The Journal - Edinburgh Issue 033

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THEY DON'T SING 'EM LIKE THEY USED TO » 22 eDINBurGh'S uNIVerSITY NeWSPAPer

ISSue XXXIII

WeDNeSDAY 17 MArCh 2010

When to clap and when to hold back: Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson explain how Hollywood directors have moved from traditional musical movies of the early 20th century to movies with "silent songs"

Constitutional Breakdown >> 4 Emergency Senate >> 5 Comment >> 17 Leader >> 22 Students' Association election results delayed after chaotic election week Megan Taylor & Nick Eardley Student News & Deputy Editor The reSulTS of the Napier Students’ Association (NSA) have been withheld while the ruling body seeks external advice after receiving complaints about the electoral process.

The news came on Monday after a week of protests. one of the presidential

candidates withdrew, voting records were made available online and a motion of no confidence in the current president was passed by the student Senate.

It had been hoped that the election Committee would announce whether or not the results of last week’s election were to stand, or if a new election would be ordered. In an e-mail to students, ollie Cruickshank, the executive’s

representative on the elections committee, said: “following complaints about the election process, the elections Committee has requested that edinburgh Napier’s C&IT Services withhold the results from all parties, including the elections Committee itself and the outcome of advice from a variety of external agencies.

“It would hope to make the

information available as soon as possible. In the meantime it apologises to voters, and especially to those who contested the campaign and are awaiting results.”

It is still unclear when the results will be released. last week’s election was strewn with problems after the election Committee ordered that copies of the last issue of The Journal were to be removed from

all Napier campuses. up-to-the-minute election results were also made available after a technology breakdown, with individual students’ votes published on the voting site.

Protests were held throughout the week at various locations across Napier campuses, culminating in a demonstration outside the Scottish parliament.

Continued on Page 2

IN NEWS >> 3

IN NEWS >> 11

IN COMMENT >> 18

IN MUSIC >> 26

Lacklustre Leases

Student Protests

The View

The Journal's 's investigation into leases in edinburgh dinburgh has found major flaws in letting agencies' documents, we speak to a legal expert

Despite threats from tazer-armed police, a high court injunction and suspensions, students at Sussex university explain why they continue to protest against budget cuts

Down with top-up fees Kainde Manji on the latest report into higher education funding and why businesses should stop treating students as cash cows and begin treating education as a right

Gig at The Bongo Club unexpectedly cut short after The View's temperamental front-man gets a bit wet

MIKE MURRAY

DEMOCRACY ON HOLD AT NAPIER

2 News

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

This week in The Journal

24 Hr Library Quiet carnival atmosphere reigns as euSa hold library work-in

» ONLINE

Democracy on hold at napier Continued from Page 1 nathan Sparling, who had been standing for president, withdrew from the election to join the protesters. His decision left Kasia Bylinska, the current president who is seeking re-election, as the only candidate for the role.

However, Ms Blyinska’s future is uncertain after an nSA Emergency senate passed a motion of no confidence in her last Friday. They stopped short of ordering her dismissal, which would have prevented her re-election, but sources close to her opponents have suggested that a further Emergency Meeting could be called in the event that she is re-elected.

Ms Bylinska was asked to comment, but was unable to do so given that the election has not been concluded.

Reese Campbell, a candidate for Treasurer and Student Activities Officer during the elections, told The Journal he was

dissaspointed by the latest development.

“The Election Committee are making all these decisions slowly in the background and I think they need more regular communication with students.

I appreciate that they’ve have had a hard job this week but they’ve had since Wednesday when the technical problems first arose to seek external advice about this.

“In my opinion the elections should have been halted, the problem fixed and then started again from scratch.”

Mr Campbell joined in the protests, and believes that the election should be scrapped; “There is absolutely no way the election results can stand now and I think that’s the opinion of many people. nSA have themselves made the problem into more of a fuss because of they way they’ve dragged them out. They are not very good at communicating and has been very frustrating for all involved.”

Edinburgh tram line extension proposed Discussions are taking place over more tram routes for the delayed tram project aleksandra Jurczak News

Last Chance

Bleak future

edinburgh uni student leaders make another attempt to enable online referenda

Dr alistair Duff looks at the implications of the financial 'crisis' engulfing journalism

London Fashion Week

»6

» 19

The Journal goes backstage at one of the fashion calender's top events to bring you the best london has to offer

A nEW EXTEnSIOn to the Edinburgh tram line had been proposed by city developers in recent weeks.

The plans would see a fourth extension of the primary tram line via London Road to eastern parts of the city.

Meanwhile, the complete line might not be open until 2014.

Transport Initiatives Edinburgh claim there are no plans for a new extension but agree it might be considered in the future. gavin Henderson, from the Edinburgh Trams Media Office, told The Journal: “Edinburgh Trams remain optimistic that in the future further lines will be considered to create a tram network which will connect other areas of Edinburgh to Line 1A.” The planned main route connecting Edinburgh Airport to the city centre would be 24km long and include 23 stops with five minute intervals between the trams.

Other two extensions would close the loop between granton and newhaven and link the airport to newbridge, however, these have been curtailed due to

lack of funding.

The Scottish government has committed £545 million to fund the project.

The construction is already expected to go over budget, with works to move pipes and cables from the tram route being over a year behind schedule.

The works started in late Spring 2007 and the first line was expected to open in February 2012. Edinburgh Trams maintain this deadline is achievable however, Bilfinger Berger, the german firm in charge of the construction consortium, threatens to delay the completion even up to 30 months due to an unresolved row over the estimated cost of the project.

At the latest meeting of the Edinburgh Trams Board, Chairman David Mackay, expressed his disappointment with the lack of progress by the consortium: “My concerns and those of my fellow directors are for the people of Edinburgh who have continued to suffer from these seemingly endless delays.

“Our priority, and that of our partners, remains the delivery of a 21st century integrated public transport system, that represents good value and which Scotland’s capital city deserves.

This we will do.”

Corrections & clarifications In Issue XXII Tom Bishop, James Kinkead, Lottie Mathieu and Miguel Arredondo were not properly credited for their photographs, The Journal apologises for this oversight.

» 28 www.JourNal-oNliNe.co.uk

The Journal is published by The Edinburgh Journal Ltd., registered address 37 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ. Registered in Scotland number SC322146. For enquiries call 0131 651 6057 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.

Copyright © 2008 The Edinburgh Journal Ltd. Elements of this publication are distributed under a Creative Commons license - contact us for more information. Distributed byTwo Heads Media, www.twoheadsmedia. co.uk. Our thanks to PSYBT, Scottish Enterprise, and all who make this publication possible.

FOR ADvERTISIng InFORMATIOn call our sales department on 0131 651 6057 or send an email to ads@journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Letting agencies using "barely legal" leases, says expert

News 3

a Journal investigation into edinburgh student leases has revealed serious and systematic deficiencies in leases that thousands of students are asked to sign every year AnnA Fenton

Anna Fenton Local News StudentS are being asked to sign leases which in some cases are “barely legal” and one case “against the law”, according to an investigation carried out by The Journal. an examination of five different student leases by a university of edinburgh law professor and law students has revealed a number of sub standard elements. elaine tyre, assistant director of the Legal Practice unit, and law students arezo darvishzadeh and Christine tonner examined landlord accountability, as well as problematic clauses hidden within leases. it was found that many of the leases were in conflict with the Housing (Scotland) act 2006, which aims to strengthen the rights of tenants and ‘repairing standard’ for landlords. all the legal analysts agreed that most of the leases considered were restricted the rights of the tenants. Ms tonner said: “the intention of the Housing act was to even out the balance between tenants’ and landlords’ rights.

“Most of these leases are very weighted in favour of the landlord still, and undermine that act.” the worst was a lease from a private landlord, but significant issues were also found with larger letting agencies. the best lease was from eH Letting, a small edinburgh letting agency.

Ms tyre indicated that the worst lease was “barely legal” and had “absolutely no responsibilities on the landlord in it.” it states that the tenant cannot leave the property before their date of termination and if they do, they would be liable to pay damages to the landlord to cover any costs incurred. this would include any advertising and fees for re-letting the property. usually, two months notice is the legal amount of time a tenant is required to give before leaving the property. the landlord, however, is only required to give four weeks notice in order to remove the tenant from the premises. according to this lease, tenants are also liable to insure their own possessions, but the landlord is not legally responsible to insure any of the items within the flat.

Futhermore, the tenant must clean the window internally and externally every six weeks, and meet the costs of any redecoration, damage, “discolouration” and gardening; money to cover this will be taken out the deposit.

Ms darvishzadeh, who examined the lease, said: “they are contractually opting out of all of the obligations as a landlord, and are deliberately vague. “it’s just not fair. Some of these provisions are against the law.” grant Management’s lease fared a little better under scrutiny, but had significant monetary stipulations written into the contract. if the tenants stay

Law students analyse the nuances of five separate leases from Edinburgh's major agencies longer than the original date signed for, the company’s lease states that the tenants may only be given one month’s notice of a rent increase, when there should be at least six months given. this leaves the tenant open to unexpected increases in rent.

IN BRIEF

debbie rummens, managing director of grant Management responded: “Our practise is to only increase the rent at the stage of negotiating a renewal so more than one month’s notice would always be given, as this happens a minimum of three months before the end of Under this new legislation, a tenancy deposit scheme has been created, which will make it easier for tenants to get their deposits back at the end of their tenancy.

The deposit is to be placed in a separate account, and disputes are dealt with by a separate third party.

The tenants also have the right to take their take their case to the private rented housing panel if their landlord refuses to carry out repairs. This panel will have the power to order the landlord to do so.

With regard to disabled renters, the act introduces rules that make it hard for a landlord to refuse these tenants from adapting the property to suit their needs.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 was introduced to reinforce the rights of the tenants, and their ability to take action against their landlords.

The act also sets out provisions for mobile home owners who rent a pitch on a site for their home. This would make it a specific criminal offence for a site owner to bully those who pitch on their site.

the tenancy.

“Our understanding is that a month’s notice is acceptable during tenancy which is continuing on a month to month basis. if tenants are unhappy with the proposed increase, they have the right to refer the case to the Private rented Housing Panel.” grant Management also requires that direct debit is used, and penalises all other payment with a £10 admin fee. if the tenants do incur a cleaning bill, it will be removed from the deposit, and on top of this, there is a £25 charge per person.

Ms rummens insisted that: “any additional charges are to cover genuine administration costs that are in line with OFt guidelines.” in fact, most of leases had large administration charges written into them. For example letting agency, dJ alexander claim four percent interest on late rent payments, on top of a £35 administration fee. this lease also contained a clause that stops the tenant withholding rent if repairs aren’t carried out. The Journal approached david alexander, who said: “those charges are a deterrent, and anyone that has a problem paying us can come see us to discuss their situation. “the secret of residential letting is keeping tenants and landlords happy

in equal measure. it’s our best interests to treat our tenants well, student or executive. everyone is looked after in the same manner.” although the administration charges in the university of edinburgh student accommodation lease were not as high as in others, some of the stipulations were considered possibly problematic with regard to insurance.

For example candles are not allowed in the premises. Ms tyre noted: “if students don’t read this clause and use candles, and something happens, the tenants could be liable for all damage caused. and i’m sure many students who let these flats don’t read that and don’t think about the consequences.” the eH Letting lease was the best one, according to Ms tonner: “it’s good for landlord obligations. unlike the others, there are quite a few things the landlord is contractually obliged to do to look after their tenants.”

Ms tyre suggested that the best way to avoid getting caught in difficult legal situations is to read the leases thoroughly before signing: “When it says that you must give your landlord written notice when you are away for more than two weeks, and you don’t, kiss goodbye to your deposit, because if anything happens in that time you will be liable for it.”

4 News

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Constitutional breakdown Matthew Moore & Nick Eardley News Editor & Deputy Editor

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War breaks out at NSA

James KinKead

One issue lOOMed large over last week’s internal feuds and censorship protests which met the wall of silence surrounding the election battle of napier students’ Association: the constitution. The original article which caused the paper to be banned saw The Journal report attempts to pursue a motion of no confidence in President Kasia Bylinska, which was later passed, based on alleged constitutional breaches. And as the fallout grew last week, nobody from the students’ Association was able to comment, again a result of constitutional constraints. But just how did the situation become so problematic? under the nsA constitution, the election Committee is the absolute authority on elections. From the opening of nominations to the announcing of results, this group deal with the issues surrounding all aspects of the electoral process. As was discovered at last week’s emergency senate, nobody is able to challenge the decisions of the committee until the election is concluded.

This point was the source of much of the controversy surrounding last week’s developments. They took the decision to remove The Journal from all napier campuses on Friday 5 March, and could not be challenged or consulted on this by any members of the student body, with the exception of those on the committee. no comment was forthcoming when voting records of students, including matriculation numbers, was viewable online. Would this mean the vote was illegitimate given the lack of anonymity, prescribed in the constitution? There was no figurehead that could explain and defend the decisions made. Anybody who contacted nsA to register complaints or ask for advice was told that nobody would be available to speak on election issues until the following Monday.

The fact that the President was standing for re-election added to the confusion. The President is the figurehead of the Association, and the first port of call for media contacts. Given her conflict of interests as a candidate, she was unable to comment. despite the fact that this is not the first time that a President has stood for a second term at nsA, there was no protocol to deal with enquiries. Quite simply, nobody in the Association was in a position to act as a spokesperson. until Monday, no explanation of what was going on within the walls of election committee meetings was forthcoming.

This was another issue raised at the emergency senate meeting. Given the disputes over election issues, from the banning of two newspapers to

d' Scotland 'Unite» 7 against SDL

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IN COMMENT

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Clockwise from above: In the thick of it, Nathan Sparling at the emergency senate meeting on Friday, (top right) protesters gather outside the Scottish parliament on Thursday, (bottom right) student representatives vote on motions at Friday's meeting and inset, the front page report of the initial no confidence motion

complaints on out of hours campaigning, some believed that the senate—described in the constitution as “the Association’s supreme policy-making body in areas affecting student well-being and welfare”—should have the power to declare the committee’s decisions illegitimate.

But whilst this remained a possibility, it could not happen until after the election Committee had finalised its deliberations over the argument. The senate could not pre-empt any decisions made

by the committee, and could not formulate policy which would be binding on it.

A new senate would have to be called in the aftermath of the Committee’s meetings were any decision they made to be overturned.

The essence of these problems lies in transparency in the nsA. Minutes of the election Committee’s meetings are not routinely published, nor are records of meetings of the executive or senate, which some believe means that those

involved cannot be held to account. under the constitution only minutes of Public Meetings must be publicised, within 10 days of the meeting being held.

The student body as a whole has no point of recourse should it wish to challenge an election committee decision during elections, hence why nobody was able to challenge the banning of student media on campus for the duration of the election. some issues, such as the result, can be contested afterwards. Others, such as

the access to press coverage of the election, become obsolete once the election is over, and the decision, whilst it can be criticised, cannot be properly rectified. A wall of silence was erected once decisions were taken, and this would not be broken down.

This issue has been highlighted in the ongoing governance review, which is looking at the nsA structure. One respondent to the governance questionnaire said: “even though i am a programme rep

The Main Players

>> Keep up to date with the latest developments at www.journal-online.co.uk

Kasia Bylinska - President of NSA for 2009/10 academic year, and Scotland's first Polish student leader, who has spent the past five months leading a governance review into the Association's structure. Ms Bylinska ran for a second term in her current position as she wanted "to finish what she began." Was unable to comment on last week's developments because of her involvement in the election. Submitted a complaint against Nathan Sparling, the details of which have not been disclosed.

Nathan Sparling - Currently depute representative for the Business School, he ran

against Ms Bylinska for NSA president in this year’s election. Mr Sparling forwarded the motion of no confidence and claimed that, by filing a complaint against him whilst overseeing the investigation, Ms Bylinska had breached consitutional guidlines to “treat the subject fairly”. Mr Sparling also said that “he would have been expelled from the university, given the seriousness of the complaints”. Mr Sparling also ran for President of NUS Scotland, where he was heavily beaten.

Stuart Campbell - Campaigns and Representation officer for NSA, Campbell was remitted to organise the Emergency Senate meeting. Campbell relinquished the chair for the meeting because of a conflict of interest, and later voted in favour of the no confidence motion.

News 5

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Timeline of events at Napier

The Journal looks at the document at the centre of last week's fallout in the Napier Students' Association

matt dale

The Journal's day by day record of the unfolding events across edinburgh Napier's campuses Wednesday 3 March Issue 32 of The Journal is published with a front page article titled “War breaks out at NSA over no confidence motion brought against President” Friday Friday5 5March March Election Committee decides on a complaint made by presidential candidate Kasia Bylinska. Complaint number 6 (Defamatory Statements from an opponents [sic] designed unfairly to undermine his opponent’s election campaign) is upheld and the NSA subsequently removes all cop copies of The Journal based on allegations the piece includes defamatory statements. #journalgate first appears on Twitter, coined by an anonymous Napier student.

Saturday 6 March Saturday 6 March The Journal discovers copies have been removed without having been contacted by the NSA. Kasia Bylinska is not available for comment.

Sunday 7 March Sunday 7 March Facebook group is created urging the return of The Journal copies to Edinburgh Napier. The group reaches almost 300 members in five days.

Monday 8 March Monday 8 March the journal

First day of NSA elections. Campaigners and students gather at MerchisMerchis phototon campus, handing out copies of The Journal and distributing photo copies of the censored article.

MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville shows her support for The Journal, saying she hopes “the current dispute is concluded as soon as possible”.

Edinburgh Napier spokesperson says the university “does not condone the decision of the NSA to remove copies of The Journal”.

Tuesday 9 March Tuesday 9 March Protests continue at Craiglockhart campus. The University provide desdes ignated space for posters and protests.

Wednesday 10 March Wednesday 10 March

[sic] myself, I still don’t know and understand completely what the role of the NSA is and what they do.” While another noted that bureaucracy was a problem: “There seems to be an inordinate number of committees yet disproportionately little actually achieved.” The gover governance review is taking place at a time of great change and the students of Napier will be hopeful that last weeks events are considered when constitutional recommendations are put forward later this year.

Ollie Cruickshank

- Sports President & Societies coordinator for NSA, and Executive representative on the Election’s Committee. Announced election delay on Monday.

NSA removes house publication Veritas as well, making the NSA’s official election paper the only publication at Edinburgh Napier.

Protests take place outside Craighouse campus and NSA offices.

Nathan Sparling withdraws his candidacy citing “corruption” within the election committee as his reason.

The Journal reveals new complaints have been made against the NSA following an error in the online voting system allowing stu students to see the progress of the election results, votes and corre corresponding matriculation numbers.

Thursday 11 11 March Thursday March Protests take place outside the Scottish Parliament. Robin Harper, leader of the Scottish Green Party, volunteers to mediate discussions between protesters and the NSA. Friday 11 Friday 12March March Emergency Senate meeting takes place at Merchis Merchiston campus after 300 students sign petition to discuss alleged consitutional breaches by the NSA. Kasia Bylin Bylinska does not attend. Senate pass vote of no confidence.

Vote of dismissal falls as many believe Ms Bylinska should be present to defend her alleged actions.

Monday 15 Monday 15March March Ollie Cruickshank announces that election decision will be delayed "following complaints about the electoral process" in an email to students. Adds that results will be made avail available "as soon as possible".

Vote of no confidence in president passes Further motion to declare elections void was deemed unconstitutional at emergency Senate meeting Nick Eardley & Matthew Moore Deputy Editor & News Editor

STudeNTS oN The Napier Students' Association Senate passed a motion of no confidence in current President Kasia Bylinska at a meeting last Friday.

A dismissal vote which would have seen Ms Bylinska removed from office with immediate effect fell, meaning that she will remain in her position.

The motion was passed at an emergency Senate meeting, held as voting in the problem plagued NSA elections came to an end.

Ms Bylinska, who was criticised by students for not attending the meeting, told The Journal: "I do not believe that I have had enough time to prepare my defence.

The natural laws of justice should allow me at least one week."

The Journal understands that Ms Bylinska has sought legal advice over her position.

The motion was passed at an emergency Senate meeting, held as voting in the problem plagued NSA elections came to an end. It centred on Ms Bylinska's non-attendance at a previous meeting of the Senate. under the NSA constitution, she is obliged to attend.

Felice Riccobono, a nursing student and member of the representative council, told The Journal that he had turned up to "hear both sides of the argument".

"Based on what we heard the argument seemed to holdup," said Mr Riccobono who voted in favour of the no confidence motion.

Mr Riccobono said: "When it came to vote to dismiss, I couldn't pass that personally, because she wasn't there and I don't know her reasons. I am not happy about what just happened."

Moves to declare the election "null and void" were dropped after acting chair Phillip Whyte, President of Strathclyde university Students' Association, deemed that it was outwith the remit of the Senate during the electoral period.

Another motion to investigate staff misconduct was also ruled to be beyond Senate's power and was dropped. It is unclear whether these staffing allegations will be pursued by the Association's staffing committee.

Nathan Sparling, who withdrew from the elections last week, said that Ms Bylinska had an opporunity to respond to the allegations made: "Kasia has had the motion in her possesion since the 5 March. She's known about it since last Senate in Februrary. And as the constitution states, an emergency Senate must be convened within 48 hours. Furthermore, not sending apologies is outrageous."

6 Student Politics

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

eusA sabbaticals elect back emergency meeting to allow online referenda in a fourth attempt to pass the enabling motion, eusA's current sabbaticals organise an extraordinary general meeting to be held in the last week of term

silvia foteva

George Lumbers & Megan Taylor

FolloWing three successive failed attempts to pass the constitutional amendment involving online referenda, an emergency student representative council (src) meeting decided to set up an extraordinary general Meeting on 23 March. the egM, which is the first in recent years, will be held in holland hall at Pollock halls student accommodation. in order for the motion to pass, 300 students must vote in favour of the motion and it must pass with a 75 percent majority. edinburgh university students’ Association (eusA) vice President James Wallace said: “Pollock halls is a fantastic venue for this. it is an area where there is a large density of students and it is easy for people to get to rather than having to go to george square in the evening.” the egM was called both by src, committee of Management and by a petition of 400 students. if passed the online referenda would replace the format of general meetings.

James Wallace emphasizes the importance of the meeting: “Just this once we ask you for a favour, an hour of your life. An hour to help the 27,000 have a say in their Association, to help

the students disenfranchised take back their right to vote.” the news comes as eusA saw another record turnout in the March elections, with 28 percent of students voting. With the online voting system proving successful, all the newly elected sabbaticals have pledged their full support behind the egM. President-elect liz rawlings who ran for a second time and won with 3,864 votes, said: “i believe eusA needs to change. this isn’t about constitutional geekery. this is about an organisation built to win better teaching; an association designed to secure a better deal for students; a union providing a diversity of services to reflect the diversity of edinburgh students.

“As it stands, eusA structures are outdated - we’re failing our members and failing to win change for students. that’s why it’s imperative that students come along and support this motion, because it will make sure that every student has a say in their union.” vPAA-elect stevie Wise ran on a ticket with Ms rawlings and secured the most convincing victory of the night. she explained more about the motion: “the motion to allow online referenda is so important if we are to effect change and allow all students to have a say in what their Association is doing. “general Meetings are very important for allowing students a public

QMusA elect new president last year's self-confessed "joke candidate" Blain Murphy won on his second try Susannah Savage

BlAin MurPhy And christie McMonagle were comfortably elected president and vice president of Queen Margaret university student union (QMusA) on tuesday 2 March.

With more than a 200 vote difference between them and their nearest rivals and few battles in the other positions there were no close races.

Mr Murphy told The Journal: “the feeling of winning and being the new student President is a lot like waiting in bed on christmas eve for christmas morning to arrive.” iona geddes was elected Marketing and communications officer in an uncontested race, yet there were no nominations for the other four officer positions.

Ms McMonagle told The Journal: “there is a certain amount of apathy around the students at the moment.

Many of them seem tired of university by this point in the year and we hope that by re-opening these positions in september we can get in some new blood and get new interest in the union.”

Mr Murphy continued: “i ran this year because i ran last year as the ‘joke candidate’ and kind of fell in love with the union. i was a ‘badass Mexican’,

and during the running i got to know the union staff and the president and vice president. it was from there that i decided that i would run the following year.”

Whilst the election turnout was up on last year, still only 750 students out of 4,650 voted. Ms McMonagle said: “i don’t feel politics is accessible enough for students. People are so unused to trawling through information and this isn’t what students want to do.” officially Mr Murphy and Ms Monagle do not take over from the current sabbatical team until June, but they have already begun working with President rio Floreza.

When asked what they will take from this year’s team, Ms Monagle said: “obviously there are things that we want to do in our own way, but we are still doing our handover and have lots of things to think about before June about what we want to keep and change. “there are some really great things that rio and Andrew have done in the last two years that we would be very keen to keep.” the QMusu elections mark the start of political careers for the pair, though Mr Murphy said he has “no plans for a career in politics”, whilst Ms Monagle announced that “downing street and Britain better get ready”.

forum for debate, but they are totally inaccessible. student parents, student workers, disabled students, students who live outside the city and students who just can’t make it for whatever reason, do not have a choice as to whether or not they come to gMs. they simply can’t have their say. “this is wrong, and that is why allowing online referenda is so important. if we achieve quoracy and students are properly informed, there is no reason why the motion should not pass.

My only concern is that if too many people turn up to the meeting we will have to turn them away because they simply can’t fit in the building, but in my opinion, that concern in itself shows why online referenda is a necessity.” vPs-elect sam hansford had the most organised campaign ran by second year student gabi Jones which earned her the biggest applause of the night.

Mr hansford echoed Ms Wise’s sentiments. he said: “this meeting is so important as it will allow eusA to make the changes that students really want to see. After a record election turnout, it is clear that students want to have their say in what eusA does, and how better than through huge referenda online?” vPAA-elect Amy Woodgate ran as an ‘outsider’ yet her support for the online referendum is long standing. she brought her ballroom society members

Something old and something new: President Thmas Graham congratulates president elect Liz Rawlings along to the last gM in order to make the meeting quorate despite them having a major competition two days later. however, the motion fell despite

over an 80 percent majority as the required number of 300 people did not vote in favour.

liam Burns re-elected After winning via a coin toss in 2009, 25-year-old will serve a second term as nus scotland president Melanie Archer

nus scotlAnd President liam Burns will enjoy a second year in office as he was re-elected at the nus scotland annual conference in dunfermline last weekend.

Mr Burns won 87 votes while his sole opponent nathan sparling received 10 and re-open nominations was granted 3 votes.

Mr sparling has also been a candidate in the controversial presidential race at edinburgh napier university, but withdrew from the contest on 10 March. speaking to The Journal, the winner, Mr Burns said: “i’m over the moon to be working for students’ associations for another year. We’re going into some incredibly difficult times and if we’re going to win for students, not just keep the status quo, then we need to continue working as a collective.”

Mr Burns also expressed his relief at having a mandate for the year, after last year’s election where both candidates received 52 votes and Burns won through sheer luck out of a coin toss: “i’m happy to finally have a mandate

Happy days: NUS Scotland President Liam Burns has a "mandate" for his second year but anything other than a coin toss is a bonus!” he listed his main priorities: “education funding, accommodation legislation and standards and the quality of learning and teaching all remain priorities for scottish students. “the scottish Parliamentary elections and fighting top-up fees at the general election ballot box are our immediate concern. on that i hope all students in edinburgh have signed up to voteforstudents.co.uk/scottish!” ross Macrae, edinburgh university student Association delegate to nus, told The Journal: “liam is a fantastic candidate who has stood on his record and has been active on all scottish campuses.”

he also highlighted the work of Kainde Manji, Women’s officer for two years, and her fruitful partnership with Burns over the course of the 2009/10 term.

Jennifer cádiz, a mature student at robert gordon university, won the depute election unopposed.

Michael russell, cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning, made an appearance at the conference. he made a pledge not to introduce tuition fees but failed to adequately outline how this would be funded, according to ross Macrae, who also said the MsP was overtly “party political”. the nus uK conference will take place in gateshead in April.

General News 7

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

scotland gears up for largest participation yet in earth hour 2010 local authorities throw their weight behind this year's event maverick agency

Jon Baldie

The inTernaTional conservaTion organisation World Wide Fund for nature has announced that its energy saving event earth hour has achieved record support from countries around the world, including an unprecedented rally of support in scotland.

Twenty-one scottish local authorities announced support for the event, with aberdeen and south ayrshire as new additions. scottish landmarks edinburgh castle, stormont and inverness castle have committed to dimming their lights for the hour.

Dr richard Dixon, director of WWF scotland said: “it is fantastic to see the momentum of WWF’s earth hour continue to build with records being broken every week. This year’s participants will be joining hundreds of millions of people round the world in sending a strong call to action on climate to world leaders. “in scotland we are breaking records too with 21 of the 32 local authorities so far committed to switching off on 27 March, joining over 1,100 cities and towns across the world.

“Whether you are joining your community in a town square to watch the city lights go dark or hosting a lights

support for the environment-friendly event. in the rest of the UK, the Greater london authority has announced that it will dim the lights of the london eye, The royal albert hall and Piccadilly circus, and cardiff has announced that its national sports ground The Millennium stadium will participate.

“in scotland we are breaking records too, joining over 1,100 cities and towns across the world.”

In the dark: Scotland fires up for energy saving event Earth Hour out party in your own home, you will be taking part in a historic occasion. Turn off your lights, celebrate the planet,

enjoy the moment and think about what action you will take from then on to secure the future of our living planet.”

Worldwide, the number of supporting countries has increased by four, with 92 countries pledging their

earth hour is an event organised by the WWF and based in sydney, australia, with supporting countries turning off all non-essential electrical appliances for one hour on the last saturday of March from 8.30pm. The event began in 2007 when the WWF and the sydney Morning herald asked over two million residents of the australian city to perform this gesture.

human rights expert calls rise in male for mandatory sTi tests school teachers only 27 percent admit to talking about sTis with a new partner

students switch to teaching for safer job prospects

mrhayata

Jessica Abrahams

a hUMan riGhTs expert has called for tests for sexually transmitted infections (sTis) to be made mandatory, as new statistics reveal that sexual health has become the most important issue for young couples. rosa Freedman, a human rights researcher at the University of london, has argued that mandatory tests are a necessary measure in the fight against rising infection rates and should be a legal requirement of sexually active people.

Writing in the Guardian last week, she claimed that the individual’s right to refuse knowledge of their health status is “trumped” by other people’s right to know the risk of infection when engaging in sexual activity.

Ms Freedman suggests that health insurers and criminal law discourage people from being tested. Private medical insurance becomes much more expensive for customers who have been diagnosed with an infection and a person may be prosecuted under the offences against the Person act if they engage in unprotected sex whilst knowingly infected, encouraging people to choose ignorance.

social stigma or embarrassment also prevents people from getting tested, especially teenagers and young adults. according to UniceF: “Young people, particularly females, don’t use

health clinics because they are too embarrassed or fear being judged by the staff there.”

When questioned about their views on mandatory sTi tests, students at the University of lincoln were found to be in overwhelming support of the proposal.

Meanwhile, a survey released last week shows that sexual health is now considered as one of the most important issues in a new relationship. The survey, conducted on behalf of the nhs-run ‘chlamydia – worth talking about’ campaign, found that 70 percent of young adults believe discussing sTi tests together is the most important sign that a new relationship will last. embarrassment and social stigma prevents the majority of young people from discussing sTis with their partner. only 27 percent of respondents had raised the subject of sTis with a new partner before having sex with them and 30 percent said they feel uncomfortable asking a new partner to use a condom. cases of sTis have been increasing rapidly in recent years. chlamydia, which is now the most common sTi in the UK, affects about one in 12 women aged 20, is often symptomless and can lead to infertility.

Calum Leslie

The nUMber oF men applying to become primary teachers has risen sharply in the last year, according to statistics released this week.

The figures, published by the Training and Development agency for schools (TDa), the recognised sector body responsible for the training and development of the school workforce, show an increase of over 50 percent in the number of males applying to train as primary teaching staff. in 2008/09, there were 3,200 male applicants, compared to 2009/10, where over 4,700 applied, with many new applicants coming from other employment sectors.

The rise is being attributed to the economic downturn in the UK, leaving teaching regarded as a more secure job than roles in business and media.

Graham holley, TDa chief executive, said: “There has been a sharp rise in applications to teaching training from people working in other professions. it is a profession with increasing status that is becoming more and more competitive.

“People recognise that teaching can fulfill their ambitions, provide

challenges and offer rewards such as a competitive salary and great opportunities for career progression.” andrew crawford, a second year student doing primary teaching at edinburgh University, who was previously two years into a journalism degree at napier, told The Journal: “certainly the job security was a factor in my decision to switch to teaching.

“There was an element of the economic factor in that decision, in that people were letting go of journalists rather than taking them on. and primary teaching appealed, because you’re guaranteed a job for a year when you come out of university, so you’ve got the opportunity to prove yourself.” asked about any increase in the number of male students on his course, he said: “We’ve noticed that there’ve been a lot more male applicants coming in for interviews in the last few days. “i think it’s a good thing, because i don’t think we’ve got enough male role models for young children.” however, elena novo-cabana, the course secretary for the bed in Primary education at edinburgh, said: “in terms of the number of males on the course, i’d say it’s fairly constant with the last few years. That’s not to say that the number of applications themselves hasn’t increased, of course.”

8 Local News

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Wire breaks detected on Forth road Bridge transport authority concedes they do not know how durable cables are AdAm BrAmley

Safety concerns as wire breaks are detected on the Forth Road Bridge

Ross Haig FiFty Wires have snapped in the Forth road Bridge’s main suspension cables since 2006, according to its chief engineer. an acoustic monitoring system, installed in august 2006, detects breakages among the 11,618 individual high tensile steel wires which make up each of the bridge’s main suspension cables.

Five of the fifty breaks happened on the west cable between september and

December 2009, but despite this recent increase no immediate action is considered necessary.

While conceding that the number of breaks seen so far is not significant enough to merit a closer inspection, Chris Waite from the Forth estuary transport authority told The Journal that information obtained through acoustic monitoring is limited: “it’s important to remember that acoustic monitoring can’t tell us how many wires had broken prior to the system being installed in august 2006, and

"Cables will need to be monitored and inspected for the remainder of their service life.” it can’t tell us how many more are likely to break in future.

“Only by wedging open cables and making physical inspections of a wire sample can we make a judgement on this.”

Barry Colford spoke to the Forth Crossing Bill Committee, as MsPs continue to scrutinise plans to construct an alternative to the bridge by 2016.

Opponents of the new crossing, which is expected to cost around £2 billion, have highlighted the low breakage rate as evidence that the existing bridge is in better shape than was previously thought.

so far, two such examinations have taken place. the last, in 2008, showed that the cables had lost ten percent of their strength. another is scheduled to take place in 2012.

Despite a number of measures taken against future cable corrosion, Mr Waite explained that past damage is likely to have caused micro cracks along the lengths of wire, which makes their durability uncertain: “Cables will need to be monitored and inspected for the remainder of their service life.”

FESTIVAL THEATRE EDINBURGH

Sun 18 Apr 4pm • Tue 20 Apr 7.15pm • Thu 22 Apr 7.15pm • Sat 24 Apr 7.15pm scottishopera.org.uk Registered in Scotland Number SCO37531 Scottish Charity Number SCO19787

Local News 9

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Meadows marathon sets standard for another year of giving the edinburgh charity run attracts a record number of participants the journal

Al Innes

With a variety of costumes, ranging from ill-fitting running shorts to competitors in blue body paint in homage to James Cameron’s avatar, the fourth Meadows Marathon on 7 March has now “firmly established itself in the edinburgh calendar”.

Believed to be one of the biggest participation events in Scotland, the Meadows Marathon includes a half marathon as well as a 5k run around the edinburgh Meadows and George Square.

Project manager of the organisation team, Sally hutchby, told The Journal: “We are very pleased with the record entry, very appreciative of all those who turned out to support the runners and above all, delighted that a wide range of local and national charities have benefited.”

Ms hutchby said: “in only three years, the Meadows Marathon has grown to become established firmly in the edinburgh calendar.” the event this year has managed to raise over £50,000 for charities including Scottish Love in action, Four Square and Meningitis research.

Winner of the half marathon for men was Patryk Gierjatowicz, who beat last

“We are very pleased with the record entry and delighted that a wide range of local and national charities have benefited.” year’s record with a time of 1 hour 16 minutes. in the women’s half marathon Nicola Duncan picked up a time of 1 hour 23 minutes. the winners of the 5k run this year were Joe robertson in the men’s and Catherine Ferry, who recorded a time of 19 minutes 53 seconds. turning out to support the runners was a variety of entertainment including cheerleaders, drummers, brass bands and bhangra dancing from various clubs and organisations around edinburgh. the event was started in 2007 by two mathematics students from the University of edinburgh and 2010 marked its fourth consecutive year.

Sir alec Jeffreys to receive prestigious edinburgh medal

Runners set off in the fourth Meadows Marathon

Party political debate comes to Mcewan hall the economics Society event saw party representatives tangle over the budget deficit

the scientist who discovered the DNa fingerprint is recognised for his work

the journal

Steven Campbell-Harris

Paul Burch

Sir aLeC JeFFreyS, pioneering scientist and professor of Genetics at Leicester University, has been named as the 22nd recipient of the edinburgh Medal for his ground-breaking work on DNa profiling. the award will be presented on the 14 april as part of the edinburgh Science Festival and will acknowledge the professor’s invaluable contributions to scientific research and the connected fields of forensic investigation and criminology.

Sir alec told the BBC that he was “absolutely delighted to be this years recipient of the edinburgh Medal”. the professor described the gesture as: “a huge honour and a wonderful recognition of DNa fingerprinting that will give great pleasure to the many people involved in the field of DNabased identification”.

DNa profiling now fulfils an integral role in international law-enforcement and has provided vital information

for a number of high-profile cases, including the 2006 conviction of Steve Wright for the murder of five ipswich prostitutes. however, despite its triumphs, the use DNa profiling has prompted furious debate, with critics citing the practice as being unethical and in violation of human rights. england has occupied a particularly divisive role in this discourse, with the national database currently comprising some five million DNa profiles, many of which are taken from citizens not charged with a crime.

Prof Jeffreys himself has proved an essential voice of authority in the argument, stating that england’s approach to DNa profiling represents: “a presumption not of innocence, but of future guilt”.

Criminal investigation, on the other hand, represents just one of many possibilities presented by the DNa fingerprint.

Sir alec’s research has also provided the primary means of determining contested paternity and allows for insight into one’s future health.

hUNDreDS oF StUDeNtS gathered at the Mcewan hall last thursday night to participate in a party political debate on economic policy in the run up to the General election. the event, hosted by the edinburgh University economic Society, was chaired by the executive editor of the Scotsman, Bill Jaimeson, and attended by spokesmen for Scotland’s four leading political parties. andy Kerr, the Labour finance spokesperson, faced repeated questions from audience members surrounding Gordon Brown’s accountability for the deficit. When asked whether he thought that Gordon Brown could be held responsible for the problems which led to the economic recession, Kerr’s response was evasive: “ask him if he does take the responsibility”.

During the course of the evening students, citizens, and political representatives grilled all the party spokesmen on issues ranging from public debt to personal and political accountability for the economic recession. the event had little direct confrontation from the MSPs aside from minor

gibes on the topic of Scottish independence as Stewart hosie, the SNP treasury spokesperson, repeatedly contradicted the claims of Mr Kerr.

Mr hosie’s remark that an independent Scotland would have survived the financial collapse of the royal Bank of Scotland was met by derision from Mr Kerr who replied that a vote for independence would be “pure folly”. it was the budget deficit, however, that proved the greatest point of contention in the debate as each spokesman sought to clarify and differentiate their party’s response from the rest.

Jeremy Purvis, the Liberal Democrats finance spokesperson, and Derek Brownlee, the Conservative finance spokesperson, were both keen to portray their parties as the party for reforming regulation of public spending and private lending.

Mr Kerr stressed that in his ten years as chancellor Gordon Brown presided over a period of sustained economic expansion. a member of the audience responded saying that to take responsibility for such growth Brown must also be held accountable for the deficit.

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The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Arts and humanities are safe according to universities scotland the recent scottish budget is set to secure Arts and humanities subjects AdAm merton

Naomi Kennedy

the Arts AnD humanities departments in scottish universities are not facing the same economic difficulties as their english counterparts according to a leading higher education authority.

Fears arose in england over the future of British art and humanity subjects due to a recent letter to the Observer by a number of influential leading academics and cultural figures. susannah Lane, public affairs officer for universities scotland told The Journal that steps had been made in scotland to avoid similar problems to these in england.

Ms Lane said: “universities in scotland are not facing the same funding predicament as our colleagues in england as the scottish Government’s latest budget recognised the economic and social contribution of higher education.” the letter claimed that due to the government’s focus on the sciences, subjects such as philosophy, literature and languages were facing “worrying times”. the letter came in response to Lord Mandelson, the business secretary in charge of funding for university education, ordering cuts of £600 million by 2013.

Humanities students in Scotland need not worry about cuts in the latest draft budget for 201011 scotland’s parliament has been forced to make its first real terms cut since devolution. this is in the form of

a reduction of 0.9 percent to its departmental expenditure limit budget. however, the budget for education in scotland has not been cut. Michael

russell, scottish parliament’s Cabinet secretary for education and Lifelong Learning has confirmed an additional £100 million funding for the scottish Further and higher education Funding Council. universities scotland promotes the importance of humanities subjects as an essential part of the recovering economy.

Ms Lane said: “As spending pressures mount it’s important not to overlook the valuable skills sets acquired from the arts and humanities. Creative thinking, adaptability and initiative will fast become essential assets in the workforce.”

Giving financial priority to steM subjects (science, technology, engineering and Maths) has divided opinion.

Jonathan Bates, professor of english at Warwick university, objects to the government’s overly narrow focus, saying: “i believe universities are about education, developing the person and the citizen. there is more to citizenship than business, innovation and skills.”

A survey by The Times shows higher levels of employment for those that study steM subjects: 80 percent of graduates in the physical sciences and maths are in graduate jobs three years after they finished their courses, compared with 70 percent in history, philosophy and the creative arts.

Million+ speaks out against concentrated postgraduate funding research intensive universities say concentrated postgraduate funding will stimulate excellence University of Bedfordshire on flickr

Constantine Innemée Student News A top university think tank has condemned those in favour of more concentrated research funding, saying this could damage the uK economy in the long run.

Million+, who represent mostly post-1992 universities, produced a report last week in which they highlight the potential effects of concentrated funding going to a select number of universities.

According to the report, “there’s a real risk that the uK will lose its competitive edge in the international marketplace, with serious economic consequences for universities and the uK economy”. the publication of the report comes shortly after a speech delivered by paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group of research intensive universities, to the 8th annual postgraduates national policy conference in London.

Mr Wellings, also the vice-chancellor for Lancaster university, said: “Funding should be more concentrated that it currently is in order for government investment to be chanelled as effectively as possible. this would still allow all institutions to provide phDs

Higher education bodies disagree about the future of research funding if they wish, but provision below the quality threshold would be reliant on fee income rather than government funds.” the report compiled by Million+, who represent edinburgh napier university, has based its argument against postgraduate funding being sent to a select number of elite universities on facts and figures showing a large proportion of that research is provided by modern institutions.

Currently, post-92 universities provide 37 percent of all postgraduate studies in the uK and 30 percent of

international postgraduate provision. the think tank has said the removal of funding to these universities would hit the economy hard, due to the fact they tend to focus on subject areas of direct relevance to the economic climate.

Wendy piatt, director general of the russell Group of leading research universities including the university of edinburgh, echoed the views of Mr Wellings.

According to Ms piatt, funding should be directed to a select few universities who are capable of providing

the level of excellence students expect. equally, the director of the russell Group argued the concentration of research funding would result in a concentration of students, suggesting this would encourage them to succeed academically. “postgraduate students cannot thrive in isolation – their programmes must be underpinned by excellent research. they need to experience a demanding and stimulating research environment reflecting the latest developments in their field, including access to first-rate facilities, infrastructure and expertise. Doctoral students benefit greatly if they are working in a critical mass of researchers and fellow postgraduates their own and other disciplines.”

Commenting on the proposals, Aaron porter, national union of students’ vice-president for higher education, said: “We are concerned that many universities, and therefore many students, would lose out under the proposals. For instance, some people choose to take a phD at a university close to home because of work or family commitments. the closest university might not happen to be a member of the russell Group or 1994 Group.”

tories propose A-level overhaul scottish Conservative schools Minister says plans address the lack of flexibility in the english curriculum Jon Baldie

the responsiBiLity For organising the curriculum for GCe A-level courses in england, Wales and northern ireland would be handed to universities and academics if the Conservative party won the next General election, party schools spokesman Michael Gove announced earlier this month. the tories would move to abolish the current organisation, the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency.

Gove has described this process as “taking control of the A-level syllabus and question-setting process out of the hands of bureaucrats and instead empower[ing] universities, exam boards, learned societies and bodies like Acme [the Advisory Committee for Mathematics education].” he continued: “We will make a radical change to the way in which A-levels are designed, and we must ensure that A-levels are protected from devaluation at the hands of politicians. the institutions with the greatest interest in maintaining standards at A-level are those which receive A-level students - our universities.” speaking to The Journal, scottish Conservative schools Minister Liz smith agreed with her counterparts plans on education, drawing attention to her belief that problems in the rest of the uK are present in scotland: “i am totally behind Michael Gove.

Although there is a historical difference in the educational systems of scotland and the rest of the uK, we share the same three aims: parents having more choice over which schools their children go to, giving headteachers more control than they currently do, and especially breaking up the state monopoly on education policy. “in scotland we have the different system of ‘Curriculum for excellence’ which gives more flexibility, and Michael Gove has the view that if we are driving the curriculum anywhere, we have to ensure that colleges and universities have some input. i definitely support this.”

Dr rosanna Cross, Director of Admissions at the university of Bristol, said: “the university is interested to learn of the Conservative party’s proposals, and looks forward to hearing more detail in due course. “it is worth noting that the entire 14-19 curriculum has already been extensively reviewed over the last few years, including various modifications made to A Levels to improve rigour and enable greater differentiation between applicants, but it is too early to tell how these changes have affected the undergraduate applicant pool.”

Student News 11

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Sussex students storm university in week of confrontation students protesting staff cuts at sussex university were met with 16 police vans, officers with tazer guns, gas and dogs John Hislop

Hundreds of deMonstrators defied a high court injunction at sussex university last week to protest against funding cuts and demand the reinstatement of six suspended students. the students were suspended due to their involvement in the first set of demonstrations following the announcement of budget cuts. an agreement by management to modify the terms of the suspensions, which would allow the students access to the campus for academic reasons, was rejected by the protesters. following speeches in support of the ‘six’, by fellow students and staff, around 400 protesters stormed Bramber House, before occupying a lecture theatre in the arts building. one of the demonstrators who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to The Journal from inside the lecture theatre.

“We are aware that the suspensions have been modified, but we are demanding the unconditional reinstatement of those suspended. there is an injunction in place to prevent such demonstrations but the police have not been called this time. I think this is a climb down by management.” the six students had been deemed by vice-chancellor Michael farthing to be ‘leading participants’ in a demonstration at the university on 3 March when 80 students occupied sussex House in support of lecturers who had voted for strike action. simon, one of the six suspended students, told The Journal: “We occupied sussex House in solidarity with uCu member and handed out leaflets telling those inside that they were free to go and that they wouldn’t be intimidated by students. “the police were called and 16 cars and vans turned up. they had dogs, tazers, gas and batons, and threatened the students. “two days later, I received an email telling me that I was suspended, under special powers of the vice-chancellor.” another suspended student, who did not wish to be named, also told The Journal: “We have been suspended without any solid accusations against us. the email I received claimed that I was a ‘leading participant’ but there are no leaders in the campaign.

“We have had no opportunity to state our case, and have been suspended personally by the vice-chancellor.” a statement issued by sussex university read: “In suspending these students, the university has taken into account the students’ involvement in a deliberate and illegal trespass; the physical force used by protesters, which led to two arrestsand the intimidation of staff, rifling through and theft from offices; and the refusal of those involved in occupation to comply with requests to leave the building from both senior university staff and the police.” the vice-chancellor, professor Michael farthing, said: “I will not stand by and condone breaches of the law,

Sussex University students protest against staff and funding cuts nor will I accept aggressive, confrontational and intimidatory behaviour towards members of staff. We are seeking to maintain the normal running of campus in the interests of all our staff and students. nus president Wes streeting spoke out against the measures taken by the university against the protesters, highlighting the force used in removing them from the premises.

“I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms the heavy-handed tactics deployed against students protesting against cuts at sussex university. that six protesters face sanctions without any form of disciplinary process being followed is totally unacceptable. “these students must be given the opportunity to answer the charges against them and should be allowed to return to their studies immediately. It beggars belief that a university, which has a legal obligation to promote free speech on campus, would also seek to silence students obtaining an injunction against student protest.” tom Wills, president of the university’s student’s union, said: “It is outrageous that the vice-chancellor has used his power to suspend students without ‘assigning reason’ and they should be re-instated immediately and no sanctions should be issued without due process.” fellow student George LindsayWatson dismissed reports of aggressive behaviour during the protest: “the mood in the demonstration outside the occupation was fun, we had music, people were dancing and singing.”

third year english student Hannah Pini condemned the decision to call the police and also the tactics used, commenting on the fact that “the vice-chancellor called riot police to the scene, armed with pepper spray, tasers and dogs.” a spokesperson for sussex Police claimed the response was proportional. “an appropriate response was made a disturbance during a protest at sussex university.

Local Labour MP david Lepper confirmed that he has met students, union representatives and university management.

Mr Lepper told The Journal: “some students have contacted me about events at the university last friday and I have taken up the issues they have raised with the vice-chancellor.” a spokesperson for the uCu said: “We believe that the summary suspension of students is a disproportionate response, serving to inflict significant harm to the education of the students concerned and restricting their civil liberties.

“We urge the vice-chancellor to lift the suspensions with immediate effect so as to enable the students to continue their studies.” the protests in sussex come at a time of global student discontent, with similar protests and sit-ins taking place at Westminster university and the university of California.

The Journal understands that the suspended students intend to meet to discuss whether to accept the terms of the modified suspension.

“It is outrageous that the vicechancellor has used his power to suspend students without ‘assigning reason’ and they should be re-instated immediately.”

12 Student News

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

unique teaching positions in uK academia under threat the sacking of the uK's only chair of paleography has attracted international criticism Katy ErEira

Alex Taggart

StudentS and ScholarS at home and abroad have voiced their concern for the future of specialised uK academia, following sackings caused by budget cuts at King’s college london (Kcl).

Staff and students at Kcl have united in protest against cuts at the university that have so far claimed the jobs of two professors of philosophy and led to the sacking of the uK’s only chair of palaeography, the study of ancient handwriting, david Ganz.

By last weekend, a Facebook group in support of Ganz had attracted 6,273 members, while a separate petition had 7,493 signatures. the campaigners have received support from international academics, with several american professors calling on uK university administrators to consider the importance of unique disciplines like palaeography and to re-evaluate what is seen as a finance-orientated.

It comes as another distinct role was cut, richard clogg’s role as chair of Byzantine and Modern Greek history at King’s college london was cut.

Speaking to The Journal, James d’emilio, Professor of humanities at the university of South Florida, and

Government cuts have attracted protests from staff and students one of the academics to have criticised King’s in direct correspondence, said: “It is easy to make a caricature of palaeography as an esoteric field…but there is a constant interplay between such specialised scholarship and the development of a broader synthetic

vision of history and culture.

“If we allow individual fields to be trimmed because they are deemed unnecessary, if departments are set against one another competing for a shrinking pool of resources, we will all lose.”

outspoken harvard university fellow Ken Mondschein highlighted the particular necessity to preserve specialist fields such as palaeography, criticising a statement from King’s expressing the university’s intention to “create financially viable academic

activity by dis-investing from areas that are at sub-critical level.”

In correspondence with The Journal, Professor Mondschein warned that “the reason for the so-called ‘dark ages’ is because Frankish kings and Galloroman bishops didn’t think writing was a good investment. “there is a sizeable population in the uK who cares very deeply about medieval history. to cut these positions is to blatantly ignore consumer demand.” the government has argued that universities must accept budget cuts. the business secretary lord Mandelson, who ordered the £1 billion reduction in university spending, said last month: “[lost jobs and redundancies] are being resisted because people don’t like change, because they don’t want resources redeployed in a different way. “they think university teachers and lecturers have a right to be set in aspic in what they do and how they do it.” the Scottish branch of the university and college union has expressed concern that similar cuts could affect more specialised disciplines north of the border. In a statement, ucu said: “expertise could be lost Scotlandwide as there is no body that oversees subject provision. this is also true on an individual basis where expects are made redundant due to financial constraints.”

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Academic News 13

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

the secrets of bird sex revealed University of edinburgh scientists have solved a puzzle that has baffled scientists for centuries katie BRaDy

Chris Grainger Academic News University of edinbUrgh scientists have discovered why some chickens are half male and half female, a question that has remained unanswered until now. their “revolutionary” findings have been published in the prestigious journal Nature. the phenomenon, which the scientists have named cell autonomous sex identity (CAsi), is a naturally occurring anomaly which causes chickens to be white (male) on one side and brown (female) on the other. dr Michael Clinton of the roslin institute at the University of edinburgh, who led the study, said: “this research has completely overturned what we previously thought about how sexual characteristics were determined in birds. We now believe that the major factors determining sexual development are built into male and female cells and derive from basic differences in how sex chromosome genes are expressed. our study opens a new avenue for our understanding of sexual development in birds.” the previous consensus was that birds’ sex chromosomes control whether a testis or ovary forms, and that sexual traits were determined by hormones. the research into CAsi shows that differences between male and female cells control the development of sexual traits.

"this research has completely overturned what we thought about how sexual characteristics were determined."

study explains why automated ticket booking lines are so frustrating Ishbel Eunson

dr Clinton added: “it also means we must now reassess how this developmental process occurs in other organisms. there is already some evidence that organs such as the heart and brain are intrinsically different in males and females and birds may provide a model for understanding the molecular basis for these gender differences.” the findings may also be relevant to behavioural differences between males and females, as well as their differing susceptibility to disease. they believe the research could also lead to improvements in poultry production. the group has been granted £800,000 from the biotechnology and biological sciences research Council (bbsrC), the UK’s leading biosciences agency, to pursue research into the molecular mechanisms underlying the differences between male and female cells.

A stUdy CArried out by scientists at the University of edinburgh may help improve automated ticket booking lines by analysing regional dialects. the research focussed on finding the most frequent speech recognition errors currently made by automated phone systems. it is hoped that, by pinpointing these errors, booking line systems could be developed to understand customers voices better. the study involved feeding conversations between two people into a speech recognition system and recording how well the speech was understood by the software.

"it is challenging to design a computer system that can understand lots of different voices."

study shows Aspirin risks can outweigh benefits A large scale study on over 28,000 people supports current advice and understanding of Aspirin Ryan Dickey on flickR

Adam Bell

the Use of Aspirin as a preventative medicine could in fact be damaging to a healthy body a new study led by the University of edinburgh has shown. the research showed that taking Aspirin on a daily basis in order to reduce the risk of heart troubles had potentially dangerous consequences.

Prof Peter Weissberg of the british heart foundation said: “the findings of this study agree with our current advice that people who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take Aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits.” the trial, titled “Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis”, involved 28,890 men and women between the ages of 50 and 75, who showed no signs of cardiovascular disease. edinburgh University published the results of the research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. the Aspirin foundation, which advices on Aspirin use, said that in the case of certain patients a low dose of the drug could be seen to prevent the risk of heart problems.

Prof Weissberg agreed: “We know

that patients with symptoms of artery disease... can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day.” however the foundation conceded that such treatment was only applicable to patients who were “considered by their doctor to be at special risk from particular factors such as obesity, lifestyle, stress and a familial history”. the assistant to Professor gerry fowkes, Professor of epidemiology at the university, provided The Journal with documentation of the study. in the “Comment” section of the report, the findings reveal that when studying the use of Aspirin researchers “did not observe a reduction in major vascular events or in the secondary vascular end point.” these are the diseases that the drug is said to prevent. furthermore the paper exposes the fact that, “Although numbers were small, the trial results suggested an increased incidence of major hemorrhage and gastrointestinal ulcer,” confirming that, “in previous primary prevention trials... a collective 50 percent increase was found in major gastrointestinal and other extra-cranial bleeds.” the results emphasise the notion that use of the medicine as a preventative measure is perhaps not worth the risk.

research pinpoints speech recognition errors

dr sharon goldwater, a lecturer in informatics, hopes the research can help enhance the current software used: “voices vary from one person to the next and it is challenging to design a computer system that can understand lots of different voices.” one of the discoveries in the study was that amongst the most frequent faults made by speech recognition services is the inability to recognise the first word spoken in a phrase. this could be due to the customer inhaling before beginning the phrase, which would confuse the system.

Another potential explanation is that the recognition system cannot put the first word into context as it has no other information on the phrase. other errors include the lack of ability to recognise speech sounds other than words, such as ‘umm’ and ‘err’.

Although the system can distinguish these sounds, they cannot identify them for what they are and instead try to translate them as meaningful words. furthermore, the study shows that gender affects the accuracy of the results. due to their tendency to hesitate or mumble more frequently, men’s speech is more commonly misunderstood than women’s. variations in tone, speech and enunciation can also influence the outcome of the readings. by closely studying these differences, scientists could work towards developing systems that can understand different accents.

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National Politics 15

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

ian Murray announced as Labour candidate for edinburgh marginal following Nigel griffith's announcement to step down earlier this year, the contest had become a Liberal democrat and conservative face off Joe Pike National Politics iaN MUrray haS been selected as Labour’s candidate for Westminster in edinburgh South following weeks of uncertainty. he has pledged to “fight to keep the tories out”, warning of the damage they would do to Scotland’s economy.

Mr Murray faces a tough fight to win the seat which Labour currently hold with a majority of just 405 votes. Both the conservatives and Liberal democrat candidates have been campaigning for months in an effort to win the seat. the seat is currently held by Labour MP Nigel griffiths who announced in february that he would be stepping down to take up a lucrative job” at an international education institution.

Mr Murray is councillor for the Liberton/gilmerton ward and a partner in the aspen Bar and grill on the city’s

South Bridge. on announcement of his candidacy he said: “i am delighted to be fighting to keep the tories out of edinburgh.” he continued: “the Lib dems are in a mess in edinburgh. People are rightly furious with the local Lib dem led council and the mess they are making in power, particularly their savage cuts to local schools.

“Whether it is getting us out of the worst banking crisis for a generation or getting millions of parents back to work through tax credits, Labour has proven that it is taking the right approach to the country’s economy and building a fair future.” this the second big announcement from Labour after former edinburgh council leader ewan aitken was selected as their challenger to the SNP’s Justice Minister Kenny Macaskill in edinburgh eastern for next year’s holyrood elections.

Mr aitken is a former parish minister

"the Lib dems are in a mess in edinburgh" and councillor for craigentinny and duddingston. he said: “this community has been my home for 15 years and the chance to stand up and represent local people is exciting and demanding.

“People here are fed up of the sound of the SNP’s broken promises shattering around their ears. every day i meet people who say they are never voting SNP again because of the way they treat edinburgh.”

Macaskill won the seat from Labour at 2007’s holyrood elections, turning a Labour majority of 6,158 into a SNP one of 1,382. the seat is considered a key target for Labour if they are to return to government at holyrood in 2011.

Ian Murray (far right) is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Nigel Giffiths MP (far left) who has held the seat since 1987

education should be saved from cuts, says Liam Byrne

Murphy slams SNP oil figures

Speaking in granton to local voluntary groups, chief Secretary to the treasury said cuts must not be made to education

Scottish Secretary questions the validity of the figures published by finance Secretary John Swinney in a recent discussion paper

john hislop

John Hislop Rosalind Brown efficieNcy SaviNgS ShoULd not come from front line services such as education, chief Secretary to the treasury Liam Byrne has said. alistair darling’s number two made these comments to an audience of invited guests from local voluntary groups at the Prentice centre in granton. accompanied by MP Mark Lazarowicz, MSP Malcolm chisholm and forth councillor cammy day, Mr Byrne addressed volunteers and mothers from ‘Stepping Stones’ who help young parents and pregnant teenagers in the North edinburgh area and the Pilton equality Project.

Mr Byrne said: “Unemployment is lower than in the 80s and 90s because we chose to help businesses and people. We have to think where jobs in the future will come from. i believe that we should make more investment in the manufacturing industry and share future prizes fairly. “tax credits are very important and make a huge difference to some people, and i believe that the tories want to cut them along with child trust funds. you all have a big decision to make in the next couple of months.”

Working mother Julie Laidlaw from easter drylaw told Mr Byrne that she would be better off by now working as she receives no help with school meals, school uniforms or rent, yet when she was unemployed she got clothing

Top of the table: Local MP Mark Lazarowicz (on the left) with Liam Byrne (on the right) talking to local residents in Edinburgh grants, milk tokens and other benefits.

She also praised the tax credit system and said: “Without tax credits we would not have been able to eat.”

Mr Byrne responded by telling the audience: “People are desperate to hang onto their independence. When the sense of independence is gone, it’s hard to get it back again. We are not pretending that everything has been a bed of roses. Nettles need grasping, but the last place to look for efficiency savings is in front line services such as education, NhS and policing.”

Mr Lazarowicz also criticised planned cuts in services by edinburgh council: “the council will be making an announcement about vicious cutbacks,

and part of the problem is that there is no ring fencing of basic services.” following the event, Mr Byrne told The Journal: “it’s really valuable to sit down with groups like this where you get the chance to get different perspectives across the country.”

Ms Laidlaw, a lifetime Labour supporter, praised Mr Byrne for taking the time to address the meeting. She said: “i found Mr Byrne quite understanding of everybody’s situation. he looked like he was really listening, and i felt that i could speak to him without being intimidated. at the end, he shook my hand.”

ScottiSh Secretary JiM Murphy reignited the debate over the Scottish oil fund this week declaring the SNP’s valuation of Scottish oil an “extraordinary exaggeration.” the fund is being demanded by the SNP who claim that the North Sea reserves could have brought the government £230 billion in tax revenue over the last 30 years.

John Swinney, Scotland’s finance secretary, issued a discussion paper last summer on the benefits of a Scottish oil fund. he claimed that Scotland is the only nation to have discovered oil and not benefited directly from the discovery. the Norwegian government recently revealed the Norwegian oil wealth fund had a 25.6 percent return on investment last year. Norges Bank received £68.7 billion from the fund investments. this Mr Swinney claimed was “a powerful illustration of the need for Scotland to gain the full powers of independence, and access to our own resources”.

Mr Swinney continued: “We know that £50 billion of North Sea oil revenues is due to flow to the London exchequer over the coming six years— more than during the previous six, and £10 billion up on the treasury’s previous forecast—and it is high time that Scotland secured long-term

benefit from our resources in the same way as Norway is.” the paper was contested by Jim Murphy who issued a letter stating the SNP was attempting to “misinterpret and misrepresent” Scotland’s economic position. Mr Murphy argued that “the fact that Scotland has benefited to the tune of £76 billion since devolution, i know, for some people, is an inconvenient truth”. he continued: ”Scotland is stronger and better off as a fundamental part of the UK both in times of prosperity and, especially so, during the present economic hard times.”

18 Comment

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Higher education: Gotta stay high The NUs refute the association of Graduate Recruiters attitude towards Higher Education, and argue for sustainable investment and support for the system Andy KAinz

Kainde Manji

I

aM alWays interested to hear of the latest way business has come up with to avoid their responsibilities towards students and graduates. Often we hear business representatives announcing extreme positions on how to pay for our university system. The position often consists of one of three usual suspects: suggesting astronomical tuition fees for students, arguing for a reduction in numbers of university places, or trying to make the case for “encouraging” businesses to take on graduates, usually through tax benefits.

I was therefore disappointed to see the latest report from the association of Graduate Recruiters (aGR) arguing for all three. The future for the higher education system in the UK, according to aGR, is a reduced number of places, a complete lifting of the cap on top-up fees and, to top things off, they believe giving businesses tax breaks for the benefit of having graduates on their books is also a key part of funding our higher education system.

I would never argue that the only way someone can make the best of themselves is by going to university. However, the fact remains that university is one of the main ways to make the most of your talent.

Graduates generally still receive a huge premium on their lifetime earnings and the professions in our country and those with much of the power (Doctors, lawyers, Politicians, Judges, senior Civil servants, etc.) are

dominated by graduates.

We must increase places, not reduce them, expanding opportunity to people based on talent not on background.

The aGR report also proposes to remove the cap on top-up fees. I will overlook the fact that we, thankfully, don’t have top-up or tuition fees in scotland. In fact, speaking at NUs scotland conference last weekend the Education Minister, Mike Russell, ruled out them ever returning to scotland again. This will allow all those that want to, to have a mature debate on funding universities, leaving kneejerk reactions behind, and finding a fair and sustainable way to fund our students, colleges and universities.

However, increasing top-up fees in the rest of the UK would have terrible consequences. students would be saddled with enormous levels of debt, putting off all but the most well-off from going to university. Graduates would also be forced into the most well-paid jobs rather than the most suitable jobs for them. Introducing such a ferocious market into the higher education system could only have damaging effects.

Education is not, and should never be, a commodity to buy and sell.

The third suggestion from the aGR is perhaps the most despicable. at a time when public funding is becoming much tighter, when students are struggling to get by financially, and when we have an increase in applications to university of over 30 percent, the aGR proposes a tax cut for businesses. a tax cut for business to help pay for universities. I don’t think I need to say more, really.

We need greater levels of investment into our college and university

sector, and we must protect them from the worst of the public spending cuts which are predicted just round the corner. We need to protect the numbers of university and college places while maintaining the quality of teaching, and crucially, we must have a fundamental look at how students are supported through study.

laugh and destroy Iman Qureshi

N

O, “a blaCK fly in your Chardonnay” is not ironic.

It’s unfortunate. “Ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife”, despite being highly implausible, is really just annoying - again, not ironic. We all have good old alanis Morissette to thank for our common misuse of “irony”.

Irony is, in actual fact, the concept on which britain’s political satires are based. It should be hoped then, that at least the brits—whose love for political satire is part and parcel of culture—get it.

In theory, irony is where the context of something undermines what is being said. It is where Charlie brooker’s high-pitched exclamations over his enraptured readings of the news are recognised as faux enthusiasm, and therefore actually end up criticising or ridiculing the news.

Whilst the deadpan cynicism of satirical TV shows can be considered intrinsic to british culture—with the

likes of Spitting Image, and Have I Got News For You which has been running for nearly 20 years—the success of these shows across the atlantic, namely The Colbert Report and Jon stewart’s The Daily Show, has led to a huge rise in their popularity across the globe. Canada’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes, australia’s Newstopia, and south africa’s Za News are all eagerly viewed. Pakistan alone, despite being known for dubious press freedoms, has three shows of this kind. such widespread proliferation of this humour can only indicate its success. It also suggests a political or informational nausea: the inability to stomach self-righteous politicians or the frowning verbosity of news presenters. Unable to escape the ubiquitous buzzing of news and politicians, we satisfy ourselves with laughing at how ridiculous it all is.

Rather than being a political tirade, which would only transform into what it is attempting to criticise, as well as potentially threatening our own dogmas, there is something comforting about these shows. The laughter eases us in to the criticism, as Jon stewart’s solemnly poised eyebrows relax into a smile and become a cursory gesture to the audience, as if to say “Don’t worry I know you’re

in on the joke.” but is everyone really in on it?

The weakness of political satire is its reliance on unanimously agreed moral standards. It presupposes that all viewers recognise the hyperbole of politicians, or the absurdity of the media. and what happens when a slightly bigoted nationalist watches the parodied right-wing presenter of The Colbert Report and doesn’t get that the man is taking the piss?

If this is the case, it might seem that satire is really just preaching to the choir. but the remarkable ambivalence of satirical irony, as it wavers between mockery and exaggeration— like Malcolm Tucker’s delightfully overblown obscenities—masks criticism by spinning things out to their most ludicrous extremes. Without thinking too much, we find ourselves laughing at—ridiculing, even—something we might feel quite defensively about given different circumstances. so, where alanis’s rain on a wedding day just sucks, real irony is the most subversive of giggles. laugh to change the world - anyone have any better ideas? I doubt it.

Iman Qureshi is Comment and Features editor for The Journal

The report seems based less on fact or solid research, and more on the fallacy that you would read on the hallowed pages of the Daily Mail: “a degree is not worth anything these days”. The aGR report simply gets it all wrong. I look forward to the coming debate on how to fund our students, colleges and universities and I

look forward to making the case for an expanded, properly funded sector that drives our economy and drives a fairer society. let’s just hope aGR have a rethink and see sense between now and then.

Kainde Manji is Women’s officer for NUS Scotland

Comment 19

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010 tom hunt | www.misprintcomics.com

Do too many tweets make a tw*t?

Alex Taggart

T The holy Grail of a viable press Finding a "business model" for online news seems like a hopeless quest, but, without it, journalism will lack the funds to produce quality content http://membership.ft.com/

Alistair Duff

“C

”-words tend to be either dreaded or distasteful, and this trend certainly follows suit with the “C”-word currently in vogue: “crisis”. invited to contribute a column on the future of the news media, my thoughts immediately turned to “crisis”. everyone in journalism, media education and political science, is talking “crisis” on this subject. The crisis in journalistic standards, the crisis in moral standards, the crisis in trust, but what has really pumped the pessimism recently is the circulation crisis. at a 2009 athens conference on New Media and information, i heard sob story after sob story about plummeting readerships. and it wasn’t just european papers. The situation is typical of post-industrial countries, with the notable exception (but how long can it last?) of newspaper-crazy Japan.

Thankfully, there is also online news and no one is suggesting decline on that front. On the contrary, it is flourishing, in Britain as elsewhere. The Oxford internet institute has reported a substantial increase in online-newspaper access even since 2007. its latest largescale survey, The internet in Britain 2009, confirmed that internet users—70 percent of the population now—rate the Net as the most important source of information, above television, and far above newspapers and radio.

The basic problem, however, is that the Net generation is currently not prepared to pay for online news.

There are many factors at work here:

the libertarian ethos of the early user community, up-front costs involved in getting online, excellent websites at the BBC and other public service broadcasters, the rise of the blogosphere, the deterritorialised nature of cyberspace, and the sheer volume of comparable information sources - the majority of them utterly free. at present, frankly, it is very difficult to see a quick financial fix for news organisations. in athens, the cry went up for a “new business model”, but, like the holy Grail, no one was able to locate it. everyone in the trade is agreed that advertising income is not going to be sufficient. some, not least rupert Murdoch’s mighty News Corporation, are therefore experimenting with charges for online access, but the prospects are hardly rosy. People aren’t suddenly going to pay for information they can get elsewhere for nothing. rational

economic man, cultivated by apostles of ultra-capitalism like Murdoch, just doesn’t behave that way. even micropayments, touching consumers for a tiny sum and hoping for a correspondingly huge takeup, are unlikely to save the day.

One glimmer of hope lies in the success, broadly speaking, of the periodical industry. subscriptions for many magazines are still strong. People seem to be happy to buy a weekly or monthly print product, something with high production values that they can read at leisure, and perhaps even keep. although the circulations of great sunday papers like the Observer have been as badly hit as the “quality” dailies, some weekly newspapers, such as the children’s paper, First News, are flourishing. i can imagine a situation where people catch up with the daily news online, for free, but relax at the weekend with a voluminous

paid-for print product.

Perhaps that is an initial way forward. in the long term, though, a more sustainable solution will need to be found. if we value quality news, if we believe in investigative journalism, if we want a vigorous “fourth estate” fighting for democracy, then we must be prepared to support institutions that provide these goods, or build new such institutions. in so many realms, new technology has left our social values trailing behind, with perplexing and often unpleasant consequences. it is through “reloading” the norms that used to sustain us—liberty, a sense of fair play, even brotherhood—that the society of the future will find its answers.

Dr Alistair Duff is a Reader in Information and Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University

WiTTer has a bad name.

Literally. it suggests that it is an outlet for the dreary majority to publish trivial information, rapidly and incessantly.

Generally speaking, that’s exactly what Twitter is. 99 percent of tweets are 140-character brainfarts, written by a worldwide army of idiots. it is entirely possible that the reason microblogging services like Twitter are blocked in China and iran is not because they fuel political unrest, but because they expose an embarrassingly asinine population.

Perhaps more laughable, though, are the cynics. The chortling enemy of all popular phenomena, they dismiss Twitter with the same fearsome wit with which they dismissed Facebook, smartphones, velcro and democracy. Carrying the dual stigma of being both a popular trend and a blog, Twitter is shown no mercy amongst pooh-poohers.

Meanwhile, the world’s broadest, fastest information service ticks on. it’s no coincidence that every news outlet and commentator worth reading is on Twitter, and there is a direct positive correlation between quality and activity, with agencies like the BBC and The New York Times maintaining multiple feeds. information spreads at an incredible pace, with popular tweets being quickly re-posted on users’ personal accounts using the “re-tweet” function.

For those who fear the idea of being backward, Twitter is a godsend. in five minutes of a user’s time, a baffling cacophony of information from around the globe can be separated with a good degree of efficiency into that which is essential, and that which isn’t, and then digested. applications like hootsuite and Tweetdeck make the process even faster. however, any single piece of news is inevitably far more complicated than can be explained in 140 characters. The danger of Twitter-reporting is that, more so than in conventional journalism, the pressure to get the scoop can result in the dissemination of incomplete or misleading information, perhaps less useful and probably more dangerous than the mire of vacuous musings from which it was plucked. Twitter is shaping the future of reporting, but its reputation relies on the good sense of those using it.

Whilst whether or not “the revolution will be twittered” remains to be seen, it is certain that microblogging is growing quickly and irreversibly. Twitter provides rapid, raw information to all those who desire it, free of charge. snort at Twitterers if you like, but bear in mind that their retaliation may be re-tweeted faster than you can keep up with.

Alex Taggart is the New Media editor at the Journal

20 Feature

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

They don't sing 'em like they used to!

From Gene kelly bursting into song on a rain spattered street to a robot learning to love through the score of 'Hello, Dolly!', Hollywood's long-standing love affair with the musical has produced some of the best loved films in history

Philip Furia, Laurie Patterson

M

ost books about the Hollywood musical celebrate the “golden age” of musical films—from the 1930s through the 1950s—then lament the death of films such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Band Wagon (1953), and Gigi (1958) since the 1960s. the implication is: “they don’t make movies like that anymore.” true, they don’t. With the emergence of television in the 1950s, Hollywood cut back on film production, and the first to go were musicals which required an enormous staff of songwriters, arrangers, choreographers, and other creative personnel.

When Hollywood did make a musical, it was more often a film version of a proven broadway success—Oklahoma! My Fair Lady, Cabaret—rather than an original film musical like Singin’ in the Rain or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. such cinematic remakes of broadway shows were usually the worst of both worlds—filmed versions of stage productions. they had neither the immediacy of a live performance nor the cinematic razzle-dazzle of a movie. What sometimes made them even worse was dubbing—the operatic Marni Nixon, for example, singing for willowy Natalie Wood in West Side Story. the few original film musicals that did succeed, such as Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, were usually aimed at family audiences, as were cartoon features such as Charlotte’s Web and Pocahontas. these films maintained a tradition that had been established in the 1930s—a performer could spontaneously burst into a song that expressed what he or she was feeling at a particular dramatic moment. before then, the addition of sound to film made movies so realistic that producers feared audiences would find it ludicrous if screen actors moved from talking to singing then back to talking without even the applause that

cushions such a transition in a live stage performance. thus the earliest film musicals, such as The Jazz Singer and Broadway Melody, presented songs as “performances” by characters portraying singers. such characters always had a realistic excuse to sing because they were rehearsing or performing songs in a movie about the intrigue and tribulations of mounting a broadway musical. such “back-stagers”, as these films came to be called, quickly became so formulaic that, by 1930, Variety magazine reported, people were going up to a movie box-office, asking, “Is this a musical?” and walking away if it was. so Hollywood had to figure out how to present a song, not as a performance, but expressively—as the spontaneous emanation of what a character feels at a particular dramatic moment, just as song has always been presented in opera, operetta, and musical comedy.

Gradually during the early 1930s, Paramount presented songs expressively in films that featured Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. In Love Me Tonight, for example, Chevalier eases into song by moving from rhymed dialogue into the more conversational verse of “Isn’t It Romantic?” and from there into the more lyrical chorus or refrain. Even then, however, Chevalier presented the song more as if he were talking than singing—a style of presentation that would became the hallmark of a film song. In the mid1930s, at Rko, Fred astaire and Ginger Rogers moved from talking into singing as gracefully as they shifted from walking to dancing. Lyricists such as Ira Gershwin could help astaire segue into a song by beginning a verse with the wry apology, “If I should suddenly start to sing—or stand on my head or anything—don’t think that I’ve lost my senses; it’s just that my happiness finally commences.”

During the 1940s and 1950s, performers such as Judy Garland and Gene kelly at MGM spontaneously burst into song in a way that seemed perfectly natural. “the one advantage that non-singers like myself have on good singers,” kelly observed, “is

that we can almost talk what we have to say.” this casually conversational way of rendering a song in film was made to seem even more effortless by the development of the “playback” system whereby performers prerecorded a song in the studio then lip-synched to a playback of their recording on the movie set. thus Donald o’Connor could seem to be singing, “Make ‘Em Laugh” in Singin’ in the Rain, while executing an exhausting acrobatic dance.

With the demise of original film musicals after 1960, however, the expressive convention of presenting song virtually disappeared. the few films that tried to preserve that tradition were usually dismal failures.

Who remembers Peter Finch and Liv ullmann singing to each other in Lost Horizon (1973) or burt Reynolds and Cybill shepherd singing—and dancing—in At Long Last Love (1975), a film so dreadful that director Peter bogdanovich has refused to release it as a DVD. by the end of the century, Woody allen could make a delicious spoof of the expressive convention by having Edward Norton, tim Roth, and Drew barrymore spontaneously—and lamely—give voice to their feelings in song in Everyone Says I Love You (1996).

While Hollywood largely stopped making original film musicals based on the expressive convention of presenting song after 1960, the performance

convention endured. Even in Singin’ in the Rain (1952), for example, only the title song is presented as an expression of Gene kelly’s feelings as he leaves Debbie Reynolds’s apartment; all the other songs are done as some kind of performance. some excellent original film musicals that have presented songs as performances include Nashville (1975), All That Jazz (1979), and Pennies from Heaven (1981). the performance convention, while frequently an unimaginative way to present a song in a film, has sometimes provided a dramatic showcase. In Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), for example, Richard Dreyfuss plays a high school music teacher mounting a Gershwin revue as the annual student show. During the staple “back-stager” audition scene, we witness a dreary series of classic songs botched by one student after another. Just when all hope seems lost for finding the show’s “ingénue”, Jean Louisa kelly steps onstage and belts out “I Got Rhythm”. During an ensuing rehearsal, Dreyfuss coaches her on how to sing “someone to Watch over Me” with contemplative longing: “this song is wistful, Miss Morgan.

It’s about a woman who’s all alone in a very cold world, and all she wants more than anything else is to have someone hold her close and tell her that everything’s going to be all right.

It’s about the need for love—in your

gut!” In the performance, kelly, clearly infatuated with her teacher, sings it even more movingly, her eyes riveted on Dreyfuss as he conducts the orchestra, his lips mouthing the lyric along with her in a duet of mutual yearning.

In recent years, the performance convention has remained alive and kicking. In 2004 alone, there were “bio-pics” of Cole Porter (De-Lovely), bobby Darin (Beyond the Sea), and Ray Charles (Ray). this year Jeff bridges won the oscar for Crazy Heart, in which he sang songs as performances, much as al Jolson had in The Jazz Singer more than eighty years ago. a more innovative way of presenting songs in films since the 1960s might be dubbed “silent song” since the on-screen character does not actually sing the song that is heard.

In The Graduate (1967), Dustin Hoffman’s feelings are given voice on the soundtrack by simon and Garfunkel singing “the sounds of silence”. In a brilliantly edited montage sequence, we see Hoffman alternately lolling around his parents’ swimming pool then making love to anne bancroft’s Mrs Robinson in a hotel room. Even Hoffman’s inability to tell anyone of his confusion and alienation are expressed in the song’s lyric: “but my words like silent raindrops fell/ and echoed in the wells of silence.” such songs were frequently composed specifically for a film so that audiences would not recognize them as preexisting popular songs but rather imagine

Feature 21

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

them emanating for the first time on the soundtrack as a character’s “silent” soliloquy.

Riding a bus to New York, John Voight in Midnight Cowboy (1969) expresses himself inwardly, as he cannot do outwardly, while Harry Nilsson sings “Everybody’s Talking”.

Paul Newman’s ebullient sense of freedom - “because I’m free/ Nothing’s worrying me” - is expressed in “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” as he pedals a bicycle in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Similarly, in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), an even more unimaginable singer, Steve McQueen, is given voice as he flies his glider while “The Windmills of Your Mind”, sung by Noel Harrison, comes up on the soundtrack. These silent songs suit actors such as Hoffman and McQueen, since, as Todd Berliner has noted, “their performances are often distinguished by failures of speech, their characters’ deepest emotions revealed through a rhetoric of pauses, stutters, and lines unsaid.”

Unlike songs openly sung by a character in a traditional musical, such silent songs provide not the relief that comes through musical expression, but rather the frustration of a character with inadequate means or occasions to express feelings of alienation and confusion. Silent song infuses an entire musical film, Yentl (1983), in which Barbra Streisand must disguise her femininity and her yearning to be a

rabbinical student. Unable to express herself directly, she is heard singing on the soundtrack while her on-screen character remains stoically silent. Only at the end of the film, as she is sailing to America, does she declare, “Papa, I have a voice now” and breaks into open and exultant song in the presence of other characters.

In When Harry Met Sally (1989), director Rob Reiner wanted to make a “classic” love story, so he used classic standards, such as “Love Is Here to Stay” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” to delineate the growing affection between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

At the climax of the movie, we hear Frank Sinatra singing “It Had to Be You” as Crystal comes to the realization that he has long been in love with Ryan and rushes to see her through the streets of New York on New Year’s Eve. The convention of such silent song even extended into animated musicals: in Shrek (2001), the ogre says nothing as he sits alone at his table, but John Cale’s mournful singing of Leonard

Cohen’s “Hallelujah” gives a bitterly sarcastic expression to his heartache.

While it is true that in the past 60 years Hollywood has made very few musical films based on the expressive convention that informed the classic musicals of Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, studios have continued to present songs innovatively and movingly. In WALL-E (2008), to take a final example, a robot learns to love by replaying a videotape of the song sequence “It Only Takes a Moment” from the 1969 film version of Hello, Dolly!—a clever fusion of the expressive and performance conventions for presenting a song. “It was like a light bulb going off,” said writer-director Andrew Stanton as he recalled the “a-ha moment . . . Like, that is exactly the best way I could express the phrase ‘I love you’ from a character that can’t say it.”

The Songs of Hollywood by Philip Furia and Laurie Patterson will be available in May 2010: Oxford University Press, £22.50.

22 Editorial

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Letters letters@journal-online.co.uk

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE XXXIII

NSA censorship

# Journalgate

A confederacy of dunces

Dear Sir Removal of papers from the campus? Are we living in communist China? This is unbelievable in a free soceity! Not only that, but the article has nothing to do with the elections for next year, being based on an action brought during the Senate. If Napier is like every other University, then the current Senate meetings have nothing to do with the Elections, so what actual grounds can the NSA really have for removing the paper except to bully the person bringing that vote of no confidence?

It's not against the rules to bring a vote of no confidence against the President, and if there is nothing to answer for, then she shouldn't be worried. Open debate is the cornerstone of free society, and a student's association should always be a place where people feel free to voice their opinions.

In the end, this now looks more like an admission of guilt through an act of desperation than the actions of an innocent party. I hope that Napier students will stand up to these bully-boy tactics and make their association understand how serious this kind of cenorship really is. Good luck Napier!

Anonymous

THERE ARE FEW real lessons in journalism, but this is one: don’t let yourself become the story. It is doubtful that The Journal would receive a passing mark on the basis of the past two weeks, but if this publication is made to stay after class to write lines, it is only fair that they should read: “We will not be dragged into election battles by the NSA constitution again.”

The events at Edinburgh Napier University over the past two weeks are difficult to unravel, but their foundation is simple: there has been a personal and constitutional breakdown at the NSA. Unless these two fundamental failings are addressed, the chaotic scenes witnessed recently will doubtless repeat themselves.

The personal breakdown is not difficult to identify; the presidential election race between Kasia Bylinska and Nathan Sparling was nasty, and did little to serve Napier students. The failure to observe the most basic standards of political decorum on either side resulted in an election that, whatever the result, was entirely devoid of grace.

If Ms Bylinska’s claims are borne out, it would seem that this sort of unpleasant personal vendetta is far too common of intrapersonal relations at NSA. No organisation can run in such a fashion; regardless of political positions and rivalries, individuals must be able to come together in the best interests of

the students they are elected to serve.

NSA’s constitutional problems are more difficult to pinpoint, but its results are equally clear: empty Journal distribution bins across Napier campuses last week were testament to an elected body whose governing documents are too weak to protect freedom of speech, maintain the integrity of elections, or serve the needs of students.

Freedom of speech and a free press are not nebulous concepts; they are living rights that can thankfully be taken for granted in this country. If the government took exception to political coverage and emptied stores of all copies of the publication it appeared in, the outcry would be deafening.

The NSA Elections Committee constructs its constitutional role so strictly that any reporting of fact that might affect an election result can be deemed to be defamatory, and censored. The staff of the School of Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University will be interested to learn that the local students’ union has judged the press to be redundant.

If the Edinburgh University Students’ Association took the same view of the role of the press, then The Journal would have been banned at the University of Edinburgh, too. The coverage in the 3 March edition of Laura Jayne Baker’s abstention from voting on the motion for online referenda at the most

recent AGM may well have influenced some voters in the EUSA elections.

Thankfully, being home to the UK’s oldest student newspaper does wonders for a union’s respect for free speech.

The most sinister detail of this affair is the fact that the Elections Committee may well have acted within its remit: Schedule 7, subsection B, paragraph 2 of the NSA constitution asserts that “it is the sole authority on elections”, and has no need to refer to the Publications Council, which out with an election period would have been obliged to “liaise with the editor of the publication over content and/or forms of words” in the case of an allegation of libel, and “aim to reach a mutually negotiated solution to difficulties”. There was, of course, no question of any legal action, as there is no case to answer.

Napier would do well to implement changes to their constitution to reflect the most basic standards of a free community.

An election that bars any reporting or scrutiny of the events or the candidates, essentially makes the result pointless. It simply reduces the vote selection to who your mates are or how slick your presentation is. Student politics has to be done well, when it is done like this it is condemned to be petty and meaningless from the start.

Student leases

Lending time to leases IT MIGHT BE slightly premature to indulge in fantasies of the Edinburgh’s student residential area, Marchmont, going up in flames with a revolution and an accompanying chorus of “We’re not going to pay rent!” —very much in the style of New York’s impoverished artists in the “anti-establishment” musical, Rent.

Even so, the exploitation of students, by landlords and letting agencies, is little short of devious and there is a pressing need for students to execute some degree of vigilance when signing a lease.

This issue of The Journal reports that a number of leases being signed are legal only by a hairline. Measures to protect the rights of both landlords and tenants, such as the the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, seem to be less than effective and students appear to be suffering the brunt of these flaws.

The problem, however, is manifold.

Vague legal stipulations for landlords mean that the legislation is susceptible to exploitation. Landlords bend the law to breaking point in order to elude responsibility and claim costs for damages or even simple maintenance. But, as long as this is within the law, it is difficult— impossible, even—to curb.

It is, consequently, essential for students themselves to insist that leases include terms and conditions that ensure landlords meet basic standards of liability. This is no easy feat and requires students to be highly discerning of abstruse legal jargon. A service that students should taken full advantage of is the EUSA advice place, which provides a professional service of reading leases for students to ensure they are fair.

But this is not enough. The presupposition that bold and hapless 18 yearolds will clamber precariously out onto

Art Rachael Cloughton Fashion Helen Broadfoot Food & Drink JBen Kendall

Editor Paris Gourtsoyannis Deputy Editor Nick Eardley Lead designers Daniel Buxton, Dorothy Butchard Design team Joe Pielichaty, Shannon McLean, Tom McWilliam, Cecilia Jane Stamp, Magda Los Deputy Editor (News) Matthew Moore General News Emma Towers Local News Anna Fenton Student News Constantine Innemée Academic News Chris Grainger Student Politics Megan Taylor National Politics Joe Pike

balconies to clean windows is absurd.

Equally absurd is the expectation that students can afford to foot the bill for regular professional window cleaning.

For a landlord to abdicate responsibility, to such an extent, is just wrong.

Change must be enacted at a higher level. A better watch must be kept on private landlords contracting dodgy agreements. Legal criteria must be tightened, and letting agencies must be obliged to accept greater levels of responsibility. In addition, terms of contracts should be made clearer to students signing them, so that there are no dire consequences of “not reading the small print”.

As students—or indeed, impoverished artists in a musical—it is tempting to offload blame onto “the Man” but, in this case, blame is best distributed between the various players and responsibility accordingly shared.

EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER Deputy Editor (Comment/Features) Iman Qureshi Comment Marthe Lamp-Sandvik Features Eloise Nutbrown Profile Marion Sauvebois, James Fidler Deputy Editor (Arts & Entertainment) Marcus Kernohan Music Ray Philp Theatre Amy Taylor

Deputy Editor (Sport) Liam McCabe Photography Editor Silvia Foteva News Carlotta Mathieu, Mitch McCabe Comment & Features Gioia Forster Arts & Entertainment Janek Mann Web Editor Eoin Greensmyth New Media Alex Taggart Copy Editors Polly Dallyn, Jessica Abrahams, Duncan Kennedy, James Fidler, Alex Taggart Sales Manager Katy Allison

Dear Sir, Perhaps most disheartening, as a student at Napier, is the patent disregard for the students' best interests. By censuring The Journal, a newspaper which hundreds of students invest hours of energy and time working on, the attempt to disengage students continues.

If they are not dumbing down they're wilfully ignoring students, apparently oblivious to their role as an institution for students. This decision implies that the Napier Students' Association would rather strive to suit their interests and not the interests of the people they work for, the 15,000 students at Napier University.

It's especially disappointing to see, exposed, so shamelessly, the truly opaque nature of NSA's inner workings. The level of transparency currently exercised by the NSA is appalling and an overhaul of their business should be the priority from this moment onwards.

The clandestine nature of this affair, in particular that The Journal was not notified of the removal, adds yet another stitching to this tapestry of sinister behaviour.

Surely now the value and worth of a vibrant student newspaper is there available for all to see.

Anonymous

The Pot Calling the Kettle Brown Dear Sir It is correct that the NBH is the serious problem. But do not fall into the trap that so many have that there is a sinister Tory plot. The history of this organisation starts with trading on a dead man’s celebrated work, a CIPD qualification, the shameless abuse of patrons and abuse of ParliamenΩto provide a cover is astonishing.

The over emphasis on size of claims awarded (in red), are of note. Those suffering from workplace abuse are

seldom interested in the money as a motive to pursue grievances.

The site reminds me of the 'Have you had an injury..." adverts. Putting a damaged person through these hoops causes problems, and the NBH is fragrant lack of concern and basis empathy is staggering. This is probably the worst site to go if you are being bullied.

Dolly Hedges

Edinburgh South Dear Sir, With regard to your recent article on David Cameron's visit to the Edinburgh South constituency, your correspondent does not seem to be aware that this seat is a FOUR WAY marginal with the SNP only 121 votes behind Labour in the European Elections of 2009 based on this constituency. He strangely omitted to mention that the SNP (the party of government in Scotland) are even standing!

The SNP topped the polls in Edinburgh in the Euro elections on 2009 and, if they only sustain the same percentage of the vote, will win Edinburgh South West (from Alistair Darling) as well as Edinburgh North and Leith and Edinburgh East.

Perhaps more balanced journalism is required here, President of the Edinburgh Unviersity Student Nationalist Association, Fiona Gardner

Nigel Farage Dear Sir Reading Nigel Farage's piece enlightened me. As a foreigner, one of those "dreaded yanks" it has taken me a year to become accustomed to the UK. No longer do I spell colour without a U, and I now know that Thames doesn't rhyme with my name.

Though perhaps this is just me that reads the article, but employing airport security that are too afraid to do their jobs, because of what a woman chooses to wear, is more of the issue than what she wears. I realize the irony of an American going on about airport security, as we are the ones that have coined the term paranoid, and we get ready to implement full body scanners, but surely, hiring security personal who would do their job, would be the correct thing to do.

I know that our dearest Farage goes on to say that it is not a religious requirement, which defeats the entire purpose. It is as ridiculous to ban the burkha or niqab, as to ban nun's from wearing their habits.

Its not mentioned anywhere in the Bible that nun's should be covered up, thus it is not a religious requirement, and thus, all nun's are smuggling weapons underneath it.

Reading pieces like this, remind me of home in ways that are not positive. I would hope that the British people would be able to offer more respect, and honour (see! I spelled it correctly), to a woman that chooses to honour her religion in a way that she deems fit.

Sincerely, James Orrock Vice Chair to Edinburgh University Amnesty International Vice Chair/Treasurer to Edinburgh University Tibet Society

Arts & Entertainment 23

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

A (free) night at the opera Scottish Opera's revival of their 2004 Puccini production sparks debate among the Journal panel Eamonn mcGoldrick

Amy Taylor Theatre

R

ecently, The Journal issued a call to arms, inviting our readers to join us for a night at the opera. the aim was to explore the appeal of opera to a student audience, using Scottish Opera’s latest production, a re-imagining of Puccini’s la Bohème at the theatre Royal in Glasgow as our context. Written in 1896 and originally set in fin de sièçle Paris, Scottish Opera transpose Puccini’s most famous work to contemporary new york as it charts the doomed love affair between journalist Rodolfo (Avi Klemberg) and seamstress Mimi (celine Byrne). Directed by tony Award-winner Stewart laing, this production bears few aesthetic similarities to Puccini’s original but the original score, coupled with the addition of modern influences—tV, games consoles and references to Sex and The City—combine to create a piece that sparked lively debate among our panel.

“It’s hard to say,” says Publications student Marie O’neill, when asked if she had any preconceptions about the performance. “Because that wasn’t a normal opera... I was expecting it to be dated, a little bit old-fashioned…

I was surprised that it was just singing all the way through. I thought it would be speech and music, which is what I’m used to.” this opinion is seconded by The Journal’s Arts editor Marcus Kernohan, who remarks that he felt “kind of biased against opera... it’s what my mum listens to”.

Avi Klemberg as Rodolfo and Celine Byrne as Mimi

the modernization of the setting proved controversial for the group, with University of edinburgh student and self-confessed ‘la Bohème purist’ caroline Bottger commenting, “I’ve seen Puccini’s opera three

times, sung from it, and had friends perform excerpts from it... this was my worst nightmare come true: they modernized my beloved Puccini to the 21st century new york art scene, where the idea of starving artists

is frankly ridiculous.” Marie agrees, adding: “the environment wasn’t the problem, it was the subtitles and the contemporary speak really threw me off sometimes. there were times when you thought: “Would they actually say

that?”

While there was a general agreement that the use of supertitles—an enlglish translation of the Italian script above the stage—was probably for the best, some of the group found them off-putting at first, as they force the viewer to divide their attention between reading the translation and watching the action on stage. Marcus comments that “there were times during the second act, where it seemed like the screen had frozen and we weren’t really sure what was being said”. turning to the topic of characterisation, caroline felt “the characters were a little static: Musetta was portrayed as simply a slag, Mimi the innocent virgin, while the men were jokey and carefree despite their dire situation.” this sense, that the extreme contrast between the two female characters erred on the side of cliché, seemed to be consistent around the table. the key question of the night however is: would our panelists recommend the opera, particularly to their peers? Marie demurs on this point: “that one, probably not. I’d recommend going to see a traditional opera, because I don’t think that was the best introduction to it.” caroline and her partner Matthew Grogan agree, suggesting that the whole production displayed “a hastily-produced feel which detracted greatly from the beauty of the opera”. But as an afterthought, Marie adds, “I’m not so different from the typical student.

I love musical theatre, and it’s not really that different.”

ON THE HORIZON Music MUSIC

theatre THEATRE

clubs CLUBS

Art ART

comedy COMEDY

The Mill (The Gothenburg Address, The Elements) thursday 18 March cabaret Voltaire Free Post-rock stylings from former Arab Strap men, with support from the elements

La Bohème thursday 18 April – Wednesday 24 April edinburgh Festival theatre £14.00 - £62.00 Scottish Opera transpose Puccini’s classic opera into the contemporary nyc art scene

Mansion (launch night) 17 March, 10pm – 3am Below Stairs (underneath Hawke & Hunter) £5 (£4 guestlist) House, hip hop, R’n’B, soul

Victoria Morton 14 March – 2 May Inverleith House new exhibition from the Glasgow-born painter

John Bishop 21 March the Stand £10 (£8) Deadpan Scouser brings his solo show to edinburgh

Why? thursday 18 March Stereo, Glasgow £7 Ohio indie hip hop band returns to UK after long absence Egyptian Hip Hop Friday 19 March Sneaky Pete's £6 neither rappers nor from egypt, abstrusely-named Manchester quartet get busy at Sneaky Pete's Withered Hand Friday 19 March Voodoo Rooms £7 Wry and melancholic folk musings from Dan Wilson Gift of Gab Friday 19 March captain's Rest, Glasgow £10 One half of Blackalicious breaks out for dolo in Glasgow

The Secrets of Sherlock Holmes 30 March – 3 April King’s theatre £16.00 - £26.50 conan Doyle’s great detective faces another sinister mystery Edward Albee’s The Goat, Or Who Is Silvia?

21 April – 8 May traverse theatre £5.00 - £12.00 new production of challenging script encompassing homosexuality, incest and bestiality Every One 19 March – 10 April lyceum theatre £5 (£3) A tale of hope in a tragedystricken family

Chicken Wire Blues Bar 19 March, 8pm – 12am Studio 24 £3 live blues in subterranean club

20Ten 20 March –26 March Arts complex, St. Margaret's House third-year Drawing and Painting students from ecA present a collection of works

Through the Keyhole 23 March, 8pm – 1am Voodoo Rooms £tBc Burlesque show

Reveal 20 March – 8 May edinburgh Printmakers Group exhibition for printmakers from Scotland’s art schools

Ride (Lauren, Chekkie) 25 March, 11pm – 3am Sneaky Pete’s Free Hip hop, electro I-Tal Faya Sound 26 March, 11pm – 3am Speakeasy @ cabaret Voltaire £6 (£4 for ladies) Italian vocalists

At A Glance 2 April – 9 April Henderson Gallery new works by nuala Herron and Sam luntley Bethan Maddocks and Anna Robbins: Of the Remainder 14 March – 11 April Sierra Metro Series of new site-specific assemblages

Dan Antopolski 24 March the Stand £10 (£8) Surreal comic returns to the city that helped make his name Red Raw 22 March the Stand £2 (£1) Regular lineup of budding comedians, hosted by Siăn Bevan Absolute Beginners 29 March Beehive Inn £2 (£1) lineup of new and emerging comics Comedy Pow Wow 20 April the Illicit Still Free live sketches and comedic songs

24 Arts & Entertainment

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Music

Ballet

The xx

Wuthering Heights

London hipsters' elusive personas intrigue a devoted crowd

Sophie Alexander Band of the moment and nMe favourites the xx are on the cusp of something big. the London trio can already boast a sellout tour, which helps explain why Studio 24 is tonight rammed with artsy hipster kids with appropriately ‘alternative’ haircuts, awaiting the arrival of the latest Big thing.

While ‘Intro’, one of the most hypnotic album openers to be heard in some years, captivates the crowd, only silhouettes are to be seen of the three Londoners. a white sheet masks the stage, creating an air of intense mystery that persists throughout the evening. eventually, the sheet drops emphatically and the three are revealed, but a mythical shyness surrounds them with a subdued aura of morbid cool. all dressed in black, they speak barely a word— but then, they don’t need to. oliver Sims’ beauteous, moaning drawl and Romy Madley Croft’s seductive lisp is enough to make everyone in the stuffy little room think they’re

up close and personal with a lover, hearts beating and pulses racing. the xx embody sex.

Particular highlights include ‘Crystalised’, a languid beauty of a track reflecting the perfection of the Sims/Madley Croft pairing, as the duet sing different verses simultaneously to produce a compelling, melancholic feel. the band offer two covers tonight: Womack and Womack’s ‘teardrops’, note-perfect and haunting, and Kyla’s ‘do You Mind’. Such is the xx’s influence, with both their own material and their slightly disparate cover choices; they seem to possess the ability, through simplistic arrangements and deep bass notes, to look into their fans’ very souls.

It is rare for a band, sounding exactly like they do on their album, to retain an air of anonymity and secrecy. But the xx seem to manage this with little effort, seeming at all times refreshing, pure and unquantifiably cool.

Venue: Studio 24 | Dates: 9 March | Price: £12 | www.thexx.info

Ballet adaptation of Brontë classic neutralises much of the novel's ingrained tension.

Jennifer Blyth the noRtheRn BaLLet theatre makes a welcome return to edinburgh with this adaptation of emily Brontë’s literary classic Wuthering Heights. With the company in full bloom, having just won the Patron’s award at the Critics’ Circle national dance awards, this muchpublicised collaboration between the media of text, music and dance has been touted as an exciting new venture, particularly for the novel’s enthusiasts. adored by scholars and romantics alike, Wuthering Heights depicts the violent, bittersweet and passionate love story between Cathy and heathcliff. two volatile souls, their destructive relationship becomes their ruin; from the innocence of their childhood introduction to the desolation of their final encounter, the partnership is fraught with tension throughout. the northern Ballet

Music

theatre

Killa Kela

Heaven

Beatboxer's mashup of hip hop and electro works well, in moderation

a philosophical debate in an airport departure lounge is the setting for a fascinating narrative

Rebecca Monks

foR BeatBoxIng neoPhYteS nationwide, Killa Kela is an inspiration. Currently touring with his debut album, Amplified!, Lee Potter is often hailed as a master of his craft, described by one pundit as possessing “more creativity than a goth during an art degree”. having performed beside artists as diverse as Prince and Lethal Bizzle, Killa Kela is no longer to be considered a marginal oddity, but a mainstream fixture.

Kicking off his UK tour at edinburgh’s electric Circus, tonight’s gig is a mash up of edgy electro and hardened hip-hop, putting Kela’s beatboxing skills to the test. the variety of tricks are admirable and he sustains a level of eclecticism that many other musical genres fail to match. as talented as Kela may be, however, the crowd seem more in awe of his unique ability, which occasionally obfuscates the fact that the quality of the show itself

isn’t always what it should be. thus, the evening becomes a showcase for Kela’s rare talent rather than an entertaining experience for the audience. on occasion, when the atmosphere lags slightly, Kela refreshes the crowd with a variety of choppy house-like rhythms that recall the sort of synth compression more common in french touch. drum & bass, hip-hop and beatboxing tumble together seamlessly - even taking in, of all things, a Britney Spears cover.

In Kela, onlookers find a musical innovation, but one that is to be enjoyed sparingly. artists like Kela are an interesting experience, but one to be enjoyed in moderation. he is undeniably a talented musician bringing new life to an underappreciated genre, and the crowd depart suitably impressed, refreshed and not at all saliva-soaked.

Venue: Electric Circus | Date: 7 March | Price: £8 www.killakela.com

Chris Hinton-Lewis as Heathcliff + Keiko Amemori as Cathy

production has been adapted using the framing narrative techniques of prologue and epilogue; as the grownup heathcliff and Cathy perform alongside their younger, more playful counterparts, the thematic contrast between childhood and adulthood is evoked. from the outset, the production is given an air of sentimentality, one that it never quite manages to shake off.

In part, the problem stems from the choreography. Its elegance is a contradiction to the novel’s ingrained savagery; the only time we feel any sense of unruliness is when the children are at play—but of course, as a ballet, every tumble and fall is naturally punctuated by a delicate pirouette. Unlike Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray, which managed to incorporate stylised ballet in a way that successfully represented primitive sexuality,

the movements here are too fluid to do the same. Kenneth tindall makes for a typically windblown heathcliff; his dance routines, aided by excellent orchestration, for the most part convey his drive. his relations with Cathy, however, are not as raw or painful as those in the novel: there is a considerable amount of dreamy frolicking on the moors and not enough furious angst. the attractive costumes and gentle dancing assist in this rejection of the book’s violent nature, and only at the end does tragedy finally prevail. as a production, it might not offer fans of the novel an outright adaptation, but its accessibility will no contribute to an exciting discovery for Brontë newcomers.

Venue: Festival Theatre | Dates: 11 13 March | Price: £11.50 - £31.50

Robbie Jack and Sean Scanlan in Heaven by Simon Stephens 2

Amy Taylor Theatre MISSed oPPoRtUnItIeS and a chance encounter are just two of the themes that wrestle for domination of Simon Stephens’ new script Heaven. directed by the traverse’s artistic director, dominic hill, the play follows two very different men and their very different reasons for finding themselves in edinburgh airport. a trivial argument over littering in the airport departure lounge leads to a philosophical debate between two strangers, the turin-bound Sean (Robert Jack) and the mysterious Kyle (Sean Scanlan). as their awkward encounter continues, it becomes clear that Kyle knows much more about Sean than he should. But as Sean’s plane prepares to depart, conversation turns to confession as Sean reveals his reasons for leaving Scotland.

originally performed as a reading by the traverse for their theatre for Breakfast season at the 2009 fringe, Heaven is a witty and intriguing story of escape, desire and faith, as the play questions the possibilities of divine intervention without once mentioning religion. It is Stephens’ decision not to include any explicit mention of belief or a higher power that makes this play so refreshing; free from the constraints of modern religion, Heaven is able to explore the human side of spirituality and emotion.

While Stephens’ script covers topics as diverse as the environment,

vanity, healthy living and travel, it’s the overall ambiguity of the play and its allusions to the philosophical, the unavoidable challenges of growing old and awareness of your own mortality that makes Heaven so fascinating.

Under hill’s direction, both Jack and Scanlon excel in their roles as the guilt-ridden traveller and eccentric older gentleman, but it is Scanlon’s turn as the wise, opinionated Kyle that provides a highlight.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh | Dates: Tue 2 Mar- Sat 6 Mar | Price: £10

Arts & Entertainment 25

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Lorena BecheLLi

Music

The Shattered Head

Grizzly Bear The Brooklyn quartet bare their teeth to dazzling effect

an exploration of the life of eduardo Paolozzi fails to capture the essence of the artist's spirit

Ray Philp Music a DiSinGenuouS CriTique is sometimes applied to Veckatimest, and to a lesser extent the new york quartet that crafted it. Their crime?

Perfection. or, to be more exact, an overzealous approach to achieving it. every note of Grizzly Bear’s third album is conspicuously pristine and considered; a few may take the logical quantum leap and label it as sterile, but to chuck stones at it on that basis seems self-defeating— we’ve got plenty of shambolic no-fi outfits already, thanks. even so, Grizzly Bear appear tacitly aware that shedding a couple of layers of production isn’t necessarily a compromise; ‘Southern Point’ is stripped of some studio tweaks, but loses none of its affecting grandeur. a more instinctive attitude to their material comes off well in the main, save for a disappointing rendition of ‘Two Weeks’ that seems to lose much of its sparkle, thanks to a buoyant arrangement that sacrifices the original’s depth of feeling. Coincidentally, Victoria Legrand is on hand to share vocals with the quartet for

Amy Taylor Theatre Daniel Rossen

the latter song, reappearing onstage for a brief cameo after an impressive showing as one half of Beach house.

Grizzly Bear trust their audience enough to play a considerable smattering of songs outwith Veckatimest – the wistful ‘Deep Blue Sea’, from the Friend eP, is the pick of the bunch, rivalled only by the upbeat stomp of ‘on a neck, on a Spit’. however, it’s the offerings from the latest album that really steal the show. The majestic swells and crashes of ‘i Live With you’ shudder a sound system

that just about manages to hold itself together; while at the other end of the spectrum, the quietude of Foreground is reciprocated by a deathly, reverent silence. ‘While you Wait For The others’ is also worth mentioning for the cheer that welcomes its choppy riffs and Daniel rossen’s ethereal coo.

The band near enough exhaust themselves by the end —the balmy air and visible furrows of concentration see to that—and Chris Taylor busts a gut to flit between the menagerie of wind instruments at his

art

feet. The queen’s hall’s beautifully washed-out pastel interior offers a curious précis of the evening. Within the faded opulence of the auditorium walls, Grizzly Bear, as polished an outfit as they are, sound just as enchanting once they allow the varnish to chip away a little.

Venue: Queens Hall | Date: 9th March | Price: £17.50 www.grizzly-bear.net

John Davies, For the Last Time

Strange Encounters a sparse exhibition forces us to look behind our own masks Michael Grotell

When JiM Carrey donned a green mask, his unrepentant behaviour was the result of being granted anonymity. But masks conceal less than we might think, reveals Strange Encounters, a new exhibition at the Dean Gallery in the room adjoining Paolozzi’s studio.

Wearing rough estimations of Venetian masks, reminiscent of the Plague Doctor’s beak (intended to keep a distance from contagions), four male mannequins in suits and oxfords are splayed across the room in poses authoritarian, carnal, contemplative and vacant. The domination at play lacks any traditional signifiers; beyond posture, the figures appear nearly identical, but one holds a mirror. The room

Music

is otherwise sparse; containing one painting and two other hung works.

From masked uniformity as a feature of the horrors perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan to the sadistic conspiracies of the ultrawealthy in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, the mask often proves better-suited to hiding one from oneself than from others.

The 1963 Milgram experiment, under the guise of a memory experiment, tested the willingness of an individual to forgo moral concerns when reassured by an authoritative figure, as volunteers administered lethal voltages to their ‘test subjects’ (actors trained to simulate effects). The 1971 Stanford Prison experiment, in which volunteers played the roles of guard

and prisoners, found the ‘guards’ gleefully at ease with their assigned task of proving their ‘arbitrary control’ and the experiment was shut down in infamy. Foucault argued that discipline as a social function mutated from corrective preservation to one of positivist engineering. arendt called it the banality of evil: horror is not revealed outwardly or inwardly, as long as one is aligned with authority and its goals.

Douglass Gordon’s mirror behind a sheet of glass, with the ashes of a photograph, calls itself a portrait of the artist and viewer, a clever play on the artist hidden within the work, and a mocking celebration of the self in space and time. The viewer cannot

accept both simultaneously: cognitive dissonance theory explains that the mind cannot hold two opposing views and will rationalize whichever is dominant. This is the process that held accountable the individual bankers, not the system that let them run wild; and the individual guards who engaged in torture at abu Ghraib, not those who made and approved the order. as such, one might assume adolf eichmann had talons. Take a look in Gordon’s mirror: we all wear masks.

Venue: The Dean Gallery | Dates: Until 27 July | Price: Free

The LiFe anD work of the Leithborn artist Sir eduardo Paolozzi is the subject of The Shattered Head, the latest production in the Traverse Theatre’s a Play, a Pie and a Pint season. Written and directed by Graham eatough and based on an original concept by Maggie rose, the play attempts to delve into the mind and past of the surrealist artist, but unfortunately falls short of this ambitious goal.

Beginning in 2001, The Shattered Head follows Sir eduardo Paolozzi (Michael MacKenzie) as he begins his slow recovery from a near-fatal stroke earlier that year. now confined to a wheelchair, he attempts to re-learn basic motor skills with the help of a young Care assistant (Louise Ludgate). But as he gradually improves, he finds himself revisiting the escapades of the much younger Paolozzi (ian Bustard), including his difficult relationship with his family, and the search for his own identity. named after Paolozzi’s 1956 sculpture, The Shattered Head serves as a tribute to the late Scottish-italian artist and the lasting impression he made on 20th century european art, but reveals precious little about the inspiration and drive of the man behind the craft. While various key points in his life are briefly revealed —his affair with a student, allegations of plagiarism and the deaths of his father, grandfather and uncle in the 1940 sinking of the SS Arandora Star—these succinct allusions do little to capture Paolozzi’s imagination and spirit.

Dominated by themes of surrealism, rehabilitation and alienation, eatough’s production employs several dream sequences to depict some of Paolozzi’s most famous work. But these scenes, filled with references to the Pop art movement and the staples of ‘50s americana, serve little purpose other than to fill in the gaps in Paolozzi’s story.

The efforts of a talented cast compensate for what the play lacks in depth, especially striking is MacKenzie’s portrayal of the older, disabled Paolozzi, a beautifully realistic representation of the debilitating affects of a stroke on the body and mind. if only other aspects of his life were as poignantly presented.

Venue: Traverse Theatre | Dates: 9 13 March | Price: £10

26 Arts & Entertainment

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010 Kara McMillan

Music

The View stroppy frontman brings an abrupt halt to proceedings at the Bongo Club

Capturing the Concept

Jeremy Parker

Nick Eardley Deputy Editor Bands need a strong frontman; one who can engage with and entertain the audience at gigs. a commanding singer who can hold the audience in the palm of their hand is, more often than not, the making of the most memorable live acts. The View, in this respect, have a problem. singer Kyle Falconer is a mixed bag. When they are on form, the 22-year old is an asset loved by the band’s devotees. But when things go wrong, it’s normally something to do with Falconer. This was the case during the band’s last showcase in edinburgh, when he was barely able to speak after drinking too much before a gig. The same reason led to an early departure at another date in nottingham.

Tonight’s gig is pitched as an exciting preview of the dundee band’s third album at the packed-out Bongo Club. despite opening with their debut single ‘Wasted Little dJs’, the plan is to stick to the testing of

art

new material, delving into the lesserknown album tracks before finishing with some crowd pleasers. and for the most part, it works.

This is an impressive first outing for the new material, performed with confidence and impeccable timing.

Third albums often prove tricky as bands try out previously-uncharted styles with mixed results for loyal fans (see Franz Ferdinand), but the tracks showcased tonight reaffirm that The View have a talent for producing material that follows the formula that won them their fan base, without sounding worn or repetitive.

But again it was Falconer’s temperament that meant the show ended in disappointment. after being hit with a plastic cup Falconer claimed was ‘piss’, the band rushed through ‘shock Horror’ before storming off having been on stage less than an

hour, and with 5 songs left on the set-list. Bassist Kieron Webster tried to defuse the situation, but the rest of the band had no choice but to follow when the frontman decided that he’d had enough. despite telling the crowd to blame the offending thrower, it was another letdown for the band’s faithful followers. a quick change of top might have been enough for most, but Falconer was clearly in no mood to return. so while The View exhibit their strengths with their new material, Falconer once again showcases their main weakness. Very few bands can maintain a dedicated fan base with a frontman who does more damage than good, and this could prove to be The View’s downfall.

Venue: Bongo Club | Dates: 5 March | Price: £20

THe FeW pHoTograpHs and rows of wooden cabinets that occupy the main hall of the eCa do not immediately entice the viewer. But on closer examination the inner thoughts and working processes in this collection reveal an intimate portrait of the meticulous design process of a man hailed as one of Britain’s greatest architects.

The exhibition comprises a collection of sir nicholas grimshaw’s sketchbooks, dated from 1982 to 2007, rangeingfrom initial proposals to grimshack’s private thoughts. although illustrating the diversity and ingenuity of grimshaw’s mind they are executed with a pervading sense of order. The books are all identical—a4 sketchbooks, with the same off-white drawing paper and illustrated with the same blue ink—and one cannot help but imagine grimshaw at his desk realising preparatory sketches for the organic, undulating forms of his masterpiece, the eden project.

The sense of order and control that permeates grimshaw’s sketchbooks recalls the notion of the architect as creator. The sketches depict the architectural process in its entirety: from initial limitations, like the climate considerations annotated on a sketch for palkovo airport

in st petersburg, to grimshaw’s vision of how people will move through his buildings, as described in a plan for the British pavilion.

The totality of design so evident in grimshaw’s sketches is reminiscent of the Corbusian vision of a utopian world with the architect as its supreme authority, and the idea that through efficient architecture once can achieve an efficient society.

The collection emphasises the importance of drawing within the design process. The sketches provide a portable platform with which the architect can record his thoughts and inspiration, with a sense of immediacy not available in the practice or studio. The consistency in grimshaw’s sketchbooks results in a narrative of design in which the viewer is invited into grimshaw’s mind and can trace the development from structural drawings and lists of materials, to the completed buildings shown in high-quality photographs that accompany the exhibition.

Capturing the Concept offers the viewer a rare insight into the primary stages of some of Britain’s most innovative modern architecture, while also providing an elegant portrayal of the process by which the drawn line is transformed into metal and glass.

Venue: Edinburgh College of Art | Dates: Until 12 March | Price: Free

Fashion 27

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

theatre

theatre

art

Dinnerladies

The Homecoming

Doris and Lubin

stage adaptation of BBC sitcom is charming enough, but lacks appeal to a student audience

new company's re-staging of Pinter script is a tense exploration of sexual politics within a family

Rebecca Gordon

ViCtoria Wood’s DinneRlADies may not strike you as a particularly niche product. But, just as the rocky Horror Picture show attracts fishnet-wearing cross-dressers, so too does Wood’s canteen-set show trail a doting audience - of the blue-rinsed kind. Dinnerladies is to comedy what tartan shopping bags are to fashion; just like the handy luggage-item, the mild sitcom without doubt serves its comedic purpose, and on many levels works quite well. But, despite a perfectly-timed cast and a charming plot, Dinnerladies just can’t transcend the indomitable force of time.

Based on the second series of the BBC sitcom, the stage adaptation unfurls the burgeoning romance between head dinner lady Bren (Victoria Wood’s character, here portrayed by sue devaney) and canteen manager tony (andrew dunn reprising his role in the tV series). accompanied by a hotch-potch crew of staff, the group trundle through canteen life, interrupted only by mouthy customers and, of course, Bren’s flaky drunk of a mother (tamsin Heatley).

Quaint though it sounds, from the moment staff members dolly and Jean puzzle over a magazine featuring ‘unusual knobs’ the double entendres come thick and fast (pardon the pun). Carrying more than a whiff of the Carry On genre, playful references to viagra and cystitis have the—largely female, largely over 50—audience in stitches, but for anyone who isn’t a fan of classically crude innuendo, the gags quickly start to wear a little thin. technically, Dinnerladies is almost faultless. roles are handled adeptly, in particular by roya amiri as doltish anita and Carrie Whitton as ballsy youth twinkle. Heatley, meanwhile, thrives in the part of Bren’s delusional mother Petula, a role she inherits from Julie Walters.

Wood’s ability as a playwright is underscored by a plot which succeeds in touching sensitively on issues of life in the Mancunian factory setting. ultimately, however, whether you enjoy this inoffensive jaunt or not boils down to taste. there’s no denying that most of the audience revels in Wood’s menopausal, oh-so-cheeky blast from the past. For a twentysomething spectator, however, leaving the theatre to the tune of agadoo, Dinnerladies just feels a little too out of touch.

Venue: King's Theatre | Dates: 6 - 13 March | Price: £14.00- £26.50

Hannah Clark

Harold Pinter PusHes the boundaries of acceptability in The Homecoming, a challenging, powerful and ultimately disturbing story and therefore one which makes for an unusual choice for et al theatre Company’s first production. despite the risks and somewhat dangerous territory of the plot, this production sees a sophisticated and intelligent interpretation whilst maintaining a striking tension throughout. the play explores morality in a household of one london family, as the eldest son teddy returns home after six years away to introduce his wife, ruth (imogen lloyd) to his family. Heads turn as the first female influence in the house for many years starts to make herself at home and quickly gathers a questionable affection between all the brothers and the dominated father. the play’s cryptic and often ambiguous motives lead to constant perplexity, but amidst this confusion comes a striking performance by sebastian ross (as lenny), a slick and somewhat creepy wide-boy whose meticulous appearance is juxtaposed with his murky backstreet career. His character’s nuances—a slight move of his hand or a look that lasts a moment too long—are what makes the production so successful when combined with ross’ confidence and ease, creating an increas- ingly uncomfortable relationship within the audience. the stark, dismal set seems a purposefully minimalist backdrop to what should be seen as a crowded story. it would be easy for the reputation of the play to supersede expectations, as a challenge so

big that it would have drowned any notion of merit. et al refuse to shy away from the controversies which in turn steers the play away from obscurity and keeps its longevity intact, with a relevance that it seems will never fade. it’s still as shocking, and also has a poignancy drawn out by a strong cast. it’s not the sexual ethics behind the script which attack our conscience but rather the intent with which they are performed. the controlled and measured performance of oscar lamont as the only rational member of the family balances the chaos which surrounds him as, like us, he overlooks the baffling incestuous and inter-marital relations at play. at times, just when we think we have little in common with such a disrupted and disturbed family, the fundamental exploration of friction within the unit hits home, and it is this recognition of real life which allows us to accept the horrors that unfold before our eyes.

two-dimensional caricatures. Combined, this makes Porridge disjointed and difficult to follow, with an abrupt and nondescript ending. this stage version is, disappointingly, completely unsuited for theatre, and the writers would have done better to have created a one-off self-contained ‘episode’ instead of the mishmash of stale oats and sour milk that doesn’t quite know what it’s trying to be. this adaptation is certainly not the deliciously warm and filling Porridge it could have been.

Venue: King's Theatre | Dates: 13 March | Price: £14.00 - £26.50

Venue: Komachi Gallery | Dates: Until 14 March | Price: Free

Venue: Roxy Art House | Dates: 3 - 4 March | Price: £4 (£3)

Porridge

aFter Huge tV success in the 1970s and continuous re-runs on the BBC up to the present day, Porridge is considered one of the greats of British comedy. this year, the world premiere of the stage version is touring with shaun Williamson, now quite the cult figure from contemporary comedy extras, as he re-enacts ronnie Barker’s iconic Fletcher. technically, Porridge is a decent production. nothing stands out as being particularly impressive, but equally there are few overt faults. the set is simple, although the constant

changes prevent the development of any real pace, and the lighting and sound effects serve to enhance the prison lock-down atmosphere. With the exception of actor ryan Winston’s questionable scottish accent as Mclaren, the acting is strong, and shaun Williamson certainly stands out with a diverse display and a knack for both precise comic timing and serious drama when necessary. to give it its due, the show is a joke from the start, with all the wordplay to be expected from the British classic. it is painfully noticeable, however, that only one or two gags manage to get the entire half-capacity audience laughing. the show attempts a few social commentaries,

but none are significant enough to encourage more than a momentary pondering, if at all, of its present relevance.

Where Porridge really lets itself down is in the script. lacking any plot whatsoever, dick Clement and ian la Frenais have instead lazily thrown together random sketch-like scenes from the original tV series. although this format might appeal to die-hard Porridge fans, it alienates those audience members who are less familiar with the programme. the assumption of prior knowledge means that character development is practically non-existent, and we are instead presented with an unnecessarily large cast of fifteen

Joe Constable

laBelling itselF “a pop-up guerrilla gallery, dedicated to breaking down both social and artistic hierarchies”, the Komachi gallery certainly attempts to adhere to its own tagline with its current exhibition, courtesy of artists sarah Wilson and Claire Ferguson; the eponymous doris and lubin. through the scattered pieces of poetic expression that run over the space’s four tight walls, we are given a dramatic yet somewhat overwhelming insight into the deeply personal contemplations of the two artists, who co-edited these words independently of one another.

Following the well-known concept of art as a vehicle for creative catharsis, the honest and explicit stream of consciousness that floods the gallery walls is an expression of tension, desire and failed communication within the relationship that it depicts. despite being essentially a rather self-indulgent collection of poetical fragments, there is a beauty in lines such as “i will fill the mattress with blossoms, so that you are surrounded by love”, and a distinct expression of personal pain in “there is a vortex somewhere near my womb where there is no gravity at all.” these words are combined with various physical manifestations from the text; a tube, a line of muesli, a wolf mask and a spoon are displayed consecutively on the gallery floor, acting as relics of the verbal recollections that surround them. as viewers we enter into the mind of the artist, where kitchensink realism is countered by poetic beauty, and framed by an intense intimacy.

Yet for all the conflicting styles, images, and suggestions, one can’t help but question whether it all actually works. although the words seem desperate to draw us into the inner sanctum of a pained mind, the lasting effect seems to be one of alienation rather than inclusion. the words are almost too honest, too hyperbolic and too suggestive, such that the resulting self-indulgency becomes a barrier preventing any level of empathy or identification on behalf of the viewer.

Considering the self-involvement of artists such as tracey emin over a decade ago, one can’t help but feel that we’ve been here before. in this sense doris and lubin’s work not only fails to break any boundaries, but becomes a lacklustre return to one already broken.

theatre

Alexandra Wingate

intimate exhibition overstates the point, failing to create real empathy

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24/2/10 17:39:0

Fashion, Food & Drink 29

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Backstage pass at London Fashion week Helen Broadfoot Fashion

a

Way froM SoMerSeT house, currently hosting some of the country’s biggest designers, are catwalks of a slightly smaller scale - those hosted by on/off at Victoria house. on/off is the uk’s original independent fashion showcase, taking place during london fashion Week.

it was established in 2003 and aims to “bridge the gap between on—and off—schedule designers, praised by international press and buyers for creating a unique platform to showcase designers’ collections, by pushing the boundaries of contemporary exhibition space.” among these is Welsh-born designer elliot J. frieze, previously director of QaSiMi and Mickiko koshino. This year, frieze showcased both his Women’s and Menswear

Amber Le Bon showcasing one of the designer's most feminine and figure-hugging dresses.

Backstage at On/ Off in London, The Journal watches budding designers working alongside industry heavyweights

collections with renowned model Jacquetta Wheeler. as an adjunct to on/off comes on/off presents, allowing four budding designers chosen by a panel of fashion industry heavyweights to showcase their collections.

The Journal got backstage at both on/ off presents and frieze’s debut show to find out what all the buzz is about.

We have selected some of our favourite photos from behind the scenes to share the experience with you...

eating out

Made in italy The Grassmarket restaurant proving that taste is usually more important than rigid 'authenticity'

Backstage at Elliott J. Frieze.

Ben Kendall Food & Drink

Mr + Mr; East London based designers, Mister and Mister showcased their innovative and creative menswear collection.

London fashion week highlights Rosin Watson

Backstage at On/Off Presents!

HELEN bROADFOOT & SHAUNIE bRETT

One of my personal favoritesElliott‚ menswear collection styled by LOVE Magazine, Anders Slvsten Thomsen.

B

The girls show off designs by Samantha Cole, an international award-winning contemporary British Brand. Her collection exhibits modern day pieces- with a twist.

urBerry’S chriSTopher Bailey designed an outstanding collection with each jacket as covetable as the next. The sheepskin, the leather, the zips, the buckles and the giant-collars create incredible shapes which are also visually pleasing. The rest of the line was equally striking: ruffles, lace, snakeskin boots and studded clutch bags all made an appearance.

The ppQ show was full of party dresses in almost every shape and style. in mostly black and gold colours, some were smart,

some sexy and all desirable. Gold was used throughout; harem pants, shorts and a trench coat all made in the fabulously tacky material. once again, christopher kane surprised everyone. leather, patent and lace were embroidered with flowers creating a contrast between the dark and the pretty.

The designer said the collection was “about a delinquent teenager.” Some of the pieces are almost deemed ugly at first as they are so shocking and unexpected. Soon however, the dresses which are sweet yet risqué, become captivating. other highlights include the musky pastel colours in Marios Schwab’s collection, Jonathan Saunders’s slightly sporty and abstract dresses, four striking models walking the runway together at osman and erdem’s collection with their outdoorsy feel and beautiful dresses.

drinking

Tonic lively, friendly and all too forgettable Tabitha Standish-Hayes

T

ucked aWay in an alley just off George Street, Tonic may not be a new discovery to many. embracing the clubby atmosphere of its Georgian neighbours, the establishment is both upbeat and lively, while maintaining an intimate atmosphere. This may be partly due to its restrictive size; Tonic comprises a single comparatively small room

which ensures all of its patrons are soon rubbing shoulders. The intimacy works however, and through the ether of generic cocktail bar ambience it is possible to detect an air of friendliness commonly omitted from many drinking dens of its type.

The staff help accentuate this mood.

The impressive array of interesting and delectable cocktails on offer can baffle, but the experienced and patient bar staff are more than capable of indulging the indecisive, with suggestions on what would best suit each individual

taste. concoctions are prepared with all the bottle-based acrobatics and flair that have become customary when preparing a cocktail, which prove an entertaining five-minutes.

Tonic’s greatest flaw is its lack of individuality. it claims the title of ‘edinburgh’s original cocktail bar’ but it has done little to preserve its distinctiveness (aside from an ill-placed television screen airing the BBc news at midnight), leaving it in the dust when compared to the nearby competition. altogether, Tonic is little more than

just another of edinburgh’s many cocktail bars. it is neither disappointing nor outstanding; forgettable nor noteworthy; overpriced nor cheap. Tonic is as inoffensive as they come, and does well by such a reputation. The sociable mood does it credit, and one could certainly choose a worse watering-hole to patronise. if all you seek is a decent drink and a convivial evening, Tonic definitely bears investigating, but it has no unique flair.

34 North Castle Street, Edinburgh EH2

i

T MiGhT Be surprising to hear that with regard to restaurants, authenticity is not a trait i eagerly seek. having resigned myself to the disappointing truth that any food with a foreign designation eaten in the anglophone West is generally to be regarded as an imposter, i do not wish for my dinner to be “authentic” - rather, i wish for it to be good. To elucidate, it is a well-distributed fact that “curry” consumed in this country bears little or no resemblance to the age-old creations enjoyed in india; the Bolognese do not, in fact, take their eponymous hearty sauce with spaghetti but with tagliatelle (this is a fine distinction, but the italians are right: tagliatelle Bolognese far outstrips its anglicised cousin). it is a crassly postcolonial reality that in British kitchens decrepit artefacts of foreign cultures can be unearthed, the desired qualities having been extracted and the rest discarded. Thus i relinquish to the tendency of food in Britain to yield to British tastes. it seems, however, that the sole aim of Made in italy is to contradict me in this assertion. at around 9pm young italians arrive by the meretricious tableful. They come and they order pizza capricciosa (£7.40 for 10”), spaghetti carbonara (£4.40) and lasagne (£4.80) all on well-laden plates and all tasting exactly as one expects.

The carbonara is seductively creamy with an eggy richness punctuated by interludes of salty, meaty pancetta. The capricciosa is festooned with italianate ingredients—mozzarella, olives, tomatoes and prosciutto ham. The lasagne is equally predictable. coffee comes in my favourite guise: cocoa dark, thickly oozing and shake-inducingly strong.

The food is at once of the sort which British tastes expect and which italians enjoy with Mediterranean enthusiasm. The menu reads like an anglo-american parody of italian food. it is not resemblant of the food about which one reads in antonio carluccio or Sophia loren, but the italians do not seem to care. perhaps, then, nor should i. after all, in a country such as our own authenticity is obsolescent; perfect prandial pleasure is instead the sought-for ideal. i humbly propose that Made in italy serves as an inexpensive rest-stop on some junction heading towards such an ideal.

Made In Italy, 42 Grassmarket Edinburgh, EH1

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Bruntsfield Bruntsfield Place, 2050, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Gillespie Crescent, 1900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Merchiston Avenue, 1825, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1800, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Maxwell Street, 1750, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1575, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9314 Bruntsfield Gardens, 1395, 4, 4D E, 0844 635 3780 Viewforth, 1365, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Barclay Place, 1325, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Montpelier Park, 1275, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1275, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9422 Gillespie Place, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Bruntsfield Place, 1200, 3, 3D 2B G CG Z, 0844 635 9312 Montpelier, 1200, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Gillespie Place, 1095, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9324 Bruntsfield Avenue, 1050, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9302 Bruntsfield Place, 1050, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 2418 Leamington Terrace, 1050, 3, 3D Z, 0844 635 2418 Merchiston Bank Avenue, 1030, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Barclay Place, 980, 3, G Z, 0844 635 9316 Viewforth, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Viewforth Gardens, 960, 3, 1S 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Bruntsfield Place, 875, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Montpelier, 875, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9302 Gillespie Street, 855, 3, 3S G O, 0844 635 9322 Colinton Road, 800, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9592 Valleyfield Street, 595, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9456 Merchiston Place, 850, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700

Canonmills Bellevue Road, 1050, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Rodney Street, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Rodney Street, 595, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0844 635 9320 Canon Street, 550, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Broughton Road, 525, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Logie Green Road, 499, 1, 1D, 0844 635 9456

City Centre North Bridge, 2500, 4, 4D G, 0844 635 9300 George Street, 1600, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9478 Brunswick Street, 1330, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Bellevue Road, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Mayfield Road, 900, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9478 Elm Row, 795, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Niddry Street Edinburgh, 675, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9324 Elm Row, 645, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Lothian Road, 625, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 2010 Caledonian Road, 585, 2, 1S 1D 1B E CG O, 0844 635 9328 Shaws Square, 575, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9320 Websters Land, 505, 1, 1D W Z, 0844 635 9434 Bothwell Street, 475, 1, 1D E Z, 0844 635 9324 Horne Terrace, 395, 1, 1D CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Lady Lawson Street, 440, 1, 1S E Z, 0844 635 9434

Dalry Gorgie Road, 1500, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Caledonian Road, 1340, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalry Road, 1330, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalry Road, 1330, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalry Road, 1320, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Road, 1280, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Crescent, 1220, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Gorgie Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Crescent, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalry Road, 1050, 3, 3D G CG, 0844 635 2418 Hermand Crescent, 1050, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Slateford Road, 1020, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Crescent, 1010, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Slateford Road, 1005, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Slateford Road, 1005, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalry Road, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700

Caledonian Road, 975, 3, 3D, 0844 635 9316 Dalry Road, 975, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Crescent, 975, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Richmond Terrace, 975, 3, 1S 2D G Z, 0844 635 9302 Murieston Crescent, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Caledonian Place, 950, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Crescent, 950, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Cathcart Place, 930, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Cathcart Place, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Springwell Place, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Gorgie Road, 915, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Caledonian Place, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Ardmillan Place, 745, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Caledonian Place, 700, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 2627 Alexander Drive, 650, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9320 Angle Park Terrace, 570, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Murieston Lane, 525, 2, 2D W CG P, 0844 635 9334 Wardlaw Street, 510, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Cathcart Place, 500, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Duff Street, 500, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9326 Murieston Road, 495, 2, 1S 1D CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Springwell Place, 495, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9434 Wardlaw Place, 475, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Caledonian Place, 450, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9434 Downfield Place, 450, 1, 1D W CG Z, 0844 635 9424 Argyll Terrace, 540, 1, 1D W PG O, 0844 635 2627

Easter Road Cadzow Place, 1300, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 1260, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 1240, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 1180, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 1005, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 1000, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dicksonfield, 650, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Easter Road, 650, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9488 Easter Road, 625, 2, 2D G CG, 0844 635 2418 Montgomery Street, 620, 2, 2D, 0844 635 9316 Easter Road, 600, 2, 1S 1D G, 0844 635 9578 Easter Road, 595, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9679 Bothwell Street, 500, 1, G O, 0844 635 9558 Rossie Place, 500, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Edina Place, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Easter Road, 475, 1, E, 0844 635 9326 Rossie Place, 450, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418

Fountainbridge Polwarth Crescent, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Dundee Terrace, 1320, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Tay Street, 1200, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 East Fountainbridge, 565, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9424 Yeaman Place, 480, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 9424 Gardner’s Crescent, 475, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Murdoch Terrace, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9320 Grove Street, 420, 1, 1D E Z, 0844 635 9592

Gorgie Gorgie Road, 1400, 4, 4D E P, 0844 635 9314 Gorgie Road, 1195, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 3780 Westfield Court, 930, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9302 Gorgie Road, 900, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9302 Gorgie Road, 795, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9558 Westfield Street, 625, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Gorgie Road, 600, 2, 2D E CG O, 0844 635 9558 Gorgie Road, 575, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Wardlaw Place, 495, 1, 1D W O, 0844 635 9324 Wardlaw Terrace, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Wardlaw Place, 475, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 9560 Smithfield Street, 460, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9560 Stewart Terrace, 460, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 9424 Stewart Terrace, 450, 1, 1D W, 0844 635 9560 Wardlaw Place, 440, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9478 Gorgie Road, 425, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9560 Wardlaw Street, 425, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 2152 White Park, 415, 1, W CG P, 0844 635 9388 Westfield Road, 550, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9468 Wardlaw Street, 430, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9434

Granton Royston Mains Avenue, 750, 3, 3D G CG, 0844 635 9679 West Pilton Gardens, 650, 3, G CG O, 0844 635 0046 Colonsay Way, 599, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9456 Saltire Square, 595, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 9388 Waterfront Avenue, 499, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 9384 Granton Terrace, 495, 2, G CG O, 0844 635 9422 Lower Granton Road, 320, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9560 Saltire Street, 525, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 9388 Waterfront Park, Edinburgh, 495, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 2414

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

Grassmarket Broughton Place, 1500, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 West Port, 950, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 West Port, 595, 2, 2D W Z, 0844 635 9314

Haymarket Morrison Street, 1750, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 1700, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1650, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1550, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1550, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 1450, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1370, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1370, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1360, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1360, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1320, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1320, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1320, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Haymarket Terrace, 1295, 4, G CG O, 0844 635 3780 Grindlay Street, 1240, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 1190, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 West Maitland Street, 1095, 4, 1S 3D G, 0844 635 9320 Spittal Street, 1070, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1030, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 1000, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Grove Street, 930, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 750, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 725, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Morrison Street, 530, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9560 Morrison Street, 530, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9560

Hillside Hillside Street, 1800, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Blenheim Place, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Hillside Crescent, 1550, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Montgomery Street, 1400, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Hillside Crescent, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Brunton Gardens, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Hillside Crescent, 1350, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 9679 Brunswick Street, 1300, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Earlston Place, 1300, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Cadzow Place, 1240, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Montrose Terrace, 1240, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Montgomery Street, 1220, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Hillside Street, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Brunton Gardens, 1000, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Bellevue Road, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Earlston Place, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Montrose Terrace, 975, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Montgomery Street, 950, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Dalziel Place, 945, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Brunton Place, 930, 3, 3D W CG O, 0844 635 9422 Cadzow Place, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Montrose Terrace, 900, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Hillside Street, 850, 3, G CG O, 0844 635 9558 Montrose Terrace, 850, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Albert Place, 725, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Rossie Place, 675, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Montrose Terrace, 500, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700

Leith Walk Leith Walk, 1650, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Albert Place, 1600, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Smith’s Place, 1600, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 1550, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 1500, 5, 5D G CG O, 0844 635 9302 Albert Street, 1450, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Haddington Place, 1450, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700

Croall Place, 1360, 4, 1S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Crown Street, 1340, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Pilrig Street, 1340, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 1260, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 1200, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Dalmeny Street, 1020, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 1000, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 980, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 980, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalmeny Street, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Tinto Place, 950, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Hopetoun Street, 950, 3, 3D G P, 0844 635 2418 Dalmeny Street, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Iona Street, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Ashley Place, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalmeny Street, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 895, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9314 Iona Street, 860, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Mcdonald Road, 850, 3, 1S 2D G CG P, 0844 635 2418 Dryden Street, 795, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 795, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Sloan Street, 795, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 750, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Croall Place, 750, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9446 Leith Walk, 745, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Middlefield, 690, 3, 3S, 0844 635 3700 Mcdonald Road, 650, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 3780 Albert Street, 640, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Springfield Lane, 625, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 600, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Lorne Street, 595, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9460 Dalmeny Street, 550, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9558 Iona Street, 550, 2, 2S, 0844 635 3700 Jameson Place, 550, 2, 1S 1D W CG O, 0844 635 2418 Leith Walk, 520, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 2152 Leith Walk, 495, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Albert Street, 495, 1, 1D 1B G O, 0844 635 9322 Murano Place, 495, 1, 1D E CG P, 0844 635 9578 Albert Street, 450, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9446 Albert Street, 450, 1, 1D W O, 0844 635 9312 Lorne Street, 540, 2, 2D E CG O, 0844 635 9434 Lorne Place, 425, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 9434 Lorne Square, 420, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 9434 Lorne Place, 410, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9434

Marchmont Findhorn Place, 1800, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Strathearn Road, 1700, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Warrender Park Road, 1550, 4, 4D G O, 0844 635 9314 Marchmont Road, 1450, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Marchmont Road, 1420, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9362 Warrender Park Crescent, 1345, 4, 1S 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Strathfillan Road, 1260, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Thirlestane Road, 1200, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9478 Strathearn Road, 1195, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 9488 Marchmont Crescent, 1150, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9314 Marchmont Crescent, 1050, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Arden Street, 1025, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9314 Spottiswoode Street, 1020, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Marchmont Crescent, 990, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Marchmont Road, 990, 3, 3D G CG, 0844 635 9322 Spottiswoode Road, 990, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9322 Marchmont Road, 950, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Roseneath Terrace, 945, 3, 1S 2D G CG, 0844 635 9322 Thirlestane Road, 695, 2, 2D CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Moncrieff Terrace, 625, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334

Meadowbank Dalgety Road, 950, 3, 3D G CG P, 0844 635 2418 Earlston Place, 950, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Parsons Green Terrace, 900, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Restalrig Road South, 610, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 2627 Wolseley Terrace, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9679 Meadowbank Terrace, 585, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Loaning Mills, 550, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9488 Dalgety Street, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9478

ProPerty listings Provided by www.citylets.co.uk

bedrooms: Heating: garden: Parking: Furniture:

Dalgety Street, 480, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9478

Meadows Boroughloch Square, 860, 3, 1S 2D E P, 0844 635 9434 Livingstone Place, 795, 3, 3S G CG Z, 0844 635 2418

Morningside Leamington Terrace, 1800, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1800, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1800, 5, 3S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1750, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1735, 5, 5D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Maxwell Street, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Maxwell Street, 1700, 5, 4S 1D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1450, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1440, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1440, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Belhaven Terrace, 1400, 4, 1S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Falcon Avenue, 1400, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 9478 Morningside Road, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1400, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Comiston Gardens, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1125, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9478 Morningside Road, 1110, 3, 1S 2D G Z, 0844 635 9316 Falcon Avenue, 1095, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Balcarres Street, 1050, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Falcon Gardens, 1050, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Morningside Road, 1050, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9478 Woodburn Terrace, 1050, 3, 3D W CG Z, 0844 635 9424 Steels Place, 1035, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Balcarres Street, 1020, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Balcarres Street, 1020, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Balcarres Street, 1000, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road Edinburgh, 990, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9324 Littlejohn Road, 980, 3, 2D 1B 1T G CG P, 0844 635 9434 Comiston Road, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Ethel Terrace, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Falcon Avenue Edinburgh, 900, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9324 Balcarres Street, 800, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9688 Morningside Road, 800, 3, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9478 Maxwell Street, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Craighouse Gardens, 735, 3, 3D E CG P, 0844 635 9302 Springvalley Terrace Edinburgh, 675, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9324 Balcarres Street, 600, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Balcarres Street, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Millar Place, 450, 1, 1B, 0844 635 9488

New Town Hanover Street, 2000, 5, 5D G Z, 0844 635 9326 London Street, 1750, 5, 5D G PG Z, 0844 635 9320 Cumberland Street, 1600, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9314 Dundas Street, 1600, 4, 4D G PG Z, 0844 635 9314 London Street, 1600, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9312 Dundonald Street, 1500, 4, 4D Z, 0844 635 2418 Union Street, 1500, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Canon Street, 1280, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Fettes Row, 1100, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9314 Grindlay Street, 1100, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Logan Street, 1000, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9314 Grindlay Street, 990, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 St Stephen Street, 930, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Dundonald Street, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 East Broughton Place, 750, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0844 635 9464 St. Bernards Crescent, 725, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0844 635 9456 Barony Street, 630, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0844 635 9688 Jamaica Mews, 495, 1, 1D P, 0844 635 9324 High Riggs, 475, 1, 1S, 0844 635 3700 Gloucester Square, 850, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9446

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

Newhaven Bathfield, 550, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9488 Newhaven Place, 625, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9488

Newington South Clerk Street, 2000, 5, 5D G Z, 0844 635 9478 East Preston Street, 1925, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Nicolson Square, 1875, 5, G, 0844 635 9478 Dalkeith Road, 1850, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 South Clerk Street, 1800, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 East Preston Street, 1775, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 East Mayfield, 1750, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Newington Road, 1700, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1695, 5, 2S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Mayfield Road, 1650, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Newington Road, 1650, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 South Clerk Street, 1590, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Oxford Street, 1575, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Blackwood Crescent, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 East Mayfield, 1400, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Macdowall Road, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Clerk Street, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 West Preston Street, 1375, 4, 1S 3D G Z, 0844 635 9316 Dalkeith Road, 1360, 4, 1S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1360, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Macdowall Road, 1350, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1300, 4, 4D G CG, 0844 635 2418 Nicolson Street, 1300, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9478 South Gray Street, 1300, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Oxford Street, 1300, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9314 Dalkeith Road, 1275, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 West Nicolson Street, 1200, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 West Nicolson Street, 1200, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Oxford Street, 1160, 4, 1S 3D, 0844 635 3700 Oxford Street, 1140, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Montague Street, 1125, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Clerk Street, 1115, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9316 Mayfield Road, 1100, 4, 1S 3D G O, 0844 635 9322 Oxford Street, 1100, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9679 Sienna Gardens, 995, 3, G CG P, 0844 635 3780 Causewayside, 990, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 South Oxford Street, 980, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9316 Dalkeith Road, 950, 3, 1S 2D G Z, 0844 635 9314 Macdowall Road, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Newington Road, 930, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 930, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Chapel Street, 900, 3, 3S G CG Z, 0844 635 9688 Grange Loan, 900, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Blackwood Crescent, 890, 3, 1S 2D W CG Z, 0844 635 9688 Nicolson Street, 885, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 825, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Oxford Street, 800, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Blacket Place, 775, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Orrok Lane, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Potterrow, 750, 2, 2D G CG, 0844 635 9679 Coachmans Gate, 700, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Nicolson Street, 690, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9302 Dalkeith Road, 675, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Sienna Gardens, 650, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9446 St. Leonards Street, 625, 2, 1S 1D E P, 0844 635 2418 Macdowall Road, 600, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9320 Prestonfield Terrace, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9592 West Powburn, 590, 2, 1S 1D G CG P, 0844 635 9434 St. Patrick Square, 565, 2, 1S 1D W Z, 0844 635 9388 Blackwood Crescent, 550, 1, 1D CG P, 0844 635 9324 St. Leonards Street, 535, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 9456 St. Leonards Street, 495, 1, G, 0844 635 3780 Causewayside, 575, 2, 1S 1D O, 0844 635 9324

Old Town Parliament Square, 1600, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9300 Bank Street, 1180, 4, 2S 2D, 0844 635 3700 High Street, 1150, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 High Street, 1150, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 High Street, 1150, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Bristo Place, 870, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 St Giles Street, 800, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Jeffrey Street, 750, 2, 1B Z, 0844 635 9384 South Bridge, 750, 2, 2D E, 0844 635 3931 High Street, 650, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Guthrie Street, 600, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9578

Roseburn Roseburn Maltings, 775, 3, 1S 2D G P, 0844 635 9560 Roseburn Terrace, 650, 2, 1S 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 9478 Roseburn Street, 525, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418

Stockbridge Carlton Street, 1400, 4, 4D 1B G CG Z, 0844 635 2627 Cheyne Street, 1100, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Dean Park Street, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Learmonth Grove, 900, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 9446 Raeburn Place, 775, 2, 1S 1D W Z, 0844 635 9324 West Silvermills Lane, 680, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9302 Dean Bank Lane, 675, 2, 1S 1D E Z, 0844 635 9558 Comely Bank Avenue, 560, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 Dean Park Street, 495, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9424

The Shore Tower Street, 695, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 2418 Tower Place, 675, 2, 2S G CG Z, 0844 635 2154 Yardheads, 650, 2, W O, 0844 635 2418 Rennie’s Isle, 625, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9320 Sheriff Park, 575, 2, 2D W P, 0844 635 2418 Sheriff Park, 575, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 2418 Cadiz Street, 550, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0844 635 2418 Western Harbour Midway, 650, 2, 2D E CG P, 0844 635 9234

Tollcross Lauriston Park, 1925, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Lauriston Gardens, 1850, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Brougham Place, 1440, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Grindlay Street, 1440, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Leven Street, 1440, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Valleyfield Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Valleyfield Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Valleyfield Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Valleyfield Street, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Lochrin Buildings, 1300, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Lothian Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Cornwall Street, 1150, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9314 High Riggs, 1095, 3, G P, 0844 635 3780 Panmure Place, 925, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700

Trinity Lindsay Road, 795, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 9679 Grandfield, 495, 1, 1D W P, 0844 635 9460 Starbank Road, 450, 1, 1D CG O, 0844 635 9478 Lower Granton Road, 545, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9560

West End Haymarket Terrace, 1750, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 West Maitland Street, 1500, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Hampton Terrace, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Haymarket Terrace, 1400, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Haymarket Terrace, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Rothesay Place, 800, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9578 Atholl Place, 800, 1, 1D E Z, 0844 635 9320 Belgrave Place, 795, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9560 William Street, 775, 2, G Z, 0844 635 9300 Belgrave Crescent Lane, 750, 2, 1D 1T G Z, 0844 635 9578

Willowbrae Northfield Grove, 550, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 8696

Sport 31

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

scotland's BUCs prospects

SPoRT ShoRTS

stew Fowlie, sports Manager for scottish Universities sport, recently sat down with Liam McCabe to recap what has been a busy and successful year for universities

SPoRTS neWS FRoM The LaST FoRTniGhT BaSkeTBaLL

matt dale

Liam McCabe Sport Editor

T

he BriTish UniversiTies and Colleges sport (BUCs) home nations, formerly the British University Games, return to edinburgh this year, with hosting duties shared between heriotWatt and edinburgh Universities at their excellent sporting facilities.

Despite the re-branding of the events, and some alterations to the competition, the spirit of the home nations remains intact in the view of stew Fowlie.

“We’re hugely excited that the event is returning to edinburgh, as we consider the spiritual home of the Games to be here in scotland’s capital. Both the host universities have been massively supportive of the event: we truly could not have pulled it off without them, and our representative sides are going to be better prepared than ever, so we’re looking to wrestle the title away from the english Universities for the first time—hopefully home advantage will help us along with that!”

The scottish athletes should head into the home nations in confident mood, on the back of strong performances across the board. With more clubs, and more teams than ever before entering scottish and British competitions, the talent pool has never been larger, and many of the scottish teams have enjoyed tremendous results. “edinburgh’s fencers have done brilliantly in getting into the latter stages of the British Championships, while

FooTBaLL

the footballers of heriot-Watt were really unlucky in going out on penalties against Loughborough in the BUCs Football Championship. Loughborough went on to win the Championship itself, which shows just how good that heriotWatt side are.

“Many of our most competitive players haven’t really got into their season

just yet, either. We always enjoy a lot of success with the golf, both representing scottish Universities, and in individual competition.“ As competition and participation in university sport in scotland continue to grow, so will the opportunities for success in both a national and international context. The home nations come

to edinburgh next month, from the 12th to the 15th of April, and The Journal will be on hand to bring you the latest from all the events taking place.

Check out http://www.bucs.org.uk/ homenations for details of the events, and keep checking www.journal-online. co.uk for our coverage of the BUCs home nations 2010.

Davis Cup: Time for a change Liam McCabe Sport Editor

T

he reCenT DeFeAT suffered by the British Davis Cup squad at the hands of that well-known tennis powerhouse, Lithuania, has rightly elicited no small amount of wonder on the part of a British sporting public. it has come to expect very little of the nation’s tennis players, but it seems that heads will roll after this latest in a string of embarrassing defeats.

John Lloyd would seem to be first in line for the guillotine, and as the only British captain to have presided over five successive Davis Cup defeats.

The issue of sourcing his replacement,

City of edinburgh Kings are scottish Champions once more, and wrapped up their fourth successive title with a recent win against Troon Tornadoes at Portobello high school.

Kings received their trophy on saturday morning, following the match versus Glasgow storm, and will hope to wrap up the League season, and to keep their sixteen game win streak alive, with a win against st. Mirren at the Lagoon Centre in Paisley on Friday night. in addition to being League Champions, Kings have reached the national Cup Final, to be contested on saturday 27 March at edinburgh University’s Centre for sport and exercise at The Pleasance. in a preview of the Final, Kings recently travelled to the Mariner Centre to take on fellow finalists, Falkirk Fury, coming away with a thrilling three-point win. An exciting end to the season in this showpiece game is assured.

though, is a thorny one. Andy Murray, the lone shining light of British tennis, has recently voiced his opinion that the British players be given a say in the selection process, stating his view that “it’s very important the players are comfortable with who the captain is.”

While this is true, and it would be folly to select a captain with whom the star player is at loggerheads, letting players pick their own captain brings the words “inmates” and “asylum” rushing to mind at an alarming speed. A team that has underperformed as badly as the British Davis Cup squad does not need a friendly coach. They need a rocket up their backsides, or else we face further extending our record-breaking losing

streak.

Davis Cup failure cannot be attributed solely to poor coaching, particularly when it has become as much a fixture of the tennis calendar as Wimbledon in recent years. sustained sporting success, or failure, takes root in the development of young players.

Britain’s poor Davis Cup record is testament to the fact that this is just not happening in this country—even Murray spent his formative years learning the game in spain—and the British number one has weighed in on this topic. “right now, it’s difficult because of the national Tennis Centre. All the best young British players, when they get to 15, 16, they go train at the national Tennis Centre. not every

single one but 90% of them. “if i am a young British coach and i have done a great job with a junior and when they get to 16 they get taken away from me, i don’t want to be a coach any more.”

The Murray method, it seems, would see localised centres of excellence, where the coaches who have taught their young protégés from an early age, could continue to develop their players under the guidance of national coaches. it seems logical that this method would yield greater results than the present system, with less cost. Or, if that doesn’t work, we could always invite an eccentric like vladimir romanov, hearts’ Lithuanian owner, to act as an advisor to the LTA.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba has been named African Football of the Year.

The powerful striker, who has scored 25 goals for Chelsea so far this season, won the award in 2006 and recently celebrated his 32nd birthday. Despite his advancing years, the ivorian forward maintains a great love for the game, and wants to earn further honours at Chelsea: “i feel really good. As i have said in the past it depends on the injuries you get and this season i can say that i am lucky, or i can say that the few months that i took out last year to get my knee well are now paying off.

TenniS rafael nadal has committed to playing at this year’s Queen’s Club Championship in the run up to Wimbledon, and is looking to dethrone current title holder, Andy Murray. nadal has not played on grass since his victory over roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2008, opening the door for Murray to secure his first title on grass with a win over James Blake at Queen’s in 2009. Federer took home the 2009 Wimbledon title, something that did not set well with the spaniard: “To not defend my Wimbledon title last year was one of the toughest decisions in my career, but this is a new year and now i have the chance to go back to england and to compete on the grass again.”

32 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Sport

MEADOWS MARATHON 2010 RAISES £50,000 >> 8

Five for the final

stalemate at Easter road Hibees slip up in quest to break 108 year scottish Cup duck John Hislop

third team firstclass as five goals sink desperate Watt

Hibs 2 ross County 2 A goAL-LiNE CLEArANCE from ian Murray in the closing minutes denied ross County a shock victory in the Active Nations scottish Cup quarter final at Easter road.

Manager John Hughes made three changes to the team which beat kilmarnock last week. sol bamba failed to recover from his shoulder injury, and was replaced in defence by Paul Hanlon, whilst Alan gow and Lewis stevenson made way for Colin Nish and John rankin. the game got off to an explosive start with three goals in the first 18 minutes.

Colin Nish headed the home team in front after just six minutes, but ross County equalised in bizarre circumstances seven minutes later. A long ball from Martin scott found Michael gardyne unmarked in the box. His shot was well saved by Hibs ‘keeper stack but the ball rebounded off ian Murray, and into the net.

County’s lead was short lived, as Hibs regained the advantage within two minutes. A through ball from Murray found Derek riordan, who turned two defenders before blasting the ball past Mcgovern for his 13th goal of the season. in an absorbing contest, chances were created at both ends with a John rankin free kick shaving the post, while kevin Mcbride cleared off the line from a bannerman header, just before the

Jonny Brick

Edinburgh uni Women's 3rds 5 Heriot-Watt uni Women's 1sts 1

interval. the second half continued in the same vein, with both teams going close.

A great save from stack and a last ditch tackle by Hanlon prevented County from equalising, whilst Colin Nish lobbed just over the bar following a riordan pass. the visitors were not to be denied however, and levelled the scoring with 11 minutes remaining. A Lawson pass found gardyne, and the midfielder volleyed the ball past stack to the delight of

the travelling support. gardyne almost secured a semi final place in the last minute, but his shot was cleared off the line by Murray, to the relief of the Hibs fans. the replay will take place at Victoria Park on tuesday March 23.

After the game, John Hughes said: “We are still in there fighting. it will be a hard game at Dingwall but we have to be up for it.”

Hibernian: Stack, Wotherspoon, Murray Hogg, Hanlon, McBride, Miller, Stokes, Nish, Riordan, Rankin; Subs: Smith, Galbraith Benjelloun, Thicot, Cregg Ross County: McGovern, Miller, Morrison, Scott, Boyd, Keddie, Gardyne, Lawson, Barrowman, Brittain, Vigurs. Subs: Wood, Di Giacomo, Malin, Kettlewell, Craig Attendance: 9857

Hockey: Not in the same league Edinburgh second best as English side triumph comfortably in buCs Premier League Qualifier

Jonny Brick

university of Edinburgh 1 Nottingham university 3 A brisk but cloudless March day brought frustration to the Edinburgh hockey side. team captain Will butler, starting on the bench, wore glove and jersey again after a few months bellowing from the side in a suit, but he was mute after five minutes of the game.

A long aerial pass deceived the entire Edinburgh defence and the away side’s own captain, Will Lobo, had gallons of time to compose himself and shoot across David Forrester, who would be

right to blame his confused back line.

As Nottingham’s well-drilled players showcased their elastic dribbling skills and aerial lobs forward, Edinburgh’s defence were their own worst enemy. Neil Fulton was guilty of not finding a fellow green-shirted colleague too often, and dependable defender Duncan birse and keeper Forrester were called into action one too many times for comfort, which unsettled the team’s confidence. While Edinburgh’s balls forward found no luck, Nottingham’s found the man again and again, pleasing a sizable klaxonwielding away support.

Edinburgh did manage to break the Nottingham pressure, with Fulton’s cross-cum-shot lacking a feather touch, and their two quick short

corners had to be well dealt with. At the back, though, Edinburgh were slipping physically and mentally, and Nottingham should have done better with the chances they were presented with.

Having gained a short corner from birse’s attempted clearance, three more followed, and right on half time Forrester was finally beaten again, after three super saves, by bruno studt’s tap-in.

Edinburgh’s players, insult added to a potential loss, were drenched by the sprinklers during half-time, either an omen or a wake-up call. it proved, mercifully, to be the latter. A rare lapse in concentration down the Nottingham left gave Paddy thompson space to use the ball brilliantly, centre it and allow Andy Campbell, after a teammate had

struck the post, to score a carbon copy of studt’s finish. the tight scoreline led to fraught tempers cooled by the officials, Fulton’s red mist audible among the clashing sticks and bodies. Edinburgh’s defence continued to be threaded by the needlepoint passing of the away side and, despite Forrester’s best efforts, richard Lawrence’s confident sweep from another short corner put the result beyond Edinburgh’s endeavours. their remaining two efforts were brilliantly saved low to his right by Nottingham’s own keeper Chris Davies, stretching out his stick to leave desperate heads in the Edinburgh team’s imperilled hands. the away side, taller, sharper and fitter, deserved the win.

tHE sHADoW tHAt crept across the Peffermill pitch did not darken the attacking prowess of the home side in an entertaining derby in this scottish universities’ Confederated Cup semifinal which was dominated and won with style by Edinburgh’s thirds.

Watt were first to press on goal, putting just wide in the second minute, but Edinburgh split the defence four minutes later, the ball sent on its way into the net by Harriet Fairlie.

A ten-minute midfield battle raged following three quick Watt short corners which were eventually smuggled away but the pressure told after twenty minutes as Watt equalised with a confident finish after clearing off their own line seconds earlier, counter-attacking well. the Edinburgh attackers, meanwhile, seemed to have too much time and space, and a goal was not far off.

After kate Lemond’s one-on-one had been stopped, balmer scored herself with a powerful effort from six yards out, putting Edinburgh ahead at the break. sustained pressure by the away side at the start of the second half should have brought a goal but the ball was topped and scuttled an inch wide. With their playmakers reduced to the odd flash of genius in their opponent’s D, from here on in it was all Edinburgh: helped by Emma Miller’s thrusting forward play, which drew praise from the bench, balmer struck her second across the ground from a short corner. by sprinting to the byline to keep the ball in play, Cath Pearson had won the corner herself, and the team effort shown by Edinburgh made for great cup hockey.

When called into action, Edinburgh’s goalie was solid and reliable, a bulwark behind her team who tracked back and passed with ease.

Lemond’s dribble and timid shot, which hit the Watt keeper’s foot, slithered like a snail towards the goal for Edinburgh’s fourth, and Fairlie got her second three minutes from time after being left open at the far post. if they soak the midfield up as well as they did in the game, the final should pose no problems for a well set-up side.

Comment 17

The Journal Wednesday 17 March 2010

Comment Standing in the way of control Discussion&Debate

420 teachers have been nominated for Teaching Awards this year. On behalf of students at the University of Edinburgh, EUSA would like to say thank you to all those nominated for providing excellent teaching to their students.

THANK YOU

Following the banning of removal of The Journal at edinburgh Napier last week, shirley-ann somerville MsP discusses the issues of press freedom and liability Matt dale

Shirley-Ann Somerville

Teachers nominated Adam Apostoli Adam Fox Aditya Bharadwaj Aileen Christianson Alan Boyle Alan Brown Alan Bundy Alan Davies Alan F. Day Alasdair Richmond Alastair Robertson Alex Beresford Alex Murphy Alexander W. Tudhope Ali Eslami Alistair Hart Anabel Del Valle Andressa Gadda Andrew Barker Andrew Brown Andrew Huxley Andrew Marsham Andrew Paterson Andrew Whittington Angela Dimitrakaki Anita C Jones Anna Souhami Anthony Bloom Anthony Bolos Antony Maciocia Arm Boonkwan Arman Eshraghi Arvind Mahajan ASCUI Francisco Barbara Webb Ben Hawkins Bernadette Dutia Bethany Honeysett Bill Hare Bill Reese Bjarne Thomsen Blue Pieter Bruce J Worton Bruno Lopes Caitriona A Carter Calum Mciver Carole A Morrison Catriona Lyle Cecile Fabre Chad Damro Charlotte Bell Chris Himsworth Chris Mowat Chris Specer Christian Lange Christin Hoene Christina Picton Phillipps Christopher Harding Christopher Martowicz Christopher Spencer Claire Duncanson

Claire Haggett Claire Phillips Claire Smerdon Claire Valentin Clara O’Shea Claudio Michelon Colin Anderson Colin Roberts Corinna Haeger Dagmar Motycka Weston Daniel Clegg Daniel Cless Daniel Holmes Daniel Powell Daniel Watts Dave Bell Dave Reay Dave Robertson Dave Saunders David Apps David Cabrelli David Court David Howard David Howgego David Levy David Marshall David Porteous David Price David Reimer David Wyllie Dimitri Tsintjilonis Donald Macleod Douglas Roy Elaine Kelly Elinor Mason Elisa Henderson Elizabeth Bomberg Ellen Stewart Emese Lafferton Emily Brady Emmanuelle LacoreMartin Emre Tarim Erwin George Ewan Klein Fabian Hilfrich Falconer Mitchell Felix Boecking Fiona MacKay Fiona Mackintosh Floris Geerts Frances Helen Hay Francisca Mutapi Gareth Gratton Gareth Leng Gary Clapton Gavin Kelly Gayle Davis Geoff Bromiley Geoff Gregson

Geoffrey Pullum Georgia Axiotou Gillian Black Gillian Haddow Godfrey Fitton Gordon Findlater Gordon Hughes Gordon McDougall Gordon Pentland Graham Harris Graham Pettigrew Grant Richie Guillermo Rein Gunilla Blom Thomsen H.T. Dickinson Hamish MacLeod Hamish McNab Hannah Cornish Harald Haas Heather McQueen Hector MacQueen Heinz Giegerich Helen McQueen Helene Lovell Hiro Ohkura Hugh Pumphrey Huw Lewis Iain Hardie Ian Handel Ingo Johanessen Ivan Cheltsov Ivan Crozier J Michael Rotter J.M. Barringer James Best James Chalmers James Fraser James Harrisson James Hopgood James Leeland Jamie Cole Jan Penrose Jana Funke Jane Dawson Jane M. Jacobs Jane Yeoman Jeanne Openshaw Jeff Haywood Jim Allan Jim Hine Jim Wright JK Mason Joachim Gentz John Banasik John Brennan John Curtis John Henry John Hopkins John Joseph John Kitchen John Moncrieff

John Simpson Jonathan Wild Judith Green Judith M. Barringer Julian Bradfield Julian Ward Karen Chapman Karin Sellberg Karl Oparka Kate Heal Kathy Whaler Katy Macfarlane Keelin Murray Keith Matthews Ken Millard Kenneth Reid Kenyon Manson Kim Picozzi Kyriakos Kalorkoti Larry W. Hurtado László Bartosiewicz Laura Bradley Laura Seath Leo Butler Leslie Mabon Liam O’Carroll Liz Bondi Liz Stanley Lloyd Llewellyn Jones Lotte Hoek Lucy Grig Luke Bisby Luke March Lynne Pratt Mae Shaw Maggie Carson Mala Renwick Malcolm Wright Mandy Gordon Marc Steedman Maria Chamberlain Marion Schmid Mark Aspinwall Mark Dorrian Mark Newman Mark Rounsevell Martin Booker Martin Chick Martin Corley Martin Fransman Martin Hammer Martin P Weaver Martin Parker Martin Reekie Marwa Mouazen Mary Cosgrove Mary Ho Matteo Colombo Max Ruffert Mayank Dutia Michael Cumming

Michael J. Rotter Michael Northcott Michael Rosie Michael Rotter Michele Mendelssohn Michelle Keown Mike Shipston Miriam Meyerhoff Mitsuhiko Ota Morag Donaldson Morwenna Griffiths Murray Cole N. H. Wilson Nadia Tuzi Neil Grubb Neil Hudson Neil Thin Nicholas Longo Nick Higgins Nick Mills Nick Prior Nigel Osborne Nikolaos Bournaveas Norman Poyser Norman Wilson Nuala Zahedieh Oliver O’Donovan Orna Donoghue Owen Dudley Edwards Pankaj Pankaj Paul Attfield Paul McLaughlin Paul Murray Paul Nimmo Paul Norris Paul Taylor Paul van Gardingen Pauline Sangster Pauline Weetman Pertti Ahonen Peta Freestone Pete Nienow Peter R E Johnson Peter Bisschop Peter Blue Peter Davies Peter Ewen Peter Flatman Peter J Kirsop Peter Morton Peter Tarrant Phil Bowers Phil Scott Philip Best Philip Larkman Philip Sawyer Philip Wadler Phillip Larkman Pieter Blue Polly Arnold Queenie Menezes

Qun Zhang R.J.Cole Racehl Hayman Rachel Wood Raj Bhopal Rajorshi Chakraborti Remco Knooihuizen Rhona Alcorn Richard Baxstrom Richard Brodie Richard Milne Richard Parry Richard Rawles Richard Rodger Richard Taffler Richard Thomson Richard Todd Rick Woodward Rob McIntosh Robert Dalziel Robert Mason Robin Vevers Ronald M. Wilson Rosemary Mander Salman Hussain Sam Friedman Sandra Bingham Sandra Eden Sara Parvis Sarah Carpenter Sarah Cockram Sarah Colvin Sarah Dunnigan Sarah Hill Sarah MacPherson Sean Brocklebank Sean Brocklebank Sean Nee Serge Koukpaki Sergi Mainer Sharon Cowan Shereen Benjamin Siân Bayne Simon Bates Simon Beams Simon Clark Simon Coleman Simon Harris Simon Kirby Simon Malpas Simon Maxwell Simon Podmore Simon Trepanier Simone Meddle Sionagh Smith Sophie Cartwright Spiros Adams-Florou Sarah Rhynas Srini Janarthanam Stefan Bilbao Stephen Bishop

Stephen Bowd Stephen Kemp Stephen Watt Steve G. D.Henderson Steve Renals Stewart J Brown Stratis Viglas Stuart Sayer Stuart Weir Sue Kempson Susan Kempson Susan Rigby Susan V. Mclaren Sutherland Maciver sylvie slater T. M. McClellan Tanya Cosentino Tatiana Kornienko Terry Wrigley Thea Stevens Thomas Ahnert Thomas French Thomas Giourgas Thomas H. Bak Thomas Horsley Tim Stratford Tina Düren Tina Picton Phillipps Tom Bristow Tom Bruce Tom Devine Tom French Tom Lenagan Tom Roberts Tom Slater Tomas Tonks N Fawcett Tony Turner Trevor Griffiths Ulrike Roth Vaughan Rogers Vengatesan Venugopal Veronique Viccy Coltman Vicky Bernie Victor P. Lavrenko Victoria Jackson Vivienne Cree Volfango Bertola Warren Maguire Will Hossack Yew-Ming Chia Yoko Matsumoto-Sturt Yoko Takahashi Zhang Yuan

T

he sTarkesT iMage from the 1992 general election was undoubtedly the front page of the sun newspaper showing Neil kinnock’s head inside a light bulb, with the headline asking the last person to leave Britain, in the event of a Labour victory, to turn out the lights. The following day the paper claimed that it was “the sun wot won it” for the Tories. More recently in 2007, election day for the scottish Parliament saw the sun front page with the sNP symbol transformed into a noose and the matching headline: “Vote sNP today and you put scotland’s head in the noose”. Thankfully for the sNP, there were no “sun wot won it” headlines to follow - after an incredibly tight vote. in countries where there is freedom of expression, very few people running for elected office will not have cursed the newspapers or other media. arguably they have enormous power to influence and shape debate, and often we feel they are doing us down unfairly. even Napoleon remarked: “i fear the newspapers more than 100,000 bayonets”. headlines such as the ones written above do give rise to legitimate arguments about the ethical duties of journalists and editors, balanced reporting, and questions about plurality of press ownership.

The recent controversy at edinburgh Napier University over distribution of The Journal seems a very straightforward matter to me.

The removal of thousands of copies

The media have enormous power to influence and shape debate. even Napoleon remarked: "i fear the newspapers more than 100,000 bayonets."

of the newspaper from campuses by the election committee strikes me as a clear infringement of the right to free speech and the freedom of the press. according to the Universal Declaration of human rights, “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.” i have absolutely no knowledge of the candidates involved in the student association elections at Napier, nor any idea of whether a vote of no confidence in any current office holder is appropriate: that is entirely a matter for the students of Napier. But the students at the University should be fully informed and aware of the arguments. as far as i can see, that is precisely what The Journal was trying to do in its

reporting of events.

One of the important ideas underpinning the idea of freedom of the press is the notion that people are able to think things through for themselves, distinguish good arguments from bad, and reach their own conclusions. Only by coming up against other ideas, pitting your arguments against others, and developing your views as a result, can a democracy truly flourish. We look toward freedom of speech and expression in order to provide this “marketplace of ideas”. The response to arguments and allegations, that someone believes to be unfounded, should not be to try to bury them so that nobody sees. it should be to meet them head on and to prove why they should be rejected.

Clearly freedom of speech is not an unlimited right. across the world limits have been imposed to protect

individuals and institutions from lies and unwarranted attacks on character. in scotland and elsewhere, the press is subject to the laws of defamation - and in this case there has apparently been a claim made that the article was defamatory. however, it’s one thing to claim that an article is defamatory, and quite another to take the law into your own hands and prevent the newspaper from being properly distributed. The law is there to be enforced by the independent judges in our courts. The notion that an institution, feeling aggrieved at the contents of a newspaper story, can simply decide for itself that it is defamatory and proceed to enforce its own view without any independent adjudication, is decidedly authoritarian. so, regardless of the rights and wrongs of the article which has caused such controversy, the most disturbing

aspect of the affair is the issue of who gets to act as judge and jury. it’s a great pity to see The Journal and the Napier students’ association at loggerheads, and in the cool light of day, i suspect that the removal of the newspapers will now be a matter of regret for those involved. There is no doubt that The Journal should be returned to the university. Those upset by an article will then be the in the same boat as the rest of us - we do our best to contradict the arguments and allegations where we can, or if laws have been transgressed, we have recourse to the courts. We might not always feel 100 percent happy with the result, but the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

Shirley-Ann Somerville is a list MSP for the Lothians.