r Calling i Societies! *\*\m Photo iTheyesteiyears of LSE unveiled... PS 21 listens in on LSE AU (sexual) League extended and updated! Pg23 The Beaver 17 November 2009 Newspaper of the London School of Economics Students' Union thebeaveronline.co.uk "The focus of your question is completely wrong. Firstly, we don't treat this place like a business, the objective is education and not profit," Davies shot back. "Secondly, students are on every decisionmaking body of this School...students are involved with every aspect of governance." Further, the examples the student used regarding the art installations on campus that were recently put up riled Davies: "We deliberately looked for external funding and we had an extremely generous donor for Bluerain, none of that has been funded by students, you ought to be grateful that alumni are willing to put their hands in their pockets..and if they heard that, they might well stop that." A student asked how much Davies' wages were, and whether he took a pay cut. Davies replied that he did, but not to make that particular student feel better but rather as he felt that the increase for academic and university staff nationally was impossible to justify in last year's circumstances. Therefore, he did not take the 8 per cent increase that was in his contract as he felt it was "unreasonable". Davies responded to a question about whether fees for overseas students were higher than at other universities saying that "in our view, they are not out of line, we do have rather higher costs here, in part because, we like to keep our international faculty at the top of their field, we pay them quite a lot, higher than average". Nik Adhia, President of High Holbom Hall Committee, pointed out that fees at the halls have been increased. Davies stated that "residences have to break even, we are not allowed to subsidise residences from tuition fees" and beyond the renewal of energy contracts, there was also an increase of lower paid staff, following the LSESU campaign, which had implications for rent and "therefore increased fees at residences". ' Questions regarding exam scripts, room bookings, re-shuffle of staff at Rose-bery Hall, computer lab usage in peak hour as well as socially responsible investment policy were also addressed to Davies. The motion regarding governance reform for the LSESU was also passed. There were questions regarding the exact procedures of the reform. LSESU Treasurer George Wetz, proposer of the motion, felt that "by going through the whole process, we can make [the Constitution] into a simple accessible document...we won't have these contradictions and it will allow everyone to be engaged with the SU a lot more." Davies: "public spending... dire LSE expands in Southwarlc to be "untrue". Fisher pointed out that the response rate at LSE in 2008 was 56 per cent, whilst this year's was 58 per cent, yet student satisfaction dropped. He also noted that the rate is slightly lower than the national average of 62 per cent. He further highlighted the fact that Cambridge had the third lowest response rate, but also the highest satisfaction thereby disproving Davies' statement of the correlation between response rate and overall satisfaction. Davies was asked to explicitly state his position on fees in light of the review, whether he thought they should rise 01? be abolished: "No I don't think it's [explicitly stating a position] sensible. There are essentially four variables, fee, person, interest rate and funding and we need to look at all of these things together...we need to try and get more money into the School." He continued: "There is fundamental unfairness in the School, where overseas students are subsidising domestic students, I personally feel uncomfortable about that. We need to know what the options are in terms of public spending...at this point, we shouldn't advocate one particular option." One student accused the LSE of being run like a business, as students have no say where the profit goes. Davies did not believe that to be the case. Phyllis Lui LSE is currently considering a new hall of residence for students at Great Suffolk Street. The potential hall, also known as Moonraker Place, will have 671 rooms, 127 of which are self-contained studios, as well as a gym, restaurant, common room and a park. Southwark Council gave planning permission to Q Developments, the developer behind the scheme, 2 weeks ago. LSE Director of Finances and Facilities Andy Farrell told The Beaver that "Southwark Council have given planning permission subject to LSE or a university of similar standing (a short list) operating it". The environmentally sustainable development was originally designed by Philip Thornton of Conran & Partners, intended for another institution. However, Farrell commented that it is "one of several that LSE is considering". According to the report on a community website, the planning committee also heard from councillor Adele Morris, who spoke on behalf of other objectors to the scheme. Morris believed the new scheme to be "one heck of an increase" and that students would have to "walk through nearby housing estates and other quiet residential areas in order to reach local tube stations". UNITE, a company that specialises in student accommodation, is also building a 14-storey tower further up Great Suffolk Street. "The Finance and General Purposes Committee (FGPC) recently endorsed a proposal to recommend to Council that we expand our residential stock to enable us to offer all first year postgraduates a room guarantee. We already offer a guarantee to first year undergraduates, students with relevant disabilities and general course students," Farrell commented. LSESU Residences Officer Andrew Wright said: "Whilst the design looks great, we have to be careful not to overlook the practicalities of the project in terms of what is best for students, not simply constructing a fantastic building with inappropriate design. All of this sounds fantastic on paper, but the project will only be viable from the Students' Union's perspective if accommodation can be offered at a price affordable to students and not at a premium." "The LSE is continuing analysis, evaluation and negotiation on this and other sites. Clearly, it will only be viable if it enables us to offer it to students at a rent they can afford. We hope it will," stated Farrell. team" and added that it was "not a great picture looking ahead". "I hope you look after it better," Davies stated as he noted the return of the penguin. He also believed that in terms of career prospects for graduates: "the position has definitely improved and not just in the financial sector". Davies commented on his personal contribution - bike seats covers - and hoped it would encourage more people to cycle, as Davies himself cycles everywhere. The first question from the audience concerned student satisfaction and why it was so low. Davies replied that it was due to two reasons: "There is one technical reason, it would appear that we have a lower proportion of LSE students filling in the form than most other universities". He went on to emphasise changes that have been put in place by the school, as recommended by the Teaching Task Force, such as measures to restrict masters class sizes on which they "spent quite a lot of money". These were important as primarily issues with "teaching bring down satisfaction." However, LSESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher refuted Davies' claim regarding student satisfaction results being linked to response rates, believing it LSE Director Howard Davies spoke at last Thursday's Union General Meeting (UGM), where the LSESU's motion for an amendment to the Codes of Practice was also passed. Davies began by giving a report about the School, how it is aiming for more "direct interaction" between students and heads of services such as LSE Chief Information Officer Jean Sykes. Furthermore, he spoke about the pilot course LSE100 which he hopes will get students to "think about big issues, why there is so much inequality in the world...why there are financial crises". "Public spending environment in this country is, in. a word, dire,""Davies stated, "the government has got the biggest deficit it's ever seen, public spending is going to be cut everywhere...[there is]no room for public spending. It is an unfortunate background against which they have launched the fees review." Davies further explained that there have been significant cuts in funding for research. Commenting on the panel that's recently been launched by the government regarding fees review, Davies felt that it was a "slightly curious composition of a Phyllis Lui Sam Tempest Keeping . y Beaver is printed on 100% recycled paper. In 2006, recycled paper made up 79% of UK newspaper raw \ materials. Please recycle your copy. Cybernetically enhanced Beaver. The Beaver's digital revolution is still continuing Be apart of it! www. thebeaveronline. co .uk Let us know where to go next: info@thebeaveronline.co.uk 2 The Beaver 117 November 2009 East Building LSE Students' Union London WC2A 2AE Positions of the week LSE Careers Service's pick of the best jobs & ICollective Editorial Board Executive Editor Shibani Mahtani editor@thebeaverOnline.co.uk Managing Editor Sanjiv Nanwani managi ng@ thebeaver online .co.uk News Editors Phyllis Lui Sam Tempest Keeping news@thebeaveronline.co.uk Comment Editor Sachin Patel comment@ thebeaveronline.co.uk Features Editors Madeeha Ansari Ossie Fikret features@thebeaveronline.co.uk Social Editor Marion Koob social@ thebeaveronline.co.uk The Beaver would like to thank the LSE students who contributed to this issue. The Beaver is published by the London School of Economics' Students' Union, East Building, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE. Printed at Guardian Print Centre, Rick Roberts Way, Stratford, London E15 2GN. Contact The Beaver info@thebeaveronline.co.uk 02079556705 LSE events Highlights of this week's public lectures and talks Obama and the Arabs: the historical context Dr Eugene Regan Tonight, HKT, 1830-2000 The Future of Christianity Diarmaid MacCulioch Wednesday, HKT, 1830-2000 Are Europeans Heading Toward the Same Economy? Professor Yann Algan Wednesday, NT, 1830-2000 The Road to Copenhagen: a global deal on climate change Ed Miliband Thursday, OT, 1830-2000 A Lecture by Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg Friday, Venue TB A, 1400-1500 (Ticketed) In Conversation with Amartya Sen Professor Amartya Sen, Professor Richard Sennett Friday, OT, 1700-1800 (Ticketed) Can we eliminate nuclear weapons? Ambassador Richard Burt, Kate Hudson, Professor Mary Kaldor, HM Queen Noor Friday, Venue TB A, 1830-2000 (Ticketed) Urban Inclusion Co Outreach and Research Officer New Philanthropy Capital Digital Media Intern Focus Features Part-time International Distribution Internship The Nucleus Group Health Economist Search for Common Ground Internship, Africa Program Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Junior Polity Analyst Hang Lung Properties Ltd Management Trainee Buffalo Fundraising Consultants Trainee Campaign Assistant Educa London Economics Tutors Unibet Part-time In-Play Trader Interested? Ajay Agarwal; Raidev Akoi; Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang; MWdeeha Ansari; Hasib Baber; Fadhil Bakeer-Markar; Sean Baker; 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; Bobby Charnock; Beth Cherryman; Angela Chow; Estelle Cooch; Oliver Courtney; Tomas Da-Costa; Louis Daillencourt; Jonathan Damsgaard; Richard Dewey; Cathy Druce; Marie Dunaway; Louisa Evans; Ossie Fikret; Aled Dihvyn Fisher; Katy Galbraith; Justin Gest; Ira Goldstein; MiraHammad; Aula Hariri; Poorna 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; Shibani Mahtani; Zeeshan Malik; Nizar Manek; Sophie Marment; Jamie Mason; James McGibney; Duncan McKenna; Liam McLaughlin; Nitya Menon; Irian Merali; Anna Mikeda; Utsa Mukherjee; Aditi Nangia; Sanjiv Nanwani; Brett Noble; Ryan Ong; Nicolas Oudin; Kyle Packer; Pantellis Palividas; 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; Thien thai Sangkhaphanthanon; Amrita Sarao-gi; Dan Sheldon; Jonathan Storey; Andre Tartar; Su Wan Tan; Kerry Thompson; Molly Tucker; Mark IWyford; Vladimir Unkovsla-Korica; Aliabbas Virani; Simon Wang; Jonathan Weir; Chris Westgarth; George Wetz; David Whi taker; Matthew Willis; Chris Wilkins; Natalie Wong; David Woodbridge; Daniel Yates; Alex Young; Calum Young; Sofia Zabolotskih; Mehek Zafar The Collective is The Beaver's governing body. You must have contributed three pieces of work, or contributed to the production of three issues of the paper (editorially or administratively), to qualify for membership. If you believe you are a Collective member but your name is not on the list above, please email Collective Chair Danielle Brown The Beaver uses pictures from flickr.com which have been issued under a Creative Commons license. You can browse through the pictures we post to flickr at: flickr.com/photos/beaveronline. For details of these posts and over 350 more, visit My Careers Service at www.lse.ac.uk/careers. Photo Editor Cherie Leung photo@thebeaveronline.co.uk Sports Editors Alice Pelton OllieTownsend sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk Part B Editors Graeme Birrell Calum Young partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk Design Editor Natasha Bannister design@thebeaveronline.co.uk Web Editor Louisa Evans web@thebeaveronline.co.uk General Manager Nicolas Oudin info@thebeaveronline.co.uk News 17 November 2009 | The Beaver Dismal" common room sparks petition Shibani Mahtani Last week, the Philosophy department urged students to sign a petition demanding an upgrade of their departmental common room. This email, sent by the Philosophy Departmental Manager, Departmental Tutor and the Director of Graduate Studies, highlighted that the "facilities in the fourth floor common room are unsatisfac-toiy" and mentioned that this is "a matter for the School's Estate Division", rather than an issue within the purview of the department. Alex Voorhoeve, Departmental Tutor, further explained: "The student common room, which is used by both undergraduates and masters students, is in a dismal state. The furniture is thrown together at random, and many pieces are in poor condition. This makes the room virtually unusable. The common room is a place where students meet and talk to their peers. For this reason the room should have the character of a living room, a place where one likes to spend time." The petition can be found on the Philosophy departmental website, and encourages student comments on possible improvements. Speaking to The Beaver, Andy Farrell, Director of Finance and Facilities, admitted: "There is no real means of inspecting common rooms and the processes are not as good as they should be." However, he also added that the Estates Division and the Space Management Group, chaired by George Gaskell, Pro-Director for Planning and Resources, "looks at requirements as a whole, not individual requests and petitions." The Space Management Group, according to Farrell, is responsible for allocation of space at the School and would deal with requests such as the renovation and building of new common rooms. Other departments, such as the Law and Management departments, have had their common rooms moved and they are yet to be replaced. The Law department common room was previously located in the Old Building, whilst the Philosophy department common room was previously located in the G Building (20 Kingsway). Nik Adhia, a 2nd-year Law student, said: "I did not even know it existed. Students are not told about these things in details or at all in most cases." 3rd-year Management student Andreas Demetri added: "efforts have been made to get one back, but still don't have any luck!" Farrell acknowledged that the Law department does not have a common room, but believed that the study and meeting facilities available to law students, especially PhD students, are much better than those available for other departments. Other departments, even with common rooms, still find these under-utilised. 3rd-year History student Estelle Cooch said: "I have never used the History department common room, to be honest I'm not even sure where it is and I have no idea whats in it. At my college we had amazing common rooms that everyone used for socialising and for work. If LSE had common rooms that enabled students to discuss work or presentations, but also had computers and key books that could be kept in there permanently I would definitely use them." PhD students have similar concerns, and the PhD steering committee has been pushing for a PhD common room since last year. Some common rooms, such as the International Relations department common room, have recently been renovated with ample furniture and study spaces. However, the promotion of these facilities is still a problem. 2nd year International Relations student Sulaiman Hakemy said: "The IR common room is a great potential space for students in the department to socialise. They just upgraded the furniture and the room can easily fit 40-50 people (the size of one undergradyear in IR). The problem is that the department does not actively promote socialisation among IR students beyond one departmental party a year. I'm sure half of the IR undergrads for that reason don't even know the common room exists." Farrell said that the Space Management Group is aspiring to put in place a more standard policy on the allocation of resources when it comes to departmental common rooms, but added that it: "won't necessarily be the case that all departments want or even merits a common room". Farrell also mentioned that the priorities of the Estates Department are primarily to accommodate the increase in students, which he believes has been "done reasonably well", create new classrooms and facilities for LSE100, accommodate the expansion in staff and improve facilities for research students. Delay in budgets causes disarray Eunice Ng Societies will not know their full budgets until Week 9, despite previous promises that they would know by Week 6. For the first time, societies were guaranteed forty percent of their budget from last year. In June, societies were sent an email from LSESU Societies' Officer Chris Westgarth, explaining the new budget approval process. The plan was as follows: following the deadline for the budget applications in Week 2, societies would know their provisional budgets by Week 3. By Week 4, societies would know their full budget, though they would only be allocated their budgets by Week 6, which would then still be subject to UGM approval in Week 9. So far, only the first step has taken place. As far as societies know, they are only certain that they have forty percent of their budget from last year. Treasurers are also able to claim expenses back from their budget, but few have tried to do so. Speaking to the Beaver, Westgarth explained that the delay is due to the fact that such an ambitious plan logistically could not be carried out due to the large number of societies and the staggered pace with which they societies set themselves up. "The fact remains that with society AGMs spreading themselves out over the first couple of weeks, it became impossible to get all the budgets in and then allocated swiftly enough," Westgarth stated. "With over 160 societies all requesting vastly larger amounts of money than the Union can afford to allocate, it inevitably takes some time to sift through them all giving them the proper attention that they require." LSESU Treasurer George Wetz agreed: "Most societies' provisional budgets will be approved [in week 7]. They can't be confirmed until the UGM has looked favourably upon them on Thursday of Week 9. This has been perennial routine process for societies, which proves that the system is totally bonkers." The LSE Athletics Union received no instructions about their budget approval process. Similar to societies, it received forty percent of last year's budget, which this year totaled over £70,000. Even so, because the budget allocation is based on proposals submitted last year, present allocations do not take into account of the AU's enlarged membership, and some teams still cannot cover costs. A late budget approval process means that teams cannot cope with emergencies. One such emergency is being experienced by the Basketball Club, which primarily spends on rent for an external sports hall, and coaching for its first team. As per establish guidelines, the club's provisional budget was based on figures from last year. In Week 2, just before training, Alex Christou, captain of the Men's Basketball Second team, discovered that the sports hall where the team practices had doubled its hourly rate. With no time to look for another hall, and without the funds to book more sessions, the team's bookings for one year shrunk into one term. As a result, the basketball team will not be able to have any practices next term, only matches. Basketball members have received no subsidies for their kits. The second team cannot afford a coach. Christou says he has no guarantee of having their transport cost being reimbursed: "The AU president told us that we may or may not be reimbursed, but we should keep our train tickets just in case." While he acknowledged the lack of organisation, Christou, stated that the timing of the budget approval was the main problem, and that 40 per cent of the budget was not enough to cover first term expenses for nearly six weeks. "By week 6, about 90 per cent of the budget is needed, with sports halls needing payment in advance, and the coach for die first team, and for the first team's sports kit," Christou explained, "The first team's season is nearly over, and the budget was only just approved at the AU captains' meeting last week." Wetz denied involvement with the AU procedure, which starts off with nearly £70,000 of money allocated to them by the LSESU. He mentioned that after budgets were approved, societies could still apply for extra funding from a newly-established projects budget. He also acknowledged that the current system for societies had to be improved. "Our hands are tied by our governing documents, so we must reform," Wetz said, "We want input from all societies so that the Union can get the funding system spot on. If we don't hear from those that have to use the current system, then the chance of succeeding diminishes." Union Jack UGM sketch *X£nicn Jack is the Beaver's anonymous mole at the Union General Meeting, every Thursday at lpm Where once stood Dilwyn, now stood Davies. An obelisk of a man, upright, uncompromising and, all importantly, unscathed by the financial crisis. Few people can hand back £5,000 of their pay cheque and still dress so wonderfully. Jack was left impressed by the way H-Dizzle took to the stage with the confidence and bravado of a grime MC at 'Straight Out Of Bethnal'. Each time he managed to hoist a loss maker by their own petard Jack was reminded of the first time he watched a grainy version of 'Lord of the Mies' on Youtube. His posture seemed to convey the same message as the Wu-Tang classic: 'Protect Your Neck'. However, as any aficionado of underground rhyme contests knows, no man is infallible. As subjects and ideas become more intrinsically complex so does the difficulty of effective articulation and execution. To quote the character Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith after vanquishing Ward in a rap battle during the movie '8 Mile': "That "leave it to the Beaver" line almost killed me."' The proverbial "Beaver" for LSE's 'Old Dirty Bastard' turned out to be the perennial issue of student satisfaction. Jack listened attentively as LSE-ODB harked on about "response rates" and "technical issues" being responsible for the school's poor performance in the National Student Survey. But as Mos Def pointedly notes about politics in his magnum opus 'Mathematics': "Its a numbers game but shit don't add up somehow." _ Something else which didn't add up was the reasoning and the ratifying of the governance reform. Democratic-Fissure's mouth piece Wetz Blanket draped himself over the stage stressing the need for more time to debate serious issues. Yet as the flow of questions trickled out, and time ticked away, Fissure began to tremble like Muhammad Ali after six fags and a Redbull on an empty stomach, his dreams of full dictatorial control teetering on the edge of disaster. Borrowing from the track 'Break Ups to Make Ups' by Method Man: "Big girls they don't cry, but they damn sure lie." Last minute succor came as a man, no doubt a plant, dressed like a member of Goldie Looking Chain demanded that this petty squabbling be put to bed and the 'Fissure Reform' passed, via a move to vote. It promptly did. Jack's feelings at this point were conveniently captured in these lyrics from the track 'Honest Expression': "These lames run around like mice in a maze, tryin' to get up on cheese, its just a rat race." Now we enter a new era, Jack's privileged position as ridiculer in chief will no doubt be diluted by each and every individual at the school being able to laugh at the idiocy of our student politicians as they neglect their duties and take to the streets to campaign for your votes in referendum. So everyday students, now "you can feel how we feel, to walk around town to lookin down from those tall heels." Remember "who needs fame or fortune, when you get the same love that the fame is snortin." And beware a "future so afraid of yours that you strayed from the course and you came up short." - A paraphrasing of 'Puppets' by Atmosphere. News The Beaver 117 November 2009 ©2009 SunGard Trademark information: SunGard, and the SunGard logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Casual staff "incorrectly paid" Sam Tempest Keeping Changes to the way the Students' Union (SU) processes its wages have led to chaos amongst student members of staff. Students were informed that their wages for this month were due to be paid on the 6th November. While some members received their payments on time and in full, many did not. "I checked my account on Friday and nothing was there. My rent was due and I had to borrow money off my friends to cover it," said one staff member who wished to remain anonymous. After staff members complained to the sabbatical officers, payments were finally processed manually. However many of the staff received well below the amount they were due. A statement released by the SU to student staff on November 12th read "Last month, we changed the wage processing ahead of our move to outsource our payroll. Although there were no issues with payroll last month, there appear to have been a number of student staff affected by an error made in processing this month." Contrary to the statement, some staff have informed the Beaver that their were indeed mistakes made last month also. Another student staff member who cannot be named due to Media Group protocol said: "I'm still owed money from work I carried out over summer school." LSESU General Secretary Aled Fisher said: "Some staff in the commercial team were incorrectly paid, and paid late (all of our staff in the Gym, Help Desk, and Advice and Counselling Centre were not affected). We apologise profusely for this oversight and have now sorted the issue. Action has been taken within the commercial management team to ensure this will never happen again." "Our casual staff are the best paid in London Students' Unions and we are extremely proud of the hard work they do. This is why we have set up the first ever Casual Staff Forum in the Students' Union to ensure that their views and issues are fed into every aspect of our operations". The statement from the SU echoed Fisher's sentiment, and added: "We sincerely apologise for this error which led to a number of staff being paid incorrectly and we are working to rectify errors with individual members of staff?' "The Commercial Management Team will be able to tell you the breakdown of the hours that have now been processed for you and if your payment is not in your bank account by Friday Noon, please escalate this to us immediately." Application deadline: 31st January 2010 Students clean up Parliament COME CLEAN ON FEES Sam Tempest Keeping LSE students descended on Parliament this Wednesday to campaign against the proposed government review of tuition fees. Reports claim that roughly four LSE students, excluding members of the Students' Union executive, attended the protest. The protest was called by the National Union of Students(NUS) after the government announced on Monday that they would be launching the review. Crucially, however, it also stated that the results would not be published before the general election. A facebook group created by the the LSESU on Tuesday last week stated that "The aim of tomorrow's action is to put pressure on MPs to come clean about their position on fees and the future of higher education ahead of the 2010 General Election." Speaking on parliament square Susan Nash, NUS Vice President, Society and Citizenship, said "We are here lobbying MPs and asking them to come clean on their positions on fees." "We have a general election round the corner and students and the general public have a right to know the parly's positions before they vote at the ballot box." Protesters joined in on chants such as "Come clean on student debt, don't do somethingyou'll regret" and "Vote with us, or you're out". When asked about why she had attended the protest, first year Economic History student Charliene Keen explained "a lot of people are interested and it seems like a good cause so I just wanted to help out." Regarding the poor turnout from LSE Emma Clewer, a first year Sociology student, commented "Maybe students don't think they can change anything." LSESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher was happy with how the action turned out. He stated: ""At short notice, the NUS managed to organise a very effective action that has put pressure on MPs to come clean on fees." "Three of the four MPs who represent LSE Halls and significant numbers of LSE students in their constituencies came down with one day's notice to talk to students from the School and myself, and two of them, Frank Dobson and Simon Hughes, signed the NUS pledge not to support a rise in student fees, and to consider an alternative funding system." Fisher warned of the grave consequences that could result from a rise in fees. "Higher fees will further blunt access to higher education and replicate inequality; it is up to students to fight to ensure a fairer funding system". SUNGARD We take very seriously our mission to continually improve the software systems that underpin the world's financial system. The world's leading financial institutions are relying on us. SunGard is one of the world's leading software and IT services companies. We serve more than 25.000 customers in more than 70 countries, including the world's 25 largest financial services companies. To find out more about our Graduate and Intern opportunities, please log on to: www.sungard.com/studentcenter Experience Success V. Your hall, your call Sanjiv Nanwani LSE Students' Union officials last week visited residents of all LSE halls of residence as part of their "Your Hall - Your Call!" consultation exercise. The exercise served as a means of gathering feedback and opinions on a wide range of issues, including the use of hall social spaces, as well as the governance of hall committees. Officials hailed the tour as a "great success" after they spoke with more than 150 students across 10 halls of residence. "This [project] is much larger than ever previously attempted," noted LSESU Residences Officer Andrew Wright. Wright, who spearheaded the effort alongside LSESU Education and Welfare Officer Emmanuel Akpang-Inwang and LSESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher, explained that a number of other issues were also discussed, including "UGM improvement, teaching, [and] the experience of halls and the arrivals/allocations process." University of London intercollegiate halls of residences were not included in the recent exercise, but plans are afoot for a similar exercise to be launched for them before the end of Michaelmas Term. "The only reason these have not been covered during this week's process was down to timing - visiting 10 halls in a week is a massive undertaking alongside the many other activities taking place. We have already made increased strides towards engaging with intercollegiate residents through working with the Accommodation Office and University of London Halls Service where we have not before," said Wright. Turnout at the various sessions varied greatly across the residences, but this was attributed to extenuating circumstances such as "the day of the week, timetables, [and] campus events" according to Wright. However he stressed that discussions were equally constructive regardless of the turnout by residents. >> Above: The team visits Bankside Halls Comments made by residents spanned a wide range of issues, including queries about perceived inconsisten- cies in hall pamphlets, the existence of non-alcoholic social events in residences, the means of allocating tickets for public lectures, and the availability of kitchens for use by students. Students also voiced complaints against apparent "spamming" by societies, and proposed suggestions on how societies could improve communication with their members, for example through the use of the Twitter micro-blogging service. ' Student then enquired about governance structures within the Union, questioning the absence of a Men's Officer from the Union Executive Committee. Responding, Akpan-Inwang said that "women are paid, on average, 17% less than men", implying that they needed more protection and an additional voice that defended their interests. However, Fisher said that "we don't know why some things are the way they are, they just are," and that the upcoming Union governance review provided an opportunity for students to review their position on this issue. Fisher spoke about the need to improve inclusiveness and participation within the Union, noting that a number of students were put off from standing for elections into Union positions due to their nationality. "Singaporean students are literally spied upon by their embassy," he quipped. "We're breaking down the comments and suggestions made from each hall into relevant areas to take forward. As with other consultations on the governance review which have already been undertaken, these results will feed into ideas also. Some ideas can be implemented very quickly, whilst others will take longer to be realised (such as those associated with Orientation) but will nonetheless be fed into current discussions. A paper will be presented to Residences User Group next term on findings with direct relation to halls. A further consultation exercise is planned for Lent Term," said Wright. News News In Brief 5 17 November 2009 | The Beaver Will Hutton And the winner is: Cancellation Sam Tempest Keeping The controversial Miss LSE event will not be taking place this year. When asked about the reasons for the cancellation, no one from the company responsible for its organisation, 121 Entertainment, was available for comment. Last year the event sparked a national debate over beauty pageants and their place in society. This was after it was greeted by protests from students who claim beauty pageants of this kind represents misogynistic values. LSESU Women's officer Jessie Robinson welcomed news of the cancellation saying: "I'm sure that the success of previous feminist protests will have played a part in discouraging this event from recurring." "As women we are constantly bombarded with images of what we should look like. Women smiling down at us from Billboards, magazines, music videos, all brainwashing us with unachievable images of female 'perfection'. This should not be perpetuated in a university environment where we expect to be judged on intelligence and hard work alone." Reigning Miss LSE Keelin Gavaghan was less happy. She said: "Its a shame because, most importantly, the event was run for charity. The event was a ¦ great night out for those that went and particpated, but they are holding a Miss University of London in February, where a girl from LSE will probably take part, and hopefully people will go and support the good cause." Those involved in organising Miss LSE are yet to disclose the amount of its proceeds that were donated to charity. The event was advertised as being in aid of Cancer Research UK. When asked about this issue nobody from 121 was available for comment. Robinson added that "unfortunately the Miss University GB final will still be taking place in March, and we will need to continue campaigning against such pageants." Miss Uiversity GB is another beauty pageant which'has charitable motivations. It has been organised by the Joshua Foundation, a charity which aims to "provide holidays and experiences for children and their families, where the child is diagnosed with terminal cancer". >> Left: Winner of Miss LSE 2008 Keelin Gavaghan Sam Tempest Keeping Journalist and academic Will Hutton has claimed that Britain should place its future its economic future in the hands of entrepreneurs and scientists. During his talk "Them and Us: How capitalism without fairness is capitalism without a future" at the LSE last week Hutton blamed the "shadow banking system" that was allowed to develop by Margaret Thatcher as the reason for the country's current economic woes. He cited Rolls Royce as an example of the type of company which should be nurtured by the government. He postulated that a clear conception of fairness is a prerequisite for this to happen. His own definition, the explanation for which can be found in his upcoming book, was "due desert for discretionary effort." Such a concept needs to become one of the core values of this country he said. Otherwise disincentives will lead talented entrepreneurs to "simply fuck off to the city" and perpetuate the status quo, which could have disastrous consequences for the global community. PPPPut It Down An attempt to steal the recently reinstated penguin has been foiled. The incident happened early Saturday morning while the launch of 'Common People', the LSESU's new club night, was taking place. Two students and members of security on duty at the SU came across two thieves trying to prise the statue from its concrete base. Thankfully they managed to scare them off before they could be successfid. The original penguin, part of a donation of public art from a Canadian alumnus in 2006, was stolen in March last year. The aftermath saw an outpouring of grief from students and staff alike. While the original penguin has never been recovered or its assailants identified, rumours abound that it was the work of students from LSE's arcn rivals Kings College London. 6 The Beaver 117 November 2009 News Hilary Mantel speaks on "Rules of Evidence" Dominic Lam Hilary Mantel revealed how her relationship with LSE, which started almost 40 years ago, has shaped and influenced her career as a writer. Delivering a lecture on the topic "Rules of Evidence" last week, Mantel began by recollecting memories of her early years of studying. She was the first person in her family to receive higher education when she came to LSE to study law in 1970. "Coming to LSE was like coming into an intellectual paradise," she described. She used to think of the law faculty as a narrow place which produced people tailored to fit a system: "But LSE wasn't like that. There was a great sense of excitement in learning the law, and a keen awareness of how the law fitted into HO n I the wider society, which 1 never lost and which has informed a great part of my fiction." The novel An Experiment in Love published in 1995, written many years later with the "multiplying irony of hindsight", was based on her study here in 1970. Although LSE was never mentioned in the book, the atmosphere comes through the lines. Mantel studied at the LSE for only one year before moving to Sheffield to continue reading law. Then, in her twenties, she wrote her first novel A Place of Greater Safety, which was published later in 1992. "I suddenly found my vocation. I became a novelist without any great premeditation. It was my vocation, it was my obsession and it was all about lawyers," Mantel stated. Her works range from the historical to Photo: Natalie Wong the contemporary, and she explained her philosophy on rules of evidence when it comes to historical fiction: "I think every author of historical fiction formulates it for him/herself. Some people draw the line more strictly than others. I tend to draw it quite tightly about the facts that they are known. I stick to real situations. My characters are real people. But still there are gaps in the historical record and then the great question becomes: how much licehse do you take in filling them in? I try to put a version that is plausible and that could be true." She said she spends a lot of time making sure that her casts were actually in the places where she put them. "I don't distort the record to serve the drama. I try to wrap the drama around the facts as we have them. And when the record runs out, I am happiest if I have a little half line of documentary evidence to build my characters in situations with." This was illustrated by her reference to her latest novel Wolf Hall, which was mainly about Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII's chief minister from 1532 to 1540. The book brought her this year's Man Booker Prize. While doing research for the book, which she had written for five years, she found that personal details about Thomas Cromwell's early life were so scant, like "in a room of indiscover-able." "Thomas Cromwell's political career is extremely well documented, but his private life is almost entirely off the record. Much of his early life is a mystery. The Cromwell family was so obscure that we wouldn't know anything about circumstances of his early life at all if it weren't for the wonder of the legal records," Mantel continued, "The important part is knowing when a question is closed. When can you say we'll never find out anymore about this. From here we are licensed to imagine." "I've become aware that his own story had never been told, that's why I set up the novel from his point of view. Because you change the point of view, just everything looks different." Ms. Mantel then commented on the characters of her novel. Thomas Cromwell was historically pictured as a great administrator, but more than that, she regarded him as a great innovator, a man with a radical heart, and an advocate of modernization and simplification of the law. "In my novel, he isn't a villain. He is an ambitious man, in an age when ambition was a dirty word. And he was making his way in a world where he was bom with almost every possible disadvantage," she noted. Explaining what motivated her to write Wolf Hall, Mantel said she wished to provide "an alternative version" to Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons, which tells a similar story. This lecture was part of the "Law and Other Things" series, organised by the Department of Law. Pakistan: the eye of the storm Medeeha Ansari The ongoing military operation in northern Pakistan had been "massively mishandled", said BBC correspondent Owen Bennet-Jones in a public lecture on Monday 9th November. The event was organised by the Pakistan Society in collaboration with the Asia Research Centre, and was chaired by Professor Athar Husain. Bennett-Jones is an LSE alumnus and has recently completed the second edition of his book "Pakistan: The Eye of the Storm". The coverage of recent conflict in the region drew a diverse range of attendees to the lecture, which provided a clear analysis of the situation and the background leading up to it. Bennett-Jones systematically addressed the main issues associated with the region and the differences in how they were viewed in the East and West. The possession of the nuclear bomb, for instance, was largely condemned by the West, but there was no acknowledgement of the context: without an Indian bomb, there would be no Pakistani bomb. Without explicitly blaming either side, he mapped out the existence of conflict and the role of suspicion in bilateral relations. He also had a clear though unconventional stance on democracy in the country, saying that historically military governments had delivered more economic growth. When asked if there may have been other factors responsible for this growth, he responded that dictatorships brought stability "by sheer dint of being there for long periods of time". The third most important issue he raised was that of education. This, he implied, was the root cause of much of what was wrong. Only 1.3% of American aid after 9/11 was channelised into this sector, which was arguably in dire need of refoi^n. Article continued onpage7» It's not where you started, it's where you're going that matters. Just another day at the office for a high performer. '-Hseae Aaserasirs far a ztr-zz- Ahcrc variety of :p-1 u - i ti ax «n: eha lengca i -»mi to micc a alfTFc-a-e-a •=¦.¦;rv da-. A falaac f--z-z • a_ c*?™ develop yc-jr pe-:arriial ami p"=A p-afouia-a U, ab4 r-; a da fa en t ad easucx a-l- p. aae Ahera 0- zm- cam fra-Ti r-yr .invalee ocpcrierase, while hele npeu* p ebal a! c-ix ac-icve -i;- p:-fcTr*n:c, If iia a YjSur idea ef a eypiaa ^c-re -p day then £xccnfu*e a the plan 1a- fee. Sraduate Careers in Consult'n eeual app-aixifr-.u anrpte^xr accenture Photo: Jaynesh Pate] News 17 November 2009 1 The Beaver Why Superfreakonomics is fun EunittNe The US Secretaiy of Homeland Security Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner, best selling authors of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics, their follow up, spoke at the LSE last Monday. The night began with Levitt and Dubner telling the audience how they had met. Six years ago, Dubner had been assigned by die New York Times to profile Levitt, who was reluctant but agreed to the profiling "to make [his mother] happy." Eventually however, the two wanned to each other. ' Asked about how the two write together, Dubner replied: "[Levitt] does names and adjectives. I do verbs and adverbs. We fight viciously over prepositions." Professor Steve Pischke, who chaired the event, then asked why Freakonomics was "fun", when even popular books about economics were mostly about weight subjects. Dubner answered that it was mostly due to the fact that most books of economics concerned themselves with a single theme, whereas Freakonomics did not. Levitt further explained that the two had a "joint belief that storytelling is not a dirty word." While both of them put great effort into getting the facts and evidence right, they were keenly aware that their results had to be delivered in an accessible way. Asked whether Freakonomics was still without a theme, Dubner responded that though there was no unifying theme in its content, there was a "unifying outlook" there was still a common methodology to looking at the world. Levitt elaborated on this by saying this was mainly to ask questions that no one had asked, and to "look for conventional wisdom that doesn't stand up to data." Levitt and Dubner then spent the majority of the evening speaking about the controversy regarding their first book. The first issue addressed was Levitt's research about abortion and the crime rate in the US in the 1990s. Levitt concluded in the book that the lowered crime rate was due to the legalisation of abortion in the 1970s, which meant that women from poor communities did not have to have unwanted children who were the most likely candidates to become criminals. Detractors later pointed out that there was an error in Levitt's calculations. Levitt acknowledged that there was a programming error, but stated that this did not really affect the results. The second issue concerned Levitt and Dubner's proposal regarding climate change using carbon mitigation - to pump sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere to initiate rapid cooling of the earth. Levitt defended the proposal, saying that his facts were right: "People disliked the tone of our chapter. They disliked the conclusion, but I do not think that we got the science wrong." Levitt further stated that climate change research was often infused with an element of morality. He also mentioned that his proposal was only meant to buy the earth some time while science came to a more long term solution. The audience repeated many of Pischke's questions, with a few exceptions. One audience member asked whether Levitt and Dubner's work should have effect on public policy. Levitt was skeptical about this: "Political debates do not end up being about the facts." Another audience member asked what could be done to reconnect the public with economics after the credit crunch. Levitt replied that macro economics is very demanding, but there could be refocus away from "getting caught up with math". Dubner ended the night by asking Levitt to tell the audience the story of how he met the high class prostitute featured in the first chapter of Superfreakonomics. Levitt duly regaled tie audience with tales of how he had to let his wife know that he was meeting a call girl, and how he eventually invited her to give a lecture to his undergraduate students, only after promising to personally pay her hourly rate.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 traditional LSE baseball cap, and requested that she invite President Obama to the LSE whenever she was next at the White House. Karsenty discusses media bias Nicola Alexander In an event organised by the LSESU Israel Society, Philippe Karsenty spoke about bias against Israel in the French press last week. Karsenty focused on the court case he brought against the state-owned television network France 2 for airing, what he proved to be, fabricated footage of the shooting of Muhammad Al-Durrah, a young Palestinian boy, and his father Jamal in the Gaza strip. With Osama Bin Laden using France 2's reported shooting of Al-Durrah as part of the motive to behead American journalist American Daniel Pearl, Karsenty's case on the credibility of the news cast has attracted intense international concern, As the founder of media watchdog 'Media Ratings', Karsenty is well experienced at identifying the manipulation of fact in the modem press and, as he revealed during his presentation, as viewers we have an obligation to maintain a level of scepticism when it comes to the reporting of news. Karsenty stressed the importance for us, as the general public to hold those who are in the powerful position of controlling the information we receive accountable by actively calling them to justice. Indeed, at the time that the footage was first played on national television Karsenty himself was merely among the millions of France 2's viewers. Prompted by a German documentary which revealed disparities between the footage that was aired and the media commentary of the tape as reported by Charles Enderlin - "the most respected Middle-Eastern correspondent in France", Karsenty suspended his career as a stockbroker to take up a legal case against France 2. Although the case was initially ruled in favour of France 2 in 2004, on appeal Karsenty revealed further evidence to overturn the primary ruling with the case judge of the French Court of Justice admitting that France 2 had been unable to produce consistent evidence. Karensty incorporated part of his legal argument into his 40-minute talk, identifying what he deemed to be weaknesses in the story that was presented by France 2. The key point of contention was the reliability of the raw footage. According to Karensty who bought 18 minutes of the originally 27-minute long tape from France 2, there is evidence that the footage was edited in a way that was misleading by manipulating sounds such as machine gun fire and cutting the tape prematurely. Although Karsenty did not reveal who he thought was behind the filming of the tape, he made clear that fabricated footage on both sides of the conflict in Gaza will always be available - as most of the raw material received is shot by local journalists who are emotionally involved in the situation. However, as Karsenty argued, the ultimate responsibility lies with the news stations: "They are not forced to buy this rubbish." Whilst the talk dealt mainly with Karsenty's case on the Muhammed Al-Durrah film, Karsenty drew on key issues that are relevant to media in general regardless of subject matter. Indeed, Karsenty raised the crucial issue of politi-cisation of the media, which he argued should be an objected vessel for relaying information. "Now it's political", stated Karsenty when explaining how he had been snubbed by the Israeli Ambassador to Paris. Karsenty made clear that he believed media regarding the Middle East is becoming increasingly desperate for sensationalism, so that stories remain unique. The Karsenty's case remains an issue of great relevance and is being taken to Cour de Cassation, France's highest court, by France 2. Pakistan article continued » Several of those who were present questioned his analysis of the madrassa system, which he insisted was in need of major revamping in order to produce well-rounded, integrated individuals. In all, Bennet-Jones provided a fair assessment of a highly controversial situation. Putting several conspiracy theories in perspective, he stressed the need for all parties to shoulder their share of the responsibility. After all, he said, "To say that this is entirely America's war overlooks alot of Pakistani dead." LSE closer to implementing SRI PriaBakhshi The LSESU met with the LSE Investments Committee last week to discuss the development of a socially responsible investment policy. The Beaver reported two weeks ago that the LSESU would be meeting with the School to consider how its current investment policy could be amended in order to be more ethically sound. The LSESU believed.that the main issue was the lack of clarity on what is really meant by "ethical" or "socially responsible". As a result, it was decided last week that a representative committee should be created in order to arrive at a definition of these terms. The LSESU will therefore be submitting a proposal for such a committee to Council around the end of this month. It is hoped that creating a clear definition of "ethical" will enable the committee to create a list of guiding principles of the School on investments, so that they have a clear framework in which to work when researching potential investments. In addition, the committee will be able to make investment recommendations - although the authority to approve investment decisions will remain with Council. In its proposal for a committee on socially responsible investment, the LSESU will emphasise that the committee should consist of the key stakeholders of investments at LSE. These include students, alumni, academics, administrative staff, and governors. While the above will be able to vote on any outputs of the committee, there is also scope for it to have non-voting members with more professional and academic experience, who would perform a more advisory function. LSESU Treasurer George Wetz felt that "School administrators on the whole really seem to be for the idea" of the committee on socially responsible investments. He cited the appearance of the School's Director, Howard Davies, at last week's UGM, as Davies showed support for the plan and stated his belief that LSE should not invest in the arms trade. Before the November Council meeting, the LSESU will have to finalise the composition of the committee and how its members are to be chosen. In addition it will be necessary to have further discussions on research and whether further research into SRI is required before submitting a proposal to Council. SESU General Secretary Aled Dilwyn Fisher explained that "an active investment policy will be necessary to satisfy student demand for LSE to be more ethical in its investments. However we [the SU] are cognizant of difficulties faced by the School in implementing such a policy and as such are willing to move slowly." Wetz agreed that the development of SRI and LSE may be slow, but was keen to add that "progress is being made. We want to see something concrete in place by the end of this academic year." 8 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Advertisement know what time pulse 90s WEEK EES (www.pulse.dj) 17 November 20091 The Beaver The Beaver Established in 1949 Issue No. 714 Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk A tame duck We were right in declaring issue after issue that life on Houghton Street seem much calmer this year: inquorate UGMs, quieter campaigns, even somewhat thawed tensions, between traditionally warring societies. We were hopeful, however, about Howard Davies' appearance at the UGM, expecting the same overcharged political opponents and dissatisfied masses of students. Even this highly lauded termly appearance however, was a slight letdown. With even the toughest questions, our Director seemed to receive adoring praise. Students seemed convinced by his predictable, rehearsed responses. Beyond being simply 'convinced', the Old Theatre was filled with the sounds of hearty applause on several occasions. It is true that the Director did not make any grotesque slip-ups, and no one was accused of being loss-making. Mojre important than his improved sense of political correctness, though, is the fact that Howard's eager audience seemed very easily placated. Amidst all that is going oh at the LSE; the fact that our rankings are still slowly but surely slipping, our facilities slowly degrading and the future of fees still uncertain, it certainly seems that the Director got off fairly lightly. With the Union's entire political structure up in the air given the upcoming governance review, perhaps the UGM is not the best way to engage with our esteemed Director. Whatever lies in the future of the Union, the fact remains that this was a prized opportunity for any concerned student. A prized opportunity that was somewhat squandered away with somewhat poorly researched questions and a willingness to be easily quelled by rhetoric. Howard got off lightly this time. We hope this does not herald a new dawn of student-administration relations, as this paper believes that only when students actively and consistently push for improvement, will this institution be one that we are unequivocally proud of. Future of fees a farce Last Wednesday, Union officials launched a call to arms for LSE students to rally against MPs and demand that they "come clean about their position on fees and the future of higher education." The rally was intended to pressure MPs into signing a pledge promising to vote against a hike in university top-up fees, and to press the government to find a "fairer" alternative funding model. More than 60 MPs were summoned to the National Union of Students' (NUS) rally in Westminster Palace. Yet for all the hype surrounding the event, less than 10 LSE students found the courage - or the will - to present themselves at the occasion. The LSESU lost a precious opportunity to directly lobby MPs over fees, and to demonstrate the anger and concerns of students en masse. The future of higher education is vital to the future of the LSE. Although the top-up fees primarily concern domestic and EU undergraduates, they have a clear implication on international and postgraduate students, all of whom are part of the larger debate relating to higher education financial reform. The Beaver is utterly disappointed to have been a witness to this tragic development. When the NUS first announced its call for emergency action in Parliament last Monday, just hours before our final publishing deadline, we scrambled to gather any relevant information and urgently wrote a piece that was eventually published on our front page. The sabbatical officers, on their part, tried to make their voices heard through Facebook groups and appearances on Pulse radio shows, encourag- ing students to come along and fight for an issue that should concern all of us. We firmly believe this matter to be of utmost importance. The Beaver has been a leading voice in criticising Union and School officials for their failure to take strong, robust action in promoting student welfare and interests. And while we continue to hold them accountable, students ourselves have an immediate responsibility to take charge of our own affairs. We cannot rely on "the authorities that may be" to shape our future. Organised student protests have histori- cally been an effective means of inspiring and triggering change, dating back to the Great Butter Rebellion, which took place at Harvard University in 1766 - the first recorded student protest in what is now the United States. And as we look into the future, plenty of opportunities remain available for us to embrace and exploit in our favour. The Union is in the midst of a governance review, and the nation is in the midst of political turmoil, in anticipation of next year's general election. Whatever your political colour or stripe, we urge you: get involved. hhhbi 10 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Comment Qut of Africa, into Aldwych? Unlikely Though there is a clear demand for an undergraduate course in African histoiy, myriad external forces are preventing it from becoming a realistic possibility Investment banking is much like a hamburger Don't let the LSE's narrow-minded careers advice shackle your dreams Poorna Harjani Conformity lies in replicating similar behavioral styles in accordance with prevailing attitudes, customs, or beliefs of others. Here at the LSE this is done in small groups but perpetuated through the university itself. Think about how many people you see in their sharp-suited attire during the day attending consultancy fairs, meetings with Deutsche Bank in Starbucks and after class hours on campus. While being accosted in my first week with questions on how my internship applications were going, I soon learnt of the 'Big Four'. This is the moniker given to the most prominent 'professional services' firms that the archetypal LSE student applies for. Unsurprisingly, there are similar hierarchical codes for banking and consultancy firms. Such likeness in students' career aspirations isn't necessarily an evil to society or a damaging one. It can have a positive influence, helping to maintain a smoothly functioning university and greater harmony. However, investment banking has become a borderline cultural obsession at the LSE and there is a growing minority who feel like second-class citizens, when considering the extent to which the School caters for budding investment bankers. Recently I was enthused to attend a talk by Lord Maurice Saatchi, hoping to hear great stories from the advertisement guru, only to be disappointed to have to sit through a debate centred on Marxism. This is just one example of how most public talks are solely catered towards an economics perspective regardless of the guest speaker's diverse interests. Then there's the Careers Service's website. When I tried looking for government-sponsored internships, I was taken to a site with links I could have googled myself. So why do people conform in the first place, and who is to blame at the LSE? In general terms, people conform to derive a sense of security. The LSE's conformist environment is strangely reminiscent of McDonald's Hamburger University, which was started in 1961 to cater to the growing needs of an expanding McDonalisation of the world. Both relatively modern institutions, LSE and the Hamburger University are known to be centres of global excel- I see myself as the 'Che' of LSE; one of the few at LSE who will end up pushing for government policies lence in their specialised fields - one for fast food; the other for banking. Burgers are always a fast food one inevitably regrets indulging in and, similarly, the true nature of an investment banking job is not reflected in its salary. The long hours into the night, coupled with regular assessments, mean graduates are constantly in danger of burning out. LSE itself is to blame for its close relations with the banking industries which do not benefit everyone, and maybe this is reflected in Howard Davies' background at the FSA. Whatever happened to true passions and childhood dreams? LSE kills any entrepreneurial spirit by subjecting its new recruits to banking banners, advertisements, leaflets, and emails from the moment they first step into the Quad. It is not that investment banking is a wholly detestable industry to go into: on the plus side, it is fast-paced, challenging, and those who can cope with the environment can reap hefty monetary awards. My gripe is that though the possession of an LSE degree should mean that for most students, the world is their oyster, too many revel in narrow-mindedness. With the possibility of being so easily swept up in an investment banking culture very few have time to realise their true passions. A colleague of mine travelled to Thailand this summer, and, having realised that the corporate lifestyle was overrated, and managed to be saved in time from the big sharks. Maybe some of us want to work somewhere where we don't have to 'buy' more holidays; be constantly monitored; wear sensible heels. History has shown that an unwillingness to conform can lead to social rejection and criticism from peers. However, I believe in the spirit of individuality, that we all have something new and different to bring to the plate. I see myself as the 'Che' of LSE; one of the few at LSE who will end up pushing for government policies, working for NGOs, or teaching in a failing school. LSE has the potential to give its students a wider interest in career fields; perhaps we should turn to atypical alumni who will give the School an edge. If the current cultural trend continues then LSE will become the Hamburger University of the banking world, churning out graduates with a single industry in mind. In the words of Christopher Morley, "There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." So abandon the Big Four, because in my world, I can whittle it down to a three-, word sentiment: Never ever conform. Dominic Lieven I welcome Philip Rushworth's pjece on African history at LSE for two main reasons. In the first place it is important that departments are open to suggestions about improvements in their teaching programmes and at the same time have the opportunity to explain to students and others why the current programmes exist and the constraints under which we operate. Secondly, I strongly endorse his comment that "without history, it is impossible to comment on Africa's politics". And of course, not Africa's alone: Iraq and Afghanistan are obvious recent examples where history might have served policy-makers well. I don't believe that all history teaching at LSE must be "relevant" to current issues and designed to educate future policymakers. An education in history is also all about developing the imagination, getting students to think outside assumptions rooted in their own time and space, and training people to evaluate evidence. But perceived "relevance" does also matter greatly, not least because historians depend on public interest, taxes and fees. But Mr. Rushworth's article is not entirely fair. The International History Department does have a specialist on Africa, Dr Joanna Lewis, who teaches a specifically Africa-related MA course, supervises more undergraduate dissertations (Africa-related) than almost any other member of the department, and gets as many weeks as possible on Africa into the general survey courses she teaches on world history, the British Empire and other topics. The reason she teaches an 'African' course at MSc but not at undergraduate level is that, when she was appointed, the strongest demand for African history came from our masters students. Actually, I take the calls (which I have also received from others during my two brief months in the International History Department) for more teaching on African history as a compliment to the skill and commitment shown by Joanna, which has contributed to encouraging students to want more on Africa. Nevertheless, the article is also not entirely unfair. We have undergraduate courses on Europe, East Asia, India, the USA and the Middle East, and we have just succeeded in plugging our long-standing gap as regards the teaching of Latin American history. So Africa is an obvious gap at undergraduate level. Of course in an ideal world, we would go to the School to ask for a new post on the basis both of clear student demand and of the undoubted importance and intellectual fascination of African history. But the School - for good reasons - has rejected any increase in student numbers (the traditional way of financing new jobs) and in the current financial climate LSE is in no position to set up new posts from existing resources. Exploring the possibility of externally-funded posts might seem a cop- out to your readers but actually I did just help to get £500,000 for Russian history from a splendid outside donor committed to that country. So this is not a totally hopeless strategy and if any of your readers has any ideas or contacts which might help us in this respect they will get our strong thanks and cooperation. Realistically, however, much the likeliest way to meet undergraduate • requests for a course on African history is to somehow re-jig existing resources. That is where the trouble begins. It would take much more than eight hundred words to explain the many and contradictory pressures on heads of departments when it comes to meeting (sometimes changeable) student demands, managing the extreme and destructive impact for historians of the government's funding of research, and operating within tight personnel and financial constraints. One key point is that academics need to accumulate great expertise in their fields to have credibility with colleagues and students. They also (more or less) have tenure. Even if interest in Russia fades, you cannot kick out Lieven overnight or re-deploy him to teach African histoiy. He would kick and scream if you tried, and in any case no one would take his teaching seriously. Can I promise Mr. Rushworth that we will soon provide an undergraduate course in African history? The answer is no, and not just because I'm writing this response on my own behalf and not as head of department, and in any case such decisions are made by the department as a whole, not by its head. I can't create resources out of nothing, ignore immense student demand in other areas (e.g. the Middle East), or turn myself into an Africanist. But I can promise that I will bring the issue raised by Mr. Rushworth to colleagues' attention and that I personally will see whether there might be ways to set up an undergraduate course on African history by re-deploying existing resources and seizing any future opportunities to strengthen ourselves in this field. • Dominic Lieven is a Professor of Russian History in the Department of International History. He is also the head of the department. Comment 11 17 November 2009 i The Beaver Ail's great enemy is ignorance Attempts to criticise the School's investment in art fail on both artistic and practical grounds Gregor Titorelli Whenever I have that rare privilege of walking through the New Academic Building (it is meant mainly for Managers and Lawyers, we are told), I feel just a tiny bit cleaner than I did before I entered. I don't mean to say the good old harmless NAB has any mystical properties; that would be absurd. But at a purely emotional level, I can't deny that it makes me feel just a bit more reconciled with the world; as if the identity I am expected to assume, as a captive of a post-industrial capitalist society, has just been reaffirmed. Now I'm no scientist, but I imagine this is most probably due to Joy Gerrard's terrific work, Elenchus-Aporia, which is to be found suspended in the central atrium of the building. The artist herself has claimed that the hanging structural red globe 'represents ideas or discussions around political concepts.' But it would be a grave folly to pay too much attention to the opinion of artists. After all, they are just trying to justify their work in order to recover some semblance of creative authority over it. And as we well know, while it is the artist's conscious self that plans, designs and fashions a work, often the final product is more a result of the murmurings of her unconscious, that unfathomable yearning, that irrevocable and irreproachable silence within. It is in this that Elenchus-Aporia's true beauty is to be discovered. Some have claimed that it means nothing (This, of course, is entirely irrelevant to the question of the piece's worth: art isn't about rational deductions and deliberate messages, but genuine feeling. If it has no capacity to arouse emotions, then it is, undeniably, absolutely worthless). Such an accusation reveals more about the critic than the critiqued. All it succeeds in doing is unveiling the accuser's masked philistinism and boasting her intellectual debility. The meaning of Elenchus-Aporia is rather clear. The title of the work alludes to the Socratic method of teaching through critical cross-examination. As Socrates tried and tested his often-unwilling victims, they would gradually descend into a state of utter confusion (Aporia), realising the contradictions and inconsistencies in their thought. He reduced their certitude to doubt, and therefore prompted many of them to reconsider their views and search for truth. The work itself of course, captures the essence of the notion of seemingly insoluble intellectual and spiritual impasse in physical form. This is not to be explained, but felt. The great English Renaissance dramatist, Ben Jonson, once claimed that art's great enemy was ignorance. He does have a point. But if ignorance is its enemy, its nemesis must surely be unfeeling; that insurmountable pandemic that afflicts generation after generation of us in post-industrial capitalist society. How can we truly feel, when we feel the world through preconceived ranges of emotion? How can we truly see when we see the world through the lens of a vast array of preconceived images? How can we free ourselves from the shackles of preconception? And do we want to? In our Brave New World, Elenchus-Aporia elevates us to the heights of Aporia. Through its own banality, it has the potential to make us acutely aware of the purpose of education. Contrary to popular belief, it is not there solely to equip us with an opportunity for lucrative future employment; It is there to remind us that the meaning of life is far from clear, and we must dedicate our own existences to searching for it, rather than allowing the question to subside amidst the Totalitarianism of Kitsch. This used to be the sole purpose of the institution of the University, but alas, times have changed. And how could a discussion of new artwork at the LSE take place without a mention of Michael Brown's Bluerain, that often-invisible news-tickerish piece above 'the other entrance' of Water-stone's? The light-emitting diodes that make up the work are said to spell out the names of books being searched, checked in and checked out of the library. The piece is intended to reflect the 'research' going on in the library itself: as we see title after title of excessively bookish, often convoluted scholarship, almost entirely detached from reality, we cannot help but ask ourselves fundamental questions as to the worth of our reams and reams of'learning.' In its simplicity, does the piece not simply echo the words of the great mystic-poet Kabir, who proclaimed that 'Reading books everyone died/None became any wiser'? The school now appears to stand for everything, yet actually stands for nothing. Is this not exactly what our new acquisitions represent? Of course, I joke. Neither Elenchus-Aporia nor Bluerain are intended to convey any such meanings or arouse any such emotions. They are, perhaps, entirely meaningless. But then again, they have been produced by two well-regarded artists, and according to Howard Davies, cost the student absolutely nothing, having been donated by the school's benefactors. What's to complain about? Claims of LSE's new investments not fitting the 'personality' of the school are far-fetched and implausible. Should art at LSE really represent the central tenets of the institution? And what exactly are these tenets? Do they even exist? And if not, would we even want them to? LSE's days as a hotbed of student radicalism or Fabian socialism are long gone. The school now tries to appear to stand for everything, yet actually stands for nothing. Is this not exactly what our new acquisitions represent? Do they not just endorse the principle values of the society in which we live and the institution which nourishes us? What harm in that? They are both beautiful and tragic: odes to the fatuity of our existences: at one sight, grim, at another, glorious. Ultimately, we would do well to remember that art does not exist in a vacuum independent of greater power structures within society. It is almost entirely the product of the Zeitgeist. Both of LSE's masterpieces, and masterpieces they certainly are, illustrate the fundamental vacuity of our times, the totalitarianism of kitsch. That is their purpose, and by god, is it beautiful. 12 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Comment Lewinsky Estelle Cooch A rise in tuition fees should never be the way of securing greater funding for universities Last week, with his characteristically smarmy grin, the not so 'Right Honourable' Lord Peter Mandelson launched the long-expected review of the university tuition fees system. The review panel includes two university Vice Chancellors, a former civil servant, the chief executive of Standard Chartered bank, an economist and a student. The panel will be led by Baroh Browne of Madingley,: the former chief executive of BP and one of the most highly paid executives in the UK with a remuneration package of approximately £5.7 million in 2004. A more motley crew could not be found. About as suitable for investigating Higher Education as George Bush is at running a Pretzel Theme Park, the outcome of the review will most likely result in the doubling of tuition fees in Britain to over £7,000 per year. There are a number of arguments to address regarding fees. The most prevalent is that with the expansion of universities there exists neither the resources nor the funds to provide for the influx of students. This completely misses the point. Since the beginning of organised education systems, central to their goal was the view that education was in itself a positive thing. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries women and the working class fought for their right to education, arguing that education ought not to be a privilege for those that can afford it, but that it should be a right for all. The education system provides one of the most important public services for our society and, just as the NHS should remain free and accessible on demand, so should education. When Lord Mandelson introduced the fees review he declared, "Variable tuition fees provide institutions with a secure income stream worth £i.3bn'." Well, I'm sorry Peter, but that argument is just not good enough. The money to fund Higher Education already exists; it is purely a question of priorities. Is public money better spent on the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, which cost the taxpayer over £4.5 billion last year, or is it better spent paying lecturers? Is the £18 billion due to be spent on ID cards worth more to Britain than the education of all young people? Of course not. Since the 1980s we have seen the rapid marketisation of the education system. Those supporting tuition fees argue say that the public should not be forced to : pay for 'middle-class welfare' and that students represent a privileged elite. In : effect if students will earn more as a result of a degree, they should pay for it. This argument is wrong on two accounts. Firstly it ignores the fact that most students are now from a variety of backgrounds: working-class, female, multi-ethnic. But secondly, behind this argument lies a very cynical view of education; that it is only there to make money. The government is willing to fund education if it means getting a skilled workforce that will keep British businesses competitive, but it is not willing to pay for people to learn about the world around them, to become critical thinkers who can question authority. Last Thursday, the Director, Howard Davies, addressed the Students' Union General Meeting. I asked him how much his wages were and unsurprisingly he declined to comment. The average university director currently receives £194,000 a year. The wages of the highest ten Directors in the UK amounts to over £3 million- that's enough to fund the university education of 350 students. I know which one I think is a more worthwhile investment. Over the next year the government will peddle many myths while they argue for an increase of tuition fees. Let's not be fooled. The money to fund Higher Education exists; it is just a matter of forcing the richest, most privileged in society to give it up. Cuirie David Whitaker The contribution graduates make to the economy means elevated tuition fees are unjustifiable The increasingly likely prospect of higher tuition fees for students-has been met with a disappointing response from the UK Conservative Party. Both Lord Mandelson and David Willetts - the Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills - have signalled that their respective parties would not stand in the way of higher fees. An American system of unlimited fees may even be possible in the future. The damaging and notorious U-turn on tuition fees by the Conservatives leaves the Liberal Democrats as the only major UK party opposing tuition fees in all forms. This must change. As both a student and a Conservative supporter, I would normally find my dual loyalties tested on this divisive issue; whilst I would oppose higher fees, I consider universities to be businesses, selling degrees as products; free to set their own prices and quality. However, universities are much more than that. They supply the economy with the next generation of high-skilled workers and are a major source of innovation. Last year the higher education. sector spent some £19.5 billion on goods and services produced in the UK. That is why deterring students (particularly those from low-income backgrounds) with higher fees would be disastrous for Britain's long term economic prospects, and would make a mockery of the Government's target of getting 50 per cent of young people into higher education. While the average undergraduate currently expects debts of £23,000 upon graduation, this figure could rise to an estimated £32,000 if fees rose to £7,000, saddling an already indebted generation with an even greater burden. In addition, no-one has tried to address the issue of how students can expect to assess value for money with higher fees. The Conservatives have clearly got it wrong on this issue. Whereas students at LSE will have no doubt been exposed to strong arguments against tuition fee rises, the debate is supported on both sides. Vice-Chancellors across the country have advocated higher . fees as the only viable means to support their finances (the other options of recruiting more international students, or increasing endowments, were deemed : unviable). There is also a common view that taxpayers are fed up of subsidising the education of future high-eamers. Government Advisor Professor John Hol-: man, who advises ministers on science, suggests that it is 'difficult' to see how university quality could be maintained without higher fees. Unfortunately, the last point falls into the trap of using fees as a proxy for quality or efficiency. Clearly an alternative needs to be found, rather than simply milking students, and the Conser-: vatives need to address this. Therefore, instead of blithely fol- lowing the Government's lead on tuition fees, the Conservatives should diligently promote an alternative to higher fees; order vice-chancellors to improve the efficiency of their universities and to change their business models if finances are to be improved. An example of this policy might be to use university buildings more efficiently, rather than simply paying for new buildings. The Resource Development International (RDI), an independent provider of degree courses, advocates spreading learning over 52 weeks (instead of 36) and offering a more flexible model for learning as a means to keep fees low. The RDI also believes that any fee hike would not reflect higher quality. So there are alternative ways to keep fees low. If the Conservatives do not act on tuition fees, the only result will be a disenfranchised and debt-ridden generation of students and continued inefficiency in universities. Civil society is great society There is greater consensus about the role of the voluntary sector than we might think Arundhati Pal There are plans afoot in the Tory camp for a remaking of society; the solution to Britain's chief problem, that government is too big and civil society not big enough. David Cameron urged for a shift towards individual responsibility rather than the current culture of expectation produced by the welfare state. There is a call for the involvement of voluntary, community and charity organisations to enable the withdrawal of the state. The argument goes that the nanny state has dehumanised society to the point of "selfishness and individualism". There has been, according to Cameron, a "moral failure" of Labour's welfare state. The rhetoric in both camps is strong. The Work & Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has branded the Tory plans as Thatcherism under a new guise. Labour is asserting that the concurrent Tory politics of state withdrawal and tax cuts for the wealthiest is a return to 19th century liberalism. This will leave the poorest and the most vulnerable on the margins of society. Cooper asserts that the idea of the state's withdrawal is not viable; "The voluntary and community sector play a vital role in tackling poverty, but they cannot do it alone." Cameron's label of the Big Society reforms are reminiscent of President Johnson's Great Society programme in the 1960s. Johnson too wanted the 'community in action' to frame the War on Poverty so that those affected had a say. There was, however, a vast dispensation of state resources: $1 billion in 1964, $2 _ billion over the next two years. Crucially, 'socialised medicine', however limited, came within America's polity framework: Medicare and Medicaid. The Great Society, many argued, demonstrated that government as a vehicle for solving social problems was a myth. Yet figures from the time show that the number of Americans living below the poverty line was dramatically halved. The orthodoxy is that the Republican administration of Richard Nixon dismantled the centrepiece of the War on Poverty - the Office of Economic Opportunity, and with it the Great Society. Yet, Nixon mandated automatic cost of living rises for those receiving social security and developed the likes of the Great Society's Model Cities programme. There is more consensus than initially apparent from the battle of ideologies. Here, then, is the lesson for current British politics. Cameron's asser- tion that the state needs to be utilised to remake society is much akin to President Johnson's state-engineered Great Society. This rather unexceptional Tory conception of civil society resonates with Cooper's statement on the necessary interaction of the state and civil society. Consensus politics is what dominated 20th century Britain - take the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), created by the Conservatives under Major to revamp ailing public services and welcomed enthusiastically by Blair. Private contractors footing the bill for constructing hospitals, schools and the like and then renting them back to the public sector ensured provision of service and freed up limited public funding. While the language is distinct - Labour's 'merger' and the Conservatives' 'efficient value creation for tax-payers', the idea is the same. There is a danger, then, in buying into an apparent battle of ideas where there is actually none. Letters to the Editor Madam - I am the new Head of the Disability & Well-being Service and work in very close collaboration with the Accommodation Office. I am sorry to hear of the difficulties experienced by two students around kitchen access and nut allergy. Staff from the Disability & Well-being office and Accommodation Office have met to discuss the issues raised in The Beaver and we will continue to work together, with staff in residences, to ensure effective liaison. One of the incidents reported raised the very serious issue of nut allergies. As a result of this, I am having discussions with staff and SU officers in the LSE about running an awareness-raising campaign about food allergies, and hope that the Beaver may be able to help. I am very keen to receive student feedback so that we can work together to continuously improve the services we offer. Best wishes, Nicola Martin Head of Disability and Well -being Service Madam - Having recently completed an MA in the History of International Relations, I would have liked to have left my university in high spirits. Unfortunately, that is becoming increasingly difficult. I have had a great year, I have met some amazing people, made good friends, learned interesting things and have been taught by some amazing professors. Although concerning that last part, it's a pity I only had 120 hours of formal teaching over the entire October 2008 to September 2009 period: in some respects, it was more like a honie-schooling than a taught master's degree. But I'm being overly fussy, I'm sure. Anyway, I handed in my dissertation in a very good mood but since then, that mood has dampened a bit. First of all, we were informed that there would be no results until mid-November, which due to delays is now more the end of November: a good five months after we finished our exams. Until then, most departments do not give provisional marks - an excellent start in the worst graduate job market for decades. But that's not even what gets me most. It is not even the fact that our department gave us the wrong graduation date, meaning that many parents had booked flights for the wrong days and had to re-book at substantial cost. No, the thing that annoys me most is the fact that for the privilege of attending their offspring's graduation, our parents have to pay £20 per person. Excuse me?! I thought that a graduation ceremony was an integral part of studying, not solne kind of Ryanair extra for which you have to pay more. Or was it just me who failed to get that memo? So let me just get this straight. After paying a substantial sum in tuition fees; after having a small number of classes in return; after having spent most of the past five months waiting for results, I have to pay £40 so that my parents can sit in a theatre for my five seconds on stage to receive my degree and have a glass of cheap bubbly afterwards? Sorry, but that's just not on. Henk van Klaveren MA History of International Relations '09 Madam -1 wonder why, with all the empty seats at UGM every week, there is a gaggle of people standing and heckling at the side of the stage all the time? Are they too busy doing God knows what, to notice that the good people of LSE have provided plenty of seats to sit on? Or do they have piles? For the latter problem, I direct them to aisle two of the Boots on Kingsway! Mazida Khatun BSc Government '10 YOUR LETTERS SPELL comment (a)thebeavei,online.co.uk Ll I 14 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Features Leaving on a jet plane Ali Auda discusses the seemingly unexpected emergence of Iraq as a holiday spot The Ancient land of Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers, the cradle of civilisation. Before the pyramids existed, a thriving civilization had already developed and established itself between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is modern day southern Iraq. The country is, therefore, dotted with historical and religious sites from the north to the south. Last week the chairman of Iraq's tourism board, Hammoud al-Yaqoubi, made an official trip to Britain to promote Iraq as a suitable place for sightseeing. The first stop is Mosul. This city is rich in old historical places and ancient buildings: churches, mosques, castles, and monasteries. The Mosul Museum contains many artefacts from the former Assyrian capital cities of Nineveh and Nimrud. Also, located in Mosul is Saint Elijah's Monastery which happens to be Iraq's oldest monastery, dating from the sixth centuiy. Until the onset of the Iraq War, Christian pilgrims continued to visit the ruins. Moreover, here also exists mosques containing the burial site of the Prophet Yunus (or Jonah), Prophet Jerjis (or George) and the Umayyad Mosque. Each has biblical and historic significance for any prospective visitor. Before moving off to Baghdad, one must stop in Erbil (or Hawler), a city which can be dated to at least the twenty-third century BC. This city is located within Iraqi Kurdistan and the main feature is the gigantic ancient city which still dominates the centre of Erbil. An interesting fact about Erbil is that the Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III of Persia in 331 BC, took place about one hundred kilometres (sixty miles) west of Erbil. Baghdad, located on the River Tigris, is Iraq's largest city, and the second largest, after Cairo, in the Arab World. It dates back to the 8th century and was once the centre of the Muslim world. Some of the most famous and well known monuments located in Baghdad include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Hands of Victory arches. Mustansiriya School dates back to the thirteenth century and is regarded very highly in Iraq and beyond. Many of the One Thousand and One Nights tales are set in Baghdad. Travelling south to Babylon, one can appreciate the thought provoking ruins of the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which With all these historical and religious sites it is almost inevitable that tourists will start booking their package holidays to Iraq symbolise King Nebuchadnezzar II's love and devotion to his wife. The city is famous because of King Hammurabi who is known for codifying the laws of Babylonia into the Hammurabi's Code which has had a lasting influence on legal thought today. In Karbala and Najaf, one can encounter some of the most important religious shrines for Shiite Muslims. The golden shrines of Imam Ali, Hussain and Abbas (A.S.) are located here. Already, these places attract millions of religious tourists from the rest of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon and the Gulf States. The shrines at night are an amazing array of colourful lights, water fountains and a lively atmosphere. Due to Iraq's once thriving Jewish community there continues to be places located in southern Iraq that is of great importance to the Judaism. One of the most important is in a small town called A1 Kifl where Jews believe the tomb of the biblical prophet Ezekiel is located. On the walls inside the tomb there are Hebrew scripts under a dome with medieval Islamic floral designs. Up till the mid-20th centuiy, up to 5,000 Jews used to come to the tomb during Passover. Finally, we end our journey in Basra, near the Shatt Al-Arab waterway, which used to be known as the 'Venice of the Middle East' due to its extensive network of canals. This is the hometown of Sinbad the Sailor and the proposed location of the Garden of Eden. A truly beautiful city sitting on the banks of the Persian Gulf. With all these historical and religious sites it is almost inevitable that tourists will start booking their package holidays to Iraq. It is starting to happen at a slow pace. Here in the UK, Geoffrey Hann, head of Hinterland Travel, was in charge of the first group of eight adventurous people who toured Iraq in March of this year. It is reported that he has already taken bookings for several trips next year. Having said that, Iraq's situation is sadly still precarious, with terrorists attempting to destabilise the country's fledgling democracy through violence. As a result of this, bomb attacks still occur and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office still advises against all but necessary travel to the country. Only time will tell when Iraq becomes the new tourist hub of the Middle East. It certainly has the potential, and then some. Features 15 17 November 2009 | The Beaver Rediscovering resilience * Poorna Harjani examines how Mumbai has responded to the terrorist attacks of last year Terror can come in any guise, be it a bombshell, a land mine or a bullet from an AK-47, and its wrath knows of no boundaries. In today's world terrorism has become a weapon of fear and a daily ingredient of headline news. We see its occurrence on TV, and yet being so desensitised, we cany on eating our dinners. Yet occasionally, a moment of news stuns us as it happens and that moment remains more than just a fleeting image. During last year's November attacks my cousin was changing the window display at Louis Vuitton and I spoke to her as the Dome of the Taj was up in flames. Luckily she was rescued in time by the army, ten minutes before the invasion into the Chambers. The day after two relatives of mine were found dead in the Oberoi hotel after a romantic dinner, leaving two young children orphaned. Yet terrorism targets indiscriminately and has changed the nature of combat, bringing a new meaning to 'total war'. It is the nature of the attacks that distinguishes them from its predecessors. The militants targeted iconic symbols such a the majestic Gateway of India, the luxurious Taj hotel and the headquarters of Mumbai's Central Railways, Victoria Terminus. It targeted the city's political and business classes as well as the cultural glitterati. For an elite that almost always emerges unscathed from violence in the country, the attack came as a cold wake up to the realities of the modern era. Also, going after foreigners guaranteed attention in the global spotlight. The attacks were forewarned by a The terrorists confiscated Blackberrys in order to go onto global news websites like CNN and BBC so they could find out what action the military and police were taking local fisherman, who alerted the authorities after seeing a suspicious boat which was carrying the terrorists from sea. This warning was duly ignored. The terrorists confiscated Blackberrys in order to go onto global news websites like CNN and BBC, so they could find out what action the military and police were taking on the outside. Having found out that the military were evacuating a hoard of people from the Taj Chambers they went with their guns to manically shoot everyone hiding. Taj's very own chefs escorted their frightened customers out of the building with knives across their chests in an 'X' form like warriors. The General Manager of Taj witnessed his wife and children shot before him, and the next day he went back to picking up the pieces of the tragedy. Back to work was also the attitude the famous Leopold's cafe took by reopening their doors the very next day as well. They still have a bullet hole on their wall to symbolize the tragedy. The dust has yet to completely settle on the aftermath of the tragedy. Being in India just a month after the attacks, New Year's Eve was a sombre celebration with clubs closing early and raves in Goa confined to the day. However, now a new kind of resilience has been fostered. The youth have created an imminent spark for change. Protests raged on with placards saying 'Bring back the bar women, maybe they can save us' and 'India needs leaders not dealers'. There was even an immediate firing of political leader the day after. Many young university students no longer want to build careers abroad. They want to stay in Mumbai and foster its entrepre- As an exceeding amount of Indians feel vulnerable and unprotected by their leaders, a realization has dawned of the pressing need to vote neurial spirit. Nearly 50 per cent of Indians are under 25 years old, thus making it one of the youngest democracies in the world. As an exceeding amount of Indians feel vulnerable and unprotected by their leaders, a realization has dawned of the pressing need to vote and ensure that Mumbai's governance does not fall back into a passive state. Many believe that this might be a turning point in India's political history. Politicians previously used opportunities like this to garner votes by creating a communal tension, but this has not been allowed to happen. Here is one concrete change so far: India's defence spending would grow by 25 per cent in 2009-10 as it moves to modernise its weapons systems. Mumbai is still healing but its recovery will not be due to the government but rather the local people. It is the General Manager who at the point of despair, carried on working for the sake of his country, the bravery of chefs who took it as their duty to escort their customers to safety, and the waiters in a small tourigt cafe that had the determination the next moaning to open their doors to a new day of business. What eleven months has shown is that the country's uplifted spirit lives on through its people. It is these people at a local levei who have won the trust and confidence of India and the world for full recovery and progression onwards. It seems more fitting than ever to have a tiger, symbolizing the fearlessness, strength and elegance of India. As the recent movie, 'Wake up Sid', quoted, "Mumbai is as tough as it is beautiful". «Mci ms* ^ IB, 'JJLf. 16 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Features The Facebook generation Mazida Khatun considers how Facebook is affecting our relationship with 'friends' Facebook is meant to bring us closer to the people we want to stay in contact with, or even new people that we might otherwise forget about, but when I log on and see that some people have hundreds, or even over a thousand so called 'face-book friends', I wonder whether communication is really made easier by social networking sites. For one thing, these insanely popular people must be unable to open their chat portals, which at the best of times tend to malfunction monumentally, without bringing the whole thing down when someone with 1,001 friends attempts to chat with whoever is online. I am proud to say that I seem to have survived several Facebook friend purges in recent times, but at other times I have noticed my number of friends dwindling. My ego tries to find out who these abandonee might be, but I can never figure it out which shows that these individuals were probably not my nearest and dearest. This leaves me quite grateful that I no longer receive status updates on people who I couldn't care less about if I'm honest. What is the point of Facebook if we are enduring inane status updates such as "OMG X Factor has me ROFL" from people we barely know? At least if I actually know the person, I can feel comfortable in pointing out that by watching X Factor they are pushing actual valuable information out of their heads, or I could even just ask what on earth ROFL means. For those with more friends than there are habitants in Liechtenstein, I wonder about how they suffer the forest of constant updates about people they have no tangible connection with, and find those priceless nuggets of news from the people that they truly care about. How many of us have taken the advice of the good people at Facebook, who have recently been reminding us to re-connect with the "friends" we haven't interacted with on the site for a while? However, there is something to be said about the fact that with over 200 million users all over the world, we can find nearly everyone on Facebook that we could ever wish to find. This means that when we all graduate from such an international university as the LSE and thus go off to each of the far flung corners of the world, we will be able to have one single forum to reunite on if we wish to do so. On the other hand, you might be one of those weird individuals who become obsessed with collecting "friends" with a particular name, as I have found several times when people have attempted to collect me as an individual with the surname 'Khatun'. Only the most emotionally needy would describe every dimension of how they are feeling at any given time The crux of this debate is the same that we have about any tool - does the technology promote good or bad habits? The answer to this debate is the same as all the others, and that is that all instruments have the potential to be useful to both ends. We cannot blame the creators of Facebook of anything we see as a detrimental effect of the site. Instead, it has unleashed perfectly human and natural behaviour. It plays on our curiosity thus we snoop around other people's profiles; it feeds our egos and so we like to add lots of "friends"; and it makes us feel part of people's lives to attach photo images and videos to the things that they describe to us. However, I think that the most interesting way in which Facebook actually has impacted upon communication is evident when we look at the kinds of status updates are posted. Of course some are about our trivial pursuits, or commentary on events, but the third category are actually those in which we share a tiny little bit about how we feel. Only the most emotionally needy would describe every dimension of how they are feeling at any given time, but the rest of us reveal parts of our psyche that we might otherwise not have done. To even allude to one's emotion in a heavily veiled and ambigu- ous comment which no one else really understands can be a release. To just say post a sad emoticon can make people feel a little better, and I think this is to be commended. Those who are so self-centred that they feel the need to share every single thought that they have will always find ways of doing this, whether in person or online. Yet Facebook is replacing journals and diaries in a world where we don't seem to write anything down anymore, for those who are a little more introverted, but still crave the liberation of sharing their thoughts. In this way, Facebook may very well be a good facilitator of communication, but in most ways it is nothing truly revolutionary. It merely provides a new channel for expressing our pre-set personalities, rather than changing the tyay in which we communicate, hence the people who are already extroverts have many friends and always update their profiles, while the more introverted behave in a way that is concurrent with how they behave in their non-virtual life. Thus the onus remains on individuals to use social networking sites in the way that they feel is right for them, and Facebook cannot change this. Features features@thebeaveronline.co.uk Contact The Beaver Features 17 features(a)thebeaveronline.co.uk 0207 955 6705 yj November 2009 | The Beaver What if... China sold its $800 billion in US government securities? Noah Bernstein M M China isn't only somethingyou set the table with." Words of wisdom brought to you by renowned internationalist Sarah Palin upon returning from a visit to the Middle Kingdom where she learned, among other things, how to use chopsticks. Something else the former Alaskan governor discovered much to her dismay, is that China is the proud owner of $800 billion of US government debt. How did this happen? While the US and China may seem like a sparring couple on the international stage, their economic relationship is considerably more intimate: for the past decade China has been the top to America's bottom. In wooing the United States, a 'developing' China lent vast amounts of money to rich America, so that the latter could spend that money on cheaply-made Chinese goods, and thus send the money right back to China. These dollars were then lent by China again in the form of American debt, the cycle repeating ad infinitum (this is somewhat of a simplification: China's efforts to undervalue the Yuan should also be considered). China eventually became America's number one sugar daddy, owning more US Treasury Bills than perennial leader Japan. This all seemed to be working until the precipitous drop in the dollar, and the cosy "Chimerican" (as coined by Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick) relationship is now headed towards a possible divorce. What would happen if China decided to cut their losses and sell their accumulated trove of US debt? Simply put, the dollar would crash. And we're not talking a few points. 62 per cent of global trade is transacted in US dollars, and so chaos would reign supreme in the markets, as everyone - banks, governments, individuals - tried to unload their rapidly-depreciating dollars as fast as they could, increasing the rate at which the dollar would become useless. This devaluation would also lighten China's wallet: their $800 billion would fetch only a fraction of that when they did decide to sell. The very thin silver lining, if the dollar ever did stabilize, would be a dramatic increase in the competitiveness of American exports. But it is unlikely, at least in the near future, that China would make such an irrational move. While logically China's position should provide significant economic and political leverage, in reality the United States is holding them hostage with their own debt. So what if China decided to stop buying US debt and starting looking to another currency for prominence on the world market? While the Euro may not currently be ready for such attention, the day of reckoning is coming when the US dollar will be abandoned by its creditors. There is one other solution to this mess. As proposed by an LSE finance expert, China could offer all American debt to the United States, in exchange for the state of Alaska. The would cause little upset to the international economic system and, above all, would enable Sarah Palin to learn how to use chopsticks in her home state, saving her the trouble of a trip to Hong Kong. In this scenario, everyone's a winner. LSE Diary Personal perspective: Being in Berlin Kim Wall shares the euphoria of celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall When I arrive at Branden-burger Tor it seems like most of the anticipated several hundred thousand people are already there. I get swallowed by a crowd only some fifty meters from the stage where the Berlin wall used to be two decades ago, minutes before the celebrations of the anniversary are due to begin. I am already soaking wet in the pouring autumn rain, but two Frenchmen hold an umbrella over my head. Just ahead of me barricades and policemen obstruct the path to the scene. Due to security reasons they cannot let any more people into the area, which seems ridiculous considering the vast space available in front of us. However, this is clearly not the day to erect walls. Cheerfully chanting the 1989 slogan,"Wir sind ein volk!" ("We are one people"), my fellow bystanders break the provisional fence, their running accompanied by laughter. It happens in the blink of an eye and the polizei can merely protest. As I run with them in what could count as my first riot, I get a vague conception of how something similar took place on the same night exactly twenty years earlier -only on an infinitely larger scale. Somehow I make it all the way to the Brandenburger gates, where the speakers line up after the performance of the Berlin philharmonic orchestra. Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Dmitri Medvedev, Nicolas Sarkozy, Lech Walesa. They are all here save Mr. Obama, who instead pays tribute through a speech aired live from the White House on huge TV screens. The air is steamy from the rain and excitement. Being here is a bit like standing in the front row at a rock concert, only that much more intense. The most significant speaker is perhaps Mikhail Gorbachev - the Soviet leader who in 1987 was explicitly asked by Reagan to "tear down that wall", and who was responsible for introducing glasnost, a precondition for the fall of the Iron Curtain. Behind me stand 1000 unique man-sized dominoes, decorated by children, artists and poets from across the globe. Forming a symbolic wall, their trail stretches from Potsdammer Platz, past Brandenburger Tor and onwards to the Reichstag. The last speaker is Jose Manuel Barroso, Chairman of the European Com-mision, who has the privilege of toppling the first domino. As they tumble one by one, few eyes are left diy and the cheers of thousands of people are accompanied by fireworks. The American girls to my left ask me to take a photograph of them in front of the Brandenburger monument during Hillary's speech, while the Frenchmen to my right embrace and share a cigar "Pour la liberte!" Around me I see African and Asian people as well as, obviously, plenty of Germans with their own wall-related stories to tell. Indeed, all of us have our reasons to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Berlin wall. Has a human construction ever before had so much symbolic significance? The wall divided not only a city, a nation and its people, but signaled the ever-growing gap between East and West. The crumbling Iron Curtain was - and still is - a victory for people across the globe. Representing primary human rights, democracy and the immense power of a grassroots revolution, its fall was not caused by the decisions of politicians as much as by the people. These values, essential to all of us, are even more so for those still locked up behind barricades in other parts of the world. The Chinese "Great Fire Wall" of internet censorship; the 2500 mile Indian-Bangladeshi barrier spanning through villages and even houses, and most notably the "Berlin Wall" of our genera- , tion - the Israeli West-Bank barricades - all remain to this day. These physical or psychological walls as well as the many others not mentioned here, should appear less and less justifiable in the light of the weekend's celebrations. Perhaps the vast funds invested in this "Fest der Freihet" (Festival of Freedom) are then the most well-spent on this side of the recession. Anything that could embarrass and push these policy-makers towards a new era of glasnost by showing the obsolescence and absurdity of these kinds of artificial dividers must come without a price tag. Twenty years ago, I was actually, coincidental!/, in Germany. I wasn't in Berlin, so I did therefore miss out on the sight of families, friends and lovers falling into each others' arms, and of soldiers putting their Kalashnikovs down to pop champagne with the joyous masses. Being two and a half years old I don't remember much of what I did see: the massive currents of East Germans streaming into West to enjoy newfound liberties. These included wearing clothes in colours other than grey, blue and brown; listening to whatever music one liked; commenting on and possibly criticising politicians; eating bananas every day. Individual freedom can be embodied in such small things. After witnessing and sharing the unrestrained joy on 9 November 2009, I am not sure I can imagine this feeling, minus 2 decades worth of depreciation. It is probably just too grand for a youth born and raised in Sweden - a country with one of the longest democratic traditions on the planet - to grasp. The importance of acknowledging historic events such as this one is allegorical. By celebrating the twentieth birthday of a united Germany, we can put the Iron Curtain into perspective. Furthermore, it is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the situation of peoples divided and oppressed elsewhere. This, rather than celebrating a historic turning point, is why the world leaders are present today. It is for the individuals behind these remain- . ing walls that the celebrations today are so significant. The Berlin Wall is fundamentally a metaphor, telling us how it is possible, and necessary, to knock down walls in the lives of people less fortunate than the Berliners. Flickr user Alain Bachellie: Measured musings Rumours of Google's evil nature almost certainly originates from its informal motto, 'Don't be evil'. The logic follows that since no other multi-national company needs to tell itself not to be evil, Google must be just that. We continue to tell ourselves this as we attempt to navigate through the goo-golplex of Google products: Maps, Mobiles, Talk, Mail, Earth, Scholar, Calendar, Documents, Images, Videos (Youtube) and most recently Wave. It is very hard in fact, to find a sector that Google isn't investing into. If anything, Google is a perfect example of the Nobel Prize winning Ronald Coase's firm which arises when transactions costs are low. This, Coase suggests, will lead to economic and social benefits. This is hardly debatable when one imagines the internet without Google and begs the very simple question: How would we find anything? Yet with that in mind, it is worth noting that a company that can Googleplex dominate can, nonetheless, still be evil. Google's evil may be found in its implicit support of the 'Great Firewall of China'. Google does have a presence in the People's Republic of China (PRC), yet this is a highly limited and censored version. A version which does not provide all available information and helps continue the stranglehold over information in the PRC. Closer to home, people fear the roving van that takes pictures of our cities, streets and homes all in aid of the latest project, Google 'Streetview'. People do not fear the pictures in and of themself, what they fear is the accumulation of information by a corporate entity. They worry that their emails may be stored for decades to come or that their online profile, as compiled by online search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo! may be less than flattering. They fear that Google is gathering too much information and actually making their life too simple. In the least cynical sense possible, while people like to have books recommended to them on Amazon (based on previous purchases), they are fearful of suggested websites or adverts based upon Google searches. They worry about pictures of their homes, videos of their children or their family's Jiealth records (as suggested by David Cameron) being misused. Information is a precious commodity and something that can undoubtedly be abused. Whether Google is evil or not is a moot point. Revelations about Google's shady nature are no more revelatory than suggestions that other multi-national vertically integration firms may be untrustworthy. The fact is, Google is able to provide a service. Furthermore, this is a service that people crave and have come to depend upon. For years we have known that die coffee industry was morally bankrupt, yet the demand for coffee rarely if ever dwindled. The difference with Google is what this accumulation of searches, images, word documents, videos and emails means for the future. It forces us to ask questions about freedom of speech and how much information we are willing to give away to Google or other social entities like Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. It forces us to question our entire relationship with the internet. "M- Ossie Fikret Features Editor Flickr use; The Beaver 117 November 2009 How and why to get to Sesame Street Madeeha Ansari pays tribute to forty years of the classic children's show Enertaining adults is simple; their preferences can be classed into such easily identifiable categories. When they pick up the remote, they have the option of switching to any number of variations of "Gossip Girl", "Chelsea vs Arsenal" or "How I Met Your Mother". Whatever their intellectual pretensions may be, a dose of raunchy humour keeps much of the public quite happy. Children's television, on the other hand, is a far more complex phenomenon. For children, television has the potential to be much more than a form of escapism. Of course, the advent of Cartoon Network trimmed a great deal of this complexity, bringing children that much closer to adulthood. When "Sesame Street" premiered aboutforty years ago, however, it opened up a vast area of possibilities. The idea was to tap the humour, creativity and impressionability that is dulled over the years, till the unresponsive adolescent steps in. At the time, it was (really a means to reach out to underprivileged inner city children and get them interested in letters and numbers. That was why the set consisted of an ordinary brownstone street lifted right from the real world. Out of this urban graffitded landscape stepped Jim Henson's fantastic troupe of muppets, with distinctive talents and roles in life. When they think of "Sesame Street", most people immediately think of Big Bird. Let not his big bright yellow-ness eclipse the rest of the crew, however. Count von Count, with his dark abode and obsession with numbers, had a range -of clever tricks to teach children how to count and add. Elmo was so widely loved that the production team thought it appropriate to expand her "world". Kermit was a bit of a nerd. The Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and the Bert-Ernie duo were interesting enough to raise their own sets of controversy over the decades. The point remains that there was more to the show than colourful costumes and catchy jingles. While originally developed with a defined curriculum to enhance preschool learning, it also reflected the shifting societal trends. Watching the archived programmes from 1969 to the present day could serve as a chronological account of the issues faced by the average American. From teaching tolerance and racial integration to dealing with obesity and 9/11, "Sesame Street" has been gently shaping children's understanding of the wider world. There are those who would disagree with its didactic mission; of course, it is essentially preachy. As each generation moves faster towards cynicism, the show has also experienced a steady fall in its popularity. Perhaps this has something to do with the loss in spontaneity brought by concerns about political correctness. Now, the Cookie Monster is fast becoming a Veggie Monster, while Oscar is having to deal with his anger management issues. The set has become cleaner and tamer, catering to a different kind of audience. The transition towards "healthy-eating" The idea was to tap the humour, creativity and impressionability that is dulled over the years, till the unresponsive adolescent steps in themes was happening even in the '90s while I was growing up, so I got to see the "Cereal Girl" spoof of Madonna's "Material Girl", starring a perky blonde muppet with a pony-tail. I must admit, I still found it rather brilliant. While the Western world is moving towards different coloured pastures, children elsewhere are discovering how to get to Sesame Street via local vehicles. The non-profit "Sesame Workshop" has created twenty five international co-productions, in partnership with indigenous teams that give the show the flavour of each unique country. In 2003, for instance, "Takalani Sesame" introduced Kami, the first HIV-positive Muppet, to address the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. The Workshop ensures that the core values of optimism and tolerance are upheld, by stipulating that initially the script of each programme be approved by the New York executives. The balance becomes particularly hard to strike in places where the media is highly politicized. Imagine creating muppets to deal with the prevalent issues in Palestine. In fact, the story of the Sesame Workshop's presence in Palestine is a nutshell version of the conflict in the Middle East. It started out as an effort to bridge the rift between the Israeli and Palestinian populations, so that there would be a single show for both sides of the borders. This could not be sustained due to a history of irreconcilable differences, as well as the strong opposition to "normalization" of relations. Neither side wanted to show • the other's flag, or even cultural dress. According to Khalil Abu Arafeh, the head writer for the Palestinian show, "the issue of hummus and falafel was very heated." Those who have seen the musical comedy "West Bank Story" will be able to tell how far even the rivalry over ownership of food traditions can go. Interestingly enough, the joint Israeli-Palestinian production eventually fell apart after a failure to decide where the characters from the different communities could interact with each other. Now the Palestinian script-writers are faced with the classic dilemma of balancing fantasy and reality. In a zone that has known little but conflict, it is not easy to produce a children's show. It is not easy to produce a good children's show, period. Little people often see more than we appreciate. For years, "Sesame Street" has been acknowledging their insightfulness, while preserving their sense of wonder. The eclectic mix of^jpusi-cal, whimsical characters never forgot that children were children and had a right to believe in love, friendship, miracles and cliches. At the same time they had more substance than the Teletubbies, more depth than Barney, and far more intellect than "Cow and Chicken" or "Johnny Bravo" can ever hope to possess. No matter what the current ratings may be, it will always retain the status of a classic in the history of popular culture. 17 November 2009 | The Beaver 19 The small comforts Pooma Harjani thorougly enjoys living at home There are two ways of looking at the experience of living at home during university. It either offers the best ofboth worlds, or otherwise the worst of them. Living in halls last year was undoubtedly a vital first step for most students towards independence, branching out into diverse social circles and embarking upon many cherished memories. However, there also existed the perils of too much freedom which gave way to petty dramas, unstructured routines and sometimes unsatisfactory living quarters. Like myself, many domestic UK students have chosen to stay at home after their initial year in halls. This, to some, may seem bizarre, but let me paint you a picture of the advantages of living at home: there is no need to ensure drunken knocks after Crush, fire alarms at 5am during the exam revision period, and flooding which makes the floors reek. I can light up candles as I please and not have to deal with receptionists putting my Amazon packages in the wrong post box and accidentally spelling my name in different variations of'Porn'. Life is more structured. My groceries are done, my bills are paid, my bedsheets cleaned, and the broadline internet is connected. An in-built support system plays host to emotional advantages. You can go home and shut your door without worrying about being unsociable. Your family understands you if you come home and slam the door from a tiresome day. They won't get the wrong idea that you may have a 'problem' with them. Students forge bonds over when they live in common living conditions, created by events organised by hall committees. Without this, it just means one needs to launch oneself on to the social scene with extra gusto, joining societies and attending more events on campus. I even got invited as a Living at Home student to attend a meeting to share my perceptions of the LSE Students' Union, and what it could do better to include those not living in halls. Living at home can be a strong predictor of a student studying during term-time. My prime focus is academic and any extra-curricular activity that I take on. Life is more structured. My groceries are done, my bills are paid, my bed sheets cleaned, and the broadline internet is connected. You think you'd go to every lecture, being down the road... in contrast, living at home makes you stay at LSE the whole day and actually work during breaks in the library. Eating habits are also much healthier, with no more ready made meals. It's a whole lifestyle change when you go back to live with your parents. Its perks are ones that ease a person in their second and third years when there is less scope to go out too. Being in halls isn't also necessarily more cost-effective than sharing a flat with friends. Prices have dramatically increased in High Holborn this year. Economic expediency influences students' decisions to stay local, and so studying while living at home is a growing trend in England. This is due to the widening participation of students from more diverse backgrounds, many of whom are less likely to endorse the stereotype of student life that emphasises the importance of leaving home. They say that it is when you live with someone that you really get to know them. However, I appreciate that bit of distance I have with my friends. When we meet to have coffee, it is because we want to, not because we're bound to live together or we move in the same social circle. Second year can be a haven away from the stresses of university life, with no more awkward lift conversations. First years have all the fun they want with keepsake memories embedded in solid friendships. My question is, why repeat something that will be mediocre the second time round? Hall benefits Rahel Abraham loves company Does living in halls make you smarter? Unlikely, but not completely implausible. Although this is probably not the most common association that is made, it can be validly argued (at least for the sake of being a devil's advocate), that surprisingly, students are likely to have a better academic performance when living in LSE accommodations. If asked to imagine the typical life of a student today, the first image that would come to mind would probably include the somewhat idolized American concept of the college experience; incredible parties, empty beer bottles, apparent memory loss and late classes in the morning. A nostalgic, ageless stereotype, most often set within the backdrop of living amongst your somewhat everlasting friends. Does living in halls make you smarter? Needless to say, stereotypes are often based on some notion of truth, and the LSE is no exception when it comes to this particular theme; upon being asked to describe her first year experience in Halls, a student referred to it as "pretty damn good", making a point to reminisce about the nightlife, her newly found independence and crowding the corridors in the early hours of the morning. Another student, perhaps more romantically, put it as "living for the nights you don't remember, with the people you will never forget". Against such wistful anecdotes, it might be difficult to imagine how anyone could view such a place as consisting of any form of academic atmosphere, let alone the ideal environment to help you thrive in your studies. However, as is custom with the LSE when concerning education, ambition and the expectation to achieve high targets have a large role to play in student accomodation atmosphere. It is important to keep in mind that many students at the school endure a great amount of pressure, whether familial or self-imposed, and the community lifestyle found in Halls can be an encouraging and motivating source of social support. Some students find that one of the most important things, when it comes to studying, is having a positive attitude towards your work, and it goes without saying that the people you surround yourself with can have a great influence on this. One of the students mentioned above believed that if there was anything about living in halls that had helped her academically, it is was friends; in short, the general atmosphere of being "in the same boat, and building on each other's confidence". Of course, on perhaps a less fuzzy note, the predominantly corporate culture of the School and its air of competition is also evident (perhaps even more so) when people live together in the same building. In frantic times of job searching and scouting for internships, students may find that the greatest resource they have in these occasions is in fact, each other; indeed, it may be surprising for some to find that through sheer word of mouth and learning from the experiences of those surroundingyou, a greater awareness can be developed, not only of where you want to go, but also of how exactly to get there. So does living in Halls actually make you smarter? I think we can all agree that this can be safely termed as a somewhat "far-fetched" question. However, perhaps there is also some practical truth in that living in student Halls which are closer the LSE means that you don't spend several hours of your day trying to access school resources (or simply trying to get there, for that matter). In any case, when it comes down to it, most people's experience of Halls, regardless of how it affects their studies, can often be described as the best time of their lives. I personally strongly recommend it, because you see, there is really nothing to lose; for whatever reasons you may choose to stay there, Halls is, at best, something you fall in love with at first sight, and at worst...an acquired taste. A German exchange Christoph Kreileder explores the difference in lifestyle of Oxbridge and LSE students Did you ever ask yourself how it might be to study in Cambridge? Do you sometimes wonder if people from Oxford do actually feel a bit like Harry Potter? Or have you ever been curious about what the LSE offers a student which you can't get there? Well, the LSESU German Society was, and therefore discussed these issues with Oxbridge students last weekend. There is a saying in Cambridge that you never ask 'why' but 'since when'? The societies' annual meeting started in the Old Building and soon moved to a couple of pubs in London. Aided by a large amount of alcohol and jokes, a lively discussion emerged concerning the different experiences at the three universities. Sometimes, you could easily make a guess as to who studied where. For instance, the percentage of those checking their Blackberry or iPhone every five minutes was definitely higher among LSE students. First of all though, it was determiend that location really matters. Whilst student life at LSE is closely connected to the rhythm of the metropolis of London and has a very international touch, life at campus centered universities such as Oxbridge is closer to the one of an academic monastery. Students like Niklas (Oxford), 21, spoke of their daily routines: "For eight weeks you get up at six for rowing, have lectures at nine, stay all afternoon in the library ... and perhaps go out for a party in the evening." Whereas at the LSE student life is characterized by careers fairs, internships and an overwhelming variety of society-activities, students at Oxford and Cambridge seem to form a closely knitted community; along with music-clubs and other cultural activities, there is a much more familial ambiance. Another theme of the evening was tuition fees. In Germany, this had recently provoked a huge public outcry. Are there only 'rich kids' studying at Oxbridge and LSE? According to Diana (LSE), 22, "people often just don't know that there is much support available. Your school has to provide you with this information." Many other students shared this view. However, they pointed out that people with a wealthier background were more likely to be accepted in one of the three universities, just because their schools gave them better support. Pupils in better off establishments simply get more information about the application process. The same applies for loans and support schemes. Benedict (Cambridge), 21, points out "there are up to three different types of loans available. The university re- Photo: Christoph Kreileder While the LSE is characterized by modern factors, life at Oxbridge still seems to resemble some fairy tales: "Some years ago, there was a student who rode to this final examination on ahorse" ally gives extensive support, you just have to know about it". Moreover, everyone was curious to find out whether there was a 'seterotypi-caT student profile. The answer was: not really. Whereas it is surely true to consider Oxbridge-students to be very academic, students from Oxford and Cambridge agreed on Diana's remark that "even the people who focus very much on banking have broad interests. I just had a long discussion with a fellow-student going forinvestment banking about Kant's philosophy." What also turned out to be interesting for German students in general was the flexibility of the British system. Unlike in Germany, it is possible to work in a bank as a political scientist. From the students' point of view, this allows many to embrace their real interests at university. Finally, what about the "Harry Potter" stories? How does it feel for a German student to become part of the time-honoured British traditions at Oxbridge, where you are supposed to kneel crown in front of the principal in an old-fashiohed cowl? "There is a saying in Cambridge that you never ask: 'why?' but 'since when?'", Benedict says with a smile. Yet, especially as a foreign student, you feel that "this is just like a fire being passed down generations." While the LSE is characterised by modern factors, life at Oxbridge still seems to resemble some fairytales: "Some years ago, there was a student who rode to his final examination on a horse", Niklas remembers. This would surely not be a good idea on Kingsway. 20 The Beaver 117 November 2009 Social Photo: flickruseif Hans on Experience SOCIETIES: WANT YOURPIECEOF BEAVER? To get your societies' event listings featured within these hallowed pages of Social, fill in the online forms by midnight Saturday to be featured. Log on to www.thebeaveronline.co.uk Re-discovering a nationality Pallavi Kavdikar thinks multiculturalism is a great asset fter having spent all of my school years in international schools around Europe, I didn't really expect the LSE J^to surprise me in terms of the diversity of students. From reading the prospectus, I was not only aware of the world class teaching and public lectures of globally influential people, but also of the fact that over half the student body came from outside the EU. Hence, I really thought I would find myself at home, as the majority of students in the schools that I went to were not from the UK. However, I feel that my time at the LSE so far has done more than that. At this university, I have found myself letting down barriers and changing my perceptions like never before. With so many events and different societies, I have had to work, live with, and fortunately become friends with people from the most diverse cultural and religious groups. Since most had never moved from their homeland, their stories have given me a real insight into intricate aspects of their lives. The varying positions on politics, development, religion, food, shops, studying, sex, marriage, divorce and life, have made me reassess my own way of thinking, and consequently has made me more willing to explore my options in life. Also, I learn from their personal struggles as they try to cope with being far away from home. In spite of not being able to even speak to their loved ones for days (as the time difference maybe too great) they still get on with their lives, and manage to give themselves at a hundred percent to whatever they set out to do. I admire them for doing this, and it makes me aspire to be strong, and continue to taking risks in my own life. Secondly, I feel that I have been made to reconnect and reconcile myself as an Indian. While I have been to international schools in Europe, I felt that I never truly accepted who I was culturally, primarily because I didn't meet a great number of Indians in my schools. As a result, I never fully embraced my nationality and frankly, I never truly took any pride in it. At the LSE, with so many Indian nationals, and people of Indian origin, I have reconnected with India the way I never did even when I was in the country itself. I have learned to appreciate all the cultures of India, not only the part of the country (Maharashtra) that I was used to. Only last year, I watched my first Bollywood film in the cinema! Unlike previous attempts where I left after five minutes, I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was just a good movie, but I felt more that as a group of friends, I was truly allowed to appreciate my culture and its quirks, without feeling that I was excluding anyone else. Finally, although the LSE has made me proud of my heritage, and some of my closest friends are Indian, just as many of them, if not most, are not; for me, the pride in my heritage still is no excuse to rest in my cultural niche. Moreover, my experience has made me question what it is to be integrated and what it is to be international. Is it just the recognition of diverging cultures? Is it integration only possible through the formation of friendships? Assuming all of these are part of a broad criterion, then to what extent do we integrate as a student body? Some people say that while the LSE is a diverse group of students, this diversity has not necessarily led to the integration of the student body in the area of friendships. Some say that the Chinese only hang out together in the Chinese Development Society, Indians in the Hindu/SPICE society, Christians in the Christian Union, Muslims in the Islamic Society, and the Europeans in their respective societies. While I have observed this to be true in very few instances, I really believe that ultimately, it comes down to the attitude of that individual person and whether they are willing to take that extra step out of their comfort zone, broaden their horizons and make friends outside their own traditional social groups. Fortunately, I feel that students for the most part, do this. Irrespective of their nationality or background, most who are here genuinely have an awareness of their role in society and in the international scene. This is what unites us. I truly believe that there is no other university quite as international as the LSE. Fishing for cultures Shrayans Agrawal loves diversity Having grown up in an international environment, xenophobia is a concept unknown to me. Continuously studying in international schools where a class of nine had eight different nationalities spanning the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and the Orient, I have never understood those who treat other cultures 'differently'. The feeling of knowingyou are an international, a global citizen is exceptional, as if realising the world is your canvas and you can paint it in whatever colour you so desire. Circling in the sky, suspended as time dragged slowly, I was full of anticipation as Heathrow awaited my landing. I did not know what to expect, if I should have expected anything at all. Anxiety. That is the only way I can describe how I felt as I I felt like Nemo floating into the ocean... arrived and was rushed through the immigration procedure wondering how being a "freshie" would be regarded, and how I would be treated as a result. Early on, every day at halls I met people from different countries: Ireland, England, France and Germany. Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds with so many stories to share, I felt like Nemo floating into the ocean, scared yet wanting to explore what was "out there". Freshers' week was a unique experience. The unending energy is almost frightening; the thirst to meet new people shuts off the associated xenophobia of being in such an international environment. Not once was I made to feel I was different in an insulting manner; rather, I was completely accepted as an individual. The fact that there are so many people from different nationalities definitely allows you to find groups of people you are more comfortable with. In reality, interacting with people from the most diverse range of nationalities yet at the same time retaining your culture and not moulding yourself to adapt to the surroundings is a unique prospect. Hence, if anything, being far away from your homeland gives you a greater sense of belonging. The LSE isn't a perfect substitute, but it is adequate enough to keep you reminded of who you are and where you have come from. So why the claim that racial issues exist on campus? In all likelihood, it stems from the fact that 'cultural' cliques are common, which I think is natural as humans will seek those with similar interests. Because they will have had similar background, relating to them is easier. Taking a daring step to get to know people you can't relate to is not something everyone can accomplish immediately. However, people should try to experience and adapt to new cultures, otherwise they will never be able to broaden their horizons. It is all about the perception you have whilst encountering a new situation. C'est la vie, is the only way to put it. Adapt, mould, reflect. People all have common needs which they will seek to accomplish, the only distinguishing factor being the approach; and that is the fun of it. We have a unique opportunity ft) merge our experiences with others, and gain the most unique insights possible. This privileged opportunity has only come about because of the inherent nature of the LSE, t which I am greatly thankful for. Over the past year I have met many interesting and unique people, an opportunity I would not have had if I wasn't here. This is one of the things students will remember from their time at LSE; the people they have met and the experiences they have shared. Make the most of this and don't let cultural differences bogyou down! The coming of Clive Alexandra Kane introduces the LSE's new media outlet A band played on the roof of the LSE last Thursday. Wayfarer and Post-It clad undergraduates were dancing to dub-step on Houghton Street. Dramatic music was pulsating through the windows of C120. People were screaming that someone named "Clive" was "coming." You have probably already heard of any combination of these activities around campus. But what was it all about? Meet Clive, designed to be a new medium through which LSE students can interact and engage with, well, whatever they want to. Clive's arrival on campus was meant to cause a bit of a splash. Clive, which technically stands for Clare Market Review Live, was conceived as a tangential arm to the Clare Market Review, reflecting but not mirroring the content of the print publication. Blog-like in structure, Clive is a collection of submissions from myself, the editor, and links and articles that anyone who has access to the site has sent in. Right now we are featuring content ranging from anthropological obituaries to sex diaries, art installations to post-Chernobyl music videos. Open commenting is enabled, making the site one of the most interactive student forums at the LSE. Clive is still a work in progress. In the next few weeks a new feature titled The Agenda will be instated showcasing some of the most off-the-beaten-path, not-your-typical-union nights and places to see in our fine city. The most important element of the site is YOUR participation. The more users engage with Clive, commenting, and submitting their own material, the better Clive will be of service to the LSE community. You can access the site via Clare's main website, www.cla-remarketreview.com. There is a "submit" link in the welcome page that will place your material in a queue to be added to the site promptly by myself. We accept almost anything that will get you going, grind your gears, tickle your fancy- Clive is a neutral man. Back to the roof. So, in a manner Guy Fawkes would definitely approve of, on November 5th Clive made his big rule bending debut on the streets of LSE. London based band, Beaty Heart, played a three minute set on the roof of the East Building that was streamed live on the Clare Market Review Website via campus computers and the UGM. Security busted our high-altitude jammers but not before the impact was made. Clive was here and he's here to stay. Clive's arrival on campus was meant to cause a bit of a splash But what about the rest of the journal? Released termly, Clare's first issue is launching in week ten focusing on the theme of "borders and boundaries," as well as a web based section highlighting works on "identity." The other editors and I are very excited about this issue. Some of the tricks up our sleeve include a cover designed by London artist Hannah Bays, the woman behind album artwork of The Libertines and Babyshambles, and a launch party hosted at the Black Heart in Camden. The journal, one of the most elusive kids on the LSE Media block, is always open to submissions from any and all LSE students. Written pieces (fiction or non-fiction), poetry, original artwork and photography are among some of the work that Clare actively seeks to publish. If interested, feel free to submit any of the fruits of your creative labor to submis-sions@claremarketreview.com at any time during the year. We have contributor's meetings before each issue that will outline general themes, but there is always an audience for your work if you so choose to submit. The first issue will feature a majority of submissions from LSE students and staff, making the journal as reflective of the LSE SU as possible. For the 2008-2009 school year, Clare Market Review was short listed for Publication Design of the Year and Diversity Writer of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards. Still pending the results of the shortlist, Clare is working on developing and expanding the journal even further. So come, meet Clive, get reacquainted with Clare, and help shape the future of your media group. ewsssaflsssess