstation- with good reason.

Take a look at the Wii shelves next time you’re in HMV or Zavvi.

Riding the top of the charts are Carnival: Funfair Games, Wii Play and Big Beach Sports. What do these titles have in common? They are all simplistic, low budget and unequivocally awful. Game developers have split into two camps; one crapping out releases like Big Beach Sports while the other tones down Xbox and PS3 games, shoehorning their controls into a Wii format. With the notable exception of the brilliant Resident Evil 4, most traditional games on Wii suffer from poor controls that would be much more effective on a standard controller. It’s as if developers just don’t know what to do with all that waggle potential and feel the need to incorporate it in the most contrived way possible.

This view is echoed by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-

Aimé: “I will be able to say our licensees ‘get it’ when their very best content is on our platform. And with very few exceptions today, that’s not the case.” This is reflected in the fact that in-store prices of new games drop twice as fast on Wii compared to Xbox. The problem is that games like Call of Duty appeal to a traditional gamer demographic and simply don’t sell as well on Wii as on Xbox, although Fils-Aimé would be loathe to admit it. The real question is: when a game sells badly on Wii, is it because Wii owners aren’t interested in traditional games, or is it due to the ‘second class system’ approach of third parties?

Aaron Greenberg, director of product management at Microsoft, argues that consumers view the Wii as a novelty that has more in common with a karaoke machine than an entertainment hub. “Those customers are eventually going to want to graduate to an Xbox 360 experience,” claims Greenberg. But

“Developers just don’t know what to do with all that waggle potential” in light of Microsoft’s attempts to rope in the casual market with a new Xbox interface and games like SceneIt? and Lips (which, of course, turns your Xbox into a karaoke machine) they certainly seem reluctant to gamble on my granny taking up Gears. Rather than the Wii acting as a gateway to the gaming experiences

of Xbox and Playstation, it continues to be differentiated. No matter how cool the Wii is in the eyes of the masses, other consoles remain the refuge of lonely nerds.

The reason why Nintendo no longer cater for the ‘hardcore’ market is obvious: they are a business and their goal is, believe it or not, to make lots of money. With the Wii and DS, Nintendo make a hell of a lot more money than they ever did with the Gamecube (or as I like to call it, “Barney’s lunchbox”). People often forget that Nintendo were originally founded as a playing-card company before diversifying into electronics.

They don’t feel any allegiances to their disillusioned fan base, nor do they need to concentrate on a narrow demographic. If anything, the future will lead to even more titles like Wii Music that eschew challenge for the sake of inclusiveness.

What next for the Wii? Can it survive on a diet of brain and fitness trainers, or will gamers ultimately want more? The Wii is not a powerful computer and its games look, to be frank, bloody awful on a high-definition TV. Rumours of a ‘Wii HD’ are floating around, but you only have to look at the eye-burningly ugly Wii Sports to see that its players could care less about graphics.

Perhaps the novelty of Wii will eventually wear off and the mass ‘graduation’ Microsoft so desperately wish for will take place. Until then, we at Tech wish the Wii a happy 2nd birthday and look forward to the day when the software on offer matches the console’s potential for truly incredible gaming experiences.

WITH A watercoloured art-style superior to any of the offerings from the more ‘powerful’ consoles and a wonderfully told story woven from Japanese mythology, Okami delivers where other games rarely bother to venture. The painting mechanic just begs for the Wiimote; you’ll find this new experience is far more enthralling than any Zelda clone.

World of Goo BUILD TOWERS and bridges made from goo-balls in this off-the-wall physics based puzzle game. Subject to stress and strain, your goo-structures will bounce and sway (to a killer Danny Elfman-esque soundtrack) as you stretch towards the goal through fiendishly challenging environments.

It’s goo-d! Goo’ll love it! Goo.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure YOU HAVE a monkey. You are a pirate. You solve puzzles. Any questions?

-Craig Wilson

25/11/08

TV 23

www.studentnewspaper.org

Rich Pickings Niall Ferguson returns with the greatest thing since Empire The Ascent of Money Channel Four

by Susan Robinson Here’s an equation: the descent of money is inversely proportional to the ascent in Niall Ferguson’s air miles. In his highly anticipated new series (anticipated by housewives who have been looking forlornly at the peeling wallpaper since Empire) Channel 4 send Ferguson to increasingly exotic locations to explain to the viewer how the recession began, from the very beginning.

In the first episode, ‘Dreams of Avarice’, Ferguson sets out to prove that “financial history is the essential back-story behind all history” and that the ascent of money has never been smooth but fraught with crises.

Cue Ferguson (hands on hips and swaying in a way disturbing to a young girl’s eyes) in front of a silver mine in Bolivia explaining the folly of the Conquistadors

whose dreams of El Dorado caused a glut in the market in the 1530s.

He further explains the idea that money has no intrinsic value and is only worth what people are willing to give, by fluently reading clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia which, like modern banknotes, are just embellished IOUs. He makes the neat connection that it is not ‘In God We Trust’ but in money and that the world has been built on the borrowing and lending of the stuff.

In Pisa, working out interest with Roman numerals had merchants reaching for the abacus and a packet of Pro Plus until Fibonacci came along with his strange Arabic numerals. Enter Shylock and a long literary explanation as to why money-lenders have been pariahs throughout the ages. It is in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ that the word ‘good’ comes to mean not virtuous, but creditworthy.

Compensation in the form of interest is a relatively recent invention, arising when Christian orthodoxy merchants were unable to fund ambitious business ventures

until Jewish moneylenders found a loophole in the usury laws. At the price of social exclusion, Jewish financiers were permitted to lend to Christians and a stereotype was born.

To illustrate the function of primitive money-lending Ferguson comes over all patriotic. With a previously undetectable twang he proclaims that his granny used to live in Shettleston and “with its distinctive steel shuttering it is one of the grimmest places in the whole of Western Europe.”

Disbelief creeps in as he examines records that he has miraculously procured from a Glasgow loan shark. He draws another conclusion, defaulting on a loan equals GBH. However, I doubt he speaks from personal experience, his pristine cream suit appears wholly unacquainted with a knee-capping.

Credit didn’t come of age until the Medici family who legitimised dirty money by charging ‘commission’ as opposed to interest. The ‘Sopranos’ of the Renaissance worked as ‘foreign

exchange dealers’ going from damned to divine.

Meanwhile in Memphis, Ferguson dares to describe people as ‘sub-prime’, people who, once they have pawned all their possessions, can donate their blood for $25 at PLB Plasma. ‘Pound of flesh’ never really was a figurative expression.

Although not one for sweeping statements, he describes the world’s “most successful capitalist economy” as being based on economic failure. In a society where bankruptcy has never been shameful but rather a stepping stone to enterprise he suggests that America has finally maxed itself out.

His opening statement: “Not knowing this stuff can seriously damage your wealth” may sound like a cheap slogan but then, it does get to the point.

Supermarket Sweep

Screenwipe!

Susan Robinson watches ‘Austerity Britain’, an amusing look at Britain’s bargain supermarkets

Jen Blythe looks at Charlie Brookers latest TV outing “Who the hell’s gonna tune in to watch an unattractive, increasingly paunchy and irrelevant TV critic sitting on his own, just talking and talking and talking...” Ah. That’d be me, then.

Brooker is back, hidden in a night-time alcove on the BBC 4 schedule like the most miserly of poetic drunks. He’s Harry Hill on speed and spite, with added eloquence and a lust for accidental socio-televisual farce.

Straightaway he kicks off with the hot topic of 2008: elections, finance? Don’t be daft. Manuelgate?

Yes, that “silly tarpaulin” created by the press. This is where Brooker shines, mocking both sides, sneer-

ing at Ofcom-happy complainers and fight-the-system youngsters.

As Screenwipe is a clip show, it’s always a joy to see golden material that might otherwise be missed. Remember the aftershock when Manuelgate threatened to become obsolete? Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis quoting that line Frankie Boyle said a year ago on Mock the Week needs to be seen to be believed.

The show isn’t free from marmite moments though. In a new slot, comedian Tim Key recites banal poetry over a soundtrack of melodramatic strings, gazing into a grimy mirror. It’s high burlesque at its finest but it won’t suit every-

one. It does, however, contain the line, ‘Call Su bloody Pollard,’ spoken with such passion, it’s surprisingly giggle-worthy.

Contrastively, there’s an unnecessary scene near the end where talking-head Liza Tarbuck discusses Tales of the Riverbank. The effect is akin to something out of Armando Iannucci’s Time Trumpet.

These are quibbles.Could I live without the happy-clappy, starjumping cast of Britannia High being branded “infuriating pissweasels”? Well, yes, but life would be a lot less entertaining.

So, hallelujah! The fast-talking snark-master has returned.

Glorified Grocer Gregg Wallace, best known for shovelling mounds of food into his mouth only to pronounce them bland or overcooked in Masterchef Goes Large was slumming it this week. Venturing into the world of discount supermarkets he wants to know if people can “taste the difference”, which may be of interest if you’ve become familiar with the delights of Lidl’s flagship Nicolson Street branch.

In ‘Austerity Britain’ where your daily bread is costing around forty pence more than last year there has been a 44% drop in M&S sales as customers default to Lidl who have seen a 20% increase. Further proof, if needed, that when it comes to tightening our belts no amount of gooey puddings or melting voiceovers are not on the menu.

Gregg discovers that Aldi manages to keep prices low by only stocking limited lines. This means offering one choice of cornflakes instead of six. If you are eating rehy-

drated cardboard, who cares what brand it is? Although some of the obscure brands have,as food journalist Joanna Blythman described, “a Eurovision song contest feel”, at least she didn’t say Eurotrash.

If you’re wondering why you are seeing even more of Jamie Oliver in adverts these days it is because supermarkets are desperate to avoid discount stores getting too big a market share. Although why ‘sloppy chops’ Oliver presents such astrong incentive to shop at Sainsbury’s is beyond me After his assertion that Aldi is “going a bit posh”, Gregg samples their specially selected ‘Three Bird Roast’, declaring that although it wasn’t the moistest bird he had ever tasted, if it was put in front of him he would definitely eat it all.

Judging by his conduct on Masterchef this isn’t much of a recommendation but as Blythman admits, “it’s not just a common shop for poor people anymore.”

Well, isn’t that a relief?

24 Lifestyle

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

Second Life, second wife Lynsey Woods explores our ‘Second Life’, and its repercussions in reality

We are one click away from a new life and world...

“

Welcome to the real world”. How often we have heard this unsympathetic cliché as we dry our eyes as and relate our terrible tales. It’s a gloomy state of affairs, which often cannot be helped, except for a deflated shrug of the shoulders as we acknowledge that it’s a hard knock life. Unfortunately, long gone are those hazy days of childhood when our miseries were restricted to grazed knees, missed parties and sweet bans. Back then

we had an overactive imagination to console us, along with Mickey mouse and Donald Duck. As I said, those days are sadly long gone, and have instead been replaced by the grim reality of nagging partners, ominous deadlines, and financial struggles to avoid that spiraling overdraft.

Rather cunningly, a small number of adults have found a solution to the trials and tribulations of ‘real life’. They have created a place where they can

experience solitude, find solace and discover soul mates. Further perks include always being devilishly attractive, never going bald, and being savvy enough to control all of your relationships with ease. Sound too good to be true? Unless you include the fact that it’s all made up, then feel free to proceed.

‘Second Life’ is an internet based virtual world, where members create alter egos who interact with other characters. The player is in complete control of all decisions that its character makes and therefore creates a world of uncapped opportunities. But what happens when ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ collide? Amy Taylor and David Pollard are painfully aware of the consequences.

Rather fittingly, the couple initially met in a chat room, and later created characters on Second Life who tied the knot in three dimensional glory.

This union cued the event of their ‘real life’ marriage, which is where the confusion between reality and ‘second life’ begins. In Second Life, Taylor, who is unemployed, became club DJ Laura Skye.

Pollard, also unemployed, was nightclub owner Dave Barmy who lives in a church and travels in a helicopter gunship.

Their commitment to each other cemented in both real and virtual life, their love seemed indestructible. But tragedy was just around the corner and arrived in the shape of a ‘Second life’ sex worker with whom Barmy committed the ultimate betrayal.

In real life, this online indiscretion was too much for Taylor, and heartbroken, she filed for divorce.

However, Pollard believes that the problem was with their real life relationship.

“Amy never did anything around the house” he said. “If I wanted to spend time with her I had to ask - but it was always too much trouble for her to come off the game to spend time with me.”

It would seem that even us grown ups are still craving that nostalgic escape to other worlds conjured by the imagination. Except for this time, Peter Pan and Mr Smee don’t get a look in. Perhaps the imagined and the real world are best kept separate.

Online romancing.

Fashionista’s Christmas at H&M Emma Leah Segal Discusses the much anticipated Comme Des Garçons and H&M collaboration :

S

ince November 8th in Tokyo, and November 13th worldwide, Swedish retail giants H&M’s highly anticipated collaboration with cult label Comme Des Garçons will no doubt make every fashionista’s pre-Christmas shopping list.

Even in the current economic climate, the chain is expecting the collection to sell out quicker than Kate Moss’ Christmas collaboration with Topshop (The Daily Mail claimed it sold out within 15 minutes).

The pairing of Comme Des Garçons’ deconstructed, intricately panelled garments with H&M’s clean cut staples could have been difficult. Yet somehow the pieces that have ended up on the shop floor are remarkably cohesive and desirable, and vastly varied. Of particular note are the black jacket with panels cut out (RRP £69.99) teamed with the ostensibly plain white shirt with Victorian frilled sleeves (RRP £34.99).

Naturally, there is a perfume, spotted hold-all bag, hosiery and even dotted canvas shoes to tempt those on a more modest budget.

Yet the pièce de résistance is

undoubtedly the frilly, full sleeved and highly embellished black dress, hitting both the Eastern European Folklore and Gothic Black trends.

It is exclusively available in the flagship store in London (RRP £199.99) It is interesting to observe the

seemingly antithetical union of art house chic and high street power house which has worked so well, particularly in Japan. Fashion conscious punters patiently queued for three days before the release of the range in Japanese H&M stores.

By the 8th of November, thousands

of eager customers queued outside of the new Harajuku store in Tokyo.

“Rei Kawakubo’s intellectual and avant-garde collection for H&M is a success among our fashionconscious audience in Japan. It is a particularly exciting but also very wearable collection featuring her

signature deconstructed tailored garments and well-cut classics in special fabrics. Creating this collection together has been fun and a great experience,“ says H&M’s creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch.

H&M’s fashion credentials, seen in its collaborations, cannot be denied. With the exception of commercially successful but far from inspirational collections by Madonna and Kylie Minogue, the brand has collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld, Victor and Rolf and Stella McCartney in the past four years. It has always viewed these collaborations as creative ones with inevitable financial success, a trend the current collaboration can only enhance.

The Comme Des Garçons camp, particularly its Japanese owner and head designer Rei Kawakubo, has been very careful about whom it collaborates with, most notably Lacoste and Louis Vuitton, most recently in its exclusive monogram bags seen on the arms of Harajuku girls in Japan and American pop stars alike. It is this selectivity which, ultimately, can only add to the desirability of this collection.

25/11/08

Lifestyle 25

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On a Veggie High Kim McLaughlan challenges culinary monotony with a few helpful Veg Box recipes

F

ollowing the initial adrenaline rush of jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon of future healthiness by signing up to the much-vaunted Veg Box scheme, many students may be at a loss with how to use their little green friends. An article recently published in an Edinburgh student newspaper informed us that as well as proving useless when it comes to making anything other than soup, the vegetables are overpriced in comparison to those of supermarkets such as Lidl’s.

It may well be true that we save a quid or two when we go to a supermarket, but this meagre amount shouldn’t be an issue when addressing a clear cut case of quality over quantity. Your veg box will boast an abundance of organic specimens which boast oodles of freshness, looking as though they’ve just danced out of Mother Nature’s garden. Compare this to the chemically preserved and overly packaged aubergine from Tesco which has bounced around a ship for a week or so before ending up in your trolley, and will quickly gather mould in your fridge. Then perhaps you’ll start to understand.

Moreover though, what happened to good old-fashioned kitchen creativity? Are we all so spellbound by the ‘ping’ of our frozen ready meals that we can’t summon the imagination to do anything but

Thai Vegetable Curry boil and blend our vegetables into soup? Also, nobody recommended three quids a week worth of solitary vegetables as constituting any sort of stable or advisable diet. Shop wisely to ensure an eclectic mix of carbohydrates, dairy, proteins and flavourings such as soy sauce and curry paste. Then you and your flatmates can try out these easy recipes, and tell the naysayers where to stick their boring old soup.

Thai Vegetable Curry (serves 4) Ingredients: Interchangeable depending on preference, very tasty with squashes 2 tbsp veg oil, ¼ cup of Thai Red Curry powder, 1 white onion (finely diced), Clove of crushed garlic, 1 red pepper, 1 head cauliflower (chopped),

4 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped into small pieces), 1 can of coconut milk, 1 bunch of lemongrass, cleaned and chopped, juice of 2 limes, cabbage (chopped, optional, can be added for thicker texture), chilli (for the brave), Rice, and tap water.

Prepare Thai Red Curry paste with water. Heat large pot with veg oil, then fry onion, garlic and peppers for a few minutes on a medium heat, stirring often. Slowly blend curry paste and coconut milk.

Add cauliflower, potatoes, cabbage, lemongrass and lime juice. Bring to simmer, and cook for 30 – 40 mins depending on when the potatoes are ready. Cook rice according to package instructions. For a delicious twist, steam rice with coconut milk.

Dish up and enjoy!!

Vegetable Pizza

Sweet Beetroot Cake

1 pizza base, onions, ½ cup chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pinch of pepper and ¼ tps salt, grated cheese if desired, and any leftover veg.

Optional vegetable extras could include courgettes, sundried tomatos, olives, mushrooms, red pepper, feta cheese, mozzeralla slices, or a variety of herbs such as thyme, tbsp oregano, and flavourings such as salt or pepper.

Preheat oven at 200 degrees.

Meanwhile, lightly fry onions and steam relevant vegetables, for example broccoli or mushrooms.

Spread chopped tomatoes and puree on base, and sprinkle on vegetables. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until crust is brown.

250g (8oz) self-raising flour, sieved, 2 teaspoons baking powder , 150g (5oz) soft brown sugar, 100g (3½oz) sultanas, 200g (7oz) beetroot, peeled and grated (2-3 medium sized beetroots), 150ml (¼ pint) vegetable or sunflower oil, 2 medium sized eggs, beaten.

Preheat oven to 180C, Grease and line an 8 inch loose based cake tin.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and soft brown sugar in a large bowl.

Add the sultanas, grated beetroot.

Beat the oil and eggs together, and then add to the bowl. Combine with either a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1-1¼ hours.

Insert a metal skewer into the cake; if it comes out clean, then the cake is cooked. Cool on a wire rack.

Sweet Beetroot Cake

Quiz Time 1 5

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Across 2. Aka, aubergine (7) 5. Beans on _____, every student’s staple diet. (5) 8. Blue video game character popular in 90’s. (5) 9. You can stand under mine. (8) 11. Green mode of transport. (4) 12. Ambassador of this country controversially lectured at McEwan Hall. (6) 13. Ordering this drink at a bar is asking to be ID’d. (7) 14. Nintendo’s latest games console. (3) 15. Popular alcoholic beverage in Scotland. (7)

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15 EclipseCrossword.com

Down 1. Harry ______Famous teenage wizard. (6) 3. You listen to My Chemical Romance and your parents don’t like you. ___ liner (3) 4. Will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. (5) 6. The declining coffee empire. (9) 7. _______ Bar. Bring on the Sunday night pub quiz! (7) 8. Gets you high legally. (6) 10. Buff me with these drugs. (8) 11. Everyone’s Favourite American of the moment. (6)

C O L L E A 4 L E I X 8 F A C E O E 10 R L A N N L I E A N 13 C H U 14 B A Y EclipseCrossword.com

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26 Sport

Time up for Gallas David Wagner

M

any years ago, a boy arrived at Arsene Wenger’s football farm hidden away in some forgotten corner of the French countryside.

Wenger looked him up and down and licked his lips. The boy was fit, strong and firm. Wenger fumbled in his pocket for a moment and a look of beaming delight spread steadily across his face like an autumn sunrise. His lips parted and he spoke to the boy: “Mon petit William, tu es mon capitaine.”

Wenger produced the captain’s armband from his pocket and taped it around the boy’s arm.

Gallas would be Arsenal’s captain, would lead them to success in England, in Europe and on the world stage.

Isn’t it a shame when things don’t work out?

Ever since that day, William ‘Wild Bill’ Gallas has been a failure for Arsenal and Wenger as he has done everything in his power to derail his side’s ambitions and prove to Wenger that captains should be chosen on character and charisma and not because of the stunted stirrings of a lonely old man.

Arsene Wenger has built an empire in his time at Arsenal; transforming the boring one-nilto-the-Arsenal to the slick and stylish football that the Gunners produce today. But Gallas has shown he has neither the temperament nor a place in Wenger’s heart anymore to be the figurehead of this young and pert side. His outbursts and childish whingeing are not the qualities of a top-fourside captain, but of a lost little boy, now living out the childhood that was snatched away from him in the French countryside. Oh, if those fields could talk.

Gallas’ time is up. Remember when Roy Keane, the Mr. Untouchable of Manchester United, was forced out of the door as quickly as he could say “Darren Fletcher is a donkey” after a rant on MUTV? The reality is that no side can afford to have a captain that publicly undermines the team and it is the growing realisation of that fact that has found Gallas back in a position he will remember from his days at the football farm: On his knees, begging Arsene Wenger for mercy.

25/11/08

www.studentnewspaper.org

We’re not Barca but we don’t care!

Thomas Kerr stands up for the ‘wee’ clubs of Scottish football

Y

ou know what? You can take your Ashley Coles and Joey Bartons, your six figure salaries and empty hospitality seats, your Super Saturdays and yes, your Super Sundays too, and you can place them all where the sun doesn’t shine. Because the true heart of British football isn’t to be found in the cavernous surroundings of Old Trafford or Ibrox, Stamford Bridge or Parkhead - it’s in the windswept half-empty stadiums that our lower league clubs call home.

In small provincial towns all over our country you’ll find these ramshackle stadiums. Sure, they might look a bit like half-finished B&Q superstores or abandoned farm buildings, but to the loyal and hardy souls that attempt to populate them every second weekend they are fortresses of small town misery and delight; home to a footballing theatre a thousand times more interesting than anything the big teams can muster.

And for the teams who grace their rutted, water-logged pitches there are no TV cameras, no Chinese fans and no pre-season friendlies in Dubai or New York. Instead, it’s picking the dog shit off the training pitches at the local park and trips to Kirkcaldy for our local heroes, and they’re all the better for it. No East Fife player would ever be foolish enough to cheat on Cheryl Cole, and that’s down to character.

Naturally, the standard of football is dire in comparison to the top leagues. Technique is an alien word; crossing and shooting are essentially interchangeable. Like Eskimos

with snow semi-pro defenders have eighty-seven different words for ‘hoofing it’, and all players live by the motto, “You can go past me or the ball can go past me, but you’ll not go past me together.” Teams have built such fearsome reputations for brutality that the UN once memorably deployed peacekeepers at half-time during a particularly spirited Alloa-Brechin match, and Fred West was once overheard quipping, “You think I’m brutal? You should see Clyde, pal.”

Oh, I know what you’re thinking now. That doesn’t sound very good at all, does it? But the standard of the football barely matters; whatever it lacks in flair and finesse it

makes up for in sheer hard graft anyway. Not to mention the inherent comedy of the lower leagues – it’s a bit like watching a game of 22 Titus Brambles being refereed by David Blunkett.

I have the infinite fortune to be a fan of Airdrie, a team who epitomise the chaotic brilliance of supporting your local team. Their record over the past 20 years practically defies belief: they’ve spent time in the SPL; met a young Pavel Nedved in an early 90’s European adventure to Prague; appeared in two Scottish cup finals (losing both, sadly) and built and moved to a new stadium. More recently they plunged into liquidation and became the first Scottish team

since Third Lanark to go bankrupt – an epic tale of incompetence and skulduggery in itself – before being promptly reformed in their current guise. Supporting a team like this is a bit like having a serious smack addiction: it’s moderately expensive, totally socially unacceptable and the euphoric highs are only matched in intensity by the devastating depths of the lows.

Who would trade that journey through the full sphere of footballing emotion for a team where silverware is an expectation, not a sensational once-in-a-lifetime triumph? Not me, for sure, but then again I guess serious drug addictions aren’t for everyone either.

THEATRE OF DREAMS? Ayr United’s Somerset Park ground epitomises the lower league stadia in Scotland

Braid Hills a resounding success Michael Gillespie reports from the Braid Hills Cross Country Race The annual Braid Hills Crosscountry race, organised by Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds, was once again a huge success. It was fantastic to see so many runners from all over the UK travelling to Edinburgh, with contingents from Manchester, Leeds and Swansea to name but a few.

Braids has become one of the highlights of the university racing calender, largely down to the dedication of those organising, and the enthusiasm of everyone taking part.

The Haries proved themselves to be a success in the results. The ladies A team, led by Hannah Edwards, placed first for the second year running, with Hannah coming 3rd overall, followed behind in 4th place by the in form Fiona Thompson. The race was won by the club’s

former girls’ captain Rosemary Smith.

Despite the absence of several of the club’s top runners, the men’s race was of a high standard, being won by ex-club captain James McMullan in a time of 32.10, followed home in 2nd by the young Matthew Gillespie of Glasgow University. In a competitive field the Haries A team did well, coming 4th, with Ben Cole finishing in a strong 4th place overall.

The strong running from both the ladies’ and men’s teams, coupled with an incredible team spirit, looks to stand the Haries in good stead for the season ahead including the Scottish Universities Cross Country Championships at the weekend where both the men’s and women’s teams were looking to retain their titles.

Netball University of Edinburgh 4th University of Edinburgh 5th

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Barbara Littler Edinburgh’s fourth netball side avoided embarrassment as they saw off their fifth side to retain bragging rights.

With each side plagued with injuries and illness this semester it was an impressive feat for both to be able to put out a starting seven. The first half saw a tentative start by the two teams, with the fourths retaining their initial first centre-pass advantage effectively. Solid play from the mid-court duo of Sarah Boulton and Kate Hext saw the shooters receiving good service which they utilised effectively giving them a lead of 13-5 going into the second quarter.

Naomi Hosker’s link up play with Wing Attack Ellie Davidson saw that lead extended to 25-10 as the second quarter drew to a close.

The penultimate quarter was tight with the fifths converting more of their centre passes and scoring nine goals in total, identical to their opponents. The final quarter saw a dramatic change in score line and tempo from the fourths with goal shooter Tania Graham-Brown’s good accuracy and even better movement around the D particularly impressive. With it being her first game in over a week, her impressive performance earned her player of the match. Despite some well executed interceptions by wing defence Abee McCallum, the more experienced side maintained their pressure and won convincingly in the end.

25/11/08

Sport 27

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Squash seconds so close to victory James Pope sees Edinburgh’s squash men come agonisingly close to winning the Scottish Championships Edinburgh University’s Squash Club second team came close to regaining the title won last year by the first team at the Scottish Universities Squash Team Championships. A year ago, the first team convincingly won this title and also won themselves promotion to the BUCS Premier League taking on the best squash teams in Britain.

So, with the first team unable to enter, the job of regaining their title fell to the second team.

The tournament sees teams rank their players from one through five with each player playing their opposite number. To fit with the recent changes to international rules, all squash competitions down to junior levels are playing in the PAR-11 scoring system over the best of five games. The PAR-11 system means ‘point a rally’ so no matter who serves, the winning player gets the point up to 11. This system is better known as ‘American’ scoring and means that even one mistake can quickly cost you a game, making for very fast-paced and intensive squash.

Seeded as a top four side, the Edinburgh team started off in the main draw and began their campaign with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Aberdeen’s corresponding team, with none of the team members (Rik Keating, Pete Brierley, Ben Duquemin, Henry Pearce and Andy Roddick), losing a game. The tie

was never in doubt with all five Edinburgh players dominant in their matches, playing their opponents off the court. This victory progressed the team through to the semi finals, only two victories away from winning the title held by the absent first team.

Their next opponents, by a quirk of the draw, were the Aberdeen first team and this was also a contest that was never in doubt. In fact, the only shock came when Duquemin lost his first games of the season, though he came through to win his match 3-2. Despite defeats for Roddick (3-1) and Pearce (3-2), the Edinburgh side cruised through to the final, winning 3-2 with victories for Duquemin, Keating and Brierley.

In the final they met Glasgow’s strongest side who had qualified through to the main draw by destroying the Edinburgh 3rd team of Mahmoud Moaz, Richard McClay, Mark Longbottom, James Pope and Jono Milne 5-0.

Edinburgh called on Ben Carpenter for the final in a bid to strengthen their side for the tough match ahead. The contest proved to be one match beyond Edinburgh, with Glasgow showing their class in what was, however, a tightly contested affair which could have gone either way. Brierley lost 3-1 and, in a season’s first, Duquemin lost at number four by a 3-0 scoreline.

Carpenter began a potential comeback winning 3-2 at number three, but it proved to be little more than a glimmer of hope for the Edinburgh team and Glasgow won at first and second with Roddick losing 3-0 and Pearce going down 3-1; these results seeing Edinburgh lose 4-1 overall.

Despite this tremendous effort, Edinburgh University’s second

team finished ahead of powerful squash playing universities such as Heriot-Watt’s strongest side (who in recent years have been filled with top Scottish players) and so although it was not the victory they hoped for, it was a fantastic result nevertheless. The players will now progress through the BUCS Knockouts in February and perhaps to the

British Universities Championships at Sheffield in the middle of March.

The men’s first-side, meanwhile, have struggled in the Premier League and lost their play-off 5-0 to Loughborough having managed HHter Terry just one win from three games in the league stage (a 5-0 thrashing of Liverpool) after defeats to Manchester and Nottingham.

SO CLOSE YET SO FAR: Action from the Scottish Universities Squash Team Competition

Convincing win for Edinburgh’s footballers Men’s Football University of Edinburgh Glasgow University

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Alistair Shand Edinburgh University triumphed in their latest university league match against Glasgow University. Blustery conditions at Peffermill failed to prevent the hosts from winning the match comfortably as the quality of the home side’s football won through.

Edinburgh began the game with a strong wind behind them and subsequently made all the early running. A powerful run and cross from Alasdair MacKinnon found Jamie Redman whose shot was blocked but was a signal of intent from the home team.

Peder Beck-Friis, Edinburgh’s robust centre forward, looked dangerous early on and showed several nice touches to link the play and allow midfielders to roam forward.

It was Beck-Friis who was first to test the Glasgow goalkeeper in the match and he had a snap-shot from a corner well saved. Glasgow, meanwhile, were struggling to create in the final third as long balls were calmly dealt with by the Edinburgh backline.

The opening goal for Edinburgh came from a set piece as trickery from Gordon Milne on the edge of the box drew a reckless foul. From the subsequent free-kick Scott Fusco drilled a powerful left foot shot into the top corner of the net to the delight of the home bench.

Fusco had provided a warning of the potency of his left boot with an earlier set play and the defender fired his team into a deserved lead.

With this lead Edinburgh started to settle and played a more patient, passing game. This intuitive approach was rewarded as further chances were carved out. First, a dangerous in-swinging corner was

caught by the vicious breeze and flew just over the bar with the Glasgow keeper floundering. Soon after, Beck-Friis broke free and his cross forced an uncertain defender to clear behind for a corner.

The away team were having trouble feeding their strikers as Edinburgh pinned them back and the two goal cushion that Edinburgh craved arrived on the stroke of half time. The impressive Redman charged in on goal and while his first slotted effort hit the post the midfielder was alive to the rebound which he dispatched for a 2-0 lead.

Edinburgh started the second half against a fierce headwind and were looking to protect their advantage. However, the lead was halved almost immediately after the restart as a swirling free-kick from Glasgow’s Paul Ruddy floated over Mark Tait and into the Edinburgh net. Once again, the wind was wreaking havoc with defensive

efforts.

A quick fire response was what was required from the home side and this was provided minutes later as a deep corner found MacKinnon unmarked at the back post and the tall defender drilled a half volley beyond the keeper. At 3-1 Edinburgh had to maintain the momentum and, urged on by captain Redman, went in search of the killer fourth goal.

Another Fusco set - piece failed to replicate the magic of the first goal as the wind carried it high and wide.

However, Dougie Samuel’s men did not have to wait long for the next goal as a glorious move received it’s just rewards. Andy Watkins met a long ball and then found the bustling Beck-Friis who nutmegged a defender before sliding a delightful ball with the outside of the foot to Liam Hughes. The forward made no mistake as he clinically finished the move with a right footed shot

beyond Roope Reinikeinen in the Glasgow net.

The visitors did pull a goal back however and it was the product of a questionable free kick on the edge of the 18-yard box. The initial attempt was hit tamely into the wall but the loose ball was slotted precisely home by Mark Farrel despite the best efforts of Tait.

It was clear from early in the game that set-pieces would be key in this game and sure enough the fifth goal, which added a sheen to the victory, came from a penalty.

Another slick move involving the energetic Redman and Ruaraidh Scott resulted in Beck-Friis being upended in the box. The perpetrator was booked and Fusco coolly side-footed home the spot-kick to make it 5-2.

In the end Edinburgh’s simplicity in defence and ability to keep possession well helped combat the potentially problematic conditions.

Sport

Football as it should be?

Thomas Kerr climbs to the bottom of Scottish football’s league ladder p26 >>

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Edinburgh women swim to glory Craig Meek looks back on an impressive medal haul at the BUCS short course swimming championships

T

he first major swimming competition of the year saw a 21-strong team travel down to Sheffield for the BUCS short course championships last weekend. This is one of the top events in the swimming calendar, with some of the times swum being of Olympic standard.

The university team’s significant medal hopes, thanks to the coaching of Mathew Trodden, were increased by the new Edinburgh University Swimming Performance Programme under coach Chris Jones. These hopes were ultimately realised as the team succeeded in gaining an impressive seven medals; two of which were gold, three silver and two bronze. The team also had another 16 additional finalists and several top 20 finishes on top of that. This combined effort ensured that the university finished fourth overall; their best ever result.

The Friday night session saw Konstantinos Grammenos take on the daunting task of swimming 800m and 1500m freestyle in the same evening.

He managed an 8th and 6th overall placing in each event respectively.

Ali Haynes and Oleg Flippov also put in strong swims to clinch top 20 placings while the men and women’s teams both qualified for the freestyle relay finals to be held the following evening.

Saturday saw the start of the

shorter distance and sprinting events in what would turn out to be a very successful day for Edinburgh. Stuart Conley powered home to a top 20 finish in the 100m butterfly with a time of 58.9s, while Dave Errington produced a 24.53s in the 50m freestyle. This earned him 22nd place although, as is common in sprinting events, 0.5 seconds was all that was between him and 8th place.

The finals session saw the women really begin to shine. Indeed, it should be noted that they won all of Edinburgh’s medals between them.

Captain Judi Kilgallon claimed the first with an inspired swim to take bronze in the 50m backstroke by 0.04s. Soon after that Louise Henley added to the tally with another bronze in the 50m breaststroke; and Louise Pate with victory in the 100m fly. Louise Henley followed her medal success by taking 5th in the 200m breaststroke, not long after swimming her 50m. Judi Kilgallon joined her sister Jenni in the 50m freestyle final, where they placed 6th and 5th.

Another Edinburgh double-team took place in the men’s 50m breaststroke final, where Ross Johnston finished 6th and Mark Jaggs took 4th, being beaten for bronze by just 0.02s.

Both the women and men had teams in the final of the freestyle relay; a fast and furious event which is always

good entertainment. The women’s team of Lyndsey Meacher, Louise Pate, Judi Kilgallon and Jenni Kilgallon snapped up the silver medal.

The men finished 10th in a their final, missing out by 0.3 seconds on the long standing club record that they had been intently chasing all weekend.

Sunday was a mixture of sprint and distance events and again medal success was to follow for Edinburgh.

The day kicked off with the gruelling 200m butterfly, an event which really separates the men from the boys. Ed-

inburgh’s Bruce McLintock produced some Michael Phelps-esque underwater work in his debut at this event.

In other heats, Theo Hirst came 11th in the 100m backstroke, unfortunately just missing out on a final that was to contain British Olympian Liam Tancock as the competition.

As the day went on, more medals were picked up in the 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke, and finally the 4x50m medley relay. In another brilliant race, the women raced home two seconds clear and eventually took silver, and along with it a Scot-

tish national club record. The men, although being outclassed by Loughborough and Bath, took a pleasing 6th place (and Edinburgh’s club record). This capped off what will be looked back on as a highly successful and exciting weekend for the club, which is becoming more competitive all the time and closing the gap on the swimming powerhouses of Loughborough, Bath, and their Scottish rivals at Stirling. The team is now back in the pool looking forward to 2009 and the prospect of two more BUSA meets next semester.

The Ponds Forge arena where the competition took place

Newcastle fight back to earn draw Women’s Lacrosse University of Edinburgh Newcastle University

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Matthew Riley EDINBURGH Women’s lacrosse side failed to win for the second match running as they struggled against a spirited Newcastle side.

The home team threw away lead after lead and in the end had to settle for a solitary point from a match they should have had wrapped up long before the final whistle.

From the offset, Edinburgh played with a sense of complacency – a two goal lead opened up in as many minutes, which the team barely raised a smile at. The visitors dug deep however, trying to find a way back into the game – which they did almost immediately after

a quick counter-attack. Soon after, Edinburgh re-imposed their commanding two goal lead, with their impressive speed and movement cutting Newcastle down to size.

Newcastle however showed a grit and determination absent in their opposition, and pulled a goal back.

Thanks to poor communication and positioning in the Edinburgh defence, a Newcastle attacker was allowed plenty of time and space to send an accurate effort home.

A pattern was emerging by this point: Edinburgh only stepped up their game when under pressure.

The team lacked the focus and work ethic to put the game beyond doubt, seemingly sitting back and inviting pressure after every score. Just as quickly as Edinburgh went 4-2 up, the score was soon pulled back to 4-

3, with the visitors unwilling to let Edinburgh streak clear. Once again Edinburgh extended their lead only for Newcastle to immediately reduce it.

At half time, however, Edinburgh were leading 6-4. Despite this lead, a heated talk occurred between frustrated backline members over their lax defending. Once the second half began, it seemed this discussion had achieved nothing as Newcastle struck again to draw themselves within one of Edinburgh (6-5).While Edinburgh’s attack was on fine form (extending their lead once again to 7-5), the defence was disorganised and lacking confidence, as Newcastle hit twice to draw level and then once more to take the lead for the first time (7-8). The sound of delight that emanated from the Newcastle

bench was testament to their team spirit and determination. This euphoria was extended minutes later when the visitors added another to stretch their lead with time running out. The Edinburgh players glared at each other, with particular focus on the defenders.

Just as it seemed Newcastle had won the game, Edinburgh drew level after a good passing move, which eventually found a route through the Newcastle defence where the ball was slammed home - the scorer showing Edinburgh’s frustration through the power of her shot.

Newcastle’s hopes of recording just a second win of the competition were dashed with minutes remaining as another good move saw Edinburgh grab a point. At the sound of the final whistle, Edinburgh faces

wore an expression of defeat, whilst their counterparts were celebrating a hard fought come back and a well deserved draw.

This result leaves the Edinburgh side sitting in fourth place in the Women’s North Premier League.

Having beaten Newcastle on their own patch last month and considering the success the side have enjoyed over the last few seasons, they will surely be disappointed with this result and their overall performances to date during this campaign.

Sitting five points behind leaders Loughborough who they face next week at Peffermill, Edinburgh will be looking for a strong finish to their league campaign in order to reach the latter stages of the BUCS competition next year.