The Courier 1218

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C OURIER THE

Issue 1219 Monday November 22 2010

THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF NEWCASTLE STUDENTS

www.thecourieronline.co.uk

EST 1948

University braced for wave of protests

FREE

J.OFFREDO

University staff warned in leaked e-mail Jonathan Offredo Almost two weeks after 52,000 marched through the streets of London, student leaders and activists may disagree over the action at Millbank, but they can agree that the protests were not the end but only the start.

This Wednesday, a call for action has been issued for students across the UK to stage sit-ins, walkouts and other forms of peaceful protest after the student movement was galvanised by the march in London and the occupation of Millbank.

A Newcastle University spokesman said, “We are not aware of any specific events planned. We will, as we do every day, assess what is taking place on the site with a view to ensuring that students and staff can go about their normal daily business.”

But an e-mail sent with the subject line ‘Confidential -- Student Occupation’ acknowledged Wednesday’s nationwide effort of action and set guidelines for employees to follow if a building were to be occupied.

The e-mail said that any occupation will be assessed as it happens, but broad directives like calling security, trying to work as normal as possible if an occupation occurred in a visiting or common area, wearing smart cards, and to make sure any confidential material is locked away, as well as computers logged off, were issued.

“Following last week’s incidents in London, all universities face the prospect of student protests against the proposed increase in tuition fees. It is possible that students (and maybe other protesters) will attempt to occupy a University building as a protest on Wednesday 24 November. This is planned as a national day of action. It is possible though that a protest or occupation might be attempted at any time. The assumption is that King’s Gate would be the most likely target, but an occupation could occur anywhere.”

It’s not known if any actual occupations are planned on campus, but there are plans for a march at noon organized by the Newcastle University Union Society, followed by Continued on page 5

Inside today >>>

Unite and fight: student groups across campus have come together to launch a series of protests against the rise in tuition fees

Million Pound Flop

The prison perks

Graduation gurus

Album art

Ashes Preview

Newcastle Medics bravely take on Channel 4’s newest gameshow but come away empty handed News, page 3

Lock them up and throw away the key or treat them to satellite tv and spa treatments? Sophie McCoid searched for an sensible middle-ground Comment, page 11

We consult three different students due to graduate next summer about their plans for the life after Newcastle Lifestyle, page 14-15

As Lucy Johnson questions whether album artwork is a thing of the past, Elliot Bentley shares his top ten, most iconic album covers.

Music, page 31

As the countdown to the Ashes enters its final days, Wills Robinson and Colin Henrys preview England’s hopes on the crease down under Sport, page 38-39

2

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

News Editors: Simon Murphy and Charlie Oven

Have you got a news story for The Courier? Email us at: courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

NUS launch campaign to oust leading Liberal Democrats from Parliament Charlie Oven News Editor A decapitation strategy will be launched by the National Union of Students, aimed at ousting Nick Clegg and other leading Liberal Democrats from Parliament. The initiative is in reaction to the party’s u-turn on tuition fees, and aims to build on the recent mass protest in London.

Aaron Porter, president of the NUS, said the campaign would aim to force out Liberal Democrats who broke their pre-election pledge to oppose any rise in tuition fees. Their key targets will be Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Simon Wright in Norwich South, Stephen Williams in Bristol West and Don Foster in Bath.

In light of the decapitation strategy, youthful supporters of the Liberal Democrats may face the dilemma of divided loyalties between the Party and the student community.

However, former Vice Chair for the Liberal Youth Matthew Folker, was quick to refute this claim. Talking to The Courier, the Newcastle student argued: “Whilst I appreciate where the NUS is coming from, I know the party at its heart wants to scrap tuition fees. However, we are in a coalition and left to their own devices, the Conservative party would have done much worse.”

Porter claimed the NUS will make use of a coalition idea for holding MPs to account that was championed by Clegg himself. The “right to recall” initiative, which has yet to become law, proposes that a by-election be called if an MP is judged of serious wrongdoing and 10 per cent of constituents want him removed.

Should the ‘right to recall’ initiative be legislated Clegg could become victim of his own policy proposal, with 1000 students taking to the streets of Sheffield in an attempt to get 10 per cent of Clegg’s constituency to sign a petition.

John Denham, the shadow busi-

Union President Tom Delamere spoke out last week against the violence at the Millbank Tower, strongly condemning both the students who carried out the vandalism and those condoning the attacks.

“The purpose of the march was to demonstrate in a peaceful and democratic sense. It was a chance to go down with banners, to listen to speeches” he told The Courier.

“Those who took part should be ashamed for detracting from the important peaceful message, and for the criminal damage that was caused as well. We don’t think that’s a good way of communicating the

Comment Would a tax on calorific junk food help combat obesity in the UK? Comment explores the debate Page 12

Life & Style Love is in the air?

The popular blind date returns for another instalment of fun-fuelled romance Page 18

Culture Video killed the radio star. The rise and rise of the music video in its relatively short life span Page 30

Sport Men’s hockey Firsts record their second 8-0 win of the season in a resounding victory over Sheffield Page 42

Meetings Timetable:

Former Vice Chair of the Liberal Youth, Matthew Folker, claims the Liberal Democrats are the only mainstream party that want to scrap fees

ness, innovation and skill secretary, has argued Clegg has no credibility left on the tuition fees issue. However, supporters of the Lib Dems argue Clegg has been in a compromised position tied to the responsibilities held in a coalition government.

Folker claims: “Naturally, Clegg’s position on the issue has been damaged, but it’s indicative of the role he has been given, which of course means he is bound by collective ministerial responsibility.

As an alternative to ‘right to recall’, it is reported the NUS are more

likely to mobilise support against selected MPs ahead of the next general election. Liberal Democrat constituencies with a significant student population could prove particularly vulnerable. The Lib Dem leader who held Sheffield Hallam with a majority of 15,284 at the May election has around 10,000 students in his constituency. Other constituencies that could be affected by the decapitation strategy are those with slim majorities. Simon Wright beat Charles Clarke in Norwich South by just 310 votes.

Folker questions the long term effectiveness of the NUS strategy to oust Lib Dem MPs: “We are the only mainstream party that wants to scrap fees. Therefore not only are the NUS risking more Conservative MPs, but they are risking shooting students in the foot.”

It is understood the NUS will not target MPs who have promised to vote against the policy to raise fees to as much as £9000, such as Tim Farron who has just been voted Lib Dem President.

Union President condemns student vandals Elliot Bentley

The Union Society, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB. Tel: 0191 239 3940

message we want to get across.”

Tom Delamere went on to justify the official position of Newcastle’s Union Society, as well as NUS, on violent protest in general.

“We want to ensure everyone knows our stance on it. NUS obviously doesn’t condone the violence that happened, because it’s putting students in danger as well.

“At the Students Union it’s not only our job to get this message across that we we’re against the cuts and against higher fees - but also that we’re there in a welfare capacity to make sure that the students are safe as well.”

He also dismissed claims that the violent behaviour was a natural out-

Delamere: critical of violent demonstration

let of the anger felt by those on the march.

“It was a minority of people; there were 50,000 people there in total, and a very small minority who decided to smash a window, that sort

of thing, was around 50 people. So as a proportion of the 50,000 estimated to be there, I think that’s a very small amount.

“The biggest problem with the violence was the press’ focus on it rather than the cuts themselves. In this case, not all publicity is good publicity” he said.

“Obviously people are angry, people are upset , but that’s not the way you go about it. It’s not the way we get things done.

“I’d ask the people who do condone the violence what they think they achieved, because it detracted from the peaceful message of the march and the reason we were there in the first place.”

Monday News & Comment - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Sport- 1pm, MLK, Room 6 Park Terrace Photos - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Tuesday Life & Style - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Fashion - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Wednesday Film - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Arts 12.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Music - 1pm, Room 6 Park Terrace TV & Radio - 1.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Editorial Team: • Editor - Fran Infante • Deputy Editor - Joshua Shrimpton Dean • News Editors - Charlie Oven & Simon Murphy • Comment Editors - Danny Kielty & Laura Heads • Life & Style Editors - Mary Mullarkey and Kat Bishop •Fashion Editor - Lauren Girling • Arts Editor - Stephanie Ferrao • Film Editor - Adam Williams • Music Editors - Polly Randall & Joe Skrebels • TV & Radio Editor - Ellie Wilson and Lynsey Fawcett • Puzzles Editor - Andy Pitkeathley •Listings Editor - Ciara Littler • Sports Editors - Kat Bannon, Jono Taylor & Wills Robinson •Photo Editor - Briony Carlin • Design Editor - Helen Mamalaki • Online Editors - Bethany Sissons, Katie Hicks, Elliot Bentley and Colin Henrys •Proof Editors - Charlotte Loftus, Katy Lawson, Hannah Davey, Verity Cunningham, Freya Marks, Gemma Farina, Jessica Cree, Amy Jordan, Ruby Hall, Rebecca Gee, Jennifer Beer & Edmund Northcott The Courier is printed by: Harmsworth Printing Limited, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2DW. Tel: 01332 253013.

Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Union Society at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge.

The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the Union Society or Newcastle University.

2

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

News Editors: Simon Murphy and Charlie Oven

Have you got a news story for The Courier? Email us at: courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

NUS launch campaign to oust leading Liberal Democrats from Parliament Charlie Oven News Editor A decapitation strategy will be launched by the National Union of Students, aimed at ousting Nick Clegg and other leading Liberal Democrats from Parliament. The initiative is in reaction to the party’s u-turn on tuition fees, and aims to build on the recent mass protest in London.

Aaron Porter, president of the NUS, said the campaign would aim to force out Liberal Democrats who broke their pre-election pledge to oppose any rise in tuition fees. Their key targets will be Clegg in Sheffield Hallam, Simon Wright in Norwich South, Stephen Williams in Bristol West and Don Foster in Bath.

In light of the decapitation strategy, youthful supporters of the Liberal Democrats may face the dilemma of divided loyalties between the Party and the student community.

However, former Vice Chair for the Liberal Youth Matthew Folker, was quick to refute this claim. Talking to The Courier, the Newcastle student argued: “Whilst I appreciate where the NUS is coming from, I know the party at its heart wants to scrap tuition fees. However, we are in a coalition and left to their own devices, the Conservative party would have done much worse.”

Porter claimed the NUS will make use of a coalition idea for holding MPs to account that was championed by Clegg himself. The “right to recall” initiative, which has yet to become law, proposes that a by-election be called if an MP is judged of serious wrongdoing and 10 per cent of constituents want him removed.

Should the ‘right to recall’ initiative be legislated Clegg could become victim of his own policy proposal, with 1000 students taking to the streets of Sheffield in an attempt to get 10 per cent of Clegg’s constituency to sign a petition.

John Denham, the shadow busi-

Union President Tom Delamere spoke out last week against the violence at the Millbank Tower, strongly condemning both the students who carried out the vandalism and those condoning the attacks.

“The purpose of the march was to demonstrate in a peaceful and democratic sense. It was a chance to go down with banners, to listen to speeches” he told The Courier.

“Those who took part should be ashamed for detracting from the important peaceful message, and for the criminal damage that was caused as well. We don’t think that’s a good way of communicating the

Comment Would a tax on calorific junk food help combat obesity in the UK? Comment explores the debate Page 12

Life & Style Love is in the air?

The popular blind date returns for another instalment of fun-fuelled romance Page 18

Culture Video killed the radio star. The rise and rise of the music video in its relatively short life span Page 30

Sport Men’s hockey Firsts record their second 8-0 win of the season in a resounding victory over Sheffield Page 42

Meetings Timetable:

Former Vice Chair of the Liberal Youth, Matthew Folker, claims the Liberal Democrats are the only mainstream party that want to scrap fees

ness, innovation and skill secretary, has argued Clegg has no credibility left on the tuition fees issue. However, supporters of the Lib Dems argue Clegg has been in a compromised position tied to the responsibilities held in a coalition government.

Folker claims: “Naturally, Clegg’s position on the issue has been damaged, but it’s indicative of the role he has been given, which of course means he is bound by collective ministerial responsibility.

As an alternative to ‘right to recall’, it is reported the NUS are more

likely to mobilise support against selected MPs ahead of the next general election. Liberal Democrat constituencies with a significant student population could prove particularly vulnerable. The Lib Dem leader who held Sheffield Hallam with a majority of 15,284 at the May election has around 10,000 students in his constituency. Other constituencies that could be affected by the decapitation strategy are those with slim majorities. Simon Wright beat Charles Clarke in Norwich South by just 310 votes.

Folker questions the long term effectiveness of the NUS strategy to oust Lib Dem MPs: “We are the only mainstream party that wants to scrap fees. Therefore not only are the NUS risking more Conservative MPs, but they are risking shooting students in the foot.”

It is understood the NUS will not target MPs who have promised to vote against the policy to raise fees to as much as £9000, such as Tim Farron who has just been voted Lib Dem President.

Union President condemns student vandals Elliot Bentley

The Union Society, King’s Walk, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QB. Tel: 0191 239 3940

message we want to get across.”

Tom Delamere went on to justify the official position of Newcastle’s Union Society, as well as NUS, on violent protest in general.

“We want to ensure everyone knows our stance on it. NUS obviously doesn’t condone the violence that happened, because it’s putting students in danger as well.

“At the Students Union it’s not only our job to get this message across - that we are against the cuts and against higher fees - but also that we are there in a welfare capacity to make sure that the students are safe as well.”

He also dismissed claims that the violent behaviour was a natural out-

Delamere: critical of violent demonstration

let of the anger felt by those on the march.

“It was a minority of people; there were 50,000 people there in total, and a very small minority who decided to smash a window, that sort

of thing, was around 50 people. So as a proportion of the 50,000 estimated to be there, I think that’s a very small amount.

“The biggest problem with the violence was the press’ focus on it rather than the cuts themselves. In this case, not all publicity is good publicity” he said.

“Obviously people are angry, people are upset , but that’s not the way you go about it. It’s not the way we get things done.

“I’d ask the people who do condone the violence what they think they achieved, because it detracted from the peaceful message of the march and the reason we were there in the first place.”

Monday News & Comment - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Sport- 1pm, MLK, Room 6 Park Terrace Photos - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Tuesday Life & Style - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Fashion - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Wednesday Film - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Arts 12.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Music - 1pm, Room 6 Park Terrace TV & Radio - 1.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Editorial Team: • Editor - Fran Infante • Deputy Editor - Joshua Shrimpton Dean • News Editors - Charlie Oven & Simon Murphy • Comment Editors - Danny Kielty & Laura Heads • Life & Style Editors - Mary Mullarkey and Kat Bishop •Fashion Editor - Lauren Girling • Arts Editor - Stephanie Ferrao • Film Editor - Adam Williams • Music Editors - Polly Randall & Joe Skrebels • TV & Radio Editor - Ellie Wilson and Lynsey Fawcett • Puzzles Editor - Andy Pitkeathley •Listings Editor - Ciara Littler • Sports Editors - Kat Bannon, Jono Taylor & Wills Robinson •Photo Editor - Briony Carlin • Design Editor - Helen Mamalaki • Online Editors - Bethany Sissons, Katie Hicks, Elliot Bentley and Colin Henrys •Proof Editors - Charlotte Loftus, Katy Lawson, Hannah Davey, Verity Cunningham, Freya Marks, Gemma Farina, Jessica Cree, Amy Jordan, Ruby Hall, Rebecca Gee, Jennifer Beer & Edmund Northcott The Courier is printed by: Harmsworth Printing Limited, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2DW. Tel: 01332 253013.

Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Union Society at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge.

The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the Union Society or Newcastle University.

4

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

News

Student left unconcious and bleeding in the street after nightmare taxi ride Fran Infante Editor A 19-year-old student has told The Courier of his traumatic dispute with a local taxi driver which left him lying unconscious and bleeding in the street near his Jesmond home.

Stephen Hodgkiss had been out enjoying the Halloween weekend’s celebrations in town when he and three friends got a taxi from the Bigg Market area at around 3 am on November 1.

During the course of the journey one of the friends got into a confrontation with the driver regarding the directions being given by the passengers, a disagreement which Hodgkiss dismissed as nothing more than a “misunderstanding.”

It was agreed that all four friends should be dropped together outside the Coral betting shop on Acorn Road in Jesmond, just down from Tesco Metro.

As the group left the 7 seater vehicle Hodgkiss remained in the taxi,

passing the fare through the glass window to the driver while his two friends disembarked and stood on the pavement and the only female passenger stood in the doorway of the taxi.

“I gave the driver too much money for the fare” he told The Courier “I waited for him to give me my change and when he didn’t, I asked for it. He refused to give it to me and said something like ‘don’t waste my f***ing time.’

“Normally I would have left it – it was only a couple of pounds really, but I thought ‘he hasn’t even taken us to the right place, I want my change back.’”

As justification for withholding the money the driver then responded that he told the students to have their money ready, and when Hodgkiss continued his requests he simply drove off down the road, with half of his passengers still inside the vehicle.

The female passenger managed to jump out of the taxi while it was

still moving relatively slowly and, despite suffering some grazes to the legs, escaped serious injury.

The driver then accelerated down the street turning left onto St George’s Terrace with Hodgkiss still in the back of the taxi and the door sliding wide open.

The second year Environmental Sciences student, who received numerous stitches to the head as a result of the incident, was flung from the moving taxi as it turned the corner onto Mistletoe Road at a high speed.

In an interview with The Evening Chronicle last week Hodgkiss recalled: “I didn’t know what the hell was going on, and the next thing he speeds away with me and the door’s wide open. I remember him flying round a bend and being flung into the road. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance.”

The three friends chased the taxi down the street and shortly after found Hodgkiss lying unconscious in the road close to the Mistletoe

Bakery. He suffered a deep laceration to his forehead and several other surface cuts to the face and head.

“I think I was actually very fortunate” Hodgkiss told The Courier, “it could have been a lot worse. How I didn’t break a bone I’ll never know, I obviously took at hard knock to the head and split the top of my ear but if you think about falling face first out into the street you’d expect much worse facial injuries than a few cuts.”

Hodgkiss was taken by ambulance to hospital where he received multiple stitches to his head before being discharged, “for 5 or 6 days afterwards I had a really bad headache, I was off uni for that whole week but I’ve got a few extensions so it’s not been too much of a problem.”

When asked whether the incident had made him reconsider his safety whilst on a night out he responded: “I haven’t been out since that night, but not because I am particularly scared as some coverage has suggested, I’ve just been snowed under

with catching up on my work.

“I think it was a freak incident that was extremely unlikely to have happened in the first place and even more so to happen to me again.

“The only thing worrying about it really is how genuinely unprovoked it was. Up until we got to Acorn Road there were no problems between us and the driver, there was no sense that anything was about to happen.

“I didn’t do anything to provoke a reaction other than to ask for my change, which I didn’t think was unreasonable as he hadn’t taken us where we wanted to go because of the confusion over directions.

“I did speak to the police a couple of days ago though and they told me that they were fairly close to identifying the taxi driver based on CCTV footage so I am confident that this guy won’t be out there posing a threat to others for long.”

Anyone wishing to contact the police with any information should do so on 03456 043043 ext 619191.

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Scarred: 19-year-old student Stephen Hodgkiss is recovering after his ordeal

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

News

5

Revealed: the leaked email the University didn’t want you to see...

Continued from front page a teach-in organised by the Newcastle Free Education Network at the University.

The two groups joined forces for their efforts to galvanise local students, despite seeming at ideological loggerheads earlier last week over the actions of students at Millbank. Both groups condemned the violence, but the Union Society also criticised the occupation.

Lil Collingham, Education Officer for the Union Society said she met with representatives from NFEN last week. The two groups met after the Union Society had concerns over an NEFN statement made to The Courier in last week’s paper.

“I think it is again looking at the bigger picture the whole student movement needs to work together with this,” Collingham said. “We need to work as a team. Every student needs to be aware of the cuts and how it is going to affect higher education and us as well.”

Simon Childs, from NFEN, said the teach-ins are a symbolic action, showing what their view of education should be during a time when the proposed cuts would establish a two-tier fees system which could treble tuition and would seriously endanger Arts and Humanities programs.

Some of the classes at the teach-in would cover things from ‘Women and Cuts’, how to work and deal with the mass media, and how to learn from action abroad like the the cultural workers movement in Prague.

“We are directly showing what education should be about and in a sense it is a direct action, but it is also very peaceful,” Childs said. “It is very possible to have direct action without smashing windows.”

Wednesday’s day of planned action across the UK is to be seen as a galvanising and unifying demonstration amidst some worries that a schism could have developed following the demonstrations in London.

But Professor Matt Perry, a reader in Labour History, said that the direct action associated with the French student revolution of 1968 made the movement.

“If you look at movements like ‘68, or for that matter the more recent defeat of the cheap labour schemes for the young, or the current protests against cuts in pensions all involved a degree of direct action of this sort.

In 68 nearly every university, high school and many workplaces were occupied,” he said.

The marches in London, which were well documented by media, both in the UK and internationally, made headlines for all the wrong, or right reasons, one point of debate.

Some have speculated that if were not for the activity at Millbank, the protest would never have made front pages.

The day following the protest, nearly every national newspaper in the UK ran what is now a definitive picture of the protest: a hooded student kicking in one of Millbank’s window panes amidst the glow of flares and bonfires fueled by placards.

“The danger is that we in the trade

To: Careers All Users; Level 2; level 3; Level 3 MCD; Level 4; Level 5 Cc: M E Hunter Subject: CONFIDENTIAL - Student Occupation Importance: High Dear All Following last week’s incidents in London, all universities face the prospect of student protests against the proposed increase in tuition fees. It is possible that students (and maybe other protesters) will attempt to occupy a University building as a protest on Wednesday 24 November. This is planned as a national day of action. It is possible though that a protest or occupation might be attempted at any time. The assumption is that King’s Gate would be the most likely target, but an occupation could occur anywhere.

Any occupation / protest will be handled according to an assessment of the incident itself. However, the following broad guidance applies. * Make sure you report the incident ASAP to security the emergency number is 6666. * Try and work as normally as possible around the protest / sit in - if that occurs in reception / visitor areas. * To minimise the chance of any incident in staff work areas, everyone is reminded about the importance of not allowing tail gating. Staff should also wear their smart cards. * If protesters do get into staff working area, you should not confront them but instead should ensure that security are informed; that any confidential material is safely locked away; then log out of your PC and ensure that no PCs are left logged on. Cellular offices should be locked.

Then await further instructions.

John **************** Dr John Hogan Registrar Newcastle University Tel: 0191 222 6078 Fax: 0191 222 6229

union and student movements allow the Sun, Telegraph, etc. set the terms of legitimate protest,” Dr. Perry said. “The media hysteria at a few broken windows (that the Conservative Party can afford to replace) should not distract us from the fundamental issues.”

Although Millbank tower, the Tory headquarters, was the site of much unrest in London, a special amount of venom was still reserved for their coalition government counterparts who have done an absolute 180 on pledges to end tuition fees altogether.

The demonstrations in London, estimated to be around 52,000 overwhelmingly comprised of students, was said to be the largest student demonstration in at least a decade.

Dianne Nelmes, who was Student Union president and editor of The Courier in the 1970s during Margaret Thatcher’s time as Education Minister, said that she and other students back then were a “very active lot”, protesting and campaigning for all sorts of issues.

When she was Union leader, Nelmes said they never protested about fees, but did hold successful campaigns against a rise in student rent, and a rise in prices for food.

“I’ve had a sense for quite a few decades that student politics had gone very quiet. I often felt in reflection when I talk to students that they are a much quieter lot than we were in the 70s,” she said. “When I saw the students mobilizing these fees increases I thought, ‘My goodness this is really interesting,’ it’s quite a big sea change...”

When Nelmes attended university in the seventies, she was the product of a single parent household.

Her mother worked as a waitress and the grants she received from the government were “enormous.”

“I’ve never been so well off than when I arrived at Newcastle University ,” she said. “If I were around today I probably wouldn’t have gone because my mother would have probably been terrified of the fees.”

Yet the protests Nelmes and her colleagues in the seventies organised and staged never evolved into what happened at Millbank. “I was a bit shocked when I saw those things,” she said. “It was a bit frightening really. We never saw anything like this. The incident with the fire extinguisher was terrifying really.”

There remains the thought that although the NUS on a national level organised the demonstration, they haven’t been quite as active in representing the views of students over the past 10-15 years, especially when fees were first introduced in 1998.

That criticism, though, is something that existed even when Nelmes was Union President. Back then, she said, the NUS was run generally by the socialist society and the far left.

Nelmes was sometimes at odds with the leadership and many of her efforts back then were undertaken solely by her and fellow students. In spite of the differences that exist in a movement, whether the 70s or now, there is always a sense of self-belief.

“I think the main thing is to always be true to yourselves and your ideal,” Nelmes said. “There has to be an honesty there.”

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

7

News

Say aahh-ha: dentistry with a laugh Newcastle team scoop gold in science competition Olivia-Marie Viveiros

Elliot Bentley A team at Newcastle University have genetically engineered bacteria to be able to ‘knit’ concrete together.

Dubbed “BacillaFilla”, the novel organisms were deemed impressive enough to win the team a gold medal in an international competition.

The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, or iGEM, is an annual event that takes place each summer. A group of students from a range of backgrounds must come together to design a new, man-made organism.

The nine Newcastle students – including computer science, civil engineering, microbiology and biochemistry undergraduates – described the aim of their work as a method of maintaining the structural integrity and lifespan of concrete buildings.

This, they explained, would help the environment since five per cent of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions come from the production of concrete.

“This could be particularly useful in earthquake zones where hundreds of buildings have to be flat-

tened because there is currently no easy way of repairing the cracks and making them structurally sound,” said joint project instructor Dr Jennifer Hallinan.

The cement-filling properties of the bacteria are activated by quorum sensing, a natural method that bacteria use to detect a high population of themselves in a small area.

Once piled up within the crack the bacteria differentiate into three different forms: one producing calcium carbonate crystals, one producing Levans glue, and one transforming into a long, thin filamentous cell.

With public mistrust of genetically modified organisms in mind, the students included a “kill switch” in order to control the BacillaFilla.

This was designed in a way that means when the bacteria are no longer provided with a constant sugar supply they begin to produce toxic chemicals and eventually poison themselves.

Professor Neil Wipat, joint project instructor, said: “The students have done extremely well - this is a great achievement.

“Their work will now be used as a basis for research which is being carried out here at the University.”

Research offers explanation for teenage pregnancy Lucy Alexander A recent study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, has suggested that a lack of maternal involvement with young girls can lead to them having babies at a younger age.

Experts from Newcastle University utilised a number of complex statistical techniques to analyse data from the ‘National Child Development Study’, taking into account 4,500 women from different backgrounds and regions of the UK. Their results showcase that girls who are separated from their mothers in the early stages of development are likely to give birth up to two years earlier than others. Other early life factors found to have an impact on girls’ pregnancy age include short duration of breast feeding, frequently moving family homes and a lack of paternal involvement.

Dr Daniel Nettle, lead author of the study and reader in Psychology at Newcastle University, said of his findings: “Interestingly, where the separation from the mother was more permanent, such as over 24 months, the effect goes away.” He suggests that the reasoning behind this trend is due to the child being adopted into a more stable family when its mother has been away for 24 months or more.

This new research provides the first ever comprehensive survey into the connection between the age at which women give birth and the events they experience in childhood. Previous studies have focused instead on the relationship

between paternal behaviour and the likelihood of early pregnancy; the notion that the absence of a stable father figure in a girl’s life in turn increases the chances of the girl giving birth at a young age.

Although there is sufficient statistical evidence to support the idea of maternal involvement as one of the key causes of girls becoming pregnant at an early age, there is an abundance of social factors which also contribute to this worrying problem, as highlighted by a local GP. Dr Julia Alexander is keen to highlight the influence of peer pressure as one of the most common occurrences for pregnancy in younger girls; a lot of the girls becoming pregnant at a young age had initially engaged in sexual activity simply because they had thought that their friends were already sexually active.

Dr Alexander explained: “A recurring theme appears to be the assumption that ‘everyone else was doing it’ and the young girls didn’t want to appear ‘frigid’.

“There is sadly a lot of ‘regret’ at indulging in sexual intercourse at an early age, and work is being done locally to educate young girls about their right to say no.”

The next step for this type of research is to hopefully determine some sort of genetic explanation for the relationships highlighted, for example a common gene relating to a tendency to have children earlier and also to breast feed for a shorter time. It is these additional studies which will hopefully shed light on the specific relationship between childhood events and pregnancy.

A former dentist hopes his new job will be a barrel of laughs as he takes to the stage as a stand-up comedian.

Dr Ray Lowry, who is a former senior lecturer at Newcastle University’s Dental Hospital, has decided to take up the new job following his retirement.

He has already had success in comedy having previously written for the Two Ronnies as well as having his work published in The Probe and in the TV Times.

Dr Lowry told The Courier: “My new job is great, I can say what I mean now, not have to watch my Ps and Qs. I used to write comedy when I was younger. Now I can afford to do it again.” As well as being involved in medicine, Dr Lowry also played a leading role in pioneering the use of marketing techniques to change behaviour.

He often incorporated humour into his lectures, both nationally and internationally, even raising chuckles from the likes of Gordon Brown.

“I’m looking forward to opening a whole can of worms when talking about medical mishaps, difficult patients and how people have dealt with the bureaucracy of professional life,” he said.

Dr Lowry hopes to entertain professional and semi-professional organisations, with the hilarious stories he has gathered over the years.

Pulling your leg: Dr Ray Lowry has made an unusual swap of dentistry for comedy

“I’ve always found that humour shines through even in the most clinical and morose situations,” he said. Dr Lowry showed an interest in comedy earlier in his life, having friends such as Monty Python’s John Cleese.

“As I’ve gone on over the years, and obviously accumulated lots and lots of experience in medicine and dentistry, and life, I’ve now got much more material and so as the years have gone on, I’ve been able

to write better material and accumulate lots of stories,” he said.

As well as a former medical consultant, he has also been the author of over 40 medical papers.

Dr Lowry proves he is not a one trick pony, as he also has dabbles in pantomime.

Every Christmas he helps to write the annual pantomime at his local theatre, The Priory, in Tynemouth as well as sometimes performing.

8

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

News

Researchers at Newcastle find compound in carrots reduces chance of lung cancer Satish Beri Love them or hate them, carrots can be an important one of your five daily recommended portions of fruit and vegetables. Research by Newcastle University has further championed the carrot’s noble cause as a vegetable that packs a mean nutrional punch.

Researchers at Newcastle University found the wonder vegetable that is the carrot, has further benefits than simply the parental myth of helping young children ‘see in the dark’.

The research, led by Dr Kirsten Brandt of the Food Quality and Health Research Group, discovered an isolated compound in carrots that can help fight cancer.

The study began by attempting to find which of the chemical com-

pounds in a carrot were important for nutritional value, what happens to the contents of a carrot when it is processed and how scientific results can be used to improve the nutritional value of carrots.

The carrot gets its bright and characteristic orange colour from beta carotene. Dr Brandt and her team found that the increase of beta carotene in your diet can decrease the chances of contracting lung cancer.

Further tests found that another compound was of key significance.

This compound, called falcarinol, was fed to rats in addition to their normal food.

These rats in the test had a one third lower risk of developing colorectal cancer than rats not given the compound. Dr Kirsten Brandt expressed her delight at the findings, though claiming it was merely just

confirmation of something that is gaining common ground in scientific fields across the world.

She also recommended that when possible, boil carrots whole before chopping them up. Studies showed when carrots are processed, the heat changes their compostion, but chopping afterwards limits these effects.

This change kills the cells and disables their ability to hold water inside them; it also softens the cell walls meaning water soluble compounds such as sugar and vitamin C are lost via the surface of the tissue.

The studies have shown carrots shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Got a story?

Research shows the carrot does more than the myth of helping you see in the dark

Library break-in leads to chaos Lisa Berndhart

Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) NWE offers project based work placements in local companies.

Placements are for 100 hours to be worked flexibly over a 3-4 month period, and students are paid a £600 bursary. Visit Vacancies Online and select Work Experience, and check the ‘Newcastle Work Experience’ option for details of all opportunites.

Job Title: Newcastle Work Experience - Web Developer Employer: ISIS Arts Closing date: 14/11/10 Salary: £600 bursary Basic job description: Implementing the redesign of our website including adding more multimedia content, including blogs, vlogs and a discussion forum.

Person requirements: Knowledge of web design/development.

Location: Newcastle City Centre Part time vacancies Job Title: Sports Coaches Employer: Exsportise Closing date: 25/02/2011 Salary: £270 per week Basic job description: Exsportise are looking for Sports Coaches to coach participants appropriately according to age and ability and to an acceptably high level during the morning and afternoon sports coaching sessions. Max 7 weeks.

Person requirements: Sports Coaches need to hold a Level 1, 2 or 3 sports coaching qualification Location: West Sussex, Dorset and Northampton Job Title: Sales Assistant/ Foot and Hand Masseuse

Employer: Dr Dish Spa UK Closing date: 27/11/2010 Salary: £6ph + incentives Basic job description: Doctor Fish is the North East’s premier alternative therapy Fish Spa offering the ultimate in unorthodox hand and foot treatments. They are looking for several applicants to assist in delivering treatments to clients.

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Job Title: Sales Assistants Employer: LD Mountain Centre Closing date: Ongoing Salary: Meets National Minimum Wage Basic job description: Duties will include using the cash register, serving customers, re-stocking merchandise and delivering excellent customer service.

Person Requirements: Applicants should have some experience or knowledge of outdoor sports.

Location: Newcastle University Campus Job Title: Sales Advisor Employer: Bernard Hodes Closing date: Ongoing Salary: £17,595 pro rata Basic job description: Applicants will be required to call existing Barclays customers from a call centre, offering products and benefits.

Person Requirements: Sales experience required.

Location: Sunderland Job Title: Sales/Promotion Representative Employer: Rectangle Group Closing date: Ongoing Salary: £8 per hour + bonus Basic job description: To approach customers as they enter Sains-

bury’s Stores and enquire as to whether they are currently Nectar card holders, and if not, encouraging them to have one.

Location: North East Job Title: Female Personal Assistant Employer: Disability North Closing date: 03/12/2010 Salary: £8 per hour Basic job description: Duties will involve cooking, cleaning, assistance to get shopping, doing laundry and keeping the house in a good general condition. Up to 18 hours per week required.

Person Requirements: Must be able to work weekends Location: Kingston Park Job Title: Bar Staff Employer: Bar 38 Closing date: Ongoing Salary: Meets National Minimum Wage Basic job description: Applicants will be required to work 2-3 shifts per week mainly at night.

Person Requirements: Experience preferred but not essential Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Job Title: Bar Staff Employer: Direct Recruitment Closing date: 17/12/2010 Salary: Meets National Minimum Wage Basic job description: Direct Recruitment are looking for experienced bar staff to work across the Newcastle area. Working hours are to suit, between 4-20 hours per week.

Person Requirements: You must have excellent communication skills and customer service experience.

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

In the early hours of November 12, an attempted break-in at the main library of the University of York was reported to the local police. A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breaking through the security banner and damaging various objects, such as the glass doors.

As a consequence of this incident, the library opened an hour and a half later while certain sections remained closed until the afternoon, resulting in reduced study time and restricted access to books and other items that were essential for some students.

Contact the news team and be the first to break the news: courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

Students start own Apprentice competition The entrepreneurial society at the University of Southampton has launched its own version of the successful BBC 2 show The Apprentice.

The winner of the final event in a few weeks will take part in a regional finale to compete for a cash prize and internship with Doug Richard, know from the BBC series Dragon‘s Den. The list of companies supporting the competition includes big and recognisible names like Tesco, SuperJam and Ernst & Young.

Light shed on student suicide

University log-in system malfunctions

After 22-year-old Chris Hatton commited suicide earlier this year, understanding has been shed on his motive.

According to Chris‘ father, the Sussex University student had been diagnosed with manic depression, a mental disorder that causes feelings of loneliness and low self-esteem.

Nevertheless, he was a very popular student and had many close friends who described him as a friendly and outgoing person.

A malfunction in the log-in system of the University of Warwick may cause severe security problems, as the internet portal providing online services for students is unable to identify case-sensitive passwords that ought to increase the security level.

Several students have already expressed their concern as the online portal not only offers certain university related services, but also contains the students‘ personal and financial information.

Student finds swear word on Countdown A round of the TV game show Countdown had to be re-played following a Cambridge student finding a swear word. The word, found by Countdown champion Jack Hurst, was declared acceptable by dictionary corner, but Channel 4 axed the round and it was repeated with different letters.

Channel 4 said: “Countdown is a daytime programme and this particular word was not deemed appropriate for a daytime audience so not included in the show.”

Course shortfall in proposed external campus closure In 2013, the Hull campus of the University of Lincoln will be closed down.

The decision was made by the governing authorities of the University due to the large cuts to higher education funds.

Consequently, the three year degree in social work will not be offered anymore.

Nevertheless, the University reassures current and prospective students that there will still be postgraduate programmes in Hull and current students will not be restricted.

9

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

Are etiquette lessons a revival of traditional skills ?

Comment Editors: Laura Heads and Danny Kielty - courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk

> Page 10

Lagging literacy levels: a threat for the future Bethany Sissons

The rise of text language means that spelling words as they sound is the most common type of communication for young people. Most 11year-olds have a mobile phone now and they use abbreviations constantly rather than spelling words properly::‘Gr8’, cu 2nite thn @ fntain in twn.’ Surely writing in this style is damaging children’s learning, as Standard English is no longer given precedence in everyday life.

Although it can be argued that text speak has a place within society; it is a language being developed by the younger generation and as a mark of youth culture, it has validity. However, children still need to learn how to spell and how to read and write in Standard English.

Reading is the centre of education, so learning to read is crucial to a child’s development. If you can’t read then you’re not likely to succeed at school. This is why Christine Gilbert’s (Head of Ofsted) recent claim is worrying. Gilbert says that reading and writing amongst 11year-olds has fallen “stubbornly short” of the levels children of that age should be achieving.

At the moment, one in five 11-yearolds in the UK have not reached the expected level for English. Children leave primary school unable to read or write to a sufficient level, and then find it extremely difficult to de-

You, The Courier James Gruse, second year Biochemistry student reviews the last edition

velop and improve their education from then on.

So why aren’t children living up to their teacher’s standards anymore? The way that we write and communicate verbally has certainly changed. Is it really the child’s fault or has their experience of learning English just altered?

We rely hugely on technology now. To be technologically literate is as important as reading is at the moment. We may say that 11-yearolds don’t reach the standards of reading, but most young people are a dab hand on the computer, and much quicker than their elders.

The fact that every piece of written work must be word processed now must have had an effect on the spelling and writing style of children. Spell check is just a click away and as a result, we no longer need to know how to spell words. Our computer sorts everything out for us so we don’t even have to think about what we’re writing.

Young people spend lots of time on the computer now rather than reading. I remember growing up and often reading for fun, whereas children now spend their time social networking or playing video games; they wouldn’t dream of picking up a book.

Mrs Lam, Head of Year Seven at an all-boys comprehensive school in Liverpool told The Courier: “When children get into secondary school it is clear that literacy standards are falling. Lots of children aren’t aware of the difference between text and formal language, text language is what they have grown up with. Although literacy tests are in place they don’t seem to be making any differRosa is but a spot on the pages of The Courier history.

Film, as ever, had a swathe of both mainstream and more thought-provoking reviews.

Listings is unquestionably an asset to the newspaper, but perhaps needs a bit more structure. The layout comes across as somewhat overwhelming and chaotic, which

W

hilst reading this week’s The Courier, there was much to be impressed with, but also a few areas that could do with improvement.

News looked fantastic this week, with a wealth of great photos that effectively conveyed the scenes from the student demo, but perhaps the violence that occurred should have been given more prominent coverage.

Comment this week was definitely tarnished by the absence of any cartoons, but Yes/No was a really good read.

Turning to Life and Style was a joy. The layout was imaginative, the pictures fantastic, and the articles extremely readable. Senora

makes readers turn the page.

What do you think of The

Slipping standards: recent research has shown one in five 11-year-olds do not meet the expected literacy level for English in the UK

ence. When the children come up to secondary school it is just assumed that they have an adequate literacy level. Even at GCSE level exams are not marked down for spelling mistakes so nothing much is being done to help them improve.”

A few years ago one pupil completed an exam paper in text language.

They didn’t know how to spell and text speak was the language they knew. There is debate as to whether this should have been failed because the student couldn’t write, or considered creative because of its ‘originality’.

A problem however with the statistics collected by Ofsted are that

they are based on the results of a formal assessment. Children are assessed constantly; they take SATs at the age of six and seven. Is it right to solely base children’s literacy skills on tests? Any essence of creativity is taken away and boxed off into assessment objectives. Many young people do not perform well in exam conditions and under pressure. Perhaps exams aren’t the best way to find out a child’s abilities. Maybe this is a flaw in the education system as well as a failure in children.

The coalition government is keen to spread a new reading test. Education Secretary, Michael Gove, would like children to learn to read

using phonics. Phonics focuses on the sounds of letters and letter combinations. Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, has said: “The government is determined to raise the standard of reading in the first years of primary school so that children can master the basic decoding skills of reading early and then spend the rest of primary school reading to learn.”

However, whether this will be another governmental blunder remains to be seen. The coalition already plans to disrupt higher education dramatically. Let’s hope that they don’t wreck the future education of primary school children too.

Plugging in the socket of sociability Laura Mowat

What are your plans tonight? After Halloween and before the festive season takes off, you may be thinking about having a relaxed evening.

But how reliant are you on technology when you have a night in?

Last week the electricity in our student house cut out and we were perplexed. Skype dates were cancelled, graduate job application forms unable to be completed and important emails left hanging (a friend actually lost out on a graduate job as she didn’t reply to an email on Christmas Eve).

Our BlackBerrys were dying, unable to be charged (well count me out of the BlackBerry equation; I am more of a simple brick phone kind of girl). In fact, I have to ban BlackBerrys at restaurants as they usually secure the bulk of the attention. We looked at each other in shock: what

would we do tonight?

We have developed technological dependence. As a language student, I rarely pick up a dictionary as wordreference.com has all the answers in a few clicks. We have replaced atlases with Tom Toms, dictionaries with spell check and much of the time calculators have taken the place of mental arithmetic. I am always shocked when shopkeepers have to resort to tapping away at a calculator when working out 10 per cent of something.

This summer working in a holiday resort in France, it was clear that some parents seemed to have missed the point of ‘a family holiday’ when in the evenings they would religiously come to the wi-fi access lobby and log onto their Facebook accounts.

Obviously the internet is a fantastic source, generally facilitating our modern daily lives. Social network sites make it far easier than it has ever been to keep in contact with friends from all over the world.

The productivity of today’s businessman has been increased. No longer does he need to drive into

the office to receive his internal post for communication; he can receive emails 24 hours a day. However, this can also mean that we never switch off as these appliances are constantly on the go, and we spend

“Maybe we should arrange an unplugged night, where we talk to our friends without having a technological device stuck to our hands” a disproportionate time working and disappearing into cyberspace.

Our moods are affected when technology malfunctions; as a teacher of mine used to say, “I could bring a sledgehammer to it”. A computer crashing, after having spent hours on a job application when the deadline is due, makes us all susceptible to an early grey hair or two.

So maybe we should arrange an unplugged night, where we talk to our friends without a device stuck to our hands, write letters and play board games.

10

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Comment

Curtains down for Britain as tired role begins to tell George Sandeman

Our Empire was once the largest in history. It once covered a quarter of the world and housed a quarter of the global population. Our country has produced pioneers of science, from Newton to Darwin to Hawking, and leaders in times of war, from Nelson to Wellington to Churchill. Now it seems we’re stuck with Wayne Rooney, Kerry Katona and the Chuckle Brothers.

Is Britain being left behind on the world stage? Well, it presently finds itself with the largest deficit in the G20, with no leg to stand on when trying to influence the world economy, meaning that advancing business interests abroad is increasingly difficult.

To tackle this David Cameron has,

in recent months, led huge trade delegations to India and China in an attempt to be part of the seemingly irrepressible economic ascent of the world’s two largest countries.

China essentially has the rest of the world by the scruff of the neck.

The huge amounts of money it lent Britain during the financial crisis mean the government may have to overlook China’s rather poor human rights record if it wants to do business.

The City continues to be Britain’s focal point when it comes to economic assets. But with increased public, and some political, hostility to increased taxes, it remains to be seen whether London can continue to be the international financial hub our economy needs it to be.

In light of this, it is becoming ever more difficult to retain business, let alone attract anything new which is critical for growth. Added to this, the coalition has been talking about “re-balancing the British economy” which, although necessary in the long-term, may come with short-

term consequences; a double-dip recession perhaps?

Then there are the cuts to Defence spending which greatly reduces Britain’s prestige internationally; potentially, to the extent where its place as one of the permanent five on the UN’s Security Council could be in jeopardy.

The abilities of the British Armed Forces have long standing international credentials, but they were seemingly embarrassed in Basra when they had to hand over to the Americans due to their inability to control the area adequately.

Such a perceived failure to get the job done has damaged Britain’s credibility as a capable military power, casting doubts upon the country’s ability to project itself abroad.

Further embarrassment has been caused by revelations that we will have a new aircraft carrier without aircraft which we will have to share with the French. I like to think I’m a tolerant individual but I’m not keen on those cheese-eating surrendermonkeys.

The situation isn’t helped by having an American President who places far less emphasis on our ‘special relationship’ than his predecessors. He caused Gordon Brown unwanted grief by his initial hesitance about a standard bilateral meeting, and then didn’t have one at all with Cameron at the recent G20 summit.

This symbolism tells the world that the USA is moving beyond its conventional foreign policies, and is increasingly willing to embrace and interact with new ascending powers; essentially ditching the UK and finding new mates to play with.

The picture painted here is not one tinged with much optimism.

Cameron however believes differently, and on Monday night used his speech for the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at London’s Guildhall to outline why it isn’t all doom and gloom.

‘Dealing with the deficit’ and getting our ‘economic house in order’ are the crux to regaining international clout. He talks of “advancing Britain’s national interest abroad”

in a more commercial and strategic manner than his predecessors, where better trade links are the aim of the game.

He sees Britain “at the centre of all the big discussions” with its continued membership of the G8, G20, NATO and UN Security Council.

He mentions that even after the cuts, Britain will have the fourth largest military budget in the world.

Ironically, his speech had a sense of déjà vu about it; one Gordon Brown used the same speech and same phrase three years ago to lay out his vision for Britain’s role on the international stage as “hardheaded internationalism.” This must surely break some sort of plagiarism rule; maybe Turnitin was broken at the time. However, in spite of all this, what really matters is how our sports teams perform in global competition such as the football World Cup. Oh of course; we lost 4-1 to Germany in South Africa.

More tea vicar? Will etiquette lessons clean up our act?

Amy Jordan Laura Heads

The Household Academy, boasting teaching in the domestic arts, seems a far cry from my student digs in Newcastle.

While my housemates are fairly tidy, six busy students living in a small maisonette does not always lead to the most sanitary (and bugfree) of living conditions.

This said, I feel that we are all entirely capable of answering the front door (one of the valuable lessons you can take at the Household Academy) and, despite the occasional debate about whether up or down is best, I think we can get away with not having a session in loo seat etiquette.

Launched just three weeks ago, the Household Academy advertises its lessons to your average “private housekeeper, au pair, private nanny, house manager, butler, chambermaid, chalet girl or yacht and private plane service”, whilst oddly also offering a one-day course for students at £195.

I believe I speak for the majority of Newcastle students when I say that I didn’t have a spare couple of hundred quid to spend on learning good housekeeping and telephone manners before coming to university.

With this in mind, however, I do feel that the founder of the Household Academy, Alexandra Messervy, raises a fair point. She says, “People no longer know traditional skills – how to remove a stain from a garment, how to change a plug, pack properly or clean silver.”

While I don’t know any people who possess a silver tea set in need of a good polish, she points to the lack of what were once basic, everyday skills since the decline of the domestic goddess.

I remember looking on at a bemused fresher in the laundry room of Ricky Road as he removed his washing from the tumble drier to find it no cleaner, but toasty warm and covered in Persil.

This could well be the result of an upbringing completely devoid of interaction with washing - except on the level of delivery and collection - but it nevertheless draws attention to many individuals’ inabilities to carry out the simplest of domestic (a term I use begrudgingly) skills.

Despite this, it seems a little regressive to be running classes in housework and domesticity – imagine what Germaine Greer would say!

Although there are psychological benefits to living in a tidy house, the pressure of domestic bliss can be more of a burden than a delight.

A future client of the Household Academy describes her necessity to keep a tidy house: “I live on a street in a village where people can look in, so I want to make sure it looks picture perfect for others”. Yet to me, this seeming ‘duty’ of keeping up appearances seems like something that should firmly be left in a 1990’s sitcom.

Market research group Mintel released figures which show that more than three-quarters of adults care about the house being clean. However, it really makes you wonder how this relates to students. Surely we have much higher priorities than cleaning?

Danielle Raine, author of Housework Blues: A Survival Guide has come up with a number of psychological tricks for those that have a mental block to housework. Visualisation, goal setting and management techniques apparently help to break down this so-called mind set and aid in the achievement of a cleaner home. I will concede these may work on essays but housework for students is, as I said, not a top priority.

Kim Woodburn, from the television programme, How Clean is Your House, has also unsurprisingly come up with a number of tips for house-

D. CRAIG

Danny Kielty Commentary

Goodbye Henry? The Household Academy offers lessons in etiquette and housework

work haters. Using a feather duster little and often, leaving your shoes at the door - apparently 75 per cent of floor dirt comes from footwear - and try not to hoard; less is most definitely more.

Unless I am drowning in a sea of mould or feel the need to bring my

own cutlery when going to a friend’s house for dinner, I won’t be suggesting the Household Academy to anyone in the near future. That is, unless they offend me with their door opening skills.

A male’s view on housework.

I live with five other guys and despite our Saturday cleaning rota our house is, I’m afraid to say, quite untidy.

In our vain attempt to keep in touch with housework we produced a cleaning rota for Saturdays. Despite best intentions, however, it very often descends into a petty game of putting someone else’s pans outside of their bedroom door in an attempt to indicate, in a very non-committal way, that you are not their mother and therefore will not be doing their dirty work for them.

An hour later the house generally ends up in the same dismal state that it started and, if it were not for the ridiculous pile of pans outside of doors, it would be very hard to tell that anybody has cleaned at all.

My absolute pet hate is the bin.

Nine times out of 10 we are too lazy to take out the full bin bag from the bin and instead place a clean bag on top of the bin.

This being said however, the way I see it is that life’s too short to clean.

A good bit of filth never did anyone any harm.

Though nobody is prepared to admit it in the presence of polite company, there is something rather disgustingly comforting about catching up on the week’s seminar reading, with one’s feet nestled amongst a horde of empty coffee mugs strewn across the living room table.

But I cannot deny that beyond a certain point, it all gets too much.

Men living together have no excuse for festering in filth.

I can only pray that none of us end up regressing into a situation in which stapling rubbish to the outside of the bin becomes an acceptable process of waste disposal.

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

11

Comment

Why not do the crime when the prison perks will fill your time?

J. WHITTAKER

Sophie McCoid

Imagine being in a high security Moscow jail, cold, dark and damp - the stuff of nightmares right?

Wrong.

One particular prison in the Russian capital has this week announced that it’s set to introduce sun bed sessions and spa facilities to help improve the inmate’s health.

Inmates will also be able to make calls to relatives via Skype whenever they wish. While I’m not an advocate for locking people up and throwing away the key, neither am I happy with prisoners getting “bronzed up” at the tax payer’s expense.

Russia’s jails have been notoriously bad for decades and mistreatment is a common complaint. Improvements do need to made - after all, inmates are human beings - and therefore have certain rights, but an all expenses paid spa treatment seems to be going a tad too far. This trend for prisoners obtaining more rights is one which has certainly manifested in most British jails.

A close family member of mine has worked in young offenders institutes (for youngsters aged 16-21) for 18 years, and has seen considerable change in that period. Well behaved prisoners can now earn privileges that could only have been dreamt of before.

Playstations and widescreen TV’s are commonplace, as are PC’s and satellite television. Writing this arti-

they have refused to conform to society’s rules? The right to vote for prisoners has recently been raised in parliament.

Whilst I agree that those inmates who are serving short sentences for relatively minor crimes should have this right, as they will return to society under the newly elected government, I don’t believe people serving lengthy sentences for severe crimes

The petty crime rate rises every year around Autumn as people try and get into prisons for the free food and accommodation. This is a clear indication that prison just isn’t tough enough anymore.

The majority of people who walk out of prison usually end up back there months or even weeks later, proving that the deterrent factor of jail is no longer effective.

Prison shouldn’t be all about punishment though; it should also attempt to reform its inhabitants through education, giving them the skills they need to improve their life in the outside world, and contribute effectively to society.

Some inmates after all have just fallen in with the wrong crowd at some point in their life, and reform for them is a possibility. Are video consoles and sun beds really the right way to go about it though?

Pull the other one.

Courier Online

Make your comments on any issues raised this week online at www.thecourieronline.co.uk

Amazon remove the Pedophiles Code of Conduct Emily Sargent

Damn it, I had just finished most of my Christmas shopping. I only had weird Uncle Stephen left – and they’ve gone and removed the present I had lined up for him from the shelves.

The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover’s Code of Conduct is no longer for sale on Amazon, and I am consequently down a gift.

I mean there’s always Bestiality and My Pedigree Chum: Man’s Best Lover (foreword provided by Gin of Britain’s Got Talent fame), but it doesn’t represent his interests so well.

You’re probably thinking, ‘Bit too weird. A sick joke perhaps? This girl should consider a psychiatrist.’ I would. But I’m telling the truth.

Amazon allowed the sale of the guide ‘giving advice to paedophiles’ for around one week, in which time they received a number of complaints and appeals for boycotts of the site on Twitter and Facebook.

They defended their choice to ap-

prove the book to begin with, claiming that: “It is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we, or others, believe their message is objectionable”.

Now this premise may be all well and good, were we talking, for example, about the fact that my friend likes Ikea’s frankfurter hot dogs, yet I do not (really quite extreme phobia) – different interests you see.

A book dedicated to their history, complete with illustrations would be unbelievably offensive to me (and probably wouldn’t make Waterstones’ top ten). But I would deal with it and move on.

It wouldn’t be harming anyone is my point. Differences in preference, even in morals, is something we accept to a degree in Western culture in an attempt to maintain a liberal society. I don’t have a leather onesy and a cat o’ nine tails hanging on the back of my door, yet I don’t judge my personal tutor. (I’m joking; his is a two-piece).

Amazon commented further, suggesting that they “Do not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions”.

Come on Amazon, you’re a family website – true, weird stuff gets sold on the internet all the time,

but mostly on sites that parents can block, or that children (hopefully) wouldn’t know how to find.

Plus, paedophilia is very much illegal, and it is absolutely undeniably morally wrong to publicly encourage and condone a practice so heinous.

That’s what this book is doing; and although Amazon would disagree, when you publish something, you award it with a subconscious stamp of approval from society. Its existence as a purchasable object on the market gives it authority, influence and a glossy platform.

It can be tricky to know where the limits of freedom of speech should lie though. America had difficulty with this book since the law there defines child pornography as graphic depiction of such acts, and The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure has no illustrations.

Frederick Lane, attorney and author stated: “You’ve got issues with respect to fantasy and imagination, and those are core First Amendment issues. On the other hand, child pornography is a real harm to children.

It’s a thin line to protect kids and prevent harm without trampling the First Amendment”.

Where harm might be caused, individuals’ public influence should be limited appropriately to protect a

Katy Covell Columnist

should. It is a right that they don’t need or deserve.

“I believe prisoners should have the basic human rights that everyone else has, such as access to suitable hygiene facilities and regular meals”

cle, sat in a chilly house in Jesmond, prison is starting to seem rather appealing.

I believe prisoners should have the basic human rights that everyone else has, such as access to suitable hygiene facilities and regular meals. Other than these, I don’t believe inmates deserve much more.

Why should they be treated as a normal member of society, when

Mind your manners

younger population.

It would seem Amazon has had a series of hilariously inappropriate books available on their website, one example being I Am the Market: How to Smuggle Cocaine by the Ton, in Five Easy Lessons by Luca Rastello – for the entrepreneurial adolescent.

Apple is renowned for going totally to the other end of the spectrum apparently, and bans any e-book immediately that has a hint of a nipple or the suggestive silhouette of a testicle.

The Karma Sutra has of course then gone the journey. Bad news for my elderly great aunt if she’s got iTunes, since when my mother suggested getting her a nice Mills & Boon, she was insulted and demanded something “much juicier”.

We’ve come a long way since Henry VIII’s Buggery Act of 1533, (condemning the buggery of one another in several forms) – as long as it’s in your own home it’s mostly OK; you now won’t be hanged for it anyway.

This should not mean though, that children’s safety is put at risk by allowing certain individuals to publish highly inappropriate and potentially influential opinions on the internet, under a respected brand name such as Amazon.

As we prepare to enter the winter season with fewer daylight hours, frosty mornings and cheek-freezingly cold winds, I should like to offer a piece of advice to all of the young men out there: wear some gloves.

Why just to the young males? Well, for this simple reason: I am fed up of seeing boys everywhere standing with their hands down their trousers, cupping their tackle.

I have put quite a bit of thought into trying to establish the various possible rationales behind this ‘hand-hiding’ (that is the polite way of putting it) and have come up with four potential explanations.

Option number one: your hands are cold; number two: you view this as some sort of visual mating call; three: it’s a comfortable place to rest your essay weary hands; or four: you’ve got an itch that needs scratching (and I mean that in both the literal and metaphorical sense see last week’s article).

Let me first just say that if it is the mating call option; drop it. I won’t be the only girl to tell you that there are few things less enticing than first meeting a guy and having to shake hands with him, after he’s just been cradling his crown jewels.

Now, I figured it would be unfair to publicly present this thesis without also including a firsthand (no pun intended) explanation - or excuse - for this disagreeable habit, taken directly from one of these pant-probing perpetrators.

Having congratulated myself on the fact that none of my good-guy friends were guilty of such gross customs - or at the least not publicly - I was rather dismayed when a friend admitted to me over tea in the library that he was occasionally guilty of lodging his mitts down his trousers.

Once I had recovered from the shock of such a revelation, I invited this friend - let’s call him Trevor - to share his thoughts on why this tendency had first occurred.

After a little thinking, Trevor suggested it was the lack of pockets in sport shorts that was to blame, for “When you’re outside practising for rugby or the like, when you think about it, there’s nowhere else as effective to warm your hands up.”

We’re back to where we started: gloves.

I can appreciate that when you are stranded on an outdoor pitch in the freezing weather with no-one but your teammates to observe (who will of course, all be in the same position) your action is probably the best option available in terms of returning circulation to the fingertips.

However, to those guys warmly dressed and with pocketed trousers who are still to be seen fumbling around below the belt as they chat to friends, or wait on the high street: put your hands where I can see them!

I’m pretty sure that if we girls stood cupping a boob, or indeed another unmentionable body part, after the initial crass jokes, you fellas would be far from unfazed - let alone excited - by such a sight. No, I think you would think it rather odd and slightly seedy.

12

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Comment

Taxing calories to reduce obesity: will it actually work?

Yes

No

Satish Beri

Joshua Shrimpton Dean Deputy Editor

The debate on how to combat our country’s looming obesity crisis once again raised it’s fat head, with people looking at the progress of Denmark for solutions. Home to the slimmest people in Europe, Denmark has imposed a tax on junk food in a bid to stay that way, not allowing people to be a burden to their own health like the rest of the world.

The UK, on the other hand, is already the fattest nation in Europe; one third of children and around two thirds of adults being classed as overweight or obese. At this rate, by 2050, the cases of heart disease will have risen by 20 per cent, and type two diabetes by an unbelievable 70 per cent. Both costing the state around £32 billion a year.

These figures alone should be enough for the government to see that something fairly drastic needs to be done. Sure, education may help sway a few people, but in general, educating people about the

Down with fatty food: should greasy takeaways be taxed to make them less appealing?

harmful effects of something won’t have the desired impact if people want to do it anyway.

The sad truth is that we all care more about money than our longterm health. The single biggest deterrent would be an increase in tax; this has been shown in the cigarette industry, with immediate results being shown by the introduction of taxes.

People may argue that one cigarette instantly effects a person’s health, whereas one chocolate bar isn’t going to kill you, but the issue is overindulgence. Whether you can argue that a bottle of Coke is anything other than bad for you is highly debatable.

One of the main problems a proposal such as this will come up against is that it is again, a sign of our ‘Big Brother’ state interfering with our lives; and although I agree, it is a shame it has to come to this.

There isn’t really any other option; we are a country that is proud of its free healthcare system, but the strain of rising obesity problems is huge, and it has to be supplemented somehow. A packet of cigarettes charges a whopping 77 per cent (including the 17.5 per cent VAT on each pack).

There needs to be a similar move on junk food, not only for social costs, but as a deterrent to buying cheap food and give people a little nudge towards healthier options. The tax can also go towards supplementing the costs of healthier snacks and education schemes.

Another possible argument against this is that it will supposedly hit those on lower incomes the hardest.

This is, however, a ridiculous claim that doesn’t really stand up. A Big Mac meal may be cheaper than the healthier option, but the route people should take is cooking for themselves, which would be better for

Anyone unfortunate enough to have subjected themselves to Jeremy Vine’s panic-inducing ramblings on Panorama last week may share my labelling of the ‘fat tax’ as a middle class solution to a working class problem.

Vine’s holier-than-thou narrative begins with 14-year-old Emma’s tour around her local shop. The obese Leeds teen proudly picks her favourite ‘snacks’ from the shelf and treats us to a sort of pitch, as if we were picking a new camera in Currys: “Ya can buy what would norm’lly be classed as a share-sized bag o’ crisps, for ya self, for only a pound. That’s a lotta, lotta crisps.

I’d probably eat this entire bag, and a tube o’ Pringles as well.” Jesus.

And then the BBC offers some of its obligatory social balance as the cameras enter the kitchen of the middle class Milne family. We learn that the ‘quarter ton couple’ write a blog on their daily battle with all things fatty, before the programme

addresses their various ailments: “Gout,” John Milne asserts matterof-factly, raising his eyebrows nonchalantly whilst resting a finger upon his chin.

Gout? I thought that was the preserve of the over-indulgent and long-dead aristocracy. Well, if you’re going to have a diet-related illness it may as well be gout, darling.

But it’s this class divide that’s intrinsic to these proposals. Those of a low income and a poor education gorge on higher amounts of cholesterol and sugar. That’s a fact; it’s not me being prejudiced. These same people will feel the hit of such a tax, but are less likely to vote, and may not be as motivated to launch a structured objection.

It’s plain that the recurring obesity panic is manhandled by the government in the same way as global warming; they may only be in office for four years so just want to appear concerned. The coalition isn’t going to get any return on their investment in such little time.

So their solution? Tax those who will probably buy the same quantities anyway. Where will the money go? Subsidising fruit, veg and gyms?

Not that I know of.

I don’t want to get started on the nanny state, but, in an age of austerity, taking away people’s comfort food seems a bit below the belt.

Just give us a break. Give us a KitKat.

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010 201

13

Camp America: improve your embloyability > Page 16 and 17

food & drink review

Butterfly Cabinet, Heaton 200 Heaton Road Tel: 0191 2659920 A fair walk for those of us who live in Jesmond but on entering the Butterfly Cabinet, it becomes all worthwhile.

With its Beatles memorabilia, chandeliers and retro posters, the overall vintage-style interior is a warm, homey welcome for any passer-by.

Deciding to go just before lunch to make the most of the all-day breakfast menu, we found the cafe buzzing with families and couples reading the paper over a coffee. But as a lone diner there are books to borrow to keep you occupied as you tuck into your brunch.

The Butterfly Cabinet has something for every time of day, offering juices and smoothies or a wide range of coffee and herbals. Beer and wine are served later on if you need a wind down from your university stresses, and with the chairs outside it’s the perfect combination

on a summer’s day.

Being vegetarian I am always at a disadvantage for choice, but not at the Butterfly Cabinet. Almost every option is available as both a meaty treat and has a veggie alternative.

Opting first for a warming hot chocolate complete with cream, marshmallows and a flake we took our time to study the food. The comic book-style menu offers any breakfast you could want, from yoghurt and fruit to a full English.

After 11am you can get full meals of bangers and mash, burgers (veggie if you fancy), paninis or sandwiches. For the less peckish, the homemade veggie soup of the day is another alternative.

After much deliberation, (and asking twice for more time to decide!) I opted for the soup of the day, while my friend went for the full USA veggie breakfast.

It’s hard to understand how you can make soup interesting, but with a fresh crusty roll and butter, accompanying homemade spicy butternut squash soup and fresh croutons floating on top, it certainly was. It was just the right portion, thick and fresh and just the right thing to shut out the gale blowing outside.

As for the full USA - three pancakes with a dinky pot of maple syrup, two sausages, hash browns, and strips of genuinely the best veggie bacon I’ve ever tasted, it really hits the spot.

The puddings entice you from the

second you walk in, homemade biscuits and cookies sitting on the counter in their glass jars get your taste buds going straight away. But take a look on the specials board to see the offer of brownies and homemade maple ice cream and once again the choice is impossible.

In terms of cost, it isn’t on a student’s everyday budget. However, you really do get what you pay

for with the large portions; and it’s always the mark of a good eatery when you see other people get their food and become jealous.

The bottom line must be though, would we go back? A definite, resounding yes. The cafe has so much to offer, we have to go back to taste everything we couldn’t manage this time round.

Katie Hicks

B.CARLIN

Life sucks. We are all getting older, some of us have to graduate and none of us are really sure where we’re going. We’ve left the comfort of school and, in comparison, university life is fleeting and short lived. The one genuine thing that can keep us going in the dark moments and help us carry on in the face of adversity is a nice, greasy bacon sandwich.

I mean let’s be honest; there are few things on this earth that can top that.

You can wax lyrical all you want about how great your Mum’s pea soup is, how awesome your partner is at sensual massages and how you’ve mastered feng shui and your inner zen, but it all pales in comparison to four rashers of streaky bacon fried wrapped in a man-sized bun.

Before we get into the health issues let us consider a situation: you’re hungover, you hit Bambu harder than necessary last night, you’re still buzzing slightly off the Jagerbombs and you’ve just completed your walk of shame/stride of pride (delete as appropriate) and you’re waiting for your housemates to stir.

What can cure this awful hangover?

That’s right, you’ve guessed it, a

nice, hot, beautifully prepared piece of Tofu. Sure. Who wouldn’t want to ingest what is basically an oversized, expensive rubber eraser with slightly less taste?

But that, dear readers, is what awaits you if you convert to vegetarianism.

Tofu, lettuce and the diabolical invention that is, Quorn. Those who say it tastes exactly the same are liars and have clearly never had meat in their lives.

Admittedly your average burger contains slightly more calories than a lettuce sandwich but you feel so much better about yourself after some meat. If you’re that concerned about poultry welfare then just hit up some Asda Smart Price Kievs which, I can guarantee you, have absolutely no chicken in them.

I can’t understand the logic behind giving up the Sunday Roast to save some cows that don’t really have much else to do with their lives than roam around, being milked.

I’m sure vegetarians lead fantastic lives and achieve many great things, but I think this is more down to them as people rather than their diets, and they could probably be even better if they packed in some kebabs. Essentially, if you agree to vegetarianism you are voluntarily placing yourself one rung lower on the food chain and, come the apocalypse, you’ll be the first to get eaten.

Harriet Webb compares some favourite breakfasts and discovers some horrifying truths 1 x Full English Breakfast The traditional English breakfast; a Sunday morning treat or a comforting friend on a hangover full of flavor and grease. Surprisingly to some, the don of all breakfasts comes with a health warning, with an average of about 1000kcal per portion, a whopping 63g of fat, and enough sodium to trigger a mild heart attack. It is also a perfect accompaniment for clogged arteries and a whole host of other health problems.

Butterfly Cabinet: this retro cafe is popular for it’s large breakfast menu

Vegetarianism: all veg and no meat?

Andrew Curry argues why meat is essential in every student lifestyle

calorie shocker

Lucy Johnson on why she has never eaten meat and never plans to

Being a lifelong vegetarian, you’d have an impossible time trying to convince me to eat meat. I can almost guarantee I’ll have a debate about vegetarianism once weekly.

Most people are astounded that I’ve never felt the satisfaction of eating a bacon sandwich. I haven’t got the inclination to do it now, and it’s highly unlikely that I’ll do it in the future.

Fact of the matter is, I don’t find it difficult making veggie meals for myself, and eating out is now far easier than it was twenty years ago.

There are so many specifically vegetarian/vegan eateries in most cities that it’s so easy to get yourself a quick, easy and guilt-free lunch.

Personally, I’ve never understood the attraction to eating meat – why get the energy from the vegetables the cow has eaten? Surely it’s more sustainable to go and eat the vegetables yourself? Plus my shopping bill’s normally much cheaper without spending on costly chunks of meat.

Research has shown that vegetarians tend to lead healthier lives as their diet tends to be lower in total fat. They often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, obesity

and some forms of cancer.

If you look at it ethically and environmentally, vegetarianism is by far the best option. Raising cattle is one of the most damaging components of agriculture. They cause the most environmental damage of any nonhuman species through over-grazing, soil erosion, desertification and tropical deforestation for ranches.

Also, with the demand for food slowly increasing with the growth of the global population, one way to ensure food security is to go vegetarian. In 2006, 276 million tonnes of chicken, pork, beef and other meat were produced, four times as much as in 1961. On average, each person now eats twice as much meat.

Fair enough, I haven’t got much of a clue of how to cook meat, so if you’re going to come to my house, you’re going to be eating veggie.

Brands like Quorn and Beanfeast have made it far easier to cook by providing nutritious meat alternatives. Some would say, if I’m eating something that looks and tastes particularly similar to meat, why not just eat the meat?

As much as organic farming is a more sustainable and chemical free process, the animal still dies at the end of it. Paul McCartney often says, that “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian”. I couldn’t agree more.

3 x Granola and yoghurt For one fried breakfast you could enjoy three bowls of calorie laden granola and low fat yoghurt.

Advertised as a health food, granola and yoghurt is deceiving in its appearance, a 50g portion weighs in at approximately 350kcal, 19g of sugar which is almost a quarter of your RDA, 11g of fat, and 0.2g sodium.

6 x Bowls of porridge This also equates to six bowls of porridgepractically breakfast for the week. Your typical 50g bowl of hearty porridge contains about 180kcal, it is extremely low in fat, with only 0.8g saturated fat, trace sodium and 0.8g sugar. It’s very low on the GI index allowing you to feel fuller for longer, thus, resulting in the consumption of less calories. Porridge is definitely the king of healthy breakfasts!

14

Lifestyle

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Life

life

You’re hired: enhance your post-graduation prosWith record highs of unemployment, finding a job is never going to be easy. Kate Rogers discusses how to get the most of your time at Newcastle University, and to improve your chances of success.

Newcastle’s Careers Service: located in the Kings Gate Building, the Careers Service offers great advice and services. Students can pop in for an informal chat or arrange further meetings to talk about possible career options.

So, chances are, you are reading this extremely hungover, with last night’s pizza on the floor, no memory of the night before and absolutely no plans for the future.

However with the date of graduation a lot closer than it may seem, for us third years this isn’t the wisest decision. The world of employment is looming and as much as you may not like it we need to be adult and responsible, plan for life after university and not just hope it will figure itself out.

It is easy to forget about plans after graduation when you have so much work to do, but you have to try and start now. No one’s going to do it for you, unless you pay them well. But where do you start?

Firstly you need to decide which career path you want to head down.

The Newcastle University Careers service at King’s Gate is there to help. You can either just walk in for a five minute chat, or arrange further meetings to talk about a future career, how to improve your CV and even hold mock interviews. The Careers service website www.ncl. ac.uk/careers is also a great source of information on jobs, work experience in your chosen sector and postgraduate courses, if you decide you want to continue your studies.

There are nearly half a million students at university at over 150 insti-

tutions in the UK alone - so it is likely that competition for your dream career is fierce. Realistically a 2:1 is needed for employers to even take a glance at your CV, but even then no matter how good your degree is, extra-curriculars are a must to keep them interested.

The University is easily the best place to look, with over 150 societies ranging from Disney to Swing Dance, a wide range of very successful sports teams and the media outlets including the Courier, NSR and TCTV. It would be pretty difficult to not find something to get involved in. There are also societies for charities such as Coco with whom you can climb Kilimanjaro in the summer of 2011, and READ International.

It is also easy to help out the local community with the Conservation Society run by Newcastle University students or with SCAN – Student Community Action Newcastle – who currently have 200 volunteering opportunities within 75 different organisations - it is easy to get involved. Do not forget that as important as academics are, employers like to see you have interests outside your studies.

Work experience is a great opportunity to pad out your CV, whilst getting valuable experience in your chosen field. It helps to get a feel of

the environment in which you’re going to work, and is a great way to make contacts for the future. You can take the initiative and approach firms yourself, but this can be difficult and not always a successful route. There are websites to help, such as www.ratemyplacement. co.uk which as well as advertising work placement opportunities for university students also gives reviews from others’ past experiences.

So you have the degree, the work experience, the extra-curriculars, now to apply for the job.

Although it’s not the only route, there is a huge range of graduate schemes available: from postgraduate medicine degrees, chartered accountant training to law conversion courses. However it is important to note that a lot of these schemes have early deadlines, some as early as October, and there is strong competition from other candidates, which underlines the importance of applying as soon as possible.

It is said that around 90% of job opportunities are not advertised for, so it takes more than flicking through the local paper when applying for a job. A lot of job advertisements can be found online. Useful sites such as www.prospects.ac.uk can help you with this, and www.milkround.com actually sends regular emails telling

you when graduate training and job deadlines are approaching in your area of interest. It may be that you want to head abroad: www.bunac. org.uk/uk offers job opportunities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America, which also gives the potential for travel after doing volunteering, or the extremely popular Camp America. It may be that you don’t want to jump into the nineto-five world just yet and want to explore first. Volunteering work is easy to find, and opportunities are available almost anywhere in the world. There are also companies such as www.statravel.co.uk which advertise flights, accommodation and trips cheaply for students.

Job vacancy fairs, and graduate fairs at university are a great way to make contacts in various fields, and to get your foot through the door early Job vacancy fairs, and graduate fairs at university are a great way to make contacts in various fields, and to get your foot through the door

early. Some businesses even hold mock interviews on campus: pay attention to the Careers emails you get as they can be pretty useful for these kinds of things.

It may be that you want to continue your studies - even if it is perhaps to retain your student status for a little while longer. There is not usually an application deadline for post-graduate study (this is definitely true for Newcastle) but you will need to look at the particular institution of interest to be sure. Nor does it mean you should leave it late, although the lack of a deadline gives you more time to make your CV stand out. Remember it’s not just the experiences you have but what you learned from them that employers want to know about.

It is also important to note that if you can address your application to a particular person in the business, this will generally mean that your CV will definitely be looked at.

Hopefully this will help you take a step in the right direction, but this information does not even scratch the surface on the number of opportunities available, you just need to start looking. The University is there to help and guide you, but unfortunately you now have to be adult and be responsible and do the work. You won’t regret it.

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

Life

15

Lifestyle

life

Three interviews. Three third year students. Three options.

Graduation day is looming on the horizon for Newcastle’s final year students, soon it will be time to move on to bigger and better things...they hope.Three writers talk candidly to three final years, as they prepare to leave university and enter the real world Kat Bannon speaks to Chris Barrett about his job offer at legal firm MacFarlanes LLP. Final year Law student Chris Barrett has a three year plan most up and coming graduates would give their left arm for. This September he secured a training contract with legal firm MacFarlanes LLP in London; they are footing the approximately £10000 bill for him to complete his year long LPC (Legal Practise Course) at the BPP Law School in London. After which he will begin his two year contract with the firm, starting on a minimum of £38000 per annum increasing in his second year. Oh, and throw in a £7000 maintenance grant whilst completing his LPC. It is London after all.

During his second year Chris ap-

Katy Lawson speaks to Harry Dawson, who is keen to keep the student lifestyle, and take an extended cooling off period before embarking on a serious career.

Third year Civil Engineering student Harry Dawson is just one of many students in their final year who has absolutely no idea what to do after graduation. Unlike the numerous medics, dentists and law students with jobs lined up, he has no plans, taking the nonchalant attitude that “Everything’ll turn out right in the end...I hope.”

Instead of looking for graduate engineering jobs, Harry plans to spend a year living in Newcastle with seven fellow graduates, all male, getting

plied to around thirty firms based across the country. Although it is primarily recommended to stick to just a few to enable the time and care to complete them to the highest possible standard Chris advises otherwise. The fierce level of competition makes places such as his, few and far between. He does not feel there is anything detrimental to applying for as many as possible – just make sure to do your research and keep them unique to that particular company.

If you are successful in the first part of the application the following stages usually include online psychometric testing followed by an assessment day.

At the assessment day for MacFarlanes’ Chris was required to complete three exams – one maths based and linked to shares, another in which he was presented with five

a basic job so that he can continue living the student lifestyle. And of course, playing football.

He said: “Ideally, I want a job which is four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, so I can go out on a Wednesday. I don’t really care how much it pays either.”

One of his main reasons for not applying to graduate jobs is that he doesn’t want to be tied down, planning to spend at least a year travelling after this brief hiatus. In the meantime he is happy to live an extended, pseudo-student lifestyle taking part in freshers’ crew and continuing to party hard (presumably when he’s not in work the next day). The lure of Newcastle’s trebles bars has evidently not yet rubbed off (despite him being barred from Basement): “I’m just not ready to move on; I’m having too much

fun living the uni life. I don’t want any responsibilities. Being an adult doesn’t look like a lot of fun really.”

Harry takes a similar attitude towards his future career goals; when asked where he sees himself in five years time, he replied: “I expect I’ll have a job, if I’m not still travelling, but will be wearing a suit, driving some sort of car.”

He is certain, however, that he will eventually have a successful career with an impressive salary: “I’d probably like some kind of engineering job, I don’t know what kind; hopefully something fun or interesting.

But I’d like to be on over £100,000 a year at some point in my life, ideally.”

Let’s just see how his CV looks after a year in McDonalds first.

In the current climate, postgraduate study seems appealing. Liv Mason talks to Andrew Curry about postgraduate courses in journalism.

In Andrew’s case a postgraduate degree allows him to specialise in a particular area. Postgraduate study does not have to be in the same field as your undergraduate degree, a Law conversion course for example is becoming a popular choice.

For Andrew, journalism seemed the best choice and a family friend in the journalism industry believes a course is a good way to get your foot in the door. Andrew had limited choices when it came to finding a university offering journalism; the most highly regarded options being Northumbria, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Westminster. Andrew applied to Edinburgh and Northumbria as he knew both cities well. Northumbria is a good option for those wishing to stay in Newcastle but wanting to undertake a more vocational degree, which Newcastle does not

Your course is nearly over and you’re still not sure where it’s going to take you. For some, leaving university and finding a job is an imperative, but for others, postgraduate study may be the best option. One student doing this is third year English Literature student Andrew Curry. He explained why he decided to apply: “I decided to do one because I wanted to study a vocation and lacked a vocational course. I decided on either Law or Journalism as they are the areas I’m interested in.”

scenarios to attach common sense solutions and in the third he was required to write a letter in response to a particular legal situation. This was followed by group exercises which included a Dragons’ Den style presentation. All before lunch - good job it was three courses.

Chris encourages both Law and non-Law students to apply to MacFarlanes. Their professional approach and smooth application process has left him feeling confident in his future with the firm. He also encourages students to keep up to date with extra-curricular activities and make regular visits to the careers office. He highlights the importance of keeping up to date with business news and using the website lawcareers.net.

For more information, contact Chris on: chris.barrett@newcastle.ac.uk

offer. As for how competitive these courses are, Andrew imagines they are very much so. His application process involves online application forms, an essay and an interview.

Andrew’s essay has a 1000-word limit, “leaving little room to blag!”

Another piece of criteria to bear in mind is that two academic references must also be provided. Getting to know your lecturers well may be a good idea.

A postgraduate degree should not simply be undertaken because you have nothing else to do or to escape the job market. As Andrew has shown, applying is not without difficulty and competition can be fierce. But they should definitely be considered as good options to further expand your degree and improve employment opportunities.

The Penny Pincher #6 Eating out

Sarah Bennett Columnist

Who doesn’t love eating out? Although I love cooking, there does come a time when I just fancy treating myself and I’m sure you all think the same. Here’s a rundown of my favourite (and fairly cheap!) places to eat out in Newcastle: ASK/Strada/Pizza Express: One or more of these chains always seem to have a 2-4-1 offer going. Always check online before going, but the pizzas are very tasty.

GOOSE: Yes, I know normally a venue for society pub crawls, but the GOOSE is a hidden gem. 12 of its pub favourites are priced at £2.99 and you can get a burger and drink for £3.99 everyday. They also have cheap offers during the week: Wednesday night is Grill night at £5.99, Thursday is Curry night (£4.99) and Sunday lunch is £4.99.

Lau’s Buffet King: Now, you’ll probably have noticed the new Lau202 next to New Look in Eldon Square, but this does have a cheaper sibling. Lau’s Buffet King is situated in Chinatown and is still the ‘all you can eat’. One of my friends famously couldn’t walk after a visit here. Buffet King offers a £5.50 plate up to 4pm MondayFriday, with happy hour price of £6.50 from 4-6.30pm and £8.50 from 6.30pm until close.

Added penny pinching from Lau202 however: you apparently eat free on your birthday!

Vodka Revolution: Why am I adding a cocktail bar to my eating out list? Well, on Mondays all burgers are 2-4-1 and on Tuesdays all pizzas are 2-4-1. The pizzas are especially amazing and if you own a Privilege card or a Snapfax, you’ll get other food offers throughout the week.

Scalini’s, Spago and Firenze: All situated on Osborne Road in the heart of Jesmond, these three pizzerias offer students great deals.

At Firenze, you can get 2 main meals and 2 glasses for wine for £20, which considering a glass of wine in a restaurant can be anything from £4 up nowadays seems a bargain!

Spago offers Happy Hour pizza and pasta for £4.50 at lunchtime Monday-Saturday and between 5.30-10pm Monday-Wednesday and 5.30-7pm Thursday and Friday.

Snapfax: After getting these free over the past few weeks, you may not have even opened them and looked inside. There are no less than 10 different restaurant offers inside, some giving you more discount on your first visit, then decreasing for subsequent visits So enjoy the delights of eating out in Newcastle!

Next week: Bring baking into your life... visit:www.facebook.com/pennypincher

16

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Lifestyle Travel

travel

Camp America: improve your employability More and more students are choosing to spend their summers abroad, and working at Camp America is becoming increasingly popular. Four writers talk about the benefits of volunteering The road to Camp doesn’t always run smoothly. Kat Bannon discusses the importance of applying early Camp America always seemed an attainable impossibility. Every time I heard an anecdote about someone’s Parent Trap ‘summer of a lifetime’ I told myself I was going to follow their lead, envisioning log cabins and lakes and cum-by-ah sing along time around a fire.

Getting on it was a different matter. It was only when a friend from school mentioned a company called Camp Leaders that the ball began to roll. I started my application in October, but it wasn’t long before I realised this wasn’t going to be quite as easy as first anticipated.

I’d spent my school career playing for every sports team available, but when presented with a whole host of activities in which to rate my experience I found Hockey and netball were the only sports I’d bothered to take to any sort of higher level.

America aren’t too keen on those.

There was more to come: experience with kids? Panic bells started ringing. I’d coached a bit of hockey at school and club but I’d always end up joining in rather than giving them advice. Inconveniently my family had failed to provide me with any young cousins with which to lay claim for Saturday evening babysitting and trips to the zoo.

March came around and I still hadn’t completed the first stage of the application. Each new month signalled a new phonecall to Camp Leaders to unblock my account as my inactivity implied I was no longer interested.

The Easter holidays gave me a chance to put my arse into gear and within a few days I had an interview for the following week at their offices. It was standard questioning, the kind that’s blaggable if you have any ounce of imagination and quick enough thought processes.

However, this just gave me another bunch of virtual paperwork. I needed references, a CRB check and a visa. You forget how hard it is to get into America. A new passport was another box to tick.

The visa demanded completion of online forms and specifically one inch square head shots before a midnight bus to London the day of my last summer exam for an 8 o’clock appointment at the American Embassy. It was twenty minutes of fingerprints and checking I’d told the truth to the computer before I could hit Oxford Street.

Meanwhile it was a case of waiting to be wanted. Camps were able to view your profile on the internet, take you out of the pile of perspec-

tive counsellors either for keeps or just while they made their mind up.

I’d check my account more than my Facebook, longing for ‘placeable’ to change to ‘placed’ or at least ‘on review’ more than longed for friend requests.

It was June before anyone showed any interest, and our relationship was short-lived before I was thrown on the pile again. I was beginning to lose hope. However, just the next day I was being reviewed again.

This time it was for ‘Camp Vega’, an all girls’ traditional private camp in Maine. Admittedly, the idea of it being all girls put me off, but at ten o’clock next morning packing to go home and I got a phonecall to say they wanted to hire me. And, obviously, they wanted me on a plane in less than 48 hours. Oh, and I was to be a ropes and climbing instructor.

Had I put that on my form?

The next day was a whirlwind of baggage weights and how many jumpers to take before I left the UK, alone and phone-free, for eleven weeks. The only time I’ve thought back to the tedium of the initial process has whilst writing this.

Summer of a lifetime doesn’t quite cut it.

Camp taught Briony Harris to be confident and responsible It certainly felt like the longest nine weeks of my life but was most definitely the most unforgettable and rewarding nine weeks I have ever experienced.

My journey started in June when I waved good bye to dreary old Newcastle and hit the sky US bound, on my way to embark upon a summer of a life time.

I admit it wasn’t all excitement as I hesitantly boarded the flight, the anticipation of arriving at camp hanging over me as heavily as the depressingly dull clouds of England.

However, the thought of getting a tan did lift my mood just a little bit.

I was a High Ropes Instructor, and had the challenge of supervising, assisting (and occasionally rescuing) nine-year-old girls. Being slightly unnerved by the heights of the course, I found this fairly hard to stomach.

I also took the role of low ropes instructor, which was a series of problem solving activities that I had to teach and supervise. Besides that, I had the responsibility over six lovely nine year old girls.

The girls arrived in a spectacular array of transport - most impressively limousines (Tripp Lake Camp is the most expensive in the US), and camp began. It was all very loud, non-stop and I literally never had a

second to myself.

The kids were a challenge but I definitely learnt something - wait until you’re older to have them as they will take over (or ruin, depending on how you see it) your life. If I wasn’t with them, I worried about them, and although they could be damn-right spoilt and said ‘awesome’ and ‘perf’ far, far too much, it was so rewarding to have some real responsibility for once; a refreshing change to my student lifestyle.

“Camp really makes you grow up. I think for the first time in my life I actually felt like a mature and responsible adult who people looked up to and aspired to be” Although girls hide your bras, the kids try them on when you’re out of the room. It gets annoying.

Camp really makes you grow up. I think for the first time in my life I actually felt like a mature and responsible adult who people looked up to and aspired to be like. Being away from England and its distractions, gives you time to take a breather and think about your life and all that deep stuff. I think you can get carried away with life sometimes and this was a rare opportunity to forget about everything and just be totally absorbed by what you were doing.

Working with groups of loud and massively outgoing Americans also boosted my confidence and developed my leadership skills.

Spending three months in the US at camp and travelling afterward meant I was an expensive phone call away from those who usually helped me out in new situations, meaning I became more independent.

Furthermore, although the American accent made me want to physically scream by the end of camp, and yes, I had even started saying ‘Good job!!’ and the occasional ‘awesome’. Working out there helped me to create life-long friendships with the kind of people I’d never meet at home. And free accommodation in lots of parts of the US which is obviously a bonus.

At camp, you work with a diverse range of people and are accountable for lots of young children. This level of responsibility is undoubtedly going to impress employers.

I definitely think a summer at camp can improve the employability of any graduate because let’s face it, it takes a certain type of person to get out there and do it, and that’s what employers are looking for.

I’m currently applying for placement years and have already heard

Extremely rewarding: Most students believe working at Camp America boosts their chances of g

back from several firms. I think talking about my summer at camp has helped significantly; I literally have an example for demonstrating every personal quality.

Would I go back again? Not next year. I loved it but for me it was a once in a life time thing as I think I’d find the same girls and routine a bit grinding. I did however, have an amazing summer, hanging around in England now seems unbearable.

I went with BUNAC (they’re cheaper than the other agencies).

So if you’re up for a real challenge, I recommend you get out there and apply now.

The experience you gain at Camp definitely impresses employers, says Laura Heads If I was to evaluate myself in anyway I am definitely not one of those people who likes to stay put in one place. The idea of a summer spent

at home, doing nothing but working makes me bored just thinking about it. That’s why I chose to spend my summer of first year (and consequently my second year as well) working on a kids’ camp in America.

The idea of having fun in a different country, with a climate that’s definitely better than Britain’s, and earning money for it was a package I could not refuse.

Having applied in November, come June I was in the air and well on my way, my final destination: Camp CONNRI, a camp run by the Salvation Army, in Connecticut.

My job was that of chief counsellor, this meant I was in charge of all the female counselling staff and all the female campers that we had, to say this daunted me was a vast understatement!

I have always considered myself a fairly outgoing person, someone who wasn’t afraid of a challenge, but I was definitely thrown in at the deep end in my task to get to know every counsellor, my bosses, and my job role in the short space of a week.

As cliché as this sounds, I do not think I have ever grown as much as I

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

Travel

travel

17

Lifestyle

A key responsibility: Looking after children for nine weeks is hard work, but rewarding.

getting a job - whether it be a part time or graduate position. Employers are interested in this, and it helps when filling in application forms.

did my first summer. I learnt how to lead a team, how to handle staffing problems, to combat my fear of ringing people I didn’t know; I improved my communication skills ten fold (something I always thought I was pretty top notch on), and undeniably improved my self confidence.

It wasn’t the typical camp that many imagine when you think of an American summer camp. The kids were definitely not as rich and posh as films would have you expect; and unlike Parent Trap or Camp Rock the campers didn’t turn up in limos or posh cars, instead turning up in those good old favourite yellow school buses or in van loads from their churches.

As a result many of the campers that we had were from broken homes, didn’t have much in life and consequently were quite badly behaved.

It was such a feeling of contentment though when just one camper would turn around to you and tell you that they appreciate all you’ve done for them, even if it was after telling them off severely.

It is no lie to say it was a tough summer; dealing with American badly behaved kids is a completely

new experience to dealing with British ones. That being said, I wouldn’t change any of it. In fact I loved it so much I went back this summer, and if I can fit it around graduation plan to go back summer 2011 as well.

It was such a rewarding summer and has done vast amounts to improve my personal and professional outlook. Since coming back from America summer 2009, I’ve had numerous job interviews and in every one we’ve spent a good 1015 minutes just talking purely about that, employers are so interested in it. I love talking about my times at Camp America, and it’s such a relief to be able to talk to a prospective employer about something I can talk about effortlessly, rather than a topic that makes my heart race.

I would honestly recommend anyone to do it; it is the experience of a lifetime (although arguably it doesn’t quite rank up with teaching English in Ecuador.)

It is something that has left me not only with lifelong friends, but also with something to rave to employers about, experience that I would not get anywhere else, and, something to tell the grandkids about!

Camp is a great way to fill the summer and your CV says Nicola Lake The summer after I had finished my A-levels I decided I would take a gap year and go on an adventure.

I hoped that Summer Camp USA would be a great way to ease me into travelling and spending time abroad for a longer period of time than I was used to. I also knew that after travelling and working abroad I would start University as a completely different person.

The first part of my gap year I spent in New Hampshire, America.

I had applied through BUNAC and had been placed in an all girls camp called Camp Bernadette for nine weeks.

The flight was the day after my Yr 13 prom so after a good night I was still excited to fly over to New York where I spent one night with other people who were also doing Summer Camp USA. After a bus transfer in an American icon (the yellow school bus) we arrived at camp. Situated right next

Diversity: Every camp is different - not all of them resemble the one on The Parent Trap

to the Lake and the sun was shining!

We had the camp to ourselves for a week before the children got there, so had plenty of time to get to know all the other staff both American and international such as Scottish, English and Australian.

It was good to be put out of my comfort zone and really helped to boost my confidence. It wasn’t hard to make friends as everyone was in the same boat and excited to be there. I worked as a lifeguard and swim teacher on the lake during the day which was especially enjoyable when the sun was shining. During the evenings we had to be involved in the cabin activities as well as dinner and putting the children to bed.

Here was where we had to use our creativity and leadership skills to keep the girls entertained in the cabins when there weren’t any structured activities. I learnt to always think on my toes.

Being a councillor for girls aged 12 was a good age to work with as I felt they were old enough to relate to but still engaged in all the activities with enthusiasm. If you like dressing up then you will love camp. We had activities where we were dressed as pirates, another as Indian chiefs

and other themes included carnival where the whole camp ended up covered in shaving foam, including our camp director.

Everyone that did summer camp was very similar in nature; outgoing, fun loving and up for a giggle.

One of my favourite parts of camp was all the songs and cheers that were sung. It really is like what you see on the TV, there was a chant or song for everything including an adaptation of Happy Birthday! It was amazing to experience American life first hand. Getting to know the girls you were living with, including the staff, meant I became well aware of American culture and even started using phrases like bathing suit and trash can!

Although every camp is different in their own ways and you will work hard in every camp, it’s so much fun as well as looking great on your CV. I have been applying for placements for next year and have used my summer camp experience for many of the application form questions, such as team work and responsibility questions.

If anyone was thinking of doing it through the summer then I would definitely recommend it.

18

Lifestyle

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Sex & Relationships

sex & relationships blind date

Dangerous Liaisons

Tom Dibb & Sally Greenwood

#6 One Night Stands

He said: Well it’s fair to say that I was feeling pretty nervous as I stood outside Osborne Road’s Spy Bar on Wednesday night, waiting for my mysterious date to arrive. As a blind date novice I’d had mixed feelings when I learned that a friend had signed me up, but I decided that at the very least it would be a laugh. So, after a last minute attempt to straighten some of the creases out of my spectacularly badly-ironed shirt, I sat down and waited for her text.

Happily, when she arrived it was soon obvious that I needn’t have been worried. Sally was attractive and easygoing, and I quickly overcame my nerves as we chatted over a drink. We were slightly freaked out when we realised that we were both doing the same course and that she was living in St Mary’s - the halls I’d lived in last year – but that gave us a fair bit in common to kick off the evening’s conversation.

Having only texted her that afternoon to organise the date, I didn’t have a plan as such, so we had a wander round the corner and ended up in Pizza Express for something to eat. Deciding to be imaginative, we ordered a pizza each and had a few more drinks as Sally told me about her love of horses. I was interested to hear about her trips to New York, which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit, and we had a laugh swapping (censored) anecdotes from our post-A-Level holidays abroad.

After a pleasant meal we headed down Osborne Road in search of a bar. Diving out of the cold and into Osbornes as we were passing, we ordered another couple of drinks , which Sally was generous enough to pay for. However, the evening then took a turn for the worse as she lured me into a round of pool with the words “Don’t worry, I’m not very good.” This soon turned out to

Pamela Mardle Columnist

be a complete lie as she soundly beat me twice, to both our amusement.

All in all, it was the best date I’ve been on in a while – though, as her flatmates appeared to escort her home, I think we parted as friends more than anything else. Sally is a cracking lass and a good laugh, and I hope she enjoyed the evening as much as I did.

She said: When I first came to terms with the idea that I was going on a blind date, I was apprehensive to say the least. However, after being given Tom’s number to arrange a place and a time, I suddenly felt better, as he seemed extremely organised and confident.

We decided to meet that night at Spy Bar in Jesmond, which once again got me feeling nervous as it was extremely short notice. In an at-

tempt to calm my nerves, I somehow decided that drinking a few glasses of wine beforehand would prepare me for what the night had to offer.

However, this plan seriously backfired, due to the fact that I had much higher expectations of how much alcohol I can actually handle.

In the taxi ride there, I started to feel tipsy, and by the time I actually reached Spy Bar, I had serious regrets about my plan to soothe my nerves with alcohol. It was now time to meet my blind date, and I was in no real state to participate in something like this. However, I knew I had to continue and eventually met Tom, finding myself pleasantly surprised that he was over six foot and not at least two feet smaller than me like I had feared.

We had a few drinks, probably not a good idea for me at that point, and I soon learned that we had quite a few things in common, such as the

fact that we both studied English Literature and have both lived at St Mary’s College. This made things a lot less awkward than I previously imagined, as we found that we had quite a lot to talk about. From Spy Bar we went to Pizza Express, which I was extremely thankful for as I hoped it would sober me up.

After our meal Tom paid the bill, gaining huge brownie points from me, and we went for yet more drinks, where I decided it would be a good idea to play pool and consequently embarrass myself. It was around this point I became aware that my flatmates had pretty much stalked me around Jesmond all night, and so the night ended with my friends making hilarious excuses as to why they were there. All in all, my first ever blind date was an enjoyable yet funny experience, due to my uncontrollable pre-drinking and nosey flat mates.

madame vs monsieur K.VONG

Our agony duo Madame & Monsieur deliberate over the metrosexual male Our mate dyes his hair blonde, waxes his chest and wears what he describes as ‘fashionable’ clothing. He thinks he looks cool and is really manly, but we feel kind of embarrassed to be out with him on nights out. How do we tell him he is trying too hard and to tone it down a bit without hurting his feelings and damaging our friendships with him?

Madame

I believe these days you young men have a lot of ‘banter’. When you’re engaging in this exercise, slip in the fact that Fernando Torres left that look last season and ask whether he’s modelling his roots on Katie Waissel’s. If he takes it badly

remind him it’s just ‘banter’ and he obviously isn’t enough of a LAD if he can’t handle it. Alternatively, pay an incredibly belle madame to ask him if whether he got his jumper from Oxfam or The British Heart Foundation, and that she’d give him some oh-la-la if it wasn’t for the fact her grandmother used to have the same one. If neither of these work you’re going to just

have to deal with his eccentricity and find someone or something else to blame for the fact you guys aren’t getting laid on nights out.

Monsieur Oh dear, oh dear. We all have a friend of a friend who knows someone like this. I am yet to meet

someone who directly knows a ‘bleach boy’, as a friend of mine refers to them – maybe that’s just because people are too embarrassed to talk about them. I’m assuming this development is recent, as not many people would become friends straight up with one of these folk.

If he’s been like this since you’ve known him, then you only have yourself to blame for getting involved. Otherwise, I can think of a few things. Let him know that you think he looked better before the bleaching and hope that he reverts to his old ways; get a lady friend who is actually fashionable to give him a bit of sincere advice about his ‘style’, or stop going on nights out with him. If he is generally good craic then the last piece of advice may be inappropriate – in that case incinerate his clothing, destroy every bottle of bleach he buys and rub hair growth serum into his chest as he sleeps (or get someone else to do that). Bish, bash, bosh – problem solved! Until next week my friends, au revoir!

It’s the end of the night and the taxi is heading directly for his bedroom. Looks like you’re half-a-Jesmond away from finally cementing the as-yet-unconsummated (and possibly unacquainted) engagement. First of all, it has to be said that the whole cup of tea façade must be scrapped upon arrival at his house. Unless both parties are entirely naïve or face a sudden bout of cold feet, it’s clear that this 3am rendezvous is not purely for the sake of a chocolate digestive. Although, a post-coital dunk could be just the thing (no pun intended).

Straight up to the bedroom – or lounge, bathroom, front door step, depending on your prowess – to get down to the deed. Unless it is absolutely certain that the house is empty, it’s recommended to take it behind closed doors to avoid the completely undignified, earthswallow-me-whole situation of being interrupted. Voyeurism is a sport much indulged and enjoyed, but the thought of a complete stranger who will not stay that way for much longer turns my toes blue. Either you will frequent their house more often after this dalliance or you will have to face them on a night out at some point – it’s scientifically proven in my previous column, Seven Degrees.

I have to refer to a certain course mate and her rather unfortunate (and potentially traumatising for one poor lorry driver) ‘sleepover’ to illustrate the downfalls of onenighters. I use the term ‘sleepover’ loosely as I believe that no sleep was had (and strangely, no sex either) as she had left the flat before getting any shut eye.

Let me enlighten you: naming no names, Fi headed back to a ‘friend’s’ house after a particularly drunken night to, apparently, cuddle. Being the sexual deviant she is, she decided to sleep in a pair of tiny knickers to sex up an otherwise innocent act. Getting up for the toilet, Fi, still scantily clad, stumbles out of the bedroom and locks herself out of the house.

Fail number one. After hammering on the door to no response, she takes matters (and her naked chest) into her own hands and heads home.

A white van pulls over and the disturbed man inside asks her if she is OK. Instead of reassuring the poor man that she has not just escaped near-death, Fi makes a run for it, leaving him to forever ponder. Eventually arriving home, she strikes it lucky as her flatmates thankfully do wake to her hammering on the door this time.

The moral of the story is, always clothe yourself after it’s done – or just stay fully clothed if, like in Fi’s case, nakedness isn’t necessary!

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

19

Camel: the colour of this season > Page 21

Colour the campus: your shade guide

Ruth Scrase talks black and blue to uncover some of fashion and colour’s biggest taboos Is wearing black timelessly stylish or does wearing black show lack of inspiration? Is black even a colour? Myths that have plagued our thoughts for generations.

Regardless of season, colour is omnipresent. Although it is questionable how much the general public actually adhere to them, Fashion has tried to dictate rules as to its wear across time and culture.

Nevertheless, the importance of colour in fashion is so enduring that it has become more the tones and styling that define new trends rather than the point of the spectrum itself.

Vogue has identified two signature trends from the catwalks of Autumn/ Winter 2010/11 that incorporate our persistent zeal for colour. The first, lead

by Giorgio Armani, has been dubbed the ‘Liquorice Allsorts’ look. This comprises of sharp separates in simple shapes in block black, mixed with saccharine shades. Fear not though, whilst images of Bertie Bassett may flick through the mind, this look is classy. The prominent shades of lavender, mint, lemon, tangerine, petal and lime permeate a more genteel air whilst the contrasting black garments featured in most walks included capes and elbow length gloves. Tasters of this trend to block black and sugar sweet tones are to be seen currently in accessories, championed by the likes of Miu Miu. The second current trend in colour from the catwalks is more chaotic and has hence been identified as the ‘Dressing up Box’ look by Vogue, commonly also known as ‘Tribal’. Lead by the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, this look is in com-

RED

MAGENTA

ORANGE

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

INDIGO

PURPLE

BLACK ???

Paint the rainbow: colour remains one of the greatest assets a designer possesses

plete contrast to the aforementioned.

Described as flamboyant, it is characterised as the layering of bright violet, pink,

orange and lime. Colour in this trend is also to be found in embroidery and print. This is a colour trend where rules

such as ‘blue and green should never be seen’ can be cast aside as clashing is very much de rigeur.

There is a third trend for those who don’t want to immerse themselves in the rainbow for fear of being mistaken as something from the confectionary aisle or a stray from the hippy heyday.

Colour can be used just as an accent to an outfit: shoes in warm, fruity block colours, such as zingy orange and warm peach also featured heavily on the A/W catwalk, matched with contrasting socks for an even bolder fashion statement.

These catwalk trends remain merely that at present. It is up to us, the fashion conscious public, to determine whether they transcend into everyday life. Whilst each new season will profess a new way to ‘wear’ colour or that a certain tint is ‘the’ colour of the moment, most will always stick to the tones that they either like or that suit them in both terms of colouring and personality; in my opinion; a more rational choice.

Some believe that the seemingly simple choice of what colour to wear can in fact reveal how we feel at the time.

Whilst various cultures and eras have had their own, often contrasting, colour symbolism scientists have identified that different colours can actually have a psychological impact. On closer examination their hypothesis would seem to make sense, as after all, colour is reflected light, which in turn is a type of energy. In many ways the symbolism and science conjoin. For example, red, often the symbol for passion, has been proven, when seen, to stimulate body and mind and to increase blood circulation. In contrast,

blue is thought to soothe illnesses and is generally calming. Again, this links with its traditional symbolism of loyalty and optimism, hence why some fashion consultants champion its wearing in job interviews, for instance.

Whilst each colour may have its own symbolism, save from use in theatre or literature, I doubt many give thought to what meaning the colour of their clothes could have; simply picking out that navy cardigan as we like the colour and its versatility. Likewise, in colour psychology do we really put on a bright item of clothing and instantly become more cheery or do we put on that cerulean dress because we are already in a good mood? I’m not sure most of us are overly concerned with what colour we wear most of the time. Naturally whilst on nights out people may pay more thought to the shade they wear, not only in garments but nails and eye shadow too, walking around campus for the most part is like stepping into a merge of denim blue, grey and navy with occasional splashes of baby pinks or green .A depressingly dull sight when contrasted to the wonders that the catwalk promised this season.

Vibrancy and cut will alternate from season to season but as long as the sun shines, colour will be an integral part of fashion (black, the fashion world’s staple, included). The fashion houses will continue to dictate what colour we should be wearing and how the majority of people will continue to sport the hues they feel most comfortable and appealing in, so their personality colours the world, not just their ensemble.

Over to you: which designer uses colour the best?

Katie Lauren Henry goes gaga for Galliano

John Galliano is without a doubt one of the most influential British designers of our time, and in my humble opinion, a designer who excels at using colour in his creations. Born in Gibraltar to a Spanish mother (moving to Britain at a very early age) it could be argued that the inspiration for his colourful pieces comes directly from his Mediterranean roots.

John Galliano has created some of the most spectacular fashion shows of our time, using outrageous colours and flamboyant costumes. He designs a dozen collections a year for Dior and the haute couture flagship boutique in Paris is home to everything from wedding dresses to shoes and fragrances.

His bold, eye catching gowns are no stranger to the red carpet, with celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz and Naomi Campbell all favouring his bright, figure hugging designs. His creations for Dior received ultimate exposure in both Sex and the City the series and both films who could forget Carrie’s infamous Dior Newspaper Dress, possibly the only out-

fit ever worn twice by the fashionista.

For Dior, Galliano has used fantasy and whimsy as a muse to create some truly original pieces. His shows are more often than not an extravagant theatrical production. Just last month saw the showcase for the Christian Dior spring/ summer 2011 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The show was a rainbow of vivid colours, including electric blues, bright fuchsias and even luminous yellows.

Not to mention a pair of vibrant orange leopard print stilettos tied at the ankle with ribbon, creating a ‘circus meets romantic ballet’ theme.

John Galliano is extremely brave in his choice of colours, and is not afraid to use these bright colours to bring to life the pieces he designs. Galliano’s colourful personality is definitely mirrored in his deigns, making his collections more vibrant that any other on the catwalk at the moment.

Briony Carlin states the case for Jil Sander

Sunglasses are (literally) a must-have for Spring/Summer 2011 as acid-bright hues are on a rampage. But there’s always the one smugly smiling that ‘we’ve been doing this since before it was cool’, such as

trast to the enormous shapes and shades of the looks either side of it. Its volume isn’t quite as extreme and its colour comes in a delicate starburst of tie-dye that spreads over the more shapely body of the dress. Jil Sander’s idiosyncratic one-colour silhouettes and abstract use of tailoring are distinctively brave. This, along with pattern adds a more playful side to the otherwise overpowering volume and authority of its collections.

Impressive as it is, occasionally this latest collection is reminiscent of a row of beach huts.

Jil Sander – the member of the faspack that’s cool to covet is the ultimate exploiter of the colour wheel and this is what cements her as the best example of a designer that uses colour to its best advantage, leaving a yellow-brick road in her wake.

Charlize Theron regularly covets Galliano

Jil Sander’s S/S collection which is full of voluminous, candy-striped maxis and structureless, ‘paper bag’ skirts. Cheeky peplums, fishtails and crumpled and cinched waists need no more accompaniment than a plain white tee or crisp shirt and a slick of electrifying pink lipstick to set them off. Mingled in amongst these bold statements of colour are some softer florals, but they’re still offset by the swathes of fabric billowing around these slight models. The highlight of the show came as a surprising and refreshing con-

Charlotte Scott explores the hues of Henry Holland Henry Holland is a young British designer who is taking the world by storm.

Holland’s signature designs are a coura-

geous concoction of geometric prints and vibrant colours with an occasional cult catchphrase thrown in for good measure. Not content with owning the catwalk, 2010 saw Holland succeed on the high-street when he joined Debenhams to craft a line which was great value and accessible to the general public. It is obvious to anyone familiar with Holland’s work that he is not afraid of embracing colour and that is why he is a leader in contemporary fashion.

The 1980s is known for its fashion nonos, yet this has not deterred Holland from regurgitating the period’s iconic style. In his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, Holland approached colour in a unique way putting the 1980s at the forefront of the industry. In comparison to previous years, Holland toned down the dye without sacrificing the vivid flare which defines the label, opting for pastel shades like baby blue teamed with matt black. The recent collection from House of Holland mirrors the artistic flare of Button Moon, remembered for playful colours highlighted against a black backdrop.

Ultimately, the ability to use colour so daringly in a way which exudes sentimentality distinguishes Henry Holland from his rivals. When Holland uses colour, he really goes for it, and to do so with such taste is a testament to his rare talent. Henry Holland is the King of Colour.

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Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Fashion Men and colour

In his shoes...

Guys: should you wear pink?

Our go-to guy delves into the varied Burhana Islam world of colour in search of answers gives a positive “Are there any colours girls wear that guys hate?” female view The go-to guy said: This week I’m having a look at colour.

It’s a topic in fashion that most people who don’t work in the industry, even those who are quite conscious of how they dress, probably don’t think further than which colours match when they are deciding what to wear in the morning.

Colours clearly make up part of the very essence of fashion, and therefore how we portray ourselves to others and also how others see us – whether we like it or not. And even those who say they are not interested in what they wear do to an extent follow some basic colour rules – but then there are also those who don’t. (picture chav in neon pink tracksuit).

Indeed, colours can have a subconscious effect on how we feel. Some fast food chains originally designed their restaurants in garish colours in order to get their customers in and out in the quickest time possible; whereas calming blues and greens are often used in hospitals to keep the atmosphere subdued. Many colours have such deep cultural connotations that we take them completely for granted; take blue and pink being associated with boys and girls – everyone in the Western world is aware of this convention; but before the 1950s it wasn’t universal, the trend in some parts was even the exact opposite. Interestingly, academics at this university published a study in 2007 reporting that these associations may in fact be genetic – raising the bizarre prospect that fashion through the ages may have been in some way controlled by our genes!

So are there some colours that, if you wear them, could be insighting deep (if not always obvious) emotional reactions in others?

Well there are, of course, the obvious emotive responses of dislike and even embarrassment when people wear colours that are clearly completely wrong together, or garments with odd prints which are ridiculously in your face.

There are also those times when someone may look completely normal, even drop dead gorgeous – but the colours they have on simply don’t suit the occa-

sion – think funeral, wedding etc – anything that stands out as too bright/too drab/clashing is only going to be commented on later at the buffet table or bar by a group of nosy great aunts.

Apart from these seemingly blatant rules about what to wear for certain occasions, are there any colours that girls wear that really gets their man, or men in general, rather riled? Well the answer that first comes into my head is no. Follow the rules of convention – obviously mix it up when you can, but don’t offend the masses, and guys probably won’t bat an eyelid if you are olive-skinned and wear mustard (I didn’t even know that was a colour!). When it comes down to it, most guys like to have a girl who looks nice on their arm - don’t go mental with your colours and he won’t think that you’re mental too.

I’ll leave you with some quick tips; recent research has suggested that people look more attractive in red (boys and girls) - if you’re hoping not to be lonely this Christmas, give it a go. Finally, camel is in this season, so get your hump on.

In conclusion, the male species will not have a heart-attack over the colour you wear as long as you wear it well. However, if you decide to wear every colour of the rainbow in an oufit, don’t expect to be turning heads for the right reasons.

Colour: our go-to guy discusses trends

Of course they can wear pink! The age old question has haunted our men for generations, but little did they know that the colour was originally endorsed by our other halves from as far back as time itself. History tells us that the Victorians dressed their boys in pink as a sign of manhood. Well, actually red defined men, but as it was far too expensive, they settled for pink instead. What’s strange is that girls were dedicated to blue after the Virgin Mary, so if we can pull off pink, surely they can too.

The colour pink comes in many forms for the male wardrobe, we women should know because apparently we’re experts in that field. There is nothing sexier than a guy in a grey suit, a salmon shirt and fuschia tie. Real men wear pink. The shade is rich and radiates the confidence of the wearer; not only that but it goes with almost anything, from the navy jeans to the caramel cardi. Still not convinced? Try to remember Brad Pitt in his photocall for Inglorious Basterds.

He’s been branded as the epitome of all that is beautiful in this world, and when sporting a pale pink suit with an ivory shirt, he sure as hell lives up to his title.

In short, when a man walks in pink, we girls will undeniably notice.

Anyway, who said men can’t wear it?

For now Britain seems to lack a fashion police, unless you count Gok Wan (but he’s too busy with bras and cellulite I suppose). We don’t even have a Minister for Masculinity to condemn the colour, so who exactly is pulling the strings on this one?

The male species should use their own initiative to realise that pink is a fashion statement. How many polo shirts have you seen that don’t embody the colour pink? It’s all around us and there’s no escaping it anytime soon. From Gossip Girl’s bachelor Chuck Bass, to the average not-so-suave chav; pink has been pulled off by men of all shapes, sizes and standings. Thinking it’s a feminine hue is a common misconception that we can’t even justify by saying ‘it’s a thing of the past’, because clearly it’s not. After all, if you’re that sure of your masculinity, what is there to be afraid of?

Brad Pitt: the ultimate man’s man is known for wearing a pink shirt with a suit

Matthew Wild is adamant that pink is gender encoded For me, the answer will always be no.

I, as well as probably the rest of men worldwide, when seeing another man walking past in a bright pink shirt, will consider how much this guy is being paid to do this or imagine what bet this poor soul has lost. Of course there is always the stereotypical argument that this colour proves a man to be ‘comfortable with his masculinity’. So does this mean the most masculine man walks around in a fluorescent pink bra with a matching mini skirt? I do not think so.

This is a feminine colour because it is the most popular with surprise, surprise... females!

Upon saying that I would be doing this argument, one of my course friends stated that he believed that he and many others had the ability to pull off a dashing pink shirt, so why should they not wear it? Without ever trying to say I know much about fashion, I do know that certain colours do not suit every

individual, especially after witnessing some horrendous yellow numbers around university. My thought is that far too many people buy pink shirts when they are more Brad Friedel than Brad Pitt (look up Friedel if you’re not a football fan).

Okay, I may have judged a little too quickly, as there are some shades that anyone can get away with. I accept that a light pink shirt underneath a suit can be a good look and make someone stand out in a crowd. But this is the good way to get noticed, there are, however, ways not to do it. Again I state to not be a professional but after countless lessons from the girlfriend, it is now even more obvious when the shade is taken way too far.

However, it’s not up to me to decide what’s on trend as I don’t claim to be an expert. I’m only giving the opinion of the average guy who doesn’t really know about what colours go with others, as I just pull on the first checked shirt I see in the morning. Ultimately, I’m not going to be the person who the pink-clad guys of Newcastle are trying to impress. The females of the species will indeed have the final say and girls, if you’re looking for someone who likes playing dress-up and isn’t afraid to go out in colours that match your Topshop offerings, then I am sure these guys will not be hard to miss!

Get it nailed: this season’s guide to nail colour Kate Short takes us through proper nail maintenance and what colours to experiment with

Fashion is not just about clothes anymore. What colour you wear on your nails can either make or break an outfit.

With winter fast approaching it’s time to embrace your gothic side. Take your pick from black, navy, purple or racing

green. Team your glossy nails with black lace or leopard print for a dramatic look.

Remember dark colours look best on short nails.

If you’re not ready to convert to the dark side just yet, you can always rely on classic rouge to make your nails look good and you feel good. Red nails will never go out of style and this timeless shade will carry you effortlessly from day through to night. Add a ruby flash to brighten up any outfit especially this season’s must have camel coat.

Ladylike pale nails have been spotted up and down the catwalks. Colours that are similar to your skin tone make your fingers appear longer. If you are brave enough to go nude, choose your shade

wisely. Go with a shade closest to your skin tone and match neutral nails with deep jewel and autumn shades in your ensemble.

Gold is the new black. Metallics are big in the nail game especially with Christmas just around the corner. Metallics can be worn with all colours and for all occasions. Why not use them to give your old LBD a new lease of life for the party season ahead?

Although best reserved for the summer months, every girl should have a pink in her nail polish collection. A common fashion faux pas is clashing pink nails with red. Avoid neon; instead opt for a hot pink to complete your summer look.

The more experimental ladies out there check out WAH Nails - the hottest thing to happen to nails in years. WAH Nails is an East London nail salon (also found in Topshop!) that turns fashion trends into nail art. You name it they create it.

Recreate these unique looks yourself at home with nail transfers available online from Minx Nails.

Finally, ensure a long-lasting finish by applying an essential top coat to prevent those bad boys from chipping. This will also save you time and stress from having to constantly re-do nasty chipped nails.

Nail these top trends and tips and your digits will look just as glamorous as your carefully-chosen outfit!

Kate’s top tips for flawless nails...

1. For chic nails keep them short and square.

2. Remember to buff and polish for a smooth finish.

3. Be bold with block colour. French manicures and false nails are a thing of the past.

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

21

Colour Pop Fashion

Colour pop: the look in three steps Want to know how to inject a bit of colour into your outfit? Milly Simon has all the answers Colour blocking - first step to colour blocking is to pick two focal garments. These shoes and knitted dress are great examples of laid back chic. Add a vintage scarf around your head and complete with some gold chains and the colour-block look is complete, channelling street style.

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Print - to incorporate print into a colourful outfit, keep a focal point. This time it’s the jacket dressed down with a pair of demin shorts. Add a body and a belt in complimentary hues and the tropical printed look is complete.

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Colour under the fashion microscope: Camel

Fashionista Milly Simon takes a venture into how best to wear this notoriously difficult shade

Although perhaps not one of the most vibrant colours available to the consumer, camel is not to be underestimated and its clear prominence in this season’s trends has been undeniable.

Classic simplicity is key this winter and the subtle shade of camel fits perfectly with this criteria. Chloe showcased an almost entirely camel and nude palette for their Autumn/ Winter 2010 collection.

Cuts were simple and tones were neutral, illustrating how to mix your camel with different variations of tan or beige for a look that feels effortlessly chic. The hooded camel coats were perhaps the highlight of the catwalk as they soon became considered this season’s new must have.

Michael Kors also included a huge amount of camel in his Autumn/ Winter collection, proving that you can make a style statement without relying on garish, attention-grabbing fashion. He mixed great chunky camel knits with huge caramel fur coats, again keeping his palette neutral by

BOOHOO.COM

sticking almost entirely to soft shades.

Philip Lim similarly worked the trend with cute 70s style women’s cropped trousers and fitted blazers. He also mixed his camel with neutral tones to uphold the minimalist quality of his clothing. However, as camel carries forward into his resort collection, we see it paired with a vibrant pastel blue, to lift the shade for the summer months.

Although camel seemed to be on everything this season, if you want to just invest in a couple of items, classics ones are best.

A camel coat or thick knit will make more of a statement and last for longer so go for an investment piece. Remember to consider whether the cut of the garment is flattering to your figure. Whilst the popular tailored coat is la mode, it may not be the most flattering to larger busts.

Opt for a duffle coat or a jacket made of lighter material so it doesn’t add bulk.

If you don’t fancy going for an entirely understated colour palette, mix camels with bright colours a la Philip Lim. Red, another big trend this winter,

works perfectly and gives your outfit a bit of a kick. However it is best to mix camel items with plain block colours rather than patterned material, as it maintains that low key and expensive look.

Obviously as students I am not suggesting you go and ‘invest’ in any of the aforementioned designers, unless you feel in need of a splurge! If you haven’t already, head to Zara or COS where you can find the best camel items from this season’s catwalk for only a fraction of the designer price tag. The colour is proving so popular that you won’t have to go far to find a bargain.

Alternatively for an even cheaper option, charity shops usually can offer up some vintage gems, as this minimalist colour trend is essentially timeless. With this in mind, it is also worth having a good rummage in your mother’s or even grandmother’s wardrobe, believe it or not, it is highly likely they will have some good quality camel items lurking in there ready for you to beg, borrow or steal.

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THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

Listings

Listings

what’s happening on your campus?

Do you want your event advertised in The Courier?

monday Home Made Jam Open Mic Night

Northern Stage, Stage 3, 19:00, FREE

This Listings spread is for you.

A place for students and societies to advertise any events that they are organising. From team trials, recruitment drives, fundraising and charity nights, to live music and art shows - we want you to know what is going on around your university campus - and more importantly we want you to be able to let others know about it too!

To get details of your event published in these pages, all you have to do is email the date, time and location of your event with a short description of what it is and who it is for to: courier. listings@ncl.ac.uk, or stop into The Courier office at Park Terrace.

BioSci Trip to Edinburgh Christmas Market

Dental School Lecture Theatre E, 18:30, Members FREE, non-members £1 The film that we will be showing is Don, a old-fashioned classic with English subtitles. For more information contact Hindu and Sikh society hindu.society@ncl.ac.uk

Ridley Building 2, 17:00, ground floor seminar room 1.52 This is your last chance to see if you have the brains to battle against the best. See box below for more details or e-mail Tom at preident.union@ncl.ac.uk for more info.

Salsa (Opposite the O2 Academy), Stage 3, 20:00, FREE

Don’t miss this chance to join BioSci’s trip to the Edinburgh Christmas market. The trip will be on Saturday December 4, leaving from the union at 8:30 and due to return by 21.30.

Get in a festive mood, see the city and enjoy some tasty food and drink. Coach tickets are only £10 each and you must be a member of BioSci to come.

Bollywood Film Showing: Don

Last Chance Trials

Film Showing - H2 Oil

For all those interested in the state of our world, come and join the People and Planet Society for a showing of H2 Oil about the tar sands in Canada. It’s being screened with the aim of raising awareness in the community, as well as amongst students, about oil, tar and the affect it is having on us.

wednesday

The Hindu and Sikh Society

University Challenge Trials

People and Planet Society

Tickets on sale 12:00-13:00 Mon-Fri this week, from common room, Med School

Your City:

Homemade Jam is back at its new temporary home at Northern Stage this week.

With all the old favourites and some new faces, in the cushy surroundings of Northern Stage’s Stage 3, this promises to be another great night in this new venue.

If you missed the last HomeMade Jam make sure you head down to this week’s to check out the University’s very own HomeMade talent.

tuesday

Listings Editor : Ciara Littler - courier.listings@ncl.ac.uk

Insights Public Lecture

Blood of the Provinces: The Roman Auxilia and creation of Imperial society. Society of Antiquaries Lecture Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 18:00 -19:00, FREE Ian Haynes is Professor of Archaeology at Newcastle University. In his inaugural lecture he draws on recent archaeological research from across the Roman Empire, examining the mechanisms by which Rome successfully incorporated potential enemies into the ranks of her own armies.

This lecture will examine how these soldiers were incorporated into the imperial system.

He will argue that while cash and cane played a crucial role in harnessing the manpower of provincial populations, many more subtle processes were at play.

University Challenge - Last Chance!

Represent Newcastle University

Tuesday 23, Ridley Building 2, 17:00, Ground floor seminar room 1.52 Think you could take on Jeremy Paxman?

Want to represent Newcastle University on University Challenge?

The search is now underway for our team; could you fill one of the famous four seats?

We are looking to improve on our first round exit this year against Sheffield and need

candidates from across the University to come along and try their hand at our general knowledge quiz.

Successful candidates will proceed to further rounds of questioning. Candidates from all degree levels and subject areas can come along if you are a registered student.

Our top events happening in Newcastle this week

Give It A Go!

Shiatsu Massage 13:00, £3, Meet at Park Terrace, booking essential A traditional hands-on Japanese massage which claims to rid the receiver of stresses and tensions and really is incredibly relaxing. A wonderful pick me up, especially when approaching the end of term.

Email giag.union@ncl.ac.uk to sign up.

National Day of Action Against Higher Education Cuts

Claremont Tower lecture theatre 1.01, 13:30-17:00 Students and staff at Newcastle University present a ‘Teach In’, an exciting afternoon of talks, workshops, debates and discussions as part of a National Day of Action against higher education cuts.

There are many local actions taking place and we hope that this event will be something creative and inclusive, which students and lecturers can be involved in. The theme is ‘Education’, but contributions to the ‘Teach In’ are broad. So far they include these workshops and discussions led by students and lecturers: - What is ‘free education’ and why do we want it?

- ‘Women and cuts’ discussion.

- Learning from history: student activism and what’s happening in Europe.

- The media: working with media, dealing with the mass media.

Learning from abroad: the cultural workers movement in Prague.

- Peaceful demonstrations and other direct action - what works?

- Music and Art Check out the Facebook page for more info: ‘Newcastle: Walk Out & Teach In Against Fees and Cuts’

1. Sound

2. Art

3. Film & Poetry

4. Comedy

4. Fun

Pranceydog Presents…

Thomas Truax

Ouseburn Open Studios

Platform2:Change Your World Poetry and Film Night

Jimmy Carr - Laughter Therapy

A Good Yarn - Tyneside Cinema Knitting Club

Tyneside Cinema, November 26, Doors 21:00-01:00, £6 Hit the Tyneside for a late night of music in the bar as Thomas Truax brings you an eccentric blast of his native New York City. Truax is one of the most unique musicians around; he even invents and plays his own instruments. Thomas will be supported by local artists Nathalie Stern (who returns to the Tyneside after an incredible album launch earlier in the year), The Winter Hill Transmission and Martin Heslop. Don’t miss it!

Locations across the Ouseburn Valley, November 27-28 The last weekend in November sees many creative venues open their doors to the public with a wide range of work on offer to view, discuss and buy. From fun interactive workshops to artist-led demonstrations you can get involved too. Get your creative juices flowing and see some of the great art venues around Newcastle open their doors for you. Don’t forget the free ‘hop-on, hop-off’ bus service that will be running between the venues. Visit the website at http://www.ouseburnopenstudios.org/ for more information.

Star and Shadow, November 24, 19:30, £4

This evening will see the launch of the Platform 2 poetry book and a chance to hear the empowering poetry from the exclusive I am the Change poetry collection, performed by young people who travelled to developing countries with the Platform2 volunteering program.

For more information visit www.myplatform2.com

City Hall, November 26-27, 20:00, £25

Since the turn of the century Jimmy has been a ‘fun slinger’ of international repute. Laughter Therapy is his ninth solo show. It’ll be an evening of none stop jokes, gags and banter. If you’ve got a sick sense of humour then maybe laughter is the best medicine. Not to be taken if you have a sensitive disposition or an overactive moral compass.

To book tickets visit the City Hall website at http://www.newcastlecityhall.org

Tyneside Cinema, November 23, 19:00, FREE

Whether you are a beginner or expert, pop along and join other enthusiasts as the Tyneside Bar is transformed into a fortnightly crafty community. If you’ve never knitted (or crocheted!) before never fear, as resident expert Denise and Tyneside Cinema’s very own knitting queen Clare Ruddock are always available to help you get started. If you’re lucky you might get invited to the Knitters Christmas party as well!

thursday

friday

weekend

Insights Public Lecture

Postcard Auction

The Hindu and Sikh Society

Dancing With the Runway

Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 17:30 -18:30, FREE

begins at 19:00

bers £18, Booking Essential

£30 Student/ £10 Evening only

Baron William Armstrong of Cragside is Britain’s forgotten hero. Inventor, scientist, engineer and industrialist, he was born in Newcastle 200 years ago and did more than any other to secure the city’s pre-eminence at the heart of the Empire. Check out this lecture to find more out about this incredible man whose ingenuity has made it possible for us all to be here today.

Every year internationally renowned and up-and-coming artists, in addition to the tutors and students of the department, generously donate postcard sized (or not) work to be sold under the hammer of legendary auctioneer, John Anderson. The event will be taking place in the wonderful Hatton Gallery.

All proceeds go towards giving students the chance to run their own degree show exhibition in summer 2011.

The Annual Fundraiser for William Armstrong, Magi- the Fine Art Department Charity Black Tie Ball Paintballing Hatton Gallery 18:30 - 22:00, Auction Saturday, Members FREE, non-mem- Saturday, The Warehouse, 19:00, £40/ cian of the North

Restless Promotions Present...

Underground@northumberland arms

Northumberland Arms, 20:00 - 01:00, £2 This night features bands from Newcastle University, including Lyxx, Curt anderson and Phil Bragg, James Dalzell and the Rear View Mirrors and Get Frank, as well as DJ fijitt. See the Facebook group for more details:

Fancy some fun with the Hindu and Sikh Society? Then join them to test out your aim with some paintballing this weekend.

If you are interested and want more information please get in touch. E-mail the Hindu and Sikh society - hindu.society@ ncl.ac.uk to get yourself booked on this event.

Media Social

Saturday, Starting in Madisons 20:00, then to Digital for cheap entry, £4 Those of you in the Media Team - that’s The Courier, NSR, or TCTV - this is your first social of the year. Head down to Madisons for free drinks, cheap cocktails and a good laugh. The night will end in Digital, you’re all on the guestlist so it won’t break the bank. Get to know more people on the team, and generally let your hair down its been a busy term for all!

We are proud to present ‘Dancing With the Runway’, Newcastle’s Biggest Black Tie Ball.

This night is in aid of two incredible causes, the Teenage Cancer Trust at the RVI Cancer Unit and the Robbie Anderson Cancer Trust.

With the ticket price including a three course meal, a fashion show with models wearing items from the likes of Topshop, Miss Selfridge, and La Senza , a champagne reception, photo booths, newspaper and magazine coverage, fire dancers, complementary gifts, canapés, live music, DJs and a licence until 5am, this promises to be an absolutely great night.

Tickets are selling fast and places are limited, so to book your tickets, please call Lucy on 07969046654, Georgie on 07969380440 or Emilie on 07876171812 or visit the online booking website at www.robbieandersonfashionshow.co.uk<http://www.robbieandersonfashionshow.co.uk/>.

Get all your mates down, if you sell over 10 tickets the organiser will get their ticket for free.

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Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Life & Style

Highlight of the week: the return of Peep show > Tv & Radio, page 33

art

Blackout: reconstructing the sublime

D.HOLDSWORTH

Sally Priddle on a negative view of the future The BALTIC’s new contemporary art exhibit Blackout brings together a remarkable new sequence of images taken in Iceland by British photographer Dan Holdsworth.

The exhibition blurs the mediums of documentary and fantasy. The photographs featured are reproduced to a grand scale and manipulated to transcend the traditional landscape style by transforming the elemental terrain of giant Icelandic glaciers as they melt away into strange, futuristic scenes.

By adapting images that would conventionally present a natural yet picturesque landscape, a whole new dimension is added to a regular landscape exhibition. The otherworldly pictures featured are fascinating, almost awe-inspiring.

The quintessential blue sky of an Iceland landscape is converted to the deep black of space, while the earth appears in negative, creating images that aim to take the imagination beyond the restrictions of reality and scale.

Holdsworth uses his work to dismantle the notion of the romantic sublime and reconstruct it to make it relevant and exciting for the 21st Century. Holdsworth absorbs himself in investigating the unknown and the creation of what could be defined as an ‘impossible’ perception of the world. This is achieved by renovating images of the already incredible scenes of Iceland and pushing them beyond the traditional realms of time, space and consciousness.

The modernist approach to landscape photography that Holdsworth

has developed transforms what could otherwise be a regular and mundane exhibition into an ethereal exploration that makes landscape photography more accessible and relevant to a wider audience.

Since the late 1990s, Holdsworth has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative British photographers currently working with landscapes.

While his early series concentrates on the quiet moments in everyday spaces - office buildings after work, car parks at night and deserted motorway flyovers. His most recent work, as displayed in Blackout, explores the natural world from a unique perspective that provides a humbling reminder of the scope of things yet undiscovered or unthought-of.

Dan Holdsworth studied photography at London College of Printing from 1996-98 and since then has had numerous contemporary solo exhibitions throughout the country.

He was shortlisted for Beck’s Future Prize, ICA in 2001 and for the Northern Art Prize, Leeds Art Gallery in 2007 and in 2008 received the Visiting Fellowship from The European Centre for Photographic Research, University of Wales.

The exhibition is currently housed in the BALTIC, a contemporary art venue that is the largest of its kind; this setting helps bring a dynamic, diverse and international programme of visual art to life in its iconic setting on Gateshead’s south bank of the River Tyne.

Blackout is at the BALTIC until February 20 2011

Dan Holdsworth’s photography exhibition Blackout uses negative images of Icelandic terrain to offer alternative visions of the future

art

art

Open house for Ouseburn art Under the hammer Each year the Ouseburn Valley holds an open-house weekend where the galleries come together to display the scope and variety of work on offer in this artistic hub of the city.

This year is no different, as all the galleries in this area open their doors to the general public for a preview of their current exhibitions. The event brings together a wide-ranging mix of artworks: from painting to ceramics, print to textile, and from the functional to purely visual pieces, whilst showcasing the talents of over 200 artists.

The galleries participating in The Ouseburn Open Studios include the likes of The Biscuit Factory, Mushroom Works, and 36 Lime Street, with each having their own different perspective there is definitely

something for everyone.

Over the other side of the Byker Bridge, for those with more of an architectural viewpoint are the Foundary Lane Studios. Xsite Architects have recently started a creative residency with the gallery in collaboration with the Arts Council England.

During the weekend, there is the opportunity to talk to artists and designers, as well as viewing the residential interiors. This distinctly alternative art supplements more conventional painting and photography. 36 Lime Street and Northern Print are both holding workshops so you can take home masterpieces of your own as well as working under the supervision of proper working artists.

Visit Northern Print to not only get a tour of the presses and see how the printing processes work, but to create your own screen-printed Christmas decorations. Also in the lead up to the holiday season a new exhibition Northern Footprints explores printmaking on a square foot scale.

For art lovers, or those with even a slight interest in the creative, take the chance to do something a bit different; investigate the artistic gems of Newcastle or maybe even find some individual Christmas gifts for your loved ones. There is even a free hop-on-hop-off bus service between all the venues so there is no excuse not to explore.

Catherine Langley

The Hatton Gallery’s annual Postcard Auction; as Newcastle University’s fine art students embark upon their final year of studies with this exhibition, held as a fundraiser for their 2011 BA Degree Show.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to support your fellow students, as the Hatton Gallery plays host to the Fine Art department’s Postcard Auction.

This annual event showcases the work of contemporary artists, notorious international talents and the tutors and students of the University’s Fine Art department. Those involved can charitably present postcard-sized efforts to be sold under the hammer of renowned auctioneer John Anderson.

Profits gained from the exhibition

will contribute towards the production of the University’s Fine Art students’ summer degree show, directed and staged by the students themselves.

In time for the auction, the Fine Arts students have collaborated to craft a sophisticated calendar featuring re-creations of famous artworks, such as Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam and Robin’s The Thinker.

So come along to the Hatton Gallery, enjoy a night out with a difference and help make this degree show the best yet!

The Postcard Auction will be held at 6.30pm at thr Hatton Gallery on Friday November 26.

Natalie Crick

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

25

Arts Culture

Arts Editor: Stephanie Ferrao - courier.culture-arts@ncl.ac.uk

stage

M.SHERATT

Thrills and spills What happens when slapstick comedy meets hiphop breaks and beats ? Lisa Bernhardt finds out Imagine two painters, taking a break from their work. One of them takes a sip from a drink carton with apparently sour milk making him spit and quiver. He knocks over a paint pot, slips and falls right in to the red puddle on the ground.

But instead of getting up, he kicks off a stunning breakdance routine and spatters the paint all over the floor. In the end, the truly divine piece of art he has created makes his astounded colleague say: JESUS! Think that sounds weird? Well it is, but also extremely funny, impressive and simply entertaining.

Contrary to the name, Flhip Flhop isn‘t about slightly-dyslexic shoe fetishists, but two layabout decorators who turn to hip-hop when the job gets dull.

The mixture of comic dialogues and hilarious slapstick that inevitably reminds one of the ingenious Charlie Chaplin with various hiphop elements like MC-ing, beatboxing and of course breakdancing, puts an exciting modern twist on everything you presumed to know about the hip-hop genre and theatre in general.

The show stars DJ Baila, a graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University (in Film and Drama).

He started a career in professional breakdance that has taken him all

over the world.

Co-star Joey D has been an inherent part of the UK hip-hop culture for many years now and is also dedicated to spreading the soul of hiphop by touring schools and holding workshops.

In Fhlip Fhlop they bring their talents together creating an irresistibly witty and rousing show that does away with clichés of hip-hop culture and makes it accessible to a broad audience.

Stage critics love them and their show: The Scotsman calls it “a comedic gem“, the online theatre community Broadway Baby claims that “anyone who comes out of Flhip Flhop not having enjoyed it should perhaps not be in Edinburgh“ and many more praise the duo for their creativity, comedy and breathtaking artistic abilities.

After an extensive tour to Sweden, Flhip Flhop continue their tour through the UK with Newcastle as their penultimate stop. So if you fancy a modern mix of comedy and theatre, throw your sophistication away and let your urban edge shine through!

Flhip Flhop- Everything happens on the break‘ is performed at Dance City on November 25. For tickets and information visit: www.dancecity.co.uk

Flhip Flhop is the latest production now showing at Dance City that seamlessly blends comedy with hip-hop music and moves

stage

opinion

Changing the world one word at a time E-books: if it ain’t broke...

The common association made with young people and gap years is that it is an extended summer holiday of boozing and partying or another excuse for kids to jet off to Thailand in an attempt to ‘find themselves’ at the end of the next bottle of vodka.

However, at the Star and Shadow Cinema’s event I Am Change. An array of young adults recite poetry from a collection they have written in response to their experiences in undeveloped countries with the prerogative to portray their experience in a refreshingly creative light.

These poets are part of the Platform2 Programme, which provides disadvantaged young people from the age of 18-25 with the opportunity to travel and volunteer in countries such as South Africa and Ghana for up to ten weeks.

Platform2 encourages the volunteers on the scheme to reflect upon their time in developing countries imaginatively. Helping them to project the emotions generated by their experiences artistically as well as improving the general perception of young people volunteering and travelling within developing countries.

Written by 38 volunteers, the po-

etry aims to explore the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, trade and gender inequality through the words of young people who have experienced poverty first hand.

The volunteers will be reciting poetry that raises awareness of these issues whilst simultaneously giving travelling youngsters new connotations within a society where poet and writer Charlie Dark finds they are frequently ‘written off’ as a result of skewed misconception.

Writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Khaled Hosseini have produced literature that encourages engagement with the culture of other countries.

In addition to this, a more general awareness of the problems faced by the inhabitants of these countries is increasing due to the prevalence of organisations such as Comic Relief and documentaries like Slumming It. However, it is all well and good watching Kevin McCloud traipsing through the most impoverished parts of India from the comfort of our own living rooms. The poets who will be performing have experienced these conditions for themselves.

Dark says that it is “refreshing to read through a collection of work as powerful as this” seeing the creative work as refuting the “many myths” surrounding travelling young people.

The head of the Platform2 programme Mark Vyner, feels the poetry book demonstrates “the life changing nature” of the volunteers’ experiences. He hopes that the poetry will continue to be recited in open-mic nights, pubs and community halls across the country. Vyner describes his organisation as a form of encouragement for “young people to open their eyes to the scandal of poverty and see that they have the chance to be part of the solution”.

So if you want to engage with the experiences of people your age who have travelled in underdeveloped countries, or your just into poetry, come and listen to a recital Dark describes as “inspiring and heartfelt [...] in a world where negativity reigns supreme”.

I am Change will be performed at 7.30pm on Wednesday November 24, at the Star and Shadow Cinema.

Fiona McCutcheon

The printed book format that has been an integral aspect in our daily lives is under severe threat due to the rising popularity of the e-book.

These digitalised versions of books are designed to be easily accessible, downloaded straight from a computer and can be read on a hardware device, which allows users to store thousands of books at one particular time.

Technology could ultimately replace the age-old tradition of printed publication, thus leaving bookshops and libraries totally defunct in purpose.

The thought of using complicated gadgetry to download books leaves me instantly in a confused state. It seems that the days of just sauntering around bookshop shelves and taking in the delights of the new books just waiting to be loved are long gone.

Like everything else in the 21st Century, technology has stepped in, replacing old ideas with the new, but in this case, it creates nothing but a detrimental impact for the future of reading. The e-book has also transformed the literary industry, with publishers left anxiously questioning their future. The demise of

the printed book inevitably forces publishers to consider other avenues and embrace the technology that is ultimately changing the future of reading.

The e-book is not a positive development for our reading culture, as bookshops and libraries are left in desperate situations, attempting to modernise and adapt to such demand yet unable to meet the expensive costs that are required.

This new technology threatens the printed book with disappearance, a damaging impact that completely overshadows any positive aspects of the e-book.

Last year saw the UK chain of Borders bookstore forced into administration, with internet sites and cheap supermarket prices providing unbeatable competition. There is the worrying thought that more bookstores are going to follow suit, facing not only online competition but also the emergence of the e-book generation. The thought of e-book demands surpassing the printed book leaves me with a heavy heart, along with all the other lovers of the printed book tradition.

Juliet Armstrong

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Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Film

film film of the week

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Director: David Yates Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson Runtime: 146 mins

“These are dark times, there’s no denyin”. Not only for Harry, Ron and Hermonie, but for the millions of fans around the world who approach this much-anticipated instalment of the biggest franchise in cinematic history, in the knowledge that the end is nigh. The chosen one has become the hunted one. No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the task he has been preparing for ever since his first day at Hogwarts. In this dark adaptation of JK Rowling’s seventh novel, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place. Harry, Ron and Hermionie must leave Hogwarts behind as they embark on a perilous journey to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction - the Horcruxes.

With Dumbledore no longer around to guide and protect Harry on his quest, the three central characters must rely on each other more than ever before as the wizarding world deals with the growing threat

of the Dark Lord. It is up to the ‘the Boy Who Lived’ to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. Nine years after the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the characters we have become so familiar with have all grown up, and their performances have never been better. Rupert Grint no longer plays it just for laughs as Ron Weasley, with his jealousy over the relationship between Harry and Hermionie proving extremely believable.

Without the time pressure previous adaptations have faced, the acting abilities of Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe shine through, as they have time to come to terms with the monumental challenge which they face. JK Rowling is quoted as saying that this is her favourite movie in the franchise yet, and it is clear to see why, as her characters are able to grow and develop emotionally.

The relative tranquillity of Hogwarts seems a million miles away, as against a backdrop of dark forests and windswept coastlines; the legend of the Deathly Hallows becomes clearer. The delightful Dobby the house elf returns and steals the show in every scene he is in. Ralph Fiennes is superb as the supremely menacing Lord Voldermort, raging “I must be the one to kill Harry Potter”. The supporting cast all emerge

with credit from their brief appearances. In a touching and tender moment, Harry and Hermonie dance in a tent in the middle of the forest.

Amongst the sense of dread that permeates throughout, this is particularly touching and poignant, standing out in a deeply emotional film, which also sees Harry visiting his parents’ grave at Godric Hollow for the first time, and Hermonie wiping all trace of herself from her parent’s memories. It’s impossible to avoid sentiment when Hagrid arrives on the scene to protect Harry, just as he did in the Philosopher’s Stone.

JK Rowling’s epic fantasy is vividly brought to life, and although there is a dark tone to the film, it is beautifully shot throughout. The landscapes could almost be mistaken for a ‘Visit Britain’ advertising campaign, such is the wonder and enchantment the filmmakers have been able to capture. This is without doubt the scariest film yet; with one Hogwarts teacher coming to a particularly unpleasant end, and for those with a fear of snakes, this film will not go down too well. Having made the decision to split the final book into two films, fans will be eager to discover how director David Yates has decided to split such a well-loved novel, and whether this will make this first instalment an

4. Expecto Patronum Sirius and Harry have been cornered by the Dementors in the Forbidden Forest, completely helpless.

Until a great stag emerges from the trees to chase them away and Harry is convinced it was his Father. But after Hermione takes him on a time travelling adventure to save Buckbeak the Hippogriff, we realise that Harry conjured it himself. This scene shows a more grown up Harry who has realised his strength and steps up to fight. The powerful charm sends the Dementors flying and Harry realises he doesn’t need the adults to do the fighting for him.

3. Hermione hits back This is a moment that will always

un-fulfilling experience. The split has been done extremely effectively, and although this first part is perhaps not as action-packed as a result, it is no less enthralling. It is a touch too long, but the main fault of the film is that we have to wait until next summer to see what promises to be a truly thrilling finale.

Verdict: The movie saga of the century approaches its spectacular

preview The Green Hornet

film five Harry Potter moments 5. Troll in the dungeon It’s Halloween at Hogwarts, and the merriments are destroyed due to a huge troll in the castle. This Harry Potter moment gives us a glimpse of the brave Harry Potter who will go on to fight Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Harry uses the brilliant fighting technique that is shoving his wand up the troll’s nose, but its Ron who shines through by using a levitation spell to knock out the beast. The wizards battling skills are a little rusty, but don’t worry boys, there’s a couple of years before your first Dementor.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be released next summer in 3D

Director: Michel Gondry Cast: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz ETA: Spring 2011

stick in the minds of fans as it is hilarious and brilliant; we finally get to see Hermione take revenge for all the times Malfoy has called her a Mudblood. It represents ultimate girl power, not only in the Wizarding world, but for us Muggles too.

Hermione shows Malfoy where to shove it with a good old fashioned punch in the face. It was about time the slick haired Slytherin was taught a lesson, and Hermione does just that. Plus who doesn’t enjoy hearing a magical insult like ‘foal, loathsome, evil little cockroach.’ A classic moment in Harry Potter history.

2. The Graveyard Harry has spent his fourth year at Hogwarts battling dragons and saving his friends in the Black Lake, and his final task isn’t any easier.

As Harry battles to reach the TriWizard Cup he does not know that he is about to face the most awaited moment since the books began. As

he and Cedric go for a tie in the tournament, the two wizards are transported to a Graveyard to witness the rise of the Dark Lord himself. This moment has viewers at the edge of their seats as we cry over Cedric’s death and gasp as He Who Must Not Be Named returns.

1. RIP Dumbledore Who knew that the death of a fictional character would be so emotional?

Dumbledore has been a favourite character of many from the beginning so hearts were ripped in two as Snape cast the killing curse. This act of evil rocked the Wizarding world and is an important moment in the Harry Potter series. Harry can do nothing but stand helplessly as another close friend dies at the hand of Voldemort and his army.

Ellie Claughton

Despite being one of the lesser known superheroes, The Green Hornet has had its fair share of popularity over the decades. What began as a radio programme in the 1930s, created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, has enjoyed stints in television, movies and of course, comic books. Naturally, a big budget Hollywood adaptation was soon to follow, but the development of this film has suffered a few bumps along the way.

At one point, cult icon Kevin Smith was said to be writing and directing, only to drop out due to an unwillingness to work with such a large budget. Stephen Chow of

conclusion in some style. Complete with astonishing special effects, excitement and emotion, the tension never fades, through desperate chases, dangerous escapes, noble deaths, electrifying encounters and an occasional sprinkling of humour to break the tension.

The scene is well and truly set for an almighty showdown next July.

Simon Howard Kung Fu Hustle fame was then set to direct and star, only to back down due to creative differences. The task finally went to Michel Gondry, the surrealist director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film stars Seth Rogen as wealthy newspaper publisher Britt Reid, a ne’er do well playboy who takes up the Green Hornet mantle to become a night-time crime fighter.

Along with his martial arts expert sidekick Kato, the masked superhero soon finds himself embroiled in a battle with the criminal underworld.

The film boasts not only a credible cast, with Cameron Diaz as love-interest Lenora Case and Inglourious Basterds favourite Christoph Waltz as the villain, but a script written by Evan Goldberg and Rogen himself, the duo behind hit comedy Superbad. It also promises to be a new direction for Rogen, usually specialising in chubby, loveable losers, who has shed 30 pounds for the role.

The potent mix of Gondry’s bizarre visual flair and Rogen’s sharp sense of humour promises to make The Green Hornet a superhero movie with a difference.

Kathy Jackman

THE COURIER Monday Novermber 22 2010

27

Film Culture Film Editor: Adam Williams - courier.culture-film@ncl.ac.uk

comment

Game over?

Phil Moody asks whether we’ll ever see a truly successful film adaptation of a video game The Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 2, shattered all entertainment records when it raked in $1 billion, putting it alongside films such as Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Recent release of Call of Duty: Black Ops is expected to break the records set by its predecessor with release day sales of seven million units, beating even the Avatar box office opening; the video game industry is clearly booming. It is no surprise, therefore, that the movie studios have mined the video game industry for creative ideas since the early 1990s. Given nearly 20 years to crack the formula, you’d think that Hollywood would have a better track record with video games.

Gaming fans are regularly excited by the announcement of the next attempt at a game-to-film success, only to be disappointed when it becomes clear it was just a quick money making scheme running side by side with the peak of their inspiration’s popularity with no passion involved on behalf of the film makers. It has been seen time and time again in films such as Wing Commander, Hitman and even Tomb Raider where, despite an actress of Angelina Jolie’s calibre, the acting was horrible, the story was totally unbelievable and the action sequences

had barely any action in them. So why do films based on video games turn out so poorly? Do they just pick the wrong games or will they forever be doomed to fail? There seem to be two main issues with video game films; lazy attempts by moviemakers and the fact that what’s cool to play in a game isn’t cool to watch in a movie.

There’s a dearth of quality stories in games in the first place; just look at games such as Asteroids which, believe it or not, is to be produced

by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, better known for the toy inspired Trans-

“Given nearly 20 years to crack the formula, you’d think that Hollywood would have a better track record with video games” formers. Gamers care more of the graphics, game play and features such as multiplayer and online modes that little attention is paid to the storyline running throughout.

Take the Mario series for example, hugely popular with all genera-

That’s kind of a big question: while not a direct adaptation of a video game, they were a huge influence on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

tions but the whole plot is terrible; a plumber and his brother get sucked down the drain, into a mushroom kingdom, where they have to save a princess with the help of a dinosaur type thing.

But, yet again, a film remake was attempted in 1993, in the form of Super Mario Bros; the very first film ever based on a video game, which, despite the ongoing popularity of the game and even Bob Hoskins as Mario and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa, adds a new meaning to the word cringeworthy. In addition to this, the stories in games are often closely tied to game mechanics

which can’t be transferred to film; games like Final Fantasy (an unconvincing remake starring Alec Baldwin was made in 2001) rely on the exploration of the game world for gradual discovery of stories. It is this lack of interaction with films that make video game remakes so difficult to perfect.

One of the worst offenders is 1994’s Street Fighter which takes one of the most beloved video game franchises ever and gives its fans a roundhouse kick to the head. Jean Claude Van Damme playing the American Guile with a French accent makes it all the more mind perplexing. But even this

is topped by the console to screen remake of The House of the Dead from 2003, a bizarre mix of childish, amateur filmmaking and an overblown budget. However, there is a bright side. More recently we have seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World released, an action comedy rife with video game references, sounds and a plot conceit similar to classic video games. Future productions such as Halo and Call of Duty itself keep gamers hoping that there is no reason why a game-to-film can’t work but it will surely take talented people with good ideas and a passion for what they do to make it happen.

comment

Money, money, money Chris Binding sees the positive side of the UK Film Council’s demise

Throughout its turbulent history, Britain’s film industry has consistently produced talented directors, actors and franchises, with its critical success and commercial output in 2009 contributing £4.5 billion to the economy. Although Hollywood-funded projects such as Slumdog Millionare produce beneficial revenue, domestic films funded by independent producers understandably suffer. Since its formation in 2000, the UK Film Council has been an institutional aid to independent British cinema but its imminent closure will cause unemployment and less funding for British creative talent.

Despite US studio Warner Brothers’ recent purchase of Leavesden Studios, where much of the Harry Potter franchise was shot, filmmakers and commentators are left in trepidation to the future direction of the industry. The UK Film Council’s demise is a critical blow to the industry and future output of feature length films in Britain. Founded to help create a self–sustaining industry, over the past decade the

UKFC has invested £160 million of lottery money into more than 900 productions, whilst also funding the British Film Institute.

The news of its abolition has provoked fierce criticism, with Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood among those voicing their dissent, but even the council’s most ardent supporters are quick to realise its faults. Being accused of arrogance and waste, the council has thrown money at the ‘arthouse’, made misguided commercial decisions and often showed serious bias to which films receive funding. Affected filmmaker Julian Fellows suggested the council “epitomised the anti–commercial mindset of the film-elite”, giving less priority to commercial films that could actually generate helpful revenue.

The shattered myth of a sustainable industry is demonstrated by the crumbling council but through the mourning, glimmers of hope emerge in new technologies and Warner Brothers’ industry-boosting investment. Warner Bros. decision to purchase Leavesden studios will lead to multi–million pound investments, expanding the facility and creating 1,500 jobs at the studio and a further 300 for building contractors. The British studio, having housed the shooting of the

Harry Potter franchise and The Dark Knight will be expanded, creating a Harry Potter museum assembling the original sets and props to create a unique fan experience. For over 86 years Warner Bros. has been intrinsically linked with British film production but this historic purchase means that the US giant will be the only foreign studio to have a permanent base in Europe.

Over the next few years the studio is predicted to develop into a powerhouse of British production and worldwide distribution. Despite the ominous predictions regarding the Americanisation of the British industry, the sacrifice is necessary and is much needed positive news following the council’s imminent abolition. So what is the future for the British film industry? While the UKFC often made bold claims about their positive impact on the industry, they always needed to be taken with a pinch of salt. For instance, 2008 hit Mamma Mia! was counted as a British film despite being based on the songs of a Swedish band, filmed predominantly in Greece with American money and a largely American cast.

Filmmakers are optimistic about rebuilding and paving the way for a dramatically new system. American studios already get great reward

Take a chance on me: the closure of the Film Council could see funds better spent

for filming in Britain thanks to an attractive tax relief system. Consequently, British films in production face US interference, with filmmakers selling intellectual and property rights to get their works distributed and seen.

The ideal future is one where profits circulate locally to help maintain and nurture a true British industry of creative talent rather than remaining a hub of American investment. With the emergence of digital technologies saving money on distribution, filmmakers hope to take advantage of this new medium to promote independent film internationally. Director Michael Winterbottom, of the critically successful

The Killer Inside Me, exclaims that the “real currency of any film industry is its talent and ideas” and with good strategic leadership, funding can be distributed in a constructive, fair way. The British industry has already been through harder times with its lowest point in 1981 when only 24 pictures were released.

However, with Warner Bros. studio developments, emerging digital technologies and a typically British ‘stiff upper lip’ the industry will soldier on, taking autonomous creative directions and marking the beginnings of a much-needed cultural revolution for independent British cinema.

28

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Film

film in cinemas Skyline Directors: Colin & Greg Strause Cast: Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, Scottie Thompson Runtime: 92 mins The comparison to District 9 and Independence Day is almost unavoidable for new film Skyline, as it clearly wants to emulate their success.

Skyline features many scenes that are almost an exact copy of countless other sci-fi films, which merely draws attention to its inferiority. It rapidly descends into cliché and imitates already well-trodden cinematic paths.

From the outset, the premise of Skyline seems quite promising: humans are being abducted from their homes through mysterious shafts of light that appear in the sky. Before long, alien ships appear and giant creatures stalk the city in a manner

My Afternoons with Margueritte Director: Jean Becker Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus Runtime: 82 mins A sister film to Jean Becker’s 2007 release Conversations with my Gardener, My Afternoons with Margueritte is a whimsical yarn that focuses on the nature of loneliness, literature and the human connection.

Gerard Depardieu plays Germain Chazes, a lonely and simple handyman making a living on odd jobs.

By chance, he strikes up a friendship with Margueritte, a delightfully intelligent 95-year-old woman he meets when in the park counting pigeons. As their relationship deepens, Margueritte introduces Germain to the joys of literature by reading aloud to him, teaching him

You Again Director: Andy Fickman Cast: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver Runtime: 105 mins Cobbler, stick to your last! This oldfashioned and sometimes pretty annoying quotation might apply in a few cases, but the exception proves the rule. Fortunately, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver are such exceptions as both of them have successfully dabbled in the comedy film genre, although it‘s a fairly glaring contrast to the genres the actresses are best known for (Curtis as the ‘scream queen‘ in Halloween and The Fog and Weaver in sci-fi-classics like Alien).

Nevertheless, they did an astonishingly good job in funny lighthearted films such as Freaky Friday

similar to Godzilla. The story mainly follows a small group of friends led

by Jarrod (Balfour) and his pregnant girlfriend Elaine (Thompson), as they become trapped within their Los Angeles hotel. Most of the film is thereafter viewed only from their perspective.

The narrative technique of not providing a back-story is potentially an interesting concept, and was used to good effect in Cloverfield. However, it is not utilised properly in Skyline and merely comes across as frustrating, due to the film’s slow pace.

There is a prolonged set-up, presumably to introduce the characters and increase the tension. However, this was drawn out to the point of tedium.

With a run-time of only 92 minutes, this seemed a curious move on the part of the directors. Independence Day had a long build-up to the alien’s famous attack, which succeeded in creating a sense of threat.

That suspense is particularly lacking in Skyline.

Part of the problem was that the delivery of the script was oddly about self worth and improvement along the way.The story is simplistic and short but handled with great care and professionalism, so it never feels thin on the ground. Rather than stuffing the film with bloated plot points and clichés, writer and director Becker makes his film more of an in-depth character study.

Germain must come to terms with his complicated relationship with his mother and overcome his intellectual struggles; it offers up the lifeaffirming message that it’s never too late to change your life for the better, a message that will never cease to be relevant. Happily, the film also goes back to basics with its premise, namely the magic of reading. In this age of technology, it’s a heartening thing to see. The acting is nothing short of excellent. Depardieu is on top form here; he plays Germain with charm and warmth, bringing a dignity and realism to a character that could easily be portrayed as bumbling and oafish. It’s hard not to sympathise with him, in fact only a true cynic couldn’t. Gisele Casadesus, who plays Margueritte, is also (Curtis) and Galaxy Quest (Weaver).

So the new comedy movie You Again featuring these two magnificent and extremely versatile actresses should be great entertainment. The reality is very different.

They shouldn‘t be blamed for the low quality of the film - it‘s the lame story that turns the movie into nothing but a temporary amusement that will be forgotten within five minutes. The high-flying PR executive Marni (Bell), who used to be an insecure, acne-riddled underdog during high school, is on her way home to attend her brother‘s wedding when she finds out that he is just about to marry Joanna, the woman that bullied her at high school.

But as if that wasn‘t bad enough, it seems that she has turned into a more than kind person who is loved by the whole family and, moreover, hasn‘t got any idea who Marni is.

However, Marni is mistrustful and tries everything to reveal Joanna‘s alleged real character. Her mother Gail (Curtis) attempts to argue her

apparent in the visuals for Skyline.

To make a good film though, more is required. For such a seemingly lightweight film, there are some quite graphic moments concerning the alien’s desire for human brains.

This culminates in a bizarre scene towards the end that deserves admiration for its outright absurdity. There is the sense that the directors intended to somehow produce a nihilistic film, but the thematically dark final scenes do not adequately make up for the previous 90 minutes.

stilted. It is notable that there are no big-name actors in Skyline, with most of the cast recognisable only from American TV dramas.

This isn’t in itself a bad thing, but it only increased the sense that the film was an extended FlashForward episode. With such a small cast, it could be argued that the performances should be correspondingly

stronger. This isn’t the case with Skyline, where the acting does not reach the standard required to outweigh its weak script.

There seems to be a strange imbalance between the second-rate script and the special effects, which are surprisingly convincing. The directors have worked on the effects for many well-known films, and this is

Verdict: Strong special effects aren’t enough to save a film that is let down by weak acting and a vague overriding concept that borrows liberally from other sci-fi films. It has potential and there is the sense of an imaginative idea wanting to emerge, but it isn’t executed concisely or successfully.

Jeremy Trotter

such as Germain’s rather unlikely relationship with the beautiful Annette, a woman much younger than himself. Some of the secondary characters fall into a stock categorisation, offering little in the way of depth or complexity, and it’s difficult to believe that so many people could be so relentlessly cruel to one well-meaning man. Overall, the film makes for very light viewing. There aren’t any dramatic or pressing social issues to be found here; if that’s more your bag, then you’d best avoid this one.

wonderful, playing very well the sweet little old lady that is entirely loveable. The two actors bounce off each other well, sharing a sparkling chemistry that makes their relationship entirely believable. It helps that they have been provided with a good script, offering up some genu-

inely funny moments to break up the sweetness.

My Afternoons with Margueritte is by no means perfect. Everything is just a little bit too idealised, so much so that it feels like it’s been filmed through a rose-coloured lens. Some things are a little hard to swallow,

Verdict: A sweet and simple tale of love and redemption, it’s sure to tug on the heart strings. Beautifully shot and written, with charming characters you’re sure to love; it’s a delightful little piece of French cinema. However, it might be just a little too saccharine for some.

Kathy Jackman

ending we have already seen in heaps of other films (now don‘t start to complain that this review gives the end away- it was obvious from the beginning!) is completely predictable makes it even worse. But one should be fair enough to mention that the film has at least a few laughs and Betty White as Marni‘s young-at-heart grandmother who is actually credible when she says that she‘s on Facebook and Twitter.

out of wronging Joanna, but when Joanna‘s aunt Ramona (Weaver), Gail‘s ex-best friend from high school, comes along to join them for the wedding, Gail starts to throw her calm mind overboard as well.

The word humour is far too so-

phisticated to describe the slapstick this movie is dominated by; the cattiness of the girls is so stereotypical that it hurts (throwing plates at each other? Jostling one another in to the pool?) and the fact that the plot with the compulsory schmaltzy happy

Verdict: If you have two spare hours, a few leftover pounds and want some light, low-in-profoundness entertainment or are just a hardcore Jamie Lee Curtis or Sigourney Weaver fan, then watch this film. If not - don‘t do it. You might be hit by a plate. Meow.

Lisa Bernhardt

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

music

29

Music Culture

Music Editors: Polly Randall & Joe Skrebels - courier.culture-music@ncl.ac.uk

interview

A new noise, hear them roar Ben Travis chats to Leeds-based rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up about bands, films and prehistoric creatures “This tour has been a long time coming.” So says Matt Bigland, frontman of Leeds’ rock trio Dinosaur Pile-Up. In the year the group have had off from touring, Matt has recorded an album, recruited a new bassist and drummer, released two BBC Radio 1 playlisted singles and kept Pitzacano takeaway in business.

“It’s rad to be out – especially as for us three as a band this is our first time. We’ve been practising the album for six months, going out of our minds,” he says. “There were some dark days, we were going nuts!”

“That’s my favourite thing about this tour,” adds bassist Harry. “It’s training.”

Released last month to murmured excitement and whispers of big things to come, the group’s debut Growing Pains is a set of straightup, Foos-esque, no-nonsense rock’n’roll.

“It was rad to eventually get that out – again, it was a long time coming. It’s nice for people to hear the songs that we’ve been hearing for God knows how long,” explains Matt of the release. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

After receiving heaps of praise from those who heard it, the band’s debut E.P. The Most Powerful E.P. In The Universe!! certainly gave Matt a pretty lofty bar to surpass, particularly as he went on to write and record the album solo.“I put myself under a lot of pressure to make a rad record that I was happy with.

If we’d put it out there and I wasn’t happy with any aspect of it, I’d have been heartbroken.”

“It’s a really unfashionable record,”

Harry notes. “We weren’t going to change that to fit any kind of fashion, but we were very aware that we were going to release this record that’s a like a black sheep in a world of indie.”

Whilst recording was something Matt could achieve on his own, it still left the problem of finding two new musicians to join the band.“I rang up Harry, and I said ‘Do you know anyone who can sing and play guitar?’ Harry was like ‘Well, I know one obvious person’, obviously meaning himself. But we were so freaking emotionally weird about it because we were mates,” laughs Matt. “It was like when you’re friends with a girl and you sleep together and it gets weird. And there was a real weird tension about it,” grins Harry. “We promised that it wouldn’t get weird, and I was like ‘OK, I’ll speak to you later’. Then for the next week we kept texting each other like ‘I know this is weird, but…I can’t stop thinking about it!” continues a now hysterical Matt.

After the challenges of recording alone and finding new band mates came a whole new set of trials – notably teaching Harry and new drummer, Mike, how to play the songs.

“I’d go to Matt’s, listen to the album, then play it, then go to work listening to it, come home from work, play it, eat pizza,” Harry recalls.“I was stoked when I first heard the album, it was just like my drumming style. It was great – I really liked the record, otherwise I wouldn’t be here!” says Mike.

Between the three of them, how do they aim to recreate the absolutely huge sound present on the album recordings? Simple.“We just use loads of massive amps!” Matt says.

Like the one Doc Brown has in his flat at the start of Back to the Future?

“That’s what we were going for,” he laughs.

“We watched that in the van the other day,” he says. “We got in the

O2 Academy, November 12 2010 In contrast to the upbeat dubstep style of the upcoming Chase and Status, the night’s support act, Liam Bailey, came a little from the leftfield as he sang a clutch of slower, soulful songs. His music was perhaps too slow for an audience that was pumped for the lively, powerful gig to come, although his voice was beautiful and perhaps in a different setting would have been better appreciated.

But this night was all about one duo anyway, and they did not disappoint. Chase and Status’ music is an explosion of sounds, collaborations and energy, and their live performance not only did their songs justice, but surpassed any studio recordings. The enthusiasm and pow-

er from the crowd was mirrored by the excitement on stage, aided by the numerous live singers featured on their singles including Mali, the afore-mentioned Liam Bailey and Nekka. Chase and Status managed to successfully pair technology with their performance, featuring a large screen that showed videos to coordinate with the songs - allowing for some of their better known hits like ‘Pieces’ and ‘Heavy’ to be just as spectacular without the presence of the featured vocalists Plan B and Dizzee Rascal. The pulsing excitement that soared through the crowd meant that the band did not have to do much to make the night a sweaty and manic success; there was not one person that left without experiencing the buzz of a passionate and brilliant performance.

Sally Priddle

Monday 22 November: Frightened Rabbit at Northumbria University Union, 7:30pm, £11 Coming off the back of their critically acclaimed third album The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the muchloved Scottish indie heroes embark on their biggest headlining tour yet, with support from Sky Larkin.

Tuesday 23 November: Titus Andronicus at Cluny 2, 8pm, £7.50 Here’s a treat for the indie rockers of Newcastle: mixing Civil Warbased lyrics with Springsteen-in-abar-brawl tunes, Titus Andronicus will be making an appearance in the intimate confines of Cluny 2 on the 23rd. Don’t miss it!

Wednesday 24 November: Booka Shade live at Digital, 10pm, £10 The Frankfurt house veterans, whose fourth album More! came out this year, bring their live show to the city on Wednesday – definitely one for all the dance and rave fanatics out there.

“We just use loads of massive amps” - the band reveal their near-prehistoric methods

van and forgot all our DVDs, and when we opened the DVD player the only one we had was Back to the Future! It’s definitely one of the best films ever.”

Before leaving, I make sure to ask which is each band members’ favourite dinosaur?

“I’m gonna throw this out there, try and be a bit alternative,” says Matt. “Either a brontosaurus...“ “There’s one bigger than that, a brachiosaurus,” Harry interjects as Mike adds “The herbivore”.

“The fucking nightmare massive monster one!” Harry continues.

“And there’s the Triceratops,” re-

members Matt. “I didn’t used to like those as much,” Harry claims. “But when I grew up I realised they’re just fucking vicious!”

“Yeah, just like, ‘I’ll fuck you up’!

I’m going with brachiosaurus,” Matt decides.

And Harry?

“My favourite’s the stegosaurus.

When you think about stegosauruses, you think about the spines on its back, but you forget about that nightmare tail situation! That’s gonna fuck shit up!”

“It’s like a mace!” laughs Harry.

And finally, Mike’s favourite? “Definitely the velociraptor!”

live Chase and Status

listings

Alexisonfire

O2 Academy, November 10 2010 The support act, Exeter’s The Computers, had quite a weight on their shoulders supporting such a popular headline act, but they managed to engage the restless crowd with their blues-infected hardcore just enough to prepare them for the rest of the night, which was to continue in a similar (read: very loud) vein. From the second Canada’s finest noisemakers, Alexisonfire, started performing, the mosh pit spread like a flu virus throughout the crowd, which even lured the more indifferent members of the audience into mayhem. The sheer violence of the audience felt at times like a scaled-down warfront between people who all seemed to sport elbow tattoos and fringes as

the set list sent relentless wave after wave of bass and screaming vocals that tore through the pit and seemed to scar themselves into your brain.

The encore managed to draw a bit of a contrast to the main part of the performance, as it induced the previously frenzied audience into a mellower, swaying affair that was reflected in song choices from some of the band’s earlier material. Overall, the gig contained a good mix of old and new tracks to please the baying mob that constituted a crowd.

The entire gig was as addictive as the dubiously legal white powder that was being passed around a select number of the audience and there will have been some seriously sore necks in the morning from the continuous head banging. If it’s a proper rock gig you’re after, look no further than Alexisonfire.

Chris Scott

Thursday 25 November: Interpol at 02 Academy, 7pm, £22.50 Even with the departure of bassist Carlos D, the immaculately dressed NYC post-punk group are fighting fit and returning to Newcastle in support of their return-to-form fourth album Interpol. Get down early for the hotly-tipped rockers Surfer Blood too!

Friday 26 November: We Are Scientists at 02 Academy, 6:30pm, £13.50 Renowned for their energetic and hilarious live show, We Are Scientists have amassed a dedicated and loyal fan-base over the years. Expect melodic, twisting rock with a good side order of sarcasm and irony. Turn up early though, because the curfew’s set to the frighteningly early time of 10pm…

Saturday 27 November: The Doors Alive at 02 Academy, 6:30pm, £10 Admittedly, this writer is not a fan of cover bands. However if you are a) a fan of them, and b) a fan of The Doors, then this could well be of interest to you. As with Friday though, get down early thanks to the early Academy curfew.

Sunday 28 November: Mr Scruff’s Sunday Tea Party at Digital, 9pm, £8 Celebrating twenty years of his record label Ninja Tune, the evereccentric dance producer Mr Scruff is hitting Digital on the 28th for another of his infamous Sunday Tea Parties. It’s a club night, just not as you know it.

Mark Corcoran Lettice

30

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Music

music listings

Under The Influence Chris Scott Columnist

Under The Influence is a monthly column where I’ll be looking at how the music scene we’re familiar with today got to where it is now, by comparing the sounds of yesteryear with the bands of today. This week, the New York Effect.

New York City has been a mecca for attracting a wide and varied crowd, but the impressive high rises and bustling commercial hubbub have not always been present. And the music scene has changed just as much as the landscape around it over the last 40 years to accommodate the mixture of musical tastes on the island.

Going to a gig now in the Big Apple may consist of going to one of the 100 or so jazz bars, or maybe one of the smaller, niche, self-styled indie clubs such as The Cake Shop, where you can take in the rising talent from the boroughs in the setting of a dimly lit cafe after hours.

Otherwise, there are the more commercialised venues such as the Carnegie music hall or Radio City.

But it hasn’t always been so civilised. You can take in the acts these days without having to witness grown men urinate in all four corners of the venue and avoid projectile vomit from the mosh pit. This was the case in the 1970s, when the city saw the rise of the first major popular scene since the 40s. Punk and New Wave made its first appearance in New York in bars like the famous CBGB. The influences of the time being The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls and the Ramones.This harsh sound had not been witnessed before, but was being fuelled by the pop art culture of Andy Warhol who even designed some of the most iconic album covers. At this time, being different was not seen as a bad thing, and these bands pioneered a change in musical tastes, blowing open the doors to new possibilities. The lasting impressions of these bands can be seen even today, the style of these groups still make frequent reappearances in new bands today.

The whole glam rock genre set its roots in the punk scene, and the seeds of the new romantics were sewn later. Lady Gaga is a great example of trying to be different, but if you look at her eccentric dress sense and persona, they can easily be compared to Warhol and David Bowie in his Ziggy era.

These bands soon dissolved into the experimental scenes found all over Manhattan Island and eventually arrived at early indie, survivors from this initial stage being The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

This began a new stage in the music we were getting from New York.

We were once again hearing bands from over the Atlantic and not only that, but being influenced by them.

The massively successful electro scene found in Britain today didn’t come from nowhere, could groups such as LCD soundsystem, MGMT and Vampire Weekend be partially responsible?

interview

The Hammer & Tongs treatment Joe Skrebels talks to music video kings Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith, aka.

Hammer & Tongs “We normally don’t have a clue how we’re going to do it. I think that’s probably the most regular thing.

We put in an idea just because we like it, we don’t think anyone’s going to say yes and then when someone does we have that moment of ‘oh god damn, how are we gonna do it?’”. This is Nick Goldsmith, the producer half of Hammer & Tongs, British music video legends, talking about their ‘process’. Chances are, if you’ve watched a little of any music channel over the last fifteenodd years, you’ll know their work.

The milk carton from Blur’s ‘Coffee & TV’, the sped-up Vampire Weekend of ‘A-Punk’ or the technicolour puppet versions of Supergrass in ‘Pumping On Your Stereo’ – all of these come from the minds of two men. “You don’t need a script or financing – all the shenanigans that go along with making a film, even a low budget one, are very tricky.

But if your friends were in a band, it could just be done. It was all part of that stuff that we all loved, and it’s sort of the best job I could think of – it’s just a good combo.” This is the second of those two, Garth Jennings, director and sometime Adam & Joe radio show stand-in.

Disparate though their comments might be, the through line that connects them comes down to one shared trait – enthusiasm.

These two art college graduates may have taken different professional positions, and reflect that in what they talk about in relation to their work (Nick is more businesslike, Garth more playful) but the way they discuss their jobs is the same; they are in this trade because they enjoy it, and it’s the enthusiasm they have for the trade that drives them to keep creating their mini-masterpieces. Nick refines this idea: “I think part of the joy of what we’ve been doing has been work-

ing out, with the people around us, how to do it. I sometimes think I’d have loved to have been the person sitting in the restaurant at the table next to us as we had a meeting talking about how we’re going to genetically morph the lead singer of the Eels into a carrot.” It seems this wanton disregard for conventionality lies at the heart of their work, then. If there’s a consistency to their videos (or their work in general, as it spans from music videos, through advertising and into feature films) it’s their inconsistency. Techniques, filming styles and budgets vary wildly from project to project; the only way you can tell it’s a Hammer & Tongs production seems to be if it makes you think ‘how did they ever come up with that idea?’

But with the advent of Youtube and the online age, viewers are hungry for a quick fix. Have they had to rethink their idea-heavy approach in favour of something that will ‘grab’ a viewer immediately?

Garth explains, “When we started it was very exciting to get on MTV...

Now, that excitement is saved more for Youtube and places like that...as far as what the difference is, the excitement is still there, the music is still there it’s just the outlet is online. As bandwidth and everything speeds up, you can do more with it.

With all the new applications and stuff, there’s going to be really fun things you can do, but it will always come down to a really good idea that goes well with the music.”

But is the demand of the ‘viral hit’ now a factor? “With the viral thing it seems that if you try and make something viral it will at best have a fairly limited life...It’s genuinely cynical because it’s guaranteed to get 500,000 people – and that’s it.

[Companies] will stop [supporting a viral] the minute they hit that 500,000th person of a network of people they can just hit...what’s lovely [about a music video] is that it’s still wide open, you can still have a ‘hit with something that’s an idea – it still feels like genuine ideas are the best ones.”

The duo seems insistent that the art of the music video is here to stay, no matter what form it takes

“I don’t know whether they’ll go up or down in importance in terms of people’s lives but certainly while there’s music there’ll always be artwork. Even if it’s purely digital downloads there are still visual ideas that can accompany artists’ work...I can see things adapting, but not necessarily going away.” The release of their new DVD, The Hammer & Tongs Collection and their recent earning of the Icon Award for UK music videos certainly seems to back this up – there’s still a collective desire for visual artwork like theirs in the music industry. But, to borrow a phrase, with great power comes great responsibility. What advice can they offer to the newest generation of budding music video artists? “Most of the inspiration I got came from what I watched, not what people came up and told me”

says Garth. The impression I get is that this all comes down to, again, ideas. When I ask who they wish they could work with, Garth mentions that they missed the chance to work with Kanye West a couple of times. I mention that he’s had his teeth replaced with diamonds and can he think of an idea for a video involving that? He pauses for literally a second and comes back with, “Tiny micro-miners going to dig out his teeth“. It’s that imagination and the drive to bring it to life that has made Hammer & Tongs as important to the music industry as they are, and why the art of the music video will continue to thrive as long as there are people like Garth and Nick around.

From man-carrots (not a euphemism) to milk cartons, Hammer & Tongs embody fun

feature

Unstoppable: The rise and rise of the music video The music video has come a long way in its relatively short life span.

From the first video shown on MTV, the Buggles ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ on the 1st August 1981, music videos have become the staple accompliment to any new release, in many cases responsible for the popularity, or indeed infamy of the song. But what is it that has caused such a growth in the music video industry? Take, for example, Kanye West’s 35 minute epic, accompanying new release ‘Runaway.’ Only managing 9 minutes of the 35, the conclusion was clear: that the egotism of the modern musician has overshadowed the initial intent of the video. Never before have the enlarged head of Michael Jackson, and a scantily clad model/ angel been used in terms of the music video (hopefully), yet this pretentious attempt by a star clearly

manipulating the vast budgets of the industry to create something memorable and iconic, falls flat in the face of previous low-key music videos, that stay true to the idea of the video as a portrayal of the ideas of music.

What was it that lead to Kanye West’s monstrosity? The rise of MTV is intrinsically linked to the rise of the music video, being the main platform for releases. When searching for the ‘first music video’ it is widely accepted that the Buggles started off the trend, yet there are post- 1980s examples that show the music video industry in its infancy. Elvis Presley’s ‘Jail House Rock’ video is iconic; produced in a period where increased consumerism lead to a growth in television ownership, the video was shown to larger audiences than previously possible. People were interested in

the face behind the voice. This lies at the root of music video’s popularity: the curiosity of the public.

The music video has grown to embrace the expectancies of the public.

Videos have become more sexual and more adventurous, with the intent of creating a ‘talked about’ release. Eric Prydz’s 2004 music video for release ‘Call on Me’ created a massive stir in the industry and in public forums. Was the music video becoming too sexualised? Yet the release was extremely popular: sex, it appears, definitely sells. In fact, referring back to Elvis Presley, he too played upon his sexualised image. Appealing to the opposite sex is a way of selling records through visualisation. This is evident everywhere, from Katy Perry’s risqué music videos, to the more obviously sexualised video releases from bands such as Basshunter.

The ‘rise of the music video’ is hard to define; each artist creates something visually different and each with a slightly different marketing angle. It is clear that there is a much greater volume of music videos produced now than 30 years ago; it is an expectance that any new release is accompanied by a music video as in such a technological age, this is an important marketing tool. Go to the gym, to the hairdressers, to a café, more than likely there will be a screen showing one of the many music channels available today. Therefore expect to be inundated with an even greater volume of music videos as time goes by; the music video is very much here to stay.

Amelia Wareing

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

31

Music Culture

music top 10 album covers

More than just music: the art behind the artist Sleater-Kinney - All Hands On The Bad One

Nirvana - Nevermind When told that this cover needed censoring, Kurt Cobain insisted the sticker read “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.”.

A photo of an intoxicated Carrie Brownstein, lead singer of SleaterKinney, being carried out of a club.

LAD.

the top 10 music videos

The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist In which the dozens of samples used in the song get acted out in the world’s weirdest radio-play, including ghost choirs, giant parrots and cowboys. A hysterically mad video for a brilliant single.

Radiohead – No Surprises

The xx - xx

The Clash - London Calling

A masterpiece of minimalist branding, The xx’s simple logo works beautifully at any size (and also provided the opportunity for xx frisbees)

Does this cover really need a description? Really? Well ok, the font is a copy of Elvis’s first album.

Simple, direct and chilling, Grant Gee’s video for the OK Computer single features a single static shot of a drowned Thom Yorke – the relief when the water drains out for the last verse is genuine.

Lady Gaga – Telephone

The Beatles - Abbey Road Radiohead - Hail To The Thief

One of many iconic covers produced by the Fab Four, Abbey Road is possibly the most-parodied (most memorably by the Chili Peppers)

Radiohead’s album covers are all (bar Pablo Honey) famously painted

by Stanley Donwood, who may or may not be lead singer Thom Yorke.

Now adorning a million t-shirts and canvas bags, the cover of Goo is teenage rebellion in a nutshell.

Massive Attack – Protection Massive Attack have had good form with their videos, but this Michel Gondry clip, which zooms in and out of the lives of the inhabitants of a tower block, is their finest.

Beastie Boys – Intergalactic

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

Sonic Youth - Goo

It seems somehow wrong to neglect the Gaga when discussing the best pop videos, and for absolute self-indulgence and spectacle (Beyonce! Mass murder!

Sandwiches!), the epic nine-minute Telephone video surely deserves a tip of the hat.

Another act arguably as well known for their videos as the music backing them, the gleefully silly Godzilla parody that formed the basis for the ‘Intergalactic’ clip surpasses even the note-perfect spy-spoof video for ‘Sabotage’.

When originally released on vinyl, a real zip was sewed into the cover to give the full groupie experience.

Weezer – Pork and Beans Aphex Twin - Windowlicker Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches

Amongst many weird habits, Mr James loves to put his own grinning mug on his releases. This is possibly the creepiest.

What better way to advertise the fact your album is about sex than by sticking a photo of your crotch on it?

Elliot Bentley

feature Digital destruction: Is album artwork a thing of the past?

Long gone are the days when you’d rush out to your local record shop and pick up the latest vinyl release of your favourite band. Music has gone through so many processes and forms; vinyl, CD, the short lived Minidisk and now most popular, downloading (legal or otherwise).

Vinyl sleeves were the canvas that so many artists expressed themselves on, as forms of music changed, the so called ‘canvases’ got smaller, and are now non-existent in the world of downloading.

This is not to say that if you walk into your local HMV that the CD shelves will be barren, but most people would favour staying in front of their laptop to purchase music. Not only is it easier, but it’s a fair bit cheaper – I should think the average student’s CD collection is particularly small because most will go to great lengths to save money.

It’s a massive shame to be honest;

there’s something collectable about CD and vinyl – it’s the ability to have something physical to show your liking of a band. The fact that downloads can be deleted almost instantly gives them a quality of fragility that you’d never get with good old vinyl. Any person over the age of about 35 probably has a particularly extensive collection of vinyl, my dad’s one of them. I can see how attached he is to them because he can’t bear to sell them on – it’s something you don’t really see in our generation, because it’s pretty hard to feel fond of a download.

So much of what music we buy is dependent on what technology we have to play it on. Few people our age will have a turntable at home, but we all have computers, which makes options like iTunes and Spotify much easier.

So many iconic album artworks were originally on vinyl. In my opinion, and this is probably favouritism, The Beatles were one

of the best at creating stunning album artwork; ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and ‘Revolver’ are album covers which show so much artistic talent that it’s a shame artists nowadays rarely release on vinyl. Even the White Album was a simple and striking cover.

Although downloading is most likely at its peak, artists are still producing album covers. One of my most recent favourites is Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’. Although she isn’t one of the most profound and inspiring song writers, the album cover of her latest release is a painting by New York artist Will Cotton, who frequently produces hyper-realist paintings of characters in surreal ‘candylands’(much like her ‘California Gurls’ video).

To top it off, the CD sleeve was candyfloss scented, which is an idea only Katy Perry could conceive.

It’s questionable that album artwork is having a complete revival.

Fair enough, download off iTunes

or any other commercial store, and you’ll download the artwork too, but a thumbnail sized cover on the screen of your iPod doesn’t compare to the real thing.

Some of the most recent controversy over album artwork surrounds Kanye West (when doesn’t it?) when his album cover for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was banned by US store Walmart. The painted image of him being straddled by an armless woman with wings and a polka dot tail is surreal, to say the least, but not horrendously inappropriate. It’s this ability for artists to express themselves that you rarely see nowadays – it’s debatable whether most commercial artists will take the opportunity to create something influential and inspiring, rather than leaving the music to speak for itself through downloads.

Lucy Johnson

While their recent musical output has been an artistic cul-de-sac at best, Rivers Cuomo’s apparent insanity has resulted in treats like this meme-laden video for ‘Pork and Beans’.

The White Stripes – Fell In Love With A Girl More Michel Gondry, and this time he’s taken this garage rock stomper and made a remarkable animated video for it…out of LEGO. Frame by frame.

Basement Jaxx – Where’s Your Head At? The song’s awful. But the video, a strange horror film in miniature with a monkey band, grim faced hospital attendants and one utterly insane doctor, is quite something.

Beck – Devil’s Haircut This video for one of Beck’s bestloved tracks uses detective film clichés to perfect effect, with an instantly iconic ‘zoom-in’ ending that even got a loving parody in Father Ted. Now there’s zeitgeist for you.

Fatboy Slim – Weapon of Choice Last, but certainly not least, this Spike Jonze directed film for 2000’s Fatboy Slim single saw Christopher Walken getting funky in quite remarkable ways. A true delight.

Mark Corcoran-Lettice

32

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Culture Music

albums

music

the top 5

Weezer

1. Tokyo Police Club. Favourite

Pinkerton Deluxe Edition

Colour

Less than two months on from the release of their eighth studio album proper, September’s Lost, Weezer fans are being treated with two more releases. Alongside Death to False Metal, a collection of previously unreleased tracks dating from 1993 onwards, the re-issue of the band’s seminal 1996 album Pinkerton has fans quivering in anticipation.

Although Weezer’s debut selftitled Blue Album had an undercurrent of alienation and darkness bubbling below the surface of its flawless melodies, on Pinkerton this came to the fore. A murky, selfdeprecating listen, the album charts frontman Rivers Cuomo’s quest for love, connection and acceptance.

Dealing with his disillusionment after Weezer’s initial rise to fame (‘Tired of Sex’), the misfortune of falling in love with a lesbian (‘Pink Triangle’), and, erm…masturbation (‘Why Bother?’), Pinkerton is as raw emotionally as it is sonically.

The re-master ensures that the album sounds even more life-affirming, quirky and heartbreaking than ever before. During ‘Across the Sea’, in which Rivers’ sings of

a Japanese fan’s letter, he cries “Oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel” in what is possibly the emotional highpoint of the band’s career.

In its deluxe incarnation, Pinkerton more than delivers – with 25 bonus tracks, gatefold packaging and a new lyrics booklet with liner notes, it’s a top-class package. And it’s not just about quantity – many of the additional songs here are some of the best the band has ever written.

Most importantly for fans, Pinkerton Deluxe contains tracks from Songs from the Black Hole, the discarded space concept album that Pinkerton was initially intended to be. ‘You Won’t Get With Me Tonight’ is an instant classic that makes you yearn for the days when Rivers was writing songs this good and felt they were disposable, ‘I Swear It’s True’ is a thunderous grungy monster, and ‘I Just Threw Out the Love Of My Dreams’ is beyond catchy.

This is an essential purchase, for fans and the uninitiated alike.

Michael Bublé

Crazy Love Deluxe Edition

The Scottish Enlightenment

Wooden Wand

Young Guns

Yes, I admit it. I am a victim of Bublé-mania. It’s absolutely impossible to be indifferent to the Canadian crooner and his appearance on X Factor was the final straw in my struggle to resist the clutches of his dulcet tones.

The ‘Hollywood edition’ of 2009’s Crazy in Love not only made me the most popular housemate of the week, but this album proved to be an exciting listen from start to finish. From the overly dramatic version of Julie London’s ‘Cry Me a River’ to the big band version of the Eagles’ classic ‘Heartache Tonight’, every track has a magic about it that only Bublé can conjure.

The new version of the album features a bonus disc, which features recent single ‘Hollywood’ alongside some live versions (if you’re going to listen to one, it should be his take on ‘Twist and Shout’) and other extra tracks. Perfect easy listening, and with a voice like his I’m convinced it’s impossible for a poplover to not enjoy this album.

Whoever thought that Crazy in Love was the peak of Bublé’s career is most definitely mistaken; these new offerings, on top of what was already a fantastic album, show that Bublé is most definitely not just a pretty face. Like it or not, Bublémania is here to stay.

The title of The Scottish Enlightenment’s debut album has a heavy sense of irony as ‘St Thomas’ was famed for being a doubter, and doubt is the first thought that would cross most people’s minds when a band describes themselves as “Scotland’s most subterranean, ecclesiastical rock band”. Unfortunately any such doubts are wellfounded. The wall of sound and melancholic vocals could draw comparison with counterparts Glasvegas, yet as the album progresses it quickly becomes apparent that unlike Glasvegas, The Scottish Enlightenment lack both charm and a knack for penning a memorable melody. Opener ‘Gal Gal’ sets out the album’s stall starting with an atmospheric layer of sound underpinned by a driving guitar line, but it never goes anywhere. This continues with ‘Earth Angel/With Sticks in Crypt’, where the marching band-esque drumbeat fails to elevate the repetitive guitar line and moody vocals. The album does however have its highlights. ‘The First Will Be Last’ shows the band’s ability to create atmosphere with a catchy and steady melody, but on the whole the album never picks up from its uninspiring beginning and sounds as unexciting as ‘subterranean and ecclesiastical’ suggests.

With a formidable, blackened cover, production duties from the infamously cheerless Michael Gira and that title, one could be forgiven for expecting something of a punishing listen. But while Death Seat may not be all giggles and sunshine, it’s not quite the one-dimensional gloomfest that first impressions may suggest. Instead, what Wooden Wand offers is a record filled with minimal, lurching outlaw country ballads, driven by shambolic stories of regret and confession. Indeed, it’s the lyrics that mark out these often sparse compositions, veering between impressionistic visions of ‘sleepwalking time’ and a ‘watercolour sun’ in opener Sleepwalking After Midnight, to more straightforward laments like ‘Bobby’. Gira’s production keeps things airy but claustrophobic, fitting the character of the road-weary traveller that Wooden Wand adopts so often throughout the album.

It’s a subtle and nuanced album, but it’s one that’s certainly no easy listen: even for a dedicated fan of fellow doomy alt-country song smiths like Will Oldham and Bill Callahan, it’s a fairly emotionally exhausting forty-two minutes.

Death Seat stands as a sporadically brilliant but sometimes difficult piece of troubadour woe.

From the very first riff of the opening track ‘Sons of Apathy’, Young Guns sound like a band without direction. A Welsh rock band with a tendency to wear tight jeans, black t-shirts and sport sweeping greasy fringes are always going to be lumbered in the same lazy category as Lostprophets. Unfortunately for Young Guns, their ambitions are approximately six years past expiry, with time being the ultimate diluents. It would be fair to say that talent hasn’t entailed success in any tangent of ‘rock’ for some time now.

Young Guns attempt to become a catalyst to this by not once veering away from the combination of power chords, dry emo-clad soloing and loud, unstructured basslines.

Vocalist Gustav Wood’s lyrics go in one ear and out the other, leaving nothing but a mark of You Me at Six-esque campness that will no doubt litter the tweets and Facebook statuses of what few teenage victims this record falls upon. All Our Kings... is not a terrible record by any means. Their lack of talent at least provides an inter-relationship between the songs, rather than each song becoming a target for justified dislike. If you strive for anything other than the hypothetical soundtrack to a low-budget action film, leave the safety catch firmly on.

Gemma Farina

Jack Kidder

Mark Corcoran-Lettice

Stuart Edwards

Scratchy lyrics and noisy guitars always manage to sound good in Tokyo Police Club’s music. ‘Favourite Colour’ is from their latest album Champ and is the perfect upbeat song to work to. Indie music that manages to edge away from the acoustic side to a rockier sound. A nice change and a good song.

2. Rihanna ft Drake. What’s My Name.

Youtube- Music Video

This only needed to be out two minutes before it was one of the most watched on Youtube, but then this is Rihanna. This second single from her new album sees Rihanna strolling about New York in brightly coloured attire getting up close and personal with Drake.

Standard Rihanna - majorly addictive.

3. Kele. On the Lam

Ben Travis

St Thomas

Death Seat

All Our Kings are Dead

Kele’s solo project is still going strong with another must-listen track - the remixes already flooding in are a testament to that. The vocals are relaxed while the background is noisy; an interesting but not unpleasant mix completed by a trippy video featuring impressive graphics.

4. Kid Cudi. The End. A lot more down-tempo than some of his recent stuff but still enjoyable to listen to. Rap with a slower beat and a mellow female voice, Kid Cudi shows he can do something a bit different. This one might not be all over the clubs for once.

5. Will.i.am ft Cheryl Cole. Check It Out. Youtube - Music Video

It’s only us lucky Brits who get Cheryl Cole in the UK version.

Best friend Will.i.am managed to squeeze her in and if Cheryl dancing suggestively floats your boat give this a watch. Sampling the Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ provides an interesting combination but is far from the best sample in the world.

Olivia Mason

The Courier Online For exclusive reviews of album releases and live gigs from around the city, as well as specialist blogs and the Top 5 and Moodtape playlists head to the music section of The Courier website: thecourieronline.co.uk/music

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

33

Culture TV & Radio

tv & radio tv highlight

TV & Radio Editors: Lynsey Fawcett & Ellie Wilson - courier.culture-tv@ncl.ac.uk

Peep Show

soaps

The hilarious sitcom returns and this time there’s a baby involved!

Friday 10pm, Channel 4

They’re back! Mark and Jeremy, (played by David Mitchell and Robert Webb) return with Peep Show’s seventh series, and what a series it threatens to be. If you aren’t familiar with Peep Show, first of all, where have you been?! Secondly, here’s a heads up.

The programme follows the lives of the two thirty-somethings and their disastrously complex love interests. Mark is the timid, pessimistic introvert; while Jeremy is the kind of person “you get free with Nuts magazine” – loud, superficial and impulsive.

The show is filmed in POV (Point of View) format, so every camera shot is from a character’s perspective which gives the audience a unique intimacy with the drama.

The sitcom also pulls strongly on the aid of Mark and Jeremy’s internal musings to add an extra dimension to the devastatingly funny script (written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain).

Each series thus far has slowly, magnificently, weaved the storyline through each episode to a crescendo in the season finale. But this time around the programme will explode from the traps in unprecedented fashion, picking up exactly where the last series left off.

Mark is at the hospital waiting for Sophie, his ex-wife (Olivia Colman), to give birth to their baby. Jeremy is in tow and fretting about how he

tv previews

Rip-off Britain Monday-Friday 9:15am, BBC1

Coronation Street:

Mon, Thurs, Fri on ITV1 Molly tries to convince Kevin that they should be together, but he becomes worried over her emotional state.

Nick and Leanne are risking everything as their affair heats up, what will her betrayal lead to?

John panics as an unexpected guest arrives, causing him to confront his stalker and leaving him shocked as he becomes blackmailed.

Eastenders

Hilarious: David Mitchell and Robert Webb provide comedy at its very best, Peep Show is back for a brand new series this Friday

is ever going to get over his latest lover, Elena, until he meets Zahra (Camilla Marie Beeput) whose boyfriend is in a coma. Boom! The scene is set for another series of the finest comedy television has to offer.

Long-term fans of the Peep Show will have already seen the two main characters go through so much in the first six rounds: a visa-wedding, many sexual encounters (in Jeremy’s case at least), a shrooming party, “Rainbow Rhythms”, an un-

successful jilt at the altar, pooing in a pool, and eating a girlfriend’s barbequed dog, but that really is only scratching the surface.

The mismatch of Mark and Jeremy’s personalities provides a plentiful supply of great humour; add a superb supporting cast (including everyone’s favourite druggie, Super Hans), the extremely sharp script, and the writers’ ability to create some devilish scenarios for the gang to spectacularly fail in,

and you have all the ingredients for another series of genuine TV gold.

It’s as popular as ever and this time it’s sure to bring even more fans in.

Anyway, as Super Hans once said, “People like Coldplay and voting for the Nazis. You can’t trust people.” So don’t take my word for it, check out the brilliance for yourself.

Tom Belcher

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri on BBC1 Stacey’s disappearance this week sends shockwaves around the Square, while Glenda’s man-hunt results in a startling admission.

The Masood family are shocked to the core as a chilling visitor returns from the past.

Ian is left devastated after overhearing Jane’s scathing attack on their marriage and later on in the week he is forced to come clean about Lucy’s abortion.

Emmerdale

Weekdays 7pm on ITV Chas has a surprise proposition for Carl this week, leaving Eve to confront him over where they stand.

When Ryan seeks revenge on Nathan, Nathan’s true colours are exposed and he is left out in the cold.

Meanwhile John is confused to see Holly getting worse, Rhona has a shock for Marlon and Jai puts pressure on Charity to get Zak and Lisa to sell up.

Hollyoaks The Foods That Make Billions Tuesday 9pm, BBC2

Born Survivors- Can’t Bully me Thursday 9pm, BBC3

Robert’s Web Friday 10:30pm, Channel 4

Weekdays 6.30pm on C4 Ste is convinced that Brendan started the fire after hearing Amy’s voicemail message and confides all to Dom, finally owning up about his relationship with Brendan.

The doctors deliver some devastating news about Malachy and Amber confesses she is pregnant.

When everyone comes together to mourn the lives lost in the fire, the mood is disrupted when the residents discover who was responsible.

Neighbours Jennie Bond, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford are returning to our screens in Rip-off Britain.

After last year’s success, the trio take on the nation’s consumer problems in a new extended series.

In a time of financial crisis, they reveal it’s a dog-eat-dog world where everyone including the banks, supermarkets, utility suppliers and insurance companies are doing all they can to take their customers money.

Following public demand they travelled throughout the country to investigate the nation’s financial problems, both big and small.

They investigate dodgy deals and demand answers from people at the top, to avoid the public being ripped off. The presenters show viewers how to get the information they need in order to fight back.

The show also follows Gloria as she learns to use the internet for the very first time, as part of BBC’s First Click campaign which is helping 9.2 million internet virgins to save money online.

What are the three things the British cannot live without? My guess would be tea, bread and baked beans. But I couldn’t be more wrong, this programme shows that cereal, water and yoghurt are the three commodities we can not cope without.

The three part show tells the story of how three commodities evolved to become some of the richest and most successful industries in the world. The first episode looks at how the bottled water industry has evolved, and how it is common practice to buy (overpriced) bottled water, even when it is free from a tap.

The programme specifically looks at how brands such as Jordan’s, Yakult and Perrier have entered our cultural heritage. Personally I prefer Dorset cereal (they promise no dust) and Buxton Water (loyalty to my home county) but, whatever your choice, the programme will still make you wonder when we became so consumed with branded goods.

Can’t bully me documents four 1214 year old teenagers who encountered bullying at school. Channel 4 follows their progress and how they gradually recover and work their way back into society’s main stream schools.

Billy, Adam, Phoenix and Toby are four different teenagers with individual stories.

Billy is now frightened of all teenagers and works to overcome his fears to become a normal teenager.

Adam was excluded from school when he attempted to defend himself from his bullies. Phoenix developed ‘social phobia’ which he is in the process of overcoming. Toby felt bullied and misunderstood at school and was so distressed he lashed out at teachers and pupils.

He currently resides in a centre and is attempting to work his way back into mainstream school.

These four teenagers tell an inspirational story of the unexpected life that they are dealt and the mechanisms they use to overcome their fears to survive.

In this new series, comedian Robert Webb delves into the popular world of the internet to share with us the tweets, uploads, groups and celebrity websites that have grabbed his interest. In front of a studio audience he will use his internet findings, his intellect and wit to give us some high quality entertainment on subjects that are relevant in today’s society.

An increase in popularity of social networking sites means that there are many varying pieces of material out there, as people increasingly use the internet to communicate with friends and to advertise videos.

On sites such as Facebook and Twitter, members participate in blogging, uploading photos and joining funny and obscure groups.

Youtube also leads to worldwide viewing, resulting in iconic videos such as the ‘star wars kid.’

Sit down, relax and watch Robert Webb’s first solo comedy show, where he’ll inject some humour into the strange but funny things that are on the internet today.

Olivia-Marie Viverios

Rosie Daly

Maria Moffatt

Maria Moffatt

Weekdays 1.45pm & 5.30pm on Five Donna waits at home for Ringo to return having recently got married, but he has been rushed to hospital following a tragic accident involving him and Steph. Both their lives are hanging in the balance, but who will survive?

Meanwhile Andrew stuns Summer when he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the Scullys.

Home and Away

Weekdays at 2.15pm & 6pm on Five Sid is worried Marilyn hasn’t grieved properly and takes her to a secret rainforest location to help her meditate.

It is moving day for Angelo, Ruby and Charlie, but Charlie feels anxious about the big commitment. Indi feels hurt by her Mum’s rejection and then finds a letter from Romeo’s ex, Annie. Will she tell him?

Lynsey Fawcett TV & Radio Editor

34

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Culture TV & Radio

tv & radio nsr

Perusing the Newcastle Student Radio schedule of a Thursday afternoon will provide you with an intriguing range of shows perfect to accompany some light course reading. At 1pm Ros and Katy co-present Music From Movie Moments with a purely soundtrack based show, arranged around diverse genres and even film directors, like the recent Tarantino theme. The presenters also indulge in their taste for fine cheese, sampling a different variety each week and informing listeners about the quality of their choice.

Following from this Rob Haughton and John Challis use Trashed Organ as a vehicle to promote burgeoning creative writing talent from both the Uni and the local scene with live weekly poetry readings; these are complemented by the very best of folk, lo-fi and blues.

A swift change in tempo is supplied by Gaby Sarll with Hit the Decks, a heavily music based show with tracks from old faves to contemporary alternative acts.

The 4-5pm slot sees Joe Vann and George Fellowes return for the third year of their Musical Almanac with the usual combination of tunes and irreverent features. Wrapping up the afternoon, there is the curiously named Angry Beavers show, centred around a different theme each week. Lately, Becky and Rachel have been judging songs for their seductive qualities in Sexy, None Sexy, where everything from Hot Chocolate to Patrick Wolf was put to the test.

Further NSR news: Keep Friday December 3 free as we return to take over The Cumberland Arms for another gig featuring local acts: Holy Mammoth and Grandfather Birds, as well as Bibelots who are travelling all the way from London for your auditory pleasure. As always, the music will be good and entry will be cheap!

Louise Morris

interview

As Belle Amie tottered onto stage in their huge heels, they grinned and blew kisses at their excited fans in the front row before launching into an enthusiastic performance of Bananarama’s Venus.

By the end of their performance, the whole crowd were shouting for more, and Belle Amie obliged with a hastily improvised encore.

Their enthusiasm for their performance probably came from Venus being their favourite song from the show: “We loved performing it, it was Halloween and being

radio highlights

A Charles Paris Mystery – Murder In The Title Monday 11.30 am, Radio 4 Radio 4 is plagued with the stereotype that it offers nothing other than news, documentaries, and a handful of drama. So, you might be shocked to hear that a comedy series returns to the station, with Love Actually star Bill Nighy.

Nighy has starred in each series of A Charles Paris Mystery, which began in 2006, adopting the comic persona that won him a respectable reputation with film critics.

The spoof murder mystery genre has grown popular in recent years, with BBC2’s Psychoville being the latest example – but it’s nearly thirty years since Simon Brett wrote the Charles Paris series, showing how advanced his ideas are.

In Murder In The Title, dramatised

by Jeremy Front, actor Charles Paris (Nighy) is struggling to find work, but an offer finally comes his way, giving Brett the opportunity to show - in true comedic style - just how pathetic Charles is. Charles manages to mess up the play’s most poignant moment – though making a very funny scene for us, the real audience. He is offered work in another play, but this one is riddled with scenes of obscenity, provoking fury among locals. But, when mysterious accidents begin to occur, Charles gets his ‘amateur sleuth’ hat on and gets detecting.

Murder In The Title is a gem, blessed by Brett’s comic wit and Nighy’s wry humour.

Adam Rummens

How Roald Dahl Shaped Pop Monday 10pm, Radio 2 On the 20th anniversary of one of the world’s bestselling authors, David Tennant looks at how the author left his mark on the music industry.

The Scottish actor, best know for starring in Doctor Who, explains how the vivid imagination in Roald Dahl’s stories has created a template for songwriters to produce hit tracks.

Dahl’s short stories are famously known for their unexpected endings and his children’s books are known for their unsentimental and dark humour.

Dahl, who passed away on the of November 23 1990, was the author of more than 50 books, many of which have become well known films, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Witches.

In this one hour radio show, Kate Nash reveals to David Tennant how Dahl’s imaginative writing inspired her to create her own mystical places and characters, in songs such as ‘Mariella’ and ‘Little Red’.

Stereophonics lead singer Kelly Jones explains that songs such as ‘I Stopped To Fill My Car Up’ were inspired by Roald Dahl’s gripping short stories.

Tennant also uncovers that a song about Willy Wonka gave Rat Pack’s Sammy Davis Jnr his only US no.1 hit in 1972, with the song ‘The Candy Man’.

Olivia-Marie Viveiros

comment Our seasonal TV favourite has been and gone once again. Ever since it first graced our scenes way back in 2002, Spooks has tackled the controversial issues of terrorism and espionage. Not one to shy away from dark and gritty storylines, series nine has certainly raised the bar.

Over eight episodes we followed Harry and the team seeking out and neutralising terror threats and diffusing bombs, all the time risking life and limb for the country’s safety.

Series nine saw the introduction of new recruits Beth and Dmitri, as well as the return of veterans Harry, Ruth, Lucas and Tariq. From the offset, we were suspicious of Lucas’ motives when a stranger from his past appeared. Battling against rogue officers, the FSB and Chinese spies, this series certainly hasn’t lacked action or adrenaline. At the very core of each episode was the Albany File, something which Lucas urgently needed. In desperation, he impersonated a fellow MI5 officer, only to get them arrested, and came close to killing Malcolm.

However, he ends up outsmarted and kidnapped Harry’s long-term

unrequited love Ruth. Finally, his true identity was revealed as John Bateman, who murdered Lucas North in Dakar many years before.

With the exposure of the elusive Albany File, I think it was safe to say that Lucas/John had reached the point of no return. With the death of his lover, Maya, he had nothing to lose or in fact live for. Climaxing with a rooftop face-off with Harry, it seemed that he might actually do the deed and kill his one-time mentor.

I think I won’t be alone in saying I was more than relieved to see Harry live another day. Lucas’ fate may be something we will have to wait a year to find out; but bearing in mind that this is Spooks, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had fled to Russia and is now living out a new life with another new identity. Returning in 2011, we wait with bated breath to see if Harry still has a job, if he will finally confess his feelings to Ruth, and who will be the new chief. With so many questions, series ten looks to be even bigger and better and I can’t wait for September 2011.

Ayse Djahit

tweets of the week Alexander Armstrong Amazing night in Newcastle last night. Now on the train in from Morpeth having stayed with my parents. Beautiful day - hate leaving the NE

Peter Jones Just finishing filming Come Dine with Me with @DuncanBannatyne, Deborah and @TheoPaphitis. Great fun day!! Amazing how competitive we are..!

Ben Miller Right. The Bigg Market in a fur coat and a Sunderland scarf it is...

Sue Perkins I have emotionally over-invested in The Cube.

DJ Spoony Right, no more football tweets today. Who is watching XFactor?

PS, I dont care really haha

Dave Gorman We obv. missed the I’m Not A Celebrity Get Me In There series they used to select 3 of the contestants

Ellie Wilson and Holly Moffat chat to Belle Amie about their X Factor experience dressed up was so much fun. Apart from nearly getting stuck in the coffins because of all the cobwebs!”

Belle Amie haven’t always been Belle Amie. The girls applied for The X Factor as solo artists, but were brought together by the judges to continue as a group. To meet them, you wouldn’t know they hadn’t been friends for life. They gel well as a group and seemed happy and relaxed in each others‘ presence.

They told us what they thought of being put together, “It’s the best thing ever, we couldn’t do this by ourselves. It’s like doing the thing you’ve always wanted to do with three best friends. We bring out the best in each other, there’s so much we can accomplish now that we’re together rather than on our own.”

Belle Amie came across as very fun loving and they told us that this was why they got on so well with One Direction. “They’re so much fun, we had a laugh mucking around with them, together we’re the most rowdy lot in the house.”

This attitude contrasts with some reports in the press, with Belle Amie being alleged to have spoken out about favouritism towards One Direction, but they assured us that this was not the case. “Simon definitely didn’t give One Direction any more attention, he gave us all the same amount of time and effort.

It’s just harder for bands to do well on the show.”

They think that One Direction have a great chance in the competition: “One Direction or Matt Cardle have the best chance of winning.

Matt’s so talented and the boys are just so cute, they’re really popular.”

They didn’t seem bitter about leaving the competition, just glad for the opportunities that The X Factor gave them. We asked them what the best thing about the show was: “Everything, the whole experience, and meeting Cheryl. She is amazing, our girl crush. To work so closely with her was incredible.”

Given the chance, would they do it again? The answer is probably not. “We’ve had such an amazing platform, so I think it’s good to start from here now and build our reputation. It would be nice to see Cheryl again though!”

Now that they are away from the TV cameras and touring the country, how has life changed for them?

“We eat Burger King all day every day, and we live in the car. We then go on stage for about fifteen minutes, then it’s back in the car for hours to go somewhere else! But it’s really fun, we get to go everywhere and meet everyone and just have a good time doing what we’ve always wanted to do. We’re just going to have to work really hard and do our best to get out there, and hopefully stay together and move in!”

Optimistic: Belle Amie love working together and are very excited about their future

The revolution is here. thecourieronline.co.uk - Keep up with The Courier wherever you are - Enjoy exclusive online features - Comment on your favourite articles - Take part in online polls - Tell our writers what YOU really think

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

36

Puzzles Culture

puzzles

Puzzles Editor: Andy Pitkeathley - courier.puzzles@ncl.ac.uk

crossword across

1. Something ugly got bigger (4, 4) 6. A popular club in Newcastle and Brighton (7) 9. To gather leaves (4) 11. To put something across in a way seemingly aggressive or threatening (7) 12. Dark purple-red colour (7) 13. Term of affection used between two lovers (10) 16. The entirety (3) 17. ___ Ventura (3) 18. Changed colour (4) 20. Society at Newcastle whose members study usually study five years for an MBBS (3, 3) 21. Incorporated (abbrev.)(3) 22. A university qualification gained by those studying the classics or arts (2) 23. Floor covering (3) 24. Child’s toy made from a cereal as a harvest custom (5) 26. Colour, type of nut (5) 28. Deciduous tree (3) 30. Marx brothers film – “A day __ the races” (2) 32. Licensed premises for the sale and consumption of alcohol (3)

33. The tallest building in Paris, ______ Tower (6) 34. Conurbation with a cathedral (4) 36. Simple past tense of “be” (3) 37. One half of a well known Chinese philosophy (3) 38. Hotel on the largest of the Balearic Islands famed amongst indie partygoers (5, 5) 41. Hackney Carriage (7) 42. Surname of the British Royal family (7) 43. Second letter of the Greek alphabet (4) 45. 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier (7) 46. Short story, yarn often from a personal point of view (8)

Down 2. Absconder (7) 3. The front of a missile (7) 4. Musical and mid-American state (8) 5. American medical drama originally starring George Clooney (2) 6. A visual presentation of how something works (4)

word link CRISS

WORD

BASKET

GAME

BIRTHDAY

BOARD

BEE

RAY

TRAFFIC

SWITCH

Use the clues and the keypad to find the answers to the grid using the week’s theme to help you. For example the number 3 in a clue could be D, E or F. This week’s theme is Premiership football clubs.

sudoku

word steps

Find the word that can be placed between these words to make two new words or phrases

phone in

7. Self assembly furniture manufacturer (4) 8. _______face, Texas chainsaw massacre (7) 10. Female thespian (7) 14. ______ of the Conchords (6) 15. Company producing whirlpool baths (7) 16. Measurement of land (4) 18. Damp squib, broken (slang) (3) 19. An astronomical event involving the shadowing of a celestial body (7) 22. Farewell (3, 3) 25. Often said in prayer literally means “so it be” (4) 27. To put down with care (3) 29. Unconventional (7) 30. A solution greater than 7 on the pH scale (8) 31. Social networking site based around following people (7) 34. Overfilled or compacted (7) 35. Ordering food without dining out (7) 39. Satisfactory penalty (4) 40. 1974 Eurovision song contest winners with the song ‘Waterloo’ (4) 44. Car insurance and break down cover provider (2)

Across

The aim of this puzzle is to fill each box so that each column, each row and 3×3 grid contains the numbers 1-9 just once.

Work your way down the steps from FISH to PACT by filling in each step with a genuine four letter word.

As you take each step change one letter of the previous word keeping the rest of the letters in the same order.

FISH

PACT

Down

2. 94426 1. 78653 5. 3837866 3. 2773625 6. 252257665 4. 2435732

The clues below will help but they may not correspond to the order of the steps.

Clues • Something true is a matter of ____ • To act with high speed • Fingers curled into the palm of ones hand Last week’s Sudoku answers

andy’s number cruncher Keep your brain in shape by trying to complete these sums as fast as you can without using a calculator

91

Divide by 9

+16

Half this

+32

Square Multiply root by 4

Take the square

+23

Divide by 6

-12

Times itself

Divide Divide Square by 0.5 by 14 this

+17

2/3 of Divide 65% of this by 0.2 this

+8

MEDIUM Last week’s phone in answers

logical

91 HARD

91

-27

What does this say?

=

+40 = =

Square root

logic problem With a seven minute hourglass and an eleven minute hourglass, what is the quickest way to time the boiling of an egg for fifteen minutes?

answers Word Steps: Fish, Fist, Fast, Fact, Pact Number Cruncher: Easy = 28, Medium = 104, Hard = 403 Word Link: Cross, Ball, Card, Sting, Light Last week’s Logic Problem: Usually if people calculate this they use the same sums of money twice. I think the simplest way to view this is £70+£90 = £160. His payments amount to £80+£100=£180. Overall profit: £20 Last week’s Logical: A big fuss over nothing

EASY

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

37

NURL soar to victory Hurricanes feel the Loko-motion > Sport, page 43 SportsEditors: Editors: Paul Christian, Gavin Tom James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk Sports Paul Christian, JamieJamie Gavin and Tomand James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

> Intra Mural Football, page 40-41

Sports Editors: Jono Taylor, Wills Robinson and Kat Bannon - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

Red Bull gives Vettel wings

Grace Harvey reviews and reports on the controversy-filled 2010 Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi

Life in the fast lane: The curtain fell on the dramatic 2010 Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago, with Red Bull pulling off an impressive Driver’s and Constructor’s Championship double.

“I don’t know what you are supposed to say at this moment”. These were the first words spoken by the newly crowned 2010 Formula One world Champion, Sebastian Vettel, after claiming victory in an actionpacked final race in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago.

Yet the World Champion isn’t the only one thinking this right now; few could have truly predicted how the 2010 Formula One race season would pan out. Featuring new tracks, new teams and a whole new realm of conflict, this season has definitely taken its place as the absolute pinnacle of recent motorsport, solidifying its place in F1 history.

Dominating the entire season, Red Bull deservedly claimed both the Driver’s and Constructor’s titles in a nail-biting end to the season at the Abu Dhabi race circuit, with Sebastian Vettel becoming the youngest ever Formula One World Champion. Team-mate Mark Webber on the other hand unsurprisingly fell short of glory, despite finishing in a credible third place in the championship.

No race has ever been as eagerly anticipated as the final in Abu Dhabi, with four drivers in contention for the title before the race.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was the bookie’s favourite going into the final race but Ferrari’s strategy failed to secure his victory, while Webber

failed to deal with the intense pressure, forcing him to concede the win to his younger team-mate.

Talking to former Formula One driver and BBC 5 Live presenter Anthony Davidson before the final race, he commented: “It has certainly been a close season in F1 this year, mainly down to the fact that all of the drivers fighting for the championship have made their fair share of mistakes, and also at some point have been hit by reliability issues as well.

“The battle has been difficult for the other teams trying to close the gap on Red Bull with limited testing, but by mid-season most teams were in a position where they could at least challenge them. Either way, whoever wins the Driver’s Championship this year in Abu Dhabi will be worthy winners because of their consistency”.

Consistency is certainly the buzzword at the moment, and ultimately was the key to Red Bull’s success this season. Vettel only led the Championship once, but had fewer bad results than any other driver, effectively securing his place at the sport’s summit.

The former Brawn-GP driver is familiar with most of the current drivers and technology, so knows how difficult it can be to sustain a strong lead throughout the season.

No driver managed to hold a strong lead for more than three races, and

even the World Champion incurred three DNF’s this year.

Perhaps the biggest surprise this year was the performance of Renault’s Robert Kubica. Finishing eighth in the Driver’s Championship, the Pole has been far more consistent with his results than most other drivers, and successfully made it into the third stage of qualifying in all but one race this season. Nonetheless, nobody should underestimate his challenge for the title next year, and make no mistakes - he will certainly be making one!

“Consistency is certainly the buzzword at the moment, and ultimately was the key to Red Bull’s success this season” Yet for every high there is a low, and this year’s biggest let-down has definitely been Michael Schumacher’s return to the sport. Yes, there was a lot of media hype surrounding his return, and yes he’s been out of the car for over three years, but it’s no excuse for a consistently poor performance from the seventimes Formula One World Champion. Hopefully the German can catch up with the technology and the track time over the winter testing before the new breed of young

talent overtakes him.

Whilst it’s been an exciting year to watch, it has not always been for the right reasons. No driver has had a flawless year, and the two British drivers have had a particularly disappointing campaign.

Jenson Button has had a lot to prove this year following his fairytale success from last season, while Lewis Hamilton has struggled without the guidance of his father or the Pussycat Doll in the garage.

Although internally played down, it certainly appears that the Hamilton-Button rivalry has never been more personal. Regardless of this, McLaren simply have not been fast enough to be a threat to Red Bull, and have only a limited amount of winter testing to close the gap before the 2011 season.

Alongside the usual team competition, 2010 also saw a whole new insight into inter-team conflict. It is difficult to forget the controversial Ferrari team-orders drama from the German GP, which branded Alonso as a “cheat” and Massa as a “pushover”. This couldn’t have been clearer in Abu Dhabi where Massa became the team’s puppet for Alonso’s victory, resulting in the Spaniard finishing over 100 points ahead of Massa in the Driver’s Championship.

Ferrari’s controversial decision has led to a widespread call for a total overhaul of the regulations

before next season.

Red Bull too endured their fair share of internal conflict. A collision in Istanbul started an early rivalry between team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, while team principal Christian Horner controversially took crucial parts from Webber’s car and gave them to Vettel, allowing him to secure a faster qualifying lap.

However the internal competition in the Red Bull garage proved a healthy one, which pushed the team forward to win both the Driver and Constructor’s titles.

“The internal competition in the Red Bull garage proved a healthy one, which pushed the team forward to win both the Driver and Constructor’s titles” Next year sees no fewer than five former World Champions racing against each other in the three most competitive teams. The new teams now have a firm basis to build on, and all hope to iron out the creases ahead of the new changes to the cars. All teams have started to resign this year’s drivers for the 2011 season, so whilst the Championship is over, the conflict and controversy is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

38

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Sport Ashes special report

Let the battle commence: England

Sports Editor Wills Robinson and Colin Henrys preview the greatest encounter

England haven’t won Down Under in 24 years. Andrew Strauss will be hoping that the drought in the southern hemisphere will come to an end with his side full of confidence ahead of the first test

The wait is finally over. For cricket fans all over the world, the greatest encounter the game has to offer is back, heading Down Under, and for the first time in a long time, England are looking like the favourites.

Australia, with an under pressure Ricky Pointing at the helm, are in all sorts of disarray with a less than convincing string of results in recent months. However they have enjoyed an unrivalled reign in the southern hemisphere Ashes series in the past few years. This, without putting a jinx on the England team, could all be about to change, as Andrew Strauss’ men have bundles of confidence, which has shone through in the warm up matches.

Results aren’t necessarily the main concerns in the build up to the series itself, but the individual performances are put under a lot of scrutiny. Will the batsmen get runs and will the bowlers take wickets? So far, these questions have been answered with success, with skipper Strauss already having two centuries under his belt, and fellow opener, Alistair Cook, whose form was a massive concern before the tour, scoring a hundred against South Australia. However, the most impressive and indeed the most exciting thing to come out of the first few weeks of the tour is that all the bowlers have chipped in

with wickets. This is key in a series where taking twenty wickets in a game is going to be key, having our bowlers on form is a massive confidence booster for England.

The touring side have not lost a series since their tour to the West Indies in early 2009. Since then, they have won back The Wisden Trophy and The Ashes, drawn a difficult away series in South Africa and have been crowned Twenty20 World Champions. Australia, by contrast, have just returned from a tour of India, during which they failed to record a single win in either the test series or the one day international series. Critics were soon lining up to call for captain Ricky Ponting’s head.

Ricky Ponting will be hoping that his side will be able to replicate the events of 2006/2007 when England were simply brushed aside by Australia

However, an old adage states that you are only as good as your last game – and England’s last tour of Australia was nothing short of woeful, as the hosts cruised to a 5-0 series whitewash.

Although they are undoubtedly on a good run of form, England have simply not been tested in their last three series. Bangladesh, for all of their willing, can not be compared to Australia. Most recently, at home to Pakistan, the tourists’ batsmen were awful in three of the four matches and the one match

that Pakistan played well in, England lost.

Andrew Strauss, England’s captain is central to the defence of the sacred urn this winter. He led England’s batting against Australia in 2009, finishing as the top run scorer in the series with 474 runs.

Having been overlooked as captain for the ill-fated tour of Australia in 2006/7, he will be out to show England exactly what they were missing in terms of his leadership.

Such leadership has been central to England’s success over the last two years and if he leads from the front again, England will be a formidable outfit. With two hundreds already in the warm-up matches, he will be looking to carry on his form into the series and do all he can to make sure his side brings back the urn.

Alastair Cook appeared to be set for the chop after a dreadful run of form, a century in the third test against Pakistan in the summer revived the vice-captain’s fortunes and one hundred and one fifty in the warm-up matches in Australia certainly point to a revival of fortune.

Another key player for England is Stuart Broad. His height and ability to bowl a heavy ball is going to be key, as he looks to get some bounce and carry from the Aussie tracks. It is a probability that he will be bowling in tandem with the young Steven Finn, who has already shown some great potential last year. Also, Broad’s career-best 169 in the final test against Pakistan papered over the fact that once again, England’s middle order of Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen had once again failed with the bat.

However, the return of Ian Bell in place of Morgan should go a long

way to rectifying this issue.

Andy Flower has taken England to new heights on the international stage. A recent test series win against Pakistan, despite the controversy that undermined what happened on the pitch, and a one day series victory over Australia last summer has shown how far the side have developed. With a side full of youth, England could potentially dominate the international scene over the next ten years or so, but to make a start they have to beat the world number one side in their own back yard.

Ricky Ponting has been the centre of a lot of media attention recently as his side haven’t shown the dominance they did a few years ago and at the end of Steve Waugh’s tenure.

There has been a general theme in the press that suggests it could be his last test series as captain if his side cannot retain the Ashes. Despite the fact that he has amassed over 11,000 test match runs and is still, arguably one of the best batsmen in the world. It is obvious that Australia need a new, youthful start if they are to get to the position they were.

The Ashes party To celebrate the start of the series, Newcastle University Cricket Club will be throwing an all night party next Wednesday night/Thursday morning (November 25) at Madisons. Play starts at 1am and will go on till about 8am. Tickets cost £10 and includes breakfast and some nice drinks deals to make it through the night. If you want tickets, check the club out on facebook or contact the president, Richard Stanyon, at cricket.club@ ncl.ac.uk.

Ashes Schedule: First Test - November 25-29 Second Test - December 3-7 Third Test - December 16-20 Fourth Test - December 26-30 Fifth Test - January 3-7 After success in 2009, England will want to keep the urn in their possession

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

39

Ashes special report Sport

vs Australia in the Ashes 2010/11

in cricket which begins in the early hours of Thursday morning in Brisbane

I think most cricket fans out there would lie if they said they didn’t still get a bit excited when they watched the replays of the 2005 series on Sky Sports. It was commonplace to see England on the receiving end of an Australian onslaught, and a solitary England win during a series would be celebrated more as a surprise than an outright success. The events of the second test will definitely go down in history and many have said it was the greatest test match that has ever been played. The image of Geraint Jones taking a catch of Michael Kasprowicz’s glove will definitely stick in the mind. Now, the series moves Down Under, and circumstances have changed, not many gave us a chance after 2005, but 2010 looks slightly promising (without getting too excited). It will still be a massive challenge for the English as they haven’t won a series in Australia since 1987.

Everyone will remember the last time England played the Aussies in a test series.

It was 2009. Again the hype was enormous, and England needed to redeem themselves after being annihilation Down Under two years before. We survived at Cardiff by a thread, as the tenth wicket partnership of James Anderson and Monty Panesar saved the draw in a match we looked destined to lose.

The second test was historic, as the great Freddie Flintoff took the final Aussie wicket to give England their first Ashes victory in 134 years at Lords.

“It will still be a massive challenge for the English, they haven’t won a series in Australia since 1987” The third test was more or less a wash out and then the fourth test was basically a write off as England slumped to an innings defeat after Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson took five wickets a piece.

The last test centred around the Oval. This time was different to 2005; it was all to play for, the winner would take all and the hype was huge around the country. It all came down to the last innings, Australia needed 546 runs to win in what would have been the record highest run chase, so a draw was on the cards. They started well ending day four 80 without loss, but then the floodgates opened.

Simon Katich and Shane Watson went in the first five overs and then, an image that will definitely live in most cricket fans memories, Ricky Ponting, captain, was run out after Freddie sent the off-stump cartwheeling out of the ground, as the match turned towards the Poms.

The rest was just procedural, and England regained the Ashes 2-1. I was at my local cricket club at the time, who were playing a huge cup semi-final outside; however

Beginners guide to the Ashes

it’s safe to say that everyone with a bit of cricketing sense was in the bar as Graham Swann took the final wicket off Michael Hussey to clinch the series.

Kat Bannon Sports Editor

“England have a lot to be confident about.

Their bowlers are taking wickets and their batsmen are beginning to score runs” Australia have recently announced a 17-man squad which has brought with it the opinion that the Aussies are unsure on the form and fitness of some of their players.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke is not a certainty after a resurgence of his back problems and Doug Bollinger is making his way back to fitness, but slowly. The squad also includes three spinners; Nathan Hauritz, Steven Smith and Xavier Doherty, showing that their Mitchell Johnson, who will be a key feature in the Australian attack, under-performed in England in 2009 and still managed to take 20 wickets. On his home soil he ought to be a force to be reckoned with the ball, leading what is still a very inexperienced attack. His batting ability down the order is also priceless, and it could be argued that he represents Australia’s version of Stuart Broad. The rockhard, fast pitches Down Under will give him some assistance, however he has struggled with consistency of late. He will be looking to build up his form and take the challenge to the English top order.

England have a lot to be confident about. Their bowlers are taking wickets and their batsmen are beginning to score runs. The excitement is there like any other Ashes series, but there is a hint of expectation under the surface that England not just ‘can’ win but ‘should’ win. Going Down Under and bringing back the coveted urn would be a huge success for England but the test they face is huge.

The Aussie faithful will pack stadiums all over the country, with the Boxing Day test at Melbourne set to be a spectacle in a cricket stadium with a capacity of over 100,000.

However the Barmy Army will be in song and the British public will be back home, coffee at the ready, watching the events unfold into the early hours of the morning. It all kicks off on Thursday, and it is safe to say that I, like most other cricket fans, am very excited about the prospect.

Australia are short of experience, short of form and with critics lining up on every corner to criticise captain Ricky Ponting, England will rarely get a better chance to beat the old enemy on their home soil than this.

Alastair Cook should gain a confidence boost from his recent strong performances

Ashes Predictions Wills Robinson Sports Editor - 3-1 England win Colin Henrys Sports Web Editor - 2-1 England win Charlie Oven News Editor - 5-0 England win Charley Wright AU Officer - 2-1 England win Jack Christophers Stage 2 Psychology 2-0 Australia Win Mitchell Johnson will want to put England’s top batsmen under pressure throughout

For some, watching six hours of cricket may be even less appealing than sitting through reruns of Antiques Roadshow. However, as a quintessential part of British culture, the Ashes is the most important cricketing event in this country. So you may happen to find it worth a bit of attention over the next couple of months.

Played every two years with each series alternating between English soil and Down Under, there are five games per series. 2009 saw England the jubilant victors - but they haven’t managed a win in Australia since 1986.

The series’ namesake is a comical obituary published in British newspaper The Sporting Times in 1882. It was written in response to a match at The Oval in which Australia beat England on English ground for the first time, declaring that English cricket had died and the body was due to be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain The Ashes, and the title has never shifted. Originally given to the England team by some Australian women, the urn is said to contain the Ashes of one of the stumps after that same test match.

Overall, Australia are the more successful, winning 31 of a possible 64 series, with England winning 28 and five being drawn. Since 1987, England have only managed to win two series (in 2005 and 2009) and both were on home soil. Can the ‘Poms’ make it a third, and their first Australian win for 24 years?

However, there are a few issues with the series taking place on Aussie soil. First and foremost, the time difference. Play will start around midnight local UK time, which means that the cricketing day won’t finish until around 8am. For all you nocturnal creatures out there, this isn’t a problem; however if you like a good night’s sleep, then you may need to start adjusting your body clock. Otherwise, coffee and Red Bull will become your new best friends as you and your fellow cricketing fans put yourselves into a forced state of insomnia. Nonetheless, the reality is that not many will watch the whole day, and the most dedicated fans will be those stumbling in after a night out, juggling either a Munchies or a McDonalds as they attempt to switch on their laptop or TV. The latter, however, is only if they’ve managed to incorporate a Sky package into their student budget.

So whether you plan to be draped in the St. George’s Cross, keeping your flat mates up until the early hours of the morning, only watching the highlights the next day, or even if your cricketing knowledge only stretches as far as an appreciation of their cable knit whites, the next couple of months has the potential to be nothing short of brilliant.

There is nothing better than beating the Aussies, and they think there is nothing better than beating the ‘Poms’, so make sure you get behind the action, even if it is several thousands of miles away.

40

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Sport Intra mural

Leazes crushed as Dyslexic rediscover form D.ROBINSON

Intra Mural Football Division 1

Dyslexic Untied Castle Leazes

6 1

Dan Robinson at Redhall A balanced encounter turned into a rout last Wednesday as Dyslexic displayed their clinical side to get their season back on track and send out a statement of intent in Division 1.

After suffering a couple of defeats in the Wednesday League, and being knocked out of the Saturday Cup, three points were crucial if they were to avoid mid-table mediocrity this season.

However, in Castle Leazes they faced a resilient side who had shown flashes of promise this season with a couple of hard-fought victories.

The Redhall pitch ensured a tough game was on the cards for both teams, with the rotten surface and diminutive size further hindered by a strong gale as all hands were required on deck for 90 minutes.

Admittedly, it was not the greatest of spectacles, but mistakes were inevitable and it always appeared to be a game which could be packed with goals.

It was Leazes who seemed to cope better with the adverse conditions early on, with aerial balls the order of the day as they threw bodies forward. Dyslexic keeper Josh Crawford was tested early on as the wind complicated a standard punt into the box.

Pressure from the strikers saw him struggle to retain the ball in the air and it dropped into the Untied goalmouth. However, Eddy Green was on hand to scramble the ball off the line and his side could breathe

In what was billed as a tight encounter, Dyslexic thrashed Leazes last Wednesday to kick-start their league season easier.

With the wind showing no sign of letting up, Leazes attempted a series of long range efforts. The best chance of the first ten minutes however fell to Dyslexic’s Andy Nicholson, as the winger fired wide from 12 yards out.

As Untied began to cause problems of their own, it was persistence which proved the key to breaking the deadlock. The Leazes keeper failed to deal with an inswinging corner to the near post, resulting in a goalmouth scramble which Si-

mon Schofield was all too happy to counter on and stab the ball home.

Yet they struggled to build on the goal and were soon inviting pressure from the opposition. Leazes took advantage of this with 20 minutes gone as they forced a corner.

Dyslexic attempted to clear from the set piece but the ball fell to skipper Matt Ellams, who drilled it first time beneath the charging red bodies for a sweet finish.

What followed was a tense 15 minute spell which proved unfruitful for either side, with hopeful

long balls and throws amounting to little goalmouth activity.

Dyslexic were well organised and largely able to deal with the majority of Leazes’ direct playing style.

It was a counter attack from one of these scenarios which eventually tilted the balance in their favour once more.

It was hats off to Schofield again, but this time in a more eye-catching style, as he broke clear of the defence before executing a real no. 9 finish with a neat lift over the advancing keeper.

The second half again proved a tight affair, with Dyslexic seemingly comfortable to sit on their lead.

Clever play by Ellams saw him flick the ball on for Jack Mellor, but the big striker didn’t trouble Crawford as he fired wide.

Minutes later, Mellor thought he had scored as he met a low ball into the box. He turned and shot but watched in dismay as the ball bobbled off the post to run free.

The killer goal arrived with 20 minutes remaining in sensational fashion, and with the help of lady luck. Applegarth took control of the ball 30 yards out and struck it dead-on towards the centre of the goal. The elements inevitably had a role to play as the ball was drawn slightly away from its original direction to send it looping over the keeper.

From this point on, the floodgates opened. A fourth was added moments later, as Laurence Jackson was hacked down by a defender inside the box. Applegarth’s penalty was saved but he welcomed the second chance as he converted the rebound.

Goal number five followed soon after, when Green came inside to meet the ball, before lobbing the keeper from 20 yards.

The rout was complete with just five minutes on the clock in similar circumstances to the fourth.

Schofield was hauled down by the keeper, Applegarth missed once more from the spot, but it was Jackson’s turn to add his name to the scoresheet with a poacher’s effort on the rebound.

Dyslexic co-manager is now eager to see his side push on from this dominant victory, saying “Leazes pushed us hard and the playing conditions made it difficult, but when we got the ball on the ground we showed why we can be serious title contenders”.

FC Molesok edge past Boca Aftermath swept aside as Hurricanes Intra Mural Football Division 3

Boca Seniors FC Molesok

2 3

Stephen McNeill at Longbenton 3G As darkness fell on the Longbenton 3G, both FC Molesok and Boca knew a win would put them top of the table.

Boca Seniors, who in their usual policy had rotated their starting line up from their Saturday Division 1 match against the University Reserves, started brightly, but it was Molesok who grabbed the first goal. After a long ball forward was handled outside the area by the Boca Seniors keeper, referee Steve Catchpole allowed Molesok to take a quick free kick which caught Boca unaware and sallied beautifully into the top corner.

Things did not improve for Boca, as minutes later they went further behind. A defensive mix up at the back allowed the Molesok striker a chance to shoot, with the effort only parried by Ed Brindley in the Boca goal to Molesok captain Simon Keppie, who gratefully smashed it home.

Boca Seniors were all over the place by this stage, and with anger on the sidelines growing to the usually well respected referee, the chances of a Boca comeback looked slim. With this in mind it was no surprise that FC Molesok went even further ahead just before half time. Sloppy play by Steve Greenan saw him lose possession, and with Boca players out of position, an at-

tempted back pass across the line of defence was picked up gratefully

by Chris Matthews and fired beautifully into the corner of the Boca net.

As the half time whistle blew the points already looked safe for Molesok.

The second half began with little change in fortune for Boca, as they were forced to bring on club captain Michael Bridges who had been rested for the game. His introduction made an immediate impact, as a foul on the edge of the penalty area on Bridges allowed Greenan to send in a vicious through-ball which comically eluded the Molesok keeper, squirming under his body and into the back of the net.

The remainder of the game was a major test for Molesok’s resolve as the visibly refreshed Boca sent wave after wave of attacks forward.

Firstly, Bridges found himself oneon-one with the Molesok keeper, and after firing his shot towards goal, he was unlucky to see his effort rebound off the inside of the post.

Ste Greenan had began to send in some beautifully timed left-footed crosses which again found space down the left, this time his effort being met by Bridges, who fired a bullet header into the back of the net.

Things were getting desperate for Molesok, and after Edward Lord was sent off for hacking down Bridges, the final whistle could not have come soon enough. The visitors held out, and as the referee eventually blew the final whistle, Molesok were left celebrating after moving to the top of the league.

kick-start their promotion challenge Intra Mural Football Division 2

The Hurricanes Aftermath

3 2

Harry Slavin at Longbenton 3G The Hurricanes moved back into the promotion battle of Division Two after a hard fought victory over a resilient Aftermath side at Longbenton 3G. Both teams had to deal with ferocious weather conditions as a strong wind saw the ball having a mind of its own, causing short passes to midfield to fly ten yards ahead of the last attacker, and goal kicks getting as far as a Scottish side in a European competition.

With the two teams struggling to adapt to weather conditions, chances in the opening moments were few and far between, but after becoming adapted to the blustery conditions, both sides began using them to their own advantage.

The Hurricanes began making the Aftermath defence turn its back by peppering the backline with balls over the top; while at the other end the Hurricanes defence was made to deal with long hopeful punts high into the air which were easily misjudged.

It was this up-and-under technique that resulted in the breakthrough goal in the contest, as a missed header allowed the Af-

termath frontman to muscle his way onto the ball and serve up an audacious half-volleyed attempt that on any other day would have sailed high over the bar. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes defence the wind managed to hold the ball up enough to see it sneak under the crossbar and give Aftermath the slimmest of leads.

Not for the first time this season, conceding appeared to be the catalyst to a Hurricanes’ resurgence, a number of opportunities quickly falling to ‘fox in the box’ Adam Duckworth, of which none were taken.

The Hurricanes pressure was constantly mounting and the game was turned on its head in a two minute spell, as two quick-fire goals from the sensational Aaron Ritchie put his side in front.

The first came with a suspicion of offside as Ritchie latched onto a through-ball to roll it under the keeper and seconds later pounced on a defensive mix up to cap a remarkable turnaround.

Hurricanes could not see their lead through to the break however, in small part to some questionable goalkeeping. A low cross from the right wing squirmed under the body of the Hurricanes keeper and one lucky Aftermath player gratefully accepted the gift to make sure the two teams were level at the break.

The second half saw a lively start from Aftermath, as they tested the opposition keeper with a couple of

shots at the beginning of the half, but dream team Andrew Selby and Adam Montgomery made sure the defence and their team stood strong.

It was also their tactical guile which ultimately saw The Hurricanes take all three points as ‘super sub’ Harry Dawson came on to settle the match. A patient build up down the right eventually saw the ball make its way to Dawson near the edge of the box, and after brushing off the last defender his calm finish squeezed under the on rushing keeper, to a squeal of delight from the player himself.

A late rally from Aftermath produced no meaningful chances, with The Hurricanes even threatening to pull further away on the counter attack.

The full-time whistle was greeted by cheers, albeit mainly ironic ones, from the two teams waiting to get on to the pitch for the 4pm slot.

The Hurricanes will take great satisfaction in this credible performance which moves them level on points with Aftermath and back on track for promotion.

Web Exclusive <<<

For more Intra Mural match reports, including Ecosoccer V Olympic Mayonnaise, visit our website at www. thecourieronline.co.uk

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

BUCS

Red-hot Pepper breaks Hull hearts Women’s Football

Newcastle 1sts Hull 1sts

2 1

Grace Harvey at Cochrane Park

41

Sport

Squash success for Royals Andy Blackburn in Manchester

Yet to be beaten this season, Newcastle’s Women continued their impressive form with a 2-1 home win after a tough match against Hull. The weather conditions ensured that it certainly was not an easy match, and a monumental last minute goal only narrowly saved Newcastle from another stalemate.

Although the hosts were prepared for a demanding contest, nobody could have anticipated how much of a struggle it would be to overcome the visitors.

When Newcastle managed to take control of the ball, they were effective in creating opportunities, with Lauren Wray and Lizzie Tulip both coming inches away from breaking the deadlock.

Newcastle failed to create many chances throughout the game, struggling to move effectively in A last-gasp strike by Stephanie Pepper last Wednesday gave Newcastle’s Women a crucial home victory over Hull the opposition territory. This inevitably resulted in a disappointing lead. After quickly controlling the push hard and re-establish a lead. lacked creativity. Wray and Tulip goalless first half. ball, Wray impressively finished A quick substitution saw Gabby still maintained an assertive ofNewcastle were keen to continue with outstanding precision and Gunn bring some much needed en- fence, pressurising Hull into subtheir good start to the season de- skill to give the home team the ad- ergy in attack, boosting the team’s mission spite a frustrating first half, and vantage. spirit and inventiveness.

Constantly in attack Newcastle within moments of the restart, Minutes later, however, Hull The hosts quickly generated more looked the most likely to score the Wray gave the hosts a deserved equalised, calling on the hosts to opportunities to score again, but third goal, but a combination of the dire weather and determined Hull defence ensured that the match became tedious and laboured.

The Royals’ perseverance however finally paid off with moments to go; a last-gasp strike from Stephanie Pepper securing Newcastle’s victory.

Whilst still undefeated, the Royals cannot afford to become complacent. There’s absolutely no doubt in the team’s ability or talent, and they need to ensure they can consistently produce results like these. After a difficult game at Cochrane Park against dogged opponents, Newcastle’s Women will be delighted to extend their unbeaten run, and continue their impressive start to the season.

A cold and rainy day in Manchester saw a conclusive win for the Men’s squash team as they secured a 5-0 win over the North-West Poly side.

It was a successful First team debut for Andy Blackburn with a 3-1 victory in the opening match ,whilst winning form continued from Marc Pass, Colin Wilson, Tom Oldfield and George Marley, as they all gained wins without conceding a game.

These crushing defeats completely brushed aside a deflated Manchester with an overall victory of 20 points to 1.

However, at home the second team lost their unbeaten record to Northumbria’s First team. A weakened team due to injury battled hard with good performances from new recruit Chris Garner and Rob Atkinson, who both ended their winning starts to the BUCS season against their arch rivals with the team ending up on the wrong side of a 5-0 score line.

On a positive note, after scouting out the competition, confidence has been gained in the squash club’s ability to beat our rivals in the up and coming Stan Calvert Cup next month.

Wednesday also saw a successful result for the third team in a 3-0 victory over Leeds Seconds under the watchful eye of Captain Ben Turnock.

At the half way point in the season both the Men’s First and Second team are looking strong favourites for promotion, having both only lost one game in five fixtures.

Meanwhile the Third team continue to promote the strength of depth of Team Newcastle squash with successful results against other universities’ Second teams. Hopefully the winning mentality from the first part of the season from all the squash teams can be maintained resulting in continued success for men’s squash.

NUKWC flying high after huge Nottingham success Charlie Ellington Last weekend Newcastle Kite and Windsurfing Club (NUKWC) headed to one of the UK’s most anticipated student windsurfing events.

Pondlife VII involved 160 students of all abilities gathering from universities across the country to take part in an amazing weekend of adrenaline-filled windsurfing and non-stop parties.

Arriving Friday night, we hit the bar for a chilled out social. It was a great chance to meet the guys from the other teams, sharing inspiring tales and good times before retiring back to the house, with everyone excited for the first day on the water.

Saturday kicked off at the amazing venue of Rutland Water, though thankfully with everyone feeling a little worse for wear, we were saved by the event sponsors, Pringles Extreme and Red Bull!

With free tuition all weekend, the beginners got kitted up into the club wetsuits and quickly hit the water after some land-based the-

ory. The experienced windsurfers grabbed the opportunity to try out the fantastic new demo kit, courtesy of Boardwise, in addition to men’s and women’s individual racing taking place in the afternoon, with Greg Baldock taking second place for Newcastle in an exciting final heat.

Sunday dawned with lighter winds, and whilst amused by nominations for the highly coveted ‘Outrageous Behaviour Award’, the day’s events were set out. To start with, some nail-biting team racing, followed by a hilarious beginner race and finishing with a unique light wind freestyle competition.

Inventive skills from Greg and Vassili put Newcastle comfortably in the top three, rounding off another superb result.

If you windsurf or want to learn (and we know you do)… get involved! Lessons, training sessions, trips, and more events are planned for the rest of the year.

For more information, contact Charlie at: Charles.ellington@ncl.ac.uk

42

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Sport BUCS

Netball Round-up Harriet Needham

Newcastle 1sts Leeds 1sts

23 45

Another heart breaking day for the Royals. A nervous but strong start allowed the girls to quickly turn over a centre pass and pull two goals in front.

However Leeds were not to put off easily and pulled back to win the first quarter. Confident in their lead they continued to pull away. Nonetheless the Newcastle defence did not disappoint with some beautiful interceptions. Captain Rachel Saville at WD kept pressuring the centre court players on the circle edge to make it much more difficult for the Leeds attackers to place the ball effectively to the shooters. The Royals came away frustrated, but are confident that they can take them on at home.

Newcastle 2s Northumbria 2s

34 32

The seconds were away at Northumbria and started strongly by taking the lead at quarter time.

However, it was always going to be a hard match and Northumbria fought back to be equalise the second quarter. A few changes were made at half time on both sides and Northumbria dominated, eventually pulling away by 10 goals. Charly Dodsworth at GK and GD Sassa Hamilton played beautifully in defence turning over balls for player of the match, GA Anna Dickinson, to convert. A disappointment for the girls this week, but there is a lot to work on in the run up to Stan Calvert.

Next time you’ll have them!

Newcastle 3rds 55 Newcastle 4ths 23 The girls knew this would be a tough match, but playing the thirds every week did not give them much of an advantage.

They fell behind in the first half, but a few changes at half time gave the girls an enthusiastic burst and gained some ground in the third quarter, only missing out by one goal. The team pulled together and started to move the ball much quicker.

Pippa Jackson at GS earning herself player of the match, and rarely missed a shot. Movement around the attacking circle was good so that the ball could be fed from the prime position at the top of the circle. The defence were strong throughout, but rebounds caused problems for the defencive unit. The end of the match saw a much stronger team and some good patterns of play emerging.

Newcastle 4s Sheffield 2nds

23 55

The team got off to a strong start.

The defence played outstandingly, especially with player of the match Charlotte Plumtree at GK with key interceptions which were taken down court and converted. WA Allie Strang was excellent, putting consistent feeds into the shooters. The fourths did not ease the pressure on their training partners and the girls were struggling to play their own game. The second half was difficult for the ‘poly to maintain their lead as the Royals pulled back. However, they fought hard in the last few minutes to take a positive win.

Magic eight balls for NUMHC

S.TYSON

Men’s Hockey

Newcastle 1sts Sheffield 2nds

8 0

Callum MacKenzie at Longbenton After the bitter disappointment of the previous week’s 3-4 defeat by Leeds Newcastle managed to reaffirm their promotion credentials with an impressive 8-0 winning performance against Sheffield last week.

It might have been expected that the Royals would start cautiously in a game that even at this early stage held such a significant bearing on the entire season, but the team came flying out of the traps from the first whistle. Pressing the Sheffield team very effectively the Royals pinned the opposition into their own half. Within minutes they were rewarded for their efforts when Ben Gowing caught a Sheffield defender in possession, finding himself up against the keeper he finished well from a tight angle.

It was clear that panic had set in amongst the Sheffield team who began to make some aggressive challenges. As a result Newcastle began to win several short corners, one of which was slipped to John Colville who struck the ball low into the right hand corner of the goal. Sheffield found themselves temporarily reduced to ten men after a Newcastle aerial was touched on by Ian Rossiter to Patrick Brown.

Brown drove at the Sheffield goal and was taken down from behind by the last defender who inevitably

Newcastle bagged their second 8-0 win of the season under Captain Hector Hall, continuing their push for next season promotion

received a yellow card.

Having secured the early advantage, the Royals settled into their passing game. Working the ball across the pitch Hector Hall managed to drive into the Sheffield circle and push the ball across the face of the goal, where it sat up nicely for Ed Youngman to volley home.

Sheffield did attempt to mount a comeback, even managing to put the ball in the Newcastle net. Fortunately for the Royals it was ruled out and a counter attack allowed Ian Rossister to claim the fourth through the conversion of a short

corner.

Newcastle played with real authority in the second half, controlling possession and rarely giving Sheffield even a sniff of an attack.

On his return from injury Patrick Ost added a fifth, receiving the ball at the edge of the circle he beat two defenders and flicked the ball past the keeper from close range.

The Royals continued to punish the Sheffield defence when Robert Ramsdem added his name to the score sheet. Patrick Brown also did so with a well-struck shot, which continued his purple patch of three

goals in three games. Captain Hector Hall finished the scoring; after being picked out at the top of the circle he placed the ball into the far corner of the net, leaving the keeper no chance.

Newcastle produced a performance that has left last week’s bitter disappointment a distant memory.

With goals coming from eight different players the game displayed strength and depth throughout the whole squad, giving them back their share of the top spot where they will hope to remain until March.

Kitless Leeds still Durham dominate as Newcastle suffer wear the trousers Women’s Rugby

Football

Newcastle 2nds Leeds Met 3rds

0 2

Jonathan Addy at Cochrane Park Newcastle’s second-string entered this encounter full of confidence after last week’s morale-boosting victory against Sheffield. However at the full time whistle the mood within the camp could not have been more different. Leeds fully deserved the three points and the Newcastle lads need to address their performance and attitude and put things right in the cup next week.

The game started in bizarre fashion - the Leeds players made the trip up north without their kit and a quick dash to JJB had to be undertaken prior to kick-off.

When the game eventually began, Newcastle started brightly. Addy managed to find space down the right but there was a lack of bodies in the box for the cross. Unfortunately for the Royals, this was as good as it got for the rest of the game.

The windy conditions did not help the Newcastle side who are infamous for their pass-and-move style but that cannot be used as an excuse for the performance.

A cocktail of poor touches, a lack of communication and a general second-best attitude across the team

meant that a defeat was always on the cards. Leeds’ first goal highlighted this as the Newcastle players had ample opportunity to clear their lines, instead the ball was intercepted and their striker was left with an easy finish past Kilshaw.

This should have been the wakeup call Newcastle needed; instead players went into their shell and were not expressing themselves across the park. The second goal was an embarrassment - a harmless through ball was kept in play by a Newcastle defender and in his attempt to pass the ball back, it slipped through the keeper’s grasp and the game was effectively over after 35 minutes.

A rousing team-talk from manager Woodhall should have been enough to reinvigorate the boys for the second half, however the game passed the Royals by and the solid Leeds outfit were rarely troubled.

Newcastle didn’t manage to create any real chances or passages of play and left the attacking players feeding off scraps throughout.

The full-time whistle put an end to the team’s sorry effort. After the game Woodhall commented, “The boys didn’t turn up today, simple as that. We made an average Leeds side look useful and we need to put this right next week. Attitude is key to any kind of performance and unfortunately it was not right from the start today. We came into this game on a high and I know the boys and with hard work we can definitely turn it around for next week”.

Newcastle 1sts Durham 1sts

0 14

Emma Boyle in Durham Following an easy win in their first-round cup match the previous week, Newcastle were perhaps not as confident as they should have been going into this league match against Durham last week. The clash with the table’s winners is always a big fixture for NWR and this year it proved to be no different.

NWR arrived in windy Durham with a full squad and a determination to match their rivals. In this, NWR succeeded. Within the first ten minutes of kick off, Durham were within reach of Newcastle’s try line. NWR, however, were not going to give in easily and successfully defended on their try line for a good 10 minutes, if not longer, before the strong Durham team eventually drove it over the line.

Durham converted the try and the first half continued in much the same way with Newcastle continuously defending and having very little possession of the ball.

Even when the away side did gain control of the ball, it wasn’t retained for very long as the strength of Durham’s forwards in the scrums and in their counter-rucking meant that they soon won it back again.

Despite this, Newcastle maintained an impenetrable defence meaning that Durham, although able to retain custody of the ball, were not

able to convert this into try scoring opportunities.

In the second half, NWR managed to maintain more possession of the ball but weren’t able to convert these chances into tries.

The pace of the game and the turnover rate meant that when Newcastle did gain an opportunity to attack, they often weren’t prepared and didn’t set themselves up into an attacking formation quickly enough. There was some strong running from the pack and from the backline but NWR just weren’t able to penetrate Durham’s defence.

Defensively, NWR remained strong but a communication error in their backline meant that Durham were able to sneak through for an easy and undeserved try which they then converted.

All in all, it was a scrappy game from both sides with a lot of balls being knocked on and both sides giving away a fair number of penalties. Durham emerged as the better team but this reporter does not believe that the score line truly reflects how closely matched the two teams were.

Forward of the match was awarded to second row, Hannah Bassirat, for her strong rucking and for stealing the ball back at every opportunity. Back of the match was given to centre, Emma Boyle, for reading the match and the conditions well and playing accordingly. Player of the match was awarded by NWR’s Captain to fly-half, Phoebe Lebrecht, for taking control of the play and being involved in all aspects of attack and defence.

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

43

BUCS Sport

Leeds easy prey for high flying Owls Rugby League

Newcastle 1sts Leeds 1sts

48 12

John Kingswood at Cochrane Park A torrid gusty wind swept over Cochrane Park on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon as the Mighty Owls swooped in to defend their top of the league honours against an inbred-looking Leeds outfit. The monstrous NURL death machine needed a good opener after not playing for a fortnight due to John Moore’s postponing the previous week’s fixture in order to protest in London.

Leeds had the better of the first 10 minutes, with a lethargic looking NURL team forced to defend endless sets deep in their own half, emphatically preventing any Leeds ogres crossing the line.

NURL hit back at the visitors in style, quickly racking up a hattrick of tries by the barbaric loose forward Michael Ward. Sonny Bill-esque hands from ‘the kipper skipper’ Liam McGee set up Ward for his opener, with his second following shortly after. Ward’s third try saw him cut a ferocious line, with defenders falling off him like empty Dixy Chicken mega buckets from Will Winter’s fridge.

As the Leeds heads dropped, NURL pressed through gallant play from the forwards, providing the platform for the back unleashing tenacious lines with McGee gliding over to score. Prop David Chatterton could easily have been

confused for a winger with numerous yards gained out wide, linking up with partner in grime Baxter who tentatively pranced down the touchline giving the linesman a quick glimpse of his feminine patella.

Hooker Rob C. Grieves found the referees kicking advice paid dividends slotting over numerous conversions, converting his own unusually non-Dave-Parker-esque try. Boisterous brutes Ian McFear and David O’Kings-Knox controlled the game in the middle of the pitch, barrelling in the ball time and time again.

The half time break gave the AU’s most admired team time to recollect their thoughts and refuel courtesy of Rockstar energy drinks. And it wasn’t long before the tries resumed; with ladies man Myles Hudson keeping true to his form, piercing through the Leeds defence. ‘Man of the moment’, Gareth Herbert, had a heroic game bashing anyone that came close, refusing to retire to the subs bench until he’d run over every foe.

An impressive debut for standoff Barry Yeend saw him break the line on numerous occasions, shifting the ball out wide where Jimmy Phillips was added to the score sheet, cutting back against the West Yorkshire minstrels in effortless style to placing the ball under the posts.

With Stan Calvert creeping up on the horizon, the NURL death machine look to build momentum, next week sees the Owls voyage to Liverpool to defend their top of the league status.

S.TYSON

Tackle hard: Strong defence kept NURL safe while numerous trys from the likes of McGee, Ward and Grieves cemented victory

Poor discipline costs Royals at Redhall Rugby Union

Newcastle 2nds Sheffield 1sts

7 15

Colin Henrys at Redhall Drive Poor discipline and an inability to retain possession cost Newcastle’s second team dearly, as they slumped to a 15-7 defeat to Sheffield Firsts at Redhall Drive. In unfavourable windy conditions the match was a largely dour affair as reflected by the low-scoring result.

It had actually started perfectly for the hosts as Nick Pass burst through for a try with just two minutes on the clock, and at that point it looked as though it could be a

very productive day for the Royals.

Instead, met with a huge Sheffield pack who dominated throughout and at one point having to cope with just thirteen players on the pitch, Newcastle slipped to their fifth straight league defeat.

The Royals near-perfect start arrived courtesy of a break from his own-half by Newcastle’s full-back, and a good lay-off fed pass on the left touchline who was able to burst through and touch down just left of the posts. With the simple conversion secured, the home side held a seven-point lead. However, that was as good as it got.

Sheffield could have hit back almost immediately, only for the flyhalf to miss touch with a penalty just outside the 22. He followed this by missing a simple kick at

the posts just moments later when Newcastle were penalised for indiscipline in the ruck.

The strength of the Sheffield pack was causing problems for the Royals in the scrum and in mauls, frequently driving them deep into their own half. It took a great hit

by Casamir Gross on his opposite number to prevent a first visiting try after one such maul.

Newcastle’s case wasn’t helped when the number-eight was needlessly sin-binned for fighting. With the lock already off the field, and with six minutes of his allotted ten remaining, Newcastle were left to defend with just thirteen players on the pitch.

Sheffield leapt on their numerical advantage too, their inside-centre running through for the visitors’

first try. Although the conversion was missed, it wasn’t long before Sheffield took the lead either.

With Newcastle’s line-out not working – the Royals didn’t win a single one in the first half – and with the pack helpless to prevent Sheffield’s dominance in the scrum, Newcastle were stuck in their own half. When possession was turned over from a home scrum, Sheffield capitalised to score their second try, although once again the conversion was missed.

After some stern words at the interval, Newcastle came out for the second-half looking a much better side. Quick recycling at the breakdown put severe pressure on the visiting defence, but frequent handling errors and wasted chances epitomised the home side’s per-

formance.

It was to get worse too as with just five minutes remaining Sheffield scored a third try and put themselves eight points clear of Newcastle. A rare misplaced pass from Gross, who had been one of the few players to impress for the hosts, allowed Sheffield’s number-eight to dive over.

Once again the conversion was missed, but needing to make up an eight-point deficit the game was all but over for Newcastle. The game ending with a turnover, when the Royals were well-placed deep inside the Sheffield 22, summarised the game perfectly. If Newcastle are to avoid relegation this year, they must improve quickly.

2nds 34-42 Northumbria 2nds 3rds 55-23 Newcastle 4ths

Womens 2nds 1-3 Leeds 2nds Womens 3rds 3-1 Northumbria 2nds

BUCS Results - November 17 Badminton

Mens 1sts 5-3 York 1sts Mens 2nds 3-5 Leeds 2nds Womens 1sts 0-8 Leeds Met

Basketball

Mens 1sts 75-64 Leeds 1sts Mens 2nds 63-74 Huddersfield 1sts Mens 3rds 78-83 York St John 1sts Womens 1sts 68-51 Sunderland 1sts Womens 2nds 60-15 Northumbria 2nds

Fencing

Mens 1sts 106-109 Leeds 1sts

Mens 2nds 73-135 Durham 2nds Womens 1sts 135-72 Durham 2nds

Football

Mens 1sts 1-2 Leeds Met 2nds 1sts Mens 2nds 0-2 Leeds Met 3rds Mens 3rds 1-0 Sunderland 2nds Womens 1sts 2-1 Hull 1sts Womens 2nds 0-9 Sheffield 2nds

Golf

Golf 1s 2-4 Central Lancashire 1sts Golf 2s 5-1 Hull 1sts

Hockey

Mens 1sts 8-0 Sheffield 2nds Mens 2nds 3-3 Northumbria 1sts Mens 3rds 5-2 Leeds 2nds Mens 4ths 0-5 Hull 1sts Womens 1sts 1-3 Leeds 1sts Womens 2nds 1-3 York St John 1sts Womens 3rds 2- 2 Sheffield 2nds Womens 4ths 4-4 Leeds Met 3rds

Lacrosse

Womens 1sts 9-6 Edinburgh 1sts Womens 2nds 2-17 Manchester 1sts

Netball

1sts 25-48 Leeds 1sts

Rugby

Mens 1stss 19-26 Nottingham 1sts Mens 2nds 7-15 Sheffield 1sts Mens 3rds 10-42 Hull 1sts Mens 4ths 13-3 Sheffield 2nds Womens 1sts 0-14 Durham 1sts

Squash

Mens 1sts 5-0 Manchester Met 1sts Mens 2nds 0-5 Northumbria 1sts Mens 3rds 3-0 Leeds 2nds Womens 1sts 2-2 Lancaster 1sts

Table Tennis

Mens 1sts 8-9 Edinburgh 1sts Mens 2nds 7-10 Durham 2nds

Tennis

Mens 1sts 12-0 York 2nds Mens 2nds 4-8 Durham 3rds Womens 1sts 4-8 Durham 1sts Womens 2nds 0-12 Leeds Met 3s

Volleyball

Mens 3-1 Hull 1sts Womens 0-3 Leeds Met 1sts

44

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

The Ashes Preview > Sport, pages 38 & 39 Sports Editors: Paul Christian, Jamie Gavin and Tom James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

Sports Editors: Jono Taylor, Wills Robinson and Kat Bannon - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

Royals narrowly edged out by Sheffield

Rugby Union, page 43 S.TYSON

Painful setback: Last Wednesday saw Newcastle’s second-string narrowly defeated by rivals Sheffield at a cold and blustery Cochrane Park. NURFC will now be looking to string together a series of much needed wins

Threat of Closed House

Colin Henrys

The future of Intra Mural sport has been put in doubt by frequent misbehaviour at Close House, one of the university’s main facilities. Despite several emails from the head of Intra Mural sport, Denis Murphy, incidents over the past few weeks have threatened to jeopardise the continued staging of Intra Mural matches at Close House.

In an exclusive interview with The Courier, Denis admitted that the current situation was a concern to him and that while general behaviour at the site, such as the dropping of rubbish and trespassing on the Close House estate, had improved, the misdemeanours of a small minority were threatening the entire Intra Mural football and rugby programme.

Since 2004/05, when former Newcastle graduate Graham Wiley purchased the land from the University, Newcastle has been using the pitches free of charge, in an agreement that doesn’t expire until 2029.

In the mean time, a great deal of money has been invested in the Close House estate, which now boasts a new golf course and a brand new academy alongside a new driving range.

Denis reiterated the importance of the estate to the Intra Mural pro-

gramme, confessing that with seven football pitches and four rugby pitches there, the loss of the facility would severely hit the entire Wednesday afternoon programme: “We just couldn’t afford to lose 11 pitches, especially when they’re free of charge. Trying to find that sort of land in the city, close to the students, would be practically impossible.”

According to Denis, the main problem now is with cars speeding.

On Wednesday 3 November two Dan Robinson, Dyslexic Captain, says: It may be 10 miles from city centre comforts, prone to the discovery of the odd golf ball in the middle of a game and seemingly a major attraction for huge gusts of wind in the chillier months, but the truth is, our university NEEDS Close House. Football and rugby are the key Intra Mural sports at Newcastle, and without this fine Northumberland park a great number of teams would most likely be forced to hang up their boots and call a halt to their student playing days... Love it or loath it, the fact of the matter is that Close House is integral to University sport and it would be a great shame to lose it.

cars, driven by students, crashed into the back of each other while on the same day there was nearly another, more serious, car accident, which came about when a student, against the directions of the ground staff, ended up driving around a cul-de-sac and going up a one-way street in the wrong direction.

“We just couldn’t afford to lose 11 pitches, especially when they’re free of charge.

Trying to find that sort of land in the city would be practically impossible” Denis told The Courier: “It’ll take time for the word to get out because I only speak to the captains through my emails, and that captain may then have twenty to thirty players of which ten, twelve, fourteen of them might have their own cars. It’s about getting the message to these players.

“The speed limit is twenty miles per hour down there, ten on the back roads, and it’s blatantly obvious that you don’t want to be ha-

ring down that back road because your fellow students are walking down there!

“There are also visitors to the Close House estate and there’s Close House staff who are driving around in these little buggies which have absolutely no protection or support at all. If they were hit, they would be in very serious trouble.

“It’s common sense but it’s just students being students. They think they’re off the main road and they think they can have a little bit of fun and a bit of a laugh. They need to know that it could affect their sport on a Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s just respect and common decency and sense. There’s bins all over the place – pick up your rubbish and put it in the bin; keep an eye on the speed limit for the safety of your own players, your own fellow students and anyone else; use the changing rooms [there had been a problem with people urinating on the estate] and don’t go up the oneway roads.

“It really is just maybe 2 per cent of the students. There could be 250 students down there on a Wednesday and we’re talking about five, six, seven, eight of them. In the main, students are very well behaved, but it’s the actions of the minority that get noticed and we don’t want them to ruin it for the rest of the students.”

Andrew Selby, The Hurricanes’ Captain, says:

The difference between pitches is ridiculous, the glorious 3G, Cochrane Park and Longbenton fixtures are all met with an air of optimism. Conversely the reaction to the text news of the dreaded journey to Close House is characteristic groans and general abuse at having to play there - ‘again’.

For many teams the nightmare begins long before kick-off with the gruelling £5 coach journey; it takes an age to get there, a lifetime to leave and even longer to get back to the Union. Great, so now I’ve got to walk home through the bitter cold Newcastle weather too! Never mind the fact your team might have just lost due to one of the infamous Close House bobbles that eluded your goalkeeper’s grasp.

It seems a shame that Newcastle University can’t provide a fitting location within Newcastle to house what is a fantastically organised sporting programme. I’m not demanding the Emirates but a flat, grass covered pitch would be lovely.

Never mind lads, there’s always West Jesmond Park: jumpers for goalposts anyone?

the

courier

Monday November 22 2010

Union Elections 2010

Who gets your vote?

2

Monday November 22 2010 THE COURIER

Elections

Your guide to Union elections: Tom Delamere It’s happened to us all. You’re dragging a bag of heavy books towards the Robinson Library on a crisp November morning; all you can think about is entering the warmth that awaits you past the revolving doors, when all of a sudden you are ambushed by bright t-shirt-wearing, flyer-bearing campaigners.

What drives these people to face the Newcastle climate, smile and ask passers by if they have voted in the Students’ Union elections?

Why do we have elections at all?

Elections: Why should I vote?

Your Students’ Union is run by elected student officers. These officers oversee the campaigns, services and facilities that your Students’ Union offers, advocate student views on many University, local and national meetings, and generally strive to improve the experience of students’ studying at Newcastle.

If you think that you are not really involved with the Students’ Union, then you are probably mistaken. Are you a member of a society or sports club? Ever been on or would like to take part in Freshers’ or RAG Crew? Have you ever given feedback on your course to a course rep, or taken part in a Students’ Union campaign?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you are involved with your Students’ Union. The very paper you are reading is run

by an elected student officer. So it is of vital importance that you cast your vote and elect the candidates who you think will do the best job.

In these Elections, the Freshers’ Week Organisers for 2011 are elected along with the following Part-Time Officers: Community Officer, Gender and Equality Officer, International Officer and Postgraduate Officer.

How do I vote?

All voting is done online at vote.ncl.ac.uk – log in using your student login details and you will see a list of candidates who are standing in the election (you will already be logged in if you are on a campus computer).

Simply put a one next to your first choice

candidate, a two next to your second choice, and so on. If you like, you can just put a 1 next to your favourite candidate and leave it at that, or just one and two, and so forth. In our Students’ Union, we use the Single Transferable Vote system. A candidate must have 50 per cent + one of the votes to win the election. If this is not reached in the first round of voting, then the candidate with the lowest votes is removed and their second votes are counted. This is repeated until a candidate has 50 per cent + one of the total votes, so second and third votes carry much weight.

Voting is open from 4pm Monday November 22 to 2pm Thursday November 25, and any Newcastle student can vote.

You will notice that for each position running there is another candidate, “RON” (Re-open

Freshers’ Week Organisers Fresh Air

•Ensure Freshers get the most out of their wristbands by simplifying activity sign up, increasing transport and improving publicity.

The F Factor

•Making sure that Freshers feel at home straight away by increasing welfare and helping people to bond within their halls.

- Nobody should feel left out - there will be official overspill venues every night.

•Increase society integration with Freshers Week – e.g. official taster sessions run by societies.

Hello! We are Laura, Abbie, George and George and together we want to be your Freshers’ Week Organisers as team ‘Fresh Air’ Here are some of our fresh ideas: •Make Freshers’ Week more diverse than ever.

- Ensure that Freshers experience everything that the campus and the city have to offer making sure there is something for everyone.

•Following the success of this years’ finale we would yet again invite all current students to the climax of Freshers Week 2011.

-Working with top promoters in the North East we believe we can create an exhilarating and memorable culmination to the first week.

Everyone needs a bit of ‘Fresh Air’ so please vote for us!

•Turn the new Students’ Union Building into the hub of University life.

It’s time...to face...the Freshers!!!

Activities -Festival Fusion - think Leeds, Glasto, Creamfields, rolled into one final night with big names a plenty!

-Continuation of classics like the legendary ‘Pandemonium’ and ‘Carnival.’

-Newcastle Full Moon party, recreated from personal experiences in the mighty Thailand!

- How about trying our unique events such as: “ghost walks”, “retro cinema trips”, “comedy night” and “Strictly Come Newcastle”.

-Society taster activities throughout the week.

Gender Equality Officer

Postgraduate Officer

Esta Innes

Man Zhang

I believe gender and equality are fundamental issues not only in daily life but within society; therefore I aim to make them central within our Students’ Union.

Promoting equality, whether it is between genders or even age and class is something I feel very passionate about.

My aims will be: •To promote issues surrounding gender and equality by organising large events to raise awareness on campus. For example, events for causes such as, International Human Rights Day in December and International Women’s Day. • To achieve this by co-operating with not only the other union officers but by working with University societies.

•To make sure both genders are adequately and accurately represented within the University and will strive to make sure events and opportunities are open and accessible to all.

If any student feels their university experience is being affected by any issues surrounding gender and equality I will aim to help and support them in any way I can. I feel my confident, outgoing and above all enthusiastic nature makes me ideal for this role. So please vote for me to ensure gender and equality is equally and adequately represented in your Union.

WORKING FOR THE STUDENTS, GETTING WHAT YOU WANT TO BE DONE, DONE.

- Increased availability for popular events like “Go Ape” and paint balling.

-Crew Socials before Fresher’s 2011.

Organisation Associate crews to specific halls to create a bond, helping Freshers to get involved and answer any queries.

INTRODUCE ONLINE SIGN UP FOR ACTIVITIES. More student input - an email address for students to propose ideas for Freshers’ Week.

Enhanced crew training including team building exercises.

Communication New methods of communication including a number to text any questions to.

Promotion of the new Students’ Union, with benefits available to all students.

Freshers’ guides for during the week and post freshers.

Information points at every halls through the week.

Experience Freshers/RAG/WAC crew ‘08,’09,’10 & Supervisor Experience.

Organised Socials, campus events - “Newcastle Apprentice.”

University Committee experience.

Passionate and 100% Committed!!

of International Marketing, I feel confident to be your graduate officer for the following reasons: Firstly, as a student representative, I received the training courses as being a responsible student representative. I know clearly it is my job and responsibility to support and represent students in my major and make the students feel they are being heard.

Secondly, I have gained useful interpersonal skills and communication skills though studying and working before. I am a diligent, competitive student studying MSc International Marketing; Hard-working, enthusiastic and patient, I have three months experience of part-time jobs in the UK.; I have developed excellent customer service, interpersonal, communicational and language skills.

Dear students: I am MAN ZHANG from Business School, Newcastle University. Now I am in the 1st year of MSc in International Marketing Postgraduate study. As a student representative

The last but not the least, if I can be your Postgraduate Officer, I will appreciate the chance and do my best efforts to help the postgraduate students with their study and work in their academic lives.

Voting runs from 4pm Monday November 22 to 2pm Thursday November 25

THE COURIER Monday November 22 2010

3

Elections

choose who will represent you nominations). This is not a real person but a chance for you to vote for nominations to be open again, if you don’t want any candidate in the election to be elected. If “RON” wins the election, then the election will be held again at a later date.

How do I make up my mind?

During elections week, candidates will be out and about asking you to vote for them; you can read their manifestos and ask them why they think they will be good for the role.

We will also have a Candidates Question Time, where candidates will each give a short speech and answer questions from you on why they think they would be good for the role. Come along to the Link Room, first floor

Key election dates

• Thursday November 25

• Monday November 22

2pm: Voting closes. If you haven’t voted by now you have missed your chance - now begins the nail-biting wait for the candidates.

1pm: Candidate Question Time will take place in the Link Room, 1st Floor of the Students’ Union at Park Terrace. Candidates will each give a short speech and answer questions from you on why they think they would be good for the role. Come along for your chance to question them.

4pm: Voting open online at vote.ncl.ac.uk. Make sure your vote counts!

• Friday November 26 7pm: Elections results night in the Link Room on the 1st Floor of the Students’ Union at Park Terrace. Candidates will be held in an adjoining room before the winners are be brought into the Link Room to meet their supporters and friends. Come along to show your support for your new Union Officers.

of the Students’ Union at Park Terrace at 1pm, Monday November 22.

When do we find out who has been elected?

Elections results will be announced from 7pm, Friday November 26 in the Link Room, first floor of the Students’ Union at Park Terrace.

Candidates will be told the results in a separate room and then successful candidates will be brought into the Link Room. Come along to show your support for the candidates.

Please take the time to vote: student officers represent you, so make sure your voice is heard when they are elected: vote.ncl.ac.uk.

Don’t forget to check out The Courier next Monday for full results.

International Officer Sofoklis Paraschou

have been a member of two societies and the last two years I was a Course Rep. I am also a Mentor in the Business’ School Peer Mentoring scheme, and I have also been on Freshers’ Week Crew this year.

This 2010 is going to be an exciting time with the beginning of the re-invention of the Students’ Union.

Pratchi Salvi

If elected as International Students’ Officer I intend to: •Be approachable and open to suggestions and comments by all.

•Start running an International Week through the year with stalls outside the Union building with things from different countries.

Hi, my name is Sofoklis Paraschou, or Sof, I’m studying Marketing and Management and I’m running for the position of International Students’ Officer.

Why me?

I am passionate about student life and I believe that your days at Newcastle University should be some of the best days of your life. I

Achint Soni

•Get to organise different weekly events with music and decorations from different countries each time.

•Be open and able to keep you informed with what is happening with Students’ Union for the best interests of all International Students.

•Fairly represent all the International Students of our University as needed.

Hello everyone, my name is Prachi Salvi and I am a masters student currently pursuing International Marketing at the University. I would describe myself as a person with unbound inquisitiveness, trying to discover and experience different things in life, an adventure enthusiast, a people person, interested in exploring diverse cultures around the globe.

•Art and music transcend all barriers, and so, I will try and work with societies in the Union to accommodate international music and art in interactive icebreaker sessions. This will also help British and International students learn about art and music through different cultural perspectives.

Community Officer Davic Hickling

I would also work to promote greater student awareness of community events through forums like Facebook. Furthermore, I will hold the City Council to its promise to set up the Student Forum – something I’m absolutely determined to achieve!

I have studied with other international students in my foundation year. I understand our concerns, and will be able to voice them well. I have also been a course rep for 2 years in a row and therefore believe I’m right for this job.

Let’s break the barriers!

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where our views can be heard. I want to make sure that students are recognised for their contribution to Newcastle and not always cast in a negative light.

If re-elected, I would continue the work I’ve been doing to promote co-operation between the student community, local residents and the City Council.

•I want to add different languages in the nightline service, as many students would like to share in their first languages.

•These barriers need to be overcome, and as International Student Officer I will try and reduce these obstacles.

M- making International Student experience the most unforgettable at the university.

A- arranging for advice & support group for International Students.

N- nurture voluntary work for International Students.

I- improve International Welcome Experience F- forming an e-bridge to help better communication between University & International Students.

E- encourage International Student involvement in various activities.

S - start a blog roll, to share experiences of all the students at the University and create a virtual platform to have cross-culture communication.

T- to actively participate in Students’ Union activities & connect local and international students.

O- organize workshops, seminars, informal events to help resolve student.

I believe that there are various reasons as to why I would be the best person to be the

•I will make sure that emphasis is laid on integration of international students, as we are a large part of the student body.

As an international student, I understand how students feel alienated in a different culture. They find it difficult to ‘fit-in’, and end up taking little of what they can from a once in a lifetime experience.

“International Student Officer”.

I am approachable, friendly, hardworking, honest & would strive hard to make a difference. The most important reason would be my :

Re-elect Dave for Community!

Lots Done – Loads still to do!

I’m passionate about standing up for students in the local community. I sit on the Jesmond Resident’s Association Committee and am involved with the Jesmond Community Forum. I have also worked to persuade Newcastle City Council to create a ‘Student Forum’

I also pledge to provide support to any student who is encountering difficulties with their accommodation, whether it’s a house or halls, to make sure that landlords and letting agents provide the quality of service we expect and deserve.

Vote for enthusiasm and experience. Re-elect me, Dave, as your Community Officer.