THE ICONS EDITION
INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURES Trent Army March FILM London Film Festival TRAVEL Croatia SPORTS World Cup Bid FASHION Winter Wonderland Beauty MUSIC Chapel Club Interview
et -online.n
er 2010 DECemb
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Editor’s Letter www.platform-online.net E D I TO R- I N - CH I E F
MARY ANN PICKFORD mary.pickford@su.ntu.ac.uk D E PU T Y E D I TO R
OLIVER WHITFIELD-MIOČIĆ deputy-editor@platform-online.net NE W S / FE AT U R E S E D I TO R
KENNICE MORRISON news@platform-online.net M U S I C E D I TO R
ZOË TURTON
music@platform-online.net FI L M E D I TO R
JAMES GORDON film@platform-online.net PH OTO GR A PH Y E D I TO R
STEFAN EBELEWICZ photos@platform-online.net A RTS E D I TO R
MICHAEL WORRALL arts@platform-online.net FA S H I O N E D I TO R
CHLOË CULHANE
fashion@platform-online.net T R AV E L E D I TO R
LIZ RIORDAN
travel@platform-online.net G AM I N G & T E CH N O LO GY E D I TOR
AARON LEE
gaming@platform-online.net H E A LT H E D I TO R
LAUREN ROITMAN
T
his issue we’ve decided not to go with the whole Christmas theme (as that would have been so unoriginal) but with the theme of icons and idols.
We’re all coming to the end of our first term and for some, especially the third years, it means drowning in deadlines and wallowing in sorrow at the epic amount of work there is. So at times like these it sometimes helps to pause and take inspiration from the people you admire the most. Sir Michael Parkinson features as one of those legends (page 8) and because we’re based in the great city of Nottingham, Robin Hood also makes an appearance (page 12). If you want more icons turn to pages 16-17 in the music section or even 42-44 in arts. We’ve even asked some of you guys who you look up to (page 21). This issue isn’t completely all about idols though. We’ve mixed it up a little with an exclusive review of the London Film Festival (pages 48-53), a thought-provoking piece about Cornwall (page 34) and loads more. If you’re wondering why this issue is only online, it’s because the funds haven’t become available for us to get into print for good. The Platform Team are still working really hard to try to make it happen, but it can’t be done without your support. Which brings me on to the survey... We’re running a competition where you can win a pair of tickets to Beach Break Live, arguably the best student beach festival in the UK. All you have to do is go online to our website (platform-online.net) and fill in our survey. That’s it! The feedback you give us will help us to improve Platform to make it the best ever student mag NTU has ever seen (fingers crossed). Hope you enjoy this issue, and Happy Holidays!!
health@platform-online.net S PO RTS E D I TO R
WILLIAM TAYLOR sports@platform-online.net D E S I GN E R S
SIMONA CIOCOIU ANDY LAWRENCE LEE SKINNER LAURA WILLIAMS comms@su.ntu.ac.uk
Mary Ann Pickford Editor-in-Chief Platform Magazine
Nottingham Trent Students Union, Byron House, Shakespeare Street Nottingham NG1 4GH 0115 848 6200 0115 848 6201 EMAIL platform@su.ntu.ac.uk TEL FAX
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
Email the relevant address above left PRESS/PR ENQUIRIES
Email platform@su.ntu.ac.uk ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
Contact BAM Student Marketing on 0845 1300 667 or www.trentstudents.org/student_marketing
Cover illustrations: Jess Phillips
Platform is an independent publication, and any views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor or of Nottingham Trent Students Union and its Elected Directors and Officers. Companies advertised in Platform are not necessarily endorsed by Nottingham Trent Students Union. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Editor.
Contents
6-7 Union News
22-28 Fashion
42-47 Arts
+Housing and Sports/Socs Fairs +Initi8 and RAG’s upcoming projects and events +Online mentoring +Free WiFi now in The Pulse +2 minutes with the Exec...
+Cath Kidston: Queen of Vintage +Fashion at your fingertips +Capes of fun +Men’s Fashion +B-side by Walé +Winter wonderland beauty +Never say romance is dead +The trend for ugly footwear +Men in (track)suits +Trent Street Style
+Platform’s art icons +Arts societies at NTU +Review Mas y Mas @ Nottingham Contemporary +Review Thriller Live @ Theatre Royal +Review The Apprentice
8-14 Features +Interview Michael Parkinson +Trent Army join the march... +Robin Hood: Nottingham’s hero of all time +Saving the world one pot and pan at a time +Column Up the A1
15-20 Music
29-34 Travel +Jack Johnson: Hawaiian icon +Croatia +Australia +Marseille +Cornwall
35-37 Photos
+Review Yeasayer @ NTSU +Music icons +Interview Chapel Club +Review Carl Barat @ Rescue Rooms
+Katy B/Magnetic Man/ Marina & the Diamonds @ NTSU
21 Trent Voices
38-41 Health
+Who are Trent’s idols?
+Walking to exercise +Straight to the point +Kicking the boot +Addiction to legal highs
p18
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
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48-53 Film +Reviews London Film Festival
54-57 Gaming +Interview Adam Saltsman +You, Me, & FIFA 11 +Reviews Five festive games for the season
58-61 Sports +Nottingham’s World Cup Bid +Match Report Nottingham Panthers v Dundee Stars +The Rugby League in Notts +Nottingham Forest striker praises Trent Army
63 Notts Events & NTSU Ents Listings p56
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THE SMALL PRINT: ALTHOUGH GREAT CARE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO REMOVE ALL BONES FROM CHICKEN AND HAM, SOME MAY REMAIN. Prices are subject to change without notice. Our products may contain nut derivatives. All products are subject to availability. Minimum delivery order £12.99 for Clifton and Forest Field and £9.99 for all other areas. Limited delivery area designed with safety in mind. Drivers carry less than £10. Copyright 2010, Domino’s Pizza Group Limited. All trade marks are registered in the names of Domino’s Pizza Group Limited and/or Domino’s PMC Inc. Used under licence by DPGL.
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Union News www.trentstudents.org
EVENTS to look out for in January... HOUSING FAIRS Come along to the Housing Fairs and have a look at accommodation on offer for the 2011/12 academic year, as well as get advice on all sorts of issues relating to contracts, managing bills in a shared household, and much more!
UPCOMING PROJECTS
Monday 17th January, 11am-4pm @ Clifton Sports Hall
WQRLD
Thursday 20th January, 11am-4pm @ City SU (Byron House)
1st Decem AIDS DAY ber 2010 Come dow taken we n to Newton Leve Aids Day.aring something r l 1 and have your be display We’ll be turning ted to show your s photograph 1-5pm! ed in the Univers he photographs inupport for World ity. Drop t in any tim o a collage to e betwee ESCAPE n 25th-27t & EVADE h Februar y 2011, sig n up by 4 How far a th Februa w ry penny on ay can you get a the other transport? In tea nd back without s Amsterda side of the world ms of three blag y pending a go one be m, the Canaries a ! Previous winner our way to Group regtter? Sign up by tnd even the USA! s made it to Minimum istration fee: £15he 4th Februar y, Think you can spaces lim individua l sponsor ited. ship: £10 0
It’s not too late to join a Sports Club or Society In addition to the Housing Fairs, NTSU is hosting Sports and Societies Fairs in January for anyone who missed out on signing up during Freshers:
Monday 17th January, 11am-4pm @ Clifton Sports Hall Tuesday 18th January, 11am-4pm @ City SU (Byron House) See you there!
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6
Ra ou up fo e is for nd a rea ember 2 Are y hen this on ainment, a ay 8th Dec pm, no? T time entert : Wednesd m-9pm n 7.30 gated area) o t f i l When tration: 8p night C a m, Regis Time: 6am nhurst 7.15pnts Union (in e e k d d c u n E up: Bra City St Pick e: Outside Wher
| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
FREE FIRST
AID TRAINING
2
MINUTES WITH THE EXEC...
ONLINE
MENTORING PROGRAMME AVAILABLE ON
NOW
Sarah Mason, VP Welfare & Involvement
S
ome of the University’s former students (alumni) have volunteered to offer you advice via the Online Mentoring Programme. They’re here to help and are happy to give you one-to-one guidance via email on professional training, career development or generally about studying at NTU. View the list of volunteer Alumni mentors on NOW at www.now.ntu.ac.uk After logging in, click on Resources, then Student Information. From the mentor profiles, choose which one you feel could help you with your enquiry and simply email them direct. They’re waiting to hear from you! (Please note that these volunteers are not professional careers advisers and may not be in a position to offer careers guidance or employment.)
Free mince pie with every Medio or Massimo hot drink from The Pulse Coffee Shop, available from the 1st – 10th of December while stocks last
AND
FREE WiFi now available in The Pulse bar and coffee shop Now you can drop in for a bite to eat or a drink, and still be able to surf the web or check your Facebook at the same time! Wireless connections settings (for The Pulse only): Network name - PulseBar WEP key - 5474233961
Interview by Mary Ann Pickford M: How’s things going? S: Really well actually, we’re having quite a good year and it’s really good fun. M: What do you have to do in your job? S: In my job I have to look after all the welfare side of things like all the campaigning issues, and the involvement side like the RAG and Initi8 stuff. M: I know you helped to organise the NUS Demo, how was that? S: It was good actually, the bus I was on got there quite late. We had to walk two miles with two bus loads [of students] to the demo and we were right at the back so we didn’t see anything exciting. But it was fun, we liked it. M: I was trying to keep an eye out for any Trent placards on the news but didn’t see anything... S: No we were too far at the back I think and we weren’t causing any trouble so they weren’t interested in us [laughs]. M: What do you hope to achieve for the rest of this year? S: Erm the rest of this year, RAG Big Five, to make that a success. We’ve had the Party Bus already which was really good. We had two buses in the end not just one. So the rest of that, and the Don’t Panic campaign for houses. Initi8’s got the Wednesday Project which are already going really well so I’m not worried about that at all. So yeah, just a successful everything! M: Was there anything in your manifesto that you wanted to push forward this year which you’ve not yet achieved? S: Phil and I are going to look into housing options for students. We haven’t really gotten very far with that yet but it’s a lot of research before we can do anything. M: Any last words? S: No but, here’s to a good year, my seventh and final year at Trent! M: Thanks very much!
www.platform-online.net |
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Features Edited by Kennice Morrison (news@platform-online.net)
(nottingham’s icons)
Michael Parkinson A conversation with NTU’s champion chancellor
H
e is known as one of the most iconic figures in the world of journalism, famous for his interviews with Muhammad Ali, Billy Connolly and John Lennon, among many others. He holds the reputation of being a truly talented and inspirational interviewer, writer and reporter with a career spanning over a period of thirty six years. In November 2008, he became the first ever chancellor of Nottingham Trent University where he hoped to be a part of “a university which helps to realise the aspirations of the young”. He is the one and only, Sir Michael Parkinson. In this exclusive interview, headed and hosted by a select audience, Sir Michael gives an insightful account on his successful career, highlighting the highs and encountering the lows. It shows that his hard work and glittering career is a phenomenal achievement.
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
Setting the stage Two chairs were positioned in the centre of the stage, separated by a table holding a jug of water, glasses and a set of microphones. A backdrop stood tall with his name boldly displayed as one of the most iconic and influential figures in the world of the media. An electrifying atmosphere filled the room as the audience anticipated his arrival. Moments later, he entered as the room burst into a collective passionate applause which was, I think, a fitting replacement for the power of the big band which accompanied his entrance every week on the hit TV series.
The art of interview
Special Encounters
When asked what he would like to be called, he replied “Just Michael is fine” casually sitting and looking very comfortable in the spotlight on the other side of the fence. He was asked about his interviews with thousands of icons and figures from all fields of expertise. “Sometimes when a guest would stand at the top of the stairs and when they saw the audience, I think they’d just want to turn around and go back up the stairs. It was my job as a host, to make them feel that they were in for a pleasant ride.” Parky described television as a ‘strange’ business, not like radio where it is possible to create a world which consists of just you and your interviewee. He emphasised the need to make his guests feel happy and content. “There is nothing you can’t ask them, as long as it is in the right way.”
As a hugely successful chat show host, Parky reminisced on a few of his personal favourites. He analysed how at the time of his career taking off, Orson Welles was one of the greatest figures at that time. “-the floodgates opened when Orson was on the show.” He explained how American stars were always more popular at that point. All four of the encounters with Muhammad Ali over twelve years were described as truly memorable for obvious reasons as he was described by Parky as the “most remarkable human being I had ever met”.
He recalled his interview with Woody Allen, prior to which he was told by Allen’s entourage not to ask any questions about his daughter-in-law. “-but halfway through the interview I found a way in and asked the question in a highly specific way where he did nothing but answer it. You should never back off an important question.” He explained that it was vital for the guest to sense just what the interviewer was after in a particular question. That way, more successful answers were likely. “It’s almost as though I liked to feel that the camera was on my shoulder, and the guests were my dinner party.”
“The first time he came on he was the clown and funny guy, the second time he was the champion, the third time I saw a very much opinionated and racist man and for the fourth meeting he was robbed of his personality by his illness.” When asked why he classed the Muhammad Ali meetings as such tremendous and memorable ones, Parky replied “because his interviews went just the way I wanted them to…”
George Best… Another person close to the heart of Sir Michael was George Best who he knew from when Best was sixteen. Did he think it was his duty to take Best under his wing? “He sort of became our fourth son, he came over and played footie with our kids.” A specific memory came to mind as he crossed one leg over the other, “I remember one day my son Michael came
home from school late, as he had been in detention. When asked what for, Michael stated that the class was asked what they did on the weekend. When he said that he played football with George Best he was sent for detention as no one believed him.” Sir Michael explained how his close relationship with George Best meant so much before he died, “we believed we could save him, I think everyone who cared for him did, but he didn’t want to stop”. Best visited the Parkinson family pub just three weeks before his life came to an end, an event which Parky recalled George saying what a lovely time he had had. “I said that’s because you were sober…” His views on addiction were clear in saying that we ourselves can only stop if we want to. He then went on to quote Noel Gallagher, “He said to me, five grand a day for a clinic?! What’s the point?! Only I can stop if I want to. Its all up to me!” Regrets? When interviewing most of the world’s iconic, controversial and talented people, there was always going to be a select few who he was not so fortunate to secure an interview with. “Frank Sinatra,” he said. He also expressed his regrets at not being able to converse with Katharine Hepburn. If you’d like to read more about Sir Michael Parkinson’s life, his newest book called Parky’s People is currently on sale from all good bookstores. Words & Photos: Aleena Iftikhar
www.platform-online.net |
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Features
TRENT ARMY JOIN
THE MARCH I
t can be described as a day of unity for students, as well as political protest and physical destruction in some parts. It was the day that thousands of students from all over England took to the streets of Central London on Wednesday 10th November 2010 to take part in a nationally recognised demonstration against the proposal of higher fees in education. Our very own Trent students took part in their hundreds to make sure the march had some Trent army magic. An astonishing 52,000 students, lecturers, parents and protesters flooded the capital to ensure their voice was heard. It’s clear that the Coalition Government’s decision to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000 a year had sent our current and prospective students into fury.
A total of nine coaches were sent from Nottingham Trent University. Our excited and determined 375 students marched to their hearts content sporting trade-mark green ‘Trent Army’ T-shirts specially made for the demonstration and eye-catching yellow signs with the words ‘Trent says no’. Paul Crane, an ICT student at Trent Uni, was at the heart of the day’s action. He said: “My main reason for going was because I think it’s important to make your voice heard. In Britain we seem to have a bad habit of allowing governments to walk all over us - we need to be more like France! We need to get out on the streets and shout and scream until our feelings are acknowledged.”
He also spoke of his delight at the amount of Trent students that took the time out to attend the event: “I’m very proud of Trent - nine coaches! And Beeston [Nottingham University] only sent four.” Banners, costumes and creative pieces were seen as some students went the extra mile to stand out from the crowd. One individual wore a red deal or no deal box displaying the words ‘£9000 fees? No Deal’. Another student wore a Grim Reaper suit with a board saying ‘It’s the death of our education. Save our future.’ A group of students from Northampton hoped the demonstration would have some form of impact. They said: “We just hope our voices have been heard. We came here today because we’re being directly affected by the changes and so are younger members of our family.” A sit down protest was followed by a four hour standoff with police. Groups with megaphones shouted “Sit down and leave your mark! Don’t keep on walking! T h e government wants you to keep o n walking!”. The police presence appeared thin on the ground with the amount of students massively outnumbering the police. All around Parliament there only appeared to be a smattering of police officers, most of whom were lined along the building for protection purposes. It turns out that the Metropolitan Police force weren’t completely and truly prepared. With around 50,000 students in attendance marching past Parliament in a loud yet well behaved manner, another story was emerging nearby at Millbank,
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the Conservative party headquarters. The police and news helicopters which were circulating above the peaceful march had disappeared off into the distance to hover over the events which unfortunately dominated the day. A number of students and general trouble makers had broken away from the main protest in the search for mayhem, violence and destruction on a scale that no one expected or prepared for. The police, under powered and over run, were forced to sit back and ride the storm as the rebels terrorised the Conservative HQ building and the surrounding area. Windows were smashed, fires lit and furniture thrown as 2,000 breakaways decided to take matters into their own hands. With the building evacuated, the protestors ran riot and staged their own sit down protest inside the building as well as outside. As police fought to try and wrestle some control back on the ground, a few extremists had worked their way up to the roof to make their point, high up, where the helicopters and the rest of the world could see. Objects, one being a fire extinguisher, were rained down on the people below and a tirade of chants
hurled down as the angry demonstrators continued on into the night, long after the official protest march had ended. The scenes were a shock to most students who had travelled to the protest. The violence, which was never part of the plan, has been condemned by many as a potential destroyer of what the march was supposed to achieve. Leo Parsons who was a third year student at The University of Northampton was shocked by the extreme scenes: “This is not what we came here to do. We came here to make our voices heard, let David Cameron and his missus Nick Clegg know we’re not messing around. Just look at today’s march, look at the power of us, the noise we can make. We don’t need violence and anger to make the point. They are just going to be more against us now.”
need to prevent anything like this and how important it was to act in a responsible way. Unfortunately a minority have undermined us.” Despite the actions of the minority, the students of this country, including the 375 from Trent, should savour the protest march that took place on the day. Voices were heard, banners were read and points were made that we would not have been able to exert without a protest such as this. It is a great shame the day escalated into what it did, but despite what the national press and government will lead you to believe, that day wasn’t just something resembling a scene from The Football Factory: the students and lecturers of this country led a fantastic protest, one we should all be proud of. Words & Photos: Aleena Iftikhar & Ian Davies
National Union of Students president Aaron Porter mirrored these views, branding the violence as ‘despicable’ and was quoted saying: “We talked about the
TO STAMP OUT
HIGHER FEES www.platform-online.net |
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Features
Nottingham ’s hero of all time
R
obin Hood, the man who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, the iconic symbol of Nottingham, and the inspiration to many films and books written, may have been forgotten about by the new generation.
even have to be a Robin Hood enthusiast to visit the tourist hotspots featuring the man with the arrow, just a healthy dose of curiosity.
We all know the story of Robin Hood, the outlaw who lived in Nottinghamshire with his friends known as the Merry Men, their battles with the Sheriff and the funky green outfit he wore. He is everywhere and you cannot walk around the City Centre or look at a map of Nottingham without seeing signs of his legacy. Nottingham Castle also represents Robin Hood as it’s the scene of the final showdown between the Sheriff of Nottingham and the hero outlaw in many tales. The 17th century Medieval Castle shares various events in relation to Robin Hood as there’s currently an exhibition of the new Robin Hood movie props, costumes and behind the scenes materials available for visitors to see. As for students at Trent Uni, there should be no excuses in visiting the castle or at least visiting the statue of Robin Hood. We spend a minimum of three years studying in this historic city so there should be no excuse not to spare a few minutes exploring its history. You don’t
12
20-year-old Surina Jhadray, a Media student at NTU says,“I didn’t know Nottingham was the home town of Robin Hood. I’ve been meaning to go to Nottingham Castle but I haven’t been able to, but I will make sure I do before I finish university. I’ve watched many films about Robin Hood but I never concentrated on the fact that he was
| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
from Nottingham and that the city holds various events in relation to him. “Also the historic value the city has for Robin Hood has never really had an influence on me as I’m not originally from here, but I think it’s good that Nottingham can connect its city with such an influential person.” Anna Fernando, 21, studying English at NTU says, “The second week I moved in to Nottingham I visited the Castle. It was such a beautiful place. I’ve always wanted to come and visit Nottingham purely because of the tales of Robin Hood but just didn’t manage to. I think every student should go and have a look at the castle, it’s certainly worth seeing.” Nottingham Castle is open every day except for Mondays and it’s fairly cheap for students to visit as it’s only £4. Or if you can prove that you live in Nottingham it’s free - even better! So come on Trent Army let’s bring the hero back to life, let’s remind ourselves of the historic value of our famous city. People travel from other places from England and other countries just to come and see the city in which the tales of Robin Hood has been connected with, whereas we only live minutes away from it but hardly have any interest. Words: Mehtap Ornek Illustration: Jess Phillips
SAVING THE WORLD one pot and pan at a time
T
he environment is undeniably a huge issue. We all know we should be doing something to help preserve the world’s limited resources, but what can we actually do as students? Trent Uni has an environment team who creates schemes for us to get involved with and to help make a difference. At the end of last year many people were tempted to discard kitchenware and cutlery, but the Environment Team swooped in and prevented 4.3 tonnes of useful items going to landfills. After sorting and cleaning them all summer, they arrived at Trent’s Freshers Fairs with plenty of perfectly useable items to give away. They called it The Big Clear Out. Not only is it helping the environment but it also helps students to save a few pennies. Sarah Thorp, Environmental Projects Officer, deemed the event a success. She says: “At each of the Freshers Fairs the response was fantastic with many students saying it was an ‘awesome idea’. The Environment Team is thrilled with
the response from all involved and we are looking forward to a bigger and better Big Clear Out next year.” The Team doesn’t stop at collecting kitchen utensils. They have also made some positive contributions to many parts of the community taking unwanted clothes, shoes and food and donating to important local charities including Emmanuel House and Friary Drop-In Centre (both work to support homeless people), RSPCA Radcliffe, Save the Children and Inspire Nottingham. Sometimes saving the world can save you time, money and improve your quality of life. The Eco Team has come up with an exciting new scheme called Ucycle which makes access to a bike ridiculously easy. For just £45 for annual hire you can avoid smelly, cramped buses and the expense of running a car as well as hours in rush hour traffic. You’ll be burning calories rather than fossil fuels. The scheme offers plenty of support for nervous riders including access to a free maintenance class and RideWise cycle training. It also
includes a free mini tool, inner tube, lock, lights and 10% discount voucher to use at Evans Cycles. They really have thought of everything. There are many easy things we can do in our homes to help the environment such as turning off laptops and screensavers, turning the heating down or off, or not filling the kettle to the brim just to make a cuppa. If we all made an effort to conserve energy and recycle it would have a tremendously positive impact, but how many students actually care? Second-Year Abbey Corden who studies Law says: “I turn the lights off whenever I can and never leave the television on standby but we don’t have the facilities to recycle, otherwise I would.” The interest is there but we all just need to do our part. The Environment Team have much more to offer us throughout the year including Waste Week, Green Impact, Climate Action Week, Fairtrade Fortnight and Walk to Work Week, details of which will be available on www.ntu.ac.uk/ecoweb Marie Cheetham
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Examinations held on a Saturday can have significant negative effects. They impact on students’ employment and finances, are in some cases incompatible with religious beliefs, and erode personal time at the weekend.
SIGN THE PETITION
trentstudents.org/petition
Uni Truths: Tom tells it how it is as a Trent student The difference between first and third year
I
remember getting to around this stage in my first year. Dragging myself out of bed in Peverell just minutes before a lecture. Grabbing last night’s clothes off the desk chair and joining mates from Blocks N and O. Together strolling into the lecture and sitting down, only to spend the whole time checking Facebook on our phones
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for photos of the previous night, sipping water to try to ease our hangovers and listening to our iPods. As soon as the lecture would finish it would be a short walk to bed for an afternoon of Jeremy Kyle and Deal Or No Deal. I thought third year would be different. The workload would’ve increased and you’re supposed to be more mature. The days of chanting ‘T.R.E.N.T…we are the Trent army!’ at random strangers on the street are supposed to be long gone. Instead it’s meant to be a kind of world where third years’ heads are filled with quotes by Shakespeare or Hemingway. But as I returned from Sexy Pyjama Carnage a few Sundays ago, I was thrown back into that infamous Trent nocturnal lifestyle reminiscent of Freshers Week. As my flatmates and I stumbled through the door of our rented house, we were greeted by the sound of something resembling a waterfall. A drunken mirage maybe? But on closer inspection what we discovered was a flooded bathroom flushing water through the ceiling into our friend’s bedroom.
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Nothing says ‘student’ more than returning from Rock City dressed in a ‘onesie’ having a drunken conversation with the landlord at 3am, convincing him that the house is about to collapse. And so in a year where getting up at 9am to visit the library or look through journals is supposed to be the norm, I instead find myself up all night dealing with an emergency plumber. However the next morning the whole experience did feel different. Back in Peverell halls, and all other halls right through Clifton and the City, you would wake up the next morning full of excitement at telling people about your crazy night. But as I head towards my final Christmas in Nottingham, I found myself waking up after that night to begin reading yet another book. Going to uni at Trent is always a huge part of a student’s life, but throughout the years here the part it plays shapes the person we’re all one day going to become. Tom Wallin, 20, English with Creative Writing
Music Edited by ZoË Turton (music@platform-online.net)
yeasayer 22ND OCTOBER 2010
NOTTINGHAM TRENT STUDENTS UNION
T
he nights are getting darker, the temperature’s dropping and we’ve settled back into reality and routine of University life, but for one Friday night Brooklyn boys, Yeasayer broke our ever looming mundanity and we escaped for a night of genre-bending psychedelic harmonies and an ambient haze good enough to fill the SU dance floor. Following the numerous strange and bizarre music videos preceding Yeasayer and the track record of Brooklyn’s current music scene, the pressure is on to show that the band can handle the stage with the their fellow neighbourhood musicians and live up to their title of being the world’s most blogged about band . A rather mixed bunch of music lovers gathered to see the eclectic New Yorkers perform songs from their two rather parallel albums. Their debut album All Hour Cymbals celebrated the band’s love
of world-beat and gospel harmonies with a blend of experimental sounds, whilst the follow-up Odd Blood pioneered their pop edge and revealed Yeasayer’s accessible side. A band of few words but many instruments, Yeasayer jumped in with the atmospheric Madder Red and showed that there are still bands out there that are far better live than their albums give them credit for, bringing new depth and a vibrant dimension to their already elaborate music. Embracing the electronic with a vast collection of sounds, samples and synths, Rome and ONE prove that Yeasayer can shuffle and shake the audience as much as the next band. Yeasayer effortlessly bridge the gap between sing-a-long indie and totally ‘out there’, connecting two polar opposites of organic and computerised sound.
Ending with Ambling Alp and coming back for an encore of 2080 Yeasayer show they’re much more than a hip indie band from across the water, subtly embracing their love of Fleetwood Mac with African inspired beats, 70’s guitar riffs and closeknit vocals. There must be something in New York’s water with the likes of Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and MGMT beside the band, who are pushing forward in a new wave of contemporary alternative, but it’s the intensity of Yeasayer’s hypnotic live performances that give them the permission to break free from Brooklyn’s stereotypical indie music scene. Words: Sophie Diver Photo: Shaun Wootton
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ICONS
Music
Florence and the Machine
T
he powerful and instantly recognisable voice of that arty red head, Florence Welch, will stir up memories for us when we spritely young whippersnappers become wrinkly old dears with bus passes and tartan trolleys. She’s been a breath of fresh air, breaking free of the continuous Amy and Lily copycats and is on the forefront of a new wave of eccentric female singers who are changing the mould of the female pop star and Florence has won enough awards to prove it. Florence brought us Lungs, her debut album that became one of 2009’s best selling albums. It’s crammed full of massive drum beats, twinkling harps and lyrics resembling gothic story telling of building coffins and one eyed girls than the usual regurgitated girl-in-love scenarios. She’s not scared of a bit of controversy by introducing CandiStaton’s You Got the Love to a new audience and defying the usual musical boundaries by celebrating mainstream success with a collaboration
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of the song with rapper Dizzee Rascal. With Florence’s mystical and enchanting videos and equally beautiful wardrobe she’s been leading one of fashion’s main obsessions with vintage, lace and all things floral proving she can handle herself on stage, jumping from festival to festival, with high energy performances that are a whirlwind of warbling vocals and glitter galore. With ‘the difficult second album’ in Florence’s near future we’ll soon find out if Florence and her Machine will be something to tell the grandchildren. Sophie Diver
Thom Yorke
T
homas Edward Yorke, better known as Thom Yorke of Radiohead - or even Dr. Tchock - has been breaking the musical rules and boundaries since he first came to our attention in 1991 with ’Creep’. Named by Q magazine as Britain’s most powerful musician, he’s a man who’s pretty much done it all within the
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industry, working both with Radiohead and alongside other big names such as Bjork. He’s famous not only for his amazing vocal work, but for his skill with almost any instrument he chooses - most notably his beautiful piano and guitar work, but also with electronic pro gramming on his solo album T he Eraser. What stands out particularly about Yorke is not only his devotion to music, but his approach to life in general. He is well known to be a vegan and an avid political activist supporting several charities, including Friends of the Earth. He’s particularly remembered for his refusal to meet with Tony Blair in March 2006 to discuss climate change. Alongside this, Yorke and Radiohead have begun using a low energy lighting system at all their live shows since 2008, encouraging use of public transport to get to their gigs, and selling merchandise clothing made entirely from recycled plastics. In future years, it’s difficult to imagine looking back at the current musical era without mentioning Thom Yorke. OK Computer is often hailed as a work of pure genius, and with In Rainbows being
Josh Homme When I was deciding what music icon I wanted to write about I thought of a bunch of famous rockers who have been there and bought the t-shirt. However I chose to write about Josh Homme because he seems to have done even more, not forgetting that right now he is one of the best contemporary rock musicians out there. Homme has been in so many bands: Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures and of course Queens of the Stone Age, which he has without a shadow of a doubt had the most success in and that’s how we know him today.
the first ever album release where a fan paid what they believed the album was worth - Yorke definitely stands out from the crowd. This combination of his musical career and personal achievements sets him up to be one of the biggest icons of our time. Jamie Middleton
Dallas Green – City and Colour/Alexisonfire It’s not often that truly inspirational voices are heard. An instantly recognizable tone that seeps into your body and leaves you feeling as awe inspired as the first time you heard it. One who can do it really well is Dallas Green. There’s no other musician who can do what he does. You may know him as the guitarist and clean vocalist from the Canadian screamo outfit Alexisonfire, or simply as City and Colour – where his solo efforts come to the forefront. His heartfelt lyrics are dealt out on unthinkably high pitches,
layered on top of guitars, a harmonica and the occasional tambourine resulting in the birth of a sound far beyond that of any other modern artist. In Alexisonfire, Dallas’ soulful tones are and always were the perfect juxtaposition to vocalist George Pettit incessant gravel soaked cries and for many fans made Alexisonfire a far more accessible band, winning them fans from a much wider demographic than perhaps they would have been. With him they found a definite niche in the industry but for all the band has accomplished, it’s undoubtedly Dallas’ solo material which will be the yard stick that all other acoustic musicians will be measured. Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, all had/have that sprinkle of dastardly unrepressed pizzazz that has caste them into the realms of superstardom and cemented them as heroes.
Queens of the Stone Age have had amazing success in the last ten years and with Homme being the sole surviving founding member then I think it’s fair to say this consistency is mainly his doing. Homme writes a strange but awesome mix of grungy yet catchy songs that are just getting better and better with age. The massive album Songs for the Deaf was followed by Lullabies to Paralyze and now just recently Eva Vulgaris which all three boast rock classics like No One Knows, Little Sister and 3s and 7s. Queens of the Stone Age are one of the best live bands I have ever seen and I think this is down to Homme’s notorious sex, drugs and rock and roll attitude which is so exciting to watch, and makes the crowd in complete awe of him.
Dallas Green, I expect, will be allocated a slot with such an illustrious group of individuals in years to come, you only have to listen to hear why.
Homme is a complete rock legend because he can put his hand to anything and still create a new and exciting rock sound. In Eagles of Death Metal he played the drums, showing just how diverse he can be and that he’s not afraid to take risks. Being a full on rock legend is not a label I would just hand out to anyone, but Mr Homme is one who truly deserves it.
Ross Timss
Peter Dean
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Music
cHAPE C
hapel Club are embarking on their first proper tour. It just so happens that it’s the NME Emerge Radar tour, and these tours are known for making or breaking new bands. Speaking to guitarist Michael Hibbert and drummer Rich Mitchell, they aren’t fazed by the supposed pressure. Rich boasts humorously, “I feel like it’s my right to be here on this tour, we’re working our way onto the cool list.” As a relatively new band their confidence in their abilities is something to be admired, but when asked about their album which has just been completed the obvious worry lines start to show. “We’re trying not to dwell on it too much, there’s always something you’d want to improve”, Guitarist Michael says. “We are definitely looking forward to people hearing it, but we’re also s***ting it. Our friends and family love it of course but we’re really nervous about the magazines and critics.” The album which is due for release in February next year has been produced by legendary British producer Paul Epworth, which means they really shouldn’t have many worries. Over the last five years every album or single Paul has managed to get his producing hands on has turned to gold. Working with Bloc Party, Kano, Plan B and Florence and The Machine, Chapel Club have nothing but praise for the man they describe as their ‘vibesman’. Michael and Rich seem to be in awe of him as they talk about him, “He is a truly inspiring man.” Rich continues, “He works so hard and that makes you step up your game. He drives you like no other producer I’ve ever worked with before. He’s really hands on and comes in the room with you.” Michael adds, “He really empowers the band, and he’s helped us so much.”
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With the release of their debut album imminent, the boys in Chapel Club look set to take the UK by storm. Zoe Turton chats with the guys about their new album, touring, and hitting the American dream.
With the backing of Paul Epworth and the album complete, it’s down to the band to get out there and play live. To the band’s anger they have been pigeonholed as ‘dark and gloomy’, something they see as untruthful, giving people the wrong impression of their sound without properly listening to them. They hope playing live to new audiences on this tour at the Nottingham Rescue Rooms will end the myths and allow people to make their own minds up. Michael sets the record straight, “I
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never thought we made dark music, the lyrics may be quite intense but the music is uplifting. Over and above anything else we try to make something beautiful, not dark or light. We’ve got a song called The Shore which keeps getting compared to The Smiths but I just can’t see it.” Rich continues, “It’s not like it’s bad being compared to The Smiths but it just feels really lazy. One guy described us like that and others followed.” If they are going to be compared to any band Rich would prefer it be a band like The Flam-
EL cLUB
ing Lips, as they share the same “sonic elements”. But ultimately Michael wants people to hear the album in its entirety and search for descriptions themselves, “When the album comes out they won’t talk about that issue anymore and other bands with be compared to us hopefully.” Although this is their first long tour, the five-piece spent their summer at festivals hopping from country to country receiving great receptions in Europe. “My whole idea of what a long journey is
has changed. We went to Europe for five days, and we had loads of twelve hour car journeys. I used to think driving from Manchester to London was long”, muses Michael. “We’ve been watching loads of TV while we’ve been travelling to keep us sane,” continues Rich, “It can get really claustrophobic with the five of us, so we’ve just been putting our headphones in trying to drown everybody out.”Although they were continually playing festivals over the summer, Glas-
tonbury sticks out as the best amongst the pack. Four thousand people showed up to see them play after releasing only two singles. I-Day festival in Italy is another festival which is memorable for the band, mainly for the ping-pong action. “We got to play table tennis with Arcade Fire, they bring their own table with them,” recalls Rich. “Win Butler is definitely the best table tennis player in rock.” Looking to the future and their ambitions, America is the main aim for the band. They will be touring the UK when the album is released early next year, then onto Europe and finally America where they imagine they will be devoting most of their time. “America is exciting, we recorded the first single in New York,” Rich says, “It blew my mind when we were out there so we want to go over there again for as long as possible.” Their focus on America may have something to do with their own tastes in music, as Michael explains, “We’re obsessed with American music, we don’t actually listen to any English bands. Apart from the last Horrors album really, it doesn’t interest me at all.” Rich adds, “Our diet is definitely American music.” Michael continues, “American bands are made of tougher stuff, English bands can’t do it like them. Bands like Deerhunter, Beach house and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they are constantly making great music and they are always amazing live.” As Chapel Club reach for audiences across the pond will they be made of tough enough stuff as they take on the American bands they admire so much? It would be a real loss if they decide to focus all their efforts in America next year, as their latest single ‘All the Eastern girls’ is beautifully epic and thoughtful, showing so much promise for their debut album out in a matter of months.
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Music
Carl Barat at Rescue Rooms 18/10/10 W
hen I was a few years younger I got really passionate about music just after the whole American rock pop phase of bands like The Offspring, Papa Roach and Limp Bizkit. I wanted to get into something more meaningful, so the eruption of Indie bands like The Killers, Maximo Park, The Futureheads and most importantly The Libertines was just the ticket for people who felt like I did. This is one of the main reasons why I wanted to see to Carl Barat’s solo gig and to also see what musical direction he has gone post Libertines and post Dirty Pretty Things. Before the gig I was very intrigued to see how Carl would handle the stage just on his own because only a few months earlier I had seen him perform with The Libertines at this year’s Reading festival. The band at this gig were in sync in a way that you would think they have never been apart, because everything felt so natural for them. I didn’t notice any slip ups or awkward moments between Carl and Pete even though they had not spoken to each other for years before this short reunion.
This gig looked like the kind of gig that you didn’t want to be sat at the back just watching and bobbing your head along to but the kind of gig that would be most enjoyed right at the front in the thick of things. I am so glad I was at the front because the atmosphere was incredible. The crowd responded really well to his new songs like ‘She’s Something’, ‘Je Regrette’ and ‘Magus’, which has a very carnival-like, 60’s influence to it. The crowd were swaying to these chilled out songs but when it got to the old classics like ‘Deadwood’,‘Bang Bang’ and after he went off and came on for his encore he played the Libertines classic ‘Don’t Look Back Into the Sun’ which literally started a stampede. It was raucous and rowdy, as Nottingham showed Carl Barat how much they adored him. Words & Photo: Peter Dean
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
Trent Voices
This issue’s theme is all about who we look up to and admire. So Platform headed out one cold winter day to ask who your idols are and why.
Mohammed, 19 – Business Management & Human Resources (Dressed as Batman to raise money for charity)
Because I’m a Muslim it has to be our prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him.
Sophie, 21 – Economic, Business & Banking My father because he is one of the greatest people for me. He’s really good, really intelligent and very successful in his career.
Emily, 19 – Interior Architecture I really look up to Florence Welch. She’s a really cool artist and I like her music.
Jo-Anne, 18 – Psychology John, 19 – Print Journalism My sister. She’s in third year, doing well, and she’s My idol would be my dad got a job. mainly because he came up from quite a poor upbringing, he didn’t have a lot of chances but he’s done well at entrepreneur, he’s started his own business. And he’s been able to provide for me, my brother and my mum.
Who do you look up to?
Roxy, 20 - Psychology John Pilger is my idol because, I got his book last year and I was watching his documentaries, and he’s literally taught me everything about the world. He’s such a legend.
Alex, 20 – Business Management & Economics Cristiano Ronaldo just because he’s a good lookin’ lad, good footballer, top of his game, gets paid a lot of money. He’s everything I aspire to be.
Daniel, 20 – Psychology Probably someone like Alan Sugar, because he starts from nothing and he was able to develop something quite incredible.
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Fashion Edited by chloe culhane (fashion@platform-online.net)
n o t s d i K h t CaUEEN OF Q
E G A T N I V
A
nyone who has ever stepped into a Cath Kidston shop will know it’s a dangerous place for a girl and a debit card to be. She’s famous for making vintage cool and creating cute designs that women of all ages are fanatically enamoured with. So when I heard that Cath Kidtson was going to be doing a talk in Cheltenham, I could not resist. Me and Cath, in the same room, with the possibility she would give me free goodies and a job at head office, yes please! Okay, I was a little overexcited, but she is the queen of kitsch. Cath talked about how she set up her business, developing it from a “glorified junk shop” to the booming business which girls can’t help but spend their pennies in. She revealed “When I left school I didn’t know what I wanted to do” which I’m sure is reassuring for a lot of us to hear. Even a lady that is now a multi-millionaire didn’t have a plan. Her parents expected her to settle down with a husband, two darling children and play the housewife. Unsurprisingly she didn’t fancy slaving over a stove and ironing all day. However she was attracted to the idea of creating practical products for the housewife. But shock-horror, she didn’t wish to make the pilgrimage to university (if you change your mind Cath Kidston then you are welcome to be part of the Trent Army any day). In 1993 she began her first business
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in a small shop in Notting Hill selling curtains. This didn’t sound as glamorous as I expected it to be. But thanks to a love of rummaging through car boot sales and nostalgic prints she spotted a gap in the market for vintage style house products and this is when her business took off. She went against the minimalist trend of the time and made a boom or bust decision to design and make her own products. Her trademark back then was what we know her best now: cute vintage prints of roses and spots on useful items like ironing board covers and aprons, which no one could resist. I mean, we do need a flowery peg bag, or two... Her designs charmed people into loyal customers and she had a visit from Miuccia Prada through her success no less. She now has a business worth 75million pounds, 28 shops in the UK and the whole of womankind drooling over anything Cath Kidston they can get their hands on. She was very sweet and humble throughout the interview, gushing that “I began my business in 1993 very much as a small shop and I’m surprised as anybody that today when I walk into my office there are 650 people on the pay roll”. She even showed us the contents of her handbag which I was surprised to see
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were all Cath Kidston even down to her iPhone cover. It was lovely to see her enjoying her wares as much as we do, even if she does get it all for free. I however do not get anything for free, but this did not stop me going to the Cath Kidston shop and spending my student loan. After much deliberation over print choice with the shop assistant I plumped for a bag for uni. It was definitely a practical purchase and I definitely needed it more than food that week...! It was inspiring to hear such a successful lady talking about what she loves. She clearly relishes the challenge of business and creating vintage patterns. If you haven’t discovered Cath Kidston yet, then I urge you to go to her shop and become involved in its charm. Just don’t expect to leave without a bag and a matching purse, umbrella, pencil case, wash bag and mug… You have been warned. Sophie Coy
Fashion AT YOUR
FINGERTIPS
K
eeping up to date with the latest trends has never been easier thanks to fashion apps - the iPhone’s latest must have. From viewing catwalk shows to shopping online, these apps allow you instant access to everything fashionable. And the best bit? They’re free! ShopStyle Mobile All your favourite brands and labels squeezed into one app. Search and browse through hundreds of products and do your online shopping while on the go. Style.com Why go to fashion shows when they can come to you? This app automatically updates you with the latest coverage from the runway. Voucher Cloud This handy app pinpoints your location and lets you know where the nearest sales and discounts are. Perfect for shoppers on a student budget. Natalie Garland
Capes
FUN OF
T
chic retro vibe is added to your winter wardrobe. See it as an investment to make you stand out from the crowd this autumn.
From short to ankle-sweeping, and fitted to flowing, by wearing this statement style of a coat instant elegance and a
On the high street, a range of capes can be found working very different looks. A double breasted, hooded style taps straight into the military trend that has been huge this year. But if you are looking for a more elegant and classic look then opt for the camel and beige colours, made in a mix of angora and wool, being
his winter, there are many variations of wrap up options to take choice from. However, the one way to look both warm and on trend is with the rebirth of the cape. The cape has been brought back onto both the catwalks and the high street, in a variation of shapes and styles. There is a cape out there for everyone.
a must-have indulgence. Head towards Topshop for a neutral palette, or Jaeger for a more expensive but luxurious feel. Just remember, the key to working the cape is getting balance. By teaming with skinny trousers or jeans, leather gloves and a clutch bag, the overall look is striking. Looking fun and quirky in the snow has never been so much fun! Lucy Badge
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Men’s ON
Fashion
FASHI
Crewneck
COMEBACK H
oodies have been worn to death over the last few years so this season the crewneck jumper is making a comeback. All of the top brands and a lot of the high street stores have stocked up their collections. Here are a few of our favourites from a selection of well known and up-and-coming brands.
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£62
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ef.co.uk
ls Origina ogo’ Adidas lt L e ‘M tt o y Sc k x Jerem ww.size.co.u £90 w
£4
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£26 www.topman.com
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lothing Money C pe’ A ig ‘S com clothing.
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Introducing
B-SIDE BY WALÉ
T
his month Introducing... will be showcasing up-and-coming UK fashion brands that are aiming to break into the mainstream. The first brand we will be looking at is B-Side by Walé. Walé Adeyemi has emerged as one of the UK’s most promising fashion designers. His first collection was released in 1998 as a menswear line with the tagline “somewhere between the kerb and boutique.” Born and bred in London, Walé has kept a close grip on current culture and his designs are at the forefront of both the fashion and streetwear scenes.
The AW10 collection brings everything you would expect from Walé and is modelled by singer/songwriter Owen Cutts. Highlights include: checked/tie-dye shirts, a variety of jackets (varsity, parka, gilet, reversible baseball) and a wide range of scarves. For more on the brand check out www.b-sidebywale.com Ben Larcombe
ter Win wonderland
BEAUTY
Top make-up tip: Add a bit of water to your favourite eye shadow to create a perfect eyeliner effect.
tips for beauty conscious Tempting talons students on a budget Everyone’s talking about metallic foiled nails this season. It’s the ultimate eeping up with the trends and party accessory which keeping yourself looking tip-top will instantly jazz up an can be pricey but there are things outfit. This look is on all you can do to look great this season the catwalks this winter without blowing your loan. Kathryn and is also attracting the Williamson is here to make sure you celebs such as Blake Lively and Pixie Lott. sparkle and stand out this winter - even Getting this look may be expensive at a on limited funds. salon but it can be achieved on a cheaper Must have make-up trends for budget with a metallic gold or silver this winter polish, DIY style. This season it’s all about dark lips. Top nail tip: After a layer of clear polish, This look has been dip nails in glitter for an instant glam extremely popular on the catwalks and update. was recently featured Let it glow: Get skin savvy and on the Alexander protect your skin during the McQueen collection. cold winter months Sexy dark lips are the perfect accessory It’s very important to take care of your skin for that pale winter complexion and all year round but in the cold, harsh weather really complements this season’s rustic we should indulge our skin, not neglect it. and metallic colours. To avoid looking Moisturising regularly will help keep dry like you’re going to a Halloween party patches at bay and helps keep our skin remember to keep the rest of your makeup fairly simple. looking healthy and glowing. This is also good news for all you fake tan lovers.
K
Moisturised skin means glowing skin. Lip balm is always important because the wind and the cold can make our lips dry and cracked which can lead to other problems like cold sores. Try to use one with a sun protection factor. Remember the sun still shines in winter time even if it is cold and wet. For those days when you forget to wear gloves, make sure you replenish your hardworking hands with some moisturiser too. Top skin tip: Exfoliating regularly means that moisturiser sinks in more easily. Hair Make sure you keep your hair in good condition and avoid unattractive split ends throughout winter by using an intense weekly treatment. Even if you can’t afford to get it trimmed regularly it will at least be in good condition. Protect hair from the cold wind and still look great by trying some up do’s like a fishtail plait to one side. All the celebs are sporting this look and this kind of style is perfect when wearing woolly winter hats. Top hair tip: If you run out of conditioner, you can use moisturiser as it works in the same way.
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Fashion
Never saydead romance is &
IT’S BACK
IT’S DARK
G
lossy magazines this month are intensely supporting the new trend to hit the fashion scene: Dark Romance, a twist on the boho vibe from a few summers ago. Personally I’m terrified of thinking about Autumn/
L
et’s face it, when the Ugg was first printed in magazines no one was jumping up and down at the sight of them. The only kudos was they were emerging on the festival scene upon the likes of Kate Moss’ feet. That was enough, it seemed, to propel the sheepskin-lined suede boot into becoming the ‘musthave’ footwear. It soon dominated every celebrity’s wardrobe and descended through the high-street stores with their take on the Australian boot. It needn’t have mattered that the high-street version wore like an ill-fitting sock, was highly unattractive to the opposite sex and the heel support broke within 100 strides on the shop door. Then along came the Croc. A shoe which could be considered cute upon the feet of toddlers, but grown women? Umm… No. Tim Gunn, fashion consultant, told Time Magazine, “…the Croc – it looks like a plastic hoot. How can you take that seriously?”. A Facebook fan page titled “I don’t care how comfortable Crocs are, you look like a dumbass” accrued morethan 1.5 million ‘likes’ as of June 2010. Back in 2007 when they first emerged, celebrities such as Brook Shields and Nicole Appleton
Winter 2010 trends due to a personal financial crisis which I’m sure you can all relate to. We are all students after all. The muted tones and real autumnal colours (greens, auburns and browns) will look great on anyone blonde or brunette, jumped on the bandwagon whilst the style section of every magazine was in uproar.
tanned or pale. With my monetary dilemma upon me, the best solution I can come up with is looking through my wardrobe and pulling out all the garments I think work under this trend. And if you’re fighting your head over your heart, I suggest you do the same. I’ve already found a khaki green loose fitting pullover and a brown checked waisted skirt that fit really well into this trend. I had discovered the skirt in a boot-sale pile and maintained I would hem it one day but never got round to it. But now I hear that midi-length skirts are back... Will I be brave enough to try this? At a mere 5ft 3in, it could be really risky! Rose Letley
The trend for u gly footwe ar
WHERE ARE TH
FASHION POLICE E!
President Bush made himself unpopular with fashion journalists in 2007 when he emerged wearing matching shirt, shorts, socks and Crocs, “…there’s one thing we can all agree on when it comes to President Bush: he is not a fashionable man.” Stylist goes on to declare Crocs as “the ugliest pieces of footwear on the planet”. According to Manolo Blahnik – the Internet’s foremost shoe blogger – “this is ground for impeachment”. Whilst the Croc was hailed as comfortable, and perhaps the reason so many celebrities endorsed it, it still came under scrutiny when a toddler was injured on an escalator due to the soft rubber upper getting caught. A safety hazard and ugly – there’s really not much going for them.
But fear not, the next edition of hideous footwear has arrived: The Wörishofer. A shoe designed based on function over aesthetic, claiming to improve comfort for bunion-sufferers. Now there’s a real hook, it may ease pain but everyone will know you have bunions. You may as well have a stamp on your forehead declaring it. Miraculously, a German podiatrist has developed a cult following of celebrities and style-stalkers. Photographed wearing the new “it” shoe is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and outspoken
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rapper Mia. These are two rather unlikely candidates considering The Wörishofer as only ever seen on shuffling grandmothers complaining of back pain since its advent almost 70 years ago. They have become popular on the streets of Brooklyn, and as the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell identifies, breaking into a community like this can impact the majority into thinking this is a brilliant new trend. Just think back to the Hush Puppies revival. The fashion industry’s turn to “ugly shoes” has been explained by Harriet Quick, fashion features editor at Vogue, “It’s a combination of two things, the current taste for previously geeky styles, like Clark’s and chunky brogues, and the vaguely orthopedic styles channeled on the catwalks right now. They’re an active antidote to the fierce sky-high heels we’ve seen, and they’re grounded in functionality. Girls are fed up of crippling themselves.” It seems, however, to be from one extreme to the other. Surely there must be some medium ground on which we can compromise the ugliness for a little sexiness (even if there is a little pinch)? Rose Letley
?
?
Men i)nSUITS (TRACK
E B O T TO BE ORT NO
I
ts funny how fashion trends diffuse down through students. Some catch on and spread like the clappers, others only a few fashionistas decide to adopt. But with the disposable income in the shape of a Student Loan it will inevitably be spent on three things: alcohol, food and fashion.
You will face the exceptions to the rule of course. There’s my one friend who uses her wardrobe as an exhibition of empty wine bottles, eats out most nights whilst recycling a small number of outfits throughout her social life. Some might argue good prioritisation. Then there is my other friend who had to be bailed out of her overdraft twice (during the one year I might add), each time with £1000 instalments from Mother-Hen, following her shopaholic behaviour. Yet she reserves a small amount aside for bread and healthy juices vodka. But whichever way you decide to splash the cash, you’ll inevitably be coaxed into new pieces for your wardrobe with the mention of a student discount. From observation though, it seems some of our male students are falling into a bit of a fashion rut and slumping around University is the same-old attire.
Yes today I am taking issue with men. I hear a distant groan from blokes everywhere but just accept the fact that moaning makes us girls happy and this time it’s your fashion-sense I’m attacking. I really can’t get my head around the fact most of you don’t pay any attention to the fashion industry, limit yourself to only two pairs of shoes at a time but yet spend a staggering amount of money on a single t-shirt. And why oh why do you hold dear that blasted Nike tracksuit which is basically a man-sized onesie? It seems to have gripped generations of university students, hanging around like the bad smell of Ocean’s carpets. I don’t think I know even one guy at Trent who hasn’t a pair of light grey joggers or a hoody bearing the tick emblem (and a lot of the culprits own both!). Undeniably comfortable, granted. But chic? No, no, no. No man can possibly think donning the baggy tracky-bums says anything other than ‘couldn’t be arsed, I’m hungover’. Or so I thought... What one girl loathes another girl lusts but surely you guys knew you could never please us all? And I’ve found that woman to tell me otherwise. My friend said she finds guys in a Nike tracksuit (particularly tracksuit bottoms) extraordinarily attractive. She goes as far as to explain how the garment when worn can do for her what she imagines a girl’s low-cut top does for guys i.e. it puts everything out there for all to see. The fabric has, for want of a better phrase, a vacuum-effect over the groin area. On discussion with a few of my girlfriends, they all agree. It seems to be an unspoken guilty pleasure. Men in suits are an obvious. Calvin Klein’s are a winner. Some girls even love their man in a football kit showing off their legs. Now we have a new one: men in tracky-bums. Watch out fellas! Us girls might just be copping an eyeful of those of you slouched in the SU working the ‘hungover’ look. More often than not the Nike student uniform appeared alongside the slouch hat. How much did that catch on, eh? And to be truthful, it wasn’t just men that were the culprits. It was surprising to me how many girls
adopted this exact look. Androgyny may be a recurring fashion trend but take a look at the catwalk images before you try to recreate the look, not the blokes in your Halls of Residence. Admittedly, at the end of a night the offer of a big hoody can be more appealing than a Trent Kebab’s doner meat and chips. I speak from experience, having nabbed myself three hoodies during the course of my 2nd year. It seems that I am certainly not alone with this behaviour as confirmed by the fountain of all knowledge, Facebook. A group has been formed to acknowledge this growing habit for girls to “borrow” hoodies from their male friends called “Girls don’t want a relationship, they just want your hoody” with a staggering 112,447 ‘likes’. So I may have started off having a bit of a moan but now my eyes have been opened (metaphorically speaking of course). I will be appreciative for men in joggers along with men in suits and open-necked shirts. That’ll be increasing the pool somewhat... Rose Letley
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Fashion
trentStreet style
photography by jodie herbage
Sophie, 21 Graphic Design
Ellie, 22 Fine Art
Coat - ASOS Gloves - Primark Jumper - Cow Jeans - Primark Shoes - Office
Coat and Jumper Vintage Fair
Charlotte, 21 Interior Architectural Design Dress - Topshop Shoes & Coat - Kitsch
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Sam, 23 Architectural Technology Scarf - Primark Coat - Charity Shop Backpack - Ebony Boots - Cow
Alice, 20 Photography
Roxy, 20 Psychology
Coat - Hand-Me-Down
Vintage Coat
Travel Edited by Liz riordan (travel@platform-online.net)
Hailing all the way from beautiful Hawaii, Jack Johnson is considered by many to be an icon in his own right for his talents as a singer and songwriter. But here Tarran Huntley explains why he is iconic for more than just being a musical genius.
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ith amazing all year surf, limitless sunshine and amazing scenery as a backdrop to life, it’s easy to see how my icon for this issue is such a cool cat. With five chart topping solo albums, amazing surf films and his own record label, there is clearly something about Jack that everybody admires. He is an icon, and a standard bearer. Jack has been awarded the Humanitarian award from Billboard touring this year in recognition of his and his wife Kim’s efforts to make our planet a better place. Jack produces all of his albums using carbon neutral methods and safe materials. All his tours are done in the greenest way possible, and his 2010 tour saw all the profits go straight to charity. The Kokua foundation is one example of this man’s iron will and determination to leave a positive mark wherever he goes. The scheme sees him and members of the team go into schools to teach the children of Hawaii about eco-awareness. He even wrote a song for them, starring a lot of the school kids. The song is called the 3 R’s, which are: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle. The All At Once campaign is his latest initiative to make a difference on humanitarian and environmental issues all over the world. It works as
a social network, connecting projects, and offering rewards for top efforts and donations to worthy causes. Jack also released a version of John Lennon’s classic ‘Imagine’ for the Amnesty International ‘Save Darfur Project’. Quite simply Johnson is a Man. Not a selfish and immature boy. Not driven by money and rushing around for time. What he is is the very soul of Hawaii as it should be: he is a family driven man, who knows and loves his land, who appreciates the feel of the surf, and not the rush of the traffic. The world would be a better place if we all took a leaf out of his book. We won’t all fit on Hawaii, sadly, but we do have a beautiful country of our own, and maybe we should step away for a while and start to appreciate it. Stop asking how much I can earn, stop working for this capitalist nation. Work for your fellow man, work for your country. Places like Hawaii are a strong hold of natural spirit and a beauty to behold. To be honest with you readers, don’t go there. Appreciate it and respect it as a beautiful land, but unless you’re going there to make a difference, don’t violate it with air miles and increase the demand for tourism buildings. If you want to make a difference, maybe check out how to follow in the footsteps of an icon.
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Travel
a i t a i a t o r a CCro
H
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aving never heard much about Croatia as a backpacker’s destination I did a bit of asking around and heard good things, but the only solid plans we had before leaving were our flights and the first nights accommodation. This turned out to be the best thing we could have done as it left us open to go where we wanted as soon as we heard about the next place worth going from other travellers or the locals.
Being good tourists at the time, we decided to visit the National Park Krka. Getting off the bus in Skradin, they really didn’t roll out the red carpet for us. It was a ghost town and there was nowhere to stay. After hunting around and being turned down at a few places, we came across a Baba sitting on her porch in a rocking chair, looking a bit like a scene from Deliverance, but she offered us a room for about £3 each so we couldn’t turn her down.
Landing in Split, the four of us headed to our hostel for the night which was just outside the main centre, and as it turned out this was the worst place we stayed in the whole holiday. It was a small room that wouldn’t look out of place in halls of residence and was not the start we hoped for, but it got better when we hit the centre that night. People filled the streets, with restaurant seating along the whole length of the sea front, and live bands performing on an open stage nightly.
Any serious travellers would love the National Park as it offers historical aspects (blacksmith re-enactments and a monastery) as well as something for the naturalist (waterfalls, birds, fish and snakes) and you can swim up to waterfalls in the lower lakes. If you’re planning on doing this then make sure you walk back rather than get the boat as about a mile down you’ll come across a blue bridge about 15m high to jump off, and it even has its own rope swing. There are usually a few local kids there showing off to you.
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Coaches are the best way to get around - they come quite frequently throughout the day and as soon as you get off at any of the bigger tourist areas you’ll be greeted by a swarm of Babas trying to get you to stay at their apartments for the night. Basically, Babas are elderly ladies who open up their homes to tourists to generate a bit of an income. Although they may look sweet, they don’t take much rubbish and though you can haggle them down on the prices they don’t always appreciate it and let you know. If it’s sandy beaches and cocktails that you’re looking for then this may not be the destination for you. Croatia’s covered in rocky beaches and with thousands of sea urchins lurking just off the shore, there is only one sandy beach and it’s called Zlatni Rat in Brac. It’s not even that sandy, more like pebbles, but it does make a difference from the usual sharp rocks.
Hvar is the top-end destination in Croatia. With an abundance of high-class restaurants and super yachts lined up on the dockside, this is a haven for posers and those who like to flash their cash. But it’s the perfect place to hire a boat from. They cost about £35-£40 to hire for the day and come with about six hours worth of fuel so you can explore all of the surrounding islands and anchor up whenever you want for lunch or a swim. This was one of the best activities out there, as we could go where ever looked good, dock up and not have to worry about jellyfish or sharks as the biggest threat in their ocean is the sea urchin. Taking the ferry to Bol in Brac was probably one of the most comfortable
ways to travel. It’s like going premium on a flight, which is nice because it is the only way to get between the islands unless you are willing to fork out extra for a speed boat taxi which didn’t look quite as comfortable. After this, we made our way back to Split and paired off. Having only two of us left and not much money between us we decided to try hitchhiking as we knew we had to save as much as we could for the ‘Mini-Ibiza’ Pag is sometimes known as. We got some advice on hitching from the professional drunk Chad we met the night before, the leader of the pub crawl in the centre of Split, who told us to get as far out of the centre as we could and get to near the toll booths on the motorway.
With it being 25 degrees Celsius plus, and us with no water and raging hangovers, being stranded on the side of a road at a toll booth was the last thing I wanted to be doing. Persistence paid off and finally a family picked us up and took us the whole of the way there, which was about 200km. From then on the only way we were travelling was hitchhiking - it was like a faster, cheaper way to get around, and all of the people we met while doing it spoke good English and enjoyed chatting, but you have to be willing to wait and it could be a couple of hours before anyone stops for you. Overall Croatia did not disappoint. Not that I had the greatest expectations going over, just words of mouths, but the Croatians collectively are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They cannot do enough for you and they just love life and relaxing with a beer in the sun. After three weeks travelling across it, it did not feel right leaving it behind.
Words & Photos: Zac West
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Travel
Australia by Hollie-Marie Bone
T
ravelling to the other side of the world on my own, am I mad? But let me tell you this, if you’re considering travelling anywhere on your own, and to Australia in particular, do it. It will be the making of you. Until I went travelling I pretty much made decisions based on what others would think or what others would want, but when I came back, it was so different. I was so different. Let’s start from the beginning… So the nerves started kicking in around October time three years ago. I kept wondering if I was really doing this. The constant reassurance of my family gave me the courage that somehow got me sat on that plane on the day of November 13 2007. I remember looking around at everyone else on the plane and thinking: why has everyone got someone else sat beside them? I had three seats to myself… But I later found that this was perfect for a few hours kip. Cheeky I know!
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Safety talk done, pilot introduction over, belts fastened, engine roared and the adventure of my life had begun. I’m not going to lie, the plane journey was not the most comfortable and it was very long winded, but well worth every second. You soon realise that this scary thought of going to ‘the other side of the world’ is actually only a twenty-four hour trip away. After a stop off thirteen hours later in Singapore, I finally reached Brisbane in Queensland. That was probably the scariest time throughout the whole plane adventure, but it soon faded away after my aunty and uncle picked me up. They took me straight to their local beach, and when I say local, I mean across the cul-de-sac road. What a sight! White sparkling sand and a clear blue ocean. I found it was a constant trend as I worked my way up the East coast. After spending four weeks with more family in Sydney, I spent the next five months travelling north alone, along the East coast up to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. I worked here and there
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Photos: Nick Weeks
along the way at various bars but my best job was at the Marina in Hervey Bay, which is about three hours north of Brisbane, on the Sunshine Coast. I worked as a receptionist for people getting their boat from the harbour over to the spa resort of Fraser Island. As I worked for the resort, Kingfisher, I got all the tours and trips to the Island for free. It was an amazing place to visit. But the best part of my job at the Marina was that I’d met three Aussie friends there, friends that are now for life, all because I’d spent every lunch at the café round the corner which was where they were. I went back to Australia again for Christmas and New year in 2007. It was another huge mixture of emotions because it was my first ever Christmas away from my family and home, but I still had the best time. My friend Shannon, who I had met at the café, had been told by her parents to invite me round for an Aussie Christmas dinner. They were the most
kind and loving family I have ever met, after my own parents of course, and I will never forget their warm generosity. Let me tell you that this is the Aussie culture. They can’t wait to take you here, to take you there. You may have only just met them five minutes ago over a bottle of beer, but that doesn’t matter to them, they are now your friend and that’s that.
So yes, you come across a few spiders and snakes, both of which are pretty deadly and would kill you in a matter of minutes, but who cares? If we all lived our lives not doing things because of a few creepy crawlies, we wouldn’t do anything, and what a waste that would be. There is so much I have had to miss
out of my adventure but honestly, if you’re considering going to Australia, just do it. You won’t regret it. I can assure you of one thing, you will regret not doing it, so do it whilst we’re young. Live life to the full and make the most of every moment.
Five plates of cold turkey, salad, king prawns, a smoking Barbie and enough Toohey’s Extra Dry beer to last me a lifetime, it was time for a dip in the pool to cool off from the 40 degree scorching sunshine. A bit different to a frosty Christmas and a turkey roast, but stick my family over there with me and I would prefer the Aussie Christmas every time.
B
Marseille
onjour! My name is Jason Beilby and I’m writing from the beautiful city of Marseille in France. I am an undergraduate at NTU studying International Business but currently in my third year which is a placement year, to either work or study. Due to our old friend The Recession, I found it extremely difficult to get a work placement. Also I thought I’ll be working for the rest of my life, so why not do my placement year at a fantastic university in France where I can learn the culture while still pursuing business modules? So now I’m studying business for a year at the prestigious Euromed Management Business School in Marseille. I’ve got to say, it is absolutely breathtaking here. The university itself is located next to a beautiful mountain range. It’s such a different university experience from living in Nottingham. As well as my business course I’m studying a bit of French which is useful but nowhere near as useful as practising my French in daily life here.
Now, more about Marseille. It is a beautiful city on the south coast of France, the French Riviera, and is based right next to the stunning Mediterranean sea. Many famous celebrities were born in Marseille, such as French football legends Zinedine Zidane and Eric Cantona. For an avid football fan such as myself I’m delighted to be living and studying here, the home of L’Olympique Marseille, the current French champions. I had the pleasure of seeing the city host Spartak Moscow at the Stade Velodrome recently. It was an amazing atmosphere but just a shame about the result (Marseille lost 1-0). There are many landmarks here in Marseille. One of my favourite places is the Vieux Port, which means the Old Port. It is a beautiful place to relax by the waterfront, taking in the spectacular views, along with all the anchored yachts, while sipping on a cocktail in the bright Marseillaise sunshine. Another place I personally love is the Calanques beaches. It’s a mountainous inlet that meets the
Euromed Management Business School, Marseille (Photo: www.euromed-marseille.com)
sea. It’s so relaxing to come here with friends with some food, a few drinks and sit back whilst enjoy the views. Alternatively for the daredevils amongst you, you can dive off the little inlets, and see how high you can jump from. This was the first time I said to myself “Wow, I’m living in the Mediterranean”. The sunshine at the Calanques is very strong and I got a tan after only one day of sunbathing - get in. Although I miss Nottingham and Wednesday nights at Ocean and Saturday nights at the SU, I would strongly suggest to anyone who wants to go somewhere with amazing views, culture and people to come and visit Marseille. It’s a wonderful experience and one I hope I will enjoy to the full and remember for the rest of my life.
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Travel
Cornwall Words & Photos: Shaun Taberer
W
hat comes to mind when you hear of Cornwall? Long beaches, sun, beautiful stretches of countryside, the idyllic place to live? You couldn’t be blamed for thinking that all Cornwall is is a corner of land in the British Isles where it’s nice to spend a long weekend. Yet beneath this shiny exterior lurks poverty, on a scale that is quite hard to believe. Shaun Taberer shows you what it’s really like to live in the southern coast of England. Cornwall has a rich history in tin mining and was at one point a very rich area. John Wesley, an 18th century preacher, described parts of the county as the richest anywhere in Europe. Mining goes a long way back and has left many traditions in its wake. The Cornish pasty was originally half meat and half apple so the miners could have dinner and desert without leaving the pit, a tradition which still goes on today. The town Redruth is named after the Cornish words for red (ruth) and river (red) because of the tin’s colouring of the water supply. But those days are now long gone. Cornwall is one of only four areas in Britain which is sponsored by an EU poverty grant. There is literally no place for a lot of people to work and there is no industry in Cornwall anymore. Mining died a long time ago when it was found to be cheaper to buy in minerals from abroad. There are still no motorways (the only county in England to not have one) so businesses and industry cannot move down or start up.
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The real people of Cornwall feel left behind from the rest of the country. A large number of people still want an independent state and you can’t blame them for that. They want a say in what happens and at the moment they are not getting that. On the estate in Redruth, just by the main secondary school, sixty per cent of households have no earner. They and their children live off scraps, they aren’t well educated and have no skill in a trade - they simply have nowhere to go. This trouble just progresses from generation to generation. Cornish towns have one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe so this problem looks likely to continue. I am Cornish myself and see a lot of Cornwall that the tourists don’t. For the county to have a bright future it needs money and jobs but with the present Government cutting and slashing left, right and centre it’s hard to see anything but further decline. The only glimmer of hope for Cornwall at the moment is the tourist trade - more and more people are deciding to holiday in England because of the recession so more and more people are visiting the beaches and villages of Cornwall with their families. If you decide to come to Cornwall next summer just look for what it really is: a place that is in spiralling decline with many of the local people living under the poverty line, family-owned farms shutting down and the tin mines still hauntingly derelict.
Photos Edited by stefan ebelewicz (photos@platform-online.net)
Katy B @ NTSU 5th November 2010 Photos: Daniel Iley
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Photos
Magnetic Man @ NTSU 5th November 2010 Photos: Daniel Iley
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
Marina and the Diamonds 7th November 2010 Photos: Charlotte Hickmott
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Health Edited by Lauren Roitman (health@platform-online.net)
A Half-Hour Epiphany of Feet
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recently sold my car, stemming from a desire to be freed of the burden of my CO2 tag, to be healthier and save £2,000 a year. A visit to my mother that would normally take a twenty minute drive therefore involved boarding the busy Nottingham tram like a sardine volunteering to be canned. A drab and uncomfortable half an hour wedged beneath a burly woman’s perspiring arm crevasse brought me to my home town of Hucknall in the midst of a downpour. Short on change and high on morale I skipped the bus and began to walk merrily. Although I was soaked to my skin within five minutes I was perfectly content as I smiled at the swarm of people dashing into their cars. You see, the problem with the world today is that humans, like all mammals, try to conserve energy and eat as much as they can. So they will gorge themselves
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and like an ape, use tools to make tasks easier. So they sit in their cars, with bloated stomachs incapable seemingly of the basic task mastered before the first fire was sparked: to put a foot in front of another foot. An easy task that would save a fortune on fuel and insurance, not to mention the initial cost of the car, just to sit in rush hour traffic and arrive at their destinations later than me. They don’t even get to stay dry either as they’ll be just as wet as me when they walk from the bus stop or car to their doors. Walking will improve your posture and health. We are all created by our own actions and that includes our physique. Think of the body you are creating by slumping in your chair compared to that of a healthy person striding. It means the pelvis is kept in the right position, the back straight and the stomach braced and held in. You can combat conditions like diabetes by keeping your body moving,
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not to mention the reduction in air pollution. It would be far more pleasant for everybody walking if car fumes weren’t on the menu. Maybe everybody would stop being so isolated and scared of each other, all sat alone and angry in the traffic. They might even start smiling and greeting each other as fellow walkers in all types of weather. The British weather won’t kill you - in fact spending time exercising in the cold actually improves your immunity and heart condition. So lift your eyes up from your watch and feel the streets beneath your feet. There’s no reason for you to be incapable of a half hour walk. Maybe you’ll find out something about yourself. Yes, people will probably look at you gone out when you turn up wet, but between you and me: you’ll be starting a revolution. Tarran Huntley
Straight to the point
D
oes the very thought of a needle send shivers down your spine? Do you cringe at the very thought of vaccinations? Well this could help ease the pain. In May 2009, 22 NTU students were diagnosed with mumps, leading to a campaign to try to encourage all students to make sure their vaccinations are up to date. With students being in such close to proximity to each other, viruses and illness can spread quickly, so it’s key to have yourself up to date with all of your immunisations. The Department of Health suggests that every student should be fully immunised against a range of diseases including Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and Meningitis before they arrive at university. Most students will have had all of the correct injections to cover this but it is extremely important to make sure that you are covered. Even if you’re
New Cream for Fear of Needles in your final year or just starting, MMR can affect anyone who isn’t protected. If you haven’t then you may be tempted to let it slide and think that it will never happen to you but because of the vast number of people a student will come into contact with daily, the risks are high. One of the most common reasons for not having your immunisations is a fear of needles, but there are ways to help reduce the injection experience. A new topical anesthetic cream called Emla has just been released and is now readily available in most chemists over the counter. If you apply the cream 60 minutes before any needle based procedure, including blood tests and travel vaccines, it numbs the area and reduces the sensation of having an injection. You can leave it on for up to four hours and the longer you leave it, the number the skin will be. For £4, it’s well worth it and with up to five usages from a packet, you could benefit.
Don’t put off your vaccinations any longer, as the consequences of getting mumps can be extremely serious. Symptoms of mumps include a fever, shivers, tiredness and painful swelling of the parotid glands, which are just below the jaw line. If you think you, or anyone you know has these symptomps, go to your GP straight away. For more information, symptoms and what to do if you find yourself experiencing the symptoms of any disease, visit www.nhs.uk Or for phone numbers to Nottingham health centres visit the Trent Uni website on www.ntu.ac.uk and search ‘health centre’. Words: Lauren Roitman Illustration: Abbie Burch
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Health
Kicking the Boot You’ve taken the leap of faith and bought your gym membership. You’ve also joined a sports team to show your parents you’re not just a lazy student, but make sure your kit isn’t the thing that lets you down. James Law discusses the problems with flash footwear in football that could send you back to bed with more than a few bruises.
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rustrated professional footballers seem to be spending more time in the medical room than ever before, prompting accusations that revolutionary footwear isn’t sufficiently protective. There are all sorts of accessories which are worn by sportsman – ranging from under armours, to keep the muscles warm, to Adidas’ ClimaCool technology, which is said to transport sweat away from the skin. But all this is irrelevant if the fitness of players is put in jeopardy by boots which are not strong enough. The past five years has seen a lot of media attention surrounding foot injuries, including the metatarsal problems suffered by household names such as Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and David Beckham. However it is difficult to tell whether such problems are actually on the rise. For example, our knowledge of the human body has grown massively over the past decade, meaning that what used to be reported as a broken foot can now be diagnosed much more specifically. There may not necessarily be more inju ries of this kind than ever before, but we certainly know more about them, and the
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extra media coverage given to the sport may well exaggerate the problems. Professor Chris Moran makes a strong argument: “Compared to 30 years ago, footballers are now athletes and are training like athletes. Therefore they are much more susceptible to the sort of injuries that athletes get.” It may appear strange but footballers are so fit nowadays that one tweak to a muscle can see them sidelined for several weeks. Legends from yesteryear such as George Best and Paul Gascoigne had the talent and showmanship to succeed at the top of the game despite living booze filled lifestyles, something which surely would no longer be possible. With the vast majority at the highest level built like athletes, it is essential to do everything in order to find that extra bit of pace. This is why your choice of football boots is important. But should players be picking style over substance? Everton manager David Moyes can definitely tell the difference in the thickness of the materials used from his playing days: “Players can now pull their boots on
| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
like slippers and that did not used to be the case.” Retro style boots had hard toecaps, bringing added protection, although it undoubtedly limited free movement of the foot. Modern equivalents allow the foot and ankle more freedom but this consequently means that twisted ankles are a more common occurrence. Acquiring the right balance between performance and protection is an unenviable task for manufacturers, who face constant demands for lightweight boots. Of course, the health benefits to playing regular sport far outweigh the potential for injury, but it is definitely worth taking the time to pick the right equipment for the job. Many strains and muscle tears are simply unavoidable, although subtle details such as wearing the right type of shoe for the surface and conditions can potentially save a lot of hassle. Sacrificing a couple of weeks drinking for a pair of boots that won’t send you limping back to halls is a small price to pay.
Addiction to Legal Highs
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ou’re at a point in your life at university where different situations will be thrown at you and where you might come across things you’ve never seen or experienced before. There’s always a new temptation, something exciting you haven’t tried, but what if that something is dangerous? There are many things that can lead you astray, things that could cause problems for you and the people around you. As students you are highly likely to encounter something unfamiliar to you in your university life and will need to know how to act or to avoid trouble and harm.
and police looking into ways of stopping the ever growing popularity and avail ability of these substances. Campaigns such as Talk to Frank are supporting the fight against them and are raising awareness about the possible consequences dealing with ‘legal highs’ could have. It also highlights any laws that you may be breaking if you find yourself involved with them. According to Talk to Frank, in 2009 the government banned many of the drugs including GBL, a type of liquid ecstasy, and BZP, which mimic the effects of MDMA.
These new ‘legal highs’ are not classified in the same way as mainstream drugs as they are structurally different to their illegal counterparts, therefore having possession of certain types are technically legal, but plans are now being made to act against anyone who possesses or deals them. They could potentially have serious medical implications on anyone who may happen to take them. Some reported effects these drugs have had on people include fits, seizures, feelings of paranoia and drowsiness. In some cases it is believed that taking these powerful and harmful substances could even lead to death. These drugs have become such a serious issue that Addiction, the drug addiction treatment charity, has had to act and offer serious advice to people who may possibly be affected. Dr Ken Checinski, a senior consultant in addictive behaviour and medical director of Addiction believes that freshers are at real risk and should be streetwise when it comes to ‘legal highs’. He advises all students: “This
These are now classed as Class C drugs and you could be hit with a possible two-year prison sentence for possession or possibly fourteen years for dealing. They are regarded as very serious offences, so you need to be careful what you get yourself into. The Government have also announced that there will be a temporary ban on all other types of ‘legal highs’ brought in during autumn 2011 while The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) considers the health risks involved. So just remember, taking ‘legal highs’ doesn’t mean you’re not breaking the law.
Illustration by Emma Melton
Recently issues regarding drugs have become high on the student agenda. So-called ‘legal highs’ are drugs that are known to have an effect on people as well as known drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. They come in many different forms and under many different names and are becoming more prominent on the streets of cities everywhere. will be a really memorable time in your life. So don’t throw away all your hard work and end up remembering it for all the wrong reasons.” He also highlights how these ‘legal highs’ are causing such a problem for him and organisations such as Addiction. With the drugs being somewhat of an unknown area to them, they are unsure of just how serious abusing substances of this type could be in the long run. Dr Checinski added: “Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about the medium and long term effect they can have. So who knows what a good night out in your twenties could cost you physically or mentally when you are fourty-five? These drugs are untested and the person selling them to you has only one motive and that’s to make money. You have much more to lose than the dealer.” Measures are gradually being taken to tackle the problem, with the government
The university experience as a whole will be exciting, different and challenging at times. It will be a mix of fun and hard work, some things you will want to do, some things you won’t have quite so much enthusiasm for, but it’s all about taking the rough with the smooth. There will be things that may tempt you, such as these ‘legal highs’, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide how you live your life at Trent Uni. In the words of Dr Checinski: “You’re at university to work hard and play hard, so enjoy yourself and don’t throw it all away for a night out playing “chicken” with your mind and body.” If you want to find out more, the Talk to Frank website is packed with information about ‘legal highs’ and other drugs. Visit www.talktofrank.com Ian Davies
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Arts
Edited by Michael Worrall (arts@platform-online.net)
Platform’s
Tracey Emin Artist
Tracey Emin is a legend in the art world. Described as both controversial and inspiring, she divides both opinion and audience. Most famous for her autobiographical art, through paintings, sculptures, photography, installations and films, Emin produces work that directly reflects intimate details of her private life. One of her most famous and controversial pieces was a blue tent appliquéd with dozens of names, the piece was entitled ‘Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963 – 1995’. This piece along with an installation called ‘My Bed’, which essentially was Emin’s bed surrounded by her very
Danny Wallace Author, Columnist, Presenter
Every now and again you might get a chance to do something that’s a bit daring. A bit out-there. Something that you’d like to do, but just don’t quite have the guts. You let the opportunity drift by and for the rest of your life you’ll never quite be sure whether what you passed on had the potential to be life changing. That’s where Danny Wallace comes in. As an author and columnist, he’s gathered all the inspiration for his writing from his own life experiences and having the confidence to go with his instincts. Okay, so his approach of setting up a cult based on ‘niceness’ in his book Join Me, or saying ‘yes’, relentlessly, to every question he’s asked in Yes Man, may be a little extreme. But nonetheless, he’s the poster boy for having a positive attitude towards life and seizing opportunities.
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
personal belongings, attracted a great deal of media attention and provoked fresh debate to consider just how far the boundaries of art can be pushed. In her work, Emin aims to depict the raw emotions she feels and relate it to the masses. She has always wanted her work to be understood and appreciated by what she considers ‘real people’, but sadly her work is not entirely accessible to all. Her piece ‘My Bed’ retailed at a mere £150,000. So whether you love Tracey Emin’s work, or completely disagree with her methods and lifestyle, you surely cannot help but admire a lady who can throw a pair of knickers on the floor and get away with calling it art.
icons
Marilyn Monroe Actress, Singer, Model
Jeremy Clarkson Broadcaster, Journalist
As a television icon, Jeremy Clarkson is as unique as he is unfashionable. Most famous for his central role in the BBC’s hugely successful Top Gear, Clarkson has become the hero of motoring fans across the world. No stranger to controversy (voted 66th in a Channel 4, viewer poll of ‘100 Britons We Love to Hate’), his unashamed remarks and remorseless opinions often leave those who dare to hold a different point of view outraged. For most, though, this bold and consistently humorous approach is just one more reason for the following he has developed. While his anti-government, ecounfriendly views may not endear him to all, not to mention his sexism, mild-racism, and unrivalled level of arrogance, his mastery of the metaphor and supreme wit have given birth to one of the most recognisable figures on television today.
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most iconic beauties of all time with her stunning curves and electric smile. Coming from nothing and spending most of her childhood in foster homes, it was her drive and determination that led her to successful movie roles in films such as ‘Some Like it Hot’ and ‘Seven Year Itch’ in which she demonstrated excellent acting skills and impeccable comic timing. However what strikes me most about Marilyn is her insight into the lives we lead. With quotes such as, “Imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius. And it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring”, Marilyn inspires me to be myself and helps me to live my life to the full.
Chris Evans Broadcaster
As one of Britain’s most instantly recognisable voices and broadcasters, Chris Evans has forever polarised public opinion. He became the Marmite of television and radio. To some, he was arrogant and obnoxious. To others, he had the world at his feet. Until it all went very wrong. Becoming complacent, he quit his dream job as the host of BBC Radio 1’s breakfast show, live on air - a post he had strived towards for years in commercial radio. He had two options: slip into a broadcasting wilderness or learn from the mistakes he’d made and fight his way back to the top. He took risks – borrowing more than £80 million to buy his own station – but through determination, tireless work and a sharp focus on what he wanted to achieve, he’s now back at the very top of British radio. When it comes to learning from your own errors, there’s no better example.
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Arts Prince
Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor
The day I discovered Prince was one of the most pivotal days of my life. On a particularly dreary day flicking through my mother’s vinyls, Prince picked me up and filled me with cavernous sounds for the soul. Lyrics from the heart and rhythms for the feet. Those feet, face and fingers are the key features. It’s effortlessly expressive and yet overwhelmingly provocative in every performance. As a performer I strive to master appearing as comfortably captivating as he. The stage is his home, where he can let all inhibitions dissolve and just be at one with music. A controversial extrovert, Prince pushes me to be better, to command the attention of the audience, to be unforgiving. Audition after audition, rehearsal after rehearsal, performance after performance, I aim to be better. I aim to exude the same passion for what I do as Prince.
Samantha Jones Dancer
For Sam, dance isn’t just a hobby. It’s a way of life. “When I’m dancing it just feels like a normal thing to be doing… I carried it on for all this time because it really did just feel ‘right.” Sam found her passion at a young age. Starting classes aged three at her local hall and going on to the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama, she went on to study dance GCSE and BTEC at Nottingham’s Clarendon College. “I guess whilst being at college you have to change your mindset from a stage school dancer to a professional and that in itself make you take it seriously.” This admirable motivation has enabled her to currently work in Goa, India, just three months following graduation. In today’s economy she truly is a young, iconic professional dancer.
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Kerry Ellis
Actress, Singer I first encountered Kerry Ellis on YouTube in late 2006 when I watched a video of her performing Defying Gravity in Wicked. It was around three months later that I saw her in the show and was blown away by her performance. Since then, I’ve also seen her play Nancy in Oliver and at various other live performances. She is the epitome of everything that a musical theatre leading lady should be. Her voice is sublime no mat-
| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
ter what she sings be it the phonebook or a musical theatre score. She is a stalwart of the West End having starred as Meat in the original cast of We Will Rock You, Fantine in Les Misérables, Elphaba in Wicked and in Oliver! where she is currently playing Nancy. She recently released an album entitled Anthems, which charted at number 15, a testament to her highly successful career and one that many young actors and actresses aspire to replicate.
Arts Societies at NTU
Review
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Trent Dance
Following Fever and Fame to name just a few, this year Trent Dance performs their annual show on Friday 3rd December. Preparations are well underway, however the club welcomes newcomers weekly to attend Beginners and Intermediate classes at Clifton and City campuses. Both levels will be performing in the show alongside the advanced team and special guest performers. Additionally, members are given opportunities to coach dance in local schools, attend weekly socials, a boat party, trip to the Clothes Show Live and sports tour abroad. For more information visit the Facebook group: Trent Dance 2010-2011. Steph Nwenwu
Music Society
This year the Music society’s main focus is on bands. The society is a platform for musicians to meet like-minded people and hopefully develop this into musical collaborations. They provide practice space and help the bands get out into the local gig scene. There also opportunities to support live acts at the union. Events aren’t really pre-planned and tend to happen organically through jam nights and regular trips to open mic nights. They plan to start their own open mic night and currently meet for a social every Wednesday. There are future plans for trips to London to see live acts and next summer attend a music festival. The Music Society is essential for anyone wanting to have fun with music and aspires to make it in the music industry. Emma Melton
NTU Drama
The Drama society’s focus is on building confidence and having fun. Socials are arranged every week, often resulting in fun nights full of cocktails in The Fat Cat Cafe. They also organise many trips to theatres in both London and Nottingham. A main aim of the society is to raise the profiles of its members. Students from a range of courses often ask the society for volunteer actors to take part in anything from fashion shows to photo shoots, and in the past they have been approached by Confetti film studios in Nottingham. This year their biggest event is a production of The Rivals, which will be preformed at Nottingham Arts theatre. If you want to raise your profile and meet like-minded people the Drama society is a must.
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MAS
elf described as an “explosive power trio delivering a message of unity, sensuality and fiesta”, Mas Y Mas, Spanish for “more and more” are by all means benevolent. By delivering festive rhythms and optimistic melodies, the band is renowned for encouraging and embracing audience participation in their performances. Frequent visitors to Nottingham’s Contemporary Café, their latest gig compromised partaking with various dancing abilities. The demure dance floor, initially invaded by an older male couple admirably expressing their take on swing dancing in front of a fairly full capacity, was quickly filled to the brim. The Latin-inspired evening attracted a variety of ages, ranging from mothers and toddlers to adolescent friends having a bit of a boogie. Conversely, it appeared that a large proportion of the audience used the event as on opportunity to practice some of their moves. Salsa, rumba and flamenco were just some of the dances rehearsed, as individuals rotated partners similar to a speed dating session. Designed by New York artist Matthew Brannon, the intimate venue, dimly lit and buzzing with atmospheric electricity welcomes a more mature audience for such events. Personally, I found this to be a refreshing change in comparison to the average “student night”. Needless to say the gig was indeed student friendly, providing free entry and relatively well-priced food and drink available alongside the encompassing sounds of the band. Additionally, the Café runs similar offers for weekly events. Mas Y Mas will be returning to the venue at the end of November. It’s a feel good function that’s not to be missed. Steph Nwenwu
Emma Melton
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Arts
Review
THRILLER LIVE at Theatre Royal, Nottingham 18-23rd November
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f the title of the show is meant to describe the experience then it should be renamed ‘Disappointing Live’. Despite being adored by the audience who gave the cast a standing ovation, I was left thoroughly underwhelmed by the show. This was down to various reasons. First of all, miming in live theatre is my pet peeve and much of the show, particularly the numbers with dance routines, was mimed. Strike one. Secondly, all the way through, I felt that there was no purpose to what I was watching. There was no story - it didn’t pretend to be musical theatre but at the same time it wasn’t a concert either. Strike two. The opening numbers of the show were re-enactments of Jackson 5 songs with the singers in costume and the narrator in character as a TV presenter. This style didn’t last as about midway through the first act, the narrator began to use his native accent and acts were introduced with their real names, rather than as ‘J5’, for instance. The structure felt messy as if the production was still being developed. The last straw for me was the continuous run of songs. Each number was staged in an individual way. However, there were lengthy sections where songs ran straight into one another. This made the performance, particularly the second act, drag and I frequently found myself looking at my watch, praying for it to end. The production’s only saving grace was the vocal performances, the best of which came from Nathan James and child performer, Jordan D. Bratton, who’s rendition of I’ll Be There was exceedingly moving. It’s not musical theatre, it’s not a concert. Unless you’re a huge Michael Jackson fan, it’s not a thriller either. Michael Worrall
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
Review
THE APPRENTICE Wednesdays, 9pm, BBC One
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ollowing five successful series, The Apprentice is once more back in business. Series Six has already seen four departures from the original line up of sixteen candidates. Destructive Dan, a Sales Director from Oxfordshire, was the first to be axed, as a result of leading the boys’ team to failure in the initial task: to create, pack and sell original sausages. Ironically named Synergy, a suggestion made by second to leave Economics and Politics graduate, Raleigh, the team fell apart due to Dan’s demeaning attempt as project manager. Consequently, the team lost out to the girls who beat them with a marginal £15 difference in sales profit. The aptly named Apollo, as suggested by Business Development Manager, Laura, proved that failure was not an option in week one. However this was not the case in week two. Despite Joanna leading the
team to banging success, the original outspoken project manager clashed and quarreled with Melissa, Laura and timid Joy when called back to the board room. Luckily for Joanna, actions spoke louder than words, and Joy was sent packing for not contributing enough to the teams efforts to promote and sell their beach accessory: the Book-eeze. Week three saw Surgeon and Business Owner Shibby booted out after battling it out with teammates Sandeesh and Paloma in the boardroom. As project manager, Shibby lost out in week three, after accepting a retail order from a hotel for one thousand bread rolls and only managing to deliver sixteen. Yes, sixteen. How can any project manager top such a fiasco? Keep you eyes peeled for these outstanding candidates. Words: Steph Nwenwu Illustration: Lauren Skinner
Ones hto Watc Loudmouths Joanna and Stuart. Although both are extremely annoying, this pair provides some cracking entertainment from week to week. Deluded Alex. Do not be surprised if you see this candidate in the upcoming firing line. Although he clearly has a heart of gold, Alex appears to be 2010’s doormat of the year. The only candidate who isn’t quick to pounce, this pussycat is hot to trot. Stars Stella and Jamie. With a background in banking, Stella is my personal favourite to win. Level headed, good with numbers and currently working as Head of Business Management in a Japanese bank, she is perfect apprentice material. However, straight talking Jamie deserves some sort of medal for his impeccable one-liners. We certainly haven’t seen the best of him yet, so watch this space…
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Film
Edited by James Gordon (film@platform-online.net)
hen it came to our attention at Platform Film HQ that this W month’s issue was all about icons, I’ll admit, we had a pretty easy job. Who after all can claim “icon” status better than our top film stars and directors?
October saw some of Hollywood’s brightest and best – as well as plenty of home-grown talent – descend on London for the annual London Film Festival, and I was lucky enough to get down there as Platform’s eyes and ears. From Oscar winning director Danny Boyle to the very cream of the crop of home-grown acting talent in the form of Keira Knightley and Colin Firth, there were icons everywhere you turned, and we got to put your questions to the stars, as well as catch exclusive previews of their upcoming work.
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL All Reviews By James Gordon
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| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
[Let Me In]
Let Me In
Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee
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n 2008, a Swedish film titled Let the Right One In was released, telling the story of a young boy and girl, who fall in love, only for the boy to later discover that the girl is a vampire. This was no Twilight though; it was a real, hardhitting, tale about childhood, with the vampire backdrop almost used as just that – a backdrop. The film won nearly universal critical acclaim, and in the eyes of most horror fans remains one of the finest vampire movies ever created. Let Me In is an American remake of the film, with Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) in the leading role. To say this film lacks the subtlety of the original would be a massive understatement. While the first film could be described as a movie about childhood love which happens to contain a vampire, this is a film about a vampire which happens to contain a childhood love story. While the original was incredibly artistic and stylised, this has simply descended into a bloodbath. Director Matt Reeves (whose previous credits include monster movie Cloverfield), clearly drew on his previous work and decided that bigger is better by exaggerating every sequence from the original tenfold. Unfortunately this has the exact opposite effect as it was supposed to have, and effectively ruins
what was an almost perfectly weighted film by just turning it into a gore-fest. While Moretz is clearly a skilled actress she brings everything you’d hope to the role of Abby - somehow even she cannot save this film from failure. To put it simply: rent the original film, put up with the subtitles, and leave this English language remake to fade into the annuls of time. It’s just not as good.
Never Let Me Go – Opening Gala Director: Mark Romanek Starring: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield
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he festival kicked off in style with the lavish UK premier of Never Let Me Go, a film adapted from the much loved bestselling novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. Arguably the fastest rising stars in Britain today, Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan were joined at the festival by relative newcomer Andrew Garfield (best known for his role in David Fincher’s The Social Network) to talk to the press about the huge challenges of bringing the novel to screen. Mulligan, who was already a fan of the book, spoke about how she had her head constantly in the novel, referring back to certain passages while they were shooting almost as much as she used the script, so she could get the best possible idea of exactly what her character would be
feeling in each situation. The film tells the story of a world in which cloning is commonplace where subspecies of people are raised as donors, that is to have their vital organs harvested at various stages in their life, until eventually succumbing to death. It deals with the ethical and moral dilemmas faced within this world, showing us three of these clones, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. We see them at a very early age growing up at a school for “special” pupils, not really understanding their fate, dealing with all the trappings of youth and of falling in love for the first time. As they reach adulthood we see them deal with the donation process and watch them hope against all odds that there may be some salvation for them. Garfield’s performance in particular stands out in the film. His character Tommy, being ultimately the purest of the three leads, wasn’t tainted by the jealousy which threatens to tear the others apart. His next big role will be as Peter Parker in the upcoming reboot of the Spiderman franchise, and it’s clear why he’s getting such recognition on the world stage – he is arguably the best young actor working in Britain at the moment. The film is a beautiful expression of what it is to be human, and the ways in which these people are almost born without free will, born instead into their role, unable to escape.
[Never Let Me Go]
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Film
[The King’s Speech] The King’s Speech
he knows he has to be.
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Starring as Albert, Firth leads an all-star British cast including Helena Bonham Carter who jokes that she “was playing a Queen one day and a wicked witch [Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series] the next”, often getting confused over which guise she would be taking on which day.
Director: Tom Hooper Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter f Keira and Carey are Britain’s leading ladies, few could argue with Colin Firth being our leading man. A true icon of cinema, he’s been nominated for BAFTAs and Oscars for various roles over the years and if the buzz behind his latest film The King’s Speech is anything to go by, he may be adding another Oscar award to his CV come February. The King’s Speech tells the tale of Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI, and father to our current Queen Elizabeth). He suffered with a terrible stammer when he spoke which often caused him great amounts of difficulty while undergoing his public speaking roles as a monarch. With the help of Lionel Loge (Rush), an actor turned speech therapist, the film sees the would-be king struggle to overcome his problems, and become the King
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The story of George VI may not be well known to a contemporary audience, indeed I knew very little before going into the film, but the true power of this movie is that it literally doesn’t matter. While it is a period piece it feels timeless and will work brilliantly with a truly universal audience, not just those who particularly like the historical side. The film is brilliantly written and is sure to be a comedic hit with both audiences and critics alike when it goes on general release. Watch this space, because you’ll be hearing a lot from Mr Firth come award season.
| Nottingham Trent Students Union Magazine
Treacle Jr.
Director: Jamie Thraves
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very once in a while a film comes out of nowhere and just really knocks your socks off. This was undoubtedly the case for Treacle Jr. It’s an independent film, made for just £30,000, which was entirely self financed by the director and his friends. I will admit I knew nothing whatsoever about the film going into it other than that it was a low budget Brit Flick. What Jamie Thraves achieved with the film was actually a superb film, exploring friendship, love and devotion. The film opens with Tom, the leadcome-narrator in the film, abandoning his home in Birmingham, getting on a train to London then living rough on the streets of the capital. When a gang of youths assault him he ends up in A+E where he meets the obnoxiously loud and yet entirely affectionate Aiden. Trapped in a dead end relationship with no money
[Treacle Jr.]
[Another Year]
and no other real friends, Aiden latches on to Tom, hoping to fill a gap in his life. As the film progresses this unlikely bromance flourishes and we see Tom open up to Aiden, and in the same way, the audience itself warms to him, realising that as annoying as he is all he really wants is a friend. The film was made on a shoestring budget, filmed largely in Thrave’s own best friend’s flat, the actors deferring their fees, not knowing if they’d ever make a penny from the film. With a film this good though, they really needn’t have worried. Word of mouth alone should carry this to a limited art house release nationwide in the near future and I implore you to get down and see this film the very moment it does. Why? Quite simply because Jamie Thraves has succeeded the best film at the London Film Festival.
Another Year
Director: Mike Leigh Starring: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen
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rowing old is a fact of life which many people would rather avoid but Mike Leigh’s latest film brings the elderly middle classes of Britain to life. Tom and Gerri (yes, like Tom and Jerry, we get it, lets all move on) are a perfectly happy and content couple, fast approaching their latter days. The film sees them dealing with their own day to day issues but also with their social interactions with their grown-up son and their best friends – the alcoholic and manically depressed Mary and the overweight and lonely Ken. The film was premiered as part of the festival but also formed a festival first, as it was screened into thirty-five cinemas across the country simultaneously. This allowed the rest of the country to share in the premier, as well as a live Q+A with the actors and Mike Leigh himself after the film.
Speaking at the Q+A, Jim Broadbent (Hot Fuzz, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince), who plays Tom, spoke about the evolution of the characters even before the film starts. To play these people, he and Ruth Sheen worked together to create the entire back story of the forty-year marriage the two characters have shared, as well as researching into his onscreen job, and even looking into the details of the university course he mentions having studied in the film. This huge amount of background research really shows through in the performances and it really feels like both actors truly inhabit their characters, rather than just playing them. They feel real and it feels like you really have just walked into these two people’s lives over the course of the year which the film shows us. The film is a real triumph for British cinema, and you can’t help but root for the characters on screen. It’s a greatly uplifting position to be in with any movie, especially one this great.
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Film [127 hours]
[Black Swan]
[It’s Kind of a Funny Story] Black Swan
Director: Darren Aronofsky Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassell
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oming off the success of Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky’s latest film Black Swan can’t help but leave a slightly disappointed pang in the air as you watch it. Black Swan is a modern day retelling of the story of Swan Lake, which sees a princess turned into a White Swan by a wicked wizard, while her evil twin sister (The Black Swan) runs away with the handsome prince. This film is set in the ballet world itself, with Natalie Portman as Nina, a star dancer, in the troupe, and Vincent Cassel the Ballet’s director. When he announces he wants to put on a new version of Swan Lake in which the Black and the White Swan will be played by the same person, Nina becomes obsessed with getting the role, eventually driving herself to insanity and paranoia as it seems like Lily (Kunis), a new member of the ballet troupe, might
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mindset where she truly becomes both the pure girl and the evil twin at alternate times. be about to eclipse her at any moment. The most impressive part of the film is the discipline of the actors as they took on the roles of the ballerinas. Mila Kunis told press after the film that “dancers are the most disciplined performers in the world. While for an actor there might be different ways of doing a part, and there being no such thing as a perfect performance, a dancer will die looking for that perfection.” She also spoke about picking up various injuries during the shoot as she took on all the dance sequences herself saying that the physicality demanded by the film was her greatest challenge. The film takes a very deliberate visual style, with hundreds of effects shot as Nina begins to hallucinate and descend deeper into an almost schizophrenic
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While the concept was brilliant, somehow the execution seemed to be lacking. The film felt over long with some scenes seeming almost unnecessary and many of the relationships the film explores, particularly between Nina and her massively over-protective mother, just seem forced and the film would be better without them. Because of all these issues, the end result is a bit of a shambles to be completely frank. While Kunis does a great job in what is a highly ambiguous role, there is something about Portman’s own performance which doesn’t ring true, and this effectively destroys the illusion before you even really begin. This had all the makings of a superb, even groundbreaking film, but instead it ended up one I’d much rather just forget.
127 Hours – Closing Gala Director: Danny Boyle Starring: James Franco
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amous for incredible human interest films like Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, it feels like everything Danny Boyle touches has the ability to turn to absolute gold. 127 Hours, the film which closed the festival in fine style, is no exception to this rule. The film explores the true story of Aron Ralston (Franco), a climber and canyon explorer living in Utah. Despite being an expert and knowing every crevice and crack of the local canyon range better than the back of his hand, it’s not long before we see him make a mistake, slipping down a hole with a huge boulder crushing his arm against the cliff-face leaving him unable to escape and – with nobody for miles around – no one to hear his screams.
While he is trapped Aron makes a series of videos which he fully intends to leave as his last will and testament for his family, as well as a log of his final hours. This is a man who does not believe he will survive after several days trapped but a man with the instinct to ensure someone hears his story. At only 94 minutes there is no time for fluffing around the point and instead Boyle has managed to get right down to it, creating an adrenaline fuelled thriller, in which Aron must race against time to get free before he runs out of water and succumbs to the heat of the Utah desert. James Franco – best known perhaps to a mainstream audience as Peter Parker’s best friend Harry in the Spiderman series – gives the performance of a lifetime, recreating pain, anguish and the passion of, as he puts it finely himself: “a man who had accepted that he was going to die, knowing his story might not have a happy ending.” He also went on to talk about how different an experience it was working on this kind of movie to what he’s used to. In an early scene, Aron tries to push the rock off of him, trying desperately to move or shake it, ultimately giving up realising that it is too heavy.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham
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ince storming onto our screens last year in The Hangover, Zach Galifianakis has become one of the most talked about comic actors on the planet. Turning up in cameo roles all over the place, he’s right back in the spotlight with It’s Kind Of A Funny Story. Craig (Keir Gilchrist in his first starring role) is a teenager, convinced he’s depressed, right on the verge of committing suicide. He checks himself into a psych ward at the start of the film and it is here that the drama takes place.
He befriends Bobby (Galifianakis) and Noelle (Roberts), two people who have really been through the mill. Bobby admits to us in a touching scene that he has tried to kill himself on numerous occasions but simply can’t do it, while Noelle is showing visible scars of self harm on her wrists. This might not sound like a comedy but it is an uplifting story in it’s own way. Even in the face of utter and complete depression, these people are still people, and in a way, for them even the smallest victory can change everything.
Referencing this scene Franco said that “[Danny] told me to simply try everything I could think to do to move it. Head butt it, kick it, knee, yank, punch it, push it, anything, until I say cut. I said ok, and I tried…and I guess about 22minutes later Danny shouted cut. I was black and blue, but it helped me figure out how to do those scenes. It was liberating.” These extended takes allowed the film to flow so well, especially what with the whole movie entirely locked around Franco’s performance. It meant that as he got into it, so could the audience, and we saw the emotions really flooding out – he really was hurting, it wasn’t acting in the usual sense of the word, and this actually really worked in this human interest style of film As the very final film of the festival, 127 Hours is a truly superb Closing Gala. It is a story about hope and about a human’s will to survive. It certainly wouldn’t be too big a stretch to say that the British Film Institute saved one of the very best for last.
slapstick comedy from him until now but this is so much more. Bobby has a dark side and he is truly what you might refer to as a broken man while Zach really captures this side of the character, proving his enormous versatility as an actor. The message the film is delivering might be a little cliché but all in all this black comedy does a great job of trying to bring a new angle to an age old story.
I think this is probably Zach’s most challenging role to date, and it’s a challenge he absolutely rises to. We have only ever seen very straightforward almost
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Gaming&Tech Edited by Aaron Lee (gaming@platform-online.net)
ATOMIC drive WHY ADAM SALTSMAN MAKES GAMES FOR A LIVING
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hy do we do the things we do? That’s a question that daredevil extraordinaire EvelKnievel answered with a little-known poem. He may not have broken his bones in spectacular fashion, but Adam ‘Atomic’ Saltsman is equally as inspirational. He created Canabalt, the deliciously addictive one-button platformer for the iPhone that received 115,000 sales in just five months. The talented indie developer recently completed a three-day game design marathon at last month’s GameCity festival. “This was my idea,” said Saltsman, who planned to complete most of the game in the final eight hours, “but when I sent it over to the festival organizers, I was not expecting them to say ‘Sure thing, just let us know what you need.’ But that’s pretty typical of GameCity,” Lending her musical skills to create the score for the game was Rebecca Mayes. Saltsman has plenty of admiration for his
If the ideas are flowing smoothly from brain to computer and back again, I don’t need sleep or food anymore, it’s a really amazing feeling.
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fellow creative: “I think it’s a really apt collaboration, as I first heard her music at GameCity 4, just last year. I really admire her acoustic prowess, and I think we don’t have enough unplugged tunes in games. I also respect her attitude about games as culture - the game review songs she writes are an earnest expression about the art she consumes.” Three-days of collective design conversation and frantic coding would surely exhaust most people. Recognition for his herculean endurance isn’t why Saltsman chose to do this. “If just one kid comes away from GameCity with the idea that someday he can make a game about whatever he wants, by himself, in an afternoon, as a legitimate way to express himself to the world, then, I will be double-rainbow happy.” Hailing from Austin, Texas, Saltsman has created production tools, such as Flixel, andassists his friends with their own projects. He is also the co-founder of his
own independent game company, Semi Secret Software. What motivates him to make video games? “I love the medium of games and I love the process of making games. It’s playful and educational on so many levels at the same time that I can’t not do it. If I am onto something, if the ideas are flowing smoothly from brain to computer and back again, I don’t need sleep or food anymore, it’s a really amazing feeling.” However, when he was young, Saltsman had aspirations to become something other than a game creator: “A palaeontologist. I still make an annual pilgrimage to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City just to see their flawless Deinonychus specimen. The discovery of Deinonychus in the 60s is what set off the modern idea of dinosaurs being the active, warmblooded descendants of birds, and it’s a magnificent skeleton. I also try to go see Sue, the Field Museum’s immaculate T-Rex, every few years if I can.” So, what advice does this innovate designer have for wannabe gamemakers? “Make games! There’s a good chance your school doesn’t have a framework for making a game and failing in some important way or another. This is understandable, but you can learn just as much, if not more, from the projects that
never see the light of day. Lots of great games are assembled from the crumpled corpses of game design roadkill, and the only way to get a big pile of dead games to pick over is to start making and killing games right now. Like, right now. Make something this weekend - try something crazy, fail at it, learn from it, and then make something else next weekend. Continue doing this until you have the powers you need to build the thing you’re most passionate about.” The GameCity challenge was indeed a terrific accomplishment, but there’s more to it than being an insomniac. Saltsman’s steadfast desire to express himself through the medium of video games should be a lesson to all. If you’re truly hungry to do something, then you’ll get started right now. Find out more about Adam and his work atadamatomic. com. Aaron Lee
See full coverage of GameCity, including news, features and interviews, at www.platform-online.net.
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Gaming&Tech
you, me & fifa 11 W
hen I think of my perfect date, FIFA 11 doesn’t necessarily feature. Call me old fashioned but I think of myself more of a dinner and film kind of girl, so I was relatively thrown when my date suggested, “So, shall we go and play Xbox?” Not wanting to come across girly and, er, a little bit old school I agreed, admittedly a little half-heartedly.It was a “lovely” idea and we settled on the sofa with the console and Carlsberg. Within five minutes I was sold. Being, crudely put, a FIFA virgin I first got surprisingly excited when I realised I could be any team, in any division, in any country - I’d figured beforehand the teams were based within Premiership (maybe at a push Championship) Leagues, or as World Cup competitors (I discovered later the World Cup was featured in an entirely separate FIFA game, silly me). So with Tottenham picked as my team (obviously) and a quick lowdown on the buttons - how to run fast, direct my passes, switch players, etc - I was ready to play. What I hadn’t accounted for was that a game of FIFA generated similar levels of excitement as a real match. Maybe it was because it was my first FIFA moment but suddenly the competitiveness, the need to run around the sofa roaring when I scored (I suppressed the urge of top-over-head celebrating, it seemed a little inappropriate in my date’s sitting room), the scowls and potential hooliganism when I lost came flooding over me. Another misconception I’d had was that whilst the teams were real, the players within them would held no similarities to the real ones, bar maybe height and hair colour. A surprise came as I got more into the match and began to recognise differences between how the football players performed. When I couldn’t force Crouch to run as fast as Defoe, I turned to my date for a reason. All I got was, “It’s a new thing they’ve done with 11, makes the players play like they do in real life.” With a little further research I found that it was a new feature on FIFA 11 called Personality Plus, which essentially means the personality, style and skill of each player is now in the gamemeaning Sol Campbell’s a little slower andHeskey probably won’t be able to score. Just kidding... sort of. So, after a two hour break-in, I can honestly say FIFA is now a favourite pass time, and potentially, a new perfect date. What I like best is that it’s not just for gamers, it’s also for anyone who enjoys football, for anyone that wants to try and make Peter Crouch do the robot again and for the girls that want to make Danny Rose obey their every command. Or is that just me? Oh... Amy Eglin
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FIVE FESTIVE games SEASON 1 FOR THE
FABLE III (360, PC)
Publisher: Microsoft Coming from the eccentric mind of Peter Molyneux, Fable IIIis an evolution for RPG genre. Less of a focus on menu scrolling, the game moulds itself to your play style. Exiled from the Kingdom of Albion by your tyrannical brother, you must gather followers and lead an uprising against him. You’ll find plenty of drama too, with the voice talents of Zoë Wanamaker, John Cleese, Simon Pegg and Stephen Fry to name but a few.
2
JUST DANCE 2 (Wii)
Publisher: Ubisoft Ironically, Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ still hasn’t made it into this rhythm game series. But no matter, as the follow up to Ubisoft’s surprise chart-topperloaded with songs to get the party started. In Just Dance, you and up to three friends follow onscreen chorography to the sound of Wham!,Jackson 5, Rihanna, Jamiroquai, AvrilLavinge, Franz Ferdinand, Ke$ha, The Pussycat Dolls and more.
The festive season is upon us at last. The leaves have fallen, roads are getting frosty and we’re all running up a huge gas bill by leaving the boiler on constantly. So whether you’re looking to boogie down, pop some tops or lose yourself in a magical adventure, here are five video game stocking fillers to entertain you and your friends this winter.
3
DEF JAM RAPSTAR (PS3, 360, Wii)
Publisher: Konami Finally, the hip hop game we’ve all been yearning for. No more busted rap-ometre on SingStar, Def Jam Rapstar actually tracks your lyrical accuracy making for a more refined experience. In addition to music from 2 Pac, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg, UK exclusives include Roots Manuva, Dizzee Rascal and TinieTempah. One for all those who love to rhythm in the rain on their way to lectures.
4
DISNEY EPIC MICKEY (Wii)
Publisher: Disney SinceSteamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse has grown into a global icon. In this action platformer, designed by Warren Spector, you come across Walt Disney’s forgotten and rejected
creations. Using paint and thinner to affect the game worlds, you decide how to solve problems in this murky cartoon adventure. With a remarkable art style and innovative gameplay, Epic Mickey is one not to be missed.
5
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS (PS3, 360, Wii, PC)
Publisher: Activision Does this really need an introduction? Call of Duty has become the biggest selling game franchise in history, so naturally interest in the latest edition has reached fever pitch. Set in during the Cold War, Black Opsfeatures new campaign with intense first-person action. Multiplayer is again this game’s biggest draw, and has newperks and a currency system. Sure to be an all-nighter for weeks.
See full reviews for all of these titles at www.platform-online.net. Aaron Lee
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Sports Edited by William Taylor (sports@platform-online.net)
nottingham’s bid to host
world cup in 2018 I
t was big news when Nottingham was selected as one of England’s twelve candidate host cities in the bid to hold the World Cup in 2018. There are also plans to build a brand new state of the art stadium to replace Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, although it will be built on a different site to the one the club has now.
Nottingham Trent University will undoubtedly play a huge role if England is successful in their bid, with some of the finest sporting facilities available. However with the decision regarding who will host the prestigious competition set to be made in December, people in the city are really hoping for some English success, but there are fears that the nation’s chances could be damaged by a stinging revelation. The English media seems to be getting good at investigating and revealing corruption in sport at the moment, with teams and official organisations around the world falling for traps set by newspapers. The latest to be pinned down by an accusation is the world governing body of football, FIFA, with two of its members allegedly wanting bribes for their support when it comes to voting for the host country for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Some even argue that the USA pulled out of the 2018 bid to allow England to
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successfully take it, and that England pulled out of the 2022 bid in order to let the USA be chosen as the host of the 2022 World Cup.
But an investigation has now been launched by FIFA to probe into the aforementioned allegations, after The Sunday Times ran a story about two of the executive committee members, Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii, who have now been provisionally suspended. If proved, this could be a damning revelation for Sepp Blatter and his team, and something they need to act quickly upon to restore their integrity around the world. Mr Blatter has said that this new scandal could have a very negative impact on FIFA and has vowed to conduct an indepth inquiry into the situation. The problem with this is that an English newspaper has written the story, which prompts concerns that our honesty and search for transparency within the beautiful game could be our downfall when it comes to the big vote. They fear that England’s rival nations bidding for the 2018 World Cup may now be better placed, as committee members may look unfavourably on us for highlighting this very serious problem, even though we are looking out for the best interests of the game.
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We should hope that this will not affect our chances of winning the bid and staging the World Cup in 2018 when it shows our commitment to all round fairness - something FIFA likes to endorse itself within football. Chuck Blazer, one member of the 24strong board, has come out and said that this will not affect England’s chances and that the vote should not be postponed. England is arguably best placed to hold a World Cup, and with Nottingham being one of the candidate host cities, it will be an exciting experience for everyone all round. Lee Hammond Editor’s Note: At the time of writing the decision hadn’t been made yet but now it has - Russia is to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar will be the 2022.
match report
nottingham panthers vs dundee stars G
MB Nottingham Panthers played their first game against new opposition Dundee Stars in October, who ironically are also coached by an ex-Panther, Dan Ceman. Manager of the Panthers, Gary Moran, remembers him well. He said: “I did that deal. He’d been sacked by Sheffield and we needed somebody. Coach lined him up and I went and met him at Woodall Services and got the deal. He’s coming here hoping for a win and he’s wrong.” Suffice to say that Gary was right and it’s safe to mention that there wasn’t really any competition as Panthers won with a giant score of 12 – 2. Panthers came home victorious when they played the Stars again, this time
away at Dundee with a good final score of 7 - 4.
To change a sport is a hard thing to do and for one man to do it is amazing.”
Edinburgh Capitals shuffled back to Scotland with a disappointing loss as well having won 8 – 2 at home.
Dan Green (netminder): “Mine was definitely Patrick Roy. He was a goaltender and played in the NHL. The two teams that he played for, Montreal Canadians and Colorado Avalanche both won the Stanley Cup championships. His speed and agility were just phenomenal.”
With such big goal scores for all games, the Panthers have managed to claw their way to second place in the league table just above Sheffield Steelers who are desperately clinging on to third place. In a short interview Nottingham Panthers’ tells Platform of who they used to look up to: When you were young, did you ever have an icon that you aspired to play like? Jade Galbraith (wing): “Wayne Gretzky [Former Canadian International player]. I watched him play when I was a young boy and loved the way he changed the game.
Corey Neilson (coach and defenceman): “Paul Coffey. He was a defenceman for the Edmunton Oilers. I just loved the way he skated and moved the puck. Controlling the puck is not the easiest thing to do.” Emma Baker All photos supplied by Unique Images. www.uniqueimages.co.uk
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Sports
the rugby league in notts
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ugby League is said to be mainly a northern sport and people from the south could be forgiven for believing that it’s not as good as Rugby Union with thirty out of the thirty-six professional teams coming from north of the Midlands. The Rugby Football League (RFL), the governing board for Rugby League in the UK, have made numerous attempts in the past to spread the sport across the country and even into Europe. However lack of success, money and attendances have caused these teams to fold. One of the teams that made an attempt to bridge the gap between the North and South was Nottingham City RLFC. They were formed after the collapse of the ‘Mansfield Marksmen’ in 1989, although they only had a brief spell in the league as they were relegated to the National Conference in 1993, leading to their withdrawal from the RFL. For six years Rugby League was
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none existent in Nottingham until the formation of the amateur club Nottingham Outlaws RLFC ensured the continuation of rugby league in the area. The sport has also continued to grow at NTU with the University claiming that it is one of their fastest growing sports. It isn’t too surprising to hear this as Trent Uni has strong links with the Rugby League side and it’s believed the Outlaws shirt colour was taken from the Uni’s team. The Outlaws have had relative success. They appeared in the Challenge Cup second round for the first time in their history last year and have won the East Midlands division twice. With this kind of achievement you would expect rugby league to be flourishing in Nottingham. Yet it appears that the previous failure of Nottingham City RLFC still lingers over a city famed for its football teams. Matthew McGlone
nottingham forest striker praises
trent army T
housands of Trent students turned up to watch Nottingham Forest defeat Middlesbrough last month.
night. On Saturdays, chances are they will be involved in other things, probably even supporting their own club.”
It was not until the second half that the game sparked into action, as local lad, Lewis McGugan lashed in a freekick – something he would go on to better the following weekend against Ipswich Town.
Sharphouse was quick to praise those who had been involved in marketing the initiative too.
Students at NTU were offered tickets to the game for just £2, an offer that was taken up by more than 3,500. Match-winner McGugan, 21, was delighted with the turnout and praised the university’s students. He said: “The atmosphere at night matches is always special and it was great to have such a big crowd, swelled by Nottingham Trent University students. I hope they enjoyed the experience at The City Ground and will be back for more in the near future.” The success of the initiative will see similar events take place in the future, including more bargain priced tickets, as well free pints on offer before matches (if you know where to find them).
Sports Science and Management students, Matt Lowen, Alex Milnes, Tom Macdonald and Peter Winterbottom were among those. In reward, they received hospitality at the match where they were able to watch the game from the warmth of a box. Mr Sharphouse added: “These things will always look very good on a CV, which is important for students. We have a close relationship with Nottingham Trent University, and students are really embraced.” Daniel Dunthorne, 20, who studies Business Management and Financial Services, was one of the students who took up the offer. Overall he felt disappointed with the game itself but would still consider going to a game again.
Nottingham Forest’s Marketing Manager, Joe Sharphouse admitted that only good things could be taken from the experience.
He said: “It was a great offer, and very much a bargain, but in future I would hope to see a stronger performance from both sides.”
He said: “We would definitely consider doing it again and we were pleased with the turnout at the game. Normally we get around 300 students on a match day, so having this incentive increases that significantly, we were extremely pleased about it.
Andrew Johnson, 20, studying Quantity Surveying and Construction Commercial Management said: “ I thought £2 was great value for money. Depending on who they were playing, I would certainly consider doing it again in future, as it is a good evening out with your mates.”
“Having done our research, we found that the best time for students to come and watch the game is on a Tuesday
William Taylor
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NOTTS EVENTS
December Gig Listings
1st – World Aids Day Awareness Concert -Café.Bar.Contemporary 2nd – Genius Gypsy Loci – Dilth @ Pandoras Box 3rd – Jack Beats + The Giraffe, The Pelly and Us – Project @ Gatecrasher 4th – Gentlemen’s Dub Club - Bodega Social Club 5th – Stars in Their Eyes IV – The Maze 6th – Le Chic - Tantra 7th – Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles – The Malt Cross 8th – The Crookes – Rescue Rooms
9th – Horowitz + Scumbag Philosopher – The Chameleon 10th – Ministry of Burlesque: High Tease – Glee Club 11th – Oxjam Night Out – Malt Cross 12th – Join the Industry – Pandora’s Box 13th – Dirty Mondays – The Forum 14th – Scissor Sisters – Trent FM Arena 15th – Fused – Cookie Club 16th - Parker – Dogma 17th – Mona – Bodega Social Club 18th – Wasp Sound System - Sideshow Alley Café
19th – Kate Rusby – Nottingham Playhouse 20th – Hush – Coco Tang 31st – Detonate NYE – More acts than you can shake a stick at! – Stealth Hed Kandi - Gatecrasher Romuluz Shwarz – Wherehouse 00:00 Onwards! DJ Newbz – Orange Tree
NTSU Entertainments
Featured City Events
Wed 1st Dec Campus Ocean, 10pm £3.50 advance
Thu 2nd Dec Quids In The Pulse, 8pm Free Entry Thu 2nd Dec Chic @ Gatecrasher Gatecrasher, 10pm £3 advance tickets available from The Pulse Friday 3rd Dec Trent Army NTSU, 9:30pm £4 advance (includes free Trent Army Dog Tag) Sat 4th Dec Climax NTSU, 9:30pm Free b4 10pm / £4 10-12 / £5 after 12 Mon 6th Dec Kinki Kristmas The Forum, 10:30pm £3 advance from Pulse / £4 on the door Tue 7th Dec Kiss Kiss @ Oceana Oceana, 10pm Exclusive £3 tickets from The Pulse Wed 8th Dec Campus @ Ocean Ocean , 10pm £3.50 advance from Reps and Pulse Thu 9th Dec Quids In – Live & Acoustic Christmas Special The Pulse, 8pm Free Entry Thu 9th Dec Chic @ Gatecrasher Gatecrasher, 10pm £3 advance tickets available from The Pulse
Fri 10th Dec LAST DAY OF TERM NTSU, 9:30pm £5 Wristbands available from The Pulse from 11am on Thurs 9th Dec
8th December Christmas Warm-up – Event Night
ber Clifton Events forDecem 3rd Dec Double Vision Trent Army ATTENTION RECRUITS!! Polish your boots and load your weapons, Double Vision brings you Trent Army where, with military style, you will be marching the night away... T.R.E.N.T. We are the Trent Army!!
Stay in the loop
10th Dec Last day of term Double Vision Xmas Party It’s Xmas and it’s the last day of term so let’s have a Double Vision Xmas party where fancy dress is mandatory! Plenty of giveaways and festive surprises for all... HO HO HO
ber Brack Events for Decem 2nd December / 9th December Chillout Thursday 3rd December Live Friday 4th December Quids in! 5th December Chillout Sunday 6th December The Big Quiz
10th December The House Party presents Ibiza Beach Party
Join now for exclusive info, event listings, ticket giveaways plus all the latest videos and photos! Facebook Fanpage: facebook.com/trentstudents Facebook City Group: Search for ‘The Official Nottingham Trent Freshers 2010’ Facebook Clifton Group: Search for ‘The Official Nottingham Trent Clifton Students’ Facebook Brackenhurst Group: Search for ‘The Official Nottingham Trent Brackenhurst Students’ Twitter: www.twitter.com/NTSUents @NTSUents Website: www.trentstudents.org/cityents www.trentstudents.org/cliftonents www.trentstudents.org/brackents
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Your Union. Your City. Your University. Your Big Idea. The Students’ Union is here to make your time at Trent the best it can be. To make sure we can do this, we need to know what you want changing. Whether you want something changing in the union, university or local community, letting us know what your Big Idea is could not be easier: 1. Go to www.trentstudents.org/bigideas 2. Fill in the form with your Big Idea 3. Keep checking your email and trentstudents.org for the latest on how your Big Idea is progressing. Remember: we can’t try and give you what you want unless you tell us you want it! www.trentstudents.org/bigideas