InQuire 8.11

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Issue 8.11

superman’s equality battle

comment - page 7

#awakefor48 campaign raises £1,505

aliens colonial marines

iq entertainment - page 18

chinese new year: snake

iq culture - page 20

your stereotypical britons

iq features - page 9

julian brazier visits ukc

Natalie Tipping Newspaper Features Editor BETWEEN 14th February to 16th February, the three student media groups joined forces to stage an epic charity event in aid of homeless charity Catching Lives. The main challenge of the event was undertaken by Ryan Bartrop and Jessie Martin, two well known CSR voices, who broadcasted live from the Attic for the whole 48 hours.

KTV also completed their own challenge: their very first live broadcast.

Apart from an Attic wide power cut 20 minutes in, the live stream was almost faultless.

The KTV crew also took over the radio for a while, whilst Ryan and Jessie manned the cameras.

Attempting to understand how it feels to be homeless, some of our very own InQuire editors slept rough on campus.

When asked how she found the experience, Website Comment Editor Amelia Guttridge said that it was "incredibly uncomfortable and a real eye opener".

Overall, the event was a huge success, raising £1,505 over the 48 hours, with gift aid amounts still to be announced.

Student Media would like to thank everyone who came in and helped out, and everyone who donated.

1st March 2013 it’s varsity time again!

sport - page 12/13

cost of fees 6 times more than benefit

Jimmy Oscar

Photo by James Richardson

James Richardson A debate between Canterbury MP Julian Brazier and Medway campus lecturer Professor Alex Stevens ended on Tuesday 19th February with the support of the room firmly leaning towards the decriminalisation of drugs, particularly the currently class B listed marijuana.

Medway Professor in Criminal Justice Alex Stevens proposed the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs, meaning that a drug user would not be prosecuted for personal use of recreational drugs while Canterbury MP Julian Brazier presented a counter argument.

The professor opened the debate by outlining the premise of decriminalisation, that it would not become legal to sell

VARSITY

or produce drugs, and that it would not be a free market for all substances. There would still be rules and regulations which applied to the drug world, but possession of an illegal substance in small amounts would not lead to a criminal record.

He highlighted the lifechanging ramifications for the 80,000 people in the UK who have received a criminal record as a result of drug charges, and the lack of actual correlation between drug laws and actual drug use.

His argument went on to express the hypocrisy of drug criminalisation through comparing deaths due to marijuana (none) to the 200 caused by alcohol poisoning, and also through various Tory

MPs’ admissions to drug taking.

How can the party prosecute young adults for the same ‘crimes’ that they have taken part in themselves?

Brazier followed with arguments that included Yale University’s study that linked the use of marijuana to mental health problems, and the government’s increased focus on the treatment of drug related illness – just under half of those in treatment are now discharged successfully.

Stevens systematically looked through each of Brazier’s statistics in an effort to undermine the MPs argument.

The Terrahydrocannabinol (THC) increase in marijuana from 2.8% to 10.1% since the 1980s, which Brazier... (continued on page three)

THE changes to the university funding system will cost the government around 6.5 times more than any savings it will make, according to analysis

by London Economics for the university think tank Million+.

The Treasury expects that it will save £1.17bn with the system of higher fees but London Economics’ research suggests that the loss of potential earning power for graduates, and the effect of higher fees on inflation, will increase public borrowing by £3.6bn. By lowering worker skills, it says the economy will also lose out on an estimated £3.4bn of potential output.

Pam Tatlow, chief executive of Million+, said: “The shift from the direct funding of universities to indirect funding via student loans has protected student numbers and, on paper, helps the Government reduce the structural deficit.

“The real question is how to maintain a thriving, efficient higher education system which is good for students, good for universities and good for the taxpayer. Once the total economic costs are taken into account, the jury has to be out as to whether the Government’s reforms are the most costeffective way of funding higher education.”

check out our varsity special centrefold for a full list of all the fixtures for this year

News

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Editor’s Note Hey, Welcome to issue 8.11. It’s our Varsity issue, so with lots of sport to look forward to this week, make sure you take full advantage with our Varsity centrefold pullout.

If you feel particularly strongly about a particular event, why not write about it for InQuire?

We’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy 8.11. It’s full of goodies for you to peruse, so let us know what you think on our new website: www.inquirelive.co.uk.

Pamela InQuireLive

2012/2013 Editorial contacts: Executive: Rex Ejimonyeabala Chairman chairman Pamela Head - Editor newspaper.editor Nina Collins - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Matt Gilley - News newspaper.news Jamie Ovens - Comment newspaper.comment Natalie Tipping - Features newspaper.features Harriet Cash - Culture newspaper.culture Chad Greggor Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Alex Cassidy - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Perpetual Brade - News website.news Amelia Guttridge - Comment website.comment Laura Ricchetti - Features website.features Alice Bryant - Entertainment website.entertainment Lisa Gheysen - Culture website.culture George Hopkin - Sport website.sport Caroline Wadham Distribution distribution To contact any of the committee, just add @inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the address under their name.

labour would bring back 10p tax rate Stefan Vassalos

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband has announced plans to reintroduce a starting tax rate of 10% if the Labour Party win the next general election.

The 10% tax rate was abolished

by Chancellor Gordon Brown in 2007, a move which prompted criticism that some of the poorest people were being taxed too heavily.

Announcing that the 10% tax rate would be funded by a ‘mansion tax’ on properties worth over £2m, Ed Miliband asserted that his party would “put right a mistake made by Gordon Brown and the last Labour government.”

The Labour leader made his attempt to set out future policies and distance himself from the unpopular last Labour government in a speech while visiting Bedford, where the former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous “you’ve never had it so good” speech in 1957.

To the contrary, said Miliband, “millions across Britain today fear they will never have it so good again”. The pledge to reinstate the lowest tax rate of 10p to the pound is the first specific tax policy to be announced by the Labour

Party, which has been criticised by some for having too few firm plans halfway through the Parliament.

Its leadership have said that it would be imprudent to set out its manifesto this far ahead of the election.

The policy was also proposed by the backbench Conservative MP Robert Halfon, while the mansion tax is a favourite of the Liberal Democrats’ Vince Cable.

The junior coalition partner, however, oppose the

reintroduction of the 10p tax rate, preferring to reduce the burden on the lowest-paid by increasing the tax-free personal allowance.

Ed Miliband’s announcement came ahead of a visit to the Hampshire constituency of Eastleigh, where a by-election will be held on 28th February.

Although the Labour leader has dubbed the contest the “living standards election” and wants the party to be “on the side of working people”, his

policy announcement has come under criticism by those who question whether the tax cut could be sufficiently funded by the mansion tax and deride it as being more symbolic than substantial.

Candidates in the Eastleigh by-election are being fielded by the three main parties as well as smaller ones, such as the Wessex Regionalists, the National Health Action Party, the UK Independence Party and the Elvis Loves Pets Party.

jon holmes abseils for clic sargent doctors call for fizzy drinks tax Perpetual Brade Website News Editor On Saturday 23rd February, radio broadcaster Jon Holmes abseiled down Fisher Tower at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) to help promote the fundraising efforts of cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

Speaking about the challenge of abseiling down the 80ft tower, Holmes said: “I figure that when someone comes along and asks you to do a thing, I think you should just go ahead and do it especially when it’s for a good cause, as this is for CLIC Sargent, so I didn’t take a lot of persuading.”

The XFM presenter, who is also a double BAFTA-winning British writer and comedian, is best known for co-creating the Radio 4 comedies Dead Ringers (2001), and more recently Listen Again (2007), which he presents with newsreader Alice Arnold.

Returning to his former university for the event, Holmes

shared his memories presenting on the university’s former radio station C4, now a collaborative effort with the University of Kent called CSR. “When I was here we were just stuck in a cupboard that everyone largely ignored, the equipment was all a bit ram shackled and built by geeks.

“We did a Monday night show where we ran all sorts of weird competitions, so we got in lots of trouble with the university authorities.”

CLIC Sargent is a charity dedicated to providing support for children and young people with cancer. The event at Christ Church is one of many taking place over the next few months.

Fundraising Manager for Kent and East Sussex Hannah Auer said before the event started, “For this particular event it has been about a six month leading time to get all the promotional materials ready. We’ve probably raised between £10-12,000. ” Visit: www.inquirelive.co.uk to read the interview with Jon.

Chris Wallis OVER half of university students have said they will continue to buy fizzy drinks if they were heavily taxed.

Despite a report by The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents nearly every doctor in the UK, in a Facebook survey of twentyfive students, fourteen said that they would continue to buy cola and lemonade whether it be in a bar or a supermarket.

Camilla Fairbairn, 22, said: “I would still buy them, but probably in a reduced quantity, you can’t really have a party with every mixer being cranberry juice.” She added that the tax would also help the fight to combat type 2 diabetes and other related illnesses.

Around a quarter of adults in the UK are classed as obese, which makes the country one of the most obese in the world.

Figures show that this will double by 2050 with a third of primary school leavers already

overweight.

Terry Jones, of industry body the Food and Drink Federation said the report seems to be “a collection of unbalanced ideas” and adds little to “an important debate".

The report’s recommendations include a ban on sugar food advertising before the watershed, along with no junk food in hospitals and a reduction in fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres.

Martin Oldham, 18, said: “I’m not sure how much it would take to stop students from buying fizzy drinks, but I don’t think a 20% tax would work.”

The British Soft Drinks Association rejected the idea that a tax on soft drinks, which it said contributed "just 2%" of the total calories in the average diet, would address a problem "which is about overall diet and levels of activity".

The Academy’s report is proposing recommendations, which have been welcomed by the Government.

News 3

apprentices’ fees denounced

education in detention

ON Friday 8th February, members of the National Union of Students (NUS), University College Union (UCU), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and UNISON, the UK’s largest trade union, lobbied MPs in their constituencies in opposition to plans to introduce fees for people aged 24 or over who wish to take an apprenticeship.

Plans to introduce fees and loans for all college students aged over 24, are due to be introduced on April 1st and could see apprentices charged over £9,000 while they work.

Toni Pearce, NUS VicePresident (Further Education) said: “It is outrageous and

PLANS for young offender institutions (YOIs) to be transformed into ‘Secure Training Colleges’, were recently revealed by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.

He defended the decision, stating that £245m per year is spent on YOI upkeep, so it is vital to use the detention time for something productive.

There has been some debate over whether these reforms will only cost the government more long term, as well as accusations of naivety in their assumptions that education automatically equals reform.

However, when the alternative is continuously ‘pouring more money into a system that doesn’t work’, such complaints seem flimsy at best.

In fact, current systems of education, provided by a range of further education colleges, are disturbingly lacklustre for YOIs. Many fail to meet their contracted criteria of just 15 teaching hours per week, so it

Alasdair Lawrence

deeply counter-productive to charge apprentices to work.

Apprentices already accept lower wages in order to get the skills that their employers value and now older apprentices are being asked to take on thousands of pounds of debt in order to have a job which has career prospects.”

The minimum wage for apprentices is £2.65 per hour – significantly less than the national minimum of £6.19.

Under the previous policy, people aged over 24 were entitled to fee waivers but from the 2013/2014 academic year students will have to pay the full cost of their tuition fees if they are studying at Level 3 (equivalent to A-level) or above.

For many fees will be doubled

and state contribution towards adult students will be removed.

Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary, said: “It simply is not right to expect people to pay thousands of pounds to undertake paid work.

“Many, understandably, will reject the idea and be denied the chance to get the skills they need to get off the dole queue and help rebuild our economy.

The government’s policy is a complete mess and needs urgent attention if we are to deliver the high quality apprenticeships that we so desperately need.”

Jon Richards, UNISON National Secretary of Education and Children's Services, said: “Charging many adult learners to undertake an apprenticeship will be disastrous for the economy. Now more than ever we should be investing in skills as a way of growing our way out of the financial crisis. Charging some learners up to £4000 a year to do a higher level apprenticeship will price many out of the labour market. UNISON is particularly concerned about the impact on vital areas such as social care where charging full fees could lead to a dangerous skills shortage.

“The government must act now and drop this policy.”

Georgia Dawson

should be no surprise that youth justice is pushing for academies and free schools to take over the failing system.

The formation of these young offenders academies (YOAs) would provide many specialised services such as a department for community sentences, training and employment options.

Furthermore, proposals lean towards these facilities being stationed in nine “problem zones” - London Boroughs with particularly high crime rates - enabling young offenders to remain close to their families and communities.

Critics have identified several issues and practical restrictions of the plan. First is the need to divert funding from other social service organisations, creating a potentially negative impact on similar initiations like secure children’s homes.

Current YOIs are also filled at just 63% capacity, making it difficult to justify the need for expansion, especially when adult prisons face overcrowding.

julian brazier visits ukc ucas withholds 2013-14 figures (continued from page one) ... threw in as a danger to public health, Stevens said could easily be monitored through legalisation, and he argued that we have seen through the prohibition that making substances illegal can help to increase their potential danger.

The proposition also brought up the fact that since worldwide drug stance reforms in 2000, the statistics have not formed any correlation when brought together.

This underlines the pointlessness of dealing out punishment when clearly it is not working as a deterrent.

When asked after the final vote, support for the proposition was fully expected by both parties, Brazier stating that he was unsurprised considering the age bracket of most people in the room.

Based on a survey commissioned by the campaign group Transform, 57% of

the public would support plans to see marijuana either decriminalised or legalised, which suggests that politicians like Brazier may soon find it a good idea to start rethinking their stance on this drug in order to capitalise on the votes of this majority group.

Even when putting aside ideological debate concerning the free will of those who choose to use drugs, there is still tangible evidence to suggest that criminalising personal drug use has no real benefit when it comes down to preventing users from taking or accessing drugs.

Studies have shown that people will always continue to experiment with drugs regardless of the threat of punishment from the state.

One of the ultimate questions arising from the debate was: Is it fair for those who get caught in possession to face a lifetime of discrimination at the hands of employers?

Amelia Guttridge Website Comment Editor UCAS, the United Kingdom's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, has for the first time withheld information regarding universities’ application figures. According to the National Union of Students (NUS), this is due to concerns about competition law, which shows that students are being “overridden by market imperatives”.

The figures were meant to have been published last month, after the applications deadline of the 15 January had passed.

Earlier in January, UCAS had revealed that numbers of students accepted into universities had fallen by up to 43 per cent in some institutions, according to the 2012 – 2013 figures.

The 2013 – 2014 figures would have shown which universities have been most affected by changes to funding and fees.

If applications for certain universities became too low, they could be in risk of running into severe financial difficulties.

A UCAS spokesman said that the organisation "considered that publishing the applications digest within a cycle could

potentially change institutional or applicant behaviour in a way that is not helpful in a fair and competitive application process". It has been queried whether the decision was made due to concerns expressed from individual universities worried about their figures.

NUS President Liam Burns, who is also a member of the UCAS board, denied this and said: "The government argued its funding changes would put more information at students' disposal, rather than less. It appears, however, that it is competition rather than the student interest which has been put at the heart of the system."

Burns added: "That prospective applicants are now not allowed to know how the universities they are considering are faring on applications flies in the face of assurances that student interests would not be overridden by market imperatives."

4

News

democracy zones: where are they now?

Chris Heron Matt Gilley Newspaper News Editor

LAST month saw the second group of Kent Union’s Democracy Zones for this year, starting with 18th February’s Your Rights Zone, which failed to reach the required number of participants to ratify union policy (25 Kent Union members).

The one proposal discussed at the zone, on whether Kent Union should lobby the University to offer the gender neutral prefix 'Mx' to students or staff who wish to use it, was passed with consensus in the room.

19th February’s Your Union Zone featured more policy ideas and comfortably reached quorum with around 50 students. This enabled the ratifying of the policy passed from 12th February’s Your Community Zone (regarding road safety on campus) and Monday's proposal.

Several proposals weren't debated due to the proposer not attending, including ideas such as an anonymous complaints system for societies,

among others. However several ideas were passed, including supporting the KGSA in lobbying for more postgraduate social and study space, and providing more communication for the Democracy Zones to the wider student body.

Two proposals are going to an All Student Vote (ASV), firstly over whether Kent Union should lobby retail outlets on campus to offer ready-made vegan food, with opposition from a minority mostly concerning the costs of providing such food. As no consensus was reached, the motion has gone to an ASV. The last proposal, 'Kent Union

should support the rights of Palestinians by condemning the building of Illegal Israeli Settlements', was divisive.

With concerns over Kent Union having a foreign policy, and it being a gateway motion opening the door to new foreign policies, the conclusion was made that it was such an important issue that it should be put to an ASV rather than in a room of 50 people out of 18,000 or so students.

Motions passed in last term’s zones, such as lobbying the University for gender neutral toilets, liberation training for Union Council members and

westgate towers trial over Pamela Head Newspaper Editor Residents of Canterbury have been divided over the decision to axe the Westgate Towers Traffic Trial.

Transport bosses at county hall announced last month that when the trial ends in March, the road system will revert to the original and traffic will once again pass through the historic gateway to the city.

The 12-month trial was initially implemented in a bid to protect the Westgate Towers, reduce traffic congestion around the city, tackle air pollution and improve walking and cycling links between Canterbury West station and the city.

Winston Feather, a Canterbury resident said: “The traffic scheme has opened the area up to visitors and locals. To go back to the old system means that we’re basically a four-lane highway in this sensitive area.”

Yet around 4,000 people signed a petition calling for the scheme to be scrapped

Photo by Matt Gilley

because of congestion, longer journey times and danger to pedestrians.

Kent County Council’s decision sparked outrage among the city council, which had fought to keep the trial.

Emily Shirley, a member for Canterbury for Clean Air said: “To wait until the order expires prejudges the whole process and is blatantly unfair to Canterbury City Council, who will have spent a considerable sum needlessly on an experiment that is abandoned before the outcome and data is scrutinized

by all concerned.”

Councillor Hirst, a member of the Conservative party who recently had the whip removed after fighting over the trial, said: “I supported the trial in the first instance but became alarmed by many facets of it in operation and support Mr Carter’s decision to revert to the original layout.”

Built in 1380, the grade-I listed archway structure is the main entrance for vehicles entering Canterbury, and is thought to be the largest surviving medieval gateway in the UK.

having a defibrillator available in Venue on its busiest evenings had been followed through by the Zone Committees, although others have progressed only as far as meetings.

Some changes were made to the Zones this term, notably that proposals that did not find consensus could be defeated by a two-thirds majority rather than automatically going to an ASV. David Stibbards, Chairman of the Union Reform Group that helped bring about some the changes, said: “The new threshold has proven effective at the Zones, and has reduced the amount of implausible or

ineffective policies.”

He continued: “Following consultation between the URG and the Union, there have been considerable improvements in the advertising and publicity surrounding the Zones. Though there is still work to be done, following guidance from the reform group has yielded an increase in the accessibility of the Zones.”

Kent Union Vice-President (Welfare), Colum McGuire, said: “We still have some way to go but I think we’ve definitely made progress.” Although communication is “incredibly important”, he said, “If I’m given a mandate by our members to do something, my priority is to achieve that. If I do achieve that and students benefit from it, I don’t really mind whether they know I did it or not”.

The ASVs opened on Tuesday 26th February, and also includes a vote from 11th February’s Your Education Zone on the motion ‘Kent Union should lobby the University to make exam transcripts freely available to every student’.

Additional reporting by George Hopkin, Website Sports Editor.

ucu report: ‘a tale of two britains’ Layla Haidrani Cities across Britain have shown a deep social divide in the variations in the level of education within Britain’s adult population, with some areas showing vast educational underachievement. A recent study by the University and College Union (UCU), a lecturers’ union, has dubbed it “a tale of two Britains”, with one in four people in some areas having no qualifications.

Research in the 623 parliamentary constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales reveal that there is a north-south social divide with Glasgow, Birmingham and Wolverhampton having the highest numbers of residents with no qualifications. In a North East constituency of Glasgow 35% of adults have no qualifications compared to the 1.9% in Brent North, in London.

The UCU analysis shows that in southern constituencies it has become very unusual not to have qualifications, while in parts of the West Midlands

it remains widespread, with 26 out of 29 seats below national average in terms of the proportion of adults without qualifications. Many of the areas with the best-educated workforces are in London and the South East. In Wimbledon and Winchester, only one in 40 working-age adults does not have a qualification. The union also show London as polarised, with areas such as Hackney South having twice as many unqualified residents as Hackney North.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt has stated: "Education is central to our country's future, yet in some areas thousands of people still have no qualifications. There is a real danger that children, growing up in places where it is not unheard of to have no qualifications, will have their ambition blunted and never realise their full potential."

UCU argue that these polarised levels of achievement and underachievement emphasises the importance of improving access to education.

Comment 5

should the pope be immune from the law?

By remaining within the walls of the Vatican, Ratzinger will avoid standing trial for his “defects”.

Joel Tennant “GEE-WIZ, the Pope is resigning!” said Richard Dawkins as he jumped into the atheist-mobile and raced down to find his lawyers.

If there’s one unsurprising element to the Pope’s resignation, it’s the mass of critics now urging for the Pontiff’s arrest.

Plagued during his papacy by the sexual abuse scandals allegedly covered up by his office, it’s understandable to suppose that there is more than old age and ill health behind this historic turn of events.

In his resignation announcement on Monday 11th February – the first in 600 years – Benedict XVI sincerely thanked his “Dear Brothers”

for their support during his ministry and asked a “pardon for all [his] defects.”

But, what are these ‘defects’?

As fingers begin to point, some questions need very, very good answers.

During the reign of Pope John Paul II, the pre-papal Joseph Ratzinger was made Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - previously known as the Inquisition.

In office he is said to have personally overseen thousands of documents detailing sexual abuse claims across the world.

Since then, Pope Benedict has been under intense scrutiny for the decisions he made whilst in this position and up to the present day.

Back in 2010, he was listed

as a defendant in a court case concerning the sexual abuse of deaf children by a priest, with lawyers claiming that he had failed to take action when he was first notified of the crimes in 1995. When the lawyers withdrew their request, the Vatican celebrated the immunity of the Pope.

True, the sorrowful reality of child abuse by religious clergymen long precedes allegations against the current Pope, but it is the lack of care put into genuine investigation and the apparent wilful ignorance that many activists cite.

Norbert Denef, a sexual abuse victim and now a member of the NetworkB group of German abuse victims, said: “From our point of view, Ratzinger did nothing to support the victims.

Instead, perpetrators and serial perpetrators were protected and moved to new jobs.”

Damning reports lie even in Joseph Ratzinger’s earliest years. After dealing with the case of an abused 11-year-old boy, the then-Archbishop sent the guilty priest into therapy and assured that he would no longer be let near children.

Despite these assurances, the priest was later put back into his ministry and the abuse started again.

How much did Ratzinger know? Has he overlooked abuse and supported the accused, rather than the victim? His supporters rally after him, his critics deride him, but only one thing remains certain amid the questions and accusations:

without legal process, there can be no truth.

In June of last year, the Watchtower Society, the legal base for a major American religion, was forced to pay out more than $28 million for failing to protect children in their congregations despite evidence of sexual abuse.

But by staying within the walls of the Vatican after he leaves the papacy, Joseph Ratzinger will be immune from the very laws that are set to protect children both in and out of the religious community.

“Love does not rejoice in iniquity,” wrote St Paul, the first pope of the Catholic faith, “but rejoices in the truth”– it is time then, more than ever, that these words were taken seriously.

should a blinging asbo tag be fine?

Emma Shelton

Rebecca Gallanagh’s personalised electronic tag.

‘DIAMONDS are a girl’s best friend’ rings painfully true with Rebecca Gallanagh, a 22-yearold woman who decorated her electronic tag with fake jewels.

It seemed like a harmless choice but the prosecutors from the company Serco Home Affairs didn’t quite see it that way and fined her an extortionate £140 as her decorations had “comprised its integrity.”

This is a very weak motive behind a fine, because if Rebecca had truly wanted to subvert the meaning of the tag, she would have left her home after her 9pm curfew. She did not do this, and took full responsibility for the actions leading to her tag, so how does decorating it, whilst

still respecting the restrictions she was given, become a crime against the law?

If anything, additional diamanté would be the last thing most of us would do, as we would quite naturally want to hide the embarrassment of a tag, but in her case she is blinging it up, putting it on display for all to see.

In any case, such pride may not be ideal but does show a certain degree of commitment to willingly accept your wrongdoings.

Furthermore, as Rebecca confirmed, the company Serco was intending to throw the strap away as soon as Rebecca’s curfew ends, so what difference does it make if it’s thrown away with supplementary embellishments?

This case seems hard to fully comprehend. With all due respect to the judicial system in Great Britain, who rightly reprimanded a young woman for disruptive behaviour and offensive conduct outside a pub, their priorities need to be urgently revisited.

We can acknowledge that her decision to decorate the tag was unnecessarily provocative in her situation, but at the same time, she was not breaching the punishment imposed on her, therefore there was no need to delve any further into the matter. There was certainly no call for a fine. Following the hearing, she reportedly slandered the case for being a “massive waste of time and money”, and I am inclined to agree with her.

6

Comment

does the government care enough for the elderly?

Amelia Bundred

SOCIAL care for the elderly is a vital part of today’s health care system, and with a rising population, this area will continue to expand. There are currently over 10 million people in the UK who are over 65 years of age, and that number is expected to reach 19 million by 2050. With the strain being felt already, surely something future-proof needs to be put in place.

Unlike the NHS, which is government funded, nursing care for the elderly is a private entity and thus a profiting industry. Recent speculation has deemed the current system as unfair, with annual figures showing 40,000 individuals being forced to sell their homes due to ruinous care costs.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to cap the amount the elderly will have to contribute at £75,000.

However, despite a tiny step in the right direction, this cap isn’t enough to mend the current social care crisis.

The Government’s proposed reforms are inadequate.

Although £10 billion a year is currently spent on social care for the elderly, this equates to only one tenth of the NHS budget. This minor contribution is worrying and leaves me questioning; when will more be done?

Quite frankly, while still young, the state of the care system makes me fear old age, but funding is only part of the problem.

Care work is an expanding industry, and while costs are often extremely high I can, as an ex care worker myself, vouch for the staggeringly low wages.

Despite working extremely anti-social hours, anything from 6am to midnight, there is often no difference in hourly pay rates. In addition, at a

company I worked for, workrelated petrol allowances hadn’t been inflated alongside petrol prices in the last ten years, so I would lose money.

The government needs to consider the high profits that care agencies accumulate, and legislate accordingly.

The standard of care service workers, for one, needs to be vastly improved - better training, funding and support for staff would be a good place to start.

I first entered the care industry feeling vulnerable myself, due to getting only two short days of training.

Despite what some people think, most old people are mentally alert and can read your nerves from a mile off. My lack of confidence must have been unsettling for them too.

In many cases, poor treatment and management of staff has resulted in a low standard of service. This also contributes

to what the BBC’s Health Correspondent referred to as a “revolving door of carers”.

Unsatisfied staff soon leave and are replaced by other staff who leave and continue the cycle, which results in elderly residents constantly being introduced to new strangers

- surely a confusing and intimidating experience.

The government, if they care, have to seriously question whether their proposed plans will do enough to improve the lives of the elderly. If not, we could have a crisis that affects every one of us.

teach us all how to get high fizzy tax is foolish Jodie Stringer

Kat Mawford AFTER 17-year-old Emily Bauer from Texas suffered strokes and was left paralysed after smoking synthetic marijuana, the discussion on drugs has hit a new level.

Having purchased an easily available form of legal high, she became so dangerously ill that doctors were forced to induce a coma for her own safety. In the face of the debate over the legalisation of drugs, this is just one example of people seeking a legally permitted alternative. When this can be at least as dangerous as its illegal counterparts, you have to wonder what our governments’ priorities really are.

People are taught from an early age that drugs are dangerous, lead to health risks and are above all illegal; a message which is constantly reinforced by the demonisation of drugs in the media. However,

if this approach is leading to the impression that only illegal substances are dangerous, and that these synthetic drugs are a safe, viable way of getting high, it’s time for a new message.

It’s really no wonder that there is an appeal to taking drugs without the risk of facing a penalty, or having to meet a dodgy dealer in an alleyway.

This appeal, combined with an under-awareness of the health risks, is probably their main danger: the public are not often educated about the implications of these synthetic drugs, which are obviously so easily available in shops.

When a minute chemical alteration to an illegal substance can be enough to make it legal to sell, it makes succesful regulation very difficult, but this is how the system works in many countries.

Legal or not, simply telling the public not to take drugs obviously isn’t enough.

Regardless of these warnings (and often in spite of them), there will always be people trying to find a new way of getting high, and therefore surely a better measure to protect people would be to give them adequate knowledge to make informed decisions.

Whether you take the viewpoint that, in light of what we know about them, taking drugs is stupid and dangerous, or that the use of certain types should be legally regulated and controlled, with synthetic drugs out there causing harm the best solution would be simply to better educate people.

The decision to take drugs or not is a personal one.

While the influence of society and the media’s ‘you’d better not’ attitude probably won’t prevent a great proportion of people from using drugs, lives could be saved through better information.

MEDICAL officials are calling for a new tax of 20p per litre on all sugary drinks to be included in this year’s Budget, with more than sixty organisations backing the recommendation.

Obesity levels in Britain are on the increase, and with programmes such as Embarrassing Bodies and Supersize vs. Superskinny shining light on the issue, we as a nation should be forced to do something about it.

According to the Department of Health in 2010, “62.8% of adults (aged 16 or over) were overweight or obese” and “30.3% of children (aged 2-15) were overweight or obese”.

As a form of solution, the charity Sustain has suggested that a way of slimming down the ever-increasing-figures, is to add 20p to every litre of soft drinks. Sustain claims that it would help save lives by reducing sugar in our diets.

The money made from this will fund the charity to help obese people.

It seems to have fallen short of the point of combating obesity.

Surely it is a ridiculous prospect to aid a charity which relies on funding from the cause of the problem.

In addition, why should the

consumers be the ones to pay?

After all, it is the manufacturers that make the products and pay the media to thrust the products in the face of the consumers. It’s hardly a mystery why we all feel duty-bound to give in.

The increase in price affects us all, even those without a weight issue, and tax already has a foothold as soft drinks are considered a luxury item - 10p from every 60p can of soft drink already goes to the government in tax.

The expanding price forces everyone to feel the weight of guilt, as they are made to view what was once a treat as a catalyst for driving up obesity levels. Of course, the soft drinks industry disagrees with raising the tax.

Shadow Health Scretary Andy Burnham said that concentrating on sugar and fat content in children’s food would be a better way forward. “This would help parents protect their children from foods which contain excessive levels of sugar, salt and fat in a way that a tax wouldn’t.”

Over the past 10 years, obesity has increased by 15%, however the consumption of soft drinks with added sugar has decreased by 9%. It is doubtful that the added tax would actually solve anything.

Comment 7

north korea: black sheep of the nuclear family ?

Tom Vine IF you’ve seen the news headlines over the past couple of weeks, you couldn’t be faulted for thinking that the entire Western world is under imminent threat of attack as Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un prepares for world domination.

Contrary to popular belief, we are not under threat of a global communist takeover.

On 12th February 2013,

North Korea announced it had successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, causing a magnitude 5.1 earthquake in the surrounding area.

The media, and politicians too, were quick to respond to this news, strongly condemning the test. The BBC ran with the headline ‘North Korea nuclear test branded ‘serious threat’ to US’, whilst CNN went with ‘Tough U.N. action vowed after

North Korean nuclear test’.

For the record, North Korea’s latest nuclear test is extremely deplorable, but that’s the point.

Nuclear tests and possession of nuclear weapons are, on the whole, pretty bad. So is there not a slight hint of hypocrisy when the likes of Barack Obama condemn North Korea’s actions as “highly provocative”, when it is the USA who are in possession of over 7,000 nuclear weapons? To put that into

perspective, North Korea aren’t even into double figures. It is highly questionable whether American and British officials truly see North Korea’s nuclear developments as a threat to the wider international community, rather than just to themselves.

Those who have studied the Cold War will undoubtedly remember the Korean War of 1950-53, in which capitalist forces (South Korea and the United Nations) were pitted against the communist forces of the People’s Republic of China and North Korea.

Despite bearing the brunt of the losses, North Korea remains in existence as a communist state today, and America in particular have ever since had them in their sights.

Thus, North Korea’s recent actions are arguably the perfect opportunity for the Western world to isolate the East Asian state, and that’s what they have done. Protests against the communist state have erupted as close to home as South Korea, and in the event of more aggressive action there will surely be repercussions.

Even North Korea’s closest diplomatic partners in China

have stated they are “resolutely opposed to the test”.

With a lack of support for their nuclear developments, the West is halfway there to leaving communist North Korea to the history books. And for future reference, consider the reactions when North Korea eventually carries out further nuclear tests later on this year rather than rushing to condemn Kim Jong-Un (who, don’t get me wrong, is not a saint), consider whether he poses more of a threat than, say, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In November 2012, Netanyahu was responsible for Operation Pillar of Cloud, in which as many as 100 Palestinians were killed in a six-day assault.

In fact, consider the lack of attention the US pays to the actions of nuclear states such as Israel, China, Russia or France.

The singling out of North Korea is not only hypocritical but dangerous.

If North Korea is a threat to world peace, then doesn’t the same go for the remaining eight nuclear states? Each has the potential to be as overwhelmingly destructive as the next.

the ultimate equality battle for superman?

Chloe Barnham

IN the same month that an institution filled with out of touch middle class men and women joined the rest of the 21st century, another made a decision that suggested it had moved on little in its nearly 80 year history.

In January this year, the House of Commons passed the gay marriage bill, passing the Bill through to the House of Lords for consultation on granting equality to the homosexual community when it comes to tying the knot.

A little over a week later, DC Comics took the contentious decision to commission the allegedly homophobic writer Orson Scott Card to write their new digital comic ‘The Adventures of Superman’.

Card is the best-selling science fiction writer of the Ender’s Game series.

He is also an open critic of the gay community, writing essays like Homosexual ‘Marriage’ And Civilisation,

which portrayed a sinister homosexual society based on “disturbing seduction or rape or molestation or abuse”.

It seems strange that DC, a company that has over the past few years seemed keen to align themselves with the LGBT community by declaring that prominent superheroes such as Green Lantern and Batwoman were both gay, would choose to employ a man who believes that the legalisation of gay marriage would mark “the end of democracy in America”.

This having been said, it seems drastic to say that he should be fired because of his beliefs.

I don’t believe that you can fire someone for having an unpopular opinion, but I suppose the difference in this case is that he is an active campaigner, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Organisation of Marriage Campaigns Against Equality In Marriage For Gay People.

It is one thing to have an opinion and a completely

different thing all together to be financially contributing to campaigns which are frankly gross and based on outdated arguments.

Some people have called it a publicity stunt, aiming to draw controversial attention to the comic.

I am not a fan of superhero comics, so I don’t have the same intense desire to protect whatever image of Superman it is that comic book fans have of him, but in this instance the fans’ voices count for so much.

Every company makes unpopular decisions, but when you are an organisation that is built on the loyalty and love that people have for your characters, you should listen to what they have to say.

Card is entitled to his views as much as everyone else is, and the readers are also entitled to theirs.

As long as Card leaves his own views behind when he is writing a story about the world’s most morally sound hero, there shouldn’t be a problem.

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16/01/2013 11:32:13

IQ Features 9

InQuire letters page: stereotypical britons We all know that people have certain stereotypes which they apply to British people, but how true are these thoughts? Just as all French people don’t wear onions round their necks, and all Irish people aren’t leprechauns, British people aren’t all sunbed hogging, crumpet-eating, monocle-wearing country gents. Where do these stereotypes come from? Four InQuirers investigate...

Paul Spanton

German tourists are notorious for rising early to poach the sunbeds before swanning off for breakfast. According to an article in the Daily Telegraph, when ‘sunbed wars’ erupted on a Caribbean cruise ship the Captain’s wife took to the tannoy to announce: ‘We don’t want that sort of Germanic behaviour here!’

German tabloid Bild defended their nation, accusing the British holiday maker of ‘occupying the pool beds early in the morning with their towels then returning after roasting in the sun to prepare for the most important part of their holiday - drinking and one-night stands.’

There might, however, be truth in their allegations...

Not only do the Germans outwit us annually in a bid to nab the prime sun-beds, they also triumph over us in the league tables of ‘World’s Worst Tourists’.

British tourists are frequently ranked as the worst in the world, described as rude, badly behaved and unsurprisingly,

linguistically incompetent.

While we have matured from the days when tourism involved planting a flag on foreign soil, Briton’s are still considered worst for gastronomic experimentation, and for being the tightest tippers afterwards. Only in the rudeness stakes are we beaten by the Russians.

Thankfully, a silver lining comes with news that we have at least abandoned the socks and sandals-combo to become renowned for our sartorial elegance, with the exception of our Prime Minister at least.

By contrast, the Germans are praised for their politeness and cleanliness, and are frequently lauded as the best behaved tourists, so perhaps they deserve the sun beds after all.

Tom Hagues

It’s unclear where our nation’s stereotypes come from. And just what is a ‘British’ stereotype? It is quite common for people to assume that British residents all wear bowler hats, monocles and have high tea with the Queen before playing football with David Beckham, when of course Britain is a United Kingdom. If you asked someone to describe a Scotsman, they would have no difficulty in proclaiming that all Scottish men wear tartan skirts, play the bagpipes and keep small weapons in their socks. But the stereotypes of Englishmen seem to act as a blanket for the whole of the British Isles.

I suppose the seeds of these stereotypes were planted with literature; writers like P.G. Wodehouse

Emily Adams

You’re English? Oh jolly good.

I’m English too, born and bred and proud of it.

So, by default this must mean I’m an aristocratic, well-spoken individual who loves a jolly good chin wag with the Queen over a cup of English tea in a bone china teacup.

No, hang on a minute. That can’t be right.

It’s about time the truth came out. We English folk have a confession to make to the rest of the world. I’m deeply sorry to admit it, but…

We’re not all related to the Queen (there are over 60 million of us in the country after all) and we don’t all talk like Ross’s wife Emily in Friends (let’s be honest, no one speaks like Emily).

Sorry to disappoint you (yes, sorry is our favourite word).

As for drinking tea out of teacups, you have us at that one. I guess the UKC Tea Society doesn’t exactly help our case and besides, who doesn’t love dunking a rich tea biscuit or a custard cream in a good brew? Give me a mug any day though, none of this teacup and saucer

nonsense.

As much as it may surprise people, we’re even partial to the odd cup of coffee now and then.

I do like tea. I do like a roast dinner every Sunday, I do love crumpets, but I have finally come to terms with the fact I will never meet the Queen or have my own butler. We’re not all upper class.

Time for a cuppa, milk and two sugars please.

Cheerio!

Laura Ewing Living in France last year with people of all nationalities, I became used to a lot of the strange beliefs that my foreign friends had about us Brits. To begin with, most of the stereotypes that I heard were largely based on Harry Potter and Downton Abbey (according to my American friends Britain is full of snobbish Maggie Smiths). As the year went on, more bizarre beliefs came to the surface.

It was often repeated to me that Brits have bad teeth. Compared to our American friends who are slightly obsessed with dental hygiene, apparently our smiles are considered more shocking than dazzling.

Another belief was that we have weatherproof hair - a conviction that I was swiftly able to prove wrong in rainy Northern France - and that we all speak with Cockney accents in a cringe-worthy

and his characters Jeeves and Wooster spring to mind. Classic literature and its film adaptations portray a time gone by; a time that many other nations believe is still lived in by ‘British’ people. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, known all over the world as the most prestigious educational institutions, seem to contain awfully jolly chaps in the minds of foreign onlookers. Downton Abbey, a worldwide phenomenon, doesn’t do much to quell these British labels either. Maggie Smith gasping and choking at the idea of everything apart from an afternoon tea probably causes foreigners to believe that’s what we all do.

And lastly, Twitter accounts like ‘Very British Problems’, although a more accurate representation, spread overthe-top nonsense all over the world.

To pin-point the first little seedlings of the British stereotype is difficult; almost impossible. It’s much easier to take note of the things that keep them thriving. But who really complains about our stereotypes? Taking into account what we think about other countries, they’re rather flattering…

Dick Van Dyke style.

The term ‘chav’ also hovered in the air when discussing Britain. People were generally confused as to what this meant. After laughing at my best Vicky Pollard impression, I think most of them were still rather confused and possibly quite concerned.

Along with the usual assumptions involving the Royal Family and an unwavering obsession with tea, I came to realise that people from all over the world considered Britain to be a nation of eccentric, umbrella-bearing islanders with an assortment of accents and gruesome grins. Perhaps they weren’t far off…

10

IQ Features

spotted: going live for catching lives

& events The Attic Tuesday 5th March Comedy Central Tuesday 12th March Pluck My Acoustic

The Venue Saturday 2nd March SOAP: Glow Bananas Wednesday 6th March FLIRT: Varsity Friday 8th March Big International Night Out Saturday 9th March SOAP: Chocolate Circus Wednesday 13th March FLIRT Friday 15th March Professor Green Photography by Moritz von Hochberg

IQ Features 11

inquirers: my life in books

Liz Mitchell

Best Childhood Book – Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

book as an adult, I can safely say this is one of the most complex and fantastical stories to have ever been woven by the great Philip Pullman.

Best Teen Book – Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

sisters retain their deep bonds and the importance of virtue and kindness. The tales of love, both romantic and familial, are so heart-warmingly depicted that it reaffirms my belief in humanity every time I re-read it.

Best Required Reading – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë The best book I’ve ever had to read for a seminar is the book I am currently studying. Jane Eyre is often depicted as the heroine of every young woman’s life and I am proud to be one of those women. The love affair between Mr Rochester and Jane epitomises a true love that disregards vanity and suffering to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The genius of this novel lies in the

The Dark Materials trilogy was the first series I ever became addicted to.

I feel that the magic of the story, as well as the child heroine and hero, captures the heart of every child reader.

I was enthralled by the ‘dæmon’ (the physical manifestation of a child’s soul in the shape of an animal) and was deeply jealous that I could never have one, for who wouldn’t want a constant companion to travel through life with?

I admit that the stories’ basis of the origins of sin went completely over my head as a child, but returning to the Emma Greenacre Best Childhood Book- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Everyone has a book they repeatedly read, and Little Women is mine. Any time I’m ill or unhappy, this book restores me to a younger carefree version of myself. It is a beautiful story centred around four sisters who are suffering from poverty and the absence of their father, fighting in a war. The novel follows the four sisters’ journey from a naive and safe childhood toward womanhood, through the process of work and love. Despite their subsequent marriages and forays into the world, the After getting them for my eighth birthday I couldn’t keep myself away from this mysterious world, thinking that I might even be able to venture into myself through a wardrobe or a painting of a ship. It was a mix of all the best parts of mythology but with a sprinkling of warm British custom. I’m not afraid to admit to this day, the blue cover box still sits in a prime place on my book shelf, perhaps a little more shabby and worn but not a bit less loved.

Best Teen Book – Ophelia by Lisa Klein

I know The Chronicles of Narnia is a collective name for seven books so I am cheating a little bit, but I can’t possibly separate each book and give a favourite.

It was hard to pick my best teen book as I have read so much in my teenage years and a lot of it has been meaningless romantic mush about vampires and werewolves, however there are a few novels that stand out to me now; one of them is Ophelia, a novel based on the heroine from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It takes the tragedy and turns it upside down; you hear the events of Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view and there’s even a slightly happier ending. It was the accessible narrative and language of this novel that spurred my interest in

Shakespeare’s other works.

Best School Required Reading – The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey I would never have even given this book a second glance if it were not for my A Level studies, the idea of reading about the escapades of the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly didn’t really overwhelm me with joy. But within a few pages I was completely hooked by the life story of this complicated antihero as he fell into a life of crime. You were always there, watching from his childhood to his death, all narrated by his own informal dialect which bound your emotions and Kelly’s fate in one big bundle to the end.

Book That Taught You Something – 1984 by George Orwell The reality TV spectacle Big Brother, the satirical BBC program Room 101 and the album Resistance by Muse are just a few of the things this novel has spawned through influence. For me, this book has influenced the way I view everyday life. I always think that little

universally relatable character of “plain little Jane” and the inwardly tormented Mr Rochester. Charlotte Brontë’s depiction of the constant conflict between Jane’s will and societal pressure is so realistic that each reader feels inexplicably attached to Jane and Mr Rochester’s fate.

The Book That Changed My Life – The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald Many consider this book to be overrated, or boring. All I can say to these people is re-read the last paragraph of the novel, and if you don’t get a tingling sense of hope and faith in life, then I’m sorry, but you’re not human. James Gatz (Gatsby) and his ultimately fruitless pursuit of an ideal life, at the expense of true friendship and the love of his life Daisy, is so full of beautiful melancholy that it touches my heart every time. Gatsby’s life seemed to have everything, but ultimately was nothing, is a scathing indictment upon the natural human impulses of greed and vanity, which ultimately stops us from enjoying life’s true pleasures.

The meaning of this last paragraph haunts me, as a warning to constantly strive for my dreams but to be careful as to what you are striving for. Gatsby’s mistake in pursuing the superficial in life, whilst allowing his true passion to pass by, should live on as a reminder to us, Fitzgerald’s readers, to never do the same.

bit more or ask a few more questions.

The thing that I love (and that scares me) most about 1984 is how it eerily parallels many things in modern day life, from the constantly increasing use of CCTV to the bombardment of advertising through all types of media.

Still to this day the book acts as a warning to be aware of what is going on around us.

Saturday 2nd March 5pm – Women’s Rugby 1st at Canterbury Rugby Club 7:30pm – Men’s Rugby 1st at Canterbury Rugby Club

Sunday 3rd March 1pm - Men’s Lacrosse at Rough Common

KE Kent Fa Christ Chur External

2pm - Women’s Lacrosse at Rough Common

Monday 4th March 5pm - Netball 4th Team at CCCU Sports Centre 5pm Netball 3rd Team at CCCU Sports Centre 6:30pm – Netball 2nd Team at CCCU Sports Centre 8pm – Netball 1st Team at CCCU Sports Centre 8pm – Handball at UKC Sports Centre 8:15pm – Trampolining at Aire Trampollining Club in Wincheap

Tuesday 5th March

timings and locati change. to keep up to developme

www.kentunio make sure you follow to support

10am – Golf Men’s and Women’s at Canterbury Golf Club 5pm - 10pm - Badminton Men’s at UKC Sports Centre 5pm - 10pm - Badminton Women’s at UKC Sports Centre 3pm - 10pm - Tennis Men’s at UKC Tennis Centre 3pm - 10pm Tennis Women’s at UKC Tennis Centre

Wednesday 6th March 12pm –Men’s Rugby 2nd Team at UKC Parkwood Pitches

Photography by Sam Allard

@team #allfort

1pm - Women’s Football at UKC Oasthouse (Parkwood) 1pm – Men’s Football 3rd Team UKC Parkwood Pitches 1pm – Men’s Rugby 3rd Team at UKC Parkwood Pitches 2pm - Men’s Rugby 4th Team at UKC Parkwood Pitches

EY: acilities rch Facilities Facilities

3pm - Men’s Football 2nd Team at UKC Parkwood Pitches 3:30pm – Men’s 4th Team Football at UKC 3G

Thursday 7th March 10am - Equestrian at Tremley Park Stables 10:30am - Men’s Cricket 2nd Team at St Lawrence Cricket Ground 12pm - Women’s Cricket 1st Team at St Lawrence Cricket Ground

ions are subject to o date on the varsity ents, visit:

on.co.uk/varsity facebook and twitter your team:

mkent theteam

1:30pm - Men’s Cricket 1st Team at St Lawrence Cricket Ground 12:15pm - 3:45pm - Men’s and Women’s Swimming at Kingsmead Leisure Centre 5pm - 9pm - Women’s Basketball 1st Team at CCCU Sports Centre 5pm - 9pm - Men’s Basketball 1st at CCCU Sports Centre

Friday 8th March 2pm – Volleyball (mixed) at CCCU Sports Centre 7:45pm - Men’s Football 1st Team at Canterbury High School

Sunday 10th March 3pm - Men’s Hockey 2nd Team at Polo Farm Waterbase 3pm - Women’s Hockey 2nd Team at Polo Farm Waterbase 5pm - Women’s Hockey 1st Team at Polo Farm Waterbase 7pm - Men’s Hockey 1st Team at Polo Farm Waterbase

14

IQ Features

swipe conference 2013 Amelia Bundred SECL’S Comparative

Literature department have announced the details for this years SWIPE Conference. This will be the fifth conference held by the department.

Participants will present on a variety of topics from their dissertations and personal research, including literary themes such as ‘the fantastic’, ‘madness’, ‘guilt’, ‘aesthetics of hunger’, and ‘suicide in contemporary female writings’, amongst a myriad of others.

This interesting array of topics ensures that there’s something for everyone and the audience can come and go as they please.

A timetable will be advertised nearer the time of the event.

There will also be the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the themes presented. The Conference will take place on Friday 15th March, in COLT3.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to witness a day full of diverse literary presentations and discussions and to support your fellow students in their research!

what to cook right now

Amy Carr

Despite the snow and low

temperatures persisting throughout February, somehow our country still manages to produce a variety of vegetables for us to eat and enjoy.

Although in these modern times we can pick up almost anything at any time of year by going to the supermarket, it’s still best to stick to the hardy veg that grows naturally in Britain. For one thing, it’s not been transported from overseas, and for another, we should be proud to have such lovely produce grown for us by our farmers on our land. So make the best of it, check what’s in season and cook some lovely British meals to enjoy this March.

In season and at its best at the moment: Vegetables Jerusalem artichoke Swede Parsnip Turnip Cauliflower Meat Venison Guinea Fowl Fish Mackerel Sea Bass

Recipe: Venison Casserole Serves 8 WHAT YOU NEED • 1kg venison, cut into large chunks (shoulder or leg will be cheapest and will slow-cook well) • 2 carrots, chopped • 150g turnips or swede, chopped • 2 onions, chopped • 3 celery sticks, chopped • Oil and Butter • 1 garlic clove, crushed (or equivalent garlic paste/easy garlic) • 5 tbsp plain flour • 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly (redcurrant’s best, but any sweet jelly or autumn jam will do i.e. blackberry jam) • 450ml red wine • 450ml beef stock • 1tsp thyme or even better, 1 bouquet garni • Salt and Pepper WHAT TO DO 1. Heat your oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Fry the chopped vegetables in a little oil and/or butter (depending on taste) for 4-5 mins until the onions are soft. Tip in the garlic and fry for a further min, then set aside.

3. Put the chopped venison into a plastic bag with flour seasoned

to your taste with salt and pepper, and shake to coat.

4. Add a little more oil or butter to the pan, then fry the venison over a high heat until well browned. Make sure you stir every now and then so it doesn’t stick to the pan too much! Set aside with the vegetables.

5. Put the redcurrant jelly and wine in the pan and bring to the boil, scraping up all the little bits that will have stuck to the bottom despite your stirring.

Pour in the stock, then add the thyme, meat and vegetables. Season some more if you like, and bring to the boil.

6. Cover and transfer to the oven for about 1½ hrs or until tender. Remove from the oven and have a lovely meal Helpful Hints If you fancy making this just for you then the rest will be fine for freezing and easily saved for another chilly day.

This dish is best made using a large casserole dish that can go in the oven, but you could also make it on a low heat on the hob if you don’t have an ovenproof dish. You just need to give it a bit more TLC. If you can’t find any venison or you think it’s too expensive, use beef instead, you’ll still be using all the seasonal vegetables!

Chuck steak is cheap, and can be made tender with a long cooking time.

JACK TRACEY BARES ALL FOR CHARITY

Hazel Blake

This summer, once again, students from Kent will join other students from across the country as they attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro - the world’s tallest free standing mountain.

But students go off on adventures such as this all the time don’t they, so what makes this one so special?

Well, I can tell you why, because they’ll be doing it all in the name of charity. You thought the climb sounded tough, try raising £2,000 before you reach base camp!

The students of Kent have risen to this challenge with typical creativity.

From jumble sales to raffles, karaoke to masquerade balls, Kent’s student adventurers have come up with imaginative and innovative ways to raise money But one student in particular has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Jack

Campbell Tracey is risking mind, body and bum-cheek in order to raise some cash for his chosen charity; Practical Action. Throughout February, Jack has been holding a tattoo auction- yes, for the five highest bidders, Jack has offered to get their initials permanently inked on his left bum-cheek!

When asked what had prompted him to commit to this, Jack replied “I wanted to give people a reason to donate and the idea of a tattoo auction just struck me as something that would inspire people to do that”.

Bidding closed on Wednesday 27th February and the big event all takes place on Friday 1st March at SkinIllustrations Canterbury on the high street, who kindly offered their services for free in the spirit of supporting a local fundraiser.

All charity ventures are worthwhile, this is obviously a unique case- not many people would willingly scar their

body. When asked what he hoped to achieve, Jack stated: “I obviously wouldn’t mind raising a bit of cash. But also to raise some awareness about the great work Practical Action are doing.”

To donate to Jack and potentially get your initials tattooed on his bum, go to his fundraising page http://www. justgiving.com/Jack-Tracey.

IQ Features 15

ny fashion week trend report edgy, bang on trend and oh so 90s.

Megan Weal

If you managed to miss the fact that between 7th-14th February New York was crammed with fashion’s finest clicking their heels to the sound of Fashion Week – don’t panic, I’m about to fill you in. New York spiced things up this year and kicked off proceedings ahead of London, Milan and Paris.

So here are a few things to take from the week to get yourself catwalk (or Canterbury’s cobbles) ready: The beanie, baby The 90s are back for 2013 so for those who can’t rock a crop-top, don a beanie to give you a grunge-inspired edge.

Seen on the runways of BCBG, Rebecca Minkoff and Victoria by Victoria Beckham teamed sleek, sharp tailoring with the beanie to give the impression of a high-end socialite rebelling and sneaking out to fit in downtown. Cool,

Man up Androgynous cuts and silhouettes paraded around last season but this season the cuts are preppy (see Tommy Hilfiger) and the fabric screams “I borrowed this from my boyfriend”. The models at Thom Browne’s show strutted through a winter forest setting complete with blindfolded, dead looking male models handcuffed to beds. Disturbing lifeless men aside, Browne’s houndstooth, jacquard and plaid patterns clung to his models’ womanly curves. NY was greeted with a lot of masculine looks this season (DKNY and Victoria Beckham rocked it as well) but none as original or inspiring as Browne’s.

Pile it on It was all about the layers at Phillip Lim’s show. We’re talking collars poking out of over-sized leather jumpers or jackets and volumous, weighty coats given structure by technical and brushed fabrics. J-Crew gave us a sleeker approach to layering with diamanté collar details and layered textures. There’s something for everyone in the layering game so jump on it.

Round, subtle shoulders Move away from Lady GaGa’s eyepoking razor sharp blades and go powerful with a touch of femininity in your tailoring.

Burgundy Purple reds give a fierce, sexy, vampy kick that works with a lot of skin tones.

It’s a winner.

There were, of course, a couple of disasters that I wouldn’t suggest working in to your everyday wardrobe: Hello Kitty We all love a cute cat meme, but let’s not all start taking notes from Tracy Reese’s show and start carrying our cats around with us. That’s right; 10th February saw the first cat to go down the catwalk and technically it was fashion history. Let’s hope it was just a quirky novelty and remains in the past.

To make myself very clear – do not start completing your outfit with a cat.

Smile for the birdy There’s always that one person who just goes too far, this year it was Jeremy Scott. For me it was too much when he sent down a green, fur, knee length, long sleeved dress equipped with hood, three foot long train and matching knee high boots – in other words a horrendously bad, bright green big foot costume. Just don’t do this. Ever.

Please.

the fashion round up Amelia Bundred H&M’s venture into highend fashion is finally here! An opening date for the flagship store of new luxury brand ‘& Other Stories’ has been announced and will open to the public at 12pm on 8th March.

The online store, stories.com will launch the same day.

This year’s hottest designer J W Anderson is back with another must-own collection for Topshop. His ‘quintessential school-girl style’ has been reworked with this season’s grunge and is a perfect opportunity for students to get their hands on luxury garments at affordable prices!

Chief Creative Officer LeAnn Nealz has exited the building at Juicy Couture after she was hired to relaunch the brand in 2010. Her vision to make the brand more ‘sophisticated’ was met with open arms and brand owners Fifth & Pacific Cos have insisted her input has lead to improvements. A successor is yet to be announced.

In a comical jibe at landlords, French band APC have launched a limited edition collection of jeans, donning the slogan ‘Down by Law’. This comes after the brand was forced to close their Mayfair store earlier this month, after landlords raised rent costs.

Finally, check out recent photos, video streams and up to date news online from this seasons LFW!

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IQ Entertainment

music

albums in brief

history of apple pie at the marlowe

Foals - Holy Fire The Oxford five piece have wrestled with the ‘Indie’ label, trying to distance themselves from twangy guitars and bizarre lyricism.

Holy Fire is a triumphant final blow to the Indie stereotype. My Number and Providence give the most devout Foals fans their fix of synchronised guitars and Yannis’ classic falsetto. Inhaler is a track of epic proportions with a balls-y chorus; Late Night is reminiscent of The Cure’s gothic charm. This is the main event for Foals.

Will Butler

Tegan and Sara Heartthrob It will drown out the sounds of your mind, it will work for a bop during essay writing week, but here’s a warning, you will suffer headaches after too long. If you like Joy Formidable there are parallels with high pitched vocals and bouncing melodies but there is not as much craft in Tegan and Sara’s music. It’s no `Heartthrob` of mine.

Julie Peppiatt

Bullet For My Valentine - Temper Temper There’s no doubt that Bullet used to write some catchy songs with hooky choruses. But in a refusal to deviate from their verse-chorus-verse formula, Temper Temper lacks depth and inspiration. Riffs that sounded sharp and tenacious eight years ago are now as intimidating as a bag of raisins, and Matt Tuck’s cringe-worthy lyrics wouldn’t look out of place alongside poetry from my ‘troubled’ earlyteen years. If you’re still waiting for innovation or maturity from Bullet, don’t bother with this latest release.

Tom Cox

Theme Park Theme Park Theme Park have shot themselves in the foot slightly by releasing their best songs as singles before the release of this album. Nevertheless, it’s a brilliant debut, see the gig review on the right for more details of this band.

Photograph by Attina Zarnani

Attina Zarnani Quirky London five-piece band, The History of Apple Pie, performand at the Marlowe Theatre on the most romantic day of the year as part of No-Wave’s third birthday celebrations.

Listening to their music in preparation before watching them perform, I gathered a sense of nostalgia. I was relatively surprised they were all in their twenties, as I automatically place this band in a soundtrack of a 90’s American

Teen Chick Flick, the final High School Prom scene where guy finally kisses girl.

Having had the chance to catch up with the band in their dressing room prior to their performance, I found that they all have great relaxed relationship with each other. This definitely comes out whilst they are on stage, and I’ve always found it very fascinating to watch band members make eye contact and smile at each other as if they are

sharing a private joke. That intimacy definitely projected out into the audience.

What makes this band stand out from the crowd is the mixed gender which is not very common. Lead singer Stephanie Min and backing vocalist and guitarist Kelly Owens complimented each other, having an essence of innocence and 90’s cool (If those two even go together).

It was just a shame that towards the end the audience seemed a little too rowdy. Yes, I am aware it is a gig based in a town of three Universities, so a student-esque debauch was to be expected, but it just did not feel like the place or music to try and assemble a mosh pit.

The band that made the biggest impression on me was South London based alternative rock band Mohit.

Lead singer and guitarist Toby Baxter blew me away with his vocals and the raw emotion of his lyrics. Toby is accompanied by James (bass) and Danny (drums), these three are going to be making music for a long time to come. Performing in Canterbury on the 21st March at the Beer Cart Arms, they definitely deserve your attention, where I think there music would be more fitted than the Marlowe Theatre.

undercover treehouse present theme park Photograph by Attina Zarnani

Chad Greggor Newspaper Entertainment Editor

Theme Park have kicked off a nationwide tour ahead of the release of their new, self-titled album. The band played at The Lounge, which, for those University of Kent students unfamiliar with the lands of Christ Church University, is a small bar next to Chill.

Brilliant Canterbury organisers Undercover Treehouse managed to snatch up this emerging indie band for a live show, along with &The Centurions and Youthblood.

The supporting acts were crowd pleasers with a penchant for dance-y indie, getting the room warmed up

for the imminent arrival of headliners Theme Park.

As soon as the band appeared on stage they began to play with flawless confidence. They performed A Place They’ll Never Know from their new album, as well as a bunch of older songs, such as early track Milk, Two Hours, Jamaica, and Ghosts.

The band also performed the hit Tonight, featuring a sing-along-able chorus which is nothing reminiscent of Fun’s We Are Young - in case you were worried.

Theme Park’s combination of upbeat tunes mask and disguise melancholy, nostalgic lyrics, creating a surprising

contrast. It is beautifully effective, brilliant in it’s poignancy. Two Hours, released on an EP in November, features the lyrics “I can’t feel anything” over a rapid, insistent beat with a tune so bitter-sweet it could make even a fervent Radiohead fan smile.

The refrain towards the end “used to feel it in the dents of your smile”, is painfully nostalgic, and yet, still, that jovial beat runs over it. This is just a small example of the style which Theme Park represent. There is something strangely fantastic about it.

Our photographer Attina Zarnani went backstage to ask for a picture of the band, which they were more than happy to give. Nice guys, great music.

IQ Entertainment 17

music & film what’s hot with Rhian Stone CSRFM have handpicked some of the best music from February’s playlist for your listening pleasure: Foals – My Number: For those that were concerned at Foal’s previous single Inhaler, that was considerably heavier than other Foals songs, never fear because My Number is here. Their latest single is poppy and bubbly with a catchy chorus and lots of complicated guitar interplays, which although progressive, definitely feels as if Foals have gone back to their roots.

A$AP Rocky ft Florence Welch – I Come Apart: Florence Welch’s vocals make this song, as they sail above everything beautifully. This r&b/pop tune represents a more alternative A$AP Rocky whose song Wild For the Night is a far cry from I Come Apart’s breath-taking chorus.

Flux Pavillion – Blow the Roof: Flux Pavillion are back and with a stunning track. The song, with house and dub-step infusions, builds slowly to a climatic heavy bass line that has your stomach churning. It’s unbelievably hard not to love this song.

The Strokes – One Way Trigger: One Way Trigger is based around an 80’s pop melody that is most reminiscent of A-HA, particularly with the high falsetto warble.

However, despite the unexpectedness of the track, it’s a great song, full of robotic rhythms and kaleidoscopic beats.

Disclosure ft AlunaGeorge – White Noise: A pulsating tune from two electronica artists, Disclosure and AlunaGeorge. White Noise is full of a wash of synths, staccato melodies and AlunaGeorge’s sweet, honeyed vocals. It’s sure to get your body moving.

wreck it ralph: adverts and sugar

Katie Snow

Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Rich Moore (The Simpsons), Wreck-it Ralph is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but its stale script and super sugary sentiments leave it lacking in punch.

The film sets itself in an arcade where, in a hyped up Toy Story/ Monsters Inc. cross over, the avatars come to life once the working day is over and go about their business in the cyber world of the retro machines. Video game villain Wreck-it, Ralph is tired of living in the shadow of good guy Fix-it Felix, the medalhoarding hero of their game.

After three decades of tearing up the town and all the glory going to Felix, Ralph decides that being a Bad Guy doesn’t have to mean being a bad guy, and sets out on an adventure to prove

he’s got what it takes to save the day.

After riding a subway system through the cables of consoles, Ralph ends up in Sugar Rush Speedway, and strikes up an unlikely friendship with Boo-esque cutie Vanellope von Schweetz, a glitchy girl racer as lonely as the gentle giant himself.

Disney’s obvious attempt to hit the half-term audience of born-before-the80s parents and attention-deficient kids, thrilled to hear the words ‘Stink Brain’ ceaselessly uttered, creates a skewed fusion of old school and new. From the shady depths of shameless product placement planet came a weird Wizard of Oz parody ‘March of the Oreos’ chant, Nesquicksand, and a whole host of other sugary sales pitches.

All this so blatant in a children’s film made me a little uneasy, particularly

as I left the cinema harbouring some pretty intense jelly-tot cravings.

John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer work together to lift a script not quite up to scratch, too focused on smart aleck references and farcical jokes to contain any memorable material. Half-way through I started to feel a nagging sense of unfulfilled potential, as the plot crumbled into the formulaic bad guy turns good, be true to who you are narrative. However the classic 8-bit effects and electronic synth sound are undeniably cool, and joystick junkies will love quirky cameos from the likes of Bowser, Zangief (Street Fighter II), Q*Bert and ‘Clyde’ the Pacman ghost.

Ultimately, the idea behind Wreckit Ralph is genuinely exciting and the animation enchanting, proving the House of Mouse don’t need the Pixar stamp on their animations to produce films bursting with character and originality. It’s no Toy Story, but it did flick on the switch in my imagination and leave me deeply regretful my Mariokart Wii was 230 miles away.

to the Golden Globes he won a month ago, the actor undeniably boosted his chance in the Oscar race. However, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, despite leading this year’s Baftas nominations with ten, came away with only one award.

Quentin Tarantino was handed the Bafta Award for best original screenplay, while Christoph Waltz, who he had reunited with in Django Unchained, walked off with Best Supporting Actor. Unsurprisingly, Best British Film Award was taken by Sam Mendes’ Skyfall. The 23rd Bond movie having received universal acclaim, it is the UK’s highest grossing film ever.

Last but not least, Life of Pi was legitimately honoured with the Best Cinematography and Special Visual Effects Bafta for its breath-taking effects, beating The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s single nomination.

This was the only award for Ang Lee’s spectacular adventure film, despite nine nominations.

Disappointingly, crowd-pleasing Silver Linings Playbook only went away with Best Adapted Screenplay Award, certainly not enough for David O. Russell’s brilliant comedy-drama.

Neither Bradley Cooper nor Jennifer Lawrence managed to win Best Actor/ Actress Award for their performance, both facing highly-talented contenders in their category.

This year’s Baftas were pretty tense and in the end rather equitably-shared, rewarding a wide and disparate range of talents. The British Academy Film Awards are widely seen as a rehearsal for the Oscars, but who knows?

baftas 2013 roundup & review

Cécilia Brès

On Sunday 11th February, the splendid Royal Opera House hosted the 66th British Academy Film Awards (known as the BAFTAs), with English personality Stephen Fry returning to the role of presenter. The glamorous ceremony awarded some frontrunners for the Oscars while also pulling off a few surprises.

Multiple winner Ben Affleck took home two of the major awards for his brilliant spy thriller Argo. Adding to Best Film and Best Director Award, the British academy awarded Argo a third, well-deserved prize for Best Film Editing, ahead of Django Unchained, Life of Pi and Skyfall. It’s a wonder Ben Affleck was left off the Best director nominees list for the 2013 Oscars.

Les Miserables won the most awards overall: Anne Hathaway was named Best supporting actress by the British Academy for her portrayal of Fantine and her success definitely bodes well for the 2013 Oscars. Tom Hooper’s musical drama film also picked up three additional awards in technical categories.

Odds-on favourite Daniel Day-Lewis was unsurprisingly awarded Best Actor for his brilliant performance in Lincoln and certainly deserved another prize for ‘Best Bafta Acceptance Speech’. Adding

The genuine surprise of the night came from the Best Actress category, with the award going to 85-year-old actress Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), who beat off high-level competition from Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Lawrence.

Michael Haneke’s tender drama Amour was also deservedly awarded Best Film Not in the English language.

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IQ Entertainment

theatre & games

stomp at the marlowe theatre: trashcan genius

Megan Weal

Stomp was created in Brighton in 1991, but may be more familiar after their performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony, which consisted of 40 performers from twelve different countries. Their touring production is significantly downscaled, with eight performers brought together from across the globe, but not a bit less dramatic or exciting.

I have to be honest and say that my skepticism was through the roof on this one. Although I have a great interest in music and theatre, I found it hard to imagine myself enjoying an approximately 95-minute show based entirely around percussion and with no dialogue whatsoever. Stomp trampled all my pre-conceived expectations to the ground as soon as they came on stage.

The combination of dance and percussion left our eyes dancing around the stage following the performers. But Stomp’s idea of percussion may be very different to yours and mine. Everything and anything was used to create a beat: brooms, tubing, paint cans, bin

lids, matchboxes and perhaps most impressively, the body.

There were two particular scenes that had the audience laughing and openmouthed in disbelief. The performers stood on stage in pitch darkness with noise coming only from their shuffling and quiet stomping. A rhythm was then created through the clicking of lighters and the flipping of Zippos. The combination of light, sharp sounds and, as the performers got faster in

their movements, the essence of danger meant the audience were on the edge of their seat as a result of the intensified simplicity of the scene. It was intense, it was quick, it was fun.

Now, we’ve all been subject to pushing stiff, unruly trolleys around the supermarket and, I don’t know about you, but the majority of the time it’s nothing but a struggle for me. So when they started flying across the stage on such trolleys and spun them around the

aliens: colonial marines

Matthew Jarvis

I love Aliens. Not the grey, squishy, bug-eyed ones that pop up to homeless drunks and tin-foil-hatted recluses, but the skull-punching, acid-dripping xenomorphs that look and sound terrifying as they crawl up ceilings and pursue Sigourney Weaver.

For this reason I, unlike many, haven’t hated the tepidly received Aliens based games of the last decade. Bad gameplay mechanics can be stuck with if tense dark corridor sequences and blipping motion sensors are pulled off right.

It is for these reasons that Aliens: Colonial Marines is such a let down.

Coming from Gearbox, a studio I adore for the wacky bazillion gun-toting Borderlands series, having been in development for seven years and being the only Aliens game to be endorsed as a true sequel to James Cameron’s 1986 flick by 20th Century Fox, one might expect this game to have some redeeming features. It doesn’t.

Taking control of one of the titular marines days after the film concludes, you are tasked with figuring out what happened and why exactly there are so many marines missing large sections of their chests. The game starts on the spaceship Sulaco before descending to Hadley’s Hope, the planet base now inhabited by the fearsome aliens.

Before you get there, though, you have to run and gun a load of generic looking soldiers.

Once the repetitive corridors of extremely inaccurate baddies have been cleared, you finally come across some of the terrifying xenos.

Only, half of them are continually climbing a stair banister and the other half are running at you holding their claws up as if they were performing in a jazz-hands musical, before standing still and soaking up bullets.

To say the game is disappointing is an understatement. It isn’t just disappointing, it’s downright terrible.

The AI is horrific (of both marines and beasties), the graphics look circa-2001 and the gunplay is boring – you are given a motion sensor which is completely useless thanks to the xenos running straight at you, removing all tension and difficulty.

stage to one another, I was nothing but impressed. Skill and fluidity aside, it was incredibly comical.

There was an impressive and genuine chemistry between the performers, with one character being the brunt of the joke throughout the show. The silliness of the comedy briefly retracted the audience from the intensity of the dance and percussion and concluded in an excellent balance for the audience.

Such comedy was highlighted through audience participation – cheesy I know and not for all. I’m normally not one for clapping along but I couldn’t stop myself. The rhythm is infectious, I left Marlowe clicking my fingers and stomped my way home laughing (not by myself, of course). I cannot recommend enough that you step out of your comfort zone and spend an evening watching the cast of Stomp perform effortlessly and passionately.

For more theatre, TV and music reviews please visit inquirelive.co.uk/ entertainment

events spot highlights Gulbenkian Les Misérables - 1st - 7th March

Add all this to a plot that runs like a preschool sci-fi story and dialogue that sounds like it was acted by cardboard reading like a horrible parody of ‘bro-shooters,’ and A:CM is a literal struggle to complete, even with a five-hour campaign.

It becomes so bad that it’s funny, with blind aliens that run at you and explode serving as the most entertaining part of the game. They also provide the only tension to be found, even if they do stagger around like your drunken grandmother at a Christmas do.

The multiplayer is at least original enough to warrant a go, despite being so unbalanced that the humancontrolled aliens might as well stand still like their AI counterparts.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a let-down all round. To Aliens fans, to people who enjoy games, and to anybody who wonders what could happen if all the factors for a good tie-in look right on paper, with none of the results.

The Colyer-Fergusson Cathedral Concert - Saturday 2nd March T:24: Arthur Millers’ The Crucible 5th - 7th March Lincoln - 8th - 14th March Kent Dance Society: Kent Dance Show 2013 - 11th March Chortle Student Comedy Awards - 12th March Petrol by Gregory Motton

Marlowe Theatre Classics@Kent present Aristophones’ The Wasps - 5th March Yamato: The Drummers of Japan - 8th - 9th March Maps & Atlases + Magnets + Mooseblood - 9th March The Full Monty - 11th - 16th March

The Venue Professor Green - 15th March

IQ Culture

editor’s pick:

best web culture

With those mid-term essay deadlines looming, here are some of the best culture blogs for your procrastination pleasure. There’s no need to be bored and despairing with this lot at your fingertips.

Slate Arts I can’t remember my life before I became addicted to reading Slate, and its culture section is particularly magical. An eclectic mix of themes and topics, plus excellent podcasts such as the Culture Gabfest - if you only read one arts website this week, make it this. www.slate.com/arts

Stil in Berlin Taking its cue from street style sites such as The Sartorialist and Facehunter, Stil in Berlin has gone from a simple catalogue of hip folks on the streets of the German capital to an arbiter of style in its own right.

Run by Mary Scherpe, it’s somehow both ultra cool and strangely down to earth - the influence of the city itself perhaps. www.stilinberlin.com

Design Milk An endlessly absorbing raft of art, architecture, design and fashion features from all around the world. www.design-milk.com

Curbed This US architecture site is one of my favourites for daydreaming and procrastination. Choose a city and scroll through modernist mansions, penthouses, period buildings, archive photography and architectural innovation to die for.

Also perfect for satisfying the nosey urge to look round other people’s houses. www.curbed.com

Retronaut Pick a decade and submerge yourself into retro art and design delights. Choose from categories such as music, famous people, ephemera, ads and brands and events to narrow your vintage search - you’re sure to find something fascinating. And to still be glued to it four hours later. www.retronaut.com

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new portable theatre pops up

Bethaney Rimmer

Despite the doom and gloom of the recession and the erroneous prediction that the presence of the Olympics in London would cause the West End to fall, irretrievably, into a pit of disappointingly early closures, theatre at the moment seems to be flourishing.

It is quite exciting, therefore, that The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation is donating £150,000 to UK theatre company Paines Plough, who have created the first ever transportable auditorium.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s foundation was set up in 1992 and believes in maintaining “vibrancy in the arts” and making sure that “the new generation of potential artists are nurtured and encouraged.”

The pop up theatre, known as the Roundabout Auditorium, was designed

by Lucy Osbourne. It is said to only take four people eight hours to assemble and will be made of sustainable materials that can be flat packed and carried around on the back of a lorry. It will seat 111 people.

The opportunities that will spring from this invention are good news for the theatre industry. London ticket prices are expensive enough, so imagine living in Yorkshire and having to add a train ticket on top of that, and it becomes instantly understandable that anyone living too far from the capital feels like they are missing out

on fantastic entertainment. There are, of course, tours of popular West End productions going around the country at the moment, but the difference with this pop up theatre is that it can

be positioned pretty much anywhere (schools or youth clubs for example) and venue availability need no longer be an issue. In addition, young people who do not live in London will hopefully be encouraged to feel like a career in theatre is not too far out of their reach.

Paines Plough have been producing new plays since 1975, and as a supporter of new and original writing, I am hoping that the pop up auditorium will be a success.

There is the assumption that touring productions couldn’t possibly be at the same standard as those we see in London, but this is not always the case. After ending their contracts in West End roles, some actors and actresses do dabble in touring and enjoy taking part in new and lesser heard of shows, so it is very possible that they could soon appear on your doorstep in one of the new Paines Plough productions. Just because tour ticket prices tend to be cheaper doesn’t mean that the performances will be.

The auditorium will open in 2014 and there are expected to be three new plays touring each year.

the art of the good bad review Kelyn Luther

Every artist fears the bad review, the one that throws your work to the floor and kicks it mercilessly, and yet there’s a guilty pleasure to be had from reading a hatchet job. The Hatchet Job of The Year awards are a light-hearted celebration of these reviews.

The awards were created by Anna Baddeley and Fleur Macdonald, two Oxford graduates in their late 20s, who founded the Omnivore website, which gives a round-up of reviews.

This year, they’ve picked a gem: Camilla Long’s review of Aftermath in The Sunday Times, a memoir by Rachel Cusk. Newspapers have quoted some brilliant phrases, such as Long’s damning judgment of Cusk as “a brittle little dominatrix and peerless narcissist”, but there are many great moments. With a little bit of sleuthing, I located the full review. Hell indeed hath no fury like a woman scorned.

There’s a delicious moment where Long quotes one of Cusk’s many pretentious lines: “I surrendered to the ascetic purity of that other religion, hunger, she moos”. How surreal and utterly brilliant to say that somebody “moos” a line. Long is also

sceptical of Cusk’s inaccurate classical allusions, particularly an ill-advised sympathy with Oedipus: “Apparently this play is all about her, too: the chaos Oedipus has caused at Thebes – mother-shagging, father-killing and eye-gouging – is somehow similar to her own domestic high jinks.” Whoever said that critics were just failed writers is clearly a failed writer themselves.

After all, I wouldn’t call TS Eliot a failed writer.

A good bad review doesn’t let up. The reviewer is dazzled into confusion by the book/film/play, calling it “bizarre”.

If you see that word in a review, you know it’s going to be a hatchet job. The more pretentious the target, the better. If you’ve ever read or seen something that made you want to scream at the person responsible for inflicting their work on you, reading a good bad review

can be very therapeutic.

One of my favourite bad reviews, as much as I admire the musical itself, is the New York Times review of the premiere of Aspects of Love, the musical that made Michael Ball a star.

Frank Rich is infamously known as the Butcher of Broadway and he certainly knows how to wield a hatchet. For him, the show “generates about as much heated passion as a visit to the bank.”

Just when you think Rich might be about to praise something, he smashes it: “Mr. Lloyd Webber continues to compose in the official style that has made him an international favourite, sacrificing any personality of his own to the merchandisable common denominator of easy-listening pop music”.

Those who rely on reviews to decide whether to see something or not may wish that reviewers were a little more distant and analytical rather than exercising their wit. It can hurt to watch your favourite book/play/film get ripped to shreds and with the rise of blogs, you might wonder whether professional criticism will become extinct. That’s why the Hatchet Job of The Year awards, light-hearted as they are, highlight the art and the audacity of the critic who isn’t taken in by pretension.

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IQ Culture

poet’s corner This week, ennjoy a clever and lighthearted piece by UKC student Martin Porritt on the theme of the romantic poet.

If you would like to see your poetry in print in future issues, email newspaper.culture@inquiremedia. co.uk.

The Romantic Poet I wandered slow, through swaying grass, Across a meadow dear to me. The clouds Were interlocked and dark; but still I find Great solace, on an Autumn noon, In the shadiest, breeziest bower, Or in some space amidst tall blades: Nature’s Shelter for nomadic critters, ‘gainst Ingrateful Man! And so I found such a place, and lay down I did, my hands outstretched across a grassy Bed of earth and stones (I did not heed The knobbly ones knuckling the small Of my back; for they are Nature’s also).

Happy beneath the sun-gilded horizon, My roving palm felt something soft, warm, Welcoming; a substance that came readily On to my fingers. Languidly, For this was my hour of peace, but curious To see Nature’s latest gift to me – Ah, beauteous Nature! – I brought my hand before my eyes; manure.

Martin Porritt

jarman studio 3: paul coldwell Amelia Bundred

The University of Kent is currently hosting an exciting graphic art exhibit on campus, displaying the work of critically acclaimed, Paul Coldwell.

Noted as the “pioneer of digital print making”, Coldwell creates computer produced images through fascinating graphic art techniques such as traditional etching and ink jet prints, using the computer to weave layered images. The Canterbury trained artist is also a professor at the Chelsea College of Art and Design and the collection is his first major showing.

The work, titled ‘A Layered Practice – Graphic Works 1993-2012’ includes a myriad of artistic themes including identity, exile, memory and loss. In their blog, Studio 3 stated that the exhibition reflected “a clear sense of artistic progression.” Upon visiting, I was struck by the accuracy of this statement.

Coldwell’s initial works, displayed from his earliest collections in 1993, are examples of the traditional etching technique. However, the images are reasonably unimaginative and the colour palette is limited to dark shades.

Just along, there are some graphic

textiles, from a similar time frame, which continue to lack depth.

The display then jumps to his 2004 work, which incorporates the ink jet technique. In Warhol-esque style, Coldwell finally inserts some colour, which contrasts effectively with the negative landscape.

A personal favourite is the print

entitled Mountains and Flowers. This jump to a more photographic image is an improvement, and Coldwell’s choice to layer multiple images adds to the depth, making the photographs multidimensional. These later screen prints are much more inventive and fully reflect Coldwell’s progression as an artist.

Moving momentarily aside from Coldwell’s prints, the room also displays a small collection of sculptures.

Admittedly these feel a little random and do not fully fit with the exhibition as a whole. They are also quite small and spaced out sporadically which does not particularly enhance the display.

I found one small sculpture particularly impressive. Entitled Thoughts at Night the small sculpture presents an iron bed frame with an atom like sculpture, protruding from it, which cleverly depicts the concept insinuated in the title. All in all, the exhibition comes in leaps and bounds.

Some work you will like and others you will not, but the exhibition is still worth a look.

The exhibition is free and open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, until 5th April. Go and see for yourselves!

2013: the year of the snake

Amy Elizabeth Lloyd

With Chinese New Year just behind us, the year of the Snake is here. The most important traditional Chinese holiday has commenced and celebrations will continue through until the 15th day of the first Chinese calendar month. But what do you really know about Chinese New Year? From the lanterns and fireworks, the myths and the zodiac calendar, have you ever thought about what these traditions mean and from where they originate?

One of the most identifiable icons of the Chinese New Year is the lion, which is featured dancing in parades. These lions symbolize more than a method to ward off evil spirits. The lions represent the myth of how Chinese New Year began, with a fight against the beast Nian. The myth states that on the first day of the year, the Nian would come and eat livestock, crops and villagers.

To keep this monster from attacking, the villagers would place food offerings outside their doors which would sate the Nian for another year.

However, one year a child wearing red wandered outside, and the Nian would not approach. Eventually the villagers realised the Nian was afraid of the colour which led to the red lanterns, rolls and ornaments which to this day are hung outside houses in China for the holidays.

The time immediately before the beginning of the 15-day festivities is called a ‘time of the great movement’.

During this time, thousands of people travel back to their family homes to celebrate. Families clean their houses in the belief that they are ridding their homes of bad spirits and stop the night before the festivities begin to be sure they do not clean away the good luck the New Year brings.

On New Year’s Eve, the most important meal is eaten. Families join together in the most senior family member’s household where older relatives gift red envelopes filled with money to those who are younger to encourage prosperity. On the 15th day the Lantern Festival takes place.

Candles are lit outside to aid wayward spirits in finding their homes, with families walking the streets carrying lanterns to help.

The sixth of 12 in the zodiac calendar, people born with the snake are said to be intelligent, wise, intuitive, graceful and exciting. Monday is said to be their lucky day, they have ideal compatibility with those born with the ox or the rooster and they find luck with the colours yellow and red. This year of the snake advises steady progress and attention to detail. The colour of the year is black, which is said to bring unexpected change and instability.

And so the year of the Snake has commenced.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

IQ Culture

thunderbids are go... again

Kat Mawford

Thunderbirds, the British 1960s puppet TV series created by Gerry Anderson, is set to return to UK screens in 2015. Anderson, also behind the creation of puppet series such as Stingray and Captain Scarlet, passed away in December of last year, leaving behind a legacy of marionette direction.

Thunderbirds, best known for the use of marionette puppets and popular catch-phrases such as ‘Thunderbirds are go!’, and more recently from the 2004 film adaptation, will be recreated

by ITV Studios with a New Zealand based production company. The show will be created in conjunction with the special effects company Weta Workshop - the team behind films such as Avatar, King Kong and The Hobbit.

Following the story of the Tracy family and friends as they answer calls from around the world to save lives while maintaining secret identities, and despite having only run for two years originally as a TV show, Thunderbirds gained almost a cult following and became popular again in the 1990s – which is when I first watched it.

The new show, which is currently planned to be titled Thunderbirds Are

Go!, will apparently largely follow the original plot of the Tracy family owning International Rescue, linking it to the 1960s version.

This new interpretation of Thunderbirds will feature live action modelling, rather than puppets – the method used in the 2004 film, which was criticised by Anderson – and CGI special effects.

As with all remakes, the problem is often that something of the original

appeal can be lost – different contexts, production techniques or ways of viewing can all affect the success of a remake, similarly with sequels, and this feeling cannot often be replaced or recreated.

Modernising to the point of adding CGI will perhaps make the new Thunderbirds more relevant to the times and technically similar to its contemporaries, but much of the original Thunderbirds’ charm came from the use of puppets. Even the occasional mistakes or bloopers added to this, and, although more technical, I can’t really see a live action take on the show being as successful, particularly with the example of the 2004 film, which received a very poor rating of 4/10 on IMDb. While I have reservations about this remake, the show’s creators will surely have learned from the 2004 attempt.

Involving The Weta Workshop, with their experience of design and models, seems to me to be perhaps the most promising detail so far.

So whether they attempt to remain true to Anderson’s original idea or try a wholly new take on it, I will be interested to see how it will turn out.

21

pause for thought This week’s poetry choice is

loosely tied in with our piece on 1930s jazz queens. Langston Hughes was a pioneer of jazz poetry and a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. His poetry espoused the struggles of black working class life at the time, but also the beauty, preaching that “black is beautiful” and focusing on a positive radical consciousness. Jazz music pervades his work, as do themes of freedom and liberation.

dancing on the edge: jazz queens

Sam Clemence

The 1930s, an oft neglected part of British history, nestled quietly between two world wars, saw changes in British society.

Embracing the new and mysterious genre of jazz music, BBC’s Dancing on the Edge explores the explosion of jazz and swing that captivated the nation.

It is told from the perspective of the fictional Louis Lester band, chronicling the highs and lows of a black jazz group struggling to make a breakthrough in Britain’s traditional and prejudiced music industry.

Award winning British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as the eponymous band leader, who maintains an effortlessly smooth persona despite the various adversities placed in his way.

Matthew Goode, who has featured in Watchmen and Cemetery Junction, plays the hot-headed and charming music journalist Stanley Mitchell.

Mitchell, a character who loves music and is colour-blind with regards to race, is fundamental in portraying the changing face of Britain in the 1930s – a more liberated and accepting culture that appreciates the art form of jazz, no matter who created it. It is also the latest in a long line of BBC shows from TV drama guru Stephen Poliakoff, yet despite the big names attached to it, the

most important facet to the show is the original music, written and composed

by Adrian Johnston.

The music is the heartbeat of Dancing on the Edge, and as Poliakoff notes, represents the band’s keys towards the elusive British high society: “There was

struggled in Britain’s interwar period.

Dancing on the Edge shines a light on the darkest corners of our past; lost in the midst of war were the successes and failures of black musicians, celebrated for their talent but derided for their race.

Democracy Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course.

Tomorrow is another day.

I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.

I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.

Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need.

this wonderful conjunction of this music leading members of the aristocracy to mingle with black musicians and it became very fashionable.”

Behind the fictional tale of the Louis Lester band lies the countless forgotten stories of jazz music pioneers that

The show expertly balances the racial and political issues of the day, all set to the backdrop of the music, the real star of the show – the same music that helped break down social barriers, a testimony to the unique unifying quality that art possesses.

I live here, too.

I want freedom Just as you.

Langston Hughes

22

Sport

SPORTS EDITORIAL: BLOOD, SWEAT AND CHEER Alex Cassidy Newspaper Sports Editor Editorial TWO weeks ago I had never performed a cheerleading stunt, yet on Sunday 24th February, I found myself representing UKC at the regional competition Future Cheer, held at Loughborough University. I was called into action due to an unprecedented run of injuries to the Level 3 squad after several of my friends in Kent Cheer had actively tried to recruit me.

After two weeks of training, I feel qualified to say that cheerleading is a guys sport, done by girls.

In a cheerleading stunt, there are four supports: two bases, a frontspot and a backspot, which all support a ‘flyer’ who is thrown in the air.

Added strength can help with height and stability and is imperative for certain cheerleading stunts, which is part of the reason why more men are taking it up in recent years.

However, there is a stigma surrounding gender in cheer, perpetuated by the assumption that all cheerleading routines require poms, chants and rah-rah skirts. Competitive cheer is a very difficult task.

It’s a combination of strength and skill, guided through coordinated routines that require perfect execution and high levels of energy.

It’s in this highly under recognised sport that over 60 UKC athletes took part at Future Cheer on Sunday, along with around 1,000 other cheerleaders from 58 Universities.

My cheerleading experience was far from easy, and not filled with chants and dances but rather 6am starts and gruelling lifting sessions.

I have played Rugby and Football for over a decade, and the teamwork, physical activity, and mental toughness that cheerleading offers is on par with both of these more established and accepted sports.

The higher the level, (the highest in the UK is level 6, of which Kent Cheer has one team) the more complex the arm movements and more strength is needed, which is why co-ed squads are able to draw the most points at competitions.

Only 3% of the United States’ 1.5 million cheerleaders are male, but to understand the necessity of it at higher levels, 50% of all collegiate cheerleaders are men, which is even more relevant due to the fact that the sport itself was forbidden to girls for the

Photography courtesy of Event-photos.co.uk

first 10 years of its existence.

As for the competition, despite the setbacks, Kent Cheer had the most successful two days in its history. The excellent Pom dance squad finished 2nd overall, whilst the Level 6 stunt team cleaned up against the competition, finishing 1st whilst making a name for themselves with their surprising rise to the top. On day two, the Level 1 stunt team executed perfectly, finishing 3rd, a remarkable achievement considering it was the competition debut for many of the members.

The final team to perform, the Level 3 stunt team which I

was a part of, started shakily, with our first performance rushed and nervy. However, the impressive ‘bouncebackability’ of the team showed once more, reorganising and refocusing to flawlessly perform the second time, finishing 4th out of 16, which, for a team which has lost five members and created a new routine several days before competition, is all the more impressive.

Over the entire weekend, Kent Cheer placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the four competitions it entered, finishing Future Cheer as a top 5 team, and firmly placing their name on the map.

Despite not being a member until a fortnight ago, it was a very proud moment to be involved in such a great weekend.

The fact that I was able to join the team with so little experience is not because of the lack of difficulty, nor a dormant Cheerleading gene in my DNA, but is instead a testament to the determination and ability that exists in the 2012 Kent Cheer squad.

With nationals around the corner, the impetus will be on to repeat the achievement, and I am sure that come March, Kent Cheer will have another set of trophies to put in their cabinet.

pistorius among disgraced Dan English AS Oscar Pistorius wept in the accused box at a Pretoria court on Friday, charged with the murder of his model wife Reeva Steenkamp, the Paralympic champion, the career of the South African ‘Blade Runner’ was in tatters.

This desperately sad tragedy shocked the sporting world, largely in part due to the ‘clean-cut’ image presented to the masses of Pistorius.

But as the events of Steenkamp’s death unfold, Pistorius’ character is perceived to be much darker, and he becomes a new addition of disgraced sportspeople whose careers have either suffered or ended because of their private life.

A prime example of how a private life can cripple one’s sporting career is that of Tiger Woods.

Exploding onto the golfing

scene in 1997 by winning the Masters, Woods began a long and illustrious career as he led the golf world rankings for much of the decade between ’97 and 2007.

Woods, a winner of 14 majors and 88 other career titles, had led what seemed to be the model sporting life. He held huge sponsorship deals with Nike and Gillette, had established the highly successful Tiger Woods foundation, and was a proud father of two to sons Sam and Charlie.

However, this great facade that encompassed Woods’ life was about to collapse when, in November 2009, reports of an affair leaked, costing Woods not only his reputation, but his family life as he knew it.

For the full article and more Sports news, visit: www.inquirelive.co.uk

Sport 23

2013 KENT VS CHRISTCHURCH VARSITY PREVIEW

Katie Snow

SPRING 2013 will once again see the return of the Varsity Cup – the single most important sporting event of the year. The University of Kent will battle it out with local rival Canterbury Christ Church University in a week of intense competition in a bid to prove their sporting superiority.

Team Kent is going to need your support through all of their fixtures, away and home, so dig down deep, unleash that inner cheerleader, and get behind UKC. With pre, post and live match coverage from the likes of InQuire and CSRfm, there’s no excuse not to be up to date with what promises to be the biggest Varsity challenge yet.

Preparations are well underway in both camps, with the rivalry fiercer than ever. Sports teams taking part will include fencing, table tennis, tennis, swimming, badminton, netball, lacrosse and more, so make the most of the opportunity

to see some of the university’s sporting elite in action.

The Sports Centre and the Pavilion will play host to many of the home fixtures, but keep an

eye out on Facebook and Twitter (Team Kent & @TheTeamKent) for regular updates on match information and the university’s progress. Use the hash tags

#allfortheteam or #TeamKent on Twitter to air your views on the week’s events, and to show your support for all involved.

Whilst the university’s

sportsmen and women are getting ready for battle, why not show your support by picking up a Varsity t-shirt from Unique, or get making banners ready to wave in the face of CCCU. Throughout the week the university will be getting in the spirit of Varsity, so look out for food and drinks deals across campus.

With last year’s victory under their belt, UKC will be as eager as ever to stop CCCU in their tracks and get their hands on the Varsity Cup for the second year running.

Teams with a larger fan following such as football and netball are guaranteed a big turn out on match day, but each game is as important as the next, so don’t forget to go along and support some of the smaller teams in what’s certain to be an unforgettable week of sporting action. Varsity never fails to deliver tense, exciting and above all competitive matches, so get in the sporting spirit and help make this the best challenge yet.

Let the games begin.

NETBALL IN PREMIERSHIP FOR ANOTHER YEAR

Fran Plom

KENT Netball 1st team faced our biggest challenge of the season this January. It was approaching the end of the season and we needed to secure a win to keep our place in the Premiership. Finding out on very short notice that we had to play our rearranged fixture against Gloucestershire before the 1st February just added to the pressure, as this was going to be our league decider and the game we had to win.

As soon as we found out and with little time to prepare we cut our Christmas break short and came back to Canterbury to prepare in the first week in January, holding numerous extra training sessions.

Unfortunately the first week of term brought the team a few setbacks.

Before our Gloucestershire game the team had to face Cardiff Met, they were top of the league and it was going to be a really tough game. Our first game against them was strong and we put up a tough fight against them only losing by 11 goals, so myself and the rest of the team believed there was no reason why we couldn’t

be the team to beat Cardiff and turn some heads in the process. With a day to go the team was to receive some bad news, that both our captain and our coach were not coming to the away game with us.

It left the team feeling slightly deflated but still I believed we could do it. We played the worst we ever have as a team, with the score ending up 7615 our biggest defeat yet.

I personally was scared that this could knock everyone’s confidence and there was no time for that as we only had a week to prepare for our final

two games, on the Monday away to Gloucestershire and the Wednesday at home to Brunel.

This was the week we needed to play the best we could.

However the team responded well the defeat, they hated losing just as much as I did and it spurred them on to work harder than ever before to ensure we were never to repeat what happened in Cardiff again.

We trained together for six consecutive days in our final week, we played a friendly against a local side and did everything in our power to ensure we were prepared

both physically and mentally.

We set off to Gloucestershire on the Monday knowing it was not going to be an easy game, but everyone wanted the win too much. We were focused and we were ready. When arriving at the venue we could see Gloucestershire were not going to let us take the game easily, as they needed a win too. They had a really large and really loud crowd out but it didn’t affect our game.

Everyone played fantastically and we were winning all the way through. Building each quarter and making the gap between

us and Gloucestershire bigger each time. The game ended 5236 to Kent and that was it we had secured our place in the Premiership for a second season.

We didn’t get much chance to celebrate though, as the next day we were back at training and preparing for Brunel. We wanted to finish the season on a high and with Brunel not being a particularly nice team to play, we wanted to win against them just as much. The game was tough and you couldn’t call it either way all the way until the end. Unfortunately in our last quarter we made a few too many mistakes and Brunel ended up taking the game 45-41 to them.

Our season has been a big learning curve and we will definitely be much more prepared for the challenges that face us next season.

We realistically are aiming for 3rd place in the league and there is no doubt in my mind we can achieve that seeing how hard everyone has worked this season.

It is a challenge I look forward too. As for now, the team is continuing to work hard at training, ready for our final game of the year, where we take on the Poly in Varsity.

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

InQuire sport VARSITY 2013: RALLYING CALL FROM THE VP

Photography courtesy of Sam Allard.

Matt Harris Vice President (Sports) THE time has come once more for the two local universities to slog it out to win the prestigious, and for Christ Church the highly elusive, Varsity Cup. Year on year the successes and size of Varsity has grown to include more sports and more of our student run clubs who compete all week against Christchurch; these sports range from your mainstream sports of rugby, hockey and football to your not so common handball, table tennis and badminton.

This is without doubt the biggest sporting event on the university calendar and for Kent, the pressure has always continued to rise as a result of one simple fact; Kent have won Varsity every single year since its implementation back in the mid 1990’s.

In recent years, Christ Church have come close to claiming

their first Varsity win. In 2010 it came down to just one point, the final game of American Football deciding the end result but last year saw Kent reclaim their dominant form and brush Christ Church aside in an abrasive fashion, sealing the victory well in advance of the final day of sport.

It is important not to become complacent as history has nearly proved. Their challenge each year has been rebuffed

by Kent but on the day, talent can fail in the face of character and that is one thing I’m expecting them to bring to the games. John Wooden once said "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

It is not about last year, or the year before, or the decade before that; it is about this year, here and now with the players we have.

This year I have seen a rise

VARSITY

in the talent amongst the clubs, the competitiveness, the passion and with all this comes winning results and those results do not lie.

Team Kent sit in a considerably advanced position in comparison to their noisy neighbours in the BUCS National and Regional Tables; Team Kent have a team in the Premiership division with four more leading their 1A leagues looking for premiership promotion.

Furthermore Kent football have gone unbeaten in the BUCS league for 32 games and are therefore unbeaten this year, women’s tennis this year are unbeaten, golf and men’s table tennis are unbeaten, men’s indoor cricket are unbeaten, women’s Hockey again, unbeaten and all sit at the top of their respective tables.

Team Kent have had players reach university trials for Great Britain, across men’s

football, ultimate frisbee and lacrosse; confusing regional teams as well as reaching the last four teams in the National Cup like Women’s Tennis and once more Men’s football.

For Kent, losing is not an option; winning is everything.

I believe the onus and the expectation is on Christ Church to perform and to up their game, to play up to Kent’s level where we perform consistently week in week out and reap the benefits and claim titles.

We have a superior advantage over Christ Church and it is on a scale that I have never seen before.

The Varsity Week itself begins on Saturday the 2nd of March, kicking off with the men and women’s 1st team rugby matches to be played at Canterbury Rugby Club and ends on Sunday 10th March with a full day of hockey over at Polo farm that includes the men and women’s 2nd and 1st teams. As

we progress through the week, there are fixtures involving lacrosse, netball, handball, golf, table tennis, badminton, tennis, football, equestrianism, cricket, trampolining, swimming, volleyball and basketball.

With over 40 fixtures in the week, there is something for everyone with such a variety to go and watch and support Team Kent to keep the cup in its rightful place at the home of Kent University.

The Varsity T-shirts are on sale for £5 in Unique, located next to Essentials and get you perks in Woody’s and the Venue all week.

All of the details for Varsity itself can be found on the Kent Union Website at www. kentunion.co.uk/varsity alternatively you can follow Team Kent on Twitter for updates on the week’s events by searching for @theteamkent or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamKent.

Come on Team Kent!

check out our varsity special centrefold for a full list of all the fixtures for this year