The Orbital February 2013 (series 26, issue 7)

THE ORBITAL FEBRUARY 2013

FREE

www.theorbital.co.uk

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Record turnout to Societies, Media and RAG ball Young Kuk Noh

STUDENT Activities, RAG, and the student media outlets at Royal Holloway have seen a boom in recent months.

This boom meant that there was going to be a lot of competition for the awards that were on offer at Societies, Media and RAG Ball on Saturday night. From the highly regarded society crests to the prestigious society of the year award, most of the awards that were presented had various contenders, but one winner.

Freshman of the year was awarded to 5 people and 16 people were awarded the society crest by Ian Stewart, vice president of Student Activities.

The Orbital and Insanity Radio presented awards in what was described by Julian

IN NUMBERS

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The number of people who attended the Societies, Media & RAG Ball.

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The number of awards given out to students at the Societies, Media & RAG Ball.

Farmer, editor-in-chief of the Orbital, as “the most successful year for student media at Royal Holloway”.

Notably, the head of web at RhubarbTV and Insanity Radio presenter, Jack Gordon took the Orbital award for Outstanding Contribution, and the winners of the awards for Insanity Radio will be put forward for their respective categories at the Student Radio Awards in November with Jack Glanville of Jack Attacks the Airwaves winning Best Male, ScreenGeeks UK winning the best speech programming award and Shammy Ninja Penguin winning the outstanding contribution to Insanity Radio Award.

RAG events have been very successful this year, none more so than Ballroom and continued page 3

The winners of the Society of the Year Award: Politics and International Relations Society.

COMMENT P7: Inanimate Carbon Rod Jamie Green writes about the unusual campaign for NUS president this year, and why you should support it.

ARTS P23: Romantic, liberating and totally addictive Lily Waddle writes about why Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

FEATURES P8: On second thoughts...

Alan Ewans and Dahab Aglan respond to the religious freedom debate in the last issue of the Orbital.

P13: Puzzles Try your hand at our sudokus, as well as our elections-themed wordsearch.

LIFESTYLE P19: Natty Peeps Simon Rawlings writes about a discovery he made while exploring a market in Brixton...

SPORTS & SOCS P27: Student Feminism Victoria Butcher tells us about the first ever Student Feminism Conference in London this year.

P28: Swimming Pool Theatre Jack Doyle talks about working with dramatic productions in Jane Holloway Hall.

SERIES 26

ISSUE 7

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The Orbital Feb 2013

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The Board Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief

editor@theorbital.co.uk

Alex Pegler Deputy Editor

deputyeditor@theorbital.co.uk

Vacant News Editor

news@theorbital.co.uk

Stephen Atkinson Comment Editor

comment@theorbital.co.uk

Simon Rawlings Lifestyle Editor

lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk

Rachel Ivens Features Editor

features@theorbital.co.uk

Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor arts@theorbital.co.uk

Shannon Mizzi Sports & Socs Editor

The Orbital is the official publication of the Students’ Union, Royal Holloway, University of London, and is run entirely by an elected board of students. It is editorially independent of both Royal Holloway and the Students’ Union.

If you have any questions or want to write for us, send an email to getinvolved@ theorbital.co.uk, or contact the relevant section editor directly.

Design: Jack Gordon, Zosia Edwards and Julian Farmer

sportsandsocs@theorbital.co.uk

Vacant Web Editor

web@theorbital.co.uk

Zosia Edwards Art Director art@theorbital.co.uk

theorbital.co.uk @theorbitalrhul facebook.com/ theorbital

Leone Richmond Admin Director admin@theorbital.co.uk

Jamie S Green Executive Editor (VPComCam) jamie@theorbital.co.uk

Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief

SO, elections are upon us and nominations have officially opened!

While the majority of campus tries to avoid the campaign teams during the election period, it’s important to look into the positions and have your say in who will be running the SU next year.

When I first got involved with the Students’ Union, I was rather sceptical as to what a lot of the officers actually achieved. Having spent a year on the executive committee, I can honestly say that it’s full of hard-working and dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to try and make the

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NUS calls for votes at 16

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The UK must lead the change in gun control

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Puzzles

19 Are we what we wear?

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From the Editors

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Devlin interview

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Dancing through the decades

SU a friendlier and more inclusive place.

Just take half an hour of your time to look through the candidates’ manifestos, and you’ll see the brilliant ideas that people come up with.

Better still, run for a position! All you need to do is find some people (up to 10) to be on your campagin team, and fill in a nomination pack which you can get from the SU reception.

Volunteering as a part-time officer is a rewarding process, and you learn a lot about how a large organisation is run (along with the bureaucracy that goes with it!)

That said, I hope you enjoy this issue of the Orbital!

Alex Pegler Deputy Editor

I’M not actually here as this issue is being prepared for print. Instead, while the team are hard at work, I’m in Bostom, USA! I survived border control (which was a lot of fun, I assure you), and I’m now in my hotel getting ready to work with this year’s Model United Nations Conference.

It’s a three-day event where we debate a huge number of topics, and who knows — maybe I’ll win an award?

Speaking of awards, the Societies, Media and RAG Ball was a huge success, with a number of Orbital awards being handed out.

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Congratulations to everybody who got an award — they were all well deserved.

Sadly, Julian couldn’t be there as he was ill, but I took his place to hand out the awards.

It was a load of fun, and we all had a bit too much to drink.

If you didn’t make it this year (tickets sold out so fast that they put on an extra coach!) then I really do recommend going next year.

It celebrates the hard work and achievements of people who get involved in the social side of student life, and is a great way to get to meet new people interested in similar things, whether it’s media, fundraising, sports, or any other student activity.

ULU president argues against Dan Cooper criticisms

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On second thoughts: your responses to the religious freedom debate

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A letter to Holloway

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Travelling 101: From Holloway to the world

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Film reviews

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SU and societies calendar

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Egham business in cocaine raid Alex Pegler Deputy Editor SUSPECTED cocaine with a street value of almost £1 million was seized in drug raids across Surrey earlier this month.

The raids, carried out on 7 February, saw police make eight arrests in Egham and Staines.

Surrey Police says officers seized suspected drugs and drug-related paraphernalia at an unnamed business address in Egham.

Detective chief inspector Richard Clay said: "This operational activity is part

of Surrey Police's continued crackdown on organised crime and has resulted in a significant quantity of suspected Class A drugs being prevented from entering the streets.”

Traces of cocaine are now found on more than one in 10 banknotes in circulation in Britain, police experts told an official inquiry by the Home Office in 2011.

Last year deputy prime minister Nick Clegg expressed his belief that the war on drugs in the UK was being lost. Mr Clegg said: “We are losing the war on drugs on an industrial scale.

“If you were waging any

other war where you have 2,000 fatalities a year, your enemies are making billions in profits, constantly throwing new weapons at you and targeting more young people — you’d have to say you are losing and it’s time to do something different.

He continued: "We can't be complacent, we owe it to the many many children in this country who still get snarled up by drugs, whose education chances are blighted by drugs, whose health is damaged by drugs, we owe it to them to constantly restlessly look for better ways of dealing with the scourge of drugs.”

String of attacks prompts back gate petition

Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief STUDENTS have called for the back gate of Royal Holloway to be secured by a swipe card out of hours following four violent attacks in the local area.

The petition, submitted to change.org by student Chiara Toschi, has 84 signatures at the time of print and claims that students are put in danger by having to walk down Egham Hill late at night.

The gate leads to Spring Rise and has been in operation since 1970. It currently gets locked at 12.45am on Friday and Saturday nights, and 11.30pm on other nights, with the times having been revised to close earlier in the 2006-7 academic year to address complaints from local residents.

On the petition, Toschi writes: “I believe that since it is students who mainly use the back gate it is in their interest to decide when to have it open or closed.

“Most importantly it is dangerous to go back home late by night from other routes.”

The petition comes shortly after a petition passed with 1,175 signatures for an A30 pedestrian crossing at the St Judes Road junction.

Opposers to extended opening hours for the gate claim that noisy students disrupt their sleep as they make their way home after a night out.

They also say that there are safe ways home as the Students’ Union runs the Sshh Bus service to take students home each evening, with the

service running until the end of SU nights.

The Sshh Bus service was recently extended to run from an earlier time of 6pm each evening in response to the recent attacks on students, and costs £1 for students with annual passes costing £20.

Students and local residents have frequently clashed on the issue due to noisy students walking home after a night out, with the Lynwood Avenue Neighbourhood Watch having petitioned the Mayor of Runnymede in 2011 to have the back gate permanently shut.

The current petition requires 100 signatures to be officially passed to the university for consideration and can be found at www.chn.ge/14uRZo4.

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Socs, Media & RAG Ball continued from page 1

Latin Dancesport’s Strictly Come Holloway which were deserved winners of the RAG event of the year award, raising more than £1600 for Parity for Disability and beating last year’s grand total of £600. RAG society of the year was the New Lyell society and the outstanding contribution to RAG award went to Insanity Radio, Assistant Station Manager, Angus Wyatt.

This year also saw the introduction of a new award, the skills and employability cup, an award that was decided by the careers department and Andy Johnston.

He described the award as: “Something a lot of other societies will start to do more and more as students are really paying attention to how they look to employees.”

The skills and employability cup was awarded to PIR Society with the Film Festival Society as runners up. Andy Johnston had this to say after presenting the cup to Carmen De Jong, president of PIR Society: “It was great to see the effort PIR had put into developing the skills and employability of

their members.”

The Society of the Year award is awarded to a society who has met the criteria set by the Student Activities department. These criteria include “event success and innovation”, “volunteering contribution” and a “financial well-being”.

This year the society of the year award was awarded to the Politics and International Relations Society (PIR), the most improved society of the year was MTS and the best new society was the Film Festival Society.

All 360 attendants gave Amarbeer Singh a standing ovation as he was awarded the VPSA cup 2012-13 for his commitment to the Student Activities department and to the Students’ Union at Royal Holloway.

After the event, Ian Stewart (VPSA) wanted to thank “everyone who attended the Ball and everyone who had contributed to making this year great”.

Ian also gave his gratitude to the Student Activities Committee, Jamie S Green, Kenny Aruwa, Andy Steadman, Jack Gordon (DJ) and the tech crews for helping make the night a success.

Nominations now open for Surhul elections 2013 Harry Angers NOMINATIONS for the 2013 Surhul executive committee elections are now open.

The nominations are open until 25 February and cover a total of 28 cross-campus elected positions.

To be elected are four sabbatical officers, two student trustees, the executive committee, the heads of student media organisations

the Orbital, Insanity Radio, and RhubarbTV, as well as RAG chair and vice-chair.

Nomination packs can be collected from the SU reception.

Canvassing and voting will be held at the beginning of March, with the results to be announced in Medicine on 9 March.

For more information on the elections and how to run either go to the Surhul website or email Doug German at president@su.rhul.ac.uk

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The Orbital Feb 2013

NUS calls for votes at 16

Harry Angers

THE National Union of Students (NUS) has called on twhe government to lower the voting age after a motion passed in the House of Commons for votes at 16.

The motion was proposed in the Commons on 24 January by Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams. The vote passed by 119 to 46 after a three hour debate on the issue, although it is not binding on the government.

Speaking on the issue, NUS deputy president Toni Pearce said: “Young people should have the opportunity to choose to vote for those who really support their causes, to

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hold politicians to account, and to withdraw their votes from those who don’t.

“This needs to come alongside some real and meaningful political education in schools and colleges, but perhaps a bold move to take 16 and 17 year olds seriously could end the abdication of responsibility in this area, and end the patronising lip service young people are so often paid by figures of authority.

“It’s time for David Cameron to understand that lowering the voting age is an idea whose time has come. 16 and 17 year olds are likely to be voting in the Scottish referendum and they should be able to take part in votes throughout the whole UK.”

The NUS is a founding member of the Votes of 16 Coalition, whose membership includes organisations such as the British Youth Council and the Electoral Reform Society, as well as the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.

Williams previously proposed a bill to extend the franchise in November 2005, however, it failed by eight votes. Speaking on the issue of votes at 16, Williams said: “The time has come for a vital step in the renewal of Britain’s democracy.”

He continued: “[it is] time to let another one and a half million people take part in voting for the people who run the country.”

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New network set up for London media Lucas Wright

HARRY Angers, a second year politics student and president of Royal Holloway’s Media Society, has founded the London Student Media Network (LSMN).

According to the network’s Facebook page its main goals are to: “Share knowledge and experience between media outlets, and to get London student media talking amongst each other.”

The LSMN’s membership list currently includes seventeen media outlets from ULU, UCL, KCL, Imperial, LSE, Queen Mary, and Royal Holloway.

Speaking about the network, Angers said: “It’s taken months of work and planning, but I’m

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compiled by Harry Angers

delighted to finally KCL Image of former Archbishop of Canterbury defaced make it public. I’m incredibly excited to AN IMAGE of former archbishop made on same-sex marriage whilst see TV, radio and print of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has speaking at a Conservative Party media from so many colleges been defaced for a second time fringe conference were made involved in the network. We at King’s College London (KCL) public. have a real opportunity to get Strand campus.

In the speech, which is London student media working The defaced image was available on his official website, together.” discovered by members of KCL’s he countered the argument that He continued: “Most student newspaper, Roar!, at “‘no one is forcing the churches importantly for me at least, I midday on 10 February. Red to change,’” calling it “a weasel hope that the network can get marker was used to cross out argument.” students from all of the different the words “Archbishop of He stated that if same-sex colleges talking and socialising Canterbury”, write “raging marriage was legalised it would: more. You never know who’ll homophobe” next to it and add “[strike] at the very fabric of be tomorrow’s Chris Evans or devil horns to his face. society which may have drastic Walter Cronkite.”

Lord Carey has been a unintended consequences.”

For more information about controversial figure since last At the time of publishing the the London Student Media October when statements he identity of the vandal is unknown.

Network and how to get involved, visit their Facebook UCL Imperial students banned from UCL Union page: IMPERIAL students have been that on the previous night Imperial www.facebook.com/thelsmn banned from the UCL Union (UCLU) after accusations of criminal damage and theft by members of Imperial’s medical school RAG. The ban came to light on 2 February when another group of Imperial students were turned away from UCLU, located off Gordon Street. The reason provided for the ban was

students had stolen items from UCL medical students and caused criminal damage.

The students were originally thought to be members of Imperial College Union (ICU), however, it was confirmed that they were in fact from Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union RAG. Since the incident occurred, Imperial students have been allowed back in the bar.

ULU chief rubbishes Cooper manifesto criticism Alex Pegler Deputy Editor

UNIVERSITY of London Union (ULU) president Michael Chessum has hit back at claims that fellow sabbatical officer Daniel Cooper has failed to enact his manifesto pledges.

Earlier this month, the London Student newspaper, which ULU funds, offered a damning assessment of Mr Cooper’s achievements in his 2012/2013 term in office. The article, signed off by the newspaper’s editor Jennifer Izaakson (who is also on the ULU payroll), suggested the ULU vice president had done little to promote liberation campaigns and assist individual college unions.

In a statement released in response, Mr Chessum

sought to refute the claims.

He said: “Dan has done more than probably any ULU sabbatical ever to visit campuses and help unions and activists run campaigns, re-building what were very fractured relations with constituent colleges.

“The article credits none of this.

“Likewise, Dan has been instrumental in defending international students against the threat of deportation.

“The student activities department - our sports and societies – has been completely revived as a result of his work.

“He has been instrumental in supporting students and campaigners in halls, developing relations with the Greater London

Authority (GLA), and in working for ULU’s Housing campaigns.

“The article ignores all of this.

“Meanwhile, Dan helped to initiate the London Student Liberation Network and campaigns across the city through ULU; the article displays no knowledge of this work, and damns his record in ignorance.”

Chessum continued: “The article credits me with delivering well on housing, constitutional reform and Liberation. In reality, none of this would have been possible without the foundations that Dan laid in the autumn – and much of it, even now, is being led

by Dan, not by me.”

Current Surhul vice president for

Photo: Ewan Munro

communications and campaigns Jamie Green wrote to Ms Izaakson, echoing Chessum’s comments. In response she said: “No one thinks Dan hasn’t done anything.

“I think there’s always going to be an antagonism between the Editorial Team

criticising ULU sabbs and UoL sabbs that will of course raise disquiet amongst the individuals and their supporters.

“That’s why we’re editorially independent and there is no ‘reprisal action’ one can take on the basis of our content.”

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SPONSORED PAGE

College update Happy 10th birthday to Community Action!

On Thursday 14 February, Royal Holloway’s Community Action celebrated 10 years of service to the local community, clocking up an amazing 50,000 hours of student volunteering since 2002.

There are currently over 2,000 registered volunteers and over 170 Community Partner organisations regularly joining forces to enhance life in the local community.

At the anniversary reception attended by the Mayor of Runnymede, some of the many students, staff, and partners who have been involved with Community Action over the years gathered in the Picture Gallery where Vice - Principal Bob O’Keefe

thanked everyone and spoke about the many milestones achieved in the last ten years.

These highlights included students being presented with Higher Education Volunteering Awards in 2004, 2007 and 2008 for student-led voluntary ESOL and ICT projects with young refugees and asylum seekers; the launch of the Big Spring Clean initiative in 2007 where the local community was invited to submit project requests for teams of volunteers to respond to; the national Student Volunteering Week which has been celebrated by hosting a Community Partners Lunch, during which 18 prestigious Volunteering England

Gold Awards have been presented by the Mayor of Runnymede to students who show leadership, dedication, and achievement through their volunteering.

Phil Simcock, Community Action Volunteer Manager said: “It is fantastic to celebrate our success over the last ten years.

We have worked hard to establish good practice and develop strong connections with the local community.

“This could not have been achieved without the dedication and commitment shown by our student volunteers who have worked tirelessly and with great enthusiasm to make a real

Can’t wait until Glastonbury?

Well why not don your wellies and hot foot it down to Royal Holloway’s Science Festival! Running from 16 – 23 March, the theme this year is Science Fact, Science Fiction, with a week-long programme of events open to all and culminating in Super Science Saturday from 10am – 4pm on Saturday 23 March. Grab a picnic on the last Saturday and immerse yourself in our sciencethemed Alternative Village Fete where artists, craftspeople, performers and producers will come together and invite you to join in and experience their take on science. It promises to be a feast for the senses!

Other events during the week include The Silence of the Bees: A Science Opera an exciting and ambitious collaboration between the worlds of art and science, by composer Kelvin Thomson and based on the work of our very own scientist and bee expert Dr Mark Brown, opening the festival on Sunday 17

March. In addition, 19th SciFi and its facts and fiction will be examined in a discussion about H G Wells’ The War of the Worlds.

Indeed, the story is local to us at Royal Holloway - the Martians land in Woking, fight across the landscapes of Surrey and Berkshire, devastating Shepperton and Weybridge on their way into London.

On February 28, Royal Holloway will also host one of the largest events to mark the global Rare Disease Day. The day will look to put an important spotlight on rare diseases which together affect 24 million (6%) people in Europe. Activities are running throughout the day from 10am-3pm for secondary pupils to attend.

Jean for Genes Patron, Adam Pearson, will talk about what's it's like to live with facial disfiguring disorder neurofibromatosis and pupils will be getting hands-on with genetics with the Society of Biology, Association of the British

Pharmaceutical Industry, and the British Society for Cell and Gene Therapy.

Some of our current students will also tell them what it's like to study biological sciences!

Indeed, we are a leading institution in the development of novel therapies for rare diseases, including Spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Severe combined immunodeficiency. Much of this research is carried out in the labs of Dr Rafael Yanez and Professor George Dickson.

And let’s not forget about the arts! Top authors and poets will feature at the eighth annual Runnymede International Literary Festival, which runs from 18 to 23 March. Sir Andrew Motion and two-time winner of The Man Booker Prize Hilary Mantel are patrons of the Festival.

More information about all the events are available on the website.

difference. Here’s to the next decade!”

Community Action’s 10 Year anniversary celebrations were scheduled to coincide with this year’s Student Volunteering Week.

As part of this, The Inspire Project enhanced a local estate in Englefield Green by making hanging baskets and potted plants to be displayed at the front of houses.

In addition, Royal Holloway’s Alumni Fund supported an art installation community project which will be brought together and displayed in the Windsor Building to commemorate 10 years of action in the community.

SSHH! bus service update As you will be aware, Royal Holloway and the SU were recently pleased to announce that the SSHH bus service now runs on extended hours, as a trial in response to feedback from students. The service is now available every day of the week from 6.00pm from the top of Medicine Hill and will take you to the train station or home if you live within a three mile radius of campus.

All for the bargain price of £1.00 – or cheaper still with a £20 annual pass. This extension is in addition to the current service running every day which finishes only when everyone (including student staff ) has been taken home from the latest closing venue. The College has been pleased to financially support this extension of hours and are grateful to the SU and

student staff who have worked to secure the increased service.

Why do we encourage students to use the SSHH bus at night to get home?

Firstly we see it as the safest way to get home. The area remains one of the safest in the country and crime is fortunately rare, but using the bus minimises risk to yourself even further by making sure you avoid dark, unlit roads or short cuts. In addition it is the quiet way to get home - students making their way home at night should be respectful to the local community and not cause a disturbance and that’s why SSHH means Silent Students, Happy Homes after all!

Helen Groenendaal Community Liaison & Support Officer

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The “Inanimate carbon rod” — the protest vote for NUS President this spring Jamie S Green

VP Communications & Campaigns

AT the start of January, a Facebook group called “Vote Inanimate Carbon Rod #1 for NUS President” was created, gathering more support and “likes” than all of the other candidates.

Since then, the Rod has managed to get itself on the ballot paper for the upcoming NUS Presidential elections, via its nominated bearer, Sam Gaus. The Rod’s presence says a lot about the current state of the National Union’s governance and people’s frustration. I want to argue that the inanimate carbon rod is much more than a joke, but rather a protest that is telling of our times.

Here’s a quick background to the internal politics of the NUS: The National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS) generally rules the roost — for a number of years they’ve managed to get the most delegates at conference and have got their candidates into the various sabbatical full-time positions. Alongside this is a group called the ‘organised

independents’ who, despite their oxymoronic raison d’etre, also have had reasonable success with the last two NUS Presidents being part of this self-proclaimed “support group”. In between this, the anti-capitalist left — who despite being dysfunctional at best — get the occasional success through candidates such as the current Vice President Union Development, Vicki Baars, as well as a few members on its National Executive Council. Somewhere in between the Liberal Youth organise and desperately try proclaiming that their party is still the one to abolish tuition fees, whilst the Conservative Futures try playing the apolitical card, exclaiming that the NUS “needs to go back to basics”. Hopefully the picture I’ve just painted is that of a very factional one. However it is not this that the role of the Rod is trying to critique but the NUS’s presidency and political direction.

The last two presidents of the NUS probably epitomise its current problems — a lack of political direction and no real strategy for winning the

publicly funded, radically different tertiary education that it often asserts we should be fighting for. Aaron Porter, who ended up in everyone’s bad books, will forever go down in history as the NUS President who divided the movement when it most needed uniting by giving in to media spin on violence in the student protests. You can disagree with something without condemning it the way he did. He also could have pointed out the police violence of the demos which went largely under-reported whilst student violence was magnified. Instead Porter plodded along, organising outof-touch approaches to direct action, like a glow-stick vigil, while thousands of students stood outside parliament and fought for their futures. Liam Burns, although less divisive in his tenure, continued a reign of cowardice, never doing anything of note and using technicalities to shirk off some of his mandates, such as a 2011 student demo. In 2012, when he did have to organise one, it seemed to some that he did all he possibly could to make it

a damp squib – he used a dull ambiguous slogan (Educate.

Employ. Empower) and led the 10,000 students who showed up into the murky wilderness of London’s zone two, ensuring the march didn’t go near any of the hubs of British Democracy.

In Sheffield it seems as though the Labour clique are in the runnings again — Labour Students candidate Toni Pearce, despite a strong challenge from Vicki Baars, looks set to take the place of President, now with the backing of the Organised Independents as they fight off the rising challenge of the radical left. Having spent two years as Burns’ deputy, I assume her tenure won’t be much different to that of her predecessors’ — she reels off a similar rhetoric and her manifesto essentially tells us to wait until 2015 in the hope we can convince Labour to rereform Higher Education.

At National Conference this spring the Inanimate Carbon Rod is a real protest vote.

Although one can still vote ReOpen Nomination, Rod not so subtly points out the problem having moderates (Yes, Labour

Students are the centrists of NUS) as President year-onyear is creating — a lack of vision and an unwillingness to fight.

Indeed, I see the value of having a national federation of Students’ Unions and I believe this can equate to building a better world like we have in the past. However, decades of politically central leaders have proven that they cannot bring this to the NUS, nor do I believe right wing candidates waving the divisive banner of being apolitical to disingenuously represent all 7 million members’ views will. A huge fight is needed within our National Union to make it a relevant one. Who knows, this could be the rod up the NUS’s backside it needed to work harder and create real change?

The UK must lead the change in gun control Imogen Tyreman MOST people will be familiar with the expression that somewhere there’s a bullet with your name on it. Living in a safe environment in Surrey we give little thought to the truth of this phrase. However, in 2012 alone, enough bullets were produced for two to have your name on. Clearly if you’re reading this, these bullets didn’t find you, but they did find other people; over 500,000 are killed a year as a result of an unregulated arms trade.

These people include David Grimason’s two year old son,

who was shot in the crossfire of an argument in a cafe whilst on holiday in Turkey. The guns he was shot with were probably some of the 7 million unlicensed firearms currently circulating Turkey. It is finding out information like this that makes you realise how crucial it is that we make the effort to pursue an arms trade treaty before we kill each other in mindless shootings like this one.

It’s not just individuals that the arms trade is destroying.

Peaceful countries and tribes have been corrupted through the supply of arms sent by the Big Six providers of which

the UK is a part. On top of the endless supply flowing into Syria from Russia and China, the Turkana tribe in Kenya have been subjected to violence fueled by firearms and the detachment they bring from murdering someone.

Fear and insecurity have begun to loom over places that may otherwise be living peacefully, and I feel ashamed to be part of a culture that has provided brutal weapons to them whilst to its citizens promoting peace and democracy.

In July 2012, the UN met to discuss the regulation of the arms trade. A treaty was drawn up and whilst it

wasn’t perfect it was a huge improvement on the loose laws controlling arms we have at the moment. However, due to the presidential elections drawing near, Obama was unable to support the bill, and losing the support of America so close to completing the treaty meant it was difficult to give it the finishing touches, and the arms trade remained as it was.

However, the UN will meet again in March to bring about an arms trade treaty. 157 governments from around the world have voted in favour of agreeing on a final text at this meeting, and Jo Adamson, the leading UK negotiator in the

July conference, confirmed that no matter who is for and who is against, they will strive to get a treaty signed. We must not forget that, though America is bigger, the UK still holds a lot of influence in global issues such as these and therefore must make the effort to set an example.

I really hope that the arms trade treaty is amended and agreed upon in March, and whilst the UK supports it at this point in time, it is important that individuals make an effort to show that this university is for an arms trade treaty and support the government until one is brought into being.

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The Orbital

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Feb 2013

The Orb ital Jan 2013

Should the stat e “Religio us religiouintervene in c and chilfreedom is a hu hildren s freedo dren are m humans an right, ’s m? too!”

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COMMEN T FEATU RES LIF ESTYLE 7-12 ARTS 13-15 17-21

Aphra

Bruce-Jon persecute es IN LIG different d for practi HT story of course religion. Th cing a about of the recent the rel governme the ere var ying which igious nt bannin Tajikistani degree are education from cou and g thi pra chi s huma ntries adhere s to ldr private? of their chi spiritual mosques, ying in en n right.

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The go vernmen Tajikist t of an has banned under-1 8s praying from The Hu in mosques. ffington attribut Post es this secular ist gove to the rnment seeking to m inimise the risin g influ ence of Islam.

With religion being

gradually primar y shunned from this co education in un Bruce-Jo try, Aphra nes and Wilson Jordan ha this intri ve considered guing iss its wide ue and r implica tio this deba te on wh ns is the ether sta interfer te should e religious in children’s freedom .

Jorda

“To put chil pernicio dren through re us influe li nce is ev gion’s il.”

n Wilso believe. n CHILD never be The mind have a REN are ent must by the sta controlled, about wh and ma childhood — itled to things Because te or one’s par ether when the like a time gnificent imagilimitless oft of nat en ord religions ents. abs ion, enjoying y should bereligion olute wo reality. ver y what to er their fol simply nder at their I also As chi ear feel abo think and lowers measuressuspect tha ly life. what to ut certai boundle ldren, we wr hav n ss en issues, of pre t these ch children and inv e a curiosity they ven their nataway from fro m in chi with gap . As we gazaluable publi atten ting ldren childhoo ural entitle may giv c religious wodance ment — Orion’s ing mouths e up d. e Instea those wh rship just tur mesmeriBelt at nighttowards variety d of rea mindedned 18 a moreo have butterfly sed by an or are or goingof children’ding a — the view of the openforest on dancing aroelegant the cou for advents books un a scinti to be ory can decide world ures in we are ntr yside, llating d a who tru day, without do with the what chi The ver ly free. into rel are ir lives being for indoctrinldren If igi must no y young, the ced any ated allowed on are oft their rel body compla into it. the sup t be subjec refore, humourl to read en only bring upigion orders ins that religion posed solem ted to as the ess holy bo a dull, . They nit religion their child them to that kin do no y of They areQur’an or theok such a mosqu and take thein that barrier d of stu t need tol Bib d le. once or to go to that’s jus e or church m to beautifulplaced aroun ltif ying church a mosqu times d the e minds. not ad t tough. We , then tends down per week, multiple Religionir political here to a would huge parto encompas has vic to somethingto bow s a harming ideology if certain perniciout of one’s life snatchediously and fan which if its to do so our childrenit was its gru s inf luence any ou atically happin esome , tightens would loo ess nc the mind be (ri and ked cla or freedo e of their liv s of any ws around society. down up ghtly) m from es.

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Alan Ewans I WRITE this in response to Jordan Wilson's article concerning children's religious freedom in the last issue.

Firstly I would like to say that I have absolutely no affiliation with any major religion, unless you count Jedi (my as yet unsuccessful attempts to bring objects to me using the Force are a source of constant frustration). I am an atheist, as undoubtedly Mr. Wilson also is, however unlike him I am not so quick to condemn religion as a 'stultifying barrier'. I find this article to be both intentionally controversial as well as horribly misinformed. Its writer does not even deign to say exactly why he thinks a religious upbringing is 'evil' yet alone back this up with any factual or anecdotal evidence.

What exactly is wrong with wanting to bring your child up sharing the same religion and beliefs that you do? All parents share their interests with their

children, taking your children to church or Sunday school is surely no different from taking your son or daughter to watch the same 8 football team every week, no matter how bad that team may be. It is perfectly natural to want your children to grow up sharing the same attitude to the world as you do.

The writer gives the impression that children are given by their parents to the church almost as soon as they are out of nappies and that they are then brainwashed somehow until they can no longer think for themselves. He obviously has not experienced being a child in a church educational system and has little idea of what a religious education is. Children are not expected to understand the same sermons as their parents or to undertake Holy Communion; that would be like expecting an 8 year old to pass an A-Level exam. The literal fear of Hell is not drummed into them like some constantly nagging mother, preventing

them from being naughty and fearing for the souls of their friends.

He refers to organised religions as 'cults' which is presumably meant as a pejorative term. As was probably the writer's intention, this word puts me in mind of those fanatical families in the USA who send their nine year old kids out to tell passersby why gay people are from Saturn or other such rubbish. Thankfully, as of yet, I am yet to experience that teaching in this country. There are undoubtedly fanatical Christian priests and hard line Muslim clerics who encourage violence and intolerance against their fellow man but that does not mean to say they exist in every church and mosque in the

9 world.

Mr. Wilson has obviously encountered such people in the news and in Louis Theroux documentaries and with the typical warped logic of a bigot has applied it to all religious types. The truth is that TV stations just do not really care about your average vicar whose wife makes the cucumber sandwiches and buys the custard creams for the ubiquitous after-service pleasant chat.

A religious upbringing is far more likely to 'indoctrinate' forgiveness and tolerance than hate and prejudice, and you may even get biscuits and orange squash out of it.

Dahab Aglan SKIMMING through the Orbital’s last issue, a particular debate caught my eye; “Should the state intervene in children’s religious freedom?”. I read through Aphra Bruce Jones’ view, which reflected a true attempt of finding a “middle-ground” for everyone. However, in my own humble opinion, I hoped Jordan Wilson could expand and elaborate further on his opinionated view that “To put children through religion’s pernicious influence is evil." This response is purely an open-minded discussion that aims to exchange views and come up with fruitful conclusions.

The debate discusses whether or not

the secularist government of Tajikistan should ban under-18s from praying in Mosques. Wilson implies that religion hinders young people’s imagination and “therefore children must not be subjected to the supposed solemnity of religion”. At first glance this seems easy to grasp, but when you stated “therefore”, should I conclude that religion is the main cause that hinders the “boundless and invaluable” curiosity children have? In order for somebody to agree or disagree with you, you should provide some facts, some evidence about any scientific relationship perhaps between the two factors. Furthermore, you say “To put children through this is a crime of evil proportions”. Again, this seems perfectly easy to literally understand, but how exactly is this a crime because

a crime is no small word? Additionally, what kind of “evil proportions” do you mean? And how big are they?

I understand that you know perfectly well that somebody will come up to you and say “You are against freedom!”, but yes, this really is against freedom.

Needless to say, I also know that freedom is sometimes a subjective topic and its definition differs from one individual to the other. I believe the state should let parents raise their children the way they want to rather than giving rise to a big dictatorial parent (i.e the state) that forces parents to act in certain ways because this is actually not solving the problem. The state is actually turning into tyranny when it chooses who must visit and who must not visit the Mosque.

I perfectly agree with you Wilson that the mind must never be controlled.

However, I do conclude that your idea of the Qur’an or Bible as a “dull, humourless holy book…written by selfish old men” is rather incomprehensive. If you study the origins of Arabic grammar and literature at least, you will understand that this is no dull book at all! Why would Thomas Jefferson keep a copy of a dull book all through his life? Or why should Goethe leave his poetry for a while to read through it and say “Whether the Koran is of eternity?/ I don't question that... That it is the book of books?”

From an inquisitive ex-child who used to go to the Mosque out of pure independent thinking (P.S. I have no evil dimensions!)

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From the section editor...

Concrete blindfolds Stephen Atkinson Comment Editor A CRIME is taking place all around us; a crime against the planet. If you were only a little more observant you may just catch a culprit red-handed. If you take the blindfold off you might even find your hands red themselves.

Cleaners on campus have been spotted putting the bin bags from the recycling bins straight into the same bag used for rubbish. This action has been witnessed in Reid halls and in Bedford library; whether the crime is widespread is uncertain. This

atrocity sees all of our rubbish ending up in landfills. I am disgusted when it takes such a small effort to successfully see our recyclable goods sent off to the recycling plants. However, though the effort is little, the need of awareness is great. The source of this rubbish epidemic is our ignorance of humanity’s effect on the planet; the societal systems in place blindfolds us to the individual consumption of non-renewable materials.

I don’t want this to read like an ad hominem attack on the cleaners. I don’t blame them specifically.

There is a problem with our

culture that the cleaners here barely exemplify.There is a detachment between the consumer and the disposer.

We feel we can do our bit by putting a bottle in a recycling bin but which of us really knows where it really ends up? Sadly, I don’t know what happens to my recycling when it gets picked up by the recycling bin people but at least I know it got that far.

I have faith that the system works, that the tin from my baked beans turns into a car or a plane, just like the adverts tell me. But our culture is so far removed from one in which we know where our rubbish really

goes. We are blind to the effects of our lifestyle on this earth. Regretfully, this article is not even a potently envirofriendly, subtly judgemental article written by an ecowarrior, because not even this writer knows much about his share in the world’s perpetual cycle of consumption.

This generation needs a wake-up call. We need to take the blindfolds off. We are fed a lie that we are the most important beings on the planet, that everything is here to serve us, that our actions don’t matter so long as we’re peaceable and don’t offend anyone. Yet we need to know the effect we’re having on the

I’m Rosie, and I want a job Rosie Wardle IF YOU’RE a third year student, you’re probably having a similar waking nightmare to me. Days are spent in the library, planning and writing that grown-up thing called a dissertation, whilst evening phone conversations are spent reassuring my parents that yes, I am looking for a job, whilst inwardly screaming, no I’m not — I haven’t even got a clue where to start.

After several half-hearted applications to graduate schemes, which have all been met by rejections, I’m beginning to get worried by the graduate horror stories. As a student, the media tells us that we shouldn’t expect to go out into the world, and find employment. That would just be stupid. Unpaid three month internships, rejections and unanswered applications are something present third years should be prepared for.

So how do you get a job? The secret seems to be, forget a CV and cover letter — it’s time to think outside of the box. Don’t

just post your application, but instead, find the office and hand it in yourself. If you want to be considered for an internship, always call the top person in the company, rather than sending a generic email. It might be scary, but at the end of it, you’ll either have wasted five minutes of someone’s time that you’ll probably never meet, or you’ll have the internship.

However, these techniques may not be unique enough.

Adam Pacitti, who has a first class degree from the University of Winchester, and a number of work placements on his CV, still cannot find a job in the media.

So he bought a billboard, which states that ‘I spent my last £500 on this billboard. Please give me a job,’ and directs those that are interested to his website.

Although his homemade video and cheesy photos are slightly annoying, there’s no denying that his campaign to find a job is eye-catching.

Meanwhile, job seeker Matthew Epstein decided that wearing a fake moustache would be an imaginative way to apply to his dream-employer, Google.

The moustache becomes a

planet. It is not that we are the most important beings on this planet, but that this is the most important planet in the solar system. We must take care of it.

We are so far away from the earth beneath us. A good yet troublesome illustration of this fact is the grievous amount of time spent in concrete blocks, on pavements, and in cars. The earth beneath us rumbles; it is crying out for attention.

Something will have to change. May we take the first step and nurture a recycling scheme at RHUL that actually works, and increase our own recycling habits.

A Union divided motif of his campaign, which he repeats throughout his website, commenting that ‘a man without a moustache is like a cup of tea without sugar.’

Although, somebody should tell him that not everybody likes sugar with their tea.

Nonetheless, he bagged himself a job — sadly, not with Google, although he was offered an interview.

Showing a mixture of ingenuity, cockiness and desperation, there is some inspiration to be found from these examples. Making a website as a profile of yourself, putting yourself on LinkedIn, and following everybody important on Twitter is the best way to get yourself out there. Employers are used to receiving applications — and probably throwing them away, without reading them.

They need a face to the name that keeps pestering them for employment. And although it is frustrating that you have to go to extreme levels to find your first professional job, perhaps Pacitti and Epstein are on the wave of the new format of graduate job applications.

Jordan Schiller FOR those of you that attend the general meetings (GM) at the Students’ Union (SU), you might have picked up the rather hostile political environment. At a previous GM a motion was put forward to condemn a journalist that wrote what some call an inflammatory piece about transgendered individuals. The motion was put to a vote, and one member raised their hand to vote no. His vote garnered death stares and animosity that was palpable.

The individual commented to his friend, “How could I vote for something I haven’t read?”

For all the talk the union puts forward about inclusion and fair representation, in actuality a GM has degraded into a place of political animosity and rancid distain for those who don’t hold the same political values. During an election earlier in the year a comment of, “Don’t vote for him, he’s a Tory” was

made. Stemming from such attitudes a new fad emerged on both sides of the political spectrum. Being “offended” has become the new chick of the union, a tool for feigned public outrage.

In reality to be so easily offended is to be callow and pithless. The time has come to thicken our skins and discuss actual student issues free from frivolous emotional fawning.

It’s time we realise that political parties have no bearing within the realm of student politics and should not be used to define how we look at each other. What difference does it make if a sports coordinator is conservative or liberal?

It doesn’t matter who the Egham off campus housing representative voted for in the last election. It’s time people stopped using the SU as their own personal pulpit for their political ideology and got back to focusing on what’s good for the student body as a whole.

If that can’t happen, people should not be mandated to attend.

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The Orbital Feb 2013

So where does this leave me?

Zosia Edwards Art Director JANUARY 1940, Eastern Poland.

Thirteen year old Waleria Kwochka and her family were taken to the railway station and bundled onto trucks by soldiers, along with many others from their village. Scared, cold and frightened, all she could do was make the journey into the unknown bearable for the children — they made a game of picking out perfect Christmas trees from the ranks of firs they passed on their way into the forests of Siberia.

Her older brother was left behind at boarding school. She later heard he was shot in a German labour camp.

Waleria ended up in a logging camp deep in Siberia. She and her family were forced to work there on the orders of the Soviet government. When the Germans turned on their Russian allies and invaded in 1941, these captive Poles were now Russian allies and could no longer be forced to work. The Kwochka family was set free.

They still could not return home.

Poland had been divided between the Germans and the Soviets, and their land had been confiscated by

the Soviets at the start of the war.

They headed south, for Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan where thousands of Poles were gathering in refugee camps.

Waleria and her sister were given the chance to study at a British government school in Palestine, and they took it gladly. They did not know they would never see their parents again.

While Waleria and her sister studied, their Mother died of typhus in a disease ridden refugee camp. When the war finished their father returned to Poland, but the girls stayed in Palestine to finish their schooling. By the time they could leave, the Iron Curtain had descended and they were unable to return to him.

The British Government gave them a choice. They could start a new life in Australia, America, Canada or the United Kingdom. They chose the United Kingdom, as it was the closest to Poland and they thought they would return home one day. Waleria did not know that she would live here for the rest of her life.

Sixty three years later, that young girl is now my grandmother. She’s eighty five and as I grow older she tells me more of her story. When I was thirteen

and wouldn’t eat my lunch, she would tell me that at my age, lunch was a luxury she had no hope of attaining.

When I was sixteen and I disagreed with my mother, she would tell me that at my age, she had no mother to disagree with. When I turned twenty she told me how she saw herself in me, young and full of life and ready to face the world. When she was twenty, she was starting a new life in a new language in a country she had never visited.

And where does this leave me? How Polish am I? How Polish do I feel? How Polish should I be?

I wear my heritage in my name. Zosia is Polish for Sophie, and some call me out on it and ask whether I’m Polish.

I say half, because my grandmother married a Pole, but my mother was born in sunny south east London. I’ve been to Poland once when I was two.

We celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, in the Polish way. Polish food and I do not get on, but I quite like Polish Vodka. Whenever someone marvels at my ability to hold my drink, I attribute it to my heritage, but all I can say in Polish is “I don’t speak Polish.” I’m a terrible Pole.

Something still worth thinking about

A snowy society

Stephen Atkinson Comment Editor I AM tempted to explicate the fact that I am in not against gay marriage and I do not endorse the implications of Philip Hammond’s statements. But I don’t think this article necessitates such a cautious introduction.

First of all, the question of what Philip Hammond said is really not a massive issue anymore since now the gay marriage bill has been passed in parliament, which I am very pleased about.

Secondly, what I have to say I feel is not contentious at all; I am merely attempting to encourage my readers to question the stability of the liberal platform from which many have chanted their mantra on campus recently.

Philip Hammond did not liken homosexuality to incest. The question posed to the MP implied that any two people who are in love should be allowed to marry.

His comment reminds us

Daniel Willis NO one can have failed to notice the latest fall of snow that recently sugar-coated our country this January. As always, we had the dramatic, scaremongering news coverage, and headlines such as: “CHAOS ON THE ROADS: BIG FREEZE TO LAST FOUR MORE DAYS!” But despite the Daily Mail’s best efforts to scare us, the results, as usual, were never as bad as predicted. Indeed, this time I would tentatively venture that we were relatively well prepared.

Though many people in this country seem to be terrified of the snow, I would argue that in fact, whenever this country does happen to be plunged into an Arctic wasteland of chilly winds and 10 centimetre snow levels, different communities and people from all over the country seem to come together as one, and form a sort of snowy society.

The thing about Britain is that it refuses to be prepared for snowy weather. Despite the fact that it has snowed at least

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that currently in our country there are more issues than just homosexuality that hinder people from marrying. Of course, it was open for Mr Rayment to follow Hammond’s logic and say, well siblings ought to be allowed to marry too! That’s something for us all to think about. The question is, where does the line get drawn? Do we liberals dare to draw a line at all? The institution of marriage still denies the marriage of more than two people, of adult to child, and of human to animal.

Dare we argue against these limitations too? Dare we take our fervent stubborn liberal mindset all the way to the logical conclusion, that all should be allowed to do whatever they want whenever they want?

Again, I maintain I’m not against gay marriage. I believe the line should not be drawn above homosexual couples. But I do believe the line should be drawn somewhere. Do you?

But what I have learnt from my Grandmother’s story is to not take things for granted. One day she had a farm with horses and land and a lovely house. They next they had nothing, forced from their home by soldiers and taken out into the wilderness.

Perspective is valuable. No matter how bad things seem, I have my home and family, and in that knowledge I have faced the challenges life has thrown at me. Most importantly, your family should always be a priority Waleria’s experience was shared by thousands during the Second World War, but having someone tell you their story with tears in their eyes brings things to life more effectively than any history lecture ever could. If you can, next time you’re home please talk to your grandparents. Ask them about the war, ask them about your heritage, because the experiences of our families really and truly shape who we are.

So really and truly, I could say that this story leaves me nowhere. I’m slightly Polish but more than that, I am my grandmother’s granddaughter.

My view of the world is shaped by her experiences, and I value the sense of perspective that this has given me.

a little every winter for the past few years, this has done nothing to alter British opinion that it hardly ever snows, and therefore snow always comes as a shock. The whole country seems to go into lock-down, with cancelled trains, cancelled flights, icy roads and shut down schools.

One can easily see that the snow is annoying. However, I think the fact that all these things happen is actually a good thing for our communities. When children don’t go to school they can play outside with other kids; parents can take days off work to be with their families; people stop and help drivers who have been caught in the snow, and local populations come together at the nearest green or hill for snowball fights and sledging races. You never hear of an increase in hostility between people during snowy weather; the only thing that seems to increase is friendliness and frivolity.

Take here at the university, for example. When the snow started to settle in thicker and larger amounts, students

emerged from their various study rooms to frolic and run in the snow like schoolchildren.

Large snowball fights occurred between playful students all over campus, and I myself spent many hours with groups of friends sledging down hills, at one point even getting stuck in a tree. The snow had a way of bringing all the students together, be it through outdoor activities, or collective grumbling about the cold. Here at the university, and throughout the rest of the country, everyone felt in the same boat (or should I say sledge). We came together to be part of this snowy society, built on the foundations of helpfulness, playfulness and a collective sense of immaturity.

I think that weather like this should be welcomed every year. So I ask you, students, citizens and comrades, to stop complaining about delays and treacherous weather, and embrace our collective snowy society. After all, if global warming is to be believed, we may not have many more snowy winters left.

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6 free apps that every student needs Dropbox One of the most popular cloud computing apps, Dropbox lets you save your files and folders to their website and access them from any computer, phone or tablet. You can share your files with others easily, safe in the knowledge that if your laptop breaks down, your files are backed up elsewhere.

Evernote Evernote allows you to write up lecture notes, to-do lists and research, all in one place. Evernote is easy to use and lets you collect images, web pages, files and audio as well as text – making your life that little bit less disorganised. The app works with your computer, phone and tablet and can also be shared with others.

Dictionary.com Does what it says on the tin. This dictionary app helps you out when you’re lost for words and makes reading through a wordy paper much less daunting. Floccinaucinihilipilification; look it up.

Epicurious This recipe app ensures you won’t be eating beans on toast or ordering pizza every day. Whether you’re searching for culinary inspiration or want to know what you can do with the mishmash of food at the back of your fridge, this app will give you thousands of recipes at your fingertips as well as letting you create shopping lists if you’re more prepared than the rest of us!

Sleepcycle This rather ingenious app analyses your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are feeling most rested.

By monitoring your movements while you sleep, Sleepycle will wake you up when you are in your lightest sleep phase, within a 30 minute bracket.

Set this for when you have an early start and even your 9 o’clock lectures will seem more bearable.

Kindle Saving you from lugging around heavy textbooks, the Kindle app lets you read books, newspapers, magazines and PDFs from your phone or tablet. You can easily buy digital books from the Amazon store or download the thousands of free books available, highlighting or making notes along the way.

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Ask Auntie Hannah!

The Orbital Feb 2013

Dear Auntie Hannah, My boyfriend has been texting his ex-boyfriend for a while now thinking that I am oblivious when actually I steal his phone every night for updates. Recently he suggested that they meet up for a drink at this club we never go to. Should I show up and confront him?

Kev x Well Kev, I think it would only be fair if you showed up with a gorgeous man on your arm, gave your boyfriend a disdainful look, then waltzed off with your new fella and spent the rest of the night telling everyone in the club how awful he is so they stay away. Throwing a drink at the ex would also go down well.

Just try to do what comes natural x

Dear Auntie Hannah, I’m trying to get over this guy, Evan, that I liked for ages because he’s found himself a girlfriend. I don’t actually know him all that well anyway. But now his brother has just added me on Facebookdoes this mean he has been talking about me? Is there still hope?

Rachel x Well Rachel, Is this brother attractive? Hooking up with him would be a good way to show Evan what he’s missing, drive him wild with jealousy and claim him for your own. Disregard anyone else’s feeling in the matter, they don’t know what’s best for them anyway.

Have fun x

Dear Auntie Hannah, How can I tell if I’m attractive or not?

Ruby x Well Ruby, If people avoid looking at you most of the time when they are eating, your odds aren’t great.

However, if they frequently smile at you, stare dreamily into your eyes and look up from their work when you cross the room, it may well be that your attractive level is off the scale. Try asking someone impartial, like the postman. Ask a few people to make sure, about a hundred should do for a survey of this nature.

Good luck! x

Dear Auntie Hannah, I need advice on what to get my mum for her birthday. She likes things like chocolates, bath salts, face creams and Michael Buble.

Any ideas?

Leanne x Well Leanna, You could do something totally memorable like buy her a Princess Leia bikini, spend hours wrapping her hair into side buns and take her to ComicCon for the day…

But it might just be easier to get her chocolate, bath salts, face cream and/or a Michael Buble CD. Your call x

Colour your world: LGBT history month What is it and why is it important that we recognise this?

LGBT History Month is a month where the history of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trans* people is remembered and the contributions to the society that members of the LGBT community have made is celebrated. It is also dedicated to the equal rights movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans* people worldwide.

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Why isn’t there a straight history month?

Morgan (Moose) Hale puts it quite well, when he shouts (somewhat) angrily, EVERY MONTH IS STRAIGHT HISTORY MONTH!!!

What are Royal Holloway LGBT doing for LGBT History Month?

Well...here are our highlighted events. If you do attend and would like to comment on any of these events, please use the hashtag #ColourYourWorld

Tuesday 19th February Colour Your World | The Gay Nazi | Royal Holloway LGBT and History Department Collaboration ALT1, 6pm - 8pm Price | Free

Wednesday 27th February Colour Your World | LGBT Society + Psychology Department | Mental Health Issues in LGBT people TBC, 6pm - 8pm Price | Free

Thursday 21st February Colour Your World | Royal Holloway LGBT presents What It Means To Come Out Venue TBC, 6pm - 8pm Price | Free

Thursday 28th February Colour Your World | Miss Representation with Feminism Society TBC. 6pm - 7.30pm

Monday 25th February Colour Your World | Film Night - 'Milk' with Amnesty Society MLT1, 6pm Price | Free for members | £1 non members

Colour Your World | Open Mic Night with Lashings of Ginger Beer Time Stumble Inn, 7.30pm - 12am Price | £1 Members | £1.50 non members

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Well Jennifer, You might want to spend the next few weeks mentioning how much he looks like Ryan Gosling nowadays and not at all like the spotty boy you first met a lacrosse initiations…

You have to lie. x

Well Jake, Let’s face it, we have all had those bored moments staring at the tutor babbling on in front of us and idly wondered ‘what if…?’

The truth is, they probably haven’t thought that about you. They are genuinely so passionate about their subject that you could be snoring on the desk and they will still continue. If she likes you, she will make a move after you finish being her student, otherwise that is what is known as harassment.

Move on x

Dear Auntie Hannah, Is it true that guys don’t like girls that make rude jokes and have a dirty mind?

Laura x Well Laura, It is a well documented fact that almost all men dislike sex and believe that crude humour is beneath them. But I think you might get lucky!

Don’t change for anyone x

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DEAR Holloway, Stop complaining!

I can imagine that to an outsider, Royal Holloway’s ‘University of London’ title can be a bit misleading. We are by no means in central London, and Egham can hardly be considered cosmopolitan. I am constantly hearing people complain about Egham being ‘dead’ and the university being ‘far away from anything’.

This just isn’t true. A 40 minute train ride will take you into the capital from Egham station so it’s very possible to get into the city for the day if you need to be somewhere more lively. At the same time, Staines and Windsor

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Dear Auntie Hannah, Is space actually real or is it just a conspiracy like the moon landing? It just looks like a big projection.

Tanya x Well Tanya, You need to go to school.

Now x

Got a burning question?

Ask Auntie Hannah by sending an email to features@theorbital.co.uk with “Auntie Hannah” in the subject line.

A letter to Holloway Lizzie Parke

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are nearby so you can go and watch a film or have a shopping spree without travelling into London.

That being said, there is a fair bit to do in Egham once you look past the cover of suburbia. We are on a campus of approximately 8000 students with countless societies and events going on: there is no reason why you can’t get out and meet people. If you’re not having fun, perhaps you’re not trying hard enough.

As for me, I am halfway through my first year and love Holloway. Yes, I may have initially been sucked in by the beautiful buildings, fooling me into thinking that I study at Hogwarts. However, the people I’ve met and experiences I have had have made me not regret my decision to study here at all. Don’t worry, be happy!

Anonymous

DEAR Holloway, International students of Holloway, get out of your cliques!

It always irritates me to see so many groups of international students sticking to themselves and not getting out and meeting others. I start off by being annoyed at people not making the effort and then I feel guilty – what if it’s the home students not being welcoming enough?

It’s not everyone, though. I have friends who have come from abroad to study here and find it easy to mix with home students and students from other countries.

It’s great to be able to talk to people who’ve lived in another culture and see the world from a different

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Ask Auntie Hannah!

Dear Auntie Hannah, My boyfriend asked what three wishes I would ask for if given the chance. I said I’d want to be taller, with clear skin and dating Ryan Gosling and now he’s mad at me.

What should I do?

Jennifer x

Dear Auntie Hannah, I think I’m falling in love with my tutor. She’s got the most beautiful smile and her accent just stuns me. I can’t stop staring at her in seminars. She’s not that much older than me and doesn’t wear a wedding ring… Dare I ask her out?

Jake x

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angle.

Perhaps language is the issue. If you feel more comfortable speaking your first language, I guess it’s much easier to talk to people who you can communicate with easily.

Cultural difference could also be a cause, if students find it easier to get along with people from the same background and are more similar to them. Even so, university is a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and meet people who come from a different point of view.

I know we’re all here to get a degree at the end of the day, but it would be nice if the campus didn’t have cultural divides. If it’s the fault of the home students, let us know what we’re doing wrong. If not, please come and say hi… We don’t bite!

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The Orbital Feb 2013

Staying safe while walking home Rachel Ivens Features Editor

Over the past month, Royal Holloway students have been shocked at the apparent increase of crime in the Egham and Englefield Green area. Spread around the area with no apparent pattern, there have been a number of incidents since the beginning of the spring term, with the majority of the victims being students.

Students are being advised to take the Sshh Bus service if they are worried about walking home in the dark. The service has been extended to run from 6pm each evening, with tickets available from the SU reception and Medicine bar.

The first incident took place on 7 January a little after 9pm where a 25 year old student was walking near the A30 Egham Hill and approached by a man who initially asked for directions. The man then grabbed the victim around the throat and threatened him with a knife. The victim was told to hand over any items of value before the man took the black bag he was carrying and ran off down St Jude’s Road, leaving the bag in the cemetery nearby. The offender was described as a 6ft slim white male, in his late teens to early twenties.

Two days later, a high-value Ferrari 458 Italia was stolen from the Maranello garage at the bottom of Egham Hill during the evening of 9 January. A 36-year-old man was arrested at an address in Reading on 18 January on suspicion of theft.

On 14 January, a student thwarted an attempted robbery near the back gate of the university, a residential area. At around 10.20pm in Spring Rise, near the intersection with Ripley Avenue, the student had her bag grabbed from behind by a hooded man. The force of this caused her to spin around and hit the man in the face, leaving the suspect, a white male, to run off empty handed.

On 21 January, a 20 year old student was assaulted while walking home along an alleyway off Bagshot Road, used by many students living in Englefield Green. The student passed a group of youths aged around 16, who threw a snowball at him, which he ignored. One of the group then ran up to the victim, grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. The rest of the group then joined in, kicking the victim.

This was followed a few days later by an armed burglary in Nightingale

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The locations of the recent attacks.

Shott at around 1.35am on Sunday, 27 January. Three men, armed with a knife and two handguns, forced their way into a student house, threatening the man inside, who was alone at the time, and striking him from behind.

The group were all described as black and wearing hooded tops, balaclavas and gloves. Police were called, and the man was later taken to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey suffering from minor injuries to the back of his head and lower back. The incident has been described as targeted and not random, and may be a case of mistaken identity.

In response to the recent burglary, Surrey Police have made the following statement: "Runnymede neighbourhood officers have increased high visibility patrols following a number of recent incidents in the Egham and Englefield Green areas … We are working closely with residents, students and partner agencies, including the Royal Holloway University and Runnymede Borough Council, to identify and bring to justice those involved in this incident."

These accounts have naturally caused a great deal of alarm amongst

students, who are concerned about their safety. Since January, there has certainly been a heightened awareness of crime in the Egham area, with some fearing that there could be a connection between the recent cases of criminal behaviour.

However, with such a discrepancy in the descriptions of the offenders, there is little reason to believe that these incidents are directly related.

Egham remains below the national average crime rate despite the recent offenses, and is, as a whole, relatively peaceful. Even so, it is certainly wise to remain vigilant and students are advised to not take unnecessary risks. With many students living in private accommodation off-campus, it is often necessary to head home from the university after dark.

Especially in the winter months, walking home can be intimidating; taking shortcuts, meanwhile, sometimes involves passing through poorly lit alleyways.

• In response to these concerns, Royal Holloway Student Union advises students to • Use well lit, main routes even if it does add a little longer to your journey.

• Try to avoid walking alone during the hours of darkness.

• After dark, don't open the door unless you're expecting someone, and don't be afraid to call the police if something seems suspicious • Avoid short cuts both on campus and locally as they tend to be dark routes out of the sight of CCTV cameras • Keep your belongings safe – don’t leave your laptop or smartphone lying around where an opportunist thief could take it, lock up your bike securely, keep your window and doors locked and make sure you have adequate insurance cover for theft or damage.

• Store these useful numbers in your mobile phone - College Security 01784 443063 and Surrey Police 101 (nonemergency) and remember to call them to report anything suspicious • If you live within a 3 mile radius of the campus you can use the SSHH! bus to get home from campus at night.

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Simon says...

You think this has nothing to do with you...

Simon Rawlings Lifestyle Editor DURING The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) delivers a patronising speech to her assistant as she scoffs at the passion shown by a group of fashion editors. In case you don’t know the words from memory (I do, of course) here is a brief extract. “…This… “stuff ”? I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back ...

However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.”

I’ve met so many people that feel that “fashion” is not important, of no interest to

them or think that it ultimately has nothing to do with them.

Laura Weisberger (the author of TDWP) couldn’t have articulated any better during that speech just how ludicrous it is when someone holds this belief. It goes without saying that every piece of clothing you find on the high street is a dilution and modification of what has featured on the runways of the world’s major designers. This is simply a matter of fact and doesn’t need any more use of my word count.

However, what this speech does allude to is how fashion can affect us in more than just terms of aesthetics. In fact, it can be used as a tool for social change, a force for fighting negative changes in the world and a power used to influence society. One of the finest current examples that springs to mind as I write this article can be found in a recent collection of Chanel under the fine direction of the legend, Karl Lagerfeld. In their SpringSummer 2013 collection shown in Paris last month Karl Lagerfeld, Head Designer at Chanel sent two female brides

walking hand in hand with a young child down the runway to close the show.

His decision to highlight the ongoing battle for equal marriage in France was both bold and brave. The brides wore striking white matching gowns; their hands clasped tight together showing the world that one of the most successful fashion houses on the globe, one with an infinite following of people stood fiercely for equality.

Chanel’s show momentarily became less about aesthetics and more of a call for political change, legalisation of samesex marriage in a country that saw several hundred thousand people march against it on 13 January 2013, less than two weeks before Chanel’s show.

You think this had nothing to do with you? Let’s take Climate Change for our next example and look at the striking collections of Dame Vivienne Westwood.

At London Fashion Week this year Dame Westwood presented a brute message to the world regarding climate change during her Spring Summer Red Label show. She told Vogue moments

before her show was to begin that she doesn’t “really care about fashion” and also that “my job now gives me an excuse to talk about what I really care about – and that is climate revolution.”

Dame Westwood even ended her show by walking the runway herself dressed in one of her “Climate Revolution” square t-shirts with a huge banner bearing the same message held behind her.

Her message was simple: either the public act now to save the planet or the future ahead will not be pleasant. A brave visionary artist, Dame Westwood has and is using fashion to try and reach out to the world, calling for change.

From same-sex marriage to climate change, “fashion” is not just a word that we throw around now and then; it’s a tool that these iconic artists are using to bring about a better world. I recall another beautifully articulated extract from TDWP where a highprofile creative director at Runway (the fashion magazine where the film is set) speaks of the importance of the work of fashion designers. He states

that “what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it.”

And live our lives in our clothes we do, we meet the person we fall in love with wearing them, we get married wearing them and most of all we make our memories in the clothes we have on our backs.

You think this has nothing to do with you? Whether you think you do or not, fashion has everything to do with you.

From the climate and planet we are currently destroying to the legality of whether we can marry the person we fall in love with, fashion encompasses so many parts of our everyday lives.

You can choose to ignore it or embrace the beauty, artistry and bravery that may underlie the very outfit you’re wearing as you’re reading these words.

Have a browse at all the various collections of the world’s best designers (most are on YouTube) and you might just find that a designer is dealing with a subject like climate change or equal marriage that is close to your heart through the medium of fashion. The choice is yours...

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Model of the Month

The model:

Anna Boss, a second year Psychology student from RHUL has effortlessly shown us how natural beauty is best.

As editor of this section I wanted to convey a strong message that everyone is beautiful regardless of makeup, dramatic clothes and clever camera angles.

Anna shows us that beauty can be captured at any moment, even when you’re taking a stroll across the Egham train station bridge as she was during the shoot.

Through the lens:

Yet again model of the month has been very exciting for me personally as anna is a very good friend of mine.

I was thrilled to be taking her pictures. Knowing her as the daring and lively person that she is, I knew I wanted to capture her personality to come across in the pictures.

We had a lot of fun doing the shoot even though it was a very windy day.

This picture clearly depicts her effortless beauty and calm personality, she also gives a Cara Delevingne-esque vibe which only few are able to transcend without trying too hard.

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Natty Peeps Simon Rawlings Lifestyle Editor LADIES and gentlemen, it’s finally happened! Natty Peeps is a small company run by Mare, an expert knitter based in Brixton, London who has produced some of the finest bespoke pieces of clothing I have ever seen. During a brief stroll around the famous Greenwich market I by chance came across the Natty Peeps stall. I was met with countless hand knitted bespoke scarfs, hats, jumpers, dresses, cardigans and much more that this talented lady had solely produced herself.

Mare uses only the finest yarns to produce her beautiful pieces meaning whatever you buy will be made with 100% wool fibres. Anything made from 100% wool will last you a lifetime, keep you warm on the coldest of days and radiate a sense of chic with every outing.

What’s more, anything you buy from Natty Peeps is entirely unique meaning you own something that no other person on the globe has! This is bound to save the awkwardness we can

sometimes face when you’re sitting opposite somebody in Bedford Library who has a near identical outfit on to you...

Natty Peeps genuinely fills me with excitement because, not only are the items Mare hand knits strikingly beautiful, they are all hand knitted 45 minutes away from our campus in central London. There’s something quite warming knowing that a purchase from Natty Peeps is an essential mark of support for British designers and craftsmen/women. So many clothes and the high street are mass produced in faraway lands so when you get to the till, you’re not only paying an item of clothing that thousands of other people will own, but its airfare too...

During my conversation with Mare I also discovered to my amazement that Natty Peeps offers a bespoke, made to order service too! Meaning that Mare will be happy to work with you to produce that certain accessory or piece of clothing that you’ve dreamt of owning but couldn’t find in the shops, all to your specific measurements.

It’s goes

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without saying that owning something that has been made to measure for you is bound to have you walking around campus like you’ve just jumped off the runway.

I’ve even saved the best part till last: if you’ve read this article expecting there to be details of three figure sums for a piece of clothing then you would be highly mistaken. I was personally shocked when I looked at the price tags of Natty Peeps’ creations. I couldn’t find anything that even came close to £100 — even quotes for bespoke articles of clothing didn’t touch that figure either.

It seems Natty Peeps has it all: beauty, uniqueness and a modest pricing system.

Visit www.nattypeeps.com for deatils on which of London’s famous markets Mare’s stall can be found at and for contact details if you want to order something made to measure.

The next time you’re in London, pop buy one of the markets and find the Natty Peeps stall, you have nothing to lose although I guarantee you won’t walk away empty handed!

Are we what we wear?

Rosanna Harkin IF someone dresses head to toe in black clothing does that instantly mean they are a Goth?

It is evident that not all of society follows the idiom “Never judge a book by its cover”, because we are continually faced with the categorical grouping of stereotypes.

Some believe that what you wear is an indication of who you are and within the split second of looking at a person you have already come up with your own conclusion of their persona and most importantly, whether you like them. Is that fair? Instead of verbally communicating with someone you make a visual conclusion.

Yes, what we wear gives an insight into our personality and how we are feeling but it does not ultimately define us.

If we are having a lazy day and put on an old pair of tracksuit bottoms and an oversized boyfriend’s jumper does that then mean we become a“chav”?

I highly doubt it!

The sensation of slowly being looked up and down, someone’s eyes burning through your whole body, dissecting your whole outfit from head to toe is not the most comforting feeling. It makes you feel on edge but it also enlightens you as to what that other person is actually like; judgemental, perhaps snobby, perhaps insecure and even maybe a little jealous of what you are wearing. Fashion is about being unique and whether you are wearing what you are wearing for the sake of being comfortable or whether it is to make you feel good or to follow the current fashion trends, then that is down to you.

Fashion is about being

unique and you wear what you want, how you want. You should not feel obliged to continually dress to impress, go shopping every day to have the best trends just because you are concerned what people think and are worried people will be thinking: “You’re wearing that again.”

However, judging people is not just a catty playground issue but it is also evident among the working environment and with interviews.

Forbes magazine has written

that it takes “seven seconds to make a first impression”, which throws a spin on how we are perceived. We are all aware that there are certain times when what you wear is indeed a reflection of yourself in set environments, but we do not expect to be targeted with this critical analysis of our appearance every day, especially not when you are doing a food shop in Tesco.

Ultimately if everyone wore the exact same thing and we were all identical to each other,

would there still be issues? Yes, it is not only what we wear that gets eyes ogling but our size and body shape, whether you are fat or thin also contributes to people’s perception of us. Our urge to be different leads to scrutiny, our passion to follow trends leads to judgements, and therefore how we are perceived is never going to be avoided. What we wear is an affront of our interest and perhaps a sign as to who we are, but it is not a complete definition of us.

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o Meat-free Mondays The Orbital Feb 2013

Bryony Bowie THE Meat Free Mondays initiative was begun by the McCartney family in 2009, with the aim of raising awareness of the impact the production of meat has on our planet.

The effects of meat production on our environment are vast, and sadly increasing. Studies show that on a global scale the meat industry makes up almost 1/5 of all man-made greenhouse gasses, which equates to more than the entire transport sector. What’s more, global meat consumption is expected to more than double over the next 40 years.

The reason the meat industry has such a negative impact on our planet is largely due to an inefficient use of resources. One third of all cereal crops – and the majority of corn and soya grown throughout the world – is used to feed animals, not people,

and it takes 8kg of grain to produce just 1kg of beef. It’s estimated that 20 vegetarians could be fed on the amount of land needed to feed just one person on a meat-based diet.

The Meat Free Mondays campaign aims to encourage people not to become fullblown vegetarians, but to cut out meat for just one day a week. By doing this, an individual’s annual carbon footprint could be cut by the equivalent of a 1,160 mile car journey.

So, get involved! There are a huge number of meatfree recipe ideas designed to help on the website, and you can find Linda McCartney’s vegetarian products down in Tesco. It should also be noted that not eating meat is much, much cheaper than doing so, which gives you more money for non-essentials that are usually passed over due to ‘student budgets’.

Find out more at www. meatfreemondays.com – and good luck!

Boozy Bakes Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor I LOVE cupcakes. I also love cocktails, so imagine my utter delight when I heard of “Boozy Bakes”, a cake business set up

by Keta Hunt who is a third year European Studies student here at RHUL. This is no ordinary cake company, but one with a twist, as it takes traditional cupcakes and adds a dash of alcohol and liqueur to make them taste like your favourite cocktail or alcoholic drink! At Royal Holloway’s Entrepreneurs Night Market last month Keta sold out of over one hundred cupcakes in under two hours which is not surprising as, quite frankly, they are delicious!

Keta describes the birth of Boozy Bakes as a “Eureka” moment. She was at home baking when the idea suddenly

3 - Japan: Chicken Ramen

serves

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cosmopolitans and White Russians, Guinness and Jack Daniel’s you are bound to find something you adore.

Each cake is handmade with the finest ingredients, fresh fruits, free range eggs and no preservatives. Keta describes them as having “all the delicious taste of heavenly homemade cake, combined with a boozy kick”.

So, instead of buying flowers or chocolates this spring, why not try sending a box of the newly designed strawberry and Champagne flavour cupcakes?

With free weekday delivery to campus and some of the most beautiful cakes you have seen, Boozy Bakes offers something for everyone. Simply send an email to boozybakes@ gmail.com to find out more.

Alternatively you could head to the Facebook page: www. facebook.com/boozybakesltd for photos.

nute mi

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Around the world in six issues...

occurred to her to make a whole line of cocktail flavoured cakes and bakes. She describes how: “The more I mixed, the more the ideas just kept popping into my head of all of the hundreds of possibilities...

It was literally endless!

“I had been thinking for quite some time that I would love to open my own tea room, but the whole idea just seemed to lack a little imagination.

But how about a cake bar?!

Combining cake and cocktails seemed slightly ludicrous, but maybe just crazy enough to work.”

And work it did. Keta produces cupcakes of varying sizes for all occasions, including launch parties and birthday parties. Each cake is hand baked to order, so you are able to order anything from a small box of cakes to a large box.

With flavours including

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by Helen Diggle

I have been recently introduced to a Japanese YouTuber by the name of “runnyrunny999”, and inspiration from his videos has provided the optimum moment to begin my furore of Asian (namely Japanese) cooking.

I have started with a slightly modified version of Runny’s Chicken Ramen. The record time I’ve made this so far is in 10 minutes; it’s a fantastic healthy dinner that can be whipped up at a moment’s notice.

This can be made with any bite-size pieces of meat (or quorn/vegetables) that you’ve got in the kitchen.

Ingredients: • 300ml water • 3tbsp soy sauce • 1tsp ground ginger • 1 clove of garlic (grated) • 2 crumbled up cubes of chicken stock • A dash of sesame oil • 1 “nest” of egg noodles

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Instructions: • 1 small pre-cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces • Half of a red bell pepper • About a third of a stick of celery • Some grated carrot to taste

1. Combine the water, soy sauce, 3. Add the chicken and vegetable ginger, garlic, chicken stock, and toppings (feel free to deviate sesame oil in a saucepan on high from the toppings I used, they heat. Bring to boil, then remove just happened to be what I had in from heat and drain into bowl using my kitchen). That said, I would a sieve. recommend keeping the chicken as 2. Cook the noodles as per packet any other kind of meat may clash instructions, then add to the bowl. with the taste of the stock.

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Oh, Vienna!

Ruby Ellis ULTRAVOX was right to write a song about it. Nestled in the heart of Niederösterreich and close to the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian borders, Vienna is an explosion of culture and taste. Alternately called the City of Music or the City of Dreams (it was the home of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud), and home to the world-famous Sachertorte (a rich chocolate cake with apricot jam and a smothering of cream), Vienna will leave you reeling in wonder. Fasten your seatbelts for delicious food, a diverse history, stunning opulence and yet more delicious food!

Food

Vienna is awash with little cafés, from the independent stores to the famous Hotel Sacher and Demel. Since October 2011 the “Viennese

Coffee House Culture” is listed as “Intangible Cultural Heritage” in the Austrian inventory of the “National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage”, a part of UNESCO. The Viennese coffee house is described in this inventory as a place “where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill.” The cream cakes are to die for, the flavours so rich that one slice will leave you full for hours. Cakes aside, Vienna is also famous for Wiener Schnitzel, a cut of veal in breadcrumbs.

Palaces

From the Hofburg in the centre of the city, to the summer residence of Schönbrunn on the outskirts, Vienna oozes imperial history to rival that of Versailles. As the centre of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Vienna was the home of the Habsburgs until the end of the first world war in 1918. The

Photo: Luca Sartoni

Hofburg, which is also home to the world-famous Spanish Riding School, boasts the imperial silver collection — a glittering display of the finest of the time, and the imperial apartments where the royal family lived and conducted state business. Schönbrunn, surrounded by luscious gardens, verdant green in the summer, glittering white in the winter, is a sprawling imperial heaven. If you’re interested in palaces and the imperial history of Vienna I would greatly recommend purchasing the Sisi Ticket online, which

allows you admission into the Schloss Schönbrunn Grand Tour, the imperial apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Silver Collection in the Hofburg, and the Imperial furniture collection all for €23.50.

Sisi

And who’s Sisi I hear you cry? The famously beautiful Empress Elizabeth of Austria, wife of Franz Joseph I, was nicknamed Sisi. Her abhorrence of court conventions, enigmatic life and early assassination (as

well as a popular film trilogy in the 1950s) have made her a romantic icon close to the hearts of the Viennese and tourists alike.

Churches

In the centre of the city the Stephansdom stands sentinel — a Roman Catholic church of wondrous gothic beauty.

It stands as just one example of Vienna’s rich catholic culture; others include the Karlskirche, Peterskirche and Augustinerkirche, all in easy reach from the centre of the city.

Travelling 101: from Holloway to the world Alessandro Tridico DEAR reader, If you are a free spirit like me and you have always loved to travel around the world, you are reading the right article. Let’s say you are tired and bored of this island and you are thinking to yourself — I definitely deserve a vacation — here are some destinations worth considering: Sydney (Australia), Boston (USA), Amsterdam (Netherlands).

What you will need: a rucksack, some sort of smartphone-tablet device (NO laptop), a 3-4 days rotation clothes change with 2 pair of shoes, and let’s not forget a camera.

Aiming for a crazy holiday, where all you will remember is the time spent out drinking and meeting new people, from a the hectic busy “downtown” to randomly turning a corner and spotting one of the most beautiful beaches you have ever seen? Sydney is the place for you. The city is just unbelievably amazing, a restyled post modern

London with the amazing view of the ocean and come on, Australians... Specially known for being outgoing, welcoming and extremely good-looking.

I know what you are about to say: I surely can’t afford it. Well you are wrong! With an excellent 1-1.53 SterlingAustralian dollar exchange rate and bars and pubs constantly looking for young and fearless employees you will be sorted.

However, are you not quite a party animal and want to actually remember most of your trip?

Boston is the place for you.

The red old styled smallish university town is geograpically located to give you the best of the east coast: whilst visiting the city and enjoying it’s monuments, it is only three hours away from a weekend in New York; couple of hours away from Washington; just one hour away from the crazy rich New Port beach of the east (Rhode Island).

What else could you ask for?

If long-distance flights aren’t

for you then there is no other place like Amsterdam. Cheap, famous for being the city where everything can happen and yet has one of the most unique scenery, Amsterdam is the city for tourists who want the best of both worlds. The atmosphere of the city is just indescribable: the historic buildings leaning one against the other create a huge sense of architectural contrast and the historical city center blends perfectly with the modern architecture of the city.

There is also a crazy amount of bicycles around the city, the coffee shops and yes, the redlight district.

If you are still not happy, I can share with you one of the most important secrets that a young traveller must know. Being a keen traveler myself, I have learnt from my journeys that it doesn’t really matter where you go, all it matters is that you have a good friend walking with you and a nice, perhaps best cold, beer waiting for you after a long day to get you ready for the night.

Photo: Moyan Brenn

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o Editor’s letter The Orbital Feb 2013

Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor WELCOME to our February issue — here is my pick of the best events to look out for this month.

Director Joe Wright makes his theatre debut at the Donmar Warehouse this month directing Arthur Wing Pinero’s Trelawny of the Wells. Wright, who trained at Central Saint Martins, is directing the 1898 comedy which tells the story of Rose, an actress who decides to give up her stage career when she falls in love with the aristocratic Arthur. Everything is not as perfect as she might hope, however, when she meets his ‘snobby family‘ and attempts to adjust to the ‘dreary life’ of society.

The production promises to be a celebration of the vivaciousness and melodrama of the Victorian stage. Wright has made his name through directing period dramas, such as Atonement and Anna Kerenina, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in the theatre.

Since the cuts to Arts Council funding, theatre ticket prices have remained quite high over

the last few years. The Donmar however has launched a great scheme called Barclays Front Row. Each Monday at 10am the theatre releases front row tickets for their latest production at just £10. You have to arrive early though as they sell out quickly.

Trelawny of the Wells runs from the 15 February to the 13 April and for more information about The Donmar’s season, or the Barclays Front Row Scheme, log on to their website.

If you head over to the Duke of York’s Theatre this month, Rupert Everett will be playing Oscar Wilde in David Hare’s The Judas Kiss until the 6th April. Despite the play taking place in 1895, during the time of the success of The Importance of Being Earnest, it narrates Wilde’s darkest hours.

From his abandonment at the hands of his lover Bosie, played by Freddie Fox, to his subsequent imprisonment, the play attempts to draw a parallel between Judas’ betrayal of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane and Bosie’s betrayal of Wilde.

Following on from the BBC’s The Girl, Anthony Hopkins plays a less obsessive Alfred Hitchcock alongside Helen

Cecil Beaton photographs Marilyn Monroe. By Ed Pfitzenmaier.

Mirren as his wife, Alma. The film Hitchcock centres on the making of the 1960 horror film Psycho and the relationship between Alfred and Alma.

We see the pair struggle with everything from budgeting issues to Alfred’s infatuation with his leading blondes. It is a look into the relationship of the married couple and the powerstruggle between them, after all Alma was once his boss.

Over at the National Portrait Gallery there is a free exhibition entitled Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair featuring photographs of the iconic actress from 1947 to 1962 and celebrating Monroe’s transformation from starlet to Hollywood phenomenon.

Included in the exhibition are photographs of her at the Comedy Theatre with Laurence Olivier, Vivienne

Leigh and Arthur Miller as well as backstage photographs from The Prince and The Showgirl.

Finally, in this issue, Thomas McDonald finds out if Tarantino’s epic western, Django Unchained has lived up to the hype, Lily Waddle tries to convince us to read more modern classics and with Les Mis mania sweeping the nation, Vicky Timms asks what it is that makes the musical so popular.

Online

Happy birthday Lizzie Bennet Freya McIntosh SINCE Monday 28th January was the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I wanted to share the joy of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries with the world. Now, I’m not going to lie, but as shameful as it is to admit this as an English student, I originally found Pride and Prejudice very hard to read. I gave up several times when I was younger, but one day, something just clicked and Austen’s playful wit became very appealing.

Maybe this hasn’t yet

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happened for you, or maybe you’re a real Austen fan.

Either way, I most heartily recommend Hank Green and Bernie Su’s adaptation, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. A biweekly web series in which Lizzie Bennet tells viewers about her crazy family through the form of a 5 minute video blog, providing a fresh new take on an age-old story.

Lizzie, an acerbic twenty-four year-old postgraduate studying mass communications and her friend Charlotte, who studies TV and film production, decided back in April 2012 to

embark on “an epic expedition to document the insanity of [Lizzie’s] family for a few weeks”. Ten months later, and it’s still going strong, with over 700,000 views for the first episode. In this, Lizzie portrays the famous conversation about the nice young Harvard student Bing Lee who has moved into a nearby mansion through the medium of costume theatre, in which Lizzie plays her marriage-obsessed mother and Charlotte reluctantly plays the disinterested Mr Bennet.

The characters of Lizzie, her sisters Jane and Lydia,

Charlotte, Bing Lee and of course Darcy, come to life through the use of multiple media. Not only does Lizzie have a YouTube account but you can also follow her on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter.

Indeed, many of the interesting character interactions take place on the latter.

Ashley Clements plays a very believable Lizzie, and Daniel Gordh a beautifully awkward hipster Darcy (trust me, it works), but it’s Mary Kate Wiles’ portrayal of Lydia that really steals the show. An annoying self-obsessed party girl, her

loneliness and insecurity start to show through the cracks as she distances herself from her sisters and enters into an inadvisable relationship.

I’m now on episode eightyfour and the series suddenly becomes more serious. Lydia’s reputation hangs in the balance, just as I am hanging on the edge of my swivel chair, constantly refreshing the Twitter and YouTube pages. So come on guys, Austen fan or not, give it a go! You might just find that you become hooked.

Follow the series at www. lizziebennet.com.

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Books Romantic, liberating and totally addictive Lily Waddle CLASSIC novels are often labelled as boring, old and redundant, whereas the trashy novel Fifty Shades of Grey has become the most popular book of 2012, with a landslide victory of 75% of the public votes for the Specsavers Book Of The Year.

It is Fifty Shades of Grey that is described as “romantic, liberating and totally addictive”.

However, it really doesn’t achieve the definition of what it is to be “romantic”, it’s certainly not “liberating” and not half as “addictive” as classic books.

Romantic is when Jane Austen’s hero Mr Darcy saves his lover’s sister Lydia from disgrace by ensuring that the man she elopes with marries her in Pride and Prejudice. This act of kindness by monetary expense has certainly become a memorable moment in classic literature as the romantic declaration of Mr Darcy’s love for Lydia’s sister, Elizabeth Bennett.

Liberating is when Charlotte Bronte’s eponymous heroine Jane Eyre declares: “I must leave Adele and Thornfield” at the pivotal moment of the novel despite her position as a woman and a governess. Jane’s strength shows her power to make her own choice to leave Thornfield and not let her love for the mysterious Rochester affect her decision.

Totally addictive is when the innocent Antonia is dragged under the monastery by none other than Matthew Lewis’s seductive, cunning and duplicitous villain, Ambrosio in The Monk. We as readers are horrified and paralysed with fear and yet we cannot stop turning the pages.

Classic novels therefore are not old, boring or redundant, but quite the opposite. The most powerful and beautiful classic novel that has certainly devoured and haunted my own mind is Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. It tells the darkly Gothic, complex and compelling ghost story of the all-consuming, enigmatic and passionate childhood lovers, spirited Cathy and Heathcliff.

Their unresolved passion inevitably and violently destroys both of them and everyone around them. It is the Yorkshire moors in which their love story is set and where their suffering souls are left in torment and despair.

Bronte certainly captures the powerful and magical dimensions of love as Cathy famously cries: “I am Heathcliff ” as she likens their souls by professing that “whatever our souls are made of his and mine are the same”. As readers we also tremble at the perfect Gothic setting of the eternal rocks on the moors that are wild and become the ultimate symbol of their desires, “My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight.”

Alternatively, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, which is regarded as a modern classic, presents a different kind of love and compelling mysterious narrative.

The innocent narrator falls in love with the wealthy widower, Maxim.

When they are married, however, she begins to think that he is still madly in love with the seemingly perfect Rebecca, his dead wife. Soon Maxim reveals the truth about Rebecca’s cruel and selfish ways and how she manipulated everyone to believe she was the perfect wife.

She possessed all the things men would supposedly want in a wife: beauty, brains and wit.

Classics are most definitely interesting, devouring, beautiful, compelling and haunting. Although these novels are echoes from the past, their exploration of what love is and its antithesis, hate, are universal expressions of emotion that we as human beings will always feel.

Trashy novels such as Fifty Shades of Grey don’t capture the same strength of emotion and powerful insight into the psychology of human behaviour.

What sets these classics apart is their good English prose, captivating storylines, memorable characters and vivid emotions. Try something different by opening yourself up to a whole new realm of classic literature, there is something for everyone.

Photo: Focus Features

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared Carrie Mathieson ALLAN Karlsson is not your average centenarian. On the day of his 100th birthday Allan decides to escape the old people’s home he lives in and embark on an adventure — in his slippers.

What happens next is intertwined with accounts of Alan’s past, which is far more exciting and detailed than you would expect. This Swede has travelled all over the world, met numerous world leaders and had innumerable escapades.

These tales of the past and the adventure of his 100th birthday abruptly end on cliffhangers to switch to the other narrative, leaving you intrigued, if not slightly frustrated. This feeling

soon dissipates as you become immersed in the next escapade of Allan’s long and colourful life. There is no real “easy place” to put the book down for a while, so it is advisable to read this book on holiday, over a weekend, or when you have a few hours spare to completely devote yourself to it.

It would be wrong to spoil the details of Allan’s past for future readers, however his present adventure, told in parallel, involves a run from the police, criminals and the making of unlikely friends in even more unlikely places.

Whilst what unfolds is baffling and ultimately fictitious you find yourself unwilling to believe that these events did not occur.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man

is charming, hilarious and full of twists and turns you won’t see coming. The narrative voice is captivating and makes for an easy and enjoyable read.

There is almost a deadpan delivery to the novel, meaning that the moments of hilarity appear unexpectedly. Events you would expect to occur at the novel’s conclusion happen midway through the book or earlier, leaving you completely clueless as to how the story will end.

It is clear to see why Jonas Jonasson’s creation is an international bestseller. It is in places absurd but it is simultaneously warming, cheerful and hearty in such a way to make you miss Allan and his friends weeks after you have finished the book.

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o Music Devlin The Orbital Feb 2013

Photo: Chloe Chaplin

Natasha Khaleeq

I’LL admit that at first I was nervous to meet Devlin, a 23 year old rapper from Dagenham, Essex, but as soon as I walked into his dressing room, he was completely charming.

He made me feel completely relaxed and comfortable, despite his manager, bodyguard and friends being in the room.

I was offered the seat beside him and began the interview.

NK: “How did you first get into music and who are your biggest inspirations?”

D: “I first got into music listening to the old school garage and that — I liked the tempo. I loved music anyway, Motown from when I was young and being in the car with my

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mum.

“Then when grime came about it was a bit rawer and their lyrics were a bit more relatable to me and what was going on around me, and that’s when I started writing lyrics. They weren’t very good, and then I just cracked on and got gradually better and that was me, man, I found my love of it.”

NK: “You’ve worked with lots of well-known artists such as Professor Green, Example and Labrinth, all of which have performed at Royal Holloway; did they give you any advice about coming here?”

D: “Nah I don’t need no advice mate. I’ve been around longer than a lot of people in the underground and that, you know.”

NK: “Yeah, you’re better than them?”

D: “You said it, not me!”

NK: “What is your favourite song on the album and why?”

D: “Favourite song, I think it’s the bonus track The Garden ‘cause it’s just dirty man; it’s just a rap freestyle. But the favourite song would be the one with Katy B, Sun Goes Down. I think she’s done really well, and I just like the vibe of the song.

NK: “You show a lot of diversity on your new album by collaborating with lots of different artists such as Wretch 32, Katy B, Ed Sheeran and Diane Birch. Who was your favourite to work with?”

D: “Who was my favourite to work with? Ah, I’m going to upset someone now, aren’t I? I’ve known Wretch for many years, and that’s where we come

from — the whole grime scene. To do a grime track like that with no chorus... that was a pleasure, man, especially to get Wretch back on that vibe as well.”

NK: “Your video for Rewind, on which you collaborated with Diane Birch, has reached over 580,000 views on YouTube.

First of all, congratulations.

What was it like working with her? Do you ever read any of the comments left on YouTube?”

D: “It was nice working with Diane. She had the song out on her own years ago in America. I was over in West London, and she’d come over and put it on a hip-hop tune. I really liked the vibe, and we finally met each other.

“I do read the YouTube comments. Some of them are evil, some of them are

lovely.”

NK: “Rewind is very emotional both in its lyrics and the video itself.

Would you ever make another video that is that deep again? Did you enjoy making it?”

D: “Yeah, I think that’s where I thrive sometimes.

That’s why I called the album A Moving Picture.

I wanted to create a cinematic vibe around it and paint a picture — I would definitely make songs like that again.

NK: “Finally, would you come back to Royal Holloway? When is your next tour?”

D: “Do you know what?

I am back! Just me and the DJ rolled up here about three years ago and we played a good gig. So I’m back already and probably will be back in the future.”

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Les Miserables: a worldwide phenomenon?

Victoria Timms PRODUCED in 42 countries, translated into 21 languages and seen by more than 60 million people, over the last 27 years Les Miserables has taken the world by storm and with the arrival of the hotly anticipated movie, “Les Mis mania” is continuing to spread across the globe.

What is it about this musical that makes grown men cry, cause standing ovations at every performance and have you wanting to jump out your seats and join their crusade?

I am a huge Les Mis fan and I apologise now to the rest of my house if I have driven them mad with the continuous playing and singing of not only the newly released film soundtrack, but also the original London cast recording and the 10th and 25th anniversary recordings.

Their only saving grace is perhaps the fact that I don’t have the anniversary DVDs at university with me.

There is no doubt for me and for the rest of the world that there is something special about this musical and the

story it tells. A story, which at its centre is a man looking for redemption: Yet why did I allow that man To touch my soul and teach me love?

He treated me like any other He gave me his trust He called me brother My life he claims for God above Can such things be?

For I had come to hate the world This world that always hated me.

And it is through love that redemption is found. Many themes can be seen in the story, but the one which I feel appeals to everyone and what makes this story everlasting is that of love. Unrequited love (Eponine and Marius), true love (Cosette and Marius), a parent’s love for a child (Fantine), love for your country (Enjolras and the Friends of the ABC). For me the final message is clear: “to love another person is to see the face of God”, whichever form God might take for you.

Everyone can find something and someone to relate to, which is one of the reasons it is so popular.

Les Miserables is not your typical musical, in the sense that it doesn’t have the big

Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience Victoria A. C. Orme FOR all the Justin Timberlake fans out there, he is back! After a long wait, the pop sensation has finally re-emerged. His most recent single Suit & Tie, featuring Jay Z, has already received five million YouTube hits within the space of three days of its streaming, generating a great deal of excitement.

In his open letter Justin teases his fans and tells us to “get ready, this is going to be

fun — well at least for me!”

His new album is called The 20/20 Experience which has was released on 14 January.

Justified (2002) is his most acclaimed album to date, with well-known tracks such as Like I Love You and Senorita, followed by the FutureSex/ LoveSounds, album (2006), which led JT to two awards at the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony in 2008.

With such an outstanding reputation for delivering a high standard of pop music, not to mention numerous dance

song and dance numbers interspersed with dialogue.

Instead it is two and half hours of pure emotion, with only a few scenes of happiness. The fact that the Royal Shakespeare Company and Cameron Mackintosh dared to “dream a dream” and produce a musical that sent home audiences subdued and in tears is another reason why it has appealed to so many people over the years.

Michael Ball, the original Marius, described it as both intimate and epic. The way Jean Valjean draws the audience to him with the pure emotive prayer Bring Him Home, or whether it is the intimacy of seeing a man crumble at the kindness shown to him by a stranger in What Have I Done.

Then compare this with the epic numbers such as One Day More, involving the entire cast, where you just can’t help smiling as your eyes well with emotion.

When I initially started writing this article, I thought it would be easy to explain why so many people, including myself, have taken Les Miserables to their hearts. The only way to truly understand the effect this musical will have on you is to

floor hits throughout his music career, it is understandable why his recent comeback has sparked a new frenzy.

Justin admits that “The inspiration came out of the blue with no rules or goal. Back in June of last year, I quietly started working on what is now my next journey with that thing I love called MUSIC.” With this in mind Justin Timberlake will hopefully raise his game and exceed our expectations with his new album, The 20/20 Experience.

Watch out!

experience it first hand. There is so much that could be said, comparing it with the film, discussing specific songs and performances.

Instead I am going to appeal to those who have yet to “join in our crusade” and urge

them to go out, listen to the music, see the musical or the film and truly give yourself over emotionally to the performances, and you will see why this musical has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Fight. Hope. Dream. Love.

Creative Corner

Solar

No sun, no shine; Cannot Focus Cannot think.

The dark creeps in. Deeper, deeper, Weighing on my forehead, making it Crinkle.

Turn on all the lights. So bright!

Electricity: bills. Fights.

So tired. Always tired.

Sleep for days and miss the sun Same old conundrum.

The lights are wrong. They’re cold, They hurt. Three hours a day; I’m not mad yet.

Listen. The sun is vibrant – Can’t you feel its rays?

They soak into my skin, Like I am a sun-sponge.

I gather it: swell. Beam.

The innocent cotton blocks my light – Cannot break through.

I dry up; dry out.

Parched of sun, I shrivel.

Back to bed.

So tired.

Lizzie Jones Do you have a poem or some creative writing which you would like to see published in the arts section?

Email arts@theorbital.co.uk and you could see your piece published in the next issue!

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o

The Orbital Feb 2013

Film

Lincoln Lukas Cooper THE film centres around America’s sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, and recreates the strenuous, tiresome and tormented political spheres that bore down on one man.

Prior to seeing Lincoln I had heard others flippantly say that they felt they could have fallen asleep in it, which is probably why I didn’t hold out much hope for the O.A.Ps who joined me. But if they were expecting to catch a few “z”s with a John Williams lullaby in the background then they couldn’t have been more wrong. Lincoln is as emotionally engaging and action packed as any of Spielberg’s films, only this time the engagements take place in the House of Representatives rather than Normandy or on an island of dinosaurs.

Daniel Day-Lewis’ Abraham Lincoln is calm and likeable and his towering figure automatically conjures up the

visual power behind the man.

He has recreated a morally incorruptible, just, and heartfelt political leader, as well as a hero. Day-Lewis’ Lincoln is withdrawn and welcomes the audience’s sympathy but never requires it. Vocally, he is sublime; in researching Lincoln you could read numerous descriptions of political interactions, study portraits and photos of the man. But his voice, that is Day-Lewis’ creation and it is perfect.

With any Spielberg “epic” you get a couple of things as standard. The first is his unique capability to push the physical limits of the cinema screen. His wide shots broaden, intensify, and enrich anything that he is filming; even making the English countryside look “epic”, and he has managed it again within the cabinet rooms of the White House. The second given feature of any of Spielberg’s films is John Williams’ conductors baton. Again I had heard, this time from the

BBC’s Film 2013, that Williams’ accompaniment to Lincoln was somewhat regrettable. I’m afraid I must disagree. Yes it’s typical Williams, but it’s not overwhelming and actually rather light in texture! Crucially I haven’t come away singing some majestic theme and I think that that’s a positive because it doesn’t subtract from anything on screen. Without doing too much, Williams’ score complements Spielberg’s hero.

Spielberg’s Lincoln is a story with very clear cut morals and is certainly a serious Oscar contender, but it is not my choice of victor. It is a terrific film and nearly faultless, but considering its rivals I would rather have Life of Pi take home the golden statue for the effortless awe it brings. On the other hand, Daniel Day-Lewis would be a worthy winner of the metal and it wouldn’t surprise me if Tommy Lee Jones took home Best Supporting Actor either!

Django Unchained Thomas McDonald DJANGO Unchained is the story of Django, a slave in Texas who tries to free his wife from plantation owner Calvin Candie after having himself been freed by a German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schulz.

It is everything you would expect from Tarantino: stylish, exciting, fast-paced dialogue, over the top characters and a healthy dollop of violence.

There is much for Tarantino fans to revel in here. Although Tarantino has never been one to anchor his films in emotion and empathy, Django Unchained is rooted far more in emotional connections to the central characters than in his previous films.

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It is the relationship between Django and Broomhilda which is the cornerstone of the film and its brilliance. Much has been made of this film being a western, a revenge flick, an homage to the blaxploitation flicks of the eighties, but it’s also set up like a fairytale.

In one of the many brilliant scenes using the wonderful relationship between Schultz and Django, the two discuss Django’s background, specifically his wife.

Upon hearing her name is Broomhilda, Schultz mentions a famous German fairy tale, of a brave knight saving his love Broomhilda from the top of a treacherous mountain defended by a horrifying dragon. He notes how Django therefore is a real-life fairytale

knight, a role he goes on to realise by scaling the mountain of Candyland and fighting its vicious dragon, Calvin Candie.

At the end of this episode, the wonderfully enjoyable development of the two characters’ relationship comes to a climax as Schultz notes how he finally understands Django. Here the audience can learn Tarantino’s purpose in telling this story, to explain the plight of slavery to modern audiences not just in a worthy, literal way, but by structuring it as an analogous fairy tale, allowing the audience to understand and empathise with their plight, just as Schultz comes to understand the plight of Django through a fairy tale.

There are issues with the film, however, principally the

shoot out in the final section in Candyland: an over-the-top segment where blood explodes left right and centre in comedic fashion.

While a scene like this makes sense and is enjoyable within the context of films like Kill Bill, it seems slightly jarring and out of place here given the serious and disturbing images of violence seen previously.

The comedic violence in Inglorious Basterds made sense as there was a clear, critical message behind it. Here, however, while exciting, it might possibly leave a bitter taste in the mouth of viewers who feel it does not belong alongside the seriousness of the issue.

Ultimately, however, there is little to criticise for what is

otherwise a brilliantly made, powerful, and thoroughly entertaining film. It does not trivialise the horror of slavery. By showing some of the most disturbing images on the subject ever captured in cinema, it presents this subject in a new manner.

It is violent, and so those of a weak disposition may want to stay away, but to present slavery as if it wasn’t violent would be insulting. In addition those with short attention spans might be put off by the long running time.

Django Unchained is exciting, stylish, entertaining, but unlike previous efforts is also powerful and emotional.

This is filmmaking, and storytelling, at the highest level.

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Student Feminist Conference 2013 Victoria Butcher A LOT of people seem to glaze over at the very mention of the word “feminist” or “feminism”.

Of course, this is all based on the misconception that being a feminist immediately implies a hatred for anything phallic (such as parsnips and sea cucumbers) and a love for Germaine Greer. Wrong, all wrong.

In its simplest form, feminism is about equality for all genders, and at Royal Holloway, Fem Soc has worked hard to achieve a safe space for self-defining women on campus and most importantly, a focus on intersectional feminism.

With this in mind, Fem Soc has not only been building up an active society at Royal Holloway, but has also created a London-based feminist network.

So far, 2013 has certainly been a busy year, but we are about to kick it up a notch, folks! On 23 and 24 February, the Student Feminist Network will be hosting the first ever Student Feminist Conference at the University of London Union!

This is a grassrootsorganised conference based on intersectional feminism. It will be a twoday event hosting a range of discussions, workshops and skill shares focusing on a number of different topics.

These topics will be ranging from sex work / politics, sexual assault, a history of feminist activism in universities, abortion rights, how to start up feminist societies and much, much more.

The event is open to all those who would like to join us for a fun-filled two days!

Accessibility and inclusivity are imperative,

and with this in mind, there is not only wheelchair access to ULU but we have also arranged a creche for any student parents who will be attending.

This conference will not only be an event based on shared learning, but it will also be an opportunity for feminists across the country to work together and further their activism.

Gender stereotyping and rape culture is still so deep rooted in our society, and we need to work together towards creating a society where we no longer have to witness groups being discriminated against in the workplace, on the street, or within their families purely on the basis of their gender.

This is why feminism is important. So, come and join us for a fantastic weekend of feminist activity and discussion! Student fems UNITE!

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A wonderful Webber weekend Lewis Mullins ON Friday 1 February, Musical Theatre Society (MTS) began rehearsals for their Andrew Lloyd Webber Themed Weekend Show.

Within 24 hours across Friday, Saturday and Sunday the members worked tirelessly to learn, stage and rehearse 15 different musical numbers. They then performed these for a packed out Jane Holloway Hall on Sunday night.

The event took place to raise money for the National Aids Trust (NAT), a charity that has become close to the hearts of many MTS members. The National Aids Trust works to support Aids sufferers and their families, helping to make a “lasting and positive impact”. By the end of the weekend, MTS had raised £150 for the charity thanks to the kind donations of both the cast and audience

members.

The show was directed by Jess Dives and Adam Carver with Musical Direction from Simon Ask, Matt Abrams and Simon Lindley who all worked extremely hard to get the cast through the weekend. The show included famous musical theatre songs from shows such as Evita, Joseph and The Phantom of the Opera.

Musical Theatre Society are now looking forward to the second part of term in which we will be staging our main musical Mack & Mabel from 17 to 19 March in Jane Holloway Hall as well as our Informal Concert later in the spring.

Get involved rhulmts@hotmail.com www.rhulmts.wix.com/ rhulmts.

New Lyell Day Huw Richards SO far, the New Lyell committee have been quite secretive about the plans for this year’s Lyell Day… except for the date of 1 March. However, now is the time to divulge all!

The title for Lyell Day 2013 is “The Impact of Geology on Life & Evolution”, a topic which we hope will enable us to encompass a wide range of geological aspects but also allow for speakers to refer back to a common theme: life.

We have a variety of both internal and external lecturers who will chronologically follow the progression of evolution and major geological factors. These will include presentations on what makes Earth habitable in the first place, the earliest beginnings of life, flood basalt mechanisms and dinosaur recovery through to more modern issues such as uranium in war veterans, future natural disasters and human exploration of other planets!

Refreshments will be available

throughout the day and a buffet lunch will be provided for all speakers as well as staff and our double discount members — all those who have purchased membership over consecutive years. With a series of breaks, the day will commence at 9am and will finish at approximately 4.30pm.

The evening’s majestic banquet is one not to be missed — following last year’s sell-out and with only 120 tickets available, you’d better get one quick! The Lyell Dinner is our annual blacktie event which kicks off at 7pm with a drinks reception in the Founder’s Victorian Corridor from which we gradually move to take our seats within the Picture Gallery.

This year for the three course meal there is a choice between a main of: 1. Roasted breast of Gressingham duck served with a plum and star anise dressing, or 2. Wild mushroom cannelloni served in a cream sauce

Both are preceded by an array of roasted Mediterranean vegetables and followed by the long-awaited duo of chocolate mousse with each table having a selection of red and white wines throughout.

There will be three short speeches over tea, coffee and mints towards the end: a vote of thanks from the New Lyell’s President (Huw Richards), the announcement of the Geophoto Competition winners by Earth Sciences Head of Department (Prof. Jason Morgan) topped off with a brief after-dinner speech by the Lord Charles Lyell himself!

The night ends in the Founder’s Dining Hall with live music from the US-toured Gold Heart Assembly, accompanied by the Cash from 10pm until midnight when Lyell Day 2013 comes to its conclusion.

This flagship event is the pinnacle of the New Lyell Society calendar and with both an academic and social focus, it epitomises everything that we have to offer!

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The Orbital Feb 2013

Dancing Through the Decades

Brianna Middleton MacPherson Dance Society President THE Dance Society hosted their annual showcase Dancing Through the Decades on 26, 27 and 28 January 2013. This year’s theme was decades, and the show gave audiences a look through the ever-changing music and dance styles from the 1920s to the present day. It featured music from Michael Jackson, the glam rock era, dance epics such as Grease and many more!

The dancers in Dance Society have been working hard on an array of different styles, from the jive to the can can and from burlesque to hip-hop. After two sell-out nights, the dancers received rave reviews from family, friends and fellow students about the quality of talent and professionalism. Rehearsals started in October 2012 and the dancers have been dedicating their evenings week in and week out to make sure this show would be the success that it was.

Dance Society is a very active society on campus that puts on an array of different activities for the students at Royal Holloway every year including classes, competitions, shows, socials and trips. Last term they hosted their inter-university dance competition Get

Get involved

For more information about MOVEIT go to http://www. moveitdance.co.uk/ http://www.facebook. com/rhuldance

Photo: Andy Murton

Down @ RHUL 2012, with 10 different universities competing and around 400 spectators and competitors attending. During this event they raising £1,200 in aid of a charity called Danceaid, which harnesses the energy of dance to transform the lives of vulnerable children. This term Dance Society’s competition teams are already rehearsing like crazy in preparation to attend inter-university dance competitions at Essex and KCL. Dance Society is also

highly involved in many volunteering events in the local area. Recently they have started a dance program at the British Legion in Englefield Green for children between the ages of 7 and 11. This dance program has been very successful and is continuing this term. For more details on how to get involved with teaching at the British Legion and other volunteering events, send Dance Society an email at rhuldance@gmail.com.

Dance Society’s most exciting event off campus

this term is their trip to MOVE IT, the biggest dance event in the UK, on Friday 8, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March. At MOVE IT, which is held in Olympia, London, you can take classes with the UK’s leading dance teachers and professionals in over 220 styles. You can watch performances, shop for the best dancewear and meet dancing stars and experts all in the same place. It’s the biggest celebration of dance you will ever experience, and Dance Society wants you to

join them!

There’s plenty to choose from, and whether you’re a huge ballroom fan, ballet buff, hip-hop newbie, desperate to try bellydance or keen to master your technique, you can find a huge range of dance styles to satisfy every dance enthusiast — no matter your ability level.

If you have any interest in dance or just want to have fun, join Dance Society on their trip to MOVE IT for a chance to share your passion with 20,000 fellow dance fanatics!

Swimming pool theatre:

Drama Society takes on Jane Holloway Hall Jack Doyle

Drama Society Publicity Officer

IF I were an outsider, Jane Holloway Hall is not a place I’d associate with the theatre.

It’s cold, a swimming pool-turned-classroom, and allegedly haunted; the radiators work occasionally and only in May; lighting often involves flipping the on-off switch. Prospective Drama Society directors have always gritted their teeth over the space, and probably will for many years to come, given the university’s strict

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hold on its proper stages.

After three years of involvement with Drama Soc as an actor, production person and committee member, I’ve recently started to come to terms with Jane Holloway Hall. With so few resources, surrounded by brick and broken chairs, I’d like to think of what we do there as guerrilla theatre, acting against the odds.

Often, sat shivering in that old Victorian hut in the woods, I’ve been reminded of a scene in the cult Canadian TV show Slings & Arrows

where a skint director fixes his theatre’s toilet to restore company morale.

“We’re hanging by a thread!” his stage manager moans as she peers over his shoulder at the dire plunging operation. “And the very best things happen just before the thread snaps!” the director retorts. This is theatre in Jane Holloway Hall, summed up.

The other day I sat in on a tech rehearsal for Drama Soc’s week five production, April de Angelis’s Playhouse Creatures. The five female actors stepped through

the half-gloom, mindful of their on-loan, floor-length period dresses.

Despite the sparse set, the glare of the exit signs and the bare whiteboard upstage, these immensely talented young women brought the roar of playhouse audiences and the thrill of royalty whirling into the space. At the urging of their director Lizzie Nicholson, the actors breathed vivid life into their characters, transforming the little lecture hall stage into a 17th century Wooden O. This, I think, is why I

make the forest trek to Jane Holloway on cold nights — I go for the people who make this unlikely place work, and the theatre that defies budgets, lighting, and swimming pool ghosts.

Drama Society needs new faces to keep great student drama a constant presence on campus! Search for us on Facebook for more information, and if you missed week five’s Playhouse Creatures, be sure to join us for murder and intrigue with Patrick Hamilton’s Rope in week eight.

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Royal Marketing Week Margaux Nourissat THE Marketing Society, which was ratified by the Students’ Union before the 2012 Freshers Week, is a fast-growing society that has already organised a lot of events, including two extremely successful parties at Tommy’s bar, and many, many events with exclusive guest speakers from companies like eBay, Saatchi & Saatchi X and British Airways.

In February, the society will be organising elections to find the new committee for 2013/14, so they’d be really happy to hear from you if you feel you can fit within an optimistic, talented and passionate team!

So you want to be in

control of shaping the future of marketing at Royal Holloway? Then step up and run for a Royal Marketing Committee position for 2013/2014! The positions available are president, secretary, treasurer, events coordinator, 1st and 2nd year rep, communications / publicity coordinator and creative coordinator.

If you are interested in any of these positions, please email us at royalmarketing@ rhul.ac.uk or message us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/RoyalMarketingRHUL. The deadline to be considered for interviews is 26 February at 8pm. We will then be holding elections throughout the day on 5 March to shortlist you for suitable roles. Room TBC soon — we’ll keep you posted.

The Royal Marketing Society is also very proud to present the Marketing Week, in association with the Career Centre from 18 to 21 February! We’ll be hosting A Day In The Life Of… with marketers from different industries, a Marketing, PR and Advertising event on the 20th, and a Marketing Careers Networking event on the 21st.

If you’ve ever thought of entering those career paths once you graduate, or if you’d like to hear a bit more about the type of work they do or the internship opportunities they may have, this is your chance. Plus, it’s on campus, so it’s very easy for you to pop in. Companies like Saatchi & Saatchi X, L’Oréal and others will be there, so keep up to date.

Law Society

Rian Karia Law Society President YOU might be thinking, why is there a Law Society at a university which doesn’t offer a degree in the subject?

Well, that is exactly why we are here! The Royal Holloway, University of London Law Society aims, first and foremost, to help you to gain the information you need to further your interest in a career in law.

You’re also probably wondering how a non-law degree appeals to a top, international law firm. It is true that the split between law and non-law degrees held by trainees at these top law firms is 50/50; the only difference between not completing a law degree at undergraduate level is that you’ll have to complete a year-long law conversion course after your years at Royal

Holloway.

We work very closely with the Careers Service to try and improve your career prospects.

For example, last term we worked with the Careers Service to host a lecture by The College of Law on the law conversion course and how to apply.

There was also an alumni panel discussion, where former Royal Holloway students returned to campus to discuss how they went about pursuing their careers in law. This was an extremely fascinating event because the people sitting on the panel had been in our situation and knew exactly how we felt about applying to law firms, and it was nice of them to reassure us when we hosted them at our social in The Stumble Inn following the discussion.

The society also works closely with law firms in the City, and one firm who we have a

Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs Thomas Hardesty

particularly close relationship with is Allen and Overy. Their graduate recruitment specialist presented the workshop Applications and Interviews Process giving our members much information about how to apply to law firms, as well as hints and tips on the interview process. This also provided our members with valuable time to network with the person who actually reads the applications.

In fact, Allen and Overy are coming back to RHUL on 5 March, and if you are considering a career in law then I strongly recommend that you attend this event.

We also have trips to The Royal Courts of Justice in London planned in the second half of this term and our annual trip to Amsterdam and The Hague to look forward to in the first week of the Easter Vacation. All are welcome to join us on this trip.

AFTER another successful Night Market, the Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs continue their annual events with the Student Apprentice.

Like last year, students from all years and courses come together as they work in a team to prove themselves capable of life after graduation in the workplace.

Scary stuff. This year, three teams will compete over three different tasks before a panel of judges decide the winner.

Last year, the challenges involved ways to improve the marketing for the Egham bar, Alma Marta, and finding successful ways to raise money for charity. Like last year, the winning team will go to London to compete against other University of London teams including UCL, LSE and KCL. With LSE having won last year, we are confident that things will be different this time around as we send the winning team to London.

As with the BBC television series that inspired this event, it will challenge and hopefully develop the competitors’ ability to work within a team.

Through this competition, competitors will have the opportunity to prove themselves capable of problem solving,

communication skills and to be creative in their approach to each task. However, these skills would be wasted without having passion for the project, which will keep the team together and enthusiastic.

While this can sound daunting, this annual event is the chance for those with little experience of working in a team to shine. Regardless of whether you are successful and take the team to London or fall short of your goal, the experience will give you skills that you might not have thought you had, and the chance to develop your current ones too. As a result, we hope this event benefits all the competitors so that, come graduation, they are ready for the world ahead.

With the tasks set, this year looks to be exciting with the chance of winning many great prizes. The Film Festival society will be filming the events throughout the competition, giving you an insight into the Student Apprentice. While the date for applying this year has already passed, be sure to check out the Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs’ Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest news and events.

There you’ll also find how the teams are doing and dates on the final where the lucky team who will go to London is decided!

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Men’s Handball: ABUHC match report

Anish Somasekaram THREE months after becoming ratified, 12 members of Royal Holloway Handball Club travelled to Barking to compete in the Association of British Univeristy Handball Clubs’ British University Handball Championships.

Prepared with a few training sessions, minimal equipment and borrowed football kit supplemented by homemade replicas, the team had arrived at their baptism of fire.

The Handball Championship was at its largest size ever; with fifty teams and over seven hundred players, there had been a considerable increase in numbers on previous years, largely thanks to the Olympics. Teams had travelled from as far as Edinburgh and Southampton to make history in a sport that is rapidly increasing in stature.

Matches were 15 minutes long with rolling substitutions, and our first match was against Manchester University, runners up from last year which was a daunting

prospect for a team that has never even played a friendly before. Holloway immediately gelled and broke twice to take an early lead. Though lady luck then left Holloway in attack, Holloway’s defence were proving solid. Patrick Restrepo excelled in his role sweeping in the defence and Holloway saw Matthew Pabon making a string of brave saves and earning an MVP award to keep Holloway in the game.

The game eventually ended 3-3, with Holloway rueing missed chances.

Riding high on the enormity of the last result, Holloway came to face Nottingham University. The team seemed disjointed and unorganised allowing Nottingham to take advantage and win 8-3. It became obvious there was no time for complacency at this tournament.

The game against Liverpool University became a match to restore focus and show off the potential Holloway had shown in earlier games. Teams from the north have had more exposure to handball than those in the south, so a game against Liverpool would not be easy. The team went out

and delivered a statement of intent. Silvester Hetesi hit any attacker that moved in his eyesight, inspiring the defence behind him to keep tight and proving himself a valuable player for years to come.

At the other end Anish Somasekaram scored four from the right wing to maintain the control Holloway held over Liverpool. The game ended 7-5, and Holloway had their first win.

The final match of the day was against Imperial University II, a team who had not been able to put out a full team in earlier matches and sat at the bottom of the group.

Holloway knew they had a lot to catch up on in goal difference if they wanted a chance to qualify; they ended up getting the biggest win in the tournament. Geoffroy Roesch ran at the defence (and came away with an MVP award) time and again, scoring so many goals they lost count.

The game ended 16-2 and gave Holloway a chance of qualifying for the top sixteen.

Unfortunately, results did not go as necessary but Holloway still finished a respectable

third in the group.

Drawn in a group with other third place teams, Holloway started Sunday early against Bangor University. Bangor had eighty people turn up to the trials for the two Men’s teams entered, and they brought the largest contingency of players to the tournament.

Royal Holloway made sure there were many disappointed spectators as they dispatched of Bangor. Jack Wiles, Amir Karimzada, Thomas Cerha and Kiran Flora, having picked up the sport as rookies just three months before, adapted quickly to their first matches on Saturday and were able to provide more than adequate strength in a match that became hostile.

The final score was 7-5 with an MVP award for Anish Somasekaram.

Holloway’s midday fixture happened to be against local rivals Brunel University.

Brunel University started up a handball team this year too, and very impressively turned up with two teams at the tournament. Both teams wanted to win it, and in the end this match was one for the wise old men of Holloway.

Clemens Moehring and Ollie Saviddes controlled the game from the back positions, defending with their bodies in the way and building attacks diligently. Paco “The Doc” Rojas put in an MVP performance leading the team with experience in abundance, priceless in the first derby game your club will ever play.

Holloway won 5-3.

The final match for Holloway came as a 5-0 victory by default as a battered Middlesex asked to field unregistered players and have a proper match rather than fill an incomplete team.

This tournament was not just a great success for Royal Holloway, but also for Handball as a sport. The Royal Holloway Handball Club well exceeded expectations and will look to develop on this success. Holloway will be given a position of 17th or 18th out of 40.

In another group or perhaps even with a bit more luck the placing could have been higher. More importantly, Holloway finished with a record of 5-1-1 playing good, simple handball, and have set the bar high for future years.

Mountaineering and Climbing Society

Photo: Shane Rounce

Catherine McElligott ADVENTURE and excitement are not the first words that spring to mind when thinking of Egham.

They are, however, when you think of Royal Holloway’s Mountaineering and Climbing Society (MACS). If you want to escape Egham for some excitement or just want to challenge yourself, then

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MACS is the place for you.

With weekly trips on a Wednesday to local indoor climbing walls, there are plenty of opportunities to climb. Fear not if you love the great outdoors as we also have weekend trips!

This year has seen us tackle the crags of Cornwall and the Peak District, while we also have upcoming trips to Wales, the Peaks and finally our amazing summer trip to the Greek island of

Kalymnos. The thrill and sense of achievement you get from climbing is one that is hard to replicate.

So if you think climbing sounds like fun, why not join? No experience is required; we climb for fun and try not to take ourselves too seriously. However if you have climbed before then MACS do take part in competitions. We will be taking part in BUCS on 23 February, and we

are currently competing in the London University Bouldering Event or LUBE as it’s known. In fact, our A Team is currently in 7th place and our B team in 23rd place with one more round to go.

So if you fancy something different, come along and join. We hold our socials every Wednesday from 8.30pm onwards in Crosslands. Come along and meet us; we are a

friendly and diverse group of people all brought together through our love of climbing. The socials are a chance to relax, have fun and sign up for climbing the next week. To contact us or find out more, look out for our Facebook page: just search MACS, or take a look at our SU page.

If you fancy something new or already have a passion for climbing, then what are you waiting for?

The SU and societies guide All you need to know about the events put on by societies and the SU over the coming weeks...

18th: 25th: 25th: 18th: 26th: 19th: 26th: 19th: 21st: 27th: 27th: 21st: 28th: 23rd-25th: 28th: 24th: 24th: 28th: 25th-1st: March 25th: 1st: 25th: 2nd-5th: 5th: 25th: Coming Soon: Rhubarb TV Launch Let’s Talk About Liberation

Holloway’s Got Talent

Riding Club Charity Night

LGBT and Amnesty Film Night

The Gay Nazi

General Meeting

Murder Mystery

Mack & Mabel Movie Stars Launch Night

What It Means to Come Out

Mental Health Issues in LGBT People

Media Personalities Party

Societies Council

A talk about liberation issues hosted by the Inclusion and Representation Senate.

Stumble Inn, 5pm. All proceeds go to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

A talk hosted by the LGBT Society and the History Department as part of LGBT History Month. ALT1, 6pm.

Drama Society puts on its annual Murder Mystery Evening.

Founder’s Dining Hall, 7:30pm.

LGBT Society hosts this event as part of LGBT History Month.

6pm.

Media Society invites you to dress up as your favourite media personality. Medicine, 8pm.

SURHUL Fashion Show SU Main Hall, 7:30pm.

Presented by RAG. Jane Holloway Hall, 8pm. £3 recommended donation. Bar provided.

LGBT and Amnesty Societies team up to host a film night for LGBT History Month. Free for members, £1 non members.

SU Main Hall, 6:30pm.

Musical Theatre Society hosts this event to launch their next production. Stumble Inn, 8:30pm.

LGBT Society and the Psychology Department host this talk.

6pm, free.

ALT1, 6pm.

Take Me Out

Hosted by RAG. Medicine, 8pm. Donation to RAG recommended.

RAG 5-a-side Football Tournament

Miss Representation

Stratford Upon Avon Trip

Open Mic Night With Lashings of Ginger Beer

Sports Centre, 2pm.

A trip for international students and anyone else who wants to see this beautiful town.

Hosted by LGBT and Feminism Societies. 6pm.

Hosted by LGBT and Feminims Societies. Stumble Inn, 8pm. £1 members, £1.50 non members.

RAG week

RAG will be organising events and collecting money for charity all week.

Body Positivity Day

A day devoted to loving your body.

Nominations Close

For positions in the full time, part time, media and RAG elections.

Sports Council ALT1, 6pm.

On Campus RAG Raid

Societies collecting money for RAG week across campus.

Rope

Drama Society presents their Spring Production.

A Day in the Life of a Trainee Solicitor

Presented by Allen and Overy, hosted by Law Society. 6pm.

To see your society’s events featured here, email us at sportsandsocs@theorbital.co.uk.

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