Palatinate Edition 706, Friday 13th March 2009 by Palatinate

Going down the toilet Palatinate ﬂushes out the best (and worst) of Durham’s loos Feature

Toff talk

Palatinate takes a ringside seat as rich boys and girls mouth-off Feature

James Morrison The singer-songwriter speaks exclusively to Palatinate before touring Interview

PALATINATE The ofﬁcial Durham University student newspaper since 1948

ISSUE 706 | FRIDAY 13TH MARCH 2009

PALATINATE.ORG.UK

CITY OF DURHAM COUNCIL

Chad’s Day celebrations get out of hand

James Inman

>> Traditional festivities result in damages Jess Pauley A NUMBER OF STUDENTS from St. Chad’s College have caused damage to property as a result of the college’s annual Chad’s Day celebrations. >>>The event, held on Thursday 26th February, typically involves a tradition of ‘invading’ other Bailey colleges en masse - waking up the members of other colleges very early in the morning. >>>It is recognised that the activities involved in this year’s invasions went beyond the limits typically tolerated, resulting in complaints from the heads of numerous other Bailey colleges, alumni, neighbours and even students. >>>Reports state that an array of damaging activity occurred throughout the day, including doors being broken down, paint thrown and a car wing mirror snapped. >>>Other reported incidents include the defacing of a painting, a historic museumgrade costume being tampered with and the unauthorised entry of students into both study and guest bedrooms. >>>In another case, costumes for Durham Opera Ensemble’s production of Carmen, that were being stored on a rail in Castle, were knocked onto the ﬂoor and covered in glitter and green paper. >>>Pedestrians are also understood to have been pushed aside during the event. >>>In an email to the students of St. Chad’s College, the Principal, Dr. Joseph Cassidy, said that he felt ‘“embarrassed” to be the college’s principal and felt that he had been “let down” by quite a few of the students. >>>Alistair Smith, the college President and Elizabeth Gorski, the vice-president, said in a statement to Palatinate: “Several students have been ﬁned and the JCR has accepted responsibility for anything unattributable. We, as the JCR Exec, have also taken clear action to indicate that we expect a change of culture, and not just around Chad’s Day.” >>>Certain sanctions were imposed as a result of the events that took place. The

Exec decided to disallow any alcohol in both the Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Formals last week, and the college bar was closed on these nights too. >>>In an email sent out to all students in St. Chad’s by the JCR president, the alcohol bans were attributed to “the unacceptable culture that surrounded Chad’s Day, especially attitudes towards other colleges.” >>> The President also clariﬁed with Palatinate that although the bar was not to blame for the invasions that took place, the Exec wanted to indicate their disapproval of all “alcohol-linked misbehaviour” in what was described as a symbolic gesture. >>>It is also understood that the traditional Principal’s Feast will not be held the evening before Chad’s Day in the future, to reduce the impact of the weekend. >>>The college’s JCR was closed for a number of days last week, though this situation was unrelated to the invasions and due instead to the mess that was left in the JCR, dining room and quad area. >>>Dr. Cassidy voiced concerns about the cumulative impact of the problems associated with St. Chad’s College in recent months.

Carmen costumes strewn across ﬂoor in University College >>>“Because of the theft by the previous bursar, the college is under intense scrutiny and is actually, institutionally, quite vulnerable”, he said. >>>“We do need to show that we’re capable of managing and controlling ourselves.” >>>The Principal agreed that Chad’s Day invasions should no longer take place.

Student campaign for IMAP e-mail access

University Chancellor Bill Bryson receives his award from the Mayor

Chancellor Bill Bryson made Honorary Freeman Vincent McAviney DURHAM UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR Bill Bryson was made an Honorary Freeman of Durham on Monday 2nd March. >>>Carol Woods, Deputy Leader of the City Council, proposed Bryson for his services to the arts and tourism, education, and his international commitment to, and support of, the City of Durham. >>>Along with football legend Sir Bobby Robson and sculptor Fenwick Lawson, Bryson was awarded this latest honour at a civic reception at Durham Town Hall. >>>Durham Mayor Grenville Holland remarked, “It is very unusual for three recommendations to be made in this way but these are unusual times. In the history of this council we want to mark this important year by honouring three special people to Durham.” >>>On receiving the honour, the university chancellor praised the city of Durham and its world class University. >>>“The real quality that sets Durham apart in my view, that no other city has in such abundance, is sincere, welcoming, consistent and boundless friendlessness”, he said.

>>>“You are really the most wonderful people in the world here. It is that above all else that makes me always glad to be here and very, very proud to be part of this city.” >>>A slight ‘wardrobe malfunction’ almost ruined the day, as Bryson set off from London with the trousers and jacket of different suits on. >>>“I’m not very good in the mornings”, he quipped. >>>“We crossed London but when we got to Kings Cross we were standing on the concourse ready to catch the train on good time and Cynthia looks at me with this look that only she ever has for me and says “Do you know that your jacket and your trousers don’t match?” >>>“I have two pinstripe suits, and I had on grey trousers and a blue jacket; I thought I’m just about to get on a train and go to Durham for one of the most important days of my whole life, and I’m going to look like a clown.” >>>His wife Cynthia managed to save him face by bringing the right pair of trousers up on a later train. >>>Bryson is the 22nd person, and the ﬁrst American, to receive the honour since its

DURHAM STUDENTS HAVE begun a proposal to get ITS to change the university’s email system to add IMAP access, which will give undergraduates the same functionality as staff and research postgraduates. >>>There are two ways of accessing an email system: from an email client (such as Microsoft Outlook) on your computer, or through a webmail interface which allows you to visit any computer connected to the internet and deal with your email from there. >>>Most email providers, such as Hotmail and Gmain, offer a webmail service - but recently it has become standard to add the IMAP protocol, regarded the industry standard for email delivery. >>>However, ITS currently do not allow undergraduate students access using anything other than Outlook Web Access, which only has full functionality in Internet Explorer. >>>The ﬁrst complaints were raised with ITS in October 2007, but no progress was made. The issue was ﬁnally brought to the university’s IT Users Group in February 2009, where a report into the issue, written by students, was requested. >>>ITS have been citing both security concerns and increased support levels for their reluctance to make progress on the issue. >>>Yet Durham University is the only university in the Times Top 10 not to provide IMAP for undergraduates. >>>DSU will be holding a council meeting on Monday to vote on the motion of whether or not supporting the campaign should become policy. >>>Campaigning students will be meeting with ITS management early next term.

Fashion show special

INDIGO

NEWS

Got a scoop? news@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

NEWS

Patrick Hague George Beverly THE END OF Epiphany term at the Union Society has been crammed full of events. The debate on Islam’s compatibility with democracy was of a superb standard with the likes of Baroness Falkner and Samir El-Youssef battling their ground for either side. Last week’s Science and Ethics forum was also extremely lively with topics such as abortion and euthanasia being discussed between numerous floor speakers and notable academics, such as Dr. Tony Calland. >>>To try and counteract the exam panic of the Easter Term, the Union Society will see the return of the ever-popular free cocktail social in the first few weeks. We’ll also be holding a Bacchanalian garden party of epic proportions, but do bear in mind that tickets for this always sell out quickly, so it is well worth reserving early. >>>We are also working to continue the high standard you’ve come to expect at the Friday debates; Will & Will have set the bar very high this year! The first debate, on Mayday, will ask whether religion really is the opium of the people, followed by debates on Euthanasia and Israel’s moral status in the Middle East. >>>After exams we will examine the case for the legalisation of Marijuana, Britain’s place in Europe, and the probity of a certain national newspaper. We will also be ‘turning up the volume’ on the social campaigner and former leader of the Conservative Party, Ian Duncan Smith, and hearing the views of army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt. >>>So whether it’s cocktails or the Conservatives you enjoy, pop along to the Union Society!

oSCArs award volunteers Frances Main

Rob Lever FOUR STUDENTS FROM the college of St Hild & St Bede are to take part in a rickshaw journey across India for charity in September. >>>Rob Lever, Gabs Mynheer, James Crawford and George Looker are attempting the feat as part of the ‘Rickshaw Run’, an annual charity event across thousands of kilometres of risky terrain on the Indian subcontinent. 60 teams take part in the event, which emphasises ‘adventure’. The ofﬁcial website states: “We’re not in the business of holding your hands so the route is open to interpretation”. >>>The boys will be driving their motorised rickshaw from Goa on the west coast of India, to Pokhara in central Nepal- 4,000 km. This is a distance equivalent to driving from London to Paris 12 times. The rickshaw, or tuk-tuk, has a top speed of 55 km/h (downhill with a tail wind). >>>There are serious risks involved in such a journey. The monsoon will have only just cleared, and the boys must endure the poor condition and excitable driving practices notorious on India’s roads. The 145.45cc tuk-tuk has the same power

as a handheld lawnmower, so will struggle in the terrain encompassing the Himalaya mountain ranges. On top of all that, the tuk-tuk itself is not known for its reliability and is likley to suffer mechanical problems with the possibility of regular breakdowns. >>>The expedition is to raise money for three charities.

>>>The ﬁrst, Maiti Nepal, is a charity that aims to prevent the trafﬁcking of girls and rehabilitate any victims. It also aims to help victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. >>>They will also be raising money for Frank Water, a charity which funds clean water projects across India. Finally,

CHASE is a UK-based charity that supports families with life-limited children at no cost to families. >>> If you would like to help the appeal or simply show your support, the group have a facebook page entitled ‘4000 KM in a tuk-tuk? Across India? Really....’.

Research links PTSD to stroke victims Alice Foster RESEARCH LED BY Durham University in association with the Clarke Lister Brain Haemorrhage Foundation suggests that the recovery of some stroke victims who suffer brain haemorrhages could be vastly improved if they are treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. >>>The study found that over a third of 105 brain haemorrhage survivors studied had been diagnosed with this distressing psychiatric condition; this rate is four times higher than in found in the general population. It is usually associated with soldiers in war zones, as well as victims of sexual assault. >>>The trauma of having a subarach-

noid haemorrhage, when there is sudden bleeding over the surface of the brain, causes emotional distress. The half of sufferers who do not die within the ﬁrst two weeks are at risk from painful ﬂashbacks of the haemorrhage as well as chronic fatigue and anxiety. >>>The team from Durham and Newcastle universities found that 37% of patients examined at James Cook University Hospital and Newcastle General Hospital had these symptoms. >>>The current medical focus on physical and neurological wellbeing means that this severe psychological condition is often overlooked. Adam Noble, the lead author of the research, commented on the need for a more holistic and multidisciplinary

approach. Noble said that “Brain damage is often seen as the cause of difﬁculties after neurological illness but for all these conditions, psychological problems may well be a vital element in patients’ poor recovery.” >>>A comprehensive assessment could predict those likely to develop PTSD, based on general skills for coping with stress, and personality traits. >>>Peter Chapman, from Hartlepool, suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2001 but it took 2 years for him to be diagnosed with PTSD. He said, “if I had been tested and treated for PTSD right from the beginning, my life would have been 500 per cent better than what it has been.” >>>He found support at the Clarke Lister

Haemorrhage Foundation in Peterlee, which commissioned the research led by

Durham University. The charity was set up by the family of ten year old Clarke Lister, who tragically died of a subarachnoid haemorrhage in 1996.

>>>Carole Lister met survivors of brain

injury and their families after her son’s

death. She said, “we made a promise to these families, and to Clarke, that we

would get a better understanding of this condition through research.”

>>>Research carried out by Durham Uni-

versity in 2007 found that carers of stroke patients are three times more at risk from PTSD than the general population.

DUCK team take on Mount Kilimanjaro MARTIN DORSET-PURKIS

STUDENT COMMUNITY ACTION’S annual awards ceremony, the oSCArs, was held on Wednesday 10th March in St. Chad’s. The evening was an opportunity for members of SCA to celebrate their achievements of the past year and to recognise outstanding volunteers. >>>A string quartet from Van Mildert played, and guests were later entertained by the St. Aidan’s Barbershop Group. A video message was also played from SCA Patron Bill Bryson. Mr Bryson was unable to attend due to a prior commitment, but said “I am full of admiration for what SCA does, and would like to congratulate you on all your hard work.” >>>Awards were presented for Star College Rep, Project Leader, Volunteer and Community Contact. The Golden Oldie award for long term contributions to SCA went to current SCA Chair Andy Hopkins. Mr Hopkins is a 3rd year Maths student from Mary’s, and has been heavily involved in SCA throughout his time in Durham.

Students prepare for charity rickshaw run MARK LOVELL

From the Union

Jamie Hubbard A TEAM OF 25, led by representatives of DUCK, is again attempting the 5892 metre climb up the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, Kilimanjaro. >>>The group will go to Tanzania this summer. Mount Kilimanjaro is infamous for being completed by only one in ﬁve people. The DUCK team’s record is impressive. Last year only one out of the twenty ﬁve didn’t make it – testament to the group’s dedication. >>>The team have spent several months fundraising alongside their university studies, because they must raise £2,800 to join the trip. In the words of project leader Martin Dorset-Purkis, they have been “running

up and down the country making a prat of themselves”. >>>But in recent weeks, the efforts of celebrities Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole, Kimberly Walsh, Ben Shephard, Ronan Keating, Denise van Outen, Fearne Cotton, Chris Moyles and Gary Barlow making the attempt to also reach the summit has prompted the common reaction “if Chris Moyles can do it, I ain’t giving you nothing”. >>>However, it must be noted that there are fundamental differences in the expeditions of each group. Most notably, DUCK aims to make the trip two days quicker in six and not eight days, despite following a more difﬁcult route >>>The DUCK team’s dedication deserves respect and admiration.

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got a scoop? news@palatinate.org.uk

NEWS

Funding brought forward for Gateway project DURHAM’S LOCAL ECONOMY is set for a boost after a government announcement to bring forward planned funding for the new Student Gateway development. >>>The £3 million grant will support the £48 million project to develop a new Gateway building in the Science Site on Stockton Road. >>>The project is due to begin construction in July 2010, with completion scheduled for summer 2011. Once finished, the law department will move there from North Bailey along with the law collection currently housed in the Palace Green library. The creation of space within Palace Green will enable the library to open its rare and landmark collections to the wider public, whilst simultaneously improving facilities for students and staff. >>>The funds, put forward by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), have been earmarked to begin enabling work on the development and will initially create 50 jobs, rising to 200 when

actual construction of the site begins. >>>John Denham, Secretary of State for Higher Education, explained that the grant is part of a wider Government initiative to bring forward funding for important public sector projects. The current economic down turn has badly affected the construction industry, and Mr. Denham highlighted the positive impact the funding will have on Durham’s local economy: “the project will secure local jobs for those in vital building and construction work.” >>>This was further welcomed by those involved in the Gateway project, including Professor Chris Higgins, Vice Chancellor of the university. “The university is at the heart of Durham and the Gateway project is a significant development for the future prosperity of the city as a whole. The effect of this advanced funding will be immediate, and will help sustain employment in the city and surrounding areas that have been affected by the current financial situation.” The university has already stated that these building contracts will be kept within the local area, thus stimulating the local job market.

DURHAM UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

Olivia Amos

IN BRIEF

>>>Final commencement is of course subject to planning permission, and local residents will have their voices heard on

the matter for a third time during mid to late April this year.

>>>The new World Heritage Site Visitor Centre is another branch of the Gateway

project, to be developed in conjunction

with Durham City Vision. The new centre

will build on Durham’s already-established tourist industry, and further general public interest in the cathedral and other attractions in the city. >>>Harvey Dowdy, Director of Durham City Vision, expressed his delight at the plans: “...we have one of Europe’s finest buildings and together we’ll provide a far greater experience for the thousands of people who visit it.”

Aidan’s student rows 100km for RND VICTORIA WILLIARS

George Stafford A SECOND YEAR student from St. Aidan’s College, Gary Blyth, rowed 100km in a single day last week to raise money for charity. To put this into perspective, this is the equivalent of two marathons plus an extra 10km! >>>Gary has been a member of St. Aidan’s boat club since his first year and now rows for the college’s 1st VIII. >>>He managed to complete the distance in only 7 hours 45 minutes, a time which puts him only 55 minutes off the world record. Speaking to Palatinate, Gary said: “I’m really pleased I decided to do it. It was definitely worthwhile doing, although

I pretty much collapsed at the end! I’m really grateful to everyone who has sponsored me.” >>>Nick Stafford, captain of St. Aidan’s boat club, praised Gary’s efforts: “It is a phenomenal achievement. We estimated that he burnt off about 14,000 calories. He only got off the machine once because he physically had to go to the toilet and he even came out to Revolver later!”, Gary also thanked the other members of St. Aidan’s 1st VIII who each rowed 10km alongside him to give him some extra support. >>>Sponsorship donations are still being collected but so far Gary has raised £450. If you would like to sponsor him, visit www. myrednoseday.com/gaz100km.

Jailbreakers escape yet again... ON THE MORNING of Friday 19th February, 7 teams of jail-breakers set out from Durham prison, writes James Bowers and Maria Guerra-Arias. >>>The challenge was to get as far away from Durham as possible and back without spending any money. Each team raised at least £240 for DUCK. >>>The winners made it across the border into Austria in just 36 hours. Other jail-breakers reached Bordeaux, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Grade Guru DURHAM HAS BEEN selected as one of the 10 trial universities for the notesharing website GradeGuru.com, writes Adam Painter. >>>The website is based upon collaboration of the work of various students who share their notes for others to comment on. >>>The company became aware that students themselves often use their peers for help. The concept will eventually expand into a large network of different students from different institutions, with networks for different courses. >>> The website aims to use academic leaders in classes to aid other peers as well as anybody else who feels they can contribute or gain from the material published.

Wifi warning

AN ALTERATION IN the terms and conditions of the free Wifi service on National Express East Coast trains could lead to your personal information being used by third parties, writes Adam Painter. >>>It is now necessary to enter personal information, including your full address, rather than simply a password to connect to its wireless internet service. >>>However, it is now possible to opt out of the process by writing to the company to request personal details not to be passed on.

EU students failing to repay Birds under threat from loans taken out in UK climate change Champions Tom Lewis UP TO 70% of students from other European Union countries are failing to repay student loans they took out while at UK universities. Figures from the Student Loans Company show that of the 2,240 students, that were due to begin repayment, 1,580 are not accounted for. >>>This has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the Student Loans Company, who have so far relied on European students giving up-to-date information about their earnings and making their own arrangements to pay. As Durham EU student Catherine Bois commented, “clearly if I wasn’t being reminded, paying back my loans would not be my first priority”.

>>>Most of those involved have recently graduated, so they only have to pay once they earn £15,000, or the equivalent salary levels that apply elsewhere in Europe. >>>However, experts are worried that bigger problems will arise when greater numbers of EU students start graduating. The take up of UK student loans by EU students has risen sharply, with 46,000 students borrowing £130m so far. >>>The Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, said that it was unacceptable for suggestions to be made that “EU students are more dishonest than UK students”. Instead, the more culpable party is - as David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said - is the SLC who are “shockingly ineffective in collecting owed money.”

Tim Cross CLIMATE CHANGE IS already affecting birds across Europe, say a group of scientists. They published their findings to create the world’s first indicator of the impact on climate change on wildlife at a continental scale. The group includes scientists from Durham and Cambridge universities, the RSPB, and various European wildlife organizations. >>>Dr. Stephen Willis of Durham University explained how the indicator works: “The impact of climatic changes, both positive and negative, can now be summarised in a single indicator which we’ve called the Climatic Impact Indicator. Climate change is having an adverse effect on many birds,

though some species are actually benefitting from the recent changes.” >>>He went on to say that the birds predicted to fare well under climate change have been increasing in numbers since the mid-80s, and that those predicted to do badly have declined over the same period. >>> Most concerning is that the declining group consists of 75% of the species studied. The indicator rises when a bird’s population changes according to the projection, but declines if population change does not fit the projection. >>>The species doing well include the Sardinian warbler, hoopoe, goldfinch and collared dove. Birds in decline include the thrush nightingale and lesser spotted woodpecker.

Life Academy not endorsed by DSU

THE DSU HAVE banned the company Champions Life Academy from Dunelm House, writes Jess Pauley. It is now operating out of the Three Tuns Hotel. >>>Insufficient details were provided by the company when requested, so it can no longer use university premises. >>>Students considering enlisting with Champions Life Academy, which aims to “develop young people for the business world”, are advised to seek further guidance from the university’s Student Employment Service.

New range instore now. For all your outdoor clothing and equipment needs. 91 A6 FR

AM W

AT E

PA TH

DURHAM RAIL STATION

MILLBURNGATE SHOPPING CENTRE

SOU TH S T

TE GA

SUT TON

E AT SG OS CR A690

TH PA

R VE

E LEAZ

SADLER ST

81 GILESGATE A1 N

ELV ET B RID G

WE ARE HERE

7-8 Silver Street, Durham, Co. Durham, DH1 3RB. Tel: 0191 3741 543

For opening hours go to www.cotswoldoutdoor.com C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got a scoop? news@palatinate.org.uk

NEWS

Talk on plight of Baha’i religion in Iran

ANDY WELCH

SASCHA GRAHAM

Chris Wright ON THURSDAY 5th March, Durham University’s Baha’i Society held a forum to promote awareness of the persecution suffered by members of the Baha’i religion at the hands of the Iranian government. >>>Under the banner ‘Access to Education: A Case Study of Baha’is in Iran’, three distinguished speakers addressed the plight of Iranian Baha’is, each approaching the subject from a different angle. >>>Professor Ian Leigh, co-director of the Durham Human Rights Centre, began the evening by explaining the international legal framework of human rights in relation to Iran. He detailed the responsibilities of Iran as a signatory to various declarations, and also noted the obligations inscribed by the Iranian constitution. >>>His message was that condemning human rights violations in Iran could not be viewed as an interference in Iranian affairs because the Iranian government is not meeting the standards set by its own commitments. >>>John Vashahi, founder of the Iranian Minorities Human Rights Organisation, offered a broad outline of the persecution suffered by many different minority groups in Iran: Arabs, Baluchis, Kurds, Turkmens, converts to Christianity, homosexuals and others. >>>He provided many case studies of individuals arbitrarily arrested, beaten or

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

killed by the Iranian government. He especially expressed concern about seven Baha’i community leaders recently arrested and detained. Their future remains uncertain. >>>Dan Wheatley, Spokesman for the Office of External Affairs of the Baha’is in the UK, finished the round of talks by focusing on education. He argued that the right to education was crucial, noting the importance of struggles for education in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, and also in the American Civil Rights Movement. >>>He explained that followers of the Baha’i faith in Iran are denied access to education and argued that this less obviously brutal form of persecution does

in fact have devestating effects on the Baha’i community. >>>All speakers believed that peacful pressure on the Iranian government could bring about change for the Baha’i and other minorities. They stressed that the Iranian government is more susceptible to criticism than it can appear, and that international human rights activism could in fact have an effect on the situation in Iran. >>>After the speeches, the ﬂoor was opened to receive questions from the audience. This stimulated an interesting discussion of whether the right to education in one’s own ﬁrst language is fundamental, and what problems this might pose for a state composed of many ethnic groups.

Q-week a “roaring success,” says LGBT

Student struck down with Meningitis at Hatﬁeld College A SECOND YEAR HATFIELD student was admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis, or blood poisoning, due to the meningococcal germ. She has now been released and is said to be recovering. >>>However, the episode prompted several colleges to issue emails notifying students of the seriousness of the illness and the potential outbreak. >>>The local Health Protection Unit acted quickly in arranging for the other students in her shared house and family members to receive the appropriate antibiotic treatment in order to prevent further transmission of the virus. >>>The germ that causes the illness lives naturally in the back of many people’s throats without them getting ill. >>>It is spread to others via droplets from the mouth and nose, an unlikely transmission, making it difﬁcult for it to spread largely within populations. >>>Although it is not very infectious, meningitis is common in teenagers between 15 and 19 years as the bacteria is spread through kissing or inhaling secretions from a cough or sneeze. This is why cases often appear in universities, as has occurred here.

>>>This incident comes after health authorities recently noted a spike in meningitis cases. >>>The Health Protection Agency released a report including figures for December and early January which stated there had been 252 confirmed cases of MenB compared to 191 cases in the same period last year, and 142 the year before. >>>This increase could be linked to the unusually high levels of flu this winter. >>>However, the report added that the overall number of confirmed meningitis cases remains low with only 1,193 cases in 2008 - which is fewer than in 2007 (1,256), continuing the downward trend began when a vaccine for Meningitis C was introduced in 1999. >>>“The latest figures remind us that Meningitis and septicaemia are a significant threat”, commented Meningitis Research Foundation Chief Executive, Christopher Head. >>>“These deadly diseases can kill in hours. The most important thing you can do to protect against MenB is to know the symptoms and act quickly; this could save a life”, Head commented. >>>Symptoms include headaches, neck stiffness, an intolerance to light and fever.

GLIAGEEK

Vincent McAviney

“So tell me what you want, what you really really want!” Hopefully by the time you read this the grand DSU survey will have been launched. We want to know what you think on everything from the music at Planet/Revolver to whether you think I represent your views effectively to the university. >>>Naturally there are some rather good prizes to be won from filling in the questionnaire: cash prizes of up to £250 and quite a few free tickets for Planet. >>>The sabbaticals and the large staff team who work at DSU are always working hard to ensure the DSU caters to your needs; it is your union, there to provide the services that you want. Obviously this is only possible if we know what you want! In the past we have had a fairly informal approach to feedback from people, especially with regard to our commercial services. That means that as popular as some of our events are, I know they are not perfect! This is something we have working hard on improving, and the survey should aid this considerably. >>>The campaigning and representation that the DSU officers and I do every day is especially reliant on you telling us what you want and need. I know that some people want better email flexibility from the university, others want the water coolers in the library fixed and some Bahá’í Students want me to help them lobby the Iran government over their human rights record. I am sure there are countless other problems we could help with if we only knew about them. DSU Reps and officers go out seeking views and opinions but we do need people to come to us with their issues too. >>>Think about what you want from DSU. I know many of you have a lot of very important summative essays and dissertations to do at the moment, but I do hope that you will find the time to fill out our survey as it will help everyone who works at DSU to improve what we do for you - and if you need further incentive, remember there are prizes too!

James Roberts FROM THE WEEK beginning Monday 23rd February, students were offered an array of illuminating and exciting events put on by the LGBTa (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender association). >>>Known as ‘Q- week’, this annual event is one of the highlights of Durham University’s LGBTa calendar - second only to the Q-ball. >>>The events, which ranged from talks on queer theory to hitting the gay scene in Newcastle, were well received. >>>The week began with the Launch Social, not only well attended by old and new faces of the Durham LGBTa student body, but guests from across the North East were also present. >>>Q-Week included a discussion entitled ‘LGBT in Faith’ where those who attended enjoyed an enlightening account of how sexual identities ﬁt together with religiosity. The speakers were Henry Dyson, a fellow of Grey College who has previously served on the Executive of the World Congress of Faiths, and Helen Berry, a member of the Metropolitan Community Church which was originally founded in the gay community.

>>>The week also included a talk headed ‘Queer Tracks’, which discussed the “subversive strategies of queer genders in examples of rock and pop music.” >>>Rebecca Carbery, Transgender Representative for the university, described the talk as “an original and informative understanding of non hetero-normative culture”. >>>A discussion on bisexuality also took place on Thursday afternoon over tea in Esquires. >>>Those who took part in the week were not only intellectually stimulated, but also enjoyed several non-scholarly activities, such as pizza nights. >>>Durham students were also invited to ‘Lesbilicious Comedy’, held in Hyena Comedy Club in Newcastle, which starred Bethany Black, Jen Brister and Zoe Lyons. >>>The Association’s joint presidents Brooke Martin and David Bailey described the week as a “roaring success” and thanked members of the university for their support. >>>“We’re now anticipating the Q Ball, which judging by this year’s Q Week turnout should prove sensational”. >>>Email lgbta@dur.ac.uk for more information.

IN FOCUS

Got a potential investigation? news@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

IN FOCUS

Got a News Features idea? news@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

IN FOCUS

Plagiarism Exposed

>>Student Community Action (SCA) is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. Palatinate investigates the role the charity plays within the city...

>>As dissertation deadlines get nearer and nearer, Palatinate looks into what exactly constitutes plagiarism and how students can safeguard themselves against it

>>Reporting by Frances Main

>>Reporting by George Stafford

JAMES ARNOLDI

Children from the local community take in a theatre production with the Thurston Project, a scheme recently set up by SCA

Members of SCA’s executive committee were given the opportunity to meet Bill Bryson, Durham University’s chancellor and SCA patron, at a tea party last week.

undertaken by a recent Durham graduate. Lorna Taylor, SCA’s current manager, graduated from St. Chad’s last year. >>>Speaking to Palatinate, Taylor explained why she decided to stay and work for SCA: “I really valued my experience as a student volunteer and staying on to help others volunteer seemed like the next logical step.” >>>The work carried out by SCA in the local area has recently received ofﬁcial acknowledgement from Grenville Holland, Mayor of Durham. >>>Mr Holland recently held a civic reception for SCA in the town hall last month. In a recent interview, Mr Holland said “The general public do not recognise the important part students play in the city’s welfare.” >>>During his visit to Durham last Wednesday, the university’s Chancellor Bill Bryson met with members of SCA’s

BURSTING THE BUBBLE Wrong button

POLICE IN GEORGIA caught an escapee inmate breaking back into jail after escaping to steal cigarettes. Guards saw Harry Jackson, aged 25, trying to creep back into jail unnoticed with 14 packets of cigarettes allegedly stolen from a nearby store. Jackson, who was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, was found to be missing when a jail door was found unlocked. He had managed to open the door to the exercise yard and climb the outer fence. He now faces new charges of escaping from prison and burglary.

HILLARY CLINTON RECENTLY started out on the wrong foot with her Russian

counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. She gave him a mock reset button symbolising U.S. hopes to mend ties with Russia. The token

was accompanied, however, with the Russian word peregruzka, meaning overload, rather than the reset she was going for.

In an attempt to restart the cooled rela-

tions between the two countries after U.S. criticism of the war in Georgia, Clinton and Lavrov pushed the button together, despite the U.S. Secretary of State’s slip-up.

“Some students may think that modern technology has made cheating easier” >>>‘Patch Writing’, a method of collecting work from various sources together with words of your own, is also forbidden. Students are even at risk of plagiarising their own work by submitting almost identical work without referencing.

Purr-fect Cat Road to love Woman A CAT LOVER has collected a tin of cat

food every day of her life. Fifty year old

Ella Christopher set herself a target 6 years ago to collect a tin every day to give as a donation to charity.

She has collected and donated a total

of 18,262 tins for the Bournemouth branch of Cats’ Protection, a charity which feeds over 200 cats a day in the area.

Ella, who is known locally as ‘Cat Wom-

an’, has saved the charity about £10,000 in cat food.

OVER 100 BACHELORS in Barwaan Kala, India, are building a 6km road in an effort to increase the number of marriages in their village. Currently, 121 villagers between 16 and 80 years remain bachelors. The last wedding was 50 years ago and the village’s remote location has been blamed. In 2005 residents hoped progress would be made when a party candidate promised not to marry until a road was built. A year later, he married despite failing to make any progress.

>>>Finally, websites that offer essay writing services for a fee sometimes give a ‘no plagiarism promise’. >>>However, submitting ‘bought’ essays still constitutes plagiarism. In addition to this, the university also considers uploading work to websites where it can be sold as plagiarism, and administers similar punishment. >>>In addition to the vigilance of markers, Durham University uses powerful computer programs to detect plagiarised work, such as ‘Turnitin’. >>>Some students may think that modern technology has made cheating easier. HOwever, the internet and technology have in fact made it easier to detect plagiarism. The program compares assignments with thousands of books, over 10,000 newspapers, magazines and journals, over 70 million student papers and over 10 billion web pages, highlighting similarities when they occur.

>>>Sam Dale, Durham University’s Academic Registrar, told Palatinate that the program is constantly being developed as its archive is expanded each time an essay is run through it. >>>Mr Dale also stressed that plagiarism is taken very seriously by all departments within the university. >>>Durham University’s policy regarding plagiarism penalties differs for formative and summative assignments. >>>When plagiarised work is submitted for formative assessment, the student is made aware of the seriousness of his or her action and the problem “should be dealt with informally by the department.” Summative plagiarism is treated far more seriously. >>>A report is ﬁrst made to the Chair of the subject in question or the Joint Board of Examiners. If there is sufﬁcient evidence, a sub-group panel of the Board of Examiners is created.

>>>The student is summoned to meet with the board and the reporting examiner, where evidence is presented and the student is asked to account for it. >>>The panel considers the evidenc; if the case is deemed serious, the Chair makes a formal accusation of dishonesty to the Senate Disciplinary Committee, citing a Major Offence. >>>If the case progresses to the Senate Discipline Committee, the student receives a written summons to attend a hearing, and the Principal of the student’s college and the Head of the Department will be invited to attend the meeting. >>>During the hearing, the student is given a chance to speak, and the Principal of the student’s college and the Departmental Head submit statements regarding the student’s general conduct at university. >>>After a ﬁnal statement from the student, a decision is reached by the committee and punishment decided upon

if guilty. >>>Each case of plagiarism is treated differently, as varying degrees of mitigating circumstances tend to apply. >>>In the most serious cases, expulsion can occur. Other punishments include a formal reprimand, zero marks awarded for a module, or a reduction in the degree classiﬁcation to be awarded. >>>Many students seem to think that this university policy is designed to scare them into avoiding plagiarism, and that the punishments are rarely meted out. >>>However, between October 2007 and December 2008 three students were expelled from Durham University for submitting plagiarised work, whilst other students received a mark of zero. Plagiarism should therefore be taken seriously by all students. >>>Avoiding plagiarism is fairly straightforward. If a student is unsure as to whether or not something in their work counts as plagiarism, they are advised to consult a member of staff within their department before submitting it. >>>Care should be taken when collecting notes to ensure that all sources are correctly referenced in the essay’s footnotes and bibliography. >>>Students are advised when notetaking to carefully record the correct page number, book title and publication details. Managing your time appropriately can also ensure you avoid plagiarism, since lack of time may be responsible for insufﬁcient or careless referencing. >>>All departments within Durham University take plagiarism very seriously, and with the potential consequences so severe, all students are advised to consult the guidelines if they are unsure. >>>For more information, visit the ‘Avoiding Plagiarism’ tutorial on DUO and the ‘University Guidance on Procedures in respect of Assessment Irregularities’ at www.dur.ac.uk/learningandteaching. handbook/6/3/5/

Plagiarism: What the students think

by Ursula Hankinson FLICKR ID: FOFURASFELINAS

Bizarre jail break-in

executive committee. >>>Bryson - who is a patron of SCA congratulated the volunteers on their “hard and heroic work”. He commented on the “history of schism between the town and university” and said he believes that “Student Community Action contributes towards developing relationships between students and local people”. >>>Bryson’s comments echo Mayor Holland’s view that “local residents see students making noise in the city but that’s not the true student. SCA strikes the balance, providing a superb image of students here.” >>>SCA has volunteering opportunities for students throughout the year. Contact community.action@durham.ac.uk, or visit www.dur.ac.uk/community.action

>>>AS THE EPIPHANY term is dominated by looming essay deadlines, an increasing number of students may be concerned about issues of plagiarism. >>>After interviewing a selection of students, Palatinate has discovered that many are unaware of what constitutes plagiarism and are worried about accidentally cheating. >>>So what exactly is plagiarism and what happens if you get caught? >>>University guidelines deﬁne plagiarism as “unacknowledged quotation or close paraphrasing of other people’s writing, amounting to the presentation of another person’s thoughts or writings as one’s own. This includes material which is available on the worldwide web and in any other electronic form.” >>>Most people are aware that directly copying work and failing to reference sources is plagiarism. >>>However, the university’s ofﬁcial guidelines also include more subtle ways in which plagiarism may be committed, many of which students may be unaware of. >>>Copying song melodies, pictures or photographs, computer codes, spreadsheets and work conducted in a group without acknowledgement, counts as plagiarism.

IEUAN JENKINS

SCA sets up new schemes every year. The Thurston Project began providing theatre skills workshops for 10-14 year olds in 2008. The project is named after

Adam Thurston, a Hild Bede student who was instrumental in setting up SCA. >>>Adam sadly passed away in 2004 and the project was set up in his memory. The children put on their first show last Christmas and are currently working towards the next one. Sophie, aged 11, said: “I am really looking forward to acting, singing and dancing in front of my parents at the performance.” >>>SCA is a registered charity, with a board of trustees, including past and present students and staff from the university. When asked why SCA took this step, Dr. Armitage said “We wanted independence and responsibility for our own activities and finances.” It was also partly due to efforts made by Sir Francis McWilliams, the former Lord Mayor of London, to increase student involvement within the community. >>>When Sir McWilliams visited Durham in 1992, representatives from DSU and senior members of staff were brought together to discuss the development of SCA. >>>Alderman Ian Luder, the current Lord Mayor of London, recently commemorated SCA’s 20 years and called upon students to “become involved with improving the lives of those living in communities around Durham.” >>>Mr Luder praised the students “who are reinventing SCA afresh each year, meeting new needs and old and experiencing what it means to be a volunteer.” >>>Over the years there have been a lot of changes to the way SCA operates. There are currently over 500 volunteers involved in more than 50 SCA projects. This means that the organisation is too large to be run by students alone. Barbara Fotheringham was subsequently employed in 1995 as secretary to both DUCK and SCA, and in 1999 the first manager was appointed. >>>The manager oversees the running of SCA and the position is normally

FRANCES MAIN

referred to SCA by social services. CATSS enables the children to try new experiences through a week-long activity holiday. >>>In addition to established projects,

Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning

SCA celebrates twentieth birthday THIS YEAR, STUDENT Community Action (SCA) is celebrating its 20th year of volunteering within the community. SCA was founded in 1989 when students and staff united existing volunteering projects from Durham University. >>>Dr. Vernon Armitage, former principle of Hild Bede and a current patron of SCA, spoke to Palatinate about the beginnings of the charity: “There was already a strong tradition of volunteering at Durham and most colleges ran their own projects. Many of these projects were keen to join SCA, and some still run today.” >>>One Hild Bede venture, the Children’s Holiday Project, now runs under the name CATSS (Children Achieving Through Student Support). Dr. Armitage said that the project “began in the 1970s and, although it has changed over the years, the principles remain the same.” >>>Students originally provided holidays for disabled children, but the project now works with children who have been

Do you think you know what plagiarism is?

C M Y K

Do you know anyone who has been accused of plagiarism?

Would you ever consider committing plagiarism?

Quality Student Accommodation up to in Durham City Centre

£1000

A community of 4, 5 and 6 bedroom houses with large separate living rooms, newly refurbished kitchens and bathrooms, all within 7 minutes walk from Hild Bede. Wynyard Grove is a private enclave, with a communal

cheaper than living in College

BRAND NEW FLAT SCREEN TV’s

garden and no through traffic in this convenient location a stone’s throw from Hild Bede and 50 metres from a new Sainsbury’s Local. A very popular student area exactly the same distance from the DSU as the hill colleges or the viaduct. These newly refurbished houses are £55 per person per week, and include ALL BILLS (gas, water, electricity, tv license) AND the FULL SKY PACKAGE

NOW WITH FREE

with SKY HD which includes SKY+ and with ALL the Movies, Sports, Entertainment channels, 16 mb SKY Broadband MAX UNLIMITED and ALL the Freeview channels on brand new large flat screen TV’s. All houses comply with the new

INCLUDED IN THE RENT

DSU SAFETY STANDARDS 2009/2010

and have: Gas Certificate NICEIC (electrical) certificate Mains Linked Smoke Detectors

All houses come supplied with: Burglar Alarm Fridge Microwave Gas central heating Separate living room

Washing Machine Tumble Dryer Freezer Proper shower Good sized rooms

Contact Nick Swift on

07802 456958

Or look at www.hopeestates.com to browse the houses

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got something to discuss? editor@palatinate.org.uk

EDITORIAL AND LETTERS

PALATINATE

EDITION 706 | FRIDAY 13TH MARCH, 2009

Freedom of speech (just watch what you say) Researching news stories is often an arduous task, albeit an important one. >>>All sorts of difﬁculties invariably arise, ranging from simple logistical problems to altogether more convoluted problems of ethics and, perhaps most presciently, human sources simply unwilling to divulge the information that one needs. >>>This edition of Palatinate, our front page lead revolves around the various improprieties that occurred throughout the St. Chad’s Day celebrations. >>>That we are able to bring you this story at all is a minor miracle, given how utterly determined virtually every single St. Chad’s student was that we should not uncover the truth behind the day’s events. >>>Such blind loyalty to one’s college is somewhat admirable, if completely misguided. >>>Palatinate was bound to ﬁnd out

about - and subsequently report - the day’s events. >>>If individuals were so concerned about the image of their college, why not cooperate with the student newspaper in producing an accurate and balanced account, instead of obstructing its investigations at every turn? Change is coming to Palatinate Big changes are afoot at Durham University’s ofﬁcial student newspaper. >>> Next term, Palatinate will debut what will hopefully be regarded as a great new design, replete with a new serif body text and headline font. >>>The newspaper will be joined by a fully redesigned website, including a brand new audio-visual section. >>> Want to get involved? Get in touch.

EDITOR James F. Thompson editor@palatinate.org.uk DEPUTY EDITOR Laura Pennington deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk INDIGO EDITOR Daniel Bjelis indigo@palatinate.org.uk CHIEF NEWS EDITOR Jess Pauley news@palatinate.org.uk NEWS IN FOCUS EDITOR Helen White in.focus@palatinate.org.uk DEPUTY NEWS EDITORS Vincent McAviney, Adam Painter, George Stafford deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk COMMENT EDITOR Chris Wright comment@palatinate.org.uk DEPUTY COMMENT EDITOR Calum Jones deputy.comment@palatinate.org.uk SPORT EDITOR Rajvir Rai sport@palatinate.org.uk CO-SPORT EDITOR Simon Lamb sport@palatinate.org.uk DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR (Vacant) CHIEF LIFESTYLE EDITOR Dipal Acharya lifestyle@palatinate.org.uk BEAUTY AND FASHION EDITOR Dipal Achraya fashion@palatinate.org.uk FEATURE EDITOR Francesca Teoh feature@palatinate.org.uk FOOD EDITOR Fiona Hicks food@palatinate.org.uk INTERVIEW EDITOR Charlie Booth interview@palatinate.org.uk TRAVEL EDITOR Eleanor Killin travel@palatinate.org.uk CHIEF ARTS EDITOR Daniel Bjelis arts@palatinate.org.uk BOOKS EDITOR Matthew Richardson books@palatinate.org.uk FILM AND TV EDITOR Poppy Macleod ﬁlm@palatinate.org.uk MUSIC EDITORS Anna Codrea-Rado, Sebastian Payne music@palatinate.org.uk STAGE EDITOR Daniel Dyer stage@palatinate.org.uk CO-STAGE EDITOR Sophie Zeldin-O’Neil stage@palatinate.org.uk VISUAL ARTS EDITORS Rosie Boscawen, Thomas England visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk LISTINGS EDITOR Alison Moulds listings@palatinate.org.uk ILLUSTRATIONS CO-ORDINATOR Susannah Taylor illustration@palatinate.org.uk PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Max Waldron photography@palatinate.org.uk CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Liza Miller sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk SUB-EDITORS Matt Hopkins, Frances Main, Jack Battersby, Louise Quarmby Joe-Han Ho, Daisy Wyatt, James Arnoldi, Lucy Jackson ONLINE EDITORS Mike David Smith, Ali Gledhill web.editor@palatinate.org.uk Anybody wishing to become involved with a section should e-mail the relevant editor(s) as listed above

Correspondence Palatinate readers share their views. This edition, readers contribute to the St. Cuthbert’s Society debate Re: ‘Why Rachael was right - the trial of St. Cuth’s’, edition 705 >>> I read this article and it raised several issues for me. You say that farcical is the only word you think applicable for our JCR exec given what you have seen since you arrived in Durham. >>> I don’t know whether you are a first year or not, but regardless, I am sure that you are aware that ‘good pants, bad pants’ and other such traditions are called traditions for a reason. >>> This is not the first year that they have been happening in the JCR meetings. >>> As I’m also sure that you are aware, the JCR exec changes every year. I think it is totally unfair to slate the reputation of this year’s exec, and the individuals within it who work very hard to represent the student body, for what has been going on for years. >>> If you have issues with the way our JCR is run then you should have taken them up with Sean Collins, the JCR president, first. Or indeed any member of the exec. The same goes for Rachael too. >>> The exec can only represent us if we tell them what we want, and by writing articles like this and like the one in the previous edition, demanding change before you have asked for it, you are just embarassing Cuth’s. Ryan Dempsey St. Cuth’s JCR Re: ‘Why Rachael was right - the trial of St. Cuth’s’, edition 705 >>> I am a big supporter of opinion columns and I completely agree with freedom of speech. >>> However, it is disappointing to see Palatinate continually publish items in the Comment section without initiating the relevant fact-checking. >>> No opinion should ever have to be retracted, if it is opinion alone which is being put forward, but when an opinion is stated and then backed up by a supposedly factual statement which is actually inaccurate, it becomes defamatory. >>> I believe that Palatinate, being Durham Univer-

sity’s most-read news organ, has a responsibility to avoid inﬂuencing the views of students by making statements which are just wrong. >>> Will Day’s article is full of factual inaccuracies which he has used to back up his opinions. >>> These are opinions which may well affect other people’s perception of those whom he is attacking, and although he has every right to hold those opinions he does not have the right, by law in fact, to support them in print with falsehoods which mislead his readership. Anonymous Editor’s response: It is perhaps worth noting that Palatinate did not receive even one offer of a rebuttal article to Rachael Revesz’s original piece in time for the last edition but did receive countless offers of support. If readers object to one side of a debate, surely they must be prepared to take part in it to represent their own views? See today’s Comment section for another side of the argument. Re: ‘Why Rachael was right - the trial of St. Cuth’s’, edition 705 >>> First let me give some context to why I wrote

this article. >>> I went on the Palatinate website well over a week ago, and read Rachael’s article. I was horrified by some of the inflammatory responses to her, especially Tom Fletcher’s first post, which he signed off as a member of the exec. >>> I have now revisited that page and see the very sensible posts by Matthew Glover and Sean Collins. >>> I am also glad to see that Tom has apologised. In retrospect, I would have toned down the language of my article had I seen these before writing it and having now read it in print personally disagree with the sweeping nature of some of my points. >>> At the time, though, I felt that Rachael was getting a bit of a tough time, and that her comments were not being dealt with constructively. >>> I also suspect that Palatinate decided to publish my article because of some rude and aggressive comments which were also made about the editorial team after publishing the first article. >>> I should finally point out that as a comment article, there was no requirement for me either to research or factual check my article. I was writing as an ordinary, albeit at the time angry, JCR member. >>> From my point of view, as I wrote in the article, I was getting emails from the JCR implying that there had been a bust up with the new Principal at the same time as getting emails from Senior Management informing me that they were trying to improve the student experience at Cuth’s. Will Day Author of article in question Editor’s response: Writers have a responsibility to check the facts of any article that they write, particularly if the facts in question are being relied upon to substantiate an opinion. Regarding the motivation behind printing the second piece, this had nothing whatsoever to do with any comments made about the Palatinate editorial board. Submit letters to editor@palatinate.org.uk or comment on any of our articles directly at palatinate.org.uk

Hey! Interested in audio-visual content creation? Experienced with digital video Budding director or cameraman?

E-mail the editor!

We need YOU

THE BIG PICTURE

Got a great photo? photography@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got a great photo? photography@palatinate.org.uk

THE BIG PICTURE

C M Y

THE BIG PICTURE

Saturday 28 February, 2009 Vintage Fashion Fair, Dunelm House

Photograph by Alastair Barber

12 COMMENT

Got an opinion? comment@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

COMMENT

Not every sperm is sacred

Calum Jones

here’s rarely been a recent edition of Palatinate which hasn’t featured, usually on the comment pages, some article or another about religion. I’m sorry to have to bring us back to it this week; but with so much nonsense coming from the Vatican in the past few weeks, I think it’s time to vent off more complaints about the religious establishment. I appreciate that the Bible says, or implies, a number of things which, interpreted in a certain way, might sit somewhat uncomfortably with certain things that we support, allow or encourage in our modern “liberal democracies”. For any person to read the holy books of a four thousand year old, theocratic, patriarchal society and apply them to life today in that way is completely up to them. The point at which I object to Catholicism is when its leading figures are allowed to put two fingers up to the constructs of democracy: equality, respect for human rights, and even law. As the dust had only begun to settle over ‘Holocaustgate’, Father Luiz Couto, who has in the past faced numerous death threats linked to his campaigning against the death squads which patrol Brazil’s poverty-stricken streets, was suspended by his local archbishop. Suspended not for expressing views which, like holocaust denial, we have rightly rejected through our laws and morals, but for doing the very opposite. Father Couto defended the use of condoms - not for promiscuity but for public health - and spoke out in opposition to discrimination against gays. Two goals - ending the spread of infectious diseases and securing equal rights - and if anyone other than a religious leader had objected they would have been branded as an extremist or a lunatic. That the agents of the Pope, God’s ‘representatives on Earth’, are able to undermine fundamental tenants of our society in such a way by seeking to silence those who manage to reconcile religious belief with a healthy respect for pragmatic modern concerns, is both dangerous and irreconcilable with the needs of a developing, liberal society particularly one like Brazil, in which so many things still need to be put right. The final straw in this catalogue of blunders was the excommunication, ordered by another Brazilian archbishop and supported by a senior Vatican cleric, of a nine year old’s family and doctors after an abortion to terminate the twins fathered by her step-father, who abused her and her handicapped sister for four years. Brazil is, undeniably, a very Catholic country in which religion plays an important role, but even here faith and a liberal - even socialist - agenda have been reconciled with abortion laws that allow procedures on the grounds of rape or danger to the mother’s health. The Vatican’s response to this? “No law is above God’s law.” Forgive me if I misunderstand - but isn’t an organisation which teaches that foetal rights trump the trauma of child rape, and which vilifies law abiding doctors and parents in the name of a ‘higher authority’, one which can hardly claim any shred of credibility?

Becky Ladley As many of you will know, there has recently been a spate of bad press about St Cuthbert’s Society. I am a Cuth’s ﬁrst year, and I’m writing this article to both show the ﬂip side to a rather unbalanced debate, but also to discourage others from using Palatinate as a public way to discredit their college or society. >>>After all, as Will Day said last issue, “such a public stance cannot facilitate the necessary partnership that should be in place between the Senior Management and the JCR.” >>>In Will’s article, he claimed that the JCR Executive are becoming increasingly irrelevant. I cannot for a moment see how this is true. The Exec exists to serve the student body – as such, it will never lose importance unless it ceases to be mandated by the JCR. >>> This is notably not happening in Cuth’s, as evidenced by the fact that during a time of general student apathy, more Cuth’s JCR meetings have been quorate this year than for a number of years. Students stand for Executive posts not to receive greater importance or recognition for their input, but because they care a lot about their college and want to get more involved.

“More JCR meetings this year have been quorate than for a number of years” >>>To address the “silly” questions that some Cuthsmen have criticised, while Cuth’s Exec members rarely restrict the nature of questions asked, they are not the only ones to ask such questions. Students from all areas of the Society – everyone from enthusiastic freshers to

In defense of the Exec Cuth’s JCR stands up to criticism

apathetic third years who come to watch a friend hust – are free to ask whatever they like. >>> Of course there are traditional questions, such as ‘good pants, bad pants’ that are usually maintained by, if not an Exec member, then a veteran meetinggoer. Equally, at a recent hust I did for Social Chair, one of my friends who had never been to a meeting before mandated us to dance. >>>It’s not a culture bred by our Exec, but a natural inclination for all students to try to bring fun into every situation. The Exec’s only crime, perhaps, is to allow questions of that nature – if they didn’t, we may have seen an article in Palatinate last week about restricted freedom of speech. You simply can’t please everyone in this scenario. >>>I also find it necessary to enlighten people about the formals situation. The decision to boycott formals was not a stubborn decree made blindly by the Exec because the Senior Management had cut down on our alcohol allowance, but voted for by the JCR membership because they wanted to be treated like adults, and not have motions slid through over the summer when the Exec were both new and not all present in Durham. And while Professor Towl agreed to compromise (the reason why the boycott has lifted), formals have become an SCR-run event. >>>As someone who husted for Social Chair, I found it upsetting that part of my potential job had been taken away from me, and that I might have had to organise Cuth’s Day on a much restricted budget – and now my sympathies lie with the current and elected Social Chairs. We were concerned enough about losing profits of wine from formals, but now we lose the formal profits altogether. >>>I consider many members of the Exec to be friends of mine, and so have seen how hard they all work at their jobs. I have attended some Executive meetings, which go on for several hours, and have far less casual banter than JCR

meetings have. >>>They also work with commendable dedication within their job capacities: for example, the Welfare Ofﬁcer, Jill Chapman, once gave up her Monday night to drive me to the eye hospital. This is the extent to which the Exec go to do their jobs not just well, but exemplarily. >>> Rachael and Will praised many of the facilities of Cuths, but they seem to have overlooked that it’s the very people they are condemning who actually run those services. Imagine if you’d had your hard work criticised and disregarded in a public newspaper, without even a prior indication that people were less than pleased.

“Our JCR is one of the best governed collegiate bodies within the University” The responsibility to make a complaint is up to the person with the comment, and I don’t mean in Palatinate. How is the Exec expected to read the minds of the entire apathetic section of the Cuth’s student body? >>>Moreover, Will concludes that the man to be entrusted with this responsibility is the Principal, but (nothing against him personally), how can anyone presume that one man, with many other commitments, can do the hardest job of thirteen student representatives? Despite claims that Cuth’s is “less organised, less structured and one step behind everyone else”, our JCR is one of the best-governed collegiate bodies within the university; after trying to ﬁnd the constitution or standing orders of

other colleges on their JCR websites, it appears that almost half of the colleges have no accessible governing documents, and that only 5 colleges actually have standing orders.

“I urge anyone who has a serious complaint to make it through the proper channels” >>>Not only are the St. Cuthbert’s constitution and standing orders fully available on our website, but they are probably some of the best. In addition, our governing documents are constantly being reviewed and improved, by JCR and Exec members alike. >>>I believe the St. Cuthbert’s Society Exec is one of those rare things that isn’t as good as you make it – it’s better. They work hard to do the very best they can, and, even in a time of such student apathy, manage to represent us to the best of their capabilities. >>>Whilst we have heard from two people with the opposing view, the fact that it was aired in Palatinate may have meant that it received much bigger hype than it merited. >>>I urge anyone who has a serious complaint to make it through the proper channels, so the Exec can consider it in perspective. >>>Conversely, if you think the Exec are doing a bloody good job, take the time to tell them. I’m sure they’d love some good news for a change. C M

>>>If you have an opinion on this or any Y other issue, Palatinate would love to hear K from you. Visit our website to comment Alternatively, send any articles to comment@palatinate.org.uk, and we’ll try to ﬁnd space to air your views.

Got an opinion? comment@palatinate.org.uk

Fridayday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

COMMENT 13

Former Chief Executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sir Fred Goodwin, ran a major bank into the ground. Should he be allowed to keep his pension? Mark Harmstone

esperate times, so they say, call for desperate measures - and the Labour Party is in very desperate times indeed. Almost certainly facing a drubbing at the rapidly approaching general election, Gordon et al. seem to have reverted to a core voters strategy in an aim to prevent their die-hard supporters from lapsing into apathy, or worse, Conservatism. Thatcher may have had the Falklands, but Brown has found his Galtieri in Sir Fred Goodwin, one of the few men in Britain more hated than the Prime Minister. His actions, it is argued, were responsible for the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland; yet, rather than being punished, he has instead been rewarded with a pension of over £700,000 a year. >>>Sir Fred’s situation may or may not be immoral, but it is certainly just. His pension was agreed in the days before RBS’s nationalization, and none but the most ardent socialist would deny the right of a private enterprise to remunerate its chief executive however it wishes. The fact that the bank is now owned by the state is irrelevant: Goodwin’s contract is still binding. >>>Harriet Harman, herself a solicitor and QC, implicitly acknowledged this when she noted that the pension “might be enforceable in a court of law... but it’s not enforceable in the court of public opinion”. The boundary between democracy and populism has always been blurred, but Harman’s words definitely cross the line. To retroactively alter contract law, for the sake of a few votes, seems folly in the extreme; doubly so, when one considers that the ‘credit crunch’ at its heart is nothing but a lack of confidence. If Harman rewrites the rules, what will there be left to trust? >>>Vince Cable, in Prime Minister’s Questions of 6th March, called upon the government to deprive Goodwin of his pension using existing rules regarding corporate negligence. I agree: let them, but the decision should be made by a fair trial in a court of law. The “court of public opinion” is nothing but mob rule. What Harman is suggesting is effectively a bill of attainder, whereby Parliament declares a person to be guilty of a crime, without going through any of the troublesome business of evidence and judges. >>>The last time such a thing was considered was in the dying days of the Second World War, when Churchill was talked out of getting Parliament to let him have all the high-profile Nazi leaders summarily executed. Spin as they might, I doubt the government will be able to convince anyone that Goodwin is in quite the same league of evil as Dr. Mengele.

FLICKR ID: TIGERWEET

DEBATE

All are equal under the law >>>The whole proposal would not even be an issue in the States, whose Constitution specifically forbids post-facto legislation. Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights, though a good deal more woolly, would also seem to guard against it; regardless, Parliament is still sovereign, and a government committing such gross constitutional vandalism would not be likely to obey such European niceties. >>>Assume, for a moment, that Harriet gets her way, and Sir Fred is officially designated a Naughty Boy and has his pocket money stopped. Who will be next, now that the precedent has been set? Goodwin’s role is merely symbolic; £700,000 may sound a lot, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the vast sums already squandered in dealing with the crisis. >>>More “greedy bankers” will inevitably follow, as will anyone else regarded as being in any way complicit in the whole affair. It is a slippery slope, leading to arbitrary rule: once Parliament has awarded itself the moral right to punish individuals in such a matter, it will not relinquish it easily. At the risk of invoking Godwin’s Law, it is tempting to misquote Martin Niemöller here: “First they came for the bankers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a banker.” >>>Sir Fred may be infuriatingly smug, but that is all the more reason to defend him. We are all equal under the law, and there is no such thing as an objective moral judgement: once it is ruled that there is a category of ‘undesirables’ for which the law does not provide full protection, this category will grow and grow until it engulfs anybody deemed vaguely irritating to the state. >>>It is for this very reason that the BNP is still allowed to operate: there is only the slightest of differences between banning the Nationalists and banning the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. >>>Retroactive, pseudo-judicial impositions have been useful tools of political manouvering for Labour in the past: in 1997, Blair passed a windfall tax on the profits of the privatized utility companies. It had been promised in his manifesto, on which he won a landslide majority. Then, as now, money and the incumbent government’s economic record were hot topics - and the promise of strong, seemingly principled action was one the electorate bought. >>>If Harman wishes Goodwin to be deprived in such an illiberal manner, I suggest she urge her boss to dissolve Parliament and call a general election. Somehow, though, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Chris Wright

remember once seeing a poster in Edinburgh airport in which Sir Jackie Stewart, three times Formula One champion and childhood sporting hero of Sir Fred Goodwin, explained: “Sport and RBS. Both global and driven by competition and success.” >>>You have to worry about those who enjoy fast and expensive cars. Goodwin’s style as head of the Royal Bank of Scotland was typical of the shallow competitiveness of people who equate winning with being worthwhile humans. Sir Fred’s ambitions for RBS were aggressively international. >>>What had traditionally been a cautious bank entered into ambitious expansion, including the development of a substantial American banking network, which exposed RBS to the toxic assets of the sub-prime mortgage market. Sir Fred built lavish new headquarters both in Edinburgh and in Conneticut, whilst RBS’s hostile takeover of Natwest earned Sir Fred his reputation for ruthlessness. There was a rather unpleasant mood of Scottish pride as the grammar school boy from Paisley saw 18,000 English heads roll. >>>The Natwest deal subsequently became the model for RBS’s part in the largest banking takeover in history. In 2007, Sir Fred moved to buy up a large part of the failing Dutch bank, ABN Amro, for much more than any serious analyst thought it was worth. The ABN Amro move makes it clear that Sir Fred simply wasn’t interested in a rational analysis of risk. And why should he have been? The opportunity for personal success and glory was immense, but when a banker like Sir Fred fails miserably he is still left with considerable personal wealth. >>>Sir Fred’s excessive risk-taking has delivered losses of £24.1 billion to RBS and incalculable damage to the economy. To add insult to injury, when RBS had to be rescued by the taxpayer, Sir Fred is on record as having described his dealings with the government as “less of a negotiation, more of a drive-by shooting”. To feel hard done by when you have run an important bank into ruin is a pretty extraordinary failure of moral imagination. >>>Goodwin is 50 years old. As it stands, till the day he dies he will annually receive £693,000 as a pension from a company now the government’s responsibility. He would be rich without this money, but he has nonetheless decided that he will not compromise his contractual right: he has chosen to disgrace himself rather than give up his pension, which tells us that he must really want it. Why should we let him have it?

A conflict of law and justice >>>The answer, of course, is that his contract is legally binding, and the rule of law is something more valuable than the millions of pounds we will be giving to Sir Fred. To retrospectively alter his pension arrangements would set a terrible precedent of government overriding the law to satisfy popular opinion. >>>I take the point, but it is mistaken for two reasons. The first is that extraordinary situations don’t generate precedents. It is unprecedented for the government to have to rescue a major bank. There is no serious danger of anyone invoking the Goodwin pension precendent to cancel contractual arrangements in ordinary circumstances. >>>The second is that the financial crash raises the profound issue of how capitalism incorporates justice, and only an excess of wealth and security can induce us to forget that this problem should be taken as earnestly as the principles of liberal democracy. Those who have characterised the pension proposal as mob rule seem to me to be extraordinarily insensitive to the moral seriousness of the popular sentiment against greedy and incompotent bankers. Nobody is demanding a lynching. All that is being considered is taking action to deny Sir Fred his right to get even more obscenely wealthy from the institution he has crippled. This is not a violent or a self-pitying populism: it is an expression of anger that is entirely contained within reasonable norms of fairness. >>>Some have claimed that capitalism is now in crisis. This is merely wishful thinking on the part of deluded utopians. Capitalism will continue indefinitely, and so it should. But capitalism’s moral authority really is in crisis. The experience of Fascism is that anti-democratic populism is more dangerous than anyone imagined it could be. This is what we face if the current resentment for bankers mutates into something altogether less reasonable. Sir Fred has eschewed the opportunity to make a ‘gesture of goodwill’ by volunteering his pension: to forcefully rescind it would be capitalism’s gesture of goodwill, its olive branch to the people. >>>Yes, we would be singling out one man without untangling the complex causes of the financial crash. But it’s difficult to think of a more deserving scapegoat. Goodwin was a bad banker in a system that did not motivate him to be a good one, but he could not find the motivation within himself to be responsible. To deny Sir Fred his pension would be a bold symbolic act that could help introduce a new morally conscientious banking culture.

14 COMMENT

Got an opinion? comment@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

COMMENT Dave Richards

oldplay’s music is a very good example of what I call the ‘communal aesthetic’, which attempts to provoke lonely, insecure emotions through an art form. I believe the communal aesthetic is a product of modern alienation so we must define this first. >>>We do not live in communities; we live in ‘networks.’ In a community you make contact and develop bonds with a wide range of people of different ages, professions and so on, just through the normal interaction of general life. We can also think of a community as simply having a strong social life. >>> However, a network offers thin contact with a restricted ‘web’ of people. For instance, a school or workplace is a network, where you are put with a specific age group or those who do a specific occupation, and you are kept restricted to those people. >>>The central element of living in networks is that relationships are fleeting and shallow, and you are asked to suppress all the parts of yourself except the network interest part - the part of you that can laugh with people of exactly the same age, or to do the same repetitive task all

shows how de-politicised our culture is. Watch the program; it has no arguments or counter-arguments, no scrutinising of assumption, no explanations, no elaboration and no deﬁnitions. It is a masquerade of political debate. >>>However, television does not have to be harmful in small doses. But if the focus of television is entertainment and television is the paradigm for public discussion, can we say that television has made entertainment itself the natural format for the representation of our experience?

“The world given to us by this rapid media ﬂow is largely devoid of order and meaning.” Neil Postman, the media theorist and cultural critic, agrees: “as typography once dictated the style of conducting style, politics, religion, business, education, law and other important social matters, television

now takes command. In courtrooms, classrooms, operating rooms, board rooms, churches and even airplanes, Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas; they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.” I think we can see this in the tendency for group mentality in schools; they give instant gratiﬁcation and shallow pleasures in the same way TV does. The humanist and essayist Aldous Huxley described group mentality as ‘herd poisoning’, which he believed acts like “an active, extraverted drug. The crowd intoxicated individual escapes from responsibility, intelligence and morality into a kind of frantic, animal mindlessness.” It is the weak, dull social organisation of empty minds. >>>I think the people that emerge from this are people with ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ personalities. Their ‘outer’ personality is made up of bits and pieces they’ve seen off TV, and bits and pieces they’ve used to manipulate teachers and the few friends they have; their ‘inner’ personality is rarely exposed, and recoils from intimacy because it has not been de-

veloped through activities such as a strong, diverse social life, and critical thinking skills brought on by reading. >>>Now, for Coldplay. Let’s say a performer is looking for success and attention; it follows that one route would be to see what the audience wants and what their needs are. If their needs are perceived to be emotional insecurity and alienation, then appealing to those is one way to gain the love of the audience; a magnified, artificial love which is much wanted by a population in which self-esteem is increasingly seeked through performance. >>>What feeds Coldplay’s success is simple; when people do not belong to a community they will look for artificial integration into one. In this sense the communal aesthetic is very conservative, because it doesn’t try and solve these problems by moving away from a major cause of them - namely media saturation and the western norm of saturating yourself with shallow pleasures - it chooses to solve them by re-branding the media consumed. >>>The question that remains: are people willing to purge themselves of their anti-social behaviourisms and open up socially?

Our jaded view of death Coming to terms with a difﬁcult reality

In times past when death was more prevalent, there was a strong tradition of rituals and customs associated with it. Queen Victoria famously wore black mourning dress for the remainder of her life after the death of her husband. Nowadays, whether subconsciously or not, we are less and less willing to accept the inevitability of death. It has gradually been pushed into life’s darkest corner. Premature death like Jade’s is even more of a taboo. >>>Rather, we concern ourselves with anti-aging products and lifeextending detoxes. >>>Us Brits in particular seem to view death as something which should be done as quietly and unobtrusively as possible, whereas the ritualistic dimension to death is maintained to a degree in countries such as Italy and Spain. Stiff upper lip and all that. Its very lexicon seems designed to conceal its frightening reality. We talk in a euphemistic and clichéd manner of people ‘departing’, ‘passing away’ or ‘going to a better place’ as though the ‘D’ word was in some way contagious. >>>The explicit fashion in which Jade has dealt with her illness and imminent death is thus hard for many to stomach. It was just about palat-

able when John Diamond documented his battle with cancer in the Times, but the ubiquity of Jade’s story is less easily swallowed, and has been met by many with snobbish distain. However, born of reality TV, the tools of low-brow media culture are the only ones Jade has any experience of. It is as natural and cathartic for her to discuss her health problems via interviews and photoshoots as it was for Keats to write the Odes after the death of his brother. >>>Not only are her actions therefore perfectly comprehensible, but they should even be actively commended. The publicity surrounding the story has had a number of positive outcomes, and whether they were intended at the time is beside the point. >>> For one thing, the health service has reported a massive increase in women attending screenings for cervical cancer. Furthermore, by refusing to be inconspicuous, Jade is forcing us to deal with issues such as terminal illness and death in a direct, open, and healthy manner. >>>She talks about her ill health with a refreshing clarity and frankness: “I am devastated, frightened and angry. I don’t want to die, I have so much to live for… The whole thing

FLICKR: EARTH ANGEL 82

Coldplay’s cultural contribution and the “communal aesthetic”

day in a highly specialised work environment. Adam Smith was prophetic when he described how the division of labour would act as a ‘mental mutilation’, creating ignorant and insular human beings. >>>I believe that the pathological state which eventually develops out of these constant repetitions of thin contact is a feeling that your ‘friends’ and ‘colleagues’ don’t really care about you beyond what you can do for them. Do you feel that about the majority of people you know? >>>Another important element in our cultural tendency is to ‘amuse ourselves to death’. As a culture we spend an enormous amount of time absorbed in television and other mediums like the internet, and even now newspapers which try to mimic televisions effect; namely by vaudeville and instant gratiﬁcation through visual and aural stimulation. The world given to us by this rapid media ﬂow is largely devoid of logical order and meaning. Television certainly has the ability to short-circuit thought, to take logical, critical thinking and channel it into a giddy nothingness. Take Question Time; its prominence as a political debate programme only

Amy Higgins nappropriate. Tasteless. Even depraved. These are just some of the disparaging adjectives that have been banded righteously about in recent weeks as Jade Goody continues to conduct her dying days in the full glare of the media. It is hard not to see the irony here. We are a society obsessed with reality TV and Jade has been its showpiece. We were happy to chuckle at her geographical malapropisms on Big Brother; we were suitably horrified by her bullying of Shilpa Shetty with its potentially racist undertones. >>>But now the story is stage 4 metastatic cancer, Jade is facing death - surely life at its most brutally real - and we would like her to put it away, thank you very much. >>>However, it is not the propriety of Jade’s overtly public final days that we should be questioning – after all, that is her prerogative (though, incidentally, she claims it is to provide financial support for her children and that is good enough for me). The more pertinent question here is why her OK! magazine spreads, Living TV documentary and numerous public statements make us feel so uneasy. >>>With the advent of science and positivism, our attitude to mortality has become increasingly distanced.

Viva la Vida?

is absolutely terrifying …I am in a nightmare.” She has spoken candidly of crippling physical pain and the degrading side effects of chemotherapy. >>> She has refused to cover up her bald head, even declining to wear a veil on her own wedding day. It might not be a pretty sight - but then neither is cancer. It is a brutal, ugly, vicious disease. Like death, it is not a concept that can (or should) be sterilised or domesticated. Death follows life, and for many cancer is a horriﬁc precursor; we cannot shy away from discussing it, and we do ourselves a disservice if we do. >>>Jade’s artless commentary tells it like it is, like no one else could. It is giving the frequently silenced terminally ill a voice, and enabling us all to face the ultimate fact of life head on. For that she deserves our gratitude and respect, not our resentment. >>>Her exposed demise is neither crass nor trashy, though it might initially strike our polite sensibilities as both. Indeed, there is something peculiarly digniﬁed in the manner in which Jade is, to crudely paraphrase Dylan Thomas, refusing to go gently into that good night.

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got an opinion? comment@palatinate.org.uk

COMMENT 15

COMMENT

ics. In 1992, John Gatto published Dumbing Us Down, arguing that mainstream education systems had a “hidden curriculum” intended to enforce the transmission of norms, values and beliefs decided by figures of authority. He believes that the curriculum makes us more likely to favour democracy, helping us to avoid radical political systems like anarchism or socialism. >>>But it’s also fair to say that boring books don’t sell. So had Gatto written, say, a history of American education policy, he wouldn’t have sold 150,000 copies. This isn’t to suggest that Gatto’s motives were purely monetary: he won New York City’s Teacher of the Year award three times before giving up to become an author in 1991. But it is a known truth that radical, counterintuitive books will always win more publicity than any other. >>>Academic intrigues aside, Richards’ position can’t be left unscrutinised. Firstly, he has painted a wildly inaccurate picture of modern education practices. This seems hard to do given his first-hand experience in a top-flight institution, but he’s managed it nevertheless. He describes the university he attends as totally aligned to ‘the needs of the

David Morris

corporate sector’. >>>This means that he isn’t free to pursue his own interests because he’s too busy being instructed on how best to fit into the production line. Admittedly, in the last few weeks of term summatives always capture a few slaves. But for the vast majority, university life isn’t defined by the library or laboratory. Rather than a life dominated by corporate instruction, students thrive on Saturday walks with the Hill Walking Society, rehearsals for a college musical and Wednesday afternoons at Maiden Castle. >>>But what’s so wrong with wanting a good job? Richards describes the world of work as a production line: a cosmos of obedience and marginalisation. This just doesn’t fit with the freedom of choice available to those who have persevered with education, and the subsequent satisfaction they gain from doing a good job well. Is a Durham graduate using their experience of working with DUCK to start up their own charity part of the ‘production line’? >>>Is a committed Union Society debater who goes on to enter Parliament evidence of obedience and marginalisation? Everyone who leaves Durham finds more open

doors and greater life choices. Education fosters individuality. >>>Richards’ thoughts on tuition fees are attention-grabbing but unconvincing. They are, he argues, a commodity: a calculated ﬁnancial investment for one’s corporate future. In paying out money early, we have a greater chance of positioning ourselves further up the production line later on. Does this match up to why you came to Durham? >>>In part, it should. You weighed up your options and decided university was worth spending £3,145 a year on. Next year, you’ll pay £3,225. But your decision didn’t rest solely on forecast accountancy. >>>You thought Durham was an amazing place, the Wear being slightly more attractive than the M1. You wanted to meet amazing people, and you have. Your friends are interesting, funny and caring: without them Hound would just be a big, noisy, messy room. >>>And you chose a university which thrives on soul-enriching activities. That’s why your week just isn’t complete without its complement of sport, music, acting, writing, debating and whatever else you’ll always make time for. Education is a lifestyle choice.

Your JCR needs you It doesn’t cost much to take part in college life

events, and more memories. I also care a lot for student politics personally, and have always been keen to get involved. Having said that, to date I have still not won an election (politics is clearly not a potential career path for me). >>>It is important to note that the JCR and collegiate system is something we have in Durham that few other universities do, and the benefits of it are something not noticed at all until we visit a friend at another institution. >>>In short, we’re damned lucky to have so much influence in the way our colleges are run, whether it is with regards to accommodation, food, noise at night, or welfare. >>>Yet only a few seem to understand the importance of this, and as a result, seem to lack gratitude somewhat. Loving your JCR is not about shouting at Hatfield, wearing your college stash with pride or drinking nothing but your own college drink. Hell, it’s not even about playing for your college sports teams. Loving your college is something you have to let inside you during Freshers’ Week and let grow within you ever after. It’s about appreciation of the democratic process and

an understanding of all the hard work that goes into running it. Most importantly however, it’s about realising how shit things would be without it; Durham would lose so much of its brilliance as a place to study and have fun without the collegiate system. >>>Here we might ﬁnd the answer to JCR apathy. The reason many may not be concerned about the running of JCRs is that in most cases everything goes too smoothly to be cared about. The work done by most execs, ofﬁcers and committee members goes unnoticed by many because there is no need to notice it or keep check. >>>The next formal will happen, as will next year’s Freshers’ Week, as will the Summer Ball or the college day. There will generally not be disputes with senior staff and everyone will love it. >>>This seems to be the case with Aidan’s, but if we are to believe Rachael and Will, it is not so much with Cuth’s. As a result we see two articles in these pages and a whole host of letters and responses regarding the perceived shortcomings of that JCR. >>>In Castle right now there is the ‘Bargate’ feud and students do seem

MIKE DAVID SMITH

don’t know much about Cuth’s JCR, or indeed any JCR other than the one of which I am a part, but I can conﬁrm that some of the trends mentioned in Rachael Revesz and Will Day’s articles on Cuth’s seem to ring true in St. Aidan’s JCR, and probably most other JCRs. “I hate JCR meetings” and “I didn’t know we have a new Art’s Chair!” seem to be typical comments. >>>However, I would like to clarify that those running Aidan’s JCR are doing a fantastic job (in contrast to Cuth’s it seems); nevertheless, it appears that the response from a large amount of the student body is best described as lukewarm. >>>Furthermore, when a bar event or wonderful formal is put together, few seem to make the connection that without a JCR exec we would not have the fantastic moments that these events give us, the memories we will not forget for the rest of our lives. >>>I might be exaggerating somewhat. Nevertheless, I feel that the JCR has given me a lot and as a result I feel it almost a duty to sit through a few hours of hustings and elections every other Sunday; so that the JCR can run smoothly, and we can have more formals, more

A reply to Dave Richards’ pessimistic view of institutional education FLICKR: LOURY LOU

ne comment writer had a pretty tough time at school. Last week, Dave Richards poured his heart out to Palatinate readers, describing the “throbbing ache” he felt when sitting in a classroom. Richards recalled his “ghostly memories” of an experience he claims separated him from his true nature. >>>Richards then managed to move beyond dark recollections to launch an attack on the institutional education process. His conclusion? That all those hours in the classroom were intended to turn him into a passive, obedient worker, suitable for ﬁlling a gap on the production line. >>>Indeed, Richards believes this has happened to all of us. The curriculum, instead of fostering independent thinking, has acted as a smoke screen for the system of forced learning that ensures we become emotionally dependent on authority. >>>So, we learn small bits of useless information and compete with our peers to see who can recall the most in an examination. We are then given a place on the production line based on how well we do. >>>It’s fair to say that Richards’ experiences are congruent to the theories of some notable academ-

University is a positive choice

MARK PRITCHARD

Jack Battersby

to be getting involved and standing up for their JCR. When we are suddenly reminded about how everything could be so much worse, we act together to protect our JCRs and our voice as students. >>>Why can we not ensure we ﬁght for it all the time, when things are going smoothly? A couple of hours or so every other Sunday evening is hardly asking too much. Exercising our voice and participating together as students should not be a chore, it should be exciting. >>>Last week St. Aidan’s shop committee presented the wonderful Jazz, Rock and Cocktails Evening. The JCR was packed to see some great talent play on a fantastically lit stage with a great sound setup. >>>Despite some meddling by the college ofﬁce, the organisers had held their own to put on the event they wanted. Through their hard work, as well as that of the performers and techies, we were given more JCR memories. I’ve recently seen pictures of the whole of Chad’s storming the Castle (just epic), and I’ve seen a guy in a badger suit chased by the ‘Gladiaidans’. Durham wouldn’t be half as good without all this.

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Know the score? sport@palatinate.org.uk

SPORT

Durham WRFC just edge out Glasgow JONATHAN ALLEN

Sam Crutchley DURHAM UNIVERSITY EDGED out a spirited Glasgow side with a scoreline of 10-5 in a disjointed affair at Maiden Castle. >>>Playing against the slope of the pitch, and with a forceful headwind to contend with, Durham began the first half energetically, but it remained somewhat lacking in quality. >>>However, it was Glasgow who made the first incisive break in the game: winning the scrum against the head and bearing down on the Durham try line with a looming sense of inevitability. >>>Durham’s defence held strong, but Glasgow was eventually rewarded for their early encroachment into Durham’s twenty-two. >>>Following a strong Glasgow scrum, Vicky Parker playing full-back pierced through Durham’s defence to score in the corner. >>>This was but a fleeting glimpse of the expansive play Glasgow had to offer, as the remainder of the half descended into a game littered by errors and missed opportunities. >>>With the Durham coach’s dressingdown still ringing in their ears, they showed renewed vigour after the restart and were unlucky not to be level. >>>Great play by the Durham No.8, Claudia Bayfield, with support from the rest of the forwards, nearly resulted in a try but ferocious defence from Glasgow frustrated the Palatinates. >>>Despite earning two line-outs and

three scrums within the Glasgow twentytwo, Durham were severely lacking a cutting edge, and as the half progressed it appeared more likely that they would live to rue a plethora of missed chances. >>>The Glasgow defence would have made Braveheart himself blush, as twice more they halted seemingly unstoppable attacks from the Durham backline. >>>A veritable game of ping-pong ensued, with neither team capable of grasping the nettle, and at half-time the Glaswegians led 5-0. >>>During the interval, the sun managed to make an appearance, dispersing the clouds and warming the cockles of a few hardened supporters whilst ignoring a shameless Red Bull promoter giving it the hard sell. >>>The Durham supporters, especially the coach – who had become increasingly ‘vigorous’ in his instructions during the first half – must have been praying that the Durham side were really given wings in the second period! >>>With the wind now in a favourable direction, Durham kicked off the second half hoping to make early inroads into Glasgow’s advantage. >>>However, the second half began as the first had ended: scrappily. Penetrative Durham play was negated by an increasing number of penalties, due to a tenacious Glasgow side who seemed to be confident of hanging onto the victory despite having a mere five point advantage. >>>By this point, the attrition of the game was starting to set in for both sets of players. After each passage of play was broken up, bodies were scattered over

the turf, and the game really started to symbolise a great England vs. Scotland slugfest, with neither side willing to give an inch to their adversary. >>>As the game entered the final twenty minutes, Glasgow was still maintaining a level of ferocity that the Palatinates had yet to break down, but due to a timely spot of fortune, the momentum shifted in favour of Durham. Following a rare piece of perceptive rugby, Durham managed to manufacture an overlap against a scrambling defensive line. Although Durham dropped the ball, the referee – fortuitously – deemed it to have gone backwards, and after a chip and chase, Durham had their just reward, with the No.13, Kirsty Irvine, scoring and levelling the scores at 5-5. >>>Durham was now piling the pressure on Glasgow. Some great positional play by the Durham full-back saw them again camped in the Glasgow twenty-two. >>>Their scrum held steadfast in the face of huge pressure exerted by the Glasgow pack, and another elegant move led to a second try for Irvine. He crashed over in the corner and sent Durham into raptures. >>>The final sequence of play was carefully marshalled by the Palatinates, and as the referee blew his whistle, the relief was tangible. >>>Durham’s possession and persistence were enough to see off a feisty Glaswegian side, which seemed inconsolable to the extent that only a battered Mars Bar and haggis could lift their spirits….

Durham Badminton ease relegation worries ELIZABETH FUNG

Ally Bacon DURHAM WOMEN’S FIRST badminton team secured victory over Warwick on Wednesday in a cracking set of matches that rescued the squad from the perils of relegation. >>>The women’s team are part of a pool that contains both Warwick and Manchester, and before Wednesday’s match they were falling behind at the bottom. Two weeks ago Durham drew against Manchester, and Warwick beat Manchester 5-3. >>>In order for Durham to remain in the Premiership League, of which they have proudly been in for over 3 years, two leagues above the Men’s Firsts, it was vital that they secured a two point margin win over Warwick.

>>>Wednesday’s team was described as their strongest yet, with every girl previously competing at a County level. >>>The dynamic Jenny Ward, Wednesday’s impressive competitor in the singles rounds, is an ex-Welsh international. >>>The girls were optimistic from the outset, but uneasiness and tension was clearly evident in the pre-match warm-up. >>>Despite this, Warwick arrived with only 4 players. Warwick’s team was forced to concede two matches, so even before the first serve the score opened 2-0 to Durham. >>>The women’s team consisted of captain Claire O’Neill, Juliet Carlisle, Lisa Turner, Laura Parnell, Jenny Ward, and Zara Rahman. >>>With three of this six leaving next year, and this being their final match

of the season, the pressure was on to triumph. >>>From the outset the sideline support was ever-present, noisy and always enthusiastic. >>>First up were fresher Lisa Turner and third year Jenny Ward. Lisa, powerful in her hits and accurate in her shots, thrashed the Warwick girl in the first match 11-21, yet the second was much tighter finishing 21-18. >>>In the third decisive match, the match was long and drawn out, and clearly exhausting, with a score finally ending up at a very close 21-19 to Durham. >>>With Jenny’s speed dominating the Warwick player, and her opening score of 21-5 and the second 21-4, it proved an excellent start for Durham with an overall total of 4-0 to Durham.

>>>Next to compete were the fast-paced doubles matches with Laura and Claire the first pair to take up their racquets. Laura and captain Claire made an excellent team, with a consistent sequence of passionate, powerful shots. >>>Warwick, with their strongest team member Stokes, posed a considerable threat to Durham’s chances and the first match closed 6-21 to Warwick. >>>Nevertheless, to the apparent surprise of the spectators, Durham valiantly won their second bout 21-17 so it was up to a third round to settle the score and determine if Durham could hold on to their spot in the Premier League. >>>The Warwick team overpowered Durham 7-21, bringing the overall total to 4-1. It was now up to the final few matches to settle the score. >>>The singles players, Jenny Ward

and Lisa Turner, picked up their racquets again and Lisa defeated, just as smoothly as in the first round, the Warwick singles player 21-10 and 21-11. >>>Although Jenny did not win her bout, the total score was brought up to an admirable 5-2. >>>Thus the Durham women knew they had guaranteed a trouncing win even before the second Durham doubles pair faced Warwick. >>>The final match proved to be unexpectedly dramatic as a shoulder injury for Zara forced the pair to halt. >>>Fears that she had dislocated her shoulder brought out the paramedics, and play was abandoned. >>>This meant that the final result was wrapped up at 5-3 to Durham. >>>This scoreline is a fine accomplish-

18 SPORT

Got tales from the team? sport@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

SPORT

Collingwood football seal league title JONATHAN ALLEN

Vicki Sparks A HARD FOUGHT 1-0 victory over an impressive John Snow A saw Collingwood A clinch the men’s football Premiership title in the final match of the season. >>>Mike Smith’s coolly-taken penalty ten minutes into the second half was enough to put the game beyond John Snow and hand the championship to Collingwood. >>>Reigning champions John Snow had come into the match three points behind Collingwood and were looking to win by two goals or more to achieve the three points and superior goal difference needed to retain the title. >>>They began the match brightly and exerted a lot of early pressure on a nervous Collingwood side, with Keith Miu’s looping throw-ins causing particular problems. >>>Collingwood defended well at several crucial points, keeping their opponents at bay, but found it almost impossible to make any headway up front. John Snow looked the more settled of the teams, showing greater composure on the ball especially when attacking, but failed to convert their forward forays into genuine tests for Collingwood goalkeeper Andy O’Neill. >>>As the half wore on both teams went close to breaking the deadlock. Collingwood’s Phil Critchley headed against the bar just after the half hour mark, and then moments later a glancing header fell to John Snow’s Joe Greenham unmarked in the area, who slipped as he volleyed his shot over the bar. >>>Collingwood went close again just before half time when George Cockbill tried to flick the ball in at the near post from a corner, but a scrambled clearance from the John Snow back line kept the match goalless at half-time. >>>With only 45 minutes left to hold on, Collingwood seemed to relax a bit at the start of the second half, and began playing the ball along the ground more in a bid to break down the John Snow defence. >>>This style of play almost paid off

within seven minutes of the restart as Critchley’s excellent through ball put Smith in on goal, but his shot was well blocked. >>>Collingwood were suddenly able to get forward and run at the John Snow defence, and it was another excellent through ball that led to the turning point of the match. >>>On 55 minutes, Tom Hoskins went to ground as he tried to head past the onrushing goalkeeper Peter Brundy and the referee adjudged he had been fouled, awarding a penalty with little hesitation. Smith stepped up and fired the ball past Brundy to give Collingwood a crucial 1-0 lead. >>>John Snow now needed to score three in thirty five minutes to prevent Collingwood from being crowned champions, but buoyed by the goal it was Collingwood who looked the most likely scorers as they maintained their positive passing play, pushing forward in search of a second. >>>Nevertheless, after recovering from the initial blow John Snow rallied and managed to create some of the best chances of the match. >>>They fought back into the game and came close to an equaliser through Chris Hall whose shot skimmed off the outside of the post. The last fifteen minutes saw good chances for Nick Rhodes, who headed narrowly over, and Javier Garay, who couldn’t get his shot away in time after he was picked out inside the area. >>>Collingwood had a few half chances to wrap up the win but were content to maintain possession and seal the championship. >>>A clearly delighted O’Neill, speaking after the match, was quick to praise John Snow as well as highlighting the team effort from the whole Collingwood A squad. “John Snow did make it hard for us in fairness”, he said. “We were still nervous until we got the goal, and then that gave our lads a lot of confidence. It’s been a team effort all year; we’ve had about sixteen different players play for us this year and all our lads have fought really hard, whoever’s been involved.”

8 medals for Durham at National Championships DENISE SPANGLER

Denise Spangler DURHAM UNIVERSITY”S TRADITIONAL Taekwondo Association (TTA Durham) had the honour to host the British Student Federation Taekwondo Federation 2009 National Championships at Durham University on Saturday 28th February 2009. For those that are unaware Taekwondo is an ancient Korean Martial Art of selfdefense. “Tae” means to kick or smash with feet, “Kwon” means fist or to punch and “Do” means art or way. Taekwondo is much more than kicking and punching. It is a philosophy designed as a complete non-violent discipline of entire body training and character building. This was a one day event with students competing in: Poomsae (patterns), which are a series of attack and defensive moves, and Kyorugi (sparring or fighting). Over 260 students from 24 different universities travelled to Durham to compete in what proved to be an exciting and action-filled day. Taekwondo students of all levels got a chance to compete. Experienced fighters got to test and improve their skills, while beginners got their first taste of being in

the ring while getting to meet other Taekwondo students from universities across the country. It took much time and effort from all members of TTA Durham to organize the event, as hosting a national competition is no small undertaking. The event ran well and smoothly as noted by the attending Grandmasters and competitors. Host Durham University came away with 8 medals, quite a feat considering the young club was formed only 3 years ago by Mr. Mark Saunders, a Ph.D. physics student at Durham University. In the first year, training sessions took place with a handful of recruits in Mark’s living room. Since then TTA Durham has moved to a much larger training hall, with over 20 students attending regularly. Growing from strength to strength each year, Mr. Saunders has made TTA Durham one of the largest Taekwondo clubs in the north-east of England. University of West England came away with the team trophy, Birmingham took secon place, while rival northeast university Newcastle University came iin third. For more information regarding Taekwondo or TTA Durham, please go to www.durham.ac.uk/tta.durham

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Know the score? sport@palatinate.org.uk

SPORT 19

SPORT

Castle beat Collingwood in close affair JOE COLLINWOOD

Joe Collingwood RUGBY’s COLLEGE KNOCKOUT competition this week forsook its usual place under the floodlights of Durham City Rugby Club, heading for slightly less glamorous surroundings in an effort to relieve the backlog of matches caused by the winter chill. >>>Down at the Racecourse, Collingwood took on Castle, hoping to secure a place in the semi-finals. >>>The hill college, last year’s runners-up in this competition, lie fourth in the Men’s Premiership after a rather inconsistent season, while Castle are nine places below, occupying third spot in Division One. >>>As such, Castle went into this match as heavy underdogs but seemed to benefit from a lack of pressure as they played solid, if at times unspectacular, rugby. >>>Collingwood on the other hand, often seemed anxious in possession, with their play characterised by some poor decision making and errors in all parts of the pitch. >>>This said, Collingwood still dominated territory and possession for much of the first half, yet still found themselves 6-5 down at half-time. >>>Their best early chance came after a break down the left wing, leading to a penalty that was kicked into touch just yards from Castle’s try line. >>>A solid line-out was followed by excellent forward play and they were only thwarted by some excellent Castle tackling. >>>Collingwood were left to rue a missed penalty half way through the first half, as Castle slotted two between the posts in a matter of minutes to open up a 6-0 lead, after indiscipline at the breakdown. >>>However, to Collingwood’s credit, they hit back almost immediately with a wellengineered forwards try, with second-row Ben Barnard providing the final push over the line.

>>>The half-time break gave both teams a chance to regroup and it appeared for a time as if Castle had lost the momentum which the first half lead had given them. >>>Collingwood won a penalty straight from the restart which was duly converted to take the lead 8-6. >>>However, with their noses in front for the first time, Collingwood appeared to let their concentration slip. >>>Some quick Castle passing coupled with poor defence enabled the Bailey team to slide over in the right corner and re-take the lead. >>>A tough conversion opportunity from the touchline was spurned, meaning only

a penalty separated the two teams. >>>Collingwood continued to dominate their lower league opposition, but were unable to convert that domination into points, as their errors cost them possession in promising positions time and again. >>>Eventually they were awarded a penalty right in front of the posts. The Collingwood fly-half PJ Stewart made no mistake and levelled the scores at 11-11 to set up a tense last 10 minutes. >>>Having let their lead slip, Castle stepped their game up a gear and pushed deeper into Collingwood territory. >>>Despite the desperate calls of those on the sideline in Collingwood colours,

with 5 minutes to go they conceded a penalty right on the ‘22’, directly in front of the posts. >>>The excellent Castle inside-centre just sneaked his kick inside the left upright to make the score 14-11. >>>Despite Collingwood’s desperate attempts to force a late score, that was how it stayed as the final whistle blew. >>>For Collingwood, the floodlit dream is over for another year, but for Castle it is only just beginning. >>>Grey awaits them in the semi-final, and they will be hoping to provide their supporters with another upset in the cup.

SPORT IN BRIEF Punjabi lights up Cheltenham Festival

Simon Lamb

THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL is renowned as the best national hunt horse racing spectacle in the world. The stars of the jumping world gather at Prestbury Park for 26 races over four days with a total prize money of £3.56m. >>>You will hear many of the top racing experts claiming that “Cheltenham week is an absolute lottery”, leaving bookies licking their lips as favorites fall short and unknown horses race home for historic victories. This week has proven to be no different as we have already seen Punjabi, trained by Nicky Henderson, beat the supposedly “unbeatable” Binoculars to win, with odds of 22-1. >>>Even though the soft ground has made this week’s proceedings the ‘each way’ festival, the clever punter can come up trumps. A friend of mine yesterday sent me through his predictions for the opening day. He proved to be spot on, with Go Native winning at 14-1 and Celestial Halo getting a second at 16-1. It turned out he managed to pick 7 placed horses, including a 40-1 long shot, leaving him to enojoy a very lucrative afternoon. >>>My tip would be to back the Irish; their horses have enjoyed a fantastic festival so far and with the credit crunch hitting Irish stables in particular, this could be a concluding chapter in their long and successful history. >>>The week culminates with the annual Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kuato Star is undoubtedly the obvious pick, but if you fancy an each way bet, Air Force One and Exotic dancer are looking very good candidates.

Durham learn to fly as Saints get their wings IT WAS ONE of those deceptively chilly days; the sun in the sky had minimal cloud cover, leaving the terrain perfect for battle. >>>This was not just any battle, this was a battle with history, a battle that meant more than just the result at the end of match. >>>There are no words to describe the immense rivarly between Durham and hated opposition Newcaslte. >>>As such, it’s fair to say that the weather was not on the mind of the Durham Saints that day. >>>They were focused on a more pressing matter; the return of the Newcastle Raiders to the hallowed ground of the Gridiron at Maiden Castle. >>>This long anticipated rematch, previously postponed due to bad weather, had a deeper meaning for both teams than just the last game of the season. >>>For Newcastle, winning would mean an unbeaten season and the ability to prove they really are the best team in the North. >>>For Durham, the chance was to secure their unbeaten at home record and finally pin one to the formidable foe that has dominated the Northern conference for some time now. >>>The stakes could not have been higher and the tension was evident before the start of play.

RICHARD DUNN

Richard Dunn

>>>Newcastle had already secured a place in the playoff, yet Durham’s win here would secure them a place in the playoffs for the first time in history. >>>With both teams coming out fighting for their respective titles and achievements, they each showed strong promise. >>>The Saints had never been so brave, and in the first half a strong performance from the defence held back the Raiders to just 16 – 0 with only two touchdowns under their belt. >>>Against a team that’s unbeaten and with few points scored against them this season, this performance is nothing to be laughed at. >>>Training in the weeks leading up to today’s game had involved the long awaited plan of stopping Newcastle’s formidable double wing. This task was eagerly hoped for, not only by the team and coaches, nor simply by all the supporters of the Saints dare I say it, the rest of the league wanted it achieved too. >>>Luckily, this was a feat that Durham were secretly confident of being able to achieve after their intense training. >>>Newcastle’s formation - albeit boring - is the reason behind their success. Similarly, their offense lacked flair, but remained effective. >>>The Saints, despite great pass coverage from James Muller and continuous tackling and pressurising of the Newcastle quarterback by the entire defensive line, were unable to cope with the opposition.

>>>However, special mention should be given to the outstanding Andrew Sheppard, later given defensive MVP, and Mark Fulton-Peebles. >>>Despite these efforts the offence were unable to make a dent against Newcastle’s zone defence. >>>However, after the half-time break and an uplifting refuel from Red Bull, the Saints appeared to take flight. >>>The offence, now appearing more focused, brought some nice attempts to the third and fourth quarter, with some nice pass completions and runs by both veteran running-back Rob Burkhill, and newbie Matt Wertheim. >>>However, the long-standing Newcastle team proved to be just too strong for the Saints, who are only in their second full season of play. >>>The Saints played their hearts out, but like all great tragedies it was not to be. Still, all was not lost as the home side crossed their finger and prayed for a Sunderland loss. >>>The dream was not to come true for Durham. >>>Sunderland had unfortunately beaten Glasgow, and Durham’s playoff future would rest on next week’s Sunderland/ Scot match up. >>>Let’s hope history can repeat itself and have the Scots come through for a win, to send Durham into the playoffs.

20 SPORT

Got tales from the team? sport@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

PALATINATE SPORT

Agonising defeat ends DURFC’s season IEUAN JENKINS

SPORT IN BRIEF Durham rowers dominate Ursula Hankinson

Hugo Marland THERE WAS AN air of anticipation about as the home side took on Exeter at Durham City Rugby Club on Wednesday. After a long and hard season it was time for both teams to make the most of their group finish by pushing on through the national knockout stages in pursuit of Twickenham and BUSA glory. >>>Exeter had a long journey to make on the back of a mixed season in the ever-competitive Southern Premier League; they finished 4th equal with Bristol in their group after claiming seven victories from their twelve fixtures. >>>Durham have been more or less consistently strong throughout the year; they ended up second in the Northern Premier League behind the irrepressible Loughborough. Durham have faltered just twice this season. >>>The game started in somewhat scrappy fashion, but it took no time for Durham to show their true colours as Gupta dummied and went from the five metre line after the well organised scrum had secured a good ball. >>>It was the ever-present David Astle who was on Gupta’s shoulder to receive the fantastic offload and bundle over the line.

James Crozier duly fully bisected the posts to put Durham 7-0 up after eight minutes. >>>The game then returned to its original nonchalant fashion until Exeter began to exert slight pressure in riposte to the early score conceded. >>>The likes of Irvine, Walford and Supple were showing their experience as Durham forced hands in the ruck, taking advantage of the ill-disciplined Exeter pack in a more than kickable position. >>>It was Exeter’s inside centre who began to impress; he was showing tremendous pace and power, and managed to make two significant breaks which opened up opportunities for the team in green. >>> At one point they looked sure to be touching down in the corner, yet the last pass went astray to a spectator as the helpless winger looked on. >>>Exeter obviously received a good team talk at the interval as they came out looking strong. They earned an early penalty as Durham came in at the side of a ruck, leaving Exeter happy with the three points. >>>The game languished in the middle of the pitch for some time as both teams were determined to get a grip on the match, yet it was Exeter who emerged successfully from the stint of play as the scrumhalf made another break and offload. >>> This time, the final pass went to

hand. They scored in the corner and the two points that the conversion would have offered were not taken. >>>Kicks were exchanged as Durham began to look the better side, Crozier hit one from close range and the Exeter inside centre began to find his range with the boot, hitting a lengthy penalty to leave the scores 20-16 to Durham. >>>Then came, in rugby terms, the highlight of the game. Exeter scored thanks to a wonderful run from their winger, who must have eluded three tackles in the process of running from Durham’s ten metre line to the try line. >>> Not even Dugarin’s excellent tap tackle attempt prevented the try as the winger lifted himself back up to perform a flip over the line as he crossed. >>>The successful conversion left Durham 3 points adrift. Exeter had the confidence to get back into Durham territory and threw away a three man overlap only to be awarded a penalty which put them 6 points ahead with little time left. >>> Durgain made a brilliant curling run through the opposing defence which left Durham in a tremendous position for the closing moments. >>>It was tense to say the least as Gupta kept Durham in the Exeter 22 with his boot. However, all seemed

lost when Durham’s five metre scrum was wheeled by the Exeter pack. >>>Yet Durham showed their spirit, and the forwards’ relentless work paid off when a penalty was awarded. >>>Great patience and experience was shown by all players as Durham did nothing to force the issue and after retaining the ball well, Malaney bundled over in the last play of the game. >>> The only upset to this was that it was in the far corner of the field, and Durham needed the conversion to win and progress to the quarter-finals. >>>The kick was an extremely difficult one and no one could have been blamed after it failed to go over. >>> The final whistle went to the cheers of victorious Exeter players, and the disappointed groans of a fantastic Durham side and their fervent supporters. >>>The season ends here for Durham 1st XV. Nevertheless, throughout the season Jamie Supple has lead a team which were without doubt one of the best in the country. He leaves behind a fine legacy which next year’s captain will surely build on. >>>This loss now leaves Durham Development team as the only university team in a cup competition as they take on the Newcastle Brumbies in the final of their league cup.

IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITIONS, both Durham university and college boat clubs made a strong appearance at the main women’s event of the winter rowing season, Women’s Head of the River, held on the Tideway. As the main national competition before Henley in the summer, and after winning third place in last year’s event, the Durham crew had much to prove on the day. >>>Due to such a strong performance last year, the Durham First VIII quickly pushed on through the Oxford Brookes crew gaining clear water. The biggest competition for Durham was the Nottingham rowing club, gaining on the Durham crew each stroke. >>> A gutsy performance saw Durham home, gaining the crew another fantastic result in 7th place, behind two GB crews at 19.30. Durham was also the fastest of any university crew, finishing 2 seconds ahead of last year’s winners Osiris. >>>Durham University’s other crews put in top performances, really showing the depth of the squad. The Second VIII finished in a time of 20.33 in 57th place out of 291 crews, with the Third VIII also putting in a good performance. Having three crews in the top third shows a remarkable depth of the squad, affirming that Durham is still at the top of their game at both university and national level. >>> A number of college crews also made the journey down to London to compete, with rivalry from the Wear being taken down south too. Collingwood College came out on top, being placed 165th in a time of 21.47, only just beating Hatfield College who were placed 166th less than 1 second behind. >>> Van Mildert College followed up their success, finishing in a respectable 201st place in a time of 22.05. Hild Bede B crew finished 260th in 23.10, University A in 280th in 24.03, Hild Bede A in 281st in 24.11, University B in 288th in 24.42 and Van Mildert B in 290th in 25.21. >>>The three men’s boats that went to race in York in preparation for their Head of the River in two weekends time, dominated proceedings there too. The 3 boats finished 1st, 2nd and 4th: this close proximity of all three crews to each other and their complete domination of the results table shows promise for the all-important race at the end of term. >>>The men’s college crews also showed up in strength. St. John’s VIII finished out ahead in the Durham colleges, finishing in ninth position overall in a time of 17.45, followed up by St. Cuthbert’s in 23rd place in a time of 19.01. In the women’s VIII’s, Butler College finished top out of the Durham colleges in 55th place in a time of 20.43, followed by S.t Cuthbert’s in 59th place with a time of 20.54.

C M Y K

INDIGO

HATFIELD AND HILD BEDE FASHION SPECIAL AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES MORRISON FLUSHING OUT THE BEST TOILETS

INDIGO

What do you love? indigo@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

PICK AND MIX

Fairtrade thoughts

Palatinate loves...

Following Fairtrade Fortnight, Jenny Fings, Lorraine Feison and Sarah Brown tell us you can help Fairtrade

The Easter Bunny Bearer of all things cho col

ate

Toffee Milk with Steamed Syrup late hot choco The new

Holidays Becuase it’s about time for a break

Palatinate hates...

The News good Isn’t there anything rt? to repo

t a time when the international ﬁnancial crisis is taking the heaviest toll on the world’s poorest people, Fairtrade Fortnight aimed to join in with this powerful movement for change. Why buy Fairtrade Coffee? What difference does buying Fairtrade coffee make? It ensures that millions receive a fair price for the coffee they grow, guaranteeing a minimum price. But surely the free market principle of supply and demand should render the provision of a minimum price unnecessary? No: coffee drinkers do not start drinking more because the price drops slightly, nor is world coffee production likely to decrease – many farmers simply have no alternative livelihood to turn to even if they are losing money on their coffee. The International Coffee Agreement (ICA), signed in 1962, successfully guaranteed coffee prices for growers all over the world until 1989. Then in 1989 the USA pulled out of the ICA, causing coffee prices to plummet and leading to a coffee crisis. This had devastating consequences given that the livelihood of over one hundred million people depends on coffee. With the demise of the ICA, $5 billion was wiped off the exports value of green coffee worldwide. In Ethiopia for example, coffee earnings went down by $900 million over the course of 5 years, the whole economy slowed and social investment decreased. In Central America, 1.5 million people weren’t able to get enough to eat. Despite this, the coffee industry as a whole made an additional $8,000,000,000 from the coffee crisis: the bargaining power of coffee producers was much reduced, allowing big buyers to dictate conditions and prices. So buy Fairtrade coffee! One of the main differences between free and fair trade is that of principles. The ‘fair’ trade movement places equity as its main concern. The ‘free’ trade movement values freedom. This is freedom to trade with whomsoever one wishes without any barriers. Fair trade is a subsidy, like many others, that produces an inefﬁcient outcome. In this free world there will be winners and losers in the short run. However, in the longer run, there will be an average

increase in wealth. Adam Smith noted that “the tailor does not attempt to make his own shoes, but buys them from the shoemaker. The shoemaker does not attempt to make his own clothes, but employs a tailor.” This logic applies on an international scale. Some countries have comparative advantage at making certain goods. However they will be at a comparative disadvantage at making other goods. In this situation the countries will sell the goods that they have comparative advantage for, and visa versa. This is the efﬁcient economists model. The comparative advantage that some countries have can help boost employment. These jobs may not be paid at the same level across the world, but remember Krugman’s maxim that “Bad jobs at bad wages are better than no jobs at all.” When you buy a product that is not fairly traded, what are you really paying for? Sources that use cheap labour and child labour are often used by companies to keep prices low; in Chinese industry, the average labour cost is 5% of that in America and other developed countries. Furthermore, in 2006, the International Labour Organization estimated that there are 218 million working children aged between 5 and 17. These workers are likely to work in cramped conditions for long hours, with abusive or exploitative employers. It is not always possible to buy Fairtrade. How else can you ensure you shop ethically? Buy Local: There are a number of local organic box schemes, which provide free range eggs, seasonal fruit and vegetables delivered to your door – Butterby (www. butterby.co.uk) is one such scheme. Durham Market is a good source for affordable local food, especially Durham Farmers’ Market (in Market Square every third Thursday of the month) from eggs, meat and cheese to vegetables. However, make sure you ask if the produce is local - out of season fruit or vegetables for example, are likely to be imported and although it’s perfectly possible those items have been produced to decent standards, the stall holder is unlikely to know much about the supply chain. Grow your own – join the University

Allotment Society or start a patch in your back garden! Research Products before Buying: Find out which products have been produced to ethical standards. A website such as www.ethicalconsumer.org lists products and brands and gives them an ethical rating. They also rate the ethical policies of supermarkets and smaller food stores, with Marks & Spencer and Waitrose highlighted for taking ethical policies more seriously than other companies and The Co-op as the best ‘ethical’ buy for smaller stores. How bad are supermarkets?: Supermarkets usually have ethical policies in place, particularly on how suppliers must approach labour standards and working conditions, especially for their own brand products. A supermarket must face high-level media scrutiny of its supply chains. Some also stock a range of ethical products: Tesco for example stocks branded and own-brand Fairtrade lines, Rainforest Alliance products, Tesco ‘Greener Living’ lines (such as energy-efﬁcient lightbulbs), ‘Natural’ ranges, various higher animal welfare lines and more - as well as their ‘Local’ ranges. However, supermarkets still have a long way to go; policy is not always put into practice. ActionAid are currently running a campaign asking Tesco to pay South African apple pickers 5p more so they can afford to feed their families. Whilst Tesco makes £331,050 per hour, the workers are currently paid 38p per hour. It is still best to only buy products you know meet ethical standards.

Selected quotes Francesca Teoh presents snippets from the public sphere

Washing-up Seriously. That mould in the sink is toxic.

“God chose me. He made a path for me. I am God’s vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live” Kanye West

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

The rap superstar keeping it real as always.

Positive words from the happy-go-lucky playwright.

Samuel Beckett

“This will be it. When I say this is it, it really “If I’m walking into a shit stream, I wanna know which way the wind’s blowing” means this is it... this is the ﬁnal curtain call” Nathan Muir, Spy Game Michael Jackson Liars Is it that hard to tell the truth just for once?

We’ll believe it when we see it - the fallen pop idol promises to give it a rest.

The actor puts it in much better terms than we ever could.

C M Y K

Got an interview idea? interview@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 3

INTERVIEW

More than just a housewives’ favourite James Morrison talks to Palatinate ahead of his UK tour. Interview by Holly Wild and Charlie Booth Factfile: James Morrison «Born 19 August 1984 «Nationality British «Place of Birth Rugby, Warwickshire «Previous Releases Undiscovered, July 2006 Songs for You, Truths for Me, September 2008 «Trivia Attributes his distinctive voice to a severe bout of Whooping Cough which nearly killed him as a baby. Before being signed by Polydor, he built up a following by performing at open-mic nights at a pub called ‘Ryan’s Bar’ in Derby.

ou Give Me Something,’ James Morrison’s debut single, became a hit in Europe, Australia and Japan and rocketed him to the top of ‘Most Listened To’ playlists of housewives everywhere. Film role offers and BRIT award recognition followed and both his albums, Undiscovered and Songs for You Truths for Me have proved critically and commercially successful.

“I’m not really an actor, I’m really not. I’m not very good at remembering lines. I’m just a singer you know.” >>>“When you’re a new artist the buzz to buy your album is a lot higher than people who are more known, I think. I think second albums are more difficult because people expect more than from the first one. >>>“There’s a hell of a lot of artists releasing albums and people haven’t got as much money or they’re downloading more, so I think people think a little bit more about if they actually want to buy an album before they buy it these days, whereas when I released the first one everyone was caning their credit cards.” >>>Morrison is fresh from a tour of the United States which saw him making guest appearances on the incredibly popular talkshows of both Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres. So, does this mean that cracking America is a main priority

of his? >>>“I think everywhere is a priority really - you want to be well known everywhere, but obviously America is important because a lot of the great music that I love is from there and it would be nice to crack America. I think this time around has gone a lot better than the first time people know me a little bit more. Broken Strings is getting a lot of radio play over there at the moment, which is great!

“You’re away from home a lot, late nights. ...Downsides? There aren’t any really!” >>>“It was hard work - I did a lot of radio shows during the day, and showcases and then shows in the evening. It was pretty full-on but I really enjoyed it - apart from the cold.” >>>James has already planned to play the T in the Park festival this summer, but also admits that he wants to do as much festival work as he can possibly fit in. >>>James’ long-term girlfriend Jill gave birth to the couple’s first child, Elsie, in September. Does James find the hectic and stressful world of touring an extra pressure on family life? >>>“Yeah of course man, because she’s changing all the time and so quickly so you miss the little things. But I’ve been at home recently for quite a bit so that was good and I got to watch her change a little bit which was great. >>>“But it’s going alright! I mean I’ve got extra bags under my eyes now but I’m doing alright with it. You’ve got to have a balance between the crazy nights that I’m doing on the road and the home life. It’s good to have both different lifestyles to put it all in perspective.” >>>James’s most recent single, Broken Strings, sees him dueting with Nelly Furtado. He himself admits she was a rather unexpected choice and explains that the background to this collaboration was frankly humdrum: >>>“It basically came from me writing the song and needing someone to sing on it, so I just tried to think of a contemporary female singer. She had ‘Maneater’ out and I just thought she’s so versatile she can pull off any style really. >>>She was kind of an unexpected choice really. I thought it was so cool when she said she was up for it and she’s so grounded and down to earth. Really great to work with.” >>>The single proved a success, only kept from the No. 1 spot in UK charts by relative newcomer Lady GaGa’s latest offering. Is James a fan of his usurper?

“Meeting Stevie Wonder was amazing - I never thought I’d get to meet him.”

>>>“Well I think she’s definitely kind of kooky and interesting and people obviously like her. I don’t mind being beaten by someone like that, number two’s alright, you know what I mean? I really don’t mind and being one away from the

top is good.” >>>It seems likely that working with another artist would affect the way James works, yet he denies this was the case: >>>“Well I wrote this song without knowing that it was going to be a duet so I think it worked better for that reason really. If I’d have known that it was going to be a duet it might have been harder to write it. >>> I try not to think about it too much and just let it come out and if it’s right for a duet then you can do that. I just wrote a song and then it kind of turned out that it would be good as a duet by chance. It happened naturally which is good.” >>>This most recent collaboration turned out to be a perfect partnership through luck. But what would be James’ dream collaboration? >>>“Oh man! That’s quite difficult. If I was going to do another one it would have to be with Stevie Wonder and I wouldn’t mind what song it was. We could do anything and I’d enjoy it! Meeting Stevie Wonder was amazing - I never thought I’d get to meet him. I met him at the Royal Naval College when he was doing a charity gig and I met him outside. >>> I was waiting for the gig and I was getting really pissed off with my manager because he kept saying “come outside” and I was like “I don’t want to go outside, I’m here for the gig” and he was like “just come outside”. So I went outside and Stevie Wonder was there and I got so nervous. I don’t get starstruck usually, but Stevie Wonder’s the main one. The only one where I’ve gone speechless when I met him.” >>>In 2007 James won the BRIT award for Best British Male Solo Artist. This year he was pipped to the award by Paul Weller. How does he feel? >>>“I’m gutted! But losing to Paul Weller is cool, you know what I mean? I’d rather lose to him than anyone else. I don’t mind. It’s not the be all and end all. I do this because I love it, not because I want to get awards. Obviously awards are nice!” >>>What did James make of Duffy’s runaway success?

>>>“Well she did sell a lot of records you know so you can’t take that away from her. Coldplay are a great band but they’ve won loads of awards already so they can’t begrudge Duffy winning, but I did want to see Adele win to be honest. I’ve just been on tour with her and she’s amazing live. I would have voted for her without a doubt, but Duffy still deserved to win.”

“I’ve got a lot of respect for anyone who joins the army... My dad used to be in the RAF. It was never really an option for me. I’m not really a fighter, I’m too small.” >>>Can he shed any light on the rumour that he was offered a film role prior to the release of his first album? >>>“I hadn’t even finished recording my album at that point. It was a film called August Rush. It actually came out a few

years ago and it had Jonathan Rhys Meyers in it - he got the part in the end. They wanted me to be the lead singer in the film. I’m not really an actor, I’m really not. I’m not very good at remembering lines in general. I’m just a singer you know.” >>>How does James, traditionally described as a ‘housewives’ favourite’ feel about his apparent following in the armed services? >>>“They must be going through a lot of emotional stuff when they’re out there and if my music helps them get through that then that’s wicked. I’ve got a lot of respect for anyone who joins the army and fights for their country. >>>“My dad used to be in the RAF. It was never really an option for me. I’m not really a fighter, I’m too small!” >>>Does he plan to take it easy after the tour ends? >>>“Well I went to Hawaii a few years ago and that was unbelievable - that was the best place I’ve ever been. I’m easy, you know. Last year I went camping with my brother and sister in France and it was wicked. I’d like to go back and take my little daughter with me.” >>>Morrison will be touring the UK until April, and will be performing in Newcastle on 24th March - no doubt to an adoring crowd of housewives and soldiers on leave.

INDIGO

Got a feature idea? feature@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

FEATURE

Hot gossip Emily Evans discusses the scandalous lives of Edinburgh’s elite uess which red-brick Scottish university has spawned an online blog inspired by a certain super-addictive hit US TV show? That’s right folks… Gossip Girl has reached the fair British Isles to give us rumour junkies an insight into the “scandalous lives of Edinburgh’s elite.” >>>For those of you who have been living in a black hole of lectures and essays, the internationally-acclaimed US show follows a group of rich and beautiful New York teenagers obsessed with each other’s dirty secrets, as documented by an anonymous blogger known only as ‘Gossip Girl’. >>>Gossip Girl is, like Sex and the City, a show for teenagers, about the highs and lows of relationships, with an injection of high fashion to enhance an atmosphere of glitz and glamour in 21st century Manhattan. It is perhaps their voyeuristic nature which intrigues the viewers of these two shows. >>>In Sex and the City, Carrie writes about the lives, loves and failed relationships of her closest friends; giving us, and the fictional New York reading public, an insight into their deepest hopes, fears and desires. In the same way, ‘Gossip Girl’ documents the antics of wealthy New York teenagers, creating a conscious narrative framework which allows viewers, both real and fictional, to fulfil the distinctly human impulse to live vicariously through others. >>>It is perhaps this voyeuristic compulsion which drove one Edinburgh student to create a copycat blog, substituting the lives of “Manhattan’s elite” for the questionable activities of Edinburgh’s student

rahs. Just like its ﬁctional American counterpart, this blog, entitled Gossip Girl – Edinburgh Edition, encourages students to send in photos and information documenting their peers’ funny, scandalous, or embarrassingly compromising moments. >>> As I am sure you can imagine, all the entertaining staples of the original are present; including drunken stripping, elicit embraces and hard partying.

“the distinctly human impulse to live vicariously through others” >>>However, perhaps the most amusing element of this new internet phenomenon is its dedication to the witty, sarcastic writing style of its predecessor. The famous tag line has been reproduced with one signiﬁcant amendment: “Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Edinburgh’s elite”, and the secret but suggestive tongue-in-cheek language is mimicked to a tee. >>> One particular entry, detailing the romantic endeavours of a female student, reads like an acerbic item in a celebrity magazine’s gossip column: “Which stunning 2nd year woke up this morning with a collection of impressive hickeys covering her neck? ...Claiming to have a skin condition just isn’t going to cut it... Good Luck!”

>>>With over 12,000 hits in the three months since it was first established in November, the popularity of this entertaining spoof is undeniable. However, its apparent success has not been without problems. >>>Like Like its fictional predecessor, this blog pries into the private lives of young people and then publishes the gory details on the internet for all to see. The blog’s creator, who, in conjunction with the original ‘gossip girl’, wishes to remain nameless, spoke to The Journal newspaper about the adverse reception of the site and her innocent intentions. “There have been quite a few problems with people not taking it well”, she said. “I regret very much that it upset people; it was not intended to be malicious.” >>> This well meaning assurance is all very well, but it seems hopelessly naïve to assume that a personal and sensitive account of the lives of real people would not be seriously offensive to some. >>>Regrettably, for this very reason the blog has now been shut down by its creator and all its archives deleted. This drastic measure is said to have been prompted by a recent unflattering article in Scotland on Sunday (the

Scotsman’s Sunday publication)), which condemned those featured in the blog for their extravagant compulsion “to splash their parent’s cash on Moët et Chandon, Moschino, and Mercedes”, particularly in the light of the current economic downturn. It has also been reported that the identity of Edinburgh’s ‘gossip girl’ had been leaked around the university.

SUSANNAH TAYLOR

>>>Clearly, the question of anonymity is the real sticking point in this scenario. In the show, ‘Gossip Girl’ uses unimaginative nicknames or letters as a substitute for the names of her subjects. However, the Edinburgh gossip is not so discreet, often using full names and other modes of identification in her entries. ‘Gossip Girl’ values her anonymity but her victims have no such luck! >>>Underneath the fun and frivolity of this blog is a serious message of safety and security. We are the Facebook generation, and us such we are often worryingly blasé about the posting of our personal and sensitive information online. We are also the generation of internet fraud and online grooming. >>> This Edinburgh student created a light-hearted blog in the style of a fictional TV show, but, crucially, this blog is about real lives and so cannot be conducted in the same manner without a significant backlash. Our interest in the lives of those around us will never wane, but, for the sake of personal safety and security, our liberal use of the internet must.

Down the pan... Madeleine Pitt dishes the dirt. Photography by Elizabeth Fung and Andrew Adams.

puzzled boy asked me the other night as I trundled off to the loo with a friend, “Why is it that girls can’t go to the loo on their own?” And the answer is simple: because girls don’t go to the loo to just go to the loo. Loos provide a female domain to chat, gossip, bitch and cry. And so for girls, the humble loo is important and it’s about time we flushed out the best and worst of what Durham has to offer in the lavatory department. What is it that makes for a lovely loo, the best bog? I’ve considered décor, cleanliness, fixtures, fittings and fragrant smells and, putting my own prejudices aside (I trapped my finger in the cubicle door here), Lloyds is undoubtedly flying high in the loo stakes. A cosy arrangement of sofas, multiple mirrors and lavish sinks all make for a luxury loo experience.

“What makes for the best bog?”

BEST: Lloyds, Varsity, Loft, Ask, Fat Buddha

Let us contrast this with the DSU loos. They are less than ideal. A ﬂickering light and a notable lack of loo seats makes you feel more like you’re in a grotty hostel, not the union of “one of the world’s leading centres of scholarship and learning” (Durham University website). They say that you can tell a lot about a restaurant from their loos, so

what about a university? Durham claims to be “shaped by the past, creating the future” and there is no doubt that the loos both at the student union and the library are very much “shaped by the past”. Positively bog standard.

“you can tell a lot about a restaurant from its loos, but what about a university?” The architects of Varsity have granted us girls enough space to practice a reel, whilst it is advisable to go on a diet before attempting to squeeze into the toilets at Jimmy A’s. Space is by no means everything though. ASK seems to tick all the boxes with their compact but consistently clean arrangement. Not as much can be said for Klute: ‘compact’ and distinctly dirty. What’s more, there seems to be a shortage of toilet paper blighting the Durham ‘loo scene’. Desperate appeals by girls caught on the hop come ringing from the cubicles in both Klute and Reform. Reform is guilty of yet another offence- a dire shortage of locks. And so it seems that we do need to go to the loo in pairs, if only to at act as each other’s human

security devices. It’s about time that those loos which have been named and shamed start to raise their game, or they could be expecting a visit from the director of the British Toilet Association, Richard Chisness, and his team of toilet warriors (yes, such an association really does exist, and membership is ‘buoyant’). Campaigning for better toilets for all, they pledge to “stop the rot” of Britain’s public toilets, which (apparently) used to be “the envy of the world”. For our five winners, flushed with success, well, perhaps they will become the envy of Durham at least. On a BBC blog reporting the state of Britain’s public conveniences, Sue from Newcastle nominated The Elm Tree Pub near Reading ‘for its wonderful ladies’. “It’s so great I took my husband in there to have a look!” she wrote. “The cisterns are fish tanks and the toilet seats have shells set in them. Really fascinating.” I might have to pull Sue from Newcastle up on claiming that a toilet is “really fascinating”, but what she, and all the others who took (or had) the time to write on this bog blog do demonstrate is that a loo can make a difference to a night out. So next time you’re going out, take a moment to put the lure of cheap drinks and cheesy music to one side and consider the quality of the loos, if only to remind yourself to bring your own toilet paper and a splash of disinfectant.

C M Y

WORST: Reform, Klute, Jimmy A’s, DSU Library

Got a Feature idea? feature@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO

FEATURE

Worlds apart? Daisy Wyatt examines the true deﬁnition of ‘posh’. Illustrations by Susannah Taylor.

n the Oxford English Dictionary the word ‘posh’ is graced with seven meanings. That’s four nouns, one noun-cumadjective and one adverb. The definition which corroborates with what most of us refer to as ‘posh’ is: “Pretentious, affected, or upper-class behaviour or language. Also: grand style, luxuriousness, lavishness; smartness, elegance.” Yet is this an accurate description of how the word ‘posh’ is used today? Northerners (or, at least, the ones I’m friends with) use posh in a completely different way to how Southerners seem to. Hold on, that’s right, I’m talking about the North South divide. In the Northern English Dictionary that my friends adhere to, there appear to be three definitions of the word posh: 1. Noun. A Southerner. Any Southerner. Or a Northerner, if they speak in a Southern way. 2. Adj. Something superior. Example: ‘Whose is this posh tin opener?’ 3. Adj. Well turned-out, smart, pulledtogether. These definitions seem completely alien to me, as a Southerner. My notion of ‘posh’ has always been a lacrosseplayer, grouse-hunter, tweed-wearer, brandy-drinker, opera attendee. But then, what would I know - I’m just a Southerner. Which brings me swiftly onto the notion of ‘rah’, surely the most used term in the Durham Dictionary (perhaps after Quaddie Voddie). When we think rah we think Ugg boots, pearls, messy, invariably blonde hair, Longchamp bag, Jack Wills. Rah would seem

to be synonymous with ‘posh’, in the upper-class, public school sense of the word. However, according to the Urban Dictionary, and from what can be gleaned from observing the Durham student population at large, a ‘rah’ is also a label given to those who aspire to be, well, rah. ‘Rah’ is about a certain distinguished look, like ‘emo’ for example, rather

social background. What about the term ‘Sloane’? That doesn’t get bandied around much in Durham. Sloane, for those of you who don’t know, is in essence a rah who has strong afﬁliations with Sloane Square, London. What then, is the difference between a Sloane and a rah? A pretty nuanced one, one may argue, but still signiﬁcant.

“What is the difference between a Sloane and a Rah?” than a reference to someone’s

A Sloane is a rah in its purest, poshest form. Think Trinny and Suzannah circa 20 years ago: starched collars, pastel, lots of pearls. Rah but certiﬁably plummy. One can be rah without being a Sloane, but not Sloane without being rah. Keeping up? Good. Isn’t this all a bit university-speciﬁc and inward-looking though? Well yes, but it does go hand in hand with Britain’s inherent need to label people, and our obsession with social class. No discussion about the word posh would be without a whistle stop analysis of our class system. ‘Posh’ is intrinsically linked to the social mores of the upper classes. Those that speak posh are accused of speaking the ‘Queen’s English’. The word refers to elegance, a certain genteel nature, and of course, to superiority. It is therefore no surprise that ‘posh’ has come to be used, at worst, as an insult and at best, a harmless

no affected, upper-class behaviour, nor (arguably) a great display of chic. Then again, they probably didn’t have a term for the one that looks sultry and doesn’t sing that much. Posh and Becks represent all the complexities of the modern day meaning of ‘posh’. It is suggested that the word is derived from the nineteenth century word posh, meaning a halfpenny. But does having money necessarily propel you into being, to quote the O.E.D’s description of the adjective posh, “superior or genteel”? Like all words, the word ‘posh’ is used in a relative way, depending on one’s regional accent and socio-economic background. It is a bucket phrase, a multi-faceted word used to refer to many things. >>>One can be upper class without being pretentious, and elegant without speaking the Queen’s English. The ﬁfth deﬁnition of the noun ‘posh’ in the O.E.D. is: “nonsense, rubbish”, which pretty much sums it up…

chide. Television has happily propagated this image with taglines like: “You don’t have to be posh to be privileged” and “Too Posh to Wash”. Being posh has become something slightly farcical. The ubiquity of the word has meant it has been desensitised, calling for some sort of inverse snobbery. “Too Common to clean” would be an uncomfortable concept. It’s ﬁne to insult those who are of a higher social standing to you, but not those who are lower. It is a shame that the word ‘posh’, in the sense of having “smartness and elegance”, must go hand-in-hand with the notion of belonging to an established elite. The French for posh, ‘chic’, doesn’t have the same connotations. Of course, you can be elegant and not be ‘posh’. I mean, haven’t you seen Victoria Beckham? Yes, that paradigm of elegance who we still refer to as ‘Posh Spice’. Though God quite knows why, since she displays

A hard day’s night Francesca Teoh ponders the depths of dissertation desperation ork will save you. Work will see you through”, so Tom Hanks sardonically proclaims in Sleepless in Seattle, entirely unconvinced that being chained to one’s desk is any relief from grief or suffering. What if the problem is your work, though? This late in Epiphany term, there is only one thing which seems to be the topic du jour: the dreaded dissertation. Like one of those unspoken truths, everyone knows that somewhere, buried under a pile of ‘notes’, is one’s dissertation beckoning to be written. Except, as always, there are far more enticing activities to engage in; namely, Facebook and YouTube. Seriously, anything could have happened in the last ten minutes – someone could have radically altered their political views or posted a new music video – and wouldn’t you be unable to forgive yourself if you just didn’t check out said pressing matters immediately? Coincidentally, you know it’s all going down the pan when in the early hours of the morning your ingenious housemate shows you a motivational pep talk on dissertations on, of all places, YouTube. Here, an American academic dishes out such memorable gems as: “I know how to do school. I know how to get in, but more importantly, I know how to get out.” One wonders, if this isn’t, after all the true lesson of university. We spend so much time and energy labouring to be accepted by the most

prestigious institutions the nation has to offer, but conveniently forget that afterwards the aim should be to actually graduate! It is easy to become waylaid by the joys of the student lifestyle, but staying at university indeﬁnitely is hardly the best gameplan. Worryingly, the motto of said YouTube video is, “A good dissertation is a done dissertation”. Yes, you think, spot on – but what if your dissertation is still a brilliant concept that you once had, two years ago, when the prospect was enticing rather than exasperating?

“Dissertations certainly make you think in ways you probably haven’t before” Dissertations become so all-consuming that you ﬁnd yourself spending more time with philosophical/cultural/psychoanalytic/sociological texts than your own friends? Friends? Who needs friends when you have intellectual soulmates such as Freud and Schopenhauer and that random political scientist whose name you can’t remember? The premise of the dissertation, of course, is the exploration of a topic which particularly inspires or fascinates you; the opportunity to pursue independent research on a subject of your own deﬁnition…

There are therefore no limitations to this academic horizon, and one is forced to pose the question no one wants to ask only a few weeks before the deadline: What am I doing? Where is this going, exactly? Have I eaten today? The one good thing about dissertations, however, is that they certainly make you think in ways you probably haven’t before. Except what they’ll make you think is: oh, dear god, am I doing the right subject? Should I really have turned down that job supervising the bakery aisle at Tesco? And so the whole shopaholic vision of a career in retail management evaporates around 4am… So the traditional advice for producing a winning dissertation never seems to apply in practice. Of course, we all intend to finish it so far in advance so that the final weeks can be spent leisurely proofreading that supposed career masterpiece. Except amongst the demands of real life, that crazy plan of doing it during the Christmas vacation dissolves faster than you can say summatives and tutorials and seminars ahoy. The only thing that can sustain the process is to remind ourselves that the end is in sight, and if we can just struggle on and withhold the writer’s block, then the words will come. As soon as the first sentence is typed, the first paragraph will emerge, and the rest will follow, and then the reverse dilemma of desperately trying to reduce the word count will commence…

DANIEL DYER

So, yes, the dissertation is a battle. But then, it was always going to be, wasn’t it? Since the ultimate responsibility for its success depends entirely on ourselves, there’s no one else to blame if it all goes wrong. The positivist approach would be that we’re unlikely to have another such opportunity again; to work on something so undictated by the whims of other people. It’s difficult of course to feel such love for the overwhelming horrors of final year stress, but one hopes that in hindsight, it’ll have been worth it. Maybe if we keep repeating those buzzwords that every dissertationee needs in their vocabulary: discipline, dedication, focus, and fudge. The latter, of course, provides a momentary sugar-rush distraction from the dwindling quality of one’s prose. Surely, somewhere in between the tenth cup of tea and the feeling that some critic half a century ago has already said exactly what you think, exactly the way you would have written, there’s a dissertation waiting to happen. Perhaps the real secret is not to assume a no-nonsense strategy. Cut the crap. Put on some atmospheric music. Clear the desk of excess papers and start reflecting on three years of hard graft. It has to end well, right? As Vladmir Nabokov remarked: “The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamouring to become visible.”

INDIGO

Got a Recipe idea? food@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

FOOD & DRINK

Recipe: Rhubarb Crumble

he quintessentially English rhubarb crumble is particularly flavourful, and easy to make at the moment as rhubarb is in season. The rhubarb plant is actually indigenous to Asia and has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. There is no escaping the sugar quantities in this recipe: it is vital in order to temper the intense sourness of the plant. When buying the rhubarb, look for firm, upright stalks, which at this time of year should be bright pink. The best I have found in Durham is at Milligan’s Greengrocers on North Road. Generally, the plants are sold without the leaves attached, but if they still are, be sure to remove them as they can be toxic. Serves 6 1 kg of rhubarb stalks The zest of one large orange 75g sugar For the crumble: 250g plain flour 175g butter 150g sugar Pre-heat the oven to 180 C or Gas Mark 5. 1) Remove the leaves from the rhubarb and trim the bottom of the stalks. Chop the remaining stalks into about 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces. 2) Butter a shallow oven-proof dish and put the rhubarb in the bottom. Cover with the sugar and the orange zest. Mix a little and arrange in an even layer. 3) Meanwhile, put the butter and flour in a bowl and lightly rub together with your fingertips until the mixture is fine and not too lumpy. (If you have a food processor, blitz for about 30-60 seconds instead). 4) Stir in the sugar and arrange the crumble evenly over the fruit layer. Gently press the crumble down with your fingers, to make it firmer, and make sure it goes to the edges of the dish. 5) Bake the crumble for about 40 minutes until the top is golden. If the top browns too quickly, lay a piece of tin foil loosely over it. Test the rhubarb with the point of a knife to make sure it has collapsed. Without the crumble topping, the baked rhubarb makes a delicious compote. Perfect with vanilla or ginger ice cream. Ondine Gillies

Appalling, Passable, Pleasant, Sumptuous or Exquisite? Daniel Bjelis and Fiona Hicks sample the best coffee on offer. Leonard’s – This café is a hidden gem. Once you know about it, you go nowhere else. The coffee is undisputably exquisite. The lattes in particular are wonderful, served in interesting asymmetrical mugs and topped with swathes of velvety foam. It can occasionally be a tad lukewarm, but that can be overlooked. The food here is fantastic, too. Brown Sugar – Perhaps the worst cafe in Durham; the espresso tastes (and looks) like watered-down filter coffee, and their filter coffee itself is burnt and bitter. Making a hasty departure, you realise their coffee machine looks like something from the cheaper end of an Argos catalogue. Without detailing the poor service, dirty tables and ugly high-backed chairs, I’ll just say this: you might consider the thirty second walk to Cafe Continental round the corner. Cafe Continental – You could walk past this cosy cafe on the corner of Elvet without noticing it; give it just a quick glance and the downstairs seating area doesn’t look particularly appealing. However, at the other end of the stairs hides a comfortably arranged room, excellent service and a cappuccino that isn’t halfbad. If you’re in the area and don’t fancy venturing further into town for a decent cup, this is the place to go.

students. Situated above The Body Shop, this little café is mostly frequented by septuagenarians. The coffee is not half bad – a firm pleasant – served prettily in tall glass mugs (though sadly with plastic teaspoons, presumably to avoid denture breakage). Vennels – Concealed beyond the alleys from which its name is derived, Vennels boasts a sixteenth century courtyard that is particularly pleasant to sit in during the warmer months. This cafe also has a cosy upstairs room which, if not too busy, can make for a pleasant afternoon. Although the cakes are delicious, the coffee can be hit-and-miss; I suspect under-investment in a decent coffee machine is again to blame. When the coffee is good, this cafe is one of the best in Durham.

Rumbletums – Another Durham classic. This place has charm in abundance, but sadly the same cannot be said for its java. Watery and tasteless, it has the suspicious fragrance (or lack thereof) of instant granules. Palatinate is sad to report that it is a firm appalling. Do not miss out on the place, though, for the cakes are quite scrumptious. Just stick to the tea. Costa – As a mainstream chain, one expects a certain standard from this

coffee house, and for the most part it does not disappoint: the beverages on offer range from pleasant to sumptuous. Most of the drinks are made from whole milk which adds to the warming, comforting effect. The perfect place for novice coffee-aficionodos.

SUSANNAH TAYLOR

Craving Coffee?

Caffe Nero – Arguably the most superior of the coffee house chains. This place puts emphasis on the quality of coffee, striking a deserved sumptuous every time. The baristas give you two shots of espresso as standard, so the coffee is quite strong – perfect after a late night. Esquires – In a prime location next to Framwellgate bridge, the large glass windows of Esquires suggest that this chain cafe is out to attract posing types. The poor quality of the coffee confirms this to be their target market; connoisseurs will be more likely to stay home, where a much better drink can be made at a fraction of the price. As with many of the chain coffee houses, I suspect most of the customers like the idea of ‘doing coffee’, rather than drinking it. Riverside Café – Argued solely on the grounds of convenience, the DSU’s cafe comes out on top – it’s very easy to lazily drop in to a familiar student haunt between Elvet lectures. Though the coffee used to be better when it was supplied by Starbucks, it never really got over the dishwater hurdle that seems to affect so many of the Durham brews. Still, you can always order something like a caramel macchiato, which has enough sugar and milk to mask the worst espresso.

9 Altars – Reviewed in the last edition, this quaint café is certainly worth a mention. Their coffee is pleasant but not mind-blowing, so is best complementing a meal rather than enjoyed alone. Perhaps the owners know this, as you can choose a free hot drink with any meal. Definitely worth a try. Treats – This is a veritable Durham institution, though admittedly not for

Left in the dark Ed Lane sheds light on the restaurant which keeps its diners in the dak Dans Le Noir? London «««««

he exterior of Dans le Noir? on Clerkenwell Road in East London is, as you would expect for a restaurant that shrouds its patrons in total darkness, unassuming and easily missed. >>>Lucky enough to be taken there for a very brave friend’s 21st, I arrived in good time, partly to get a feel for what was to be the strangest gastronomic experience of my life, but mostly to nab as many free pre-dinner cocktails as I could. >>>I scanned the room, trying to gauge the atmosphere. Facial expressions ranged from cautious excitement to outright terror as some prepared to face their ultimate fear, but there was merriment enough. A hush fell as one of the waiters spoke above the hubbub of the crowd, and those who had been carefully disguising their alarm suddenly went a whiter shade of pale. >>>We were arranged into long conga lines of ten before being shown our tables in a room of utterly indeterminate shape and size; our hands rested on the shoulder of the person in front. >>>The first moment of terror came when

the long line had to split into two, so that half of the conga line could sit on the other side of the table. >>>Luckily I was not the person who was suddenly left without a shoulder to rest on (or clutch hold of) but I was the one resting my hand on the victim’s shoulder, and I could feel her stiffen as her worst fear realized itself. >>>Finally we were all sat down, and our cutlery and tumbler was located for us by our blind ‘guide’, or waiter. Predictably for Durham students, much of this cutlery was immediately stolen and shouts were heard for some time as everyone sought to be reunited with their knives and forks. >>>The oddest thing was conversation. No longer able to look someone in the eye, most of the conversation early on amounted to “Hey X! Is that you?”…”No, it’s Y, who are you?” and so forth. >>>Wandering hands became the norm, which lead many of the girls in our number thinking that if they ever were to come again, it wouldn’t be with boys. It was only when the food began to arrive that the conversation turned away from “This is so weird, huh!” to “So what do you think you’re eating?”, which is, of course, the whole point of the ‘experience’. >>>Before you are led into the void, you choose a ‘colour’ of menu - either red (meat), green (veggie), blue (fish)

or white (chef’s surprise!). No prizes for guessing what I chose – run-of-the-mill red all the way. And I still couldn’t work out what I was eating, much as I liked it. >>>Four of us on the table chose red, so I shouted out (the only way to communicate) an enquiry into what everyone else thought it was. In response I got “pork”, “veal” and “duck”, which was funny because I thought it was beef. Feeling around the plate – no point using your cutlery, there was no way of telling where the food was – I realized that there was a lot of food there, and not just one type of meat, which might explain the difference of opinion. >>>Pouring the wine was interesting; the only way to gauge how full the glass was, involved to putting your finger down the side as you were pouring, and there was no way to regulate how much other people were pouring into their glasses. >>>The meal passed without much drama, apart from the predictable chucking of booze across the room, and people creeping around trying to scare others and then hilariously finding that they were lost and requiring the aid of an increasingly irritable waiter. >>>After what seemed an age – a mark of the oddity of not knowing where you were or what was going on, not, of course, the quality of the company – we were told to rise and were led out into the

lounge. Lots of us still had our eyes wide open, as we had throughout the whole meal, trying in vain to catch any light. >>>Most of us lied about being at any point fearful for our lives, but equally said we’d probably never go back. We were told what we had eaten – spring roll for starter, a hotch-potch collection of chicken and veal curry with rice for main and a pudding so classic I can’t quite remember what it was (but it was really very nice). >>>I know it is usual for a restaurant review to concentrate more on the food itself, but in this case, despite the fact I was trying so hard to guess what I was eating, the food was such a small part of the whole experience. I don’t know about anyone else, but I had a few existential moments in there, and a couple of chilling moments when my heart beat pretty fast just thinking about the fact I had no idea where the exit was, or indeed where anything was. >>>We were completely ‘in the dark’, both in our faculties of vision, and in what we were eating. Dining at Dans Le Noir? you are reduced to completely relying on a stranger for your wellbeing and safety – what the blind have to deal with everyday – so it was a humbling experience. I suspect that this, quite apart from the food (adequate but odd), was the whole point.

C M Y K

Got a travel idea? travel@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO

TRAVEL

Souk Surprises Emily Anderson takes up ‘The Apprentice’ challenge, and explores the winding streets of Marrakech ANDRE PIPA

Getting there

in keeping with the local style. Generally, the more you pay the nicer the riad will be although this is only a guideline! • You can choose the number of rooms you want, and whether you want to share within your group, so it’s quite ﬂexible. • Bookings can be made in advance although these are not always set in stone so be prepared to go to another riad run by one of the owners friends! Alternatively there are a growing number of hotels appearing in and around Marrakech if you don’t mind paying a lot more for the luxury. These are pretty standard in terms of what they offer and you won’t get the same feeling of authenticity.

• There are direct ﬂights from London Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton to Marrakech – Menara International airport. • Flight time is approximately 3 hours 30 minutes. • The airport is located about 4 miles outside Marrakech; take one of the many petits taxis lining the driveway near the parking lot. • Taxis should cost around 70 Dh so beware of drivers trying to overcharge you if you look obviously out of place!

Money Matters

Halal chicken blessed by a Rabbi in the dubious attempts to make it Kosher. This bizarre image will remind many reading this article of Michael’s catastrophic efforts in the Marrakech markets during the Apprentice 2008, and perhaps confuse the rest!

“My trusty Lonely Planet had told me about the wiliness of Moroccan sellers but nothing prepared me for the onslaught” >>>During my visit to Morocco last summer I was desperate to prove myself worthy of that episode of the Apprentice; what could be so difficult about finding and haggling for 10 different choice items in the souks of Marrakech? Perhaps oddly, the reality proved just as confusing as it had appeared on screen. >>>To inform those not familiar with the episode, the contestants were challenged to find 10 specific items in one day, and the team that managed to haggle with the sellers to achieve the lowest amount in dirham were the winners. Penalties were given for failure to return with the correct item. >>>These ranged from a green mosque alarm clock to an orange juicer to a very suggestive cactus. The episode was a very entertaining one, not least because it engendered two of Alan Sugar’s famous “You’re Fired’s” at its end. >>>My aim on going through the souks was not the same; my travelling partner and I were not planning to split up and race round Marrakech in the 40 degree heat. Nor were we prepared to hunt down

items that we definitely didn’t want or need purely to compete with Sugar’s minions. >>>I was happy to satisfy my curiosity by seeing how many I could spot at my own pace whilst absorbing the somewhat surreal world around me. Unlike the contestants I was there to enjoy myself first and foremost, but the prospect of re-enacting the episode seemed appealing. >>>Realising that cacti, tennis racquets and cowhides (with tail intact) were slightly out of my area, and that I struggled to recall the specific design of rug or make of tajine, I resolved to narrow my search to the infamous alarm clock. >>>However, this proved more difficult than anticipated and after two days I remained unsuccessful. My hopes now rested on the orange juicer; surely an attainable item considering the plethora of carts around the Djamma-el-fna (the main square in the Old Medina) that offered such refreshment. >>>Sadly not. Again my search was thwarted by a seemingly elusive product. My respect was gradually growing for the contestants; an annoying occurrence when I had spent the episode, eyebrows raised, imagining I could do better. But that was before I went to Marrakech. >>>My other surprise was the actual experience of shopping in this environment and culture. My trusty Lonely Planet had told me about the wiliness of Moroccan sellers, and friends had warned me about the hassling, but nothing prepared me for the onslaught that greeted us when we first stepped into the souks. >>>I was so distracted and anxious to get away from the persistence of these people that I nearly walked into a mosque head-bared and wearing a T-shirt, prompting the sudden appearance of a wall of guards. Hmm. After the initial shock of the market-sellers, haggling and ‘saying no’ became normal, although I am still very naive when it comes to the worth of some

of the items I bought. >>>Despite a degree of annoyance, and the inability to ‘just browse’ anywhere, the experience was nevertheless hugely enjoyable. Some particularly memorable purchases were elucidated on the day we decided to dedicate our time to getting

• The Moroccan currency is the Dirham (Dh) divided into 100 centimes. • There are 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Dh notes and smaller denominations in coins. •You can only obtain Dirhams in Morocco, they cannot be taken into the country. • In Marrakech there are several cash points around the medina, although these often run out of money so remember to be patient! • Most places, especially in the souks, will only accept cash so it is always a good idea to have some on you – again this should be taken with a due degree of caution, as pick-pocketers are notorious in the bustling streets.

“Despite a degree of annoyance... the experience was... hugely enjoyable” ‘lost’ in the souks. Out of the two week trip, acquiring a Berber wedding rug from a little town up in the Todra gorge produced the most dramatic tale, but unfortunately there is no room for it here! >>>To summarise, here are a few pieces of advice for budding souk-shoppers worth bearing in mind: >>>1. Don’t buy the first item you find. Each stall generally sells identical or similar stock so it’s better to take your time and explore. Even if this does evoke some degree of jealousy amongst the vendors, at least you’ll have an idea of what you ought to be paying. >>>2. Don’t worry if you end up paying too much for something; this is inevitable and the important thing is to have fun. The feeling that you may have somehow been swindled should always be put into context – enjoy the experience and remember that it’s all relative! >>>3. Finally, and perhaps most crucially, don’t shake on a price unless you are certain that you are happy with it. A handshake may seem insignificant to you, but to a souk seller it equates to a binding contract. Put simply, it seals the deal so make sure you‘re ready to pay up and haven’t just got caught up in the excitement of bartering.

When to go • The climate of Marrakech is fairly appealing throughout the year, with plenty of sunshine to soak up and enjoy. • Winter temperatures are at their lowest in January and February, and still manage to average 18°C or 19°C, although at night it can get quite cold. • Summer is when the heat kicks in – temperatures are usually around 30°C and can climb to the high 30s, even 40°C. • The summer heat may feel unbearable, especially in the crowded souks, so the abundance of orange juice carts is welcome refreshment.

Where to stay • This really depends on personal choice – the riads around the medina are a perfect way to get an authentic Moroccan experience and are reasonably priced. There are a huge number to choose from and most are beautifully furnished

What to eat • Tajines – the basic Moroccan dish. The name refers to the two-part terracotta container in which meat, fish or chicken is cooked with a variety of vegetables. Particular favourites include lamb with prunes and the classic chicken with preserved lemons and olives. The style of cooking means all the flavours ooze out and mix together – the result is fantastic! • Bastilla – filo pastry pie with pigeon, egg and almonds! • Harira – a staple on any menu. It is a thick and spicy soup traditionally taken to break the long fast during Ramadan, as it is both filling and flavoursome. Ingredients may vary but include chickpeas, lentils, vegetables and a little meat. • Kebabs – also known as brochettes and kefta (spicy meatballs). • Shawarma – a popular dish and a fastfood staple sold at nearly every stall. It is a sandwich-like wrap usually composed of hummus, tomato, cucumber and shaved meat, although tahini and amba toppings are quite common. They are perfect to eat whilst taking in the sights and exploring the labyrinth of streets around the medina. • Tea – an integral part of Moroccan culture and considered something of an art form. It is poured from a height of around half a meter into small glasses and is returned to the pot two or three times before serving. It is good fun to order but maybe a little sugary for some.

INDIGO

Got a beauty or fashion idea? fashion@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

BEAUTY AND FASHION Beauty Spy: London Fashion Week

The Hilde Bede Fashion Show Tuesday 3rd March Directed by Harriet Barber In aid of Cancer Research UK Photographed by Jamie Seligman

Katie Service and Fiona Hicks take a look at the fashion capital’s latest offerings

he beauty trends exhibited at this year’s London Fashion Week were a delightful mixture of the classic, the contemporary, and the completely crazy. British darling Matthew Williamson had his models emulate the understatedly sexy powerdressing look of the nineties: hair and eyebrows were slicked down, the face warmed to perfection with a dusting of bronzer, and eyes brought out with subtle and elegant tawny shades. There was a similar look over at Diane Von Furstenburg, where the ‘traveller chic’ ensembles were complimented by muted, sandy tones on both and eyes and lips. Durham’s resident make-up artist, Katie Service, assisted make-up legend Charlotte Tilbury during the Julien MacDonald show. Using Tilbury’s own cosmetics line, myface.cosmetics, the young models were given a fresh, nude face: cream blusher created a rosy glow, whilst a thin swipe of moisturizer down the nose produced a dewy effect. Brows were kept light and eyes were enhanced by smokey brown shading. The look, as Katie says, was very much a “healthy winter glow”. At Paul Smith, the models showcased the classic autumn/ winter combination: full, matt burgundy lips and clean black eyeliner, given an extra oomph with shockingly thick black lashes. Racing green nails offered a flash of colour, providing the look with an interesting modern edge. Hair was a legion of effortless updos, with chic chignons achieving just the right balance of sophistication and natural grace. Meanwhile, Marc Jacob’s models harked back to the eighties, channelling their inner Cyndi Laupers with frizzy Mohawks, exaggerated eyeliner catflicks and a myriad of rainbow eye shadow colours. The award for wackiest make-up has to go to the Topshop Unique line, which sent their models out with ethereally pale skin, cranberry eye shadow and grey lip gloss. Certainly a play on the Twilight obsession sweeping the nation, but perhaps not a look to recreate for yourself come autumn!

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

Got a beauty or fashion idea? fashion@palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 9

BEAUTY AND STYLE The Hatfield College Fashion Show Sunday 8th March Directed by Ellie Wilson-Holt and Sophie Salisbury In aid of the Charlie Sumption Memorial Fund Photographed by Georgie Macintyre

P.S. The annual Durham Charity Fashion Show will take place on 3rd and 4th November. The show is looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic team to ensure the exciting event is a huge success. Individuals interested in applying for any of the exec. positions should send a manifesto (300 words) to durhamcharityfashionshow@yahoo.co.uk. Another date to remember is the Collingwood Fashion Show, on Friday 13th March. Contact Jago Verna (a.j.g.b.verna@durham.ac.uk) for tickets.

10 INDIGO

LISTINGS listings@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

LISTINGS listings@palatinate.org.uk

LISTINGS By Alison Moulds

INDIGO 11

LISTINGS

PURPLE DIARY YOUR POSTER-SIZED EVENT GUIDE FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

Highlights this fortnight Mon. 16 Mar

Thai Full Moon Party

igital Love’s swansong for Epiphany Term restores its long-running Thai Full Moon Party to the student social scene. Music ranges from funky house to trance and electro to drum and bass, with live percussionists battling it out with the DJs for your listening pleasure. Not swayed by the tunes on offer? Then check out the confetti cannon, photographers, free UV paint, ﬁre breathers and digital visual delights. What better way to see out the term in style? Walkabout, 10PM-2AM. £3

Until Thu. 19 Mar

The Young Victoria

fter her hilarious turn as Anne Hathaway’s bitchy co-worker in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, Emily Blunt’s career has gone from strength-to-strength. Here she’s secured the much-coveted leading role in Scorsese’s mustsee movie, which charts the early reign of Queen Victoria and explores her ﬂedgling romance with Prince Albert. Rupert Friend, Jim Broadbent and Miranda Richardson also feature in the star-studded cast. Gala Cinema, Times vary. £4.75

Until Sun. 22 Mar

Jane Alexander Exhibition

urham Cathedral’s Galilee Chapel provides a suitably stunning backdrop to this collection of sculptures from internationally-acclaimed artist Jane Alexander. The exhibition, which forms part of the ‘Being Human’ series, is the ﬁrst time Alexander has exhibited her work in the UK outside of London. Reﬂecting on her life in South Africa’s Cape Town, the sculptures represent ten years of work. Galilee Chapel, Durham Cathedral, 7.30AM-6PM. Free

Art Until Fri. 20 Mar

I See, You Don’t See Photographic exhibition from women involved in the GAP project, which looks at sexual exploitation in Newcastle. Recordings from the women provide a unique insight as they discuss their work and personal experiences. Josephine Butler College, 9AM - 8PM. Free

Until Sun. 22 Mar

Jane Alexander Exhibition Internationally-renowned artist Alexander presents sculptures on the theme of ‘Being Human’, with pieces representing a decade of work. See ‘Highlights this Fortnight’. Galilee Chapel, Durham Cathedral, 7.30AM - 6PM. Free

Until Sun. 22 Mar

Kabir Hussain Bird’s Eye View Exhibition Features 24 bronze sculptures exploring the theme of modernist architecture. Hussain cites Victor Pasmore’s Apollo Pavilion as a particular inspiration. DLI Museum and Art Gallery, 10AM - 4PM. £1.50

Film Sun. 15 Mar

Dean Spanley The Bede Film Society screens the 2008 British and New Zealand fantasy comedy-drama, which received a standing ovation at its gala premiere. Starring Peter O’Toole. Caedmon Hall, Hild Bede, 8PM. £1 members, £2 non-members.

Until Thu. 19 Mar

The Young Victoria Emily Blunt leads an accomplished cast in Graham King and Martin Scorsese’s portrait of Queen Victoria. See ‘Highlights this Fortnight’. Blue Room @ Gala Cinema, Times vary. £4.75

Until Thu. 19 Mar

Marley & Me Comedy-drama based on John Grogan’s autobiography of the same name. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star as the married couple who adopt a mischievous dog. Screen 1 @ Gala Cinema, Times vary. £4.75

Until Sun. 22 Mar

While Reason Sleeps - Michelle Allen New photographic exhibition showing artist Victor Pasmore’s role in designing Peterlee’s Sunny Blunts area. DLI Museum and Art Gallery, 10AM-4PM. £1.50

Until Fri. 17 Apr

Master of the Deer: Kenneth Whitehead Showcasing the late Kenneth Whitehead’s collection on deer and hunting, which studies the international sport and examines its inﬂuence on art. Palace Green Library, Free.

Until Sun. 19 Apr

Bhutan: Spiritual Mountains British photographer Zoe Baddock exhibits pictures shot in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Oriental Museum, 10AM-5PM. £1.50

Music Fri. 13 Mar

Life Crisis Head over to Claypath for a performance from the Northern quintet in Shamrox’s latest offering of free live music. Shamrox, 9PM. Free

Sat. 14 Mar

Mendelsshon’s St Paul Oratorio The Durham University Choral Society look set to deliver a spectacular performance in the cathedral, with accompaniment from the university orchestra. Durham Cathedral, 7.30PM.

Sun. 15 Mar

Juan Martin Trio Andalucia’s acclaimed guitarist Juan Martin leads an evening of passionate ﬂamenco with his fellow musicians, expertly experimenting with classical and jazz harmonies. Gala Theatre, 7.30PM. £11

Wed. 18 Mar

Stiff Little Fingers The Irish punk band have won a legion of new, young fans since being namechecked by Marissa on The OC. Now the boys hit Newcastle for their annual tour. O2 Academy Newcastle, 7PM. £15

Wed. 18 - Thu. 19 Mar

Thu. 19 Mar

You, The Living Award-wining Swedish ﬁlm directed by Roy Anderson, featuring a collection of loosely connected tales about humankind. Clayport Library, 7.30PM. £5 subscription

Thu. 26 Mar

The Duchess Another chance to see Keira Knightley’s star turn as 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Bishop Auckland Town Hall, 7.30PM.

Katie Doherty An intimate show with rising folk musician Katie Doherty, winner of the 2007 Journal Culture Award for Newcomer of the Year. Gala Studio, 7.45PM. £8

Nightlife Sat. 14 Mar

Bunny Ball I Love S.E.X’s latest classy offering for a Saturday night comes in the shape of a Playboy bunny. Brave bunnies should don their ears and head to North Road. Walkabout, 10PM-3AM. £4

Durham City AFC vs Skelmersdale Durham’s football club takes on the West Lancashire lads in a home game. Arnott Stadium, Belmont Industrial Estate, 7.45PM. £3

Thai Full Moon Party Digital Love returns for one last night of mayhem before the end of term. With photographers, ﬁre-breathers and a confetti cannon, plus DJs and live percussionists. See ‘Highlights this Fortnight’. Walkabout, 10PM-2AM. £3 Silent Pulse The Student Union pulls the old favourite out of the bag as term winds down. DSU, 10PM-2AM. £6.50 adv, £8 on the door.

Fri. 20 Mar

Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard DJ Set Still up North in the holidays? Then catch the train to Newcastle for a set from Goddard; vocalist, percussionist and synthesiser of everyone’s favourite electropop band. World Headquarters, Newcastle, 11PM. £8 adv

Gethesmane David Hare’s 14th piece for the National Theatre is an ensemble play about British life. Starring Green Wing favourite Tamsin Greig and Holby City’s Anthony Calf. Theatre Royal Newcastle, 7.30PM (+ 2.30PM Sat). From £8.50

Until Sat. 14 Mar Thu. 19 Mar

Ice Hockey Vipers vs. Edinburgh The Vipers challenge their Scottish rivals in the Radio Arena’s latest umissable ice hockey game. Metro Radio Arena Newcastle, 7.15PM. £9

Fri. 20 Mar

Basketball Eagles vs. Cheshire Jets The recently-renamed Chesterbased Cheshire Jets shoot the hoops with the Newcastle basketball team. Metro Radio Arena Newcastle, 7.30PM. £8 Durham City AFC vs. Radcliffe Borough Following their match with the boys from Skelmersdale, the Durham City players come faceto-face with their competitors from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. Arnott Stadium, Belmont Industrial Estate, 3PM. £3

Just Jam Newcastle’s hottest nightclub presents a night of hip-hop and R&B, featuring live breakdancers! The End, Newcastle, 8PM. £5

Until Sat. 14 Mar

HMS Pinafore The much-loved Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta is staged by DULOG nearly a century after it ﬁrst featured on the stage. Assembly Rooms, 7.30PM (+ 2.30PM Sat). £6, £5 NUS, £4.50 DST

Sat. 21 Mar

Stage

Until Sat. 14 Mar

Thu. 19 Mar

The Enemy Tickets are fast selling out for the English rockers’ biggest tour to date - get online now to secure yours for their two nights in Newcastle! O2 Academy Newcastle, 7PM. £17.62 The Doctor Teeth Big Band Unmissable infusion of swing, boogie, jive and ska in the comfort of Durham’s very own Gala Theatre. Gala Theatre, 7.30PM. £9

Tue. 17 Mar

Mon. 16 Mar

Thu. 19 - Fri. 20 Mar

Sat. 21 Mar

Sport

Sun. 22 Mar

Ice Hockey Vipers vs Coventry Coventry Blaze play an away game and take to the ice with the Newcastle Vipers. Metro Radio Arena Newcastle, 5PM. £9

Singin’ in the Rain Hild Bede Theatre present the popular Hollywood-based musical, set during the decline of silent movies and the rise of a new breed of ﬁlms: the ‘talkies’. Caedmon Hall, Hild Bede, 7.30PM. £5.50, £5 NUS, £4.50 DST

Until Sat. 14 Mar

Oklahoma! More musical student theatre, with Collingwood College taking the mantle and staging the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, a box-ofﬁce smash on its Broadway release. Collingwood, 7.30PM. £5, £4 NUS, £3.50 DST.

Sat. 14 Mar

Mark Watson: All the Thoughts I’ve Had Since I Was Born The award-winning comedian and regular of BBC 2’s Mock the Week presents a brand new show at the Gala. A veritable must-see for all comedy enthusiasts. Gala Theatre, 8PM. £15

Fri. 20 Mar

Funny Bones Comedy Club This month’s comedy club lineup features Dan Nightingale, Matt Hollins and Vikki Stone. With help from compere Mike Wilkinson. Gala Theatre, 7.45PM. £8

Talk Mon. 16 Mar

The Many Links Between Space and Health Research associate in the Department of Geography, Dr. Mylene Riva, presents the latest in a series of new lunchtime lectures. Seminar Room 010, Dept. of Geography, 12.30PM.

Mon. 16 Mar

A Resistant Medium: Poetry an Ignorance Poet, journalist and broadcaster Professor Sean O’Brien speaks as part of the ‘Figuring the Human’ lecture series. Room 407, Calman Learning Centre. 6.30PM

Wed. 18 Mar

Efﬁciency vs. Legitimacy Dominic Brett, Head of Public Diplomacy at the European Commission Representation, outlines the rationale behind the controversial EU Lisbon Reform Treaty. Room 102, Al-Qasimi Building, 3PM.

Wed. 18 Mar

2009 Grubb Parsons Lecture - Hot Results on Cool Galaxies: The Hidden Universe Revealed Professor Rob Kennicutt of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy looks at how international space laboratories have revealed hidden starlight in the universe. Appleby Lecture Theatre, Science Laboratories. 4.30PM

Thu. 19 Mar

Durham Café Scientiﬁque Charles Ferryhough discusses ‘What is it like to be a small child?’ and how scientiﬁc progress can enable us to appreciate the early years. Ustinov College, 6PM.

Thu. 19 Mar

Voicing the Human Durham University’s Dr. Jenny Terry considers the persuasive voice and self-fashioning in 18th and 19th century autobiographical narratives from former slaves. Seminar Room, Dept of Anthropology. 5.15pm

Other Fri. 13 Mar

Book Launch: Ben Okri The Nigerian poet and novelist reads from his new book ‘Tales of Freedom’ to launch the African Writers’ Festival. Culture Lab @ Newcastle University, 7PM. From £3

Fri. 13 Mar

Colpitts Poetry Reading With Welsh poet Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch and Newcastle’s Steve Ronnie. Alington House, 8PM. £4

Fri. 13 - Sun. 15 Mar

Flavour of the Continental Market With professional European traders selling specialist foods, from fudge to paella, and products from pashminas to jewellery. Dalton Park, Murton, All day. Free

Sat. 14 Mar

Iranian Noruz Party The Centre of Iranian Studies holds a celebration for the ancient festival of rebirth. St Aidan’s, 6.30PM.

Sun. 15 Mar

Buzz! Quiz TV ‘Clash of the Unis’ : Durham vs UEA Join the nationwide competition and help take Durham to the top. DSU, 7PM.

Until Sun. 26 Apr

Exhibition: The Other Side Exploration of astronomy through the ages, with material from Durham University Special Collections at Palace Library. Oriental Museum, 10AM-5PM. £1.50

INDIGO

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

STAGE stage@palatinate.org.uk

STAGE

Stirring up trouble

Carmen A review from The Castle

Palatinate reviews Ooook! Productions’s latest cauldron of theatrical magic FLICKR ID: FAIRY_WHISPER

Wyrd Sisters Ooook! Productions The Assembly Rooms «««««

ratchett fans, (experimental facial hair and rucksacks included), gathered avidly in the Assembly Rooms to gawp wide-eyed at Alex Eccles’ directorial witchcraft. As a Macbeth spoof-cumsatire of theatre, adapted from the much loved and much re-read novel by the Pratchett man himself, Wyrd Sisters had

“Shakespeare references aplenty, nods to folklore and exploding doors all added to the fun.” a lot to live up to. The three witches, played by Alice Haigh, Emma Dearing and Lucy Martin were unquestionably the play’s best feature. The adorable Magrat, spending the first half of the play in frightened kittenmode, (“Where’s your spunk, man?”) found love and feistiness in the arms of the play’s other acting gem, Charlie Cussons (the fool). The giddy Nanny maintained the character’s obstinacy and stubbornness throughout the play and the over-arching Granny, with her whip-cracking severity, would not have been out of place as a dominatrix. Laurence Powell’s performance as the Duke was gleefully psychopathic, hopping and twitching as

if in permanent need of the toilet. The worsening condition of his bloodied hand was the play’s most successful visual gag. Never has a cheese grater been so funny. However, the other performances rarely rose above the level of caricature. The Duchess exemplified this perfectly

with an over-simplistic parody of Lady Macbeth. Whilst the peripheral parts were far from Oscar winning, to say that this was a debut role for most of the actors, many of them displayed clear ability. Emma Matthews, Kate Todd and Harry Broadbent provided some excellently ostentatious costumes, ranging

from the Duchess’ regal attire to the fool’s pink and blue jester outfit. Fiona Barnett (props) pulled a winner out of the cupboard with the full sized horse’s cart, made all the more magical for its brief appearance. Shakespeare references aplenty, nods to folklore and exploding doors all added to the fun. Indeed, most of the jokes were welldelivered, particularly Matthew Urwin’s superbly adlibbed “How the hell am I still single?” and the Vic Reeves-esque sexual harassment scene. Similarly, Alistair Linsell’s perfectly timed projectile scythe rightfully promoted riots of laughter. On the whole, these moments of hilarity tended to drown out the more flatly delivered jokes, outgunning and outnumbering them. However, the play frequently descended into farce. By far the funniest moment was when the stage-hands were (to the audience’s delight) caught unexpectedly on stage. Though the performance certainly shouldn’t take itself too seriously, it frequently resembled pantomime. The play’s vast number of overly-short scenes (testament to its being an adaptation of a novel) were executed clumsily, the drama frequently being interrupted by stage-hands. The play was certainly not a comedy of errors, but its assets were let down by avoidable blunders. It wasn’t that the play was bad: it was alright, but this, unfortunately, is all it was. Whilst the play was charming and endearing, it ultimately fell short of the mark. Quite frankly, we pose the question asked by Magrat: “where was the spunk?” Henry Taylor and James Bowers

Losing their minds Palatinate loses itself in this latest Bailey Theatre Company production TIM MARSHALL

4.48 Psychosis Bailey Theatre Company St. John’s Chapel «««««

“

Do with it what you will, just remember writing it killed me” told Sarah Kane of her astonishing final work, 4.48 Psychosis. Often regarded as Kane’s own thinly veiled suicide note, 4.48 Psychosis presents a harrowingly honest and painfully raw account of mental illness and the descent of a nameless girl into the dark depths of depression. >>>Presented by The Bailey Theatre Company, the play was performed in St John’s College Chapel, an intimate venue capable of providing the audience with great atmospheric effects. The performing of the play in such a venue may have appeared a controversial issue for some given the play’s foreboding subject matter. >>>However, such a setting was crucial to the play’s dark ambience. It was the atmosphere which gave the play its impressive intensity. From the moment audience members entered the chapel, they were immediately immersed in the darkness of Kane’s world. The audience entered to the sight of the play’s nameless girl (played by Rebecca Mackinnon) sat in the floor’s centre, dressed in a simple grey nightdress with smudged mascara and a childish desperation in the way she sat, her knees grasped to her chest. >>>An intense silence was maintained

until the action began, the only sound audible being the girl’s rasping breaths as she looked accusingly at those watching. It was touches such as these that gave the play its dramatic magnitude: the division between reality and imagination was dissolved, an illusion never broken at any point within the performance. As such, the audience were made very much a part of the girl’s dark and tortuous mental battle. >>>Written in unconventional dramatic format, with no stage directions, scene divisions or cast list, the play gave directors Hannah Shand and Emma Butler huge scope and freedom with which

to present the play. From the castless script they had drawn three parts: the aforementioned nameless girl and also two male figures, ambiguous in their role and casting an imposing presence. Barefooted and dressed entirely in black, they proved an effective counterpart to Mackinnon’s vulnerability. >>>Played by Ben Salter and Callum Cheatle, the male figures were largely used in the roles of the multitude of healthcare professionals the girl encounters during her illness, each with varying levels of scorn and condescension. >>>However, one of these doctors proves the exception (played by Salter)

and as a result of his compassion and empathy, forms a meaningful bond with his patient and becomes her ‘last glimmer of hope’ – a hope which tragically is restrained by the professional constraints of the job. Rebecca Mackinnon’s performance as the nameless girl was truly excellent. Her speech encompassed the polarised range of emotions of the mental patient and the expression of which contained poignant echoes of Plathian poeticism. Salter and Cheatle were similarly impressive in their respective roles, changing seamlessly between their various characters and evoking a sinister feel with their roaming presence within the performance space. >>>The lighting was similarly immaculate, managing to perfectly reflect the exact current mood of the scene, with complete blackouts used to great, sinister effect. The patient notes in the play, “I thought it was silent until it went silent.” This is indeed what happened during the course of the evening; just when it appeared that the room could not get any quieter, a new level of silence would be reached until even breathing could shatter it. >>>This atmosphere of breathless intensity lasted even until the audience left the Chapel, so that you didn’t feel you could speak until you were well away from the door: the illusion was truly never broken. Distressing, poignant and beautiful. Lyndsey Fineran

Carmen Durham University Operatic Society Castle Great Hall «««««

here could have been no better setting for this vivid and moving performance than the impressive Castle Great Hall. The audience – crammed shoulder to shoulder at the sell out show – waited in hushed anticipation. Suddenly, we were transported to the steamy, vibrant streets of Seville. Gillian Plummer, president of the DOE, was meek and demure as Michaela, and provided a contrast to the other women who occupied the soldiers’ minds. Coquettish and flirtatious senoritas paraded across the stage before the eyes of the eagerly awaiting soldiers. Vivid costumes and makeup transformed these Durham students into high-spirited Hispanic cigarette girls. Jessica Taylor as Carmen was fiery and irresistible, seducing the men onstage and in the audience with her Hispanic charm. Her passionate rendition of the classic ‘Habanera’ was enough to have soldiers across the floor on their knees, and her warning that “if I love you, you'd best beware” was soon to become tragically trueLORNA as she URWIN threw a symbol of her love to the only soldier resisting her temptation. Christopher Jacklin oozed masculine charm and was rugged and elusive as Don Jose, but despite his best attempts he is soon dragged into the snares of this beautiful woman as she struts, dances and sings. Limbs and bodies flew across the stage in a whirlwind of colour. There is something undeniably sexy about the flamenco, and the drama of the scene only escalated as the violence and aggression culminated in fight between Don Jose and his love rival, Escamillo (Michael Bunch). The use of a bottle that actually smashed upon Escamillo’s head and a table which collapsed as the pair fell sprawling upon it was shockingly realistic. The arrival of the bullfighter, Escamillo, (Michael Bunch) was dramatic and thrilling. Commanding the stage he stole the hearts of the cigarette women and along with them, that of Carmen. This new intrusion pushed her fiery, electric relationship with Don Jose to the extreme, and her torments for him to go home eventuallly backfire as he walks out on her life. It was uplifting to see such a mixed audience, and Carmen was accessible and very enjoyable even for those who would not normally consider going to watch an opera. In the final scene, Jenna Miller was fiery and relentless yet incredibly graceful as ‘the bull’, and the precision of the choreography adds an impending shadow of disaster to the background of the mainstage action. >>>As Don Jose plunges a dagger into the subject of his lost hope, and rises bloody and insane, the grim and dark parade of the dead toreadors funeral leaves a dark scene indeed. This difficult scene was deeply moving and a credit to both the acting and the technical skills of all involved. >>>The beautiful music produced by the orchestra flowed seamlessly into the hall from behind the black canvas. The conductor was a constant presence on the projectors, brooding over the onstage action and driving his performers into well-executed action. Lucy Laycock

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

STAGE stage@palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 13

STAGE

Flying high Funny Girl Trevelyan Musical Society Trevelyan Buttery «««««

on’t tell me not to live, just sit and potter. Life’s candy and the sun’s a bowl of butter”. Ah yes, the mantra of every happy-go-lucky Durhamite as they make their way to lectures on a Monday morning. And coincidentally also the immortal words first spoken by Barbara Streisand back in 1968 when she played opposite Omar Sharif in the film adaptation of Lennart’s Broadway musical Funny Girl. >>>The Trevs dining room doesn’t lend itself brilliantly to stage performances – it is very long, very thin, not famed for its acoustic excellence, and doesn’t accommodate audience members who enjoy being able to see the performers throughout the show. Nevertheless, as the house lights dipped and the orchestral notes rang out over a packed audience, my cynicism was laid to rest. >>>Transporting their audience to preWW1 New York, the production opened in typically ostentatious fashion as the chorus sprang into life, engaging audience members by utilising the space well. However, the speech was sporadically inaudible, with sound problems evident from the outset: that which I could hear was often mumbled. I found solace in the hope that after a shaky opening night, the team were experiencing those famous ‘second night blues’.

“Heading proceedings was Alex Walshaw. And what a delight she was.” >>>When we first meet our protagonist, Fanny Brice, she is a stage-struck teen fighting to ‘make it big’ in the world of showbusiness. Her charm and humour are very much present, and in that unconventional, endearingly left-of-centre manner which means that she won’t have become nauseatingly saccharine by the time the heady finale comes a-knocking: the blueprint, in other words, for every decent musical from My Fair Lady to Evita and back again via 42nd Street. Poor girl

CHRIS NINNES

Palatinate reviews Trevelyan College’s latest musical

turned rich and all that jazz. >>>Then she finally gets her big break. Cue the love interest, this time in the form of Nick Arnstein, a tall, dark, handsome stranger who enters into her life like the breeze through a green room door, only to sweep her off her high-heeled feet before she can say ‘emancipation’. Naturally he is deliciously suave, articulate, wealthy, and superior to her only in ego size, despite her rose-tinted illusions to the contrary. Heading proceedings was Alex Walshaw, and what a delight she was. Her voice was, at times, breathtaking, her elegance and stage presence demanded our attention, and she consistently maintained precisely the brand of infectious energy characterised by her role. It was a shame the same couldn’t always be said for the cast. >>>Many of the performers failed to convince me that they were even engaged in the performance, let alone enjoying it. This left me decidedly underwhelmed by the end of many of the numbers. Sam Watkinson, playing the Nick Arnstein to her Fanny Brice, gave an occasionally wooden but otherwise highly praiseworthy performance. His character wasn’t

quite as captivating as his leading lady – but then he’s not supposed to be, otherwise she’d end up with him. >>>A word must be spared for Polly Aldridge, who consistently sparkled in her portrayal of fussy housewife Mrs Brice. Her role wasn’t one of the most central but she frequently dominated the scenes that she was in. The remainder of the cast displayed much merit as an ensemble and were sufficiently versatile within that capacity to transpose roles when the need arose. But there’s more to musicals than jazz hands and spirit fingers, and these guys were often let down by poor choreography. >>>As the evening progressed, the occurrence of cluttered or messy-looking staging increased, with a frustrating neglect of the fine art of blocking. So many elemental aspects were in place to secure the show’s success – the costumes, music and lighting were all superb – and I was willing these to be vindicated with similarly outstanding acting. But I’m sorry to say it just didn’t happen. I say this with some hesitation. The acting wasn’t abysmal (and here I include the Bronx accents) by any stretch of the imagination – and we’re talking about a musical

The 34th Durham Drama Festival Awards Best New Comedy: Micro Comedy Best Actress: Stevie Martin (‘Orange Peel’ and ‘Peter Pan Men’) Best Ensemble: James Morton’s ‘The Orange Peel’ Best Director: Florence Vincent and Amy Higgins, ‘The Orange Peel’ Best Writer: Donnchadh O’Connaill Best Actor: Ben Salter (‘Interior Design of My Own Downfall’) Miscellaneous: ‘A Chair, A Door, and A Monkey Named Harry’ (Improvised Musical)

whose cast was comprised entirely from a single, small, college: a feat in itself considering the notoriously demanding nature of this musical. If anything, I was struck by how many talented performers featured amongst the Trevs folk. There is a lot to be said for the work of Director Maria Pipkin in bringing the show to life – not every college could have pulled something of this scale out of the bag, and there’s much to be said for the abundance of enthusiasm amongst them. >>>The combination of fantastic aesthetic appeal and a slick, practiced score from the band raised the overall quality of the show significantly. My toes saw their fair share of tapping action and I did find myself absentmindedly humming Don’t Rain On My Parade as I crossed Kingsgate Bridge the next day (and not just because of the North East’s absurd precipitation patterns). >>>I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy my night on the hill. It takes some incentive to get a Bailey girl like myself to venture up that cardiac monstrosity out of office hours, but despite my qualms it’s not a stretch to imagine that I’d put my stilettos through the walk again. Sophie Zeldin-O’Neill

Seriously sinister Palatinate reviews a darker than dark comedy by Castle Theatre Company The Pillowman Castle Theatre Company Assembly Rooms ««««« Billed as a “searingly brilliant play”, The Pillowman had a lot to live up to. With such controversial content I hoped the show would not disappoint. Ben Salter and Patrick Neyman as Detectives Topolski and Ariel appeared as sinister blacksuited sharks circling the handcuffed Katurian (Ben Starr). As the interrogation progressed it became clear that the script was not only profoundly dark but deeply funny. >>>Lines such as “you look f***ing

stupid” (Topolski referring to Katurian’s wearing a bag on his head) elicited unprecedented chuckles from the audience. >>>Salter’s dry, heartless delivery of these early moments was timed to perfection, and the inherent blasé cruelty present in his voice and physicality was unnerving. At times dangerously still, at others explosive, Salter became the embodiment of totalitarian terror without ever crossing the line into stereotype. >>>Neyman too gave a disturbingly sadistic performance as Ariel. With little vocal or facial inflection and the casual air of something terrible lying just below the facade, the scenes between Ariel and Katurian were intensely unsettling.

Ben Starr’s performance as Katurian was nuanced and heartbreaking, Starr was born to tell stories. The audience were unable to take their eyes off him as he recounted his tales throughout the play. The breadth and depth of his vocal and emotional range was a pleasure to watch: he was quite simply mesmerising. >>>Complimenting the superb acting was the most inventive and interesting use of light and space I have seen in a Durham theatrical performance. One moment that excelled was ‘The Little Jesus Girl’ story, during which an impressive supporting cast (Stevie Martin, Tom Lyons, Adam Usden and Cassie Bradley) enacted the tale told by Starr. The slow and eerie

downward head movements of Martin and Usden to symbolise their deaths were emphasised by a careful fade. Bradley’s silent scream and muffled sobs added to an already unbearable tension in the theatre which the audience is not likely to forget in a hurry. >>>A flaw in the production – a very minor one – was the somewhat awkward shift from fiction to reality. The pivotal moment in which it was revealed that Katurian had not found the corpse of his brother clutching a story in his hand but had found a tortured boy alive was somewhat glossed over, and I felt I was having to catch up for a few minutes. However, every other significant moment was

directed and acted with such sensitivity. >>>The use of film to close the play was particularly effective. A close up of Starr’s eyes became oddly claustrophobic because we had just seen him die. As it panned out to include the also dead Michal, we were left with a tantalising vision of what-might-have-been before the inevitable slide towards violence. The Pillowman was certainly a showcase of some of the boldest and most raw theatrical talent that Durham has to offer. The team must be congratulated on what will surely be remembered as one of the greatest achievements of Durham Student Theatre in many years. Rebecca Mackinnon

INDIGO

Books books@palatinate.org.uk

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

BOOKS

Book chat

Flying high

Literary goings-on

Matt Richardson interviews a new star of the literary world, Iain Hollingshead

Nick Hornby at Waterstones Nicky Horny, bestselling author of High Fidelity and About a Boy, has become the third writer to have the privilege of a writer’s table at Waterstones’, joining Sebastian Faulks and Philip Pullman. Each pick is accompanied by a quaint handwritten note by Hornby and includes, among others, Great Expectations, What Good are the Arts? by John Carey and Chronicle Volume 1 by Bob Dylan. Philip Roth signs for two novels American Nobel hopeful Philip Roth is to continue his prolific outpouring of recent years with two more novels announced by his publisher Jonathan Cape. The first of these two will be entitled The Humbling and is set to grace the shelves in autumn, while the historical novel Nemesis will join it in 2010. Lies, damned lies and statistics A recent poll conducted in conjunction with World Book Day shows that many of us are happy to lie about what we have read. Of the roughly 1,300 responses, 42% of people said they’d claimed to have read George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four without ever glancing at a page. Meanwhile, 31% lied about ever reading War and Peace, 25% fibbed about Ulysses and 24% invented false truths about their perusals of the Bible. Salman Rushdie on Slumdog Salman Rushdie has recently found time to grumble at the success of Slumdog Millionaire. The Booker Prize winner and public face of magical realism wrote in the Guardian that the film has at its centre a “patently ridiculous conceit” and is “the kind of fantasy writing that gives fantasy writing a bad name”.

ain Hollingshead is a very talented man. Not content with being merely a best-selling novelist, he is also a prolific journalist for the Daily Telegraph and used to write a column in Saturday’s Guardian. Alongside these day jobs, Iain co-authored the satirical musical Blair on Broadway, and has contributed to the Today programme and You and Yours on Radio 4. Palatinate caught up with the rising star to find out the secret of his success. Have you always wanted to write? >>>Not really, no. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a footballer, like most kids. Then I turned eight and realised I probably wasn’t good enough. I spent the next five years wanting to be a vet, and then a doctor - potentially a flying doctor in the outback of Australia - before realising I was no good at science (and probably wouldn’t be any good at flying either). >>>When I went to university in 1999 I started studying Arabic, thinking I’d quite like to go into the Foreign Office, but changed to History after a year, on the grounds that there wasn’t much demand for Arabists any more. History shows that was probably a mistake. >>>I spent most of my time at university not thinking about a career before leaving and working in Westminster in a thinktank for a year. The idea of Twenty Something (my first novel) had been brewing at the back of my mind for a while so I quit my job on a whim and had a stab at writing it. I fell into journalism, pretty much by default, around the same time. I’ve been very lucky at how things have turned out – but I still wonder sometimes if it’s not too late to become a professional footballer. Which authors have most influenced your work? >>>Authors: PG Wodehouse, Stephen Fry, Alexander McCall Smith, Nick Hornby, Kingsley Amis, Oscar Wilde, Helen Fielding, John O’Farrell. Journal-

ists: Ben Macintyre, Matthew Parris, Boris Johnson, AA Gill, Hugo Rifkind, anyone with the surname Coren. What is your usual writing day? >>>Sadly, there’s no substitute for sitting at a keyboard and staring at a screen until something happens. When I worked freelance for four years, my day normally involved dragging myself out of bed at some point between the end of the Today Programme and Women’s Hour and working fairly solidly until the ﬁrst instalment of Neighbours. >>>I’d try to go for lunch with someone to break up the day, go for a walk in the park in the afternoon to stave off clinical obesity, and then do a bit more before the evening. For the last eight months I’ve been working full-time at the Telegraph so I have to get up early and write before going to work if I want to get anything done. I’m dreadful at getting out of bed but once up I ﬁnd my brain works best at that time of day. You’re a successful stage writer, journalist and novelist. Is it hard to adapt to all these different mediums? >>>I think they all complement each other quite well. I certainly think my dialogue in my novels improved after writing

a bit for the stage. It’s one thing to read in your head what your characters are supposed to be saying; it’s quite another to hear it being delivered out loud by actors. As for journalism, I think that the rigour of the deadlines, as well as the need to self-edit and accept other people’s input, are all good training for other sorts of writing. If there is one book you wish you could have written, what would it be? >>>I rather wish I’d written High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, partly because it’s a funny, gripping idea, and partly because Hornby is very close to Hollingshead in the alphabet and there are always a huge number of copies of his books whenever I go into shops to see how mine is doing.

“I rather wish I’d written High Fidelity by Nick Hornby” What are you reading at the moment? >>>A collection of AA Gill’s journalism Paper View – absolutely hilarious. Are you working on anything new? I’m just putting the ﬁnal touches to my second novel which is coming out in

January next year.

“You don’t write a book; it writes you... whether or not you finish a book depends on whether you can imagine not finishing it” Do you have any tips for wannabe writers? >>>There are a couple of clichés about writing which have stuck with me. They’re pretty naff but I think they’re true. 1) You don’t write a book; it writes you - horribly trite, but I think that whether or not you finish a book depends on whether you can imagine not finishing it. About half my friends have started writing a book at some point. Most of them are still (very happy) lawyers/management consultants and never got beyond the second chapter. 2) Writing is like a muscle. You have to keep it exercised - If I don’t write for a while I notice that I’ve lost my flow. Setting yourself a target of, say 500 words per day, can be useful. It doesn’t matter if 420 of them are dreadful. You can always edit later. I’d also add that very few people live off writing as a sole source of income. There is only one Dan Brown (thank God) and rather a lot of other authors scraping by enough to go out to McDonald’s every couple of months. I’m lucky to have a second job I enjoy as well. Twenty Something is out in paperback priced £7.99 and published by Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd.

Writing: pleasure or pain? Matt Richardson interviews a new star of the literary world Recently the Irish novelist Colm Tóibín hit the headlines by moaning on about the arduous and woe-betrodden life of the writer. “Oh there’s no pleasure”, claimed Tóibín in an interview for the online journal the Manchester Review. “I write with a sort of grim determination to deal with things that are hidden and difﬁcult and this means, I think, that pleasure is out of the question.” >>>The notion of writing as a painful task found its apotheosis in Flaubert pursuing his monkish existence, wreathed in smoke and forever attempting to hit upon le mot juste with which he might ever so slowly start ﬁlling a page or two. >>>Since then, every serious, browbeaten ‘literary’ artiste has never been shy of professing how much they have suffered for their art. There are stories of Martin Amis taking two days of unceasing rumination over the simple task of describing a piece of bread, or Samuel Beckett almost reduced to scratching out his dramas in blood.

>>>It was the foolhardy Anthony Trollope who admitted in his autobiography that he worked to a schedule and wrote for money. No sooner had the words entered the public sphere than his reputation found itself being unceremoniously ripped to pieces by the critical establishment. >>>They claimed that it was impossible that the Muse could work to a schedule or be used to procure pecuniary rewards. In order to be a truly great writer you needed to follow nothing less than a marriage-ending, child-estranging, hermetic existence to ever have a chance of entering the literary hall of fame. >>>Last week, Tóibín’s comments sparked a debate in the Guardian where several semi-known, and a healthy smattering of unknown, novelists offered their view on the trials and tribulations of ever scooping up the authorial pen. The popular thrillmaster Hani Kunzru claimed that “I get great pleasure from writing, but not always, or even usually”, a happy taster for the self-serving whines that followed.

Amit Chaudhuri – a writer I cheerfully admit to never having heard of - admitted that “Writing novels is no fun; nor is, generally speaking, reading novels. >>>Reading people writing about novels is not always fun either, because relatively little of this kind of writing is any good. Then there’s the group of people who don’t enjoy being novelists, to which I probably belong; whose lives are at once shaped and defined by, and to some extent entrapped in, the act of writing fiction.” >>>Thankfully, amidst this eternal pit of depressive unfunness, there were a few positivistic souls who admitted to gaining greater job satisfaction. Will Self, one of the minority among all the contributors to have prostituted himself on – heaven forbid – TV, said that “I gain nothing but pleasure from writing fiction”, while Julie Myerson (again, only the second scribbler famous or interesting enough to be allowed coverage to the wider public) concurred that “Writing gives me such

enormous pleasure, and I’m a much happier (and therefore nicer) person when I’m doing it”. >>>To be honest it’s hard to have any time for the other miserable, moping, bottle-clutching, pill-imbibing lot as the one thing the world most certainly doesn’t need any more of is books. >>>If Chaudhuri and his cohorts really hate writing so much, why don’t they just give up? The ﬁrst to go on the worldwide cull of extraneous print and paper cloggage must be the ones responsible for casting a pall of boredom and weariness over the literary scene. Books and literature are never going to appear exciting and fun if the authors themselves ﬁnd the whole thing nap-inducing. >>>So surely the simple answer to Colm Tóibín must be “get another job!” Perhaps someone more appreciative of the rewards should be allowed to take his place on the shelves. In these cashscarce times the absence of a new Tóibín novel is hardly going to be a world-wob-

bling catastrophe. >>>For me the great writers seem to have an exuberant quality about them. With Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens, comic invention is bubbling over from every scene. You can sense the relish with which they attacked the page. They create a world full of fun, drama and enjoyment, a fascination with the complexities of the world. >>>For many modern writers such enthusiasm would seem positively commercial, a stain on their hard-won literary credentials. Even with the stylistic assiduity of Nabokov there is always an impish twinkle behind the faultlessly ﬁligreed prose; he never commits the arch crime of dullness, unlike the majority of his modern followers. >>>Refugees in Africa, political dissidents in Zimbabwe and families in Iraq might well have something to complain about, but bestselling writers, I’d venture to suggest, do not..

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

MUSIC music@palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 15

MUSIC

Benga’s record bag of tricks Palatinate quizes Benga on the technicalities of DJing, new fans and the direction dubstep is taking.

AMY-JANE WAKELING

ubstep has been busy making bassy waves in the musical sea recently. From its humble beginnings in Big Apple Records Croydon and club night FWD>> to the Croatian festival, Outlook, deep, dark beats are where it’s at now, with even the NME hailing it as the new favourite of the Indie kids. >>>Benga, a bass-hungry pioneer, has been producing tunes since the tender age of 14 and his legendary track “Night” has been instrumental in dubstep’s crossover from South London record stores to worldwide recognition. We caught up with him on a snowy night in Durham, just before he tore up the Subotica stage, to shed some light on this dark genre that the kids are all raving about.

“Vinyl are no longer the only tool at the dubstep artist’s disposal”

“I never thought I would be appealing to the skinny jeans guys” >>>Since the success of Burial following his Mercury Prize nomination, there has been a lot of talk about how dubstep essentially manages to reflect the dynamics of London as a city. In contrast to the views of DJs such as Loefah, Benga suggests the relationship is not as strong as some might believe, claiming that he sees “no connection between [his] town and music”. Rather he thought the existence of the “record shop” (probably Big Apple, Croydon) was the key component in dubstep’s development and not the “skyscrapers around [him]”. >>>This observation is particularly interesting in light of the fact that dusbtep’s ancestral form of grime never managed to get out of London, let alone the U.K. Dubstep on the other hand has exploded not only across Europe,

out”. >>>Technological advancements have also changed dubstep in more ways than one. Slowly leaving behind its reggae culture associations, vinyl are no longer the only tool at the dubstep artist’s disposal.

BENGA AT SUBOTICA

but the entire globe - with nights such as Dub War in New York playing host to some of the scene’s most renowned representatives such as Skream, Digital Mystikz and Kode 9. This may be due in part to dubstep’s expansion through the internet, which has massively increased

its popularity. Benga is convinced that “without the internet, it would be nowhere near as far as it is now”. >>>The online dubstep community of dubstepforum, which incidentally was set up by a Croatian, has an unprecedented role to play in this, and provides a

ready avenue where users can discuss releases, events and share mixes. As most of the forum’s users are involved in the scene in some way or another, Benga welcomes the file sharing dimension of it as it means the “more people get hold of the music, then the more it gets played

>>>Benga himself holds true to vinyl, as having played them since he “was twelve years old” he feels it would be “too hard” to lose the tactile experience of wax. However, this does not mean that he is disparaging of DJs such as Rusko who “play off [computer software] traktor”. In his opinion it simply boils down to how a DJ “delivers to the audience”; regardless of their means of doing so, “as long as it’s entertaining”. >>>Somewhat surprisingly the dubstep sound has infiltrated the non-electronic, more guitar-based community. If many old timers are dissatisfied with tales of “indie” clubs having a dedicated “dubstep hour”, rest assured that Benga is not one of them: “I never thought it would be appealing to the skinny jeans guys, but it’s good if they’re in to it. Different crowds create different vibes”. Migration into these new crowds might in turn “encourage [dubstep] producers to think about new sounds rather than just always going down the jump-up or techno routes”. >>>With such an open attitude to the scene, do expect to see more of Benga and his record bag spinning here, there and everywhere. Anna Codrea-Rado and Robert Tinker

What’s in a name? Palatinate drops into Ben Esser’s dressing room to talk band names, pop songs and geography over a bag Revels. Ninja of Tune

hat do Britney, Kylie and Justin have in common? Let’s not be rude now – the answer I’m looking for is they no longer need surnames. >>>Whilst this works well for people with unusual first names, it doesn’t work so well for people like Ben Esser (aka Esser). >>>He tells me how he once imported some of his tracks into iTunes from a CD with ‘Ben’ marked as the artist – iTunes then cleverly found a picture of some goofy looking guy called Ben and flashed it up on the screen. >>>From that moment Ben Esser said goodbye to his first name, and adopted his surname as his band name. >>>”Pretty cool”, I tell him, “That’s what Morrissey did; can you think of any other artists who have done that?”, I ask him. “No”. No, neither can I. >>>I catch up with Esser (Ben) backstage at the Metro Arena. He’s just finished his set and up next is fellow support band Black Kids. (Both acts are currently on tour with the Kaiser Chiefs) I’m introduced to Ben who lets me into his dressing room and offers me a bag of Revels. >>>He’s topless, and desperately searching for a clean top to put on. As he sniffs the various t-shirts strewn across the

game of football. >>>If you check out Esser’s Myspace (www.myspace.com/esserhq) you will see that the three genres he uses to describe his music are Pop/Pop/Pop. “I thought pop was the Spice Girls; you don’t sound like the Spice Girls to me”.

“Pop music is about the ‘meaning’ of a song”

floor, he informs me that they haven’t had a chance to do any laundry yet. He settles for a vintage Fred Perry polo top and we sit down to have a chat. >>>They are a week into the tour and it seems that the stops were arranged by someone unfamiliar with Britain’s geogra-

phy. Newcastle tonight, down to London tomorrow, then back north to Manchester the day after. >>>Ben doesn’t complain though - he’s just enjoying being on the road. It’s not all travelling and performing; the other day his band and the Kaiser Chiefs had a

>>>He laughs and explains how pop music isn’t about a particular ‘sound’ but rather the ‘meaning’ of a song. “Pop songs are songs that are easy to understand” he says. >>>Indeed, Esser’s music achieves this; see the catchy chorus of ‘I Love You’ – “I love you, but I don’t know how to tell you”. >>>In a previous interview, I read that Ben’s dad was a bit of a ‘jazzer’. “Haha, yeah you know, a bit of a jazzer” he tells

me. He explains how his dad used to be of the opinion that the only music worth listening to was jazz. >>>From a young age, Ben was exposed to some really avant-garde stuff, e.g. Mahavishnu Orchestra. He recalls how at a school ‘bring and share’ afternoon, he took one of his favourite solo drum albums by Billy Cobham to share. The other kids weren’t too impressed. (Ben is also a drummer and used to drum for the now defunct post-punk band Ladyfuzz). >>>As such, drumming and percussion are a big part of Esser’s music. On stage, in addition to manning the drums, Ben can be seen pounding a floor tom whilst the guitarists throw some percussive shakers into the mix. On top of all this, another member fires electronic samples into the rhythmic battlefield. >>>The beats heard are not your standard indie fare; they are at times punky, at times reggae-ish, and the complexity of it all reminded me of The Streets. >>>Esser’s music is both quirky and grown-up. His tunes are original and instantly likeable. When his album comes out in May, I think we will be seeing a lot more of him. In the meantime check out his Myspace and catch him again at the Freevolution Festival in Newcastle. David Tshulak

INDIGO

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

MUSIC music@palatinate.org.uk

MUSIC

The Student Scene Palatinate dives head-first into the burgeoning music scene right on our doorstep

Absence

Gig Reviews

Durham’s dose of dubstep

Palatinate enjoys some of Durham’s latest offerings from Alt-Soc, Gold and Absence DAVID ENSOR

E-SQUARED

Why ‘Absence’? The Absence name is taken from an album by the industrial hip-hop group Dälek, which features the really heavy grinding sounds that we love, and the absolute killer of a song “Culture For Dollars” What made you start the nights? We started the nights basically due to a lack of dubstep in Durham and as a forum for us to play our music to like minded people. The interest of other djs meant that our nights now include drum ‘n’ bass and techno, as well as it’s dubstep roots.

How easy/diffcult is to organise the events? The nights are fairly small and therefore aren’t too bad to organise, but there is still the same drive to try and make them successful, and the resulting stress involved in any night. The joint lending of equipment, records and the help setting up done by all the different djs and Absence goers make the whole atmosphere really great, and the nights very intimate. So thanks to everyone who DJs and everyone who comes! You can find more information about upcoming events at www.absenceevents.co.uk or search facebook for ABSENCE-EVENTS. Anna Codrea-Rado

«««««

he juxtaposition between the thumping dance beats of Studio’s Friday

Gold Loft «««««

n the 25th February, Loft played host to a new night on the Durham music scene called GOLD. This event, as the Facebook group hyped, was to be ‘Durham’s first and only rave night’. I arrived hoping it would dispel my preconception of a ‘rave’ in Durham simply consisting of giddy girls in rave paint, requesting Pendulum and Faithless. Hosted in Loft with entry at three pounds, the event promised the greatest dance tunes with an upcoming London DJ, UV cannons, glow sticks, UV paint, cheap drinks, Goldschlager shot girls, strobe Lighting and GOLD’s finest male and female models. >>>A good sign on entering was a queue all the way down the stairs. On arrival we were graced with the essential to

any Durham rave - UV paint. Glow sticks were given to us, but these ran out quickly. An unsympathetic venue in space and layout, GOLD did a good job of filling Loft. >>>Testament to this was that it took twenty minutes to get a drink. The drinks however was cheap at £2.20 for spirit and mixer. I did not see the advertised GOLD models all night, though perhaps this is a good thing as what they would have added to the night is unknown. The dance floor was packed and the atmosphere was one of excitement, frivolity and enjoyment. True to its description old and new dance tunes boomed all the way from 10:30pm till 2:00am. The music range was broad within the rave scene spectre ranging from trance and electro to light drum ‘n’ bass and classic dance. On the whole though, classic cheese dance anthems dominated including Freestyler, Pendulum, Prodigy and Tiesto. >>>The crowd lapped the music up mer-

DAVID ENSOR

How has Durham repsonded? There is a small core of regular Absence goers, but compared to most other universities the scene in Durham is extremely small. It does seem to be growing, with nights like Twisted at the DSU, the various Subotica events and the new Fidget night offering an increasing variety of music, when a few years back there was reportedly very little.

Small Screen Light Show Studio

the band and their supporters standing around awkwardly, expectantly, waiting for a bigger crowd to arrive. The clock ticked ominously through 7 and 8pm, and only at 9 did a sizeable group of people appear. Those who did turn up, however, were in for a sporadic, but lively night. The support act for the evening, the ‘charmingly poignant’ (as described by Rockfeedback.com) Targets, pulled out of the gig at two in the afternoon of the day of the event. However, despite this setback, the two hour late start, and the less than spectacular turnout, The Small Screen Lightshow, in a good humoured and endearing way, went on to play a jovial and enthusiastic set. Highlights included the catchy and upbeat I’m Too in Love which got at least a few members of the audience (bravely and drunkenly) dancing around at the back. The small audience also lent an air of cosiness and intimacy to the freezing Studio top floor, creating a real connecCIARAN O’MALLEY

Who are the DJs? Consoul (Alex Bishop) - chiefly DnB, Russel Smith - techno and electro. Beardman (David Wingrove) - dubstep and some grime. The Iranian (James Catley) - dubstep and breaks DJ Ess Kay - produces his own DnB. Calum Baugh - DnB Glassfingers (Nicolas Helm-Grovas) dubstep/techno E-Squared (Ed Eaton) - breaks and DnB RrobT (Robert Tinker) - dubstep and garage

night bottom floor and the fresh sound of county Durham’s home grown indie rockers The Small Screen Lightshow could not have been more apparent, especially given the comically distinct sets of audience; scruffy indie kids versus dolled up locals. >>>The Small Screen Lightshow, despite their young age and small number (Matthew G. Vant on guitar and vocals, and Rebecca J. Yong on bass and backing vocals) have made quite an impact on the musical elite, being recently cited BBC1’s Steve Lamacq’s unsigned band of a the week and touring with a host of big names such as Young Knives, Frank Turner and The Buzzcocks. The night started off hesitantly; the sound checks took well over their scheduled hour, and despite a spirited effort at advertising from the Alternative Music Society and great enthusiasm on the part of the few attendees, Studio’s top floor was painfully empty at doors opening,

Absence Fishtank «««««

bsence is a small, student-run night held at Fishtank once a month. All the DJs, whose specialities vary from dubstep, to breaks, techno, grime, and drum ‘n’ bass are students too and anyone who wants to showcase their record spinning talents is welcomed.

“A friendly atmosphere with great beats” >>>The night, a part of the larger dubstep/drum ‘n’ bass scene that has emerged in Durham over the past few years, has its own special charm. It doesn’t attract big name DJs and massive crowds like Subotica events although

some of its regular DJs, most notably Beardman, The Iranian and RrobT have fast been making a name for themselves on the Durham scene and have supported acts such as Benga and played at Twisted. >>>What it does do, however, is create an intimate laid back and friendly atmosphere with great beats. Absence on Wednesday 4th March featured Alex Bishop (Consoul), Russell Smith, Beardman, The Iranian and Ess-Kay, was no exception. The dance floor was filled from eleven onwards right until the final record

at two and when The Iranian dropped Eastern Jam at the night’s peak the crowd went wild. Ash Ogden captures some of the Absence vibe when he says “this night makes me want to walk down a London alley with my hood up”. >>>It certainly doesn’t have the feel of an ordinary Durham club night. There are candles on the tables and people sit around chatting in a relaxed manner. Some are even drinking tea, for the night was a Fairtrade themed Absence and there was a Fairtrade information and biscuit stall in the corner.

tion between band and audience which won round even the most sceptical of members. The charismatic lead vocalist, Matthew Vant, with his flop of emo hair and thick Sunderland accent, joked with the audience between songs, inspiring energy from even the most timid of onlookers. What else would you expect from a band named after the glow from a television set in a dark room? An unfortunate side effect of The Small Screen Lightshow’s mediocre attendance is that the Alternative Music Society are wavering on putting on further acts in the future. This is disappointing given the potential of scheduled act Maybe She Will. The Small Screen Lightshow should serve as an encouraging reminder of the talented acts in the Durham music scene. One can only hope that Durham’s students eventually realise there’s a whole world of music outside the cheesy walls of Klute. Izzy Barker rily and the dance floor remained packed for the full three and a half hours. Overall the night was a success - popular in number with the strobe lighting and UV cannons making a pleasant ambient atmosphere. The music was well received and the crowd remained in high spirits all night. >>>However, though advertised as the first ever Durham rave, it certainly didn’t feel groundbreaking. Rather than a completely new night on the Durham scene it felt like an amalgamation of other nights such as Planet of Sound, Digital Love and Twisted. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as the end product of such influences resulted in a fantastic night. Though a rave in the light sense, GOLD was a night that ought to be more frequent in a nightlife scene dominated and limited by cheese. >>>The second GOLD night will be held on Wednesday 18th March starting at 8:00pm. Kathry Balls “We wanted to bring Fairtrade into the Durham cultural sphere”, says Hayley Spann of Durham People & Planet, “and this seemed the perfect venue to do it”. There was no such calm on the dance floor, however, “this night is just amazing” enthused Zac Rowlinson.flickr id: aurelian People really seemed to love the music; it wasn’t alcohol that had them moving but great DJing. “I try to play as many new records as I can,” says Beardman, “my set is never the same.” Russell Smith, DJing at Absence for the first time remarks that he is pleased to have been given the chance to play at such a great night. While the other DJs focused on dubstep, he played a more techno based set and says “it’s all about Turbo and Boyz Noize Records.” The Iranian, aka James Catley, who founded the night, sums up its aims: to give talented student DJs an opportunity to play in a friendly environment and to bring great music to the students of Durham. It certainly succeeds. Look out for the Absence end of term party on the 19th March with two rooms, a late licence and a massive sound system. Venue to be announced in the near future. Sarah Brown

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

MUSIC music@palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 17

MUSIC

Album reviews

Singles

Palatinate’s album pickings from the unsigned Shortwave Fade and Ninja Tune’s drum ‘n’ bass merchants - Qemists

Palatinate’s single reviews

Qemists Join The Q Ninja Tune «««««

he Qemists are a three piece drum and bass DJ collective hailing from Brighton. Originally a rock trio, an interest in drum and base led them to create this

They describe their music as ‘Blondie having an argument with the Super Furry Animals in the back of a cab on the way home from a Soulwax gig’ and after a first listen to the debut album of the Leicester four-piece, I couldn’t help feeling that is all Shortwave Fade really is - an amalgam of different musical influences. >>>So does their album Deletia offer anything new? The opening track Stay As You Are wouldn’t be out of place on an Editors album and You Were Right has a definite Idlewild feel to it. But is this something to be viewed as negative? Aren’t all bands a product of what has come before to some extent?

>>>And we need only to look at the chart successes of late to see that originality is of little importance in guaranteeing commercial success. However, it would be unfair to suggest that Shortwave Fade is bringing nothing new to the table. Mixing dazzling guitars with spacious, relaxed electronica and lilting melodies, they are definitely setting themselves on their own path and it would seem to be a path to success if the hype is to be believed. Long-time friends, Shortwave Fade have certainly been making waves of their own. Boasting over 15,000 MySpace ‘friends’ and a legion of fans who have been willing to finance their music through buying shares in them through the website Slice The Pie, they have both the popular vote on their side but also, and arguably most importantly, they have the support of the critics with a full page feature that was published in the Daily Telegraph last year. >>>The music industry bigwigs themselves seem to be honing them for that coveted ‘next big thing’ label. With Gavin Monaghan, a heavyweight in the industry who has worked with the likes of the Kings of Leon and The Smiths, producing this debut along with support and airplay from Steve Lemacq, they seem to be the ones to watch this year. With catchy melodies and infectious riffs throughout, nearly every song has the potential to be released on the singles chart. The chosen debut Leave with

its rhythmic energy and lyrical melody has all the components for success. Combining wistful vocals with piano and guitars, much like the music of Keane for whom they supported on tour, it is sure to do well. However, it is the electronic strand to their music which sets them apart and gives an edge which saves them from being stereotyped with the all too numerous and often very poor quality indie bands out there. With the use of synthesizers and sample looping, it is apt for a band which has built much of its support on the The Saturdays internet, creating a virtual fan base, to Just Can’t Get Enough be incorporating the technological and ««««« digital into their music. Music is changing This year’s official Comic Relief in both how it is made but also how it is single for Red Nose 2009 is a cover being brought to the listener’s attention of the Depeche Mode classic. The and Shortwave Fade are certainly at British-Irish group turn the song into a the fore-front of this, leading the way for basic pop song, losing the atmoswhat I am sure will be the way the music pheric production and angst of the industry works in the future. original. A poor version of Ash? Supergrass However, compared to past efon a bad day? Many may see Shortforts, it is a fair cover for charity and it wave Fade as this; a mediocre imitation doesn’t manage to completely destroy of what has already been done before. a song. Last year’s Walk This Way However, after a few replays of the album was simply a diabolical cover of the I could hear not only a few catchy songs Aerosmith classic. The Saturdays Ninja Tune but also a refreshing take on the indie will remind people that this is a good genre. Each track keeps you on your song, and manages to maintain rather toes wondering which avenue the music than ruin its reputation. is going to take next, just as I am eagerly SEP anticipating how far this band will go in the future. The Hours Victoria Taylor Big Black Hole

“Full force electro guitar to drum loops at times sounding like a grittier form of Pendulum”

SHORTWAVE FADE

Shortwave Fade Deletia Self Released «««««

The opening track Stompbox sets the tone for the album which is 48 minutes of hard-line rock based electro. The track flits from full force electro guitar to drum loops at times sounding like a grittier form

of Pendulum. When Ur Lonely is a track which combines hard beats with soulful vocals creating music that wouldn’t feel out of place at any DnB night. Also present on the album are lots of collaborations which add good variation to songs that could otherwise feel musically repetitive at times. Master of Grime, Wiley features on one of the stand out tracks Dem Na Like Me. This is a neat catchy full force track where Wiley’s rapping works well against the rock rhythms. Some of the songs at times feel clichéd though, such as The Perfect High which begins with an American voiceover telling us to search deep inside ourselves. Overall the album is a high intensity non stop wall of noise. Aggressive, energetic and fun, it is accessible to a wide musical audience. The Qemists offer us a pop rock version of drum and base that though at times lacks variation makes up for it in its energetic charm. Katy Balls

QEMISTS

quirky debut album which combines both their musical influences. Such a fusion sparks alarm bells but perhaps down to the fact they have an understanding of both genres, the whole album seems natural and authentic in its mix.

Durham FM Presents Palatinate drops in on Durham FM’s Van Mildert leg of their quest to source student talent.

«««««

t’s always nice to get away from the formality of orchestras – back to music you can have a beer with. Last week, Durham FM presented a sort of ‘Live Lounge’ evening at Van Mildert College; offering the chance for one of the acts to appear on their station. The organiser, Richard John Thompson was up first with a mix of subtle covers and quirky originals, accompanied by the ironically charismatic Athol Cassidy. A mix of covers – the best being I Heard it through the Grapevine, and a few of his

own, original offerings made up the set. The second up was Twilight Fiasco, or rather one half of. >>>Their songs are versatile - having the ability to sound almost as good without the bass and drums, if not a bit simpler. Their originals are a delicate balance of catchiness and subtlety, brilliantly performed by the up-and-coming duo – they’ve managed to play quite a bit around town recently. The last act was Adam Ingram, whose songs are billed as are a ‘bittersweet taken on life, love and everything in between’. I particularly liked the retort to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, as well as his ode to George Best and his second liver.

RICAHRD JOHN THOMPSON

Durham FM Presents Van Mildert JCR

>>>Unexpectedly, none of the acts sounded samey, a common disappointment with new live acts seen in Durham. >>>One other thing I’ve noticed about music in Durham, is that there is plenty from orchestras and big-bands. Besides this, hardly anyone, seems to know about you. Is new music frowned up as the two most population genres are the extremes: Classical/Jazz or Dance – where’s the music for everyone else? >>>Why can’t there be a good society for acts in between these two, music for ‘everyone else’? Ben Swales E-mail us! music@palatinate.org.uk

The Maccabees No Kind Words ««««« Engaging drum intro, driving bass line, picks up energy in chorus but never quite bursts into life. Dreary vocals repeatedly echo the moral advice of a stern mother - “if you’ve no kind words to say, you should say nothing more at all”. Disappointing follow-up to Toothpaste Kisses. DT Pet Shop Boys Love etc. ««««« The Pet Shop Boys - simply saying the name can conjure up images of camp 80s pop music but if your knowledge stops here, you are surely missing out. The duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have barely stopped work since the release of their first album over twenty years ago. Love etc. will be the first single from Yes, their first album in three years. Quoted as saying “sounds like nothing we’ve done before”, this isn’t an over statement. The song takes a look at the modern life style of ‘want’ and is backing with an electronic beat and a catchy melody that is typical of all their work. On first listen, it’s modern sounding but has the edge that only the founding brothers of synth pop know how. Be sure to keep an eye out for album, released on 16th March. SEP

««««« Not a band that you may know but preceding the release of their second album is this little gem. With piano playing a vital part in the song structure, this makes a good listen and singer Anthony Genn draws you into the song until you reach the final climax. Tackling the topic of alcoholism is one of this friends, The Hours aren’t afraid to tackle big topics early in their career. Praised by Jarvis Cocker, these are one to watch. SEP Bullion Young Heartache ««««« Glitchy, oh so American sounding psych-hop piece from the One Handed Music stable. Unrefined compression and pitched up vocal mastery define the sound. Think Dabrye infused with Boards of Canada. BS

18 INDIGO

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

FILM AND TELEVISION film@palatinate.org.uk

FILM AND TELEVISION

The Hollywood debate Guy Lawrence reminds us, lest we forget, The Godfather is a Hollywood Movie too...

t has become very fashionable in recent years to take pot shots at Hollywood. The mainstream American film industry is certainly not without fault, but the unfavourable comparisons often made between Hollywood and foreign and independent cinema tend to overlook the many great films that have emerged from the major US studios, from the early 20th century right up to the present. Just take a look at the quality of some of this year’s major Oscar contenders: Benjamin Button, Milk, WALL-E, The Wrestler, The Dark Knight.

Holocaust (Schindler’s List), the horrors of war (Saving Private Ryan), and terrorism (Munich).

“...the true classics survive because of their timelessness not because of their adherence to current affairs...”

“...there is a tendency to judge Hollywood by lazy, soulless blockbusters, forgetting the monumental classics...” Admittedly, Hollywood churns out its fair share of rubbish too, but in this it is hardly alone. We have a tendency to judge the overall standard of foreign films by the likes of Pan’s Labyrinth or The Lives of Others (both undoubtedly among the best films of recent years). The fact is that foreign language films have such a shamefully limited audience in this country that only the best examples make it over here – many poor foreign films are out there along with the great ones, they just don’t bother to even try marketing them to us (for which, frankly, we should be grateful).

Similarly, there is a tendency to judge Hollywood by lazy, soulless blockbusters, forgetting that monumental classics of cinema history such as The Godfather and Casablanca are Hollywood movies too. There is also enormous pressure on films today to be ‘socially relevant’, especially if they want to be serious contenders for the major awards, and people often forget that social relevance is no guarantee of quality (and that escapism, by extension, isn’t necessarily a bad thing). In many cases, in fact, this attitude among awards voters can cloud

the seemingly simple issue of recognising the year’s best film. The 2005 Oscars are a prime example: Crash, Paul Haggis’s multistranded tale of race relations in LA, was the surprise winner of Best Picture, when most critics now agree, with hindsight, that Brokeback Mountain was probably the better film (it has certainly aged better than Crash). While racism is by no means a trivial or short-lived issue, it is worth remembering that the true classics survive because of their timelessness, not because of their adherence to current affairs.

Indeed it is a balance between the two which Hollywood can provide, through a combination of talented writers, directors and actors, and the financial clout of the big studios. This balance is perfectly embodied in the career of the man who most would probably consider to be the quintessential Hollywood director: Steven Spielberg. Even the most superficial glance at his back-catalogue shows some of the biggest and bestloved summer blockbusters of all time (Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Jurassic Park) alongside studies of racism (The Color Purple), the

The rampant commercialism for which Hollywood is so often lambasted is certainly to the detriment of highquality filmmaking, but perhaps our ire is misplaced; surely the solution is for audiences to stop seeing bad films. There are so many magazines and websites dedicated exclusively to advising people as to which movies most deserve their time and money that there is really no excuse for seeing those films which are almost unanimously slated by critics, but if they do find an appreciative audience then good luck to them. >>>It may be exploitative, but frankly, if people were actually willing to pay to see Scary Movie 3, can you really blame them for making Scary Movie 4? In any case, truly great movies will always overcome the strictures of commercialism. Take The Shawshank Redemption; a box office disaster on its theatrical release in 1994, it barely made back its budget, but after seven Oscar nominations it became the most rented video of 1995 and currently sits proudly at the top of the Internet Movie Database’s poll of the greatest films of all time.

DVD review Palatinate takes a fresh look at Changeling, an Oscar-nominated film soon to be released on DVD Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood Star. Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich «««««

henever Clint Eastwood makes a film, whether acting or directing, there’s always someone whispering about whether it will live up to the star’s reputation. Will it be fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Dirty Harry, Unforgiven and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly? Considering the legacy that Eastwood

“justice, oppression, isolation and corruption are at the heart of this film” undoubtedly has, there’s always an anxiety among film enthusiasts that he could end up making another Space Cowboys, not a bad film per se, but one which just can’t stand alongside his finest moments. Imagine, then, the suspense around Changeling, the director’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of the true story of Christine Collins, a single mother who, in 1928 Los Angeles, begins a desperate search for

her missing son. Overjoyed at the news that her son has been found, she goes to greet him amidst a huge media circus, only to meet a child who she knows is not her own. When she protests, the full barbarity of the notorious LA Police Department becomes clear in their attempts to silence her as she fights to reclaim her own child. Thankfully, any anxiety was misplaced. Justice, oppression, isolation and corruption are at the heart of this film, and

they’re exactly what Eastwood does best. The trick he has mastered in Changeling is to show us all of these themes by making Collins’ story more than just her own. Evoking Prohibition-era LA in all its lurid ambiguity, the seedy world of the LAPD is juxtaposed with the suburban domesticity of Christine’s home, which in itself has proven its potential to host nightmares. Placed alongside the hostility of the asylum to which she is taken after being

sectioned, and the courthouse where she later puts the justice system itself on trial, the panorama of social and political battlegrounds show us more than just one woman’s story: this is the formation of an entire society, made all the more obvious by the horrific events occurring on its fringes. To say too much on this point would be to ruin the plot, but Changeling is also extremely dark and upsetting. The other plot in the film, rotating around the deranged Gordon Stuart Northcott, is by far the most disturbing element of the film, making uncomfortable viewing as his teenage accomplice recounts their behaviour to the police. The police are the enemy, prepared to declare a woman insane if she dares to criticise them, and there is no way of knowing who to trust. If anything, however, this becomes a positive, forcing viewers to question everything and invest themselves in the characters’ struggle. This is before we think about the quality of the acting. Strong support from the likes of John Malkovich and Michael Kelly bolster the film, but they do so around its excellent central figure. Jolie finally returns from her stereotypical sex bomb parts to remind us that, while she may be the woman with the big guns in Tomb Raider, she is also the talented actress who won an Oscar

for Girl, Interrupted, fully deserving of the Best Actress nomination she received for Changeling.

“...strong support from the likes of John Malkovich and Michael Kelly bolster the film...” She invests Christine with genuine depth and emotion, turning in a performance both understated and powerful: the viewer is invited to go through her experiences with her, and even if you want to refuse, you won’t be able to stop yourself from joining her. If it’s a quiet, easy night in that you’re after, this is not the place to look for it. If, however, you’re interested in a mature, compelling piece of powerful cinema, this is where you’ll find it. Luckily for Eastwood, it’s one of his best. Sarah Parkin Changeling is due for release on DVD on 30th March.

C M Y K

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

VISUAL ARTS visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO 19

VISUAL ARTS

Anyone for Überpainting?

Launch

Palatinate unearths a bold new approach to watercolour at Matt Forster’s Newcastle exhibition

Home-made comic books

PAINTING: MATT FORSTER PHOTOGRAPH: ROSIE BOSCAWEN

he train from Edinburgh to Newcastle cut effortlessly through the Northumberland hills, sending them rolling and cavorting away from the tracks. On one side, they tumbled into the calm, windswept North Sea, on the other, fields of old winter grass yearn for spring. >>>Walking into Matt Forster’s exhibition at The Art Works Galleries, Newcastle, I found the scene recreated on the wall before me [pictured], emanating the sweeping beauty of the hills, with bold greens and yellows even in the sterility of winter. Imagine my surprise when, upon stepping up close to the painting, I saw that this vivid landscape was in fact a watercolour of a whole new variety: ‘Überpainting’.

“the colours transported me from east to west and north to south” >>>Coined by the artist himself, he tells me, the name refers to a highly complex and time-consuming development of a series of works. Basic watercolour sketches are built up to traditional watercolour paintings, and on to a piece which succeeds in perfectly capturing the essence of its subject. The current exhibition, ‘ÜberBritain’, consists of regional landscapes from all around the country. That I correctly guessed which areas most of the pictures portray shows just how well-chosen the scenes are. >>>The style of painting required by ‘Überpainting’ means that the range of colours is limited and must also be carefully selected. Together with scenes epitomising their region, the colours transported me from east to west and north to south even within the unadorned, wooden-floored room. An East Anglian

river melted into an evening sky, as the pinks and purples from above cast a similar shade on the land below, and the blue of the water echoed in a patch of sky, so that I might have been on board the lone fishing boat. >>>The collection as a whole is linked by these colours. The pink from this sky reappears in the far distant sands of the Western Isles. Forster then deepened this shade and sent it reverberating through the mountains that curve round the deserted island’s coast. Likewise, patterns resonate throughout the collection:

a winding path in the Borders mirrors a whimsical Northumbrian cloud. Stereotypically idyllic, you might think, but not so. The soft curves are coupled with a confident angularity, befitting the novel use of watercolours. It suggests that excitements and adventures are to be had in all these places, all hugely different because of the diversity of landscapes. >>>Perhaps the clearest argument against any thoughts of stereotypes is that, as the name suggests, Überpaintings are über-sized. From the genesis of an idea for a painting, Forster says that

it takes him roughly 300 hours of work to complete the final piece, which will cover a considerable part of one gallery wall. >>>These massive creations will be on display throughout April, although the preparatory studies will remain for longer. So, if you find yourself in Newcastle and are pondering over how you might fill a spare hour or so, head to the Art Works Galleries to discover this rousing new style for yourself.

Mallard Small Press teamed up with Durham self-publishers Forced Rhubarb and Clarinet (w. added snake) to launch their new comic book ‘fragments’ last week - and did so amid live music, a DJ set and lots of booze.

Fishtank on a Monday night is usually a quiet affair; not so on March 2nd. The launch party in Fishtank billed as ‘Small Press Goes Boom’ and involving lots of free comics, poetry anthologies and music zines - was packed. It may have been because of the live music, or even the DJ set; but more likely it was down to the fact that the ‘small press’ scene is one which thrives off cooperation. In holding a joint event - each collective launching their own new home-made publication - everyone benefited. And even more so thanks to the fact that each zine had a very different interest group. Very smart work by the coalition of small-pressers.

Rosie Boseawen

Exhibition showcase Palatinate wonders what it is to be human his year sees the Durham Advanced Institute of Study turn their research to explore just what it is that makes us human. As well as various talks and workshops, the Institute has teamed up with the artist Jane Alexander to present the ‘Jane Alexander on Being Human’ exhibition at the Galilee Chapel in Durham Cathedral. >>>The installation certainly makes for interesting viewing. Initially her figures stand incongruously against the backdrop of the stone chapel; their animal presence in stark contrast with the usual solemnity of the surroundings. Yet soon after, the figures appear almost as though they have stood for as long as the walls themselves; initial surprise soon gives way to voracious curiosity. Why are these half human, half animal forms standing here in Durham Cathedral? What does this have to do with being human? >>>The surreal creations possess a beguiling quality that both enchant and haunt - the arrangement of figures interacts with the viewer in a way that is both strangely threatening and inviting. The figures themselves interact with their surroundings as though settling into a

IEUAN JENKINS/JANE ALEXANDER

temporary home. Their position within their setting is important for Alexander; it demonstrates a definite purpose and it is interesting to see the Cathedral used as a venue. >>>A strange horned harbinger stands at the front of the piece and stares blankly forward, ambivalent to our questioning gazes. Hidden behind this imposing figure is Alexander’s collection of ‘Bom Boys’. These diminutive creations have a subtle poignancy about them, their penetrating gaze seems even more profound when considering that these equivocally human figures are made of fibre-glass. >>>When asked, Alexander spoke of the influences of her time spent in Cape Town and the street children whom she befriended. Yet these ‘Bom Boys’ are neither human nor animal; they stand defiantly, yet seem lost. They’ve been placed within the huge space of the Chapel but seem to retreat to the safety of the alcove. >>>Alexander draws attention to the Cathedral as a historic place of refuge and her child-like creations seem to have made the building a transient sanctuary for them, one which we have intrusively

stumbled upon. They evoke a tragic vulnerability while having an imposing presence. >>>This animal/human dynamic can provoke some discomfort; the clothed animals confuse and even disturb, yet it proves a refreshing challenge to our ideas of normality. >>>A great thing about the exhibition is its accessibility. It has an openness; you share the room with it and its free admission makes it all the more inviting. When we realise that these strange figures won’t bite we can really start to ask questions. Alexander celebrates the piece’s ambiguity, inviting us to create our own thoughts and judgements. We are encouraged to share the space of her ethereal beings - to engage and to react. They may provoke a discomforting insecurity or self-affirming communality, but either way, indifference is an impossibility.

The comic itself, ‘fragments’, was actually very good; being a preview of what was described as ‘an anthology of picture-poems and prose-poems’, it provided a taster of what seems to be a very promising and interesting experiment in what is a quickly evolving medium. For more information about Mallard Small Press, or to buy ‘fragments’ and other comics online, visit mallardsmallpress.blogspot.com

Jane Alexander on Being Human will be running until 22nd March in Durham Cathedral. Free entry. Alessandro Granato

Tom England

INDIGO

Friday 13 March 2009 palatinate.org.uk

GAMES indigo@palatinate.org.uk

GAMES

Hitori

Blacken the cells that are neither horizontally nor vertically adjacent to each other so that remaining cells contain no duplicates and white cells are all connected MEDIUM

1 3 3 6 4 6 2

3 4 7 2 1 5 6

7 3 5 7 2 7 1

6 1 4 3 1 2 7

7 6 7 1 5 4 3

4 1 2 1 6 1 5

7 5 7 4 7 3 7

HARD

2 3 4 7 3 6 3

1 6 3 5 7 1 2

4 2 4 6 6 5 1

7 4 7 5 2 3 6

Looking for a year out? Take a year in with JVC Britain! • • • • • • •

Aged between 18 and 35? Passionate about social justice in Britain? Want to live in community with volunteers from all over the world? Keen to try living a simple lifestyle? Willing to explore and develop your spirituality? Looking for a fully-funded programme that will change your life? JVC Britain is taking applications now for our full year and summer (August) volunteer programmes!

We’ll ﬁll your gap year or summer break with experiences you’ll never forget. You’ll live in one of Britain’s inner cities and work as a full-time volunteer, making a difference to the lives of homeless people, refugees, children, or people with physical or learning disabilities. You’ll come to understand how tough life can be in our inner cities, increase your compassion for the people who struggle with it, learn more about yourself, develop skills that will help towards a future career - and make friends for life. See our website at www.jvcbritain.org for more information and application forms for our year and summer programmes, or call us on 0161 832 6888.

JVC Britain: Change your life ... for good!

6 7 5 3 4 2 5

1 1 6 1 5 1 4

3 5 5 2 4 7 1

Kakuro

Enter digits from 1-9 inclusive so that the row sequences add up to the numbers on the left and the column sequences add up to those up top. Each sequence cannot contain any duplicates MEDIUM

HARD

28 7

Sudoku

Fill the blank cells on the grid with numbers

so that each box, row and column contains the digits 1-9 once only EASY

1 8 3 4 6

3 5 3 8 9 4 7 6 8 5 2 4 8 5 1 7 7 4 3 2 1 9 1

HARD

5 1

4 6

2 2 7

1 5

3 2 9 7

6 7 1 8

6 8 1

1 4 8 3

7 3

MEDIUM

9 5

3 2 5

5 9 4 7

6 5 2 1 8 7 5 3 6 4 9

8 9

5 1

The crossword will return to the next edition of Palatinate, to be published at the start of next term

C M Y K