The Journal - Edinburgh Issue 019

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EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER

ISSUE XIX

WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009

TREKKING INTO HISTORY » 24

AS

GEORGE BULLARD TELLS THE STORY OF HIS GAP YEAR, WHICH SAW HIM AND HIS COMPANION COMPLETE THE LONGEST EVER UNSUPPORTED POLAR JOURNEY

» IN NEWS

GAZA SIT-INS SPREAD: Edinburgh occupation ends as St Andrews protest begins » 5

Edinburgh votes All the news from student elections across the capital

STUDENT POLITICS » 16

Galloway to fight arrests Former Edinburgh rectorial candidate slams Gaza aid convoy seizures

NATIONAL POLITICS » 12

Airport plans take off BAA, owner of airports across Scotland, pushes ahead with expansion of Edinburgh airport

EDINBURGH NEWS » 6

SILVIA PAVLOVA FOTEVA

£80 million showdown causes trams walkout Lectures were halted as the University of Edinburgh's George Square lecture theatre was occupied by protestors last week

» Princes Street infrastructure project postponed due to contractor’s “unacceptable demands” Nick Eardley nick.eardley@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH’S TRAM PROJECT suffered a major setback last week following the announcement that the start of infrastructure work on Princes Street would be delayed after a fall-out between tram bosses and contractors.

City leaders and Transports Initiative Edinburgh (TIE)—the company in charge of the project—announced the delay after claiming that project conglomerate BSC had made unacceptable demands in the days before the city thoroughfare closed to allow the development of the multi-million pound tram network.

Councilor Jenny Dawe, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council said: “The Edinburgh Tram project has had

to announce today that the planned tram infrastructure work due to commence on Princes Street cannot start as intended this weekend [21st February]. The utilities diversion work is still proceeding.

“The decision was brought about because the project was given 48 hours notice before the commencement of Princes Street works that the tram project consortium, BSC, comprising Bilfinger Berger, Siemens and CAF, wished to impose unacceptable conditions as a requirement to start in Princes Street.”

The announcement was made less that 24 hours before Princes Street was to be closed to traffic in order to accommodate necessary road works.

Whilst no indication was given on the nature of the fall out, reports have suggested that BSC demanded up to an

extra £80 million to start work on the Princes Street stage of the infrastructure, despite having signed a fixed cost contract in 2008.

Although it is not yet clear how long this dispute will last, Cllr Dawe confirmed that the closure of Princes Street would proceed as planned, saying: “The city can be reassured that we are strongly committed to introducing trams. They will be of huge benefit in moving about our growing population in a quick, efficient and environmentally friendly way.”

The news is a further setback to the tram project, which has been plagued with problems of late. The closure of the Mound junction in October last year caused heavy delays in the city centre, whilst in November Willie Gallagher, then chairman of TIE—the group overseeing the project—resigned. Since

then TIE, under the temporary chairmanship of David McKay, has gone on a charm offensive, and the Princes Street closure was seen as the next key test for the project.

Through the course of the closure all buses and taxis will be diverted along George Street, whilst other traffic will be guided towards Queen Street. Princes Street, Edinburgh’s main shopping throughfare, will be closed completely between South Charlotte Street and South St. David Street. However, it is likely that diversions will be shelved temporarily should the conflict between TIE and contractors prove to be long term.

A spokesperson for TIE added: “This announcement is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, the project client, and Transport Scotland, the principal funder is fully aware of

Beyond 3G Heriot-Watt leads research into wireless tech behind the next generation of mobile phones

ACADEMIC NEWS » 8

C

1 GHI PQRS

» IN FEATURES

Phil Woolas Immigration minister gives the inside track on Britain's asylum system

COMMENT » 21

Young Fathers Chris McCall speaks to the group set to put Scottish hip-hop on the map

PROFILE » 23

2 News

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

THIS WEEK AT JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

ENGLAND BID FOR 2018 WORLD CUP

England has officially registered to be a potential host of the World Cup

NEW CAMPUS OPENS

Dumfries and Galloway set to "survive" and "thrive"

THE RIGHT TO DIE - James Walston on the controversy surrounding Eluana Englaro, the Italian woman whose family allowed her to die after 17 years in a vegetative state

UCU BACK IN PAY TALKS

Union to request eight per cent rise for teaching staff in 2009

ISLAND TO BECOME NATIONAL PARK

Island of Harris votes in favour of National Park status

WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

Cardiff not international enough for IB headquarters Camilla Conrath camilla.conrath@journal-online.co.uk THE ORGANISATION BEHIND the International Baccalaureate diploma is moving its headquarters from the UK to Amsterdam as part of what it has termed a European restructuring policy.

With staff at IB headquarters being told they are not “internationally-minded” enough, bosses have suggested that they are too isolated in the Welsh capital, where the IB has been based for over 20 years.

With around 300 employers expected to lose their jobs when the headquarters finally moves, Cardiff MP Julie Morgan who has led the campaign urging bosses to save these highly skilled jobs has branded the relocation as a “devastating blow for staff” and a “slight on Wales.”

Although staff will be given the option of relocating, sources within the company estimate that a team of just 40 will remain in Cardiff.

However, the marking of thousands of exam scripts twice a year will be retained

indefinitely within the Welsh capital and a new director is soon to be hired to oversee this critical area of the IB’s activities.

A Welsh Assembly spokesman said: “This is a very sad day for the International Baccalaureate. Despite the shift in costs moving in Cardiff’s favour by 30 per cent relative to Amsterdam since they started this exercise, they have still opted for high-cost Amsterdam instead of low-cost Cardiff, it seems, on prestige and image grounds.”

Jeffrey Beard, director general of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, said of the planned move: “We are privileged to be part of an organization that contributes to making the world a better place. We are implementing some hard choices that have resulted from our studies but will do so with respect and gratitude to those who have got us this far, who we very much value”.

“It is with a sense of purpose and excitement that we are taking the organization to the next stage of its development, expanding its possibilities and with it the possibilities of children all over the world,” said Mr Beard.

» THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE The International Baccalaureate (IB) was created as an independent educational foundation in 1968 by a group of teachers at the International School of Geneva.

The IB Organisation today charters over 2,500 schools in 132 countries to teach and award diplomas to roughly 640,000 students aged 3-19 annually.

The IB diploma, which is implemented in the final two years of secondary school, is designed around the principal of six areas of study in which students choose their preferred modules, with three further requirements held in common by all candidates: an independently produced and externally assessed ‘extended essay’; a ‘theory of knowledge’ module, drawing heavily on theories of learning; and ‘community, action and service’ (CAS), which requries candidates to complete volunteering and physical activity projects.

Each class from the six subject areas are assessed on a scale of one to seven, with the central requirements adding up to three ‘bonus points’. The total degree is therefore marked on a scale up to 45 points.

In April 2008 the IB board of governors decided upon a management restructure on top of a planned move to three global centres. With the final meeting taking place at the beginning of February the locations were confirmed on the basis of where best would serve the company’s future needs. The Amsterdam headquarters will, therefore, be Europe’s principal office with further centres in Washington and Singapore.

The locations had to meet a set of criteria deemed necessary to bring about organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Criteria that included overall economical cost structure for the long-term, employment legislation and practices, attractiveness for staff relocation and transport links were of high priority.

Finally the locations’ ability to satisfy the global perception of the IB as international was also considered.

Monique Seefried, chair of the IB’s board of governors said in The Guardian that, leaders of the company found that “you in Cardiff remain very isolated from the needs of schools and of the cultures the IB aspires to serve.”

“The organisational structure” in Cardiff did not fit with the “ethos of international-mindedness that we insist upon,” she said.

With the Welsh capital being deemed too remote, making it difficult to attract qualified staff, its inaccessibility due to insufficient transport links has also been a determining factor for the move.

It is expected that the operation in Cardiff will be scaled down by 2012 with the new network fully in place by 2020.

The move appears to be an even bigger loss considering the unprecedented growth the company has experienced over the last few years. The number of programmes IB offers has grown by 10 per cent each year for more than 20 years.

Almost 100,000 students take the IB diploma across the world every year, 3,315 of whom are from the UK, with 173 schools in Britain offering the IB. The IB diploma is now regarded as more academically challenging and broader than taking three or four A-levels, with university admissions services deeming a top IB score to be the equivalent to six A grade A-levels.

CORRECTIONS EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER

Editor Evan Beswick Deputy Editor Chris Williams Board of Directors Ben Judge, Matthew MacLeod, Devon Walshe Deputy Editor (News) Paris Gourtsoyannis Deputy Editor (Comment/Features) Simon Mundy Deputy Editor (Sport) Graham Mackay Design Assistants Cecilia Bertilsson & Luke Miller Copy Editors Helen Broadfoot, Lotti Fyfe, Laura McCaffrey, Gemma Pirnie, Alex Reynolds, Lizzie Wilkinson

General News Sarah Clark Edinburgh News Nick Eardley Academic News Rob Church-Taylor Student News Matthew Moore Student Politics Megan Taylor Comment Helen O’Shea Music Dan Moss Theatre Lucy Jackson Art Colleen Patterson Football Elvira Kemp Rugby John Geddie Hockey Emily Glass Crossword Junta Sekimori Chief Illustrator Lewis Killin Photo Editors Giulia Frontini & Silvia Pavlova Foteva Web Editor Marthe Sandvik Editorial Assistant Anna Murray

In an article on George Foulkes' involvement with the law firm Eversheds, David Maddox was incorrectly names as the source of the complaint. It was in fact Andrew Harlick In an article on the petroleum institute at Heriot-Watt it was wrongly suggested that Simon Stewart was a professor at Napier University. He is in fact a professor at HeriotWatt.

"The Rumour Mill," 11 Feb, branded Oliver Mundell as the official Conservative Club candidate. He is not, and never has been, a member of the Conservative party or any other conservative organisations. His father, David Mundell, is the Conservative MSP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. We also suggested that he made EUSA VPSA Naomi Hunter cry. He did not. It was in fact the NUS disabilities officer who was brought to tears.

The Journal is published by The Edinburgh Journal Ltd., registered address 52 Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JB. Registered in Scotland number SC322146. For enquiries call 0131 662 6766 or email info@journal-online.co.uk. The Journal is a free newspaper for and written by students and graduates in the City of Edinburgh. Contact us if you’d like to get involved. Printed by Morton’s Printers, Licolnshire.

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News 3

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Student conversions on the rise » Despite declining church attendance in the UK, the Alpha movement, designed primarily for non church goers,

has been embraced by more of the British public year by year, and Edinburgh’s students are no exception

BAHI P

Sarah Clark sarah.clark@journal-online.co.uk DESPITE DECLINING CHURCH attendance in the UK, the Alpha movement, designed primarily for non church goers, has been embraced by more of the British public year by year, and Edinburgh’s students are no exception.

The Alpha movement originated at the Holy Trinity Brompton in Knightsbridge, London, and promulgates a charismatic form of Christianity that is ecumenical, running across most Christian denominations. The movement has spread worldwide and is endorsed by leading ecclesiastical figures.

The Alpha programme involves a ten week course educating attendants in the basics of the Christian faith. An Alpha evening, differing from the traditional western pattern of evangelistic sermons, consists of a meal, a talk and a discussion in small groups of questions concerning God. The course often culminates in a weekend away where participants are introduced to the “person” of the Holy Spirit; many experiencing “glossalalia”, the gift of speaking in tongues of the holy language.

The formula seems to work and has expanded from the five courses available in London in 1992 to 35,385 courses in 163 countries, reaching an estimated 13 million people to date. According to the group’s website, alphafriends.org, 6,657 organisations run in the UK; 67 in Edinburgh with 11 courses specifically for students.

Morningside Baptist Church (MBC) is one such organisation, currently running two Alpha courses.

Karl Martin, senior pastor at MBC told The Journal: “Our story as a church is that we have seen dramatic increase in numbers over the past three years from 250 to 750. Many of these are students who are seeking God. They are recognising that if they want love and purpose and wisdom and life, then running away from the source of these things makes no sense.

“They are finding God in Jesus and a relevant vibrant community. The

“Our story as a church is that we have seen dramatic increase in numbers over the past three years. From 250 to 750. Many of these are students who are seeking God. They are recognising that if they want love and purpose and wisdom and life, running away from the source of these things makes no sense.”

The Alpha Course: run around the world by thousands of churches in all major Christian denominations Alpha course is awesome as a safe way for people to ask their questions and encounter God-shaped answers.”

Lawrence Callaghan, 22, studies drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art, and at 14 whilst at a youth camp meeting, had a religious experience that became the basis for his faith: “At the beginning of university, I was part of a small group that follows Alpha guidelines, but it has expanded over the past three years and resultantly has had to split. It’s really wonderful to see what it has grown into. We can see God in each other and we delight in that, as a community we are like a family.”

Mr Callaghan places a great deal of importance on spreading the faith: “We want to show that there is fullness and a higher level of love that everyone can have. God wants to know his children. We want to make it accessible and inclusive; we hold dinner parties to discuss faith and have

Nicky Gumbel, developer of the Alpha course

organised an art collective so that we can be culturally aware without being too self-conscious.”

Earlier this month, Christian groups organised the “love gig” where free music and baked goods were available to believers and non-believers alike, with everyone receiving a free “piece of art” that was a page of scripture with a red heart painted on.

Social action is very important to the Christian community in Edinburgh. Mr Callaghan explains that “all the mess comes from living separately from God: “I am saddened and puzzled by the fact that more people have not found God, especially when some people need to hear good news – like the homeless for example, they need to hear that God will provide good news in the form of heating, food and shelter.”

Paul Boylan, 22, is in his fourth year studying history at the University of Edinburgh and converted to Christianity a year ago. He tells The Journal: “It was a complete fundamental status change for me, I went to a dinner party and then to a couple of services and pursued an academic interest in Christianity. I realised, ‘how could I refuse the offer of God’s unconditional love?’

Living in any other way could only be second best.

“It’s about ontology; the way of being rather than something that is acquired.

It does fill a void and a need; not knowing God is a deprivation. I believe that if people really look they will find what they are seeking; you have to accept that your identity is bound up with Christ and enter into a relationship with him."

Jessamy Irwin Clark, 21, studying history of art and English Literature at Edinburgh University, agrees that her faith is about being in a direct relationship

with God: “I have experienced difficult circumstances in my life, but time and time again I have prayed to God and my prayers have been answered. In my family we call them “God-incidences’.

Ms Irwin Clark, Mr Boylan and Mr Callaghan agree that during their time at university more students have turned to God. Mr Boylan said that, while “it is true that Christianity has become more fashionable with many young bands, such as Marcus Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale being believers”, it is something more than that.

“I think that when anyone listens to those lyrics something resonates deep within us that is connected with God. More people are choosing to believe in God and acknowledging that there is more to life, things have gone wrong and human beings have a lot to answer for, people need to take time to reflect and realise that we are made to be in a relationship with God.” However, not everyone has greeted the growth of the Alpha course in such enthusiastic terms. One non-believing student at Edinburgh University told The Journal, that it appears to be vulnerable people in particular who are being approached: “I think Christian conversion really has helped some people and it is always very well intentioned, but as a non-believer I feel there are elements that are quite sinister, and their methods can come across as cultish. I feel that Christian groups target people who are in vulnerable positions; I feel that I got taken on as a friend and eventual flatmate because I was a potential candidate for conversion.

“There is an element of judgement and it is disconcerting to be told by a friend that they are worried as a nonbeliever that I will go to hell, it seems bizarre that this apocalyptic notion of faith still exists.”

The student continued: “I think there

is a distinction between those that are brought up Christian and those who are recent converts, and the reasons for that conversion. As well intentioned as it is, there is a pattern emerging that shows that people experiencing grief or depression in some form are approached.”

Ms Irwin Clark, deems that believing in God is not a about having a crutch, but rather experiencing the full abundance of life, “entering into a relationship with God is like falling in love and God wants to have a relationship with everyone.”

Ms Irwin Clark believes there is not one type who converts to Christianity, “of course some people who are interested in the faith are struggling, but there is no underlying theme, rather it is when people stop to think and choose to contemplate the bigger questions or have come to a crossroads in their life.”

“Its about faith, rather than religion, there is no intention to thrust it down people’s throats but I want to spread what I know. It is true that Christianity moves in waves – if the people around you believe, you are more likely to become interested in the faith. It feels selfish not to try and help people, to let them know that they are loved and could have a truly joyful and content life.”

Earlier this month, the Anglican Church—which has previously advocated a cautious, liberal approach to conversion—is now calling for Anglicans to “go forth and evangelise”. To convert non-Christian believers the Church’s general synod, backed a motion to force its bishops to report on their “understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in Britain’s multifaith society” and offer guidance on “the gospel of salvation” with people of other faiths and of no faith. For church leaders, at least, the current wave of Christian evangelism and conversion is a trend that, they hope, will only continue to expand.

4 News

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Facebook slammed over new terms Chris Grainger chris.grainger@journal-online.co.uk ON 15 FEBRUARY The Consumerist, a consumer affairs blog, brought to public attention a change in the terms of use for the popular social networking website Facebook made on 4 February. The site, which has over 175 million active users worldwide, had changed the section of its terms of use regarding rights to uploaded and posted content, making their rights to such content perpetual, including after termination of accounts or removal of content.

Facebook has since reverted to the former terms of use in light of the resulting outrage; but while this event caused a furore among consumer advocates and users of the site, the change did not represent a significant break from the rights the

social networking site already has to uploaded or posted user content.

According to the “old” terms of service—updated in September 2008— Facebook has the “irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide licence (with the right to sublicence) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute’ any content users upload or post on the site.”

The change earlier this month altered the rights Facebook holds on termination of a user’s account. The current terms of use explain that if a user removes content or terminates their account, the aforementioned rights would expire. The altered terms removed the clause that indicated that those rights would expire, thus granting Facebook ownership of any user content forever.

However, Facebook already retains

all information uploaded. According to the current terms of use, “the Company may retain archived copies of your user content.” They do not, however, hold the right to reproduce that content publicly.

Facebook has been involved in a number of scandals regarding its terms of use beyond this recent change. Notably, they refused to remove the profile of deceased journalist Bill Bemister at the request of his sister, Stephanie. This stems from their policy of only “deactivating” accounts, with deletion requiring a special request.

While the social networking site has reverted to its September 2008 terms of use, it continues to seek a change from those terms. They are not legally obliged to inform users of any changes they make to the terms of use, and by continuing use all users automatically agree to those changes.

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CNN criticised for climate change coverage JASON KUFFER

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Kevin Guyan kevin.guyan@journal-online.co.uk A PRINCIPAL AUTHOR of the 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has criticised the media’s coverage of climate change.

Stanford Professor Stephen Schneider’s comments come after American television channel, Cable News Network (CNN), sacked their entire science and environment reporting team. The climate researcher and policy analyst, who wrote chapter 19 in the intergovernmental report, last week blasted media bosses at a symposium at the Annual Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago.

Prof. Schneider lambasted media chiefs, saying: “Business managers of media organizations, you are screwing up your responsibility by firing science and environment reporters who are frankly the only ones competent to do this.

“Science is not politics. You can’t just

get two opposing viewpoints and think you’ve done due diligence. You’ve got to cover the multiple views and the relative credibility of each view,” he continued.

Mr Schneider’s criticism of the media’s handling of the climate change debate exposes deeper environmental issues across American networks.

National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Universal made the first of several proposed cuts in December, axing the entire team behind their environmental programme Forecast Earth and several key meteorologists.

Speaking to the Columbia Journalism Review, Christy George, president of America’s society of environmental journalists, was disheartened at the recent announcements: “For the last year or two, television has, in general, been making a commitment to beefing up its environmental coverage.

“There is going to be a lot to cover in science, technology and environment and it’s not going to be enough to just cover the politics of it to keep people informed.”

Police catch three-yearold vandal in Dundee NOW AT

Laura McCaffrey newsdesk@journal-online.co.uk

51a George Street

A THREE-YEAR-OLD CHILD was caught vandalizing an abandoned building in Dundee, police have revealed.

The toddler was part of a gang of children caught throwing paint at a soon to be demolished building in the Fintry area of Dundee.

The incident, revealed by a Freedom of Information request, took place last May. Since the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is eight years-old, no action was taken, although crimes committed by younger children are recorded.

Chief Inspector Sandra Richards,

from Tayside Police said: “I think any crime of vandalism does have to be reported and it might actually show evidence of more of a problem in that particular area.”

Tayside police revealed that damage to property caused by vandalism in the city cost nearly £700,000 in 2008 alone.

There has been recent talk of raising the criminal age of responsibility to 12 years old. Head of Public Affairs for the Children 1st charity, Tom Roberts, said: “There has been a lot of debate recently about the age of criminal responsibility and Children 1st urges policy makers to remember that children who cause trouble are most often extremely troubled themselves.”

The toddler was caught as part of a wider project to crackdown on vandalism in the city.

News 5

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Gaza occupations spread across UK

St Andrews students stage copycat sit-in

SILVIA PAVLOVA FOTEVA

Amy Magowan Greene amy.magowan-greene@journal-online.co.uk

Amy Grant amy.grant@journal-online.co.uk ON THE MORNING of 11 February, Edinburgh University students began their occupation of the George Square lecture theatre in response to Israeli conduct in Gaza – the 24th campus sitin of its kind to take place in the UK. But how has this protest measured up against its predecessors?

The School of Oriental and African Studies kicked off proceedings on January 13, when students successfully occupied a Ministry of Defence exhibition on campus for 24 hours, with officials conceding to the majority of their demands.

Over the next 10 days, students at the London School of Economics, Essex, King’s College London,

Birmingham, Sussex, Warwick, and Manchester Met followed suit.

At Warwick University, students' demands included an end to links with BAE Systems, GE Aviation, MBDA, Qinetiq and Rolls Royce. Although the university agreed to meet many of the group’s demands, officials tactfully pointed out that thousands of students recently attended a careers fair where these companies were represented.

Rival institutions Oxford and Cambridge both began occupations on January 23, with varying degrees of success. The occupation at Oxford University lasted only 10 hours, after successful negotiations resulted in most demands being met. However the Cambridge University effort proved fruitless, with a 7-day occupation ending in students being starved into submission after being denied access to

supplies. Following threats of a court injunction the protesters withdrew.

Nottingham University and Sheffield Hallam both began 3-day occupations on January 28. At Nottingham, university officials hired private security agents to drag the students outside into the snow, with some sustaining minor injuries. Sheffield Hallam students were forced to end their sit in after being threatened with police action, and despite initial claims to the contrary the Equal Opportunities and Union Welfare officers were both removed from their sabbatical positions, with several other students threatened with suspension for their efforts.

On 18 February, New York University students barricaded themselves in the Kimmel Student Center dining room for 20 hours. After initially

refusing to negotiate, NYU encouraged the use of physical force to bring an end to the occupation. When protesters outside the building attempted to move police barricades, the NYPD reportedly employed pepper spray on the front line of the crowd, as well as using night sticks and tasers on demonstrators. After police ended the occupation, participants were photographed and asked to provide identification, and NYU students were reportedly handed letters reading: “You are suspended from, and classified as a persona non grata at New York University.”

One of the last students to be removed from the building, Andrew Aronsohn, told the Washington Square News: “I’m surprised at how angry NYU gets when you stay a little late in their cafeteria.”

A view from the inside of the occupation Amadeus Findlay

University of Edinburgh

news@journal-online.co.uk

T

HE OCCUPATION BEGINS on Wednesday. The usually grey and listless building is soon transformed by a pair of banners bearing two potent and succinct messages; “End Israeli War Crimes”; ‘End the Siege of Gaza’.

Fourth year student ‘Alice’ tells me that “we wish to promote human compassion without political affiliation.

We cannot ignore the severity of the situation in Gaza. The actions of Israel are intolerable. The excuse of human shields is not good enough.”

Their campaign is tireless. Even at half-nine on a cold winter evening, the table outside is still manned. Despite the temperature, four affable faces peered from beneath colourful woolen

hats.

Inside, the group is quiet and tired.

Yet, an unexpected feeling of organisation and sincerity fills the room. The walls are adorned with Palestinian flags, campaign posters and leaflets.

The protesters are helpful and informative people who articulately explain their intentions; perhaps this is more than a disgruntled student protest?

The occupiers were keen to highlight the nature of the protest. As ‘Dylan’ tells me: “This is an open invite to anybody who wishes to be involved or bring attention to atrocities in Gaza. We do not want to isolate ourselves and be seen as unwelcoming troublemakers.

This is an educational exercise.”

The experiences of some members are shocking. ‘Alice’ has lived and worked in the Middle East and has spent a considerable amount of time in Gaza. She speaks about a refugee, a quiet-spoken eighteen-year-old who had been walking in the valley near his

settlement when he was shot with an illegal spinning bullet. Israeli soldiers claimed he had been carrying a bomb, yet no evidence appeared to substantiate this, despite requests from the family.

“The Israeli army employs illegal spinning bullets and white phosphorous. It uses Gaza as a military testing ground. The people are suffering the restrictions of a blockade in an area of land 139 square miles with a population of 1.4 million people,” claims ‘Alice’.

Another protester, ‘Daniel’, argues: “There are many myths surrounding Gaza. Most notably the YouTube video that apparently supports the claim that the UN school shelters Hamas is from 2001 – a highly outdated source.”

One of the major criticisms has been of the disruption caused to the daily lives of Edinburgh’s students, loud music and intense drumming having little place next door to students in the library just feet away. But accusations

that classes had been cancelled aren’t entirely true, claims ‘Dylan’.

“The class proceeded as planned,” he says, regarding one social-theory lecture. Our possessions are concealed behind the stage and all we had to do was sit quietly among the students.

Other lecturers informed the university that they did not mind our presence, but these were cancelled nonetheless.

We disrupted nothing.”

He continues: “Our cause is just and our demands reasonable and ethical.

All we want is the university to boycott and withdraw investment in companies involved in the Gaza conflict. We have had support from Noam Chomsky as well as Norman Finkelstein and we invite others to join these notables as well as the 500 names on our petition.”

The occupation passed without incident and George Square Lecture Theatre is now back in the hands of the university. The Gaza conflict, however, continues.

FOLLOWING ON FROM the protest in Edinburgh which saw students take over the George Square lecture theatre, students at the University of St Andrews have occupied a university building. Activists at the ancient institution handed a 600 signature petition to the principal demanding that the university cut ties with Israeli contractors and begin an aid and scholarship programme.

The numbers have grown to around 200 students since last Wednesday when 60 students began the protest in Lower College Hall. Demands include a suspension of university ties with two companies, Eden Springs—an Israeli company which bottles water from occupied territories—and BAE systems, which provides military assistance to the Israeli Defence Force.

The principal at the university, Dr Louise Richardson had initially refused to meet with protesters to discuss the demands until they ended their occupation. Students responded angrily, threatening to protest outside Parliament Hall, where the University Court was to convene from for its quarterly meeting. However, the prinicipal came to meet with protesters on Friday, while they agreed on certain issues.

The sticking point centered around the university’s “neutral” links with companies in Gaza. Dom Feargrieve, a third-year Philosophy and Theology students said: “By not divesting from BAE systems or canceling its contract with Eden Springs, the university implicitly condones Israeli action – this is hardly a neutral stance.”

As the protest continues, big names are have leant their support to the students in St Andrews. Earlier this week, academic Noam Chomsky said: “I am very pleased to learn about the courageous and honorable actions of the students at St Andrews.” In addition, the academic made a personal appearance at 100-strong rally held in St Salvador Quad on Sunday. Representatives of political pressure groups who also attended the rally included, Glasgow-Palestine Human Rights Campaign, International Solidarity Movement Scotland and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace.

The sit in protest in St Andrews began two days after the occuption of university buildings in Edinburgh came to an end.

The protesters at St Andrews were no doubt encouraged by the sucess of the students who left George Square lecture theatre early on Monday morning. The group had succeeded in having most of their demands met, following a 6 day sitin. Further debate and discussions have been promised, including an invitation to present their views regarding share disinvestment at the university court.

Students involved in the sit-in have also received assurances of efforts to collaborate on fundraising to send aid to Gaza to ease the humanitarian crisis there. Activists also hope to invite the wider student body to attend a lecture and series of debates organised with the support of the University. Also promised was a complete end to the Eden Springs contract by the end of the next academic year, and five annual scholarships for students from Gaza.

The occupation of St Andrews University continues, with the earliest anticipated end being Monday when further meetings are scheduled to be held.

According to the broadcaster Al Jazeera, the Israeli incursion into Gaza began on 27 December and has killed over 1,300 civilians and made over 100,000 people homeless.

6 Edinburgh News

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

BAA push ahead with airport expansion » £40 million development to go ahead despite fears that site will be sold David Stevenson david.stevenson@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH’S AIRPORT OWNERS BAA have announced that they will continue with ambitious expansion plans despite concerns that they may be forced to sell off the site entirely.

BAA, who currently also own Glasgow and Aberdeen airports in Scotland, will invest £40 million on a major extension to the terminal that will increase capacity of the site to 13 million. This first phase of a much larger $100 million expansion plan will involve a new purpose built security search area and extended departures lounge offering additional shops, bars and restaurants.

Gordon Dewar, the managing director said: “The terminal at Edinburgh airport is now at capacity, so we face a choice – we either develop the airport in a responsible manner, or risk Edinburgh falling behind other European cities by allowing our competitors airports to take the lead.”

While passenger numbers have doubled at the airport over the last ten years, the timing of the announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise given the current economic crisis, questions over the sustainability of air travel environmentally, and the doubt hanging over the airport’s future ownership.

The planned expansion at Heathrow

has already caused much public debate and protest over the impact that expanded airports and their associated flights will have upon the environment.

Robin Harper, Green MSP said: “Airport expansion would front load our atmosphere with global warming gases that are up to 2000 times more damaging than CO2, increase local noise pollution and air pollution, and stretch local transport systems.”

However BAA were at pains to point out that the current development is not designed to accommodate any more flights. A spokesperson said: “It does not provide any new aircraft stands or air bridges, and does not involve an extension of the airfield in any way. It is essentially an extension of the departure lounge.”

However, extending a departure lounge would appear economically unsound unless additional flights were to be added in the future to boost passenger numbers by 4 million – the number of extra passengers the proposed lounge will accommodate. BAA have been in discussions with the organisers of the Royal Highland Show over plans to build on the show’s current home at Ingliston, but stated in September that the airport would not need this land until at least 2020.

BAA’s spokesperson went on to insist that: “aviation’s global contribution

ROBERT POGORZELSKI

to climate change is just 1.6%, and is dwarfed by road transport and shipping.

Nevertheless, the airline industry understands that it has an important part to play in addressing the climate change challenge.”

BAA will also come under pressure this March when the Competition Commission publishes its final report on the ownership of the UK’s airports. In December last year they made it clear that they would recommend the sale of Edinburgh Airport along with Gatwick and Stanstead in London. From the end of March BAA are expected to have a twomonth window to submit their official response.

Speaking to The Journal, BAA provided some clues as to what that response may look like: “In terms of the competition commission enquiry, we do not believe the competition commission’s central premise that a forced sale of one of the central belt airports would foster greater competition.

“If a sale were to be ordered, we (BAA) should have the right to decide which airport is sold.”

City leaders and tourist groups have welcomed the announcement. Jenny Dawe, leader of Edinburgh City Council said: “Edinburgh airport is the busiest in Scotland and this planned investment is vital for the future growth of the city and its long term economic future.”

Emissions-based parking scheme to be introduced » Scheme to go ahead despite concerns over consultation process Lidija Liegis

» WHAT'S THE COST OF YOUR EXHAUST?

lidija.liegis@journal-online.co.uk

£

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Chrysler Voyager; Jaguar X-Type; Citroen C6; Porsche Cayenne

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Renault Grand Espace, Ford Mondeo, Volvo S60

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Peugeot 107, Mini Hatchback, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta

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ELANA SUKERT

A NEW RESIDENTS’ parking permits scheme aimed at rewarding environmentally friendly car usage has been approved by Edinburgh City Council.

Under the new scheme, parking permit charges will be graded according to vehicle size and CO2 emissions levels.

The aim of the scheme is to cut the negative impact on the environment from CO2 emissions, as well as to provide more available resident parking spaces as the council currently sells more permits than there are available places.

Owners of the most polluting cars will pay more for their permits, and households with more than one vehicle would pay more for second permits.

Green Councillor Steve Burgess; who proposed the scheme, told The Journal: “The purpose of the charge is about pollution, because you can still buy a smaller car.

“It’s not an anti 4x4 measure, it’s not about taxing luxury cars – it’s about pollution and taxing pollution.

“In a way it is quite a radical thing and for the first time the Council is saying it’s not socially acceptable to pollute without bearing the consequences. What is important is the moral message of this – when you get the permit you’ll be charged double because of the pollution you’re causing to society.”

It is estimated that 66 per cent of the current permit holders will pay less, 14 per cent will see no change and 20 percent will pay more.

Disabled badge holders will still be eligible for an exempt permit which is free of charge.

The original proposal was passed unanimously by the council in 2007.

The Transport, Infrastructure and Environment (TIE) committee decided on a

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VW Polo, Ibiza Ecomotion

public consultation, which took place from September to December 2008.

However, the consultation process over the scheme has been the target of criticism. 66,000 letters were allegedly distributed in the Park Green public consultation. A total of 1670 people responded, with 73 per cent of respondents in favour overall, and 68 per cent of parking permit holders in favour. 47 people wrote letters or emails of objection to the new scheme.

However, the councils’ Conservative group has criticised the scheme, claiming that the public consultation was not as extensive as has been claimed.

City centre Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat told The Journal: “I just don’t believe the 66,000 letters went anywhere. The Conservatives amended the motion – we said we were not happy with the consultation.

“The council report stated that the Park Green consultation had gone to every household in the controlled parking zone – we are very dubious it did.

They did not fully consult with the community’s council in the area. We are very doubtful it was an effective consultation.”

A number of capital residents approached by The Journal said they did not receive any communication from the council. Marchmont businessman Michael Field told The Journal that he received no letter in last year’s Park Green consultation.

“The new scheme is ridiculous. We already pay for so much. The council never listens anyway,” Mr Field said.

Lib Dem councillor Robert Aldridge has defended the consultation, stressing that a number of methods were used to gage public opinions.

He said: “It wasn’t just the 66,000 leaflets which went out, but there were also opportunities to respond online and the matter was raised at or, I believe in some

cases, immediately before the relevant neighbourhood partnership meetings.”

Mr Aldridge added: “In my experience those who are against something are usually more likely to respond than those in favour and the fact that the overwhelming majority of those who responded were in favour speaks volumes.

“It is difficult to know why some people did not respond. However, during the next phase there will be a further statutory period of consultation so that anyone who does still have strong views can make them known during that period.”

Having gained approval from TIE committee, the council will commence the statutory “traffic regulation order” process in order to promote the change.

This will take approximately nine months, following which the scheme will be implemented.

Under the current controlled parking scheme, charges only differ from zones – central zone residents pay £160 per annum, and peripheral and extended zone residents pay £80.

Anticipated losses with the new scheme are about £50,000 a year, but the council considers the environmental benefits to outweigh any negatives of revenue losses.

According to a council statement, one of the anticipated outcomes of the new scheme includes bringing about changes in the vehicles owned by city centre residents, in the hope that there will be a switch towards smaller cars. In addition, since smaller cars require less space, the council expects there to be an increase in parking capacity.

Under the new scheme there will be five categories for cars. Three of these will get a reduction in permit costs. The fourth will have no change in permit costs. Only residents whose cars fall into the fifth bandwidth will have to pay more for their parking permits.

Edinburgh News 7

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Police raids across city uncover serious crime network » Operation hailed as success after 14 arrests made GERARDO FEGAN

Alice Stanes alice.stanes@journal-online.co.uk LOTHIAN AND BORDERS Police have allegedly cracked a large-scale organised crime network following a number of raids across the city.

Police targeted a total of 18 houses as part of an ongoing operation aimed at reducing organised crime activity throughout Edinburgh.

Operation Deliver is, according to police officials, part of a new intensive strategy using innovative investigation techniques to target such activity, and to eliminate crime groups throughout the capital. Over 100 officers from CID, A-division and specialist support units were involved in the raids.

Detective Superintendent David Bullen, leading the investigation, said: “The results achieved follow an extensive investigation where we have sought to make maximum use of all available intelligence and evidence and build a case around the criminal activities of this group.

“They have allegedly been involved in the distribution of significant weights of cocaine from which they have derived substantial criminal profits. We will continue to investigate with a view to obtaining further evidence and recovering assets or profits linked to this group.”

The raids targeted the Bingham area in the early morning of Wednesday 11 February, and further searches

were conducted the next day. Following the raids, 14 individuals were detained, 11 appearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court the following day. A number of further individuals appeared in court later in the week.

Operation Deliver is a large scale operation that follows a year of intelligence and research based activity. Over the course of the scheme, in excess of £200,000 worth of cocaine and ecstasy have been recovered, along with an around £16,000 in cash.

The evidence obtained so far will lead to a number of drug and money laundering charges being made, and further investigation will be made to secure additional evidence or identify further assets linked to this crime group.

Superintendent Bullen confirmed

that the operation was not a one off response to the criminal activity, and the public should be well aware that the scheme was part of an on going investigation aimed at eliminating organised crime, on a long term basis, within the city. He said: “Lothian and Borders Police is committed to tackling those organised criminals who pose a serious threat to our communities.

“These serious and organised crime groups use intimidation and violence to support their criminal activities and it is vital that the police continue to use all available methods to disrupt those activities.

“I am satisfied that today’s operation had made a significant inroad into a crime group operating at a significant level in our force area.”

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8 Academic News

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Heriot-Watt leads development of 4G mobiles Cameron Robinson cameron.robinson@journal-online.co.uk

UK AND CHINESE universities have united to produce the next generation in mobile technology.

A science bridges award linking UK universities and Chinese universities and institutions, led by Heriot-Watt, is to work on new developments in highspeed, secure wireless multimedia connections.

The UK-Chinese consortium consists of 17 academic institutions – ten from the UK and seven from China, as well as 18 other industrial partners lead by Mobile VCE, a UK based mobile research company.

Working together the group intend to research and produce the successor to the current 3G generation of mobile communication: 4G. But what exactly constitutes this 4G technology is, as yet, unclear – though this is expected to be clarified by the end of the year.

Head of the project at Heriot-Watt, Dr Cheng-Xiang Wang, lecturer at the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences told The Journal: “In general, the term 4G means a next generation wireless mobile communication technology that can offer much better performance than the current third generation (3G) technology.”

Future users of 4G could expect to experience a substantial increase in mobile broadband connection speeds, even when moving at high speeds, while travelling by car or train for example - known as high mobility.

“It is expected that a 4G mobile broadband network will support data

rates of up to about 100 Mbps for high mobility such as mobile access and up to about 1Gpbs for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access,” said Dr Wang.

This UK-Chinese alliance stems from already established research collaborations between some key partners of the consortium.

The importance of effective collaborations between the UK and China in 4G-technology development and research is “crucial and timely” according to Dr Wang: “China is an ambitious and increasingly significant country in wireless communications, having the world’s largest mobile subscriber population. This huge potential market offers China tremendous opportunity to influence the international standardisation processes for 3G and 4G systems.”

Funded by Research Councils UK (RCUK), the £1.1m UK-China science bridges project has three major aims: to enable the UK universities involved to become fully connected with top universities and telecom companies in China, to build on the existing substantive collaboration and to ultimately create a UK-China joint R&D centre for 4G wireless mobile communications.

In addition, Dr Wang expressed his own future aims for the project: “My long-term goal is to use this three-year science bridges project as a stepping stone to further identify new collaboration/commercialisation opportunities, attract more funding from government and industries, and support long-term sustainable development of the UK-China R&D centre beyond the project period.”

» MOBILES: THE NEXT GENERATION

» Better support for mobility » Faster data transfer (≥100Mb) » Higher network capacity

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Improved support for both mobile and fixed stations, allowing at least 100Mb for mobile units and over 1Gb (1000Mb) for fixed units. Home broadband is typically ~4Mb

Use of multiple antennas and spacial processing (MIMO technology) allowing faster data transfer. Advanced adaptive radio techniques and "turbo codes" allow more data to be sent using less radio bandwidth.

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Use of advanced radio technologies such as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing) to allow more subscribers per cell, reducing number of transmitters and capital cost of networks

Seven minutes of exercise may reduce diabetes risk VILLE MIETTINEN

Anna Murray

kevin.guyan@journal-online.co.uk

anna.murray@journal-online.co.uk

A PROFESSOR AT an Edinburgh university has taken the lead in a recent UK trade mission to the Philippines.

Professor Martin Tangney of Napier University met with key figures from Philippine industry and the government earlier this month. The trade mission, backed by United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI), focussed on the environment and gave Professor Tangney a chance to discuss topical climate concerns with the president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Edgardo Lacson, and the secretary for the environment and natural resources, Jose Atienza Jr. Speaking on his return from Philippine capital, Manila, Professor Tangney said: “It was a great honour to be given the task of leading the UKTI trade mission and meeting such influential figures in the industry in Manila and to have been given the privilege to have private meetings with the President of the PCCI, and the secretary for the environment and natural resources, who gave a different perspective to the mission delegates.

“Not only were we able to showcase our technologies and expertise but we were able to learn what Philippine companies and Government found to be worthwhile for their business,” he added.

A STUDY CARRIED out by scientists at Heriot-Watt University suggests that as little as seven minutes of high impact exercise a week can significantly reduce the risk of contracting diabetes.

The prevalence of type two diabetes is rapidly increasing around the world. Some 2.3 million people in the UK are already diagnosed and the charity, Diabetes UK, estimates the number of diagnosed and “hidden” diabetics will top 4 million by 2025.

As well as the impact on quality of life and the threat to life there is the economic cost; last year treatment for diabetes and its complications cost the NHS £9bn.

Previous research has established the benefits of aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging or cycling, and weight training exercise – both help to keep glucose levels down. The advice to those at risk has been to do a lot of exercise and to keep doing it.

Professor James Timmons, who led the study, believes its results could offer a novel, time-efficient strategy for those who find it hard to stick to the government guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week.

“What we have found is that doing a few intense muscle exercises, each

Whilst visiting Manila, the team attended a seminar on “Innovative Environmental Solutions from the UK,” allowing interested local participants to quiz the UK mission on how they feel environmental technology can best help their businesses and organisations.

Professor Tangney also gave a lecture on the conversion of waste into biofuel, a subject Professor Tangney

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has specialised in during his time at Napier University.

As director of the university’s Biofuel Research Centre, Professor Tangney is widely considered to have successfully developed the Centre into an important international resource, providing information on the field and undertaking research and development into the latest scientific developments.

lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism in just two weeks.

"The improvements in metabolism we measured are known to be critical for reducing your chance of getting diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future.”

25 healthy, but physically inactive men took part in short cycling and sprint training sessions. Afterwards their bodies were dramatically better at processing a glucose drink they were given.

It appears that the insulin that they produced worked much more efficiently and that the excess glucose was removed from the blood stream much more rapidly.

Professor Timmons adds: “What is often not appreciated is that cardiovascular disease processes begin early in life, while diabetes is one of the biggest risk factors.

"What our study shows is that by doing the right type of training, intensive for very short periods, it is plausible for young and most probably middle aged adults to reduce their future risk for developing diabetes.”

The scientists at Heriot-Watt propose that their research be expanded upon to include middle aged individuals and those who already have diabetes.

The study is published in the latest edition of the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders.

National Student News 9

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Radioactive Rutherford building closed » Manchester University labs at the centre of cancer row closed due to high levels of mercury Laura Robertson laura.robertson@journal- online.co.uk THE UNIVERSITY OF Manchester has closed a building at the centre of a cancer scare in response to fears of dangerous mercury levels.

The offices, which were previously home to the scientist Ernest Rutherford, a pioneer of modern nuclear physics, were suddenly closed at the beginning of the month.

A spokesperson for the University stated: “Two rooms have been vacated to enable investigation and remediation work to be undertaken, and four members of staff have been temporarily relocated as a result. Measurements in one of the rooms have indicated the likely presence of mercury under the floor.”

It is alleged that 100-year-old radioactive material left over from Rutherford’s experiments may mean that the offices are still contaminated with radiation from polonium, radon and mercury.

Professor Tom Whiston, 70, is the latest former occupant of the offices to develop pancreatic cancer. Two of his colleagues, Dr Hugh Wagner, who died in 2007 and Dr Arthur Reader, who died last year aged 69, also died of pancreatic cancer. In addition, their colleague Dr John Clark developed a terminal brain tumor in 1992.

In 1999, the rooms near Rutherford’s former offices were found to be contaminated with nuclear materials and mercury. The staff who worked there did not find out until 2001 – and then only

by chance, when one of them found that his office had been labelled a radiation hazard zone.

A confidential report written in June 2008 by academics at Manchester officially raised fears about the link between the radiation levels in the offices and the deaths of their colleagues. The report stated: “The contamination may have contributed to the deaths of our colleagues.”

The report also suggested that the university had suspected as early as the 1970’s that radiation levels in the building were too high, but continued to allow academics to use the Rutherford Building.

The widow of psychologist Dr Hugh Wagner has previously discussed suing the university for negligence due to their failure to act on, or even admit, their knowledge of the contamination.

In October 2008, a spokesman for the university stated: “It is important to stress that we do not believe there to be any risk to current occupants of the Rutherford Building. It was surveyed by an independent specialist company as part of the refurbishment in 2006 and some minor contamination— below levels reportable to the Health and Safety Executive—were found in a limited number of locations. This was removed by specialist contractors and the building was re-surveyed prior to the move into the building of its current occupants.”

They continued: “We believe the evidence presented to date does not support a connection between the deaths

On the menu tonight

of former staff and possible exposure to radioactive contamination.”

However, the university’s sudden decision last month to evacuate the offices has renewed health concerns for those who worked in or around the building. Despite the decision to evacuate after discovering mercury residue, a spokesperson for the university asserted: “It is important to stress that these levels were well below the legal workplace exposure limits.”

The University of Manchester has asked Professor David Coggon, an expert in the epidemiology of occupational and environmental causes of disease who runs the faculty of occupational medicine at Southampton University, to investigate further. Coggon stated: “The evidence so far does not indicate high risk of exposure.”

He referred to the three cases of pancreatic cancer as “an anomaly” rather than an indication that the disease was a direct result of radiation exposure.

He continued: “Pancreatic cancer is not a disease you would expect as a consequence of the exposure. For exposure to radon, you would expect lung cancer, and for mercury, kidney disease.”

However, the department’s own report from 2008 cites scientific studies which indicate “a possible association between pancreatic cancer and cumulative exposure to radon”.

Coggon says he will not rule out any connection at this stage, stating: “I have not closed my mind on it.”

The completed report is expected by the end of the year.

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GENE HUNT

» RADIOACTIVE EDINBURGH? The University of Edinburgh confirmed that they have “about 70 labs that are used for experiments featuring radioactivity. These are mostly dedicated to this type of work.”

However, the university also pointed out that there are stringent procedures in place to ensure the safe containment and decontamination of labs used for radioactive experiments.

10 Student News

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Graduate vacancies to fall » London and Midlands are to be the worst hit as new research suggest highest drop in vacancies since 2003

Nina Conlon nina.conlon@journal-online.co.uk GRADUATE JOB VACANCIES are set to drop for the first time in six years due to the uncertain economic climate.

The number of jobs available to students fresh out of university is predicted to fall by more than five per cent according to a survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), which represents hundreds of the UK’s big employers in the private and public sphere.

Some sectors are to fair worse than others, with recruitment in banking set to fall by almost a third. However, the fastmoving consumer goods sector—highdemand, low-priced products—is set to buck the trend, with job vacancies predicted to grow by around 13 per cent.

The public sector also anticipates a rise in jobs, with opportunities expected to increase by three per cent.

Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive for the AGR, aims to reassure 2009’s graduates that the circumstances are not as bad as they may appear: “Though we are set to see a drop in vacancies this year, the situation is certainly not as severe as it could be.

“We saw a sharper decline in 2003, for

example, when recruiters had a negative reaction to the dot.com crash. By in large, while no one doubts the seriousness of the current economic downturn, the picture for graduate recruitment, though worrying, could be bleaker,” said Mr Gilleard.

The predicted downturn is not predicted to be as severe as in 1991, when vacancies fell by a third.

More than half of the job cut backs are located in London and the South East of England, with the Midlands accounting for 10.5 per cent and 5.2 per cent in Scotland.

Despite the drop in vacancies, employers have advised graduates against undertaking further study unless they are sure it will enhance their employability.

Instead they recommend taking up temporary paid employment until they are able to secure their ideal job.

Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: “It is clear that the current economic conditions will make it more difficult for this year’s graduates to enter the job market.

This will be a huge worry to students who are now racking up record levels of debt before they graduate.”

NUS urged students to “do their research, apply early and be prepared to be flexible with their plans.”

“GRADUATE RECRUITS STILL IN DEMAND” 8TH FEBRUARY 2009, THE TIMES

“'CREDIT CRUNCH' AID FOR GRADUATES” 9TH FEBRUARY 2009, BBC NEWS

“NATIONAL INTERN SCHEME TO HELP GRADUATES THROUGH THE RECESSION” 9TH FEBRUARY 2009, THE TELEGRAPH

“GRADUATES SHOULDN'T LET THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN PUT THEM OFF JOB HUNTING” 22ND JANUARY 2009, THE INDEPENDENT

“GRADUATE JOBS VANISHING” 14TH JANUARY 2009, THE GUARDIAN

“GRADUATE JOBS DROUGHT WARNING” 14TH JANUARY 2009, ITV NEWS

“'TOUGH JOBS MARKET' FOR GRADUATES” 14TH JANUARY 2009, BBC NEWS

GRADUATE JOBS RECESSION

“GRADUATE JOBS DEFY TREND” 8TH JULY 2008, FINANCIAL TIMES

“GRADUATE JOBS MARKETS STAY STRONG” 8TH AUGUST 2008, BBC NEWS

“RECESSION HITS RECENT GRADUATES” 10TH DECEMBER 2008, THE INDEPENDENT

“MOVE TO PROTECT UK GRADUATE JOBS” 3RD FEBRUARY 2009, PRESS ASSOCIATION

“STUDENTS FACE SQUEEZE ON GRADUATE JOBS” 11TH OCTOBER 2008, THE SUNDAY HERALD

“GOLDMAN SACHS OFFERING 250 GRADUATE JOBS” 11TH OCTOBER 2008, THE SUNDAY HERALD

DIFFERENT DAY, DIFFERENT STORY?

Against a backdrop of growing fears over recession, news sources across the country are doing little to present a coherent message on the state of the graduate jobs market Graph: Popularity of web search terms (Google)

“UK 'AWASH' WITH UNEMPLOYABLE GRADUATES” 4TH FEBRUARY 2009, WWW.POLITICS.CO.UK

“GRADUATES FACE UPHILL TASK TO FIND JOBS” 10TH FEBRUARY 2009, FINANCIAL TIMES

“RECESSION FORCES GRADUATES INTO SELF EMPLOYMENT” 10TH FEBRUARY 2009, THE BIRMINGHAM POST

“FEWER JOBS FEARS FOR GRADUATES” 11TH FEBRUARY 2009, CHANNEL 4 NEWS

Student News 11

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Devine defends history department reforms EDDIE FISHER

Matthew Moore matthew.moore@journal-online.co.uk THE HEAD OF history at the University of Edinburgh has strongly defended reforms of the history degree programme following allegations of poor planning and implementation put to The Journal.

At the beginning of the 2008/09 academic year the history department implemented drastic changes to their undergraduate degrees, replacing the second semester long essay programme with two year-long courses: history in theory, and history in practice – the latter teaching the gathering and compilation of data while the former addresses “core themes and methodologies of historical study.”

The new arrangements have been roundly criticised by students and staff, who have questioned the value of the content and the effectiveness of its implementation.

Professor Tom Devine, head of the School of History & Classics, was adamant that the new classes had been received well: “Every course has teething problems. However, I think a survey of a class [history in theory] with a return rate of 70 per cent is more than a valid sample.”

One of the major criticisms centres around a perception that the need to teach general introductory courses in honours years points to deficiencies in the teaching over years one and two.

Professor Devine explained the reasons that the classes were not applied in first year: “Theory courses in particular can be intellectually challenging,”

he said, adding that the modules were constantly being reviewed and that a review was to take place imminently.

“One of the first things on the agenda will be, ‘Is it located in the appropriate space? Should the classes be implemented in third year? Should both be in third year or one be earlier?’”

The results of the survey are overwhelmingly satisfactory with 82 per cent of students “agreeing” with statements on the questionnaire. Many students praised the high standard of the teaching staff and the challenges the course provided.

Some of the suggestions for improvements included: more seminars for each of the pathway choices, students should be allowed to do more pathways and that the course should be offered at prehonours level.

One lecturer who wished to remain anonymous said that similar classes were suggested for first year students in the past but had been “utterly dismissed”: “This time it got accepted, the biggest difference being that it is now in the third year. It means there are now less contact hours and less of a work load for staff.”

Speaking to The Journal, the lecturer voiced concerns about the timing consideration for the history in theory module: “Students are told to choose their pathways early in the course before students have heard the lectures, so students pick the topics they are comfortable with. Lecturers aren’t given the opportunity to set out their stall.”

Undergraduate Chris Grainger spoke to The Journal about the two new classes: “I’m a big fan of the history in

theory course, it’s really good.” The third year student was less impressed with the history in practice classes, saying: “The workshops for history in practice weren’t that helpful; we had two separate workshops and we didn’t get the opportunity to do anything very interesting.”

According to Prof. Devine, the modules were implemented in a bid to catch up with the competition across the country: “Edinburgh has fallen behind some other major history institutions, in providing training in the methodology of history and historiography. We see our rivals as the best universities, and in those universities these courses have long been there.”

Mr Grainger hinted that friends of his studying history elsewhere do similar classes but that they took the classes earlier in the course: “The theory is good preparation for the dissertation. But I think it’s almost babying us to think that it is too challenging for us in the first year. I think it is something we could handle early on.”

Similar reservations were expressed about the conditions of the pathways and the lack of contact hours: “More contact hours starting earlier rather than later, because with the pathways we started them late and we only had two weeks before the course work was due. We had no time to explore the subjects,” said Mr Grainger.

The history lecturer was also sceptical of the award system in place for staff: “We have very little assessment on the number of students we teach or how they benefit from your teaching. But in terms of research and administration, you get credit for that – which is odd.”

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12 National Politics

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Galloway calls for inquiry over Gaza convoy arrests SARAH SALEH

Amy Magowan Greene amy.magowan-greene@journal-online.co.uk THE FUTURE OF the “Viva Palestina” aid convoy to Gaza—led by the Respect MP and one-time University of Edinburgh rectorial candidate George Galloway—has been put in doubt following the arrests of members of the convoy on terrorist charges.

The convoy was stopped by police on the M65 motorway on the night of Friday 13 February, arresting nine campaigners and seizing vehicles and cargo under anti-terrorism laws.

Mr Galloway is leading the convoy of 110 vehicles and has vowed to push for an inquiry into the arrests.

He said: “The arrests were clearly deliberately timed for the eve of the departure of the convoy. Photographs of the high-profile snatch on the M65 were immediately fed to the press to maximise the newsworthiness of the smear that was being perpetrated on the convoy.”

The vehicles traveling from the north of England were en route to join the rest of the convoy, which set off the following day from London’s Hyde Park on their way to Gaza carrying £1 million in humanitarian aid.

The main convey has continued its journey, and is currently travelling through Morocco.

Of the nine arrested by Lancashire police, six were released without charge the following day; three others were detained until Wednesday afternoon when they were also released without charge.

During this time, house searches were carried out in Burnley and cargo and vehicles seized were also searched.

Police investigations apparently also included a strip search of both an arrested man and his wife at their home in Burnely.

Reports suggest donations to the aid effort have fallen by 80 per cent since the arrests. Accordingly, Mr Galloway has said he will be writing to

the Chief Constable in Lancashire and is “seeking compensation for the real financial and public relations damage [the campaign] has suffered as a

result.”

Concerns have also been raised surrounding the damaging effects of the arrests around police relations with Asian communities in Britain.

The Viva Palestina campaign has particularly strong support amongst young Muslims in the north of England, where the men arrested live.

Mr Galloway has lent his voice to the angry reaction of the community, saying: “The timing of the operation is seen locally as an attempt to smear and intimidate the Muslim community and I must say they seem to be right.”

Lancashire police have said that they provided financial assistance to the six men first released so that they could catch up with the convoy. In addition, a Lancashire Constabulary spokeswoman said the search officers were “working as quickly as they can to ensure that the parcels can be released and continue on to their destination”.

In an open letter, the force added: “Investigations of this kind are very difficult and complex and we appreciate the sensitivities that surround them for all concerned.”

The convoy of 110 vehicles is carrying aid, toys and medical supplies for Gaza’s civilian population. The vehicles, including 18 ambulances, a fire engine, a boat and two buses has the support of high-profile political figures, including former MP Tony Benn.

The convoy’s route has so far included stop for civic reception in Bordeaux, a rally in San Sebastian and a rock concert in Madrid.

Organisers hope to reach Cairo by 6 March before crossing into Gaza via its border with Egypt.

WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE II

MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2007

Guards! Taking Liberties

EUTC works Pratchett’s Discworld magic 20

David Blunkett talks about life on the back benches 15

New stem cell research advances cancer treatments Cameron Robinson cameron.robinson@journal-online.co.uk

Safer clubs: the Unight initiative will help to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour and violent attacks David Cheskin/PA Wire

SNP breaks student debt promise Alastair Sloan & Sarah Clarke newsdesk@journal-online.co.uk STUDENTS IN SCOTLAND have expressed dismay after the SNP shelved plans to scrap student debt.

Nationalist finance minister John Swinney announced last Wednesday that the government would not deliver its manifesto promise to eliminate the debt accrued by students.

The news was delivered at Holyrood as part of the SNP’s first budget since the party came to power in the elections last May. The conference saw the government drop a number of key election promises which had comprised their manifesto for the Scottish Parliamentary Election.

While funding for free prescription charges, a tax cut for smaller businesses and NHS waiting list guarantees were approved, the SNP’s pledge to cancel student debt was relinquished.

The SNP had previously promised

Scottish students that the £1.9 billion package of debt held by the Student Loans Company Scotland would be cancelled.

Student leaders in Scotland expressed deep concern for this turnaround in government policy that will see the £1.9 billion debt remain unaffected. They claimed that the SNP’s failure to deliver the promised financial support will have a damaging impact on Scottish students.

James Alexander, President of the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland said: “Promises of more support for students, which formed a central part of the SNP’s election campaign, have not been met.

“The SNP’s costed manifesto promised £236 million to cover graduate debt payments, to transfer student loans to grants, and to abolish the graduate endowment.”

He continued: “Large proportions of students from Scotland experience high

levels of debt and endure extreme hardship. They need the endorsement of the Scottish government to assist in resolving these difficulties.”

Edinburgh’s student unions have been working with NUS Scotland on the Final Demand campaign, designed to put pressure on the government to improve student support, drop student debt, cut course costs and improve access to further and higher education.

But in a speech to the Scottish Executive, John Swinney said: “I know there is insufficient parliamentary support for student debt servicing for loans to grants and we must therefore prioritise funding on policies that we can deliver and which will be supported by Parliament.

“I am therefore not allocating funding for student debt servicing in the period of the Budget.

“However, despite the constraints we face, we will deliver funding for a phased transition from student loans to grants,

starting with part-time students.”

Despite the short-term reduction in funding for the sector, the SNP emphasised that Scotland’s higher education institutions remain a priority for the party.

Fiona Hyslop, Education and Lifelong Learning Secretary, outlined the SNP’s long-term plans for higher education funding. In a statement last week, she said: “Scotland’s universities and colleges are central to that sustainable economic growth.

“We will invest £5.24 billion in total in Scotland’s further and higher education, with an extra £100 million capital funding package in 2007/08.

“We will deliver support for students of £1.55 billion over three years with £119 million to end the graduate endowment fee and a phased transition from student loans to grants starting with part-time students.”

Continued on page 2

THE DISCOVERY OF a cancerous stem cell by scientists from the University of Edinburgh could change the way in which certain cancers are treated.

Researchers from the New Cancer Centre at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the university, working in collaboration with others at the University of Wisconsin have discovered a rogue type of stem cell involved in bone cancer.

The team, headed by Professor David Argyle, successfully isolated stem cells from osteosarcoma in dogs; the canine equivalent of a type of human bone cancer most common in children.

Referring to osteosarcoma, Professor Argyle commented: “This aggressive disease is the most common primary bone tumour in children, leading to more than 80 per cent of patients having to undergo surgery which can include limb amputations or reconstructive limb sparing operations.”

The research, published in The Veterinary Journal, adds weight to a novel hypothesis concerning the structure and workings of cancer, dubbed Cancer Stem Cell theory.

The classical view of cancer is a lump of genetically flawed cells that replicate indefinitely. However the premise behind Cancer Stem Cell theory is that the vast majority of tumour growth can be attributed to a small population of flawed cancerous stem cells. The majority of their progeny become regular tumour cells, while a small population of the cancer stem cells are maintained and continue to drive the growth of the tumour.

This has major implications for the treatment of cancers like osteosarcoma as stem cells are particularly resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the standard treatment methods employed.

As a result standard treatment may kill off the bulk of the tumour, but fail to destroy the small population responsible for the growth of the cancer.

Professor Argyle and his team concluded that there is now “a need to identify therapeutic targets specific for this Cancer Stem Cell population in order to effect longer remissions, or even cures.”

happy Keeping the US

Also in The Journal this week...

The SNP had previously promised dent debt was relinquished. approved, the SNP’s pledge to cancel stuand NHS waiting list guarantees were charges, a tax cut for smaller businesses While funding for free prescription the Scottish Parliamentary Election. which had comprised their manifesto for drop a number of key election promises May. The conference saw the government party came to power in the elections last as part of the SNP’s first budget since the The news was delivered at Holyrood debt accrued by students. its manifesto promise to eliminate the that the government would not deliver Swinney announced last Wednesday Nationalist finance minister John plans to scrap student debt. pressed dismay after the SNP shelved STUDENTS IN SCOTLAND have ex-

newsdesk@journal-online.co.uk

students from Scotland experience high He continued: “Large proportions of dowment.” grants, and to abolish the graduate enpayments, to transfer student loans to ised £236 million to cover graduate debt “The SNP’s costed manifesto prombeen met. the SNP’s election campaign, have not students, which formed a central part of land said: “Promises of more support for National Union of Students (NUS) ScotJames Alexander, President of the Scottish students. support will have a damaging impact on failure to deliver the promised financial fected. They claimed that the SNP’s see the £1.9 billion debt remain unafaround in government policy that will pressed deep concern for this turnStudent leaders in Scotland excelled.

Loans Company Scotland would be canpackage of debt held by the Student Scottish students that the £1.9 billion

transition from student loans to grants, face, we will deliver funding for a phased “However, despite the constraints we riod of the Budget. ing for student debt servicing in the pe“I am therefore not allocating fundment. and which will be supported by Parliafunding on policies that we can deliver grants and we must therefore prioritise for student debt servicing for loans to is insufficient parliamentary support utive, John Swinney said: “I know there But in a speech to the Scottish Execther and higher education. course costs and improve access to furstudent support, drop student debt, cut pressure on the government to improve Final Demand campaign, designed to put been working with NUS Scotland on the Edinburgh’s student unions have ing these difficulties.”

Scottish government to assist in resolvship. They need the endorsement of the levels of debt and endure extreme hard-

Continued on page 2 part-time students.” student loans to grants starting with ment fee and a phased transition from £119 million to end the graduate endowof £1.55 billion over three years with “We will deliver support for students funding package in 2007/08. tion, with an extra £100 million capital in Scotland’s further and higher educa“We will invest £5.24 billion in total economic growth. colleges are central to that sustainable she said: “Scotland’s universities and tion funding. In a statement last week, SNP’s long-term plans for higher educalong Learning Secretary, outlined the Fiona Hyslop, Education and Lifeparty. institutions remain a priority for the sised that Scotland’s higher education funding for the sector, the SNP emphaDespite the short-term reduction in starting with part-time students.”

SNP breaks student debt promise Alastair Sloan & Sarah Clarke

Safer clubs: the Unight initiative will help to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour and violent attacks David Cheskin/PA Wire

page 24

SPORT TROPS

page 16

facing the world issues and challenges the modern international reform if it is to tackle creation, the UN needs that, 62 years after its George Grant argues

42 egap

3 egap

brewing...

There’s trouble

FEATURES

SWEN

“shock-jock” families most outspoken right-wing owned by one of America’s sell a new energy drink Barr, has signed a deal to drink manufacturer, AG Scotland’s largest soft

George Grant argues that, 62 years after its creation, the UN needs reform if it is to tackle the modern international issues and challenges facing the world

SERUTAEF

Scotland’s largest soft drink manufacturer, AG Barr, has signed a deal to sell a new energy drink owned by one of America’s most outspoken right-wing “shock-jock” families

Keeping the US happy

61 egap

page 3

There’s trouble brewing...

NEWS

Also in The Journal this week...

effect longer remissions, or even cures.”

Cancer Stem Cell population in order to tify therapeutic targets specific for this cluded that there is now “a need to idenProfessor Argyle and his team confor the growth of the cancer. stroy the small population responsible off the bulk of the tumour, but fail to deAs a result standard treatment may kill standard treatment methods employed. to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the as stem cells are particularly resistant treatment of cancers like osteosarcoma This has major implications for the tumour. and continue to drive the growth of the of the cancer stem cells are maintained tumour cells, while a small population jority of their progeny become regular flawed cancerous stem cells. The mabe attributed to a small population of the vast majority of tumour growth can behind Cancer Stem Cell theory is that licate indefinitely. However the premise lump of genetically flawed cells that repThe classical view of cancer is a Stem Cell theory. and workings of cancer, dubbed Cancer hypothesis concerning the structure erinary Journal, adds weight to a novel The research, published in The Vettive limb sparing operations.” clude limb amputations or reconstrucing to undergo surgery which can inmore than 80 per cent of patients havry bone tumour in children, leading to sive disease is the most common primasor Argyle commented: “This aggresReferring to osteosarcoma, Profescancer most common in children. nine equivalent of a type of human bone cells from osteosarcoma in dogs; the cavid Argyle, successfully isolated stem The team, headed by Professor Dain bone cancer. ered a rogue type of stem cell involved University of Wisconsin have discoving in collaboration with others at the erinary Studies at the university, workCentre at the Royal (Dick) School of VetResearchers from the New Cancer which certain cancers are treated. of Edinburgh could change the way in cell by scientists from the University THE DISCOVERY OF a cancerous stem

REACH OVER 70,000 STUDENTS EVERY FORTNIGHT cameron.robinson@journal-online.co.uk

Cameron Robinson

treatments cancer advances cell research New stem

Discworld magic 20 EUTC works Pratchett’s

15 on the back benches David Blunkett talks about life

Guards! Taking Liberties

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE II

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14 Student Politics

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

EUSA AGM not quorate... again

SILVIA PAVLOVA FOTEVA

Megan Taylor megan.taylor@journal-online.co.uk AFTER FAILING TO encourage more than 300 Edinburgh students to attend the General Meeting last Wednesday evening, EUSA’s four sabbatical officers faced the embarrassment of yet another meeting which has ended with nothing being achieved.

Eight out of ten motions brought forward were nonetheless debated and voted upon. EUSA president Adam Ramsay held a vote as to whether the two constitutional amendments of changing the licensing laws at the Kings Building Bar and enabling the SRC to mandate voting decisions on behalf of the elected NUS delegates should be debated.

Ramsay deemed them to be “boring”

constitutional measures, and said there was no point in debating them if nothing concrete was to be achieved and the vote decided to veto these amendments.

A small number of students took offence at this and duly left the lecture theatre.

All other motions received an indicative vote in favour, including, ironically, a constitutional amendment which calls for a drastic change to the current GM voting system. Adam Ramsay introduced a referendum motion proposing that students be allowed to vote online instead of having to physically turn up to the meeting.

Due to the inquorate status of the AGM, however, none of the motions voted on can be formally ratified.

The initial blame for this reoccurring shortfall fell as usual on the four

Sabbatical officers, although it was pointed out that there was an intensive publicity campaign for the meeting around both campuses to which the student body remained fairly unresponsive.

Speaking to The Journal Mr Ramsay said: “It’s a shame we didn’t have enough people to pass the constitutional amendments, but the General Meeting brought forward loads of great ideas, and we’ll be taking those forwards, so I’m really glad people got involved and brought motions.”

Three out of the four candidates for EUSA president spoke during the debates, including Oliver Mundell, who supported the motion for reducing the student medics’ fees claiming he “had found out just how helpful doctors are recently.” Mr Mundell is currently

campaigning in a mobility scooter, after piercing his foot on a spike while climbing into George Square gardens.

Motions for reducing the VAT charged in academic buildings, and increasing the quality of feedback on academic work—a motion brought to the GM by presidential hopeful Liz Rawlings—went unquestioned and passed with a unanimous vote.

The remaining motions also passed including the introduction of birthdates onto all new matriculation cards, a campaign for the library to be open 24 hours and a minibus for societies brought forward by EUSA presidential candidate Thomas Graham.

The motion for lowering CSE booking prices was closely contested, as was the medic fees proposal, but both were passed with small margins.

However, when the floor was opened for private member’s questions one theme recurred throughout: how can we get out of this rut? The sabbaticals took some of the responsibility with Guy Bromly simply stating: “We tried our best but I’m sorry we obviously haven’t done enough.”

One the other hand, George Thomas was convinced that “every problem can be solved with a Facebook application,” whilst Naomi Hunter was convinced it was a matter of finding new ways to “engage” more students into student politics.

The four sabbaticals encourage anyone with a good idea to translate it into a “Big Idea” by writing it down on a post-it note and sticking it on the brick walls that are situated around campus for the duration of this week.

Mundell apologises for NUS liberation jibe Alice Stanes alice.stanes@journal-online.co.uk EUSA PRESIDENT CANDIDATE Oliver Mundell has apologised for allegedly reducing a disabled NUS liberation officer to tears.

“I understand that liberation is a sensitive issue but I have always tried to keep my own personal emotions out of decision making, putting the needs of students first,” Mr Mundell said.

“I’m really sorry if my point of view has been upsetting or misinterpreted but, rather than engaging in petty NUS politics, I’m moving forward with my plans to make EUSA more representative.”

Mr Mundell is adamant, however, that any offence caused was unintentional.

Speaking to The Journal, he said: “Throughout my time in student politics I have always found it is best to be open and honest about what you stand

Mundell recovers in hospital after impaling his foot on a fence

for.

“I have consistently argued that the token liberation that NUS offers is a distraction from the real issues that affect the very students these positions are designed to help.”

After impaling his foot on a fence in George Square in the early hours of Monday 9 February, Mr Mundell is now recovering from reconstructive surgery on his foot, and will spend the remainder of his campaign in a mobility scooter.

The 19 year old son of Conservative MP David Mundell, slipped on a metal spike whilst attempting to climb over the fence and join his friends on a patch on freshly-fallen snow.

Two fire engines were called to the scene, and seven fireman took fifteen minutes to cut Mundell free. But despite the accident, Mr Mundell is refusing to let the incident affect his election campaign.

“I don’t really see the accident as a setback as I have a great team of

students behind me putting in the leg work, who think I have the ideas and passion to make a difference. I still hope to speak to most students, if a little slower than before!” he said.

“If anything, I found people are more inclined to speak to me, as they see me putting in the extra effort.”

Speaking to The Journal, Mr Mundell made clear his wish to focus solely on his campaign without allowing his temporary disability to become a political football in the election campaign.

“On the positive side my accident has made me arguably the best known candidate in this election, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into votes. What is important now is to get my positive agenda and ideas like my director of studies-led feedback scheme and plans for cheaper university accommodation out there.

“Right now I’d ask students to be proactive and contact me via my website www.olivermundell.com with any ideas or questions they have.”

National News 15

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Ramsay campaigns for clearer Honours pass mark

Candidates hit upon KB bus frustration ELANA SUKERT

Corinne Redfern

Paris Gourtsoyannis

corunne.redfern@journal-online.co.uk

paris@journal-online.co.uk

THE EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY Students’ Association (EUSA) is to launch a campaign calling for clearer information on the pass mark required for entry into the honours portions of degrees.

Details specifying the required pass marks are currently documented in course handbooks, which students have access to from the start of the academic year.

Nevertheless, the prerequisite grades can vary depending on the subject and individual degree programmes, potentially causing confusion and the communication of mixed messages amongst undergraduate students.

EUSA President Adam Ramsay said: “It’s really important that students know what mark they need to pass. It’s not good enough for courses to bury what you need somewhere in a course guide you are given at the beginning of the year.

“The university is trying to placate some schools by allowing different systems to exist in different places for no good reason. I accept that some things, like medicine, are different, but apart from that the university needs to deliver a fair, consistent, easily understandable system.”

Current second year students have a system whereby a pass grade of 40 per

TWO CANDIDATES FOR the upcoming Edinburgh University Students’ Association elections have released details of proposals to reform the King’s Buildings bus service, ahead of their manifesto launches this week.

Liz Rawlings and Thomas Graham have both tackled the perennial election issue of transport links between the University of Edinburgh’s central campus at George Square and the engineering and science campus in the southwest of the city.

Ms Rawlings has called for the bus service to stop in Marchmont, one of Edinburgh’s main student districts, while Mr Graham has promised to use his contacts at Lothian Buses to increase capacity on the KB bus service by up to 25 per cent.

Ms Rawlings said: “I spent last week in King’s Buildings and talking to students there who said it would benefit them greatly if, at certain times of the day, the KB bus stopped in Marchmont.

“Students from Marchmont are paying to use the 41 rather than using the university bus designed for them.”

In a statement released by his campaign team, Mr Graham, currently serving as external convener, indicated that his established contacts with Edinburgh

cent does not guarantee entry onto their two year-long Honours course. An average grade above 50 per cent throughout the year should enable any student to progress from an ordinary degree to Honours, yet the ambiguity prevails.

Similarly, while students studying modern languages are denied the option of resits over the summer, mathematics students understand that it is a possibility should everything go wrong on exam day in May. EUSA’s campaign is calling for schools within the university to unanimously agree upon a pass mark, and stick to it without exception.

Recommending that progressing onto Honours courses depend upon a fixed 40 per cent grade average, Mr Ramsay said: “They [the academic policy committee] are worried that some schools would complain too much if this

happened. I think they should be worrying about students complaining instead.

“People get information on this sort of thing from their flatmates and friends, who may study different subjects altogether, not only their course books.

“The university can complain that students should be better than that and do their own research, but they should recognise they are working with students, and develop clearer systems understanding that.”

Second year geography student Barney Bedford told The Journal: “When anybody is confused or finds it difficult to understand, a quick email to your director of studies is the only way to make it perfectly clear. I’m guessing its slightly different for other courses like medicine and law but seeing as they’re such big courses you’d assume that it’s more clearly set out for them.”

Heriot-Watt elects new student president Jodi Mullen jodi.mullen@journal-online.co.uk SIMON ELTRINGHAM WAS elected the next president of the Heriot-Watt University Student Association (HWUSA) this week following one of the most controversial election campaigns in recent memory.

Meanwhile, Michael Bottom was voted in as vice president of services and communications (VPSC) for the coming year.

Both candidates were returned unopposed, with no other nominees challenging for the positions. However, HeriotWatt students also had the option to vote to re-open nominations (RON).

The elections were overshadowed, to some extent, by a crisis of representation.

Earlier this month The Journal reported that two of the seven positions on the HWUSA executive committee were set to go unfilled, with the posts of president and vice president of services and communications uncontested.

Some students expressed disillusionment with those promoting the RON option, seeing them as contributing to voter apathy rather than improving the democratic process.

“Everyone had a fair chance to get themselves nominated and run for president or other positions. I think these hate campaigns are awful. I’m just glad that people like this aren’t standing for president as what kind of leader would they make for the student body,” one student wrote on the HWUSA elections discussion forum.

However, despite a strong campaign urging students to vote to RON, both Eltringham and Bottom secured comfortable majorities. Eltringham won 739 of the 1135 votes cast in the presidential election while 815 out of 1140 voters

opted for Bottom as VPSC. Eltringham campaigned strongly against the university’s decision to cut HWUSA funding by six per cent and pledged to fight to have it reinstated. He also promised to cut unnecessary costs without adversely affecting the level of service and support the students’ association provides to the student body.

HWUSA president Ruth Bush praised Michael Eltringham’s campaign and his engagement with the student body, despite running for an uncontested position.

“Lecture shouts haven‚Äôt been done in past year’s elections but Michael has been doing them lots and its got students cheering at the end of speeches,” she told The Journal.

In the other ballots, Yvonne Yeboah defeated Colin Farquhar in the race for the treasury, and Emma Little won a narrow majority over Rebecca Cashin to become equal opportunities officer. Kerrie Hutchinson was elected vice president of the HWUSA for the university’s Scottish Borders Campus.

The results were announced shortly after polls closed at 5pm on Friday 21 February, after nearly a week of voting.

This year’s elections saw the introduction of online voting at Heriot-Watt for the first time. The HWUSA website featured video manifestos for each candidate while the discussion forum hosted robust debate throughout the campaign.

Ruth Bush told The Journal that she believes taking the election online had a positive effect on voter turnout. She said: “Going online has had a fantastic effect on our voting and awareness of the elections.”

The successful candidates will now work with outgoing student representatives to ensure a smooth transition to the new executive.

Join The Journal while you still can www. journalonline. co.uk

transport chiefs would help realise his aim of relieving congestion.

“If you’ve ever used the KB bus in the mornings, at lunchtime or in evenings you’ll know how badly we need another bus at peak times,” said Mr Graham.

“Because Lothian buses have extra capacity due to reducing their routes, I’ll negotiate an extra bus in the mornings, at lunchtimes and in the evenings.

If that isn’t successful, I’ll work with a third-party to provide a minibus at these times.”

Ms Rawlings is to launch her full manifesto today (Wednesday); Mr Graham issued his statement ahead of his manifesto launch on Monday 23 February.

The issue of the KB bus features regularly in university elections of all types – most recently the vote which returned Iain Macwhirter as rector.

Mr Graham said: “Every year candidates pay lip service to saving or improving the KB Bus. I’m putting forward a plan that is achievable and affordable and if elected I’ll deliver it,” adding that he had worked with Lothian Buses operations director Bill Campbell on improving services for students before.

Ms Rawlings indicated that she has already entered into negotiations with Edinburgh City Council on the matter of the KB bus, and said: “The NHS free bus has recently diverted down Marchmont Road and therefore I see no reason the KB bus shouldn’t do so as well.”

16 Student Elections

Student Elections 17

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Former EUSA president Tim Goodwin explains what does—and what doesn't—win votes

?

F

Tim Goodwin is a former president of Edinburgh University Students’ Union

THOMAS GRAHAM

OLIVER MUNDELL

LIZ RAWLINGS

BENEDICT ROBBINS

JAMES RODGER

The University has tighter budgets than at any time in the last decade and the students graduating this year will be entering the worst job market in years. This means that your students' association needs to be more effective than ever at representing your interests and achieving tangible results that improve your student experience and your chances of getting a decent job when you graduate.

I am standing to be president because I want to offer all students a clear choice between a professional student politician and someone who is interested in improving the student experience and living like a student. I have the ideas, passion and determination to get more than just the job done – I also have very funny video which you should definitely check out!

We are all at university to get a degree. But in the National Student Survey Edinburgh University came last in the UK for feedback and assessment; this is unacceptable. The fact is, while Edinburgh is often cited as one of the top universities in the UK, its resources and facilities let students down.

I am an ordinary student who seeks to embrace extraordinary vision.

That is why I am running for EUSA President – to make your education a priority and get you a better degree.

I am the only candidate who will put your education first, and I can promise three achievable aims – a 24-hour library, better feedback and an improved DOS system.

I stand for an ideology of believing that if you want change you have to be active not passive. By me running I hope to bring the focus to you the average student, hear your voice of what you want and hopefully bring up issues that will tangibly affect all of our lives as students. I want to be a “peoples” president.

A native of Paisley, James is a fourth year Philosophy student and the current convenor of the Debating Union and since starting University he has also worked twenty hours a week to fund his studies. James personally understands the dilemmas that real students deal with every day; passionate about the things that all students care about he aims to deliver what a EUSA President should.

Given all of this, you need a student president with a track record of delivering results and a president who'll work day-in, day-out to get a better deal for students.

I am not interested in a career as a politician – win lose or draw this is the last time I’m standing for a paid elected office. My tag line is three simple yet very important words that would be at the heart of my presidency: funding, feedback and freedom.

VP ACADEMIC AFFAIRS EVAN BESWICK

ROBERT JENKIN

As your prospective VPAA, I’m looking forward to delivering real solutions on issues of learning, teaching and representation to ensure we are provided with world-class facilities here at the University of Edinburgh.

I have a whole range of policies, covering all aspects of academic life and all of which will have tangible, visible results. Some of these things I’ve already started, some I’ll be able to start on the day I take office.

VP SERVICES SIMON KIRKLAND At the end of the day the unions are there for all students and I want to make sure that all the services they provide are utilised, and more importantly that they are made available to students as simply as possible.

I believe it is important to live what I believe. That ordinary people can do extraordinary things, that leaders should appeal to ordinary people.

The worst two weeks of your life – probably SRC editor Joe Pike shares his thoughts on the presidential struggle so far Joe Pike

JAMES WALLACE Lets face it, our Union is in crisis and urgent action is required. This involves experience, dedication and the desire to radically change and improve our Union. I have dedicated my time and effort at Edinburgh to improving services in the small ways that I can.

VP SOCIETIES & ACTIVITIES CAMILLA PIERRY

LOUISE FELLOWS

I’ve worked tirelessly this year because I’m passionate about the things that I do. I’m the candidate with fresh ideas, a genuine passion for all sides of the job and a proven history of getting things done.

I come from the “outside” of EUSA, not the “inside”, but this distinction should not exist. As a matriculated student, I am a member of EUSA, and if I become VPSA, I want to ensure that other students feel the same.

James thinks the best way to improve student life begins with listening to students. He will continue to hold weekly surgeries through the run-up to the elections and, if you elect him, for the entire duration of his presidency.

EUSA SRC

joe.pike@journal-online.co.uk

THERE ARE FEW experiences at university more hellish than running to be student president. Relentless doorknocking, lecture announcements, pasting posters to cardboard. Add to this the lack of sleep, character assassination, relentless bitching on online forums and of course the knowledge that losing is very public.The current President, Adam Ramsay experienced it first hand when he lost the race in 2007 to Josh MacAlister: Ramsay optimistically brought his whole family to the result announcement in Teviot and tears ensued when the result didn’t go his way.

This year, Thomas Graham and Liz Rawlings are the clear front-runners: both are organised and ambitious with vital campaign know-how. Graham is by far the most politically experienced and has a great record of driving through change. But experience is by no means everything: his blunt attitude and membership of the Labour Party means he’s a divisive figure. Two of

this year’s four sabbaticals—Adam Ramsay (President) and Guy Bromley (VPAA)—have privately set themselves the task of finding “anyone but Thomas” for the top job. However, he has the support of former President, Josh MacAlister and has been planning his campaign for months so shouldn’t be underestimated.

Rawlings is a past editor of the newspaper formerly known as Student and has a good knowledge of issues effecting voters. Her critics argue her politics—which suggest close proximity to the Green Party—has unbalanced her journalism. Yet her experience campaigning with People & Planet, plus private advice from EUSA President Adam Ramsay, suggest she will mount a strong fight. And remember it’s all about the campaign: the most organised candidate invariably wins, not the one with the best ideas or experience.

Coming in a close-third is Oliver Mundell who, since impaling his foot on the railings of George Square Gardens, has made it his mission to add wit to the presidential race. He claims to have made a “very funny video,” which consists of him racing round campus in his battle bus—a mobility scooter—set to a kitsch 80s soundtrack:

curious behaviour for the person we want councillors and MSPs to take seriously. Nonetheless he is a clever guy and will no doubt have a few tricks up his sleeve. A year ago he started a conversation with me: ‘I may be a Tory but…’ but has now wisely turned more independent, realising that right-wing politics is an acquired taste amongst most penniless students.

The final two candidates—James Rodger and Benedict Robbins—are sadly out of their depth and have no hope in hell of victory. Rodger is an experienced debater with a cheery personality, yet his original slogan “Students Not Politics” suggest little knowledge of the job which is unavoidably political. Robbins is a devout Christian and is running because of a God-given talent. He will undoubtedly add interest to the race but religion and politics never mix well and his manifesto concentrates on values rather than substantive policies: never a good move.

In the next week, these five students will go through the purgatory of the presidential race: sleep deprivation, stress and self-doubt. You’ll get to vote on which want you want to represent you. And I bet there’ll be more tears.

★

RUMOUR

THE

GET MORE COMMENTS FROM THE CANDIDATES ONLINE AT JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

How not to THE PRESIDENTIAL PARADE get elected

OR THE HALF decade I was at Edinburgh University, I was an active student representative.

The hardest part of being an ‘ex’ anything is learning to let go, so I am naturally cautious about sticking my oar in now. What the experience does give me, though, is a wonderful sense of perspective. I’ve seen fifty-one sabbatical candidates. I’ve taken part in twenty days of elections. I’ve attended too many hours of fierce argument at eleven general meetings.

One of the things you notice as time goes by is the repetitive nature of some of the arguments. Take, for example, the “normal student” debate. Every candidate I have ever seen for every position in the Students’ Association has tried at some point to highlight their credentials as a “normal student”.

Firstly, Edinburgh University has a student body of 25,000 students, with representatives from all over the world, with many and diverse interests. There are over 200 societies that cater for these interests, ranging from the mundane philosophy societies and theatre societies to black-tie debating societies and a chocolate society. And all that is placed in the context of being located in Scotland’s most diverse city. To suggest, therefore, that there is such a thing as a normal student seems to me to be artificial. Until you can demonstrate what a “normal student” is, don’t make the claim.

This debate always goes a step further, usually in the context of saying “I’m a normal student because I have never been involved in EUSA.” Bollocks.

In the five years I was a rep I campaigned to reduce fees, introduce Fair Trade, stop quotas on student housing, register students to vote, ensure representation of all campuses, get a fair system of travel discounts, ensure decent academic feedback and lower the price of a pint. I am proud of that, and anyone who has done the same should also be proud.

So when someone makes the claim that they are the best candidate because they have not made the effort in the past, as if laziness were an argument in favour of being given the top job in the Students’ Association, I find myself puzzled.

But the surest sign that a candidate has nothing to recommend themselves to the electorate is when they resort to trashing their opponents’ hard work and experience, or their friendship group or party affiliations.

I ran without any party ties whatsoever, and I was far from the “normal student” that some candidates think it is so important to be. What got me elected?

The students of Edinburgh University, that’s what. Intelligent, sensible, rational people who were able to look past all the rubbish and see that what matters is your ability to do the job.

★ ★★

★★

Student Elections ‘09

★

MILL

L

IKE THE FEARFUL writhings of a dying beast, the rectorial campaign at the University of Edinburgh has, in passing, delivered one final slash at the guts of the contest’s loser. The slowing revolutions of rectorial rumour mill herald news that the conquering hero, Iain Macwhirter has temporarily upped sticks and swanned off to the warmer climes of Egypt. George Foulkes, meanwhile, has followed up his unsuccessful campaign with no such glamour. Last week, the seventy year-old posted the following item on his twitter page: “Off to Tynecastle in the morning with Lord Low and the RNIB.” Bless.

But it is the presidential candidates who, with limited decorum, have now snatched the limelight. In a development which has failed to catch either insiders or onlookers by surprise, the race for pole position has, it seems, already become bitchy. Liz Rawlings was the first to smart from a brush with the sharp end of Thomas Graham’s tongue last week: pasting up posters for her campaign, Rawlings was allegedly approached by the Labour candidate who struck out with, “Oh, it’s a degree better; is that what it is?”. The attack comes as a clever play on Rawlings’ slogan “a degree better.”

On an equally catty side note, those hunting for information on Liz Rawlings would be forgiven for using google as a first port of call. They’d be unwise to do so: the first page entry—linking to to a Liz Rawlings Facebook profile—offers little information on the prospective candidate, but does provide a stirling lesson in how frightfully good the internet is in offering up exactly what one least expects.

That’s not to say Liz’s web page isn’t worth the visit: one campaign photo features the green-minded would-be popping paper into a recycling bin. Given claims published here a fortnight ago that hundreds of copies of The Student mysteriously found their way into the trash, the former editor’s choice for recycling—EUSA’s own election guide—is an inspired gaffe.

In other gaffes, put-down king Thomas Graham has been bigging himself up heavily, if not altogether successfully. His claim that he “created studentflatfinder.com” has been puzzled over by some – not least those who voted for Josh MacAlister in 2007, who ran on a platform of having created the site himself. A veritable whodunnit indeed.

Since taking a piece of fencing to the foot earlier this month—not to mention being incorrectly branded the Conservative club’s candidate by this column—Oliver Mundell

appears to have been keeping himself out of mischief thus far. This is, perhaps, little surprise: with a ferocious top speed of 4mph, Mundell’s mobility scooter is unlikely to have him gambolling across campus to put up his own posters – so leaving him relatively safe from the threat of Graham’s vicious jibes, one assumes. He has, however, found time to produce a snappy election video, backed by Jackson Brown’s ‘Running on empty’. The piece was used by Bill Clinton in the ‘91 primary season to grease the wheels of the Arkansas governor’s astonishing comeback. Was it not Marx who once said: “history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce”?

Aspirations towards balanced and equally weighted mischiefmaking ought really to ensure that this column devotes equal column inches to relative outsiders like presidential hopeful James Rodger.

This is unlikely to happen: Rodger’s campaign so far has amounted to the setting up of a Facebook group which asks EUSA incumbents and the current presidential candidates to magically set aside their political affiliations for the duration of their time in service of the student body.

His failure to invite either Liz Rawlings, Thomas Graham or candidate number five, Benedict Robbins, has, so far, limited the impact of the endeavour. Beyond that, persistent digging has uncovered scant detail regarding the goings on of Elect Rodger ‘09. According to one source extremely close to EUSA goings on: “he turned up in a suit to some things.”

However one dresses, though, one ought to be wary of entering into the business of predicting election results. That proviso aside, Benedict Robbins isn’t going to win this one. The character has undoubtedly provided cause for much excitement among the chattering EUSA classes since his announcement on nomination deadlin day. A deeply spiritual chap, a rumour has been doing the rounds that Robbins was privileged enough to receive a visitation from God on Wednesday, who suggested that he run for president of the students’ association. Atheists can be so cruel.

But while most commentators— and most voters—will probably write the aforementioned visionary off, Robbins is perhaps noteworthy for having made the most startlingly honest contribution to this election’s chatter and campaigning so far. As he told The Journal last week. “I am not perfect, I’ve made countless mistakes.”

“Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth,” says the Good Book.

EUSA candidates, go in peace.

•

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Comment 19

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Comment Discussion&Debate

Cannabis:

Throwing the first stone » Government efforts to stamp out cannabis use are doing more harm than good Steve Rolles steve.rolles@journal-online.co.uk

T

HE GOVERNMENT’S £2.2M campaign against cannabis has again brought the longrunning debate over the drug into the spotlight. The campaign itself is arguably better than some previous campaigns from the “just say no” era, at least attempting to engage with the reality of young people’s experiences by highlighting the reasons why people use the drug as well as some of the dangers.

Drugs education as part of a broader public health strategy to reduce drugrelated harms is obviously a good thing; people need to be aware of risks associated with certain drugs and related behaviors so they can make responsible choices – in the same way that they need to be informed about diet, sexual health and so on.

The problem with drugs education historically, and the cannabis issue in particular, is that it has evolved in the context of a highly emotive public debate, with the drugs issue subsumed within law and order populism, and generally characterised by “tough on drugs” political posturing, opportunism, and moralising, rather than public health principles and evidence of effectiveness.

Symptomatic of this distortion of rational policymaking has been the seemingly never-ending cannabis classification saga, the symbolic importance of which, within the “culture wars,” vastly outstrips the policy relevance of what is a fairly minor tweak to enforcement practice.

Unfortunately, the public and media discourse around cannabis has witnessed the mistaken conflation of the debate around the harms of cannabis use, and the debate around what the policy response to those harms should be. Away from the sensationalist media coverage, scaremongering and political grandstanding, there is no evidence to show that increasing criminal penalties for a given drug is associated with a fall in use or overall harm. Unfortunately there is also little evidence to show that mass media drug awareness campaigns have been very effective, or effective at all, even if they can serve the political need of being “seen to be doing something.”

In contrast, it is often the case that increasing enforcement efforts and penalties will have unintended negative consequences. For cannabis, these have included pushing the

“The entire punitive classification system is not only confusing, it is fundamentally flawed... It cannot be ethical to increase the penalties for the majority because a small proportion of users experience difficulties or mental health problems.”

market towards increasingly potent (and profitable) versions of the drug – the “skunkification” of UK cannabis use. This is ironic, given that it is this trend, and the media panic around “skunk” in particular, that is often used to argue for still more repressive responses.

Another consequence is the blanket criminalisation of a substantial minority of young people, the impacts of which can be severe – should you be unlucky enough to get a criminal

record, it will arguably be more of a risk to your future health and wellbeing than the risks presented by occasional cannabis use. Current enforcement policy is a blunt instrument that fails to make a distinction between the problematic and non-problematic use of cannabis. Of course there are dangers associated with cannabis, as with all drugs, and the only way to avoid them is to avoid the substance. But the majority of users are occasional and moderate and do not experience significant problems – this is not a “pro-drug” statement, merely a factual observation. Even for those that do have problems (and the risks are increased by using in teen years, heavy and/or frequent use, and for those with pre-exsting mental health problems) a criminal justice response is obviously inappropriate. People with drug problems need help from medical professionals, not the criminal justice system.

The entire punitive classification system is not only confusing, it is fundamentally flawed. Translating generalisations about harms to an entire population into penalties for individuals is unscientific and unjust.

It cannot be ethical to increase the penalties for the majority because a small proportion of users experience difficulties or mental health problems.

Criminal law is supposed to prevent crime, not “send out” public health messages. When this has been tried it has been spectacularly ineffective, as the dramatic increase of drug use over the last 40 years demonstrates.

Whether Frank can do a better job remains to be seen.

The overwhelming criminal justice focus of policy has been desperately counter-productive; making drugs more dangerous, not less, starving public health interventions of resources and simultaneously fostering distrust of health messages among young people – who are treated as stupid, criminals, or both.

This issue must be reclaimed from the drug war ideolgues and returned to its rightful home in the public health arena. Until this happens, and a serious debate begins about regulating cannabis production and supply within an appropriate legal framework, we are unlikely to see policy have much impact on cannabis harms – other than making them worse.

Steve Rolles is the Transform Drug Policy Foundation’s information officer

20 Comment

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Zimbabwe:

Forced marriage » Despite progress towards power-sharing being made in recent weeks, Morgan Tsvangirai must stay patient and win over rank-and-file police and soldiers if he is to gain meaningful power in Zimbabwe Dan Kenealy dan.kenealy@journal-online.co.uk

T

O INAUGURATE A new unity government in a place with as troubled a past as Zimbabwe on Friday the 13th might be seen as asking for trouble.

Fast forward a little more than a week and the new government is already creaking under tremendous pressure.

Orders issued by new prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are being challenged or simply ignored by Zanu-PF, formerly the sole governing party under Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe. An astonishing 61 ministers of varying rank have been packed in to the new cabinet, to appease those in Zanu-PF threatened with a loss of status and prestige. One of Mr Tsvangirai’s ministerial nominees, Roy Bennett is (at the time of writing) being detained by the security forces under the control of Mr Mugabe. And rumours continue to circulate regarding a planned coup by a group of disgruntled senior

members of the security forces who remain staunchly opposed to any power-sharing with the MDC. The power-sharing deal has been fraught with troubles all along and Tsvangirai compromised on several key issues – most notably ZanuPF’s failure to release 30 MDC and human rights workers that had been abducted, detained and tortured. In the end the MDC leader appeared to opt for the lesser of two evils.

The power-sharing deal allocated more cabinet posts to Zanu-PF than the MDC, despite the latter winning more parliamentary seats. However, a more significant problem is that Mugabe retains control of the armed forces and intelligence services and shares the contested home-affairs ministry, which oversees the police, with the MDC. The MDC’s chalice is further poisoned by their inheritance of the finance ministry and thus responsibility for Zimbabwe’s woeful economy.

The MDC’s decision to enter a power-sharing deal was not universally applauded. Figures including the so-called “brains” behind the

MDC, human rights lawyer Tendai Biti, were apparently opposed to the deal. The situation thus has the potential to fracture the MDC at the most inopportune time. Ultimately, outside pressure on the MDC, from the Southern African Development Community and South Africa, might have been the deciding factor. The question remains, how can these two bitter enemies possibly work together effectively? As much as one tries to resist cynicism, it is hard to see smooth cooperation developing between the two.

Consider the events of the past week alone. Add to the mix the fact that the power-sharing deal contains an ominous clause permitting Mr Mugabe to fire his prime minister for vaguely defined “incompetence” and scepticism seems justified. Tsvangirai would probably berate me for missing the point. He recently stated: “Unfortunately people are preoccupied with Mugabe as a person. They need to get over it. This has gone beyond Mugabe.

People need to stop talking about him as the only issue. Mugabe is part of the problem but he is also part of the

solution. He is not the obstacle we are now facing.”

So what are the challenges? They are almost too many to list. Principal amongst them, however, are fulfilling a pledge to pay government workers in a stable currency; re-establishing the rule of law; allowing an independent press; and opening the door for international development aid. But perhaps the most formidable task is that of generating confidence in the new government. If Tsvangirai fails to do that then the money will not flow, and it may prove impossible to prevent Mugabe and Zanu-PF from reasserting their ruthless dominance. It is an incredibly tall order for even the most gifted politician. As is so often the case, money might be the most significant factor because—put simply—Zimbabwe needs it desperately.

But the events of the past week have done little to encourage the United States and the United Kingdom— Zimbabwe’s two biggest donors—to resume development aid.

This reluctance to provide development aid stems from the very real possibility that it might be used to

pay oppressive security forces under the control of Mugabe. This makes Tsvangirai’s recent plea to “get over Mugabe” all the more understandable – although hardly more likely to achieve its desired impact. So far Tsvangirai has kept his cool and his dignity – and he will be required to do so again and again in the coming weeks, months and possibly years. His situation is precarious and he cannot afford to alienate those in Zanu-PF whom he hopes to win over. Doing so would strengthen the hand of the hardliners and tip the domestic balance of power yet further against him.

There is little doubt that some senior members of the security forces are now operating beyond the control of Mugabe. Tsvangirai desperately needs to take his opportunity to secure the loyalty of the rank-and-file.

This is pure power politics. The new prime minister often quotes Nelson Mandela whose autobiography was called The Long Walk to Freedom.

Tsvangirai, and all those Zimbabweans who crave for a future free from Mr Mugabe’s oppression, would do well to remember this title.

Photography laws:

A slippery slope » The new restrictions on photographing police officers marks a new low in the government's record on civil liberties Peter Murray peter.murray@journal-online.co.uk

F

OR THOSE WHO advocate ever-closer surveillance of ordinary citizens in the UK, a familiar argument has come full circle. We are often told by these figures—such as home secretaries and chief constables—that we have “nothing to fear” from more CCTV cameras in workplaces and shopping centres, a national ID card scheme or state monitoring of our emails and phone calls.

Why, then, should state authorities or Home Secretaries have anything to fear from a professional photographer taking a picture of a working police officer or a police station?

Section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act—which came into force on Monday 16 February—allows for the arrest and imprisonment of anyone whose pictures are “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”

The law also introduces across the whole of the UK a ban which has hitherto operated only in Northern Ireland, where it has been an offence since 2000 to elicit or attempt to elicit information about an individual who is or has been a member of the armed forces or intelligence services, or a police officer.

Your defence—if charged—would be to prove that you had a “reasonable excuse” to take the picture in the

first place. We believe working photographers have a very good reason to be taking pictures of police officers and others—whether they are attending a car accident, arresting burglars or helping elderly people across the road, or whether they are dressed in riot gear, hitting anti war demonstrators over the head—it is their job to take those photographs.

So, as Section 76 became law this week, the National Union of Journalists and other campaigners organised a mass picture taking session outside London’s police HQ. Says the photojournalist and NUJ member Marc Vallée, who helped organise the event: “It was a great, great moment. We hope the police now realise that the first time a photographer is stopped under this law, it’ll be a big news event. So they should be giving advice to their officers that it wouldn’t be an appropriate way to use the law – in the same way that the stop and search powers under Section 44 of the terrorism laws have been used.”

In the months before the new act became law, the NUJ had questioned the government over how police would enforce Section 76. The reply from Vernon Coaker, the minister for policing, ominously reads: “[limits on photography] may be on the grounds of national security or there may be situations in which the taking of photographs may cause or lead to public order situations or inflame an already tense situation or raise security considerations. Additionally, the police

may require a person to move on in order to prevent a breach of the peace or to avoid a public order situation or for the person’s own safety and welfare or for the safety and welfare of others.”

The NUJ is not alone in seeking to challenge the new legislation or to highlight its shortcomings. Indeed, the Metropolitan Police Federation says any law in this area should aim to facilitate photography wherever possible, rather than seek reasons to bar it.

In a statement following the NUJ event outside New Scotland Yard, MPF chairman Peter Smyth said: “Police and photographers share the streets, and the Met Federation earnestly wants to see them doing so harmoniously. Good relationships between the police and media benefit everyone, including the public, which both sides exist to serve.”

The MPF and others are calling for joint action to produce a mutuallyagreed code of practice which would underpin, if not replace Section 76.

While the NUJ would welcome such a code and would actively participate in discussions to draw up the document, one single act would help enormously to improve confidence among police, photographers and the wider public that this legislation will no be abused. What single act? Scrap Section 76.

Peter Murray is vice president of the National Union of Journalists

Comment 21

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

DEMOCRACY?

DEMOCRACY?

George Sq. occupation:

Pyrrhic victory Harry Cole

harry.cole@journal-online.co.uk

FARLANE WHITTY

W

Immigration:

A tough balancing act » After the wildcat strikes over foreign workers and the controversial decision to deport terror detainee Abu Qatada to Jordan, Britain's asylum and immigration policy has come under close scrutiny

Phil Woolas

Immigration Minister comment@journal-online.co.uk

B

RITAIN HAS A proud tradition of offering sanctuary to those who need our help. The principles of asylum were laid down in the 1951 Geneva Convention, which defines a refugee as a person outside his or her country, with a well-founded fear of persecution, who is unable to return home.

The guarantee we give for the protection of these individuals, as required by the Convention, is a long-standing and unwavering commitment. This can be seen in the Gateway Protection Programme, set up in 2004, which brings up to 750 particularly vulnerable refugees to the UK each year and provides them with 12 months of dedicated

support towards integration. This includes English lessons, a dedicated case worker and access to health and education services. We enlist independent advice from the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to ensure we act in the refugees’ best interests.

We have enabled people from some of the most troubled parts of the world to rebuild their lives in the UK. However, the process of determining who genuinely needs our help is hampered by people trying to claim asylum when they are in reality coming here for purely economic reasons, drawn by the prospects of higher wages and better living conditions. It is crucial that we stop this type of abuse. Not only does it fly in the face of having a firm but fair asylum system, but it undercuts wages and takes jobs away from genuine British workers.

It is crucial that our system remains fair, with every asylum applicant given

a proper hearing and the chance to have their case reviewed by an independent judge. Unfortunately, there are lawyers and certain groups that delay removals without justification, offering false hope. Criminal gangs benefit from this and genuine refugees are delayed.

Too much money is being spent on those whose appeal rights have been exhausted. That is why we have proposed changes to the Asylum & Immigration tribunal system, to streamline the process, so we can conclude cases quicker than ever before.

These changes sit alongside the biggest shake-up of border security and the immigration system for a generation. We are tightening our borders and making sure that those with no right to be here can not enter Britain using fake documents and fraudulent methods. We are using the latest technology to count people in and out of the country; every visa applicant now has their details

checked against watch-lists and our state of the art new e-Borders system screens passengers before they board flights. Within the UK we are introducing ID cards for foreign nationals to lock them to one identity. Those that have no right to be here, we expect to go home voluntarily, saving the taxpayer the £11,000 cost of an enforced removal.

It is important that we strike the right balance between protecting Britain’s borders and honouring our international responsibilities. The majority of those offered asylum integrate into their new communities and make a contribution to our country. However, we are tightening the net around those that try to abuse the system so that genuine refugees can quickly integrate into our communities – and those who are refused leave the UK. Phil Woolas MP is Minister of State for borders and immigration.

SCOTLAND’S AWARD-WINNING STUDENT WEBSITE

JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

HEN A DOZEN or so students stormed their campus, university officials cut the power, wifi and access to loos. They refused to negotiate, and very soon the whole thing began to fizzle out. That was New York University.

The reaction at Edinburgh was a very different affair, one that has left the reputation of the university tarred and set a worrying precedent. A strange phenomenon has spread from campus to campus this term in the form of a small bunch of well-organised, well-equipped and well out of line protesters illegally occupying various buildings across American and European universities. The general model for these sit-ins has been the same: get in there, take some photos, set up a blog and watch the chaos ensue as you block thousands of students from receiving the education for which they are paying.

How much these protests have actually achieved is open for debate. Last time I checked I don’t think the Israeli government was considering a radical change in policy based on twenty-odd students, a guitar and the “creative space” they made for themselves to change the world in.

When the George Square Theatre was occupied last week, it at first seemed that the university was giving tacit consent to the actions of the protesters. They kept the wifi on, allowing them to pump their thinly disguised anti-Zionist thought across the world via their website and Flickr. This really was a 21st century protest, as the glimpse into their press operation showed. I wonder what the protesters of ‘68 would have thought about sitting around drinking herbal tea while furiously typing into your Mac and checking the Blackberry. The university even opted to keep the heating on, fearing that, because of health and safety laws, the building had to be kept above a certain temperature. One thing was clear from the start though: the university was not going to bankrupt itself by disinvesting in BAE systems or stopping the fantastic research that it conducts here into weapons systems and national defence.

The other demands of these noble warriors were futile in comparison. While the university refused to cave in on anything significant they did, however, fob off the protesters with some lectures that already happen departmentally; some scholarships that already happen through EUSA; an ethical investigation into university investments that already happens; and a boycott of drinking water provided by Eden Springs. The protesters’ spin operation went into overdrive, when they claimed victory despite the fact that morale was already low, and many were calling to give up. You would have thought they had driven Israel into the sea with the glee and the joy with which they were celebrating their heroic withdrawal.

As the dust begins to settle though, it is clear that this was a clever tactic by the University, even if it sets a dangerous precedent. The only people affected by this whole protest are the students who were deprived of the education they pay for; the protest changed nothing and deep down its organisers will know this.

Life will go on at Edinburgh University – and the George Square protestors have only succeeded in wounding their cause.

Harry Cole is the Chairman of Edinburgh University Conservatives.

He blogs at torybear.com

22 Editorial

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Letters letters@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER | ISSUE XIX

EUSA AGM:

A wasted opportunity IT’S THE END of February, the sun is shining in its sky and yet another inquorate EUSA AGM has passed by without too much undue attention. This great annual tradition has become the bane of a EUSA sabbatical’s existence – the perfect opportunity to gauge just how little interest the student body has in anything you have to say.

But something in the tone of this year’s recriminatory post-match blame game has deviated from the usual talk of student apathy: rather than seeking to blame your everyday student for his lack of interest in the complex machinations of EUSA politics, there is genuine talk of change. Yes we can! President Adam Ramsay favours an internet voting system; services vice-president George Thomas reckons we could do the whole thing on Facebook; some even dared to expose those run-of-themill constitutional amendments as “boring”.

It is certainly refreshing to see some real soul searching going on in the bowels of EUSA but the problem

of student disinterest cannot be laid squarely at their door. This year, complaints concerning inadequate contact time in humanities subjects became so vociferous as to prompt affronted undergraduate tutors to write a defensive open letter through The Student. Bemoaning their low pay and overwrought schedules, the tutors demanded their predicament be considered before students engaged in such venomous grousing.

Yet, come AGM time, presidential hopeful Liz Rawling’s excellent motion calling for a final solution to the perennial issues of insufficient teaching time and coursework feedback failed to draw the crowds of well-wishers that it warranted. Even if the precise details of the proposal are not universally supported, the sentiment is one that has been uttered in every seminar room, every café, every pub on campus by a number of students that is certain to exceed the paltry 300 needed to grant an AGM significance. Both other leading presidential candidates tabled

motions aimed at improving the experience of students at the University of Edinburgh, but still, the student body failed to bite.

The copious inconsequential moves to ban this or that product from EUSA shops over past years have no doubt done a certain amount of irreparable damage to the institution’s image in the student body’s collective eye. But considering the volume of publicity that surrounds the event in modern times, it must be considered incumbent upon students to attend a discussion of propositions that so clearly serve their interest. With change so high on EUSA’s agenda, the reconnection of student head to body is a stitch closer.

It’s students themselves who must be the ones to move next and reinvigorate their interest in student politics.

The failure to engage at this year’s AGM has precluded students from calling for a higher standard of tuition in the coming year; there is no time to make the same mistake again.

SIR,

SIR,

The disagreement between TIE, the Edinburgh tram company, and their erstwhile contractors could offer a major new opportunity for employment in Scotland.

Re: Macwhirter criticised over Israeli boycott backing

With the increasing number of unemployed, many from our rapidly contracting financial sector, what better time to return to traditional pick and shovel methods for building the tramway?

Stifle free speech and the exchange of ideas, what a great idea. I'm surprised British academics have the temerity to make such a proposal. I'd imagine there is many a country out there none-toohappy with Britain's foreign policy and yet no boycotts against us. Hypocrisy rules the day 'matty', via www.journal-online.co.uk

On minimum wage (or, cheaper still, on Job Creation Schemes paying the same as the dole) a new generation of navvies should easily be able to complete the undertaking within a reasonable period.

And, by removing the need for environmentally polluting earth moving machinery, it would make the whole project even more Green!

SIR, Re: 'Big star in a small Galaxy' Good article but fyi: Xenu is not the long lost leader of scientology. According to their 'scriptures' which I have read when I was a member, Xenu is the enemy of the scientology cult, lol. Either way, it would be good for the Beckhams to get away from the potential for indoctrination.

Sincerely, John Eoin Douglas

Mary McConnell, via www.journal-online.co.uk

Crossword #11 - Cryptic

George square protest:

Worth the effort IN AN INTERVIEW with The Journal shortly before his election to the Edinburgh rectorship, Iain MacWhirter expressed a desire to concentrate on issues where he could have a direct impact, saying: “Frankly, it’s difficult for the rector to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute.” MacWhirter was far more enthusiastic, however, about the “dignity and idealism” of the students who occupied the George Square Lecture Theatre in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Edinburgh students are no more likely than their rector to play a decisive role in ending the decades-old struggle in Palestine – a fact which drew almost limitless scorn from opponents of the protest. But do such criticisms miss the point?

On page 21, Harry Cole lambasts the “noble warriors” of George Square, ridiculing them for “sitting around drinking herbal tea while furiously checking the Blackberry.” Everyone is by now familiar with the caricature of the sandal-wearing student activist, and the George Square protestors presented an easy target for critics such as Cole’s Conservative club.

But much of the criticism they received was unduly harsh. Far from a

bunch of idle troublemakers, the demonstrators were part of a well-organised, synchronised operation at more than 20 universities across the country, which attracted notice nationally and overseas. Comparisons with the protests of 1968 are overblown – yet in a society where the right to public protest is increasingly under threat, and where the younger generation is under attack for alleged political apathy, such a large number of students joining peacefully to support a common cause should inspire a measure of respect.

Some of the protestors’ rhetoric was naïve and unhelpful – in particular, the insinuation that Edinburgh University’s refusal to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza constitutes a “complicit silence.” Such a condemnation would be unprecedented and wholly inappropriate. It is vital that British universities should maintain their nonpolitical status, and the idea that silence on the matter implies support for the Israeli government is absurd. But other demands were welcome and well thought through. Critics of the action would struggle to argue that the protest achieved nothing in a discussion with the five Palestinian students who will

now receive scholarships to study at Edinburgh, while the forthcoming lecture and debate series should serve to broaden understanding and meaningful discussion of the Middle East.

The response to sit-in protests at some other universities was troubling.

Nottingham University sent in private security agents to remove protestors by force; Sheffield Hallam lured participants away from a protest with promises to refrain from legal action, before suspending them from their courses as an example to others. Such muscular behaviour is profoundly counterproductive, serving only to ensure that student resentment over these issues will continue to fester over the coming months.

By contrast, Edinburgh’s reaction was commendably restrained: by negotiating sensibly with the protestors, while maintaining a firm stance against their less reasonable demands, the university ensured a swift, mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute.

British students might prove unable to alleviate humanitarian crises overseas – but it would be an enormous shame if we were therefore to resolve not even to try.

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Profile 23

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Young Fathers: breaking the mould » Edinburgh isn't the first place you'd expect to find a leading hip-hop collective – but

Young Fathers are looking to change that in 2009, they tell Chris McCall

Chris McCall chris.mccall@journal-online.co.uk

“S

COTTISH HIP-HOP? THEY compare it to Australian jazz or something.” So says Ally Massaquoi, only halfjoking. Not that he cares. He makes up one third of the hottest hip-hop act around – other people’s ignorance no longer bothers him. Massaquoi, along with Graham Hastings, otherwise known as G, and Kayus Bankole, who likes to be called KS, are all Edinburgh-based and Edinburgh-raised.

“Music should have no boundaries,” says KS, matter-of-factly. Collectively, these three 20-year old lads make up Young Fathers. Now stand up and pay attention.

NME described them as being “locked somewhere between De La Soul and 3T, but re-imagined for the hipster generation.” Getintotrouble. com was more direct in its praises.

“Young Fathers have got JUICE.” And right now, they sure do. When we meet in the City Cafe, Massaquoi is nursing a Pepsi, having hit George Street the night before. “Were you reekin?” asks KS, laughing.

“Aw mate..” Massaquoi shakes his head, unable to finish the sentence, grinning at the memory.

It might come as a shock to some, but in reality it’s unsurprsing that the capital has finally produced a hip-hop act that has grabbed the attention of the wider public. There has been a thriving underground scene for years.

This small community of like-minded souls was the key to the formation of Young Fathers.

“We met at an under-18s hip-hop night at the Bongo Club called Lickshot, when we were about 14,” explains Massaquoi. “I knew KS from my school, and these other two guys who introduced me to G.” “It was the first under 18s hip-hop night in Edinburgh,” adds KS. “It was orignally every two weeks but they made so much money, they made it every week.”

Previously known as Freestyle, they decided to rename themselves after meeting Tim London, who runs a small studio from his flat in Leith, and deciding to adopt a more pop-oriented sound. “The stuff we were doing before sounded too mature,” explains G. The first new song they completed was ‘Straight Back On It’, a superb slab of energetic hip-hop that has all the makings of a club anthem. Released as their debut single, it’s been raved about by pretty much everyone that’s heard it.

“The three of us always wanted to make songs, pop songs, in that format” explains G, the man behind most of Young Fathers’ beats. “We always had a hook, then a rap, then a hook, and that’s where we kind of gelled.”

G is quick to point out that being described as a pop group doesn’t bother Young Fathers in the slightest.“We are obviously a hip-hop band.We came through hip-hop, but we’ve always had a pop-sensibility. We are a hip-hop group. I mean we rap n’ that!” he adds, laughing.

There has for too long been an assumption that the only UK hiphop worth listening to orginates from London. Whilst there is a firmly

established hip-hop scene in Scotland, it can suffer from a lack of respect from those not familiar with it.

“Hopefully we can try and change that,” says G. “If we can do something to help that, cos I think it needs to come out its shell. I think even the people in hip-hop are scared to come out it. It’s that attitude of, ‘It’s ours, we don’t want to share it’; but at the same time people will complain that it doesn’t get represented.”

In between smashing down people’s perceptions, Young Fathers are currently planning their first major tour

and picking a time to release their eagerly awaited debut album. This year is crucial to the group – it will see whether they can make the tricky jump from hotly tipped new act to fully established group. Each Young Father is still working at various jobs, a situation they are eager to change, Massaquoi in particular.

“Living in society is about status, right; and when you have a wage coming in, you can say: ‘Yeah that’s what I do, I’m getting paid for it.’ You want to be able to say ‘I’m a musician, cos you’re getting paid. If you do

anything creative, if its acting, singing, its always like ‘get a real job’. So to be just in that position to say ‘I do music’, and you’re comfortable in saying that because you’re getting money.”

“It’s never something where it’s like oh, we’re not getting paid, we’re not doing it,” adds G. “We’ve never had that attitude, you just would like it.

It’s never going to stop us. Every band struggles.”

KS agrees. “It’s part and parcel of it.

It just makes you more hungry to do it.”

Massaquoi continues: “That’s why a lot of the stuff we’re doing is in

London, you know. You don’t just want to be in Edinburgh the whole time doing gig gig gig... we’re positioning ourselves. NME have been good to us, but isn’t that their job, to promote new music? It would be like a crime if they never said anything about Young Fathers and then things became good for us.”

Massaquoi shouldn’t worry. 2009 looks set to be a very good year for Young Fathers indeed.

Young Fathers play the Picture House on March 14

24 Feature

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009 sledge—three times the weight of an average man—up the glacier towards the summit of the icecap. That’s roughly a third of the height of Mount Everest. We moved horrendously slowly across the frozen wasteland, walking with agonising pain across our shoulders and through our backs, and covering a daily average of just three or four miles, despite walking for up to ten hours a day. This was deeply depressing. But as I told BBC radio before I left, the mental challenge would be as large, if not bigger than the physical one.

Our sledges (named Gertrude and Matilda respectively) were the only females that we saw for four months – they were fat, heavy and particularly unattractive, but thanks to them we survived. We started the expedition with over 1.3 million calories in our sledges – allowing us to eat approximately 5,500 calories every day.

On the outbound journey we laid food depots which we were to feed off on the return journey. Every 50 miles or so, we got out three days’ rations, fuel, and ghee (clarified butter), and buried it, before marking it both electronically and physically. The first two food drops were to cause us some problems on the way home.

To put journey into perspective, the

JOURNEY TO THE END OF

THE EARTH

Edinburgh student George Bullard used his gap year to make history, completing the longest unsupported polar journey ever made. With no other forms of life in sight besides a single team-mate, his 1,374-mile journey was to prove the most gruelling experience of his life. Photos: Alex Hibbert George Bullard george.bullard@journal-online.co.uk

D

AY 83: WINDCHILL temperature -50°C. Decreasing visibility and falling moral lead my partner and me to spend nearly four days not moving anywhere – days spent in silence in a tent in the middle of nowhere, wondering when we could have another morsel to eat.

Hours passed thinking about what was happening at home. The icecap is a desperate place, unable to support any forms of life whatsoever. I became obsessed with every calorie, crumb

and scrap of food that we had. The only thing that limited our time on the ice was the amount of food we had left.

When we weren’t moving, we weren’t eating either. In order to beat world records in polar exploration, strength, determination and common sense are needed in spades.

Alex Hibbert and I met whilst I was speaking in the Royal Geographical Society in London. He was looking for a team mate to join him on the longest fully unsupported polar journey in history – skiing from the east coast of Greenland to the west. I put my hand up, so letting myself in for 113 days of trudging across the ice – 1,374 miles

of unimaginable sensory deprivation.

The second time we met, I went down to Portsmouth to help pack our sledges; the third time marked the beginning of four months spent always within 25ft of each other (even when nature called).

Imagine spending 113 days with the same person, no way of escape, no break, no change of face – just one of the may mental challenges that we both faced. But the knowledge that we relied on each other for our own survival—help and rescue was hours, possibly even days away—forced us to overcome any qualms.

Our problems began early on, as we hauled approximately 200kg of

only men in history to have spent longer on the ice were Wally Herbert and his team. He was on the Arctic Ocean for 15 months on his journey to the North Pole in 1968-9. He built a town in the ice over the winter months, was accompanied by many others and had a large supply of food. That remains the longest unsupported polar mission in terms of time – ours is next.

In terms of distance covered, Sir Ranulf Fiennes and Mike Stroud, completed a 1,200 mile trip across Antarctica using kites. Fiennes lost three digits during this expedition, and both came home within 24 hours of death.

Their record was subsequently broken by two Norwegian explorers, who covered 1,305 miles across the Arctic. This was the record that Alex and set out to break. In both expeditions, the explorers returned in an extremely emaciated condition. Due to a well researched diet and good technique, however, we returned in a—relatively—healthy state.

Having walked for just less than 70 days, and seen absolutely nothing apart from a couple of migrating birds, our brains were experiencing deprivation beyond that which I thought was humanly possible. On the horizon I saw an abnormal speck. It was the summit of a mountain. This was the most exciting thing we had seen – the west coast of Greenland. The excitement coursing through my veins at this point is nearly impossible to put in words.

Living in such a deprived fashion, even the smallest deviation from blankness seems momentous.

The mental side of the expedition, aside from the physical, was the

hardest. The boredom was unbearable.

The only green I saw for four months was a small badge on my front, and our meal bags. The only forms of life we saw in the entire course of the expedition amounted to four birds.

Sometimes we spent weeks in white out, where all you can see is white and just the glimpse your feet.

The most depressing point of the expedition came when we were approximately two weeks away from reaching the west coast where we were set to turn around and follow our footsteps home. The phrase “so near and yet so far” took on a new significance here. After 70 days, I couldn’t wait to get there and make our first steps homewards. This had the potential to be a dangerous situation. Our desire to make the coast and get home made us ski in perilous conditions.

Visibility was just five metres, and we were being pushed along by a 70mph tail wind. As we neared the coast there was a very real threat of crevasses, and with such low visibility we could have been blown to a dark end. Only when we stopped did we realise the full force of the wind. Putting a tent up normally for most people is difficult. Now imagine doing it on the back of a lorry moving at 70mph on the motorway when the temperature is -25°C. With constant drumming from the wind slapping the material next to our ears, our dexterity falling with the temperature, we began to anchor “Terrance” the tent to the surface of the icecap (later named Murtle). This was a life and death situation. One false move and the tent would have hurled

Feature 25

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009 off across the ice, leaving us to freeze to death.

We reached the west coast (our half way point), and descended the glacier without our sledges. On the way down we both put a ski through a snow bridge and into a crevasse. This is the most terrifying experience that these places have to offer, presenting a real danger of falling to a freezing death, never to be found again. Leaving the glacier and getting back on solid ice was an attractive feeling.

The key to this type of expedition is sustainability, and both our personalities, although both very different, seemed to work well in parallel, with my tireless enthusiasm complementing Alex’s calm and calculated character.

It seemed a perfect match as we didn’t argue once – surely a record in itself.

Routine was a key feature that made the days pass faster. The extreme temperatures were matched by the extremity of the methods we ended up taking to live in such a harsh environment. On a daily basis I had to warm my diary, my pencil, and satellite phone in my crotch before I could do anything with them. Things were so cold that when I touched something I could feel the heat leaving my fingers.

Having had the worst moments of my life so far up on the ice cap, it was now, on the return leg, that I had some of the best. The sunsets, the feeling of achievement and the proximity of home came as a sensory overload.

The loss of our last two food depots came as a major setback. We’d laid them at 100 and 50 miles from the end, and left them exposed to the force of the Arctic weather for 100 days. We’d been able to locate previous depots, because the cairns above them were still visible. But these last two cairns had completely evaporated. The situation was only made worse by a thick layer of ice that had formed due to warm weather whilst we were away.

This inhibited our probe from even penetrating deep in to the surface. It was clear that we would have to continue on skeleton rations.

Skeleton rations are by no means a sustainable way of existence. We had enough for a daily ration of 2.5 flapjacks, which we mixed with water and a bit of ghee. We skied for 10-12 hours and covered over 20 miles a day – leaving us with a deficit of roughly 5,000 calories by the end of the day. At this point our health began to deteriorate quickly. We couldn’t have lasted much longer on this skeleton diet.

Sometimes the icecap looks like a dreamland, reminding you of those places that only appear in fairy tales; at others it takes on the character of a ferocious beast that has just been

unleashed. When we reached the end of this ultra-marathon, our world record secured, we might have been forgiven for expecting a crowd of people cheering us in. Nothing of the sort. We simply arrived at a grid location and waited for the helicopter to pick us up.

When we arrived back at Heathrow, coming through the arrivals gate, there were our families waiting, as though nothing had changed at all.

Thanks to our plain diet during the expedition, we both got seriously ill on our return home. The transition to a western diet was too much for my body to handle and after some nachos, a pint of beer, and a waffle I was sick for the next week, unable to consume anything other than baby food. As I reacclimatised to modern comforts, I realised the full extent of our deprivation during our record-breaking adventure. No toilet to sit on, no sofa to fall back on, no plate to eat off, no mattress to sleep on – it’ll be a long time before I take such luxuries for granted.

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26 Arts & Entertainment Theatre

Sweet Jesus

 Saccharine sweet, lightweight comedy

BEDLAM THEATRE 10-14 FEB Anna Fenton

anna.fenton@journal-online.co.uk

Music

Edinburgh University Chamber Orchestra

 A stunning soloist and well toned orchestra set an ambitious target

GREYFRIARS KIRK 20 FEB Chris Williams

chris@journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

WITH VALENTINE’S DAY just past, the sickly stench of love still permeates the air, and we're yet to get over the banal conceptions of "desire" rammed into our faces by every shop window and every television channel. Unfortunately, these tired clichés seem to have extended to Bedlam Theatre in the form of Sweet Jesus!, a weak comedy that attempts, and fails, to address and offer light relief to these well known themes.

Sweet Jesus! could be likened to the bizarre offspring of seventies kitchen sink drama and television sketch show Smack the Pony. The show’s four-part structure concerns four odd couples: a recently engaged couple trying to save a tree as well as their relationship, a girl in love with a boy who is obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, a couple trying to revive a flagging relationship with some strange role playing, and a hapless husband oblivious to the fact that his wife is having an affair with his psychiatrist. The couples all finally and coincidentally gather in the same restaurant for the scene that forms the comedic dénouement.

The humour seems to be rather reliant on flashy gimmicks, with the Hitler and Goebbels role-play provoking laughs, but there is a feeling that this is rather due to the shock of the image and physical comedy rather than the strength and thoughtfulness of the script. Despite these shortcomings there are some delightfully fun performances, including Catherine White’s suitably breathy and pouty Marilyn Monroe and Chris Craig Harvey’s ridiculous, harassed waiter.

It is impossible not to wonder throughout where all these musings on the trials and tribulations of relationships are going. Ultimately, however, the messages are confused and the ending overly contrived, forcibly tying together the two characters left over at the end of the proceedings. There are some mildly amusing moments, but the altogether weak script remains fractured and self-indulgent, providing an overall performance that fails to be either memorable or original.

THE EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY Chamber Orchestra have garnered the reputation of being the most ambitious student ensemble playing in Scotland in recent years. Biennial forays into the symphonic repertoire have previously seen EUCO join forces with the Glasgow-based Kelvin Ensemble for such expansive works as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. But in a characteristically high-reaching move, 2009’s grand production has been put on entirely by members of the society itself, with the Edinburgh University Singers providing the necessary welly in the symphony’s finale.

Will Conway—fast becoming the favourite uncle amongst EUCO’s pool of guest conductors—returns to the rostrum after last year’s arresting modern programme of Ibert and Stravinsky in C. Noted for his inspirational rehearsal technique, Conway’s muted but precise baton effortlessly eases the orchestra through his interpretations of two of the nineteenth century’s most influential works.

Young South African violinist Zoe Beyers headlines tonight in the Mendelssohn, recently having relocated north of the border to take on the post of sub-principal with Conway’s old flame, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Whilst the ultimately neglected music stand seems a bit of a cop-out for this note-perfect performer, Beyers’ virtuosic charisma sucks in her audience throughout a concerto of delicious romanticism.

The splashy acoustic of Greyfriars Kirk can feel unaccounted for as both soloist and orchestra allow marcatos to be levened and tenutos to melt into legatos; the tricky third movement— that demands almost as much technical fluidity from the winds as from

the violin—tends to rock unsteadily in the airy space, but ensemble within the tutti is usually safe enough.

Nitpicking aside, the audience goes into the break with intense anticipation for the larger scale offering of the second half.

With a quality of intonation that, though not perfect, is the envy of most other student orchestras in Scotland, EUCO’s strings—with particular reference to the luscious and sultry celli—wind their way seductively through the quieter passages of the first movement whilst providing the necessary bang for buck in the more throat-gripping sections.

Given his association with more modern repertoire in recent appearances with the orchestra, Conway’s restrained treatment of the scherzo and adagio movements is particularly refreshing. At a curiously sedate tempo, the beautifully crafted scherzo became a siren for the audience and easily the pinnacle of the concert.

The uninhibited soloists and select choir let loose on the choral finale with a passion that belies their small numbers. The regular stand-up, sit-downs of the choir become far too much of a distraction and one feels the singers could afford to weightbear for a little longer. The state of the audience could not be more different, however, as they become paralysed by the immensity of the enveloping sound.

With a stunning violinist and a well toned orchestra in tow, it is difficult for Conway to wrestle any of the lime light, but ultimately this is the conductor’s night and no doubt his orchestra will be clamouring for him to be recalled in the next academic year.

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Arts & Entertainment 27

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Theatre

ON THE HORIZON...

The Pajama Game

MUSIC Amadou and Miriam

Picture House 28 February, £15.50 Celebrated blind Malian duo have broken into the mainstream



Little Boots,

Cabaret Voltaire, 26 February, free If you haven’t yet heard the synth-laden sounds of Little Boots, don’t miss the opportunity

Competent performance let down by an odd choice of production

THEATRE Thriller Live

JAMES BASTER

CHURCH HILL THEATRE 3-7 FEB Fiona Campbell

fiona.campbell@journal-online.co.uk

Art My Love and Native Land, Farewell

 CITY ART CENTRE UNTIL 22 MARCH David Stevenson

david.stevenson@journal-online.co.uk

WHILE THE PAJAMA Game may have impressed critics and audiences when it first graced the Broadway stage in 1954, it was apparent from the first act of Edinburgh University’s Footlights production last week that this is a production which has not stood the test of time. A mediocre story line predictable at every turn, juvenile slapstick comedy routines and numerous forgettable songs – it seemed a surprising choice for Footlights, yet one that they approached with admirable enthusiasm.

Set in the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, the plot follows the employees’ fight to gain a pay rise from their tight-fisted boss. Complications arise when charming new factory Superintendent Sid Sorokin (Ben Stewart) and head of the Complaints Committee Babe Williams (Julie Moot) come head to head over their conflicting agendas, paving the way for a troublesome love affair.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Moot, with her extensive vocal range and abundant confidence. Judged independently, Stewart gives a solid performance, yet when coupled with his female counterpart he is frequently overshadowed. Stewart’s vocals are more than adequate for most numbers; however on a few occasions a break in

his voice left him struggling to maintain higher notes. The duet ‘There Once Was A Man’ is particularly uncomfortable as surprisingly both leads fail to master the difficult key changes and vocal slides.

‘Steam Heat’ is one of the few redeeming moments in the evening. Performed by the vivacious Nina Logue in the role of Gladys and two male members of the cast, the trio successfully execut the slick, sassy choreographic style central to Bob Fosse’s work. Unfortunately this precision is not maintained during ‘Hernando’s Hideaway’ as the polished technique demanded by the Tango is clearly beyond the capabilities of the majority of the cast.

When united as a group it becomes apparent that Footlights have potential far beyond the constraints of this weak musical. Luscious harmonies in ‘OnceA-Year’ and ‘Seven-And-A Half Cents’ demonstrate not only their expansive vocal talents but their ability to generate an excitement that ripples through the audience. Based on the generous applause accorded them, however, it is evident that Footlights have a loyal and supportive fan base that remains unperturbed by their unfortunate choice of show.

MY LOVE AND Native Land, Farewell sets out to explore the who, when and why of the emigration that was prevalent in Scotland between 1650 and 1900. Unfortunately, the most evident emigration was of the visitors to the City Art Centre going elsewhere. The exhibition is timed to coincide with Homecoming Scotland, the Scottish Government’s celebrity-laden campaign to encourage émigrés to come and revisit their roots. But the works displayed, all from the CAC’s permanent collection, are disjointed and overly Edinburgh-centric – 13 out of the 19 displayed are of the capital, and Glasgow doesn’t feature at all.

There are some good works that

make a fleeting visit worthwhile, if only to gain a hint of the potential that a better conceived exhibition of this topic could offer. The social realism of Robert McGregor’s Gathering Stones delivers a much-needed connection between the viewer and the individual. The weighty textures of the Bondager’s functional attire root them in the deep tertiary colours of the land that spreads out behind them to a vast and featureless horizon.

The connection with the land is also evident in the fervent loose brushwork of William McTaggert’s Running for Cover. His figures appear to have been torn fully formed from the constituent elements of Kintyre’s stony shores by the raging wind that tears across his canvas. Yet these two pieces are the only highlights in an otherwise unimaginative display.

There are adequately executed etchings and photography of nineteenth-century industrial life but they offer little cohesion between them. The singular picture of New Zealand sits in isolation, testimony to another avenue the exhibition could have explored but failed to. Despite the potential for an intimate exploration of the individuals who gave up their birth land for no more than hope, little is delivered here beyond Edinburgh Old Town memorabilia.

ON THE WEB...

MORE REVIEWS:  MUSIC Eagleowl @ The Bowery  THEATRE Lloyd George Knew My Father @ King's  MUSIC Tin cans @ The Wee Red Bar  ART Claire Barclay @ Fruitmarket  THEATRE Twin Houses @ Traverse

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Festival Theatre 2-7 March, £15-27.50 Thriller Live brings to life the sensational dancing and distinctive sound of the Jacksons' greatest hits.

Art

Jonathan Owen

 Quality speaks for itself

DOGGERFISHER UNTIL 28 MARCH Rachael Cloughton

rachel.cloughton@journal-online.co.uk

Jolson & Co- The Musical

King's Theatre 27 February – 7 March, £12.50-25 The unforgettable music and songs of Al Jolson come vividly to life in a fabulous production, which runs at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh for one week only.

L'Avare

Adam House Theatre Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 February Les Escogriffes present Moliere's most popular play

ART Two Horizons

National Gallery of Modern Art 28 February – 19 July, free Brings some of the best in contemporary art to Scotland.

AT THE CENTRE of the Jonathan Owen’s Doggerfisher show lies an extraordinary cage which traps the light cascading from the one window on the roof. Built with a series of rectangular patterns resembling credit card-chips, Owen’s creation defies the very nature of the object it replicates in its foam board construction. Something that had seemed sturdy and heavy on arrival becomes on closer inspection extremely delicate and fragile. He consciously offers the comfort of familiarity but it is never quite what it seems – and that distortion proves rather interesting, transforming the entire meaning and perception of the piece.

Owen’s cage is like his art itself: initially appearing so conceptual in its sparse white cube environment that it is inaccessible, imprisoning the viewer on the outside, but really very available to break down and enter into. The fact that Owen presents his audience with no opening spiel is refreshing and also a credit to him – his art does not need words to highlight or elevate its importance, it speaks for itself.

The central installation also acts as an axis upon which the rest of his work seems to rotate, hiding and disclosing it to the viewer as they move around the room. The series of four erased book pages are his most captivating pieces. Formerly photographs of statues, the artist has removed their impression leaving only the plinth in their memory. It becomes a simultaneous reflection upon the art of the past and Owen’s contemporary practice.

The most impressive aspect of Owen’s work, however, is how wellmade and exquisitely hand-crafted every part is. Each piece, from the accurately rendered backgrounds in his book pages, the repeated foam board fragments of the central installation to the individual wooden links of his wine rack chains demonstrate feats of endurance as much as fine art objects. Their painstaking creation heightens the element of dysfunction central to Owen’s work – without a purpose or function to fulfil he can chose materials unrestricted by design limitations.

Owen’s exhibition at the Doggerfisher is well worth the trip out of the centre – not only for those who appreciate conceptual art but for all art lovers. The richness, diversity and complexity of his work demands a visit, whilst being a surprisingly accessible exhibition of cutting-edge contemporary art.

Property

Abbeyhill Dalziel Place, 995, 4, 1S 3D G CG O, 0870 062 6782 East Norton Place, 995, 4, 4D, 0870 062 2418 Montague Street, 990, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Meadowbank Terrace, 950, 3, 2S 1D, 0870 062 3700 Rossie Place, 650, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 8690 Cadzow Place, 595, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 London Road, 525, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9326 Abbey Lane, 490, 1, 1D W CG O, 0870 062 9324 West Norton Place, 460, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9328 Abbeymount, 1035, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Baberton London Street, 1450, 4, 4D, 0870 062 1108

Balerno Websters Land, 1250, 1, 1D, 0870 062 1108

Balgreen Annandale Street, 1450, 4, 4D G CG O, 0870 062 1108 Marchmont Road, 1150, 3, 1S 2D, 0870 062 1108

Bellevue Bellevue Road, 600, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 1108

Blackford Rankin Avenue, 660, 2, 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9594

Blackhall Craigcrook Road, 585, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9384

Braids Pentland Gardens, 1000, 2, 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9478

Broughton Broughton Road, 675, 2, 2D G Z, 0870 062 9320 Mcdonald Road, 650, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9522 Beaverbank Place, 550, 1, 1D Z, 0870 062 3768 Broughton Road, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 6604 Burns Place, 495, 1, 1D 1B G CG O, 0870 062 9422 Broughton Road, 450, 1, 1D O, 0870 062 9478

Bruntsfield Bruntsfield Place, 650, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9592 Bruntsfield Place, 1750, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Barclay Place, 1290, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Gillespie Place, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700

Canonmills Rodney Place, 625, 2, 2D W CG P, 0870 062 9446

Carrick Knowe Carrick Knowe Avenue, 880, 4, 4D G PG O, 0870 062 9302

Central Chambers Street, 660, 1, 1D G Z, 0870 062 9478 Lothian Road, 650, 2, 2D G, 0870 062 2406 Montgomery Street, 625, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9234 Blair Street, 625, 1, W Z, 0870 062 9478 Greenside End, 550, 1, 1D G P, 0870 062 9320 Canongate, 460, 1, G CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Crighton Place, 1650, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Carlton Terrace, 1250, 2, 2D G PG, 0870 062 9300 Lothian Road, 1050, 3, 3D G CG, 0870 062 9302

Colinton Spylaw Bank Road, 675, 2, UF 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9320 Colinton Road, Reholme House, 1100, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9478

Colinton Mains Oxgangs Terrace, 825, 3, UF 3D G PG P, 0870 062 2406

Comely Bank Comely Bank Row, 550, 1, 1D CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Comely Bank Row, 495, 1, CG Z, 0870 062 9478

Craiglockhart Craiglockhart Dell,, 620, 2, UF 2D G P, 0870 062 9324

Crewe Toll West Pilton Gardens, 650, 3, O, 0870 062 9384 West Pilton Green, 595, 3, 3D O, 0870 062 9384 Pilton Avenue, 575, 2, 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9384

Dalry Downfield Place, 960, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Caledonian Place, 950, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Cathcart Place, 930, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Duff Street, 750, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Duff Street, 700, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Dalry Wynd, 680, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9302 Cathcart Place, 650, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Richmond Terrace, 650, 2, 2D G Z, 0870 062 9592 Duff Road, 625, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9424 Caledonian Place, 595, 2, UF 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Orwell Place, 575, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9334 Dalry Road, 500, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9322 Orwell Place, 500, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9334 Springwell Place, 495, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 3768 Downfield Place, 475, 1, 1D E Z, 0870 062 9592 Caledonian Place, 450, 1, 1D CG O, 0870 062 9320 Downfield Place, 450, 1, 1D CG Z, 0870 062 9326 Orwell Place, 450, 1, 1D W CG Z, 0870 062 9688 Gorgie Road, 1425, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Dalry Road, 1290, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Murieston Road, 1280, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Murieston Crescent, 1160, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Hermand Crescent, 1050, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Murieston Crescent, 1010, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Davidsons Mains Ferry Gait Place, 550, 2, UF 2D W P, 0870 062 9388

Drylaw Telford Drive, 625, 3, G O, 0870 062 9384 West Pilton Rise, 499, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9384

Duddingston Duddingston Park South, 575, 2, G O, 0870 062 9384 The Causeway, 495, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 2418 Duddingston Row, 1200, 3, 3D G PG P, 0870 062 9522

Easter Road Hawkhill Close, 900, 3, 3D G P, 0870 062 9522 Alva Place, 800, 3, 3D 1B G PG O, 0870 062 9522 Easter Road, 625, 2, UF 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9424 St. Clair Road, 600, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 1108 Bothwell Street, 535, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9448 Bothwell Street, 525, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 9320 Thorntree Street, 525, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 9424 Albion Terrace, 520, 2, 1S 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9558 Easter Road, 450, 1, 1D G PG O, 0870 062 9424

Edinburgh Leopold Place, 825, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Redhall Crescent, 590, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Bonnington Road, 1400, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Chester Street, 1330, 4, 1S 3D, 0870 062 3700 Grindlay Street, 1030, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Ferry Road East Pilton Farm Crescent, 700, 2, UF 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9320

Fettes North Werber Place, 650, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0870 062 9320 East Pilton Farm Crescent, 625, 2, 2D, 0870 062 2018 East Pilton Farm Crescent, 625, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9446 North Werber Place, 600, 2, 1D 1T G P, 0870 062 9320

Fountainbridge Murdoch Terrace, 600, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Watson Crescent, 495, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9312

HOW TO USE THE LISTINGS Meadows

Area Agent phone number

Buccleuch Street, 750, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0870 062 9434

Bedrooms Monthly Rent Location

Gibson Terrace, 475, 1, G CG O, 0870 062 6604 Polwarth Crescent, 1750, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700

Gilmerton Gilmerton Dykes Road, 550, 2, 1S 1D W P, 0870 062 9460

Gorgie Gorgie Road, 950, 3, 1S 2D G CG, 0870 062 2418 Gorgie Road, 599, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9334 Gorgie Road, 595, 2, UF 2D G, 0870 062 9234 Murieston Lane, 595, 2, UF 2D W P, 0870 062 9456 Gorgie Road, 585, 2, 2D E CG O, 0870 062 9558 White Park, 499, 1, UF 1D W, 0870 062 9456 Smithfield Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 3768 Stewart Terrace, 475, 1, 1D E PG O, 0870 062 9592 Wheatfield Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9460 Wardlaw Street, 470, 1, O, 0870 062 9522 Wardlaw Street, 450, 1, 1D CG O, 0870 062 9312 Wardlaw Street, 450, 1, 1D E O, 0870 062 9312 Wardlaw Place, 430, 1, 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9592

Granton Colonsay Close, 800, 3, 1S 2D G P, 0870 062 9522 Waterfront Park, Edinburgh, 595, 2, UF 2D G P, 0870 062 2414 Waterfront Park, Edinburgh, 495, 1, UF 1D G P, 0870 062 2414

Grassmarket Websters Land, 470, 1, 1D W, 0870 062 9434

Haymarket Torphichen Street, 795, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0870 062 9474 Morrison Street, 750, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Grove Street, 575, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Upper Grove Place, 550, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 1108 Morrison Street, 1750, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1550, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1420, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1370, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1360, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1288, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1000, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Hillside Leopold Place, 750, 2, 2D G, 0870 062 9468 Allanfield, 600, 2, 1S 1D W P, 0870 062 9320 Montgomery Street, 580, 1, 1D G Z, 0870 062 9320 Brunswick Street, 1300, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Montrose Terrace, 1005, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Holyrood Viewcraig Gardens, 575, 2, 1D 1T G, 0870 062 9326

Kirkliston Carlowrie Farm Cottage, 650, 2, 2D PG P, 0870 062 3768

Leith Great Junction Street, 960, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Kirk Street, 850, 3, 3D G O, 0870 062 9312

Leith Walk, 850, 3, G Z, 0870 062 9326 Lindsay Road, 800, 3, 3D G CG P, 0870 062 9468 Madeira Street, 775, 1, 3D, 0870 062 2418 Easter Road, 700, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Water Street, 700, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 675, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 675, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Iona Street, 625, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9424 Springfield Street, 625, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9320 Lindsay Road, 625, 2, UF G P, 0870 062 2414 Stead’s Place, 620, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0870 062 9592 North Fort Street, 600, 3, 1S 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9592 Edina Street, 600, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9522 Bethlehem Way, 595, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9558 Giles Street, 595, 2, 2D E CG P, 0870 062 9558 Iona Street, 550, 2, 1S 1D, 0870 062 3700 (1F1) Lorne Street, 535, 2, UF 2D 1B CG O, 0870 062 9434 Elliot Street, 500, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 3768 Lorne Street, 500, 2, UF 2D W O, 0870 062 9434 Annfield, 495, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Sloan Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Salamander Street, 450, 1, 1D O, 0870 062 9340 (2F3) Lorne Square, 420, 1, UF 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9434 Lorne Place, 415, 1, UF 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9434 Kirk Street, 1625, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Smith’s Place, 1500, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Wellington Place, 1500, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Leith Walk, 1350, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1280, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Kirk Street, 1155, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700

Leith Walk Dalmeny Street, 900, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Kirk Street, 845, 3, 3D G O, 0870 062 9234 Hopetoun Crescent, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 4830 Springfield Lane, 625, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Crighton Place, 595, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9460 Albert Street, 485, 1, 1D E O, 0870 062 9446 Buchanan Street, 450, 1, 1D, 0870 062 9348 Smith’s Place, 1600, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Crighton Place, 1200, 5, 1S 4D G, 0870 062 9468 Dalmeny Street, 1200, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Liberton Captains Drive, 680, 3, 3D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Craigend Park, 580, 2, UF 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9388 Captains Row, 575, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9424

Little France Craigour Drive, 575, 2, 2D P, 0870 062 9592

Lochend Findlay Avenue, 595, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9384

Marchmont Whitehouse Loan, 850, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9592

Bedrooms: Heating: Garden: Parking: Furniture:

Meadowbank Portobello Road, 600, 3, 1S 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9468 Dalgety Avenue, 495, 1, 1D CG O, 0870 062 9460 Restalrig Road South, 490, 1, 1D CG O, 0870 062 9334

Meadows Buccleuch Terrace, 925, 3, 3D G, 0870 062 9594

Merchiston Bruntsfield Place, 945, 3, 3D G CG, 0870 062 2418 Dorset Place, 625, 3, UF , 0870 062 9532

Morningside Balcarres Street, 950, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Comiston Road, 700, 2, 1B G CG Z, 0870 062 9478 Comiston Gardens, 695, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9334 Millar Crescent, 675, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0870 062 9334 Balcarres Street, 550, 2, 1S 1D 1B Z, 0870 062 2418 Craighouse Gardens, 550, 1, 1D E P, 0870 062 9594 Millar Place, 520, 1, 1S G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Morningside Road, 1750, 5, 3S 2D, 0870 062 3700 Comiston Gardens, 1625, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morningside Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morningside Road, 1360, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1050, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Steels Place, 1035, 0, , 0870 062 3700

Murrayburn Calder Drive, 550, 2, 2D 1B G CG O, 0870 062 6604

New Town Dundas Street, 775, 2, 2D G, 0870 062 9320 Henderson Row, 700, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 1108 Dundas Street, 700, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 1108 St. Bernards Crescent, 575, 1, 1D W CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Gloucester Place, 1800, 5, 5D G Z, 0870 062 9446 London Street, 1615, 4, 4D G Z, 0870 062 9316 North Castle Street, 1500, 2, 2D G, 0870 062 9300 Dundas Street, 1295, 4, 4D G Z, 0870 062 9316 Dundas Street, 1150, 3, 3D, 0870 062 9316

Newcraighall Niddrie Marischal Street, 699, 3, UF 1S 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9234 Craigmillar Castle Road, 595, 2, 2D, 0870 062 9234 Magdalene Drive, 595, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 2406

Newhaven Jessfield Terrace, 595, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9320 Bathfield, 450, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 9594 Hawthornvale, 450, 1, 1D W CG O, 0870 062 3768

Newington Summerhall Place, 955, 3, 3D G Z, 0870 062 9316 Dalkeith Road, 930, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Newington Road, 930, 3, 3D G Z, 0870 062 9424 Orrok Lane, 770, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Grange Loan, 725, 3, 1S 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9234 Ratcliffe Terrace, 700, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Parkside Street, 695, 2, 2D E CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Parkside Terrace, 625, 2, 1S 1D E P, 0870 062 9320 West Nicolson Street, 600, 2, 2D W Z, 0870 062 9434

PROPERTY LISTINGS PROVIDED BY WWW.CITYLETS.CO.UK

S Single D Double T Twin B Box G Gas Central W White Meter E Electric PG Private CG Communal Z Zone O On-Street P Private UF Unfurnished

Blackwood Crescent, 575, 2, 1S 1D G Z, 0870 062 9424 Parkside Terrace, 575, 2, UF 1S 1D E P, 0870 062 9320 St. Patrick Square, 550, 2, UF 1S 1D E O, 0870 062 6458 East Parkside, 510, 1, 1D E P, 0870 062 9592 West Preston Street, 425, 1, 1D E Z, 0870 062 9558 Lutton Place, 2050, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 South Clerk Street, 2050, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Hope Park Terrace, 2000, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Parkside Terrace, 1900, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Clerk Street, 1650, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Clerk Street, 1650, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Mayfield Road, 1650, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 West Preston Street, 1545, 5, 5D G Z, 0870 062 9316 Mayfield Road, 1400, 4, 4D, 0870 062 9316 St Patrick Square, 1380, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Grange Road, 1300, 4, 4D CG Z, 0870 062 1108 Buccleuch Street, 1300, 4, UF 4D, 0870 062 3700 West Nicolson Street, 1230, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Montague Street, 1080, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Causewayside, 1060, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 St Leonards Street, 1050, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Old Town Calton Road, 900, 3, 3D G P, 0870 062 8694 Bristo Place, 870, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Forrest Road, 79, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0870 062 3704 St Giles Street, 700, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Cockburn Street, 500, 1, E O, 0870 062 1108 High Street, 1150, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Peffermill Peffer Bank, 600, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9326

Pilton West Pilton Grove, 695, 3, UF 3D G CG O, 0870 062 9234 West Pilton Green, 680, 3, 3D G CG O, 0870 062 9302

Polwarth Yeaman Place, 895, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Dundee Terrace, 750, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Bryson Road, 635, 2, 2D W O, 0870 062 8252 Temple Park Crescent, 595, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 3920 Temple Park Crescent, 580, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 9326 Watson Crescent, 480, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Polwarth Gardens, 1750, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Polwarth Gardens, 1750, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700

Prestonfield Clearburn Crescent, 550, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9460 Clearburn Road, 475, 1, 1D G PG O, 0870 062 9334

Restalrig Loganlea Place, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9522

Roseburn Balbirnie Place, 575, 2, 1S 1D W P, 0870 062 9320

Saughtonhall Glendevon Avenue, 590, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 3768

Sciennes Sienna Gardens, 650, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9322

Shandon Merchiston Grove, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9464

Sighthill Forrester Park Loan, 495, 2, 2D W CG O, 0870 062 9460 Morvenside, 475, 1, 1D G PG P, 0870 062 9532 Sighthill Drive, 1450, 5, UF 3S 2D G, 0870 062 1876

Slateford Robertson Gait, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 6772 Ivy Terrace, 505, 2, 1S 1D W PG O, 0870 062 9434 (2F3) Appin Terrace, 460, 1, 1D 1B G CG O, 0870 062 9434

South Side Parkside Terrace, 650, 2, 1S 1D E P, 0870 062 2418

St Leonards Howden St. Edinburgh, 550, 2, UF 2D G Z, 0870 062 9446

Stenhouse Stenhouse Gardens, 700, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 7736 Stenhouse Drive, 650, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 7736 Stenhouse Drive, 640, 2, G CG O, 0870 062 9522

Stockbridge Comely Bank Road, 750, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9446 Haugh Street, 675, 2, 2D W P, 0870 062 9478 Dean Park Street, 575, 2, UF 1S 1D W CG Z, 0870 062 8252 St. Stephen Street, 540, 1, 1D 1B G Z, 0870 062 9434 Raeburn Place, 490, 1, 1D G Z, 0870 062 9334

The Shore Constitution Street, 825, 3, 3D 3T W CG P, 0870 062 2418

Tollcross Grindlay Street, 990, 3, 1S 2D, 0870 062 3700 Drumdryan Street, 900, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Grindlay Street, 870, 3, 1S 2D, 0870 062 3700 Lauriston Place, 725, 3, 1S 2D G, 0870 062 6782 Lothian Road, 1350, 4, 2S 2D, 0870 062 3700 Lothian Road, 1240, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Tarvit Street, 1240, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Lothian Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700

Trinity Granton Road, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9312

Viewforth St. Peters Buildings, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9592

West End Haymarket Terrace, 1845, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Haymarket Terrace, 1380, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Hampton Terrace, 1370, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Grindlay Street, 1240, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Grindlay Street, 1030, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Willowbrae Piershill Place, 525, 1, 1D G, 0870 062 9594 Loaning Mills, 450, 1, 1D G P, 0870 062 9488

Eating & Drinking 29

The weather outside is frightful...

IMAGES: TREEHOUSE CAFÉ BY REMY PASCAL

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Spring may have sprung, but as temperatures stubbornly refuse to rise, it's still the perfect time to dig down in one of Edinburgh's winter cafés, writes Carol Chan

O

N THE STREETS of Edinburgh, people are in a flurry as the cold weather goes on swirling around us. While winter may technically be behind us, it's hard to feel the thrill of the new while being unable to feel your toes.

Which is why we should learn from the animals: it’s time to hibernate like the groundhogs or go “denning” like the bears. Quit mucking about with the world and stay still in one spot. The human way, of course. Indoors. Seek asylum from the crazy out-there and nurse a cuppa in these quieter, lingerfriendly cafes.

Hula 103–105 West Bow Sitting at the bottom of the West Bow slope at the edge of the Grassmarket, Hula looks like it’s hidden under a rock.

The ideal place for denning, except it looks nothing like a dark cave. Brightly lit, with rainbow-coloured signboards and mismatched chairs, it seems to be perpetually summer in this roomy, off-beat café.

The café’s usually quiet, though it’s hard to see why. So peculiar as to be endearing, it doubles up as an art gallery and has, bizzarely, a glass display of vintage shoes for sale. You may get a pineapple for company at your table too, if you’re lucky. With an inventive variety of smoothies and juices with names like Rapid Rabbit and Stingray, Hula’s quirky sense of fun is contagious. And if you’re not sufficiently deluded by the Hawaiian themed décor to order a cold drink, they even have hot juices (apple and cinnamon!) to cater to those (in)sane enough to be avoiding caffeine or cocoa.

Their food is simple and comforting: my toasted wrap with roasted peppers and guacamole achieves a delicate balance between being crunchy and moist, though the lentil soup could do with a bit more tang. However, the music more than makes up for this: ranging from Beatles to blues to happy tropical reggae, it’s hard not to linger in this Tiki-tiki hut.

Though the prices may be slightly steeper than most cafes, they do wrapand-soup deals for £4.50, and coffee comes with chocolate too. Grab a cushion, a slice of their house chocolatefudge cake and sit by the large glass windows of this alternative world of Hula, where the sun always shines.

Treehouse Cafe 44 Leven Street Tucked away in an obscure corner of Tollcross, the leaf-green/wooden-brown colour scheme of Treehouse is a warm invitation for an afternoon siesta.

Almost everything is made-to-order in the small kitchen behind the café counter, making this feel like a favourite

aunt’s living room where you can be guaranteed wholesome soups, inspired sandwiches, some fresh-out-of-the-oven cake and even pancakes for breakfast.

Large windows lend the café natural sunlight, and if you’re alone, you can opt to nest by their “study-tables” that look directly out into the streets. Students get 10 per cent discounts, though prices are already student-friendly. For £3, you can get a cake and really exceptional coffee: they do pride themselves on hiring only first-rate baristas.

The tidy, unsoiled café features live folk music on Sunday afternoons, so be warned. Once you plant yourself here, uprooting may prove difficult. However, when the café closes at 5, you may consider seeking shelter at Cameo Cinema across the road, where it’s the Oscar season, after all. These options seem to be clearing the clouds of the generally gloomy state of global affairs. What was that saying again, about missing the wood for the trees?

Saint Giles Café & Bar 8-10 St. Giles Street But if you should like to extend your habitation into the night, enter the cave of Saint Giles. Stone walls, high ceilings and seductive bossa nova music give this two-storey bistro a lair-like charm. An informal café in the day-time, it offers pastries and the usual lunchtime varieties to tourists, businessmen armed with their papers and bookish types intent on staying awhile. In the evenings, however, it dims into a candle-lit bar. Up the spiral wooden stairs, the quieter second level is home to black faux-leather sofas that welcome serious hibernators.

Just off the Royal Mile, nosh here is expectedly pricier, though far from exceptional in quality. I suspect the main attractions, besides its atmosphere, are its late closing hours and comfort sweets. Their hot chocolate, with a generous serving of whipped cream and marshmallows, is as luxurious as their cakes and hot Belgium waffles. All are served with whipped cream, drizzled with caramel and dusted with cocoa powder. Despite being a tad too sweet for my liking, both the chocolate and carrot cake are soothingly moist and well-textured. When complemented with the café’s strong caffeinated brew, however, the sweets manage to strike a right balance. Which goes for the wait-staff too: they’re attentive without being overly intrusive.

Albert Camus may have already found the answer to coming in from the cold when he wrote, “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” I don’t know about you, but my blundering, don’t-slip-on-that-slush self takes some comfort in the existence of these burrows and leaf-piles to hide out in while I await that spring.

30 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Hearts made to pay for last-minute lapse FOOTBALL HEARTS ST MIRREN

1 1

Graham Mackay graham.mackay@journal-online.co.uk ANDY DORMAN’S EQUALISER deep into extra time salvaged a much-needed point for St Mirren in a match which Hearts looked to have wrapped up.

Eggert Jonsson’s goal in the 78th minute put Hearts ahead, and it appeared likely that the Jambos would be able to hang on to their one-goal lead as full-time approached, but a moment of careless defending late on deprived them of the chance to go four points clear of Dundee United in third place.

The home side began the match at a high tempo, and the first decent strike of the game came just four minutes in when David Obua unleashed a low drive from 25 yards, but his powerful shot was sent just wide of the mark.

Despite Hearts maintaining the greater share of possession in the first half, St Mirren came close in the 16th minute when Andy Dorman’s free-kick was met by the head of Jim Hamilton, who gave defender Robbie Neilson the slip, but was unable to head the ball on target.

Moments later, Hearts came close following an Andrew Driver corner, but Christian Nade’s low shot rebounded off the upright, keeping the score at 0-0.

33 minutes in, Obua forced a decent save from St Mirren ‘keeper Chris Smith, when he struck again from 30 yards, but it was Bruno Aguiar who came closest to opening Hearts’ account in the first half. The Spaniard’s free-kick from 30 yards out had Hearts supporters on the edges of their seats, but the ball clipped the crossbar and deflected over for a goal

kick.

A knock to the head just before halftime forced Hearts striker Gary Glen off at the restart, but his replacement Lareya Kingston only remained on the pitch for five minutes before he himself was stretchered off, falling victim to a knee injury.

St Mirren emerged from the dressingroom with greater confidence, and the match began to look more balanced with both teams linking up well at times, but lacking the finishing touch that would break the deadlock.

However, Hearts took the lead after 78 minutes when Robbie Neilson’s free-kick was kept in play by Jonsson, allowing Obua to shoot from close range. The shot was saved and chaos ensued in the penalty box, allowing Jonsson to fire the ball into the back of the net, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.

Substitute Saulius Mikoliunas squandered the opportunity put his side 2-0 up when Obua produced a superb run down the left flank, skipping past Jack Ross and providing the Lithuanian with an inchperfect cross. But Mikoliunas, unmarked, struck the ball with his first touch sending it woefully high and wide.

One minute from the final whistle, Hearts were made to pay for losing concentration at the end of a game that they clearly believed they had already won. A free-kick from Jack Ross was floated into the box and headed back across goal, falling to the feet of Dorman who was able to slide it under Hearts ‘keeper Janos Baloch, securing a precious point for the Paisley side.

After the match, Hearts boss Csaba Laszlo vented his frustration at his team’s lack of concentration at the end of the game: “I am angry at some of the players and their attitudes,” he said. “A game can be won in the last minute but you can also loose.

“I do not accept a lack of discipline. If you remain focused throughout a match, you win every time; if not, you lose.”

Sport Results RUGBY

FOOTBALL

SCOTTISH CONFERENCE MEN’S 1A Aberdeen 1 Edinburgh 1 Stirling 1 St Andrews 1 Dundee 1

SCOTTISH CONFERENCE MEN’S 1A

P W D L F

A

Df

Pt

6 7 6 5 6

96 137 87 118 186

64 10 97 -62 -109

15 12 12 3 3

5 4 4 1 1

0 0 0 0 0

1 3 2 4 5

160 147 184 56 77

P W D L F

0 0 0 0 0

0 1 2 3 3

47 84 82 78 34

A

Stirling 1 Edinburgh 1 Glasgow 1 Heriot-Watt 1 Rob. Gord. 1

Df Pt

29 18 9 51 33 9 75 7 6 83 -5 3 87 -53 0

SCOTTISH CONFERENCE MEN’S 1A

P W D L F A Df Pt

8 8 8 8 8

7 0 58 1 4 1 2 1 0 1

1 2 3 5 7

27 13 14 21

21 16 16 5

11 10 16 19 -3 13 18 -2 7 24 -19 1

SCOTTISH CONFERENCE MEN’S 2A

SCOTTISH CONFERENCE MEN’S 2A Glasgow 1 3 3 Rob. Gord. 1 4 3 St. Andrews 1 4 2 Heriot-Watt 1 4 1 Strathclyde 1 3 0

MENS' HOCKEY

P W D L F A Df Pt

Strathclyde 1 Edinburgh 1 Aberdeen 1 Dundee 1 Edinburgh 1

3 3 4 2 4

2 1 1 1 0

1 2 1 0 2

0 0 2 1 2

6 4 7 4 4

3 3 7 2 2 5 10 -3 4 4 0 3 6 -2 2

Edinburgh 1 Heriot-Watt 1 Stirling 1 Aberdeen 1 Glasgow 1

P W D L F

A

8 8 8 8 8

16 14 18 20 7 15 21 6 13 35 -14 9 30 -13 4

6 5 47 3 1

0 0 1 0 1

2 3 3 5 6

30 27 27 21 17

Df Pt

WOMENS' HOCKEY SCOTTISH CONFERENCE WOMEN’S 1A P W D L F A Df Pt

Aberdeen 1 Dundee 1 Heriot-Watt 1 Abertay 1

4 4 4 5

3 3 1 1

1 0 2 0

0 1 1 4

12 6 6 10 16 4 12 9 8 7 1 5 5 20 -15 3

Edinburgh unlucky to loose out in tight encounter with Langholm RUGBY LANGHOLM

13

EDINBURGH

11

John Geddie john.geddie@journal-online.co.uk A losing point bonus away to thirdplace Langholm in National One was a testament to the resilient attitude that Edinburgh University have displayed this season. But despite the absence of a number of key players and general lack of game time since Christmas, the capital side were unfortunate not to sneak a victory against the Borders’ oldest club.

A two-point conversion ultimately separated the sides with the university notching two penalties either side of

halftime through full back Liam Steele, with winger Sam Bellhouse scoring a try.

The match was essentially a war of attrition; neither side seemed able to develop any continuity being continually thwarted by one anothers’ resolute defence. The effect of the recent spell of match cancellations was obvious – not through a general lack of endeavour, but rather an absence of match savvy.

The first half finished 6 -3 to the home side with neither team asserting any real authority on the match, and Steele quickly levelled the scores soon the break, minutes later helping the visitors take the lead.

After a quick succession of phases, the university backs successfully exploited a well-worked overlap. Steele launched a ball to flanker Stephen Knox who offloaded to speedster Bellhouse.

With only his man to beat, the winger cruised into the corner, with the difficult

conversion attempt creeping wide.

In the latter stages, the home side mounted pressure on the university defense but it remained intact thanks, in part, to an abrasive back row which included man of the match Eliot Awin.

However, Langholm eventually found a way over the whitewash and added the extras to close out a torrid encounter.

In spite of the loss, Edinburgh club coach Dale Lyon remained upbeat about the result: “Both sides exemplified the problems of having an extensive period with no rugby,” he said.

“In real terms, to earn a bonus point against one of the top sides in the league is an achievement. I am really pleased with the effort the boys put in.”

Edinburgh remains in eighth place but are part of a tight huddle in the middle throng of the league. With a number of matches still to be played, the university side will undoubtedly be eying up a position in the top half of the table.

MEADOWS MARATHON DIARY Week 2: ESCA organiser Natasha Heald is still training, and discovers that running holds embarrassments innumberable Natasha Heald natasha.heald@journal-online.co.uk

N

Especially the little snappy ones. And just when I finally stopped running far out of my way to avoid them, or eyeing them up suspiciously when I pass them, the other day a little barky dog chased after me; so very embarrassing.

And that is my final issue about running in the meadows; the embarrassment of bumping into someone you know while sweaty, red faced and very out of breath. There is no way you can avoid the university rush. An hour long run will usually overlap two of these, making running into someone you would not want to see you not looking your best almost inevitable.

But, get over the embarrassment and be proud of the fact you are exercising and be smug in declaring that you are training for the Meadows Marathon and are therefore not only fit and healthy with a supertoned body, but also philanthropic and generous. And don’t forget to ask them to sponsor you!

ROBERT VEAL

OW THAT TEMPERATURES are above freezing, I have no excuses. And my competitive side is kicking in – I really want a good time on this run! So my training is now in full swing and the most difficult part of training at the moment is negotiating running seven times around the meadows; a task proving to be less easy as it sounds.

There are many obstacles impeding a smooth run around a route which, no matter what time of day it is, be it 6am or 8pm, always seems to have half the population of Edinburgh on it. I personally think that runners have a right of way over walkers; we have more speed, walkers are much more at leisure to move to the side and kindly let you pass. However, they don’t. And you have to perform elaborate twists and

swerves to get around them, expending even more energy.

But walkers are nothing compared to the group of women trying to regain their pre pregnancy body and fitness. I always seem to be facing the onslaught that is a group of determined looking women who jog with the pushchairs and babies in tow; a very frightening sight and one that generally has me running into a large patch of mud. Or a tree.

But even more intimidating is having the members of a running club behind you. My competitive side appears and I get so determined to not let them overtake me that I nearly collapse with the effort of trying and so let all fifty of them gallop past with no red or sweaty faces in sight, crushing my spirit as they sprint off into the distance.

The fourth obstacle? Dogs. Ever since a dog attacked me (well, it ran after me and tried to bite my ankles) while running on a beach in Spain, I have been very wary of them.

Sport 31

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

SPORT

SHORTS SNIPPETS OF SPORTS NEWS AND EVENTS FROM THE LAST FORTNIGHT

A lesson in amateur bike theft Graham Mackay

Deputy Editor

graham@journal-online.co.uk

T

HERE IS NO disputing that the rare sports memorabilia industry is a lucrative one. Casually perusing the internet for one-of-a-kind sporting relics, I came across such items as an autographed England World Cupwinning squad photo from 1966 going for £3,000; a $2,000 Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” promotional poster from 1974; and a baseball bat signed by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth, recently sold for an astronomical $216,000.

Such items are quite clearly rare and valuable, and are, therefore, treated as such by the businessmen around the world who make a full-time living out of dealing in these costly collectables. Just like oil, gold or electronics, sports memorabilia must be considered as a internationallytradable commodity, bound by a tight entrepreneurial code of ethics.

Try telling that to the morons who last week attempted to rock the world of cycling by stealing Tour de France hero Lance Armstrong’s racing bike from his team’s truck in Sacramento before stage one of the Tour of California.

Far be it from my intention to advocate the theft of anything, let alone a massively expensive one-off piece of state-of-the-art sporting equipment, but if you are going to steal something, for God’s sake give it some thought before you turn up with your crowbars

and ski-masks and bundle it into the back of a raggedy white van.

Forgive me, but I intend to use the next few paragraphs to suggest what these complete and utter losers could have done in order to successfully execute a pathetic act of armchair robbery, not because I support the little twerps in any way, but in order to illustrate just how stupid they actually are. So here it is; criminality 101 courtesy of yours truly: My first piece of advice to this pathetic ring of wannabe outlaws is this: Don’t target celebrities renowned for their micro-blogging propensities.

This might sound stupid, but it has proved to be a perfectly legitimate concern. Within minutes of Armstrong’s bike having been nicked, tens of thousands of “twitterers” were alerted to the heist due to the fact that the seven-time Tour de France champion updates his Twitter account virtually every minute.

Moments after the crime was committed, Armstrong posted the following message: “Whoa!! They just came to my room and said our truck was broken into and someone stole my time trial bike! Wtf?!!?” at which point 112,000 members of the “twitterati” began spreading the word across all four corners of the world. It wasn’t long before every major global news network cottoned on either; hardly a masterstroke in subtlety on the part of the douchebag criminals responsible.

My next point is a seemingly obvious one, but apparently not obvious enough: Don’t steal something that is guaranteed to be of absolutely no use to you whatsoever. This particular bike was quite literally the only one

of its kind on the face of the planet; it couldn’t be ridden around the block, shipped out of the country or sold because virtually every member of the Sacramento community was on the lookout for it. What these idiots ever planned on doing with what became, in a matter of hours, the world’s most recognisable thing on two wheels remains a mystery.

Lesson number three: Even if you are a thieving little scumbag, you don’t steal from one of the most respectable human beings alive; a guy who beat testicular cancer then smashed the world record for victories in one of the most gruelling physical contests on earth. I mean have some respect for God’s sake; it’s like stealing Steven Hawking’s wheelchair – you just don’t do that sort of thing.

Having said that, history has proved that it is possible to get away with stealing famous peoples’ bicycles;

you just have to choose your target carefully. Rather than robbing one of the world’s most esteemed sports personalities, choose a humourless, widely-loathed politician like David Cameron, who became the laughing stock of West London when his wheels of steel were swiped as he nipped into a supermarket on Portobello Road.

Moreover, the thieves in this instance, who were presumably a tad less moronic than those who robbed Armstrong , were able to benefit greatly from the fact that virtually not a single passer by actually recognised the Conservative Leader, leaving him all but stranded and in need of a taxi number. On the other hand, I’d imagine that in the midst of a major national cycling competition, most people would be fairly keen to help out the most respected champion their sport of preference had ever known.

For those concerned who are not yet aware, the bike was returned to its rightful owner last Wednesday, suggesting one of two things: either those concerned have cottoned on to how utterly fruitless their attempt at a high-profile robbery were destined to be, or they are in fact so monumentally incompetent that they have failed to grasp the most fundamental objective of burglary, viz. the general aim of holding on to what it is you’ve stolen.

Whatever the case, it is unlikely that this ridiculous escapade will deter Armstrong from hopping back on his bike and cruising into contention for yet another Tour de France win, having announced his intention to come out of retirement and compete in the race this year. The only thing that remains to be stolen is the show.

Napier's 2nds held to a draw by resilient 3rd XI FOOTBALL NAPIER 2ND XI

2

NAPIER 3RD XI

2

Mark Pryde mark.pryde@journal-online.co.uk THE BATTLE OF Napier ended in an entertaining draw last week, as the 2nd and 3rd XI men’s football squared up at Saughton sports complex.

A physical 2nds side looked to have the game wrapped up after winger Paul Young fired them two goals ahead.

But a spirited comeback from the 3rds ensured they came away from the BUCS 6A league game with a 2-2 draw and a deserved point.

The seconds came close after just 6 minutes when big centre forward

Calum Howie used his height to glance a header towards goal, but 3rds’ keeper Stephen Woods did well to tip the ball wide.

But the 3rds were in no mood to lie down, quickly getting in the face of a nervy 2nds backline. The energetic Gary Hamilton looked threatening up front, and he almost put his side one up after he found himself on the end of a brilliant Angus Matheson cross. But the 3rds striker could only connect with his knee, and bounce the ball wide.

As the first half went on, the 3rds seemed to be holding the advantage over their opponents, but the physical advantage was still there and Napier 2nds soon muscled their way in front.

Howie again showed his strength, powering past his marker and finding himself one on one with Woods. The 3rds captain did well to parry Howie’s shot, but he couldn’t stop Paul Young who rifled the rebound into an empty net.

Napier 3rds had one final chance to grab a goal back before half time, when they were awarded a dubious penalty for handball, but striker Jake Brown failed to fire the spot-kick on target.

The second half started with the same energy from the 3rds front partnership of Brown and Hamilton, but the 2nds’ rearguard had upped their game. Greg Paterson in particular was very impressive, constantly breaking up opportunities with his no-nonsense defending.

On 66 minutes, the 2nds went 2-0 up after a curious second goal from winger Paul Young. The player managed to find himself in ample space on the right flank after beating the 3rds left-back with a sudden show of pace. He then managed to float a sweet ball past the keeper and into the corner of the net, though whether it was intended as a shot or a cross remains questionable.

Despite the two-goal deficit, the 3rds grabbed a scrappy goal back

four minutes later to bring themselves back into the game. A corner was quickly fired into the area, and as the ball bounced around the 5 yard box, defender Russell Muir managed to stick a leg out and poke it past keeper Pierre Gouguet.

The goal gave the 3rds the impetus to go in search of an equaliser and on 80 minutes they nearly had one. Striker Brown, who put in a stalwart performance, found himself on the end of an excellent in-swinging cross from the left, but his rifling header was quickly palmed away by Gouguet.

With just 5 minutes remaining, the 3rds won a free kick on the right wing.

The resulting cross was swung in with speed, and Brown managed to muscle his way forward and sneak the ball in at the near post.

It was justice for Brown and the Napier 3rds, whilst the 2nd XI left the pitch frustrated at having throwing away a comfy two-goal cushion.

GB CURLERS LAND SILVER AND GOLD Great Britain's curlers bagged the women's gold and men's silver at the the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Poland on 20 February.

After seeing off Denmark in the semi-finals, the women's team went on to beat Switzerland 8-4 to take gold.

Having beaten Norway, team GB's men met Switzerland in the final, but were edged out on the last stone, narrowly losing 6-5.

Both teams combined to achieve what was Britain's best ever result in the competition.

Scots coach Debbie Knox, an Olympic gold medallist at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, added: “I am really proud of the girls. I enjoyed this more than winning my own Olympic gold medal.”

DEFIANT PERFORMANCE FROM CAPITALS GAINS POINT AGAINST CARDIFF A gutsy display from the Edinburgh Capitals saw them earn a point against the Cardiff Devils, losing 4-5 after sudden death overtime in ice hockey's Elite League on 19 February.

Despite being 3-0 down after just 26 minutes, the match looked to be all but over for the Capitals, but the Edinburgh men fought their way back into contention, taking the match into extra time.

Mike Prpich scored first for the Cardiff, before Tyson Teplitsky added a second and then a third just 19 seconds later to establish a convincing lead.

But goals from Kyle Horne, Mark Hurtubise, and skipper Martin Cingel brought the match back on level terms.

The score stood at 4-4 at the end of normal time, but the spoils went to Cardiff who took the lead for the last time when Mike Hartwick netted in sudden death, two minutes and five seconds into added time.

LASZLO CERTAIN THE DRIVER CAN PLAY FOR ENGLAND Hearts manager Czaba Laszlo has expressed his belief that Andrew Driver can become a full international with England, provided he spends at least one further season at Hearts.

A string of top-drawer performances from the 21-year-old has resulted in much speculation regarding his future, but Laszlo has stated that his chances of gaining his first call-up for England will be maximised if he remains at Tynecastle.

"If Driver would like to be a great player, if he listens to me and does not look for the fast money, he has the potential to play for the English national team one day," Laszlo said.

“He has much more potential. He must learn a lot of things, he must know what his strengths are and he must work on these more.”

32 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 25 February 2009

Sport 5 matches in 11 days: Edinburgh's hockey XI taste loss and victory in weekend double-header SATURDAY EDINBURGH

2

DUNDEE WANDERERS

3

SUNDAY EDINBURGH

5

ABERDEEN ASSET

3

TOM BISHOP

Tom Bristow & Amadeus Finlay sport@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY’S HOCKEY men have had busy last two weeks, taking to the field no less than five times in 11 days, including an extremely tough encounter with Loughborough University in the BUCS semi-finals and a difficult introduction to life in National League One, to which they were promoted at the end of last year.

This weekend saw the side take on Dundee Wanderers on Saturday and Aberdeen Asset Management on Sunday in a National One double-header.

Following what was unquestionably the university’s toughest hockey match of the year so far, in which they comprehensively fell 7-1 to worthy champions Loughborough, Edinburgh took on Dundee in the first of their weekend fixtures.

Both teams were fast out of the starting blocks and within two minutes, Dan Sims’ trickery had forced a save from the Dundee ‘keeper. It was the best Edinburgh were going to offer for the next 30 minutes, however, in a first-half display characterised by stagnant passing and unimaginative up-front play.

The hosts retained the majority of possession in the opening exchanges, but were offered sparse sightings of goal and it was Dundee who opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Edinburgh’s defence failed to close down the Wanderers striker in the centre of the D, allowing him to blast home past ‘keeper Dave Forrester.

The visitors had opened up their opposition with ease, and minutes later they were inches away from adding a second. A quick Wanderer’s counterattack and Edinburgh were outnumbered at the back. The Dundee forward rounded Forrester, a goal looked certain, but he took the ball wide of the ‘keeper and could only shoot into the side-netting from a tight angle.

As the first-half wore on, Edinburgh started to sharpen up, yet the front line

Edinburgh striker Dan Sims dribbles through the Dundee midfield was sitting too deep and for large parts of the game the visitor’s defence looked untroubled. The university side looked odds-on to score when Sims fed Kylan Pathmanathan, but what should have been a clear-cut scoring chance came to nothing.

But Edinburgh were not ruing the missed opportunity for long. Two minutes later, a powerful shot from Paddy Thompson left the Wanderer’s ‘keeper flaying on the floor and in the ensuing scramble, Richard McCorkell managed to bundle the ball across the line.

Edinburgh began the second half with renewed impetus, but their opponents proved equally spirited, making for a well-balanced start to the half.

The host’s attack managed to force their way into some promising positions, but lacked execution and incisiveness in the box. Callum Duke, Ian Rob and Fraser Hurst all saw chances foiled by the Wanderer’s rearguard and it was not until the last five minutes that the deadlock was broken.

Sims, who had troubled the Wanderers back line throughout the match found space on the left-hand side of the D and blasted the ball at chest-height from ten yards out, beating the keeper at his near post. The relief on the Edinburgh bench was obvious and Coach Stapleton, who had looked frustrated throughout the game, was delighted.

A well-earned Edinburgh victory looked increasingly certain as the game processed into the final minutes. However with two minutes remaining, the host’s defence allowed Dundee a shock equalizer.

A cross from the right-hand side found a Wanderers striker unmarked and from two yards out he poked the ball over the line.

In the last second the university side’s disappointment was compounded. A fast Dundee counter-attack left Edinburgh outnumbered at the back for the second time in the game and the Dundee attacker rounded Forrester for a simple tap in with bitter ease.

The late Dundee flourish made for an entertaining match, but Edinburgh left the pitch knowing they would have to improve on their performance the following day in order to assert themselves in National League One. Following their defeat to the Wanderers, Edinburgh returned to Peffermill the following afternoon to wreak havoc on an Aberdeen Asset Management side plagued with problems.

A dominant and coherent system of attack resulted in the opening goal after just 45 seconds. Callum Duke’s storming run up the right wing ended in a deftly constructed pass into the centre for an easy Edinburgh tap.

Captain Simon Samspon’s aggressive forward play on the flanks tested a weak Aberdeen defence and soon Edinburgh had a second, with Sims hitting it in from close range.

The visitors responded instantly with a pressing attack down the centre. After an exchange of shots, saves and rebounds with excellent play by

Forrester, Aberdeen beat the defence only to have their shot saved on the line.

On the half hour mark, Edinburgh’s Richard McCorkell made a blinding run from the midfield displaying some wonderful stick and ball skills before having his shot smashed narrowly wide of the right side. But after five minutes of perseverance, McCorkell latched onto a cross from the left, taking the ball into the area, pulling past two defenders and thumping his shot into the top corner for Edinburgh’s third.

Aberdeen finally got a shout when Edinburgh, during a lapse in concentration, allowed Matt Spitz to pull one back. However, Aberdeen's goal was immediately canceled out when Michael Witchell ran up the middle from the restart and fired one in from 5 yards out.

At the start of the second period, Aberdeen looked revitalised and caused problems for the home defence. After a dominant period of threatening Edinburgh’s goal, Kenny Steele made up for his earlier booking by scoring a blinder from the edge of the area.

The scoreline did not remain static for long. Twenty minutes into the half, a scrappy goalmouth scramble in which the visitors’ ‘keeper performed admirably was eventually turned around into a score for Edinburgh.

The remainder of the game was dominated by a flurry of bookings. This, however, did not dampen the spirits of either side and both teams displayed some impressive hockey towards the end of the match. The final goal of the game came from the away team after an exchange of shots at either end. One minute from time, Mike McKay latched onto a cross from deep on the left and tapped it past the home ‘keeper.

After the game, Aberdeen playmaker Steele told The Journal: “we had a scrappy game today and we were not switched on. We lost international goalie James Birkenfield last season and have not recovered. Indeed, today aside, Scottish hockey needs development.”

Speaking about the team’s busy eleven days, Edinburgh striker Dan Sims said: “The last few matches have definitely been the toughest; it’s been a mixture of highs and lows.

“The trip to Loughborough was especially tough, especially after we’d done so well against Portsmouth in the BUCS championships, but we learnt a number of valuable lessons from the game and played some good hockey despite the loss.

“It was also a tough introduction into Division One, with the 6-2 loss to Hillhead, and we were disappointed with our performance against Dundee, but it was really good to come out on top today.”

After a break from a hectic couple of weeks, the university will face CALA Edinburgh in a tough league encounter on 8 March.