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more blurred lines debate

comment - page 6

jonjo brady reviews gta v

iq entertainment - page 17

Issue 9.4

11th October 2013

student showstopper recipe david mitchell interviewed

marathon for uok rowers

iq culture - page 21

sport - back page

iq features - page 12

30 miles: 200 ukc students in medway Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor

AROUND 200 University of Kent students have been placed in accommodation at Liberty Quays in Medway, despite their courses being based over 30 miles away on the Canterbury campus, due to an accommodation shortfall.

The students, many of whom gained their place through the clearing process, were given the choice of living off-campus in Canterbury or of rooms in Medway.

The number of students living in Medway with their course in Canterbury has risen from 17 last year to roughly 200 this year. It has been called “a whole different ball game” by Megan Wells, Kent Union’s VicePresident for Welfare.

She highlighted how there is still confusion over where these students should access support services if they need them, in Medway where they live or Canterbury where they study?

She called the entire situation “a bit of a mess”.

The Liberty Quays accommodation, which is based in Gillingham, was built in 2009 to provide high quality accommodation in Medway.

The rooms are en-suite in flats

university quality of life survey released Catherine Louise-Boughton THE University of Kent are sitting 28th in the first Lloyd's

of four or nine, and are not dissimilar to the Tyler Court accommodation available on the Canterbury Campus.

These students are part of the Medway college, but have

their entire course based in Canterbury. Several students who InQuire have spoken to have already mentioned how they are impressed with the level of accommodation at Liberty

Quays, but the trip between Canterbury and Medway to access their course already becoming an unwelcome hassle.

The shuttle bus that runs between the Medway and

Canterbury campuses has also come under scrutiny. The system, which is run by the bus provider Kings Ferry, sends shuttle buses between the two campuses every hour from the early morning until midnight on weekdays, with no buses on weekends.

At the end of September, the Medwire (the student-run newspaper based in Medway) reported that students had been left stranded in Canterbury during Welcome Week after the shuttle bus ran out of room.

It has become necessary to book journeys on the bus due to the massively increased demand.

The bus service also has no provision for students with access issues who wish to travel to and from Medway, and it is currently unclear what the response will be if horrendous weather causes the buses to stop running.

How students will handle weekend events, such as sport fixtures, society events or group work within their course, is also unclear due to the lack of buses at weekends.

With the University expecting to take on more students every year, it is unknown if the situation will be resolved by the next academic year.

Bank University Quality of Life Survey. The survey, which was released at the end of September, had Durham sitting at the top of 91 different universities.

The survey focused on several different aspects of university life, with categories

such as course satisfaction, sporting facilities, quality of social life and affordability of accommodation all being considered.

For example, Loughborough University, which was ranked second, scored extremely highly for its sporting prowess (for

which Loughborough is known), high levels of satisfaction amongst students regarding their social life and low levels of crime, as well as a 92% rate of employment or study after graduating.

The rest of the top ten universities consisted of

Cambridge, Newcastle, Oxford, Bath, Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Swansea.

Nitesh Patel, an economist with the Lloyd's Bank group mentioned how "the top ten universities for the best quality of student life are a mix of the old... and the relatively new".

Photograph by Ash87it

2

News Editor’s Note

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great freshers’ and are settling in to your degrees, new or old.

Well done for making the excellent decision to take a break from desperately catching up with reading, starting assignments or staring at moodle in terror to read this week’s InQuire.

Because, of course, you’re not already filling your working time with endless episodes of Breaking Bad. I’ve just finished season one and can longer talk to anybody for fear of spoilers.

Matt.

InQuireMedia

2013/2014 Editorial contacts: Alasdair Lawrence Chairman chairman Matthew Gilley - Editor newspaper.editor Chad Greggor - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Christopher Heron - News newspaper.news Samantha Baldwin - Comment newspaper.comment Emma Shelton - Features newspaper.features Rebekah Chilvers - Culture newspaper.culture Emily Adams - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Dan English - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Simon Terhaag - News website.news Tom Vine - Comment website.comment Tom Hagues - Features website.features Caroline Wadham - Entertainment website.entertainment Emma Greenacre - Culture website.culture Hetty Sieling - Distribution distribution LaShanda Seaman - Promotions and Events events Daniel Barnby - Design design To contact the committee, add @ inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the adress under their name.

drug decriminilisation debate Martin Porritt

GRIMOND Lecture Theatre 2 was packed full on the 3rd October, as well over a hundred students and academics attended a decriminalisation of drugs debate. The debate was presented by the Classical Liberal Society between author Peter Hitchens, and Professor of Criminal Justice at Kent Alex Stevens.

The motion: ‘The UK should formally decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use.’

The debate was organised by the Classical Liberal Society and moderated by the society’s chairman Philip StevensonOliver. Both speakers were allowed a ten-minute opening statement.

Professor Stevens, proposing the motion, argued that the criminalisation of possession “creates harms. These harms are not justified”.

80,000 people in England and Wales get a criminal record every year, which damages prospects of getting a job: “Criminalisation creates thousands of such instances of adversarial contact with the law.”

He also argued that the

consequences of criminalisation prevents important medical research, and that MDMA (ecstasy) could be used to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Hitchens, author of the recent book on drug prohibition, The War We Never Fought, argued that the idea of an enormous drug prohibition is a myth: “We have decriminalised but we simply do not admit it.”

The Home Office recorded 162,610 cases of the possession of cannabis in 2009, 86,953 of which were dealt with by a procedure known as Cannabis Warning. This does not lead to a criminal record, he said: “You are let off if you get it.”

Drugs are, furthermore, “fantastically dangerous,” and particularly to young people’s mental health (he cited a memoir by his friend and journalist, Patrick Coburn, called Henry’s Demons). As to the argument for the medicinal benefits of cannabis, it is a “red herring to give pot a good name”.

Three to four minute rebuttals were then followed by a Q&A session, in which audience members proved to be suitably engaged and provoked.

The debate concluded with

five minute closing statements by both speakers.

“I don’t care if I swim against the tide,” said Hitchens. “Only dead fish swim with the stream.”

Professor Stevens said that he has “no confidence” criminalisation will have the effect of reducing the use of drugs.

Before the debate, 65 members of the audience voted for the motion, with 24 abstaining and 19 against. Audience votes after the debate were not announced, but those voting for the motion were in a clear majority.

The moderator invited students to join the debate on Twitter: @KentCLS

sororities end segregation kent alumnus killed in kenya Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor BLACK students at the University of Alabama have accepted offers to join traditionally white sororities after a week of protests on the campus.

On 20th September it was announced that 11 black students and three from other minority groups had received invitations, six of whom accepted.

Protests erupted after the University of Alabama’s student newspaper, Crimson White, reported that a sorority candidate had been turned down because of her race by alumnae and advisers.

The newspaper managed to talk to four sorority members about the usually highly secretive bidding process for new members.

One of their sources, Melanie Gotz, said: “You know, I would say there were probably

five people in the room that disagreed with everything that was being said. The entire house wanted this girl to be in Alpha Gam [Alpha Gamma Delta, one of the University’s sororities].

We were just powerless over the alums.”

The story went national and the University President, Judy Bonner, reopened the bidding process, saying: “While we will not tell any group who they must pledge, the University of Alabama will not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

Segregation at the University of Alabama was ended in 1963, when two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood registered for classes escorted by federal marshals.

Wambui Githu MITUL Shah, a University of Kent alumnus, was amongst the victims of the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya that left 68 people dead.

The 38-year-old marketing director was reported to have volunteered himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of the 33 children gathered at the mall rooftop for a TV cooking competition.

Despite his efforts, Shah did not survive the massacre, but his efforts at negotiation with the Al-Shabab terrorist gave a few children the opportunity to flee the scene.

Director of Bidco Oil (Shah’s employer), Dipack Shah, described his colleague as “a wonderful person who always went out of his way to help others”.

This week, the University of Kent expressed their sympathy in a statement that reads: “The university are saddened to hear

of the death of alumnus Mitul Shah following the recent siege in Kenya.

“Our thoughts are with his family.”

Mitul Shah who graduated from the University with a degree in Management Science and Computing leaves behind his two year old daughter and wife Rupal.

The East African society will be hosting a memorial service in honour of those lost in the attack later on in the term.

A Facebook tribute page has also been created by Shah’s colleagues.

News 3

kent union responds to blurred lines bans Matt Magee

ROBIN Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’, which has reached the number one slot in 14 countries, including the UK, has caused controversy after being banned by the student unions of five UK universities.

The University of Edinburgh, Derby, West Scotland, Leeds, and Kingston will no longer play the track in public venues.

The bans have come as a response to the those who believe that the song promotes sexist attitudes and an unsavoury approach to sexual consent.

The Women’s Officers of the National Union of Students (NUS) have called the song “deeply offensive and dangerous” and “applaud” the universities that have already ruled for its proscription.

They are also of the view that the “blurred lines” of the song’s chorus refer to, and encourage, the blurring of a clear distinction between sexual consent and refusal.

The officers have said the banning of the track will make “a big difference to challenging

a culture that should not exist in our lifetime”.

They perceive in music of many kinds a “normalised sexism”, and praise this instance of protest for allowing discussion to take pace in which it could be established “that consent is key and the trivialisation of rape is not acceptable”.

Kent Union remains neutral on the matter of the song itself, expressing a desire “to stimulate debate on these types of issues” and inviting students to voice their opinions on the controversy.

It does, however, reiterate its “Zero Tolerance policy for sexual harassment and discrimination” and says it opposes any “actions which discriminate against gender, ethnicity, culture, or sexual orientation”.

Interpreting the song and forming a response to it, for the moment, is left up to individual students.

The University of St. Andrews’ Student Union voted to keep the song on campus, with several members of the student council expressing caution over the use of censorship.

countdown to anniversary Benjamin Coode THE countdown for the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the University of Kent has begun with the unveiling of a countdown clock.

The unveiling, which was led

by Professor Nick Grief, Dean of Medway and Kent alumnus, culminated with the clock starting its year countdown to the official 50th Anniversary celebrations of the University on the 1st October 2014.

The celebrations will begin in October 2014, and will conclude at the 50 year point since the ‘First 500’ arrived at the University in 1965.

There have been over 180 proposed projects from staff, students and alumni.

Highlights including a series of projects led by School of History students, special exhibitions at the University and specially commissioned university ale and soft drink.

From the ‘First 500’, the University of Kent has grown to over 20,000 students and over 3,000 staff at various locations throughout Europe, with major campuses at Canterbury and Medway.

The 50th Anniversary celebrations will conclude with an Alumni Reunion weekend in September 2015.

Photograph by Charlotte Scholey

Robin Thicke himself, who is a married man with children, has said that, far from being an insensitive misogynist, he is “a gentleman”—and one who has “been in love with the same woman” since he was a teenager and “always respected women”.

His interpretation of the song is quite different to that of those who take exception to it. He explains that the song is about “blurring the lines between men and women and how much

we’re the same” as well as “the other side, which is the blurred lines between a good girl and a bad girl, and even all good girls have little bad sides to them”.

As for the song’s sexually explicit video, which many have also found deplorable, he himself claims to have been content with the version in which the girls in it are clothed.

He showed the version where they are topless to his wife and his collaborators’ girlfriends

and they insisted he put it out, because they thought it was “so sexy and so cool”.

Kent Union are currently looking for the opinions of students, tweet them with: #kenthaveyoursay Turn to the comment section to find an argument for the banning of ‘Blurred Lines’, and look at the InQuire Live website to see an argument against.

“an emerging student crisis” says the nus Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor The cost of day-to-day living has become "an emerging student crisis", according to statistics released by the National Union of Students (NUS).

The figures show a £7,693 shortfall between the money available through grants and loans for students and the estimated costs of a degree for those at universities outside of London. There is a £7,654 difference for those living within London.

The NUS also released statistics regarding those at university in London, where students have the option for larger student loans and grants due to the higher cost of living within the capital.

Students taking courses starting in September 2013 can take out maintenance loans of up to £7,675 in London, compared to up to £5,500 outside of London. The statistics released by the NUS highlight how in London, there are increased costs for travel and rent, with a £1,351 difference in the latter.

Toni Pearce, NUS president, said that students "are facing a cost of living crisis, with available financial support in loans and grants failing to keep pace with spiralling bills for basic essentials."

"Those who do not have the rare luxury of resorting to the 'bank of mum and dad' are increasingly being driven to work full-time alongside study where jobs can be found, or worse still into the arms of predatory pay day lenders just

to make ends meet".

These figures follow the NUS 'Pound in Your Pocket' research that was released in the summer term, which was focused on the issue of financial pressures on students.

Liam Burns, former president of the NUS spoke at the University of Kent in May on the 'Pound in Your Pocket' research, and he highlighted then how "some particular students are being hit really hard by the current system".

4

News

special report: canterbury food festival

Emma Shelton Newspaper Features Editor

The Canterbury Food and Drink Festival arrived in Canterbury from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September. The Food festival, set in the Dane John gardens, is a yearly event available to everyone.

Partner free entry with food, and it is an excellent attraction to any who enjoys food, and even for those who do not.

Even for notoriously frugal students, the number of different tasters available meant that there was no shortage of food to try of a quality largely unknown to students.

The gardens were filled to the brink with people. The world was on display with cuisine from Mexico, Jamaica, Germany, France, Spain, China, Thailand and more. Many of those manning the stalls were in fact local, but they had a passion for the particular food they were representing.

One particular highlight was the Breton crêperie with their eye-catching stall and almost guaranteed tasty food.

The stall owner said of their experience of the festival: “This is our first time here. We love it, and we want to come back.”

The cook talked about his inspiration to make crêpes, saying that: “[I] was visiting Brittany and when accused of not being able to cook by a fellow Frenchman, [I] entered a ‘crêpe-off’.”

He was convinced that his crêpes were going to “take over the world” with their quality.

One of the other highlights of the festival was the Riverford Organic farms stall. While they do not have any shops in Kent, the stall-owner revealed that they do free deliveries to their customer’s houses.

The owner said: “They are 20% cheaper than supermarket organic food. Students may not use them but we often get calls from mums asking us to deliver

fresh fruit and veg to their kids at university.”

Entertainment was not limited to merely food though, with live music being played throughout the festival to recently fed festival-goers.

The festival was short, only lasting the weekend, but was very much worth a visit.

Regardless of how picky you may be with food, there will be something to enjoy.

From freshly cooked fishcakes,

to fast-food falafel and the staple of any British food festival, a stall full of jams, it was an excellent occasion and will be back in September 2014.

Additional reporting by Lizzie Cross and Christopher Heron.

Photograph by Rebekah Chilvers

news in 140 characters A brief overview of what’s hot on twitter, about the big issues now.

Thunderstorm in Government Reshuffle Canterbury @ThatTennantGuy Storms are freakin’ amazing.

One is currently circling Canterbury. Lightning and thunder and noise and happiness.

Daily Mail vs Ed Miliband @Ed_Miliband My dad loved Britain, he served in the Royal Navy and I am not prepared to allow his good name to be denigrated in this way.

US Government Shutdown @MarsCuriosity Sorry, but I won’t be tweeting/ responding to replies during the government shutdown.

Back as soon as possible.

Photograph by Rebekah Chilvers

#KentHaveYourSay @lord_aiza I believe censorship is necessary when it concerns psychological trauma triggers. Ban ‘Blurred Lines’ on campus.

@Mike_Fabricant Unlike other enterprises, public & private, in politics if your face doesn’t fit, you are sacked. It’s not just a question of ability.

Drug Decriminilisation Debate @AlexStevensKent Decriminalisation won in round 1 of debate between me and Peter Hitchens

#KentHaveYourSay @ConMend Don’t ban Blurred Lines.

Our union shouldn’t be censoring things. A ban is just an attempt for useless publicity.

Conflict in Syria @BBCPanorama We filmed medics at a hosipital in Syria doncating their own blood b/c they didn’t have enough to treat the injured.

Comment 5

are gender-selective abortions immoral?

Deema Kaddoura

WE’VE had our ears chewed off with the argument for and against abortion in the UK, but how often do we really look into and question the reasons behind the choices British women make?

Termination of a pregnancy on the grounds of gender is a morally complex predicament.

Where do we draw the line of what is right and wrong? The answer is that, in this instance, we don’t.

I believe it is morally permissible to allow genderbased abortions. This is solely because, in my opinion, it would be morally reprehensible to create parameters to a woman’s freedom of choice.

Having a child is an incredibly demanding commitment, one that makes you responsible for an entire other human being for the rest of your life, or at least for the next eighteen years.

Surely the gravity of this lifealtering decision would allow the mother some sort of say in the outcome of the pregnancy?

Don’t get me wrong, I myself would never have a problem with my child being either gender, I honestly don’t care.

What I do care about is the policing of a decision that should be discussed between a mother, her family if she so desires, and the doctors who deal with her.

Sure, you could say that it’s sexist - that you should be

happy to have any child at all - but really, who doesn’t have dreams or expectations when they’re pregnant of their future newborn?

Haven’t you ever wished you could have a little girl or maybe you’ve always wanted a boy?

When it’s you, when you’re there in that position, you secretly know what you want it to be. You may just think you’re

going to be judged if you voice your wants, or alternatively, if you voice your disappointment when you don’t get what you hoped for.

So is it really sexist? In most cases, especially in the UK, I don’t think sexism cuts to the core of the issue. To me, gender-preference seems to be more symptomatic of our over-whelmingly consumerist

culture, where we can pretty much get anything we want, when we want it.

I don’t believe anyone who is fully pro-choice (not just in extreme circumstances such as rape leading to pregnancy) can stand on any sort of moral pedestal about the abortion of a fetus based on gender.

If you’re okay with abortion, it’s usually because you don’t believe the fetus is ‘alive’ yet; so arguably, it’s not as though an act of murder is being committed. Why then do the reasons behind its termination matter?

You can’t really question such reasons if you find abortion permissible in any other circumstance; for instance, if the birth of the child would ‘damage the mental wellbeing of your existing children’ (which is a perfectly lawful reason for termination).

If you’re pro-choice, be prochoice the whole way, not just when you think it’s okay.

For women to maintain true freedom in their choices, reasons are entirely irrelevant.

paedophilia scandals: is historical context relevant?

Samantha Baldwin Newspaper Comment Editor SO, Richard Dawkins has put his foot in it. Again.

As if accusations of being an Islamophobe weren’t enough to grind people’s gears (he recently tweeted: “All the worlds Muslims have fewer Nobel Prizes than Trinity College, Cambridge”), he’s now seemingly added ‘propaedophilia’ to his list of endearments.

Well, not quite, but dear old Mr D’s recent comments have caused quite a media stir in the last month. In an interview with The Times, Dawkins revealed that he is somewhat apathetic towards the “mild paedophilia” which he suffered at the hands of his old schoolmaster as a child, who pulled the then schoolboy onto his lap and “put his hand inside [his] shorts”.

Although he describes the incident as “extremely disagreeable”, Dawkins finds that he is “unable to be outraged” by the whole matter. As the incident occured in Dawkins’ youth, he maintains that it would be unfair to “condemn

it by the same standards” that anyone would today.

In admitting his own incability for frustration, Dawkins sparked an onslaught of criticism from indignant journalists and childcare workers alike.

Even executive member of the NSPCC, Peter Watt, waded into the argument, asserting that victims of sexual abuse suffer in the same way irrespective of the context in which said abuse took place.

Upon closer examination, when we brush off the inevitable media hype which surrounds such a delicate topic, the immediate demonising which followed Dawkins’ comments seems somewhat unfounded.

We can universally agree that paedophilic acts are not just subjectively, but categorically wrong.

Dawkins certainly doesn’t deny this. He just suggests that our standard of morality inevitably shifts, and thus our judgement should align accordingly.

For example, take the stereotypical, slightly racist pensioner. A minor racist perhaps, but one nonetheless.

Considering the fact that

they’re now in their 80s and grew up in a small village of 100 people at the maximum in the Forest of Dean, I can completely understand that their misconceptions are simply the product of their time.

As a result of this, I don’t base any of my character judgement on this minor flaw of his.

However, if any of my friends or younger relatives expressed similar prejudices, there would be a major problem.

The backlash triggered by Dawkins’ comments occur amidst a hyper-sensitive nation where paedophilia scandals are rife, especially since the recent Jimmy Savile case, where there are an alleged 450 victims counted to date. Within this context, it is natural that Dawkins’ opinions should be over-sensationalised to the point of hyperbole.

A mere 40 years ago, the American Physciatric Association defined homosexuality as a mental disorder. Clearly such a classification is ludicrous.

However, we must remember that our modern perspective is not just shaped by an inherent

sense of morality, but also our social order. What we consider to be morally acceptable now will arguably not be the same in 50 years. I would urge you that

instead of joining the hatreddriven paedophilia witch hunt, consider that our moral zeitgeist is unavoidably flexible, and will always continue to be so.

6

Comment

ain’t nothing blurred about these lines Jessica Mills I’M sure by now you’re all aware of the ‘Blurred Lines’ controversy, it’s pretty impossible to avoid. But if you have managed to avoid it so far, I’m here to enlighten you.

Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ has emerged as one of the most problematic songs in recent years. His disturbing lyrics, which appear to make light of rape and rape culture and condones degrading women, coupled with that music video (if you haven’t seen it I advise you look it up), makes for some very uneasy listening.

More universities are considering banning the song from being played altogether, with five in the UK having already done so. Many students here are beginning to insist that Kent should follow suit, and I for one am with them.

It’s pretty easy to dismiss ‘Blurred Lines’ as ‘light-hearted’ and ‘just for fun’. However, its highly problematic lyrics and attitude towards women in general is something that needs to be addressed.

The song is littered with inappropriate and degrading sexual references. Take the

title for example; the ‘Blurred Lines’ which Thicke refers to are supposedly the blurred lines between ‘No I don’t want to have sex with you’ and ‘Yes I want to have sex with you,’ essentially suggesting that even if you say no, you really mean yes.

Combined with the constant repetition of the line ‘I know you want it,’ it’s enough to set anyone on edge. Who could honestly say that they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if someone were to repeatedly say that to

them? And as for the rest of the lyrics, I know I definitely wouldn’t appreciate a guy telling me that I was an ‘animal’ who needed to be ‘domesticated.’

I suppose you could say that this is ‘just a song’ and that there are much bigger issues, but, it isn’t just the song - it’s everything it represents. See, ‘Blurred Lines’ is part of a much bigger media culture that still sees women as purely for male enjoyment, that makes light of serious issues like rape and pins

the blame on rape victims.

In fact, many of the lyrics that Thicke uses are phrases that rapists repeatedly use on their victims (according to an online campaign) such as “I know you want it,” “You’re a good girl” and “Do it like it hurt”.

As for whether or not Kent should follow in the footsteps of the other universities and ban this song, my vote is a definite yes. Of course it’s impossible to offend absolutely nobody, everybody is offended

by something. But when something affects such a huge majority of people in a negative way, then clearly it’s something that needs to be addressed.

Statistically, there will be a large amount of rape and abuse survivors on this campus alone (according to Rape Crisis, 1 in 5 women aged 16 - 59 have experienced some form of sexual violence in the UK), so a song like this, with what they may find to be incredibly insensitive lyrics, needs to be banned.

However, there is one thing that I would like to thank Robin Thicke and his travesty of a song for; it has finally sparked a serious discussion about rape culture, something that should have occurred a long time ago.

To read a counter argument, follow the link or QR code: www.inquirelive.co.uk/ comment/article-3646/whywe-shouldnt-ban-blurredlines/

‘undemocratic’ to refuse 16 year-olds the vote Alexander Lehane

FOR those seeking to prevent

1.5 million sixteen year-olds from entering the commotion of modern politics, the image of a gang of renegade troublemakers will be a portrait all too tempting to paint.

Such agitators, they would argue, possess no appreciation for decency and respect, and show little consideration for their own streets and neighbourhoods, let alone to the course of British politics.

They therefore contend that these young individuals could constitute a very real threat to the integrity of our democracy if permitted to vote. Such an illusion trespasses on the borders of truth.

Though any group or movement will inevitably bear its share of ‘bad apples’, who, purposefully or not, draw criticism to the groups with which they belong, such generalisations are often far

removed from reality. Across this nation, classrooms and political conferences are filled with minds barely younger than our own – minds eager to join us in the shaping of our country’s future.

Of course, not every teenager is terrorising local neighbourhoods and unveiling their disrespect for law and order. Those who are still convinced that every 16 year-old in Britain is an untrustworthy, feckless blight on society, will surely be struck with horror to discover that such citizens are not the only ones who fill the ranks of the misguided and misled.

I don’t need to remind you that British society is not only affected by a disproportionate group of irresponsible and apathetic teenagers, but is also hampered by another group of citizens, who can be no less careless, negligent and ignorant despite their seniority in age. Aldous Huxley once said

that ‘experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him’.

This prompts me to question how a younger generation, though burdened by its share of ignorance and inexperience, can be excluded from politics by those who can suffer equally from witlessness and political illiteracy, despite their

‘advantage’ in years.

Whether Ed Miliband’s intention to grant 16 year-olds the vote displays a desire to meet the demands of the unions as his critics suggest, or displays a true aspiration to take into account the voices of a younger generation, remains unknown.

However, it is both imprudent and dangerous to delay such action further. Far from

constituting a new threat to our democracy, an inclusion of this nation’s youth into politics can only serve to strengthen its foundations.

We cannot afford to confine the future of this nation upon the political periphery. The period of demonising and isolating this country’s youth must come to an end - the future strength of our democracy rests upon it.

Comment 7

it’s ok, i waste my life on netflix too Natalie Tipping WE’VE all been there, you're sitting at your desk with your seemingly endless to-d0 list and the prospect of staying in all weekend alone seeming inevitable. The work will do itself though, right?

Besides, a new series of America's Next Top Model started a few weeks ago and you need to catch up. With the abundance of sites that allow you to stream the latest cult shows, are our social lives and our work ethics being compromised?

Should TV simply be on TV? To risk sounding like I'm going to stage a sit-in on this matter, HELL TO THE NO! Granted, my opinion may be fuelled by the fact that at the moment I genuinely spend more time in the library on Netflix than I do doing work (other streaming sites are available, but let's face it, Netflix is the best option).

It's also because I can't be bothered to pay for a TV licence and even if I did, most stuff on

British TV just isn't that great.

Sure, I love Come Dine With Me as much as the next guy, but you won't catch me spending Saturday night watching Strictly Come Dancing or Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow.

No sir! You're much more likely to find me watching the latest episode of New Girl or, until recently anyway, Breaking Bad *sob*. The argument that 'watching TV shows online is detrimental to people's education' is, frankly speaking, utterly ludicrous.

I'm not going to lie, last year I did spend days on end watching Arrested Development rather than revising, but it was always a conscious decision. Everyone procrastinates, sometimes it's even helpful.

Obviously I'm not recommending that we all become hermits and never go to another lecture for fear of someone referencing a TV show we haven't yet ticked off, but everyone needs to relax sometimes.

Just chill out mannnnnn. Let's

face it, nobody really watches telly as it happens anymore anyway (except maybe my Grandma, but even she's sort of discovered Sky+) and the internet isn't completely to blame.

Nobody wants to watch adverts in case they have a mental breakdown after hearing that bloody meerkat crap for

the millionth time, so many people set TV to record ahead of time. The 'series link' button is possibly one of the most glorious things ever invented as well, as you only have to remember to record a show once, then new episodes magically appear for weeks afterwards! Catching up on your favourite shows and discovering new ones has

literally never been easier, and I really don't see why this is a bad thing.

Basically, if you want to watch 20 episodes of Breaking Bad in a day, feel free yo, I've been there.

I will warn you though, it takes some serious concentration, and dedication. But hey, at least your brain is working, even if it's not on your latest essay.

sex box: debunking the myths of porn?

Agree

Adam Seville THE Channel 4 programme Sex Box, due to air on October 7th, aims to educate people about what ‘normal sex’ is like, as opposed to what we fine online.

Although some will immediately oppose this, those people should go away, type a few words into their computer suggesting anything pornrelated and then come back and tell me if what say saw passes as ‘normal sex’ in their eyes.

They would be lying if they did. Sex

Box is not some version of ‘seedy porn’ or a fetishisation of sex; it is the correct response to the explosion of pornography.

Sex Box aims to show people – especially young people – that what they’re viewing online does not, in fact, resemble the real thing.

The public must understand that there are people in this country, including teenagers as young as 15, with serious problems of addiction to pornography.

Times have changed to when seedy magazines were simply swapped in the playground.

Now, with the explosion of

smartphones, tablets and the internet, all in the hands of children, it must be realised that pornography has dramatically changed in content, availability and volume.

Some teenagers today have admitted, in the aforementioned programme, that they spend all of their free time watching porn. How is this healthy? In what world is masturbating 16 times in one day healthy?

Pornography has changed the way we view sex and it is seriously affecting the minds of people in this country. Sex Box will ultimately be providing a basis for mature and intelligent conversation about something which is so integral to our everyday lives but is very often hushed away.

Disagree

Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor CHANNEL 4 thinks we need a Campaign for Real Sex. Ralph Lee, head of Channel 4’s factual programming, has talked about the need to “add context to pornography”. So far, so good.

Porn provides unrealistic expectations of sex that need to be debunked. Apparently, however, ‘Real Sex’ takes place in a box, on live TV, with an immediate debriefing from a panel of four supposed sex experts. If that is what real sex is, I sincerely hope I never have it.

Sex Box’s stated aims are noble: free Britain from the taboo of sex; free sex from the tyranny of porn. Both of these seem like things a lot of people may well need, but the show’s set up is pure gimmick.

There is something terribly voyeuristic about being able to watch real people having sex on TV, even if it is in an opaque box. Not a small amount of viewers will have tuned in

for that reason, and I’d be surprised if Channel 4 weren’t fully aware, even welcoming of it. Indeed, there’s something almost pornographic about it.

The post-coital conversation seems too didactic and analytical, as if sex can’t just be enjoyed, it must be studied.

Being open is good, but not overthinking and ruining the enjoyment. And the number of people tuning in for sex tips can’t be small, which, again, isn’t really the point of the show.

You also have to wonder if the couples featured on the show are really representative of the population. Surely a live sex show is going to find it hard to entice those only interested in the private, healthy, ‘real’ sex that Channel 4 are trying to promote?

A better idea would have been to make a more standard documentary, with interviews with couples (perhaps even in their own homes, where they usually have sex!), scientists, psychologists etc, and less of the voyeurs in the audience. That might have had the interest and authenticity that Sex Box is lacking.

8

Editorial & Interview

why student journalism is important Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor LAST month, Crimson White, the student newspaper at the University of Alabama, reported on sororities on the campus that were denying entrance to black students and other ethnic minorities. With vision, drive and sheer fucking hard work, the paper convinced four sorority members to talk to them about the processes by which the societies admit new members.

Bear in mind that many of these societies instruct members on entry to never talk about what goes on inside the sorority. As a result of the paper’s story, the sororities have admitted ethnic minority members and one of the last bastions of campus segregation has been torn down.

Not because of the national newspapers (although they got involved later on), not because of a few crusading academics or whistleblowers (although they certainly helped), but because a couple of student journalists

did some proper journalism.

Student media is often called trivial, dismissed as a few kids playing at being reporter before they start their real careers.

I’ll accept that charge, to some extent. Except I’ll add that it’s no bad thing for people to get a bit of work experience in a safe environment, or to have a go at a bit of journalism just for the fun of it, or to have an outlet for their photography hobby.

If, however, that’s all student media is then it is hardly worthy of the money that gets poured into it each year. The story of Alabama shows us exactly how vital student media can be.

Unfortunately for InQuire, there isn’t any rampant segregation at the University of Kent, so we can’t bust that open. But there’s still plenty for us to get our teeth stuck into. We’ve made attempts at investigative reporting. The sexual harassment investigation last year wasn’t perfect, I’ll happily admit that, but it still gave us some useful findings. It was hopefully at least a little bit shocking and it was definitely a step in the right direction.

If we don’t continue to probe into those kinds of uncomfortable and important issues then we aren’t doing our job properly – and the nationals aren’t going to do it for you, not on such a specific, local scale.

The odd report from NUS or an internal Kent Union study might come out, but that’s all you’re getting if student media isn’t there.

Away from the headlinegrabbing, there’s also the no less important matter of simply keeping you informed. It’s all too easy to just exist at uni

or “how on earth do I get into accountancy out of university?

Do I need a master’s?” and generally work themselves into an anxious state about the ominous, looming bugbear that is the future.

The fact that nearly every other student is in the same state as them actually intensifies their anxiety – the knowledge that any potential entry jobs into their dream career will be inundated with a thousand identical applications. It’s all so scary and down to chance.

Why is it this way? The idea that students must pick a career out of university is as absurd as it is unfair and terrifying. Gap years and years out aside, the average graduate went to uni straight out of their A-levels and has had practically zilch experience in the working world. How can they possibly know their ‘true calling’?

For that matter – why is there an idea that someone’s life has to be defined by a single, decades-long career with steady promotions doing the same

without paying real attention to the myriad issues that affect your day to day lives. And it’s not an easy time for students.

InQuire has reported on rising accommodation costs, spiralling and hidden course fees and the various concerns of students across the country and, indeed, the globe.

Student media should be building a sense of informed community in students, to enrich your brief time at university and, where necessary, to encourage you to take action and make that

experience better.

Away from news, knowing what events are on around campus and the local area, knowing whether they’re any good or not, reading about student lifestyle, following the University sports teams – all of this has the potential to make your time at Uni a hell of a lot more fun, and student media is the best place to come for it.

If we don’t do any of this, we’re not doing our job properly, and we’re surely not worth all of our expenses. But if we do, then student media is far from trivial.

career fear: it’s not the disaster you’ve been told Alasdair Lawrence InQuire Chairman THERE is an overwhelming sense amongst university students that, once they graduate, they must immediately decide upon and enter a career that will take up their adult working life.

Whether or not this pressure to choose a profession is imagined or real, students cry things like “I don’t know what I want to do!”

thing day in day out? For many students, and people in general, that strikes them as incredibly depressing – and yet everyone has psyched themselves up into thinking this is the only way to make a comfortable living in life.

You have to start on the ground floor of a big business and retire on the top floor – if you change jobs or decide this line of work is not for you – you must, in a The Sims-like leap of logic – restart at the bottom floor of another business.

Life is so much more modular than that. Skills acquired in one job complement another.

Experience and history define us in our career choices as much our personality and opinions.

If in any other situation someone asked you to decide what your favourite film was without having seen any films, or your favourite food without having tasted anything, or where you’d build your dream house without having first travelled anywhere – you’d say they were mad.

We know what we like by experiencing it – we know what we want by sampling

it and wanting more. A bit hokey, perhaps, but it’s true.

Any decision a student makes at uni with regard to career will almost always be based on their experiences and, that early in their working life, said experiences will amount to what they’ve seen, either around them in their life or on TV and film.

Everyone wants to be a lecturer, a psychologist, a journalist. But an analyst?

A consultant? A colourist?

Nobody understands what those jobs entail – they’re not covered in films or books and so your average and, forgive me, ignorant graduate has no idea what they’re for.

I suppose my message is this – nobody knows what they want to do when they come out of university. We have heard this a thousand times. But we are hearing it wrong. It does not mean “it is inevitable that you will flounder for a few years before finding your feet” what it means is “straight out of university you cannot possibly know what you want to do – so do anything, everything, and find your feet”.

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iq just how obsessed are 1d fans? iq culture pg. 20

review of cloud atlas film iq entertainment pg. 17

student showstopper recipe iq culture pg. 21

interview with kent alumnus david mitchell iq features pg. 12

gta v reviewed iq entertainment pg. 17

is author addiction a thing? iq features pg. 13

12

IQ Features

“you need to write like nobody else and you will, because you are you. you are unique.”

David Mitchell, award winning author of Cloud Atlas, was on campus for the introduction talk for all returning second and third year English Literature students. Emma Shelton, Newspaper Features Editor, managed to catch up with him before he left campus. He gave a feel of what uni life was like for him when he was an undergraduate English & American Literature student, and his career as an author.

So, how does it feel to back at Kent?

Great. For a long time I had a “you shouldn’t go back” kind of philosophy about my home town, where I grew up, and even where I went to college here. Perhaps that’s the same healthy propulsive force that you have when you are younger, or maybe we are hard wired that way, to make sure you go out into the world and do your own thing.

Then middle age comes knocking on the door, and you’re actually rather curious about where you’re from. Not in a sentimental way but you sort of feel like it’s rather healthy to go back and have a look at where you were as a kid, a teenager, a student, and see if it’s changed, and how it hasn’t.

When I arrived at St Pancras yesterday, I felt that as the train was leaving, there was my 1987 self just sat across the aisle, coming to Canterbury for the very, very first time. I was looking at him thinking “god, you’ve got a lot to learn mate” but then I could also feel my 2033 self, sat behind me, thinking the same thing for me. That’s how it feels to be back.

How was Freshers’ for you?

What was that experience like?

It was so typical. I joined about 11 different clubs, and discovered that the Keynes Duck Appreciation society was essentially a drinking club where they take your money and spend it on beer, and you never hear from them again. I joined the bell ringing club, because I had always fancied a bit of campanology.

It’s a strange time. You are an 18 year

old male and have the body of a man, more or less, but you still have the mind of a fairly scared mid-teenager, away from home for the first time, and in many cases, it was for me.

All that self-discovery I had. The potential is massive, but the quantity of that potential that is actualised is so small. However smart, however sorted, however sussed you are, you are still only 18. Bar disaster, tragedy or angst, you’re going to be alive for 70 years, but even those 18 years, in relative terms, you have only been an adult for minutes.

It’s quite an intense time with self discovery.

So now, how do you feel? What have you learnt here at Kent, has it influenced your career? Did you expect to be where you are now when you started university?

I would occasionally and very unrealistically fantasise that I would be where I am now, without a clue about the realities involved with it.

I learnt I was not an academic at Kent.

This was the place where I was encouraged and gently coerced into thinking about the inventors of the form that I now work in. And I am so glad I was.

There was an academic called Roger Hardy, who since passed away. He was an American and lived in Rutherford somewhere, I think. I did Shakespeare with him. I’ve got really good memories of him too. He sensed I wanted to get off the beaten track and encouraged me to look at the oddball plays.

The chaos theory was very new at the time and I wrote this bonkers essay about the chaos theory and Othello.

I mean please?! He could have torn it to shreds and embarrassed me in front of the whole seminar group, with “what is this?” and I probably deserved it. But no, he didn’t. He gave me 90.

Not because what I wrote particularly deserved it, I’m sure it didn’t, and I’m so glad that essay no longer exists, but he was using all the instruments at his disposal to encourage me to combine things that weren’t ordinarily combined.

It was sort of a creative writing mark that he gave me.

How do you work now as an author?

I have kids, so whenever the hell I can.

The major piece of advice for people reading this is don’t hang around for the circumstances to be right before you can write. It never works like that.

I have 45 minutes before I pick the kids up from school so I have to break the back of this scene now. Or the plane is landing in two hours, and between now and when it lands, and not always in business class, I get my notebook out, and I’ve got to work out why I can’t get this damn scene written, and define these problems and write my way through them.

That’s how writing works. It’s writing despite and not because of. You have to evolve a working technique that lets you do it now and under any circumstances, however unliterary they are.

Do you ever have writer’s block?

No, I don’t know if I believe in it. I believe in mental breakdown, that’s real. Anything short of that…

I can only speak for me of course, but all you do is write yourself a letter about why you’re stuck and you can always work it out: it sometimes requires a painful level of honesty. Usually some variation of “this core idea is crap”.

That’s why you’re blocked: because it’s not worth writing.

Or more common: this aspect really isn’t crap, it’s beautiful but it doesn’t belong here. You’re proud of it, it’s one of the best things you’ve ever written but it’s blocking the story: A and B can’t both exist in the same story. One of them has to go.

Do you ever find yourself taking that material and using it elsewhere?

Sometimes you can, it depends of the size of the blockage. The bigger it is, the more likely you can recycle it as a short story.

I have a file for this on my computer: ‘scenes not needed here’. And I put them all in there. It doesn’t feel like you trash them. You know what though, I almost never open that file again. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

You need mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are scaffolding to build the real thing, or a mistake is a bridge to an island you otherwise wouldn’t have known the existence of, even if the bridge gets washed away behind you.

Cloud Atlas was nominated for the Man Booker prize. What did that mean to you? Was that your dream as an author?

It was. It was kind of a fantasy. As Julian Barnes said, before he won it, it’s “posh bingo”.

Your publishers love it and, in the short term, it’s good for sales.

There are cautionary tales about the people who win the Booker and never recover. The Booker is often really good for the book, it’s not necessarily good for the writer. I would advise writers on the long-lists and short-lists to learn not to think about it too much. It also wrecks your summer. Long-list August, short-list September, winner October.

Imagine! You wake up in the middle of the night, and you’re on the long list, and there’s this little gremlin going “you might win the Booker, you might win the Booker.” “No fuck off, go away” “You might win the Booker…” I view the whole thing quite ambivalently..

Now that said, if it did happen to me, you would be hearing a different tune.

Don’t think about it too much. Don’t review, and don’t get to het up about competition. Concentrate on writing, on your own work instead of mouthing off about other people’s.

The biggest question you should ever be bothering your head about is: how can I make this damn book work?

Anything bigger than that is not your work. Competitions are bigger than that. They involve the world, and the media, and large networks. Don’t go there. Be good at not looking at that stuff.

Make your work so damn good that they’re falling over themselves to sign you up, that’s where you should be putting the energy, not clever eyecatching schemes. Just make it really damn good from the first paragraph.

Concentrate on the screen and the notebook and in time you will win those prizes, in time you’ll get the agent. Just do this first. This is the horse that needs to go before that cart. You’re the author, just think about the horses. (to hear the full interview, visit inquirelive.co.uk, or follow the QR code below)

IQ Features 13

is author addiction a thing?

Caitlin Webb and Katy Hinchliffe give their opinions on this phenomenon and tell us which author they are secretly addicted to.

Caitlin Webb

Every student in the UK, thanks to the National Curriculum, has read at least one book (or pretended to) by Charles Dickens. His fame came from weekly and monthly instalments in The Pickwick Papers. This kept readers hooked for months at a time, wanting to read more and more. Because of the story, the characters and the genre, Charles Dickens became an international bestseller.

Fast forward 150 years on from then, we can now publish entire novels at the click of a button. As readers, we are no longer impatient for the next chapter to be published but for the next sequel. We keep writers afloat with our addiction to their writing.

But why do we consume and focus all our attention on one author?

As readers, we follow authors like Katy Hinchliffe

Grasping a newly acquired literary

purchase, an overwhelming wave of sickness and anxiety instigates the realisation that you have reached the very last page. Your questions are: ‘what will I read now?’ and ‘where can I find the next instalment?’. Realisation turns to desperation. As you savour the final words, the temptation to reach for that all too familiar copy of the same beloved author’s work becomes apparent.

Sound familiar? The diagnosis: Author Addiction.

I don’t make use of the term ‘addiction’ lightly. Those who obsess over a particular writer, I would go as far as saying, are leading an unhealthy literary lifestyle. It is all well and good enjoying the familiarity that comes with reading a text written by an already acquainted author, but comfort will morph into dependence. You will deprive yourself of other literary pathways. Be aware,

newspaper columnists, reading everything and anything. Our addiction is fuelled when they reproduce book after book after book. One of the most famous writers of our time, J.K. Rowling, rose from poverty to fame and fortune after writing what became the fastest selling book in the world. She published seven books within 10 years, and each release date set the world in an impatient frenzy. Over two million copies of The Deathly Hallows were sold before it was even out on the shelves.

Now, people fixate on her articles, interviews featuring the author and her recent works because they just could not get enough of her or her work.

I will hold my hands up guiltily for following an author: my shelves are filled with John Grisham and Marian Keyes. Their stories reeled me in and kept me from sleeping at night. It’s the fast-paced stories, the personal dear Reader, the writer becomes an illusory brand whereby the merit of its content is wrongly judged in accordance to that first experience.

In an endeavour to achieve the pleasure of that initial ‘high’, the figure of the author is in danger of being abandoned entirely. The loss of an author occurs when the addict ventures down the shady back alley of fan-fiction. Sites where one can readily access impure and counterfeit works are usually written by those victims of the same disease. The highs are false; they sully the identity of the author, and quite frankly, end up in the realms of bargain basement erotica.

Hi my name’s Katy and I’m an Austen addict. I’ll admit I am not exempt from fictional fixation, but my addiction has manifested itself in a most abnormal manner. Having, on first reading of Pride and Prejudice, developed into ‘one of those’ delusional devotees, my fascination has resulted in a trepidation to fully branch out into her other works.

I will actively seek out Elizabeth’s heroics in Fanny Price and anticipate bitter disappointment. My comparisons reveal my ignorance as I force Austen’s other texts into the shape of P and P. Author addiction is not a simple case of being right and wrong. Detox your mode of thinking by admitting the reasons for the obsession, judging the text and author on the present evidence.

Purge all prejudices that have arisen from that original encounter. In my predicament, therefore, I will endeavour to leave the prejudging to the likes of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, following the novel’s advice to “think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure”.

attachment to the characters and the reliability of the authors that makes me read all they write. However, I don’t ever read a book again or take the time to reflect on what I’ve actually read.

This is true in many areas of my life: when you devour a meal, do you really savour each mouthful? We consume all these stories and books at such a speed that the time spent by the authors agonising on choosing each word ends

up passing by our eyes in seconds.

Are we all missing the point? Are we ignoring their skills, or is it skilful of them to get us turning pages and not putting the books down? We become loyal to our favourite authors and assume that because we enjoyed their last book, we will turn the pages of their latest publication with the same fervour, regardless of the plot line.

J.K. Rowling specifically went under a pseudonym to make sure her book was credited for her writing, and within hours of her identity being made public, the book rose 5000 places up the Amazon sales list.

I know that I am not alone in my addiction to an author but I also know that we should all take more time over our reading. If we give different writers more of a chance, they could prove to be your favourite writer in disguise!

marc jacobs to leave louis vuitton Lucia Ennis

Marc Jacobs, creative director at Louis Vuitton since 1997, has confirmed he will be leaving the fashion powerhouse to focus on his own brand.

His collection at Paris Fashion Week closed the curtain on his time at the label with a fittingly all-black theme. In typical Marc Jacobs fashion, the event was a spectacle. Escalators, carousels, and fountains were all throwback statements in tribute to his previous collections. Dedicated “to the showgirl in all of us” Jacobs gave thanks to the women who have inspired his designs – Kate Moss, Judy Garland, and Cher – to name a few.

Jacobs successfully managed to steer Louis Vuitton through everything from the logo-crazed early noughties to the impact of the recession. He commercialized the label, introducing the first ever ready-to-wear clothing line in Vuitton’s history. The label, named the world’s most luxurious luxury

brand, is in a stronger position than ever. In the last year alone, it raked in over £5.8 billion.

You might recognize Jacobs as the latest designer behind “the youthful spirit” of Diet Coke’s limited edition bottles. Following in Jean-Paul Gaultier’s footsteps, Jacobs described it as a “light-hearted” attempt to freshen up the design. His aim has always been to “take things that are everyday and comforting and turn them into the most luxurious things in the world”. This take on the industry has proved very effective.

It is widely speculated that Nicolas Ghesquiere, who has recently left Balenciago after a 15 year run, is being lined up as Jacob’s successor. LVHM (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) have yet to make an official statement.

As for Marc Jabobs, the true showman, the fashion world eagerly awaits his next collection - one that will be in his own name.

14

IQ Features

poet’s corner

Ross Johnson

Watercolours I thought it strange, sat between smoke and Allah and you crazy and cross-legged with your hair knotted and all chestnut brown like the cellar door, the fireplace that held green tiles of the colour that ghosts water rushes with wind the room fills with whispers yet outside, though trees shift, silence.

À la française is best Emma Shelton Newspaper Features Editor

I am going to let you in on a little secret about how to make friends with French students in particular, and without making them run a mile.

I think the English try to wind the French up in any possible way and from a French point of view, there is absolutely nothing worse than hearing an English person try to do things “à la française”, particularly in the haute cuisine department. Let’s get one thing straight from the start: English éclairs are NOT éclairs. How dare they pretend to be? English éclairs are filled with cream. French éclairs are filled with custard cream. I know, it’s subtle, but honestly, the entire FrancoBritish relationship is put at risk by this seemingly inconsequential detail.

Another most despicable thing is that profiteroles are filled with cream once again, whilst the proper profiteroles are filled with ice cream. Utterly scandalous if I say so myself.

On the other hand, the French are also putting everything at stake by serving most desserts with a delicate “crème anglaise”, a thinned out pathetic excuse for custard.

What can we conclude from this? That a clear definition of cream needs to be established but also that each culture is labelling their food incorrectly. If the English labelled their éclairs as something other than “French éclairs”, then to be honest, there would be no problems.

Here are only a few examples of culture shock. To all international Students, do not be surprised to arrive in England and find your traditional foods in obscure shapes and forms.

The English do try their best, bless them, but I’m sparing you unnecessary disappointment. Push your cultural differences to one side because you have the pleasure of entering the 1/5 of International students at Kent. Make friends with people of all nationalities, but when you meet a French student, avoid the subject of éclairs at all costs.

just a spoonful of sugar...

Farah Chowdhury

From the Great British Bake Off to Masterchef The Professionals, what is it about the hybrid of cooking and television that entices us so? These programs seem to come together in a beautiful symphony, prompt us to salivate at the edge of our seats; to wistfully reach out and grab a spoonful of the various appetising dishes before our eyes, and to pull up a stall alongside Greg Wallace (Masterchef) or the ever critical, but oh so fabulous, Mary Berry (Great British Bake Off).

Apart from the sentiment of discontent felt when many a student glances down at their slap-dash meal, many of us are left inspired and it is this inspiration that leaves me completely and utterly infatuated with the televised world of cooking.

With many TV channels now airing a string of reality TV shows from Made in Chelsea to Big Brother, cooking shows are yet another form of the reality TV show, but perhaps with less of the staged dramatics. If anything, such programmes showcase real people, be it stay at home parents, doctors, builders or students. Recent winner of Great British Bake Off, John Whaite (law student) and co-finalist James

Morton (medical student) are two prime examples of our inspired generation.

Both have subsequently published baking books.

With more students taking an interest in food, not only do we see a new pastime marinating away, when you peel away the internet, video games and shopping, but perhaps also a change in lifestyle and nutrition?

Whether they be contestant based, on the hunt for the next Nigella, or a lesson from the Hairy Bikers, as they travel around Europe, these shows are for everyone. It does not discriminate between gender, culture or taste, and acts as a great teaching tool. With more cooking and food related shows on TV than I can count on one hand, each

manages to take a different perspective, yet there is something to gain from all of them. There is more to be learnt than just new recipes, like the ideas behind the dishes, the provenance of the ingredients and the culture they come from.

Embarking on these culinary adventures would be nothing without the trusty and ever comical presenters and judges – for we can’t forget that at the end of the day when the oven mitts are off and the aprons are hung up, these shows are made for the viewer’s entertainment. What better way to keep them coming back for seconds than with a trail leading to the likes of Paul Hollywood, Nigel Slater or Delia Smith, to mention a few. Partner them with comical voice-overs like Dave Lamb (Come Dine with Me) or double act Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc (Great British Bake Off), and such shows have viewers literally eating out of their hands.

Each element of these cooking reality programs contributes to our nation’s growing love for food. A slice of entertainment, a ladle of education and a pinch of inspiration. I, for one, am all for the explosion of cooking shows popping up all over our TVs. They leave me wanting more, scales in one hand and cookbook in the other.

post hangover pie Ingredients: 500g minced beef 1 onion chopped 1tbs tomato purée 1, ½ tbsp. plain flour 75g mushrooms or other vegetable 250mL beef/chicken/vegetable stock 450g ready-made pastry Instructions Preheat oven 200°C/Gas 6.

Heat oil in a large pan, add beef and cook until brown. This will take 4-5 minutes.

Add the chopped onion, tomato purée and flour. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until onions are brown.

Add the mushrooms.

Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line a pie dish or deep plate with it. Cook in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pastry case.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the pie. Use a fork to press it into the edges all the way round. A knife can be used to trim the excess.

If you like, the pastry trimmings can be used to make decorations such as leaves. You could also brush the lid with a little milk or egg yolk to give a glazed effect.

Make a hole abut 1cm wide in the centre of the pie to allow the steam to escape.

Cook at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot with gravy, potatoes and green vegetables. (serves 4)

IQ Features 15

fun soap! mtv freshers’ ball facts of the day Friday 11th October International Day of the Girl Child Monday 14th October Be Bald and be Free Day Tuesday 15th October Facebook flavoured ice-cream

Wednesday 16th October 1793: Marie Antoinette was guillotined 2006: Hawai earthquake Thursday 17th October 1972: Eminem’s birthday 1979: Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday 18th October National Chocolate Cupcake Day (have a day in with your flatmates and have a cupcake bake off) Monday 21st October Chance of becoming President of the USA: 1 in 10,000,000 Tuesday 22nd October In Bangkok, it is compulsory for students to wear an exam helmet during exams.

Wednesday 23rd October If you type into Youtube “Do the Harlem Shake”, the page will do as asked.

Thursday 24th October One teaspoon of honey represents the life work of 12 bees.

16

IQ Entertainment

events albums on the go Amy Bliss gives her take on the new album releases this week Haim - Days Are Gone Nowadays, it’s rare that we see an allgirl band play their instruments and do an impressive job of it, but Haim manage to do exactly that. On Days Are Gone, the girls show not only their ability to construct a solid tune with catchy hooks and haunting harmonies, but also create something that is lyrically outstanding.

Arctic Monkeys – AM With unarguably some of the best lyricism in years, AM delivers on every level showing a more mature sound than on their previous albums. Infectious and arresting, these twelve tracks truly expose their skill in delivering an album that lives up to the hype and affirms Arctic Monkeys’ place at the top of British Rock.

freshers’ week relived: how did you find it?

The momentous Freshers’ week has passed and now it’s time to reflect on the highs and lows. InQuire spoke to two students, old and new, to see how their first couple of weeks at uni compared.

Katie Marlow First year Studying English Language and Linguistics How has your first week at uni gone?

It’s nothing like college, that’s for sure.

I’m still getting used to cooking and tidying up after myself. It’s a lot harder than I thought but I’ve enjoyed my first seminars, it’s all been quite relaxed and easy except for struggling with the dreaded Freshers’ flu.

Where was the best place you went to?

I really enjoyed The Old Brewery Tavern’s £1 jagerbomb night.

I’ll definitely be going back there soon. The music was really good and the £1 jaegerbombs weren’t so bad either!

What was the best event you’ve been to?

I really enjoyed Freshbook at The

Venue, the Skool Disco at Mungo’s and also The Fresher’s Ball. It was pretty much like any other night at The Venue but more formal and a great way to end the week. I also loved #Trend at The Venue, the music was different to everywhere else at the moment and I know I’m going to spend a lot of time in the venue during my degree so it’s good to get to know it better.

Tom Lyndsay 3rd year Studying Anthropology How would you sum up your first couple of weeks at uni?

It was a lot of fun but I don’t think I quite have the stamina anymore to keep up with my second year housemates. It was exhausting!

What’s the best event you’ve been to so far?

The highlight has to be Woody’s Fest and the Silent Disco in Freshers’ Week.

It was great to re-visit Parkwood, meet the people living in my old house and get to re live being a Fresher for an evening. I also got to know my two new housemates and bond over a snakebite

Kings of Leon Mechanical Bull It’s clear on Mechanical Bull that Kings of Leon have lost the raw, abrupt charm they once had, now possessing a more polished, forgettable sound.

This album makes for easy listening, something you’d be more likely to hear in your local coffee shop than in the middle of a sweaty, excited crowd.

Where is your favourite place to go for a night out?

It has to be K-Bar. It’s got such a down to earth atmosphere. Is not like clubbing, it’s more relaxed and it’s not as hectic and busy as other places.

The garden is great too to cool down and just chat to new people especially since it’s been revamped. If I had to recommend anywhere on campus, it would always be K-Bar. How does this year compare to your first year so far?

The first Freshers’ Week and your first year will always be the best and craziest but it’s nice to know everyone and everything that’s going on already and be more established. It’s more relaxed.

the fantastic five: the must-have apps for students Lauren Sullivan

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2 The second part of Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience doesn’t quite live up to the standard of its predecessor. Despite producing a sound pop album with a few tracks that reach above the rest, it feels like the potential this album had wasn’t achieved. Not his best, but definitely worth a listen.

or three. Woody’s was just an awesome night out.

Apple, we really owe you one. With

thousands of apps to keep our fingers tapping and our minds occupied, the market for student apps has expanded exponentially in recent years to make our lives easier. However, as a student, we all know that with deadlines to meet and places to be, time can be an issue.

So this week, I’ve done all the work for you and found the five best student apps on the market to help you embrace student life.

1. Class timetable pro (69p) This nifty little app is fantastic to help you organise your hectic student schedule. It allows the user to add events such as lectures and seminars onto a planner, which displays them in a stylish and simple format.

There is also an optional notification feature which can alert the user up to an hour before the event, so no more excuses for being late!

2. Browzer (Free) With so many events going on during the week, it’s difficult to keep up with everything happening. Browzer is an innovative way of getting the latest information on food deals, travel prices, lifestyle and many more! Oh, and did I mention that the app is free? Students can’t resist a freebie…

3. Dictionary.com (Free) Having to write essays at university is challenging, and trying to make them look and sound the best can be difficult.

Dictionary.com is a great app to search and find the meaning for almost any word. The best thing about this app is that you can use it even if you don’t have Wi-Fi, which makes that essay writing much easier!

4. Skype (Free) For some of you, moving away might be your first experience of having to live independently. It’s not unusual for many students to feel homesick, and with limited funds in the bank,

calling home from a mobile can be very expensive. This is why Skype is a great way of keeping in contact with family and friends. It allows you to make free video and voice calls to your contacts at any time, providing that you have internet connection.

It’s a brilliant way of keeping in touch and letting everyone back home know just how great you are at making beans on toast.

5. Budget me (Free) With money tight, some students struggle to keep track of their expenses, so this is where Budget me is very helpful. Simply enter in your incoming and outgoing expenses and it will help calculate any disposable income left over, both per week and per month.

It’s a great way of keeping track of your money and ensures you don’t get into any trouble so you can spend your money wisely.

IQ Entertainment 17

gaming & film gta v: was it really worth the wait?

Jonjo Brady

Despite all the hype, I was rather sceptical of the new release of GTA V, considering the overly disappointing GTA IV. Apart from basing the whole story on a character with less personality than a Cluckin’ Bell nightshift worker on anti-depressants, the polished inner-workings of the GTA IV gameplay seemed to feel much the same as they always have.

It was like ordering the same dessert at a restaurant twenty times over – delicious, but, after about the fourth time, it gets kind of old.

GTA V is definitely new, and improved.

It brings together the best of the GTA series - its satire, gripping storyline, immersive world, pimping rides and guns galore - whilst sprinkling it off with an ingenious new innovation in gameplay. Having not one, but three main characters playable at any time adds a whole other level of complexity to the scale of the story and mission design. No longer are we laboured by constant filler missions, ‘drive character to pick up parcel and go back again’ and so on; each one feels unique. While one character finds the target’s hideout by spying with a police helicopter, you can switch to the guy on the ground and intercept him. Or say you are being chased by an enraged private military

Cerys Thomas

company, switch to the guy hacking the traffic lights in order to slow them down. Missions range from your typical car chases, shootouts and parachute jumps to Jack Reacher style stunts. The heists are the showcase of the game complex, dramatic and open-ended, with multiple paths to success. How they play out and how much money you get depends on your approach and the crew you pick.

The world is incredibly detailed too.

In poorer areas you’ll find foreclosure notices, cracked roads, loitering gangs and police searchlights, whilst further up north the streets are crammed with tourists taking photos, insufferable starlets yammering on about their newest audition and sports cars whizzing by in the sun. And, of course, the world is also a sensational reflection of the worst of contemporary pop culture. Going further than its

predecessors, GTA V’s love of parody extends beyond radio adverts and billboards by becoming the heart of some of the best, and most hilarious, missions. These include chasing down a TV talent show host in a lorry, sneaking up on celebrities to take incriminating photos and visiting the offices of the Facebook spoof LifeInvader.

So it’s probably best you stop reading this review and start playing it. From strip clubs to Chop the Dog, GTA V is a game that you need to do some exploring in. After all, I’m over forty hours in and I haven’t seen all there is to see in Los Santos yet. This is definitely the GTA game we have been waiting for. The world is breath-taking and the story is enthralling. It’s just a really fun game. To paraphrase my good friend Michael De Santa, “You forget a thousand things every day, pal. Make sure this is NOT one of ‘em.”

cloud atlas: thought provoking and beautiful Author and University of Kent alumnus David Mitchell returned to the university this week alongside the screening of his book to film adaptation of Cloud Atlas. Turn to Features to have a look at an interview with the author himself.

Ginny Sanderson

Adapted from the best-selling novel

by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas is a poignant, sprawling piece of cinema.

Showcasing Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in its star-studded cast, the film follows multiple narratives across time – from the 1840s to the 22nd century.

The Wachowskis (The Matrix Trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) deserve recognition as directors who carried out the seemingly impossible adaptation from book to film. Whilst the book begins telling each story separately, the film splices them into parallel narratives, inter-editing each tale together in a jumpy, chaotic mash-

listen, watch, use and follow

up which actually seems to work.

Cloud Atlas has been criticised for its frenetic editing between stories.

Admittedly it takes time to get used to this flitting, sporadic storytelling, but, with an open mind, it’s not difficult to follow. At its Lord of the Rings length of almost three hours, you have to be willing to dedicate yourself to the story. But the pay-off is terrific, both emotionally and philosophically.

From Jim Broadbent’s character’s comedic escape from an old folks’ home, to a clone fighting an evil regime in a nightmarish future Korea, there are plenty of laughs and thrills. But the story will not only get you hooked with its originality and and action - it will make you think.

The narrative explores how a person’s lifetime is affected by those who lived before them, and the momentum one life can have on those in the future.

Each story is connected by themes of oppression, revolution and liberation.

Listen: My voice is hoarse this week, and it’s not because of Freshers’ flu, it’s because I’ve been shouting, nay screaming, at anyone with ears to listen to London Grammar’s debut album If You Wait.

I’m not crazy, contrary to popular opinion, but this album’s awe-inspiring amalgamation of electro pop and haunting vocal melodies is enough to make anyone over zealous. Whether you listen for the ethereal clubbing anthem of ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’, or the operatic heartbreaker ‘Wasting My Young Years’, it’s time well spent.

Watch: Forget all your common misconceptions about period drama, it’s not all bonnets and lovelorn sighs of “oh Mr Darcy”.

Peaky Blinders is a fast paced drama on BBC2 following a criminal gang in 1919 Birmingham, containing characters so violent that they would probably razor cut Darcy a permanent smile. With Cillian Murphy leading the cast as antihero Tommy Shelby opposite Annabelle Wallis as his mysterious love interest, Peaky Blinders is a perfect mid-week lift!

There is also a recurring idea of reincarnation. Many actors play multiple characters – most interesting (and difficult to spot perhaps) is Halle Berry’s portrayal of a Korean man – and this is suggestive of the same soul passing through different lives, improving, loving, losing, and seeking meaning.

Follow: Do you follow the Kardashians? Nah, I follow 17th Century diarist Samuel Pepys, he’s much more entertaining.

Add that slight hint of cultural class to your twitter by retweeting such tweets as: “I saw good dancing, but it growing late, and the room very full of people and so very hot, I went home”. For some reason I always read the tweets in the voice of Alan Rickman, it’s somewhat pleasing.

Cloud Atlas is a high concept film which deserves patience and commitment. Thought provoking and beautiful, I cannot implore you to watch this enough.

Use: 4 am. Drunk.

Seminar in 5 hours.

Presentation. Can’t string together sentence. Urgh.

Solution? Hungry House App for a takeaway. An easy to use system of searching through open restaurants, then onto their menus, all working toward the grand finale of the checkout. Done. Food ordered.

Great for those amongst us who are too drunk or socially anxious to talk to the takeaway people on the phone.

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IQ Entertainment

tv & music the comedians coming to town

marvel makes tv debut with agents of s.h.i.e.l.d

The Marlowe Theatre Alex Horne: Lies Saturday 12th October The Marlowe Comedy Cabaret Saturday 26th October Now That’s What I Call Carl Donnelly!

Volume V Saturday 2nd November Callum Tyndall Milton Jones: On The Road Monday 18th November Reginald D Hunter Wednesday 20th November The Gulbenkian Andy Parsons: I’ve Got A Shed To Date Saturday 12th October Phill Jupitus - You’re Probably Wondering Why I Asked You Here Saturday 26th October

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is brilliant.

Having finally watched the pilot, I can safely say that it is one of the best I’ve seen. All the excellence that has made the Marvel films so successful has been expertly condensed into a 45 minute show brimming with possibility. There are some rough edges and it’s early days but based on the evidence of the first episode, I’m hugely looking forward to the rest of the series.

The premise is relatively simple: with the dawn of the superhero, S.H.I.E.L.D, a government division designed to deal with extraordinary threats, has created a team under the command of Agent Phil Coulson. This mobile unit is dedicated to finding out what

several other shady parties are up to and tries to stop them. For those up to date with the Marvel films, you’ll know that Coulson appeared in Thor, Iron Man 2 and then the Avengers, in which he died. Except apparently he didn’t. Supposedly his death was faked in order to motivate the Avengers, but even that doesn’t quite explain things.

There is mention of him “not knowing what happened” by Agent Hill and the S.H.I.E.L.D doctor. As if that wasn’t enough mystery, we have “just the pilot” Agent Mae who is clearly hugely skilled in combat but doesn’t want to be back in the field.

There’s specialist and action hero Agent Ward who’s got some kind of family history and a doctor messing around with the Extremis technology we

saw in Iron Man 3. Add to this the fact that the show is packed full of awesome gadgets, such as science team Fitz and Simmons’ mini-drones named after the Seven Dwarves and genuinely funny comedy that is both self aware and witty, “Welcome to Level 7.” *Coulson steps from shadows*. “Sorry that corner was really dark and I couldn’t resist” and action sequences that, while not necessarily groundbreaking, are awesome, and you start to get a grasp of a show that is bubbling over with potential and has me hugely excited.

Superheroes are big franchises now; Avengers is the 3rd highest grossingfilm of all time after all, and by making the expansion into live-action TV, Marvel have taken a big step. And, in my opinion, it hasn’t faltered one bit.

Marvel have been consistently excellent in translating their comics into other formats and, as their films get ever more multi-layered and exciting, it makes perfect sense for them to translate onto the small screen as well. With Agent Phil Coulson leading the team, what more could be asked for? Some of the characters may need fleshing out and some rough edges need sanding down but Coulson is just as incredible as ever and with Joss Whedon at the helm, Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D has a lot of potential that, based on what I’ve seen so far, should be more than lived up to.

the return of hmv: to buy or to download? that is the question Nuno Veiga

Will Butler

I’m glad HMV is back. It’s not

that I hate digital music, it’s just it has no charm or sentimental value.

After wading through the motions of redundancy and bureaucratic treachery, HMV have finally run the vacuous and belligerent giant Footlocker out of their flagship building on London Oxford Street. Hurrah! “But will it last?” bleat the skeptics. Surely it’s just a matter of time before physical music is dissolved entirely, leaving independent record stores face down in the mud and iTunes executives sipping champagne on their yachts? However, I do believe that our pre-conceived notions of music sales are way overstated and riddled with inaccuracies.

For the sake of argument, I’m discounting that people pirate music.

In a hypothetical perfect world where my washing doesn’t get rained on, no-one wears phones on their belt and downloading music illegally just isn’t a thing. It’s an accepted truth and a direct correlation that as time surges onward, total music sales are increasing. This is not mutually connected with a decrease

in piracy it just suggests that music is, a) becoming more accessible to download/discover through programs like the cloak and dagger anti-hero Spotify and b) there is way more music being made, but that’s just common sense. The Neilson Music company report for last year demonstrated an increase in digital music sales to 55% and therefore physical sales to 45%. I think this is quite an even split considering the generally accepted notion is that “no-one buys physical music anymore”. I still do, music fans still do.

HMV is back and this bodes significantly well for the realm of the plastic cases. Then again, maybe I’m just a romantic. A hipster who just can’t and won’t accept that eventually my CD, tape and vinyl collection will lose it’s novelty and fade as quickly as the dye on my studded denim jacket.

The 21st century is a fast place.

The Industrial Revolution-induced eight-hour day is becoming less and less convenient as we realize that our spare time is simply not enough to do everything we want to do. We need to work more, we want to play more, and we wish we could sleep more. Living in high-speed means that optimizing tasks is done aggressively, and it’s an optimization that is subconscious and across the board; even when it comes to music.

The most recent studies prove that radio, followed by friends and then YouTube are the drivers of discovery.

Walking into a music store to discover new music is something that belongs to the past and very few people still practice. For this reason, HMV’s flagship store position as the “showcase for the music industry” is a disaster if the shop doesn’t add any value to the experience of buying a CD. Why take time out of our busy schedules to walk

into a store if we can get the exact same experience much cheaper and instantly on our computer or smartphone?

HMV chairman Paul McGowan, regarding the recent opening of their original store, said: “HMV’s renewed focus [is] on going back to its roots and getting the basics right”. But will that be enough? In a world where online retailers and digital distributors are taking over the music industry, HMV’s pursuit of the physical format for music feels incredibly out of place.

This leads me to believe that HMV hasn’t yet completely picked up its act after being saved from administration.

They need a better online store, price matching, smartphone apps to allow them to distribute content digitally, and a renewed image and presence on the high street with offers that can’t be bought or experienced anywhere else.

Ultimately, going back to their roots is probably not the best idea. The future is fast and they should be uprooting to someplace very far from their beginnings. “His Master’s Voice” is not dead, but they definitely need to get rid of that old gramophone.

IQ Culture

cultural events calendar Fri 11th-Sun 20th Oct The Student Makers’ Market Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre Sat 12th Oct Verdi’s Requiem Canterbury Cathedral Sun 13th Oct Hitchcock The Gulbenkian Cinema Sun 13th Oct Kate Rusby The Marlowe Theatre Mon 14th Oct Best of BE Festival The Gulbenkian Theatre Mon 14th Oct An Evening With Ray Mears The Marlowe Theatre Thu 17th Oct Religion and Myths from Ancient Greece The Beaney Sat 19th Oct Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra The Marlowe Theatre Sat 19th Oct As You Like It The Gulbenkian Theatre Sat 19th Oct-Sat 2nd Nov Canterbury Festival Tue 22nd Oct NT Encore: Hamlet The Gulbenkian Cinema Wed 23rd Oct Watch This Space Colyer-Fergusson Building Wed 23rd Oct Doug Allan: Life Behind the Lens The Gulbenkian Theatre

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kelly clarkson loses bid for jane austen ring

Rebekah Chilvers Newspaper Culture Editor

A merican Idol winner Kelly Clarkson’s attempt to buy a ring once owned by Jane Austen has been thwarted after funds were raised to save it from leaving the UK. The gold and turquoise ring had been bought by Clarkson for £152,450 at a Sotheby’s auction in 2012 after outbidding the Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, Hampshire. A temporary export ban was put on the ring by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey to give the museum time to raise the money to save it.

Fundraising for the Bring the Ring Home campaign began in August and Austen fans around the world came forward to give donations, including a single donation of £100,000 from an unnamed benefactor.

The museum was able to raise the target of £152,450 meaning that they matched Clarkson’s bid before the 30th September deadline.

Curator of the museum, Matt Guyatt said they had been “stunned by the generosity and light-footedness” of the supporters of the campaign.

Mr Vaizey added: “It’s clear from the number of people who gave generously to the campaign just how admired Jane Austen remains to this day.”

Upon hearing the news that she had lost the bid, Clarkson said: “The ring is a beautiful national treasure, and I am happy to know that so many Jane Austen fans will get to see it.”

The US singer has been seen wearing what is believed to be a replica of the ring in America, including at President Obama’s inauguration.

The Jane Austen’s House Museum has said it hoped to welcome Ms Clarkson there in the future.

The museum currently displays two other pieces of jewellery owned by Austen – a turquoise bracelet and a topaz cross – so the ring will add to this rare collection of the writer’s jewellery.

The ring is accompanied by papers that document its history within Austen’s family.

It had first passed to her sister Cassandra, who then gave it to her sister-in-law Eleanor

Austen on her engagement to Jane and Cassandra’s brother, the Reverend Henry Thomas Austen.

It had remained in the Austen family until Clarkson bought it at auction.

The ring is now due to go on display at the museum in the New Year.

Austen is one of English literature’s most distinguished authors and is still honoured to this day with fans celebrating the 200th anniversary of her novel Pride and Prejudice this year.

the ‘poor student’ culture: is it a myth?

Megan Weal

If your lecturer was to ask the question “How many of you have jobs?”, would you be surprised if only a minority of hands shot up? Probably not. Being poor is part of the student culture, so you go ahead and embrace it.

But let’s just clarify - this definition of poor is somewhat different to the one that a homeless person on the street might give to you, or the one that you would receive from a struggling single mother of three. This definition of poor enables us to go out at least once a week, have a satisfactory amount of food in our stomachs and run a twoyear contract on an iPhone.

Really, the whole poor student image is a bit of a myth. Perhaps not in a few cases, and you should hold your head high if you spend your Wednesday nights mixing Cider and Blacks behind the bar instead of drunkenly throwing them down your new white shirt, but a lot of us do have it easy.

University is presented to us as a chance to declare our independence to the world. Yet, more often than not, when the bank balance starts to run dry, you find yourself on the phone to your parents. Which is completely normal, the previous 18 years that you’ve been living at home you haven’t

had to worry about the necessities that conclude in comfortable living.

You’d get home and there would be cupboards and a fridge full of food for you to choose from and enough toilet roll for you to re-enact the Andrex advert. But now everything’s changed and those responsibilities are on your shoulders.

The good news is, university is a time in which the stress of money is thrust upon us, yet it can also be pushed off with equal force when you receive the governmental funding at the beginning of the year. And then of course the parental funding towards the end when there’s been a few too many snakebites and hangover Nandos.

As students we have these different priorities. We want to do all the things we can’t do when we’ve graduated and are facing the vast, long-stretch of full time employment that will be our future for the next 40 years or so. So why shouldn’t you take advantage?

The student loan is the most costeffective way to fund university. And, this is the time when you can be adventurous. But invest your money wisely and do pay your bills. Don’t spend £40 in Essentials buying latenight snacks. Do find cheap deals and explore places. Don’t rack up a hefty

phone bill voting for your favorite X-Factor contestant.

You get my drift – be sensible with your money. Use it wisely and think of it as a tactful and fun way to boost your CV with your hard-earned degree.

If you’ve got a student loan, the debt is inevitable; so make sure you’re not going to look back on your time as a student and regret your missed opportunities. And perhaps we should drop the “poor” label – students have a bad enough reputation as it is, without throwing the hyperbolic, insensitive, spoilt-brat image into the mix.

Now, this isn’t quite us, is it?

20

IQ Culture

this week in...

1d fans: one step too far in the wrong direction?

Felix Morris 1978: 12th October Sex Pistol bass guitarist Sid Vicious was arrested on suspicion of murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Her body was found in their New York hotel room. She was found to have stab wounds in her stomach.

1969: 14th October A new 50-pence coin came into circulation to replace the 10-shilling note but caused confusion amidst the population.

Members of the public, including shopkeepers and bus conductors complained that it was too easily mistaken for the 10-pence coin.

1996: 16th October The British Government announced plans to ban almost all handguns following the massacre at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland.

1968: 17th October Two black American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, made history at the Mexico Olympics by staging a silent protest against racism.

The athletes, who won gold and bronze in the 200m, stood with their heads bowed and a black-gloved hand raised as the American National Anthem played.

1945: 24th October The United Nations Organisation was formally inaugurated at the US State Department in Washington. US Secretary of State James Byrnes described it as a “historic day for peaceloving nations of the world”.

One Direction are the greatest band in the world. Sort of. It is probable that everyone with an internet connection has heard of them as their influence online is so enormous. Between them they have over 90 million Twitter followers, more than the population of the UK. Their army of dedicated fans referred to as Directioners constantly add to the band’s online empire through fan fiction, drawings, blogs and much more.

What this group has achieved in terms of publicity and fan hysteria is almost unmatched by any other band. Even the most vocal of One Direction haters have to agree that the band have a hugely dedicated fan base. If we measured success based on the size and insanity of a fan base, then 1D could be called the greatest band ever.

The band’s legion of screaming groupies has no problem rushing to the aid of their heroes. Directioners have previously used twitter to attack

NME magazine after they awarded One Direction the prize of Worst Band of 2013. Fans have also used the social media website to harass Taylor Swift after her break up with band member Harry Styles, and anyone who displays mild disapproval at the band’s musical talents.

A recent Channel 4 documentary showed the extreme lengths some fans are willing to go to for the attention of the five singers, including threatening to pour bleach down Taylor Swift’s throat. After the documentary aired many 1D fans were disappointed with it, saying it portrayed the worst side of the fan base.

The hysteria surrounding One Direction seems ridiculous. I don’t think anyone outside of the fandom really believes One Direction is the greatest band of all time. The average life span of an X Factor contestant is not long, and if they follow in the footsteps of JLS they will not be around much longer. 100 years from now will they be teaching What Makes You Beautiful to music classes? No, probably not.

The band’s current success can be put down to management. One Direction has several different PR companies working on their behalf. One such company is HJPR which also manages previous X Factor contestants Cher Lloyd and Alexandra Burke. Their website states that they create online

campaigns that “generate the most coverage possible through our extensive online network”.

With teams of managers to get the most coverage as possible for the group, fans have no trouble accessing the band’s lives through twitter or Instagram. Just checking twitter gives you insider knowledge of what the band is doing, where they are, and what Harry did with his hair today.

The internet gives fans a new level of interaction. The constant flow of online media coming from One Direction makes it easier for fans to gorge themselves on every detail of their idols. Of course this type of hero worship is not new. Everyone is familiar with the screaming hoards that greeted The Beatles everywhere they went. But never before has there been the ability to be in seemingly constant contact with a group like this.

The internet has changed the way bands communicate with their fans.

Platforms like twitter are now how groups realise fame. The Beatles achieved immense success, and with the limited technology of their time.

They had a different relationship with their fans, but those days are gone. One Direction’s fame is down to clever use of social media and without it they surely would never have reached anything close to the fame they now enjoy.

who are the best british band of all time?

Jonathan Easton

The best British band ever is a heavily contrived concept. Dad-rocklovers will say Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. Flower power warriors who say they were born in the wrong time will argue for The Rolling Stones or The Beatles. By contrast the more angsty among us might argue for The Sex Pistols, The Clash or Buzzcocks, while the solemn ones with floppy hair adore The Smiths, Joy Division and The Cure.

It’s a purely subjective discussion that is based solely on the listener’s personal tastes. It’s no surprise then that I am going to do exactly that and just look at a couple of bands that I really like who happen to come from these isles.

As a band that have reflected and simultaneously shaped the shifts of dynamics in popular music, Radiohead have ridden the wave of mutilation that their idolised Pixies had set out before them. Starting as a run-of-the-

mill wannabe grunge outfit, the band struck gold with 1995’s The Bends and 1997’s Ok Computer, before completely blowing everyone away with 2001’s Kid A. This album marked a new period for the band and, some might argue, alternative music in general as they incorporated elements of IDM and Bitches Brew era Miles Davis to create a unique sound.

In 2007 they once again revolutionised the music industry by breaking away from their label EMI to distribute their album independently on a pay-whatyou-want business model. Not only

are they a political phenomenon in the music industry but sonically have helped to shape the face of modern popular music.

But what are the criteria? Is it a band that simply sounds the best or one who represents what ‘Britishness’ (however loose a concept) is? If we’re going by the band that best represents Britain and the people which make it up, I would look no further than Belle and Sebastian. Stuart Murdoch’s wry observations of modern life with an undeniable optimism laced with nostalgia (“Nobody writes them like they used to so it may as well be me”) provide the perfect antithesis to the vast majority of popular music.

In his songwriting, Murdoch weaves stories of characters who are only happy when they’re asleep or students skipping class in search of spiritual enlightenment. They are stories that are at once fictional but also instantly recognisable in the psyche of British culture.

IQ Culture

best and worst: biopics Oliver Stephenson

With the upcoming releases of films on the lives of Princess Diana and Nelson Mandela, now seems a better time than any to look at the brilliant biopics that will live forever and at the stinkers best forgotten.

Why do we love films about people in the public eye? Maybe it’s genuine curiosity about the lives of others.

Maybe it’s just a way to reinforce our own opinions of the characters. Here are a look at some of the biopics that are flying high.

In third place, it’s Lincoln. This film is about President Abraham Lincoln and mainly focuses on his time in the American Civil War and his efforts to abolish slavery. Daniel Day Lewis’ performance was one of his finest to date and deservedly earned him another Academy Award to add to his tally.

Placing second, it’s Raging Bull. This is a personal favourite. I am a fan both of director Martin Scorsese and lead Robert De Niro. Jake LaMotta’s life story was nominated for eight Academy Awards. De Niro had to gain 27kg to portray LaMotta in his later life, which may sound like a great chance to pig out but required dedication from one of the best method actors in the business.

The award for best has to go to Schindler’s List. Another Spielberg, I hear you say, but the guy is just very good at biopics. There are so many reasons why Steven Spielberg’s film is considered one of the best ever.

Starring Liam Neeson, Schindler’s List won seven Academy Awards and seven Baftas. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Jews during the Second World War by employing them in his factories. It is one the most moving pieces of cinema to come out of Hollywood.

Unfortunately, some of the blockbusters didn’t manage to be quite as good as these. Here are some of the biopic shockers.

Coming in third for worst is Invictus.

Now, this is a choice that might have readers scratching their heads, but after seeing Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, I felt thoroughly underwhelmed.

As far as I could tell, Nelson Mandela asked Francois Pienaar to win the rugby World Cup to unite a nation. Well what was Pienaar going to do anyway? No great plot twists, no big surprises and they won the World Cup. Did I miss something?

In second place, it’s The Krays. Everyone seems fascinated with the lives of Britain’s most notorious gangland bosses. I thought I was in for a treat. Oh how wrong I was.

Not only did Gary and Martin Kemp do their best not to convey emotion (except for occasional slight annoyance), but the film did not even question the gruesome twosome’s morality. Instead, it made them out to be a couple of East End lads who done good.

Blowing the competition out of the water, Alexander wins worst biopic award. Any film that has Angelina Jolie (aged 38) playing Colin Farrell’s (aged 37) mum is off to a bad start. Throw in some atrocious acting and a terrible script and you’ve got the worst biopic ever.

Huge questions about the film’s accuracy mean even history is against it. A 16% fresh rating on film review website Rotten Tomatoes suggests Colin Farrell withered on the vine in the role of Alexander the Great.

Great British Bake Off is a guilty pleasure of mine. When watching it, I find I always want to have a go at baking something myself, because the end product is - usually - rather impressive. Nevertheless, I do not have a GBBO kitchen, or the time to make such elaborate Showstoppers, as they are called on the show. So I thought it would be a good idea to find a recipe for a quick but impressive chocolate cake that my fellow student Bake Off obsessors and I could make.

The ingredients you will need for the cake are: 80g softened unsalted butter, 280g caster sugar, 200g plain flour, 40g cocoa powder, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 240ml whole milk and 2 large eggs.

Method for the cake: Preheat the oven to 190°C and line two 8″ round cake tins. Using a handheld electric whisk, beat together the butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder,

baking powder and salt slowly until the ingredients resemble fine breadcrumbs.

Pour the milk into a jug, add the eggs and whisk together. Pour three quarters of this mixture into the dry ingredients and beat on a low speed to combine. Raise the speed to medium and continue to mix until smooth and thick. Pour in the remaining milk mixture and keep mixing on a medium speed until all the ingredients have come together and the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake for 20 minutes. While the cake is cooling make the frosting.

The ingredients you will need for the frosting and decoration are: 400g icing sugar, 100g cocoa powder, 160g unsalted butter – softened, 50ml whole milk, 12 tubes of smarties and 3 boxes of cadbury fingers.

Method for the frosting and decoration: Whisk the icing sugar with the cocoa powder and butter on a low speed until

pause for thought Autumn is once again upon

us, and as the weather begins to chill, the days get darker, but campus becomes even lovelier with an abundance of fallen leaves. And who better to illustrate the beauty of Autumn than Romantic poet William Blake.

To Autumn

showstopper for students Pheobe Green

21

the mixture is sandy in consistency.

Pour in the milk, still mixing on a low speed, then increase the speed to high and whisk the frosting until soft and fluffy. When the cakes are cool, spread a layer of frosting between the 2 cakes.

Then spread frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Place chocolate fingers around the sides of the cake.

Starting from the middle place the smarties on the top. Work your way round in colour batches. Finish by tying a bow around the cake.

(Recipe and photo taken from www.sundaybaking.co.uk by Rachel Howard)

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest, And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe, And all the daughters of the year shall dance!

Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

‘The narrow bud opens her beauties to The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins; Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve, Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing, And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.

‘The spirits of the air live in the smells Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.’

Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat, Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

William Blake

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Sport

moto gp: marvellous marquez wins in aragon George Dagless

MARC Marquez extended his MotoGP championship lead to 39 points on Sunday as he led home Jorge Lorenzo in Aragon, Spain.

Going in to round 14 of the championship Marquez was 34 points ahead of the joint second placed Lorenzo and teammate Dani Pedrosa.

With five races left Marquez needed just second position or better in each race to assure himself of the MotoGP crown in his first season, making him the first rookie champion since Kenny Roberts in 1978.

He put himself in the best position possible by qualifying on pole ahead of his title rivals and compatriots Lorenzo and Pedrosa.

It was Lorenzo, however, who went into the race with the momentum after winning the past two races at Misano and Silverstone.

Sure enough it was the defending champion, looking to carry on this run, who seized

the lead from Marquez into the first corner, racing into a one second lead by the end of the first lap.

But Lorenzo could not further this advantage on his Yamaha and soon the Repsol Honda pair of Marquez and Pedrosa had reeled him in to only 0.4 second advantage by the start of lap five.

A change in running order seemed certain, but it came

from Dani Pedrosa overtaking his younger teammate Marquez, setting himself to take the fight to Lorenzo.

This though, proved short lived.

On the next lap Pedrosa saw his championship aspirations vanish under pressure from Marquez, who ran wide.

The pair touched and Pedrosa lost control of his bike as he accelerated, resulting in the

bike stepping out from under him and the Spanish rider crashing to the floor.

Moving gingerly Pedrosa was taken to a medical clinic for checks on his left knee, thankfully being given clearance of any serious injury soon after.

This then, seemed to hand the initiative to leader Lorenzo who was now two seconds clear of the hard charging Marquez.

It soon became apparent

though that Marquez was again closing in on the leader.

Gaining time lap after lap, it seemed inevitable that Marquez would eventually take the lead.

By lap 14 this had come to fruition. A nonchalant Lorenzo offered next to no fight when Marquez made his move, but was this tactical?

It looked as though Lorenzo wanted to see what Marquez could do and save fuel for a final surge at the race’s climax.

It appeared that this had backfired however as Marquez began pulling away. But was he?

On lap 19 Lorenzo had reduced the gap to 0.3 seconds, well within striking distance.

Looking to regain the lead Lorenzo pushed to the limit a little too much, running wide on lap 20 and effectively handing the win to Marquez.

The 20 year old never looked back, crossing the line a second ahead of Lorenzo to take his sixth win of the season and, heading towards becoming the youngest ever MotoGP champion.

near miss for gb gymnasts wiggins and froome disappoint in italy David George

BRITISH gymnast Max Whitlock narrowly missed out on winning bronze at the World Gymnastic all-around final in Belgium.

The performances of Max Whitlock and Dan Purvis meant that the British side secured their best finish at the competition since 2009.

Whitlock, coming from a sensational double bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics, was just 0.301 points off the podium, where Japan's Kohei Uchimura collected his fourth straight title.

With Whitlock fourth, his compatriot Dan Purvis finished seventh ensuring Britain had two top eight gymnasts at the World finals, a remarkable feat.

Whitlock had taken an early lead with an exceptional pommel-horse routine that scored 15.633.

However, this was eclipsed

by Uchimura, who, regarded by many as the greatest male gymnast of all time, recorded a score of 91.990 putting him almost two marks clear of second placed Ryohei Kato in a contest of the highest standard.

"That was amazing. Uchimura

is unbelievable", Whitlock told BBC Sport.

"It's a pleasure to compete against him.

For my first experience at a World Championships it was amazing and hopefully I can get that experience again."

It was not all disappointment for Whitlock however, as he took home the silver medal in the men’s pommel horse final.

Whitlock was bettered only

by Japan’s Kohei Kameyama, whose score of 15.833 was marginally higher than Whitlock’s 15.633.

Purvis too was competing in the event, hoping to repeat or better his floor bronze won in 2010.

His attempts saw him narrowly miss out on a medal, finishing fourth, with a good score of 15.400.

Purvis said: “Going into it I just wanted to enjoy it and then, as it progressed, I thought, ‘I can get quite close here’.”

With the emergence of Whitlock and Purvis among others, the future of British gymnastics looks bright.

It is clear that gymnastics looks set to be one of the sports helped greatly by the promised legacy from London 2012.

LaShanda Seaman

BRITISH Cycling suffered an unusual blow after no British rider finished the men’s road race at the World Championships in Italy.

Despite a strong squad including both Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins, there was to be no British rider crossing the finish line, to the disappointment of team manager Rod Ellingworth.

Ellington said: “A lot of people were talking the talk and didn't

see it through. Each and every one of them underperformed.”

Heavy rain hampered the competitors, with Wiggins and former champion Mark Cavendish victims of a huge pile-up during the 272.5km race.

Meanwhile, Chris Froome, who had been aiming to become the first man in 24 years to win both the Tour de France and World Road Race in the same year, retired from the race with over 80km remaining.

This left Geraint Thomas

with the unenviable task of shouldering all of the British hopes, but he too left the race shortly afterwards, thereby ending British interest.

Ellington continued to voice his disappointment: “To have nobody in the race with 100km to go is not normal for us.

“I don't think they showed what they're worth. You have to be prepared for anything and I don't think the lads were.”

Froome was equally as disappointed as his coach with the performance of the team, telling BBC Sport: “The conditions are the same for everyone; we’ve got no excuse.

We just weren’t there.

“It’s a big disappointment, especially having made it such a big objective, but with these conditions it just wasn’t meant to be.”

The race was won by Rui Costa of Portugal, who only took the lead yards from the finish to beat Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez by a bike-length in seven hours, 25 minutes, 43 seconds.

A disappointing Championships for British Cycling, whose recent domination of the sport on both track and road has been brought to a sudden halt.

Sport 23

nfl touches down on campus as part of uk tour Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor

KENT’S American Football fans were in for a treat on 1st October, as the NFL brought its Touchdown tour onto campus.

The tour, which coincided with the annual NFL game played at Wembley, brought the sport to UK universities as part of the NFL’s attempts to increase interest in the sport overseas.

As the sun rose over campus, the giant tour bus containing everything NFL parked in front of Essentials, preparing for the exciting day ahead.

Groups of cheerleaders leapt out and limbered up in preparation for a midday kick off of the planned events.

Inflatable kicking and throwing stations were set up, allowing passers-by to try their hand at hitting the target, but the most impressive aspect of the tour was in the bus.

One of the most sought-after trophies in world sport, the Lombardi Trophy, which is collected by the winners of the annual Superbowl, sat in a glass case, allowing fans to get up close and personal with one

of the most famous pieces of silverware in existence.

Fans could also have their photographs taken with a ball signed by Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, as well as a

helmet signed by Jacksonville Jaguars Running Back Denard Robinson.

But what really was the purpose of this tour?

Sure, it provided some added entertainment on campus

following Freshers’ Week, but ties in greatly with the increased possibility of an NFL franchise based in the UK, more specifically, London.

This has been an idea scoffed at for so long, but the popularity

of the sport is certainly growing on this side of the Atlantic.

It was annouced that two games are to be played at Wembley this year, with the further possibility that this may well increase to three in 2014.

Accessibility to the sport has never been greater either, with coverage being shown on three television channels in the UK. Sky Sports, British Eurosport and Channel 4, whose coverage is fronted by Vernon Kay (who plays the sport himself) all show live action each week, as our flirtation with one of America’s most popular sports grows.

Interest has even grown on campus, with the successes of a Superbowl night at Woody’s and of the UKC American Football team proving that NFL might soon find a new home much closer to us than we thought.

For more sport news check out our website at www.inquirelive.co.uk Got a story? Get in touch with one of our editors.

We’d love to hear from you!

the most open premier league in years? britain’s tough davis cup Will Schillibier IF you cast your mind back to the opening fixtures of the Premier League, it would appear that everything was as it were last season.

Manchester United and Manchester City both scored four against Swansea and Newcastle respectively.

There was a dominant win for Chelsea against newlypromoted Hull, and Arsenal were booed off the pitch after losing at home to Aston Villa.

But fast forward six weeks and it appears to be all change at the top of the Premier League.

A rejuvenated Arsenal won their next five games, thanks in no small part to the £42.4m signing Mezut Özil.

The signing of German superstar Özil relieved pressure on underfire manager Arsene Wenger, who has not hidden his delight at the capture of the German playmaker.

Wenger said: “He has individual skill, team play, finishing and the final ball.

“You just sit there and enjoy it.

“I loved him when he was at Real Madrid.

I thought he was great and we’re just lucky to have got him.”

With three assists in his opening three games, and alongside free-scoring teammate Aaron Ramsey, the duo have helped their side recover from their opening day to lead Liverpool by two points at the top of the table.

At one point this season, reigning champions Manchester United found themselves below both Hull and Cardiff in 12th position, after their worst start to a season in 26 years.

Granted, they did not have the easiest of starting fixtures, with games against Chelsea, rivals Liverpool and the Manchester Derby all in their first five fixtures.

Even manager David Moyes appeared surprised about the fixture list. “I find it hard to believe that’s the way the balls came out of the bag, that’s for sure.”

Moyes, who took over from Sir Alex Ferguson, always had big

boots to fill.

This expectation was not eased after Manchester United’s worst start in 26 years with some pundits suggesting that the pressure of replacing such a stalwart of English football has got to him.

Others might say that six games is too early to be forming any concrete opinions; after all, six games does not make a season.

However, after six games in the 2012-13 season, half the teams who occupied a Champions League spot retained their places through to the end of the season.

Two out of the three teams in relegation places were eventually relegated.

It is a similar number in the 2011-12 season.

We have already seen this season some shock results, with Aston Villa winning against Arsenal and Manchester City and West Brom defeating Manchester United at home, and who is to say that this won’t be the season that turns the Premier League on its head?

David George GREAT Britain face a tough return to the Davis Cup World Group after being drawn to face the USA away in February.

After disastrously dropping out of the world’s elite group in 2008, the GB side returned to the top table of world tennis thanks to a win over Croatia led

by Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray.

On the other side of the draw are the Czech Republic, who are defending champions.

Joining the Czech side is a strong Spanish side boosted by world number one Rafael Nadal.

Britain’s last attempt at the top level saw them crumble to a 4-1 defeat against Argentina, and it’s the British side who will be eager to put past disappointments behind them heading into the tie.

The US team captain Jim Courier said: "Great Britain will be a challenging and exciting opponent for us.

"It's going to be memorable to have the two original Davis Cup

nations face off again for the first time since the competition's Centennial Celebration in 1999."

Hopes for British success have certainly been buoyed by the return of Andy Murray to the team, who had previously ruled himself out of representing the side.

"If I'm fit and healthy, I will be there to play", the British number one told BBC Sport.

"A couple of years ago that wasn't the case when I sat down with Leon Smith.

"I wanted the younger guys to step up and experience it.

“There was no use us being in the World Group because we weren't ready for it.

"But now I think we are ready to do well.

“We have a top doubles team.

Dan Evans and James Ward will continue to improve and we've got the makings of a very solid team."

Great Britain’s return to the top tier has helped to, for now, repel criticisms of the strength of British tennis, but only time will tell.

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

InQuire sport 52 kilometres for ukc rowers

Jacques Villemot ON Saturday 14th September members of the University of Kent Rowing Club took part in a rowing marathon of 52 kilometres to raise money for the charity, World Wide Fund for Wildlife (WWF).

Our crew was composed of Alex Hansez de Vivar, Alex Mckinney, Richard d'Arifat and Jacques Villemot, and as our cox, Ellie Myles Hook.

The challenge was taken because, being so involved in a sport such as rowing we are always looking for new challenges to attempt.

Having the opportunity to

raise money for the WWF provided all the motivation we needed to enter.

Despite having aimed to complete this marathon in less than five hours, the most challenging part was in fact the two weeks of intensive training undertaken in order to prepare for the forthcoming race.

Emotions of every kind were experienced throughout these two hard weeks.

During the first week we had absolutely great conditions, which made it very easy to row and so to enjoy every part of the training.

The real challenges, however, started in the second week

of training when the weather conditions deteriorated.

For an outdoor sport such as rowing, the weather affects every aspect of the sport, especially the enjoyment of it.

So when the weather is poor, it is much harder to find the motivation and it becomes much tougher to sustain a high level of training.

Other problems were faced during preparation for the marathon, one of which was the fact that Alex Hansez de Vivar’s deadline for his dissertation was the day before the marathon.

This and other factors made it much harder to plan the training sessions.

However, despite all of those complications, we kept on training and improving in order to ensure we were ready for the big day.

On the day of the marathon we arrived in the early morning under a grey sky with light rain and a weak wind.

Although not the perfect conditions, this was not going to stop us when we were so close to completing our goal.

We all climbed into the boat, with our cox dressed in hundreds of layers to fight the cold.

The rest of us were armed with kilos of food and litres of energy drink to maintain our strength

for the entire race.

The start of the marathon was chaotic. The rain and the fearful anticipation of the kilometres that awaited us made the first stretch of the row awful. This was the point at which our motivation was at its lowest.

Four hours and 49 minutes after the start of the marathon, we were back on the pontoon with incredibly sore muscles.

The team were completely exhausted but very proud of our accomplishment, for ourselves but especially for the WWF. This marathon, as painful and long as it was, will always stay in our minds as a great experience, adventure and achievement.