Issue 15 - March 2010

the

Magdalen

issue 15

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The best (or rather worst) pictures will be chosen every month subjecting all those caught to eternal infamy.

Contents News:

Fashion:

Features:

Science:

Election:

Regulars:

5 Campus 6 Local News 8 Brian Taylor 25 Skint Premiere

7 Robin Hood Taxation 9 Dundee In Focus 19 Religion and Education

12 - 18 Candidate Profiles 40 Timetable of events

32 Fashion News 33 Campus Chic Fashion Feature 34 - 35 BECO Boutique Shoot

36 Bubbles Antioxidants 37 Clockwork Embryo

38 Sport 37 Societies

Travel:

20 - 21 Tanzanian Safari 22 - 23 America Special

Entertainment:

26 - Music: Oceansize 27 - Art: Dromos 28 - Art: A Diary 29 Reviews 31 Oddities & Cartoons

The Magdalen Green!

The Magdalen

Editor Beth Shackley Online Editor Ruth Hunter Assistant Editor Henrietta Evans Current Affairs Editor Calum Munro Design gurus Albert Lehzen Ryan Fitch Entertainments Editor Ruth Hunter Fashion Editor Liz O’Hara Features Editor Ross Barrow Finance Director Adam McVey Science Editor Dr Jon Urch Sports and Societies Editor Barry Davidson Travel Editor Kirsty Fergusson

Contributors Nicola Bell Laura Bouch Nicola Brown Willian Brownlee Faye Cawood Tara Chaloner Gary Cocker Stefan Donelly Aled Duncan Jane Garstin Sarah-Jane Gibb Ashleigh Gibbs Amy Jordan Craig Kelly Paul Malik Robert McLean Adam McVey Rimple Palana Seonaid Rogers Matt Samson Matt Simmonds Andrew Smith

Editorial Change is in the air this month as we wave goodbye to our former editor, Natalie Coupar. Having done fantastic things in the world of The Magdalen for over a year, she is now dedicating herself to the life of studying., making me your new editor.

We are in the midst of a political frenzy at the minute, with the impending DUSA elections. Our interviews will hopefully allow you into the minds of all our candidates before voting on the 25th and 26th of March.

Our new blog is also up and running, thanks to our extremely bizarre but brilliant online editor, Ruth. We dream of complete interactivity. We also have some magificent new contributers this month.

With the enthusiam of Dr Jon Urch, our science section contains intriguing features and discusses the growing trend of Bubbles. Our fashion section has also been updated - thanks to Liz and her writers.

Beth: Editor and King.

The Magdalen is seeing some design and graphical updates, thanks to the input of some excitable Duncan of Jordanstone students. If you have any ideas for the improvement of The Magdalen, or simply want to praise the wonderful work we do, email us at any time and increase our ever-expanding ego!

I hope you enjoy our eclectic mixture of visual delights!

The editorial changeover process.

Beth Shackley Editor a.e.shackley@dundee.ac.uk

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No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Campus News Rectorial Election In February 2010 Brian Cox beat Robin Harper and Nikolai Zhelev to become rector of Dundee university, he gained 1,034 votes which is almost two thirds of the overall vote. The rector is elected to serve students interests at the university court, as well as be a figurehead for the university. Former rector Craig Murray gives his congratulations and best wishes to Brian Cox. Brian Cox who is most famous for his roles in X-men and Troy, as well as his time at The Royal Shakespeare company was actually born in Dundee and spent most of his early life here. He began his acting career at Dundee’s Rep theatre at the tender age of 14. Brian Cox supports many dramatic arts charities, he is a patron for the Scottish youth theatre as well as “The Space” in Dundee, a training facility for actors and dancers. He has also been a long term supporter of the university and especially its diabetes research as he himself is a sufferer so it is a cause close to his heart.

Brian Cox seems to be an excellent choice of rector he is a proud Dundonian and has always felt strong ties with the university and he will promote the university on an international scale. He said that he would put a lot of commitment into the role as he doesn’t do anything unless he is fully committed. He is also the guy to go to for getting things done, he said “I have a nasty habit for nagging people” suggesting that he will fight cuts and go down fighting to make sure they will not occur. Cox used an analogy to talk about the growth of the university “out of every acorn lies the potential for a big tree to grow” talking here about the life sciences centre that used to be just a lab but is now a world class research centre. He said that he wouldn’t show favouritism towards any department but help every acorn have the chance to grow into a tree.

Andrew Smith had nothing but kind words to say about the new rector “Brian Cox will bring an international profile and an international reputation with him. Cox is an

icon and can attract a lot of media attention for what he does- this will be invaluable to students during a year of potential cuts” and when asked why he felt Brian had won he said “he is a very strong figurehead, he’s passionate about the position and what it involves and he is down to earth and doing it for the right reasons.”

The NUS is a national campaigning body with a membership of around seven million, they have regular access to government ministers and they are invited to take part in events all around the world, although with membership of any national body like this there is always a financial cost.

The student response to the new rector is also positive, Dundee student Donald Gavine thinks Brian Cox is a good choice because he feels “the university will listen to him as he has a strong presence and reputation which will change the university.”

Cox should make a fantastic rector as he is passionate about the university, the students and the city and we look forward to the changes he brings.

The principle of the NUS is to bring student associations together and to provide a collective voice on national issues. Like all issues there are a number of issues that need to be considered and there are a number of arguments both for and against membership- we hope that they all come out and are debated properly during the referendum process.

Between now and the campaign DUSA will be funding and providing resources for both a YES and a NO campaign. We will also be producing neutral publicity based on figures and facts agreed to by both campaigns. At the time of writing we are embarking on a thorough price comparison between commercial service suppliers and are negotiating to determine what would be the annual cost of membership to DUSA, both outcomes will be publicised well in advance of the vote.

DUSA to hold a Referendum on Joining the National Union of Students It has been 15 years since Dundee University students were asked the question, since then tens of thousands of students have come and gone and not one of them has had their chance to have a say. This year we have tried to make DUSA more transparent and more democratic and it is in that spirit that we will be holding the vote.

Throughout the campaign we will be organising various events, we want to ensure that the vote is the best informed vote it can be and we want to ensure that the outcome is truly reflective of the students of Dundee University.

Regardless of your opinions we hope that you all get involved and that you encourage all of your friends to take part.

Best of luck to both campaigns, let the debate commence

by Andrew Smith (President- Dundee University Students Association) For more information please visit www. dusa.co.uk and www.nus.org.uk

The Magdalen

News: Campus and beyond!

BBC cuts services but faces criticism from the public The BBC announced earlier this month that they are going to be cutting services so that they can focus their budget on improving content, making fewer things better. Some of the biggest names to be axed are BBC 6 music, Switch and the Asian network. Some of there online services and websites will also be removed.

The BBC are standing by their decision saying it will allow them to invest more in independent production companies, such as those that make Dr Who, and support British talent.

The cut to 6 music has faced the most criticism with a supporters group on Facebook having just short of 150,000 members all angry about the planned Axing of the station. There have been calls for the BBC to scrap the licence fee and use advertisers like the other big channels.

There is mixed feelings about the cuts as on one hand it is good to invest in new talent and produce high quality programming, but it is sad to lose quality services.

Iraq Inquiry The past couple of months have seen the eventual arrival of the Iraq Inquiry chaired

by Sir John Chilcot, an investigation designed to examine levels of post-invasion planning, the conduct of the war and the level of preparation and equipment given to the troops. Most interestingly, this inquiry is also examining US-UK relations in the lead-up to war to try and determine just when and how the decision to go to war was made.

Though held in public, the hearings have been criticised by some for not requiring those called to testify under oath. So far many of the main players in the decision to go to war have testified, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, current Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Downing Street Communications Chief Alistair Campbell and former Ambassador to the US

Christopher Meyer. With past investigations into the war being criticised as being nothing more than whitewashes, there is little hope held by many that this most recent one turning up any new information or admissions of wrongdoing.

SRC Update The SRC opened up further to students in its last session due in part to a motion proposed by an SRC rep. The SRC will now strive to hold regular surgeries with an aim to directly connect the student body with its representatives. Keep an eye out for SRC stalls around campus.

In addition to this, the SRC has been busy upholding its prior motion of opposing all cuts by supporting the Conservation Unit on campus and further afield, supporting Sussex University students in their attempt to block cuts by holding an occupation in university buildings.

The SRC also decided to elect the chair of the SRC directly, rather than appointing the role from within the body of SRC. This will aim to promote democracy in and around campus and allow the students to have a greater say in the workings of the student representative council.

‘Skint’ raises some eyebrows and YouTube views Dundee’s very own soap has been subject to much controversy following its launch earlier this month.

Since being released to YouTube, it has received over 4,500 views and over 130 comments. This subsequently made it the 32nd most talked about video in the world on Friday 5th March.

Dundee’s tribute to the Ig Nobel awards reaches an audience of 1000 On Saturday 13th March, the Saturday Evening Lecture Series featured speakers

and prize winners from Harvard’s famous (and arguably infamous) Nobel award parody. These award celebrate invention and discoveries that first “make you laugh... then make you think”.

The speakers included a scientist who studied the mating habits of ostriches (who had greater sexual interest in humans than their own species), a brief introduction to the world of indexing (and the surrounding problems with categorising the word “the”), an inventor who had made a bra with a gassy twist (it transformed into two gas masks in only 7 steps!) and a sword swallower.

The evening rightly provoked much interest and two overflow lecture halls were filled, along with a live streaming of the lecture to Aberdeen.

JOOT Theatre Co. delights The JOOT theatre company bestowed the visual delight of Salome upon us in mid-March. The play began with a haunting rendition of “Lent” from Satie’s “3 Gnossiennes”, setting a morose tone, to be continued throughout the rest of the piece. In the coldly modern theatre room of Dalhousie building, the audience were transported to a tyrannical time of veils, Kings and prophets with the aid of Jodi-Anne George’s direction and Sam Longden’s diligently created masks and set.

Hollie Whitfield’s depiction of Salome was as a preoccupied seductress, but Whitfield through her eloquence managed to avoid the fallen or controlled woman stereotype.

Grahame Miller’s Iokanaan had the audience jumping out of their seats with his guttural prophecies and otherworldly expression, while Herodias was played with great dignity by Ruth Frame. Herod (Steven Ballingall) was not lacking either, he conveyed the desperation and obsession with extreme competence. The audience was entranced from start to finish.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Robin Hood: Robin Hood Rides Again with Stefan Donelly If you have taken as much as a passing interest in current affairs this past month, there’s a fair chance you may have come across some story relating to the ‘Robin Hood Tax.’

This is part of a UK campaign by a coalition of bodies including trade unions, major charities, environmental organizations and church groups, encouraging government to introduce a small tax on financial transactions. The campaign advocates being used in a variety of ways, including avoiding public spending cuts, tackling global poverty and combating the effects of climate change.

The campaign’s name aims to reflect its ethical intention: It is argued the tax will take money from those who caused the recession (the banks and financial services industry) and redistribute it to those it most affected (low-paid workers, those in less economically developed countries). The moral element is also partially the reason for the preference of a transaction tax to windfall taxes on profits. The coalition argues a transaction tax establishes a social contract between the financers and the public as at least a small proportion of every transaction goes directly towards the public good.

The Robin Hood tax would be a 0.05% levy, on average, on commercial financial transactions. Although the detail of any legislation would be crucial to the amount of revenue raised, the potential income from such a tax is tentatively estimated somewhere between 100 and 400 billion dollars.

In the campaign’s provisional models, if the tax were to be adopted a multilaterally by the G20, the EU or ideally globally, the tax revenue would be disproportionately brought into to nations with large financial services sectors This means to get approval for the proposals around half of money raised would have to be distributed evenly amongst the nations which would see little direct benefit from the tax. The UK is one of the nations which would distribute revenue, and so is central in the forging any

deal. The remaining revenue would be split between ‘Global Public Goods’ (domestic public services and foreign development projects in LEDC’s) and ‘Climate Adaptation’.

What the campaign is directly asking the UK government to do is to push for international commitment to such a tax.

Obviously the more widespread adoption of the tax is the more effective it can be.

Unilaterally, it also asks the UK government to introduce a transaction tax on Sterling in its next budget, regardless of international agreement.

Critics have suggested, however, attempting any sort of tax introduction on a unilateral basis, with the economic recovery and Sterling fragile, would be economic suicide. To this charge the campaign points out there is already a 0.5% tax on trading in shares in the UK which hasn’t stopped London becoming a global trading centre.

Additionally, if even an EU wide transaction tax was agreed, the markets and currencies involved would be too important, it is asserted, to not trade in for the sake of avoiding a very small tax.

Others have speculated the cost banks incurred in such a tax could be passed onto ordinary retail customers, hurting those it intended to help. The response here from the campaign is that this would be extremely difficult as the transactions the tax targets are so far removed from retail banking. It also suggests in discouraging short-term speculation it would create a more stable financial system, benefiting ordinary customers. In addition, to any criticism it may point to the signatures of 350 leading economists who have backed the tax.

Although only one member of the cabinet (Peter Hain) has thus far declared their support for the campaign itself, a transaction tax has attracted considerable

global backing. Gordon Brown has argued for the idea in the last year as have the leaders of major economies including France, Germany and Japan. It has been reported only the intransigent rejection of the idea by the USA has prevented formal negotiations.

With the USA committed to a levy on bank profits instead, the global adoption of a transaction tax appears unlikely. Questions asked of the Prime Minister in the House of Common’s on the issue have confirmed it is still under consideration along with other options, but gave no specifics on implementation. Some reports have suggested the UK government is now leaning towards the American model of simply taxing banks profits more heavily.

The next few weeks and months will prove the success or otherwise of this ambitious campaign. Allegations Goldman-Sachs attempted to rig an online poll on the issue, after 5000 votes against the idea within twenty minutes were tracked to only two servers, one registered to the financial corporation, at least suggests the financial industry is taking the campaign seriously.

The campaign itself has been almost as remarkable as the issues it raises, in utilizing the power of ordinary individuals rather, as similar campaigns have previously, the power of celebrity. Individuals have been encouraged them to write to MP’s and write opinion pieces in local papers on the matter. Over 100,000 ‘fans’ on Facebook suggests it has at least succeeded as a popular grass roots movement.

To find out more visit robinhoodtax.org.uk

The Magdalen

Brian Taylor: Calum Munro and Mitan Patel’s Banter with Brian Taylor So what has the first decade of devolution brought us? Mixed results, it would seem. A decade that brought us groundbreaking, progressive policy such as providing free personal care, the smoking ban, the fox-hunting ban and the divisive scrapping of Section 28 also had its turbulent moments.

From the early SQA results debacle to Henry McLeish’s ‘Officegate’ and Alex Salmond’s troubles – mainly regarding the release of Al Megrahi or food – four First Ministers in just eight years have overseen their fair share of criticism. But while the controversy and scandal that are the inevitable bedrock of all governments have reared their ugly head, the Scottish Parliament has proven that it can govern – and govern well.

From the establishment itself as a national landmark to its place in the educational curriculum of schoolchildren, devolution has undoubtedly provided a backdrop for fresh Scottish identity. But herein lies the fundamental elephant in the room – is independence the next step? BBC Scotland political editor and Dundee native Brian Taylor recently delivered a lecture in the University on the tenth anniversary of devolution. Calum Munro and Mitan Patel caught up with Brian to ask a few questions: CM: Why did we have to wait until 1999 for a Scottish Assembly?

BT: It’s often said by people who don’t realise how long-running an issue this is, that it was driven by resentment of Margaret Thatcher. I don’t believe that for a moment. That only enhanced a feeling that was already there – that Scotland was governed by a party for whom they had not voted. But I think the question that drives the requirement for self-government is self-identity. The people feel themselves a

nation, but a nation not fully represented in political status.

They had the status of a nation through having a distinctive church and education system , but above all else one of the oldest legal systems in the world without a legislature of their own to reform and update. It was about Scottish identity.

[Devolution] wasn’t a grand New Labour plan to apply to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions. It had to grow from the bottom up.

CM: Do you feel independence is now within touching distance?

BT: Just as devolution was driven by a sense of identity and a governmental mismatch, independence is the same. It does not come about by guile or slight or a back-door or even because one party really wants it.

John Major once said that ‘no nation could be held against their will’ within the union.

Independence only comes about when the people palpably and demonstrably vote for it – if they want it, it will happen and the SNP and Alex Salmond are fully aware of this.

MP: Can Tories get a foothold in Scotland again or would a Cameron government accelerate independence?

BT: I am puzzled there hasn’t been a greater Tory revival in Scotland. Scotland is a mature, west-European democracy with a flourishing middle-class. I do not understand why a party of the centre-right cannot attract more support. But they resisted change for so long that it has been

difficult to come back. They were saved by the two things they resisted – devolution and proportional representation. The irony is that there is logic to Tory support for independence, as they would govern more often in Westminster and potentially revive within Scotland.

CM: You were brought up in Dundee in very different times. What’s changed and how have both journalism and Dundee University and that other “establishment” down the road contributed?

BT: The City has changed enormously, and I take a very optimistic view of Dundee. I was born in the Blackness road area in 1955, and I saw the jute industry closing. Prior to jute it was whaling. It was the existence of DCs and the newspapers within Dundee that made me think I could follow that trade, and the industry brings the city both jobs and prestige. Dundee University is a venerable institution, and the city is thriving at the moment – and a large amount of that is down to the universities, especially Dundee University. What Dundee needs now is a sense of itself again and just how old a city it is. If I’m thinking wickedly, Dundee has two great bridges, two great universities and one football team! [Note Brian is a through and through arab]

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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An interview with Cageprisoner representative, Humza Qureshi

by Calum Munro

Recent coverage of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib highlighted the issues of torture and indeterminate, unfair detention. How widespread is the problem?

“There is what is called a global network of secret prisons around the world, in which torture and detention are outsourced. There is less oversight by watchdogs, and it keeps the blood off their [foreign governments] hands. Then we have the CIA blacksites, which are places which we have no idea how many people are there or what’s going on. People tell us they were there, but they don’t know where “there” is because of the cuffs and hoods. They cuff and hood you so you don’t know where you are. It’s very widespread, and there is something between 28-35 countries with known secret prisons involved.”

Despite the establishment of the Geneva Convention, UN DOHR and Convention Against Torture etc, countries such as the US still – seemingly – operate above them. Why? “The reason is that international law has no teeth. Law within a state works as it does because there is an over-arching authority that implements it. Internationally there is law, but there is no authority or power to implement it. What you find is that those with true power can do what they want and forger UN conventions against torture or the DOHR. And, only when it is in their interests, will they invoke the memory of these things for their own interests”

The recent high court ruling of Binyam Mohamed raised questions over the complicity of the British Government in the torture and detention of

prisoners without trial. How deep does this go?

“We have only hit the 10% tip of theiceberg, 90% is still underwater. In the Binyam Mohammed case, the judge ruled certain documents to be declassified that the UK government said must be classified because they would damage national security. This is the classic argument for secret evidence.

The judge disagreed, declassified them and allowed the public to see that there was nothing in them except detail of how the British had been complicit in the torture of Binyam Mohammed by the US. They know about it, they are charged to protect British citizens and not allow them to be tortured, but the reality is they are complicit in these interrogations. Former Pakistani prison guards have testified that the British government knew fine well what was going on and was allowing it to occur for their own benefits” Cruel Britannia Cage Prisoners – Fabricating Terrorism 2

Articles such as Margarette Driscoll’s of The Sunday Times have questioned the integrity of Moazzam Begg and Cageprisoners in what Andy Worthington has described as a “witch hunt”? How has the media helped and hindered your cause?

“The media has a few good journalists who have helped us to highlight cases at certain times, and Andy is one of them. However, the overwhelming majority has either been ambivalent or has been outright hostile towards us. And that has often been due to personal Islamophobic axes to grind”

What happens after these people are released? Are there

other organisations such as yourself that you recognise as helping former and current detainees in the same way as Cageprisoners?

“There are other people and organisations who aren’t exactly the same as us.

Organisations such as Reprieve in the UK (reprieve.org.uk) and the Centre for Constitutional Rights in the US (ccrjustice. org) also help, but aren’t exactly the same as us. They are legal charities which provide representation. Cageprisoners is unique in that having been through what they have, they find it hard to trust legal groups, and we can provide access to different people [such as reconciliation meetings with former prison guards who are also traumatised by the experience]”

The election of President Barrack Obama has been hailed by many corners of the political world as the chance for a new beginning in terms of US foreign policy and relations with the Muslim world. He has described Guantanamo as a “sad chapter in American history” and has officially begun to prepare facilities on US soil. Is this the first step towards the realisation of some of your goals?

“Obama has broken every promise that he ever made. It’s not about the prison itself. It’s that he continues to say that they are too dangerous to try. Surely if there is decent evidence against someone, you can put them through a due process and they will be found guilty? Anyway, this Supermax prison is worse. The worst of the worst are held there. To hold them there without trial...”

The Magdalen

Politicisms: Gary Cocker looks into his crystal ball/ makes up history as he wonders... ...What if Labour Leader John Smith hadn’t died in 1994?

The weeks and months after Smith’s release from hospital laid bare both the best and the worst of our country’s politicians. Indeed, it appeared as if British politics had entered a parallel universe from that which was anticipated. For one thing, it was the Conservatives rather than Labour that were most split by the sudden revelation of Smith’s poor health; many of Smith’s supporters feared the worst when it emerged that the young, charismatic but more importantly healthy Shadow Home Secretary Tony Blair was being pressed to challenge Smith for the leadership. However, in a memorable speech to the Autumn Conference, Blair gave his solid backing to the current leader, imploring Labour to “realise the hope of the electorate” by putting their fractured past behind them. Since then, many have speculated that his support was bought at a price: in a watershed moment for the Labour Party, the same conference

resolved to rewrite Clause IV of their Constitution, replacing their commitment to nationalisation with a commitment to ensure that the nation’s wealth was used “for the many, not for the few”. Whilst this angered many traditionalists, for many observers it was seen as the final step towards Labour’s electoral success.

The other string of this odd twist of fate was in the reaction of the Conservative Party to what should have cynically been a political boon. Despite strong pressure from many for PM John Major to call a fresh election in the days immediately following Smith’s hospitalisation in order to capitalise on questions over his stamina for the job, Major honourably refused to, as he put it, “use one man’s wounds to salve another’s”. Whilst morally the right thing to do, politically Major was committing suicide as the power-driven backbenches toppled him in the following year’s leadership election, installing Michael Portillo as their new leader. Eager to gain a fresh political mandate and fully utilise the small

bump gained in the polls, Portillo used his maiden speech as leader to announce fresh Parliamentary elections in the autumn.

Whilst this appeared at first to be a masterstroke, the long campaign was to unravel Portillo’s plan to rejuvenate a jaded Conservative Party. Divides over Europe and the extent of the radical privatisation programme proposed by Portillo resulted in heavyweight figures Ken Clarke, Malcolm Rifkind and John Major openly criticising the hubristic Portillo, overshadowing any lingering concerns over Smith’s health.

Whilst the ensuing Labour win came as no surprise to the electorate, the sheer scale of the Conservative’s decimation did; with a lower share of the vote than the Liberal Democrats,it was clear that the Thatcherite era was well and truly over. Whilst Rifkind, the sole Conservative representative north of Leeds, was to repair some of the damage after Portillo’s immediate resignation as leader, it would be a long time before the ‘nasty party’ were to again be electorally viable.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Scumdee?

Our fair city through the eyes of Craig Kelly Dundee alumni when you mention our Ever noticed how Dundonians are grotty little city. The problem is I can never permanently moaning about Dundee but equally are the first to defend it? They’ll also probably live here for the rest of their lives.

People who live in Dundee for any length of time tend to adapt to this schizophrenic relationship with the city.

Dundee is an anomaly. It’s not obviously beautiful and prestigious like Edinburgh, it lacks the middle-class financial district that Glasgow boasts and it doesn’t have distinguishing features like Aberdeen’s perma-grey sky. But it does have a unique charm. Take a step back for a second and truly think about it. The student bubble is concentrated in a tiny area of the westend surrounded by iconic pubs like the Speedwell (known as Menies to the locals). If you visit Speedwell’s facebook page it has fans from places as far afield as Vancouver. Dundee is a city that infects you deep down. I’m sure everyone thinks fondly of the city they studied in but there’s something magical that lights the eyes of

pin down exactly what it is that makes us feel this way. It seems simplistic to say it’s the student night life. The Union is great but there must be something more.

A friend has just this second changed her facebook status to ‘just watched the sun going down over the River Tay this evening.

That’s why I go to uni in Dundee (the only reason)’. Maybe that’s it. Dundee is in a beautiful geographic position with the city rising from the banks of the Tay and the sunsets are enough to put everything into perspective - even if it lasts merely seconds.

There’s also something different about the kind of people that come to Dundee to study. Something a bit more real, down to earth and rebellious. Like the city, the University has a unique character. We’re not like the other ancients but we’re not one of the new kids about town either.

To me Dundee embodies modern Scotland.

It has a plethora of ‘old man bars’, dwindling

industries and the scars of those that have already left. Puling in the other direction is a Scotland embodied by the cultural quarter (by that they mean the DCA) but also investment in the water-front project, the Victoria and Albert Museum and a burgeoning biotechnology industry. Look at the city’s politics: a microcosm of the trends in Scottish politics, where we see Labour gripping on to one MP – the only bulwark to total SNP domination over the city. To me this is what Dundee is all about.

It doesn’t hide itself away like St. Andrews or Edinburgh, it doesn’t have localised concerns like Glasgow but instead has all facets of Scotland and unashamedly presents them.

The mentality of Dundonians is also a representation of Scotland. We harken to the past but there is a confident, forward looking and progressive beast that is slowly awakening. Dundee is an exciting place to live and study – I just hope it can retain its charm as it strides forward into the unknown.

Leisure in Dundee

by William Brownlee

In this health obsessed society it is likely

you have thought, at one stage or another about making use of some of the leisure facilities offered in Dundee in the hope of shedding a few pounds or trying to get that perfect body. Despite being a relatively small city there are a number of options to choose from.

The most obvious option is the ISE; it is conveniently located on campus and includes a brand new up to date gym, 2 dance studios, 3 squash courts, a designated strength performance centre and a 25 yard pool, to name a few. Also, the price for an annual membership at the ISE to include unlimited use of everything there is to offer only costs £195. This looks expensive for a student gym. However bear in mind that the DW Sports Fitness centre

costs £359 for an annual membership! The differences are significant though. Firstly, in DW Fitness you will be able to take a swim in private without the prying eyes of fellow students in the Union! Also, DW fitness offers 2 bubbling spas and a steam room whilst ISE only offers you a sauna that is off for the majority of the time. With regards to the gym area, there is no real difference in quality between DW and the ISE. Overall, the ISE gives you much better value for money.

The other main option in Dundee is the Olympia leisure Centre. As of yet there are no membership options available.

However the Olympia would be a good option if you fancy the occasional swim or workout session from time to time without any larger one off fees. A swim only costs

£3.50 and a 2 hour session at the gym will set you back £4.30. The downside to the Olympia is that the pool is frequently used by clubs and schools, so space to swim may be limited. The other no membership option is the Lochee leisure centre, with the downfall that it is a fair bit out of the city centre. However if you don’t mind going a bit further, a swim will only cost you £2.10 if you are a student under the age of 26 and the fitness suite will cost £4.30.

Overall, there are a large variety of options to choose from in Dundee. I myself am of the opinion that the ISE membership gives you the best value for money (provided you actually go!) and is in the most convenient location, right bang in the middle of campus!

The Magdalen

A note from our new President, Craig Kelly

After running a year-long campaign about democracy nobody has run against me for President. It feels a bit like a mutilated victory. It’s also going to be a challenge to let everyone know what I’m all about. So here’s my first chance. I’m going to set out below my priorities for the year.

DUSA has been set on a path by the current executive which has utilised new media, provided speaking engagements via the Year of Democracy and taken further control over pastoral care by providing services like a free legal advice dropin. This is the correct path for the association and I want to continue in a similar vein. There are, however, areas where I want to stamp my style

and personality. One issue is the rebranding of DUSA. I believe that if we have separate branding for the commercial and pastoral wings of the association then it will make clear when a project is run by the executive. We need to articulate that every penny of profit made by the Union is fed back into the student body by DUSA. Effectively we need to get better at communication, become more transparent and change our tone somewhat. There is a lack of awareness among students of the work we do. That was clear from a recent survey we commissioned.

Beyond a subtle change in tone I have three areas I want to prioritise throughout the year. Firstly I will build upon the Year of Democracy by inviting entertaining big name speakers to deliver ‘audiences with’ and lectures. By creating traditions of raising intellectual debate, we can become not only the best commercial Union in Scotland but also the most cultural.

The biggest issue we will face next year is cuts. We have begun a vocal and vigorous ‘investment – not cuts’ campaign, showing that this Union will not stand idly by to cuts in our departments. I will do everything within my power to speak out in the media, to negotiate with senior University management and make sure that we are willing to support the

most drastic action necessary. We will not shy away from this issue.

Lastly is a focus on finance. We are a charity and need to look to areas that other charities utilise. I will begin an internship programme which will create a team of students whose aim will be to raise donations for DUSA to supplement our funding. By creating internship programmes, DUSA can give students the opportunity to improve their employability and to have a sense of ownership over projects at DUSA. My executive will also be putting together a 5 year strategic plan covering all aspects of DUSA as well as creating a business model which includes; money made from our commercial activities, the subvention we receive from the university and supplementary funding. Other unions such as Aberdeen already utilise supplementary funding. We must also look to sponsorship for projects and partnerships with external bodies. The business plan will make our argument stronger when we seek an increase in our university subvention.

Thanks for reading through my plans.

I’m really excited about the year ahead and if I’m half as good as my predecessor then we’ll have a great year.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

Chris Browne for Deputy President 1. Anti-Cuts – As Deputy President I will vigorously oppose any cuts to education funding or University budgets that could affect the student experience. I will ensure that essential frontline library and learning resources are protected.

2. Strong Representation – I will ensure that student representation structures are developed to provide effective and diverse representation that listens to every student on the issues they care about. The new sense of student activism on campus can be capitalised upon to combat problems currently affecting higher education.

3. Getting more from your degree – I will develop employability skills and internship opportunities to ensure students are increasingly competitive in the job market. I will ensure funding for sports clubs and societies are also increased so that these extra-curricular opportunities to augment your CV are available to more students.

What made you run for Deputy President of DUSA?

‘I’ve been the law school president this year which introduced me to the issue of cuts, e.g. the cut in law library opening hours. I was successful in lobbying with the University. I want to become further involved and feel that working within DUSA is the best way forward.’

Why should students vote for you?

‘I’ve proved that I am a capable of representing the students through my successful work within the law school this year. I also think it is important to state that I am doing this for the right reasons. I genuinely care about the work at DUSA and would love to be part of it.’

How do you plan to implement your policies?

‘I plan to work closely with the other members of the DUSA exec to ensure an effective team. I also want to establish a good relationship with the University, communicating with the principal. I will converse with local employers to increase internship opportunities for Dundee students.’

Iain Menzies for Deputy President 1. Employability. It is important that as students we know what our options are once we graduate. If elected I would plan a series of careers fairs to show all students for all schools some of the options they have after graduation. Not only in terms of finding work, but also of further study.

2. Advice. We all hit trouble of some sort at Uni, I think its time that DUSA on a regular basis brought the help and advice that is available to students together, a one stop shop where you can get advice on issues from your course, to renting to legal advice.

3. Webmail! Webmail has become a joke. I would make sure that the Uni sorts webmail, no one should have to put their log in details in 50 times to get to their email! I wont stop bringing this issue, and issues like it to the uni’s attention until they do something to sort it, even if its only to shut me up!

What made you decide to run?

I’ve been a part of the student representative council for a year now, and I’ve spent that time making a nuisance of myself! So instead of moaning, I want to be able to work to make a difference. I think we have a really good union here – nowhere comes close to what we have.

Why should students vote for you?

I won’t tell people why they should vote for me, students should just vote for a candidate based on their policies.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

My strategies fall into two categories: telling and campaigning. For example, regarding webmail. Students need a bigger inbox. I have been raising the issue again and again. I want to raise awareness of the Student Representative Council. I want to create a “one stop shop” for any issues students may have.

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The Magdalen

Natalie Coupar for Vice President of Communications 1. Get involved! Supporting student media (DUSATV, Discover Radio and The Magdalen) in becoming more interactive to ensure that your opinions are heard! This will include training opportunities, talks and events for those interested in a career in media.

2. Make the DUSA website “user friendly.” This will be done through the creation of a society events calendar, making the website easier to navigate and providing content relevant to all students.

What made you want to run?

3. “Gaitherin’s On the Green.” This would aim to make the green space at the front of the Union more available to students and societies to hold gigs and fundraisers. A regular “Speakers Corner” would also feature, becoming a hub of intellectual (and nonsensical!) debate.

As the previous editor to The Magdalen, I thoroughly enjoyed taking an active part in the day to day activities and its runnings and if elected as VPC, it would be possible to expand upon these experiences for the benefit of the collective student body.

Why should students vote for you?

Students should vote for me if they want someone with experience, drive and passion for student media and student issues. I promise to uphold the SRC’s pledge to oppose cuts. If elected, I’ll make sure that Dundee has the best and most competitive body of student media.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

To implement these policies, I would contact the particular groups concerned i.e those who run speaker’s corner in London and ask them to pay a visit and be in touch with Estates and Buildings with regards to gigs. We need to remember that groups such as Discover Radio and DUSA TV were started up by students and ran by students. At the centre of any of my policies and the implementation of them is continual consultation with the people who matter - students.

Graeme Thewliss for Vice President of Communications My three main policies are to: 1) Redesign the DUSA website 2) Continue to improve the media capabilities of the association 3) Promote the association on a nationwide scale.

The DUSA website is no longer fit for purpose and needs reinvigorated for todays modern student. One of the things which I have learned over the past year is that students are keen to interact with the DUSA website when the content is provided. This is why the existing media must be given adequate support as well as expanding this through taking advantage of mobile communications as well as our existing initiatives. Finally, DUSA does great work, but I feel that we really should be showing the rest of city and beyond how good we really are.

What made you decide to run?

I’ve been VPC for a year and have started projects that I would like to see through. I want to be able to manage my projects and finish them properly.

Why should students vote for you?

I can offer continuity. Without the handover process, the position will be much more effective. And I’m awesome.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

I will manage all the existing systems more effective and create links with external media.

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No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Kirsty Brown for Vice President of Student Activities -An increase in funding and support available Increasing the funding DUSA can provide means that societies will be able to achieve more and more while still allowing the ever growing numbers of societies on campus to thrive and increase in numbers.

- The creation of a society guide book This publication will explain everything that DUSA can provide and more importantly how it can help societies old and new, it will be kept updated and available online for everyone to access - The creation of a society club house on campus This will help provide more locations for societies to meet free of charge, have priority to use, and some much needed storage space.

What made you decide to run?

I’ve seen the difference the position can make among students. Having been in the position for nearly a year now, I wish to develop it and improve every aspect of it.

Why should students vote for you?

My policies are realistic and I know how to achieve them. Also, I am approachable and friendly, never lie and I never say no.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

Over the last year, I have learned how to get things done and discovered what doesn’t work. I know who to ask to put ideas into place and I have the experience to make things happen.

Calum Munro for Vice President of Student Activities I believe DUSA must provide greater transparency on day-to-day affairs and behind the scenes work, which must be open to feedback. In order to measure me against my manifesto and your expectations, I promise interactive blogs, performance reviews and answer all enquiries within 24 hours, 7 days a week My second objective as VPSA is to build better ties between the exciting new mediums that DUSA TV and Discover Radio offer for student engagement and communication with everyone involved in the University of Dundee, as well as increasing their presence within the DUSA building itself. I also believe DUSA and the VPSA can offer greater organisational support to students and societies.

Finally, I would undertake to bring about consistent policies on the availability of learning resources on the Blackboard system, bringing all departments in line with the needs and expectations of modern students.

What made you decide to run?

Spiderman’s Uncle once said: “With great power, comes great responsibility”. While I won’t be scaling the tower building in a lycra suit anytime soon, I’ve always wanted to get involved in Exec. The opportunity to work with the fantastic students and societies as VPSA and charity trustee of DUSA is both an honour and challenge that I feel fully equipped for!

Why should students vote for you?

Against the incumbent, you may tag me the underdog. But a vote for Calum Munro is for greater transparency and accountability.

For solidarity against cuts. For bringing ICS to account for Webmail and IT suite hours. For involving YOU in every aspect of YOUR union.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

Having founded the Humanities Society and been involved in the Magdalen, I know the challenges students and societies face, and where DUSA can do better – through better funding and workshops. It’s about interactive blogs and responding to queries within 24 hours, 7 days a week.

The Magdalen

Magee forActivities Vice President of Student Activities Peter Magee for VicePete President of running Student If elected, I would make it easier for clubs and societies to advertise at DUSA and around campus.

Attracting new members is crucial to the success of a club and I feel that after the ‘Freshers’ Fayre’ it is often the case that many students are unaware of the wide range of activities available to them.

I would also prioritise the success of our university sports teams by ensuring that each club was allocated as much funding as possible. As well as this, I would work closely with the Sports Union and the I.S.E. to guarantee that Dundee students are given the best possible opportunity to make use of our excellent sporting facilities.

Lastly, I want to encourage more clubs and societies to make use of DUSA’s facilities for meetings and social events. I believe that continued development of meeting areas to help attract these societies will lead to a more diverse and vibrant Union.

What made you decide to run?

I firmly believe that joining a sports club or society can have an extremely positive impact on a student’s university experience. I want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved with one of DUSA’s wide range of clubs and societies.

Why should students vote for you?

I would use my position on the Executive to ensure that the needs of students are strongly and fairly represented. I am keen to be given the opportunity to help improve the level of support offered by DUSA. How do you plan to implement your policies?

I would use my position as Chair of both the Societies Council and the Societies Funding Council to be a strong voice for societies and ensure they have access to all the resources they need. I would hope to work closely with both the Vice President of Communications and representatives from each club and society to ensure that students have access to a site where all the necessary information is readily available. Lastly, I would work closely with the Sports Union and the I.S.E. to guarantee that the Dundee University sports clubs have appropriate access to both the funding and facilities that are crucial to their success.

Gary Paton for Vice President of Campaigns It is my belief that every student has the right to free speech and a say in the way their university is run. As Vice President of Campaigns, I aim to allow every student to exercise those rights. During my term as Vice President of Campaigns, I will hold a second “Year of Democracy” series of events to bring more big names to Dundee to address key issues that affect the world we live in and the student environment. I also aim to increase student awareness of the roles of the Executive and the Student Representative Council who provide a platform for the students to have their say and furthermore I intend to encourage more charity fundraisers by societies. As a second year Civil Engineering Student, I have a good work ethic and can apply logic to any situation in order to find the best solution. In this time, I have become heavily involved with the Student Representative Council as the Learning and Teaching Representative.

What made you decide to run?

I am on the SRC and find student politics very interesting. I would like to see things from this executive perspective.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

I will work on raising student awareness of the roles of the exec. and work with the student media, plus the old tried and tested methods. I want to give every student a voice.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Amy Walrdon for Vice President of Student Welfare What made you decide to

1) Improve awareness of services that are available to students.

2) Improve advertising to help students become more actively involved in welfare campaigns.

3) Work to increase available support when moving from university accommodation.

What made you decide to run?

I have had experience of gaining suport from the role, and would like to raise awareness of it for more students.

Why should students vote for you?

I have worked as a class representative, and also gained experience on a gap year which was a lottery funded placement where I worked with young people. organising events and activities.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

I plan to raise awareness of available services to students by creating clear notice boards around campus with information about the services and campaigns that are available to students and for them to get involved in. I want to work more closely with various parties to promote campaigns that are going on in the university and keeping the student body up to scratch on what work we are doing to improve services.

Danielle Einchcomb for Vice President of Student Welfare 1) To create a better understanding of oral health and the dangers of both drinking and smoking.

2) To offer more advice on methods of contraception and how to obtain them (for free!). But also make students more aware on how effective these methods are, and the risks of sexually transmitted diseases such as ‘Chlamydia’.

3) To open up a ‘drop-in session’, so that students can come along for a confidential chat if they have any problems regarding welfare, or if they just need someone to talk to, to give them advice, and let them know someone cares.

What made you decide to run?

Since being at the university, I have had an interest in being on the DUSA executive and am always one for volunteering. The opportunity to do so came along when the nominations opened.

Why should students vote for you?

A vote for Dannii is a vote for YOU, the students, YOUR opinoons matter and if elected, I will make sure your voice is heard.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

Through regular contact with the SWAC (Student Welfare and Campaigns) team, I will run various campaigns and stalls to raise awareness of important welfare issues, and get students as involved as possible through questionaires and activities.

The Magdalen

Brett Capstick for Honorary Secretary As I currently sit on the student disciplinary panel, I know how it works and what needs to change. I want to reform the process, but I’ll speak more about that in the next question.

Next, I’d like to make it easier for you students to give your input - so when money gets spent around campus, it’s on something students actually want, and not what a board of trustees think you want.

Thirdly, the school could do a lot more for basic recycling. There are few recycle spots around campus, but if you’re sitting in the library and think “I should recycle this water bottle”, are you going to walk half way across campus to do it? Sexy and intelligent people like yourself are busy! Your time is valuable! You say: “Brett, you magnificent stallion, why can’t there be a recycle bin right here!?” And I hear ya.

What made you decide to run?

Through my position on the SRC which is run by the Honorary Secretary, I found there were things I wanted to change in order to improve the student dicliplinary process. This is my opportunity to do so.

Why should students vote for you?

I have the experience and drive to make the process fair. Students will want ant an experienced member of the excutive to deal with such issues and the academic review.

How do you plan to implement your policies?

To make the improvements, I want to form a working group to interact with students and involve their opinion fully.

Ian Kennedy for Honorary Secretary Firstly I will work with other members of the Executive to prevent cuts to frontline teaching and resources. Regardless, of who wins the British General Election there will be a significant reduction to the higher education budget. I will therefore seek to minimise any impact this will have on the student body by lobbying the relevant members of the University administration.

Secondly I will work in conjunction with the Deputy President and Vice President Communications to publish and publicise the SRC minutes in a more rapid and widespread way, in order to raise the profile of the SRC and increase participation.

Thirdly I wish to see a more efficient disciplinary process. Under the current system students are waiting far too long to have their case heard. Therefore I will seek to hold more regular meetings of the Disciplinary Committee, perhaps two a month until the backlog of cases is dealt with.

What made you decide to run?

I had helped out former candidates in the past, which introduced me to it. I have a keen interest in politics as a whole and I believe it is an important year for student politics – which I want to be a part of.

Why should students vote for you?

Students should vote for me based on my policies, but I am also determined and reliable. I also want the bar tab…

How do you plan to implement your policies?

I will be discussing the matter of cuts and working very closely with the student executive. I also think it’s important to utilise Facebook. I want to basically raise awareness of the importance of the role of DUSA among students.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Jesus Grades Education and Religion

by Stefan Donnely In the last month a combination of political wrangling and heavy religious lobbying have rekindled a debate which has simmered for the best part of a century; the involvement of religious authorities in education.

Proposals in the Equality Bill which would have denied religious authorities the right to refuse people employment in their non-religious posts (positions like teachers in faith schools) to groups judged incompatible with their particular faith now look unlikely to become law after a rejection by the Lords. Meanwhile a sexual education bill requiring schools to teach the various sexual orientations, uses of contraception and abortion, amongst other things, now has a special provision that faith schools may do this in a way which ‘reflects the schools special character.’ Responses have ranged from accusations of tacit government encouragement of religious homophobia to general discontent at persistent religious involvement in education.

I attended a moderate Catholic school and realise it is possible to confine that ‘special character’ to religious studies classes, keeping separate the scientific and social curriculum and religious moral commentary. Faith schools, however, can be a lottery. When the religious foundation setting up a faith school has complete control over

school policy beyond the basic curriculum, much liberty is taken with teaching quality and content.

A prominent argument for faith schools is their superior performance in examination results, and certainly in recent years they have been around six points ahead of average in GCSE statistics. What is interesting however, is that in the third

of faith schools deemed ‘voluntary controlled,’ in which the religious foundation that set-up the school appoint the board of governors; so controlling staffing, admissions and general policy, performance in national examinations is little better than normal state schools. It is the so-called ‘voluntary aided’ schools in which performance is significantly better; at these the majority of school governors are appointed in the normal way by a local educational authority.

Figures also indicate faith schools generally have lower proportions of pupils from poorer backgrounds and of pupils with special needs. This suggests religious conviction may serve as a cover for selection by other means.

It may be considered that religious institutions have a positive contribution to make to the education system, and faith schools are far from the agencies of indoctrination and hatred they are sometimes portrayed. Contribution, however, does not require control.

In issues of staffing, admissions and educational policy, religious authorities have no more justification for prejudicing the equality of state education than any other private body.

The Magdalen

Travel: Travel: Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s 2nd largest park located in centre of the country, 75 miles outside Iringa.

Our journey began from a little village on the outskirts of Iringa called Tosamaganga in the early hours of a Saturday morning. The 4x4 that came to pick up us up was everything I imagined a safari vehicle would look like. With no windows or doors the concept was to throw your luggage in and grab hold of its’ metal frame to pull yourself up and into the car. Our driver was a small local man dressed simply in shorts and a t-shirt but wrapped up for the early morning cold in a traditional Masai Tartan and was for no obvious reason carrying a large Masai Machete which never once left his side.

Red sands and scattered Acacia trees formed the backdrop to our journey as we drove off into the open plains. An hour on the road and a sudden bump sent me flying from my seat; I stuck my head out the car to see the back wheel slowly deflating.

Our driver’s reaction? Keep driving! 10 minutes later he realised we weren’t going to get far, pulled over. Another 20 minutes and the flat had been replaced and we were back on the road.

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Travel: Travel: Even before we entered the park, our driver had to first slow down and the stop completely to let passing giraffes cross the road. The magnificent creatures stood tall and proud and curious in the middle of the road as they watched us carefully.

We entered through large, daunting gates which bore an uncanny resemblance to those of Jurassic Park. And there on the middle of the road we found ourselves negotiating our way past a pride of lions just lounging around.

The next couple of days were full of very similar phenomenal scenes. We sat in the car and watched as a herd of elephants protected their young from a pride of lions. The scene unfolded over forty minutes as some of the adults formed a protective barrier whilst the others gained anger towards the lions. Towards the end of this process we heard a distinct and loud growl coming from behind us.

We slowly turned around to find two lionesses sitting and watching us; less than two meters away from our open truck.

A few hours later we accidentally angered an elephant mother by approaching to close to her baby and our driver had to speed off and away from the danger. And a few hours after that we discovered just how aggressive hippopotamuses can be and that gazelle have complete right of way, always, everywhere.

The Magdalen

Travel: Working Abroad: Summer Camp USA

by Robert McLean Two years ago I applied to work on a summer camp through the BUNAC Summer Camp USA programme, but I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into, or whether I would enjoy it. I was a bored second year who missed being a fresher and had spent the previous summer working in Glasgow Airport to pay off my overdraft. Although I did get to work alongside greats like Smeato, I didn’t fancy another summer getting up at 2am every morning and being attacked by terrorists.

Instead, I wanted to spend the summer somewhere interesting and different and hopefully doing some travelling while I was at it, so I decided to get in touch with BUNAC to see if they could help.

Working on a summer camp was the cheapest way for me to get to America.

It seemed like a good enough idea: I had experience working with kids, I had an activity I could teach (music), I would have all my food and accommodation provided for nine weeks and the camp would pay for my flights. It was pretty easy: BUNAC got me a job, helped me apply for a visa and would provide support for me when working and travelling in America.

I applied in February, had an interview in March and got my contract sent through in mid-April. I was bound for Camp Airya camp for Jewish Boys in Thurmont, Maryland. I was really excited when I found out, but was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to manage a summer without eating bacon.

I had a week after flying out to the US to get settled, do some training and get to know the rest of the staff, but the reality of my summer only hit me when the kids started arriving: I would be living with fourteen ten year olds and another counsellor in a cabin for eight weeks, and none of them could understand my accent. I soon started enjoying myself though, relaxed and learned to slow down my talking speed.

A typical day included: waking the kids up at eight and getting them to breakfast;

activities all day (during which I would be teaching music); time to rest/muck about in the cabin before and after meals; and in the evenings, along with the kids in my cabin I got to do some of the other activities on camp, which included: a swimming pool, outdoor pursuits, sports, athletics, arts and crafts, go-karting and paintballing. About once a week we would have trips off camp either to the bowling, cinema, theme parks, baseball games or to see the girls at the neighbouring girls camp.

My day was always jam packed, but I loved it and seemed to have plenty of spare time to get to know ‘my kids’. Most of the time it was a great laugh- I got paid to run about, play sports and card games and steal sweets off of the kids, but the job also had its more challenging moments.

For example, three of the kids in my cabin had Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder. When I was first told I would be responsible for them I was taken aback: was I really being trusted that much? I had no idea how to handle this! Looking back, this was definitely the hardest part of my job, but also the most enjoyable. I’m still really proud of how I managed to get to know these kids, understand how they thought and give them a fantastic summer. In fact these three kids were definitely some of my favourites and provided some of the best memories and funny stories from my summer.

What I’ve described so far doesn’t sound much like the summer of travelling that I was hoping for, but I managed to get a lot of that in as well. I got a day off every

week, during which I would stay with one of my American friends in Baltimore or Washington DC. This was great as it gave me a chance to get away from the camp, enjoy some home comforts, see the sights of the cities and have a lot of fun: whether it was going to the local pub with the rest of the staff or going to a frat-house party (red cups, crappy beer and beer pong included.)

After camp I teamed up with five other international staff members to go travelling.

We headed straight for Vegas and after spending most of our money there, travelled on a budget to San Diego, LA, and San Francisco. The next year, when I returned to camp I also went to visit Yosemite National Park, the Grand Canyon, New York and Virginia Beach.

My time travelling was fantastic, but it wasn’t the reason that I returned for a second summer. I went back to camp because of all of the friends and memories I had made and because I loved the job.

Despite my initial hesitations, working on a summer camp has given me the two best summers of my life and I would recommend it to anybody. If you want to know more about BUNAC and the programmes they offer head to their website: www.bunac.org.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Travel: Working Abroad: Interview with Jaimie Isla Bell Why did you decide to go to the US for the summer?

I’ve always wanted to travel but I just didn’t know what best way to go about it was, I felt like going away would teach me a lot –things that can’t be taught at university.

Tell us about the BUNAC programme that you went on- how did you hear about them?

I went on the work America programme, I actually knew about BUNAC already because my older brother went on the Work Canada programme and had an amazing time, It was actually how he met his wife and my now sister-in-law! I remember being at high school at the time and being extremely jealous. I was certain when I got my funds together that I would like to do the same.

You did Work America programme for two summers. Where and what were your jobs?

[For my first summer] my friend and I signed up and started looking for a job in New York City! The Big Apple, what more could you ask for?! We found a job at a private golf club just outside the city in a place called Scarsdale. We were both waitresses, however I also got a couple hours working at reception. We decided to take this job as we really wanted to experience city life.

With working the hours we did, and getting 2 or 3 days off a week, we certainly got to enjoy the city lights and much more.

Because I had such an amazing summer I couldn’t let myself stay at home for the

summer of 2009, so once again I went on the BUNAC Work America programme this time to Georgia, the deep south and OH MY was it a change from the big lights and hardnosed people of New York City! It’s somewhere I never thought I would want

to go, but the spot that my friend and I found was somewhat enchanting and full of lovely, welcoming people. It’s true what they say about southern hospitality. It was extremely comforting to be surrounded by such welcoming people when you are so far from home. Instantly my friend and I felt at ease and we settled into the slightly slower paced lifestyle of Georgia. My friend and I worked at a small Irish pub where we became familiar with most of the locals and made some friends for life.

Did you do any travelling while you were there? What were the highlights?

During [my first] summer some friends and I went on a road trip to Washington DC. We passed through many other states on the way and had the chance to visit the White House, Abraham Lincoln memorial and

many other historical sites. Other highlights included the bright lights of Broadway, hitting the beach, screaming out our lungs at six flags and shopping until we drop and relaxing in central park. Highlights of [my second] summer were the people, the beaches, road tripping to Florida, South Carolina and Savannah.

Do you have any stories or memories from your two summers that are particularly worth a mention?

Of course you can’t go to New York City and not meet some sort of celebrity… one day my friend and I head over to the clubhouse for our shift for the day and we are informed Bill Clinton Former US president would be in the club, of course we jumped at the chance to meet him.

That was one phone call home my parents weren’t expecting.

What would you say to someone considering going to America or on the Work America Programme?

Thanks to BUNAC I have had two amazing summers. I would highly recommend this to any student; it’s a way to meet new people and experience different cultures.

Since being away it has given me much more confidence in dealing with different situations and I have some of the most unforgettable memories and met some lifelong friends…my advice is to stop thinking about it and go for it!

The Magdalen

Naute Cuisine Scoffing on a Shoestring: the mid-semester crisis solved with Gary Cocker So, it’s reached that time of year. Your summer job wages and Christmas money have been swallowed by the Union, the Peking and for the James Bond wannabes, the G casino; your cavernous overdraft has finally reached its limit, and your student loan now has to be used for its initial purpose of paying bills rather than a generous government Beer Token grant.

You’ve got enough money left for either eating decently or sticking to your regular social schedule until that glorious 7th day of the month when you can finally live like a King again (at least for a couple of days). Having been skint once more by the 11th this month, I decided to attempt to live off minimal food rations and record the results in order of desperation in the interests of science...

Specimen #1: Kraft Cheesy pasta

Specimen #2: The infamous Tesco 9p noodles

Specimen #3: The Tesco Value tin ‘n’ bread combo

A snip at 89p, this delightfully digestionresistant ‘meal’ can easily be spiced up with some Tesco Value Ham and stolen flatmates’ peas* to slightly dull what some would describe the sensation of eating a loo roll tube dipped in slightly mouldy cheddar.

Personally I’m a fan, but a lot of this is to do with Kraft’s dedication to catering for the lazy and impoverished student-providing you with 55% of your daily saturated fat and minimal clean up, this is definitely the solution for those who need the prep time of a takeaway without the cost.

Fancy a Chinese but can’t even afford a pot noodle? Got a kettle and an Irish famine so bad you’re craving potatoes? Then this is the stuff for you. Ridiculously cheap, these form the perfect bland lunch for when you need to eat to ensure that you don’t get persuaded to spend that precious Skintbound fiver on fajitas and chips from Air Bar. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not steal that roast chicken your camp flatmate took hours to painstakingly cook* and make Chicken satay noodles Laings would be proud of?!

It’s the start of the month, you’re on the verge of wandering around bus stops asking for 20p for your ‘fare home’, you’ve already done the “meet the parents and happen to go shopping” routine*, you’ve put all your coppers into that Tesco coin machine* and your flatmates have began to question the disappearance of their freezer goodies*. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and you have to crack open that 4p Curry Sauce, heat it up and dip the heels of your flatmate’s bread (come on, nobody in their right mind eats them) into the bubbling sludge as you ponder why you feel like a divorcee on Xmas day and where it all went wrong for you....I really recommend you don’t let it get to this stage.

For a bit of fun, tear the labels off your tins and have “teatime roulette”- for even more fun, do the same to all your flatmates*. My advice? With a little planning, generous parents and even more unwittingly generous flatmates, you can avoid plumbing such depths.

*actual incidents. Don’t judge me.

P.S.- Anyone got a vacancy for next year? For some reason my current flatmates forgot to include me in flathunting this year and I can’t for the life of me work out why....

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The glitzy soap premiere with Ruth Hunter The new

Dundee University Soap ‘Skint’ premiered in Mono on 23/2/10 taking place just before the famous student night out with which it shares the same name. The Magdalen and its faithful minions went along to judge and encapsulate through our various mediums, just what we made of the possibly historic first episode of our very own Dundee uni TV show.

The stars of the show assembled in formal attire looking excited and slightly worried as quite a hefty crowd gathered in the basement of the union. There was a pleasant buzz about the place of a sort that mono is not typically host to.

An atmosphere was present that comes before the revelation of something new and different, that just might make life more interesting. The mixture of nervous excitement of those who had worked on Skint and the genuine curiosity of the audience could be heard in the hum of anticipatory chat. As well as the friends and family of those involved and the familiar faces of the DUSA executive there was quite a large audience of people assembled who were completely unconnected to the production of the soap. They had come out of the sheer curiosity that has ended up surrounding

this so unusual a student endeavor.

The night was organized with the help of DUSA, by those involved in the production including creators, writers and stars Jordon Dunbar and Paul McCallum and seemed to owe a particular debt to Martin Gribbon of DUSA. Jordon gave a short introductory speech, the lights were lowered and the projector rolled (I’m not sure if they still roll, it did the thing it does anyhow that causes it to fulfill its function). The episode begins with the Character of Lucy (Kaeti Freeman) divulging to her boyfriend played by Paul-Jordon McCallum the extensive list of people she has slept with over the duration of their soon to be terminated relationship. The plot revolves around the story of three main characters: Paul, and his attempts to come to terms with being dumped, his friend, played by Jordon Dunbar and his hilarious history student shenanigans and the character played by Jess Johnstone and her hilarious and eccentric ploys to bag herself a man. Apart from these three focal characters there are lots of familiar faces from the Dundee uni drama society LIP playing the more minor roles of various awkward, horny and as is true to life, just plain weird students. It was

suggested however through techniques of exposition(oh yes), that some of them would be playing a more major role in future plots.

The episode overall seemed to receive a positive reception from the audience.

Though the quality clearly reveals it to be an amateur production it was done with a humorous self-consciousness that made the contrived student scenarios endurable and will become I think, as the plots unfold and people begin to establish their characters, quite enjoyable to watch. The acting was for the most part, well-timed and achieved a consistent tone. The comedic aspects in particular and since it was mostly comprised of these, made the thing in its entirety a good laugh. With enough plot to keep it coherent and enough strong, funny performances (particularly

by Jordon Dunbar, Jess Johnstone and Graham Cain and Paul McCallum’s perhaps more difficult serious role) I think that ‘Skint’ is definitely something that will keep Dundee students entertained. Considering the scarce technical resources available to the makers of ‘Skint’ it is quite an impressive feat of student creativity that is funny, surprisingly well-written and full of potential. It is clear that they have put a lot of personal effort into its production which enhances the overall quality and atmosphere of the programme. As it develops and (depending on its success) hopefully acquires more funding I hope that ‘Skint’ will become a more polished and familiar fixture of our university life.

The Magdalen

Music: Our talented reporter Paul Malik caught up with that delightful manconian band Oceansize.

January saw Manchester monsters Oceansize grace the city of Dundee, in what was an epically vast performance of grand proportions (it was indeed altogether, quite big). Having strutted the stage with the likes of Biffy Clyro and the Smashing Pumpkins, the Manchester five piece as well as being experienced, pride themselves on being just that little bit different. We caught up with Steve, Steven and the fantastically named Gamblor before their gig on what was a typically cold Dundee night to chat about the new EP, adjectives and MalePattern Baldness.

With the new record, was there any specific reason for releasing it only as an E.P as opposed to a full album?

Steve Durose (Guitar): We wanted to release songs which we had been working on for some time, and it just felt right. The writing process was a lot more spontaneous on this EP, it was quicker than normal.

Gamblor (Guitar): Basically, we didn’t have an albums worth of songs (Laughs) You emerged back in the mid-noughties with bands such as Hell is for Heroes and Reuben, who sadly have now all split up. Is there any secret to your longevity?

Steve : The whole intention of forming the band was never to make millions. We were happy to make music. We don’t know what happened with the other bands, so we couldn’t comment. I’m sure there were other factors involved which we haven’t gone through. Music’s the most important part of the band. This is the first time we have sold out King Tuts, so we’re happy about that.

Was it difficult to be an emerging band from Manchester and not sound like anything resembling a Stone Roses/Oasis tribute act?

Steve: Being a band from Manchester is great, there are always loads of places to play and not being anything like those

16

bands was almost beneficial.

Gamblor: There was almost a hangover from the nineties from all these bands, so there were music fans searching for something completely different. We were happy not to carry the flag so to speak.

Steve: You wouldn’t be able to follow on from those bands anyway, how could you?

Dundee appears, on the surface anyway, to have a quite two-dimensional music scene.

Every other band seems to want to jump on the indie train that was created back in 2007

by The View.

Gamblor: Who are The View?

Steven Hodson: Avast are from Dundee aren’t they? They’re really good!

Being a somewhat underground band, how are your feelings towards free sites such as myspace and spotify?

Steven: I think it’s a good thing. It allows listeners who may not buy an album by chance to find out about your music. It helps listeners find the back catalogue. I’m not sure how it works in terms of payment, but I feel it’s still a good thing.

Has it helped expand your audience?

Gamblor: There seems to be a growing interest in the band each year we tour, which is good.

Steve: It gets your music out there and makes it more accessible.

Lastly, the advert for your show simply states “Oceansize are cataclysmic!”. Do you have any other adjectives to describe yourself Gamblor: Balding!

Steven : Ageing!

Steve: Hungry!

With that insightful summary, the interview drew to a close. Despite the empty setting, there was quite a palpable atmosphere in the venue. The support bands were unfortunately plagued with sound problems, but when the meticulously well sound checked Oceansize came on, a raucous, almighty and and dare I say it, Ocean sized (oceans are big) noise permeated throughout the thronging crowd who seemed very happy to see them. The set played at a steady pace, allowing songs from the new EP an airing and keeping their dedicated fan base happy with the old ones. “Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions” was greeted with cheers.

The heaviest song in the set allowed the band to show a side more inclined to rocking out along with the break downs that allowed the crowd some sing alongs and general all round moshing. A solid live performance, hopefully one Dundee will get to experience again soon.

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Art:

Dromos

by Ruth Hunter Cradling oatcakes dolloped with brie, munching on pieces of ambiguously flavoured cake, the artistic crowd of Dundee meandered in to the white cubed space of Generator. The gallery was chilly and full to the brim as the artists and curators prepared for the night’s mystery performance.

8pm struck and we shuffled in like the slow crowd that tours the Sistine chapel.

We waited. It had, whatever it was, begun.

Nothing appeared to change. We stood in the first of two gallery rooms, there was projection of a woman posing on the far wall. About 3 or 4 green wheelie bins were scattered across the room, mutilated in places by fire, giving them the appearance of people hunched over in pain from violent injury. The floor had spots of red ash, a few stones here and there and what appeared to be several biscuits. Two men on the opposite side, one a red-haired man sporting an impressive dali moustache, took pictures of us, the audience. The two men squatted and dived taking pictures of us as we chatted amongst ourselves.

A recording played from the speakers and smoke began to release in puffs from the floor. The recording sounded like the beginnings of a riot, people shouting, the sounds of artificial, hard materials clashing, suddenly I felt as if we were the subjects of some psychological experiment. I looked around to see if the artificially controlled atmosphere was having some sort of detrimental hypnotic effects on the small crowd but people continued chatting cordially and looking around them with amiable anticipation. The two men on the far side of the room continued squatting and diving and taking pictures though they mostly seemed to be aimed at our feet.

We were shuffled Vatican-ly once more into the next room where there stood a taxi.

Smoke billowed, this time the audience went silent. A man got in the taxi. There was a projected backdrop of Dundee train station but the image was flickering and jumping as if seen through the eyes of a drunk person. The man in the taxi sat and like the first room the noises of a public space could be heard, this time the bustling sounds of a train station. Suddenly tyres screeched and there was a thud, under the taxi appeared a man with a gaping head wound with blood spattering from his head

“About 3 or 4 green wheelie bins were scattered across the room, mutilated in places by fire...” across the gallery floor. The man in the taxi got out and left. The injured party arose slowly and began to speak.

He explained in a northern welsh accent how he was an artist, how it was a shame for him to die like this when he still had so much left to do. He went on to describe all the stereotypes, clichés and superficial pretentious etiquette surrounding some aspects of the art world. He would sporadically draw pictures on the hood of the taxi on pieces of paper with the blood from his headwound to better visually highlight to the audience what he meant

when he spoke of these things such as artists crying all over their mac laptops, girl with ‘severe bobs’ and hotel rooms with “the tiny little kettle that can’t support the weight of its own flex and no friends”. He spoke of awkward drinks with curators and their spouses and how Irish and Scottish artists take the piss out of the welsh ones.

The whole speech was a hilarious critique of the stuffy aspects of the art world, told in the character of a groggy misanthropic artist and delivered with the skilled timing of a stand-up comedian.

Later when the show was over and people dispersed to their respected destinations I made my way to the front door with my flat mate intent on returning home to bed to self-pityingly nurse a persistent flu. On the way out I saw the artist in the bathroom cleaning the blood from from his hands and face. I offered my compliments and he asked if I could help wash the blood off, as there was no mirror on the walls.

I asked him where he would go now, he said ‘we have to have a baby’ I looked around the room, forgetting the semantic re-adjustments made for people in stable relationships and realized that he was in fact referring to his partner and not myself. I informed him that I had to have my dinner.

And I did, good reader, I surely did.

The Magdalen

Art: Dundee Arts Diary: Retrospective with Tara Chaloner February was an action-packed month for visual art in Dundee, with events ranging from the delightfully lo-fi Jumpers and Jamboree (brought to you by illustration student Lauren Gentry and co) to Arika’s mind-bending experimental arts festival Kill Your Timid Notion.

Leading the way was the *free* Dundee Pop-up, an excellent day-long showcase of Dundonian arts talent organised by Central Station. Censta (as it’s affectionately known) is a Glasgow-based social networking hub for national and international artists and designers. The Central Station website acts as a sort of Facebook for creative types, allowing them to share their work with likeminded individuals.

Pop-up attendees were offered a wide range of activities to choose from. I opted to begin the day with a talk from Laura Simpson, curator of the in-house galleries at Dundee University’s own Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD). She explained the fascinating process of putting together Public Image, an exhibition in the Cooper Gallery featuring both video and static work.

Next we visited the studio of Julie Duffy, a Third Year Fine Art student whose strikingly minimal yet organic sculptures can be viewed in Pockets of Landscape, an exhibition in the college’s Lower Foyer Gallery, with Neil Nodzak and Hayley Mathers. All DJCAD exhibitions are free and viewable by members of the public six days a week – a highly recommended lunch break activity.

Reinforcing the jolly school-trip atmosphere of the Pop-up, we were then chauffeured by minibus to Generator Projects, an artist-run space in a former industrial unit just off the Perth Road. As ever there was a generous spread of food awaiting our arrival – Generator openings are renowned for their nibbles, which compensates for the lack of

alcohol (no license).

Generator Committee members gave a presentation covering the history of the space and the day-to-day workings of the gallery, which is entirely staffed by volunteers. Working with Generator provides art students and emerging artists with an invaluable opportunity to learn on the job, and it’s not all glamour – the team were obliged to teach themselves almost everything, from accounting to web design.

Judging from the consistently high quality of past exhibitions, it’s clear that such hard work pays off.

We jumped back on the minibus for an exclusive pre-preview of the newlyrenovated McManus Galleries and Museum.

The museum has been closed throughout the duration of my degree so far – being an art student, I have keenly felt the lack of this important cultural resource. As such, I was very excited to see it open and was suitably dazzled by the visual feast inside. Ancient artefacts rub shoulders with contemporary artist David Batchelor’s fun light sculpture, made from recycled plastic bottles and colourfully festooning the stairwell.

Despite my initial enthusiasm I did wonder whether something had been lost in the renovation process – though I have only the vaguest childhood memories of the McManus, it does now have something of the identikit, plasticky aesthetic which has stripped other museums such as Glasgow’s Kelvingrove of their shabby Victorian charm. That said, I’m not complaining. Even the McManus gift shop can provide hours of art-muso entertainment. Dinosaur keyring, anyone?

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) was the afternoon’s next destination, where Laura Simpson reappeared to give a tour of the mysterious neon-signed Visual Research Centre (VRC), which can be discovered down the stairs beside Jute, DCA’s café-barrestaurant beloved by yuppies. The VRC is run by DJCAD, and acts as a resource centre for postgraduate students and research staff. It also hosts the Centre for Artists’ Books and a Micro Cinema, both very

interesting and viewable by appointment, and regularly holds exhibitions in the Centre Space gallery.

We were led back upstairs for an audience with Scottish artist Martin Boyce, whose internationally-renowned No Reflections exhibition was installed at DCA following its original appearance as part of the 2009 Venice Bienalle arts festival. Boyce gave us a guided tour of his contemplative, outdoorsy sculptures, including a series of concrete stepping-stones which we were encouraged to clamber over – a pleasant subversion of the art world’s usual ‘don’t touch’ policy.

The afternoon was rounded off with a programme of talks at the Hannah McClure Centre, a sort of mini-DCA which can be found on the top floor of Abertay University’s student union. Speakers included Barry Esson and Bryony McIntyre from Arika, which organises several experimental arts events including the DCA-based Kill Your Timid Notion.

Exhausted but highly inspired after the talks, I finally joined my fellow Pop-up diehards for some more extravagant nibbles, including cupcakes customised with the Central Station logo. Which says it all really – art may be hard work, but it’s tasty. laurengentry.blogspot.com www.arika.org.uk www.thisiscentralstation.com www.exhibitions.dundee.ac.uk www.generatorprojects.co.uk www.mcmanus.co.uk www.dca.org.uk www.vrc.dundee.ac.uk hannahmaclurecentre.abertay.ac.uk

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Review: Frightened Rabbit- The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Gary Cocker

At the close of their sophomore album “Midnight Organ Fight”, lead singer Scott Hutchison informed us that he thought “he’d save suicide for another year”, a relief to all those who had sat through what has to be one of the best albums of the past decade. Written after a particularly acrimonious breakup, MOF brings schadenfreude to a whole new level; Hutchison’s piercing Scots voice aches and trembles as he squeezes every last drop of passion out of the raw and disarmingly direct lyrics of instantly heartbreaking classics such as “Poke”, “Good Arms vs. Bad Arms” and “The Modern Leper”.

It’s been a long time since I’ve anticipated an album both so eagerly and so nervously, simultaneously excited about new material and worried it wouldn’t match the dizzying heights established by its predecessor. My reaction to ‘Winter of Mixed Drinks’ mirrored the theme of the album itself; though it seems more assured and confident, it still seemed to be yearning for some of the rough edges present in earlier incarnations.

With the addition of guitarist and keyboardist Gordon Skene, FR’s sound is now far richer, allowing them to experiment with the shoegazing opener “Things” and the reverb at the beginning of “Skip The Youth”. Whilst this weakens certain tracks on the album (with recent single Nothing Like You possibly the first FR track I’ve

heard that I tired of after only a couple of listens), it also makes some tracks ooze with emotion. It’s hard to emphasise just how achingly beautiful ‘The Wrestle’ is, a track undoubtedly destined for inclusion on chic American drama playlists as it anaesthetises the listener with its hypnotic bass guitar rhythm. Of the other tunes on the album, ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ is classic FR, with its folksy acoustic guitar and starkly depressing lyrics.

When taken as part of their back catalogue, TWOMD fits in perfectly to the narrative of Hutchison’s troubled love life as he takes his first tentative steps towards recovery.

Whilst this album does fall just short of replacing MOF as their magnum opus, it will also undoubtedly open up the band to a wider audience both here and Stateside.

Here’s hoping that unlike certain other bands *cough*SNOWPATROL*cough* this deserved exposure doesn’t see them lose their edge.

Rating: 8.5/10 Recommended Tracks: The Wrestle, Foot Shooter, Not Miserable Stay Clear of: Nothing Like You, Man/Bag of Sand, Yes I Would

Thumb Candy

by Aled Duncan

Of the many DUSA events that take place throughout the year there is one that is sadly overlooked. The games night ‘Thumb Candy’; is run by chip-tune wizard Edward Shallow at 8pm every Thursday night in The Liar (by the pool tables at the far end of the bar). It is an awesome night of people getting together to have a few drinks and play a few video games.

I can picture some of you at this point, eyes rolling to the back of your head, groaning aloud in exasperation and possibly even frothing at the mouth, well if your reaction is that severe you have bigger problems my friend. For those of you with similar but less extreme reactions allow me to alter your perspective. Most people play video games; from the stereotypical nerd

sitting in the dark in his bedroom playing World of Warcraft to the student in the lecture theatre minimising Solitaire every time their lecturer walks by. In fact with our ubiquitous internet access nowadays they are difficult to avoid. In addition to solitary recreation they have become even more popular as socialising tools. Over the last few years I’ve lost count of how many parties I’ve attended where the sitting room is dominated by people playing Guitar Hero or Lips. So what better environment for such a proliferating pastime than the social atmosphere of a bar?

‘Thumb Candy’ hosts competitions most weeks, one of which I even won! What, I hear you cry did I win? Why a tasty free pizza! The ‘Thumb Candy’ Facebook page makes mention of some of the slightly more exciting prizes, though I have to say free pizza is pretty darn good! Even if, like me, you’re really bad at competitive games the three main consoles are also catered for (as well as a few old favourites).

Combining the two wonderful pastimes of game laying and beer-drinking seems so obvious yet so few venues allow for such a combination. Even DUSA has a baffling lack of advertising for Thumb Candy – possibly due to a perceived revenue loss from the arcade machines on the 4th floor or a simple lack of care on their part – the only poster I’ve seen for the event is stationed in the area where it takes place, where only attendees would notice it. Nevertheless you will find quite a few of us in the corner most weeks.

So whether your passion is solely for FIFA or you have more video game consoles than you do friends or even if you’ve never played a game in your life it doesn’t matter, just come along and have a laugh! And if you have a game (or a machine) not available at the night, bring it along and teach the rest of us a thing or two!

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Oddities: and of course the pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s beautiful Dante’s Dream on the Death of Beatrice (1880).

The Victoria gallery moves onto the Here and Now

gallery in which resides the modern art, I must admit I did Not often could I turn down the opportunity to enter a

143 year old building: I had a hard time trying not to,

at every exposure of bare stone, lick the surface which may have at some point been touched by another Victorian; but

enough of that for now. The McManus Gallery reopened to the public on Sunday the 28th of February and I went along to see how the renovation had turned out.

It is hard to believe that this renovated interior

has found its place within Dundee’s cartography. It, I

believe will stand unrivalled by any other establishment in Dundee for a great many years. The museum is dissected

into eight different displays. I will talk on the ones I feel I most enjoyed. The Victoria gallery on the second floor recaptures the Victorian Gallery experience with its red

lustre walls and high vaulted ceiling encompassing many outstanding works of artistic merit. Personal favourites

include the The Feather Boa (1892) by George Henry; Funeral of her First Born (1876) in which Frank Hol catches your eye with a sombre display of sincere realism;

quicken my step and hurry through this part. However, I was amused.

There are two parts to the modern art gallery; the

second room inhabited by some perhaps more abstract pieces.

My habit of always looking up within buildings to admire

architecture was rather more rewarding than usual. I beseech you to do thus when you enter this gallery, as who knows what you will miss otherwise.

Dundee and the World displays a great many

artefacts collected from all sides of the planet. Ones to

invest time in examining with your eyes would be the Inuit headdresses, the ‘Shrunken’ head and the Buddhist art.

The McManus Galleries reinstates Dundee as

a place of great cultural heritage, reiterating for younger generations the importance Dundee holds within Great

Britain, if not the world. This is a highly exciting building that will be visited again and again. The coming exhibition of Diana and Actaeon demonstrates how the McManus Gallery is going to bring a greater selection of exciting History, Art and Culture to the people of Dundee.

The Magdalen

Fashion News

by Nicola Brown

I

Internet shopping has revolutionised the way we purchase fashion, none of the embarrassing moments of picking the wrong size or being flattered into buying something by the clever lighting of the changing rooms. There is a brilliance in being able to try it on in your own home, and mix and match to make outfits without worrying if you have anything that goes with it. There is also more choice with online fashion shops, and tends to be more chance of getting that lusted after item in your size.

With more stores adding online shopping you can even browse vintage shops from the comfort of your armchair. Even charity shops such as Oxfam are getting in on the act, and adding products to an online store.

n the Spring 2010 catwalk shows, the pastel trend permeated through the majority of the designers’ collections. The trend is playful and feminine, with soft blues, pinks and yellow sorbet-coloured tea dresses prevailing. If you wouldn’t look out of place at an Alice in Wonderland teaparty then you know you‘re onto a winner, which incidentally perfectly coincides with the release of Tim Burton’s 3D adaptation.

Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Stella McCartney and Valentino are to name but a few of the designers who have embraced this sorbet trend, though I am merely licking the surface of a vastly indulgent tub.

The look has now spread down to the high street stores, particularly Topshop and New Look, so head along for your own scoop of this delicious trend!

Giles Deacon will be launching his 10th season of his ‘Gold by Giles’ collection in New Look. Pieces from the collection, which combine designer labels at affordable prices, range from £22 - £65. The collection will hit New Look stores all over the country later this month.

Despite being somewhat slow starters, the fashion industry has now well and truly embraced technology with fashion bloggers quickly becoming the first stop for up-to-the-minute fashion news.

They are now so influential that they are often spotted in the front-rows of fashion shows, providing news of the event almost instantly. Here are a list of some of the best fashion blogs for you to check out: 1. www.fashionista.com 2. www.fashiontoast.com 3. www.catwalkqueen.tv 4. www.gofugyourself.com 5. www.jakandjil.com It seems models everywhere are out to prove they’re more than just a pretty face with Brits Agyness Deyn and Twiggy, along with Texas born Erin Wasson all separately announcing their attempts at designing.

Agyness will be collaborating with Barneys

Japan, with the aptly named: I Am by Agyness Dean for Barneys Green; Twiggy’s collection ‘Twiggy London’ is set to appear on the HSN shopping channel and Erin Wasson makes her debut with her rock-chic jewellery range.

This isn’t exactly ‘news’ but I can’t write this issues fashion news section without mentioning the death of Alexander McQueen. I’m not going to get all Lady Gaga circa the Brits on you, but it’s truly sad that the fashion world has lost such a visionary designer. His last collection designed before his death was showcased on the 9th of March in Paris with models walking slowly and sadly to a backdrop of operatic music. The show ended with the words “Each piece is unique, as was he.”

Fashion and the 21st century

By Faye Cawood

A

s long as there have been clothes there has been some form of fashion, from the lead painted faces of the Elizabethans to the impossibly tiny waists of the Victorians.

Fashion took another leap into the 21st century with the invention of the iPhone, countless fashion apps have been developed and make fashion more accessible. Big fashion brands such as Chanel, Prada and D&G all have apps showcasing the latest collections. The style. com App allows you access to the front rows of the biggest shows at fashion week without even having to leave the country, brilliant for those unable to jet out to Paris.

Shopstyle is another innovation for the iPhone that allows the user to browse and buy almost any fashion item on sale at that time, it allows you to search by brand or by the type of item you want, for example a purple dress. The Stylish Girl App allows you to photograph everything in your wardrobe so that you can put together outfits without having items all over your bedroom floor.

All of these innovations make fashion much more accessible, and are brilliant if you live out of the city or if your favourite brand doesn’t have a store near you. But nothing will beat the actual buzz you get from shopping and the satisfaction of purchasing something you love and have searched for, but at least there is the back up of technology if we need it.

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Campus Chic

by Jane Garstin

Bea Bunn- Bea reminds us that spring has finally arrived, exhibiting the beautiful pastel colours that are in this season.

Wearing: Top and cardian-Topshop, skirtH&M, sandals-Accessorize

Anthony Medway’s outfit displays designer clothes most of us can only dream about affording. Wearing: Dolce and Gabbana jeans and Prada shoes.

Janey’s perky style is so current and shows us that by being creative we can look fashionable without having to demolish our student loans.

Wearing: Jumper-dad’s, scarf-H&M, shoes-New Look, bag-Topshop.

jewellery, perfume and other things. I only need to spritz Dior Pure Poison and I am instantly transported to 4 years ago, when I wore it every day.

mother or grandmother’s wedding dress.

In the course of my research for this article, repeated searches for ‘keeping old clothes’ came up with only one kind of website: advice sites offering to help me ‘de-clutter my wardrobe’. I thought, why? Throwing out my old clothes would save me space, surely, but the items I choose to keep –even if I no longer wear them – I keep because they remind me of my life. They are a sort of sartorial diary, a visual reminder of experiences and events I never want to forget. Why would I want to ‘de-clutter’ my memories? I certainly don’t, and that’s why the inappropriate tartan skirt, the baggy jumper and the out-of-date (and often cringe-worthy – I’m looking at you, My Chemical Romance) band t-shirts will remain, loved and taking up space, in my wardrobe.

A Certain Trigger

by Seonaid Rogers

I

n my wardrobe, I, like many others, have hangers full of items I once wore often, but will rarely wear again. I have a tartan miniskirt that I grew out of years ago; a jumper emblazoned with a Canadian marathon logo; scores of band t-shirts. I realised I was keeping them not for their fashion potential in years to come (since all trends are cyclical) but because of their potential as memory triggers.

The tartan skirt was what I was wearing when my boyfriend and I got together three years ago. My Canada jumper belonged to my late uncle. My band t-shirts remind me of all the awesome shows I’ve seen.

It happens all the time – and not just with dresses (the one I wore to my 18th birthday night out) and shoes (the pink and blue heels I wore to the ballet) – but with

Everyone has clothes they keep for sentimental value, and their use as a memory trigger is something we all do. We keep hand-me-downs from our mothers and fathers, or other people close to us.

When someone important to us passes away, often the first thing we seek to keep is an item of their clothing – what better way to feel reminded of them than through the clothing they chose to wear and express themselves through? We buy vintage not only for the style factor but because of the memories associated with it. Even on one of the most important days of your life – your wedding – you may choose to wear your

BECO Boutique The Magdalen

Photography by Liz O’Hara

BECO Boutique is one of the Wellgate’s newest stores making a major splash on Dundee’s retail scene. Winners of the Michelle Mone-backed Project Retail, joint owners Lauris Tosh and Jade Barnett offer Dundee shoppers the chance to turn heads with truly inspired, retro looks that can’t be found in any other high street stores.

They specialise in vintage and recycled trends, for men and women, and offer a bespoke service where shoppers can hand over an old item of clothing and they will transform it into something shiny, new and bang-on-trend.

So if you want an individual look and have a soft spot for 70s jeans, 80s designer clothes and 90s shoes, BECO Boutique is the place for you.

Scarves from £6, brooches from a fiver, customised levi 501 skirts and shorts from £20 and currently 25% off all footwear.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

Another of the Project Retail winners is Clare Satha owner of Zion: A Star is Born!. With a whole host of catwalk inspired looks, Zion is a gorgeous fashion boutique, jam-packed with inspirational brands such as Ed Hardy and Get Cutie. A must-visit shopping destination for discerning female shoppers there is a fabulous range of skinny jeans, 50s dresses and sequin jackets that will ensure you stand out from the crowd.

For more information on the Wellgate, Dundee’s home of great value shopping, visit www.wellgatedundee.co.uk or call 01382 225 454 For more information on BECO Boutique or to buy online visit http://www.becoboutique.com/ or call 01382 220 933 For more information on Zion: A Star is Born! call 01382 204 445

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The Magdalen

Science The Dangers of Popping Bubbles

by Amy Jordan

However there are some great risks taken to achieve this kind of ‘high’. The most common of these unwanted side effects are headaches and heart palpitations. Nausea is also present in around 27% of people and cold or blue fingers can be seen in 15%. Memory loss and poor concentration is common, not the most desirable effects for a student. In addition to this, using large doses of Mephedrone can cause depression, increased sweating, teeth grinding, gurning (sometimes known as ‘duck face’ in Australia), paranoid fits, rashes and even an inability to open your mouth.

An extreme hallucination in November led one teen from Durham to attempt to ‘detach his scrotum’.

You might think that ‘legal highs’ must be relatively safe (being that many of them don’t sound that different to smoking some basil leaves or swallowing a sugar pill, I mean, they are legal) and possibly wouldn’t have much more effect on a good night out than drinking a couple of cans of redbull.

Yet, recently there has been mention of a few Dundonian teenagers going to hospital after overdoses and two documented deaths in the last two months from taking a relatively new legal drug by the name of Mephedrone (aka ‘bubbles’ or ‘drone’).

It doesn’t take a scientist to conclude that Mephedrone must have a more drastic physiological effect than a few sugar pills and although there hasn’t been enough evidence of its pharmacological effects to make the drug illegal in the UK at present, there has been some research into these drugs, which could suggest some pretty horrific effects.

The effects induced by this drug imply that it is a psychostimulant and is known to be very similar to Methamphetamines and Ecstasy; people have documented becoming much more alert and excited

with an urge to talk and socialise. Some have also described a feeling of euphoria and even hallucinations. This is most likely due to the composition of Mephedrone as it is extremely similar to E.

It is already illegal in eight major European Countries and will most likely be banned in the UK in the near future. Considering the risks of taking this ‘legal high’ include becoming a ‘duck-faced’ wreck that can’t sing along to any of Lady Gaga’s tunes because her jaw is jammed shut. I reckon I’ll be sticking to my basil leaves...and maybe a jager bomb or two.

Radical Ideas on the Benefits of Antioxidants > Rosemary Gudmunsen When you hear the word ‘Antioxidants’ it’s likely that you already know a lot about their health benefits. Experts will tell you “eat blueberries, citrus fruits and drink green tea” to live a longer life. However, you might not be aware that this might not necessarily be true.

It’s right to say our bodies are constantly suffering oxidative damage by free-radicals, which are natural by-products of our daily lives; free-radicals are volatile molecules that rapidly ‘attack’ other molecules – including our DNA. But it has long been assumed that antioxidants are capable of

preventing and even repairing this damage.

However, recent research has shown that this is probably not the case. Two independent studies on aging investigated the lifespan of rodents after high levels of oxidative stress, compared to rodents who were not exposed to this damage. Both studies were surprised to conclude that oxidative damage played little or no part in how long the animals lived.

As such, later this year in Brussels, an international conference on antioxidants will highlight the latest research and

significantly impact on whether or not the mighty antioxidant industry will survive this breakthrough unscathed.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Science A Clockwork Embryo

by Sarah-Jane Gibb

Some 150 years after Darwin published The Origin of Species, his theory of evolution still underpins scientific thinking.

Knowing that we are closely related to other animals means that scientists can study other species to try and understand what makes humans tick. Over the past four years in the lab of Dr Kim Dale at the University of Dundee, I have been studying how the backbone or spine forms in the mouse and chicken (see figure 1 for a picture of me in the lab). It has been an intense and truly exciting experience, knowing that the next scientific discovery could be just around the corner.

and half of the vertebrae just below it in the Head spine, and the end inter-vertebral disc which sits in between these bits of bone to stop Somites them rubbing together. For the embryo it’s extremely important that these body Tail segments form end at the correct time and in a regimented Figure 2 order. Until recently the mechanisms that control the timing and pace of somite formation have remained elusive.

The development of the spine is tightly controlled during growth of the human embryo in pregnancy. When this control is lost, life threatening spinal disorders such as SD (spondylocostal dysostosis) occurs.

People who suffer from this condition have an abnormal spine and ribcage. Irregular rib cages lead to breathing difficulties and can result in the death of infants born with this condition. Although this is not a very common disease, there are a multitude of diseases which involve a poorly made spine which are incredibly debilitating. This is why I study development of the backbone; to understand how the spine develops normally so we can better understand the diseases where the spine develops abnormally.

The formation of somites has been heavily studied in both mouse and chick across the globe. In fact, mouse embryos which don’t make somites properly suffer from conditions such as SD, just like humans.

You can see in figure 3 what a healthy mouse skeleton looks like compared to a mouse that hasn’t made somites correctly; its spine is completely malformed. We now know from such studies the main driving force timing the formation of somites in the embryo. We term this force the segmentation clock. This means that all of us had our spine production line timed by the segmentation clock, much like the village clocks of the past, which kept control of everyone’s timings. This clock is responsible for monitoring and controlling

The bony parts of the spine (the vertebrae) and the ribs arise from structures called somites (pronounced so-mites) in the embryo. Somites are ball like structures; you can see them lined up in pairs down the middle of the embryo in figure 2. Each pair will go on to make half of one vertebrae

Normal spine Spine

production of somites in the embryo by switching genes on and off along the region of the embryo that will form somites.

In many ways it acts in a similar fashion to the intricate mechanism of a precision handmade timepiece controlling the progression of the clock hands (the genes).

Whilst completing my research in Dundee, I was lucky enough discover what we believe is the process that oversees this important stage in foetal development.

My experiments have demonstrated for the first time that a communication system within the cells of the embryo called Wnt (pronounced wint) signalling is responsible for controlling the pace with which the somites are produced. It would appear that Wnt signalling sets the tempo at which the segmentation clock ticks, much like a watchmaker ensuring their timepieces keep very precise time. In the embryo this clock controller is likely to assure that the correct number of somites form in the narrow time window of development during which they can be produced.

So to recap; the spine develops from specific structures of the embryo called somites and the timing of somite production is controlled by a segmentation clock that is fine-tuned by a communication system called Wnt. As Wnt provides this pace control function for our evolutionary cousins, the chicken and mouse, it is likely that the same is true for humans. The better we understand the elegant timing control of the growing foetus, the better equipped we will be in the future to tackle the disorders of the spine.

Abnormal spine Spine

Tail end

Head end Ribs

Ribs

Figure 3

The Magdalen

Sport: Campus Sport Fun Day by Barry Davidson

Over the past month Sports Union Vice President Graeme Spowart has ran the Campus Sport month of fun days. This has included four tournaments in basketball, volleyball, touch rugby and tennis.

The first of these fun days kicked off with basketball 3-aside tournament in ISE Hall 2. Over 50 people attended, with a wide range of skills represented, from university 1st team down to complete beginners. As Graeme commented, “the basketball really set the tone for the rest of the events, both the 1sts and the beginners were equally enthusiastic and it was a great success”.

The next event on the schedule was the volleyball 4 v 4 competition which a staggering 25 teams entered with over 100 individual participants. To add to the theme of fun, some of the sides played in fancy dress. Notable efforts included Abba, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (minus Splinter), and those in Morph suits. Most of the competing teams came from other sports clubs, with the Rugby, Ultimate Frisbee and Tennis clubs all adding a great sporting diversity to the occasion.

All with the clear aim of challenging the dominance of the men’s 1st, why not eh?, nobody else seems able to beat them.

Touch Rugby 7s took place on the new 3g pitch at riverside, on a glorious February afternoon. Four mixed teams entered into the events, including a few guest stars, with Scottish Touch Internationalists Hugh McMichael and Karen Johnson staring for the Sports Union exec team. Newly appointed university rugby development officer Barry Davidson (no not me) was

on hand to help with the running of the event. The final went into extra time with Spanner’s Tools (pictured) winning against SU Exec.

The tennis doubles tournament brought the month of sporting frolics to a close.

Again to the delight of the organisers, the event again reached capacity. “Though it was a cold evening, spirits were kept high.

A few teams of compete beginners gave it a go and were brilliant”, said Graeme. The level of talent on show was commendable, especially on the top court, where Jamie Nesbit, Tennis captain, and his teammate Sandy Wood ran out winners.

“The aim of all the campus sport events was to get people involved in sport, and just to have some fun. It also gave the clubs a good chance to add to the profile of their Sports, something I feel all the clubs have done

amicably”, concluded Graeme.

Special mention must also be given to the sterling efforts of Nicola Santoni, Boat Club Honorary President, who participated in all four events.

The success of the events must be put down to the great attendance, which displayed the love of sports on campus, and more importantly, the desire to have a bit of fun. Watch this space for similar events on next year’s calendar.

No.15 The Election Issue March 2010

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Societies: Dawkin’s Delusion with Craig Kelly

Deen asks the audience who has read ‘The God Delusion’ - my hand hangs solitary in the air. He then asks who believes in God and my hand is the only one to stay firmly by my side. It’s odd being in a minority of one but I have logic and reason on my side. Sorry, it’s hard to shake secular fundamentalism. I may scoff but Deen gives some interesting arguments. He merges the traditional religious points with western philosophy and even utilises science as a weapon against Dawkins. He argues that the constants needed for the creation of the universe and the beginning of life are so delicate that the chances are an insurmountable figure – thus the need for a creator. I’m left thinking that Deen’s God is a God of the gaps but there is equally an uncomfortable feeling growing inside me.

I decided to go along to one of the Islamic Society’s events as part of Islam awareness week. This would be a first: yeah I’d been to co-hosted events but this would be my first experience of DUSA’s largest affiliated society on their own turf. I have friends in the Islamic society and I’ve always been impressed with the amount of time and effort they put in.

I’m an atheist, but I was determined I would forget my predisposition for the night when going to an event entitled, ‘Dawkin’s Delusion’. It was clearly going to be the same religious guff you’d heard a million times before and my enlightened atheist credentials would debunk the fantasies before me. But I was there to try and be open.

Arabs are always late a friend once told me. I suppose it’s a stereotype they share with the Spanish but it was true.

The event was supposed to start at six but by my reckoning it must have been

going on seven by the time we got going.

Interestingly they had two lecture theatres: one for the event and another one for anyone who had to pray. I was trying to get into the Islamic mind-set for the night but I’m not brave enough to attempt to pray. I’ve never understood how to do it Christian-style let alone anything else.

We slowly fill the lecture theatre, me with juice and crisps in hand – they came free and I hadn’t eaten yet. With the exception of a few the audience is majority Muslim, which is a shame because there’s a feeling of preaching to the converted. The infinitely likeable Nadine, executive member of the society, introduces tonight’s speaker, a chap called Adam Deen, who I’d never heard of. Turns out he’s quite a big figure in this line of work – former Islamic Channel host and international public speaker. Deen is articulate, slick, southern English and white.

He looks more like a Tory candidate than a Muslim intellectual. But hey, who am I to judge?

The question and answer session is excellent and every point I make Deen rebukes in impressive style. Yet does good debating make something true? Nadine closes the event off. Normally I would stick around for a while, chat to the speaker and other members of the audience. Not this time. I quickly slip out and head home. I don’t quite know what it is wrong but I want to be alone to think about the event.

I suppose I’m just not used to having my views systematically and logically questioned in this manner. The tone was not confrontational, far from it, and that makes it all the more disquieting.

I need to rationalise my way through these issues but most importantly I would recommend Islamic Society events. This kind of debate is what university is all about.

ELECTIONS

DUSA

Campaign Begins! - 15th March Expect to see the campus covered with a plethora of rainbow coloured posters and sweeties.

Hustings - 24th March Come and Heckle your candidates. Air Bar will be a picture of tension as the candidates exchange platitudes and are awkwardly nice to one another.

Elections Begin - 25th March Candidates forsake sleep in order to try and convince students that they are the be all and end all of student politics. Candidates are dangerous beasts at this point as caffeine highs turn into energy drink fueled madness.

Elections Finish - 26th March Voting closes at 5pm.

Candidates take on the form of half shut knives.

Not really awake, but not really asleep, they descend on Air Bar to find out the results.

Stuart ‘The Wrecking Machine’ Fitzpatrick builds the tension and announces the winners.