Tuesday November 6 2012 | Week 8
S i n c e 1887 T h e U K ' s O ld e st S T u d ent N ews pa p er
Free tuition for EU students has cost Scottish taxpayers £100m
Argonne National Observatory
Charlotte Brady
Shedding light on dark matter
The University of Edinburgh crowdsources global talent >> News P2
Only 20 per cent of professors are female Rona Broadhead
A report published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency for the academic year 2010/2011 has revealed that just under 20 per cent of professors in the UK are women. Women are severely underrepresented in senior academic roles despite making up nearly 45 per cent of academic staff and just over 53 per cent of non-academic staff. At the University of Edinburgh women hold under 20 per cent of professor roles and make up 40 per cent of academic staff, below the national average, according to a report by the university’s Equality and Diversity Monitoring and Research Committee (EDMRC). Underrepresentation continues at the very top with only 17 of the UK’s 115 universities led by women, according to Universities UK. By contrast, female undergraduates continue to outnumber males with 984,000 female undergraduates studying for degrees in the UK compared to 713,000 males. Professor Michèle Belot of the
University of Edinburgh’s economics department told The Student, “I think it is unfortunate there are so few women in senior posts in higher education.
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Because there are so few women in academia, women may perhaps sometimes have a harder time creating social relationships with their colleagues." Professor Michele Belot, University of Edinburgh Economics “One reason that is often mentioned is the fact that women enter junior posts in their late twenties or early thirties and this is a delicate period of life for any woman who wants to have children. One needs to be quite focused, prepared to travel and work quite long hours if one wants to be successful in academia.”
She explained that social inclusion can be an issue, “Because there are so few women in academia, women may perhaps sometimes have a harder time creat[ing] social relationships with their colleagues. “Social gatherings between colleagues are important because this is where people discuss ideas, perhaps even discuss informally where they would like the department to go and if women are not present, then it is less likely that they will work with colleagues or be influential in the department.” Professor Francesca Bray of the Social Anthropology department reflected, “My personal experience of working in academia as a woman has always been very positive. This is partly because my fields are among those which opened up to senior women early.” She contrasted her experience working in the US to the UK, explaining that “everyone was much more conscious than in most British or European institutions about the importance of trying to improve the gender balance at senior levels (or indeed at every level). In the University of California, where I worked,
the senior women (and a number of senior men) had formed a special council to press the University for necessary facilities that would allow younger women to pursue successful academic careers: better childcare, factoring parental leave into calculations of when people came up for tenure, equal pay for the same job, mentoring […] This strategy has been very successful.”
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[In the US] everyone was much more conscious than in most British or European institutions about the importance of trying to improve the gender balance at senior levels (or indeed at every level)." Professor Francesca Bray, University of Edinburgh Social Anthropology
Free tuition for EU students has cost Scottish taxpayers £100 million as the number of young people from the continent at Scottish universities hits an all-time high. Recent statistics show record numbers of EU students are seeing their tuition fees paid for by government funds, as the figure stood at 11,870 students for the 2011/12 academic year. EU students saw an increase of £1.3 million in the total amount paid in fees and loans since last year, setting the current figure at £22.4 million. Conversely, the total amount paid out to Scottish students decreased. Despite the increase in the number of Scottish students at Scottish universities since last year, their taxpayer funding has decreased slightly to nearly £548 million. EU students comprise 8.9 per cent of the total number of students in receipt of support from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), for the 2011/12 academic year. Last decade just 1.2 per cent were EU students, according to figures published on 24 October 2012 by Higher Education Student Support in Scotland. They reveal that since Alex Salmond became First Minister, taxpayers have picked up a tab for almost £100 million to give EU students ‘free degrees.’ A consequence which emerged from European anti-discrimination laws allows young people from the continent to benefit from ‘free degrees’ promised to Scots, while those south of the Scottish border are required to pay fees. The figures arrived during an ongoing debate as to the sustainability of many of the free benefits brought in since devolution. Salmond vehemently defended free degrees for the young people of Scotland. Education Minister Mike Russell made the promise almost two years ago that he was investigating a way to introduce a charge for EU students that would not apply to Scots. However, there have been no new proposals since. Liz Smith, education spokesman for the Scottish Conservative party commented that, “It begs the question yet again about how the SNP is going to find this kind of money to fund this promise from the taxpayer. “Mr Russell has not been able to implement an EU charge because he has been told consistently that EU law will not allow him to do it.” A Scottish Government spokesman said ministers are “still pursuing how we could raise additional income from students from outside Scotland within EU law and discussions are ongoing.”
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
2 News
Edinburgh increases undergraduate student bursaries
The Student Newspaper | 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ Email: editors@studentnewspaper.org
Calum Risbridger and Alistair Grant
News »p1-6
More than £2.5 million was awarded in bursaries by the University of Edinburgh to undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK this year. This represents an increase of £1.7million on last year, and will help more than 1000 students. Awards of between £500 and £7000 a year have been granted to students from low-income families, defined as those with a family income below £16,000. 350 recipients are students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who will be eligible for an Edinburgh RUK (Rest of UK) award, providing the best financial support of any UK university. Meanwhile, 800 new UK students are receiving access bursaries to help with living expenses, while around 150 are receiving bursaries of up to £1000 to contribute towards the cost of accommodation during their first year of university education. In addition to this, a number of undergraduate students from Scotland are receiving funding and assistance with living expenses from the university via awards of between £1,000 and £2,500 per academic year. Commenting on the rise in funding for bursaries, Professor Mary Bownes,
TRAINSPOTTING p 5
Alistair Grant breathes in the dank smoke of student opinions on drug use
Comment »p8-11
WANTED OR NEEDED? p 8
Charlotte Ryan explores the relevance of Black History Month given that it is a symbol of division for many black people
features »p13-15 CARING IS SCARING (STUDENTS AWAY FROM RELIGION) p14
Jennifer Smith speaks to the Chaplain and the President of the Humanist Society to find out how far student apathy goes.
LIFESTYLE »p16 MADE IN CHELSEA p11
Sophie O'Mahoney sticks her legs into Louise Thompson's new line of jeans
SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT » p19-20 BABY YOU'RE A FIREWORK p19
Katy Sheen explains the science of fireworks in time for Bonfire Night
CULTURE »p23-25 SICK RHYMES p23
Lene Korseberg thinks that poetry gets a pretty bad rap
FILM »p28-29 REEL-IGION p28 Melissa Lawford takes a free personality test and joins the cult of cinema
SPORT »p31-32
BATTING BELOW THEIR AVERAGE? p31
Chris Waugh asesses the challenge England face in their upcoming tour of the Indian subcontinent
senior vice-principal of external engagement at Edinburgh University, said, “We have a long tradition of supporting students of all ages and backgrounds to enter higher education and we remain committed to this continuing.
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We have a long tradition of supporting students of all ages and backgrounds to enter higher education and we remain committed to this continuing" Professor Mary Bownes, senior vice-principal of external engagement “Students with academic ability and potential should be able to gain admission and succeed at university whatever their circumstances. We wish all our bursary recipients every success in their studies.” James McAsh, president of Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA), told The Student, “EUSA is really pleased that the university is taking widening participation seriously.
University should be for everyone, not just the rich. “We have a long way to go but this is a great start.” This rise in bursary funding follows the widely reported criticisms the University of Edinburgh received last year on becoming the UK’s most expensive university. Charging the maximum £9,000 for all four years, RUK students at Edinburgh can currently expect to pay £36,000 for a degree. After the announcement last year, the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland condemned the fee charge at Edinburgh as "staggering and ridiculous". The university promised to balance the high fee levels by providing generous bursaries funded by the rise in fees, stating that it would offer "the most generous bursary package within the UK for those on the lowest household incomes". Fending off criticism in September of last year, Professor Mary Bownes told The Guardian, “The increase in the fee is necessary as we will no longer receive government funding for the rest of the UK domiciled students. These students will be studying at one of the world’s top teaching and research institutions, regularly ranked amongst the leading universities in the world.”
Edinburgh scientists unveil competition to unlock secrets of the universe
Thurston Smalley and Nina Seale
Astronomers from the University of Edinburgh have joined forces with crowdsourcing website Kaggle. com and British investment firm Winton Capital Management to host a competition aimed at boosting scientific understanding of dark matter. The competition, named Observing Dark Worlds, challenges teams to calculate the x and y coordinates of centres of so-called ‘dark matter halos’, or the invisible cloaks of dark matter that cover complete galaxies.
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This competition could make a real difference in solving an enigma that has puzzled astronomers for decades" David Harvey, School of Physics and Astronomy Teams will compete for cash prizes, but also for opportunities to work at Winton Capital Management, a firm which describes itself as a scientific research centre whose chosen laboratory is finance. The search for dark matter began when researchers in the 1990s realised the rate that the Universe continues to
expand does not match the calculations of Einstein’s theory of gravity. According to these, the attractive gravitational force should begin to draw matter back towards the source of the Big Bang. However, the Universe’s expansion has not even been slowing, it has actually been accelerating. There have been several explanations for this, including the idea of dark matter and dark energy, of which more is unknown than known. Dark matter is theoretical mass that cannot be observed directly, which makes it difficult to study and even prove its existence. Research into dark matter is surrounded by controversy, with some people believing that dark matter is an erroneous explanation for faulty, outdated theories of gravity. Scientists perceive its presence through its gravitational influence on stellar objects, namely stars and galaxies. It is estimated that 70 per cent of the Universe’s mass is composed of dark energy, with dark matter accounting for a further 25 per cent and visible mass making up only 5 per cent. By retrieving one version of Einstein’s theory of gravity, in which a ‘cosmological constant’ is described, it has recently been proposed that the ‘empty space’ observed in the beyond is composed of a matter that can possess its own energy, possibly by temporary particles that continuously form and disappear. David Harvey, from the University
of Edinburgh’s School of Physics and Astronomy, explained the purpose of the competition, saying, “By encouraging thousands of people to focus on a problem, we have a good chance of making progress quickly.
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Research into dark matter is surrounded by controversy" “This competition could make a real difference in solving an enigma that has puzzled astronomers for decades.” Kaggle.com is a forum for science data competitions where companies, governments and research centres bestow interested teams with datasets and problems for data scientists around the world to use to form conclusions and solve the problems presented by the competitions. This combines the resources of large companies with smaller organisations and data scientists that lack the finances to project their statistical models onto real world data, using the internet to span the information exchange worldwide. This method of data exchange manipulates the pool of data scientists into a hive mind that can collectively gain results for real world problems, as Kaggle has done before with medical HIV research and mathematical models to predict chess outcomes.
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
News 3
LGBT students put off sports at university THE NATIONAL Union of Students (NUS) published an Out in Sport report on Wednesday last week into the participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LBGT) students in sport at college and university after NUS’ Development Zone Conference in Manchester, which aimed at building better student unions.
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Whilst many LGBT students find sports teams to be welcoming it is clear that many are put off by a fear of homophobia or negative past experiences" Sky Yarlett, NUS' LGBT Officer The report found that almost half of those at college and university, some 46.8 per cent, who do not participate in sport deem the culture of sport to be alienating, whilst 41.9 per cent claimed a negative experience at school meant they were reluctant to get involved in sport. The report from the NUS reveals that roughly a third of LGBT students
at college or university participate in organised team sport and one in seven said that homophobia, biphobia or transphobia had put them off undertaking sport. NUS’ Out in Sport report underlined the union’s wish that sports teams publicly demonstrate their inclusiveness, and make clear they will not tolerate abuse. The report has led student leaders and professional sportsmen and women to reaffirm their belief in equality for all on and off the sports field. Sky Yarlett, NUS’ LGBT Officer said, “Whilst many LGBT students find sports teams to be welcoming it is clear that many are put off by a fear of homophobia or negative past experiences which have created barriers to their involvement. “We have seen a welcome increase in the awareness of diversity in sport in recent years but too many LGBT students still feel that it is a world closed off to them.” Gareth Thomas, former Wales rugby union captain, affirmed his support for the Out in Sport report saying, “NUS’ Out in Sport project is truly ground breaking and I am delighted to support it. Attitudes have changed and the time is right for sport to start accepting openly gay people in the same way other areas of society have in recent years.” Many sports societies at The University of Edinburgh continue to substantiate a welcoming stance on
LGBT students. Becky Hannah, a fourth year student and former captain of the university’s Hare and Hounds Running Club told The Student, “For the integrity of sport, it is dead important to have diversity in the team. The strongest teams incorporate and work on people’s strengths, not their preferences.”
Index (CPI) inflation rate, triggering “bigger rises in various state benefits and Civil Service pensions”.
who scrapped the party’s long-standing opposition to rises in university fees in order to make effective savings for the government’s austerity programme. Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students (NUS), said, “The government has told us these changes needed to be made to save money but despite the tripling of tuition fees their system costs the treasury billions more and creates even more instability for universities. “In their rush to abdicate their responsibility for funding higher education the coalition got their sums badly wrong and have left a mess that will take years to fix.” Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, told The Independent, “We warned at the time that fees close to £9,000 a year would be the norm and that the calculations for repayment by graduates were flawed. We take little pleasure in being correct, but it is clear now that forcing the burden of paying for university education on to students was an ideological move not a financial one.” However, a government spokeswoman speaking to the BBC defended the government’s calculations, claiming “all long-term estimates have a margin of error, but we continue to believe our modelling is reasonable.”
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For the integrity of sport, it is dead important to have diversity in the team. The strongest teams incorporate and work on people's strengths, not their preferences" Becky Hannah, former captain of Edinburgh's Hare and Hounds Running Club In Scotland, the report comes amidst the ongoing Equal Marriage campaign. Phoebe Coghlan, a fourth year student and spokeswoman for the campaign told The Student, “Our main aim is legalising gay marriage in Britain. However, prevention of discrimination within sport is an important milestone towards changing attitudes in regards to social equality.”
torbakhopper
Josh Quigley
RAINBOW FLAG: LGBT students feel ”alienated“ from sport at university
Stuart McFarlane
A report by the Higher Education Policy Initiative (HEPI) think tank has claimed that the coalition government’s policy of maximum £9,000 fees may end up costing taxpayers more than the old system. The report accuses the government of “highly uncertain and optimistic assumptions” about university funding, underestimating the level of fees that would be charged by universities and overestimating the incomes of recent graduates after leaving university. It claims that the government estimate of average net fees of £7,579 per year is incorrect, stating that the true figure is £8,234 per year, forcing students to borrow more. The HEPI report also labels the government’s projection that average male graduates will earn an annual salary of £75,000 in 30 years as “extremely optimistic”, citing the fragile and uncertain nature of the UK and world economy. This creates a problem as it means that fewer students will have the salary levels to repay their loans within the 30 year threshold, increasing the cost to the Government – and the taxpayer. In addition, the report’s authors also highlight the claims of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which estimates that loans arising from the increase in fees will put 0.2 per cent on the Consumer Price
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The government has told us these changes needed to be made to save money but [...] their system costs the treasury billions more and creates even more instability" Liam Burns, NUS president They estimate that even under the most generous economic conditions and low inflation levels, the policy may end up costing £1bn more than previously thought. Indeed, under more realistic estimates of the cost of loans to the government and future inflation levels, the policy may end up exceeding the government’s predicted savings of £1.3bn and become more expensive than the system it replaced. These findings are damaging to the government, but especially the Liberal Democrats and their leader, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg,
anticuts.com
University fees could cost taxpayer more
TUITION FEES: Students protesting fee rises in London, November 2010
Tuesday 30 October 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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@EdStudentNews
Thurston Smalley
Last week, the University of Edinburgh's Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) seriously disrupted a planned talk by the Israeli Ambassador, Daniel Taub, at the Old Medical School, prompting a flurry of dialogue on Israel's relationship with Palestine - as well as on the proper role and decorum of student activists. This dialogue has emanated from the highest levels, with head of politics and international relations Professor Mark Aspinwall issuing a departmentwide email condemning the protestors for silencing an opposing viewpoint. Others sided with the protestors, citing continued, egregious human rights violations against Palestinians by Israel as justification to prevent the Ambassador from speaking. Anti-Israel protests with heavy police presences have continued in the wake of last week's disruption. Last week also saw a protest of the Batsheva dance company, a group based in Tel Aviv, Israel. What follows is EUSA's statement regarding the protest of Ambassador Daniel Taub's talk. "EUSA’s current position is that a society is welcome to invite any speak-
er they like to speak at their events. Therefore PolSoc had every right to invite Daniel Taub, the Israeli Ambassador, to come and speak. Similarly, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) had every right to protest the event going ahead, free from police and security intimidation. At any time the student body can vote to ban speakers from a particular organisation or with a certain viewpoint from speaking at EUSA events and in EUSA buildings. This is called a no platforms policy - EUSA does not currently have this policy. When SJP and others interrupted the lecture they were in effect using their presence and their voices to enforce a policy which had never been voted upon. While EUSA recognises that nonviolent, disruptive direct action can be an effective and legitimate tactic when operating within a system, or against an organisation where there is no other mechanism to effect change, we do not feel that EUSA falls into this category as students have many different routes that they can go down to try and change EUSA’s policies. We found aspects of the behaviour of the university to be problematic and object to the heavy security and police presence as well as the searching of students.
Thurston Smalley
EUSA responds to anti-Israel protest controversy
PROTEST: Demonstrators picket, and later interrupt, a performance by the Israeli Batsheva troupe We don’t believe that the university should be able to dictate to a society who they can and can’t invite to an event. We are also disappointed by Professor
Mark Aspinwall’s endorsement of the labelling of protestors as extremist. While potentially intimidating they were non-violent, and so use of such
emotive language is unhelpful." -EUSA President James McAsh
Colombian human rights lawyers visit Law School
The University of Edinburgh School of Law on Monday 29 October played host to two Colombian human rights lawyers, Judith Maldonado Mojica and Marcela Castellanos, during their visit to the UK to raise awareness of human rights violations committed against the indigenous and small-scale farming communities of Colombia. Judith Maldonado Mojica, named ‘Defender of the Year’ at the Colombian National Awards recognising her work in defence of the human rights, and Marcela Castellanos explained in Spanish the situation of the Colombian armed conflict and described how this conflict is affecting indigenous people who work in the small-scale mining industry. In 2001, the two lawyers founded the Luis Carlos Perez Lawyers’ Collective (CALCP). In Colombia, CALCP gives indigenous communities access to legal expertise and supports them with advice and legal assistance. Their work also extends to providing education to farmers, displaced populations and workers’ organisations. Outside of the country, CALCP’s main task is to raise awareness of Colombia’s internal problems. The CALCP founders were also accompanied by Colombian miner and small-scale farmer Mauricio Sanchez.
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It is very humbling to realise that [...] lawyers in some other parts of the world are working under very different circumstances to those we experience.” Austin Lafferty, President of Law Society of Scotland Both honours students and postgraduate students attended with the presentation which stimulated considerable discussion on the role of lawyers practicing in a completely different legal environment. A majority of the students at the presentation were human rights honours course students. At the end of the talk, a Q&A session was held with the active participation of the students and faculty. Later that day, the human rights advocates gave a talk at the Law Society of Scotland in Edinburgh. Austin Lafferty, president of the Law Society of Scotland, remarked that the Colombian colleagues have “taken enormous personal risk to continue in their work and it is very humbling to realise that, while we all feel the pressures of work, lawyers in some other parts of the world are working under very different circumstances to those we experience.”
charlotte kesl
Jimena Villar de Onis
He shared insights into the life of a rural miner and the competition they face from large multinational companies. He also shared his personal experience of the humanitarian crisis caused by the armed conflict, and denounced the death of 56 human rights workers since 2010.
FULL SPEED AHEAD: Judith Maldonado Mojica, left, tackles human rights problems in Colombia
charlotte kesl
Rights advocates give Spanish language talk to spread awareness of Colombian miners’ and farmers’ plight
FRONT LINES: Judith Maldonado Mojica, right, in Colombia
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
News 5
Students ignore the risks of drug use
A new study by student website studentbeans.com has revealed that a high proportion of students who take or have taken illegal drugs are ignoring the associated risks of drug use. The study, which examined the attitudes of university students towards illegal drugs and legal highs, found that 91 per cent of students who had tried an illegal drug claimed they were not at all addicted and not worried about future addiction.
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While it is normal to be curious about what drug use is like, taking drugs, including 'legal highs', is never risk-free" Chris Hudson, FRANK spokesperson Only five per cent of students expressed worries about future addiction and long-term implications of their drug use, while two per cent admitted to being dependent but felt they could stop if necessary. 30 per cent of respondents claimed to have experienced a “bad trip” as a result of taking an illegal drug; 28 per cent had experienced paranoia. The effects of illegal drug use on the long-term mental health and wellbeing of students were also illustrated by the study. 26 per cent of students had suffered from a lack of motivation due to drug use, 22 per cent had suffered
from anxiety, and 14 per cent from depression. Seven per cent admitted to anti-social behaviour as a result of their drug use. Additionally, 80 per cent of the student respondents who had never tried illegal drugs listed health implications and risks as their main reason for staying away. The study was part of a larger examination of youth spending by studentbeans.com. Oliver Brann, editor of studentbeans.com, said of the results, “Although drug addiction and serious health related consequences seem far removed from university life, it’s vital that students are aware of the risks. “There are a wide variety of resources available where students can get help and advice, either at their university, online or from organisations such as FRANK.” Commenting on the study, Chris Hudson, FRANK spokesperson and addictions expert said, “While it is normal to be curious about what drug use is like, taking drugs, including ‘legal highs’, is never risk-free. “The effects of drugs can be different for different people. The longer you use drugs the higher the chance is that you’ll be affected. “Regular and long-term cannabis use can increase the risk of developing psychotic illnesses, including schizophrenia, make asthma worse, lead to lung cancer and it’s reported that it can cut a man’s sperm count and can suppress ovulation in women. Over time ketamine can affect the bladder making it extremely painful and difficult when passing urine, whilst cocaine can eat away the cartilage in the nose leaving just one really big nostril and a
misshapen nose. “However, you don’t have to be using drugs regularly for your health to be affected. Just using ecstasy once can raise the body’s temperature, cause convulsions and heart problems. It’s better not to take the risk.”
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I understand that drinking regularly is bad however there isn't really the risk of a single drink causing some unknown side effect" Jack Williams, fourth year Edinburgh student Jack Williams, a fourth year student at the University of Edinburgh, told The Student, “I don’t really enjoy smoking so that’s been one of the main reasons why it doesn’t interest me. With regards to stronger drugs, the health effects are the main issues for me. I understand that drinking regularly is bad however there isn’t really the risk of a single drink causing some unknown side effect. With drugs, even if the chance is very small, the worse case scenario to me is much worse.” However, a University of Edinburgh fourth year student who wished to remain anonymous told The Student, “I’m no expert but I have dabbled in drug use. I’ve not been scared of getting addicted. I guess health risks have been considered, but only as far as deciding that they are small enough to dispel.”
t-dawg smallz
Alistair Grant
HITTING THE BONG: Students feel their drug use is under control
Tuesday 6 November 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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Thurston Smalley
The Student Instagrams Edinburgh
Controversy after Edinburgh tram report
Ethan DeWitt
THE EDINBURGH City Council has released a new report highlighting progress made on the construction of the city tram system. The report, released in late October, showcases positive indicators of the project’s development and makes assurances that it will be completed within its expected budget and time frame. However, The Student has learned that some in the Council remain pessimistic about the project’s financial viability, in light of budgetary discrepancies they have seen in the report. Among the report’s details are scheduling estimates for various sections of the tram line, which is to ultimately provide a link between the airport and the centre of town. For example, the construction on Princes Street, long an eyesore for tourists and locals alike, is set to be fully concluded by the end of November.
The report was optimistic on prospects for the project’s completion over all, maintaining projections that the first trams could be sent on test runs in early 2014. Throughout its history, the tram project has attracted much public scorn regarding its budget, which is wholly financed by the city after First Minister Alex Salmond refused to provide national funding. But the new report is positive on its budgetary targets, assuring that the construction budget would not exceed £776 million. However, the overall figure has increased over the years from its initial value of £545 million, as the project has encountered pitfalls and deadline issues with its contractors. Analysts warn that the actual price tag will likely exceed £1 billion once financing and borrowing costs are factored in. To date, the project has consumed £669 million, according to the report.
“As everyone knows, there have been a number of challenges to overcome,” Leslie Hinds, transport leader for the Council said in a statement. “However, I’m very pleased that we are continuing to move in the right direction.” Not everyone on the Council is quite as pleased with the details of the report. In interviews with The Student, councilors for the opposition have expressed doubts about the accuracy of the report’s financial figures. “The figures aren’t credible,” Councillor Cameron Rose told The Student. He explained, “They’ve tried to move funds designated for off road construction to on road construction, which projects an image of less fiscal irresponsibility than there actually is. Other councilors have taken issue with the Council’s use of so-called “risk contingency funds”, which amount to £34 million and are intended to be used for unpredictable scenarios. “Various politicians are misrepre-
senting the total amount of the project, by adding the risk money to the budget as if it’s already being used,” Councillor Iain Whyte explained to The Student. “It’s not an honest portrayal. “If the Council administration are to be believed that they want to be transparent and open about the project, then they should be giving us the information and allowing us to see if this really is the truth." Both councilors said that the discrepancies boded poorly for the project's overall financial health and the integrity with which it was being carried out. Transport leader Leslie Hinds dismissed the councilors’ concerns. “The project team are confident the project will be delivered on the revised budget and programme,” she told The Student. Addressing the apparent budgetary discrepancies brought up by Rose, she explained, “There have been no costs
transferred from on street to off street. The off street section includes the historical costs that were settled as part of the settlement agreement lump sum which includes the cost of the initial work on Princes Street.” Hinds also waived off the possibility raised by Whyte of the risk budget being abused. “The intent is not to spend all the risk allowance and mitigations are in place to try and avoid this,” she explained to The Student. “This was assessed last year and was externally validated. We are confident the project team are managing risk very tightly.” Councillors Whyte and Rose have reserved their concerns until the budget is examined in further detail by the Governance, Risk and Best Value Committee. A full report on the internal mechanisms of the budget is due to be released by that committee this week.
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UK nukes lay on a trident edge
David Aitchison stresses that the renewal of Trident is merely an outrageous robbery of public services from British taxpayers money on something that will most likely never be used?
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Nuclear disarmament across the world will not happen if nuclear weapons are continually renewed by the likes of the UK" It is shameful that the Government feels that this country’s money is best spent on renewing nuclear weapons designed for the Cold War rather than on health, education or welfare. These services are much more important to people in the UK than having the ability to flatten Moscow at the push of a button. The Government was wrong on tuition fees, wrong on House of Lords reform and has been consistently wrong on the economy. This time it is no different. This is not simply the fault of the Conservative Party. Labour and the Liberal Democrats have joined the Tories in their support for ‘the nuclear deterrent’ in some
shape or form. This is despite modern day threats to our defence which make nuclear weapons redundant. You can’t combat small terrorist networks (possibly based in your own country), or cyber criminals with nuclear arms. Most importantly, it is hypocritical to tell countries like Iran that they are not allowed nuclear programmes whilst spending billions of pounds of taxpayers money on renewing yours. Nuclear
disarmament across the world will not happen if nuclear weapons are continually renewed by the likes of the UK. The strongest case for keeping nuclear weapons is the possibility that jobs would be lost if Britain’s nuclear arms programme was dropped, but this is a flawed argument. Around 10,000 jobs are linked to Trident, from building and operating, to helping support local businesses where
Warshipsandauxiliaries.blogspot.com
It’s not often that I can say “I agree with Nick.” Although, on this occasion, our views overlap; it would be difficult for Mr Clegg to come out as the bad guy in these circumstances. This week, the Conservative-led coalition government signalled their intent to renew Trident, the UK’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent. This provoked strong objections from the Liberal Democrats, who suggest that the coalition agreement states that no decision would be taken on the future of Trident before 2016, or the next General Election. The protest by Clegg about the need for a like-for-like replacement, however, is where my agreement with him ends. The Lib Dems are currently holding a review looking for more cost effective alternatives to Trident. Even the cheaper alternatives, should any be found, will likely cost several billion pounds. The latest estimated cost of renewal is £20bn. However, Greenpeace have stated that it could rise as high as £97bn over the thirty year lifespan of the weapons. In a time of austerity and savage public sector cuts proposed by both the Coalition government and the Labour Party, is it worth spending huge sums of
SUNK: Renewing Trident could be an expensive and complicated project
it is based at Faslane. This argument forgets the fact that the billions of pounds spent on nuclear weapons could be spent elsewhere, providing new industries to the local community to continue to support their businesses and workers. New schools, new hospitals, higher education, high speed rail and renewable energy are examples of what could be invested in. Trident doesn’t create jobs - it costs jobs and opportunities across the country. A budget of even £20bn to support approximately 10,000 jobs isn’t an efficient way of spending money. Trident is not a price worth paying. Perhaps most puzzlingly, there is no contingency plan to move the weapons from their base on the Clyde should an independent Scotland make nuclear weapons illegal, as has been suggested by some at Holyrood. The Westminster government is prepared to commit billions of pounds to Trident, but come 2016 there may be no place to put them. The Conservatives must listen to the Liberal Democrats, and delay any decision until 2016. The only sensible decision would be to end the Trident programme, and take a step towards global nuclear disarmament.
Time's almost up for Black History Month Charlotte Ryan explores the controversy surrounding Black History Month and its relevance for contemporary society
As Black History Month (BHM) draws to a close, it has come to light that funding for this event has decreased by two thirds since 2009. Camden, Greenwich and Westminster completely scrapped funding for BHM this year. The debate already raging over the relevance and significance of the event has attracted particular attention this year due to the economic crisis. So is Black History Month a necessary expense?
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many members of the black community that Black History Month, rather than pushing for a better integration of black history into UK culture, in fact results in further segregation. As Morgan Freeman, a critic of the American branch of the movement, has said: “I don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” What also worries critics is that by relegating the teaching
of an entire ethnic group’s history to one month of the year, proponents of BHM are actually neglecting to engage with the problem. There is also the question of whether the history being taught is totally accurate. By focusing on prominent black figures such as Martin Luther King and Mary Seacole and ignoring African involvement in the slave trade, teachers fail to offer a comprehensive overview of
The event first began in London in 1987, which was also the first year that black MPs were elected to parliament in London. This followed the introduction in the US of ‘Negro Week’ in 1926 to counter the teaching of history which ignored the pivotal role black people played in founding the US. The initiative must therefore be viewed in the context of a wider movement to fight against racism and support racial equality, which is particularly relevant in the UK, where many top academics have recognise the lack of ‘black history’ taught in schools. However, there are concerns among
fanshare.com
Is Black History Month a necessary expense?"
BHM: Morgan Freeman finds Black History Month an offensive concept
black and American history. Of course, the same can be said of British history, which has largely airbrushed colonialist domination in India and other condemnable British actions.
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The celebration is disregarded by the mainstream media and does not cater to the interests of young people." Another common criticism of BHM is the fact that it may not still be relevant 20 years after it was founded. The celebration is disregarded by the mainstream media and does not cater to the interests of most young people, so much so that many are not even aware of its existence. However, cutting the celebration’s funding further will not solve these problems, but guarantee that the message of this important month will reach even fewer people. There is also the argument often used by white politicians looking to justify further cuts, which states that BHM is inherently racist. This argument, however, would be more believable if it could
be incontrovertibly proven that black history is already included in mainstream teaching in schools and universities. This is often not the case; the participation of West Indian soldiers in the World War I is one obvious example of the neglect shown towards the role played by Ethnic minorities in history. The fact remains that something needs to be done to redress the balance. The difficulty, therefore, lies in weighing a minority community’s needs for more equal representation against the ever-present requirement to balance the budget. With entrenched institutions like the NHS suffering cuts, why should BHM be an exception? One reason could be that the goal of the movement itself is to counteract the discrimination and dismissive treatment that minorities have received in the past. Ethnic minorities still make up a disproportionate amount of UK prison inmates, and part of changing this culture invariably revolves around education. Rather than debating the continuing relevance of BHM as an excuse to ultimately scrap it, we should be looking at how to make this event more relevant and also, more importantly, how to extend the awareness and education on minority culture that the month seeks to promote throughout the rest of the year.
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British comedy endures a right Boyles up Of all Frankie Boyle’s media controversies, his recent triumphant emergence from the High Court in London is perhaps the most unexpected. Amid what seems to be an ever-growing war against ‘taking offence,’ Boyle was one of the more surprising figures to enter the fray. Boyle received £54,650 in libel damages from the Daily Mirror following allegations of racism and suggestions that he had been forced to quit the panel show Mock the Week as opposed to voluntarily resigning. Considering Boyle’s characteristically bleak humour, it is unsurprising that many would question the recent court ruling. Yet, in this case, where the Daily Mirror has seemingly lost all sense of context, Boyle is the indisputable and justified victor.
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This fiasco highlights the desperate need for a reappraisal of political correctness culture which has started to spin out of control ." On Twitter, Boyle defended his decision to sue Mirror Group Newspapers on the grounds that he had “always made a point of being anti-racist”. It is easy to distinguish between blatantly racist comedy, as presented by the likes of Bernard Manning, and Boyle’s use of
WWW.ITV.COM
Abi Samuels discusses society’s negligence in addressing the damaging effects of offensive material
TRIUMPHANT: A victorious Frankie Boyle after libel case win the word ‘n****r’ in a joke about the Ministry of Defence. The joke in question was “The Ministry of Defence? At least in the old days we were honest, it was the Ministry of War. ‘Hello, Ministry of War, department of n****r bombing how can I help?’” Here, it is obvious Boyle is making a satirical point about British Foreign Policy. He is not being racist, rather mocking those who are. His attempt to satirise racial discrimination is not simply a publicity stunt, rather a genuine attempt to protect his integrity. However, Boyle must not be mistaken for a comedian that follows a politically correct line. He has made a habit of mocking sensitive issues, a tasteless trait other comedians make an effort to avoid. He is particularly renowned for making cruel jokes at the expense of vulnerable people such as Madeleine McCann and Katie Price’s heavily dis-
abled son, Harvey. By targeting such defenseless victims of tragedy to bear the brunt of his insensitive mockery, Boyle has made a name for himself as the controversial face of British comedy, drawing attention to a disturbing trend in what is perceived as traditionally ‘British’ humour.
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Boyle has made a name for himself as the controversial face of British comedy." This fiasco highlights the desperate need for a reappraisal of political correctness culture which has started to spin out of control. Boyle’s victory can be seen as a triumph in the fight for freedom of speech which Rowan At-
kinson has recently been promoting in his campaign to repeal section 5 of the Public Order Act and its restrictions on “insulting words and behaviour”. At the Westminster launch of his campaign, Atkinson explained, “The clear problem of the outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such: criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy.” One striking example of this was the recent arrest of a 16-year-old boy, who was peacefully holding a placard reading “Scientology is a dangerous cult,” on the grounds that it might upset Scientologists. Although citing such extreme examples might seem above and beyond the realm of comedy gags, they certainly touch upon a prevailing attitude in which causing offence merits serious reprimands. While Boyle, who has pledged to donate his compensation money to charity, fought for the right cause this time, we must ask whether his brand of bleak and provocative humor is wearing a little thin. Have we reached a stage where support for his crass and often cruel quips has become synonymous with a fight for free speech? Such issues are being glossed over with a negligence that is typical of human tendencies to ignore offensive issues which go to the heart of discriminatory issues in society. If we continue to do so, how can we begin to view such fundamental problems as more serious than just a bad punchline?
Paying a high price for curiosity WWW.I-SQUARED.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK
Jasmine Xie criticises Spain’s overinflated response to demands for freedom of information
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Spain yet to enforce freedom of information Despite living in a world which revolves around price tags and fees, never could one imagine such a high price to be placed on a mere question. Such was the case for Access Info Europe after they received a fine of €3000 in putting forward questions on corruption within Spain. Access Info Europe is a non-governmental human rights organisation devoted to advertising and safeguarding public rights to the access of information in Europe. On 14 June 2007, the organisation submitted a series of questions to the Spanish Ministry of Justice in hopes of receiving a response from the government regarding their stance on the implementation of anti-corruption
measures. Claiming the act was conducted under a international research project, the group questioned the procedures Spain had taken to comply with the terms of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. The terms of the treaty should, in theory, successfully facilitate the legal monitoring of Spanish companies’ conduct following accusations of corruption and bribery against foreign public officials. Following the ratification of Spain as an official signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption on June 19 2006, Access Info Europe made further enquiries as to which body within the Spanish government
was responsible for preventing possible occurrences of corruption in public and private organisations. Having received no answer, the organisation later appealed to the Spanish Supreme Court in 2008 a second time. After five long years of legal procedures, the Spanish Supreme Court charged Access Info Europe with violating the 1978 Spanish Constitution in their inquiries and penalised them with a fine of €3000. In order to justify their decision, the Spanish Supreme Court defined the appeals made by the NGO as a demand for “explanations” from the government as compared to a request for information. So what exactly is the reason behind such strict penalties for asking questions that countries such as Argentina, Armenia and Columbia have all answered without issue? With Spain being the only major European country yet to enforce a freedom of information law, it is not surprising that NGOs such as Action Info Europe have already pinned a target on the government’s back. The silence they received in response has only provoked them to lock and load in preparation for yet more shots at the Spanish government. Far from acting as a protector of national integrity, the Spanish authorities have ironically become the very same enemy they were aiming to expose and bring to justice through their questioning. Action Info Europe has exposed the
fact that corruption is lurking in every corner of the political sphere through spying on the procedures within the Spanish Ministry of Justice. It is this corruption, supported by a bias towards social hierarchy and class superiority, that led to the €3000 fine being imposed. The court deemed the public participation outlined in Article 23.1 of the Spanish Constitution as being “not an issue at hand”. Such a blunt dismissal of the NGO’s grounds for questioning the government only further fuels the existing corruption behind the belief in superiority of social positions. Regardless of the hopeful endeavors to acquire information made by Access Info Europe, they are inevitably helpless to any decisions made by the Supreme Court. It seems that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey is determined to maintain a veneer of respectability by simply refusing to address corruption on a national scale and opening the issues up for public inspection. Given the Spanish economic crisis, it is an understandable, although cowardly, decision to fine campaigners in an attempt to deny freedom of information. Their actions will only fuel yet more public scepticism towards governmental success at preventing the spread of corruption within institutions. Access Info Europe may have previously missed the mark in the last few rounds, but they have left lasting bullet marks on their target for the world to inspect.
Piers Moron Piers Morgan is many things. Smarmy and arrogant are, of course, a given. If you look up the word ‘annoying’ in the Oxford English Dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Morgan as your definition. But, considering he’s managed to keep out of the Leveson inquiry’s line of fire and has not had his reputation irreparably damaged by the phone hacking crisis that has sunk the careers of many other journalists, one would be forgiven for thinking that he was, at least, an honest man. Recent developments, however, have shown that this is wishful thinking; as it turns out Piers Morgan is not only smarmy, arrogant and annoying; he’s also a compulsive liar. Writing in the Daily Mail recently, Morgan took up the mantle of society’s moral guide and said “the Jimmy Savile scandal grows more horrific by the minute … I never met him.” Apart from stating the obvious, Morgan is also lying through his teeth. Someone, who one could only assume is a Daily Mail archivist who happens to be a satirical genius, has been circulating an old column from the Daily Mail’s ‘Night and Day’ magazine in which Piers Morgan, writing in 2009, said “As I left, Jimmy Savile came up to me. ‘Your TV shows are BRILLIANT!’ he exclaimed. ‘And as I’ve been in the telly business for 50 years, you can take that as an informed view.’ I’ve always loved Jimmy Savile.” At this point, it is a good to consider what the phrase “I never met him,” as used by Morgan, actually means. Normally, “I never met him” would be defined as not coming into the presence of a person; Piers Morgan doesn’t seem to see it this way. From what he has been writing, Morgan’s rebranded definition of the phrase involves coming into contact with someone, holding a direct conversation with that person, accepting their praise and then bragging about it in the next edition of the The Daily Mail’s magazine. However, the fact remains that, if we set aside the notion that Piers Morgan has control over the meaning of words, he’s still clearly lying. When you think about it, Morgan resembles a door-to-door salesman you might occasionally find trying to bang your door down, offering you a product that will supposedly be the greatest invention of the twenty-first century and yet proceeds to break as soon as you use it. It has to be said that Morgan is one of the most savagely hypocritical, sycophantic people around and Private Eye magazine is right to repeatedly call him ‘Piers Moron.’ Stephen Maughan
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New dawn for Greek fascism
Mr Market
winning a seat in the City Council. This year, running in the national election, the party, led by Nikolaos Michaloliakos, won seven per cent of the popular vote and 21 seats in parliament. Following the second election in June, this was reduced to 18 seats.
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The rise of the far-right party comes at a time when immigration is seen as a threat to the very fabric of Greek identity." The rise of the far-right party comes at a time when immigration is seen as a threat to the very fabric of Greek identity. European policy states that countries within the European Union are allowed to deport undocumented immigrants back to their point of entry, but often these immigrants end up in Greece, which is used as a back door for heavy flows of Middle Eastern and Asian migrants. With 40 per cent of Greece’s prison population composed of immigrants, Golden Dawn’s virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric is resonating amongst local Greeks who are dismayed with the economic and political direction of their country. More broadly, the rise of Golden Dawn reflects a growing trend towards the far-right in mainstream European
politics over the past decade. The success of Le Pen in this year’s French election is one example which highlights the growing discontent in Europe towards those who govern. These movements resonate with the concerns of many voters: that the promise of modern globalisation has brought more instability and new insecurities, that mass immigration is threatening local and national identity, and that secularism is taking hold. The question remains as to how best to respond to the rise of the far-right. Improving social conditions would go a long way, although this would not be easy as austerity measures forced on indebted European nations are stretching the fabric of society to its breaking point. Nowhere is this more evident than in Greece. The youth unemploy-
ment rate is at 50 per cent, aid and pensions for the elderly and disabled have practically been dismantled, and rioting and violent crimes plague the streets. People are finding their voice in anger, not reason. When governments lose track of the will of the people, anxiety creeps in and people begin searching for answers elsewhere. The timing of the Nobel Peace Prize is therefore incredibly ironic. If the European Union is serious about sticking to the values and principles upon which it was formed, it must recognise that bringing unity to a country where the memories of civil war are all too recent is paramount. Austerity measures will do nothing but create unrest and divide the country, allowing parties such as Golden Dawn to rise up through the cracks.
www.turkeymacedonia.wordpress.com
Last week, a senior Greek police officer claimed that the far-right party Golden Dawn had infiltrated the Greek police force. The officer reported that, for the last few years, the Greek state had been fully aware of the illicit activities of Golden Dawn but instead of clamping down on their behaviour, they had turned a blind eye to the radical party. The state, he said, was effectively using these “pockets of fascism” at their disposal, particularly against the Greek left, that has led popular street protests against the government and the recent austerity cuts imposed by the IMF. This is not the first time allegations that close ties exist between Golden Dawn and the police force have been brought to light. Last May, the president of the Greek photojournalists’ union suffered brain damage after allegedly being attacked by members of Golden Dawn. Earlier this month, at the Athens premiere of Terrence McNally’s play, Corpus Christi, which depicts Jesus and his apostles as homosexuals living in modern Texas, members of Golden Dawn, including several MPs, hurled stones and racist abuse at the crowd, forcing the show to be cancelled. Throughout Athens, police are ignoring scores of attack on immigrants who are being left robbed and beaten. Golden Dawn’s influence in the Greek state goes deeper, and perhaps more worryingly, it has found a foothold in the Greek Parliament. In 2010, Golden Dawn received 5.3 percent of the vote in the municipality of Athens,
SUNRISING: Greek police and Golden Dawn standing together
Detaining health progress
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to consider as it begs the question: how much are these cumbersome safety checks worth? The NHS is simply spending too much money and the need to reign in excessive expenditure means that ignoring safety procedures in order to save money may be common practice. Dr Chand is wrong to fear the privatisation of the NHS, as private companies are generally more efficient with money and it may well be possible that the NHS could benefit from partial privatisation, at least to avoid bureaucratic failures such as this story.
Whilst the services offered by the NHS, such as free care at the point of delivery and equal treatment regardless of background, are commendable, the ship may be too leaky to float without some private sector buoyancy. The NHS has a limited time left to show that it can work within budget. In 2010, it was tasked with saving £20 billion; to date, it has returned £3 billion of its budget to the treasury, despite spending more on front line care. It has attributed the savings to “reduced inefficient spending, bureaucracy and IT.” Maybe there is still hope yet.
the independent.co.uk
fully qualified professionals should be enough, but it seems that politicians cannot be too careful. In reality, the condemnation of the illegal detention of mental patients is nothing more than political point scoring. Ed Miliband and the Labour party are trying to capitalize on David Cameron’s highly contentious decision to promote Jeremy Hunt to health secretary. Regarding his promotion, the deputy chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA), Dr Kailash Chand, said, “Jeremy Hunt is new health secretary – disaster in the NHS carries on. “I fear a more toxic right winger to follow the privatisation agenda.” Jeremy Hunt is also attempting to use this story to enhance his tarnished reputation. He has ordered a full enquiry into how the detentions were allowed to happen and whilst it is unlikely that this will be effective, it would be in Hunt’s interests to have a headline about him that is not criticising him. This non-story about illegal detention of mental patients has received so much media attention, it is something of a story in itself. It represents the fine balance between NHS bureaucracy on one side and a lack of appropriate safety nets to ensure patient safety on the other. This is a more interesting point
INCOMPETENCE: Thousands have fallen victim to NHS failures
Mr Market’s thrilled this week as, across the tartan weave of society, he’s been celebrating Burberry’s chart topping score of +8.32 per cent by sharing Stella with both chavs and the upper classes everywhere. Yet of course, when one thing goes right for Mr Market another goes slightly wrong. Supermarket prices dominate the bottom of the FTSE, meaning prices of food (and the allimportant Stella) are looking grim as Sainsbury’s and M&S have fallen by 0.017 per cent and 0.609 per cent respectively. Morrisons has fallen the furthest with a disappointing -2.89 per cent meaning more reasons to shop there, as they clearly need it. Though concerns in the Market household are fairly muted as they tend to shop at Scotmid after 11pm anyway, so nae bother. Energy companies are looking pretty washed up, the biggest losers being BG Group PLC, the gas company, falling to a poor -18.27 per cent closely followed in second place by NorthWest water kings United Utilities with a dried up -6.37 per cent. As ever, if anyone makes shedloads of money this week, buy me a Belgian beverage, and of course if not, one would be appreciated anyway. James Taylor
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John Ferns explores the underlying political ramifications of illegally detaining 5,000 mental patients This week, Ed Miliband attacked the government for incorrectly sectioning approximately 5,000 patients under the 1983 Mental Health Act. Under this scheme, patients are evaluated by two doctors and one mental health officer and, if it is deemed necessary, can then be detained for up to six months. The decision to detain patients is taken if they are diagnosed with a mental illness and doctors believe forced detention and treatment is in their best long-term interests; the doctors must then relay this decision to the local Strategic Health Authority (SHA) who should reply confirming their approval. In four SHA districts, (North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and East Midlands), no confirmation was returned. This meant that, legally, doctors did not have the authority to detain patients, despite there being a clear clinical need to do so. The medically correct decision, however, was always made; the 5,000 patients were rightfully detained, despite the technical illegality of their detention. It is hard to know therefore whether the system currently in place is simply bureaucracy gone mad or whether these authorities were just fortunate enough to avoid errors, despite disregarding a legally required safety check. The clinical opinion of three
Yasmin Morgan-Griffiths
Tom Grant discusses the significance of Golden Dawn's alarming infiltration into the Greek police
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It would be easier to break into fort knox than it is to follow someone through the library barriers without getting yelled at #eduni - @PhilChown Stopped taking notes in philosophy lecture after 5 minutes bring on 45 minutes of procrastination facebooking #somekindofrecord #eduni - @StephenMaughan2 In less exciting news, MyEd looks and works in exactly the same way as before and is just as slow. #greatnews #EdUni - @alasdairdrennan #EdUni Tweets Join the Conversa-
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"Knock Knock..." "Who's there..?"
"...A bunch of angry feminists, that's who!" Our writers tell us why they've been irritated by sexist jokes in the media this week Conor Penn argues that a Labour politician's recent tweet to Louise Mensch was wholly inappropriate and utterly distasteful
The men in Louise Mensch’s life aren’t doing her many favours. The former MP’s husband Peter Mensch embarrassingly stated that the real reason behind her political departure was chiefly due to a feared killing “in the next election.” Mensch laughed it off with a mention of Peter’s adorable political incorrectness; “these are the perils of having a non-political husband” she told the BBC Look East programme. Just as the gaffe appeared to have been resolved (William Hague no longer looked so paternally stern
and Peter Mensch was no longer sleeping on the sofa), Labour MP Austin Mitchell managed to ignite the fury of not only Mensch herself, but most of the country.
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One of the basic premises of humour is suitability of context" “Shut up Menschkin,” he tweeted last Monday, “a good wife doesn’t dis-
agree with her master in public and a good little girl doesn’t lie about why she quit politics.” In what was presumably a party-political attempt to tease out underlying election politics, Mitchell unwittingly also appeared to champion rather Neanderthal-esque ideals of womanhood. However, let’s not forget the hilarious ‘lad’ culture we all live in: it’s alright, because Mitchell is being totes ironic. In reality, women are actually allowed to disagree with their husbands, so all is well. Actually, it isn’t. One of the basic
premises of humour is suitability of context; it was simply inappropriate of Mitchell to respond with such a hideously unfunny anti-woman joke, and on such a public platform. In a society where women come across various ‘get back in the kitchen’ jokes on a daily basis, none of which are particularly witty, insightful or even funny, Mitchell’s tweet could not have been more ill-judged. What’s more, he is not excused by his attempt to justify the comment, “it was ironic...what happened to humour?” he later tweeted, having been reprimanded by the Labour Press Office and indeed several of his own female relatives.
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theculturevulture.co.uk
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It was simply inappropriate of Mitchell to respond with such a hideously unfunny anti-woman joke."
Perhaps the wider problem here is not the joke itself, but the mitigating circumstance of ‘irony’ so often used by those who seek to justify their poor humour, most of which is at the expense of women. Jokes such as these are too often seen as victimless, indeed many women would suggest that they are inconsequential and to say otherwise is simply patronising. But it isn’t quite as simple as all that. The ironic joke, too often used to cover a multitude of prejudicial sins, has created the sexist culture of lad banter we find ourselves in. A culture in which women are ridiculed, sexualised and demoralised, all at the behest of ‘irony,’ which is often used superficially to change the character of
Of course, it is somewhat unlikely that Mitchell is a true, hardline womanhater, but he is an exemplar product of the casually tongue-in-cheek misogynistic culture we live in. Irony seeks to legitimise the joke but does nothing for Mensch, who will now probably be criticised for being humourless and overly-sensitive when in fact she has every right to be angry about the casual condescension inflicted upon her. The controversy is particularly poignant as Ed Miliband has this week sought to address the comedic culture of belittlement that is so prevalent. The rise of the ironic joke has allowed comedians to address and satirise almost any taboo-subject. Some of the best jokes are those that are enormously inappropriate, but it is one thing to make an ironic joke whilst performing on Live at the Apollo, and quite another to tweet your meagre hilarity. Humour should push boundaries and challenge the status quo; ironic misogyny does neither and certainly shouldn’t be adopted by a senior elected representative such as Austin Mitchell. “No chance of front bench now.” he tweeted with finality. Now that, Austin, is pretty funny.
believe that these jokes are born out of everyone’s personal experiences with rape, and hearing their peers make light of sexual assault pushes them further towards the belief that rape is normal in society and is not actually wrong. Rape jokes are not the end of it however. For those who live outside experiences of sexual abuse and assault, find it difficult to imagine the real world effects of the culture that has developed around them. Lads mags, for example. psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey took descriptions of women from both lads mags and convicted rapists, and presented them to men and women with different information about the sources of the quotes. Men identified more with the comments made by rapists than the quotes made in lads mags, and men and women rated the quotes from lads mags as more derogatory, as well as being unable to categorize the quotes by source little better than by chance. These magazines are known to most teenage boys who grow up in our culture, and are often discussed and rated in allmale conversations. So the relationship between the derogatory comments of these magazines and the opinions of
convicted rapists reveals a frightening development in the mindset of rapists. Both rape jokes and derogatory comments made about females by lads or their mags affect crimes of sexual assault in the real world by normalising hostile sexism and putting it into a safe context of a conversation or shiny magazine. These also influence the public opinion of rape, which affects the opinions and decisions of jurors and judges placed in the courtroom for rape trials. There are certain myths surrounding rape that make jurors more likely to rule in the defendants favour. That rape is only ‘real’ rape when it is unprovoked between two strangers in a dark alley, that victims provoke rape by putting themselves in a dangerous situation or by dressing provocatively and the more scary beliefs that women’s sexual fantasies prove they enjoy rape and that an unwilling woman cannot be raped. It is difficult to draw the line with certain types of humour, especially when heckling rape jokes makes someone a killjoy, but the truth is that a rapist could be anyone, and our comments and jokes do not occur in a safe space where they do not affect the violent crimes that we all agree are not funny at all.
"Shut up Menschkin," he tweeted "a good wife doesn't disagree with her master in public and a good little girl doesn't lie about why she quit politics."
ILL HUMOUR: People are beginning to fight back against offensive jibes like these
a joke, but doesn’t change the fact that those who truly advocate anti-feminist ideals now have a legitimate platform from which to spout their rhetoric under the guise of humour.
Nina Seale decries the use of rape jokes in society as they contribute to an erroneous understanding of sexual assault “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by, like, five guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her…” These words, quoted from comedian Daniel Tosh in a blog from the heckler they were aimed at, caused a storm over internet forums and social networking sites three months ago. The cyber audience's reaction was split between “Of course rape jokes are funny, if you can’t make jokes about rape, what can you make jokes about? Next you’re going to tell us to stop making jokes about dead babies…” and “Some things should never be joked about, and the real pain and violence endured by victims of rape is one of them.”
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Both rape jokes and derogatory comments made about females by lads...affect crimes of sexual assault in the real world by normalising hostile sexism"
Tosh decided to respond on Twitter "all the out of context misquotes aside, I’d like to sincerely apologise" [with a link to the blogpost] "the point I was making before I was heckled is there are awful things in the world but you can still make jokes about them. #deadbabies" There is reason to both sides of the story – humour can help people deal with horrible happenings and making jokes about the awful things in the world can make the world less frightening for those who just read about them in the news, but what about the effect these jokes have on the actual perpetrators and victims of these terrible crimes? Rapists are not born inclined to sexual violence – sexual aggression is not written in their DNA. A great deal of reaearch has shown the effects of childhood upbringing, abuse and society upon people who become rapists. The context of these people’s lives contributes to the motives behind the crimes they end up committing. This does not make them any less guilty, but it does mean that the way society treats such crimes has an effect on those who carry them out. There are different types of rapist defences in court, used by those who
plead guilty but defend their actions. There is the ‘excuse’ defence, where the rapist admits that the act was wrong but denies responsibility through accident (commonly misinterpreting the victim’s actions), biological drive or scapegoating (blaming the victim for ‘asking for it’ etc).
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"It is difficult to draw the line with certain types of humour, especially when heckling rapes makes someone a killjoy"
There is also the ‘justification’defence, where the rapist accepts responsibility for the act but denies that it was wrong. This is where the flippant and playful remarks about rape actually makes a difference to the people inclined towards rape through other social factors. One study discussed the possibility that some rapists believe that everyone rapes, but most people lie about it. For these individuals, rape jokes are real. They
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12 Editorial In an exciting news week The Student celebrates it's 125th birthday!
A lot changes in 125 years. This year, Britain experienced its second year under the Coalition government. In 1887, Britain was nearly at the end of its second year under the Conservative government of Lord Salisbury. In 1887, Queen Victoria was celebrating her Golden Jubilee, this year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, replicating the feat only Victoria had hitherto acheived. Glenfiddich whisky was first produced in 1887. L.S. Lowry, the famous painter of stick-figures and Chaing Kai-Shek, the Chinese quasi-fascist, nationalist were born and Richard Lindon, the man who invented the rugby ball, died. This year the first man to walk on the surface of the moon, Neil Armstrong, died. Observations and flippancy aside, Britain and the world have changed massively since 1887. The automobile didn't really go on sale until 1888, while the UK now has about half a car for every human being. The Student has changed too. It wasn't officially called The Student until 1903. Then, the first ever issue of The Student, featured scathing reviews. It also cost threepence; we've significantly reduced the price (at well below inflation, we may add.)
We could talk at length about the great sense of history and tradition we feel affinity to, about how Robin Cook, Gordon Brown and Lloyd George have been involved in the newspaper. We could talk about everything The Student has acheived over the years, we could talk about how a few years ago The Student came close to not existing. I mean, we sort of have, but I mean at length.
Instead, here at The Student whilst we feel emboldened by our sense of history, we refuse to be burdened by it. We are focused on continuing to provide a quality newspaper to the students of Edinburgh University, sacrificing our weekends and degree marks to give you all something to read on breaks in the library.
The Student is always looking for budding reporters, reviewers, illustrators and photographers to join us. We’re also hunting for recruits for our marketing and events teams. If you’re interested, here’s how to track us down: » In person: Meetings every Tuesday in the Teviot Debating Hall at 1.15pm editors@studentnewspaper.org www.facebook.com/TheStudentNewspaper
The editors of The Student provide you with an Edinburgh bucketlist This week we start our Editorship amid the scary recognition that we are more than halfway through our university lives. Eek. As such, we've compiled a list of things all Edinburgh Undergraduates should try and get done before they finish: 1: Climb Arthurs Seats. Obvs. 2: Go on a Ghost Tour 3: Get drunk on mulled wine at the Christmas market. 4: Play corridor cricket in your university halls. If you're not a fresher, go back to Pollock and play with your mates in the halls of John Burnett. 5: Go to Glasgow once, you don't need to return. 6: Drink Buckfast . 7: Substitute the milk in your cereal for Baileys (or cheaper super-market equivalent). 8: Play Hide and Seek in Teviot. 9: Sneak into the JMCC for breakfast without a mealcard #riskybusiness. 10: Go to both farmers markets in one weekend (Castle Terrace and Stockbridge). 11: Stick around for the Fringe. 12: Go to The Hive sober. 13: Go to an election party, preferably as US one as they're more exciting. 14: Join one of the silly societies – you know the ones. 15: Have sex in the library. 16: Buy everything in Tesco that's part of the everyday value range and consume it in one feast of prudent decadence. 17: Take part in the Beltane Fire Festival. 18: Go into the Potter Shop, realise it's pants and buy nothing. 19: Get drunk and buy matching University hoodies with your mates. 20: Go to the Big Cheese and pull. Then realise your flat is too far away and use the Hugh Rob as a 'pad'. 21: Go to a Quartermile party, be suitably unimpressed with the decor given the price and then drink loads of Grey
Join us!
Goose. 22: Waste an entire semester watching all seven seasons of a random American TV show. 23: Go to Why Not?, buy a bottle of the £5 perry and inform anyone who asks that it's £110 Bollinger. 24: Climb Calton Hill on a nice day and pretend to be a tourist to the other tourists. 25: Get a pint in Teviot before a lecture and find it absolutely hilarious that you're doing it. 26: Get an enormous crush on one of your tutors or lecturers and sort of try to pursue it. 27: Stalk everyone in your tutorials on Facebook when you should be revising for a lecture. 28: Eat nothing but fudge for an entire day. 29: Send an abusive letter to someone in authority. 30: Heckle a shit comedy gig. It's being cruel to be kind. 31: Go on a date at Under the Stairs. 32: Join a sports team, then decide you want more than 10 friends and leave. 33: Go to the Jazz Bar and revel in the ambience. Bonus points if you don't shut up about it for three weeks. 34: Buy sandwiches at Peter's Yard for lunch every day for a week. Then starve for the following week as you desperately try and balance your budget like a shit, student version of Greece. 35: Drink Glens vodka on a night out. 36: Go to Portobello. It's lovely. 37: Have that one person in your lectures that you sort of know, but have never spoken to. Exchange occaisonal body language when you bump into them. Then finally say hi to them on Grad night. 38: Loudly complain that Cab Vol is just too mainstream. 39: Lie about what degree you do at a party. 40: Sneer at someone who's been on a gap yah. Bonus points if you too have been on a gap yah
41: Go to something at the Wee Red Bar. 42: Marathon watch a really shit TV show to try to impress someone you want to sleep with. 45: Do something obscene on Arthur's Seat. 46: Troll a society, ideas include: - Attending cocktail soc, then pretending to vom because you are 'allergic to alcohol'. - Attending Mediterranean Gastronomy Society, then prestending to vom because you are 'allergic to tomatoes'. - Attending Bunting Society, then prestending to vom because you are 'allergic to strings and flags'. - Attending a Conservative party event and then unfurling the flag of Cornwall. 47: Go into a George Street club on Saturday night and ask what you can get for £1. 48: Start a really shit student startup that makes orange juicers or something. 49: Try a deep fied Mars Bar. 50: Go home and tell your friends about how amazing and cultural you feel now that you go to Edinburgh. Nina and Daniel
PS: Louise from Made in Chelsea, if you read the paper please let us know via email editors@ studentnewspaper.org or Twitter @TheStudentPaper. We hope you do, xoxoxoxoxox
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A quick history lesson...
The Student was launched by Scottish novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson in 1887 as an independent voice for Edinburgh's literati. It is Britain's oldest student newspaper and is an independent publication, reaching more than 10,000 University of Edinburgh students every week. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Kitchener, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill are a few of the famous people who have been associated with the paper. In the early 1970s, Gordon Brown worked as a news editor and diary columnist, working alongside Robin Cook who at the time was in charge of film and concert reviews.
Disclaimer
The Student welcomes letters for publication. The editors, however, reserve the right to edit or modify letters for clarity. Anonymous letters will not be printed but names will be witheld on request. The letters printed are the opinions of individuals outwith The Student and do not represent the views of the editors or the paper as a whole. Similarly, comment articles represent the views of their writers and not The Student. Editors Nina Bicket and Daniel Swain
News Alistair Grant & Thurston Smalley Comment Stephen Maughan, Yasmin Morgan-Griffiths & Charlotte Ryan Features Cameron Taylor & Francesca Mitchell Lifestyle Katherine Nugent & Marissa Trew Science & Environment Nina Seale & Katy Sheen Tech Alasdair MacLeod Crosswords John Wakely Culture Madeleine Ash, Troy Holmes & Lene Korseberg Music Emmett Cruddas, Stuart Iversen & Geraint Lloyd Ellis Film Dan Scott Lintott & Sally Pugh TV Hannah Clapham-Clark Sport Piers Barber, Davie Heaton & Phil Smith Head of illustration Jalen Vasquez Photo editor Elizabeth Doucette Commission Sarah Burch Production editors Christopher Sladdin & Ben Shmulevitch
Head copy editor Melissa Geere Copy editors Nina Seale, Lindsay Thomson, Helen Twigg, Lucy Dang, Helena Wilson, James Taylor, Charlotte Wagenaar & Elinor Smith Advertising Rachel Barkey, Matt McDonald, Kirsten Weir Distribution James Wood Marketing Dan Scott Lintott Social Media Kelly Meulenberg President Anna Feintuck Secretary Rebecca O'Doherty Treasurer Katy Sheen Social Secretary Daniel Swain
Student Newspaper, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ. Tel: 0131 650 9189. The Student lists links to third party websites, but does not endorse them or guarantee their authenticity or accuracy. © The Student Newspaper Society. All rights reserved. No section in whole or part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmited in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher. The Student is published by the Student Newspaper Society, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ. Distributed by RJM Couriers, 3 John Muir Place, Dunbar EH42 1GD. Tel: 01368 860115. Printed by Print and Digital Associates, 01332 896525, on Monday September 10 2012. Tel: 01228 612600. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office.
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
Features 13
An undergraduate abroad
Rebecca Low looks at the merits, experiences and potential pitfalls of taking a year out to study outside Edinburgh
WORKING ... ON MY TAN: This may be your dream for a year abroad ...
a year abroad presents you with constant challenges and therefore opportunities to demonstrate these skills and then apply them to scenarios in the workplace. For language students in particular, the famous year abroad is the highlight of their time at university; many choose to study languages because of the overseas opportunities the degree affords. And why not? The year abroad is not only a reward for the many hellish hours spent slogging it out over grammar textbooks, but it finally (finally!) gives you an opportunity to use your other language skills in ‘real life’. Many who have just returned from their own year abroad went out with slightly skewed expectations, and quickly learned that it’s not going to be beach parties and travelling all the time. “I stayed with an elderly couple,” says
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I met so many amazing people that I plan to keep in touch with"
Kirstie MacFarlane, a recently returned French student. “I didn’t like this idea to start with, but I gave it time and it turned out to be an amazing learning experience. They taught me things I could never have imagined learning about French culture, not to mention the amazing food they fed me!” For most, it’s a wholly positive experience. “I was extremely fortunate,” says Rachel Henderson, a fourth year Languages student who spent her year abroad as an English Language Assistant. “From day one I felt welcome and knew who to turn to if ever I had a problem. I was also very lucky that I had the opportunity to live with two other assistants, which meant we could share problems and even help each other in our lesson plans.” Lauren Bowie, now in her fourth year of a French and Spanish degree, had something of a more mixed experience. Whilst spending the first part of her year in France, she encountered several problems. “The host institution failed to designate a mentor teacher, have a regular timetable in place or offer regular monitoring to support my development,” she explains. “As a result, my overall experience in France was rather negative and I felt nervous and unprepared for what lay ahead in Spain.” Fortunately, her semester at university in Almería, Spain, was a decidedly more positive one. “There was a much better support network in place at the university, a structured timetable and the opportunity to meet new people.”
Although the year abroad is well structured and ensures students make productive use of their time, the various programmes don’t always make for an easy transition back into university life. On an Erasmus exchange, students are still in a university environment and so returning to a life of essays and deadlines in September does not come as much of a shock. “Attending university in Spain made me much more prepared for returning to reality as I hadn’t neglected course work for the entire year,” says Lauren of her experience returning to fourth year. On the other hand, those on an assistantship or work placement often find that the final year workload can be a bit of a shock, as Rachel found out. “Now that I am back at university it has taken me a while to adjust back to the self discipline that is needed,” she says. “Being an assistant meant I was only really focused on my lesson plans and I feel I should have considered more how being away from any real academic work would affect me.” Kirstie agrees. “It’s taken a while to get my focus back,” she confesses. “Coming back to university has been a bit of a struggle for me. My year abroad was quite relaxed. Although I had lessons to plan for school it wasn’t as challenging as fourth year work.” Of course, it’s not just the workload that can take a bit of getting used to. “I really miss the weather – you’ll be surprised how much
it changes your mood!” Of course, year abroad schemes are not just aimed at third years for whom it is compulsory. The university has over 500 places on the Erasmus exchange programme at universities both in Europe and further afield, and the British Council’s English Language Assistant’s programme is open to both graduates and undergraduates. The opportunities (and grants) are there, so all that is left now is for students to make the decision themselves; is it all worth it? Evidence points to the positive. “I think that my year abroad has helped me become more confident,” says Kirstie. “I’ve learnt so much about the countries I visited, things you could only learn by living there. I met so many amazing people that I plan to keep in touch with. My languages have improved more than they ever could in the classroom.” Despite the difficulties she faced in France, Lauren “would say that overall the year abroad is a positive experience.” Rachel agrees. “It taught me so many things about myself,” she concludes. “All in all an invaluable experience!” Taking a year out can be a great experience and help your employability after you finish university. But in studying, as in life, you can only get out of it what you put in. Whilst the upheaval involved is worth if for some, it is not for everybody, but the majority of people that take the plunge come out with a positive and worthwhile experience.
johannes jansson
minority, as according to a recent study by the National Union of Students, less than one per cent of Scottish graduates have spent time studying abroad. The implications of this are reflected in the results of a 2011 British Council/Think Global survey, which found that three quarters of businesses believe that the United Kingdom is in danger of being left behind by emerging countries, unless young people learn to think more globally. Partaking in a year abroad presents you with a great opportunity to truly immerse yourself in another culture, attaining a certain level of fluency in your target language, which opens the door to the international workplace. It also allows you to overcome that wariness, that mild xenophobia, that is a symptom of a fear of the unknown, inherent in all of us. In fact, the British Council/Think Global study found that 79 per cent of UK employers surveyed said knowledge and awareness of the wider world is more important than degree classification. Being forced to break down that language barrier and speak to local people allows you to truly feel part of a community. Living abroad and communicating with people in this way, you’ll learn more about a new culture than you ever will lying on a beach for two weeks in the Costa del Somewhere. As well as improving language proficiency, a year abroad also equips students with so-called ‘soft’ skills: communication, negotiation, flexibility, - all those attributes that don’t manifest themselves well on paper. Whether you’re doing a presentation in Spanish to your Latin American literature class in Madrid, or standing in front of a class of German teenagers, trying to get them to translate the lyrics of “Call Me Maybe”,
poppet with a camera
For many of us, this is the time of year when things start to get serious. Those first important deadlines loom up ahead and the fact that exams start in less than a month’s time will be keeping many of us awake at night. On top of this, some students are coming to terms with the terrifyingly exciting (or just plain terrifying) realisation that this time next year they’ll be living, working or studying in a different country. For most, it will be their first taste of living abroad, and for some it may even their first time travelling to their chosen country. Some might be second year students embarking on one of the various third year abroad schemes on offer at the university, compulsory or otherwise. Some might be soon-to-be graduates, looking for a constructive way to spend their time before plunging head-first into the world of work. Is that all taking a year abroad amounts to, then? A glorified ‘gap yah’, or something to fill up that uncertain void between university and real life? Is the upheaval involved in moving abroad for eight months really worth it? In harsh, practical terms of employability, having a Year Abroad can give even the most polished of CVs that extra boost. Whether you go as an Erasmus student, an english language assistant or take part in a work placement, a Year Abroad entails some sense of an official structure and with it, a great deal of responsibility. Depending on the scheme you choose, you will be required to sit university exams in-country, pass a teaching assessment, or simply turn up on time every day, ready to work. This serious element is reflected in the gravity that employers place upon a year abroad. Students with a year abroad under their belt will be in the
.... but the reality may be less time there and more time spent here
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
Features 14
In indifference we trust? Last week, evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins endeavoured to answer the question: “why does an atheist bother to get up in the morning?” in the third episode of his Channel 4 documentary series, Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life. In the series, episodes of which are entitled “If there no God watching us, why be good?” and “What science can tell us about death”, asks what happens if we leave religion behind; exploring the notion that science may provide answers to the ‘big questions’ often entrusted to religion. Channel 4 deems the series “thought-provoking” – an apt description in light of the hundreds of conflicting comments posted by viewers on the programme’s website. Amongst viewers’ opinions, a common complaint was of the powerful platform awarded to Dawkins, who has been hailed as “the planet’s most famous atheist”. In his acute rejection of religion, Dawkins has been repeatedly criticised for his failure to accept or engage with ideas which oppose his own. He has been frequently accused of bias in his approach to the conflict between science and religion, often demonstrating the same ignorance of fact he attributes to God-fearing types. Yet his findings are described as a “documentary series”.
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A common complaint was of the powerful platform awarded to Dawkins, who has been hailed as the planet's most famous atheist" By definition, this should entail investigative observation of a social issue, yet despite his position as a leading academic, Dawkins’s findings will be forever partial to his atheist belief, rendering it impossible for him to provide objective argument. This is not to say that Channel 4’s choice in Professor Dawkins is careless; they are undoubtedly aware of his bias in the matter of religion. Nevertheless, their granting of a public platform to such extreme atheism is telling of society’s religious stance - or lack thereof. Once a reputedly Christian nation, research indicates that the Britain of today is gradually retreating from its formerly God-fearing ways. This apparent shift from religious affiliation is illustrated by the findings of the British Social Attitudes survey, which discovered that less than half of those brought up religiously describe themselves as ‘religious’. Moreover, the significance of religion in government has also diminished since the 1980s. While Neil Kinnock’s leadership of the Labour Party was plagued with criticism of his agnostic beliefs, Ed Miliband’s leader speech at this year’s party conference, which casually
dropped in the fact that he had “no religion”, faced no scandal at all. The same change in attitude is evident in the question of education. Research carried out by the teachers’ network, TES, found that when given the choice between faith schools and non-denominational schools, Brits opted for the latter 85 per cent of the time. In 2009, state school sixth form students in England and Wales were able to withdraw from the previously mandatory daily worship. This cultural retreat from religiosity demonstrates a clear change of tune. Although far from sharing the extreme views of Professor Dawkins, many have been led to conclude that British society is moving towards secularism. The University of Edinburgh Chaplain, Reverend Doctor Harriet Harris, sheds light on this: “Institutions have to really take caution and courtesy in consideration of all faiths represented in British culture nowadays, and so this can lead to their perception as ‘secular’, but most are not quite secular. They are somewhere within an unfinished and undetermined process of moving out from their original religious foundations”. Indeed, it would be radical to describe Britain as secularist. The aforementioned research does not indicate a national desire to separate church and state. Just because some people have fallen out of touch with the religion that they once practised, they have not necessarily fallen into the arms of an alternative belief system. However, what findings do suggest is an increasingly indifferent attitude when it comes to the issue of faith. But is such a trend reflected in the exceptional student population? In Edinburgh, it would appear not. Though acknowledging the diminishing national appetite for religion, the Chaplain struggles to identify the same phenomenon amongst students at the University of Edinburgh. “Many people who have never been exposed to religion in their upbringing take an interest in it for the first time at university,” she explains. Interestingly, the declining number of religious households and schools has had a positive effect on the number of student churchgoers, contributing to the popularity of faith at university. “We see many students coming to faith that have not been brought up religiously, as it is their free choice to join a religion and not the result of forceful parenting, they enjoy it,” the Chaplain says. “After partaking for the first time too, many seek to make habit of religious practices, taking comfort in the routine offered.” The Chaplaincy Centre describes itself as a “provision of pastoral and spiritual support for students and staff of all faiths and none” on its website. It is most often a source of comfort to students during times of transition. There is little to distinguish between the habits of British students and those from overseas in relation to levels of religiosity, according to Har-
rob boudon
Jennifer Smith investigates attitudes to religion, apathy and the question of ‘secular society’
DOUBTFUL?: Student apathy towards belief appears more prevalent than either strong faith or atheism ris. She considers the trend of finding faith at university as one which implicates students of all nationalities, whilst noting that students at Oxford University (where she was Chaplain until 2010) preferred more traditional religious practices than those in Edinburgh, where more meditative practices are on offer. These students also often turned to religion for the first time when leaving home for higher education, demonstrating that this trend amongst students is not confined to Edinburgh.
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Many people who have never been exposed to religion in their upbringing take an interest in it for the first time at university" Despite her experience, which has shown students to evade the stereotype of a decreasingly religious Britain, the Chaplain acknowledges how differing evidence constitutes a “confusing picture” when it comes to the religious status of our society. According to the British Social Attitudes survey, an estimated 44 per cent of adults tend to stray from the religion they habituated in their childhood. “It is common for teenagers and young adults to stray from the faith imposed by their parents when they leave home,” says Harris. “What I have seen though is that they can return to religion later in life, often when they are starting their own families.” However, it seems that there remains a large proportion of students who abstain from picking sides. Luke Hecht, president of the Edinburgh University Humanist Society, makes reference to
such types: “In an egalitarian society such as that of the UK, a lot of people are indifferent.” Hecht, who has welcomed atheists, agnostics, sceptics and ‘free-thinkers’ since March, notes the discrepancy between the significance of religion in British society and of that abroad, having been involved in humanist organisations when studying in America. “In the States it was more often the case that a person was either Christian or atheist,” he explains. “Here though, you find many who sort of sit on the fence.” Hecht attributes the difficulties of promoting humanism to such impartiality. In contrast to the experience of the Chaplaincy, he deems it unlikely that previously indifferent individuals will take stance upon the issue of religion once a part of university life. Both the Humanist society and the Chaplaincy identify indifference to religion as a common facet in the attitudes of young people in Britain. They do not however acknowledge such indifference as a tendency towards secularism. Indeed, what has been frequently confused for a rejection of religious connotation amongst British society does in fact appear to be a lazy attitude, which restrains us from picking sides. Such indifference has become a staple by which some live, taking on religious form itself, as we often tend to relentlessly abide by it in many facets of life. This includes religion, but is not limited to religion. The question however is whether such indifference is an attitude which has been consciously chosen in the face of religious debate, or whether it is the result of a lack of education in regard to faith. Whichever the answer, I suspect those affected do not care enough to find out– such is our nature, after all.
When asked the census question 'What is your religion?', 61 per cent of people in England and Wales ticked a religious box When the same sample was asked the follow up question 'Are you religious?', only 29 per cent of the same people said 'Yes' while 65 per cent said 'No', meaning half of those whom the census would count as having a religion said they were not religious 63 per cent of people in England and Wales had not attended a place of worship for religious reasons in the past year
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Tuesday Nobemver 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
Features 15
Imprisoned for ignorance? Nina Seale looks at how a recent legal case in Italy sets a worrying precedent for science
jon crel
however, a new scapegoat has been emerging. As science has started to explain away many aspects of religion, stirring up a battle with faith that never quite seems to end, it has finally placed itself in the position of blame for such traumatic events. But, it seems that the Italian government have decided to create human scapegoats for science, and their names are Franco Barberi, Enzo Boschi, Giulio Selvaggi, Gian Michele Calvi, Claudio Eva and Mauro Dolce and Bernardo de Bernardis.
SCIENCE ON TRIAL: A worrying reality in contemporary Italy Six Italian scientists were sentenced to jail last week for “an incomplete, inept, unsuitable and criminally mistaken” assessment of the risks posed by the devastating L’Aquila earthquake that killed over 300 people. As with a lot of high profile court cases, this watershed trial has become a landmark that has brewed a lot of controversy within the scientific community. The victims and their families were celebrating the verdict – but why? Is the six year sentence of these six scientists and one government official justice? Or has the Italian justice sys-
tem found a much needed but unjustified scapegoat in the wake of horrific events? They want to blame something and someone, to alleviate away some of the pain and to help them find closure. History has shown that natural disasters are incredibly difficult to predict. For millennia, people have turned to their religion and asked why God would allow such horrendous things to happen. Faith has been lost this way, as people choose to doubt their deity’s omnibenevolence as a result of the pain of losing their friends or family in natural disasters. Within the last couple of centuries,
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This watershed trial has become a landmark that has brewed a lot of controversy within the scientific community. The victims and their families were celebrating the verdict – but why?" Understandably, the verdict has provoked uproar in the scientific community in defence of their people. As they are accustomed to do, they have supported their claims with evidence to say that not only could these scientists not have predicted the earthquake, but that their advice was based
on measured, scientifically accurate information. But the real problem comes with the fear that this sort of treatment may set a precedent. Science has progressed hugely in the last hundred years, and many fields have reached the point where they can accurately predict events that will happen, but it seems the Italian government have decided to confuse this with omniscience. The danger is that this ruling will frighten any geophysicist in the future from ever giving the Italian government advice again. Multiple manslaughter was the charge levelled against these scientists. The definition of manslaughter is, “The unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought.” These scientists gave advice to the people of L’Aquila, based on their research and expertise, at the Major Risks Committee that met in 2009 to discuss the several small tremors that had occurred in the region. Their statement, that it was impossible to determine whether or not the tremors would be followed by a huge earthquake, gave the people no more and no less information than any other population that has suffered an earthquake before. As society has started to rely more and more heavily on science, apparently it has become more liable for the events it merely studies, not causes. People are jailed for three reasons: for public security, deterrence for future lawbreakers and punishment.
Money > music
These six scientists are not criminals, they have no malicious intent, and their presence on the streets of Italy is not going to threaten the population. They did not cause the earthquake.
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The danger is that this ruling will frighten any geophysicist in the future from ever giving the Italian government advice"
The only reason for imprisoning these people is punishment, punishment for lulling the public into a false sense of security by not explicitly explaining that there was no guarantee there would not be a devastating earthquake. They may have made a mistake, but they did not give the public misinformation, they did not lie to them and they did not cause the earthquake. So is the punishment unjustified? The only purpose their sentence will actually serve will be deterrence, not for future lawbreakers, as that is not what these people were, but for future scientists offering their help before similar disasters. So now Italy has to accept that they may never receive willing help from their scientific community again and, as a result, may face the difficulty of deciding who to put on trial next time a natural disaster happens.
Cameron Taylor asks whether money is more important than artistic integrity nowadays
The Rolling Stones have been in the headlines for both good and bad reasons recently. Good because they are playing gigs to celebrate the 50th year in the business, but bad because they are charging fans extortionate amounts for the privilege. It is uncontroversial to say that the Stones are not the men they once were; 50 years of natural aging combined with legendary excess have ensured that. The question is, do the old stars risk losing some of their artistic integrity and overshadowing their legacy by continuing to play their songs not to the same standard as they did the first time around?
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Bowie, at least, has realized that it would be undignified for a 65 year old to cavort around in a skin tight jumpsuit" Paul McCartney continues to tour, doing a handful of gigs every year for
more than adequate compensation (£29 million if reports are to believed). Most agreed vocals at the Opening Ceremony of this summer's Olympics left a lot to be desired. In terms of artistic integrity, it is hard to imagine John Lennon screeching his way through “Hey Jude” if he were alive in 2012. In contrast, a much revered performer who has shied away from the limelight in his later years is David Bowie. In contrast to some of his contemporaries, Bowie has toured less and less since the turn of the millennium and new material has not surfaced since 2003’s Reality. In his personal life, Bowie spends most of his time in his Manhattan apartment away from the spotlight. Deciding that he has no more to give (at the moment) as a creative and artistic force only elevates his stock; his music is still there to be appreciated and his influence ever present in the legions of acts that he has inspired. Famed for the risque characters he inhabited in the 70s and 80s, it seems Bowie has realized that it would be undignified for a 65 year old to cavort around in a skin tight jumpsuit like it was 1972.
The most salient point of whether people should continue to milk their old hits is whether their music is still relevant. In selling out arenas around the world time and again, this would indicate that it still is. There is no doubt that McCartney and other classic artists have written some of the finest songs ever, but are they still relevant as a live draw, potentially bringing their careers to an undignified end?
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There should never be an arbitrary cut-off age when we wheel away stars" It is also ageist to say that performers should not continue to play because of advancing years. There should never be an arbitrary cut-off age when we wheel away stars to a rock star retirement home and never let them out again. For an artist like Seasick Steve who only found fame in his 60s, it would be incredibly unfair to tell him to pack away his guitar because he is too old. What he does do is continue to tour
and record and collaborate and show that as an artistic force, age is no barrier in his case. Perhaps it comes down to personal preference. A fan of the Smiths might say that U2 should hang up their guitars, but still hope that the day will come when Morrissey and Johnny Marr perform together again. An avid blues fan will hope that B.B. King continues to keep touring, even as an 87 year old who has to sit down to play and has type two diabetes . This is also not to say that the new music scene is dead. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Mercury Music Prize, won last week by indie band AltJ, shows that Britain still produces high quality and original new music year in, year out. In winning the prize last year, PJ Harvey showed that longevity is no barrier to staying relevant. It is perhaps more a product of the celebrity obsessed society. If Justin Bieber is prepared to release an autobiography of his life story at 18 for no ostensible purpose apart from to make money, he seems to have already forfeited his chance to have artistic integrity.
The nature of the music scene makes it odd to think of who will endure in 30, 40 or 50 years time. The subversive and anti-establishment message of rap and grime music makes it hard to imagine Dizzee Rascal rapping at the Royal Albert Hall to nodding Radio Four types when he’s 70. Perhaps then, artistic integrity is not something on the agenda for a new generation of musicians. Certainly in the case of modern US rap where the chief concern seems to be making money and telling the world about it, a notion of an ‘artist’ may have given way to the notion of a just a ‘performer.’ The danger is when older acts seem to jump on this bandwagon and endanger their legacy for the sake of a few good last paydays. Nobody can begrudge musicians for making money and having successful careers. What may leave a sour taste in the mouth, however, is when acts who encourage the pedastal that they are put on by fans and critics seem to disrespect their audience and continue to take vast sums of money for old rope, potentially casting a shadow over the artistic legacy they leave behind.
Send us your stories on fashion, beauty and health lifestyle@studentnewspaper.org
Greetings from Bologna! I’m here on Erasmus for a year, and hope to check in from across the continent every now and then to somehow cram into 400 words what I’m up to, living la dolce vita. Before that fateful rainy afternoon I spent in my Edinburgh flat, mug of tea in hand, and had after many, many hours on Wikitravel decided this was The Place, I actually knew very little about Bologna. I only knew my father had done his postgraduate degree here, and had since harboured a nostalgia and a not-so-subtle desire for me to follow in his footsteps. He remembers the lively student life, baking hot summers, and lack of tourists, and indeed, Bologna is considered by many to be off the beaten track. In my Rough Guide To Italy there are 80 pages devoted to Venice, and only 15 to Bologna. Many claim to have never heard of it, until I gently remind them of where Bolognese comes from. After six weeks, I am still perplexed as to why this is the case. The city doesn’t appear to be lacking in anything most great places I’ve been to feature: food – delicious (my waistline is expanding at an alarming rate); atmosphere – young, cosmopolitan (each year 3000 Erasmus students descend on the city) and exciting; shops – far too tempting (oh where art thou, Erasmus grant?); architecture – stunning; weather – v. good (It’s late October and 25C. Edinburgh feels very far away at present). To top it all, tourists are such a rarity that despite technically being a tourist myself I actually wrinkled my nose and tutted when I spotted an American couple in a cafe yesterday. Much as the idea of more sightseers fills me with trepidation, I must still plug Bologna in the hope that fewer miss out. GO! It’s fabulous. Living here is great, too, although of course Italy wouldn’t be Italy without mass inefficiency and bureaucracy. Never is this more apparent than when attending Italian university. I have enjoyed just two hours of class this week: due to the funeral of a professor on Monday and a welcome party for new students on Wednesday all classes were cancelled on those days, with two bus strikes thrown in for good measure. Life had been running disconcertingly smoothly for some time prior to this, so it’s good to be back in the real world. Viva Italia! Heidi Lough
Sophie O'Mahony gets the skinny on Louise Thompson's new denim line: Pocket London Louise Thompson, 22, is just as pretty in real life as she is on TV. And while Made In Chelsea, the hit E4 reality TV show about the lives and loves of SW3’s affluent youth, is notorious for its awkward silences and meaningful looks, she is all smiles and has plenty to say as we sit in Opal Lounge’s VIP area during an ‘Office Monday’ night. “He told me that he couldn’t come tonight,” she confides in me, grinning from ear to ear. “He said that he was too busy with meetings to come up to Edinburgh, so it was such a surprise to find him here!” Indeed, guests were thrilled to find not just one, but two of their favourite media personalities in
their midst. And those who have been keenly tracking the infamous relationship every week will be relieved to know that all is extremely well between the two. But the night was not about Spencer, or unresolved issues with Jamie Lang, or even Andy “get off the terrace” Jordan. Last Monday, Opal Lounge hosted the Edinburgh launch of new jeans line Pocket, co-created by Louise and fellow Edinburgh student Ed Page, 22. The childhood friends came up with the concept in January after realising that there was a distinct lack of British fashion houses that focused on denim wear. For the next nine months
pocket-london.com
Bologna Babble
Panache in her pocket
pitchfork
Culture Corner
TRADEMARK POCKETS: A twist on the timeless denim jeans
they were occupied with coming up with the perfect brand – something bold and versatile – that would find its way onto everyone’s Christmas list. The final product – a stunning collection of vibrant jeans with the signature coloured pocket – was celebrated with elegant cocktails and cheesecake canapés that greeted guests upon their arrival in from the cold. As soon as the doors opened, Edinburgh’s bright young things came flowing in, eager to revel in an evening of glamour and sophistication. There are certainly benefits to being in a popular TV show when it comes to promoting your company. “Made In Chelsea has the potential to be an advertising board,” Louise says when I ask her about the marketing for Pocket. She doesn’t deny the fact that it is useful to have members of the cast willing to support the venture and be associated with it, such as good friend Caggie Dunlop. And if Louise goes out wearing the jeans, then the internet will almost surely be flooded the morning after with pictures of them. Publicity doesn’t seem to be an issue. But that’s not to say that Louise waves a wand and makes things happen, or clicks her fingers and suddenly the jeans appear. She and Ed have been inundated with meetings with lawyers, designers, investors and constant trips to the factory to examine samples. Pocket is a proper business, an enterprise with all the associated risks and gambles that the co-creators must take
on, having invested their own money as well as time and effort into the brand. On top of all of this they must also face the perils of their final year at university, such as the unwritten dissertation. “My personal tutor was horrified when I told him that I was starting up my own company this year,” Louise admitted. She has vowed to put further developments for Pocket on hold until after graduation; for now she and Ed are happy with its current success as an online store, but they have plans to expand to the high street in the near future. In the bar area, the drinks and the conversation are flowing; the men are unbuttoning their shirts even further and the girls are becoming increasingly giggly by the minute. Guests spill onto the dance floor where the DJ spins the tracks of Jay-Z and the like. What began as an evening of refinement descends into a wonderfully decadent event, perhaps slightly reminiscent of a Made In Chelsea party that we have always wanted to attend. It is all rather symbolic of the principle behind Pocket: the jeans are made as pieces of art, but they are also made for us to live life in. And they want us to have a bloody good time whilst we’re at it. Pocket will give £1 from every pair of jeans sold to Jeans for Genes Day. www.pocket-london.com www.facebook.com/officemonday
Invaluable opportunities Lilidh Kendrick advocates the benefits of internships for career paths of all kinds Before undertaking my first internship last summer, I have to admit my visions of what it would consist of had been slightly blurred by watching too many American TV series. You know how it goes: the search for that coveted internship is compared to the quest for the Holy Grail and when that precious internship is finally secured, the next month is spent honing tea making skills. How naïve of me and, as it turned out, how very wrong. Walking in on my first day of work at a London fashion magazine, I had no idea what was in store. To my delight and terror, I found myself faced with real responsibility, writing blog posts for the magazine’s website and being trusted to pick artists for potential contributions. Although I was technically a ‘writing intern’, I helped with event planning and curating an exhibition and got a chance to glimpse different sides of the publishing industry from public relations to styling and graphic design. By the end of the placement I felt like I had learned as much in a month as I had in two years
of university. As clichéd as it sounds, the experience made me realise that it really is possible to turn your passions into a career. Getting work experience with one of your favourite companies is not beyond the bounds of possibility. All it takes is a bit of initiative, dedication and persistence. With the job market being as competitive as it is, most students are used to hearing about the importance of doing as much as possible over and above their degree to stand out when the time finally comes to wave goodbye to academia and start down the path towards career-dom. While some university degrees, the likes of Business, Economics and Architecture, encourage students to look for internships – counting towards credits in some cases and being strongly recommended in others – there is hardly a whisper of them in other departments. In my experience (as a student of Spanish) it seems that students of less vocational subjects such as English Literature and Modern Languages aren’t consciously encouraged to look for internships during their
degree – despite being the most likely to be unclear about what they want to do when they finish university. This is where an internship can prove valuable. An internship is not only something which looks attractive on your CV, but it is also the perfect opportunity to gain real experience of working life, figure out where your strengths lie and test out possible career options. I talked to Samantha Kain, an Architectural History student who is currently interning as a Communications Assistant for Edinburgh World Heritage Trust. She told me her internship has been “a chance in a lifetime to get some real experience of something I could see myself doing after I graduate and I have now realised it is something I have a great passion for”. For inspiration, websites such as www.inspiringinterns.com and http:// creativeopportunities.arts.ac.uk (specifically arts based) can be really helpful for seeing what is out there. However, it is equally worthwhile to think proactively and hunt down placements yourself rather than wait for them to be put up online when lots of people will be
snapping at your heels to apply. Think of companies that fit well with your interests and send them your CV directly. It may be a case of doing some detective work in order to get into contact and build up relations with the people who hold the power. Hannah Fuller, a fourth year Fashion Management student, found an original route into her internship with Alexander McQueen by doing a bit of digging. “I was searching online for internships with the company, and couldn’t find any contact information. “Eventually I found a blog post written by a girl who had worked for the merchandising director when he was with another company. I emailed her on the off chance she would be able to provide me with his contact details and she did. I emailed him and it went from there.” Three internships later, Fuller’s advice is to never give up hope. “Definitely use your initiative and be committed, the more you put the word out, the more chance you stand of getting something back…my problem ended up that I had to choose between them!”
joanna lisiovec
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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Ready? Get set for Jet Set Radio
THIS JUST-IN!: Would you fall for this Facebook scam?
Alex Shedlock gets his skates on in Sega's rereleased retro, roller-blading, graffiti spraying, toe tapping gem
If you’re looking for a cop dodging, graffiti spraying, tune thumping, eye popping, street beating, graphically bouncing game to warm up your winter months, try Jet Set Radio ( JSR). Here we are, ten years after its initial release. Here we are, back to the beautiful city island of Tokyo-To, the place with the bass, and here is your reintroduction to the ‘GGs’: your magnetically powered rollerblading gang, which you grow from one member, hitting the streets to dominate the local gangs and graffiti spots. But as much as you want to have a great time doing this, the police don’t, so prepare to face a totalitarian crackdown across the three distinct districts of the city in this re-release of an utter classic Sega Dreamcast (R.I.P.) title. If you want some old school innocent fun,
ing is extreme, JSR made its cities and characters look like a moving, three dimensional cartoon. Iconic graffiti style designs and black thick pen lines hold the world together on your screen. The whole universe of JSR seems to bounce and sway to the beats laid down by artists as various and talented as Jurassic 5, Guitar Vader, Deavid Soul, Mix Master Mike, and Sega’s own master composer Hideki Naganuma.
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It's the only game I've ever played that made me want to... Dance. Fully, bodily." Included in the download is a little documentary on the history behind the game, in which Naganuma comments that, late at night, while composing the JSR original soundtrack, he used to laugh. “I laughed and composed,” he says. That’s how you do it, folks. And it shows. Even ten years on, the style is as strong as ever; but in truth, problems arise in the gameplay. From the word go. Control and level design is fairly archaic: you’ll often bump into rails instead of grinding on them, using ramps and halfpipes will leave you hopping awkwardly instead of doing a trick, and sometimes it seems like the only way to get around the bizarrely laid out maps is to take the stairs or just skate mo-
SEGA
hit the Xbox 360 Arcade, and, with just a few reservations, I highly recommend you get your skates on. JSR’s gameplay is a blend of several elements: the extreme sports fun of early Tony Hawk’s Pro Skateboarding games, albeit with in-line rollerblading; a unique graffiti art mechanic that sees you tagging spots around various areas of the colourful city; and an intense police chase and race experience. Each level sees you in an area of Tokyo-To, tasked with tagging so many required spots with your chosen graffiti designs (which can be collected or drawn yourself ). After you’ve tagged a few walls or poster boards, graffiti being painted with intuitive sweeps of the right analog sticks to mimic the drawing movements, the police will start clamping down on the neighbourhood. Pressing down the right trigger makes you magnet-dash, a smooth swift sprint forward, and using this ability you can escape on foot officers, dodge police bullets or missiles, or get greater height so you can reach tag spots and gain more speed for tricks or grinds. But really, you want to know the main reason I’d recommend Jet Set Radio? It is the only game I’ve ever played that made me want to...Dance. Fully, bodily. While playing. JSR features one of the greatest video game soundtracks I have ever heard. The style and design of the game is fantastic overall: one of the first games to pioneer the ‘cel shading’ technique where textures are flat and shad-
HARSH CRITICS: Just like in reality, the cops don't take too kindly to amateur art notonously, breaking the pace. Levels have moments of genius, like the tenements of the New York inspired Grind City which crops up halfway through the game, but on the whole, levels are a bit contrived and often awkward to navigate. Still, if you appreciate and have fun with the game primarily as a stylistic work, you’ll have a wonderful time. Enjoy it like a magazine made to look and feel great instead of having deep, refined content. Or a radio DJ whose conversation is awful but who plays the best tunes. It doesn’t last long either. Although honestly, this doesn’t matter too much. A good multiplayer mode would have helped, or a seemingly obvious graffiti-content-sharing system, but these
concepts would perhaps taint the ‘retro’ appeal of the game. What we have here is a trim, tight experience which is bursting at the seams with sunny fun. JSR’s issues can be off-putting and dated, but the game is just so infectious that I remembered, within ten minutes of booting it up, why it was still on my top five games list. It takes no time for that infection of soul and funk and jazz and upbeat characters to get into your marrow. It’s little wonder that one of my fondest memories from my teenage years was spending an incredibly sunny summer sitting indoors grooving to the Jet Set’s beats. I know, I was really sad. But I love this game so much that the sun simply doesn’t matter. Which makes it a perfect purchase this winter.
New Kindle: Easy on the eyes
Alasdair MacLeod sees the light with the Paperwhite Kindle, Amazon's latest and greatest offering to the e-reader market
‘Easy on the eyes’ is by far the best phrase to sum up Amazon’s latest attempt at engineering the perfect ereader. On the one hand, as a physical artifact, this device is nothing short of a thing of beauty. Where Kindles of old were utilitarian devices, the Paperwhite is sleek, modern and measures up favourably to even rival tablets. On the other hand, with an innovative approach to screen-lighting technology,
this latest model promises not to strain your eyes with harsh lighting, even in dim reading conditions. Kindles have always ranked among the best e-readers in terms of reading experience, but they’ve never been especially beautiful. From the bizarre white angles of the first generation Kindle to the cheap, semi-disposable grey shell of the third, Amazon’s design sensibilities have always lagged behind the performance of their e-ink panels. Finally, with the Paperwhite, the (all but useless) physical keyboard is gone, the extraneous volume rocker is gone, the power slider is gone. Control is now left entirely to a surprisingly pleasant and accurate touchscreen (the panel is even charmingly imprinted to resemble the texture of paper). In a design statement that makes even Apple's notoriously spartan approach to external hardware seem opulent, the only things interrupting the Paperwhite's silhouette are a micro-USB slot and a single, tiny power button. It’s clear that Amazon have learnt some important lessons in
their recent attempts to break into the android tablet market. Along with the aesthetic improvements, Amazon continue their, by now routine, technological refinement. Model by model, generation by generation, Amazon have been improving the resolution, the contrast, the refresh rate of their panels, and this release is no exception. While these improvements are definitely welcome, they pale in comparison to the Paperwhite’s other hardware improvement.
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As a physical artifact, this is nothing short of a thing of beauty." Reading in the dark has never been a problem for full-fledged tablets. The issue at hand is that staring into a glowing, backlit screen doesn’t make for the most relaxing reading experience and doesn't do the best things to your eyes. Amazon have resolved this complaint
by concocting a lighting solution that simply doesn't rely on backlighting. On a traditional LCD panel, the light is projected directly������������� ��������������������� through the screen and ���������������������������� undiluted������������������� into the viewer’s eyes. The Paperwhite’s built-in light is instead projected into the device and bounced off the e-ink display before making it’s way to your eyes. It's a testament to Amazon's engineering that the illumination is as clear and even as any LCD screen, even using this novel method. E-readers have always been seen as specialised devices next to more versatile tablets and smartphones. In place of multimedia capabilities and utility, e-readers focus on doing their single task and doing it well. With the Paperwhite, this impression is truer than ever. This Kindle makes for an even better e-reader than previous models, but offers even fewer extra functions. Compared to earlier designs, the paperwhite lacks stereo speakers and even a 3.5mm jack. Gone then, is the rudimentary mp3 player and the ability to turn any ebook into a stark, robotic
audiobook. While it has far greater integration with Amazon’s cloud service, onboard storage is reduced. In all honesty, slightly over a gigabyte of usable memory is still ample space to store a downright unhealthy amount of reading material. The new software features that are provided are nice but don’t have quite the same impact as the hardware improvements. ‘X-Ray’ gives you a wealth of supplementary information on characters, events and themes (in certain flagship titles). ‘Time to Read’ continually measures your reading speed and serves up an estimate of the time it’ll take you to finish the current chapter, or the rest of the book. This can be a little patronising, but it does offer a nice indicator as to whether you should try tackling just one more chapter before bed. If you're still living in the dark ages, it's definitely worth giving the Paperwhite a chance to win you over. And even if you're already a convert, this should be enough of a leap forward in usability to tempt you into an upgrade.
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
Genetically modified grub: Aye/Nay? Do you like cereal for breakfast? What if it were possible to grow crops more easily and make cereals cheaper? Or to enrich cereals with more vitamins to make them a lot more wholesome, taking away the need for pill supplements? That is what genetically modified crops could do. GM plants differ from those in nature by a few foreign genes, which provide a number of advantages for modified plants. Genetic modifications in plants, particularly crops, could help to solve some very serious problems that humanity faces.
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Genetic modifications of crops will also make it possible to have lines which can withstand poor weather” All lands that are good enough for crop cultivation are in use. Add to this low yields because of pests, weeds and poor weather conditions, like droughts or low temperatures and we face a serious problem: not enough crops are being produced and food prices are increasing. Nowadays farmers are trying to reach the current demands for our growing population by use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. But these measures won’t protect plants from Mother Nature. Moreo-
ver, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides do not disappear. They remain in the soil and decay. They penetrate deep into soil layers, contaminating underground waters which supply communities with water, and reducing biodiversity. But things are not so bad and science can help us. This summer a group of British plant scientists from the John Innes Centre, Norfolk, won a $10 million (£6.4 million) grant from the Gates Foundation to develop GM cereal crops. Their aim is to create cereal crops that will be able to use nitrogen from the air. This will help to reduce or totally avoid use of ammonia fertilizers, especially in developing countries. Lines of crops which are resistant to particular pests have been created. Genetic modifications of crops will also make it possible to have lines which can withstand poor weather and plants that will be more competitive in comparison to weeds. So what can GM crops give us? With GM crops we won’t reduce biodiversity by killing plants and insects with herbicides and pesticides. We also won’t poison soil with these chemicals and fertilizers. Moreover, plant bioremediation could help to get rid of pollutants in soil. GM crops will allow us to develop agriculture intensively and do not destroy ecosystems such as rainforests or swamps to involve new lands. GM crops are the future of agriculture in our changing world.
FLICKR: EPSOS.DE
Anastasiya Kishkevich defends the benefits of GM plants whilst Maithili Mehta worries about the ecological effects
YUM: GM foods for your tum?
Flavr Savr, the first genetically modified ‘delayed ripening’ tomato, marked the advent of a sea change in the food industry. For the first time, the stocking of supermarket shelves could be governed not by what was in season, what was produced locally, or what had a longer shelf life, but solely by what we, the customers, wanted to buy. Genetic engineering techniques have since made it possible to cut desirable genes from plants or animals that naturally express them and paste them into plants that do not, so that we now have at our provision not only crops that ripen later, but also crops that grow faster, are resistant to pathogens, or produce excess or reduced amounts of certain nutrients. But convenience comes with a cost; and in the case of genetically-modified (GM) foods, the cost is not only monetary but also ecological. Take, for instance, Bt-crops: these plants have been modified with short sequences of bacterial genes so they now produce proteins which protect them from insects, and no longer rely on pesticides. One obvious danger of such inherent non-specific toxicity is the unintended but indiscriminate harm this may cause to other species of larvae. A study published in Nature showed that pollen from Bt-corn caused high mortality in monarch caterpillars who accidentally consumed it while feeding on other plants. There may be numerous other species in the food chain indirectly affected by this imbalance, the plight of whom might
not come to light until much later, when they are endangered or extinct. Perhaps the most dangerous potential setback of such a modification is that over-expression of the Bt gene in the environment will cause the target larvae and insects to evolve and become resistant to the protein. Another concern is that crops engineered to be tolerant to pests will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of herbicide-resistant genes from crops to other non-modified plants. In the case that these genes are crossed over to weeds, the resulting ‘superweeds’ will then be unaffected by herbicides.
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Convenience comes with a cost... not only monetary but ecological” Lastly, it would appear from all the talk about preserving biodiversity that human beings are probably the least affected, and the greatest benefactors of GM foods. But the reality is that no number of studies can certify that these foods are actually 100 per cent safe for human consumption. Although it is incredibly convenient to buy tomatoes with a longer shelf-life, or potatoes which release carbohydrates at a slower rate, there is always the possibility that a new gene introduced into a plant may elicit an allergic reaction in a susceptible person.
Just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Bonfire night: a night of cold hands and hot soup, of burning Guys and sparklers. And best of all, a night of gazing up at the sky and joining in with a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as you witness a perfect blend of art and science: the firework display. Pyrotechnic science dates back to ancient China, where fireworks were used to scare off evil spirits at celebrations. The principles underlying most fireworks are the same: a component called the lifting charge, which contains black powder (also known as gunpowder) is responsible for launching the rocket. Once in the air, another component in the rocket shell called the breaking charge causes the firework to explode and the ‘stars’ contained inside it create the beautiful patterns we see from the ground. Black powder in the lifting charge acts as both the fuel source and an oxidizer, supplying more oxygen to the reaction than it can get from the air. This rapidly burning substance is what
propels the rocket into the air. As the black powder burns, a delay fuse is also lit, which is designed to reach the breaking charge when the firework is at its desired height. The firework explodes, throwing the stars in all directions and igniting their outside to create bright sparks. For the colours that enhance the visual appeal of the fireworks you can thank the first law of thermodynamics: nature conserves energy. In other words, energy can’t be lost, it can only be transferred. When the fuel is lit, it transfers energy to the atoms of the colour chemicals inside the shell, causing them to reach a higher energy state. When they cool, they return to their lower energy state. But the energy has to go somewhere, it can’t just be lost. It is given up in the form of radiation, or light. So this is how the firework lights up – you are in fact seeing it cool down. The ‘stars’ in the shell contain chemicals that each produce a specific colour: sodium for yellow, or barium salts for
green, for instance. This is possible because the chemicals each emit light at a different wavelength, which we see as a different colour. Some colours, like blue, are harder to create, because the reaction has to be at a specific temperature to work. Different shapes or patterns can be created by arranging the stars and fuel in a particular way in the shell. The familiar ring shape is formed by packing the colour pellets in a circle around the explosive. For more complex patterns, like hearts or star shapes, the colour pellets are placed on a sheet of paper with the explosive arranged around them. When the firework explodes, the paper is quickly burnt up, and the colour pellets light up in the shape they were in on the paper. Next time you are gazing openmouthed at an extraordinary firework display, remember that the timing, colours and patterns are all possible due to the laws of thermodynamics: that’s one exciting physics lesson.
NIGEL HOWE
Katy Sheen discusses the combination of chemistry and physics packed into the rockets fired into the sky on Bonfire Night
EXPLOSIVE: Fireworks are a bundle of metals, timers and gunpowder
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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20 Science & Environment
Where the wild winds are
Fraser Chang produces a student-friendly analogy for the wind movements in hurricanes like Sandy
Imagine a group of molecules at their first school dance. At first they awkwardly stand there, their arms glued by their sides and stuck in their pockets, their heads turning nervously between their friends, so expertly done as to avoid eye contact with the other unfamiliar molecules around them. But soon, the tension starts to get to them, and they feel silly for being so shy – and the thought of their own insecurities colours their faces a bright red. It’s getting far too warm in here, they think, and they start to disperse. And so this group of molecules becomes suddenly less dense as they wander off in pretence that their interests have been sparked by something wonderful elsewhere.
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As they move off the centre floor, however, other awkwardly naive molecules pack in tightly and take their place; at first they keep their cool and shuffle about, but then they suddenly realise that they have no idea what they’re doing either, and so they too soon brighten up in warm summer shades and the cycle repeats. This movement of molecules is called a pressure gradient force; where low pressure, warm air molecules rise and disperse, and high pressure, cold air molecules take their place.
joanna lisowiec
The molecules are too warm and too drunk in the club"
But this isn’t very interesting at all, so let’s take another look at them when they’re grown up. It’s on a dance floor now in a night club: one pound drinks night. The dance floor becomes a breathing organism, with molecules moving on and off; moving off for a smoke outside, moving on to find their friends, moving off to go throw up, moving on because they are lost and confused. The dance floor becomes an ecstasy of drunken screams, all the molecules converging and diverging – all enticing and intoxicating – and they propagate and intensify their cycle. The momentum keeps on building, and the heat of the club keeps on increasing, furthering the gap between the inside and the outside temperature. And it is this pressure gradient – pressure being directly linked to temperature – which, exacerbated by the molecules in their frantic state of movement, acts as a fuel for the night. The molecules are too warm and too drunk in the club, and so they move out to feel the cool night air. It is under this interaction, the way these molecules are moving from hot to cold - and then back to hot again - that a hurricane is formed. The winds carried by a hurricane are simply by-products of this wonderfully simple mechanism and, furthermore, they are usually formed on warm, tropical seas which create storm clouds as the water condenses in the air. Unfortunately, the only way for a hurricane to be stopped is for it to enter an area where
there are fewer warm air molecules – a shoreline for example; and the idea is that without the heat being present the molecules stop moving about as much and the gradient collapses. A hurricane’s life is violent and usually very short lived – a temporary explosion of excited molecules which disturb the gentle currents of our world, and then die in a burst of catastrophe - leaving ruins in their aftermath.
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The dance floor becomes a breathing organism with molecules moving on and off"
To understand these destructive events, people used to consider it as the equivocation of some higher being; but now we realise that it’s just ‘science’. It’s the existence of quasi laws which make us so fascinated with science and nature; why does our world favour disorder? What pre-existing rule defined this most basic of rules? It is this great unknown which some people try to fill with speculations of a God but, for scientists, nature could fulfil this role. Nature is this legislature, this sovereignty, this omnipotence, to whose laws we are forever subject - even the ones which create terrible consequences.
INTERVIEW CORNER: CONSERVATION & WRITING
Nina Seale interviews Mark Carwardine, zoologist, photographer and author
Mark Carwardine is an accomplished zoologist well known for his incredible wildlife photography, as well as the 1989 BBC radio documentary series Last Chance to See with the late Douglas Adams and the follow up 2009 series with Stephen Fry. The Student organised for a quick interview in the midst of his busy schedule at the Whalefest in Brighton to ask him about conservation, tourism and science journalism. There are a couple of places, like the Galapagos Islands and Brazil, where conservation issues have been advertised and they’ve become prime locations for tourists. Are there any locations that you feel have maybe been forgotten or need more focus? That’s a good question. The trouble is there are a handful of places that, as you say, get all the publicity and they get a vast number of tourists like the Galapagos Islands that are completely overrun; it's probably one of the most controlled places on the planet- you have limited numbers landing, you have to be with a guide, maximum sized groups, stick
to the paths and so on, because it gets all the publicity. There are many other places in the world where you can see amazing wildlife that don’t get the publicity and so there are very few people. It's always a balance, you want to spread the load. So its a good thing not having a huge number of people going to a small number of places. I think the UK has a lot more to offer than people know, actually. I actually went up to the Highlands for the first time the other day and it's beautiful up there, there is so much to see. Yes, you have the Balloch and places like that, they’re just phenomenal. Its difficult because there is no one body that can direct people to certain places. I think the media does a pretty good job, actually. Yeah, but even say the BBC, they keep doing the Masai Mara. In Planet Earth Live, they yet again went back to the Masai Mara in Kenya. And there are so many other amazing wildlife and safari destinations that they could have picked. Maybe it is best to keep it concentrated? If you are going to have that in one place anyway, perhaps its better to have all the damage in one area, so to speak? There is an argument for that, I mean the same applies to a smaller range. If you are managing a national park, for example, where you put the lodges or the car park is where 90 per cent of the tourists are going to be. So in a way you could argue the same thing for the world. If all
the tourists are focussed in a few areas everywhere else gets left, so there is less chance of damage. Ah, but then they don’t get the money… Yes, you need tourism. The classic example is the mountain gorillas. There would be no mountain gorillas left without tourism, for sure. That’s why they are protected, because they are bring in foreign exchange. And if that can work in an area in central Africa, which has as many problems as anywhere else on the planet, then it demonstrates that tourism can work anywhere.
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There would be no mountain gorillas left without tourism, for sure. That's why they are protected, because they bring in foreign exchange" The trick is, as I was saying in the talk just now, to let it build slowly so you don’t suddenly hear that there is an amazing thing to go and see, so there is an onslaught without any warning. You’ve got to build it up and think how you are going to do it, how you can control it, manage it, limit numbers, limit access and all the rest of it before the numbers build and it gets out of hand. So that’s the trick. I personally think that tourism in most
cases can be really good, but it has to be really carefully controlled. At the moment there is a huge gap between scientists and their communication with the public. There is a huge niche for writers who are able to translate scientific research and translate it for the public so they can understand the problems scientists are trying to tackle. You have written over fifty books, do you have any advice for people who would like to write about scientific issues? You’re right, there is a huge gap. I mean, most scientists can’t write, and they certainly can’t write in a popular way. It's not a bad thing because that’s not what they do but they can’t write in a popular way that is accessible to everybody else, and I think that there is a real niche for interpreters that can write but who can also understand science, translate it and make it popular. I think that the answer is practice and, you know, write for anything. I enjoy writing a lot – I do a column in BBC Wildlife and that’s really fun because it is a very small number of words on quite complex subjects and that’s the best way to practise. If you explain the subject and what the controversy is and then you give an opinion, all in 300 words, that’s the best way to really hone your writing skills, it lets you get everything across. If you write great long articles, you just ramble. The way to practise writing is to think of a subject, say, write two thousand words and then make yourself say all that stuff in 300 words.
Popular Science Can scientists be famous? Last week many students attended an open lecture with Professor Peter Higgs and some of his colleagues from the university involved in the search for the Higgs Boson. The problem in the previous sentence is that it named Prof Higgs but left out his colleagues, Alan Walker, Victoria Martin and Francisca Garay, who are also doing great and important research but won’t sound familiar to non-physicists. Furthermore, Higgs repeatedly asserted that there are several other scientist that worked on the Higgs model but are drowned out amongst the focus on his name. During the lecture itself and in the following short Q&A session, the recent rise to stardom of Prof Higgs was touched upon several times. He himself jokingly referred to it as “trouble”. However he is one of the few people within the large global scientific community that can be considered famous. Despite the increasing use of scientific discoveries in our everyday lives, many of us would struggle to quickly name three living celebrity scientists, while dubious stardom and its financial benefits are easily acquired by people with arguably lesser contributions to society. In the last 20 years science has moved more into public focus than it had for some time. Science is not confined to universities and journals anymore but is developing as a conversational topic amongst nonscientists. This can largely be credited to the development of the internet. Search engines and online encyclopedia have created unprecedented access to information about science for anyone interested and science memes and jokes on networking sites have helped to shift the image of science in the public’s eye from dry number crunching to fun and interesting work. How exactly can popularity contribute to an advance in science? After all, facebook likes and public awareness do not equal research results or funding. Stardom and acclaim are certainly influential in shaping children’s interests and aspirations, so more prolific science figures can help to open up science to future generations. With a higher public profile, higher financial rewards are to be expected and money is undeniably a great motivational tool. However, fame together with financial rewards in excess could inhibit the fact that science should always mainly be driven by our own curiosity, and lower the overall quality of science. All things considered, the increase in public interest in science should be considered a desirable development as long as sensationalism is restrained and the focus is not only on individuals but the teams behind discoveries and the findings itself. Felix Weisner
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
21 Paid for by the Edinburgh University Students’Association
A message from your EUSA VPSA
Hazel Marzetti chats about how EUSA has zero tolerance for sexual harassment
They say a sabbatical year is the fastest year you spend at university and that is not far wrong. So far this semester I’ve been part of three big campaigns; EUSA’s Wellbeing Week, Zero Tolerance Campaign and Healthy Body Healthy Mind (in conjunction with the Sports Union and Centre for Sports and Exercise). But here and now I want to talk about the Zero Tolerance Campaign because I think that sometimes it is something gravely misunderstood. Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment: I am proud to say that at the beginning of my sabbatical year, in May 2012, EUSA fulfilled the criteria for the NUS Women’s Campaign Zero Tolerance Campaign and therefore were accredited with having Zero Tolerance to sexual harassment. Is this really a problem? In 2010 the Hidden Marks Report showed that 68% of a sample of 2000 women at universities across the UK had experienced sexual harassment
whilst on their own campus and the perpetrators were predominantly other students. Not only this but of those who had been a victim of ‘serious sexual assault’ only 10% had reported the attack to the police, for the most part because they were worried about being blamed for their attack or because they felt ashamed or embarrassed. In response to this the Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment campaign was launched nationally. I think that these stats provide an insight into what exactly is going wrong and what we can do to help. An issue for everyone: Now there is a common perception that sexual harassment is something which only happens to women, but this is simply not the case. www.mankindcounselling.org.uk states that three in twenty men in the UK have experienced sexual violence. So whoever you are the likelihood is that you know someone affected.
Victim Blaming This is the kind of thing that we frequently see in the media: on our
televisions, the radio and in the papers. It sounds a bit like this: “what was she wearing?” “Had she been drinking?” Or even, “she’d slept with loads of people!” These are all ways that we avoid or water down saying “forcing someone into sex is unacceptable under any circumstance” because truthfully under which of those circumstances would it be acceptable to force someone into sex? I hope you’re all thinking none. These are factors which are simply irrelevant and they decrease the responsibility of the attacker They make victims of sexual assault feel disempowered, which in turn makes them less likely to come forwards and report their attack. A feminist issue It concerns me that equal standard are simply not applied to women as to men. I have never heard the response to a man being sexually assaulted sounding like this: “well he was wearing a nice shirt”, whereas I’ve definitely heard “she was wearing a short skirt”. Sexual harassment is an issue affecting everyone, either directly or indirectly. Something we must work hard to tackle. But
$ £ €
one thing everyone can do is address the specific type of victim blaming language used with regard to the sexual assault of women. Sexual assault is the responsibility of nobody but the attacker in any case. We must challenge it on an equal platform.
What can we do? Stop victim blaming. Stop it now. Call people out on it when you hear them making comments like these. Question them when they make jokes about rape and sexual assault because the more we deal with the discomfort of talking about sexual assault by using humour the more we take away from the seriousness of the crime. And it is a crime.
societies and sports team can look out for their members. Further to come will be events protesting sexual assault and street violence, the portrayal of sexism in comedy and women’s leadership (in August 2012 only 35% of Scottish parliament are women, and only two out of thirteen candidates in the EUSA elections last year were women). For more information please see: www.facebook. com/pages/EUSA-Zero-ToleranceCampaign/454932031217477 or email vpsa@eusa.ed.ac.uk.
What are EUSA doing? Throughout the year we are running various events as a part of the Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment Campaign. So far we have run a workshop on the Bystander Effect: discussing methods to challenge sexism and homophobia (aside from directly confronting the perpetrator) and a second on how
We know money causes a lot of worry. The Advice Place can help. We’re coming to a campus near you on the dates below, so pop by our stand on the following dates for top money saving tips and freebies. Thu 1 Nov: Tue 6 Nov: Thu 8 Nov: Thu 15 Nov: Tue 20 Nov: Thu 22 Nov:
Potterrow Little France KB ECA Easter Bush Main Library, George Square
For more information on how to get advice, visit www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/advice
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Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
herring@studentnewspaper.org
22 Crossword & Horoscopes
ES
OS R O
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CRYPTIC CLUES
Oliver ninnis
P O C
Dual Crossword No. 22 BY PICUS
Crayola Claire uses her heightened awareness of RGB colour charts to divine universal truths. She isn't the sharpest crayon in the box so if she isn't 100% accurate then just go with it... she has a bit of a temper (you've been warned). Well, tickle-me-pink and read closely!
Aries
This week you find yourself trapped in Bristo Square with a small bespectacled boy named Piggy. (Oh Venus, your love of literature is heartening). Although you have only been stranded for a matter of minutes you have a lot of plot to wade through, so you busy yourself by killing Piggy, faffing around with a conch and trying to attract the attention of the Teviot drinkers (the naval vessel). Just thank your lucky stars Venus didn’t want Fifty Shades.
Taurus
Brush the cobwebs off your pulling pants and head to P-row this week. Don’t kid yourself that those are Halloween costumes, your virginity CAN grow back.
Gemini
The moon has been very impressive of late, but your Cherry Bakewells have been seriously substandard. How you can insult the exceedingly good name of Mr Kipling, I have no idea. Smarten up your act and for goodness sake, it’s a glacé cherry not a fresh cherry!
Cancer
This week you have an overwhelming feeling of the colour yellow.
Leo
The cold weather is starting to get to you. Your larder is empty and your harvest of butternut squash would disappoint a Less Economically Developed Country. Your best bet is to go the way of the Walrus and put on an enormous amount of weight in blubber to see you through the harsh Marchmont winter.
Virgo
This week you step into a bright chamber heading for the stars... the new library elevator. Do not hesitate to introduce yourself to everyone in the lift sharing your journey – people love being enclosed into a small space with no immediate exit and meeting overbearing strangers. Be cautious of the meagre weight limits however.
Libra
Your flatmate will make the comment, ‘we are kindred spirits.’ Don’t react to this: learn from last year when you mistook the word kindred for kindled, and set about finding dry sticks to lay over your ex-boyfriend as he ate breakfast. Bonfire night simply isn’t worth the inquiry and jail term.
Scorpio
Maybe you feel like Mercury and think you are a bit left out of horoscopes. Well never fear because as sure as winged boots are going to be the must have footwear of 2013, you’re going to have a great week, month and year. (Ed - but keep reading our weekly horoscopes, just in case)
Sagittarius
On Thursday you will feel like a Tudor but do not let it show on the dancefloor. Gangnam ssshhtyle! Wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap wap!
Capricorn
This week you become familiar with the price of wool, and set up a business as a seamstress. Going by the name of Couturier Charlie you tailor the cream of Edinburgh High Society. It’ll be a febreeze.
Aquarius
Elections are upon this week stateside. Unfortunately, we don’t go to print until after the result will be publicly known. Fortunately, that has never stopped this psychic of making highly incisive and exacting predictions. ROMNEYBAMA will win definitively/marginally/lose slightly/embarassingly humiliated Ohio.
Pisces
Christmas will be upon us within the week, if the number of red starbucks cups littering teviot is anything to go by. You overdose on cinnamon and die a slow grueling death when your kidneys fail.
CONCISE CLUES (same answers) ACROSS 5 Take enormous risks (4, 4, 5) 9 Edible gourd (5) 10 A witty saying (7) 11 Old-fashioned (7) 13 Chinese secret societies (5) 15 Fey (5) 17 Red flower from America (7) 19 Royal House and Castle (7) 20 English poet (5) 21 Absolutely terrifying (5-8)
DOWN 1 Water (5, 3) 2 Stately bird (4) 3 Italian sea (8) 4 Mate, pal (4) 6 Severe tummy-ache (5) 7 From then on (11) 8 Protective garment (5) 12 Part of the Mass (5, 3) 14 The Bull or The Goat maybe (4, 4) 16 Plants such as mushrooms (5) 18 Guru and guide (5) 19 Insect that stings (4) 20 Indian goddess (4)
Solutions to Dual Crossword No. 21 ACROSS 5 WHISTLE-BLOWER he also blows [ his w let]* 8 ILIAD I + Dail (rev) 9 INTONED in + tone + d 10 EXTRA TIME (Exit Mater)* 13 ALE a, l, e (initial letters) 14 NAN contained Indiana nunnery 15 MUSKETEER met + e’er round Usk 17 INITIAL 2 defs (first : letter of monogram) 19 HOGAN ho + nag (rev) 21 NAUTICAL MILES nautical + miles (Latin)
DOWN 1 GIGI GI + GI 2 STUD FARM Dust* + f + a + RM 3 GEMINI Ge + Mini (followed by Apollo series) 4 SWAN LAKE (Saw ankle)* 5 WHITE ENSIGN (the nine swig)* 6 LET 2 definitions 7 RED HERRINGS red + Herr + in + G&S 11 TINNITUS Titus round inn (ref Titus Andronicus) 12 EYE-RHYME “ I ” + rhyme (make verses) 16 SULTAN (stun LA)* 18 ICI contained medicine Imperial Chemical Industries 20 GOLD 2 definitions
ACROSS 5 DCI White hated being hustled to take great risks (4, 4, 5) 9 What Carmel O’Nolan has that Carolan lacks. Fruit ! (5) 10 Pithy saying (Wilde’s last), on policeman and force (7) 11 Old-fashioned chair warped in air-conditioning (7) 13 Newton, in casual garments, uncovers secret societies (5) 15 Charming, mischievous damsel finally dumps mum’s partner (5) 17 It’s no’ right trampling such fair blooms (7) 19 Royal House goes loopy on gold (7) 20 Poet, all of a dither, takes Kate’s steak (5) 21 Circle East getting cold - it’s hairraising (5-8) DOWN 1 Water, where no stallions are bought? (5, 3) 2 Constellation revealed by special wide area network (4) 3 Hadrian’s (large) heart has (little) spasm in the sea (8) 4 Constant noise of ‘workers’ in China (4) 6 Belly-ache has military chief taking look round inside (5) 7 From that time on Fort Henry sup ports the Northern Church (11) 8 Article about one in favour of protective clothing (5) 12 Gain used improperly in part of religious service (5, 3) 14 Omen about sailors seen in havenly body (4, 4) 16 Entertaining girl, no side to her at all, moulds smut and rust perhaps (5) 18 Guru goes South with French friend (5) 19 Insect made little sound (4) 20 Goddess of destruction invoked by ‘Chemical (element) Ali’ (4)
The Chambers Dictionary (2008) is recommended. Comments, questions, complaints etc can reach the compiler via the editors.
* = anagram of the preceding material (rev) = reverse the preceding material “ …. ” the word in the clue and the word in the answer are homophones
A bit about cryptic clues So far we’ve seen that cryptic clues were developed to avoid the uncertainty which may apply with the answers to simple definition clues. They do this by giving a definition of the answer plus extra information that supplies the solver with an internal crosscheck. We’ve also had a (very) brief look at some of the different types of cryptic clue composites, kebabs, anagrams, synonyms, contained clues, cryptic definitions. We will examine all of these more fully in the coming weeks, with plenty of examples. But before that we’ll need to look at quite a large number of miscellaneous items such as question marks, abbrevia-
tions, apostrophes; and at least one more clue type. This is what might be called the oral/ aural clue. Here the compiler, using an appropriate indicator, lets you know that a word in the non-definition part of the clue plays its part in providing the answer, (or some of it), by means of what they sound like. What they mean or how they are written may not matter. Indicators for this ploy include:- they say, reportedly, as broadcast, on the radio and many more along the same lines. Tailback reported in Botanical Gardens (3) (“queue”) KEW
Supermarket offer announces rude dismissal (1,1,1,1,1) (“bog off ”) BOGOF Little Eleanor heard the tolling of the bell (5) (“Nell”) KNELL Heroine said “go away” we hear. It could be lucky (9) (“heroin”, “shoo”) HORSESHOE Indicators (which must be provided) are in bold. Items to be taken “aurally” are in red.
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
holly jameson
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Discovery amongst mockery Lene Korseberg confronts the many prejudices against the art of poetry and informs readers how to approach it
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Language is inside every one of us and, more importantly, it is free. All you really need is a pen and some paper and you are good to go." But why is this? Unlike many of the more conventional hobbies out there, poetry does not require massive amounts of equipment or skill. If you want to learn how to play the guitar, you first have to buy an instrument, not to mention the time and energy you will have to spend on learning how to read notes, how to hold the instrument correctly and how to actually play.
The mousetrap King's Theatre Run ended
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gatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is celebrating its diamond anniversary by going on its first ever tour of the UK. Written in response to the royal request of Queen Mary in 1947, it has since become the world’s longest running play with more than 25,000 performances.
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The unknown killer left a note on the scene stating the lines of the children's tune “Three Blind Mice”, and the address of the guest house at which the guests are now starting to arrive." On the day that Mr and Mrs Ralston open their guest house, reports of a murder are announced on the radio. The unknown killer left a note on the scene stating the lines of the children’s tune “Three Blind Mice” and the address of the guest house at which the guests are now starting to arrive. Later that night, a woman is killed while the same tune is whistled by the murderer. Tension
However, with poetry you already have a head start: you are a speaker and writer of English. Language is inside every one of us and, and more importantly, it is free. All you really need is a pen and some paper and you are good to go. If that is not taken straight out of Student Personal Finance for Dummies, I don’t know what is.
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This article will not make the claim that everone will be excellent at writing."
This article will not make the claim that everyone will be excellent at writing poetry. Like any other art form, some will excel while the rest of us are left behind with some embarrassing lines of text scribbled down on a piece of paper. It will, however, argue that everyone has the ability to find pleasure in reading poetry. Stephen Fry once wrote that “talent is inborn but technique is learned”. How often do we hear stories of teachers asking their students to appreciate a poem, to ignore any reference to rhythm and form, and just express themselves? Just like that, without any guidance or help of any sort? rises as the last ‘mouse’ is singled out.
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With great performances and an impressive set, director Ian WattSmith's interpretation of this classic mystery is bound to impress wherever it travels." The plot of The Mousetrap is at first glance very simple; a group of people gathered in the guest house run by a young, inexperienced couple, cut off from civilisation by heavy snow, only to discover that a murder has been committed by one of the people in the house. However, as the play goes on the story becomes more complex as secrets and clues rise to the surface. When the dramatic twist, which is the trademark of a Christie story, is revealed towards the end, the audience finds themselves sitting with their hands covering their faces, on the brink of shouting “look behind you, look behind you!” as the murderer is revealed. With great performances and an impressive set, director Ian WattSmith’s interpretation of this classic mystery is bound to impress wherever it travels. The eight characters are all equally convincing, colourfully portrayed and true to the period in which the
For me, that is just absurd. Like with any other art form you will need some help along the way to appreciation, and luckily, there are people out there who have taken the time to do just that. In addition to the vast amount of guides you can find online, several books have been written on the subject, among others Stephen Fry’s The Ode Less Travelled and Writing Poems by Robert Wallace et al. In particular, the former is exceptionally good at making poetry less intimidating to the ordinary reader. What all these books and guides
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What all these books and guides have in common is a genuine wish to make poetry more accessible to the ordinary man." have in common is a genuine wish to make poetry more accessible to the ordinary man. Their aim is to encourage appreciation and joy over what is perhaps the most undervalued source of pleasure in today’s harsh and cold world: poetry. story is set. The dramatic plot stands in sharp and brilliant contrast to the humorous dialogue, which helps ease the tension and advance the story. In an age of alternative, provocative and controversial theatre it is nice, once in a while, just to sit back, relax and enjoy a traditional theatre production which aims to provide the audience with nothing but a fantastic plot and brilliant characters. Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap still has the ability to entertain, and hopefully future generations will be able to enjoy this fantastic murder mystery for another 60 years. Lene Korseberg
QUESTION TIME: Who dunnit?
learnersedgeinc.wordpress.com
hen you tell people that you read poetry or, even worse, write poetry, too often they give you a look that clearly shows they believe you to be an absolute weirdo. In a world where people are occupied with the strangest of hobbies, the ancient art of poetry is, by many, still looked at as being the embodiment of weirdness, eccentricity and bohemian pretentiousness.
hELEN MAYBANKS
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WHERE ART THOU: The Student's introductory guide to poetry
Office space Clarendon House 'til 15th Nov
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hree floors of Clarendon house on George Street were packed to the brim with visitors and ECA artists alike on a chilly November night this week, creating a lively atmosphere for the opening night of the exhibition that nicely reflected the energetic art present.
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The varying disciplines certainly gave a refreshingly wide range of style" Students from intermedia, sculpture, photography and painting all displayed their work and the varying disciplines certainly gave a refreshingly wide range of styles rarely seen together. Very simple sleek modernist sculptures would inhabit the same room as intricate architectural paintings, whilst mystical and mountainous panoramas would sit opposite brutally honest Jenny Saville-esque nude close ups. The exhibition space itself reflected and really emphasised the professionalism of many of the pieces, taking students work out of the much used (and abused) Sculpture Court at the college of art and putting them into the massive airy rooms of Clarendon House allowed viewers to contemplate the work as art first and foremost, and then as student’s work afterwards. This was especially
constructive for the video and installation pieces, some being given their own side rooms to allow total surround sound and mood lighting.
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Clarendon House's intended use as an office space was also well exploited." Clarendon House’s intended use as an office space was also well exploited by a number of pieces. One that drew a consistently large crowd had set up two televisions in a kitchenette that documented how to fold an origami crane out of Kit Kat wrappers – which could be taken out of the fridge. However by far the most popular interactive piece was Dylan Mccaughtry’s "Blue Eyes Never Made it to the Moon", a freestanding sculpture made of bicycle parts. These wheels could then be turned via a crank allowing suspended foam planes to ‘fly’; a captivating sight in particular for any children in the immediate area.
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The space itself reflected and really emphasised the professionalism of many of the pieces."
I would recommend this exhibition for any interested in the arts; whether it’s contemporary modernism, intricate illustrations or lighthearted interactive pieces that float your artistic boat. Peony Gent
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
Theatre buff? Review it!!
24 Culture Star Rating
The Boss's desk Senator 6000 Office Chair Water Cooler Newton's CradleBroken stapler
Is paradise actually lost?
ROYGBIV
This week's cultural spectrum.
Eva O'Connor explores the uncharted desert island of art in the collaborative Galapagos exhibition
which I knew only from glossy travel magazines. I left feeling dissatisfied and just as poorly informed as when I arrived. Despite its best intentions, the exhibition lacked the sparkle and the magic I was expecting from such an exotic theme.
galapagos Fruitmarket Gallery 'til 13 Jan
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ver five years, 12 artists visited the Galapagos islands (the site which inspired Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking theory of evolution) and created film footage, drawings, photographs, sculptures, sounds and imaginings to reflect their experiences there. The aim of the project was to highlight important issues such as the rapidly growing tourism industry, the precarious ecosystem and rising population of the islands through the medium of contemporary art. The result is Galapagos, an exhibition showing from November to January at the Fruitmarket Gallery. Sadly what could have been a very exciting, enlightening project failed to really communicate. All 12 contributing artists are well respected and established in the art industry and it was clear they each had much to convey about their time on the stunning islands. There were some beautiful photographs of unspoilt beaches, mesmerising
bring up the bodies HILARY MANTEL Forth Esatae 2012
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he highly anticipated sequel to Mantel’s Wolf Hall succeeds in satisfying our appetite for Tudor intrigue. Picking up where the prequel left off, she succeeds in manipulating the voice of Thomas Cromwell to echo the political, social and religious context of the time. Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012, the novel marks Hilary Mantel's triumph as the first woman and Briton to win the esteemed prize twice. Mantel has now
www.FRUITMARKET.co.UK
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I attended intrigued to learn more about the famous paradise island
There were a few redeeming gems on display, such as an intriguing sound exhibition comprised of a wooden table-like structure which you can lie upon and feel the vibrations through your body. My favourite piece was a stuffed badger curled unassumingly in a corner of the gallery. His presence was so subtle it wasn’t clear whether he was an official Galapagos exhibition item or had just wandered in off the street, lay down and died. Perhaps he was an art loving badger and it was his disappointment at the obscurity of the exhibition that killed him.
Henry, whose lack of sons is starting to plant the seeds of self-doubt about his current wife, the famed Anne Boleyn. In direct relief to phantasmic Tudor novels like Phillipa Gregory’s, Mantel's Bring up the Bodies is delightfully well written and far more historically accurate. We are presented with the image of Henry VIII as the insecure, formidable and portly figure, crippled by insecurity while Cromwell steers the course of the monarchy with steadfast calculation. The nuances of politics and ambition are beautifully depicted through the prism of Cromwell’s perspective and the tone of the novel is that of a slow and encroaching journey towards an inevitable end – a gruesome conclusion we
are already familiar with. Anne Boleyn at the decline of her triumph; desperate, anxious and painfully aware of her own shortcomings, cries to the king, “Stay, stay my lord, I will soon give you another child, and all the quicker now Katherine is dead,” to which the king replies, “I do not see how that will speed the business.” This foreshadowing of the events to come allows Mantel to further develop Cromwell as the anti-hero who we were first introduced to in Wolf Hall, the ultimate politician who is slave to a fickle king and whose brief moments of clarity and consciousness offer us insight into a tumultuous time. Flora Hackett
LOST AT SEA: A man and his seal look out into the vast unknown prints on acetate and a particularly disturbing video of bloody, heated cockfighting. However the exhibition lacked context. Had there been a little more background information on the islands and how the artist engaged with their surroundings, perhaps the exhibition would have had more depth. firmly established herself as one of the greats, not only of historical fiction, but modern prose.
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The nuances of politics and ambition are beautifully depicted." The novel opens at Wolf Hall, the home of young Jane Seymour, who is described as, “A plain young woman with a silvery pallor, a habit of silence, and a trick of looking at men as if they represent an unpleasant surprise.” Cromwell notes that she is attractive to an aging King
Despite its best intentions, the exhibition lacked the sparkle and the magic I was expecting from such an exotic theme"
Had there been a little more background the exhibition would have had more depth "
THE POETRY DOCTOR with Isabella Flanders
This week: Ultimate frisbee, 'Sporty People' and the joy of movement
It’s no surprise that when you start waxing lyrical about your ultimate frisbee skills, you become the conversational spoilsport. You have joined the ranks of vegetarians, Christians and mathematicians; people who make everyone else feel slightly guilty and inadequate. Wendy Cope sums up how it is to be friends with someone like you in “Sporty People”. On
discovering her new friend is a tennis player, she says with confusion, “I took her for my kind of person”. But take heart: Cope comes to realise that “sporty people can be OK” and hopefully your friends will realise the same. The key is to exercise tact when talking about your many active pursuits. If you get it right, you shouldn’t make people feel inadequate. After all, what is a love of sport if not a love of movement, and everyone moves. Movement is an art, perhaps even one that people can identify with more than poetry. Or so believes Walt Whitman in “I Sing the Body Electric” (Section 2). He talks about the beauty of physicality, both in in athletics and ordinary life: “The natural, perfect, varied attitudes, the bent head, the curv’d neck
and the counting;/ Such- like I love.” Like Whitman, try to talk about sport in a way that makes it seem more joyful than painful to the lazy listener. Instead of describing your training regime, tap into what makes your chosen sport so addictive; why it makes your eyes bright and your heart pound just thinking about it. Your friends will find to their surprise that they are actually interested in why you get physical. In short, match your agility on the pitch with some dexterity in the conversation, and nobody will judge you unfit. Got a problem? We can cure you! All problems will be treated confidentially. And ever so seriously. Email us at poetrydoctor.studentnewspaper@gmail. com.
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Madeleine Ash
Look oot for... 13 Nov is Robert Louis Stevenson Day. Get involved in the series of events and Stevenson inspired shenanigans popping up across the city and online. The classic Broadway musical 42nd Street, coming to the Edinburgh Playhouse from 6 to 10 November with some toe tapping numbers such as “Lullaby of Broadway” and the title tune “42nd Street”. Alasdair Drennan
Dear Poetry Doctor, I love to exercise regularly, but I am worried that I’m alienating my friends with my enthusiasm. Fitness has become important to me in recent years, I have gone from occasional kitchen-to-sofa walks all the way up to all out jogging, rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, you name it. Will it ever be possible to talk about my interests without coming across as a complete tosser?
Fatal Attraction ights, reconciliations, threats of being financially cut off, cooperation in the face of adversity but momentous disagreements with the other party; yes, the relationship between the arts and politics is very similar to a tempestuous marriage. Each party must tread a tightrope of mutual reliance, and often, mutual annoyance. What led to these musings? Well, as I strolled home on Tuesday night, the usual calm of Edinburgh was interrupted by the chants of a pro-Palestine group objecting to Israeli dance company Batsheva Ensemble’s two evening run at the Festival Theatre. A repeat performance of events at the fringe where their show was brought to a complete halt up to four times a performance by protesters in the theatre itself – the argument being the company is an ambassador for Israel and all its politics. This, of course, could be debated forever. Even though the content of the performance doesn’t push an Israeli agenda, does its presence do so implicitly? I don’t intend to attempt to answer this, but for me it raised the question of how culture is used as a tool of politics, for example the use of the Bolshoi Ballet to demonstrate Soviet cultural supremacy during the Cold War. At times the arts might be held up as a shining example of a country’s accomplishments, and be happy to be for financial reasons or otherwise, but this is a complicated relationship that cuts both ways. The arts have also been used to comment on, and criticise, politics and society. They are a means of communication with a mass audience through which a piece can influence their views and apply pressure to existing ideas, rules and regimes. Only earlier this week a Ugandan play titled State of the Nation experienced an abrupt end to its run due to its criticism of the government. The arts remain constant in their use as a form of diplomacy and forum of debate. We can expect the arts to continue to challenge the norm’ and push for change against accepted ideas, whilst simultaneously they will be used as international ambassadors for their country. A complex and volatile relationship, it’s hard to see the marriage breaking down, but the ebb and flow of argument, the periods of agreement and disagreement, will continue with interesting results.
Spectators at Bedlam Theatre, a piece of new writing from the student theatre company.
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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Culture 25 The artist man and the mother woman
Overcoming Optimism and when a tree falls
Traverse Theatre 'til 17 Nov
Ingleby Gallery 'til 26 Jan and 22 Dec
M
orna Pearson began her career in the Traverse Young Writers Group and is now one of Scotland’s most distinctive playwrights. Her latest piece, The Artist Man and the Mother Woman, is written in lurid Scottish Doric, which kept me perched on the edge of my seat, enjoying every lilting, poetic word. The warped content of the play isn’t remotely as palatable as the melodic Scottish dialect, however.
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nuno japanese textiles Dovecot Studios 'til 24 Nov
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ut together by Nuno’s Artistic Directior, Reiko Sudo, the Nuno Japanese Textiles exhibition features an eclectic mix of Nuno’s designs ranging from fabrics weaved from a riot of colours to textiles that mimic and evoke
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The cast gave a stellar performance; Annie Lacey in particular gave everything to her demanding role as Edie."
Miller is both an artist and a writer, and Overcoming Optimism is a wonderful expression of both his talents. Harman’s works are fewer and smaller, although no less interesting. “1 Pixel Portraits” is a series of five square, glossy planes of colour, each exactly one pixel of a digital photograph. These extreme reductions of subject matter question the idea of portraiture as an art form and of what the artist chooses to represent.
“Forever” is the only sculpture in the exhibition, a two-sided mirror in a hand-carved frame suspended from the ceiling. Harman explained that he “had never looked at a mirror before. The reflection, yes. But not the actual mirror. The silver oxide blew my mind.” This sculpture is constantly changing, drawing the viewer, gallery and street outside into the work through reflection and making them part of it. Keara Cornell
It tells the disturbing story of Geoffrey, a sheltered thirty year old man who has been kept under the thumb of his deadpan, psychotic mother Edie since birth. Edie’s parenting style is nothing short of perverted. She takes a shockingly practical approach to teaching her adult son the birds and the bees. “How aboot I jist show you…”she muses. When Geoffrey is finally deemed old enough to purchase his own Ribe-
The cast gave a stellar performance; Anne Lacey in particular gave everything to her demanding role as Edie and looked positively drained by the time it came to bow. Orla O’Loughlin’s direction was focused and insightful, maximising the play’s brilliant comic moments to provide much needed light relief. The dynamic set which alternated from an old fashioned country kitchen to the interior of a Sainsbury’s store was simple yet oddly haunting, it perfectly captured the claustrophobic nature of Edie and Geoffrey’s lives. Ending on a tragic note, we are left in no doubt of Pearson’s ability to cram numerous shocking events effortlessly into a short time span without a hint of heavy handedness. The Artist Man and the Mother Woman was was one of the most concise, well-crafted pieces at the Traverse for months, and a great boost for new writing. Eva O'Connor
the serenity of a Japanese rice field. The elegantly minimalist exhibition provides a wonderful platform for the designs of Nuno. The exhibition is composed mainly of mixed media textile art, featuring a variety of materials from across Japan. Delicate mino washi paper, made by young paper maker Satoshi Hasegawa, is weaved onto cotton to create a breath taking fabric snowstorm. Beautifully speckled fabrics are made using iron rust and mercury. The exhibition showcases a range of techniques, a charming
meet of modernity and tradition. Wonderfully quirky pieces, that capture the bold eccentricity sometimes associated with Japanese culture, are put together by weaving goose and hen feathers into the fabric. The traditional art of Japanese patchwork is used to piece together scrap materials to create mosaic pieces. Perhaps most striking was the Orinuno, the fabric created by combining the traditional art of origami and fabrics. The fabrics are folded, pressed and heat cut into beautifully intricate
designs, reminiscent of impossibly delicate paper snowflakes. The exhibition is as much a showcase of Nuno’s designs as it is Japanese culture. Japanese culture heavily features in Nuno’s designs. Intricate lace patterns are created from the motif of the kinugasa mushroom. Fabrics are cut into beautiful floral patterns based on the shape of the Japanese cookie, soba boro. Delicate tsuruoka silk is waved onto fabric as a tribute to the Yamagata landscape and brings to mind a Japa-
nese rice field. The exhibition is delightfully structured as the pieces are organised based on the techniques used for each artwork. It is pleasantly interactive as well as viewers are allowed to touch a sample of the fabrics exhibited, allowing us to have a better understanding of the fabrics used in each piece. The Nuno Japanese Textiles exhibition is a beautiful showcase of delicate Japanese textile art that gives us a tantalising taste of Japanese culture. Andrea Yew
Kevin harman at Ingleby gallery
he Ingleby Gallery’s newest exhibition features the work of two very different artists whose ideas, when placed side by side, have an unexpected harmony. The gallery’s bare white walls and large, open plan space is the perfect setting for these colourful and visually stimulating works. Harland Miller’s Overcoming Optimism is spread over the first floor gallery and the entry space, and Kevin Harman’s When a Tree Falls is nestled into Gallery II, just off the entry hall. Walking in, you are immediately struck by the scale of Miller’s works; these one and a half to two metre tall canvases dominate the walls with their witty and though-provoking titles. Although each of these paintings have different layouts and colour schemes, they all take their structure and shape from Penguin paperbacks. The precise lettering of the titles and clear blocks of colour painted with wide brushstrokes draw the eye to the centre of the canvas, while the outer edges drip with paint, smudges and resemble (strikingly realistically) the worn and peeling pages of a well-loved book. Titles include “Incurable Romantic Seeks Dirty Filthy Whore” and “Born to Get it in the Tits”. “Every Single Day Though?” evoke layers of reactions in the viewer, from the initial humour to deeper ideas of social commentary.
na he develops a crush on a quick-witted young Sainsbury’s shop assistant. What begins as an innocent friendship quickly turns to unrequited love. Jealous Edie takes matters into her own hands, and there are soon reports of a vicious murder in the town.
MIRROR, MIRROR: Harman invites us to take a good look at ourselves
“
The script is written in lurid Scottish Doric, which kept me perched on the edge of my seat, enjoying every lilting, poetic word."
COMMISSION #9: Catherine Hobbs Catherine Hobbs is a fifth year painting student at ECA. Her work considers the notion of ‘being a visitor’ and what this means for one’s relation to a place, an image or even to one’s own memory. To visit is to be transitory, to exist in a state of impermanence. To remember is to grasp the intangible. Creating an oscillation between proximity and distance between the viewer and image attempts to echo the encounter with the memory image: the single distorted image which has superseded all other possibilities. Considering the photograph as both a prompt and barrier to the memory image, she seeks to explore instant and incidence within the context of photographic preservation.
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
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Halloween with Mr Alice
CrispyCAT RECORDINGS
Stuart Iversen is blown away by Alice Cooper's pyrotechnic performance at Usher Hall on Halloween night
ALICE COOPER: Still the Prince of Darkness ou know all those bands that are Y famed for their fantastic live shows? Whether it be Lady Gaga or Rammstein
the badly kept secret is that they all have something in common. In some shape or form, every single one of them was influenced by Vincent Damon Furnier, or as he is better known Alice Cooper. His influence on the theatrical side of rock and roll cannot be underestimated and therefore an opportunity to see him on Halloween, or any day of the year really, is not one that can be missed. Starting this fantastic bill however was another man who can lay claim to near legendary status: Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) and his band Loaded. Obviously they are no Guns N’ Roses but they do provide a good solid half an hour set of rock and roll. It’s clear that McKagan was the most punk member
Singles
OF MONSTERS AND MEN Mountain Sound UMG
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elling the anecdotal romantic tale of two people fleeing, this single can only be described as onomatopoeic. For the tune sounds like running, and not a sort of trickling run, but a run with all the stealth of a power-shower. The second single to come from their album My Head is an Animal, is just as brilliantly dumbfounding as the first. Of Monsters and Men appear to have quite a unique ability to shape the words of English better than most na-
of Guns and judging by songs like “Sleaze Factory”, which he introduces as a song about “doing something beginning with an f that involves being horizontal” after seeing a kid sitting on his dad's shoulders in the crowd, he still has it. The closing duo of Misfits cover “Attitude” and Gun’s song “It’s So Easy” has everyone on McKagan's side and while he may not have the flair of Slash or Axl, he certainly has the respect. Up next is Ugly Kid Joe, who are so nineties that for a minute you almost want to turn your baseball cap back to front, pull on your baggy jeans and try and convince everyone that Limp Bizkit really are a good idea. Despite all that they provide a set that can’t fail to raise smiles with “Cats in the Cradle” and “Everything About You” getting everyone singing along. Lead singer
Whitfield Crane hasn’t lost a step and judging by this, Ugly Kid Joe’s reformation could lead to them being bigger than they ever were first time round. All of this is just a prelude to the main event though. As the curtain drops Crane and Mckagan are forgotten to the majesty of an Alice Cooper show. There is pyro, snakes, costumes and in the middle of it all Cooper conducting like a demented ringmaster. Oh and songs, so many songs. From “House of Fire” through to new tracks like “Bite Your Face Off ” you're reminded just how long this man has been on the go and just how good he is. Hit after hit is thrown at you all backed up by his band who are as tight as any band on the planet, and have some incredibly well synchronised stage moves. They may not be the original band but they
know their roles well, while Orianthi Panagaris becomes the latest woman to show that the age old idea that women and the world of rock and metal don’t mix really is rubbish. Highlights throughout the set are hard to pick. From the thunderous opening of “House on Fire”, which has everyone singing along at the top of their voice, or “Feed My Frankenstein”, which sees Alice shuffling off his mortal coil, this time through electrocution, to be replaced by a rather large Frankenstein, it’s all fantastic. A touching moment comes when Cooper pays tribute to those whose deaths have been all so real with a selection of covers starting with The Doors's “Break on Through” and going through The Beatles's “Revolution”, Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and The Who’s “My
Generation” while the names of Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon are inscribed on giant tombstones behind him. It’s easy to forget that Alice Cooper the man would have known nearly all of these men and many others who haven’t managed to last as long as him and the choice of “My Generation” to finish off this tribute really is fitting. The encore of “School’s Out” is as loud and fantastic as you’d expect and as the claps fade you can’t help feeling you’ve just seen something near perfect. This is a show that has been tuned to brilliance over forty odd years of tours and the fact that it still feels fresh and exciting today is a testament to just how brilliant he is.
tive English speakers could (despite the slight misuse of the phrase ‘hold your horses’- yet that only adds to the whole charm of the song). Even if Arthur’s Seat was volcanic and we all sported the Lopapeysa jumper, we’d have nothing on their far-from dormant folk scene. And this is evidence that Of Monsters and Men are still proving themselves to be the latest chapter in the extensive book of what Iceland does better than us. Elsie Ward
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so forgettable that it’s not even worth bothering to avoid it. Anna Feintuck
are added. This reinforces the initial subtle echoes but yields a disappointing instrumental. This is perhaps due to this part's lack of harmonies, which seems to be the song's most powerful aspect. A key change and addition of Metronomysounding synths bring a fresh bridge, however overall it stays similar. But this is not a weakness. When harmonies and synth melodies return to complete the echoes, it seems they are never repetitive or overdramatized. Much like The XX, the song could be viewed as quite flat, but in both cases, this is not negative. The subtle repetition produces a relaxing track which will suit many moods. Courtney Paynter
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM Here Comes My Man MERCURY RECORDS
hose hoping for a Pixies-esque stomp, inspired by the name, will be sorely disappointed by New Jersey rockers the Gaslight Anthem’s latest offering. It’d be easy to list what’s awful about this song, but for the sake of being charitable, let’s say that the introduction – before Brian Fallon’s hackneyed wannabe southern rocker drawl kicks in – is actually pretty much bearable. For what it’s worth, though, toe-curlingly bad lyrics, the least subtle sha-lalas you’ll ever hear, and a quite frankly obnoxious beat all combine to make a whole that’s desperate to be a piece of classic American rock. Unfortunately, anthemic it is not. Closer to Chad Kroeger than Bruce Springsteen, “Here Comes My Man” is
THE TEMPER TRAP Miracle COLUMBIA
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his track begins on mysterious echoes, soft electro sounds, and a distinctive effortless voice. At first this yielded an expectation of a more acoustic piece. The addition of a low dubbed beat alongside bass layers which thicken the melody, changed this expectation. A subtle crescendo begins as layers of instruments and harmonies
Tuesday November 6 2012 Follow us on twitter @EdStudentMusic or on Facebook at facebook.com/TheStudentNewspaper music@studentnewspaper.org studentnewspaper.org
Music 27
Star Rating School's OutLong WeekendHalf Day Free PeriodDetention
Twin Atlantic HMV PICTUREHOUSE 30/10/2012
sell-out venue in their homeland IwithnofaScotland along with an audience more bounce and enthusiasm
than an orgasmic kangaroo, Twin Atlantic were on fire. In fact, if the lyrics of their album titling song “Free” were anything to go by – “I set my body on fire so I could be free” – they were quite literally just that. The band had the crowd whipped
up into a frenzy at just their appearance, greeted by the sharp chants of “Here we, here we, here we fucking go!” which eventually turned into the more appropriate “Twin, Twin, Twin At-fucking-lantic” on repeat until musical chords recoiled around the room. The riffs of highlight “Eight Days” roared through the crowd along with the curiously attractive and distinctive Glaswegian drawl belonging to lead vocalist Sam McTrusty. McTrusty soon stepped aside to allow the audience to sing his own lyrics back to him: “Eight days waiting to hear you say nothing really matters at all” sung
in perfect time. So perfect, it seemed the audience had been practicing their Scottish accents; unfortunately, they still sounded more like intoxicated southerners impersonating a drunken Scotsman. At least they tried. The power behind their performance is something to be admired. “Apocalyptic Renegade” bursted with life and sound to match the ‘apocalyptic’ title. Perfectly paced and controlled, the soul behind it sealed it as a highlight in addition to “We Want Better, Man” and the slower paced “Crash Land”. They managed a long set of over
90 minutes without faltering, incorporating all of the hits from their breakthrough album Free in addition to their previous efforts. It must be said however, that the audience they attracted was less enjoyable. The array of pre-teens and adolescents more concerned with moshing and attracting the attention of McTrusty through high-pitched screaming could have easily been done without. Having supported Blink 182 on the UK leg of their tour this summer, their practice and growing fame appears to have given them the confidence boost
they needed for that extra edge and attitude on stage. Their performance was flawless, note and pitch perfect – even when being disorientated by giant balloons bouncing around the crowd during their finale. In a venue suited to both their style and performance with powerful tunes that you can’t help but sing along to, Twin Atlantic gave the crowd exactly what they came for and exceeded expectations. But quite who threw a pair of pants on stage will remain a mystery. Kate Walker
BEN HOWARD BURGH ISLAND EP ISLAND RECORDS
TWIN ATLANTIC PR
en Howard has completely blown B the minds of many with his soft guitar playing, melodic voice and beau-
TWIN ATLANTIC: Chilling out on their way to the top.
Cee Lo Green CEE LO'S MAGIC MOMENT
rom the outset of this album, the first F Christmas release by soul singer Cee Lo Green, you quickly discern that this
is not the work of the subversive, Gnarls Barkley member who two years ago hit the jackpot with a profanity-laden track. Instead this is the work of the pop savvy, The Voice USA judge Cee Lo Green attempting to corner the Christmas market off the back of his appearances on the show. Whilst this is initially somewhat a shame (after all who wouldn’t like to hear what a Danger Mouse produced Christmas album sounds like?) Green’s energy, coupled with the occasional mad moment, enables him to create an infectious and often entertaining spin on the holiday album. History has shown Green to be particularly adept at covering other people’s songs, as his stunning versions of “Reckoner” by Radioead and “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Band of Horses attest to. However, here his conversion rate becomes a little patchy. The world simply does not need another version of “White Christmas” or “Silent Night”, especially when Green provides only fairly straight, slightly belted-out performances of these tracks. The album is being released in conjunction with a recorded holiday special, due to be aired at the end of the month, and such fa-
tiful lyrics. He has grown exponentially popular over the last year, and now as he tours all over the world, the number of fans continue to grow. His much awaited new EP was released on the 31st of October. Burgh Island contrasts with the livelier tracks from his previous album Every Kingdom, as dark and ominous sounds permeate throughout; however, it is still equally as beautiful, if not more. “Esmerelda”, a dark and emotive song with beautiful pacing flows onto a catchy, traditional Howard guitar riff titled “Oats in The Water”, then onto the dark and atmospheric “To Be Alone” and finishing with the soft and soothing “Burgh Island”. Ben Howard still continues to amaze and leave his listeners in peaceful awe. He consistently provides the opportunity to fall so easily and helplessly in love with him and his music. Kate Walker
mous hits will no doubt work better as part of a wider festive set but they just sound uninspired on record. Ironically then it is the only original song on the album that provides one of its best moments. “All I Need Is Love” sees Green collaborating with none other than The Muppets on a track based around a sample of their famous song “������������������������������� �������������������������������� Mahna Mahna�������������������� ”������������������� . It is a mad four minutes, involving all your favourite Muppets characters and a bizarre halfrapped verse from Pepe the King Prawn. And whatever you feel about the music, it is surely redeemed by Statler and Waldorf ’s pun on Green’s name at the end. The album’s most memorable and impressive moment is undoubtedly Green’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River”. Whilst the song briefly references the holiday season, it is not ostensibly a Christmas song so its presence on the record is unexpected. Yet Green performs a very faithful adaptation that matches the understated power of Mitchell’s mournful tones. After the schmaltz of the nauseating “All I Want for Christmas” this restrained, melancholic oddity is more than welcome and suggests Green will always be at his best at his most weird. Either way this is a fun record from a talented singer and stands to be far better than the majority of the Christmas fare served up this holiday season. Jack Skelton
MADNESS
OUI OUI SI SI JA JA DA DA LUCKY 7 RECORDS
adness, one of the few groups M genuinely worthy of the title ‘a British institution’, return with their
tenth album, the ridiculously titled Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da. It’s their first album for three years and hardcore fans will be wondering whether, nearly 35 years after they formed, they are still capable of releasing a collection of tracks that stands up to their earlier work.
“
Classic Madness, a bouncy record full to the brim with hooks humour and tunes to dance to.," Oui Oui Si Si… is in many ways classic Madness, a bouncy record full to the brim with hooks, humour and tunes to dance to: “My Girl 2” is a skanking sequel to a track from their 1979 debut and is probably the catchiest thing since the flu, the whirling organ almost dancing with the bass line; “Misery” is worth a listen purely for Suggs and the gang crooning the line “why don’t you go and suck on a silver spoon?”; and although “How Can I Tell You” begins life as a rather non-descript tune with nonchalant sax and offbeat guitar quips, it soon
erupts into a classic piece of ska, the horn hook providing one of the finest musical feel-good moments of the year. Unfortunately at times Madness do
“
The nostalgia isn't done without their trademark sense of humour" descends into nostalgia, both musically and lyrically. “Never Knew Your Name” is a dalliance with disco that dwells on the girl that got away, and “Death of a Rude Boy” shows more than a tip of the bowler-hat to The Specials’ classic “Ghost Town”. The album also suffers from the occasional moment of mediocrity. With the exception of the aforementioned highlights, the majority of the songs are all quite similar in mood and tempo, which is disappointing for an album that’s only around 45 minutes long. However, the nostalgia isn’t done without their trademark sense of humour and a touch of irony, making the overall sense of familiarity less wearisome. Oui Oui Si Si… won’t win any album of the year awards and in all honesty it probably doesn’t deserve to; it is however amongst the most fun and will leave your soul saying ‘YES! YES!’ in multiple languages. Kieran Johnson
SPECTOR
FRIDAY NIGHT ISLAND RECORDS
resh on the music scene after havF ing appeared on Later … with Jools Holland last November and having
supported Florence and the Machine this March, London 5-piece Spector bear an uncanny resemblance to the Killers on this synth-infused single. Lead-singer Frederick Macpherson’s belting voice blends rather well with the repetitive bass and guitar that this single has to offer in abundance.
“
A brief reminder of what good music used to be like" There’s an 80’s vibe to the sound, probably partly induced by Macpherson’s dandy Elvis-Costello-like hornrimmed glasses, which is pleasant to the ear, and bears a brief reminder of what good music used to be like before the arrival of the likes of Nicki Minaj. “Friday Night (Don’t Ever Let It End)” is one of those songs which, whilst not being groundbreaking, will definitely have a permanent spot on the radio for weeks to come and will probably be stuck in your head for the next few days. Laura Cain
Tuesday November 6 2012 studentnewspaper.org
JOANNA LISOWIEC
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Why hasn’t religion been exorcised yet?
Melissa Lawford explores the use of cult and religion in film to play on the paradox of appeal and repulsion
ult and religion are themes that C are rarely heart warming or cuddly when they feature in film. They draw
on the fear of the unknown to create a paradox of appeal and repulsion: a viewer understands the compulsion of an overwhelming purpose but fears the rigidity and ritual of institution. Consequently, exploration of faith and following generally emerges nestled in the genre of the horror film.
Perhaps the most notable example of this is The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin. This film follows the story of possessed Regan MacNeil and the priests who must exorcise her. Although the special effects might not be quite up to 21st century standards, the film is visually horrifying. Scenes of a transgressive violation of childhood innocence continue to shock audiences into the present day. Yet what is most chilling about The Exorcist is the idea that the Catholic priests understand possession: there is an institution that can communicate with demons. This concept becomes fascinating because it seems to legitimise the demonic world and it is
Rust and bone Directed by JAques audiard fter the sweeping success of The A Intouchables, another French film with a differently abled character ar-
rives on the British shores. Inspired by a collection of short stories by Craig Davidson, Rust and Bone follows the lives of Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, and Ali, a single father who moves in with his sister in Antibes, a seaside town in the south of France.
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What makes this a truly unique film is its characters, miles away from the Hollywood paper thin types" It is clear from the beginning that both characters are damaged and have to live with their pain and mistakes, but things become more complicated when Stephanie loses her legs in an accident,
telegraph.co.uk
“
It should be noted that subject matter that deals with such serious concepts as religion can always surface as a point of hilarity"
COME IN AND JOIN US... : Philip Seymour Hoffman invites us to take a drink of the Kool Aid of cult brought closer into the viewer’s living room. This idea is further explored in John Moore’s 2006 The Omen. Here, an American diplomat follows the advice of a Catholic priest, after his newborn son dies, to secretly adopt an orphaned child without telling his wife. The sinister events as the child grows up and it becomes clear that he is not truly human are continually associated with the gothic setting of the ancient establishment of the church. The idea of the historical plays with the concept of some pre-planned inevitability. Religion seems to be presented as a method
of communication with ultimate fate, and it serves to demonstrate human ineffectualness. These films focus on the ominous nature of institutions and unknown evil to terrify the viewer, but cult and religion also exist in films as vehicles of mystery. The Da Vinci Code (2006), directed by Ron Howard, uses the enigmatic aura associated with the church to create a tantalising conspiracy theory. The film has universal appeal, and was the fifth highest grossing film of 2006, because it plays on the idea that we do not fully understand the governing body
that is the church. The audience wants to be carried away by The Da Vinci Code because this lack of comprehension means that trust in religion is perpetually on hiatus and an alternative theory is the ultimate desirable. The Master (2012), written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, works particularly with this search for meaning. It follows the story of Freddie Quell, a war veteran struggling with post traumatic stress disorder, as he meets Lancaster Dodd. Dodd is the charismatic leader of ‘The Cause’ movement, in which Quell finds a source of stability.
and Ali starts taking part in illegal fights. Rarely does one get to see such an original, moving story. It is not only that the events narrated in Rust and Bone are new to the screen. What makes this a truly unique film is its characters, miles away from the standard Hollywood paper-thin types and complex like only real people can be. Ali and Stephanie are superbly brought to life by Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts and “the most American French actress” Marion Cotillard. The rough masculinity of the former, whose Ali seems simply unable to be embarrassed by anything, is subtly counterbalanced by gorgeous Cotillard’s silent determination. At times Rust and Bone is very slow. Every now and then, the characters are somehow contrived, and occasionally they appear only precariously balanced, as if only one at a time can truly shine. However, this is a movie that is bound to be remembered, one for which Cotillard might well win her second academy award. Jacques Audiard directs a film that touches something deep inside. It assures us that we all carry a burden, but
we’ll be fine. And so will diamonds in the rough Stephanie and Ali. Their roughness is emphasised by some outstanding photography, which contrasts the soothing scenes of the killer whales swimming to Stephanie’s choreography with Ali’s fights, all spit and blood and gravel.
Silent hill:revelation
“
Jaques Audiard directs a film that touches something deep inside. It assumes we all carry a burden." Rust and Bone is one of those films that calls for some sweeping generalisation and makes one wish that fewer Hollywood movies were made, and more movies like this one were.
Claudia Marinaro
All films were reviewed at cineworld
Directed by Michael J. bassett
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lfred Hitchcock told us that there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. Silent Hill: Revelation provided no anticipation, only bangs, and singularly uncreative ones at that. Michael J. Bassett needs to learn that strong horror is analogous to striptease: revealing too much is just as damaging as revealing too little. The object of the audience’s fear must remain in the elusive middle ground of the vague, the ill-defined. Without this, the tension peaks early, and at this point it becomes an action movie. This flaw is compounded by the sterility and drabness of its execution. The facially immobile and chronically unlikable Heather (/Alessa/Sharon – it’s weird), played by Adelaide Clemens, and her adoptive father (Sean Bean) are on the run, plagued both by a demonic world of unimaginative horror motifs and terrible social skills. Little girls, clowns, carnivals, mannequins, a mental asylum and the sickeningly predictable
Yet Freddie begins to doubt the truth of the movement as it seems to be defined only by Dodd’s dictation. The theme of cult is therefore used to demonstrate a manifestation of the universal desire for purpose and to represent how man’s desperate need to understand can escalate out of control. A point of controversy with The Master is the parallels that can be drawn between ‘The Cause’ and the Scientology movement. A distinct physical resemblance can be seen between Dodd and the Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, for example. Anderson has stated decisively, however, of The Master, “It’s not the L. Ron Hubbard story,” arguing that it is psychological rather than historical. Scientology itself is frequently mocked by the media – perhaps because Tom Cruise is such a famous forerunner – and it should be noted that subject matter dealing with such serious concepts can always surface as a point of hilarity. Four Lions, for example, directed by Christopher Morris, tells the story of a group of British Muslims who aspire to be suicide bombers. The film is brilliant in its efforts to be farcically politically incorrect. It is an exposition of blind faith without understanding that demonstrates neatly how comfortably the themes of cult and religion can dance around in the genre of comedy. It seems that, however un-cuddly, cult and religion would be the chocolate and golden syrup if any film script were a widely loved cake. unreliability of lightbulbs all feature in depressing abundance. The villainy is perpetrated by an embarrassingly generic evil cult confined to Silent Hill by a vengeful demon that is only tangentially connected with the protagonist. This abstract metaphysical battle is resolved in one of the most criminally unsatisfying endings in history. A forty second fight scene between two hitherto irrelevant characters punctuates an unconvincing stream of mawkish cliches. This would have been more disappointing as a climax if the film had afforded any sort of personal investment. That a plotline as tortured as this should progress in such a startlingly linear fashion is ironic, given that the video games on which the films were based were famed for their complexity and meandering trajectory. A generation of teenagers spent many hours hunched at computer screens, wandering identical foggy streets, searching for the one location that could advance the game. This medium accommodates a plot completely devoid of ethical sophistication, which is exposed as starkly inadequate in the context of the feature film format.
Lewis McLellan and Lucy Grundon
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Film 29
Star Rating Jedi Pastafarianism The Student Mormonism Scientology
fun size Directed by Josh Schwartz ver wondered what would happen E if Mean Girls and Home Alone were to merge into their own made-for-TV-
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This cringe inducing mess of a film is not aided by the flat performances or the attention deficient direction." This is the context in which Fun Size attempts to combine snarky jokes about the social hierarchy of American high schools with the adventures of a
ome things never change. AlS though Skyfall is the first Bond film to be directed by an Oscar
vulture.com
movie? Make a wrong turn on your way to see Skyfall and you’ll find out –the hard way. In Nickelodeon’s Fun Size Wren Desantis’s (Victoria Justice) Halloween plans quickly go astray when she loses her eight year old brother, Albert ( Jackson Nicoll), who she’s meant to babysit while her mum parties with her 25 year old boyfriend. She and her popularity obsessed friend, April ( Jane Levy), have no choice but to team up with losers Roosevelt (Thomas Mann) and Peng (Osric Chau) in the search for Albert.
NOT SO FUN SIZE: The cast make a quick getaway after a terrible audience reaction at the film's premiere diligent little adult, in a poor effort to expand its underage target audience. While the reasons behind this choice may be obvious, it’s hard to envisage whom the awkward, unbalanced result may actually appeal to. The film includes paedophile puns, a foul mouthed trick-or-treater, and a very questionable scene of breast fondling but hesitates to call the Halloween bunnies in short skirts sluts, opting for sexy lest it should lose its 12+ rating. This cringe inducing mess is not
aided by the flat performances or the attention deficient direction. Victoria Justice is at pains to convince us that she is a geek but in the end just settles with being inexpressive. April’s nasal complaints, bubbly exclamations and (not so) witty harshness manage to summarise all the reasons why one could possibly hate Americans. The comic weight presumably rests on the shoulders of wandering Albert whose initially cute silence quickly becomes creepy. However, Fun Size only hits the
bottom when it gives up all effort to be funny and apologetically tries to convey real emotion, milking the deaddad storyline for all it’s worth. As the film concludes, what could have possibly been an entertainingly abysmal movie quickly begins to resemble a bad soap opera with the emotional pop music, crying graveyard sequence and a grief ridden ex-cougar all there to get the audience mellowed out before the predictable finale.
Pavlos Maniatopoulos
HOUSE ATDench: THE END OF Judi A ‘Skyfall’ away from 50s Bond? THE street
Sophie Shearer considers whether Skyfall represents a move away from the Bond franchise's sexist past hey’re beautiful, they’re clever and t to top it all off most are a great shot with a gun (well, anyone who's seen Sky-
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On paper, M is almost the anti-Bond girl: she's old, mean and downright awful with a gun" Marlohe has been burdened with a rather uninspiring and cliched Bond girl role but it could be argued, however, that Harris’s character Eve is in some ways a deviation from the norm. Harris is in no way a ‘damsel in distress’; like Bond she is a MI6 field agent who is brave and intelligent. Speculation has been made as to whether Harris’s role is a movement in
cinema.de
fall will know that’s not strictly true but you get the picture). The James Bond franchise is defined by its glitzy locations, its flashy cars and its unbelievably cool gadgets but where would 007 be if he didn’t have a bevy of impossibly attractive female admirers throwing themselves at him at every opportunity? The ‘Bond girl’ has become something of a cinematic legend. Each new actress to undertake the role does so in the knowledge that she has to be enticing and seductive enough to attract James Bond, the ultimate British sex symbol. The latest Bond film doesn’t fail to deliver with actresses Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe both gracing audiences with their on-screen presence in Skyfall.
M'S THE WORD: Dench's M is easily the strongest female character in the history of the Bond franchise the direction of political correctness. Bond girls have often been criticised by feminists for their over-sexualisation and Ian Fleming’s own niece admits that her uncle was probably “more sexist than some”. Could it be that the womanising James Bond is undergoing something of a character reformation? This interpretation of Skyfall is reasonably viable but it could also be claimed that the film’s depiction of Bond girls is less of a movement away from sexism and instead more of a symbolic nod to Judi Dench’s portrayal of M. Skyfall is an acknowledgement of the impact that the only female Head
of MI6 has had on James Bond the character and on the Bond franchise in general. On paper, M is almost an anti-Bond girl: she’s old, she’s mean and she’s downright awful with a gun. Yet when Bond’s ‘tough guy’ armour slips off near the end of the film revealing his emotional attachment to M, you can’t help but be struck by the sheer impressiveness of the fact that she’s the only woman who truly wins over 007’s heart. The number of Bond girls over the years is fast approaching the hundred mark and yet the only consistent female presence (and probably the only woman
Bond doesn’t try to seduce) is Judi Dench’s character. In his mind she may be a “bitch” but she’s also the closest thing he has to a mother and the maternal overtones of their relationship are undeniable. Though they appear to despise each other, the genuinely warm feelings they have for each other shine through in Skyfall’s final scenes. The James Bond franchise may have seen many women taking on starring roles in the films over the past 50 years but for me one will always remain a cut above the rest. Only M can truly live up to the title of ‘the ultimate Bond girl’.
winning director and also the first of the series to be predominantly set in Britain, Bond 23 is still rife with product placement. Coca Cola, Avon, Omega, Heineken, Virgin Atlantic, Walther and Sony all jumped on the Bond bandwagon to showcase their products and it’s them you have to thank for twenty minutes of Bond ‘endorsed’ products before you even hear Adele sing. Here are the details behind the film’s key product placements. Probably the most noticeable, and talked about, product placement in Bond’s new outing is Heineken beer. The deal between Heineken and Bond, according to The New York Times, added £45 million to the movie’s budget. What was Bond required to do? To be visibly drinking from the typical green Heineken bottle in at least one shot. Not a bad deal if you ask me. What’s more this deal did not mark Bond’s departure from the classic Martini, shaken not stirred, as some sceptics feared. Like Craig said himself to Moviefone.com, “Having a beer is not a bad thing; in the movie it just happens to be Heineken.” Since Casino Royale Bond has switched from Rolex to Omega. In Skyfall Bond wears an Omega Seamaster. Although it plays an active role in the movie, it doesn’t have a laser attached to it or anything like that. Omega did release an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL limited edition of the watch. The numbers 007 are visible on the divers’ clasp and instead of the number 7 on the analogue watch. Although the writer of this column cannot endorse the product he also thinks it would be pretty cool to say, “It’s 007 o’clock,” every once in a while. Perhaps the most interesting product placement in the film is Bond's weapon of choice, the Walther. The Walther has been standard issue for 00 agents since Dr. No, but Tomorrow Never Dies saw James switch from the Walther PPK to the Walther PP9. Skyfall marks the return of the PPK classic, and what’s more it makes a gadget out of the weapon itself. In fact Skyfall continues the trend set in Casino Royale of not giving Bond ridiculous gadgets. Instead all James receives from Q, is a radio locator and the Walther PPK, which can only be fired by Mr. Bond himself. For everyone else the gun becomes nothing more than an expensive paperweight. Of course this comes in handy at the opportune moment. So sit back relax, check the time on your Omega, have a chilled Heineken and then shoot the bottle with your Walther. James Bond does, so that means it's cool, right?
Anton Kudryashov
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Star Rating
Benedict Cumberbatch Robert Downey Jr. Johnny Lee Miller Basil Rathbone Rupert Everett
radio roundup
he radio has had its fair share of bust ups. That small studio, the invisible suits breathing down your neck to play Skrillex, the newsreader you just can’t stand; it’s a pressure cooker and many melt-downs have gone down in recorded history as a result. Sometimes the freedom to rant with no threat of reply is too tempting to resist. DJs old and new have fallen into the trap of thinking their position is something the nation would relate to. Ever since Chris Moyles left Radio 1 earlier this year there has been a gap in the vitriolic market, until now. Last week saw the host of BBC London’s afternoon show,Danny Baker, officially stop caring. After reading that morning that his show had been axed, and still yet to be personally informed by anyone from the BBC, Baker embarked on what he announced would be his final show. And that was about as tame as it got. Baker is a renowned comic writer and arguably one of the best radio personalities in recent years. His show, In the Treehouse, shared the helm with Amy Lamé and Baylon Leonard and carved an identity out of being actively original and gloriously quirky, which is increasingly rare in local radio where innovation and authenticity are not necessarily the top of the priority list. So why? Was it really financial cuts? Did they really “not quite fit” with the station? And why do they only get paid £50 a show? As much as he harks about it being “the best show on British radio”, Baker’s rant wasn’t about ego and it wasn’t about revenge. He raised the greater issue of bureaucracy curbing creativity at the cost of generic radio, which goes unquestioned and, indeed, unanswered. The refreshing bravery of someone saying something was wrong came as a shock to everyone listening, but it led to one of radio’s most honest and compelling two hours. His sarcasm and anger was surrounded with dignity because he was justified. The “pinhead weasels” were being fought against, made to feel guilty, and pushed to consider the consequences of messing around with real people, not just slots and shows. For some it may be an overreaction to the ways of the radio world but to listeners it was an insight into inner workings that are so cleverly hidden. “As we know”, he stated, “the secrecy in BBC middle management is bordering on the paranoic ... and I think it’s about control.” We may never know if this is true. What we do know is that it doesn’t matter about his Sony awards, it doesn’t even matter that he is about to be inducted into the radio hall of fame. There is, however, a mesmerising lack of loyalty and grace on the side of the BBC which leaves the organisation scrambling for excuses. Baker didn’t want to go, and as he poignantly puts it, the whole thing is “a dirty rotten shame”. Hannah Clapham-Clark
Not elementary! My dear, what's on?
Heather Davidson investigates the newest American interpretation of a truly British superhero elementary Sky Living HD Tuesday, 9pm
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herlock. There, now that’s said, we can get on with reviewing Elementary without speaking of it again. Well, it was worth a go. No matter how you try and judge Elementary on its own merits, the shadow of Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis’ wildly successful recent reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes stories looms large. Of course, it has the right to, with Elementary being the bastard child of a failed attempt to secure the American remake rights. Whatever the circumstances of its birth may be, this child has set out on its own. Present day London has been swapped for contemporary New York, Sherlock Holmes is a recovering junkie freshly escaped from rehab and John Watson is now Joan Watson, his sober companion.
AN AMERICAN ROADRIP: OBAMA'S STORY 4oD Sunday, 8pm
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ovember 6th will undoubtedly be one of the most historically resonant days of 2012, and as most of you will know that will not simply be due to the release of this particularly excellent edition of The Student. The day will also conclude one of the most captivating presidential races in recent history. Some of you will be reading this from the other side of the proceedings, but at the point of writing, polls suggest mere slivers of advantage for either candidate and indicate an exciting photofinish. Unsurprisingly, the UK has been hooked from the off. We are tantalised by the spectacle, and occasional farce, that has come to represent the US political scene. However, with the media sensationalised and the soundbites hollow, it’s often hard for us to gauge the true atmosphere of this election from across the pond. As a result, our perceptions of the country can be vague and, at worst, insulting. Hoping to offer some clarity on this matter is Channel 4 News’ Washington correspondent and esteemed journalist Matt Frei. In the somewhat misleadingly titled An American Roadtrip: Obama’s Story, Frei travels across the States (in an almost obligatory pick-up truck) talking to ordinary Americans to offer us in Blighty a first-hand insight into the minds of the electorate in an America that is seemingly losing its power to dream. Interviewees not only offer their
Johnny Lee Miller plays his Holmes intense, with a jittery, manic energy, in comparison to Lucy Liu’s restrained Watson and the two have a nice chemistry which neatly sidesteps the will-theywon’t-they relationship of pretty much any other show with a male and female lead. Beyond the names though – and not even that, in the case of Joan Watson – the characters have little in common with their literary counterparts. Indeed, the show as a whole seems largely disinterested in Conan Doyle’s stories. The plot is entirely original and the few allusions to the books are pretty perfunctory (Holmes’ interest in beekeeping is a straight lift from His Last Bow). So any Sherlockians looking for the kind of loving references that fill a certain other recent television adaption of the Sherlock Holmes stories (which shall remain nameless, but rhymes with Merlock) will be left disappointed. And therein lies the problem – change the names of the main cast and you’ve just got another crime procedural. Yet it’s as a procedural that Elementary largely succeeds, with a pair of engaging leads
opinions on Obama’s tenure but, as the title fails to suggest, assess his opposition in Romney too. Frei’s humanistic approach brings the candidates’ point-scoring anecdotes about Middle America to life. For example, the first people we meet are Mark and Connie, a couple exemplary of Obama’s much evoked ‘middle class’. They are struggling despite working abundant hours and still recovering having narrowly avoided house repossession.
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The programme allows a European audience, that almost universally favours Barack Obama, to develop an understanding of why some Americans are disenchanted" In Iowa, we hear from a Libertarian gun shop owner fatigued with the bipartisan dichotomy of the system. The most engaging interaction comes from Frei’s admirably respectful discussion with a member of the often ridiculed Tea Party in Kentucky. The programme allows a European audience, that almost universally favours Barack Obama, to develop an understanding of why some Americans are disenchanted by his presidency. If possible, this programme is the perfect pre-game appetiser to the election night itself. If not, and whatever the outcome, it still supplies an intriguing examination of America in crisis.
SKY LIVING
30 TV
JOHNNY LEE MILLER: Perhaps one Sherlock too far? and an interesting, if unlikely, murder. It’s hardly ground-breaking, but it’s solid stuff and director Michael Cuesta brings a visual flair that lifts things when the script starts to sag. However, by slapping the Sherlock Holmes name on it, the creators are holding it up against what is arguably amongst the greatest shows in recent years, where there’s no way the show can
The Young apprentice BBC1 Thursday, 9pm
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t is that time of year again. Not Bonfire Night, not Halloween, but the start of the new season of The Young Apprentice. As always, it involves 12 young entrepreneurs fiercely competing for the £25,000 prize that Lord Alan Sugar offers as a “business development fund” to the winner of the almost comical process. As the familiar lingering shots of the towering Shard, the Gherkin and various other phallic city buildings, accompanied by the smooth voice-over from Mark Halliley and bumbling theme tune, come onto the screen it is impossible not to think that Lord Alan and the other producers of The Apprentice have come up with something close to a winning formula.
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The occasional omniscient eyebrow from Nick or the frequent sycophantic smirk from Karen does provide momentary respite" Surely a show which is based around a ‘barrow-boy turned good’ roughly guiding a pack of vehemently competitive teenagers in their quest to one day own their own vast business empire will always be thoroughly entertaining.
come out looking anything other than lacking. Elementary isn’t great, but it doesn’t really aim for greatness, happy instead to settle into the groove furrowed by countless detective shows before it. It works well within its niche, for sure, but you can’t help but wish it was a bit smarter, a bit more imaginative, a bit more like, well, Sherlock.
However, this year the winning formula does not quite add up. As the two teams, Odyssey (the boys) and Platinum (the girls) are handed a tonne of old vintage clothing each to try and sell at market, the whole thing begins to feel like a school talent show, and in the history of all school talent shows not one would be suitable for television.
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One does feel as though The Apprentice, which has graced our televisions for years now, should come to the end of its already pretty ragged run ." At times the contestants do provide an element of entertainment, such as the incident where Amy, who lacks even the most basic social skills, almost manages to break up a relationship in one completely inappropriate sales pitch. Nonetheless, one does feel as though The Apprentice, which has graced our televisions for years now, should come to the end of its already pretty ragged run. In the last section Lord Alan decides to fire posh-boy Maximillian Grodecki and, as with years before, one suspects this is just a continuation of Sugar’s hatred towards anyone who didn’t need to set up a company by the age of 8. In the coming weeks the contestants will compete in a string of other tasks to test their business flair, ability and talent and although the occasional omniscient eyebrow raise from Nick or the frequent sycophantic smirk from Karen does provide momentary respite, this reviewer shall certainly not be tuning in again.
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Sport 31 Unfortunately, England’s middle order is barely as settled as the openers. With Jonny Bairstow an injury doubt, Eoin Morgan and Samit Patel could potentially figure, with Patel making a notable century in Mumbai, but both are inexperienced on India’s turning pitches. Morgan has failed to show the same brilliance for England in tests as he has in ODIs and Twenty20s, so the likelihood is that Patel will get the nod due to his ability to bowl spin. Worryingly, however, Yuvraj Singh, who is predominantly a batsman, took a five wickets in this tour match, highlighting England’s weakness against spin, especially on the subcontinent.
Tough tests ahead on the subcontinent England’s first test in India is now less than two weeks away and questions still remain as to the shape of the England line-up. Injuries, retirements and egos have kept the travelling support guessing as to which 11 players will take to the field in Ahmedabad on November 15. Andrew Strauss is no longer the talismanic captain, having been replaced by the experienced – and yet still youthful – Alastair Cook for a tour which could set the tone for the remainder of his reign. It seems ridiculous to say that a first test series as captain could go such a long way to judging Cook’s credentials, but such is the nature of the sport today that unfortunately this could well be the case. England’s recent record is India is appalling; they have lost three out of the previous four Test series, with an aggregate score of five tests to one in India’s favour (with five draws). Cook will have to achieve something that no England captain has managed since
David Gower in 1984/85, when he led his side to a 2-1 series victory against India in a best of five contest. What is perhaps even more worrying is that this particular England side simply cannot get to grips with the subcontinent. Since the successful winter tour of 2000/01, when England emerged victorious from back-to-back series against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, England have won only two series on the subcontinent – both of which were against Bangladesh – losing six, and drawing two. There could be no harder task in world cricket than for a captain facing his first Test in charge to lead a new-look England side with an inability to play against unorthodox spinners into battle against an Indian side with wounded pride. The 4-0 home series whitewash of India that propelled England to the summit of test cricket – their eighth series win in nine played, with a 1-1 draw in South Africa the only slight blot on the copybook – is almost a forgotten
gareth copley
Chris Waugh assesses the factors that will decide England's tour in India success, such is the state at which Andy Flower’s side now finds itself in, and India will be waiting in the wings to exact revenge upon a team lacking any significant form of confidence. Kevin Pietersen is the elephant in the room, yet his adopted-nation’s success on this tour is very much dependent upon him. Fresh from delivering the fatal blow to Andrew Strauss’s reign as captain, Pietersen has been given an unprecedented four-month central contract so that he can travel to India. Interestingly, Pietersen was fairly quiet in England’s opening tour match, a draw with India A in Mumbai, managing only 23. An impressive century from Alastair Cook provided some stability to England’s potential opening partnership, but Nick Compton (above) was bowled for a duck on his debut and will need to make runs before the first test to be guaranteed his place, with Yorkshire’s Joe Root a less experienced option if Compton cannot find form.
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Since 2000/01, England have won only two series on the subcontinent - both of which were against Bangladesh - losing six and drawing two."
Which leads us onto England’s bowling attack, which has also been weakened by an injury to Steven Finn. Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are all certs to play, so much will depend on how many spinners England decide to field, with Monty Panesar fighting it out with Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan for the final bowling spot. Ultimately, England’s – and Alastair Cook’s – hopes in this Test series will rest heavily with Kevin Pietersen. His peaceful reintegration into the team, alongside his extraordinary but unpredictable and inconsistent ability to destroy opposition bowling attacks, will be pivotal if England’s subcontinental nightmare is to be ended.
Britain leads cycling into a new era It is no longer a case of whether Lance Armstrong’s legacy can survive the damning charges of drugs cheating; it is about whether the sport of cycling can. Following Armstrong’s guilty verdict for having carried out what has been described as “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”, the sport desperately needs to clean up its act. Leading the way in this post-Armstrong era of cycling, Britain is showing that the path to success can certainly be a clean one. In examining the Armstrong case a very relevant metaphor can be applied; he, with his cheating, bullying and lying, represented the poison of cycling. Yet now the poison has been identified, treatment can begin and the sport can be returned to health. Just like a healed sting victim has check-ups every few months for the remainder of their life, doping in cycling should now be so rigorously policed that it can never fall back into its previous state. British Cycling CEO Ian Drake echoes this determination, stating that “we don’t ever want to go back to the kind of state the system was in. Let’s take it to a better place”. This is a chance for cycling to emerge from scandal and re-invent its image. President of British Cycling Brian
flickr: kristian thorgersen
Benjamin Terry argues that Britain's example must be followed if cycling is to repair its image
CLEAN WHEELS: Bradley Wiggins is a great ambassador for cycling Cookson is confident this process is already underway, stating that “no other sport has faced up to such difficult issues, no other international federation has shown such tenacity in dealing with such high profile offenders, and no other sport has made so much progress in the fight against doping as has cycling in recent years”. British cycling is certainly at the forefront of this crackdown. Team Sky, the British team, has shown great determination in trying to free the sport from doping; in recent weeks three senior members have left the team due to associations with doping, two of whom admitted to doing so over a decade
ago, showing how any possible links to cheating, no matter how far in the past, are being severed. The corollary of this is that the image of British cycling is protected and sponsors that are so important to the sport, such as BSkyB, are kept happy. Although many prominent figures, such as Jonathan Vaughters, coach of the USA’s cycling team Garmin-Sharp, have derided the moves of Team Sky’s performance director David Brailsford as being ‘idealistic’ and too draconian, Brailsford must be credited for championing the definitive break with the past that the sport of cycling requires. In addition to Brailsford’s actions,
the presence of genuine inspirations and childhood heroes in British cycling such as Bradley Wiggins; the best unofficial ambassador British cycling could wish for, will ensure that cycling’s moment in the spotlight is not merely fleeting. Since Wiggins crossed the finishing line on the Champs Elysees on July 22, 4,000 members have joined British Cycling, whilst since the Olympics, Manchester’s Velodrome is getting 200 new taster session enquiries a day compared with a daily average of 20 before the Games. Such astronomical increases, fostered by the growing provision of cycling facilities, bode well for future participation in the sport, as do several social and economic factors, such as concerns of reducing one’s carbon footprint and high oil prices. Through having such a successful summer in cycling with a completely clean team, Britain is raising the bar on and off the bike. However the future of British cycling remains as much in the hands of their opponents as it does their own, as Brian Cookson is heedfully aware of, recognising that “of course neither British Cycling nor Team Sky operates in a vacuum”. Britain’s example must be followed, not just for its own future but for that of the sport.
Injury Time
takes A WRY look at the world of sport
the managerial merry-goround reached a crescendo in the Championship this week, as chairmen across the country temporarily lost any sense of the perspective and business acumen they have carried with them in all other walks of life, spending a fortune on replacing one manager with another who will probably do just about exactly the same as his predecessor. At Ipswich, Marcus Evans has watched two successive managers spend an extortionate amount of money, only to be left with the remains of Jimmy Bullard’s knee and Daryl Murphy. Rock bottom of the table and unable to beat Peterborough, Evans was left with the difficult choice of choosing between a bloke with an abysmal managerial record and another with a slightly above average one. In the battle of the pundits who point out the obvious, Mick McCarthy narrowly beat Alan Shearer to the role. It seems the powers that be at Ipswich were swayed by McCarthy’s revolutionary approach to the game, as highlighted by his analysis in the commentary box at this summer’s Euro 2012 competition, which essentially involved him shouting ‘GET BALL IN T’ BOX LAD!’ at an Eastern European whose name Big Mick hadn’t seen all that often in Barnsley. It’s good to have you back, Mick, can we have another grin for Youtube? Meanwhile, over at Blackburn, Henning Berg has broken all employment convention and offered us all a remarkable blueprint as to how to get a new job. Firstly, you get sacked by your previous employers, in this case an obscure Scandinavian team most people have only heard of because they were probably on ITV4 once when Benjani was up front for Man. Citeh; then you spend the next 12 months brutally and relentlessly attacking your potential new employers on the television for the whole world to see. Then, having got your interview, you tell them that they’re probably all not that bad really, and the job’s yours! Reassuringly for all Blackburn fans, the owners have now announced that Berg was “far from” their first choice. There was, however, one sensible managerial appointment made this week, when Sean Dyche was chosen as the new Burnley manager after a superb first season in charge with Watford. All along, though, Burnley have been keen to emphasise the deluge of candidates after the post. Further investigation reveals, however, that 99 per cent of applications were actually sent by just one man: Steve Kean, who thought he must be the frontrunner for the job given his integral role in leading Blackburn straight back to the Premier League...on the new edition of Football Manager. Phil Smith
Sport
Tuesday November 6 2012
studentnewspaper.org
Cook's baptism of fire
Chris Waugh assesses England's chances in their tour against India
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Final set dominance secures win
Thomas Halsey watches Edinburgh emerge with a victory after a tough game against Strathclyde in the volleyball Edinburgh 1st beat Strathclyde 1st 24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 15-8 Edinburgh eventually came out on top in a close encounter against Strathclyde at the CSE on Sunday, with the hosts producing a strong performance in the decisive fifth set to take the win. Coach Graeme Spowart was happy with the team’s resilience against a strong visiting side, saying “that was a tough game. We knew it would be close, but I’m happy with the way we stuck to our game plan when we went behind, and am delighted to get the win in the end”. The first set was close throughout. After some good serving by Edinburgh’s Mats Ole Maiwald, Strathclyde fought back into it and once the score reached 8-8 there were never more than two points separating the sides. A smash from Arturo Galvan earned Edinburgh
a set point, but Strathclyde saved it and won the set 26-24. Edinburgh took control early in the second set, leading 17-10 after forcing the visitors into a number of errors, before Strathclyde pulled the score back to 21-20. It wasn’t enough, however, and Edinburgh closed the set out 25-22 to level the match.
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I'm happy with the way we stuck to our game plan when we went behind, and am delighted to get the win in the end" Graeme Spowart, Edinburgh Coach
The third set was a similar story. Edinburgh took the lead early on, racing to a 7-2 lead. Captain Glenn Robinson finished off an epic point with a smash shot after some brilliant defensive work from both sides had kept the ball in
play, and a powerful serve from Paolo Puggioni finished the job to win the set 25-19 and lead 2-1 overall. Strathclyde came out firing in the fourth, however, gaining a 7-2 lead before a clever backwards flick by Maiwald and a smash by Jason Ebbin brought Edinburgh back into it. Puggioni twice won points with smash shots after clever build-up play left him unmarked at the net, and at 22-20 Edinburgh looked well positioned to win the match in four. Strathclyde rallied though and came back to win 22-25, taking the game to a final set. The shortened final set was comfortable by comparison. After a firedup Strathclyde side won the first point, Edinburgh, needing only 15 points to win, took control and soon led 93. Some more cleverly build up play put Galvan in position to hit a smash shot unmarked and the hosts reached 13-5. A service fault on set point gave Strathclyde one last chance, but in the end Edinburgh took the final set 15-8 and with it the match. Edinburgh sit first in Scottish 1A.
lucy antrobus
Men's Volleyball BUCS Scottish 1A Sunday 4th November
SMASHING: Edinburgh win another point against Strathclyde
Disability sport flying high in Scotland After watching eleven athletes win medals at the Paralympic Games in London this summer, Scottish sport is now aiming to increase the number of professional athletes with disabilities in the country by focusing on developing skills from childhood. This is why Edinburgh Leisure has introduced the High Flyers programme, which encourages any child with a disability to participate in sport, with a focus on gymnastics, athletics, and tennis. As part of the programme’s official launch, parents were invited to take their children to taster sessions last weekend. It is a reality that few people know which sports are accessible to disabled athletes in Edinburgh, an issue that this programme sets out to solve. One of the attendees, ten year-old Ruairi Logan, has been paralysed from the waist down from birth. However, participation in a wide range of sports has always provided him with a great source of enjoyment. “He’s done swimming with me, later he did wheelchair basketball, and recently he started with tennis. He has
natalia equihua
Natalia Equihua attends sessions run by the High Flyers programme, which aims to increase participation in disability sport
IN IT TOGETHER: A coach helps a young boy hone his technique quite a positive competitive nature,” says Ruairi’s father, Malcolm. “Eventually Ruairi will find what he enjoys doing the most.” Heather Williams, Edinburgh Leisure Disability Sport Coordinator, was excited to introduce the new initiative, which the city has always been keen on implementing. Now, following the success of Team GB at the Paralympics, the idea has finally been put in place. “This programme is something that Edinburgh Leisure had always wanted to do,” Williams commented. “We
were excited to hear in April of last year that Edinburgh Council was releasing the funding.” High Flyers aims to create more disability sports facilities, where talented athletes can begin their development with the backing of qualified sports coaches, and later continue developing their skills at clubs which focus on a specific sport. “We want the sessions that we’ve set up to initially be sports activities provided by Edinburgh Leisure,” Williams explained. “But we also want to
give them enough support so they can go on and become independent clubs in the future.” Edinburgh Leisure will not limit the sports offered to gymnastics, athletics, and tennis. In fact, over the next few months they will carry out a survey to assess what their members want and what the programme should offer. In the wake of these findings, Williams expects that new activities can be offered during 2013 according to demand.
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The programme has the objective to go from 'grass root to podium', but at the same time offers several other benefits for the children." Six year-old Daniel Butler came to the event together with his mother. He was really excited to try the javelin sessions, where the main goal was to start developing the basic ability of throw-
ing an object. Watching coaches were impressed as the skill came naturally to him after just a few attempts. When asked whether Daniel would take his love for sports to a professional level in the future, his mother Jane said he would continue at a competitive level for as long as his rare heart defect allows him to do so. For now, she is glad that he can enjoy choosing from a range of activities that keep him both active and happy. This programme has the objective to go from 'grass root to podium', but at the same time offers several other benefits for the children who sign up. Williams says that sport is beneficial to anyone who participates, but is especially important to the lives of disabled children and their parents. “The social aspect – to work as part of a team, and achieve something – is massive in terms of how it impacts these children mentally, socially, and physically,” she explains. “For the parents it’s great to see their kids do something that they’re enjoying, and having that confidence, because aside from making these activities accessible, we want to give these kids self-belief.”