InQuire 5.1

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er spap nts w e A n stude f by so run tudent y of s for niversit the U Kent. ion t Un Ken

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February 10th 2010

Comment: Chilcot missed opportunity on Tony Blair - page 6

Sport Comment: Andy Murry has the ability to win a Grand Slam - back page

Issue 5.1

Kent student in Egypt house arrest Charlotte Dunne - an exclusive interview

21% of students will go under the knife Jennifer Read-Dominguez A recent research survey has revealed that one in five students plan to spend their loan on cosmetic surgery.

British based goodsurgeonguide.co.uk, who conducted the study, uncovered that while 4% have already used all or part of their loan on plastic surgery, a further 21% would consider having a procedure.

The initial survey asked 2,136 students across the UK how they intended to utilise their loans and whether they would ever go under the knife; if so, which procedures would they consider?

Liposuction was revealed to be the most popular type of surgery, with 28% of students expressing interest, whilst 19% were willing to spend a fraction of their loan on a teeth whitening procedure.

A further 15% revealed that they would consider breast enlargement surgery, while continued on page 2

U

niversity of Kent student, Charlotte Dunne, was placed under housearrest by Egyptian authorities after herself and 50 international delegates attempted to cross the border into Palestine.

Charlotte intended to take part in the Gaza Freedom March on 31st December, 2009, which brought together 1,400 people from 42 different countries.

The march was held to commemorate the 1,400 Palestinians that were killed by Israeli forces in January 2008. Protestors planned to pass through the Egyptian town of El-Arish in order to reach Gaza. However, despite preliminary negotiations that saw the Egyptian government consent to the protesters crossing the border through Egypt, police intercepted marchers before escorting them to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte, a third year Social Policy student, is one of many who were infuriated

by Egypt’s decision to prevent the march for freedom.

InQuire met with Charlotte to talk about her ordeal:

How long were you detained?

Initially, 50 of us were detained in a hotel from which we managed to escape to a nearby chalet. However, police had followed us and subsequently surrounded the area, after which we were detained for three days.

Were you treated well and did

the authorities behave with good conduct?

The police refused us the basic human right of free movement, so no, I don’t believe we were treated well. I was manhandled during the protest and my camera was thrown to the ground after a policeman realised I was documenting their actions. However, my experience in El-Arish was far more civilised than the situation in Cairo, where one protestor was killed by authorities, while many more were hospitalised.

How was the atmosphere in the chalet in which you were detained; were the other detainees distressed, or just infuriated?

I think we were all angry at the

fact that we couldn’t get to Gaza to show our support for the Palestinians. Nevertheless, we kept pushing and negotiating with authorities for our release, which was difficult because of the language barrier. We all became very close during the confinement and we were encouraged by the amount of international media attention our situation had attracted.

Did you ever fear for your safety? How did you cope emotionally?

At first, I feared the police as they used guns to intimidate us. Gradually, though, I began to look at them as simply humans in uniform; the revelation came when I walked in on a policeman crying.

Charlotte Dunne

Sophiahomer

Daria Oldale

He revealed that many in the police force, himself included, supported all the issues we were advocating but were obliged to carry out orders due to the nature of their job. I began to realise that Egyptians were living in an oppressive police state where basic human rights are not protected.

For instance, we were forbidden to meet in groups of more than six people and the presence of the police was always apparent.

Do you think the Egyptian authorities acted out of line?

Definitely; negotiations for the Gaza protest began six months ago and the Egyptian authorities were aware that our intentions were entirely peaceful.

Egypt has shot itself in the foot in terms of international relations as it has demonstrated that its allegiance lies with Israel.

How did you feel upon release?

Were you released as a result of international efforts, or due to the decision of the Egyptian authorities?

We were never officially set free; I think that the government were eventually overwhelmed by our unrelenting resistance. We were constantly pushing them to allow us to cross the border to Gaza, however, they eventually decided to send us back home.

What effect has this experience had on your personal views regarding the issues in Gaza?

Although we did not join the Palestinians for the march, the fact that 1,400 people dropped their lives in order to offer support spoke louder than anything. I will continue to go back year after year.

visit our website at - www.inquirelive.co.uk

2 Ne ws National Blood Service The dates for when the National Blood Service group [NBSG] will be at the University of Kent with their bloodmobiles have just been announced: Monday 8th March Monday 9th March Tuesday 23rd March

continued from front page

the remainder named rhinoplasty and ear stapling as their procedure of choice.

The results have led many to believe that students may substitute expensive yet dependable surgery centres for a cheaper alternative, due to financial restraints.

Christiana Clogg, founder of the goodsurgeonguide website commented: “The results are sur-

prising; I would really encourage the students planning on a cosmetic procedure to ensure that the surgeon is reputable and reliable. Students are likely to concentrate on the financial aspect of a surgeon and be persuaded by low cost, and although cost is a vital consideration it is not as much a necessity as reputation.”

The study went on to reveal that of the students express-

Times: 10:45-1:45

3:30-6:00

Lisa-Marie Janes

Lord Carey and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams

Vickie Campbell - Chairwoman chairwoman@inquiremedia.co.uk Adam Silver - Newspaper Editor

Lord Carey criticizes the country’s ever-growing population

newspaper.editor@inquiremedia. co.uk Nicola Standley - IQ Editor

Edoardo Quadri

iq.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Daria Oldale - News newspaper.news@inquiremedia.co.uk Tinashe Mushakavanhu - Comment newspaper.comment@inquiremedia. co.uk Nik Williams - Culture newspaper.culture@inquiremedia. co.uk Jane Tranter - Features newspaper.features@inquiremedia. co.uk Anna Maysey - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment@inquiremedia.co.uk Sally Gower - Sports newspaper.sport@inquiremedia. co.uk Sam Hall - Website Editor website.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Romana Roske - Web News website.news@inquiremedia.co.uk Yogini Jivanji - Web Comment website.comment@inquiremedia. co.uk Alex Wood - Web Features website.features@inquiremedia.co.uk Grace Evenhuis - Web Entertainment website.entertainment@inquiremedia.co.uk Carl English - Web Sport website.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk

maintenance loan is currently £4,950 per annum, the cost of cosmetic surgery ranges from £3,500-£12,000 per procedure.

Plastic surgeon, Dr Lawrence Kirwan, attributes the popularity of cosmetic surgery amongst students to television shows such as Extreme Makeover.

“It can transform people’s lives and make them feel better about their self-image.”

UK suspends student applications from India

Clare Gooden, a representative from the NBSG said this about the event: “We came to your fresher’s fair and enrolled lots of enthusiastic students but we just need them to come along and donate.”

For more information, e-mail Clare at Clare.Gooden@nhsbt. nhs.uk

Editorial contacts:

ing interest in cosmetic surgery, 72% are based in South Eastern universities, compared to just 6% in Northern Ireland.

The popularity of cosmetic procedures is expected to increase after the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) revealed that the number of surgical procedures have tripled since 2003.

Whilst the average student

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, recently stated that the Church of England must adopt a tougher stance if it is to preserve its historical position and beliefs.

Together with other MPs, Lord Carey announced his concern regarding recent statistics, which suggest a drastic increment in demographics in the United Kingdom. The Office of National Statistics project that the population of the UK could reach 70 million by 2029.

However, the main concern for many ‘religious-elites’ at the forefront of support for the Church of England is the security of the Christian faith. Twenty politicians, including Lord Carey, signed a new declaration of population entitled 70 million is too many, stating that such a severe increase will have a “significant impact on our public services, our quality of life and on the nature of our society”.

Many see the position taken

by Lord Carey as a criticism of past statements made by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams; he openly stated in 2008 that, because of the multicultural composition of the UK, some aspects

of Sharia law will inevitably be enshrined in national law.

Lord Carey, while maintaining that the Church of England is losing its traditional role in society due to high levels of immigration in the UK, clarifies that he does not object to non-Christian immigrants. He believes nonetheless that immigrants must acknowledge and understand the UK’s culture including its language, parliamentary democracy and history in order to avoid hostility.

Carey also expressed fears that immigration may become associated with “dangerous social conditions”.

The statements concerning the limitation of immigrations to the UK have been largely criticized by other politicians. The press have interrogated Carey, questioning the complications that could arise on a political, as well as on a social level. Among the various criticisms, objectors urge Lord Carey and the other MPs to take into consideration that the UK is part of the European Union which has, as one of its basic tenets, the free movement of people in EU territory; a democratic principle which goes beyond cultural or political traditions.

Further critics include foreign students studying at UK universities, who consider his statement a matter for concern.

Student visa applications from Northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh have been temporarily suspended by the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) after an unprecedented rise in numbers.

The last three months of 2009 saw a 650% increase in applications from northern India, which means the number of applicants total 13,500 in comparison with just 1,800 in the same period in 2008.

British officials are overwhelmed by the amount of cases and are convinced that many applications are not genuine.

The decision has been further affected by recent media reports concerning a number of businessmen. The accused have been charged for helping thousands to obtain places at bogus colleges in large UK cities such as Manchester and London.

Director of London Immigration Advice, Harjap Singh Bhangal, claimed that whilst temporary suspension will prevent illegal immigration, it will affect genuine students. He commented: “It’s going to create panic and we don’t know when this suspension is going to be lifted. I believe it’s for one month initially but it could run into several months.”

However, students in Nepal have reacted angrily to the suspension, accusing authorities in London of “playing with people’s lives”. Students are fearful of not being able to attend universities in Britain despite paying thousands of pounds for their courses.

Rabin Bhattarai, 22, is hoping to study in London, said “I have spent a whole year applying for higher education in Britain and now I don’t know what I am going to do. My classes start on February 10 and I have already paid £3,600 to the college.”

Nepal authorities claim that the increase in visa applications is due to the relaxed rules in Britain in 2008.

“The new policy encouraged a lot of students to opt for Britain instead of the United States or Australia,” commented Narayan Krishna Shrestha, head of the foreign study department at Nepal’s education ministry.

The British High Commissioner of Delhi, Richard Stagg, emphasised the measures were not aimed at legitimate students and were a necessary evil, claiming: “I am confident that a normal visa service will be resumed in good time for students who want to study in the UK in the next academic year”.

The UKBA will review the suspension at the end of February.

Ne ws 3

Lisa-Marie Janes Local councils will soon be given the power to minimise highly populated student neighbourhoods as a result of recent government plans.

The decision is a consequence of the high number of public complaints regarding the anti social nature of large student areas, which have been dubbed by the media as student ‘ghettos’.

The plans will allow councils to license and regulate landlords letting to students in problematic areas such as cities. Landlords will be forced to apply for planning permission in the future if they wish to rent their house to multiple tenants that are not related.

John Healey, the Housing Minister, announced these plans in response to the increase and spread of student dominated regions, which many complain has led to the deterioration of these areas due to high levels of noise, litter and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Healey stated: “I am giving councils more local powers to crack down on the worst landlords and stop the spread

of high concentrations of shared homes where it causes problems for other residents or changes the character of a neighbourhood.”

The new measures will work to reduce the number of houses left empty by students during the summer holidays.

Currently, areas in Leeds, Nottingham and Manchester are the worst hit; in Leeds, a number of streets are 90 per cent student occupied, while over 40,000 full time students currently reside in Nottingham.

However, director of residential policy at the British Property Federation, Ian Fletcher, argues: “Clearly, ‘studentification’ is an issue in some areas, but the private rented sector provides far more than student accommodation and any interventions need to be balanced against the impact they could have across the wider sector. Many people are choosing to live in rented accommodation, and for many more it is the only choice they have.”

Moreover, Fletcher warned that the imposition of planning restrictions would consequently limit supply, increase rent and leave those most vulnerable with-

Daria Oldale

Government crack down on student ‘ghettos’

Popular residential student areas, such as Downs Road and Hales Place may be at risk out rented, affordable accommodation with nowhere to live.

Chairman of the National Landlords Association, David Salusbury, joins the argument: “The Government has bowed to a small minority who shouted the loudest. It has ignored the vital role these homes play in contributing to vibrant and mixed

communities. These plans will do nothing to improve housing.”

Meanwhile, the National Union of Students asserted that many students contribute to their local area, adding: “The lobby says that students are the cause of problems in the community, but actually what they are describing is a tension between

young and old people’s lifestyles.”

These restrictions will also have a detrimental effect on parents intending to buy homes for their children to live in whilst at university with spare rooms for others to rent.

Such investments have become popular over the years, but are now set to decline.

Have Your Say: Would you spend your loan on plastic surgery?

“I don’t think plastic surgery is a good idea because I believe it is fake. It is not the real you; everybody has impurities that they have to learn to love and accept. At the end of the day, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

Conducted by: Tobi Okorie

“I would because I think my calves are too skinny and they are not developing as fast as I want them to.”

Mark Davies, 24

“I think people that do it are trying to fit in. Personally I wouldn’t do it because it costs a lot to maintain and with age it gets harder to maintain.”

Imaobong Enang, 19 Law

Bridget Kwera, 20

Business Administration

Social Policy

Emma Ward, 18

French and English Language “If I had an accident and my body was disfigured, yes.

Other than that I would not spend my loan or money because of vanity. I would rather let nature take its course.”

Hannah Sweet, 22 Psychology

“If it was necessary for me to have cosmetic surgery then yes I would but I wouldn’t do it just for the sake of it. At my age I don’t need plastic surgery and I have other things to worry about, especially being a third year student.

4 Ne ws Stage Spiders take theatre to Africa

Megan Ruddlesden

This summer, the University of Kent’s ‘Stage Spiders’ will be extending their web of drama expertise to children in Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique.

The student run theatre company encourage young children to get involved in drama by running workshops intended to boost their confidence and encourage team-building when it comes to performance.

Six members will travel to Africa for two weeks, visiting six schools and an orphanage in various parts of the countries.

Their aim is to share their knowledge whilst simultaneously creating a fun social environment in which children will be able to interact

through the medium of drama.

Acknowledging that Africa has a strong sense of culture, the group intend to promote the art of performance to those of a younger age.

“We believe that by taking our work to Africa, we can enable, encourage and inspire a potential new generation of drama students,” commented the society’s president, Sway Grantham.

The volunteers may be confronted with language barriers but they are prepared to deal with this in a commendably creative way.

Their aim is to take a “more visual approach” when running their workshops, including games and songs which cater for repetition.

Fundamental to this trip is the awareness that they will not be replacing the drama which the children already encoun-

ter; rather, they simply wish to present the children with another form of education.

The society is keen to help countries like these where there is enormous pressure on schools due to a lack of teachers and large numbers of students.

Engaging in activities with these children, if only briefly, will render the trip a success.

“We want to make a difference to the African communities which we visit, so that even following our departure from the countries, they can continue to use the games and activities which we have taken to them.

This knowledge alone will be the greatest souvenir from our visit”, stated Miss Grantham.

The student volunteers anticipate the trip will offer them a chance to engage with the children whilst learning more about their culture. The society will be holding a raffle in order to raise funds for the trip; tickets cost £1 and prizes include 2 x summer ball tickets, a meal for two at Woody’s and Rutherford and free entry/drinks at the Venue.

Contact stage-spiders@yahoo. co.uk for more information.

Kent police tighten up on drugs Kent Police have revealed that a drug detection device, known as the Ion scanner, has proven to be successful.

The device can detect drugs with one swab across an individual’s hands, thus exposing those that have handled illegal substances.

The machine, which is one of only four in the country, has been used by Kent police since 2008. Due to the simple mobility and hand-held design of the Ion scanner, police have been able to effectively scan entrants at pubs and clubs with ease.

The device can detect even the smallest trace of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, ketamine and other class A substances.

The machine produces results in seven seconds, with police asserting that any indication of handling will be followed up with a search.

“We predominately look for Class A drugs on people’s hands and surfaces. Anywhere that drugs may be present then the

machine will detect it, in minute particles,” commented Kent police officer, PC Adrian Parsons.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson is keen for police forces across the country to put this technology to use following a recent demonstration given by PC Parsons at the House of Commons.

Critics of the scanner argue that the device may prove to be unreliable and that certain legal substances such as various cosmetics, seeds and food products may produce a positive result from the machine.

They also contended that anyone could easily pick up traces of class A drugs; studies show that a high percentage of bank notes circulating in England are contaminated with cocaine.

Similarly, door handles and other public surfaces could quite easily transfer illegal substances onto an unsuspecting person, such as in 2005, when a Welsh assembly member tested positive during a demonstration; however, it is believed that the drug trace may have been

picked up from a door handle.

PC Parsons acknowledges the sensitive nature of the scanner, but asserts that police will filter out false allegations and will focus on serious cocaine users.

The scanner was first used in Kent in 2008, where it was met with a positive response.

This is local London

Maeve O’Donnell

PC Adrian Parsons with the Ion drug scanner outside the Houses of parliament

Drink spiking

Gloda.net

Yogini Jivanji

Lisa-Marie Janes A study at the University of Kent has revealed that perceptions of drink spiking have become extremely pervasive, with many students considering it a more important factor in sexual assault than taking drugs, walking home alone or consuming too much alcohol.

Dr Adam Burgess from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the University of Kent set out to investigate why people are so protective against drink spiking, despite investigations uncovering little evidence to suggest that drink spiking is a common factor in sexual assaults.

Throughout the study, researchers surveyed and interviewed students from four different locations in the UK and US regarding the threat.

Female students regularly judged ‘bad-nights-out’ including loss of memory and blackouts as likely to be connected to contamination of drinks and not to excessive alcohol consumption.

In the study, 75% of participants felt that they were most likely to be sexually assaulted when their drink was spiked, followed by 72% when drugged and 70% when walking home at night.

Students also fear their drinks being spiked more than mugging, burglary and drink driving.

The findings also discovered that there was widespread disbelief that excessive amounts of alcohol could cause the same incoherence, physical distress and incapacity usually associated with drug rape drugs.

Drink spiking stories also have

the added advantage of being able to explain away the disproportionate loss of control when drinking.

Dr Burgess commented: “The reason why fear of drink spiking has become widespread seems to be a mix of it being more convenient to guard against than the effects of alcohol itself and the fact that such stories are exotic - like a more adult version of ‘stranger danger’.”

Broadcaster and Chair of the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, Nick Ross commented: “There is no evidence of widespread use of hypnotics in sexual assaults. It is not scientific evidence keeping the drug rape myth alive but the fact that it serves so many useful functions.”

In a short interview, Dr Burgess explores his research: Why do you think drink spiking has been so focused on?

I’m struck by how much attention there is on drink spiking and how little there is on drink consumption which is a bigger problem.

Do you think that media and social attention on drink spiking will change?

There is no national campaign for drink spiking. Instead, attention stems from how people go out and their experience. Another indirect influence is from parents who warn about such dangers.

What would you propose from your research?

I would propose more mundane actions to do with drink consumption such as eating food before drinking.

Do you think that people are fully aware of the misconceptions of drink spiking?

No because people think that it is a significant problem when it is not.

Ne ws 5

Aaron Shiret A report conducted by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign claims that, despite improvements, many university facilities for disabled students are not accessible enough.

The charity’s ‘Trailblazers’ network, which represents young people living with muscular disease, conducted undercover research at eight UK universities to establish their suitability for disabled students.

While Brunel and Coventry achieved very high scores for their accessibility, the University of Bedfordshire scored just 33% and was heavily criticised.

The report also found that one in ten disabled students are not provided with suitable accommodation, along with easy access to dining and toilet facilities.

Furthermore, it was revealed that a third of universities fail to provide an obvious point

of contact for disabled students, while one in four do not offer facilities for carers.

The report urges universities to have dedicated disability officers who can give students suitable advice throughout university, and asks for the government to make sure that all necessary funding is available to pay fully for carers.

The study also stresses than no disabled student should feel unable to take on a degree just because of their disability, thereby calling upon all universities to make sure that they suitably cater for every student.

The University of Kent has around 2000 students registered as having some disability or learning difficulty, with around half suffering from dyslexia.

While Kent Union does have a Students’ Disabilities Officer, there is no student group on campus dedicated to such

students’ welfare, despite them typically forming around 7-8% of the university’s population.

In order to receive maximum support at university, students should indicate on their UCAS forms that they suffer from a problem so that arrangements can be made.

Graham Gorvett, Kent’s Head of Disability and Dyslexia Support Service, said: “One of the biggest developments for us has been using the SDS for Inclusive Learning Plans. We can advise the teaching staff through that and there’s not many universities that can do that.”

The support service is able to make special class and exam arrangements for students with disabilities and, if requested in advance, can arrange ground floor accommodation on campus, with rooms for carers available on demand.

This is however limited to the ground floors of Woolf,

Daria Oldale

Universities not doing enough for disabled students

An example of UoK’s facilities for the disabled Tyler Court A, B and C and Kemsdale Court in Parkwood.

For more on campus information, please visit the Dis-

ability and Dyslexia Support Service, located in Keynes College. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

Students raise awareness with five day sleep-out During a five day sleep-out, which ran from 29th January to 3rd February, Alex Self, Damon Reid-Williams and Zoe Scandrett, students at the University of Kent braved the cold streets of Canterbury to raise awareness for the city’s homeless population.

The sleep-out was held in order to raise money for the charity, Porchlight, as part of the Poverty and Homeless Awareness Week.

Alex Self revealed that a similar fundraising act in Montreal provided the inspiration for the sleep-out.

Although it was unlikely that the students would face 8 inches of snow, as occurred during the sleep-out in Montreal, Alex was adamant that, whatever the weather, the students would remain as close to reality as possible: “If it rains we will find shelter just the same as any rough sleeper. I will not be going home.”

As a further measure, the three participants limited themselves to no more than £5 per day and

Cara Drury

Ed Atkins

were not permitted to return to their homes unless necessary.

The sleep-out was successful in that it raised over £600.

However, the students ran into difficulty after a heated conversation with a member of the Salvation Army; the individual has written to the University of Kent criticizing both the outcome of the sleep-out and the conduct of the participants. The three students stress that while they have no issues with the charity itself, they felt the individual was rude and offensive. The

Canterbury branch of the Salvation Army declined to comment and the issue is yet to be resolved.

InQuire asked Zoe Scandrett a few questions: What steps did you take in order to keep it the sleep-out as authentic as possible?

We tried our best to live on a budget of £5 or under each, per day, which we had to be flexible with at times. A lot of homeless people do get a jobseeker’s allowance and other benefits, so they’re not entirely without money. We

Have you got a news story?

E-mail the News Editor, Daria Oldale, at newspaper.news@inquiremedia.co.uk

also had a sign telling people that we were doing the sleep-out for charity, which detracted from the real feeling of what it’s like for real rough sleepers; it was such an enlightening experience to be on the receiving end of people’s prejudices. Obviously, we were in a group, although there was a point where I was alone for a few hours, and it was really scary.

Was there any aspect of homeless life that could not be imitated?

The main thing was the knowledge that after 5 nights we could go home. We had hope, and a light at the end of the tunnel to look towards. Homeless people don’t have such a light, and they don’t know if they’ll ever get back on their feet and into a proper home again. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must feel like.

For you, what was the worst part of the 5 days?

The first night. We weren’t used to it, and it was cold and uncomfortable. Once we’d gotten through that, we had the resolve to finish the experience, and learnt how to make it more bearable for ourselves. Generally, the feeling of sitting around during the day with nothing to do, and

having to watch people walk past you and ignore you or look down at you was horrible. It’s enough to send you mad - and it makes you angry and upset. It really does erode at your self-esteem.

As one guy who lives on the streets, Alex, told us: “When people always think of you as scum, you start to think of yourself as scum and once you’re there there’s no getting out of that.”

How important do think it is to help the homeless population of Canterbury?

Everyone should show that they care about homeless people. They’re people too, and they deserve as much respect as anyone else. We need to show that we care otherwise their self-worth may be eroded.

Do you still feel that this is a successful medium to raise awareness of homelessness? Would you consider doing it again?

Definitely. When people realise that we gave up our homes for five days to raise money, they start to think about how big an issue it is. We’re not looking for admiration for doing it, but it was incredibly hard. In terms of what we’ve achieved, it’s definitely worth doing again.

6 Comment

Chilcot’s missed opportunity on Tony Blair

The iPad hype

Nik Williams Years in the making, it has been the subject of hysterical online speculation in recent months, verging at times on religious hysteria: sceptics in the blogosphere jokingly called it the Book of Jobs after the maverick Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

Other companies have made tablet computers and e-readers before, to no great excitement.

What Apple does better than anyone is sell clever bits of technology wrapped in iconic design, combining them with seductive ways to buy content online.

This does not disquiet many who were disappointed with the appearance of the iPad, which is, in essence, a giant iPhone on steroids. It looks awkward to hold; you’re basically limited to hunching over on a desk to type two-handed, or cradle it with one arm and peck away at a huge virtual keyboard with the other.

But tablet computing promises to transform not just one industry, but three—computing, telecoms and media. Not everything that Apple makes is a runaway success: its Apple TV and Newton handheld both ended up in dusty cupboards.

But big players in the music and publishing industry hope that the iPad succeeds.

The iPad isn’t going to be a phenomenon with either netbook users or power users. It’s not better than existing devices at anything, and it’s too expensive for most people to use it as a secondary device.

When Steve Jobs first revealed the iPod on 23 October 2001, no-one had the slightest inkling of what it might become.

Nobody at the time predicted that the music player would morph into a phone, and then into a multi-purpose tablet device.

The iPad is itself a very similar starting point. What we’re looking at here is the very beginning of a new product line, one that we can expect to adapt, metamorphose, and grow just as the iPod did.

Comment Editor Tinashe Mushakavanhu

I

managed to win tickets in the public ballot to be in the viewing annex to watch the Chilcot Iraq Inquiry proceedings being held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and I was torn between being hopeful and being cynical.

Former premier Tony Blair was to take the stand at the Iraq Inquiry to explain Britain’s involvement in the costly war. Everyone waited with baited breath to see what the former prime minister had to say for himself and his role.

As Blair entered the room I was struck by the difference three years outside of formal politics has done to him; he sported a deep tan, his hair was now grey and thinning in parts and his reading glasses were never far from his reach. But the shaking that opened his defence subsided and his voice rose in volume and intensity and in a matter of minutes the nervous witness became a presence in the room - the audience soon realised they should not have underestimated him.

In the hearing room itself, families of servicemen killed in the Iraq war were present, some were crying, others stoically resolved to see that justice was done for the memory of their loved ones. The true revelation of the hearing was that their resolve was matched by Blair’s and he would not give an inch.

The questions were framed around the preparation, organisation and decisions made in the run up to the military action and Tony Blair answered the questions with an ease Britain hasn’t

seen in politics since he left the government in 2007. The panel probed the government’s processes but due to the inadequacies of their questions and his skill at avoiding those that were too dangerous to answer, the Inquiry was shaping up to fall short of its mandate. Their failures were pounced on by Blair who, by his eagerness to produce his own evidence and the conviction he loaded each word with, managed to control the session and as a result any hopes of unbiased truth emerging from the hearing were disappearing fast.

With over-emphatic arm gestures, Blair showed himself urging George Bush to comply with the UN, attempting to legalise their actions in Iraq with resolutions such as 1441. But this apparent impulse to follow the tenets of international law soon crumbled when he reiterated his alliance with Bush, stating

that “we are going to be with you” and claiming that he didn’t want the US to do it on its own.

Such self confidence shaped his testimony, but the panel lacked the urgency or tenacity to interrogate Blair concerning the ambivalence with which he seemed to treat international law and the UN. His resolve went unmatched and uncontested and it was this that came to characterise the morning session of the inquiry. The audience were growing restless as jeers of “liar” and “murderer” erupted in the conference room, but Blair remained rigid in his position of unswayable determination.

Using generalised terms such as ‘the calculus of risk’ and reiterating his foreign policy credentials, (making comment on the military action in Kosovo and Sierra Leone), he constructed for himself an image of a strong, able and passionate statesman and where the

panel should have tried to anchor him to the position of a witness, he wriggled out of their grasp whilst still maintaining control.

In the viewing annex, the exasperation and frustration was palpable. Around me people were struggling to understand how we had got to this position.

Britain had given him a podium to validate himself in the eyes of the inquiry and the public.

In the face of such resistance it is not surprising that the inquiry has invited criticism for lacking legal expertise and the strength to discover anything that would satisfy a nation yearning for answers. I came away from the morning sessions feeling as though I had just been handled by a consummate professional but then I realised we all had, including the inquiry, and it took a polished political mind like Tony Blair’s to fully illustrate the inquiry’s true impotency.

Mannie Garcia

InQuirer on

Iraq war might come to define Tony Blair’s premiership

Crime Intervention - always play the ‘Hero’?

Lisa-Marie Janes I feel that citizens do not contribute to the prevention of crime enough through little actions such as stepping forward as a witness.

However, it is understandable why people are afraid to intervene more actively by chasing the criminal - several cases of citizens helping others and losing their lives are widespread. A recent case is of Sukhwinder Singh, who

was stabbed to death by muggers when he pursued them after they snatched a woman’s handbag.

Another reason people resist intervening in crimes is because the victims themselves have been arrested due to retaliation such as Munir Hussain who, after his family was tied up and threatened at knife-point, chased and attacked an intruder, leaving him with permanent brain damage.

Despite Hussain’s release, both he and his family suf-

fered a traumatic experience and could still be at risk.

Reluctance by the public to intervene can be supported by a poll of European countries in 2006 which discovered that British citizens were least likely to intervene in crime.

Six out of ten Britons would be more unlikely to challenge a group of 14-year old boys vandalising a bus shelter than citizens of other countries including Germany and Spain. Yet this

hesitation can be justified since in the past, the amount of gangs and knife crime had increased.

Self defence for your own protection and others is acceptable but there should be a limit – people should only use necessary force to escape from their situation.

I believe that people should protect themselves and others from crime with necessary force but also take into account their own safety and instead pursue a more passive, but effective action.

Comment 7

THE ESSAY: Imperialist yoke of English Literature

Tinashe Mushakavanhu

W

hen I went to university and chose to study English literature (to the dismay of my family and friends) I was a lost soul. I was side-stepping more lucrative prospects in law, business and science. English literature was the eureka of my awakening. I had unconsciously begun a journey to discover the contradictions of my being.

The literature department, curiously called the English Department, at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe where I did my undergraduate degree teaches mostly English authors from Chaucer to Dickens. It bothered me that our educational system still connived with the past. Questions crawled in my mind. They still do. What is the reason in this day and age that we should be brought up on an impoverished reading diet in a so-called English department?

Why is this pattern so in our time? Why does it still persist?

Has this all been an accident of content, time, place and history?

A Russian child grows under the influence of his native imagination: a Chinese, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, a German or an Englishman first imbibes his national literature before attempting to take in other worlds. This ABC of education is followed in most societies because it is demanded by the practice and the experience of living and growing.

Not so in Africa, despite the crucial role the twin fields of literature and culture play in making a child aware of, and rediscovering his environment. The great difficulty posed by colonial history is that it brought us into a world with no real centre and no easily defined point of view. In fact, the cultural onion was peeled to a point where our tears refuse to dry.

One of Africa’s eminent writers, Chinua Achebe, highlights the problem with the world knowledge system when he rightly points out that it is dominated by Europe and it excludes the “African testimony.” Let me hasten to add that I am fully aware of the simplifications I am indulging in so that my basic points can stand out. I realize, for instance, there is some sort of effort to study Af-

rican writing, and I also realise that there is effort by some European universities to “post-colonise” the African knowledge system and psyche, but despite these academically elegant labels and nonsensical pedagogical qualifications that can be made from the high chair of academia, there is some patronizing attitude in all this. The knowledge system teaches little about Africa, or worse, ignores it.

It is this misnomer that led me to want to be a literary researcher - to declare my independence and refuse to be a squawking literary parrot. I wanted to do some demolition work on the walls that keep our continent from knowing itself, and seek ways of understanding the possibilities inherent in our lives as Africans. Africa is the place to be for anyone who wants to live

in the vortex of life. I write, and imagine, from there. I migrate in there and from there. My desire is to interfere with and interrupt the flows of thought, to engage with and fight the present as a response to my own being.

When I was 20 years old, I became an editorial apprentice at a small but vibrant publishing house in Harare. This experience deepened my desire to want to be involved in the production of knowledge relevant to our needs.

My involvement with the publishing industry, as well as the writing fraternity and academia in Zimbabwe, made me realise that we had a capacity to produce and package our own stories and ideas but sometimes that is not enough when we have to rely on Western donors for capital

Makerere University in Uganda fermented the intellectual climate in Africa in the 1950s and 60s and led to the growth of a literary culture championed by writers such as Achebe, Ngugi, Soyinka, Okot p’ Bitek.

to fund our projects and often come in with their own agendas.

When I was at university I had one big ambition: to critically engage with the dominant patterns of intellectual production.

What irked me most was that I had seen foreign and well funded scholars come to Zimbabwe, and in six months or less, they left with a book manuscript on our culture, politics, economics, music, etc. It was as if the locals were intellectually impotent or incurious, so they needed someone to tell them something about themselves. As young as I was, I often wondered why it required an intervention from a foreign academic for us as Zimbabweans to appreciate ourselves?

I am lucky to be part of the solution. As a publisher you learn how to package thoughts and visions. As an academic you learn how to think and dream. As a writer you create your own reality. Even though being here is a contradiction of this entire discussion, I live with that because my whole life is a contradiction anyway. I am here because I have the space and time to nourish the dreams of the young boy I was.

Literature is a world. It is about experiences, freedoms, constructive dissent, truth and consequence, and if we lack the ability to question and the willingness to be maverick, then our reality is just a dull facade.

Literature liberates. Never mind my chocolate hue, English is the sensitive growth on the skin of my mind.

8 Editorials

Home is where the heart is...

I

was watching the six o’clock news one evening over Christmas, only to find myself almost choking on delicious homemade lasagne when I heard one of the headlines.

“Social services ignored pleas to help frail pensioners Jean and Derek Randall. A month later they were found dead.” The newsreader went on to divulge that the unnecessarily neglected couple had probably been dead for five days.

The piece hit headlines, rightly so,

and the blame seemed to go directly on the social services, which had apparently done nothing.

There I sat; listening to the journalist describing how these organisations hadn’t lifted a finger to prevent this tragedy, whereas my foremost thought was on the contrary. What the hell was the family playing at? It was a community nurse who eventually found the bodies of the couple and raised the alarm. Not a peep from any of the family. Five days seems, in my honest opinion, too long to last without communication with members of your own family. Let alone elderly family members in constant need of care.

Imagine that. Barely capable of looking after yourself, and not only could you not count on the attention or provisions of the organisations supposedly giving you the care you should be provided with: but on top of that, your own FAMILY, forgetting about you.

No one wants to go that way. It did get me thinking. (And this is where I’ll sound a little like Pink’s heart-wrenching number, Dear

Mr. President.) I find too often I hear of situations in which a family struggles to ‘bond’ as well as might be hoped. Come the end of a two-week family holiday in a remote location, these families will be tearing each others’ hair out, basically your average episode of Eastenders. You get the picture.

Whereas (and I know I won’t be an anomaly here), when I think of some of the more appealing times of the year, Christmas day with my nearest and dearest is the first scenario I conjure up. For example, playing horrendously entertaining games of “Who’s in the Bag?” with clues that get more and more abstract and just plain baffling. And you may think to yourself, but that’s just one day!

In August 2006, circumstances and fate combined to send myself and my sister, older by three years, off to Rome on holiday together for a week. We were greeted on our return with, “So you didn’t kill each other then?!”

Liz and I simultaneously turned to each other, and her expression mirrored mine. Pure confusion.

What was she talking about? We’d never argued before, in fact, we’re practically inseparable. Needless to say, we’re actually planning to go around the world together for a year, and I can’t think of anything I’m looking forward to more.

It’s much the same case with my parents. When there’s a film at the cinema that we all wish to see, they do tell Liz and I that they won’t be offended if we don’t want to sit with them, just in case we’d feel embarrassed.

I contradicted their suspicions entirely; by declaring that a family trip out was just that. I think they felt pressured into sitting with us, the sheer determination that came across! They’ve gone all soppy since their Pearl Anniversary. (Run away, fast...)

By no means am I suggesting that this isn’t a ‘traditional’ family; I’d merely like to think it’s not just me who reckons that news bulletin was insane and deserved a consequential rant.

Sally Gower Sports Editor

Shun the E prefix

L

ook, I am no Luddite.

I know technology has done a lot for us, without it there wouldn’t be any artificial hearts, pacemakers, speedy magnet trains, fuel efficient cars or tamagotchis. Trust me, I am not someone to deprive anyone of a small pixellated death-prone digital animal. What I don’t admire is its inherent goal to make everything not touch screen, flashy flashy, inscribed with

fruit, or featureless like a ken doll - totally and utterly obsolete.

I guess if I am not a Luddite I am definitely a romantic, hanging on with cracked nails to the things we can’t lose, but being equally unable to explain why. There would remain a space, where they used to be, but only the romantic, or neurotic: “please don’t change my world I have only just been able to stand the sight of it to get out of my house with the digestive crumbs and cat hair”, would notice it; the churn of progress will go on, and like the buses, it waits for no one. No, we inhabit a world that language has even wiggled out of the way for with the vapid ‘E’ prefix; so there are stores, but no wait, why go there when you can go to an E-store.

You want a book? No no no what about an E-book. Harmony, we all want harmony right? Wrong!

E-harmony is what you desire.

Ok the last was a dating service but it is in the E that, to them,

their name sell dates, other people’s time, candle light dinners, self-consciousness, the awkward ‘should I kiss you good night?’ shuffle and eventually combined disappointment and hours in a mirror weeping at your ineptitude in claiming even a stranger. “Was my avatar hotter than me? Overselling me, in fact?” Within the little fifth letter in the alphabet is all the progress of a discernibly clever world and that is worrying.

Now we come to where my romanticism hits full stride: ebooks and the nefarious Kindle.

There is something about the flick of page, the crack of a spine, the gloss of a cover that can never be exchanged for a slab of congealed wiring, circuitry and those little modern buttons that are nearly not there. Being an avid reader I was sure that I would be among the target audience for something with a compiled list of hundreds of books at a time. But wait, have I missed something? Before the

kindle, the E-saving-grace, were we dragging around trunks of books with us where ever we went? Was a holiday, nothing more than an extravagant weightlifting exercise, spread over continents, not to be enjoyed but to be struggled through; but as long as we had our entire catalogue at arm’s reach then it’s worth it. On a personal side I cannot separate computer screens with formal documents or reports. So will pieces of fiction turn into that?

The mating and feeding habits of vampiric sub-species (Twilight), the domestic and suburban pressures on family life (Revolutionary Road) or the correlation between extreme violence and sexual arousal concerning vehicle damage (Crash). So for now I will fold over pages, crack the spine and smell the old yellowing pages and I wont have it any other way.

Nik Williams Culture Editor

Send your comments to the InQuire Editor at newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk and see them published in the next issue

IQ

FAD DIETS SOCIETIES MUSEUMS

An expedition to Fiji:

The Taveuni Rainforest where Kylie spent the environmental phase of her trip

Kylie Grant At eighteen I embarked on an experience that changed not only my life, but also my understanding of the world around me. I volunteered for Raleigh International and travelled to Fiji.

I won’t be a salesman don’t worry.

This article won’t be full of clichéd statements about ‘selfless’ acts or overwhelming experiences but what I want to say is that when you make the choice to volunteer and commit to an expedition you may never know how much it will affect you.

I was introduced to the charity Raleigh International by my mother, who was so upset she couldn’t do it herself (she was too old) that I feel she will forever silently throw darts of envy at me.

I signed up for an introduction day in Bristol and immediately found I was thrown in the deep end. The day was full of team building exercises, discussions about independence and a presentation that enthralled me.

For a shy, but curious teenager the day sparked a part of me I didn’t fully understand until after the expedition: it was the need to see the world and feel like a part of it.

The day included discussions about the areas that Raleigh worked in and the kind of expeditions they ran and as soon as Fiji came up I was immediately fascinated. As a country that everyone believes is a tropical haven I was shocked to learn about the real poverty present in the country, both on the main islands and the smaller

islands that make up Fiji. I was also interested in Fiji’s political upheaval and its controversial history (in the past it has been regarded as a cannibalistic society). Whilst there, I really took the opportunity to learn about it.

After deciding that I would be going to Fiji I then had to raise the £3,000 that was needed for the charity to fund the trip. So I began to generate ideas about how to publicise this. I did a lot of silly things to try to get newspapers interested in writing a story which in turn would allow people to contact me for funding. We staged a local gig where bands got paid a certain amount of money for each layer of clothing they took off, much to my friends’ delight. My biggest event was held by Raleigh International at Guys Tower in London. The aim was to walk up the stairs of the tower to the height of Mt Kilimanjaro and to my friends, family and especially to myself it came as a massive shock that I actually didn’t keel over.

I raised a thousand pounds on that event alone. Companies were especially generous and I gathered a lot of support from local shops and businesses.

Once I had raised the money and spent a fortune in various camping shops I was all ready to go. I was so nervous meeting my group at the airport that when I arrived in Fiji and became one of the loudest in the group I am sure some never got over the shock of the change.

Sat on the plane, all I could do was watch the tiny screen as we made our way over oceans, mountain ranges and deserts, I remember

thinking that I had never felt freer.

Our first week of Fiji was spent in a strict catholic campsite, where most of our training was to be done. Each of us learnt how to use a radio, to hike, basic first aid and most important was the awareness of traditions, like the eating of certain foods, which would become imperative to remember when we lived with Fijian communities. Unlike other expeditions the Fiji Raleigh trip included young Fijians as part of the group and it was a real cultural lesson for me at the time.

These young Fijians, most from vulnerable areas of society, taught me to listen instead of to talk, to understand rather than to judge

and I can never truly thank them for that.

The expedition itself was divided into three parts: environmental, community and adventure.

The main group was split so that each group did a different phase at a different time. For my environmental phase my group was sent to Taveuni, which was a 20 hour ferry from the mainland (and yes, there was a whole lot of vomit on that trip). Taveuni is one of the most isolated islands I stayed on and where I got my first taste of Kava. Kava is the national drink in Fiji and is traditionally drank every night and especially when there is a special occasion. It is a drink that is made from the root of the Kava plant and has an earthy, almost soya like taste when drunk. For me it gave the feeling of being high and drunk simultaneously, an odd but enlightening experience!

On Taveuni we stayed in a village and then hiked into the rainforest where we spent a month creating an eco-tourism project for the local community to maintain as a way to create revenue for the island. Living in the rainforest is both wonderfully liberating and incredibly frustrating. Imagine having no running water, no toilet, no infrastructure and only tiny gas cookers to eat from. But then imagine trees that were thousands of years old, animals that you had never seen before, colours you didn’t even know existed and people that made you laugh so hard that you forgot the spider the size of your head that hung from your tent

ceiling that morning. The digging in monsoon-like conditions was truly worth it when we saw that we had created a path that ran past some important parts of the local rainforest and that could be used to guide tourists around the area.

The second phase was community and my group did this at Labasa on the main island of Vanua Levu. Here, we set about finishing a classroom for a special needs school that was in desperate need of some more space. I had to learn to build and also to project manage as each one of us had to become the leader for a day.

The classroom was finished and was opened in front of the whole community and I wrote and read a speech that I hope made our poor beleaguered foreman, Mr Prasard, know it was all worth it.

The third phase was adventure.

In this phase all the groups got to abseil, kayak and hike in a contest with each other that cumulated in a race to the finish line on the main island. It was a competition of brain power (each team won points for logic and puzzle solving) and of agility. (Hiking and kayaking were the worst!) After the race all the groups sat down to the last sunset of the expedition and as we mused about ‘what next’ we all knew in our heart of hearts none of us ever wanted to leave that view.

If you would like to get involved with Raleigh visit: www.raleighinternational.org

www.fiji.pictures-pacific.com

www.fiji.pictures-pacific.com

Kava, sweat, spiders and one incredible journey

A view of Labasa situated on the main island of Vanua Levu

The pitfalls of a society obsessed with being thin Jessica Bench So we’ve all seen the weightwatchers adverts on TV, the new healthy eating regime that sponsors the Simpsons, not to mention the new advertisement for Activia yogurt with Martine McCutcheon promoting ‘Tummy Loving Care.’ The New Year is upon us and we’re all trying to get that beach perfect body for summer.

But are the ways were achieving it really healthy?

Statistics show that the growing obesity levels in England are reaching epidemic proportions with almost every 1 in 4 adults now dangerously overweight.

More than 31,000 people are dying prematurely each year due to a lifestyle of fatty diets, as well as over-reliance on driving and using devices such as lifts and escalators instead of the stairs. In addition to the 21% of women and 17% of men in England regarded as obese, another 32% of women and 46% of men are overweight. This implies that nearly every 6 in 10 adults should change their lifestyles and the way they eat.

Philip James, the professor who first encouraged Tony Blair to establish the food standards agency at the end of 2009, stated: “We need to focus on transforming the diet of children and adults, even if the initiatives threaten

some components of the food and soft drinks industries.”

But is the diet transformation of young adults really an undisruptive process? At such a vulnerable age, the importance of image for a child may compel them into experimenting with extreme diets. At present, more than 30% of 16-24 year olds are overweight, costing the NHS above £500m in days off from sickness due to obesity, the most common cause being back pain. However, with so many ‘celebrity diets’ on the market, forcing young adults to eat healthily could lead them to follow health fads that may channel them into eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Some of the crash diets available are: The Lemon Detox aka the maple-syrup diet favoured by Beyoncé, demands you take a vial of special “tree syrup”, add the juice of half a lemon and some cayenne pepper, and drink up to nine glasses of this concoction a day, The Ultimate Detox This near-fast allows only 200 calories a day, made up of juices, broths and herbal tea. Combined with Nordic walking and yoga, it promises the loss of up to 17lb in 10 days.

The Cabbage Soup Diet Seven tortured days of cabbage soup, fruit, vegetables, soup, eight bananas, soup, beef and soup. The

diet’s own blurb admits, “Some people have reported feeling lightheaded, weak, and have suffered from decreased concentration”, but don’t worry, it’s all fine, because “some who have been affected in this way felt it was well worth it as they lost considerable weight”.

These extreme diets don’t allow the body enough nutrients and cause side effects including bad breath, body odour, wind, constipation, nutritional deficiencies, the likely regain of weight when normal eating resumes, headaches, weakness, an inability to concentrate, irritability, and damage to muscles, kidneys, heart or liver. Plus, this healthy eating fixation appears to be generating a rise in the number of people suffering from eating disorders. Jade from the founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, believes they are on the increase because: “modern society has lost its way with food”.

She said: “It’s everywhere, from the people who think it’s normal if their friends stop eating entire food groups, to the trainers in the gym who [promote] certain foods to enhance performance, to the proliferation of nutritionists, dieticians and naturopaths [who believe in curing problems through entirely natural methods such as sunlight and massage].”

So is the obsession with dieting and food escalating out of control?

There is a fine line between people who think they are taking care of themselves by manipulating their diet and those who have an eating disorder, but with the media informing us of the rising obesity levels in England how can we maintain a healthy diet?

James Robertson, director of health value for money at the NAO, said “It is a mistake to say there is a problem which cannot be tackled.

There need not be a counsel of desperation. We are not seeking a nanny state.”

Suzy Leather, deputy chairman of the food standards agency, said: “We won’t fight flab with only willpower. Consumers also need to be armed with information about the nutritional content of food.

Improved labeling could do a great

deal to help.”

Consequently, the government’s policy to improve labelling on foods and encourage more people to exercise should help to ease this obesity pandemic without causing it to spiral in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, if you’d like to know how to eat healthily here are some tips: • Keep balanced: if you focus only on calories, you get hungry, cheat and give up.

So, focus on high-fibre, highprotein, high- volume and low-GI foods to feel satisfied • Make it last: after you lose the weight, keep it off by eating healthily for life. Eat more fibre and less sugar, and only consume treats as part of meals.

Fad diets, media scrutiny and the ever-expanding British waistline Katherine Graham Type ‘weight loss’ into Google and you are faced with hundreds of websites featuring different weight loss programmes. These range from the more established and well-trusted such as Weight Watchers, to obvious scam websites offering to make you lose four stone in three months.

The latter is not only highly improbable, but also potentially highly dangerous. Very few of the websites offer healthy ways to lose weight, on the first page I could find only two. However, type ‘weight gain’ into Google and the majority of websites that come up offer advice on how to gain weight in a healthy way.

What is clear, however, from my very brief research is how flippant we have all become about our health. The very fact that there are so many websites indicate how much more concerned we are with our weight, but obviously we know

nowhere near enough to be able to deal with it ourselves. Those that are slightly over weight and want to lose a few pounds, go ahead and join Weight Watchers, Slim World, or another nutritionally balanced weight loss organisation. But for those that are severely over weight or underweight then the internet and magazines offering

“seven day detox” diets present a minefield of information in which it can become easy to become caught up and obsessed with.

Seeing a dietician may be a safer option.

So on the one hand we have magazines offering to help us lose weight, chastising celebrities such as Charlotte Church for not losing

The internet frequently bombards users with weight loss adverts promising dramatic results

their baby weight fast enough, or criticising Billie Piper for losing it too fast. We have them telling us that we all put on an average of five pounds over Christmas and we must diet immediately! Yes, your jeans may be a little snug but when you return to your regular diet then this should rectify itself.

It’s hardly a cardinal sin.

Another way to look at the weight issue is what newspapers and news reports frequently account, which is that by 2050 up to 60 percent of us will be obese.

This news goes hand in hand with reports about the strain that this will put on the NHS, and that for the first time in generations the trend for children having a longer life expectancy than their parents will be reversed.

What is the truth then? Do we need to eat less and move more?

Do we need to eat more? What is clear is that we are seriously confused about what we should and should not be eating and

what we should or should not weigh. I am often bemused as to why America Ferrerra, from Ugly Betty, is often referred to as “the curvaceous star” when in fact she is a healthy weight. No one mentions, however, that Gabourey Sidibe, of new film ‘Precious’ is unhealthily overweight. Nicole Ritchie was often called Paris’ chubby best friend during her days on The Simple Life but is now often told that she is too skinny.

The poor girl can’t win.

My point is that those in the spotlight who are a normal weight are often portrayed as not normal; as curvaceous. Lose weight, and we are suddenly anorexic; put on weight, and it often becomes a bit of a taboo subject. Like I have said, we are seriously confused about our weight. My advice: eat healthily the majority of the time but if you are in a restaurant, and you want that slice of sticky toffee pudding for goodness sake, go ahead and eat it.

It’s not to

Chess Society Fancy learning to play a game that is guaranteed to make you look intelligent? Then the UKC Chess society could be for you!

The Chess club is open to players of any ability, from absolute beginners to the most advanced expert. If you want to play to meet fellow enthusiasts, to make new friends, to develop your skills or to compete at a serious level then this club has the ability to facilitate your needs. Meetings are welcoming and sociable, rather than overtly competitive, and members are free to come and go as they wish, playing as much (or as little) chess as they desire.

For the more competitive minded chess player, the club holds two separate tournaments (one in each term) in which the UKC Chess Champion of the Year is decided and prizes are won. Meetings take place on Tuesday’s 6pm-8pm and Thursday’s 6pm-10pm in RLT2.

Best of all, the membership for the Chess society is a bargain at just £5 for the whole year. Interested? Why not visit http://ukcchess. wikispaces.com for more information.

refresh you

In light of re-freshers fayre, IQ has preview

Raven Moon

at Kent University, reminding you th

Kendo Kendo, a Japanese sword fighting society joins twice a week on campus to practice this traditional art using customary language and exercises. The large group is overseen by a professional instructor and led by high ranking students. The society trains junior students in the first hour and half, while senior students practice. The last thirty minutes of the class is spent sparring and practicing the skills learnt. Members attend national tournaments several times a year competing with clubs nationwide.

The society is open to anyone, regardless of experience. Expect a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. On Wednesdays the group move on to the K-bar after each session, as a relaxing retreat from the work out. Highly recommended to anyone interested in martial arts, self defence or wanting to learn a new skill. Taking place on Wednesdays from 8-10pm in the small sports hall, or on Saturdays from 3-5 in the dance studio.

Kent Rock and Metal Society is all about promoting rock, metal and an alternative lifestyle within Canterbury. We like to play the music you won’t hear elsewhere, with regular live music events and DJ nights on venues around campus, whilst promoting socials and bar crawls to alter last event was a Metal Gods and Rock Star live music from Shameful Behaviour and Upcoming events include a social to celebra night on the 10th February and a Pirate N be music from three live bands, Corduroy and The Plan, not to mention DJs, pirate d To get involved check out www.kentrock-so on Wednesday at 6pm in Keynes JCR.

Sarah Homami & Nidhi Misri

Ballroom and Latin Dance Club Though Strictly Come Dancing is no longer on our screens, memories of it resonate in our hearts and if you would like to learn how to move like your favourite celeb dancer than the Ballroom and Latin Dance Club is a great place to start. This club is open to dancers of all abilities and a variety of classes are run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each class caters to a different ability, so there is no need to think you might not be good enough as there is most definitely a class to suit your dance level. What’s more, if you want to take your dancing skills to a competitive level, the club enters competitions up and down the country, giving its members a chance to don sparkly costumes and tear up the dance floor. Membership for a year is £30, and this allows you to sign up for as many classes as you desire. Lots more information can be found at: http:// www.ukcballroom.com.

Raven Moon

oo late to

ur social life!

wed just some of the many societies on offer

For a full list of societies visit www.kentunion.co.uk For more reviews and previews, visit www.inquirelive.co.uk

hat it’s never too late to get involved.

Salsa Society

rnative pubs and events in town. Rock Soc’s r themed band night, in The Lighthouse with d guitar hero and fancy dress competitions. ate the return of The Beercart’s rock and metal Night at Woodys on 19th February. There will y Fashion Threat, Gabi and the Whoremoans dress and plenty o’ rum, yarrr. oc.co.uk or come along to the weekly meetings Jessica Pols

The Tai Chi Society Studying for a degree can and does take its toll on students mentally and sometimes physically so the Tai Chi society could be something new and relaxing for you to try with health benefits as well as social benefits. The Tai Chi society meets twice a week and it must be noted that it is never too late to start as any person of any age can take this martial art up, no matter what your physical levels may be. Tai Chi is inclusive and at only £3, it’s a complete bargain. Give this society a try and become part of a global and historical network of people who have incorporated this into their daily lives. For more information you can email jhb4@kent.ac.uk.

Frances Carabine

If you thought salsa was just a dip for your nachos you were wrong…

If you like the idea of getting fit while learning to sway your hips to hot Latin rhythms then the Salsa society may be for you! For a small fee of £4 for the whole year (which includes two FREE lessons per week) you could learn the stylish and sexy moves that Salsa dancing has to offer.

Regardless of your level of expertise; whether you’re a professional or have two left feet, the Salsa Society could give you the opportunity to have fun and really show off on the dance floor. There’s no need for you to bring a partner, just came along and bring your dancing shoes. For more information you can email kb243@ kent.ac.uk.

Lauran Elsden

The Current Affairs Society The Current Affairs Society is a group dedicated to raising awareness, debating and intellectual discussions of international affairs from various backgrounds of academia. The society is the official group of the Politics and International Relations Department which provides an atmosphere of learning for students of all academic backgrounds.

The group holds screenings of movies and documentaries to bring attention to a variety of issues and in the past have invited prestigious figures to hold lectures and open debates for Kent students to benefit from. This is an influential society which will appeal to anyone with an interest for intellective debating.

For more information contact cassoc@kent.ac.uk.

Sarah Homami & Nidhi Misri

CULTURAL LANDMARKS

NEWS IN (Y-FRONT) BRIEFS

Kylie Grant

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How many of us can say in all honesty that we’ve made the most out of living in Canterbury? A fair number of us will have been on some of the best nights out of our lives here, indulged ourselves with a night at the cinema or bowling alley and doubtlessly have misbehaved at a multiplicity of house parties or bars.

But what of Canterbury itself?

What of the interest that only Canterbury as a city affords us outside of the traditional student experience? Have you walked the city walls? Taken a boat tour in the summer?

Wandered in awe through the most famous Cantabrian sight of all, the Cathedral?

Due to budget cuts that Canterbury City Council agreed to in the dying weeks of 2009, we are soon to lose two pieces of this Canterbury experience.

In a cost-cutting exercise it has been determined that the closure of Canterbury Roman Museum and Westgate Towers will be necessary. The closure of both of these museums, alongside the Herne Bay Museum will save an estimated £112,600, but at what cost to the local communities?

The Roman Museum, tucked away just off of the High Street on Butchery Lane, is a fascinating way to spend a couple of hours. Descending to Roman-era street level, you can discover just how old our city is and how varied its history has been, through a series of reconstructions, recovered artefacts and interactive exhibits. The highlight of any visit to the museum comes in the form of the carefully preserved Roman pavement, which gives a tangible link to the settlement Durovernum Cantiacorum, as it was then known. This museum still attracts in excess of 20,000 visitors a year, benefiting from the thriving tourist industry within our city.

Westgate Towers is only open on Saturdays but, at

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The Westgate museum (left) and the Roman Museum (right) are under threat under new council budget cuts.

an admission cost of just 80 pence for concessions, is worth fighting-off the hangover for. Once you’ve made it up the spiral staircase you find yourself above the road with the opportunity to review centuries of weaponry that have been used to defend Canterbury. You can also visit prison cells, as well as looking through the worryinglynamed ‘murder holes’ onto the road, or more-likely onto the bus attempting to not graze the archway, below.

There are some potential problems with this element of the City Council’s moneysaving scheme; Canterbury Roman Museum is a scheduled ancient monument.

This effectively gives the site of the museum legal protection through English Heritage Scheduling, and means that any changes to the use of the site would have to be given approval by English Heritage.

So, the suggested conversion of the Roman Museum into a restaurant space, where diners would be able to eat whilst admiring the Roman pavement, will certainly have some challenging obstacles to overcome.

These closures do come amidst a number of other

controversial budget-cuts, for example, the decision to do away with Christmas lights, not only in Canterbury but in Whitstable and Herne Bay. The plan will be to replace the Christmas lights with yearround LED lights which can be used during the various festivals held on the High Street in the summer months, saving in excess of £40,000.

Another plan is to only provide households with one roll of recycling sacks every three months, and charge £2 for any additional rolls required, it is believed that this will save the Council in the region of £30,000. However none of these cuts have garnered a response from within the community in the way that the proposed museum closures have.

An online petition to save these museums has already garnered in excess of 1600 signatures, a figure which is continuing to increase apace.

The Canterbury Society has also leant their support to the Roman Museum, indicating that they believe it to have the long-term potential for increased visitor numbers, as well as highlighting its significance to a number of courses taught at the city’s various educational

institutions.

Surely the reaction from the community should give the Council cause to review its plans? It is, after all, the local community and their Council Taxes which fund these attractions, and it’s becoming clear that ultimately they would like the money to be cut to be found elsewhere within the budgets.

The future of these two museums currently remains unclear, so I urge you, whilst we still have them, to use a Saturday in the near future wisely, for the cost of a pint you will be able to go and see some small pieces of the history of Canterbury, pieces which you may well not get the chance to see again.

Canterbury Roman Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 until 4:00. Admission is £3.10 for adults, £2.10 for concessions, £8.00 for a family (two adults and up to three children) and free for teachers.

Westgate Towers is open on Saturday’s from 11:00 until 12:30 and 13:30 until 15:30.

Admission is £1.30 for adults, £0.80 for concessions, £3.00 for a family (two adults and up to three children) and free for teachers.

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CORRECTIONS ISSUE 4.8 (18/11/09) In the article “Raving with Comedians” it stated that the comedy evening was organised by the African Caribbean Society, it, in fact, had no affiliation with that society.

ISSUE 5.0 (27/1/10) In the article “Haiti: The Catastrophic Consciousness” in the second paragraph, the sentence that was written as follows “...we have grown numb to these catastrophes that in reality should remain unknown...” it should have read “ would remain unknown”

Flavour of the month, Taylor Lautner is set to star as Stretch Armstrong (yes the toy) in a film adaptation. I am holding out for Jenga or the Hungry Hippos film.

Harry Potter star, Emma Watson, has been named as the highest paid Hollywood actress, earning in 2009 an estimated £20 million.

Australian band, Men at Work have been sued by the Girl Guides after they alledgedly stole part of their lyrics for Down Under from a 70 year old campfire song.

Michale Jackson’s doctor, Dr Conrad Murray could be charged with manslaughter after the pop star’s death last year.

Faber and Faber are urging Morrissey to pen his autobiography, with a view to publish it.

Thom Yorke is set to guest on Flying Lotus’ new album due out later this year.

Liam Gallagher has ditched Oasis as a name for his new band, claming ‘that was a sh*t name anyway.’

Shaun Ryder has busied himself this year working with Black Grapes and The Happy Mondays.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ guitarist, Nick Zimmer, will produce the artwork for the band’s new limited edition single for ‘Skeletons’.

Batman and Robin has topped the list for worst film ever.

A new Booker Prize, named the Lost Booker Prize, has been announced for books written in 1970, that missed out on an award. Iris Murdoch and JG Farrell are among the shortlist.

Renowned author Melvyn Bragg has given Leeds University an archive of his life’s work.

British film maker, Michael Lindsay-Hogg is having his DNA tested to see if the rumours are true, that his father was the legendary director, Orson Welles.

That is all for now, Nik Williams

IQ Review

away from their pop influences and be seen as a ‘serious’ rock group, the track is a step back for the welsh boys who now seem to be driving the wrong way down the interstate.

Ryan Keogh

MUSIC control, leading to another new

THE AUTOMATIC ‘Interstate’ The Cardiff based four piece return with their new single ‘Interstate’, the debut release from the forthcoming album ‘Tear the Signs Down’. After an unsuccessful second album on label B-Unique, the band formed their own label, Armoured Records, allowing them to have complete creative

direction in their sound. The track is a polished, American pop punk standard with a big sound. Layered guitars and strong vocal performances from both Rob Hawkins and Paul Mullen create a very listenable track but in terms of a new direction they seemed to have got lost along the way and as a result have turned back on themselves. The resultant track is a rather bland, unoriginal pop record that fails to take the listener anywhere let alone down the sun drenched interstate to freedom Hawkins sings of.

The ‘anthemic’ chorus set to a backdrop of punk guitars and a cheesy synth melody, lacks both the catchiness of previous singles such as ‘Monster’ and the hard hitting impact of ‘Steve McQueen’. The second album revealed The Automatic as a band that wanted to stray

4/10

HOT CHIP ‘One Life Stand’ The latest single from Hot Chip coincides with the release of their album (of the same name). The three track CD single features the radio edit, instrumental and album edit – the radio edit being a brief 3 minute fare that while catchy feels a bit rushed. This is something the album edit manages to avoid and as a result the album edit sounds more developed and ‘Ready for the Floor’. Hot Chip have enlisted Fimber Bravo to play steel pans for the track (something that is fully realised in the album version) and Charles Hayward for drumming duties.

The lyrics are cleverly written and you’ll find yourself humming the tune all day if you’re not careful, as is often the way with Hot Chip’s uncanny ability to produce catchy choruses and hooks.

Sadly this song does not match up with previous songs, the anthemic ‘Ready for the Floor’ being a hard single to beat.

While current Hot Chip fans will love it, this may not be the track to convert any doubters of the bands musical talents (which there are plenty of!). It does however provide a good insight into what promises to be a strong, well polished album.

Sophie Power

7/10

THE SIXTIES AND ITS ENDURING Alyson Claffey

The ‘60s are synonymous with revolution, freedom and the time of great British Rock and Roll. It is the era which has kept us rocking ‘all of the day and all of the night.’

It has graced our ears with revolutionary bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and not least of all, The Beatles. So it’s no surprise that move forward 50 years and modern musicians such as Amy Winehouse are digging back into the past to revive the sounds which made the world ‘Twist and Shout’ for nearly ten years.

For bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who, it was their musical freedom that opened up a whole new category of independence in music, leading listeners astray from the clean jivetastic ‘50’s Rock and Rollers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, and ushered in the age of free love and artistic expression. Children wanted

PLAN B ‘Stay Too Long’

This track is a brilliantly unexpected mix of guitar based indie rock and rap. It’s almost unbelievable that it is Plan B. Although Plan B (or Ben Drew) is known for mixing genres and using his singing in his music, this track uses only his own undisguised vocals.

This leap of faith produces a more confident sound than ever before.

The tone he has discovered in Stay Too Long both contrasts and compliments his rapping.

This track still has the power of his lyrics with the melody of a great pop hit. This is Plan B better than he has ever been heard before.

Serena Doherty

9/10

MARCH 11TH

INFLUENCE

InQuire is hosting a Haiti benefit at the venue. Look forward to a night of raffles and dancing all for a good cause.

Keep an eye out for details in later issues.

Editor’s playlist • •

Musicians such as The Kinks (left) and Simon and Garfunkel (right) are still informing the music of today

to be different to their parents and music provided them their opportunity taking on more of an edge by employing the altogether rougher image influenced by sex, drugs and rock and roll. New bands like the Stones took on this image, creating a new genre of music which allowed the world to breathe the first hint of rebellion. The revolt in ‘60s music allowed the world to progress into the ‘70s and the age of punk and bands such as The Sex Pistols; much of which influences the heavier rock

bands such as Guns N’ Roses and even Green Day. Another strain of music which has been recently revitalized is folk. Current artists such as Bright Eyes, Fleet Foxes and Mumford And Sons take their more mellow and unique melodic sound from sixties influences such as Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel. These artists also employ some of the trippier and experimental elements that are seen in modern music but are often associated with psychedelic sounds, utilized

by modern bands such as MGMT, Animal Collective and Grouper. These acts have attempted to revive musical freedom, an element of music, predominately lost in the ‘90s with the invasion of the pop group and boy band, through the use of mind-warping guitar sound and emotional melodies.

The sound of the Sixties began its revival in early 2000, infecting musicians with the spirit of musical independence in order to once again get the nation rocking and it’s still going strong.

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Gil Scott-Heron- ‘ New York is Killing Me’ The Very Best- ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ Beach House- ‘Zebra’ Yeasayer- ‘O.N.E’ Midlake- ‘Acts of Man’ Red House Painters- ‘Katy Song’ Headlights- ‘Your Old Street’ Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys- ‘Empire State of Mind’ Sunset Rubdown- ‘Us Ones In Between’ Charlotte Gainsbourg‘Heaven Can Wait’ Joanna Newsom- ‘81’ Caribou- ‘Odessa’ Destroyer- ‘It’s Gonna Take an Airplane’

THE LIFE OF A LITERARY LEGEND

Laura Cullum

Jerome David Salinger died on the 27th January 2010 at the age of 91, leaving behind a legendary status despite his apparent reclusive nature. Most famous for his novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) it seems he preferred to stay out of the limelight until his peaceful death at his home in New Hampshire.

Raised in Manhattan his passion for writing started at a young age when he began writing short stories at secondary school. However, his work saw little success and in 1942 he was drafted into the Army and served with the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, active at Utah Beach on D-Day and in the Battle of the Bulge.

During service he met Ernest Hemingway who influenced both Salinger’s life and his writing. During World War II Salinger also saw service in the counter-intelligence division where he was involved with interrogating prisoners.

These wartime experiences

are said to have influenced some of his work, especially For Esmé -with Love and Squalor.

After World War II, Salinger struggled to get his work published, with many rejections from The New Yorker magazine.

His luck changed in 1948 when he submitted his short story A Perfect Day for Bananafish and was accepted and through that, given a contract.

Following the success of some of his short stories he allowed Samuel Goldwyn to obtain film rights to the short story Uncle Wiggily In Connecticut. The film was renamed My Foolish Heart (1949) and was so different from Salinger’s original story that he has since never allowed film versions of his work, despite having offers from the likes of Steven Spielberg for the rights to The Catcher in the Rye. 1951 brought the publication of Salinger’s most famous work, the previously mentioned The Catcher in the Rye. The novel was met with immediate success for its portrayal of Holden Caulfield, a fictional character who Salinger likened to himself as a teenager. The

novel’s depiction of the loss of innocence and the alienation of the adolescent made it a huge hit and influential amongst teenage readers. It spent thirty weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list despite the fact that it was, at the time, controversial in the way it displayed immorality and perversion. The legendary status of the book remained throughout the 1950s with ‘Catcher Cult’ becoming a phenomenon among teens, causing the book to be banned in many countries as well as some US schools. Today the novel is still popular, selling around 250,000 copies a year, making it a modern classic.

The influence of The Catcher in the Rye is still strong with many schoolchildren studying it at GCSE. There have also been some notably negative influences attributed to this classic. For example, Mark David Chapman claimed he murdered John Lennon in order to promote Salinger’s work and Winona Ryder has been asked to testify in court as a witness concering her

affliation with Caulfield’s alienation. However, Salinger himself has been described as being a positive influence on other authors such as Harold Brodkey (First Love and Other Sorrows) and John Updike (The Witches of Eastwick). Salinger was described as having a reclusive nature after the success of The Catcher in the Rye, having given his last interview in 1953 but really it seems he just kept his private life how it should be and let the power of his work tell its own story.

RISING ARTIST PROFILE: BLACK SUN DOWN

Nik Williams

Black Sun Down seem almost ill-fitting in the modern musical climate. Instead of looking forward for inspiration, rather than depending on modern techniques or forms, they hark back to the music that defined the sixties and seventies and as a result they have created a sound that stands out. On

their sound, the bassist, Adam North says “We definitely class ourselves as ‘rock’ which these days is quite unusual not to add a string of other description, but most of our songs are just that, just plain simple rock.” Free from the distractions rife in melding sounds or genres they have the freedom to perfect their sound and from their list of influences they are

aiming high: “most of our influences are from the world of classic or hard rock, things like ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix and of course, Led Zeppelin. On top of this mix we all have our own different tastes that influence us, from real bluesy stuff like The Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton etc through to Deep Purple, Black Sabbath.”

Standing at the feet of giants,

like Led Zeppelin, it is a daunting task to try and recreate the energy and mastery found in the classics, but Black Sun Down approach it with youthful vigour and the carefree adoration of the music itself.

“Our goal is just to rock out and have a good time. We all love performing, and if the audience enjoys the show as much as we do then we are happy.”

Black Sun Down is a relatively young band, the members meeting at university through Fresher’s forums and the combined love of everything rock and something seems to be working. “We are currently participating in the Surface Unsigned Battle Of The Bands. We have been rehearsing like crazy to get ready, and so hopefully once we have successfully got through to the second round we should have a bit more time to record the tracks we have been working on.” They are still discovering their sound and their position within the musical

community surrounding them while still retaining the desire to make and enjoy music.

They are in the process of finishing their debut E.P where they hope to translate the energy of their live shows into a polished record and this in its self is challenging: “recording is a massive learning curve, listening to the same songs and playing them over and over getting everything just right is a real test of the songs themselves, so we’ll keep going as long as we are physically and mentally able.”

While they branch into blues and metal their sound can only be defined as rock: “rock and roll is what we will keep coming back to, because that is what we love doing.” Black Sun Down is making what it loves.

Maybe not the loftiest motives for making music but when it is presented with such excitement there, surely, cannot be anything better to look for in a young, still growing band.

Enter tainment 17

Interview - Chris Hawksey and ‘The Big Night Out Company’

I

n October last year I went and interviewed film studies student Chris Hawksey about his first ever self invested business project ‘The Big Night Out Company’. The idea was to take students from Canterbury to London for, as the name suggests, a ‘big night out’, but at an affordable rate. Four months on and with five trips under his belt I wanted to see how well things had turned out for Chris.

It’s just gone quarter past two on a Monday afternoon and I’m running late for the interview.

The last time we met he was waiting for me on one of those metal chairs in the K Bar, this time he’s tucked away in what feels like a VIP maroon padded den by the bar. I’ve kept him waiting for roughly ten minutes

but before I can get my apology in I am greeted with an outstretched hand and a bottle of Peroni.

From here on in it doesn’t feel like work, it feels like I have just come from it to chill out with an old pal. You seem more confident since the last time mate. He laughs and takes a swig from his bottle. “If I’m honest, I was scared when I first met you.” I ask what’s changed and there’s no stopping him – I’ve barely pressed record: “Because of how well it has done I properly feel better about myself, like I can actually do something like this: I’m good at what I do.”

He continues without prompt: “And the response from people as well, the people who go on the trips – one guy last year said that it was like a public service and it’s really nice to hear that

Chris Hawksey [centre] at On Anon in London with students from Kent

sort of thing from people.”

The very tone to his voice is far more casual and confident compared to last time and rather than sitting upright, he’s leaning back relaxed. Happy Birthday for the other day by the way. He smiles and I jokingly ask whether he celebrated it at the Works.

We laugh and he tells me about Tiger Tiger. “We went there end of last year and it was our most popular trip, our most successful trip. We must have had 30 or 40 people e-mailing me because they missed out on tickets, so we decided to go again. It was also another guy’s 21st, so we had two coaches with a birthday on each including mine and so yeah, it was an excellent night.”

I then turn matters to the latest trip set for the 17th of February – Ministry Of Sound. Chris tells me that they are taking three coaches from Canterbury to London and that it will be the first time to take both students from UoK and Christ Church – the very thought is frightening: “Yeah there’s going to be a bit of rivalry, a bit of banter flying around I’m sure. We are taking 200 students, which I think is the biggest coach trip to go out of Canterbury, well, as far as I am aware.” I can now see why it has been advertised as ‘The Big One’, especially since this trip sold out within five hours of going on sale. I take a moment to take another sip of Peroni and find myself scribbling to keep up as he

tells me about the possibility of going to Brighton this term, not to mention a trip abroad sometime after exams, but the word to stress from all of this is “maybe”.

It seems so much effort is put into making every trip a success that I can’t help but ask Chris how he manages to fit not just the degree in but also how he sets aside time for his girlfriend Emma. He lets out an ominous laugh and tells me how sometimes sacrifices have to made: “The degree has suffered a slight bit what with the amount of time I put towards this, and I turned down a chance to study in LA next year so I can continue setting up more trips. As for Emma, well yeah she chips in when she can... Well she doesn’t really but she’s always there.” My immediate reaction is to smile.

I don’t know why, maybe it’s the determined attitude - not many people turn down a chance to go to LA, let alone live there.

As for the now, Chris seems to have his heart set on more packed out nights in London with the current trip to Ministry of Sound costing £21 pp, a price that includes entry, queue jump, return transport plus student drink promotions with beers costing around £2 a bottle. To reserve your place on the next trip visit w w w.thebignightoutcompany. co.uk or for more information join the Facebook group.

Adam Silver

Dan Antopolski and Jimmy McGhie at the Comedy Club Anna Maysey A favourite of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival came to Canterbury this week. Dan Antopolski [pictured] returned with his new show, Silent but Deadly, to the Comedy Club on Monday 1st February along with University of Kent Drama gratuate Jimmy McGhie. In the spring of this year, Dan Antopolski also toured with Isy Suttie- better known as Dobbie from Peep Show- who performed at Orange Street recently.

The name of Antopolski’s show gives an excellent insight into the content, as Antopolski “adds his meditations on the noble estate of fatherhood to this festival of dreams”. Voted as the man with

Monday 1st Feb the funniest joke at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Hedgehogs: why can’t they just share the hedge?) out of a shortlist of 27 jokes by 3000 members of the public, it’s no wonder this “indisputably gifted comic” has had a number of television and radio credits, as well as appearing in The Da Vinci Code as Jesus (and no doubt has enjoyed the amount of material to be made out of that).

Also appearing at the comedy club, which is at 8pm (doors open 7pm) at Bramley’s Bar, on Orange Street, Canterbury, was hotly-tipped newcomer, Jimmy McGhie. Jimmy is one of the fast-

est rising young comics on the comedy circuit today.

After only ten gigs, he reached the final of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny Final at the Edinburgh Festival and the semi finals of the BBC New Talent competition and the final of the A mu sed Moose S t a r Search 2 0 0 5 .

This has led to him receiving

weekend bookings at the Comedy Store and Jongleurs in London and regular bookings all over the country.

Jimmy studied Drama at UoK and his meteoric rise in the world of stand up looks like it is to be matched in the world of acting, with some exciting TV acting roles in the pipeline.

Other top comedians coming to Kent include Chris Addison, Jo Caulfield, Jason Manford, John Bishop and Reginald D Hunter, who will all be performing at the Gulbenkien some time this year.

London’s Calling Hands On The Pampered Parlour@ Prescott Place, Clapham This quirky craft centre, set up in 2009, provides project-based classes and workshops in silversmithing, dressmaking, screen printing and others.

All day workshop £55

Exhibition Sky Tonight Live@Royal Observatory, Greenwich The Royal Observatory’s astronomers invite you for a night of exploration into the sights of London’s skies.

Saturdays and Sundays at Midnight.

Tickets £6

Music Enter Shikari@ Hammersmith Apollo The well-known Hertfordshire ‘trancecore’ foursome return with both their old and new albums.

Tickets £18.50

Theatre A Midsummer Night’s Dream@Rose Theatre, Kingston Judi Dench returns on excellent form as Titania, queen of the fairies, in a part she first played in 1962.

Tickets from £8

Outdoors Kentish Town City Farm Set in the centre of the Borough of Camden, this city farm covers 4 and a half acres and provides a wealth of activities to get involved in, including workshops in pottery and creative writing, amongst others.

Free entry Gwen Wordingham

For more information on up and coming events check out our website at: www.inquirelive.co.uk

18 Enter tainment

LGBT history month in Kent

Five separate events around the county for the public to enjoy

Nick Batley This month honours the lives and work of LGBT people around the world, and Kent County Council have been kind enough to set up a few events to honour this celebration. Here are just a few: 9th Feb- Author visit: Sarah Waters @ Tonbridge Library–Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet and The Fingersmith, will be talking about her new book The Little Stranger.

Fingersmith won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award for Historical Crime Fiction and the South Bank Show Award for Literature.

Fingersmith, along with The Night Watch was also shortlisted for the Man Booker and Orange Prizes.

Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith both involve lesbianism and gay sex, sitting very close to Waters’ heart due to her discovery of her sexuality whilst at UoK doing her BA in English Literature. Tickets are £2.50 from Tonbridge Library.

10th FebPride is political @ The Friars, Canterbury – Dr Kath Browne, who works regularly with the Pride organisation in Brighton and in countries a l l

around the world, is hosting a talk (titled above).

An acclaimed voice, she has co-written ‘Queer Spiritual Spaces’ and also worked on ‘Queer Methods and Methodologies’.

Hosting a talk in Canterbury will be particularly important since there was a report last year that Canterbury was ‘not gay enough’.

This therefore, makes it even more important that Canterbury’s LGBT students and people who believe in equal rights to make their voices heard, as equality is far from achieved. Entry is £3 including refreshments.

12th Feb– The Homophobia Project @ County Hall, Maidstone – Made by Peer Productions, this is an ambitious piece exploring the issue of institutionalised homophobia of schools, and how it is a problem that most teachers try to avoidthat not enough is being done to tell children that discrimination is wrong. A study by the University of London showed that 43% of gay schoolchildren are physically or verbally abused for their sexuality, and 17% are told that they are going to be killed.

In the world inside the

Lesbian Alumnis student and author Sarah Waters

film, the vast majority of people are homosexual and all children are conceived through artificial insemination. Thus, the tables are turned in the playgrounds, when instead of being insulted by use of the word ‘gay’, kids are hurt when they are called ‘hetero’ as a synonym for stupid or pathetic. Originally an acclaimed touring stage play for schools, entry will be free, and it is certain to be an interesting exploration of playground bullying.

13th Feb– Author Visit: Paul Burston @ Margate Library – Acclaimed author and journalist Paul Burston will be appearing at the library. Paul has written many critically acclaimed books such as Shameless, Star People, Lovers & Losers and The Gay Divorcee (which he will be talk-

Top events of the fortnight...

Friday 12th

Tuesday 16th

Silent Disco

Chatback Comedyfest

Another chance to experience the wackiness of silent parties, with individual headphones and alternative music choices.

Launch night at a brand new comedy club, bringing award winning acts from the London Comedy Scene to Canterbury.

£5 Entry at the Venue

Tickets £5 at The Parrot

ing about during his appearance).

A respected columnist, he writes the Gay & Lesbian section of Time Out magazine (for which he received a Stonewall Award), and also contributes regularly to the Guardian, the Independent and the Times. Last year he was also named one of the most influential gay people in Britain by the Independent.

Entry is £2.50, with tickets being sold from the Margate library.

26th Feb– Recognising homophobic hate crime and incidents @ Kent Police College, Maidstone – Whilst I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a snappy title, the problem is sadly much more serious. Shockingly, homophobic attacks, despite a supposedly more liberal Britain, have risen in the last few years.

The murder of Ian Baynham in London, the attack on a trainee Liverpudlian police officer, and an attack on a lesbian couple in Brighton have highlighted the extent to which homophobia is still deeply entrenched in our society.

Stonewall, the charity that represents lesbian, gay and bisexual people, released a report in 2008 that one in five LGBT people have been victims of a homophobic attack, and three out of four did not report their attack to the police.

This interactive day is designed to bring the Kentish civil service and LGBT communities together to find approaches to dealing with homophobic crime and discuss what can be done to encourage the reporting of such attacks to the police. To attend, e-mail diversity.team@kent.pnn.police.uk

for more, visit: www.inquirelive.co.uk

Saturday 20th Darwin Masquerade Ball Darwin college hosts its annual masquerade ball with food, music and theme bringing a little extra class to campus.

TBC

Monday 22nd Worldfest The celebration of diversity and multiculturalism at Kent Uni.

On campus

Monday 22nd “Table Manners”@ Herne Bay Little Theatre 7:30 Comic play about a married man who takes his sister-inlaw on a tryst. Sex, booze and unexpected guests.

Tickets £7.50

Enter tainment 19

Rockin’ all over the world Christian Rogers It is safe to assume that a large proportion of students at Kent are intrepid festival fiends. Their allure draws us like moths to a light bulb, yet astonishingly we seem content with what Great Britain has to offer. Indeed, we get a great many class acts, however, there is an entire world beyond our watery borders- Sonar and Benicassim festival in Spain, Exit festival in Serbia and Oktoberfest in Germany, to name a few.

Euro-Fest is a relatively new service, which provides festival explorers with their very own Santa Maria to discover the untouched sanctity of European festivals.

Forget the fruitless nightmare of Reading festival, the insipid quagmire of Glastonbury and instead look to our continental brethren for what they may have to offer. You may be asking- why has this not been attempted before?

Euro-Fest has pioneered a particular service, using coaches to travel across Europe to a plethora of festival destinations, all in or-

Summer der to remove the unexciting complications of international festival travelling. Mr Aaran Scott, a festival veteran, decided that enough was enough, and established Euro-Fest in 2008 to accommodate these unanswered needs.

Included in the overall price of the service are all aspects of the journey such as travel arrangements and of course, most importantly, the festival ticket itself.

Something that is of greater interest to the student body is a unique ‘Student Deposit Scheme.’

Instead of having to jeopardise oneself with the inevitable bank balance backlash after purchasing a ticket, Euro-Fest takes a deposit followed by three smaller ones. This may well ease the pinch, making festival forethought not such a crisis to manage.

Because Euro-Fest are such a new group they have yet to explore all the possibilities; however, people are encouraged to offer suggestions for festivals perhaps

not listed. Euro-Fest claim that they “will seriously consider any event that people want to go to.”

This flexibility is matched by their friendly staff who will attempt to ease your travels, whether it be alone or with a large group.

Of course a coach is a confined environment, so group games and other activities are encouraged to get the atmosphere going!

Euro-Fest are also planning to give away one pair of free tickets to Roskilde Festival Tour, which already has a star studded lineup including Coldplay and Kanye West. This will include every aspect of the Euro-Fest tour mentioned. Entering is as easy, all you need to do is type STUDENT ROSKILDE COMPETITION into an email to Euro-Fest (info@ euro-fest.co.uk) after you have signed up for their Newsletter.

If you are interested in securing yourself a spot on one of their 2010 festival tours then contact Euro-Fest by telephone on 0845 269 6749.

With this range of festivals to go to, 2010 looks to be a fit of foreign frivolity.

For more information, full listings or booking please call 01227 769075 or visit www.kent. ac.uk/gulbenkian.

Highlights Tuesday 16 + Wednesday Feb 7.45pm: Educating Rita: To celebrate 40 years of innovation in learning, The Open University has teamed up with Pitchy Breath Theatre to present a brand new production of Willy Russell’s life affirming play Educating Rita. Tickets £5 Thursday 18 Feb 7:45pm: Chris Addison: At last! Mr. Chris Addison off Bafta Award-winning comedy The Thick of It, In The Loop, Skins and Lab Rats is back with a brand new show of his critically acclaimed stand-up. Tickets £15

For more information, full listings or booking please call 01227 769075 or visit www.kent. ac.uk/gulbenkian.

Highlights Fri 12 Feb: The Road. A father and son wander through a post-apocalyptic wasteland in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel. Tickets £7 Fri 12- Sun 14 Feb: It’s Complicated. Jane (Streep) is a successful divorced businesswoman who is surprised to find herself involved in a full relationship with her exhusband Jake (Baldwin). Trouble is, he’s married to a much younger woman whilst an architect (Martin) is wooing Jane. It’s all too complicated… Tickets £7

Beach Break Live promises to better previous years Sally Gower Beach Break Live is back, bigger and better than ever “Bigger and better” is by no means an exaggeration in an attempt to lure in those potentially interested in this prestigious event. From just 1,000 students in its first year, the number grew to 5,000 in the second year, and 10,000 in its third. This year, its fourth, sees an astonishing 17,500 students take to the breath taking Cefn Sidan Sands beach in South Wales. The site for all the shenanigans looks onto the beach which is recognised to be one of Europe’s most beautiful, boasting eight miles of pure white sand against the backdrop of the Gower Peninsula.

“We’ve been able to scour the UK’s coast line to find the perfect permanent home for the event,” says Ian Forshew, the event organiser. “Students asked for an event ‘as close to a beach

Summer as possible’, with ‘beautiful surroundings’, ‘hidden areas’, ‘stages on the sand’ and ‘good sound levels’. At Pembrey Country Park we can give them all that.”

At the time of writing, the lineup for 2010’s festival remains to be announced. However, looking back at last year’s impressive entertainment - consisting of Dizzee Rascal, The Wombats, The Zutons, Mystery Jets and Hadouken!

- any further contributions to this rollercoaster ride of a festival promise not to disappoint.

For those of you who immediately shy away from the concept of camping and the somewhat uncomfortable conditions that can be a product of five days with no showers, you just have to look at the figures. Thousands of us attend this week of carnage, very much in the same boat. So how bad can it be? Despite the

lack of facilities we’re used to back in the land of civilisation, there is a beach nearby, and yes, you’ve guessed it, a quick dip in the water and you instantly feel refreshed and ready for the next action on the fun-filled menu!

Granted, the queues you’re greeted with on arrival certainly rival those you’d find at Disney World, but the game of ‘fetch the tent, sleeping bag and crate of Carlsberg’ makes for an Olympian start to the relaxed few days to follow. (Plus there’s always the chance to lighten your load by enduring your way through at least one crate before you get to the entrance; whoever said pitching your tent in the dark whilst sloshed wasn’t the greatest idea ever?)

If it’s not relaxation and an even tan you’re after, there are other plenty of other mouthwatering options on the cards.

Students this year will be mesmerised by what’s on offer, from kite boarding, land sailing and windsurfing, to the prospect of

a day on a dry ski-slope, or an afternoon monkeying around at the nearby Go Ape facility.

As a previous attendee to this phenomenon, I would strongly encourage any student to find out for themselves how fantastic this festival really is. And don’t just take my word for it, as Beach Break Live has not only become

well established in the summer line up of festivals, but is now an award-winning event having picked up two awards for ‘Best Promoter’ and ‘Best Small Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards 2009.

For more information on this award winning festival, visit the website at w w w. b e a c h b r e a k l i v e . c o m .

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SoccerZone kicks off: get up to speed with the six ‘F’s Soccerzone is here and it kicked off on Friday 5th February. I have been playing in the Inter College leagues since my first year and would highly recommend it. For all those that do not know about this fantastic five a side football tournament then follow the six F’s and see if I can get you on side next term!

Football equals Friday. First thing to mention is that the leagues take place on Friday and Tuesday lunch times from 12.15 until 4.15, with each game lasting just under an hour so no matter when your lectures are you can still fit in your playing time!

Soccerzone costs £40 per team to enter and is FREE to play if you are a member of the Sports centre (£3 per game if not).

Football equals Friends. Although only five players are allowed on the pitch per side at once, rules stipulate that you can have up to ten players in your squad!

Both male and females, no matter which college you belong to, can play and so can staff! So if you have the inkling that your 70 year old English lecturer would make a brilliant stand in centre forward

then they too are able to sign up.

Football equals Fun. Soccerzone is thoroughly enjoyed throughout Kent University, but don’t just take my word for it. Jon Morley, 21 says: “Whilst playing for the globally successful ‘Lost Boys FC’ I made great new friends who shared an interest in football, and although we convincingly beat every team we played, no grudges were kept, and in some cases more friendly games were also arranged”. Michael Szeder, 20, who has won both the league and cup competitions for Athletico Poomplex said: “Soccer Zone has provided myself along with many other fortunate students the opportunity to be able to spend a week day afternoon playing a reasonably competitive yet extremely enjoyable hour or two of football. Scoring a goal against one of your best mates is an opportunity that should never be passed as the potential for banter is at its optimum!”

Football equals Fresh air. Five a side football is an ideal way of keeping fit and healthy. According to the government, adults should partake in a minimum of thirty minutes of physical activity to a moderate intensity five days a week. Therefore playing Soccer-

zone next term will be more than helpful when achieving this quota!

Football equals Fabulous new pavilion. As some may know, UoK spent two million pounds on constructing a brand new sports pavilion, complete with bar and viewing balcony. So if you are preparing for your big game, basking in the joy of victory or looking for a place to leave your faithful fans, The Pavilion has it all! They also serve hot food and alcoholic beverages.

Football equals Fame. If you wish to further enhance your footballing capabilities then stick to your A Game as captains and coaches of 11-a-side college teams are constantly on the look out for good players who could bolster their squads. Previous Rutherford Raiders captain, Mike Szeder said, “In the past Soccerzone has given myself as well as many other college team captains the chance to scout players who play 5-aside on a weekday and invite them to train alongside the rest of our squad members... The more the merrier.”

If this has blown your whistle then sign up for next term, either by grabbing a form from the Sports Centre or by downloading a form from the website.

Stock Exchange

Josh Jones

BUCS Results Corner

Men’s Basketball Kent 1st 81 : 74 College London 1st [H] Women’s Basketball Kent 1st 80 : 54 Kings College 1st [A - cup] Men’s Fencing Kent 1st 126 : 115 Sussex 1st [A] Women’s Fencing Kent 1st 120 : 128 Imperial College 2nd [H] Men’s Football Kent 1st 0 : 4 Buckinghamshire 1st [A] Kent 3rd 5 : 3 Kings College 1st [A] Women’s Football Kent 1st 2 : 6 Essex 1st [H]

Netball Kent 1st 57 : 40 College London 1st [A] Kent 2nd 33 : 17 Chichester 3rd [A] Kent 3rd 38 : 35 Royal Free & College Medical 2nd [H] Men’s Rugby Kent 1st 15 : 3 Royal Holloway 1st [A] Kent 2nd 27 : 25 University of Greenwich 1st [H] Kent 3rd 65 : 5 Kings College London 2nd [H] Women’s Rugby Kent 1st 7 : 50 St Mary’s University College 1st [A] Men’s Squash Kent 1st 3 : 2 Royal Holloway 2nd [A] Women’s Squash Kent 1st 3 : 1 Essex 1st [H]

Get in on Right To Play month!

Sally Gower It would seem that University of Kent just can’t get enough charities to raise money for.

As with ample other universities and BUCS, Kent are participating in Right To Play month.

This is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to going that extra mile for the sports dreams of the thousands of under-privileged children un-

able to play the sport they love.

With the help of Right To Play and the fund raising events they’ve organised for the month, children from places such as Africa, Asia and the Middle East, will be able to enjoy taking part in sport. From next year, all universities are encourage to display the Right To Play logo on their kits.

Kent’s objective? To help by raising £1,000 for this cause. Watch this space!

Table Tennis Kent 1st 8 : 9 Imperial College London 1st [H]

Men’s Hockey Men’s Tennis Kent 1st 6 : 1 Portsmouth 1st [A] Kent 2nd 3 : 2 St Barts & Royal London 1st [A] Kent 1st 0 : 10 Roehampton 1st [A - cup] Women’s Hockey Kent 2nd 3 : 7 Essex 2nd [H] Kent 2nd 0 : 8 University of Arts 1st [A] Women’s Tennis Kent 3rd 0 : 7 Essex 2nd [A] Kent 1st 9 : 1 University of Greenwich 1st [H] Men’s Lacrosse Kent 1st 1 : 15 Portsmouth 1st [H] Women’s Volleyball Women’s Lacrosse Kent 1st 3 : 0 London School of Economics 1st [H] Kent 1st 8 : 10 Brighton 1st [H]

BUCS.org.uk

Men’s Badminton Kent 1st 8 : 0 Imperial College 1st [H] Kent 2nd 2 : 6 College London 2nd [A]

22 Spor t InQuire gets Karate Scholar exclusive I think my bronze medal in the European Championship was very good for me and the gold medal in the BUCS Championships.

Will you be involved in the BUCS Championships this March too?

Medals aplenty: Mohammad at the JKS competition in Nottingham

Carl English First of all, congratulations on coming second in the JKS Championships. How many fights did you take part in?

There were five fights and around 32 competitors in each category.

Was this your most successful

championship to date, or have there been others?

Not really because last year in March, I got a gold medal in the BUCS Championships and after that we went to Spain for the European Championships and I got a bronze medal. So JKS was very good but I think I have better awards.

So what’s your highlight to date?

Yes I have prepared but I need to practise a bit more You have a karate scholarship at Kent. How does the scholarship help you?

The scholarship helps me a lot because when you want to go for any competition you need money and as a student, it is very difficult for me to provide that money for transport so the scholarship which has been awarded to me by the university has been very very helpful for me and I should be thankful for having the scholarship.

How do you manage to balance your work with your sport?

It is actually very difficult. I am a third year PhD student and it is difficult for me to balance the two but I have realised that karate helps me to understand things better and to progress with my studies better.

So after you have finished your PhD, what are your plans after that, will they still involve karate?

I’ve always had a dream to be successful in sport and in studies and I want to be very good at karate and be a very good scientist as well. My plan is to have more fights and get more medals and to become a good instructor.

Thanks very much. Best of luck for the championships ahead, and the future.

Punishment for Briatore sees justice in Formula One Comment: Why Briatore should bear the brunt of the blame for cheating Andrew Hadley-Brown The Formula One off season is usually only of interest to those who, like me, are enthralled by the technical aspects of the cars.

There is no racing, no pit stops, and you don’t even see the crashes!

In 2010 the situation is slightly different. After two glorious seasons in which we have seen back to back British champions for the first time in decades, the sport was rocked last year with the emergence of what the Times called “the worst case of cheating in the history of sport”.

After being sacked for poor performance in the middle of last season, Nelson Piquet Jnr went to the racing authorities to reveal a plot hatched within the Renault camp at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

It remains unclear as to where the idea came from, but the plan was for Piquet to crash his car at a certain point in the race in order to help his team mate, Fernando Alonso win the race. Piquet crashed and Alonso, who has not been impli-

cated in the plot, won the race.

The sport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) launched an investigation and in due course Renault Team Principal Flavio Briatore was given a lifetime ban from the sport with Technical Director Pat Symonds handed a five year ban. Skip forward to Paris in January 2010 and we find a French court quashing the bans.

Although Briatore and Symonds remain unable to return to the sport until the appeal options of the FIA have been exhausted.

This is not a vindication of ei-

ther man; the FIA ruling was dismissed on procedural grounds as the then - President of the FIA, Max Mosley selected himself to be prosecutor, judge and jury in the investigation- blurring the lines of separation between the FIA and the World Motorsports Council.

The French court decided that Mosley’s public feud with Briatore, and the fact that neither Briatore nor Symonds were licence holders for the sport, meant that the FIA had over reached and was not able to punish the men directly. The FIA intends to appeal the decision.

PaddyBriggs

I have a problem: it seems that I cannot walk past Essentials without going inside and buying some treat or another that is definitely and infinitely superfluous to my needs. This would be more acceptable if I bought apples, bananas or carrots each time, but these healthy snacks always give way to their fatty, delicious cousins, in the form of pasties, chocolate and those pink wafers that I often feel embarrassed about when I reach the till.

Being a high-powered editor for a hugely successful newspaper website takes its toll on time as much as anything. Seldom does any student find time to carefully prepare a decent, tasty and healthy meal an even rarer occurrence is when this option looks more attractive than putting a pizza in the oven for 12 minutes. Then there’s the convenient excuse of gym membership fees.

However, I find that exercise can just as easily be done in a more fun, effective and less costly way through sport clubs and societies. I am a member of the unanimously misunderstood club, Ultimate Frisbee, which provides plenty of exercise through team training, fitness sessions as well as the sport itself, which is extremely fast paced. My point is that diets and killing yourself at the gym are extremes that, more often than not, could be substituted with playing a sport every week God knows Kent University has enough on offer.

On top of the physical benefit of societies there is, of course, the social side of things. The best way to establish new friendships is to join people in doing an activity or a sport on a regular basis. So with the variety and fun that comes with clubs and societies, there really is no excuse not to sign up.

As for the dietary side of keeping fit and healthy, my solutions are relatively simple, although I’m certainly no authority on the topic. Grill instead of fry. Eat something green everyday. Haribo rings don’t count. Grapes are nature’s sweets. Sorted.

Alex Wood

Interview: Mohammad-Reza Nasiri-Avanaki

Reza

Health & Fitness

Not the right flavour: Flavio Briatore faces a lifetime ban from F1

It seems unlikely that Briatore and Symonds didn’t know about the plan and, in their positions of responsibility, it is right that they are punished. Hopefully the teams themselves will have more sense than to employ such characters in the future.

The man who actually crashed the car seems to have got off scot free. The FIA excuse this on the grounds they encourage whistle blowers to come forward in the future. That argument holds little weight in my eyes as it wasn’t until Piquet had already been fired that he decided to squeal.

The whole saga has been a shambles. The incident of cheating was enough to bring the sport into disrepute, but the handling by the authorities has led to further questions about the governance of the sport.

In happier news, 41 year old Michael Schumacher is to return to fight for the championship in 2010 with the new Mercedes team (formerly Brawn GP). The promise of the most successful driver ever taking on Hamilton, Button, Vettel et al should make 2010 a season to watch....

AndyMurray.com

Andy Murray on the court during the Australian Open last month

continued from back page the Scot can.

I dislike it when an individual or team dominates a sport. Federer’s sarcastic remarks on Murray before the match bordered on narcissism. In fact, Federer’s dominance of the sport makes it inevitable that the only measure

of excellence in tennis is himself.

While Andy Murray had the better of the world number 1 in their head to head clashes, Federer rubbished the significance of these statistics. The wins were no wins, just luck.

“Without taking anything away from him, a few times

that he played me I wasn’t at my very best,” Federer said, immediately taking away some of the credit away from Murray.

Here is what Federer said after the win, “ There’s no secret behind it, I mean, I’m definitely a very talented player. I always knew I had something special…’ Everyone else pales into insignificance.

So what does Murray have to do to win a grand slam? Wait for Roger Federer to retire is the glib answer, but that’s too early to expect. All Murray can do is knuckle down, work harder still, and believe in himself. And when opportunities present themselves, impose his will on matches.

I see Andy Murray ruling the world tennis circuit sooner than later. He is ripe.

Tinashe Mushakavanhu

221 Number of career matches Andy Murray has won since turning professional in 2005.

KentFencing

Spor t 23

continued from back page to be a tough ask to match the highs of last season’s promotion, especially after the mass departure of the core from last year’s team and the relatively small intake compared to other years.

The fact that our achievement this year was accomplished with a squad including just two fencers that were trained before university speaks volumes of the system we have in place in our club” The squad, including Pinnock, Wang, Kwan and Jennings,

Matt Buss and Philip Chambers, now embark on their cup campaign starting away at Reading on 17th February with their eyes firmly on a place in the finals in Sheffield on 12th March.

Final League Standings 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

University of London 24 University of Kent 18 University of Reading 15 King’s College London 15 University of Sussex 12 Royal Holloway, London -3

Hockey denied by ‘seven sins’ from Essex devils plenty of “LBZ’s” and “aerials”.

Come along to watch, and observe the battle. Even join in on our pre-Varsity banter. The hockey thirds are currently sit-

emotional moment which represented loss, hatred and violence.

The threes did demonstrate a good fight against Essex University, especially considering they possessed skills which our first team would justifiably be proud of. Kent’s right midfielder, Emilie ‘de Speville, received “Woman of the Match” through never giving up; her determination for the ball never failed the Kent side.

Furthermore, the defenders worked extremely hard with Lizzie Anscombe helping goalkeeper, Fiona Lynch, succeed in stopping a few ambitious balls from the opposition that did pose a potential threat. Although it was

a loss to the “Mighty Threes”, spirits remained evidently high at all times, and a lot of somewhat palpable teamwork could be observed despite the 7-0 loss.

Result excluded however, it was certainly a marathon final away game of the season, which will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Throughout this bloodbath of a match, the threes never failed to have humour, humility, love, and desire, showing true sportsmanship – qualities that were clearly shown in their smart win over rugby at the sports night at the Venue.

Such an energetic match has pumped the threes to beat Christchurch in the friendly at the end of February – training has already begun in the form of carbohydrates loading, protein shakes, twenty kilometre runs,

American Football

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Fed Cup

Australia 256 - 8 (50 overs) West Indies 143 (34.2 ovs) 113 run win for Australia

Chelsea 2 : Arsenal 0 Liverpool 1 : Everton 0 Hull 2 : Manchester City 1

England 30 : 17 Wales Scotland 9 : 18 France Italy 11 - 29 Ireland

Russia 3 : 2 Serbia Italy 4 : 1 Ukraine France 1 : 4 USA

Kent 3rds

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After last week’s roaring success against St Bart’s, the hockey women’s third team was defeated

by Essex University on Wednesday third February. Essex’s second team showed their skills by scoring seven goals, their fiery captain leading the way with her strong striking skills that oozed first team training.

Our forwards did not have a chance to score as Essex’s elegantly stacked midfield confidently blocked all of the third team’s possibilities.

However, Kent learnt from their game plan and showed some strength of their own when Sarah Barton smashed the match ball and broke it; a symbolic moment for the “Undefeatables”, an

Essex 2nds

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ting in the relegation zone with one game to go against the leaders, University College London who are top by two points.

KentHockey

Emilie de Speville

The “Undefeatables”: Kent women’s hockey thirds ready for action.

International results

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Alexandra Marsanu

Andy Murray has all the moves

Proving a point: Kent’s Rob Jennings in action against University of Sussex

Fencers dig deep to survive the drop Rob Jennings helps Kent to victory in “ultimate test” at end of season Alexandra Marsanu In the third week back from the Christmas break, the University of Kent’s men’s fencing team faced Sussex University in Brighton for a crunch match that would determine whether they could upset the odds and avoid a relegation that looked more than likely before the campaign kicked off.

It was a scenario that did not look remotely possible for the majority of the season in a league that brutally relegates three out of six teams, and it was not helped

by ULU (University of London Union) calling up the strongest fencers from the London colleges, which goes against the principle on which the team was

formed in the first place – to give a chance for fencers unable to get into their college team to experience BUCS. In addition to that, traditional powerhouses such as King’s College were immediately at an advantage given the access they had to the resources of established London fencing clubs.

Not surprisingly, with eight full international fencers in their squad, ULU went on to demolish every other university and top the league in devastating style.

Royal Holloway was on the other end of the scale. With the British national champion graduating from their ranks they just could not hold their own and swiftly succumbed to relegation after just half of their season’s fixtures.

This left the other four teams –

Reading, Sussex, King’s College, and Kent, to fight it out for the remaining two survival places. A strange trend then emerged when it very quickly became clear that whoever was playing at home was proving too strong for their travelling opposition, thus putting all four teams on equal points going into the final round of matches.

Due to the lack of free Wednesdays for all students, even bringing a half-strength team to an away match was considered a luxury for the Kent team, and this resulted in them not being able to keep pace with the rest of the league in terms of points difference, which meant that only a win at Sussex would keep them up.

As it turns out, the team, made up of Rob Jennings, Ian Pin-

nock, Aaron Kwan and Dawei Wang, won 126-115 to round off a successful season’s return to BUCS League 1A following last year’s promotion. The match was nail bitingly close and with over three-quarters of the match to go, it looked like Kent might miss out on the victory by the narrowest of margins until a surge of points scored by Jennings left the team requiring just three points compared to the opposition’s 15 from the remainder of the match.

Captain Aaron Kwan reflected on the season: “This season has been the ultimate test of our stretched resources, considering we have one of, if not already, the smallest squads in the league. It was always going continued on page 23

At the end of an absorbing two weeks of spectacular tennis at Melbourne Park, one man reaffirmed his status as the game’s greatest. Roger Federer’s victory, his 16th career Grand Slam title, took us, as always, through a kaleidoscope of emotions. Yet, more importantly, in the midst of augmenting his legend and delighting his fans, the Swiss ace denied Andy Murray the chance to rewrite British tennis history.

Britain is hungering for a Grand Slam winner. No British man has won the Australian Open since 1934. It is a record yet to be broken. Murray got close, but not close enough. The genius and experience of Federer stopped him.

Federer didn’t rely on his game alone to win. His performance there revalidated that the best sportsmen take their game beyond the realm of pure physical skill. They engage their opponents in areas unfamiliar to them. While the adversary is expecting a face off only in the physical arena, champions take the fight into the mental dimension.

It was a match of rallies. Most serves came back over the net, there was hardly a love game in the match. They are two artists of the tennis world, and there were times in the final when both seemed to exult in the beauty of what they were creating, almost wanting the ball to be returned so that voluptuous exchanges could continue. You really can speak of Federer and Murray in the same breath when it comes to artistry.

In the end, Murray was beaten and not disgraced. He is still young – hard, tough and crucially, a very intelligent tennis player. He is a strange mixture of passionate intensity and cold objectivity. The year is shy of its end yet, and Murray has other titles to fight for and challenge Federer. If any one player can, continued on page 23

Karate Scholarship Interview p22 basketball-fencing-korfball-trampolining