Volume 4 issue 2

Government Shutdown

How can a government just shut down?

5

Mind the Londoner

7

Getting around in London Town

Lifestyle, Independence, Opinion, News est. 2010

The

Volume 4 Issue 2 23rd October 2013 theheythroplion.co.uk

Rush Reviwed

Faye reviews the latest high octane release

10

Lion

Careers Service Put Under Spotlight By HSU Survey • 91.7% reported that they did not know a single person who had found employment due to the service • College already acting upon it, by ‘making employability, student experience and student engagement a major focus this year as part of our strategic development’ No students surveyed rated Heythrop careers service in the top two choices of ‘Exceptionally effective’ or ‘Very effective’ - 58.7% declared it ‘Not at all effective’

Daniel Tripp Editor-in-Chief The Lion has been given access to a survey undertaken by the Heythrop Students’ Union into Heythrop’s Careers service. The survey was filled out by sixty-seven people at the time the report was written, seven of which were alumni. The report is unapologetically negative in the response to all of the questions asked. The most startling statistic is that 91.7% of those surveyed did not know anyone who had found employment due to the careers service. This is especially

troubling considering the close friendship of Heythrop students, with friendships more often than not spanning between years, a Heythrop student would likely be well aware if a friend had found employment through Heythrop’s careers service. Another worrying fact collected was that it was not lack of use of the service to blame, as 16.7% of those interviewed claimed that they had used the service more than five times. The most common number of usages was two instances at 25%.

A total of 83.3% of those surveyed had used the service, a vast majority.

In all questions where there was a

gauged response, regarding convenience, usefulness, ability at solving questions asked, and overall satisfaction, an ‘extremely’ good response was not given by a single respondent. The second best possible response was given shockingly infrequently, with the majority of respondents giving negative responses, in most cases the “least useful” category. In rating “usefulness”, 66.7% rated the service “Not at all useful” and 25% rated it only ‘Slightly Useful’.

It is difficult to disguise the dismal response to the survey, and although since the report was ...

Continued on Page 4

Emails referred to as ‘spam’ with ‘no relevant careers advice.’

Over two thirds of those surveyed declared the service, ‘Not at all useful’

President Kennedy Takes Office With Clear Majority • Takes 52.6% of the Vote, with over twice as many votes as the second place candidate • Voting turnout drops from previous election slightly to 28.4% Faye West Managing Editor On Friday 11th October, the results of the election were announced.

Dermot Kennedy was announced as the new sabbatical President of the Heythrop Students’ Union.

After the unexpected removal of former president Peter O’Neil on the 23rd September, Vice President Samuel English fulfilled the obligations of the presidency as Acting President in addition to his duties as Vice President. The then unprecedented re-elections saw four new candidates; Dermot Kennedy, Ana

Bailey-Jones, Lucy Bell and Luke Barrett.

The candidates made their speeches and answered an array of questions at hustings, each attempting to convince the student body to vote for them. They were each asked questions which quizzed them on their values and intentions. One

of the most striking questions put the candidates were if they thought that contraception should be provided in the welcome packs given to Freshers. All of the candidates expressed that they would want to provide contraception, widely agreed to be a bold statement.

Kennedy won the election with

52.6% of the vote. This was a greater majority than O’Neil who secured 52.4% of the vote in the election which occurred at the end of last term. Ana Bailey-Jones received 22.7% of the vote, Lucy Bell came in third with 13.7% and Luke Barrett finished last with 8.1% of ...

Continued on Page 4

2

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

NEWS The

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief Daniel Tripp daniel@theheythroplion.co.uk Managing Editor Faye West faye@theheythroplion.co.uk Copy Editor Rory Phillips news@theheythroplion.co.uk Comment Editor Ben Mercer comment@theheythroplion.co.uk Culture Editor Robert Leftwich culture@theheythroplion.co.uk Sport and Societies Editor Nazia Begum societies@theheythroplion.co.uk

The

Lion

The Lion is the independent student newspaper of Heythrop College, University of London. We distribute at least 1000 free copies during term time around campus and to popular student venues in and around Kensington.

13 November th

Please send your submissions to: submit@theheythroplion.co.uk NEXT ISSUE RELEASE DATE

20th November The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Editors or of the Heythrop Students’ Union. Every effort has been made to contact the holders of copyright for any material used in this issue, and to ensure the accuracy of this fortnight’s stories.

There has been a serious upset with halls fees this week, as many students were left out of pocket, and in some cases well over their overdraft limits, when fees were taken out of residents bank accounts well before the reported charge date. For some who have not yet received their student loans, or for those who do not have a student loan, the early charge has caused them personal cost as they are forced to pay charges for their overdraft limits. We received word from one student who claimed that due to the early charge, which happened three days before, he knew someone who had become over £2,600 overdrawn. It is likely that the situation will be resolved to some degree, but whether overdraft charge costs will be refunded at this time remains unclear.

New Curriculum?

Through it’s investigation into Heythrop’s careers service, The Lion has also been made ware that there is to be a rethink of Heythrop’s current curriculum. It is currently being headed by Professor Gwen Griffith-Dickson, Vice-President Academic, and through liaison with the Heythrop Students’ Union Executive Academic Affairs Officer Chloe Westley. It appears that that the new curriculum will have a greater focus on the numerous paths you can take a philosophy degree, with an over-arching focus on gaining a career out of your degree.

LSE Atheism Society Cause Some Trouble With Their T-Shirts A faith-based row has broken out at LSE this week as t-shirts worn by two members of the Athiest, Secularist and Humanist society has caused offence and upset. Displayed on the T shirts were cartoon images of Jesus and the Prophet Muhammed, under the heading “Jesus and Mo”. The shirts, worn at the LSE Fresher’s Week by Chris Moos and Absishek Phadnis, incited disproving parties to remove material from their stall. The two wearing the shirts attempted to censor the faces of The Prophet Muhammed, but this proved not to be good enough as it was put to

them that Muslims are forbidden to look at images of Muhammed, and having his image on their tshirts was still deeply offensive.

Mr. Moos told The Christian Post “We have been informed by the LSE that wearing our T-shirts might have been a possible breach of the LSE Disciplinary Procedures and Ethics Code, the LSE anti-harassment policy, as well as the United Kingdom Equality Act 2010” It is unclear if any further action will be taken regarding the matter, which made headlines when atheist Richard Dawkins tweeted about the incident.

There has been an odd turn of coincidental events regarding the setting up of a halls committee by the Heythrop Students’ Union. Dermot Kennedy, who ran with the campaign pledge that he would set up an independent halls committee, that could report on problems occurring in halls, noted recently that he had been pipped at the post, and that Campus Services had elected to set up one of their own.

It was noted as being somewhat of an odd coincidence, though naturally a coincidence nonetheless, as there had been no indication of any committee being set up in the past, hence Mr. Kennedy’s promise that he would do the deed. The coincidence become, incidentally, more coincidental. when it become apparent that Halls residents would not be getting the independent halls committee that Dermot had planned, which would only welcome full halls-fee paying students, and instead Campus Services would be running the show, with Heythrop Students’ Union involvement seeming, incidentally, somewhat unlikely. It appears, however, that the HSU will still be setting up its own Halls Committee, and with what was believed to be a poor turnout for the first meeting of the Campus Services Committee, it would appear that the unfortunate coincidence will be resolved in the Union’s favour. It remains to see what will become of the Campus Service rival committee and whether it will run at the same time as the HSU organised meeting.

What’s going on, In Bloomsbury and Beyond?

NEXT DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS

Heythrop SHAG week has come under fire from a Catholic website called protectthepope.com.

The site, which is run by Deacon Nick Donnelly, reported on the week with the express wish that the SHAG week be stopped. The response to the article featured some interesting comments, which included, “The sooner Heythrop College is closed down, the better.

It’s no more Catholic than an Anne Summers Sex Party.” (sic). There was also a comment regarding the new feminist society which read, “”Heythrop Feminist Collective”.

You made this up, Deacon Nick.

Please tell me you made this up...” and another regarding the Vagina Monologues which read, “There is an agenda behind such productions as Vagina Monologues and it is not entirely heterosexual.”

One person, clearly overcome with fraught, wrote, succinctly, “Literally demonic.” It was, however, good to see many Heythrop students come out to defend their college.

The Lion did talk with one person who agreed with the Deacon’s views, showing that he at least has some point to make with the Heythrop Students. Elliot Handley, who ran for female welfare officer last year, the first male to do so (though it was unclear at the time whether he was running as a selfdefining female or not) stated on Facebook that “The article seemed pretty on the ball to me”. It appears the Deacon’s views are somewhat isolated however, and the week, which is often one of the most well attended of the year it still set to take place.

The Great Halls Coincidence

Beyond W8

The Lion is published by HackJack Ltd. and printed by Mortons Print Ltd. All Copyright is the exclusive property of HackJack Ltd. No part of this publication is to be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system or submitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher.

SHAG Week Hall Fee Disapproval? Woes

3

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

NEWS

How Does Your Careers Service Shape Up?

After a less than stellar showing in the recent Heythrop Students’ Union Survey on the Heythrop Careers service, we took a look at two other small and specialist colleges and see how their service shapes up to ours.

Are the critcisms of Heythrop’s Career service fair, or are other college’s recieving a similar level of service?

Are people looking too much at the careers service itself, and not at the other opportunities available?

Heythrop College

“Heythrop’s careers con- talks throughout the year sultant, Hilary Moor, is that are more specific to in college every Wednes- certain jobs and careers. day afternoon 3 – 5pm to One of the most recent help with your career ques- was guidance on graduate tions.” schemes, for example. These A discussion is reported as take place on Wednescovering anything related to your career, including how to choose a career, find a job, CV checking, preparing for interview and coaching on application forms.

The service is in conjunction with The Careers Group.

There

The

Courtauld

SOAS

is also a series of

The Courtauld Institute is also associated with the same company, The Careers Group. They also offfer: “information on work experience, part-time work, graduate training schemes and further study, the Careers Group shows students how to prepare excellent CVs and applications, and helps them prepare for interviews and assessment.”

They provide individual advice on-site, and Courtauld also has access to ca-

day between one and two o’clock.

It would be naïve to judge a college’s careers service purely on the official events that take place as part of the Careers department. Heythrop is currently engaged with a Tutor-Plus programme, the Catholic

reers offices and facilities at King’s College London.

The Courtauld also has ‘the Courtauld Association’. This is an annual cycle of careers events, much like Heythrop’s careers events. However, it is run by alumni and current and former staff, and offers exclusive job and internship opportunities that are only available to Courtauld students. In today’s competitive job market, this is clearly a very valuable asset for Courtauld

“SOAS Careers Service is They claim to ‘offer emof the The Careers ployers the opportunity to School of Oriental part Group, University of Lon- reach students and graduand African Studies don, the biggest careers ates who specialise in the service in the country. We languages, economics, poliwere re-accredited by the- tics and law of Africa, Asia, Matrix quality standard in and The Middle East.’ and 2010 which assures the have links on their careers quality of information, ad- page that allow potential vice and guidance.” employers to advertise vaSOAS Career’s office is cancies and job positions. open, Monday to Thursday The services they offer infrom 10.00am – 5.00pm, clude the following: on Friday it opens slightly later at 11.00am. During • Confidential, one-tothe holiday periods it is one careers advice, inclosed between 1.00pm and cluding practice inter2.00pm. views

Parliamentary Internship scheme, and there is a yearly careers dinner, though

options at that dinner are often quite limited.

Heythrop also offers some part-time work opportunities, one can work in one of the two libraries, as a student ambassador, or in the newly opened Bar.

students. As their website states: “The Courtauld Association website includes an online Career Centre, which includes a facility for uploading CVs. The alumni of the Courtauld Association also help us to gain feedback from employers about the profile of our graduates, which in turn helps us continuously to improve our teaching and their employability.”

Courtauld also offer paid internships that are available in their various gal-

leries.

There is also opportunities for curating experience and research events.

They also offer various part-time jobs, such as student ambassador positions.

• Advice •

•

•

•

and resources on how to decide on a career path Assistance with navigating our virtual careers information resource Careers Tagged Provide information on internships, fulltime jobs,part-time jobs,recruitment agencies and volunteering Provide advice on the application process, including Cvs, interviews and assessment centres Give resources on starting your own busi-

•

ness and student enterprise Access our studentonly page on the moodle”

Their

staff list shows five members of staff who work in the careers office, three of which work the full Monday to Friday week.

4

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

NEWS

Heythrop Feminist Collective First Meeting SDF Only

Dermot Kennedy Elected President with a Clear Majority of the Vote

The Heythrop Feminist Collective says‘no’ to self-defining men attending their first discussion meeting of the academic year.

Election of Mr. Kennedy stands to end period Presidential termoil experienced in the first few weeks of the year, as Union moves forward under its new leadership.

The first meeting outside of societies week of the Heythrop Feminist Collective has earned some controversy for being purely for SDF, selfdefining females. While the makeup of society meetings of the HFC is normally a vast majority of SDFs they have up until this point welcomed Self Defining Men to meetings and events. Many questioned the decision made by the society to act in this way, and the society made a statement on its Facebook page which stated the following: “While I think that the argument that a FemSoc should work to educate people of all genders and none about feminism is completely

valid, we are primarily a liberation society and I feel if we don’t fulfil the needs of members of the society in that dimension as well, we will have failed in our mission as a society. Additionally, this will not be the case for all discussion group meetings - there are several topics I am thinking about putting on that we would welcome contributions from SDMs on.” The decisison has encouraged debate about the matter, one side of which can be read in our very own comment section. The Heythrop Lion is also waiting on a formal response from the Heythrop Feminist Collective, which will be featured in the next issue of the paper.

Continued from Front Page: ...the vote. 28.4% of the student body voted, a slight decrease on the previous election vote percentage of 29.6% yet this is noteworthy taking in to account the earliness of the election in the first term.

Mr. Kennedy, who is now well over a week in to his tenure as President, told The Lion “I would like to

thank everyone for all the support in my campaign and I really look forward to making our 400th year the best yet”. Mr. English, who is now secured back in his original position of Vice President, told The Lion “I’d like to congratulate Dermot on his victory, it was a hard fought election and the size of his winning margin is indicative of the support he has. I am sure we will

make a winning team and really make a positive impact upon the college”.

In his manifesto, among other points, Mr. Kennedy pledged to protect the independence and accountability of the Heythrop Students’ Union, establish a committee for the residents of Alban Halls and review the current agreement with the catering establishments.

Heythrop Careers Service Criticised by Students Continued from Front Page: ...written there have been more respondents, the Heythrop Students’ Union Executive has informed The Lion that there has been no real change in the overall picture.

Heythrop Careers Service is undertaken in partnership with “The Careers Group”, which provides Careers advice for University of London colleges. Heythrop’s website states that Heythrop has it’s own careers consultant, Hilary Morr, who employed to be on site every Wednesday afternoon from three o’clock to five o’clock. In comparison, SOAS, the School of African and Asian Studies careers service is open Monday to Thursday from ten o’clock in the morn-

ing until four o’clock in the afternoon. On Friday it opens at eleven o’clock. SOAS Careers Service is also a part of the same company, The Careers Group.

The comments given by students that they were freely able to give at the end of the survey do not make for pleasant reading. One person wrote, “The emails we get are pretty irrelevant; I would say they’re akin to spam! They’re mass emails with (usually) no relevant careers advice – I doubt many Heythropians have found a career based on their suggestions! Maybe I’m too focused on my degree specialism rather than accepting I need to be broad minded to get a job, but I didn’t just study theology because I’m interested in it, this is the field

I want a career in and I suspect many others feel the same. Many of the suggestions I would need to be retrained for, if so how was my degree advanced my employability.”

Other comments were of a very circumstantial nature, but generally gave a negative view of the service.

It would appear that steps are already underway to some extent improve the service. We contacted Professor Gwen Griffith-Dickson who is undertaking work to reform Heythrop’s curriculum alongside input from Chloe Westley, Academic Affairs Officer, with a focus that adheres to the idea that involves, “making employability, student experience and student engagement a major focus this year as part of our strategic development.” She

want on to note that, “Sam as you will know has been very active in developing this area so far. Chloe is co-ordinating a student group that will be part of the new curriculum planning exercise this year.” It is reassuring to see that the Union and the College’s senior management are working together towards making careers a focus for the upcoming year. Mr. English, VicePresident, also made the following comment: ““As a Sabbatical Officer I’ve met students from all over the UK. Heythrop students are by far the most engaging, erudite and considered. This should give them a natural advantage when it comes to employment; unfortunately in past years the College hasn’t always helped our students capitalise fully on their unique skill set. I

am pleased to say this is changing, working alongside College staff the HSU is helping cement employability as a top priority and the HSU and College will, starting from this year ensure all Heythrop students get the leg up they most definitely deserve through a great number of initiatives.”

It would seem that steps are being taken, but it is currently unclear what alterations can be made to improve the service. The report into the survey is still being properly drafted as more respondents come forward. Whether dramatic change to the careers service will occur is still unknown, but it would appear that, purely in regards to the response to this survey, students would welcome it with open arms.

5

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

“COMMENT.” Edited by Ben Mercer | comment@theheythroplion.co.uk

Government Shutdown Matthew Peach

Third Year Undergraduate Following the shutdown of the government in America, one has to question what has happened to politics.

How can a government just shut down? Lincoln’s quote, “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” seems particularly pertinent here. Could he ever have envisaged a time in which the United States government simply ceased to be?

This is only the second time in US history that the government has had to close for longer than four days due to it being unable to agree to a new budget for the fiscal year.

This also happened in Australia in 1975 and the Queen sacked them all and a completely new government was formed.

Politics seems to have lost its way.

Politicians are focused on image and public perception, and, most of all, hating the opposition regardless of their policy ideas. This kind of politics is more prevalent in the United States than here in Britain, but as with most American practices there is always the chance of an export. This must be avoided at all costs.

We have already seen the rise of the career politician in Westminster, a practice that I believe to be lamentable, and introducing a ‘we-hate-the-opposition-so-weshould-vote-against-them’ mindset would only serve to further degrade a political system that most cannot relate to already.

For instance if we look at our friends across the pond, they have several high profile public figures who spend all of their time campaigning to achieve, maintain, or

return to power.

Anthony Weiner is a case in point.

He was recently interviewed by Lawrence O’Donnell on ‘The Last Word’. O’Donnell launched an attack on Weiner and asked him why, since he seemed unable to find any particular issue he was passionate about, or that even required his help, he was so intent on running for reelection.

Whilst it may seem that O’Donnell was attacking the concept of public service, I believe that his criticism ran deeper than this. He was questioning what Weiner’s credentials were for running for office. What qualifications did he have that he thought would make him an asset to the American people? What experience was he bringing to the table? He had worked within politics his entire life, sheltered from the experiences of ‘real’ people.

This line of questioning ought to

be applied to every individual who wishes to entire politics. I’m not saying that political ambition is intrinsically bad, but I want to know what motivates each candidate to seek a position of power and responsibility. If it is merely to provide yourself with a cushy life in the public eye - in order to satisfy your narcissistic tendencies - please find another profession. If, however, you are passionate about an aspect of society and wholeheartedly believe that change is required then I implore you to get involved.

In addition to the career politician, there is the issue of party politics.

As put by Will McAvoy in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Newsroom’; “the biggest requirement of being a Republican is that you have to hate the Democrats.”

This harms democracy and the political process as a whole. As with the government shutdown, situa-

tions may arise in which a politician is expected to tow the party line whether they agree with it or not.

Surely this practice goes against the very ideal of democracy in that it is for, of and by the people.

Dianne Abbott, to whom few are sympathetic, refused to advocate the bombing of Syria and lo, in the next cabinet reshuffle, she found herself out of the pack. I suspect her opposition to intervention was not the sole reason for her demotion, but it cannot have been well received by the Labour party elite.

Ultimately, politics appears to have lost its way. I mean, when China can come out and say that you need to sort your sh*t out, there is definitely a problem that needs addressing.

6

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

“COMMENT.” Edited by Ben Mercer | comment@theheythroplion.co.uk

Cultural Appropriation Nazia Begum

Sports and Socities Editor President of Lit. Soc. Halloween is a notorious occasion for offensive outfits. Whatever you decide to dress up as this year, spend a little time researching and ensuring you don’t go down the cultural appropriative route.

Dressing up as “another culture,” is racist, and an act of privilege. It can lead to offensive, inaccurate, and stereotypical portrayals of other people’s culture. It is also an act of appropriation in which someone who does not experience that oppression is able to “play,” temporarily, an “exotic” other, without experiencing any of the daily discriminations faced by other cultures. If you think Día de los Muertos is just “Mexican Halloween”, it’s not, so put away your face paint.

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or theft of icons, rituals, aesthetic standards, and behaviour from one culture or subculture by another. It’s generally applied when the subject culture is a minority culture or somehow subordinate in social, political, economic, or military status to the appropriating culture. This “appropriation” often occurs without any real understanding of why the original culture took part in these activities or the meanings behind these ac-

tivities, often converting culturally significant artefacts, practices, and beliefs into “meaningless” popculture or giving them a significance that is completely different/ much more watered down than they would originally have had.

Cultural appropriation is a byproduct of imperialism, capitalism, oppression, and assimilation.

Imperialism is the creation and maintenance of an unequal cultural, economic, and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination. Imperialism functions by subordinating groups of people and territories and extracting everything of value from colonised people and territories. In the case of cultural appropriation, culture is treated as a “natural resource” to extract from People of Colour.

Objects and traditions (but not the people) of marginalized cultures are seen by the dominant culture as exotic, edgy, and desirable, which translates into profit. Capitalism thrives on a lack of individuality, failing to celebrate people with differences. Once diverse cultural identities are stripped away, the only culture left to identify with is that of the capitalist culture’s hegemonic elite. This is one aspect of assimilation, where marginalised communities lose their cultural

markers and are interlaced into the dominant culture, this being sped up once appropriation occurs.

Cultural appropriation is harmful because it is an extension of centuries of racism, genocide, and oppression. It treats all aspects of marginalised cultures (also known as targets of oppression) as free for the taking. The defence of cultural appropriation is based upon the misconception that race relations exist on a level-playing field, as though racism no longer exists. Systematic racism does still exist – white people have power and privilege in this society, while People of Colour are systematically denied this. There cannot be a truly equal and free flow of ideas, practices, and cultural markers as long as one group (white people) have power and privilege over another group (People of Colour). The issue of cultural appropriation and race relations is therefore intrinsically linked.

Some of the ways to perhaps dismantle racism is to recognise one’s role in perpetuating it, confronting one’s own white privilege, and attacking the systems of oppression that give white people privilege in the first place. None of these steps require cultural appropriation. And it is unacceptable for white peoples’ healing to come at the expense of the cul-

tural survival of People of Colour.

Calling each other out for appropriating other cultures (or even navigating less confrontational discussions around cultural appropriation) can be tricky. As always, it’s really important never to assume anyone’s identity. Sometimes we’re invited to take part in others’ cultural traditions, by members of that culture. It is an honour to be invited to do so, but we also must remember that being invited to take part in something doesn’t give us the right to perform said activity outside of that invited context. Whether you have done a tonne of research and know all about a certain tradition, if you are not a member of the culture that practices that tradition, you still have the potential to strip that practice of its original meaning.

Even if you don’t understand why it is hurtful to see various aspects of one’s culture appropriated, or you think there are worse problems that People of Colour should spending their time confronting (even though it is white peoples’ responsibility to confront racism), it is still imperative to listen to People of Colour when they identify and call for an end to cultural appropriation. As targets of racism, People of Colour are the experts in regards to this issue and therefore anti-racist efforts should

be directed by the needs identified

by People of Colour. Where it gets really tricky is with traditions or symbols that have roots in several different cultures. As always however, the political context in which cultural symbols exist is important.

On a more personal level, I come from a south Asian background.

What makes the non-South Asian person’s use of the Bindi or wearing a Saree problematic is the fact that a white woman wearing one is guaranteed to be better received than I would if I were to step out of the house rocking a dot on my forehead or a bright coloured Saree. On her, it’s a bold new look; on me, it’s a symbol of my failure to assimilate. On her, it’s unquestionably cool; on me, it’s yet another marker of my ‘Otherness’, another thing that makes me different from other British women.

If the use of the Bindi by the majority of the British women made it easier for South Asian women to wear it, I’d be all for its proliferation. But it doesn’t. They lend the Bindi an impression of cool that south Asian woman simply can’t compete with, often with the privilege of automatic acceptance in a society where many non-white women must fight for it. Until the day comes where we all live in level playing field, I hope you think twice before putting a Bindi on.

7

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

Iran, Syria and Israel Terry Sibley First Year Undergraduate

Iran’s nuclear program is back in the news again, so I decided it would be beneficial to help uncover the truth about the matter before the US grows tired of Syria and turns it’s attention back to planning the invasion of Iran. Ironically, the best place to start deconstructing the Western stance on this matter is the US military intelligence report sent to congress on Iran’s military capability. I have had access to the 2010, 2012 and 2013 reports, the former two having been since taken down, though the 2010 edition is still available on the internet. The report gets more extreme each year, and the amount

of times they use variants of the word “Terrorist” has drastically increased; nonetheless, the 2010 edition has some vital information that we are not being told: Iran’s military forces “lack the air power or logistical ability to project power much beyond Iran’s borders or to confront regional powers such as Turkey or Israel.” The military doctrine of Iran is solely designed to deter or slow an invasion through the use of various tactics including asymmetric warfare. In the rankings of World Power, they are the underdogs, they know that in the event of an invasion by a major power, their only hope of not losing everything is to make the progression of that invasion as difficult as possible. Such tactics have been

used throughout history, most recently during the Vietnam war, they are nothing new. With this piece of information, what is then said in the intelligence report is of primary importance to the entire case: “Iran’s nuclear program and it’s willingness to keep open the possibility of developing nuclear weapons is an essential part of it’s deterrent strategy.” The Iranian government are certainly a danger to their own citizens, but with the lowest military spending as a percentage of GDP in the whole region (1.8%) are not a danger to any other country. It is also ludicrous to believe that a nation such as Iran would launch a nuclear strike; to do so is to invite instant annihilation (regardless of whether or not

it is justified) from either the US or Israel. With nuclear power comes influence, and the US simply will not allow such an influence in the region that threatens it’s interests, but as usual, they reword the issue to be about bringing “stability”. The hypocrisy meter, when the West mentions stability, goes through the roof. We are supporting the nuclear state of Israel, which routinely threatens it’s neighbouring countries (despite all threats being deemed illegal under international law, including those levied at Syria

by Cameron and Obama) actively pushes settlements in the west bank even though it was deemed a war crime by the ICC (the US did not attend that meeting) and fires artillery into heavily populated are-

COMMENT as. The West’s hypocritical support of Israel reached a blinding climax when, whilst falsely claiming evidence that Assad had used chemical weapons, they condemned him with a UN convention that in the same sentence condemns Israel’s manufacture and storage of chemical weapons. Is anything done about the Israeli chemical weapons stockpiles? The more you look, the more you see, such as the speculation that Iran is helping Al-Qaeda, whilst both the UK and the US send supplies to the Syrian rebels, the two largest groups of which are being run by that very same terrorist organisation. All this I doubt you will find in the mainstream media, but when they push for an invasion of Iran, remember the facts.

Mind the Londoner!

Jordan Mant

Second Year Undergraduate The London underground. The transport system that Londoner’s loves to hate. A place where having to place your head in another man’s armpit becomes a necessity. A place where you have to bow your head or look up to the ceiling as if you are trying to be as inconspicuous as James Bond.

Whereas in actual fact you are merely trying to adhere to the strict no eye contact with fellow passengers rule. After a year of tubing it around the capital, I thought that I would share my experiences of becoming a London commuter.

One day last year, at High Street Kensington station, the unexpected occurred. My fellow commuters and I had been waiting a good fifteen minutes for a train to show up.

This commuter was complaining to me about the lateness of the train and the final straw for this pleasant yet slightly annoyed lady was when a customer service announcement came over the tannoy. ‘This is a customer service announcement, there is currently a good service on all underground lines.’ It was at this point that the lady interrupted our conversation to bellow at the speaker, ‘no there is not!’ I had to try hard to stifle my laugh. After all, as the tannoy was out of sight, what this woman had actually just done was bellow up at a voice in the sky.

Admittedly, it is hard to refrain from joining in with the London mentality. Some days you cannot help but get agitated if you find yourself waiting for more than five minutes. All you can think about is how much more you could be doing with those five minutes. You could

make yourself a cup of tea. Cook an entire microwave meal. Beat your high score on Temple Run on your iPod that you happened to have left at home that day! Above ground, your rational mind laughs at those getting angry at a five minute wait.

However, below ground you become blinded by the commuter mentality. The commuter who gets frustrated when a tourist fails to

realise that they should stand on the right-hand side of the escalator so that those in a rush can use the left-hand side as a fast lane.

The commuter that gives you one of the scariest glares in the world accompanied by an inaudible grunt if you dare to thank them for moving so you can get off the tube.

And finally…a tip for those new to London Underground travel. Last

year, I found myself at High Street Kensington station with an Oyster card that would not let me proceed through the barriers. I found myself stood in rush hour scanning my card over and over again. I could feel the eyes of a line of commuters staring into the back of my head. The member of staff working on the barriers noticed and started to approach. Getting slightly agi-

tated now I swiped again but still nothing! I looked down at my Oyster card as if I was going to ask it ‘what’s wrong with you?!’ At this point, it all suddenly became clear.

Staring back up at me was not my Oyster card. It was my Heythrop College card. I quickly scanned my Oyster and headed off on my way.

Transport for London do not accept Heythrop cards….apparently.

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

COMMENT

The Feminist society (and LGBT) Conor Muir-Cochrane First Year Undergraduate

So, let me clarify before I go any further that any society that promotes support and equality for minority groups or those who face regular discrimination, are essential and beneficial not only to the college, but to society as a whole.

However, LGBT and the Feminist Society in particular, have recently been criticised for the execution of their societies. Admittedly this criticism has not come from any recognised body or petition and could be argued to be merely on the same level as college rumours.

However I still think that said comments present some important points and issues.

The main issue, (which I was personally concerned) was the exclusive gatherings that each society put on. For example, the feminist society, only allows females for a

number of the gatherings, and similarly the LGBT only allowed individuals who identified with lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans* (and other sexual minorities). My initial reaction to this, (as was many others) was why preach to the already converted? Surely the purpose of such societies was to raise awareness and inform those who were ignorant about the harsh realities of the issues that some individuals face?

Surely the purpose of these societies was to eradicate the dogmatic assumptions that so many hold?

After talking to others, I soon realized that LGBT needed these exclusive gatherings so that individuals could talk to others that were in the same position as them, who faced the same discrimination as them. Maybe more importantly, it put them in an environment that, if they so wished they could come out and state their sexuality, without facing any of the discrimination that they may have faced if they had with the same conversation

with those that don’t understand what it’s like to relate to a sexuality or gender that is different from the norm. However I was still sceptical about the exclusivity of some of the gatherings that the feminist society held. I mean, surely you don’t have come out as being a feminist, and most rational individuals would agree that men and women should be equal.

I caught Heather Doon (president of the feminist society) briefly to ask her why the feminist society needed the exclusive gatherings. To this, she replied that the feminist society was primarily concerned with the issues of female individuals. Certain meetings were exclusive because if males were allowed to be present there would be risk of them dominating the conversation, and furthermore, some individuals may feel uncomfortable talking about certain personal issues or situations in front of males. These exclusive gatherings were made to create a space in which individuals

could express their fears and concerns, without the worry of being ignored or challenged on issues that needed to be supported. Also, bearing in mind that these gatherings will only include around 25% of the gatherings taken place by the feminist society, personally I thought that this was fair enough.

Essentially, these exclusive meetings meant that individuals who wanted to talk about personal experiences or issues, could do so frankly and openly without having to also argue their case (like you would have to in the philosophy society for example).

After hearing this, I totally accept the exclusive gatherings and I am assured that the feminist society is creating the best system to support its members. However, I still have an issue with what the society was doing to abolish stigmas and preconceptions about gender equality and feminism. Granted, to set up a society that promotes women’s rights is no small feat, but what is

the society doing to stop rape jokes from being seen as acceptable, or a female getting groped on a night out? To this Heather replied that they post articles in this very paper and will soon be putting on a feminism 101 gathering (which I would urge you all to go to). But even this doesn’t seem enough to convince those who would never think of themselves as feminists, to listen to what feminism has to say.

Of course, I’m being far too demanding on the society. As Heather said to me, her and Han Crofts (the VP) are just two students with an ideal, but also a shit ton of work to do as they’re both in their third year. What they have created are two fantastic societies that spread awareness and support those who, at times, feel most alienated from everyone else. And I’ll finish with a quick questionnaire. Do you believe in gender equality? Good, then you’re a feminist. If not then kindly go fuck yourself.

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

COMMENT

Keith Ward: An Interview Rory Phillips Copy Editor Keith Ward is a visiting professor at Heythrop College and has held academic posts at Trinity College, Cambridge and at King’s College, London, amongst many other places, as well as being an ordained priest in the Church of England. Ward has written numerous books, including one on Immanuel Kant, entitled ‘The Development of Kant’s Views of Ethics’ and one exploring the boundaries of science and religion, one of his main topics of interest, called ‘Pascal’s Fire: Scientific Faith and Religious Understanding’.

How would you define philosophy?

I hold the traditional view that philosophy is an attempt to take

all modern knowledge into account, and form a reasoned view of the nature of reality and of the human person, and of what the good life for human beings is.

What do you think about the Analytic tradition, especially the early part ‘giving up’ on the idea of a search for truth and dealing exclusively with questions of meaning, linguistics and logic?

The analytic school of philosophy has been extremely valuable in forcing philosophers to define things clearly, to apply rigorous logical methods in thinking, and to resist writing reams of airy nonsense! Sometimes it has been too restrictive, insofar as it denied that philosophers had an interest in constructing world-views or giving ethical recommendations. The best

course, in my view, is to use analytical methods as one attempts to find a coherent and comprehensive view of reality.

Do you think science has emerged as a ‘rival’ to philosophy, or are they compatible?

The sciences have disclosed much new information about the world, and philosophers must take scientific findings into account. But ‘scientism’ - the view that only scientific methods can disclose truth - is implausible. Questions about moral truth and about God and the soul, for instance, however you answer them, cannot be settled by scientific methods.

Do you think that philosophy and theology are fundamentally different disciplines or that they both proceed ac-

The Sons of Bacchus Fergus Coltsmann

Second Year Undergraduate This summer I got bored of being Fergus Cronin Coltsmann and for a weekend donned a kilt to become Ramsey McCloud, claymore wielding drunkard and treasury of the Sons of Bacchus, a cross between a medieval motorcycle gang and a gone off the rails Alcoholics Anonymous group, and then ran around a field hitting people with a sword. I went LARPing.

Live Action Role Play (LARP) is basically like Dungeons and Dragons meets historical re-enactment meets improvised theatre. Everyone who turns up (in the case of the event I attended, easily over a thousand) has a character of their own creation, with their own personality and motivations, their own costume (some of which were amazing, there were people in full plate armour and with extensive prosthetics) and weapons, their own abilities and skills. Being new, my character was relatively basic (but not underpowered), whereas there are people who have been playing the same character for years, who had worked their way up in the game world’s various guilds and political fractions to be leaders of nations or skilled smiths capable of forging magical artefacts. And in the game world you all interact. The system I was playing had ten different nations, with each nation breaking down into smaller units, usually groups of friends who attend the events together. The unit me and my friends formed was the Sons of Bacchus, flying our banner depicting an owl being stomped on by a

jack boot (it’s a long story).

We were mostly new to LARP, a couple of my friends had attended a few other events, but mostly it was all our first time. On the first night after setting up camp but before the event began proper, we made our way to the onsite tavern to meet the people we would spend the rest of the weekend fighting alongside, or trying to kill. We got chatting to some people who had being coming for years, and sensing that we were a bit nervous, they pulled us aside and gave us a quick pep talk: “Really get stuck in, go out and do stuff and meet peo-

ple and get involved, anyone can change the course of history here”.

And we did get stuck in and almost changed the course of the game world’s history. Over the weekend I was kidnapped by undead, then saved and robbed by ‘noble’ knights, before my own unit attacked me because it was the only way they could be sure I wasn’t a werewolf. Another member of my unit made a deal with a demon, and was then accused of trying to assassinate the leader of a different faction, which led to the Sons being head hunted in our own camp and almost started a war between our

cording to the same method or principles, or perhaps sharing the same goals?

Theology covers many things, that is one great attraction of it. It covers linguistic study, historical study, literary study (of Biblical texts, for example), and empirical studies of religion, as well as doctrines and beliefs. However, insofar as theology does study the beliefs of religious traditions, its methods are those of philosophy - empathetic but uncensored criticism, and concern for rationality, meaning, and justification.

theology and philosophy, and its teaching staff does not follow any one set of beliefs. But its greatest expertise is undoubtedly in that combination of philosophical and theological concerns which is, I think, one of the most exciting aspects of intellectual thought in our day.

What advice would you give to students who might be (relatively) new to philosophy and theology as academic disciplines?

Heythrop is well known in both

Don’t think you know everything, but don’t think you have to solve every problem either. Every human belief is much more complex than you at first imagine, but understanding that complexity is a good way to a fuller and more sensitive understanding of the nature of things.

nation and the one trying to kill us, only prevented when we imprisoned our own unit member and took him to a magic user in the other nation’s camp to settle whether or not he did attack their leader.

He hadn’t, so we left a note to the guy telling him, in polite(ish) terms that he was full of shit and if he wanted a fight he could come and find us, the repercussions of which we will face at the next event. And that barely scratches the surface of it, we also saw a puppet show, battled with golems, hung out with bards, played blackjack, drank (a lot) and got involved in dozens

of fights, ranging between a brawl involving ten or so people and a full on clash of armies, hundreds strong on each side.

It was one of the most fun, bizarre and unique experiences of my life, and I don’t think I saw a single person not smiling all weekend. I and my friends are already planning our next event, and looking to recruit new members to the Sons, so if you are interested, come find me and Ramsey will tell you another war story and why you should spend a weekend getting dressed up, getting drunk and hitting stuff with a sword.

Given Heythrop’s history and leadership, would you say that Heythrop is better known amongst theologians than philosophers?

The COMMENT SECTION IS EDITED BY BEN MERCER SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES TO HIM AT COMMENT@THEHEYTHROPLION.CO.UK

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

Culture Film: Rush Faye West Managing Editor DanielDa

If I were told that someone had put Thor in a formula one car, I’d want to see that. Rush is one of many films coming out which is based on a true story, in this case, the racing rivalry between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Nikki Lauda (Daniel Brühl.) throughout the Grand Prixs of the early 70s, directed by the esteemed Ron Howard. Those who remember the early 70s may also remember the horrific accident Lauda was involved in, and his remarkable rehabilitation and recovery to continue to race three months after. The film explores the bitter and passionate competition between the two, turning to the point of obsession and the need to beat each other.

The real Nikki Lauda starts the film by beginning the story of how he and Hunt came to know each other. The viewer is immediately sucked in to a visceral

display of characterisation. The tension and dislike between the two is instantly palpable. Set a number of years before they both race in the Formula One category, a large part of the film is devoted to who they are and why they act the way they do.

Hunt is quickly painted as a misogynistic, yet irritatingly lovable, party-playboy, who lives as he drives, spontaneously, dangerously and with the conviction that he is indestructible.

While Hunt’s first act on screen is to seduce a nurse, Lauda appears in conversation with his father, who is disgraced by his son’s urge to race cars. Lauda then cuts all ties with his father; the burden on his shoulders is carried through the rest of the film. Lauda’s character is accessed by the sequences of him engineering his cars, and stating with an honest defiance that he is better at racing than everyone else. The two proceed to duel each other, when one wins,

the other is spurred to win the next round. Neither of them escapes the petty-minded battles.

The second half of the film centres around both of them trying to win the Grand Prix of 1976.

Each character has struggled to the point of near breaking; the viewer really feels they both have lost everything but the rivalry between them. A curious thought enters the mind; does that mean they are friends? The whole film challenges the nature of love and hate. Are they really so different?

Without saying too much more about the plot, the film ends with the real Nikki Lauda lamenting the death of Hunt. The film was very good. The reviews I read of it before I saw it stated that this is how films should be, and I totally agree. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of race car driving, but thousands of people who loved The Dark Knight wouldn’t say they were a fan of Batman.

The fact that I didn’t have an in-

terest in it made it all the more impressive. The film is an emotional marvel. Every emotion it expresses, it expresses tangibly and to the empathy of the viewer. The most painful part of the film was watching the pain.

I struggled to choose as to who I liked more, who the protagonist was. James Hunt portrayed brilliantly by Chris Hemsworth was charming and charismatic but spiteful and damanged.

Nikki Lauda also portrayed brilliantly by was obsessive and slimy but honest and kind. I couldn’t choose, and by the end I didn’t want to. I didn’t like but adored them both, and that’s what a good film does. I didn’t feel patronised, the film portrayed them both as complex and lowly humans.

The supporting cast was also very well chosen. A couple of faces from Green Wing and some others I knew from somewhere really proved that the casting was done by ability and

suitability, not by being a name drop. The sets and costumes were again very well done. The 70s, according to some, wasn’t that long ago, so one may argue that they couldn’t have done it too wrong, but I appreciated the overall lack of “gimmicky-ness” both in the sets and costume and the scripts. The CGI was excellent, the other cars and the weather looked real.

In some sort of conclusion, I was very impressed by Rush.

I didn’t like the name but I am yet to think of a better one. I have since learned that Nikki Lauda was heavily involved in the whole creative process, which I think makes it even more impressive. Some pretty awful things happened to him and it must have been impossibly difficult to watch them happen again. The acting was brilliant, the script felt real and the overall effect was, as I said, how films should be.

Go see Rush.

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

edited by rob leftwich Television: House Robert Leftwich Culture Editor “House” is somewhat of an enigmatic show. On the surface, it’s just another medical drama, but when one looks at it more deeply, it’s basis in “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” becomes easily observable. The basic concept of a misanthropic genius with a drug problem using deductive reasoning to solve “cases” (albiet medical cases rather than criminal ones) is the most obvious thing that ties the show to the Holmes universe.

However, there are other references to Sherlock Holmes here and there, such as House’s flat number being 221b, the obvious similarity of the names House and Wilson to Holmes and Watson, as well as idle mention of Irene Adler in one episode, amongst other things.

That aside however the show is primarily about a Doctor named Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie, and his unique department of “diagnostic medicine” in which he and his team use a combination of psychology and Holmes’ methods of deduction in order to diagnose patients that leave ordinary doctors clueless. House’s department is staffed by various characters during the series’ long run, most regularly Drs Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) and Alison Cameron (Jennifer Mor-

rison) . The show also features prominently Oncologist and House’s best friend Dr. James Wilson, (Robert Sean Leanord) and House’s boss and Dean of Medicine, Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). The performances are almost without exception excellent, with multi-layered characters who are developed well throughout the show’s eight seasons. Laurie’s House is very believable and human, often seeming like a petulant, anti-social child in relation to other characters, but revealing his deep intelligence and modicom of wisdom in more private or intimate moments in the series and it is rare that a wooden or bland performance slips in to an excellent (and huge) supporting cast.

The structure of the series alternates between several focuses, being variously about: the side characters and their interactions, House’s character, (primarily his struggles with sociability, romance and drugs), and the mystery of House’s current patient. The most interesting of these focuses is in my opinion the character of House, who varies between displaying anti-heroic witty charm; anger at what he percieves as the stupidity of those around him and cold, analytic seriousness, all portrayed excellently by Hugh Laurie. However the range of themes and focuses in the show allow it to have a broad appeal, it really does have something

for everyone rather than being purely about any one aspect.

In terms of overall quality, the show has its ups and downs.

Some episodes are masterpieces, filled with suspense, drama and humour, and some episodes drag, comparatively speaking. I would describe the series as a little inconsistent, however, the show is always watchable, and it was rare that I found myself bored by it. The lack of consistency seems to have been a price paid in order to make the series have a broader appeal and although this does make for an occasional lack of polish, it makes the show a lot more last-

ingly enjoyable than it would have been if it had had a tighter focus on any one aspect.

In terms of production style, the lighting and shooting are nothing particularly special or groundbreaking, it has clearly been designed for the most part to be naturalistic in order to give the show a grounded, realistic tone which fits well with the setting and characters. All of these various elements combine throughout a very long series, creating a show that is well worth watching. Variously funny, fascinating and tragic, it’s writers, directors and cast work hard to create and deliver an

interesting re-imagining of the basic Holmes concept, in a way that will appeal to those who dislike criminal or gothic drama as well as long time fans of Holmes’ style mystery. My only real criticism of the series is that it takes a while to get going if watched from the beginning.

The first season, whilst promising, made a few poor decisions, and it isn’t really until midway through the second season that the show really hits its stride. If you can get past that however, the show will provide months worth of entertainment and comes highly recommended.

Literature: Forty Rules of Love Alex Jozca

DanielDa

Third Year Undergraduate In Forty Rules we meet Ella, a woman of leisure in the upmarket Northampton’s. She is currently dissatisfied with her monotonous life, facing hurdles such as a cheating husband, an engaged teenage daughter, another with an eating disorder and a pre-teen son who seems to be rebelling against every form of authority. However, things start changing for Ella when while working for a literary agency means she is given the assignment to review a book called ‘Sweet Blasphemy’.

‘Sweet Blasphemy’ tells the story of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, one a highly respected Quranic Scholar and the other, a wandering dervish, engaged in Sufism. We follow the devel-

opment of their ideas on the agape-ology (the study of True love). Rumi begins by seeing everything through rather rigid Quranic doctrine, but with Shams’ Sufism, he comes to see things through ideas of the Love of God and develops a rather beautiful poetic conception of what Love is. Even though this is a slow process, it still forms an eclectic page turner where the reader is included in this emotional journey. The reader is thus fully immersed in Rumi’s ever ebbing quest to leave his adequate scholasticism for a poetic Sufism, exploring life through love’s lens’.

This is not merely a hazy mist of ecstasy rather, the Haqiqa or truth is what is searched for through love, as love is the greatest attribute of God. The book is written different times; we find ourselves in 21st Century America with Ella, then

are transported to Shams and Rumi in 13th century Konya, Turkey. This crono-location jumping makes this book an easy page turner. Cliff hangers appear at every flit between the two intertwining storylines.

The novel begins with a vignette of a reluctant assassin talking of a terrible act the act of killing a dervish, a holy man. This is a typical technique of flash back/forward, perhaps stemming back to Homeric composition, which works in this case quite remarkably. The concept of having a novel within a novel is nothing new, but the structure of the 40 Rules is given in an easily comprehensible diary format which feels akin to a set of journals, thereby making the narration enjoyable. The whole structure of the book is pleasant and quite frankly exciting.

Ella is never left, her story is as integral as Rumi’s and Shams’-

this mirroring shows the affects this kind of pure love can have in the modern world. On the other hand, Rumi is lead on this voyage by Shams, who encounters many different people, making enemies and great friends. In our modern world we find it hard to understand why a message of Love would ever raise enemies, but in the volatile situation of Islam un-open to new ideas, saw the Sufi’s message of Love as a threatening change, rather than an enhancement, or a further more spiritual understanding of the law. This is where Shafak becomes a theologian; there is a wonderful scene between Shams and one of his many enemies, this time a scholar, who attempts to show that the law is more important than love, which is completely contrary to the ideas of Sufism. This argument is still present today, what

is more important in our religions, more emphasis on doctrine or on feeling love people?

Where do we draw the lines?

Clearly we are still very similar.

As for the theology, well lets just say that it is a wonderful introduction to a side of Islam which is difficult to see in the modern world. This mystical conception of love is something we can certainly learn from today and I am personally very grateful to Elif Shafak for making these real men come alive in such an inventive way and has inspired me to read Rumi’s works.

By reading ‘the forty rules of love’ your eyes will undoubtedly open to an altruistic form of love for others. This exhilarating story will educate you in basic Sufism and see the world through a different light while simultaneously ensuring you take pleasure in the Turkish breeze.

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

Culture Video Games: Pokemon Y? Robert Leftwich Culture Editor DanielDaR

I’ve been a fan of the Pokemon series for almost my entire life.

Pokemon Silver was the first game I ever owned and I had been dearly looking forward to X and Y, the first handheld 3D additions to the series. I was not dissapointed graphically.

Kalos, the new region for these games is beautiful, quite obviously based on France and is fun to explore. The Pokemon are lovingly rendered and feel more real than ever with realistic movements and reactions as well as 3D models. The new mini games and side-shows are great, I liked Pokemonamie and Super-training, even if they were just basically incorporating nintendogs and rail-shooting into a Pokemon game. I liked dressing up my avatar in cool clothes bought in psuedo-Paris (Lumiose City)

and changing his hairstyle to more closely resemble my own.

What a terrible shame then that the core gameplay is the worst it’s ever been. You get two starter pokemon in these games which sounds great, but in reality means you end up with at least two really powerful pokemon that are just given to you.

My final party ended up only having two pokemon that I had caught in the wild and raised myself, the other four were freebies. And if this weren’t enough to make the game toothless and unchallenging the revisions to the levelling system and the way the Exp. Share item works meant that my team were 10 levels over where the designers clearly thought it should be at any given time, this is without even factoring in mega-evolution, a new feature that makes certain pokemon transform and become even more powerful for a single battle, and whilst it’s kind of cool to look at, when combined with the afore-

mentioned levelling changes, it makes it virtually impossible for your team to lose. Admittedly you don’t have to use many of these features, but they are clearly intended to be used, and as a result I went through the vast majority of the game winning battles without losing any pokemon, or in many cases even taking damage, and this was often whilst deliberately selecting my pokemon to be weak against my opponents. This is NOT good design. Beating the game and raising my team didn’t feel rewarding at all, it felt like it could have just as easily been achieved by a brain-damaged five year old. Nothing in this game presented a challenge, the “legendary” pokemon were weak and easy to catch, the Rival might as well have not been there, and the gym battles and so called “Elite” Four were pathetic. I also couldn’t get into the story because due to the unbalanced levelling of my pokemon compared to eve-

ryone else’s, it was impossible to take any of the villains seriously. There was no struggle, no credible threat, it’s hard to involve yourself in a hero’s journey when there is nothing for the hero to overcome or strive towards. The game is long and pretty and what new Pokemon, extras and mini-games there were, were interesting and cool, but the actual game is a broken mess, and despite my love for the series in general, I cannot in good conscience recommend the new ones. I noticed that many other reviewers have been throwing perfect or near perfect scores at the new games.

I can only surmise that either they played a different game to me, or such reviewers have financial, rather than journalistic interests at heart. Pokemon Y is far from perfect.With a longer development time and more and better product testing, Pokemon Y could have been incredible, and the best Pokemon game to date. Instead we’re left

with a rushed, unbalanced game whose core mechanic (battling) just isn’t fun due to total lack of challenge or struggle. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll buy this game anyway, and there is some enjoyable content on display, but if you’ve never played a Pokemon game before, then this is not going to be a good way to involve yourself in them, and it’s certainly not worth buying a 3DS for. At the time, I reviewed Pokemon Black and White 2 (the last pokemon games released for the DS) quite harshly due to lack of coherent or engaging story. Playing the new ones, (and playing the endgame of Black 2) has made me look back on those games more favourably because although the story was weak the game’s mechanics were slick and incredibly well balanced. So that’s the long awaited 3D pokemon games guys. Unbalanced, rushed and vastly inferior to all of its predecessors.

The culture SECTION IS EDITED BY Robert leftwich SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES TO HIM AT Culture@THEHEYTHROPLION.CO.UK

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WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

The Creative Commons A Creativily Compiled Collection Twitch.

He sits as taut as a bow string, Tapping his fingers to an internal beat, Darting his eyes from thing to thing Twitch.

Twitch.

He bushes his hair back in anger Tugs at his cracked bottom lip By now he is convinced of his blunder Twitch.

Twitch.

There is tightness in his head He is losing control of his feelings Defeated he sinks onto his bed Twitch.

Twitch.

He will sleep off the madness Awaken again anew Yet all sleep will bring him is sadness Twitch.

Just a Poet

You say the life you’ve lived so far, Feels cheapened by the lie, That someone hears your beating heart, And watches from the sky.

My sombre existential friend, It’s not for us to know, If people start again somewhere, Or if they really go, From the standpoint of eternity, Our lives are but a flame, Our choices lack importance and Our stories sound the same, There is no man made telescope, That can see beyond today, To tell you which dreams you must sue, And which to throw away,

pur-

So take my hand, forget the stars, Forget all you’ve been told, Have another drink with me, Before we’re both too old.

Chloe May Westley Academic Affairs Officer

From Heythrop College

Twitch.

Fool! He should not have spoken Should he have been so bold?

His chance he may have just broken Twitch.

You say the angels lied to you, When they placed you on this earth, You’re not sure you were ever born, To be a man of worth;

Poetry and creativity

Twitch.

His nails are bitten down to the quick, His foot jiggles of its own accord, His stomach is knotted and sick Twitch.

You say you cannot see the stars, They’re hidden by ash and cloud, Your wishes dying silently, In a world that screams too loud;

Are you a poet and and somwhat aware of that fact?

If you have some poetry to share, send it to culture@theheythroplion.co.uk To have it published on this very page!

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Societies Sports and

Edited by Nazia Begum

societies@theheythroplion.co.uk

Heythrop FC - Pre-season Match Report Matt Holland Heythrop Football Club Captain After a comfortable set of preseason fixtures the Heythrop College 1st team begin their league campaign away to Royal Holloway on Saturday the 19th of October. The 3-0, 6-1 and 3-1 wins were all comprehensive in nature and scoreline, however the team know that there will be a step up in class now that we get into the ‘real stuff’.

New defensive recruits Thom Niemann and Howard Mensah shone in the first preseason game of the season, a 3-0 win against a St. Barts 5ths team littered with ‘ringers’. Another mention should go to fellow new recruit Oliver Gurney who, despite struggling severely with a weak hamstring, managed to net two clinical goals. Our new resident ‘appealer’ George Panayiotou (he will literally shout the word “ref” for anything!) scored an all-important 3rd late on.

A few days after our 3-0 victory we took on a St. Barts 4ths team who on paper should have offered a sterner test however the 6-1 scoreline showed otherwise, and in truth it could have been even worse for the opposition. Another new addition, Murray Watson, got M.O.M. on this occasion after netting his first goal for the club. The game

also saw a return for a lot of familiar faces from last year’s squad as the prolific Daniel Rodger continued his astonishing goal scoring record with a fine hat-trick. Sean Johnson, the nomadic ‘centreback’, also notched another goal for his tally and surprise package Chris aka Sessegnon notched a late 6th.

The final preseason game ended on a high, after a lethargic start to the game and some rather frank words at half-time Heythrop increased the intensity in the second half and demonstrated the necessary workrate for a team that is looking to compete this season. George Taylor got himself back among the goals with two superb finishes, most notably his high half volley into the top corner after outmuscling his opponent. Murray Watson had earlier opened the scoring with a high left foot finish that evaded the St. George’s goalkeeper.

The first home league game is on Wednesday the 6th of November at Barn Elms Playing Fields and we would like to encourage as many of you as possible to come down, support the lads and hopefully have a great time doing so. From Hammersmith bus station you need to take a 283 to Barnes Wetland centre. The KO is 2pm and it takes around 30 minutes from college to get there – we hope to see our Heythrop colleagues there cheering us on!

HeADS - Carnage Chloe Westley Academic Affairs Officer and Director of Carnage What happens when one kid grabs a stick and hits another in the face? In most cases, they’d be left to sort it out man to man, but in contemporary British society, Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood are expected to apologise for their son’s behaviour, whilst the Irwins lecture them on being good citizens of the planet. After a few awkward attempts at politeness, both parents

find themselves siding with their own children and behaving like juveniles themselves. Tulips, vomit, international law suits and dead hamsters are all deliciously encompassed in Yasmina Reza’s ingenious situational comedy, and thus far the play has been an absolute delight to direct. We’re hoping to perform the play in the first week of December, and are desperately seeking creative Heythropians to help out with costumes and set design. If you’d like to get involved email me on Chloe.Westley@heythropcollege.ac.uk and we’ll sort out a rehearsal for you to sit in on.

Heythrop FC Six-a-Side League Starts Thursday the 24th October Email matt.holland@heythropcollege.ac.uk soon before you miss out!

WEDNESDAY 23RD OCTOBER | THE LION

15

EASY

Aries

Taurus

MEDIUM

ROARFUL

Gemini

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 22

Leo

Virgo

Mar 21 - Apr 19

Apr 20 - May 20

May 21 - Jun 20

Jul 23 - Aug 22

Aug 23 - Sep 22

Your king planet, Mars, has moved in front of the constellation Leo. You will fall for a Leo. You must submit entirely to your Leo, while also being headstrong and disobedient. That’s right, be really unclear in your messages toward them. This will create a concrete base for a relationship based on miscommunication. Can’t go wrong there.

Self expression is to be the priority for you. It’s time to follow your dreams. If your dreams don’t involve self expression, then get new dreams. If you don’t see yourself as creative, then try doing something unexpected, like paint a masterpiece or write a novel. If you can’t manage it, your dad was right, you are useless.

As a Gemini, you constantly battle with your inhibitions.

Do you spend the weekend partying or get to grips with your finances for this month?

As a Gemini, you know how difficult these decisions can be. Go with your impulsive side, sister Venus has moved in to the third quarter, spelling good fortune. Don’t pay your rent this month, buy that thing that you want right now. There will be no bad repercussions. (The Lion is not liable for any legal action taken against you based on unpaid debt)

Things have been tough recently and you’ve been under a lot of pressure and stress. However, you haven’t been given more than you can handle. If you feel like the pressure is too much, then take on some more responsibilities to settle your mind.

Put socialising to one side, your friends may offer to help. They will only do so if they think you will ruin everything, they don’t care about you. Spite is on your side, show them all!

Something unexpected will happen this week. Remember that thing that you thought was strange or that conversation you had and you noted a part of it for being unexpected or strangely relevant? See. I predicted that, horoscopes are 100% legitimate. And if it hasn’t happened yet, it will.

Quick witted Mercury is on a collision path with you.

Conflict is inevitable. Have confidence in yourself and you will overcome resistance. The less researched and thought through your opinions, the more strength they take. If devious Mercury tries to outsmart you with a cogent argument, have faith in our convictions and shout loudly at them. Win at all cost, if necessary resort to

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Jan 20 - Feb 18

Feb 19 - 20 Mar

Avoid water at all costs.

Don’t even look at it. I don’t care if your thirsty. That stuff is lethal. Because it’s energy is blocking your chakras or something. Yeah. That’ll do it. So anyway there’s actually a disease that makes people afraid of water. It’s called Rabies. That’s why they foam at the mouth. Intense, pathological fear of water.

Bet you didn’t know that did you? Well I did. Because the STARS. Well actually it came up as an example a lot in A level Philosophy. Something to do with delusions. I think it was to do with Descartes’ dreaming argument. But the stars helped. Honest. Also this week you should be adventurous. Do something you’ve never done before.

Rent a bad film. Eat some sushi. Go to a pub and start a brawl. Meet a nice member of the opposite sex and completely alienate them by talking about your nerdiest passion. Trust me on this.

They’ll love it. It might seem like they don’t care at all but that means they’re falling for you.

That thing you’ve been too embarassed to go see a doctor about. Yeah it’s serious.

Sorry ‘bout that. Trust me, Saturn told me so, and Saturn has a medical degree.

He’s also thinking seriously about whether his relationship with his girlfriend is worth sacrificing his friendship with Jupiter. After all Jupiter has always been there when Saturn needed a friend. Bro’s before Ho’s and all that. Anyway yeah you should probably go get that thing checked out. If the doctor tells you it’s nothing he’s wrong. Keep looking until you find a doctor who takes it seriously. That Doctor will be the one you should marry.

I’m serious. They’re totally in to you. And rich. And if I’m honest you’re not getting any younger.

Sep 23 - Oct 22

Oct 23 - Nov 21

Nov 22 - Dec 21

Dec 22 - 19 Jan

You are a person who would do well to listen to some more advice. Recently, you have been overstepping boundaries and hurting the feelings of others. You need to communicate better. New horizons beckon for those who can convey themselves.

Admit to some short comings. If you have none, admit to someone else’s. Admit to an unsolved murder, and it will take you to new places.

Resist pressure from your loved one. If you have no loved ones, then it’s time to find one. Diplomatic Venus moves through Libra, as you should move through another. Diplomatic is what you must be. If most of the people in the room vote your potential mate to be unattractive, loudly explain the decision to them, and move on. It is a good sign if they cry; it means your diplomatic attitude has touched their heart. Crush their heart with your diplomacy.

You’ll feel a bit stressed this week, probably due to all those pricks who live with you. The next time they ask you to clean the bathroom you’d be well within your rights to lamp them one.

I’m not even joking. They’ll respect you for it. Establish yourself as the alpha. Because Ursa Major is pretty.

Do you know what Ursa Major means? Big bear. Ursa Major is the alpha bear constellation. Ursa Minor does what it says. That’s what you need to do in your life. By force preferably. In fact force is probably your only option.

Because Mars is looking pretty red. That means conflict or something. I choose to take that as an incitement to violence. I mean if Mars is going all red then someone’s going to get violent and better you than them right? Do you want someone else to get all alpha in your face? I thought not. Take charge.

Get them before they get you. It’s destiny. For sure.

You should eat more apricots. They’re good for you.

No really they are. Great source of vitamin C or something. Also it makes a great jam. Especially with Croissant. Oh yeah, sorry, moving on. Yeah you will meet your life long love interest. They’re a journalist.

And tall. And you should call them. They edit articles and they’re very loving and a great listener. He’s also well endowed if you know what I mean. Oh shit did I say he?

I meant they. Yeah. They.

I think I got away with that one. In any case, trust me on the apricots. Go and find a nice independent grocer, and go to their jam section.

It’ll cost you a little more but it’s nice to support small businesses.

Pisces