QMessenger Issue 39 (CUB issue 529)

Monday September 19th 2011

Issue 39

Find CUB Magazine inside this issue

TO FEE OR NOT TO FEE? Comment, p. 7.

KATY B CUDDLES CUB CUB, p. 9.

The Newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union

The Rundown A new era for QMSU?

The Sabbatical team propose changes that would see an overhaul in how the Union is governed. p. 3

QM Halls: Rent goes up but services get better

QM Graduate named raising star

Tom Chigbo honoured in latest list. p.3

Library could see big changes

Consultations are currently being carried out over proposals that would see longer opening hours but less staff. p. 4

Stratford City’s opening

Translates into job opportunities for locals and students. p.4

Meet Your Sabbs

The first interview of the year with your Students’ Union Sabbatical team. p. 5

TEDx East London Local event imagines a world beyond borders. p. 6

The cancer of authority

Robert Hainult looks at the dangers of big government p. 9

A brand new Satire section! p. 12 Games page

Back bigger and better. p.13

Queen Mary Theatre Company They came, they saw, the conquered in Edinburugh. p.14

The student village, housing over 2,000 Queen Mary students on the Mile End campus, is undergoing an upgrade of its wi-fi network for a cost of £800,000. Image by Ben Richardson.

Rosie Reynolds Halls of residence rent prices for incoming students have risen by 11 per cent since last September in order to fall into line with other London colleges.

Anna Lautenschlager, Deputy Director of Commercial Services for Student and Campus Services, explained that whilst the rent rise might seem dramatic, it will only bring QM into the “lower middle” range of London halls prices. Before the hike QM halls were 18 per cent below the average for London, and even now they remain 8 per cent below the central London average and 3-4 per cent below the average for London overall. “Students who come to live on campus expect more,” Lautenshlager explained, “and certain groups have very high expectations. We want to be able to of-

fer students what they want.”

While there had been controversy over the perception that commercial rent prices for halls were not rising even though students prices were, Lautenshlager explained that this was because prices were agreed for the 2012 Olympics years ago. The university had to agree to provide affordable accommodation at the time of the London 2012 Olympics bid in 2005, but the rising cost of living in London has meant that the college will only just break even on the cost of housing the athletes, judges and athletes’ families next summer. Twelve thousand halls rooms will be occupied during the Olympics, at a lower price than QM usually charge. “It also means that we won’t be able to accommodate our regular clients - they will go to

our competitors next summer, and we may lose them forever if they receive better service elsewhere,” said Lautenshlager.

“Commercial rates for clients not involved in the Olympics are still going up by about 15 per cent. We have tried to raise as much commercial revenue as we can over the past year, to avoid a massive hike for students.”

The main change within the halls of residence on the Mile End campus will be the use of wi-fi rather than wired Internet connection. Connection will be available through 529 access points, situated all over campus. In previous years Internet services in QM’s halls have consistently been flagged as a problem by student satisfaction surveys, with the unreliability continued on page 2...

Get Active on the go It’s an exciting time for sport at Queen Mary Students’ Union with the Get Active scheme about to launch.

With 40 sessions a week, many of which are either free or charge a one-off payment of £1.50, there’s no excuse not to get involved in sport during your time at university.

All sports will take place on or around campus and a full list of the activities offered can be found at www. qmsu.org/getactive.

Dominic Bell, QMSU Vice-President Student Activities, says there’s a need for “a scheme that delivers a wider sense of fun, including a wider variety of students unable or unwilling to commit to one sports club”.

The shake up to the QMSU sports system could be a radical concept that finds a middle ground between the gym facilities offered at QMotion and the many sports clubs already on hand. With three years of funding available for ‘Get Active’, it is imperative for students to utilise the opportunity for free sports. Dom Bell stressed he would be “fighting all the way” in the foreseeable future for more funding, from governing bodies such as Sport England and UK Sport.

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

News Editorial Team: • Executive Editor - Sam Creighton vpcommunications@qmsu.org • Managing Editor - Caz Parra editor@qmessenger.co.uk • Sub-Editors - Robert Pritchard, Maria Sowter and Lauren Mason proof@qmessenger.co.uk •News Editors - Rosie Reynolds and Kaamil Ahmed news@qmessenger.co.uk • Comment Editors - Ross Speer and Kashmira Gander comment@qmessenger.co.uk • Satire Editors: Ben Richardson and Aaron Barber satire@qmessenger.co.uk • Sports and Societies Editors - Shafi Musaddique, Hollie Carter and Ashley Sweetman sport@qmessenger.co.uk • Photography Editors - Keeren Flora and Bethia Stone photography@qmessenger.co.uk

You should be writing for us.

Unemployment broke back through the 2.5 million mark Britain’s three largest trade unions announced plans for co-ordinated strike action in order to put pressure on the coalition government over

Nick Clegg announced last week that the coalition are working on plans to stimulate economic growth.

pension reforms.

Labour leader Ed Miliband was heckled during his first speech to the TUC last week after he described the strike it called in June as a “mistake.”

Of 176 people already senteced for participating in this summer’s riots, three quarters already had criminal sentences according to Ministry of Justice statistics.

Westfield Stratford City, Europe’s largest shopping centre opened up last week with an estimated 2000,000 shoppers on the opening day.

8,000 freshers are arriving at Queen Mary this week as both undergraduates and post-grads get ready for the start of their new courses adding to East London’s already diverse population.

UCAS has proposed that by 2016 A-level students should be applying to Universities after they get their results instead of using predicted grades.

Come and meet the team at Freshers’ Fair.

QMessenger is printed at Mortons of Horncastle Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 6JR. Tel: 01507 523 456. Each issue has a print run of 1,000 and costs £445 to print and deliver.

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation have announced that they will ask for full membership from the UN’s security council this week despite expectation that the US will veto the propo-

Established in 2008, QMessenger is the free weekly newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union. We are proud of our editorial independence and endeavour to always hold the College, Union and external bodies to account and to provide the best news and analysis to the students of Queen Mary, University of London.

Activists staged protests over the invitation of authoritarian regimes to an arms fair due to be held at the Excel centre in east London. Several states invited have turned Britishmade weapons against their own citizens during the Arab spring.

Following an attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo, the Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan visited the city as part of a tour of the post-revolutionary states of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia

sition.

QMessenger is created entirely by students and the publication retains all copyright of design, text, photographs and graphics, along with the individual contributor.

Any views expressed in QMessenger ‘Question Mark’ section are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper, the editorial board, Queen Mary Students’ Union or Queen Mary, University of London.

QM halls see improved facilities but higher rents ...continued from page 1

@QMessenger

In this digital age of ours it would be remiss for us not to keep an eagle eye on our online presence.So,here are the best messages tweeted @QMessenger this week.

I’ve applied to start writing for @QMessenger, why I haven’t done this sooner is beyond me! #sillyprocrastinator Enjoyed interviewing @PresidentQMSU today for @ QMessenger about changes to how @QMSU is run

#FF our lovely media team @QMessenger @ cubmagazine @freshersquest @QMTVchannel

of the wired system being the main complaint. While the wired Internet connection will still be available to students, it will only be used as a back up to the new wi-fi system.

Tavinder Jandu, Network Manager for IT Services, explained that wi-fi on all of QM’s campuses has always been fragmented, and in late 2009 funding was approved to improve connections on the Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square campuses. In 2010 a unified system was installed across all campuses, and in July plans were made to extend this to the Mile End halls of residence. The project was funded by IT Transformations, which has seen millions of pounds ploughed into IT services across QM. Installation

began in June and is nearing completion. Students are being encouraged to forgo the traditional QM College network in favour of the Eduroam system, which enables users to connect to the Internet from anywhere in the world through any participating college or nearby institution.

“Its been an exciting project” said Lautenshlager.

“Three teams have been involved - Campus Services, Estates and IT services - and they’ve all pulled together really well. We’ve invested a lot of staff time and lost commercial income over summer, but students are our priority and we were happy to do it. Staff were very motivated by it - choices are based around students, and the college is pushing student experi- Wi-fi: The major improvement to the halls has been the ence more than ever.” £800,000 installation of a new wireless internet system

news@qmessenger.co.uk

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

News

Will the new year see a new era for Queen Mary Students’ Union?

Alex Badrick Proposed changes to the governing structure of Queen Mary Students’ Union would see the number of Sabbatical Officers cut from five to four and the number of Part-Time Officers fall from 36 to 24.

The proposals would abolish the positions of Vice-President Communications and VicePresident Student Activities and would split the current role of Vice-President Education and Welfare into two separate remits. Part-Time Officer positions would get a complete overhaul. Council need to pass the motions for the changes to be implemented. If they do so, the Union elections during the second semester would elect candidates to fill positions under the

new structure.

Sophie Richardson, President of QMSU, said: “Over the summer [the Sabbatical team] looked objectively at each of the positions, and asked how representative they were.”

Vice-President Communications is in charge of overseeing student media on campus, supporting student journalists and handling the administration of sustaining a media network. Some Student Councillors raised concerns over who or what would replace this support structure if the position was to be removed.

Vice-President Activities oversees sports clubs, societies, fundraising and volunteering. If both proposals are accepted, this role would be replaced by eight PartTime Officers and currently existing staff support.

Are QM services for sale?

Rosie Reynolds Controversy has been stirred by revelations that the private halls of residence currently being built opposite QM campus will house students from all over London, despite the possibility of access to QM resources being included in their rent.

The halls currently being developed will be comprised of 580 residential bedrooms, with 21 of these being wheelchair-accessible. 300 of these rooms will be used by INTO, an international organisation that partners with universities to offer programmes to students from all over the world.

These students will mainly be working at pre-degree level.

The remainder of the rooms will be used by students currently enrolled at universities including London Met, UEA London, the Royal College of Nursing and Birkbeck.

The halls will be far from basic – all rooms will have an en-suite bathroom and cooking facilities. The building will also be equipped with teaching facilities, with general teaching rooms being able to hold up to 334 students at

news@qmessenger.co.uk

any one time. There will also be Learning Resource Centres, a Conference Room and cafes.

INTO is known for ‘selling’ a traditional local university experience to its international customers, including participation in sport and student support services. INTO is currently in discussion with QM about allowing its students to access QM services, including the library, clubs and societies, SU buildings and disability support. The international students could also be provided with college ID cards, regardless of whether they are enrolled with QM. While some members of the faculty and staff are excited about the prospect of allowing INTO’s students to use our resources, others are concerned about the implications on students currently enrolled at QM. While allowing the usage would increase revenue for the college – probably on a year on year basis, as more students use the INTO halls – it would also mean that the resources that some claim are already stretched would have to be shared between even more people.

See lead article p. 7

The motion regarding Sabbatical positions states: “The role of Vice-President Student Activities and Vice-President Communications are not representative in there [sic] day to day functions” and, “all Sabbatical Trustees should be focused on representing students and not their administrative duties.”

Sam Creighton, QMSU VicePresident Communications, re-

iterated the point, arguing: “This is long overdue, currently editors report to the VP Communications, when it reality student media should be holding them to account. Student media needs to be independent.”

Sophie Richardson commented that “it wouldn’t necessarily be better run, but nicer if student media was more student led.”

Cutting these positions would

QMSU could see an overhaul of it’s governance structure this year, which way will students decide?

QM grad named as a rising star Steph Pickerill Recently graduated Queen Mary student Tom Chigbo has been named tenth in Rare Recruitment's Top Black Students 'Rising Stars' list.

Chigbo studied for an undergraduate degree in Geography at Cambridge and an MA in Community Organising at Queen Mary. He has since gone on to a full-time position with locally-based community organisation, London Citizens. Rare is a diversity recruitment expert that aims, through awards like Rising Stars, to showcase the achievements of the UK’s best black students. The award is in its third year and boasts prestigious judges: Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, and Jean Tomlin, HR Director for London 2012. Mr Lammy, the first black Briton to study a Masters in law at Harvard, asked “to keep hope alive and work ten times harder” to counter the negative stereotypes and images of young particularly black youths seen during the riots.

save the Union around £50,000 per year. However, current President Sophie Richardson assures students that the decisions are fuelled “by common sense not cuts.” She also pointed out that the splitting of Education and Welfare into two role and the hiring of extra support staff would reduce any savings made.

The proposals surrounding Part-Time Officers would create an Academic Zone, a Welfare Zone and a Union Zone, with all Officers sitting on one of the Zone Committees. The aim of this is to ensure that all positions are representative and are developing policy to be discussed at Council.

Barts and The London Student Association can retain extra positions on its Student President’s Council, but they would not sit on Student Council.

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

News

Library proposals would see longer openings but less staff

Ozzy Amir Proposed changes to Queen Mary Library Services would result in increased opening hours but a cut in the number of staff, QMessenger has learned.

The proposals are part of a wider university restructure and, if accepted, would roll out in January. Opening times of the Mile End, Whitechapel and West Smithfield sites are to be altered, bringing them in line with periods of core usage. Staffing structures would change, reducing the number of full time roles. However, UNISON are unhappy over the way staff consultations were carried out during the summer period.

Queen Mary Students’ Union Vice-President Education and Welfare, Oscar Williamson, said: “The library are under the same funding pressures as everyone else and are proceeding in a reasonable way. They are bringing opening hours in line with when students actually use the library and I think this sort of evidence-based approach is desirable. It’s a shame there are cuts but at least they are proceeding in a way that will minimise damage to the stu-

dent experience.”

The changes would see an extra four and a half hours of opening time each week at the Mile End library and nearly seven hours extra at the Whitechapel site. West Smithfield library will be open an extra three hours each weekend, but there would be no change to the Victoria Park library hours.

The amount of time the libraries are open for during vaction periods would also be increased significantly.

In January 2011, the Library employed 67 individuals to fill 82 posts, which together equated to 34.7 full-time jobs.

Under the proposed new structure, 56 posts will exist, equating to 33.5 full-time jobs. Since January 2011, six members of Library staff have resigned and since July 2011 a further five have left as part of the College’s Voluntary Severence Scheme.

Emma Bull, Director of Library Services, says while she cannot rule out the possibility of redundancies, all measures will be taken to minimise job losses and that the number of jobs that could be facing the axe is much lower than what UNISON are reporting.

Ms Bull said: “Our key rea-

Proposed library opening hours Mile End: 08.00 - 00.00 Mon-Fri 13.00 - 20.00 Sat-Sun Whitechapel: 08.30 - 00.00 Mon-Fri 13.00 - 20.00 Sat-Sun West Smithfield: 09.00 - 21.00 Mon-Fri 13.00 - 20.00 Sat Victoria Park: 09.00 - 17.00 Mon-Fri

Above: Mile End Library. Emma Bull, head of library services, has been consulting staff over the summer regarding the proposed changes.

son for reviewing our staffing patterns in the library was to meet current and emerging patterns of demand more effectively.” She pointed out that the majority of those in fulltime posts work standard office hours which do not reflect when many students use the library. She says front line services for students would not be affected by the cut-backs and that they would always receive adequate support when using the library.

UNISON, the union representing library employees, are unhappy with the way staff were consulted over the changes. Vikhas Chechi, Branch Secretary for UNISON, said that two-thirds of library staff were away from work during the consultation period and the union are “demanding that the entire consultation is restarted when all staff return and that it runs for three months”.

He called the proposals, “blatant cost cutting dressed up as efficiency.” He went on to explain that: “There have been several departmental restructures over the summer with approximately 50 college wide redundancies planned, we are holding an indicative ballot for strike action.”

Queen Mary appoints new The opening of Westfield Stratford Warden for medical school City provides local and student jobs Josh Thorpe Queen Mary has appointed Professor Richard Trembarth as Vice-Principal of QMUL and Warden of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Professor Trembarth is replacing Sir Nicholas Wright in the position which has responsibility for overseeing the medical and dental departments of QMUL. Professor Simon Gaskell, Principal of Queen Mary, says the institution is “fortunate to have been able to appoint such an outstanding individual to this key position.”

Professor Trembarth, a distinguished clinical scientist, is currently based at King’s Col-

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lege London and is an honorary consultant in Clinical Genetics at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

He sees the appointments as “both an honour and a challenge” and says he intends “to embrace this exciting opportunity wholeheartedly.”

George Ryan, Queen Mary Students’ Union Vice-President Association, says that the Warden is a “figurehead” for the Medical School and that Sir Nick Wright’s “charisma and passion for Barts and The London” will mean Professor Trembarth has “big shoes to fill.”

Samuel Chequer, Barts and The London Student Association Welfare Officer and third year medical student commented that Mr Wright is “a bit of a legend.”

Kaamil Ahmed Thousands of East Londoners found themselves starting new jobs as the biggest shopping centre in Europe opened last week.

The opening of Westfield Stratford City created more than 8,000 jobs, with 2,000 of them reserved especially for the local unemployed.

The amount of jobs the centre is expected to create has long been seen by the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics, including Mayor Boris Johnson, to be a vital aspect of the Olympic legacy.

The Mayor said earlier in the year that the money Westfield will bring in will be “a massive shot in the arm for the economy

of this area.”

This injection has been welcomed by business leaders in Newham after data released by the Office for National Statistics last month revealed that unemployment in the borough was the fourth worst in the country, despite the jobs which have been provided to the local workforce by various Olympic schemes.

Ollie Brown, a second year International Relations student at Queen Mary said: “It’s a fantastic source of employment.

It was very hard to find work before this Westfield started employing people, and I was travelling to West London for work. Thousands of people from the local community and surrounding areas have been employed and it really looks

like it’s going to be beneficial to the area.”

A study commissioned by Westfield earlier this year estimated that by now there would have been a temporary workforce of 27,000 working in different aspects of the centre’s running, with 9% coming from Newham and 28% from East London as a whole.

This has been welcomed by the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales who has encouraged the idea that the Olympic games and the retail training schemes which have been introduced by Westfield are leaving a positive legacy in the area.

East London has been singled out on several occasions as being one of the areas which was hardest hit by the economic recession.

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

News

The new sabb team: Sam Creighton, VP Communications, Dominic Bell, VP Student Activities, Sophie Richardson, President, Oscar Williamson, VP Education and Welfare and George Ryan, BLSA President. Image by Melissa Snyder.

Introducing your Sabbatical Officers Rosie Reynolds While the Sabbatical Officer elections may seem like a distant memory, the people that you have chosen to represent you have only been in office since the first of August. Some are returning for another year while some are entering the roles for the first time. So how are they settling in to their new roles? Dominic Bell, returning Vice-President Student Activities, says “I’ve been doing it for a year now, so I’m settling down OK. Freshers’ is already pretty busy and pretty hectic. We’re all nervous, I think.” Oscar Williamson, Vice-President Education and Welfare, agrees. “I’m starting to get a lot of enquiries from both returning students and freshers. Freshers’ Week will be good.” George Ryan, Vice-President Association, says “I feel like I’m juggling lots of different things.” Sophie Richardson, President, isn’t sure that the job was exactly what she was expecting. “Part of it is, but part of it is quite scary.

It’s more responsibility – but it’s all good.” All of the team seem to be happy with the office dynamic, with Sophie adding that she misses previous QMSU

President Vraj Domalip being in the office. “It’s also probably quieter now that I’ve moved out of the main office!” she laughs.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS Do any of the returning sabbs think that this year will be different to the last? Sam Creighton, returning Vice-President Communications, says “It’s not as much of a steep learning curve. My expectations are a lot higher, and I have to push myself a lot further. It’s easier, but I think I’m making it harder for myself.” Dom agrees that, for him, the bar has been raised this year. “It’s a different standard. We have expectations now.” Now that they’ve all experienced being sabbs – albeit briefly – would any of them go back and change their manifestos? Sam says “I think I would have put something about the London Mayoral election in my manifesto. We’re all keen on getting involved with it. You have to strike a balance of what you were elected to do, what you promised to do and what you actually have a direct mandate to do. We also have to make the decisions that we think will represent Queen Mary as best we can.” Sophie expands “As a union, we can’t have party

politics, but we’re looking into getting QM to be a polling station during the mayoral elections. We want to make sure student agendas are included in their manifestos, and we want to encourage students to vote.”

“There’s been so much going on on campus – Get Active is starting, CUB and QMessenger are going to print – and there’s also been a lot of planning in terms of new buildings and new projects.”

REPRESENTATION

GET INVOLVED

Are our sabbs better prepared this year? Sam explains “Over the summer we’ve done a lot of work, and a lot of training with the NUS and with ULU. You probably spend weeks in total on training courses and meeting other sabbs, and learning to do your job better. It’s good to meet new people who deal with problems differently to you.” Dom says “I feel like through the training I’ve done this summer I’ve really learned what it is to be a sabb. I understand what it is to be political, to be representational.” George thinks it was important for him to meet the people he will be working for. “In the early days, I’ve been establishing what kind of relationships I’m going to be having with staff, other members of the union, and the societies that contribute towards the union throughout the year.”

Sophie is keen to point out that a lot of work has been done in order to plan for freshers’ week.

What do the returning sabbs think they will be able to bring to the table that perhaps last years’ couldn’t? Sophie says “I think the fact that together we’ve got three years’ worth of eperience is useful. We’re better organised this year.” Sam agrees, saying that the team has better direction. “We all have strong opinions, but we debate thoroughly before we come to a cohesive decision. We move forward together.” George says “I’m focussing on learning my job but I know I can come to you guys if I need any help. I think the relationship we have as a team will also encourage the direction that Barts and the London want to go in. I think it’ll be good for students to move on and focus on doing the best they can under the BLSA.” So what are the team’s main aims for the year? Dom says “I spent a lot of last year focussing on sports, so this year in my mind is a year of societies.”

George is concerned with reopening the GriffInn. “I want to make it a success and put in as much work as we can”, he says. Sophie says her main aim is to look at who the union represents and how they represent them. Oscar wants to make sure the college departments make the easy improvements that often get left behind, while Sam finds it harder to pinpoint a specific aim. “I just want to build on what I’ve done, and make sure nothing falls away after I leave.”

The sabbatical officers are expecting to face the age-old challenge of balancing admin work and representation again this year. “There’s 700,000 students and 5 sabbs,” says Dom. Sam adds “I think we need to make sure sabbs are solely representative and not spending too much time doing jobs that could be done by staff.”

They all seem to think it’ll be an interesting year to be a sabb.

“I think it’s a great year to be a sabb in the run-up to September 2012,” says Sophie. “I think it’ll be an interesting year.”

So do they have any messages for freshers? “Get active, get involved” seems to be the main one – Oscar adds “It’s three years, and you’ll never get as much free time to explore your interests. Make the most of it.”

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

News

Imagining societies beyond borders Kaamil Ahmed Academics and entertainers were among those who joined together to call for greater personal freedoms at an event in East London earlier this month.

Several high profile names, such as comedian Omid Djallili and journalist Mihir Bose, called for people to start imagining a ‘society beyond borders’ at the TEDxEast End event which took place at Amnesty International’s base in Shoreditch.

The majority of speakers focused on issues surrounding migration, including both the difficulties that many migrants face in reaching their destinations and also those that they face once they have arrived in attempting to remain and integrate into society.

Helen Bamber OBE and Mihir Bose strongly argued against popular perceptions of migrants and asylum seekers.

“The story of migration is always told in tabloid terms, people coming to take jobs”

said Bose, but “it’s enormously difficult to leave your home.”

The journalist, who left a life of luxury in India to become a journalist in England, said that migrants come to discover new chances and pursue higher ideals.

“People come because there is an opportunity to for something better, not necessarily economically.”

Helen Bamber, who runs the Helen Bamber Foundation which gives support to those sufferers of human rights violations, said that there was a problem with treating refugees as if they were criminals.

She said: “Someone has enourmous difficulty in coming to this country and when they do they almost always are disbelieved.”

“They still wait for the knock at the door. For the deportation.” said Bamber, “This knock at the door, waiting to be deported back to the country that tortured them or sold them.”

Maryam Pasha, the organiser of the TEDx event said: “Migration has such a negative resonance in the pub-

Actor and comedian, Omid Djallili speaking at the TEDxEast End event held in Amnesty International’s HQ on New Inn Yard

lic sphere, we wanted to used TEDx to bring together leaders and innovators to think about creative ways in which we can promote a more positive and progressive debate on migration.”

“I am incredibly happy with how successful the event was, it really surpassed all our expectations. I think all the speakers were true to the TEDx vision and some really surprised us with the candour, comedy and insight,” said Pasha. “I think we inspired those working in migration with new ideas and ways to think and introduced those new to migration in a way that will keep them interested in the future.”

“It’s been really interesting,” said SOAS student Amun Osman about the conference “it needs to get the word out.

So many studies, in particular development studies, ignore the issues of inequality and migration.”

“We’ll see borders replaced by diversity, with a thought of serving humanity.” said Djallili in the final speech, “The Earth is one country. Mankind its citizens.”

Queen Mary researchers simulate The Big Bang for worldwide event Matthew TK Taylor Queen Mary will be one of four selected UK universities to be hosting a Researchers' Night this September.

Friday 23rd will mark the global event, spanning 500 venues over 30 countries and is, as Professor Evelyn Welch, VicePrincipal for Research and International Affairs explained, "an ideal opportunity to explore the university, try out state-ofthe-art technology, take part in fascinating experiments and attempt to out-smart academics".

The university will provide demonstrations across both Mile End and Whitechapel campuses including the creation of a lego-universe from 20,000 blocks of the Danish toy, with particle physicists on hand to explain the gradual construction of more complex particles from the sub-atomic level.

Professor Peter McOwan, Director of outreach at the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, will also be on hand for the 'Computer Science Magic Show' as he demonstrates the science behind

magic tricks and how technology can deliberately confuse the mind.

At Whitechapel, visitors will be taking a deeper look at the world of the microbiology, with a 16-cell embryo-shaped pod suspended over the Blizard Institute displaying films on the building blocks of life. Biologists will also open themselves to questioning in an open-lecture on the fight against bacteria: 'War of the Worlds'.

Further information and a full schedule is available on the Queen Mary website at www. qmul.ac.uk/invitationsinto/

Photo courtesy of seven13avenue via flickr

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QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Comment

To FEE or not to FEE? Share and Share Alike?

Think back into when you started education, you’ll recall people telling you to be polite and share what you had. Back then our playground arguments were over who played with what toy or whose go it was to on the swings. Adults told us things like, “there’s space for you all”, but we knew when we needed to be more generous and when we didn’t. The line seemed clear to us.

While we’ve grown up, our motivations haven’t changed.

We still raise our voices about what’s important to us, but distinguishing between what is and isn’t fair has become harder. Let’s take the library as an example: should with share it with the halls across the road, even if they’d be paying for its use? The arguments come in different shades of gray. Some say: “Yes, why not? More money for the College,” others point out that the library is short of space already, increasing the number of users would make things worse come exam time.

Is this a situation when we can afford a little inconvenience to help others? Or should we protect what is ours? Discuss.

You Get What You Pay For When halls prices rise so dramatically, it’s easy to be slightly outraged. We’re students!

We’re poor! Why would the university we go to want to make things even more diffi- cult for us? Well, the truth is that, as with everything in life, we get out what we put in. The rise in halls prices won’t just pay for improvements to the halls - it will pay for improvements to resources and services across the board, and that can only be a good thing. The College spends a lot of time and mon- ey making sure that those with mental health issues or family problems feel safe, secure and can make the most of their time at university. The average student often doesn’t see the excellent standard of pastoral care at QM because they never need it.

However once you need it, you tend to need it badly - and that’s why I don’t mind paying extra on the off chance that, one day, it might be me.

Mann Virdee

Ross Speer

Robert Hainult

Bethany Moffat

Asking students if degrees should be free is like asking children if they want candy; for most it’s a no-brainer. We go through University knowing that even after those dreaded exams, we have colossal debt to pay off - and it’s set to get a lot worse. Naturally, therefore, the standard response is, ‘Definitely!’

Such people say that you can’t put a price on knowledge.

That graduates benefit the economy, so why punish them for earning a degree?

However, we need to put these statements into context.

Graduates do benefit the economy, but they also earn higher wages, so paying to go to university (or being subsidised if you can’t afford to at the time) can be seen as an investment, with the prospect of long term rewards. Also, fees pay for teachers and facilities, the knowledge itself remains free.

If degrees are paid for by the tax payer, it’s easier for the government to push young people through University, just to keep unemployment rates low - a decade long trend now.

This means graduates must have a masters, or some extra factor, to be distinguished.

The cost should not be a hindrance (and £9,000 per year is indeed a deterrent for many), but maintaining a world-class higher education system without charging is impossible. To expect the taxpayer to fund all higher education is unrealistic, especially in times of austerity.

Degrees should be less expensive, but perhaps not free.

The idea that individuals should bear the cost of their education; through direct payment, loans or additional taxation, rests on the assumption that they alone gain from it. An education paid for by the individual becomes a commodity whose cost is justified by the worth it gives the individual.

Just as paying for gym membership aids physical development, paying for universi- ty provides intellectual devel- opment. The cost is supposed- ly offset by the increased market value of the individual who can now demand higher wages. Not only does this reduce a degree to something quantifi- able only in monetary terms, it assumes the benefit of education is ossified within the individual. In a world beset by the capitalist mythology of a society characterised by self-serving individuals who magically create a good society by pursuing selfish goals this isn’t surprising, but it is wrong.

The benefits of an educated society are obvious, and a goal to be pursued in itself. A de- gree in Norse Mythology may not be as ‘profitable’ as a de- gree in Business Studies, but it would be tragic if knowledge of the latter caused the disappearance of the former.

We all benefit from educating as many people as possible in whatever they want to be educated in, not just in what shortsighted corporations want in the here-and-now. Keep the destructive logic of the market out of education and bring back free degrees.

Degrees are not, and cannot be, free. The question is whether they should be paid for by the student or the entire British population. In these terms the answer is clear: it would be unfair for all citizens to have to foot the bill for a service received only by some.

I don’t even oppose the rise in tuition fees; the arrangement for repaying student loans is extremely accommodating. Furthermore, the cost of running a university would be rendered unmanageable without either a tuition fees hike, or further government subsidy, ultimately provided by taxpayers.

Unlike those who took to the streets last November, I don’t feel I have a claim to other peo ple’s money to fund my pursuits. The vocation is mine, and it is I who will prosper from it. To say I am entitled to reap its benefits at the expense of others would be to demon- strate the kind of solipsism which is at best naïve, and at worst fatuous.

Last year there were 1.96 million students studying at UK universities. Even if we assume only three years of study per student, had their education been funded by the state, tuition alone would have cost taxpayers £19.3 billion.

Even if you think your degree warrants state funding, you must concede that this is an expense that we cannot afford now or in the foreseeable future. Perhaps we will at some point revert to ‘free’ degrees, but I sincerely hope not.

With tuition fee rises on the horizon, people are questioning the value of a university degree. Since the introduction of fees in 1998 there has been doubts as to whether it would eradicate equality of oppor- tunity. But fears have grown ahead of the introduction of £9k fees in 2012.

However, funding is a persistent problem. Where else would universities get money? The answer is the taxpayer. But is this fair? Not everyone chooses to go to universi- ty – not everybody needs to.

So why make someone else pay for your tuition when it doesn’t affect them?

That does not mean that tuition fees should be £9,000.

With £27,000 debt, for tuition alone, at the end of a three year degree, I would be put off do- ing any course that did not en- sure me a job. It’s a ridiculous amount of money, and will greatly damage the principle of equality of opportunity in education. But, realistically, degrees cannot be free.

Without funding, many argue that UK institutions would be at the bottom of the pile in- ternationally. Perhaps this would be the case. But surely there must be another way to avoid this situation?

Thus the question in hand is a complex one; one which can’t be solved with a yes or no answer. The Government needs to explore other options, rather than letting universities charge more. If the Government is in favour of equality of opportunity, they should show it.

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

8

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Comment

Are the government making the right calls on the economy?

Government cuts has seen anger spark within segments of the general public in the form of mass demonstrations and other actions. Image by Keeren Flora

had the “ We’ve deepest cuts in

spending for a generation but there are still fears of a ‘double dip’

“

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

claim that the high tax rate, one of the highest in Europe, is making the UK “less competitive internationally, and less attractive to foreign investment”. Naturally, this has faced much opposition from all sides; senior Liberal Democrats have called the idea “phenomenally immoral” while the Conservative Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, disagreed, saying that the high tax rate is “probably doing more damage than it’s doing good”.

Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, has stated that the idea is from people “not in the real world”. However, his call to lower VAT in order to stimulate growth has also been met with opposition.

So, what is George Osborne to do? With inflation rising, it could be argued that a step in the right direction would be a rise in interest rates, still standing at 0.5%. However this would actually leave many people less well off, as it would increase mortgage and loan payments. Some argue that further quantitative easing is needed, but with the US Federal Reserve putting its easing programme on hold, can

it really be seen as the right way to go? After all, many columnists are arguing that we can’t really go back to the way we used to live, as it was essentially living beyond our means. As Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan spectacularly puts it, “hang-

answer’s not “ The be easy to find, but

compromises made to the austerity measures.

“

of action?

It’s fair to say that the coalition have a serious job on their It’s been almost sixteen months hands. In a year when Europesince the Conservative and Lib- an bailouts have become comeral Democrat coalition govern- monplace and the USA has lost ment came to power in the UK, its AAA credit rating, it could be but in reality, nothing seems to argued that the UK has fared the have changed. Just as prior to storms with relative ease. Howthe election, the general feeling ever, one can’t ignore the seemassociated with our economy is ingly endless stream of protests still panic. Yes, we’ve had some and riots. The government has of the deepest cuts in public managed to upset the students, spending for a generation, a rise the NHS, the trade unions, the in VAT and a massive reduction armed forces and most recentin government departments and quangos, but there are still fears of a so-called ‘double-dip’ recession and economic growth is weak, standing at just 0.2% in the three months to the end of July. However, the chancellor, George Osborne, still seems to be resolutely set upon his original course of action; cuts, and more cuts. In a recent speech to ly, even the economists. In a leta Lloyds of London dinner, he ter to the Financial Times, twenadmitted that while short-term ty high-profile economists have expectations had been down- argued that the 50p tax rate for graded, the government would high earners, introduced unbe sticking to its deficit reduc- der Labour as a temporary meation programme. But with op- sure, should be abolished “at position on all sides, can this the earliest opportunity” in orstill be seen as the right course der to stimulate growth. They

Matthew Martin

overs cannot be indefinitely deferred by remaining sozzled”.

This leaves the Chancellor in a rather tough position. Even some Conservatives are now arguing that a general tax cut is the way forward; after all, if people have more to spend, the economy should grow by itself through consumer spending. But this still leaves the problem of the deficit, hanging around like a bad smell.

I feel that a debate is needed to determine what to do next.

The coalition’s plans to continue blindly with austerity measures may not still be the way forward,

as it’s leaving the general public with less money in their pockets.

Equally, we cannot abandon the cuts entirely, as that would leave the UK at risk of losing the confidence of both the markets and the credit rating agencies. The key word that needs to be discussed is ‘priority’. Perhaps it’s time for every political party to put their ideological differences aside and work together to prioritise the cuts and find a way forward that is fair for all levels of society. Do we really need to cut benefits when we could be going after those who cheat the system? Should we continue to tax the rich more if this means an apparent rejection of foreign investment? Perhaps we should be chasing up those with offshore bank accounts, some of whom pay little or no tax on their earnings? These questions need to be asked now, before it’s too late.

The answer may not be easy to find, but it’s clear that there need to be some compromises made to the austerity measures, however small. These compromises could make the difference between a broken generation and a fairer future for everyone.

529

CUB Katy

B on her

debut

album, being a

fresher

and hangover cures...

Sam Creighton exec, design Steph Pickerill editor Tal Davies london Tom Stevenson and Anna Matheson features Amelia Jeffries and Lauryn Murdoch arts Keeren Flora and Bethia Stone photography Angel Lambo and Ryan Ramgobin music Amy Bowles and Lucinda Turner fashion Mark Birrell and Kamilla Baiden film Colette Yapp-Davis qupid Maria D’Amico cartoon

@cubmagazine.co.uk 1 That London 2-3 A very inaccurate tour of Queen Mary

CUB offers you an alternative tour of the common (mis)adventures of QM life. Including a handy campus map!

4 Glamour of the Gods 5 “Get yer tits oot”

Queen Mary Theatre Company takes over the Edinburgh Fringe.

6 CUB’s EYE: Destruction 8 To In-festival and beyond...

A one night stand that leaves you shaking on the grass, or comfy wellies, hot chips and lots and lots of mud?

“Maybe it’s more than just a vintage shop” p. 11

9 COVER: Katy B cuddles CUB The Grand Duchess of dubstep talks to Angel Lambo abot her student mission.

10 The price of Celine “Comfy shoes advisable, terrible dance moves optional” p. 2

11 The East End Thrift Store CUB Fashion visits the home of vintage chic in Mile End (and gets you money off in the process!)

12-13 Cinemas we love...and some we don’t 13 ‘Ed to ‘Ed: Micahel Bay p. 8 “Hidden behind a red velvet curtain lies a makeshift cinema of candle lit tables and decadent sofas” p. 12

A genius of cinema or the cancerous growth at the heart of modern filmmaking?

14 Qupid

Eleanor Hallam and Gruffudd Watts are the first lucky couple to be caught by Qupid’s wandering arrow.

Natalia Davies

That London

I

remember the drive through East Gate towards my new home: the confusion of The Village Shop (what village?!), the fear of living with psychopaths, but mostly the wonder and nerves of moving to London. Being one of those people who come from a town such as mine (a time-warp town where no one leaves, where ‘London’ is always preceded with the word ‘that’, and you’re the subject of ridicule if you express a liking for anything remotely ethnic), the idea of moving to the bright lights of the big city has been overly romanticised in my head for as long as I can remember. This whole higher education thing, well, I imagined it to be a fruitful byproduct of an otherwise cunning escape plan.

That was, of course, until the week building up to The Big Move. Suddenly the hourly bus from my house that stops running at 8pm (seriously), seemed quaint and totally forgivable. On my last day I recall taking a look around the neighbourhood that I had enthusiastically criticised my entire life and thinking: ‘What the hell am I doing going to that London?!’

I knew what I was doing of course. I was running as fast as I could from the alternative lifestyle I would be leading, had I not come to the Big Smoke. At best I’d be working for the local newspaper, though there doesn’t seem to be much call for new interns when front-page news was once about a man mistaking a chinese lantern for a UFO and taking refuge in his cattle shed.

Realistically, I’d work in a small office with limited prospects, where the manager’s only cure for the monotony is ‘dress-down Fridays’. I’d be looking forward to the weekend where I would go to my town’s only nightclub (that still has carpeted floors from when it was a bingo hall, might I add), and see the same people from my primary school every week.

And that would be enough, because it would have to be. But I bet that hourly bus wouldn’t look so quaint after endless nights of taunting myself with what might have been.

For me, that’s what being in London is all about. It’s about escaping the mundane,

come to accept that “ I’ve crossing even a sidestreet involves opportunistic panic-sprinting.

”

thriving in a bit of anonymity, knowing that almost anything can be easily accessed at virtually any time (and I’m not just referring to fried chicken). The sudden independence bestowed on students is even greater in London, perhaps because of its size, or population, or simply because it’s such an iconic (and therefore intimidating) city. There’s a sort of community of independence, a collective of people who have their mentality in common, not just their location. In

my hometown, my sense of kinship with each person is ‘I went to Brownies with his sister’ or something of that ilk, whereas here, the most I can guess from a person is that they too have chosen to be here. It reminds me of the difference between uni and secondary school; at uni there’s no one sat at the back of the room sulking and being disruptive because they’re here against their will. You rarely hear of someone being ‘stuck’ in London the way people get stuck in the little towns where they grew up.

Two years down the line and I’m on to my third and final Big Move, to uni at least. It is scary how much a few weeks of being ‘home’ can make you set up roots against your will. I suppose it is comforting to know that it doesn’t matter if you get so drunk that you forget where you live, because the taxi driver probably knows your family home anyway.

I do empathise with the freshers when I watch them lining up in their cars, looking a balanced combination of scared, excited and embarrassed by whoever brought them here. Some of their expressions are so recognisable; you can spot an escapist from a mile off.

You can see it in their eyes (as they peer over boxes of ‘moving out stuff’, trying to comprehend an occasion where there would ever be a need for so much tupperware).

They

wonder if it might just be easier to commute from godknowswhere everyday rather than sleep through the lullaby of perpetual sirens, or face ‘the tramp outside Budgens’ whenever they need emergency loo roll.

That all changes so quickly, of course, because I think everyone who has chosen to come here from a faraway place automatically has the London mentality that I’ve been talking about. And sadistic as it might sound, I like seeing their nervous faces because it reminds me of the choice I made, and consequently my love for this wonderful city.

This is all getting a bit too idyllic. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the streets are paved with gold.

Prices for everything are extortionate; rent, travel, nights out. Often during a grim moment of sobriety when I realise how much I’m actually paying for a drink, I think about how I would never accept that fee on a visit to my hometown. If I was out with my school friends and someone tried to charge me eight quid for a small glass of vodka and diet coke, I would expect the drink itself to get me pissed from just smelling it, politely drive me home and make me a bacon sandwich the next morning.

I’ve learnt that the green man is not to be trusted.

His relaxed strolling position when the traffic lights are on red is no guarantee that relaxed strolling is remotely possible. I’ve come to accept that crossing even a sidestreet involves opportunitistic panic-sprinting, and it’s become second nature to hold my bag as though it were my firstborn child whenever anyone tries to walk near me.

I could rant for hours about tube closures (I understand , Mr ‘Person-under-the-train’, that life has got a bit too much and you want to end it all, but please, jump in front of a train on the Hammersmith and City Line at midday, not the Central Line at rush hour). And that dreadful feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise you actually need to go to Oxford St and the only day you can do is a Saturday.

But to rant any further would be futile. Because I’m still here, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Like all humans, I favour the familiar and it’s nice to know that my hometown remains a constant. Even now my mother always asks why I want to live in that London. It’s always said in such an accusatory way, the way she’d refer to ‘that hussy down the road’.

That London, that everchanging, grimy, scary hussy down the road (well, 150 miles down the road). Bane of my life and the place I’ll never leave.

And, in case any of you were wondering, nowadays on the last day before I go to visit my hometown, I take a quick look round my new neighbourhood, and then Euston Station, and think: ‘What the hell am I doing going back?!’

Natalia Davies is a third year English Literature student and editor of CUBs LQMDON section. If you want to be next LQMDONer then email her at london@cubmagazine.co.uk 1

w

AN INACCURATE GUIDE TO LIFE AT Q

Once Fabric and Ministry are done and dusted, and you’ve experienced the glory that is the number 25 bus on a week night, it’s time to acquaint yourself with Drapers. The Student Union has some good nights if you fancy staying close to home for a cheap drink, FND is usually rammed with people, and ‘Pound a Pint’ on a Monday is particularly deadly for those with Tuesday morning lectures (the name is pretty self explanatory). Here at CUB, ‘Hail Mary’ was unanimously voted the most popular union night; on the last Wednesday of every month the sports teams and societies come out in all their glory, to see who can consume the most red beer. The result? It’s more than a little messy (down right disgusting), but makes for the best memories. CUB’s Hollie Carter sums it up: “the best night out in the SU, such a good atmosphere and generally just a great night, (I think, from what I can remember!).” So come along, even if you chose not to join a club or society, it’s worth downing a few pints of red beer and hitting the dance floor anyway (comfy shoes advisable, terrible dance moves optional).

Once the freshers week frenzy is over, you probably won’t be quite ready to hang up the vodka bottle and new Topshop dress, so there’s plenty of time to head out into the wide array of clubs and venues London has to offer. If you’re happy to stay in the East End, head over to brick lane for a curry followed by drinks in Cafe 1001 or 93 feet east. Look out for the in-store gigs in rough trade or take a trip up to Shoreditch for The Bathhouse, Motherbar or Catch, all of which prove to be amazing nights out and are slightly cheaper than anywhere central.

If it’s music your looking for, there’s a whole host of small venues to check out some really amazing bands. Keep an eye out for nights at XOYO, Hoxton

2

dance moves optional

CUB’s Lucy Bell recommends ‘Ain’t Nothin But The Blues’, on Regent Street, for something different, and “you don’t need to be into blues music to enjoy it”. White Heat, in Soho’s Madame Jojo’s, is worth checking out on a Tuesday, which has DJ sets from bands, cheap drinks, and Pixie Geldof has been spotted stalking around (so, er it has the ‘celebrity’ seal of approval).

Needless to say, there’s never a shortage of new venues and club nights to check out; our one word of advice would be to check bus routes home before you go – being stuck in Kensington at two am after a few too many tequilas is never a good time.

Food Nights out sorted, the next main worry is (obviously) where can you go for a good hangover breakfast. Well, on campus there’s plenty of outlets to choose from. The Curve, offers a good priced meal throughout the day, whereas World Marché is a good choice if you fancy a quiet place to study by the canal. Coffee wise, there’s Ground, where there will permanently be at least five people you know. Meanwhile, the village shop is home to CUB’s Robert Hainult’s favourite sandwich, (ABC Cajun chicken) and Mucci’s on library square is brilliant for “proper” food at Student Prices. Drapers also does a mean burger and chips for those with eyes bigger than their stomachs, and Infusion offers coffee deals before 10am for those who can manage early lectures.

If you’re looking slightly further afield, Roasters seems to fare pretty high on most QM coffee lover’s lists, with battered old sofa’s and almond croissants to die for. It offers the perfect meeting place for early morning coffee runs on the way to Mile End station. Budgens, also on Mile End Road, will soon become the home to your late night

ice-cream runs (it’s open until 11pm on weekdays). But definitely check out Low Cost Food and Wine, for, well, the name gives it away.

You will soon become acquainted with Mile End’s delicacy eateries, such as Dixie Chicken and Golden Fryer, after nights in Drapers, but the less said about those the better. Spoons is another obvious and satisfying choice for

“

It does a really nice herbal cuppa and plays 50s hits in the morning

“

Nights Out

shoes ad“ Comfy visable, terrible

“

elcome to (or back to) QM! Now that summer is over, and results are in, it’s time to up and move back to the City.

So, to get us all in the mood for another year of binge drinking, over spending and some occasional studying, the CUB Features team have compiled a list of some of our favourite campus nights and city haunts.

Bar and Grill and Vice magazine launch parties at the Old Blue Last. In terms of central clubs and nights out, it’s hard to know where to start. CUB’s Charlotte Maddox recommends Tottenham Court Road on a Wednesday for Moonlighting’s student night. Mondays at HEAVEN, in Charring Cross, come with role reversal – men get hit on, and girls are left to dance on their own. There’s also Tiger Tiger on a Monday night, for some general chart music dancing sessions.

QUEEN MARY words by Anna Matheson find a whole host of restaurants from French Cuisine to (my personal favourite) Hummus Bro’s, follow the road down and you’ll end up with a plethora of choices in China Town. Finally, be sure to check out Qmessenger’s food section for some brilliant recipes, you never know, you might actually cook for yourself at some point.

Culture Don’t worry about becoming a fullblown tourist. Do all the Museums, book a ticket to see a performance at the Globe, or hire Boris bikes in Hyde Park (weather permitting, it is London).

Closer to home, Brick Lane has some amazing little vintage shops, street art and markets on a weekend. Columbia Road Flower Market is always nice to wander round on a lazy Sunday, the same can be said about Roman Road Market on a Saturday. Alternatively, take a short walk down the canal to Victoria Park and have a coffee in the Pavilion, or Loafing, just across the park, in Hackney, offers the most beautiful afternoon tea. Hackney Zoo is also within walking distance and promises a good afternoon out. Down the ca-

worry about “ Don’t becoming a full-

a cheeky all day breakfast, whilst Jade French recommends the Breakfast Club on Hoxton Square, “it does a really nice herbal cuppa and plays 50s hits in the morning.”

When your looking for a nice meal out – as opposed to just feeding the hangover – there’s some brilliant choices close to campus. If you can manage to walk further out than Nando’s, then Fat

Cat down in Bow Wharf offers mammoth sized portions of home cooked meals and offer discount to students (or free if you go with Qupid, see p.14).

The most acclaimed of the lot is Tayyabs on Fieldgate Street. Be sure to get down early as queues can be huge, but the “Bring Your Own” drink policy and quality of the food makes it worth the wait. Pizza East in Shoreditch is also

worth a try for main meals around £10 £13. CUB’s Cathryn Parks recomends a trip to the 02 venue for a whole host of restaurants if friends are visiting, and with cinemas and attractions it also makes for a good night out. If you’re feeling for something a little more central, take the central line to Tottenham Court Road and walk down Wardour Street towards Soho. On the way you’ll

“

blown tourist

nal in the opposite direction is Canary Wharf and St Katharine’s dock; worth the walk for some more upmarket bars and restaurants. If it’s shopping you’re after, then after spending way too much time on Oxford Street (it’s addictive, we know) try out the new Westfield in Stratford or take a trip to the East End Thift Store (armed with your voucher, see p.11) and be sure to look out for the “fill a bag” parties for a bargain or two.

Portabello Road on a Saturday morning offers a lovely little vintage market and the shopping centre in St Paul’s has all the generic shops, but tends to be less busy than anywhere else. In terms of art galleries, East London has a lot to offer, and Shoreditch alone offers some crackers. Whitechapel Art Gallery is just a ten minute walk up the road, whilst White Cube isn’t too far to travel to either. Jade French recommends Red Church Street for a whole host of galleries and cafés.

Finally, remember to keep up to date with events across London with CUB, check out the website for updates on Fashion, Film, Art and Music across the city; we’ve got it all, so go out and enjoy it!

3

Arts

Gallery • Dance • Comedy • Campus • Drama Events • Poetry • Photography • Print

Gallery

The Glamour of the Gods

T

o look at a 1940’s still of Rita Hayworth can be, to women, rather intimidating. Robert Coburn’s iconic portrait features Hayworth starring in ‘Gilda’, Naomi Mullins demonstrates the potential perfection of the female form; all curves, wispy smoke rising from a poised cigarette, a mane of perfectly curled locks and a dress that I could only wear in my haziest of daydreams.

And so it is with dreamy far off expressions that myself and the other viewers of the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery gaze upon these suggested Gods and Goddesses from the position of mere mortals; reminding ourselves of a time when actors and actresses were revered as something beyond human, almost celestial and worthy of worship.

The images, collected and restored by film historian and Hollywood film-photography lover John Kobal, aim to demonstrate how exactly these stars from the ‘Golden age of Hollywood’ (ranging from the late 10’s to the late 50’s) were presented to the world. With emphasis taken away from the personalities of the stars and focused more heavily upon the secret of the immaculate image; a secret previously witheld from the general public. The collection from the John Kobal foundation features never before exhibited photography from some of the most prolific photographers of the age including George Hurrell, Lazlo Willinger, Robert Coburn and Ruth Harriet Louise. Portraiture featured in the exhibition makes it easy to define exactly the archetypal image the photographer wished to achieve, ranging from the clown (The Marx Brothers) to the sophisticate (English born Cary Grant) and the sex symbol (Marilyn Monroe) to the elegant (Grace Kelly).

Photographs in the exhibition include re-enacted moments from the movies themselves, John Miehle’s Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers portrait demonstrates them doing just what they did the best: dancing like no-one else could and looking a damn sight better than most of us whilst doing it. Aside from the beauty of the portraits themselves, the most wonderful thing about this exhibition is

4

Events Nothing better than free art SEPTEMBER 17th - 25th London Design Festival Now in it’s eighth year, the festival features almost 300 events and exhibitions across the capital, the majority of which are, mercifully, free!

17th - 18th Open House London For one weekend only, over 700 of London’s most prominent landmarks open their doors and offer free tours to the public.

23rd - 25th London Art Book Fair Just a stone’s throw away from campus , the Whitechapel Gallery in Aldgate is again hosting its annual homage to the international art publishing world, from individual artist publishers to rare book dealers. Most events are free or available at a nominal student price.

OCTOBER 2nd Punch and Judy Festival Yes, that’s right, Covent Garden’s North Hall is again hosting it’s annual Punch and Judy festival between 11am and 4.30pm. Hosted by the Punch and Judy fellowship as the Pièce de Résistance of their UK tour, the artiste’s will be travelling from all over to perform in the birthplace of the show.

6th National Poetry Day Celebrating the wonder of words, poetry enthusiasts are invited to a selection of events in and around London as well as several competitions for all you budding Shakespeare’s.

Rita Hayworth for ‘Gilda’, 1946 by Robert Coburn © The John Kobal Foundation 2011

“All that glitters is not gold...” that we are actually able to see exactly how these idealist looks were achieved (perhaps so we don‘t go home with heavy hearts).

Slideshows and photographs allow us to witness how, with the use of extreme lighting, heavy retouching, lavish sets and costumes make-up the ‘perfect’ image could be achieved. This is no better demonstrated than in one section of the

exhibition where a before and after shot of Joan Crawford in her glory days (before the heavy eyebrows and smudged red lippy), reveals that ‘all that glitters is not gold’. It’s the retouching treatment that Cameron Diaz could only pray for.

The exhibition is perfect for lovers of photography, film, history and fashion alike; John Kobal arguably has achieved exactly what he set out to do, preserving these marvellous examples of film and photography history and teaching us all about them.

Glamour of the Gods is at the National Portrait Gallery from 7th July to 23rd October

23rd Harvest Festival Feel like embracing your pagan roots and marching through Borough Market to welcome in the Harvest? Then head to the October Plenty, leaving Bankside by the Globe at 12 noon; a day of effigies, theatre and merriment in true peasant fashion.

Editor’s Note: As there was no room for website details I’m afraid you are going to have to use your initiative and the google machine, dear readers.

Campus

our guide to some of the other “Get yer tits oot” And more artistic societies at QMUL...

For the seventeenth year running, the Queen Mary Theatre Company graced the stage of the Rebecca Coxon prominent and reputable Venue 45 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with four shows: From the Dark Hills –1980’s Geordie miners cleverly combined with a contemporary form of Commedia dell’Arte. (Editor’s Note: classic comedy models in face paint to us simpletons.)

Sii Me – a show about what really happens when you stop playing with your Sims.

Give the Fig a Roll – a devised show bringing another surrealist, ineffable dance experience to the Fringe.

And finally, Golden Aged – a play about what happens when superheroes retire.

Competition is fierce at the Fringe, with 21,192 performers in 2,542 shows and 257 other venues to compete with; persuading people on the street to come to our shows was never going to be an easy task, and with the Scottish ‘summer’ weather, it sometimes meant getting a wee bit wet.

Now, flyering in the rain is not fun, but neither is being audience-less, so we ploughed on through the dreaded ‘fringe flu’ to perfect our promotion techniques: we picketed, wore ‘plumbobs’ (the green diamonds from The Sims), face-painted, danced on stages, hid in phone-boxes and wished everyone a happy birthday. Sounds silly, but with such merciless competition you need to be a bit weird to get noticed.

For many of us, seeing one of our presidents, Henry Bishop, dressed up as a prostitute (one of his comic multi-roles in From the Dark Hills) holding a sign reading ‘GET YER TITS OOT’ was one of the best experiences of the fortnight.

With an average audience of less than 10, it’s always a struggle to get bums on seats at the Festival. But our flyering techniques obviously paid off as we managed an average of 37 ticket sales

per show per night and even a couple of sell-out performances!

QMUL Art Society A perk of performing at the Fringe is getting to see plenty of other shows QMUL’s Art Society is a forum for both for free with our venue passes. We saw artists and those who share a real interest in some good shows, but we also saw plenart. Started last year, the Art Society holds exhity of not good shows too. But it’s all part bitions of student work, runs workshops and arrangof the fun at the fringe, walking into an es gallery visits and talks from people within the art auditorium and not knowing whethworld. The Art Society has hosted a number of hugely sucer you’re going to see a five star show cesful exhibitions of student artwork with live music from about the holocaust or a one star play Queen Mary’s own bands and singers. We have also arranged about lesbian incest... trips to art galleries such as The Whitechapel Gallery and You can find literally anything at the Tate Modern, plus talks from artists such as Kathleen Fox, a Fringe: from cabaret to comedy, from fascinating artist who has recently exhibited at the Saatchi physical theatre to ‘Puppetry of the PeGallery. They are organising their first exhibition of the year nis 3D’ (and yes, it’s exactly what it says at the moment, and the date will be publicised shortly. on the tin)!

The sights on the Royal Mile (which If you are an artist or musician and would like to take becomes a pedestrian only flyering part in an exhibition, if you have an idea for an event, hotspot for advertising) alone are quite want to get involved, or to join our mailing list, amazing. My personal highlight was email artqmul@live.co.uk. an American yoga-fanatic wearing just a bra and knickers whilst demonstratFollow us on Twitter: @ArtQMUL ing some rather painful-looking positions on the damp, cold street. Eventuhttp://www.qmsu.org/groups/artally someone put their jumper over her society crotch to cover her modesty. What’s worse was that her show was free; she was freezing cold and losing her dignity QMUL Photography advertising a FREE show.

Society The food served at the Fringe (and astonishingly Edinburgh and Scotland at The Photography Society is open to all all times of the year) is definitely worth QMUL students and staff who enjoy sightseea mention too, and something that realing, taking photographs, developing their pholy added to the bizarre experience. Our tography skills and carrying them to a professiondiet for the fortnight included deepal level. Sharing the art of photography together with fried mars bars (yes they exist, and yes social interactions in the university are the most imthey taste like heaven and a heart-atportant aims. This society is designed for people to meet tack simultaneously), cheesy chips, new friends, enjoy their time and explore the wonderful jacket potatoes and haggis – all washed world of photography. Sightseeing tours to different parts down with a nice bottle of Irn Bru, Tofof London, attendance to various exhibitions, a chance fee Apple Cider or Lambrini (if you’re to photograph different festivals in London, various feeling cheap). ‘themed’ competitions, photography courses and workAnother year, another Fringe over – shops and many more events are the major offerings but QM Theatre Company have anothof our society to the members, together with meeter jam-packed year planned for 2011/12, ing new friends and having a fun time... so if you want to get involved then get writing, auditioning and mingling at Email: qmulps@gmail.com our socials – and who knows maybe you could be heading up to Edinburgh Add us on Facebook: QMUL Phonext year! tography Society

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CUB’S EYE: “Destruction” The half-ruins of the old Chemistry building, located alongside Bancroft Road, shoots spires of scaffolding into the sky. The constant renovation of campus has become a recognisable element of the University over the past year, welcoming new students that never knew it.

Image by Matthew TK Taylor

“To in-festival and beyond...”

BENICASSIM The Continental

From the outside, Benicassim de la Playa may look like the quaint little seaside town set out the Spanish Mediterranean, but for one week every July it becomes the home to the most popular European festival.

Kicking off the four day party on Thursday, Paolo Nutini proved once again that he will always be the most wasted man at any festival. Whilst Plan B showed his relentless suit wearing abilities, even in the 30 degree Spanish heat; but provided and aggressive set including favourites, “Stay Too Long” and “Welcome To Hell”. Later, the crowd were treated to one of Mike Skinners many “last tour” charades; in which “Dry Your Eyes” stood out in a particularly energetic set.

It’s hard to explain the kind of euphoria that The Strokes caused across the festival site after their sensational showcase on Friday night. The set completely eclipsed the rest of the festival; from the first riff of “New York City Cops”, to the infamous “Reptillia” the Strokes certainly reminded us why they had been so missed; and reaction to new tracks “Machu Picchu” and “Taken For a Fool” proved the need for Julian and co. to sort out whatever Man issues they are having with each other and keep making bloody good music. Later the punters had the Bombay and Mumford clash to deal with; the latter drawing an epic crowd to which they treated new song “Lover’s Eyes”.

The return of Arctic Monkeys to the FIB stage left any doubters retracting their comments. With a perfectly mixed set from all four albums the crowd was up to their usual piss throwing frenzy. Still, it doesn’t matter how hard they try, the crowd will never be happier than when they kick into, “When the sun goes down”. Primal Scream closed the night in style; there is something special (and quite disturbing) about singing your heart out to “Get your Rocks Off”, at four in the morning in a foreign country, whilst Bobby Gilespe is running around stage in silver trousers. Noah and the Whale pulled out all the stops on Sunday to pick up the mood after three days of late nights and little sleep; “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N” seemed pretty fitting, and classic “5 Years Time” also went down well. Arcade Fire closed the festival with another monumental set; mixed with the best moments from all three albums. Emotions were certainly running high during encore picks “Wake Up” and “Sprawl II”; no one was ready for the festival to end.

All in all, it safe to say whatever member of the FIB team came up with the festival by a beach idea is a fucking genius!

Anna Matheson

GLOBAL GATHERING

IN THE WOODS

The music began at five pm and despite the late start and dreary weather, revellers were out in their droves and hyped for the madness that was about to ensue.

The pick of the earlier acts has to be Modestep, with their thirty minute set causing carnage in the Wax:On arena. This band ought to have more of a following and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back next year on a larger stage. Headlining the main stage were drum and bass heavyweights, Pendulum - and they certainly didn’t disappoint. An energetic performance saw the crowd mosh non-stop.

Underworld lit up the Global stage, with the anthem Born Slippy stealing the show. Whilst on the Rinse stage, Boy Better Know failed to entertain a crowd which was clearly only there for Skream and Benga. They started their set at two-thirty am but the crowd was visibly fatigued and can’t get into it - which is a shame. An enjoyable first night but it was a warm up for Saturday - where everything went up a notch.

The grey and dull weather is replaced with blue skies and scorching temperatures. Felix Da Housecat and Fake Blood helped the crowd recover from the night before with some chill vibes which was perfect as the hot temperature made it nigh-on impossible to dance.

Masterminded by Laurel Collective, organized by friends, staffed by volunteers and compered by Xfm’s John Kennedy, the feeling of familiarity is rife as In The Woods has offered the same invitation is open to you.

It’s just gone midday as you watch this undisclosed field in Kent begin to fill up with gentle revellers. At the far end of the field there is a sign propped against a gate and pointing at an entrance flanked by river and trees.

This woodland walkway takes you all the way to The Quarry stage, but you fall short of your destination as you hear rhythm and vocal rising from your right, you detour into the Laurel Lounge, and it is Dongtanion, first artist up – you take a seat on a felled log and realise that your festival experience has already begun.

2011 introduced us to a whole host of exciting and new talent. The set performed by Peter and Kerry was a tremendous depiction of the simplicity, beauty and harmony of two voices singing together with equal amounts of passion and intention. Dels provided that much needed urban-flair, with his spitting vocals, rough beats and inventive lyrics, which definitely got the masses shuffling from side to front, to back, to side. The most entertaining group of the night, however, had to be Man Like Me. A tourade of dell-boy-esque mannerisms, shell suits, trumpets, trilbys and loafers, with singer Johnny, going bare-torsoed and taking the mic for a run around in the woods - as performances go, music fails to get any more entertaining than this. This is just a corner of a snapshot of an entire hoarde of artists on the line-up that continually wowed and amazed an unsuspecting audience. Finally, Laurel Collective grace the stage and although playing mostly new tracks off an eagerly anticipated album coming out later this year, the crowd still danced as if they were songs that were played to them from childhood.

The real magic of the festival, however, is powered by the light of the moon.The string of lights that ceiling the paths, the candles in jars hanging from trees and a line of lampshades to make you feel at home whilst you sit and watch a 3-D graphic art projector installation. It is all this and more that have pushed In The Woods into the foreground as Laurel Collective have managed to rekindle the spirit of a ‘festival’ as opposed to promulgating the dark reality of which they have fallen into.

The Mainland

The temperature drops and the evening is upon us. We head to the Metropolis Stage and this is where Global evolved into an amazing festival. Skrillex, the new dubstep king unleashed a monster set, leaving many in the audience in open-mouthed awe. There are too many highlights from the set to mention but it contained the song of the weekend, Needed Change which saw the crowd take moshing to a new level at a dance festival.

Next up are headliners Chase & Status and there is much anticipation for the duo. They delivered an unforgettable 90 minute set featuring special guests such as Marley, Tempa T and Delilah. These boys are the biggest name in British dance music and will continue to be so if their live shows are consistently this good.

However, a duo that has the potential to be bigger than Chase & Status is Nero who was the best act over the two days. It took forty minutes for their futuristic stage to be constructed and it was a thing of beauty. Unique staging combined with superb lighting and an insane amount of bass made it a show rather than just a set.

If you love electronic music and fancy a music festival which isn’t infested with hordes of teenagers sporting their finest Jack Wills hoodies, then Global Gathering is the answer.

Ryan Ramgobin

The Secret

Which other festivals can boast a hog silently spinning on a spit, or a festival where both guest and artist can share a camping area and a cold cider around a hot bonfire? – ignore every piece of advice your mother ever gave you. Go play in the woods.

Angel Lambo

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KATY B CUDDLES CUB WORDS BY ANGEL LAMBO

S

itting under an neon orange Jägermeister tent, backstage at Beach Break Live, cameras in hand, notepad at the ready - we await the arrival of Katy B. There is an audible buzz of excitement whilst waiting for an artist of such pint-sized proportions that has the ability to command an entire crowd. A figure comes bounding into view from the horizon, holding a bottle of water, simply clad in greyish dungarees and management struggling to keep up behind her.

Cub Music, you’re up! Two minutes! As we edge towards the table we’re greeted by a civil smile and a handshake. We plunge straight in: “When everyone in London is trying to move out for university, why did you stay?” It took her less than a second to respond and we were immediately struck by the frankness in which she spoke: ‘Well, because I was making my album and doing music and stuff – I dunno, I felt like I had to be in London and I’ve had so many trials in my life and I love the industry. It’s always been about making my album and doing my music – I dunno, I just felt like I had to be here. There’s nowhere else to go.” She glared at us as if say-

ing ‘what other answer could I have given’ and we immediately gave a general mutter of agreement, stuttered and then looked down at our notepad and moving on to her experiences of playing to a student crowd instead of the general public. A moments pause and she looks at us inquisitively, tosses her red locks over her shoulder and shakes her head saying how she has never played to a student crowd before, we are pretty sure that she has - our question just hangs in the air until she screams: “Oh god yea!

I’ve done a couple of University balls actually, students are crazy man, they’re just crazy...erm...they’re mad. They love a mosh. They just love a mosh pit!” We smile and swiftly move on whilst she readjust her wooden seat, ready to pay more attention: “What hangover cure would you recommend for Queen Mary Freshers?” Immediately her face brightens up, we have found a topic that she actually cares to talk in length about: “A can of coke is the best hangover cure ever! Because it’s so cold and refreshing but it’s also, like, really sugary and tasty so it takes away the alcohol taste and if there’s too much sugar in it, it like perks you up! So a can of Coke or Lucozade...I can’t

drink water, I dunno how people drink water.” By the end of this excited tirade she is sitting on the end of her chair, legs akimbo and imitating the stance of a weight-lifter and flexing her muscles as she envisions the invigorating qualities of having a Coke after a night of raving hard. Feeling a lot more comfortable we put our two cents in and respond “Yea! We hate water! It makes you feel really full!” Still beaming, she continues that “with Coke, all the bubbles make you feel nice.” Her expression and manner showed us that she was definitely a girl that just wants to party - just like any other person that listens to her records. With renewed energy, we edge on and ask how she relates to students moving away from home: “Well, at the moment, definitely on tour and stuff. But actually, it’s alright really ‘cause my band are really nice and so I’ve got good company” Amanda, the backstage manager is staring us down from the sidelines, tapping at her watch and making it more than apparent we’re running over time.

Katy is none the wiser and neither are we. We plug ahead and realise we only have one question left, the big question,

the philosophy and inspiration behind her extraordinary debut album Katy B: On A Mission. As customary, there is a gaping pause before the words come to her: “The whole album is just like my whole time at university and even if there was songs about going out and enjoying myself, songs about love and lots of different things – it’s really representative of me really, the music behind it.

Some of the tracks are more dub-step, there’s some hardcore breaks in there, some drum’n’bass, and some even more of an R’n’B feel; so each song is like a representative part of my personality... depending on where I would go to; depending on if I go to a club and listen to dub-step, or go to another club that’s funky, it’s all a different part of my personality. I can’t chose really!” As we say our pleasantries and begin to make an exit, Katy rises with us, completely confused we move out of her way thinking that she was attempting to get past us.

But no! She laughs as she extends her arms out for a cuddle, leaning forward we join in a massive embrace as other press look on and wonder why they never received the same level of warmth. As we leave, there is a distinct feeling that we have just been in the company of one of the most frank and genuine individuals in the industry.

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The price of Céline 2011: the year of minimalism.

This isn’t groundbreakAmy Bowles ing news: ever since the return of Phoebe Philo and those unashamedly functional white shirts this time last year, the rise of clean and simple chic has been on the cards. With every season this look has undergone an evolution, but it still retains its simple aesthetic: basic, lasting, classic garments.

From the original camel coat obsession that gripped both fashion’s front row and London’s streets alike, to spring 2011’s sharply tailored white-out, to the long lines of next season’s fitted maxicoats and two-tone trousers, Philo has created a look that makes the most of our wardrobes’ classics. Flick through autumn’s campaigns: the precise Calvin Klein monochromes, the colourblocked MaxMara brights, the less-is-more Chloe pastels, Michael Kors, Nicole Farhi, Daks. The mark of Céline is everywhere, endlessly influential but discretely subtle.

What was the reason for this revolution, this rise of the unadorned and un-

exposed new woman? Philo herself said that “it was just about something that was not disposable. And I think to offer women something that feels more about investing in something, and less about being disposable, is a complete corrective to the world we’re in.” This movement is more than a rise of the classic and the everlasting: it is a rejection of what preceded it. What I think truly defines this development is a progression from the kooky, vintage, granddad-cardigan, got-it-in-East-London-for-a-fiver outfit, to the Chelsea-loafer, Aquascutum, classic, inherently Harrods-issue ensemble. And with this evolution, there is an inescapable financial change: the new woman needs a new budget. Classic is quality, and quality isn’t free. However everlasting and essential they may be, camel coats, leather tunics, and white trouser-suits come with a bigger dry-cleaning bill than last season’s high street offerings.

The overwhelming opulence that arrives with a classic, perfectly understated, minimal garment, cannot be bought on the high street. Primark, Marks and Spencer, even Topshop, do not sell lux-

ury. What a Philo-crafted white shirt – fluid silk, hidden buttons, no pockets – loses in whimsical uniqueness, it gains in precision and tailoring. Philo’s dignified stripping away of ostentation has

left nothing but designer luxury. That luxe attitude is something that cannot be recreated for a fraction of the price.

Inseparable from the high street’s attitude is a sense of inevitable disposability, at odds with the corrective values of Céline. How can a classic be disposable?

Is a copied classic still a classic?

The high street changes each season, in accordance to the catwalk. But what happens when the catwalk solely advises the non-seasonal, non-high-street, designer quality of a classic garment?

How can the high-street interpret what is, by definition, unavailable to it? This season a change has hit the high street: the minimalist trend is largely unrepresented in our shops. Classic garments must be bought from classic designers: Céline, Burberry, Aquascutum.

When the Céline look is only truly available from high end designers, is it really changing the disposability of clothes for the majority of us? When access to style is limited and exclusive, fashion is not democratic. The high street renders fashion widely available, and although Céline’s advocation of what is classic may limit the disposability of clothes, by cutting off the high street, it also limits the woman that it is trying to define.

Student Street Style

Laura, first-year English student, outside the Physics building. She wears Topshop maxi-skirt and denim shirt, Primark boots, Rockit belt and vintage jewellery.

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Tucked away between the fried chicken, Chinese supermarkets and sirens of Mile End Road is a venue full of vintage treasures. Not that you would guess that the stretch of road between PC World and Sainsbury’s was home to a fashion Mecca of the East End. The East End Thrift Store is one of the bestkept secrets of vintage shopping in London and ‘the last fair deal in town’. Although, after fantastic reviews from the likes of Time Out and Vogue and the message on their Facebook page reading ‘we can’t add any more friends’, maybe it’s not such a secret after all.

After opening it’s doors three years ago the East End Thrift Store has gone from strength to strength and it seems like their mix of affordable and quirky vintage clothing hasn’t just caught the eyes of economically minded students.

The brand of ‘Assembly Vintage’ has now opened concessions in both House of Fraser on Oxford Street and up in Manchester, not bad for an old warehouse in Tower Hamlets.

So what gives the East End Thrift Store its unique appeal? Why would you choose to visit them as opposed to the plethora of vintage shops that can be found on Brick Lane just down the road?

It could be the pretty darn attractive pricing. It’s a far cry from the vintage clothing shops of Notting Hill or King’s Road. With prices ranging from £15 for a skirt, shirt or pair of shorts to around £20 for a camel boxy blazer with preppy gold buttons (very A/W 11) (pictured). But it’s got to be more than that fact that the East End Thrift Store may in fact be the ‘last fair deal in town’ as their sign prominently states. They also run jumble sales on the second floor every few Sundays. The deal here lets you pay either £10 for a small bag or £20 for a large bag that you can fill to your hearts content. There are piles

and piles of clothes, many of which may need a bit of customising before they are ready to wear. However, with the challenge of cramming as many items as you can into one bag it’s a fantastic cross between Project Runway and Dale’s Supermarket Sweep. What more could you wish for?

Maybe it’s the unassuming and unpretentious layout and décor. The inside of the shop is not cluttered with decorations and branding.

It is, essentially, an old warehouse in east London stuffed full of fabulous clothes, but that it what gives it its charm.

The clothes speak for themselves and the whole place is just so… cool. There really is no other way to describe it. If you are looking for a way to nail that eclectic, quirky yet ontrend look, there is no finer place to go.

London is regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world and within the capital it is definitely time to look east for the heart of the fashion scene. The East End Thrift Store captures the essence of London fashion all in one shop.

But still this is not enough. To gain recognition from British Vogue you need more than bargain prices for brilliant clothes. The shop must have some kind of hook, some feature that sets it apart from the others. Well in Assembly Passage E1 that comes from the fact that the East End Thrift Store is more than just a shop. If you time it just right you can walk into the shop and discover one of the great, unsigned bands of the East End or get treated to free wine and beer while you shop. The East End

Thrift Store tries to make shopping a real experience.

Their next event is happening on Thursday 29th September. The shop will be open for late night shopping; there will be a DJ, performance art by Figs in Wigs (a performance group originally from Queen Mary who have just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, http://twitter.com/figsinwigs) and, if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, there is an open bar offering free wine and beer.

Vintage clothing, entertainment and free alcohol; it seems hard to find any drawbacks.

So maybe it is more than just a vintage shop (after all it is a ‘thrift store’). With a multitude of plus points, including the fact it is only a short 10 minute walk from campus, there really is no reason not to visit the East End Thrift Store.

For information about upcoming events and sales, like https://www. facebook.com/pages/East-End-Thrift-

Store/165943483434967 Even better, the East End Thrift Store are giving Queen Mary students a thrifty 10% off until the 25th of September. CUB Fashion have brought you a stylish shoot showing the best of the Thrift Store, online at qmessenger. co.uk.

10% off for Queen Mary Students until 25.09.11.

Take this voucher and your student card to the East End Thrift Store.

10% OFF

THE CINEMAS WE LOVE...

Words by Mark Birrell and Kamilla Baiden

RIO Nearest Tube Stop: Dalston Kingsland Overground Directions: When you come out of the station simply turn left and walk down the high-street, you should see the cinema less than a minute away from the station on your side of the road.

Number of Screens: 1 Why We Love It: If David Lynch made a cinema it would probably look a little like Rio, a grand old building that’s home to the last surviving indie cinema in the Hackney area. It’s a deliciously eclectic affair with its oldstyle tickets (which you sadly don’t see around that much anymore) and wonderfully designed, 50s-vibe, auditorium coupled with the modernity of the café reception where you can pleasantly kill time before the movie. Host to, largely, the more independent side of mainstream cinema, Rio also plays some very hard to find art-house classics during both its Sunday Matinee double bills and its midnight screenings, another piece of cinematic iconography that you don’t see enough of anymore. It’s also worth mentioning that when you sit in Rio cinema you’re sitting in not just a good cinema but a piece of London’s heritage. From its rich history dating back just over 100 years to its odd little quirks, like the little commemorative plaques screwed to the backs of the seats, Rio is a cinema with character; something the country needs more of.

THE PRINCE CHARLES Nearest Tube Stop: Leicester Square Directions: Head into the square when you come out of the station and

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you’ll find The Prince Charles at the top of a side street on your right just before you reach The Empire Cinema.

Number of Screens: 2 Why We Love It: The Prince Charles Cinema (or PCC for short) is the only independent cinema functioning in central London, its tendency to show blockbusters long after they’ve gone off of general release coupled with its extended runs of independent films makes it a cinephiles favourite. The PCC offers films at £1.50 for the first matinee on weekdays, £2.50 for the second matinee on weekdays and £4 in the evening.

This is of course the price for members but considering that annual membership for a student is a meagre £5 you can get cheap films all year long and have a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart because you helped out an independent establishment. It’s also one of the few places left in the country you’ll find showcasing both silent films (with a live piano score) and sing-a-long events.

the cinema its repeat business though, for £15 a month you have unlimited films. Student pricing for the less frequent viewer still stands at just over £6, meaning that for a fraction of a price increase you can have 10 times the quality you would get at Genesis with double the film selection. The cinema presents the option of usually between 15 and 20 films at any one time that range from the biggest to the smallest. It doesn’t have the character of say Rio or the PCC but this is reliable economy cinema at its best, the most bang for your buck, and what kind of student doesn’t snap up a great deal?

ROXY Nearest Tube Stop: London Bridge Directions: Turn left out of the station and head down the main street towards Borough, after about five minutes you

CINEWORLD: WEST INDIA QUAY Nearest Tube Stop: West India Quay DLR Directions: When you descend from the platform head behind the Marriot on your right and walk a few hundred yards down the road, you can’t miss it.

Number of Screens: 10 Why We Love It: It isn’t the most glamorous, or unique, or the most interesting for that matter. But what the West India Quay Cineworld possesses is all-round greatness. The smallest screens, which are spread out amongst three floors with a bar in-between, is as large as the main screen at Genesis.

The proximity to the university, is more than ideal. The price is what really gives

The Roxy: “Hidden behind a red velvet curtain lies a makeshift cinema of candle lit tables and decadent sofas”

should see the bar on the opposite side of the street.

Number of Screens: 1 Why We Love It: It’s a bit of a cheat this, considering that it’s technically not a cinema. But ROXY: Bar and Screen offers one of those unparalleled enjoyment factors that you have to take into account. It’s an small unassuming bar in the London Bridge area, but hidden behind a red velvet curtain lies a makeshift cinema of candle lit tables and decadent sofas huddled around the large screen emblazoned across the back wall.

It plays host to major sporting events and genre-classic films alike, but what makes ROXY a place worth visiting is its vibe. If you’re a member the screenings are about £3, £6 if not, and the bar (for something so central) is really rather well priced. I can’t urge you more to go down to ROXY if you’re looking for a great night out involving film.

AND SOME WE DON’T ODEON MEZZANINE Nearest Tube: Leicester Sq Directions: Literally a five minute walk from Leister square station.

Tucked away next to the Odeon, interestingly enough, prior to it being the Mezzanine, it was an alleyway.

Number of Screens: 5 Why we loathe it: Tucked next door to the Odeon multiplex hellhole, this is apparent first “mini-plex”- and by mini, boy do they mean mini. With just five screens and around 50-60 seats, this complex is more claustrophobic than cute and compact. Although the seating plan is designed quite well which allows even the crappiest of seat occupiers to get a good view. However, yet again the Mezzanine lets its self down with poor sound- I’m pretty sure it isn’t Dolby, and has quite poor soundproofing. Poor décor, sound equipment and size aside, the eye-watering price is what makes this cinema the worst of the worst. A standard student ticket will set you back £8.30 during off peak time and a wooping £11.45 during peak times -that’s from 5pm Monday- Thursday and all day Friday to Sunday and Bank Holidays.

CINEWORLD: TROCADERO Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus Directions: Right on Shaftsbury Avenue, quite complicated to find, as there is no signage saying it is inside the Trocadero until you are inside.

Number of Screens: 7 Why we loathe it: Located in the heart of a capital city, you would think that more would be done to revamp this dated cinema to make a good impression.

Two of the screens inside, are relatively good sized, with a capacity of around 200 people, but the other five screens are very small in comparison. On my first visit to this cinema, I was faced with squashed popcorn etched onto the carpets and loud 14 year olds wandering about. Although this cinema is a bit easier on the pocket, a student off peak ticket is £6.90, but I certainly would not advise this cinema to and London cinema goer- especially if your going on a date.

‘Ed to ‘Ed: For and Against Michael Bay The old joke is that Michael Bay Fast cars, explosions, loud noisdoesn’t understand the differ- es, sexy women and car chases. ence between special effects and The infamous Micheal Bay’s sigideas, and special effects aren’t nature moves- enough to make ideas. It would seem that “ide- any cinemagoer cringe in their as” have to pertain to some clas- standard seat and choke on their sical body. It must be a literary mixed popcorn. or theatrical device. Because if Making a career directing high cinema’s unique visual narra- budget films which thrive off tives were counted as ideas, then beautiful models-turned-acthat would have to mean the tors, dynamite and cars- is evedreaded plebeian beast of cine- ry male’s inner-boy dream. But, ma was, god forbid, a new form Bay is infact everything that is of art. Do I think watching Meg- wrong with cinema today. He an Fox running in slow motion forces cinema goers to susGENESIS is art? No, but the colour, the pend their disbelief, disregards madness and the choreography original material and creates Nearest Tube: Mile End, Stepney of a Michael Bay film – these down-right stupid movies, beGreen things are cinematic magic. Let coming the definition of a HolDirections: Simply continue walking me present a defence the same lywood cliché. OK. It is a bit too past the Queen Mary, Mile End campus way the man himself would – in far though to describe him as (as if you’re heading to Whitechapel) simple, emphatic, bullet points. ‘the worst director’, but just beyou can’t miss it.

•HE’S BRUTAL: In an age where cause Bay directed Armageddon Number of Screens: 5 we increasingly complain about or Pearl Harbour does not mean Why we loathe it: the pampered lives of actors we he should be taken seriously.

Before I start, here’s the good. Geneis should be applauding Michael Bad as Bay films are, some find sis excellent value for money, a stuBay for the risk he places his ac- them ridiculously entertaindent ticket will only set you back £5.50 tors under for the sake of his ing. When Bay directs a reand they have lots of other deals going cinematic vision. Megan Fox fa- make, such as the Transformers, on in the week. Not stopping there, you mously quit the Transformers he completely disregards the also can apply for a student discount franchise calling Bay a Nazi. original material. Of course the and get entry into the bar and get half •WEAPON-O-VISION: It’s Bay’s special effects are impressive, price drinks! Pros aside, Genesis is sim- trademark.

A visual flour- but with lengthy film times- try ply ugly and outdated. Unlike the othish where the camera dons the 157 minutes- my bum becomes er retro cinemas that ooze class, Genegaze of a weapon. Memorable numb and I generally loose sis stems from a 150 year old history of instances are Pearl Harbour’s track of the film due to the lincinemas on 93-95 Mile End. The small- Bomb-o-vision where you follow gering camera shots of gleaming est of the screens, Screen 5, is practithe path of a bomb through the new military vehicles, fast edits, cally the size of a home cinema system- decks of a battleship and Knife- shaky camera actions and extra and it does not give out a warm, comfy, o-vision, where you loud foreboding home feel. If you’re on a tight budget, follow the aerial music. The novelty visiting Genesis will save you on travpath of Sean Conof buildings blowel and money- Genesis is your new best nery’s knife as it’s ing up and fire takfriend. But don’t say I didn’t warn you launched into a foes ing over the screen about the hell hole. neck. wears off pretty •‘SPLOSIONS: The fast in this day in explosions of Miage when all I have chael Bay are so bomto do is watch the VUE: STRATFORD CITY bastic and so giddiLondon riot footly frequent that the age for that.

Nearest Tube: Stratford word itself needed The problem with a Directions: About a 10 minute walk to be changed to betBay flick lies in the from Statford station, simply follow the ter suit him. If the fact that his films signs to the shopping ‘mall’ Westfield, Greeks had a god of are on a budget of and the Multiplex hell resides there. explosions his name around $100-200 Number of Screens: 17 would almost cermillion, meanWhy we loathe it: tainly be Baythos. ing the money is The don of multiplexes opened its •HE’S THE KID there to hire the doors only on the 13th September.

FROM NOWHERE: best that the film Equip with 17 amazing screens, and taken under the business has to one of the four IMAX Odeon cinemas wings of legendoffer. Yet with all in the capital there’s not much to comary producers Jerthat talent behind plain about. But if you’re looking for a ry Bruckheimer and him Bay films still cute, unique cinema- then steer clear of Don Simpson, Bay cause me to yawn: this. With sky-high prices (well they do was recognised as crash, bang, walneed to eventually make some profit), an enthusiastic talent who had lop does nothing for me. I can this whole experience - popcorn, tickbattled his way up. He’d worked see through Bay and his empty ets and all- will easily set you back £25 for decades behind the scenes shell of script and see it for it’s and with that you’ll get long ques, over of blockbusters and music vide- true colours: An excessive high packed cinemas, staff who don’t want os. In an industry where you’re budget CGI car crash. Someone to be there and a general over priced defined by who you know/are re- or something needs to stop himnight. lated to, Bay worked his way up before he releases another sumfrom nothing. mer popcorn muncher.

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Qupid

Eleanor Hallam History 3rd year “Outgoing. Friendly. Welsh.”

Being left waiting for well over an hour for my date to arrive was a very novel experience for me, even more novel than being on a blind date in the first place!

My first impressions of my date were dishevelled and windswept albeit goodlooking. Posing for the photos allowed us to quickly get over the awkwardness of our initial meeting and, if nothing else, we shared a laugh over the problems that occur when long hair is met with fierce winds, while attempting to

Gruffudd Watts English and Film 2nd year “Lazy. Footloose. Fancy-free.”

To be honest I thought going on a blind date was going to be awkward, especially when – for reasons which were only partially my fault – I arrived more than an hour late; but it surprisingly wasn’t that bad. (The banter during our ‘photo shoot’ certainly helped!)

In addition to this it did get me out of the house for an evening, an evening which otherwise would have been boring. I’d never been to the Fat Cat before.

In fact one of the reasons I was so late was because I couldn’t find it; but it was

pose for a serious photo.

After this bizarre start to the evening, it all seemed to continue surprisingly well; we both ordered steak and red wine which made me think that at least we had similar tastes in food (although I hoped that this wasn’t all we had in common).

The conversation was quite interesting and most of the time it flowed. His soft spot for bad films made me laugh– namely Hot Tub Time Machine. A film student should know better! The conversation moved to festivals too as we gave each other some recommendations.

I’ve hopefully convinced him to go to a European festival and he’s confirmed for me that I need to get to Glastonbury!

Despite the effective mood lighting in Fat Cat, I don’t think I was in a romantic mood. I’m sure I’ll see him again in Drapers on a Monday night but Qupid wasn’t successful on this match making mission. For all I know he has fallen head over heels for me and wants another date eating steak and watching a film starring John Cusack… I think that’s unlikely. pretty cool in a down beat kind of way, the menu seemed decent and the wine was definitely better than Raymond’s.

The mood lighting gave the place an air of romance but I don’t think this made our personal experience any more romantic.

Our conversation was, in fact, pretty decent, turns out we were both from Wales, which is a weird coincidence, or was it? Eleanor was chatty and effervescent so any first date norms (i.e. awkward silences) were easily overcome. I ordered a steak and some wine (for free!), which could never be a bad thing. It turns she ordered the exact same thing, which could have indicated we were meant for each other but more likely that we, like most of the world, enjoy beef. So yeah, if you get the opportunity to go on a Queen Mary blind date I wouldn’t turn it down, you’ll probably meet someone cool, I did, and, it won’t actually be as awkward as you think. My expectations were definitely exceeded and although we didn’t exchange numbers, I’m sure I’ll see her around again.

Do you want to be the next student struck by Qupid’s wandering arrow? You won’t only meet your potential soulmate, but you’ll get a free meal and bottle of wine at the rather lovely Fat Cat Cafe. If you’re interested email Collette Yapp-Davis at qupid@cubmagazine.co.uk

Qupid’s verdict With high expectations I embark upon my mission to spread a little love throughout Queen Mary. As the first blind date became imminent, I began to wonder, will I be successful on my mission? Is my dream of creating more love among students and breaking down the course divides too much to ask? Maybe Eleanor and Gruff have the answer...

Being the first to experience my blind dating service, they were fortunate in that they would set the bar.

They didn’t know what to expect and quite frankly neither did I, but I’m sure none of us expected an almost no show! Gruff being so late (over an hour) didn’t seem to phase Eleanor in the slightest (she may have even felt a bit sorry for him battling the ferocious winds and wandering the bleak Mile End streets to make it to the date) and although I admire Eleanor for her patience, this is defiantly something that Gruff should have made up for (whether he apologized or not is a mystery to me!). It seems that Gruff only managed to claw back from what is normally the ultimate first date faux pas, with his relaxed good looks and charming Disneyprince style floppy hair.

It seems that Gruff managed to make Eleanor laugh (they say that if

you can make a girl laugh it’s half the battle) and they made the most out of the few similarities they had; being Welsh, ordering steak and an appreciation of music festivals.

Although bonding over the hilarity of the photos and a love of all things red (meat and wine) wasn’t necessarily what I had in mind, I’m happy that these things stood in the way of awkwardness and paved the way for what seemed like a successful(ish) date, considering the circumstances...

I am disappointed that my lovetipped arrows missed these two, if only Gruff had been in more of a hurry to arrive, my aim could have been truer. However, this date was still successful; two people from two different courses have met and liked each other. While I have no fantasies of them becoming BFFs anytime soon, I have broken down the ‘course/ year’ barrier that can often get in the way of us making friends at QM. So, now at Drapers on a Monday night, they can exchange small talk over the £1.50 pints, introduce each other to their friends and I can relax in the knowledge that I have increased the number of friendly smiles exchanged among the corridors, paths and bars of Queen Mary.

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9

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Comment Talking 'bout my generation: The tenth anniversary of 9/11 the image of a nuclear bomb, a straight-laced BBC presenter mouthing words, and the word ‘War’ in big red letters.

Before the attacks, ‘war’ was something I thought happened somewhere else far away from where I live. But now ‘war’ was as disguised, vague, and com-

had come “ War into my living room and yours.

“

our schools and, in turn, back into our lives, it would be naI was a 9 year-old and in an ive to say our mentality hasn’t entirely different country – on changed. Most of us are only the other side of the Atlanreminded of 9/11 once a year, tic Ocean – from where the but those who lost a loved one Two Twin Towers raged on then think about it every sinfire, crumbling shortly, one af- gle day. ter the other. Other 9 year-olds I am, in theory, inadequate in completely different counto recall the full horror of the tries, over the same pond, were, attacks; in a few years, generwithout a doubt, watching the ations younger than mine will same events, with the same fail to recall it at all. disgust as I was.

For a while, those horrors It’s strange what those 102 stayed seperated by a TV or minutes have done to the computer screen. What chilworld. Now that, ten years latdren and adolescents saw on er, we have settled back into the news was a fuzzy blur that our routines, our workplaces, represented something like

Olivia Bascombe

plicated, like working out who were the ‘good ones’ and ‘bad ones’. War was no longer in a

battlefield. War had come into my living room and yours.

While the onset of the attacks brought people closer together, it also showed a darker side to humanity. After seeing the innocent die, we saw cynicism and distrust (“who could trust the man next door, or the woman with the pram down the road? If anything, trust is a weakness,” we’d say). We saw prejudice against Muslims, some of whom were our own school friends, teachers and neighbours.

Yet although we all went back to normal life, back to cold continuance, 9/11 told us

that the land which was once powerful had become vulnerable. Something we had thought to be impossible till then.

If I could bring back the ghosts of old Presidents and Prime Ministers, a pipe-smoking Winston or a WW1 Tommie or Lincoln, I’d ask them what they make of it. I wonder if they’d confirm my suspicions that those events which appear to change the world, actually wake us up to a more brutal reality. Perhaps 9/11 is already stored in history books. But what we must not forget is that the easiest thing in the world is to let a book gather dust.

The danger of government That Freshers Feeling: At first you and the cancer of authority were afraid, you were petrified...

Robert Hainault

1215, a bold stride towards liberty: the Magna Carta. In its pages we first mentioned habeas corpus and the constitutional right to trial by jury. This charter was the genesis of the British constitution, and was the first landmark document in a movement from Royal authority towards democracy, one to forever shape the political landscape of Britain.

Any move of the state against individual liberty in the form of expanding government treads on the spirit of the British constitution; a constitution which has through the contribution of those understanding that the greatest society is a free society, come to symbolise the essence of liberal democracy.

Liberty is nothing more than the natural state of things before one individual coerces, dominates, or imposes his will upon, another. The British constitution serves as an ideological barrier between this natural state and authority that gives advantage or precedence to any one interest at the expense of another.

The problem with placing greater importance on the interests of one agent is that authority, once afforded is very difficult to rescind.

While that interest may seem benign, once you have surrendered your liberty to it you are helpless should it ever metastasise.

And metastasise it has. Britain now has the highest number of CCTV cameras in the world, and yet violent crime has risen by 80% and we currently have the worst antisocial behaviour record in Eu-

rope.

Extensions to pre-charge detention mean that suspects can now be kept in prison before trial for longer in Britain than in Zimbabwe.

And yet the newspapers have new horror stories about the extent to which our country has been involved in torture. The latest (at the time of writing) is the suggestion that the death of Baha Mousa while in British custody is only the “tip of the iceberg” according to human rights lawyer Phil Shiner, who points to thousands of allegations that have been made implicating potentially every British battle group that did a tour of Iraq in the mistreatment of prisoners.

The work of Philip Zimbardo, the man behind the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, goes a long way to explaining these atrocities.

In his 2007 book The Lucifer Effect he applies the findings of his experiment 36 years earlier to the torture of inmates at Abu Ghraib.

The problems were the same: moral disengagement, dehumanisation, and cognitive dissonance.

Problems not caused by innate psychopathic tendencies, but by the tendency of authority to lead to the banality of evil.

We have seen it in a government that, as it as it gives itself more power, tramples with ever greater detachment on the spirit of out constitution. We are seeing it now as the findings of Professor Zimbardo are being harrowingly proven to be right.

The symptoms of the cancer of authority are becoming ever harder to ignore. We may feel safer, but the truth is we are not.

Alice Stewart You leave home early on day one of Freshers’ Week, not quite knowing if your parents car will make it to London as it wasn’t built for industrial size removals. You kiss them goodbye and notice that “go get ‘em” glint in your father’s eye and it hits you that you’re doing this one alone.

What could be more daunting?

So many expectations. You want to make your parents proud, make friends for life in a matter of weeks, learn some invaluable life lessons AND be a smooth, composed and unruffled user of London transport. So you’d be all over some kind survival advice from those who are older and wiser, right?

Maybe not. Don’t get me wrong, advice from those who’ve “been there and got the Fresher Tshirt” is often extremely helpful, but it can also feel like yet ANOTHER checklist of things for us to comply with. So I vote DIY. You’ll jaunt through Freshers’ Week with that fresh meat glow; not lollop through, worrying about whether or not you’ve got enough faux-fur to make your caveman outfit for the start of term fancy dress party. It really doesn’t matter.

I don’t want you to think I’m being sly here, after all it’s pretty difficult to write this to you without sounding as though I’m giving you advice NOT to take advice! By all means create a masterpiece of a costume to dazzle your comrades, but don’t lose sleep over it. My message is that

Freshers may be scared but there are always others on hand to help

you clever people don’t really need any advice. You’ve done superbly to get here so you’re more than capable of surviving this one alone.

Certainly listen to some advice and be grateful for the opinions and help of others but it really is more worthwhile (and fun!) to find your own way.

Plus, you’re sure to feel proud

that you’ve used your own initiative to guide you down the oblique paths of university life.

‘The Student Room’ can be an acquaintance of yours but don’t feel like you need to add them to your Christmas card list. So you can go your own way. I don’t think the words of Lindsey Buckingham have sounded more right than they do now.

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

10

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Comment

With so much new launching this year, there’s never been a better time to be studying at Queen Mary Sophie Richardon, President

Hellooo! To all you newbies, welcome to QM! For all the returners, welcome back home! I hope you’ve all had good summer, it’s been a pretty busy one for me. I’ve been getting things ready for the start of the new year and attending lots of training to prepare for me presidency and hopefully help me to become the best representative I can be for you.

QMSU is going from strength to strength at the minute, we now have more staff than ever working in Provide Volunteering, Societies and Club Sport, which will mean more support for you in the activities you want to get involved in. We are also launching the new Get Active programme on the 24th Sept, head down to Drapers Square

to find out more and get involved. Course Rep nominations are also now open so if you’re keen to represent your fellow coursemates and voice their issues then head to www. qmsu.org/coursereps If you’re keen to keep up to date with what I’m doing for you as students then you can find me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @Presi-

dentQMSU. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these first few weeks of the semester and I’ll see you out and about on campus.

T’rah for now, Sophie

University is a time to explore new things and challenge your opinions, you do this through the Association George Ryan, BLSA President

I started officially as BL President on the August 1st and it’s been a whirlwind of preparation for the start of the year. Our main project has been organising the infamous BLSA freshers’ fortnight for them. We have put together the best two weeks worth of events ever seen at BL. We also have the Freshers’ Fair, taking place on September 21st, bringing all of our clubs and

societies under one roof, for freshers to see.

The hot topic of discussion is the refurbishment of the Griffin bar. Having secured £1 million for the refurbishment, work is set to start in October. This means we will be without a bar until January, which is unfortunate, but measures are in place for students to have a communal area in the day and our

events team are working to put on some external events for the nights! When works are complete we hope to provide food, with the idea of turning this area into a daytime café while keeping the bar and dance floor available for the evenings.

The Student Association is a vital part of student life, providing a sense of community.

University is a time to explore

new things and challenge your opinions. You do this by meeting new people through clubs, societies, fundraising, debates and the other activities organised by BLSA. Things are set for a fantastic year, we have a student body who work hard to get involved with everything BLSA puts on and this will only improve in 2011/12.

Take advantage of good food, great clubs and societies, and ‘Get Active’, bringing sport to your doorstep Dom Bell, VP Student Activities

Welcome back everyone and welcome to all the Freshers! If you’re reading this column, I feel very privileged because I understand how busy this week is for everyone. But if you do anything this week make sure you check out Drapers Bar, QMotion Gym, Freshers’ Fair this Wednesday and Thursday, and also our new recreational sports programme – ‘Get Ac-

tive’, launching on Saturday.

These are all things that, as a student, you should take advantage of – good food, great clubs and societies, and now ‘Get Active’ aimed at bringing sport to your doorstep.

It’s been a solid summer for me preparing all that’s to come in the world of Sport, Societies, Volunteering, Charity Fundraising aka RAG (Raise

and Giving), and a lot of other things for QM and BL. If you want to get involved in any of these things then come into the Union and ask or visit our website www.qmsu.org.

As a full-time officer, I’m here to represent all student activities, which essentially means I’m here to drive everything forward that you guys get involved in outside of the lecture room

or lab, and I have some fairly big plans that I hope to be able to fulfil with the help from our part-time officers in Sport – Dominic Todd, Societies – Wilson Wong, RAG – Ellen Kiely, and Volunteering – Darcie Tyler-Henley. Get to know them because they’re going to be useful to you too in making your voices heard. See more at www. qmsu.org/studentcouncil.

We can’t do this without you; get involved in sports, in societies, as a course rep – whatever interests you Oscar Williamson, VP Education &Welfare

Hello! Welcome to my first column as VP Education & Welfare. I’ve spent the last two months getting to grips with the way the Union and college work, and where we stand within the higher education system and student movement more generally. My main finding from the NUS events and training sessions I’ve attended over

summer is that we have one of the best Unions in the country.

Not only do we have the best elected officers, but we also have some of the best outlets in Ground, QMotion, and Drapers.

The autonomy and respect we get from the College put us in a far better position than most other unions, and the pleasure of being London’s only campus-

based university saves us a lot We can’t do this without you; of headaches that others take get involved in sports, in sociefor granted. ties, as a course rep – whatevThere’s also a lot to be done. er interests you. The more you Some courses and departments pack into your year, the more need work. Fortunately for us, you’ll get out of it. the College are genuinely comQueen Mary is a great univermitted to improving the student sity to study at, and we have an experience. Equally, the Unexcellent Union. This is going ion have areas we need to work to be a challenging year, but it’s on, and we too are hard at work. also going to be a lot of fun.

Student media is the tool you can use to make your university the way you want it to be, make sure you do Sam Creighton, VP Comms

When I arrived at Queen Mary we had a monthly magazine called CUB. Four years later, CUB is fortnightly, we have an award-winning newspaper and television station and radio is on the rise. Student media is the most worthwhile thing I’ve been involved with at university and I see three key reasons why it’s such an integral part of QM life.

Student media is the unbiased source of information on issues and events affecting your community. QMedia represents everyone who has a stake in Queen Mary; from students to administrators to teachers and to the community beyond our gates.

A university campus is a fragmented place and student media can be a unifying force. It

both represents and leads the student body, demanding the highest quality education and providing an outlet for the passions, frustrations, excitements and sorrows of Queen Mary.

While a centre of learning, a university can also be a hotbed of scandal and corruption. Student media holds the administration to account, reporting both its successes and failures.

The same goes for student government, while funded by the Students’ Union, the media is proud of its editorial independence. Students’ Unions are important, but not infallible, and the media will scrutinise the decisions made on your behalf.

Student media is the tool you can use to make your university the way you want it to be, make sure you do.

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

12

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Satire All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Please don’t mistake anything on this page for fact.

Super Noodle Sandwich TV chef and all-round saver of the children Jamie Oliver talks us through one of his personal favourite meals, the Super Noodle sandwich.

You will need: •Super Noodles •Bread •Butter (If you’re posh) Method: •Boil the Super Noodles •Butter your bread (if you love Thatcher) •Take Super Noodles out of the pan •Put on the bread •Fold bread in half •Eat

Rich MPs to tone it down Ben Richardson Welcome to Queen Mary, welcome to London, and for many, welcome to the UK. This great island is a proud place. We’re proud of many things. We’re proud of our culture, comedy, military, talent show judges, the list goes on. One group we’re not proud of, however, is our elected parliamentary representatives. Those hard-working, deficit-obsessed plonkers can rot in hell for all we care.

We’ve had it with them and their lies, especially since the expenses scandal which happened a couple of Westminster millennia ago. They promised transparency and gave us translucency, but even that didn’t last. For twenty minutes or so, our government stood like frosted-glass ministers allowing us to push our soot-tarnished faces against them, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ed

Alternative Freshers Group Image by Harry Potts

Controversy

Milliband’s John Lewis receipts.

The more expensive the toilet seat, the more fun we had and soon ‘transparency’ became another word for ‘embarrassment’.

Not overly keen on public humiliation, (apart from Gordon Brown, of course, who seemed addicted to it) our MPs went off the whole ‘honesty’ idea, and who can blame them?!

As any reliable talking window will tell you, it is difficult to remain transparent when continuously being pelted with shit.

So we’re left in 2011 with some MPs who, despite having massive personal wealth, must seem like they’re strapped for cash. If Cheryl Cole took a trip to the pricey Klosters Ski Resort it would be considered an exclusive (and probably a reason to assume that she’s getting back with Ashley). However when George Osborne set foot on the slopes it sparked

ed to lead the country, should want to splash out once in a while. Anyone who can’t see why being wealthy and elected into power is a conflict of interests is obviously a Boris-loving, tweed jacket-wearing, elbowpatch fan.

While Tory back-benchers are free to eat as much caviar as they wish, those in more public positions are being ad-

vised by spin doctors within Downing Street to appear poorer. A source close to the PM told us, “David has an extensive wardrobe of the finest handmade suits that money can buy, but has recently sent the majority to a tailor for adjustment. He had been advised by senior press officers that he was looking ‘a little too sharp’ and this was not reflecting well upon him, especially in light of his badly-received ‘we’re all in this together’ remarks.” The order that accompanied the suits was to ‘make them not fit quite so well’.

The newly made-under Mr Cameron is set to make his public debut later this week upon returning from his visit to Russia, coinciding with further public spending cuts. The re-fitting, which has cost the taxpayer just over £45,000, is bound to assure the public that we really are ‘all in this together’.

The fantastic efforts of at least 80 volunteers have been jeopardised this week as a ‘pirate’ freshers group has been estalished. While the QMSU Fresh-

ers’ Crew is reknowned for the kindness and helpfulness of its members, the alternative group have been spotted in black hoodies handing out flyers and

holding placards reading ‘Go home smelly freshers’. QMessenger satire section urges its readers to beware over the freshers period.

public outrage. People all over the country were furious that the multi-millionaire, whose Conservative Party they elect-

ministers “Tory have been advised by spin doctors to appear poorer

“

Freshers’ Recipe #1

The Principal from our partner institution, Queen Lairy, in Australia gives his diary entry...

Dear diary, This week we’re taking more students in. FML. God knows I wouldn’t bother with the moaning youngsters, were it not for the massive amount of money the government shovels at us. The more we take in, the

freshers “ Our have spent

their entire weekly budget on wine

“

Fancy yourself as a satirist or cartoonist? You should be writing for us. Email us.

more cash we get. Think of it as an orphanage for geeks, if you like. Naturally I’ve agreed to take in another thousand or so and found housing for them by halving the size of the current student rooms. Has this affected the rent? Yes, it’s up 12%.

Some people say that stu-

dents have too much money these days, but our freshers seem to be very economical. They may have spent their entire weekly budget on cheap wine, but the majority of them went on to part-digest it, bring it back up and then wear it as a kind of warm blanket on the way home. And these are our future professionals?

We’re also implementing a new scheme at QL this year, whereby the postgraduate students will take all undergraduate seminars and lectures.

This creates a perfectly sustainable cycle of really cheap teaching. All of our teaching staff will be laid off over a transitional period of 9 days. We anticipate a significant amount of opposition from undergraduates, postgraduates and staff members alike, but at least our university funding will be preserved, which is, after all, the most crucial issue.

satire@qmessenger.co.uk

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

13

Games Sudoku

Sweaty Brow of the Week

Image by Jason Cartwright This man with a testicular surname has been feeling the pressure this week. His brow was sweaty as his constituency seat came under threat as part of new parliamentary reforms, but can you guess who he is?

Bridges Rules: Connect the islands to form a network so that you can reach any island from any other island. The number on each island indicates the number of outgoing bridges. You may only connect islands horizontally or vertically, and you may use one or two bridges to connect islands, but no more than two.

Quiz These four questions all have the same answer, what is it?

1, What is the most famous shop on Mile End Road?

2, Where can you find the majority of QM students after 3am?

3, What is the phrase ‘Dirty Bird’ another name for?

4. What do all QM students eventually succumb to?

Find out next week.

games@qmessenger.co.uk

Answers for all puzzles, including a freshly moist brow in next week’s QMessenger.

14

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Societies

QMTC’s Edinburgh success Rebecca Coxon Queen Mary Theatre Company has just returned from another hugely successful two-week run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The month-long Festival, held in the beautiful historic city of Edinburgh, was graced

by QMTC in the final two weeks of August. A total of 31 Theatre Company members and committee braved the 9-hour Megabus trek to the Scottish capital city after months of planning and preparation.

Members of QMTC advertising their shows at the Fringe It was all the way back in Festival. Image by Anna Mason.

March when around 20 plays were pitched at the QMTC Edwith contemporary Commedia views yet again: ‘A refreshing inburgh Pitch Night. Around 60 dell’arte. Newspaper and maga- burst of surrealism that defianttheatre company members cast zine reviews noted that ‘the cast ly flies in the face of more contheir votes and 4 plays were had natural comic flair’ and de- ventional theatre.’ ‘Dali would chosen to go to the Fringe. Auscribed it as an ‘imaginative be proud.’ And my personal faditions were held over a weeknew show’. vourite, ‘The product of a rather end at the end of March and 25 Sii Me – a show based on the marvellous collective lunacy.’ talented young things were cast. popular game The Sims, what Finally we have Golden Aged, Finally, after two solid weeks of really happens when you stop a play that delves into the world rehearsing at the beginning of playing with your Sim characof OAP superheroes. What hapAugust, and a sold out London ters? This show gained a lot of pens to them when they retire preview show to friends and attention, even before we got and get old? Reviews described family, the plays were ready to Edinburgh, with word-ofit as, ‘A playful romp’ with ‘a to hit the festival. So off to the mouth and people on the street nice twist’ and ‘a fun, undeland of Scots we went. telling us how much they had manding and genuinely witty The majority of the plays enjoyed it. show that could well help to get were written by the same stuGive the Fig a Roll – a colyour Edinburgh evening frolics dents who directed them (we’ve laborated, devised show which off to the perfect start.’ got a lot of talent at QM!) and bloomed from the acclaimed With an Edinburgh Fringe they were: ‘Figs in Wigs’ last year. Give the average audience of less than From the Dark Hills – a stoFig a Roll was another surreal10, it is always a struggle to ry of the 1980s Geordie minist, ineffable dance experience get bums on seats at the Festiers, battling against Thatchbrought to the Fringe by Queen val. Competition is fierce with er’s tyrannical reign, combined Mary and received brilliant re21,192 performers in 2,542

shows and 257 other venues to compete with but once again Queen Mary, managing an average of 37 ticket sales per show per night and even a couple of sell-outs!

Our record audience this year was well over 65 and our lowest audience number was a modest 14. (Low in comparison but it meant that we did not to slip into the feared under 10 fringe curse – hurrah!)

All four shows received 3 out of 5 stars reviews at the Fringe, but Give the Fig a Roll apparently had that extra edge, getting an amazing 4 star review from whatsonstage.com.

Finally I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Festival and helped make it such a success for QMTC. So another year, another Fringe over – but QM Theatre Company have another cram-packed year planned for 2011/12, so if you want to get involved then get writing, auditioning and mingling at our socials – and who knows maybe you could be heading up to Edinburgh next year!

Come to our Welcome Meeting on Tuesday 27th September 4-6pm and watch our Edinburgh Showcase on Friday 30th September, both in the Pinter Studio.

Visit our blog qmtc.wordpress.com, join our facebook group or follow us on twitter.com/QMTC.

Get involved at Freshers’ Hollie Carter When you walk around the Freshers’ Fair for the first time you’ll be spoilt for choice by the vast array of societies that Queen Mary has to offer: from the Magic Society to the Hindu Society, there is sure to be one that will suit you.

For the first few hours you will most likely wonder around in a daze collecting flyers, freebies and writing your email address on every sign-up sheet, but, when it actually comes to deciding on which society to join it can be a tricky and sometimes daunting decision to make.

One thing to think about when choosing which society to join is how much commitment they require and how much time you feel you can manageably dedicate to them. You are of course welcome to join as many sports and societies as you wish, however, it is important to remember that in order to get the most out of your chosen society it is best to be selective to avoid clashing schedules.

Once you’ve decided upon which society you want to join, it is essential that you pay your subs to the Students Union. Subs range from £510 for a year membership and in paying your subs you

societies@qmessenger.co.uk

not only becoming a full member of the society, but, you also help to support it financially as the money from your fees are used to fund events throughout the year.

I can safely say from personal experience that joining a society is one of the greatest things you can do at university. As someone who didn’t join any societies in first year I took the opportunity to join as many as possible in my second year, and I certainly haven’t regretted it! Not only do sports and societies offer you a much needed break from academic work, they also provide a brilliant opportunity to make friends

with people who are not in your halls or on your course. Joining a sports team or society is a mustdo; after all, university is as much about socialising and becoming well rounded individuals as it is about working hard and getting good grades! Even if this is not your first year at Queen Mary it’s never too late to get involved.

Come along to this year’s Freshers’ Fair on the 21st and 22nd September – as ever Qmedia will be present to welcome all new talent to the Qmedia team.

Come find our stall.

Upcoming events...

• Saturday 24th September: QM Football and QM Rugby trials at Chislehurst • Thursday 22nd September: Queen Mary Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society, ‘Humanism, what is it?’ a talk given by Andrew Copson.

The Bancroft Building 1.02.6a 6:00pm-7:00pm

QM Volunteers get Hackney kids’ response to the riots Steph Pickerill The ReachOut! Summer Project, now in its eighth year, was a huge success for the charity this August.

This was largely thanks to a great team of staff made up of 15 full-time teachers and 28 volunteers. Students made up the majority of the team, coming from a range of institutions, with a total of 11 Queen Mary students and graduates. Dorian, a 3rd year medical student at Barts, has been volunteering for seven years; a ‘great way to spend summer’.

The project is more than an academic pursuit, ‘We need to reengage with the community, the children need to know that someone cares about them.’

Programmes like ReachOut!’s are providing ‘consistency and that sense of what’s right and wrong that is crucial to these kids.’

Many of the children personally witnessed the trouble in London over the summer, the project itself being suspended for a day following warnings from the police. Teachers spent lesson time during the project leading discussions about the issues, exposing a different side to the riots.

One year 6 boy spoke of his disbelief, asking his English teacher ‘why do people from our area destroy our shops?’

Another girl told her maths class that she thought the behaviour of rioters was ‘immature and disgusting’.

For more information on ReachOut’s other projects throughout the year, see the Provide Volunteering website.

15

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

Sport

Meet your Mile End Officers...

Sports: Dominic Todd Earlier this year, Dominic Todd, third year History student, was elected as Sports officer for Mile End campus. His main aim for the year is to widen participation in sports whilst ensuring that “our current clubs offer the best experience possible to their members” he told QMessenger.

When asked what the role of the sports officer involved Todd explained that his primary role was to, “represents the views of the sports clubs” at Student

Council, which would be achieved through regular meetings with all the sports teams to ensure that the needs of each individual team are met. He thinks that some of the main issues affecting sports clubs at Queen Mary are the lack of quality coaching and the need for more student coaches. Todd, who also coaches the Women’s Boat Club, argued that improved coaching doesn’t only affects teams performance, but also encourages club loyalty and keeps top Queen Mary athletes from defecting to rival University of London Union teams.

In order to address these issues

Todd hopes to gain more support and funding from the Union, on the basis that this area sees the most participation within the Union.

Our Mile End Sports Officer also wants to increase the support offered to those students wishing to undertake coaching qualifications.

Todd is keen to ensure that all members get value for money for their chosen sports team. sports@qmsu.org

Societies: Wilson Wong

Meet our Mile End Societies Officer, Wilson Wong. Voted into power by

all of you, Wong is looking forward to balancing his final year Genetics studies with the responsibilities of his role. “My primary role as a member of the Student Council is to represent the views and interests of societies” he tells us, “this means I will be communicating with society presidents on a regular basis to gauge how each societies is doing”.

When talking about his motivations for the position he shared that “by not getting involved in a society, some students are simply missing out on amazing new friends, or the chance to develop those transferable skills

required to get a job”. Wong says he will spend his officer life working towards increasing “students’ general awareness of societies”. His plan is simple: “the first initiative is to simply collate the meet up times of all societies into a timetable that can be easily understood by students, letting you choose which society to join based on the gaps within your timetables”.

Wong is also President of the Model United Nations society. “We represent a country and debate international topics using the formality exhibited in the United Nations. societies@qmsu.org

sport@qmessenger.co.uk

QMESSENGER MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19 2011

16

Sport

It’s all about the Angels...

Sophie Ryland Driving on to campus for the first time you may have seen us, you might have even rolled your eyes in disbelief. We may have helped you move in, we will have encouraged you to join our club, you may have said yes without giving it much thought. You will most likely have a preconceived idea about cheerleading and cheerleaders, but let me tell you now it really isn’t what you think it is.

Firstly let me assure you, there are no pompoms involved in our sport, because, yes, cheerleading is a sport and not one for the faint hearted.

Secondly, the men are indeed very manly.

Cheerleading is not a mob of jock-obsessed airheads prancing about in short skirts.

Okay, we do wear short skirts, but why not? It is after all also about performance. And we have people from all sorts of backgrounds and nationalities studying anything from engineering and dentistry to history and drama.

Cheerleading is a mix of dancing, jumps, gymnastics and stunting – we compete all over the country and we’re on what one could call a winning streak. Through practice and

QM Angels with four of the trohpies they won at BCA last April.

technique you will learn how to essentially throw and catch people metres into the air with grace. Why, you ask? A difficult question to answer but you will soon find it hard to tear yourself away. It’s packed with adrenaline, which will drive you to perfection and push your body to do things you never thought it could do.

Cheerleading today is mostly about being a competitive

sport and less about cheering other sports on. Again you ask, why? Competitive cheerleading is about performance and working the hardest to reach the top, just like any other extreme sport. Being part of a cheer squad is about having fun and meeting people, but cheerleading is a serious sport like any other and throwing people about can have consequences – this is when

Image by Uri Verthime you will be grateful for boys on the squad!

Until three years ago the QM Angels were but a small dance club with no more than a dozen members. Over the past years the club has flourished into a 40-plus mixed club, girls and boys, QM and Barts. Thanks to a dedicated President and an experienced group of coaches, the QM Angels are today

one of the leading university cheer-squads in the UK. Making an extraordinary first entry on the mat in the spring of 2009 at a national university competition held by the British Cheerleading Association (BCA), the QM Angels placed first against all odds – but this was only the beginning. Last year the QM Angels raked in an impressive array of trophies. Entering three competitions, they brought back winning trophies for each, ending the season with bang, bringing home a grand champs trophy – the ‘Beast’ currently resides in the Student Union, alongside the other dozen trophies.

But don’t let any of this put you off joining – we were all beginners. Very few that join have any gymnastic experience, fantastic if you do, but joining the Angels is about learning new skills and being part of something exciting as well as developing as an athlete. Between training and socials, the Angels will become in sorts, a university family.

Trust me, flexibility and dancing skills are not required, so you have no excuse not to give it a go, you will be warmly greeted by our committee team and current members.

Good times for QMUL Sports Ashley Sweetman And so, the time is near. For new students, the chance to get involved in university, in sports and to meet tons of new friends. For returning students, the time to get back involved in the sports they love and recruit some skillful freshers.

The beginning of term really is the most exciting time of year. The best piece of advice for new students is to have a go at whatever you want. There will be trials immediately after Freshers’ Week and throughout

the following weeks; the key thing to remember is that clubs want as many new members as possible! It is easy to feel intimidated at the prospect of entering a team in which a lot of people already know each other. However, there is no need to worry. Sports clubs function because everyone who is involved is passionate about the same thing. Becoming a member, whatever your ability, is about meeting new people and the social environment that clubs provide, as well as the competing and winning.

This isn’t just an exciting time

for university sport, however.

With the Rugby World Cup set to continue until October, there is no better place to watch the games than with the diverse student body at QM. Strong England and Wales sides in particular look set to take some of the Southern Hemisphere teams by surprise.

An unfortunate one point loss for Wales against South Africa highlighted to the world the promise of many of Wales’ younger players such as Toby Faletau and Sam Warburton.

England seem to be able to systematically grind out wins

even when not playing well.

The stage is set for teams from around the world to show what they can do, and is definitely something for any sport enthusiast to keep an eye on.

QMessenger is also a great opportunity for sports clubs to get coverage. Providing weekly match reports or letting everyone know how your club, is doing, will be of huge benefit.

It is our aim to make sure that everyone knows about the successes of QM Sport, but we can only do this if Captains and Presidents of clubs keep in regular contact with us.

New students should also take note of the QM Get Active scheme. If they don’t want to be involved in competitive sport, the new scheme provides an atmosphere for recreational sport and exercise, attempting to break down the barriers to entry into sport and get as many people as possible involved in some kind of physical activity.

Stay tuned to all of the QMedia outlets for exciting news on sports and societies, and ensure that you get to the Freshers’ Fair and see exactly what’s on offer!

Visit www.qmsu.org

sport@qmessenger.co.uk