Issue 6

est. 1957

The University of Leicester’s free student newspaper

www.the-ripple.co.uk ripple@le.ac.uk @uolripple www.facebook.com/therippleleicester Issue Six

Semester Two

2nd February - 15th February

Leicester Leads theWay in the Fight for Student Mental Wellbeing

by Jess Buckley It is a national fact that there is a rise in mental ill health in the demographic of 16-25 year olds, the age that the majority of university students fall into. Student mental ill health is a product of many varying factors, and Leicester University has always led a proactive role in combatting it. As part of a survey in 1998 and 2001, the Student Psychological Health project at Leicester University found that in undergraduates, 13% struggled with feelings of depression, with women scoring higher than men; 12-14% recorded symptoms suggestive of moderate obsessive-compulsive distress; and 6% suffered from an eating disorder.* To add to this, in Leicester, 45% of the student population admit to harmful levels of alcohol consumption (31% female, 14% male), a major trigger of student mental ill health, with 75% admitting to weekly binge drinking (25% female, 50% male).* Therefore, it is understandable that the university counselling service has seen a massive increase in appointments over the last three academic years. In the academic year 2010-2011 the service saw 768 clients; 20112012 saw 882 students; and in 2012-2013 the service strove to help 935 students.* The counselling service is an integral part of our university and offers not only counselling but mental wellbeing appointments too.

These offer email and phone appointments, consultations with university staff and de-

partments, and the majority of appointments are individual, face-to-face interactions. The service is currently resourced for five full-time counsellors and one wellbeing advisor, enabling them to reach out to all students. There is no long-term service due to the increase in demand and resources going to acute cases, but the practice has been adjusted to meet increasing demand and students can be seen for up to six sessions. The service focuses on short-term work and will redirect students to relevant, more appropriate services if necessary.

Since joining the service in 2003, Gillian Miles, co-ordinator of Healthy Living for Students and now Head of the Student Support Service, told The Ripple how she has been “setting the foundation and culture to help students by joining up with external services and organisations.” External health services are the most well-informed they have ever been in Leicester concerning student mental ill health; they are fully aware of the academic calendar and issues related to transition.

The organisations are working collaboratively to understand demand and provide services accordingly. A student mental health steering group has been convened, at which representatives from the university, public health services, Leicester Partnership Trust, and commissioners discuss and share ideas for best practice and to inform commissioning.

registered students at the university, it is not always possible for the counselling service to see every student suffering with mental wellbeing concerns. This may provide an explanation why the Students’ Union has seen a dramatic rise in student led support groups, especially over the last year. Nightline, one of the Union’s most prevalent groups who have given support to students for over 20 years, offer an over-the-phone, anonymous, confidential, safe space for students to talk to specially trained volunteers. For many years, they have had a consistent volunteer membership of 50-60 students, and its Internal Coordinator told The Ripple that although the service does not keep a detailed log of calls, “we have noticed an increase over the previous year in calls relating to suicide and depression”.

In addition, Leicester’s Mental Health Awareness and Support (MHAS), aims to raise awareness of mental health issues, as well as combating the stigma that is often attached to them.

They provide a support network, holding social events throughout the year in order to bring people together and discuss any problem they may have in a safe space, surrounded by friends.

their struggle. A representative told The Ripple that the students running the group “[We] are all trained facilitators and it would be great to see some new faces”.

Understandably, with 15,261

A relatively new group to the University of Leicester is Student Minds. This is a student-led eating disorder support group at which everyone is free to discuss how their eating disorder has affected them with other students who understand

The Students’ Union Mental Health and Wellbeing officer, told The Ripple that “At the end of last semester a ‘student voice’ survey was conducted, in which it had a wellbeing section. Students expressed their need for student support groups, especially conditions like depression and anxiety.” It is clear that when it comes to student mental health and wellbeing, the Union is striving to help students in the best way, improving their services week upon week! What is more, it looks like this only

Features

What’s On

Culture

the beginning for the fantastic student-led support system as the Wellbeing Officer hopes “to help form more support groups in the near future.”

MHAS can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ leicestermentalhealthawarenessandsupportsociety) and on Twitter (@MHALeicester).

The Student Support Service and Students’ Union continue to work together to raise awareness about mental health - Look out for Student Mental Health Awareness Day on February 18th which will incorporate the national ‘Time to Change’ campaign to reduce stigma often associated with mental health conditions.

Student Minds hold meetings every Thursday evening, 6.307.30, in Attenborough 205.

Nightline is available every night, 8pm-8am, during term time. Standard network charges apply but they offer a call-back service upon request.

*Mental Health in Leicester: A Joint Specific Needs Assessment,

by Mark Wheatley, Public Health Principal: Mental Health and Vulnerable People (May 2014).

Lifestyle

Sports

With special thanks to Gillian Miles, and everyone at the University counselling and mental wellbeing service, as well as the co-operation of the Nightline, MHAS and Student Minds committees.

In this issue...

Opinion

NEWS

2

Edited by Ross Brown

Conservative Threat to Send Home International Students

by Joseph Stanley

At the end of last year, Home Secretary Theresa May issued a statement supporting the return of international students to their country of origin after the completion of their respective courses. It was a bold statement by the often controversial Home Secretary and is expected to be an upcoming policy in the Conservative manifesto for the General Election in May. According to the BBC News website, under the current law, any non-EU student is allowed to remain in the country for four months after they graduate. However, unless they find a graduate job and switch to a work visa in that time, they must willingly emigrate back once that time has passed. They can apply for a job back here, although only from their country of origin and only through the separate work visa system.

The announcement to potentially cut these visas has drawn widespread disapproval from both the international student community and graduate employers.

Currently, around 17% of the

undergraduate student body at the University of Leicester is made up of non-EU international students. This announcement would mean that Leicester, and the nation as a whole, would not benefit from the success of these students’ education. A prominent member of the university’s own Conservative First society personally believes that “...Ms May’s proposals were well intentioned in hope to reduce net migration. However it would endanger our economy.

WWW “The current policy states that international students can stay when they graduate if they find a graduate level job paying £24, 000 a year. If the country removed international students as soon as they graduated, there would be less people in jobs, helping our economy recover.

Mr Osborne was right to quash the policy idea being put in the manifesto.”

Inventor and Business Leader, Sir James Dyson, has also publicly denounced May’s plans saying that “...May’s immigration plans simply force the nimble minds we nurture to return home and fuel competition from overseas.” It has

even caused tension to brew once more within the coalition government, with Liberal-Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable, saying that May was being drawn into the “public panic” over migrant numbers.

Nevertheless, this does follow reports that the number of those choosing to study in the United Kingdom from outside the EU is steadily falling year on year, with a 50% drop in numbers from India and Pakistan from 2012 to 2013, and even a 25% drop of EU students. In theory, the Home Secretary’s latest move should affect less students than ever, but questions have been dutifully raised over if this further “closed door” policy will only help to restrict the numbers coming from overseas.

struck back saying that this was a threat to the “billions of investment” that these students brought each year.

Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that May’s immigration policy was “in chaos”, adding that, “More does need to be done to stop people overstaying illegally when their visas run out - whether they arrived on student visas, work visas or tourist visas. But the answer to that isn’t to prevent highly skilled overseas graduates getting legal work visas to fill

shortages in fields like science or medicine here.”

No comment was made, however, to the fact that roughly 18,500 UK/EU graduates were unemployed six months after graduation.

Nevertheless, even with this proposed cut, Theresa May has admitted it is unlikely that she will be able to meet Prime Minister David Cameron’s target to cut net migration to the tens of thousands by the time of the next general election.

It is understandable why the government would want to promote such a policy, giving their long-standing hard-line approach to challenge the alleged “problem” of net migration.

However this clearly comes as an unwelcome new policy in, what is arguably, an increasingly politically divided world.

If it is indeed scrapped by the general election, it would put a large number of international student’s minds at ease both here and around the nation as a whole.

Image by Flickr user homeofficeuk

The government has long been showing a stance of limiting the number of migrants to the UK, so it comes as no surprise that that they would want to clamp down on the numbers that, allegedly, abuse the system and stay here long past the expiration of their visas. The Home Office did assure that the “brightest and best” would not be affected; however Labour

University Launches Leicester SU Forms New Online Course Women’s Association Sustainability! We often talk about it and how important it is for our planet, our lives and future, but yet we seldom take real action on the matter.

Unfortunately nowadays the concept and notion of sustainability runs the risk of turning into an ever-clichéd word which we deprive of real meaning and substance.

Thinking about this some time ago we tried to find the root cause for this when it struck us that the cause itself is quite simple – we just haven’t lifted the educational barriers to teaching sustainability. Sure, some niche schools do have classes on sustainable development but what about higher education? We’ve simply lacked the wholesome framework around teaching sustainability in a meaningful large-scale and freely accessible way… Until now!

NUS data and data from our university suggests that over 60% of students want sustaina-

bility embedded into their curriculum.

As of this month ALL students at the University of Leicester will be able to enrol on a free online Sustainable Development course based on the award-winning Sustainable Futures programme. Not just that, but you will also be able to take the course at your own pace and when you complete it, it will appear on your HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report) and your final degree transcript.

The course is delivered via short online lectures, e-activities and

is supported by a Blackboard forum so you can always discuss elements of the course.

So how do you enrol?

Simply come to the launch event on the 4th of February from 4pm in the ARC Room of the SU which will be held by the Education Officer and with the academics that developed the module contents.

The online registration form will also be made available via the Students’ Union’s social media and the university communication platforms.

Image by Flickr user photologue_np

The Women’s Association has been set up to act as a campaigning group and as a representative for students who identify as women. In particular, one of its main aims is to improve the representation of women who are further marginalised or have specific issues due to embodying multiple identities.

This includes LGBT+, disabled, BAME, international, postgraduates, students with caring responsibilities and so on.

The Women’s Association will include representatives from these groups. They will sit on the committee, as well as assist in organising campaigns and events on issues that may be more specific to the respective group.

One of the first events we will be getting involved in is International Women’s Week. The Women’s Association will be working alongside the university to plan a series of events over the course of the week, in order to promote the cause to students

at the university.

Long-term, the Women’s Association aspires to expand and work in numerous areas of women students’ lives. This will include providing volunteering opportunities, peer support for women, and many projects set up by women students that aim towards gender equality.

Once the committee have been elected, we’ll also be organising a welcome social for women students in order to introduce the association and its aims in an informal setting.

Information on the Women’s Association can be found on Facebook: ‘Leicester Union Women’s Association’. It is also

free to subscribe to the group, by providing an email address.

This will provide access to information on future events and campaigns.

A ‘Women in Leadership Forum’ will also be held on Monday 2nd February, open to all students who identify as women. It was set up as a result of a discussion that took place at a Union Zone meeting back in December. Due to time restrictions, unfortunately, the forum was unable to be held before Christmas.

The forum aims to get a better idea of how the Students’ Union can work towards increasing women’s representation in Council, students groups, and other positions of responsibility, either at the university or after graduation.

The forum will gather ideas and feedback, and over the next few semesters, plans will be put in place to improve work in this area.

OPINION

3

Edited by Alex Mitchell

Je Suis Charlie... or Je Suis Pas?

by Alex Mitchell

the 1961 Vitry-Le-François train bombing by the Organisation de l’armée secrète (OAS).

As we are all aware, on 7th January extremists dissatisfied with the satirical works of Charlie Yet in the aftermath the debate Hebdo in Paris attacked their continues: freedom of speech offices with rifles and killed vs the respect of religions. Suptwelve employees of the maga- porters of both sides share the zine, before fleeing the scene of common view that these attacks the crime. Later, a kosher mar- were an absolutely horrific and ket came under siege as anoth- barbaric attempt to destabilise er gunman took hostages and French society and make people engaged in fire with Parisian afraid to walk outside; only expolice officers. In the end all as- tremists would argue otherwise. sailants were either detained or However more research into shot, resulting in the bloodiest these debates is needed to find terrorist attack in France since out what is the best and most Image by Flickr user Jodi Avro-Sharple

accommodating way to deal with this situation for everyone.

do not share the same beliefs as the extremists.

Many world leaders have pursued the argument for free speech, saying that we should, of course, have the right to criticise religion as we do with culture, lifestyle, politics and world affairs. That there should be no shield for religion to be assessed, studied and debated. To remove this process would remove the concept of scrutiny that many politicians have to come under.

Unfortunately, “god’s will” does not seem to cut it anymore in the eyes of broader society who

This debate has touched many people in France, and around the world, and has led to our university organising a march in the city centre. The organiser, Silvio Verrier, was in a library in the city centre of Paris when the shooting occurred. He said, “as soon as we heard the news of what happened everyone stopped working. We sat there staring at each other, we were absolutely shocked.” Our Experience Officer, who also attended the march, stated, “We also felt it was important to stand in solidarity with those affected by the tragic events in France, and encourage an open and frank discussion on the principle of free speech and expression.

Humanity won’t be broken by the horrific actions of a few.”

Although these acts of solidarity are a fantastic way to show terrorists with extremist views that they will not affect people’s resolve, less thought is given to the other side of the debate.

Firstly, Charlie Hebdo does not help itself by printing its first copy after the attacks with a

Greens Invited to Debates

Ieuan King tells The Ripple why this is a step in the right direction It is somewhat ironic that this article is now being written with the knowledge that the BBC finally decided to invite the Green party, alongside the SNP and Plaid Cymru, to one of the TV debates they will be hosting prior to the general election.

Instead of justifying why we should be invited, I feel that this article would be better understood through analysing why the Green party should have been invited to the TV debate alongside the other parties in the United Kingdom, and what impact this will have on opening up the political structure within the country as a whole.

To begin with, I believe it will be useful to make an analysis

of the membership figures of the Green party compared with those who had been invited in the previous set up. When Ofcom decided that the Green party was not a ‘major political party’, it tried to justify itself by claiming that the Green party were not as powerful as UKIP and the Liberal Democrats. At this point, our membership was smaller than both parties.

In 2014, the membership of the party was increased by 45% alone. On 3rd October 2014, the membership figure had just passed 20, 000 in England and Wales.

It is widely believed that this decision, alongside the argument about the Greens featured

Image from The Green Society Leicester Students’ Union

on the Prime Minister’s debates contributed to the most recent ‘Green surge’. This surge has now placed our membership above both UKIP and the Liberal Democrats by a significant margin. By 25th January 2015, the figures on the members website state that membership has risen above 48,900 in England and Wales, with a further 8000 in Scotland. These figures place the Greens above UKIP and the Liberal Democrats by a significant margin.

Another reason being given to the Green party as a reason why we shouldn’t be invited to the TV debates was the polling figures. This was rather ludicrous as we often polled at the same rate, if not higher, than the Liberal Democrats; however, they are placed in the ‘Others’ category on both BBC polls and ones on Sky News.

Furthermore, the Green surge had an impact on our results in the polls too. One poll on www.lordaschcroft.com places the Greens at 11%, higher than the Liberal Democrats. Another poll, taken by the Guardian/ ICM on the 20th January 2015, polled our membership at 9%, a significant increase of 4% from the previous one.

Although I don’t doubt that David Cameron had his own polit-

ical agenda when he refused to participate in the TV debates unless the Green party were invited, his actions have opened up politics for the better. It is more democratic that the electorate will now be able to listen to the voices of seven different leaders, ranging from left to right. It would not have been democratic to keep all the debates between three parties, and it wouldn’t have been democratic to invite UKIP, and not the Greens, especially as it would have created an imbalance on the right.

When summing up this entire article, it demonstrates a long and successful campaign by the Green party and their supporters. From the petition signed by over 275,000 people, to the countless correspondence to the BBC, and the surge in our membership, we have shown that resilience can ensure that democracy prevails, and parties from across the political spectrum should and will be open to the public, where they can decide where they stand.

Our electoral system needs to become more open, and this general election may well become the first step on a road towards a progressive electoral system.

front page of the Prophet Mohammad… Fair enough for free speech and freedom of expression, but respect has to draw a line somewhere. Condemn terror, condemn extremism, but don’t condemn Islam. Indeed, many leaders of the Muslim community denounced the actions of the terrorists. It is not fair that after an event such as this, many Muslims are tarred with the same brush, and publications like this following so immediately after the attacks certainly do not help the situation. Much to my face palming distaste, also from our Trans-Atlantic cousins, platforms are being given to speakers and news reporters who simply do not know what they are talking about, leading to a serious scaremongering of populations willing to listen.

Steven Emerson argued that Birmingham in Britain is a “no go zone,” that Muslims have overrun the city and established a sharia law that our government can do nothing about…

Anyone been to Birmingham recently? You may call it a no go zone Emerson - I call it multiculturalism! Jeanine Pirro goes

This Issue’s Team: President: Lauren Swain lfls1@le.ac.uk Editor-in-chief: Jess Buckley jbb6@le.ac.uk Operations Manager: Anuj Yadav ay59@le.ac.uk Deputy Editor: Karina Maduro akm38@le.ac.uk News Editor: Ross Brown rb372@le.ac.uk Opinion Editor: Alex Mitchell amm68@le.ac.uk Features Editor: Fjollë Bunjaku fb115@le.ac.uk What’s On Editor: Jessica Ramsdale jr239@le.ac.uk

further, saying “we need to kill radical Islamists!” Well Jeanine, unless you want to establish the laws of the witch hunts of 17 and 18th century England how on earth do you propose we discover who is a radical extremist and who is not?

It is my belief that both sections of this debate hold true merit.

Freedom of speech vs respect of religion must be taken more seriously, with a fine balance that can lead to people speaking freely without causing offence unto others. It is clear that many people offended by the new Charlie Hebdo magazine released after the shooting will likely remain silent, so as not to be tarred with the brush of being an extremist. Yet freedom of speech dictates the magazine is well within its rights to publish such material about the Prophet Mohammad… Anyone got any ideas to solve such a debate?

One thing we can all agree on, is that the attacks were a barbaric form of terrorism that has led to my thoughts and prayers to be with the families who were affected by this hateful crime.

Culture Editor: Dan Jordan dj82@ke.ac.uk Lifestyle Editor: Emily Bird erb15@le.ac.uk Sport Editor: Matthew Allen ma581@le.ac.uk Legal Officer: Levin Lalan ll201@le.ac.uk Treasurer: Jess Stonestreet js19@le.ac.uk Secretary: Megan Wright mw277@le.ac.uk Head of Marketing: Sarah Emmins se102@le.ac.uk Head of Advertising: Juliette Smith jrs38@le.ac.uk Events Coordinator: Marie-Claire Hynes mch43@le.ac.uk

Look out for our Elections special, out on Monday 16th February!

FEATURES

4

Edited by Fjollë Bunjaku

Valentines Day Around The World

by Fjollë Bunjaku

pealing.

Valentine’s Day as we know it in the United Kingdom is arguably the most romantic day in the calendar. It also happens to be one of the most marketable and profitable days worldwide.

This year, The Ripple spares a thought for those of us who are single for Valentine’s Day in 2015, as well as taking a look at how the day is celebrated globally.

What about single people?

The day became so popular that opportunists in the confectionary industry in Japan went on to create ‘White Day’, celebrated on 14th March, which provides men with an opportunity to reciprocate the gifts they received on Valentine’s Day. It is an ‘unspoken’ rule that the gifts from men must be more expensive than the gifts they received from women. This usually means lingerie or jewellery, and not the cheap kind.

In Finland, Valentine’s Day is celebrated as Ystävänpäivä, or Friendship Day. The Estonians also honour friendship on 14th February, celebrating Sõbrapäev. This seems like a refreshing take on the celebration, considering how the exclusivity of Valentine’s Day can make those not in a relationship feel lonely.

In fact, celebrating friendship seems to be a common theme across the globe. Women in Japan often buy giri-choco, or quite literally, ‘obligation chocolate’ for male friends, relatives and co-workers.

If this sounds all too familiar to singles in the UK, Korea has created a tradition that actually excludes couples in love. Aside from the traditional Valentine’s Day celebrations that closely mirror those in Japan, South Koreans have added a welcome twist. On 14th April, single Koreans gather to celebrate being single by eating jajangmyeon: noodles with black bean sauce or simply, ‘black noodles’.

However, some people see this as a ‘consolation dinner’, or a mourning of not being in a relationship.

However, Honmei-choco or ‘true feeling’ chocolate is given to boyfriends and husbands and is markedly better in quality compared to obligation chocolate. Whether you are expressing love, courtesy or social obligation, the idea of receiving chocolates just for knowing someone is probably quite ap-

The struggle to celebrate Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day is one of the most divisive of celebrations around today. Although some express their distaste for the occasion, controversial countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have taken their dislike to a complete-

ly different level. In 2008, the BBC reported that Saudis were ‘clamping down’ on Valentine’s Day by banning it completely for being ‘un-Islamic’. In January this year, Gulf News reported that five Saudi men were sentenced to various jail terms and punishments on charges of “dancing, illicit relations with unrelated women and celebrating Valentine’s Day,” in February 2014. Two of the defendants were given 2,000 lashes for the offences.

Saudi citizens seem to have found a way around this; the Saudi Gazette reported that many people now place orders on flowers and other gifts a week in advance of the actual day in order to celebrate with their partners. It is also speculated that many young couples, keen to celebrate Valentine’s Day freely, travel to nearby Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates as they are considered to be more religiously liberal countries.

Why do we spend so much?

In 2013, The Huffington Post reported that Britons are likely to spend an average of £119 on their partner on Valentine’s Day. This is a hefty amount considering that many people, students in particular, are struggling to pay increasing rent and bills.

Contrastingly, the same article made the comparison that Germans spent only £59 on their partners and that 31% of Ger-

Image by Flikr user Santiago Escobar Jaramillo

mans confessed that the day had completely passed them by.

Companies are increasingly relying on marketing tactics aimed at people that have, at times, panicked over what to get their significant other. Selfridges has made it harder to resist these marketing ploys with their Valentine’s Day themed Nutella personalisation service, as reported by the Metro in January 2015. How is anyone supposed to resist that?

Closer to home?

In Leicester in particular, eating out on the day can cost an arm and a leg. To eat from the

Valentine’s menu in the fancy Le Bistrot Pierre in town costs £34.95 per person. Considering that the 2014 NatWest Student Living Index Survey estimated that the average student’s weekly shop was £24.60, treating that special someone suddenly loses its appeal.

Cooking a meal at home may be a cheaper option, but why does this have to be limited to Valentine’s Day, and can’t a woman cook a meal for her partner too?

Fourth year student Isabelle Staniaszek offers her insight, “I think if you choose to celebrate it, then the contribution should be equal; I’d never expect gifts or big gestures if I wasn’t also plan-

ning the same! Most are pretty cheesy anyway, a thoughtful card is more meaningful!”

The popularity of Valentine’s Day continues to grow globally as well as nationally. Whatever we choose, it can safely be said that therWe is no obligation to celebrate it. Being open with each other about what you expect on the day is probably one way to avoid an awkward 14th February this year. Perhaps celebrating it in an unconventional way, with friends and family, as opposed to partners is one way to combat the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day once and for all.

Meet Brian, a Fresher in his 60s

by Nida Admani

The University of Leicester welcomes students of all ages and from all over the world. One such student is Brian Goldsworthy, in his 60s, a firefighter from Canada. Brian is currently a fresher and he is in the LLB Law (Senior Status) programme.

Nida Admani (NA): Tell me about your family and your life back in Canada.

Brian Goldsworthy (BG): Well, I’ve been married for 28 years.

I have three sons and two big German Shepherds. My eldest son has his masters and his undergrad degree, graduated at the top of his class for both. He wants to be a university professor but currently he is training to become a firefighter, as that’s what I do beyond being a law student. My middle son would like to be an attorney at some point and this is part of what motivates me to do this. My youngest son is about to start his undergrad in January.

My wife is a university professor. We met at university - back in the 80’s during my first undergrad.

– but she’s very supportive, so that’s the key. If she wasn’t supportive of this, I wouldn’t have done it. That’s the bottom line.

similarities like food, language, and a few other things. But society and culture wise there are definitely some differences.

NA: Why did you pick law?

I think my three sons are very supportive as well. One of my philosophies is that I don’t believe in retirement, and I think it encourages them to keep learning, keep improving, and keep working towards the next thing. Make a life for yourself, but don’t get to a point where you’re just going to stop. Just keep moving forward.

NA: That’s my next question, what do you miss about home?

BG: When you’re married, raising a family and paying for your house, you can’t suddenly pull your roots up and then go to law school. I had to realise that that’s going to have to wait. So I waited till that was all done with. And here I am now.

But I’ve always been fascinated with the law and the way it kind of quantifies and keeps society in check. It separates the safe, normal society that we have here, from a lawless one. The chance to defend and speak on behalf of individuals that aren’t able to do so appeals to me.

NA: How did your family feel about this decision to move across the Atlantic?

BG: My wife and I have always been a team. I’ve enjoyed all the things I’ve done in life thus far

NA: What do you like about Leicester?

BG: We have this little tradition with a bunch of us Canadians where we go out for dinner on Friday night. Last couple of times we’ve done it, I’ve taken a different walk home so I’ve sort of seen different parts of Leicester.

I think it’s a nice city; it’s quite different from back home. Canada is very different compared to the UK but there are a lot of

BG: I miss my family very much. I miss my friends and the workplace I spent all that time in. One day I’m a supervisor supervising a large group of people. Next I’m a student, learning in a class environment.

I’ve never really stopped going to school so it’s very natural for me to go right back in to the school setting. People thought I was going to have a hard time. I knew I wasn’t.

NA: How is your experience at Leicester different from when you were at university, getting your undergraduate degree?

BG: Very different, I had to be self-driven. You had to search things, find it all yourself, which I think is very good for an adult learner and requires a certain

level of maturity.

average Leicester student here?

But I think the biggest difference is, and I’m sure this would be common thread for anybody who’s asked this question, an undergrad is a little more spoon-fed. You have to be self-motivated. To me that’s the biggest difference.

BG: Life advice? That is a tough one. I think this one might be a philosophy of life: work hard and play hard. Don’t just do a little bit of work and a little bit of fun. I think that to be a little bit extreme is a good thing. Study really hard and do your work as intensely as you can. But when it’s time to play do something really, really fun. Don’t just go for a coffee; maybe go for a picnic in the country or something like that. Play when you play and work when you work. That’s really important.

NA: What about the teaching methods? How was it back then compared to now?

BG: I think that the professors back home compared to here are very comparable. I don’t really see a difference between the two. But one thing that I really think is quite unique here and I think is great, is you see professors actually leading tutorial groups. You would never see that in Canada. You would have a professor who would only do the lectures and they would have research and teaching assistants who would run the tutorials.

NA: Last question: what life advice would you give to the

Be true to yourself and don’t retire. That’s one of my mantras in life. Don’t retire. I’m not saying work seventy hours a week when you’re seventy years old, but maybe work fifteen hours a week, or twenty hours a week.

Doing something you enjoy.

There’s no reason to ever retire.

For the full interview, please refer to The Ripple website.

WHAT’S ON

5

Edited by Jessica Ramsdale

From Bicycles to Bar Crawls

Big Gigs On Campus

by Rebecca Alcock

by Emma Smith

The 9th to the 13th February is national ‘Go Green’ week, so look out for environmental volunteers on campus! As part of the Leicester Award initiative there will be groups organising events every day encouraging students to go green. If you’ve got some free time between lectures on Wednesday, head to the SU where you can amuse yourself with giant board games made from recycled materials.

On Travel Tuesday, students who walk or cycle home to the student village from campus will receive a voucher as a reward for travelling sustainably. So gather a few friends and make sure to pass the stations on the way to collect your stamps! To finish off the week, the Environmental Action Society will be in the SU on Friday giving tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

If you’ve got something on your mind about any aspect of life here at Leicester why not attend one of the informal gatherings happening during the first fortnight of February. These meetings are split into three zones; Union, Education and Community taking place on the 3rd, 5th and 9th in the ARC. Have a look on the Students’ Union’s page for more information on what topics will be discussed at each meeting. All the meetings are informal so do not be afraid to attend even if you just want

to listen to what is being discussed!

ULEES are out again this fortnight with their trip to the Harry Potter studios. This will be taking place on Saturday 7th February, and will include a guided tour as well as some pictures to remember your experience. Tickets can be purchased from a link available on the Union website and are priced at £55 which includes the tour itself and your return transport.

There are two amazingly themed bar crawls this fortnight. Firstly, taking place on the 5th there is classic Pub Golf!

Golfing attire, or as close to it as you can achieve, is a must and if you haven’t played Pub Golf before then you can find the rules for the evening on the event page. The route is yet to be confirmed but it will be ending If you’re more of a history buff at XY so keep a close eye on the than a film buff then you could Erasmus and Exchange society join the Ancient History and event page for more details. The Archaeology society for their following day, the Biological trip to Avebury, also taking Sciences society is holding a gi- place on the 7th. Tickets cost ant food chain themed bar crawl £12.90 and can also be purending at Shabang. Join the so- chased from the Students’ Unciety at 8pm in the Corn Ex- ion website. It should be a great change in the relevant costume; opportunity to see a prehistoric first years should dress as plants, landscape and spend some time second years are herbivores and outdoors! So make sure to wrap third years are carnivores! So up warm! get planning your costume and keep Friday 6th free!

Image by Flikr user Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Towards the end of February the O2 Academy has some amazing gigs on offer with four different days of fantastic events. If the pressure of the university workload after Refreshers and the new semester has really kicked in, the best place to be is at ‘The Carnaby’s’ gig on Friday 20th Febuary. After opening the doors at 7pm, the band – who have several hits via Vevo on Youtube, culminating over 12,000 views – will commence a fantastic night of rock/indie songs. With gigs in London and a page on the BBC website, The Carnaby’s should not be missed – especially when ticket prices are a mere £6.05, and are available online (plus £1.05 booking fee) - a unique experience for a small price.

If you decide that you want more amazing music, the Scene & Herd indie all-day event takes place the next day on Saturday 21st February. Starting at 3pm, you’ll listen to some of the best up and coming indie bands such as Trampolene (where even the spelling of the name of the band is individual), as well as the Turning, and Yak. With three bands for the price of only £9.05, this event promises to be overflowing with melodic riffs and upbeat rhythms such as you have never heard before.

If raw folk harmonies are more to your taste, then on 26th Feb-

Image by Flikr user University Leicester ruary, the O2 will welcome a host of bands to cater to your inclination. Cherry Coke will perform their new album ‘Raising the Waters’, alongside featuring bands such as the heavy blues rock band Stubb, psychedelic folk pop band Children of Leir, and retro rock band The Prophets of Saturn. This night promises to be packed full of powerful, enveloping live music, starting at 7pm and costing only £6.05 per ticket.

An exciting gig to conclude February’s talented acts at the O2 academy is none other than the UK’s No.1 Stone Roses tribute band, The Clone Roses. With a clever twist on the name, The

Clone Roses are prepared to rock the night away with tributes such as the classic songs “Waterfall”, “Fools Gold” and “I am the Resurrection.” If you’re a Stone Roses fan, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity on Saturday 28th February at 7pm. Tickets are just £11.25.

For more information on the gigs or links to the social media sites for any of these bands, make sure to head to o2academyleicester.co.uk, where you will also find details and links to any of the amazing future events in store in March, April and onwards.

Comedy Calls off Campus

by Jessica Ramsdale

turkey and drunken relatives.

Leicester comedy festival, one of the best comedy festivals in the world, have a line-up to get you laughing as it returns for yet another year, promising to be more hilarious than ever. Hundreds of diverse acts, renowned stars as well as up-and-coming acts, will be performing shows from satirical stand-up to comedy theatre, and will be flexing their funny bones across an array of Leicester’s venues this February.

If you’re looking for comedy of the more acerbic variety then try Ben Briggs’s show, ‘it’s NOT All About You’, which is also free of charge, at the Criterion at midnight on the 7th February. Brigg’s humour is angry and often black, but his show will have you chortling with a cutting analysis of our narcissistic society.

Many of the festival’s events are not only funny but also free, taking place in the sophisticated and intimate bars of Leicester.

On the 4th February, the theatre trio You, Me and Monkey, will perform, ‘All I want For Christmas Is...’ in Exchange bar at 8pm. All audience members will be able to identify with this feel-good family comedy after the festive period as they re-enact the Christmases of typical families, complete with burnt

On the 5th February Tiff Stevenson will perform her show, ‘Optimist’, at the Cookie, at 6pm. Winner of Stutter’s Spirit of the Fringe in 2012, Tiff has also appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Next Week’s News, 7 Day Saturday and Only Joking. With tickets costing £7, this show promises to be both funny and affordable.

At 7.30pm in the same date, Duffy’s bar will welcome Mark Smith who will perform his stand-up show, ‘Stuff ’, on the subject of everything from tat-

toos, foamburst and time, the show promises to be stuffed full of brutal honesty and innuendo.

His show sold out at the Edinburugh Festival last year, and he has appeared on Nick Helm’s Heavy Entertainment, and Russell Howard’s Good News.

Alternatively, witness two women perform at the Criterion on the 11th February at 6pm, as Stephanie Lang and Bisha K Ali bring you their show, ‘Her and Her’. Their warmth and wit will charm you and you won’t be able to resist laughing at their tall tales, about anxiety and despair, but also eternal happiness.

Tickets cost £3.

As well as unique and original hidden gems, the Leicester comedy festival also plays host to reputable funny folk such as Simon Amstell. The former host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and the star of Grandma’s House will perform at the Curve theatre on the 10th Febraury from 8pm in ‘To Be Free’. Expe-

rience his controversial quips as he covers a spectrum of topics from joy, adventure, art, peace, sex and success, to suffering, regret, death, healing and forgiving.

Another star to stud the line-up of this year’s comedy festival is Mark Watson, who will perform his show, ‘Flaws’, on the 12th February at 7:45 pm in the Cookie, where tickets will cost £16. Watson is the star of Dave’s Road to Rio, BBC’s We Need Answers, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week and cult Radio 4 series Mark Watson Makes The World Substantially Better, and Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life. His show promises to be dark, personal and hilarious with relatable comedy, that covers real-life issues.

Lucy Porter will offer more cutting comedy, in her delightfully witty and warm- hearted show, ‘Me Time’. The show will take place on the 14th February

at 7:45 pm at the Curve. Don’t miss the star of the Fringe, radio’s The unbelievable Truth

and TV’s Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You, pondering her place in the world.

Image by Flikr user Isabel

CULTURE

6

Edited by Dan Jordan

Birdman Review Man in the High Castle

by Kelly Griffiths Birdman centres on a middle-aged actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), trying to revive his identity and career, which is overshadowed by the character and film of ‘Birdman’, the source of his previous fame.

Edward Norton co-stars as Riggan’s own co-star, and Emma Stone as his troubled daughter.

As soon as Birdman begins, you immediately realise that Riggan Thomson is not a sane man. The first scene shows Riggan levitating, cross-legged and wearing nothing but Walter-White-style-under wear.

As he looks out of his window, Birdman, his superhero portrayal and alter ego, tells him that the room “smells like balls.”

It is clear from the outset that Riggan is aware of his fragile mental state, and the film isn’t going to show its development, but instead its crescendo.

Birdman is especially quirky in

its creation of a parallel universe to Michael Keaton’s own. Keaton’s last appearance as Batman was in 1992, Batman Returns, the same year as Riggan’s last portrayal of Birdman. Birdman, the embodiment of Riggan’s bitterness, taunts him on several occasions about other actors making more instalments of superhero films and Keaton is believable as the tragic and sulking Riggan, as he has also arguably been shoved from the superhero hall of fame by Christian Bale and The Dark Knight trilogy.

The film stands a good chance for a Best Picture Academy Award purely due to its unique cinematography. The film aimed to achieve the effect of looking like it was shot in one continuous take. Quentin Tarantino has used this style in many of his movies, but always briefly, like a signature move. Birdman was much more ambitious and experimental with this technique, and it succeeds in reeling the viewer into believing they are a spectator sitting only a few metres away from Norton and Keaton. It definitely helps that the camera notices the saliva that subtly sprays out of the actors’ mouths as they speak.

Birdman, unfortunately, will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and at

times it can feel a bit like living in Groundhog Day. The viewer could also question the motives of the characters and wonder, “Why on earth are they doing this?” The characters in the film don’t maintain the typical conventions of film; they are as irrational and indecisive as real human beings. Not everything they do in the film has a purpose. This only adds to the film’s peculiar realism.

Edward Norton was unquestionably one of the best parts of the film. Mike Shiner’s skinny, hairless legs and floppy quiff did anything but glorify actors.

Emma Stone’s character was just Gwen Stacey turned bad, with the same trademark hairstyle.

Birdman is subject to a second interpretation. It would appeal to any comic book fan, who understands how mentally unstable and flawed superheroes can be. Iron man is an alcoholic, Batman’s mental state is obviously damaged after witnessing his parent’s death, and just about every character in Watchmen should be in a straitjacket.

Riggan could in fact be the superhero, and Birdman his damaged alter ego. The end of the film definitely doesn’t shy away from this possibility.

by Owen Morgan

As Amazon continues to establish itself as an online streaming service, it has released the next wave of pilots for the viewer to approve. One of these pilots is ‘The Man in the High Castle,’ based on the brilliant book by Philip K. Dick. (I have read this book, so expect comparisons.)

“What if the Allies had lost the Second World War?” is the basic premise. The USA has been divided between Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire with the Rocky Mountain States acting as a buffer between the two Axis powers.

The story is set in 1962, with the war firmly over and any remembrance of the former states being restricted to relics for collectors. Within this alternative world are the two main characters: Juliana Crain and Joe Blake, both of whom are separately heading for the same location, but the two are divided by markedly different motives.

are victorious. In the novel, ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’ is itself a book which is read by Juliana over the course of many chapters. This means that Juliana and the narrative develop more gradually, as the significance and meaning of the book is slowly revealed. The change to a film reel was likely made to support the adaptation.

The main problem with the pilot is that a lot of the subtlety from the novel appears to have been lost. This has resulted in the suppressive nature of propaganda and an ever-present sense of fear in the novel being replaced with generic torture scenes, with Officer Exposition ensuring that any plan is fully explained. This is done to ensure that the viewer is certain that the Nazis are the villains. However it correctly doesn’t shy away from references to The Holocaust, which create uncomfortably moving scenes that show the barbarity

of the German Reich.

The adaption has led to the apparent loss of the character Robert Childan and his story of counterfeit antiques, which represents the constant theme of the book. The character Nobusuke Tagomi received only a small amount of screen time, however he has been correctly introduced (with the I Ching) allowing for a more prominent role in further episodes.

The problems of the adaption are mainly due to it currently only being a pilot, resulting in the significant plot points being revealed very early in the overall story in order to attract enough views to ensure a full series.

However the pilot has established a very convincing world that can support the story, and allow for the introduction and expansion of other characters.

Image by Flickr user Steve

‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’ is the object driving the two characters to their destination. It consists of a film reel of American ‘propaganda’ that appears to show a more familiar ending to the war in which the Allies

Sound of Music Tale Blazer: GoT

by Zoe Wolstenholme

The sublime Austrian mountains and operatic cloistral verses were paired with a feisty and youthful Maria (Laura Pitt-Pulford) as governess to the adorable von Trapp children. It made this a heart-warming and feelgood alternative to more traditional pantomimes and Dickensian tales this Christmas.

The impressive and elaborate set transports you to an idyllic Austria with a dense tapestry lined Abbey, rolling landscapes, and impressive von Trapp family residence complete with sparkling chandeliers. Not only is the set elaborate, but the number of costume changes, complete with a silk wedding gown for Maria, will satisfy any fashion-lover. The production is a visual feast.

Based on the real life Maria von Trapp’s ‘The Story of the Trapp Family Singers’, The Sound of Music tells her story (with some 1960s Hollywood adaptations) set against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Austria in 1938. The fantastic Rogers and Hammerstein soundtrack, filled with innocent and melodic songs, draws a stark but defiant contrast to the lurking threat of Nazi occupation. The songs,

with their infectious optimism, will have even the most sceptical musical-goers festively tapping their feet. And if you haven’t seen The Sound of Music before, it’s so good that it made a 5-year-old me want to become a nun ... things turned out slightly differently.

So, as a seasoned watcher of the classic Julie Andrews film, I was sceptical that a theatre production would live up to my childhood expectations. As I had feared, there were some changes. A few of the songs have been switched around so “My Favourite Things”, for example, is not sung during the thunderstorm. I was also a little disappointed that there was not a puppet show accompanying the “Lonely Goatherd” as there is in the original – if only for the fact that this could be brilliant on stage. And then there are a few unexpected extra songs that do not feature in the film. Nonetheless, these are minor changes that do not affect the story’s romantic and nostalgic charm.

Instead, they help to develop the characters of Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Emma Clifford) and Max Dettweiler (Mark Inscoe).

In fact, The Curve’s production stays true to the original whilst taking full advantage of its the-

atrical mode to make this an impressive and immersive live musical experience. In particular, Mother Abbess’s (Lucy Schaufer) operatic voice was incredible and filled the auditorium with arresting and powerful celestial hymns. The staging of the Salzburg Festival made the story come to life, as the audience became the audience of the festival as well. We were involved in the story and felt frightened for the von Trapps as the Nazi stormtroopers entered through the side doors, blocking their path out of the theatre and watching over the audience as well.

This impressive production tells a story of the power of love in the face of this great struggle, offering the chance to sing-along and become enchanted by The Sound of Music.

Image by Pamela Wrath Photography

character. However after this I had no problems with gameplay, despite sometimes feeling that some of the actions were unneeded and would have worked just as well as a cut scene (such as cleaning a sword and putting maggots in a wound).

Image by Flickr user Bagogames

by Owen Morgan After a couple of poor attempts, George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, and its subsequent TV adaptation, appears to finally have a video game that they deserve. Telltale Games create a six episode story, set in the fantasy world of Westeros, where the player is able to control the actions of several pawns in the Game of Thrones.

The story focuses on House Forrester, a northern family who are loyal banner-men to House Stark. However, as The War of the Five Kings is in progress and with Eddard Stark a head shorter, loyalty no longer provides security. This means that the game is not the best place to start for those unfamiliar with the book and TV series, watching the first three seasons of the show is required to fully understand

the setting and some of the supporting cast.

Episode 1 introduces the members of House Forrester and the people that sustain it, with the episode allowing you to control three different characters. However they are not all located in the remote north. The different characters are surprisingly spread out over Westeros with future episodes scattering characters further over the expanse of the known world.

With the war raging across the land, you and your character are thrown straight into action.

Although this provides a very exciting introduction, being a novice to Telltale games, it meant that there wasn’t any time to become familiar with the controls. This resulted in mild frustration on my part, and several arrows to the head for my

The story possesses the cliff-hangers that you’d expect from this franchise populated with devious characters who deliver well written dialogue.

As you play, you appear to become comfortable in the decisions that you are making, but then the story harshly reminds you that you either win or you die. The story matches the deceitful intrigue of the source material with a watercolour-like art style that supports the tone of the writing, allowing for the creation of some very fitting and attractive settings.

Episode 1 is the opening of a story that, at the moment, agrees with George R. R. Martin’s vision, allowing you to dabble in cunning as you try to ensure your characters’ (and more importantly their houses’) survival. Future episodes will reveal more of the extent of the decisions made in this episode, to produce a highly recommended story that doesn’t rely on breasts to maintain interest.

7

An Interview with Enter Shikari Enter Shikari bassist, Chris Batten, talks to The Ripple about the band’s upcoming album ‘The Mindsweep’, first UK Headline tour since 2013, and beyond.

Alexander Statham (AS): Lead singer Rou (vocals, programming, synth, etc.) has said “The Mindsweep” will feature more and wider influences as well as a greater focus on texture than previous albums. Did this change anything about the writing process?

Chris Batten (CB): We gave ourselves more time than we’ve ever given ourselves with this album. We actually had around 6 months of writing and recording to fully complete the album.

So, in that aspect it was just getting the confidence to explore every avenue and I think with the last album we gained so much confidence by being fearless and not being afraid to try things and we went into this album feeling, you know, super confident once we were writing the ideas. So yeah, confidence really opened up a load of new avenues for us.

AS: I found the album to be a departure from the trance/ post-hardcore sound established in Take To The Skies, instead harking back to the 90s/ noughties The Prodigy, Refused and early Linkin Park. Was this

retrospective sound a conscious step, or the result of combining so many influences?

CB: I mean it was never really a conscious thought to try and, you know, we didn’t go in there thinking we want to try and write this certain type of record.

We just went in there with no restrictions and that was kind of what came out.

Once we knew we had the material before we went into the studio, we had like 40, 50, sessions and whittled them down to 18 to take into the studio. Once we knew we had so much material, we then started to focus on [the fact] that we wanted the album to represent every aspect of what Enter Shikari can do.

It got quite scientific at one point; we actually had graphs going on and stuff. We wanted to make sure we covered every base. We wanted to make sure that the aggressive side of us came out; we’re big melody fans, we wanted to make sure that came across. There’s a song on there, which is one of the most delicate pieces we’ve ever written, with Rou on a piano just singing. We just wanted to make sure everything we can do is represented on the album.

AS: With your first UK Headline tour since 2013 kicking off

January 9th, how does it feel to be back on the road? What kind of things can an audience who has never seen you live expect to see?

CB: Well, first of all we’re very excited. I mean, it’s always good fun when you have new songs to present and play for the first time. It’s also really fun planning the show because in the UK we can take out lighting and plan the production and make it into a proper show. So that’s something we’re really looking forward to.

What we pride ourselves on is the energy that comes with the show; we’re singing about things that we really feel passionately about so people can expect a sense of honesty and, yeah, a lot of passion.

to keep connected. It’s hard to do so sometimes when you are on the road and you’re away.

It was very easy when we were in the small scene and in Saint Albans, and you’re very connected to what all the bands are doing. But when things get a bit bigger it’s hard to keep so connected. It’s definitely worth making a conscious effort to try because if you want to keep ahead of the game that’s where all the new ideas come from and you’ve got to be aware of what’s going on in order to do that.

AS: Finally, with managing your own label, an album

release and touring heavily as headliners almost the entire time, are there any words of advice that you would give to those starting up their own band, management or labels?

CB: Well, the only advice we can give is based on our own experience and for us it was…

I think a lot of people think, “oh, you sign a record deal and you’ve made it.” But the reality is that just is not the case.

Hard work is the only way that we’ve ever gained any success and no one’s going to do it for you. You know, we used to put on our own gigs; we used to just play as much as we could.

We went to university, but we still did 3-4 gigs a week, at different universities, so, you know, it’s tiring, but if you feel like you’ve got the music there and people are listening, you can see it’s growing, then definitely keep at it. That’s the only key to our success; it’s just hard work really.

“The MindSweep” is available now.

Image by Flickr user laurence barnes

AS: You recently played with Baby Godzilla (signed to your own label Ambush Reality) and Allusondrugs, as well as heading out on your US tour next year with 2014 up-and-comers Marmozets. Is it important for you to be in tune with and aware of those smaller bands coming through?

CB: Yeah, I think it’s always good to keep your ear to the ground and to try and find new music that you like. It’s good for us in terms of writing; it’s good

Dave’s Comedy Festival Previews

by Megan Brown

Being a student at the University of Leicester has its perks – the sinfully cheap drinks and the paternoster spring to mind – however, the highlight for me is the annual comedy festival. The perfect antidote to the winter blues, Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival returns for three weeks on 4th February, with comedians descending on bars, restaurants and event spaces around the city.

Image by Flickr user julie kerts

TV shows like Live at the Apollo and Saturday Night Live present us with a polished, ritzy sort of stand-up comedy, but it loses much of its impact when broadcasted to large audiences. Live stand-up is in another league of entertainment, and is as much about the audience’s input as that of the comedian. There is something magical about cramming into a tiny bar, sweating, pint in hand, to see and sometimes take part (you have been warned…) in stand-up comedy.

Low funds is no excuse to miss out this year, as dozens of gigs are free of charge, just be sure to get there early as they pack out quickly. As Britain’s longest-running comedy festival, Dave’s Comedy Festival boasts an impressive assortment of big names and rising stars. The Ripple has picked the best of them for your previewing pleasure…

For a slice of what The Guardian calls ‘hyper-neurotic black comedy,’ Richard Gadd is your man. The troubled comedian

won rave reviews for his three week run at Soho Theatre, and Breaking Gadd is proving to be just as popular. Head to Just the Tonic on 20th February to catch the ‘dementedly brilliant’ king of anti-humour.

If his 41,000 strong Twitter following is anything to go by, Adam Hess is the comedian to catch now, before his gig tickets start selling for double figures.

Get yourself to Heroes@LCBDepot on 15th February for his blend of classic male insecurities and razor sharp wit.

After touring the UK with a sell-out show and a string of high-profile TV appearances, Sara Pascoe is back with brand new material at Just the Tonic on 14th February. We can’t think of a better way to shun all Valentines-related mush than an evening with this charismatic comedienne.

The subversive and sparky Joe Lycett will be showcasing new material at The Cookie on 18th February. His appearances on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Live at the Apollo have shown him to be a stand-up at the top of his game.

Not only was Lycett nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy

Award Best Newcomer in 2012, Attitude magazine recently named him 57th Hottest Man in the World.

When it comes to political comedy, Kate Smurthwaite is the cream of the crop. Having become an increasingly familiar face after her appearance on Question Time in January, Smurthwaite delivers her highbrow, left-wing, feminist views with heartfelt intelligence in her new show Leftie Cock Womble at Kayal on 15th February.

Calling himself ‘just another pouting face in a sea of well-meaning mid-ranking twentysomething comics,’ the self-deprecating Ivo Graham will be at The Criterion on 8th February with an hour of his new material. After last year’s ‘brilliant debut’ (The Independent), the comic has a lot to live up to, but either way, his erudite, charming style is sure to impress.

The exciting Comedy in the Dark returns to Phoenix Square on 20th February after sell-out shows in the UK and Europe.

Big Difference Productions present what is a truly unique comedy experience where comedians take on the challenge

of performing in pitch black.

After the hugely successful interview with Jason Manford last year, it has been announced that the festival director will sit down with the award-winning Sarah Millican at The Curve on 8th February. A regular at Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival, Britain’s favourite funny woman has had countless high-profile appearances over the last few years, and this year’s interview will no doubt be crammed with Millican’s hilarious anecdotes.

And if it’s a struggle to pick just one comedian, Just the Tonic will be holding their multi-act Saturday Night Specials on 7th, 14th and 21st February, featuring stand-ups such as Sofie Hagen, Paul McCaffrey and Cold Feet’s John Thomson. The best 3-for-1 deal around.

For tickets and the full programme log on to comedy-festival.co.uk. Book in advance for the big acts like Jimmy Carr and Simon Amstell, and be experimental with your choices. This is where many comedians start their careers, so there’s a chance they will be gracing our TV screens in the not too distant future.

LIFESTYLE

8

Edited by Emily Bird

Out with the Old, in with the Stew

by Laura Mostyn

far would you go to lose weight?

Every New Year, we vow to ‘eat healthier’ and ‘make better choices’. However, as we all know, this is always much easier said than done.

Personally, I need three good meals a day so when I tried to drop the pounds on a juicing diet I was too weak to get out of bed by day two. And on day three when I hit the ultimate low, I ended up in McDonalds.

As a population, when January comes, we become hungry for change: to become a fitter, healthier and happier version of you.

Gone are the mince pies and Christmas puddings, and all that remains is the guilt of your overindulgence.

Unfortunately, many turn to quick fixes to drop the pounds in a low effort manner. But how

Some say these are a fad too far.

For example, have you ever heard of drinking your own urine to help drop the pounds?

No? Me either!

But, 2015 has paved the way for the celebrity induced diets which tempt us to believe in miracle cures for those who have piled on the pounds.

Image by Flickr user Kayla Seah

What was that saying? A spoon full of sugar makes the clay go down? Yes, you didn’t read that wrong. Some have taken to swallowing a spoon of clay a day to remove toxins from the body in an attempt to detox.

Others abide by the toothpaste diet, used to quash appetite and leave you feeling fuller for longer.

Or there’s the infamous The Devil Wears Prada diet – starve yourself until you absolutely can’t anymore and then eat one cube of cheese.

If you sit at your desk studying and complaining about your low metabolism whilst eating your third bag of crisps of the morning, then take this advice: get active and eat clean.

The whole ‘new year, new you’ fad is a fad, but only because people’s efforts at a healthy life style are so half hearted!

No quick fix diet or cheat will eradicate that Christmas binge, so get moving and balance out your kit kats with your kale.

Not only will you lose weight, but you will feel happier and more refreshed than ever.

So forget the flimsy fads that make you miserable in the hope you will wake up a stone lighter.

Instead, clean out the Christmas stodge by filling up on chlorophyll rich green veggies!

Vouch to eat the seasons and enjoy your instagrammable plates of goodness!

Talking of Instagram, the social media app is full of healthy eating bloggers, fitness fanatics and yoga bunnies. Draw from them for inspiration.

Many promote a healthy diet, but note some are stricter eating regimes that have recently boomed in popularity.

The hashtags #cleaneating or #paleo, are two new approaches to health. Clean eating often describes the removal of any processed sugars or fats, taking it back to natural and raw ingredients.

Paleo however, is a diet which takes it even further than eating what is natural. It harks back to the lifestyle of the caveman – essentially you may only eat what they had access to. That means no grains, no common carbohydrates such as pasta and no dairy.

Whilst this may seem a little extreme, it has been shown to have spectacular results in relation to weight loss and a boosted immune system.

Ultimately, whether you have

Image by Flickr user Alan Cleaver

the motivation to count the calories or not, keep your meals colourful (in a natural sense of course) and balanced, and you won’t even notice the pounds disappearing.

For less futuristic weight loss diets that we won’t be trying any time soon, but more tasty and healthy recipes, visit my Instagram page @eat_me_clean_ and try them out yourself!

Lifestyle: University v. Home

by Sara Marrannino

In one environment you’re cooked, cleaned and paid for. In the other you have all of the freedom, all of the choices, and all of the drunken opportunities. But which lifestyle do you prefer?

We’ve all been there. The holidays have ended. Yes, we’re excited to be back at uni with our friends, and yes, our parents have been overbearing to the point of making us desperate for our own independence once again…but we’re not quite ready to leave the comfort of home.

When you think about it, it’s incredibly strange how you can feel so at home in two different places, with different groups of people around you.

To an extent, we’ve become used to living a double life with people, places and the way we act

compartmentalised them.

between

There are so many differences between the lifestyles of university and home.

Whilst I’ve been thinking about this subject I’ve realised that the fundamental difference between living at uni and living at home is the same difference between being an adult and being a child.

For most of us, university is that period where we’re pretend grown-ups. We act like semiadults, organising our own lives and making our own decisions.

Without parents looking over us all the time living at home over the holidays can put a strain on the parent-child relationship.

Some find it difficult not to imImage by Flickr User Steve Cadman

mediately assume the role of a child. This probably won’t be true of all students, but I’m sure the majority can relate.

At university, your friends are varied and spread out. From housemates to course friends and people you meet in the huge variety of sports and societies on offer, the characters you encounter are likely to be hugely different.

However, whilst at home we seem to be content with our most intimate group.

hotel service of mum and dad.

Most of us are happy to be ‘looked after’ on arriving home as a reward for all the hard work we put in managing to keep ourselves alive while away.

The benefits of home are endless. At home there are no capped heating bills and that means no living in arctic conditions. At home food appears in the fridge without you having to brave the shops, and is probably cooked with minimal effort from you.

In fact, how I’ve found it to work is that the longer it’s been since leaving school, the more you realise who you really want around - any others that we see on a night out is just a bonus.

Endless cups of tea find their way into your hands, and the best part? The best part is that at home most of us can enjoy one of the simple luxuries in life—a dishwasher.

also be an excellent investment because if you’re lucky enough your parents will buy clothes for you, freeing up the student loan for more important things like alcohol and Dominos!

Nights out at home are generally fun and you leave feeling that you’ve had a good time catching up with old friends reminiscing about old memories, but the sheer booze-ridden pandemonium that is a night out at uni is on a completely different scale, and home doesn’t really stand a chance.

Home provides us with a refuge from the stress of deadlines and a chance to cuddle with pets—I have been told the struggle of not seeing furry friends is very real indeed.

Ultimately, it’s the freedom of university that makes the lifestyle so appealing.

I won’t lie, once I’m home from uni and the exhaustion from all of my best efforts at looking after myself catches up with me, I become lazy and reliant on the

Plus it’s an excellent opportunity to save money! No worrying about food budgeting while you’re at home - you can probably persuade your parents to buy branded products and not own label.

Clothes shopping at home can

No one to tell you off for drinking toxic amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis and remaining bedridden the morning after a night out, only surfacing for food at the reasonable time of about 3pm.

Housemates are less inclined to nag you for leaving washing up on the worktop or not ironing your clothes and more like

Image by Flickr user David Wright

to keep you company watching Netflix’s finest until stupid o’clock.

Perhaps the best thing about university is being able to choose who you spend your time with and combining the right level of independence and adulthood with a healthy input of childish behaviour with your best friends.

Not all students get the balance right but ultimately that is what these three years away from home are for.

You make mistakes, learn from them and all the while your parents are back at home are oh so bilssfully unaware...

9

Sweet Sweet Potassium Soupreme Sweet Potato add to the pan.

5) Transfer the mixture into a greased loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes, turning the tin around half way through to ensure an even bake.

Image by Flickr user frederlque voisin-demery

by Jemma Malone Ever get the craving to bake?

Here’s a simple yet delicious recipe that I often make.

It lasts a long time and really doesn’t cost much, the dream for a university student. Great for breakfast on the go, a quick lunch or a filling snack, banana bread is a bake loved by all. So go on, go bananas!

2) Cream the butter with a whisk and then mash in the bananas, do so together in a large bowl.

3) Combine the wholemeal flour and baking powder, and then gently fold into the banana mixture.

4) Add the milk and stir again until the mixture is fully combined.

6) After removing your banana bread from the oven, allow it to stand for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool. You can use the wire rack from the grill pan if you don’t own a wire baking cooling rack.

Once the cake is totally cooled, keep up to 1 week in an airtight Tupperware container.

This sweet loaf is suitable for freezing for up to 1 month.

Image by Jemma Malone

Sugar Free Wholewheat Banana Bread Ingredients: Margarine (Vitalite), 2 tbsp Soy milk, 2 tbsp Bananas, 3, large – the riper the better!

Wholewheat flour, 240g (1 1/2 cups) Baking powder, 3 tsp

5)Cover the contents of the pan with boiling water and crumble in the stock cube. Stir.

6) Bring the contents of the pan to the boil and then simmer on a lower heat for 15 minutes.

7) Remove the pan from the hob and allow it to cool a little before blitzing the soup with either a regular blender or a stick blender.

Image by Flickr user Alina Angenette

by Jemma Malone

on a medium heat.

This hearty soup is a quick and easy dish to make. With sweet potatoes in season, this recipe is even cheaper to make around this time of year! As a low carb meal that is also high in fibre and is a rich source of flavonoid anti-oxidants, it is the perfect combination for the new year and new you​ . A comforting healthy kick to start beating those lingering January blues.

2) Chop the onion into cubes and soften in the oil.

3) Chop or crush the garlic and add to the onions once they have started to brown. Season with salt and pepper and stir.

4) Chop the sweet potatoes and carrots into small chunks and

This soup works well in both a smooth, blitzed form or a chunky vegetable broth.​ Enjoy!

Send in photos of your sweet potato soup to our Twitter account, @UoLRipple!

Image by Jemma Malone

Sweet Potato Soup Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes 2 large carrots 1 large onion 2 cloves of garlic Seasoning ½ vegetable stock cube

Method: 1) Preheat the oven to 200°c (gas mark 6) and lightly grease a loaf tin.

Method: 1) Heat the oil in large saucepan

Should We Celebrate Valentines Day?

by Emily Bird ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, which may be useful (if not totally precise) information for those of us who are colour blind’ – Becky Masterman Red roses, Hallmark cards, an assortment of chocolates… these are all identifiable symbols of Valentine’s love. Will you have a Valentine this year?

Single or in a relationship, the opportunity to love is for everyone.

To some, Valentine’s Day is the day to pluck up the courage and tell the one you love how you feel about them. To others, it’s a day to celebrate the love that you have. However, every year as I see the shops fill with the red and pink of gifts and champagne, the cynic in me rears its head.

Much like the holidays of Halloween and Easter, we’ve taken a simple event and blown it up into a love-heart fuelled commercialistic dream. We’re encouraged to buy teddies, balloons, flowers, toys, photos…

The list is endless.

In similar fashion to every other holiday in our calendar, prices everywhere for everything remotely Valentine’s related are

hiked up ridiculously. Amusingly, my best friend celebrates February 15th instead - the day when all of that chocolate the shops have brought in goes on sale!

It appears that the materialistic is valued above the sentimental.

Whilst your loved one might get you a gift, and that in itself is thoughtful and meaningful, I don’t doubt, it is done more out of duty to the traditional cliché of Valentine’s.

St Valentine, a Roman martyr, is commonly associated with the holiday. Legend states that he would illegally perform weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. During his imprisonment the saint healed the daughter of the jailer, and upon his departure left her a valentine as a farewell.

This idea flourished in the Middle Ages and then went on to consume the 18th Century.

Many took the occasion to express their love for one another through presenting flowers, confectionary and sending greetings cards (Valentines) – not too different from today then!

When asking my housemates on their opinion of Valentine’s Day, the response was not too

different from my own. “It’s overrated”, “People have created a holiday for no reason”, and “I don’t see the point.” It appears that for a majority, a spontaneous gesture of love would be more warmly received than a Valentine’s Card.

Yet one housemate was unbothered by the common cliché.

Though indifferent about the holiday, she saw it as an excuse to go out for dinner and to spend a little extra time with those close to you. Therefore, perhaps, Valentine’s Day acts as a reminder. One could argue that in the rush of our modern day lives, February 14th is a stalwart for love, reminding us that we do need to outwardly appreciate the ones closest to us.

But in my opinion, an act of appreciation can be a small gesture. One that does not need to be pumped out by Clinton or Hallmark and one that does not need to fall specifically in the second week of February.

For all of the singletons out there, Valentine’s Day can be a painful time. You’re alone – did you forget? The options available appear to be indulging in Ben & Jerry’s alongside Bridget Jones or gathering together all of your single friends and smashing up a heart shaped

piñata. Valentine’s Day is exclusively a couple’s affair so it is no wonder that a large number of students resent its existence.

Whatever your opinion of the holiday, it’s not likely to change any time soon. I have no doubt that the companies producing all things cringe will continue to do so and only get grander in scale over time.

Ultimately love should remain to be more about the gesture than the materialistic components – and this is particularly

important to remember on Valentine’s Day. There is nothing wrong with treating your loved ones on February 14th but remember: you shouldn’t need just one day to show that you love someone.

If I choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year it’ll be in a very low-key and understated manner. To be frank – I’d much rather receive a thoughtful gift on one of the other 364 days of the year!

I’d

encourage

all

students,

whether in a relationship or not, to take this day as an opportunity to do something selfless for another. A little thought can go a very long way! As this is the Lifestyle section, I’d suggest perhaps creating your own home made chocolates or maybe a little photo album or montage.

Even doing your housemates washing up would suffice!

So overlooking the gushing cliché that has become Valentine’s Day, I hope you all have a lovely February 14th.

Image by Flickr user Luke Ma

SPORT

10

Edited by Matthew Allen

First Flourish; Thirds Flounder Not Just Another Adu?

by Callum Jamieson

This week’s matches saw a mixed bag for the University of Leicester’s Men’s Rugby teams, with the firsts and seconds finding victory through differing levels of ease, and the thirds suffering a comprehensive defeat against a very strong Bedford side.

First team: Leicester’s Men’s rugby firsts travelled to Birmingham this week only to find a ploughed field on a 45 degree gradient wearing the guise of a field of play welcoming them, and in very blustery conditions the champagne rugby suffered.

Despite a dull and scrappy first half ending 0-0 with neither side creating much in terms of chances, the second half brought some better phases of attacking rugby, with Birmingham opening up the scoring

with a silky try finished in the corner. This was the wake up call Leicester needed, soon sparking to life and coming back with a try and a penalty to take the lead 8-5. Soon after, from a strong attacking line out, Dan Forster crashed over the line, making the score 15-5.

From there though, the game fizzled out, with Leicester’s defence remaining resolute until the final whistle.

Leicester 15-5 Birmingham Second team: Leicester’s seconds were involved in a much more one-sided affair, on paper, taking on Northampton seconds, but one which was again scrappy and particularly blustery at Stoughton Road Playing Fields. The seconds got their season up and running with a strong win, handling conditions far more effectively and controlling the game

CAUSEW AY LA NE

throughout. Tries came from Henry Cranidge and Timmy Beadouin, with Jethro Mallet adding four himself.

now, then you would get a totally difference response to, “I play for Real Madrid and earn 80,000 a week.” I myself, being the spot-ridden, braced-faced, social outcast that I was, spent my time guiding York City to the holy land that is the Premier League on Football Manager.

This is a great achievement in itself of course, but some would say it’s not quite on the scale of Odegaard’s.

Leicester 39-5 Northampton Third team: The thirds found themselves in an extremely difficult encounter, travelling to a strong, table-topping Bedford side, and were up against it from the start.

The Bedford team repeatedly crashed over from short range, and repeatedly used their size and set piece dominance effectively.

Leicester 0-45 Bedford

image by Flickr user Calcio Mercato

by Danny Wedgeman On the 22nd of January, Norwegian footballer Martin Odegaard signed for Real Madrid for 2.3 million euros. This deal doesn’t seem that significant especially when footballers are going for tens of millions of pounds nowadays. It’s only when you find out that Odegaard is only 16 years old and on a reported 80,000 euros per

week that you sit up and take notice.

The first thought that would pop into most people’s heads is probably, “A 16 year old earning 80,000 euros a week is ridiculous” or, “Damn, this kid must be awesome.” However, the first thing that popped into my head was, “What the hell was I doing at 16?” If you asked an average 16 year old boy what they do

Hopefully this move to Real Madrid doesn’t hinder his development as a player. Personally, I believe he would have been better off at a team like the mighty Leeds United but unfortunately he has chosen to apply his trade at the next best team that plays in white. Hopefully under the watchful eye of people like Zidane at Real Madrid he will fulfil his potential and avoid another Freddy Adu situation.

W EET STR ND BO

GATE CHURCH

NE

20% Student discouNT *with a vaild student ID

HIGH STREET

Longhorns to Watch 11

Name: Joe McDougall Position: QB Squad Number: #9 Height: 6’2” Weight: 202lbs Hailing from the small Somerset town of Yeovil, third year economics student, club president and starting Quarterback Joe McDougall has been extremely impressive this season, with 350 Name: Jon Priddle Position: FB Squad Number: 14 Height: 6’1” Weight: 203lbs Veteran full back and fourth year physics student Jon Priddle has stepped his game up this season, adding a real goal-line threat to the Longhorns offensive unit as well as a mid-yardage Name: Callum Phillips Position: WB/WR Squad Number: #7 Height: 6’2” Weight: 183lbs Longhorn fresher, second year law student and Welsh native Odell Phillips Jr. has quickly established himself as the go-to man when moving the ball for the Longhorns, with the ver-

yards passing alongside 7 touchdowns, and 134 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns through the first five games of the season.

Look for him to be a threat both on the ground and through the air against DMU.

Name: Kunle Osibemekun Position: WB Squad Number: #11 Height: 5’11” Weight: 177lbs

option further up the field. With 146 yards and a touchdown on the season, the Longhorns have, alongside a strong quarterback and a talented receiving corps, an extremely complete offense at their disposal, with DMU having to respect both the pass and the run if they hope to get anything out of Varsity.

Name: Ian Doggett Position: DE Squad Number: #52 Height: 6’0” Weight: 230lbs

satile wingback/ wide receiver capable of breaking tackles and working the outside to great effect. Suffered a concussion in the first game against Nottingham, keeping him out for 2 weeks, but has still managed 253 yards and 5 touchdowns in the 3 games he’s played.

Name: Sam Ogundayo Position: DT Squad Number: #61 Height: 5’10” Weight: 280lbs

Third year engineer, speed merchant and Longhorns fresher Kunle Osibemekun has been important in both the ground game and passing game for the Longhorns this season. The

Ian Doggett is truly a man of Biblical proportions. The bearded behemoth has cast fear into the hearts of opposition quarterbacks all season in pass rush scenarios, and has proven

True fresher Samuel Ogundayo has added much needed strength to the inside of the Longhorns’ defensive line, with the nose tackle capable of laying enormous hits on opposition

lightning-fast wing back is always capable of the big play when finding space, and his touchdown against Northampton in a tight victory has proved that he’s capable of finishing attacking drives.

versatile in all defensive areas, contributing sacks, tackles and even an interception against Coventry.

Easy to spot thanks to his trademark flowing locks, look for Doggett to burst through the Falcons offensive line to stuff a run in the backfield at some point during the game. players. If Sam gets to a running back, don’t expect him to get much further. Contributing sacks and tackles for losses frequently this season, Ogundayo possesses anything but his friendly off-field demeanour when he takes to the pitch.

Make no mistake, when Big Sam graces the Stoughton Road fields, he is mean.

A Merry Christmas for Leicester

by Lauren Swain Leicester are getting back into the swing of things after some disappointing matches at the end of last year, and the most thrilling match of the Christmas and New Year break has to be their 2:1 away victory over Tottenham Hotspurs in the FA Cup. Despite being 14 places behind Spurs and at the bottom of the Premier League table, the Foxes pulled off a great victory, stopping Spurs from reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup for the third season in a row.

With seven minutes to go, Leicester were trailing 1-0 and looked to be in trouble, but some brilliant goals from Schlupp and Ulloa allowed the Foxes to pull off an unlikely victory, and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. Spurs edged ahead just 19 minutes in, with Townsend converting a penalty, given when Leicester’s Liam Moore upended Soldado in the box. Leicester’s keeper, Mark Schwarzer (on his first Leicester appearance) was sent the wrong way, giving Spurs the lead. There was controversy when Leicester’s

new player Kramaric seemed to be fouled inside the box, but was then booked by the referee for diving.

The visiting Foxes looked dangerous throughout the second half though, creating numerous chances, and Ulloa scored the equaliser, showing impressive control. And ultimately it was Schlupp who kept his composure, and with just seconds to go, volleyed Simpson’s cross into the net. After the match Nigel Pearson said to the BBC, “We kept going and we needed to because Tottenham are a squad full of athletes. They are also very good technically and as a unit, physically, they are pretty impressive. So for us it was a age in which we had to compete on lots of different levels.”

More disappointing though was there 1:0 defeat at home to Stoke, 10 points above them in the League table, which ended Leicester’s four match unbeaten run, and their chances of getting off the bottom of the table.

Foxes boss Pearson started with new record signing Kramaric and top-scorer Ulloa on the bench.

Knockaert came close for the Foxes but it was Stoke that had

more, and better chances. Stoke had been outplayed at Arsenal the week before and stepped up to comeback with a solid win.

After a boring first half, Stoke’s Krkic scored at 63 minutes, prompting Pearson to substitute both Kramaric and Ulloa on to the field, but Stoke’s defines were well organised and solid, and Crouch came close to securing Stokes lead even further with a great late effort. The Foxes remain at the bottom of the table.

There is some hope for the Foxes though as they are showing some progress and form in the Premier League. Their home

win 1:0 against Aston Villa (five places ahead of them) on 10th January, boosted their team, and perhaps contributing to their win over Spurs just two weeks later. The match was not without controversy however, despite only having one goal. leicester’s Matt James was sent off in injury time for a bad lunge and Villa’s Ciaran Clark’s reaction earned him a second card, and he was sent to join James.

The tumultuous scenes between players was the only spark from Aston Villa, and the only sign that they were fighting for a win.

Villa had the possession and shots throughout the game, but

Leicester dominated the game, and created more chances and on target shots, with Konchesky slotting the only goal of the match in at 45 minutes. Leicester could have won by more, but Villa’s keeper Guzan managed to keep just about in the game, saving shots from James and Albrighton.

To secure their match with Spurs, Leicester deservedly knocked Newcastle out of the third round of the FA Cup on 3rd January, thanks to their top-scorer Ulloa. Having drew with Burnley just a week earlier, Newcastle looked unsure and confused, being manager less in

the wake of Pardew’s departure.

Interim boos John Carver was in charge of the Magpies, and this was not one of their best performances.

Newcastle had slightly more possession than Leicester but were never a threat, and Leicester could have scored at least two more, with Lawrence (on his Leicester debut) just shooting wide, and Chris Wood’s diving header being denied with a superb save by Magpies goalie Alnwick.

Stats and managers quotes taken from the BBC Sport website.

For all the latest match reports, fixtures and results, and for more expert analysis from our seasoned Sports team, visit www.the-ripple.co.uk/sports

Varsity 2015 Opener Longhorns Open up Varsity, but Will It Be with a Bang?

by Matthew Allen Off the back of an encouraging performance despite defeat against Coventry, the Leicester Longhorns American Football team is looking to march on to their best record for years.

Next up, you wonder? The varsity matchup against DMU. Oh baby.

The Longhorns offence was much maligned last year, but a turnaround in fortunes, inspired by a couple of key players stepping up and a host of talented freshers, has turned the Leicester offensive unit into one which is not to be taken lightly.

With a touchdown in all but one game this season, last season’s scoreless nightmare seems far behind them.

Callum Phillips leads the way on total yards from scrimmage.

The Monster from Monmouth has fought through the concussion he suffered during his monster 78 yard and 1 touchdown performance against Nottingham, beating all the odds to have 253 all purpose yards and

5 touchdowns through 3 games.

A second year student but a Longhorn fresher, Callum, has proven a hit not just on the pitch but also in the locker room, becoming one of the big characters that the Longhorns accredit their transformation to. Callum “Interception” Lightfoot is also a credit to a much-improved Longhorns passing attack, with 109 yards on the season, including a gargantuan 57 yard reception against Northampton.

At full back, four-year veteran Jon Priddle is seeing one of his most productive campaigns, with 146 yards and a TD so far this season, proving that a full back is not just a glorified lead blocker. His 58 yard, 1 touchdown performance against Northampton proved crucial, alongside a blocked punt from Dom Bareford and a forced fumble by man-mountain, sack machine and surprisingly adept interceptor, Ian Doggett, in earning the Longhorns the tightest of victories.

Quarterback Joe McDougall has also stepped up to the mantel

this year as club president, putting Johnny Manziel to shame with over 350 yards passing, including 7 touchdowns, and three rushing touchdowns alongside a whopping 134 yards. And with 10 pancakes, the Italian Stallion Phil Lombardo has only added credence to the fact that a dynamic offensive unit starts with a strong offensive line. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive tackles “Big Sam” Ogundayo and Phil Sadgrove are putting together an extensive highlight reel of huge hits.

However, by no means is this going to be an easy matchup.

The varsity game is always the most physical and controversial game of the season, and whilst Leicester are the form team, DMU will be wanting to prove all the doubters wrong, and will come out ready to maim, intimidate and psych out the Longhorns. They’ll be running hard and hitting hard, and the only solution to that is to run harder and hit harder than they can even imagine. Coupled with

no complacency, that’s the only way the talented Longhorns can guarantee victory.

remember in what has been so far an excellent season for the Leicester boys.

This game has the potential to be the biggest and best of the season, and in front of a no doubt record crowd at Stoughton Road on Sunday at 1pm, both teams will be ready to smack heads and score some points, and with the game falling on the same day as the Longhorns’ famous Super Bowl party at the Loaded Dog, it could be a day to

DMU Falcons @ Leicester Longhorns, Sunday February 1st, Stoughton Road Playing Fields, 1pm.

(Of course by the time we go to print, the game will have already happened…so check out the-ripple.co.uk to find out how the Longhorns got on, if you weren’t there yourself).

Having put together a 2-3 start to the season alongside these feats on the pitch, the Longhorns look set to put the sorry 0-5 DMU Falcons to the sword on Sunday. Whilst the Falcons show little sign of improvement, the Longhorns have game-ongame been improving, and with their first-choice Quarterback out of contention for the varsity matchup with a broken arm, DMU are being forced to field an untested backup in the biggest game of the year.

Oadby Sparkle as They Longhorns Lose It but Topple Diamonds Cov Don’t Cruise It

by Lauren Swain

Whilst Leicester FC is taking all the footballing headlines at the moment, with their time in the Premier League under scrutiny, their slightly less illustrious cousin, Oadby Town, is holding on in the United Counties League Division One. The club plays at Freeway Park in Oadby, and hosted the football varsity last year when the King Power Stadium was unavailable. Despite being a small club, they have many supporters and are holding their own in their league.

Their two wins in January came within a week of each other, with both being at home, the first on Saturday 10th January to AFC Rushden and Diamonds.

Oadby Town had a solid home win of 2:0. The Diamonds had just signed two quality players before the game, and looked to make a strong start, and indeed started the better of the two, but didn’t threaten Taylor in the Oadby goal much.

Both teams found it hard to

break through, but eventually in the 81st minute Kurtis Revan finished well, in front of the Oadby fans, and the Diamonds were unable to mount a comeback as Olli Brown-Hill and Samuel Taylor worked together to clinch the result with a great goal in the 84th minute.

Oadby’s other home win came on Saturday 17th January, with an important and strong 4:2 win over Harrowby United, who are just two points below them in the league and in the relegation zone. Both sides had only just been promoted so this game was always going to be an important one for Oadby who are languishing at the bottom end of the table.

Oadby led with a strong first half, with Brown-Hill finishing off some excellent team play in the 39th minute. Brown-Hill was also involved in the second, as his strong cross ended with a close range finish by on form Sam Taylor just three minutes later in the 42nd minute.

After the break though Harrow-

by started to fight back, as Scott Webb defeated Oadby keeper Elliot Taylor, with a slight deflection. Oadby’s Callum Earl fouled Liam Motson just before the hour mark, and after heated words were exchanged Earl slapped the player across the face, leaving the referee no choice but to send him off, but Harrowby failed to score from the resultant free kick.

With a man up, Harrowby pressed the advantage and equalised soon after, with an excellent finish by Webb at 66 minutes. This lasted just three minutes though as Oadby launched a comeback, and with one man down Kurtis Revan restored the lead after following through on a rebound. Harrowby wasted a chance to equalise, and Revan and Brown-Hill sealed Oadby Town’s victory after Revan unselfishly gave the ball to BrownHill who shot home to secure the win.

Stats taken from Oadby Town Website

by Matthew Allen

A 40-12 defeat of the Leicester Longhorns by the Coventry Jets is a scoreline that on the face of things looks ugly, but is deceiving, as the Longhorns turn in one of their best performances of the season against a strong side.

The Longhorns got off to a great start, with Welsh wonder Callum Phillips finding the endzone on the first drive of the game to send the Longhorns into a 6-0 lead. Two drives later Phillips would find the endzone again, increasing his tally on the season from 3 to 5 through just 3 games, establishing himself as the Longhorns premier offensive threat. The Longhorns were 12-8 up at this point, but despite a spectacular diving catch, again from Phillips, found themselves 14-12 down at half time, but very much still in the game.

However, an excellent Jets team would go on to score another four touchdowns in the second half to resign the Longhorns to their third defeat of the season,

taking them to a 2-3 record, which despite being a losing one, is already a marked improvement on the previous season.

The Longhorns were looking far more accomplished on both sides of the ball, but it would be Coventry’s size and depth that would prove to be the undoing of our boys. With a squad containing at least 15 more players, the Jets could afford to rotate in the later quarters, and the fresh legs definitely showed, as the tired Longhorns defence struggled to contain the dynamic Jets, and the offence which was so effective in the first half struggled to move the ball against Coventry’s carousel of talented defensive players.

On the defensive side of the ball there were definitely plus-sides, with the return of John Flynn to near full fitness at middle linebacker, and a rare interception for the totemic Ian Doggett at defensive end. All in all it was a valiant effort from a defensive unit containing a large amount of rookies, and definitely bodes

well for the rest of the season.

MVPs from the Coventry game were exclusively on the offensive side of the ball, with Offensive MVP going to Kunle Osibemekun, who continues to improve drastically as the season progresses, contributing in both the running and passing game as well as effective blocking. Team MVP inevitably ended up once again in the hands of Callum Phillips, with the offensive weapon gaining 101 yards from scrimmage and finding the endzone twice. With Phillips in Hong Kong next year, it’s definitely encouraging to see other players stepping up.

The Longhorns are building themselves a solid base, and with DMU the next team to roll into Stoughton for the Varsity festival opener, long may they keep marching on.

Look out for match highlights and exclusive match reports from The Ripple on our website www. the-ripple.co.uk