the return ot^« Eight columnis NUS call to arms Phyllis Lui Sam Tempest Keeping In response to the government's review of tuition fees, the National Union of Students (NUS) has issued a call to action to which LSESU has lent its support. It was announced on Monday that the government has launched a review of tuition fees to be chaired by former BP chief, Lord Browne, which will not be published before the general election. The review will look beyond increase of fees, with possibility of supplementation from other- sources. According to reports from the BBC, Lord Browne said the task of the review would be to "make recommendations to secure the vitality of higher education in this country while ensuring that finance does not become a barrier to those who have the ability and motivation for further study". "There is a real danger that this review will pave the way for higher fees and a market in prices that would see poorer students priced out of more prestigious universities and other students and universities consigned to the 'bargain basement1," said NUS president Wes Streeting. "This would be a disaster for UK higher educa- tion and must not be allowed to happen." Although a student representative, Ra-jay Naik, will form part of the review panel, he will be unable to speak to the media during the review process. LSESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher and Education and Welfare Officer Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang have stated that they will fiilly back the NUS campaign. Akpan-Inwang, who is also Chair of Aldwych Group, stated: "I think students need to get mobilised around Prime Minister's Question Time. We need to prevent politicians from colluting behind closed doors on such issues. I am glad NUS is taking this so seriously, we will certainly be taking action over this issue." The School has stated that they have nothing to add to the statement released by the Russell Group. Director General of the Russell Group of Universities Dr Wendy Piatt said: "As universities are facing severe economic conditions and ferocious global competition it is clear that the status quo is not viable. Our leading institutions cannot continue to be internationally competitive, provide a first-rate teaching experience and offer generous support to disadvantaged students without access to increased funding." Dr Piatt further stated that "the state, employers and graduates benefit hugely from universities, but at the moment the taxpayer still foots the lion's share of the bill". "As student leaders of Russell Group Universities we reject the Russell Groups claims that a rise in fees is 'clearly an effective means to ensuring that our Institutions remain internationally competitive," commented Akpan-Inwang. "There is no evidence at all to suggest that the last rise in tuition fees added anything to the student experience and Russell Group institution are yet to make any case for any rise in fees." There will be a motion proposed at the Union General Meeting this week following LSE Director Howard Davies' appearance, resolving the LSESU to write a letter to Davies "demanding that he call on the government to ensure that students, Students Unions and NUS are fully involved in the review of fees". "The LSE Students' Union "will be asking students to join the NUS action at parliament on Wednesday. It may be short notice, but we are literally talking about the biggest thing to happen to higher education and students for over 5 years," Fisher explained. fcrm ' .|lll' . I|* Os fjff! Jp gMJM wKUSm Newspaper of the B iijji'> 1HT' Hpf London School of Economics rj 1 1 r: % V i rr> JKL mggJP W ulilMim thebeaveronline.co.uk UGM: Underwhelming General Meeting Phyllis Lui Attendance at the Union General Meeting (UGM) last week did not reach the quorate number of 150 students, pushing back debate on the governance reform, which will instead be debated at the UGM this week. Section 5.1.1 of the LSESU Constitution states that "...the Quorum of the Union General Meeting shall be 150 Ml members" and section 11.11.11 of the Codes of Practice reiterates that "If a Quorum Call is made and the UGM is found to be inquor-ate, it shall be immediately closed." However, when a quorum call was made by Beaver News Editors Phyllis Lui and Sam Tempest Keeping early into last week's UGM, the LSESU Constitution and Steering Committee (C&S Committee) counted only 125 people in attendance. Following 20 minutes of counting and recounting, the Chair announced the meeting to be inquorate and asked that general reports be given. Lui and Keeping were acting in their capacity as members of the Union, rather than in their capacity as editors. Newly elected student representatives for school committees, as well as the LSESU Postgraduate and General Course officers, used the opportunity to introduce themselves and their policies. There were two motions that were to be discussed and voted upon last week: one regarding Codes of Practice amendment, and the other about exam timetables. The Beaver reported previously on the reforms that the LSESU hopes to bring about, which will be facilitated through referenda that will be held outside the regular election period. As for exam timetables, the motion hopes to lobby for earlier releases as to "help students reduce costs, plain their holidays/revision more carefully." After giving their reports, a student asked the LSESU sabbatical officers what the motion regarding the amendment was about, but the Chair informed him that motions cannot be discussed in an inquorate UGM. The LSESU website has also been offline in the past week, and at the time of writing, it is still unavailable. However when LSESU Communications Officer Robin Low was questioned at the UGM about the matter and asked when the new website would be operating, he replied that the "website's up and running again...the new website is the bane of my life". The LSESU was given a large sum of money by the Annual Fund for the new website last year. A member of C&S Committee asked them, "as sabbatical officers, you are meant to represent our views" and whether their seconding of motions was "going over" their responsibilities. Fisher, who took over the rest of replies to questions, answered: "When people ask me to second their motions, I second them." Fisher outlined the process through which students can put forward motions. He further commented that he would "never apologise" for seconding students' motions. In response to the Chair's question regarding why there was such a low turnout at the UGM, Fisher stated: "This is one of the reasons why we should reform...the UGM is only ever full when we talk about Israel/Palestine. There are many many ways people can engage with the SU, we need better structures to engage those students, a lot more than one hour a week." "I hope next week's UGM will be quorate, after we grill our Director, an amazing opportunity. We can all vote for a motion that will allow for reform...I love the UGM, I think it's great but the current structure just does not work," continued Fisher. Constitutionally, Low is mandated to promote the UGM. The question which was addressed to Low regarding his constitutional duty and what he has done this year to fulfill it. Fisher responded: "We have never had leaflets about the UGM and we did that in the first couple of weeks... the first UGM is always really really well attended and students pop back in now and again, they need to see student issues are there on the agenda." The same C&S Committee member raised another question regarding whether "all motions that are getting in aren't directly affecting the students" and that they get "bombarded with motions...that have nothing to do with direction of the SU". Fisher agreed with the statement. LSESU Returning Officer Shanti Kele-men then replied to a question regarding polling procedures, where a student was inquiring as to why there was only one polling booth. Pantellis Palividas, a 3rd year BSc International Relations & History student, expressed his frustration that the UGM did not deal with "things that actually matter... because a lot of kids are only here for ayear, to go work at Goldman Sachs, they don't really care about students issues." Fisher believed that students should have "more say about their education" and that there are "so few opportunities in this structure to get involved...but record turnout from elections shows people are dying to get involved." He further stated that the current struc -ture was "way too centralised...pretend to be democratic." Members of the audience also questioned The Beaver's coverage of Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon's lecture at the LSE, expressing their dissatisfaction at an apparent editorial bias. Beaver Executive Editor Shibani Mahtani explained that the paper could only work with the contributions that it received, and that it strove to preserve a neutral reporting stance throughout its sections. From atop a very creaky matress... and pgi2 See Photo section ||jF Beaver is W printed on 100% recycled paper. In 2006, recycled paper made up 79% of UK newspaper raw k materials. Please Hk, recycle your copy. The Beaver 110 November 2009 Collective Ajay /Warwal; Raidev Akoi; Emmanuel Akpan-Inwanj* Madeeha Ansari; Hasib Baber; Fadhil Bakeer-Markar; Pria Bakhshi; Vishal Banerjee; Natasha Bannister; Ramsey Ben-Achour; Noah Bemstain; Graeme Birrell; Alex Blance; Julian Boys; Danielle Brown; Nathan Briant; Ruby Buckley; James Bull; Georgina Butler; Robert John Chamock; Beth Cherryman; Angela Chow; Estelle Cooch; Oliver Courtney; Tomas Da-Cos-ta; Louis Daillencourt; Jonathan Damsgaard; Richard Dewey; Cathy Druce; Marie Dunaway; Louisa Evans; Ossie Fikret; Aled Dilwyn Fisher; Katy Galbraith; Justin Gest; Ira Goldstein; Mira Ham mad; Aula Hariri; Poo ma Harjani; Yisum Heneghon; Charlie Hodgson; Tahiya Islam; Harriet Jackson; Judith Jacob; Felipe Jacome; Alex Jones; Megan Jones; Naeem Kapadia; Sam Tempest Keeping; Pooja Kesavan; Alizeh Kohari; Marion Koob; Vivek Kotecha; Anna Krausova; Ashma Kunde; Cherie Leung; Rob Low; Phyllis Lui; Afian Mohamed; Shibani Mahtani; Zeeshan Malik; Nizar Manek; Sophie Marment; Jamie Mason; James McGibney; Liam McLaughlin; Nitya Menon; Irian Merali; Anna Mikeda; Utsa Mukherjee; Aditi Nangia; Sanjiv Nanwani; Brett Noble; Ryan Ong; Nicolas Oudin; Kyle Packer; Anup Patel; Jaynesh Patel; Sachin Patel; Ahmed Peerbux; Alice Pelton; Alex Peters-Day; Ben Phillips; Clare Pickering; Chloe Pieters; Danielle Priestley; Rahim Rahemtulla; Dominic Rampat; Anjali Raval; Ricky Ren; Joe Rennison; Kather-ine Ripullone; Sacha Robehmed; Joe Sammut; Thienthai Sangkhaphanthanon; Amrita Saraogi; Dan Sheldon; Jonathan Storey; Andre Tartar; Su Wan Tan; Kerry Thompson; Molly Tucker; Mark Twyford; Vladimir Unkovski-Korica; Aliabbas Virani; Simon Wang; Jonathan Weir; Chris West garth; George Wetz; David Whitaker; Matthew Willis; Chris Wilkins; David Woodbridge; Daniel Yates; Calum Young; Sofia Zabolotskih; Mehek Zafar The Collective is The Beaver's governing bo > To join the LSE Surf Club sign up in the SU, above the Quad > > For info, contact m.j.napier(a)lse.ac.uk Our brand new AU (Sexual) Fantasy League! pg22 acting of a quality only Andrew Simpson can match. However, once again, the filthies refused to bend, and equalised within minutes. The Poly's errors were then compounded quicker than Alex Bond can hire female bar staff, as Malibu completed his hat trick, followed by the 4ths notching up two more. The 4th a cheeky G.Crow penalty was as b-e-a-utiful as Natalie Davis herself, and the 5th was scored following a passing movement as intricate as John Rajaretnamnanam-namnam's haircut. As half time dawned, it was 5-2 to the most ladsy team in the world. As the second half wore on the poly's determination receded faster than 'Uncle Tom's' hairline, in turn, the 4th team dominated play. The 6th and 7th goals were as easy as feeding Bacon to Peaaaaarcey the Lion. Unlike his first, Georgeous Crow's second was as un-delightfid as waking up straddled by Lauren Bowers and Kate 'beefburrrrrger' Strivens. As the game was drawing to a close, Berni Schulz came on and looked decidedly lacklustre after his 65 minutes Rugeroni-ing the line. Bowny, despite being recently rejected by Lauren 'everyone fancies Sebby Webby' Deevy, gave an inspiring performance after arriving fashionably late for the match. The game ended 7-3, with Sky Sports 'Man of the Match' going to Bendtner Junior Watson. The journey home was punctuated by the rarely enthusiastic Kilian heaping praise on Godsy Crow's new haircut and long range passing ability. All that was left was to go to the Griffin and see some snatch. A good day was made great when Eddie Goldsteinberg-Pisano arrived at the Griffin, with Calella deposit in hand, although outrage ensued when Nadir was forcibly removed for covert onanism. After being caught red-handed, the 4th team made their way down to Calella night; Butu's Mona Lisa. Drinks were thrown, minge was abused, Ginger Chris remained ginger, a good time was had by all. As the night continued however, it seemed as if the general apathy towards the AU, despite the filthies and Boca's best efforts, was still endemic. Zoo Bash, Rachael Clarke's 'Home Alone 4', saw the same faces as it had when Low and STK began their degrees 15 years ago. The club's persistent refusal to play songs such as 'Wet Dream' and 'Hot Boi' by 'Leading 1' rejects Chris 'butterz eye-candy' Liu and Henry Ladefope meant everyone had to pin their hopes on Ashleigh King asking her cousin Marlon to come by and sort it out. Unfortunately, the DJ was male so Marlon bottled it and started on Lizzie Bacon instead. RIP Marlon, staaaaaandard. On a more serious note, diverging back from the world of fantasy, a message to all AU freshers (especially minge). The AU is a treasured and most precious commodity and you have all been granted, neigh, bestowed the honour of being a custodian. As such, you are duty bound to accept the responsibility and elevate yourselves to the levels of ladsyness and sluttyness that is necessary. If anything, just to keep the dream alive. Viva la flilthies, long live the AU and more importantly 'free the King.' Done! The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG came to speak at the LSE last Friday on the topic of 'Sexuality and Empire 150 Years On: the Delhi High Court and Macaulay's Sodomy Offence'. luirby spoke from the perspective of his own sexuality, explaining why UK lawyers should be engaged in the reform movement as a matter ofbasic human rights. Photos; Marion Pierfitte student Sam Tempest Keeping. Presently, the Students' Union permits students to consume their own food - regardless of the place of purchase - anywhere on the Union's premises. However, Students eating their lunch in the the School has not established a clear atrium area of the New Academic Building policy on the consumption of outside food have been told by security to leave. on its premises, leading to reports from Students were asked to leave the students alleging their eviction from the building and eat outside, despite the school's premises. recent wet autumnal weather, rather than LSESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn use the NAB's common areas, which had Fisher said: "The NAB was built with so-been intended by the architect as a space cial study space in mind, so it is crazy that for interaction amongst students. students are not allowed to eat their own "To deprive an individual of an arena food there. It is essential to allow students for the consumption of food not only goes to eat freely to ensure that this new space against conventional wisdom, but also is actually used by students. The build-violates our fundamental right to life," said ing should be for students to use without MSc Health Policy, Planning and Finance limitations." Second year BSc Philosophy and Economics student Sachin Patel has this week submitted a motion to be debated by the Union General Meeting. The motion mandates Union officials to lobby the school for "an immediate change of policy towards the consumption of food brought from anywhere, on any part of campus." Responding to the criticism, an LSE spokesperson said: "There is no problem with sandwiches and light meals being eaten in the ground floor atrium area. However numerous students have complained about smelly food being consumed in this part of the building which is why some people have been asked to move to a different area." Marie Dunaway Oyster card too pricey? Then get Cheap bikes for sale at LSE Thursday 12th November, 10am - 3.30pm > Houghton Street, m WC2A 2AE W A number of companies will be selling reconditioned and recycled bikes at really affordable prices along with accessories for all your biking needs. HAVE YOUR SAY ON REFORM The Students' Union is holding a series of Open Consultation sessions, These sessions are about asking students questions about their views on the Students' Union. All you have to do is turn up and share your views. Dr Bike will also be paying us another visit to check over your bikes, make small adjustments and advise on more major repairs. Why sho uld I go? It is your chance to be part of Students' Union 'reform, your views are important and we'd like to hear them. The first 10 people to attend each session will get a free lunch as a thank you for taking part. Also... *Gef your bike tagged *Join in our Bike Competitions to bag yourself a great prize *Find out about Bikeability and Road Safety courses *Sign up for a led bike ride from your halls! Who should go? Any LSE student is welcome to attend any of the Open Consultation sessions Details of when the Open Consultations are November Monday 16th. 1 - 2pm Clement House - D6 Tuesday 17th. 1 - 2pm The Anchoragc - N3 Wednesday 18th. 1 - 2pm Old Building - A588 Thursday 19th. 1 - 2pm Old Building - A588 Friday 20th. 1 - 2pm Old Building - A588 More info at www.lsesu.corn or join our group on facebook LSE Students' Union Future UNt#N The Beaver j 10 November 2009 News No nibbles at the NAB Kirby on reform News 10 November 2009 | The Beaver Back to the Futureproof PriaBakhshi The LSE Students' Union has officially launched FutureProof, an initiative to unite all sustainability-related issues and campaigns on campus. FutureProof is an umbrella scheme, bringing together all projects and initiatives which involve a certain degree of 'sustainability' - both environmental and societal or health related. The launch took place last Thursday on Houghton Street. Hero Austin, LSESU Environment and Ethics Officer, said that the activities associated with the launch had generated a lot of interest from both students and staff, with many 'pledging' to change their behaviour. An example of such pledges are walking to school rather than using public transport. George Wetz, LSESU Treasurer, explained that: "previously there was nothing tying together all green and sustainable ideas. We wanted to link all macro ideas, so the traditional 'green' issues, to the micro level of sustaining our society and ourselves too." "We wanted to make issues that were often perceived as just being 'green' seem more accessible and to demonstrate that they are fundamental to everyone" added Austin. The principle behind FutureProof is to make the necessary lifestyle choices seem more mainstream, rather than being the activities of a fringe group. As such, the brand is to be applied to SU campaigns in a number of ways. Events such as public lectures can be 'FutureProofed' to indicate that they meet certain criteria, which are yet to be specified by the Union. It will be used as a supplement alongside other branding, such as being placed on healthy food options sold on campus, or on recycling bins. Students' Union initiatives that will come under the FutureProof umbrella are starting as early as this week, including a bike-selling day. This demonstrates the purpose of FutureProof in tying together all aspects of sustainability, as the promotion of cycling is beneficial both to personal health and to the environment, while all bikes to be sold will be recycled. Austin explained that "clear branding makes it easier for people to make the right choices. We don't want to force people to do anything, but if they don't it should be their choice, not because they didn't know what they could do." LSE wins recycling award Eunice Ng LSE won the Public Sector Recycling Achievement Award at the National Recycling Awards 2009 last Tuesday. The School beat out nominees from many different parts of the public sector - such as British Waterways and Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. The prize was in recognition of LSE's Zero Waste management policy. The project began in 1999, when LSE Environmental and Sustainability Manager Dr. Victoria Hands initiated a pilot zero waste scheme for London student halls of residence. All LSE halls of residences took part in the pilot. The success of that programme led to the HEFCE funding LSE to create regional reuse networks for the Higher Education sector in June 2007. LSE Environmental Compliance and Sustainable Waste Officer Chantal Beaudoin explained that the Zero Waste project had a different emphasis - instead of managing the disposal of waste, the emphasis is on reducing waste generated altogether, as well as encouraging the reuse of resources wherever possible. "The zero waste approach turns the outputs from each stage of resource use into the input for another use," explained Ms. Beaudoin. "In sum, outputs become inputs." The bulk of Zero Waste Project has been on managing the New Academic Building (NAB). Cafes in the NAB have food composting systems; the build- ing now operates a 'Bin-the Bin' system, where rubbish bins are replaced with recycling bins. The recycling system itself is also more sophisticated, accepting what was usually not accepted as recyclable, such as coated paper, all types of plastic and juice cartons. It has been proclaimed a success since as of this month, the recycling rate at the NAB is 88 per cent. Other projects include food composting at the 4th floor restaurant, reusing and recycling furniture on campus, and 'Relove' schemes designed to promote reuse of goods. LSE Bankside House hosted Relove Fair on October 2nd during which students were offered a vast range reused goods, from books to refrigerators to high-tech reconfigured IT equipment at a fraction of shop prices. The SU shop also now has a 'Relove Shop', a dedicated space selling discounted stationery donated by departing students and LSE departments. The biggest challenge is still the most fundamental one, which is to change the behaviour and the consumption culture at the LSE. Even so, other parts oft^. LSE seem to be catching on to minimising waste. The IT purchasing department requires all manufacturers to take ' back packaging material from deliveries. Catering outlets such as the Garrick now encourages people to bring their own cups and offer compostable cutlery and recyclable coffee cups. The next step for LSE will be to roll out the Bin-the-Bin system across campus and halls of residence in the start of 2010. The hope is to reduce landfill waste to zero by 2010. LSE Director Howard Davies answers students' questions jat this week's UGM Union General Meeting Thursdays 1pm 8 '7/ Old Lecture Theatre a Our weekly opportunity to discuss, debate and vote www.lsesu.com Mr ' ' I 9L1KBZ "(ZKJ" The Beaver 110 November 2009 News Sorkin discusses 'economic 9/11' Emily Roberts Andrew Ross Sorkin discussed his new book, "Too Big to Fail", at the LSE last week. Rather than speculating on the "who, what, where, why and how" questions over the financial crisis, Sorkin has tried to show the public simply what happened inside the offices of AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and the experiences of public figures such as Henry Paulson, the US Treasury secretary. In order to achieve his goal, Sorkin, a journalist for the New York Times, spent a year carrying out interviews with everyone from bankers to government officials, many of whom he thought participated only to be "an element of history". By using the transcripts of these interviews and matching quotes he has attempted to reconstruct the record of events leading up to a during the financial crisis itself. Sorkin's book addresses step-by-step the actions of some of the more prominent protagonists and antagonists of the financial crisis, including Dick Fuld (former CEO of Lehman Brothers), Henry Paulson, Ben Bemanke, Bob Diamond and Robert Steel. He mentioned how there were four of five different storylines that, in the way a great a piece of literature does, "cataclysmically come together". The plot for his book starts on 15 September 2008 at 2am, when it was announced that Lehman Brothers was going bankrupt, and Merrill Lynch would be sold to Bank of America. He then focuses on the actions behind the scenes of Henry Paulson, especially how he announced how the problems of the banks were slowly accumulating to an 'economic 9/11' when it seemed Morgan Stanley was days from going bankrupt. There is also information on the threat of the financial crisis going beyond Wall Street, with officials from such American companies as General Electric 'pleading with Paulson', for economic help. The talk then moved onto "Fateful Sunday", on which the pivotal discussion between UK and US regulators over the fate of Lehman Brothers, and whether Barclays would gain the winning bid, took place. Sorkin claims that after there was miscommunication between the parties, the news was announced that the deal between Barclays and Lehman Brothers would not go through. This led to Paulson calling Darling, who explained how the transaction exposed the government to substantial risk, and the now infamous quote from Paulson that Darling "didn't want to import our cancer". Sorkin finished his lecture answering questions on whether we have learned our lesson from the financial crisis; which received the pessimistic answer: "No'." 37-63 Southampton Row London WC18 4DA hbro8.co.uk hummus bros LAST CHANCE FOR TWO-FOR-ONE OFFER ON MAIN COURSES Hummus Bros serves mouthwatering toppings like Guacamole or Sauteed Chicken on top of HOMEMADE HUMMUS and warm pitta served on the side \ hummus bros TWO-FOR-ONE ON k MAIN COURSES 11am-12pm & 2-9pm \ with this voucher. \ holborn branch only, valid \ through \ 13 Nov. \ 2009 twitt»r.co»/hb(os N f»c»book.cora/hbro« News 10 November 2009 | The Beaver Secretary Napolitano outlines US security priorities Teddy Nicholson The US Secretary of Homeland Security has highlighted cyber security, people trafficking and privacy as three principal challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security. Speaking at the LSE last Wednesday, Secretary Janet Napolitano argued that all three were significant and growing issues that posed new challenges to the traditional notion of security provided purely by the federal government. She stressed the need for new partnerships to be built with individuals, the private sector and other states. This will help to combat issues such as how to prevent security breaches when 85 per cent of US critical infrastructure is in the hands of the private sector, nearly all of which is networked. Such partnerships will also serve to deal with the slave trade, in which 800,000 people are involved every year. Turning to the department's staple issues of counter-terrorism, border protection, immigration and disaster readiness, Secretary Napolitano made the case that things were improving strongly but were by no means perfect. Managing a department that was created in response to the attacks of 11 September 2001, she talked about the challenges that are emerging as the memory of 9/11 begins to slowly fade, and people start to forget why certain measures are in place, citing the nuisance of having to remove shoes in airports. Discussing the often controversial issue of immigration, she suggested that the department was improving, but that real changes would arrive when Congress took action on immigration reform. This, however, will only likely come after the completion of current discussions on healthcare - a process she assured the audience was making progress. The comment was met by a skeptical laugh from several members of the audience. Secretary Napolitano, who studied at the LSE for one term in 1978, proceeded to highlight the department's mandate to take on crises, both natural such as hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms, and man made, such as bio-weapons and also the fast growing field of cyber warfare. When it came to the issue of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the organisation so criticised for its action, or lack thereof, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she confidently stated that "the FEMA of today is not the FEMA of then". Answering a range of questions, taken almost exclusively from American students, she dealt brusquely with the issue of legalising marijuana, saying that it was an issue of enforcement rather than legislation. She also efficiently dispatched similarly politically charged questions, such as one by a student who passionately argued that DHS should allow gay and lesbian Americans to bring their spouses into the country. In response she first mentioned that the department had dropped restrictions to those who are HIV positive, but that in the case at hand, she simply did not have the power to do anything and that it was in the hands of Congress to change the definition of marriage or the immigration law. Just before the end of the lecture, she assured the audience that the Obama Administration was continuing to work to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay by the deadline of 22 January 2010, and that negotiations were fully underway with other nations and state governments within the US to relocate and try detainees. In response to the final question, she summed up the state of the department as "not in our infancy, but perhaps our early adolescence". At the close of the talk, chair Professor Michael Cox presented her with a tradi- tional LSE baseball cap, and requested that she invite President Obama to the LSE whenever she was next at the White House. 8 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Advertisement - mm lOWWiS. »*£>* 3 - A-tH ^ Ch0"°3 -r-kfiY ^ftlVo^^wbes C7 A<»er «^2£. 1 gs? e0uaa Ast^ . 3^fiS D°°rS V3^ io November 2009 | The Beaver «s^RS . not that innocent . H.." The Beaver Established in 1949 Issue No. 713 Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@liiebeaveronline.co.uk We're just trying to do our job The Beaver hit Houghton Street last Tuesday with proud editors waiting eagerly for feedback; for the first time in weeks (and we would be the first to admit this) there was a packed news agenda, fervent debate, and themes that ran across the entire paper. Somewhat surprisingly then, we received more diverse criticism and outrage than we have had in recent memory. Sure, in the past we have deeply upset sabbatical officers, and perhaps the odd LSE pro-director, or even Howard Davies himself. This time was different: officials from the School were sending angry emails, from the Head of the Catering to Director of Finance and Facilities Andy Farrell. Then there was (perhaps predictably) the Israel Society. Even the traditionally light-hearted Part B managed to incite the frustration of the Celtic Society. This paper has perhaps, then, been forced to take a step back to evaluate our place within the Union and the School. We realise the immense considerations that any media outlet has to take when dealing with sensitive debates such as the Israel/Palestine conflict, especially a student newspaper in a school of highly politicised masses (well...), especially when that paper has a monopoly on campus. We understand the damaging effect any story on our beloved administration could have on their reputation, and the way the students see their institution and its ethics (or lack thereof). Nonetheless, it is also true that we have a responsibility to inform students and foster debate on campus. In this light, the backlash that has developed as a result of our commenting on certain events could be seen as a good thing. We do not set out to take sides on the contentious issues of the day. But, when we set out our stall as to the content we desire in a given week, we place ourselves - to an extent - at the mercy of our contributors, instinctively hoping that parties from both sides of the debate will feel the urge to make their feelings known. Our news coverage adheres to objectivity always, and the section's factual accuracy never strays far from our gaze. In other sections, however, it is only natural for us to permit charged and impassioned opinions to trickle onto the page - and, inevitably, in order for a balanced discussion to emerge, it is necessary that writers of all perspectives get involved. If a certain group does not come up with the goods, we are more than happy to print what we are given to work with, and deal with the consequences later. The backlash shows that people care about what we write, and that they want to ensure that their voices are heard. It certainly does not equate to any degree of editorial bias; rather, that we wish to facilitate the fighting of the good fight, for only through reasoned discussion can a solution to problems - whether microcosmic or universal - be found. In a week where the democratic powers of the UGM are being called into question again, it is vital that the struggle continues to preserve all fora for discussion. If our quieter minority groups now feel as if they have been gagged, take heart from the Beaver's own exertions and speak up, for in these pages you will never be silenced. 10 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Comment Houston, we have a drug problem Clamping down on drugs is pointless, and there is hut one solution left Duncan McKenna David Nutt, ex-chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, was forced out of his job by Home Secretary Alan Johnson this week. Johnson said that Nutt was asked to leave, "not... for his views, which I respect but disagree with" but "because he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy." It doesn't need a punch line, does it? And as such, a massive revolt has broken out within the body, leaving it, according to Nutt, with "no future." So with yet another attempt to win the 'War on Drugs' on its knees, and no apparent end in sight, it's time for a re-think - but just how wholesale should it be? For years now, misguided government campaigns have gone awry and drug use is still rampant in the UK. Hallucinogens and mind-altering substances have been part of human culture since time immemorial so they probably aren't going anywhere fast. Is it honestly sensible to carry on pouring enormous resources into schemes of eradication? Or do we admit that drugs are so far embedded into our culture, that it's time - in part at least - to move in the other direction. Yes, I am talking legalisation. And please don't think that from here on in this will just be liberal yahooism. I am not a supporter of drug use, but I genuinely believe it's time to consider our options. Drug use isn't a new thing, and isn't, as some would have you believe, a new invasion driven by the impetus of ravenous hordes of slaver-jawed, crime-obsessed, pregnant/impregnating hoodies that apparently crack the whip of their own appalling martial law on the streets. So if law enforcement isn't, and never has, removed drugs from our streets, why don't we change the laws? The volume of money tied up in drugs is staggering, and were it possible to tap them with tax then the current revenue problems plaguing the government and Yes, I am talking legalisation. And please don't think that from here on in this will just be liberal yahooism. causing, to quote David Cameron, 'painful' spending cuts across the board, would seem somewhat more surmountable than they do at present. Legalisation would turn what is currently a vicious and crime-based trade into a legitimised and safer business. According to a University of York study, the annual cost of drugs to society is upwards of £io.9bn; however, the actual medical costs are estimated atQ.ybn (BBC News, 12 February 2002). While that sounds enormous, we should consider that alcohol costs the NHS £2.ybn a year, and that the number of alcohol-related deaths is more than three times greater than that of those related to drugs. And yet the government actively encourages sales of alcohol, with 24-hour drinking laws, because it is an 'acceptable,' taxable, poison, rather than a political minefield. Where drugs are concerned, it is clearly the case that the crime that goes with it is the greater cost to society, and so by turning the drug trade into a legitimate, taxable, competitive market, this element could be greatly reduced and the revenue would begin to pay for the problems drugs cause. Of course, at this point, we encounter some moral ambivalence. Opening up drugs to the legal market makes them vastly more available and abundant. The danger and ill-consequence associated with heroin and cocaine would make it totally irresponsible for the government to endorse their sale, and given that vast quantities of the illegal opiates circulating around the globe are the produce of Taliban-run cartels in Afghanistan, it would also be self-defeating and hypocritical to purchase them. However, drugs which represent no medical dangers to the fvilly-grown adult such as marijuana, and those which are mainly dangerous due to high levels of cutting and poisonous ingredients in cheap batches, such as ecstasy, would be less dangerous in a controlled and legalised system. By Introducing a system with age limits and perhaps a prescription-style service where age must be checked before a purchase and amounts are regulated, legalisation could move towards solving the crime that the government eternally rails against and, in fact, begin to help us. So why not? Time can heal The NHS must escape from being a puppet show Priscilla Abishegam Cicero said, "In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men." One may think this quote inappropriate for an article on the NHS; after all the general sentiment is that it is a crippled service with mounting debts and failing hospitals. Thus, how can such a stuffed-up system wear a crown of celestial ideals? Do not get me wrong: I do not intend to extol the virtues of the NHS, but I do think we should at least consider the positive aspects of this system. Since its beginning in 1948, the NHS has been 'free at the point of need'. I think this is a very important point because it fosters a sense that medical care is available to all; care is not provided on the basis of your bank balance. Recently the government said that it will ban all private transplants of organs from dead donors in the UK; the move came after media reports of overseas patients paying to get onto the waiting list for organs donated by British people. In this we see that priority is given to the British pufilic and the patient's condition overrides their ability to fork out cash. Here at least we see relative decency if contrasted with the health systems of scores of other countries, where bribery is the norm and under-the-table money a necessity. Perhaps the NHS is viewed in such dire light because it is seen as a tool for political manipulation and gain. May I say that all of us consciously or subliminally often view politicians and politics, in Robin William's words, as, "Poli" a Latin word meaning "many", and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures". Thus we feel that are we letting 'many bloodsucking creatures' direct the course of our health. Isn't it bad enough that we often have to deal with medical professionals who do not know our backgrounds and who therefore can only provide limited personal service? Dr. Merson, aged 87, believed to be the UK's longest serving GP says he has loved his career, but feels the NHS is now too heavily influenced by politicians. He said, "The bad thing is that doctors are becoming civil servants almost and government committees are telling you what to do." That Merson, the UK's longest serving GP, believes this suggests that we must hold such a view in good faith. Has government control on the NHS become so fundamentally dictatorial that doctors are mere puppets? It is obvious that David Cameron sees the voter potential the NHS has, and thus he says he will change the name of the Department of Health to the Department of Public Health, supposedly demonstrating a commitment "to improving the health of the entire nation". Wow! Are we all such fools to think that the word 'public' can change the face of the NHS? But points to him for effort because for a moment there, even I was taken by the inspirational political garble! I'm sure camps of us could go on forever about how bad or good the NHS is and how much we all hate politicians. Nonetheless, we should be appreciative that we have a system of healthcare for the simple reason that we are so much luckier than others. However, I also appreciate the fact that we should not breed a mentality of mediocrity by accepting what we are dissatisfied with, because mediocrity will know nothing higher than itself. I leave you with the analogy of the NHS as cheese: some glorify it; others find it distasteful; but everyone should agree that it will improve with time! ^PtonsNVe Healthcare Eg oto: Flick* user diaper Welcome to St Mary's Hospital There are NO Accident & Emergency facilities at this Hospital. The nearest A & £ is at Kettering Hospital, RothweS Road. No quarter for old protests A statement from the LSESU Israel Society, regarding the protests at the Daniel Ayalon lecture Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon attempted to speak at our prestigious academic institution last week, but could barely make a point, let alone finish a sentence. Instead of the dynamic and vibrant discussion that we anticipated, we were faced with a horrific slew of hatred name calling, supported by cursing, which of course is unacceptable, and un-academic, to say the least. Understandably, the subject matter was of the highest sensitivity - but this is precisely the reason for discussion, insight, and hard questions to be raised. It does not give any legitimacy to call out hateful words, to disrupt the speaker. If civil behaviour does not make the cut, a simple check on LSE's Code of Practice on Free Speech should do the trick. This document, signed and passed by members of the school, maintains that "everyone shall be entitled to equal treatment on the basis of individual merit and without unfair discrimination..." As Deputy Minister Ayalon was a visiting speaker, this basic principle applies to him as well. Furthermore, according to the document, it is the responsibility of us, the students, to "observe good order at any event which they attend. Good order will include the speaker(s) being heard clearly." Students left the event horrified - the speaker was not able to "hold opinions without interference, disability or disadvantage, and to freedom of expression within the law, including the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas." We, the students, wanted a lively debate, but we also came first and foremost to hear the speaker, listen to his ideas, and then ask the difficult and controversial questions we had. But this was made impossible. Lastly, it is the School's respon- sibility to uphold these principles. Unfortunately, students screaming the loudest were ultimately the ones asking questions, granted to them by the partial moderator. They disrupted any chance of discussion, and created a sense of counter-produc-tivity in furthering their opinion. Their actions were despicable; they left no room for an intelligent discussion, a free expression of speech, and left the lecture - which could have been a fascinating debate - in a state of academic chaos. This was sent in last week as a statement for use in the front page story headlined 'Outrage at "racist" Israeli Deputy FM'. The LSESU Israel Society has requested that it be printed in full as a comment piece this week • Comment 11 10 November 2009 I The Beaver While LSE is to be commended for its foray into site-specific art, it's a shame the art is so meaningless Poorna Harjani Whenever I enter the New Academic Building, the tune of 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (had a very shiny nose)' starts playing in my head. This is undoubtedly due to Joy Gerrard's Elenchus-Aporia - the oversized red shiny balls suspended from the ceiling, combined with silver balls oddly reminiscent of tinsel. Having studied art at Central St. Martins, which has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of art and seeing the most ordinary objects in an artistic light, I happen to think my opinions hold some weight. But even with my quirky and eccentric perspective, I cannot see why LSE would commission these plastic balls. Sometimes, even if we do not understand a work of art on a rational level, we simply feel something whilst viewing it. We can't always tell why a piece w&'s made, but we can usually sense a reasoning behind it. Sadly, when I look at these balls, I feel only an absence of meaning, and certainly no hint of association with the central tenets of an institution specialising in the social sciences. Frankly, it's an embarrassment that the Queen opened the NAB while it played host to such so-called 'art'. Then there's Michael Brown's Bluerain, positioned above the Lionel Robbins Building. Those scrolling blue words remind me of the a Bloomberg news ticker. Bluerain is made up of 23,520 blue light emitting diodes, and is supposed to reflect the searches being carried out in the Library. The blue lights do not attract attention during the day, leaving many students unaware of its existence, and the words are not even decipherable. Even a clock tower with chimes would have been more useful. When term started, students can't fail to have had their eyes caught by Square the Block, on the corner of the NAB. Matter weren't helped by the corner also being surrounded by orange cones and security barriers. Naturally, I thought it was just more aggravating roadworks ' taking place amidst our notoriously public campus. The sculpture prompts viewers to examine the space around the sculpture; it is deliberately minimalist, encouraging a preoccupation with the surroundings. But, even when the obstacles of the roadworks are eventually removed, exactly what surroundings are we supposed to engage with? The Pret A Manger and Sushi Hiroba on Kingsway? In commissioning original works of art, LSE's intentions are undoubtedly sound. Heterogeneity is inherent in the art market; even if two paintings are produced by the same artist they are not perfect substitutes. Furthermore, each seller of a unique painting is a monopolist, as resale of the same art is infrequent, giv- ing a fixed supply. The price of art may increase over time, implying an investment asset characteristic. Art can even be a protection against inflation. There are also less corporeal returns from holding assets in works of art - the aesthetic enjoyment, prestige and increased status that come from owning a work by a well-known artist can also bring about a positivity. Even a single work of art can alter the ambience of a space dramatically and can be used to make a statement such as supporting art in social causes. In a business environment, it is important to choose art in line with the company's core values and vision - likewise, our university should choose art that represents us. Site-specific art, such as installations, are a permanent feature, and rarely change over the years, therefore LSE needs to be careful in what it is choosing. The School also needs more paintings and other smaller art forms that can be used for decorative purposes in reception areas. When looking for an artist to invest in, it is equally important to look carefully at how they are developing their career. I don't expect LSE to have the Picassos, Monets and Jackson Pollocks that a place like Harvard can afford, but I do expect it to invest more wisely. Some of LSE's buildings have have solid architecture, inviting you in, but once you're inside there's just clinical whiteness. If students wish to study in an environment with a good ambience right now, they tend to resort to sitting pn the steps of St. Clement's. I want to see art that makes me do a double-take as I'm rushing to lectures The measure of success for a painting is the extent to which it makes one an inhabitant of the world it depicts. Art is about how we perceive the world through the senses, from definite reality through to new possible realities. It is a process of storytelling, shaping the social narratives of our lives. Contemporary art has seen a shift to conceptual work, which often involves less craftsmanship. This stronger emphasis on the thought process can cause controversy in what art really is. LSE has approached the art world with a series of provocative works, but its aims and achievements are ambiguous, and its knowledge of investing in art is undersized. I want to see art that is a hybrid of aesthetic and meaning. Art that makes me do a double-take as I'm rushing to lectures; something that sparks off debates with friends over lunch. We need art that can make us into more well-rounded students and feel that bit more proud of being at the LSE by having some cultural heritage. Phillip Hoffman, a master in art investment famously said, "Art is a dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing". LSE is investing in art but art for whose sake? It is neither benefitting the students nor its investment portfolio. The School needs to improve its standards on donations and give students more say. It is commissioning so-called daring works of art which do not fit with the personality of the university. Maybe it should stick to penguins. "Art is a dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing" 12 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Comment Lewinsky Estelle Cooch Staying on in Afghanistan does not send out a good message about the Left So, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize a few weeks back. One commentator in the Guardian lambasted it as an 'insult'. An insult to who, I wonder? Hemy Kissinger? Let's be honest; we are not talking about the 'Ultimate Hippy Award for Smoking Cannabis and Wearing Yellow Clothes Peace Prize'. We are talking about a prize dedicated to the man who invented lethal explosives. There would be something wrong if Obama hadn't won it. Of course the real issue at hand is not his winning of the award, but the fact that he won it while American and British troops remain entrenched in the quagmire of Afghanistan. Last month Gordon Brown announced he was sending 500 more forces personnel to add to the 9,000 already in Afghanistan, while the US are debating a troop surge this week. During the period of intense fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan was seen as the 'Good War'. In recent months that myth has been (literally) blown to pieces. The number of British troops dead is now higher than those killed in six years in Iraq; in May of this year, more than 120 Afghan women and children were killed in one air strike alone. Yet of course no-one keeps track of the total number of dead Afghans. In the eyes of the western media if you don't have the latest iPod, or care who Lindsey Lohan is, your life is not much worth counting. The war in Afghanistan cannot be won. According to a BBC poll, 64% of British people now agree the troops should come home. The Taliban were defeated in 2001, but are now growing in strength as a reaction to the occupation. Bin Laden has never been found. In another BBC poll only 33% of Afghans thought the US had any 'chance of destroying the Taliban', and 77% found it 'unacceptable' for the U.S. to use air strikes. The war is condemned by ordinary Afghan people and has now become about protecting the Karzai government - one of the most corrupt in the world. Gordon Brown (or should I say, next year's Nobel Peace Prizewinner) staunchly defended the war on Friday, claiming "Our children will learn of the heroism of today's men and women fighting in Afghanistan, protecting our nation and the world from the threat of global terrorism." The problem with this is that al-Qa'ida are in Pakistan. If Britain has sent 9,000 troops abroad to fight al-Qa'ida, then they are in the wrong country. According to the US military, there are less than 100 al-Qa'ida operatives in Afghanistan. More people turn up to UGM every Thursday Currie David Whitaker j The Right needs a fresh ideology, just as it has S reinvented itself through histoiy than we are currently looking for in Afghanistan. Two weeks ago over 5,000 people marched in London demanding the troops out of Afghanistan. This came two days after the appearance of Nazi Nick Griffin on BBC Question Time. Pulling the troops out is one way we can begin to say terrorism is not caused by a clash of cultures, as Griffin was allowed to argue in the programme, but that it is caused when the most technologically advanced armies in the world invade and destroy the countries of others. The £4.6 billion spent on Afghanistan last year could be spent on preventing current cuts to public services, another way to undercut the BNP and show to the world that we are a proper liberal democracy. W! SI at is the Right, and what does it stand for? Some would say free markets. Others might suggest small government, or even ultra-nationalism. Arguably, it has taken all these forms and more besides. Given the recent spectacular failure of free markets, it seems timely to evaluate how the political Right's ideology has evolved through the centuries; what it is defined as today; and what it might become in the coming decades. The political Right is an ever-changing concept, gradually incorporating numerous distinct ideologies right through history. The term 'Right' originates from the French Revolution; it refers to the position to which the clergy, monarchists and other aristocrats took in the early French Parliament (those on the 'Left' supported radical reform and secularisation). The English term 'Tory' (originally meaning an Irish bandit) only became truly synonymous with the modem political Right when the Tory Party officially became the Conservative Party in 1830, integrating moderate Whig thought with its traditional stance of monarchism. The ideology of the Right was further expanded in nineteenth century United States, where the Republican Party established itself on the principles of supporting small businesses and free labour for the mobile middle classes. As the twentieth century progressed, the Right gained intellectual foundations with the advent of neoclassical economic thought, and the formation of the now-familiar notions of small government, corporatism, free markets and trade. The post-war consensus gave the 'New Right' a fresh ideology; the desire to dismantle state involvement in industry; the famous Reagan mantra of tax cuts, and curbing trade union power. Unfortunately, the twentieth century saw the most extreme manifestation of the Right: the menace of fascism and ultra-nationalism, which hauntingly remains on the edge of the , political Right. Even today, controversial political stances such as neo-conserva-tism and religious fundamentalism - with their negative connotations - have found their place on the Right. So what about the future? The Right has managed to reinvent itself throughout the centuries and it will surely do so again. The New Right is finished; its principles of unrestrained markets and selfish individualism are dead. Thus, it would be heartening to see the modern Right claim the environment as its new tenet for the twenty-first century; a fresh ideology with which to bring positive change. Letters to the Editor Madam -1 write with some regret, to complain about your recent coverage of the Daniel Ayalon lecture. Last week's edition of The Beaver was plagued with bias and half-truths and came nowhere near a fair representation of the events surrounding the lecture. Where should I start? The headline -'Outrage at "racist" Israeli Deputy FM' - I understand your desire to attract attention but this kind of sensationalism is more at home in The Sun than in a supposedly impartial student newspaper; not to mention the fact that nowhere in the article was there any evidence to suggest that Daniel Ayalon is a racist. Furthermore, the Israel Society provided you with a statement of our views regarding the disgraceful behaviour in the lecture theatre, the breach of the Codes of Practice on Free Speech and our disappointment at the School for failing to act. You dismissed all of this and chose to publish just one line of our statement without so much as a mention of the other points. A browse of the rest of the coverage in the newspaper is equally disappointing. Far from covering a broad spectrum of angles and opinions about the lecture, there are two Comment pieces and two (absurd) letters questioning why the School invited Ayalon. The photo is also a surprise - what is the relevance of a seemingly unrelated photo of Jewish Voices for Peace (taken in Seattle!) to any of the stories on that page?'Even a response by an anonymous Israeli student was blighted by a totally misleading subheading that suggested the letter called Mr Ayalon's views abhorrent. Madam, you failed in your entire coverage to investigate the tactics of the handfid of students who disrupted the lecture and tried to stop Ayalon from speaking. You also failed to report the disgraceful way in which Mr Ayalon was treated and you failed to report how the lecture theatre turned on the hecklers once they continued to disrupt. It is not the first time that The Beaver has failed to tell the whole story this year. I look back at your paper condemning the Israeli 'siege' for preventing Othman Sakallah leaving Gaza and coming to the LSE. On that occasion you failed to tell your readers that Mr. Sakallah had to wait until 2010 to receive a student visa from the British Government and thus has not even applied for an exit visa from Gaza yet. You failed to question how it is that he is being denied exit even before he has asked. As the only source of student news on campus and as it is funded by students fees, The Beaver has a duty to report news in a fair and impartial way and at the very least portray a plethora of opinions. It has unfortunately, on a number of occasions this year chosen to go for the sensationalist, Sun-like headlines in place of solid, inquisitive journalism. The Beaver should not simply be a voice box for those who shout the loudest and for those that happen to have the most friends in the editorial team; it has a duty to us the students to be more than that and to uphold at the very least, the basic standards of journal- Kind regards, Ben Grabiner Chairman, LSESU Israel Society Madam - We feel that some pieces printed in last week's Comment showed a fundamental lack of understanding of the reasons for the heckling which occurred at the Daniel Ayalon lecture. Articles such as 'Open Dialogue is the Panacea' were based upon the false assumption that those who heckled at the Ayalon lecture did so because they wished to stifle open dialogue on campus and prevent Ayalon from airing the Israeli perspective. This quite simply was not the intention nor the result of the disruption of the lecture. Rather, those who heckled did so simply in protest to the LSE giving platform to Ayalon himself, whose party has been regarded by many commentators as being racist towards Arabs. The LSE should not be a forum where those who incite racial hatred against any ethnicity are welcome and the Palestine Society will continue to protest any events which give racism a voice. However, we believe that while racism should have no place on our campus, open dialogue should. We are happy to hear the differing perspectives of students on campus and indeed have invited the Israel Society to participate in a Palestine-Israel discussion forum - an event which will serve as just such a platform for free discourse about the important issues. We very much hope to foster an atmosphere of lively political discussion on campus and have absolutely no desire to limit the presentation of perspectives whatever they may be. Yours, LSESU Palestine Society Committee comment @thebeaveronline.co.uk Madam - Your reports of criticism of the LSE's room booking policy. ('Societies blast unfair room charges', The Beaver, 3 November 2009) failed to acknowledge that there is no charge at all for rooms which are booked for LSE student-only events - whether by the SU or student societies. This means for the vast majority of LSESU events there are no room charges whatsoever. For events which also involve external organisations, we may have to make a booking charge. However LSE student groups are given a discount of 25 per cent on these bookings. This is part of a clear policy which has been agreed by the Academic and Planning Resources Committee, of which the Student Union General Secretary is a member. The policy is available on the LSE website. For more details please contact the Conference and Events Office. LSE provides support and encouragement to SU societies putting on events with external organisations. The Conference and Events Office offers help and advice to students, for example on the range and varying cost of accommodation. When charges are made for room bookings, they are moderate and realistic for a central London institution. The income raised is ploughed back into the School, for the benefit of students and the rest of the LSE community. Indeed the extra income raised by this and other "ancillary" activities provides an important contribution to the School's teaching and research work. Robin Hoggard Director of External Relations Madam -1 would like to praise the shift that has occurred in the tone and content of this year's Beaver. Last year's editor made no attempt at even a facade of objectivity and allowed the hounding of students that disagreed with him in the paper; this year's Beaver has presented contentious issues on campus with fair and unbiased coverage. I feel compelled to write to applaud this as I am sure that a vocal minority may be trying to attack this change. I feel that unbiased coverage is to represent issues as they occurred on campus objectively in the news section, giving a fair weighting to different perspectives based upon their apparent support within campus. Moreover, it is to allow students and academics to write comment pieces on all possible sides with the aim of representing all significant voices on campus. I would now like to demonstrate how this was done last week. The front page noted the significant oppostdon to a speaker at the LSE on the previous Monday and the charge by this opposition that the speaker was "racist", the inverted commas indicating that this was an allegation from the protesters, and a possibly disputed charge. The article in question continued with the most newsworthy facts of what occurred, namely the two protests and the verbal assault on a student by a senior LSE academic. My one criticism of the coverage is that the opinion of the very clear minority (four counter-dem- onstrators) in favour of the speaker were given undue prominence in the article, when perhaps it would have been fairer to give their views later in the article after the groups that were more numerous and had more support. However, this is a minor criticism; the article then continued to fairly represent the extent of the opposition to the speaker by quoting students, alumni and academics. Moreover you included a response from those responsible for organising the lecture, and by presenting both of these sides allowed the student body to form their own opinion of what occurred. This unbiased nature continued into Comment, where you presented all the major opinions on the event. A piece from pro-Palestinian writers presented the inconsistencies in the speaker's argument, and a piece from the protesters tried to justify their actions. There were two letters from prominent academics and PhD students on why they were opposed to the event. Moreover, there were two writers that argued against the actions of the protesters. In my opinion, this is a fair balance of views - the opinions of academics being of self-evident interest to the student body. Yours, Joe Sammut BSc Government '10 Madam - We are writing to show our deep appreciation for the way your paper covered the heated debate surrounding LSE's controversial invitation to Daniel Ayalon, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beitenou party member, on the 26th of October last, to hold a public lecture about the Israeli view of the Middle Eastern situation in front of the LSE community. It seems to us that the event's coverage provided by your paper was balanced and fair and that you made a very good job in conveying a sense of the ethical and intellectual puzzle that the airing of Ayalon's views entailed: to what extent the principle of freedom of speech can be invoked to legitimize the offering of a platform to a member of a party widely known for its racist leanings? As it was expected, the talk took place in a very tense atmosphere and amid vocal protests. Leaving aside for a moment the serious considerations that might be done on the School's decision to host Ayalon's speech, which have already been exposed by you and countered by the views of students who felt deprived of their right to hear Ayalon's viewpoint hence to a free debate, it has been particularly disturbing to as students to learn that, during the meeting, a senior male professor saw fit to verbally abuse an undergraduate female student, a Palestinian girl sitting in the audience and loudly protesting against Ayalon. The comment the senior officer himself offered, that the distress caused to him by some students' outbursts resulted in an equally distressing response, seems to downplay the gravity of an act which truly represents a complete breach of the trust between teachers and students at the core of an academic educational institution. Despite all the talking about the importance of providing a sound space for sharing thoughts, debating and exchanging ideas, it seems that in this situation many were satisfied with keeping the debate to the level of gratuitous insults, while blaming a bunch of students who decided to take a non-compromising stance on a question dealing with intellectual honesty as much as with the ongoing sufferance of the Palestinian people. Francesca Biancani and Amelie B arras PhD students, Government Department io November 2009 | The Beaver The forgotten conflict Lukas Slothuus brings attention to the plight of the displaced Saharawi people cheap housing. Through this, it distorts the overview of who should be permitted to vote. James Baker resigned in frustration of lacking progress. Since the Moroccan dismissal of the Baker II plan, no formal plan has replaced it. Yet there is hope for a better future, characterised by dignity and liberty for the Saharawis. The main opposition party in Sweden, the Social Democrats, have announced that if they win the 2010 Swedish parliamentary elections as predicted, they will officially recognise the Western Sahara Democratic Republic and work for further recognition within the EU. This would be the first EU member state to do so. It would be a historical moment for Western Sahara. At the LSE, we cherish scholarship. It would therefore be fitting for the students of LSE to make a point of being better informed. Go to the internet. Google Western Sahara. Read. Read up to bring the issue out of obscurity and bring justice a tiny step closer to the Saharawi population. It is about time the world made an effort to alter the "forgotten" nature of the conflict. olonial exploitation is often presumed be a relic of the past. Yet there remains a colony in Africa, one which the world has long abandoned. In what is often called 'the forgotten conflict', more than a third of Western Sahara's population has been displaced from their home into Algerian refugee camps. Many of the remaining two-thirds are subject to systematic abuse, violence, and torture from neighbouring Morocco's police and military. This is the same Morocco that for most people is only known as a tourist destination with great beaches and a good cuisine. The violence is nothing new, though. After Spain withdrew from the territory on the coast of the Canary Islands in 1975, Morocco has held the area occupied ever since. If you carry the flag of the Western Sahara people, the Saharawis, in public, you are in great danger of being beaten up or persecuted. The outside world has shown nothing but deliberate apathy. The European Union recently signed new fishing agreements with Morocco, effectively exploiting the coast-line of Western Sahara, one of their biggest natural resources. Not only does this prevent the Saharawis from attaining economic independence, it greatly increases Morocco's incentives to maintain the stalemate. Despite being one of the world's most phosphate-rich areas, the Saharawis see none of this money falling into their pockets either. Reduced to being a minority in their own country after Morocco's extensive relocation and housing projects, the Saharawis have been forgotten internationally. The geopolitical situation makes it very difficult for European leaders to condemn Morocco's occupation, which according to a ruling from the International Court of Justice is illegitimate. Since the close of the Algerian war of independence, France has sided with the traditionally Western-friendly Moroccans. Sarkozy is utilising this partnership to postpone the accession of Turkey into the EU by promoting the Union for the Mediterranean, gradually bringing the Four Freedoms of movement of goods, capital, services, and people to the North African countries. As such, Morocco plays a key role in this issue. Spain is in support of the Union, but is torn between its perceived responsibility of supporting the Saharawis and its economic interests of co-operating with Morocco. On the whole, no European state has much to gain from siding with the Saharawis. It is easier for all involved parts - except Western Sahara - to downplay the situation and carry on with business as usual. This is a blatant disregard for Human Rights and the right to sovereignty, however. When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, hopes were high for the Saharawis to achieve major backing in their pursuit of independence. But they are left empty-handed. Morocco is the only African state to have a free trade agreement with the US, and they were the first country in the world to recognise the United States in 1777. This undeniably impairs American possibilities as well as interests in supporting the Saharawis. However, after 9/11, Algeria has increasingly caught American attention as a strategically important nation. Their economy is the third largest in Africa, and their hydrocarbon reserves are among the biggest in the world. Recently US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was in Morocco, endorsing the bilateral relationship and reaffirming American support for the Autonomy Plan. This plan is Morocco's idea for a solution to the conflict, proposing Western Sahara autonomy within Morocco, not unlike Catalonia within Spain. Polisario, Western Sahara's official governmental representatives, however, are not interested in a solution which rules out the possibility of independence. They gave in to a compromise known as the Baker II plan, named after James Baker, Kofi Annan's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara from 1997 to 2004. The Baker II plan proposed autonomy for the first five years followed by a referendum in which the Saharawis would be given the chance of voting for independence. The UN endorsed this plan, but Morocco subsequently rejected it. The main stalling point is on who will be eligible to vote. The Saharawis are traditionally nomads, meaning that no early settlements can provide the foundation for eligibility, and as Morocco continuingly gives incentives for its citizens to migrate to Western Sahara through tax breaks and j 14 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Features Alumnus PETRAS SHELTON-ZUMPANO is I now a Lecturer in International Relations and Political Science at Centre Universi-tario do Distrito Federal in Brazil * C Uwr Lw#s»*& ¦rut* *$• Jfrm* *»-wvs * ^v>v«nr*s- w.JiIUM^4siP -*4 ..¦*»¦ Petras Shelton-Zumpano presents a comprehensive overview of geopolitics and Latin America has been considered the most peaceful continent on the planet. Indeed, since the beginning of the 21st century there has been no direct interstate wars in the region. The sole remaining case of large-scale organized violence is the internal Colombian armed conflict, ongoing at least since the foundation in 1966 of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and of the Cuban-supported National Liberation Army. In spite of it officially being a domestic affair, it has international implications insofar as there is a cross border spillover that erodes stability in northern South America. The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis, for example, was triggered on the when the Alvaro Uribe government in Bogota launched - across the river Putumayo that separates Colombia from Ecuador - a military offensive called "Operation Phoenix". The operation resulted in the execution of FARC's spokesman and second in command, Raul Reyes, in Ecuadorian territory, less than a year after a similar incursion strained diplomatic ties. The President in Quito, capital of Equador, Rafael Correa, described the attack as a violation of territorial sovereignty and cancelled a scheduled visit to Cuba, withdrew his ambassador from Bogota and armed the border. Hugo Chavez put more The sole remaining case of large-scale organized violence is the internal Colombian armed conflict logs on the fire by taking the same actions as his Ecuadorian ally. Five days later, the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega also broke relations with Bogota. Even though animosities were rapidly minimized, especially due to a Rio Group summit convened on the in March, this crisis reflects a deeper Latin-American disjunction between on the one hand, US-aligned governments and, on the other, neo-Bolivarian rivals. While in 1995 a Free Trade Agreement (G-3) between Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia came into effect, Venezuela was withdrawn in 2006 by current President, Hugo Chavez, after citing irreconcilable differences with his two partners. Quite understandable from a Bolivarian standpoint given that the two countries are the largest beneficiaries of U.S. Military and Police Aid in Latin America. Washington has invested heavily in its Plan Colombia, disbursing over six billion dollars since 1996, around half of its entire regional military aid budget. Similarly, Mexico has received over two billion dollars, almost half of which in 2008, due to the American interests that are affected by the crisis of "narcovi-olence". Venezuela's socialist leader also announced, following Peru and Colombia signing a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, that his country would be leaving the Andean Community (CAN) This crisis reflects a deeper Latin-American disjunction between on the one hand, US-aligned governments and, on the other, neo-Bolivarian rivals to join the Common Market of the South (Mercosur). This profoundly shifted the balance of power in the region, although it will require ratification by the Paraguayan legislature. Even with a rebellious "red bishop" in the executive, the country's first left-wing president for the last sixty years, accession will not be an easy accomplishment given the national resentment towards autocracies and efforts to include in the Mercosur constitution a democratic legitimacy clause following an unsuccessful coup in 1996. One might bear in mind that Paraguay is the only South American country to still maintain official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead of the People's Republic of China, the mainland. On the other hand, Caracas is deeply involved with its own integration project, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, which began as an exchange of Cuban doctors for Venezuelan oil but already joins nine Latin-Axftprican and Caribbean countries, and includes plans to implement a common currency, the Sucre, by 2010. The schism in inter-American , relations only became worse this year. After Quito refused to renew an agree-ment that granted air field access for U.S. countemarcotics operations. As a result, Washington is planning to shift its operations next-door and gain access to seven Colombian militaiy bases. Evidently, the i6 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Features Kill AUt '. La.V!S CJUN8> ITIl.BS.AtK CKWX3> K>;rw Much DO0-& Experience Matter? Mil! ASft La.V!S CJUN8> rm ratAt k CKWX3> earth "g? j planet' ^ " ^ || g. cooperatioi confidence Black ' & White 5 TteKot HL. - - v - . « \S INm Karri tknsrcsif lUfarik Mi. l $$3^: 4 tWW&i Newsweek (Ap) praising the President Rupita Chakraborty presents an assessment of Obama's performance over the year This week marked the one year anniversary of President's Obama's election. It marked the one year anniversary of a student storming of the White House in celebration of new leadership; the one year anniversary of the only Wednesday when it was socially acceptable to show up three hours late to work; the one year anniversary of a time when after eight years, Americans were reveling in a celebration of America. A year later, though, much has changed. The cult-like Obama following that charged through the country prior to the election has substantially subsided. Approval ratings have fallen, questions about certain Nobel Peace Prizes have been raised, progress in the economy has been slow but not necessarily steady, and two wars are still being fought. This is all well and good - frankly it's the news of the day that swiftly sees the bottom of the rubbish heap - but what are the greater implications for the President, his image, and the Democratic party? It's this last bit that received the most attention this week, as Republicans swept gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Vir- The cult-like Obama following that charged through the country prior to the election has substantially subsided ginia. The race in Virginia was particularly significant as 2008 was the first year the state elected a Democratic president since 1964. Much can be concluded from the results of these races, ranging from absolutely nothing to the easy-to-reach notion that Obama is losing his touch. This in fact is the argument that Republicans are trying to make: Obama failed to transfer his political high to fellow Democrats. In all honesty, the man is leader of the free world - he has better things to do. Gubernatorial elections are largely about local issues, have limited connection with national leadership and are often the result of convoluted local politics that the rest of us may or may not be privileged to understand. It is no longer the President's job anymore to see to the domination of the Democratic party, that is what the Democratic National Committee is for. To continue to view him as the ambassador of the party is to continue to view him as a candidate for president. But he is no longer a candidate in the running. It is his job to be a president of Democrats and Republicans alike and to find pragmatic solutions to the nation's problems that It is his job to be a president of Democrats and Republicans alike and to find pragmatic < solutions to the nation's problems serve the people's will. Has he done this? Some would argue no, and rightly so. Congress missed the deadline to pass a healthcare reform bill, Guantanamo will likely not close on time, and the war in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. However, this is not due to inaction. Obama has passed a $787 billion stimulus package, expanded healthcare coverage for children, prevented further deterioration of the financial crisis, vastly improved the American image abroad, and put the nation on the fast track to healthcare reform. Where does this leave us then? Well, it leaves us in the parallel universe that is American politics. There will always be a party claiming that Obama did not fulfill the promises that his rhetoric promised. However, with rhetoric as uplifting as Obama's, fear of political persuasion makes accusations of inaction easier to come by. Little can be done about this. The fact is that much remains to be seen about the Obama administration, but the bottom line is clear: America is better off than it was ayear ago. mmmm i Features Contact The Beaver Features features@thebeaveronline.co.uk 0207 955 6705 17 10 November 2009 | The Beaver What if... Truman had chosen not to use the A-bomb? Fahd Huraayun A perennial feature of history is the tendency to re-examine and re-evaluate events that in the blink of an eye effectively changed the world. It is tempting just to ask questions about decisions that resulted in irreconcili-able paradigms, global power shifts and turning-points in the narration of the story of mankind. One of the most controversial actions of the Second World War was President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, killing as many as 84,000 people and leaving thousands more slowly dying of radiation poisoning. President Truman's justification was that he was saving American lives, and that otherwise the war may have dragged on for nearly as long as a year. Well over half a conflict-ridden century later we ask -what if Truman hadn't used the A-bomb? Would the Allies still have won the war? Even the most die-hard proponents of the bomb say yes - eventually. When US troops landed at Okinawa in 1945, the dilemma faced by the new Japanese premier was how to step out without losing face. Was it used as an instrument to demonstrate America's new political power? Stalin was clearly left in the dark about American intentions to use the bomb until the very last minute. Was it a means of demonstrating to Moscow the consequences of turning against the United States? Had it not brought the war to an end, Russia may have entered the war in the Pacific theatre. Russian involvement at that point would have qualified it to take part in the territorial redistribution and occupation of Japan following the war, giving it a bigger piece of the global pie. Just how much of an effect would this have had on the post-war status quo? Would the arms race have developed as quickly as it did and would the Cold War have played out as it did? It certainly did place Soviet post-war policy-makers on the defensive. One possibility could have been that the powers-that-were would have been exhausted by a longer-drawn out war. Assuming the aforementioned redistribution, however, it could have been that the competition to assert supremacy would have happened just as it did. An entire Cold War later, Truman's use of the A bomb can perhaps be construed as the birth of American international unilateralism. The war in Vietnam, adventurism in the Middle East, and in the post 9/11 world, even Guantanamo may have been different had Japan struck back hard enough during the planned land invasion. The last few questions have even more obscure answers. Would the reconstruction and modernization of Japan have been any different? An article by Henry Luce appearing in TIME magazine, 1945, hailed the arrival of "The American Century". To what extent can this be attributed to the use of the bomb as a demonstration of America's transformation into a global monolith? More importantly, as academic students, how many of us have come to terms and made our peace with an event that for all thoughts and purposes forever altered the definition of'peace'? LSE Diary Personal perspective: Defending human rights Mehek Zafar learns from Tita Radilla that it is important to be heard Jft ^^llring through the vast ¦ K marble front of the ¦ t \ K polished glass and wood ¦ # \/ paneled offices of Fre$h-W W fields, it was difficult to envisage brutal military operations and repressive armed forces hacking their way through a tentative peace some forty years ago in the far away state of Guerrero, Mexico. It was harder still to rid myself of that rather obtuse question tugging at the threads of my concentration; why would a woman achieve the status of a hero, when all she's really doing is trying to find her father? Wouldn't anyone else in her place do the same? The woman in question was Tita Radilla, Vice President of the Mexican Association of Relatives of the Detained, Dis- appeared and Victims of Human Rights Violations (AFADEM), and longtime crusader in the quest for justice. As her talk progressed, I found that somewhere beyond the rows of cushioned chairs sat a small woman who did indeed deserve to be called a hero. Ignoring the fact that she was holding a conversation with an audience that did not speak her language, even ignoring that she had dedicated thirty five years of her life to trying to expose the truth behind the disappearance of Rosendo Radilla and twelve hundred other individuals, I found it difficult to ignore the danger that Tita had placed herself in during her struggle. The talk was held under the auspices of Peace Brigades International (PBI), an organization that is currently promoting a campaign aimed at protecting the protectors, i.e. human rights defenders at risk. Tita herself approached them when she began to realise her safety was threatened because of what she stood for. This was more than just a quest to find her father; indeed, I found that the talk raised a number of big and rather more worrying questions than my original concern about why we were glorifying Tita Radilla. Questions like where the one thousand odd individuals had been taken and what had been done to them. Or why so many people had disappeared under the Mexican government, were still missing, and I hadn't heard about them to this day. Or, most important of all, what we as an international community could do about it. Somehow, one answer to this final question that emerged was simply for us to 'know'. To know and to care. One of the ways in which PBI functions is to make the international community aware of individual cases, and of raising the international profile of human rights defenders. This according to Michael Tamblyn, the PBI representative of the Mexico Project at the event, automatically reduces the risk that people like Tita are in, simply on-the assumption that great international backlash would follow any attack on these defenders. The threat of this international backlash is likely to deter, if not completely prevent authorities from reacting to human rights workers who challenge them. Under this assumption it is Tita and others like her who put their persons in the way of danger. They are the ones to file the court cases that expose and embarrass the State, the ones who launch protests, print reports, and act as the witnesses of hushed incidents. All we must do, really, is know about what they do. Apart from indirectly offering protec tion to those who need it, knowledge must needs result in the forming of opinions. This widespread international public opinion then works in clandestine, mysterious ways to influence the 'higher-ups' of the international stage; the politicians who then set policies regarding international law and the judges in international law courts who at some layer of their consciousness act the way the international community wants them to. This, then, begs the further question: can we, the members of this world, care enough to know? Do we make even that most meager effort? Why, after all, did the international world put so much pressure on the Mexican government to release the reports compiled on the missing persons only to see them dissolve into the hazy memory of the past three months later? Why did no one remember those reports and call for them, when they too were made to disappear? Why is it that human rights are butchered in all parts of the world, and we remain in blissful ignorance? Hefty questions indeed, but lurking over all of them remains that single question of Rosendo Radilla and his fate, that is soon to be dealt with by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. A fate intertwined with Tita Radilla's, who despite the long tortuous passage of time, has been unable to receive any form of closure. It is to be hoped that some relief will be granted from the judgment of this court for Tita, who, though she spoke bravely at the event, requested that the video about her father and his case shouldn't be shown till after she has spoken, for fear that she may be unable to speak if she were to watch the video first. It is only to be hoped, that this is one of those instances when, on the basis of our 'knowledge' and our 'opinion', and of the efforts of Tita Radilla, PBI and others like them, this great human rights abuse is accounted for. Measured musings Significant symbolism The 9th of November 2009 marked the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The planned celebrations included a symbolic crossing of the Born-holmer Bridge by world leaders; and the toppling of giant foam dominoes bearing messages from the youth across Germany. In Berlin, it's more than just a holiday. The formal, physical commemoration of historical milestones is important to preserve the spirit of any ideological change. The 9th of November could have passed year after year, without any notice being taken of it. At the most, people could have planned a trip over a long weekend. Or those who have a chip from the wall could have recounted the story of the family heirloom over dinner. After all, it was but one catalyst signalling the end of the Communist era, which was made to crumble by a host of other factors. The truth is that history needs signposts. Without certain dates being marked in bold, everyday life would threaten to consume a certain sense of perspective. It is ironic that this particular date was thrown into significance because of an official blunder: had Mr. Schabowski not blurted out the Politburo's intention to loosen travel restrictions; had he not been vague about the time-frame for the plans; had he not chosen the term "immediately", things may have been different. Had the official plans been implemented, the bringing down of the wall may not have been quite so peaceful - or dramatic. Instead, the confusion that followed that announcement facilitated some of the most beautiful symbolism in history. By an arbitrary twist of fate, the barriers dividing the East from the West were demolished by the hands of the German people, without a single drop of blood being spilt by the bewildered security personnel. While his colleagues raised eyebrows at Mr. Schabowski's self-important, shortsighted faux pas, it ended up adding a neat flourish to the grand scheme of things. This is not to discount the mas- sive implications of the reunification of Germany on thousands of lives. It is just to bring attention to mankind's need for tangible demonstration and history's need for anchors. They provide the opportunity to pause, remember and reassess the course taken since. This applies equally to events like the 60th anniversary celebration of the revolution in China. The pomp and show with which it was conducted received criticism from many quarters. However, it is but natural for any regime to celebrate the dates embodying triumphant change. After that it is up to the people within the nation-states - who it can be assumed are intelligent, sentient beings - to avail the opportunity and decide whether the change has been (or should be) sustained. A lot of money is indeed spent on symbolic displays at commemorative events. There is no doubt that funds, energy and zeal can have many alternative worthy channels. On occasion, however, it is important to be made to look back and relive the passion felt by those present on "the day the Wall fell." Madeeha Ansari Features Editor i8 The Beaver 110 November 2009 Features Think outside the dodecahedron. Rewarding research at LSE Siddharth George in conversation with Anders Jensen and Markus Gstoettner Every cloud has a silver lining, and so it was last month. As fees rose and the LSE fell in university rankings, while student satisfaction plummeted and The Beaver swelled with angry remarks about teaching standards, Anders Jensen and Markus Gstoettner did the School proud by winning the International Atlantic Economics Society's prestigious Best Undergraduate Paper competition. The pair was one of only four teams shortlisted to present their research at the finals in Boston. Anders and Markus' research was an empirical study of how foreign aid affects a developing country's public finance system. I caught up with Anders and Markus to ask them a few questions about research in general and their topic in particular. This was not just out of curiosity; I had the ulterior motive of gathering material to convince the undergraduate population that research is a worthwhile activity. Markus is Austrian. He graduated from the BSc Economics programme in July 2009, and is now on the LSE's MSc Economics programme. Anders is from Denmark and in his 3rd year of the BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics programme. Why did you decide to do an economics research project? M: By the end of my secnd year I knew I was inclined to pursue graduate study in economics, and perhaps even a PhD. Doing a research project was my way of gauging my suitability for research. A: I had this simplistic idea that foreign aid doesn't work, but to the logical follow-up question - why - I had no easy answer. As I delved deeper into the literature, the picture became a lot more intricate, the issue much more interesting. So I decided to investigate. Why did you choose your topic? What's so appealing about development economics? M: Development economics is intuitively appealing because it relates to people's lives. Perhaps because of that and because the ineffectiveness of foreign aid is a concrete problem, people could easily relate to our question. In fact, I think that is fundamental to a successful undergraduate research project. You need a positive response from others even if you're convinced about the value of your question. We, for instance, were really encouraged by the response we got when we presented our paper at the Carroll Round conference in Georgetown University. The real interest in our question was palpable and spurred us on. A: Development economics is a fairly accessible field. In it you find an opening where you can, without investing too much time, get a sense of the literature, and potentially make a contribution. The notion that universal truths exist is particularly suspect in development, where most 'truths' apply locally - to a specific country, geographical area or time period - so it is easier for novices to do something original. M: For instance, our hypothesis that aid reduces the quality of a country's public finance institutions had not been investigated at all. No one had even attempted to measure public finance institution quality - so great was the scope for an original contribution. Once we understood this, we were so excited to test our hypothesis that we even endured compiling the data set. Incidentally our working hypothesis was confirmed by the data: our econometric analyses showed that, empirically, aid did indeed worsen a country's public finance institutions. In what ways did your research enhance your understanding of economics? A: If you think of economics as a toolbox, doing research helps you see how certain tools you are learning about are used. Some questions, like 'why doesn't foreign aid work?' suggest no obvious approach, so looking in my toolbox and picking out a couple of related econometric tools might help me develop a solution. M: I like that toolbox analogy, because it almost would seem that it would be silly to learn how to use all the tools unless you have a problem that you want to fix. Doing research on problems that interest you make you appreciate the tools' usefulness. What are some of the challenges you faced? A: We were initially terrified about creating our own measure for public finance institution quality, partly because I revered people who created indexes. Also, since the area was relatively unexplored, we didn't have many shoulders to stand on. We proceeded because we knew people would be interested by our answer. Eventually we compiled our index using a very simple, almost trivial, form of analysis. We learnt that people don't expect undergraduates to use sophisticated tools when doing research. M: There's the uncertainty of putting lots of effort into something which may not succeed. Come February, when our coursework intensified, it became especially difficult. Having a team-mate made life much easier. Actually we were lucky to have such compatible working styles. We didn't know each other before, but a wonderful friendship has blossomed out of this project. How did others contribute to your project? M: We got lots of excellent feedback at the weekly undergraduate research workshop organised by the Economics Department. Sometimes you get your head stuck so deeply into the project that you lose a sense of the big picture. Ultimately, what made doing research worthwhile? A: It allows you to say 'this is what I did, here's my contribution'. It feels great to have an informed opinion about an issue. Research was extremely rewarding because it opened up so many more doors than initially expected, and not just in academic terms. Out of the paper grew a strong friendship and the experiences of traveling, going to academic conferences and meeting some very interesting people passionate about the same things. How does one start doing research? M: Find a topic that that interests you, or some phenomenon that deserves explanation. Narrow your idea to an answerable research question. Next, read the literature. Then, if you're doing empirical work, develop an identification strategy and hunt for suitable data. The importance of an exciting question cannot be understated. It's your only source of motivation, especially if you're doing research on top of your degree, like we were. Do you want to make a career of doing research? M: Well, I really enjoyed doing the project because the question gripped me. Doing a PhD on an interesting topic could be a very exciting enterprise. A: Given the set of careers I can see my- self doing, having a PhD will be the best entry. But whether I enter academia is an entirely separate question. Are you working on any follow-up projects? M: Yes. We're trying to explain our results. Why does aid worsen public finance institution quality? What mechanism(s) might explain this? One is that aid opens up opportunities for corruption and rent-seeking in developing countries. I'm developing rival hypotheses and would like to test them at some point. For now, in ths? course of my MSc, I will work on a dissertation which will most likely focus on a topic related to social entrepreneurship. A: I'm trying my hand at a micro-level development issue: do conditional cash transfers increase enrolment in schools? Conditional cash transfer programmes condition payments to poor families on actions like enrolling children into public schools, getting regular check-ups at the doctor's office or receiving vaccinations. The interview convinced me; I hope it has the same effect on others. If you're an undergraduate, you should consider doing research because it helps you understand your subject better, it sets you apart - and it's actually fun. Moreover, when the storm clouds next gather over Houghton Street, the School will need another ray of light. io November 2009 | The Beaver Poetically Challenged Fahd Humayun, president of the Literature Society, welcomes all artists to an open mic night Set against a backdrop of black canvas and blinking lights, a third-year economics student stepped onto the platfcjrm down in die Underground, took a deep breath, and began reading from the notebook she carried with her. A single spotlight shone on the stage as the audience listened, while in the corner a pianist gently engaged in a pacific rhythm on her grand piano. During the course of the evening, the LSESU Literature Society's Poetiy/Open Mic night defied conven- One artist stepped up to the microphone and introduced himself by asking the audience: "Looking forward to Christmas? I lost interest when I found out Santa was doing my mum." tions. There was plenty of poetry reading for sure, also a came a general dawning and realization that residing under the university's veneer of mathematics and economics, exists a profound substrata of creative writers, musicians and stand-up artists. Organized by the Literature Society as an ode to the diversity of interests at the LSE, the evening served to lend a sense of ethereal balance - here, in the pulsing heart of the city, amidst a plethora of academics and intellectuals, exists a sanctuary for unwinding; a night for intimate but informal readings and classy music which went down well with even the most esoteric of attendees. Falling on a Wednesday evening, the event boasted an audience consisting of LSE's very own budding poets, writers, as well as a sprinkling of attendees whom are regulars at Covent Garden's Poetry Cafe. Amusingly, there was no shortage of jokes on the link between the social sciences and the arts - some subtle, others not so much - especially relating to the recession and the subject of economics. But there were other international issues which were subtly addressed as well, manifesting themselves in the poetry that was heard that night ranging from the war in Iraq, to suicide bombers in London, to Channel 4 social commentary. The evening began with an introduction from Dr. Angus Wrenn, the head of the LSE English department. This was followed by a re-worked rendition of Colours of the Wind by Priscilla Abishe-gam, backed by Maricia Fischer-Souan on the violin and Amanda Lee on the piano. But perhaps the best selling point of the night was the Literature Society's Poetry Officer, Neil Hampton, who conducted. the evening with pizzazz and raw humour, transitioning between readings with ease and skill. Similar standouts were the guest poets from Covent Garden's Poetry Cafe - notably Tim whom, hunched over his microphone, roguishly whispered a poem about his girlfriend's eyes, which featured cleverly crafted verses such as "the v.i.o.l.e is only missing a't'". The event stretched over its original one-and-a-half-hour time slot and lasted for nearly three hours as the audience became increasingly involved in the stage readings. Tim was followed by a string of soliloquies, sonnets, short stanzas, and frequent punch-lines. Amongst the offerings were "a trio of hip-hop poems", a work entitled "To my Bike", and a rather charming piece which its author simply described as: "This is a poem for my girlfriend who lives in Dublin". One artist stepped up to the microphone and introduced himself by asking the audience - "Looking forward to Christmas? I lost interest when I found out Santa was doing my mum", and was met by appreciative laughter and whistling from the gathering. "I am old - I am old because I pay the fare on bendy buses" was another thought-provoking verse which tickled the audience's fancy. There was a quiet confidence about the way the young poets conducted themselves on stage. They took their time, paced themselves and delved deep within, resulting in stellar delivery and emotive performances. Halfway through the night, our in-house violinist for the evening, Maricia Souan-Fischer, a graduate student at the LSE, stepped into the spotlight and gave a rousing performance of the waltzy Scottish lament "Ashokan Farewell" that left the audience entranced under her Photo: flickmisei- Very Quiet spell. At one point during the evening both Maricia and the pianist Amanda coordinated with a first-year undergraduate student, interlacing her three-tiered poem featuring letters between a wife and her husband in Iraq with samples of the heartfelt "Claudine". During the interval, the audience mingled with Dr. Angus Wrenn and the guest poets from the Poetry Cafe. Many were asking for feedback on their own writings. Another poignant read was performed by Natalie, whom introduced her poem as in part based on a Channel 4 documentary which featured a block of flats from which people had been evicted. The piece had an urban slant "Don't think you can live somewhere nice... if you do, you'll pay the progress price". Towards the end of the evening, Madeeha Ansari engaged in a captivating reading of Khalil Gibran's "On Self Knowledge". Finally, well past its end-time, last year's president of the Literature Society Simon Wang graced the stage with his ukulele and the tongue-in-cheek "This is your reward for staying so late - a very drunk Chinese guy?" All in all, three hours of merry laughter, introspective readings and instrumental performances late into Wednesday night spoke volumes about the unrelenting and constant relevance of literature and creative self-expression at the LSE. An embarrassing omission Philip Rushworth underlines the need for a wider knowledge of Africa's past The LSE International history department doesn't provide a single course in African history. This is both backwards and harmfid, undermining LSE's 'international' reputation and its responsibility to create the next informed decision makers. Africa' means a lot of things to different people. I once asked a friend in Kampala: "What is Africa?" Her response was, "the middle bit, not the North or the South". I asked a friend at LSE the same question:"desert and drums" and another, "happiness". Africa is at once romantic but more often, as Richard Dowden, the director of the Royal African society writes, 'it has a reputation; poverty, disease and war'. For most people, Africa starts in 1880. A particularly ill conceived remark from the spiteful French President is illuminating on the matter: "Africa has never entered history", he stated in a speech at a Senegalese university in 2007. Unlike Sarkozy, our professors are not ignorant or (as seems to be his touch) implicitly racist; it is simply disregard that explains the missing continent on LSE's map. For some, this absence is inconspicuous; the LSE does after all attract experts from around the world and budding scholars can choose from Latin America, Far East, Arab - Israel.... the list continues. However, for others the lack of courses on offer on Africa is stark. The French have an expression for people who become obsessed with Africa; 'Les Fous d'Afrique'. Les Fous are not welcome at the LSE - most are frightened off to SOAS. There are a number of things that the LSE prides itself on, besides its economics department. I would say the words 'relevant' and 'modem' are perhaps some of them, and no doubt there would be reference to the extraordinary habit of the institution for propelling students into the UN and other global institutions. Therefore, as priorities go and in fulfilling its commitments as a leading institution, its I have just one question for the History Department: Where is Africa? dearth of opportunity in modern African history needs to change. International bureaucrats have often been unthinking when it comes to policy in Africa, and leaders find it difficult to relate; their actions are normally blunt and propelled only by short and swelling waves of public opinion. In 2005 Tony Blair told us "Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world", fine words? No. His statement represents the disjunction between decision makers and Africans, whom rightly found these remarks enraging and harmfid. It is the responsibility for the next decision makers to be more informed. Without history, it is impossible to comment on Africa's politics. You cannot understand the collapsing Sudanese Peace accords without considering the last century of British divide and rule. You cannot comment on proposals for federalism in the Congo, without knowing the weakness of centralised politics, and you certainly cannot make moralist judgments about Chinese 'aid' deals on the continent, without studying the history of Western political manipulation and destructive alliances and arms deals. Worst of all, a decision maker cannot begin to conceive what the role of international organisations should be on the continent without learning of the ravages of colonial history (and people's continuing suspicions) or rampant African nationalism (or indeed fragmentation). Africa is complex and is shaped coarsely by its modern history. It is the role of our university to prepare and make Africa accessible and understood. At best, this gap will lead to disregard and arrogance. At worst, it will afflict another set of international policy makers, clued up on Arab-Israel but speechless about the Central African Republic. To conclude, I have just one question for the International History Department: Where is Africa? 20 The Beaver j 10 November 2009 Social True, the plausibility of interrupting classes if the sick count becomes too high may frustrate many, and generate an atmosphere of dramatic urgency. Problems may occur if quarantined individuals are in a situation where there isn't anyone available to feed or medicate them. Or, if lectures are maintained, the fright of students having to miss two week's worth of material may heighten the phobia. Sweaty and crowed clubs would empty, and hand sanitizer become the new hit item of the SU shop. What should we fear? Certainly a reaction of fear itself, which could result in more human damage on a societal level that this disease has the biological capacity to give. After all, the vaccine is coming, governments have stocked up on Tamiflu (despite now spreading rumors that in 96% of cases it no longer has effect). Make sure that you get diagnosed quickly and keep yourself safe. However and above all, rest assured- the world has not yet reached apocalypse. Social needs you! Articles: social (a) thebeaveronline.co.uk Society Advertising: societies(a)thebeaveronline.co.uk The crash course: Freedom 101 Pallavi Kavdikar is moving away from family and tradition whilst enjoying student life After having lived in an intercollegiate hall during my first year at the LSE, I wanted to make sure I would be staying in the centre of London for my following years. At halls, even though there were issues such as the quality of food, the timings of meals, and the sharing of the bathrooms with a very large number of people (which can be irritating at moments), I still had the time of my life. Not only were the halls just a 20 minute walk from campus, but I had unlimited access to the cafes, restaurants, shops, clubs and sites of London, and met many friends from other universities as well as the LSE. This year, fortunately, I did manage to find a house to share with three other friends. It was located across the river, a twenty five minute walk from the LSE. When I told my cousins and relatives who live in a relatively small town in India, Pune, that I was going to be living away from home, even though my parents lived just outside of London, I was met with surprise, rather than congratulatory remarks. More often than not, people would ask me: "Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to live at home?" They also asked my older brother, who studies up at York, the same question. Yet, they never met his responses with the same bewilderment as they did for me. Fair enough, since York is a five hour journey by car. They do understand the practicalities of living in the town itself rather than in London's periphery. Fair enough that being away from my parents, I am subject to dangers and risks as regards to my safety as a girl, but somehow I felt that the difference in people's reactions to me and my brother living away from home had more to do than just the location of our universities. Being a young Indian girl, perhaps I was not expected to pursue this type of independence at such a young age from my family, especially when they were in relative proximity to me. Sure, in most modem Asian societies, the girls are expected to study hard, and aim for high grades. However, I can say, particularly as regards to experiences with my family in Pune, that there is still an old mentality towards girls which maintains that until marriage, women should remain tied to However, I can say, particularly with regard to experiences with my family in Pune, that there is still an old mentality towards girls which maitains that until marriage, women should remain tied to the family the family and are not expected to have any level of premature independence. Many cousins from within my generation, boys and girls who have attended university and travelled the world, have never lived away from their parents, as they were supposed to contribute to the family and not extend their realm. It was only when my cousins got married that they went to live abroad and thus move away from their parents, now expected to pursue their own lives and starting new families. Nevertheless, my relatives (especially my cousins in university and school) still inquire curiously with regard to my life away from my parents. I tell them that there are great financial burdens (from budgeting and maintaining expenses, but having to pay back my loans). I tell them that I mostly have to cook all my own food, do my own laundry and help clean the house (in Pune, all of them have maids). I also tell them that I don't have a TV to unwind to after a long day. And I further tell them about the responsibilities and problems associated with sharing a place with people: establishing a cleaning rota, managing the rent, and dealing with utilities. However, I also tell them how I can afford to get up 30 minutes before-a lecture, and still make it on time, and I can stay out as late as I need or want to, and not be restricted by train and tube schedules. Moreover, by being separated from my parents, I tell them of the skills and the new things I am learning everyday outside the classroom; skills which I know will serve me for life. A few weeks ago I managed to prepare a full Indian meal, salad and dessert for six of my friends in the kitchen in my house all by myself which I could have never thought possible, and do you know what? I actually had a great time (the food turned out pretty good well as well)! I tell all of my doubting relatives, that perhaps that is just the feeling that we, as students, try to establish when we come to university, irrespective of our backgrounds; the sense of independence and the ability to pursue our own dreams, aspirations and lives without any restrictions. In the end, what matters is the knowledge that we can still manage ourselves without having that immediate safety net underneath us. After all, it's what we all have to do eventually. Perhaps it is not the actual effects of the disease which matter so much in the societal dimension, but rather our perception of it Deadline - November 11th 2009 \V I Themes: \rl Roadtrip *09; Best Kept Secrets; Where the Wild Things Are; One-Day Getaways Get Writing!!! the disease. This brings back the taste of Albert Camus' famous novel The Plague, in which Oran, an Algerian city, is quarantined for almost a year. However, unlike previous dramatic pandemics, the swine flu's death rate is considerably low. Aside from the very much publicized fatality cases, most on average will only have to suffer through a week or two of discomfort and isolation. This is far removed from Camus' vision of bodies piling up in public grounds. But perhaps it is not the actual effects of the disease which matter so much in the societal dimension, but rather our perception of it. The media hype definitely adds an edge of danger and forbearing for the (wo)man on the street, and the a la mode Facebook announcements of having caught the illness are met by much awe ITCHY FEET " U WERE GOING PLACES LSE SU Hcky Feet (Ttare) & Backpacking Society) Travel Journal FOOTPRINT Write and get published! Email your submissions to: itchyfeetLSESU@gmail.com frightening image to digest- and signifies more deaths, as a result of a greater proportion of cases within the whole population. Behaviors across cultures also differ, however, in their reactions to the disease. In some removed towns of India, for instance, the inhabitants cover their faces when passing by European foreigners, ever since schools have started closing due to its spread. Cinemas and other such public places have been shut down for days, university students evacuated. The habit has become in many East Asian countries to wear masks, even more so than usual (they are often used anyway as means of protection against the pollution). In thinking of all of this, one should also consider that the level of fright is affected by the quality of Health services Swine flu mantras Marion Koob thinks the media has also caught the virus For almost a year now, the phrase "swine flu" has become one of the media's favorite mantras. Its symptoms, spread, and effects have been charted with minute detail and uncontrollable emotion. Yet, beyond the panic, can the illness crucially impact the dynamic of our society- and if so, in which way? Some predict apocalyptic percentages, envisioning perhaps cities paralysed by and desolation. Could anyone imagine such a reaction to someone having caught the (also dangerous) common flu? Hence, it here seems that both the element of novelty and journalistic exposure have a greater effect on our behavior than the one of scientific facts. It must be said, however, that the swine flu has been spreading at a much faster rate than the common flu. This dramatic sweep across the map is also a within a country, as well monetary means. Some would find it interesting to exercise their minds to imagine the LSE being a site of high contagion. It is, after all, a potential scenario; with a mix of nationalities like no other, so is the germ exchange. Hence the risks are certainly much greater. And, after all, our age group is the one most likely to catch the disease. Could this give in to a situation of tension between those who are afflicted, and those whom aren't? [Original Pengi Post-Crush Penguin love Photo 21 10 November 2009 | The Beaver AU (Sexual) Fantasy League Banter (1 point), lash (3 points) and minge (10 points) just got serious! With the recent craze for sports-based fantasy leagues, we thought we would jump on the bandwagon with a little game of our own. Devised and refined over a series of EU lectures, we are proud to bring you the AU (sexual) fantasy league! Will the established performers live up to the hype? Could we see some young-guns establish themselves on the big stage? Over the course of the year we will be counting up the notches on the bedposts, rueing the missed scoring opportunities and trying to fill in the patchy memories of the night before, all in the name of sport. So it's time for the footballers dive into the box, the netballers to pop it into the ring and the rugby lads to get their big tackles out! Concept Managers pick a squad of 7 players. Players earn points based on their Wednesday night performance (according to the scoring system outlined below). Teams may be changed at Christmas. The team with the most points at Easter wins. There will be a "Player of the Week" every week. Point scoring behaviour must be backed up by photos/ 3 witnesses/generally accepted rumour. Submit teams to sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk Rules Managers pick a squad of 7 'players'. A squad budget of £100 million is available. Once the squad is chosen, it cannot be changed until the 'January Transfer window'. Each week, the manager picks their starting 5 players. Only the 5 chosen to start score points for that week, so this is your opportunity to switch out players who you know will not be participating in Wednesday night frivolities. Subs must be made before 5pm Tuesday. Squads must be split 3 male, 4 female or 4 male, 3 female. You may not pick more than 3 players from any one club. No points are awarded for action with a recognised partner. 3 pulls with the same person count as a relationship, so all relevant points will be declared null and void. You may not collect point for being both visibly drunk and for being drunk and disorderly (only the higher value counts). Tips Don't blow your whole budget on a few big name signings -balance is key! Look for players you feel are undervalued relative to their Wednesday night performance - there are bargains to be had. • Freshers are less likely to want to settle down over the course of the year, so are more likely to be a better investment. Key Players Netball Lauren Deevy (£25m) Rugby TomLennon (£22.5m) Women's Rugby Katerina Soukeras (£2om) FC Nadir Gohar (£25111) Women's FC Bonnie Barker (£25111) i>e fv KM A/v" to Points system : (Tuns) on a Wednesday night : (Zoo) on a Wednesday night (visibly) [disorderly) Out I Out ( Drunk (vis Drunk (and < Collecting lost items from zoo on Thursday Nudity (cock or breasts) Fight Thrown out Pull Shag Arrested Throwing up Taking someone home but not converting Cheating on partner Threesome lpt lpt 2 pts 3pts 3 pts 4 pts 4 pts 4 pts 5 pts 10 pts 20 pts -2 pts -10 pts Double points Triple points Player Valuations First Class Lauren Deevy (Netball) £2501 Kate Henry (Netball) £2 5m Bonnie Barker (WFC) £25m Nadir Gohar (FC) £2510 Charlie Ainsworth (Netball) £22.5m Ashleigh Snow (Netball) £22.5m Hannah Dyson (Netball) £22.5111 Alice Pelton (WFC) £22.5m Kenyon Cory (WFC) £22.5m Tom Lennon (RFC) £22.501 Dewi Evans (RFC) £22.501 Cheryl Conner (WFC) £2om Lauren Bowers (Netball) £20m Jazmine Bradfield (Netball) £20m Brendon Mycock (RFC) £20m Tom Davies (RFC) £20m Boca (RFC) £20m Gabs Butu (FC) £20m Katerina Soukeras (WRFC) £20m G-Crow (FC) £20m Upper Second Laura Ellis (WFC) £17.501 Inga Driksen (WFC) £17.501 Shamara Wettimuny (WFC) £17.501 Rachael Bruce (Netball) £17.501 Rosie Boyle (Netball) £17.501 Katie Campbell (Netball) £17.501 Nadioe Marshmao (WRFC) £17.501 Aooa Swirski (Netball) £17.501 Fion O'Driscoll (RFC) £17.5111 Josh Olajshrbasgaei (RFC) £17.501 Georgie Gately (Netball) £17.501 Lydia Casey (Netball) £17.501 Will Wilsoo (RFC) £17.501 Joooy Porostar (RFC) £17.501 Scott Jarrett (FC) £17.501 Aodrew Rogers (FC) £17.501 Joe Watsoo (FC) £17.501 STK (Comics) £17.501 Sebby Webby (FC) £17.501 Alex Pickard (FC) £17.501 Harry P(FC) £17.510 Sophie Smidgely-Couflt (Netball)£i5m Charles Hacker (Netball) £1501 Effy Osoba (Netball) £1501 Jenny Maguire (Netball) £1501 Charlie Glyn (Netball) £1510 Dani Richardson (Netball) £i5m Charlotte Ryan (Netball) £1501 Carolioe Bourdeau (WFC) £1501 Beo Robioson (RFC) £1510 Alex Smedley(RFC) £15111 Niall Quion (FC) £1501 Dave McCauley (FC) £1501 Janet Kim (WFC) £15111 Andrew Simpson (FC) £1510 Eddie Monaghan (FC) £1501 Ciarao Deeny (FC) £1501 George Luther (FC) £1501 Tom Jaques (FC) £15111 Tom Gay (FC) £i5m Tim Cooper (RFC) £1501 Jack Fellows (FC) £1501 Josh Stacey (FC) £1501 Marcus Mepstead (FC) £1501 Rob O'Donovan (RFC) £1501 Ollie Townseod (RFC) £1501 Russian Greg (RFC) £1501 Charlie Green (Netball) £12.5m Rosa West (Netball) £12.5m Nathalie Davis (Netball) £i2.5m Hannah Davies (Netball) £12.510 Rhi Edwards (Netball) £12.501 Eleanor Foster Gregg (Netball)£i2.5m Keelin Garaghan (Netball) £12.501 Janine Phillips (Netball) £12.501 Holly Topham (Netball) £12.501 Danielle Lawrence (Netball) £12.5m Holly O'Neill (Netball) £12.5m Charlotte Hubble (Netball) £12.501 Harriet Hainsworth (Netball) £12.501 Rose De Meodooca (WFC) £12.5m Lizzie Bacoo (WRFC) £12.501 Rees Suttoo (RFC) £12.501 James Cooniffi (FC) £12.5m Vanessa Duckworth (WRFC) £12.501 Kate Strivens(WRFC) £12.501 Tim Oliver (RFC) £12.501 Jae Park (RFC) £12.501 Adam Moore (FC) £12.501 Ginger Chris (FC) £12.5m Alex Casimo (FC) £12.501 Tom Ingham (FC) £12.501 John Nolan (FC) £12.5m Oli Povey (FC) £12.5m John Rantanananan (FC) £12.5m Jake Mulcahy (FC) £12.501 Latif(FC) £12.501 Desmond Tutu Katie Peak (Netball) £iom Tanya Anandan (Tennis) £iom Precious Hamiltoo-Brown (WFC)£iom Kirsty Rice (WRFC) £1001 You Liu (WRFC) £iom Stuart Whiteford (RFC) £iom Fola (RFC) £lom Sayo (RFC) £1001 Bryan Ong (RFC) £iom Jamie Broom (FC) £iom Anna Cabrera (WRFC) £7.501 Tamara (WRFC) £7.5m Felicity Homewood (Netball) £7.5111 Bethan Thomas (WRFC) £7.5)71 Oily Cook (RFC) £7.5111 Beo Leith (RFC) £7.501 Matt Walker (RFC) £7.5111 Ariao (RFC) £7.501 Matt De Jesus (RFC) £7.501 Nikita (RFC) £7.5m Lawreoce Fisher (FC) £7.501 Joho Cottoo (FC) £7.5111 Satchio (FC) £7.501 Felix Lahaye (RFC) £501 Rob Low (SU) £501 Einsteio (RFC) £501 Yousseff (RFC) £501 Hamdi Talib (RFC) £501 Vicky Gardner (WRFC) £501 John Bown (FC) £501 Alex Heydt (WRFC) £501 Alex Fisher (WRFC ) £501 Rich Anderson (RFC) £501 Jenny Au (WRFC) £501 Frankie Sidoli(WRFC) £501 JonnySaville (FC) £501 Chris Lui (FC) £501 Richard the Third V Trent Wilkins (FC) £2.5m Du Zhu (RFC) £2.501 Jem Stein (RFC) £2.501 James Heath (FC) £2.501 Rabbi (RFC) £2.5m Henry Adefobe (FC) £2.5m Retake the Year Alvin Chat (RFC) -£2.5111 Rob Fenton (FC) -£2-5m 22 Contact Beaver Sports sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk The Beaver 110 November 2009 0207 955 6705 Sport Wed «th Nov 8.30pm The Tuits £x Seorecards available from 8pm on the night Sport 23 10 November 2009 | The Beaver Three cheers for 'SLE' With their first win under their belts, Women's Hockey do a Marion Jones and drug themselves for another victory GOT ABS OF STEEL? GUNS IF GLORY? EMAIL SP6RTS(STIEIEAVER6NUK.C9.n( Kathryn Eastwood Lovable Irish Lass People often say that a bad dress rehearsal makes way for a good show, perhaps the same can be said for bus journeys and hockey matches. Things weren't exactly looking promising for the LSEWHC last Wednesday as we set off on our mission of a journey to Portsmouth. With Serene our superstar goalie suffering quietly from a flu, several members of the team quickly dropping into a sleep coma and myself crippled with pain, the imminent match was set to be disastrous. However, it quickly emerged that captain "Grandma Heaps" is actually a drug trafficker on the sly and things started to look more hopeful. Five unlabelled, unidentifiable and frankly questionable "painkillers" later, I was well on the way to a miraculous recovery and gave me the kind of unfair advantage which would definitely have failed and drug test. Two and a half hours on the bus quickly passed and we actually used the time quite productively to plan our outfit for The Carol this year. We are all very aware that we have some serious making up to do from last year, we will NOT disappoint. Serene and the sleepy girls soon perked up with the fresh Pom-pey air, the smell of the sea and the sight of the aesthetically pleasing Portsmouth campus. What a claim. After a long warm up, which of course included several laps of the rugby pitches to check out the view(little to report on that front ladies) we were all ready to go. The match got off to a better start than most with Heaps actually managing to win a coin toss for once, and LSE holding the possession from the outset. LSE was off to a flying start, our Coach Carter style Sunday night "suicides" at Battersea Park are clearly starting to pay off, and we were first on the ball every time. Our winning combination of attackers didn't fail to disappoint and it wasn't long before Heaps used a short corner to our full advantage and smacked it past their goalie almost as quickly as Pickles can pick up a foreigner on a Wednesday night. Our goals didn't stop there, Zaza and Haugh worked in perfect harmony on the attack with Solid support from Caroline, Sophie and Pickles constantly feeding the ball into Pompey's D. Our unstoppable attackers soon set up another two goals from open play and Zaza proved too much for their goalie to handle, giving LSE 3 on the score sheet. LSE defence was solid as ever, with the almost all-Celt backline quickly beginning to resemble one of the battle scenes from Braveheart. Player of the match Bridget "I dress for the beach at every possible occasion" Parker must be given a special mention, she provided an essential link between midfield and defence and ensured every ball within her reach was cleared instandy. Furthermore, her on-pitch chat is by far the best, when she shouts "way to play LSE, way to play!" in her soothing American accent we are all guaranteed morale boost. One final short corner and a last goal from our German superstar Zaza sealed the deal, 4-1 to LSE and another victory was in the bag. Now, I'm not normally an advocate of the superiority banter, but we did leave the pitch feeling pretty pleased at having beaten our second Poly in a row. If we needed a reminder that we're just that little bit better we got it in the form of the Pompey boys on the sideline, "three cheers for S.L.E". Thanks for that guys. We got back on the bus pretty convinced that the G Crow was still the best talent Portsmouth had to offer and headed back to civilization. The bus journey was filled with pretty standard hockey antics. Heaps and Pickles got nicely tipsy on their very own winning combination of Pimms and Fosters- an oxymoron if I ever saw one. So, in order to offset the slight degree of classiness brought by the Pimms we thought a bit of mandatory flashing was in order. Hats (and bras) off to Olga and Pickles for that, those coach trippers on the A3 definitely appreciated it. We finally arrived back at LSE and it was time to plan the night ahead. My intention to write an essay from scratch in a couple of hours failed miserably, and to my utter dismay Zoo bar was not an option this week. However, Claudia and Heaps used a short corner to our full advantage and smacked it past their goalie almost as quickly as Pickles can pick up a foreigner on a Wednesday night Christina led some of the hardier members of the team in that general direction and I've been informed that a great night was had by all- although slightly less scandalous and incestuous than previous visits. So, it's fair to say that the LSEWHC are on a wee bit of a winning streak. We are determined to continue this success on Wednesday, firstly at Battersea Park and then at Pub Golf. It promises to be absolutely lethal... so don some tartan and a visor and we'll see you there. » Picture: Caroline takes the art of funnelling to a whole new dimension m 5 shots of Malibu and a double vodka Crowberiy The 'most ladsy team in the world' take on Royal Polloway in what can only be described as a Walkabout George De-Ste-Croix Joseph Watson Nadir Gohar After beginning the season with as much success as Rob Fenton's club captaincy, it was with trepidation that the filthies made their way to 'Fortress Benylands' to face the terrible institution that is Royal Polloway. Plans of victory were scuppered early on when the star of trials Lloyd 'redboots' Martin lost his bag on the train because his bitch Norayr 'blueboots' something or other wasn't on hand, to hold his hand. However, after delivering a team talk that would make Marlon ladies man' King quiver in his boots, Captain Crowler was feeling remarkably optimistic. The good feeling was quickly shattered when some slack defending from 4th team playboy 'BJ Watson' and everyone's favourite Scouser Jack Fellows allowed some Poly scummer to bullet a header past a statuesque Saville. The 'charisma vortex's' only excuse was that he had a nights sleep bad enough to make Mel Mok proud, whilst his girlfriend was snuggled up comfortably with Effy 'former AU Secretary candidate' Osoba. The 4th team, never ones to lie down, unlike a young Charlie Glyn and Niall Quinn, 000, refused to give in. Eventually, through a combination of persistence and a dodgy back pass, Malibu Stacey managed to nip in and snaffle his first FC goal. His quest to score before this was akin to Rosie Boyle's constant attempts to get Sebastian "who's that fat Japanese kid" Yoshida's affectations; relentless and futile. Unfortunately, a key prerequisite to being a Poly is the inability to learn, as such, they grabbed another goal after some more George Marlon Luther King-esque defending. Twenty minutes gone and the 4ths were 2-1 down. The frustration that had set in was epitomised by BJ's penalty dive, Catching waves, not STDs, in Newquay LSE's Surf Club manage to avoid the Chavs and Stag Do's on their first trip of the year Matthew Napier Munish Jain EabianBarthei A2 # m & JL J^s' place the British media love to hate. Originally a small fishing village, now better known for stag parties, TDs, intoxicated teenagers of 'Broken Britain'. Reading such stories, you may forget Newquay is also Britain's surf capital blessed with great beaches. And this is exactly what the LSE Surf Club found on our first trip of 2009-10. After a relatively painless journey from Paddington Station, (rare in this country) we arrived to find a drizzly but relatively quiet town. We took possibly the cheapest taxi ride ever to our accommodation. To our amazement a 'view of Fistral Beach' actually meant full window observation of the surf, rather than standing on a stool and almost falling out of a Velux window to catch a glimpse of sea. Friday night was never going to be big, with most of us more intent on surfing, than shocking Telegraph readers with our drunken antics. Newquay has a pre-men-tioned reputation as a happening place. This was confirmed as the top story of the Newquay Guardian read 'Eight Legged Starfish found'. Despite being awoken by nothing else than a member of a stag party, who looked and acted like he had just escaped from the nearby Newquay Zoo, we were able to arise early to the sight of breaking surf. What followed was a truly epic day of a great weekend. Blessed with a good swell and favourable winds, Newquay Bay's breaks offered a selection of great waves. Munish, living up to his position as Negotiator in Chief, and Anselm learned the art of surfing in style. After flirting with the idea of big sets at Fistral, Fabian and Stef-fen joined the rest of us at the bay. Saturday was a surfing marathon with some us out in the ocean right through until dark. In the afternoon some 6ft sets rolled into Great Western taking most of the line up with them. Tiredness eventually overcame the draw of the ocean and we headed back in the dark. On the way back Matt even managed to trick-or-treat an old lady. He was clearly well dressed for the occasion, in a wetsuit and holding a surfboard. Halloween was not enough to make us join the stags at Sailor's, with Fabian hitting the pillow at eight. To be honest the scariest thing we saw that night was 'Pricko's Last Chance', an aptly named stag party wearing matching blue T-shits in Wetherspoon's. If the guy took his 'last chance', Joe reckoned he'd probably have to pay for it. Another night with only a few pints, meant more Sunday morning surf. Despite the strong winds rendering Fistral unsurfable, Towan beach provided some shelter for some mid sized waves, adding more water time to an already stoked weekend. The session prepared us well for a long coach journey of banter, service stations and great burgers. All in all, a great break from LSE and a pleasant surprise for those who hadn't sampled the delights of English surf before. Finally a member of the surf club is climbing Kilimanjaro for Macmillan Cancer Support so please help support him by visiting the following website: http:// original, j ustgiving. com/ munishj ain where you can get more info about the challenge and how to donate! > > To join the LSE Surf Club sign up in the SU, above the Quad > > For info, contact m.j.napier(a)lse.ac.uk Our brand new AU (Sexual) Fantasy League! pg22 acting of a quality only Andrew Simpson can match. However, once again, the filthies refused to bend, and equalised within minutes. The Poly's errors were then compounded quicker than Alex Bond can hire female bar staff, as Malibu completed his hat trick, followed by the 4ths notching up two more. The 4th a cheeky G.Crow penalty was as b-e-a-utiful as Natalie Davis herself, and the 5th was scored following a passing movement as intricate as John Rajaretnamnanam-namnam's haircut. As half time dawned, it was 5-2 to the most ladsy team in the world. As the second half wore on the poly's determination receded faster than 'Uncle Tom's' hairline, in turn, the 4th team dominated play. The 6th and 7th goals were as easy as feeding Bacon to Peaaaaarcey the Lion. Unlike his first, Georgeous Crow's second was as un-delightfid as waking up straddled by Lauren Bowers and Kate 'beefburrrrrger' Strivens. As the game was drawing to a close, Berni Schulz came on and looked decidedly lacklustre after his 65 minutes Rugeroni-ing the line. Bowny, despite being recently rejected by Lauren 'everyone fancies Sebby Webby' Deevy, gave an inspiring performance after arriving fashionably late for the match. The game ended 7-3, with Sky Sports 'Man of the Match' going to Bendtner Junior Watson. The journey home was punctuated by the rarely enthusiastic Kilian heaping praise on Godsy Crow's new haircut and long range passing ability. All that was left was to go to the Griffin and see some snatch. A good day was made great when Eddie Goldsteinberg-Pisano arrived at the Griffin, with Calella deposit in hand, although outrage ensued when Nadir was forcibly removed for covert onanism. After being caught red-handed, the 4th team made their way down to Calella night; Butu's Mona Lisa. Drinks were thrown, minge was abused, Ginger Chris remained ginger, a good time was had by all. As the night continued however, it seemed as if the general apathy towards the AU, despite the filthies and Boca's best efforts, was still endemic. Zoo Bash, Rachael Clarke's 'Home Alone 4', saw the same faces as it had when Low and STK began their degrees 15 years ago. The club's persistent refusal to play songs such as 'Wet Dream' and 'Hot Boi' by 'Leading 1' rejects Chris 'butterz eye-candy' Liu and Henry Ladefope meant everyone had to pin their hopes on Ashleigh King asking her cousin Marlon to come by and sort it out. Unfortunately, the DJ was male so Marlon bottled it and started on Lizzie Bacon instead. RIP Marlon, staaaaaandard. On a more serious note, diverging back from the world of fantasy, a message to all AU freshers (especially minge). The AU is a treasured and most precious commodity and you have all been granted, neigh, bestowed the honour of being a custodian. As such, you are duty bound to accept the responsibility and elevate yourselves to the levels of ladsyness and sluttyness that is necessary. If anything, just to keep the dream alive. Viva la flilthies, long live the AU and more importantly 'free the King.' Done! /0.//.09 louisa evans victoria terry - partb-food@thebeaveronline.co.uk sara downes - partb-visualarts@thebeaveronline.co.uk 7 n&uet liam mclaughlin & cathy druce - partb-music@thebeaveronline.co.uk /O 4 sophie marment - partb-theatre@thebeaveronline.co.uk /£ gareth lewis - partb-literature@thebeaveronline.co.uk /j JSti ahmed peerbux - partb-film@thebeaveronline.co.uk nathan briant - partb-radio@thebeaveronline.co.uk partb-tv@thebeaveronline.co.ui' /s €t€UO alex white - partb-rant@thebeaveronline.co.uk FraA / VMarVTv^orJ Hf ft***! Hi Ftohk. ——S' & U)W (Ve Vow Doing- t/ifeimc PartB has, always been too modern for an Enlightenment, so this week we settled on a Georgian theme instead. /Chew meh //ajse/f, presi^Me hpffyd/v scah oft wise, ah9 rti^e/ii h'c side, iJ/Y/i fop Much weakness for /he nf-/p err; ^/i/ce ih /\fru?rahce, la's reasch such, kJlieSher7ie f/u'pdcs Sw /itfJe, erhwmmc/i; Z Calum Young and Graeme BirrelL partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk e^uet e/edt'fjttet//fy amie rogers partb-design@ thebeaveronline.co.uk ^^3 a U)ll0^ DoCS SUpi ifi^CA-h'nu Questions. iff m BY JOAN TAY ITYV^ \vfe revolves Anoofd +h« pool hdfts, the d*v>5^ \oAns town, "the M-He ldd"»€S uoYth mor-e roo«£ drd pouoder- 01 .Dear Aunt Beverly, •I am in Love. But the suy that I know I'm •meant to be with is soins out with my •friend." Bitch. How do I make it clear to •him that when it comes to me, he can have •it all? I met him first. It's only fair. I •know we could be so sood tosether. •Lovestruck and Schemins, 2nd Year •Dear Shite Friend, ®What a pickle you have created for yourself. You are clearly livins in some unknowable universe; the centre of which you ^seem to think revolves around you. This is ffla most terrible way to treat your friend. .Is there any inklins that this chap is .at all unhappy or that he would rather be .with you, hmm? If not as I suspect is the •case, you really need to put aside this •silly infatuation you have and move on •with your life and leave your friend to •her relationship. Really dear, I think you •would benefit from a few hours workins in a •soup kitchen: helpins others is a good way •to stop thinkins about yourself. • •Dear Aunt Beverly, ®I'm wonderins how it's best to 30 about •procurins myself a license to practice ^Chinese medicine. I have always been told 0that I have a pleasant bedside manner and .several sirls rave about my healins hands. .Western medicine is just so borins. Plus .I've just done a seosraphy module on the •landscape of China and I feel like I've •really connected with the natural culture •of the country. •Wannabe Healer, 3rd Year XVn Vs rvvj bedrootY) noto, emphd+'iCdlW} +0 ojYvC ter\ The uohr»+e uoVsps O-P smoVie tori ephemer-dl pdHer-«\S "«n +Hc ddr-Nc, t">ve A «jhosH-j %pec+f-e Come lodcVi +0 hdor>+ me "for- m^ deeds L-">fce X'd Some-hou> **\v\+ed +he chrJl^ m"*dn">ajh+ "*v Thvs heRhole doubted up as an o-P-fsce o-f Sor*+S, Vodr-eWj 6 s+ep op Inom +he slums* <> s+eep, deep plur^e docor* ¦fr>om r-e-spect-alole. cohd+ever\ "The people +hd+ come <»ie>ou+ IooVl*v»j -Por- me, »+'«> ro+ iwe +he^ +0 compl&'«\ oo+. T>etper>d+"tort does +ha+ +0 ever-vjortC. X*ve seer* pas+or-s Come "for- <*>2 Vaodfd o-f ViW^'t'tofv "Vornojht, +her-e's +r-oulole 6-foo"h The AY- "is cr-YSp ^es. +hd+ X usould, uohd+ U5*»+h s+drdv^ r^ht Vt -fr-oivt- o"f the open to'trdouo dfd dH, d of*+ CriCmVes X cdr> Vnd*toe A uohvf-P o-f a^urpousdei- per-me^+Vvaj *v>3 room ^omeuaher-e ou+ +her-e, -the Wtds or> the lolocNt <*r-e +T-ashvr^ some+hrip^j each other- ms^ioe. The«-jV-e alr-'^ht-, +hoo^h X had +hem pe^ed as mos+V^ hai-mless P s+r-a^ .^ocob *#> +he dfte^ V=>elouo( shr-'ill drd hd"m"»d d"V4v=>cV."ir^ «*+• m>^ door*. Prd Xm r-'iojht, as dltod^s, loecdo^e she usalfcs vn, and -hnocAole uoedr-s heels t>spec"w^ -P">«ve loofcW lad\es f\Ve +ha+, to'»+h classy Voided velve+ opt/ons, drd decved 00+ mor-e didmords ¦thdn the display set a+ TYf-far^'s "^.he uo«^£.s v» hes*»+an+Wy sHet+os mdV-W a folvd +«»pp*»"h-j tap or» m^ mouldy uooodeo -floor- loodrds "€^xpr-ess'>on -fricfcer-'inaj -fds+ drd ^Cr->t«-j hfce +he louVj p*»chjr-€s or* m-j dr>+€wv4e +uls»e. from cdo+'ton +0 toor-i-vj +0 "fear- +0 ar^er-drd +her-e, o-f coor-SC, de^per»+"»orw Thewj -tell me +0 looVc. -for- ^OO. 4-fer- accer>+s posh, drd md^W>e a Vi+*He •Dear Fan-of-ridiculous-disciplines, •Well now this is certainly a first. Do you •know I'm not quite sure? Misht I sus- *Sest you pop into one of the many herbal •remedy shops littered around the city and ®ask one of the practitioners? However, I ®think the market for Chinese herbalists #and medics has been pretty well covered by .the Chinese themselves .Why don't you think .about becomins a ^ .barnyard mastur- •bator? That way •you can combine •the tricks of •your healins •hands with your •penchant to think^ ¦ •outside the box? ^ j *><><><><><>oc><>O<><>CK>O<><><><>OO<^^ "GEORGIAN ENGLAND. THE ORIGINAL, ERA OF SE^TDRUGS AND ROCK N' ROEE-. MARK PAELIS, HISTORICAL AND EEGAE CONSULTANT FOR THE BBC'S NEW anr/ Georgian England. The original era of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll; well, prostitution, (syphilis), alcohol and theatre houses. And the outrageousness did not end there, by 1830 politics was positively infested with it. Despite the somewhat negligent approach of his elder brother, William IV's reign (not a George himself but still technically a Georgian) saw a glut of reform acts and improvement, of which the Reform Act of 1832, the Abolition of Slavery Act of 1833 were the most important. But William IV was considerably more respectable than the rest of his family. The most infamous of the House of Hanoverians were 'mad' Kind George III (r.1760-1820) and his pomp-and-circumstance-addicted son and Regent, George IV (r.1820-1830). During this time, English social history is overrun with tales of such outrageous and outlandish behaviour it took the rigidity and conservatism of the long Victorian era to overcome the shock. It was against this nefarious backdrop that the justice system was about to get a swift kick up the backside. So it was about time someone made a drama out of the drama. Enter Mark Pallis, historical and legal consultant for the BBC's new four-part drama, Garrow's Law. I met Mark after the lecture on Gar-row he had just given for the Law Department and, in the company of some of London's legal elite, was taken to Cooper's Wine Bar, the professional's equivalent of a quick pint in the Tuns. I found out that along with being a fully fledged barrister, he has published a cookbook, Lipsmacking Backpacking: How to Cook on Your Travels, worked as an Investigator in the UN and currently has plenty of TV and film projects tucked up his sleeve. How then, does a barrister end up with a job that most history students, myself included, would happily donate a kidney for? 'Well, I wasn't totally convinced about being a barrister and I'd always been interested in TV and Film, setting up my own production company while at university, making documentaries and stuff.' As you do. With remarkable casualness, he goes onto tell me that, while he was working in the development team at TwentyTwenty - the TV production company behind the genius of Brat Camp- he was asked to come up with ideas for a historical drama. 'The plan was to draw on real cases, and real historical events. The time period was broadly 1600-1900.' So why William Garrow? 'Well, obviously there were so many characters I could've chosen but he really stood out. He was a dude. He lived in a time of change, of bloody cases and the Trials of Sedition. Garrow was the kind of guy who ploughed his own furrow. He was like, 'I'm gonna do it my way, and thou canst stick it.' He had a real sense of right and wrong. Essentially, he was concerned with fairness and getting to the truth.' In fact, Garrow was the originator of the modern-day presumption of innocence and a pioneer in defence law at a time when prisoners had little or no representation. His cross-examinations were revolutionary and the English legal system saw a real change in the nature of the trial process. '"Garrow was in no hurry to get rid of the old '{Hung, Drawn and Quartered' punishment; his ittitude was something ilong the lines of 'if it lin't broke don't fix it', le saw it as an effective punishment and was -esigned to its presence 'in the justice system." Courtroom dramas owe Garrow a lot: passionate speeches and rhetoric and the mere smattering of arrogance that is often associated with barristers. It's surprising then, that few legal dramas stand out. Ally McBeal was a healthy dose of surrealism for chicks and Jack Nicholson's outburst in A Few Good Men - 'you can't handle the truth!' - are really all that spring to mind. I put this to Mark: 'Hmm, it's true, there are many more medical dramas. I think Rumpole though was fantastic, trailblazing: there was lots of court involvement. And Rainmaker, that was a fabulous film. And Eli Stone I guess. But there is definitely more that can be done and to make them more exciting. There's definitely room for a creative legal drama...' he trails off somewhat significantly. Garrow was also one for bending the rules. He famously said, 'what I cannot do directly, I do indirectly.' We see this extraordinary approach in the first episode of Gar-row's Law when he encourages the accused, a Miss Elizabeth Jarvis (a case, Mark tells me, inspired by several real cases and about a real woman) to speak up for herself; to humanise herself to a jury that, at the time, was heavily influenced by an incredibly dogmatic judge and who, as the defence barrister Garrow was not allowed to address himself. The show provides a colourful insight into the corrupt operations of the English legal system at the time. Bounty hunters or 'thief takers' were rife and earned 'blood money' by stitching up innocent men who, if hung, were worth £40 - contemporary pounds, so a considerable sum - a head, no pun intended. And they invariably were. We're all guilty of a bit of Schadenfreude (taking plea- 4 INTERVIEW o<><><>c><><>c><><>ooo<>o<><><><><>o^ 5 INTERVIEW ITS ABOUT TIME SOMEONE MADE A DRAMA OUT OF THE DRAMA. ENTER PEEASE FOUR-PART EEGAE DRAMA, "GARROW'S EAW INTERVIEW BY EOUISA EVANS sure from someone else's misery), but to actually make money at the cost of someone's life is a mite extreme. What brutes. Along with such outright injustice, the Georgians also had the gruesome punishment market covered. And, despite his revolutionary advancements in the court room, later in his life, Garrow was in no hurry to get rid of the old 'Hung, Drawn and Quartered' punishment; his attitude was something along the lines of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. He saw it as an effective punishment and was resigned to its presence in the justice system. I asked Mark just how painful it was to be hung, drawn and quartered and he gave me a bit of an odd look. 'Well you were hung until you were almost dead, your insides were taken out and then you were cut into 4 pieces.' Quite painful then. 'They had amazingly bad punishments; one that I can't forget is pein fort et dure. Squashing. If you didn't enter a plea you were laid down, had a plank strapped to your back and significant weight added until you gave.your plea or died from squashing. Nowadays, if you don't enter a plea you're presumed not guilty. Back then you had to tell it straight or they just assumed you deserved to be squashed.' Mark's enthusiasm over this gruesomeness was apparent and he was marginally upset that there was no way to include this in the script. As an historian myself, it often frustrates me when films are not accurate. Alexander for example is a pet hate. They got the costumes and set totally wrong but because they'd spent so much money already, the poor historical advisor who can only have been tearing their hair out, was told thanks but no thanks and sent packing. And TV is so often accused of 'dumbing' history down to make it more accessible to the masses (read: appealing to those who think history is boring). 'The show was originally commissioned by the same people who brought us Casualty 1906 so its foundations are very firmly historical. It's actually quite difficult to accurately bring a character to life, certainly one that is fit for his own TV show. Relatively little is known of Garrow's personality so I guess that was both a blessing and a problem. It allowed the writers to be quite inventive and creative and I learned loads from them. All the cases in the show are inspired by real cases. There was never a question of us dumbing it down. Sometimes history can just make a good story and give an insight into a time we know very little about.' Garrow's Law will bring a legal personality to the public's attention as someone who was on the side of the underdog, a guaranteed winner, particularly here in Britain. So it only stands to reason that a more extensive biography is being published later this year in conjunction with a family member. 'I'm excited to read it. Who knows, they might have a previously undiscovered chest of his, full of information-about his life', offers Mark Garrow's Law will bring a legal personality to the public's attention as someone who was on the side of the underdog, a guaranteed winner, particularly here in Britain. So it only stands to reason that a more extensive bi- ography is being published later this year in conjunction with a family member. Tm excited to read it. Who knows, they might have a previously undiscovered chest of his, full of information about his life', offers Mark. Interesting: a chest left by history so that someone in the future can find it and write about you. Would you leave a wealth of information so that your future biographer can better fit together the pieces of your life, or do you give in to.temptation and throw in outrageous red herrings? 'That's a tough one. I think I'd leave my 'ideas notebooks'. I have lots of these and write in them on a daily basis; all sorts of things pop in my head and some of the stuff in them would really throw a biographer I think. Oh and I'd have to put in a copy of Roald Dahl's Dirty Beasts some of the finest poetry ever written.' So if you could hop in a time machine and go back to any period of history, where would you end up? 'Can I go to two? First-' ly the 1500s, I quite fancy being a Renaissance man; you could do and be just about anything: a sculptor, a painter, a writer, a politician. You could do all those things, at the same time. No one questioned it and it wasn't thought of as weird. Everyone was at it.' And the other period? '1970s America: I'd own a massively long, really shitty and scratched convertible Cadillac Eldorado. And an impressive collection of flares.' 'than this. She was an illegitimate child of a lawyer turned housewife in Eighteenth century England, who went on to write a cookery book that was a best seller for one hundred and twenty-five years, at a time when women were viewed mainly as maids or mothers. Her success inspired controversy and for a while it was claimed that a man had written the interesting and eloquent cookery book. James Boswell's diary shows the view of men on the subject when he quoted Samuel Johnson as saying, 'Women can spin very well; but they cannot make a good cookbook.' An entrepreneur, when the word was only just coming into existence, Hannah Glasse made, then squandered, more money than many men had made in that time. The book was written for housewives to give to their servants so they did not have to waste their precious time instructing them. However, if you replace 'servant' with 'student', I'm sure many would still seek a modernised version of her book today. After all, it is aimed at 'the ignorant and unlearned' who will then 'know how to do cookery well.' Some recipes can be used when you are feeling particularly frugal due to your bank account somehow hitting red... all you have to do is go down to Trafalgar Square and pick up something grey and when back home turn to page 20 to learn how to broil a pigeon. On second thoughts, pigeon hunting may scare the tourists and lead to some odd questions by the police so best steer clear of that. Yet Hannah Glasse did include some instructions that are still valuable to the clueless cooks of today. I doubt any student mmm O O K E R Y, Made PLAIN and EASY* Wscb fe excmh a&f ever yc{ PdbU&cA CONTAINING, Yi:M, wXSBifut**M7W «M MS .ha»¦ . VVW CMAIn ¦ r* bitty &<«v dw t«tt; js** >*'« xr»j. : w. XV, in &i: XVI. fjf Ki< XX, <%C#Zk«. in. tfteQ r&> j (&-. vi Fwrt. ' % Dr ^ BY /i. UBV. m l 0 N O o Nr ¦ J.S.* At>* it on > (cM i: Mr- .-frfVO. ; Cftiut thff, tfeft needs to know how to spot fresh versus rotten meat, the supermarkets kindly check the quality and then inform you when it will go off. But I know I have come across undated eggs lurking at the back of the fridge and now know that if they 'swim at the top' of a pan of cold water they are not suitable for my breakfast. Most of the recipes will be outdated as they were made to follow in a kitchen with no running water, no gas or electricity and only an open fire to cook on. However, it is possible to update such recipes as Kristin Olsen managed with Eighteenth century' recipes in her wonderful cookbook, Cooking with Jane Austen, which contains over 200 recipes based on dishes mentioned in Jane Austen books. Though perhaps many old recipes should be lost in time such as Olsen's revival of a dish involving liver and crow. If you have a particular interest in making food the old fashioned way, there is a historical food course run by food historian Ivan Day, which includes making fresh strawberry ice-cream using the original Eighteenth century methods. Apparently it was around that time that George Washington fell head over heels for the frozen dessert after being served it at a dinner party hosted by Mrs Alexander Hamilton. You can also travel back in time by visiting the childhood home of William Wordsworth in Cockermouth to experience everyday life, including cooking, in a Georgian era family house. jmmnnmmmnmnnnnnnnmnnnnmnnnnnmnnnmmnnnmnninnnmmnmmnnmmnnmmnnmmmnnnnnmnmnnnnnnnnnmnmnnmmmnninmiinmnnnnnmnnnnnmminnmnnnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmnnnnnnnmmiiimniHimiiiimHiimmniinimmniiib RECIPE OF THE WEEK GOOSEBERRY FOOL by Hannah Glasse | from the BBC Food website (www. bbc.co.uk/food) | Prep 30 minutes cook 30-60 minutes | Ingredients: | 2.2 litres/ 4 pints gooseberries 11.1 litre/1/2 pint water I sugar 12.2 litres/ 4 pints of milk 14 egg yolks 1 Nutmeg MW 1 Directions: . 1 11. Set goosberries on fire (hob) in the water; when they begin to simmer, turn yellow and begin to plum, throw therrf I into a cullender to drain the water out, then with the back of a spoon carefully squeeze the pulp, through the sieve | 1 into a dish, make them pretty sweet and let them stand till they are cold 12.Slowly heat the milk and the yolks of eggs (beat up with a little grated nutmeg); when it begins to simmer take it o| I and by degrees stir#i the goosberries; let it stand till it is cold and serve it up. -I .......hi.......inn.....iiiii.....mini...................................................................................................................................................................................minimi.....inn......mini........................i.......................................minim.....linn........ - 4 m 6 FOOD SARA DOWNES EXPLORES DAMIEN HIRST'S SOFTER SIDE This autumn has seen a diverse array of newly opened exhibitions at London's galleries, ranging from the Old Masters and their epic, incredible real life portrayals to contemporary artists simply placing an enormous black box in a gallery . However, perhaps one of the more controversial collections to open recently is Damien Hirst's No Love Lost, Blue Paintings at the Wallace Collection. The collection of 25 paintings themselves are not particularly controversial. We see a series of dark, sombre oil paintings depicting skulls, some traditional still life images and a forest scene... that's it. There are no preserved sharks, no rotting cows, nor human skulls. Just paintings. Good, safe, boring old paintings that artists have been producing for thousands of years. And even more amazingly, they're painted by Hirst himself, rather than a team of helpers. This is what all the fuss is about. If you've been living in a cave for the last 20 years and don't know who Damien Hirst is, then I'll explain. He is officially the world's richest living artist, who, in the mid 1990s began to cut animals in half, preserve them in formaldehyde, and get lots of-money for it, along the way somehow winning the Turner Prize. Later, the artist asked his employees to paint spots on canvas for his 300 or so 'spot paintings', and then he put £15 million worth of diamonds on a real human skull. Through shocking, often distasteful and controversial pieces, Hirst has made his fortune and established himself as one of the most important artists of our generation. Now he has completely changed path and reverted to traditional painting prac- tices, creating his 'blue paintings'. They're all blue, the brush strokes visible, the paint slapped on thick with texture. Most feature skulls and hastily drawn slashes and dots in a geometric form giving them a hint of abstraction. One skull, the first he painted, emerges out of an entirely black, textured canvas with the white of the bone luminescent, appearing out of the darkness. It is pretty good in its spooky simplicity. Others are less creepy, the depiction of a bunch of white roses surrounded by butterflies is one such, although the background remains black and the overall tone sombre and blue. Many are very similar to each other, part of a series with a development in each consecutive one; a Jemon, an iguana, an emerging figure. It is these that feature a human figure with its back turned that have the most effect. The figure is faint and barely distinguishable in one piece, then much more vivid in the next with the red sinews and muscles of a body stripped of skin emerging from the black. The overall feel of the paintings is tortured and depressing and you wonder what deep psychological traumas Hirst was trying to express in the three years he spent locked away in his studio producing the paintings. Except there really is no deep meaning; the artist said himself that these paintings aren't meant to be conceptual and full of hidden messages like his past work, instead they should just be read at face value. Many have called them amateurish. Indeed, the painterly abilities here aren't exactly amazing, but art progressed from simply reproducing real life scenes with astonishing skill a long time ago when the Georgian artist Turner began to paint his incredible pre-expressionistic images of movement and change. Hirst hasn't just painted simple still life images; there are details and abstractions too so he isn't just reverting back to the techniques of three centuries ago. The only reason the painterly shortcomings have been mentioned by many art critics is the exhibitions location in the Wallace Collection alongside numerous Old Masters such as Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian. The contrast between the old and the modern in stark, there is hundred years between them after all. The location is puzzling; the building houses a private collection of paintings as well as beautiful and ostentatious furnishings, some once belonging to Marie Antoinette. The walls are lined with silk, there are chandeliers, antique vases, grand staircases. This is a house decorated in the utmost Rococo extravagance, with not a plain white wall typical of modern galleries anywhere to be seen. Hirst's paintings look odd and out of place, but the contrast is intentional. So the richest artist of our times has once again rocked the art world. This time, however, it is simply shocking because of the fact that he's actually produced some paintings. The paintings themselves aren't bad, but it's only because they are Damien Hirst's that everyone has made such a big fuss. I'm not impressed and I don't think Titian would be either. DAMIEN HIRST: NO LOVE LOST, THE BLUE PAINTINGS' RUNS AT THE WALLACE COLLECTON UNTIL MH:: &u&e Fri/cwih^fite,Jeam efflkeehjAhhej, {^eerce Iwaspffamifeirihfp fu'hgsiip fa fv. ids . sfAMhduij ^rpfesfAPxf-cremHiAfs, iJiiisffiere were wkr 3D cicser aA/MAttf? ft> me fire he, fi/ft?wihth 1313 F^C(leii< 1770- IS 10 [j^ Adolphus, Duke of Cam bridge IS 18 Augusta, I' 1774-1850 of f-tesse-i Caroline, Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1768-1821 1795 George IV 1762-( 1811)-1820- Princess Charlotte of Wales 1316 Leof 1796-p.l817 oftf /"Jbert, Prince of Saxe-CObu 1819-1861 1.......-""".............. Ernest August, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg Hector of Hanover Sophia von Wittelshadj if 58— Princess of Bavaria i 630-1714 Princess Beburg —L- •ioa» 5 '60 George I Elector of Hanover 1660-1714-1727 Others '60 1 Frederic k Wi II iam I Sophia Dorothea _1Z06_. King of Prussia 1687-1757 1683-1740 pfrge 17-1718 Amal ia Caroline Mary 1711-1746 1713-1757 1723-1772 Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Gassel iderick,Prince of Wales 1739 Augusta, Princes© of Saxe-Gotha 1707-1751 I Henry, Duke of Cumberland 1745-1790 1719-1772 -r Frecle rick 1750-1765 Caroline 1766-72 Christian VII, 1751-1775 King of Denmark e III brphyria) -1811)-1820 William, Duke Maria Walpole, of Gloucester — - --—Countess of Waldegrave 1743-1805 Charlotte, Duchess of 17 61 Mecklem burg- Strd i z 1744-1818 - sir Brent $percer ick VE, grave Caseel Princess rCassel IL 1 Augustus, Duke of Sussex 1773-1843 (2 annulled marriages) Mary 17 76-1857 William, Duke -of Gloucester 1776-1834 Charlotte 1797 Frederick I, Kinci 1766-1828 of Wurtem ber<< Ernest I, King _ j • ... . r of Hanover ^5 Frederlca, Dudiess of 17 71-1851 Mecklembu rg -Strelitz 30 bold I, King Tie Belgians Edward, Duke of Kent 1767-1820 f ----------- ... ...... i William IV 1765-1830-1837 1318 7, d i ed young Adelaide, Princess of Saxe-Leiningen 1792-1849 1315 Victoria, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 1786-1861 jrg-Gotha ;_1835 Queen Victoria 1819-1837-1901 'hxse/f me /Cihzef EihdAhJ. tyertze IVvie# wim a , wJ&e siy ihfhesy Ah excess cePxMpeUhPee Sij his CPhs/Ah/-eesire h? weAr ric^Sreeches. 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Whereas in 1960's music the limits on recording possibility were set within natural and technical limits both on human expressive capabilities and recording equipment, the increasing growth of technology in the musical mode of production has distanced music from the very emotions and feelings that make it expressive.-The drum machine is the single most pervasive example. The growth of the device, and similar percussive creations, from the late 1970's onwards has led to the increasingly deleterious process of prioritising the rhythm above every other form Of musical expression. A natural outcome of the growth of technology in the music industry, it made rhythm expand beyond human playing capability whilst at the same time standardising the 4/4 rhythm. The focus on the 'groove' has led to the diminishing role of melody and harmony accompanied by a natural shrinking role in studio craft and songwriting subtlety. Ideas in modern music almost always depend and grow as elements of the rhythm rather than a melodic/harmonic idea as was the case with almost all 1960's music. Third,and on a more personal level, I find modern music so poor because I have heard it all before and heard it at a higher quality. Where is the originality that so dictated and littered the work of artists such as The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and other 1960's artists? The introductions of tape-loops on The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows, the breathtaking ambition of Pink Floyd's Piper At The Gates of Dawn Or the majestic use of feedback on Jimi Hendrix' albums are just several of countless examples. Listening to them, you hear a range in expression, ambition, quality and unexpectedness unmatched since. How these artists made the groundbreaking music they did offers clues to how we can evolve modern and future music production and writing from its current malaise. Start listening. I find the majority of modern popular music numbing. Its a view that has curtailed certain aspects of my social life and led to heated arguments with close friends. As with many strong beliefs, the reasons why they are held are often instinctual and not thought-out. Arguing with friends over this topic, I have found myself guilty of being unable to articulate reasons for thinking as I do about modern music. Only when you are called upon to explain the reasons for your beliefs and preferences you realise how hard it is to give them. Being so rooted in subjectivity and personal taste, a reason for preferring one form of music to another is harder to justify than.pref-erences in other art forms. My favourite popular music period is, broadly, from around 1957 to 1974, believing the 1960's to be the highpoint of popular music creation. I've-had a hard think about why I think these things and thought I'd try to write some of them down. Music in the 1960's was generally recorded live. This meant the arrangements and performances (usually) had to be written and planned out in advance. A corollary of this is that music was often played with real urgency by musicians who had to be performers in the true sense of the word, the lack of studio ability to correct mistakes with overdubs necessitating these talents even further. Additionally, the role of understanding what a musical piece was before its being recorded often led the composite parts of any piece to play necessary and essential individual roles- musical parts breathing in themselves as well as part of a composite whole song. Contrast this with modern records. Usually built up in parts, layer upon layer in the studio, the natural balance between performers, parts of a song and the whole itself often fall out of sync with each other due to the techniques of modern recording and production. Such an outcome is unavoidable. Second, the growth of modern recording techniques including multiple overdub's, EQ-ing, MIDI and computer recording devices distance songwriters from the material they have written and played. Any real feeling that lies within music becomes slowly obliterated during a recording process that douses it in synthetic modes of production and increasingly unnatural modes of expres- RELATIVE UNKNOWNS: THE BEATLES A POPULAR SIXTIES BAND: THE KINKS L ¦4 M ' 10 MUSIC LIAT TUV REVIEWS HATCHAM SOCIAL @ 229 GREAT PORTLAND STREET" 28,10 It feels like I've gatecrashed one of those halloween parties you'd have at school; partly because of the venue and partly because of that creeping paranoia that everyone in this room knows each other except for me. And yet the atmosphere is still quite relaxed and friendly. Very much like the band's performance itself. Hatcham Social are a London based indie/artrock four piece. Their sound is reminiscent of 80s indie pop, with instantly catchy light-hearted melodies. But, in its delivery, their sound is much closer to experimental art punk bands like Talking Heads. Its perfect because it makes them both interesting and accessible. This is also evident in their lyrics, which are neither too unbearably meaningful nor irritatingly vague. But best of all, and most important for a live setting, Hatcham Social are a band who know not to take themselves too seriously. They take every 'technical failure' in their stride and constantly make little comments to the audience in a way that is more self aware than contrived, like addressing a friend. This relaxed and friendly atmosphere is not only a sure sign of audience enjoyment but the fact that this band really genuinely enjoy playing. Othe night they played tracks mostly from debut album You Dig The Tunnel, I'll Hide The Soil. Highlights are single Murder in the dark, set-closer So So Happy Making and the mid-set cover of The Doors' People are Strange. The latter is also famously covered by Echo and the Bunny men, who Hatcham Social will be supporting on their american tour this month. EMILY JONES REVIEWS SUE & THE UNICORN @ 26,10 As a dedicated. Robots in Disguise fan I was understandably rather excited about seeing Sue and the Unicorn at The Borderline. Sue makes up one half of the band Robots in Disguise and Sue and the Unicorn is her solo project. However, whilst the Robots play my usual chosen style of electro music, Sue's solo project is quite different with a more folk basis. I arrived at The Borderline with mixed expectations. The venue is a known haunt for music lovers and often hosts many up and coming artists (both We Are Scientists and Vampire Weekend played there before they became better known). The crowd was very mixed with a few clearly hard core rockers who had made their way in from the rock bar next door down to a more indie looking crowd. Sue looked amazing as she walked on stage. The Robots are known for their slightly kooky style and Sue did not disappoint with her gold sequin skirt and gorgeous Tatty Devine swallow broaches. She immediately struck up a personal relation- ship with the crowd with her informal jokey approach. The music was excellent and the sound quality was pretty good also - despite Sue losing her voice slightly (though this only added to the humour and personal feel of the gig). Sue's lyrics often contained quite a bit of humour in almost a silly manner but in a way in which the crowd could easily relate. However, despite this, there were also moments of serious reflection though this was all rounded up with the upbeat track 'Pick Me Up'. This track really marked the gig's intimacy as Sue got members of the crowd to come up on stage and shake ran- volved and the contagious happiness of dom instruments such as jingle bells whilst the song mixed with Sue's personality left she tapped her bell clad ankle to the beat everyone feeling pretty chripy by the end. as she played. Everyone seemed to feel in- OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK Halfway through JLS' new video 'Beat Again', for some inexplicable reason, one of the band casually lifts up his top to reveal his six-pack. It's a momentary glimpse and then it's gone; like a barely remembered dream. Why did he do it? Why did he think it was appropriate? Why is his face so serious? Why does the guy to the right of him look like he's concealing his arousal? This IS confusion. 11 MUSIC ol~ 3 SHUNT: AiOHEK JOSEPH MEEGAN LOVES THE STAGING n an abandoned tobacco warehouse south of the river, Shunt's first company production since 2006 offers a masterclass in inventive staging. Money is inspired by Emile Zola's novel L'Argent, and presents an interesting - if unchalleng-ing - view of materialistic obsession and financial meltdown. The show (or 'event' as Shunt more accurately describe it) is a curious cocktail, with equal measures of. menace and fascination from the start. The audience gather outside a colossal black metal construction - part tank, part industrial container -patrolled by balloon toting guards. Deep thuds and the infernal whir of an enormous engine issue from within, and the machine seems to have a life of its own. On entering the belly of the beast we are plunged into complete darkness. The entire structure shakes and roars, and the walls seem to be closing in. There is something of a slaughterhouse atmosphere, and with Shunt's record for testing their audience, it wouldn't be particularly surprising if this was their intention. When the lights turn on however, we find ourselves in a comfortable waiting room, we are asked - in French - to take a seat, and the surreal drama begins. The performance follows the progress of an average man who happens to have invented a machine that will change the way we all live. The audience become embroiled in his struggle towards wealth as he prostrates himself before absurd, milk-drinking investors and battles with delightfully pedantic bureaucrats. There are plenty of laughs here, but the central message of the piece is ever-present: money leads to the exploitation of the many by the few, yet loathe it as we may, we all strive to become the exploiters. When we don't have it, money means jealousy, desperation, and cruelty; when we get it, it becomes vice, selfishness, power, and a foolish optimism. When our hero finally makes his millions our complicity in the absurd money world is underlined, as we are led upstairs to drink champagne and throw coloured, play-pit, plastic balls around; all the while cheering meaningless profit announcements and looking down, through a Perspex ceiling, to the waiting room below, where those without money languish. Lilly & May GEORGINA BUTLER IS GOING TO SEE IT A! + s the nights draw in, the trees lose the last of their leaves and the weather turns predictably nasty, we all look forward to getting home to our warm abodes, battening down the hatches and enjoying a hearty meal. For the homeless people bedding down on the streets, such an eagerly anticipated evening is far removed from their reality. Yet, if we allow ourselves to feel sorry for the homeless are we just conforming to societal pressure to force everyone to live their lives by the same standards? A new production-from exciting new theatre company "eyebaby" aims to challenge our preconceptions about homeless-ness and delve into the paradoxical world of desperate material need accompanied by spiritual freedom. Lilly and May, written by the multiple award-winning Australian playwright Patricia Cornelius, is a hard hitting comedy that explores the tempestuous relationship between two homeless women. Forced to make the best of a life on the streets, Lilly (Alexis Leighton) and May (Andrea Sadler) are thrown together due to their circumstances. Any romantic notions of a life free from responsibility (no need to worry about paying the mortgage or keeping on top of household tasks) are crushed as the various myths of homelessness are exposed. Far from a rejection of societal norms and ideals and a decision to embrace one's own rules out on the open road - is home- lessness in fact just the sorry result of a haphazard selection of situations? As the main characters slog on through their fight for survival their stormy yet interdependent relationship is of pivotal focus. Their bond is complex - they need each other, they resist each other yet for better or worse, Lilly and May are bound together. For regular theatre-goers, this production has overtones of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett but rather than two males, it is two females in the lead roles. For intermittent theatre-goers - why not let these two feisty, funny characters welcome you to a theatrical experience that promises to leave you thinking about homelessness as more than just a vague social issue? This production suggests a funny, philosophical narrative that will encourage anyone to think again about homelessness and how we judge and treat each other. 'LILY AND MAY IS PLAYING AT THE NNG'S HEAD THEATRE, 115 UPPER STREET UNTIL NOVEMBER 22ND The staging is spectacular and fittingly costly, taking in three levels, four rooms, and numerous screens. One of the most shrewd moments comes when the protagonist mocks our optimistic ticket purchases, as we attempt to exchange money for an evening of dreams which - we hope -will be priceless. While the message of the play is not as insightful as Shunt would have you believe, the sheer creativity of production is a delight, and lingers in the memory. Shunt continue to change the way modern theatre is made, and if you haven't seen them in action before, this is a good place to start. 'MONB7' IS PLAYING AT 42-44 BERMONDSY STREET, SE1 UNTIL DECEMBER 22ND ??? PICK OF THE WEEK The Habit of Art Alan Bennett's new work premiere's this week. Set to be the biggest London show of the year, the National always promise good 4 star theatre - this should be a 5. National Theatre from 5 Nov Box Office 020 7452 3000 Mrs Klein Based on the life story of the contrever-sial pshyco-analyst Melanie Klein this witty study chronicals Klein's stormy relationship with her daughter Melitta. Almeida Theatre opening 22 Nov Box Office 020 7359 4404 Annie Get Your Gun This classic Wild West musical shows that the course of true love never runs smoothly! A fun-filled extravaganza of a show. Young Vic until 2 Jan Box Office 020 7922 2922 I M 12 THEATRE NDS CHETAN BAGHAT ERRONE S! / / biggest-selling English-lan- ¦ « I guage novelist in India's history" - New York Times. I really hope not! If I had to recall the three mistakes of my life, after number one and two, reading this book could creep into third place. The author wrote three other books, and I don't intend on reading any of them. Having read two other Indian authors, namely Rana Dasgupta and Arvind Adiga, I can vouch that Chetan doesn't fall even remotely near to their standards. Rana Dasgupta wrote a very interesting piece of literature entitled Solo, an extremely convoluted story but he mastered the art of capturing ones imagination. Arvind Adiga is on the rise with his famous The White Tiger which was pure genius. His descriptions are virtual simulations of life in the sub-continent. Someone who hasn't lived there will get a vivid image of the real life in India whilst people from the region can smile knowingly. But enough about the fallacies of the New York Times' comments. A bit of background about the author. He is an IIT/IIM-A graduate. To non-Indians that won't make any sense, but basically he graduated from the toughest engineering university in India where only 2% of the applicants are taken in annually. Then he went on to pursue his MBA from the best business school in India. Essentially, the guy is very smart. But this doesn't show in the book. I guess it was a disaster in the making considering he is an investment banker. They don't really have time for relationships which happens to be the theme of the book; how can he comment on friendships, secret affairs and Hindu-Muslim conflicts? A quote from the fellow in question: "I'm a banker; I can't get numbers out of my head." Precisely why you probably shouldn't write a book? The book commences with a group of friends: Govind, Ishaan and Omi. The first is ambitious, the second a sports fanatic and the third a religious hardliner. Characteristically male-Indian-teenagers fall into at least one of these categories. The plot begins with Govind getting a business idea, tapping into the.cricket obsession in Ahmedabad which allows his vela (idle) friends to do something in life. The 3 mistakes which this book revolves around are Govind's - the protagonist in the novel - displaying the twists and turns not only of running a business but of becoming an adult. Although a very responsible character he makes mistakes, allowing us to reflect on the imperfect nature of humans, realizing that: yes we also do make mistakes. Perhaps the only interesting point about the story was Govind's character, how it evolves as the world around him changes, molding and morphing. Ishaan and Omi's characters, lack depth and are highly predictable. Frankly after the first 50 pages, the story is crystal clear. Twists such as a secret love affair with the best friend's sister are thrown in for spice. How cliche. Vidya, Ishaan's sister has an interesting character, she happens to be the most amorous person (to put it in the most polite way) alive! It adds some comic humor in the book at the expense of becoming sleazy, but that is to be expected. At the same time we see nothing of the rela- tionship of the siblings, perhaps that is what the author is trying to highlight that the brother and sister relationship is defunct, but in a book about relationships this particular one would have added value. Typically, the atypical isn't added in. The ending of the book is very rapid, almost too rapid, and you have to slow your mind down to appreciate the flow of events. Although inspired from a true story, to capture the impact of the moment a different approach could have been taken. Having said that, the conclusion of the book is appealing and forces thoughts into your mind. In certain books you want a definitive ending and the lack thereof frustrates the reader, however in this case it provides the required mental stimulation which had been lacking throughout the book. Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but with such great quality books out there, one is hard done by if time is wasted reading books like this. Faran Akhtar (noted Indian director/producer) plans to make a movie out of this, which could fare better then the book. Personally I feel books often outshine movies by miles,we can only hope this will be a notable exception. I would only recommend this book to those who want to know how bad books can get; clearly something was missing. Hopefully Chetan will find some inspiration, and write more interesting literature in the future. 13 LITERATURE ^ tittep info JONATHAN STfi^EY WANTS YOU TO/VATCH THE DOCUMENTARY INSTEAD George Clooney, Ewan Mcgregor, Runtime: 90 minutes. Cert: 15. Y I eff Bridges, Kevin Spacey . sar: 2009. The Men Who Stare At Goats is a funny film: not laugh-out-loud funny - although it would certain like to think it is; more, it's funny in that it's an extremely unusual film. Adapted from the book of the same name, by Jon Ronson, Goats is about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts in both the Cold and Iraq wars and the potential military uses of the paranormal. Ewan McGregor stars as Bob Wilton: a reporter who tries to find himself after his wife leaves him by becoming a war correspondent in post-Hussein Iraq. Sadly he is a giant gaping plot device with no discernible personality in which all the events in the film implausibly happen around. Whilst in Kuwait, and waiting to start reporting 'on the front line', Bob meets up with Lyn Cas-sidy (Clooney) who ends up revealing his secret to him: he's a psychic spy on a top secret mission. Eager to find some form of action, Bob enthusiastically, tags along into the deserts of Iraq. One of the main problems with the film is that the Bob-Lyn relationship never really goes anywhere. Clooney portrays Lyn not as someone who genuinely believes he has psychic powers (or even, on the other hand, someone who has possible psychiatric issues), but instead like his character in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? In fact, the film feels as if it's trying to be some war-homage to the Coen brothers' film were based more on these people and not the other two expository pieces of crap for characters, the film would be considerably better to show for it. Goats isn't completely without merit: Bridges and Spacey perform their parts admirably, and the scene which lends its name to the title is very well done. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't do nearly as well due to its focus on the Bob-Lyn relationship (which goes nowhere) and the fact that it tries to cram bits of Coen-style comedy into scenes in which the natural absurdity of the situation should be allowed to shine. EVAN PROFESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF AN EDUCATION comedic efforts such as O Brother, Raising Arizona, and Burn After Reading, but unfortunately misses the mark by a back country mile. The film gets considerably better when Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey become involved. Bridges plays Bill Django, the creator of the military psychic spy unit, and revels in his role as a hippie let loose in the military. Spacey plays Larry Hooper, a disgruntled, stuffy science fiction writer drafted into the military who realises there are people who are better than him and can't cope. The scenes between these two are both the most comic and dramatic. If the ctor(s): Lone Scherfig. Screenplay: Nick Hornby. Cast: *" '(igan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina. Runtime: 95 12A. Year: 2009. I ">¦£ *' I i\ an rXZ n Education is one of those films that takes you to a certain time and place and holds you there in anticipation. It's an excellent film lade so by the lead performance of the young British actress Carey Mulligan. Mulligan is tipped as the face to watch in the coming year and. her portrayal of the culturally starved, suburban school girl Jenny warrants such rumours. Based on a ten page memoir by current Sunday Times journalist Lynn Barber, An Education is set in 1960s Britain before it started swinging. London is still awaiting the arrival of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Dusty Springfield and the mini skirt. Instead we are faced with a stilted London still under War rationing; the country is tired and downright dead beat. It is in this context that we meet Jenny, a school girl who dreams of excitement and adventure, of Parisian fantasies, film noir and dressing in black lace. Jenny's life is abruptly altered by the arrival of older man David (Peter Sarsgaard) in his red sports car and sun glasses: this is Twickenham exotic. Immediately drawn to him, she embarks on a friendship that leads her into to a new world of drink and dance, exciting and beautiful acquaintances and ultimately "a loss of innocence. Jenny possesses the confidence of youth that defined the generation, but gradually we find her altered by the exposure to the cruelties of the adult world, unsure of her convictions and ultimately .yearning for her initial lifelong ambition, to be accepted into Oxford to read English. The film is a delightful mix of subtle humour and clear cut observations on a period of great change in British culture. David's friends Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike) inject a playful light heart-edness into the piece. Rosamund Pike in particular gives a fantastic performance delivering wit and warmth into the beautiful yet intellectually challenged character of Helen. Nick Hornby spoke of Rosamond Pike as having chased the role of Helen relentlessly, having never been given the oppor- tunity to be 'funny' in a role. Her efforts certainly paid off. Overall the talk about town is right. An Education is a strong film, Mulligan commands her first big screen role with a great display of emotion, her keen ability to control her facial features result in a second language that clearly displays the knowing yet naivety of her role. The only criticism I have of her performance is that she never really allows the audience into her head; we are always watching Jenny from the outside. Whether this is a failure of Mulligan or the script is another issue, it is but a small qualm and will perhaps diminish with more screen time. The film ends on a light note, as did Lynn Barbers own story. Jenny's loss of innocence comesalso with a tangible sense of hope, potential and a lifetime left for discovery. Will this be the film that makes Carey Mulligan? Nick Hornby certainly thinks so. As he quipped to the director Lone Scherfig, 'who cares about the pile of novels that I wrote? I'm going to bin them. I'll be the man who wrote the film that was Carey Mulligan's breakthrough.' 14 FILM w me dweeJ o. NATHAN BRIANT GOES LOCAL Mie 've always had a bit of a predilection for a bit of local radio. We're lucky here since BBC London is one of the best around. Unfortunately, without the acres of spare time that I had last year I'm .having to make do with a few podcasts from the station, mere titbits of a week's shows. The early-afternoon presenter on BBC London - ex-LSE student and current Camden Town resident - Robert Elms, was absent from his show/podcast last week; he was replaced for the week with the always chipper Gary Crowley, the station's pop music aficionado. On first on Crowley's (or officially Elms') podcast this week is John O'Farrell, comedy writer turned informal history writer plugging his new book to the good London public. OFarreli's someone that Crowley appears to have done no research on and shows little if any interest in at all, If it was IVI reckon Crowley would be seen staring out the window. The presenter even says 'it's very easy to view the '80s with rose-tinted glasses' when O'Farrell, as an ex-writer on Spitting Image, made a good living and carved a good reputation by openly criticising the politics of the decade, The presenter seemed relieved when he could end the interview: 'yeah, erm.. .it's on Doubledate for £1.8.99'. Crowley might have been having on off day then though. Presumably, he was having a better day when two posh men came in to talk about a Chris Duffy exhibition. Turned out that they were Duffy's son and the curator of the exhibition; strangely, even his son referred to Duffy by his surname. If there was anything that I learnt from this listening to this it was that I must be an utter philistine. Who's Chris Duffy? Until they mentioned David Bailey I was clueless to what they were blathering on about. This, opposed to how Crowley appeared to be unwilling GARY CROWLEY t mflfc to talk to O'Farrell, became way too-in-depth in photographical lingo. 'Duffy worked for six years in Vogue for six years., .Cecil Beeton was an absolute master' was the easiest stuff to follow. It was all very nice but it felt like being given an. A Level textbook for a subject before starting secondary school. The best feature of Elms'/Crowley's podcast is always the Listed Londoner section - asking a well-known Londoner about London never disappoints. Ever. David Arnold; the film score composer, was Crowley's interviewee for this week. The presenter rattled through the questions far too quickly, and seemingly there were fewer questions asked than Elms usually asks. 'Arnold's favourite open space in London is Hampstead Heath.. .quickly- ¦ .er, right: 'what's your favourite restaurant in London, David?" would appear to have been the approximate thoughts sloshing about in Crowley's brain. It was okay, just not as good as Elms tends to be - which in all honesty is understandable since Crowley's done it for a week. But don't let this put you off local radio, and BBC local radio • at that. Despite its listeners being predominantly middle-aged and middle-class, it can be a real force for good, especially where communities are concerned. Local radio belongs in the mix, like the village green or jam making does in the countryside and er, noise and fumes do in the city. . ff-fiu m — —---—-- Pfilf - - ParfB would like to meet; student aged 18-35, with television knowledge. For friendship, the Position Of TV Sub Editor, and maybe more If you think you're a good mateh send us an email and tell us about j. ¦; -tv j MM * - • : ffirfes .! i •¦JggSjSite, rilTB@THEBEAVERONLINE.COM 'fit# : . _ 15 TV & RADIO Now don't get me wrong, I think public transport is great. Coming from a place about as accessible as Machu Pichu, I think it's a fucking miracle that a bus can take me from my front door to practically anywhere in London. No, my problem with TfL and their piss poor bus services runs a lot deeper than the fairytale timetable it claims to operate. While it would be unfair to say that they crap in my cornflakes every day, they just about always do. As with all these things, the bus journey from hell' always happens on an already shit day. Having battled to drag yourself out of bed, still slightly drunk from the shamefully predictable night that ended in the Tuns, stood comatose in your shower letting the lukewarm water dribble over you and stumbled to the bus stop you stand patiently for your chariot to arrive and take you to your 9am class. -As you're presenting on the finer points of Moravcsik's views of the Democratic Deficit you've given yourself a respectable 20 minutes leeway to make it in, what can possibly go wrong? Answer = fucking everything. The first problem you are likely to incur is the complete ignorance of bus drivers to > the concept of bus timetables. 10-12 minutes in bus language means whenever the fuck they feel like turning up. Predicting your journey time is like trying to guess when the Student Loans Company will decide to give you money. Very predictably however, every other bus in the entire district will drive past - several times. No exaggeration, I once watched SEVEN number 185s go past my stop before either of the two, supposedly more frequent services that I needed, arrived. The saying then goes that "when waiting for a bus, three will arrive when they finally do". I'm now pretty certain bus drivers heard this expression and have decided it would be funny to do exactly that. Assuming you manage to get onto a bus having overcome the series of inane obstacles that lie in your way (namely bus drivers ignoring your request for them to stop, shutting the doors on you or just having a crap oyster card reader that claims you've already given Boris all of your mythical student loan) you then have to find yourself a seat manoeuvring past morons staring blindly into nothingness listening to their shit music on their iWanks. If you are lucky enough to find a perch, unfortunately next to an obscenely fat sweaty man reading the Daily Racist, you can finally begin to hope that you might make it to LSE vaguely on time. You may even hit the jackpot and get the holy grail of the Double Decker bus: a window seat. This is not always the blessing it first seems though. For some reason, completely beyond anyone's imagination, Tfl has instructed its drivers to leave the heating on 'incinerate' all year round. Even when the sun beams down on London for those few hours in July they insist on leaving you to melt. Oh but it's really nice when it's cold outside you say? Here's a novel idea - If it's f CHRIS WESTGARTH IS BU UT SOME RAGE 16 RANT you might actually be on time with a handful of seconds to spare! Despite your painful trip, soundtracked by the guy who has shit headphones and then plays his music so loud you have to listen to the tinny faeces of Kings of Leon, you've nearly made it to the hallowed walls of Houghton St. Despite everything, buses in London do a very good job of helping transport millions every day for what is actually a very low fee (I pay £6 for a single journey 10 minutes down the road in Yorkshire). While it would be unfair to say that they crap in my cornflakes every day they just about always do. Then, God takes a massive shit on your head. "This bus is being held here temporarily to help regulate the service". Cunts. cold when you walk out of the door wear a fucking coat. Then the rest of us can stop being stewed in our own juices. Now, if you survived the best part of your journey without gouging out your own eyes, 'While it would be unfair to say they always crap in my cornflakes,they just about always do'