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Issue 1228 Monday 14 March 2011 www.thecourieronline.co.uk

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University splashes the cash on honorary degrees

•Fancy dinners to honour famous faces • Almost £1000 spent on ﬂoral arrangements Simon Murphy News Editor

The University has lavished thousands of pounds dishing out honorary degrees to the wealthy and famous. In the wake of last week’s expenses scandal, The Courier can reveal Newcastle blew £14,656 honouring a government advisor, a playwright, and Toon legend Alan Shearer over the last three years. The ﬁgure is almost three times the amount spent by Northumbria University, whose bill for honorary degree ceremonies was just £5,673 over the same period. The extravagant sum could have covered a year’s tuition fees for ﬁve underprivileged students or paid for more than a dozen income-assessed bursaries.

“The ﬁgure is almost three times the amount spent by Northumbria University, whose bill for honorary degree ceremonies was just £5,673 over the same period.” Nationally universities have shelled out a staggering £1.3 million handing out the degrees – which are increasingly being used as PR stunts. The 17 famous names honoured at Newcastle over the last three years include former Magpies striker Shearer - who was made a Doctor of Civil Law - Billy Elliot screenwriter Lee Hall, BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh and government

Hats off? Newcastle University has spent almost £15,000 handing out honorary degrees to celebrities like Alan Shearer (pictured) and Bob Geldof over the last three years

advisor Sir Donald Curry. In 2007 the University even handed Irish rocker Bob Geldof an honorary degree in Civil Law. The majority of the cash was spent providing food and drink at swish after dinner ceremonies but a stag-

gering £961 was even used to fund ﬂoral arrangements. The new ﬁgures surface amid a backdrop of higher education cuts. Newcastle University is set to lose up to £7 million in government funding, while University chiefs are

insisting lecturers take a cut in their wages. Last week The Courier uncovered the colossal expenses claimed by the University’s Executive Board, which totalled just short of £150,000 since June 2008, including Vice-Chancel-

lor Chris Brink’s personal expense of £39,600. University chiefs have been holding secret crisis talks over the handling of the affair. The Journal reported on The Courier’s expenses exposé last Continued on page 2

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

News Editors: Simon Murphy and Charlie Oven

Have you got a news story for The Courier? Email us at: courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

This sort of spending won’t wear anymore – every penny needs to be accounted for Simon Murphy Commentary

ast week it was Metro tickets, this week floral arrangements. Is there anything the University won’t make students foot the bill for? The University says dishing out honorary degrees generates good publicity. So that means getting Alan Shearer to dress up in some funny robes for the day makes sense, does it? Maybe it would if it didn’t also mean spending a shed load of cash on flowers, cartographers, photographers, accommodation, transport and swanky dinners. This is another case of the University splashing the cash on extremely pointless extravagance. This sort of spending just won’t wear anymore – teaching cuts, wage cuts, and the fee hike all mean that absolutely every penny needs to be accounted for and justified. This spending is unjustifiable. How exactly does giving Alan Shearer an honorary degree benefit students? About as much as the Vice-Chancellor travelling first class and staying in five-star hotels, I expect. I find it immensely uncomfortable that at a time of unprecedented cuts to higher education – which will inevitably lead to a decrease in the participation rates of disadvantaged students – an elite group are gorging on fancy foods and glugging champagne at lavish honorary degree ceremonies. While a fortunate few congratulate themselves on their achievements, a whole generation of young people await a bleak future of reduced access to university as tuition fees soar. There is still time for the University to come out and denounce its previous wasteful spending – its extravagance – and make a fresh start. How long will they delude themselves into thinking that what they’re doing is beneficial when Continued from the front page Tuesday. Meanwhile Newcastle Free Education Network (NFEN) will be protesting this Thursday outside the King’s Gate building as a result of The Courier’s findings. NFEN’s protest event on Facebook says: “While telling students that we must accept higher tuition fees, education cuts, department closures and attacks on our lecturers’ jobs, pay and pensions, the Vice-Chancellor and the rest of management splash out on expenses and have salaries of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.” The University has come under increasing pressure to account for its spending recently and news of the cost of honorary degrees will add to

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Comment Elizabeth Gray explores the increasing scrutiny on plaigarism after a number of high proﬁle cases come to light Page 9

Lifestyle Blind Date: George Wilesmith and Ashleigh Farrand head to the Hancock for a pint between lectures Page 13

Culture Rosie Tallant reveals the British twist in NUTS’ adaptation of The Graduate Page 24

Sport Jimmy Booker debates the need for technology to avoid controversial referee decisions Page 37

Meetings Timetable: Monday Sport- 12pm, Crow’s Nest News & Comment - 1pm, Rm 6 Park Terrace Photos - 2pm, Rm 6 Park Terrace Fashion - 4pm, Rm 5 Park Terrace Tuesday Life & Style - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Fashion - 12pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Wednesday Arts - 12.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace Film & Music- 1pm, Rm 6 Park Terrace TV & Radio - 1.30pm, Room 6 Park Terrace

Pointless extravagance? Chancellor Liam Donaldson dons his full dress robes for special occasions like honorary degree ceremonies

it is in fact morally wrong? If the University really wants to send a message to its critics and prove it has learnt from the errors of the

past, then why doesn’t it increase the numbers of bursaries on offer? Fill the gap left in funding by the government for the Access to

Learning Fund? These would be measures that truly improve students’ lives – those that especially need it.

this scrutiny. In 2008, the University outlaid just £2996 on honorary degrees but the following year that figure more than doubled, as University chiefs decided to splash out, hosting two ceremonies costing £6069 in the same year. Last year – where only three honorary degrees were awarded – the bill was £5591, including £329 for flowers and a whopping £4763 for lunch and dinner. The Courier obtained the costs of the University’s honorary degree spending after sending a Freedom of Information request. A former Union Sabbatical officer described how in previous years guests to the ceremonies had been greeted with a champagne reception

before dinner. He said: “Before the ceremony we got lunch and then afterwards they gave us a three course meal with all the trimmings. “Everyone was gowned up, we didn’t even have to pay for our gowns – the University ordered them in. With everyone dressed up you sort of got the impression that it was all a bit outdated, is that the kind of image the University wants to portray?” Under-ﬁre NUS President Aaron Porter has condemned the excessive expenditure on honorary degrees. He said: “University heads need to do as much as possible to protect jobs and teaching funding rather than giving free degrees to their mates and celebrities.”

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, slammed the findings. She said: “The extravagance of some institutions’ pay, perks and lavish expenditure have been an embarrassment for the sector in recent years.” A Newcastle University spokesman said: “Honorary graduates are important to the university because they act as our ambassadors and help to increase our profile, influence and prestige all over the world. “Honorary degree ceremonies are subject to prudent financial management and are good value for money. “It would be entirely wrong to cut corners and try to do them on the cheap.”

Editorial Team: • Editor - Fran Infante • Deputy Editor - Joshua Shrimpton Dean • News Editors - Charlie Oven & Simon Murphy • Comment Editors - Danny Kielty & Laura Heads • Life & Style Editors - Mary Mullarkey & Kat Bishop •Fashion Editor - Lauren Girling • Arts Editor - Stephanie Ferrao • Film Editor - Adam Williams • Music Editors - Polly Randall & Joe Skrebels • TV & Radio Editor - Ellie Wilson & Lynsey Fawcett • Puzzles Editor - Andy Pitkeathley •Listings Editor - Ciara Littler • Sports Editors - Kat Bannon, Jono Taylor & Wills Robinson •Photo Editor - Briony Carlin • Design Editor - Helen Mamalaki •Head of Digital Media - Aimee Philipson •Online Editors - Bethany Sissons, Katie Hicks, Elliot Bentley and Colin Henrys •Proof Editors - Charlotte Loftus, Katy Lawson, Hannah Davey, Gemma Farina, Jessica Cree, Amy Jordan, Rebecca Gee, GemmaJayne Turner,Verity Cunningham, Emma O’Neil, Jenny Beer & Georgia Morgan The Courier is printed by: Harmsworth Printing Limited, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2DW. Tel: 01332 253013. Established in 1948, The Courier is the fully independent student newspaper of the Union Society at Newcastle University. The Courier is published weekly during term time, and is free of charge. The design, text, photographs and graphics are copyright of The Courier and its individual contributors. No parts of this newspaper may be reproduced without the prior permission of the editor. Any views expressed in this newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the individual writing, and not of The Courier, the Union Society or Newcastle University.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

News

A hole new world: search for alternative energy supply underway in Newcastle Laura Heads The search for renewable energy has taken yet another turn as engineers at Newcastle University have begun to dig a 2000 metre hole under the heart of the city. The ambitious project, which is an attempt to source an unending supply of low-carbon energy, capable of heating any domestic or commercial central heating system, hopes to eventually pump out water at a temperature of around 80°C. The project, which is funded by Newcastle Science City Partnership and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and led by Professor Paul Younger, Director of the University’s Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability, involves experts from both Newcastle and Durham universities. The expected six month project is the first of many to take place on the planned Science Central site. The site, which is predicted to become a hub for university initiatives tackling the emerging challenge of sustainability, reinforces Newcastle’s standing as a city of science, and aptly reflects the University’s position as a world leader in sustainable science research. “Our aim is to rise to the challenge of putting a novel form of deep geothermal energy at the very heart of city centre regeneration,” explains Professor Younger. “It’s an incredibly exciting project. If we’re right and we pump up water at such elevated temperatures, it would mean a fully renewable energy supply for a large part of the city centre, massively reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and reinforcing Newcastle’s position as the UK’s most sustainable city – an accolade which the Toon has now won two years running. “And unlike other renewables such as wind and solar, geothermal energy is available at all times, independent of the weather.” The team hopes to be able to pump the first hot water by June, and after adding more engineering, to be supplying parts of the city centre not soon after. The scheme has already developed interest from outside businesses such as the Eldon Square Centre which houses over 140 retail outlets, and University accommodation is also on the cards.

Engineers in Newcastle supervise the digging of the planned 2000 metre hole for the project intended to transform the face of renewable energy at the heart of the city centre

The project, which was started February 23, is well underway and from reading Professor Younger’s

blog, appears to be going according to plan. This project follows another, un-

dertaken less than 12 months ago. Last year they successfully pumped water at a temperature of 40°C from

a 1000m twin-borehole at Eastgate, in Weardale, County Durham.

Academic swaps the archives for the silver screen Wills Robinson The work of an academic from Newcastle will potentially reach millions when a new film about Roman Britain is released in UK cinemas at the end of this month. Researcher Lindsay Allason-Jones, who specialises in Roman Archaeology at the University, has spent the last few years as the academic adviser to the production team behind The Eagle, a film inspired by Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel The Eagle of the

Ninth. The story follows a young Roman centurion as he ventures beyond Hadrian’s Wall to discover the fate of the lost Ninth Legion and restore his family’s honour. Allason-Jones, who has previously worked on television programs, took up the challenge after the film crew visited her in the former Museum of Antiquities in 2008. Despite the skepticism about whether she would actually be contacted again after her initial offer, she was asked to read the script a year later and

became an integral part of the production team. She saw it as a unique opportunity for her work to be celebrated on a larger scale than the majority of others’ in her profession. “As academics, we’re always told to do things which have impact and it suddenly dawned on me that, although my name is just another credit in a long line, of all the things I’ve done in my career, this one probably has more impact than any of them,” Allason-Jones explained. “It’s such a good film that it can-

not fail to engage people with this period in history, whether they realise it consciously or not.” Even though the more pedantic academics may take issue with how certain aspects of the film are portrayed, Allason-Jones was generally impressed with how the crew took on her advice, despite a few modern adaptations. “Given that the whole premise is based on a misunderstanding, I think it’s turned into a very good film,” she said. “There are a few

details - such as the Roman soldiers wearing leather armour and using stirrups because the actors would fall off otherwise – that couldn’t be changed, but I can live with that.” Allason-Jones, along with Glyn Goodrick and Federico Santangelo, has also just launched Inscripta, an online educational resource to help people learn to read Romano-British inscriptions using the Great North Museum collection. Another step in trying to get the masses interested in her area of study.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

News

Tuition fees are set to treble: why are students wasting six figure sums on library fines? Since 2006, the University’s libraries have raked in an average of £89,092 per year in fines: a staggering £445,460 in total. Elliot Bentley reports on the figures Elliot Bentley Most students are no stranger to forgetting to return library books and finding that a large fine has accumulated without their knowledge. However, the odd pound or two is nothing compared to the half a million pounds worth of fines users of Newcastle University’s library system have racked up in the past five years. The statistics, revealed today by The Courier, show that since 2006 the libraries have taken an average of £89,092 per year and £445,460 in total from its users, who include students, lecturers and members of the public who pay for access. The figures also reveal that the parchments of around 10 students are withheld every year due to unpaid library fines. For standard, month-long loans, there is a charge of 15p per day the book is not returned, or £1 per day for next-day loans. According to the library’s website, the maximum late fee that can be charged is £10. However, a member of the library staff told The Courier that after 33 days the book is assumed missing and the fine increases from £4.95 (33 days’ worth of late fees) to the maximum of £50. Students are given the opportunity then to buy a new copy of the book and pay the existing fine, or are made to pay the £50. Susie-May Beever, a first-year English Literature student found herself in this position last January when she borrowed some books from the library two days before the beginning of the Christmas holidays. However, she was unaware that one of the books was a short-term loan

and so arrived back in Newcastle to a £50 fine. “I was at home, so there was nothing I could do,” said Beever. “I went to the library and had to argue with the receptionist that I wasn’t going to pay the fine for days when the library was shut. I managed to negotiate down to £18.” How much is £445,460 in late fees equivalent to? ●Three million days of overdue books ●Each student having to pay forty days’ worth of late fees every year ●125 non-means-tested maintenance loans ●Printing 11,136,500 A4 sheets in the library ●6% of the Union Building’s redevelopment costs When asked about Ms Beever’s case, head librarian Wayne Connolly told The Courier that they try to be “as accommodating as possible” and “not absolutely hardline”. “We understand that students are sometimes ill or have personal issues that prevent them from returning the book,” he said. If fines over £5 go unpaid, students are not allowed to borrow any further books, although they are allowed to continue to use the library normally otherwise. However, figures The Courier has obtained reveal that every year several students are

prevented from graduating due to their unpaid library fines. Over the last five years, a total of 22 students have been prevented from attending their own graduation congregations, while a further 71 have had their parchments - a crucial proof of graduation to employers withheld until the outstanding fines are paid. Mr Connolly said that this follows standard University procedure that all debts to the University, including tuition fees, library fines/ debts, welfare loans and unreturned books, must be repaid for students to be allowed to graduate. “It’s part of University regulations and we have no specific control over it,” he said, adding that it would be inappropriate to comment on whether or not he thought the policy was fair to students. One student told The Courier anonymously that they felt “hounded” by letters when they forgot to return a book. “Six or seven letters came through the door,” the student said. “I chose to buy a new copy of the book for the library instead - it wasn’t worth fifty quid anyway.” Another student claimed that she received a letter demanding the maximum £50 fine for a one-day book loan that was a single day overdue - despite the fact that she had already returned the book. She described the high fine, which was retracted by the library once the error was made apparent, as “appalling”. Mr Connolly said: “The £50 fine is to cover the administrative charges of re-ordering the book and providing it to students. Often we will buy a more up to date edition of the

Forking out over ﬁnes: statistics since 2006 have revealed the astonishing ﬁgures hitting user

book instead.” The yearly average ﬁnes of £89,092 is returned directly to the library’s budget and represents around 2 per cent of the £4 million spent on resources every year. Mr Connolly insisted that the library does not rely on the extra income, and that ideally they would not receive the money at all. “We’d prefer all books are returned on time on principle, so students can use them,” he said.

Fines for all users of the library services: ●2006 - £83,459 ●2007 - £97,190 ●2008 - £90,695 ●2009 - £85,063 ●2010 - £89,053

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

News

Lecturers set to strike over pay dispute Simon Childs Newcastle University will be hit by a strike on March 24 as lecturers mobilise to defend their jobs and pay. Lecturers at Newcastle University are disputing a 0.4 per cent pay rise, which in real terms amounts to a pay cut when inﬂation is taken into account. They are also demanding a redundancy avoidance policy. Lecturers’ union UCU (University and College Union) has voted to take strike action at over 60 universities across the country, and the union predicts that thousands of jobs face the axe as a result of government cuts. In Newcastle, the ballot to strike was passed with the slimmest of margins, prompting Newcastle UCU to go into emergency talks about whether or not to go through with the action. After the meetings they agreed to take strike action on March 24. One lecturer and UCU member, who wanted to remain anonymous, commented; “If staff numbers go down, staff/student ratios will get worse. “Our commitment to the educational process will become a narrowly career-orientated engagement. Students would therefore be cheated of the education they deserve.”

“It’s ironic that management insists that lecturers must accept pay cuts and redundancies while having their snouts in the trough.”

rs of the University’s library services. In severe circumstances the graduation parchments of around 10 students are withheld every year due to unpaid, accumulating library ﬁnes

Students not allowed to graduate due to unpaid ﬁnes:

Students whose graduations were withheld:

●2006 - 6

●2006 - 24

●2007 - 6

●2007 - 19

●2008 - 2

●2008 - 15

●2009 - 6

●2009 - 11

●2010 - 2

●2010 - 12

How the ﬁne procedure works: ● Fines for overdue or recalled books - a ﬁne may be levied per day or part of a day for failure to return books (including books obtained from another library) to the counter or book return bin of the library from which they were issued. Persistent offenders may also have borrowing privileges reduced or suspended

● Failure to return books - borrowers who fail to return recalled or overdue books may be invoiced for the full cost of replacement. Borrowers who subsequently return books after invoices have been issued may be required to pay the ﬁne per invoiced book or the charge levied by the lending library in the case of inter-library loan items.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor Chris Brink has previously outlined the University management’s opposition to industrial action on the grounds that it would “damage student experiences Newcastle Free Education Network (NFEN) was quick to pledge their support for the lecturers, urging students to join NFEN in protest at the King’s Gate building at midday on Thursday March 17. Alluding to revelations about the expense claims of University management in The Courier, NFEN member Jonny Pickering commented: “It’s ironic that management insists that lecturers must accept pay cuts and redundancies while having their snouts in the trough. Students should support lecturers taking strike action – their ﬁght is ours.” Newcastle University Student Union President Tom Delamere was asked to comment but was unavailable.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

News

Increase in the number of reported cases of cheating in examinations Helen Lam Newcastle University is experiencing a surge in the number of undergraduate and postgraduate students cheating in both assessed work and examinations. Figures reveal that over the past five years, the number of reported cases where sanctions had been enforced on students cheating has more than doubled with 169 students being caught out. The most common form of cheating within examinations at Newcastle was students being found in possession of unauthorised material. Maggie Donnelly, Head of Student Progress at Newcastle University, spoke to The Courier to defend these rising figures and argued: ‘’we do not believe that the University does have a problem greater than elsewhere in the sector.’’ The figures however, still show a worryingly increasing pattern and Donnelly does not account for the fact that this trend is occurring on a national scale, with university students across the country using more creative methods in order to cheat. Students from Newcastle are reported to have been caught purchasing assignments through a third party, whilst many other students from universities across the country are going to much more extreme lengths in order to ensure they get the grades. These include reported incidents of students trying to ‘’influence a teacher or examiner improperly,’’ concealing annotated notes in the toilet written on tissues and students impersonating their peers in order to sit exams on their behalf. Donnelly does however claim that ‘’the University keeps this matter under review’’ and suggests that the ‘’rates are an indicator of how seriously the University takes the issue. “In particular, detection rates have increased since a University review a few years ago.’’ However, despite the University claiming to take in-

Statistics over the last five years have demonstrated the number of cheating cases has more than doubled with 169 students being caught out at Newcastle

cidents of cheating seriously, with the academic conduct of its students being an important part of ‘’maintaining and developing’’ the University’s reputation, the number of reported incidents of students being caught for a second or repeat offence

is a staggering 68 cases. Whilst this has resulted in the immediate expulsion of some students, it may appear that the current sanctions are not acting as enough of a deterrent for those willing to cheat. With Donnelly’s expressed confi-

dence in heightened staff awareness and more advanced plagiarism detection software being more widely implemented, it will clearly mean there are more reported cases of students being caught cheating. The ease however of simply

putting in card details and purchasing a bespoke essay, guaranteed for a First, is inevitably making the temptation to cheat easier than ever and it seems more students are taking advantage of these services.

RAG reprimanded: the numbering debacle that got everyone talking Finola Miles The backlash provoked by last week’s article on RAG week’s discrimination incident has been huge, with comments on the story providing the main focus of The Courier’s website. The story reported not only the numbering of students for ratings of attractiveness, but also fundamental problems within the interview process for RAG and Freshers’ Week. In terms of actions taken by the University, the Student’s Union

Council meeting that took place last Thursday voted against the censure of two of its members who had been present during this year’s RAG ratings debacle. Chris McAleer, a Chief Supervisor at the event, was keen to clear the air: “I’m really sorry for what happened. There is no way that anyone can condone that kind of behaviour”. McAleer contemplated resigning from his position as Convenor of the Disciplinary Committee, but felt it was better to continue involvement in the Union in order to further ex-

isting work against the funding cuts and rise in tuition fees. The Union Council and OPRC (Officer Performance Review Committee) have faced increasing criticism this week, particularly about their structure and ability to act. The OPRC recommended to the Union Council that Ed Marston be subjected to a vote on censure, with Chris McAleer added as an amendment to the motion later on. The fact that the Union Council itself was unable to see the evidence before voting on the censure was a flaw in the system, seconded only by the

dominance of RAG members in its midst. Sarah Fearns, as the Union’s Welfare and Equality Officer, acted as the chief investigator throughout the investigation and was prompt in addressing the situation. However, it has been argued that there was a weakness in the evidence presented to the OPRC, with many accounts being contradictory. The need for reform within the OPRC is now a top priority for the Union’s Sabbs. The reaction has been hostile because of criticism raised about the less respectable RAG activities,

and this has prompted questioning of why these have been allowed to continue. With RAG interviews seen as a ‘testing of the boundaries’ of those wanting to get involved, it is apparent that RAG members need incentives to participate in the charity haul, alongside that of the collecting itself. The article last week was also perceived as a direct attack on the success of RAG week as a whole, failing to mention the ‘General Hero’ shirt alongside ‘The Shirt of Shame’, with the former being awarded for positive action and behaviour.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

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University set to withdraw from green scheme Simon Childs Environmental campaigners have been left fuming after management decided to stop Newcastle University from taking part in People and Planet’s Green League for 2011. The Green League is a competitive table scrutinising and comparing the ethical and environmental credentials of universities throughout the country, and has been described as a ‘green’ equivalent to academic league tables. This year’s table is due to be published in The Guardian newspaper in June, but Newcastle University will not be submitting evidence. Under the scheme, universities are given awards mimicking degrees, with ‘First Class’ awards given to universities that score comparatively highly.

The Careers Service provides information and advice on developing your skills, finding a part-time job, work experience, supporting business start-up and (when the time comes) exploring graduate opportunities. For more details about these and other vacancies, including details of how to apply, visit their website at www.ncl.ac.uk/careers. Vacancies brought to you by the Careers Service... PART-TIME VACANCIES Job Title: Outbound Customer Executive Employer: Echo-U Ltd Closing date: 20/03/2011 Salary: £12,500 pro rata Basic job description: You will be working on an outbound data acquisition and conversion campaign during which you will be required to demonstrate exceptional customer service skills as well as meeting and exceeding targets. Location: Newcastle Job Title: Sales Assistant Employer: Lipsy Closing date: 20/06/2011 Salary: £300 - £350 per week Basic job description: Duties will include: till operation, stock replenishment and accepting deliveries. Person requirements: Previous fashion experience desired Location: Gateshead Metro Centre Job Title: Customer Service Advisors Employer: Lloyds TSB Closing date: 30/03/2011 Salary: £14,000 - £18,420 pro rata Basic job description: To be the key, and often only, point of contact for customer calls, providing an excellent level of customer service. Location: Sunderland

In last year’s table, Newcastle University came a poor 104th out of the 133 universities that took part, receiving a ‘Third Class’ award – just six positions above a fail. Uni management has raised concerns about the fairness of the ranking. For instance, last year they gained no points for the ‘waste management audit’ criteria when they in fact did carry out this audit. Also, they believe the University’s increase in recycling rates was not properly recognised. However, failure to submit statistics would result in Newcastle University being ‘named and shamed’ with other universities that did not participate in the ‘Did Not Sit’ section of the table, scoring a PR own goal. Joint Ethics and Environment Officer Rosie Finnegan expressed her

Job Title: Bar and Catering Staff Employer: 21 Hospitality Group Closing date: Ongoing Salary: Dependent on role and experience Basic job description: Staff required for new Pub opening in May 2011. Location: Newcastle Quayside Job Title: Examination Reader and/or Scribe Employer: Clear Links Support Ltd Closing date: 07/05/2011 Salary: £10.20 per hour Basic job description: You’ll be required to read aloud exam materials, including written work produced by the client in the exam and/or to record the exam answers as communicated by the client. Location: Newcastle Job Title: Food & Beverage Service Staff Employer: Close House Hotel Closing date: ASAP Salary: Competitive Basic job description: The hours are flexible and will be during evenings and weekends. We are looking for staff that will be available to continue work over the summer. Location: Heddon on the Wall Job Title: Membership recruiter/ receptionist Employer: National Trust Closing date: 01/06/2011 Salary £6.50 per hour Basic job description: To give a warm welcome to all visitors and provide them with information about the National Trust and Lindisfarne Castle. Temporary post for July and August. Location: Holy Island, Northumberland Job Title: Retail Sales Consultant Employer: T-Mobile Closing date: ASAP Salary: £13,000 pro rata Basic job description: Retail sales

disappointment at the decision: “I understand that the University has reservations about the fairness of last year’s ranking. However, withdrawing from the League just doesn’t seem like a constructive way to deal with concerns about it. “It just doesn’t seem to make sense that, in a year when Newcastle has been named the most sustainable city in the UK, its University is making a decision like this. It seems like a backwards step.” A Newcastle People and Planet member also questioned the logic of the University’s decision: “I think the University is pretty much shooting itself in the foot by dropping out of the Green League. “Newcastle Uni actually has some pretty good environmental actions, but they need to work with People and Planet to match their criteria. “The University has made no at-

role. Hours of work: Wednesday 8.30am to 5.30pm, Thursday 1-6pm, Friday 9am to 1pm and Saturday 11am - 5pm. Person Specification: Sales experience required Location: Durham Job Title: Safety Boat Coxswian Employer: Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club Closing date: 15/04/2011 Salary: £6.00 per hour Basic job description: You will be part of the team that provides a safety and rescue service to the sailors using the club and reservoir; this will be done by using one of the club’s powerboats to help sailors when they get into difficulty. Person Specification: Must be a strong swimmer and have own transport. Training is provided. Location: Derwent Water Job Title: Senior Sales Assistants Employer: Boots (Mini Club Brand) Closing date: Ongoing Salary: £6.08 per hour Basic job description: Duties to include general cleaning on ward areas, offices and departments. The available hours are all part time, with various shifts available including evenings and weekends. 5 hours per week (Saturdays) Location: Sunderland Job Title: Student Representatives Employer: Newcastle University Closing date: 25/03/2011 Salary: £335 Basic job description: The Student Recruitment Team is looking to recruit a team of 64 Student Representatives to support the Bite size Uni Summer School. The dates you’d be needed are Tuesday 19 – Friday 22 July 2011. Location: Newcastle University Campus

tempt to work with People and Planet Newcastle, and they seem to be pushing for self-regulation over green policy, which both suggest a defeatist attitude to me.” Finnegan was also unhappy that University management has decided to decrease carbon emissions at the University by only half the level recommended by the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) 2010 “Carbon Reduction Target.” HEFCE recommends that universities reduce their carbon emissions by 43 per cent compared to 2005/2006 levels, but Newcastle University has pledged to reduce its emissions by 20 per cent, with management arguing that, “adopting the full target would endanger our ability to deliver our mission to be a world class, research intensive university.” However, Finnegan said this was

an example where the University could make real gains by working with the Green League rather than refusing to participate. “It could push the University to be more ambitious in their plans. It’s understandable that they want to outline achievable goals, but the Green League could inspire them to push harder towards really impressive achievements in terms of the environmental challenges we all face. “Considering that the HEFCE target is around 40 per cent, I think it’s a shame to suggest that 20 per cent is the best we can achieve.”

Popular York nightclub evacuated

being accused of talking too loudly on her phone. Her next door neighbour turned Radio Two up to full volume in retaliation. When the student went next door to complain about the noise, the man answered the front door, brandishing the machete at the student. He is currently serving 12 months community service as punishment for his involvement in the incident.

Harriet King York University Students’ Union is investigating an evacuation of the popular student nightclub, Ziggy’s, after claims that a member of the University rugby team on a Vietnam-themed social, was responsible for setting off a smoke bomb in the basement dance floor. The bouncers present in the club praised the swift and efficient evacuation, although some students complained that the fire alarm could hardly be heard above the loud music. The rugby club had previously been banned from Ziggy’s as a result of their poor behaviour, although the investigation has yet to ascertain if they were the culprits in this incident.

Inter-college rivalry reignited at Oxford Rivalry between Jesus and Exeter Colleges has been revived after the crown was stolen off the bust of Jesus College founder Queen Elizabeth I in their College hall. The crown has not been returned, nor have the perpetrators been identified, but students have theorised that the thieves attend Exeter College. “We have a long-standing ‘banterous’ rivalry with Exeter,” explained JCR President Danielle Zigner.

Bristol student threatened with machete A student at the University of Bristol was threatened with a machete after

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Contact the news team and be the first to break the news: courier.news@ncl.ac.uk

LSE investigate PhD thesis of Saif Gaddafi The London School of Economics is investigating accusations of plagiarism in the PhD thesis of Saif Gaddafi, son of the Libyan dictator. The University’s Vice-Chancellor has already stepped down over the LSE’s connections with the regime. The School’s academic registrar stated the department was not rushing to say that there is unarguable evidence which merits further investigation but that they felt duty bound to follow up a number of allegations, although none are substantial when taken individually. Problems may also emerge as candidates being investigated are allowed and required to be answerable at every stage of the investigation, which it would not be supposed would be a priority of the Gaddafi family at this time.

Sheffield scrutinised over Gadaffi connections The V.C. of Sheffield University, Keith Burnett, met with high level members of the Libyan regime, including the Education Minister, and signed student transfer deals worth £400,000. As a result, Sheffield University has announced that it does have transfer agreements with two Universities in Libya.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Is living on credit at university really such a good idea? Comment Editors: Laura Heads and Danny Kielty - courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk

> Page 10

SAS blunder highlights MoD ineptitude George Sandeman

On Sunday March 6 2011 two diplomats and six SAS bodyguards were sent by the UK government to the Libyan city of Benghazi to establish further contact with the rebel opposition to Muammar Gadaffi’s regime. In an embarrassing turn of affairs, they were captured and imprisoned whilst the Foreign Office frantically attempted to clarify the situation and secure their release. A few hours later they were let go in the midst of media hysteria and the British government with its tail between its legs. The approach of many Western governments to the Libya situation, the bloodiest of the Middle-Eastern uprisings in recent months, has been to distance, admonish and condemn Gadaffi’s reigning government. Heavy-handed military suppression of protesting has been widely reported, which has led to governments quietly establishing contact with the rebel opposition. Gadaffi has gone on record with CNN calling the criticisms, by the UK government in particular, as a “betrayal of Libya.” This is no surprise considering both countries were on relatively friendly terms over the past few years, as the then Labour government lobbied Gadaffi to award BP the contracts over the

You, The Courier Sophie McCoid, English student, reviews the last edition

he explosive and illuminating front page story regarding University executives’ expenses by Simon Murphy is sure to rufﬂe a few establishment feathers and get a strong reaction from the majority of students. The spotlight on student philanthropy also continues with the medics’ charity pyjama day and student bike ride to Barcelona being covered in engaging articles. The Lifestyle section didn’t fail to entertain, with the regular blind date and Dangerous Liaisons column raising a smile from me and my housemates. Pete Warcup’s travel article about Eastern Europe provided inspiration and useful information for places to visit

new found oil in Libya’s seas. Part of this courtship may have included the compassionate release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted over the Lockerbie bombing, although both then Scottish and British governments have officially denied any political motivations behind his release. It’s easy for Gadaffi to see the criticisms of his government by David Cameron as a stab in the back, considering the most scathing thing he said about recently deposed Egyptian premier Hosni Mubarack was to ask for an “orderly transition.” Not quite the same as telling Gadaffi to “go now”, and remind him that “the world is watching you”, and then going on to back a prospective war crimes investigation as well as actively planning a no-fly zone with the French to put before the UN Security Council. Whilst Gadaffi’s Libya was friendlier with the previous Labour government rather than the current Conservative led one, he must have thought he bought some political goodwill after sorting BP out, one of the UK’s largest firms, with a bumper new oil contract instead of awarding it to the Americans. The misunderstanding that took place between this small diplomatic team and the rebels has been seen the world over as farcical, and has helped reinforce a relatively new found perception that the British military is somewhat incompetent. This is particularly prevalent amongst the US military who have seen their insertion into Sangin in July 2010, the most lethal place

during a planned inter-railing trip over the summer with my housemate. The review of Twisted Tales in culture was particularly helpful as me and some course friends plan to see it shortly.

C OU RI ER

J.WHITAKKER

in Afghanistan, in place of British troops as a sign that they were not up to the job. In the British press, Sunday’s episode has been described as “the most damaging blow to its (SAS) reputation in its proud regimental history” by The Telegraph; whilst The Independent eloquently panned it as “a

Plagiarism through the ages Elizabeth Gray

THE

Issue 1227 Monday 7 March 2011

www.thecourieronline.co.uk

NEWCASTLE STUDENTS THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF

EST 1948

FREE

No expense spared sity’s top •Univer execs splash out almost £150,000 since June 2008

ts foot the • Studen bill for five star hotels, first class travel and fine dining

ancellor •Vice-Ch claims £39,000 on expenses since £240,000 a year, splashed out £39k Vice-Chancellor Chris Brink, who earns on the outskirts of the city Money, money, money: globe-trotting from a cashpoint at Haymarket and £673 on a bed for his house June 2008 including a £300 withdrawl

including £1.40 for a Metro ticket

home his once served as the temporary star his Ponteland property despite Brink of former Newcastle United ie, whose tally totals £20,713.76, Dialmost 50 underprivileged students. rector of the University’s Institute huge salary. Globe-trotting an astonishing Andy Carroll. The figure also dwarfs those at rival for Research on Sustainability Paul has also racked up luxury hotels, The University’s Finance Direcat as SunThe Courier a North East institutions such bosses Younger, who has racked up an ex- number of stays Hotel in tor Richard Dale told University chiefs have blown and Pro including the Keio Plaza in Singa- that he expected members of the derland University, where staggering £148,922 on expenses, claimed only £26,121.41 and North- penses bill of £24,468.43, Tokyo, Pan Pacific Hotel to look for value Vice-Chancellor for Medical SciJohor Bahru Executive Board The Courier can reveal. umbria, which totalled £115,108.35 ences Chris Day, who has claimed pore, Hyatt RegencyOriental Hotel for money. “My experience with At a time of unprecedented cuts over the last three years. and the Mandarin is that they’re Board Executive Executive the the in 453.16. Plaza £22, to higher education, Vice-Chancellor in Malaysia, and the Sofitel Newcastle’s very scrupulous in the way they Among the Vice-Chancellor’sa Xiamen, China. Board have lavished the six-figure Chris Brink, who earns £240,000 a when a bed and – behave. I am aware at times sum on fine dining, first-class trav- year, was responsible for the larg- claims were £673 for Meanwhile, South African Brink at Ikea to we’ve used Raffles and sometimes elling and luxury five-star hotels est chunk of the claims, totalling £358.70 shopping spree who has been Vice-Chancellor since the University does that for alumni at the a deck out his home on the outskirts since June 2008. fundraising by 2007, has entertained guests £39,600.66, including £1.40 for of Newcastle, which is supplied to exclusive Raffles Hotel in Singapore events which are major As the University expects to lose metro ticket. 5 stresswhich Continued on page 4 and the University. He does not have as much as £7 million in funding, The other major claimants were pay any rent to the University for and Jesmond Dene House, Ritchthe colossal expenses total could for Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ella have paid a year’s tuition fees

Simon Murphy News Editor

What do you think of The Courier this week? Send your 180-word review to courier. comment@ncl.ac.uk

monumental cock-up.” Former MP Sir Menzies Campbell called it “ill conceived, poorly planned and embarrassingly executed”, whilst Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander accused the government of “serial bungling.” However, a recurring theme throughout all of this castigation has

been that the issue of incompetence lies at the feet of administrators - the MoD and the government - and not the soldiers. This is almost certainly true but such an embarrassing episode and whispers of incapability because of withdrawal from Sangin must surely leave the British Armed Forces with a hurt pride. They further endure other points of mockery, such as possibly sharing their new aircraft carrier with the French, and the scrapping of the Harrier jump jets - an iconic emblem of British military innovation. This Conservative government campaigned on much better support for the Armed Services with an end to widely perceived underresourcing by the previous Labour government. However, with Sunday’s excursion being described by a former SAS soldier as “badly planned and woefully under-resourced”, the impending cuts to the MoD will come under renewed scrutiny as well as questioning the integrity of Cameron’s campaign promises. The issue of an under-resourced military could reach totally new intensities if it is decided that the MoD must absorb the cost of renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent. Last year its budget was £37 billion, but the cost of Trident is £20 billion on its own. Such a dent in the MoD budget will severely affect the scope of British military operations abroad, but also impact whether or not a soldier is going to have body armour and a helmet next time they go out on patrol.

Cheats beware. The academic world is to come under increasing scrutiny after the latest uncovering of high profile scandals involving plagiarism. This week saw the resignation of German defence minister KarlTheodor zu Guttenberg after being stripped of his doctorate for plagiarism, and the investigation of Saif Gaddafi (Colonel Gaddafi’s son), for allegedly lifting sections of the thesis he wrote at the LSE in 2008; a matter which constituted the resignation of the University’s director Howard Davies. As shocking (or not) as you may find this, these people are not alone in claims of plagiarism; A study carried out on the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. discovered that some of his work (including his dissertation) contained plagiarised material, and in some instances he

had actually copied ideas word for word. In 2009, Twilight author Stephanie Meyers successfully fought off claims that she ‘appropriated’ several ideas for her book Breaking Dawn from a similarly themed trilogy The Nocturn, by Jordan Scott. T.S. Eliot, also accused of misappropriation, seems to have had a slightly less remorseful approach to the whole issue: “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal...” (taken from T.S.Eliot’s The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism, 1922, just in case).

“A study carried out on the

writings of Martin Luther King Jr. discovered that some of his work contained plagiarised material.”

These days the internet makes plagiarism easy. Students under pressure from deadlines, or who need to meet certain standards, are often tempted to just ‘copy and ‘paste’, but universities take the matter seri-

ously. Most, like Newcastle use the programme Turnitin, which scans submitted work against a database of millions of past papers, documents and web pages in order to detect plagiarism. Although people claim that these systems are not 100 per cent effective, you can spot cheating in other ways. Jude Carroll, a lecturer involved in plagiarism deterrence, notes that when checking a piece of work, changes in tense, register, or random unrelated references are good indicators. Personally, the problem irritates me for two reasons: firstly, judging by how meticulously you have to ‘reference’, is it actually possible this day and age to have an original idea? Surely two people can ‘coincidently’ think the same thing. Secondly, when doing university work I find that, after the amount of research you do to come to a certain conclusion, it is easy to become too casual and plagiarise unintentionally. Sometimes in my work I feel it would be easier to just pick out my own four or five unique words, and have the rest as one big apologetic footnote.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Comment

‘Slack’ morals: following in the steps of their elders? Susie May Beever

TV actress and active campaigner Joanna Lumley has this week declared British children as being brought up with “slack” morals, according to an interview with the Radio Times. Lumley, who in 2009 led a successful campaign to allow retired Gurkha veterans the right to settle in the UK, complained that from an early age young people are not indoctrinated to employ the correct respect for adults and their education; the latter of which she claimed “we do not respect”. Lumley’s outlook however, although gaining a line of support and similar attitudes amongst the British public, seems more criticism of Britain’s parents than its children. To a certain extent, it’s pretty hard not to agree with Lumley’s general point. Who hasn’t been put off by a smug 13-year-old blasting what can only be described as possibly the worst sound man will ever have the misfortune of listening to from their phones on a bus journey? Parenting definitely seems to have slackened over the past two decades. One of my (many) grievances is walking around town seeing young children in pushchairs happily munching away on a quarter pounder and fries that, upon giving in, their mother has given to them. I know it’s certainly not for me, or anyone else for that matter, to criticise the way others bring up their children. Each to their own, no? But with levels of child crime and delinquency on the rise, perhaps Lumley should take a second look at the root of the problem. Official statistics show that between 2009 and 2010, figures of young offenders rose by a stagger-

Joanna Lumley: are her views on children with slack morals the complete truth?

ing 13 per cent, with an average of 160 children being convicted of crime every day in the UK. The year before that, nearly 280,000 offences committed by 10to 17-year-olds were reported in the country, which works out as about one every two minutes. The majority of crimes reported included drugs, robbery and violent assault. Childhood crime is such a mundane issue these days that it almost becomes a part of our everyday lives. A friend of mine last weekend was assaulted in Jesmond Dene by what

he describes as ‘a bunch of kids’ drinking from beer cans. The offenders called him a racist name and attempted to throw a rock at the back of his head. Not exactly a typical Sunday afternoon stroll in the park - but deﬁnitely not an unheard of and shocking event. Respect has certainly gone adrift. However, Lumley’s remarks during the interview this week seemed easily rebuttable. Lumley claims that, as a child, “we were taught not to shoplift, not to steal, not behave badly. We weren’t even allowed to drop litter”.

Hmm. It seems to me that child delinquency has always, and will always, be an issue. Whilst I’m sure the pavements in the streets of the 60s were sparkling clean and frequently resembling a flower meadow, crime cannot be ruled out completely from society, only reduced. Lumley, a mother of one, also mentioned that Britain’s children today are “lazy” and not given enough responsibilities. The actress stated that “in Ethiopia you might find a 7-year-old expected to take 15 goats out into the fields for the whole day with only a chapati to eat and his whistle. Why are we so afraid to give our children responsibilities like this?” Society’s ever-increasing reliance on cars and televisions is perhaps indeed to blame for sloth and fewer responsibilities. However, as a child, I recall very few occasions when my mother sent me off to school with 15 goats. As it happens, I had no goats, I had no chapati, and I definitely did not have a whistle. However, I did have an education. And I did take it seriously. Perhaps because I was lucky enough to go to a nice school with good teachers, or perhaps even because the environment around me taught me that in order to not end up working for a nine-to-five job in a call centre, it was a pretty good use of my time. Before criticising our children, perhaps we should criticise our own behaviour. After all, children don’t initially spit on the pavements and yell incomprehensible abuse at strangers because they have no respect; they do it because they see adults doing it, and therefore see it as an acceptable way to behave. Perhaps Lumley should think more of sweeping, unsupported statements in interviews; children are wont to copy adult behaviour in desperate attempt to act more grown up. But if adult behaviour means a lack of morals and values, then what are we to expect.

Breast milk ice cream: part of absurd mother ideal Lisa Bernhardt

The story of the ‘Baby Gaga‘ breast milk ice cream has been all over the news recently (note Helen‘s comment in the last The Courier issue) and has certainly caused many a smiling/disgusted face. The thought of eating a sundae made of milk that has been squeezed out of a woman‘s breasts who is not your mother may be the most amusing/disturbing fact about the concept for the majority of people, and admittedly it seems weird. However, I was rather concerned about another statement made by the producers about their latest culinary idea: by convincing their customers that breast milk is actually tasty, they want to promote breast-feeding.

That made me wonder which other methods will be resorted in the future to advertise this practice. Nowadays, there are two relatively simple, but effective main factors that influence women‘s decision to breast-feed. The first and probably strongest is peer pressure. Just take a look at the plethora of mum-blogs and forum on the internet! Most users will defend/promote breast-feeding with exceptional gusto and inform the undecided in a schoolmarmish manner. Even worse are the people in your social environment that turn up their noses at the word ‘formula‘ and imply that you‘re a bad mother. I‘ve heard and read a lot of stories about women who breastfed or reluctantly continued breast-feeding for a longer period because they felt they ought to ‘make it right‘. My own mum is one of them. The second source of influence is the media, especially guidebooks on how to be the perfect mother and friendly, creepy experts on TV talk

shows. They‘ll either recite all the benefits of breast-feeding (a long miraculous list including higher IQ, greater immune system and stronger bonding) or tell you all the bad things that will happen to your child. A CNN article even suggested that babies had died because they weren‘t breastfed. Either way I want to bang my head against the wall and shout: how can someone be so narrow-minded? For a start, we‘re usually told about the pleasures of breast-feeding. Fantastic if it works, but mastitis (breast inflammation), sore bloody nipples and other difficulties are both common and often only mentioned in passing. Furthermore, the infant formula nowadays is of high quality and, apart from popular literature, you will find plenty of scientific sources which state that breast-feeding isn‘t as superior to formula as it‘s generally assumed. And oh, the job question. Do you really think that taking your baby to work and have regular 30 minute breaks is possible for

every occupation? I doubt it. Don‘t get me wrong, I‘m not against breast-feeding. But I just want more people to realise it‘s a very personal choice (if you‘re able to breast-feed and not live in a part of the world where it‘s the only option), so don‘t judge any woman for her decision and intimidate her with the ‘good mother‘ ideal and obtrusive promotion. Fact one: your child won‘t be illness-ridden if it‘s formula-fed. Fact two: breasts aren‘t holy and nipples aren‘t golden! Stop this gloriﬁcation of motherhood and get real. However, in light of ‘Baby Gaga‘, there is more to come. Awards for the most milk delivering breasts? Breast-feeding ﬂashmobs? Sounds like a bold proclamation, but nothing seems impossible.

Courier Online What do you think? Let us know! www. thecourieronline.co.uk

The best of the online comments: ‘No Expense Spared’, News, 7/3/11 David Campbell-

“As a former member of the teaching staff, I want to congratulate the paper and writer on an exemplary piece of investigative journalism. The cost of administration in the context of cuts has to be one of the key issues in the future of higher education. The way to judge the expenses is not against the business world, but in relation to the strictures the university administration places on its academic staff the people who actually do the teaching and research, the core business of the institution. Those folks don’t have access to expense accounts, and when spending money related to teaching etc have to do***ent every single penny, and are regularly prohibited from claiming reasonable charges incurred in the course of their work (for which they never get to access ﬁve star, ﬁrst class experiences). So the scale of the executive expenses is one thing; the hypocrisy of them in relation to what the executives demand of their teaching staff is another.”

Annontoo-

“I think we need to realistic here - if you were to see the expenses bills of people working in businesses outwith education, the claims would pale in comparison. We live in a very competitive educational marketplace and I don’t think it’s unreasonable that the key representatives of the University submit what may appear to be high claims. I wouldn’t say this is tabloid sensationalism but a bit of perspective please.”

Thierry Dry“Props to Simon Murphy this article is awesome. I agree that no member of staff should be able to withdraw university funds without any explanation. However I can understand some of the expenses. I mean if some of executives were found to be staying in lower standards of hotels then would this affect the representation of the uni ? and I for one don’t want anything to damage the representation as I intend to play upon that when I start looking for jobs.” Michelle Cartright-

“I think it is absolutely disgusting. When you consider that a student in ﬁnancial difﬁculty because their student loan is late has to beg for £50 a week from the uni to survive and has letters saying they are going to be evicted from university accomodation and also being told that their smartcard is going to be blocked because their tuition fees haven’t been paid yet. It just does not make any sense that they can get away with this!”

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Comment

Knowledge economy not near done deal The early riser Bethan Brown

The BBC home editor Mark Easton recently presented a surprisingly optimistic stance on the ever increasing proportion of the UK’s population who stay in higher level education to university. Each year, there is a steadily increasing inﬂux of applicants to universities across the UK, and this is a reﬂection of the growing trend of academic excellence at A-levels. In his article, ‘Graduating for the 21st Century’, Easton uses a simple graph depicting the downturn of low skilled workers and the rise of knowledge workers over a 25 year period from 1985 through to 2010. Whilst many critics feel that university education should be conserved for the academic elite, Easton

emphasises that by taking the ‘elitist’ view, as a nation, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot, and missing out on the ‘global knowledge economy’. Easton reﬂects on the darker past of our education system, which saw the Education Act of 1944 introducing three state secondary school pathways, the grammar school, the technical school and the secondary modern, which caused segregation and inequality in the kind of education that people received. Easton goes on to state that “we do have a chance to redeem ourselves in the 21st century” by using our graduates to build up the economy in the same way that oil did in the 20th century and coal in the 19th. This analogy may seem strained, but it is interesting how Easton is going against the grain and showing how the proportions of our population with a greater knowledge can help the growth of the economy. Not to wholly disagree with Easton’s optimistic viewpoint, I can’t help but look at the employment

statistics of many graduates, and in particular those horror stories of university graduates with excellent first-class degrees, who find it incredibly difficult to find the job they hoped and dreamed of having. It is clear from this that merely having a degree to your name is not going to make you instantly employed and boost the economy as soon as you leave university. More than that, Easton agrees that “just processing lots of people through what may be meaningless degrees is not enough, of course”and admits that the right sorts of knowledge that will contribute to the global knowledge economy will need to be recognised. But surely this is just another way of defining an equality and segregation of ‘worthy’ degrees and types of knowledge, over others that are deemed as less worthy and less likely to contribute toward the much talked about ‘global knowledge economy’. Could this merely be another relapsing gateway into the more

gloomy education system that was so full of inequalities of the later 1900s? Despite this, it is refreshing to see a positive take on the effects of the growth of university education in the population, and the simple positive correlation of knowledge and economy is believable. Moreover, if Easton’s proposition has truth, the university cuts take on a new seriousness, with huge economic implications. Inevitably, the increased tuition fees will adversely put many students off university in the next few years, and so it seems as though the education system is taking a step back into the days where only certain people will be able to go to university. Sadly, potential ‘economic booming graduates’ as Easton might call them, will go to waste as the cuts effects set in. This leads to the question: should more be invested in the new ‘oil’ of the 21st century, the students?

Is it worth going into an overdraft whilst at Uni? Yes No Sophie McCoid

The interest-free overdraft - the saviour of thousands of students throughout the country, providing your average undergraduate with enough funds to buy some bread, and maybe the occasional treble after the loan has simply run out and the black turns into the inevitable red. But is it worth going into an overdraft, should this facility be available to students who are liable to get £20 out when someone suggests Sinners? I believe that yes, it is. I’m not advocating reckless spending; there should be a limit to the overdraft facility. Students shouldn’t be using their overdrafts to buy luxury items such as designer clothes and cars. Nevertheless I do believe an overdraft is something that should be available to every student. The Student Maintenance Loan that the government provides is on average just under £4000 for a typical student living away from home. This is split roughly into three payments. This loan is meant to last the student all term, and realistically I just don’t think this is possible. A recent Barclays poll of 1250 people aged 16 to 24 found 34 per cent regularly ran out of money. This is hardly surprising. My rent each month is £300. Over a 12 month housing contract that amounts to £3600, which I believe is around, if not below, average for the Jesmond area. This leaves me and the average Newcastle student £400 to survive on for a year, which is quite frankly ridiculous. Critics of the overdraft advocate obtaining some form of part time work to avoid going into the red. Whilst this is a good idea in theory,

in practice it’s just not feasible for many students, whose degrees demand many hours of their time. The same Barclays poll revealed that only four per cent of people had received financial advice during previous education and that 90 per cent relied on financial advice from parents and friends. I don’t, however, think it’s a case that students don’t know how to manage their money. It’s more a case that they don’t have enough money to begin with. University is all about obtaining a good degree whilst having an amazing experience, and I don’t believe the student experience should be jeopardised due to financial constraints. If there’s an overdraft facility there, as long as you’re careful I don’t see why it shouldn’t be utilized. The question of credit cards is a more dangerous one and it is worrying that a third of young adults in the UK think buying something on a credit card does not count as spending money. On the other hand, as long as you’re sensible when using them only for small amounts and always pay them off straight away, they can be incredibly helpful to raise that crucial credit rating that is so vital for obtaining mortgages. Using a credit card and your overdraft may not be ideal, but for many students, it’s often their only way to maintain a feasible existence.

Simon Murphy

I awoke the other morning to a delightful phone call. A monotone voice numbed my every limb in an instant. “Hi there, it’s Santander, we’ve been trying to contact you,” a superficially friendly but ultimately cold lady said at the end of the line. She then proceeded to tell me how I had ballsed up finances again and was in the red to the tune of £250. By in the red I mean in the fateful “unauthorised overdraft”. That cheerful news was then followed by a scripted statement which seemed to insist that unless I “credited” my account shortly the bank would demand back all the money I owed. Sadly this isn’t the first time a bank has harangued me, Natwest did a decent job around Christmas time. I received daily automated (sounded a bit like a Darlek) phone calls telling me to contact them urgently. Needless to say I was in no hurry to speak to C3PO at the other end of the phone so I evaded them for a bit.

Is splashing out on the credit cards whilst studying really sensible in the long run?

To say that I struggle to manage my finances is perhaps an understatement. But I doubt I am alone in my financial short fallings. That’s why I think it makes no sense whatsoever for students to take on credit cards. I haven’t and I must say if I had, things probably would have been a lot worse for me. It is totally irresponsible for bank managers to try and flog credit cards to fresh-faced 18-year-olds. The banks try and hook you on debt early, a bit like online gambling sites dishing out free bets – that’s pretty much what the interest-free overdrafts are all about. I remember thinking how brilliant it was that I could go out in first year and not worry about not having enough cash – I always had the overdraft to fall back on. Then suddenly I try to take out a tenner and it turns out I’ve maxed out my account. Never mind, I’ll just open up another account – and so it begins. I am not saying that I am in no way at fault for the way I handle money, but the banks do not help. They try their hardest to entice students with gimmicky offers, like free iPods or £50 cash, if they sign up for student accounts. They know full well that once they offer interest-free overdrafts the money will be spent and the student will be hooked. There is a wider issue here – the culture of debt that is profligate in society today. The banks have people by the balls so long as debt exists. Threatening phone calls, letters, debt collectors banging at the door – they control people with their money. The hypocrisy with which the bankers cried foul when the government issued a windfall tax on bonuses was abhorrent. When people lose their jobs, their homes, the conniving high-flying bankers laugh into their caviar because they realise they are untouchable. How have things come to this?

Matthew Blackwell Columnist

Getting up early is good. I’m going to throw that one out there. Now, extolling the virtues of rising early to a student audience may well be the literary equivalent of throwing oneself to the proverbial lions, however, I dare you to hear me out. I believe that yesterday, in the words of the ever-cool Samuel L. Jackson, I experienced what alcoholics refer to as ‘a moment of clarity’. I was dragged forcefully into consciousness by my alarm yelping at me at 8.30am, and for a day when I don’t actually have any lectures, I was already far into unfamiliar territory, deep behind enemy lines as it were. You see I had organised to go swimming with some friends at the almost offensive time of 9am, so off I set, swimming shorts on, goggles in hand (that’s right, I’m pro), spare clothes packed into a bag. We were like intrepid explorers, slowly becoming familiar with the sights and sounds of the pre-10am world, as we traversed the notoriously uninteresting Glenthorn Road and walked the entire 10 metres to Jesmond Pool. In the changing room, I discovered that after making a conscious effort to remember boxer shorts this time, I had managed to forget my towel, but not even this could slow me down (they have hand dryers conveniently placed at head height for that kind of thing); the grogginess of sleep had worn off and I was loving life and the fact I was awake. Post-swim, I made a dash out of the changing room with dripping wet legs, carefully avoiding eye contact with all members of the public in the annoyingly full reception, and was home and showered by the impressive time of 10.15am. I felt fresh, healthy and more importantly, wide awake. I decided to continue in the same vein I had started the day in and initiated a monster (and much needed) clean of my room. It was now just after 11am, the time by which I have usually had breakfast and through compulsion via outside force (I swear) successfully completed a few games of Fifa. The fruits of my labour? Nothing physical really, just an immense sense of well-being, it was still morning and I had the entire day before me waiting to be used up in various productive ways; I could get ahead with next week’s lecture reading, do some work on that extended study, go for a walk, play rounders; what I’m trying to convey is, the possibilities were endless. Ok, so the possibilities probably did end somewhere, but I was indebted to my early start and management of time. I intend on taking several leaves out of my own book as I battle to transcribe an interview, write two reviews and get this column in, all for the deadline. Anyway try it, you never know, you might like it. Now feel free to turn the page in disgust.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Comment

Letters to the Editor “Presents evidence out of context” Dear Editor, In response to Emma Balter’s article ‘Roaccutane: miracle drug or life destroyer?’, The Courier, Issue 1226. I am concerned about an article in the February 28 edition of The Courier, titled ‘Roaccutane: miracle drug or life destroyer?’ (page 16). The article cherry-picks evidence, presents evidence out of context, and details a single anecdote as a representative case of Roaccutane side-effects. In particular it is never made clear whether the effects ‘Clare’ experienced were actually due to Roaccutane, or merely coincidental with her taking the drug - no causality is established. This anecdotal approach reminds me of the way the media presented the MMR-autism vaccine link (see e.g. Dr Ben Goldacre’s “Bad Science” website). The sentence “Well, it is now an established fact that 10 percent of Roaccutane patients experience some degree of depression, which is alarmingly high” is misleading. A reference would be nice; I could not

find any evidence to back this figure up after a quick literature search. While there is a tentative link alluded to in many reviews (e.g. Marqueling & Zane 2005, Hull & D’arcy 2003, Ng & Schweitzer 2003, Magin et al. 2005 ), this has yet to be established definitively. It is also important to realise that any incidences of depression must be taken in the context of the depression rates for the general population - especially those amongst acne-suffering teenagers. In fact, Roaccutane use can help with depression in a small number of cases in which patients have depression prior to taking Roaccutane (presumably to do with self-esteem) - see aforementioned links. The ‘simple Google search’ revealing the ‘horrific’ potential side-effects of Roaccutane is an awful way to judge a drug. Anecdotes, especially on the internet, are not worth nearly as much as systematic trials and meta-analyses in validating the safety of a drug. Secondly, all drugs have potential, rare side-effects read the leaflet that comes with a pack of aspirin or ibuprofen for some further ‘horrific’ side-effects. In the final paragraph, the article suggests that doctors should stress its potential dangers before prescribing it - but doctors already do stress its side-effects, especially those related to depression. I know because I have been prescribed Roaccutane myself! Of course it was partly for aesthetic reasons but also because large amounts of nodular acne can be very

painful - I have permanent scarring on my chest and back from acne I had ten years ago. I am happy that The Courier is tackling controversial health issues, but very disappointed in the highly misleading way this article presented Roaccutane. SINCERELY, RICHARD TOMSETT

“Kidney failure and liver failure could or should have been mentioned” Dear Editor, Also in response to Emma Balter’s article ‘Roaccutane: miracle drug or life destroyer?’, The Courier, Issue 1226. I want to emphasise how I am not criticising the article or even its standpoint on the Roaccutane drug, as I have used the drug myself when I was younger and found it to be incredibly effective against my acne. As such, I know the ‘miraculous’ benefits it can give first hand and I believe that the article was very good at highlighting the issues and risks of the drug- as a lot of people do not consider how dangerous it can be and see it as a ‘softer’ drug than it really is. However, I believe there were some minor failings to the article.

I do think that the article spent too much time focusing on one case study (admittedly a very unfortunate one, though). The unfortunate effects experienced in the article by the ‘Clare’ character were a rare occurrence, and although the article is right to raise awareness of the possible sideeffects of the drug, it failed to mention that the drug is only prescribed after all other medical options for acne have been exhausted. I know from personal experience that Roaccutane is only prescribed after all other less severe acne medications have been tried, and only then by a consultant dermatologist, who will have explicitly explained the possible side-effects before it being administered. I thought that the article was misleading about if the drug users were warned of the side effects beforehand. Especially on the list of side effects such as birth deformationswhich are heavily weighted when Roaccutane is being discussed with a doctor. Also, one major stipulation of the drug, which wasn’t mentioned in the article, was that the likelihood of the negative side-effects of the drug occurring was increased by alcohol intake. As students, I thought the fact that kidney failure and liver failure (caused by in taking alcohol whilst on the drug) could or should have been mentioned, as we students are partial to a drink or two! I hope you find this argument valid and engaging.

SINCERELY, MATTHEW KEEFE Dear Richard and Matthew, Thank you both for your letters of response to what is a very controversial issue. I think if anything the difference in both of these responses reflects the fact that when articles in The Courier deal with contentious topics of discussion, it is nigh on impossible for the writer to cover all the bases when providing an opinion. Whilst both of your responses make valid points on the content of the article, they also prove that we as a newspaper are doing our job correctly by provoking mature and engaging responses to issues that are affecting students not just at Newcastle University, but also those at other institutions up and down the country. It is never easy when courting controversy, but at the very least it should always provoke debate and discussion. It is great to see people engaging with the newspaper and long may this continue in the future. SINCERELY, EDITOR

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Tried and tested: the new way to keep fit > page 16

Sex & Relationships blind date

Dangerous Liaisons

George Wilesmith & Ashleigh Farrand He said: I was meant to meet Ashleigh on Wednesday, but she cancelled so I was relieved to see her waiting for me outside The Hancock pub at 1230 on Monday! Having volunteered myself for the blind-date in the hope of meeting someone special, I was most-definitely NOT disappointed! Ashleigh is an absolute stunner. She is tall (ideal kissing-height for a lanky freak like me!), has a decent figure, fair skin and beautiful long brunette locks. I knew vaguely what she was going to look like because we’d checked each other’s Facebook pages so I knew she wasn’t going to be a total dog, but she looked even better ‘in the flesh’. She is definitely a 7/10 which was fine because I regard myself to be a 6/10, and I want to be with someone more attractive than myself so that any offspring will be an improvement on what I look like. I recognised her straight away (identifying her by her purple glasses) and we greeted each other and went into the pub. It was a gorgeous afternoon so I wanted to go to the beach, but Ashleigh had a lecture at three o’clock and likes drinking, so we just stayed in the Hancock for a couple of hours. I was wearing my Texas longhorns hoody that my uncle bought for me, a pair of River Island jeans, and my Nike Air Max’s (casual, I know, but I HAD had a shave for the occasion). Ashleigh was wearing a blue top and some grey trousers. She looked quite conservative apart from some rather funky nail-polish and the aforementioned purple glasses. I had three bottles of Pear Kop-

parberg, which was nice but a bit steep at £3.45. We went for three frames of pool, I won the first and last, and she won the middle frame. She’s quite good, but should get lower when taking her shots in order to get a better view. All in all, I think it went well, though I’m sure she will just slag me off in her section. I would like to marry Ashleigh and have two children – one named Darren, and one named Lucy.

madame vs monsieur

She said: Having agreed to a blind date when I was, in all honesty, still a bit drunk from the night before, I was slightly apprehensive about meeting up with a perfect stranger. Not being amazing at small talk, and having a low threshold for awkward situations, I was very tempted to cancel. This was compounded by the fact that I’d heard from a friend that my date had provided a strict list of

K.VONG

Help! Madame & Monsieur, I’m in love with my best friend... Help! I’m a guy who is in love with my best friend... who’s also a guy! I’ve been best friends with him for nearly ten years (we went to primary school, secondary school, college and Uni together) and although I’ve always admired him, I think I’ve started to fall for him. He’s funny, clever, popular, and we get on so well. He was great when I came out, and has constantly supported me. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend, and is definitely not gay himself. Recently, I’ve found it harder and harder to be around him as he gets closer to his new gf. I know I can’t tell him, but if I don’t, I feel like we’ll really drift apart.

Monsieur

Unrequited love can be so hard to deal with, but in this case it sounds as if you’re going to have to deal with it head on for both your sakes. If you can’t calm or undo your feelings for him then I see no other option but to let your friendship ebb away, otherwise it may come to an end in a far more abrupt manor. Other than this you have two options: carry on as

you are, which I imagine feels terrible; or tell him and see what he says. It sounds almost a guarantee that he won’t drop his girlfriend, proclaim his love for you and ask you to go to Australia with him. This takes me back to my first option of slowly drifting apart; it sounds awful, but not all close friendships can last forever, and you don’t want to make yourself miserable over something that can never be.

criteria for his would-be date. But, after being told to man up by my flatmates, I finally set a time to meet up. Then cancelled. Then set a new time. Then he cancelled. Eventually, we agreed on an afternoon Hancock drinking session. I arrived early, wishing I hadn’t used my closed window to judge how warm it was and dressed appropriately for the weather, and waited for my date to come. After sending a quick “I’m here, where are you?” text, and getting a “hold your horses” text back, George arrived. He was friendly and polite, holding the door open for me as we went in, and accepting my suggestion that pear Kopparberg was the best choice drink-wise, (despite how expensive it turned out to be!). We sat outside (really, really wish I’d worn warmer clothes), and chatted about our families, politics, tattoos, all in the first half hour. There were no awkward silences - sorry George, knowing how much that annoys you I just had to include it – and the conversation really flowed. After a few drinks, we both decided pool would be a good idea, and set up a game. I tried to warn George about how truly awful I am, but I don’t think it was clear until we started playing. George plays snooker regularly, and was unprepared for my ability to avoid hitting any of my colour when the white ball was surrounded by them. Quite a few times I think he potted the white just to give me a fighting chance, but always denied it. A few hours later, I had to run off to a lecture. George, again being a gentleman, walked me all the way across campus, and we had a quick hug and said our goodbyes. All in all, a lovely date with a very nice guy, but as a confirmed bachelorette, I don’t think I’ll be agreeing to a second date!

Madame

To me it seems there is only one option in this situation: request a ménage-à-trois and if he and/or she declines, keep smiling through the pain and pretend it was all a joke. You need to realise your friendship will be ruined by this if you tell him. Never again will he be able to show you the crotch or the crack without a seconds thought while edging between the sofa and the television, any extra kisses you put on his texts will be misconstrued and you can forget late night McDonalds drive thrus. His girlfriend will hate you too because he’ll obviously have to tell her. She’ll restrict how much time you spend together and never will she believe you’re only playing Fifa. You won’t just drift apart; he dump you off the end of the jet ski and leave you to the sharks. Find yourself a nice, single, actually gay guy instead and stop pining over something you can’t have.

#15 Meet the parents Pamela Mardle Columnist

Now, you know this isn’t a fling when the casual plus one train ticket to his home town is slipped in amongst his numerous recent transactions. It’s time to meet the parents. That’s the terrifying thing with Uni relationships: the naturally daunting and somewhat over-formal ritual of the first parents’ evening. Most first meetings would take place in a mutual space - perhaps a relaxed chat on the sidelines on a Sunday morning or a fleeting visit on your way out for dinner. Whilst University provides many cushions along the journey of life, this is where it ultimately fails. Instead of these informal yet undeniably awkward meetings, we are catapulted into at least a weekend of potentially cringe-making situations. 72 hours of small talk and fixed smiles later, a large dose of slobbishness seems the only appropriate anti-dote when you return to your lovingly unkempt student digs. The reciprocated invite to your parents’ house is of course obligatory and this can provide just as many uncomfortable moments. Of course, women will always be a little girl in their father’s eyes and the idea of her co-snoozing with a boy (God forbid) is clearly horrifying. Hence the embarrassing memory of my dad ‘helping with the luggage’ - purposefully carting his rucksack out my room to the opposite side of the house, joking that he must have got lost. I think my mum drew the line at dad training a male-hating Doberman especially for the occasion. I am not a nightmare when it comes to meeting the parents, in fact I was practically part of the furniture by the fourth visit (which perhaps explains why the relationship came to an end due to lack of enthusiasm). I just think that the nerve-wracking situations in which his parents assess you and all your potential downfalls (I swear his mum once sneakily checked my clothes’ labels guising it as a kiss to ensure I was classy enough for her son) should be kept to a relaxed minimum. Staying for the weekend means that much-needed Dutch courage will unavoidably result in their first pre-lunch impression consisting of you nursing a thumping head and making every excuse possible to avoid sitting at the breakfast table. I guess the only thing to do is date a Geordie and pray you have enough money left for a taxi home at the end of the night.

Life & Style

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Life

life

Join Me on the Bridge: We say yes, yes we can, rights for women in Afghanistan Celebrating the centenary of International Women’s Day, Kat Bannon joined the Women for Women International Society on the Millennium Bridge to make a stand for women in war-torn countries across the globe On Tuesday March 8, over 80 students and members of the public gathered at Gateshead Millennium Bridge as part of the global Join Me on the Bridge campaign, marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The event, as part of the Women for Women International organization, was a call for an end to violence in conflict zones, originally conceived by women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda as a sign of solidarity that has now brought together thousands of women and men on four continents. The Join Me on the Bridge campaign first began in 2010, when WFWI led a global gathering in which over 20,000 people took part, with 119 events in 19 countries. This year’s has proved itself even bigger and better, with over 300 events being hosted across the world. Headed by Newcastle University’s Women for Women International Society, the North East event began at the University’s Fine Art Café. Supporters gathered to eagerly sign the petition, collect wristbands, balloons, whistles and flags, as well as have their faces painted with the increasingly more prevalent Join me on the Bridge logo, visually displaying their belief in what the campaign represents. Food and drink were on offer, and the sense of unity amongst the variety of people present, brought together under a single cause, was extremely powerful. As one of only two male committee members and chief of the megaphone, Nile Amos commented that: “The message that [WFWI] is portraying is too important for just women to say. It needs to be said by everybody; by all works, genders, races and ages. The issue is something very real; that very much still exists today.” The group then gathered outside with banners held high to make the march down Northumberland Street and on to the Quayside towards the Millennium Bridge. With hearty cheering and whistle blowing, the group grabbed the attention of many passers-by on their way to the Tyne, their aim to raise awareness clearly met as they were wished luck on their way. Handed glow sticks to visually symbolise peace and hope by illuminating the bridge, they also illuminated the cause as they waved

them high above their heads in the evening darkness. Connecting Newcastle to Gateshead, the bridge stood as a striking symbol of unity for those women suffering the devastating effects of their war-torn countries. Four of the 10 organisers of the event, Maudie Oppenheim, Jessica Roberson, Freya Marks and Lucy Stewart, then took to the megaphone, congratulating and thanking the group for their involvement and narrating both the aims and achievements of the cause. The celebrations then continued in The Cumberland Arms. After the event, head organiser

Maudie Oppenheim happily stated: “It’s amazing how many people have come down. This is after all a global event, and to have everyone involved at such a critical time in the changing of the Afghanistan government really proves we can make a difference. “Those organising have done such an amazing job, it makes me so proud to have been involved and to be a student of Newcastle University.” A parallel event, which took place on London’s Millennium Bridge, included Annie Lennox, a forerunner of the charity, as well as actresses Cherie Lunghi and Michelle Ryan.

Events also took place on the Great Wall of China, across the USA and by women in conflict damaged countries such as Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

There can be no peace without women The focus is on women because, in representing 70 per cent of the world’s poorest people, women bear a disproportionate burden of the world’s poverty. During and after conflict, it is women who are particularly vulnerable to violence and exploitation, becoming victims of torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution and mutilation, as reported by the UN. Approximately 70 per cent of casualties in recent conflicts are women and children.

During and after conflict it is women who are particularly vulnerable to violence and exploitation, becoming victims of torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution and mutilation

Supporters expressed their dedication to the cause by signing petitions and banners

In contrast, 60 per cent of the world’s work is performed by women, but they earn less than 10 per cent of the world’s income. In war, women’s burdens get worse as they often lose the protection of a husband, and suffer rights violations as well as violence. In war a woman’s voice remains absent from negotiations, her needs remain on the margins of development and investment in women remains inadequate. Yet, women can bring resilience, protection to their families and the inspiration to rebuild fractured communities, which is what the work of both WFWI and the Join Me on the Bridge campaign is giving them the opportunity for. WFWI believes these women can move from victim to survivor to active citizen, and this is what they hope to achieve for as many victims of conflict and violence in war-shaken countries as possible. When women are in a position in which they can sustain a stable

Over 80 students and members of the public gathe

income and have a feeling of wellbeing with strong social networks and safety nets, they become better decision makers and are in a much stronger position to advocate their rights. In some countries the devastating impact of war in recent years has led to atrocities such as rape, torture and violence against women to become commonplace. Women for Women International wants to bring a stop to this violence towards women and give them the opportunity to create better lives for themselves; a life in which they can have their say.

Women of Afghanistan Although calling for an end to violence towards women in war-shattered countries across the globe, the particular focus of this campaign is the effects of conflict in Afghanistan - one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. Left uneducated, ill-informed and unaware, the women of Afghanistan are currently having their rights bargained away as new laws are passed by the Karzai government which jeopardise women’s rights. Those who impose these injustices live in fear for their lives. WFWI is supporting women so they can gain the skills and confidence needed to play a full part in rebuilding their communities and raising their voice so that they are no longer silent or passive victims. Around 100 Afghan women last

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Life

Life & Style

The Penny Pincher #15 Days Out Sarah Bennett Columnist

ered on Newcastle’s Millennium Bridge holding glowsticks to illuminate both the bridge and the campaign to end conflict and violence to which women are particularly vulnerable

week stood on a bridge in Kabul to take a stand on two fronts: Firstly, to demand a seat on the High Peace Council, known as ‘the Jirga’. As it currently stands, only 10 of its 70 members are women. Neither is it an independent council, but a body dominated by Karzai appointees doled out through bribes and favours. Hence the Jirga is negotiating with the Taliban at the expense of basic women’s rights.

Left uneducated, ill-informed and unaware, the women of Afghanistan are currently having their rights bargained away as new laws are passed by the Karzai government which jeopardise women’s rights. Through the Join Me on the Bridge campaign, women and men across the country are demanding that women play an equal role in a building a peaceful Afghanistan. Also, women are standing together to oppose a new law being presented by the Karzai government that will decentralise the justice system in order for individual cases to be settled by local Jirgas. Afghanistan holds a mainly rural population, and so this perilous law would further marginalise the rights of women, as the major infractions they suffer often reside in local councils and

‘tradition’. Since the Taliban was overthrown 10 years ago, the Afghan women’s movement has become fragmented, despite an initial hope for change. Through paralleling their display of solidarity internationally, those involved in the Join Me on the Bridge campaign can strengthen their resolve and build bridges of peace in Afghanistan. Among the participates and graduates of the WFWI program in Afghanistan: • 94 per cent report improvements in their physical health • 88 per cent are actively participating in key household decisions • 94 per cent train and mentor other women in their community • 83 per cent are earning an income In comparing this to the 1 per cent of girls in rural communities who attend school and the high 79 per cent of women who are illiterate in Afghanistan, the profound effects of WFWI programs are obvious, which is why they should continue to merit our support.

Women for Women International Established in 1993 Women for Women International has helped and given hope to more than 299,000 women survivors of war and conflict. It aims to not only raise

awareness of the plights of women in war-torn countries, but to change their lives for the better by setting long term goals rather than just short term solutions. By providing them with the tools and resources to move them from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, they have thereby promoted viable civil societies. The charity follows a year-long program of direct aid, rights education, jobs skills training and small business development. Their aim is to change the world one woman at a time, as each woman served has her own individual story to tell. Some tragic tales of loved ones murdered, others’ physical and emotional trauma and further still, some having endured a struggle for survival. However, without the backing of a global community of dedicated staff, volunteers, generous donors, and supporters, Women for Women International could not provide direct financial and emotional aid. Founder Zainab Salbi has received many awards for her work. This includes the 2010 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award She was honoured by former President Bill Clinton for her work in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993 and was also nominated by Clinton as one of the Harper’s Bazaar 21st Century Heroines to honour her actions, faith and determination in making a difference. The following testimonies are from two women who have been able to turn their lives around for the better,

thanks to the work of Women for Women International and the Join Me on the Bridge campaign:

Fatima Mushinga Fatima Mushinga was an unmarried and abandoned woman living in DRC with no source to support her brother and sister, let alone herself. In 2005, she joined the WFWI program; it helped her learn to read and write, and the training she received in ceramics has enabled her to earn a monthly income of $100 after nine months. However, most importantly she claims : “My life has totally improved and my future is filled with smiles.”

Azada At 14, Azada was married to an abusive husband. After bearing two daughters she wondered how she would ever escape. Finally her father agreed she should divorce, and she lived with him in Pakistan, until the Taliban fell in 2001. Upon her return to Kabul with her family, Azada enrolled in WFWI’s sponsorship program and learned to cut semi-precious stones for jewellery. Now she teaches other women the skills she acquired and considers her certificate of employment her most prized possession: “I never thought that I would have the opportunity to support myself without a man,” Azada says. “Now, I am doing it!”

Who’s beginning to think about the Easter holidays already, and possibly trying to ignore all the work that you might have to do? I know they’re weeks away, but it’s worth starting to plan as there are several penny-pinching ideas to help you make the most of the four week break. Animals, culture and thrill seeking can all be done on a budget: Edinburgh Zoo - as mentioned on the Penny Pincher Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, if you visit Edinburgh Zoo before April 8, you can book tickets online beforehand for just £10. Theme Parks – These are a similar story, you can prebook tickets to all the major theme parks at reduced rates: - At Alton Towers you can save 20 per cent compared to the on-theday ticket. - Thorpe Park opens again this week and you can buy tickets for £12 less than the walk-up admission charge. However, if there’s a group of you, you could get up to 50 per cent off the normal ticket charge. - Booking online to go to Chessington saves around £10 off the walk up admission price. Visit www.moneysavingexpert. com/deals/cheap-theme-parks for even more theme park deals. The Money Saving Expert website also has a lot of other deals for various cheap days out, including places like Sea Life Centres, the Dungeons (in various locations) and also some cinema chains regularly appear on the site. If you haven’t done so already, sign up for their weekly newsletter, which keeps you up to date with all the latest offers. And a penny pinching success: So I’ve not had a good week with technology. My laptop has decided to give up the ghost. However, I did receive a new bit of technological kit in the post. My free npower home energy monitor arrived recently, and I hoped that it would show my housemates and I what electricity we were using. After setting it up, we could see what electricity we were using on the ‘speedometer’ – cue running around the house turning all the lights on, not very environmentally friendly, but we had to check it worked! After this, we were able to add our tariff and then set a target for the week, either the approximate amount of electricity used, or the cost of the electricity used. We can also check how much has been used today, yesterday or in the past week. It’s a pretty cool gadget, easy to use and has good screen, only costing 1.2p a month to run. However, I think it will take a bit more data to see what our average use over a month is, and to work out whether it’s of any help – so a cool gadget, but a novelty none the less. I haven’t found anywhere yet, but if anyone does find somewhere I can get a brand new laptop absolutely free, I would be most grateful! facebook.com/pennypincher

Lifestyle

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Health

health

Is it time to do something amazing?

Statistics show that four per cent of the population give blood. Sarah Bennett discusses the importance of donating According to the National Blood Service, 96 per cent of us rely on the other 4 per cent to give blood. Which group do you belong to? Once you turn 17, you have the chance to give blood for the ﬁrst time. I remember having the presentation at school, and despite there being no needles present, several of my friends had to leave the room because they felt faint. Now, we’re not daft, we know that needles play a major role in the removal of blood from our bodies, but it’s a small price to pay to help improve, or even save, another person’s life. Sickle cell anaemia is one of many blood disorders which can be helped by blood transfusion. Sufferers of this disease need blood transfusions every four weeks to keep their haemoglobin levels healthy, and this cannot happen without people donating regularly. We all have different types of blood; some (like the blood group O negative) are universal and can be given to anybody, which is especially important in emergencies, where ﬁnding out the patient’s blood group would waste valuable time.

Sickle cell anaemia is one of many blood disorders helped by transfusions. However, it is always best to give a patient the exact blood group so stocks are always needed. I’m not going to lie, I’m very squeamish about needles and have a lot further to fall down than most girls if I faint, but that’s not stopped me giving blood. In fact, I think it’s spurred me on to overcome my fears. At a donation, you will give 470ml of blood, no more than 13 percent of the volume of blood in our bodies. This will quickly be replaced by your body, as red blood cells are created at a rate of around two million

Maria Moffatt tests the ‘GI’ diet. Weight before: 9 stone 2 pounds Weight after: 9 stone 2 pounds

Save a life: The Donor Team come onto campus fairly regularly, but there’s also a National Donation Centre just behind Castle

per second! However, due to the Blood Service wanting you to give the best blood you can give, you’re only allowed to donate every 16 weeks, so that’s three times a year. That’s not much of a commitment at all and not that many times to have a needle stuck in you. When you donate, you are asked a few health questions to make sure that you are a suitable donor, and also well enough to donate. There is a health questionnaire form which you have to discuss with one of the donor carers, and also a nurse if it’s relevant, but just like going to the doctors, it’s confidential. Once you are deemed fit and healthy to give, the carers then take a drop of blood from your fingertip, to check your iron and haemoglobin levels. If they are not high enough, you would risk making yourself anaemic, and donation is not meant to affect you in any way. The best way

to pass this small test is to make sure you eat and drink enough before donating, to be in the best health possible. If you’re haemoglobin levels pass, you are then taken to the donation bed and led down to begin donating. You are constantly monitored by the carers and, should you feel unwell at any point during the donation, tell them and they can help you. The best bit comes at the end of donation; once you’ve been disconnected and given a plaster over the donation site, you get force-fed squash and biscuits! The carers want to make sure that you are in good health after the donation, so they want you to stick around and stuff your face to make sure. If you do feel faint, they will lie you back down on a bed until you feel ok again. So why do it? To replace donors who can no

longer give, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) must recruit 250,000 new donors every year to collect around 7,000 units of blood a day. Blood stocks can fall very low, and at www.blood.co.uk you can check how long the stocks will last unless more is donated regularly. They are also desperate for more O negative donors. The Donor Team come onto campus fairly regularly, but we’re also lucky enough to have a National Centre just behind Castle Leazes where you can donate, plus if you type your postcode into the website you can look at upcoming donation sessions in your area. There’s also the chance to register as a donor online, both for blood and to be on the organ donor register, another very important part of the NHSBT. So why not overcome your own fear and give someone you don’t know a second chance at life?

Give Zumba a go: Shake and shimmy yourself ﬁt

Lauren Girling and Fran Infante head on down to St. George’s Church, Jesmond, to try a spot of Zumba... It all started when one of the subeditors came into The Courier ofﬁce, raving about how energised she felt after her exercise class. Intrigued to discover more, we did some research into the newest society to hit the University and realised it was a lot more than just an exercise class. It emerged that we had stumbled upon the exciting world of Zumba. Combining Latin and international music as well as popular songs, Zumba uses a few simple dance steps to create an exciting routine, accessible to people of any level of ﬁtness or any dancing ability. With the latter sentiments in mind, we could already see the headline: “Fran and Lauren take on Zumba: Editor and fashion editor get stuck in” and we were dreading being exposed as numpties with no co-ordination. However, upon arrival at St George’s church hall in Jesmond, we were greeted by the founder of the society, Megan, who explained her

Maria’s diet diary

Shake your tail feather: Lauren and Fran take on Newcastle University’s newest society

motives for setting up the society as “a means of promoting Zumba to students” as “it’s such a fun way to keep ﬁt, you barely feel you’re exercising.” This promise seemed to follow through as we laughed, whether it was nervously or otherwise, all the way through the hour-long

class. It may have been the heating being on in the church hall in March or the Zumba itself but we certainly worked up a sweat. Half-way through the class, Fran felt that it was “editor’s prerogative” to take pictures and videos of Lauren, strutting her stuff at the back of

the class. For some unbeknown reason, everyone lets go of their inhibitions once the music comes on. During the rehydration pauses, we managed to mingle with the other class-members. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just members of the society in attendance. There were a number of women from the community, as Megan and the other society members wanted to make the classes accessible to all. One member, Jennifer, came to the class after running a pensioner’s luncheon in the church hall. Once we’d wiped away the sweat and tears of embarrassment, we began thinking about how good we felt after ‘shaking our booties.’ We realised that Zumba is an amazing way to relax and keep fit; it’s also a great activity for people of all ages and fitness levels. Or at the very least, it was a very different way to spend an afternoon away from The Courier office.

The GI diet: no restrictions imposed but maybe this is why it wasn’t successful. The key is to eat lots of foods with a lower GI. Medium GI foods are okay, while higher GI foods are still allowed but not as often. A cup of tea and a bowl of Special K (low GI) or croissant was what breakfast consisted of, which suited me just ﬁne. Lunch included sandwiches, crisps and a shortbread biscuit (medium GI) or a piece of fruit. Having no limits on what foods I could eat, snacks were easily accessible. Evening meals was where I ate lower GI foods: I ate lots of green beans, sweetcorn and other vegetables and put these together with salmon and philidelphia or the chicken, tomato and basil I created for the Stone Age diet. Although these don’t sound the most delicious foods to eat, I liked the balance of eating lots of healthy foods while also being allowed something sweet. I didn’t get sick of the diet and experienced very few cravings as there were a variety of foods to choose from; I could feel healthy eating lots of fruit and vegetables while also enjoying snacks and treats such as milk chocolate, crisps and shortbread. For me, it was an easy diet as it meant I ate pretty much the same as I usually do. With moderated amounts of milk chocolate on the lower GI menu you can still satisfy your sweet tooth, and for those with a taste for savoury foods, crisps are on there too. It is not effective for those wanting to lose weight unless you made some adjustments to the diet so that you ate all lower GI foods but at that point you’re just simply eating healthy. In this diet don’t expect all the pounds to drop off immediately. It’s not a quick and easy solution for losing weight but keeps you in good stead for the long-term; long-term, I imagine, it is one of the easiest diets to stick to. My advice would just be to eat healthy and allow yourself those tasty treats when you fancy rather than thinking about what is higher or lower GI. A diet for maintaining your weight, not losing it.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Food and Drink

Secco, 86 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle 0191 2300444

A special treat: Secco serves high quality food and drink in a classically ornate setting

from, is supposed to be gorgeous! The wine was really tasty, really strong but almost too easy to drink. There was quite a lot of choice on the menu , loads of pasta dishes, a few meat and a couple of veggie. For the starter I opted for my all time favourite, pan-seared scallops. They were served with beetroot

purée and salad and my boyfriend chose the ox tongue starter which also came with a salad. The scallops were cooked to perfection and were well seasoned and I have to admit my boyfriend enjoyed them even more than I did. He chose the ox tongue which was rich and well cooked. It was something I would

never have gone for but I decided to try a bit and it was actually really nice. The portion sizes were extremely generous and after the starters we were both wondering how we’d manage the rest of our meal! We soon got over it when our mains arrived. For his main my boyfriend had the stuffed shoulder of lamb which every man in the restaurant seemed to be ordering! He said it was really tender and the servings of roast potatoes and carrots were tasty. I chose the four cheese polenta with mushrooms and spinach which was delicious. The service was great and the waitresses waited until after we’d ﬁnished eating to ask if we’d enjoyed it - which was good because it bypassed all the awkwardness of trying to explain you’re enjoying what you’re eating with your mouth still full. The only snag was the dessert menu which only had six choices. However, we still found something to pick from between the tiramisu and the numerous ice cream ﬂavours - and we were not disappointed! I ate the walnut ice cream and my boyfriend had the chocolate cake with ricotta. Both were top notch. Secco is not the sort of place you’d go to if you were on a budget or out for an impromptu meal. However, the environment and quality of food is well worth shelling out for on a special date or occasion – or when your parents are paying! Jessica Bean

That’s amore: Georgie Davies shows her appreciation for Italian Food Italian food is a necessary staple in student’s lives. Who doesn’t turn to pasta or pizza for a quick and easy meal? Italian food really has taken the world by storm. In the restaurant world, Italian cuisine has become the most popular in the world. It is most definitely my cuisine of choice, so here are some of my favourite Italian recipes to get your mouths watering. Let’s start with one of my all time favourite pasta dishes: Linguini Carbonara, a simple recipe that will serve you well for many a future supper. Take one shallot, finely chopped, and add to a frying pan over a medium heat with a knob of butter. Next, finely chop two garlic cloves and transfer them to the pan, along with six rashers of smoked, streaky bacon, chopped into small slices. Cook for about 10-15minutes until the bacon is crisp and the onions are soft and golden then turn off the heat and set to one side. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of boiling water to the boil, and tip in 250g of linguini. Whilst the pasta is cooking, it’s time to make the sauce. Pour 100ml of single cream into a bowl and crack in a large egg, add 30g of grated Parmesan and season well with black pepper (but not too much salt, as both the bacon and the parmesan are salty), before beating the whole lot together. When the pasta is cooked (follow packet instructions), drain it and transfer back into the pan, retaining a little of the starchy cooking liquid to loosen the sauce. With the

Lifestyle

food & drink

review

My boyfriend and I were famished by the time we arrived so it was a good thing that Secco was easy to get to, being just a couple of minutes away from the Tyneside Cinema and the number one bus stop. After climbing two ﬂights of stairs we reached the restaurant area - the climb was deﬁnitely worth it! There was a bar to the left and the wallpaper was a gorgeous turquoise paisley design which looked pretty impressive in the light from the chandeliers. A friendly waitress took our coats and led us to our table. I wished I’d dressed up a little bit more as most of the other diners were quite dressy (a tux would be over the top though!). There was a very relaxed atmosphere with tons of interesting things to look at such as an antique-y looking display cabinet and loads of vintage bottles of vino. Although the tables are quite close together, there was still a sense of privacy. We ordered a red wine from the menu – neither of us know loads about wine but the Puglia region of Italy, which is where the wine is

Student friendly: Pizza, pasta and pesto are foods that are healthy and easy to make.

pan off the heat (so the egg doesn’t scramble!) add the onion and bacon mixture to the pasta as well as the cream, egg and parmesan mixture, stir everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Scatter with fresh Parmesan to serve. Another great accompaniment to pasta is pesto; it can, however, be used for so many other dishes too. It makes a delicious marinade for chicken or mixed into a dressing for salad, swirled through soup, or as a welcome addition to a potato salad. There is nothing as good as freshly made pesto! For a basic, but divinely delicious basil pesto, put a frying pan on a low heat and add 30g of pine nuts until they are just

colouring and you are hit with a strong nutty aroma. Transfer these to a food processor, along with 50g of basil, 30g of freshly grated Parmesan and one clove of garlic. Whizz everything together; slowly add around 80ml of olive oil until you reach the desired consistency and season with salt and pepper. Alternatively, grind everything to a paste in a pestle and mortar. This delicious green goodness will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. To make a red pesto, swap the basil for sundried tomatoes or grilled red peppers and chili. I couldn’t write an article on Italian food without giving a special mention to the prized pizza. In

my house, homemade pizza is an ever-anticipated treat, and with the luxury of a bread-maker the dough is easy to make. However, pizza dough can also be very quick and easy to make by hand, resulting in a delicious homemade pizza. Take 200g of plain flour (you could also use strong white flour here, which lots of recipes recommend for a lighter, crisper base), and mix with ½ a tablespoon of dried yeast, a pinch of salt and a pinch of caster sugar. Pour in 125ml of lukewarm water and a dash of olive oil and mix everything together, (this can be done in a food processor). Remove the dough from the bowl and knead with your hands for about ten minutes, place the dough in a bowl (oiled to prevent sticking) and cover with a tea towel then set to one side for about half an hour. During this time you can get the toppings ready. I like to use a good passata for the tomato topping as well as torn up chunks of mozzarella; you can then add whatever your like. Once the dough has been proving for around 30minutes, its time to stretch it out (you can do this with a rolling pin or with your hands). Once you’ve stretched the dough out into the desired shape and size, transfer it to a baking tray that has been sprinkled with flour. Now spread a good few tablespoons of passata over the base, and add your preferred toppings before cooking in an oven preheated to 220°C for around 15-20minutes. Before serving, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. What better way to dine in true Italiano style?

compare the market

Nicole Stevenson eats her way through the nation’s favourite dessert... 7/10 Haagen-Dazs: Pralines and Cream: £3 This is a perfect sweet vanilla taste and the surprising clusters of caramel and pecan nuts are deﬁnitely worth the wait. This is strictly comfort food, as suggested by the calorie content.

10/10 Cornetto Classic: £1 for four It’s crunchy on top, chocolaty inside and purely lickaliscious. The beneﬁt of this is that you know when to stop, instead of getting carried away in a pint of ice-cream.

6/10: Carte D’Or Rum and Raisin: £2.97 For half the price and twice the amount of the upmarket HaagenDazs, this is equally satisfying. Raisins are often a debatable ingredient, so the taste-appeal isn’t there for everyone’s buds.

3/10 Solero Exotic: £2 for three.

Sour more than sweet, It screams desperate with its variety of fruit ﬂavours (all natural) – passion fruit, mango and peach. On the plus side, it only has 99 calories.

Lifestyle

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Travel

travel

The world’s most dangerous places - or are they? Best Charlie Thomas discovers the hidden beauty of some potentially dangerous destinations: Rwanda, Colombia and Israel

of Britain Rosanna Choi takes a trip to Windermere

Mountain Gorillas: Only found in Rwanda, Uganda and The Congo, these friendly beasts ensure it will be a worthwhile visit, and can be spotted in Parc National des Volcans

For those of you out there who are keen travellers, I am sure you have heard the following words at least once, ‘oooooh I wouldn’t go there, it’s far too dangerous.’ Family and friends, concerned for your wellbeing, try and persuade you not to visit a particular country, its reputation damaged from years of either civil war or drug cartels or being caught in the firing line of natural disasters, to name but a few. But for those people willing to get out there and explore such countries, putting the negative images aside and maintaining a sense of perspective en route, they are very rarely disappointed at what they discover. As I sat on the shores of Lake Victoria last summer and watched a rich and vibrant red sun set slowly over Africa’s largest lake, I plotted the next step of my journey across East Africa eagerly. I had reached the town of Mwanza in northern Tanzania and decided that instead of taking the easier option of heading further north into Uganda, I would go east and into Rwanda. Nestled between Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Rwanda is a tiny country, unfortunately remembered only for one thing; The Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which over one million people, the majority of them from the Tutsi tribe, lost their life in 100 days of bloodshed. Once in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, I received an email from my godmother, her concern for me obvious; “I hear you’re in Rwanda Charlie! Why?! Please be careful!” But she need not have worried. Her image of this country was no doubt formed by the events which took place in 1994 and from watch-

ing the highly acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda, which recounts the epic tale of Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of The Hôtel des Mille Collines, and how he managed to shelter over a thousand refugees at his hotel during the genocide. But the genocide occurred 17 years ago and times have changed. Rwanda, known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’, has a stunning and dramatic landscape. The locals are friendly people and although they will never ever forget the horrific events which took place in 1994, they look to the future optimistically, and are glad that you as a traveller have made the effort to come and discover their homeland. What’s more, in Parc National des Volcans, lie the country’s crown jewels - mountain gorillas - who only reside in Rwanda, Uganda and The Congo. Having the chance to spend an hour up close and personal with

these giant, yet friendly human-like creatures is an unforgettable experience and one that I would encourage every traveller who dares to visit Rwanda to do. You won’t regret it. Colombia is another country which a mere thought of sends shivers down people’s spines. As soon as the country is mentioned, people immediately think of drug cartels, kidnappings, the FARC and other guerrilla groups. But since the introduction of Plan Colombia in the late 1990s, the government has successfully driven violence away from the cities and main tourist routes, and brought peace to most of Colombia. Of course, you should still exert caution and have your wits about you when travelling through the country, but you should do that in any country you visit. Anyone who finds themselves in South America should definitely include Colombia on their itinerary.

Parque Nacional Tayrona: The beautiful beaches are Columbia’s best kept secrets

On the Caribbean coast, be sure to visit Parque Nacional Tayrona and spend your day relaxing, soaking up the sun rays on one of the parks many deserted, golden sand beaches before cooling off in the turquoise blue waters. Or wander the cobbled streets of the colonial town of Cartegena and ‘rumbear hasta que el cuerpo aguante’ - Spanish for frolic until you drop - during carnival in Barranquilla. For the more adventurous people out there, trek deep into the dense jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the archaeological site of the ancient city of Ciudad Perdida, belonging to the Tayrona people. Everyone who comes back from a trip to Colombia raves about the country; so brush up on your Spanish and head out there as soon as possible before the secret concerning this country is no longer a secret. Slightly closer to home is the country of Israel. Ever since Israel officially came into existence in 1948, peace in the Holy Land has been a rare occurrence. Yet despite a tragic and turbulent past, words that can also easily be used to describe the country’s current state, Israel is definitely a place worth visiting with a whole host of things to do. If it’s partying which you are searching for, look no further than the vibrant city of Tel Aviv, a direct flight away with Easyjet from London Luton airport. Spend the day on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea and then, come the evening, party the night away like a true Tel Avivan. But don’t forget to immerse yourself in the cities of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Galilee and Nazareth, all of which are steeped in history. Whatever you decide to do you will find it extremely rewarding.

Embrace the glorious English outdoors in true form by visiting the Lake District; taking just over two hours to drive from Newcastle. It’s the perfect mini-break for the weekend and will leave you refreshed for the week ahead. Bowness-On-Windermere is one of the most touristy spots in the Lake District with many a literature-lover coming to revel in the scenery that inspired Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons and Beatrix Potter’s famous children novels. Revisit childhood stories about Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny and Jemima Puddleduck by visiting The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. All twentythree tales are exquisitely brought to life, making you feel like you’re really in Mrs.Tiggy-Winkle’s kitchen or by Jeremy Fisher’s pond. With a coffee shop selling food grown from their own Mr McGregor’s garden, this really is a cosy stop. The main attraction is definitely the lake. Windermere has the largest natural lake in England and for £27 you can hire a luxury electric boat for an hour and, adorned in Helly Hanson lifejackets, take to the water! Or if you don’t want to be in control of your destination on the water, then what about a lake cruise? You can take your pick as different colour cruises correspond to different routes around the water. They even have a ‘Park & Sail’ where you can park your car then travel on the cruise, stopping off at different towns around the lake to explore! Also, by booking your cruise tickets online you can benefit from exclusive savings and discounts! If the sun is on your side, then you could venture off with a picnic basket for a short walk. There are so many walks, all varying in length and gradient depending on how expert a walker you are. Most of the walks are created to provide you with stunning views of the lake, mountains or hidden waterfalls so be sure to take your camera! You aren’t limited for choice in Bowness-on-Windermere for food, as they have everything from quaint little bakeries to mainstream Greggs. However, if you’ve worked up a hearty appetite do not fear! There is a cultural mix of Chinese, Tandoori, Spanish Tapas, Thai, Italian and English restaurants. Round it all off at the 32 ice-creamflavours shop and you will feel like you are well and truly on holiday!

Windermere: A popular UK tourist spot

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

From football to fancy, welcome to the men’s shirts special > Pages 20 & 21

Galliano: when controversy hits Dior

Clare Slipper looks at how careers can be ended as a result of a few rather unwise remarks Opening any news website or fashion blog last week, it was hard to avoid an excess of reporting on the dramatic dismissal of John Galliano as the Creative Designer of Dior. The uproar has come in the wake of a video posted on a tabloid website which showed John Galliano allegedly slurring racist and anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken altercation in a Parisian bar at the end of last month. Galliano has since issued a profuse apology, yet his fate is to be decided in the French courts in the coming months. But who calls the shots on the future of Galliano’s reputation? Since the scandal erupted last week he has been slammed by media commentaries and (former) worshippers alike. Not to mention his very public dismissal from his job as top designer for the prestigious LVMH brand, where he was recognised as the Pied Piper of fashion followers globally. It cannot be denied that Galliano is an eccentric; it is this ﬂair, projected into his quite brilliant work, which determined the longevity and esteemed recognition of his career. However for me, whether his alleged rant was an act of extreme ‘eccentricity’, racism, or a complete loss of touch with reality, he will remain guilty until proven crazy. Indeed, this dramatic fall from grace from the top of the fashion hierarchy has shaken the foundations not just of the fashion world, but of wider society itself. Debates over politically-correct

released to the public. For example, how many column inches have been devoted to Mel Gibson and his alleged psychotic rants? And wider than this, what of the controversies in popular music – words, phrases, connotations, threats – which are sure to offend the lay listener every time such music is played? A paradox emerges here: where does the line between freedom of speech stop and extreme offence begin? Please allow me to stress that I abhor the content of the allegations that have been made against John Galliano. Indeed, should his trial be made as public as his sacking has been, perhaps he should be made an example of. This said, it appears to me that much of these seemingly common controversies are taken in the stride of the public, and as long as the high-proﬁle perpetrators receive a media-beating (and, quite often, a stint in rehab to boot) then the public conscience and attention moves on to the next big thing. If this is the case, it remains to be seen whether or not Galliano will eventually ﬁnd his way back – eccentric Russian Cossack hat in hand – on to the catwalks.

Web Exclusive The internet video that started it all: his fate uncertain at present, John Galliano will face a trial later on in the year for his comments

statements are always present in fashion as the size zero debate

never ceases to rear its head. Other high-proﬁle ﬁgures, too, have been

publicly denounced following contentious actions which have been

Check out www.thecourieronline.co.uk/fashion for more articles and photos

Bold and beautiful: colour your life this season

Victoria Mole uncovers bold prints and bright colours on the catwalks of Spring/Summer 2011 CATWALKING.COM

Bold brights: Proenza and Jil Sander show that Spring/Summer is all about being bold

Spring/Summer 2011 is waving goodbye to ditsy print and pastel colours from a yacht off the coast of the Seychelles…this season’s trends are transporting the high street right to the tropics! Say sayonara to smokey eyes and get ready to take makeup risks with more splashes of colour in your eye shadow and prepare your pout for the pool-side cocktails with lipstick (taking the reigns back from lip gloss) in natural berry shades. The styles for this season are based on summer lifestyle! There are lots of 80s influences behind the latest catwalk shows, particularly Prada, and the general consensus is that fashion is to be flowing and carefree. The looks that are in at the moment are perfect for looking fresh, fierce and effortlessly chic for all the music festivals up ahead. There’s never been a better time to don the bright wellies and the casually colourful - looking ahead in fashion for 2011 is like looking through a kaleidoscope. The new ‘must’ for updating your wardrobe is to invest in block-col-

oured pieces. Blocking is perfect for the recent fashion phenomenon sectioning, recently utilised by designers such as Jill Sander. Sectioning off different parts of your outﬁt in block colours is perfect for highlighting certain parts of your body and now colours that the fashionconscious would never put together (orange and pink, green and red…) are making a striking impression on the fashion scene, being used by the likes of Prada and Verus. Blocking can make an even bolder statement when your garment is a one-piece; that block coloured playsuit or dress will become a summer staple this year - think fruity colours! If it’s in the rainbow - wear it. These are particularly stunning paired with chunky accessories, which as well as encompassing the 80s spirit in conjunction with this season, have the power to make you appear even more delicate and add a sparkle with attitude to an essentially ‘plain’ ensemble. There is sectioning yourself apart and then embracing Spring/Sum-

mer 2011’s alter ego: camouflage. This is the one time that fashion will ever tell you to blend into anything! The concept is to dress as though you are trying to blend into a summer scene, floral fascinators can no longer be too gaudy- your summer buys should make you feel like a butterfly. In Proenza’s new line there are patterns reminiscent of tropical fish and with the recent decline of ditsy print, Chanel and Paul & Joe are making a comeback with over-sized floral patterns. Lanvin are even introducing leaf patterns for a more understated take on this trend. Whether Prada’s Hawaiian-style colours and striped garments are to your taste or you’re in love with Louis Vuitton’s jungleesque designs, it is undeniable that this year’s fashion industry is heating up. Whatever you purchase this year for the long-anticipated summer holidays remember that the main rule to looking fabulous is to keep it fun in bold and bright blocking and prints - welcome to summer 2011.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Fashion Menswear special

Shirt Style

Getting down and shirty: are footballers

Fashion explores the unchartered territory of the footballer as Katie Henry gives an account look at who makes male fashion choices whilst Rosanna Sopp ventures into the controversial So after freezing our toes off watching the team get muddy on the pitch, it was now time to see how well they could scrub up off the pitch. To begin with the task proved to be fairly difficult, with the testosterone fuelled team using the opportunity of a photo shoot to have a few laughs and throw around some friendly banter. As two girls out on the pitch, it was difficult to give direction to the team of outspoken males - especially when guys were being de-kegged and balls were flying everywhere (no pun intended, honest). Perhaps it was because there were fewer distractions, but once we moved into the changing rooms, the

lads seemed to start taking the shoot a little more seriously. Voicing their suggestions for poses, the boys really got stuck in and seemed keen to have their photos taken in the smart shirts. After a little tomfoolery in the showers, the guys soon settled down, resulting in some strong poses and great photos. It’s safe to say that these guys were up for a laugh, but even so, they managed to prove that as well as being red-blooded, football playing, banter giving lads, they could also scrub up to be stylish sophisticated guys.

The football shirt - the symbol of male Britain’s pride and joy: team spirit, sportsmanship and an icecold pint with the lads. It is no wonder that the football shirt is worn all over the country by men, women and children alike to show support for their chosen team; I confess to being guilty of buying a Newcastle United scarf before attending a match just because it seemed like an essential accessory! Team colours and stripes represent one of the strongest of human bonds (supporting the same football team…) so where does fashion enter the equation? From the 1800s football teams have had official kits and with each decade the styles have been adapting in the same way that the clothes industry has in order to adhere to modern fashion principles. The football shirt is seen in every pub in town on match nights and it’s grown to become part of some people’s wardrobe whether the occasion calls for it or not. The search criteria ‘customised football shirts’ in Google receives almost one million results and we all have a friend who owns a football shirt branded with their surname on the back.

Moreover, where pattern and colour is involved in clothing, influence from fashion is never far from it! Whether fashionistas like it or not, it is part of popular culture, one of fashion’s prime influences, and so perhaps it’s time to embrace it like English designer Angy Morton. Last year she launched a football shirt couture collection inspired by uniforms including Newcastle United. Additionally, famous beauty Katy Perry took husband Russell Brand’s favourite team West Ham’s kit and wore a sexy lingerie-inspired ensemble at the 2009 VMAs in the team colours featuring the emblem, proving that football and fashion can look fabulous! It is safe to say that Katy would have won the award for best girlfriend; in a world where many wives and girlfriends resent their partner’s football team, embracing their love for it is like bringing their favourite things all together. It is the equivalent of him sitting through a Jennifer Aniston flick without complaining; he earns brownie-points and his acceptance of your soft spot for rom-coms is as feel-good as the film. It is all very well to tolerate the lads taking over your living room

on occasion when there is a match on, withthe endless ref banter and game talk (not to mention the yeti screams and tears), when already in a relationship. However, how would it fare to wear a football shirt as a bachelor? On a match night the only thing a girl will be able to tell from seeing a man in a football shirt is where he’s going that night and which team he supports. If wanting to impress, the football shirt is best kept offside for game occasions only; make the first thing that she notices about you your smile, not that you could probably recite all of the statistics from the latest Premier League. If worn just for fashion it could be a conversational starting point if she supports the same team but a lot of women will see a red light (no one likes the idea of having to possibly compete with Wayne Rooney for attention at some point in their lives even though it will be inevitable). It’s probably not the best way to impress a woman…unless it is a football shirt of a team that you actually play for; that’s a whole different story!

Back in the early 90s I was rocking a serious look of bowl haircut coupled with often eye wateringly bright knitted sweaters. The reason for these, shall we say, brave choices was of course my mum.... even in a decade of bad taste, looking back it was not a good look, thanks Mum. However, nearly being a fully grown man-boy and just about having escaped the spectre of that haircut, I ponder the question: Would I again put my sartorial life in the hands of another? When on Christmas morning your mum/girlfriend/better-half looks expectantly up and utters the words “so do you like it?” what is the usual response? On asking this question to a few boys the general consensus was all it came down to was whether that female figure in your life has good taste or not. There seems to be no stigma attached to wearing something your mum or girlfriend might have bought you but the boys questioned were adamant that they would only

wear something if it suited their personal style. A friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous but whom we shall call ‘Jack’ had this to say; “My girlfriend bought me this top which is pretty trendy with all these buttons going up to the neck and I do like it but I feel it doesn’t really suit the rest of my style and I only really wear it around the house or when I am going over to see the Mrs. I never wear it out and about because I just don’t feel that comfortable in it.” However, people have different views on the matter. Henry Marshall, a third year marketing student, had this to say: “My Mum really knows what I like when it comes to clothes and so I have no worries about her picking items out for me as I normally always like them and it avoids me having to pay for clothing!” I feel having another perspective is often quite helpful when it comes to choosing clothes as gentle nudges from the fairer sex to maybe try something a bit different often

helps to progress a style. Without the input of an ex-girlfriend I would probably still be wearing huge baggy jeans that made me look like a gangster! I believe you have hit the jackpot if you do have that female influence in your life who does understand your style and is able to pick clothing out for you and it is just unlucky if you don’t. An example of this is my housemate whose mum very kindly bought him some shiny black shellsuit-esque tracksuit bottoms that we all agree make him look atrocious... saying that, he still happily wears them but I think that is more of a comment on the lack of washing he does rather than a fashion-forward choice! So yes, I would put my style in the hands of another as long as they know you well enough to get you items that you would realistically wear.... I mean, my Granny never goes wrong with my socks at Christmas time! Tim Perkin

Katie Henry

Come on you reds! The models of Redchester United are: Glen Darroch, Adam Priestley, Matt Green, Ash Stokeld, Andy Ferguson, Ben Storey, Tom Dare and Charlie Scott All kits and shirts are model’s own Photos: L Girling and K Henry

Victoria Mole

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Menswear special Fashion

Shirt Style

rough and ready or suited and booted?

of our shoot, Victoria Mole discusses the merits of football shirts, Tim Perkin takes a nostalgic world of male jewellery and finally, Harriet Webb gives her top tips for dressing to impress Jewellery for men has always been a bit of a tricky trend. Done right it can look sophisticated and sexy, done wrong and you can look like a failed Mr T lookalike. Man jewellery has been used as a fashion statement for decades; from the safety pin earrings of the Sex Pistols to the black crosses and chains of the goths and emos of the noughties. It is a way of expressing your views on fashion, society and life in general in ways clothes do not allow. It has been seen as somewhat of a taboo as jewellery is generally associated with women, when men wear it is sometimes considered effeminate or tacky? Women have been wearing jewellery for hundreds of years, so when men started to wear more than just their wedding ring it caused a bit of a stir. This does bring up an interesting point - men already wore a ring when they married, so how come adding to that collection caused such a ruckus? Because of this, most men shy away from wearing accessories such as bracelets or necklaces. However, as we go further into the 21st century, the opinion towards men wearing jewellery is changing. Along with the rise of ‘guyliner’, men’s jewellery has become more acceptable and commonplace - wearing it doesn’t mean you’re half way to being a drag queen. Topman and H&M are great places to find fashionable male jewellery at reasonable prices, with nothing resembling a girly charm or bangle to be seen. But one must be warned, for men’s

jewellery to be fashionable, several rules do have to be followed - if it is described as ‘bling’, and makes you look like a low-cost rapper, it’s not fashionable or cool and should be avoided like the plague. Chunky rings are also a no-no - you aren’t in a Godfather remake, remember. Don’t go overkill with the finger bling - one per hand is more than enough. Wooden surfer necklaces and bracelets are great - they’re simple, casual and go with anything, as do leather accessories. Piercings are safe territory as long as they aren’t chunky diamante earrings - nobody likes looking like a chav. Basically, keep it simple and plain - complicated intricate jewellery should probably stay on girls. Nowadays more male celebrities are wearing jewellery, making it more accessible and acceptable to the average Joe. While David Beckham’s past attempts haven’t exactly been revolutionary, more recently he’s been rocking wooden surfer bracelets like a true pro. Rock, indie and emo bands such as Elliot Minor or My Chemical Romance are never seen without layers and layers of wristbands and leather or studded bracelets, and wear the look perfectly. Even tween icons like McFly have been known to rock surfer necklaces and bracelets, making any outfit look more casual. Therefore, whatever age you may be, subtlety in the correct measures can provide a dazzling jewellery performance.

Fashion can sometimes be a complicated business that, if you’re not completely au fait with its weird ways of working, can seem a bit impenetrable. This is often the case for many of us, and I for one am no such exception. Wouldn’t it be useful for guys out to impress the girls to have a little insight into a female psyche? Personally, I think that shoes are a really important part of any man’s style. When I asked one of my male comrades about their choice of shoe, work boots seem flavour of the month and with so many varieties available in high street stores, there is no excuse. It is a well known fact that shoes can trip you up at the first hurdle – approximately 63 percent of women say a look is ruined by out-of-date, scuffed shoes or dirty old trainers as it gives the impression that you don’t care. Add to a pair of shoes with a tshirt. I particularly love a nicely cut plain tee, as they’re really versatile and available in pretty much any colour imaginable. I am a fan of a lot of tops, from check shirts, denim shirts to polo shirts. Within reason pretty much anything goes (as long as it matches the rest of your attire). There are of course a few exceptions. In answer to the question, What is a good t-shirt to wear on a night out?, unsurprisingly, I received quite a few grunts, not getting a very conclusive answer, apart from the complete rejection of glitter

and all things shiny. You can add instant style to your outfit with a decent pair of pants. I particularly love carrot fit or tapered pants which are very much on trend right now. Carrot fit pants are great, particularly for guys who have more muscular legs. In the spring/ summer, tan and beige colours look amazing. After asking one of my guy friend’s opinion, they said “basically a good look and fit without feeling like your nether regions are being strangled!” Another useful addition to any male outfit would be a jacket. Whilst the quilted and leather varieties are a la mode currently, many males bypass this stage on a night out. While it is a common notion that it is easier for a man to get dressed than it is for a woman, men also spend a lot of time looking in the mirror and getting ready. The uprising of metro-sexual man includes a lot more pampering time. Essential parts of pre night out ‘pamper’ time include moisturising, deodorising, hair styling, the use of a good aftershave (which can turn any girl’s head) and a quick trim of the facial hair. I’m sure any girl would agree with me that the definition of a wellgroomed guy is all in the effort, not necessarily the style. These are my tips so that you lads can get a helping hand in the style stakes.

Rosanna Sopp

Harriet Webb

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Listings

what’s happening on your campus? monday

tuesday

Union Elections

Public lectures

King’s Hall, 13:00

Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 17:30-18:30, FREE

Candidates’ question time This is your chance to hear speeches and ask questions to all the elections candidates. The elected candidates will be running the newly refurbished Students’ Union and representing all Newcastle students next year, so don’t miss this chance to hear what each candidate offers and ask them about their plans. Or you can pop along to support your favourite candidates in the run up election night on Friday. Results for all 17 coveted posts will be announced this Friday at 19:00. Get supporting!

Home Made Jam Acoustic evening

Northern Stage, Stage 3, From 19:00, FREE See some of Newcastle’s ﬁnest musicians in this chilled out evening of music. From covers to original songs, Home Made Jam showcases some of the ﬁnest musical talent on campus. Don’t miss out.

BioSoc

Meal and drinks

Slug and Lettuce, Quayside, 20:00 Following the success of the last meal, we thought another meal with a few drinks would be a good way to spend an evening Everyone in BioSoc head down to the Quayside for an evening of fun and food. The Slug and Lettuce is 50% off on a Monday meaning you can get a main meal for as little as £3, and also has a good selection of cocktails which are 2-4-1, so no excuses.

Prospecting for algae oil

Dr Gary Caldwell, School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University talks on ‘Green gold: prospecting for algae oil’ as part of Science Fest 2011. Use of liquid biofuels, currently produced from crops, raises concerns about taking arable land away from food production. Dr Caldwell considers the potential of marine algae as an alternative in biodiesel production. Part of the Newcastle Science Fest at Newcastle University, hosted by Beacon North East.

NUTS Present Medea

St Lukes Church Hall, Claremont Road, 14-20 March, 19:00 Medea has travelled the world with her husband, the love of her life, Jason. She left her family and homeland, killed her own brother, and travelling with Jason, slaughtered anyone who stood in their way. Together the two shared a beautiful marriage with him and bore two lovely children... But, Jason decides that he has had enough of the marriage and decides to leave her, why? Because she is too old? Because she isn’t as pretty as Jason’s new bride (and daughter of Creon) Glauce? Because she is too smart? Too womanly for him? Medea will not stand for this...

Newcastle Skeptics

The Old George, Old George Yard, Cloth Market, 19:00

Three people are condemned to hell. It is not what they had in mind. Fishbowl Theatre (formerly known as The Improv Group) invite you to join them for an evening of conﬁscated mirrors, locked doors and rigorous questioning as they present to us Jean Paul Satre’s No Exit. The play is showing Wednesday and Thursday this week, email info@ﬁshbowltheatre.co.uk for more information or to reserve tickets. Don’t miss this chance to see some great existentialist drama.

The Moscow State Circus brings its brand new show to Sunderland, presenting a huge cast of Russia’s greatest circus artistes who will push the boundaries of physical ingenuity to the limit. Disciplines honed from years of rehearsal combine with state of the art special effects to create this astounding circus spectacular.

Your North East: An unusual and abstract view of one of Newcastles most famous landmarks. This close up image of the iconic Tyne Bridge was taken by Hannah Davey. To enter your pictures into Your North East, send your photo to courier.listings@ncl.ac.uk

NUTS present The Graduate

Culture Lab, March 18-20, Tickets on sale from the Union Shop & On The Door, £6 ‘Mrs Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you... Aren’t you?’ It is Britain in 1969 and Benjamin, a child of the constrained 50s and teenager of the provocative 60s, is confused. Having just graduated he has no sense as to where his life lies. Mr Robinson offers him an exciting career in ‘plastics’. However, Mrs Robinson has other plans choosing Benjamin as the object of her seduction. He falls into an affair doomed. Benjamin

Your City:

Our top events happening in Newcastle this week

1. Film

2. Theatre

Get Carter with special guest Mike Hodges

Sam Carter presented by Jean Dielman 23 Quai du Commerce 1080 Brussels Jumpin’ Hot Club Live Theatre, March 19, 20:00, £12

Star and Shadow Cinema, March 20, 19:30

Mike Hodges’ seminal classic sees Michael Caine as Jack Carter, the hitman who returns to Newcastle to avenge his brother’s murder. In a city awash with drugs, corruption and vice, Carter goes on the rampage…. The Tyneside welcomes Mike Hodges to this gala screening of the ﬁlm. Mike will be in conversation with writer Michael Chaplin before the screening.

Winner of the Horizon Award for best newcomer at the BBC Folk Awards 2010, Sam Carter has an unerring ability to put his personal experiences into beautiful tunes. Armed with a ‘killer voice’ (Nitin Sawhney) and the ability to play his guitar ‘like a harp’ (Time Out) this songsmith is undeniably making his mark. Head to www.live.org.uk for more tickets and more information

At the core this ﬁlm lies the performance of Delphine Seyrig (Last year in Marienbad), whose command of gesture and timing make this observation of bourgoise life a choreographed nightmare. A ﬁlm that is awesome for the steel tipped certainty with which Chantal Akerman imbues her material. Go to www.starandshadwo.org.uk for more information

Tyneside Cinema, March 15, Circle: £12/£11 Stalls: £10/£9

3. Film

Courtyard Cafe 19:00-21:30 FREE

The Assembly Rooms, 19:00, members £26, non-members £28

Journal Tyne Theatre, 19:30 & 22:30, £15/ £16:50

13:30, £4

The Jazz Cafe, Pink Lane, 19:00, £4

Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 17:30-18:30, FREE

Let’s hang on

Climb Newcastle Come and climb at Newcastle’s ﬁrst dedicated climbing centre - this session is ideal for complete beginners to climbing with a foundation teaching session followed by the opportunity to climb to your heart’s content. Includes tuition, all safety equipment and transportation both ways. For more information and to sign up, e-mail giag.union@ncl.ac.uk or visit www.facebook.com/giag.newcastle

Music Soc

Performance

Give it a Go!

4. Comedy Stephen K Amos

Newcastle City Hall, March 16, 20:00, £18.50

Fresh from a busy year ﬁlming his own BBC2 comedy series The Stephen K Amos Show, Stephen is back on tour with more melt in the middle, heartfelt humour to warm the very cockles of your heart. Laughter really is the best medicine and the Doctor will see you now! “Amos is dynamite” states The Guardian, to get your hit of laughter visit www. newcastlecityhall.org

still cannot figure out what he wants. That is until he meets Mr and Mrs Robinson’s daughter, Elaine... Newcastle University Theatre Society presents The Graduate from Friday March 18 until Sunday March 20 at the Culture Lab. Tickets are £6 and can be bought from the Union Shop or on the door. Doors are at 6.30pm with the performance beginning at 7pm.

NUTS present Cabaret

Culture Lab, March 18-20, 21:15 on 18&19, 14:00 on 19, Tickets in sale from the Union Shop & OTD, £6 You are warmly invited to the Culture Lab for an evening of entertainment bought to you via the KitKatClub in Berlin. Set in Berlin in 1931 against the ominous backdrop of the Nazi party’s ever increasing power, Cabaret focuses on the nocturnal comings and goings of the seedy KitKatClub. The musical tells the story of a young English cabaret singer, Sally Bowles, who falls in love with Clifford Bradshaw, a visiting American writer. Featuringsuchiconicsongsas‘Wilkommen’, ‘Money’, ‘Mein Herr’ and ‘Maybe This Time’, Cabaret promises to be a spectacular and memorable show.

weekend

Election Results

David Phillips, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, talks as part of a British Science Association Lecture. Light and asers are used in modern medicine for surgery and diagnosis, and to treat psoriasis, vitiligo, neonatal jaundice, cancer and bacterial infection. This lecture illustrates their uses with practical and eye-catching demonstrations.

In 2010 the Royal Society held two discussion meetings on extraterrestrial life. The ﬁrst meeting considered some of the societal consequences of discovering alien life, addressing issues such as whether people would panic and what the implications might be for religious belief. The second meeting debated whether - if an alien signal was detected - we should reply and if we do, what we should say and who should send the message. Nick Pope attended both meetings and has commentated about them in the mainstream media. In this talk he’ll give the inside story on these fascinating and controversial discussions.

friday

Public lectures

A little light relief

Aliens at the Royal Society

No Exit

Sunderland Empire, March 14-16, £31

thursday

wednesday monday

Fishbowl Theatre

Moscow State Circus

Listings Editor : Ciara Littler - courier.listings@ncl.ac.uk

The Music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons is recognised worldwide for their legendary falsetto lead vocals and incredible doowop harmonies. It will take you back to this magical time in musical history. Performing all your favourite hits: Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Oh What A Night and many more. So don’t miss this exciting show at the Journal Tyne Theatre in March 2011. It’s guaranteed to have you singing at the top of your voices and dancing in the aisles.

Winners announced

Come and see the elections results announced and ﬁnd out who will be running your Students’ Union next year. All the candidates have had weeks of campaigning and the way your Student Union is run next year will be announced tonight. A full bar will be available to ease any post voting tensions as you watch the results come in. Don’t miss this chance to see the results as they happen.

The annual ball

The evening entails a champagne reception (optional) followed by a fantastic three course dinner accompanied by string quartet, ﬁnishing off the night with a DJ and some surprise entertainment... With the most competitive prices in the entire University these have been achieved without compromise! So come on down for a night of music, food and drink at one of the most beautiful venues in town.

Life Centre

Showcase of talent

Centre for Life, 19:30, £25

At The Mixer, in the British Legion, Jesmond, 19:30, FREE

The science of cheese Join the team at Life for an exciting gourmet experience that combines delicious cheeses, fine drinks and food for thought Life’s resident mixologist Noel Jackson presents a very special evening investigating the many wonderful flavours of cheese. From Ricotta to Roquefort, the five course gourmet experience will tantalise your taste buds and stimulate your mind, as you embark on a journey investigating how a simple substance like milk can produce such variation.

Jesmond festival

Come to the Student Showcase as part of Jesmond Community Festival. We have various groups and societies performing, to provide the community with entertainment, we are also having stalls/stands around the edge of the room highlighting various community work completed by groups and people that are part of the University

J. WHITTAKER

Your new Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union building awaits...

But who will YOU choose to run it?

C O UR I ER THE

Monday March 14 2011

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Elections

Your complete twelve-page pull-out Fran Infante

How do I vote?

Welcome to elections week 2011 - the week that will decide the future of your Students’ Union for the next year if not more. This year a record breaking 47 candidates are battling it out to win your vote and represent you in the decisions made about how to run your Students’ Union. Amongst them are 28 candidates competing for the six full-time Sabbatical roles for next year. For them, this election means not only the chance to represent student needs at the highest levels within the University and wider community, but more tangibly the chance for a full-time paid job after graduation and the realisation for many of several years hard voluntary work. You are sure to see them all over campus this week with their campaign teams, brightly coloured T-shirts and flyers trying to convince you to give them your vote. It may not be something you think you want to stop outside the library and talk about but please be patient with them, your vote could literally change their lives. This, our longest ever elections week pull-out guide will hopefully help to explain to you what it’s all for, why you should vote, how to vote, and most importantly, the manifestos that will help you to decide who to vote for.

Voting couldn’t be more straightforward. All you have to do is go online to vote.ncl. ac.uk and from there you will see the list of candidates running for each officer position as well as their manifestos. Simply select the number 1 from the drop down box next to your first choice, a 2 next to your second choice and so on. Voting is open from 4pm today until 2pm on Thursday and any student is eligible to vote. If you have logged into a machine in one of the University’s computer clusters then you are already logged in to vote. If you are using a machine off campus then simply login using the boxes at the top of the screen using your student ID. As well as all of the student candidates that are running for election, you will notice a mysterious candidate named RON. In fact, he is not a real person and RON stands for ReOpen Nominations. If you decide that you do not want any of the prospective candidates to be elected into a particular officer position then you can vote to RON. In the event that RON has more votes than the other candidates, the election will be run again at a later date and other people who were not previously nominated can nominate themselves as candidates.

Why should I vote? Firstly, the Union Society is yours and every single student studying at Newcastle University is automatically a member. The Union is completely student led and run by students, for students. Student officers are divided into two categories; Sabbaticals, who work for the Union full-time and are usually graduates, and Part-Time Officers or PTOs, who are full-time students and assume their roles voluntarily in addition to their studies. The officers are there to represent you and your opinions, run campaigns on issues that affect you, and ensure that you have the best time possible while studying at Newcastle University. The March election week is by far the most important week in the Students’ Union calendar, as the candidates you vote for will form the team of students who will shape the future of Newcastle’s Students’ Union. The new officer team will be charged with guiding the Union through one of the greatest periods of change in its history, as it prepares to take position of the newly refurbished building in time for Freshers’ Week 2011. It will be certain to be a period of great opportunity, as students finally get to enjoy the state of the art facilities that they deserve, but it will also increase the pressure on the new team as they seek to continue to improve the student experience in the face of education cuts. Many people do not realise the role that the Union plays in the opportunities that so often make up the typical student experience. If you are involved in a society or sports team, taken part in RAG or Freshers’ Week then you have benefited directly from events organised and financed by your Union. More importantly the people in charge of organising these events are all contained in these next 12 pages, exactly which of them have the opportunity is down to you. Now is the chance to make a difference and choose the officers that will run your Union the way you want it to be run. It is your responsibility to use your vote and go online to make sure the right people are elected.

Key election events • Monday March 14 Question Time 1pm in Kings Hall: a lively debate where candidates deliver a two minute speech and answer questions from the floor.

President Thomas Cheney

Improve printing - when you need a printer you can never get access to a computer, and the ‘express’ printing stations are painfully slow.

THE PRESIDENT SHOULD WORK FOR YOU, THE STUDENT!

Democracy- we recently had a referendum, did you vote? Probably not as only 2% of the student body participated; this referendum was fairly important as it was about remaining in or leaving the National Union of Students.

End to ‘Smoke free campus’ – if outdoors what is the problem plus it’s hypocritical for

I would do more to involve people in their union.

Christopher MCaleer through 3 years of RAG week. •Held YOUR Chief Executive and Sabbatical Officers to account through scrutiny committee. •Been a crew member for two years of Freshers Week.

Results night 7.30pm in the Courtyard Cafe: A full bar service will be available for all wishing to watch the full results be announced to the candidates and their supporters.

During election week the candidates will be tirelessly campaigning on campus to try and convince you to vote for them. From flyering outside the Robinson Library to knocking on the doors of your halls, all candidates will be out on the streets donned in their campaign colours this week looking to secure your votes. Candidates have set rules they must abide by, which includes no negative campaigning and they all have the same budget to spend on publicity. Each candidate has written a 200 word manifesto, which you can find in this special election week pull-out and they must all give a speech and take part in a live debate at Candidate Question’s in King’s Hall between 1pm and 4pm today.

Hello! My name is Chris and I want YOU to Be Part of Something New....... A New Union Free from old attitudes, A New Union run from the Bottom Up, A New Union for YOU, the Students! .......Here is how I plan to do it: What have I been up to so far? •Fought fees and cuts to YOUR education as a Part Time Officer. •Been part of raising money for charity

What I am I going to do next? •Create a framework to get around ‘red tape’ and ensure that YOUR Union can put events together quicker. •Hold weekly surgeries to become more of a public figure that YOU can talk to. •Continue to fight against cuts to YOUR education. •FIGHT against proposed changes to international visas. •Make the New Union able to compete with town for nights out by using external promoters. •Increase publicity for YOUR Student Advice Centre. •Make Union bureaucracy more streamlined so that it works for YOU. ............So please VOTE CHRIS to be your NEW UNION PRESIDENT!

James O’Sullivan

When will I find out the results? The election results will be announced on Friday evening in the Courtyard Cafe. Alternatively see the The Courier next Monday for full results.

Voting is open from 4pm Monday March 8 until 2pm Thursday March 11 - to vote login at vote.ncl.ac.uk

Higher maintenance loans- Current amount is not enough to live on; NUS should lobby government on this issue rather than the focus on repealing the tuition fee increase. As a student from a financially disadvantaged background I feel that the inadequacy of maintenance loans prose a greater barrier than a rise in fees.

If you elect me as your president I will try to: Cheaper sandwich’s- a sandwich in the union shop or canteen costs £2.39 but the Tesco’s meal deal is a sandwich a drink and a bag of crisp for £2?

• Friday March 18

How do I make up my mind?

the Union shop to sell cigarettes but not allow them to be smoked on campus.

My overall aim: To return the Union to the heart of student life and use the newly refurbished building to improve the University experience for all. Why vote for me? Experience of involvement, representation and leadership: •Part-time Officer – Convenor of Debates 2008-2011. •Student Representative on University

Senate. •President of Debating Society. •Crew, Supervisor and Officer during Freshers’ and RAG weeks. •Project Leader of READ Book Project. •Member of various Union/University committees. Policies: •Promote wider participation in the Union to enable all students to make the most out of their time at University. •Ensure the new Union facilities meet the needs of all sports and societies. •Work to ensure that minority, international and faith groups get the representation that they require. •Continue the fight against fees and cuts to higher education. •Ensure drink prices in the new Union bar are as affordable as they were in Men’s Bar. The Union building next year will have some of the most state of the art facilities in the country. I believe that I have the experience and the vision to lead the Students’ Union into this new era. VOTE JAMES FOR PRESIDENT!

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Elections

guide to this year’s Union Elections Education Officer Laura Perry

Why vote for me? I believe my leadership experience through representing both the Union and University is unrivalled. -In-depth experience running the Athletic Union (including organisation of the AU ball and Stan Calvert) having been elected onto the executive committee for three years. -Volunteered for numerous activities including; student ambassador, ladies hockey club secretary, biology society treasurer and as crew, supervisor and chief supervisor in

Jonny Pickering

Freshers’ Week. -Union Councillor for three years, elected onto various other committees (disciplinary, elections, steering). -Appointed to the Student Union Trustee Board in July; making decisions at the highest level. Policies: -Ensure the new building is completed on time, to the highest standard, with the best facilities possible. -Raise awareness of Union activities and structure. -Increase direct access to the Officers for all students. -Regular office hours dedicated to any student wishing to voice their opinion or requests directly and confidentially to the President. -Increase University funding for all sports clubs and societies. -Promote inclusion of international, postgraduate and mature students. My overall aim: To re-open the Union in a big way and encourage fresh attitudes – maximising the student experience through greater involvement and participation.

to these attacks on our education. My presidency would make democratising our Union a key issue. The changes would make our campus a vibrant forum for discussion where, together, we can come to solutions on the issues that face our education.

My name is Jonny Pickering and I’m running to be President of our Students’ Union. The university is facing a comprehensive attack on education. Tuition fee rises are only the beginning; from the abolition of EMA to the reform of immigration laws, the long term sustainability and quality of our education is at risk. We need a strong, democratic, campaigning union that is capable and willing to stand up

Xavier Vaz

TIME FOR CHANGE! The union redevelopment is a great opportunity to keep old tradition and reignite the passion which previously made the students union the heart of Newcastle University. As president I intend to lead such a change which will ensure the union is once again truly run by students for students!

Eleanor Chilton-Knight

Hi, I’m Elle! I’d love to be your representative on all things education, so have spent the past weeks shadowing your sabbatical, SU and library staff to learn WHAT I can do for you and HOW. As YOUR officer, I’m all about ACTION: Campaigns •Fight for alternatives to education resources/staff/funding cuts •National coordination against unfair visa laws for legitimate students Library •Maintain 24 hour exam opening •Explore permanent longer hours •Improve essential readings stocks/circulation

Liam Dale •Attended Newcastle Demos against cuts to higher education. •NUCC Committee 09/10.

I have been a key member of the Newcastle Free Education Network (a student group on campus committed to fighting the attacks on our education) and have played an active role in resisting these attacks, organising protests and occupations against cuts and fees; I want to continue this fight alongside you. Defend multiculturalism – oppose racism, fascism and Islamophobia. Support liberation – fight sexism, racism and homophobia. For a strong, democratic, campaigning union Vote Jonny Pickering #1 for President. Log in at vote.ncl.ac.uk and select Jonny Pickering #1 for President.

I aim to: •Increase the use of innovative methods including Facebook to increase engagement with the union. •Ensure there is a new entertainment focus for the union, whether it’s somewhere to go after lectures, or to go for an amazing night out. •Continue drop-in sessions for students and further pursue students to voice their views and concerns to ensure we are working towards goals set by the people we represent. •To work more closely with societies and sports teams, to ensure Newcastle continues its reputation of a vibrant and diverse university experience. •Protect student’s interests on a national scale, especially in the aftermath of the brown review, working with counterparts in the university. I have a wide range of experience including: •Crew, Supervisor and Chief in Fresher’s Week 2007-2010 •Chief in RAG 2010 •Student Ambassador 2008-Present

Assessment •Secure exam feedback for all •More personalised/useful feedback sheets Standards •Regular education drop-ins/forums. No one should feel alone. •Ensure minimum Blackboard standards •Course reps; investigate effective online training, increase awareness/communication •Improve quality/promotion of SU/events. Be proud of our union! Extra-curricular •Keep activity Wednesdays free •Increase work-experience opportunities •Recognise extra-curricular achievements formally Representation •Continue full reviews of union council procedures/structures •Democratise our SU. No cliques, no elites! •Improve dialogue channels/support for underrepresented students (e.g. postgraduate/ mature, parents/carers, LGBT). Education is for all. Previous positions: Student President-elect, Council Representative-elect, Arts Presidentelect, Peer Mentor, Courier contributor, societies’ Social Secretary, RAG Crewmember and NUS Conference Delegate-elect. Vote Elle #1. For education, for edu-ACTION!

The Education Officer is an incredibly important position and affects EVERY student on all of YOUR opinions and issues. Experience: •1st Student Chair of AFRD Student Staff Committee. •Stage 3 Course Representative. •Mentor to 1st Year Students. •2010 & 2011 RAG and 2010 Freshers’ Supervisor. •Member of Education Executive Committee and Union Council.

Linjiao Wu

Aims: •To continue to fight on all fronts against cuts to higher education. •To have an open-door policy to students regarding education issues. •To increase the importance of the course rep system from stage one, and encourage participation from university staff. •To improve return of marked work and written feedback on schedule in all schools. •Increase representation and support of postgrad, mature, and international students. •Attend high level meetings regularly to ensure that issues can be resolved rapidly. •Liaise with other sabbatical officers to make sure students are having the best possible university experience. I believe I am the ideal candidate to represent YOU. Vote Liam #1: Proving that tea is not the only good thing to come out of Yorkshire.

world, and my friends often say that I am full of passion and energy to do everything I like. During my undergraduate study in China, I have devoted myself to the union and frequently participated in various school activities. I cherish every chance in university to contribute to the union and improve myself. I keep on reading the Courier since semester one and I am very interested in all union matters.

I am willing to run for the position as an Education Officer. Currently I am doing my master’s degree on cross-cultural communication and applied linguistics. It is really enjoyable for me to communicate with students from different parts of the

It would be really appreciated if you could support me and allow me to be a Sabbatical Education Officer after my graduation in Newcastle University. I am sure it would be a beautiful and unforgettable memory. And I believe, it would be a valuable experience to me as an international student to join this election, and I also believe, it would be valuable to me for all your love and support here!

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Elections Activities Officer Ania Kurek

Stephen Ferrell er – this will benefit and create opportunities for members of societies to display their abilities to a wider range of people. •To encourage more societies to get involved with events like fresher’s week and Rag week.

Societies form a very important part of the university experience. It is through societies that people form their strongest and closest friendships during their time at university. It is also through societies that students develop and display the greatest diversity of talents and abilities the university has to offer.

•To make it easier for societies to inform other societies about events they are organizing, I would create a weekly e-mail newsletter from the Activities officer informing the heads of all the societies about all events other societies have on in the coming week. They could then pass this on to all members. •Creation of a societies night, similar to what the sports clubs already have. I believe I am a strong candidate for this job, having previously taken bands and DJ’s from the university and put them on at several major venues in the city.

My main aims as Activities officer would be •To encourage societies to work closer togeth-

Paul Haig

My aims: -Help and encourage you to utilise all your amazing new Union has to offer. -To improve inter-society involvement throughout Freshers week and the year. -Make society execs more aware of all the help available. -Promote student volunteering through SCAN, existing societies and the Career Development module. -Ensure RAG and Freshers week are better than ever. -To give you the biggest and best Grad Ball yet!

Edward Marston •Make students more aware of union services and space for societies. •Create greater society involvement in fresher’s week. •Remove emphasis of fresher’s fair from sports clubs with greater involvement of other societies.

NEW UNION! NEW OPPORTUNITIES!! The union is for ALL students... not just societies!! My aims! •Make the new union building the centre of student university life! •Make ALL students feel welcome in all areas of the union. •Increased membership for all societies. •Promote new opportunities and space for society’s events, meetings and rehearsals. •Continue to improve the accessibility and visibility of union services for ALL students.

•More interaction with societies. •Greater RAG week event awareness and encourage participation from all departments and societies. •Continued improvement and involvement in existing union events such as Homemade Jam. •Reintroduction of Arcane! •More student events such as society nights and entertainment events. Why vote for me? •I have seen the benefits of societies and the union throughout my time at Newcastle and want to make all other student experiences as good as mine. •Active membership and committee experience with NUBC organising both small and large scale events.

Vote Edd #1 for Activities Officer Why me? ‘Go big or go home’… A phrase describing a champion’s way of life. An attitude. …I never go home and nor should you – we are at one of the best universities in the world and we deserve an Activities Officer to match. My Experience: - I’ve made this year’s RAG the most success-

Working as a student ambassador, I have had experience speaking passionately about Newcastle in public. My experiences in student societies include being a founding member of the Comedy Society (Treasurer), current joint social-secretary for the English Society and being an active member of NUTS for three years.

•Greater focus and publicity to performance societies (Music, Dance, Theatre...) by re-evaluating grants and establishing performance/ exhibition areas on campus for greater publicity. Thankyou, and get voting!

ful RAG ever at Newcastle. This has given me a raft of skills I can bring to this role and is proof of my ability and commitment. - I’ve helped set up successful societies and held key roles within them including being Secretary of HITSOC. - I’ve been involved in Fresher’s Week, RAG & WAC - giving me insight into the running of the union.

- Grad Ball: Create an unforgettable evening as a culmination of your University experience. - Help and Support: A reliable and approachable contact for all societies, helping to increase size and sponsorship, and make events work! - Training: Make training more relevant and accessible for society execs. - Re-Freshers Fair: Maximise its potential to increase involvement in societies. - RAG: Continue to support Newcastle RAG as it progresses and grows.

My motto is ‘Get Your Money’s Worth’ so in everything I want to do next year; I want to create a year that is fully loaded with FUN at a brilliant ‘Student’ price!! SOCIETIES: I want to ensure there is something for everyone to GET INVOLVED with, to expand on your experience passed your degree and mainly have FUN! I want to create an online portal to ease societies contact with me and each other.

•The new union building to play host to the best Freshers Week ever, by working closely with the FW Organisers to ensure that all the new facilities are used to their full potential.

Hey, I’m Anthony Morris and I want to represent YOU as Activities Officer. I have had the best three years of my life at Newcastle and I want to devote the next year to ensuring future students have the same experience.

VOTE ANIA FOR ACTIVITIES. Enhance your Uni degree…choose me!

Helen Russell-Hughes

My aims are:

•Reinstating the Winter Ball as an Inauguration Ball as the major opening event that is available to all students.

I have what it takes and I don’t do things by halves!

My Aims:

Anthony Morris

•The union to be utilised by every society. This includes regular spaces for society meetings and enhanced awareness through taster sessions for societies throughout Freshers Week.

Not only am I enthusiastic, highly motivated and approachable, my time at Uni has given me the following experience: -Active involvement in the Dance Society for 3 years. Current President and previously Vice President. -Member of EngSoc for 2 years. -Organising massive events for a society with 250+ members. Including a sell out dance show, SportsVest tour, inter-university competitions and the best ball Dance Soc has ever seen! -Collaboration with other societies and universities resulting in well established links. -Member of the Sports Volunteer programme for 3 years. -Current Sports Volunteer Development Apprentice acting as mediator between staff and students.

Hi, I’m Helen (HRH) and I want to be your next ACTIVITIES officer. I want to create a fun packed year that is really ‘worth your money’!!! Why me??? Passionate Freshers Crew/ Supervisor/ Chief Art Society President Union Council Energy RAG Committee WAC Committee Creative 20 Minute Society Secretary RAG Crew/ Supervisor Friendly Elections Committee Enthusiasm

NEW BUILDING: Ensure that everyone gets the MOST out of everything the new building will have to offer! NIGHTS: What you want and have acts you want to see! GRAD BALL: Make it a night to remember to end your university experience with a BANG!!!!!! I am hugely passionate about taking on this role so…… Vote ‘HELEN’ for ACTIVITIES @ vote.ncl. ac.uk Lets make it a year fit for ROYALTY…

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Elections

Athletic Union Officer Martin Laban

Christopher Beckett

Vote Christopher Beckett as Athletic Union Officer I am a huge advocate of students being in control of their own clubs and I want to ensure all AU clubs continue to improve and develop in all areas of their sport; I will use the experience and contacts I’ve made over the years working with the AU executive committee and as President/Captain of the Canoe Club to work with.

•All the AU, inter-mural teams and societies •Sports centre management •Local and national sports shops, bars and clubs To guarantee that everyone will get the best deals and promotions available from both the University and our external partners: Success •Get Team Newcastle comfortably back into the top 10 BUCS league table •Win Stan Calvert for what will hopefully be an unprecedented fifth time Support •Distribute AU funds fairly throughout the AU to aid club development •Work with the activities officer and the education officer to guarantee students ability to attend their fixtures Status •Work with editor of the Courier to improve publicity for all of our AU and inter-mural clubs. Socials •Ensure that Wednesday nights celebrate the success of ALL the universities AU, inter-mural teams and societies.

dermined by a poor committee year. •Attention to detail at the sports centre: having clean bibs and courts, more large lockers etc. •More variety by the Wednesday night club. •A fairer system for booking courts to prevent monopolies. My proposed long term initiatives:

As an Athletic Union President I believe it is important to have both short and long term initiatives. My proposed short term initiatives: •Reducing Clubs’ administration: - Using a stash supplier with an online shop so committee members do not have to collect order forms/money. - Giving greater responsibility to CPRS (Centre for Performance, Recreation and Sport) to insure Clubs’ long term objectives are not un-

•A separate Strength and Conditioning room. •Greater support for rehabilitation. •More use of 3G facilities to avoid weather issues. These are only a few of my ideas, but I would love to take on board ideas from you (the users of the sports facilities) as well. I have experience in running and being part of committees/teams including School and Alevel councils (01-07) as well as being Treasurer and President of Men’s Basketball at Newcastle University. I also established the new Intra-Mural Basketball league this year.

James Kinnear •Men’s Captain and now Club President of a High Performance Sport: Fencing •Qualified Coach •AU Executive Committee Member •3 Years experience of Intra-Mural Football

Alice Holloway •Campaign for a Team Newcastle TOUR •Work with ‘Give it a Go’ to launch sports taster sessions MORE MONEY •Increase AU sponsorship opportunities •Negotiate additional university funding •Campaign for IMPROVED OUTDOOR FACILITIES (more 3G pitches & better drainage)

What would I do for you?

Hey! My name is James Kinnear and I am running to be YOUR AU Officer. With a new Union Building I want to bring in a new era in your Athletic Union, one that signals the rightful return of Team Newcastle to the Top 10 University Rankings along with wider access to sport for all. I have already held responsibility within the AU and have 3 years of wide-ranging sport experience from Performance Sport level to Intra Mural:

•Increase in number of Sports Clubs and availability for ALL! •Continued support for success of High Performance Sports •Use of New Union Building for Live Match Screenings •Greater Social ties between Sports Clubs •A Bigger and Better Wednesday night out than EVER before! •A more prestigious and reliable Team Newcastle Sportswear supplier •Team Newcastle Online Score Feed and use of NUTV •Better dialogue between AU and Clubs, especially regarding Finance So please vote for JAMES KINNEAR for your AU Officer!

Andrew Curry become one of the most successful of its type in the country. As Athletics Officer my priorities will be to: 1.Destroy the Poly at Stan Calvert. 2.Obtain as much external funding as possible to help fund every club.

ALICE FOR AU... GET MORE! The AU has enhanced my university experience significantly, now it’s my turn to make it better for you! Here’s how...

MORE SUCCESS •Maintain and work to increase our current BUCS rating! •Stan Calvert. One word… WIN!

MORE TEAM NEWCASTLE •Promote the Team Newcastle brand •Work alongside kit suppliers to eliminate mistakes, accelerate manufacturing process and ensure value for money •Wednesday afternoons = SPORT!

MORE CELEBRATION •BIGGER and BETTER Wednesday nights for all teams •Organise an AU BALL Newcastle won’t forget!

MORE INVOLVEMENT •Encourage students to GET INVOLVED with sport at Newcastle •Increase participation in Intra-mural

I am a committed, passionate and highly motivated sportsman who cares deeply about Newcastle University. Every week, I put 30 hours of my time towards helping my club achieve sporting success. During my time at University, I have helped Newcastle Boat club

support that they need, so that the university can maintain is fantastic BUCS standings and get every club producing its best results. This stands for the Stan Calvert too; I want to get as many different sports involved as possible so we beat the Poly by an even greater margin.

4.Ensure Newcastle finishes higher up the BUCS tables by strengthening our 2nd and 3rd teams.

Also, I will make Wednesday Nights bigger and better than ever, by tendering out Wednesday nights to venues around the city to get the best deals for all. Furthermore, for members of the university’s sport teams, plan and coordinate an incredible AU ball that will be remembered for years to come.

5.Put on the greatest possible AU ball and revamp Wednesday nights! I believe having greater participation in clubs and strength and talent in numbers is equally as important as a reliance on the qualities of a few. If you want to see a stronger, united and more successful AU: VOTE CURRY.

Use your vote, go to VOTE.NCL.AC.UK

I believe my experience as Women’s Basketball President, member of the AU Exec, and an intra-mural player makes me the perfect candidate for next year’s AU Officer. VOTE ALICE!

Andrew Broadhead

3.Promote smaller clubs and ensure they are given as much attention as others.

I want to be AU Officer to channel my dedication and love of sports into producing better results which can make our AU the best in the country.

MORE EQUALITY •Provide every club with EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, fair grant allocations and regular meetings to discuss any issues

Being a member of the Athletic Union for three years, and running the American Football club for the last, I believe I have gained enough knowledge and experience to take the next step up to become the Athletic Union officer. I want to make sure that all AU clubs have the

In addition, through liaising with the centre for physical recreation and sport, ensure that sport facilities are improved and ensure fairer and easier use. Also, increase the number of intramural sports so a wider variety of opportunities are available for all students to get into sport.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Elections Editor of The Courier Adam Williams

and covering the news stories that matter to YOU

Katherine Bannon

•Establishing a new section devoted to careers, to HELP students find both part time and graduate jobs •EXPANDING the Culture section to cover video games, books and a wider variety of events happening in Newcastle •Creating DEDICATED sections for societies, student led events and international students As Film Editor this year, I have delivered a consistently high quality section and have the perfect set of skills to be YOUR editor next year. I have contributed to the paper since starting University and have written for most sections, giving me a valuable range of experience across the paper. I pledge to make the paper more relevant to students by; •Introducing MORE investigative journalism

Simon Childs

•INCREASING the amount of proof readers to reduce errors •SUPPORTING and publicising NSR, TCTV and The Courier website •Focusing sports coverage to REFLECT the wide array of sports played at Newcastle •Creating a more entertaining newspaper that YOU want to read. I know I am the right man to give you a student newspaper you can be proud of, so vote ADAM WILLIAMS as Editor of The Courier.

As current Sports Editor and long-standing dedicated writer I believe as Editor I would refresh the face of The Courier for 2011/12, improving its all-round quality to make it the best student newspaper in Britain. I have given you news and comment pieces, life and sports features, interviews, reviews and photos as well as holding the title of the original blind date girl, making me your NUMBER ONE candidate.

Simon Murphy

matter to you without fear of interference from any party.

assert editorial freedom and conduct a review to look at ways to make the paper’s supposed independence a reality.

The Courier Online would break fast moving stories as they happen. I would also use existing technology to integrate text, audio and video into the Courier Online to bring stories to life. That way, the excellent Newcastle Student Radio would no longer be ignored. If you want more detail on my policies, please visit www.simonchilds4courier.wordpress. com Simon Childs - For an independent Courier

•ACCOUNTABILITY: A new weekly letters page, giving you a guaranteed space to respond to ANY issue you see raised in ANY section of the paper. It’s your paper after all! •VARIETY: Renewed focus on the whole breadth of Newcastle sports, societies and events – reflecting every area of life at Newcastle University.

What can you expect from Joe Skrebels as Courier Editor? Well, apart from my many leather bound books and my love of scotch, you can expect a paper that represents every facet of the student population. I promise: •INDEPENDENCE: The independent voice of Newcastle students needs to live up to its billing – that means reporting the stories that

What will I do as editor? *CREATE a brand new magazine supplement incorporating features, fashion, music, arts, film and a new section for international students. *EXPAND the sports section to produce an unparalleled depth of coverage for intra mural and university teams, including all up-todate league tables and results.

EXPERIENCE counts - I have been News Editor for TWO years, writing TEN front page stories, interviewing the biggest names in politics including Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

GET ON THE BANNON-WAGON AND VOTE KAT!

Joseph Skrebels

As we are seeing attacks on university education, you need a paper that speaks truth to power. Under me the Courier would shine the spotlight on cuts to funding, ask the difficult questions and make sure your elected representatives and university bosses are standing up for your interests.

“The independent voice of Newcastle students”, or so the mast-head reads, but at the moment the editor of the Courier is a member of the Sabbatical team, taking part in important decision making that affects our university. This compromises the Courier’s ability to hold the decision makers at university to account – imagine if the editor of The Times was a cabinet minister! Vote for me and I will

I will give you: •Hard-hitting investigative NEWS focusing on stories that affect YOU and your time here. •Compact WORLD NEWS and INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. •A more extensive SPORTS SECTION: further coverage of both BUCS and intramural fixtures, more ‘team of the week’ and club profiles. •Big name INTERVIEWS. •REAL Sex and Relationships, Health, Beauty and Fashion insights and advice. •BETTER DISTRIBUTION to every corner of campus. •Further improvement of THE COURIER ONLINE: exclusive online content, room for your say, photo galleries. •CAREERS ADVICE and help to plan your future. •FREE PUBLICITY for club and society events to expand your memberships. •Stronger links with NSR and further emphasis on TCTV to push student media coverage.

*MAXIMISE participation by introducing a student-led marketing team to oversee the newspaper’s advertising. *ENDEVOUR to make student radio and TV the heart of the new Students’ Union building.

My investigation into the cost of first year halls was voted BEST STORY at last year’s Student Media Awards, where I was also awarded the prize for BEST INTERVIEW.

*DELIVER unbiased, investigative reporting, free from the influence of the University, bringing justice to students at a time of increasing fees and budget cuts.

This year I UNCOVERED the colossal expenses claimed by the University’s top brass, INVESTIGATED the biggest student issue on campus and had stories published in The Times.

Visit WWW.MURPHY4EDITOR.CO.UK and watch my campaign video, read my election blog and cuttings of my work.

•INTEGRATION: With the reopening of the Students’ Union next year, The Courier, NSR, NUTV and thecourieronline.co.uk will become an essential part of your uni life, and I intend to foster the right cooperation and imaginative intent to make that a reality. •ACCESSIBILITY: The paper will be available all over campus – from Students’ Union to Sports Centre, Ricky Road to Robinson there’ll always be a copy to hand. You stay classy Newcastle University, vote for Joe Skrebels?

Your full-time Sabbatical Officers explained • President: The Union President is the figurehead of the Union, and the first person called upon to fight for students or defend their rights to external parties. They are the symbolic head of the institution that deals regularly with the University big wigs to ensure students are treated fairly.

• Editor of The Courier: The Editor is responsible for producing and distributing your weekly student newspaper and preserving its autonomy and position as one of the country’s leading student newspapers. They also supervise the Union’s other media arms, NSR and TCTV.

• Activities Officer: This officer is responsible for all the student led societies we have at Newcastle University. They train, co-ordinate and support all of these groups as well as organise major events such as the Graduation Ball, IFAM and the NCL+ awards.

• Education Officer: This officer represents you on all academic issues at the University to make sure you get the absolute most for your tuition fees. They train and coordinate the Course Representatives who are vital to the student experience and opinion being fed back to their schools.

• Athletics Union Officer: The AU Officer helps with the running and organisation of all the sport that takes place at Newcastle University. They play a large role in the organisation of the Stan Calvert Cup and look to ensure that sport is inclusive and widely enjoyed by as many students as possible.

• Welfare and Equality Officer: The officer in this position is in charge of student welfare issues on campus. They will plan and execute important awareness and welfare campaigns on political, social and health issues. They also fight for student welfare at the University and in the wider community.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Elections

Welfare & Equality Officer Rosie Finnigan

Katy Hargreaves paigns such as ‘the London demo’, protesting against tuition fees.

MY AIMS:

Hi! I’m Rosie, currently the Union’s Ethics and Environment Officer, I would love you to consider voting me #1 for Welfare and Equality. MY EXPERIENCE: -Listening: holding monthly forums and establishing a student-led recycling scheme. -Representing: sitting on Union and University Committees, speaking out on the University’s environmental strategies, and its ethics, including investments and research ethics. Protesting locally and nationally against tuition fees. -Delivering: securing a ‘green’ responsibility for Hall Reps.

Campaigning: To maintain and build on the diverse level of campaigning which emerged this year, particularly concerning: - Tuition fees and budget cuts: I’d ensure that the Students’ Union holds the University to account on its decisions, and continues to lobby nationally.

• I also volunteer with a group that works with teenagers and young adults with troubled backgrounds. If elected, I will:

-International Student Visas: I’d commit the Union to continuing to resist proposed changes, to be confirmed this month.

• Raise awareness about mental health; the effects it can have on your university experience and education.

The Union: Continue to improve and implement the Hall Reps scheme, involving more students in the Union’s democratic processes. Promote a culture where all students feel safe and respected, in line with NUS’s ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment’ and anti-racism policies. Revamp WAC crew, increasing involvement and implementing regular planning meetings giving crew greater input. Vote ROSIE #1 for WELFARE AND EQUAlLITY vote.ncl.ac.uk

Ethics & Environment Officers Stephanie Golightly & Jennifer Stott

Why should you vote for us? We want to…. •make Newcastle University a beacon in the North East to inspire other local organisations. •create a stronger student focus on environmental and ethical issues; we will actively promote events on university and individual levels. •hear about our fellow students’ opinions and ideas. How will we suit the role? •A physical geographer and a human geographer…what more could you ask for when our degree courses focus around the deeper causes and effects of these issues? •We have passion and dedicationfor the role as with everything we undertake - from climbing Kili to charity abseiling! In our time at office we will… •LISTEN TO YOU by arranging two meetings per semester open to all students to come to us with their thoughts about ethics and the environment so we can work together to implement solutions which suit the majority of students. •PILOT NEW VENTURES by organising a bike auction in October to give second hand bikes a new home and donate proceeds to ‘Sustrans’ charity. •GET YOU INVOLVED by exciting you about FairTrade fortnight! With a FairTrade fashion show, bake sale and wine and cheese night in our new union.

Rihards Sobols & Lisa Crossey

Hey, we’re Lisa Crossey and Rihards Sobols and we are standing for Ethics & Environment Officers. We share interests on ethical & environmental issues both on and off campus and consider it to be an area in which student participation can make a real difference. We both have had experience working on various environmental issues with the Newcastle University Sustainability Team and believe that our experience and background make us the best candidates for this position. If we were elected we would strive to provide students an opportunity to let their voice be heard on important environmental issues. We find it vitally important to raise student awareness on environmental and ethical issues such as recycling, carbon emissions, energy efficiency and fair-trade. We aim to increase student involvement in events and campaigns and provide greater incentives for student participation. Newcastle University has already taken first steps to become a more sustainable university and we will continue to enhance the strategies that are already in place.

• Continue to campaign against the cuts and attacks on student support.

Hello I’m Katy-Lou and I’m hoping to be your Welfare and Equality Officer. I’m strong, dedicated and feel extremely passionate about this position. I believe I have the personality, enthusiasm and skills to represent Newcastle’s diverse student body. Experience: • RAG supervisor and committee member 2010 and 2011. • I currently sit on all the positions on the Chemistry society committee. • I have participated in hard-hitting cam-

•Raise awareness across campus about the safety of travelling home after nights out; with emphasis on the vulnerability of men under the influence as well as women. • Run an anti-bullying campaign on campus and raise awareness that it’s not just a school problem. I would love to spend next year getting my teeth into the issues that YOU care about and making the changes that YOU need. Please VOTE Katy-Lou! http://vote.ncl.ac.uk/

RAG Officers Georgina Nunan & Sophie Ryan

Hi we’re Georgie and Sophie and we want to be RAG organisers 2012! Between us we have been on fresher’s crew, RAG supervisors and also RAG committee so we have a good idea already about what works and what doesn’t, and how we can improve RAG to make 2012 the biggest and best yet! Our aim is to beat the £100,000 raised this year by raising £250, 000 for our well deserving charities. We plan to do this by: 1. Increasing marketing and publicity of events during RAG week and throughout the year, holding a RAG event once every 2 weeks 2.Continue links with Student Adventures while also increasing awareness of other events such as Jailbreak, which proved hugely successful this year. 3.Keep the RAG logo as it already is, to make RAG more recognisable throughout university and therefore establishing a marketable brand 4.Hold Events that are open to the public and alumni students, culminating in a grand Charity Ball. 5.Creating foundations for future RAG organisers to build on Please vote for us, we believe we can make this the most successful, fun and highest earning RAG EVER! Big RAG Loves Soph and Georgie

Rachael Thornton & Mohamed Hamad

WHO & WHY: Rach & Mo. We’ve been involved with RAG in the past whilst Rach has partaken in Freshers’ Crew. We have also sat on various societal committees. Dedication in not permitting ourselves to be content with mediocrity. Thrive to consistently & constantly provide something, which others cannot. It is fair to say we have the experience & drive to make RAG 2012 a year to remember. WHAT: To develop & publicise the idea of RAG across campus & eventually even establish it as a society. To listen to the Students’ inputs & take into consideration their views on which charities to work with. To involve more than half of the Clubs & Societies involved within Union. To raise at least double the amount for RAG 2011. To involve international & mature students as well as undergraduates. WHERE: The brand new Union; where we will make the most of the facilities. Various locations across the city. Not afraid to go global, wherever there is an opportunity to raise money, we’ll be there!!! HOW: With a wild imagination, always think outside the box in order to deliver what is expected and much more.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Elections Gender Equality Ofﬁcer

Convenor of Debates Charles Barry

Esta Innes ty, I currently run a weekly debate/discussion show on the student radio station, NSR. I volunteer time to other commitments also, including the Boat Club and Union Council. As Convenor of Debates, I pledge to: 1.Increase the number of debates and addresses, open to all students, from public ﬁgures.

I want to be Convenor of Debates because I believe debating at Newcastle can be for everyone, not just a select highly motivated few. I want to broaden the types of debating available so that more people can ﬁnd a style of debating they can enjoy. I am more than willing to put the time into expanding debating at Newcastle: as well as being an active member of the Debating Socie-

2.Complete the set up process of a Model United Nations (MUN) Society, to promote debates on global issues. 3.Create a Newcastle Debating Union, to allow all students who are members of the Union to debate topics on current affairs. If you want an exciting, more involving debating set-up at Newcastle, then vote Charles Barry for Convenor of Debates.

Since being elected in November I feel I have made signiﬁcant progress and succeeded in my election goals. However I think I can achieve much more if re-elected as your Gender Equality Ofﬁcer. So far I have: Established successful links with societies for example I have supported the Women’s for

Racial Equality Ofﬁcer

Lindon Francis Proposals: • Staging of monthly public-debates where students are invited to debate issues regarding the student body, government, international affairs or local community;

Shanna Lennon & Anna Howard

• That the students present at these vote on the adoption of a motion which will reﬂect the views of the student body, and publish these as widely as possible;

I believe that the debate of issues affecting students is a very important part of university life and I want to ensure that topics of true student interest are brought for public discussion without excluding local or controversial issues. Currently the vice-president of the Newcastle University Debating Society, I am passionate about debating and I believe I can facilitate the student dialogue and debate required by our union.

Francesca Scott

• To work with campaigning societies in order to stimulate public debates on issues they are involved in. • Continue to assist with the selection of the strongest University Challenge team possible and arrange training in this regard. All students should have the opportunity to engage in discussion on issues which affect or interest them and I believe I have the experience to make possible some of the most interesting and difﬁcult debates faced by our students.

As a member of Newcastle Free Education Network, and a wider Anti Cuts Network, I aim to highlight and express the student dissatisfaction at the trebling of tuition fees and the degradation of arts and humanities faculties.

The role of racial equality ofﬁcer has increasingly become more important as Newcastle University is evolving into a diverse, cosmopolitan community; it boasts over 3,000 international students from over 110 countries. Our role is to ensure greater integration, acceptance and promotion of racial identities. Our main aims are: •To make sure that racial equality is considered in every university decision; •To actively support Newcastle university’s

Oliver Robinson

Not only this, but with connections to various trade unions, and key members of the local community, I hope to provide inspirational and crucial speakers to the Union Debates.

I want to bring the heated arguments of seminar groups, the 3am facebook debates, the views and vindication of all students into an arena where it can be aired, reﬁned and expressed.

Vote Frankie for : ! Letting your debates be heard, with a suggestion box stationed in the Union ! Continuing the ﬁght against education cuts. ! Increased relevance and importance of speakers.

widening participation agenda; the university will inevitably be admitting more students from ethnic minority groups so we will ensure support is available; •To promote inclusion and positive relations between Newcastle University students; •To highlight racial inequality and actively seek solutions. We will monitor complaints of racial harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment; •To plan events which encourage and celebrate diversity on campus. We will aim to increase awareness through inviting a range of guest speakers; •To recognise other faiths, holy days and celebrations; •To hold regular forums to identify race issues on campus We intend having regular meetings of interested parties; liaise regularly with other union ofﬁcers and the relevant University ofﬁcers. Multiracialism will be celebrated as a means of establishing better community cohesion. Please vote for us!

Campaigns Ofﬁcer

Using the medium of debate, and the legitimacy it holds, the student voice can shout louder.

As a second year history student and keen conversationalist, I believe debating is not something that should be relegated to the dusty rooms of blustering old men in academic circles.

Women’s International society to promote the bridge campaign for International Women’s day. Attended an NUS conference where I gained valuable training to assist me in my role. Started forming a policy on zero tolerance to sexual harassment that will help make our union a safer environment for all sexes. If re-elected my aims will be: To continue to work on the zero tolerance policy. To continue to co-operate with societies and other ofﬁcers to promote gender equality To create an anonymous internet forum where people can voice concerns or discuss any problems. To organise a series of debates centred on gender issues. I feel very passionate about promoting what I consider to be the fundamental issues surrounding gender equality so please vote for me to ensure these issues continue to be equally and adequately represented in your union.

As a Campaigns Ofﬁcer I plan to bring to this university a far more open, transparent and active union. To achieve this I plan to: - Create a stronger university by supporting campaigns surrounding issues such as equality, activism and free information. - Defend your right to expression. I am open to

ideas, and willing to provide and advice and support, surrounding any campaign issue you believe to be signiﬁcant. - Generate public information, on a regular basis, for every student concerning the implications of union decisions and the manner in which they are carried out. - Ensure that your union and its representatives are held accountable to their actions and decisions. - Allow for student councils and meetings to be more widely publicised and open to each and every student. - Assist in making regular union society and student events run with ease and ﬂuidity, making them more enjoyable for the student experience. - Change the effect of our closed union building (which led to a decline in free, open discussion), by creating democratic platforms to get your voice heard, hopefully n a fortnightly basis.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Elections Student with Disabilities Officer

NSR Station Manager Lucy Johnson the NSR broadcast is relevant and topical

Caroline Shorthouse •To launch a campaign promoting positive attitudes towards disability.

•In order to increase awareness of the station, I will organise more frequent events accessible to all Newcastle University students

•To make myself known to fellow disabled students, particularly Freshers, and be an approachable and helpful point of contact.

•I also plan to reflect the needs of our international students by encouraging students to host non-English speaking shows

Why Me? •I was appointed Head Girl at school and have done ambassadorial work for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, so I am comfortable with representing people and confident in speaking out on behalf of others.

•Try to gain extended FM time for the station across the year NSR is a station run by students, for students. It should also adapt to the needs of the University, and give all students the ability to participate. My main aim is to increase the visibility of the station, and to encourage old and new students alike to join. My other aims are as follows: •Work closely with other officers to ensure NSR reflects the needs of our student population. I will also engage with other student media outlets, such as The Courier, to ensure that

•Ensure that there is an NSR presence at Student Union events to increase visibility •Highlight postgraduate opportunities for students involved who wish to pursue a career in radio Improvement in these areas would make NSR much more accessible the student community, and make it an altogether cohesive and smooth running station. Please vote for me!

LGBT Officer

My Aims: •To ensure that all disabled students are aware of the help and support on offer from the University. •To create a Facebook group through which disabled students can raise their issues and concerns whilst getting to know other disabled students. •To help improve accessibility in and around the University.

•I was on an executive committee which both raised funds for and organised a Holiday Week for disabled children over two summers, thus I feel that I have the skills required to organise campaigns and implement changes. •I have spent two separate weeks as a handmaid assisting Pilgrims in Lourdes, as well as two separate weeks acting as a carer for disabled children; therefore I believe that I have the experience of care necessary to understand the needs of different kinds of disabilities.

Daniel Bird of prejudice needn’t be tolerated. I want to make it easier for LGBT people to meet one another day to day on campus. I would like to be a part of a greater number of daytime events where LGBT members could socialise freely with one another outside of nights out.

If I were elected for this position I would support the LGBT community at Newcastle, providing a confidential and approachable service for all members.

During the LGBT fresher’s week bar crawl this year, the LGBT officer personally made an effort to speak to each new member individually, which I felt made people feel comfortable and ore at ease with socialising amongst new people. I would like to replicate this, as I believe it is important to let people know that they are in a safe and welcoming community, where they can make friends easily.

I would ensure that all of the members felt comfortable during their time at university, by constantly enforcing the idea that difference should be celebrated and that any form

If I were elected I would put my best efforts into opposing all discrimination facing LGBT members and proudly represent this community in my time at university.

International Officer Adit Agarwal

union acting as an un-official representative of all the international students, locally within the University, as well as nationally and globally, putting forth our feelings to the Government by replying to their consultations, voicing opinions to the NUS, and interacting with the media. This is just the beginning of a long battle, and I believe I would be an ideal representative at these times.

Hi! I’m Adit Agarwal, a first year biochemistry student from India, standing for the post of International Officer. As you would agree, this is a crucial time not just the home students, but for the international students alike because of the government’s intentions on changing the immigration system. I believe I have been doing crucial work at the

Once elected, I will make myself available more to you, give more opportunities to interact timely with all of you so I find out your interests and do all that is possible to preserve them. I will campaign for the BOLOGNA process for European students so they gain recognition for their academic work in the UK, and more importantly I will try to Integrate the student community to make us all Global Students of a World Class Institution. More than just a building: the new officers will not only win the right and the responsibility of representing their

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Elections

Officer Without Portfolio Tarren Smarr Student Athlete 2010, 2011 Volunteer for SCAN 2010, 2011 Writer for The Courier 2010, 2011 Club Officer 2010-011 WAC Crew 2010 Diversity Committee 2010 Freshers Crew 2010

Hello All! My name is Tarren Smarr (T-Smarr) and I am hoping to be your Officer Without Portfolio. I believe I have the skills and experience necessary to represent our students! Overall Goal: Maximize student experience at Newcastle University by encouraging participation in Union life, activities and services. Why Vote for T-Smarr?: I have a great deal of experience participating in a wide range of events and activities whilst being a member of the student population.

Aims and Objectives: To get more students involved with their university by: *Increase existing campaigns and introduce new awareness campaigns that double as big events in our NEW students Union building! *Increase promotion and support for nontraditional sports teams as well as intra-mural sports. *Increase awareness of volunteering opportunities. *Help students to find additional ways to enhance their CV. * Work with already existing campaigns to make them more accessible to students and increase participation: *WAC crew *Committees within Students Union *RAG week *SHAG week *Freshers Crew

Peter Campbell I have spent the last year supporting the Newcastle Free Education Network. During that time I have played a large organisation role, which included the 19 day occupation of a lecture theatre in protest against fees and cuts. Officer without Portfolio will allow me to build on this work. I will push the Union on to improve the democratic process of the Union by pushing for every student to have a vote at student council and making it easier for students to call an AGM to discuss and inform the Students’ Union of the feelings of the student body. I’m Pete a graduate 1st year medic running for the position of Officer without Portfolio. This is a supporting role within the Students’ Union. It is an important role for two reasons. It will allow me to support the busy sabbatical officers and allow them to get on with the jobs they think most important and allow me to concentrate on the campaigns which are most important to me.

I am committed and focused. I want the opportunity to make our Union work for the students it serves. vote.ncl.ac.uk with PETER CAMPBELL as your 1# Choice for OFFICER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO

These include: RAG Committee Member 2010, 2011

Sokoklis Paraschou

Hi, my name is Sofoklis Paraschou, or Sof, I’m studying Marketing and Management and I’m running for the position of the Officer Without Portfolio. I am running for this position because I am passionate about student life and I believe that your days at Newcastle University should be some of the best days of your life. Experience: -Member of NUES and ManSoc societies. -Course representative of Marketing and Management. -Mentor in the NUBS Peer Mentoring scheme. -Freshers Week Crew 2010 and RAG week 2011.

fellow students but also be the first to use the new Union

Sam Steventon

My Aims My aims are to make the Union Society as accessible, interesting and engaging as possible for all students during their University experience, I strongly believe in the Union being as inclusive as possible for all students at Newcastle. To this end, I will liaise with student and officers alike to ensure that the Union’s events, activities and projects are what you want, I want students to be proud of their Union and what it can do for them! My Experience •Treasurer of the Comedy Society and active member of NUTS and Bio Soc •New Societies Executive on the Societies Executive Committee

-International Officer 2010.

•Student Ambassador & Rep, Aimhigher Associate and e-mentor

If i get elected I hope to:

•STEM Ambassador

-Be approachable and open to suggestions and comments by all. -Be open and able to keep you informed with what is happening with student union for the best interests of all students. -Make sure that more students are involved into Union projects and events. -Find new ways of promoting volunteering activities that the Union offers. -Fairly represent all the students of our university as needed. -Make most of the refurbished Union building we are getting next year!

Why should I be the Officer Without Portfolio? I believe that I should be the Officer Without Portfolio because I have excellent organisation and communication skills, I have good people skills and I always commit myself fully to anything I undertake. I also think your opinion is important, and I’d be willing to take time out my schedule to talk to you if you had questions, queries, advice or suggestions for your Union Society!

Dominic Fletcher

Hey, I’m Dom. I am a 2nd year Politics student and I think Newcastle University is awesome! We are so lucky having our new students union reopening in September. I want to ensure our new union reflects what we want and need! Since I began studying here, I have seen a growing apathy toward our union; to many it just seems irrelevant. Put simply, my aim is to make it relevant again! If elected officer without portfolio, I pledge to: -publicize the fantastic services and events that the union provides, making it a place where you want to go! -understand where its weaknesses lie, working to address them, so that our union reflects what you want and need. -push for a new website that reflects our new union...one that is fresh, vibrant and clear! -support fellow union officers in their programs and operations: freshers week, RAG and whenever needed -investigate the idea of free lunchtime concerts outside the union; so you can stop and relax for a minute, or just walk by with smile on your face! Elect me officer without portfolio and I will strive to implement simple, smart and innovative ideas to make our union relevant again!

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Life & Style

Looking forward to a summer of festivals ? We preview the best ones from across the country > page 30

stage

Lessons from the University of Life Rosie Tallant on a stage adaptation of the iconic novel-turned-ﬁlm The Graduate which is brought to life with a Britsh twist

We all know the line. “Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me... Aren't you?” And why wouldn’t we, after all, this infamous quote is ranked #63 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. But before Dustin Hoffman catapulted The Graduate to pop culture fame in 1967, there was a starkly realistic and scintillating novel by Charles Webb, which was adapted for stage by Terry Johnson. So forget everything you’ve seen on screen, forget Anne Bancroft’s luxurious silk stockings and forget Dustin Hoffman’s confused face. Because the penultimate play of the NUTS spring season is set to put this 60s classic in an entirely new light. Set in Britain in 1969, the story follows a young man named Benjamin, who has been a child of the buttoned-up 50s and a teenager of the provocative 60s. Unsurprisingly, he is confused: having just graduated, he has no idea what to do with his life - a feeling many of us can certainly relate to. It seems as though he has stumbled upon a bit of luck when Mr. Robinson offers him a supposedly exciting career in ‘plastics’, but his hopes for a simple future are soon to be dashed. Mrs. Robinson has other plans for Benjamin, and targets him as

W. SEBAG-MONTEFIORE

the slightly too young object of her seduction. Vulnerable and naive, Benjamin becomes entangled in a doomed affair with the married, older woman, which only serves to increase his confusion about what he wants to do in life. That is, until he meets the Robinsons’ daughter, Elaine... Directed by Megan Holloway, the NUTS version of The Graduate combines the lively energy of the 60s with the educational, occupational and sexual troubles we all find ourselves in from time to time. Moving away from the film completely, Holloway has chosen to focus on the script in its own right in an attempt to re-assess our views of this irresistible story. Throughout rehearsals, equal significance has been placed on both the work of the cast and that of the technical crew, meaning that a fresh, multi-faceted understanding of the story can be achieved. Starring Richard Speir as Benjamin and Rachael Halhead as Mrs. Robinson and produced by Gemma Ackerley, this show has worked tirelessly to achieve absolute realism through set, costume and performance. This is certainly a production of The Graduate unlike anything seen before. The Graduate is performed at The Culture Lab from 18 - 20 March.

comedy

Here’s to you, Mrs Robinson: Newcastle University Theatre Society have brought to life the iconic sixties masterpiece The Graduate

opinion

Laughter is the best cure Literary prizes: a measure of success? Stephen K Amos is probably most famous for being the posh black guy from Michael McIntyre’s Roadshow and Live at the Apollo. However, Stephen is far from being a mere supporting act as his new stand up tour promises to offer more of his infamous, frankly honest and original material. Amos is known for his child-like joy and enthusiastic delivery of humour that is found in the strangest and most unexpected places. His latest show is named The Best Medicine as Stephen says that when things are looking bleak, the best medicine can only come in the form of laughter and therefore “the doctor will see you now” and cure your blues with his melt in the middle, heartfelt humour, that is sure to have people forgetting all their troubles. Amos has risen to fame over the past few years, and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year since 2003, and the past three years’ performances have been sold out audiences. Since then he has performed at

the Royal Variety Performance, and has gone on to perform all over the country including playing Leeds and Reading Festivals last year, where he received standing ovations at both. Stephen has won numerous comedic awards for his stand up and writing, including the NZ Comedy Guild and Festival Award for Best International Guest Comedian, ‘Spirit of the Festival’ award and Best International Comedian. Stephen has also this year ﬁnished ﬁlming his debut TV show The Stephen K Amos Show for BBC 2 that will be aired later this year and his second DVD The Feelgood Factor is out this November. The Best Medicine will be performed nationwide and after its success at this year’s Fringe, his show is sure to deliver cutting observations performed with his signature unique wit and charm. Stephen K.Amos performs at Newcastle City Hall on March 16 Sally Priddle

Nowadays, there seem to be numerous prizes in all fields of the arts that dictate what we should watch, read or experience culturally. Since the introduction of the Booker Prize for fiction in 1969, there has been a steady rise in the number of awards for literature, but does this really make these works a commercial success? Or are they destined to fall into obscurity, mere months after winning the prize? I personally, have never bought a winner of the Booker solely for its prestige and I certainly don’t feel that simply because it has the appropriate marketing on the front cover that it would be my top priority to read. It is arguable that some of these prizes are in fact more likely to distance themselves from, rather than encourage sales, at the hand of the kind of elitist culture they promote. The thought of several highly educated intellects sitting in a room on the panel discussing the merits of the year’s fiction, is fairly likely to alienate a chunk of the book buying

public. Furthermore, just because Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize in 1981, while also being regarded as the ‘Booker of Bookers’ in 2008, would not necessarily make one want to read it. If anything, I feel that if someone is told that they should highly rate something, it is very easy to want to question these claims. And does the population really want to be preached at? I feel that this is encouraged by the prize culture. For many, it is a bestseller that will catch your eye when buying a novel, rather than the prize it has won. Clearly, a Whitbread or Pulitzer Prize-winning work does not necessarily go hand in hand with mainstream, commercial success, and it is a sign of prestige for a work that can transcend both arenas. On the other hand, if reading is for sheer escapism, why is it necessary to have a scale of how award worthy a novel it is? A Twilight or Harry Potter novel may not have the same written vigour of Hilary Mantel’s

Wolf Hall or Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question, yet for some, reading the same as the rest of the population is a gauge of how crucial the piece of ﬁction is. These novels have surpassed their original aim of being consumed by readers, and now are huge franchises, which are synonymous with contemporary culture. This is perhaps similar to the way we highly regard classic novels of the past that are forever in public consciousness. Despite, the fact the Man Booker Prize provides a platform for launching the careers of many acclaimed authors, while the Orange Prize celebrates, “excellence, originality and accessibility in women's writing”, this does not assure their work will gain commercial success nor be accessible to a wide audience. Prize culture for literature is something that divides people, and I’m sure that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Catherine Langley

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Arts Editor: Stephanie Ferrao - courier.culture-arts@ncl.ac.uk

interview

Dave Spikey: serving up a lexicon-carne Stephanie Ferrao speaks to the star of Phoenix Nights and 8 out of 10 Cats about how he turned from haematology to comedy You’d think Dave Spikey was born with a mic in his hand. As I speak to him about his up-coming tour, you can hear the fervour in his voice. “I just love stand-up more and more and get really excited about it and I think it’s what I’m best at. I love the immediacy of it – I can be driving to the gig, think of something on the way there and hours later I can be doing it live.” He was inspired to write material for his current tour Words Don’t Come Easy after coming across ridiculous headlines and stories in local newspapers that he’d read whilst on a previous tour. His routine cuts to the core of the laziness and silliness inherent in so many parts of our day to day lives. “Say, if you heard the Vanessa Williams song ‘Save the Best Till Last’ on the radio. She sings “sometimes the snow comes down in June, sometimes the sun goes round the moon”…What? No it doesn’t! Would’ve been a scorcher that day…” He cleverly highlights these commonplace instances that show the ease at which lyrical laziness is accepted without question by the general public. His material appeals to the everyman as he takes to task the daft things parents say, adolescent chat-up lines and idiotic road signs. Spikey’s comedic bent evolved from an unusual background as he worked as Chief Biomedical Scientist in Haematology at the Royal Bolton Hospital before making a career in comedy. Stand-up and science aren’t the most likely of bedfellows, but it seems that the two have been tied together since Spikey’s childhood. “One of my happiest memories was me and my dad sat watching Morecambe and Wise and I laughed so much that I slid off the sofa. So it just assimilates itself into your brain. At school I was quite studious and did

very well, but the comments I used to get from teachers were ‘David, why does everything you write have a comedy element to it?’ I didn’t do it deliberately, but just saw things in an amusing light.” Planning to study medicine, he took up a job at his local hospital and enjoyed lab work so much that he gave up the ghost of his prior ambitions. Whilst working he became heavily involved in the hospital’s amateur dramatics group and began writing scripts and pantomimes. As though haematology and comedy were two components of his job, he described the moment that he decided to forge a career in his erstwhile hobby. “Someone said ‘You’re really funny, you should be a comedian.’ It was that kind of ‘I’ll have a go’ moment that came out of wanting to push myself, whether it’s a job or hobby. I started doing stand-up in the early 90s and then met Peter [Kay] in 1996 at the right time and in the right place and I was ready for it. We became really good friends and started writing from day one really and then it all happened. I had no game plan, just one thing led to another as it does in life.” He talks of this nonchalantly, but it became one of the biggest turning points in his comedy career. Their partnership brought to life comedy TV shows such as The Services and That Peter Kay Thing and a year later a show that was to define his career: the BAFTA-nominated Phoenix Nights. Set in Greater Manchester, the show embraces the cast’s northern roots but Spikey is quick to point out that “from the feedback we get everywhere I go people loved it, and that’s mainly because of the characters. No matter what accent they’ve got, people can relate to them, and we worked very hard on our characters to prove that.”

Dave Spikey is embarking on his fifth stand-up tour Words Don’t Come Easy which plays with the sloppiness of today’s language

He has continued to grace TV screens as a team captain alongside Sean Lock and Jimmy Carr on 8 out of 10 Cats and with David Mitchell and Angus Deayton on Would I Lie To You? He is currently churning through a stack of books as preparation for the second series of Channel

4’s TV Book Club. He confesses: “I don’t like anything that’s too literary; I’m maybe a bit of a philistine in that. Like when you spend about a page describing something, I’m not bothered about that, just get on with the story!” At least we won’t have to wait long

for his stand-up tour, when Dave Spikey can prove that on stage, words certainly do come easily. Words Don’t Come Easy is on at the Journal Tyne Theatre on Friday 18 March

opinion

Will World Book Night’s free book handout get people reading? Will reading ever really come back into fashion? As it stands over a third of the population do not read at all, a statistic Jamie Byng, the organiser of an event called World Book Night, hopes to change. On Saturday 5 March 2011 one million books were given away by a circle of avid readers. The book giveaway comprised of 40,000 copies of 25 carefully selected titles, which will then be dispersed by 20,000 ‘givers’. Each giver distributed 48 copies of their favourite title to whomever they choose on World Book Night. Any remaining books were distributed in prisons, hospitals and to the homeless. The aim of World Book Night is to encourage more members of the general public to read and enjoy

literature. However, will it really change anything at all? As an English Literature student myself I can easily provide countless reasons as to why I think reading is important: it fuels the imagination, provides food for independent thought whilst encouraging us to mentally engage with someone else’s perspective on life. However, I can guarantee that come Saturday night most of the nation will be sat in front of their televisions laughing at Take Me Out rather than cuddling up in bed with a good book and a cup of tea. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy vegging out with my friends. Programmes such as the X-Factor have become an integral part of mine and my housemates weekend routine in

the past; come 8 o’clock Saturday night, we sat with dinner cooked ready to slob out in front of the TV. Watching certain programmes have become a rite of passage for the majority of young people and come Monday morning my Facebook will not be filled with statuses about Phillip Pullman’s latest novel. Instead people will be panicking over rumours that E4 might finally stop airing Friends. Reading is simply not as talked about as it once was; literature is the hot topic of conversation for niche groups such as books clubs or academic circles rather than the predominant interest of the general public. The project aim of World Book Night is “to encourage reading and

a passion for books”. Organisers have used peer recommendation as a way of identifying the most popular titles read today because they want to make reading a way of feeling “social” and “included”. However, sometimes it is just a matter of hours in the day: reading is a time consuming, insular activity, and in a society that is constantly rushing from one place to another, people often find it difficult to make gaps in their schedule to engage in literary material. When people have time away from their computer, or their textbooks, they will generally spend it being active and working off the pounds they have gained whilst vegetating at their desk, or alternatively catching up with friends. A trip to the

cinema to watch a film adaptation of a book that could take you days to read but hours to watch, is more social and more “time efficient” than sitting and reading it alone. Although World Book Night is a great way of integrating people who are already passionate about reading, the outcome of the event is likely to reform a minority of nonreaders. Unfortunately the nature of our society means it is often ‘in’ with the trashy television programs and disappointing film adaptations and ‘out’ with reading. Many people simply feel that there are better ways to be spending what precious free time they have. Fiona McCutcheon

Culture

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Arts

arts reviews Blood Brothers Theatre Royal 28 February - 12 March At the Theatre Royal, the lights dimmed, the curtains opened and the narrator asks the audience: “Did you ever hear about the Johnstone twins?” Up until then I hadn’t, but I had a good idea of what to expect. Willy Russell’s 1983 musical Blood Brothers followed in the successful footsteps of Educating Rita (1980) with a plot rooted in issues of education, class and social mobility. Set in Liverpool, a tale of twin brothers unfolds as they are separated at birth and unwittingly re-united by chance whilst children. Russell plays with the age-old debate of nature versus nurture: one child is raised in a large workingclass family living on the breadline, whilst the other is an only child living in a strict middle-class household. In ﬁnding each other, they appear to overcome the deeply-wrought social boundaries of Thatcher’s Britain. Russell treads the ﬁne line between kitchen-sink drama and light entertainment by drawing upon his local roots to balance out social critique with a liberal measure of Liverpudlian humour. Though a musical at heart, Blood Brothers does away with the gimmicky Andrew Lloyd-Webber-esque chorus-lines whose glittery tunes

often appear to over-compensate for an otherwise threadbare plot. Numbers such as ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’ and ‘Shoes on the Table’ are catchy, but they also work with, rather than detract from, the plot’s cloying sense of guilt and longing belied by the protagonist Mrs Johnstone. Despite earning her stripes on the X-Factor in 2007, Niki Evans took up the lead role with real theatrical panache, lending her voice well to such emotionally-charged songs. She is supported by a small but talented cast, some of whom play several roles in the production. Particular mention should go to Sean Jones who captured the affections of the audience as Mickey Johnstone who transforms from a cheeky boy of seven to a worldweary adult of 22 in the space of the three-hour performance. From the outset, the emotions of the audience were tethered to the unravelling of a forbidden friendship and by the climax of the final scenes, it is no understatement to say there was a collective sniffing coming from the stalls as many around me dabbed their eyes, having been genuinely moved by the performance. This year Blood Brothers celebrates its twenty-fifth year on the stage and. owing to Russell’s superb craftsmanship, the show’s exceptional relevance continues to resonate in the standing ovations it deservedly receives. Stephanie Ferrao

A tale of twin brothers: Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers lived up to its hit-musical status that has lasted for twenty-ﬁve years on tour

Spoilt for Choice University Gallery February 25 - April 8

This Nameless Spectacle BALTIC February 18 - March 15

Hamlet the Clown Prince Northern Stage March 8 - 12

Pool (No Water) Northern Stage March 7 - 9

Heaven & Hell Laing Gallery March 5 - June 5

Spoilt for Choice is an array of energetic modern art that is both eclectic and implicit. Created by various established artists and academicians of Northumbria University, the gallery comprises of large canvases bursting with energy, and abstract work that is emblemic of a pop-art deviation. The bold images by Basil Beattie and Craigie Atchison immediately catch the eye. Whilst the former has created an interesting perspective on distance, the latter displays a vivid and contemporary attitude to religion that is incredibly unique. Both artists have exhibited their work internationally, and their work present in the gallery is of a truly impressive standard. Spoilt for Choice is certainly enjoyable, but it is not without its limitations. Although the viewer can appreciate the surrealism and abstraction of each image, the collection is weakened by the lack of explanation behind each painting, especially when the subjects are extremely well disguised. The exhibition appears small and perhaps even basic, but when we realise the variety and individuality of each image, a new perspective of the collection comes to mind, one which can appreciate the simplistic aesthetic of each image.

At the BALTIC this month is an eccentric trio of films by Copenhagen-born artist Jesper Just. With an arguably odd title of This Nameless Spectacle, visitors may pre-judge this work as unconventional and abstract - to a certain degree they would be right. Just refers to musicals, literature and cinema to offer a unique and personal interpretation of his films, but also investigates power structures and psychology through his characters. The resulting pieces form a wider enquiry about human relationships and individual concepts of identity, which are meant to cause observers to reanalyse their opinions of these topics. Whilst the atmosphere created by the three large screens in one large space does allow viewers to become as involved as they wish in This Nameless Spectacle, the films themselves may be slightly too abstract for some audiences. The lack of dialogue and occasionally bizarre images may be too different for artists who have become so familiar with conventional cinematic experiences. For an exhibition that claims to examine ‘the human condition’, This Nameless Spectacle may be too experimental for some, causing it to risk dismissal by many viewers.

After reading up on Hamlet the Clown Prince I was sceptical to say the least. Although I spent the ﬁrst ten minutes of the production tense in my seat, I quickly warmed to the wit and edge displayed by the actors during the production. The physical theatre was both skilful and entertaining and I can safely say that there was not a dull moment throughout. I couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing; when the clown actors weren’t breaking out of character they were referring to Hamlet as the ‘spoilt brat’ who needed to get off his ‘procrastinating ass’ or strongly advising Ophelia to “take swimming lessons”. The highlight for me however had to be when Gertrude took off her garter in a drunken frenzy and threw it into the audience. Hamlet the Clown Prince is a marmite production. Devout Shakespeare fans would likely hold the opinion that the company destroyed the tragedy. However, from the frequent shrieks of laughter that came from a large proportion of the audience, people who take Shakespeare a little less seriously deﬁnitely found this comic, satirical production hilarious.

With the promise of very strong language, pornographic images and strobe lighting, I knew I was in for an entertaining Monday night at the new NUTS play. The story of a group of never-quite-made-it artists and their one successful friend takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of envy, guilt, revenge, bitterness and death mixed with a dash of drug-taking, voyeurism and sexual tension. I had a smile on my face for 90 per cent of the ﬁrst half due to the funny script and energetic acting but the second half was a little more melodramatic. Graphic images of wounds and bruises accompanying a constant stream of paranoid thoughts could have become tedious but the great soundtrack and use of dance saved it, making the second half mesmerising. You didn’t need to be an art buff to enjoy this play despite the references to famous paintings and exhibitions, but you did need a lot of stamina as it was sometimes difﬁcult to watch such repulsive characters. Overall, it was great entertainment and the disturbingly recognisable feelings and thoughts of the main characters reminded the audience that we’re not all the perfect human beings we think we are.

The John Martin exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery is a stunning collection of original works by the 19th century artist. Bringing together his best works from throughout his career, Heaven & Hell is an extensive collection of works by the Northumberland born artist. It is the first major exhibition of his work for more than 30 years, and has be put on as part of the Great British Art Debate. Influenced heavily by Greek myths, poetry and scenes described in the bible, Martin’s work is astounding. Increasing in size and skill as his career progresses, some of the most striking pieces are towards the end of the exhibition. Split across four rooms, Heaven & Hell demonstrates the change in Martin’s choice of scale, subject matter and medium. Martin’s work is an apt demonstration of the skill required to paint such detail on a large scale, and definitely worth a look if you have a couple of hours to spare. Although I am normally averse to regular landscape painting, John Martin’s work goes far beyond that. These are some of the most stunning works I’ve seen in a long time, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you missed this exhibition.

Wendy Malkin

Rosie Tallant

Fiona McCutcheon

Aimee Philipson

Lucy Johnson

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Film Culture

film

Film Editor: Adam Williams - courier.culture-film@ncl.ac.uk

film of the week

The Adjustment Bureau Director: George Nolﬁ Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp, John Slattery Runtime: 105 mins

Do we control our destiny? Or do mysterious outside forces dictate and watch over our every move? Based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick (whose novels have also inspired Minority Report and Blade Runner), this imaginative thriller draws upon the argument between fate and free will with a romantic love story at its heart. Matt Damon plays ambitious politician David Norris, a man running for election in the U.S. Senate. On the brink of defeat he meets contemporary ballet dancer Elise, generating an instant afﬁnity with her, something which has a profound impact upon him. When, by chance, they meet for a second time, events are complicated as he is confronted by a group of mysterious men in fedoras (led by Mad Men’s John Slattery) who control his fate as well as the

fate of everyone else on the planet. “If I’m not supposed to be with her, why do I feel like this?” Norris asks. The Adjustment Bureau reveal it is against the ‘Plan’ for him to ever see Elise again. The undercover agents threaten to erase his memory if he reveals their existence or strays from his defined path. Despite their sinister warnings it is clear she isn’t someone he is willing to give up without a fight, despite the warnings of what it will do for his political career. In his directorial debut, George Nolfi focuses on the principal characters and their relationship to provide a very human slant to this science fiction story. The chemistry between Damon and Blunt is compelling, and together they make an intriguing lead pair, with Damon’s charisma and humour complimenting Blunt’s sophisticated wit and repartee. They have an obvious attraction and keep most of their conversation light-hearted as the Adjustment Bureau use their metaphysical powers to manipulate reality. The biggest problem the film has is in its failure to deliver the big set-pieces and explosive action se-

quences which we are led to believe the plot is heading towards. The ‘Bourne meets Inception’ marketing is somewhat misleading in that sense. When Damon inevitably doesn’t do as the Adjustment Bureau tell him, their ﬁght back is seemingly restricted and held back by the fact that the men pursuing him do not have the authority to hand out the punishment required. The most they ever achieve is burning phone numbers and arranging small-scale car crashes as they stalk his every move. Despite this, the plot is surprisingly easy to understand (and noth-

ing like as complex as Inception) and very well written. There is enough imagination and creativity to keep the audience hooked throughout. The striking views of Manhattan, seen as the Adjustment Bureau chase after Damon through the city, make this a visual treat. The ﬁlm does not take itself too seriously - it is ultimately more about the struggle for love than the nature of existence - but at times it feels underdeveloped as a result. The ending also felt rather abrupt and contrived.

gascar series have contributed to DreamWorks’ reputation as a cheap alternative to the more charming Pixar output. The long-standing studios have also belatedly got in on the act; Universal Pictures’ ﬁrst foray into animation was the well received Despicable Me while Sony Pictures Animation had similarly favourable reviews with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. However, only time will tell if they are able to match the consistency of Pixar, or whether they’ll churn increasingly poor sequels that devalued the Shrek franchise. Pixar themselves famously avoided sequels, barring Toy Story 2

which was originally intended to be a straight to video release, only for Disney to bump up the budget and change it to a full cinematic release. However, their reluctance to produce follow ups has softened of late with Toy Story 3 released to great success and a sequel to Cars set for this summer, despite the original film being the least critically and financially successful Pixar film ever. Monsters, Inc. 2 is also set to follow at some point next year. A worry is that these sequels will prevent inventive original films from being made. A new creation called Newt was scheduled for 2012 but has been cancelled as the stu-

romantic thriller. Matt Damon does what he does best as the politician being chased by mysterious forces, and enjoys a strong attraction with Blunt. Although frustrating in parts, it is engaging and thoughtprovoking. A good ﬁlm which, had it been a little more daring, could have been great. You’ll never look at a door or a man wearing a hat in the same way. Simon Howard

Verdict: A slick and entertaining

feature

Pixel perfect

Film Editor Adam Williams looks at Pixar’s influence and the rise of animated films Pixar Animation Studios celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier this year, and those two-and-a-half decades have seen a dramatic shift as animated films moved from primarily being children’s fodder to regular Best Picture nominees at the Oscars. Pixar was founded in 1986 after Steve Jobs purchased the graphics division of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm but the company initially concentrated on producing high-end computer hardware, rather than the stunningly beautiful and heartwarming films it produces today. It all started as Pixar co-founder John Lasseter began to design short films to demonstrate the products’ capabilities to potential customers. However, the technology won fans at Disney who contracted Pixar to produce three feature length animated films at the start of the 1990s. It would be this deal that saw the company rise to prominence as their first feature film, Toy Story, was released in 1995. Its groundbreaking CGI and appeal across generations saw the film become an instant hit with both audiences and critics. This critical and commercial success also

coincided with the end of Disney’s renaissance period which had seen Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King released, but would soon end as Fantasia 2000, Dinosaur and The Emperor’s New Groove all flopped at the box office at the turn of the century. This rivalry nearly ended in tears as the two giants of animation battled over the intellectual properties from the early Pixar films. After a fraught set of negotiations, it was agreed that Disney would buy Pixar, but allow them to retain full creative control of their films. But it is not just a battle between Disney and Pixar; other studios have looked to gain a foothold in this lucrative market, but none have come close to stealing Pixar’s crown. DreamWorks have had a mixed record of success; the original Shrek was a breath of fresh air back in 2001 but has not been surpassed in their numerous efforts since, only last year’s How to Train Your Dragon (which earned the studio an Oscar nomination) has come anywhere close. Too many missteps and an over-reliance on celebrity voices in the lame Shrek sequels and Mada-

dio concentrate on their upcoming pair of sequels. If they live up to the standards set by Toy Story 3 then they will be strong additions to the Pixar portfolio, but they could stiﬂe creativity at the normally innovative studio. It’s this consistency that has been key to Pixar’s success; apart from Japan’s Studio Ghibli no other studio (whether focusing on animated ﬁlms or not) has enjoyed such a constant success. Each Pixar release is greeted with great fanfare and it would be a tragedy if standards were to drop as they indulged in unnecessary sequels.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Culture Film

film

preview

feature

X-Men: First Class

In search of a hero With numerous superhero films set to be released this summer, Joe Skrebels investigates this modern movie phenomenon The superhero has always been a figure of interest for the movie industry. The idea of a man or woman who can go beyond the normal realms of human ability makes them the perfect subject for the action film, a genre plagued by jokes about realism – after all, if the hero is more than human, who can complain? Still, the image of the superhero most imagined before the noughties was likely a comic book one – the most famed appearances of superheroes on screen, Christopher Reeves as Superman or Tim Burton’s Batman perhaps, seemed like adaptations, and ones that the more nerdy amongst us would argue weren’t particularly successful or true to the source material. Yet today it seems like every other film is about a superhero of one sort or another and the comic book companies responsible for bringing their characters to the silver screen seem to be making more from their filmic interests than their principle one. Just look at Marvel – in 1996 the company filed for bankruptcy yet only fourteen years later, Disney deemed them an important enough company to buy them out for a cool $4.2 billion. What happened in that time? The rise of the superhero film. So why this meteoric increase in interest? Firstly, and most obviously, was the importance and sheer ability of CGI animation. Previous superhero films had had to rely on basic

effects and, frankly, it’s difficult to believe Superman is really performing superhuman acts when it looks as though he’s lying on his belly, right arm outstretched, in front of a weatherman’s green screen. With studios like Pixar proving that CGI was not only a viable but an astounding visual medium, the possibilities for superhero films suddenly became almost endless. Watching Spider-Man websling across New York was never so realistic, nor so easy (if not cheap) for directors to create. From the early 2000s we’ve had incredible visuals and set pieces galore, finally matching what comic book artists had been treating readers to for years. With this new-found scope, the superhero film was finally attracting the calibre of director who could fully realise the potential of the superhero figure and universe. Widely credited with kicking off this trend was Bryan Singer (who had garnered international acclaim for twist-a-thon The Usual Suspects) and his 2000 film version of X-Men, a film which not only capitalised on visuals (Mystique’s shape-shifting still looks amazing eleven years on) but did justice to the comic book canon and attracted the highest class of actors, the pitting of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X against Ian McKellen’s Magneto an absolute masterstroke. Since then we’ve seen the likes of Sam Raimi (Spider-Man 1, 2 and, unfortunately, 3), Christopher

Director: Matthew Vaughn Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence ETA: June 2011

I need a hero, I’m holding out for a hero ‘till the the end of the night

Nolan (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) and, a personal favourite, Guillermo Del Toro (with the Hellboy series) display their cinematic skills to highly-acclaimed effect. This wasn’t sheer tokenism, many of these directors have burst out of the underground by taking on these blockbusters – Christopher Nolan would never have been allowed to make Inception without Batman Begins, that’s for sure. Finally, new-found expectations from audiences have seen the figure of the superhero become something quite different from the morally righteous, unflappable crime-fighters of yesteryear and, consequently, made them a whole lot more interesting. Perhaps the zenith of this particular movement was the release of 2009’s Watchmen, a Zak Snyder adaptation of Alan Moore’s relentlessly bleak look at an alternative history where real-life superheroes became a force of American politics, nationally and internationally – Bat-

film five

Superhero films 5) The Incredibles It feels unusual putting a Pixar film into a list about superheroes which also features comic book staples such as Spider-Man and Batman but The Incredibles is just something special. Combining superhero, family drama and spy elements into one hilariously adorable package is a mean feat but trust Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) to pull out all the stops. Full of geeky references for the adults and laughs for the kids, it’s a superhero film for all ages. 4) Spider-Man 2 The 2004 sequel to Sam Raimi’s surprisingly brilliant adaptation of the Spider-Man origin story somehow managed to surpass the first (shame they couldn’t keep it going, moving from the dizzy greatness of 2 to the pits of hell in 3). Spider-Man 2 sees the return of all the big names from the first, including the fantastic J.K. Simmons back in the role of the Daily Bugle’s constantly angry editor. The story flows better, the characters have had time to get into their

shoes and Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus is a great improvement over the iffy Green Goblin. 3) X2: X-Men United Kicking off with Nightcrawler zooming around the White House on a one-man rampage, you know you’re in for a treat. Loosely based on God Loves, Man Kills, a 1982 XMen graphic novel, X2 delves into the dispute between mutants and humans that was touched upon in its predecessor. But it’s not that which sets X2 apart. It’s the fantastic Brian Cox as William Stryker, a man hell bent on using Professor Xavier’s powers for evil, that really makes it stand out. 2) The Dark Knight It really does seem as if the sequels are better than the originals in the superhero genre; pretty much the opposite of every other genre. The Dark Knight is probably one of the grittiest super hero films since Darkman. Nolan is back in the director’s chair and Bale returns as the gruff

Batman as he attempts to take down the frighteningly sadistic Joker, played with much acclaim by Heath Ledger. This is a dark, no-holdsbarred superhero film that showed that comic books aren’t just for kids. 1) Superman: The Movie Superman: The Movie is, ultimately, the benchmark by which all other superhero movies will be judged. Fantastic casting in the form of Marlon Brandon and Christopher Reeve, who will be forever known as “that guy who played Superman”. The fact he is so linked to the character is down to his performance as the Man of Steel in Richard Donner’s take. A film that is memorable in every way possible, with unforgettable performances and one of the most memorable endings in cinema history. To surpass Superman: The Movie is the equivalent of stopping a speeding train or leaping a skyscraper. Chris Taylor

man & Robin this was not (although there’s probably just as many nipples displayed throughout). In just a decade, superhero films mutated from jokey cash-ins into a serious and important artform. On an external level, they’ve changed the face of the film industry, with pressure from those who wanted their children to be allowed to watch Spider-Man almost single-handedly forcing the BBFC to institute the 12a film certificate. On an internal level, the sheer scope of the superhero figure allows for ever more ambitious efforts and so the number of films released will just keep growing. Of course, that does mean the number of god-awful attempts will grow with that (just thinking about Daredevil still makes me weep) but with wonderful, self-reflective films like Kick-Ass starting to manifest themselves, it’s clear that the superhero film can and will keep evolving. Here’s to another decade of that.

The very last scene of the third XMen film is not only one of the best movie endings of the last few years, but also left fans of the series shivering with anticipation for a fourth part. But before the trilogy will be turned into a tetralogy, another spin-off will hit the cinemas: X-Men: First Class is, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the series‘ actual story and focuses on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto. Their rivalry is a key theme of the previous films and shedding light on its origins will probably be an interesting experience, but it is questionable whether it will reach the success of the three original films. After all, Wolverine is another outstanding character and the story of his life before the X-Men gained significantly less critical acclaim than expected. Nevertheless, the plot sounds promising. The young Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) meet for the first time at Oxford University in the 1960s. Although their lives had been very different to this point, they become friends and later found the School for Mutant Resources. However, their contrary views on the use of mutant powers finally drives them apart as Xavier pleads for them as peaceful means while Lehnsherr sees their potential to oppress usual human beings, resulting in their ongoing hostility. The major problem that is likely to lower the success of the film already occurred in the Wolverine spin-off: the lack of popular characters. What would X-Men be without Halle Berry as Storm, James Marsden as Cyclops, Famke Janssen as Phoenix and of course the charismatic Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto? Certainly not as well received as it is. The introduction of new actors such as Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds), Jennifer Lawrence as young Mystique as well as the established James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland) and Kevin Bacon may be a nice change, but not a guarantee for a convincing film. So everyone except for die-hard fans might want to wait for the return of the familiar heroes in X-Men: First Class. Lisa Bernhardt

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Film Culture Film Editor: Adam Williams - courier.culture-film@ncl.ac.uk

in cinemas Unknown Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Cast: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger Runtime: 113 mins I can’t help but feel that Liam Neeson needs to take better care of his belongings. Unlike 2008’s Taken, it’s not his daughter that’s been stolen; this time it’s his identity. After arriving at a Berlin hotel, the venue for an important Biotechnology conference, Dr Martin Harris (Neeson) suddenly realises he has left his briefcase at the airport; how forgetful of him. Hurriedly he grabs a taxi and we assume that all is soon to be well. Bad trafﬁc demands an alternative route which eventually leads to a

Ironclad Director: Christopher English Cast: James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti Runtime: 121 mins

Medieval history and its power politics have become popular subjects for film, most recently in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ridley Scott’s historical epic Robin Hood. Following directly after the events of Scott’s film, Ironclad explores the Barons’ War and King John of England’s response to his forced signing of the Magna Carta. With previous experience of medieval films coming from 2001’s A Knight’s Tale, director Christopher English consciously moves away from tired family-friendly fare to the gore of warfare, focusing on the last stand between King John and seven resistance warriors defending Rochester castle. Despite predictable

Archipelago Director: Joanna Hogg Cast: Christopher Baker, Kate Fahy, Tom Hiddleston, Lydia Leonard Runtime: 114 mins

‘A series of islands in a chain or scattered cluster, often caused by volcanic activity, earthquakes or erosion.’ Archipelago explores the coexistence of family members during a holiday on the Isles of Scilly, in which the increasing effects of isolation and claustrophobia push relationships to breaking point and beyond. Starring Tom Hiddleston (Cranford) and Kate Fahy (Deﬁance) Archipelago is the second featurelength ﬁlm from Joanna Hogg, following Unrelated, winner of the London Film Festival International Critics’ Award in 2007.

freak accident, the result of which is the ill-fated taxi goes hurtling over a bridge and Mr Neeson enters what turns out to be a four day coma. Upon awakening in a Berlin hospital with no identification (his passport was in the briefcase), Neeson quickly discharges himself and hurries back to his wife (January Jones), only to find that another man claiming to be Martin Harris has taken his place and she denies all knowledge of him. What is even more infuriating is that everybody now seems determined to kill him. Unknown cannot be accused of being boring; all of the above action takes place within the first fifteen minutes, leaving Neeson to wander around a bleak and blustery Berlin, enlisting the services of the cab driver and an ex-East German secret police agent in an attempt to piece his life and memory back together. Director Jaume Collet-Serra treats us to a multitude of camera effects inand generic moments this medieval influenced ‘Magnificent Seven’ is pure unadulterated entertainment. Except for the initial scenes establishing King John’s tyranny and assembling the conveniently skilled group, the majority of the film follows the battle for Rochester Castle. The characters are laughably cliché and include the womanising mercenary (Jason Fleyming), gangly archer (Mackenzie Crook), a grizzled veteran and the ‘large man’ who brandishes a huge bludgeoning weapon. The central protagonist’s (Purefoy) Templar character is broody and emotionless, but throughout the narrative a crisis of faith and a scantily clad woman (Kate Maw) predictably break his chastity vows and give him great wisdom. The standout performance comes from villainous despot King John (Giamatti); he angrily spouts soliloquies about the divine right of kings and orders mutilations, while truly expressing his character’s vulnerability. The division of all characters into good or bad actually aids this type of film, when the focus is on the kiThis film will not be for everyone; it is achingly slow throughout and more comparable to a documentary in style than other independent films. Yet this sense of realism is what makes it devastating; cracks are exacerbated and the dysfunctional nature of a mainly noncommunicative family reunion is explored in this naturalistic drama. The performances are watchable, although it is difficult to distinguish whether this is a negative thing or just in keeping with Hogg’s desire to generally understate and restrain, consistent with the film’s themes as a whole. Dramatic silence is certainly used unsparingly; the drama is awkward and often uncomfortable, and at 114 minutes this can prove exhausting. The landscapes are gorgeous, and the film draws attention to the naturally existing beauty frequently overlooked as people focus on themselves, each other and other things. Interestingly, objects or doorframes are more commonly placed centre frame than people, characters are

reveal itself around three quarters of the way through, acted like a punch in the face; it was wholly unexpected, however, this doesn’t make it any more believable. This does nothing to detract from the ﬁlm as a whole and is essential viewing if, like me, you have a bit of a mancrush on Liam Neeson when he acts like a badass.

cluding blurred slow motion shots, along with mufﬂed and disjointed speech and noises in what is a successful, if at times illness-inducing attempt to put us in Neeson’s shoes, forcing us to live through his freshout-of-a-coma nausea and confu-

sion. The ﬁlm sets the tension level high and is happy to leave it there for the duration of the ﬁlm, sparking an innate desire within the audience, a compulsion to know what exactly is going on and why. I must admit that the twist, which begins to

Verdict: Like Taken, Unknown acts as an excuse for Neeson to wreak a certain amount of havoc in a European capital, which is always enjoyable to watch. Throw in a few tidy car chases, together with a suspense-driven plot and you will probably be riveted until the very end. Matt Blackwell

lenging film based around an uncomplicated fight between good and evil. Although allusions are made to wider historical contexts, the encroaching pressure of ultra-masculine military standoffs, vehement English focus, flamboyant gore and CG wizardry at the expense of any palpable character development leaves the film quite intellectually sparse.

netic action and brutality of warfare. The first ten minutes of the films copious bludgeoning and dismemberment is shocking and from then it only gets worse. From faces being hacked apart to bodies being fired unceremoniously out of catapults, there is no taboo left unaddressed. The technique of frantic, close editing draws you into the siege mindset while beautifully rendered cin-

ematography constructs the English landscape through metaphysical ghostly heaths and decaying quagmires. However, the main focus of the ﬁlm is siege warfare and the military technology used, as well as the psychological effects of warfare on the individual. Although Ironclad is full of stylish visuals and an interesting historical context, it is still a simple unchal-

Verdict: With an immersive siege centrepiece and gruesomely entertaining violence, Ironclad’s simplicity is its most valuable asset. But with weak characters alongside the immersive direction, it is balanced precariously between the genres of historical epic and medieval actioner. Like director Micheal Bay’s work, it is more about visual sustenance than substance. Chris Binding

message is interesting and more than worth conveying. Hogg replicates the opinionated nature of life in general, and human tendency to comment on everything everyone else does whether audibly or in thought, yet such delicate themes will be lost on some viewers and the ﬁlm would have beneﬁted from more intelligent dialogue and some sharper action.

not always visible when heard, and for this reason the ﬁlm will appeal to indie lovers of semiotics and symbolism. Special attention is given to the weather, altering abruptly from tepid or calm to relentless; like the characters, even the landscape is subject to intense mood-swings which everyone else must then attempt to negotiate. Yet despite this ﬁlm’s artistic aes-

thetic, it is sometimes clear that a reliance on this is not always enough to sustain interest. Some viewers may struggle with the slow pace, which verges for some time on tedious before committing absolutely. With patience, an ability to read the subtext of what is shown visually, and time for post-viewing contemplation this ﬁlm is rewarding, but few will be prepared to do this; the

Verdict: This ﬁlm is thoughtprovoking and at times gripping, but these moments are so thickly insulated by long periods of slow, unmotivated drama that many viewers may feel bored. Arty and aesthetically pleasing, but this is not always enough to sustain interest so that the poignant, heartbreaking message at hand can be conveyed. Hayley Hamilton

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Culture Music

music festival previews

With the days getting longer and cider getting ever more enticing, festival season must be on its way. This week sees the music section start its weekly round up of festivals, previewing everything from the biggest to the smallest, most local to the furthest-flung and (crucially) the cheapest summer music experiences you can get to. This week, we look at some lesser known events that deserve your attention.

Live At Leeds Where: All over Leeds When: April 29th-May 1st Cost: £17.50 for Saturday wristband Would you rather spend your bank holiday weekend sitting around your house or racing around some of Leeds’ finest venues in an attempt to see as many bands as possible? If you’re reading this, then it’s probably the latter and you’re in luck as Live at Leeds hits its third year. Previous years have seen the best buzz

bands, some old favourites and classic Leeds staples hitting the range of venues. This year is no different with the all day festival on Saturday featuring the likes of James Blake, Anna Calvi, The Futureheads, Trophy Wife and Fight Like Apes. The venue number has also bumped up to 11 with the inclusion of the O2 Academy joining The Cockpit and Nation of Shopkeepers amongst others. It’s worth the price alone to see a number of great artists play in the illustrious Holy Trinity Church, which is rarely used for gigs. The downside is it gets very busy and, with some venues quite far apart,

an electric atmosphere and an impressive 8 miles of glorious, sandy beach. From its humble beginnings in 2006, the festival has now morphed into a full-scale success with 20,000 students and ravers expected to congregate in its now permanent residence, Pembrey Country Park in South Wales. Running from the 16th -20th June 2011, this year now also offers graduates the reasonable price of £99 per camping ticket plus booking fee and travel, with opportunities for free tickets, upgrades and more for those who want to get involved. The event boasts a cutting-edge lineup with the likes of Tinie Tempah,

We Are Scientists, Katy B and Magnetic Man set to grace the stage, in addition to late night DJ sets from Sub Focus and Zane Lowe. Spend the daytime sampling the eclectic assortment of beach-based activities ranging from extreme sports to dance workshops, relaxing in the grass smoking shisha and listening to some alternative ska and reggae bands, or simply pass the time sun bathing on the sand. Because whether you’re surfing or taking a cheeky lesson in burlesque, the weather has never once failed to deliver; this is one summer festival that guarantees to be completely mud-free.

The second and undoubtedly more commercial of the two Hyde Park festivals returns to its usual slot on the first weekend of July. The headliners respectively are Black Eyed Peas, The Chemical Brothers and (the previously announced) Pulp, offering a diverse array of acts to attract the masses to the 50,000 strong

capacity park. A handful of other acts have been announced for each day, including Plan B, David Guetta, Battles, Tinie Tempah and TV on the Radio. Tickets are currently on sale, priced at £48.50 per day. Due to its central London location, Wireless offers no camping facilities. To call it a festival is to use the term loosely, it is more accurately a sequence of open air concerts at the iconic venue that saw The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and more play free shows during the 60s. Unfortunately due to licensing laws and sunset times, headline acts have their sets before sunset which can be slightly under-

whelming for many acts who make use of extravagant light shows. Criticisms of the sound quality are also commonplace at the main stage. Despite such complaints, Wireless 2011 remains the only place to see headline shows from all of its headliners anywhere in the UK (so far) this year. It is an ideal festival for those wanting an excuse for a weekend away in London at a respectable price, however those in search of a full weekend of welly-donning, drunken slumbering would be advised to search elsewhere.

Where: All over the place, from Butlins to Barcelona When: Spread throughout the year Cost: From £50-180 generally, sometimes including accommodation

whammy from Caribou, Battles and Les Savy Fav in December, probably three of the best live acts of the minute. Portishead are also curating their own in July at Alexandra Palace including Grinderman, PJ Harvey and The Books. The power of ATP to get such great bands never fails to astonish. In previous years, they’ve had the who’s who of music curating their own mini festivals at Butlins among other places.

Each new announcement usually has a wide number of music lovers getting excited, and for good reason. A great insight into your favourite band’s favourite bands as well as a great alcohol-fuelled weekend in everyone’s favourite childhood holiday destination. So wrong, but so right.

Beach Break Live Where: Pembrey Country Park, South Wales When: 16th-20th June Cost: £99 plus booking fee The festival season is looming, with line-ups being announced left, right and centre, and kicking off the proceedings immediately after exams is the renowned Beach Break Live. Celebrating its fifth birthday on the stunning Welsh coast, this small festival designed purely for students promises an unforgettable 4 days and nights of incredible music, getting from one band to the next can be a challenge. Scheduling can also mean several of your favourite bands playing at once but, despite this, Live at Leeds is the best of its ilk. Alongside the Saturday, there’s also The Unconference on Friday, where a range of guest speakers talk about the industry. Live at Leeds is probably the best value festival of the year; you can easily see over 10 bands in the 12 hours for £17.50. Bargain! Chris Taylor

Wireless Where: Hyde Park, London When: 1st-3rd July Cost: £48.50 per day/£130 for

Where: Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester consecutively When: 28th-30th May Cost: £27.50 Slyly sliding in before the onslaught of summer festival mayhem is possibly the most student-friendly music event of the year. Coming in at just £25 for 16 hours of alternative entertainment (yes, that is roundabout one pound fifty per hour!), the one thing this festival cannot do is break the bank. Occurring over three consecutive days (May 28-30th) and being split between various venues in Manchester, Bristol and Notting-

ham, more people can see the same artists without the added drag of the extortionate travel expenses. In its seventh year, this festival seems to be going from strength to strength. Appearances this May will be made by established and up-andcoming artists such as The Naked and Famous and Ed Sheeran. In particular, this year’s highlight will be Hurts, who came fourth in the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2010’ poll without ever releasing an EP or album. It seems pretty obvious, judging by its previous artists, that this festival has a good eye for talent which is ready for the limelight: see Ellie Goulding, The Temper Trap and The xx. It is the place to be if you want to discover great music you have never heard before. Never mind saving on the hassle of the usual festival overnight camping, this original event offers a one-day opportunity for a break from the stress of summer exams. This is definitely worth getting excited for if you have been to and enjoyed festivals such as the Reading/ Leeds weekend but fancy less of a commitment. Luisa Brown

Rebecca Markham

ATP is well known amongst the indie circles for allowing some of the best bands in the business to curate their own mini festivals, which leads to some amazing line ups. 2011 seems to be a blast from the past for ATP as more and more are announced. For starters, they’ve somehow managed to drag the secretive Jeff Mangum, of Neutral Milk Hotel and Elephant 6 fame, out of hiding to curate his own festival featuring the likes of Superchunk and The Apples In Stereo. For the second of the festivals taking place at Butlins in Minehead (always an interesting venue), the keys are handed to Animal Collective with the likes of Big Boi and Beach House filling the line-up. The most interesting one is a triple

Stuart Edwards

Chris Taylor

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

albums

Music Culture

music

Music Editors: Polly Randall & Joe Skrebels - courier.culture-music@ncl.ac.uk

top 5

Noah and the Whale Last Night on Earth

Even the snobbish music critics amongst you would struggle to deny the stylistic flexibility of Noah and the Whale. From being the epitome of the ‘nu-folk’ establishment one year, to offering one of the most disheartening yet rewarding listening experiences the next, The First Days of Spring necessitated their development of a more mature, almost cinematic, musical language. But this is Noah and the Whale and that was a year and a half ago; things change. It’s little surprise then that their third offering endeavours to distance itself immediately from its raw and dismal predecessor, as it finds them enhancing the more polished aspects of their debut. However, even here, rather than having songs unfold from the bare bones of vocals, acoustic guitar and piano as they had on Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, the subtle introduction of floating mechanics, processed drums and electric guitars usher in a fresh pop and American rock element to their sound. Yet the record’s digital production which makes it all sound somewhat cal-

1. Arctic Monkeys - Brick By Brick New Single

culated and forced from a collective who had been previously admired for their organic approach. As a result, they’re seemingly at their best when they intermittently alleviate the digital pulse of tracks by reintroducing traditional instrumentation, effectively marrying old with new. It’s an instrumental approach that is clearly beholden to the record’s overwhelming carpe-diem design; most apparent in Charlie Fink’s lyrics, they ﬁnd him with his eye to the keyhole, chronicling changing lives. Unfortunately though, it’s this indirect narration that strips the record of intimacy and emotional connection. Ultimately then, the record seems to be Noah and the Whale’s attempt to re-establish their commercial foothold; The First Days Of Spring may have afforded them musical credibility, but afforded little commercial viability. Like the best pop music, Last Night on Earth is concerned with transformation, but it’s far from being a great example.

The sudden release of this new song on YouTube took fans by surprise as did its somewhat pedestrian classic rock sound, about as far divorced from ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Danceﬂoor’ as they could possibly get by this point. 2. Jamie xx and Gil Scott-Heron I’ll Take Care of U Music Video One of the best songs of Jamie xx’s new remix album features that echoey guitar effect so beloved of Jamie’s own band The xx. The video, meanwhile, tells the story of a boxing-obsessed single mum training and (would you believe it?) caring for her child.

Christopher Haywood

Jessie J

Who You Are

The Vaccines What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? It’s been quite an ascent for The Vaccines. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, the band’s first demo was declared ‘The Hottest Record In The World’ by Zane Lowe, they were shortlisted for Sound of 2011, and their first two singles have been in heavy radio rotation. So how does a band so new get so well-favoured? Essentially, it comes down to a simple formula: Style > Substance. The band have stated that their influences include every major musical movement in every decade since the 50s, and this wilful appropriation of recognisable musical ideas shines throughout their debut, although maybe not how The Vaccines would like you to see it. Frankly, it’s not

a breadth of historical knowledge The Vaccines display; it’s a deep understanding of the most popular indie music of the past ten years or so that shines through. In the course of eleven tracks we get rehashes of everyone from The Libertines (in the breakneck shoutalong ‘Norgaard’), through The National (in slow-burning anthem ‘Wetsuit’) and straight into the current gloomrock fad characterised by the likes of White Lies (in the echoing grandeur of ‘All In White’). This is not an album of breathtaking thought-processes but The Vaccines’ formula does reap a certain beneﬁt – these are considered imitations, and reﬂect just why all the music they’re covertly stealing from has been successful. By no means is this an intelligent album, but by God is it catchy. Joe Skrebels

It has been a dream year for Jessie Cornish. Coming off the back of being crowned the BBC’s Sound of 2011 and the Critic’s Choice at this year’s Brits, the hype for this debut album from the Essex singer-songwriter has been huge. Six years in the making, but rush-released a month earlier than planned, the thirteen tracks give plenty of platform for the former West End starlet to show off her impressive vocal range, as well as collaborate with the likes of B.o.B. ‘Do It Like A Dude’ is a natural stand-out track, but disappointingly there are no more tracks in a similar vein - a surprising number of bland ballads have made the ﬁnal cut. ‘Casualty of Love’ is depressingly dull, ‘L.O.V.E.’ a credible but unsatisfactory attempt to write a non-cheesy love song. ‘Mamma Knows Best’ sees her attempt to rival Christina Aguilera in a Burlesque-inspired number, but ends up sounding a pale imitation. However, ‘Who You Are’ and ‘Big White Room’ are both powerful ballads which could easily

be released as singles. Teenage girls will no doubt lap this up, with heartfelt lyrics such as ‘Tears don’t mean you’re losing, everybody’s bruising/It’s okay to be who you are.’ This is tried and tested commercial pop at its ﬁnest. Her sound and message at times seems overly familiar with fellow Brit School graduate Pixie Lott. For a ﬁrst album, it’s a commendable effort; but if Jessie J is going to have any long-lasting success as a solo artist then future efforts will need to demonstrate a considerable improvement. There are too many forgettable tracks which let the album down. It is hard to identify what kind of artist Jessie J wants to be, and whether her heart lies in R ‘n’ B, pop or something more unique. In an area dominated by the likes of Rihanna, Lady GaGa and Cheryl Cole, this album was a chance to stamp her mark and make a statement- ultimately she falls a little short.

MEN Talk About Body

ing world of dance music, with plenty of indie bands having combined synths and guitars to much more interesting results within the last decade. The second problem is considerably more fundamental. Simply put, these aren’t great songs. The melodies are basic, the choruses are needlessly shout-happy and the songs that do show potential go on for far too long. Quieter jams later on the album like ‘If You Want Something’ are more interesting than any desperately fun tracks like ‘Credit Card Babie$’. MEN may claim to focus on “the energy of live performance and the radical potential of dance music”, but on Talk About Body, the band deﬁnitely appear to have forgotten about the latter. Elliot Bentley

Talk About Body is the debut album from MEN, who are the latest project of cult lesbian icon JD Samson (previously of Le Tigre and, more recently, an appearance on Christina Aguilera’s last album). If you’ve ever listened to Le Tigre or the Tigre-inspired Brazilian band CSS, you’ll know exactly what to expect from MEN: electropop with a sprinkling of guitar rock over the top. Where Samson’s new band differs is a more playful attitude, with less atmosphere and more catchy beats. Unfortunately, Talk About Body has two underlying issues. Firstly, that the sound explored by Samson et al has already dated in the ever-chang-

Simon Howard

3. Britney Spears - Till The World Ends New Single That’s right - it’s Britney, bitch. Never one to compromise her own individuality, Ms Spears has chosen to sound pretty much like every other autotuned, synth-heavy pop hit released within the last eighteen months. The results are mildly entertaining, but it’s no ‘Toxic’. 4. Noah and the Whale - Tonight’s the Kinda Night Live Session The band that Laura Marling was once part of (singing “sun sun suu-uu-uun”) are back with a new album. This live performance for the Guardian website, includes a very brief introduction describing the song as a combination of “Tom Waits, Mountain Goats and Springsteen”. 5. Pilots - White Knuckle Tight Grip New Single A promising young local band drawing upon the quirkier aspects of indie rock, Pilots’ new single is an angular charmer. Possibly a ﬁrst sign of something bigger to come... or maybe I’m just a sucker for a bit of palm-muted guitar. Elliot Bentley

The Courier Online For exclusive reviews of album releases and live gigs from around the city, as well as Spotify Playlists, head to the music section of The Courier website: thecourieronline.co.uk/music

Culture

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Music

music listings

Monday 14th – Does It Offend You, Yeah?, O2 Academy2, £10, 7pm The band with the most confrontational-sounding name of recent years are gearing up to interrogate you all with their heavy cow-bell infused dance-rock on Monday. New album Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You (why so argumentative?) is out on the same day. New single ‘The Monkeys Are Coming’ is out now – it sounds like the old album, but with monkey noises. Tuesday 15th – Yashin, O2 Academy2, SOLD OUT, 7pm Yashin all have silly haircuts. Very, very silly, floppy haircuts. They do a hilarious screamo cover of Britney Spears which verges on the edge of genius self-parody. According to Kerrang they’re ‘genuine contenders’. Are we all agreed this is lazy journalism? It is, but the gig’s already somehow sold out, so I’m not really trying to persuade you to buy a ticket. Nyerr. Wednesday 16th – Elbow, Metro Radio Arena, £28.09, 7.30pm Elbow’s new album Build A Rocket Boys! is out now, and if their previous albums are anything to go by, it’ll be beautiful, epic alt-rock of the highest calibre. Regarded as one of the best British live bands, you’d be a fool to miss Guy Garvey and co. this week. Thursday 17th – Acrobatic Society, The Cluny2, £3, 8pm Local band Acrobatic Society make brilliant, dark, genre-bending altfolk a la Beirut and Arcade Fire, which is bound to sound great in the wonderful Cluny2. Tickets cost just £3, and there are five bands on the bill – value for money or what? Friday 18th – Reclaim the Dance Floor: Nero Album Launch w/ Nero/Doorly/Mak/Rusko, Digital, £10, 11pm Up and coming drum’n’bass duo Nero will be launching their album this Friday at Digital with support from Doorly and Rusko. If dance music is your thing, this is a must, with four acts for just £10. Saturday 19th – The Script, Metro Radio Arena, £25.53, 7.30pm There isn’t much going on this Saturday, so if you’re really pushed for something to do, you could go and see the bland, middle-of-the-road warblings of The Script, though to be honest it’d be cheaper, and possibly more entertaining, to watch paint dry. Sunday 20th - Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club featuring Omara Portuondo, The Sage, £28.50-£32.50, 7.30pm According to The Sage website, ticketholders to this event can expect “an extraordinary line-up of Buena Vista Social Club™ stalwarts, together in a fifteen-piece band direct from Havana”. It’s a pricey evening, but it’s bound to be unforgettable. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, well, I don’t know what will. Ben Travis

One band not wanting to follow the herd Christopher Haywood profiles rising student band Cattle & Cane Freshers’ Week was excruciating, wasn’t it? We’d utter some fascinating snippets of information about ourselves to complete strangers in the hope that someone – or let’s be honest, anyone – would find us remotely interesting. Most of you probably came across a person who was supposedly in a band, but I doubt many of you found someone whose ‘band’ had played T in the Park. However, amongst you, one unassuming Fresher didn’t lie when he blurted out that old story. That band is Cattle & Cane; an ‘unassuming’ collective whose youthful appearance conceals any inclination of what they somehow muster together on stage: natural, vulnerable emotion, fiercely intelligent musical craftwork, tender depth and I’ve only just scratched their metaphorical surface. I said ‘natural’ purposefully; being built upon the ‘organic’ songwriting partnership of brother and sister Joe and Helen Hammill, whilst elder brother Frank “organises it all”, Cattle & Cane are an exposition of Edenic harmony rather than being characterised by jarring elements or even glimpses of battles between them for territory in the soundscape. Suffice to say, Cattle & Cane are actually a tight, family unit; three members by blood, the rest, as drummer Paul admits, by “spending more time in the Hammill household (their practice room of preference) than in my own.” Even the introduction of a new member tonight, Scott a violinist, does little

to hamper the glaring dynamic that exists. It’s this, the intangible dynamic within Cattle & Cane, which affords an irrefutable beauty to the depth of their sound. Hence, whilst Paul’s careful, sensitive drumming scuttles over Scott’s swelling strings, Helen’s subdued keys, Frank’s scuffling bass, and Joe’s colourful, crafty acoustic guitar, all merge without burdening the melodic line by any expected clutter. Yet for all their emotive instrumental vignettes, you soon discover that vocal harmonies are Cattle & Cane’s underlying core, even declaring themselves to be a “vocal band more than anything”. As impeccable and forceful in the falling action of songs as in their rousing choruses, at their best they’re the very symbol of the cohesion and resonance that

characterises their entire sound. Ultimately coupled with lyrics not of youthful naivety, but of uncertainty, it sees them become a band whose music is not verging on the beautiful, but one which has already reached those magnificent heights. All of this, however, sees them as a band who are bound to be tarred by that notorious ‘Nu-Folk’ brush; whilst delicate folk-rock is hardly thin on the ground right now, although not always executed with the same charm and spirit, they admit to being “careful not to confine ourselves in with such bands, because [the scene] is not going to last forever”. Hence they see themselves “moving towards a bigger sound in the future; I like acoustic music but I want to develop it more”. Regardless though, Cattle & Cane warrant every bit of this animated

praise. Supported from the start by 6Music and BBC Introducing, there’s a sense that their first E.P., set for release in April, will just be the beginning of a very promising recording future. WHO AND WHAT ARE THEY? : For those who like their rock underpinned by something more traditional, honest, and tinged with an element of folk. WHY ARE THEY? : The inevitable outcome of the Hammill family’s musical endeavours, built with aid of friends. WHEN AND WHERE ARE THEY? : It’s worth daring to venture into Middlesbrough just to catch their EP Launch on Friday 1st April at Westgarth Social Club.

Far From the Average Fresher: Not many students can say they spent the summer playing at festivals such as T in the park

feature Don’t stop the music: Unless you’re better at something else Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has recently enjoyed considerable non-band success, picking up a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his work (with Atticus Ross) on the score for David Fincher’s The Social Network. It seems he’s keen to keep on scoring, signing up to do the soundtrack for the Hollywood adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo later this year. Reznor’s achievement reminds us that many musicians seem eager to try their hand at something a little different. Obviously his move into film is still rooted in music, but other artists continue to venture further afield, with varying degrees of success. Like Reznor, some see providing the beats for a film as the next logical step, including Yann Tiersen who served up the tunes for extended French cuisine advert Amélie. Hirsute Aussie Nick Cave took things a step further, co-penning the music for The Proposition as well as writing the film itself. He also pops up as a bar singer in The Assassination of Jesse James, briefly making the movie resemble an impromptu solo performance. While Cave kept things vaguely musical in that appearance, other

artists clearly have more confidence in their thespian potential. Case in point – a flurry several years ago of sub-standard rappers proving themselves to be even worse actors in terrible films. DMX made cult screen hero Steven Seagal look good in Cradle 2 the Grave, while Ja Rule was Seagal’s counterpart in Half Past Dead. Clearly the overweight Aikido master is a magnet for hiphop’s would-be Hamlets, who must feel drawn to his Zen wisdom and limited range of facial expressions. That said, other rappers have been much better received in front of the camera. Mos Def co-starred in several (non-Seagal-associated) pictures and received critical praise, as well as appearing in an episode of House and recently treading the New York theatre boards. Given his musical output versus that of the rappers above, there may well be a correlation between rapping and acting ability. Certainly Method Man didn’t disgrace himself in several episodes of The Wire, though the show’s inherent gold dust may rub off on anyone who’s involved in it. Closer to home, ex-So Solid Crew member Ashley Walters was lauded for his performance in Saul Dibb’s 2005 drama Bullet Boy.

Sitting at the top of the pile though is STILL Will ‘you-just-can’t-helpbut-like-him’ Smith. Yes, the likes of ‘Summertime’, ‘Miami’ and ‘Gettin’ Jiggy With It’ are undisputed classics (the first album this writer ever bought was in fact the eradefining Willennium). But once the musical mountain had been conquered Smith dived onto the screen and hasn’t looked back, even being Oscar-nominated for Ali and The Pursuit of Happiness. Only time will tell if his renown as a film star now means that future generations may unforgivably neglect The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. And the subject of rappers and serials brings us inevitably to R Kelly. R’n’B star, lightning rod of legal controversy, and the man behind ‘hip-hopera’ Trapped in The Closet. This is a set of chapters (looking not unlike a music video but with ongoing themes, described by Wikipedia as a “web of lies, sex, and deceit”), where Kelly plays several characters and sings as the drama unfolds. They are mostly available on YouTube, a definite must-see. Moving away from expeditions into film and TV, other artists have dabbled in more highbrow areas. Brian Eno’s maintained a connection with the art world, while Le-

onard Cohen has continued to publish poetry throughout his musical career. Others put creative pretensions on the backburner altogether; Blur’s Dave Rowntree is a Labour candidate in London. Despite losing his seat to the Tories, he has enjoyed slightly more political success than Wyclef Jean, whose commendably ambitious attempt to become president of Haiti was eventually ill-fated. Though not holding political office, Jay-Z has done pretty much everything else. A platinum-selling rapper in his spare time, he has also run Def Jam Records, is part-owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, founded Rocawear clothing, and had a net worth of over $450m last year. As his empire grows, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before him and Beyoncé occupy the White House. 99 problems maybe, but losing a rap battle to Sarah Palin probably wouldn’t be one of them. Ultimately, maybe we should give some credit to those from the music world who choose to branch out. It’d be easy to sit back on album royalties rather than risk it in another area, so fair play to these brave chancers. Martin Flynn

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Culture

Music

music

column

interview

Puppet out of the Shadows Jack Kidder and Billy Bankes talks to Miles Kane about taking to the road as a solo artist Miles Kane certainly has the ability to surprise you. We meet in the bar of the Cluny, perhaps Newcastle’s nicest music venue, ahead of the first show of his headlining tour and sharply dressed in a smart suit, with coffee in hand. He certainly has the sophisticated rock and roll image pinned, yet don’t expect any stereotypical machismo. “I’ve got a new record and I see myself as a new artist” he says before adding “I’ve got to work as hard as any other band”. Such humility is surprising from a musician who has been on the scene as long as, and enjoyed the success that Miles Kane has, yet he admits that this solo project was born from a period of personal frustration. For those of you currently asking who on earth is Miles Kane, you are proving an important point. Despite the fact that he has a number one album to his name and alongside Alex Turner, of Arctic Monkeys fame, is one half of the Last Shadow Puppets, perhaps the world’s coolest side project, Miles Kane remains a hugely underrated talent. Yet it is arguably the success that the pair enjoyed that has kept him in the shadows for so long. His participation in The Last Shadow Puppets has led him to be subject to criticism by those who have accused him of playing a mere supportive role to Turner’s talent. 2011 is the year that he wants to prove the sceptics wrong. After the demise of his former band The Rascals and the return of Alex Turner to his day job with the Arctic Monkeys signalling a hiatus for the Last Shadow Puppets, Kane was given the freedom to truly branch out on his own and make the record that will surely define his talent. “What I wanted to achieve is to make an album that captures all the records that I love” he explains and with his

live

Mogwai The Sage February 27 Like a wall of sound, Mogwai hits your ears. There is not often the opportunity to hear such an amazing band in a place with acoustic like the The Sage, and it was a pleasure. Based in Scotland, Mogwai are a welcome alternative and have a long standing reputation for brilliant and experimental musical styles. The post-rock band are more known for their dramatic film-like music than their social status. As they stood like stour Scotsmen the whole night muttering only the odd word the audience could forgive their shyness. Mogwai deliver sound beautifully, forcing the crowd back to their seats with their dramatic delivery style. A

broad array of influences, ranging from the suave sixties pop of Lee Hazelwood and Serge Gainsbourg to the glam-rock cool of T Rex, one might think it would be hard to create a record that could build a bridge between them. Yet when asked whether the song writing process for this album was difficult, it being his first outside the membership of a group, he confidently responds that “during the process of this record there was so much material to work through, songs that have been around for a couple of years or were half finished”. He is quick to add how influential his collaborators have been in helping him turn his vision into a reality. He speaks highly of Dan Carey, to whom the majority of the production duties fell, and can’t help but smile as he recalls writing tracks with Gruff Rhys of The Super Furry Animals. “We did two songs together” he says before describing one of them, ‘Take the Night from Me’, as like “an Elvis song that slowly builds up and finishes like a Roy Orbison number”. From his obvious enthusiasm for his influences one could expect Kane’s forthcoming debut album, The Colour of the Trap due out in May, to simply imitate what has been successfully done before. Yet his latest single, ‘Come Closer’, a three minute gem that he himself describes as “a sexy rock and roll record”, is arguably a good indication of his ability to take his influences and remould them into a sound that he can happily call his own. It provides the perfect opening number for his sold out performance tonight and the roar of the audience singing the chorus “you’re a million miles, a million miles away, so come closer” gives a real feeling of intimacy that often only smaller venues can provide. One might think, however, that for a man who has played at Glastonbury and arenas in support of The Courteeners, a return to intimate venues would feel like a setback. Kane, however, demonstrates only excitement at the prospect of touring with his band made up of

friends from Liverpool, members of Cherry Ghost and singer-songwriter Eugene McGuiness. “We’ve been doing gigs dotted about in little venues like this and quite a few on this tour are sold out which I’m buzzing about” he explains before adding “to be honest I’m grateful people are coming to sit through a set of songs they don’t know”. At tonight’s show the audience’s lack of knowledge of the songs is barely perceptible. Each number is greeted with a consistent enthusiasm and even the excellent cover of ‘Hey

dream-like haze was sent through the room as old classics such as ‘Auto-rock’ reverberated around the room. Their most recent album is something of a treat, absorbing the crowd with the magnificent use of guitars and synth to create a mighty sound. Another excellent feature of seeing them live was the visual projections slotting into the music with city scapes, and a mesmerising film following a cyclist on tiny roads. Few vocals feature but when they do they work perfectly as shown in ‘Cody’ with its haunting lyrics. A final treat was the incorporation of a violin at the end adding extra panashe. Mogwai are a band to be heard live just to hear alternatives to vocally pop and the creation of brilliant acoustics. Olivia Mason

Jamie Woon The Other Rooms February 28

Bulldog’, a rarely heard Beatles classic, sees the audience singing along before its conclusion. So will 2011 be the year Miles Kane proves the doubters wrong? Is there room for his sixties flavoured material in today’s charts, dominated as they are by the seemingly unstoppable ‘R’n’B’ auto-tune brigade? Who knows but, while Miles Kane’s record may not set the charts alight, its importance will surely be to finally allow him to emerge from Alex Turner’s shadow and be recognised as the remarkable talent that he is.

Proving the skeptics wrong: Milles Kane wants to show he’s more than half a puppet

Jamie looked fresh-faced, happy and relaxed as he took to the stage dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans. He immediately turned some bass on and it all flowed from there. After a straightforward start of two lukewarmly received tracks (though markedly appreciated after the support act Ghostpoet) a groove was found and ‘Blue Truth’, currently available for free download, got the crowd in the mood. A succession of further tracks and a couple of acoustic numbers giving the band a break led to the big hits in ‘Night Air’ and latest single ’Lady Luck’. The encore ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ finished the gig off with a bang.

There was something Stevie Wonder–esque about the gig which is odd when it is electronic music but the mixture of underlying blues and funk and Woon’s soulful voice gave a classic feel topped off by the star leaving the stage while the band finished. A general sense of promise and glimmers of brilliance throughout the set signalled that by the time we reach festival season his live act will be unmissable. Returning to the toon for Evolution festival this summer he is emerging as one of the tips for the weekend. After coming 4th on the BBC Sound list I think that the only way is up for Jamie Woon and with the album out at the start of April he will become an unmistakeable presence in the British music scene. Max Beavis

Under the Influence Chris Scott Columnist

New Romanticism was huge in the late seventies and stayed very influential right through until the mid80s. It came straight off the back of the heavy rock and punk era, which was a stark contrast in terms of music and image. It became acceptable for men to wear as much makeup as women did and indulge in old biker jackets, whilst safety pins through the ears were ditched for jumpsuits and cross-dressing. The era was noteable for the heavy influence of artists from the time such as Andy Warhol and bands like Duran Duran, the Human League and David Bowie take full advantage of this. It also had roots in glam-rock that had an almost ‘flash in the pan moment’ during the late seventies when some bands took a slightly ironic take on the darker and deeper rock bands that had dominated the music scene from as early as the mid-sixties. New Romantic bands had a very noticeable vibe and sound to their music, which makes it easy to distinguish; combining trance-like synth with electro/euro pop and often materialised on stage with very outlandish displays, a hangover from the glam rock era but much more prominent. It was the first time bands really started to try hard to become individual and take a unique, if often bizarre, slant on the music scene. This flamboyancy is best seen in the antics of Adam and the Ants, early Bowie and Culture Club, with outrageous fashion statements and even risqué lyrics such as the now infamous Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s track ‘Relax’. This era of music paved the way for genres such as electro-rave, dance and possibly early house, but it would be unfair to say that’s where the influence ends... We can hear its lingering effects still in music that rules the charts now, not just in the UK, but globally. For example; Auto-tune may have huge popularity these days, being used by artists left, right and centre to accommodate for their own personal lack of singing ability, and it all might feel like a new and novel idea, but E.L.O. were experimenting with it in the seventies! As for the ‘fashion statements’ that plaster the gossip pages in magazines, such as Lady Gaga’s raw meat dress and bubble outfits; they may seem quirky and niche, but where do you think she got the idea from? A quick dip into the pages of musical history show her obvius influences. She even admits that her stage name is inspired by Queen and Bowie, it begs the question where on earth her persona was dragged from. As for most of the other rising bands that use synthesisers and keyboards in the current electro scene, you will likely find their inspiration is from some of those golden, if at times very odd, oldies.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Culture

TV & Radio

tv & radio

tv highlight

Comic Relief 2011

Famous faces gather together to provide a night of entertainment, in a bid to raise millions for Comic Relief. Friday 7pm, BBC 1

Plus some of the biggest names in music will be performing, including The Wanted who are singing this years official Comic Relief singlethis should be enough to get most 20-year-old females to donate. The show will also recap of some of the activities other celebrities have taken part in for the cause. Scott Mills will be talking about his experience trekking through the desert, Kimberly Walsh will dicuss her experience of Paragliding and we will find out if Chris Moyles successfully managed to break the record for the longest radio show. The show will also feature clips from David Walliams’s 24 hour panel show. The challenge saw him take part in and host various shows over a 24 hour period, including new shows (like Celebrity Juice) but also old game shows like The Generation Game and Blankey Blank. With all this entertainment it is easy to forget the incredible work Comic Relief strive to do. Since they began they have pledged to tackle poverty and injustice across the UK and throughout the world. They have helped people from Bangladesh to Brazil and have helped solve issues ranging from illiteracy to HIV. Yet perhaps the most important thing they provide is support when people need it most. Comic Relief can only continue to help if we donate, so tune in, enjoy the show, laugh but don’t forget to donate.

Red Nose Day is returning for its 12th comical extravaganza this week and stars of the music, TV and comedy world will be uniting to get the nation laughing and donating. Comic Relief was launched from a refugee camp in Sudan on Christmas Day in 1985; at the time it was established to help Ethiopia cope with their crippling famine. They did this by successfully raising £15 million. After this the charity decided to host annual events in the form of Red Nose Day and more recently Sports Relief. The first Red Nose Day took place in 1988 and since then the charity has been using laughter to make people donate. So far it has raised over £650 million and helped people in 76 countries; this year they are hoping to increase the total so they can help even more people. To do this they have enlisted the help of Britain’s best comedians and TV personalities. Lenny Henry, James Corden, Fearne Cotton and Michael McIntyre will be on hand to host a night of comedy gold. Highlights throughout the night include sketches from Miranda, Outnumbered and Gavin and Stacey. There will also be Comic Relief specials of Masterchef and The Choir.

tv previews

Waking The Dead Monday 9pm, BBC 1

Rosie Daly

Twenty Twelve Monday 10pm, BBC 4

soaps

Coronation Street

Mon, Thurs, Fri on ITV1 Katy stuns Chesney with her plans for their future and Fiz and Owen are shocked at Chesney’s announcement. Liz arrives back from Spain and is outraged to find that Amy is living with Tracey. Maria’s attempt to warn Tracey off Frank have repercussions for Carla ,and David and Kylie set a date for their wedding.

Eastenders

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri on BBC1 Lauren is feeling guilty about the way she treated Whitney and tries to contact her, but nobody knows where she is. When Lauren and Janine search for her, they discover just how much danger Whitney is in. Fatboy gets a stall on the market and Mercy tries to get him to talk about his family, while Liam gets suspended from school.

Emmerdale

Weekdays 7pm on ITV Lisa and Zak receive disappointing news from the Police and Lisa finally finds the strength to stand up to Derek. Aaron makes a shocking discovery and urges Hazel to watch Jackson’s video diary. Carl is suspicious of Jimmy’s mystery phonecall and vows to help him regain his memory. Declan has unwelcome news for Nicola and Rodney, while the distance grows between Lisa and Zak. Red Nose: Join a host of celebrities as they provide a night of laughter for Comic Relief

The Event Monday 10pm, C4

Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags Tuesday 10pm, C4

Hollyoaks

Weekdays 6.30pm on C4 Riley rushes to Lynsey’s aid as her intruder runs away, but not before wrestling her ring off her finger. Lynsey then tells Cheryl who her attacker is, but everyone is disgusted at her allegations. Sparks reignite between Nancy and Darren, but how will Cindy react? Meanwhile Mitzeee tries to hijack Riley’s photoshoot in her bid for stardom.

Neighbours

Missing a classic British drama from your TV screens? Do not fear as Waking the Dead is back for the final time, to take up your Sunday and Monday nights. It promises to bring more palpitating thrills to your screen, as Boyd and team investigate many more unsolved crimes. The cold case unit employ a new team member, Sarah, who also comes with problems. Meanwhile, ‘missing’ Donald Reese’s car is discovered, as well as his family’s misfortunes begin to disclose. Can the unit deal with problematic Sarah whilst investigating cold hard murders? Weird wonders unravel from the funeral of Donald’s daughter, as the team find documents on Donald’s investigations into an old couple. As the team begin investigingthey recover the old couple’s corpses at an abandoned paper mill. The first episode aired last night so catch up on BBC iPlayer!

With the London 2012 Olympics looming on the horizon (it is less than 18 months away), BBC Four has launched its own six-part independent comedy which looks at the build-up to ‘the biggest show on Earth.’ It follows the ups and downs of a group of expert individuals entailed with the task of making sure the Games run according to plan, focussing on the pressures the people working behind the scenes face in living up to the hype. Lord Coe, who brought the Games to London, will be making a cameo appearance in one episode. The series has been partly filmed on location, at several of the key Olympic sites and is narrated by David Tennant. From producers of The Office, this promises to be an interesting comedy, poking fun at something which is expected to be such a monumental experience for the entire country.

US thriller The Event is back with the second half of the first series, starting with a double bill. In the first of these back to back episodes, President Martinez and his Chief of Staff charge the intelligence community with decrypting Thomas’s satellite message. Meanwhile, Sean and Leila discover new leads to help them with the whereabouts of Samantha, but this leads to life-altering circumstances. In the second part, James Dempsey anticipates that he and Sean will cross paths once again and Maya teaches Blake an important lesson. Meanwhile, freshly appointed Alaskan senator Catherine Lewis, threatens to disclose information about the Mt Inostranka detention facility. The first half of the series saw Sean become involved in a national conspiracy, while searching for missing fiancée Leila. Secrets were revealed and a mole was discovered.

This show follows Lily Allen and charts her transformation from pop star to fashion retailer. Last year she launched a vintage clothing store, along with her sister Sarah, called Lucy in Disguise. Their vision became a reality as the store opened to a rapturous reception from the fashion world. The first episode joins Lily backstage at the 02 Arena on the final night of her tour, where she reveals she wants to quit music for a quiet life in the country. Following her dream of opening a vintage shop, Lily plans to make couture and vintage pieces available to people who cannot afford luxurious items. It follows her journey as she struggles to find the right shop in the right place, along with appropriate stock. She meets retail guru Mary Portas, who gives them a few home truths about their shop idea. This makes an interesting watch as we discover Lily in a new light.

Emily Symington

Simon Howard

Maria Moffatt

Lynsey Fawcett TV & Radio Editor

Weekdays 1.45pm & 5.30pm on Five Lucas refuses to bow to Garland’s blackmail, but finds the Ramsay house trashed as a warning. Zeke is unsure how to handle Sophie’s crush and disaster strikes when he ends up humiliating her. Tash is enjoying the benefits of her fake pregnancy, but things spiral out of control when Andrew gets involved; while Susan winds Karl up about her raunchy calendar shoot.

Home and Away

Weekdays at 2.15pm & 6pm on Five Colleen is in shock after being abducted from her caravan and Charlie thinks it was one of the River Boys. Xavier is frustrated after April’s shock decision to break up and he attempts to win her back by delivering a romantic speech. Brax asks Leah out and Elijah attemps to rebuild his friendship with VJ, while Romeo gets an insight into Casey’s home life. Lynsey Fawcett TV & Radio Editor

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Culture

TV & Radio

tv & radio nsr

TV & Radio Editors: Lynsey Fawcett & Ellie Wilson - courier.culture-tv@ncl.ac.uk

radio highlights

YouTube clip of the week “Skateboard Fail Becomes Cool Trick” Uploaded by: dodge103

With only a week to go until Newcastle Student Radio’s FM broadcasting begins I thought I’d introduce you to some of the changes we will be making to improve the schedule... From Monday March 21 you can tune in to NSR wherever you may be on 87.7 FM as well as continuing to listen online. Our first day on FM begins bright and early with our new breakfast shows from 7-9am. Busy Doing Nothing kicks off the week and I will be bringing you a collection of songs based around the theme of ‘Intriguing Openers’, songs with the best initial lyrics as well as clips of interviews NSR has carried out and time checks and weather to help you start your day. Our weekday schedule has been expanded throughout the week to be 7am-10pm and we will be broadcasting on Saturday March 26. Plenty of weekend treats are in store for you with a debate on ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ and a special focus on unsigned local bands featuring interviews and sessions, courtesy of Deputy Station Manager Kirsty Graham. We will also be gearing up to Evolution festival (May 28 and 29) and will be playing tracks from some of the acts playing, including Iggy and the Stooges, Caribou and Mammal Club. March 21-25 provides listeners with further news shows as our news team will have an hour long show every weekday from 12-1pm. Monday’s show will highlight the campus Elections including information on the winners and throughout the rest of the week ‘NSR News’ will cover protests, referendums and strikes – I will say no more! To celebrate our two week FM licence NSR will be having a launch gig on the March 17, full details on our website, nsrlive.co.uk and our facebook page.

2011 Olivier Awards Catch up on iPlayer BBC Radio 2

Churchill’s Other Lives Monday - Friday 11pm BBC Radio 4

Continuing its commitment to the arts, Radio 2 brought its listeners a marathon four hours of The Olivier Awards, a prestigious date for theatre lovers, where stars and producers of the West End are given the commendation they deserve. The show was hosted by Michael Ball, Radio 2 presenter and acclaimed cross-dressing stage star, while Jodie Prenger, winner of musical reality show I’d Do Anything, provided coverage from the red carpet. Speaking about the awards, Michael says “I think it’s fantastic for the West End and theatre in general that BBC Radio 2 is broadcasting what is one of the most prestigious dates in the theatrical calendar... The Olivier Awards highlight achievement across the full spectrum of theatrical arts and many would argue that the West End is the centre of the theatrical world”. The main ceremony was presented by Matthew Fox (Lost) and Olivia Williams (An Education), and they were joined by a selection of prestigious figures from stage and screen to hand out prizes. For anyone with a passion for theatre, this show is a must.

Historian Sir David Cannadine explores Churchill’s life outside politics, with actor Roger Allam playing Winston Churchill. On Monday, the programme explores Churchill’s relationship with ordinary people. On Tuesday, the programme explores his large appetite. Churchill is known to have drunk copious quantities of alcohol and developed a taste for Havana cigars. He was so keen on his food that during WWII he was unconstrained by rationing. Wednesday’s programme documents a young Churchill discovering his love for words and deciding to make a living out of them, initially as a war correspondent. He became a writer so unstoppable that when he was hit by a car in a New York street, he dictated a thousand words about the experience from his hospital bed. On Thursday, the legacy left by Churchill’s childhood when he became a father is explored. On Friday, listeners learn that Churchill never knew the names of secretaries calling “get me a miss”, when he needed dictation. Yet such was his charm that women fell in love with him over the dinner table.

Louise Morris Station Manager

Adam Rummens

Ellie Wilson TV& Radio Editor

of the Golden Compass movie) struggling to overcome her crippling shyness and make friends in a new school. Though a brilliant introduction to an interesting character, it’s simply not what viewers want from Skins - no wonder ratings have dropped to the lowest point since series two. Each episode of the series follows a roughly similar storyline: a character has a crisis about something in their life, goes on a drug (and sometimes sex)-fuelled wander, and then comes back home and asserts a new status quo.

this series. This is the show that once sent a character to New York without any real explanation - surely we can ask for a little more imagination than that? At least Skins’ pro-drugs attitude is still intact, which can be refreshing in the face of so much anti-drug propaganda on TV. However, it can sometimes go too far: I refuse to believe, for example, that Grace (a fan of ballet and elocution) is more than happy to lick the remnants of a bag of some white powder they find on the street. It’s difficult to put a finger on exactly where this series has gone wrong, but there’s just something considerably less likeable about this latest batch of friends. They’re mostly well-written characters, yes - but they don’t feel as real as previous casts. Maybe it’s because I’m now four years older than the characters are supposed to be (dear god), but by attempting to make a bunch of uncool kids fit into the Skins stereotype, the hyperidealised teenage life portrayed onscreen now seems almost like a self-parody.

Tom Delamere shares his YouTube video of the week. To catch the best each week, visit www.thecourieronline.co.uk. Like any YouTube fan, I have inevitably seen my fair share of ‘skateboard fails’. All too often I have stumbled across over-ambitious attempts at skateboard tricks that end in pain for those involved and me

lifting my jaw from the keyboard in shock. This video offers a welcome break for the squeamish. Although the attempt at grinding down the stair rail fails and balance is lost, the lucky lad in the clip manages to land unscathed and in a fairly comical fashion. Check out his expression from seven seconds onwards – for me this is the perfect combination of relief and humour at what has just happened!

tweets of the week Scroobius Pip Everyday I’m Hustling. Except Wednesdays. I have bridge on Wednesdays.

Sue Perkins Within the hour I will be dressed as Kate Middleton. I am The Daily Mail’s worst nightmare.

Chris Addison South Riding Epilogue: Eighty years later the school is turned into an academy and is put on special measures by Ofsted.

Jedward We are gonna get purple hoodies and sneak into justin bieber concert never say never we will be able to do it we will be craZY!

review Elliot Bentley reviews the fifth series of Skins and tells us why this series didn’t live up to the storylines and characters of the past. What separates Skins from most ‘teen dramas’ is its willingness to innovate and surprise, constantly taking risks and renewing itself every two series. Yet, with the fifth series coming to an end it feels like Skins may have tried a little too hard to surprise us. The idea of ‘Skins parties’ - originating from that iconic trailer for the first series in which the cast appear to be having the messiest, drunkest, sexiest house party of all time - has embedded so far into the public’s consciousness that even the sponsor’s adverts attempt to match up to the Skins level of revelry. Yet, in series five, the writers have chosen to make the third generation of characters socially inept and cringingly uncool. The very first episode features the androgynous Franky (played phenomenally by Dakota Blue Richards

The writers have chosen to make the third generation of characters socially inept and cringingly uncool There are some interesting bits, like heavy metal fan Rich losing his hearing briefly, but even that is reversed by the end of the episode. Such a quick turn around of a plot surely reflecting a lack of desire in the writers to take proper risks with

Disappointing: The latest series of Skins is a departure from the quality of other years

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Culture Puzzles

puzzles Get all of the solutions to this week’s puzzles at www. thecourieronline.co.uk

Across 1 Musical interval of eight tones (6) 4 Antipodean (abbrev.) (6) 7 Unit of speed (abbrev.) (3) 9 Female table server (8) 11 French general who became emperor of France (8) 13 Awkward, stupid person (3) 14 ITV talent show (1,6) 15 New Englander (USA) (6) 17 Supreme Greek God (4) 19 Dog or wolf (6) 20 Brand of washing up liquid (5) 21 Large fleet (6) 22 American Fall (6) 24 Wash the whole body (5) 26 Native American tribe (6) 27 Framework for holding objects (4) 28 Small, informal restaurant (5)

logic problem Being very rich and very eccentric, I own an island on which I live in solitude. Every few days I fly in my seaplane to one of the neighbouring islands buy provisions. One day I make such a trip to find that it is a Sunday and the shops are all closed. What’s more, I recall that every shop on the entire island group is closed on Sundays. About to give up, I suddenly think of something, and soon I am back on my island complete with food. Whereabouts is my island?

phone in Use the clues and the keypad to find the answers to the grid using the week’s theme to help you. For example the number 3 in a clue could be D, E or F. This week’s theme is Biscuits.

30 Former German Chancellor (surname) (7) 33 2003 Will Ferrell film (3) 35 Mistress of Admiral Nelson (surname) (8) 36 Beyond the regular time (8) 37 Crystalline rock (3) 38 1984 author (6) 39 Queen’s ceremonial bodyguard (6)

Puzzles Editor: Andy Pitkeathley - courier.puzzles@ncl.ac.uk 22 Hatchet (3) 23 Type of nut (9) 25 Enliven (7) 29 Freshwater mammal (5) 31 Prompt, signal (3) 32 Slogan, saying (5) 34 Frustrate, throw a spanner in the works (4) Last week’s Crossword answer

Down 2 Drive someone in a vehicle (9) 3 Member of 14th century ethnic Mexican tribe (5) 4 As well (4) 5 Golden Gate city (3,9) 6 Infer, state indirectly (5) 8 Initiate, take the lead (7) 10 Self (3) 12 North West English city (9) 16 Ineptitude (12) 18 Long strings of pasta (9) 19 American Homeland Security department (abbrev.) (3)

logical

sudoku

wordsearch

The words below make up a common phrase. Come read what the phrase is as well as the words.

Across

Down

1. 76259 4. 8949 5.6736

1.7424832 2. 548528 3.462626

word link Find the word that can be placed between these words to make two new words or phrases

Find all the words in the grid below, the words are all linked. This week’s link is Premiership Clubs. West ham Fulham Arsenal Wigan Liverpool Blackpool Everton Bolton Aston Villa Chelsea Sunderland Newcastle Wolves West Brom Stoke

andy’s number cruncher Keep your brain in shape by trying to complete these sums as fast as you can without using a calculator

DOG

BOAT

EASY

POST

OFFICE

MILK

PAPER

SEA

BOY

HARD

DUST

POTATO

-6

Triple Multiply Divide Square 7% of this this by 4 by 24 this

MEDIUM

-12

Divide 3/11 of this 11 this

Divide 4/9 of 25% of Square by 5 this this this

5/2 of 10% of Multiply by 4 x0.5 this this Square 75% of this this

-2

+108

Square root

The puzzles get harder as you work your way down the page.

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Matches at Gateshead Stadium on Stan Calvert

days to go

Sports Editors: Jono Taylor, Wills Robinson and Kat Bannon - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

“You’re not ﬁt to referee”

In the light of Arsenal’s defeat by Barcelona, Jimmy Booker looks at the ‘blame culture’ tarnishing sport

With Robin Van Persie being the latest high-proﬁle victim of a controversial refereeing decision, is it now time for football to follow the lead of rugby, cricket and tennis and use technology to help the ofﬁcials make decisions?

Whether it be Wembley, Twickenham, Lord’s, or the Nou Camp in Arsenal’s case, the big moments in every sporting contest always have thousands of pairs of eyes looking at one or two people - the officials. The men and women in the middle of all the shots, tackles and screams are scrutinised, analysed and victimised if everything doesn’t appear to run 100 per cent smoothly which, with such competition, prizes and bragging rights constantly at stake in all forms of sport, is a near impossibility. At a professional level, even if the officials maintain a level of calmness and discipline on the field of play itself, the intricacies of the during and post-match analysis will undoubtedly uncover every little error in judgement that the officials, who, although people sometimes fail to see, have the best interest of their respective sports at heart. Nevertheless, the technology that can spot officials’ mistakes is also utilised in their favour, with video technology and devices such as ‘Hawk-Eye’ having been adopted in recent years in cricket, tennis and rugby. Even though this may disrupt the flow of play for a few seconds, it rec-

tifies or confirms the decision made, and allows the game to carry on as the laws of each sport dictate that they should. It was not surprising that even the most fervent sceptics of technology to be introduced in football were screaming for goal-line resources to be introduced after Frank Lampard ‘scored’ against Germany in last year’s World Cup in South Africa. I won’t pretend that I don’t get annoyed or, maybe after a few pints, angry with some decisions made against the particular individual or team that I am supporting on the day, but this frustration should just be that whoever you are following doesn’t get the decision, and not be a character assassination of the official in question. Let’s not forget that these people must make decisions in the blink of an eye and, depending on the sport’s rules on technology, do not always have a wealth of high-tech tools at their disposal to make the correct decision. Football referees have recently been under the spotlight for a number of reasons, and it seems people are willing to jump on the bandwagon to group a few individual errors that, coincidentally, have occurred

within a few weeks of each other, into an all encompassing derision of the apparent lack of quality and ability of sports ofﬁcials today.

“Even the most fervent sceptics of technology to be introduced in football were screaming for goal-line resources after Frank Lampard ‘scored’ against Germany in last year’s World Cup” Referees and umpires are very often ﬁghting a losing battle, which would be made twice as easy if some players didn’t occasionally set out from the start to deliberately break the rules, at their opponents’ expense or perhaps that of a local bookmaker, and give them the respect that shouldn’t need to be earned or demanded, and should actually be ingrained from an early age. It is the opinion of some that sports like football are often more associated with the working classes,

whereas cricket and rugby perhaps spark connotations with the more prosperous among society. Steve Catchpole, a local football official, makes the point that a more affluent upbringing could equate to more respect being shown towards the authorities, whereas more ‘kitchen-sink’ sports could be seen as an escape from life’s authorities, and this attitude of insubordination is therefore carried into the professional sports themselves. There are, of course, exceptions. John McInroe’s infamous tirades towards tennis officials and Ricky Ponting’s foul-mouthed slurs towards umpiring decisions and England’s fielding tactics during the 2005 Ashes confirm that everyone, at some point, will vent their anger. Often it does not matter whether such anger is justified or not, but such tirades in the direction of officials or, indeed, anyone who will listen, continue to persist. Whatever the exceptions, or whatever upbringing someone might have had, this doesn’t excuse outright disrespect and intimidation of match officials. Exceptions are a different ball game completely to what people have come to expect as routine.

Chris Yeoman, President of the Rugby Officials Society at Newcastle, believes that other sports can follow the example set towards rugby officials, in both professional and amateur forms of the game, adding that since the formation of the society four years ago, they have received nothing but positive feedback from the teams they have officiated. Youngsters will watch sports on television and identify with their heroes. They will mimic their every move in order to be the best that they can be. If they see these ‘heroes’ using foul language, remonstrating with officials, or sneakily, for want of a better word, assaulting an opponent offthe-ball, they will follow these terrible examples of anti-sportsmanship, believing it to be the norm. Sadly, unless particular sports take a harder line with certain players, teams, coaches and, perhaps what people would like to see most, their egos, this will continue to be the norm. If this persists, the issue will only spiral into further contempt towards those who, out of love for their respective sports themselves, try to maintain order and fair play, and the integrity of the sport of which they officiate.

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Sport

Team of the Week Men’s Basketball 1sts

Standing from left to right: Rafael Franca, Charli Hand, Enric Cots, Tom Oxby, Notis Chalkidis, Paul Crawford. Kneeling from left to right: Liam Neligan, Diego Arias, Aaron McGowan, Mo Mohanned.

Last-gasp Schoﬁeld sinks sorry Leazes Intra Mural Football Division 1

Dyslexic Untied Castle Leazes

1 0

Dan Robinson at Longbenton Simon Schofield notched a late winner at Longbenton to put an end to Dyslexic’s winless streak and cast further doubt on Castle Leazes’ survival hopes. The game appeared to be edging towards that rarest of commodities in Intra Mural football – a goalless draw – before Schofield rocketed in a right-foot drive, which prevented his team’s season becoming completely derailed following three successive defeats. With the wind a strong presence throughout the match, the emphasis seemed to be on caution rather than creativity, and this was reflected in the scarcity of goalmouth opportunities all afternoon. However, the elements were involved in the game’s first opening, as Leazes’ Jack Mellor took advantage of a long punt, which was carried into the opposition box. He managed to beat Dyslexic goalkeeper Josh Crawford to the ball, but he found Adam Forster a formidable obstacle, as the defender headed his goal-bound effort over the crossbar, much to the striker’s anguish. However that was about as close as they would come in the first half to finding a way to goal, despite boasting the lion’s share of posses-

sion for long periods and Jim White causing problems on the right flank, although they had cause to bemoan a disallowed goal for a player calling ‘mine’. Dyslexic, meanwhile, also found it tough in breaking the deadlock as they were largely restricted to longrange efforts. The second period, though, seemed to be a more open affair. Untied began to test the opposition ‘keeper through Schofield, whose bullish work was their best weapon all match in finding an opening. Eddy Green and Andy Nicholson also came close, but found Leazes ‘keeper Olli Cook in good form. At the other end, the Red’s defence looked more comfortable with the elements now behind them, with the opposition strikers often having to come deep to get into the action. But it looked like they would have to settle for a share of the spoils with the clock ticking down and two defiant back lines refusing to give in. Yet, with five minutes remaining, Schofield collected the ball on the edge of the Leazes box, took aim and unleashed a thunderbolt which the ‘keeper could only help palm into the net. Dyslexic co-manager Sal Mohammed welcomed the win in the face of difficult conditions, which ultimately stopped the rot for his side. “We battled that little bit more and managed to leave with three vital points”. Meanwhile, Castle Leazes manager Tom Pearson commented, “It was quite a boring game, if I’m honest.”

Overview NUMBC’s Firsts have had a great season on the back of losing head coach Dave Elderkin to National League Basketball last season. However, his replacement, Ian Hewitt has proved to be a more than able successor, coaching the team to BUCS Northern Conference Division 1a victory. The team narrowly lost out to Premier League Middlesex in the BUCS Championship, but last week beat Midlands Division One Champions Birmingham at the Claremont Sports Centre, producing one of the comebacks of the season. The victory meant that the team maintained their undefeated record at home. The side currently lies in the league below the Northern Premier, the league which they were relegated from two years ago. However after winning their league this year and only losing three games the whole season, the team has showed that they are more than capable of competing with the best Basketball universities in Britain. However, with some key players leaving the club at the end of this year, it may be a tough couple of years, as the club look to rebuild their squad. All that remains for the team is to beat Northumbria in Stan Calvert to complete a near perfect season.

Captain - Aaron McGowan (Final year Medicine) Vice-Captain - Liam Neligan (Fourth year Medicine)

Guards -

Adam Wilson, Paul Crawford, Diego Arias, Enric Cots, Charli Hand

Forwards - Notis Chalkidis, Rafael Franca, Tom Oxby, Mo Mohanned Team Strengths - Last minute comebacks

Team Weaknesses -

Understanding the variation of accents in our team Special mention for the season has to go to Adam Wilson for his fascinating chat about lightbulbs, Enric Cots for his literal translations from Spanish to English, but especially to Notis Chalkidis. This former underwear model and Greek God can often be found on his knees screaming profanities that are known only to Zeus himself. .

Moment of the Season Beating Birmingham last week. Aaron McGowan

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

Sport

Are drugs tests in sport too harsh? After Kolo Toure became the latest sports star to test positive for banned substances, The Courier explores whether drugs tests are too rigid

Yes Wills Robinson Sports Editor It seems like there’s not a week that goes by without hearing about someone in the sporting world failing a drugs test. Last week saw another victim to a system that seems to be getting increasingly harsher from case to case. Manchester City’s Kolo Toure, a teetotal and devout Muslim, failed a drugs test because he tested positive for a ‘specified substance’, which, in tune with quotes from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, suggest that it came from his wife’s diet pills. So what is a specified substance? The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whose code has only recently been followed in football, defines a specified substance as one that is “more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation”.

“Kolo Toure, a teetotal and devout Muslim, failed a drugs test because he tested positive for a ‘specified substance’” In layman’s terms, this is a substance that is taken as a result of an honest mistake, rather than as a performance enhancer. It seems harsh that an athlete, who has spent years developing into a professional athlete, can easily have his or her career dented so significantly by the slip of an everyday pill, which happened to contain a so-called illegal substance. Toure could now be out for the rest of the season, but if he is found guilty, he could be banned for up to two years, placing his entire career into serious jeopardy at Manchester City - a club with a continually high turnover of players in recent years. This was the similar case with

No Owen Evans

The debate as to whether drug testing is too harsh is currently one of the most controversial and fiercely contested issues in the sporting world. This has intensified in recent weeks since the suspension of Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, after providing a positive result to a banned substance which he alleges was present in his wife’s dieting pills. It can be argued, however, that the stringent regulations are there for very significant reasons and that athletes should respect these regulations, which are present for their own benefits.

With the number of illegal substances rapidly increasing, Kolo Toure is the latest sports star to be caught out. Are drugs tests becoming too draconian, or are they justified?

Hamilton Academical’s Simon Mensing, who tested positive for the banned substance methylhexaneamine, found in a dietary supplement he had been taking. The Scottish midfielder had taken every precaution to make sure that the supplement didn’t contain any illegal ingredients, but still had to sit on the sideline for five matches as a result. Former goalkeeper Paddy Kenny served a nine month suspension after testing positive for the stimulant ephedrine.

Originally the ex-Sheffield United player had said that the substance came from a cough medicine he had been taking. However his defence was dismissed, and the chairman of the commission that heard the case, Christopher Quinlan, said that sportsmen and women have, “a strict responsibility to ensure prohibited substances do not enter his or her body”. This essentially means that any medicine packet or bottle has to be read thoroughly, whilst making sure none of the ingredients are part

of the modern day array of banned substances. The taking of performance enhancing drugs can always be questioned and be deemed unethical, however these victims of the system weren’t taking supplements to better their game. The question is, should social consideration be taken into account when these tests are taken and decisions passed down? Toure doesn’t even touch alcohol in his personal life, but now, a slip of a dietary pill his wife was using has put his career

on a downward slope. It is evident when the likes of American footballers and professional baseball players have taken steroids or whether footballers have dabbled in some cocaine on a night out, but it is also evident when the substance’s ingestion has been as a result of an honest mistake, or purely accidental. With the number of banned substances within sport rapidly increasing, it seems Toure won’t be the last sports player to fall victim to the tightening of the net.

The culture of ‘doping’ was much more prevalent in sport before the intensification of drug regulation, which is famously reflected in events from the Seoul Olympics in 1988. American athlete Ben Johnson ran a world record 100m sprint, however afterwards tested positive to anabolic steroids. The gold medal was given to second placed Carl Lewis, but after testing it proved that he also had been injecting himself with steroids. He later claimed that he was only one of hundreds of athletes who had been involved in the ‘doping’ culture. A world in which sports men and -women cannot cheat their way to the top, in which natural prowess is the cause of achievement, is surely a better world. A host of high-profile sports stars have found themselves at the centre of the drugs controversy. Manchester United defender and England captain Rio Ferdinand was

infamously banned for eight months and fined £50,000 after missing a drugs test in September 2003, described by club director Maurice Watkins as a “savage and unprecedented sentence”.

ternational Matt Stevens was handed a two year ban from rugby after testing positive for cocaine in January 2009. Stevens has recently completed his ban, and has started to rebuild his shattered reputation and career, after a move to Premiership giants Saracens. Kolo Toure becomes the latest high-profile sportsman to be caught out, and risks being suspended by his club if found guilty. After moving to Manchester City from Arsenal in 2009 for a £14 million fee, Toure’s career now appears to be in tatters. Members of the sporting world often moan about the time-consuming act of checking to ensure no products contain banned substances. This, however, should be seen as a reasonable price to pay in order to ensure that they and their fellow sports men and women are competing on an equal level. Elite athletes receive suitable reparation for this in the huge sums of

money they sometimes earn, and should set an example to others by stressing the importance of this act. Possibly the most important justification for strict drug tests is for the reason of safety. ‘Doping’ can be an extremely dangerous undertaking, with people dying as a result. This was particularly true with the government led ‘doping’ schemes of the Soviet Union, which resulted in many deaths. Whether testing is a tedious task for many sports men and women, it is surely justified if it helps to save lives. It is evident that the world of drugs testing is one that is justified and one that is necessary. It is important that it retains its strictness in a world where some athletes work extremely hard to slip through the cracks, risking their health and ruining the natural equality that makes sport great.

“A world in which sports men and -women cannot cheat their way to the top, in which natural prowess is the cause of achievement, is surely a better world” English sprinter Dwayne Chambers tested positive for the banned steroid THG in November 2003, and was given a two year ban from athletics, as well as a lifetime ban from the Olympics. More recently, England rugby in-

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

Sport BUCS

Royals set for cup showdown with UCLAN after emphatic victory over ‘keeperless Leeds Men’s Hockey

Newcastle 1sts Leeds 2nds

Calum MacKenzie at Longbenton Newcastle have claimed a spot in the Northern Conference Cup final after emerging victorious in a hard fought semi-final victory against Leeds last Wednesday. Looking for revenge after Newcastle ended their promotion hopes only a matter of weeks ago, Leeds entered the match hard. The narrowest of victories separating the two on away ground made the Royals set to make their home advantage pay, so they pushed to secure an early lead. The tactic was nearly rewarded only a matter of minutes into the match, after some neat play at the edge of the Leeds’ circle from Patch Brown enabled him to find his strike partner Ian Rossister. Unfor-

tunately for the Royals, the angle was too tight and Rossister’s shot only found the outside of the post. Newcastle were not deflated by the missed chance and continued to press Leeds, preventing the visitors from maintaining any prolonged periods of possession. Their slick passing game was beginning to threaten the Leeds’ defence and eventually the Royals’ attack won their first short corner. The Newcastle short corner routine has proved a real threat in recent weeks and this corner proved to be no different. The ball was fired to the top of the circle, where Michael Pollock ferociously drag-flicked it towards the goal. Despite the best efforts of a defender on the line, the power of the shot left him with little chance and Newcastle took the lead. The Newcastle goal gave Leeds the impetus to begin and truly threaten the Newcastle back four. As so often has been the case this season, the Royals struggled after taking a

lead and it was only strong defensive work from goal scorer Pollock and the workmanlike Kieran Borrett that maintained their advantage. However, despite managing to defend several Leeds’ short corners, the equaliser eventually came from open play. After losing the ball in the midfield, Newcastle found themselves short of numbers in defence and the Leeds attack quickly worked the ball towards the Royals’ goal. In a matter of seconds it was played to an unmarked attacker whose shot from close range left goalkeeper Toby Raper with little chance. As half time approached, both sides looked to find the goal that would allow them to break ahead. The game stretched on both sides and opportunities were presented to both teams but it was the Royals who made their chance count. A ball crossed from the right side of the Leeds circle was scrambled away from the goalmouth, only for

it to find John Yarrow at the top of the circle. Newcastle’s creative midfielder had a clear shot at goal and he made no mistake in restoring the Royals’ advantage by hammering it onto the backboard. The second half began with Leeds pressing Newcastle deep into their half as the home side struggled to maintain possession. The Royals lacked composure as the simplest of passes were being misplaced and the Leeds pressure began to mount. Fortunately Leeds were unable to craft any real goal scoring opportunities and Raper was not called on to produce the heroics of the previous encounter. As the final whistle approached, Leeds made the somewhat rash decision of substituting their goalkeeper in order to play with 11 outfield players. The tactic always represents a big gamble and on this occasion it did not pay off. The Royals in the face of massive Leeds’ pressure were able to mount a coun-

ter attack. The ball was worked to Patch Brown and although he faced the narrowest of angles there was no keeper to beat. The Newcastle top-scorer duly produced the type of finish that had characterised his season, giving the Royals a precious two goal advantage. However the Royals were not quite on steady ground yet and Leeds were eventually rewarded for their second half pressure when they snatched a second goal. Nevertheless it was too little too late. The home side maintained possession for the final minutes and Rob Ramsden was able to add a fourth goal with the final act of the game. Newcastle’s performance fully justified their place in the final, with man of the match Michael Pollock characterising the performance with his tireless work at the heart of the Royals’ defence. They will face the University of Central Lancashire in two weeks time, with the chance lifting the cup now tantalisingly close. S.TYSON

ABOVE THE NOISE TOUR PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

SUNDAY 27 MARCH

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Kieren Borrett was a dominating figure in midfield, breaking down any threatening play

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

BUCS Sport

Canoe paddle through sucessful weekend Canoe Club Lindsay Bradley at Northumbria Pool National Student Rodeo has been running for 10 years now as the world’s largest freestyle kayaking event (well, no-one has corrected them yet). Imagining amazing tricks and awesome stunts, NUCC left for Nottingham’s Holme PierrePont last Friday evening to compete. After finally arriving at 10.30, the group tried to set up camp. Having been drinking since six o’clock, we then tried to sober up to sign up for our wristbands. Thankfully our amazing President was on hand to save the day by getting one for one silly person who had forgotten their ID (Christian Greenstreet). The party took the usual turn, with sudden surprise nakedness and an intimate showcase from Alex Docherty. On return to the tents, there was more flashing, piggy back rides and apparently someone fell over, but luckily prevented any serious injuries by using her face. In the morning, it was time for Extreme Slalom to see which category you were placed in (Novice, Intermediate or Expert). Those who can, show off with front flips, cartwheels and other tricks; those who can’t, well, swim. But, the more creatively the better. In the afternoon, the Men’s Novice, Intermediate and Expert heats took place to see who got put through to the finals – congratulations should go to Ali Bradley for forgetting how to paddle and instead swimming through his novice category, even breaking the course at one point. Special mention must also go to Christian for getting into the Intermediate category, demonstrating the perfect hand roll followed by swim technique. After this was all finished, it was back to the campsite for food, (lovingly cooked by River Legacy), a couple of drinks and then return to get in our costumes for a beach themed party. Most people started the night with flower necklaces, grass skirts and board shorts, some

NUCC enjoyed a weekend of tricks, stunts and laughs on and out of the water as they travelled down to Nottingham’s Holme PierrePont for the annual National Student Rodeo

even ended it with them still on. Some gentlemen opted for the “tiny shorts” option, or in some cases, no shorts at all... Alex Docherty. Sunday morning arrived, and was promptly told to go away again by everyone’s hangovers, while the previous night’s tent swapping was revealed, (a certain President got lucky). After missing the 9am start time, Newcastle felt slightly better on

hearing that nobody else had turned up for their heat until an hour later. A few swims afterwards we settled in to watch Peter Clarke coming 4th in the C1, and old school events (pictured), followed by the Duo Finals. But the main event of the weekend had to be the Dance off between Newcastle and Falmouth Universities – clearly won by us, of course. Led by ‘Sketchy’ Pete and his unique blend of dance moves, Newcastle at-

Fighting students set to hit the Toon in martial arts tournament Kick boxing Club Rory Brigstock-Baron For anyone looking for a new sporting spectacle, Saturday March 19 brings a feast of fighting to Newcastle, as the University hosts its first Thai and kick boxing tournament. Over 100 students from seven universities will cross the Tyne to battle it out in this semi-contact competition, hoping to turn hours of hard work and training in to gold in their weight class. With Saturday’s event being a semi-contact affair, the fights will be a battle of technique and speed, as each competitor looks to score points by landing controlled strikes on the legal areas of their oppo-

nent’s body. Thai boxing bouts offer a more diverse number of techniques with the use of knees, elbows and leg kicks that are forbidden in kick-boxing. The Thai rules also allow for fighters to clinch briefly, controlling their adversary’s posture to deliver a more precise knee to the head or body. After last month’s success in Edinburgh, when the Newcastle team returned with an impressive five golds, confidence will be high despite the huge increase in the number of competitors. The team showcases a range of experience levels, from five-time British kickboxing champion Andy Newton, to debutant Max Mayer, who makes his first appearance after six months of intense training and dieting.

Other members of the team have a more colourful martial arts background, such as George Rassovsky, who has dabbled in kick-boxing, Jitsu and boxing, as well as mixed martial arts, listing his endurance and explosiveness as his main strengths. The event will take place in the University Sports Hall from 10am to 6pm this Saturday, and will showcase some of the most talented fighters in the country doing what they do best. So, if you fancy spicing up your weekend by doing something different, there will be some high kicking, fist flying action throughout the day. Pop in and you may just surprise yourself and find a new love for the relatively unknown and under estimated mixed martial arts.

tracted supporters and finished the routine with everyone mooning. Prizes, such as canoeing kits, Pyranha sponges and ridiculous amounts of ‘Monster’ condoms were given away throughout. There were also a few members journeying home in free t-shirts as they no longer had any clothes left (Lindsay Bradley). All in all it was a brilliant weekend, and once the hangovers subsided and the photos appeared, there were

several vows to never drink again. The next trip lined up is to the Lakes, (May 13-15) for everyone and anyone else interested in this awesome club but just haven’t come along yet (don’t worry, you do not have to be a member to come along). And for anyone unconvinced, statistics have demonstrated that more people drown whilst cycling than canoeing.

Netball Round-up Newcastle 2nds Leeds Uni 3rds

53 17

It was the final BUCS match of the season for the girls last week. Under the ruling of ferociously tight umpires, who failed the play the advantage, the flow of the game was ruined and play became scrappy. Sassa Hamilton at GD worked hard throughout the game picking off a number of interceptions and earning herself player of the match. Joint Captains Issy Retberg and Rebecca Mills have led the team outstandingly all season. The girls have narrowly missed out on the top position in the league with a few losses early on in the season, and so finishing in second place, just behind the Poly. The girls will be sad to see their captains leave them at the end of this year. Although it wasn’t the flashiest of wins, a win is a win and the girls will now be preparing for the Stan Calvert clash in a few weeks time.

Newcastle 3rds 33 Sheffield Uni 1sts 32 It was one of the toughest and closest games of the season this week for the Thirds. Both teams came out strong right from the beginning, but the girls struggled to make use of their interceptions. At half time, they were behind by three. The break seemed to give them something to fight for and they came back to win the third quarter by three. GS Laura Wilson and Anna Rosenberg at GA began to easily convert interceptions made by the defence in the final half. The team gained more confidence and began to work together throughout the court. Wilson stayed strong against a tough GK and helped to secure the win with a number of tricky shots at goal to deservedly earn herself player of the match. Harriet Needham

Sport

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

BUCS

Last gasp strike ruins Royals’ cup final dream Men’s Football

Newcastle 1sts Leeds Met 2nds

1 2

Colin Henrys Online Sports Editor at Longbenton 3G A last-minute goal from Leeds Met striker Nathan Lamb denied Newcastle Men’s first team a place in the final of the BUCS Northern Conference Cup, as the visitors snatched a largely undeserved 2-1 win on Longbenton 3G. Newcastle more than matched the league leaders and when the Royals’ left-back Luke Fisher cancelled out Josh Greenhalgh’s opener, it appeared that the hosts had done enough to at least take the match to extra time. However, with less than two minutes remaining, Lamb, despite appearing to be clearly offside, was brought down in the penalty area by goalkeeper Andy Kilshaw. Kilshaw recovered to save the penalty, turning it wide of the post, but the resultant corner was poorly dealt with and Lamb delivered the killer blow to leave Newcastle dejected, and furious at the fact that Lamb had not been called offside in the build up to the goal. Newcastle had been by far the better of the two teams throughout, although both sides adopted cautious approaches for large periods of the match. The hosts created the early chances, with Danny Clements ever impressive up front, but they lacked a clinical final product. Aside from George Coyle curling a free kick well over the bar the only other chance of note came from Coyle’s midfield partner Robert Chipps, who headed weakly at the Leeds keeper when Clements had flicked on a throw in. At the other end, Kilshaw was quickly off his line to charge down Lamb’s shot when the striker was played in over the top, but the Newcastle stopper was rarely troubled otherwise. As the game wore on Newcastle looked the more likely to break the deadlock; Coyle shot high and wide after a good individual run just before half time and after the interval Robert Pearson headed a James Swainston corner over the bar when he was well-placed. Completely against the run of play however, Leeds Met took the lead. An uncharacteristic error from Ed Houlton allowed Greenhalgh in, and he prodded the ball past Kilshaw to give the visitors a surprise edge. The goal sparked Newcastle into life though. Ben Burt was brought on to replace Chipps to provide a more attacking option and the Royals con-

tinued to dominate proceedings. A low Swainston shot lacked any real venom and it was saved easily, but moments later the ball was in the back of the Leeds Met net. Swainston’s short free kick from the right-hand side evaded everybody in the middle, landing kindly for Fisher to score a well-deserved equaliser. With both sides now eager to grab a winner, the match opened up. Coyle, Clements and Burt all had shots saved for Newcastle while at the other end Lamb shot selfishly over the bar when Greenhalgh was well-placed in the middle. The moment of controversy arrived with barely 90 seconds remaining. Lamb received the ball on the left and despite appearing to have started his run from an offside position was allowed to continue by the assistant referee. When Kilshaw brought him down in the area the referee had little choice but to award a penalty. Newcastle’s keeper dived high to his right-hand side to turn the spot kick away and Leeds appeared to have squandered their best chance of getting back into the match, but poor marking from the resultant corner allowed Lamb to snatch a wholly undeserved winner and leave the masses of Newcastle fans assembled on the touchline in a stunned silence. The referee blew the final whistle just moments later to confirm Leeds’ place in a cup final that Newcastle have every right to feel that they deserved instead. Manager Mark Woodhall is now left with the thankless task of trying to lift his players, as they look to beat LMU to promotion with two league matches remaining. The Newcastle boss struggled to hide his feelings when speaking to The Courier after the match, stating his belief that the hosts had been comfortably the better team, and having dominated the match did not deserve to be leaving without a win. “Unfortunately a number of key decisions went against us today, and have cost us the match. “We have to lift ourselves now and concentrate on getting ourselves to where we deserve to be in the league, and that is first place.” Leeds Met remain the only team to have beaten Newcastle this season, but with Newcastle one point adrift of them in the league table and now having been dumped out of the cup by the same opposition, it will be a big ask for the Royals to get anything from this season, an outcome that barely a fortnight ago seemed unthinkable.

On the Ball: winger Adam Ball drives past a Leeds defender helping his side to a 2-0 win over the league leaders at Cochrane Park last week.

Thirds bounce back to beat Men’s Football

Newcastle 3rds Leeds 3rds

2 0

Simon Murphy at Cochrane Park Newcastle’s season may best be described as a rollercoaster ride. After last week’s 5-0 drubbing away to Sunderland Seconds, the Royals’ third string pulled off the scalp of the season, edging out league leaders Leeds Thirds in a pulsating encounter at Cochrane Park. First half goals from talismanic French front man Will Marks and strike partner Matt Bell gave the home side victory, moving them within touching distance of promotion. It will still take some doing with the Royals sitting fourth in the league on 15 points, but with two games in hand on table-topping

Leeds the prospect is not out of the realm of possibility. The sides will clash again this week in a game that will decide each club’s fate. To say Newcastle have struggled to find form recently is perhaps an understatement but on a blustery afternoon at fortress Cochrane, the home side hit the ground running. First year forward Marks has at times this season been brilliant – while in some games he has looked like he’d rather be somewhere else, on the touchline watching perhaps. But on Wednesday, the fresher was truly on song, collecting the ball deep and driving at Leeds’ backline with fury and relish. It was Marks who put the Royals ahead, ghosting past two defenders before calmly slotting past the onrushing goalkeeper. The goal provided the home side with the impetus to go on and dominate the first half. Wingers Adam Ball and Ben Cas-

tillo were proving a handful for Leeds’ slow defence; their cutting runs consistently severing the backline’s cover. Leeds’ only real threat came from their bullish direct attack play, which manifested itself in a succession of Rory Delap-style long throws. Centre half Andy Hamilton took charge, clearing the danger on several occasions ensuring Newcastle survived unscathed. Plucky forward Bell was rewarded just before half time for his dogged perseverance. He pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area, darting into the box before half-volleying low into the corner to provide the Royals with a two-goal cushion. Leeds looked tired, their efforts nullified as they trudged off at half time, while Newcastle marched off knowing that they were heading to victory. A solid second half from the home side, lead in exemplary fashion by

THE COURIER Monday March 14 2011

BUCS Sport S.TYSON

Results torn across Tyneside for NWR As a result of the constant cancellations of ﬁxtures due to extreme bad weather before Christmas, and the inadequacy of the Cochrane Park pitches, NWR played two games last week to make up for lost time. On Monday evening, they faced Teeside Firsts away, followed by playing host to Durham on Wednesday. The split results mean they now reside second in the BUCS Northern Conference league. A win against Liverpool John Moores this weekend will mean they still edge ahead of Teeside with two more ﬁxtures to complete. Women’s Rugby

Newcastle 1sts Teeside 1sts

57 12

Emma Boyle at Teeside

The Royals now have the chance to secure promotion by winning their remaining games

high-ﬂying Leeds centre midﬁeld pairing Chris Ritson and Adam Fearn, provided the Royals with a valuable three points. Clinging to the hope of promotion, if Newcastle again defeat Leeds

next week they face York Seconds the week after in an end of season showdown that could seal silverware for the young outﬁt.

NWR arrived at Teeside on Monday evening to play their only flood lit fixture of the season, which perhaps fuelled the atmosphere to spur Newcastle onto such a dramatic victory. From the start, Teeside did not seem prepared for the determined NWR as they broke through tackles and made ground quickly. The first try for Newcastle came within the first five minutes when winger, Gwen Tibbles, was able to break Teeside’s defensive line and outpace them to score the first of four tries for Newcastle in the first half. Centre, Holly Malins, soon followed this up with a second try for NWR in her usual fashion of running hard and breaking through tackles. Next it was scrum half Hannah McShane’s turn to put some points on the board before Malins scored again, which fly-half, Phoebe Lebrecht, successfully converted to put Newcastle 22 – 0 in front. Loss of focus and concentration on NWR’s behalf either side of half time, however, led to them conceding two tries. This was a wake-up call and with their heads now firmly back in the game, NWR were more determined than ever not to let this game slip between their fingers and to make it a convincing win. Newcastle were consistently strong in carrying the ball forward and rucking, meaning they managed to keep play predominantly in Teeside’s half for the remainder of the match. Once in Teeside’s 22,

replacement fly-half Diane Purvis managed to find a gap in Teeside’s defensive line to restart NWR’s tryscoring streak. It wasn’t long before Newcastle found themselves in Teeside’s 22 again and this time strong driving from the forwards drew the opposition in towards the ruck and good communication between the forwards and winger Elizabeth Severs meant she was able to fight her away across the try line on the blindside to score. The final try of the match came from NWR’s captain, Ellie Robinson, who had an impressive game. Having already been close to scoring on a couple of occasions during the second half due to her strong running Robinson was finally rewarded with a try when she swiftly picked the ball from the back of a ruck, found a gap in the defensive line and drove through to score with just minutes left on the clock. The whole of NWR worked hard and played well, which is reflected in the score line. Forward of match was awarded to number eight, Helen Martin, for consistently working hard throughout the match to drive forward and turnover the ball when possible. Back of the match went to centre Emma Boyle for generally playing well and was described as having “magic in her hands” by vice-captain Lebrecht. Player of the match went to a well overdue captain Ellie Robinson, who plays well in every match but had a particularly good game and showed everyone what she is capable of. Women’s Rugby

Newcastle 1sts Durham 1sts

0 24

Grace Harvey at Cochrane Park Newcastle Women’s Rugby Firsts faced rivals Durham in their most vital match of the season last Wednesday at a blustery Cochrane Park. The stakes were high; the Royals had to win if they wanted to put serious pressure on their promotion rivals, but against the league leaders it was always going to be a difﬁcult match. Durham wasted no time in their

attack and immediately forced Newcastle into a strong defence. Whilst they tried to break the host’s lines, Durham continuously spread the ball to their agile wingers, and stormed into an early lead, opening the scoring with a try. Having conceded an early try to the visitors, the Royals looked to respond immediately, but their attack struggled to match Durham’s aggression, leaving the hosts having to defend for much of the half, rather than look for points of their own. Durham found great difficulty in penetrating the committed Newcastle defence, yet managed to score two quick-fire tries on the half hour mark, one with an additional conversion which put the visitors into a strong position. Despite putting Durham under pressure towards the end of the first half, the Newcastle attack proved to no avail, with the current league champions managing to score another try before half time, leaving the score at a demoralising 0-20 at the break. Into the second half, Newcastle attacked positively, yet Durham managed to extend their lead with a converted try, making a comeback looking virtually impossible. True to form, Newcastle refused to relent and kept their heads high, giving as good as they got. However, the Royals struggled to move the ball far enough up the pitch to score vital points, and the final minutes of the match remained stagnant, with Durham content to hang on to what they had got. This resulted in a disappointing 0-24 loss for Newcastle at the full-time whistle. Despite this result, the Royals still sit second in the league with a number of matches still left to play. No one should have any doubts in their abilities, and the squad will be looking to bounce back from this disappointment over the next few weeks and end the season very much on a high.

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BUCS Results - March 9 Badminton

Mens 1sts 5-3 Strathclyde 1sts Mens 2nds 0-8 Shefﬁeld 1sts

Basketball

Mens 2nds 69-65 Birmingham1sts

Fencing

Mens 1sts 87-134 Hull 1sts

Football

Mens 1sts 1-2 Leeds Met 2nds Mens 3rds 2-0 Leeds 3rds Womens 1sts 3-3 Shefﬁeld Hallam 2nds Womens 2nds 2-7 Hull 2nds

Golf

Golf 2nds 2.5-3.5 Teeside 1sts

Hockey

Mens 1sts 4-1 Leeds 2nds Mens 2nds 2-2 Mens 3rds Womens 2nds 0-1 Leeds Met 2nds Womens 4ths 1-5 Hull 1sts

Lacrosse

Womens 1sts 11-8 Nottingham 1sts

Netball

Squash

Rugby

Table Tennis

2nds 53 - 17 Leeds 3rds 3rds 33-32 Shefﬁeld 2nds Mens 4ths 44-21 Shefﬁeld Hallam 2nds Womens 1sts 0-25 Durham1sts

Rugby League

Mens 1sts14-21 Leeds Met 1sts

Womens 3rds 0-4 Leeds Met 2nds Womens 2nds 5-0 Durham 4ths

Tennis

Mens 1sts 2-10 Durham 2nds Mens 2nds 4-8 York 1sts Womens 2nds 2-10 Hallam 1sts

Monday March 14 2011 THE COURIER

The drugs don’t work Are drug regulations too harsh? Sports Editors: Paul Christian, Jamie Gavin and Tom James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

Sports Editors: Jono Taylor, Wills Robinson and Kat Bannon - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk

> Sport, page 38

Mixed fortunes for Women’s Rugby in local derbies page 43

S.TYSON

Despite beating Teeside last Monday, NUWRFC couldn’t produce another victory, suffering a defeat at the hands of strong, top of the table Durham. The Royals remain second place in the Northern Conference 1A

Knights snatch victory after comeback Men’s Basketball

Newcastle 1sts Birmingham 1sts

69 65

Wills Robinson Sports Editor at the Sports Centre The Knights staged a magnificent comeback at the Sports Centre in their Premier League play-off. In a game, which Birmingham lead for the majority, Newcastle managed to hold on in a nail-biting fourth quarter to clinch victory. The Knights were the first side on the scoreboard, with Enric Cots netting two points followed by another three within two minutes of the first quarter. Newcastle extended their early lead to 7-3, but could have easily made it more as they seemed to push to their 24 second shot limit on a number of occasions. Birmingham were pushed on to the back

foot, however, with two minutes remaining in the opening quarter, a number of missed chances from the home side proved to be costly, allowing Birmingham to draw level, with a three point basket, pushing them into the lead at the end of the first quarter. A lead which Newcastle wouldn’t see again until the final stages of the encounter. After the break, the contest remained finely balanced, with a surge from Newcastle bringing the scores level at 11-11. They continued to match the away side point for point until a foul allowed Birmingham to regain the advantage from the freethrow line. As the second quarter played out, the home side started to lose discipline, as their foul count increased under pressure from the Birmingham offence. The Knights struggled to convert their offensive opportunities, with a number of missed threepoint attempts, with Birmingham extending their lead to eight points

at the end of the second quarter. Poor discipline continued to hurt the home side in the third quarter, with Birmingham, who were beginning to emerge as the better of the two sides, continually receiving opportunities to extend their advantage from the free-throw line. The quarter was completely dominated by the visiting team, with Newcastle on the receiving end of an offensive onslaught, as they were put ﬁrmly on the back foot. The pressure started to show, as defensive errors from the home side began to increase as the gap widened to 29-40. Midway through the quarter, Newcastle managed to close the gap to 34-43, capitalising on mid-court turnovers by Diego Arias and the game starting to look balanced again. However, more missed shots meant that the advantage was still very much with the away side. At the end of the third quarter, Birmingham had extended their lead to 11 points, and a Newcastle

victory was beginning to look unlikely, as the need to stage a comeback was mounting. The away side took the first points of the final quarter, extending their lead again. Mistakes from the Knights continued to proved costly, with chances consistently not being converted into points and turnovers giving their opponents a chance to attack and extend their lead even further. However, with the score at 44-52, the momentum of the game changed dramatically. Fouls and unforced errors from Birmingham allowed the Knights to edge closer, as the gap shortened to five points. A lay-up from Notis Chakidis took the score to 49-52, and then a three-point finish from Rafa Franca in the fourth minute of the quarter levelled the scores as Newcastle continued their last-gasp onslaught. However, a foul meant that Birmingham slipped into a 5256 lead going into the final stages. With three minutes to go, the home

side closed the gap to 54-56, and then, two consecutive lay-ups from Enric Cots took the Knights into the lead for the first time since the opening quarter. Fouls from the home side nearly cost them their lead, however the pressure on Birmingham continued to show, as they missed four potential free-throw opportunities. Newcastle continued to extend their lead and after a huge three points from Franca, the Knights tally looked like it was out of the reach of their opponents. With 10 seconds remaining, Birmingham had managed to shorten the gap with a well made three points of their own, but their last-gasp effort wasn’t enough. Despite a controversial decision on a foul from the officials in the final stages, which flared the already heightened tempers on both sides, Newcastle managed to hold on, completing a magnificent comeback to clinch a well-deserved victory.