Tuesday February 9 2010 | Week 5
Culture's Art Commissions has a Whale of a TIme
c u lt u r e
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S cott ish S t udent Ne wspaper of the Year 2009 S i n c e 1887 T h e U K ' s O ld e st S T u d en t N ews pa p er
Student Minority Report
TONY SIM
Anna MacSwan
Student drug use above national average Survey found 26 per cent of students have taken cocaine Jordan Campbell Over a quarter of students at the University of Edinburgh have sampled cocaine, a survey carried out by The Student has found. Amongst the 228 students polled, 10.7 per cent admitted to having trying the class A drug once, 14.2 per cent admitted to having tried it more than once, and 1.5 per cent claimed to use it on a regular basis. The results indicate a 3 per cent rise in the use of cocaine amongst students, compared to a similar survey carried out by The Student in
2005. Higher levels of popularity were revealed for ectasy, another class A drug, which over a third of respondents admitted to having used. 8 per cent claimed to have only tried the drug once, 17.3 per cent more than once and 2.2 per cent on a regular basis. An overwhelming majority of students have tried class B drug cannabis, 74 per cent of respondents in total. Almost 50 per cent admitted to having taken the drug on more than one occasion. Use of cocaine and ectasy amongst the student body has been revelealed to be significantly above the national average, as a drug misuse survey carried out by the Home Office last year states that figures for cocaine and ectasy use amongst 16-24 year olds in 2008-2009 were 6.6 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively. Similarly, 18.7 per cent admitted to having tried can-
nibis at least once. The report also stated that the numbers of cocaine users have been on the up due to a decline in its street price across the UK and increased availability, a factor often pointed to in explaining its apparent popularity amongst Edinburgh students. The vast majority of respondents said that peer pressure has never been a factor in deciding to take drugs. One reason for ectasy’s popularity among students is thought to be its association with Edinburgh’s club culture - one student who wished to remain unnamed told The Student that its appeal lay simply in the fact that “It’s cheap, it’s fun, and it’s an urban myth that you overhydrate and die when you take it.” Commenting on the use of class A drugs amongst students, EUSA President Thomas Graham said that
“The Student’s Association does not prescribe what students should and shouldn’t do with their lives. Illegal drugs are illegal for a reason and we discourage their use. We have a zero tolerance policy towards illegal drug use in our unions. “If students do need support and advise in relation to illegal drugs the Students’ Association is here to help - just nip into the Advise Place or visit http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk.” The survey also sought to analyse attitudes of students towards current UK drug laws. 58.5 per cent of students believe that certain drugs that are currently illegal could be legalised. Notably, 54 per cent of those polled believed that cannabis should be legalised, despite last year’s Government decision to upgrade cannabis from class C to B... Continued on page 2 »
Previous gaps in undergraduate degree achievement according to student’s ethnicity have narrowed significantly at the University of Edinburgh in recent years, data from the University’s Equality and Diversity department has shown. Whilst three years ago white students were nearly three times as likely to obtain a first class degree as their non-white peers (the rate of achievement being 17.7 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively amongst those commencing their studies in 2002/03), this changed to 10.8 per cent and 19.8 per cent for 2003/04 entrants. The most recent statistics available, for those students starting university in 2004/5, show the margin to have decreased considerably, with 16.7 per cent of non-white students and 20.7 per cent of white students achieving a first class degree. Similar trends are shown when taking into consideration achivement of first or upper second class degrees combined - the figures being 57.7 per cent for non-white students and 73.7 per cent for white students starting university in 2004/05, compared to 62.3 per cent and 75.5 per cent for 2003/04 entrants and 72 per cent and 75.9 per cent for 2002/03 entrants. Camilla Pierry, EUSA Vice President of Societies and Activities told The Student that while any gap in attainment is indicative of a serious problem, the figures could be seen as positive in some respects: “These figures are clearly of concern - the idea that a student’s ethnic background should affect their academic success is totally unacceptable. “However, although the results are worrying it is positive to see that these are improving steadily with each new cohort of graduations at Edinburgh. The proportion of BME students getting firsts is in fact increasing exponentially, at a rate far outstripping their white peers, and so I would hope to see the figures balance out in the next few years.” The figures are positive in comparison to nationwide trends - a report published last year found that amongst graduates from all UK universities in 2007/08, whilst 14.7 per cent of white students achieved a first class degree, the figure dropped to 8.2 per cent Continued on page 2 »
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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What’s in this issue News »p1-6
» Minor improvements
EDINBURGH MP STEPS DOWN p4 Nigel Griffiths shamed out of general election
CAMPUS TERRORISTS p5
University campuses come under invesitagtion
Comment »p8-9 THAR SHE BLOWS! p9
Dan Nicholson-Heap responds to Clare Short's testimony
arts&features »p11-21 BLIND DATES p12 - 13
Features goes Sarah Jessica Parker on us
GOING BEHIND THE SCENES p15
Culture talks to Footlights about their new production
From front page...
amongst Asian students and 4.2 per cent amongst black students. As to what such trends could be attributed to, Pierry said: “I would possibly point to the apparent link between academic performance and the broader student experience. Research from the National Student Survey consistently shows Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students to be less satisfied with their experience of university than white students, which is something that urgently needs to be investigated.” Pritpal Singh Badewal, EUSA’s first elected ethnic minority action group convener, also highlighted student experience as a key issue, telling The Student that: “It is a big change for someone from a different background to come to the University of Edinburgh, and BME students often find it hard to adapt to Edinburgh in its social and academic scene - most tend to go to London, Birmingham and Manchester Universities simply because it is ethnically diverse. “The developments are clearly a let down by the University. It should be aware that many of the third generation BME students are the first in their families to go to university. Some of the problems we face are the under equipment to recognize
the subtext of success that other students pick up, and it would be advisable to bring teaching and learning assessment into the limelight, and especially for Directors of Studies to notice such problems. “There are mentoring schemes, such as Edinburgh University’s MPower, however a lack of promotion and barriers to access has downgraded such developments. Anonymous marking (as advocated by the NUS Black Students’ Campaign) was introduced, however, I have come to know there are some departments in the University that do not comply with these measures.” As to what issues remain of major concern within equality and diversity, Badewal highlighted intake of BME students, an issue which the University came under scrutiny for in 2007/08. Whereas national media reported this week that in 2007/08 16 per cent of students studying for degrees in the UK were from an ethnic minority background, a figure higher than their makeup of the 18-24 year old age group as a whole (14.2 per cent), at the University of Edinburgh, the figure the same year was only 5.6 per cent. The figure increased marginally to 6.4 per cent in 2008/09 - however
the figure was still described as “a letdown for a university that calls itself international and multicultural”. He also highlighted concerns that Edinburgh could cater better for students from different cultural backgrounds in terms of entertainment, citing initaitives such as the opening of a non-alcoholic bar in the Teviot Mezzanine as a positive step towards making unions more inclusive for students who might not drink alcohol. A number of measures are being undertaken to achieve better representation for BME students, including a series of focus groups where students have been invited to review the Race Relations Amendment Act. Pierry also cited the fact that the ethnic minority action group convener position does not have voting rights on student committees as “one of the many motivations behind EUSA’s impending governance review it is essential that we secure effective representation of minority groups so that we can improve the experience of these students in the future.” news@studentnewspaper.org
LONG WALK TO THE OSCARS p16
Film watches Invictus and gets Academy Awards tips
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? p19
Craig Wilson tries to make sense of Lost's new season
TAKING EFFECT p20
Tech's Tom Hasler reviews Mass Effect 2
HELL TO THE NO p21
FRESH MINDS
Lifestyle tells us which trends are acceptable in today's world
Sport »p23-24 ORIENTEERS FIND THEIR WAY p24 Hollie Orr reports from the JOK race
Student drug use habits revealed From front page...
p18 The Student Newspaper | 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ Email: editors@studentnewspaper.org
... against the advice of the Drug Advisory Board. Indeed, results highlighted overwhelming disapproval of the classification system currently in place in the UK. 55 per cent of respondents beleived that the system does not work, and nearly 40 per cent said they would not take the classification of a drug into consideration when deciding whether to take a substance or not.The poll also asked students to compare cannabis and ecstasy to alcohol in terms of both health risks and behaviour that each substance can cause. Students played down the perceived danger of cannabis, with the majority claiming that the drug is no more dangerous than alcohol in terms of impact upon health, and 73 per cent beleiving
that alcohol might lead to more dangerous behaviour whilst under the influence. As to ecstasy, over 50 per cent agreed it was more harmful than alcohol in terms of its impact upon health. 36 per cent said that they beleived ecstasy might lead to more dangerous behaviour than alcohol. Interestingly, however, 22 per cent said that the two are equally dangerous, and 28 per cent felt that alcohol was more dangerous. In terms of the ease in which drugs can be obtained within Edinburgh, 65 per cent agreed that they could be obtained with moderate difficulty, with knowing someone important. news@studentnewspaper.org
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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News 3
Students encourage others to apply to Edinburgh
already work in the area supporting talented young people in Edinburgh and the Lothians to apply for higher education.
Students widening participation
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We should be aiming for a wide variety of students at the university from a whole host of backgrounds"
Edinburgh aims for 80% state school students Harrison Kelly A NEW initiative to encourage university applications from schools with low progression rates has been launched by a student society at the University of Edinburgh. Named Access Edinburgh, the group aims to widen participation to higher education by visiting schools and hosting ‘student life talks’ encouraging students to apply to Edinburgh. President Stevie Wise believes Edinburgh is the ideal institution to start such a scheme, saying that: “Edinburgh has a target of 80 per cent state school students but we are currently 10 per cent below that.” These figures reprsent the 16th worst record of universities in the UK, and the second worst in Scotland. The initiative is particularly timely as it has been reported that Edinburgh is set to cut 1,300 places next year due
Stevie Wise. Access Edinburgh Presidentt
AIM HIGHER: Low progression schools to be targeted in new student initative. to a lack of funding, increasing competition for places and prompting calls that students from low progression schools will be even more disadvantaged. The group aims to work in conjunction with Widening Participation initiatives already in place at the University of Edinburgh, hoping to broaden them in scope, in light of claims that they focus only on certain subjects.
Pathways to the Profession is a scheme set up by the University in 2001 to encourage young people to enter law, medicine, architecture and veterinary medicine. Though some widening participation schemes have come under criticism on the grounds that less able students from poorer backgrounds are given preferential treatment in University
applications over students who did not attend low progression schools, Wise argues that it is important to take into account contextual details on UCAS forms: “We should be aiming for a wide variety of students at the university, from a whole host of backgrounds.” Access Edinburgh also hopes to work with the Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools (LEAPS) who
All volunteers are to be LEAPS trained, and it is expected they will start working in schools from September. Students will also be encouraged to visit schools back home, specifically targeting those with a proportionately low number of HE applicants. The sessions are hoped to advise young people that elite universities are accessible and encourage students to aim higher, with help and guidance being targetted specifically at students who have no experience or family history of attending university. news@studentnewspaper.org
University budget cuts amount to national 'self-harm' Cuts could damage HE for years to come Joshua King STUDENT LEADERS have likened the announcement this week of university budget cuts in England to ‘national self-harm.’ National Union of Students leader, Wes Streeting, says the cuts threaten ‘irreversible damage’ to higher education system. "In spite of protestations to the contrary, the cuts being imposed by the government are going to hit teaching, research and the number of places available at a time of record demand," said Streeting. Teaching budgets are to be reduced by £215m, a cut in real terms of 1.6% on 2009-10 levels, research funding is being frozen, and the buildings budget is cut by 15%. It is estimated that there will be 6,000 fewer places at English universities next year, leaving many prospective students disappointed. But ministers have accused universities of ‘scaremongering’. Following the announcement of the £449 million spending cuts,
Higher Education Funding Council for England chief executive, Sir Alan Langlands, said that although these were ‘testing times’, the higher education system had seen significant investment and growth over the last decade. The Student asked EUSA President, Thomas Graham, whether the spending cuts would have an impact upon those studying at Scottish universities. Graham said that, although the announced cuts had no ‘direct effect’ upon Scottish universities, the scaling back of higher education spending would impact upon level of funding open to the Scottish executive in the future. The Scottish Funding Council is to announce its budget for universities in March. Graham described the possibility of similar cuts being announced as ‘very concerning’. Graham concluded by saying that universities and students associations must now seek “positive interaction with trade unions” to ensure that the impact of current and future spending cuts upon students is minimized. Speaking for the Russell Group of leading universities, Wendy Piatt, said there was a recognition "that universities will have to bear their fair share of any cuts". But she said that after this ‘belt tightening’ the government needed
"to confirm that there will be no further cuts". Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, has added his voice to the growing concern of the reduction to University funding, warning that the cuts will damage the quality of England's degree courses and increase competition for places.
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The cuts being imposed by the government are going to hit the number of places available at a time of record demand" Wes Streeting , NUS Pesident
He told the BBC: "Last year, about 160,000 students who applied didn't end up going to university. This year, we already know there are about another 75,000 applying for university." A survey by the Daily Telegraph shows applications have soared at top universities such as Oxford, University College London and Sussex. news@studentnewspaper.org
GREY SKIES: Funding storms show no sign of lifting over Edinburgh
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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News
Brief
Spotify banned by Oxford University THE MUSIC streaming service Spotify has been banned by Oxford University. Oxford University computing services claimed that the technology has a detrimental impact on the university network. On their website OUCS claim that the number of students using the service was causing the network to slow down. They said, “It is one thing attempting to justify a network upgrade on the basis of a genuine academic requirement… It is another thing trying to do it purely to cope with the demands of high-bandwidth recreational usage.” Cherwell, the Oxford University student newspaper reported that students ‘were up in arms’ over the ban. Students have subsequently launched a facebook campaign in protest.
University worker offered fake degrees in return for spanking
JC
A FORMER registrar at the University of Bath has been convicted of offering forged degrees to women who in return would let him spank them. Bristol Crown court learned that Karl Woodgett filmed himself canning two Cameroonian women in a Bristol hotel. It also heard that the man had paid the two women in order to allow him to spank them under the lie that they were taking part in ‘pain management study.’ He later offered them fake university qualifications. The scam was uncovered by a UK border agency investigation. Woodgett has been given a nine month suspended sentence and ordered to undertake 200 hours of community service.
'Big Cheese ' forced to close
JC
‘THE BIG Cheese’ was forced to close last week after severe flooding in the toilets. The club night, held at Potterrow suffered extreme flooding conditions down below with student revellers being told to leave early. James Wallace VPS told The Student that the flooding was caused by blockage of the toilets by a ‘number of objects’ and that clubbers were offered a free tickets to the Big Cheese in compensation for their distress. Wallace said that no-one was hurt in the flooding and that EUSA was looking at ways to prevent this happening again. HK
Edinburgh MP Griffiths to stand down from Parliament Close friend of Prime Minister will not stand for re-election Alexandra Taylor SEX SCANDAL MP Nigel Griffiths has decided to stand down from parliament at the general election. The politician told party members in his South Edinburgh constituency, last week that he would not be standing for re-election. The news is said to have come as a major blow to PM Gordon Brown, who has relied on Griffiths as a close personal friend. He is also the second key ally of the Prime Minister in three days to announce his resignation. Speaking last week Griffiths said: “I am delighted to have served the people of South Edinburgh over three decades”, but insisted it was right to stand down now since he wants to “give the party time to select a new candidate to fight the forthcoming election.” During his 23-year career as an MP, Nigel Griffiths had many back-bench and ministerial roles, but is most famed for his very public private life, after being involved in numerous scandals.
Criticisms against Griffiths began early in his career, when he was charged for failing to declare that he owned a property, which acted as his constituency office, in Minto Street, Edinburgh. In March 2009, he was allegedly claimed to have had sexual relations with a brunette in his Westminster office, despite being married for over 30 years. He apologized for his intimate encounter, stating it fell “below acceptable standards”. The 54-year-old was also embroiled in the recent expenses scandal, claiming £3,605 for a Plasma screen television. In addition to this, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner found Mr Griffiths guilty of wrongly reclaiming £40,000 of rent for the office to fund a charitable trust that provided help for his disabled sister. Mr Griffiths is leaving parliament to work as the director of an “international educational institution”, starting in June, describing it as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Recently, the University of Edinburgh’s Students’ Representative Council campaigned with the MP against proposals to raise the cap on tuition fees at universities south of the border from £3,225 to as much as £14,000. The Conservatives, have already selected Dr Neil Hudson to contest Edinburgh South and welcome the
MOVING ON: MP steps down from one honourable job to another opportunity to take back a seat that it held for more than 20 years before Mr Griffiths was elected. However a Labour spokesman said: “Nigel has served Edinburgh for more than 20 years and is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in Scotland, having been
deputy leader of the House of Commons.” The spokesman added: “Our support in the seat remains strong and we will have campaign teams out knocking on doors in the coming days.” news@studentnewspaper.org
Public apathy towards expenses reform discussion
Only 11 people turn up to IPSA forum Melissa Birbeck
AN OPPORTUNITY for the public to shape future policy for MPs’ expenses was squandered when Edinburgh hosted the first of four major public consultation events. The event, hosted by IPSA, was held at the MacDonald Holyrood Hotel last Wednesday - and the public stayed away in their droves. IPSA-the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority- an autonomous body to design and administer a new system for MPs expenses, was established in the wake of last year’s media furore over leaked claims. Chairman of the IPSA Sir Ian Kennedy, has come under pressure to include public opinion before finalising the new system, due to come into force after the general election. However, a turnout of just 11 members of the public left attendees disappointed, believing that the views collected by the consultation could be in no way representative of Edinburgh con-
stituents. Rotary member Martin Oliver told The Student of his reservations about the consultation process, fearing that IPSA was merely ‘going through the motions’ of allowing public involvement in their decisions, labelling it as a ‘box ticking’ exercise. Poor advertising was held to blame by many for the low turnout, and Oliver acknowledged that IPSA had ‘not got off to a good start’. Rhona Crawford, a representative for the IPSA, acknowledged the audience’s concerns over the lack of public attendance at the meeting but insisted that public responses through the additional online surveys had been ‘huge’. It was ‘a chance wasted by IPSA’, Scottish Youth Parliament member, Angus Duncan, said. The four main issues discussed with regards to IPSA’s new proposals concerned transparency, accommodation, staff for MPs and travel. The IPSA’s plan to force MPs to submit and publish all expenses claims was welcomed by the attendees as well as the proposed ban of public funds to cover the cost of MPs’ mortgage interest. Furthermore, there was unanimous support for the possibility of providing MPs with standardised,
SCANDAL: Many MPs claimed for a lot more than just stationary state-owned property, available to them whilst in Parliament, rather than publicly funding second home allowances. However, the issue of the employment of family members by MPs divided the audience. The closing remarks were that public comment would be very welcome in the months leading up to the final decision in April. The discussion came within
the context of the annoucement over the past week that three MPs, Eliott Morley, David Chaytor and Jim Devine are to face criminal charges over their expense claims. The extent to which public opinion moulds the content of the new expenses scheme will be revealed when the plans are laid before Parliament in May or June 2010. news@studentnewspaper.org
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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News 5
Students storm fee review meeting
THE POSSIBILITY of significant changes to the current system of tuition fees in England and Wales has been met with fierce opposition from students. A group of students delayed the start of a public hearing of the Government’s review into tuition fees on Friday 29th January, held at Goldsmiths University in south London. The review, led by former BP chairman Lord Browne, is examining the current system of fees, loans, and grants for UK universities, and could result in yearly fees of up to £7,000 for more prestigious institutions. One student, Rheem Al-Adhami, 24, managed to get past security guards and shouted at the panel, “Where is the student voice?” She also added, “This inquiry is a foregone conclusion. They’ve decided to either increase fees or introduce a graduate tax and it’s going to create a two-tier system. Oxbridge students will come from the elite and working class students will miss out.” Lord Browne, however, insisted that ‘any suggestion that the answer is a foregone conclusion is wrong.’
Student leaders have consistently warned that fee increases could discourage poorer students from pursuing higher education. Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, argued that this would result in an “elite system for the few that can afford it and a second-class experience for the many who cannot.”
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Where is the student voice?... This inquiry is a foregone conclusion. They’ve decided to either increase fees or introduce a graduate tax and it’s going to create a two-tier system" Rheem Al-Adhami, 24
When the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, launched the review in November 2009, he pointed out that higher fees implemented in 2006 had not discouraged students
from applying to university. He said, “since they were introduced student numbers have continued to rise, along with the numbers coming from lower-income backgrounds.” Protests also took place in Falmouth, Cornwall the following Wednesday, where students from Exeter University and University College Falmouth staged a “takeover” of a local market. Politicians from several parties each gave speeches to the crowd stating their stance on tuition fees. The student union president for Exeter University, Ian Pogonowski, stressed that the protests were meant to be 'friendly'. “The idea is to give the politicians representing our area the chance to tell us their views on tuition fees and to give students and others the opportunity to make their views heard.” The review into higher education funding is currently ongoing and is not expected to publish its recommendations until after the next general election.
TONY SIM
Lara Zarum
news@studentnewspaper.org
shake eusa up Student General Meeting 2 Tuesday 23rd February 7pm, McEwan Hall To submit a policy motion email: president@eusa.ed.ac.uk Policy motion deadline: 9th February 2010 Motion amendment deadline: 16th February 2010
LORD BROWNE: You must believe me when I say that tuition fees are not going to rise....
NUS mobilise students to vote against fees Jordan Campbell
THE NATIONAL Union of Students has launched a campaign to encourage students to only vote for MPs that do not support increases in tuition fees ahead of the forthcoming general election. The ‘Vote for students’ campaign will offer online information to students regarding their prospective MPs and will indicate whether they have backed the NUS pledge ‘to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative’. Already more than 200 MPs across several parties have backed the pledge including Charles Kennedy, Vince Cable, Jon Cruddas and Frank Dobson. NUS have also drawn up a ‘hit list’ of 20 key areas where the student vote cold prove to be decisive. This is based on evidence of constitutiences at the 2005 general election where the student vote had a significant impact on the results. MPs that will be under pressure in such areas include former Home Secretary Charles Clarke in Norwich South, John Denham in Southampton Hitchen, Ben Bradshaw in Exeter and Hilary Benn in Leeds central. The launch comes amidst growing possibility that tuition fees will be increased in England and Wales. The Government is currently holding a review into university fees, with fee rises one measure being proposed as a way in which to counteract the negative effects that expected spending cuts on higher education will have. Speaking on the day of the launch, NUS President Wes Streeting said, “In
many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference. "Through this campaign we hope to remind students of the power they hold and remind candidatesof the danger of not taking our votes seriously. Our message to candidates is simple, vote for us or pay the price.” He also added, “Our list of key student seats should make the point particularly clearly. Elections have been won and lost by the votes of students before and it will happen again.’
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“Our list of key student seats should make the point particularly clearly. Elections have been won and lost by the votes of students before and it will happen again." The Scottish Union of Students also support the campaign, insisting that fee increases south of the Border will still have an adverse impact upon students by making public spending cuts more likely. They claim that would in turn result in less funding for Scottish institutions from Westminster. news@studentnewspaper.or
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
News
Footlights drama for opening night Harrison Kelly EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY Footlights production of ‘Anything Goes’ takes to the stage tonight, after a turbulent pre-show week. The musical which runs till Saturday at The Churchill Theatre, Morningside lost its star lead after he was admitted to hospital. Robert Flitcroft, who plays Billy Crocker in the show, sought medical treatment after losing the ability to speak and sing. Flitcroft was taken to hospital last Tuesday with a suspected peritonsillar abscess. Speaking to The Student last week the show’s producer, Sam Hansford, said that Flitcroft was ‘doing well’ but that they were putting in place contingency plans. “We are currently looking at alternatives for the show, in case Robert doesn’t make opening night. Right now he can hardly speak.” It is rumoured that frantic calls were made around the various theatre societies at Edinburgh University, with several individuals being approached about stepping in at the last minute. “There have been talks with a few people and we are hoping that George Ramsley will be able to rehearse as an
understudy,” Hansford said. In another blow to the cursed production, the show’s director Helen Raw was knocked down by a car this weekend but it is thought that Ms Raw is recovering well. However in another turn in the plot it has been reported that Mr Flitcroft has made a full recovery and will be appearing on stage tonight in his original role. Speaking yesterday Mr Hansford is confident that the show will be a success; “Whilst the show has had its run of bad luck with injuries and illness we are now raring to go and put on the finest footlights show that Edinburgh has ever seen.” Tickets are available at http://www. edfootlights.com/ news@studentnewspaper.org
Footlights: Sink or swim?
University campus under inspection for extremism
Institutions targeted as possible terrorist threats Harrison Kelly
HIGHER EDUCATION Minister David Lammy has announced that he is introducing surveillance at several UK institutions suspected of religious extremism. The move comes after the arrest of alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab for trying to blow up a f light to Detroit on Christmas day. It is claimed Mr Abdulmutallab, was radicalised at University College London where he was president of the UCL Islamic Society. Mr Abdulmutallab is the sixth member of a UK student Islamic Society to be arrested for suspected terrorism offences. Lammy told BBC Radio 4's The Report , "We have identified universities for whom the risk
UCL: At the centre of the debate surrounding campus extremism is greater and they have to work closely with Special Branch, and so I think it is a partnership between leadership at universities and the police." He added, "We do not recognise a caricature of a significant risk across Britain. However, the body representing Islamic Societies in universities denied there was any link between student groups and terror plots. Qasim Rafiq, of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (Fosis) told the BBC: "There is no
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evidence or no substantial evidence to suggest there is a radicalisation of extremism taking place on campus, as people have suggested." He said students were more likely to be radicalised by watching the "bombs fall on Iraq". It is extremely doubtful that Edinburgh will be named on the list of recognised Universities but Lammy declined to name the institutions in question, saying he did not think that would be "helpful". news@studentnewspaper.org
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Nothing but an Own Goal Mike Witcombe tackles the recent conflict over superbowl advertisements
IT WAS inevitable, really; those in charge of advertising during America’s sporting showpiece, the Superbowl, decided that politics and sport are not such strange bedfellows after all. Little surprise, then, that the issue of abortion would find its way both to headlines and TV screens. It’s also not surprising that it’s those on the conservative end of the scale who have the spare change to pay for an advert. And also that those on the other side are rather upset about it. So, at the one end of the field there’s Tim Tebow, former superstar quarterback for the University of Florida, future National Football League player. Mr. Tebow, son to Christian missionaries, stars in the advert for Focus on the Family, a group offering, 'practical,
Biblical advice on marriage', which tends to revolve around telling people that abortions are bad. Facing off against him is ManCrunch, a gay dating website whose Superbowl advert was rejected by the same television network (CBS) that happily pocketed cash from the evangelicals. The infamous Tebow advertisement hasn’t been released yet, but even aside from basic factual concerns, it’ll presumably involve emotive pictures of the happy Tebow family - happy because they didn’t get their future NFL star aborted. What those so keen to call CBS ‘sexist’ or ‘homophobic’ (two of the milder epithets found on left-leaning news site Huffington Post) forget is that the Man-
Crunch advertisement points to equally stupid stereotypes, and even more cynical marketing. As a gay man, the accusation of CBS being homophobic bothers me. In the ManCrunch advertisement, two men are watching the Superbowl (neither wearing the jersey of a team actually playing in the Superbowl), and in celebrating a touchdown, realise their attraction; leading to enthusiastic making out. Here, we’ve got the stereotype that gay men don’t understand sport (the wrong jerseys), wedded to the stereotype that gay men can’t control their libido (dry humping in a public place), starting from the counter-stereotype of gay undertones in physical sports. But ManCrunch probably never
expected to get their advertisement past the CBS executives. In submitting such an obviously low-budget and excessive advertisement, there seems little intention to create a Superbowl advertisement and more intention to create Youtubefriendly publicity. I’m not excusing Focus on Family, a group whose evangelical ideology and open homophobia I find repugnant. And I would love to see America comfortable enough in its sexuality for two men kissing on TV to be as uninteresting and overdone as I find its straight equivalent. But this isn’t the main issue. That it remains so easy to stoke the fires of hatred in Obama’s America is the only thing worth taking out of this whole mess. The buzzwords common to the Bush era
are still simmering beneath the surface. The constant rejection of gay marriage bills and Focus on the Family's paranoia around ‘state-funded abortions’ is evidence enough of this. You want to demonstrate that women have a choice when it comes to abortions? Stop blocking necessary changes to women’s healthcare. You want to prove that the traditional model is the best for family life? Stop panicking at the mentioning of the word ‘gay’ and find out. All this overblown nonsense about Superbowl advertising is pointless anyway, do we really think the American public are so idiotic as to get swayed by what does or does not get shown to them while they’re getting another beer
Banal Nationalism
dan smeeth
Alexander Lawrie questions what it truly means to be Scottish, and takes the SNP down a few pegs Whilst avoiding the traditional clichés of equating nationalists with certain unsavoury right wing characters, I have always been puzzled with the idea of Scottishness. More specifically how this makes one different from someone who is not deemed ‘Scottish’. Is it true that I have more in common with a person from the Hebrides than someone who is from Newcastle Upon Tyne, simply because we are within the same political bloc? The border separating North from South is more arbitrary than geographical. Such questions strangely never seem to be asked or answered by the nationalists. Trying to find out what makes someone ‘Scottish’ or ‘not Scottish’ is very hard indeed, if not impossible. However, the nationalists do not have any illusions as to what makes someone ‘Scottish’. Fiona Hyslop has written that “I was brought up as a child in England but my father wanted to make sure I knew about my Scottish roots and identity. He even laid the Wallace tartan carpet in the hall in our house. I learned about my country by being a Scot away from it, starting from those early days when I learned to crawl on that carpet.” So for Mrs Hyslop a mythical and magical carpet, designed for tourists, is enough to justify oneself as ‘Scottish.’ Surely the nationalists have a stronger definition than the rather old hat arguments of whiskey, tartan, kilts and bagpipes? Dave Thompson, an MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has said, “I have been very conscious of my Scottishness ever since it was drummed into me in school by a teacher of English who took great delight in rapping my knuckles with a ruler every time my Doric emerged in class. The Independent Scotland I
want will have none of that discrimination and our differences will be celebrated.” Mr Thompson’s views at a glance appear to hold more validation, but what is clear is the inherent paradoxical nature of nationalism. Differences will be celebrated as long as you are classed
as being part of ‘Scottish culture’. I do not speak Doric or Gaelic, in fact those living in the highlands and islands are as different from me as those living south of the border. His argument also ignores the other native languages that once inhabited this land, such as Pictish. So the idea
of being unified by a commonly shared language does not hold up. This nationalist idea of a unique and unified ‘Scots’ people is quite simply mythmaking for political purposes. It is espoused by the political elite in an attempt to divide us into neat little boxes; ‘them’ and ‘us’. If you look at the history of Scotland you will find various different peoples inhabiting this land; Picts, Norse, Norman, Scots and Brythonic, to name a few, have all dabbled here. But these peoples did not come together in some kind of harmonious union at the behest of a divinely inspired vision. Instead, it was due to the political endeavours of individuals aspiring to create their own ‘little kingdoms’, to carve out titles and lands for themselves. If we are indeed different from those who are south of the border, then surely Shetland, which was forced into union with Scotland, and perhaps has more Nordic cultural links, should be given independence? The same philosophy could be applied to the Highlands and Lowlands seeing how we are as similar and different as we are to the English. However, this further subdivision would not benefit Alex Salmond’s political agenda. Even Salmond is ambiguous in his definition of nationalism; he famously stated, “Nations are nations if they feel themselves to be a nation. And Scotland overwhelmingly feels itself to be a nation”. Again, there is no attempt to explain this idea of what constitutes a nation, just patriotic sounding gobbledygook. Still, it is in his interest not to open this Pandora’s Box of defining ‘Scottishness’. Taking this all into account, the idea of a unified group of ‘Scottish’ people does not make logical sense. It never existed in the past, and looking at the continued migration of different
peoples today, it would be rather silly to continue preaching this irrational idea. Scotland today is as diverse as it was thousands of years ago, and to put up barriers would merely reinforce xenophobia. Statements from Alex Salmond, such as “[Scotland] had 1,000 years as an independent nation before the union” should be challenged because they are untrue. The nationalists should show this apparent 1000 years of nationhood rather than simply being allowed to broadcast nice sounding, if incorrect, sound bites. Instead of allowing the political establishment to divide us up into manageable units and create mythical cultural barriers, which can lead only to ‘them and us’ attitudes, we should question the assumption that we are unique and separate from the other peoples on this planet. We should not allow ourselves to be blinded by flag waving and brainwashed by films like Braveheart. Nor should we allow the likes of Alex Salmond to paper over historical evidence in his attempt to become Laird of Scotland. Ultimately, I believe that independence and separation from England will not solve the riddle of ‘Scottishness’. Alex Salmond will still not have his unified realm. As soon as the traditional definition of ‘Scottish’ as ‘not English’ fades away, deeper questions will arise that the SNP cannot answer. Perhaps the Highlands will move to be separated from the Lowlands and Shetland may decide that being ‘Scottish’ no longer defines them adequately. What is to become of the people living on the border is another question up for debate. Who knows what the future may hold.
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Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Comment 9
So long for the city Joshua Jones argues that Britain needs a more diversified economy
a month into the new decade the world has already been treated to its first round of premature predictions about how the planet’s next super sized game of monopoly will play out over the next ten years. The World Economic Forum’s most noteworthy forecast at Davos last week was that the developing economies would, this decade, need to be seen as ‘equals’ alongside those developed Western economies. No longer could China, India and Brazil be seen as rookies at the table alongside the Grand masters. This much is obvious of course. China and Brazil appear to have the entire export market at their fingertips while India’s massive potential for consumerism makes it a sleeping giant on the verge of capitalist consciousness. It is not the economic rise of a country such as China which is so surprising; aside from the last 500 years China has traditionally been the economic superpower of the world. It is the reaction of Western commentators who now debate over the efficiency of a truly liberal form of Capitalism. The Chinese ability to give capitalism a socialist face has been far more effective in changing hearts and minds in the West than anything the Soviet Union ever mustered. The dominance which the developing economies will eventually have over global economics is inevitable and the resilience of the developed world will be tested. China is the largest holder of US debt, however America remains an essentially industrial power and is likely to remain a scientific and technological leader of the world. Similarly Japan has reacted first to the likely changes arising from economic fear of climate change as emphasised by its early dominance in
RESPONSE BETHANY’S ARGUMENT rests on an apparently reasonable, but ultimately unsustainable comparison between the Catholic church and political parties. She is quite right in saying that left wing parties could not be expected to hire a member of a far right organization, though this is not a logical comparison. A far right party member could not be expected to make a positive contribution to a leftist party, but there is no reason to suggest that a gay man could not make a contribution to the Catholic church just because he was gay. This is because the Church’s body of teaching is so much more than just opposition to gay sex. Both parties and religions are broad organizations with a variety of different competing strands of thought, and just as the Labour party wouldn’t stop me from joining it because I didn’t believe in one of its polices, the Vatican should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis that a candidate doesn’t conform to a single, tiny strand of its moralizing. To make this argument one has to assume that the sole purpose of Catholicism is to stop men from sticking their nobs in each other. It’s not. Dan Nicholson-Heap
the eco-car industry. What about Europe then? France and Germany have the largest agricultural base and industrial base in Europe respectively while the latter still provides the majority of the world’s exports. This balance of power is unlikely to change too much given the security on trade which the EU provides. That leaves Britain behind, much in the same way as it has been the last major economy to emerge from recession. Britain’s late revival from a recessive stupor is not an isolated occurrence: Britain has been in decline since the Second World War and neither Keynesianism nor Thatcherism have done anything to stop the descent. Statistics paint a picture of Britain as a one trick pony power for which not even that trick has worked. Britain has the sixth largest economy in the world yet has the largest financial sector in the world. The service industry, to which London is the major contributor, makes up 73% of our GDP yet we have a higher level of relative poverty than any other country in the EU. Our economy is overly reliant on recessionprone financial services which fail to provide enough adequate wealth for all of our citizens. The majority of the public probably have no knowledge of these figures but appear to have fallen out of love with the financial services regardless. Banker’s bonuses did not cause this financial crisis but the furore surrounding what Bankers earn indicates that the social contract between the people
and the City is broken, if it ever existed But, when the walls came crumbling down in London, where could the country look for wealth? The lack of any kind of diversification is the main reason why we took so long to move out of recession. Manufacturing makes up only a sixth of the economy in Britain and much of that consists of foreign owned British businesses which often rely on cheap foreign labour rather than employing British workers. Kraft’s takeover of Cadbury is a topical example of this situation. What Thatcherism created and-
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When the walls came tumbling down in London, where could the country look for wealth?" Blairism protected are economic policies which have little regard for any kind of social consequences as long as the country makes more money in global markets. Thatcher’s policy of destroying Britain’s coal industry went too far and thousands lost their jobs so Britain could import cheaper coal and further narrow its economy into the weak and unreliable one it is today. What Britain needs now is diversification through investment in industry
The Dorothy Perkins Taliban
which would solve our problem of unemployment while going further to protect us from future financial crises. But where should we invest? It appears that low carbon energy industries are where wealth will be in the future. Britain should commit itself to industries such as wave power, wind power and reopen its mines through investment in the Carbon Capture and Storage industry. Britain has massive potential for all of these industries in terms of raw materials. The truth is that Britain has struggled to deal with its perennial decline through the last century and as a result its position in the world is at best ambiguous; at worst negligible. The world is no longer the same place as when Britain was an economic superpower but the least we could do is protect ourselves from future economic turbulence through diversification and commitment to trying to keep as many citizens as possible employed. ‘Manufacturing’ may be a retro word in the British economic manual but ‘financial services’ is one term which currently commands too many pages.
HAVING ALREADY had the big-hitters (Blair, Straw, Campbell, Goldsmith) round for questioning, the Chilcot inquiry looked like it was winding down. However, just as it seemed it was more or less over, steaming across Parliament Square on Monday morning came that ever present shit-stirrer of British politics, Clare Short. The former International Development Secretary is like her own one woman Taliban, popping up from the hinterlands of Westminster every now and again to chuck an IED into British politics. It might be the vast, steel-grey helmet of hair, or the mouth that never moves (even when she speaks), or the fact that she seems to plough relentlessly on, no matter what gets chucked in her way, but I'm convinced she's made out of pure granite. She's not human at all; not born of the loins of man and woman, but fashioned under the heat and pressure of a Polynesian volcano, dug up by a tribe, dressed in outdated Jaeger suits and dodgy Dorothy Perkins scarves and shipped of to the UK to be a low-ranking Cabinet minister.
Created Equal?
Bethany Sharp supports Pope Benedict's critcism of Labour's Equality Bill
THE MOST senior job in British Government, the Prime Minister, is barred to people from only one religious denomination: Roman Catholics. The heir to the throne is still not allowed to marry a Roman Catholic. Now let’s talk about equality. ‘A violation of natural law’, were the words chosen by Pope Benedict XVI in his condemnation of Labour’s Equality Bill last week. In his speech, the Pope praised Britain ‘in its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all’, but he also commented that the recent legislation had gone too far and was conflicting with religious freedom. An amendment to Harriet Harman’s Equality Bill, which is going through Parliament, would mean that the Catholic church and other religious organisations would not be able to opt-out from the rules for so-called ‘non-religious jobs’. Many other prominent religious groups also opposed the amendment including the Church of England and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I spoke to Father Timothy Calvert, the Parish Priest and Catholic Chaplain to the University, who commented ‘Human beings do not receive their
dignity or their fundamental equality from the state or through legislation: they have it by nature. Governments ought to defend and protect that equality, but they don’t create it or confer it. We saw in the 20th century what the world looks like when we give the state more power than it can properly have.’ However,it was revealed last Wednesday that Harriet Harman has now backed away from potential confrontation and issued a statement in which she made clear that the bill would not include the key amendment which clarified the definition of ‘non-religious jobs’. According to the 2001 census, 72% of the population were registered as Christians. With regard to the Scottish population, 17% described themselves as Roman Catholic and 42% are affiliated to the Church of Scotland. Thus, when religious leaders speak with one voice (and there is an election in the offing), politicians tremble. However, it is clear that rational discussion on the subject of religion and its interaction with politics is difficult because it seems to provoke kneejerk reactions against the Churches. It is clear that this is not simply a case of the Catholic Church - and other faiths - imposing their views on the gov-
ernment. Father Calvert commented that, ‘the role of government is [also] to protect all the natural rights of its people, including the right to religious practice. So the right of the Catholic Church in some circumstances to expect employees to accept the teachings of the Church should be defended by the state wherever possible.’ Discrimination and prejudice are wrong and should be exposed, and there is a great deal of hypocrisy around - shall we talk about the fact that there are few job opportunities for people with learning disabilities? What about the entirely understandable and appeopriate reluctance of Gay Support organisations to employ homophobes? Would the Socialist Worker’s Party really employ a BNP member as legal advisor? Should women’s rape crisis centres be forced to employ males? Is it really so unacceptable that the Catholic Church and other religions would ask that its employees accept and live by their teachings? We are all born equal and we are all equal in the eyes of our creator (whoever you may or may not believe that to be). The rights of the individual are important, but the rights of religious organisations must be respected too.
ROCK 'ARD: Clare Short Her testimony to the inquiry was classic Clare. True to her volcanic origins, it was if she'd been storing away her spleen for the seven years since she resigned frrom the Cabinet, ready to errupt at the opportune time. Thar she blew; splattering the panel with claims that Blair leaned on Goldsmith to change his legal advice on the wear's legality and that the Cabinet and Parliament were misled into supporting the war, all in that wonderful through gritted teeth Birmingham brogue, the stenographer left in her wake, struggling to catch up. She's clearly a bitter woman with an axe to grind who didn't have the courage to resign when it would have an the biggest impact, but she neverthless has been one of the few mainstream figures willing to expose the corrupt and undemocratic nature of the way decisions are taken in our country. Stir on, Clare, stir on. Dan Nicholson-Heap
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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SHAN BERTELLI
ear potential reader, we can see that the bright and zany colours of our new ‘Editorial’ banner have finally grabbed your attention. And, if you are astute or indeed weird enough to have keenly studied the little grey box way down yonder on this very same page, then you may have noticed the minor reshuffling of the of ye olde staff box. As a result, we bid a sad farewell to our former editors Susan Robinson and Charlie King, who changed our lives forever (or at least our energy levels) with the purchasing of a fancy ‘Tesco value’ kettle, bourbon biscuits, and well posh ‘PG tips’ tea bags. It injected our working environment with a certain joie de vivre. And then there was the paper too. Speaking of which, and now making a very conscious shift into third person discourse, Kim McLaughlan and Shan Bertelli have officially commenced their reign of terror, tyranny and pillaging
of small farms as the new editors of The Student. The takeover has thus far been painless and for the most part, full of joy. We arrived on a bus from Timperley a few days ago and moved our meagre belongings into a Pleasance basement ‘office’. We don’t expect our upbeat attitude to last past the typical honeymoon period of a week or so. But hey, at least the issue of love reflects our current state of intoxicating merriment. On that note, sadly the staff here at Student, unlike our Feature’s writers this week, will not be experiencing a hell of a lot of loving this Valentine’s Day. Cue the smallest violin in the world playing the saddest song ever in the whole entire universe in self-indulgent self-pity. Then again, this is probably only decent and proper when considering the romantic restrictions imposed by a dingy basement office, a stinky overflowing bin, and the odd sounds which crank from the pipes and blow even the tiniest potential for lusty glances into smithereens. Yes that’s right, we don’t get out much. So, in order to appease our poor love starved newspaper, we would like to send you, yes YOU, the fresh faced youth of Edinburgh University, on a sexy date with our romantically challenged sections. Nb. This doesn’t include our resident man-seeking feminist writer....
MALE, ROUGHLY 22 YEARS OLD, GUITAR PLAYER, SMOKER WITH NSOH (NO SENSE OF HUMOUR): ‘I am tall and gangly, with dark,
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unkempt hair. The skinny jeans that I adorn my body with accentuate this. They also accentuate my butt crack, largely because it is always on show, which is probably because my jeans do not fit me. I bought them this way. I normally don’t stir from my studio until the late evening. After a fag and cup of Nescafe instant, I head to some dive in town to down IPA and discuss the genius that is Morrissey with my like-minded mates. I am seeking a soul-mate who understands Morrissey’s lyrics and how shit everything is. I love Morrissey, I love Morrissey, I love Morrissey. Please love me... please?’
FEMALE, 19 YEARS OLD, CULTURE VULTURE WITH GSOH: ‘I am art. We all are. Even the ragged terrain of the nooks and crannies decorating the pavement is art. People are just so fucking narrow minded. Narrow minded masses with no individuality, fucking sheep, working their mundane artless office jobs, merely surviving, never creating anything of beauty. These people most definitely are NOT art. Theatre is art. Architecture is art. Mozart is art. Weekends in Rome are art, the opera in Venice is high art. Daddy says that when I graduate, I can work for him at Bonhams auction house. Tres fantastique.
MALE, 20 YEARS OLD, SHERLOCK HOLMES OBSESSIVE, NSOH:
‘I am always on the prowl. Always hungry for more, my raison d’ etre is the pursuit of a juicy story. Uncover all, question everything, leave no stone unturned, accept that you know nothing, and then you’ll be alright. Now you see, Sherlock Holmes, although he was undoubtedly fantastic, had one major flaw which prevented him from achieving god like levels of celestial greatness, namely that he just wouldn’t
The Student is always looking for budding reporters, reviewers, illustrators, photographers and designers to join our team.
ANATIDAEPHOBIA: The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you (term coined by Gary Larson, The Far Side). Cartoon by Sam Kirk sell his story to the press. (Let’s conveniently overlook Sherlock’s drug addiction, of course). What? He’s not real? Penguin edition 2005? I don’t believe you, you’re clearly
Teviot Row, Bristo Sq Debating Hall Wed 17 February 10.00am – 4.00pm
orchestrating my deceit you darned deceiver you! I question all!’
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IN THE STUDENT THIS WEEK
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Playing it safe
With Sexual Health Week coming up, Sara D'Arcy exposes the darker side of sex. ex has increasingly become an acS ceptable subject for discussion. From who you are intimate with, to
your favourite position, it's the hot topic of house party conversations. Nonetheless, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) continue to be a taboo, even among the people that you are getting the most intimate with. But why are STDs still the elephant in the room? Unprotected sex is frowned upon left, right and centre. Nobody admits to it. Yet most sexually active people
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Unprotected sex is frowned upon left, right and centre. Nobody admits to it. Yet most sexually active people have an ‘oops’ moment once in a while." have an ‘oops’ moment once in a while. One student at the University of Edinburgh explained that she is careful when it comes to STDs, but admits that, “we all think we are fairly cautious about STDs, but when you are caught ‘in the moment’ it is very easy to let all ideas of them go out the window.” Another student admitted that, “sex occasionally slides into the realm of risk-taking when I’ve had one too many drinks. It's easy to be blasé about wearing a condom when your inhibitions are down.” It just shows that students may act sex savvy in public, but once the sheets are pulled back, we are all guilty of the odd lapse. According to Avert, an international AIDS charity, cases of STDs are rising rapidly. In 2008, there were 399,738 new diagnoses of STDs recorded, compared to 261,608 in 1999. Chlamydia, especially, has more than doubled in recorded diagnoses between 19992008. Meanwhile, the NHS purports that approximately one in ten 16-24 year old men and women has the infection, with 75 per cent of women and a high proportion of men showing no symptoms at all. With the student ‘free love’ lifestyle, under 25s and people who have had at least one new sexual partner in the past twelve months are most in danger of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). One student admits that, “I always
thought of myself as sensible and on-the-ball when it comes to sexual health”, and, despite knowing all the facts about STDs, confesses that safe sex “doesn’t always happen.” She thinks that young people are not cautious enough when it comes to STDs: “I think most of the sexual health awareness campaigns during secondary education focus too much on pregnancies, and not enough on STDs. There is an increasing presence of NHS ads on TV and in teenage magazines though, which is obviously increasing awareness, but I still think that there needs to be a lot more focus on STDs and STIs from an earlier age.” Another student found that secondary school sex education effectively covered the risk of
unprotected sex:
“In school the agenda was to scare us as much as possible by showing us horrific images [of people with STDs], and then shoving condoms into our hands. However, there was one really memorable talk by a HIV positive woman, who was touring schools trying to dispel the stigma against AIDS. She made quite an impact on a number of people because her story was so sad and she was someone like us, who didn’t fit the stereotype.” Confronting the stereotype of STDs requires a serious change in attitudes, at both local and international levels. Many people believe that statistically it will not happen to them, and brand STDs like HIV as a virus that only homosexuals suffer from. Despite current HIV awareness campaigns, which often portray male
couples as the victim of the disease, one female student articulates that people often “get their
GUM clinics, NHS groups and voluntary sexual health services (contact details are listed below). I asked students at the University of Edinburgh how they found the experience of going for an STD test. One female student
priorities wrong” when it comes to the risks of unprotected sex: “they worry that they may get something like Chlamydia, while they are also at risk from far more serious, non-curable conditions such as HIV.” In 2008, The Observer conducted a sex survey which questioned 1,044 UK adults aged 16 and over on the practice of safe sex. 88 per cent of people surveyed stated that they have never contracted an STD, while only 19 per cent admitted to having been tested for HIV. Furthermore, 29 per cent of people questioned confessed that they do not always practice safe sex with a new partner, highlighting that you can never be sure that your partner is in the clear unless they have had a full STD test. STD tests are available at most
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With the student ‘free love’ lifestyle, under 25s and people who have had at least one new sexual partner in the past twelve months are most in danger of contracting a sexually transmitted infection." stated that, “it was strange telling a total stranger my sexual history. But everyone was so kind and professional.” A male student found the experience just as trouble-free: “it was easy, quick and painless, but the two weeks wait is a killer.” A male student initially felt uncomfortable about going for an STD test: “I was
nervous, and the waiting room was a little awkward, although we were all there to get checked up and were all in the same boat.” The worst part of the experience for him was receiving “the results over the phone in a monotone robot voice. It's a good idea, but still fairly terrifying in the pause after AIDS. But it is good to know all was in working order.” Whatever the outcome of your STD test, it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. Most STDs are curable with antibiotics, which is a much-preferred option than if left untreated, which can result in infertility and varying health problems. One male student said that he takes “one in between every partner just in case. Telling someone you gave them a disease from your ex would just be awful.” While another student expresses her relief at knowing she is all clear: “it beats worry and uncertainty any day”. So this Valentine’s Day, make a new start and get clued up on STDs. A female student boasts about how good it is to be aware about you and your partner’s STD status, confessing that, “when you know that there is nothing to worry about, nothing is sexier.”
Useful contacts: EUSA's Sexual Health Week is running from the 8th until the 15th of February. The C:card scheme offers free condoms for everyone. See www. ccard.org.uk for your nearest C: card point. Your nearest GUM clinics: Department of Genito-urinary Medicine Lauriston Building Lauriston Place EH3 9HA 0131 536 2103 Healthy Respect Deaconess House 148 The Pleasance EH8 9RS 0131 5369454 Caledonia Youth 5 Castle Terrace EH1 2DP 0131 229 3596
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
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Features
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Love is in the air. . . In the name of St. Valentine, The Student teams up with 'our Graham' to pair eight hot singles looking for love, or something like it... Date #2: Natalie Donald and Callum Southwell Date #1: Jamie Mackenzie and Emma Meehan Venue: The Argyle Jamie: Depends which impression counts as the first! I must admit I facebooked her before we met and my impression was that she was
fun and chatty. When I met her, the chat we had walking to the pub, I got the impression she was outgoing and cheerful. We talked about uni, work, music, and then somehow we got on to past relationships,
which was a little less cheerful! There weren't any awkward moments
I don't think... The most striking feature about her was her bright red ladybird umbrella! I think we got on pretty well, and I'd be glad to
see her on a night out, but I don't think there was really any romantic interest.
Venue: The Stand comedy club Natalie: He was very curteous when we first
met. We chatted about everything, from degrees, to the barmaid, who was actually chatting me up too (and she gave me a job!). It could possibly have been awkward when I fell into my
neighbour's bath, but I'm not entirely sure as I don't
remember. I guess this morning was a little awkward too. Callum's most striking feature? The fact that he has to
re-apply his elastoplast to his piercing ever hour or so. I don't know about the future, but he's here just now as I'm writing this.
Emma: First impressions? He was tall and had a great smile! The conversation flowed
immediately, so it was great that it wasn't awkward at the start. We talked about music
and festivals for ages, and talking about the worst jobs we'd ever had took up a lot of time! We debated the merits of the Cowgate v. George Street and other uni chat. We spoke
briefly about past relationships - both of us are just out of serious relationships, aghh! There weren't really any awkward moments. His most striking feature was his great sense of humour and just the ease of getting on really well immediately. and again, his lovely
Callum: She was amazing and talking to her was really easy, it was a very honest night. There weren’t any awkward moments, we both had a bit too much to drink for that! Her most striking feature was her amazing personality. People told us they thought we were already together,
even though we had only been on the date for about ten minutes! As for future potential, well I am seeing her tonight...
smile. There's great potential for friends, probably nothing more than that, for now, due to our very recent single statuses!
What state is your love-life really in? Ever wondered if what's going on between your sheets matches up to the lives of other students? Take this Valentine's Day Quiz to find out how dire, or decadent, your love-life actually is... 1.For you, Valentine’s Day means: a) A card from your mother, with a pink teddy bear on it b) A great way to get laid c) It’s about 6 weeks until Easter
2. The last time you said ‘I Love You’ was to a) Your little brother b) Your flatmate after you accidentally slept together when a session on mdma went horribly wrong c) Your cat; Pickle
3. Love is a)‘…all around us, and so the feeling grows..’ b) A good shag c) A pathophysiological change resulting from endorphins binding to g-protein coupled opioid receptors in the brain 4. You are most likely to find a lover a) In the library (Philosophy section) b) Busting some grooves on the upstairs multicoloured dance floor at Cav c) In the KB labs
5. Your most frequent chat-up line is : a)… If music be the food of love, play on… b) Your tits look awesome in that top! c) What is your opinion on the new Tory policy on educational reform? 6. Your tipple of choice is a) Blue Nun b) WKD (*or replace with any other fluorescent coloured alcopop) c) A cup of tea
7. Your idea of a perfect date is a) A romantic walk up Arthur’s seat b) Getting lashed down George Street then snogging all the way home in a cab c) Isn’t that a type of fruit? 8.You would cook a romantic meal of a) English roast lunch, naturally b) Forget cooking - just get a Dominos take away c) Tofu and brown rice
9.What film would you take your date to? a) Pride and Prejudice b) Avator (mostly for the weird alien/human/freak sex scenes) c) A David Attenburgh documentary
10.You currently fancy a) Your second cousin, Randolph Fortescue Fitzwilliam b) Your sexy Italian tutor who you suspect is trying to seduce you by suggesting you need “extra grammar lessons” c) Doing a phD on T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’
11. Your seduction soundtrack would be a) Radiohead- Kid A b) Peter Andre ‘Mysterious Girl’ c) Mozart Clarinet concerto no.5 12.Your usual method of communication is a)..I speak from the heart. b) Facebook chat c) x+ a = (b-c) sin/cos THE RESULTS……….
Mostly a’s – Your head is clearly in the clouds. It’s time for you to get real and stop dreaming about finding ‘the one’ at university (hardly ever happens). This means cutting lose from your mother’s apron strings and embracing your sexuality, and occasionally staying at the pub after 12pm. Mostly b’s – You can go out on the lash all you like but at the end of the day you’re still very much single. Not to worry, however, from our (*very wide*) research it appears that this is the case for a large proportion of party-hardy Edinburgh students, who will eventually end up with a 9-5 accountancy job and 2.4 children. It’s all to come. . . Mostly c’s – Er. . . the less said the better. Your love-life is pretty dismal. In fact, we predict that you couldn’t even pull at the Big Cheese. Ouch. On the brightside, you (might) have a cat that loves you. Our advice? Join Guardian Soulmates before it’s too late. Or emigrate. *Disclaimer: The Student doesn’t concede in any way that there may be some students who do not fit into the three categories above. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Juliet Evans
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
features@studentnewspaper.org
Features 13
Date #4:
Dan Nicholson-Heap and Gabi Jones Venue: The Cameo Bar
A SINGLETON LIFE
Gabi: Initially he seemed a bit scared about the whole thing but after a while he was more comfortable, so that wasn't a problem. He was an attractive guy, but not my type, so I wasn't attracted to him in terms of looks. We talked first about
ourselves and then related things, for example, our mutual interest in films and politics, we didn't run out of chat which was
nice. There were a few awkward moments, especially between conversation topics, but they became shorter and less frequent. He has lovely bone structure and a nice face which is always a good thing! Future potential? Not on a romantic level - there
wasn't any chemistry and I tend to go for people who are a bit older, but I got on with him well and I'd definitely see him again as friends. I'm glad I went.
Dan: I was more nervous about going on a blind date than I first thought, partly because I'd never done it before but mostly because the picture of me the features editors chose to send to Gaby made me look a Bjorn out of a really shit ABBA tribute
band. Nevertheless, it worked out pretty well. It was fortunate that we'd come from quite similar backgrounds, knew the same
people and both studied politics, so we had a loads in common to talk about. There was an awkward moment when I had to go to the loo for the third or fourth time and had to assure her that I'd drank loads of water at the gym earlier in the day and actually didn't have a bladder problem. Gaby was incredibly easy to talk to and was one of the most engaging people I'd been on a date with. The free drinks were good as well.
Date #3: Chris Hicks and Juliet Evans Venue: The Brass Monkey Chris: My initial impression was that she seemed like a really nice girl who I would get on quite well with. From the
beginning it seemed like it would be fun. You know when you meet someone and you can tell right away that you will get on? It was like that. The only awkward moment was when the date ended. I wasn't really sure what to say. Other than
that no, we got on quite well. We talked about lots of different stuff., music, nights out we like/dislike and why. Films, tv
shows, societies we are involved in, festivals we have been to. It was never a struggle to find something to talk about. The most striking thing about Juliet was how passionate she was about the things she liked such as her Gap Year, music she was into, the society she is involved in. As to any future potential, well if Juliet is interested then yes...
Juliet: After a few pre-drinks to quell my nerves I entered the Brass Monkey to find
Chris already there. My first impression was his amazing ginger hair! A doppleganger flash crossed my mind when he reminded me of a certain presenter from TFI Friday, this was even more disconcerting when I realised that his name was a mix of both of ours ('Chris Evans'), but it only added to making the evening more funny, perpetuated by his great sense of humour. During our epic three and a half hour date we bonded over a mutual love of Ali G, house music, and the fact that we had both survived the
horrors of living in Arctic conditions in Uni flats with no double-glazing. Were there any awkward moments? I don't think so at all! Would I see him again? Well, he's got my number...
Date #3: Tom Hutchins and Stephan Venue: The Cameo Bar Tom: Unfortunately I was not born with a silver tongue, rather, a more bared and acidic version which made writing up my blind date rather difficult. To be frank I was roped into this blind date razamataz because being Edinburgh University we just HAD to have a gay couple involved, so I was both dreading the date and equally looking forward to ripping the shit out the lump I was stuck with. So I suppose the most awkward moment of the night was discovering my date was not some sweaty mass but this 6ft 5, charming, blonde, geourgeous git. Great now, I have to suck in my stomach all night. So after he dared to be physically attractive I felt I really needed to throw down the gauntlet of banter, and wouldn’t you bloody know it he has chat too, well except about Blue Peter, but that’s another story. As for a future I’m not ready to buy into certain friend’s fantasy of three adopted abalian children and a cottage in the Cotswolds but as for a second date I’m more than up.
Stephan: My
first impression of Tom was definitely good. I have never been on a blind date before, and was excited but I was also lowering my expectations - I couldn't
imagine who I was going to meet. After seeing Tom I was quite relieved that he was good-looking and seemingly nice! We talked about so many random things, and didn't
talk about boring introductory things like "Where do you come from?", but rather about what we were interested in. Plus, we shared funny stories which gave the whole date a relaxed atmosphere. For me, the most awkward moment was coming into the pub first. I had hoped he would already be there, but I had to sit at the bar and wait - the staff just gave me weird looks which almost made me want to run away. The most striking feature about him was that he was very natural, which was great because I like it when
THIS WEEK I have been asking every person of the opposite sex whether they are single, in the hope that I, or one of our blind daters, would have more luck this Valentine’s Day. Initially, Blind Date promised to be a
chance for me and the other single Features team members to hook up with some eligible bachelor. That was until a startling amount of women applied, which subsequently led to me fiercely searching for willing men, and kicking my dormant dating self into shape. The number of men I have met in the past week is beyond a sexually frustrated, 40 year old divorcée’s imagination. Single men have been everywhere. But once I to start to get all ‘Cilla Black’ on them (trust me, there is such an approach as the ‘Cilla Black’), they start to run for the hills. Take Simon for instance. A cute, laidback guy, whom, upon asking the abrupt question: “Are you single?”, replied with “WHAT?!” and a seemly confused expression. Where could I be going wrong? Well, for starters Cilla Black didn’t need to worry about her forwardness. She was married at the time, and had ‘our Graham’ to fall back on if this went completely pearshaped. While I, alas, have the depressingly obviously Facebook status of ‘Single’ glaring me in the face every time I log on. Yet some of these alarmed men, whom I solicited, did take part in the Blind Date feature, of which you can read the outcome of on this page (it is rather sadistic idea, but you fellow singletons out there will love it). So, I guess my prolonged singleness is becoming a backlash against those coupled up in the upcoming romantic festival period. Therefore, I am going to be ‘celebrating’, or commiserating, my singleness on Singles Awareness Day, with the aptly labelled acronym SAD. Fittingly, SAD takes place on February 14th, providing these fat, ugly mutants with an alternative festival, namely a festival that makes fat, ugly mutants feel socially adequate. Now I wouldn’t necessarily like to openly label myself as a fat, ugly mutant (see photo above to agree/disagree), so here is an alternative list of reasons why you should reject the conventions of Valentine’s Day: 1) One should not define one’s self by their relationships with others. It is called self-love and it’s beautiful. Deal with it. 2) You should have realised by now that Valentine’s Day is a commercial holiday. C’mon. You’ve seen the bears, the cards at the door of the newsagent’s and the ‘loved-up’ chocolate, if ever chocolate were loved-up. It sickens me, and it sickens the commies to think that fat cat bankers are cashing in on our sweet romances. 3) According to researchers at the University of Edinburgh, people who are single tend to have busier social lives than couples do. 4) Valentine’s Day is named after a Christian martyr called Saint Valentine, and only became related to erotic love in the 14th century. So all the atheists out there should quit being hypocrites by celebrating this Christian holiday. Have I converted you against Valentine’s Day yet?
people are open to me from the start. I loved the fact that he was quite chatty so time went by really quickly (three and a half hours!). Is there any future potential? I don't know yet, but I would like to see him again.
Sara D'Arcy
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Art lover? Review it: culture.thestudent@gmail.com
14 Review
CULTURE
NO EXIT
COMMISSION #4: Joanne D. Norris
RUN ENDED BEDLAM THEATRE
COMMISSION IS a regular feature which gives weekly slots to students from Edinburgh College of Art. The 11 artists chosen to take
part are drawn from a wide variety of disciplines and have been asked to create totally new work in response to this particular setting.
Giant Image inspired by the novel Life of Pi by Yann Marter.
Anything Goes: backstage
THE LEGACY of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit is resurrected in Bedlam’s commanding production. Ushered in by music that injects the small stage with atmosphere, the performance toys with tension and emotion. Situated in hell, each character’s position is ambiguous, making the gradual revelations especially powerful. A valet introduces each of the three characters to the claustrophobic space. With a secret smile, he remains disinterested as they appeal for mercy. A puppet master, he steps back out into the shadows. Each seems convinced there will be a method of physical torture, unaware the truth will be something far less tangible. The mantra of “hell is other people” delicately hovers for a long time before it is spoken. Each protagonist carries their sins on their shoulders, their mere presence illustrative beyond words. The actors inherit the qualities of the characters they portray. In manipulating their appearance, their interactions are all the more compelling. Inez dominates the others, Estelle and Garcin; her attraction towards the former and icy reserve towards the latter displaying both repulsion and bewilderment. Estelle is girlish, her arms wrapped around herself indicating both neediness and denial. Her decision, however, that they refer to themselves as ‘Absentees’ as opposed to ‘the dead’ removes a morbid dimension from the play.
The character of Inez is so unpleasant that the clarity and tone of her voice in song is particularly magnificant. The last line ‘come to see the merry show’ reverberates as she begins to violently pull her two companions strings. She cleverly appeals to Estelle’s vanity and Garcin’s conceptions of masculinity. Only she is aware that they embody the instruments of torture they fear, and begins to tease details from her counterparts’ lives. Her own frank admissions
“
The mantra of “hell is other people” delicately hovers for a long time before it is spoken" interplay powerfully with her demeanour. Vulnerability pushes Estelle and Garcin together fleetingly. Only here does Estelle let down her barriers, unfold her arms. As Garcin removes his jacket, leaves his shirt un-tucked, he exposes himself to his surroundings, acclimatizes himself to this new reality. As the play draws to a close, Estelle furiously attempts to strangle Inez. The realisation that it is futile – they are already dead, and in a sense untouchable – leads to near-hysteria. It ends on a note of discord and suspension, light-hearted music beckoning their curtain call. No Exit brings a new leash of life to the realm of the dead; a journey through Hell has never been so enjoyable. Christine Johnston
Lisa Parr catches us with producer, Sam Hansford, cast members Mark Laverty and Matt Shipman and Footlights President Katie Foster as the crew prepare for opening night... So, what’s the show about?
MS: Except he's dead.
ML: The show is basically a farce of mistaken identity with two romantic links, which are Billy and Hope, who already know each other before they get in the boat, but Hope is getting married to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, who is a wealthy Englishman. Not what she really wants, but her mother is forcing her into this marriage. And then Billy stows away on the boat in an attempt to win Hope back. K: Oh and there are some Chinese converts involved. ML: In the meantime we play strip poker with these converts. K: And throw a dog overboard. MS: And we get a telegram at some point saying that Public Enemy No.1 is onboard our ship, and I mistakenly think it's Billy and because I’m obsessed with having celebrities on the ship I revere him, until I find out that he’s not Public Enemy No.1. S: When they think he is Public Enemy number 1, rather than arrest him they actually make him the honorary captain of the ship. It’s like a parody of today’s celebrity culture. K: It’s like Celebrity Big Brother on a boat. S: Like Heat with tap dancing. ML: I think that is about the best summary you’ll get. If you rang up Cole Porter, he’d probably give you the same answer. S: Except quieter.
What’s the difference between Footlights and the other university theatre companies? Would you say that they have different characters? K: Because we do one big scale production, that’s got a big budget and so much time and energy going into it, we always aim for as professional a production as we possibly can. Footlights is a big commitment, it’s long-term. S: Bedlam or Savoy for instance, there’s a lot of people working on different projects, but with Footlights it’s all for one massive project. How many people are working on the show? S: It’s a cast of thirty, about twenty in the band, and then the tech team and the production team and box office staff. So it’s nearly a hundred people. Have most people in Anything Goes been in quite a lot of productions? S: It’s a mixture. Some people who are brand new to university are in Footlights, some people have been in a couple of things. K: It’s nice having a lot of new people, it keeps it fresh. I think in musical theatre there is a danger that if it’s always the same people all the time it can become quite stale.
In rehearsal for the big night Do you think the scale of the production makes it closer to a professional experience? K: I think that’s partly the ethos behind Footlights. When I’ve spoken to previous presidents that’s always what they’ve tried to maintain in the society. ML: I think in the professional world you get a very short sustained rehearsal time, like it’ll be eight weeks, whereas we’ve got four months, but in that four months is everything you’d get in the eight weeks in the professional world. It’s just that we all have so many other things to do; we all have degrees to do. I feel that Footlights is the closest, in musical theatre terms, that you would get to a professional experience. K: A lot of cast members have gone on
to do amazing things. Any highlights or best moments of putting the show together? K: Band call is one of my favourite rehearsals. The first time we get to hear all the band playing. That usually only happens a couple of weeks before the show. So the entire cast gets together and it's the first time we sing with the band. When you’ve been rehearsing with the piano for months and suddenly you hear the brass section playing that one little bit – it’s incredible. I think that’s my favourite bit, apart from the actual performance itself. MS: I think that’s one of my three. The other two are when you first meet
everyone who’s in the cast for the first rehearsal and do a read through, because it is so different every year that you have no idea who’s going to be there. And the other one is when you get into the theatre and see what the set is going to look like beecause you just get a whole feel of where the show is actually going. S: For me, the best part is still to come, which will be Tuesday night when it starts. When the band plays the first note, I’ll just sip on my gin and be very happy. K:We’ll be behind the curtain just going mental when the overture’s playing, just before the curtain goes up. What the audience don’t know is the whole cast are behind the curtain dancing around like crazy. The overture is so good and it just psyches you up for the rest of the show. That’s a good bit. ML:The band call is one of my favourite bits and also those tiny moments in rehearsals when something finally clicks and goes right. The other night when the band were in and we were all dancing at the same time and it was the last time we did ‘Anything Goes’, which is the big number at the end of Act I, and it just felt great – like we’d actually achieved something. MS: And after that nobody says anything, you just feel that buzz, like ‘this is going to be really good’. Anything Goes opens tonight at 7.30pm at the Church Hill Theatre and will run until 13 Feb. All profits from Wednesday night will be donated to Waverley Care, for whom Edinburgh Footlights raised £1500 last year.
Theatre buff? Review it: culture.thestudent@gmail.com
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Review 15 STAR RATING Terrific Swell
All right and all
Yellow Phoney
To instruct and delight
In two major new shows, The Fruitmarket has been turned over to Toby Paterson's paintings of post-war architecture while the Talbot Rice investigates 'The Art of Explanation'. Sarah Hardie and Kamila Kocialkowska are on hand to give their reviews... DRAWING FOR INSTRUCTION
TOBY PATERSON
UNTIL 6 MAR
UNTIL 28 MAR FRUITMARKET
TALBOT RICE
SMUGGLERIUS UNVEILED
YOU’D BE forgiven for thinking that Tony Paterson is not an artist, but an architect when you first see this show. The first floor, in particular, appears to be devoted to some upcoming Zaha Hadid, as all the work consists of meticulously accurate blueprints and wooden macquettes of buildings. But no, Paterson doesn’t design buildings, he just paints them, repeatedly. Post-war architecture in particular, forms the basis of his entire visual language. All the works on show here; paintings, prints and installations, abide within the simplistic aesthetic of interlocking geometric forms and perpendicular angles. In other words; the whole Fruitmarket has been overtaken by an extensive tribute to Postmodern blocks of concrete. It may not sound like the most thrilling premise for contemporary art, but somehow it works. The first floor is particularly impressive, due to its exceptionally inventive curatorship. The entire gallery has been transformed into an extensive installation. Large wooden frames are suspended from the ceiling, each with a Perspex painting neatly arranged within it, like a network of stained glass windows. The works are all depictions of sixties architecture, reduced to their elementary structure of flat, coloured shapes, more reminiscent of Lego blocks than houses.
UNTIL 6 MAR TALBOT RICE
DRAWING FOR Instruction recognizes the extent to which drawing is used in so many different disciplines as a method of teaching. Visitors to this exhibition will most likely be familiar with the diagrams from one or another discipline, while the most of the others will read as so many marks, lines and colours. Through this sort of looking, relationships are formed between distinct areas of study, allowing us to see architectural drawings as similar to those of the plan and elevation of an eighteenth-century harpsichord; becoming for once part of the same language they evolved from: human creation. Also featured are, as we might expect, a number life-drawings taken from the eca archive. The funny thing is, that in life-drawing classes these days, the examples shown are often referred to as “what-not-to-create”: it’s alright for a drawing to look like it is from the 50s only if it is from the 50s. Drawing for Instruction represents a range of drawings spanning a hundred years, enabling us to observe the changes in style over time. And not only this: they show us the privileged styles by tutors of certain times - a history of the teaching imperative of eca, if you like. Perhaps surprisingly, art historical references can even be read into the Royal (Dick) Vet School’s contribution. A massive print of a man sitting
William Pink Smugglerius c. 1834 (installation view), photography Antonia Grant on his rearing horse (both of whom are reduced to skeletons) references the equestrian sculpture of Charlemange and Jacques-Louis David’s famous image of Napoleon. Indeed, some of the most interesting pieces of “art” are the Vet School’s contribution. Colourful, diagrammatic drawings on old pieces of cloth, used to teach students before slides became common technology, form an impressive wall hanging. For those who do not speak their scientific language, they become nothing more than simplistic marks and colours on the wall, like clip-art flags heralding brains and arteries. Here, they are transformed into a language we all understand. “Art” is both everything and nothing in this exhibition; it is everything, in
that all academic, pictorial representations become art (from models of molecules to clip-art like flags); and it is nothing, in that when these formerly utilitarian drawings are placed in the art gallery they are emptied of original meaning in art's service. Smugglerius Unveiled, an installation by Joan Smith and Jeanne Cannizzo, with photography by Caroline Douglas, is based around one of the old casts (with a fascinating history) from the eca collection. The musculature of a man who was hanged in 1776, impressed anatomist, William Hunter so much that instead of dissecting him for medical purposes (as was commonplace for criminals), he was immortalised as a cast , to be used for life-drawing purposes. The drapery the
For J.D.: With Love and Squalor
artists have placed over the cast, alluding to his unveiling after so many years of storage in eca, his missing skin, and the cap that was placed over his head when he was hanged is what makes the photographs more about light caught in the material than anything else. Though beautiful, floating in their georgian niches, a level of cynicism in me can see the photographs as something any art student could do, and the idea as rather too associated with the eca’s desperate revival of its cast collection in order to reap their economic value. On the whole though, the ominous photographs are very strong. Everything and nothing comes full circle in the Talbot Rice. SH
OLIVIA FLOYER
Nearly 2 weeks after his death, J.D Salinger's final legacy waits to be seen. Meanwhile, Calum Barnes remembers adolescence and Holden and all...
IF YOU really don’t want to hear anymore about it, that’s just too bad. Although Salinger has been artistically dead as far as the public have been concerned for over forty years, his passing has provided the necessary closure to reflect upon his work and career without fear of lawsuit. Predictably, there was a knee-jerk
spate of gushing tribute articles to the famously reclusive author. Many took that most lazy of journalistic angles: they excavated examples from their work to support that Wildean precept that life imitates art. In the case of Salinger, it just seemed so easy - a writer whose most famous protagonist refuses to fit into society, then completely withdraws from it. Or so the neatly tragic, media-friendly narrative would have us believe. Ironically since his death, there have been numerous testimonies from close friends and neighbours which have attested to how ‘Jerry’ was a perfectly amiable, if slightly reserved, man about the town. Not quite the deaf mute who retreats into the log cabin never to speak to anyone again. Journalists did not seem to want to face up to the fact that perhaps he wasn't willing to talk to them in order to protect himself from insufferable articles such as this one. Even if trying to piece together Salinger’s life proves problematic, what cannot be disputed is his literary output. Inevitably this has drawn everyone back to his only novel, The Catcher in the Rye. There is very little one can say that has not already been said about it already. It is near-impos-
sible to refute its indelible impact on popular culture. When I read it at the age of fourteen, I was just as convinced as everyone else that I, and only I, was Holden Caulfield; despite the fact that I was not at boarding school, had never hung around jazz clubs or hired a prostitute. A novel that was at first thought to capture the alienation of that post-war generation has since been proven to encapsulate the alienation of adolescence in general, somehow managing to transcend historicity. Salinger’s accessible prose, even in the now outdated 1940s New
“
According to friends and neighbours, 'Jerry' was a perfectly amiable man about town" York vernacular, successfully exudes the naïve anxiety that one feels at that age, the feeling that there is surely something more to life, a feeling that has only become more acute since the novel’s publication almost sixty years ago, as religions crumble and the media merely serves to make the
world even more incomprehensible. This has all invariably been said before. What has not really been mentioned though is The Catcher in the Rye’s importance not only as a coming-of-age novel but as a coming-of-age in reading. I turned to the novel during that awkward period in one’s reading career when you feel too old to be reading children’s novels yet too young to enter the daunting world of adult fiction. For me, The Catcher in the Rye provided that bridge, and in the same way that I have not been the only one to believe that I was Holden Caulfield, I am sure that I do not represent an individual case. Now as the initial media furore over Salinger’s death subsides, the selfish speculation begins about all those rumoured manuscripts that are hidden in his basement. While it remains unclear whether there will be any posthumous publications to materialise from the house in Cornish, New Hampshire, his literary legacy is already well secured on the very slight body of work that we do have, whether Salinger would have cared to hear about it or not.
“
The whole Fruitmarket has been overtaken by an extensive tribute to Postmodern blocks of concrete" However, arranged amidst this gridlocked infrastructure, they transform the entire bottom floor into complex tangle of partitioned pathways. This makes for hugely engaging viewing, as you navigate the maze-like tracks, surrounded by different artworks on all sides. Paterson proceeds to subject his paintings into numerous reconfigurations, so that this entire show works as a continuous progression of different media, whilst always remaining rooted in a unifying aesthetic. The next gallery is almost empty, displaying just a grid of small photographs, of abstracted architectural elements. It’s a beautiful transition from the congestion of the previous room. Upstairs, these same structures are rendered in a large, spacious installation. Oblong murals of municipal grey are painted along the room, which is wholly reshaped with site-specific constructions. Panels of jutting angular rectangles are grafted onto the walls like a supplementary annex of askew, tilted angles, renovating the whole gallery. This economic arrangement manages to re-interpret Paterson’s strong graphic style with great imagination, providing a satisfying conclusion to this show, and proving that a simple idea, beautifully executed, is all you need for great art. KK
Tuesday February 9 2010 film@studentnewspaper.org
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16 Review
Film
How to...
...Get Nominated for an Oscar
We’re in the flurry of awards season: first the Golden Globes, followed by the Screen Actors Guild Awards and then, the Grammys. But the coup de grâce is of course the Academy Awards where directors, actors, writers, make-up artists, costume designers and countless of other entertainment employees come together to celebrate one another on this flamboyant eve. An Academy Award nomination is one of the highest acknowledgements an actor could receive, and while they are all “just so pleased to be nominated”, every single one of them would kill a puppy for that blue ribbon. So let us examine some of the prerequisites one must achieve to have their name called out when the envelope is opened “and the winner is...” read aloud.
1. Gain or lose a significant amount
of weight: Charlize Theron did it. Along with a monstrous make-over, her almost thirty pound weight gain was one of the key points in demonstrating her thorough devotion to her craft which is, after all, what acting is meant to be. Alternatively, while Hollywood may be obsessed with the size 0 phenomenon, the ‘emaciated/collapsing-into-myself’ look is slightly less appealing for all. Just ask Tom Hanks who won his first Oscar after dropping some serious pounds to play AIDS-stricken Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia.
invictus Directed by Clint Eastwood From the director who brought us Changeling and Million Dollar Baby, Invictus hits the notes that you would expect and indeed want a Clint Eastwood blockbuster to reach. The scene of the piece is set smoothly: as the viewers are all well aware of the life and times of Nelson Mandela, Eastwood runs through the South African post-apartheid era with economy. It is summed up in one shot, as groups of footballers, one white and one black, play on opposite sides of a road, divided by a gate, and then we see the convoy of Mandela’s prison guards as he is released back into the world. Far from the plodding narrative of the usual dramatisations of Mandela, the historical moment is quickly set and the political crossroads arranged. A crucial moment comes in the form of the Springbok rugby team which Mandela (Morgan Freeman) controversially decides to retain, in ‘colour, emblem and name’, despite their Pro-Apartheid image. It is indeed the playing field of the 1995 Rugby World Cup that Mandela sees as the place for reconciliation and
national unity. The rigour and the brutal manoeuvrings of the Springbok rugby team as they train for the challenge contrasts well with the gentle clock-work pacing of Freeman’s Mandela. In the run-up to the cup, a close and interesting relationship develops between Mandela and the Springbok captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon). With Morgan Freeman sneaking out of dull political negotiations to hear about the developments of the game and Matt Damon visiting the shockingly small cell of Mandela’s previous
Youth in revolt Directed by Miguel arteta
2. Play a mentally ill or physically
disabled character: do like Tom Hanks did, but make sure you obey the rules of Tropic Thunder and stay away from “going full retarded”. Avoid losing the storyline in the dilemmas of being disabled – most audiences want to be inspired, not pushed into a depressed stupor. As Kirk Lazarus said: “Ask Sean Penn, 2001, I Am Sam. Remember? Went full retard, went home empty-handed...”
3.
If you’re straight, play a gay: Hanks, Penn and Swank have all batted for the other team with hot make-out sessions to boot, and have the shiny bald naked man to show for it. Heath Ledger did it too, but lost out to Phillip Seymour Hoffman who played a homosexual...better?
4. Do anything to do with the holo-
caust: Ricky Gervais hit the nail on the head when he wrote that ingenious tip into his Extras script. Poor Kate Winslet tried and tried – five nominations and it wasn’t till she played an illiterate Nazi that she finally won.
5. Don’t be Leonardo DiCaprio. The
man is a walking bad luck-charm… Every film he has done since the early noughties has screamed, “Give ME one too!” And yet for whatever reason he’s lacked the Midas touch needed to snag him that long-awaited win. May we suggest he go gay for pay? So there you have it, five sure-fire ways to get ol’ Oscar on your mantelpiece. Good luck and don’t forget to thank Film in your winner’s speech! Wanja Ochwada
occupancy, it is inspiration which lies at the heart of this alliance and indeed in the centre of the film. The constantly flicking action works well to show the diversity of this nation, one in which township and mansion stand side by side. A township, which is riddled with bored children at the beginning, is shown to be empty, save a flea-bitten dog, as everyone crowds around the nearest television screen. In this way, the action and the plot move well between the two worlds of sport and politics and certainly evoke a strong set of emotions that are mostly
The princess and the frog Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker Disney’s new release The Princess and The Frog is a delightful combination of our old favourites with the new. Tiana is a young girl living in 1920s New Orleans whose life is suddenly complicated by the appearance of Prince Naveen (who, unfortunately, has been turned into a frog). Tiana is offered the chance to realise her dream of opening a restaurant, but only if she agrees to kiss the frog prince and break the spell. However, things don’t quite go as planned and Tiana finds herself turned into a frog instead. Now she must collaborate with Prince Naveen in trying to become human again. Using the same hand-drawn animation that brought previous Disney classics to life and with a just-as-catchy soundtrack, The Princess and The Frog is a return to the films we used to watch as kids. Although today’s generation might be more familiar with Disney’s High School Musical and Hannah Montana, they can surely delight in this tale of princesses, princes and happily-everafter. This (supposed) adult certainly
did! This film has generated more interest than usual not only because it’s a diversion from the recent releases of Disney Pixar, but also because Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is Disney’s first African-American heroine. Known for her performance alongside Beyoncé in Dreamgirls and her role in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Rose certainly has the credentials. Oozing spirit and determination, Rose gives a magical performance in both her guises as Tiana and a frog. Her musical pieces are so engaging that it’s difficult not to root for her. Considering the film is an animation, credit is due to Rose for capturing the audience this way. Many contemporary animations make increasing use of CGI and other special effects. However, these aren’t needed here to make this film impressive. The animation is gorgeous and the characters well constructed. With The Princess and The Frog, Disney proves it can’t be beaten in making its audience leave the cinema happy and fully satisfied. Angela Meek
Screening Times Cineworld Daily : 10.45 13.10 15.35 18.05 20.30
Michael Cera has always been one of the Marmites of the acting world. But even those firmly on the hating side should give Youth in Revolt a chance. Although it has all the credentials of the typical Cera flick – awkward virgin tries to win over girl of his dreams – it is actually surprisingly deep. Adapted from C.D. Payne’s cult classic novel by the same name, we enter the melancholy world of Nick Twisp (Cera), an aspiring novelist who has a little touch of Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye about him. As Nick narrates, we hear his innermost thoughts and feel his frustrations at living in a world in which Steve Buscemi (playing his deadbeat dad George) manages to get laid while his son remains a virgin. In a desperate attempt to woo the love of his life Sheeni (Portia Doubleday), Nick creates a rebellious alter-ego, Francois (also played by Cera, but with added moustache). Youth In Revolt can be seen as Cera’s first steps in breaking out of the mould created by Juno and Superbad. There are still traces of his trademark nervousness, but his relatively deadpan delivery hides a sharp intellect and mo-
handled with care. Freeman’s Mandela has the dignity and warmth he is famous for, although his South African accent is never quite convincing. He does however feel a bit like a cardboard cut-out at times, lacking the same depth of character that Damon’s Pienaar achieves. His dialogue in particular seems wooden, as if he was constantly speaking in philosophical rhymes like Confucius. Combining this with a soundtrack in which pop ballads like ‘Colour Blind’ feature and symbolic montages of black and white swathe, the emotional message begins to spill into sentimentality. The well-crafted choreography on the rugby pitch, however, restores the film’s power, as the camera weaves cleverly in slow-motion through the very scrum of the game so that even those to whom rugby means simply men in shorts, will be watching each movement without blinking. While at times bordering on being clichéd, this is a performance which brings freshness to the character of Mandela while also giving South Africa a more hopeful image than films like Tsotsi have done in the past. Claire Moran
Screening Times Cineworld Daily: 11.15 14.15 17.15 20.15 rose nature, proving that he isn’t necessarily a one-trick pony. When tackling the alter-ego Francois, Cera captures the essence of the French (Sheeni’s love of all things French inspires Francois’ creation) without the dodgy accent: world-weary and rude, Francois delivers sharp quips while puffing his cigarette. The interaction between the two makes for some entertaining dialogue as Nick swings between admiration and disgust at Francois’ delinquent ways. Before this starts to sound too much like a roller-coaster of angst, it’s time to mention that this film is hilarious. Featuring some truly memorable scenes and dialogue, it never sacrifices the emotional core of the plot for a cheap laugh - except perhaps for the strangely recurring theme of being trapped outdoors wearing only underwear, but, to be honest, that’s always funny. Its attempt, however, to secure itself within the “indie” teen comedy market is perhaps the one thing which lets the film down. Inevitably, this means we are drowned in a myriad of cutesy folk tracks, apparently appropriate for any possible situation in life. On top of this, director Miguel Arteta sprinkles various artistic flourishes throughout, a favourite being slow-motion, which only has varying success. The most notable of these quirks, however, are the animated sequences. Each is created in a different style and, although charming and inventive in themselves, they seem a little out of place with the serious character of Nick. Lastly, some advice. Don’t make the same mistake I did and spend large proportions of the film wondering whether Michael Cera’s legs are actually that disproportionately long or whether it is the result of his high-waist trousers. It gets distracting after a while and the film itself is far more interesting! Clarisse Loughrey
Screening Times Cineworld Dai;y: 11.40 14.00 16.20 18.40 21.00
Theatre buff? Review it: culture.thestudent@gmail.com
Tuesday February 2 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Review 17
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
18
Don't go anywhere without your iPod? Email: music@studentnewspaper.org
Review
MUSIC
Wayne Looney Lil Wayne goes rock. The new Jimi Hendrix? More like the new Jimmy Krankie, says Michael Russam
“
Rather than take advantage of his flow, Wayne prefers to express himself through garbled croaks, saturated with autotune"
LIL WAYNE Rebirth CASH MONEY
IN MANY ways it’s almost hard to believe that this record is actually being released; but, after being pushed back almost terminally, when Amazon erroneously shipped around 500 to customers two months ahead of schedule in December the entire prospect of Lil Wayne’s much discussed rock album became a whole lot more real. After lighting a fire under the ass of mainstream American hip-hop with 2008’s acclaimed “Tha Carter III”, he’s got free reign to do what he wants, and almost surreal levels of unpredictability were always a part of his whole thing anyway. But a rock album? The results are as frustrating as you’d expect.
MIDLAKE The Courage of Others BELLA UNION
ON FIRST impressions, the folksy guitars, harmonised vocals and prominent use of flutes which characterise ‘The Courage of Others’ create a sound that would not seen out of place at Woodstock or the early days of the Glastonbury festival. The constant lyrical theme of nature and a sound reminiscent of the likes of Neil Young and of course Jethro Tull, combine to evoke visions of woodland communes and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, whatever that is. For those of us that shun tie-dye clothes and don’t believe showering is evil, however, Midlake’s third album offers something genuinely worthwhile. Musically, the aforementioned acoustic guitars and wonderful harmonies produce an atmosphere of melancholy which is hauntingly beautiful. This album is far from immediate, but after a few listens and once the masterfully weaved melodies have ingrained themselves on your subconscious, even the most hardened cynic will be struck with a sudden urge to dance naked around
Stonehenge on the equinox. Opening track and first single ‘Acts of Man’ sets the tone immediately, with lines such as “When the acts of men cause the ground to break open” and “If all that grows starts to fade, starts to falter, let me inside not to wake.” It’s this sense of melancholy, dealing with themes such as of man’s destruction of nature, which dominates the album from start to finish, Having said this, later tracks give the impression of an album having run out of ideas. There are moments of greater experimentation, such as the bluesy guitar riff on ‘The Horn’, but these are merely glimpses of Midlake’s experimental abilities, quickly giving way to the familiar sound that was established early on. Happily, at just over 40 minutes, the album is kept relatively short and sweet, so instead of dragging on, ‘The Courage of Others’ provides an enticing opportunity of escapism into something truly magical. Buster Stonham
Tellingly, it’s a frustration borne of the fact that Wayne could be doing so much more, so much better. It’s no coincidence that the tracks on here that work best combine Wayne’s idea of rock music with vocals that echo his mind bending verses of the past, (as on 'Da Da Da' and 'One Way Trip'); these songs are in the minority though. Rather than take advantage of his playful and flexible flow, Wayne here prefers to express himself through frequently garbled croaks saturated with auto-tune. The problems don’t end there. Next is Wayne’s apparently horrendous taste in rock music. His influences most often appear to be sub-Lenny Kravitz funk rock, latter day nu-metal and even 80’s synth-rock on the abhorrent “On Fire”. Lyrically, Wayne spends a great deal of time exploring rock's worst tendencies, largely in the form of sometimes blatantly adolescent angst, (particularly on single “Prom Queen”). Bright spots are few and far between. When “Drop the World” emerges with a promising beat, actual rapping and an Eminem feature, it begins pretty well, but its soon crippled by a big, overblown rock chorus and lyrics from both emcees that are somehow both naively self-satisfied and self-pitying. Still, perhaps not all hope is lost; “Tha Carter IV” is out once Wayne finishes an upcoming jail sentence. Let’s just hope for his sake that his last release before he does time doesn’t wind up sticking in people’s memories too long.
FRIGHTENED RABBIT Nothing Like You FAT CAT
FRIGHTENED RABBIT are the kind of band that could save your life. Not physically; I wouldn’t count on Scott Hutchison pushing you from in front of a bus the split second before impact or anything, but when it comes to your heart and soul, they’ll do a pretty spectacular rescue job. So, it’s February 2010, and everything’s fucked, but look, here come the Frabbit with a brand new record just in time to pull you back from the brink. New single ‘Nothing Like You’ perfectly charts that moment of epiphany, the pure joy of getting over a breakup by, presumably, having a good ol’ one-night stand. ‘She was not the cure for cancer,’ sings Scott Hutchison, ‘and all my questions still ask for answers/But there’s nothing like somone new/And this girl she was nothing like you.’ Succinct and more melodic than a thousand melodicas: welcome back. Andrew Chadwick
BRIDE OF CHUCKY: The Swedish techno-pop musical edition MIIKE SNOW Glasgow Stereo FEBUARY 4TH
MIIKE SNOW is not just one man called Mike. Nor are they a rabbit with antlers. Rather six men in black satin shirts and white masks took to the stage on Thursday at Glasgow’s Stereo, claiming to be the band. The Swedish group are a spin off of the production team Bloodshy & Avant who were responsible for Britney Spear’s ‘Toxic’.They didn’t play ‘Toxic’. Not once. Despite this crushing disappointment, they put on a decent live show. Opener 'Burial' is catchy and
light and at odds with the alienating masks the band wear. Indeed, their thick atmospheric sound is almost too epic and theatric for the tiny venue. I found myself picturing them at a festival or arena or better in some sort of Matrix-apocalyptic rave, just not a tiny Scottish bar. 3 songs in the masks come off revealing the lead singer to in fact be Jesus, which is funny because when I first heard ‘Toxic’ I thought ‘Only Jesus could have made this track’. Wyatt’s vocals are oddly melancholy, his lyrics touching upon loss, loneliness, and death but the crowd don’t seem to notice and dance with abandon. This is Miike Snow’s first headline
tour following their debut album and while nothing they play rivals ‘Toxic’ for sheer infectious brilliance, ‘Plastic Jungle’ and ‘Animal’ make a decent effort. This is techno music stomachable for those with an indie-rock palate and catchy enough to dance to after a few cider-blackcurrents. While in the past they’ve produced tracks for J.Lo and Christina Milian amongst others, Miike Snow use their artistic freedom to make altogether more intellectual challenging pop music though lacking the painfully studied quirkiness of their Scandinavian techno-contemporaries. Overall, a detoxifying experience. Catherine Sylvain
Love Lost or loathe it? Email: tv.studentnewspaper@googlemail.com
Tuesday 9 February 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Review 19
TV
Lost? You should be
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET
Craig Wilson tries to get his head around Lost's final season
THE LAST SUPPER: Jesus was bald and Judas was Iraqi. Just two of the many things we can learn from Lost. f you haven’t been watching Lost and Ithose were wondering what happened to plucky survivors marooned on
the mysterious island, then allow me to bring you up to speed with season five: time-travelling zombies. It’s safe to say that in recent seasons logic appears to have fallen off the deep end and has still to come back up for air. Yet somehow the opening episode of season six has plunged Lost deeper into realms of absurdity and lunacy that only the creators of LSD could have envisioned. “LA X” is a two-hour spectacular that deals with the aftermath of the survivors – who are trapped in 1977 for reasons I couldn’t possibly explain
here without several nose bleeds and a nervous breakdown - detonating a Hydrogen bomb on the island. With each season Lost has succeeded in staving off stagnation. Once flashbacks had filled every nook and cranny in the character’s past, we glimpsed their futures with ‘flash-forwards’. After their destiny appeared to have been set, they flashed through time- this is where Lost first jumped the shark. Now in season six, 100 episodes in with only 15 remaining, we jump the shark once more with the innovative yet convoluted ‘flash-sideways’ that flip between alternative universes. The two alternative universes stem from dropping the H-bomb. In Universe X, the nuke prevents a catastrophic event from occurring in the Seventies
and thus breaks the ill-fated chain of events that crashes their plane on the island thirty years later. In this universe Oceanic Flight 815 lands safely in LA and, had it done so from the start, I
“
The worst CGI since Mega Shark versus Giant Octopus delivers one of Lost's biggest mindfucks yet" wouldn’t have jeopardised my degree by spending an ungodly amount of time deciphering this show. The other outcome, in what I call
Universe A, has the nuclear bomb being exactly the event that starts the chain that brings down the plane that begins the show that destroys my degree. The past can’t be changed and what’s done is done. In Lost, wealth is measured in terms of answers and Universe A is undoubtedly the richer of the two. A huge revelation involving the Smoke Monster and the ghostly apparitions seen on the island is superb; nothing too explicit but enough that it has far-reaching consequences. Jacob’s role as wise elder to (yet another) group of Others begins with Hurley finding a new sense of purpose. In terms of the big picture, Jacob’s nemesis reveals his intent and confirms that John Locke was nothing more than a tragic pawn. Then there’s Universe X. The plane never crashes on the island but all is not well; everything is slightly different. Presumably the island’s influence has been nullified by the nuke and it’s not clear if this was for the best. Strangely, it’s here that the most enjoyable scenes take place. The new first meeting between Jack and Locke exudes a natural charm that has been absent from Lost for years now. And the promise of reconciling this alternate universe and playing with the role of destiny might keep flash-sideways from feeling like a gimmick. Also, the worst piece of CGI ever seen since Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus delivers one of the show's biggest mindfucks yet. I realise that I’m only watching Lost because I’ve succumbed to Stockholm syndrome and, after five years, need closure. It’s been a hell of a weird ride so far but “LA X” gives me hope that the writers might actually make the landing on this one. I just wish they didn’t have to invent a new universe to make sense of it all.
Get Mo for your money
Dan Nicholson-Heap is moved by Julie Walters' touching turn as Mo Mowlam
B
iopics of British politicians are few and far between because British politicians like Mo Mowlam are few and far between. In five or ten years, deep into the next Tory decade most of the middle-ranking nobodies that have staffed the Labour governments will be forgotten and Mo Mowlam will be one of the few that will be remembered, helped in part by Channel Four’s excellent docu-drama, Mo. Starting in the months before the 1997 General Election, we are shown her discovering and dealing with cancer, seeking peace in Northern Ireland, and her decline after her retirement from politics. I’m not sure if there’s any higher praise than saying that Julie Walters looks and sounds exactly like Mo Mowlam. She gets the high-pitched, prissy voice, the distinctive back straight, tits-out gait and her straight-talking political style all almost absolutely right. Walters is supported by an excellent cast; Steven Mackintosh is a wonderfully slippery Peter Mandelson and Walters’ Billy Elliot co-star Gary Lewis takes on a deservedly prominent role as Mowlam’s deputy, Adam Ingram. David Trimble, Martin McGuiness and Gerry Adams are cardboard cut-outs, but at least they looked and sounded like who they were supposed to be (with the exception of Adams, who appears to be played by Groucho Marx).
The most disappointing part, especially for someone who came to it mostly for the politics, is how politically sparse it is. The bulk of the programme is devoted to her work in Northern Ireland, but she doesn’t appear to do anything. She seems to have been little more than a court jester; whipping off her wig and opening her legs in order to unnerve the delegates, but not seeming to do much that contributed to the success of the peace process apart from the occasional inspiring speech. This does her a tremendous disservice, vastly underestimating what she did to bring the two sides together. She was a
joker, and she was unorthodox, but she was also a highly skilful negotiator, but this does not really come across because Walters spends most of the time running between rooms batting her eyelids at all and sundry. There’s a fair number of clumsily-directed scenes: one in which she watches a child with Down's syndrome singing karaoke, and another near the end when she re-visits a care home for young adults she’d opened. These come across too cheesily when compared to rest of the programme, which, by and large, is very shrewdly and sensitively put together.
JULIE WALTERS: Finally making up for those awful Asda adverts.
Nevertheless are harrowing moments that are beautifully done. Not previously knowing what radiography involved, watching Walters having a transparent plastic mask fitted onto her face, and then hearing the menacing electrical buzz of the machine alongside the strains of pop music played to relax her was really quite unnerving and brilliantly executed. More than one national newspaper reviewer has described Mo as ‘hagiographic’ (portraying someone as a saint). This, though, is very unfair to director Philip Martin. Yes, one of the biggest potential problems with dramas like these is that the central character’s flaws are ignored and the whole thing turns into an hour-long canonization, but Martin manages to avoid this quite well. He shows how she lied to the country about the seriousness of her disease (her cancer was malignant, but she told the media it was benign) despite the potentially perverse influence it could have had on her judgement. More than once, Mo shows that no matter how much she genuinely cared about the future of Northern Ireland, she was a politician first and she aimed for success for what it might lead on to in her career. It is largely faithful, both to her and to history, and gives us an insight into her life (though perhaps not her work) without cheapening her by laying it on too thick, a balance which other biographies don’t strike nearly as well as Mo does.
C
all it mere conjecture, but a change came over Family Guy, and it happened just around the end of Season 3. The change can be summarised by four main points: 1) By 2001 FG had gotten into a Season 3 groove where characters and structure had been established to the point that it started repeating gags for laughs 2) By now FG was certified cut by Fox, a network that never fails in its piss-poor decision making 3) The strength of the first three seasons meant that when they were released on DVD every student became a fan because, well, if you’re reading this and haven’t watched one episode of FG I’d be amazed. Which, four years later in 2005, leads to: 4) Fox re-commission FG. If it’s patronising spelling out that this decision, taken for financial and not artistic reasons, created a streamlining of the show, a loss of any friction for MacFarlane to work against, and turned it into an amusing but unassuming gag reel, then apologies, but everyone’s a FG expert these days. Whatever, something changed. And so here we are at The Cleveland Show, the spin-off of a show that’s by now spent longer inside the Fox tent than out. Spin-offs are fine, but with TCS it’s not immediately clear what they’re trying to do. I don’t think they know either. The whole thing reeks of an idea they thought Fox would never pass, but Fox don’t want to miss a trick and look like fools (again), so we get this. Aesthetically it’s like they’ve taken FG and sieved it through some 80s American family sitcom. Family Guy Lite is maybe being too generous. If so little of this review is taken up with actual comment on TCS, it’s because, as a programme it’s a Fox merchandiser’s wet dream, but it’s hard to see MacFarlane recalling it as a creative time in his memoirs. There’s nothing wrong with it in the exact same way that there’s nothing with FG nowadays: it is what it has been since 2005. TCS’s principal, apparently only, USP is that it’s the only American sitcom with a black family as the central characters. That’s pretty shocking in a myriad of ways, but in terms of the content of TCS I have no idea if this nominally black sitcom written and voiced by white folk borders on racism or not. MacFarlane et al aren’t renowned for their subtlety when offending and take fairly equal broadstrokes at whoever they see. But when your protagonist is a straight black man, making the wacky, crazy one of the otherwise white buddy group a Russian bear (a real, no fooling cartoon bear) isn’t insensitive so much as the early warning signs of a program without the comedic force of FG, nor the intelligence to make its own impact. Richard Dennis
Tuseday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Do you dream of electric sheep? tech@studentnewspaper.org
20 Review
Special effect
Tom Hasler loves pretending to be a shepherd MASS EFFECT 2 PC, x360, ps3 £24.99- £39.99 EA, BIOWARE
s I was finishing the campaign A of Mass Effect back in 2008, I was already aware that my decisions
would have some kind of reproductions in the games sequel. As with any BioWare game, Mass Effect had an interactive story with various decisions branching the narrative in different directions. By the end of the game you chose one of four different political scenarios, one of three game endings, one of two persona’s and a host many smaller decisions that alter the story in subtle ways. All this choice would, according to BioWare, be preserved in the next two games. No one knew what to expect from Mass Effect 2, especially how the game would cope with the burden of the first game’s established narrative. Jump forward two years where I’m starting up Mass Effect 2. I am given the option to import my character from the first game, which I naturally do, followed by a summary of my most important choices from the first game. This being the case, imagine my horror when in the intro sequence my character is killed and my ship destroyed. My investment of time, labor, even love has literally been sucked out of the airlock.
TECH ME IT'S WARM!
BAD DAY : When Gordon lost his car keys that morning, he thought things couldn't get any worse. Then, while I'm still reeling from Shepard’s death, the protagonist is resurrected, 6 million dollar man style. This plot device doubly serves as a rebirth for your character, allowing you to tweak your appearance and character class. It's a hell of a way to start a game, and it really has only just begun. As it turns out, your savior, and your new emplyer is Cerberus, an immensely resourceful Human Supremacist Cabal, essentially the BNP of the cosmos. However, Cerberus’
survivalist rhetoric rings a little truer in a galaxy with at least three distinct genocides are taking place for varying reasons. On top of that, they bribe you. Money and weapons are available to you in abundance courtesy of the organization's director, The Illusive Man, and yes that is his actual name, and no I’ve not misspelled elusive (neither have I misspelled ‘Shepherd’ BioWare seem to enjoy the odd deliberate grammatical error). The Illusive Man is unnervingly stoic and smokes like a Glaswegian terrorist, although
if I could bring people back from the dead the ‘smoking kills’ sign on a packet of cigarretes wouldn’t be quite so offputting. Having been assigned a new ship, you are then tasked to assemble a new crew for a new threat. The game’s setting and narrative is clearly calculated to offer a new perspective on the universe established in the first game. This, along with the numerous allusions to the previous game’s adventures and decisions give a wonderful feeling of continuity. Additionally, should you decide act like a
2010: the year we stay home
complete dick, having been a paragon of virtue in the first game, it affects the way characters from the first game respond to you, and you may well hear the words ‘You’ve changed’ on a regular basis. I may sound like I’ve been talking about a soap opera, rather than an action role playing game. Don’t worry, there's plenty of action to be had between the dialogue sequences and the intense cinematics. The combat system has been tweaked to be faster paced, with a new batch of heavier weaponry introduced alongside the original arsenal. On top of that are the various powers that you and your squad mates can deploy. You can also freeze the action and assign attacks to specific enemies. The enemy AI is top class, with dozens of enemy types each with their own tactics. It all comes together very nicely. There’s also a refurbished exploration system, sans the appalling Mako buggy sections from the last game. Instead you’ll spend most of that time surveying planets for minerals, a strangely addictive (if sometimes monotonous) activity, with the occasional anomaly prompting investigation on foot. Mass Effect 2 improves upon its predecessor with a more visceral combat system and a galaxy which actually rewards exploration. It sets itself apart with a darker, more mature storyline while giving a sense of continuity that no other game has managed.
he BBC reported this week that Richard Lane isn't going to the Moon, and neither are you, or anyone, ever. T climate scepticism is on the rise in a rather hastily created poll which has emerged after the world press f you happen to be a regular reader to change the face of space travel. It However, in terms of actual objecthe US. China put their first human has leapt onto the back of the UN’s I of Tech, you may have noticed wasn't. The design of Ares I was based tives Obama’s budget request is rather into space in 2003, and India plan to recent admittance that they made we have been keepign a close eye on (read: almost identical to) the Saturn V vague, and while I agree that a rerun do the same in 2016. While both are a a mistake in asserting Himalayan glaciers will have disappeared by 2035 like John Terry onto a French underwear model. According to the poll of 1001 individuals, there had been an 8 percent rise in climate change scepticism since last November, bringing the total percentage of climate change sceptics to 25% of the population. The alleged ‘mistake’ came as part of a three thousand page document detailing the various impacts of climate change. Yet somehow the possibility of the glaciers melting not quite as fast as was originally estimated has been taken by the populace as unconditional proof that climate change is not happening. In response to this, we have hastily created this Tech column in we would like to remind the doubters that 90% of of scientists are absolutely certain that climate change is occuring and that mankind is playing a significant role in the process . Please note the word ‘Scientists’, not druids who sacrificed a goat to the sun in order to find out when the world is going to end.
Richard Lane and Jonathan Mowat
the Constellation Project; NASA's construction of a new fleet of rockets to replace the ageing space shuttles, with the eventual prospect of maybe, perhaps, if you’re really good and eat all your vegetables and go to bed when you’re supposed to, returning to the moon. However, should Barrack Obama’s 2011 budget request pass through Congress without any hitches, the entire program will be cancelled. Obama’s reasoning for scrapping the program is that it is massively over budget and massively behind schedule, now posited for completion in 2013 with the space shuttles due for retirement at the end of this year. His decision has brought considerable criticism, one Republican Senator claiming "NASA will no longer be an agency of innovation and hard science, it will be the agency of pipe dreams and fairy tales.” Frankly though, Constellation was a dubious concept from the start, especially in terms of innovation.The program began back in 2004 under the supervision of George W. Bush, which is hardly the most auspicious of starts for anything more technologically advanced than a paper aeroplane. Of course, such a statement would be misplaced if the Ares I was going
rocket which shot Neil Armstrong & co into orbit in 1969. So this sparkling new interstellar technology was forty years old before it had even been built. This design decision may appear odd, but it doesn’t seem so strange when you look at events prior to the announcement. In 2003 the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The Constellation program was a knee-jerk reaction to this unfortunate event, a quick fix to replace the shuttles and prevent any further disasters. Six years on with the program nowhere near complete and the fix no longer seems so quick. Obama’s proposed alternative to the Constellation program involves a $500 million incentive for the private sector to create a more efficient means of space travel than strapping seven men and women to an enormous and highly temperamental bomb. Concepts include placing fuel depots in space ahead of the rocket and so reduce the size of rockets on lift off, or putting further research into ion engines, which eject positive ions to gradually propel a spacecraft forward. Additionally, significant sums will be put into creating robotic probes, which are the most effective (if least exciting) method of exploring the solar system at present.
of the sixties’ Moon landings is not the best way forward, a more permanent residence on the moon is the next sensible step towards humans traversing the solar system. Furthermore, after so long, a return to the Moon in any form will almost certainly provide a huge boost in popular interest for NASA. Perhaps though, the future of human space explorations lies not with
long way off overtaking NASA as the dominant space exploration agency, they could well be on their way by the time NASA have another coherent program of events. On the other hand, Obama's decision could well be the kick up the backside that NASA needed, and we'll be zipping around the Moon on space-skis in no time.
ARES GONE: Moon will no longer be recieving its swine flu jab
Bit of a foodie, maybe a fashionista? Express yourself lifestyle.studentnewspaper@googlemail.com
Tuesday February 9 2010 studentnewspaper.org
22 Lifestyle
Little Miss How-To
JUNGLE BABY
Single, Steady or Sampling? Caitlin McDonald has the perfect V-Day for you S chmaltzy cards; dozens of red roses; Michael bloody Bublé - Valentine’s Day can be hard to cope with when you’re loved up, never mind when you’re single. Not to worry, though: whether you’re available, unavailable or undecided, Lifestyle has some tips on how to deal with February 14th without having a nervous breakdown in the queue of a heart-festooned Clintons.
Loved-Up
Although all your single friends gaze at you with silent loathing and envy, you dread Valentine’s Day just as much as they do. In fact, the pressure, expectation and competition are enough to make you wish you were dumped. This year, why not forget the dinner date and dare to be different? A romantic meal for two is a V-Day classic, but branch out and try something new. * Do it like they do on the Discovery Channel – are you thinking what we’re thinking? Exactly, go to the zoo! Hold hands, whisper sweet nothings to each other and laugh at the mating rituals of the buff-cheeked gibbons. Let’s face it, they’re probably laughing at yours. * Or you could head to the Edinburgh Dungeons – nothing says “I love you” like blood, guts and gore, plus there’s the opportunity for jumping dramatically into each others’ arms. * If neither appeals, gentlemen, it’s time to bite the bullet and surrender your masculinity. Take your beloved to the Cameo on Lothian Road to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but be prepared to re-enact that kiss in the rain at
inopportune moments, or risk being berated for your lack of “dreamy” George Peppard-style romance.
Unlucky In Love
This Valentine’s Day, it’s time to ditch the pyjamas, the vat of Ben & Jerry’s and the box of Kleenex. * Celebrate your single status with a night on the town! Grab some equally single friends and head to the pub, but avoid making it your sad, lonely mission to pull – that’s just desperate. Focus on having a hilarious night laughing at oddly mismatched couples and reliving relationship horror stories rather than drowning your sorrows and weeping gently into an
empty pint glass. Better still, ignore the romance altogether and treat February 14th like any other night out. * Strapped for cash? Have a night in with a boxset of decidedly un-lovey dovey DVDs - something like Shameless or Phoenix Nights - shut your curtains and wait for the bright new dawn of February 15th. * If all else fails, take a leaf out of my (very lucky) single flatmate’s book and jet off to Peru for two weeks. No, seriously.
Free Lover
* If you’re juggling more than one date this Valentine’s Day, be prepared to put in some serious effort. Since
V-Day falls on a Sunday this year, you may have to devote your entire weekend to romantic activity in order to cram everyone in – think speed-dating and you get the idea. So much for “playing” the field eh? * Be sure to leave at least half an hour between liaisons to avoid any awkward overlap, and definitely stay away from places where you know any other potential squeezes might be. You might be exhausted by the end of it, but at least you can recycle any unwanted cutesy teddy bears by simply passing them on to the next date. It may not be morally sound, but it is a little bit clever.
Wanja Ochwada
The Good, The Bad and The Fugly Hanna Choa Yu steers us clear of fashion icebergs
of looking like a parking attendant. While I’m not saying that I’d like to see all things neon banished to the 9th circle of hell, I am recommending restraint for those who want to brave this trend. A subtle hint of bright color never hurt anyone. Verdict: Yes, but in small doses. Restraint is of the essence.
I
n the fast-paced world of fashion, a girl can get confused and swindled into thinking just because something is hot on the runways it is acceptable for everyday wear. Think of the 90s where such heinous abuses on style like doubledenim and tear-away trackies ruled supreme. So here it is, a guide to help you navigate through the sometimes baffling realm of trends, so you can look back at your happy photo memories without having the urge to weep in shame. Trend: Cruggs. As if crocs and uggs weren’t committing enough crimes against style individually, someone with a lose screw in their head decided that the lovechild of these two fashion felons was a good idea. Comfortable they may be but that is not an excuse to wear them in public. (My duvet is comfortable. That, however, doesn’t mean I’m wearing it out and showing up in lectures looking like an Asian fajita.) Verdict: Never Trend: Over the knee boots Love them with a good solid heel! If worn with a stiletto heel, however, the boots scream ill-be-lovin’-you-forfive-pounds-an-hour. Hooker chic is
YOU SET yourself a goal: tonight will be wild. Yet time after time, you let yourself down, end up sipping gingerly on a stale bottle of wine or worse, Glen's vodka and cheap diet lemonade. Next time you vow, "I will wake up with a spoon in my shoe, a baby in my closet and a tiger in the bathroom". Go for the gold and follow our recipe for Jungle Juice and let your inner animal out. 1 Bottle of Buckfast 1 Bottle of Sainsbury value Gin 1/2 Bottle of Peach Schnapps 1/2 Bottle of Apple Sours 2 Bottles of Vodka 1 Bottle of rum (your choice) 1 Bottle of dessert wine 2 Bottle of Sunny D 1L Bottle of Sprite 1L Orange juice concentrate Combine Let stand for four hours in a cool place, add ice and enjoy unresponsibly.
never a good look on anyone, unless you’re actually part of that industry. If so, I mean no offense. Verdict: Depends
wise and stay as far away from them as possible. Friends, real jeans are so much more universally flattering. Verdict:Never
Trend: Jeggings Are they jeans? Are they leggings? Who knows! What I do know is that they need to go. Period. Even if your gams are nothing less than long, be
Trend: Neon More than one neon item in a single outfit is not ironic or cute, but ridiculous. People who dress head to toe in bright colors run the risk
Trend: Dramatic Art Footwear Recently there has been a surge of flamboyant statement shoes. I’m torn on this as it could go both ways. Ann Demuelemeester, for example, came out with lace-ups without the tongue. I thought they were ingenious and fabulous. On the other hand, I’m completely against the vile McQueen shoes that make your feet look like miniature versions of the London bridge. It’s almost too painful to cast judgment on such a fashion institution, however I guess these shoes prove that no one is infallible…not even McQueen. I’m all for being experimental and shaking things up, as long as you don’t end up looking like an idiot. There IS a difference between directional and plain offensive. Verdict: If you’re a performer on a music video (ie. if you’re a lady whose surname is Gaga), then maybe. If not, be very selective.
HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Floss your teeth daily. The bacteria that trigger gum infections can also lead to an increase risk of heart disease. Make sure to brush and floss regularly to keep low-lying germs at bay. Trend: Harem Pants Again, I'm on the fence here. A subtly draped harem is acceptable, I daresay even chic. But the return of the Hammer pants that make you look like you just couldn’t make it to the loo on time are in no way flattering. Even if you’re Giselle, 5’11 and a size 0 with legs longer than Rapunzel’s hair, they are virtually antithetical to a woman’s shape. They do two things: make you look like a bin liner and give me a headache. So no. Verdict: Subtle Harem - yes. Hammer -never. Trend: Fanny Packs I’m going to have to give a resounding NO to fanny packs for the simple reason that they remind me too much of a prosthetic belly bump. If you’re contemplating motherhood anytime soon and want to see how it feels like to be carrying extra weight on your mid section, then you’re excused. But if you’re going to have to spend money on this monstrosity for your experiment, why not try my alternative. Go crazy in Tesco, buy everything in sight and feed yourself happy! Trust me, I guarantee a bump will grow out of your stomach in no time. Verdict: Hell to the no!
Puzzles
David Hasslehoff says:
Puzzles
The Student Crossword #16
“
I have taste. It was inbred in me."
Solutions
Sudoku #16
ACROSS
Sudoku is a logic-based number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill the 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9 only once.
Hitori #16 The object of Hitori is to eliminate numbers by shading in the squares such that remaining cells do not contain numbers that appear more than once in either a given row or column. Filled-in cells cannot be horizontally or vertically adjacent, although they can be diagonally adjacent. The remaining un-filled cells must form a single component (i.e there must be no isolated numbers)
CROSSWORD
HITORI
1. Precious Stone (7) 4. Wreck (5-2) 8. One of the 12 apostles (11) 12. Large cat (4) 13. Lash (4) 14. Picture Border (5) 15. Snuggle (6) 17. Will (5) 22. Exclamation of mild dismay (4) 23. Gaze fixedly (5) 24. Unspecified number (4) 25. Strange (5) 28. Jewish girl (6) 30. Boy/girlfriend (5) 32. Ground (4) 34. Matures (4) 35. Christ (4,2,5) 38. Young Tree (7) 39. Like a spider (7)
1. Every day (5) 2. Groan (4) 3. Meshfabric (3) 5. Cow sound (3) 6. Gumbo (4) 7. Rotor (9) 8. Funny...(4) 9. Rent (4)
10. Arm or Leg (4) 11. Exclamation (4) 14. Burst of light (5) 16. Japanese dish (5) 18. Speed (5) 19. Helpless (9) 20. Male child (3)
21. High temperature (5) 26. Skating enclosure (4) 27. Marco... (4) 28. Idiot (4) 29. Droops (4) 31. Written composition (5) 33. Clock face (4)
There are various theories on the origin of Valentine’s Day, but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 AD. Claudius didn’t want men to marry during wartime because he believed that single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on February 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor’s daughter signing it, “From your Valentine.” While this story seems wonderfully romantic, a few ironic cake toppers and cynical bear let the world know that love-filled bliss isn't the end all and be all.
SUDOKU
DOWN
Got your eye on the ball? Email sport@studentnewspaper.org
Tuesday February 2 2010 studentnewspaper.org
Sport 23
Sport studentnewspaper.org Tuesday February 9 2010
Good Weekend for Edinburgh's Orienteers
NEIL HODGINS
Hollie Orr reports from the JOK race held last weekend Edinburgh’s orienteering club’s successful start to the season continued last weekend as they dominated the annual JOK race. Fresh from their triumph at the Sports Union awards, the club showed that 2010 is set to be another successful year. The star performers in the men and woman’s events came from the host club. The Saturday comprised of a street race taking in the sights of Edinburgh planned by Alison O’Neill, attracting over 280 competitors, the largest field in the events history. The weather couldn’t have been nicer and with great organisation from the club captain James Lyne aided by secretary Lucy Fryer and backed up by more that 25 club volunteers, the day was a fabulous success. The course took in the highs of Carlton Hill, George Square, Princes Street Gardens and finished by the Scottish Parliament. It was tough at the top with only a minute and a half separating the top runners. Edinbugh dominated the top spots with Oleg Chepelin taking the win by a single minute from our newest Russian member Jegor Kostylev and in third was ex-EUOC member Murray Strain. The sporting action was followed up by the traditional ceilidh with over 150 guests. The following day’s event for this year was taken out of EUOC’s hands and instead took the form of the JOK chasing sprint; an annual British event hosted by Oxford University Alumni club. This consisted of two races on
Arthurs seat, where the fastest person from the first race starts first and the later runners chase dependant on how far behind that person they were in the first race, meaning the first person to cross the line wins. Yet again EUOC dominated on home turf. In the men’s race it was Kostylev who showed his strength leading by a minute after the first race, with other EUOC members Douglas Tullie and Alastair McLeod not far behind. In the chase Jegor held his nerve and his lead, leaving an exciting sprint finish between McLeod and Tullie but unfortunately the former later found out that he had missed a sneaky first control straight after the start which meant he was disqualified. The female members went one better and took all three podium places in the race. Hollie Orr came in with a narrow lead of just 30 seconds over Jess Halliday and Bex Harding on the first race. In the chase this looked all set to change halfway through as Orr got caught up after a few mistakes, but fortunately she sneaked away as the others took their turn at making mistakes. Orr then came through in the end to leave another exciting sprint finish between her team mates and with Halliday choosing to go over the hill and Harding round it was hard to pick the favourite but in the end Harding pipped Halliday on the line. EUOC travel south this weekend to seek more success in the Carlisle city race and Tim Watkins Trophy.
Time for boxing to deliver
Alistair Shand debates an important next few months for the sport of boxing When Floyd Mayweather finally signed on the dotted line to fight Shane Mosley in Las Vegas in May it seemed that boxing had been given a chance to claim respect once more. With the public still reeling from the collapse of the most lucrative fight in the history of boxing, between undefeated Mayweather and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, the sport badly needed to regain credibility. Quite frankly, that match would have been the fight of the decade. Despite Mayweather’s arrogant public persona he is still the biggest box office draw in the sport. Against Pacquiao he would be fighting one of the few fighters who still has a chance of beating him. However, it wasn’t to be as Mayweather’s belief in stringent, Olympic-style drug testing did not find favour with the Filipino superstar and negotiations subsequently collapsed. With the collapse came a wave of criticism fuelled mainly by the public’s frustration. However, in the next few months, it is up to the fighters them-
selves to recover respect for the sport. This will be more difficult for Pacquiao as he faces relatively unknown Ghanian Joshua Clottey. After the collapse of negotiations, any opponent Pacquiao chose to fight was going to come as a disappointment and indeed this fight has been met with little hysteria. Nevertheless, the Filipino will be given a stern test by a man who, despite having three losses on his record, has never been stopped. Mayweather, has set up a clash that has the potential to be a classic. Shane Mosley has been given the fight that he desires. Many people thought that “Pretty Boy” Floyd would lose the respect of the boxing public. However, the undefeated Michigan fighter has given the people a tantalising prospect in his fight against Mosley. The bout, due to take place in May, could well be the one that restores boxing to its rightful place in the world of sports. Mayweather’s professional record speaks for itself and his defensive skills combined with boxing IQ, speed and understimated power make the
Grand Rapids fighter a formidable opponent. Slightly taller than Mayweather Mosley will not be as easy to dominate and pick off as Marquez proved. Both fighters are fast, but Mayweather edges it on speed. Mosley undoubtedly has an advantage in power but he whether he can lay any damaging blows on the hardest man to hit in boxing will be interesting to see. Either way, this will be a fascinating contest between two very experienced fighters. Whatever the public opinion is of Mayweather, he is still the biggest draw in boxing. He has an opportunity, and a duty, to reignite people’s passion for the sport of boxing. Watching Mayweather box can be a beautiful thing people will pay to see it. Whatever the result in May both fighters have the chance to recover the respect that the sport lost by the frustrating collapse of the Mayweather Pacquiao mega-fight. Indeed, just as important as which fighter prevails at the MGM Grand in May is that the sport of boxing is a winner too.
Injury Time
takes A look at the world of sport Spain aside, Scotland have nothing to fear from their draw for the Euro 2012 Championships. The two games against the reigning European champions will be a stern test and any points Craig Levein can accrue will be an unexpected bonus. The other sides are easily beatable. The Czech Republic struggled in their World Cup qualifying group. They’ve had four managers in the last two years and their squad is certainly ageing; 11 of their key players will be in their thirties by the time the campaign starts. The friendly between the two sides next month will offer both manager a glimpse of what they are up against. Having beaten Lithuania home and away previously, Scotland will be confident of repeating a defeat and, while Levein will never admit it, Lichtenstein will surely provide little resistance. They have only three wins from four qualifying campaigns and are ranked outside the top 150 in world football. With only one second placed team qualifying automatically for Poland and Ukraine, Scotland must rely on the play offs to book their place. With that draw set to be seeded, Levein’s men will undoubtedly be up against it but there is a sense of optimism at the moment. With Kris Boyd set to return to the squad, goals will surely flow, while the number of Scots plying their trade in the English Premier League has risen in recent times. Craig Gordon, Allan Hutton, Christophe Berra, Gary Caldwell, Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher and Steven Fletcher are testing themselves in the best league in the world. Those players will be among the first names on Levein’s team sheet and they will surely continue to improve in the coming months. Of other home nations, England may have little trouble navigating through a group that includes Switzerland and Wales. Northern Ireland will be up against world champions Italy and an impressive Serbian side in their way but the Republic will fancy their chances of making it to the finals. Russia surprisingly failed to make it to South Africa and may be without manager Guus Hiddink. Of the other groups, Germany’s matches with Turkey will be heated while the battle between Portugal, Denmark and Norway will be interesting.
Martin Domin