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gove is right about sexting
comment - page 5
city sound project review
who’s at the dinner party?
iq entertainment - page 15
iq culture - page 20
Issue 9.6
8th November 2013
recipe of the week
iq features - page 11
ukc match reports
sport - pages 22-23
kent union elections Martin Hutton
Photo by Daniel Barnby
protests over plans to turn eliot hall into new library study space Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor
The University’s plans to convert Eliot Hall into extra library space during the construction work for the Templeman extension have come under fire from students and staff. The hall is used by various societies and students, particularly by drama students
and groups like Kent Dance who need a large rehearsal space, as well as for Massive Mungo’s. A ‘Save Eliot Hall’ Facebook page set up by Dushka Wertenbaker-Man, a third year drama student, gained over 600 likes in a matter of days. It highlights the hall’s various uses and says its loss would be “a massive blow to anyone who uses the hall on a regular basis”. Stephen Burke, the Eliot
College Master echoed these fears: “Naturally I am concerned about this as the Great Hall is used extensively for a wide range of purposes including for student societies, rehearsals and private study, academic schools such as Architecture for assessments, for examinations, for exhibitions, for charity events, for Magic Mungo’s, and for College welcome events at the beginning of each academic
year. The Hall is one of the last big spaces left on campus, and as such is an important facility for students and staff.” Neither Wertenbaker-Man nor Burke oppose the conversion entirely, but say that if it goes ahead those that use the hall need to be catered for... Continued on PAGE 3
UNIVERSITY of Kent students have voted in another round of elections, with positions open in The Kent Graduate Student Association committee, college, Parkwood and Medway Student Committees, the International Students Committee, Societies Members Representative and NUS delegates. NUS delegates, who represent Kent Union at the NUS National Conference in 2014. Sabbatical Officers Megan Wells (Welfare), Alex Murray (Education) and Chris Bull (Sport) were all elected. Second year Politics and International Relations students Emma Booth and Rory Murray were also elected. They will join the President of Kent Union at the NUS National Conference. The NUS National conference is the soveriegn body of the NUS, where policy is decided and officers are elected. Rory Murray, who has been elected for a second year in a row, said: “Being elected to represent Kent Students at the NUS National Conference for a second time is an honour. “This year for the first time we shall see Kent Students having the opportunity to attend a forum with their delegates before conference to ensure that delegates are truly representing Kent Students. “As conference draws nearer you will hear more from your NUS Delegates, until then if you have any questions please get in touch”.
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News Editor’s Note
Hey, If you’re desperately avoiding assignment work, or relaxing after a deadline dash (because sure, that’s why people read the paper...) then welcome to InQuire 9.6. There’s no particular theme this week, so nothing interesting to say in this box. But, we have some great local content for you: reviews of City Sound Project and the Canterbury Festival; four match reports on UKC sport; and a student thriller in culture. There are also editors moaning about things on the editorial page. Enjoy! Matt. InQuireMedia
2013/2014 Editorial contacts: Alasdair Lawrence Chairman chairman Matthew Gilley - Editor newspaper.editor Chad Greggor - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Christopher Heron - News newspaper.news Samantha Baldwin - Comment newspaper.comment Emma Shelton - Features newspaper.features Rebekah Chilvers - Culture newspaper.culture Emily Adams - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Dan English - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Simon Terhaag - News website.news Tom Vine - Comment website.comment Tom Hagues - Features website.features Caroline Wadham - Entertainment website.entertainment Emma Greenacre - Culture website.culture Hetty Sieling - Distribution distribution LaShanda Seaman - Promotions and Events events Daniel Barnby - Design design To contact the committee, add @ inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the adress under their name.
leader of the green party comes to kent Alasdair Lawrence Chairman NATALIE Bennet, the leader of the Green Party, spoke at the University of Kent in a event hosted by the Enviroment Campaign. Organised by Kent Environment Officer Tom Currie the event opened with a speech by Ms Bennet and followed with questions from the student body. Ms. Bennet, born and raised in Sydney, Australia, joined the Green Party in 2006 and was elected its leader in 2012. A journalist by profession, Ms. Bennet was editor of The Guardian Weekly between 2007 and 2012. In her speech Ms Bennett expressed her opposition to the privatisation of national institutions and services, including the railways. She stated her belief that a globalised, privatised economy had proved to be a failed system and called repeatedly for
bringing back manufacturing and the production of crops to the UK. As leader of the Green Party, Ms. Bennett did not shy away from criticising the main “two and a half” parties of politics. She stated that Labour’s 20-month freeze on energy prices was “a small measure” with “no real tackling of the issues”. She also criticised the Conservatives for their freezing of the fuel duty and called out politicians from all sides and ideologies for failing to bridge the disparity between minimum wage and minimum cost of living. A main theme to her speech was the bridging of inequalities, economic and social, across British society. In questions put forward by the audience Ms. Bennett reasserted the Green Party’s pro-European Union ideology, talking about the Green Party’s “three-yeses” - yes to referendum, yes to remaining
within the Union and yes to reforming the Union. Throughout both her speech and her responses to questions Ms. Bennett reiterated the need for proper insulation. She said that current insulation is draughty and substandard and a contributing factor to poor quality of life for
many Britons. When asked whether the party was moving away from emphasising renewable energy to emphasising proper insulation, Ms Bennett said that: “if there were one thing we could get done tomorrow, it would be insulating British homes’.
Photo by Environment Campaign
campaign to change kent union ulu rememberance controversy Benjamin Coode KENT Union have been running their ‘What Matters’ campaign, in which they are reviewing their goals and purposes as a students’ union. Through the use of an online interactive blackboard, a physical blackboard and ‘What Matters’ postcards, Kent Union have been gathering student opinions on Kent Union’s role. The comments will shape the role of Kent Union for the next three years. On Friday 1st of November Kent Union ran their ‘Fun for Feedback’ day, where they asked students to write their feedback on postcards and ride a bucking bronco. Comments that have appeared on the interactive blackboard
include: “More affordable prices in essentials - I do all my shopping on campus and it can sometimes be a struggle to afford everything.” “Sports Clubs and Societies are the life blood of the student movement at Kent. They need more support, more facilities and more funding.” “More socialising opportunities for postgraduates, especially PhD students.” “There are so many things we have to pay for at the beginning of the academic year. I had to choose between signing up with the Sports Centre or getting a bus ticket. After reviewing the feedback, Kent Union will announce their new goals as a students’ union for the next three years.
Rosa Greening SABBATICAL officers at the University of London Union (ULU) have caused controversy as they voted not to attend Remembrace Sunday services in an official capacity. The officers voted not to attend the service, which is held by the University of London, so that “officers and students could act freely”. The officers are still allowed to attend the Remembrace Sunday services in a personal capacity. Labour MP Stella Creasy, who is the MP for Walthomstow and former London School of Economic (LSE) student, tweeted that: “As a former student, this decision by ULU to ban officers from participating in Remembrance Sunday makes me ashamed.” Michael Chessum, the president of the ULU, said that: “Personally, I will commemorate the dead killed in war by fighting for peace
and challenging the policies of governments, not by standing next to war criminals like Tony Blair on plinths, pretending that these acts are ‘triumphant’.” Several student groups have acted angrily to the decision, with the general secretary of LSE’s Student Union saying that a “blanket ban” was “utterly absurd”. The motion states that “ULU elected representatives have the liberty to choose whether they wish to attend the Remembrance ceremony or not, in line with the political beliefs they may hold. However, if ULU officers or staff members want to take part, naturally they can, as long as they do not claim to be representing ULU as an organisation.” The policy was passed on the 24th October by nine votes to zero, with five abstentations. Both the President and VicePresident plan not to attend the ceremony, even in a personal capacity.
News 3 agora: kent union ‘back to basics’ Caitlin Webb THE Kent Union ‘Going Back to Basics’ campaign culminated on Friday 25th October with a debate on ‘Unionism, Studentism – Where are we at?’. The event, run by AGORA (a forum started by Dr Iain MacKenzie as an attachment to Politics Thought modules), was hosted in the Kent Union (KU) tent outside the library in which the sabbatical officers had been sleeping next to since the middle of the week. The tent had been the centre of Kent Union activities during the week, with several societies and committees meeting there, as well as information about the history of KU. The debate itself concentrated on Kent Union’s support of the lecturers’ strike on the 31st October, as well as the premise of the ‘Back to Basics’ campaign, looking at the history of activism in Kent Union and the place of students’ unions in
modern society. Alex Murray (VP Education) opened the debate; he explained how and why Kent Union are supporting the lecturers’ strike, mentioning how it was the duty of Kent Union to support the strike for both students and lecturers. He noted how KU had changed from its initial activist roots into a “business charity”, with a retail arm, a night club, bars, a nursery and an activities centre, as well as representing the interests of thousands of University of Kent students. The lecturers’ strike (which
Photo by CenkX Izimir Agora - an Agora was an assembly from ancient city states.
oxford students fee letter Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor OXFORD student representatives have strongly condemned their ViceChancellor’s suggestion that universities should be allowed to charge up to £16,000 a year tuition fees. A letter, signed by 23 JCR presidents of Oxford’s undergraduate colleges, read: “We note with disappointment that the vice-chancellor has used this opportunity to shift the focus of the debate towards increasing student fees instead of lobbying for further funding from Government … we view this as a serious failure in his duty towards current and future students and Oxford University’s opportunity to attract the most able students disregarding their financial background.” In his annual oration on Wednesday 9th October, Andrew Hamilton, Oxford University Vice-Chancellor, said that university fees should be more in line with the actual costs of teaching a student at that university. He went on to remark that at Oxford that figure is around
Kent Union had released a statement supporting) was also a topic discussed, with some criticising KU for a lack of student consultation and saying that students were not informed of the decision. However, Murray argued the impossibility of consulting the student body given the short time period between the strike’s announcement and it taking place. He argued that this happened after Union Council, and with no scheduled student policy body to meet, a swift decision had to be made.
£16,000. The resulting shortfall has been blamed for the University’s £70million a year deficit in teaching income. “The idea of a market - and that is ostensibly what is being created - in which every item, virtually regardless of content and quality, is the same price seems, well, a little odd,” he said. The signatories of the letter of response invoked access for poorer students in their rejection of Hamilton’s comments: “Oxford now has, from a low starting point, a lot of excellent work in access and outreach and a very impressive student financial support programme. “All this good work would be sabotaged by a near-doubling of the tuition fee.” They were joined in their condemnation by the Oxford Student Union President, Tom Rutland, who praised them for showing “real leadership on this issue on behalf of their members and future students”. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has already ruled out a further increase in tuition fees, saying: “Don’t worry, we’re not going to raise tuition fees to £16,000”.
protests over eliot hall plans Matthew Gilley ...Burke said he hopes “to be able to work with Information Services and the Estates Department to find alternative spaces for the numerous groups who use the Hall at present”. The University have said they will pay for societies to use space in community centres and schools around Canterbury, but Amy Gilchrist, Kent Union Vice-President for Activities, believes this would be “highly un-practical for those who store their equipment on campus”. Both Gilchrist and Burke also highlighted the hall’s “historical”, architectural value as a prime example of 1960s building. It was recently featured in a series published by Yale University Press about British architecture. The library extension project is expected to be completed in December 2015. Until then, several areas of the library will be closed for various periods of time whilst they are refurbished and whilst
the extension itself is built. This means that the University are looking to create temporary study space elsewhere on campus to minimise the disadvantage to students. Eliot Hall is part of this plan, with the possibility of a second floor even being installed. John Sotillo, the University’s Director of Information Services, said: “Many options were considered before selecting Eliot Hall, but when these were examined by a group including student representatives, Eliot Hall emerged as the preferred option. It was understood by the group, which included Kent Union sabbatical officers, that there would be an impact on other users of the Hall, but the group felt that priority had to be given to providing appropriate support for student study. “That said, the University and Kent Union have continued to look at how the impact of converting Eliot Hall might be mitigated and a number of options are being actively pursued.”
kls launch homelessness campaign Cerys Thomas
KENT Labour Students have launched their Homelessness Campaign, which aims to raise £1,000 for Canterbury-based homelessness charity Catching Lives. Key figures in Catching Lives, James Duff and Andy Ashenhurst, were invited to the University to give a talk on the issue of homelessness, particularly in the area of Canterbury. The charity, who’s walk-in day centre is based by Canterbury East Train Station, receives on average 30 homeless people a day; available facilities at the shelter include a professional kitchen, a launderette and a shower block all at the disposal of those in need. The centre also houses a team of mental health professionals there to assess and treat the centre’s visitors. Duff went on to state that mental health is a “big part” of
what they do. More than half of the people who come to the centre seeking assistance suffer from a mental illness in, often in the form of a pre-existing condition prior to becoming homeless. However, in some cases, being on the streets itself creates and manifests mental health issues. By providing services for the homeless of Canterbury, Catching Lives seeks to elevate some of the pressures of living rough on the streets and help them find a stable home. Duff and Ashenhurst emphasised that contrary to popular public perception, the homeless are not all “mad and bad”, but rather interesting people with stories to tell. The speakers told of bureaucracy of some local services, with people being turned away from council office buildings, as well as being refused medical treatment by GPs due to “insufficient evidence of personal documentation”.
Through the organization, the homeless people of Canterbury are faithfully represented and supported, thus, giving them an opportunity to escape from poverty. The co-ordinator of campaign, Alec James, said: “Our goal in this campaign is to raise awareness of the scale of homelessness in Canterbury (...) by showing how big an issue it is we can hopefully stimulate students to become more active in tackling the issue”. Fundraising activities will including a sponsored walk from Canterbury to Whitstable on 23rd November. The money raised will help fund the charity’s facilities which shall soon support a night shelter program, offering refuge for 15 homeless people a night. Students may also “become more active” by volunteering for this night centre, which is planned to open in December and last for three months.
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News
lecturers’ strike: at kent, nationwide and how it could come to affect students
Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor
THE lecturer’s strike has come and gone, with only moderate disruption to students at Kent. Members of the University and College Union (UCU), United and Unison all took part in the strike. Lecturer’s had been offered a 1% pay rise by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education. Over a period of five years since 2008, it has been estimated that lectuerers’ have take a 1013% wage cut in real terms due to inflation. There has been criticism of the strike. There was a 35% turnout in the UCU strike ballot, with 62% voting in favour of strike action. However, Helen Fairfoul, chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), said that this amounted to only 5% of the higher education workforce. Around 30 members of the unions took part on Canterbury campus, and picketed on the plaza, with only two picketers on the Medway campus.
Paul Hubert, the Deputy Branch Secretary and Dr Owen Lyne, the Branch Secretary for the UCU Kent branch, led the UCU delegation at Kent. An email from Dr Lyne to UCU members said: “The staff unions UCU, UNISON and Unite have joined together to ask for a modest pay rise to tackle the problems of falling pay levels and to ensure that all universities pay a living wage to all of their workers… “If universities don’t invest more money than they have on tackling the problems of low and falling pay in our universities, staff will suffer and so will the quality of education that students receive.” They revealed that, at the time of the strike, there had been no negotiations regarding an improved deal. The last lecturer’s strike over pay came in 2006, which Hubert and Lyne said was successful in securing a fair pay deal. UCU members will now be ‘working to contract’, which they will no longer offer extra time and work to the letter.. For students, this may mean a slower response to emails,
especially if they are sent outside of working hours. The 2006 strike came in the summer term, and caused massive disruption as lectuerer’s boycotted exams, marking and assessment. Kent Union supported the lecturers strike, releasing a statement saying: “the Students’ Union full-time officers have met with UCU to discuss the industrial action. “Following past positions, the policy of the National Union of Students and a discussion between the Student Leadership Team we have decided to support the days strike action. “We believe that while any disruption to studies is something we would seek to avoid, the long term effect of real term pay cuts to staff at Kent is already having an impact upon your degrees and study and is right to be challenged”. Alex Murray (VP Education) also added: “we stand alongside staff because fair pay reflects on the education students receive, because many students in higher education continue on to work in academia and many of our postgraduate students
already do so on our campus. “The strike regards pay and an investment from our institution in staffing costs.” Alex Borgese, a second year Computer Engineering Science Student, mentioned how despite his lecturer striking, they made provisions to complete an assessment that had been set for the 31st October. Kent Union have come under some criticism regarding their stance on the strike, with accusations that there was a lack of student consultation, with a lack of any poll highlighted. There were also concerns at the late notice of Kent Union’s support of the strike, as well as encouraging students to support a strike which impacted on their education. Compared with other universities, the strike at Kent was not well attended. Many other universities had large shows of student solidarity with the strikers, with many taking part in the strike and refusing to cross the picket line. At the time of writing, there has been no resolution to the pay dispute between the UCU and the UCEA.
The lecturers’ strike took place around the country, with differing responses from around the country. The University of Kent at Medway had a very small turnout, with just two lecturer’s picketing. The timing of the dispute and the poor weather was blamed. At the University of Sussex, there was massive student support. Students occupied a University building as part of the protest, as well as large marches. Students at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London also occupied a building, citing the high cost of living in London as also affect lecturers, as well as a 12% gender pay gap. University of Birmingham students joined lecturers at picketing, but avoided parts of the University so students could attend extra-curricular events without crossing the picket line. An anarchist group at the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Autonomous Students, occupied the Richard Roberts Building in support of the strike. There were small crowds at The University of Hull, in similar size to that at UKC. There was a massive rally of students at The University of Leeds, with one of the biggest shows of support in the country. Leeds Metropolitan also supported the rally, with their students’ union President speaking. The London School of Economics also held a large rally outside Houghton Street. There were small protests at The University of Exeter.
Photo by Jacob Cunningham
For more further updates on possibile UCU action, check their official website at http://www.ucu.org. uk/.
Comment 5
a dangerous brand of revolution
Tom Vine Website Comment Editor
ONCE again, Russell Brand is the centre of attention following his latest appearance on Newsnight in an interview with BBC veteran Jeremy Paxman. For many, Brand said all the right things: he doesn’t stick to the “pre-existing paradigm” of the voting system (whatever that means); he derided the “lies, treachery, and deceit of the political class”. That’s all very well and good, but the bottom line is that Russell Brand is a comedian. Why exactly do we choose to scream revolution because Brand, of all people, said so? Revolutionary politics has existed for centuries, yet suddenly we’re all Brand-ist socialists now. But, for me, this is not the first issue at hand concerning Brand’s new-found fame. What’s scary is the willingness of people to stand in solidarity with a misogynist. Whether he makes me chuckle or not, his treatment
of women is something that cannot be ignored. Brand’s infamous appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe in the US demonstrates exactly what I’m talking about. In what was an all-round awkward show, with the hosts admittedly embarrassing Russell Brand live on-air, he then proceeded to tell the female host that he could see down her top, that he is “only human” and that he has “instincts”. Worst of all, he then labelled her a “shaftgrasper” in observing how she was holding her water bottle. And that was the most recent example. Take the Georgina Baillie affair, in which Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left messages on her grandfather’s answer phone, taunting him about how Brand “fucked” his granddaughter. Or the time when Brand claimed people only “tolerate” Sarah Palin because they “want to fuck her”. You get my drift. Sexual harassment is not OK. Ever. Whether you see Brand’s actions as light-hearted banter doesn’t matter. It’s this kind
of unwelcomed and uninvited propositioning by men that ends up in sexual abuse, to put it bluntly. In this instance, sexual harassment and abuse is completely ignored when the likes of Russell Brand are passed off as having a laugh and a joke. What’s more, Brand seems completely incapable of referring to women in any way other way than sexually. For
god’s sake, the first line of his New Statesman article (in the issue which he guest-edited) reads: “When I was asked to edit an issue of the New Statesman I said yes because it was a beautiful woman asking me.” He may be a sex addict, but this certainly shouldn’t allow him to treat women as mere sex objects. It’s like he believes a woman’s only purpose in life is
to serve him, The Messiah. His track-record is bad, and so are his politics. Brand fails to treat women as human beings, constantly referring to them in a sexualised manner behind a comedic façade. This only serves to hide his now quite-evident sexist prejudices which are both disgusting and dangerous. Just because he may make a joke out of sexual harassment doesn’t make it OK.
why michael gove is right to fight sexting Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor
MICHAEL Gove is the politician that keeps on giving with his weird and wonderful comments, but this time he seems to be talking a bit of sense, with his ideas regarding love poetry and sexting. For those of you leading a morally pure life, or if you’ve just been living under a rock, ‘sexting’, as defined by the superb Urban Dictionary, is “the act of text messaging someone in the hopes of having a sexual encounter with them later; initially casual, transitioning into highly suggestive and even sexually explicit”. Gove, concerned with the increasing numbers of sexting teenagers, has urged teenagers to quit sending badly taken photos and awfully distasteful text messages in favour of love poetry and, for a change, I happen to agree with him. We live in a world where children are now being forced to grow up too fast. The pressures around them often force them into making choices that include sex, and this is
something that I feel is rushing our future generation into becoming adults long before they’re ready. This increasing sexualisation among teenagers is something that I feel is ruining their development and, in turn, moulding many of our young people into sex-crazed maniacs. Gove has revealed his own favourite love poems are Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and Love by George Herbert, and I can only assume that these are the poems he uses to seduce Mrs Gove on those lonely Westminster nights. But through all the flack Gove takes for some of his ideas, this is one that doesn’t deserve it. Parents are rightly concerned about the growing sexualisation of children, and this attempt by Gove to endorse the ‘Love Book’ app is something that appears barmy, but should be praised. The ‘Love Book’ app is an application for smartphones which gives users access to love poetry read by famous actors and actresses, such as Helena Bonham Carter, and the opportunity to send this to other people.
It appears that Gove can’t win in this situation; if he ignores the sexting craze, he’s criticised, and if he backs a scheme that is encouraging teens to avoid sending vomit-inducing messages, he’s mocked. Maybe an app isn’t the best way to tackle the issue, but hey, it’s a start. They say romance is dead, but this is a perfect way to revive it, through modern technology and our young people. I can’t be the only one to think that saying ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ is a lot more romantic than ‘oi, wanna see my knob?’ We hear horror stories on a regular basis about how a teenage boy or girl has committed suicide because of leaked sexts, and it’s deeply sad that these occur more often than we, as a nation, would like to admit. I concede that perhaps there isn’t anything we can do about sexting other than increased education about the risks and about self-respect. Sure, we can’t physically control what teens send, but we should be proactive in
diminishing the problem, which ideas like the ‘Love Book’ app address. So, if you’re a sexter, congratulations, you’ve learnt
how to describe and send your genitals to the masses. Be creative, be imaginative, and put it away; nobody wants to see it.
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Comment
don’t let the sun go down on tabloid paper George Hopkin ALAS, the student ban brigade is still at large, and at the University of East Anglia it has now focused its mean eyes on Page 3 girls and their bare breasts. Yes - students at the University of East Anglia have recently decided that Britain’s most read daily newspaper, The Sun, should no longer be sold on campus. Or, rather, 56% of their students’ union’s council members have decided that The Sun is publication pollution, and that the bare-breasted women on Page 3 are an insult to women and feminism. I understand that The Sun has an element of partial nudity to it; since the ‘70s, Page 3 has probably been the first sight of a reader who opens the newspaper. But does it actually insult women? That’s questionable. The line of its detractors goes
that Page 3 is misogynistic and encourages objectification. So why, if Page 3 is so morally objectionable, do ‘No More Page 3’ campaigners not trust producers, consumers, and models to do the right thing? After all, both men and women who pick up The Sun might actually want to see Page 3; women who pose for Page 3 might actually want to model for it too—and are well paid to do so. That liberal and trusting way of thinking is dangerous for anyone who wants to ban it based on skewed ideological bias—so critics conveniently throw it aside. Let’s look at the evidence surrounding the issue. In the Spring of this year the National Readership Survey estimated that The Sun reaches an audience of nearly 13 million every week. They choose to consume Page 3 in their millions, while the ‘No More Page 3’ online ‘Change’
petition consists of just over 120,000 signatures — showing a huge democratic gap. Rupert Murdoch’s doubtful February Tweet to a critic who claimed that Page 3 was “so last century” was very revealing as well. He claimed that he is “considering” toning the modelling down, from showing bare breasts to reaching a “halfway house” of “glamourous fashionistas”. The future of Page 3 is already in doubt—and that’s because of the owner himself. ‘No More Page 3’ would now point to students’ unions and
say that progress to remove the target of their campaigns could be tackled on our frontiers. Its website even has a whole package prepared for students who want to banish The Sun from campuses nationwide. But, in students’ unions, there is not a convincing case to be made for banning it. The move will reek of much posturing, and amateur censorship, without actually achieving any tangible end goal. Last year, this kind of naïve move was gunned down at Kent in All Students Votes: students voted overwhelmingly to keep Lads Mags in Essentials and
music channels on TVs in campus bars. We are open-minded to these motions, dealing with them via our democratic system, but us Kent Union members know what silly censorship looks like and vote against it in our hundreds. And let me ask you this: When was the last time you even saw The Sun purchased on campus? The answer to that may well be all that’s needed for you to realise the move’s futility. We are wise at Kent — so please let’s not surrender our freedoms to the illiberal ban brigade.
don’t point finger at us, say international students Wambui Githu
LAST month two universities in the UK - Sunderland and Ulster - implemented a finger scanning process to monitor the attendance of international students in lectures. The controversial measures have already proved problematic because the process focuses solely on international students and not their British counterparts. This comes across as mildly discriminatory, to say the least. However, after delving further into the complexities of this process, what is more offensive (for me, at least) is the justification given for why this system has been implemented in the first place: the need to maintain international student retention. As an international student myself, I can recall first-hand the struggles we face, not only at the Visa Agency when applying, but at the UKBA (UK Border Agency) every time we arrive in the country. International students do not need further limitations to their freedom at the institutions which host them. In a statement made by the UKBA in February, they
outlined that it is not necessary for universities to take these measures, nor is it required for international students to go through further hurdles than those from the UK. In this regard, the two aforementioned universities are going beyond their remit.
Classifying all international students together is unjustified, simply because we are not all the same. For this reason, it is unfair to expose all students to such harsh and extreme measures in order to deter a small minority from wrongdoing.
If this process goes any further, many international students may turn away from studying in the UK; no student would want their university experience to feel quarantined. This will, of course, only be detrimental to the UK due to the huge amount international
students contribute to the economy by paying fees at an inflated rate, unlike domestic students. It seems a bit one sided that international students pay more and must also attend lectures for fear of being deported, while British students pay less and have the option to take little heed of their timetable, with no real risk. The University of Sunderland have claimed that the basis of the scanning process was formed because “it is essential that we monitor attendance in order to enhance student retention and achievement”. But then why not ensure this for every student, so that even those on student loans are able to verify that they are using their government allowance for the correct purpose? The actions of both the University of Sunderland SU and the NUS have been commendable in their support of international students. Despite people’s impressions, we do make a significant effort to adopt British customs and integrate into society. It would be an awful shame to discourage a sense of belonging on the part of international students all for the sake of attendance.
Comment 7
breaking bad funeral: not so black and white? Rathe Temple-Green SPOILER ALERT. Don’t read this - finish Breaking Bad first. Start if you haven’t, and finish it. Slightly ruining the ending of one of the best TV shows of this century would be unforgivable. It’s okay, I’ll wait. No, seriously, finish it. Done? Good. On Saturday 21st October, following the programme’s finale, a mock-funeral was held for Walter White in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With an empty coffin and over 200 paying attendees, this wasn’t just any ordinary fan gathering - the show’s own set decorator delivered a eulogy, and $17,000 was fundraised for a local homeless charity. What’s made this controversial is the real gravestone placed in the cemetery - not far from where the actual deceased have been laid to rest. On the one hand, raising money for a homeless charity is admirable, and the fact that people banded together simply through their admiration for a fictional character they will sorely miss demonstrates the power that TV can still have.
This isn’t even the first time Breaking Bad has been able to pull off such a feat; savewalterwhite.com, a real website designed to imitate one created in a second season episode to help Walter’s family pay for his cancer treatment, raised over $125,000 for the real world’s National Cancer Coalition. Despite considering myself a pretty serious Breaking Bad fan (often cooking my own batches of blue meth-style sweets as I force yet another friend through a marathon), I agree that a fake funeral is taking appreciation a little too far. Allowing fictional characters the same privilege as real human beings is a concept that becomes more uncomfortable the longer you dwell on it. One man, whose son is buried 15 yards from Heisenberg, said that a cemetery is not a place for “spectacle”. He’s right, and it’s not like BrBa fans have any shortage of opportunities for spectacle in Albuquerque - the show has done wonders for its tourist trade. ABQ Trolley Co., for example, offers a 13-stop trip around some of the show’s
major locations. The former White residence alone attracts around 10,000 cars of visitors per month. As a show entirely predicated on the blurring of moral boundaries, the gesture seems all the more crass. Let’s not forget that Walter gradually became more and more despicable regardless of his initial good intentions; his transformation from “Mr. Chips to Scarface”, as show
creator Vince Gilligan put it, is now complete with his demise. There is no getting away from the fact these 200 people were at least partly paying their respects to a manipulative, drug-dealing murderer, even if he is fictional. I’m certain many were there because it felt like a definitive send-off for the series as a whole, but the gravestone is still in White’s name. After an online petition to have the gravesite removed
gained over 100 signatures, the organisers of the mock funeral agreed to move the headstone and vault to Vernon’s Steakhouse in Albuqurque. But it does raise some interesting questions about the place fictional characters can have in the real world, however - what on earth is next? Someone trying to hire Saul Goodman to solve their real-life legal issues? Someone marrying Jesse Pinkman?
panel shows: causing a comedy crisis? Yes
No
Paul Spanton
Henry Sandercock
MONTY Python, Fawlty Towers and Little Britain are arguably among the best sketch shows and sitcoms in the world. British sitcoms have provided fall-offyour-chair hysterical moments; from Del Boy “playing it nice and cool” before falling through the bar or hotelier Basil Fawlty giving his car a “damn good thrashing”. Yet the recent proliferation of panel shows has deprived audiences of a mainstream sketch show since Little Britain ended. Fast Show creator Charlie Higson believes it’s because panel shows are a cheaper and safer alternative, however panelist David Mitchell holds that panel-based programmes offer a higher, spontaneous form of wit that sketch shows and scripted series fail to match. Panel shows can be good but they have become almost the
COMEDY in crisis? You must be having a laugh! As a huge fan of comedy and of panel shows in particular I believe that, if anything, comedy is only getting funnier. True, comedy is not as original as it used to be with great standup acts and sketch shows from the likes of Dave Allen, the Two Ronnies and Monty Python. However, it has changed with the times and is now a team game, where funny minds are thrust together to conjure up some collective hilarity. In no sense has the panel show cheapened the art of making people laugh. Most of the comedians who appear on them have risen to prominence by being successful stand-ups or scriptwriters and are genuinely funny (and if you do not believe me, I challenge you to watch an episode of Mock the Week and not at least give a hint of a
sole outlet for todays band of comedians to make cheap jokes out of governmental shenanigans on Mock the Week, or shoehorn in old material on 8 out of 10 Cats. Mitchell admitted appearing as a panellist was the easiest part of his job as it required no preparation. Episodes of Fawlty Towers, on the other hand, took four months to write. The repetitive format of panel shows doesn’t allow for sparks of inventiveness which have
created the most memorable moments in comedy. Think of your favourite comedic moment and chances are it’s not a throwaway witticism by Frankie Boyle but a piece of artfully crafted suspense culminating in a chandelier failing through the ceiling or Edmund Blackadder going over the top. For every panel show commission there is less time and money spent looking for the next Inbetweeners. Comedy just isn’t what it was.
snigger). Not only this but there are now new formats springing up left, right and centre. We have the original comedy panel-show in the form of Have I Got News for you through to the latest hybrid, the ‘mash-up’ 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown, which is by far the funniest show of 2013 so far. Compare these with the sitcoms and sketch shows on offer and, Bad Education aside, they are all flops: Big School was the dullest thing I have ever watched; Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People made me want to jump into the River Stour; and Mrs Brown’s Boys has somehow returned to our screens despite being about as humourous as hitting your funny bone - just excruciatingly painful. Comedy is not in crisis and will never be in crisis because humour is always changing and comedy evolves with it. For now though, sitcoms are about as dead as campus on a Sunday morning.
8
Editorial & Interview
struggling with obsessive culture disorder Rebekah Chilvers Newspaper Culture Editor HELLO, my name’s Rebekah and I’ve got OCD. Now, before you get the wrong end of the stick, I don’t compulsively wash my hands 100 times a day whilst simultaneously clicking light switches on and off. No, this is a whole new diagnosis: Obsessive Culture Disorder. I am never satisfied with the amount of culture in my life. I always want more. For me, this means that I have a neverending list of books, DVDs, plays and places that I’m longing to read, watch and see. From finally getting round to watching Breaking Bad, to reading the entire Dickens and Shakespeare collections, and from visiting Venice to seeing War Horse at the West End, there is always something that I have to add to my cultural (and slightly ambitious) to-do list. In the words of Freddie Mercury “I want it all” – not that I’m greedy or anything, but it’s as though
my life will not be fulfilled until I’ve experienced all of these things, and more. Unfortunately for me though, my “OCD” can’t be sated very easily. Because, you see, the thing about culture is, it never stops expanding. New books, plays and TV shows are constantly being created, and so my list just grows and grows.
It would be much easier to tick things off if it weren’t for a couple of trivial restraints. You know, just the smaller matter of time and money. Despite doing a course at university that only requires my attendance for eight hours a week, with the addition of a job, it doesn’t leave that much spare time to pick up Hamlet
in one hand and King Lear in the other at the end of the day. As for money, well, I’ve already spent more than I’d like to think about on DVDs to aid my obsession, with a collection that spans most of my shelves at home. But what is it about culture that makes me crave it so much? Well, art and culture
Photo by Rebekah Chilvers
go hand in hand, and without art - literature, film, TV, and music – life would be very dull. Art enriches life and gives you something to appreciate, other than heaps of university work, in your spare time. Will my “OCD” ever go away? Probably not, no. Should I just enjoy what I have already experienced and leave it at that, never looking for anything more? Definitely not. Increasing knowledge and passion for culture can’t be a bad thing; so perhaps I should change my so-called diagnosis – it isn’t a disorder, and I know that many people feel the same way as me, whether it’s to the same extent or not. I don’t know how many people I’ve heard talk about ‘needing’ to see a certain play or watch a particular TV show, but I would bet that it’s a majority. So, although it may take me a while to get through Shakespeare’s lengthy collection of tragedies, comedies and histories, until I do so, it will always be on my to-do list.
the good, the bad and the ugly of twitter Dan English Newspaper Sports Editor A recent estimate has suggested that there are 34 million live Twitter accounts in the UK, meaning that more than half of the British population can talk in under 140 characters. Big national events have seen millions update us with their thoughts and feelings about the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics, during an age where the London Games were dubbed by some as the Digital Games because of increased social media presence. A brief look on my Twitter timeline shows scores of the mundane ‘I just woke up’ tweets to the more interesting ‘Isn’t it a nice day today’, but, in all seriousness is it any use? Twitter has become a huge network for news, with its ability to break it to the masses far quicker than even the twenty-four hour news networks. You can watch news unfold through immediate eyewitness accounts and photos that perhaps never make it to
the airwaves elsewhere. This exposure to the raw side of the news – news at its purest – is one of the main draws of the site. There have been numerous incidents where news has broken first on Twitter before television; in particular, the man who lived next door to Osama Bin Laden tweeted innocently about loud noises coming from the building next door, oblivious to the importance of
what he was saying, and of the events he was reporting. Twitter also prevents the mundane reporting of daily life from being put on other social media, such as Facebook. It seems daft, but personally I find ‘I’m awake!’ really annoying on Facebook, but strangely acceptable if it has been tweeted. Twitter provides the ultimate insight into everyone who has put their profile to
public, especially celebrities. I suppose what I’m saying is that if you’re nosy, it’s quite fun. But one of the main criticisms stems just from that, and the ability Twitter gives you to interact with celebrities, regardless of whether they want you to or not. Of course, you could argue that if celebrities open themselves up to the wider audience, then they should appreciate that not everyone
will like them. But what they shouldn’t have to put up with, is the influx of morons who take to twitter just to troll those who have better lives than them. As a victim of Twitter abuse myself, I find the whole experience utterly infuriating. I’m quite thick skinned, but being labelled an ‘oompa lumpa c**t’ after discussing a football story, by someone I didn’t know or care existed, is going a little bit too far. We’ve had great debate about the woes of Twitter in the wake of feminist rows, which saw leading feminist protestors and writers abused horrendously by idiots with nothing better to do, whose entire lives could fit into 140 characters, and who have no place within society, yet alone a useful internet media. We need Twitter, or something like it. It’s useful, it’s fun and it’s different. The possibilities of use for the network are endless, whether on television, in live debates, or just to check on how friends are. If you haven’t had a go, create an account today, and if you have, keep tweeting: make use of how informative it is.
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charlotte church controversy iq entertainment pg. 17
iq
city sound project reviwed iq entertainment pg. 15
Photo by Daniel Barnby
Photo by craigyboi
enquiry into the success of period dramas iq culture pg. 20
Photo by Doofuzzy
inspirational story of malala yousafzai. iq features pg. 11
Photo by World Bank Photo Collection
remembrance day iq features and iq culture pgs. 13 & 20
Photo by Nigel Jones
IQ Features 11
Melissa East
“who is malala yousafzai?”
Photo by World Bank Photo Collection
“Who is Malala Yousafzai?” was the question shouted by the Taliban gunman after he confronted a bus-full of young Pakistani schoolgirls. Over one year ago, on 9th of October 2012, the Taliban forces shot Malala Yousafzai in the head and the neck when she was on the school bus home, for her belief that girls’ education is “a basic right”. Since that life changing moment, Malala has been named one of TIME
magazine’s most influential people of 2013 and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Her inspiring story so far is now on paper in her number one bestseller book I Am Malala. It is praised by Amazon reviewers as “inspirational”, “a humbling book” and “a must-read”. I must admit that when I was last in Waterstones, the book immediately caught my eye and is already on my Amazon wish list. From looking at the front cover, you just see a young girl, like any other girl you walk past in the street. But once you learn more about her humbling story, you almost forget that she is only 16-years old, as she has accomplished so much already; I believe that her fight for women’s education in the East will continue to change lives. Some of the world’s most famous leaders, such as the Queen and the Obamas, have thanked Malala for her “inspiring and passionate work” for girls’ education. Not all teenage girls are told that. Whilst most girls spend their birthdays having parties, Malala spent
her birthday in the United Nations headquarters in New York giving a speech to 500 young people. It seems to me that even though Malala has been thrust into the spotlight, her international fame has not changed her for the worse. When asked about how she felt addressing such a large crowd again, she said “I am not only talking to the people of America and the other countries, I am talking to every person in the world”. This is the voice of a girl who, although she went through something that most of us cannot imagine, has turned this catastrophe into a way of raising awareness about unequal opportunities for women. So the question is this: can one girl’s efforts revolutionise women’s education in the East? The answer is yes! In light of the mounting pressure from the United Nations and the West, the Pakistani government voted for free compulsory education last year and announced a £6 million ‘Malala Fund’
to educate underprivileged girls. Actions such as these are momentous steppingstones towards a brighter education for women in Pakistan, actions which I doubt would have happened without Malala’s efforts. I find Malala to be a girl who really puts your life into perspective. As children, we always complained that we had to go to school, that we would rather stay at home. The Western world takes free and accessible education for granted, and it should not take one Middle-Eastern girl being shot after fighting for girls’ education for us to realise that.
Photo by United Nations Information Centres
what i hate about you recipe of the week Henry Sandercock
As a polite, gentlemanly and civilised man, I usually keep my little pet hates to myself. However, over these past few weeks of term, some trivial little things have been niggling away at my good nature. These are the habits which belong to you, the good people of UKC.
Photo by That One Chick Mary
First on my hit-list: ‘snifflers’; you know who you are. Granted, with winter fast approaching and with some of you coming from sunnier climates and therefore being unused to such conditions, you will be suffering from runny noses and the like. However, I implore you, please stop sniffling! My advice: think before you sniff or, even better, you can blow your nose into one of Britain’s greatest gifts to the world: the handkerchief. The next group of people who ought to be fearing my wrath are, what I like to call, the ‘sudden-stoppers’ or the ‘daydreamers’. Have you ever been hurrying across campus, five minutes
late for a lecture, hungover as hell only to find your route blocked by someone who seems to drift from one side of the path to the other, as if their sole goal is to impede your inevitable overtaking manoeuvre? Or even worse, have you ever found yourself taking wild evasive action after someone has suddenly pulled to a halt right in front of you as if they have just walked into a wall? The habit I am referring to here is that of switching to autopilot whilst walking around campus and it drives me insane. Daydreaming is for the library and the autopilot switch should only be turned on at home, where you are well out of my way. Finally, the habit I detest beyond anything is Facebook or twitter ‘syndrome’, namely the compulsion to write your life story on the internet. Not many people are that bothered about what is on your mind, particularly when you update everyone about its altering state every 5 seconds. Nor do people desire to know what you have just eaten for dinner, and they certainly do not want a picture accompanying it, particularly if they are a permanently hungry student. So please, I beg you, do not be ‘that’ person, be considerate of others, and eliminate your bad habits. (article can also be found on http:// www.inquirelive.co.uk/features/article4157/10ish-things-i-hate-about-you/)
Louisa Maycock Lemon Drizzle Cake
Photo by Louisa Maycock
We’ve been having issues with our landlord. It must be a right of passage for all students moving into a proper house for the first time but it sure does make one feel lack luster in the baking department. I knew that when I was given the time to invade the kitchen, I would have to make a lemon drizzle. Comfort is found in a big slice with a cup of tea, especially when your landlord troubles are getting you down. Ingredients: 225g unsalted butter 225g caster sugar 4 large eggs Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 225g self-raising flour For the lemon syrup: Juice of the zest-stripped lemons from above 85g caster sugar
For the icing (optional) 85g Icing sugar Enough lemon juice to make a thickish icing Lemon zest to decorate Instructions: 1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/ gas 4. Grease and line the bottom of a 2Ib loaf tin. 2. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. 3. Sift the flour into a separate bowl. Alternate between a spoonful of this with each egg, mixing well. Fold in the remaining flour and the lemon zest. 4. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 45-50 minutes until it is risen and golden. 5. While the cake is cooling, make the drizzle. Put the caster sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and heat slowly on the hob until the sugar has dissolved, prick the warm cake all over and pour on the syrup. 6. Now make the icing. Add drops of lemon juice to the icing sugar until you have a consistency that’s not so thick that it won’t drip attractively down the sides of the cake. Once the cake is completely cool, remove it from its tin and spoon over the icing, coaxing it to the edges. Scatter over the lemon zest, then feel at one with the world and if your landlord comes to visit, don’t offer him any.
12
IQ Features
bionics: a new set of cultural norms Jonjo Brady
It is clear that the 20th century technological revolution with regards to wheelchairs, although gradual, has had a fundamental impact on the identities of disabled people and how they see themselves, and, of course, how others see them. Transformed from impractical and cumbersome machines to powerful mobility tools, wheelchairs have given disabled people the freedom to move towards a greater level of social inclusion and to begin fighting for their own rights and independence. Without the physical and social augmentation of the wheelchair, disabled people would still be trapped within the shadows of institutions like hospices, care homes and medical wards. Instead they are at the forefront of society and able to make significant contributions to the collective. Despite the significant progress in changing social perceptions, there is trepidation towards regarding wheelchairs as social objects. Since the wheelchair is now universally and institutionally recognised as the symbol of disability, seeing it as an extension of a person, rather than just a symbol, is the new hurdle for those wanting to change the way disabled people are viewed and treated in our culture. This emblem causes wheelchair users to remain disconnected, sitting uneasily between the instantly recognisable and the completely alien. For most people, exposure to wheelchairs is only a fleeting experience
in everyday life and so they are still misunderstood as machines that ‘disable’, confine and remove their occupant from a state of independence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Interestingly though, modern science is actually starting to do away with our wheelie friend and, in turn, the stigmas associated with it. Hugh Herr, an associate professor of biometrics at MIT Media Lab, is actually predicting a ‘bionics revolution’ in the coming years. Bionics is the application of biological principles to the study and design of
Photos by Ekso Bionics
engineering systems and Herr suggests that “we’re entering a bionic era”. So imagine amputees being able to walk again with the aid of mechanical legs, the paralysed recovering movement with the help of intelligent exoskeletons able to mimic the natural movement of limbs or the blind regaining their sight after being fitted with artificial visual receptors. Not only does this new technology have the capacity to match the functions of a typical human being, and in turn
dampen conventional stigmas about disability, but has the potential to be in many ways superior. Although we are not at the stage where this technology is commercially available, soon there may be a whole new set of cultural norms where even able-bodied people will revere those who can adopt bionic technology. The fact that technology has the potential to change disabled people’s lives in this very real sense is monumental. It would mark a fundamental shift to a new level of social inclusion. The idea of ‘disability’ as we know it today, and the centuries of prejudice and discrimination that come with it, would become a thing of the past; in fact, a radical might say that ‘disability’, as an idea, would disappear completely. However, one has to ponder on what new set of cultural norms, and potential prejudices, will arise. Disabled people have always felt the bigotry from others of perceiving them to be ‘less than human’, and so wouldn’t augmenting themselves with machinery have a similar effect? Maybe another divide will widen between purely biological humans and their bionic enhanced counterparts? Or even that the similar socio-economic divide that disabled and able-bodied people experience, will be felt amongst the disabled peole, dividing those who can and can’t afford bionics? And, of course, some able-bodied people might wish to become enhanced too – so what would that say about disability?
inquire sudoku
news in science Katyanna Quach The NHS have stated that there has been an increase of around 10% in obesity levels in adults from 1993 to 2011 in England, costing the service large amounts of money to combat the range of health issues surrounding obesity, in their February 2013 report ‘Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet’. Despite it being preventable and curable, there are a number of people who say diets and regular exercise do not seem to affect their weight much and the recent discovery of a new gene could explain why. Scientists have managed to confirm that there is a link between a slow metabolism and obesity with the detection of the KRs2 gene. It is not the gene itself that leads to weight gain but mutated versions of it. Genes carry the necessary code needed to construct, control and operate cells in the body. People, who have the mutated versions of the KRs2 gene, produce cells that break down glucose and fatty acids ingested from food at a slower rate than those that do not. They have also reported that they had larger appetites than normal in their childhoods and coupled with a slow metabolism, it has resulted in increased weight gain and obesity in later life. Scientists hope that by studying these mutations further, they will discover more efficient methods of weight loss that are more suited to the individual, based on their genes.
Photo by Fj.toloza992
IQ Features 13
the origin of the poppy
Emma Shelton Newspaper Features Editor
Photo by striatic
“We shall not sleep, though poppies grow / In Flanders fields.” are the last two lines to John McCrae’s poem written in May 1915. Moina Michael, deeply moved when she read this poem in 1918, took those final words to be a spiritual calling from the people who had died in battle; a calling to “keep the faith”. In order to do so, she made a vow to wear a red poppy as a sign of remembrance. Between 1918 and 1920, she strove to make the poppy a national memorial symbol with the Memorial Poppy campaign. When Anna Guérin heard of her appeal at the National American Legion convention, she took it one step further with the aim to create wearable artificial poppies that could be made and sold to raise money for war-stricken regions in France. She was equally keen for the poppy to be introduced in World War I Allies’ countries too. Nowadays, thanks to those two women, the poppy is the emblem of Armistice Day, and to wear one on your coat is still the simplest of gestures to remember the men and women who died for us.
Photo by MarilynJane
fashion profile:punk Natalie Turco-Williams
On21st September 1979, The Clash performed London Calling at the New York Palladium and in a single camera flash, the iconic image of Paul Simon smashing his bass was created. It was in this moment that Punk had reached its climax. To some, this photo is the epitome of punk, showing the loss of control and shock tactics used to ignite the rebellion against the establishment. The roots of the subculture are still very much up for debate. Was it the shocking fashion that came first, or the underground music scene? Both emerged around 1974 when business partners Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McClaren opened a shop called SEX on Kings Road in London. Westwood’s designs were inspired by the daring street style of the unemployed youth as well as other unusual elements such as tartan prints and S&M fetish wear. The basis of the collection was mainly graphic t-shirts, mohair sweaters and tartan trousers. At the same time the business took off, McClaren, a band manager from New York, launched the Sex Pistols, one the UK’s first ever punk bands. Designers like Zandra Rhodes and bands like The Clash joined the scene later on bringing their own style to the rising cult trend.
Photo by Man Alive!
By the early 80’s, punks were quickly replaced by the New Romantics, fronted by bands like Duran Duran and The Culture Club. 35 years later and being punk is now one of the prominent trends of Autumn/Winter 13. The only difference is that the link between the music and fashion has disappeared. When the scene first started it wasn’t a case of music or fashion choice but a lifestyle, an attitude. If you wore Doc Martins, skinny jeans and an embellished leather jacket, you would most certainly have listened to The
Undertones and been against the system. Nowadays, you could be punk one day and preppy the next, if you so wished, without even considering the culture you’re promoting with your clothes. Designers like Henry Holland may have captured the punk spirit and modernised it this season, but with so many different looks being available, it’s easy to mix and switch styles, whereas in the 70’s, you were either a glamrocker, a disco-diva or a punk – there was no in between. At the moment, you even have some of the younger generations buying these band shirts without even listening to the music or knowing what they stand for; instead it’s just seen as a fashion statement. This is one of the major problems behind why the fashion and the music are so disconnected because the younger generation don’t know the history behind the fashion. It’s not just a t-shirt, it’s a part of our culture, our history. You should know what you’re wearing and where it’s from or else the importance of that style will die out. I think it’s fair to say the relevance of punk in modern society has been lost. I would say that being a punk is no longer the lifestyle statement it used to be but simply a meaningless fashion statement.
creative writing: prose Callum Tyndall Dust to Dust (continued...) The Dustbowl. Canaan Station. 3 months ago...
He calls himself the Bull. Big guy, big gun. No one points out how corny the name is. He’s been coming to the same bar for the last fortnight, his rented room located right above it. Room to bar, 3 drinks, bar to room. Every night for two weeks. The bar is the King’s Hand, the town is Canaan Station. The Station is made up of the King’s Hand, a general store named Took’s, 3 farms that lie on the outskirts of town and the eponymous fuel station. It’s the only fuel supply in a 50 mile radius, meaning that everyone travelling through the Dustbowl stops at Canaan. The Bull has been here two weeks. The locals have grown tired of his presence. There are three major mercenary companies with bases at the Station. The only reason for an armed man to stay here so long is if he’s hunting. The companies don’t take kindly to poachers on their territory. Led by the man
himself, 3 of Halford’s Hornets enter the King’s Hand and close on the Bull, placing a not so friendly hand on his shoulder in typical tough guy fashion. Halford leans down to the Bull’s ear level, whispers. “It may be best if you left town friend. We don’t take kindly to freelancers here”. Glass shatters, blood sprays, there is the soft thud of a knife hitting bone. The Hornets specialise in hit-and-run tactics. Crawling towards the door, shards of glass stuck in his face, Halford considers the wisdom of running. The remains of the Bull’s bottle are scattered across the floor, fool’s diamonds decorated with a scarlet fringe. As Halford pulls himself out of the bar, rolling into the dirt, vision clouding in one eye, he’s greeted with the site of his competitors. The Crimson Kings have showed up in force, 12 gunners standing alongside their rivals, the Sand Devils, turned out in a group of just 5, dressed in freshly pressed uniforms and equipped with strangely military gear. The sergeant of the Devils bows and extends his open hand towards the door, granting first go to the Crimson Kings. The
gunners enter without reply and open fire. Bullets tear into every part of the bear, carving out chunks from the wood, spinning customers back with hails of gunfire. Weapons click empty one after the other, hammers hitting dry chambers. The body of one of the Hornets rolls over. Painted crimson, the Bull stands. The Sand Devils wait through the sound of 12 hard men dying, keep their guns held low. The Bull swings the doors wide as he steps out of the bar, his weapon holstered. A grin spreads across his face slowly as he sees the waiting mercs. “You know, in all the gosh darn excitement, I’ve clear gone and forgotten if I reloaded. So, which one of you charming punks is going to be the lucky fellow who helps me remember?” The Devils’ guns begin to rise. “Well, punk?” The sergeant’s breaths are shallow and fast. His men are splayed across the ground behind him. The bullets in his shoulder and knee are burning their slow poison into his blood. Above him is the cold stare of a revolver. The Bull crouches: “I’m looking for a priest.”
14
IQ Features
soap! the haunted houseparty
IQ Entertainment 15
events
listen out for ...
Lucia Ennis takes a look at some of the best new and upcoming single releases Rap God - Eminem Eminem crashes into this 6-minute song with confidence, aggression and the usual controversy. His flow is impressively faster than ever, particularly when he picks up the pace in the show-casing verse beginning “lyrics coming at you at supersonic speed”. If the secret to rap immortality is simply “rage and youthful experience”, then Eminem is surely a strong contender for the “God” of it. Work Bitch Britney Spears Britney is back with a bold, EDMinspired track. The relentless beat is reminiscent of 2007’s Piece of Me whilst the lyrics are similarly upfront. She lists “bugattis, mansions and martinis” as apparent target prizes, inviting the listener to “work” towards the success they idly “want”. The music video features her cracking a whip on one of her dancers and the role of motivator somehow works for Britney. So, “You better work bitch”. How Long Will I Love You - Ellie Goulding This song is a delicate, sweet ode to life-long love. Goulding promises to love “as long as there are stars above, and longer if I can”. Her vocal is fragile, with a simple piano-led background and occasional strings. It’s simplistic, but effective. The track has been chosen as the official Children in Need song, to be released on November 10th. Shot At The Night The Killers This is one of two new songs on The Killer’s Direct Hits compilation album. The pounding 80’s chorus and triumphant tone “give me a moment, give me a shot at the night” - sits well alongside their greatest hits (Smile Like You Mean It, Mr Brightside), and is described by Brandon Flowers as “a great way to clean everything up and move on to the next thing”.
city sound project winterover2013 review London grime accent rather than one Dan Le Sac’s jerky, off-kilter,
Chad Greggor Website Editor
Photo by Daniel Barnby
City Sound Project is a one day affair bringing together amazing local and national acts to play their music inside venues around the city. On Sunday 27th the events kicked off at The Jolly Sailor, where The Frescaders played in the beer garden. The band performed their Arctic Monkeys/Miles Kane influenced indie, with a refreshing twist of country and folk, and some technical twindie on their great track Sally-Ann. They were followed by The Doctorates, a three piece playing uncontainable, energetic indie. The most impressive song from the set was Backseat, which is apparently set for release soon, and is infectiously catchy. Next InQuire took a trip to the Marlowe studio, where Lunar C was performing. The young rapper from Bradford is producing some prodigious verses varnished with powerful, if obnoxious, beats. We are only disappointed that he adopts a
more evident of his native Yorkshire. He arrived on stage with his crew Fly Tippaz for what was a deflated, underwhelming set, the rappers struggling to work up the crowd at the relatively early hour of 5.30pm. Performing the otherwise excellent Bogeyed and Free Weed for Single Moms, the crew left after an uneventful 20 minutes. Fast forward a couple of hours and Troumaca were setting up on stage. The whole procedure took slightly longer than expected, but it was worth every second to produce the ear-shattering, molar rattling bass of their euphoric electro. The now pleasantly inebriated and festival-fatigued crowd swayed hypnotically to an almost oriental phantasmagoria of sound. Splashh were up next in the Marlowe studio. Their lo-fi 90s nostalgia hit a sweet spot in the crowd, creating a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of our stomachs. Unfortunately, their long, boring jam sessions in the midst of songs were ill-planned, leaving us yawning and occasionally watching the clock, rather than waiting for some sort of explosive conclusion. Luckily Scroobius Pip vs Dan Le Sac soon appeared on stage to stifle those yawns. Pip’s beard would be enough entertainment for one evening, but his perceptive and hilarious verses
post-rave beats created something of a life-changing spectacle. Their collaboration is a strange thing in itself, the ‘vs’ perfectly describing the musical relationship they have. Both maintaining different perspectives while remaining equally matched, the resulting music is a stalemate. Performing unbelievably good renditions of Letter from God to Man, Thou Shalt Always Kill and Gold Teeth, their set will be one to remember for all who were there.
Photo by Daniel Barnby
Unfortunately we were unable to see all the acts of the day, or even visit every one of the venues. The festival is vast, and we have it on very good authority that Chester P in The Penny Theatre was “sick”, while Lunar C returned for a second set and fully redeemed his earlier performance. City Sound Project will return next year in May and will this time continue over two days. We can’t wait. To read the extended article, view all the photos and read a review of new band Dollywood, head to www. inquirelive.co.uk
travelling spiegeltent comes to canterbury
Sophie Hand
Recently celebrating its 30th year, the Canterbury Festival plays host to many different acts and genres in many different environments. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Spiegeltent which has been home to many performers over the 2013 festival. Arriving in a dark field and walking up a dirt track to reach the venue, I will admit I was hesitant about what the night had in store for me, and my worries were not put to rest on reaching our destination. The Spiegeltent, in its English translation, is simply a mirrored tent and from the outside looked a lot like a circus arena. However, when the show began and we were ushered in, the night took a very different turn. The inside of the tent was spectacular, the walls and ceiling covered in mirrors, intricate cuttings of wood, and tables
intimately laid out each holding a tea light. The overall feeling of the venue instantly made you forget about the dirt track walk in the freezing cold October night. Drinks were flowing throughout the venue and were helpful in ensuring you enjoyed the whole experience. The show opened with host Andy Robinson and his high key humour which warmed the audience up for the first act of the night, Mike Wilmot. His comical spin on living life with a menopausal wife kept the crowd entertained, although his act arguably bordered on the uncomfortable in places, with many of the audience blushing through his crude accounts of his life experiences but he still succeeded in making the crowd laughing (and cringe) throughout. The only downside of the act was his time allowance, he would be worth seeing in his own show. But be warned - stay away if you’re easily offended. Again, Andy Robinson kept the night rolling with a smooth transition into the next act of the night, Gary Delaney. Delaney himself has written for many different comedians and comedy
shows, such as Russell Howard’s Good News and 8 Out of 10 Cats, whilst appearing on shows such as Mock the Week, so expectations were high. His act consisted of one liners from start to finish all of which were just tacky enough to keep the audience in stitches; brief intervals of his spin on The Sun’s ‘Dear Deidre’ letters took classic problems and turned them into a new revived joke. Although the Canterbury Festival has now ended, he is starting the second part of his Purist tour, so if you like fast-paced, upbeat humour, Delaney is a must see. Overall the experience was brilliant; the venue itself providing an exciting atmosphere, and with all the acts of the night delivering exactly what was expected - great comedy. I would recommend to anyone to book tickets for a local comedy night; it was a great experience and clearly enjoyed by all who were there.
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gaming & videos youtube top 5 : educational procrastination
Arnie Voysey Vsauce 5.34 million subscribers Have you ever looked at your reflection and wondered what colour a mirror is? Have you ever looked at the ground on a sunny day and questioned how much your shadow weighs? Vsauce always knows the answer. Michael Stevens, the creator and host is a true talent like no other, not only for exploring these questions and hundreds more but for the amazing attention to detail and fantastic visual illustrations in every engaging video. These are not simple questions with simple answers; these are massively ambitious investigations into some of life’s most complex confusions that have plagued the minds of millions of people. As always, thanks for watching. TED Talks 1.64 million subscribers Featuring presentations by some of the world’s most intelligent, influential and ground breaking individuals, TED Talks
showcases great minds talking about their most important work. Whether you want to watch Stephen Hawking questioning the universe, David Blaine revealing the science behind his underwater stunt or you just feel like searching the massive archive of incredible speakers, you will definitely find something that not only interests you but is also relevant to any degree. All Time 10’s 1.55 million subscribers Simple and fascinating short video’s which revolve around creating top ten lists around absolutely any subject. Easily accessible and short in length, this channel has many lists that will interest any potential viewer and is regularly updated with even more fascinating facts. Its unique and inventive combination of animations and stock footage tailored for each subject creates an engaging format that is both entertaining and informative. Khan Academy 1.44 million subscribers Founded upon the principle of providing a free education to anyone with access to the internet, the Khan
Academy is funded by donations and has the financial support of both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google. The videos are accompanied by lecture-style visual illustrations and teach subjects at an incredibly high academic level. Exploring topics in maths, science, economics and humanities, this is one of the most impressive uses of the internet in sharing knowledge. This YouTube channel, along with its own website, is one of the best sources for anyone eager to expand their knowledge. SourceFed 1.16 million subscribers Humour mixed with relevant news is always entertaining and this is what SourceFed delivers on its channel almost every day. Everyday the team present five videos with news related stories in under 20 minutes. With a focus on current cultural topics, these hilarious videos involve comedic discussions with a light view of relevant information. A massive catalogue
of uploads, up to date and relevant whilst being consistently amusing and engaging.
a look back at ... the elder scrolls iv: oblivion
Alec Pearce
Oblivion is possibly the greatest role-
playing video game ever made. It had an extremely tough act to follow in its predecessor Morrowind, but it made significant improvements to gameplay and graphics making it appealing to all gamers, not only fans of RPGs. As the fourth game in the Elder Scrolls saga, released seven years ago in 2006, Oblivion threw you back into the world of Tamriel, this time in the land of the imperial capital, Cyrodiil. You almost immediately feel a sense of freedom and excitement as you ready your weapons and spells and prepare to take on the world. Wait, what is this? I’ve been in the game for two minutes and I’m already a convicted villain? Well, that’s just how the game starts, in a dank prison cell awaiting your fate when only the Emperor of all Tamriel (voiced by none other than the superb Patrick Stewart) uses your cell as an escape route. Things certainly are getting interesting now! As you follow the Emperor through the underground tunnels of the Imperial Palace you learn all the basics of the game and start to decide what kind of
a man, elf, lizard or cat (yes, even cat) you want to be. Do you want to charge into combat wielding a mighty battleaxe, with little regard for your personal safety, or sneak around in the shadows, sniping faraway enemies with your bow? Maybe you would prefer to focus on the various types of magic the game offers, or perhaps a mixture of all three play-styles? The choice is completely up to you and it is always important to remember that there is no ‘correct’ way to play the game. Upon choosing your character’s playstyle and leaving the imperial sewer network, you can finally get on with exploring the world. You will quickly discover that the world of Oblivion has seemingly endless possibilities and opportunities. You can follow the quest
that the Emperor has given you and complete the game’s compelling main storyline, explore the vast number of caves, ruins and derelict mines looking for treasure or perhaps just go for a swim! There are quite literally hundreds and hundreds of things you can do in Oblivion that will occupy your time for many hours and you can go about them as quickly or as leisurely as you please. All I can say is thank God for the fast travel system. With an expansive, truly immersive world awaiting you, for a very reasonable price, there‘s no reason to not pick up this game and give it a try. I promise that Oblivion will not fail to entertain you as you play it in whatever way you feel is best. But be warned, once you visit Tamriel you might just want to stay there.
listen, watch, use and follow Will Butler
Listen: Young Fathers Think The Weeknd without the Radio 1 endorsement. Young Fathers are a HipHop/R’n’B trio hailing from the misty shores of Scotland. With only two EPs under their belt, this group is relatively fresh on the scene, blending elements of rap, hip-hop, soul and minimalist electronica. They are incredibly versatile musicians in regards to their composition and lyrical prowess; fill your earholes with them and thank me later. Watch: Homeland One of the few great US dramas that has terrestrial presence on this side of the pond, Homeland is a huge catch for Channel 4. The drama follows the turmoil that unravels as CIA officer Carrie Mathison pulls the cloth from under multi-national terrorist Abu Nazir who exploits a brainwashed army veteran. With season 3 having just kicked off, there’s no better way to shake off those post-Breaking Bad woes and start a new TV relationship. Use: Lift Lift is an app that lets strangers give me the high-fives and attaboys I deserve for doing things expected of me anyway. A community database aimed at general life improvement where you input and track your progress as well as witnessing others on their plight to a better living. It honestly works. With my phone berating me every hour to do push-ups, I’m one step closer to achieving Brad Pitt’s Fight Club body. Follow: @PRTYNTGRVS Here we have a music site based in Dallas, Texas run by a couple of close friends of mine (shameless plugging, I know). It features album reviews, gig commentaries, music articles and access to high quality streams, appealing to those among you with a distinctly eclectic taste. I’ve got high hopes invested in this site and rightly so; they’ve got the content that deserves it.
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tv & music the music industry: male dominated, sexist and demeaning? Charlotte Church has recently made controversial comments about the music industry, saying there is a sexist and demeaning culture towards women, so ingrained in pop music that it has become routine. Jessica Mills and Charlotte Smith debate both sides of the story, but who is right? Let battle commence.
For Jessica Mills
Charlotte Church has recently slammed the music industry, declaring it “hyper-sexualised” and stating that female musicians are being “coerced” into sexual roles in order to maintain their careers. But how much truth is there in this? Watch any music video and more often than not you’re bombarded with overtly sexual images and material. Half-naked girls gyrate shamelessly across our screens, with lyrics that seem to become more and more explicit every day, and to me it’s a sign that the music industry has gone too far. Now, women, or indeed anyone, are entitled to do what they like with their bodies. If today’s female singers want to dress provocatively and be open with their sexuality then that is of course their choice. It only becomes a problem when it seems to be their only choice. Today’s music industry thrives on the idea that sex sells. But the repercussions seem to be that a lot of (mainly female) artists are led to believe that they cannot be successful on the strength of their music alone, and often feel that unless they comply with the industry’s warped idea of how women should be portrayed, they simply will not make it in the music
Against Charlotte Smith
business. I completely agree with Charlotte Church, that the music industry is incredibly male dominated, and this is the root of the problem. When a female artist’s image is controlled by men, she has to become something that is pleasing to men. As Church states; “I found myself…being pressured into wearing more and more revealing outfits and the lines that I had spun at me again and again (generally by middle aged men) were ‘you look great, you’ve got a great body why not show it off?’” It’s a very manipulative form of flattery, which is employed again and again to essentially reduce women to nothing more than their bodies. It’s a deep rooted ideology that needs to be broken. Women need to be able to take control of themselves, and do what’s comfortable for them, without the fear that it could seriously affect their careers, but until this overly sexualised male control is broken, I fear it is something that just won’t happen.
Church’s recent comments have added fuel to the fire of the sexism debate surrounding the industry; sparked recently by sexually charged performances from the likes of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna. This is not a new issue: for decades we’ve witnessed stars such as Madonna using similarly shocking images to enhance and promote their work, but the comments made by Church place female artists in the position of vulnerable victims cowering below the pressures of male music executives. Whilst the pressure for women to live up to a certain ideal, largely created in the minds of men, is undeniably present in the music business, it’s certainly not what characterises an industry full of strong female role models; many of whom choose not to incorporate sexuality into their performances. We’ve never seen Adele or Ellie Goulding twerking on stage, and yet they are still front runners in the industry. Suzi Quatro, one of the first female rock stars in the seventies, comments: “females are choosing it themselves, so you can’t say they are being used by the industry. Nobody told Madonna what to do, nobody tells Lady Gaga, so you can’t say it’s the men sexualising them
when did television suddenly grow up?
Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor Disclaimer: More television references than you can shake a remote control at.
The Escape Artist had a crushing
inevitably about it. Written by David Wolstencroft, who created the long running BBC thriller Spooks and is as ruthless as George R.R. Martin (of Game of Thrones fame) with characters, it tells the story of hot-shot defence barrister Will Burton (David Tennant), whose line “everyone deserves a defence” was said with such incredible panache that something unpleasant was always going to happen. David Tennant hits the perfect balance between geek and serious, which made him a hit as the tenth Doctor Who, and antagonist murder suspect Liam Foyle (Tony Kebbel) has just the right level of believable creepiness about him. It’s certainly not the best show I’ve seen, but the top-notch acting and pacing of the show made it an instant hit. I read an interesting article about the growing popularity of the ‘thriller’ genre
David Tennant in The Escape Artist
in television in recent years, with older shows such as Spooks and 24, as well as more modern shows such as Homeland and Luther being incredibly popular. One television director mentioned how it could be because we fear the breakdown of society due to terrorism and warfare, so we watch stories about it. The Snowden revelations about the NSA and GCHQ means I doubt this trend will end anytime soon. It’s an explanation that makes sense, and it has always been the television shows that you can relate to that you have an unstoppable urge to watch. There’s the realisation that good things don’t happen to good people in Game of Thrones (if ‘good’ people exist at all) and the depth of a man’s response to cancer, an illness with an unrivalled place in western culture, in
Breaking Bad. Then there’s Downton Abbey, where the differences between the rich and the poor are in plain sight. It’s not even just drama, with the lighter side of cooking (such as my housemates’ love of Great British Bake Off) and comedy (university life in Fresh Meat and Community) all being incredibly popular, as well as the stories of teachers and students in Educating Yorkshire. My all-time favourite drama is State of Play, a six-part BBC drama about journalists, an MP and political scandals, from way back in 2003. It stars John Simm, David Morrissey, Kelly MacDonald, Bill Nighy, James McAvoy and Phil Glenister (read those names again, now go and watch it). As an editor for InQuire and a news junkie, I relate on that level, as well as political scandals (The Politician’s Husband anyone?) being so prevalent in the public mind. Television has grown up, with so many quality shows giving a commentary on the world today. Are you not entertained?
anymore.” It is a choice, and one that women in general have to make every day, in an increasingly sexualised society, of how, whether, and to what extent, we want to show our sexuality. Caseslike Miley Cyrus and Rihanna’s raunchy performances are
examples of young women using their sexuality expressively and creatively, in an industry which is becoming an increasingly permissive environment. Female music artists using their sexuality in this way is demonstrative of the freedom of sexual expression, and is not ‘demeaning’ or repressive, but rather liberating and empowering.
if you’re out and about in canterbury... Chatback Comedy at The Parrot Thursday 14 November L’elisir D’amore at The Marlowe Theatre Saturday 16th November Beaver Moon Night Tour at Wildwood Sunday 17th November iQuiz at Woody’s Tuesday 19th November Dead Funny at Playhouse Theatre Whitstable Tuesday 19th - Saturday 23rd November
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cultural events calendar Fri 8th-Sat 9th Nov Pocket Merchant The Marlowe Theatre Sat 9th Nov London Classic Theatre Betrayal by Harold Pinter The Gulbenkian Theatre Mon 11th Nov Alice in Wonderland The Gulbenkian Theatre Tue 12th Nov Hansel und Gretel The Marlowe Theatre Sat 16th-Sun 17th Nov RSC Encore - Richard II (recorded screening) The Gulbenkian Theatre Wed 20th-Fri 22nd Nov T24 - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe The Gulbenkian Theatre Thu 21st Nov Ancient Egyptian Amulets The Beaney Fri 22nd Nov Philharmonia Orchestra The Marlowe Theatre Fri 22nd Nov Gyspy Fire The Marlowe Theatre Sat 23rd Nov Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Day of the Doctor 3D The Gulbenkian Cinema Sun 24th Nov Shakespeare à la Carte The Gulbenkian Theatre Wed 27th-Thu 28th Nov The History Boys The Marlowe Theatre
book review: black chalk
Rosanna Shaw
The instant I read the tag line to Christopher J. Yates’ Black Chalk it intrigued me: “One game. Six students. Five survivors.” From the outset you know something terrible is going to happen, but that only makes the novel all the more compelling. This was one of those books that I had to force myself to put down when I had more pressing things to do. I couldn’t resist reading it because it fuelled my curiosity so well; I really wanted to know what happened, and so I read it ravenously until I did know. The bare plot is simple enough. Six Oxford students design a game which is all about consequences. They get more humiliating and more personal as the rounds go on. ‘The Game’, which is exclusive only to the six friends, has a winning prize of £10,000, supplied by some mysterious benefactors (who certainly provoke some curiosity). This undoubtedly increases the stakes, but it’s interesting that these high achievers care far more about the winning than this impressive sum of cash. For me though, the narrative is what makes this book special; this is where Yates really excels himself. Structurally, this novel is incredibly intricate, which is something I can only admire. It’s a meta-narrative told by a drunken,
drug-crazed hermit who lives in New York. His absolutely terrible memory, and other circumstances that I cannot reveal, leave you very conscious of how his year at Oxford, fourteen years before, actually would have been. I can’t go into any depth without spoiling the plot, but I’ll just say I found it the most fascinating part of the book, and leave it at that. There are certainly many other aspects of the story that are mentally stimulating too. You could have a field day analysing the psychological consequences of ‘The Game’ upon the minds of its participants. I’ve made the plot sound extremely far-fetched, which in real life it is, but Yates has a brilliant way of making everything seem plausible. The story
is peppered with realistic elements of students’ lives. The consequences begin much like a game of dare. There are a series of romantic subplots too, which fuel some of the best described emotional scenes for the characters. The banter which goes on between the students is light-hearted and reminiscent of many teenage friendships. The ending was well written, and had some great moments, but was also a bit underwhelming. It wasn’t awful but nor was it the spectacular ending I thought it could have been. Though perhaps because I’d enjoyed the journey throughout the book so much, and had loved piecing together the entire jigsaw, completing the story was always going to be a let-down. It tied up ‘The Game’ nicely, and there were parts that completely took me by surprise (in a good way), but it did leave some gaping questions. I get the sense that that was supposed to be the case, but it just felt a bit too cut short. That does mean there’s room for a sequel though; which I, for one, would certainly read. Please don’t let my slightly negative end note put you off. If you enjoy a compelling plot full of twists, turns and surprises, and are someone who likes unravelling rather than reaching the end of a story, then this is a brilliant book for you.
clubbing culture: eu 1 - 0 uk
Georgia Hingston
A fter having spent a year in Denmark as part of my degree, I found myself totally unprepared for my recent return to the British clubbing culture. Queueing outside a club for my first proper night out in Canterbury since returning to England, I realised I had forgotten what “going out” means here. Going from the modest European culture where it is perfectly acceptable to turn up at even the trendiest clubs and bars in jeans and a t-shirt, I was genuinely taken aback by the amount of legs (and boobs) on show. Don’t get me wrong, we all like to get dressed up once in a while (cue flashback to my first year shivering outside Venue with bare legs in December), and there is certainly something enjoyable about the whole process of getting ready for a big night out. But I couldn’t help cringing at the stilettos and dresses so minimal that body parts threatened to pop out at both ends. Still, each to their own, I thought, as we shuffled up the queue and got ready to fork out the three pound entrance fee. Yet, three pounds later, and once inside the club, I found
my live and let live attitude almost instantly challenged. Within five minutes of having taken to the dance floor with my friends, an unidentified male got it into his head that it was okay to squeeze my bum. I found myself unexpectedly and totally outraged at this invasion of my personal space, after all I had only been bobbing nonchalantly and trying to enjoy the cheesy music. Perhaps if I had never been away from British clubbing culture, I would not have taken this so much to heart; Scandinavian men are far more likely to dance with you than on you, and to touch someone up without the slightest provocation is very much socially unacceptable.
Yet I couldn’t shake the (perhaps disproportionate) feeling of violation. What is it about British clubs that makes people think it is acceptable to touch somebody else’s body without invitation? Surely there are better ways to show appreciation? Anyway, determining this incident wouldn’t spoil my night, my mood was not improved by a high-heeled, bodycon wearing individual falling on top of our group, flashing us a good view of her undies, scrambling drunkenly to her feet and walking off with no apology. Part of me felt embarrassed for the girl, yet I must confess I was rather more irritated at being squashed tightly between a wall and a stack of sweaty bodies. So, all in all, perhaps not the best return to hitting the town in England. After experiencing the Scandinavian attitude to club culture, I feel as if something is lacking in our own, a certain deficiency of self-respect and for the people around us. But maybe I am just being a prudish old woman, for when debriefing with my Danish friend (on his year abroad at UKC) the following day he reported, with a certain glee; “Yeah, I got groped twice, it was great!”
IQ Culture
best and worst: disney films
Ginny Sanderson
Since 1937, Walt Disney Pictures has built a formidable reputation for producing quality family feature films. But despite its legacy of achievement, there have also been a number of failures. Here are my picks of the best and worst Disney movies. Aladdin earns third place in the Disney greats. What stands out in this film is the sizzling aesthetic vision of Agrabah, with its powerful, oriental essence of the Arabian Nights, mixed with a hilarious screenplay and convincing voice acting. A manifestation of the reasons why Disney is so well-regarded today, this movie is a Cave of Wonders to the child in all of us. Second best in my list is Beauty and the Beast. It won a Golden Globe for Best Film as well as a nomination for Best Film at the Academy Awards – a previously unachieved feat for an animated movie. With its deft characterisation, classic songs and ground-breaking use of CGI in the ballroom scene, it deserves that recognition. And the greatest Disney film award goes to - of course - The Lion King. Hans Zimmer, Elton John and Tim Rice’s score and soundtrack are standalone exquisite triumphs, from
the soaring, Swahili-inspired brilliance of The Circle of Life, to the awardwinning, mellifluous Can You Feel the Love Tonight. This is blended with a stirring storyline (a homage to Hamlet) and a bundle of likeable characters, including Jeremy Iron’s sassy love-tohate villain Scar, Rowan Atkinson’s uncanny anthropomorphism in Zazu, and the sensational double act of Timon and Pumbaa. From the sublime to the ridiculous: Pocahontas 2 gets the dishonour of third worst Disney movie. I seriously advise anyone to avoid this if you have a smidgeon of respect for the first film. The sheer audacity of Disney to smear Pocahontas with a more realistic and cynical storyline is beyond words. A pop to the proverbial bubble of childhood - nay, a punch to the face - that Disney so beautifully encapsulates with its essentially escapist fantasies. Why did you do this to us? Why? Second most abysmal is High School Musical 3. While the whole franchise is pretty terrible, the first two deigned to have catchy songs and a vague stab at plotline. This third shambles continues the cheesiness and atrocious “acting” of its predecessors,
while lacking in any of the wit, intelligence or nuance of previous generation’s Disney films. It is like the Jedward of movies – so bad you have to watch it just to realise your expectations. And – drumroll please - the worst of Disney’s disasters is: Beverly Hills Chihuahua. As if the title isn’t enough to put any sane person off this traincrash of cinematic embarrassment, predictably the content is meagre to say the least. It wounds the soul to think that the producer of so many classics conceived an idea so vacuous, so offensive, as a film about the commodification of small dogs as fashion items, not to mention its racial stereotyping of Mexicans. The worst thing about this debacle? They made a second and third.
With the sound of hydraulic drills and diggers becoming the soundtrack to a walk through campus, what more obvious reminder is there to explore the existing buildings on campus, and the new library extension to come? The original four colleges - Eliot, Rutherford, Keynes and Darwin - were all built between 1965 and 1970. This was during the Brutalist period in architecture, which is known to be very repetitive and angular, having lots of “blocky” elements, and typically has a concrete or brick exterior. This style also applies to buildings like Marlowe and Templeman library, which also have this heavy concrete and brick façade. Following from this army of concrete on campus, it’s interesting to see the style in which new buildings have emerged. The Jarman building, built in 2009, is a zinc clad, heavily glazed building that seems to completely drop this Brutalist characteristic, but ingeniously has elements of the adjacent Marlowe building entwined into the design, for example, the proportions of the windows. Interestingly enough, in 2007, the council rejected the design as they believed that the original aluminium cladding was out of
keeping with the rest of the University buildings. Following an appeal and a change from aluminium cladding to zinc, the design was approved and the development was back on track a year later. After planners suggested concrete to architect firm Hawkins/Brown, director David Bickle disagreed, saying “we wanted something that would stand out”, and this was a principle that seems to have caught on following the completion of the Jarman building. A building following this manifesto is the Digital Crit Space, which is an extension onto the Marlowe building. This is a direct comparison between old and new, with a glass walkway being the passage between the two entities. Another new building to consider is the Colyer-Fergusson building, completed in 2012, which seems to be a hybrid of the Brutalist campus buildings and the striking new buildings such as the
this week in... 1989: 9th November The Berlin Wall was breached after nearly three decades of keeping East and West Berliners apart. The gates along the Wall were given permission to be opened after hundreds of people converged on crossing points.
1995: 20th November Diana, Princess of Wales, spoke openly for the first time to the BBC’s Panorama programme about her separation from the Prince of Wales. She admitted to an adulterous affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt.
the architecture of campus
Emilie Harris
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Jarman building. Studying these buildings on campus provokes a question of what the relationship between these buildings is. The older buildings like Eliot represent the origins of the university and the period in which it was founded, but newer structures such as the Digital Crit Space symbolise the growth of the University, whilst the dynamics created reflect the hustle and bustle of the movement surrounding them. However much the council can oppose new, shiny buildings, the progression from the past to the future is necessary. The older buildings do tend to form a certain character, somehow managing to panic people into leaving half an hour earlier than normal to try and find their seminar room at the beginning of term. New buildings have the opportunity to create new social spaces, adapting to the way we work, integrate technology and socialise. So, despite this age-old war between the past and the future, it’s only appropriate to appreciate what we already have and to welcome the introduction of new surroundings. It will be fascinating to see the integration of the new library extension and what it will offer its visitors and surroundings as a building.
1963: 22nd November US President John F Kennedy was assassinated by a gunman in Dallas, Texas. The president was shot three times in the head and throat whilst his open-top car was travelling through the city. He was sped off to Parklands Hospital immediately, but died 35 minutes after being shot.
1991: 24th November Freddie Mercury, lead singer of rock group Queen, died aged 45, just one day after he publicly announced that he was HIV positive. Mercury died quietly at his home in West London of bronchio-pneumonia, brought on by his Aids.
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pause for thought
what makes period dr amas so successful?
Louise Bellwood
Remembrance Day takes place
on Monday 11th November this year, and to help commemorate the First World War and those who died in service of their country, let’s take a look at John McCrae’s most famous of war poems.
In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. John McCrae
Speaking as a period drama lover (who openly admits to counting down the days to the next episode of Downton Abbey), the reason why the genre is so popular with modern audiences is because it allows us to escape from our anxieties and stresses, and calls back to an era in which life was simpler. They depict a past moral and social stability that - whilst today, the notion of a class system seems out of touch reflects an understanding that everyone knew their worth and place in society; a value and sense of community that arguably seems to have been lost. When we’re faced with countless reality TV shows that illustrate the extreme lows of our society, it’s hardly surprising that we choose to watch programmes that are comforting because they immerse us in the past. The popularity of period drama comes from the richness of the costumes, the elaborate sets and emotions that we share with the characters. This is precisely what makes series such as Downton Abbey so captivating; we too feel like we are part of the Downton
estate because we are given an insight into the lives and intimate anxieties of the upper class Crawley’s and the ‘downstairs’ servants simultaneously. Indeed, this interplay of social class enables us to feel immense sympathy for both the ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ members of Downton, highlighting how all members of society struggled and adapted in the wake of a changing, postWorld War One Britain. Also, the fact that the majority of them are taken from classic novels, specifically Jane Austen and the Brontës, aids their popularity; the stories have stood the test of time and part of the enjoyment of these programmes comes from already knowing the outcome and seeing how different directors interpret the novel into film. For me, Andrew Davies’ 1995 BBC adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the best example of a wonderful period drama. It doesn’t matter how many times you watch it (not just the part where Colin Firth as Mr Darcy emerges out of the lake to a swooning Elizabeth), the story
of their romance is timeless and the difficulties they encounter resonate with modern audiences, despite the dramatically different attitudes of society to marriage and women’s rights in Austen’s novels. In my opinion, period dramas epitomise the very best television has to offer. Not only are they wonderfully written and acted, they make us feel good because they fundamentally end happily for all involved. When faced with programmes filled with doom and gloom, who wouldn’t want to watch a period drama and fantasise that their Mr Darcy is waiting for them as well?
which historical people would i invite to a dinner party?
Alasdair Lawrence Chairman
If I had to invite four famous historical figures to dinner - assuming they could fit in my tiny kitchen, which believe you me is no small feat - I would have to choose based on who I thought would give the best after-dinner conversation. Who, after a bowl of bolognese, would have the top stories to tell? I believe that the most interesting people in the world are the welltravelled. With that in mind, here are four of the greatest travellers history has ever known. The first two are still alive but that does not discount them from the ranks of the historically notable. The first is Michael Palin. Not only has the man been just about everywhere, his reputation as the nicest man in Britain makes him prime dinner party material. Not just his stories of travelling across Russia or China or of the whole of Europe, but his stories about Monty Python would be brilliant too. The second guest to my party would be Graham Hughes - the first man to ever visit all 193 UN-recognised states without flying. By boat, bus, train and car, Hughes has been from Bolivia to Bangkok and beyond. He was
detained for seven days in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and straddled the demilitarised zone in North Korea. All by haggling what transport he could, whether by oil tanker in Indonesisa, or a tiny, leaking wooden boat in a three-day trip from Somalia to India. My third guest, and perhaps my personal favourite, would be Ibn Battuta. Less well-known to those outside the Muslim world, Battuta was a Moroccan Berber born into a family of lawyers in Tangier who, in 1327, set off on the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. He reached the holy city and, feeling adventurous, didn’t stop walking. He ended up walking all the way through East Europe, Central Asia, Africa, Persia, India, Indonesia and South-East Asia before doing a U-turn in China and walking the whole way back. All the while he rubbed shoulders with kings, khans, sultans and shahs.
In Persia he witnessed the final fall of the Ilkhanate, the Mongolian dominion over modern Iran. He travelled the length and breadth of the Old World over the course of a quarter-century and the book he wrote about his travels is still read today. My fourth and final guest is Marco Polo. He’s one of those names that everyone knows but couldn’t tell you a thing about him. Born into an Italian merchant trading family, Polo in his late teens accompanied his father and uncle, famed travellers in their own right, on an overland trek to the court of Kublai Khan in China. The Khan was grandson of the infamous Ghengis Khan, ruler of the largest land empire man has ever known and, apparently, invited the Polos to his court because he had never seen Europeans before. Once they arrived at the Khan’s court, the Polos found themselves in a bit of a pickle. To leave might incur their host’s wrath but to stay increased the chance with every year that one of the Khan’s numerous enemies might plot their demise. These four men, between them, have probably visited every corner of our planet, spoken dozens of its languages and witnessed many of its historical events. A dinner with them would not be one to forget. I still don’t know how I’d fit them in my kitchen, though.
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22
Sport
being involved in sport can help your employability Chris Bull Vice President Sport
‘STUDENT experience and graduate employability’ are all too common phrases amongst both University and Student Union leaders. Both parties want to offer students the best possible experience during their time at University whilst aiming to equip them with the skills and subsequent knowledge to improve their employment opportunities when leaving. Students are constantly reminded to log and to capture their skills and their experiences via a series of toolkits and employability points packages. Most associate these skills with their courses, though possibly the most important things we learn whilst at University come from those activities we carry out alongside our academic studies, those that come in the form of sport, societies and volunteering. The 4th-8th November is the University’s Employability
Week to campus. Five days of activity, which focus on how, each and every one of you can make yourself ultimately more employable. I think it’s pretty fair to say you won’t hear much of the word sport, but I argue that sport can play one of the most important factors in your time at University and that the skills you learn from engaging with it, can become vital in helping you gain employment on leaving University. Over the summer months, British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) released its first piece of headline research, entitled The Impact of Engagement in Sport on Graduate Employability. The research, carried out by Sheffield Hallam University states that those who engaged with sport, through either playing and/or volunteering at University, earned on average between £4,000-6,000 more a year than those who didn’t. Furthermore, more than a quarter of graduates who did
not play sport at University have experienced a period of unemployment at some point in their career, compared with just over one in five of those who did participate in sport. Though these facts and figures look appealing, the research does come with its limitations, in particular as it fails to make any link and/or reference to degree classifications received by those graduates taking part in the study, but regardless of the numbers I believe sport can considerably improve your chances of graduate employment. If you look at the common buzz words that we’re told employers are constantly looking for - the likes of team work, leadership, communication and determination - its not hard to realise that these can be gained through playing or volunteering within sport. But I would argue that it isn’t necessarily these actual skills we gain that are the most important. Ultimately it’s not the words
you say that will get you the job, it’s the way in which you communicate those words, and the success of your application will depend upon how well you can articulate your skills. We play sport because we love it and when asked about it, we more often than not convey pride and passion. I believe that it is this pride and passion that can enable us to be successful when applying for a job.
When asked particular questions about your previous experiences, talk about those that mean something to you, those associated with your sporting experiences and achievements. In a world when more and more people share the same skill set, having been to university, we need to find other ways to stand out from the crowd and sport has the power to do that, without you even knowing.
Photograph: @TheTeamKent
defeat for ukc rugby 1sts KENT LACROSSE EASE TO KINGSTON WIN Jack Tilbury HAVING lost their first two games, UKC Rugby 1sts came out knowing they would have to put in a big performance to secure a much needed victory. After soaking up the pressure for ten minutes, ill-discipline led to a penalty try for their opponents, the Royal Free University College and Middlesex Hospitals Medical School Rugby Club, gifting them an early lead. This appeared to be the motivation the Kent side needed and they came back strong after the restart. A few breaks were made but the RUMS defence held out and there was no way back for Kent, who crashed to a 41-5 defeat. Unlike the week before, the defence left a lot to be desired as first up tackles were missed far too regularly. A number of substitutions had to be made as players picked up injuries throwing themselves into the RUMS attack, as the opposition scored two more tries before half time. Trailing by twenty points, the second half kicked off with Kent having the wind at their backs. Success came for Kent as
debutant Harri Sayer cut in from the wing and burst over the line for Kent’s first points of the day. Inspired by the fresher’s try, the pace picked up and the 1sts were flying. Break after break was made putting RUMS under pressure, but the pressure wasn’t converted into tries. Then, ten minutes into the second half the opposition turned over the Kent ball and a breakaway try was scored. Once again the momentum changed and Kent found themselves on the back foot for the rest of the game. A third defeat in a row for Kent 1sts and a real eye opener. After a close defeat the week before, it was clear that there was still a lot of work to do, with many of the players realising their place was no longer secure. The Kent 1sts find themselves rooted to the bottom of their BUCS South Eastern 1A division, scoring no points after three games. With this in mind, the side will be hoping their fortunes change as they turn their attentions to forthcoming fixtures against Imperial College’s 1sts and 2nds, and Brunel University.
Jacob Farr
KENT men’s Lacrosse secured an overwhelming win away at Kingston with a record breaking 22-0 score line. Spirits were high going into the game after an outstanding result against the old enemy CCCU the previous Wednesday. The game faced off with ViceCaptain, Ian Hopkins, being out muscled at the start of the match. A period of Kingston possession followed as they played the ball around the goal, protecting it well, however they failed to capitalize as the Kent defence stood strong to deny any clear cut chances. The first goal of the game came from Hopkins, as he stepped up after shamefully losing the first face off. Shortly after the Vice-captain secured a hat-trick, whilst introducing an unconventional style to the lacrosse world. As the first quarter drew to a close, Captain Ali Maltby fired home a stunning shot from 20 yards to show why he is the leader of the pack. The second quarter carried on as the first had ended with goals coming in from the captain
and vice to further Kent’s 4-0 advantage. A sublime second quarter performance was rewarded as the ever present James Cugley accurately found the net from the crease. This was followed up by a very similar finish after Gavin Shephard bulldozed his way through the Kingston defence. The first half ended with Kent leading 10-0 as Kingston failed to challenge the new keeper. The third quarter started off slowly as Hopkins continued to lose out in the personal battle with Kingston’s key player, Casper. Kingston capitalized on Hopkins’ poor form, by holding possession and playing textbook lacrosse in the process, frustrating Kent at times. Kent’s defence was tested for the first time as defender Brad Phipps switched off from play, leaving an attacker free on the edge of the goal. Luckily for the defender the ever solid goalkeeper rescued him with a superb and solid slide to take out the attacker. The Kent defence held out and survived the early pressure in the third quarter to keep their clean sheet intact.
A slight and agile Sam Perry then lead the team in attack with many unselfish assists to the upcoming young talents, Jacob Robinson and Tom Lay. Going into the fourth quarter, Kent led 17-0, with an outstanding seven goals being scored in the third. Kent made their way out onto the pitch for the fourth quarter after an inspiring team talk from the captain to make sure heads were kept in the game. There was little pressure throughout the match from Kingston and their only shot on target was denied by a stunning diving save from the young Scottish keeper. The match ended on a high note for Kent as Phipps charged forward throwing an ice pick check at the attacker before swing dodging three defenders and firing a powerful shot into the top corner from 25 yards out. Kent ended the match with a resounding 22-0 victory, showing their hunger for promotion this year. To keep up to date with all of the men’s and women’s Lacrosse fixtures and results, be sure to check out their Facebook or Twitter pages.
Sport 23
WHY SPORTSMANSHIP IS AN IDEAL, NOT A GIVEN Stuart Smith
YOU’RE leading 2-1 in the last minute of the Champions League final and the opposing team have a corner. The ball is whipped in and falls perfectly for the opposition’s striker who lashes a volley which strikes the underside of the crossbar and bounces over the line and back into play.
It should be a goal, but the referee incorrectly waves play on. Do you approach the referee and inform him of his mistake? Of course you don’t.Alerting the referee to his mistake would mean the match went to extra time, for a start. Not only that, your action would result in losing your club the biggest prize in European
football, not to mention millions upon millions of pounds. I am certain that there will be a large proportion of people who disagree with me, suggesting sportsmanship should come above the desire to win, but I’d wager very few of these people have ever played a sport competitively. When competing, you give your all for your side and you
know that if a dubious decision goes your way you shut up and thank the stars that the luck was on your side and not against you. An example of this came from the first Ashes test of the summer. England lead by 232 and Stuart Broad and Ian Bell had made a good 8th wicket partnership. Australian spinner Ashton Agar bowls the ball and Broad quite visibly edges the ball behind which was eventually caught by first slip via the glove of the wicket keeper. Broad knew he should be out, his partner knew he should be out and the crowd and people watching at home all knew he should be out, but the umpire didn’t agree and Broad stayed where he was. Older fans of the sport would argue cricket is a ‘Gentleman’s Game’ and insist Broad, fully aware that he edged the ball behind, should have made the umpire’s mind up for him and walked, but I disagree whole heartedly. Broad had no duty to the game of cricket; his duty was to his country.
He knew that if the situation was reversed Agar would’ve done the exact same thing. Asked if he regrets not walking, he said: “No. We’d have lost the game. “I have never been a walker so why would I walk because the umpire had given me not out?” The amount of money that is pumped into sport nowadays means that it is no longer a game, more a business. This is why sportsmanship has to come second to winning. Oil rich owners don’t pay footballers hundreds of thousands of pounds a week to be kind people, they’re paying them to win and give away the chance to do would be unforgiveable. It’s a nice thought that someone would give up the chance of winning an important game for the sake of doing the sporting thing, but it’s not realistic in the slightest. For more sport news check out our website at www.inquirelive.co.uk Got a story? Get in touch with one of our editors. We’d love to hear from you!
UKC POOL ENJOY COMPETITION WEEKEND WINS CONTINUE FOR UKCCC Julian Milner
KENT sent two teams to Guildford for the Inaugural Southern Universities Pool Competition between 26th27th October. The competition ran over two days comprising of a singles and team event. Five Kent players made it to the last 32, with Dan Devlin narrowly losing in the quarter finals 4-3 and Nathan MurrayKhan in his first year at university losing in the semi’s 4-2, picking up a bronze medal. The team event saw Kent 1sts dominate their group with wins of 6-2 over Exeter 2nds, 6-1 over Essex 2nds, 6-0 over Oxford 2nds, and 6-4 over Plymouth 1sts seeing them progress with a good draw into the championship quarter finals. The 2nds had a harder group but performed very well with a win over Imperial 2nds 6-3 and draws to Exeter 1stss 5-5, and Surrey 1sts 5-5 Eventually finishing 4th and entering the Shield Competition. Kent 1sts made light work of Imperial 1sts in the
Championship quarter finals beating them 6-3. The 2nds in the Shield quarters faced UCL 1sts going 4-1 down before staging a great comeback to level the match at 5-5. However, a three frame playoff proved the limit as the 2nds lost 2-0, and 7-5 overall. Turning the attention back to the Championship competition, the 1sts faced an excellent
contest with Exeter 1sts. The match started close but saw a number of missed opportunities as Kent eventually lost 6-2, leaving the third place play off which Kent lost 7-6 to Plymouth. Kent ended a great weekend which continued the run of medals and last four finishes that the teams experienced last year in other competitions.
Photograph by Julian Milner
Matthew Durrell
UKC Cricket Club’s Kent Indoor League campaign continues as both the 1st and 2nd sides have looked to build on early success. Next up for the 1st team was the only remaining undefeated team, Street End. A win was vital for the 1s to reignite their title bid and all after being put in to bat. Openers Matt Durrell and Buzz Gould got off to flying start with both reaching 25 and having to retire. The runs continued to pile on against the league leaders. Despite losing Freddie Hulbert early on, Tom Edrich and Ryan Gilmour kept the scoreboard ticking before Gould returned for one final flourish as UKC dominated by posting 155 from our 12 overs. This was a tough total to chase, as UKC 1sts dismissed them for just 70; a solid all round bowling display from Jon Tribe, Gilmour, Hulbert and Durrell lead to a huge 85 run win. A week later on and the 1s were up against mid table Gravesend, and with several absentees from
the previous week, there were a few fresh faces making their 1st team debuts. Another outstanding bowling performance saw Gravesend reach only 58 with fresher Jon Tribe once again putting in a top drawer display conceding only six from his three overs. Despite losing Buzz Gould and and Brewster Surridge early on, UKC were always in control as Matt Durrell and Shavawn Cunningham saw the team over the line to retain top spot. UKC 2nds also sealed another victory as they faced struggling Sturry. Call ups to the 1sts filtered down to the 2nds and more players got an opportunity to show what they could do. Posting 116 batting first largely thanks to 50 from Howard Bywaters. A consistent flow of wickets during the Sturry innings meant that UKC sealed a comfortable 28 run win to move up the table. Next weekend brings the 1sts their first BUCS fixtures of the year as they travel to the University of East London to begin the long road to finals day.
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InQuire sport russian race row rumbles on
George Dagless AFTER Manchester City’s Champions League game against CKSA Moscow in Russia, Yaya Touré reported that he had been subject to racist chanting from the home support. This revelation again ignited the debate over whether Russia should be hosting such events as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup as well as questioning if UEFA and FIFA are doing enough to stamp racism out of football. According to Ivorian midfielder, boycotting the 2018 World Cup is a real possibility for black players if nothing is done. Considering FIFA’s previous
weak sanctions, this could easily come to fruition. In light of FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s comments however, we may be in for a change. Speaking at the FA’s 150th anniversary gala Blatter said: “It has been decided by the FIFA congress that it is a nonsense for racism to be dealt with with fines. “It is a nonsense to have matches played without spectators because it is against the spirit of football and against the visiting team, it is all nonsense. “What we shall do is be very tough; we need to eliminate teams from a competition or deduct points.” Nonsense indeed, but it’s taken
far too long for Blatter to realise as up to now these poultry fines have done nothing. Time will only tell if FIFA follow these proposals up. After City’s game against Chelsea at the weekend Touré met Jeffrey Webb, chief of anti-racism at FIFA to discuss possible action. Indeed UEFA president Michel Platini demanded an inquiry into the chanting. An inquiry was the absolute minimum; if FIFA and UEFA are genuinely serious about clamping down on racism then the only course of action was to remove CSKA from the competition. However, they opted for a feeble partial stadium closure.
This is by no means the first time Russia has been embroiled in this kind of controversy and it is not just as a result of racial abuse. It is 20 years since homosexuality was made legal in the country yet gay rights activists have been openly attacked by opposition protestors with next to no protection from the Police. Delving deeper into Russian legislation it should be noted that there are no civil partnership or marriage rights nor is there a law against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It’s alarming, to say the least, but it seems President Vladimir Putin is far more relaxed.
Putin said “I want everyone to understand that in Russia there are no infringements on sexual minorities’ rights. They’re people, just like everyone else, and they enjoy full rights and freedoms.” Somewhere along the line, the notion of free-rights seems to have been lost. This is reflected after Russian sporting icon Yelena Isinbayeva’s comments at the Athletic World Championships this year, where she implied that it was only normal to be heterosexual. Later Isinbayeva would blame her poor English for any misunderstanding. It’s an ongoing issue, and may still be for some time.