Spark 20130222 - Vol. 62, Issue 3 by The Spark

Friday 22.02.13 Volume 62

Poisonous mercury in St Pats

Photograph of St Patrick’s Hall from www.wikipedia.co.uk Catherine Russ

There was a sudden shock for the University of Reading’s St Patrick’s residents on Monday 11 February. A small amount of toxic Mercury was discovered by a member of staff in Pearson’s Court accommodation block’s communal bins, just metres from student’s rooms.

Fire crews and police rushed to the scene Fire crews and police rushed to the scene at 2.20pm, where they cordoned off the affected area and began investigation. The area remained prohibited to students for over an hour and a half while police and environmental health

experts analysed the Mercury and the surrounding scene.

Mercury can cause poisoning, which is extremely toxic Mercury and many of its compounds can directly cause Mercury poisoning and are extremely toxic. This can result in severe damage to the brain, kidneys, and lungs, and in some cases can cause sensory impairment. Small scale spills involving Mercury can be from thermometers or fluorescent light bulbs, but it is still unclear where the spill originated. It has been disclosed that 300ml of Mercury was

found, but there is no evidence to suggest that the mercury originated from within the University. Specific cleaning procedures must be used to avoid exposure and contain spills of Mercury, so a specialist cleaning unit quickly arrived from Southampton. This was in order to contain the toxic substance, and also prevent any lethal exposure to the surrounding students at the halls.

was going on, but then we all got emails explaining the situation.”

It offered no immediate risk to students

Ellie Mosely, who is a current resident at St Patrick’s Hall, told us about the experience: “When I got back from lectures I saw the police and the cordoned off area, so I was confused as to what

A spokesman for the university, Alex Brannen, confirmed the spillage was dealt with very well and said: “It offered no immediate risk to students and caused little inconvenience to students accessing their rooms in the student accommodation block.” The University of Reading has now launched a full investigation into the St Patrick’s Mercury chemical spillage, with the hopes of finding the soucre. This currently being carried out with the accommodation partner UPP.

cants with a rise of 12.3% whilst Engineering subjects gained 8.4%. Social Sciences, Arts and Languages all suffered decreases in this year’s submissions. Having recently opened four new halls in the university and with £400million spent on developing equipment and facilities, Reading appears to have increased in its appeal to prospective students. With seven applicants to every one available space next year at Reading, the competition for hopeful candidates to be accepted is extremely high. The University of Reading has been continually rated favourably in student satisfaction surveys. As reported by Spark* in

October, Reading University Students’ Union was ranked 6th in the country with a score of 82.1% in the National Student Survey. Furthermore, the University of Reading achieved the high score of 88% for its overall student satisfaction in regards to courses. Results such as these increase the University’s positive reputation. Although applicant figures are rising, there have been warnings that there is still a long way to go before Universities and the government can recuperate from the harm caused by tuition fee increases. However, with rising application numbers, along with the agreeable student satisfaction results Reading looks set on its way to recovery.

Specific cleaning procedures were used

Reading recieves a rise in applicants again Tessa Deakin

The number of undergraduates applying to the University of Reading has risen for a second successive year. Applicant figures for 2013/14 have increased by almost 5%, in comparison to the amount of submissions for the previous academic year. These figures come just two years after the Office for Fair Access gave permission for the University to increase tuition fees from £3,375 to £9,000. The government expected this increase to damage university applications nationally; however Reading has now defied these odds for two years in a row. 2012/13 saw application figures rise

10.4% on the preceding year whilst national applicant numbers fell. James Fletcher, RUSU President said: “It is very encouraging that the University of Reading’s application rate is higher than the sector average this year.” He adds: “Current students should be pleased with these results as it shows Reading is a high quality institution.” Nationally, university applications have risen for the first time since higher tuition fees became available to Universities. There has also been a national growth in forthcoming students hoping to study STEM subjects. Computer Science achieved the greatest increase in appli-

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Friday 22 February 20133

Spark* Friday 1 February 2013

news.spark@reading.ac.uk

News 3

New library app Royal commendation for meteorology department Zoe Crook

The University of Reading library has followed in the footsteps of many other libraries, and now has their own app. Entitled BookMyne, it allows you to explore the library catalogue and check your account.

Easier access will allow students to keep track of their items This gives easier access to checking what you have on loan, when books are due back and placing items on hold. The easier access will allow students to keep track of their items, preventing late charges. So far, the app is available on both the Apple and Android markets. There is no news in regard to whether it will reach the smaller Windows Marketplace yet. Despite this, it is ready to download on these other marketplaces now.

You only need to provide are your student number and password Although the app already caters to many libraries across the UK, you can set it to suit your preferable library. This will most likely be the university library, but you can also select other libraries, if you have a membership there.

The only information that you need to provide are your student number and password, as you would online, and then you will be ready to get started. As well as being able to search for authors, titles, and many other options that you would be able to online, the real benefit of the app is that you can receive notifications. These will inform you of holds, when a book is due back, and fines. One key element of the app is that you can search for books, CDs or DVDs through scanning their barcode. Using the camera of a tablet, phone, or another device, you can scan an item when not in the library, and see if the library stocks it or not. This new concept can only be done through the app.

It will inform you of holds, when a book is due back, and fines Other features of the app include recommending books to friends, keeping track of the latest best sellers, searching other library databases, and noting books for later reading. Correy Faccini, an English Language student said: “It is the perfect resource to help with my research”. Its settings can also be altered to change the language of the app, which could be beneficial to international or foreign language students. The languages available so far include French, Spanish, German and Arabic.

Reading scores highly in slug league Correy Faccini

You may have heard of universities being compared based on their girl to boy ratio or their pass rate, but the people at studentbeans. com have decided to draw up a slug league table and we can clarify that nearly forty per cent of you will have slugs in your student homes.

40% of Reading students have slugs in their homes There are inevitabilities surrounding living in student homes, you will argue, you will have food go missing, you will regret getting a house with only one shower. Now it’s apparent that nearly half of you will have encountered the slugs at some point. Not only is it the style of student living which attracts the slugs it is also been scientifically proven that slugs like beer, which makes it more interesting that Queens University Belfast came first in the slug league table and the drinking league table. The

study asked 3,983 UK university students from 89 different universities between the 9 November and the 11 December whether they had ever had an issue with slugs in their student houses and 39.5% of students at Reading said yes. Students from nine of the universities claimed that they had never had a slug problem at all. This makes Reading the 6th most likely university where students can encounter slugs. This may not necessarily be a claim to fame for the university however at least Reading can say that it is higher than both Oxford and Cambridge in one league table.

The 6th highest uni for slugs in student houses Other league tables by the website claimed that students at The University of Reading have on average 3.81 sexual partners whilst being at university ranking them 33 in the university sex league and furthermore the average University of Reading student kisses 2.97 people per term.

Correy Faccini

The University of Reading’s Meteorology Department has become one of only twelve universities to be awarded the prestigious Regius professorship by Her Majesty The Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee. This is an award which has only been given out twice in the last century.

It was awarded by Her Majesty The Queen to mark her Jubilee The department, founded in 1965, has since become world renowned in the field for various factors including the discovery of the ‘sting jet’ which causes the harshest of the winds in one third of the North Atlantic’s worst storms including the Great Storm of 1987. Vice Chancellor Sir David Bell said: “This is a very important honour for the university and reflects our status as one of the top 1% universities in the world. The Department of Meteorology conducts outstanding work and I would like to congratulate everyone who has contributed to its success.” This is not the first time that the university’s Department of Meteorology has been commended by Her Majesty The Queen, in 2006 the department was recognised and awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

Photograph of Her Majesty The Queen from telegraph.co.uk David Willets, Minister for Universities and Science stated: “I was incredibly impressed by the quality and range of the applications received and am delighted that twelve new Regius Professorships are to be created.

An exceptionally high level of achievement in teaching and research Together the successful applications demonstrated an exceptionally high level of achievement in both teaching and research. It is a testament to the quality and

strength of our higher education sector that so many universities were considered worthy of such a distinguished honour.” Professor Ellie Highwood, the Head of the Department of Meteorology said: “We are delighted to receive this Regius Professorship in Meteorology and Climate Science in recognition of our excellence in research focussing on the fundamental science of weather and climate. We are approaching the 50th anniversary of the founding of our department and it is hard to imagine a greater honour than that which we have received today.” This award brings more recognition for the department.

Urban fox numbers rising Catherine Russ

A four-week-old baby boy is “recovering well” after being attacked by a fox in his south-east London home, according to hospital staff. Denny Dolan was treated for hand and facial injuries after the attack on 6 February in Downham. Police have said their inquiries into the incident are continuing.

“This sort of attack, though terrible, is rare” This attack has lead London Mayor Boris Johnson to call for more to be done about urban foxes. Mr Johnson said: “This sort of attack, though terrible, is rare, but we must do more to tackle the growing problem of urban foxes.” An RSPCA spokeswoman said it was extremely unusual for foxes to attack people, and that the animal would only do so if it was afraid. Although such cases are indeed rare, it is not the first time a fox has attacked a child in a city. Mr Johnson has previously urged councils to take action over foxes following an attack in 2010 in

which two baby sisters were reportedly mauled while sleeping at their home in Hackney, east London. The same year, a threeyear-old boy was bitten on the arm after disturbing a fox hiding beneath a temporary building while at a party in Brighton, East Sussex. After the latest incident, Mr Johnson said urban foxes were a “growing problem”, and the attack “must serve as a wake up call to London’s borough leaders, who are responsible for pest control”. However, there is evidence to suggest that urban fox numbers aren’t actually rising. The University of Bristol’s Mammal Research Unit says that contrary to what some people might expect, little has changed since the last national census in the 1980s, which found about 33,000 urban foxes across Britain. That compares with about 225,000 adult rural foxes.

Mr Johnson said urban foxes were a “growing problem” Dr Phil Baker, an expert on urban foxes at the University of Reading,

agrees with the analysis. “There are currently no data to suggest that the numbers of foxes in areas where they have been present for decades have increased significantly at a national level,” he says.

About 10,000 foxes are thought to be living in the London area In fact according to Baker, the only major change that has occurred in urban fox populations over the past 30 years has been down to an outbreak of sarcoptic mange, a common disease of mammals, which severely reduced fox numbers in some cities. After an outbreak in Bristol in 1994, numbers declined by over 96% in just two years, he says Richard Moseley, a technical manager at the British Pest Control Association, has said that the association has seen an increasing number of calls regarding urban foxes over last few years. These have been from London in particular, where approximately 10,000 foxes are thought to live, but he agrees that it is hard to know whether these numbers are rising.

4 INTERVIEW interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

interview

RUSU President Nominees talk...

Mark Kelleher

Jack Thompson

Why are you running for this position?

I care passionately about the experience students have during their time here at the University of Reading. It has troubled me that over the last few years, RUSU funds have been unnecessarily spent on promoting nationwide campaigns, while attempts to resolve many issues here on campus have been neglected. I can promise you that as RUSU president I will ensure that your voice is heard on issues that affect YOU, including: library access and facilities, JCR funding, and proposed changes to the length of university vacations!

I’ve been involved with RUSU ever since starting here at Reading – as a leading member of a society, by engaging with Union staff through Student Voice, or just going to 360 on a Wednesday night. RUSU has been integral to my experience here, so to give back I want to represent my fellow students, and try and make their time here just as enjoyable as mine. I think the best way to do this is head up RUSU, and endeavour to give as many people a voice as possible.

What is the biggest issue you believe that students have to deal with in 2013?

The entire country is going through some changes at the moment, and our students will be affected in one way or another. Graduate unemployment is high currently, which is obviously going to be on student’s minds, particularly finalists. Students need people fighting in their corner, working with organisations like the NUS to encourage fair deals for students and graduates.

The biggest issue affecting our students this year is ensuring they get value for money. Tuition fees have gone up to £9,000 per year, the maximum possible amount. I will work to ensure that the university provides students with the facilities that match this fee increase. Whether it be working to have 24 hour library access or more trivial issues, like bringing an end to unisex loos, I will ensure the voices of students are heard loud and clear. If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?

I’d love to have dinner with Bill Gates, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Using fame and fortune to help others by funding education projects and supporting the terminally ill is truly inspirational.

What is the biggest issue that you believe students have to deal with in 2013?

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?

As many friends will know, I’m a huge follower of American politics, so I think it would have to be Hillary Clinton. She’s had such an interesting and varied life as a Lawyer, First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, and has remained grounded throughout. She’d be fascinating to chat to.

Vote for your winning candidate via

Emil Jonasson

David Callaghan

Why are you running for this position?

Large changes are looming for students at the University of Reading: planned restructuring of the Academic year 2014/15 will require careful re-organisation of teaching by all departments to ensure continued academic quality and student welfare. Furthermore, re-organisation of JCR fees and budgets needs careful handling to ensure JCRs stay independent and dynamic while still being accountable. Also, facilities at both London Road (study spaces, eating facilities) and Whiteknights Campus (paths flooded in rain etc.) need improvement. With 4 years of experience on society committees and active participation in student democracy at Student Voice meetings, I feel I have the experience necessary to achieve this.

I am running because I know how good I would be at this job. I have an extensive and wide range of experiences of similar roles to President of RUSU and would be able to bring all this experience with me. Through these previous roles I have worked with many different people from many different backgrounds and feel I have worked effectively and efficiently with them. I want to bring student engagement and voice back to the centre of RUSU and ensure your voice is heard at all levels of the university.

What is the biggest issue that you believe students have to deal with in 2013?

Whether or not to become student in the first place. The introduction of the £9000 fees has made it more important than ever to be sure that going to University is the right thing for you.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?

I would have dinner with Peter Diamandis. He pretty much single-handedly kick-started the private space sector by launching the $10 million Ansari X-PRIZE which led to the first private space flight in 2004. Just last year he co-founded the world’s first asteroid mining company. He’s an amazing entrepreneur who shares my belief that the only limit is our imagination.

What is the biggest issue that you believe students have to deal with in 2013?

I believe that the biggest issue that university students face is two fold. Firstly, whilst at university, students need to be provided with first class services and access to them in order to aid them with there university degree. They need to be ensuring that they are getting value for money, particularly those students paying £9k+ fees, and knowing where their money goes. Secondly, they need to be prepared for post university life and the challenges they are going to face in an ever saturated job market.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?

Steve Jobs. Such an inspirational figure who was always thinking outside the box and ahead in leading Apples development.

RUSU.CO.UK/ELECTIONS

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 5

interview

RUSU Education Officer Nominees talk...

Adam Hartley

Badal Naik

Emma Jackson

Sukwinder Singh

Chris Wysling

Jo Coulton

Why are you running for this position? I’m running because the University ‘careers’ are awful. As a 3rd Year applying for graduate jobs (and as a 2nd year getting a placement/summer internship) I personally believe the University and RUSU do not do enough to help students climb the ladder into employment. Check out www.facebook.com/VoteAdamH for more info.

Why are you running for this position?

Education has brought us all to study at University; and is central to what we do. I LOVE Reading University, and want to give back in a way I feel can make a positive change, whilst doing something I am genuinely interested in. It’s paramount that concerns over learning and resources are addressed. As a third year, with experience of committees, I feel I equipped to get you what you need.

Why are you running for this position? I believe education gets stronger over time and there are always things we can do better, to become more productive, and in a top 1% University with high-cost student fees, this should be reflected in the standard of academic activities.

Why are you running for this position?

To provide immediate change and leave a lasting legacy, with an education system that WILL be nothing short of excellence.

Why are you running for this position? As a course rep and then faculty rep, I represented the student community at various platforms which made me well versed with the university’s academic system and RUSU’s work culture.

If you could change something about your education what would it be? I would change the careers aspect of my degree. It just isn’t good enough that we have a ‘careers module’ as part of our degree. What we need is ‘careers’ built into our modules that are partnered with REAL BUSINESSES to give industry skills and knowledge. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? I see myself as a Systems Engineer at Cisco, IBM or Intel. However, over my University life I have built up my business contacts and that should lead to success one way or another.

If you could change something about your education what would it be?

Recognition of students as the focus and priority of the education body; students need to be at the fore of all university decisions. The University and Union must both do lots more to achieve this. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Owner of an education start-up enabling every child around the world maximise and fulfil their potential.

If you could change something about your education what would it be?

I’d rather not change it, but do it all over again! I would have liked the Library opening hours extended, more contact time with lecturers and more resources available when I really needed it. Late night coffee has definitely been required for the 24 hour computer room on a few occasions. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Eventually I want to have an input in the way the KS2 and KS3 curriculum is set, so hopefully in five years I’ll be working for an Examination Board. If that doesn’t materialise, I’ll be working my way towards it, as a teacher- so it’s Miss Jackson to you!

Vote for your FUTURE OFFICER via

If you could change something about your education, what would it be? Nothing, I am happy what I have done, and currently doing, in terms of my education. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? I shall be working with an international research institution such as World Bank/ FAO as an agricultural economist in the area of ‘how farming could be sustained in the developing world’.

As a course rep, I have been a voice for students to lobby for what we expect and to give our opinion. I believe there should be a set standard of teaching and learning across the University faculties so students can expect the best. If you could change one thing about your education what would it be? Library resources. When the difference between a 2:1 and something less is merely upon whether the book you needed was on the shelf, then there is something wrong with the link between students and library liaison officers. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? Travelling. One of my dreams is to travel before I settle down into a permanent job of, ideally, a corporate solicitor in London. There is so much of the world to see. I think it would be a shame to miss out on so much beauty.

I am dedicated to ensuring that students education is the best. I am a Faculty Rep for the largest faculty, I’ve gained an insight into the real problems that students face in their education and I would love to make a positive difference. I know how to make change in this University and have built the contacts to do so, meaning that I am in the best position to make change happen fast. My ideas are innovative, and whilst ambitious, are achievable. If you could change something about your education what would it be?

There isn’t just one change. Education should use the best resources available, so I would change it to make it more up-to-date and make full use of the innovative technology and new ideas that are continually appearing e.g. an online library for e-readers. I would also make reading lists more readily available and ensure easy access to marking criteria, as well as improving 24hr study provisions. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I like to challenge and stretch myself, so I’ll hopefully be creating the foundations of my own company.

RUSU.CO.UK/ELECTIONS

6 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013

Spark*

interview

COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT Officers - page 1 of 2

Luke chapman

PETER SMITH

Why are you running for this position?

How would you aim to increase student volunteering?

Why are you running for this position? I believe that making a difference to others is one of the most rewarding experiences in life: helping people achieve this while having a positive effect on others and enhancing their employability is something that it would be a privilege to be a part of. As Robert Baden-Powell said in 1940, “the most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.” Encouraging volunteering, both in the university and wider community, can achieve this and boost personal employability.

The main barrier to volunteering is communication and incentive. I would make it easier for students to start volunteering projects of their own accord. I would make information about opportunities to volunteer more readily available to the student body where possible, to attract people who may not have thought about volunteering. I would incentivize volunteering by showing the advantage it gives you over other applicants during job interviews.

How would you aim to increase student volunteering? Part of being able to increase student volunteering is by emphasising the importance it carries with a person’s employability, in addition to the rewarding experience. By creating initiatives that would introduce an even greater number of people to more organisations and groups that rely on the work of volunteers and highlight their work, I’d try to project the students’ assets into the niches available.

How would you work with the wider community?

How would you work with the wider community? There are some fantastic relationships that have already been built by various groups, for instance with the care homes, and this is something to expand upon. I would try and do this by having regular meetings with community groups and seeking ways in which our students can be projected to make greater positive impact.

University should not just be a centre for education, but also a centre for on-going opportunities to expand your skills beyond academic achievement and to leave your mark on your university. I am running for this position because I believe I can actualise these goals and make a noticeable difference to the attitudes of students towards volunteering and their view of the wider community. I want to represent the students and give them a voice.

I would make it a priority to have more Community Open events so that members of the wider community are more present on campus to increase familiarity between students and the community. I would set up more regular meetings with leading community members to discuss any issues and try to find solutions for all problems.

kATY aSHFORD

Why are you running for the position?

I love being at Reading University and cannot think of anything better than being part of the team that makes RU such a great place. I want to raise RU’s profile in the community through volunteering and introduce targeted industry workshops designed to increase RU students’ employability. How would you aim to increase student volunteering?

I think it is essential to raise the profile of RAG. This year’s team have done a fantastic job raising a massive £80,000. But let’s not just sit back on that success. As the 6th biggest union in the country, we need to raise RAG’s profile. Massive events like ‘jail break’ are exciting and raise a lot of money for charity. I want to make next year’s RAG week the biggest yet, involving all of RU’s clubs and societies. How would you work with the wider community?

I’d like to see RU students getting really involved with the community. By running workshops in schools, we can inspire children to get involved in sports or arts, while providing RU clubs with access to fields or facilities for training and matches. Schemes like this are a great way to show the community RU students are pro-active, not just drunken louts who throw up in their gardens after union!

LAURA KANE

Why are you running for this position? I want to make a positive difference in RUSU. As VP of Community & Development, I would put the great ideas I have into action which include improving volunteering and employment opportunities in RUSU. As Environment & Ethics Part-Time Officer and founding President of the Fairtrade Society, I have the knowledge, passion and experience needed for this role. How would you aim to increase student volunteering? I would increase the number of incentives to volunteer. I would do this by working with the University in developing the RED Award plus, which would be worth more than the RED Award. I would have regular volunteering fayres, working with local organisations to bring unique volunteering opportunities to students. I would like to liaise with departments to bring course specific volunteering opportunities to students. This would enable students to develop their employability skills. How would you work with the wider community? I want to show Reading all the amazing things that students do! We organise campaigns that make a difference, professional performances and unique events. I plan to have a demonstration in Reading to show how students contribute to the community. I also want to increase advertising within the community, through social media and a newsletter to encourage the community to come to student run events.

Spark*

Friday 22 February 2013

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 7

interview

COMMUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT Officers - page 2 of 2

TASH DOYLE

ANNA TOBENHOUSE

Why are you running for this position?

Real life can jump out at you, one minute you’re enjoying uni, the next its all

Life at university can sometimes feel like a bubble. Cut off, self-contained. Some-

jobs and seriousness. I want to help make sure that students are ready, expe-

times it can be difficult to remember that there’s a world outside university, but

rienced, educated and employable and have all the chances and opportunities

there is: and it’s one we have to connect with.

available to them.

We are part of a larger community, both on a local scale and further afield, and I

How would you aim to increase student volunteering?

have chosen to run for this position because I think that that connection is hugely

I want to make students more aware of the opportunities available to them,

important and I want to help students engage with that community, and ensure

within uni and externally. And make them aware how much it will help

that they are prepared for life in it.

their employability. Some creative promoting to engage them would help to increase numbers.

How would you aim to increase student volunteering?

Firstly, I would try to ensure a variety of volunteering opportunities, both with

How would you work with the wider community?

regard to time and activity, so that all students who wished to would be able to

I want to make sure that Reading students are represented well and that

participate, I would also liase with societies about collaborating on specific upcom-

relations with the local authorities and community are good. Understanding

ing events, so as to encourage a greater level of engagement.

what one wants and expects from the other is a major factor in this success How would you work with the wider community?

and working together to achieve it.

Both RUSU and the wider community have a great deal that we can offer one another. I want to increase communication between RUSU and local residents’ societies, along with trying to encourage greater student involvement in community events. I would also look into possibly having events involving both students and local residents, so as to help establish closer ties.

Vote: community & development officer from our six nominees

via

rusu.co.uk/elections

8 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013

Spark*

interview

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Officers - page 1 of 2

Tim Rouse

Alex Butler

Why are you running for this position?

RUSU has always been an important part of my time as a student, but some students don’t get everything they could from our union. I believe I have the skills and experience to make sure that sports and societies get the support they need, that students have access to the services RUSU provides, and that RUSU remains a democratic, student-led organisation, committed to protecting student rights and welfare.

Having already been involved as a Student Trustee, I’ve seen how RUSU works and seen a lot of positive change. I know I can help the union develop further over the next year and most importantly I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. With the majority of students paying £9k fees, it’s more important than ever that student officers are engaging students on what matters. I know I can carry on my involvement with RUSU and really affect change.

What do you think is the best way of communicating with students?

Different students engage with the union in different ways. Some people are on campus all day; some people are never at Whiteknights. Email, the website, and social media like Facebook are probably the best ways of reaching students, but we need to make sure that the union uses a broad range of ways to communicate so that it reaches all of its members, and that students can always communicate with the union however they choose.

What do you think is the best way of communicating with students? What part of this job are you most excited for?

ABOVE: Tim Rouse

What part of this job are you most excited for?

I’m keen to make RUSU more democratic and transparent, so that students can have absolute confidence that RUSU is looking after our interests. I’m looking forward to being able to pay back the support RUSU has given me during my time as a committee member for multiple societies, by supporting sports teams and societies in their activities.

It’s about approaching existing networks of students on issues that really matter to their Uni experiences. I don’t believe people ‘don’t’ care’ about getting involved with RUSU. It’s a matter of engaging people on the right level. I think through a new online forum and through sport teams, societies or even the prospect of making changes to Summer Ball, people should be able to voice their opinions and affect change with ease. What part of this job are you most excited for?

Darryl ‘Daz’ Dilley

I literally couldn’t say! I just want as many students as possible to engage with issues that really affect them on campus. I know from first hand experience how much change students can have at university if they KNOW how to engage in the right way!

Why are you running for this position?

For me, it’s all about giving back. My involvement in committees for the Canoe Club and Fairtrade Society have given me the confidence, the skills and the experience which will make me stand out in the competitive graduate job market when I graduate. I feel these qualities will also aid me in providing the best opportunities for current and incoming students in getting the most out of what Reading has to offer.

Nothing beats talking with a group of students and discussing issues and developments as a group. University is a unique environment which brings a real diversity of people together. Students from different backgrounds bounce off each other each bringing new and novel ideas of how to move things forward. What part of this job are you most excited for?

I cannot wait to feel the electric atmosphere generated by Fresher’s Fayre. There’s something about the curiosity of the freshers and the enthusiasm of those showing off their societies which just goes together to make a memorable day, year after year.

Ellis Wiggins

Why are you running for this position?

I feel that my policies are best for the students of Reading. Being a co-founder of the Library 24 Campaign I’m passionate about providing good student services. I believe skills that I have, such as empathy and being a good communicator, and creativity are important qualities in a Student Engagement Officer. As deputy editor of Spark*, I’ve seen how student media works and how important it is for RUSU and for students. Student media needs more independence, something I would work towards securing. What do you think is the best way of communicating with students?

What do you think is the best way of communicating with students?

ABOVE: Darryl ‘Daz’ Dilley

ABOVE: Alex Butler

Above: Ellis Wiggins

Many students don’t have an active interest in RUSU, and for this majority it’s important that Student Officers are visible in the places where students gather. It’s also important that methods of communication are as varied as possible, not just relying on email. The best way would be social media, because it is free and most, if not all students use it. However, I would keep all channels of communication open, and not neglect face-to-face meetings – I would set up an electronic timetable to make available my office hours. What part of this job are you most excited for?

Ensuring that every university society has the same basic level of funding. Some societies really struggle with no money, and this is a way to make a difference.

Spark*

Friday 22 February 2013

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 9

interview

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Officers - page 2 of 2

ABOVE: Josh cave

ABOVE: emmeline walls

ABOVE: GAEL GOBAILLE-SHAW Gael Gobaille Shaw

Emmeline Walls

Josh Cave

Why are you running for this position?

I’ve always been passionate about the overall student

After spending two years helping to promote and develop

Participating in discussion is a large part of my personality. I care for issues that affect people regardless of whether I’m directly involved. I have enjoyed my time

experience, i.e. all that the university can offer you beyond

at Reading but I have been aware of issues surrounding

your degree. Having the opportunity to encourage more

democracy and representation, I experienced some of

students to make the most of their time at Reading, which

this as a course rep for Mchem students. I have both the

is something I try to do anyway, would be really great.

insight and motivation to make significant improvements to

one of the university’s smaller sports clubs, and this year doubling its members, I feel that I have the experience and enthusiasm that will prove essential to success in this position. I intend to listen to what is most needed by our societies

What do you think is the best ways of communicating with

and clubs and work hard to raise the profile of each and

representation.

students?

every one. Our activities base is already great but I want

What do you think is the best ways of communicating with

I think that social media is a helpful tool for communicat-

to get more people involved in the diverse range of extra-

students?

ing with students and RUSU could make better use of it,

curricular activities that Reading University offers.

A multi-medium approach is needed that is as visible and

but the best way to communicate with students is to speak

What do you think is the best ways of communicating with

accessible as possible. For example, this will be achieved

with them face to face. With so many students it would

students?

never be possible to speak to everyone individually but

Social media and the networking it provides is a very easy,

where possible, personally engaging with students should

accessible and popular way of communicating within stu-

student engagement and facilitate more effective ways of

through enhanced online engagement for democracy, online forums where students, sports teams and societies can discuss ideas and concerns, improve the use of social media, Spark and Junction 11, publicise exactly what the

be done; it leaves much more of an impression than a tweet

students officers do for you and give regular updates from

or Facebook post.

officers on the successes and struggles of the SU.

dent groups, so this will certainly play an important role. Nevertheless I feel that maintaining good interpersonal skills with students is significant in continuing a good rela-

What part of this job are you most excited for?

tionship between RUSU and its student base.

I’m most excited about boosting the membership numbers

What part of this job are you most excited for?

and students’ awareness of our many excellent sports clubs

The prospect of tackling new challenges and responsibili-

and societies. It’s always wonderful when different clubs

ties, as well as interacting with a wide range of people on a

their social and societal circles. Thereby creating a more

and societies unite, be it for performances or trips or any-

daily basis, are the two aspects that I am looking forward

progressive and representative RUSU.

thing else. I’d like to encourage a lot more of this next year.

to the most.

What part of this job are you most excited for?

Improving the ways students can engage with the union, to ensure every student recognizes their power to spark change and find others who share their ideas outside of

Vote: your next student engagement officer from our seven nominees

via

rusu.co.uk/elections

10 INTERVIEW interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

interview

Your potential RUSU Welfare Officer:

Aleks Taskovic

Sophie davies

Fay Wright

Ben Thomas

Why are you running for this position? I have actively taken part of the University of Reading since second year, being a member of a JCR, and course rep. As an international student I had to view this University as my second home, and found it important to be a participant rather than simply a spectator. The role of the Welfare Officer feels like a natural next step. I see this as an excellent opportunity to further my skills, but also to give back to this University by striving to build and develop it, from the inside out.

Why are you running for this position? I’m currently RUSU’s Vice-President Welfare & Representation and am loving every minute of it! I’m passionate about welfare and want to keep it a priority because I believe that university life is more than just a degree; students should feel safe and happy in all elements of their student experience.

Why are you running for this position? I’ve loved my three years at Reading and am wholly passionate and committed in wanting to make a valuable contribution to other students having the same brilliant time here! I play for both Mixed Hockey and Squash teams so I have interacted with many different groups of people and therefore understand the concerns of many students and how RUSU could help them. University can be overwhelming, so I want to push the support and facilities that we can access and help students overcome any welfare problems to excel academically.

Why are you running for the position? I would not still be at university without the support for my welfare that I have received. I feel that I would very much like to give something back – to safeguard and improve the welfare services provided to you at the University, and to improve awareness of and access to these services. I have a mind for driving campaigns and dealing with wideranging issues, and a heart for working with people; this is the kind of work that enthuses me.

How will you really benefit students’ time at University? I am an extremely hard- working, devoted and organized individual. I take my work very seriously, and I know that I would put 110% of my time and effort into all the Welfare campaigns I would work on, as well as other responsibilities that fall under the Welfare Officer’s role. What is the best welfare campaign that you have seen? The NUS ‘Open Your Mind’ campaign is one of the best campaigns. It is a mental health campaign, run by students for students, and attempts to raise awareness and decrease the usual stigma associated with issues so many students have to tackle with on a daily basis, while also providing free accredited training.

How will you really benefit students’ time at university? I already have the experience and understanding to succeed in this role. I’m really proud of my achievements so far particularly ‘One World Week’, the ‘Pay-Later-Taxi Scheme’ and beating the Chlamydia Screening World Record and have plenty more ideas for visual and interactive campaigns. My experience both in RUSU and on a JCR mean that I’m the right person to implement the JCR restructure, ensuring JCRs are accountable, transparent, effective and supported. I also plan to promote better student housing by encouraging feedback through an online ‘rate your landlord’ system. What is the best welfare campaign that you have seen? I love the campaign ‘Making time for your mind’ which gets people thinking about what makes them happy and sharing their ‘5 a-day for mental health.’ It encourages people to consider their mind and take mental health as seriously as physical health. If re-elected I would run a similar campaign including lobbying the university to improve staff mental health training.

How will you really benefit students’ time at University? How will you really benefit students’ time at You, and every other student, have a right University? to the highest quality of support throughAcademic success and well-being are esout your university life, regardless of how sentially linked; I want to raise awareness convenient, popular, or profitable it is for of welfare support such as Peer Support, the university. I would bring a dedication to counselling, the part-time officers and creequality, freedom, and representation for ate a ‘well-being’ week to promote physical, every student, regardless of ethnicity, sex, mental and sexual health issues in a fun and gender, sexuality, religion, age, politics, abilaccessible way. Maintain pressure on safety ity, or nationality. I can help your university services; security, lighting, late safety bus. lead the way towards greater equality and Increase housing help early in spring term representation. with ‘Landlord Awards’ based on an online What is the best welfare campaign you have survey by current residents. seen? What is the best welfare campaign that you Reading University’s own SRSH (Studenthave seen? Run Self Help) group for students with Newcastle University’s eye-catchingly titled eating disorders has caught my attention as S.H.A.G week (sexual health, awareness and being a fantastic campaign. They’ve built it guidance)! Addressing many issues in a fun, up from nothing over the past year or two informative way, removing the stigmas atand I’ve been very impressed with their tached to sexual health, all aboard a fabudedication and commitment. They deserve lous bus promoting the week! all the support RUSU can give.

Vote for your next Welfare officer

via

rusu.co.uk/elections

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

marketing@rusu.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT 11

12 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013

Spark*

interview

STUDENT trustee - page 1 of 2

ABOVE: Oliver balmford

Above: nakita palak

ABOVE: sam winslet

ABOVE: emily kerr

Oliver Balmford

Nakita Palak

sam winslet

emily kerr

What experience do you hold that would make you suitable for this role?

What experience do you hold that would

I have the necessary qualities to be your student trustee. I worked for a local disabled children’s charity so I know the hard work that goes into charitable organisations. I have been treasurer for two different societies, Travel and Fairtrade. Here I have gained financial understanding which will be essential when approving RUSU finances. For the past 2 years, I have been a course rep for MChem Chemistry students, providing insight into what issues students value the most. A regular at student voice and being part of some great changes in RUSU, such as the introduction of Fairsquared products into campus central, makes me excited to get more involved.

As president of Childs Hall JCR I have already played an active role within the university. This position has enabled me to interact with a range of students and to build links within RUSU. From my role in the JCR I have experience in chairing meetings and further delegating duties within the committee. I regularly attend Student Voice and Student Officer Scrutiny and through this I have learnt a great deal about the campaigns and role of RUSU. For example I participated within democracy in RUSU through the ‘Fair Deal for Bulmershe’ campaign, whereby I attended meetings and spoke on behalf of all the residents at Bulmershe.

I was elected president of Windsor Halls

What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

Rather than simply having experience in one area I have expertise across a broad range of RUSU led activities. I currently sit on the committee’s of two sports clubs, have formed a course based society in my first year, work as an editor for the Spark newspaper and regularly do photography for the University. These commitments have meant that I have experienced first-hand the frustrations students, clubs and societies come up against and I am determined to work to change these. I believe I can provide the knowledge in key areas that means I can change RUSU for the better of the students involved in it and make sure RUSU carries on along that path for future years. What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

important.

I feel the most important thing for RUSU to focus on at the moment is student safety. With heavy workloads, tight deadlines and Sports/Society commitments the last thing we need is to be worrying about our personal safety and our property. With the reduced safety bus times, insufficient lighting on campus and the risk of laptop and bicycle theft very much present, there is so much that could still be done to improve safety at Reading. Hopefully I will see these changes in my time at Reading.

I believe RUSU should ensure students receive the best experience while at university and should do this through increasing student engagement. Communication and collaboration with students is vital and I feel students should be more involved in the running of the students union. I believe the best forum for communication is democracy meetings such as Student Voice and Student Officer Scrutiny. Therefore I believe RUSU should focus on increasing attendance at these meetings.

How RUSU can benefit students both in the long and short terms, by backing student run campaigns and regaining the sway it has with the senior levels of the University. My aim is to make sure that students are getting value for money during their 3 or more years of investing in their time at Reading, whether that be an investment for your future, an emotional investment, a sporting commitment or without doubt a monetary investment.

make you suitable for this role?

JCR for my second year which has provided me with great experience of team work, chairing meetings and dealing with difficult decisions. I feel this is the perfect opportunity to further enhance my skills. What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

I think making everything more public to students. For example, in my first year I wasn’t very involved in the Union as I didn’t know much about it and I think making students more aware of what is going on and really involve each and every one is

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 13

interview STUDENT trustee - page 2 of 2

ABOVE: nathan hill

ABOVE: Petronella Murape

ABOVE: adnan khaliQ

NATHAN HILL

Petronella Murape

adnan KHALIQ

What experience do you hold that would make you suitable

What experience do you hold that would make you suitable for this role?

for this role?

I come from an economics background, so a trustee position naturally suits me. Whether it be managing funds or analysing the benefit of projects for the public. I was previously deputy head boy of my Sixth Form and have experience in planning and managing the direction of a number of projects. In addition to this I am currently an Economics course rep, which has given me experience in attending board meetings and student representation. What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

Given the recent rise in tuition fees, I feel that RUSU should be focussing on what it provides to students. It needs to convince students that it provides a positive experience which warrants them attending the university.

for this role?

•

Over a year as a Healthcare Advisor in a major

beauty & retail business. •

AS level business studies.

•

Faculty of Life Sciences Rep!

What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

They should focus on ensuring RUSU is well run and delivers charitable outcomes for the benefit of the students. This can be achieved by ensuring RUSU complies with charity laws and does not breach any of the requirements.

I am an elected member of the UK Youth Parliament. This involves representing a wide range of people locally, regionally and nationally. I have also been elected a Course Representative; my duties include attending meetings with the Law School’s management as well as making regular public announcements to my fellow law students. Both these roles have provided me with the necessary experience to fulfil the role of Student Trustee (if elected!) What is the most important thing that you think RUSU should be focusing on?

It’s important to get back to basics, and allow us to have a greater say in the direction that RUSU takes when deciding on issues that affect us. Addressing the gap between RUSU and the students should be the primary aim so that we are effectively represented at management level. RUSU should be more active in its advertisement of its activities (and successes) which will then allow students to engage far more with their representatives. We can also allow students to have a greater say over where money is spent. These practical changes should allow RUSU to represent students far more effectively.

Vote for your next STUDENT TRUSTEE from THE seven nominees

via

rusu.co.uk/elections

14 INTERVIEW

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013

Spark*

interview

RUSU Part-Time Officer Nominees talk...

Environment and Ethics Part-Time Officer

Disabled Students’ PartTime Officer

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Part-Time Officer

Bethany Morton

Eleanor Brady

Cindy Ikie

Divya Beeharry

Rikhil Morjaria

How do you think you could represent your selected group better?

{NO TEXT PROVIDED}

I’ve always been interested in environmental and ethical issues and have been an active campaigner for national charities such as CAAT and Orfund as well as for sustainable development in my local home area. As a member of Berkshire Greenpeace, People and Planet and the Women’s Campaign I am already engaging with issues on campus and in the wider area but would love the opportunity to develop this further and really make a difference to how we deal with these issues on campus. I’m enthusiastic and motivated and really hope to make some interesting changes that can benefit students across the board.

I want to bring ‘hidden’ disabilities & mental illness into the forefront. I think students aren’t aware that mental illness counts as a disability and that they can get support from the DAS. I want to make sure that students are getting the support they need and, if they are not, they are not afraid to speak out.

To represent a group of people effectively, one must take the time to listen to their voices. Therefore I would ensure that everyone has a method of communicating their thoughts and ideas to me with ease in a number of ways. I would utilise online methods such as social groups, email and hold regular focus groups. What is more, I will explain to students what having a BAME Officer means to their experience of Higher Education. I intend to think outside of the box, “digging deep” to find the smallest issues as well as the big ones. Hence creating a focus on every detail, which I hope will maximise the effectiveness of the representation of BAME students.

I aim to represent my selected group better by seeking out their needs and interests within the university, and using my skills and ambition for representing these matters by raising awareness of them and trying to enhance them further for the better. I want to represent these people with an approachable and open-mind – so that I am one body representing the minds and bodies of a whole community of people, making their wellbeing a part of me and me a part of their interests.

How will you make your campaign stand out? I invite anyone who’s interested to a student activism weekend from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th of February. I will not be pestering people for votes here but it’s just to provide an insight to environmental and human rights student campaigning in a friendly and relaxed environment. I hope this will encourage students who are interested, but just haven’t found an outlet, to engage in a direct way with a national student led organisation for environmental and ethical issues. Look up People and Planet student activism weekend online for more information.

How will you make your campaign stand out? I believe honesty is the best policy. I want to keep my election manifesto and aims realistic and achievable. I don’t want them to patronise people, I want to be available for them to ask me anything at any time. I also want to try and make my campaign accessible to disabled students such as deaf & blind student who need measures to be taken for access to information.

How will you make your campaign stand out? My slogan is “The Magnitude of the Minority”; I hope to highlight to BAME students how important their opinions are to the University. It expresses the large impact that a small group of individuals can make. My campaign will emphasise the positivity of being a BAME student in the University, reaching out to even those that may not define themselves as an ethnic minority by inviting all to celebrate the fact that all groups are encouraged to give their viewpoint.

How will you make your campaign stand out? In my campaign I hope to firstly address those who belong to the groups I want to represent. I hope to show these people a little more of my friendly, outgoing and openminded character and make them aware of my intentions for their representation – I aim to do this in a fun and interesting way which I hope will stand out to them

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

interview.spark@reading.ac.uk

INTERVIEW 15

interview

RUSU Part-Time Officer Nominees talk...

Women’s Part-Time Officer

LGBT Part-Time Officer

Postgraduate Student’s Part-Time Officer

International Student’s Part-Time Officer

Mature Students’ PartTime Officer

Antonia Sales

Ben Rider

Danish Muhammad

Orhan Arsal

Una Markham

How do you think you could represent your selected group better?

I believe I will represent women well as I am on the Women’s Campaign Society and I have seen issues that affect women at this Uni and how we can work together to improve these. I have noticed that a lot of women at University do not recognize that we are still a minority and also view feminism as a negative word. I feel strongly about the campaign that ‘Feminism is not a negative word’ and that Women should still be striving for a more equal, safer university and work place. I believe that as a positive and approachable person I can encourage the Women of our University to be engaged with such issues and give them the opportunity to have a voice, and make changes.

By constant communication between myself, the union, the LGBT Committee and the LGBT group as well as actively seeking out the opinions and problems of all LGBT students on campus.

My experience at Reading has been amazing so far, but like all journeys I had to face my share of hiccups along the way and such I believe that all students have to face some problem or another during their course. When I am elected, I will ensure that I am available to the post graduate students so that I can listen to their issues and pass them along the proper channels in order to solve them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

My selected group is International Students. I am of the opinion that I am ready to take the flag from my dear friend Ushana Gamany and bring it further. I consider myself ready because I am the current international representative of Law School and the Law Society so I am familiar with the problems of International Students.

How do you think you could represent your selected group better? I would like set up a Mature Students’ Society that would be a focal point for mature students and canvass for their particular needs. As a mature student myself, I understand the isolation experienced by many. I recognise that mature students often have family and other commitments and, as a result, are often unable to avail of the more usual social outlets available to students. However, social contact is very important and I believe there should be regular daytime, informal meetings and some occasional evening gettogethers.

How will you make your campaign stand out? My campaign will stand out because it will be relatable to all women at the University. My goal is to make women understand why they need a Women’s Officer. As I am in the Women’s Campaign Society, I am aware of what issues women are looking to change. I also hope to make my campaign fun and lively which is, if elected, what I plan to do throughout my time as Women’s Officer.

How will you make your campaign stand out? By providing interesting and innovative events and campaigns and encouraging, supporting and leading LGBT students to take part in promoting equality themselves and to challenge discrimination in all aspects of university life.

How will you make your campaign stand out? I prefer my actions to speak for themselves and that is how I hope to stand out in the eyes of my fellow students.

How will you make your campaign stand out? I am planning to use social media and my manifesto to try and express myself to the electorate.

How will you make your campaign stand out? I will be available in The Lounge on Monday to Wednesday lunch times to listen to the ideas of others and to let people hear my ideas of how University life could be improved for mature students.

16 ADVERTISEMENT

marketing@rusu.co.uk

Friday 22 February 2013

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

FILM&TV 17

film&TV

Flight: betraying Hollywood’s conventional happy endings Directed By: Robert Zemeckis Starring: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly Running Time: 139mins Genre: Drama Jonathan Edney

It’s been over ten years since Robert Zemeckis’s (Back to the Future trilogy) last live-action film (Cast

Away, 2000) and after dallying with motion-capture, he has now returned to real people, directing a character study of an alcoholic pilot following a crash due to a mechanical fault. Captain Whip Whitaker (Washington) managed to pull off a miraculous landing, where only six people died, but a blood test discovers that he had alcohol and cocaine in his system when piloting the plane. Whitaker alternates between likeable and hateable across the film,

bearing an easy-going and caring manner one minute and being a foolish drunk the next but he is a truly fascinating character thanks largely to a sterling performance from the Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington. Arrogant in his abilities and in denial of his alcoholism, yet also capable of sensitivity, he is captivating for the duration and he is ably supported by Don Cheadle’s admiring yet disapproving lawyer and Kelly Reilly’s drug addict, who Whitaker forms a relationship with after the crash.

Whitaker [Washington] alternates between likeable and hateable across the film

Denzel Washington stars as Captain Whip Whitaker

The crash itself is reminiscent of the plane crash in Cast Away, terrifying in its depiction of the chaos of such an event as the plane turns upside down, a passenger vomits and a wing demolishes a church spire. If what follows the crash has less of an impact viscerally, it remains compelling throughout, with blackly comic scenes of drugtaking featuring John Goodman and James Badge Dale (The Pacific) bringing levity to proceedings.

Hyde Park on Hudson: Had promise; didn’t deliver Directed by: Roger Michell Starring: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel West Time: 94 mins Genre: Historical, comedy

light, and humorous, and Bill Murray does a pretty decent job of portraying FDR, and to be honest I found my self growing to love his character, even if his personal life was questionable.

From the start the focus

Michelle Badipe

When I first saw the trailer for Hyde Park on Hudson, I thought it was a movie about the American President Franklin Roosevelt, and a close friend of his. However the movie was supposed to be about Daisy; a distant Cousin to Franklin Roosevelt who eventually becomes one of his mistresses. Yet even though this is the basis of the synopsis, Hyde Park On Hudson, seesaws between two storylines, one of political and historical significance: when King George VI visited America to ask for ‘Yankee’ support in the Second World War, and another of personal significance.

of the movie is unclear

From the start the focus of the movie is unclear, and as the plot unfolds, the viewer is left unsure as to the significance of the main character Daisy to the political plot. Despite the lack of clarity in the direction of the story, the cinematography keeps the visuals light and picturesque. The framing of certain shots creates the feel of a snapshot in time, like one is looking at vintage photograph. There’s a sense of nostalgia created by the Mis-en-Scene. The movie is mainly

Hyde Park on Hudson attempts to provide a glimpse into the life of one of America’s most interesting presidents; it tries to explore his political personality and his life behind closed doors. However the movie doesn’t quite succeed in its objective. If you’re looking for a light movie that isn’t necessarily a good movie then Hyde Park on Hudson is for you. Honestly, I believe the movie had promise, but it didn’t quite reach its full potential.

HHH

Only a scene featuring the co-pilot and his girlfriend as stereotypical hardcore Christians particularly irked me.

[Washington] is ably supported by Kelly Reilly’s drug addict At the film’s climax, a hearing decides Whitaker’s fate and the final scene is a shock that challenges a conventional Hollywood happy/‘hope-against-adversity’ ending, which it looked like it was falling into, though that wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing. Overall, the film presents a challenging topic that is elevated by a powerhouse lead performance and an ending that doesn’t quite finish the way you expect it to, leading to the realisation that there are some things in life that you just can’t fix.

HHHH

Editor News! This issue we say farewell to Ellie Holland; wishing you the best of luck in the big-wide-world of work!

So it’s only right that we welcome Ollie Fitzgerald as the new co-editor! And Charlotte Coster in the brand new role of Spark* Film & TV online editor! Welcome to the section! And yes, unflattering pictures are compulsory! I look forward to working with you. Jack, co-editor

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Fast & Furious 6 has had some new images released, with Michelle Rodriguez apparently having turned towards the dark side

18 FILM&TV

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

Wreck-It Ralph: Funny but the jokes are lost on the modern generation Director: Rich Moore Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch Length: 108mins Genre: Animation/ Adventure Zoë Annabel Richardson

Disney’s latest offering is their yearly aim to appeal largely to the male target audience. Wreck-It Ralph tells the tale of an acarde

villain, akin to Donkey Kong in the original Mario games, becomes fed up with life as a villain and wants to gain a “Hero” medal. This involves him transferring his way through various other games, befriending characters and, of course, ultimately learning that he doesn’t need a medal to prove that he is a Good Guy. The video game setting is an interesting road for Disney to take, but whilst the protagonist may be a “villain”, he is misunderstood nice guy who is cruelly rejected from the society he longs to be part of - so a typical Disney storyline.

A major issue for it was the blatant product placement. It’s an odd film in that it is incredibly sickly sweet at times, a very by-the-books happy children’s tale yet the film is just completely filled with 30 year old video game references. Street Fighter characters, old Atari games, the Konami code and Qbert’s lack of popularity in the modern world are all heavily referenced to, yet completely lost of the majority of the audience. There are even obscure Wizard of Oz references for

the keen viewer. These references are the best jokes in the film, with juvenile humour for the children, as if Disney is incredibly confused on who their target audience. A few tossed in B and C storylines seem pointless at times, adding last minute conflict that seemed unnecessarily thrown in. The animated short beforehand, Paperman, is a thing of beauty but, once again, completely lost to the young children seeing the film.

The film is just completely filled with 30 year old video game references The animation can be quite glorious when referencing the games, a scene taking place in “Pacman’s Office” cuts to the characters leaving in the top-down Pacman game zone sticks for being one that was very clever and enjoyable to watch. Likewise, the means in which the game characters travel from game to game via tube wiring is also well designed and clever. A major issue for it was the blatant product placement. Yes, it is a film that contains stars like

Bowser and Pacman, but a long close up of an animated-in Subway cup, or the ‘Mentos mountain’ were not needed and tastelessly added by a company that doesn’t need the money from these companies. Whilst this is a far more satisfying offering from Disney’s “nonPrincess” branch (Cars 2, Mars Needs Moms) it does not seem as deep and multi-levelled. From the start, the ending is obvious- typical Disney morals of learning to be happy by accepting who you are and liking yourself for it. There is also a number of conflicts aimed

to teach kids rights from wrongs and believing in yourself and your friends and such, but Disney have done these types of messages in far smarter and subtler ways. As students, I recommend seeing it for the stunning Paperman and great little video game references, but obviously be aware of its complete contrived cheese and the scattering of “child-friendly” humour.

HHH

Warm Bodies: Can’t seem to decide if it’s a zombie movie or a romance Nicholas Hoult’s performance as a teen zombie rescues the storyline which otherwise would have quickly become very dull. It is surprising how far-fetched the director is able to take it. How are we as an audience expected to warm to a female character who fails to show any sign of anger or grief when her boyfriend is eaten by a zombie? And not just any zombie… the one she ultimately falls in love with?

Director: Jonathon Levine Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich Running Time: 98mins Genre: Zom/Rom Sian Carrington & Malina Kerai

Warm Bodies has hit cinemas just in time for Valentine’s Day. But you may want to think twice about going to see this with your date. It is not your typical love story. Instead this film focuses on the love between a human girl and an attractive teen zombie. Well we’ve had love stories about vampires and werewolves… it was going to happen with zombies eventually! Warm Bodies, directed by Jonathon Levine and based on the novel by Isaac Marion is a new teen film starring Nicolas Hoult and Teresa Palmer which centres on a pair of teenagers in a post-apocalyptic world. The storyline is original with a heart-warming ending. The central heartthrob zombie ‘R’ played by British actor Nicholas Hoult gives an excellent performance as the leading role. The make-up artists also deserve some credit

for their impressive work, as do the CGI team for creating the most evil breed of zombies called Boneys. A lot of thought has clearly been put into the production of this film and it serves the novel well.

It’s not your typical love story But although the movie has some funny lines and a fairly gripping narrative, the question we ask ourselves when watching it is does the idea of a zombie romance work? Well it does for the first half hour.

although exciting and funny at times, did not do the genre much justice; flesh-eating zombies should be kept separate from romantic films. If Warm Bodies has proved anything, it’s that a comic film about loved-up zombies doesn’t work that well. You are left hoping to see either more gore or more romance, neither of which are sufficiently delivered in this movie.

If you’re looking for a bit of light-hearted entertainment or just Nicholas Hoult managing to keep his good looks despite having decomposed, then this could be the film for you.

The storyline is original with a heart-warming ending There are some enjoyable moments but in many parts we find ourselves cringing. The script is full of cheesy lines and moments where you question the director’s motives! We would also like to have seen how the apocalypse started; the film fails to explain this and we are left wondering how the zombies came to be stranded at an airport at the start of the film. The notion of zombie-human love is an odd but original idea and we were interested to see how it would work. Levine’s screenplay,

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF: Disney are thinking about how to monopolise on their newly-acquired Star Wars franchise. Could a Yoda spin-off become a reality?

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

FILM&TV

Hitchcock: Televisual movie for a master of cinema Directed by: Sacha Gervasi Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson Running Time: 98mins Genre: Biography, Drama Matthew Crowe

A cinephile may ponder the details that Hitchcock chooses to present in its narrative. One could argue about Saul Bass’ contribution to the famous ‘shower scene’, the use of ‘Mother’s’ corpse on Janet Leigh and Hitchcock’s overall behaviour on set, but ultimately what is important is the quality of narrative the movie presents, which purports itself to be of the love story between Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) during the filming of Psycho. It is interesting how The Girl has come out on television around the same time as Hitchcock and Toby Jones’ portrayal is much different from Hopkins’. J ones’ performance, and The Girl in general, was much darker and depicted Hitchcock as a misogynist creep.

But whilst Hopkins is infinitely more likable in this version the character, surprisingly the TV movie is the more cinematic of the two, with scenes in Hitchcock playing out like episodes of Lewis without the murder, and the relationship between Hitchcock and Alma presented like Terry and June. Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Alfred Hitchcock is good, albeit slightly caricature; the costume is at times very distracting, like it is a bleached Eddie Murphy costume, and Hopkins plays Hitchcock more like the persona that we saw in the media than an actual person, which is bizarre considering Hopkins played Nixon convincingly and with humanity despite looking nothing like him. Helen Mirren meanwhile is great as the long suffering wife Alma, but the way the film unfolds with the production of Psycho gaining initial focus means by the time her major scenes play out in the narrative they feel out of place. As for the supporting cast, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel both deliver good performances, presenting the opposite ends of Hitchcock’s relationship with his

leading ladies and Michael Stuhlbarg from Boardwalk Empire is fun as Hitchcock’s agent. The movie attempts to replicate Hitchcock styles but only briefly, presenting his famous silhouette and openings from The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. These moments are enjoyable for Hitchcock fans like myself, and the humour is probably excepted from director Sacha Gervasi who directed the brilliant documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil, and just like in that movie the jokes are playful whilst showing great respect to the source material, such as in the scene where Hitchcock playfully ‘conducts’ the orchestra during the first screening of Psycho . However there are other instances where the need for familiarity felt incredibly contrived (“Hey, do you remember the shocking twist of Psycho, because we do”), and despite claiming to be a love story, or a cinematic biopic, there are really unneeded sections of Hitchcock being haunted by the ghost of serial killer Ed Gein (I know I wrote the movie narrative was most important, but Gein inspired the book Pyscho, not the

movie itself) that causes the tone of Hitchcock to be very ill-focused. And for a film on the master of cinematic narrative and suspense, an ill-focused plot is sadly what

Jonathan Edney

As I am studying romantic comedies on my course, the trailer for this film looked interesting in that it examined life after the famous ‘happy ending’. Part of the

appeal of this film is its ability to play with the extremely tried-andtested ‘boy-meets-girl’ formula, as Natasha (Byrne) and Josh (Spall) look back on their first nine months of marriage with an unconventional marriage counsellor (Olivia Colman). Various issues have arisen in this period, ranging from bickering in-laws to competition in Josh’s old flame Chloe and Natasha’s business client Guy. The film shows the pair meeting in a brief montage sequence

and plays with the conventions of romantic comedy throughout, as Natasha and Guy row over small things like singing the wrong lyrics to famous songs and not emptying the bin.

Overall, this is a very different type of romantic comedy. The humour mainly comes from incompatibility, whether it be Natasha’s insulting parents or Josh’s best friend at any social occasion. It gives off a highly cynical edge due to all but one of the characters not being particularly likeable in their attitudes towards each other, even though this is often amusing in itself. Anna Faris as Chloe is the only likeable character in that she is presented as a good person with a passion for charity work, compared to Josh as a lazy writer and Natasha as a rude businesswoman.

The Top 10 Musicals Charlotte Coster

10. The Sound of Music

A classic and it has Julie Andrews in it! So you have to watch it.

kills an initially fun story.

9. Hairspray

Yes it might be horribly American and have Zac Efron in it, but he is actually passably good. Is a touching tale of how an unconventional star can be born if you are determined enough.

8. Moulin Rouge

I don’t think a film has ever made me want to visit a place quite so much! A hugely fun musical full of sexy singing and dirty dancing.

7. Mamma Mia

It just makes me want to go on holiday! Plus Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried are the cutest onscreen couple ever.

6. Les Miserables

I Give it a Year: I give it four stars! Directed By: Dan Mazer Starring: Rose Byrne, Anna Faris, Rafe Spall Running Time: 98 Mins Genre: Romantic Comedy

FILM&TV 19

The most enjoyable performances are the most outrageous, those of Stephen Merchant as the most awkward best friend you could ever have, Olivia Colman as a foul-mouthed cynical marriage counsellor and Minnie Driver as Natasha’s mother-in-law, who frequently abuses the man she married. Although the ending may not be entirely unpredictable (there are few rom-coms with unpredictable endings), it is a twist on the usual heart-warming sentiment usually found at the end of such a film. Overall, this is a very different type of romantic comedy. Although occasionally slipping into more traditional fare, it echoes earlier rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally and Annie Hall, only with ten more spoonfuls of cynicism. It is a cynical romantic comedy for a cynical age so for those fed up with the cosiness of the genre, this is worth a look.

HHHH

Seyfried appears in this one as well, amongst an all star cast, as half of another cute couple with Eddie Redmayne. This musical is worth watching for Anne Hathaway’s version of I dreamed a dream, alone.

5. Marry Poppins

Another Julie Andrews film in which she is ‘practically perfect in every way.’

4. Grease

I can’t watch this musical without a smile appearing on my face. A tale of how a new girl can go from Zero to Hero as soon as she puts on a sexy skintight black onesie… hmmm!

3. My Fair Lady

And this musical also tells a girl’s journey from a pauper to practically a princess, displaying how proper use of English can get us anywhere!

2. Chicago

The songs are incredible and Catherine Zeta Jones is flawless.

1. Lion King

I could have put a huge number of Disney films in this list. But I restrained myself and saved the very best one for the top spot – it literally makes every single young person’s childhoods.

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Christian Bale is set to star in Everest; a real-life tale of a New Zealander mountaineer who tragically failed to reach the summit

20 FILM&TV

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

T.V Review: Africa

Ollie Fitzgerald

Africa is a six-part series exploring the wildlife of the rich continent housing vast rainforest, savannah and desert. As well as being educational, the series captured some amusing comparisons between us and our wilder counterparts. With the amount of documentaries that have been made in the past, it is surprising to see that programmes like these are still original. Many of the scenes, such as the social meetings of rhinos that were previously thought to be solitary animals, are entirely new to wildlife buffs. It is unsurprising that this masterpiece took more than four years

er, from delight to heartbreak. We have the very epic giraffe battle which is astonishing in itself, to the extremely saddening episode of a mother elephant not wanting to leave her dying cub. What also helps is having an incredible new set of camera equipment; just when you thought you could not get any closer to a stalking leopard they manage to and with incredible image quality. The programme is majestic and informative, with quirky editing and some astounding shots, the series brings to light new creatures and explores new sides to those which are so familiar. to shoot; so intricate are sequences like the Pompilid Wasp foraging for water in the expanse of the Kalahari Desert.

The programme is majestic and informative As ever, Attenborough’s familiar, soothing and gently enriching narration aids Africa's intrigue. Menial, routine activities such as

stalking prey and caring for young become fascinating and frequently amusing. The understanding of nature he has after 60 years is unrivalled, and his passion is endlessly apparent. The score of music which is used seems to always match perfectly with the events that are happening onscreen, the highlight being the western-esque music used when the two male giraffes are squaring up. Few of this type of documentary are able to create such a great range of emotions felt by the view-

Race 2: A genuinely fun movie! Directed by: AbbasMustan Starring: Saif Ali Kha, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham Runtime: 150 mins Genre: Foreign Action Nathan Taylor

Infallible badass Ranvir Singh (Saif Ali Kha) single-handedly dismantles the massive criminal empire of Turkish Mafioso, Armaan Malik (John Abraham) for his personal revenge and our viewing pleasure. It’s awesome. This film does not take itself seriously for a single second. If I were to describe it in a sentence, I’d refer to it as the Indian equivalent of Austin Powers, but that wouldn’t be doing it justice. It’s like a Liam Neeson film, a Mel Brooks movie and a Broadway Musical rolled into one, and then lit up in Bollywood. The basic plotline goes as follows: Ranvir integrates himself into Armaan’s criminal organization, partly by pulling off impressive crimes and acting suave and partly by sleeping with the man’s sister. He then goes about looking for a way to ruin the man financially (his logic being that shooting him would be too quick and painless) at which the plot twists a

dozen times over and ends up looking like Möbius Strip – Armaan knows that Ranvir knows that Armaan knows that yada yada yada. While all of this is going on, they’re both still committing crimes together, which results in some seriously sweet action scenes. As far as Abbas-Mustan are concerned, realism is for the real-world. Folks are crashing boats into cars and cars into planes and jumping across rooftops without breaking a sweat, and they do so in such a way that the ridicu-

lous-ness is endearing, rather than irritating. This isn’t to say that the film is as infallible as Mr. Singh himself, however.

you aren’t bored for a second of it I could complain about how some of the twists are predictable or how the “sexy” slow-motion closeups on the actresses and actors are funny at first but quickly become tiring, or about how the musicalsegments aren’t given subtitles (which is very frustrating for an English viewer who would very much like to know why there’s a man in the background with a cape and fangs) but minor gripes such as these only crop up once or twice and you forget about them as soon as they’re passed because the film is just so gosh-darned entertaining. When it’s not cool, it’s funny. When it’s not funny, it’s exciting. When it’s not exciting, it’s genuinely surprising. The film runs for over two hours and you aren’t bored for a second of it. So, yes, Race 2 is predictable and it’s silly and it’s in subtitles. It’s also really fun.

It is unsurprising that this masterpiece took more than four years to shoot

this, it is astonishing in its own right.

the series captured some amusing comparisons between us and our wilder counterparts. Now that they have covered two continents, Africa and Antarctica, I hope they will make it their purpose to do the remaining five. If there is a better programme to come this year, I would like to see it. Well done to those able to beat the January blues, and have viewers so delighted by this brilliant series.

Just when you thought that David Attenborough and his team could not hit the heights of Planet Earth, they seem to have done it again. Although maybe not as epic as

This fortnight at the RFT... Student Tickets: £4.50 The Reading Film Theatre was established 40 years ago as an independant cinema with a policy to show the best films from around the world. With a mix of mainstream films and independant cinema, as well as foreign-language films, there is something for everyone and all are welcome. Below is a listing of showings for the upcoming fortnight...

Tuesday 26 February (19:30): Amour (12A) Thursday 28 February (19:30): Great Expectations (12A) Tuesday 5 March (19:15): The Master (15) Wednesday 6 March (19:00): Edukators (15)

Prices: Members £4.50 Non-members £6.00 Annual Membership £10.00

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FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - A Fifty Shades of Grey movie could be here as early as Summer 2014...and so society will deteriorate to a whole new low...

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

film.spark@reading.ac.uk

FILM&TV 21

FILM&TV

Feature Article: The Oscars - who will get what? films and sadly Djano will most likely be no different.

Les Miserables

A film that has incredibly strong performances from a lot of the cast and, whilst a very good film, has a few moments that do not translate well from stage to show. Anne Hathaway is a sure fire winner for best Supporting Actress, and no doubt it will win for certain music and visual awards but it has too many sloppy parts to take the big prize.

Life of Pi

shows can maybe suggest hints as to who will win, the Oscars themselves tend to follow the usual themes. Based on what the Academy tends to vote for, as well as current trends in films, I will attempt to assess each of the Oscar nominated films and their chances of earning the covereted Best Film award. An interesting thing to note is that, for practically every year, the film that gets a nomination for Best Editing often wins the best picture.

This year... There is no clear winner

Amour

home. Following the ‘Best Editing’ theory, Argo also has a nod in this category.

This a beautiful film, with stand out imagery, story-telling and performances. However, whilst it does tell a lovely story, it seems more of a film that will win smaller awards rather than the Best Film one. However, just getting the nomination is remarkably for a low-budget indie film like this.

Django Unchained

Quite possibly Tarantino’s best film. However, its violence and strong slave theme may be offputting for the mostly old, white,

Academy who, at least in recent years, have been going for, more or less, “normal” films.

Lincoln

Argo Zoë Annabel Richardson

As February advances, the major award seasons begin, ending with the most prolific of the film, the Academy Awards. This year, unlike many years, there is no clear winner and, whilst other award

An incredibly surprising film that has awards in almost every category. Whilst it should be written off as a definite not-winner due to its advertised nature as a “rom com”, it is actually a far deeper film. However, many films of its genre have been made of late and not received anywhere near as much success at Silver Linings Playbook. Whilst all the nominations for it could be misleading, it is not the sort of film that the Academy selects. Like True Grit in the 2011 Oscars, it is possible to be a film that has a countless amount of nominations but leaves the theatre empty-handed.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Last year’s winner, The Artist, was a foreign hit for the largely American ruling film awards. However, unlike The Artist, it is not a different means of cinema and will largely be forgotten about. Whilst the acting and story are both very good, it is the obligatory nod by the Academy officials in an attempt to pretend that they are not solely focussed on American films. The big surprise was the lack of nomination for Ben Affleck for Best Director. However, this film is wildly regarded as being one of the best films of the year, with people commenting on how it has redeemed Affleck from his Daredevil/Gigli days. Whilst the lack of Director nomination is a hindrance, his Bafta win suggests that he could take the Oscar

A gorgeous film with a gorgeous story and also one that has been given the Best Editing nod. Its stunning nature gives it a shot at winning. However, it might be a bit too “artsy” and spiritual for the

Silver Linings Playbook

“traditional” panel which is a shame, because it is fully deserving of the crown. Even though he has had previous nods in the past, all ridiculously deserving of best film, they have all lost to much more “traditional” Oscar winning

Definitely has one of the higher shots at taking the Best Picture. Daniel Day-Lewis will, without a doubt, receive the best actor award. Whilst it is a Spielberg film and is about the American president - both things that tend to guarantee success, the film itself is quite tedious and lacking excitement and, in recent years at least, new and different styles have won. Though I suppose it could be the American equivalent to The King’s Speech, it just didn’t seem as engaging. Also it didn’t show many flaws to the President, making it far too much like a propaganda piece than a factual tale.

Zero Dark Thirty

A very good film but stained with controversy has most likely tarred its chances of taking the gong. With Bigelow, the director, winning just 3 years prior on a very similar film, it seems unlikely that this will be another win for her. The lack of special, talked about, stand out film this year (The Hurt Locker, The Artist and The King’s Speech of previous years) does make it harder to pick an obvious winner this year. As much as I, as a reviewer, would like to see Django win, it seems more likely that Argo or Lincoln will be the likely winner.

FILM NEWS IN BRIEF - Anchorman 2 has added Kristen Wiig to their all-star lineup; she’ll potentially be playing the love interest of Steve Carrell’s character

22 MUSIC music.spark@reading.ac.uk

music

INTERVIEW

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

Jamie interviews the London based buzzband Thumpers ful ones. So we experimented with that for a few months and finally felt like we got the right balance on ‘Sound of Screams’ at the beginning of last year. Every other thumpers song sprang from that point.

How’s the past year been since unveiling ‘Sound of Screams’? Obviously there’s the single releases and the live shows but has your outlook changed at all?

Jamie Milton

Childhood friends and former bandmates in Pull Tiger Tail, for John Hamson Jr. and Marcus Pepperell Thumpers was a clean slate for a couple of guys who knew each other’s musical visions like the back of their hands. For a lot of us, seeing the ‘Sound of Screams’ track emerge last year out the blue seemed like a spontaneous, exciting arrival. But as we discover in this interview with the pair, Thumpers is a project that’s taken its time. Before they even announced themselves to a pool of friends, they’d readied an album. And they’d perfected a sound that’s both enlivening and celebratory, catered for mass-appeal but just as likely to get furrowed-browed hipsters tapping their feet. John and Marcus spoke about their beginnings and their aims to get an album up in time for the Summer.

When did Thumpers begin? Did you stumble upon your sound or was it the product of ‘musical brainstorming’, so to speak? John Hamson Jr.: Marcus began sending me demos around 2 years ago when I’d just started moonlighting with Friendly Fires. Out of a big bunch of songs there were a few that touched on this almost 90’s R&B pop vibe which I thought could be really interesting to explore as they were so different from the other, I suppose more straight ahead sounding songs. Marcus Pepperell: It was really freeing to write songs that I thought would probably end up being sung by someone else, and it let me, in a way, anonymously explore different writing styles. J: In terms of the sound, we knew we wanted to mix lots of raw and heavy sounds with lush and colour-

M: When we posted ‘Sound of Screams’, we only shared it with our friends, so we were definitely surprised when it left that circle and people began picking up on it and blogging about it. It was a real confidence boost, especially as we’d just began recording more songs. J: We knew we wanted to finish the majority of a record before we started playing live, but when the interest picked up around SOS and people started asking when it was happening, we spent the majority of last year worrying about how we were going to do it. M: We knew the songs we had recorded had a strong sense of identity and playing live cemented that.

Are there any lessons/ideas you’ve taken from previous projects to apply to Thumpers? M: Do as much as possible yourself. Don’t be precious about what you’re doing and free yourself from how you think people perceive you, otherwise everything you do will either be reactionary or wilfully conservative. J. making a record was always something we wanted to do before we really “launched” ourselves. It just means you know exactly who

you are as band and focuses you on what you want to achieve with it. Also there’s the importance of being a live band that people actually want to go and see.

When ‘Sound of Screams’ came out, did you have to make lots of decisions in light of label interest, etc.? Did you expect all of this to happen? \ J: the only decision we made was to put people off for a bit whilst we recorded. As we said, we didn’t expect ‘SOS’ to reach past our friends so we had to be a bit aloof about it all. We were confident with that song and the band we were becoming at the time so I think we did hope that we would connect with people.

ire

Being told of our new positions just before the Christmas break it seems like the takeover has been a long time coming. However, we are finally here and looking foward to the year ahead! We could not be more excited to take over the music pages of Spark, which have been so well managed up until now. Whilst hoping that we upkeep the same standard we are hoping that we can bring a fresh

feel to the pages and we have lots of ideas on how to do so. There is constant changes in the music industry, new songs, albums, artists, festivals and award ceremonies and we hope to bring you all of the up to date news, information and general opinions on all the stupid stuff that rock stars do. As ever, we can only do it with your help and are always looking for new contributers! If you fancy it then please find us on Facebook on the spark music section, follow us on twitter: @musicsparkrdg or

drop us an email at music.spark@ reading.ac.uk. We are open to pretty much anything music wise so if there is something you want to review, a gig you have seen or just something you want to rant about then do not hesitate to get in touch! A final note to thank Jamie and Nia for giving us the opportunity and we wish them all the best for the future. And now for your enjoyment here is a photo of the welsh rap group, Goldie Lookin Chain...

guy on keys and a trumpet player. The idea is that the live set up can be as expansive as we want. M: A few collaborations are already underway. We’re hopefully doing a cover with a group which we’re really excited about and we’ve already recorded a few other people for guest spots on the record. There’s one quite big female solo on one song who we have a long list of people we want for it, we just need to work up the courage to ask them!

They’d perfected a sound that’s both enlivening and celebratory

‘Dancing’s Done’ sounds primed for festival stages and big crowds. Do you have an audience in mind when writing your music? M: Well there’s definitely something in the melody that works well with gang/group singing, and I wanted to write collectively uplifting songs, so that combined with the production, I suppose it does lend itself to those stages. But we didn’t have festivals specifically in mind.

What can we expect next from you guys in 2013? Another single release or do your ambitions lie elsewhere? J: We’re adamant we want the record out this summer. It needs a home and some mixing, but we’re happy with how it is. I think we also want to explore writing and producing for other artists and we

Can you envisage expanding the band at all, bringing other musicians, singers onstage or taking part in collaborations? J: Because of how the songs turned out, we knew early on (after the fretting) that we’d need more people to do it justice. At the moment we have 4 other people touring with

A word from the new Editors Patrick scott and siobhan magu-

us which includes girl vocalists, a

have one or two things lined up - we just need to find the time to do it. M: I think our ambition is to not be a selfish band, which means working with other people and engaging with as many opportunities as possible. We just want to be busy making music or playing it, however it comes.

Spark*

Friday 2 February 2013

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

ALBUMS

Flume Transgressive

Jamie milton

What was once a side-project, a fruitful hobby, has developed into something that’s getting harder and harder to control. Flume’s taken off. Harley Streten, a self-trained saxophonist, made dance music in

EMI/ Virgin

matthew moore

I like Bastille. I have an EP of theirs blu-tac’d to my wall. I like lead singer Dan Smith’s quiff, albeit ostentatious, and I like his grand interview statements like “I wanted to off-set epic sounding instrumentation”. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds in-your-face and impressive. As planned way back in October, the album release of Bad Blood is due next month. This is in order to neatly coincide with their “biggest ever” tour that commences on the 28th of February. So, I sat down to listen to the album and I was ready to feel the hype. Upon first impression the production of the album comes across well. Notably, the backing tracks are subtle. Smith’s melodies are nice, and it was more than nice to see that the album didn’t descend into attempts at House styled pretension. So what then of the specific tracks? The singles are still the ones which

A Quick Word on... The Harlem Shake patrick scott

By now, you’ve probably heard of/ seen at least a hundred or so videos of bored students and people who should really know better dancing to the Harlem Shake. Even for the internet, the way the fad emerged out of nowhere and regurgitated itself millions of times on Youtube seems pretty remarkable. But the

Can Bastille’s debut live up to the Hype?

Flume

Bastille Bad Blood

MUSIC

stand out. For example, “Flaws” and “Bad Blood” feel to seamlessly move from verse into chorus. Other tracks like “Icarus” and “These Streets” do so less effectively. I enjoyed “Daniel in the Den”, but by the time the 12th track rolls around Smith’s voice had lost its command over my attention. So, incidentally, my one qualm with the album was the lyrics. I was hoping for Smith to be more daring with his writing. I understand that the singles had to be conservative, they’re intended for radio play. The lyrics are just a bit boring. You don’t have to be Cobain reincarnate, but I was looking for something more provocative than “Icarus is flying too close to the sun”. Yawn. As a result, the classical references aren’t “epic” as Smith proclaims, but instead just indicate that he’s a bit of a boring guy for a front man. I write this, in hope, that the next time Smith et al. release an album (and this is powerful evidence that they will) it says something more provocative.

My Bloody Valentine MBV SELF RELEASED

richard petty

HHH

To put into perspective how long it’s been since MBV’s last release, when it came out I was gestating nicely in my Mother’s womb. Which, ironically, is what their music is reminiscent of, comfort and darkness at the same time. Their music is somewhat akin to a strip of sandpaper, abrasive and harsh on one side, but on the flipside there’s a coolness and relief.

real thing that’s bothersome about it is... why? Granted, trying to make sense of an online meme is a pretty redundant thing to do most of the time- this is the same place that brought us lolcats and a My Little Pony devotion- but the Harlem Shake has blown up quicker than a firework factory on steroids and it just prompts too many questions. For example, why has a largelyforgotten about generic club track, released in mid-2012, been chosen as the starting point for this over

every other song with a drop ever? Why do so many people feel the need to be naked when they film themselves dancing? They know you can’t delete things from the internet, right? And most importantly, why didn’t people stop filming their own versions after someone put up one with a washing machine? (seriously, look it up, it’s amazing.) The main problem with the Harlem Shake is that the hundreds of thousands of videos that it’s already spawned (including one from our very own radio station Junction11,

his teens and used Flume as a fulfilling, occasional means of escape. One release on influential label Future Classic later, and the “Sleepless” track, gave way to countless opportunities, some of which are still yet to arrive. The debut Flume album’s struck Gold in Harley’s home country of Australia, littering the Triple J radio playlists with track after track of eclectic, universal party music. Gaining its release in the UK on Transgressive, it’s hard to envisage the album failing to have a similar effect on the Saturday night playlist over here. Flume’s debut is a party record through and through. The album draws in influence from all corners, catering to hip-hop, dubstep and synth-pop crowds in equal measure. Lead track “Sleepless” might have won the hearts of chillwave addicts across the board back in 2011, but in this debut full-length Harley expands his palette, finding energy in virtually every genre going. It’s Flume’s all-encompassing aesthetic that makes the album so

enjoyable. You’ve got Chet Faker - best known for a cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” - adding his dynamic, crooning vocals to ‘“Left Alone”. Then there’s Queens rapper T.Shirt making grand statements in “On Top”. Future soul-pop sensation George Maple makes a vital contribution in the self-penned “Bring You Down” and elsewhere, Streten crafts obscure samples into breathtaking, energised dancefforts. With dynamism and an ignorance of any visible boundaries, Flume’s produced one of the defining soundtracks of this coming summer. This debut album scraps coherence and convention and prioritises the more vital values of music; making songs that are both accessible and rinsed in invention. Few records come as all-embracing as this, and that’s where Flume’s debut effort excels.

MBV are seen as a band but in the studio it’s all Kevin’s work, a modern day genius, playing every instrument he can get his hands on with minimal input from his fellow members, a few Colm Ó Cíosóig drum samples and heavenly coo’s and vocals from Belinda Butcher here and there but besides from that little else. MBV is a clear labour of love, even though the songs within are anything but transparent, layers of beautifully calculated noise, hushed and compressed vocals overlapping to form a superfluous entity. Shields once again works the whammy bar to its limits, notes bending in and out of focus but never sounding out of place. The first several songs show clear continuation of the threads of Loveless, their previous effort, but this should be nothing to complain about when it was such a fantastic album. “If This” and “Yes” is the most subdued and calm song here, deeply reminiscent of Shine Like Stars by Primal Scream, which can be perhaps contributed to the fact that Shields contributed to their work in the late 1990’s. However, the final tracks provide a bleak

contrast to this song, representing the breakbeat influenced material Shields has referred to creating in prior interviews.

as was probably inevitable) really don’t help to disprove the old ‘originality is dead’ argument. Our former music editor Jamie thinks he’s seen better dance moves in his sleep - in fact, he could perform better moves in his sleep. Come on internet - you’re unpredictable and we love you for it, but next time maybe pick out a better craze than this?

HHHH

MBV is a clear labour of love “Nothing I” pummels you constantly, forcing you into submission until the final crescendo is reached, providing great relief. The closer “Wonder 2” is even more vastly different to what comes before it. It is best described as a 1990’s jungle night passed through the engine of a Boeing 707. “Loveless” to me was the definition of a perfect album, taut, no filler or missteps and sheer brilliance awaiting you track after track. This runs it mightily close, and is definitely not a disappointment for those waiting for a follow up to one of the greatest albums of the 90’s.

HHHH

24 MUSIC

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

music.spark@reading.ac.uk

SINGLES

Fall Out Boy leads the way for this weeks single releases Taylor Swift 22

Laura Mvula Green Garden

Olly Murs

big machine

RCA

Epic

siobhan maguire

It would seem like Taylor Swift is releasing singles on a weekly basis at the moment. Coming from her second album, Red, Taylor has had huge success with previous songs, including “We are never getting back together” and ‘“ knew You Were Trouble”. Her most recent release is ‘22’ in which she plays with the idea of “feeling 22” and what supposed fun she can have being so. The song is upbeat and innocent and is undoubtedly uplifting. However it does struggle to sound a lot different from Taylor’s other works which have just that little more impact. It is hard to say how well the song will do in the UK but with such a following, success is only inevitable. “22” is released on the 1st April of this year.

Laura Mvula is like nothing we have heard in a long time. Her debut single, “Green Garden” opens with the combination of rhythmic clapping and the chimes, instantly dragging you into the beat. As her soulful, deep vocals kick in it is clear to see why Mvula has been named the maker of the Gospeldelia genre. A sound which conjoins elements of soul, RnB and Gospel, it seems it could not be more current. The single itself does not build to any climax, pacing on with the steady tempo throughout, however it is undeniable easy listening. Short listed for the Brits Critics Choice award, Mvula can only be set for further success.

Army Of Two siobhan maguire

Fall Out Boy My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark island

cessful single since 2007.

Whilst

this song doesn’t fully recreate the magic of the bands first three albums, it does sound as though it

Richard lewington

would fit perfectly on 2007’s Infin-

After a three-year break, Fall Out Boy are back with their new single “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”, which has been released as the lead single to their highly anticipated comeback album Save Rock and Roll (due out in May). Clearly the fans haven’t forgotten them, as this new single debuted in the top 5 in the charts, becoming the bands most commercially suc-

ity on High. The catchy chorus and

Atoms For Peace Amok XL Records Jamie milton

When you find out how the debut - and possible standalone - record from Atoms For Peace (the project of Thom Yorke and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco) came about, you begin to see it in a different light. What might be dismissed as a re-hashed version of Yorke’s “The Eraser” album soon develops into its own being. There

HHH

fantastic vocals are sure to win fans over. If this is a sign of things to come, Save Rock and Roll could be just the album long time Fall Out Boy fans are looking for.

HHHH

ALBUMS

Atoms For Peace

HHH

“Army of Two” is exactly what you would expect of Murs; an upbeat, cheerful and somewhat generic pop song. However, it is this exact sound that has led to his huge fame in the UK. His easily recognisable vocals suit the song to a tee with its strong backing of a drumming beat. The single is the second from Mur’s’ third album, Right Place, Right Time and the artist has said that he wants “Army of Two” to be devoted unto his fans. Some of the lyrics, “Just follow my lead, repeat after me” for example, make the song a little egocentric perhaps, though it cannot be denied that they are memorable. I am sure that the song will be a success however, his fans will not let him down now.

Thom Yorke’s glitchy supergroup finally release their debut album

are obvious connections between Amok and the album that helped initially tie down all these musicians to tour together. A lot of the elements are laptop-based, or at least that’s where they stem from. And Yorke tows a line between pent-up, aggressive and oddly solemn, vocally. Same old, same old, you might think.Many might even render it a new Radiohead record, missing the point entirely. But that’s a natural consequence of placing Thom’s peerless vocal at the forefront of an album. The truth is, this is in a completely different zone to ‘The Eraser’ or any potential “King Of Limbs Pt. II” hardy Radiohead fans were anticipating. The process of three days of ‘jamming’ (rhythmic jamming, Godrich emphasised in a recent interview), the members worked nonstop. As in, they played and played and played. The art was in the editing. Some might connect it to the Miles Davies notion of freeform jazz, connecting ideas in real-time. Yorke and co. don’t shy away from the comparisons. In said interview they in fact welcome them. Amok was a process of sourcing the good

stuff. They entered the studio with no material and they emerged with twenty, thirty hours’ worth, if not more. Amok then, is the magnet that drew out the finest, most engaging material.

Manny might even render it a new Radiohead record And that’s not entirely apparent at first. Amok is a tight, almostconstrained sounding work. To the naked ear that happens upon the album, it initially just sounds like a collection of jerky beats that Yorke and Godrich worked on. It’s easy to dismiss it as a vanity project, even. The band effect comes in subtly, through ‘Dropped’’s midway break section, with Flea’s bassline enveloping an eerie, sweeping sound that percussionist Waronker seems to be conjuring up amongst the studio madness. “Stuck Together Pieces” is bass-led, which is remarkable in itself, but in Yorke’s overlapping vocals it has a stark, impressive impact. The closing section is

enough to rival seminal Radiohead track “Reckoner”. Not all of these songs are as fascinating. The catharsis that these guys experience in the space of three days doesn’t always translate. Perhaps that’s the inevitable result of sourcing just 1/50th of the material they ended up writing for a record. “Judge Jury And Executioner’’s opening section is disturbing and excitable, but the magic dissipates as the song seemingly plods on. And the closing, title-track’s beat-heavy climax - and preceding song “Reverse Running” is guilty of the same thing - slips into overindulgence. There’s a fine line between experimentation and clear, well-crafted songwriting. In “Default” they hit jackpot. It might be the best song Yorke’s put his name to since “In Rainbows”. Similarly, “Ingenue’’s Luke Abbott-meetsNosaj Thing’s aesthetic is playful and ever-evolving. There are moments though when the novelty wears thin and you feel like you’re staring into empty space, rather than engaging in the performance that’s taking place in front of you.

That’s

what

Amok

essentially is: a glorified performance But that’s what Amok essentially is: A glorified performance.

It’s

a coming together of great minds who every so often emerge with something truly special. Expectations are shattered. Those expecting Flea to tread all over the parade with cheesy slap-bass will be mistaken. The bombast of a Chili Peppers record doesn’t invade Yorke’s usual headspace.

Anyone hoping

for “The Eraser” to fledge further results will be similarly dumbfounded. But taken at token value, “Amok” is a very fine work indeed.

HHHH

beauty.spark@reading.ac.uk BEAUTY

Spark Friday 22 February 2013 *

BEAUTY Splurge, Spend, Steal!!!

Spring Hair!!!

Cicely Groom

Amy Wagstaff

Splurge: Hypnôse Waterproof Mascara, £21, by Lancôme Whether it’s the arrival of that beautiful four-figure sum from our beloved Student Loans Company, a generous influx of the birthday cash, or you’re just feeling flush. this is the mascara to splash out on. InStyle magazine rates this as one of their Best Beauty Buys for 2013 and it is hailed as a firm favourite amongst red-carpet regulars. Use it to create maximum impact on a glamorous night out: start with the thin lashes at the inner and outer corners of your eye and work your way in – a tried and tested beauty tip that will ensure dramatic, voluminous lashes!

Spend: Masterpiece Mascara, £9.99, by MaxFactor This affordable and effective mascara is a beauty essential for those seeking simple, everyday sophistication. Ruth Funnell, make-up artist to the likes of Natalie Portman and Emma Watson says “If you’re looking for a classic mascara that delivers rich pigment and doesn’t clog up of break the bank, this is it.” The secret is in the firmness of the mascara brush – the harder the bristles, the more accurate the finish. Invest now and see the effects for yourself!

Save: New York Great Lash Mascara – Blackest Black, £4.99, by Maybelline This mascara, which has just celebrated its 40th year, is a true veteran of the beauty world. Statistics claim that one Great Lash mascara passes through an American checkout every 1.6 seconds, making this one of the USA’s all-time most beloved beauty products. If you’ve reached that stomach-curdling stage where checking your online bank account can leave you feeling sick, ashamed and slightly angry at that extra cash-point they’ve placed dangerous close to the Jägerbomb bar in the Union, then this is the mascara for you. Withdraw a five and head to Boots for instant, guiltfree glamour

We all look forward to the first few days of spring; the frosty morning walk to lectures is lit up by a heartwarming sun and flowers peeking through old soil. The excitement of baring feet that have been hidden away in Uggs since November takes over and the prospect of Pimms outside plagues the imagination. Along with the changing weather comes the time for change in evening soirees; banish Saturday nights in front of Take Me Out and welcome the beginning of Hall Formals, Ascot and the inevitable Summer Ball. However, the winter months have been harsh on your hair; dried out ends and constant tangling from scarves. Time to spring clean your hair and create an elegant coiffure out of the chaotic rubble winter left behind. Try these styles to inject spring into your hair.

Bring back the Braid High ponytails are left behind with winter as spring brings back the playfully pretty braid. You don’t need to be a plait expert; a simple loose French plait will smarten up most looks. Just a few basic plaits here and there can give your carefree down look a hint of summer. If you’re feeling adventurous try out a Fishbone Braid or even the new Sideways Braid.

The Sideswoop Louis Vuitton & DKNY have adopted the sideswoop as their new fringe this season. More girly without the commitment of a cut. Simply part the hair when wet as sideways as you dare, blast with a hairdryer in place desired then swoop over and pin behind one ear. A small amount of hairspray will keep it in place all day and night. Perfect for the confusion of late afternoon to early evening dates, you could even add some delicate flowers to enhance the look. Get swooping girls!

SS13 Beauty Trends: 5 of the hottest trends SABINA ROUSE

Trend 1: Bold Lips Whether it be a classic red, hot neon pink or fantastic orange, bold lips are for the keeping this season. Nude lips and posy pink have gone out the window. It’s all about making a statement so keep the rest of the face simple and fresh and let your lips do the talking

Trend 2: Natural Nails As seen on the runway of some of the most prestigious fashion houses (including Victoria Beckham, Alexander Wang and Alexander McQueen), natural nails are springs most chic trend. Choose a nude that matches closely to your skin tone before applying a base coat and two coats of colour.

Trend 3: Metallic Lids Reminiscent of Michael Van Der Ham’s AW12 collection, metalics and shimmer have long been on the scene. There is no occasion that metalics won’t provide for, so whether its an iridescent shimmer in gold or peach for day or a darker silver/purple for night - you can be sure not to go wrong with this trend.

Trend 4: Hair Dressing Hair accessories and braids were huge on the runway this season. With designers featuring elaborate and precious looking hair jewellery placed impeccably on models heads, this trend lent a couture aesthetic to the overall collection.

Trend 5: Seductive Sixties The 60’s are back, bigger and better than the first time they come around. Think long, sweeping side fringes, teamed with thick bold brows, black liquid eyeliner and lashings of mascara and you won’t be far off the mark.

26 ARTS&BOOKS

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

Arts&BOOKS Matilda is truly memorable!

Review of Matilda the Musical Sarah Foster- Edwards

Going in, I had high expectations for the RSC’s West End adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, Matilda, performed at the Cambridge Theatre in London. The novel, for which there is also a film adaptation, centres on a young girl with a love of reading and magical powers. Her TV-loving family and bully headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, treat her as an

outsider; leading her to find comfort in teacher Miss Honey. My first glimpse at the set made me even more impatient for the show to begin. The whole stage was intricately designed with colourful, exciting décor and had classroom tables rising from the floor and shelves of books filling the stage - it even had playground swings! For me, the most effective aspect of this production was the sheer talent, enthusiasm and energy given by the entire cast, especially the children. Being in the

company of children performing to the demanding standards of a West End show was a poignant moment. There was never a dull second as their choreography

duction maintained many of the famous characterisations crafted by Dahl. Whether you are a fan of Matilda or not, I would urge you to see this production.

be an attempt at child from my perspective it necessary and excessive. Tim Minchin’s music tion was another of my

was fun, and their physicality bril-

I must admit, before the show I had reserves about Miss Trunchball being cast in drag; however this choice turned out to be highly effective. It added to the garishness and vulgarity of Miss Trunchbull’s character and was well performed to enhance comedic effect. However, the portrayal of Matilda’s brother was not as effective. He was staged slumped in front of the television abruptly shouting a word every now and again. Although it could

aspects of the production. He managed to capture the playful and mischievous essence of childhood by making the music catchy, fun and exhilarating. My personal favourite was “When I grow up” - an original scene in which the children were choreographed using swings. Overall, I found Matilda the Musical to be a fun, enjoyable and heart-warming production for all ages.

liantly animated.

An enjoyable and heartwarming production for all ages... Although losing some memorable moments from the novel, I feel that overall Dennis Kelly successfully made the transition from page to stage, as the pro-

Wildlife photograph of the week Photography competition Ellen North-Row

To run alongside the prestigious “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition, I was thinking of attributing a section of the Arts & Books section of Spark* to the most popular wildlife photo of the week. This is a really good chance to celebrate the hidden talents of our student photographers.

new section of Arts and Books dedicated to photography It doesn’t need to be a photo of campus, or anything that represents Reading town but simply a photo of wildlife that inspires you.

Here is your chance to be creative when you’re sick and tired of writing all those week 5 deadlines!

a really good chance to celebrate the hidden talents of our student photographers Here is our first image taken by second year History of Art student Sophie Jefferies who is actively involved in the Reading University Photographic Society. Titled “Robin”, Sophie used her precious Samsung NX5 to shoot this beautiful image on our very own Whiteknights Lake on the 4th December 2012.

So get snapping and send in your pictures to our Facebook page: Spark* Arts and Books.

humour, was uncomposifavourite

Spark*

Friday 22 February 2013

arts.spark@reading.ac.uk

ARTS&BOOKS 27

‘Back In Black’ at Cultivate Review of ‘Back In Black’ exhibition at Cultivate, Vyner Street Edie Jo Murray

From the 31st of January to the 12th of February, 22-artist show “Back In Black” is running at Cultivate, Vyner Street. The show is a follow up to a previously successful black-themed show at the artist run gallery in East London. I am lucky enough to have a piece of my work in the show, and attended the opening night on the 31st of January. The exhibition’s theme is black, and upon entering the gallery this is certainly clear. My work is the only free-standing sculpture within the show, and the walls surrounding it are mostly covered with black-dominated paintings in various styles. One of the most striking of these is a piece by New Zealand born artist Blair Zaye, “Divine Texture (Black 2)”, a large oil-painting with a silver light bulb positioned in the centre, creating an unusual lighting effect across the canvas. This was one of the most commented upon pieces of the evening, and it was clear that the works which deviate from traditional painting seemed to draw the most attention.

Despite the lack of much colour amongst the works, there manages to be a real variety to the pieces shown Another particularly popular and unusual work within the exhibition comes from London based artist Mia-Jane Harris. Her piece “Don’t Turn To Ashes Darling” is humbly placed in a small space near the corner of the room, and looks small and unassuming alongside many large painted works. However the

description of the medium given alongside the work gives away why the piece appears so unique: “Taxidermy jackdaw, glass vial filled with the ashes of its entrails”.

Much of Harris’ portfolio delves into similar experimentation with taxidermy and is certainly worth checking out. Despite the lack of much colour amongst the works, there manages to be a real variety to the pieces shown, and it’s obvious this was taken into consideration when they were selected. From French artist Herve Constant’s large and bold canvas painting to the smaller and incredibly detailed pen drawings of Nikolai Kozin, the exhibition demonstrates a hugely diverse response to a single theme. I was particularly impressed by the wide range of work shown considering the small size of the gallery space. The gallery owners choose to have each work sitting amongst many others to fill the whole of each wall, rather than allowing the pieces to be surrounded by white space. This is style of hanging work I’m never quite sure of, but I think in

this case it does work, successfully creating a pleasant busyness that avoids feeling cluttered. Cultivate is quite a unique gallery space, it is small and intimate

but

fantastically

placed

within

highly popular area for art in London, situated opposite Vyner Street Gallery itself.

Cultivate is quite a unique gallery space, it is small and intimate but fantastically placed within a highly popular area for art in London The first Thursday of each month (appropriately known as ‘first Thursday’) is the most favoured day for art in East London, a day in which the galleries open late for evening viewings and a great opportunity to get your work seen by many. Cultivate is artist-run, the owners Sean Worral and Emma Harvey use the space to exhibit their own work as well as the work of others. They pride themselves on the gallery being ‘artist-friendly’, and I would certainly recommend it to young artists looking to

make their first venture into exhibiting in London. They frequently hold artist calls for upcoming exhibitions which you can find out about on their website. The current show ‘Back In Black’ runs until the 12th of February, but with quick turnaround in the gallery there will certainly be a new show up days later which I’m sure will be just as worth a look. Cultivate, which only opened in September 2011, is a great gallery to keep an eye on. Go to www.cultivatevynerstreet. com to see the full list of artists exhibiting as part of Back In Black, and

to find out about upcoming exhibitions and artist calls.

A journey for you theatre-goers... Press Alice

release

for

Peter

and

Simona Angelini

Looking for a theatre fix this spring? Book now for Peter and Alice: running from the 9th March through to the 1st June at London’s Noël Coward Theatre. Ticket prices start at £10 – £10 for a journey to Never Never Land via Wonderland? Bargain! In John Logan’s new ‘curiouser and curiouser’ tale, fantasy and reality collide in a chance encounter between the real inspirations for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (Judi Dench), and JM Barrie’s Peter Pan (Ben Wishaw), at the

opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932.

The Michael Grandage Company’s hopes for a Broadway mounting might just be fulfilled.

Never Never Land Wonderland? Bargain!

via

The play’s BIG name insurance: multi-award winners Logan, director Michael Grandage, theatre set and costume designer Christopher Oram and Dench, guarantee that the extraordinary adventures of Alice and Peter, are told with as much enchantment and vivacity as they are in the literature and film productions that we have all grown to love.

28 FASHION

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

FASHION Spring splitskirts jenny purves

It began around this time last year when Angelina Jolie strutted onto the Oscar’s red carpet in a devastatingly effective Versace black number with a show stealing split up to her thigh. Although mocked virally for all the photos from the night showing her permanently extended right leg- there was even a Twitter account set up in appreciation for ‘Angie’s right leg’- it was the start of something sky high for the fashion world and sure enough, over a year later, the trend for side splits is still going strong.

Numerous A-listers have been big ambassadors of showing off a long limb here and there with the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio and Rihanna all managing to pull off the provocative look without managing to lose all dignity and flashing their knickers ala Abbey Crouch at a Lingerie London event last October. And of course with all fashion trends it has now filtered down onto the high street, with thigh split skirts an alternative option which will also still make that all important statement.

Bright white lily BROWN

With Spring finally around the corner it is time for a whole new set of trends. It is nearly time to hang up the little black dress in your wardrobe and step into spring/ summer by embracing the white trend. It has been seen on the catwalks, shown by everyone from Victoria Beckham to Jil Sander. Head to toe white can be hard to pull off unless you have a holiday tan or are heading to the beach but this gorgeous sleeveless shirtdress from H&M for the student friendly price of £19.99 would be perfect for day or night worn with black leather jacket and wedges. A nod to the trend will look just as good-wear a crisp white shirt tucked into a high waisted black skirt with shoe boots for cocktails with the girls. Zara are your go to for classic shirts and this white shirt with crisp collar will look as good with jeans and flats as with a pencil skirt and blazer. At £39.99, it might be one for payday but you

will be wearing it for months to come. If head to toe white puts you off throw on some colourful accessories and say hello to Spring!

Shimmer this spring time charlotte coster

Metallic clothing is one of those fashions that are never really far from designers’ minds and keep on returning to the forefront of collections! And it’s easy to see why. It is absolutely great for glamming up the most simple of outfits, in a completely effortless way. London fashion week is a confirmation that it seems to be sticking around with us for another season. This time with bright colours to design quirky eye catching looks. This can be seen in Burberry’s trench coats which appeared on the catwalk in various shades of blue, purple and pink and were a pleasant

ELLEN BENDIX-LEWIS

change from the normal mac. Zoe Jordan also included some lovely Aqua coloured shorts and dresses which could have very easily been hideous but teamed with a white crop top, were actually cutely girly. The highstreet hasn’t been quite brave enough to attempt this trend yet though and metallic clothing remains to be silver and grey which is a little dull but can still give a glam elegance when added to bright outfits. And I did find a lovely pale pink dress in Topshop (£40.00) so maybe they are tentatively coming around to the idea of coloured metallics. Something to hope for later in the season maybe?

Plastic fantastic

With the Spring quickly approaching, along with those delightful April showers, you will be happy to know that one of the

up-and-coming trends does not only look cool, but is also highly practical to see you through the next few showery months. Yes, it’s plastic. Now I know what you thinking, plastic clothing sounds vile right? And I would not disagree with you there. However, with this trend, less is definitely more. The spring/summer collections saw many designers intermixing the plastic material with girly dresses and skirts. Simone Rocha led the way on this trend, incorporating perspex accessories in neon colors, alongside her pretty feminine collection. A statement necklace made of bright plastic, or even a clear perspex heel is enough to give that outfit a edgy up to date look. My favorite item of the Simone Rocha collection was definitely the bright neon boxed-tote, ideally shaped to carry any books to and from lectures, whilst adding a

touch of style and character to any outfit. And the biggest bonus is that being made of plastic means that throughout rainy April all my books will be kept dry.

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

fashion.spark@reading.ac.uk

FASHION 29

Girl of the moment: Cara Delevigne Campus style brooke Mccord

Two words - Cara Delevigne – where to begin? It is safe to say that the up and coming model is fashion royalty, the girl of the moment, an icon, the ultimate girl crush. She has the perfect body and drop-dead-gorgeous looks, before we even begin to mention the ever-increasing string of designers falling at her feet, the campaigns she’s bagged and the impressive number of high-end designer collections she has walked for - Burberry, DSquared, Chanel, DKNY, the list goes on and on. Voted as ‘Model of the Year’, yours truly has appeared candyclad at the prestigious Victorias

Secret show, elegant and demure on the front of LOVE magazine and most recently on the cover of iconic Vogue (us mere mortals can only dream of such an accomplishment). On a backdrop of red white and blue, dressed in a monochrome ensemble, Cara looks quintessentially British. Fashion history has been made. So what makes Cara stand out from the crowd of other uber-cool, super stunning models? Is it her statement eyebrows or her goofy smile? For me, it would have to be her signature quirky persona combined with her modesty. Upon landing herself the Vogue Spring Fashion Special cover Miss Delevigne tweeted “I’m going to run out

of the shop with 20 in my hands, going: ‘Oh my God, this is me! Oh my God!” - it’s nice to know that even Cara isn’t phased by the world of high-end glamour and parties she has been born into! What’s more endearing is her ability to both shock and impress, she gave the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ contestants a run for their money last season, when she got friendly with a hand-sized tarantula for her i-D Magazine cover. Admittedly I was not there, but Cara certainly gives off the impression that she was nothing but calm and collected – brave and beautiful! I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the idea – girl crush explained.

Jenny Purves and Cicely groom

Chun Ru, aged 27, currently working towards a Masters in Real Estate. Chun is wearing Superdry.

Introducing Vandal Original Eleanor Stock

As I prepare to graduate next year, the thought that keeps me awake each night is - “What next?” The idea of being thrust prematurely into the wide world is a terrifying and yet unavoidable one for many of us. How will I find what I want to do? Will I enjoy it? Will I get up on time? Harvey Jones and Amy Lewis are two students who have solved this problem for themselves. As part of a massive boom in self-made clothing businesses, they have made a place for themselves in the market using their skills in graph-

ic design to create the new urban clothing line, Vandal Original. After finding that getting even a holiday job was becoming increasingly more difficult, Harvey began posting some of his own designs on Tumblr and gradually noticed them gain interest. With the help of his classmate Amy, the two began to invest in producing and then selling their new stock. The designs are based around a love of urban street art and are influenced by Shepard Fairey, designer of OBEY Clothing, but they are far from your average copycat print. I liked the designs so much that I even bought a T-shirt as a Christmas gift for my brother.

Harvey’s plans for the future are “to travel and expand the business, looking for new influences and getting Vandal Original known.” To people wishing to start their own businesses he says, “Never give up. If you believe in your brand, it will be successful”. Their new season designs are set to have a camo-print theme and are to be released on the new online store in the next few weeks. I already have my eye on a naughty little summer tee. Visit Vandal Original at: www.vandaloriginal.co.uk @OfficialVandal

Geek tees: love or hate? katy richardson

Seen on celebrities such as Perrie Edwards from Little Mix and American actress Victoria Justice, the new Topshop ‘GEEK Tee’ craze is everywhere. The words are made to stand out from the darker subtle shades of the t-shirts, which immediately draw your attention to the terms ‘GEEK’ or ‘NERD’. These names have become a type of brand,

recognised everywhere and reproduced by many other high street retailers such as New Look and Primark. I must admit though, ‘LUCKY’ and ‘BOOM’ don’t quite have the same effect. Well-known to be either hated or loved, here are some reasons why! LOVE The rich subtle colours such as dark burgundy, emerald green and grey are perfect to go with all sorts of outfits. The oversized shape suits all sizes, perfect with a pair of leggings or skinny jeans. Not only can these t-shirts be pulled off for a casual look, but you could also easily dress them up by tucking them in to a pair of high waisted shorts or disco pants. Also, the rolled up sleeve look is very flattering and in trend at the moment. HATE The phrases are seen everywhere and have become slightly overused. Would you really want people to associate you with the word geek? Or sick? The words are very ‘in your face’ that a logo

Bina Donald, aged 20, undergraduate studying Psychology. Bina’s coat cost her £8 from a charity shop.

Rihanna for River Island

Katey Watkins

Rihanna is the latest designer to cross over to the fashion world with her collaboration with River Island. The urban styled collection was recently shown as part of London Fashion week, with the likes of Cara Delevigne and Jourdan Dunn sitting front row. The collection will be available at selected stores and online on the 5th of March. or image for example would have worked in a much more subtle way. For such a simple t-shirt they are very overpriced at £18 each, and there are many other cheaper options out there. Along with the t-shirts there are also now crop tops (£16) and jumpers/sweaters (£29) available. If these t-shirts are the fashion statement for you, then hurry up and get your hands on one, they’re selling fast!

Andy Reay, aged 20, undergraduate studying English Literature with French and Laura Payne, aged 21, studying English Literature. Andy’s bag is a Cambridge Satchel, and Laura’s bag is Cath Kidston.

30 HEALTH&FOOD

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH No New Year’s resolution? CoppaFeel! Sarah Lienard

Yes, it’s mid-February, but if you’ve given up on all your other New Year’s Resolutions, and you’re one of the half of the population that have breasts, then we’ve got the perfect one to start on now.Start a habit of a lifetime, check your boobs! CoppaFeel! Uni Boob Teams nationwide are asking students to take-up the ultimate New Year’s resolution; this New Year’s resolution doesn’t require a gym membership or willpower by the bucket load… in fact it will take up 5 minutes of your time every month and one day could potentially save your life. ‘What is it?’ I hear you scream. Quite simply we want you to check your boobs. It is that easy. Every month give your boobs the

once over (we suggest in the shower); there is no right or wrong way to do it. Just get coppin’ a feel of your hooters to learn what is normal for you so if you detect a change you can go and get it checked out. CoppaFeel! are on a mission to stamp out late and mis-diagnosis of breast cancer and the best way of doing that is to get everyone in the country checking their boobs regularly. CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity that educates young people on the importance of checking their boobs regularly and knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. It was founded in October 2009 by Kristin Hallenga who herself was misdiagnosed twice with breast cancer at age 23; and now lives with secondary

breast cancer. CoppaFeel! aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that people know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what their boobs look and feel like normally, check their boobs regularly throughout their lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral when they detect abnormalities. If you haven’t already, go and have a chat with your local Uni Boob Team. They will be active all over campus in the next few months to remind students to get a coppin’. Expect Boob Ball, club night takeovers and boob costume bingo! Uni Boob Teams have a whole host of activities up their sleeves in order to get you boob aware. Boob Teams are also inviting students to sign up to CoppaFeel!’s free SMS reminder service, which sends you a free monthly reminder to check your boobs. It’s easy to join: simply text READ to 70500. Kristin Hallenga, Founder of CoppaFeel! explained, “I envisage a world where boob checking is a standard part of a person’s routine,

like brushing your teeth! Start a habit of lifetime today and let’s stamp out late and mis-diagnosis of breast cancer”. At Reading there are loads of things planned for the next term so why not come and get involved? There’s a charity “Boob ball” match with the Dodgeball Club during Give It A Go week so hopefully there’ll be some friendly rivalry between all the Reading Knight’s teams! They’ll also appeared at the volunteeing

fair on the 13th of February so if you want to do something different which means you get to chat to loads of new people and have a laugh making a tit out of yourself then you could be part of next year’s Boob Team! Loads more stuff will be happening so like us on Facebook at http://www. facebook.com/CoppaFeelAtReadingUniversity to keep up to date with what’s going on. For more information on you can get involved, visit www.coopafeel.org.

activities, you may be experiencing migraines. These affect around 15% of adults in the UK, and are more common in women than men due to hormones. There are two types of migraine, with aura and without aura. ‘Aura’ means a series of symptoms preceding the headache, including visual disturbances, such as temporary loss of vision, nausea or vomiting, extreme sensitivity to bright lights and noise, ending with a pulsing pain on one or both sides of the head. The attack can last up to 72

hours and is often followed by several days of weakness and exhaustion. Its best to contact your GP to discuss suitable treatment.

SRSH Column Soothe your headache Rachel Holloway

To start off with some stats; the ‘average’ sized woman is a 14 in the UK. So you’d think our high street stores would recognise this, seeing as we come in all shapes and sizes? Nope. Take Hollister, Jack Wills, Superdry...all have their biggest size as a 14. And mark my words, it’s a small 14. As a former bigger woman, I used to feel marginalised and frustrated with this – I was happy with my body, so why was I being excluded? The effect of ‘size – ist’ clothes stores is damaging our body image. We are no longer left with an individual, unique body: we are labelled. So why not trash the labels? Instead of being stuck into a certain size, measuring whether you’re above/below ‘average’ or not, we’d

like everyone to celebrate their bodies. That’s why on Valentine’s Day SRSH ran an event in the Union called ‘Be Your Own Valentine’ – it’s all about self - love. Also, if you know anyone struggling with body image or food at the moment we’re here. We’re Student Run Self Help (SRSH) and we’re a welcoming crowd who run group sessions for those who are struggling with food. We aim to provide a safe, confidential space for people to come along and chat about what’s going on in their lives and, if they want, about recovery from their issues. We meet fortnightly on Thursday evenings in the HUMMS building. The next meetings are in G57 in HUMMS, 6:30 – 7:30pm on Thursday 21st February, Thursday 7th March and Thursday 21st March.

Sarah Lienard

Ever feel like your head’s been run over by a truck? You’re not alone. More than 10 million of us suffer regular headaches in the UK. So when should you see a doc? If your headaches are so painful they are interfering with day-to-day life, if you feel unwell in between them, if normal painkillers aren’t working, or if you develop any other symptoms, such as weakness, numbness, nausea or slurred speech.

Tension Headaches These are the most common headaches that can occur on a day-today basis, brought on by stress, anxiety, hunger, eye strain or your periods (lucky us, girls!). There are a lot of home remedies that you can try. Try applying a cool, wet flannel to your forehead, get enough sleep, and reduce stress on a daily basis. Painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen can help, but avoid taking them for longer than a few days, as they can cause a vicious cycle of withdrawal headaches.

Migraines If your headaches are so severe that they are interfering with daily

Secondary Headaches Sometimes, headaches can just be one symptom of another problem, such as hangovers, concussion, a side effect from medication, or a symptom of a cold or flu. In these cases treating the root of the problem is the most effective way to stop headaches reaccurring. Try keeping a diary of possible causes.

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

health.spark@reading.ac.uk

HEALTH&FOOD 31

Food Graze: the solution to snacking Katy Richardson

Graze is an online company that allows you to pick and choose from a variety of snacks that will be sent straight to your door. Four snacks will arrive in each Graze box that you order, all based on how high you rate them on their website. It’s an extremely easy and practical way of controlling your bad snacking habits, helping you to swap a

packet of crisps for a portion of healthy dried fruit and nuts! As I said, you have control over what you would like to be sent to you, and with so many options it can be difficult! Fresh bread, marinated olives, flapjacks, popcorn, the list goes on... The great thing about Graze is that you can try it out for free! Everyone’s first Graze box is completely free of charge, so you

can try it for yourself to see if you like it. I decided to choose a Nibble Box, which has over 100 healthy snacks to choose from. There is also the Nutrition Box, which is slightly stricter when it comes to the odd treat now and then. Both options are a great way to keep track of what you’re eating. Once you have chosen the box you want, you have to rate all the nibbles on their website. The higher you rate them, the more likely you’ll receive your favourites! If you’re unsure about some of the snacks then you can choose the ‘Try’ option, so that once you have tried it you’ll know whether you love it or hate it. My Graze Box arrived right on time, and better yet came straight through my letterbox due to its compact packaging, hassle free. The anticipation of not knowing what snacks you’re getting inside adds to the fun of it. Each snack is neatly sealed in its own pot, which means you can save it for a day, week, or even a month. Alongside your delicious snack pots it sends you a handy nutrition list telling you information, such as the amount of calories or what is high

in fibre, minerals and vitamins. I personally was very pleased with the snacks that I had received, particularly the Mississippi BBQ Pistachios. Each Graze box is usually £3.89 with free delivery, which if ordered regularly for students can be quite a strain as there are cheaper options out there. I would however recommend ordering

your very own free Graze box, so that you can see for yourself whether or not it is the snacking option for you. To claim your free Graze Box, go to the Graze website at www. graze.com, and enter your delivery and card details (you can cancel the payments at any time after you receive your first box). Happy snacking!

Pancakes: not just for Pancake Day! Katy Richardson

Hopefully Pancake Day was an excuse for everyone to practice their pancake making skills, but if not then it doesn’t matter because here are some great ideas for everyone to try. Pancakes are delicious all year round and should be made more often. Everyone assumes pancakes are only to be made covered in sugar, syrup, lemon, fruit, chocolate etc, however there are some amazing savoury options too. The easiest way to think about this is substituting what you would usually use in a meal with a

savoury pancake, try to keep the pancake thin, more like a crepe. A thick base would make it far too stodgy and sweet. Here are a few ideas that are definitely worth a try:

Pancake Pizza

Instead of the usual pizza dough base, create your pizza on top of the pancake and stick it under the grill. The base is so thin that you can cover it with as many toppings as you like, although you might want to eat it with a knife and fork to prevent messiness. A lighter option to a regular pizza!

Chicken, beef, whatever the filling, fajitas work just as well inside a pancake. Do a swap instead of the usual plain tortilla wraps, place your stir-fry inside a pancake, and add however many sauces and spices you like.

Pancake Burrito

Similar to fajitas, it’s the plain tortilla wrap that you could swap for a pancake. Burrito’s are usually filled with a lot more ingredients such as mince, rice, vegetables and refried beans, but to make it even more of a treat turn them into enchiladas by covering them with a sauce of your choice and sticking them under the grill. Using the pancakes as an alternative to something is one way you could use them, but you can also create savoury pancakes within the mixture. For example, here are some yummy ideas:

Breakfast Pancake

Just like making an omelette, chop up sausage, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes and add it to your pancake mix. If you still want the egg as well, then poach, fry or scramble one to have on top. A lighter solution to a fry up!

Hash Brown Pancakes

Add potatoes to your mix and you’ve created a much healthier

Courgette Pancakes

pancake. For best results with a

Pancake Fajitas

Alongside your usual pancake recipe, add in some finely sliced courgette, along with any other ingredients such as red peppers and feta cheese. To make your pancakes cooler add 3 or 4 tablespoons of sour cream/yoghurt.

option to hash browns. Why not try

adding sweetcorn and onions for added flavour and texture. Perfect as a side to any meal, such as chicken or fish, with your full english, or served just with ketchup for a light bite. So there you have it, pancakes don’t have to be sweet all the time. Try out some of these ideas and see which ones you like the best and then who knows? Maybe next year Pancake Day could be all about savoury!

32 POLITICAL COMMENT politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

POLITICAL COMMENT News in brief

Papal resignation: Don’t bash the bishop Calum Mcintyre Rogers

Prince’s Filipino Fun

Prince Philip has once again made the news, talking to a young nurse from the Philippines about how “her country must be half empty”. Okay, so lets not take this out of context. The whole quote is “The Philippines must be half empty you’re all here running the NHS!”, which was said to the nurse’s amusement when unveiling a new £5.5 million cardiac centre. Honestly, its probably much more insulting to be accused of running the NHS, which is still billions in debt and desperately in need of decent management, and is far less insulting than some of the older faux-pas, including a particular comment about developing “squinty eyes” in Asian countries and congratulating a student returning from Papua New Guinea for not getting eaten! Still, gives the palace press office something to do i suppose!

Tesco still horsing about Horse-gate has continued throughout this month, prompting a major search of several businesses throughout Europe in an attempt to root out what now seems to be a giant criminal conspiracy to defraud the meat industry. Including a farm and meat packing plant in the UK, it seems that Germany, Belgium, France, Holland and Spain are all involved in the illegal use of horse meat in just about every meal imaginable! Politically, this has been damaging to both the oversight bodies in many of these counties and the customs services, both of whom are now under investigation for allowing the illegal import of substances, as well as a severe lack of testing in produce, which has now been ordered and strictly scrutinised.

To wit, Twiiter Lord Macalpine, wrongly condemned as a paedophile and recent beneficiary of over £200,000 in compensation from various media outlets including the BBC, has finally dropped his claims against over 500 twitter users who named him in their feeds. In a statement, Lord McAlpine said he would like to bring the “unfortunate episode” to a close and would cover all administration costs for the low-circulation Twitter libels. Quite rightly, he in now directing his lawyers onto his libel case aganist the spotlight seeking, gaffe prone wife of the speaker, Saly Bercow. In December, Mrs Bercow’s lawyers confirmed McAlpine’s legal team had made a claim for libel damages, limited to £50,000, over a tweet she sent regarding the Newsnight investigation.

Pistorus Detective in own murder charges The world community was shocked this week as Olympic and Paralympc athelete and gold medal winner Oscar Pistorius has been accused of the premeditated murder of his long-time girlfriend. However, in a new shock the lead detective, who only yesterday was leading the prosecution’s case, has been charged with the unlawful killings relating to a state vehicle “opening fire on a mini-bus full of passengers” sometime two years ago. While the timing is incredibly suspicious, it does throw light on some already dubious statements made in Pistorus bail hearing, including problems with both witness statements and ballistics. Possibly this could be a major thorn in the side of the Pistorus prosecution.

So cheerio then Ben Ratzinger, 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Waving goodbye to a retiring Pontiff is an unusual opportunity - they tend to exit their office wearing a wooden suit, and no Pope has resigned for just under 600 years. Previous Papal resignations were typically owing to politics. the Papacy having previously been a senior political role in Europe.

No Pope has resigned for nearly 600 years Ratzinger’s resignation was a surprise for most, this writer included, but it is understandable. Ratzinger’s Papacy has been fraught with problems for His Holiness, including health problems even before his 2005 inauguration. He had a stroke in 1991, another in 2005 and he was secretly hospitalised in 2009 after injuring himself in a fall. The challenges of the role appear to have been too much for an 85 year old man, who has chosen to retire into prayer. He has vowed not to return to politics. Early abdications (although the term is not used by the Holy See) are arguably becoming precedent in this day and age. In late January, 75 year old Dutch Queen Bea-

Ciao bene: Benedict XVI has chosen to resign after 8 years in office Image courtesy of the Associated Press trix abdicated the throne to make way for her son, 45 year old Prince Willem. With lifespans getting longer but the challenges of functioning as head of state not diminishing, elderly leaders with ‘till death’ appointments may begin to retire early more frequently, making way for the young. Now that the precedent is there, Monarchs and other aristocrats across the globe taking

their pension and spending their remaining years in peace may soon become the norm. His term has been difficult and controversial for the Church, embroiled in abuse scandals and now the possibility money laundering in the Vatican bank, but despite that, this writer wishes His Holiness a happy retirement.

Why can’t a woman be a Pope? Nathalie Lowe

Pope Benedict XVI shocked Catholics world wide on the 11th after declaring that he would be resigning due to his declining health, making him the first to do so since 1415. A papal conclave will find a successor who will be elected before the end of March. Popular candidates for the role include Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson (who would become the first African pope), Angelo Scola the conservative archbishop of Milan and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. But why can’t the next pope be a woman? We have laws that prohibit Insert headline here sex discrimination in employment, yet exceptions are clearly made Political Comment is still on the lookout for writers to fill headlines and for religious organisations. On the get opinions across. You need no background in writing or journalism, surface of things, it seems that part what we’re looking for are opinions and ideas. of this is issue is because equality Do you disagree with something we’ve said? Or perhaps want to see has not yet been achieved in lower your opinion put forward? Or just want to write and beef up the CV. ranks yet. Contact us at: So if a woman can’t become the Sparkpolcom@gmail.com pope, can she at least become a bishop? Unfortunately, equality here is polluted by theological doctrine. The Church of England authorised

the ordination of woman priests in 1992 and began ordaining them in 1994, but the issue of women being ordained as bishops is controversial and was voted against by the Church of England general synod in 2012.

“We have employment laws that prohibit sexual discrimination at work, yet not in the Church?” Bishop Graham Wale, from the Liberal Catholic Church does not ordain women. His explanation for this is that the female body does not effectively channel the masculine energies of Christ, and therefore are unable to enact the Sacraments. So Wale believes that ordination does not just allow a man to perform the day-to-day duties of a priest, it also imparts to him an indelible spiritual character that

makes him a priest, and since Christ and His Apostles chose only men to be priests, only men can validly become priests. Therefore according to the Liberal Catholic Church, to question whether women can have a place in the church demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding in the job description. Which although may satisfy the beliefs of many (male) priests, bishops and indeed popes, it’s pretty unfortunate for all the girls aspiring to be religious leaders out there. Not all religions are based around a deity whose work cannot be done by members of the opposite sex however. There are no priests at all in Sikhism, after Guru Gobind Singh abolished them after noting the institution was corrupt. He then appointed the Sikh holy book as his successor as Guru instead of an inevitably fallible human. Sikhs hold the belief of complete gender equality, meaning both men and women can reach the highest levels of spirituality. So maybe there is hope yet for women in the Church.

Spark* Friday 22nd February 2013

politics.spark@reading.ac.uk

There’s no state like that of the Union Adam ROberts

Under a banner of bi-partisan bickering and through a senate of scandal, this month saw President Obama complete his constitutional duty and report on ‘the state of the Union’ to a joint session of Congress which currently he can have little love for. Considering this, there seemed plenty of reason for congressmen to be happy, as Obama set out an incredibly bipartisan, if slightly lacklustre agenda for the coming year, chief amongst which were a co-opted Republican middle class tax cut, a new promise to tackle the debt crisis and once again promising to improve education and healthcare, with little success.

“Obama set out an incredibly bipartisan if slightly lacklustre agenda for the coming year” More surprising still, despte two conformation battles and a media storm before the new session is called, the President was interrupted or paused for applause over 90 times, with some of the most popular sections, including immigration reform, being the least popular during the election year, providing fodder for late night comedians across the networks. Despite this, the President’s performance was certainly stylish, but many have questioned the substance of what he was saying. He started well, championing bipartisanship in a segment on taxation reform and the budget deficit, noting in particular how “over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the

deficit by more than $2.5 trillion... but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans”, causing a storm of applause. However, when adressing the actual problem, he only noted that he was open to Medicare cuts, closing tax loopholes and “other suggested reforms”, which might be deemed by some commentators surprisingly unspecific for a half hour session of honest, stunning rhetoric. Obama did well in saving the controversial topics for later, having sailed gloriously past the midpoint peak of the speech on a tide of positivity and the ‘American Jobs Act’. It’s possible to count the number of times the phrase “middle class” emerged during this speech, but one would almost certainly lose count, get bored or die trying; it’s quite clear who watches the State of the Union and who the President was keen to win over. Unfortunately, many are likely to balk at the later section, before the traditional naming of those examples of heroism the president’s staff have been able to wrangle for an invite. Particularly troubling to the Republican House majority was the clean air packages, an unpopular issue with many voters, and while they were happy to flipflop on immigration policy many were still opposed to much of the overall programme.

“...mismanaged, gaffeplagued, right-winged hatchet job of Senator Marco Rubio’s response to the State of the Union.” When all is said and done there can be no doubt the President was on top form, and did announce some

tentative changes in almost every policy area, although personally one might worry about his overall clarity of position, especially in specific areas that the President usually scores highly in. What was even better for the incumbent Democrat was the highly mismanaged, gaffeplagued, right-winged hatchet job of Senator Marco Rubio’s response to the State of the Union.

“The President was interrupted or paused for applause over 90 times” Rubio, one of the only Hispanic Republican Senators, made this desperate attempt to regain the lost masses of the Latino minority and it was well bungled throughout. Firstly, it seemed much of the speech was written before the President delivered it live, and therefore suffered in comparison. Much seemed to be Republican ideals tagged to oppose Obama, which when taken against the actual speech was not only non-contextual but entirely inaccurate! And it seems that while Obama managed over three hours without a sip of water, Rubio ducked comically off set to grab a small bottle of water, seemingly unable to last and leaving much of the political classes in stitches. In this last there can be no doubt Obama was lucky, with much of the spotlight shone on a Republican nominee-hopeful who, despite his Spanish speeches, will have taken a real blow. However, he has a long way to go before he can guarantee the White House for the Democrats, and in lean times it is not rhetoric, but action that America needs. Let’s hope he can still provide.

Liberty, Freedom and Section Five SEAN oakley

Liberty (and the inalienable rights such as free speech it entails) is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has been the inspiring principle behind countless movements throughout the ages. It may have surprised the average person on the street if you told them that, until recently, only an insult could have landed you in court. The National Secular Society’s (NSS) Reform Section 5 campaign was based around the common sense idea that offence is an inherently subjective notion, and its resulting formlessness makes it (under any circumstances) an impossible basis for a justifiable legal system. To make offending someone a criminal act demeans both the law and the freedom it is supposed to protect, and this is exactly what Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act is responsible for; it claims that the state has the wisdom and the authority to decide what you, or others, might find insulting.

“ignoring the fact that the only reason these cases were dropped ... was because of the publicity that they had attracted” As well as the NSS, various institutions including the Peter Tatchell Foundation, the Freedom Association, the Christian Institute, and the Bow Group called for the reform of Section 5. This clearly non-partisan collection of individuals is a testament to the universality of aiming to reform the Public Order Act. As Rowan

It’s Work Fair, but not Work Free Bernard Woolley

With a legal debacle that will have the opposition cheering in the aisles, the Department of Work and Pensions and its ever beleaugered head Ian Duncan Smith are back in the news with a failed court case, emergency litigation and a serious back-pedal on benefit legislation. In a case brought by graduate Cat Reilly, who was forced to work for two weeks in a Poundland in order to continue with her benefit payments, it was decided by judges in the Court of Appeals that it was

not only unfair but also that the laws themselves were, in essence, illegal and deemed unfit, prompting an emergency session of Parliament and the passing of several quick changes in Back to Work legislation.

“It’s ridiculous to this is forced labour.”

say

Ms Reilly’s point was well made, that she was in voluntary employment building her CV, and that she

should not have been forced to work, for free, for the benefit of a company that already makes millions and does nothing for her employment prospects in the future. Unfortunately, the case was undermined by the politically motivated ranting of Ms Reilly’s lawyer, who launched into a tirade against the government that attempted to politicise an already political victory and considerably cheapened the overall effort. Tessa Gregory, of Public Interest Lawyers and quite possibly the Labour Party, said: “This judgment sends Iain Duncan

Political comment 33

Smith back to the drawing board to make fresh regulations which are fair”, which was quickly backed up by the General secretary of the TUC and others, describing the policy absurdly as “forced labour”. Of course, this case can be taken out of context as such, but in fact mostly boiled down to one job centre not following the litigation, and exploiting a loophole to their to their own gain and mostly against the general gist of government policy. The real point, which is well made, is that law should not allow such loopholes and that in terms of

Atkinson put it, whenever people claim that such a ludicrous law would never be acted upon, they are “ignoring the fact that the only reason these cases were dropped [i.e. calling a police horse ‘gay’] was because of the publicity that they had attracted”. One should not aim to gratuitously offend, but to prosecute such actions misses the fundamental point that occasionally what some individuals deem “insulting” is necessary to resist oppression. And there is the simple truth that, no matter your intention, retaliation can be inexcusably disproportionate; a category under which any sane person must put the criminal law in response to merely insulting behaviour.

“This victory is worth celebrating, even if there is still so much to do” However, irrespective of the damage Section 5 has caused we can be unreservedly grateful for all the efforts advocates for its reform have put into their campaigns, because our goals have finally been achieved. On the 14th of January 2013, the Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs that Section 5 would be dropped as the government wouldn’t overturn the amendment proposed by the House of Lords. This victory is worth celebrating, even if there is still so much to do, for in a healthy and democratic society there are few freedoms more sacred than the ability to speak one’s mind - a thing some of us have yet to realise.

peoples livlehoods unacceptable.

this

entirely

In political terms, this is deeply damaging for the government, possibly more than it should be, but has been quickly and concisely dealt with and already an appeal in the Supreme Court is underway. Mark Hogan, the Minister for Employment, pointed out that the court “backed our right” to require people to take part in work programs, adding “it’s ridiculous to say this is forced labour.” However, in a more efficient system this would have never made it to court, and the DWP must take its fair share of the blame! IDS: must do better, minister!

34 SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY Editorial

Yo yo people, Change is happening. The succeeding editor has been chosen so this means this is last issue for David and I here at Spark*; the reins of section editor are being taken over by Jenna Grabey. It is sad having to leave editing duties as I’ve had a lot of fun with this section. I hope that you all have enjoyed reading these two pages as much as I have in helping putting it together. While I’m writing our last editorial David has written his own farewell piece over on our second page. Over my time here I have seen a lot of interesting articles come in and it’s hard to really pinpoint my favourite one. Many thanks to all that have written in before I encourage you all to carry on to continue contributions to the brilliant section. My personal goal with the section was to make some technology issues more accessible to people and I hope I achieved this, especially through the articles that I personally wrote in. This issue has an article from the incoming scitech editor, Jenna, about brain imaging and one on climate change. I’ve also written article on the recent incident that has put the Pirate Bay in unfamiliar territory. I wish Jenna the best of luck with the section and look forward to reading it over the last term and half I have left at Reading. Stay strong brothers, peace. Vinay

Want to contribute to Spark* Science & Technology? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with us by email: scitech. spark@reading.ac.uk and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ groups/scitech.spark/

Unmasking neuroscience

Are you smarter than a dead salmon? (Image: Timothy Knepp, Wikimedia Commons) Jenna Grabey

Brain imaging studies are becoming increasingly prolific in the news and on websites, blogs and journals. Some of these have good internal and external validity, methodology and peer reviews, however a substantial amount do not. The study of brain imaging had its inception back in 1895 on the 8th November when Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays, and since this time methods and analysis for investigating functional and anatomical aspects of the brain have ever since improved and are still doing so today. These days when a ‘brain scan’ is mentioned it is usually referring to Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) which claims to be a direct measure of brain activity. This is false. FMRI is indeed more informative than an X-ray but it is not a direct measure of brain activity as credible news sites like to claim. I shall refrain from name dropping here, but if you come across any such articles you will know. This article is to tell you what to look out for when reading about brain imaging studies, and will hopefully make an entertaining read too! In reality FMRI is a measure of oxygenated blood; more precisely a measure of oxyhaemoglobin (oxygenated haemoglobin). The premise is that higher amounts of oxygen are required in the neurons that are doing the work (cognition requires certain neurons to perfuse so they need more oxygen). This neuronal work increases the concentration of oxyhaemoglobin at these sites and decreases

deoxyhaemoglobin and it is this that indicates localised activity in FMRI. As blood supply is limited, an average adult has 8 – 10 pints of blood in their system, so a decrease of oxyhaemoglobin indicates reduction of neuronal activity. All sounds good so far but, and there are some big ‘buts’ coming up. FMRI signal does not distinguish between actual activity and inhibitory activity in the brain. This ambiguity exists because these types of responses generate increased levels of oxyhaemoglobin, and there is currently no way to tell them apart. So what might be described as a critical location of activation is actually the exact opposite. On top of this, when blood leaves the brain it tends to flow through the larger veins as opposed to smaller ones, this then affects the FMRI signal by indicating brain activity even though this is many neurons away from the actual location of activity. If you have ever wondered as to why or how the brain uses approximately 20% of our energy resources (even when we don’t have deadlines to meet) this is because the brain demands a lot more energy (in the form of oxygenated blood including glucose) than what it actually consumes (so why do our brains get tired...?) In regards to brain scanning this means that what is being measured is our greedy brains demand for all this extra energy, rather than what we use during specific tasks which is what is measured in experiments. “This Is Your Brain on Politics” (New York Times, Nov. 11) claimed that it is possible to read the minds of potential voters by

watching their brain activity while they viewed the candidates. For a start neuroscience does not claim to read minds. Neuroscience is the study of the brain and the encompassing nervous system. It seeks to describe the functioning of the brain in the healthy and non-healthy in order to cure and prevent diseases and disorders that lay in the brain. One of my favourite articles by a neuroscientist critiquing FMRI is “FMRI Gets Slap in the Face with a Dead Fish”(Neuroskeptic blog). Back in 2009 neuroscientist Craig Bennett put a dead salmon in a FMRI scanner which was shown a series of photographs of humans in various social situations. Then just for effect he ‘asked’ the salmon what emotion the human in each photograph was experiencing. Although this is high on the scale when it comes to comedy value, what is worrying is that the dead fish showed brain

activation!

Apparently

dead

salmon can distinguish between human emotions. This was due to the statistics used. Basically if multiple comparisons correction is not used then scientific methods manage to find neural activation in deceased fish. However if it is used then you don’t. What is more concerning is that many FMRI publications still report “uncorrected” results.

Always

look out for the corrected results if reading a paper! So the bottom line is if reading a journal article make sure the data has been “corrected” and if reading else where then keep in mind that FMRI is not as direct as some like you to believe.

charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/744/Perform_ Better_on_Brain_Tests.aspx#

scitech.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

Are we feeling the effects of climate change? Emma Willis

2012 started deep in drought but despite this, the year was the second wettest on record in the UK. Normally, we Britons are no strangers to heavy rain for days on end, but what 2012 threw at us was something different. Floods raged up and down the country from the north east to the south west, taking lives and costing millions of pounds in insurance payouts. Climate change sceptics are correct to claim that these extreme weather events occur naturally, year on year around the world. We only have to look back to see examples of this: 2000 was the UK’s wettest year on record, and 2003 was the year of the European heatwave, responsible for killing tens of thousands of people. Natural cycles often trigger such extremes in our climate, for example, the Southern Oscillation (a variation in ocean current temperature which causes different weather patterns) can control if a region suffers from drought or flooding. However, these events are now becoming a more regular occurrence, and not just in one part of the world but all at once, making many point to human induced climate change as a cause.

An artists impression of climate change Even though the year is only a month old, it is shaping up to be a strange one weather wise. Already, Australia has been plagued by some of its worst wildfires, caused by abnormally high temperatures; extreme winter weather has hit the Middle East including torrential rain, high winds and snow; and temperatures have reached minus 15°C off the coast of China, freezing thousands of ships in the coastal waters. We cannot be sure if our recent extreme weather is due to human

activity. The only thing we can be sure of is that the weather is becoming more extreme - it is this we should be worried about. Action is needed to protect us and defend our property from the extreme weather, otherwise the economic and humanitarian cost of will be great. It has been snowing and flooding so far this year, but with our recent weather we should always be prepared for drought. Will 2012 be remembered as the year the weather went off the rails?

SCIENCE&TECHNOLOGY 35

All good things come to an end I’ve enjoyed the ride but it’s time I have to get off and let someone else have a go. This seems like a good opportunity to share a few bits of wisdom I’ve gained during my time as an Editor. I don’t claim to have mastered the art of being an Editor and I feel I certainly have room for improvement but I’ve definitely learned a bit about what it takes. The main thing I’ve learned is that it’s important to cast your net wide and always be on the hunt for submissions and new content. Encourage contributors to send things in regardless of deadline. Sure, let people know the deadline for making it into the next issue but focusing too much on the deadline can be a red herring. Something that arrives too late for a forthcoming issue is actually early for the following one. Of course, for stories that will become ‘outdated’ the deadline becomes a lot more important. The other bit of advice I want to emphasise is related to the above: engaging with contributors is really important. This means regular contact in some form,

whether it’s in-person meetings or email or Facebook, it’ll help to develop and maintain a healthy stream of new incoming content. Whatever the publication, it’s nothing without content: writers are its lifeblood and article submissions are its oxygen! I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys reading or writing on a particular field to consider working as an editor in that area - in my case I’ve found that it’s helped to draw my attention to interesting stories and angles that I might not otherwise have been aware of... If you’re interested in being a SciTech Editor we still have room for another, so do get in touch if you’d like to know more. Or if Science & Technology isn’t quite your thing, I know some other sections are also still looking, so contact the section you’re interested in to find out how you can help! David Thai

Pirating the pirates on the sea of hypocrisy Vinay Chauhan

The Pirate Bay has filed a complaint with police in Finland after the Finnish anti-piracy group (CIAPC) completely copied their website design, including the CSS file, which is the style sheet for the website. The website therefore looks incredibly similar but with a few notable differences; the pirate ship is an image of one sinking and every link goes to a message leading to legally obtainable content.

“Stealing material like this on the internet is a threat to economies worldwide” The Pirate Bay seems unhappy with the anti-piracy group’s use of their property without their permission stating, “We are outraged by this behavior. People must understand what is right and wrong. Stealing material like this on the internet is a threat to economies worldwide.” The user agreement of the The Pirate Bay allows copying and free use of their site materials with prior

consent and “reserves the right to charge for usage of the site in case this policy is violated” with the fee being $5000 plus bandwith fees. Most people looking at this from the surface would detect a huge amount of hypocrisy (even with the tongue in cheek statement) about all this but the story has some depth to it. The CIAPC and the Pirate Bay aren’t on exactly friendly terms. As well as being on opposing sides of file sharing war across the waters of the internet, they have some personal connections. The CIAPC supported the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in a law suit against the Pirate Bay administrators not too soon after piling pressure in getting Finnish ISPs to block access to the Pirate Bay. So it could be seen as simply a like for like retaliation.

Natural born file-sharer that was a 9 year old girl Further making the CIAPC a target for the Pirate Bay is the world renown incident of the 9 year old girl and her Winnie-the-

Parody or pirating? The CIAPC’s copycat site. Pooh laptop. Much has already been sensationalised about this story, but this new incident is a good time to refresh people’s memories of it, or create them if you didn’t already know. In 2011 the CIAPC managed to track down from an IP address the natural born file-sharer that was a 9 year old girl. After demands of a $600 settlement fee were refused by her father, the police raided the house and impounded the girl’s laptop. These settlements are close to blackmail and recent

cases in the UK have been thrown out for lack of due process, but there are a worrying amount that actually do succeed. The number is hard to actually gauge as the settlement usually includes a NDA agreement about the whole affair. This case highlights many of the issues with these anti-piracy groups who so often fly the flag for what is right and a sense of justice. But either through their overzealous actions or perhaps their desire to source new avenues of income, they

more often than not show what is wrong and unjust. The Pirate Bay have said they would pay from any settlements from this for a new laptop for the girl. There are a couple more aspects to this case however. The Pirate Bay is counting on a win-win situation; if they are successful with their claim they can purchase that new Winniethe-Pooh laptop and if they lose they can be involved in setting the precedent for more relaxed parody laws in Finland. The right to parody has been petitioned for as part of a Common Sense in Copyright movement and any legal steps forward would be considered progress. Other small facets of this case are that it would also judge impartiality of the prosecutors in Finland, by holding them to a scrutiny that doesn’t often get seen, considering the Pirate Bay is usually on the opposing end it would be interesting to see how their complaints are dealt with. Either way this seems to be a small blow for anti-piracy groups; it shows that they cannot possibly care about copyright protection if they are willing to violate it themselves, even if to test the hypocrisy of their opponents.

36 GAMING gaming.spark@reading.ac.uk

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

GAMING Chivalry: Medieval Warfare

In Patnership with www.ZiiP.co.uk

A less than pleasant trip down memory lane

Jake Askew

First things first; Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is an FPS. No... Hang on a moment – FPS means ‘First Person Shooter’, which doesn’t describe this at all, as Chivalry is more like a ‘First Person Hackand-Slash’. So, there we have it friends, what we’re reviewing today is a great example of the well-known ‘FPHS’ genre! Chivalry is the first game by Torn Banner Studios, which began by creating a Half-Life Two mod that they called Age of Chivalry. After some success with the mod, the company funded the full game through Kickstarter, which has meant that the fans have had some input as to how the game has been developed. Chivalry makes a great effort to place you firmly in the shoes of medieval soldiers in a fictional war between the fictional ‘Agatha Knights’ and the equally makebelieve ‘Mason Order’. Being a purely multiplayer experience, all the interaction between the Agatha and Masons is player against player, so don’t be expecting any kind of backstory or grand single player campaign, as there is none. The only introduction lore of the game is the very short tutorial at the very beginning of the game. But you won’t learn much there; its when Chivalry throws you out into the online servers that you will truly start to learn everything you need to master the combat.

At the beginning of your Chivalry career, the control scheme may seem a bit strange: Left Mouse Button swings your chosen weapon in a horizontal arc, which is all well and good, but your other two attacks involve either rolling the mouse wheel forwards or backwards to stab forwards or strike from overhead respectively. Initially it takes some getting used to but once you’ve got the technique right, you will be rolling your mouse wheel like a madman as you stab and slash your way to victory. And there are so many ways to do so. One of this games major appeals is the range of weaponry that is offered to you, allowing you to completely customize your equipment. This means that you will easily find a play style that suits you almost immediately. These weapons are smartly divided by which class you want to play: Archer, Man-atArms, Vanguard and Knight being your choice of classes. Each are well-balanced in the usual ways; the Man-at-arms has little armour and is limited to one-handed weapons, but is the quickest class and has a handy dodge manoeuvre to confuse your opponents. At the other end of the spectrum is the Knight, who crawls forward like a snail wielding a variety of twohanded swords and axes and can take as many hits as Mike Tyson. But keep your cool and with a bit skill (and a little bit of luck) any

This man has had his Weetabix. Have you?

You might want to start running right about now. Just a suggestion class can beat another. Chivalry is defiantly a skilled-based game, with victory only obtainable with a mastery of the mechanics and a set of tactics and experience for each classes. Once you have these, the battlefield is yours for the taking. The game has a few different modes to play; your standard Team Deathmatch and Free-For-All modes make their usual appearances, but it is the game’s more inventive modes that help make this game as fun as it is. Team Objective is a wonderful game mode

that sets you a variety of tasks depending on the map. These include pushing a bomb cart up to a castle gate in order to breach the walls in a siege, burning down the enemies village while they desperately try to stop you, and one particularly savage objective that tasks you with murdering the peasant townsfolk before the opposing team can stop you. You can even attempt to murder their king... But hey, this is (Medieval) war and you know what they say about war and love. The game supports up to 32 players in 16-a-side matches and conflicts become glorious, medieval mayhem when fighting over objectives, whether it is a cart full of corpses or a king. However, it isn’t all smoothsailing with Chivalry. The game generally runs very smoothly, but there are moments when the frame-rate takes a horrendous dive, no matter what your shiny, diamond-encrusted PC can accomplish. This occasionally meant that in the middle of an intense battle you may suddenly be thrown down to the depths of 12fps and have your head lopped off as your avatar stands dumbly by. This is frustrating to say the least, but luckily these dives only occur for a short while, normally about a minute, and so you are quickly back on form. Chivalry also occasionally suffers from problems with the match finder and server browser, meaning that you will occasionally

be confronted with a totally blank server list. Torn Banner have promised to fix the issue, promising to keep releasing as many updates as it takes to fix the issues. And speaking of updates, Chivalry has recently received a free update patch. This has added three new maps, five new weapons (including the infuriating flail) and a new game mode: Duel, which pits you against a single opponent in a fight for honour and survival. This is as fun as it is addictive and you will find yourself wanting to beat absolutely all the players that come against you, the urge to prove yourself one-on-one, toe-totoe, combat (across 10 new maps) is perhaps one of the most inspired (and addictive) features of this game. This new content, along with the promise of official modding tools, should hopefully keep players coming back for more medieval themed mayhem, and leave you entertained for hours. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is highly addictive and the game mechanics are relatively sound. However, it is occationally let down by its glitches and fairly common minor frame-rate dives. But as this could all change with a downloadable patch, who truly knows what awaits this game? Apart from oceans of blood. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a PC exclusive and is available for £11.99 from ZiiP or £18.99 on Steam.

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

DEBATE 37

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

Debate

Marriage is for the procreation of children. Yes

Harriet Weston

The Government’s main aim should be to foster an environment in which family life and family values can flourish, and what better way to do this than to create a legal bind between couples that will essentially make them ‘one’, forming a united parental pair. This is marriage. The step a couple takes when they decide to get married is momentous and not something that should be taken lightly. Marriage is messy. It throws two people together in an abruptly new environment that many find hard to deal with, including the sharing of finances and a domestic dwelling. Marriage is an ideal choice when thinking of having children due to the stability it brings to their lives and also to the parents, having someone to rely on emotionally and financially. To raise a family is an expensive chore that demands a person’s full attention, something that is extremely hard to do if they are on their own. Therefore, one should be cautious when entering into this legal agreement, as it is for the longhaul and to divorce is painfully time-consuming and expensive. It would be easier if a couple (who do not wish to involve children in their relationship) remain unmarried. Marriage will deaden any relationship that does not care for the procreation of children, but instead desire an exciting, unpredictable and ultimately selfish life. It is not a bad thing to be selfish, but it is when one enters into a marriage and the agreement to have children without considering the ‘til death do us part’ element of both arrangements. Marriage, quite naturally, settles a person down into a routine that some people will not be comfortable with and will thus become bored, wanting a divorce. Or, alternatively, a person may pretend everything is fine until one day they break down and their partner and children are suddenly thrown out of sync because they could not face their own unsuitability at being a parent and spouse. Thus, the question you should ask yourself before making this lifechanging choice is whether you are

Amy Thomas

selfless enough to sacrifice your life to a significant other, as well as to children.

If the answer is positive,

Marriage is the act of declaring love and

then by all means marry, but if it is negative then do not bother as marriage will be more trouble for you in the long-term.

Having children

commitment between two people

is akin to getting a full-time job that one can never quit, no matter how hard and overwhelming it becomes.

Consequently, one needs the

support of another person, ideally a partner who is reliable and steady. It is therefore obvious that one should

extremely

wary

when

considering having a family outside of

marriage,

for

marriage

prom-

ises the support one needs when raising children including legal aid when the worst happens and either one or both of the parents are unable

provide

for

the

children.

Marriage does not have to be confined to stereotypes of the past, with

being

between

man

and

It is unjust to claim that parenthood is improper without the ‘correct’ circumstances

woman, the former sat in front of the TV and the wife in the kitchen. One should be secure enough in oneself and in one’s relationship to not need a label to define the love they share and

feel it necessary

to show the world that their love is ‘official’ thanks to the Government. In the end, that is what marriage is – a legal document officiated by the Government.

There is no allu-

sion to the love or deep friendship felt between two persons wanting to stay together for life and accordingly, one should not be offended if one is not married.

Your love is

just as valid as those who are married, the difference being a label.

Marriage will deaden any relationship that does not care for the procreation of children

To say that marriage is for the procreation of children is essentially claiming that a person must possess an official document in order to have a family. It is a ludicrous statement which devalues people’s life choices and discriminates against many of the family units which exist in society today. Marriage is the act of declaring love and commitment between two people before family and friends. It is an enormous step to take in a relationship: to say that it is purely for the purpose of having children draws attention away from its sanctity and significance. Marriage should not have direct links with having a family as this creates ties between marriage and parenthood: why must the two concepts be so tightly conjoined? They are two separate life choices and it should not be essential to have one in order to have the other. Furthermore, what about couples who are unable have children? According to this claim, that would mean that there is ‘no point’ in them getting married. Their love for one another cannot be officiated and celebrated due to their inability to procreate. This would encourage the view that couples who are not married and do not have children are somewhat beneath those who do. How can we dictate and judge people’s relationships, and put some above others? Being unable to conceive is often a harrowing and emotionally challenging situation for couples, and to link this with marriage is unjust and discriminatory. It is arguable that this claim should be adhered to in many religious traditions due to the teachings regarding marriage and procreation. However, the Christian faith for example gives marriage such value and utmost importance, so why can love not be celebrated in reflection of this, without the obligation and pressure to have children? Above all, religious couples should be able to affirm their love in their place of worship in the eyes of God, without any kind of pressure or ‘contract’ that dictates the essentiality of having children. Religion should be the

leading

example

liberal

values.

In addition, the above claim is insulting single

and

offensive

parents,

married

gay

couples,

couples

and

all

family

towards

with

other units

un-

children

‘non-standard’ across

society.

If marriage is for the procreation of children, this suggests that without

marriage,

these

couples

and

single parents are unable or unsuitable to care for and bring up their children.

There

are

many

single

parents who cope excellently with children

without

being

married

and the same goes for gay couples. Thus, it is ridiculous to dictate the

situation

which

cur,

and

circumstances should

unjust

claim

parenthood out

and

procreation

the

improper

‘correct’

octhat with-

circumstances.

Marriage, a part from the wedding

ceremony,

private

essentially

segment

someone’s

life that no one bar the volved

should

their

straight

allowed from

gay,

should

without

else

child-bearing

couple

marry

anyone

with

Therefore,

child-less,

couple in-

concerned

marriage.

they or

and

hassle

celebrate

the love they share as they so wish. In these modern times, no one should cated ality.

restricted

either

but love

gender

Marriage

bind, to

feel

suffo-

sexu-

legal

may

allows

freedom

two

people.

between

Above all, marriage and having and

children

are

significant

both life

wonderful

choices,

and

neither should be forced together with the other.

They are two sep-

arate concepts and each in itself should be given the individual respect and sanctity that it deserves.

38 COMMENT

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

comment

EU Panel proposes media regulations James Hockaday

Last month proposals for tighter media regulations and media related laws for all 27 member states of the EU were heard from a previously unacknowledged group from within the EU’s European Commission. The group, known as The High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism, founded by one of the many European Commission Vice Presidents, Neelie Kroes, has proposed in their report that “all EU countries should have independent media councils with a politically and culturally balanced and socially diverse membership.” The group says that these councils should have the power to issue fines and orders for apologetic broadcasts/publications and the power to remove people of their journalistic status for journalistic misconduct.

The media is often seen as a bridge between the public and the government that provides checks and balances. These proposals are most likely a product of a post Leveson world. The can of worms that was opened

during and after the UK’s tabloid phone hacking scandal and the Leveson inquiry that followed it has turned public opinion against some less than reputable practices in the media, and this has perhaps spurred calls for tighter media regulations. However, it would be wise for the High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism to recognise the potential dangers of governmental (or in this case intergovernmental) regulation of the press. Freedom of the press is widely held as one of the core values of any modern liberal democracy, and if it begins to be regulated by councils that are labelled as ‘independent’, but will ultimately be created and controlled by Brussels, then there is a danger that this could be the beginning of a slippery slope. Whilst it’s true that something should be done to prevent the journalistic scandal that the Leveson inquiry shined a light on, this doesn’t mean that it is the responsibility of a European-Commission-run initiative or any form of government for that matter. The group bases most of its proposals with the Leveson Inquiry in mind, claiming that the report “offered overwhelming evidence” that self-regulation of the press could lead to “gross abuses of journalistic privileges, the breaking of elementary ethical standards, and even activities

subject to the criminal code”. While it’s true that this is a risk of a free and unregulated press, couldn’t the power that the proposed regulatory councils also be open to abuse? The proposers have ensured that members will be selected to ensure checks and balances, but if they are selected directly by the European Commission then there is at least a chance that members of these regulatory councils will not be picked impartially and could be picked to serve the favour of the commission. This is all just speculation as the plan has not been put into practice, but the potential for abuse of power is still there just as it is in the media.

These proposals are most likely a product of a post-Leveson world The media is often seen as a bridge between the public and the government that provides checks and balances. They have the power to reveal governments’ actions to the general public and because of this; a free and unregulated press can keep the government in check in fear of disreputable activities being revealed to the general public. If Europe’s press begins to be con-

The Pancake Day deal Gabrielle Linnett

Pancake Day traditionally held the purpose of preparing households for the forty days of Lent which follow it; the idea was to use the ingredients to rid cupboards of the foods that were to be resisted for Lent.

Many see the opportunity as a chance to rid themselves of bad habits Naturally times have changed and as with events like Christmas and Easter, the significance of religious grounding diminishes and emphasis is placed on the fun factor – flipping and eating pancakes. It appears that this annual day devoted to the simple-yet-delicious discs is

enjoyed by all who salivate at warm stacks of pancakes with melting ice-cream, or whatever their fancy may be. People consume pancakes all year round, but the novelty of everyone eating them on the same day makes the activity more fun. Despite casting a seemingly shallow impression of Pancake Day, all meaning is not lost. It appears that in addition to religious reasoning, people challenge themselves through the Lent period as a trial of determination. Many see the opportunity as a chance to rid themselves of bad habits or to start positive regimes. But why would those who claim not to be religious put themselves through this? One recurrent reason is the desire to better oneself and the belief that the 40 day trial is a more realistic goal than the entire year a person is supposed to maintain their New Year’s Resolution. Furthermore, the 40 day effort is rewarded with Easter eggs. But this apparent re-

trolled by an intergovernmental system, there is potential for the press to be silenced for revealing information that could be against the European Commission’s, other branches of the EU’s, or individual European government’s interests, which is a very unsettling prospect.

ward is received by all, even if they do not partake in the challenge of Lent.

I would encourage all to pick a challenge for the remainder of Lent If not for chocolate eggs and nor on religious grounds, perhaps people set themselves a challenge over Lent because the success of reaching goals makes people feel good. In the same way that some people choose to ‘restart’ their New Year’s Eve resolutions on the first of February, as one radio presenter admitted recently, it appears that people enjoy a challenge and the chance to prove themselves; even if it’s something silly, showing you have the determination to do something and keep it up can only be a positive thing. In the world of university, with its seemingly

constant work and expectations, it can be difficult to realise that it takes much determination to maintain attendance and good marks in modules. I would encourage all to pick a challenge for the remainder of Lent (I realise it’s a bit late but its better late than never) because setting yourself a challenge that is personal and concerns no one else does not demand the same levels of stress university can, but it can bring equal satisfaction when you’re successful. At least if your will power is weaker than your favourite ice-cream is delicious, you can still enjoy chocolate eggs at Easter.

Sadly this will be my last issue as Comment and debate Editor :( I have enjoyed my time very much and want to thank all you wonderful writers. Harriet Weston and Paddy Gaughran will be taking over after this issue and I wish them the best of luck. Jess

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

comment.spark@reading.ac.uk

Please Hire Me! Frances Pocock

The graduate job market has had a bit of a bad rep for a little while now. If you believe everything you hear then you might be thinking of moving back in with your parents after finishing uni, going to bed, getting under the covers and staying there until someone eventually offers to hire you. But take it from us at The Graduate Recruitment Bureau: it’s not as bad as it seems. According to the Associate of Graduate Recruiters winter survey, graduate jobs are on the rise this year so all is not lost. However, there is still a huge amount of competition when it comes to landing the best jobs and a very important part of job-hunting is the interview process.

Graduate jobs are on the rise this year so all is not lost Interviews are legendary for being a scary and intimidating experience. If you are unfortunate enough to come across badly/as a weirdo, then you might lose your chance at your dream job. Here are our top tips for getting through interview and coming out the other side with a job.

1. Dress to impress. This doesn’t necessarily mean donning your best suit and tie. It means fitting in with the company’s image. If no one else who works there wears a suit and tie you are going to look a little odd. Dress smartly and comfortably – if you’re wearing something unbearably itchy/ridiculously tight then you’ll feel uneasy and it’s going to show. 2. Control those nerves. Interviews can often reduce even the calmest most confident people to shaking, sweating nervous messes. If you let your nerves get out of control then you aren’t going to show the interviewer the best version of yourself. Try and remember that your interviewer is human too (honest) and that they are probably desperately hoping that you are the one they want to hire. 3. Do some research. Find out a little bit about the company’s background and find out exactly what the job you’re applying for entails. If you do that, then you’ll be better prepared for the questions they’ll ask you. You will also know exactly what the job you’re applying for entails, and thus will be able to tell the interviewer what specific things about you are perfect for it. 4. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. It’s almost guaranteed that the interviewer will ask you what your strengths and

weaknesses are. If you sit there in silence thinking desperately about what strengths you have that don’t make you sound massively bigheaded or what weaknesses you have that don’t make you sound like an awful person/world’s worst employee then you are not going to impress. Plan what you are going to say beforehand. Try to think of a weakness you know can be easily improved on and discuss how you’d do so.

Think about your strengths and weaknesses. 5. Don’t talk too much (or too little). If you’re nervous it’s easy to gush (I’ve always been a nervous talker) but just because you’re talking more doesn’t mean you’re talking well. On the other hand don’t just grunt out one-word answers – that doesn’t tell the interviewer what they need to know. Keep your responses a couple of sentences long, think quality over quantity. An interview is all about showing the interviewer why they should pick you over any other candidate. If you follow these five simple steps (hopefully) you will have a good chance of being offered the job you want.

In or out? That is the question

Yasmin Levy-Miller

No, I haven’t just misquoted Shakespeare, but asked the question behind the Con-Dem proposed referendum on the European Union. We’re almost three years into the coalition government and the future is uncertain. Nobody knows what the next general election holds: if the Conservatives will retain power or will the student fees have put the final nail in the coffin for the Lib Dems.

The UK depends hugely on Europe for trade and the economy benefits hugely from this One thing is for sure - the future isn’t black and white (or blue and red as the case may be). With the emergence of UKIP as a third party, there’s a possibility they could take the role of kingmaker in the next election, a role the Lib Dems played in the last one. If this is to happen then David Cameron would be forced to provide them with a bargaining tool, an incentive if you will. Just as he promised Nick Clegg the referendum on the Alter-

COMMENT 39

native Vote, he might have to do the same in order to win a majority. So how would he do it? What do UKIP stand for above all: leaving the EU. Pressure from the right may encourage Cameron to relent, however such a large decision is not straight forward. There are many factors to take into account when assessing whether or not Britain should remain in the EU. It is often said that sovereignty is unwillingly sacrificed for the sake of being a part of the EU, shown by the fact 60% of British law is in fact sourced from the EU. Parliament is limited by the decisions it can make, as they must be approved by the EU. This presents a danger of the EU turning into a giant country or continent of sorts with larger, richer, more powerful countries dictating over the smaller ones.

Whether or not the referendum will take place is questionable An example of this which has already taken place is within the fishing trade, many restrictions have been imposed as the seas of Britain are now in fact owned by all of the European Union.

Another possibly detrimental factor, depending on how it is perceived, is free movement between countries for EU members.

As a result of being a part of the EU, the UK helps developing countries This is one of the key reasons why UKIP and a proportion of British people wish to depart from it. These are all justified reasons; although the benefits outweigh the costs. The UK depends hugely on Europe for trade and the economy benefits hugely from this - in leaving the EU the UK risks its already fragile economy by cutting off such huge trade partners. In addition, if a national crisis occurred or Britain were forced to go to war, many allies would have been isolated, placing such a tiny island in a very dangerous position.

Returning to the issue of immigration, it can be a hugely positive factor as many European people make invaluable contributions to the economy by working here. In cutting off immigration prospects, many jobs could open

up that will simply not be filled, jobs that are necessary in order to keep the British economy afloat. Also, as a result of being a part of the EU, the UK helps developing countries, which can only be a good thing for the global community. Better relations within Europe can lead to better relations between Europe and the world. So whether or not the referendum will take place is questionable, the aim is for it to be voted on by the end of 2017, so after the next general election has taken place. Whilst an ‘in/out’ referendum may seem like an attractive option, the electorate may view it differently when they see the negative impact that being on the outside of the EU truly brings about.

One thing is for sure - the future isn’t black and white Remaining in the EU will help further the UK onto the world stage, whilst leaving it can only serve to decrease their status, a decrease that such a small island surely cannot afford to face.

40 FUN&GAMES

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

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fun&games Crossword Three Sudoku

This week’s Sudoku

Last week’s answer...

Matthew Sapsed

Answers coming in our next issue!

Cryptogram

Solve the phrase from a famous movie.

Across 1. Accusation and end to search for the soles? (2, 3, 4, 4) 8. Sarah’s leading characteristic is a coastal feature (6) 9. Confused holds around university for a possible option (6) 10. A social network’s tool is similar (5) 11. Guitarist swapped heads with people to beg (4) 13. Avoid confused Huns (4) 14. Brings each within main (3) 16. 10 – I can be baffled by hieroglyphics, say (7) 17. Cancel out New York union fill (7) 18. Setter lost from monster, but still… (3) 20. …what’s made by banks, say, takes shine off sheen (4) 21. Even two cross start with axe-top to carve (4) 22. Leonard’s concealed in bizarre length of arrangements (5) 26. 6 Romans echoed sound endlessly in dream (6) 27. Raging with no substance? This’ll be proof! (6) 28. Supernatural, say, beyond the mundane (13)

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Down See more at www.bossandnoble.wordpress.com!

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1. Soldier’s mortal danger in film (2, 3, 4, 2, 4) 2. A dot bloomed into house sitter (4) 3. 28’s less average but costs more? (5) 4. Bail thought to sit on strand of chaos (7) 5. Happen to use New England badly… (5) 6. …so put so-called agreement on cheat with image? (4) 7. Student’s asset for success – ego almost enough with crazy, young leaders (4-11) 12. Absent due to a striker’s kick into stand (5) 13. Loves to meddle with what you do on this page (5) 14. Rural habitat seems too yuppie initially (3) 15. Bet took edge off colonist (3) 19. Perm blown into reverse by headless tart with charm (7) 22. Secretary takes Dan by surprise with side-effect of make-up’s night out? (5)

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

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TRAVEL 41

trAvel Thailand: The Budget Backpacker... Visit Bangkok’s Damnoen Saduak floating market; where all manners, niceties and western norms are thrown in the water. Your gondola is sure to be hooked and pulled from stall to stall by the lively locals, whilst you ingest the pungent smelling spices, both sweet and seductive.

Past the emerald mountains, hidden yoga retreats are a fraction of the cost

Brooke Mccord

My love affair with Thailand began on my first trip around the world in 2010. Bright eyed and eager I left the UK; human size backpack in tow, the world my oyster. My bank account (previously healthy) was drained by the delights of LA, New Zealand and Australia. It was not looking good for entering Asia.

Bank account drained - not looking good for Asia So here it is, Thailand on a budget. Where to go and how: Start in Bangkok: visit the notorious Khao San Road and experience the miss-matched ensemble of bright lights, crazy tuk-tuk drivers, thriving street sellers and charismatic lady boys. Hostels on the Khao San itself are a little pricier, around 500 THB (£10) a night. At peak season, these include a rooftop pool if you wish! Or you can venture a little further to Rambuttri Road, and find a bed for as little as £3 with breakfast (just be aware of the four legged creatures who may have checked in!).

Once Bangkok is out of your system, book a night bus south to the islands. Word of advice: place all valuables on person in an oh-so-stylish ‘fanny pack’, that’s if you intend on still having them on your person in the morning. The night bus is not glamorous in any way, shape, or form, but it sure is cheap – costing around 600 THB (£12), which also includes a transfer boat. Start your island hop at Koh Phi Phi, picture perfect and enticing. The Uphill “Resort” is cheap and cheerful, clean beds with towels provided and trustworthy friendly staff, the only catch - it most definitely is uphill. However, positives outweigh the negatives– Phi Phi is a relaxing heaven with the perfect amount of party – whether you chill on the rooftop at Banana Bar, drink buckets in the Irish Pub (in Thailand alcohol is served in buckets with no sense of measure) or dance the night away at Slinky’s on the beach. A visit to Maya Bay is a must; (the film set of ‘The Beach’), as is a hike to the island viewpoint. I would recommend waking with the birds in time for sunrise whilst the temperature is not too humid. Next stop Koh Phangan for an infamous full moon party in Haad Rin. Trust me, even if partying until sunrise is not your thing, it’s

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one for the bucket list, a euphoric once in a lifetime experience. However it has lots more to offer than just one over populated beach full of partygoers. Hire a moped (prove you’ve ridden one) and head through the endless coconut plantations to the north of the island, past the breathtaking emerald mountains where hidden yoga retreats are a fraction of the cost on the main islands. Once you have recharged your batteries, go to Koh Tao, which has the added bonus of reasonably priced scuba diving. Complete your PADI diver’s qualification to unlock the underwater wonders Koh Tao has on offer, from the exotic marine creatures, to the enchanting underwater shipwrecks. Take the plunge! Before returning to the capital on the mainland, head north to Kanchanaburi where you can ride the “Death Railway”, spend the night on a house raft and visit the breathtaking Erawan Waterfalls! Chiang Mai is situated further north. However it oozes traditional culture and tradition whilst defining the term ‘hip’, with chic Thai-style boutique hotels aplenty, legendary mountains and historic temples.

What to eat: Eat like the locals; whether you dare embrace a spicy jungle curry, opt for the safe option Pad Thai or sample a traditional Massaman curry, I assure you, you will not be disappointed! Each dish is infused with piquant spices, the flavors truly divine. Alongside the restaurants, street venders offer a variety of delectable Thai delights. Be sure to sample khanom krok (coconut pudding), homemade spring rolls (three for 50p) and Satay Gai (chicken satay); whilst sipping

a refreshing watermelon and lychee shake. Where to shop: With regards to fashion, quite frankly, Thailand is unique! Think dubbed down Harashuku girls cross 90’s chic - outlandish whilst intriguing. Whilst mainland Thailand has many markets on offer, head further afield from the “fake” designer stalls on the Khao San; hidden gems aplenty. The boutique shops on the island of Phi Phi offer an array of western fashion at a fraction of the price think embellished dresses, chiffon playsuits and studded handbags galore. Also Siam Square (Bangkok) hosts a cluster of stalls offering kitsch t-shirts, original silk dresses, vintage attire and handmade jewellery.

On the island of PhiPhi offer an array of western fashion! A few general facts: - Massages cost pennies, indulge in a hot oil full body massage for around £3 (but never agree to a ‘happy ending’). - Laundry costs 50THB per 1kg (that’s about £1) and comes back folded and fresh, (be careful-a pair of knickers went missing to be replaced with an Harley Davidson T-Shirt). - If you pay a visit to the cinema, everyone stands prior to the film to worship the king. - If you notice ‘fried friends’ on the menu, do not panic! There are no cannibals in Thailand, just a few translation issues. Fried friends: french fries. - Be sure to remove your shoes upon entering shops/hostels, as a sign of respect. - Although overnight boats are even cheaper than those in the day, be warned, it can be bumpy! So here it is, Thailand on a budget. Before I end, my travels were far more enjoyable, interesting and amusing due to having a budget, so just have fun!

Spark* Travel Editors hidden gems Hannah Banks

Here are our five other hidden gems of Thailand: 1. Pai, North Thailand - here’s where you can ride an Elephant at many of the Elephant camps they have; take a two/ three day jungle trek up into the mountains and stay with a hill-tribe for a night or two (drinking whiskey and trying their local cuisine). Another bonus is immersing yourself in the hot springs for a thorough exfoliation! Also, have you ever fancied tubing in Vientiane, Laos? Pai has a fantastic river which you can tube down all you need is a bottle of Chang! 2. Chaing Mai. North Thailand - similarly to Brooke’s tips, you can also hug a baby tiger, or if you’re daring enough enter into the fully grown tigers’ cage! Ever wanted to talk to a Monk? Here you can go along to a Monk chat at one of the many temples and ask them that budding question you’ve been eager to know the answer to! 3. The island of Koh Chang - I absolutely love this island and stayed in the resort of Lonely Beach. It’s not renowned for its party scene but it is home to a good, crazy night out with the locals and has a Caribbean vibe. It is also home to amazing fire dance shows in many of the bars! 4. Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand - visit the spectacular Emerald Buddha and truly immerse yourself in Buddhist culture. Visit the night markets for cultural performances and buy local products. 5. Krabi, Southern Thailand not only does it hold picturesque beaches and feel like you’ve entered paradise but is home to infamous limestone rock formations, turquiose water and white sands!

*Ever dreamt about trying your hand at travel journalism or seeing your name in print?

We’d love to hear from you. Send us in your travel experiences, from casual day trips to worldwide adventures! Send to: Travel.spark@ reading.ac.uk

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Friday 22 February 2013

Moving to a new student house? TOP TIPS

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Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

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CAREERS 43

Careers

A visit to the Civil Service Fast Stream Research Opportunies for Undergraduates by Tania Lyden, Careers Advisor. One snowy morning in January I made my way up to London for the privileged opportunity of being invited to sit in and observe the Fast Stream assessment centre. Careers Advisers are encouraged to observe so they can better support students in their applications although I had to sign my life away to say I wouldn’t share the precise questions asked at the interview or minister briefing or the exact topic of the group discussion exercise. I thought it would be worth sharing with you the main learning points that I took away from the day though, for any budding civil servants out there.

• My dawning realisation throughout the day was that if you were bright enough to get through the tests, what awaited you was an extremely friendly, fair set up which your average undergraduate would be unlikely to feel overly threatened by. • That there was quite a mix of calibre students, amongst which most University of Reading students could feel quite comfortable. • That if you were good at building relationships and collaborating with people who had common goals that you would thrive. • That if you had a mix of experiences such as part time work, volunteering or work experience, that

you would be able to successfully work through the interview, which gave you plenty of opportunity to build on, and further explore, your examples. The Civil Service Fast Stream assessment centres run five days a week from the New Year through to April, so it is a big logistical effort. If you have an interest in public service and a fascination for national government, then I would seriously challenge you to give it a go. The assessment process is not half as scary as its reputation suggests. Head to http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/ to find out more.

Top Job Shop Jobs Job Title: Catering Assistant Company: Cereal Works (RUSU) Location: RUSU Pay: NMW Closing date: 13-Mar 2013

Job Title: Legal Article Writer Company: BC Legal LLP Location: National Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 04-Apr 2013

Job Title: Bar Staff (Twickenham & Ascot) Company: Contract Options Location: Twickenham/Ascot Pay: £6.25ph Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

Job Title: Danish and German Telephone Interviewers Company: Fact File Location: Wallingford Pay: £8.51-£9ph Closing date: 02-Apr 2013

Job Title: Legal Article Writer Company: BC Legal LLP Location: National Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 04-Apr 2013

Job Title: Retail (Various) Company: The Oracle Location: Reading Pay: NMW Closing date: n/a

Job Title: Danish and German Telephone Interviewers Company: Fact File Location: Wallingford Pay: £8.51-£9ph Closing date: 02-Apr 2013 Job Title: Retail (Various) Company: The Oracle Location: Reading Pay: NMW Closing date: n/a

Job Title: Catering Assistant Company: Cereal Works (RUSU) Location: RUSU Pay: NMW Closing date: 13-Mar 2013 Job Title: Bar Staff (Twickenham & Ascot) Company: Contract Options Location: Twickenham/Ascot Pay: £6.25ph Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

Job Title: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme Company: University of Reading Location: University of Reading Pay: £1,200 bursary for 6 weeks Closing date: 22-Mar 2013

“ A great experience which helped me to develop different skills and gave me an overview of conducting research.” Maitreyee Wairagkar, summer 2012 UROP student Did you know that Reading is one of only a handful of UK universities to offer paid research opportunities to undergraduates? Are you considering postgraduate research or just looking to strengthen your wider skills? UROP could be for you…. Through UROP (the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme), now in its eighth year, students in the middle years of their undergraduate studies undertake a six week summer research

placement. Over 50 projects are on offer this year with placements in every Faculty. Students receive a £1200 bursary for the six week project. All the placements are listed on the UROP web site: www.reading.ac.uk/urop until 22nd March. Application details are included on the placement listings and there will be an information session for those thinking of applying on Tuesday 26th February, ‘UROP: An essential Guide for Students’, as part of the Headstart careers events programme. Please book a place through My Jobs Online. www.reading.ac.uk/ careers/myjobsonline

Careers Events Tuesday 26th February •CV workshop for final year students •UROP, an essential Guide for students •RED award completion / sign off session

1-1.50 pm 1-1.50 pm 3-4pm

Weds 27th February •Creating and Managing your impact (for students who want to develop their own brand) 2-3pm

Job Title: Academic Resource Centre Assistant Company: University of Reading Location: Reading Pay: £8.50-£9.50ph Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

Thursday 28th February •CV’s for work experience and placements

Job Title: Brand Manager Company: Teach First Location: Reading University Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 17-Mar 2013

Please book for all events and room details on my jobs online www.reading.ac.uk/careers/myjobsonline acin

Job Title: Academic Resource Centre Assistant Company: University of Reading Location: Reading Pay: £8.50-£9.50ph Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

Job Title: Fun Science Instructor Company: Mad Science (SE) Location: Berkshire Pay: £25 per presentation Closing date: 10-Mar 2013

Find out all you need to know by visiting www.reading.ac.uk/careers/myjobsonline

Job Title: Brand Manager Company: Teach First Location: Reading University Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 17-Mar 2013

Job Title: Kitchen/Waiting Staff Company: Holme Grange Tea Shop Location: Reading Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

Job Title: Fun Science Instructor Company: Mad Science (SE) Location: Berkshire Pay: £25 per presentation Closing date: 10-Mar 2013

Job Title: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme Company: University of Reading Location: University of Reading Pay: £1,200 bursary for 6 weeks Closing date: 22-Mar 2013

Job Title: Kitchen/Waiting Staff Company: Holme Grange Tea Shop Location: Reading Pay: NMW and above Closing date: 01-Mar 2013

1-1.50 pm

Friday March 1st •International students, placements and paid work, know your rights. 1-1.50pm

Got a question about jobs?

Remember to pop into the Job Shop on campus!

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Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

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LETTERS 45

Letters & Events Spark* is now online! Go to our website at www. sparknewspaper.co.uk Follow us @SparkNewspaper ‘Like’ our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/SparkNewspaper Get in touch!

A note from the Campaigns and Supporter Engagement Office Much like the spring term, the University’s Annual Fund telephone campaign – run by our office- is now over half way through. We’re really enjoying working with our team of student fundraisers, who are devoting their evenings and weekends to telephoning graduates of the University of Reading to invite them to make a donation to the Annual Fund. The campaign has raised £120,000 already - and it hasn’t even finished! This is fantastic news, as all of this money will be spent on projects which transform the University experience for current and

future students. One of the projects that has been made possible thanks to Annual Fund donations in the last year is the Virtual Careers Fair. This online facility, run by the Careers, Placement and Experience Centre, provides all students with a one-stop location for exploring career options and getting in touch with a wide range of graduate employers. The Virtual Careers Fair was launched in January and has proved a great hit so far. If you missed the autumn careers fair held in the Palmer Building and you want to learn

more about your options after graduating, simply register with the Virtual Careers Fair and you will be able to view a range of employers and their virtual exhibition stands: www.reading.prospects. ac.uk/fairs/careersfair/splash.html But hurry - the online exhibition is only open until the 22nd March! We look forward to keeping you updated on all the other great projects that the Annual Fund makes possible over the forthcoming months; all due to the generous support of our alumni, staff and friends. Laura Garman

Spark* Weather for the week ahead Rebecca Emerton

After the mild, pleasant weather we’ve seen recently, this weekend is going to be colder and overcast throughout. Temperatures will drop below freezing overnight, bringing morning frosts and some icy conditions, and are unlikely to reach above 2oC all weekend. Average daytime temperatures will be around 1oC, however will feel more like -5oC on Friday, and -3oC on Saturday and Sunday (daytime average). Conditions will remain overcast all weekend, with some clearer skies overnight allowing the temperature to drop below freezing. Currently, no rain is predicted so it will remain dry, but with the possibility of some light snow flurries throughout the weekend. Accumulation of snow is unlikely here in Reading, but we may see some thin dustings, most likely on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately warmer weather doesn’t look to be around the corner, as temperatures are set to remain cold into next week. The dry weather will remain however, but still overcast with not much sunshine. The chance of some light snow showers will continue in the early part of the week, and models are predicting a slight possibility of some heavier snow

P.O. Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AZ Vol 61. Issue 3

Editorial Staff

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mid-week. Temperatures may start to increase again the following weekend, however this may bring the return of unsettled, wet weather. Follow @SparkWeather on Twitter for more regular updates, news and photos. Ask weather-related questions and send your photos of interesting weather and sights around campus! (Note: This is a student project and not a product of the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading)

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Spark* is written, designed & typeset by students at the University of Reading. Printed by Newbury News Limited, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, Berkshire. RG14 2DW. Published and funded by Reading University Students’ Union vp.studentactivites@rusu.co.uk. Spark* is completely editorially independent. Complaints should be made to the Editor, in the first instance, and thereafter to RUSU. All complaints should be made in writing. All articles, letters etc. must include a name, address, and contact number/e-mail address. These may be withheld from publication at specific request. Spark* or RUSU can take no responsibility for products or services advertised herein. Spark* reserves the right to reject or edit any submissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the Editor. The views expressed in Spark* do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor,

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Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

Spark* Friday 22 February 2013

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT 47

United impress as Arsenal flounder

Celtic and Barcelona also face uphill struggle Luke Fry

The knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League are always met with great anticipation, even more so this season as the round of 16 kicked off with the small matter of Manchester United versus Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. When the tie was drawn in late December, Sir Alex was quick to dub it the tie of the round and he wasn’t wrong as a pulsating encounter ensued. With both teams lining up in the fashionable 4-2-3-1 formation it looked, on paper at least, that we were in for a tight game.

The knock-out stages of the Champions League are always met with great anticipation However, what became clear as the early stages of the game progressed was that Sir Alex was operating an astute 6-4 formation with a very flat back four and two incredibly deep holding midfielders in Phil Jones and Michael Carrick, with an attacking midfield three of Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck with Robin Van Persie spearheading the attack. What had been forged here was the perfect counter attacking system, one which Mourinho had used several times in Inter Milan’s victorious UCL campaign in 2010. The game started with Madrid’s Angel Di Maria evading the challenges of Evra and Carrick to flash a shot just wide of the right hand post. Then on his first appearance against the club he left in 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo bamboozled Rafael down the United right and his cut back was met via a deflection off Ferdinand by Fabio Coentrao whose curling shot was magnificently tipped onto the post by David De Gea. All the early pressure was coming from the home side, so it was a shock to essentially everyone when United managed to get into Madrid’s half and win a corner.

Deflated: Arsenal’s players and fans were left stunned by Bayern Rooney expertly delivered an in swinging corner which was met by the head of Danny Welbeck and against the run of play United had taken the lead, but more importantly they had a crucial away goal. Madrid responded instantaneously as Di Maria again found space and sent in a low drive which De Gea tipped round the post, Ronaldo then smashed the wall with a free kick but with the rebound he unleashed a rasping volley which flashed past the post. Then that man again Di Maria, curled a superb ball into the united box which was only bettered by Ronaldo’s emphatic header which beat the despairing dive of De Gea and tied the game up at one all. Both sides ended the first half with chances, firstly Kagawa and Van Persie linked up to cross for Welbeck whose improvised finish fell wide of the goal. At the other end Ozil latched onto a long ball and forced De Gea into a save at his near post. The second half saw more of the same from Madrid with Ronaldo and Di Maria again going close, controversy then struck when Evra was seemingly brought down by the last man Varane but nothing was given to United’s dismay. Coentrao was then denied by an unorthodox save from De Gea, who remarkably got his leg up to prevent the Portuguese full back converting from Khedira’s centre. United finished the game with a flurry of chances, all falling to

and being spurned by their expert marksman Robin Van Persie.

Ronaldo’s emphatic header beat the despairing dive of De Gea He firstly smashed the bar with a right foot shot after being slipped in by Rooney, he then evaded the Madrid offside trap to beautifully bring the ball down from his chest only to scuff his finish and see Xabi Alonso clear off the line. His final chance saw his intelligent first touch allowing him to test the fingertips of Diego Lopez who tipped his shot around the post. Jose Mourinho was his usual self in the post-match interview saying, “We had a big chance when Fabio Coentrao hit the post. The first chance they had, they scored. In the second half, they played for the result. Now is our time to go Old Trafford. 1-1 is not a bad result and everything is open and we can score more than one goal”. Sir Alex praised the performance of David De Gea and also commented on Ronaldo’s performance, “I’m proud to see how he has flourished. I don’t know how you describe a goal like that. I blamed Patrice Evra for not challenging him until I saw the replay. Then I felt a bit stupid”. The game that caught Europe’s imagination in the second round of knockout games was that of Bayern

Munich’s trip to Arsenal. The Gunners and especially Arsene Wenger were under pressure to put in a performance after being dumped out of the F.A Cup by Blackburn. After resisting the urge for most of the season Wenger started Theo Walcott up front on his own, possibly hoping to take advantage of 35 year old Daniel Van Buytens lack of pace. Bayern had left mainstays from last season’s UCL campaign Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez on the bench. From the off, the gulf in class was startling and as early as the 6th minute Bayern were ahead after poor play from Arteta and Koscielny gave possession to the German league leaders, this allowed Ribery to find Muller on the right and his ball unintentionally made its way Kroos who hit a stinging half volley past Szczesny. After more Bayern possession a second followed on the 20 minute mark, the ever impressive Kroos curled over a corner and after breaking away from a ‘tree like’ Mertesacker, Van Buyten flicked a header towards goal which could only be parried by Szczesny and was pounced upon by Thomas Muller. As Bayern continued to look slick in possession, Arsenal were bereft of ideas with Walcott looking isolated up front and Ramsey continuously giving the ball away and as half time came, boos rang around the Emirates. The second half remarkably saw no changes for the Gunners, but despite this Lukas Podolski dragged them back into the game when a Wilshere corner evaded everyone allowing the German to head into an empty net. For twenty minutes and to everyone’s surprise Arsenal were back in the game and matching Munich, they nearly equalised when Walcott expertly controlled a long ball out wide and instantly crossed for Giroud, whose snap shot was parried by Neuer. Alas normality was then restored when Mandzukic held off Koscielny and laid the ball off for sub Robben,

who spotted the overlap of Lahm and the Bayern captain, drove in

Hangtime: Ronaldo’s header a low cross which looped up off Mandzukic and into the net. Bayern had three away goals and the tie was virtually over, the mood in the Emirates was summed up when the cameras panned to DJ Pete Tong as if to confirm that it had indeed, ‘Gone wrong’. Almost on the verge of tears Jack Wilshere admitted that the Gunners started slowly and that the blame did not fall at Wenger’s door.

The cameras panned to DJ Pete Tong as if to confirm that it had indeed, ‘Gone wrong’ Following the result some people have argued that German football could be overtaking the English game, I am of the opinion that it is more down to the fact that Arsenal and especially Arsene Wenger are and have been for several years on the decline. Elsewhere Celtic fell to a 3-0 home defeat by Italian Champion’s Juventus whilst Barcelona were stunned in a 2-0 defeat to AC Milan at the San Siro. Other results: Valencia 1-2 PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Dortmund, Porto 1-0 Malaga, Galatasaray 1-1 Schalke

Spark* round up: all the sport news in brief TOM NEWBOLD

High hopes for Great Britain at Cycling Championships Great Britain have taken a 16-strong squad to Minsk in Belarus for the 2013 World Track Cycling Championships taking place from 20th24th February. Amongst the squad are six Olympic gold medallists, including double-gold winners Laura Trott

and Jason Kenny. With 19 titles up for grabs there will be hope that Britain’s new cycling generation can follow in the footsteps of Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, and continue to be the world’s dominant force.

Great Britain squad selected for European Indoors

A 29-strong Great Britain squad has been selected for the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Sweden next month. 800m runner

Jenny Meadows will captain the team which includes Olympic medallists Christine Ohurugu and Robbie Grabarz. Meanwhile former British sprinter Darren Campbell has suggested that rising star Adam Gemili is a contender for 100m gold in the next Olympics.

England level one days series in New Zealand

England have levelled their one-day series with New Zealand after an

eight-wicket win last Wednesday. England will be looking to win the decider on Saturday 23rd February ahead of the test match series with the Kiwis in March.

Robson struggles but rises in latest rankings Laura Robson has revealed she has been suffering from a chest infection after two first round defeats in two successive tournaments. Britain’s women are gearing up

for the Fed Cup play-off match

with Argentina in April. Meanwhile Serena Williams has become the oldest women to top the tennis rankings at the age of 31. Heather Watson has remained at number 41 in the rankings, with Laura Robson two places behind her.

1.Ruud van Nistelrooy 2. 2001 3.Four 4. Wigan, ASton Villa & Arsenal 5. Fourty-three 6. French Open 2012 7. Two 8. Holly Bleasedale

48 SPORT

Friday 22 February 2013 Spark*

sports.spark@reading.ac.uk

SPORT Inside...

Champions League RoundUp Sport RoundUp Quiz Answers

Athletics star Oscar Pistorius accused of ‘pre-meditated murder’ Cameron Humphries

In a story that has shocked the world, South African athletics star Oscar Pistorius stands accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Thursday February 14th.

South African athletics star Oscar Pistorius stands accused of murdering his girlfriend Pistorius, 26, is under prosecution for ‘pre-meditated murder’. Pistorius denies the charge, stating in court that he never intended to

kill Steenkamp. It is argued that he shot Steenkamp dead deliberately through the locked bathroom door of his home. The defence state that Pistorius ‘thought he was firing at an intruder’. A sworn statement from defence lawyer Barry Roux outlined that the couple had went to bed shortly after 22:00. It added that in the night Pistorius woke up and went to the balcony, in the belief that he had heard an intruder. ‘It was pitch-dark in the bedroom. I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable.’ The defence argue Pistorius then fired through the bathroom door at what he believed was the robber, believing Steenkamp to still be in

bed. According to the statement, it was at this point that Pistorius realised Steenkamp was not in bed and ‘it filled me with horror and fear’. Pistorius wept continually as the statement was read out in court. It finished with ‘She died in my arms,” the statement said. “I am absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva”. Ms Steenkamp’s funeral was held this past Tuesday in the model’s hometown of Port Elizabeth. Ms Steenkamp’s father Barry Steenkamp told the press, ‘We have to keep Reeva in our hearts forever.’ In a shocking twist it was revealed on Thursday morning that Hilton Botha, the detective leading the case against Pistorius, faces

seven charges of attempted murder from an incident in 2011. It remains to be seen whether Pistorius will be granted bail, with the athlete currently having spent eight nights in police custody. Sponsors in South Africa as well as global brands including Nike have been quick to distance themselves from the athlete. The news has made headlines around the world, with Pistorius a multiple Paralympic Champion and South African national icon. Pistorius won gold medals in three successive Paralympics and made history in the London 2012 by becoming the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.

Arsenal dumped as cup brings more drama Gunners latest cup victims after Blackburn surprise side rivals in the previous round, Oldham hosted the Toffees with little expectation placed on their shoulders.

tom newbold

Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers was the shock result of the FA Cup fifth round, played over the last weekend. Everton were also held to a surprise draw at Oldham Athletic in an otherwise routine round of action. The two heavyweight teams from Manchester progressed to the quarter finals with relative ease, whilst Wigan Athletic also demonstrated their Premier League superiority over lower-league Huddersfield Town.

A quarter-final place will be an encouragement for Blackburn Millwall ended Luton Town’s fairytale cup run, and Barnsley claimed a good victory away to MK Dons. Chelsea meanwhile dispatched of Brentford in their delayed fourth round replay, and they now await their fifth round tie with Middlesbrough in a week’s time.

Sports Quiz

However a late injury time equaliser from fourth round hero Matt Smith ensured the League One side would continue their FA Cup sojourn a little longer with a replay at Goodison Park. The FA Cup continues to be a welcome pain-number amidst the frail league season Oldham are enduring.

Wilshere dejected as Blackburn stun Gunners On a weekend in which the A quarter-final place will be sun returned after a winter hia- a welcome encouragement for tus, Arsenal were still slipping a Blackburn side in good form on the ice of their underwhelm- and chasing promotion. Arseing season, now melting away be- nal, however, are now clinging fore them. The Gunners under- on to the faint hope of Champions strength side was made to pay League progress in a season that when Colin Kazim-Richards gave seems all but over. Blackburn a second half lead, The other surprise of the something they never recovered roundwas Everton’s dramatic from. draw at Oldham Athletic. After knocking out Everton’s Mersey-

1. Who was the last Manchester United player to score in the Bernabeu before Danny Welbeck’s goal in their second round first leg? 2. In what year did Bayern Munich last win the Champions League? 3. How many FA Cups have Arsenal won under Arsene Wenger? 4. Which three Premier League sides did Bradford City beat on their way to the Capital One Cup final?

The mouth-watering possibility of an allManchester cup final is still well on the cards Premier League superiority was witnessed elsewhere however, with giants Manchester City and Manchester United defeating their opponents with 4-0 and 2-1 wins respectively, whilst Wigan Athletic overpowered Huddersfield Town with a 4-1 victory. For Manchester City in particular, the ease and confidence in

their victory will have pleased

under-fire boss Roberto Mancini. The win from their Manchester rivals meanwhile resulted in further whispered utterings of a possible treble. The draw for the quarter-finals has thrown up a mixed bag of ties. By far the most enticing of all the matches is the potential heavyweight clash between Manchester United and Chelsea, should the latter advance at the expense of Middlesbrough. If Everton manage to see off Oldham in their replay then they will host Wigan in the other potential all-Premier League fixture. Manchester City will host Barnsley in a seemingly foregone conclusion, whilst Championship pair Millwall and Blackburn will meet in an open contest. The tie between Millwall and Blackburn will force an ironic postponement of the league fixture between the two scheduled for the same weekend, but the standout fixture is no doubt the possible Manchester United and Chelsea encounter. Meanwhile, the mouthwatering possibility of an all-Man-

chester cup final is still well on the cards.

5. What is Laura Robson’s recent career high ranking? 6. Rafael Nadal recently triumphed in the Brazil Open to continue his comback from injury, but what Grand Slam was his last tournament victory? 7. How many gold medals did cyclist Laura Trott win at London 2012? 8. What is the name of Great Britain’s 2013 world-leading female pole vaulter? Answers on bottom of inside page