Issue 182

THE SAINT

ISSUE 182 • FREE 10 April 2014 thesaint-online.com

The independent voice of St Andrews students since 1997

St Andrews’ drop out rates lowest in Scotland The University of St Andrews has the lowest student drop out rate in Scotland and the fifth lowest in the UK, according to recently published figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

The numbers reveal that, of the total 915 full-time first degree entrants in 2011-2012, only 25 (2.8 per cent) had dropped out of St Andrews by the end of the year.

Of these students who dropped out, 10 transferred to another higher education institution (HEI). The other 15 were reported as no longer being in higher education at all.

The proportion of students continuing or finishing their degree at St Andrews is now 97.2 per cent.

The University therefore boasts one of the lowest drop out rates of any HEI in the UK. Only the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Buckingham, and the Londonbased Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, have higher continuation

The best photos from Sitara and Hands 4 Others Page 20

rates.

The national Scottish average rate is 90.2 per cent, while the averages for Wales and Northern Ireland are 92.6 per cent and 92.7 per cent respectively. HESA has reported that the UK average is only marginally lower, at 91.4 per cent.

Furthermore, non-continuation rates from previous academic years show that increasing numbers of students are choosing to remain at St Andrews. In the academic year 20012002, 91.7 per cent of all entrants to the University continued or qualified here. Five years later, this figure had increased to 96.5 per cent.

These changes reflect a national decrease in drop out rates throughout tertiary education. A decade ago, only 87.8 per cent of all UK enrolled students stayed or graduated at their original institution of higher education. By the 2005-2006 academic year this had risen to 88.7 per cent.

The University of St Andrews’ director of communications, Niall Continued on page 5

Arts & Culture

Photo: Henry Legg

Sarah Dickins SSC correspondent

Photography

The statue of town cat Hamish McHamish was unveiled last Saturday. See The Saint’s website for an exclusive video of St Andrews’ tribute to our favourite feline friend

University staff defend ”potentially disruptive”marking boycott Rachael Miller University correspondent University staff have defended their decision to go ahead with a marking boycott that could potentially mean delays in the release of examination marks and graduations.

From Monday 28 April, participating members of the University and College Union (UCU) will refuse to mark coursework, examinations or any other formal assessment. They will not release the results of any such work. With no set time frame, the boycott would continue until employers agree to reopen negotiations.

For students, this could mean delays in the release of examination marks and of degree classes for impeding graduations scheduled to

take place this summer. St Andrews students will be potentially more affected than others in the UK because of its comparatively early examination period. The boycott is due to begin on the first day of revision week.

The boycott will aim to persuade the University and College Employers Association to reopen negotiations for fairer pay in the higher education industry for the academic year 2013/14.

This is the latest stage in a series of industrial action taken by higher education unions throughout this academic year.

Tom Jones, branch treasurer of the UCU committee in St Andrews, apologised to students for the potentially “disruptive” impact which the boycott might have. He said: “Of

course that’s the threat that is behind the action, we take it very seriously that that’s the threat that we’re making. But we have given the employers since October, when we started taking this action, to reopen negotiations and we’ve never had any movement from them.”

He emphasises that members wish to cause as little damage to students’ experience as possible: “We would only do this if we felt we really had exhausted all other means possible.”

He continued: “It’s possible that there could be delays to the reporting of exam results and delays in graduation. But I promise you, and everyone who participates in the action will do the same, we will make every effort to get back to normality as soon as we have any sort of mean-

ingful negotiations with the employers and the union calls off the action.

At that point everybody will make the utmost effort to get exam results in as soon as possible to make sure there is as little impact on students as is necessary.”

However, a boycott may yet not be not necessary. If negotiations are reopened prior to 28 April, the union will not immediately take any further action. Dr Jones said: “I don’t think there could be a really apocalyptic outcome. Union members will do their utmost to make sure that exam results are fairly and quickly reported as soon as the action is called off.”

Having already lost out on salary for one full day and three part days Continued on page 3

“One of the three greatest Biblical dramas in existence”: Alex Harrison reviews Noah Page 26

Features An interview with Sium Ghebru, founder of #ITooAmStAndrews Page 17

Viewpoint James Leech on why Michael Gove is a better person than you Page 11

Inside the paper

“Independence would be very bad for St Andrews“ Features, page 15 Money

The Saint speaks to the Investment Society about how it all works Page 14 Photo: William Warby

Viewpoint

Sophie Cadden and Beckie Thomas on ‘sexist’ discourse

Arts & Culture

South Park: The Game sticking it to the man like never before Page 29

Features

In this week’s food section we cook up some PB&J muffins

Page 9

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Editorial board

Editorial

Editor Elliot Davies editor@thesaint-online.com Deputy editor Elliott Miskin Production manager Matthew Despard production@thesaint-online.com Deputy production manager Omar Ali Web editor Chris Walker web@thesaint-online.com Video editor Henry Legg video@thesaint-online.com Illustration chief Monica Burns illustration@thesaint-online.com Business manager Camilla Henfrey business@thesaint-online.com Business team Ben Quiligotti, Sophie Kelly advertising@thesaint-online.com

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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Calls for reform of Scottish university principals’ pay Laura Abernethy News editor

Michael Russell, the Scottish education secretary, is considering introducing legislation that would change how much university principals are paid.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that some university principals took rises well above inflation. The largest increase was a 24 per cent rise for Professor Steve Chapman from HeriotWatt. Professor Dame Joan Stringer, principal of Edinburgh Napier, was awarded the second-highest increase of 11 per cent and Professor Seamus McDaid, the out-going principal of the University of the West of Scotland took an eight per cent pay rise in his last year, bringing his salary to £235,000.

Professor Louise Richardson, principal of the University of St Andrews, did not take a pay rise this year. In the year 2011-2012, Professor Richardson took away a basic salary of £225,00 and a total of £271,000 including pension contributions and benefits in kind.

However, she and other principals have previously been criticised for the gap between the highest and lowest earners at universities.

Last year, NUS Scotland called for a Living Wage Policy that would limit the ratio universities could pay their senior staff in relation to the salary of their lowest-paid employees, noting that the average difference at Scottish

universities (at 16:1) is higher than the national public sector average of (15:1).

St Andrews’ result was higher still with an 18-fold gap between the University’s highest and lowest earn­ers.

According to The Sunday Times, a Scottish government spokeswoman said Russell believes salary increases for principals should not be far out of step with what other staff were being offered.

She added that he wants university senior management to “demonstrate clear accountability, by ensuring the highest standards of transparency in setting pay awards”, as recommended by the review chaired by Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, principal of Robert Gordon University.

It recommended that “remuneration committees should include staff and student members. The work of the committee should be transparents and, in particular, the basis upon which pay is calculated should be published.”

A spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: “Of course we expect principals’ salaries to come under intense scrutiny but many principals have taken below inflation increase over the past year.

“In instances where the increase is higher than this, we’re aware of at least one case where an uplift was agreed following many years in which the principal in question refused to take an increase.”

£225,000 basic salary of Professor Louise Richardson

£262,500

basic salary of the principal of Stratchclyde the highest-paid principal in Scotland

£140,000

salary of Prime Minister David Cameron and Alex Salmond

Our community is helping students...

... now it must help others in need

We must be doing something right. The figures reported today show that St Andrews has fewer students dropping out in their first year than any other university in Scotland. In fact, we’re some of the clingiest bright young minds in the UK: Cambridge, Oxford and Buckingham are the only universities better at retaining their recruits.

Students drop out of university for many reasons, all of them valid.

Sometimes it’s the pressure; university life is intensive, and trying to balance the stress of academic work and the time demands of extra-curricular activities on top of a social life can overwhelm even the most organised people. It takes adapting to, and first-year students don’t always get the knack in time.

Others, sadly, may cope with the work but feel that they don’t fit in - for whatever reason. And then for some, university simply isn’t the right choice; better to pick a different course or get on with finding a job, perhaps.

In St Andrews, we can be proud that our community is dealing with these issues. In the first instance, the University’s tough academic entry requirements help ensure that students who win places will be able to cope

It may come as a surprise to many that St Andrews contains a food bank, and perhaps as an even greater surprise that there are those in St Andrews who need one.

Between the various stereotypes of affluent students, rich, partying golfers and tourists with plenty of spare cash, it’s easy to overlook those in our community who are struggling to the extent that they can’t even afford food to eat. Yet, as our InFocus interview today shows, they most certainly exist - and we can help.

The Storehouse food bank, operating out of the Vineyard centre on Largo Road, deserves our praise and our support for the work they do.

As well as working with local charities such as Families First and supporting Fife Council’s homelessness service, Storehouse also help those whose needs may not so obviously come to mind, such as women who are forced to flee domestic abuse.

Imagine suddenly leaving your home one day and not being able to take any belongings with you: no clothes, no money, no food. Having a safe place to stay and a few days of food to eat would make a world of

with the workload. Beyond that, the ability to sample other subjects during the first year and easily change degree intentions helps prevent students leaving because they chose the wrong course.

We are also made to feel like we belong right from our first days in town.

St Andrews’ remote location means few students are isolated by living at home and commuting. Instead nearly all freshers move into halls of residence, where the committees and wardens do excellent work to make them feel welcomed and involved.

As the semesters stretch on, the academic family system knits freshers ever-tighter into the community, matching them up not only with older students who can act as mentors but also siblings from different social groups that they otherwise may not meet. And that’s not to mention the close groups that form around societies or the work of the Students’ Association.

The University and the town of St Andrews are by no means perfect, as this newspaper often points out, and there is work to be done in many areas.

But at least we will all be here to work on it together.

difference.

Unfortunately, this type of support is also increasingly needed by those who could previously get by. As the cost of living increases throughout the country the problem is becoming particularly acute in St Andrews, where prices are already high. The inflated rental market, costly supermarkets and expensive public transport all help to price out those who would once have earned enough.

Thankfully, there are easy ways to help. Instead of throwing away your leftover food, unopened toiletries and unused cleaning products at the end of the semester, crate them up and donate them. Add a single extra item to your shopping list every week. Check the website at storehousenefife.org.uk to find out what items are in low stock.

The close community in St Andrews is one of our greatest assets. We have already seen how it contributes to the lowest university drop out rates in Scotland. Now let’s make sure we don’t allow those we share our town with to drop out, either.

The Saint is an entirely independent newspaper, run by students of the University of St Andrews. It is published fortnightly during term time and is free of charge. The Saint is not affiliated with the University or the Students’ Association. The text, graphics and photographs are under copyright of The Saint and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without prior permission of the editor.

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Immigration bill amendment is “just a drop in the bucket” for international students Carrie Magee SRC correspondent

The immigration bill that has attracted criticism over its provisions for introducing more checks on international students has had a proposed amendment added that would remove the need for some types of accommodation to check the visas of international students.

The bill states that landlords would be required to check the visas of students seeking housing.

Previously, only university halls of residence were excluded from this.

The amendment, if passed, would extend this exemption to all university accommodation, whether or not a ‘hall of residence’. It would also mean that any hall of residence, regardless of whether university-owned or privately-owned, would be exempt.

As two new privately-run halls are currently being built at the site of the old memorial hospital and East Sands, this issue is becoming increasingly relevant for St Andrews students. Any more accommodation directly organised by the University

will also remain exempt.

The amendment is expected to be approved, with debates having begun on 3 April.

The bill has been controversial, facing opposition from several groups, including the representative organisation for the UK’s universities. In a statement on its website, Universities UK said: “Universities UK’s preference has always been, and remains, that students are exempted from both these checks, and a number of other areas of this bill.”

Specifically regarding the amendment, Universities UK said that the bill alone “does not take into account the variety of accommodation taken up by students, nor the range of relationships between universities, students, and private landlords.”

The bill’s provisions would still force international students to pay into the NHS to use it. The amount they would need to pay has not yet been determined. Some opponents of this part of the bill also cite the fact that no specific cost is listed, which poses a danger of making the NHS prohibitively expensive.

Universities UK’s preference has always been that students are exempted from both these checks, and a number of other areas of this bill

In addition to Universities UK, many members of the House of Lords are also displeased with the bill. In a report titled Persuasion and Power in the Modern World by the select committee on soft power and the UK’s influence, the group agreed that students must be removed from the

group of net migrants.

The report went on to say that: “the government must work harder to ensure that their efforts to cut migration by those who would not add to the UK’s wellbeing do not prevent those whose presence would further the UK’s domestic and international interests from seeing the UK as welcoming.”

Earlier this academic year, the Students’ Association launched a campaign against the bill. A motion was passed by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) opposing the bill, and the campaign produced a petition, which was sent to home secretary Theresa May. The bill was brought to the Council’s attention by Teddy Woodhouse, the director of representation. At the time, speaking about the campaign, he said: “[The bill] would likely change the character of the University as a whole,” which meant that the fate of the bill should be meaningful not only to the international students directly affected but also to students from the United Kingdom and the EU.

Mr Woodhouse spoke again to The Saint regarding the most recent developments around the bill, saying that although this amendment would end the need for formal visa checks, he wasn’t certain it was enough.

“In my opinion, the proposed amendment is just a drop in the bucket,” he said.

“International students who organise private accommodation independent from university-managed properties are still subject to visa checks by landlords. They’ll still be subject to the raft of other barriers, including the NHS access fee. The bill still contributes to the growing perception that the United Kingdom is an increasing unwelcoming place for international students.”

Debates on the bill will continue this week and it is planned that, if passed, the bill will come into effect this summer.

Viewpoint >

Jake Jose discusses the economics of immigration. p12.

Staff marking boycott could mean delays to exam results and graduation ceremonies in their last pay package, Dr Jones is sure that participating UCU members will want to find a resolution as soon as possible before losing even more money.

It is difficult to predict how many members of staff intend to participate in the boycott. The UCU has about 400 members in St Andrews but not all of these are teaching staff.

It is also up to the discretion of each member as to whether they take part in the action.

Dr Jones hopes that as many members as possible will take part in the boycott. He said: “We, the local committee, will be persuading our members to participate and we as local activists will be staying with the action as long as the national union asks us to. That’s the fundamental aspect of successful trade union world, we do it together because we’re all in it together.”

The UCU will also encourage its members who work in other areas around the University, such as the library, to show solidarity by continuing their ongoing work to contract campaign. This means that members will only work for as many hours as they are contractually obliged – they will refuse to attend meetings outwith these, for example.

The pay dispute has arisen from years of falling take home pay. Wages

We would only do this if we felt we really had exhausted all other means possible have not increased in line with inflation. Over the last five years, the real term pay gap has widened to 15.2 per cent. The proportion of Scottish universities’ expenditure spent on staff costs has also fallen in real terms by 9.8 per cent between 2008-09 and 2012-13. This comes at a time of increasing costs of living; an HM Treasury forecast published in February 2014 anticipated a 16.5 per cent increase in cost of living by 2018.

Yet despite falling wages for most university workers, there has been a disproportionate rise in pay for principals and vice chancellors who earn an average of £250,000. In 2011/12, a total of 2,761 higher education staff were paid more than £100,000.

The Joint Higher Education Trade

Union Pay Related Equality Matters Claim, submitted on 20 March 2014, says: “Higher education is undergoing a period of almost unprecedented and rapid change. There are increasing expectations from government, employers and students that all HE staff will continue to deliver excellence in teaching, research and support.

“The HE trade unions are not against change, however over recent years it’s clear that members have been rewarded with small increases in pay that have resulted in year on year teal term pay cuts despite working harder and longer than ever.

“If the pattern of national bargaining outcomes over the last five years repeats itself in the coming years, members’ pay will continue to decline. With the employers’ side reluctance to expand negotiations to cover pay related matters the prospect for any meaningful agreements at a national level remains limited.”

Dr Jones further emphasised that the pay settlement is needed to ensure the future of academia as a viable profession for people from all financial backgrounds. With student fees and debts rising, graduates will be much more indebted by the time they reach a paid academic position.

He said: “So a lecturer’s salary has got to stand up to the new pressure of student debt and the new fee regime. We can’t see the starting sal-

ary for a post-doctoral researcher or a beginning lecturer fall much lower without knowing that we will lose people from the profession who would otherwise join it.”

Though a graduate trainee job for someone with a good degree might advertise at around £40,000 a year, a newly qualified lectuer at St Andrews - a well-paying university - earns £37,000.

This is also after years of unpaid or poorly paid PhD and doctoral work.

“So if we’re going to keep the profession healthy and encourage good people into the profession, the salary really needs to be comparable to other kinds of salaries.”

Chloe Hill, the president of the Students’ Association, said: “The proposed boycott shows that staff are seriously concerned about their pay situation, which equates to a 13 per cent pay cut since 2007. I hope that the situation is resolved before the boycott starts at the end of April.”

Negotiations for the 2014/15 pay settlement have already begun.

Photo: Ellen Shaw

Contined from page 1

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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News

Madras plan for Pipeland passed Fife Council has voted in favour of giving planning permission for a secondary school campus on Pipeland Road to replace Madras College’s current split campus.

The £40 million school would be built to the south of the town on greenbelt land.

The current campus is split between South Street and Kilrymont Road, one and a half miles apart. Campaign group Parent Voice recently released photographs depicting ‘deplorable’ conditions at the school.

Earlier this year The Courier reported that chairman of the St Andrews Community Council, Kyffin Roberts, was urging parents not to “get personal” as the debate rumbled on.

Tensions were running high after the North East Fife Area Committee had recommended that Fife Council throw out plans for a secondary school at Pipeland Farm owing to fears of difficult access for some pupils and flooding.

Further to this, a consultation meeting was adjourned following the lastminute submission of extra information - though only after more than 100

councillors, parents and campaigners had assembled at the town hall.

Campaign for a New Madras for the 21st Century, chaired by a former Madras College rector, supported an alternative “pond site” on the University-owned North Haugh campus, but fears of flood risks and significant additional costs of up to £14 million meant many parents were in favour of the Pipeland site.

On 31 March, around 250 protesters from Parent Voice gathered outside Madras College on South Street as part of the ‘Pipe Up for Pipeland’ demonstration ahead of the 3 April meeting.

Councillor Bryan Poole said: “I’m delighted with today’s decision which, at last, gives hope for the next generation of St Andrews’ high school pupils.

“I hope that government ministers will let us get on with designing a new school, which is desperately needed for north east Fife. I invite and urge the parent community and local organisations, like the St Andrews Preservation Trust and Community Council, to work with us on a design and final plans. We want everyone to be positively involved and any further delay will only be detrimental to the education of local youngsters.”

Rachael Miller University correspondent

Photo: James Allan

Emily Benbow Town news correspondent

University academics scoop RSE awards

One of the two Madras College buildings in St Andrews A spokesperson for Parent Voice said: “We welcome the Fife councillors’ decision to approve the building of the long-awaited and desperately needed replacement.

“We would expect that now the democratic process has been completed, all of the interested parties will accept the decision and assist the vital process of getting the school up and

running by the summer of 2016.”

The plan now requires a referral to the Scottish government for a final decision. If government ministers approve, a detailed design and planning application will be drawn up for the new school.

Opponents to the plans may still be able to launch legal action to challenge the decision.

large parts of the day on land basking and sleeping.”

It could be said that the animals have rather snappy names: Barack and Michelle, in honour of two well known individuals also prevailing from across the Atlantic. The alligators were christened after a nationwide naming competition which saw 11-year-old Libby Findlay from the Isle of Man triumph.

Referring to the alligators’ illustrious namesakes, aquarium manager John Mace added: “We’re now wondering if we should be changing their enclosure landscape to the White House, but for the moment they seem to be enjoying their tropical rainforest conditions.

“Since arriving the alligators have settled in really well and visitors are always commenting on how cute the baby alligators are. And, of course, if the president and his family ever want to visit, they are more than welcome!”

This is not the first time that the aquarium has named its members after eminent figures: its collection of meerkats is headed up by Kate and Wills, whose family members include The Famous Five (Julian, Dicky, Anne, George and Timmy). Four Humboldt penguins are also named after tennis star Andy Murray and his entourage, despite the animals all being female.

In a final quirk of nomenclature, the more business-savvy members of the meerkat clan have termed themselves Sheila’s W h e e l s , Churchill and Admiral.

Matthew Litherland National news correspondent Visitors to St Andrews Aquarium can now catch sight of an even greater variety of species, with the arrival of a pair of alligators normally found in South America.

The two baby reptiles are Spectacled Caiman, a member of the Crocodilia family. Although small even when adults (typically growing to around 2m in captivity), they are very active and are potentially dangerous to humans. The power of their bite is such that UK owners require a special licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals act in order to keep them.

The alligators had previously been kept illegally by a member of the public who did not obtain the required licence. After being confiscated by authorities on animal welfare and public safety grounds, they were offered to the aquarium. In order to take the reptiles in, the new keepers had to show that

the animals will be cared for properly and will not present a risk to the public. Failure to find a new home would have left the authorities with little choice but to put the animals down.

Speaking to The Saint, the St Andrews Aquarium displays manager, Dr Andrew Whiston, explained how the new recruits have fitted in alongside the aquarium’s existing alligators.

“We had an existing display of American alligators at the aquarium and so offering a home to the Caiman worked really well. They are now in an enclosure next door to the alligators. This allows us to show our visitors the differences between the two.

For example, the Caiman can be seen to spend almost all their time in or under the water.

In contrast, the American alligators spend

Photo: John Magnus

Keeping it snappy: alligators arrive at St Andrews aquarium

Four members of staff have been awarded prestigious awards from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

Professor Andrew Whiten, Wardlaw professor of psychology and professor of evolutionary and developmental psychology, has achieved the Senior Public Engagement Prize.

This is for his extensive work with the public, particularly in his role as founding director of the Living Links to Human Evolution research center at Edinburgh Zoo. Dr Katie Stevenson, senior lecturer in late medieval history, was awarded the Thomas Reid early career prize.

She was recognized for her research into the political and cultural history of late medieval Scotland.

The RSE/Makdougall Brisbane Medal was awarded to Dr Per Ola Kristensson, lecturer in human computer interaction in Computer Science.

Dr Kristensson was recognised for his research across human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Dr Catherine Cazin, also a RSE Young Academy of Scotland member, was another to receive the RSE/ Makdougall award. The chemistry lecturer was recognised for her outstanding research in homogeneous catalysis.

Raisin: students branded “animals” Laura Abernethy News editor

Chloe Hill, the president of the Students’ Association, has called some students “thoughtless animals” after police figures from Raisin Weekend were released.

The statistics revealed that 59 students were taken off the streets by the police for drunken behaviour; 16 students received received fixed penalty tickets for various behaviour; 12 people required medical attention; and there were four reported instances of verbal and physical abuse toward staff.

Last year Lorna Milne, the proctor, warned students before Raisin Weekend that if behaviour did not improve the University would “have no alternative but to review our longstanding support of Raisin traditions.”

The University and the Students’ Association are currently discussing plans for next year.

To read to more of Chloe Hill’s comments, turn to page 24.

The Saint • 10 April 2014

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97.2 per cent of entrants continue their studies Continued from page 1

% students 4

Matthew Litherland National news correspondent 3

2

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0 02-03 03-04

year 04-05

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06-07

the size of St Andrews as a town as further “significant factors” in the University’s increasingly low drop out rates.

Abertay Dundee Edinburgh Napier Edinburgh Glasgow Caledonian Glasgow School of Art Glasgow Heriot-Watt Queen Margaret Robert Gordon Royal Conservatoire of Scotland St Andrews SRUC Stirling Strathclyde Highlands and Islands West of Scotland 5

07-08

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

The percentage of entrants who have dropped out of the University of St Andrews in each of the last ten academic years

Aberdeen

0

Plans in full flow to return water to fountain

10 % students

15

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A graph showing the percentage of entrants who left each of the Scottish higher education institutions in the academic year 2011-2012

He commented: “These are of course advantages which you may not find in big city universities.”

The statistics from HESA, which collects data about a range of higher education institutions throughout the UK, also revealed that the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Edinburgh were among the other Scottish institutions with high continuation rates. 94.5 per cent of entrants to the University of Edinburgh and 94.9 per cent of entrants to Glasgow School of Art continued or qualified at the same instiution.

Conversely, the lowest rate in Scotland came from the University of West Scotland, where only 79 per cent of students continued or finished their studies.

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, whose campuses are based across south Wales and Swansea, had the highest drop out rate in Wales, with 14.5 per cent of entrants leaving the University.

Figures for Northern Ireland showed that the largest proportion of non-continuing students came from the University of Ulster. Only 90.1 per cent of entrants continued their studies there.

Representing the lowest rate of continuation in both England and the UK as a whole, almost one in five students enrolled at the London Metropolitan University in 20112012 did not continue after their first year.

Recently, separate analysis by Sylke Schnepf, a researcher at the University of Southampton, found that the UK has the lowest drop out rates in Europe, with just 16 per cent of students at universities, colleges and technical training instiutions leaving their course before they finish.

Norway has the second-lowest drop out rate, with 17 per cent of students leaving higher education before graduation. This is followed

by France where the figure is 19 per cent.

The Whyte-Melville fountain on Market Street will soon be returned to working order, as Fife Council plans to restore it to its former glory.

It has been many years since water last flowed through the 134-year-old fountain; local accounts suggest it was last active in the 1930s. Fife Council’s North East Fife Area Committee aims to change that, however, having unanimously backed the reinstatement of water to the St Andrews landmark at a recent meeting. Work began on the monument at the end of last month.

The council itself will not be splashing out on the fountain, with funds arriving from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the Pilgrim Foundation, alongside £10,000 from the St Andrews Common Good Fund.

Plans for a spouting fountain ran into hot water when a risk assessment

by Fife Council officials found that a high water flow rate could lead to an increased risk of Legionnaires’ disease.

The disease thrives in fine mist conditions at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees centigrade. Consequently, a lower water pressure will be used to minimise the mist created and a sterilisation unit will be installed.

Speaking to The Courier, St Andrews councillor Dorothea Morrison questioned whether such a compromise might mean that “the water is going to be more of a drip than a gush”.

She also questioned whether the presence of water could lead to students bathing in the structure: “At Raisin Weekend, there was a lot of student activity around the fountain.

We’ll need to make sure that in future there are not people splashing around.”

The Whyte-Melville fountain is named after Major George Whyte Melville. Born in 1821 at Mount Melville near St Andrews, he was educated at Eton and went on to become a captain in the Coldstream Guards in 1846. After retiring from British Army service, he began to translate the works of Roman poet Horace from Latin.

Melville subsequently published his first novel Digby Grand in 1853, which was a notable success. He went on to write 21 novels, amongst them the famous historical work The Gladiators. Many of his books were written on the topic of hunting, owing to Melville’s experiences as an accomplished horseman.

Although hailing from Scotland, he spent much of his life in England, and died in a riding accident in Oxfordshire in 1878.

After Melville’s death, his mother Lady Catherine decided to commemorate his legacy by erecting a fountain in his honour. Funded by public subscription, it was completed in 1880, occupying a position in the centre of Market Street where it stands to the present day.

Photo: Henry Legg

Scott, told The Saint: “St Andrews has maintained a consistently low drop out rate for many years.

“St Andrews is a highly selective university. Competition for places is significant and we aim to recruit the most academically potent students.

It is probable, therefore, that many of our students arrive at university already well prepared for higher education and less likely to succumb to the pressures which can lead to non-continuation.”

He did add, however, that “the pressures of studying for a degree at St Andrews can be considerable.”

A wide variety of help is available to students, from CAPOD to the Advice and Support Centre. Mr Scott said: “We also invest a lot in student support systems and services to ensure that we can offer appropriate support to those students who need assistance with study or in their personal life.”

He also mentioned “the work of the Students’ Association” and

News 5

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10 April 2014 • The Saint

The Saint • 10 April 2014

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InFocus: Rebecca Weir, Storehouse food bank

Laura Abernethy News editor

The increase in the use of food banks has made headlines across the UK as more and more people are affected by food poverty. St Andrews is often seen as a fairly affluent town but Storehouse, based at the Vineyard centre on Largo Road, has seen the number of parcels they are providing increase by a third since August of last year.

Storehouse collect donations of food, pack food parcels and deliver them to the most vulnerable people

It’s a town of such extremes so there are some very wealthy, the students and some who are really struggling in northeast Fife. Rebecca Weir, manager of the charity that is run by the Vineyard Church, explained: “We pack food bags once a week and deliver them to our partner agencies.”

They work with local charities like Families First and Homestart as well as people such as health vistiors.

Rebecca said: “They actually have a really good opportunity to find out what people’s situations are because when a mum has had a baby, the health visitor will go in and they’ll say ‘No, you sit there. You’ve just had a baby, I’ll make the cup of tea’. She has permission to go into somebody’s kitchen and look in all their cupboards trying to find things and can actually see that this person does not have any food in their cupboards... They distribute probably about 50 per cent of the parcels that we give out.

“We also give bags to Women’s Aid; they have 10 safehouses in the northeast Fife area and whenever someone who is experiencing domestic abuse that gets so serious that they need to leave, they can’t give any indication that they’re planning to leave so they have to literally throw a few clothes in a bag and walk out the door. Women’s Aid will always have a few days supply of food in the safehouse ready for them when they move in. “ The food bank also support the Council’s homelessness service, ‘Homes for Good’, and they get one-off referrals from social workers and the job centre.

The charity has grown enormously since it was established in 2006. It has evolved from a plastic storage box that Vineyard’s pastor kept in their porch and brought to the church each week to a group that collects from 12 churches

across the local area.

“The first point that it really grew was nearly four years ago; one of our students got really keen to collect food from people in halls who were leaving at the end of term. We collected maybe 10 boxes full of food and at that point, we felt we needed somewhere better to store. First we had some storage in Holy Trinity Church hall and then when we outgrew that we moved to a basement room in Hope Park Church...

About a year ago we got these premises. We now have all of the food under one roof.”

Rebecca explained that although the charity has grown enormously from that small plastic box, the need for their help has also increased. In a similar way to food banks in other towns across Britain, more and more people are now relying on them to get by. “From about August last year, the number of bags we’ve given out has tripled which is really alarming and scary to think it’s grown so much. It’s fantastic that we’re able to keep up with the demand for now but I think the fact we exist at all is shocking and I would love to see the day when we close down because people don’t need it.”

There has also been a noticeable change in the circumstances of the people who are seeking help as the rise in the cost of living forces more and more people into food poverty. “We’ve been getting more people that are actually in work but are not able to make ends meet - food prices have gone up 30 per cent in five years and energy bills have gone up 37 per cent in three, but wages and benefits have remained stagnant. Welfare payments have only increased by one per cent. It used to be people who had their benefits delayed or stopped or had a change of circumstance... We’re now seeing more people who are in work but not able to make ends meet... They’ve got debts or just struggling with the cost of living, which is concerning. People don’t have any safety net - living week by week, getting down to the last penny before their next pay cheque or next benefit payment comes in. They’ve no spare cash at all so if something like their energy bill is bigger than expected or their car breaks down, they’ve got no spare cash so can be tempted to get into things like payday loans which are just terrible. I don’t see how they can be legal.”

Although St Andrews is often seen as an affluent town, the higher price of living means that the most vulnerable people are now struggling ever more.

Rebecca commented: “A senior mental health social worker, who has worked in Fife and other places, told me some of the worst places he’s seen were on Lamond Drive. It’s a town of such extremes so there are some very wealthy, the students and some who are really struggling. Food prices are really expensive, rent is really expensive, heating is expensive so it’s really hard.”

As Rebecca showed me around the building, it was impressive to see shelves full of food, ready to be packed

to help those in need. They have had to install purpose-built shelves to hold the weight of the tins and other nonperishable food. However, Rebecca explains that the shelves are not always as packed: “Thankfully, we’ve never completely run out but in the summer, things are tight because the students are all away and everyone else is in holiday mode.”

Rebecca said that she has seen some remarkable acts of kindness from those in the local community. “This past summer we had a lady who wasn’t connected to any church; she was making a recipe and had run out of something she needed so she popped to the shops.

As she was in the shops buying whatever it was, she was suddenly struck that not everybody could just pop out and buy whatever they wanted. She phoned Fife Council to see what she could do to help and they gave her our number. She went and spent £30 in the supermarket and brought it down to us.” This came on a day when the food bank was completely running out.

Rebecca said that although they appreciate all donations, it has been a steep learning curve for both the volunteers and the donors on what they should and should not give. Rebecca uses their website and Facebook page to keep supporters up to date with what they need to ensure that they can give a variety of products that will provide a balanced diet. “It’s tricky getting the right mixture of food - we try to pack bags that are a balanced package for three days’ worth of food, so breakfast cereal, milk, a couple of lunch things, couple of dinner things and some biscuits or dessert or something like that.

“It’s taken a bit of education as well to get people to think. At the start we got a lot of tinned tomatoes and kidney beans, which to me screams chilli con carne but you have to have the meat and so for someone to unpack a bag and see those ingredients it’s going to

The fact we exist at all is shocking.

I would love to see the day when we close down because people don’t need it be a bit of a slap in the face... A jar of chicken tonight sauce is only useful if you have the chicken. It’s taken a while to try and encourage our donors to think in terms of what will really be useful that we can make complete meal out of.“ In the future, Storehouse hopes to become a drop-in centre, allowing people to come to the centre and re-

Photo: Laura Abernethy

“A senior social worker told me some of the worst poverty he’s seen was on Lamond Drive”

Rebecca Weir, the manager of Storehouse food bank based at the Vineyard centre ceive support alongside their food parcel. Plans are already in the advanced stages to set up a coffee area and other facilities. Rebecca believes that this will allow them to provide more support and to help people move on from the situation they are in.

“At the moment it’s the professionals who identify who needs a food bag - there will still be those people making those decisions, but they will give them a referral letter and will have them come up to the centre where we give them hospitality. We have volunteers who have time to listen to their story.

We’ll let them have a bit of choice about what s in their food bag... At the moment it’s a bit random but if someone doesn’t have any Fairy Liquid to wash the dishes, toothpaste isn’t really very helpful, so we can ask them. It reduces waste and gives people a bit more dignity as you feel like you have more choice over what you eat, which can lift their spirits.

“The drop-in centre will allow us to do that and also to signpost people to other sources of support because what we’re really passionate about is seeing people move out of the situation that they’re in and getting them onto a course, for example to help them budget their finance better or tell them about other benefits they’d be able to apply for, and supporting them throughout the application process. I’m keen to get some funding to have some computers available because benefits are increasingly being changed so you have to apply online, and it’s the people who are most in need of those benefits who

are those less likely to have access to the internet in their homes. We can give support as some don’t have fantastic reading and writing skills so we have volunteers available to help with things like that and to also provide friendship as it’s hard to have a social life when you don’t have any money.

Somewhere warm that you can come have a cuppa and chat to someone is nice.”

As term comes to an end and you find that unopened packet of rice or tin of soup at the back of your cupboard, think about donating it to those in need within the community. Storehouse hope to arrange drop-off points for students. The Vineyard Centre is also open from 10 am until 4 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning for people to drop off donations. You can keep up to date with the items that they need and find more information at storehousenefife. org.uk.

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Britain and the European Union: in or out?

Turning our backs on the EU now would not only have immediately damaging economic consequences, it would also mean turning away from one of the most important vehicles of individual liberties and freedoms ever created.

The core principle on which it was founded – that the freedom of goods, capital and people to flow unimpeded across borders are self-evident economic and social goods – remains sound, and over the last 60 years has served to benefit Britain immeasurably. It isn’t perfect, but instead of giving up, the right course of action is to lead for reform from within.

The most pressing objection to EU membership, that the ‘open door’ immigration policy it enforces on Britain is damaging, simply doesn’t hold water. On the contrary: EU immigration policy has been overwhelmingly a good thing for Britain.

EU migrants in the UK are 30 per cent more likely to hold a university degree than the native population, and are half as likely to receive benefits or tax credits. Because most arrive specifically to work, the cost of their education has already been paid by their country of origin, and we don’t pay much for their pensions or healthcare.

In any case, of the 1.5 million EU nationals who have emigrated to the UK since 2004, around half have since left. Meanwhile, there are also 1.5 million Brits living in the EU. The free movement of people has served to benefit the British economy and the diversification of our society.

EU membership also brings with it considerable benefits in the form of free trade with Europe, and the clout that comes with being a member of the world’s common market (boasting a GDP of $16 trillion) when negotiating with other international partners. Were we to leave, we would have to formulate innumerable bi-lateral treaties which, with the largest players like China, the US and Germany, would quite simply be very much on their terms.

The uncertainty this would cause, with myriad different regulations for each agreement, would be anathema to British exporters looking to keep costs low and for long-term secu-

OUT

rity. It is unsurprising, then, that in a poll of the British car manufacturing industry, 92 per cent of respondents wished to stay in the EU, while 70 per cent believed that leaving would have a negative effect on their businesses.

As Vince Cable, the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, has rightly argued: “Being part of the EU has helped to make the UK one of the leading locations for investment”.

In any case, the fact of the matter is that there is no simple binary of remaining in the EU and having law dictated to us by Brussels, or leaving

Leaving Europe would represent a step backwards and being free to decide ourselves.

As Switzerland and Norway have found, in a modern, economically interdependent Europe, complete national autonomy is impossible - whether we are inside the EU or out, we will be compelled to follow many of its rules and regulations.

Despite being outside of the EU, Norway has implemented about 75 per cent of its laws, while its financial contribution to the EU is, per capita, higher than the UK’s. The Swiss government, meanwhile, has acknowledged that its position outside the EU has been damaging “in terms of jobs, value creation and tax receipts”. Far better, to stay at the table, and have a hand in formulating the policies that will invariably affect us whether we like it or not.

Leaving Europe would represent a step backwards, away from the principles that have allowed Europe and the UK to flourish in the postwar era. Alone, we are a mediumsized ex-superpower with little international clout; as a member of the EU we are, and can continue to be, a key decision-maker in an organisation with far-reaching global influence.

Jamie Macwhirter

Design and logo by Olga Loza

IN

Editor: Tamar Ziff Sub-editors: Jake Jose and Thomas Quarton

It has been 40 years since the UK last held a popular referendum over EU membership, and then the beast had a different nature. The initial common European market has evolved into a political union and transference of power from Westminster to Brussels, with it an increasing number of obligations and restrictions upon the policies of the United Kingdom. This new reality demands a reevaluation of Britain’s place within the EU, one that must involve not only Westminster and Brussels, but the British people themselves.

European integration is problematic on the grounds of sovereignty and self-determination. To what extent are the British people confident in surrendering the right to control their own policy? The numbers aren’t enthusiastic – very few Brits are wont to identify culturally as ‘European’and a plurality – 46 per cent, in fact, - view the EU as a ‘bad thing’. 26 polls conducted in 2013 on the question drew 23 ‘outs’, two draws, and a single ‘in’.

In Europe, Britons hold a mere 73 of the overall 766 spots in the European parliament, which itself can only approve and amend laws, not propose them. The power to introduce legislation is given to the European Council, within which David Cameron, the prime minister, is the sole British representative, and the only one of 26 members to belong to the European Conservatives and Reformists party.

This presents a democratic deficit, especially considering that roughly one fifth of laws and regulations currently prevailing in the United Kingdom come from Brussels. The reality is that much of British policy is determined in a manner in which the British have no say, with real consequences for the nation.

One such policy is that of unconditional immigration. Proponents of ‘in’ draw a false dichotomy between unconditional immigration and no immigration at all – a sensible and controlled immigration policy is enough to fill labour and skill shortages and alleviate issues with an aging population without providing uncontrolled access to nover 450 million EU residents. An influx of foreign labour

hurts domestic labour by decreasing its value, and an increase in population requires a corresponding increase in availability of services, housing, and infrastructure.

The UK in the immediate requires a 250,000 new primary school places, and faces a housing shortage of 1.1 million homes by 2020. It is difficult for government to effectively meet these challenges because it cannot control the flow of peoples to the UK from the EU. Membership within the EU means that Britain has also relinquished control over the right to determine its own trade agreements. As it currently stands, Britain cannot bilaterally engage with in trade negotiations with the emerging economies of the world – it must work through the framework of the EU as a whole. Proponents of ‘in’ argue that Britain has more ‘clout’ as being part of the EU, suggesting that Britain would both lose out in intra-European trade and international negotiations.

The reality is not so certain. Britain is the world’s sixth largest economy, and contains the world’s largest financial centre. It has quite a strong position within Europe, and in the mutual interest of all parties could easily strike free trade agreements.

Yes, Britain would have to follow certain regulations to trade with the European Union, but that is the nature of all business: after all, Britain has to sell cars to the US with the driver’s wheel on the left-hand side.

The EU also imposes tariffs on non-EU imports, which proves costly for import-heavy Britain when acquiring products from Eastern nations or the United States. This protectionism also poses a disincentive for emerging economies to trade with the EU; were Britain to go at it alone, it could be a far more nimble competitor.

Ultimately, the underlying issue to consider is one of sovereign principle, and to what extent devolution of power – without direct assent from the population – can or will be tolerated. The rising tenor of the Eurosceptic movement means that it is time for serious reform – otherwise, the British people will find membership simply unpalatable, vote ‘no’, and leave the project altogether.

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of The Saint but are individual opinions.

Andrew Wellesely

Viewpoint 9

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The Saint • 10 April 2014

Women and words: the feminist discourse

A growing worldwide preoccupation with gender equality has led to controversy around ‘sexist’ terminology

Sophie Cadden claims that the international ‘ban bossy’ campaign does little to further the feminist cause I’m sure you’ve all heard of the recent ‘Ban Bossy’ campaign, which was founded by American businesswomen and COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg and is supported by famous music and fashion icons such as Beyonce and Victoria Beckham.

The idea behind the campaign is to encourage women to become leaders without being afraid of the stigma that is often associated with women in powerful positions.

The campaign argues that when a young male asserts himself he is recognised as a leader a m o n g his peers, while a girl in the same position is considered ‘bossy’.

As a young woman living in an era where there has been a rising support for hard-line feminism, I’m beginning to wonder where we draw the line.

I believe the Ban Bossy campaign addresses two issues present in to-

Another case of taking the trivial and making it serious day’s society. Firstly, it seems we are terrified to expose our adolescents to any sort of challenge, shielding them from difficult – but necessary – experience. As my dad reminded me while growing up, some of what is deemed as bullying in schools now was accepted as part of growing up in his childhood.

Children will taunt and tease, inevitably - taking words such as ‘bossy’ and attaching a sexist connotation to it is another case of taking the trivial and making it serious. Coming from someone who was labelled as ‘bossy’

in the playground, I can speak from experience when I say it’s not a fatal blow. Looking back at the obstacles faced by girls during the transition from childhood to adolescence, being called bossy doesn’t really register as a defining moment.

Another issue raised is the stiflingly politically correct world of today, exemplified by the banning of he childhood lullaby ‘Baa, baa black sheep’ in some schools due to fears of its potential inappropriate racial connotations. The list of words deemed as inappropriate for ethnicity, gender, race, religion keeps on growing – soon we will live in an Orwellian reality in which our lexicons are restricted to terms of assent and deference.

As Helena Bonham Carter recently pointed out, the word exists because there are people who are bossy without being the boss: we aren’t labelling all confid e n t

young w o m e n bossy, but in fact using the word appropriately. Women in a position of real authority in my experience have been regarded with respect, perhaps even more so than their male counterparts.

Even in today’s film and television industry, strong women characters such as the HBO series Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen prove to be popular with men and women alike. We aren’t branding such characters as high-handed and tyrannical because they are female – instead, these characters are a beautiful celebration of the rising empowerment of women, where strength is mixed with femininity. Such women are honoured in today’s society – they are informal leaders, brave and bossy.

I don’t think fear of the label bossy is what is stifling girls and young women today. Despite increased opportunities for women in my generation, there is still a lot to say for gender equality.

The sexist issues which prevail in our societies, cultures and political system cannot be simply overcome by banning one word. Society latches onto these feeble campaigns as flimsy band-aids for deeply rooted issues.

Instead of attaching a sexist connotation to a word, let’s strip the controversy from the word ‘feminism’, and make it more accessible to men and women. Banning ‘bossy’ is not the same as banning sexism – let’s stop hedging the issue and tackle gender discrimination head on, where it really needs to be addressed.

Hitler and Germaine Greer: a match made in heaven?

Beckie Thomas criticizes the conflation of gender and genocide in the word ‘feminazi’ Believe it or not, the word ‘feminazi’ was first coined in the 1990s. A 20year -old word for archaic attitudes that should frankly stay in the 90s, along with light-up trainers, bowl cuts and wearing your baseball cap back to front.

The term was first used by the offensive conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh to refer to prochoice abortion campaigners. This is the same man who in 2012 blamed a recent pattern of decreases in the size of men’s penises on these ‘feminazis’ – he is clearly a fountain of sound knowledge.

However, despite the thankfully non-mainstream nature of Limbaugh’s views (he also claimed all black criminal e-fits – photographs used by the police to catch perpetrators - looked like Jesse Owens), this hateful term has become part of an almost socially acceptable lexicon to describe anyone who disagrees with the political status quo. It’s the kind of word used in the comments section on YouTube, abuse on the streets and even among groups of friends as a joke.

But it’s not a joke. Unlike ‘bitch’

or ‘dyke’ or any of the other stupid names people choose to call those whose only crime is essentially to believe in equality, I refuse to ‘reclaim’ this and make it cool. Because Nazism is still not cool, and it never will be.

Casually conflating feminists and Nazis is not only insulting – it is grievously inaccurate. I’m fairly sure Hitler would have hated feminists. As far as I am aware Germaine Greer and Goering would definitely have clashed. Asides from being virtual opposites as far as the political spectrum is concerned, they also have some pretty differing opinions when it comes to life in general.

Nazis think women should definitely be in the home, feminists feel that really women should be allowed some element of choice; the Nazis believed in separate education for boys and girls, feminists do not think the sexes should be educated differently; the Nazis had a real thing for complete genocide, and last time I checked, Ellen DeGeneres is yet to declare the annihilation of anyone. I believe she actually - get this - stands up for the marginalised. This makes the term ‘femi-NAZI’ the tiniest bit

I refuse to ‘reclaim’ this and make it cool.

Because Nazism is not cool, and it never will be problematic. How any rational human being could genuinely connect an ideology that picked on the weak and vulnerable and organised one of the most horrific instances of massmurder in history with a group of gals

(and guys) who think there probably shouldn’t be female genital mutilation is a tiny bit beyond me.

Although it’s blatantly stupid and inaccurate and truly conveys the ignorance of great swathes of the population, ‘Nazism’ is a word that still has impact, regardless of the context it is used in. Wherever it is invoked, it is really deeply offensive. As a fairly staunch non-Nazi, comparing me to Hitler, and the murder of millions of innocent people, is a terrible thing to do - but the impact is greater than that. It really isn’t all that long since the fall of the Third Reich, and there remain living victims of this ideology.

Comparing the atrocities of the Holocaust to some women waving signs in the rain outside Victoria’s Secret is not just hurtful to me, but to all the people who were forced to endure suffering about half a century ago. Those who use the term ‘feminazi’ trivialize their suffering, and that’s not okay. Call me something else – a ‘femi-ogre’ or a ‘femi-monster,’ but do not belittle the horrific experiences of a generation to make your petty, political point.

Furthermore, the term hinders feminism’s fight toward equality. As a rule, the majority of us think equality is actually a good thing; the major differential comes when we discuss whether we’ve already achieved it or how we go about changing things.

If you want to see a less aggressive feminist movement, don’t bully activists into biting back by using words like ‘feminazi’. Instead, decide to prove that we’re equal and let sexism become less and less of an issue.

‘Feminazi’ has become a buzzword, a labelling of millions of women that stops other people from engaging in debate about equality because they don’t want to be hated. On the word ‘feminzai, Rush Limbaugh said, in 2005, “But it still gets to ‘em doesn’t it? And you know why? Because it’s right. Because it’s accurate.” Wrong.

It gets to us because it shows there’s still something to fight for, a truly depressing reality for any free-thinking individual on this planet.

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of The Saint but are individual opinions.

Photo: Chloe Dietz/Flickr

Banning bossy will not stop sexism

10 Viewpoint

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10 April 2014 • The Saint

We are all St Andrews - sort of...

Photo: #ITooAmStAndrews

Patrick Williams claims that I, too, Am St Andrews does little to change student bias

The first step in solving any problem is admitting that there is one. On 1 March 2014 the online photo campaign I, Too, Am Harvard launched in support of an upcoming play that highlights the experience of black students at Harvard University. The campaign looked to

address the lack of ethnic diversity on Harvard’s campus, students feelings of alienation about being considered a single ‘ethnic’ voice and their anxiety about addressing those feelings in the classroom.

The campaign has furthered discus-

sions over affirmative action in college admissions, declining African-American enrollment in universities, and lack of diversity on university campuses. All of these are issues that we need to discuss and all of them generate contrasting opinions. But if nothing else, I, Too, Am Harvard addresses the unspoken assumptions in our society about race.

Multiple posts address the experience of Harvard students being talked down to, having ‘old friends’ who synonymously equate race and socioeconomic status or who use pejorative stereotypes.

Too often, we assume universality in the voices of ethnic groups. For instance, one post reads: “The lack of diversity in this classroom does not make me the voice of all black people.” The obvious problem with that situation is not only the assumption that the student’s skin colour means they identify with the black community, but also the assumption that there is a singular voice for the black community.

The influence of I, Too, Am Harvard has been seen across campuses in the US, as well as at Oxbridge, and now here at St Andrews. The Tumblr page for I, Too, Am St Andrews claims that: “This campaign is not an ethnic minority campaign; it’s a campaign for all of us who are against discrimination and false stereotypes”. Okay.

Their Tumblr page also claims that this University has an image problem: some people believe that we all just bop around town wearing Barbour and texting from our iPhone; that we blow ungodly amounts of money keeping up with the social life and struggle with such existential questions as ‘where will I drink tonight?’; and that the University is full of wealthy, upper-class students who don’t appreciate, or even accept, diversity. According to their Facebook page, the goal of I, Too, Am St Andrews is to show that the “true side of St Andrews” – whatever that means – is an accepting community.

While I will remain hopeful for them, I don’t think that this is the answer. St Andrews does have a problem

Weaseling out any kind of diversity is not the appropriate response with conformity, lack of diversity, and stereotypes. The simple fact that an online campaign has to be started to show

that some diversity exists in St Andrews is proof of that. Don’t get me wrong, I am not discouraging them; I think that I, Too, Am St Andrews are beneficial contributions in the discussions of diversity at this University.

But weaseling out any kind of diversity is not the appropriate response to actual issues of stereotypes and conformity. Is it going to help students who feel defined by their peers solely by their race, sexual orientation or gender? Will it end the stigma of being from certain parts of Glasgow or northern England?

Will it ease the humiliation of people ashamed to be associated with the ‘lad culture’ perpetuated by the student body? Will demonstrating diversity end unfair stereotypes or ease the pressure to conform?

No. Showcasing what little diversity there is in St Andrews may look good on the Student Prospectus, but it does little beyond acknowledging St Andrews has people from relatively diverse backgrounds. I, Too, Am St Andrews was wellintentioned, but will not effect change, especially not in a town where being considered American as a Canadian is considered a significant racial slight.

Features >

The Saint interviews Sium Ghebru, founder of I, Too, Am St Andrews. p17

The ‘Cinderella law’: a glass slipper in red tape Megan Daniels questions the practicality of criminalizing ill-defined ‘emotional abuse’ of children protection laws, “the Wicked Stepmother would have got away

Photo: WikiCommons

One night last winter, BBC’s Panorama broadcasted a particularly harrowing episode regarding the prevention of child abuse – specifically, physical bodily harm inflicted by parents unto their children. I remember sketchy details about the process, of how children at risk are being briskly taken from their unsafe family homes to protect them from further mistreatment.

This all sounds very sensible - this is what we read about; this is what the government, the media and the public are pushing for. This is what we want to hear: social services cracking down on parents who really do not have the right to be parents at all. Child neglect laws exist to protect the young and vulnerable from devastating harm, from suffering irreparable damage to their psyche or their physique.

This summer, however, another law is to be introduced to reinforce the existing Children and Young Persons Act of 1933, which proscribes actions which would lead to injury of children: the British government, after an intense campaign by the charity Action for Children and Conservative MP Robert Buckland, has recently announced that it would seek to prosecute parents who are ‘emotionally cruel’ to their children.

The new law has been dubbed the ‘Cinderella law’ after Buckland claimed that under current child

The Wicked Stepmother made Cinderella do housework and prevented her from attending a party - are chores and ‘grounding’ now a criminal offense? scot free”.

The breadth of possible interpretation of the ‘Cinderella law’ should make us uneasy. Emotional abuse is without doubt just as ‘abhorrent’ – to use the government’s words - as physical, and child neglect is a serious issue.

But though for some children

these legislations may be the key to escaping emotional abuse (their ‘glass slipper’, if we dare extend the analogy), for others it will be an abuse in itself. How do we even begin to list what counts as ‘emotional abuse’? Where do we start looking for the damage in little hearts and minds? What is the line between having tension at home and being abused?

Perhaps most worryingly, won’t this law, loaded onto the shoulders of a service which is already feeling pressure of previous failures and heavy public criticism, simply make ordinary parents more afraid to seek help when they need it?

What is the line between having tension at home and being abused?

Buckland stated that emotional abuse includes “ignoring their child’s presence, [or] failing to stimulate their child” – indifference may not be the best child rearing strategy,

but is it a crime?

The announcement of the law has already provoked an outcry from commentators, many of whom point out the possibilities for its misapplication. The truth is that ‘emotional abuse’ is a nebulous term that may attract myriad and varied interpretation. Welsh MP Mark Williams told BBC Wales that he “would urge the government not to get bound in red tape of bureaucracy”, and perhaps this is key to the success of such a drastic change in the abuse laws. It will have to deal with family issues on an emotional level, and this will require emotional input; not games of bureaucratic semantics, and not decisions based on someone else’s paperwork.

Social services will need to be more thorough, more careful, and they need to pay attention to what’s around them and use their common sense. If the law is in fact implemented, it will be incredibly difficult and delicate to discern the cases of true emotional abuse from those in which the parents are simply not nice people. The reality - fortunate or unfotrunate, depending on how you look at it - is that it is not a crime to be a mean mother or father; it is, however, reprehensible to break up a family on tenuous claims of ‘abuse,’ Above all, it is imperative to note that we will be dealing with real families and real children, multi-fac-

eted and complex.

A fairy tale may not be the best template for such matters.

Online this week

Nigel vs Nick: no Clegg to stand on Louis Schirmacher applauds Nick Clegg for attempting to rival Farage’s bombast in the recent debate Putin’ on a show Mira Boneva explains the incentive behind Putin’s appropriation of Crimea and its lasting implications on the international stage Break the rules: talk to strangers Emily Walthouse advocates violating the childhood taboo in order to ensure a more varied, stimulating life In or out: the effects on Scottish independence Jamie Macwhirter explores how Euroskepticism may affect the independence vote

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of The Saint but are individual opinions.

Rap game Michael Gove

Photo: WikiCommons

James Leech ruminates on Iggy Azalea, kicking beggars, and how you are all horrible people

This is the smile of a man who don’t care about them haters Every April in a remote jungle, tribesmen from across the land journey to partake in an ancient sport. A champion from each tribe is put forward, who must attempt to write the lyrics to Iggy Azalea’s Fancy in their native tongue on a grain of rice using only a banana. To do this, the warrior must maintain total concentration, overcoming a horde of monkeys howling down his ear-holes, tearing out chunks of his hair and throwing faeces at him from the treetops.

The sport has never migrated from South America. Partly because it has driven hundreds of men insane in frustration, but mostly because I just made it up. Obviously. Fortunately, the rest of the world has developed it’s own variation on the game. We call it “politics”.

Recently the education secretary, Michael Gove rapped on the BBC. He was asked by a schoolchild: “What are some of your favourite raps?” and he answered by laying down three hot bars from Wham Rap! With the public response it provoked, you would be forgiven for thinking he had brought a live gazelle into the classroom and torn it in twain by the antlers, the poor beast’s agonised howls barely drowning out Gove’s bloodthirsty cackling. But that didn’t happen. Instead he just rapped.

Michael Gove endured a tirade of abuse: it was an alligator smile. It had been timed for the election. It demonstrated what a slimey fraud he was.

But the poor bloke was just answering a question. What was he supposed to do; slap the kid down, tell her to not be so bloody silly and then bring out the punishment gazelle?

The reaction raised an important question for me: who are you to insult politicians?

For one, Michael Gove is a better person than you. Despite looking like Miss Piggy’s long lost son, he is smarter and harder working than you, and has the balls to take on a position of huge responsibility.

On what grounds can you criticise Michael Gove? You, sat on your arse reading this blustery opinion piece in

Viewpoint 11

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The Saint • 10 April 2014

a student newspaper written by some hack, Mancunian, Aldi’s-own knockoff Charlie Brooker. What exactly are you doing to further the cause of humanity?

Second, it’s not like you understand politics. Most of you couldn’t tell me the first thing about how to manage the UK’s economic policy.

Despite this, George Osborne is treated with the kind of unadulterated vitriol normally reserved for Nazi war criminals and Justin Bieber.

He is booed, harangued and chased

Michael Gove is a better person than you. Despite looking like Miss Piggy’s lost son, he is smarter and harder working than you, and has the balls to take on a position of huge responsibility at every step he makes. But everyone hates him, so that makes it okay, apparently.

George Osborne is often characterised as a spineless little boy loose at the helm of the British economy. But who really is the spineless child - the Oxford-educated chancellor of the Exchequer with nine years experience in the real and shadow cabinet, or the 80,000 plebs in the Olympic stadium mooing at a man they’ve never met just because everyone else is?

It’s no wonder there’s so much corruption in government. Who would be loyal to the country after the way you treat them? I think incoming prime ministers should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for going four months in office without being driven to turn the nation’s nukes on itself to obliterate the whole damn country and everyone in it. That’s actually the reason Obama won his.

With the contempt in which we hold them you’d think being a politi-

They are such an easy target for comedy. It’s like making fun of Sarah Palin, or kicking a beggar cian was an easy, knockabout job that anybody could do if they would only be arsed. But running a country is really complicated. There are elections, the EU, the UN, your own party, your Putins, your North Koreas, et cetera.

That’s a rough day’s work, even without a population of 60 million whingers howling criticism down your ear with every move, tearing chunks off you in the press and lobbing dung at you from their high horses.

Worst of all, however, it’s dull.

Politician bashing has been done to death. They are such an easy target for comedy. It’s like making fun of Sarah Palin, or kicking a beggar. There’s no-one to stand up for politicians, so it’s open season for the TV, the newspapers, and the public to howl down their ear-holes, tear out their hair and throw shit at them from atop our high-horses - as if we would do a better job, if only given the chance.

But these people are trained warriors. After our voices run hoarse, our hands set crusty and our spirits are all but shattered, pull out a magnifying glass, and the rice grain will still read “I’m so fancy, you already know”. All this antagonism neither helps us improve our current politics nor unseat those we deem unfit to govern.

We could watch a billion episodes of Mock the Week and all that would change is the panel and the stooge.

A million times, we’ll hear the same old joke. A million times we’ll feel a little a bit better. But a million times over, nothing changes. It’s LOLcats for snobs. That’s all. You fell for it.

Put your money where your mouth is and do something to change politics. Have a coup - I’d love a good coup, it would be so fun to watch.

Otherwise, please come up with something else to make jokes about.

I’m bored.

A room with a view I thought I had left the sun behind me when I returned from a warm Budapest to an overcast St Andrews, overcast and saturated with student dread at the prospect of starting class.

1 April was cold and sodden, and with every excursion onto St Andrews’ small streets I was given a blustery reminder of Scotland’s rebellion against traditional weather patterns.

Soon enough, however, the clouds cleared, the days lengthened, and the layers were peeled off - like reverse metamorphosis, St Andrews students emerged from their Barbour cocoons clean and raw, and lifted their eyes to the sky. Golfers came out of their hibernation, bags of clubs strapped across their backs as they trotted off to lush green courses.

Spring is interesting in that, ostensibly, it is a time of rebirth, of emergence and rejuvenation for the soul and body alike. Yet inherent in the concept of revival is death - Easter is emblematic of this, combining a commemoration of Jesus’ death with a celebration of his unanticipated awakening.

The week prior to Pentecost Sunday marks Semana Santa, or Holy Week, a festival honoring Christ’s (seemingly) last days on earth.

In many cities in Spain and Latin America, Semana Santa prompts the devout to express their love for and appreciation of Christ, and should also induce secular citizens to reflect on themselves and their decisions, on how they have helped and harmed others and themselves.

Irrespective of religious denomination, we should use the week to contemplate what makes our life worthwhile, the people and activities which inform our choices and draw our affections.

What do we seek to change about ourselves? Every transformation is the shedding of a skin, the desiccation of an old or deleterious part of your person in order to allow the growth of something new and, hopefully, beneficial.

Morbid though it may sound, with each alteration comes the death of a part of ourselves, a minor facet of our personalities to which we choose to say goodbye.

We are naturally prone to bad habits, each of us comprised of sizeable flaws - though we seek to rectify them, for our own betterment, their loss still signifies a small death within us, hopefully followed by the creation of something fresh and favorable. We must all a little die to save ourselves religious or not.

The culmination of Holy Week is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified - represents the false finality of error or tragedy. Many

hold the devastating but incorrect impression that bad decisions, or any series of unfortunate events, are not rectifiable, and that lost opportunities, or loves, or friendships, will mar one’s life forever.

This is not true what is lost, what dies, is not recoverable; however, for the most part, there is a second chance, another life in this convoluted, multi-player video game of existence.

The Jesus that rose on Sunday was not the same man who passed away three days earlier - not exactly, anyway.

Our trials and mistakes mark us to a certain degree, and vestiges of past misdeed will undoubtedly remain; but we – our whole, fallible selves – continue to move forward.

There is very little in this life that cannot be mended – the emotional, and literal, rashes, bruises, and broken bones will heal. A fatalistic mindset is in our very biology: our ancestors were faced with very real existential crises, evading predators and enduring periods of starvation that threatened to kill them.

Today, this catastrophic attitude is directed at, when compared to the struggles of our ancestors, incredibly trivial, quotidian matters – we produce enormous amounts of anxiety over writing a mediocre essay, missing out on revelry, fighting with friends or relatives.

There is almost always another chance – perhaps not do to the same thing, or be with the same person, but to succeed and love in good measure. We cannot change the past, but - get this - we can change the future, which is infinitely indeterminate and thus all-possible.

Spring must therefore be a time of reconciliation, a reconstruction of oneself and one’s relationships with others. There should be no remorse, no return to frosty exchanges or a time of barren prospects, but only a projection forward – your tether to the past will decay and fall, leaving you unfettered and far lighter than anticipated.

There is a caveat to all of this.

In the story of Easter, Jesus was resurrected – once. Our opportunities for betterment are not infinite; sometimes there is a third, or fourth, chance, but often one more is all we receive.

Take advantage of this other opportunity – we frequently lose things because we do not look thoroughly enough, even if those things are dearest to us.

The days are longer now – the sun has pushed away the clouds.

Use the new light to see what you thought you missed, but are still missing.

Tamar Ziff

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of The Saint but are individual opinions.

12 Viewpoint

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10 April 2014 • The Saint

The economics of immigration

Jake Jose affirms that the UK government is ignoring the economic reality of immigration

Britain is an island. While this might suggest a degree of remoteness from the rest of the world, for the British Isles nothing could be further from the truth. Long ago, the UK - albeit somewhat forcefully - involved itself with the rest of the world in an exchange of ideas, goods and people.

I say ‘exchange of people’ because there was a time not long ago when Brits willingly left their homeland for the far reaches of the world in order to explore, settle, and prosper elsewhere.

Many Brits made their fortune abroad, while others profited by facilitating said transport. Now, and for the past 70 years, the direction of movement has reversed, and the UK has seen an influx of immigrants to its shores.

So far in 2014, over 200,000 migrants have arrived in Great Britain, the standard in recent times. Over the course of the next five years, over half a million immigrants are expected from the European Union alone. In the face of all this, the Conservative government plans to reform the immigration policy that Britain has set out for itself. They are not wrong to attempt reform. At least, not entirely.

This past March, after a two-month delay caused by the intractability of Theresa May, the home secretary, an independent report found that the Home Office had systemically failed to deal appropriately with an increasing flow of illegal immigrants.

The report found that officials detained some migrants long after their

period of incarceration should have ended, and that there was an absence of oversight as to the extent of these violations. One case detailed man unjustly imprisoned for over three and a half years, costing the British taxpayer £211,032.

It goes without saying that the British government must redress the flaws in its immigration system.

However, the current government, rather than seeking to reform, wants to restrict: in 2010, David Cameron made a pledge, perhaps ill advised, to reduce net British immigration to the tens of thousands. His promise would prove tricky to fulfill: under current EU provisions for the free movement of peoples, there is no limit to the amount of potential immigrants from the continent.

Thus, the government had to target other groups in order to reach immigration objectives. It has cut visas for skilled workers and, in a rather coldhearted maneuver, prevented UK citizens earning less than £18,600 from bringing their foreign born spouses to this country. As of this March, a new immigration bill on the table introduces even more draconian measures, requiring background checks for all immigrant renters, immigrants opening bank accounts, and a policy of ‘deport first, appeal later’.

The last of the measures is particularly problematic. With a commitment to a net limit to immigration, the government focuses on the wrong num-

bers. There are economics at work.

Business leaders agree that the reduction of skilled workers and general immigration hurts the UK’s economy. Over half of the FTSE 100’s chairmen, a group of the London Stock Exchange’s highest valued companies, said in a survey last month that reducing immigration would harm the British economy’s competitiveness and growth. The editor of The Economist has criticised the policy describing it as “economically suicidal”: cutting itself off from the world’s workers does more harm than good to Britain.

The modern world has no (successful) islands. Geographically they may remain, but economically, culturally, and technologically they are extinct. The UK cannot remain a world leader in business and technology if adrift at sea.

The current immigration system is both ineffective and inefficient. The addition of more background checks and more databases will be cotstly, as will reducing those immigrants that fuel British development, just as British emigrants once fueled the development of a global empire.

Theresa May and David Cameron might just find their policies don’t add up.

News >

Controversial amendments added to government’s immigration bill. p3

Letters to the editor In response to ‘Unsustainable Living’ by Patrick Campbell (6 February 2014) Sir, While reading the article Unsustainable Living by Patrick Campbell - which claimed that shops and services around town were far too studentoriented - I couldn’t help feeling that he was forgetting a small but significant demographic in St Andrews: the tourists.

We often forget how much of a tourist attraction St Andrews is, but when summer comes around, or even on a brisk but sunny day, the streets are filled with families, couples, tour buses, and groups of golfers. St Andrews definitely caters to those needs adequately.

The number of cute bed and breakfasts, inns, and hotels in St.Andrews seems almost ridiculous considering the fact that University students don’t rent them out, at least that I know of - there may, in fact, be an Eloise living in the Russacks.

There are also a number of pubs and restaurants in St Andrews that cater to a mixed demographic. Drouthy Neebors has a senior citizens and children’s menu. The Whey Pat is always filled with locals playing darts. Both the Central and the Criterion are filled with a blend of students, locals, and tourists in an authentic pub atmosphere. Most of the restaurants in St Andrews have family deals and early bird specials, affirming the importance of drawing in a non-student presence.

Only a few specific restaurants actually have student meal deals, and most of them are Indian restaurants. The movie theatre does not have a student ticket price. And while Argos will be missed, you can find a lot of the things it sold at the Hardware Store on South Street, Tescos, and small local shops in town.

In a small town where rent prices are high and businesses only last a short while because of the ever-changing student population, name-brand franchises dominate our streets. The charity shops are on their way out: two closed down before winter break and another one is for lease. It is not the students who own the shops, it is the locals. Fife Council, made up of locals, has the ability to influence the types of stores that are in St Andrews, and these are the ones they have chosen for the streets. The students in St Andrews bring in significant revenue to the local businesses, and the needs of students are often not a far cry from those of the locals. There are still many unique restaurants and pubs, but the economic reality of high real estate prices necessitates the proliferation of stores which cater to the wealthiest demographic in town – University students. Far from being unsustainable, the renewal of store selection in St Andrews is a necessary measure for the survival of business in our town.

Yours sincerely, Samantha Evans

Never again, and again, and again...

Kareem Asfari remonstrates the Obama administration for cowardice in the face of another genocide form of $1.7 billion of humanitarian aid. But humanitarian aid isn’t enough. The US is the definitive world superpower, a liberal democracy with moral responsibilities. Mr Obama acts otherwise, however, behaving like the leader of a nation smaller and weaker than the one he governs. Condoleezza Rice describes the Obama administration’s behavior as having opened up “a vacuum” in power, destabilising the balance of power.

The Obama administration’s reluctance to intervene was portrayed

as being ostensibly well-intentioned, indicative of a growing desire to allow nations to resolve their own issues, independent of Western influence. In reality, it was merely cowardly: Syria continues to be a dictatorial regime backed by both Russia and Iran – undemocratic nations – that unmitigatedly slaughters Syrian civilians.

Mr Obama has allowed himself to be cowed and pushed around - the world needs US leadership. Syria needs US leadership. At the moment, Mr Obama seems to be shirking the

Photo: WikiCommons

This week will mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

The statistics concerning the genocide seem unreal: between 7 April and 15 July 1994, some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in an effort to completely eradicate the Tutsi population. The conflict has secured a place in Western public consciousness not because of the brutality and catastrophic lost of life, but more because of Western neglect.

Bill Clinton, president of the United States at the time of the genocide, has repeatedly expressed his regret over his inaction, saying it is now an event for which he feels “lifetime responsibility”. The US, France, and the UN as a whole dragged their feet with Rwanda, viewing with the conflict as a domestic issue – a hornet’s nest best avoided.

In the aftermath, we’ve heard one phrase repeated: “never again”. In light of events in Syria, “never again” feels like nothing more than a hollow slogan used to save face.

The world has failed to remedy the crisis in Syria. Specifically, President Obama and his administration have failed. Admittedly, the United States has donated more to Syrian aid than any other nation in the world, in the

What we should have seen happening in Aleppo, and Damascus, and...

responsibilities of ‘leader of the free world,’ employing a tactic of avoiding blame by avoiding all involvement.

In his State of the Union address, Mr Obama reflected on US work in Syria with pride, saying: “American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemical weapons are being eliminated, and we will continue to work with the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve – a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear.”

While it’s good that chemical weapons are being gradually phased out of Assad’s arsenal, Mr Obama’s rhetoric ignores the fact that this cruel dictator is allowed to continue his crusade against an innocent population.

There were numerous windows for action: had Mr Obama followed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s advice and struck the thenreeling regime early on in the conflict, had he acted after his infamous “red line” claims, further strife could have been avoided.

The president’s desire to avoid involvement is understandable. Iraq and Afghanistan have poisoned the well of public opinion, and left the US weary of conflict.

As Rice said in the same aforementioned speech, however: “Leaders can’t afford to get tired. Leaders can’t afford to be weary.”

There are no perfect options in Syria. The death toll is now estimated by the UN is some 150,000, and the refugees number 2.5 million, with many more internally displaced. Every day the opposition is further flooded by radicals and Islamic extremists like the ISIS and Al Nusra, while Syrian people continue to starve and suffer.

The world won’t act unless the US does, and the US needs to act - its ‘war on terror’ has cost the US an estimated $4-6 trillion, but inaction in the Syrian conflict is leading to the country’s development into a petri dish for terrorist groups and extreme ideology.

Divisions within the United Nation’s Security Council have left the free world unable to muster up an effective response, though the risks of inaction far outweigh those of action.

What Syria needs is a strong United States, a voice to lead the way.

Syria can still be saved, but strength from the world’s superpower is needed. Otherwise, “never again” won’t become a line synonymous with protection and vigilance, but with further failure, misery, and death.

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the views of The Saint but are individual opinions.

MONEY thesaint-online.com/money

Editor: Alice Ralston

money@thesaint-online.com

The Playfair Project

Correct me if I’m wrong...

Photo: The Playfair Project Joshua Pooley Money sub-editor Since its establishment last year, the Playfair Project has grown from being a simple idea to a small business and one of the most exciting student initiatives in St Andrews. With its primary services in consultancy, it aims to provide an opportunity for undergraduates and postgraduates to apply the skills acquired during their studies by working with local businesses towards their respective goals.

The project’s website states that their “core competencies include market research, revenue generation analysis, business strategy and structuring and social media impact”.

Dougal Adamson, a co-founder of the Playfair Project, describes the process as a “circle of benefit”, where local businesses are profiting from advice on their strategy on a pro-bono basis, while students are gaining valuable experience in real business situations.

Thus far, this vision has been realised and has founded the growing success of the project. I sat down with Mr Adamson to find out more about the initiative, why it is doing so well and how one can get involved.

When faced with describing how he found inspiration for the business, Mr Adamson explained that he had worked in a similarly structured project before: “Conducting research, collating results and producing a thorough and professional report to a tight deadline for a real client was hugely gratifying. I felt there was not anything like it available to everyone on a larger, longterm scale.”

The concept that a positive and noticeable contribution to the town could be achieved in the process formed the logic behind the name of the business. Mr Adamson expressed that the Playfair Project is “loosely named after someone who was also passionate about improving the local economy of St Andrews.”

The founders decided that the

business would be named in recognition of Hugh Lyon Playfair and his contribution to the town of St Andrews in his time as town provost in the 19th century. Having recently read his biography, Mr Adamson described Playfair’s determination to improve the general welfare of the town, from forcing the renovation of North Street to participating in the foundation of Madras College.

After discussing the reasoning behind the initiative, we progressed to talking about the services of the Playfair Project and their relative success. Mr Adamson said he felt it was important to emphasise the informality of internal communication

Local businesses profit from the advice while students gain valuable experience and challenged the preconceptions about consultancy and its conceited status.

“While professionalism and performance is imperative, we are students and things must be seen in context. We pride ourselves on being a cohesive and communicative group that can provide each other with a valuable network and aid each other’s development. An over-formalised environment is not necessary.”

In short, student consultancy has been chosen as a tag for the Playfair Project for ease of definition and universal rectitude rather than to accurately depict its methods of business.

Mr Adamson moved on to ex-

Sub-editor: Joshua Pooley @saint_money

plain that student consultancy is a growing trend and has much support from all over the country.

“When considering the start-up last year, we had support from similar groups in Oxford, Edinburgh and York. Now that we are established, others are contacting us for advice.

It really is an expanding field across the UK, and even the world. My fellow co-founders both gained their experience in Germany.”

This prompted the question of what sets this particular initiative apart from other student activities and why it is becoming increasingly popular. Mr Adamson mentioned that the Playfair Project operates as a small business and is due to become a registered company in the next few weeks.

“Being part of a real business formed with functioning departments such as acquisition, recruitment and legal provides a valuable insight into the operations of larger companies.”

On the consultancy side, he suggested that frequent and active client interaction as well as the ability to solve real issues for local businesses provides great incentive to get involved.

“From organised training sessions to mid-term reviews to presenting to clients, it is a unique opportunity that I fully recommend to anyone interested in this field of work.”

Yet overall, he concluded that the steep learning curb is what makes the jobs in both consultancy and operations is the most attractive.

“Ultimately we look for driven, self-starting and committed individuals from any degree and discipline and then it is a learning process for us all from there. That is what makes it such a dynamic, attractive and rewarding initiative.”

The Playfair Project recently held an information evening for people interested in joining and is accepting applications for its current vacancies until midnight on 13 April.More information can be found on their website, playfairproject.co.uk.

Upon returning to this glorious knife-edge of Fife – a place that would more aptly be situated between Derbyshire and Yorkshire than Dundee and Cupar – I became both bemused and irate.

Not because I had failed to do any coursework over the break, and certainly not because Nigella Lawson got barred from entering the US owing to her fling with the old cocaine (and has subsequently put her American TV career in jeopardy).

No, I was fuming because big business managed to play me at my own game. Let me explain.

It was some time a month ago. I needed a book for one of my modules fairly immediately. Hastily, I went on to Amazon, found the book I needed and headed for the “checkout”.

When I finally got to the crux of the customer-buying experience, I was asked to enter my personal details and select a delivery option.

Moving the mouse cursor over to confirm, I noticed the horrendous price for postage and packaging – nearly £8 for next-day delivery!

But... I had to. It was a pressing requirement that I get that book on time so as to not jeopardise my work schedule (which was already in dire straits).

As though a shining beacon in the darkness of my imminently empty virtual wallet, Amazon suddenly offered me the chance to evade this despicable cost; a life raft for my soon-to-be penniless self had been deployed.

For as little as zero cost to me, I was being given the opportunity to join up to a free trial of their Prime service for 30 days. This would entitle me to free next-day delivery on products now and for the remainder of the contract, it said. Free next-day delivery, yes please!

And that was it. The entire situation passed fairly quickly and I forgot about the whole sorry fiasco once my book arrived – the next day, of course.

What had happened without my knowing, though, was that while I was gallivanting around Scotland during the spring break, Amazon’s finance department had debited 50 whole pounds from my bank account, and it was at that point it immediately hit me. I had forgotten to cancel my “free trial” of their service! How could I have been so stupid?

Now my next-day delivery for the previous book I ordered had cost me an extra £40 more than it should have. I tried to get a refund by trawling through their very unhelpful help pages and discussions

for an answer, but there was nothing that could be done. I had been done.

That was where I thought my story would end: Amazon had unethically tricked me into paying membership for a service I did not want or even really need. Yet, it was only by chance that I discovered that all Amazon Prime customers were eligible to access the company’s TV and movie streaming network.

This silver lining had seemed to dull the pain of losing £50 of my money. What followed this revelation was several days of unnecessary binge-watching, which got me thinking: I had been a Netflix and video streaming sceptic in general ever since I had tried some of their services several years ago. The problem had been a huge lack of content.

As I delved a bit deeper into Netflix in particular two years on for research purposes, it looked, however, like things had improved quite dramatically. In fact, not only are services such as Netflix letting you stream movies and programmes, but they are producing their own bespoke dramas, too.

I only realised recently that House of Cards is a Netflix original – I watched a couple of episodes on a flight to the United States last year and thought it was gripping, exciting and very well made.

Arrested Development, the cult American comedy, was also able to come back with a new season thanks to Netflix, and Orange is the New Black, a drama about a middleclass woman sent to prison for drug smuggling, has been a runaway hit, with a second season due to be released later this year.

Another great service that Amazon Prime offers is no minimum spend for deliveries - so if you want to spend only £2 on that very important zebra mask for your next fancy dress outfit that you desperately need the next day, Amazon Prime is what you need.

I took from this experience that there is almost always good to be found in something bad. It turned out that Amazon had done me a big favour in not only giving me free delivery for a year, but also putting an endless number of movies at my fingertips.

I was so surprised that I had not previously heard or known of this service extension previously.

So, in a great turn of events, I actually urge you to go now and buy Amazon Prime.

Expand your viewing horizons (and get these last-minute coursework books through the post before your essay deadline!).

Gabriel Ross

14 Money

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Society in focus: Investment Soc

St Andrews is well known for its wide range of societies and clubs; but until 2012 no Union-affiliated society existed for those interested in finance.

But in September 2012 the Investment Society was founded by Donald Gillies (now graduated) and Nathaniel Clark (a current fourth year) and has quickly become a popular part of St Andrews’ society scene.

The Saint spoke to Alastair McMahon, current president of the Society, in order to find out more about the working and aims of the society. Mr McMahon, a third-year studying economics and maths, joined the society on its foundation in as web and IT officer and was subsequently elected president. Investment Society is union-affiliated, and it won the Best

McMahon is keen to stress that one of the society’s focuses is to explain and provide clear, accessible information about investing and its positive effects.

To this end, the society concentrates on three areas: educating students about investing, pairing people up with companies and putting on talks and presentations. The committee includes two heads of education, whose role includes putting on weekly informative talks in order to further educate students about investing. The society’s funding comes from

proposals, which the region heads present to the rest of the society in semester two. The society then votes on the proposals.

In addition, educational seminars, which are only open to members, are held in semester one, during which people can learn about the practicalities of investing. After the seminars, the presentations are put up on the website. The information gleaned at these seminars can then be put into practice running the portfolio.

Finance and investment often suffer from a reputation for being con-

Photo: WikiCommons

Alice Ralston Money editor

The society tries to be ‘as open and accessible as possible’

The Investment Society aims to educate its members about future careers in finance

New Society Award for 2012/13.

The membership price is £10 per academic year, which gets you access to all of the talks and seminars.

Currently the society has more than 200 fully paid members, as well as over 450 people on the mailing list, perhaps a testament to the enduring popularity of careers in finance and investment for St Andrews graduates.

Investing can often seem intimidating to the uninitiated, and Mr

BlackRock, a global asset-management company.

One of the main areas on which the society focuses is the running of a global equities fund, split into six different regions worldwide. This is open to anyone, and no previous knowledge of investment is required.

Members can apply to join a region by contacting its head, and the various teams then work together throughout the year to come up with share

fusing and elitist, so I ask about what the society is doing to counter this perception. Mr McMahon mentions that they are putting on more social events, including wine receptions, and says the committee is as “open as possible”. The first few events of the year are also free, to encourage as many people as possible to attend.

The society also has a “commitment to responsible investment”. A proportion of the society’s profits are

donated to local East Fife charities, while the rest is reinvested.

Recent talks have included topical issues such as the pensions crisis by Hymans Robertson, one of Britain’s largest pensions consultancies; and a ‘BlackRock Day’, during which employees from the company came to St Andrews to host talks and put on a networking drinks reception.

The chairman of the Investment Management Association (IMA) has also been to speak to the society, and they have hosted a presentation

by Ewan Brown, the chairman of Scottish Financial Enterprises, on the future of Scottish financial services after the independence referendum in September.

Most members of the society have an interest in careers in finance and investment, reflected in the emphasis placed on careers and internships.

Mr McMahon has himself secured an internship as a summer analyst at BlackRock, and is keen to stress that his role was secured through an increased understanding and experience of finance through his role in the society.

The society has also partnered with the Careers Centre to help their members further, and there are various careers resources on the society’s website. Other sponsors of the society include Citi and the Financial Times.

The sponsors benefit from improved brand recognition among students interested in finance, which in turn provides good-quality St Andrews candidates coming forwards for graduate jobs and internships.

In the future, the society is focused on building its brand and presence in St Andrews. Having only been in operation for two years, it is still growing and finding its way; Mr McMahon says that the next year will hopefully be spent ‘tweaking and improving’.

Pick of the best money-saving apps Alice Ralston Money editor

Your phone doesn’t have to just be what you use to check your Facebook messages or uploading yet another #nofilter Instagram photo; there are literally hundreds of apps designed to help you keep track of what you are spending, keep everyday costs down, and help you find the best student and local deals.

Below is our pick of the best apps, most of which are available on Android as well as iPhone.

Red Laser (available on iPhone and Android, free) This app allows you to scan the barcodes of thousands of items while shopping and immediately shows you whether you could get them more cheaply anywhere else. Very helpful when you haven’t got hours of time (or phone battery life) to be browsing price comparison websites, plus you get the childish thrill of scanning a barcode every time you use it. Winwin really.

Onavo (available on iPhone and

Android, free)

I still haven’t quite worked out exactly how this works, all I know is that it does. It trims the amount of data your phone uses by about 10 per cent, and provides you with a breakdown of which apps use the most data, which is very helpful if you are like me and tend to go over your monthly allowance with alarming frequency.

Spending Tracker (available iPhone and Android, free)

on

To save money, you first have to know where it’s coming from and exctly what you are spending it on. This is a very simple app that allows you to note down all of your expenditure, either as ‘income’ or ‘expense’, and adjusts your overall balance accordingly.

Having this on your phone means you are more likely to put down small transactions you have made on the go, rather than just those you can remember when you get home.

0800 Wizard (available on iPhone and Android, free) This is a very clever app that removes

the charges for calling those pesky 0800 numbers. You simply input the number you want to call, and the app will convert it into a cheaper one; you only pay the amount you would for a local call.

Banks’ own apps (available on iPhone and Android, free) Currently, these are offered by HSBC, Barclays, Halifax and Lloyds, and are an easy way of quickly checking your balance on the go, as well as transferring money between your accounts.

Rather than having to find a computer to check how much money you have, with these you can know in seconds.

Barclays have also released Pingit, an app that allows you to quickly make mobile payments. As a bonus, there is no need to be a Barclay’s customer to use the app and make payments.

VoucherCloud (available on iPhone and Android, free) The VoucherCloud app allows you to search nearby for offers on various services, including restaurants, clothes shops and cinemas, and you can also save the offers for later in case you

don’t have internet access when you want to use them.

Tip N Split (available on iPhone and Android, 69p) This is a great app for notoriously tight students; it calculates how much each person owes, and lets you split bills and tips among multiple people in restaurants, depending on what you have ordered, and you can even rank how good the service was so that it will work out how much you should tip.

Music Magpie (available on iPhone and Android, free) Music Magpie, which also has a website, is a great way to get rid of old CDs, DVDs and games that you don’t use any more. With the app, you can quickly scan the bar codes, get an instant offer price for the item, and send off your items using free postage and packing. Furthermore, if you use the app you only need a minimum order value of £5, or 10 items, and it’s perfect if you are decluttering your room at the end of the academic year, earning you a small amount of money in the process.

10 April 2014 • The Saint

Luxury chocolate shop opens

Alice Ralston Money editor Iain Burnett, an upmarket chocolate shop, has opened on South Street with a luxurious black and red interior and bars of chocolate selling for over £5.

The shop, only the second standalone branch in Scotland, describes itself on its website as an “artisan chocolatier” which is “on a constant micro-level search for excellence”.

The prices are high for a student town, however, with a box of 48 chocolates costing £63.95, and even a small sample of two for £3.25.

But they are also offering a ‘Velvet Chocolate Shot’ to take away for just £2.50, which is exclusive to the St Andrews shop.

It is not entirely clear to whom they are trying to appeal; perhaps students treating themselves, or wealthy tourists on a golfing weekend.

Choosing to open their shop on South Street, which is fast becoming a foodie heaven (see the greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger, bakery, and two cheese shops) demonstrates, hopefully, that they will be able to thrive in St Andrews’ cutthroat food scene.

Golf Hotel rebranded Alice Ralston Money editor The St Andrews Golf Hotel, perennially popular with students owing to Bar Forty and Ma Bells, has been given a £3.5m rebrand by upmarket boutique hotel chain Hotel du Vin, which owns 14 hotels across the UK. The Hotel du Vin chain originally purchased the hotel site six years ago, but the rebrand has only just taken place. The hotel now contains 22 rooms, some with views over West Sands and towards Arbroath.

Forties has reopened, with a conservatory extension, but Ma Bells and the ballroom are still, at the time of writing, under construction.

The Saint was invited for a tour and complimentary meal by the new management, and sampled the new bistro menu. The new rebrand certainly marks the hotel out as one of the more expensive St Andrews culinary destinations (there is a £42 lobster on menu, for example), and the as-yet-unfinished Ma Bells will become, apparently, a more subdued and quieter evening venue.

For a slightly more studentfriendly experience (although still not cheap), they will serve a fourcourse Sunday brunch for £22.95, a speciality across the whole chain.

F EATURES

Editor: Miles Adams Sub-editors: Maximilian Curtis, Ellen MacPherson, Emma Freer, Nandita Nair, Rachel Lawrence, Isabelle Wheeler, and Harvey Owen features@thesaint-online.com

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@saint_features

“A substantial fanatical minority wants independence, but... the unionists are the true patriots in this campaign” St Andrews’ Wardlaw professor of modern history, Colin Kidd, talks to The Saint about the possible effects of Scottish independence on the University and the way the campaign has been fought Miles Adams Features editor This past week I sat down with Professor Kidd to discuss the Scottish independence referendum.

We went over a multitude of topics covering nearly all facets of the Scottish independence debate. Our discussion began with the effect of the referendum on the University and then broadened in scope to cover the use of history in the campaign and more contemporary issues.

Professor Kidd is clear in his

The Scottish economy

der. They’ve seen their choices and chances of getting onto college courses restricted because Alex Salmond has tried to buy off the middle classes who are sending their children to universities... Free university tuition has come at a cost and that cost has been borne by the Scottish working class. The working class has paid for free middle class tuition.

“Alex Salmond has feather-bedded the middle classes at the expense of the working class. Alex Salmond is an undeclared enemy of

views: “There’s no doubt in my mind it would be very bad for the University of St Andrews. Scottish universities benefit disproportionately from the UK Research Councils.”

Scotland has many of the UK’s top universities, explains Professor Kidd, meaning they are able to outperform and outbid many English universities for research contracts and grants. He thinks an independent Scottish government would not be able to fill the funding void that independence may leave.

Additionally, there would likely be many consequences for St Andrews’ funding and the tuition fee regime.

“Independence would force a lot of rethinking in the Scottish universities and would not be good for higher education and research in Scotland.” A Yes vote would force a major reshaping of the student demographics at universities in Scotland, the professor says.

He explains his views on how Scotland has been able to maintain free tuition for students and the effect of this policy on Scotland’s budgets.

“Alex Salmond has tried to buy off the universities, but he’s done it by crippling the finances of further education colleges. They’ve effectively had their funding cut, there’s been massive restructuring there...

“It’s the less well-off members of society who are trying to get a toehold on the education lad-

Photo: Miles Adams

“There’s no doubt in my mind independence would be very bad for the University of St Andrews” the Scottish working class.”

Context and the role of history The union itself is a Scottish idea.

John Mair of Haddington in the 1520s looked to union as an alternative to warfare. He feared the possibility of England forcibly taking over Scotland and making it a part of its empire. Professor Kidd makes sure to point out that the opposite of union is an English empire reigning over Scotland. Therefore, he says, union is really about creating an ideal partnership.

There are three unions to consider for historical context: 1603 (the Union of the Crowns), 1707 (the Acts of Union, uniting the Kingdoms of Scotland and England to form Great Britain), and 1800 (the Acts of Union, uniting Great Britain and Ireland).

The Union of 1800, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, has always been the most problematic union in British history.

“There’s been an Irish question for most of modern Britain’s history,” Professor Kidd adds, pointing out that until the 1970s the Scottish union was never called into question.

The Scottish National Party dates back to the 1920s when a variety of nationalist parties were founded.

The SNP’s predecessor, the National Party of Scotland, was founded at this time. In 1934, the National Party of Scotland united with the Scottish

Professor Colin Kidd is the Wardlaw professor of history at St Andrews Party, a right-of-centre nationalist party. Professor Kidd explains this latter party was an imperial reform party; its members wanted Scotland

deny it, but they do depend to some extent on a kind of caricatured version of history – which is all about plucky little Scotland fighting over

“I think Alex Salmond, through miscalculation, might actually turn out to be another Margaret Thatcher” to have more of a role in imperial and UK affairs. Therefore, the merging of these two groupd brought together anti-imperialists and rightwing imperialists.

He observes that the SNP likes to look back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

“It’s somewhat odd that Alex Salmond uses the rhetoric of being a good neighbour; that Scotland would be a good neighbour to England after independence, but at the same time he also knows, and his party will deny it, and he will

mighty England. And trying to present almost everything in these black and white terms as cases of Scotland vs England; whereas, of course, things are much more complicated than that.”

He continues: “A distorted version of the past plays a large part in the debates, though Alex Salmond also tries to present the SNP as a modern, forward-looking party, but there’s undoubtedly within its support an element that looks to it as driven by a sense of past grievances.”

Professor Kidd began by reflecting on the bank bailouts following the recession of 2008.

“The Scottish banks were very lucky that they failed when we were still within the United Kingdom. I think I may have occasionally used the formulation that was used in 18th century Edinburgh during the age of the Scottish Enlightenment.

It was described as the ‘Athens of the North’, and I think my big fear is that in a future banking crisis, a future financial crisis, that an independent Scotland would leave us like a very different Athens of the North.”

In his words, Alex Salmond’s great claim is that “in an independent Scotland there would never be another Margaret Thatcher laying waste to Scottish industry as happened in the 1980s through having a high sterling value that prevented exports.”

He outlined his concerns by saying that a flight of capital and financial institutions to England, if Scotland were to become independent, would likely occur.

“Simply for prudential reasons, they would leave for England.”

He also raised concerns about what a Scottish regulatory system would look like.

“I think Alex Salmond, not because he’s in any way malicious, but through miscalculation, might actually turn out to be another Margaret Thatcher - that she having laid waste to the Scottish industrial sector, he may well accidentally lay waste to the Scottish financial sector.

He is, if you like, Margaret Thatcher in disguise.”

Professor Kidd also expressed his concern over the diversity of Scotland’s economy, which has long been focused on selling to those south of the border.

“We must not forget that one of the most successful common markets was the common market that was created in 1707, a common market that has lasted for over three centuries.

“In other words, the whole Scottish economy is entirely geared to exporting to England. It’s totally dependent on English markets, and we may well see a flight of industry and business. I mean if it’s supplying an English market, why isn’t it based in England?”

Continued on page 16

16 Features

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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An end in sight for big money in politics Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in a 5-4 decision to get rid of caps on individual giving to federal candidates and political parties. This is a significant decision for the future of US politics, but not all that surprising in light of 2010’s Citizens United v Federal Election Commission.

This most recent case, McCutcheon v Federal Election Commission, was brought against the FEC by an Alabama businessman who says he was frustrated that he was legally limited in how many candidates he could support and how much money he could give to parties.

In an interview last week he said that more money “creates more competition and puts more ideas out there.

I don’t see how it could hurt anything.

We’re talking about free speech in a free country.”

The Citizens United case allowed independent groups including associations, corporations, labour unions and others to donate unlimited amounts of money through the use of political action committees (known as PACs or Super PACs) for political causes and candidates, but not directly to the candidates themselves.

This decision was not only widely criticised for the amount of money it flooded into the political arena, but also because PACs are not very transparent and can protect the identities of donors.

Following the ruling, many people felt that it was unfair to allow impersonal, large organisations like companies and unions to donate massive sums of money for causes, yet individuals themselves were still limited to caps on contributions.

Reince Preibus, chair of the Republican Party, was a major supporter of the plaintiff, arguing that if the caps on individual giving to political parties were removed then a much more transparent picture could be painted of who is donating to whom.

His party’s criticism has recently been that if organisations have freedom of speech to donate unlimited sums in politics, then why shouldn’t individuals be free to do the same?

Preibus recently said, as cited in the Wall Street Journal: “What the campaign finance laws have done is put party committees in a place where we have the most restrictions, the most disclosure, and we can raise the least. What’s happened is that the groups that can raise the most disclose the least.”

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion stating that Congress had the power to regulate money in politics in order to reduce corruption; however, Congress could not regulate donations simply to reduce the amount of money in politics. His decision also stated that individual donations to political parties and causes were covered by the First Amendment right to free speech.

The Roberts Court has shown that

the majority view political speech including donations as a form of free speech. In response to the criticism from the left that a surge of money in American politics would essentially equate to bribery, he clearly stated in the decision that money alone does not constitute bribery and it is not inherently in the public interest to reduce political speech in donations solely to reduce the likelihood of corruption.

Justice Steven Breyer wrote the dissenting opinion arguing that this case further opened the door for money flooding into politics. Part of his opinion, as printed in the Wall Street Journal, says: “Giving, say, $3,000 or more to each of 435 candidates, a total of $1.3 million, certainly can give rise to corruption or fear of corruption... If the court in Citizens United opened a door, today’s decision may well open a floodgate... a few large donations... drown out the voices of the many.”

Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg sided with Breyer.

I apprehensively view this decision as a largely positive one. In light of Citizens United, this deicison actually provides more accountability to the US political system. No longer can it only be corporations and unions having the majority of the influence in politics.

The people that are the root of all of these groups should have a say as to how they seek to exercise their political speech. When corporations and unions donate to the right or left, the vast majority of the people in those groups have no say as to where their money is going. They simply have to trust their organisation’s leaders that they know what is best for the entire group.

When individuals donate to Super PACs, in many cases, their names are never made public so very wealthy donors can hide their tracks and political insiders are the only ones that have any idea of where the money is coming from. This recent case will allow the most accountable groups to receive massive sums of money and their donors will be disclosed to the public so that the people can hold their leaders answerable to voters.

If there were an easy way to completely limit the amount of money in politics then I would certainly support this option. I was stunned in 2010 when the Citizens United case was decided.

The McCutchon case helps to balance out that ruling’s problems.

Unfortunately, there will always be massive amounts of money in US politics: between billionaires, labour unions, corporations, lobbyists, and special interests, they will all find a way to get their voices heard through their wallets. Wouldn’t it be better that we can follow the money and have individuals more loudly heard, than going back to the days of smoke filled rooms and political bosses where individuals have no voice and no one is held accountable?

Miles Adams

Currency Alex Salmond has “flip-flopped totally” on this issue, Professor Kidd states, saying the SNP leader is out of options after switching from

In Professor Kidd’s view, the SNP’s success is underpinned by this ‘independence in Europe’ idea because it provides a ‘safety net’ for the nationalists.

He says there are a multitude of

“The SNP administration has focused on indpendence in the long term to the exclusion of immediate social and economic problems within Scotland” the pound, to the euro, back to the pound. Professor Kidd emphasised his worry that the Scottish government would lack flexibility in adjusting policy if Scotland were to be in a sterling zone.

He expanded on this, saying that nationalists argue Scotland would no longer be hitched to England with independence, but if Scotland remained tied the pound then there would still be grievances, as now, because the rest of the UK would have a different type of economy from Scotland’s. Therefore “independence with a currency union would not eradicate that sense of grievance.”

Professor Kidd expressed his frustration with the SNP government, arguing that instead of examining their own internal policies, they go straight to blaming Westminster: “Alex Salmond has been inconsistent on this all the way through.”

Similarly, on the matter of currency and pensions: “At the moment, would you rather have a UK pension in pound sterling or a Scottish pension in whatever currency?”

He suggested that retired people would much rather have their pensions in a currency they can trust, backed by the British government, than a Scottish pension where they have no idea what currency it will be in, whether it be euros, pounds, or some Scottish currency.

Scotland and the European Union Professor Kidd started here by outlining the historical context of the SNP’s ‘independence in Europe’ strategy. This concept was devised

questions that arise regarding the European Union, including the status of EU workers in Scotland and the EU status of Scottish people.

“I don’t think either side really knows what the implications are for European citizenship as well as membership in the European Union.”

He pointed out that countries experiencing their own nationalist movements will make it difficult for Scotland to join the EU. Does he think that, if the UK were to leave the EU, it would embolden the nationalist cause?

“I think there is a unionist ma-

“The nationalists do not have a monopoly on patriotism. There are two different ways of expressing patriotism and the unionist one is just as much a form of patriotism as the desire for independence” jority in Scotland, but that unionist majority is underpinned by UK membership of the European Union.

And if it came down to a choice between membership of a British union outside the European Union or independence within a European Union, that is a very difficult question.

“If that were to happen, I think all bets are off. I can honestly say, if that were the choice, I’m not even sure

“I’ve long held the view that Alex Salmond doesn’t want independence, that he knows what the costs are. Alex Salmond has been sort of bounced into this referendum and deep down he would prefer ‘devomax’, some kind of semi-autonomous relationship”

by Jim Sillars, a former member of parliament who joined the SNP in the 1980s after establishing the shortlived Scottish Labour Party, following his exit from Labour.

few years, Alex Salmond and indeed his deputy Nicola Sturgeon have, between them, sucked all of the oxygen out of the Scottish political media.

Whereas, actually, I’ve been very impressed by Labour’s leader, Johann Lamont. But she struggles to enjoy the kind of media profile that’s necessary in a Scottish Labour leader because of the fixation on Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

“I guess Nicola Sturgeon is there to woo the women vote. Women are much more sensible than men and I think are much less likely than men to vote for independence.”

“Turnout is my big worry because I think that those who want independence are much more fanatically, ideologically driven than the majority of people who want to stay in the union, but not huge fans of David Cameron.

“In other words, they’re kind of reluctant, reticent, grumbling, unionists – they don’t want independence, but they’re not fanatical about the union in the way that nationalists are fanatical about independence.”

“A vote for the union is not simply a negative vote against independence, it’s also a vote for the pooling of risks and the sharing of resources within a union...

“I think that in Scotland there’s

how I’d vote myself.”

Alex Salmond and voter turnout “It’s certainly true that in the last

a big division between nationalists who want independence whether Scotland is better off or worse off economically as an independent nation, and unionists who are just as patriotic as the nationalists, but they’d rather that Scotland were better off within the protections offered by a union, [rather] than facing the risks and all of the start-up costs that go with creating a new independent nation.”

He continued: “The nationalists do not have a monopoly on patriotism. There are two different ways of expressing patriotism and the unionist one is just as much a form of patriotism as the desire for independence.

“I’ve long held the view that Alex Salmond doesn’t want independence, that he knows what the costs are. Alex Salmond has been sort of bounced into this referendum and deep down he would prefer ‘devomax’, some kind of semi-autonomous relationship. In an all-but-thename, semi-independent Scotland within a very loose United Kingdom: that’s what he really really wants.”

If Westminster fails to offer anything to Scotland, if the referendum fails, Professor Kidd says “the fear is Scotland could become another Quebec. We’ll be faced with a ‘neverendum’. I think something has to be done.”

The Saint • 10 April 2014

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Features 17

The Saint interviews #ITooAmStAndrews founder Sium Ghebru about the project Emma Freer Lifestyle sub-editor

You may have heard about a new campaign underway here in St Andrews.

Following similar (and very popular) campaigns at Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge, the #ITooAmStAndrews campaign has been launched as a way to “improve the ways that students interact with each other,” according to the campaign’s leader, Sium Ghebru, a second-year medicine student and the new SRC member for racial equality.

Though taking its cue from campaigns elsewhere, #ITooAmStAndrews hopes to illuminate some of the issues unique to the University of St Andrews and its students. Mr Ghebru says: “The main thing I want to do is just stop people from using cultures inappropriately.” One of St Andrews’ greatest assets is its multicultural population, but this can also lead to people “making a lot of incorrect assumptions” about cultures they do not yet understand, says Mr Ghebru.

Bongo Ball and the Boat Club’s recent ‘Rock My Chinese Junk’ event are examples of the cultural insensitivity, or misappropriation, that this campaign hopes to address. Speaking about the ‘Rock My Chinese Junk’ event, which was held at Rascal’s Bar on 2 April, Mr Ghebru says: “That kind of thing is re-

ally just something that I find distasteful, but it’s also the kind of thing that this campaign can focus on.”

Chris Furby, the Boat Club’s events officer, explained the event in more detail in an e-mail. ‘Rock My’ is an annual Boat Club event, centred on the idea of vessels from around the world and throughout history. This year, the club chose the junk, “a flat-bottomed sailing vessel... typical of China and the East Indies” according to the OED. definition that Mr Furby included.

The issue here is more than one of simple semantics, though. Mr Furby was clear when he wrote that “St Andrews University Boat Club take any offensive connotations linked to our events very seriously.” However, the obscurity of the term ‘junk’ as used in the event’s title invites misinterpretation. Additionally, the ‘Rock My Chinese Junk’ Facebook page invited guests to wear “oriental attire,” providing suggestions of paddy hats and

there are issues with cultural insensitivity at St Andrews. I do think that people don’t think it’s a big deal.”

Mr Ghebru had much to say about what he thinks poses a problem at St Andrews, as well as the kind of cultural insensitivity he has experienced firsthand. He says: “I like to talk a lot about race because it’s something that intrigues me, but people often assume a certain level of responsibility. Personally, I don’t find the n-word offensive. But sometimes when people hear me say that, they think: ‘Oh, clearly that must be okay.’ But I’m not the representative of the entire black population. I may be one of the few black people you know, but I’m not that for you.”

He continued, providing an example of the way people make cultural assumptions that – however well inten-

love fried chicken.’ Or, ‘Have you ever tried Kool-Aid? I think you’d love it, Sium.’”

Scrolling through the photos on the #ITooAmHarvard and #ITooAmOxford Tumblr pages certainly reaffirms what he’s talking about. While interviewing Mr Ghebru, I asked him about how students and societies at St Andrews might ask minority students about their experience without extrapolating their answers to be representative of their entire race or culture. It turns out it is not so difficult. He says: “It’s good to ask individuals: ‘What do you think?’

It’s good to ask cultural societies: ‘What do you think, collectively?’ It’s not good to ask an individual what do they think on behalf of their entire culture.”

The #ITooAmStAndrews campaign tackles a complex issue, but Mr

tioned – are often misguided and offensive. “From my point of view, it’s about this idea of, ‘Oh, you’re black, this is an entire set of customs and personality traits that you must share,’” Mr Ghebru says. “Especially with Americans, unfortunately, they’ll say, ‘Oh, you must

Ghebru is adamant about its inclusive and positive nature. He says: “I also want white people to get involved, especially white British people, because there are so many different subdivisions. If you’re from Scotland, and you keep being mistaken for someone’s who’s from England, that’s a cultural misappropriation.”

Based on the early photos from the shoot, there is definitely an interest in what #ITooAmStAndrews can achieve.

Students from a variety of backgrounds showed up to share their experiences.

Whiteboards read: “Bengali + Scottish ≠ coconut!” And: “I am Italian but I do not belong to the mafia!” And: “If you’re from Africa, why are you white?” White students who have not experienced the same kind of thoughtless commentary as minority sometimes do also showed up to express support, writing “Solidarity” and “#ITooAmStAndrews” on their whiteboards. #ITooAmStAndrews is meant to be an agent of positive change and a way for students to better educate themselves about the problems that cultural insensitivity and ignorance can cause.

Though it focuses on the experience of minority students, the campaign is not meant to be an exclusively minority event. Mr Ghebru says: “There’s no sort of circumstance for you to be on the campaign. You don’t have to be an ethnic minority. I just want support.”

To learn more, check out itooamstandrews.tumblr.com.

The campaign’s founder Sium Ghebru pictured here on the left. All photos: Sium Ghebru Confucian styles. These costume ideas were arguably more offensive than the name of the event.

This event speaks to Mr Ghebru’s concern that “people are using cultures incorrectly”. He hopes that the #ITooAmStAndrews campaign will help show that St Andrews students are “not bad people” but that “we’re just making a few mistakes”.

The photo shoot style made popu-

lar by the #ITooAmHarvard and #ITooAmOxford campaigns shows minority students holding up a small whiteboard on which they have written examples of racism, discrimination, or micro-aggressions they have experienced on campus. Mr Ghebru hopes that the St Andrews shoot, held on 2 April, provided students with the “chance to get some stuff off of their chest” By doing so, he hopes the photos will “help illuminate some of the issues here” and better voice “how minorities feel” in these situations.

The ‘I, Too’ concept began at Harvard University. The #ITooAmHarvard Tumblr page states: “Our voices often go unheard on this campus, our experiences are devalued, our presence is questioned – this project is our way... of standing up to say: We are here. This place is ours. We, TOO, are Harvard.”

African-American students who participated in the Harvard photo shoot held up signs that read: “You’re lucky

to be black... so easy to get into college!”

And: “You’re basically white.” And: “No, I will not teach you how to twerk.”

While these comments were probably not made in a malicious spirit, they are obviously offensive. Tsega Tamene, a third year student at Harvard, told the US media organisation NPR that such comments “aren’t just slips by innocent people; they are symptoms of a larger nationwide disease”.

The universality of this problem is perhaps why the ‘I, Too’ idea quickly spread, jumping across the pond to Oxford and Cambridge, where similar campaigns quickly followed suit. The #ITooAmOxford campaign made it its goal to instigate a discussion about race at the university and to demand institutional change. (One Oxford student held up a white board reading, “Why are only 0.4% of UK professors black? #institutionalracism.”)

The #ITooAmStAndrews campaign does not have the same goals as its Oxford counterpart. Mr Ghebru says: “I think the [race] discussion’s already been had. People aren’t unaware that

18 Features

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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St Andrews’ Joe Slater helped save a life by successfully donating his blood stem cells Tamar Ziff Viewpoint editor

Over the winter holidays, while most of us were either travelling or hibernating, Joe Slater helped save a life.

“I don’t know who the person is,” said Mr Slater. “All I know is that my cells went to an adult male in the US, who, apparently, has the same blood as I do.”

Six years ago, as a second-year at the University of St Andrews, Mr Slater decided to sign up to Anthony Nolan, the United Kingdom’s blood cancer charity and bone marrow registry.

“One of my flatmates was the president of the Marrow Society at the time, Dan Clark. He asked all of us if we would do it. The process was really easy; all I had to do was spit into a test tube, and I was on the registry for life.”

Typically, most people who join

the bone marrow registry are never called upon to donate; of the 500,000 adults who have registered with Anthony Nolan, approximately 1,000 are contacted to donate their marrow or blood.

Six years after Mr Slater signed up, by which time he had long forgotten about his commitment, he received a life-changing phone call – one that had little effect on his life, but that would alter a stranger’s forever.

“They called me up and said that they had found a match. They didn’t need me to donate marrow, only blood stem cells, which are found in the bloodstream.”

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) are often used to treat various types of cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

In the United Kingdom, about 30,000 people get diagnosed with blood cancer every year. Lymphoma

is the most common, though there are multiple strains of the disease, making it difficult to treat on a broad basis. PBSCs are used to strengthen the cancer patient’s bone marrow after chemotherapy or radiation treatment, so that it can produce sufficient healthy blood cells to allow the body to function properly.

Stem cells have a very particular make-up, however: each person has a distinct set of proteins, or human leukocyte-associated (HLA) antigens, on the surface of their cells.

Each person’s HLA type is more or less unique, and it is thus difficult to replace PBSCs when they are harmed by chemotherapy. Only about 30 per cent of people have relatives that match their HLA type, meaning that most people must obtain donations from a stranger. Bone marrow registries are thus essential resources for victims of blood cancer.

“Once I agreed to donate, the

Anthony Nolan Trust flew me down to London for a thorough medical test. I came back to St Andrews for a few weeks, and for the four days before they drew blood a nurse came to Ladbrokes, where I work, to inject me with hormones. I got the injection right in the stomach – the hormones were supposed to induce blood stem cell production. Finally, on 21 January, Anthony Nolan flew me down again and put me up in a hotel in London for the night. In the morning, I went to a hospital and they put a needle in my arm for seven hours. The blood went through a centrifuge and would come back to me after being filtered of the stem cells. It wasn’t painful, and apparently they got even more cells than they needed.”

Mr Slater has been studying philosophy for eight years, having completed both an undergraduate and a two-year master’s degree at the

University of St Andrews. He specialises in moral philosophy, though he declined to specify any particular ethical standpoint. When I asked him whether it should be morally compulsory for people to sign up to the marrow register, considering how heavily the benefits outweigh any cost, he shook his head.

“It’s not a question of morality. I think more people would be willing to do it if they just did some more thinking. People should get a more worldly perspective – begin thinking of those people with terrible diseases like blood cancer, and how difficult their lives are. We should appreciate that we are healthy, and help others who are not.”

If you are interested in becoming involved with marrow or blood stem cell donation, please contact the St Andrews Marrow Society at marrow@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Be a match. Save a life.

Recipes: PB&J muffins, and chicken and leek pie If you should know anything about me, it is that I am a peanut butter addict. Creamy. Crunchy. Cinnamon infused, vanilla, cocoa. I’ll eat ‘em all.

Earlier this year, my kitchen-mate and I indulged in the ultimate peanut butter creation to date: peanut butter Jelly stuffed muffins. Straight out of your childhood memories, this is the ultimate reincarnation. If you find yourself sitting at home for a bit over this holiday, what better way to take advantage of a dishwasher and full fridge then whip up some muffins?

Don’t blame me if you finish them within the hour they are removed from the oven, though.

Peanut butter jelly stuffed muffins Yields six to seven overstuffed muffins Adapted from edibleperspective. com Half cup gluten free flour Half cup gluten free all purpose flour Half teaspoon baking powder Quarter teaspoon salt One egg One-third cup milk Quarter cup applesauce Three tablespoons honey One-eighth cup oil (vegetable, olive, coconut, your choice) Two tablespoons creamy peanut butter Half tablespoon vanilla extract Quarter cup jelly

Chicken and leek pie Serves six to eight

butter

1. Preheat 350°F/175°C, and line the muffin tins.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing them all together. Set aside.

3. Start streusel. In a separate bowl, melt peanut butter, mixing in brown sugar, flour, oats and sugar. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, milk, applesauce and vanilla. Add in peanut butter, honey and oil. Whisk until completely incorporated.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients, until a batter comes together.

6. Fill muffin liners to half way point, and using a spoon dollop on a bit of jelly into the center of the muffin. Add a bit of batter until jelly is covered.

7. Continue until batter is used up.

8. Using your hands, spread streusel mixture over muffins.

9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are crisp and browned.

10. Allow muffins to cool completely before digging in. Enjoy.

Less of a pie, more of an enormous pasty, this recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser and is thoroughly satisfying. It has become a firm favourite in my flat and the amounts in the recipe mean we are usually enjoying it the next day for lunch too!

I haven’t included the recipe for puff pastry here, because I almost always buy it ready-made. There is no shame in that, I promise.

Two chicken thighs Two chicken legs (or just use two more chicken thighs) Half onion One bay leaf One pint of milk (or enough to cover chicken pieces) Six rashers of smoked streaky bacon, cut into postage stamp-size pieces Thirty grams of butter Two leeks, sliced into half inch discs Three tablespoons of plain flour Three teaspoons of Dijon mustard One pack of puff pastry One egg, beaten, for glazing Parmesan, grated, for topping Salt and pepper for seasoning

If you are truly brave, slice it up and add a side of peanut butter. Just for kicks, you know?

Crunchy streusal topping Three tablespoons of rolled oats Two tablespoons of gluten free flour One tablespoon of brown sugar Three tablespoons creamy peanut

All photos: Samantha Marcus

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 2. In a saucepan, cover the chicken, onion and bay leaf with milk, season, and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

3. While this is boiling away, fry the bacon in butter, add the leek slices, and fry until softened.

4. Now the slightly messy bit. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the milk, let it cool for a while and flake it with your hands into the pan with the leeks.

5. Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes before straining in some of the milk.

6. Add the mustard and stir constantly, the mixture will thicken up as the flour absorbs the milk.

7. Roll out your puff pastry into a large rectangle about the thickness of a pound coin, and lay it on a lightly greased baking tray.

8. Spread the filling evenly on top, leaving an inch or two around the edges. Brush egg around the edges.

9. Lay a second sheet of puff pastry on top and crimp around the edges, making sure there are no gaps.

10. Brush your pie/pasty creation with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with parmesan 11. Bake it in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and gone golden brown.

12. This recipe lends itself to experimentation, so just put in whatever spices or herbs you like and see how it tastes! Or go in a completely different direction and put a different filling in. Cheese and onion, beef and mushroom, steak and kidney are all great ones to have a go at.

The pie is quite filling, so a piece on its own can easily constitute a meal, but for something slightly more well- balanced you could serve it with some simple veg like broccoli or a side salad.

Photo: Harvey Owen

Samantha Marcus Literature sub-editor

The Saint • 10 April 2014

thesaint-online.com

The best ways to experience Athens brant nightlife. There are plenty of choices and they appeal to all tastes. In Athens, the hip, modern areas include places like Gazi, Psirri, Metaxourgio, Exarcheia, Monastiraki, Theseion and Kolonaki.

If you want a more quiet or traditional evening you could visit Plaka.

But whatever you choose, keep in mind the culture in Greece is very different than in many other countries and nightlife starts significantly later

The Hellenic parliament building in central Athens. This area os full of government offices and Greek tzatziki, which is yoghurt enriched with garlic and cucumber.

All of the above are wrapped a pitta.

It costs from €1.80 to €2.50.

A nice place to visit in the centre of Athens is Monastiraki square, which is full of young people throughout the day and long into the night. There is also a market there where street vend-

ers sell clothes, jewellery and many souvenirs. Many Athenians visit Monastiraki square to watch street performers. If you’d rather look at the Acropolis from afar you can do so by visiting one of the cafe-bars on the top of the hotel, A (for Athens), at Monastiraki square.

Athens is also famous for its vi-

Photo: WikiCommons

Athens, the capital city of Greece, is certainly worth the visit. From ancient monuments to world-class museums and other wonderful sightseeings, it’s hard to get bored in Athens.

Even if you don’t care about archaeology, you can’t come to Athens and not visit the Acropolis and see the Parthenon. The Acropolis museum is a modern building at the foot of the Acropolis, housing important ancient Greek statues and much more.

After visiting many of Athens’ monuments, it was amazing to climb to the summit of Mt Lycabettus and get a completely new perspective of the city. It’s a long climb by foot, but well worth it. For those who want a more relaxing experience there is also a cable car, however.

A walk through the oldest neighborhood in Athens, Plaka, is a must and one of the most enjoyable strolls to take, especially in the early evening. There are hundreds of tourist shops and several good restaurants and Greek taverns that are an excellent place to have a slow lunch or dinner. I always enjoy looking out the windows and watching the people of Athens pass by while I eat dinner.

Let’s not forget Anafiotika, the neighborhood closest to Acropolis where you can wander around and feel like you are on an island in the middle of the Aegean.

For quick and low-budget meals try a “souvlaki”, mainly grilled meat, vegetables (tomato and onion slices)

than in most of Europe. A dinner with friends won’t be expected to start before 9 pm and an evening out clubbing or bar hopping would usually start at midnight.

This is only a small selection of what Athens offers and will no doubt keep you busy. If it is your first time visiting Greece, don’t forget that there are hundreds of islands within a few hours of Athens that are also well worth the visit.

Photo: WikiCommons

Christina Dimitriadi

Features 19

The Parthenon building, one of Athen’s oldest buildings was the highlight of my visit

36 hours in Sydney: a taste of Australia

Photo: WikiCommons

Heading to the land down under? No visit to Australia is complete without a visit to Sydney, so here’s a list of the top things to do in one of the most well-known cities of Australia.

Emblazoned in a rich history and vibrant culture, Sydney is certainly one of the most multifaceted cities in the world. To begin, head to the Rocks, set in history as the first place settlers set foot in the country.

Nezt, you can’t miss the symbolic sails of the Opera House nestled under the shadow of the worlds’ tallest steal arch bridge, also known as “The Coat Hanger” to Sydneysiders. The exhilarating bridge climb and the pylon lookout with views of the famous

harbour side locations should not be missed.

Hop on a ferry at Circular Quay and visit some of Australia’s most famous beaches; the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk rewards you with excellent cliff views and will walk you through rockpools and beautiful saltwater shallows.

A harbour-side sunset cruise or early morning whale-watching excursion ensures something for everyone.

Stop at Taronga Zoo to visit the marsupial family or visit the southern hemisphere’s largest water park Wet N’ Wild or Luna Park; the restored 1930s amusement park.

Sydney being a melting pot of cultures, it is home to many a culinary delight. Balmain, Darlinghurst and

A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Circular Quay

your ski-gear for a visit to the Blue Mountains – yes it does snow in the land down under!

There is always something to do in Sydney and these suggestions are only a starting point. A trip here will be unforgettable for sure.

Photo: WikiCommons

Senuri de Silva

The world famous Sydney Opera House, one of the most famous views of the city Surry Hills, to name a few, are home to cosy pubs and good old-fashioned dine-ins.

Nothing says Sydney more than Saturday night fireworks: head over to Darling Harbour for a touch of fine dining and beautiful waterside views neighbouring a stunning skyline.

Sydney’s eight-storey-high IMAX theatre would not fall short of an unforgettable movie experience. And then not even a block away lies Sydney’s Chinatown, famous for its night markets and authentic Chinese cuisine.

Put on your dancing shoes and head over to Kings Cross for a night on the town with many a pub crawls – the taste of the bustling nightlife. Also home to some magnificent Victorian

architecture, from Sydney’s Town Hall to the more modern Sydney tower, it is where old meets new.

In addition to seeing the world’s fifth largest operatic venue, the Sydney Opera House, also make time for some mind-blowing pieces as well as memorable performances at the Capitol and State Theatres.

Enjoy a quiet stroll in Hyde Park, located at the heart of Australia’s busiest city, and Australia’s oldest park.

Looking to indulge in some retail therapy? Strand Arcade, Pitt Street Mall, and Queen Victoria Building are home to some of the biggest names in fashion and undoubtedly require a stop!

To top off this crazy list of things to do in Sydney don’t forget to pack

Online this week What’s next for Ukraine?

International politics sub-editor Maximilian Curtis examines the current situation in Ukraine and assesses the likely next possible moves for the United States and the European Union.

My Catfish story Carla Jenkins explains the new concept of a Catfish through her own personal story and how she has been affected. She also helps readers understand how they can avoid a similar situation.

What to do in St Andrews before you graduate Science sub-editor Rachel Lawrence introduces the Class Gift’s bucket list. This fun list is a great resource to print off and check off as you go to make sure you make the most of your time at St Andrews.

20 Photography

Week in pictures

thesaint-online.com

Photography chiefs: Maria Faciolince and Sammi McKee

Photo: Maria Faciolince

Photo: Maria Faciolince

Photo: Sammi McKee

Photo: Sammi McKee

Photo: Maria Faciolince

Photos from SITARA* 2014 and Hands 4 Others: THE LAUNCH. For the next issue, the theme for editors’ pics will be “spring”.

Interpret this as you wish and please send your submissions to photography@thesaint-online by Friday 18 April.

10 April 2014 • The Saint

Photo: Freya Coursey

Photo: Rapheal Benros

Photo: Maria Faciolince

Editors’ pics: Urban

thesaint-online.com

Photo: Matt Prokosch

Photo: Sammi McKee

The Saint • 10 April 2014 Photography 21

Events thesaint-online.com/events

Editor: Devini Pabari Sub-editor: Alison Hutchison events@thesaint-online.com

Alison Hutchison Events sub-editor

For the record, I know nothing about music.

If a song isn’t in the UK Top 40 then there’s a pretty good chance I will never have heard of it. So perhaps you may think that I’m not exactly the ideal candidate to be writing a preview for a music festival - but I would disagree.

Actually, I’d argue that the fact that even I, a girl whose go-to playlist consists primarily of Katy Perry songs and Taylor Swift covers, somehow got excited talking to Under Canvas 2014 co-directors, Will Land and Val Voshchevska, demonstrates just how exciting this year’s event is set to be.

Formerly known as the Masquerade Ball, Under Canvas, which is scheduled to take place on the Saturday 19 April, made its debut just last year after organisers identified a lack of “music-centric” events in St Andrews.

Will explained: “The idea of it is a one-night festival: six hours of music, five acts.

“Throughout the night the music will transform... It will start off quite chilled out and then get progressively more intense as the night wears on.”

So does that mean no Katy Perry then?

“No, there won’t be any Katy

Perry,” Will laughed. And though I’d usually be disheartened to hear that, as the pair went on to explain just what to expect music-wise, I got the sense that I probably wouldn’t be missing my sing-a-long pop much after all.

Folksy band Lights on the Mountain will be kicking things off around 8 pm, providing a chilled and unique start to the evening.

“They’re a large band [with a] really great sound. Their music is quite uplifting and powerful - you just want to dance to it. I’m really excited to see them. It’ll be a really nice way to start the night,” Will answered when asked which act he was most looking forward to.

Posed with the same question, Val responded immediately: “It’s Anushka for me, definitely.”

St Andrews’ own Moodroom Collective will be taking over midway through the evening, followed by some UK funky house from Ossie - Producer, before xxxy step in with some standard house to carry the crowd until the evening’s close at 2 am.

And for those of you as clueless about music as I am and confused about what all of the above actually means, rest assured that it’s basically a synonym for “lots of good music that you’ll want to dance to”.

Doors open at 7:30 pm, with Lights on the Mountain on at 8 pm, making it quite an early start for a St Andrews event.

“Definitely get there early. We want everyone to enjoy all of our acts,” Val said.

Will added: “It’s less like a ‘partyat-the-end-of-your-pre-game’ and more like a festival event. You’re going to want to attend the whole thing.”

For those less intrigued by the music and more enthused about the alcohol, it’s also worth noting that in order to receive the two free drinks tokens included in the £35 ticket price, you’ll need to be in before 9 pm. Not to mention that the first 250 people through the door will be gifted with a free beer courtesy of Under Canvas sponsors, St Andrews’ Brewing Co.

filled with saris and dhotis; simple cocktail dresses; and bright, patterned trousers. An assortment reflective of the diversity of the audience itself.

As the cacophony of voices in the hall grew louder and students with stadium seating began to fill the rows of blue chairs, three dancers, each wearing an assortment of bright pinks and oranges, made their way to the front of the runway.

The sound of conversation ebbed as guests flocked to the sides of the runway, eagerly seeking the best view of the main event. Fast-paced Indian music began to play and the three girls spun and stepped in tandem, attracting appreciative catcalls from the audience. The show had begun: an innovative mixture of dance, acting and fashion, all imbued with a distinctively East Asian flavor.

It was unlike any other fashion show, successfully keeping the audience’s attention as each designer set was followed by a troupe of either dancers or actors – often both – who performed a theatrical rendition of a traditional, Bollywood-esque love story.

Each segment of the show - whether it featured fashion or dance - was greeted with raucous cheers and applause from an enthusiastic audience, who unreservedly reached out to grope or high-five passing models.

The atmosphere was one of mirth and excitement, considerably more relaxed and less aggressively drunk than that of St Andrews’ other fashion shows – though the models and dancers were incredibly professional, performing their duties without fault.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves, easily traversing the stage and moving the show forward.

By the interval, I had completely forgotten we were in Younger Hall.

Somehow, Sitara had transformed the decidedly academic setting into one of high fashion and good cheer, buzzing with peals of laughter and comfortable chatter.

The second portion of the show featured more risqué pieces. But for some reason the girls were the only ones baring skin – for each layer that the women removed, their male counterparts added another, resulting in the odd juxtaposition of girls in sheerblouse-and-underwear sets followed by men in long trousers and parka-like shirts.

Regardless, all models wore their pieces flawlessly and exercised the utmost precision and prudence when maneuvering the catwalk, expertly shying away from the crowd’s eagerly extended hands and toward their designated positions.

Sitara is known for adding an element of spontaneity and light-hearted-

It’s just a relaxed, fun party. There’s not any element of the event that is pretentious

Conveniently, the event will be unfolding in the heart of town in St Mary’s Quad, meaning taxis and buses will be a far away thought for attendees.

Will said: “We’re the only event to my knowledge that is actually held in St Mary’s Quad and it’s a really exciting venue. We’re going to light the big tree up and the buildings, too. It will have a really cool atmosphere.”

While the majority of tickets have already been sold, as capacity has increased this year, jumping from 500 to 650 people, Will and Val assured me that the remainder of the tickets would be released in the coming weeks. Those who missed out on tickets will thus have another chance to get in on the gig, so to speak.

Will explained: “I think you’ll get two types of people going. There’ll be those who are going because they’ve heard of the acts and they like the music and then you’ll get those who are going because it’s such a different event and it’ll be good fun. There’s no other event in St Andrews like it.”

But with the annual Rugby 7’s tournament after-party taking place on the same night, are the pair worried attendance at Under Canvas will take a hit?

“Not at all - [both events] have always been on the same night,” replied Val nonchalantly.

“I think we just have a different crowd that we appeal to.”

It’s also worth remembering that all proceeds raised by Under Canvas will be going towards their chosen charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, a cause close to the hearts of the committee, who have been raising money for the charity for a number of years.

“We started the event for this cause, and we are not going to change the charity,” Val said.

Will added: “What makes Under Canvas so unique is the fact that it’s universal in nature and that there’s nothing exclusive about it - it’s just one ticket for everyone. There is no VIP; everyone is the same.

“It’s just a relaxed fun party.

There’s not any element of the event that’s pretentious.”

With great music, a good cause and equality for all at its heart, why wouldn’t you be excited about this unique event? So throw some flowers in your hair, grab your friends and get ready to spread the love at St Andrews’ “only music festival”: Under Canvas 2014.

For more information about all things Under Canvas, including information regarding ticket sales and how to get involved with next year’s committee, visit them at www.staundercanvas.com or check out their exclusive video on The Saint’s website!

ness to the traditional stoic strut of the catwalk. Instead of merely striking the conventional pose, each model pair – usually male and female – would do a small dance, or perform a small skit at the end of the runway.

Attending Sitara was a transformative experience. It defied the formulaic structure and burdensome formality of conventional fashion shows and proved that beauty and style are manifest well outside of Western standards and norms.

Sitara adeptly incorporated art, choreography, and theatre into the event, making it far more than a mere fashion show. It was a performance, an expression of the magnificence of Eastern culture as well as a display of the myriad talents of our St Andrews student population.

Headline fashion events such as Dont Walk and FS are undoubtedly larger and better-funded, but they are only platforms for designers to feature their work. Creative, grandiose and stunningly executed as these larger events may be, they are patently fashion shows.

Sitara is more than that – it is not only about beautiful clothes, or beautiful people, but beautiful culture, which encompasses much more than merely garments and bodies. It is comprised of food, music, dance, history and exuberant, incredible life.

Photo: Samantha Marcus

Under Canvas 2014: are you ready?

@saint_events

Sitara: more than just beautiful clothes Tamar Ziff Viewpoint editor

At first glance, Younger Hall did not seem like an optimal venue to host a fashion show – rows of generic blue chairs lined the back, facing an expanse of wooden floor that had in the past been filled with desks and chairs to host examinations.

A stout, black runway had been constructed in the centre yet, despite the scattering of tables set up for the ‘VIP’ guests and the Christmas lights hanging from the rafters, the hall retained an air of austerity. Each table was decked with plates of rich Indian food and copious amounts of wine, eyed appreciatively by the few press representatives and organisers awaiting the arrival of the guests.

At 7:30 pm, the doors were thrown open and attendees slowly came in, attired in a variety of lively shades and fabrics. They were greeted with soft Middle Eastern music, guiding the smooth, practiced motions of a slim belly dancer on stage.

I was pleased by the variety of colours in the crowd. At other, more formal fashion shows, most guests would opt for muted hues; the men in simple Oxford shirts and dark trousers and the girls in short, fitted dresses. At Sitara, however, no such unwritten code was followed, and the crowd was

23 Events

thesaint-online.com

The top eight events in the Bubble

Tierney Riordan tells you where to be to make the most of weeks nine and ten. Whether you’re into fashion shows or talks, balls or bops, she’s got your calendar covered St Andrews Cannes Festival Don’t miss out on the final night of St Andrews’ very own Cannes film festival, inspired by the French original.

The last night of screenings will be on 10 April in School 5 at 7 pm, where the French Society will be showing De rouille et d’os by Jacques Audiard, which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes festival.

So come along and enjoy a night of film and culture - if you’re lucky you might run into a celebrity, and failing that, at least you’ll get to see some good films!

The Vaudeville Spectacular Trade in your Barber and Hunters (or onesie and slippers for those of you in deadline hell) for your spiffiest glad rags, and head to the Vaudeville Spectacular, a showcase celebrating the ‘seedy glamour and faded glory’ of the 1920s cabaret scene.

Get a wiggle on to Venue 2 on 10 April at 10:30 pm, where artists from St Andrews and beyond will be putting on the Ritz, promising to make this night the cat’s meow.

Healthy Body Healthy Mind 5k Hosted by the women’s lacrosse team, the 5k fun run on 11 April benefits Healthy Body Healthy Mind, a charity

aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues.

While some may scoff at paying to run a 5k - an activity many would not do for free - all the proceeds from the £5 entry fee go to charity. So put on those trainers and get running!

Open Mic Night Though they may at first seem to appeal to vastly different crowds, Folk and TradSoc and Rocksoc will come together on the 11th to host the On the Rocks Open Mic Night, held in Venue 2 at 9 pm. All genres are welcome, and there will be performances from folk and rock to blues and jazz. A cappella may even make an appearance, because goodness knows the St Andrews social scene is sorely lacking it...

Community performance painting workshop Hosted by On the Rocks, this workshop combines both dance and painting to demonstrate the idea that “the performance of painting is as important as the final result”. The aim is that the different physical movements of dancing will create varied and unexpected artistic results. So give in to your whimsical inclinations and head out to Church Square on the 12th from 12:30 to 2:30 pm.

Big Top Ball In partnership with Charities Campaign and On The Rocks, Big Top Ball is St Andrews’ only circus-themed ball. The event promises circus acts, fairground games, tasty treats and a real big top tent. So roll up, roll up and head out on the 12th for the Best Show on... Lower College Lawn.

On the Rocks closing party All good things must come to an end, even On the Rocks. It lived a happy, if brief, life so don’t let OTR go away in sadness and tears. Instead, come and celebrate its life and times at Venue 2 on 13 April. There will be artwork of all mediums, from painting to photography. There will even be free cocktails, arguably a work of art in its own right. If you’re unlucky enough to be missing all of the action, then check out our OTR hub online.

Fight Night Don’t miss out on your chance to cheer on friends (or boo enemies) as they battle it out in the ring against competitors from several other Scottish universities on the 17th. St Andrews Boxing Club presents the annual Fight Night, an event that promises blood, sweat and beers, all in the name of the charity Families First.

Rasputin’s Circus comes to town

Rasputin’s Circus will be transforming Kinkell on 15 April. Tierney Riordan sat down with one of the directors The Saint: What can people who go to Rasputin’s Circus expect to see?

Xan Wood: The Kinkell Byre is one of the best event spaces I have ever seen.

The main part of this is the fact that it’s something of an empty shell. This means that it is completely up to whoever is throwing the event to decide what to do with it.

We really want to focus on creating a unique experience for those that come on the night. The aim here is going to be to try and transform the whole place into something completely different to what students are used to, especially as most people have attended something at the venue.

TS: Where did the idea come from?

XW: We love to throw parties and Rasputin’s Circus is an opportunity to throw one of our largest, most decadent events to date!

TS: Why Rasputin?

XW: Grigori Rasputin is an extremely controversial historical character. He was born in Siberia in the middle of nowhere - an unknown peasant. Yet he was somehow able to gain access to the most powerful people in Russia: the Tsar and his family. He was, undoubtedly, a very disturbed individual.

However, our event is not inspired by his wrongdoings; rather, we are fo-

cusing on a small subsection of his life, and that is his parties. He threw enormous events and these affairs were the stuff of legends. So the name ‘Rasputin’ is not so much about the man or his acts, but is focused on the word ‘party’ and our interpretation of it.

It’s our belief that these should be on a large scale with an emphasis on production and the experience which you are left with. That is really where the idea for Rasputin came from, not the man himself but just the idea of what we want parties to be like.

TS: You’ve said Rasputin’s Circus “will take clubbing to the next level”.

What do you mean by that?

XW: We are aiming to recreate the full

We are aiming to recreate the full nightclub experience in St Andrews... with our own special touches

nightclub experience in St Andrews and try to add our own special touches. It’s our belief that a fun night is one where the little things all come together to create a unique feeling for all those who attend. An example of this is a party we threw in a climbing centre for Halloween, where there was a juxtaposition between the dance floor [and the] huge climbing walls.

TS: How was the planning process?

XW: The first step was talking to people in St Andrews and seeing if they would be interested in something like Rasputin’s Circus. The response was overwhelmingly positive. From there, it has been a really fun and rewarding experience organising different aspects of the event, from organising the sound and lighting to liaising with the police.

However, the greatest reward has been meeting many wonderful St Andrews students.

TS: Do you foresee Rasputin’s Circus becoming a regular event in the St Andrews social scene?

XW: I would love for there to be many more Rasputins. We have a lot of things in the pipeline and if the event gets a good response... we will definitely do more. The main thing we want to do is make each event unique; this could be anything from a famous DJ to a completely different approach to the decor.

10 April 2014 • The Saint

This House Believes There are unionists among us.

On 3 April, the Union Debating Society, in conjunction with the History Society, transformed Lower Parliament Hall into the 1707 Scottish parliament for the annual history debate.

Together the two societies re-enacted the Scottish Parliament’s debate on the motion “This House Would Sign the 1707 Act of Union”.

It was a theatrical evening with excellent costumes, “olde English” and a few choreographed interruptions.

Proposing the motion was the Earl of Cromartie, played by Professor Colin Kidd; the Marquis of Montrose, played by David Patterson; and the Duke of Argyll, played by Max Baldi.

Opposing the motion was the Duke of Hamilton, played by Neil Christy; Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, played by Chase Hopkins; and Lord Belhaven, played by Will Lord.

A bit of background for those of you not familiar with the politics of the era. In 1707, England and Scotland shared a monarch but were separate states with separate legislatures.

At the time of this debate, the English parliament had already signed the Act of Union. If the Scottish parliament agreed to sign, the countries would adopt a common legislature and become a single state called “Great Britain”.

The proposition opened their case by arguing that this union was necessary to maintain the balance of power in Europe. They warned that England and Scotland alone would not be able to stand against the Bourbon dynasty, the Habsburg Empire or the Holy Roman Empire.

In order to have any influence in Europe or to be able to defend themselves against these powerful unions, therefore, they must form their own.

The opposition opened their case by denying that this proposed union was in Scotland’s favour.

As put by the Duke of Hamilton. this Act of Union would make Scotland become “a slave to England’s interest. We will lose our culture, customs, and above all else—our sovereignty.”

The opposition stressed that Scotland would lose its own parliament in the union and would not be adequately represented in Great Britain’s.

The Marquis of Montrose, speaking for the proposition, responded that Scotland would be fairly represented in Great Britain’s parliament based on their population’s size.

But before he could get to the substance of his speech, some anti-unionists stormed the House demanding that it disassemble. They asserted that the general Scottish people were against joining England and a union would only benefit the rich. The Serjant-at-Arms, Elizabeth Panton, did not recognise their authority and ejected them from the House.

The opposition admired the antiunionists’ zeal but did not contest their ejection. They agreed with

the proposition that the Scottish nobles and clan leaders should decide this issue - not the masses.

The Duke of Argyll made a pragmatic case in the proposition’s closing speech.

He said that the economic benefits of the union would benefit everyone. The Scottish would have access to English ports, new markets in the Americas and the protection of a world-class navy. In return, the English would be able to sell their wares in Scotland and use Scottish labour. Most importantly, however, the House must pass the Act of Union to prevent a bloody war.

He said: “As we speak the English army is amassing on the Scottish border, and if we don’t join them peacefully they will conquer us.”

The Duke of Hamilton appeared to be moved by the Duke of Argyll’s speech and dramatically decided to defect to the proposition.

In the opposition’s closing speech, Lord Belhaven accused the Duke of Hamilton and the rest of the proposition speakers of taking bribes from the English Crown.

His main points were that the English could not be trusted and that Scotland would be better off to risk a war than submit to English rule.

The English recently undermined Scotland’s attempt to colonise the Americas, resulting in Scotland losing one-quarter of its wealth! And now Scotland would be forced into a union where it would be responsible for helping to pay off England’s war debt.

“If Sweden and the Netherlands can be successful, small countries, then why can’t Scotland?” Lord Belhaven asked.

The unionists clearly passed the motion with 65 in favour, 14 in opposition and three in abstention. If this debate was any indication, it does not look like St Andrews will be a hotbed for the Scottish independence movement.

Today, 10 April, the Union Debating Society will be hosting its

Taylor Rodrigues

Features >

Wardlaw professor of history Colin Kidd discusses the independence referendum. p15-16 annual Maidens Competition. Come down to Lower Parliament Hall to see St Andrews’ best novice speakers compete! Doors open at 7:30 pm, the motion will be announced at 7:45 and the debate will start at 8 pm. As always, gowns are encouraged but not required.

The UDS’s annual general meeting and elections will be held on 17 April in Lower Parliament Hall at 8 pm.

All matriculated students are eligible to vote and run for any position. Voting must be done in person and all interested candidates must send a short email indicating what position they intend to run for to debates@st-andrews.ac.uk prior to 17 April.

24 Sabb diary

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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Sabb diary: We must show more respect Each issue your sabbatical officers keep you up to date with the latest developments Chloe Hill President of the Student’s Association On Saturday night I went to Sitara. It’s the first fashion show I’ve been to in St Andrews as I’ve always been a bit unsure of spending an evening watching fellow students walk up and down a stage in endless different outfits.

But Sitara proved to be a glorious break in the monotony of wellies and Barbour jackets that we take for fashion in St Andrews. It was a fantastic show in that it wasn’t just about the fashion, but about displaying a wide range of student talent – dance, music, and the story of Diwali in scenes acted throughout the show.

The hundreds of hours of work put into the event by so many students were obvious: a great example of why I am always so impressed by the endless ambition and talent of students at St Andrews.

What I was not impressed by, however, was the utter lack of respect shown by some of the crowd watching.

Moments that particularly disgusted me included the guy who tipped an entire bottle of wine across the stage; the smashed glasses where the shoeless models were walking; the people

who threw plastic candles from the set at the DJs; the guy who grabbed the crotch of one of the male models; and the endless stroking of the models’ legs and feet. They are better women than me by resisting the urge to kick the boys in the face with their stilettos. And then there was the unacceptable groping and grabbing.

Forget personal space, forget respect.

Members of the crowd were behaving like animals.

I’ve spent a lot of this week thinking about respect, because we have started discussions with the University about next year’s Raisin Weekend. As you know from the proctor’s email, this year was our last chance to show we could have Raisin Weekend without screwing things up. That is, without embarrassing ourselves and behaving badly.

Unfortunately the statistics we

have are unacceptable. 59 students were so drunk they had to be literally cleaned off the streets. 16 students received fixed-penalty tickets from the police for various bad behaviour. And then there were the 12 injured students who required medical attention and the four reported instances of verbal and physical abuse against staff who work a 20-hour day on Raisin Sunday to make sure

students are safe.

We live in a tiny town off the northeast coast of Fife. Students make up about half the town’s population, but we most certainly do not ‘own the town’.

Yet during Raisin Weekend some people think it is acceptable to get dangerously drunk and pass out in the street at 10 am on a Sunday morning;

hold scavenger hunts in the centre of town while families and the elderly try to do their weekly shopping in peace; and generally behaving like thoughtless animals.

What annoys me the most is that the majority of students didn’t behave badly. They had a Raisin in which they celebrated with their academic families responsibly, without imposing on others. Instead a relatively small number of students have risked ruining the Raisin Weekend tradition for everyone else.

I and the Students’ Association are going to work extremely hard over the coming weeks with the University and the incoming sabbatical officers to make sure we have Raisin next year and that it is as safe and non-invasive as possible.

But I don’t know what to do about the biggest problem: the utter lack of respect by some students.

Left: Students sensibly enjoying themselves during Raisin weekend. Photo: The Saint

The views expressed in Sabb diary do not represent the views of The Saint. The Saint is not affiliated with the Students’ Association.

ARTS & CULTURE thesaint-online.com/reviews

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Photo: Maria Faciolince

Editor: Ross Hamilton Sub-editors: Ruairidh Bowen, Marina Carnwath, Joseph Cunningham, Saeunn Gisladottir, Keegan Hudson, Stephanie Irwin, Joe Ives and Samantha Marcus

6 Arts & Culture

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Ark of triumph: Noah review F

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Noah Dir. Darren Aronofsky **** Noah is a film that unquestionably deserves your time and your thought. To my mind, there are three great Biblical dramas in existence: The Passion of the Christ, The Last Temptation of Christ, and now Noah (sorry, Ten Commandments, maybe next time).

Breaking free from the Christ character but echoing Last Temptation in its central theme of the crushing burden of responsibility, Noah is a true epic in the mould of Lord of the Rings – the flood narrative takes on a compelling fantastical slant – but also a searingly powerful art film in director Darren Aronofsky’s (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan) unmistakable style.

Russell Crowe is absolutely phenomenal in the title role. An Oscar nomination is a near-certainty. He takes the character through years of unbearable psychological pressure and turmoil, crafting a masterful, multilayered performance in which his every expression and terse line speaks to worlds of mental agony. It’s mesmerising to watch, and a range of performances from the supporting actors cannot take away from Crowe’s magnificence.

Image: Paramount Pictures

Alex Harrison

Russell Crowe delivers a phenomenal performance as the titular hero in Darren Aronofsky’s big-budget biblical epic Noah I mention that first because Crowe’s towering presence is essential to the film’s loftier goals. Noah is not a Christian film. This is a film that engages with the God of the Old Testament and Torah, and its moral questions are complex and far ranging.

Crowe anchors it (ha!), his character arc (HA!) grounding the film in the world of raw human emotion while grand moral forces clash overhead; Noah is calculated to challenge believers and non-believers alike, mixing

heresy and Biblical literalism into a soaring and deeply affecting ‘spiritual humanism’. This synthesis is the film’s great project. We see evolution merge with Biblical creation, hero merge with villain and – the most controversial point – God merge with man.

Yes, this is a film where God gets character development, perfectly paralleling Noah. This is a fallible God, one who learns something over the course of the story and who realises the error of his ways. This isn’t appar-

ent at first, hence the first hour being somewhat thematically unadventurous. For the conceit to work, the audience must expect Noah as hero, God as infallible, and mankind as irredeemable. None of this plays out, and we are instead forced to disassemble our own narratives. Moral truth becomes murky and elusive in this most binary of Biblical stories, and simplicity of plot begets complexity of theme.

Noah concerns itself with the cyclical fall of man and similar recurring con-

flicts, reminiscent of Aronofsky’s earlier effort The Fountain but with a more substantial, nuanced core. It grapples with enormous, eternally relevant questions, and it is Biblical not just in its source material but in its intellectual quest to make sense of the senseless, and to seek human meaning in the face of cosmic cruelty.

Aronofsky brings his signature visual exuberance to Noah, which employs practical effects (they actually sort of built the Ark!) and CGI in tandem. The Watchers, a race of six-armed stone golem-angels, are beautifully animated, resembling stop-motion, while flashback montages to creation infuse the film with an otherworldly beauty. Clint Mansell’s score is a Clint Mansell score, which says it all. Whatever your take on the rest of the film, Noah looks and sounds tremendous.

But here’s the thing: I seem to be alone in loving Noah. It’s a complex, difficult film, and perhaps it doesn’t land for everyone. Is it silly? Of course it is! It’s an epic. Gilgamesh is ridiculous, but no lesser for it. The Iliad is absurd, and yet a masterpiece. The Bible is frequently risible, but it remains a colossus of literature. All true epics are so heightened that their electrifying themes are all too easily ignored, and Noah is the same.

Go into it with an open mind and a willingness to embrace the fundamental humanity of a Biblical story, and Noah will – in its vast, silly, and flawed way – take you to a new world.

“I don’t find Norwegian films typically Norwegian” The Saint talks Scandinavian life and cinema with indie film star Anders Danielsen Lie Natalie Ulman During a visit to Oslo I caught up with Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lie, star of two indie film favourites, Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, the latter of which was selected for Un Certain Regard at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and praised at Sundance.

His friends describe him as a Renaissance man: Anders is an actor turned medical doctor, as well as the producer of a concept rock album, This Is Autism, based on recordings he made as a child. He is married to Iselin Steiro, a model from a small town in the Arctic, and together they are considered to be one of Norway’s most intriguing couples.

As the star of two of Norway’s most successful independent films, Lie is uniquely placed to comment on the country’s burgeoning film industry, and Scandinavian cinema in general, and as I found out he was more than willing to share his opinions on the subject.

The Saint: Do you consider Norway to have its own national cinema or to be a part of Scandinavian cinema as a whole?

Anders Danielsen Lie: I don’t think we have a specific national cinema in Norway and I think it’s hard to see in what way our films might be simi-

lar to the ones made in Sweden or Denmark. Their industries are much older and more professional.

TS: Why do you think Scandinavian cinema (Bergman, Dogme, etc) is thematically so dark? Do you even consider it to be dark?

ADL: It’s a paradox, I agree. We are probably one of the best countries in the world to live in, but we also have a high suicide rate. However I don’t see a common theme or aesthetic in Scandinavian cinema. And we make comedies too! To me Lars Von Trier and Ingmar Bergman are two very different directors although both of them are interested in the big, existential questions.

Carl Th. Dreyer is to me one of the great masters of early cinema. Roy Andersson’s A Swedish Love Story is one of the most moving portraits of a young relationship I have seen. There are many Scandinavian filmmakers, and a handful of geniuses, but no such thing as Scandinavian cinema.

TS: What are your favorite Norwegian films and why?

ADL: My favorite Norwegian films are made by Joachim Trier’s grandfather, Erik Løchen. Jakten (The Chasers) and Motforestilling are curious examples of modernism in Norwegian cinema. I like them because they are

highly innovative and experimental.

anything to do with my taste.

TS: What type of movies do you most frequently watch? (American, Norwegian, Scandinavian, or another national cinema?)

TS: Reprise seems very much influenced by the nouvelle vague. And according to the Norwegian Film Institute it was suggested to have a ‘somewhat un-Norwegian structure’.

Do you think Norway has developed its own cinematic techniques or do you think that most of its films are influenced by other national cinemas?

ADL: I try to watch as many films as possible, everything from commercial blockbusters to small art movies. But I don’t have any special preferences.

TS: Do you feel as a Norwegian that you can identify with the country’s films? What kind of films do you relate to most readily?

ADL: Not really... I don’t find Norwegian films typically Norwegian! The films I love the most are those who are impossible to do in any other format or medium, like 8 1/2 by Fellini, or Persona by Bergman. Films in which form and content fuse into something that can only be expressed through cinema.

I don’t think my citizenship has Right: Anders Danielsen Lie in Oslo, August 31st.

Photo: Soda Pictures

ADL: The Norwegian film industry is young.

We are influenced heavily by other traditions.

The way Reprise is told is perhaps unusual for a Norwegian f i l m ,

but that says more about the conventionalism of Norwegian cinema than our will to experiment.

TS: Although Norway has such a high standard of living why do you think so many people seem to get lost or are personally unsatisfied? According to an interview with you and Joachim Trier on Vimeo you grew up in Oslo in the bourgeois creative middle class, with little economic or familial problems, and yet you knew many people in Oslo who had become lost. Do you think this sense of disillusionment is prominent in all Norwegian cinema?

ADL: No. I think Joachim Trier’s two feature films are quite unique in a Norwegian context. We don’t have a very intellectual or academic approach to film in our country. Most people watch movies for entertainment.

TS: Do you think Norwegian cinema has the ability to transfer well to an international audience or even a panScandinavian audience?

ADL: I think any movie has a potential to transfer to international audiences. An example is Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story.

Although it is Japanese, its themes are so universal: everybody who has parents or children can relate to it.

The Saint • 10 April 2014

Arts & Culture 27

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Cult film of the week: 1985’s Clue Before Battleship or the rumoured upcoming Candy Land, the moviebased-on-a-board-game genre was dominated by Clue. The film, which stars an ensemble of comedy greats led by Tim Curry, is inspired by the murder-mystery game of the same name (better known as Cluedo in the UK). Though its 1985 theatrical run was a financial disappointment, the film’s subsequent popularity on home media has ensured that Clue, a silly, likable comedy, enjoys a healthy afterlife.

The story takes place in the space of a single evening in a New England mansion, where six colourfully named strangers – Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, etc – have been invited to a dinner that ends with the death of their host instead of dessert.

These guests, locked in the house with the murderer, must then determine which of them is the killer before they all become victims.

The concept is not wholly innovative; the same plot, a murder-mystery cliché, was spoofed years earlier in 1976’s Murder by Death, a lampoon of detective archetypes and the whodunit genre as a whole. What distinguishes Clue from its predecessors then is the great pleasure it takes in paying homage to its board game inspiration, in which players must guess not only the murderer’s identity but also the crime scene and the murder weapon.

Was it Mrs Peacock in the kitchen

Image: Paramount Pictures

Marissa Visci

Nearly 30 years on from its original release, Clue stands as a cult comedy favourite, having initially flopped on its theatrical release with the candlestick? Mr Green with the revolver in the conservatory?

The result is a whodunit that’s also a where-dunit and a with-what-dunit, one whose solution changes with every game played.

In the case of Clue, the film is loyal to its source to a fault: its fatal flaw during its theatrical run was Paramount’s decision to release three alternate endings, with three different solutions to the mystery, which were

Clue’s fatal flaw... was the decision to release three alternate endings

then randomly distributed to theatres.

This strategic ploy to get theatre-goers to see the film three times backfired when it instead discouraged potential audiences from seeing the film at all – with three to choose from, why risk seeing an inferior ending? Clue’s release on VHS, and later on DVD, allowed the film to be shown with all three endings in a row, the explanations delivered with manic enthusiasm by an increasingly breathless Curry as the

mansion’s butler, and a successful cult film was born.

Critics at the time of its release also found Clue gimmicky and slow to build up. They’re not wrong; the opening, which sets up the elaborateness of the house and introduces its characters, crawls rather than leaps, meticulously laying comedic traps to be sprung later.

But the payoff is worth it, with strong performances from Clue’s cast, which includes Eileen Brennan and Christopher Lloyd. Their rapid-fire dialogue is one of Clue’s chief appeals.

“What are you afraid of?” asks Lloyd in one scene, “A fate worse than death?”

To which Brennan replies: “No, just death, isn’t that enough?” The brilliant Madeleine Kahn, perhaps best known for her work in Mel Brooks’ comedies such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, is a standout as the serial widow Mrs White. Ironically dressed in all black, Kahn delivers her lines with legendary comedic timing, including the famously improvised ‘flames on the side of my face’ speech.

Though ‘based on the Parker Brothers game’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as ‘based on a true story,’ it is the absurdity of Clue that has retained the affection of audiences after the fact. It is a comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Repeated attempts at a remake have been put on hold, so in the meantime, fans can enjoy the original until the inevitable gritty reboot finally arrives.

You win or you die: Game of Thrones returns

Just what is it about HBO’s epic series, now entering its fourth season, that has so many people hooked?

The jewel in HBO’s crown (or to put it more aptly, the glistening sword in HBO’s Iron Throne) is bearing down on us with more intensity than a horde of White Walkers advancing menacingly towards the Wall. If that last analogy left you cold, then you will likely be oblivious to the immense anticipation awaiting the premiere of the fourth season of Game of Thrones. Originally billed by the network as “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth”, the fantasy show, faithfully adapted from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, has evolved into an addictive, sprawling epic bestriding a television landscape that too often seems overpopulated by white, male, middle class problems.

Some critics were initially quick to downplay the ‘fantastic’ elements of this fantastic show. In spite of the contemporary mainstream success of the fantasy genre, spearheaded by The Lord of the Rings, it seems that journalists are more interested in mentioning the complicated power structures in King’s Landing, as opposed to that episode where Mellisandre gave birth to a demonic assassin made out of smoke, for example.

But while the addictive nature of the show does in part stem from the skulduggery and political scheming of the main characters, the simple reason for the programme’s popularity is its wholehearted embrace of the tropes of the fantasy genre, and in turn, its gleeful amplification of these elements.

Image: HBO

Alex MacKay

Daenerys Targaryen and company stand poised to invade Westeros in the fourth season of HBO’s hugely successful Game of Thrones The result is one of the most bombastic spectacles on television. To paraphrase a speech from that other great subversion of fantasy genre tropes, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride, this show has got everything: betrayal, attempted child murder, beheadings, ice zombies, direwolves, sword fights, bear fights, three-eyed ravens, warrior queens, incest, Sean Bean, sexposition, emasculation, naval warfare, dwarves, and DRAGONS. Oh, and Hodor.

This disparate list is suitably compli-

mented by the astronomical budgets of each episode and the diversity of shooting locations, which include Northern Ireland, Morocco and Iceland. More than any show currently airing on television, the world of Game of Thrones is truly immersive; even just the propensity for fur in several of the main characters’ costumes adds to the impression of a richly textured, quasi-medieval world whose environments range from a frozen North to arid, Mediterranean-esque desert cities.

The expansiveness is not limited to the landscapes depicted either. Game of Thrones has one of the longest cast lists in television, and going into this upcoming fourth season you could be forgiven for doubting whether show runners David Benioff and DB Weiss can adequately juggle the numerous storylines currently playing out within the confines of a 10-episode season.

But this dynastic scope can be all too easily tempered, as loyal viewers know too well. “Valar morghulis”, as

several characters on posters advertising the fourth season proclaim: “All men must die”. As each successive series has demonstrated, culminating in last year’s epochal Red Wedding, what sets Game of Thrones heads, shoulders, and indeed every other decapitated body part above its competition is the sadistic abandon with which main protagonists are dispatched. Not even the ostensible heroes are safe in Westeros.

The world of Game of Thrones is a lawless frontier where evil often prospers, heroism is scarce, and allegiances only last as long as you can keep your head.

Games of Thrones is changing the rules of television.

This season promises further shifts in the power structures of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros with the Lannister clan basking in their apparent vanquishing of Robb Stark’s forces and consolidating their union with the Tyrells in the marriage of Margaery Tyrell and King Joffrey. But this peace is an illusion – young Arya Stark has sworn vengeance on the Lannisters; in the Frozen North, Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch prepare for an invasion of Wildlings; and across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen is mounting her increasing forces, and her trio of dragons, in anticipation of a full scale assault to reclaim the Iron Throne and her family’s honour.

Only one thing is for sure: you can expect the unexpected (unless, of course you’ve already read the books), for the night is dark and full of terrors, my friends.

28 Arts & Culture

Re-examining Lord Huron’s Lonesome Dreams M

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Hayley McClellan

Image: Lord Huron

Every now and then a band emerges with a truly triumphant debut only to slip under the radar of the musicminded population. Lord Huron is one of those bands. The LA-based indie-folk collective’s Lonesome Dreams was released in 2012 to press acclaim but failed to achieve the popular breakthrough predicted by those who championed the band. Two years on from the muted release of Lonesome Dreams it is high time for a reappraisal of Lord Huron’s commendable

existence for sweeping passions. In Time to Run when lead vocalist Ben Schneider sings that he wants “everybody else in the world” to know about his love, it is clear that he means shouting his declarations from the mountaintops, not changing his relationship status on Facebook. With no references to current trends or pop culture, Lonesome Dreams strives towards the immortality Ben craves in the uplifting ode to life The Man Who Lives Forever.

Lord Huron have a clear vision that is consistently executed in every aspect of their output and image.

Lonesome Dreams is accompanied with a series of high-quality music vid-

Lord Huron’s Ben Schneider, sporting a killer moustache, gazes off into the distance offering.

Spring has finally sprung. At least the calendar says so despite the objections of the drizzly weather. Spring has sprung and summer is now just around the corner, so close that you can almost taste the Pimm’s and Jannettas. Some appropriate music is needed to soundtrack the lazy days after exams spent sunning on our beautiful beaches and Lonesome Dreams hits just the right spot. Think of Animal Collective’s joyful celebration of life, mixed with the haunting folk vocals of Fleet Foxes and a trickle of Yeasayer’s hippie yodelling. Now add a good dash of old-time MidWestern influence and you have the delicious blend that is the Lord Huron cocktail.

Refreshing and upbeat, Lonesome Dreams is the perfect soundtrack for road trips and afternoons laying in the sun with your toes in the sea and your fingers in the sand. It voices the indiscriminate wanderlust of the summer months, with lyrics of new journeys and exotic adventures.

Uplifting harmonies give the album a spiritual air, while lively percussion and gently galloping guitars animate tracks such as the affirming celebration of friendship Brother.

Lonesome Dreams isn’t new, but the album’s release date fades into irrelevance as soon as the first chords of opener Ends of the Earth play out and the listener is plunged into the timeless universe of Lord Huron. Each track is ageless, with lyrics that reject the minutiae of contemporary daily

eos that artistically build upon the album’s cinematic scope. These videos, steeped in Western film tradition, are striking visual representations of the dusty desert plains of Ben’s lyrics. Meanwhile, the band’s styling in live performances; rugged facial hair, denim shirts and cowboy hats cements the idea of Lord Huron as a collection of runaway cowboys.

Although the band’s image may sound like a contrived aping of rustic Americana, reminiscent of The Killers in their Sam’s Town era, this is far from the case. The rogue cowboy stage personas prove consistent with the traditional folk influences of Lord Huron’s echoing harmonies, and are an appropriate extension of the symbol of the spirited wanderer that recurs throughout Lonesome Dreams.

Lord Huron are consistent in image and consistent in sound, with the uniformly high quality of its content marking Lonesome Dreams as a stellar work. It is rare to find an album that immerses listeners so fully in the world constructed by the artist and even rarer to find an album without a single weak song.

Based on online footage, Lord Huron sound as outstanding live as they do on record, so make sure not to miss the band’s performances if you are attending any of the festivals across the US and Canada they are scheduled to play this summer.

Lord Huron can’t seem to do wrong, so let’s give them the support they deserve. After all, it’s better late than never.

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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The Saint playlist Freddie Gibbs – Thuggin

The Take Off and Landing of Everything Elbow Fiction Rosemary Hall Despite taking no real risks on their new album, Elbow know their sound, and The Take Off and Landing of Everything is no letdown.

Although many bands have a ‘signature sound,’ they tend to reach a point when it’s time for something new. Bombay Bicycle Club, for instance, produce a new sound on almost every album, keeping things fresh and always surprising their listeners.

Despite a few stand-out heavy hits such as Grounds for Divorce, however, Elbow have consistently drawn upon lead singer Guy Garvey’s powerful, deep voice to produce a plethora of slow, moody anthems. Yet, somehow, the sound doesn’t get old.

This Blue World and Charge provide an opening that is perhaps a bit too slow, though a surprise addition of melody at the end of the former and dramatically bitter lyrics in the latter demonstrate Elbow’s continuous quality artistry.

And if these surprises fail to excite, Fly Boy Blue / Lunette will wake you right up. Possibly the only track that endeavours to try something new, it introduces intense instrumental riffs and timidly over-synthesised vocals... that don’t quite work.

Experimentation over, the album quickly returns to well-charted territory, and does so with great success.

New York Morning and title track The Take Off and Landing of Everything channel the band’s biggest hit One Day Like This, creating sing-in-theshower masterpieces with neverending choruses and simple yet effective melodies that are sure to get stuck in your head (in a good way).

Honey Sun and Colour Fields add to the subtly uplifting feel of the album with dark openings giving way to inspiring major lifts. Though still channeling their signature anthemic style, these tracks cut back on the orchestral background to provide a thinner texture and calmer poignancy. Do your best not to pay too much attention to the lyrics though, as their pseudo-profundity slightly ruins the effect.

The Take Off and Landing of Everything traces all the way back to Elbow’s debut album in 2001, Asleep in the Back, creating the perfect soundtrack for that sitting-halfasleep-in-the-backseat-during-along-car-journey feeling.

Focusing on the power of one voice, Elbow yet again demonstrate their ability to stir our emotions.

Love Letters Metronomy Because Music

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Madlib

Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs and California producer Madlib just released a compilation of their last three EPs this past week entitled Piñata. This perverse song, and the single, is a great mix of dark themes, smooth flow, and a really interesting drone-y beat. Disclaimer: it’s very explicit.

Ruairidh Bowen Art & Design sub-editor Metronomy are a band preoccupied with nostalgia and it is this mindset which resonates in their fourth album Love Letters, both in terms of musical style and lyrical content. The band’s lead singer, Joseph Mount, describes the nostalgic feel to the album as inspired by the fact that ‘nobody writes love letters anymore’.

While their last album The English Riviera offered sun-drenched images of ironic glamour and romance, set to early 80s synths, the far moodier Love Letters further explores musical history, drawing from glam, psychedelia and Motown. It’s unavoidable and somewhat unfortunate, however, that this album will be overshadowed by its critically-acclaimed predecessor, which received a Mercury Award nomination and became the band’s biggest success back in 2011.

The opening song, The Upsetter sets

There is a subtle beauty here a tone of angst and longing, and makes reference to the band’s previous album, “give we’ve got to be together, and back out on the Riviera”, suggesting a narrative continuity between the two albums. I’m Aquarius features a very nostalgic backing lyric “shoop doop doop ah”, referencing early RnB, whilst the (clearly intentionally) thinsounding Monstrous” is powered by a positively prehistoric drum machine.

The album’s titular track Love Letters explodes into a euphoric Motown chorus after a slow instrumental opening; the song stands out not for its superior quality to the rest of the album, but because of its powerful delivery, which contrasts with the introspective nature of the other songs.

It’s difficult to consider Love Letters without comparing it to The English Rivera, but overall the former is far moodier and much less polished.

There is subtle beauty to be found in Love Letters, among the sonic thinness that the band reveres.

It’s because of this that, despite the further success Metronomy deserve, this album will not perform well commercially. Love Letters is just fundamentally less accessible than The English Rivera, and does not appeal to the overblown style of electronica that is popular in mainstream music today.

Frankie Knuckles – Your Love This past week a legend of the Chicago house scene, Frankie Knuckles, unfortunately passed away. With the release of Yeezus and the general rise in popularity of Chicago house, the relevance of this pioneering artist has never been greater. Definitely find time to check out this godfather of house’s 1987 hit.

Mac DeMarco Reflection

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Mac DeMarco, the notoriously ‘chill’ Canadian rock artist, has returned with a new full-length, Salad Days.

His departure is most evidence on this organ-riddled tune that sounds more like a Beach House or Toro Y Moi song than anything he has released previously.

Frankie Cosmos – Birthday Song NYC singer/songwriter Frankie Cosmos has released over 40 albums(!) on Bandcamp over the past two years. Check out the single of her first major release Zentropy.

She reminisces on growing older with a sweet delicacy reserved only for the best songwriters.

Tony Molina – ‘Don’t Come Back’ Check out the new single off of Tony Molina’s LP, Dissed and Dismissed.

The Bay Area artist fuses powerpop and hardcore elements to create very short and very infectious pop songs. Don’t Come Back fuses these elements most successfully and is definitely worth checking out.

The Saint • 10 April 2014

Arts & Culture 29

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South Park video game sticks it to the man G

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If one rule governs South Park: The Stick of Truth, it is the Gentleman’s Oath: “Never, ever, fart on anyone’s balls”.

Everything else is fair game, in the first South Park adaptation designed by the series’ creators, in which the show’s cast embarks upon a noble quest to become more offensive than ever.

Dumped into town as the ‘New Kid,’ the player goes full ‘Chosen One’ as he enters what amounts to a turf war between children. Bloods and Crips have been replaced by Cartman’s ‘men’ battling Kyle’s ‘elves’ for possession of the titular Stick, in a continuance of the last season’s Game of Thrones episodes.

The New Kid is given the choice of four classes, Knight, Mage, Thief or Jew, and sets off on an adventure. The visuals catch the look of the show perfectly, and there is rarely a moment that does not feel like what you’re playing is just a long, interactive episode.

There is also a vague and perhaps fitting resonance with the video games of our childhood - there’s a lot of wandering around a cartoon world finding collectibles - only now it’s pubes and dildos being collected to (worryingly) sell to other children. Of course, the game’s meat is combat, well presented visually, with a naturally heinous and scatological veneer to a conventional turn-based system that can become

Image: Ubisoft

Jack Avery

Developer Obsidian Entertainment has done a brilliant job of capturing the look of South Park for their video game adaptation fairly mechanical. It’s fortunate then that the thrill of farting an enemy apart takes a while to get old. Side missions such as a quest to ‘find Jesus’ unlock special attacks which are worth using, though in general this is an easy game with pretensions of being more tactical than it is, and there is no need to horde these unique moves.

The level cap arrives irritatingly early if you spend time doing the side missions, and this can lead to a late

game where your character no longer develops. The fact that most of the characters in a 16-hour game are voiced by two men also tends to show, with little variation in background chatter, and it can begin to feel rather repetitive.

The atmosphere remains South Park, but it’s sometimes only skin deep. Nevertheless it is wantonly offensive, delighting in a level of crass and tasteless humour that exceeds even the show itself and occasionally

teeters on edge of true obscenity. This may be a tad subjective, but when you’re beating a giant bawling aborted Nazi-zombie foetus into submission, well, some people may not blink, but even I paused. That said, the scenes infamously cut from console releases are over-hyped, though a poorly ported PC version which left me hammering ’S’ for quarter of an hour to close my sphincter against a gigantic anal probe may have coloured this verdict.

for more left-field entertainment purposes such as ‘immersive’ VR porn. No matter what people plan on using the device for, the Oculus has long been rumoured as the ‘next big thing’ in gaming hardware.

In a recent interview with Edge magazine Luckey predicted that competition for the Rift was sure to follow, and he was soon proved right. Sony

Sony has already agreed support from 13 developers, including the creators of the Gears of War

an Oculus Rift development kit is considerably cheaper than a Project Morpheus one. However, with development at a relatively early stage, this is perhaps unlikely to reflect the gap between pricing when the two are finally released.

Nevertheless, the recent $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR by Facebook has potentially changed everything and called into question the extent to which the two devices will be in direct

Repetition made it all rather banal.

Given its pedigree, one might expect a fairly intelligent satire on the conventions and prejudices rife in games, but the commentary lacks depth, relying mostly on tired gags that feel decidedly unoriginal. Despite the show’s acclaimed World of Warcraft episode, which has continued resonance here, Parker and Stone are perhaps out of their comfort zone, with most satire revolving around a flatulence heavy bastardisation of Skyrim, and being fairly blunt at that. While South Park’s method has often been more of a hammer blow than needling wit, it does not compare to the equally irreverent and offensive Saints Row series in its breakdown of the genre.

The game is as much a homage to the show as a spin-off, and for fans it is pleasing to see that across the board the game looks back lovingly to the first series. The plot itself springs from the show’s inaugural episode, and those characters who have fallen by the wayside as the series gradually left the confines of the quiet little redneck mountain town, such as Jimbo and Ned, get more screen time than they have for a while. Stick of Truth is an extended episode with an unambitious but pleasantly functional game beneath, but it doesn’t have to push gameplay boundaries. It doesn’t want to. This is South Park: The Game, and it is relieving to see that the show’s spirit has survived the transition across mediums.

Oculus vs Morpheus: a VR battle royale Joe Ives Games sub-editor

No, this isn’t a ghastly spin off of the Transformers series; it is potentially one of the most important battles in the future of video games. Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus are the lofty – and somewhat ridiculous – names given to the opposing virtual reality (VR) headsets being planned by Facebook and Sony, in their attempts to revolutionise, and further monetise, the virtual world. If successful, Facebook’s new acquisition could potentially transform and even destroy the console market as we know it.

The Oculus VR project started life as a brainchild of Palmer Luckey.

An aficionado of 3D and headmounted displays, Luckey dreamed of bringing VR back into 21st century homes at a price widely affordable to consumers.

In 2012 he set up a KickStarter project for the Oculus with an initial target of $250,000. The fundraising project became a runaway success, eventually achieving $2.4 million in donations. This success allowed the Oculus to become a tangible product, resulting in the release of developer kits that have allowed software designers to create content for the headset in anticipation of a future release.

Though gaming has been assumed to be the core future use of the Oculus, and the main focus of those working on the project, the headset has also been considered

unveiled P r o j e c t Morpheus – its very own VR headset – at the Game Developers Conference on 19 March.

As well as being more aesthetically accomplished, the Morpheus is slightly more technically advanced than its competitor. Additionally,

franchise: Epic Games.

Outside of games the Morpheus so far has a partnership with NASA’s jet-propulsion project, allowing consumers to experience the exploits of the Curiosity Mars Rover from their own living room.

Neither headset has a fixed pricepoint or release date as yet, though

competition.

If the Rift becomes more of a tool for social networking than gaming, it is possible that the two devices will eventually end up fighting on separate battlegrounds.

Indeed in his press release announcing Facebook’s new toy, Mark Zuckerberg expressed some interesting plans: “We’re going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court-side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home.”

Crucially, however, the 29-year-

old was quick to dismiss the idea that the Rift’s new owners would divorce the device from gaming: “Oculus’s mission is to enable you to experience the impossible... immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won’t be changing and we hope to accelerate.”

What will this mean? This decision could be a game changer, not just for the future of the VR market, but the console gaming industry as a whole. If the Oculus Rift becomes both a gaming and social device, Sony will have to give Morpheus its own killer app if it is to be commercially competitive, for the Japanese tech firm surely cannot hope to equal Facebook in terms of the social experience their device will deliver.

Furthermore other companies who are likely to enter the VR market – such as Microsoft or Nintendo – will likely face similar conundrums when squaring up to Facebook’s device. If they are unable to undercut the Rift as a gaming or social device, it is possible that Facebook will not only enter, but dominate, the next console war.

Though potentially beneficial for consumers in the short term the results of this could be devastating.

As Facebook continues to increase the homogeneity of our daily interaction with technology, the firm could monopolise yet another element of our lives: gaming. This would surely immerse us in a very bad thing indeed.

30 Arts & Culture

10 April 2014 • The Saint

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Inspired by its St Andrews roots: Tom Morris’ spring and summer 2014 collection T

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inspiration within the Tom Morris archives and through vintage finds which informed the collection’s heritage.

While this season was influenced by the St Andrews landscape, Tom Morris has still maintained its preppy aesthetic, which blends on-course style with everyday life. Tom Morris aims to marry

Stephanie Irwin Style sub-editor

Tom Morris has maintained its preppy aesthetic, which blends oncourse style with everyday life Image: Tom Morris

Among the many golf-related stores in St Andrews, Tom Morris, an award winning lifestyle brand, stands out as the most synonymous with St Andrews’ history. This important background has been the fundamental inspiration for the Tom Morris SS14 collection, which launched in January 2014.

Not only was Tom Morris born in St Andrews, but he was also one of the most important figures in the development of golf itself. Besides pioneering the sport, Morris also won the Open Championship in St Andrews four times. After winning his final Open, Morris set up his store on The Links in 1866. St Andrews was a natural choice for his first shop, given the rising popularity of golf at this time.

For the SS14 collection, inspiration was found in the golf courses and rugged coastal landscape of St Andrews.

This inspiration is evident through the collection’s prevalent use of blues, grays and sunset tones. Besides this, Tom Morris’ designers also searched for

preppy with casual into a standout look that reflects each man’s personal taste and the Tom Morris heritage. This look can be found in Tom Morris’ mainstay pieces such as their tailored elbow patch blazers, newsboy caps, coloured trousers and plaid shorts.

Image: Tom Morris

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Without losing its touch, Tom Morris also featured pieces with hidden functions in its SS14 collection. These subtly technical items include discreetly waterproof jackets and technical polos that appear to be cotton.

The new SS14 collection is not only cohesive with St Andrews style, but it also subtly reflects the SS14 men’s catwalks at the London Fashion Week.

At John Smedly, striped cardigans in sunset tones and coloured trousers were staple pieces. Thomas Pink also featured similar tweed blazers, trousers and vests. Tweed blazers were seen again at Hackett, a brand that also uses blues and whites in its SS14 ensembles.

Hackett also featured plaids, shorts and weather-appropriate jackets similar to that of Tom Morris.

Despite these similarities – which show the brand’s nod to high fashion – the Tom Morris collection stands alone because of its laid back yet doneup nature.

This preppy yet relaxed lifestyle not only aligns with St Andrews culture, but it also references the town’s rich history.

By synthesising these two aspects of St Andrews life, Tom Morris effectively provides men with appropriate yet stylish garments for the SS14 season.

An inside look at the 2014 GSA fashion show Anna McAlpine

Backstage was far from glamorous

Image: McAteer Photography

During the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) fashion shows, which took place on 4 and 5 March, GSA’s undergraduate fashion students were given the challenge of assimilating their designs with the themes of lace and world culture.

Before the shows began, immense preparation was required. During dress rehearsals, the 40 models faced organised chaos. Not only did models have to fit into a tiny dressing room, but over 100 garments and numerous dressers also had to cram into the small space.

The morning after dress rehears-

A trio of models pose on the catwalk at this year’s Glasgow School of Art fashion show. Behind the scenes however, things were hectic

als, show preparation seemed like an impossible feat. Nevertheless, the Vidal Sassoon hair team rose to the challenge, supplying five hairdressers to complete 40 up-dos within three and a half hours. Once the beauty preparations were done, the models tried on their ensembles for each show.

Although the shows went down without a hitch, the backstage environment was far from glamorous.

Despite the behind the scenes insanity however, the models stepped onto the catwalk with ethereal composure. The cool composure of the models was mirrored by the show’s atmosphere, with backstage screens providing the runway with a glacial air. Once off the runway, the nonchalance of the models disappeared as they raced to the clothing rail to quick change into their next look.

Unfortunately, this chaos caused the show directors to become very frustrated – having to scream models’ names repeatedly until they finally showed up in the queue.

Despite the backstage frustration though, the runway crowd cheered for every flawless design displayed on the catwalk. On closing night, the excitement of the GSA fashion show reached its peak. The entrancing music, sold-out crowd and model camaraderie turned the after party into a heady cocktail that affected all involved. As the party ended, organisers celebrated the show’s success and pledged to outdo themselves again in 2015.

Image: Eun Bin Kim

A model at the Glasgow School of Art’s 2014 fashion show recounts her experiences at the event

The Saint • 10 April 2014

Arts & Culture 31

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A fine slice of Americanah LITERATURE Caitlin O’Reilly Americanah.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie could not have chosen a more apt title for her third novel. A NigerianEnglish play on the word Americana – the embodiment of all things from the New World, from baseball to the American dream – ‘Americanah’ refers to all those who return to Nigeria after having immigrated to the States. It suggests both a longing for escape from an imperfect Nigeria and a gentle mocking of all things American; a paradox that strikes Adichie’s characters and lies at the very heart of her book.

The Nigerian-born author recently claimed in one interview that Americanah is “basically a love story”.

Indeed, the romantic history between Adichie’s two central characters, Ifemelu and Obinze, is structurally integral to the book – a tale of two childhood sweethearts that keeps readers hoping until the very last page.

While Ifemelu moves to America and finds professional success through her blog and a subsequent fellowship at Princeton, Obinze initially struggles, facing deportation from England before he makes his fortune in the now booming but corrupt capital, Lagos.

As Adichie interchanges between these two protagonists, we are intro-

duced to a plethora of characters and a vibrant, riotous Nigeria. Adichie’s homeland fascinates with the humour of its people, its music and its history.

Ifemelu takes us from her university days under the military regime, when education was hindered by strikes and her Aunty Uju’s financial stability depended on an affair with a colonel.

From this, we are transported to a modern-day Lagos, where men make overnight success from rising oil prices.

Problems still reign, though: Ifemelu remembers how she was “terrified”

by Nigeria’s high-risk status, while friends like Raniyudo still depend on loveless relationships with rich and powerful men to get by.

Adichie’s exploration of love and Nigeria is compelling, but surely what affects readers of Americanah the most is the author’s treatment of race. Indeed, the complexities of race, heritage and skin colour only really becomes apparent to Ifemelu when living in America.

Contrary to what she expected, Ifemelu and her Nigerian friends suffer upon arrival in this new country: jobs are scarce, housing is poor and casual racism abounds, leaving the protagonist with a feeling of emptiness during even the most happy of relationships.

But Adichie boldly makes it clear that these difficulties do not simply come down to the colour of her characters’ skin; ‘blackness’ is a complex

maze that does not always unite, evident in the distancing between AfricanAmerican and American-African student associations at Ifemelu’s college.

Many of Ifemelu and Obinze’s friends from Nigeria, for example, attempt to shed all remnants of their past lives and cultural heritage in order to fit in with the white American and English middle class. Former school friend Emenike is portrayed as a fake and cold individual as he invites Obinze back into his life in London, splashing his cash and trying too hard to impress his wife’s friends with his pompous remarks.

Adichie possesses a real talent for identifying the flaws of modern society, and the effect is startling.

Characters like Emenike, who fixate on their children’s image and achievements, capture the shallowness of the middle class, while I’m sure that Ifemelu’s white, well-heeled employer, Kimberley, who feels obliged to call every black woman “beautiful”, has forced many to reconsider their own approach to race.

Overall, Americanah has rightly earned its modern day classic status because it achieves what only the best works of literature can do: its honesty speaks to the reader and stays with them even after they have read the last page. Bravo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

A powerful statement or a broken promise?

ART&DESIGN

I recall once that in a lecture for my 20th century art module, a frustrated American muttered, on the subject of modern art: “I’m sick of this stuff, it’s just getting stupider and stupider.”

Modern art polarises the public, particularly exhibitions such as the controversial and much hyped Art School Stole My Virginity which I wrote about in the last edition of The Saint. The artist behind the story is 19-year-old Central Saint Martins art student Clayton Pettet, who promised to lose his virginity in ‘the name of art’ on stage in front of a large audience. In the build-up to the big day, a worldwide media frenzy ensued, with Christian groups slating the artist, commentators offering Pettet sex tips, claims that Pettet is lying about his virginity, and an alleged 10,000 people vying for tickets. The ‘performance’ took place last week, but in a shocking twist no sexual acts were performed.

Instead, the young artist performed a series of strange actions, aided by three assistants, who poured paint over him and cut chunks out of his hair. He

Image: Willow Garms

Ruairidh Bowen Art & Design sub-editor

Audience members were invited into a ‘penetration booth’ where they could meet Pettet and penetrate his mouth with a banana appeared on stage, topless with his body painted with phrases such as ‘teen whore’ and ‘anal virgin’, and proceeded to scrub these off his torso. The audience of 120 was ushered to a ‘penetration booth’ where they could meet Pettet and were told to penetrate his mouth with a banana before leaving.

It all seems rather vulgar, but perhaps this is the point. Art is all about holding up a mirror up to society, and showing it for all it’s vulgarity, and in many ways, Pettet has succeeded in this. After the show ended, many annoyed attendees expressed their disappointment over social media, which I

find both highly ironic and disturbing.

It seemed that many people cared more about watching a teenager have sex, than the art side of the matter, which is rather perverse. Furthermore, a crucial aspect of effective art is forcing audience reflection, and this is particularly important in performance art, where

the audience must consider their role in relation to the piece. Here, the reflection is created through disappointment, in that the attendees are told to ask themselves why they chose to watch a teenager lose his virginity in the first place.

By throwing his promise back in the audience’s face, I probably admire Pettet more as an artist. He never defined how he would lose his virginity, or rather what exactly that means; this exhibition is the artist’s debut, so perhaps he utilised the word in a metaphorical sense. Whether Pettet was actually a virgin, in the sexual sense, or not, does not truly bear any consequence; the artist himself even claimed that he still is one, as ‘art is his sexuality’.

Online this week Mac DeMarco If the folk singer’s mention in this week’s Saint playlist has piqued your interest, then head online to check out Christian Manley’s review of his latest album, Salad Days.

Bring Me the Horizon Following the announcement of a one-off show at Wembley stadium, Samuel Trunter takes a look back Bring Me the Horizon’s latest record, Sempiternal.

TV week in review Toby Symonds walks us through what was hot and what was not on the small screen this week.

thesaint-online.com/sport

From the editor I welcome you, if anyone actually reads this, to what is my penultimate column as editor of this fine and indeed upstanding sport section. As ever, it is positively full to the brim with exciting stories, wit and opinion. For anyone considering an internship or a potential career at a news outlet, my predecessor James Gray offers his as ever pertinent insight into the perks and pitfalls of such a venture.

I can imagine that the serene and student-less calm of a St Andrews spring morning was somewhat rudely disturbed when the Royal and Ancient Golf Club put out ‘that’ press release last week. Yes, after 260 years of being one of the world’s most exclusive and venerable male only institutions (I am told that the technical term in some quarters is in actual fact a ‘sausage fest’) the R&A is going to ballot its members on letting women into the building.

If the vote is indeed successful, the lucky ladies will get to share facilities with such luminaries as the famously tolerant and pro-female Sir Sean Connery and golf legend Sir Jack Nicklaus, among others.

A friend of the Conservative and Unionist persuasion told me that the vote is to be held on 18 September, before adding that he hopes that it is the only vote which gets a resounding yes that day.

Personally, I am a fan of freedom of association; if people want to be members of male or female only clubs than that is entirely their prerogative. I’m probably the most unlikely contender to launch a Germaine Greer-style protest against the Women’s Institute for denying me my right of affiliation.

Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient, said last year that there was a “direction” of travel within the game which was seeing clubs across the land move away from the practice of excluding women. Many would no doubt say that it is a natural process. Given that in the same week as the statement was released the United Kingdom saw its first same sex marriages, many were no doubt thinking that yet another anachronistic bastion was about to be swept away in an egalitarian wave.

However, I somehow doubt that vaulted feelings about gender equality are at the crux of the General Committee’s decision to put this matter to a vote.

Firstly, this decision may silence the club’s many strident critics who deride it for not letting female members join. Last summer’s Open Championship hosted at the male only club at Muirfield sustained a pretty heavy barrage of criticism

from several figures, with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, saying that he refused to attend on account of what he termed an “indefensible” admissions policy. It may have slipped Mr Salmond’s memory that he was happy to attend The Open at both the R&A and Royal St Georges, another male-only club in Kent. He also seemed to forget that he is a member of a Burns supper club which excludes women.

Cynical politicking or not, Salmond among others no doubt generated an unwanted storm for Muirfield. In a dreadfully PR-conscious world there is nothing better than getting a monkey off your back and I suspect that this is very much key to the thoughts of those in charge of the R&A. When I was reporting on the Alfred Dunhill championship in September for this paper, the ideal vantage point for watching Hugh Grant throw a tantrum or to get body swerved by Sir Bobby Charlton was outside the clubhouse. In the fairly tedious pauses one would endure while waiting for the ‘celebrities’ to appear I often peered through the windows of the club or watched its members arrive.

They’re not a particularly young bunch. There wasn’t much in the way of ‘trust funding’ bottles of champagne while dancing on tables, with more emphasis seemingly being placed on spilling custard on your double breasted blazer. It all seemed fairly docile.

The membership of the establishment is not getting any younger.

When I spoke to Hazel Irvine, who has covered many a golf tournament for the BBC, she said that clubs across Scotland and the UK should put more of a focus on getting younger players involved. A leading Irish golf commentator bemoaned that golf club membership was slowly sliding in the Emerald Isle, a place as fanatical about golf as Scotland.

I suspect that the demographic of many golf clubs is not extremely diverse. There will, of course, be younger players, but one suspects that the vast majority will be aged 50 and over. They are also a rapidly depreciating asset. It therefore makes sense financially for clubs to open up to women as it provides yet another flow of income into the coffers.

Perhaps I am far too cynical.

Perhaps my hypothesising and conjecture as to what the genuine motivations behind such a momentous decision are far off the mark.

In reality however, I suspect that a great philosophical urge to enfranchise women is not the prime cause of this change of heart. Self-preservation is much closer to the truth.

Andrew McQuillan

Editor: Andrew McQuillan Sub-editor: Andrew Williams sport@thesaint-online.com

A rather good innings

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Former Saint sport editor James Gray discusses his work experience at the esteemed The Cricketer Magazine I stood in the office, naked as the day I was born, while the old Etonian editor bellowed at me form approximately three inches in front of my face: “I need 3,000 words on my desk on Jonathan Trott’s childhood problems and how they affect his ability to play reverse swing in Australia in 40 minutes – Gray, get on it!”

This had been the bad dream I had dreamed before my first day at The Cricketer Magazine, dreading that I would be dangerously out of my depth within the most inner workings of the biggest-selling cricket magazine in the world, of which I had been an avid reader since I memorised my dad’s Direct Debit details.

More than being driven, enthusiastic, or hard-working, being able to manipulate a photocopier with an aptitude beyond your tender years is often a cornerstone of succeeding in an internship. Being able to memorise and deliver up to 12 different coffee orders is often another. In March I was thrust into the hot-desk at The Cricketer Magazine for two weeks, where I discovered exactly what it takes to survive in the nuanced world of magazine journalism. *Cue introductory music and opening credits.* My first job didn’t land on my overcrowded desk for some twoand-a-half-hours. Having only ever worked in daily newspapers, I had expected to be thrown the really annoying bits that no-one really wants to do, of which there are many. However, at a monthly magazine, on a Monday after the magazine has just gone to print, life is quite easy-paced. I was sat down in front of my 72” iMac, told to make myself at home, and that someone

would be along to give me something to do. 12 feet away, the editor told me that he had some admin to take care of, and then he would find something for me to do. He and the rest of the office then vanished into a meeting for an hour.

It gave me the opportunity to settle in. I checked how much I could adjust my swivel chair along various axes, signed into my Chrome account so I could feel at home, and settled in for a session of updating my Linkedin to reflect my morning’s achievements.

Eventually, my colleagues returned and gave me something to do. It was the short straw job I had been expecting, which involved ringing up a random subscriber and trying to get them to say something interesting to fill a small space in the letters subscription: essentially, cold-calling. Not fascinating, and it certainly wasn’t the biting satirical column I had planned to write for page 27, but the first rule of training as a journalist is “never say no”. So I didn’t.

20 minutes later, after several rejections, I had completed the interview, received some pictures from the subject, and filed the copy with the publishing assistant. He was delighted with the speed of the turnaround, but seemed mystified as to why I had bothered to do it with such haste.

“You know we don’t go to print for another three weeks right?” The implication was that I really should have milked this task and tried to make it last all day. Needless to say I was little shocked.

It became something of a running theme. Every job I got, I made sure I did as promptly as was practical; I

thought it would be the right thing to do. What I failed to understand was that the very nature of magazine journalism is totally different from newspaper. They are different industry pieces.

While in news there is an element of creation to putting a piece together, I find myself attempting to convey the facts in the most unbiased way possible while still making it readable.

With the pieces I was putting together, I had to think in a totally different way about the flow of my copy, about my style, my paragraphing; everything I knew had to change. But that’s why they call it work experience.

As the week went on, I grasped the concept more, and was given more to do, but rarely was I rushed off my feet.

It left me with substantial downtime, which I had to find a way of using productively. As it was, I started compiling stats. Anyone involved with cricket knows there are endless stats, some of which are not immediately available, despite the best efforts of Cricket Archive and Cricinfo’s StatsGuru. It quickly earned me a nickname – Statto, after Baddiel and Skinner’s character on Fantasy Football – and made me a valuable resource in the office.

In sport, there are always going to be people who know more than you; I was staggered by the depth of knowledge of guys who’d only worked in cricket for two or three years.

However, if you recognise a niche in which you can make yourself useful, grasp it. As soon as you make yourself independently useful, things get a whole lot easier, and all of a sudden, you’re indispensable.

I was dispensed three days later.

Photo:Wikimedia

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The Saint • 10 April 2014

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Sport 3

Andrew McQuillan Sports editor

Hate is a word often bandied around with reckless abandon in some quarters, football included. Several teams are despised seemingly almost universally: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus are hated because within their domestic leagues they are the epitome of success. Fierce dislike between rivals is a vital part of the game.

Supporters of Rangers and Celtic, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, or River Plate and Boca Juniors would say that their respective bête noire is the most odious thing in the game.

A group of players can tarnish the name of one club. For all their success Leeds United will forever be known as “Dirty Leeds” for the abrasive style of play the club adopted in the 1970s.

Some clubs thrive on hatred or use it as a defence mechanism. Millwall, the notorious south London side, have adopted the slogan “No one likes us,

The greatest stain on Dynamo’s reputation was the reported murder of their former player Lutz Eigendorf

Photo: Wikimedia

we don’t care”. The rather machismo atmosphere on a match day at The Den shows that the club thrives on its rather poor reputation. Given the lack of success on the pitch it is probably the best marketing ploy the club has.

But which football club is the most hated in the world? Many Germans, particularly those who watched football in East Germany, will offer one club up: Dynamo Berlin. Google them and the fairly easy to translate “skandal” seems to feature in every headline.

Of the few things the government of the DRR can be given credit for is their intense interest and spending on sport. The success of East Germany in the Olympics was cherished by those

in the regime. Local sports clubs were affiliated to certain aspects of the state; Lokomotive Leipzig, on account of one of their parent clubs, had links to the train industry in the city.

The team in Berlin was no different, except their patron was more powerful than most. Dynamo were affiliated to the Stasi, the secret police who were the regime’s eyes and ears, almost in parody of the Orwellian nightmare of 1984. The man in charge of the Stasi, Erich Mielke, will quite rightly be regarded by history as a far from pleasant individual. But when not terrorising the population Mielke could be spotted relaxing at club matches, and his love of the game saw Dynamo given favoured status.

In the 1970s and 80s they were arguably the best team in Berlin. In the West, Hertha were a far from impressive force while Dynamo’s local rivals, the positively anti-establishment Union Berlin, were marooned in the lower reaches of the DDR Oberliga.

Dynamo’s success, which included 10 consecutive championships, was not won fairly, however. Referees were bribed, players transferred from other clubs at a moment’s notice and all manner of shenanigans took place to ensure they won.

The most notorious incident, perhaps the greatest stain on Dynamo’s reputation, was the reported murder of their former player Lutz Eigendorf.

Eigendorf eloped during a visit to the West and carved out a successful career at Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Braunschweig. He died aged 26 in a car crash that many at the time felt was murder; subsequent analysis of the Stasi’s records shows that he was indeed killed on Mielke’s orders.

Dynamo was therefore no ordinary football club. Its activities make any of the bribary scandals that have rocked Italian football over the years look pedestrian. According to myth, a stadium announcer once made the observation “We’d like to welcome the team from Berlin and their referee” before a match. Whether he lived to tell the tale or not is another matter.

Naturally Dynamo were not particularly loved; their stadium, located near the Wall and with a tantalising view of the West, was rarely full. They were quite rightly viewed as yet another branch of the rotting, hypocritical and unfair apparatus of the DDR state. When the Wall came down their

Fight club: Since the fall of the Wall, Dynamo Berlin have been adopted by a mix of rightwing thugs, seen here rioting at a German Cup match against 1.FC Kaiserslautern of the Bundesliga in 2011. A small number of supporters from the DDRers still attend games.

Photo: Wikimedia

The most hated football team in the world?

A tragic figure: Lutz Eigendorf, seen playing here in Dynamo’s colours, was murdered on the orders of the club’s president and Stasi chief Erich Mielke. Eigendorf, who made over 100 appearances for the club, was regarded as a traitor for escaping to West Germany in the 1970s. It is suspected his car’s brakes were tampered with, resulting in his death passing into oblivion, which was fairly rapid given the jailing of their patrons, was not mourned. A successor club appeared as FC Berlin but quickly changed their name back to Dynamo and have struggled in Berlin’s regional leagues ever since. Out of morbid interest on a recent trip to Berlin, I decided to go and watch the team simply known as the Stasi Club.

When the seminal moment of reunification came for Germany many no doubt felt that a house divided had at last had the chance to come together again. Parts of Berlin, particularly suburbs of the former East, nevertheless retain the aesthetic lack of charm of the western districts.

The rather down-at-heel Hohenschonhausen is one such example, a seemingly endless stretch of 70s social housing and graffiti covered walls. It seems a ripe target for the next of the en-masse hipster invasions that periodically capture parts of Berlin.

Being carried here by tram does serve a purpose though; I am off to the football, having safely abandoned my girlfriend in the comfort of the hotel spa. I suspect she did not have a trip to watch a particularly poor game of football on her city break to-do list.

The vast majority of Berlin’s football supporters will be going in the opposite direction to the Olympiastadion for Hertha’s early evening kick off against TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday.

Hoffenheim are particularly disliked for their nouveaux-riche origins, but this dislike is nothing compared to the residual disdain reserved for Dynamo.

The bright, early afternoon lights of NOFV-Oberliga Nord as opposed to the tempting floodlights of the Bundesliga are my calling.

On the same tram are a couple of gentlemen who appear to be dressed from top to toe in the trappings of ye olde fashioned British football hooligan; Burberry scarves, a Stone Island jumper and Fila trainers are worn by several of them. Bizarrely, despite their impeccable red credentials, unrepent-

ant communists the world over have not adopted Dynamo. Instead, some of the more extreme right wing who have appeared in the former East have decided that Dynamo are the team for them.

As one might imagine this hardly makes the club comes across as a warm and fuzzy family entity. Given that an official shirt sponsor a few years ago was the charming sounding ProViolence Streetwear, such a vibe seems remote. It makes you wonder when the club generates such notoriety just to remind the world that they are still alive and kicking, despite their lowly position, in a somewhat literal interpretation of the mantra that no publicity is bad publicity.

Saying that, the environs of the

Dynamo’s activities make the bribery scandals that have rocked Italian football look pedestrian stadium are pleasant enough. The sweet scent of grilled currywurst floats through the air while the reasonably pleasant clubhouse contains pennants galore from their European heyday: Aberdeen, Roma, Hamburg, Shakhtar Donetsk and Monaco amongst others are all represented on the walls. In a cosmetic change, the club abandoned the old Stasi-era badge and have replaced it with a bear, the symbol of Berlin. Despite there being more middle-aged men with shaved heads than was comfortable, some families

and younger children were in attendance on the rather antiquated terracing. This was a local derby against big rivals Lichtenberg, somewhat far removed from the heyday of matches against Union Berlin, Lok Leipzig or Magdeburg but still enough to cause the more excitable fans to set off a flare.

It all seemed a bit pantomime, including the waving of the old DDR flag. The atmosphere was not that far removed from that at any lower league game taking place across Germany that day I suspect, leaving me to suspect how the old man practically dozing on the crash barrier beside me could inspire such ire.

I suspect it is more to do with the club’s lack of repentance for previous indiscretions; before the crest change the old badge was proudly flaunted on club merchandise, circled with stars to signify each of the club’s championships. This was not recognised by the German FA yet they persisted with it and many fans have refused to recognise the new crest. Within the clubhouse old heroes are remembered in a hall of fame; the unofficial merchandise stand outside was doing a roaring trade in DDR memorabilia, including trinkets celebrating the club’s scandalous successes. The actions of some supporters, particularly a riot at a cup tie against Kaiserslautern, have only rejuvenated the sense that this is not a particularly pleasant club and one which seems to thrive on such an impression.

There are aspects of the club to dislike. I suspect if I had been a footballmad 20-something in East Germany I would perhaps fully understand the mass hatred aimed at the club in the media. Yet it is difficult to understand why anyone would want to support a club based seemingly on cheating and the glorification of that cheating.

I doubt I will return, but it does show you the irrational way in which some people chose their football clubs.

They have failed to knock most of England’s top four off my dartboard, however.

34 Sport

10 April 2014 • The Saint

thesaint-online.com

BO’D is God: Six Nations review DeSean flies the nest Hugo Porter

Wales will arguably be the team most perturbed by their campaign transfer his aura of assured competence to his team whose experience kept the nerves at bay. Ireland never looked like losing form after losing to England, whose energy took them by surprise.

Wales will arguably be the team most perturbed by their campaign.

They had much to lose this tournament and it was a troubled couple of months. High-scoring wins over Italy and Scotland will not make up for the manner in which they lost to England and Ireland, unable to manage a try in either game. The key injuries they have suffered have set them up for

a butchering at the hands of South Africa in the summer: they can only hope those who replace Warburton, Halfpenny and company will really step up and perform.

While commentators harked back to Gaël Fickou’s last-minute try against England as snatching away the Grand Slam, it was more accurately the two easy tries for Yoann Huget early in the France game that really spelt failure. At Twickenham, though, a quiet confidence and belief in the team is brewing that will be a worry for ‘group-of-death’ opponents Wales and Australia in particular ahead of next year’s World Cup. To lose the opener in the closing minutes and go on to win the remaining four games points to the determination and confidence that Lancaster has been trying to instil in his charges since day one.

How ill-advised the appointment of Martin Johnson in 2008 seems now that England have a coach whose slow rise from PE teacher to national supremo was built on coaching merit. All roads point to Twickenham and 2015; expectation of victory is high, but this squad have beaten every team in the world bar South Africa recently As for Scotland, it is hard to say how much better they would have done with sane selection decisions: as it was, a dire tournament can be blamed squarely on Scott Johnson who, most bizarrely of all, axed battle-hardened captain Kelly Brown for the England game, similarly treating David Denton and Greig Laidlaw with a heavy and ill-judged hand. Thank goodness he has gone, but why on earth is his failure being rewarded with a spot further up the SRU hierarchy? The mind baffles.

Italy suffered another flop and one can’t help but feel the Italy vs Scotland game will be the wooden spoon decider for the next couple of years (not forgetting, of course, that France managed to win it last year).

New talent is emerging, but with Parrisse and Castrogiovanni getting older they had better hope there’s more talent waiting in the wings.

Photo: Wikimedia

At the start of the tournament pundits, coaches and fans alike scratched heads, furrowed brows and speculated tentatively as to who was the favourite for the 2014 Six Nations title. The unpredictability of the tournament is what makes it such compulsive viewing. Wales, though in possession of the most experienced, most successful lineup, had once again stuttered when faced with southern-hemisphere competition. England were shorn of their midfield, including Manu Tuilagi, world-class by anybody’s standards.

Ireland, meanwhile, were ageing and under new management. France, ever an unknown quantity, could do everything or nothing.

New stars were ushered into the international arena, with Gaël Fickou, Luther Burrell and Liam Williams making headlines; headlines duly stolen by the retirement of a legend, the game giving a reverend and heartfelt goodbye to the greatest northern hemisphere player of the age as Brian O’Driscoll broke records, flung reverse passes, filled newspaper column inches and bowed out to applause from all corners of the rugby world. Although I could go on, the tributes already poured out speak for themselves; he was a truly inimitable player and will surely be a good-quality BBC panelist for many years to come.

Here are my humble reflections, assertions and musings on how the Six Nations went for each team.

France are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most frustrating team in international rugby. Criticised by Jeremy Guscott during the championship of reneging on Gallic flair, they seemed to be playing at halfspeed throughout the championship - that they (technically) could have won it on the final weekend is testament to their capabilities. Had they fought as hard against Ireland and England as they did against their other opponents then they would probably have come away with the title.

One senses that a shrug of the shoulders, a sigh form Philippe Saint-Andre and a general “oh well” will be all that greets the result in France. Saint-Andre, having been incumbent head coach since 2011, seemed every weekend to trial a new half-back pairing, play second-rows at flanker and wonder what Fofana should do this time out.

For a team of such talent, they should expect to win the Six Nations: Ireland, Wales and England always expect to win. Knowing the French, though, they could confound both me and the rugby world to be a dark horse for the World Cup, having blinded us with a facade of incoherence and feigned indifference the whole way.

Ireland, painfully denied the glory of a long-overdue win against the All Blacks in the autumn, played with accuracy, tenacity and most important of all consistency to claim the title. Joe Schmidt managed to

Green glory: The triumphant Ireland side lift the Six Nations trophy following their decisive victory against France in Paris

Olivia Richey In a move that shocked most NFL observers, on Friday the Philadelphia Eagles cut ties with three-time Pro Bowl Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson. Word spread quickly that the team gave up its rights, including the right to trade the still-under-contract Jackson, because of Jackson’s alleged ties to infamous South Central Los Angeles gang, the “Crips”.

The Eagles severed their ties to Jackson soon after an article appeared on NJ.com stating that the team was concerned about Jackson’s potential gang involvement. While there is no hard proof of his gang affiliation beyond flashing Crip gang signs in off-field photos, as well as during a game last year with the Washington Redskins, in the wake of the murder charges brought last year against New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez stemming from his involvement in both a pair of drive-by shooting deaths, as well as the disappearance and murder of a witness to those shootings, NFL teams are not in the mood to tolerate even the appearance of a gang affiliation.

Jackson was coming off his best season with nine touchdowns, an average of 16.2 yards gained per play, and a total of 1,332 yards gained overall. Besides the “gang problem” there were also rumors that Jackson had an inconsistent work ethic, missed meeting, and generally didn’t have good chemistry with the coach, Chip Kelly.

However, these claims are discounted by Coach Kelly himself. “I like DeSean,” Kelly told reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting on Wednesday.

“DeSean did a nice job for us (last season). But we’re always going to do what’s best for the organisation.”

Jackson’s former coach and other teammates also expressed positive feelings towards him. Prior to Jackson’s release from the Eagles, teammate Jeremy Maclin said: “I want to win games and obviously DeSean is a very talented player. So I want to win games.”

His former coach Any Reid said he had “nothing but good things to say about the kid” when he was asked about him on Tuesday at the annual meeting. “I did draft him.

I had a great relationship with him.

“When his father passed away, that was a hard thing for him to go through at a young age. They were best friends. I’ve experienced life things with him, so I would tell you he was great for me when I was there.”

In the wake of Jackson’s departure, two Eagles players told the Philadelphia Inquirer, on the condition of anonymity, that while Jackson wasn’t a “cancer “in the locker room, his departure would not result hurt the team all that much. Starting Eagle Center, Jason Kelce, was less guarded when he tweeted out: “We just made an extremely unpopular decision, but I couldn’t be more excited and happy with where this organisation is going!! #FlyEaglesFly”.

Not exactly ringing endorsements for Jackson. Another anonymous source within the Eagle’s organisation told NJ.com that the team was “concerned about having him around the younger players.”

The documentary DeSean Jackson: The Making of a Father’s Dream, telling the story of Jackson’s relationship with his father, is very enlightening about the situation. His father pushed him to be an NFL player from the age of nine. This lead to tension outside the locker room during Jackson’s time at the University of California at Berkeley, where Coach Jeff Tedford expressed concern that Jackson was a “me first” player, more concerned about his ticket to the NFL than the success of his college team, which Tedford blamed directly on Jackson’s father.

But a “me first” attitude is not rare in pro-

fessional sports, nor are affiliations with lessthandesirable

characters f r o m one’s childhood, so it seems likely that the Eagles simply chose to believe that where there was smoke, there might later be gunfire.

Photo: Wikicommons

The Saint • 10 April 2014

thesaint-online.com

Andrew Williams Sports sub-editor For those who do not fully appreciate sport it is a difficult fact to accept, but sport is better at life than life itself.

Now this may seem a rather strange and very confusing thing to say, but bear with me. In life we are taught from a young age to be ambitious, to strive for excellence and never coast. We are taught to make the most of life while always seeking to better ourselves.

There is no limit; another job promotion is just around the corner, an extra 5 per cent in an essay is a possibility and there is always something else you can do for the community. Whether it be giving a little more money or even time to charity, or spending that extra half hour talking to an upset friend, we can always outdo ourselves and improve as human beings.

Yet, how many people actually abide by this? When you are comfortable in a well-paid job, why exert yourself when you’d need to win the lottery to improve the quality of life for your family?

Why bother trying to get those extra few marks? A first in a degree is a first, be it a high or a low one. You already give a proportion of your earnings to charity and regularly sponsor people who push

themselves to raise money for a specific cause, so why do anything else?

You already do enough. That friend you haven’t seen in a while, why take time out your schedule to see them when you can just drop them a quick text? It’s good enough.

Here is where sport makes the difference. It demonstrates how life is meant to be lived. In whatever sport it may be, from football to rowing, horse racing to tennis and judo to curling, mediocrity is frowned upon. It is an insult. Ever since the ancient Olympics in Greece, sport has fundamentally been about winning and nothing else.

One man proving he is of superior strength, stamina, speed or skill to another. Thus, mediocrity is forbidden. Mediocrity is failure. Even ‘winning’ a bronze or silver medal is seen by many as failure; it is a constant reminder that you are not the best. Being nearly the best brings a tap on the back, but greatness is out of reach.

Sportspeople are constantly improving. They stretch the limits of human capabilities on a daily basis.

They make us reassess what our bodies can achieve. From Edmund Hillary’s daring ascent of Everest, to the first four-minute mile and finally to Usain Bolt’s simply superhuman efforts in the 100 metres sprint. These are feats that, before they were achieved, were seen as

impossible. It is almost impossible to grasp the sheer awesomeness of Bolt. 9.58 seconds to run 100 metres is incomprehensible.

Running on average more than 10 metres per second is utterly incredible. I implore you to measure out 10 metres, and then maybe, just maybe you will have the slightest understanding of what an incredible specimen Bolt is. He is indescribable.

The glass ceilings we barely chip in our life are constantly being shattered in sport. It’s not even solely applicable to sports that are entirely physical, such as running or jumping.

Our skillsets are constantly being reinvented and bettered. Visionaries are constantly redefining what sporting perfection is. This is the beauty of sport: it is almost impossible to achieve a summit because a new ‘mad man’ might come along and not just change the current style of the sport but completely tear it up and implement a new one.

Football is the ultimate example. Johan Cruyff’s Ajax team of the 1970s were lightyears ahead of the rest with their beautiful passing football. It was the first transition of football from a physical game, based purely on pace and power, to a highly technical game in which physical stature is of less importance.

In the late nineties though, a young, awkward-looking Frenchman

Photo: Wikimedia

Sport: is it the ultimate role model?

Sport 35

A contender: West German international Berti Vogts is left behind by Holland’s Johan Cruyff in the 1974 World Cup final in Munich, which eventually finished 3-2 to the Germans came from Japan to manage Arsenal and, after initially being lambasted as clueless, changed the face of the Premier League forever.

He combined to a quite startling effect the traditional power of the English game with the technicality and the skill of the continental.

Arsene Wenger’s ‘invincibles’ of 2002-03 shed a new light on football in England.

Yet it didn’t end there. Twice, even three times, in the past ten years football has been reinvented and footballing perfection ‘found’.

Firstly, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona from 2008-12 created what can only be described as footballing majesty with their tiki-taka football.

Xavi and Iniesta were thought to be standard-bearers, history-makers, and the bar-setters with which all subsequent teams would be compared.

When they demolished Manchester United in the Champions League final at Wembley in May 2011 it seemed as though perfection had been achieved. Even the most ruthless winner and the sorest loser of all, Alex Ferguson, was resigned to accept the defeat and acknowledge true greatness in its purest form.

To say that two years later, several weeks after Bayern Munich completed more than 1,000 passes in 90 minutes of football, that same Barcelona side are seen as a little predictable is testament to the development of the sport.

Although I’ve mainly concentrated on football, the shattering of the glass ceiling is most evident in athletics, notably at the Olympics.

It is an event that simply rewards people for smashing human boundaries. World records are there to be beaten and the setting of new ones is testament to the unfound limits of human capability.

There is a reason Mo Farrah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Steve Redgrave and Chris Hoy have special places in most of our hearts. Their victories are victories for humanity; watching them fight through the pain is evidence that humanity has not yet stagnated. It gives us hope.

It shows us what we all wish we could do in our lives: achieve new,

unimaginable goals.

Contrary to what I said before, sport is not always all about winning. It can also be about stretching your own body to its limit. Just as we should stretch our own ability, be it sporting, academic or dramatic, to the extreme.

At London 2012, one of the most heart-warming and glorious finishes of a Brit did not end with a gold medal; rather it was Alan Campbell, the rower, being lifted out his boat

by Sir Steve Redgrave as he sobbed uncontrollably. He had pushed himself so hard he literally could not lift himself out his boat.

That is something that deserves even more respect than it is possible to give. Watching a man stretch his body to breaking point is one of the times when you seriously question your own ambitions in life. It makes you ask yourself quite how far you are prepared to go to achieve your goals.

Are you still going to tell me sport doesn’t do almost perfectly what life tries, but fails, to teach us?

As you’re sitting here reading this rather than that history book, or the notes from your last lecture, just remember that someone, somewhere is most likely throwing up at the side of the track as he attempts tirelessly to run the 100 metres in under nine and a half seconds.

When you have that extra ten minutes in bed rather than read through your essay again to try and improve every little detail, remember that someone has already been up for hours putting her body through hours of pain as she pounds up and down a beach until her body is broken.

Sport is the ultimate role-model.

It teaches us discipline, ambition and drive. It forbids us to accept to decency, it makes us strive for excellence.

It creates new ideas of perfection, new perspectives on the capabilities of the human body. It is the constant breaker of glass ceilings. It is a rocket with a never ending skyward trajectory.

It is not just the ultimate rolemodel; it is the ultimate role-model for life.

S PORT thesaint-online.com/sport

Andrew McQuillan examines sport’s “most hated” football team Page 33

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Ultimate Frisbee: Saints make Division 2 Kristen Tsubota Ultimate Frisbee Club press officer

On the second weekend of March, male Ultimate Frisbee teams from every end of Scotland gathered on the various St Andrews pitches to battle for a spot to play at the April Outdoor Nationals.

Although the sun decided to make a rare appearance, players had to face a formidable wind that had a mind of its own; at times, a frisbee would fly into the air only to be slammed into the grass by a gust of wind. Even in these conditions, the Saints Ultimate Frisbee teams remained undaunted.

With each throw, sprint and lay out these student athletes played to win.

Unlike the men, the women only played for a single day and did not have to face the same high stakes. Helena Slater, an experienced second-year, said: “It wasn’t the regionals for us so there wasn’t great

pressure, but all of the teams that entered tried really hard.”

Although it was a friendly tournament, the level of competition remained extremely high. As a newly formed outdoor team, Flatball Women performed especially well. Beginners looked like they had played for years, girls were covered in mud due to multiple layouts, and thirdy e a r

Vi c t o r i a Flemming and fifthy e a r captain

Carmen Cuesta made tremendous hucks that would soar through the sky. Overall these ladies placed third - losing to the University of Edinburgh and Dundee but beating Glasgow and Strathclyde. Ms Slater reflected on the tournament as “a good bonding and learning experience before nationals in a few weeks time”.

While the women played in their friendly tournament, Flatball Men competed in the regional tournament, which took place over two days.

All three outdoor M e n ’ s

Flatball teams poured their blood, sweat and tears into each and every game. The Flatball First team gained some well-earned wins and experienced

some heartbreaking losses. The boys opened the tournament with a quick win against Glasgow’s Second team.

James Ounsley helped with the win alongside an impressive Callahan, with an inception in the end zone.

The boys then proceeded to the next game against the University of Stirling. Although the boys had a rocky start, they quickly scored six points and snatched the win. The next couple of games proved to be more arduous and disappointing. Co-captain Ben Murdoch described the match against the University of Edinburgh as an “exhausting game”, with both teams playing zone defense. At the beginning the boys believed they would be the victors, but it unfortunately ended in a gut-wrenching loss as Edinburgh scored three straight points at the end.

Saturday ended with an additional loss to the University of Strathclyde, putting Flatball in a very tricky situation for Sunday.

On the final day of the regional tournament, the Flatball Firsts most definitely felt the pressure to perform.

The final game of their pool play was against the Flatball Third team, which

consisted of many first-years who made experienced plays. The boys needed to win the next few matches in order to play at the Division 2 Level and possibly the Division 1 Level at the Nationals.

For the second time, the Saints played against Stirling and won, officially securing a place for the Division 2 Nationals. With the final game of the tournament, the boys had the opportunity to potentially play at the Division 1 Nationals. Unfortunately the University of Glasgow pulled ahead early, and Flatball could not regain any ground. In the end, Saints Ultimate placed sixth in Scotland.

Although the results might not have been ideal, the boys played exceptionally well. Mr Murdoch explained: “I think Flatball, not just the first team but the whole team, performed incredibly well as a club.”

Even though this has been a rebuilding year, the boys played competitively with their innovative horizontal-stack offense. Mr Murdoch remains hopeful, saying: “I am very excited to watch this club grow and succeed.”

Will you have a swing? These doubts fester in the minds of not just the golfers, but the players and the commentators. The lingering sense of doubt and uncertainty is one of the strangest, yet most ruthless things in sport. The golfer’s head is alive with activity; the eternal possibilities shoot around their brain. The bad thoughts usually taking centre stage.

As players finish, the clubhouse lead is set.

For many, the week is over. Their score is not good enough to class them a champion of Augusta. Yet, a few always remain. As the players get to the closing stretch they know what scores they have to make.

Up ahead, they can hear crowds roar and groan as the fortunes of a colleague waver.

The ultimate test of nerve stands between the 17th tee and a place in history. As the world watches, nothing seems more difficult than the few shots you have left to play.

Between n o w

and the end, hitting six shots ensures victory, seven a play-off, and eight a commendable but heart-wrenching second place. You know what you have to do, but can you do it?

This is not like football or cricket.

It is not the music, nor the franticness that holds our attention. It is not a short-term investment in excitement.

It is a four-day long commitment to an earthly Eden, to history and to golf.

The tension is not clear to see, but it sneaks up on you when you least expect it. It grips you. Hours are spent running through the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ of the weekend. But what invariably plays out is a scenario that you didn’t expect.

Fast-paced sport is good, but there is something truly special about the Masters.

Watching sport develop slowly to a climax is spectacular.

True, an appreciation of the technique, the imagination and the nerve helps, but nonetheless there is something invariably intoxicating about watching sporting drama unfold.

Sport, in its simplest, most fundamental form, still finds a way to conjure up the most complex of emotions.

It truly is masterful.

Andrew Williams Sports sub-editor

“Flash!... Whirr!.. Whizz!... Rattle!...

Shock!... Burrr!”

When Dickens wrote these words about 19th century English society he may as well have been talking about modern sport. Frantic, hectic, tense and exciting are all words this passage brings to mind, yet they all so aptly describe sport. And why we love it.

While wickets tumble as frequently as a drunken Cyclops on a ski slope in the world Twenty20 in Bangladesh, and the Premier League enters its annual desperate, savage fight for survival or glory depending on your allegiances, it is easy to remember why we love these spectacles. The thrills and the spills keep us on the edge of our seats, biting our nails into oblivion making sure that stomach churning tension is everpresent. The sheer pace of the games keeps us intrigued.

Yet on the other side of the Atlantic, amid the stillness of Ray’s Creek, the luscious green fairways and Amen Corner, another type of sporting tension grows. Slowly. Almost invisibility.

But it grows.

The crowds gradually develop; a transformation from several golf-mad fanatics to a giant bloc of sports lovers, families and executives. The hallowed turf of Augusta National begins to feel the weight of not just these expectant fans, but of history. Will it be able to offer up the same concoction of skill, nerve, finesse and drama as in the past?

Butterflies begin to take refuge in-

side the players. Debutants are a mix of unparalleled excitement and dread - sheer, inescapable dread. What punishment will Augusta inflict on these over-awed youngsters? The big names - Mcilroy, Rose, Mickelson and current holder Adam Scott - feel their shoulders creak under the burden of the tag of ‘favourite’. How big a slice of humble pie will they be served by these acres of complete majesty? How will they hold their own in the garden of the gods?

The beautiful, irresistible Augusta refuses to answer. Well, at least initially.

The golf is played out over the beautiful lawns in Georgia. Most of the big names stay in the mix until the weekend, holding their own around this golf course of such inexplicable beauty yet merciless cruelty.

The weekend arrives. The leaderboard begins to take shape as the nearly men slowly drop off and the true contenders manoeuvre into position for the Sunday. The tension slowly rises. Putts are made, chips are holed, greens are hit and fairways are found; quality golf is starting to be played. Yet, the golf remains a skill rather than an intoxicating, unavoidable adrenaline rush of a sport. It is all a bit too nice.

And then Sunday arrives. There is a breakaway from the chasing pack; one player who finds his form at the right time makes this garden of glorious hell look like a walk in the park. Several front-runners fall behind, unable to cope with the expectation that being a leader brings. Chips are duffed, putts are bottled and snap hooks are evident.

The course begins to take effect.

Slowly but surely the field is whit-

tled down to the final few; there are a small number of men who have not just the ability but the nerve and the verve to win the esteemed Green Jacket. The tension begins to mount.

Bets are placed, seats are taken in the grandstand and a champion is about to made. The Masters is in full flow.

A thin here, a slice there and a tee shot caught slightly fat around Amen corner finally leave us with two or three golfers capable of taming Augusta National; of pacifying this savage beast that destroys not just a scorecard, but dreams as well.

Silence is golden. The players come round the turn and the end is in sight.

Every shot counts now. Everything is magnified. The world is watching.

Relief rather than arrogant expect-

It is a four-day long commitment to an earthly Eden, to history and to golf. ancy kicks in. A drive down the middle is not one more fairway hit, but one less fairway to miss. If you find yourself in trouble, be it off the fairway or around the green, the heart pumps as you saunter down to the ball. What will the lie be like? Will the flag be accessible?

Photo:`john Veldboom

This is truly masterful: a tribute to Augusta