1st March (Issue 1207) - The Courier

THE
OURIER
Issue 1207 Tuesday 2 March 2010 www.thecourieronline.co.uk
Union to
undergo
£8 million
makeover
FREE
A.WILSON
Work scheduled to get underway in November
Samantha Hockney
Newcastle University’s Students’
Union building is set for a multimillion
pound redevelopment as
part of the University’s continued
campus overhaul.
Renovation work for the £8 million
project is scheduled to commence on
1 November 2010, with the Union’s
services being relocated to Park Terrace
and the Museum of Antiquities
while the building is closed.
The project is expected to take
around ten months to complete with
the building to reopen in time for
Freshers’ Week 2011.
It is hoped the redevelopment
will help shift the perception of the
Union from a purely social environment
to a place where students
can also seek advice, participate in
activities outside of their degree and
enhance their overall student experience.
Richard Dale, the University’s Executive
Director of Finance, has put
his full backing behind the scheme.
He said: “I think we’ll come out of
this with a really good Students’
Union – £8 million will get you quite
a lot.
“Different people have got different
options, which is why it’s been
a long time coming. We are making
choices that we’re going to be stuck
with for a long time and we need to
get it right.”
The new plans will see a major
change to the interior layout, making
it easily accessible and more
open-plan.
Inside today >>>
cutting-edge social learning area,
similar to YourSpace in the Robinson
Library, with new computer
cluster areas and a branded coffee
bar.
the Athletic Union as well as all of
the Union’s student media outlets
Student Radio and Newcastle Television.
A new dedicated space for part-
to assist in activities such as campaigning,
RAG and Freshers’ Week.
The space currently occupied by
Men’s Bar will become a representation
and democracy area after the
redevelopment, co-located with ad-
for the Union President, Education
converted into the new Union shop.
Downstairs, the site of the current
shop will be transformed into
a modern bar and catering area,
linked with the Basement which will
become more of a multi-functioning
social space used for both day and
night activities.
The new design will also be wheelchair-friendly,
with a new disabled
access planned straight from King’s
Road.
The initial plans for the new Union
and focus groups.
Continued on page 6
Three in a row: Team Newcastle
Back page and eight-page souvenir pull-out
Smart to take drugs?
A tale of two cities?
World changing designs
Electronic art
A top Newcastle University
philosopher has questioned the use of
legal ‘smart drugs’ after a Cambridge
professor warned of their use
News, page 5
Laura Heads argues that Gateshead
would be lost without its bigger
neighbour Newcastle after the
1NG scheme receives criticism
Comment, page 9
Rachel Walsham lists her ten most
today including Vivienne Westwood
and Alexander McQueen
Life & Style, page 14
The Culture Arts team previews
the North East’s biggest electronic
arts event, the AV Festival, which
is set to take place this month
Culture, page 22-23

2 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Comment
Order in the court
Elliot Bentley and Nicholas Fidler debate
whether we should keep trials by jury
Page 7
Life & Style
Girls on tour
News Editors: Simon Murphy and Jessica Tully - courier.news@ncl.ac.uk
Concerns raised
about use of legal
‘smart drugs’
> Page 5
Flexible conditions lead to better health
Don’t knock it till you’ve
tried it: Katherine
Bannon on all that
Malia has to offer
Page 13
Culture
The Street to the Square
Tom James speaks to Corrie’s Craig
Gazey at the opening of Poundland
in the new Eldon Square
Page 33
Sport
Intra Mural in
the spotlight
Denis Murphy talks
through the rise of
participation sport
at the University
Page 35
Meetings Timetable:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Editorial Team:
Murphy
Palmer and Nicholas Fidler
Felton and Ashley Fryer
Chris Mandle
Walker
Monson and Laura Walker
and Claire Russell
The Courier
The Courier
dependent Student Newspaper of the Union
Tyne. The Courier is published weekly during
are copyright of The Courier and its individual
contributors. No parts of this newspaper may
be reproduced without the prior permission
of the Editor. Any views expressed in this
newspaper’s opinion pieces are those of the
The Courier
Laura Heads
Flexible work conditions have been
search carried out by Newcastle
University.
According to research published
in the Cochrane Library’s Cochrane
has been proven that not only can
amining the health implications of
connected with improvements in
mental health.
nity within the work place.
The study was intended to help
highlight the prospective health
options; a scheme which is gaining
Last year a controversial law was
parents with children under 16 the
lation stated that only parents of
children under the age of six or who
were disabled had a right to request
this.
said: “Flexible working seems to be
being where the individuals control
where employers are in control.
“Given the limited evidence base
we wouldn’t want to make any hard
and fast recommendations.”
ment student Victoria McMurray is
in support of the new research. She
told The Courier
cause it allows people who may not
“I do think that it could be taken
it needs to be closely monitored by
senior management to make sure
that this doesn’t happen.”
A survey for ‘Family Friendly
Working’ last month found that one
third of parents had left work after
having children because of a lack
and three in ten held that the cost
of childcare had forced them to give
up working.
dent Erin Weatherstone told The
Courier
tions are a great idea as long as
you’re not in a job where you have
on the future of the company. It’s
agement.”
environments and improved health
conditions.
Ethnic minority students under-represented at Newcastle
Jessica Tully News Editor
ing below the national average in its
representation of black and ethnic
According to a report by Race for
ethnic minorities at universities in
versity of Durham and Newcastle
age.
The largest proportion in the area
derland.
Newcastle University’s proportion
The University of Cambridge and
resentation at below the national
average.
black and ethnic representation at
set up to improve employment
ity graduates found work within a
white graduates.
that several London universities
were above the national average.
The London School of Economics
versity College London were the
best performing institutions for the
wick were the only Russell Group
university has almost doubled since
said: “It is worrying that the report
shows the representation of ethnic
minorities at all universities in the
national average.
“Despite this rather depressing
age of ethnic minorities in the local
ties don’t perform too badly.
local population should not be an
tract a diverse body of students.
“We would encourage universities
like Newcastle to consider the whys
cruiting students from more diverse
areas.
ment to race and ensuring all your
marketing materials are welcoming
ties can have a big impact.”
tion sector in respect of black and
minority ethnic students but we
acknowledge that some universities
castle.
nority ethnic people living in North
tendency for these students to study
close to home.
strenuous efforts to attract students
nority ethnic populations are more
popular with these students.”

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 3
News
Newcastle University receives Royal
recognition for research into ageing
A Royal achievement: Her Majesty presents the Queen’s Anniversary Prize to Vice-Chancellor Chris Brink and Professor Kirkwood, Director of the University’s Institute for Ageing and Health, in Buckingham Palace last week
Sophie McCoid
Newcastle University received high
praise from The Queen earlier last
week for its outstanding research,
along with another North-East institution.
It received one of the highest accolades
possible from Her Majesty,
as it was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary
Prize for Further and
Higher Education.
The University received the prize
for its research into ageing. Professor
Tom Kirkwood, director of the
Institute for Ageing and Health at
Newcastle, travelled to London to
receive the highly sought after prize
on behalf of the Institute.
University Chancellor, Sir Liam
Donaldson, Vice Chancellor, Professor
Chris Brink, Chairman of
Council and Pro-Chancellor, Olivia
Grant, and members of the research
team all attended the grand ceremony
with Professor Kirkwood.
Sunderland College also received
the same prize for its exemplary
teaching of Mathematics and English.
Angela O’Donoghue accepted
the award on behalf of City of Sunderland
College.
Professor Kirkwood was pleased
that he was able to take younger
researchers and students to the palace.
He commented on receiving the
prize: “It is such a delight and honour
that the work of the Institute for
Ageing and Health has received this
recognition.
“We have a fantastic team of talented
and dedicated researchers
the whole team.
“Going to Buckingham Palace is
special in any circumstances, but
to go to receive this award for the
whole team is just brilliant.”
Professor Kirkwood’s sentiments
are echoed throughout the University,
with members of the student
population glad that the researchers’
work has been recognised in
such a visible way.
Sarah Lovatt told The Courier:
“Newcastle has always been heavily
involved in research and it’s encouraging
to see that its efforts into such
groundbreaking investigation have
been acknowledged by The Royal
family.”
The University’s entry into the
Queens Anniversary Prizes 2009
competition charted the development
from a research programme
on ageing and health into the current
Institute for Ageing and Health
on a unique campus concerned with
ageing and vitality.
Sir Liam Donaldson also praised
the researchers. He said: “Professor
Kirkwood’s team’s research is
ground breaking and of vital international
relevance. The award
recognises this and is an enormous
honour for the university and the
North East.”
As reported in The Courier last
week, the same research team
has also been recognised for their
nesses
such as diabetes and heart
disease.
Cancer research breakthrough could save children’s lives
Emma Craig
A cancer affecting around 100 children
every year in the UK is a step
closer to becoming treatable after the
efforts of Newcastle scientists determined
a gene involved in around
half of the higher risk cases.
Neuroblastoma affects children
ond
biggest killer in terms of childhood
cancer, claiming the lives of
thousands each year.
It begins in the nervous system
and affects primarily the abdomen,
but can also be found in several sites
throughout the body. The tumour
initially responds well to treatment,
but once relapsed, high risk neurob-
high mortality rate.
The research, published in Clinical
tions
in a particular gene known as
p53 which is responsible for preventing
tumours.
around half the 41 cases studied by
the research team.
It does this by triggering the death
of cells which contain abnormalities
such as cancer cells or cells damaged
by cancer chemotherapy. Without it
the abnormalities are not recognised
and the cancer cell is allowed to
survive and proliferate, eventually
forming a tumour.
The damage to this gene would
explain why relapsed patients are
this knowledge may be used to create
new drugs which will one day
target the mutation to the p53 gene,
potentially providing a cure to the
thousands who die from it around
the world each year.
Dr Deborah Tweddle, Clinical Senior
Lecturer at the Northern Institute
for Cancer Research at Newcastle
University and Honorary Consultant
Paediatric Oncologist at Newcastle
upon Tyne Hospitals NHS
Trust led the research.
She said: “Over half of all children
who get high risk neuroblastoma
will relapse and the chances of surviving
a relapse are at present very
small.
to investigate the cause of relapsed
is an important breakthrough in developing
new treatments.
“We are currently developing
drugs that reactivate the p53 gene
at Newcastle University, and elsewhere
these types of drugs are now
going into clinical trials and may
help patients with neuroblastoma.
“By understanding more about the
biology of neuroblastoma at relapse
we may be able to prevent it and
reduce the deaths of many young
children, and its devastating effect
on families.”

4 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
News
Newcastle
student to
run charity
marathon
Bethany Sissons
Newcastle University medical student,
Katie Foy, is running the
Brighton Marathon in April for WaterAid.
Katie needs to raise £500 for WaterAid
in order to run the twenty-six
mile race and is hoping to gain the
support of fellow Newcastle students.
WaterAid are a charity working
to provide clean water for people
around the world.
Katie told The Courier: “Clean water
is an essential that we all take
for granted. Not everyone has that
luxury. Huge amounts of infectious
diseases, which kill mostly young
children, come from dirty water. It
is a tragedy which could be avoided
with simple measures.”
Katie is making the long journey to
Brighton in order to run the marathon.
She said: “It was WaterAid
who suggested I run at the marathon
in Brighton. I contacted them
about wanting to help in some way.
I may regret saying yes though.”
Katie also expressed how nervous
she is about running the marathon.
She told The Courier: “I have never
run anything before in my life, and
I’m not part of any sports clubs. I am
really hope I can just make it to the
end. I have no time goal.”
J.WHITLAM
Stroll in the park: Katie said she’s found
muscles she never knew existed
Katie has put together a vigorous
training programme in order to prepare
for the marathon in April but
she is eager to gain any tips from
other students. She told The Courier:
“I have been training since October,
running in the gym and outside.
“The snow has been a huge problem
recently because I couldn’t get
outside; it was too cold. I have been
doing three training sessions a week
in the gym and then a long Sunday
run. I hope I am doing it right.”
Katie told The Courier that her new
training programme has given her a
new lease of life: “I have never been
my stomach and legs I didn’t even
know existed. I have also sweated
more then a lady ever should.”
It isn’t only getting to the gym
which has been a challenge for Katie;
she has also been advised to give
up alcohol for one month before the
race. After living with these changes
to her student lifestyle, Katie said:
“After the marathon is over I plan to
sit on my backside and get fat.”
If you would like to sponsor Katie
visit her ‘just giving’ page: www.
original.justgiving.com/katiefoy
Talking the talk: panelists, Dr David Golding, Dan Harris and Christopher Pycroft, debate whether the Millenium Development Goals are still relevant ten years after they were set
University’s International Development
Conference hailed a resounding success
William George
What next for the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs)? Over 100
students queued through the door
to consider the question at Newcastle
University’s second International
Development Conference (IDC).
IDCs are run by students in universities
around the world, offering
a high level of discussion on all
issues surrounding international
development. The 2010 Newcastle
instalment focused on the United
Nation’s Millennium Development
Goals, and saw delegate numbers
more than double from 2009.
The MDGs, adopted in September
2000, committed all signatories to
a new global partnership to reduce
extreme poverty, and set out a series
Last week over 100 Newcastle University
students came together for
RAG Week to bring in an estimated
£10,000 for charity.
The annual Raising and Giving
campaign sponsored by the Alumni
Association allows students to
charity organisations. This year’s
chosen charities were SCAN, Tyneside
Cyrenians, Breakthrough
Breast Cancer, Whizz-Kidz and the
Terrence Higgins Trust.
working in shifts collecting up and
down Northumberland Street as
well as in the city centre. Whether
rain, hail, or snow, the students
were out in force collecting.
RAG Week also offered ways for
all Newcastle University students
to become involved through spon-
at raising funds. Committee members
spent the better part of one year
putting together a variety of events
that would appeal to all students.
RAG events included a dance
off between RAG crews and other
of ambitious targets to achieve by
years left to that original deadline
most of the goals are far from being
achieved.
The IDC looks over the progress
of the MDGs and tries to determine
whether the goals are actually relevant
to international development
– or just another set of empty promises.
If the level of the speakers is a
ference
as a whole, then the event
should be seen as a success.
From Sugata Mitra, the inspira-
Slumdog Millionaire, to Benny
Dembitzer, European Director of the
1985 Nobel Peace Prize winners, the
speakers were highly knowledgeable
and inspirational.
Hannah Gillett, head coordinator,
was extremely pleased with how the
day unfolded.
She told The Courier: “A lot of hard
work went into making the day a
success, but we could not have imagined
how well it would all come
together.
“All of the speakers were fantastic,
and the knowledge and passion of
the delegates was impressive. We all
got a lot out of organising the event,
and we really hope that it will now
continue to grow and leave a lasting
legacy at Newcastle.”
The conference kicked off with an
empassioned address by Dr David
Golding who challenged us to get
up off our “gluttonous” backsides
and take some responsibility for our
impact on our world.
shops,
everyone came together to
consider whether the MDGs are still
relevant. Debate chair, Sunil Bhopal,
said: “The debate predictably asked
as many questions as it answered.”
However, the conference did illustrate
the impressive level of understanding
and the appetite for exploration
of international development
issues that exists at the University.
The success of the conference is perhaps
best summed up by the words
of Alex Renton, journalist and conference
speaker: “It was great - interesting.
I learnt.”
The conference needs enthusiastic
people to run it next year. It is a
good laugh, interesting and excellent
for a CV. Contact: NCL.IDC@
Googlemail.com
Students raise £10,000 in RAG Week success
Tarren Smarr
Behind bars: RAG organiser Sarah
Fearns volunteered to be ‘arrested’
T. SMARR
student groups. The cheerleading
squad entered the dance off with
two routines and won top prize for
the student groups that were entered.
Sarah Fearns, one of the two RAG
organisers, said: “We wanted to
they were walking by events. The
RAGgae that was held in the Union
let people come and go in between
classes.”
The infamous slave auction raised
over £400 thanks to all of the very
expensive students who volunteered
themselves to be bought by
those attending the event.
During the slave auction, the University’s
rugby team showcased
their dancing skills before putting
up six team members for auction.
“The Slave Auction is always a
popular event and this year the volunteers
sold for some high prices
which helped us raise a good amount
of money” commented fellow RAG
organiser Holly Hardaker.
RAG Week cumulated on Thursday
with a bang. In the early afternoon,
students volunteered to have
themselves arrested. Several members
of the American football team
placed themselves in jail and raised
bail from other students passing
outside the Union building.
However, it was Thursday night’s
‘silent disglow’ that had students
talking all week long. Held at one of
the city centre hot spots, Tiger Tiger,
to themselves.
Alongside RAG events, Ernst and
Young sponsored a fund-raising
challenge that allowed for student
groups to compete against each
other in order to see who could raise
the most money.
All proceeds were donated to
SCAN which sponsors over 200 students
in over 75 different projects
throughout the year.
“My mates and I gave people the
chance to throw wet sponges at us.
No one could resist it,” said challenge
winner Ivan Nichols.
RAG supervisor Morgan Richards
attempted to eat his height in Subway
subs for his challenge.
He said: “I was able to raise a bit of
money for SCAN, but eating six foot
long subs in an hour proved to be a
hard challenge.”

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 5
Drugs: the smart option for students?
Joshua Shrimpton Dean
A prominent Newcastle University
philosopher has raised concerns
about students’ use of legal ‘smart’
drugs after a top neurologist triggered
a debate on whether universities
should consider random dope
tests.
Dr Thom Brooks’ comments come
after Barbara Sahakian, a professor
of neuropsychology at Cambridge
University, said that brain-boosting
drugs had “enormous implications
for universities.”
The drugs, which are used to treat
illnesses including Alzheimer’s and
ADHD, work by stimulating the
central nervous system to increase
alertness and delay the onset of
tiredness.
Sahakian’s comments may force
universities to formally recognise
the issue and develop a universal
policy to address concerns that some
students are at an unfair advantage.
But any discussion is likely to be
highly contentious. Proponents of
and Ritalin, point to those who rely
on coffee, Red Bull or Pro-Plus to
pull themselves through long overnight
revision sessions and complex
exams.
Brooks, a reader in political and
legal philosophy, told The Courier:
“Students have used various devices
to improve their ability to perform
on essays and tests.
“For example, I drank coffee in
very excessive amounts. About
every student I know has done likewise,
especially when preparing for
exams or writing essays.
“Of course, the fact so many have
done this would not make it right,
but this was very widespread and I
imagine no less so today.”
But Brooks, founder of The Journal
of Moral Philosophy, raised concerns
that some of the drugs may
only be available to the privileged
few.
He said: “On the other hand, these
‘smart drugs’ seem very different
from drinking a lot of coffee, not
least in that they are used to treat
medical conditions.
“One might be concerned if the
cost made it more likely that stu-
grounds
were more likely to use
these substances. That would raise
some concerns.”
Ritalin is available from online
pharmacies for up to £60 for ten
for around £10 for the same amount.
Both drugs can be obtained without
a prescription.
A third year marketing student,
who did not wish to be named, told
The Courier
to boost her performance in exams
last year.
She said: “It just seemed like I was
missing out if I didn’t do it. I knew a
couple of people on my course had
got hold of some easily enough, so
I thought, why not? It’s not illegal
and I don’t think it’s particularly
harming me.”
A Survey in the United States revealed
that an estimated one in six
university students currently take
brain-enhancing drugs. For now
though, it seems that the super alert
students of Newcastle University
have little to worry about.
Being asked to provide a urine
sample before entering an exam
may still be a long way off. Even if
universities develop a clear policy
that bans the use of smart drugs, it
seems unlikely that any doping tests
could be implemented without a
Newcastle University’s medical
school was not available for comment.
If you’re looking for a good time,
there’s a bloke selling some top
pills in the toilets - the toilets opposite
your exam room.
So comes the revelation that
‘smart drugs’ are threatening the
legitimacy of students having an
equal footing going into exams,
and generally adding to their
drug-addled university years.
I think we have stumbled upon
the all-encompassing student lifestyle:
Mephadrone and ketamin
day. We are now able to be souped
up all hours.
We are becoming darkly superhuman,
in that we can chemically
extract the upmost out of any
given situation, be it to the sound
of Fatboy Slim or the Monday
morning lecturer.
So, do taking ‘smart drugs’ give
an unfair advantage? The ‘no’ argument,
I suppose, is that it is still
a matter of choice. In the same way
that anybody chooses to take any
form of drug, it is their decision,
and with scientists concerned that
students aren’t realising the effect
of the drugs, it is they themselves
that will face the health risks.
They will also pay the money, deal
with the possible side effects, and
generally prescribe to an Orwellian
level of education.
The other prospect of the laissezfaire
argument is that there are
calls for random doping tests to
be done on students in the run up
to exams. Why not put a few surly
bouncers on the door of the exam
hall? You need ID to get into an
exam, so you might as well check
wallets, pockets and socks for any
pills or powder. Take a chance, get
Of course, if you’re waiting to
take your seat in an exam the last
thing that’s going to make you feel
better is seeing some nutter trembling
with excitement, as he or she
boils over with knowledge shooting
to the front of their brains.
You certainly might be wishing
then that you weren’t so straight
laced. You could quite rightly feel
cheated if you’ve taken the gamble
on porridge in the morning with
nine bananas as Gordon Brown
does.
The most ridiculous thing about
smart drugs is that should they
be deemed unfair, we’ll all be
lined up like Olympic athletes
and given these random drugs
tests. The paranoia levels around
the place will be a nightmare, and
I’m not swapping urine samples
with anybody to cover up for their
make-believe intelligence.
Let’s take a chance, and back
ourselves to do it the old fashioned
way. Last minute, hungover,
and with a massive sense of relief
when we know it’s all our own
University tells students to watch for their safety after student has lucky escape
News
Let’s take a chance, and back ourselves to do it the old fashioned way
Nile Amos
Commentary
Fran Infante Deputy Editor
The University has warned students
to remain vigilant following an attempted
attack on a female student
in broad daylight.
The incident occurred on Sunday
21 February as the second year student
was walking from her home in
Jesmond to work at Shakeaholics on
Clayton Street.
As she walked down Deuchar
Street toward Sandyford, a man
driving a black Vauxhall Meriva
caught her attention. The student,
who wished to remain anonymous,
told The Courier: “He caught my
attention but wouldn’t make eye
contact and something about that
made me suspicious of him from the
start.”
As she continued down the street
the man pulled up and asked her
for directions to Osborne Road, the
English Literature student complied
and gave them but as she set
off again the car followed her at a
crawling pace, its driver repeatedly
offering her a lift and asking her
where she was going.
She responded that she could not
stop as she was late for work, but
this prompted the man to leave his
car and pursue her on foot.
“I was walking really fast at this
point and as I got near Santana’s restaurant
on Stephenson Road I saw
him turn back and I thought he’d
just gone off.
“I just kept walking fast but then
I saw him coming down one of
the back streets in front of me, that
distance is longer than what I had
walked, he must have ran round the
back.
“I panicked and started to run toward
the shop.
“I didn’t want to turn back because
I didn’t want him to know where I
lived.
“When he was in the car I thought
it was all a bit strange but there was
still a bit of distance so I wasn’t too
worried, but as soon as he got of the
car I knew I had to get away. This
was all at 10am on a Sunday morning
in broad daylight – it was really
scary.”
On arrival at Shakeaholics the
frightened student telephoned the
police and gave a statement.
Jesmond Acting Inspector John
Hearl told The Courier: “The woman
did absolutely the right thing in
reporting this matter to the police.
Although the man’s behaviour was
unusual, he made no attempt to
follow her and there was no crime
committed.”
On behalf of the student affected,
the Head of the School of English
Jennifer Richards sent out an e-mail
to all English students warning of
the need to be aware and safe at all
times.

6 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
News
Joshua Shrimpton Dean
Israel’s deputy ambassador to the
UK was cancelled after pro-Palestinian
protestors were considered to
in front of the University’s Politics
Society was deemed too high risk
Undergraduates at Oxford University’s
Christ Church college have
been threatened with arrest if they
are caught selling heroin, following
the uncovering of a “considerable
In an email to students, which also
Such focus groups have been taking
place over the last three years,
while further student opinion will
be gauged throughout the redevelopment
to ensure students have a
say in key decisions relating to the
Union President, Andriana Georgiou,
said: “We are working in collaboration
with the University and
are very grateful for the funding
ing will provide us with a fantastic
opportunity to offer a cutting-edge
Newcastle’s diverse population of
Gerry added: “We have been working
on the details of this project for
over three years, and are delighted
“It is very exciting to think that in
18 months time we will be providing
one of the best, if not the best,
Students’ Union in the country to
“Our vision of providing a 21st
Century Union for the 21st Century
student will become much more realisable
with the new enhanced fa-
Such focus groups have been taking
place over the last three years,
while further student opinion will
be gauged throughout the redevelopment
to ensure students have a
say in key decisions relating to the
It has been stressed that while
work will be carried out throughout
the academic year, procedures will
be put into place to minimise dis-
While there will be no Union bar
appeared in the University’s newspaper
Cherwell
anonymous letter alleging the “existence
in Christ Church of a considerable
drugs culture, including the
supplying of class A drugs such as
or entertainment from November
onwards, all core student services
uities building, along with other
services such as Sploshh print shop,
All other services, including the
tre and the Student Advice Centre,
Commenting on the levels of disruption
to students, Georgiou add-
Union throughout the academic
“We have a challenging year
ahead of us but the new Union will
“We’re very excited to see the
outcome of all the hard work that’s
after the Israeli embassy learnt that
the University’s Action Palestine
group were seeking to storm the
The Jewish Chronicle reported that
up to 300 banner-waving protestors
confusion last week after claims that
the Union had voted to deny all Israeli
nationals a platform at the Uni-
yet to decide on banning only Gov-
Jerusalem are tense following al-
agents used fake British passports
to enter Dubai to assassinate a top
Olivia Channon, the daughter of
Conservative cabinet minister Peter
Channon, died on campus in 1986 at
the age of 22 following an overdose
Nationals of North India, Nepal and
Bangladesh will once again be able
to apply to study in the UK from
a one-month ban following an overwhelming
surge in applications
time to carry out checks to ensure
only genuine applicants were grant-
rise in prospective foreign students
entering the UK with bogus offers
A student is facing a lengthy jail
term after being convicted of a sex
attack on a 19-year-old girl in Scot-
Gerard Costa, 24, told friends he
was going to check a bus timetable
but instead went in search of a pros-
Costa spotted a girl walking alone
Glasgow’s High Court heard how
the defendant claimed to be too
But the jury found the student, originally
from India, guilty of assault-
Vacancies
The Careers Service provides information
and advice on developing your
graduate opportunities.
ac.uk/careers.
Careers Service:
Job Title:
Employer: Touchline Event Management
Ltd
Business:
agement
Salary: £6.00 per hour
Basic job description: Touchline Event
Management specialise in the manage-
els, to athletics, pop concerts, horse racing,
golf and corporate hotel events. We
in Hartlepool you can earn up to £450
provided.
Location: Tyneside, Teesside
Job Title:
Employer:
Business: Fundraising
Closing date: 03/09/2010
Salary:
Basic job description:
ing are looking for students to act as
Wildlife Trust in an exclusive local area
The role is to post a specially designed
days, call on each property to speak
much to give and many choose to give
more.
Rebecca Curtis
So, if you don’t want to have your
identity stolen, follow these simple
steps below, as recommended by
the Information Commissioner’s
1) Store any documents containing
personal information, such as
your driving license, passport, bank
statements, utility bills or credit
card transaction receipts, in a safe
2) When no longer needed, shed
or destroy any personal documents
so that nothing showing your
name, address or other details can
3) When you move house, make
sure you update organisations
such as your bank, mobile phone
provider, energy providers with
your new address – you don’t want
evenings, although other hours are pos-
The salary for this post is a mix of pay-
up. Details are given in the application
Location:
and North Tyneside
Job Title: Promotions Staff
Employer: Elevate Communications
Business: Marketing
Closing date: 23/03/2010
Salary: £7.50 per hour
Basic job description: Elevate Communications
are looking for students
a leading premium international coffee
location. The role involves promoting the
you to make delicious coffee tailored to
rates running until January 2011, inclusive
of holiday pay!
Person requirements: We are looking
sales experience, immaculate presenta-
communication skills, good organisational
skills, and an understanding of
sales reporting and stock management.
Location:
themselves against identity theft
the new tenants to have access to
letters containing your personal
redirection service for your mail- if
you wish to know more, click on
less you give away about yourself,
the lower the risk of information
5) Always think before you buy
online! Use a secure website which
displays the company’s contact
details, and remember to look for a
golden padlock symbol, clear privacy
and returns policies, and user

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 7
Comment Editors: Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer and Nicholas Fidler - courier.comment@ncl.ac.uk
RAG Week in
the spotlight
> Page 10
Suspicious minds
James Stubbs
Columnist
The Royal Courts of Justice: juries have come under scrutiny as the Ministry of Justice report ‘Are Juries Fair?’ is released and a jury was dismissed in the 7/7 bomb plot trial
Order, order: should we still have trial by jury?
Yes
Elliot Bentley
Juries may be a relic of Elizabethan
society, and one which (if we may
be brutally honest) probably would
not be proposed by lawmakers
in today’s Britain. But this fairly
lengthy and expensive process is
a cornerstone of our legal system,
and one that should be protected at
all costs.
For a start, some myths require
dispelling: less than 1% of criminal
cases are carried out with a jury
present, only the most serious
having the time and money a jury
requires spent on it.
Most trials by jury only last
around two weeks - which may
be slightly longer than it might
take with the jury absent, but not a
anyone’s standards.
In these such cases, the life of
the defendant - who is, let us not
forget, innocent until proven guilty
- is at stake.
An incorrect verdict can lead to
a guilty party getting away with
their heinous crime, or an innocent
member of the public being put
away for years.
With stakes so high, it is vital
that the fairest verdict possible can
be achieved, and juries are by far
fairer than the alternative; that the
judge presiding over the courtroom
decides the defendant’s fate.
Consisting mostly of older, uppermiddle
class white men, judges
may be well-versed in court proceedings
but they hardly represent
the British population as a whole.
Hearing cases day in and day out
can leave judges jaded and cynical,
and they may lose sympathy for
the defendant simply because they
have seen so many before.
Juries, on the other hand, are perhaps
more likely to show compassion,
the average trial length only
being two weeks.
The multiple perspectives a jury
provides are invaluable. Coming
from all walks of life, they are able
to pool their collective perspectives
and come up with a fresh take that
a single judge may not be able to
see.
Undoubtedly the jury’s greatest
role is to form an important barrier
between the defendant and the
state. A closed system, where every
member of the court is employed
by the Government, is open to
abuse by the state - the shocking
jury-less secret military trials in
Guantanamo Bay should be proof
enough of this.
Another important aspect of
the jury is the ability to acquit a
defendant even when they are technically
guilty in the eyes of the law.
tive barrier before an oppressive
Government.
Ultimately juries are not just
a mere formality; they are the
public’s representatives in the
courtroom, and an essential part
of democracy. They open up
what would otherwise be a closed
system, providing transparency
and allowing scrutinisation of its
workings.
Being peers of the defendant (in
theory, at least), trial by jury means
that the accused is essentially tried
by the people, rather than the state.
Removing juries from the courtroom,
then, would destroy what
is an utterly indispensable aspect
of our democracy and our legal
system.
No
Nicholas Fidler
Comment Editor
The very idea of removing juries
from the judicial process immediately
strikes fear into the heart of
civil and politics rights activists,
and The Guardian readers alike.
People would doubtless cry that the
civility and protection of individual
liberties we have come to love
would be as good as dead.
I would like to suggest however,
that the deposition of juries in
certain, appropriate, cases is not
tantamount to blowing the head off
democracy with a full bore shotgun,
but a far more moderate and
reasonable move. Whilst I’m all too
aware that the principle of trial by
one’s peers is seemingly sacrosanct,
like all legal principles it is not
beyond reproach and certainly not
I have always thought it somewhat
peculiar that in the world
of courtrooms, wherein barristers
necessarily undergo extensively
just to gain the right to speak, it’s
a little bit on the cheap side that
the ultimate decision of guilt or innocence
lies with 12 ordinary, and
The rationale behind the use of
jurors is largely because it facilitates
trial by one’s equals, presumably
because a plurality of opinion will
on aggregate produce a sound
opinion. This seems a little shaky
to me.
On average there would probably
be at least a few reasonable
discern guilt or innocence from the
evidence they’re presented with,
but I can’t help but feel that at least
a few people in your average jury
will simply appeal to prejudice,
maligned reasoning, ignorance, or
neglect in order to make their deci-
guard, considering it is the lives of
real human beings that are at stake.
Then there’s the deeper issue of
competency. Given the intricate
technicalities of the law, it is not
something you can simply pick
up and run with. Any meaningful
comprehension requires years
jurors lack this. You wouldn’t let
a structural engineer who doesn’t
comprehend sound engineering
principles anywhere near a bridge;
nor we should let the legally inept
anywhere near a courtroom.
It cannot seriously be asserted that
those who have spent most of their
academic and working lives gradually
gaining competence in the legal
realm can be accused of holding
biased and unreasoned opinions,
especially as their livelihoods are
continually dependent on the quality
of legal proceedings. There’s
a reason why white middle class
men dominate most political and
legal institutions; the perspective
gained through rigorous education
outlook than the average Heat
Magazine reader is able to offer.
The removal of juries (which is
already more common than people
suppose) is not going to invade
our legal rights. People in Britain
have been continually exposed to
a diet of scaremongering, whereby
the Government is condemned for
almost anything it does. I don’t
realistically believe that the state
will descend into a fascist totality
just because of the removal of an
antiquated legal principle.
Last week saw New York bomb
plotter Najibullah Zazi pleading
guilty to accusations that he
had plans to blow up some of the
subway system there in 2008. It was
one of the largest threats since September
11. Many lives have been
saved; good news all round.
I’m always fairly bemused by the
notices at airports, train stations etc,
to be on the look out for anything
‘suspicious’. They never really go
into much more detail than that,
but everyone knows what they really
mean.
‘Suspicious’ in this age of terror
really means, ‘terrorist’; and ‘terrorist’
really means ‘non-white man,
with beard and large smoking rucksack
/itchy underwear, perhaps a
lady (or a man) in a burka, at any
rate looking very shady indeed.’
Sometimes they might not even be
that shady.
and in very busy public places it
would be a concern for many nervous
people, or indeed anyone, if
they were certain someone were a
terrorist and wanted to blow them
up. But how can you ever know?
What we can be fairly sure of is
that the list of successfully bombed
places in the US and UK will not go
like this: World Trade Centre; Pentagon;
London underground and
to the Robinson Library.
They may be nuts but I think that
these bombers will have some idea
of strategy and that our humble
library probably won’t rank too
highly on their list of potential sites
for a massacre.
So I was surprised when my
friend Abdul told me that while he
shelves for our documentary class
he’d been approached in the library
by a member of staff asking him
what he was doing.
To be fair to her she was just
following up on a report from a
student who had felt that his presence
there was in some way not
right. He assured me that he was
not in the way–the concern that
was voiced–and that he had gotten
out the way and been very polite
to anyone he might have inconvenienced.
It’s safe to say that it wasn’t his
good manners that alerted the
anxious student, but more likely the
colour of his skin and his mag-
beard). If I were to do the same
tomorrow it would be unlikely to
create any problems at all.
The whole thing is hilarious, and
he’s treating it as such, but it’s also
sad that he can’t just get on with
his work without getting reported
to staff. Of course, it might all just
be a huge misunderstanding on
the student’s part about copyright
infringement, but somehow, I don’t
think so.

8 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Comment
Is the 21-hour working week a serious economic policy?
Alex Irwin
The UK’s leading independent
think tank suggests a 21 hour working
week will not only increase
the quality of life but boost the
economy.
‘21 Hours’, a report published by
the New Economics Foundation,
proposes a radical change from
the current 40 hour working week
to just 21 hours. They claim that
through job sharing, many of the
problems we face today, including
overwork, unemployment and
over-consumption, will be solved
whilst profoundly altering the
tempo, habits and conventions of
British workers’ lives. The report
suggests time off can be spent with
the family and doing charity work.
On paper, this looks great; work
less, enjoy life more but the report
admits people would not earn
as much, in fact almost half, and
what’s the use of having more time
with the family if the family cannot
afford to eat?
Of course we’d all like more
leisure time, more time socializing,
more time sleeping perhaps; but in
the real world, for most people this
is impossible. I’m sure mortgages,
rent and council tax will not be
simultaneously split in half. The
21 hour week concept is not a new
idea, it’s called a part time job and
if we could all get by on part time
wages surely we’d already be doing
it?
The report says that research
shows that since 1981, two-adult
households have added six hours to
their combined weekly workload.
Perhaps a realistic alternative to
the 21 hour week would be stricter
laws on the current 40 hour week.
working 50 plus hours a week, and
by restricting the week to 40 hours,
people would earn the same but
have more leisure time.
Through job
sharing, problems we
face today
including overwork,
unemployment and
over-consumption
will be solved
The New Economics Foundation
also believes that working a 21 hour
week will delay retirement. People
will be able to go on earning for
longer as 21 hours would be less
demanding and less stressful.
The report claims that: “Many
people want to retire as soon as
they can because their jobs are
stressful, physically exhausting,
and make high demands on their
time.
Yet their sense of purpose and
identity, social networks, and daily
routines and preoccupations are
often closely bound up with paid
employment, so that sudden retirement
can be experienced as shock
and bereavement, leading to illness
and premature death.”
Andrew Simms, co-author of the
21 Hours report, said: “There is this
issue of people retiring and their
lives collapse. So this is a good
themselves.”
Do the elderly really want to carry
think so. Most people in the UK
cannot wait to retire and studies
have shown that retirement, in
fact, offers a new lease of life and
improved health.
Not only does the concept have
employers would most likely have
Are A-levels as easy as ABC? Perhaps if you’re doing Sociology
their own concerns.
Many business need continuity
to function and the interrupted
nature of part time labour would
not offer this. Job sharing requires
impeccable communication and
without it can lead to confusion and
decreased productivity – something
employers would not take kindly
to.
Also, what would this mean for
Government-funded social programmes;
less money earned means
less taxes collected by government
and reduced or eliminated social
programmes.
Overall, the 21 hour working
week would not be feasible because
the current standard of living could
not be maintained for the majority
of the working force. Yes, it would
be ideal for many aspects of our
lives, children, leisure time etc., but
nearly impossible to implement.
Moreover, is it really a good
idea to allow us Brits more time to
drink? I smell disaster.
International Women’s Day: gender equality still has a long way to go
Rowan
Rheingans
International Women’s Day (IWD)
is on Monday 8 March - a designated
national holiday in many
countries across the world.
From local women’s rights activists
to the United Nations, different
groups use March 8 to remember,
celebrate and learn from the
women’s movement that represents
over one hundred years of struggle
for equality, justice and peace.
For women and men across the
globe, IWD is a chance to focus
women face internationally, as well
as to mark the achievements of
ordinary women as the makers of a
rich history.
man Socialist, Clara Zetkin, at the
conference of the Socialist International
in Copenhagen in 1910.
She suggested that there be an
international day to mark what
came to be known as the ‘Bread and
Roses’ strike held by women textile
workers, who marched through the
streets of New York City in 1908
demanding better pay and conditions
and an end to child labour.
Zetkin’s proposal was greeted
with unanimous approval by the
conference of over 100 women from
17 countries.
Since its birth in the labour movement,
IWD has grown to become a
global day of recognition across the
world.
For many years the United Nations
has held an annual IWD conference
to coordinate international
efforts for women’s rights and their
participation in social, political and
economic processes.
Women’s organisations around
the world observe IWD annually
by holding large-scale events that
honour women’s achievement,
while also serving as a reminder
of the continued action required
ensuring that real equality is gained
and maintained in all aspects of
women’s lives.
Aren’t we all equal now? Isn’t
IWD outdated and irrelevant? Not
at all.
Women in the UK are paid an
average of 21% less per hour than
men for doing equal work and in
some parts of the UK this gender
pay gap is as much as 50%.
This means female students will
be paying off their student loans for
longer than men, while disadvantaged
further by work-place gender
discrimination still entrenched in
many industries.
In the UK and abroad, genitalmutilation
and female circumcision
only causes harm) is still practiced
on young women in order to
control their bodies, their sexual
independence and to keep them as
the ‘property’ of their partners they
are often forced to marry.
An estimated 100 to 140 million
girls and women worldwide are
currently living with the consequences
of genital mutilation.
Women are also disproportionately
affected by domestic violence,
so much so that on average two
Aren’t we all equal
now? Isn’t IWD
outdated and
irrelevant? Not at
all. Women in the UK
are paid an average
of 21% less per hour
than men for doing
equal work
women in England and Wales are
killed every week by a current or
former male partner.
Because of women’s disadvantaged
status in society globally, the
vast majority of the world’s poorest
people are female. In 1980, the
United Nations noted that “women
make up more than half the world’s
population and yet perform two
thirds of its work, receive one tenth
of its income and own less than one
hundredth of its property.”
For sure there has been some
progress made since then but there
is still a very long way to go before
we can say that all women of the
world are able to lead a life free of
discrimination based on their sex.
It is important for young women
and men to respect, learn from, and
continue the women’s movement.
From Parisian women during the
French Revolution who marched
in Versailles to demand women’s
suffrage, to the continued plight
of women in developing countries
against forced marriage, to ‘Reclaim
the Night’ marches and abortionrights
rallies in the UK today –
International Women’s Day is a
chance to look at women’s achievements
on the road to liberation as
be won.
Anthony Ash
For a few years now our A-level
system has been a magnet for bad
press from all angles of the political
spectrum; all the parties of the political
cohort are gradually turning
their approval of the current further
education system into dire disapproval.
However, given Labour’s track
record in education since it came to
power in 1997 has been anything
but ‘education, education, education’
and against warnings of the
universities, still went down the
path of quantity and not quality in
higher education, it comes as no
surprise that its response has been
poor.
It feels as though the time when
the British A-level stood high as
pletely acceptable for university
admission the world-over, has
long passed. Today, the integrity
of the A-level and its subordinate
counterpart the AS-level is truly in
question.
Subjects like psychology, sociology
and law have for several years
been named by the press as soft
subjects and often described by the
The admissions
teams of universities
across the country are
frowning upon the
study of these,
traditionally
university-only
subjects, at A-level
more noteworthy institutions of
the Oxbridge elite as: “bad prerequisites
for those wanting to study
psychology, sociology or law at
degree level.”
However, Cambridge has taken
their view on soft subjects a step
further and has published on its
website a list of 21 subjects, which
it believes will from hereon in “rule
students out” of the selection process.
Although it may seem this issue
is just with Oxbridge, many other
universities have spoken out in the
same way about this plethora of
soft subjects.
The admissions teams of universities
across the country are frowning
upon the study of these, traditionally
university-only subjects, at
A-level.
The hypocrisy here is why is it
perfectly normal for a student to
study A-level mathematics as a
prerequisite to university study,
but an A-level in law is ludicrous as
preparation for degree level law?
I am told the answer lies in both
university courses and drop-out
courses, such as economics, are
designed to allow any candidate
to successfully study without prior
knowledge; the university is rather
looking for them to draw on the
skills they acquired during their
time in Sixth Form or FE college.
However, freshers embarking
on such courses with previous
knowledge are said to have already
covered a large part of the content
Universities’ experience with such
students is that they often do not
attend class on the basis they ‘know
it all’, fail their exams and drop
out of university, damaging the
university’s precious completion
rates and ultimately displacing it in
the league tables.
These soft subjects were introduced
over the last 10 years to
encourage more students to go to
college or sixth form by offering a
greater range of subjects to appease
the range of students’ interests.
Furthermore, the Department of
Education and Skills does not differentiate
between subject content
and educational skills; for the DfES
they are the same.
Does the Government need to
once again reform the A-level system
further in order to accommodate
advanced study with modern
subjects?
Or does it simply need to scrap
the A-level all together and introduce
a diploma or a baccalaureate
H.M Inspectorate of Schools?
Given the claim that the current
subjects on offer do not prepare
students for university, the Government
does indeed need to rethink
its approach.
Having studied for some years
myself in Poland and Spain, where
the curriculum is delivered in a baccalaureate
style, and experienced
continental students, I think it is
safe to say we need to look to there
for some lessons in education.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 9
Comment
J. WHITLAM
The iconic view of the River Tyne’s many bridges and Quayside is symbolic with Newcastle, despite many of its features such as the Baltic, the Sage and the Millenium Bridge itself all being located on the Gateshead side
A tale of two cities? Why Newcastle and Gateshead should stand together
Laura Heads
If I was to ask you where the Sage,
the Baltic and the Angel of the
North were I would bet 90% would
give me the generic answer of Newcastle;
I would even go as far as
to say that if I were to ask anyone
not familiar with this area that 99%
would give me the same answer.
Turns out they’re actually in
Gateshead, and those that live
south of the Tyne, i.e. not in New-
to remember this.
It appears that the new, or perhaps
semi new, 1NG (that would be
1 NewcastleGateshead) scheme that
has been set up and lumps Newcastle
and Gateshead together has
gotten Gateshead residents riled;
essentially they believe Newcastle
is looking to ‘steal’ these apparently
trademark landmarks for their own,
annexing Gateshead and leaving it
as a part of Newcastle rather than a
city in its own right.
Honestly, in my view, Gateshead
appears to be making a big fuss
over nothing, we (and by that I
class myself as a team Newcastle
girl through and through) are not
trying to ‘steal’ anything.
The main point of the 1NG
scheme is merely to boost business,
the economy, and regenerate the
area.
Newcastle is one of the most
vibrant cities at the moment and
boasts a number of accolades to
prove this fact; you just need to
look at the number of hen and stag
parties on a Friday and Saturday
nights to understand the draw the
nightlife of the city has, and then
look at the number of tourists on
any weekend to see the draw the
city itself has.
Agreeably the Baltic and the Sage
are vast pulling points to tourists
who want to come and explore
around here.
However, I am pretty sure that
they themselves are not aware that
they have crossed the invisible
border into Gateshead.
It is of no relevance to me that the
bridge I use to cross over the Tyne
is actually placing me in Gateshead
rather than Newcastle. I am still,
in my mind, in Newcastle, there is
no part of me that suddenly stops,
jumps for joy and realises that yes,
I am in fact now in Gateshead and
should remember this throughout
my ‘trip’.
I could understand if Durham
were kicking up all this fuss about
the fact itself and Newcastle were
being labelled together; they are
cant
distance in between; Newcastle
and Gateshead however are
When I was younger and used
to visit up here to see my Grandparents,
I would always look for
the Angel of the North, to me that
would symbolise that I was now in
Newcastle; even now when I drive
up for University I know I’m home
when it looms into view.
I mean no offence to Gateshead by
thinking this, and I certainly do not
mean to detract from that fact the
sculpture obvious resides on their
side of the Tyne, I am merely pointing
out that maybe being placed
together with Newcastle is not all
bad: it could be a lot worse.
I come from Kent, and there is
on one side of the River Medway
against those who live on the other;
essentially it is a battle of normal
versus chav.
Chatham is, in essence, the
homeland of the chav and is forever
being linked in with my home town
of Maidstone.
We despise it. If this was what
was happening with Gateshead
and Newcastle then yes, I could
completely see Gateshead’s point
and I would resign my point now,
however it isn’t.
Newcastle and Gateshead are two
very similar places and in my eyes
the differences between the two are
minimal; yes they have a few more
exciting looking buildings than
Newcastle, but Newcastle has the
heritage, history and ultimately the
draw that Gateshead does not.
It is very rare to hear someone
mention that they are going to
Gateshead on a night out, or that
they are holidaying in Gateshead
this year; switch out Gateshead
with Newcastle and you get the
general gist of my point.
Gateshead would be foolish not
to accept this opportunity with
open arms; not only do they get to
be marketed as a great place to be,
of living so close to a popular and
bustling city.
They cannot pick and choose
what they want. I’d give them a
week without Newcastle’s popular
draw to realise exactly what they’re
missing.

10 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Comment
RAG: raising, giving and getting harassed by members of the public
Tarren Smarr
I have recently been hearing rumours
amongst the student body
that some of you are unhappy with
RAG Week.
My question is why? If students at
the University did no fundraising,
you would kick off. But when people
get together to actually do some
fundraising, you kick off anyway.
How does that make any sense?
I heard some say that RAG participants
are raising money for the
wrong reasons. How is that even
possible?
Last week, I know students who
stood outside for hours enduring
cold winds that nipped at their
noses, rain, hail, and even snow all
in the name of charity.
These students did not receive
any class/module credit for their
efforts.
They also did not get paid to
stand outside. They did it out of
the kindness of their hearts because
something about RAG (Raising
and Giving) appealed to their good
nature.
Alongside the weather, these
students also endured the public.
A pedestrian in Northumberland
Street verbally assaulted one crew
member because one of the RAG
charities was the Terrance Higgins
Trust. Bless her heart.
She stood there with a smile and
kept her calm as this guy told her
she was a horrible person for supporting
AIDS research.
I even saw a pair of students being
shouted at from people selling
the Big Issue, as well as other buskers,
for taking their business.
Northumbria Street is a big street,
as is the city centre, and there is
enough room for all of us to do
some fundraising/charity work.
So not only did these students
endure horrible weather, they also
endured some pretty horrible people
with attitude problems.
They don’t need their fellow
students to also negatively badger
them about their efforts during
RAG week.
Throughout the week, I also heard
students complain about how RAG
participants were having too much
fun for it to be considered charity
work. I literally laughed out loud.
If charity work and fundraising
didn’t have some element of fun,
people wouldn’t participate.
Yeah, there were some fun events,
like a dance off and slave auction.
Heck, people even volunteered to
lock himself/herself or a fellow
student in a jail cell in the name of
charity.
Not only did they have fun, but
shocker, the RAG crew raised
money in the process.
Trust me, the students who participated
in RAG paid to attend all
of the events, just as other members
of the pubic paid. They did not
receive special treatment because
they were a crew member or a
supervisor.
Actually, I am pretty sure that
many people from RAG are suffering
a deal of hurt on their bank accounts
for not only paying to attend
events, but they put in their own
donations at these events.
draise
or do charity work. No one
will hold it against you. But leave
those who do want to donate their
time and efforts alone and let them
get on with it.
It’s like the saying goes ‘no good
deed goes unpunished’, and the
RAG participants have endured
enough punishment without having
other student talk negatively
about them and demean their hard
work.
For those of you who balanced
classes, practices, meetings, and
RAG events, you have my blessing.
Job well done, and I am sure
that the charities are very pleased
and impressed with the funds you
all worked hard to raise during the
week.
Bully-boy Brown or just election propaganda? Let the battle commence
Jack Stevenson
This year, before the start of June,
there will be a general election. For
many of us at university, it will
our member of parliament and
to choose which party we think
should run the country.
The pressure is on for us to pick
who we want to lead us boldly into
the future and particularly, out of
the credit crisis. The pressure is
even more so on Gordon Brown
and David Cameron to convince us
to put our little black cross in their
box.
There should be no doubt that
cult
task here. Being the incumbent
premier, many would argue that he
has put Britain into its current position,
which isn’t a great one.
With the country just emerging
from a recession, and low economic
growth likely for the foreseeable
future, we are within rights to ask;
why, after more than ten years of
Labour, is Britain not the fairer,
more prosperous, and all round
great place that was promised by
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in
1997?
I’m sure that Mr Brown would
have a lot to say in answer to that
question, but how far exactly will
he go in order to convince us that
he is the right guy to lead Britain?
And behind the sturdy door of
Number Ten, how desperate is he
According to recent reports, very.
At least enough to have been supposedly
bullying his own staff.
Recently, an anti-bullying helpline
revealed that it had received
several complaints from Number
Ten, whilst The Observer ran a
highly disputed story in which
the Prime-Minister was accused
of shouting and swearing at staff,
even grabbing them by the lapels
in an openly aggressive and angry
manner.
This certainly is not an acceptable
way for any political leader to
conduct themselves.
But is this really what Gordon has
been doing? The allegations raised
in The Observer article have been
vehemently denied by the government,
and the reports from the antibullying
helpline have since been
Prime Minister.
So what has been going on? David
Cameron would certainly like us to
believe that Gordon Brown, indeed
anyone in the Labour party, is a
bully for obvious reasons; so clearly
we must be wary in our judgements
when it comes to voting.
Over the next few months before
the election there are going to be
some of them will be true, whilst
others will be downright lies.
It is important to take all of these
stories with a pinch of salt, but also
to recognise that some of them do
probably hold some grain of truth.
It is probably safest to look only at
the manifestos of the parties when
decided who to vote for, but that
isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
So whether old Gordon is a bully
or not, the damage has undoubtedly
been done; it’s just a case of
waiting for something equally
shocking to be revealed about
David Cameron. I’m quite excited
to see what it is.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 11
Comment
Mark
Corcoran-Lettice
shrill declaration that, with its
In a discovery that can hardly be
described as revelatory, The Guardian
only ever showed a few of their
annoyed with the brazen cheek on
two months after the Christmas
The Courier, however,
In 2002, The Daily Mail and The
Sun
C.PIERCE
while The Daily Star, one of the
The Dandy
have involved a certain conviction,
between The Sun and The Daily
Mirror
The Guardian
man’s research has revealed that
It’s hard to come to any other
Fran Infante
The work of Roman Polanski may
claim to have lost their mother in
criminality of the other is far from
Since his initial arrest and trial in
Silver Bear award for best director
which he received at the Berlin Film
Festival last week has only served
The very fact that he was able to
over three decades is a travesty of
as a director; this is not an award
be tried, convicted and jailed if it is
By all means condemn Polanski

12 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Life & Style Editors: Larisa Brown, Alex Felton and Ashley Fryer - courier.life@ncl.ac.uk
Ten designers that
changed the world
> Fashion, 14-15
food & drink
Come Dine With Me: knock out or cop out?
Katherine Bannon settles for gone off yoghurt and Tesco Value chips as she takes on the Come Dine With Me challenge
Understandably, student
housing is never go-
of dining experiences.
Place mats are as rare
as Cheryl Cole’s bad hair days and
someone is always going to get the
chair which leaves their eyes level
with the table leg.
However, with a quaint wooden
ceiling and pretty paper chains
draped across (I’d like to be able to
say oak) beams it was almost like
Riverside Cottage had mated with
the Websters’ house in Coronation
Street. Almost.
At the same time, the pile of recycling
was threatening to transform
the worn lino into a pathway of
empty cereal boxes, and the tower of
petit fours pots was tall enough to
get on every ride in Alton Towers.
She could’ve sorted that out.
Yet I suppose the food is the main
thing. Immediately upon our entrance
we were presented with a
warm bed of tortilla chips thickly
coated in salsa, sour cream and a
generous, albeit suspiciously waxy,
layer of cheese.
get the taste buds going, but also
The most trying bit of this task was
probably turning the grill on, and the
similarly sorry state of the rubbish
bin didn’t offer any hiding place for
the empty bag of Tesco Value lightly
salted chips and equally crude salsa
packaging. Yes Kat, of course it was
your own recipe.
Nonetheless I was ready to give
The main course was looking more
promising already, as the open-plan
dining area allowed me to witness
the large pan of spiced chicken
lightly simmering on the hob. Opting
to continue with the tenuously
established Mexican theme, it was
fajita time.
A proud Grainger Market whore,
Bishop seemed eager to display the
fact that all the ingredients were
freshly purchased by scattering
random chillies and parsley plants
in optimum viewing positions
throughout the kitchen.
It was concentrating on this which
perhaps caused her to forget the
grate the cheese and hence shove it
into my hands with a sharp order to
give it ‘some good thrusting’.
Meanwhile, having gone overboard
on the sour cream in the starter
to counterbalance the acidic quality
of the salsa she pulled a most
assuredly out of date half eaten
Greek yoghurt out of the fridge.
The wraps, I’m sorry to say, came
from a plastic wrapper. Yet this was
probably for the best, as even then
the result of adapting the microwavable
instructions had caused them
to seal together into an inch thick
circular loaf.
However, they still managed
to rival anything I’ve had at The
Gate. Succulent pieces of chicken
and chunky slices of pepper within
taste bud tingling rich tomato-based
we’d managed to carefully separate
the wraps. And all with a sprinkle of
white cheddar.
After a much needed break, Kat
ing touch to a Latin American experience:
sticky toffee pudding.
Generously served with lashings
of extra toffee sauce, and it was at
just the right level of moistly warm.
sticky toffee was sticky and the hostess
was on form, as always.
Making me grate my own cheese
though? It’ll have to be an above average
yet slightly sitting on the fence
seven.
And for dessert: Katherine Bishop’s
sticky toffee pudding went down a treat
reviews
Osborne Road
Jesmond
D. RAWCLIFFE
Bijoux
City Centre
Osborne Road: the epicentre of
student nightlife in the heart of
Jesmond. The ‘in-place’ where hundreds
of students gather daily for
a guaranteed cheap and cheerful
booze session. Pre-lash, after-lecture
wind-down, trashed night out
without the terrifying locals and
obscene taxi queues: whatever your
agenda, Osborne Road offers it all.
First (from my end anyway) we
hit Bar Blanc. Happy hour here
is ecstatic as it runs from 5-7pm,
offering 2for1 cocktails, pints for a
pound and even free drinks!
I can’t help but get a little bit
giddy with anticipation every time
I slam that buzzer. With every one
of my extremities crossed I hope
that I’ll become the most popular
housemate after winning a free
round for us all. Alternatively, you
ginger barman and bag yourself
he’s pretty susceptible to a quick
ego boost and beaming smile.
Next in the line up we come to Osborne’s,
where Mondays play host
to a quiz night at 8pm where you
can win up to £500 and have a great
time trying to completely guess the
obscure questions asked.
Happy hour here is from 5.30 til
7.30 where the same rules apply as
Blanc. I’m sure you’ll be pretty far
gone by this point and hopefully
not out of pocket.
Spy bar is the next bar in the strip,
where you can gain drinks offers
from 5-7 every day and again for
half an hour at 9pm between Sunday
and Thursday.
This place is always buzzing in
the summer months as it catches
the sun, providing a somewhat
Mediterranean setting for an afternoon
Bulmer’s or two.
This bar is smack in the middle of
Osborne Road and so is the perfect
meeting place for a few bevvys
the other side of Jesmond.
Billabong is one of the classier
bars on the strip, attracting sophisticated
young workers and the odd
lavish student at the beginning of
the term. It is a bit more expensive
recommend it to anyone who fancies
a chilled out catch-up in the
comfort of suave leather chairs.
From 8 til 10 every day you can
get the cocktail of the week for
£3.50: frozen margarita actually
tastes like heaven although if you
the risk of waking up to a massive
headache the next day.
Finally, we have Berlise, home
to the Leazes veterans. I always
had a warped view that this place
would be the most pretentious
bar with a stinking rich air about
cosy booths to sit in and a buzzing
must for those of you wanting to
start the night with a bang, offering
cheap drinks between 5.30 and
7.30pm and again at 9.30.
It has to be said, Osborne Road
low-cost drinks, great banter and
epic nights out.
Pamela Mardle
Upon arrival at Bijoux on Mosely
Street, we were unsure as to what
to expect.
We had been reliably informed
year of opening and aimed to be the
pre-bar for students, particularly on
nation was Perdu or Ohso.
However the words “trebles bar”
resounded in our heads, conjuring
up images of yet another Sinners
(even though everyone secretly
loves it). We were pleasantly surprised.
was the fact that the smell of dried
vodka and sweat wasn’t there to
greet your nostrils as you enteredrather
a spick and span swanky
cocktail bar.
The decor was very tasteful with
velvet curtains cascading down the
sides of the walls to compliment
the orange swirl-effect on the walls
juxtaposed with exposed brick.
There are circular booths available
to hire for a large party or just for
you to sit down and relax with a
cocktail.
We tried a “Key West Cooler” and
an “Amaretto Cooler”, which tasted
more expensive than £3 and were
very drinkable.
It seemed that you could either sit
down and chat with your friends in
a classy place if you’re on a shoestring
budget or get in the £1.95
trebles and dance the night away to
current releases.
Bijoux has the same DJ on a
Thursday as Chase does on a
Friday night. As we absorbed our
surroundings, we couldn’t help but
notice the amount of Champagne
bottles of all sizes on display.
This is a testament to the message
that they are trying to convey
themselves as a classy trebles bar,
hoping to attract students before
they go to one of the classier clubs.
There are various deals available
for entry into surrounding clubs
which make it seem a worthwhile
visit.
Bijoux was described by the hosts
for the evening, Harriet and Claire,
as a bar for “more discerning people
on a student budget” and we
couldn’t agree more.
So for your pre-lash, why not try
something new? You never know,
it may just be what you were looking
for.
Lauren Girling

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 13
travel
Getting smashed and getting back alive
Katherine Bannon on
a more than eventful
girls’ holiday in Malia
You might be able to tick
the Koh Phangan full
moon party from your to
do list, or have happened
to spend last summer
back packing around Central America
just to check out the craic.
However, if you’re yet to experience
a girls’ or lads’ holiday focused
on getting smashed, getting laid
and getting back alive, you better
get your ‘Dirty Dani’ t-shirt printed
sharpish, grab a pair of sunnies,
some sun cream and perhaps a rape
alarm, even if you’re not particularly
good looking.
It’s a rite of passage aligned with
being bought a lap dance and staying
out late enough to get a McDonalds
breakfast.
After an uninhibited week of minimal
sleep, maximum cocktails and
sharing a hotel with half the population
of Dublin in Zante the previous
summer, we decided to expand our
horizons to Malia, probably because
it was the cheapest at the time.
photo of the week
It began as every perfect package
missing suitcase and transfers that
couldn’t be bothered waiting until
we’d described the exact dimensions
of the rolly bag with the broken
wheel which was probably lying
somewhere in Manchester Terminal
3. Then we got even luckier.
At no extra expense we received
tels. Sorry girls, this one isn’t yours
either. Nor this one. Hold on a
minute, we’re not even stopping at
your hotel, are you sure you’re on
the right coach?
Maybe it should have stayed that
way, rather than leaving us stranded
at the ‘Stella Maria’, which looked
like it belonged on the moors, half
crumbled off an invisible cliff edge,
and gave a whole new dimension to
the word ‘basic’.
nearest shop, which accounted for
the arena extortionate bar prices of
three for a fresh orange. At least the
other occupants were friendly. That
was, friendly enough to give us a
welcoming cuddle after a dip in the
pool while we unsuspectingly sunbathed.
Essential to holidaying is a chance
to sample the different cultures,
embrace local habits and taste the
unique cuisine. But hell, stick to
what you know.
We fast became regulars at the
Red Lion pub, decked out to appear
like the interior of Camelot and endorsing
a menu mirroring that of
Wetherspoons.
You don’t get paper placemats
there though, do you?
The strip was a dazzlingly brightlighted
array of English 90’s bars
and even tackier replicas.
Strolling down it gave you automatic
consent to a giant game of
tick, as PRs lingered every few feet
to tout ludicrous deals on shots and
cocktails.
They all looked like clones of Lloyd
from the X Factor if he was kicked
through Topman and had his hair
even more heavily straightened and
fashioned with a headband.
However they were deceivingly
stronger than I’d imagine Lloyd to
be, and found it pretty easy to throw
us into clubs should we turn on the
scouse lip and tell them to do one.
My friend became well rehearsed
in the close to tears, ‘I’m too naïve
to comprehend why you’re touching
me’ act to allow us time to skip
away while they apologised.
once we reached a safe enough dis-
dancing, the bars were, keeping us a
handy distance from any free shots
on the go and out of arms length
from any greasy Greeks that fancied
a feel.
Determined to spend as little time
as possible at Wuthering Heights,
we signed ourselves up for the
booze cruise, beach party and waterpark.
If the constant chants of ‘Get your
rat out!’ on the booze cruise weren’t
bad enough, the fact that girls will-
The beach party was an unlimited
sex on the beach infused cocktail of
limbo, hula hoop and unauthorized
trampolining, while the waterpark,
although lacking the suspicious
steak and sausages BBQ offered by
the other two, provided a multitude
of ways to make a hangover as hor-
Oo. Ah. Malia. Get on it if you
haven’t already, and do it again
if you have. Although I did prefer
Zante - but that might have just
been down to the Irish.
Toby Jones - 1st year Naval Architecture
“This photo was taken on the magical Fraser Island, just off the east coast of Australia. It
captures the Maheno, the most famous of the Fraser Island wrecks. Once a well-known
trans-Tasman liner, the Maheno was bound for a Japanese wrecking yard when she met
her stormy end in 1935. Today the hull lies slowly deteriorating in the harsh salt
environment, about 10 kilometres north of Happy Valley.”
Send your travel pictures to courier.life@ncl.ac.uk and you could win £10 worth of
photo prints as well as your photo printed and framed.
Travel
View Askew
Life & Style
Fear Mongering
Kathy Jackman
Columnist
I’ve just been struck by an odd
memory. Some years ago now I was
idly wandering around W H Smiths
when my eyes fell upon a particular
magazine.
Headline- Is your child a Satan
Worshipper? Stoked by curiosity
I picked up the magazine and attempted
to locate this enlightening
piece of journalism, but strangely
Who knows, perhaps such mystically
potent advice is visible only
to hysterical mothers and fathers
that are worrying desperately over
the unnatural paleness of their
offspring.
Either way, it certainly got me
thinking. How on earth would you
present a piece of writing such as
this and expect a conclusive answer?
I somehow doubt they could
present it as a questionnaire; it’d
probably look something like this:
1. Has your child taken a sudden
cally)?
2. Have suspicious dark stains immune
to all cleaning products ap-
bedroom?
3. Does your child insist on being
called ‘Servant of the Dark Lord’?
with pentagrams?
5. Does your child react badly to
the answer is yes then your child
is a vampire and you shouldn’t be
reading this questionnaire)
Now, I think that people have the
right to believe in what they want.
If you believe in God, then that’s
ok, if you don’t, that’s ok too. As far
as I’m concerned, as long as no one
gets hurt then there shouldn’t be a
problem. Unfortunately this makes
me an idealist, because obviously
the world doesn’t work that way
and probably never will. It seems
one else, and this sort of blatant fear
mongering only serves to fan the
makes me angry. Seriously angry.
otyping, perpetuating the idea that
if someone looks a certain way then
they must act a certain way; that
behaviours are set in stone. Just because
someone likes to wear black
or wear an ankh doesn’t necessarily
mean that they’re obsessed with
death and black magic; if someone
wears tracksuit bottoms or a
baseball cap that doesn’t mean they
want to mug you and threaten your
life. I know I’ve covered this before
but it really is a serious issue that
must be addressed.
Sure, in some cases there may be
genuine cause for concern, but it
lies with parents to decide if they
need to intervene. Call me naïve,
but surely any parent worth their
salt knows what’s best for their
children, not someone sitting at
ill-informed thing that comes into
their head.

14 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Life & Style
Fashion
fashion
Vivienne Westwood, Spring/Summer 2010
Rachel Walsham on
the some of the most
fashion today
1. Tamara Mellon (for Jimmy
Choo)
Founder and driving force behind
Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon has a
-
-
-
launch of Jimmy Choo accessories
-
2. Kate Moss/ Victoria Beckham
-
Vivienne Westwood, Spring/Summer 2010 Vera Wang, Spring/Summer 2010 Christopher Kane, Spring/Summer 2010
-
3. John Galliano
-
-
-
-
-
-
4. Vivienne Westwood
The famous orange hair of Vivi-
-
-
-
-
5. Vera Wang
Vera Wang is well known for her
-
-
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6. Christopher Kane
-
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7. Matthew Williamson
-
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8. Marc Jacobs
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9. Holly Fulton
was recognised as one of fashion’s
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10. Alexander McQueen
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THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 15
Fashion Life & Style
All catwalk photos copyright © 2009 Christopher Moore Limited, catwalking.com
Matthew Williamson, Spring/Summer 2010 Marc by Marc Jacobs, Spring/Summer 2010 Holly Fulton, Spring/Summer 2010 Alexander McQueen, Spring/Summer 2010
what’s hot
Clogs
A pair of leather Chanel
clogs secured their
position as ‘statement
shoe’ of the season, when
worn by Alexa Chung
on the front page of this
month’s ‘Vogue’. Do you
really need any more
persuasion that wooden
heels are an essential?
Military Style
Black or khaki, muddy tones and a
weathered look- ok, not
particularly glamorous, however...
you can now go for army jackets
that have embellished shoulder
pads and sequin, lace touches,
or you can stick with this classic
black Balmain jacket.
Lip Love
Couple dark
browns or
plum shades
of lipstick
with leather
and torn
tights to
create an
edgy
rock-chic
effect.
what’s not
OTT Hair
Fake hair has become something of a
fashion phenomenon recently. Yes,
Lady Gaga’s infamous beehive works,
as does the ‘big wig’ runway accessory.
However, Lily Allen’s orange afro at
the Brit Awards was a step too far!
Shoulder Pads
Why oh why have
shoulder pads come
back? We can only
hope this trend dies
out before high street
stores start
stocking Gaga-esque
shoulders
that make us
resemble
Quasimodo.
Tassles
Let’s hope the
return of this
fashion no-no is
a shortlived one!
Elizabeth Coop

16 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Life & Style
Sex and the
Univer-sity
Vanessa Costello
Columnist
Is it still possible to believe in love
Sex & Relationships
sex & relationships
blind date
Sophie Bury & Charles
Ashington- Pickett
She said:
ask señora rosa
Señora Rosa is back
from London Fashion
Week where she has
been partying with the
likes of Anna Wintour,
Naomi Campbell and
Alexa Chung.
Any problems then
feel free to email her at
courier.life@ncl.ac.uk
He said:
The Courier
Señora,
Señora,
About a month ago I was having
a bit of fun with a girl that I have
been casually seeing on and off
for a while. It was all great and
she’s quite adventurous. We were
getting into it in the shower when
tragedy struck and my banjo string
snapped...oh the horror! I’m ready
to get back on it but I’m too nervous
everytime we get going. How
do I get over my post-traumatic
stress disorder?
I recently bought my boyfriend a
pair of suede shoes for Christmas
which he loves to pieces which
is great. Although he’s a bit too
obsessed by them and he rants
and raves about suede. The other
day he went out and bought a pair
of suede trousers and a matching
pair of gloves. When getting hot in
between the sheets the other night,
he asked if he could adorn all the
items during our fun time. I said
yes for that one time but he keeps
on going on about how fantastic it
all was and wants to try it again. Is
it me or is he a suede pervert?
Email courier.
life@ncl.ac.uk if
you would like to
go on your very
own Blind Date
Señora,
The other day I called up my
housemate and we had a good
chat for ten minutes about general
stuff. I thought the call sounded
echoey and just before I hung up,
being a prude? Looking back on it
she even grunted half way through
our conversation, I thought she
was just picking up something
heavy rather than dropping it!

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 17
Health & Beauty Life & Style
health & beauty
Doctor’s orders running out for homeopathy?
Rosie Tallant
A
fter the recent heated
discussions in the
House of Commons
concerning the effectiveness
of homeopathic
medicines, questions are arising
place in the NHS.
Several MPs have insisted that the
government stop funding homeopathic
hospitals, of which there are
four in the UK, due to the Science
and Technology Committee’s claim
that such medicines are no more effective
than a placebo.
The committee states that there is
“plenty of evidence showing [home-
ing that the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency
(MHRA) should stop labelling homeopathic
remedies with medical
claims.
The dangers of homeopathic treatment,
especially when concerning
children, have also been investigated
recently. This comes in response
to last year’s news of an Australian
couple being found guilty of manslaughter
after the death of their
daughter.
The discovery that they were using
homeopathy to treat the nine month
old for eczema sparked debate over
the safety of these remedies.
A prominent pharmacy consultant
then claimed that “homeopathic
medicines [should not] be used or
sold for children up to the age of
With claims like this arising, many
people will undoubtedly begin to
question why £4 million are spent on
homeopathic hospitals each year.
In fact, funding has decreased dramatically
over the past two years, as
a study published in January 2008
showed that more than 25% of primary
care trusts had either stopped
or reduced funds.
However, despite these claims
homeopathy still remains popular
with millions, its supporters including
Jennifer Aniston, Orlando
Bloom, Sir Paul McCartney and
Prince Charles.
The history of homeopathy
The problem with these increasingly
heated debates is that not
everyone is aware of exactly what
homeopathy is, and as ignorance
is never an excuse, here’s a crash
course on the basics…
Homeopathy has been used in the
UK for over 200 years, with its origins
dating back to ancient Greece,
cal foundations as a basis to create
treatments said to be gentler than
standard medicines. Homeopaths
treat mental, emotional and physical
symptoms using the principle of
‘like cures like’.
This suggests that insomnia, for instance,
can be cured with a remedy
made from coffee, which may seem
a strange concept to those unfamiliar
with the practice.
The chemical in question is diluted
and shaken vigorously with impact,
a process known as succussion, and
as this is repeated the medicine is
made more effective and the likelihood
of side effects is reduced.
Although supporters of homeopathy
admit that they cannot yet explain
precisely how it works, new
theories in quantum physics are said
to be shedding light on the method.
What is presently understood, according
to The Society of Homeopaths,
is that the remedy acts as a
trigger to the body’s own healing
process.
ogy Committee, also claiming that
their application to give evidence
in favour of the treatments was rejected.
It was also alleged that no patients
or health trusts using homeopathy
had been contacted by the committee,
suggesting that those conducting
the study may be entirely
ignorant of homeopathic methods.
Confusion arises when considering
the Science and Technology Committee’s
previous stance on homeopathy.
In 2000, homeopathy was cited as
indicating that it had “an individual
trast to their opinion on the matter
today.
It is possible that the tense economic
climate of recent years has
prompted previous patrons of alternative
medicines to condemn them
as a waste of public money.
Whilst questions still remain as to
how homeopathy works, and indeed
if it does work at all, the fact
still remains that these treatments
have generated much support.
So although they continue to be
condemned for their lack of scien-
of public money, the true reason for
these denunciations may in fact be
ignorance.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 19
Culture Editor: Alice Vincent - courier.culture@ncl.ac.uk
Bright sparks: AV
Festival previewed
> Arts, page 25
In Newcastle
We Trust
BBC
Radio One brings its
tour to the city for three
star-studded days
Thursday
O2 Academy - Zane Lowe,
Nick Grimshaw, The
Futureheads, The
Courteeners
Nick Grimshaw and Zane Lowe
the country’s best new and existing
musical acts in our fair city, with
Academy.
A bumper northern pairing lead
the show with Manchester tykes
The Courteeners kicking things off,
followed by local favourites the Futureheads,
expect sweaty indie anthems
and mass sing-alongs in large
quantities.
Following on from the more established
acts, things get a little bit
more intimate upstairs with Grimshaw
presenting two highly talked
about up and coming bands.
With hype and expectation being
thrown at Frankie and the Heartstrings
from every outlet at the moment,
they’re sure to be on top form
in the Academy 2. Fresh from supporting
Florence and the Machine,
in heartfelt pop with a bite.
The second act comes in the form
of Chapel Club, on the back of acclaimed
single O Maybe I, and producing
a sound akin to Morrisey and
My Bloody Valentine in a blender
to the North East that the band are
set to make in the next few months.
With four exciting acts, all for the
bargain price of £15, the O2 Academy
looks set to start off an exciting
weekend in style.
Tom Richards
Friday
Digital - Annie Mac, Pete
Tong and Judge Jules,
Delphic and Crookers
Not a stranger to the city or Digital,
the second night of Radio One’s series
of events sees Annie Mac bringing
together a collection of the hottest
new DJs for an epic six hour
long broadcast from the city’s principal
venue.
Dance legends Pete Tong and
Judge Jules are well established
names who could easily draw
by themselves, but the draw of this
event for many, as was intended, is
the crop of emerging talent that is
on offer.
Many of the names are regular
contributors to the station’s weekly
In New DJ We Trust show, such
as Kutski who provides the best in
hardcore dance to the increasingly
popular Kissy Sell Out who is described
as ‘jump up rock and rave’
as well as lesser known but sure to
impress Alex Metric and Will Atkinson.
In the main room, there is set to
be live performances from Delphic
who create euphoric tracks of electro
indie cross over, Japanese Popstars
whose remixes and originals
are drawing ever more attention to
them and Crookers, known for their
massively successful remix of Kid
Cudi’s Day and Night.
Each of these acts separately would
have been decent enough, but Radio
One is really proving its importance
One love: Annie Mac returns to Digital on Friday with other members of Radio One’s DJ elite including Judge Jools and Pete Tong
in the promotion of new music and
championing of development scenes
in the schedule it has put together.
There are not many institutions
that would be able to create such a
stellar line up, and the night in question
promises to be one of the best at
Digital for a long time. Only costing
£10, it seems criminal to pass up the
opportunity.
Polly Randall
Saturday
Newcastle University
Union Basement - Tim
Westwood, Sway and Ms
Dynamite
This is it. This is the culmination of a
sical talents in the country, a night
citizens of Newcastle will tell tales
of for years to come as the new generation
stand by, weeping in envy.
This is Tim Westwood – Live from
Newcastle University’s Students’
Union.
After decades of battling the most
cians on their own turf and even
laughing off bullets, Radio One’s
infamous Saturday night DJ hits
his peak after thirty years of music,
which has surely provided the anthems
for many a life being created,
lost, broken or given purpose.
With an army of loyal disciples,
including the likes of Mista Jam, Ms
Dynamite, Skepta, Giggs and many
more, Westwood asks for nothing
more than your loyalty to attend
after his pawns non-selectively allocate
free tickets to we peasants on a
This is the last of a somewhat rare
opportunity to see the deities of musical
knowledge grace our secluded
and worthless northern city, planting
the seeds of hope to this wry and
neglected region, even if they are to
be dug up days later in favour of the
rich, fertile lands of the south once
more.
Some may question whether this
new generation of music fans can
fully appreciate and understand the
true prowess and talent that is Tim
Westwood, whereas others will naively
cast aside such doubts in favour
of the anticipation of what will
be a night to remember.
Westwood will leave the infamous
stage of the Newcastle University
Basement either a made man, or a
broken man.
With the ears of the nation tuned
in to this decisive night, the stakes
could not be higher.
Stuart Edwards
Paulo Nutini to headline as Evolution 2010 line-up announced
The snow has only just stopped
snowing, but music fans in the area
are already looking towards May’s
Evolution Festival. The annual
event, which spans the last Bank
Holiday weekend of the month, is
rapidly becoming the North East
music festival locals have been crying
out for.
2010 sees the site expand again, in
an attempt to ‘festivalise the festival’,
with the addition of third stage
at Ballast Hills Park, located behind
The Tyne pub, and a greater variety
of food stalls and fairground attractions.
This stage will be showcasing the
best of folk, roots and blues music,
whilst remaining stages Baltic
Square and Spiller’s Wharf focus
on up and coming as well as established
acts. The festival is also moving
in the way of other large national
festivals, in theming the second day
as a ‘rock day’, with Enter Shikari
headlining Spiller’s Wharf to close
the weekend.
The variety of the festival truly
represents what the organisers claim
is the meaning behind the festival’s
name, ‘the evolution of music’, seeing
Paolo Nutini, Calvin Harris and
Tinchy Stryder in a hat trick of acts
on Sunday’s Spiller’s Wharf. On the
same day Baltic Square follows a
very similar theme to last year with
Fake Blood, Benga, Rusko and Sratch
Perverts on the lineup, whilst critically
acclaimed local folksters The
Unthanks headline Ballast Hills.
The combination gets increasingly
interesting on Bank Holiday
Monday with De La Soul, Donovan
and Delphic taking to the various
stages.
The organisers pride themselves
on cherry-picking talent months in
advance of the festival to create an
impressive line-up, as can be seen
with last year’s success of Dizzee
Rascal, whose single ‘Bonkers’ made
number one in the same weekend.
There has been a ten pound increase
in the ticket price, an arguably
controversial move, considering
the fare stood at £3 two years ago.
However, the festival organiser
to make this into a really impressive
contributor to the festival map. It’s
still relatively cheap compared to
everything else.
we’ve also invested heavily in the
programme, so the range of artists is
broader and the standard of artists
the ticket price.”
The price includes a pound donation
to charity WaterAid, with
whom Evolution organisers claim
they are ‘proudly associated.’ Tickets
are expected to sell out fast.
Alice Vincent Culture Editor

20
the guide: 2 March to 7 March
THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010
Culture Culture
my newcastle
John Lewis car park
by Joe Currin
Listings by Ciara Littler, Alice Vincent and Gordon Bruce - send your listings to courier.culture@ncl.ac.uk
tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday
21
-
The Courier wants
editor.union@ncl.ac.uk
highlighted
Dance Society
presents:
Showcase
RGS Jesmond, Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday,
19.30, £5
-
comedy show or poetry performance
could well result in a complicated so-
However, every now and then, our
Union spews out a society event that
one can do with their spare time when
Come Dine With Me
the proud owner of awards, but won
-
showcase was completely sold out, and
The showcase itself will be demon-
-
from the University’s choir, Latin and
Needless to say, for any Glee, Strictly
Come Dancing or Dancing on Ice fans it’s
involved in the efforts of one of our best
of which are destined for charitable
purposes), there’s not many reasons to
The Newcastle University Dance Society in action at last year’s show
arts
Opera North: La
Boheme
Theatre Royal, 19.30, £14.50-
£54.50
Full preview, page 24
The Poetry Room:
Selected Poems by
Carol Ann Duffy
Blackwell’s Bookshop, 18.15, free
film
9M2 Pour Deux - 9m2
for two
Side Cinema, 19:00, £5-6
Made with prisoners in Marseille,
this brilliant piece of documentary
reconstruction is a must-see for
anyone interested in how far
music
Hayseed Dixie
02 Academy, 19.00, £11
radio
NSR Acoustic Set: The
Miserable Rich
NSR Studio, 14.30
A. WILSON
arts
Opera North:
Ruddigore
Theatre Royal, 19.30, £14.50-
£54.50.
Full preview, page 24
Kitch-en Gallery
Relaunch
Empty Shop Unit, 18-20 Ridley
Place, 18.00, free
Kitch-en, complete with new artists
event with an afterparty at Alvinos
clubbing
Rusty Bucket Bay ft Bar
9 (Z-Audio), Borgore
(Z-Audio), Heppy J and
Square Root
World Headquarters, 23.00,
£6 adv
film
Audition – Odishon
Tyneside Cinema Bar, 21:00, free
Part of the Asian Horror season at
don’t miss this opportunity to see
epitome of extreme cinema - not for
Where Next After
Copenhagen?
Star and Shadow Cinema, 19:30,
about the demonstrations at the
to inspire those who show an
interest in our world what you can
-
music
African Soul Rebels
The Sage, 19.00, £9.75-£19.00
Noisettes
02 Academy, 19.00, £14.30
radio
NSR Acoustic Set:
Polarsets
NSR Studio, 13.30
arts
Opera North: Cosi Fan
Tutte
Theatre Royal, 19.30, £14.50-
£54.50.
Full preview, page 24
music
In New Music We
Trust Live: Newcastle
Launch
02 Academy, 18.15, £12 - £15
Full preview, page 19
Anyone who’s listened to the radio
the entire city with a series of events
heroes The Futureheads and other
Lady Gaga
Metro Radio Arena, 20.00,
sold out
-
Polarsets, High Rise
Diaries, Athletes In
Paris, Shift-Static
The Bridge Hotel, 20.00, £4
A collection of local talent descends
recently nabbed themselves a spot
at the Evolution Festival with their
one pound per band, you’d be
Rendez-Vous! Life,
Death and Drinks In
Between
The Cumberland Arms, 20.00,
£5-£7
and epitaphs to entertain and
arts
AV Festival: Liliane
Lijn: Power Game
BALTIC , 21.00, free-£2
Full preview, page 22-23
improvised art performance that
explores the power of words and the
ers
who bet their own money on
the comparative power of just two
clubbing
Back II Basics
Newcastle Presents
Wolf + Lamb
Cosmic Ballroom, 23.00, £tbc
CLEER - AV Festival
special with STEFFI
(Panoramabar/Berlin)
theCut, 22.30, £8
Deviate presents:
Starkey
World Headquarters, 23.00, £5-£7
artist to be featured on Mary Anne
step
Wars radio show where
he astounded everyone with
film
Releases: Alice in
Wonderland,
Chloe, Legion,
Ondine
music
AV Festival Launch
Venues across the city til 14th
Not content with one festival this
self constructed instruments, burn-
arts
Oh What A Lovely
War!
Northern Stage, 19.30, £5.50-£19
Full preview, page 24
clubbing
Road to Rimini:
Moustache Records
Speciale
Star and Shadow Cinema, 22.00,
£4
who promise a joyous journey into
the fantastic new sounds
film
AV Festival: Up and
Out
Tyneside Cinema, 12.00, £5-£6
-
music
Seth Lakeman
The Sage, 19.30, £19.50
Sound 10 Festival
Cluny, 12.00, £15
Alice in Wonderland
East student music in all shapes and
-
improvisation, electronic, laptop and
climaxes with mad brass action from
film
AV Festival: Johan
Grimonprez:
Double Take
Tyneside Cinema, 12.00, £5-£6
A hit at the 53rd London Film
-
and newsreel material to muse on
-
music
Emilie Autumn - The
Asylum Tour
02 Academy, 19.00, £12.50
For those anarchic music lovers out
show could be described as wild and
Mumford & Sons
Newcastle University Union
Basement, 19.00, sold out
band play their melodic, harmony
Now they’ve moved to the heady
tv
House: new series
SKY1, 22.00
Full preview, page 34
Mumford & Sons at
the Union

22 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
Arts
arts
Sound and Vision: AV Festival
The Courier’s Arts team wax lyrical about the
sights and sounds of the North East’s biggest
electronic arts event, the AV Festival
es
and sample some of what the biennial
AV Festival has to offer.
the event is one of the largest international
festivals of electronic arts.
gramme
comprised of 24 exhibi-
-
The Festival features 100 visual
and includes 15 world premieres of
new AV festival commissions.
festival respond to this idea in some
and human.
As well as ticketed events there are
and events that span the audiovisual
spectrum ranging from Will
Schrimshaw: Space Against Itself - a
sound installation inside the North
Recycled
Film which discusses whether
chives
of our time.
and writer Kenneth Anger (whose
fans include Martin Scorsese and
side
Cinema.
Festival director Rebecca Shatwell
landmark buildings in addition to
cultural venues and visitor attractions’.
All ticketed events are available to
the shows are in high demand and
Tickets are available to book at www.
avfestival.co.uk
Lucy Johnson
The Gluts: Café Carbon
performance art next month in the
form of The Gluts: Café Carbon. Café
Carbon
aka The Gluts.
Although those looking for a qui-
issues in the form of a video installation
is a refreshing alternative to
used to.
When Café Carbon
performed live in Copenhagen’s
cled
carbon-coloured costumes’ in
keeping with their political themes.
Their performance also included an
tators
to choose from an ‘indulgent
menu’ of songs including Stone Cold
Soup A Grand Buffet and Sanity or
Madness.
With climate change being un-
prising
that it has begun to emerge
as an artistic subject even more in
Although such campaigns are
-
humour and music in an enthusi-
this issue.
Café Carbon is performed live on 13th
Match 9pm at the Star and Shadow
Cinema, tickets £6/(£5 concessions)
Rosie Tallant
Sounds of Science
Sounds of
Scienceists
exploring the science of sound
French installation group
will perform the UK premiere of
POWEr
using Telsa-coil ( a resonant transformer
used to produce high alter-
POWEr is spontaneous and uses
more complex musical and visual
structures.
Sparklers uses sparklers
not for their usual visual qual-
sound instead.
but also improvising musician and
he also performs in an improvising
trio with another Sound of Science
artist Rhodri Davies.
to evoke other worlds.
audio-visual performance called Sonolevitation
which uses thin pieces of
sound waves.
boundaries of the world still cannot
encompass the unrecordable work-
investigate the questions of percep-
Rhodri Davies’ work Dry Ice Harp
ice. This makes the sound of the air
-
tion
and often does duet and group
improvisations performances.
This particular performance will
-
tion
and improvisation.
Sounds of Science is performed at The
Sage Gateshead on Saturday 13 March
6.30pm. £8/(£6 concessions).
Hannah Davey
Rivers
treat is in store in the form of a concert
at The Sage Gateshead entitled
Rivers.
The premise of this concert is
based on underwater recording
from Northumberland Rivers.
terson
and Jana Winderen visited
Northumberland and recorded its
rivers using underwater microphones.
lesser-known River Till and one of
networks just down the road from
bols
of nature the artists were able to
incorporate the underwater recordings
and produce sounds bursting
and destructive power of our rivers
and environment. Not often is there
work and original recordings incorporating
sounds from rivers.
With these three working together
the sound produced can be nothing
Rivers will be performed at the Sage
Gateshead on Sunday 14 March, 3pm.
£8/£6 concessions).
Olivia Mason

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 23
Arts
Culture
Arts Editor: Stephanie Ferrao - courier.culture-arts@ncl.ac.uk
2010 in the North East this week
C. HAYEUR
Condemned Bulbes
In sync with the festival’s theme of
ter
than an exhibition comprised of
oversized beaming light bulbs.
This obscure display has been
called Artifciel: Condemned Bulbes,
and will hang in the stunning hall of
The exhibiton has been created by
Montreal based artists Alexandre
Burton, Jimmy Lakatos and Julien
Roy, and uses the humble lightbulb
to create a thoroughly original display
of artistic expression.
As electricity passes through a special
dimmer, the dozens of bulb coils
light up the blackened Great Hall at
The oversized bulbs are a bright
the audio sounds of an electric chorus.
As the bulbs ignite, spectators
can watch the ordinary become extraordinary
as a mundane necessity
of domestic life becomes both mag-
The three artists have worked together
to create a visually eclectic
collection of light and sound energy
which makes this exhibition one to
watch.
um
from Friday 5 to Sunday 14 March.
Fiona McCutcheon
Charlemagne Palestine
There’s nothing boring or conventional
about the performances
planned by maverick composer
Charlemagne Palestine.
In a fusion of music and performance
art, the supposed ‘bad boy’
of music’s minimalist movement
promises a trilogy of mind-altering
and experimental shows. Kicking
off on the 5th of March, Palestine’s
Festival’s night time events.
In the performance, the audience is
treated to a special UK premiere of
Palestine’s new work Carillon Bells
using the 25 bells of Newcastle’s
Civic Centre, which the performer
keyboard and pedals.
The following evening is a solo organ
performance of Schlingen Blangen
- an epic work that slowly builds
over six hours (yes, hours!) into a
crescendo of layered tones. If you
can’t quite hack half a day of it, rest
assured that guests are invited to
pop by for any length of the recital.
Palestine’s musical performances
run alongside a new art installation
also by the composer. Beardemonium
tintinnabulum is psychedelic piece,
fashioned out of 1,500 teddy bears.
The exhibition, which is being
displayed at the Hatton Gallery is
well worth a look on its own or as
part of a wider appreciation of Palestine’s
creative ability across the
disciplines.
Along with his exhibition, the three
evening performances are likely to
be in demand as the artist is known
as something of a living legend,
famed for his eccentric behaviour.
It has been said of the musician
that his work requires a high level
of commitment from his listeners as
he makes use of slow and sustained
build ups which can be hard to digest
for an audience accustomed to
a fast paced modern world. Hard
work? Yes, but worth it.
Charlemagne Palestine is performing in
venues across Newcastle between Friday
5 and Sunday 7 March.
Rosamund Fraser
Power Game
Like your art to be something out of
the ordinary?
Then Power Game could be the piece
for you.
Featuring Liliane Lijn and a host
of cross-dressing croupiers, this interactive
performance explores the
power of words, politics and identity
through a dynamic card game
involving members of the public.
Power Game uses art to depict
political issues, as well as aiming
to make people more aware of the
words they use in every day life
and how these affect people around
them.
Liliane stages BALTIC as a casino,
complete with cocktails, music and
leafy palms, where onlookers are invited
to exchange a minimum of £2
for playing chips.
Once part of the gambling, players
bet on the comparative power of
two words.
The resulting effect is of words
becoming something other than
simply oral sounds and taking on
a value that we would not usually
perceive them to have.
Participants and onlookers are also
prompted to consider the concept of
identity through the deceptions that
often feature in card games.
This is exaggerated through the
cross-dressing card dealers, whose
blurred gender identity may inspire
a more personal character examination.
The piece’s original success
in 1974 was apparent through the
Jarman in its games, who bet with
his own money on the power of the
chosen words.
As a casino performance, it will
be a late night show from 9pm until
11.30pm, the perfect time to gamble
away at least part of your loan in
return for some ardent self-examination.
So if you fancy a bit of Friday night
culture with a twist, Power Game
could be the place to relieve yourself
of some spare change, or just watch
other poor students do so.
Power Game will be performed at
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
on Friday 5th March.
Rosie Tallant
English Journey
Revisited
Rounding off a fortnight of electronic
arts, cult graphic novelist Alan
maker Iain Sinclair premiere a new
audio-visual project inspired by J.B.
tion
classic, English Journey.
this and their own personal journeys
up north.
Their combined interest in psychogeography
is shown in the reference
range from Morden Tower’s poets,
to local artist John Martin, to ghosts
on Lindisfarne Island, and even
to Jimi Hendrix’s busking days in
Newcastle.
Collectivizing these experiences,
Sinclair and Moore present a contemporary
creative journey, rich
with social observations and musing
for the future.
The soundscape of the performance
is provided by musicians
Stephen O’ Malley (of drone-rock
man
band Einstürzende Neubauten,
and Susan Stenger.
Writing and performing in the
show, Alan Moore and Iain Sinclair
are certainly no strangers to social
commentary themselves.
Moore’s groundbreaking graphic
novels (Watchmen, V for Vendetta,
From Hell) and their watered-down
blockbuster adaptations covered
themes ranging from anarchy as an
alternative political movement, to
the paranoia of the Cold War years.
Sinclair is best-known for his
breakthrough novel Downriver andhas
contributed a new moving image
work in collaboration with artist
This reworking promises ‘new observations
and predictions for the
future’, and with the country still
deep in recession and unemployment
at its highest since 1997, there
has perhaps never been a better time
to return to Priestley’s work.
English Journey Revisited is to be performed
at the Sage Gateshead on Sunday
14 March, 8:00 pm.
Elliot Bentley

24 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
Arts
arts
stage
Spectacular operatics
Rosie Tallant on a
series of librettos that
are taking theatres by
storm
The nationally celebrated Opera
North takes over the Theatre Royal
strating
the depth of its talent with
three dramatically different performances.
The chosen operas include Puccini’s
La Boheme, a heartbreaking story
of impossible love, and Gilbert and
Sullivan’s witty melodrama, Ruddigorezart’s
famous opera Cosi fan tutte.
Phyllida Lloyd’s highly successful
1993 production of La Boheme is
revived by Peter Relton who directs
Paris.
La Boheme follows the young poet
Rodolfo as he falls irrevocably in
But the blossoming of these affairs
takes a tragic turn with the news
lives apart and brings the opera to
a tragic end.
The raucous Bohemian atmosphere
is recreated beautifully by the
cast, which includes Turkish tenor
Bülent Bezdüz, making his Opera
North debut as Rodolfo.
French soprano Anne Sophie Du-
art
performance in The Adventures of Mr
last autumn.
With returning performers whose
-
La
Boheme is teeming with talent, vigour
and passion. Next on Opera
North’s list of vibrant performances
is the witty Ruddigore, a Victorian
melodrama given a new freshness
by director Jo Davies.
Here the story of Robin Oakapple’s
on-off romance with the fault-
els
amongst a parody of disguises
and curses. Robin inherits a family
curse causing him to commit a crime
a day for the rest of his life.
However, as a reluctant villain, his
troubles begin when he proves to
be less than up to the task. Ruddigore’s
questionable lovers are played
by Australian baritone Grant Doyle
and returning star Amy Freston.
The production also features South
who previously appeared in Salome
in 2006. With such a sensational tale
of deception and disguise, Ruddigore
is set to be unmissable.
repertoire, Cosi fan tutte, will play
for one night only. This comic tale
of disguise and seduction brings to
life its dark undertones through a
lively young cast and sumptuous
costumes.
This is the tale of the sly Don Alfonso,
who offers a bet to two young
dently
accept.
Home Sweet Home
There’s no place like
home, according to
a new exhibition, as
Ciara Littler reports
With winter dragging on and the
northern chill continuing to bite,
I bet there’s no-one out there who
doesn’t enjoy the comfort of their
own home (or room!) on a snowy
and wind-swept night.
bition
Home Sweet Home raises these
exact questions, exploring how we
Combining the work of a varied
number of practitioners, this great
gallery/studio space in the Ouseburn
Valley gives us a peak through
home.
Incorporating techniques from illustration
to sculpture, painting
to furniture design, this exhibition
shows the different reactions of artists
to the concept of home.
in the sweeping landscapes of the
Yorkshire he grew up in, whereas
furniture designer and maker Nick
place to sit back and relax at the end
of the day in the company of family.
To artist Sarah Blood, home is
about a feeling of belonging and
comfort, surrounded by friends and
in good company; it’s about people
rather than place.
So whether you’re a homebody or
prefer to be on the move, not a fan
of settling down for too long, it’s
interesting to think of what we call
home, and how we feel when we’re
there.
grew up in, but is this time just a
momentary move away from the
comforts of our parents’ house, or is
this a time for creating new homes
for ourselves?
And they want to know what you
think - there will be a discussion
board in the gallery for you to you
to reveal what it is that you decide
is your home.
Home, Sweet Home is on at Mushroom
Works 26th Feb – 20th March 2010
Mamma Mia!: scene from Puccini’s La Boheme - one of three librettos performed as part of Opera North at the Theatre Royal
But behind this seemingly harmless
wager lies a darker purpose that
will only emerge through the ensuing
game of deception and desire.
Tim Albery’s vibrant production
features Geoffrey Dolton as the
manipulative Don Alfonso, a role
stage
Lucy Hadley on a
satirical classic at the
Northern Stage
What better way to usher in Northern
Stage’s 40th birthday this spring
than by attending its production of
the landmark satirical musical, Oh
What a Lovely War!
This seminal text created from Joan
Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop in
but has come to hold a distinct place
in the canon of war literature.
The ironies and tragedies of the
First World War are retold through
song, sketches and an ensemble of
characters - from the lowly Tommy
to the most senior generals.
The poignant mix between humour
and tragedy has ensured that
Oh What A Lovely War! is not only
loved by audiences, but has been
celebrated as an important exploration
of the futility of World War
One.
The musical explores the misguided
optimism and patriotism
that marked the beginning of the
which he received high acclaim for
With these three vivacious performances
in one week, opera regulars
and newcomers alike are in for
a treat next month. Audiences are
sure to be dazzled by the wit and
war, the touching Christmas Truce
between English and German soldiers,
and the ultimate futility of a
were killed.
A collection of poignant, touching
and funny songs are used to tell the
story – including classics such as It’s
a Long Way to Tipperary, Pack up Your
Troubles, Keep the Home Fires Burning
and Oh It’s a Lovely War.
The production is jointly directed
by the Northern Stage’s Creative
Director Erica Whyman and Sam
Kenyon, who promise to combine
their extensive experience of theatre
and musicals to produce a remarkable
ensemble piece.
The musical is truly original in
theatre terms as it offers a satirical
in world history, and is a spectacle
of song and sketches that allow it to
entertain as well as inform.
This touching, comic and timely
piece is a truly original piece of theatre
which is guaranteed to generate
as much emotion as laughter.
Oh What a Lovely War is on at the
Northern Stage from 6-27th March
passion of the narratives, and may
even discover a passion of their
own through the dynamic energy of
these performers.
Opera North is on at the Theatre Royal
from March 2-4.
photography
Oh What a Lovely War!
Fancy yourself as an aspiring
Happy Snapping
photographer of the natural elements?
Have an eye for discovering
raw and imaginative images
or capturing ones alike of the
staggering architecture?
Then this is an opportunity for
you to win the chance of landing
yourself a photographic commis-
of camera equipment vouchers
with the 2nd and 3rd prizes being
only marginally less.
ADP Architects are behind
the competition and this year’s
theme has been designed to
focus on architecture within the
natural world.
The organisers add that the
fantastic nature of the competition
aims to exhibit and propel
new and exciting young photographers
in a cost friendly
manner. The closing date is 31st
For more information on the competition
visit its website at www.
adp-architects.co.uk
Daisy Wallis

26 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
Film
film
The 82nd Academy Awards special
the debate Are the Oscars overrated?
Chris Binding
When the word Oscar comes to
mind, the connotations that arise
are of quality, prestige and success.
Since 1929, the Academy Awards
have been a sign of achievement
and success bringing the top talents
a night of entertainment like no
other.
Although the ceremony is a little
over theatrical, the importance and
longevity of being nominated or
receiving an Oscar embodies cultural
and artistic acceptance, with
worldwide broadcasting leading to
international recognition.
Being associated with an Oscar
can launch careers and affect box
decades to come.
and cultural change with The Hurt
Locker Kathryn Bigelow’s potential
director, showing progress in an
been largely male dominated.
The Oscars’ importance is also
measured in the impact they have
culturally and socially: foreign
markets, acting as a catalyst to help
audiences and grow commercially.
The categories, ranging from the
coveted best picture to best sound
and newcomer, attempt to give a
acceptance speeches, presenters
and drama guarantee entertaining,
humorous viewing.
Although the awards receive
criticism, their average viewing
audience of billions worldwide
makes them a cultural event that
undeniably generates huge hype
and expectation.
Yes, the ceremony is schmaltzy,
with enough ego to power a
country. But the symbol of the gold
originating from the conception of
Hollywood itself.
Whether you agree with the
Oscars or not they will continue to
thrive, showcasing talent, debate
and cringe–worthy acceptance
speeches for years to come.
A night with Oscar: who will take home
the coveted gold statue this year?
Matthew Blackwell
A lengthy award ceremony, gushing
tears and, thankfully, a forty
speech. It’s that time of the year
again; the most prestigious awards
will be screened in America on the
But are they worth the very gold
those coveted statues are made
from, or are they the pretentious
remnants of an anachronistic tradition?
the nomination process itself - the
and Sciences, the elitist, invitationonly
voting body is made up of
5,835 members, of whom twenty
two percent are actors and many
of the others work in the entertainment
industry in various capacities.
This creates an inherent bias, as
and successful directors/producers/cinematographers
etc will pull
in nominations simply because
they have had Academy members
working on them.
Several other biases can be
added to this, including a failure
to acknowledge independent and
categories, and the fact that hor-
A little number crunching leads
to the worrying statistic that 46%
of all Oscar wins have gone to
surprise, surprise, this year, Up in
the Air, The Hurt Locker and Precious,
in short: three dramas, are all
tied with four nominations in the
Best Picture, Best leading Actor/
Actress, Best Director and Best
Screenplay.
In order to gain a slightly more
balanced perspective, one that is
exist outside of Hollywood and
still be good, look no further than
the Palme d’Or.
This is the highest prize in the
Cannes Film Festival with a long
history, having being awarded to
American, Greek, Algerian and
Who will be the big winners this year?
Adam Williams and give us their Oscars predictions
Adam Williams
It’s that time of year again as Hol-
the prestigious award. The major
change from last year has been the
decision to increase the number
of nominees in the Best Picture
This has meant there’s a couple of
surprising inclusions like District 9
and Up, only the second animated
Picture.
The odds on favourite is Avatar;
and pioneering 3D technology
mean it’s a certainty for the top
prize.
Director James Cameron is also
likely to pick up the Best Director
honour but he will face tough competition
from his ex-wife Kathryn
Bigelow for The Hurt Locker and
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious
Basterds. Bigelow would be the
it’s unlikely she’ll be able to stop
the Avatar juggernaut, despite
completing a BAFTA double in
the aforementioned two categories
recently.
The awards for Best Actor and
Best Actress are always tough to
call and this year is no different.
British hopefuls Colin Firth and
the BAFTAs but are rank outsiders
look unlikely to win. Firth’s performance
in A Single Man won him
the Bafta, but I think Jeff Bridges
will take the award for Crazy Heart;
he’s already won the Golden Globe
for best actor and, having never
won an Oscar before, the Academy
will feel this is the right time for
him to win.
Perennial favourites Sandra Bul-
vourites
for the Best Actress award
and I think Bullock will win for her
role in the critically acclaimed The
Blind Side.
think that it would be harder to
pick a winner, however this year
the competition still remains
amongst a few.
While Avatar -
with a truly remarkable spectacle
of technological effects and a
-
best is the more subtle and poignant
war drama The Hurt Locker.
Set in the ongoing Iraq war, The
Hurt Locker focuses on the tour of
an army bomb squad unit and their
newest addition to the team, Staff
Sergeant William James, played
expertly by the fairly unknown
Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later).
patriotism and honour to get an
Academy look in, The Hurt Locker
offers a fresh take on the dynamic
it. For SSG William James the re-
ing
weapons of mass destruction
or accomplishing peace, he lives
for the adrenaline ride of diffusing
bombs and facing the prospect of
death every day of his tour.
This may seem a little bit too
controversial for the Academy,
however the two fundamental rea-
are Kathryn Bigelow’s sublime
direction and Jeremy Renner’s fantastic
leading performance, both
of which deserve Oscars in their
appropriate categories.
Uninterested in trying to justify
or condemn the Iraq war, Bigelow
aims to capture the nature of the
war zone and succeeds in creating
one of the most tense atmospheres
committed to celluloid.
So while I’d give the big three
to The Hurt Locker bunch, the best
actress would have to go to newcomer
Gabourey Sidibe for her tear
jerking performance in the heart
breaking Precious. It is fairly brutal
to watch but this is simply down to
how well Sidibe plays her damaged
character.
Oscars through the years
Alex Murray looks back at her best and worst
moments from previous years
The best bits
1. It may not be an acceptance
speech but let’s not forget the
streaker! As David Niven was
busy presenting, an entirely naked
man felt it was his duty to run out
across the stage. Niven simply
quipped: “The only laugh that man
will ever get in his life is by stripping
off and showing his shortcomings!”
2. Italian Director Roberto Benigni
was so excited at the sound
of his own name he stood on the
back of his seat and climbed over
fellow audience members, getting
the crowd all riled up; a truly
European moment for the usually
stuffy event.
-
who took a leaf out of Cuba’s book
and went all crazy on us! Good
speech though and fun to watch, a
rarity for the Oscars!
4. Who could possibly forget the
erratic acceptance given by Cuba
Gooding Jr? Funny to watch, but
seriously, was he high?
5. When Adrian Brody won Best
Actor not only did he cop a full-on
smooch with presenter Halle Berry
and get two standing ovations, he
even managed to stop those infamous
musicians from shooing him
off the stage, saying “cut it out, I
got one shot at this!” Ballsy!
Best of the bad
1. In at my number one is the very
disturbing rendition of Disney’s
Snow White. Rob Lowe and a
dressed up Snow did a little panto
number at the 1989 show. This is
something I wouldn’t even expect
from amateurs let alone the creative
minds of the Academy!
2. David Letterman. Why was
David Letterman presenting the
was there a mechanical dog on the
stage? Why was he allowed to ask
Tom Hanks, yes Tom Hanks, to
put out a carpet for the dog to do
tricks on?! Farcical!
3. Angelina Jolie stood at the podium
declaring her undying love
for her brother. It wouldn’t have
been too bad if she hadn’t played
tongue tennis with him on the red
carpet for the paparazzi. One word
– incest.
4. Gwyneth Paltrow anyone?
Need I say more?
5. Speaking of which we mustn’t
leave out Halle Berry’s tear jerking
performance when she won for
Best Actress, one of the longest acceptance
speeches in Oscar history.
Why don’t they ever just say thank
you?
Let’s hope for some more corkers
at this year’s show on Sunday!

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 27
Film
Culture
Film Editor: Frances Kroon - courier.culture-film@ncl.ac.uk
reviews
The Lovely Bones
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Mark
Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz,
Stanley Tucci
Run time: 135 Mins
Peter Jackson, director of Lord of
the Rings and King Kong, makes his
return to the big screen with this
adaption of Alice Sebold’s 2002
book of the same name.
The story centres on a teenage
girl, Susie Salmon (Ronan), who
is murdered by sinister neighbour
George Harvey on her way home
from school.
Initially detailing her typical teen-
tinct parts after her untimely death.
Most of the time is spent following
Susie’s parents Abigail (Weisz) and
Jack (Wahlberg) and their attempts
to cope with their daughter’s death.
killer becomes obsessive and puts
a strain on his relationship with his
wife, although this is a tad underdeveloped
in comparison with the
source material.
trapped in the afterlife, unable
to come to terms with her death.
These lavish sequences are often
reminiscent of Imaginarium of Doctor
Parnassus, certainly beautiful but
perhaps without some of the charm
Those scenes are merely a distraction
as we see events in the
real world unfold. The suspicion
around Harvey increases, the stand
from Stanley Tucci in this role. His
suspense, culminating in a sublime
Rear Window-esque sequence at the
The cast is the strongest point of
well deserving of his recent Oscar
nomination and joining him is the
always enjoyable Rachel Weisz as
mother Abigail as well as an unusually
decent performance from Mark
Wahlberg as her father.
Susan Sarandon’s role as a an
alcohol-fuelled grandmother
comic relief while relative unknown
understated performance as Susie’s
inquisitive sister Lindsay.
Occasionally the script descends
into something of a sentimental
mush but Jackson always keeps
with a running time of two-and-a
quarter hours.
Adam Williams
A Single Man
Director: Tom Ford
Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne
Moore, Mathew Goode,
Nicholas Hoult
Runtime: 120 mins
of the past few years have been
those concerned with gay issues –
Brokeback Mountain and Milk have
been constantly referenced not only
for their sensitivity to the issues
they present, but with how well
they present them.
A Single Man seems to be the newest
addition to this growing list.
Falconer (Colin Firth), a gay English
Professor living in Los Angeles
in the ‘60s who has decided that
today will be his last.
After struggling to cope after the
death of his long-term partner Jim
(Matthew Goode) and not being allowed
to attend his funeral, George
uses the day to get his affairs in
order, reminisce about his time
with Jim and spend time with those
he wants to say goodbye to.
on action, but it more than makes
up for it with scenes positively
bursting with emotion, beauty and
pathos.
Each actor in the small cast is perfectly
chosen with Julianne Moore
as George’s lifelong friend and
former lover Charley and Nicholas
dent Kenny particular standouts.
nothing without Colin Firth. He
completely restrained and yet letting
the audience experience every
feeling along with him.
Much has been made of director
Tom Ford’s past as an international
fashion designer, and his eye for
style and detail is stamped all over
props to cinematography has been
meticulously conceived and beautifully
made real.
Particularly brilliant is how the
George’s emotions do, becoming
washed out and vivid as his day
takes its emotional twists and turns.
at.
more than simply a visual way –
tender, moving and at times far
warmer and funnier than the subject
matter would imply, A Single
so far.
Joe Skrebels
The Last Station
Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: James McAvoy, Helen
Mirren, Christopher Plummer
Runtime: 112 mins
There’s a mystique that surrounds
celebrities; people want to be
around them, they want to listen to
their ideas and in a manner, possess
their works.
Leo Tolstoy’s followers took that
desire to an extreme, and that is
The Last Station,
directed by Michael Hoffman.
It deftly and smoothly tells the
story of Valentin Bulgakov (McAvoy)
a young Russian Tolstoyan
who became Tolstoy’s (Plummer)
personal secretary at the end of his
life in 1910.
He watches as that celebrity takes
a toll on Tolstoy’s personal life
in a way that he hadn’t expected,
particularly in the relationship
between Tolstoy and his wife, Sofya
(Mirren).
The script is fantastic, and the
pacing is brisk and engaging, but
the credit for the passion and emotion
of the movie certainly goes to
the phenomenal acting done by the
extremely talented cast.
While it’s fun to watch Helen
Mirren send Sofya into enraged
hysterics at the actions of both
Tolstoy and his band of followers,
relationships are cunningly and
subtly portrayed.
The viewer cannot help but
understand exactly why Sofya and
Tolstoy have loved each other for
so long, and why the Tolstoyans
considered Sofya a “very dangerous
woman” to their cause.
Her Oscar nomination for this role
is one that is well deserved. Plummer
lends a tenderness to Tolstoy
that despite the constant churnings
of his home life is a constant thread
most villainous nature in playing
the leader of the Tolstoyans, Vladamir
Chertkov, even though the
character himself is not a villain in
the strictest sense of the word.
bring in a wide-eyed naivety to the
irritating.
Even if you don’t know anything
about Russian literature or philosophy,
The Last Station provides an
elegantly told story about life and
love. The genuineness of both the
script and the acting makes this one
year.
Camila Tessler
dvd
The Horseman
Director: Steven Kastrissios
Cast: Peter Marshall, Caroline
Marohasy
Runtime: 94 mins
‘You like football?’ asks Peter
Marshall’s vengeful crusader before
with an air pump.
Such extreme moments are likely
to be what you will take away if
you decide to watch this Australian
straight to dvd release - which is a
shame, as there is a lot to admire
about this indie revenge drama.
However the more tender moments
are entirely eclipsed by the
gratuitous amount of body torture
on screen.
The story follows a bereaved
his daughter has taken a heroin
overdose discovers that she was in-
Thus he sets of on a bloody quest
his daughter’s death.
On this violent journey he befriends
a teenage run-away girl,
played by Caroline Marohasy, and
the two form a fairly sweet if not
a little odd relationship that is the
centrepiece and really the best part
of this torture odyssey.
The two leading performances
are pretty solid and well written
for each other, Marshall’s Christian
taking the role of mentor to Marohasy’s
inexperienced Alice.
However while they may be the
Kastrissios’s direction is big let
down.
there, primarily Get Carter, Old Boy
and Dead Man’s Shoes the ending
product here is fairly sloppy.
at best and the shaky editing does
not help the situation either.
then this might be the right world
looking for something with a little
depth then this will feel like
a missed opportunity. There is
enough on screen talent and a
potentially good story here to make
has opted for shocks and thrills
rather than hearts and minds.

28 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
interview
Music
Following the release of their de
but E.P ‘Summertime!’, the hype
grown and grown.
With a light sound obviously in
Las, their singles
and I Felt Stupid have only served
to bring them further attention
from both critics and audiences, to
the extent that they were named as
NME’s top tipped band for 2010.
Their gig at Newcastle’s O2
Academy as part of the NME tour
ing with some of the biggest indie
bands at the moment.
“Everyone seems nice,” says lead
singer Jonathan Pierce. “Although
there’s one guy from The Macca
bees who I know is evil ... I’m jok
ing!’ Following their performance,
and pleased with their reception.
“We jumped around like idiots
until we got everyone’s attention,”
admits guitarist Jacob, who further
confesses to throwing a tambourine
into the crowd, only for it to hit a
girl at the front in the face. Ouch.
tioned E.P ‘Summertime!’ was,
explains Jonathan, a complete sur
prise to the band.
“When we recorded it, we hadn’t
done a single concert, we hadn’t
done anything ... but we really be
lieve in these songs.”
Not only this, but Jacob declares
that, “I can’t play chords... I can
only play our songs!”.
They note, however, that this
gives them a unique position that
separates them from the modern
music culture of remixes and cov
ers. “[With the rise in remixes] peo
ple forgot about the album ... we
music
wanted to write a proper album.”
bum forthcoming, I ask what else
we can expect from The Drums in
the future.
“We’ll be playing festivals. I don’t
know which ones, but we’re doing
a whole festival tour.”
They can also be seen in May sup
porting Florence + The Machine on
her upcoming Cosmic Love tour, an
act whom they admit to admiring.
“It’s rare that someone like Flor
ence comes along, she’s got such a
presence,” explains Jonathan. And
can we expect more whistling on
the album, I ask, referencing the
frequency of this on the E.P.
“We’re not even good whistlers,”
Jacob sheepishly discloses. “We
time].”
over, and the interview almost
done, the band discuss what they
plan to do in their free time.
Exclusive blogs and features >>> thecourieronline.co.uk/music
: slap, bang, and slap again
“I’m looking forward to some free
time, so we can wrestle each other!”
says Jonathan. Jacob replies, “What,
arm wrestle?”, “No – full body
wrestling,” deadpans Jonathan.
“Oh gosh”. Oh gosh, indeed.
to slap him?” I look up, Jonathan is
asking me. “That would be really
cool if you could.”
After making sure I won’t get
sued (“we have tour insurance,”
they claim), I oblige, being slightly
comforted by Jacob’s sentiment
that “it’s a love slap”.
From this it seems clear to me that
no matter what you do, The Drums
are here, and they’re going to jump
around until they’ve got your at
tention.
Their EP ‘Summertime!’ is available
-
-
-
the debate
Stuart Edwards
The accessibility of tickets and
tour information with such ease
has cemented gigging as one of
the ‘essentials’ of many people’s
disposable income; even the reces
sion failing to stop arenas, stadiums
and academies from selling out in
record speeds.
They’ve never truly ‘gone away’,
but stadium gigs have been redis
covered these last couple of years,
as the likes of Wembley, Hampden
and the LCCC seek a new source
of income over the long summer
droughts.
Oasis’ much hyped tour last
summer promised to be one of the
events of the year, but aside from
the initial announcement, it was
an event that went somewhat un
worth shows.
This summer already sees the
likes of Green Day, Muse, Rage
Leon hit the outdoor circuit. With
sheer scale of them though, the
Whereas arena shows lose inti
macy but don’t give a large sense
of scale to make up for it, these
shows hit the opposite end of the
spectrum, generating a frenzied
atmosphere and make us feel a part
of something big.
Consider, for example, the muted
reception to Blur’s arena gig in
Manchester last year to the eu
phoric reaction to their two dates at
Hyde Park.
of the rainbow, but as for the show
itself, stadium gigs still reek of style
over substance.
Elliot Bentley
With record sales diminishing
every year in the face of piracy, it’s
no surprise that artists and record
labels are looking to alternative
incomes. Live music, obviously, can
never be stolen (well, unless you
break in through the back at least).
Big gigs, then, let this money roll
sand ticket purchases will create a
lot more money than a couple of
thousand.
Which is not to say that big gigs
cause, although they may lack the
intimacy of a smaller venue, they
are seen as landmark events: each
as important as Hendrix’s set at
Woodstock, Dylan going electric or
Nirvana on MTV Unplugged.
Whether or not they are so impor
tant is only opinion, but the brag
ging rights are undeniable. In fact,
this works in both parties’ favour:
and hoodies with the gig’s location
and date, and fans get to wear this
merchandise around their jealous
friends.
However, when a big gig goes
wrong, it can often mark the end of
an era for a band: The Stone Roses’
disastrous appearance at Spike
Island in 1990 marked the start of
their decline. It’s a risky business,
but when it pays off, it can be his
tory in the making.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 29
Music
Culture
Music Editors: Mark Corcoran-Lettice and Chris Mandle - courier.culture-music@ncl.ac.uk
gigs
Hadouken!
Newcastle University
Union Basement,
18 February
There was eager anticipation
amongst the throng of glow sticks,
neon wristbands and brightly
coloured hoodies that surrounded
the Union. It was an undeniably
adolescent crowd that piled into the
Basement, but an excited one all the
same.
Beat-boxer Killa Kela opened proceedings
with a hugely energetic
set, acting like a rogue member
of Ndubz, only with considerably
more talent. The mixture
of beat-boxing, shout outs and
cymbal thrashing created a frenzied
atmosphere. On speaking to Mr
Kela afterwards, he said “I Love
Newcastle, I always get a great
response,” and also alluded to the
nature of the headline act, claiming
“Hadouken! are a dangerous band,
they’ve taught me some new tricks”
- of these tricks though, he would
say no more.
Second up were This City, who
performed a well executed set. A
classic three guitar set up and some
‘A dangerous band’: Hadouken! who recently played the Union Basement to a wild reception
heavy drumming made for some
surprisingly good listening. They
too got the crowd buzzing with
excitement, despite frontman Chris’
the youngest crowd we’ve played
to”.
So to Hadouken! They played a
highly charged set, and wild front
man James Smith was immersed in
an incredible light show as he performed
and energized the crowd.
The band played numerous tracks
from their brand new album ‘For
the Masses’, as well as a few older
Hadouken! favourites such as That
Boy That Girl. from their 2008 debut
album ‘Music for an Accelerated
Culture’.
This was, without doubt, a great
set and a great performance, irrespective
of the age of the crowd
or the image that the band may or
may not have acquired, proving
that they still are, in the words of
Killa Kela himself, dangerous.
Henry Jones
Hot Chip
02 Academy Newcastle,
18 February
Having now reached their fourth
album, synth-pop sophisticates Hot
Chip have established a loyal fan
base for themselves who appear to
appreciate them for their full body
of work rather than the whims of
their more successful singles.
Although (of course) Ready for
the Floor and Over and Over were
the crowd pleasers of the night,
the album tracks were crafted with
skill on the night, the intricacy of
the record not lost in the live set
which shows the sign of a truly
developed band.
Songs from their latest record
‘One Life Stand’, including Brothers
and the single and title track One
Life Stand were performed with
a vivacity live which produced
the impression that they really
believed in the music they were
creating, and the emphasis on
their later work shows a sense of
contentment with the progression
of their musical style to a more
mature sound.
A mellower gig than it would
perhaps have been a few years
ago, and at times the crowd appeared
somewhat lack lustre,
although they were often revived
by a shift back to Hot Chip’s more
synthetically up beat sound.
Polly Randall
Hot Chip take their ‘One Life Stand’ onto the road with impressive results: ‘A truly developed band...performed with a vivacity live’
Owl City
02 Academy Newcastle,
20 February
The support band were all ill,
which – as you might understandis
not an ideal start to any gig.
However, this allowed local artist
Elle Armstrong to take to the stage
with a repertoire comprising of
acoustic covers and her own material,
both of which were very well
received by the crowd.
The gap between her set ending
and Owl City (eventually) gracing
the Academy with their presence
put me in a mood to slate them.
But that changed as soon as the
Marina and the
Diamonds
The Other Rooms,
18 February
With her debut album ‘The Family
Jewels’ having just hit the shelves,
Marina and the Diamonds have
generated a lot of interest already,
and judging by the size of the
crowd at the sold out venue, the
band has done a good job in amassing
a large fan base, even before the
album release.
The support act Clock Opera
would seem like a good choice
to get the crowd warmed up, but
didn’t quite manage to make a
infectious buzz instantly spread
through the audience.
There was something incredibly
comforting about them that left me
with an unexplainable feeling of
warmth. Adam Young, the man behind
Owl City, proved himself as a
talented vocalist, and the accompaniment
provided by the band
complemented their predominately
electronic sound fantastically, especially
the violinist and cellist.
Despite the hanging around
beforehand, it was an extremely
enjoyable performance, due in no
small part to the energy and lighthearted
approach taken by the
band, who genuinely seemed to be
enjoying themselves and embody
their music.
Matthew Blackwell
bond with the gig goers. Despite
that, Marina and the Diamonds
the audience of all ages, from the
second they took to the stage with
lead singer Marina arriving dressed
as a bear.
A couple of feedback issues aside,
the band created a great atmosphere
for most of the performance,
with the songs Hollywood and I Am
Not A Robot particularly seeming to
get the best reception.
The impressive vocal range found
on the EPs and singles did not falter
or disappoint live on stage, and the
band as a whole managed to match
the crowd’s expectations.
The band can now surely look
for the rest of the tour following
such a successful performance.
Christopher Scott

30 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
albums
Music
Joanna Newsom
Have One On Me
The books of Thomas Pynchon. The
Broken Bells
Broken Bells
The High Road
Joe Skrebels
music
Babooshka
Soft As Chalk
of Good Intentions Paving Company
’81On A
Good Day
In
California
Good Intentions Paving Company
H.I.M.
Screamworks: Love In Theory &
Practice
Scared to Death
Romain Chenet
For more exclusive reviews and content >>> thecourieronline.co.uk/music
Natascha Sohl
Dirty Little Word
The Hills
I don’t need himWhy
did you leave me for her?Boys are
stupid
Matthew Blackwell
Mark Corcoran-Lettice Music Editor
Lightspeed Champion
Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You
Dead Head Blues
There’s Nothing
Underwater
on The Big Guns of Highsmith
I Don’t Want to Wake Up Alone
Sweetheart
Ben Travis
singles
Arctic Monkeys - My Propeller
My Propeller
Tom Richards
Tune-Yards - Real Live Flesh
Real Live Flesh
Mark Corcoran-Lettice
MCs Can Kiss
Polly Randall
Table - Songs You Can Sing
Songs You Can Sing
Benjamin Jackson
Avril Lavigne - Alice
Alice in Wonderland
Tom Richards
Black Gold - Idols
Idols
Henry Jones
Frightened Rabbit - Nothing
Like You
Nothing Like You
Mark Corcoran-Lettice

32 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture
TV & Radio
tv highlights
Five Days
9pm Monday-Friday, BBC1
Suranne Jones,
recognisable as
Pick the infamous
of the
Karen from
ITV’s Coronation
week Street, heads an
impressive cast
in this mystery
drama to be shown on BBC1 over
When a baby is found in the toilets
of a hospital in Yorkshire and a local
train is forced to stop due to an
attempted suicide, it prompts the
question - could the two be connected?
As these two events collide they
affect the lives of all onboard the
train and in the hospital forever, especially
that of DC Laurie Franklin,
By chance she was on the very
train that stopped, when travelling
with her mother, who has recently
been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
An inquisitive character, Laurie
likes tying up loose ends and will
House
Sunday 10pm
Sky1
The award winning series House is
a two hour special following on
House’s Vicodin addiction reached
new levels and Wilson had to take
main characters, House and Wilson,
and begins outside of its natural
boro
Teaching Hospital, but don’t
be alarmed, the cutting sarcasm of
It focuses on House’s struggle to
accept his addiction and the regu-
Nolan, who must agree that House
is no longer addicted to Vicodin so
that he can leave and be reinstated
Whether you watch this for the
fantastic storylines or just because
Hugh Laurie is HOT, this is a must
Clementine Manning
tv & radio
SKY1
do her upmost to prove a connec-
As we watch her attempt to do so,
she realises that such a task is never
an easy one and the identity of the
mother may not be one that she
days in the police investigation as
they try to piece together the exact
events leading up to the discovery
As tensions runs high, relationships
are put under strain and Franklin
is determined that she will close
Written by Gwyneth Hughes, the
second series of Five Days hopes
which it received a BAFTA nomina-
Reid, Hugo Speer and David Mor-
Catch it every evening this week
on BBC1 at 9pm and follow the in-
Ayse Djahit
Undercover
Princesses
Sunday 8pm, BBC3
If you were a fan of Undercover
Princes
The programme follows the journey
of three princesses from around
the world as they begin their quest
all live in a modest house in Essex,
living undercover as ordinary
people with ordinary jobs with the
hope that they’ll meet men who are
interested in them purely for their
personality and not their privileged
blending into such society is no easy
-
-
to what a jacket potato is!
Even if you didn’t watch its predecessor,
Undercover Princesses promises
to be packed with fun, drama,
and romance, everything you need
Ayse Djahit
BBC
The Secret
Millionaire
Monday 9pm, C4
C4
One of the most heart-warming
their lives of luxury to live on the
-
Once they’ve spent enough time
with various charities and causes,
they decide how much of their own
money they want to donate, and reveal
their true selves to hand over
If you don’t well up or have a surge
of joy when the big reveal happens
then you’ve got a harder heart than
ic
when you see the true happiness
and shock on the faces of those that
receive the money; the gratitude is
series from Bristol, where some of
the wealthiest neighbourhoods rub
Eleanor Wilson
Eddie Iz Running
Thursday 10.30pm
BBC3
BBC
BBC
I always think it would be great to
run a marathon, but haven’t got
round to doing one yet (no surprise
discovered that comedian Eddie Izzard
ran not one, but 43 marathons
that all 43 marathons were run with-
documentary charts Eddie’s journey
all round exhaustion in a bid to raise
as much money possible for a very
Regardless of your personal opinion
of Izzard, this programme
demonstrates the power of human
endurance, both physically and
mentally (given that Eddie trained
-
So many marathons in such little
Helen Atkinson
soaps
Coronation Street
Mon, Thurs, Fri on ITV1
Dev’s convinced it’s over between
him and Sunita for good, especially
when he sees her chatting to her
charming ex, Ciaran, but she has
an ultimatum for him which he just
on the street, having apparently
Eastenders
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri on BBC1
Carol is under the impression that
Whitney is leading her son Billie
astray when he skips school to
spend time with her, but it soon
becomes clear that Billie isn’t as
-
all? Elsewhere, Max struggles to
come to terms with losing Bradley
and there’s more teen angst as Lucy
has one of her mood swings – but is
there a good reason for it?
Hollyoaks
Weekdays at 6.30pm on C4
Tony and Cindy hope a TV reconstruction
will help the community
at the police station all night, Cindy
she accuses him of having something
to do with Holly’s disappearance,
but he’s later forced to tell her
what happened with Theresa before
forgets his six month anniversary
with Jacqui - how will he make it up
to her?
Emmerdale
Weekdays at 7pm on ITV1
Emmerdale is full of surprises as
Noah tells Charity he saw Cain at
the scene of the heist before Carl arrived
and she can’t help but pass on
the shocking information to Debbie
when she questions the tense atmos-
Neighbours
Weekdays, 1.45pm &
5.30pm on Five
Shock all round as the Ramsay resi-
an accident and has swelling in the
on duty at the hospital to look after
him, but will Lucas ever regain con-
let Donna tell Elle about Lucas’ condition
because he thinks she needs
Home and Away
Weekdays, 2.15pm &
6pm on Five
Miles’ new friend Rabbit is causing
him a fair few problems; her psychic
abilities are putting him on edge, especially
when she warns him he will
Nicole can’t decide if she’s made
Aden supports her but Mink’s teas-
is causing problems wherever she
goes as she’s also trying to persuade
Romeo to be her surf manager in-
Aimee Philipson TV & Radio Editor

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 33
TV & Radio
Culture
TV & Radio Editor: Aimee Philipson - courier.culture-tv@ncl.ac.uk
interview
Word on the Street
Tom James speaks to award winning actor Craig
Gazey as he swaps Coronation Street’s cobbles
for Newcastle’s new Eldon Square
So Craig, what brings you to
Newcastle?
I’m here to open the new ‘Poundland’.
They’ve been expanding and
a few of us from Corrie have been
opening the stores around the country.
Would you say Poundland is a
good shop?
Yeah!
Cheap and cheerful?
Yeah!
Have you been to Newcastle
before?
I worked here at the theatre. I was
at the Theatre Royal. I did a week in
‘The Tempest’ three years ago with
Patrick Stewart.
What do you think of the city?
I really like Newcastle. I’ve just
driven here this morning and I’m
going straight back but I do really
like Newcastle. The investment in
architecture is really good, it should
have been the Capital of Culture I
think.
Talking of culture, have you ever
nsr
Atlantic was sent from Glace Bay,
Nova Scotia by Gugliemo Marconi
on December 17th 1902.
This achievement, a technological
miracle of the time, was but the
beginning of a lengthy process that
has seen its culmination this week at
Newcastle Student Radio.
Suce_Ma_Beat, an NSR show, this
atlantic student radio broadcast after
a ‘show-share’ link was made
with San Francisco State University,
allowing the weekly transmission of
selected shows on both university’s
radio stations.
Suce_Ma_Beat is hoping to take the
mix of British and European alternative
music they currently air on
NSR to the American West Coast
whilst the San Franciscan show,
Fresh Squeezed, is looking to bring
the best in up-and-coming American
alternative music to Newcastle’s
airwaves.
Hopefully this will give NSR listeners
the chance to hear up-andcoming
music before the rest of the
Student Radio community.
The project launches on March 1st
and continues weekly with Fresh
Squeezed airing on NSR Mondays at
10am.
Both shows can also be heard
been on a night out up here?
Yeah, it’s a bit fresh, innit?
Good description. You won best
newcomer at the National Television
Awards, how was that?
It was amazing. I’ve won a few now
and they’ve all been for best newcomer,
so it’s really cool to win because
I’d never been to an awards
Any big story lines coming up?
ceremony before and I’m going I’m getting quite a big story line in
and being nominated so it’s really the next three weeks. All I can say is
daunting. But to know you’ve made that he gets a girlfriend. I can’t say
an impact is amazing.
if she’s a new arrival or already in.
All I’ll tell you is that he does rather
Do you have much in common well.
with Graham?
It’s not Gail Platt then?
I’m quite eccentric and I like to think
I’m funny. My differences are that No!
I’m not nineteen, not a chav, don’t
You’ve been acting a long time,
criminal record.
what is your dream role?
As a local lad what was it like getting
a part on Corrie?
the crazy element.
To play Doctor Who. I think I’ve got
It’s brilliant. When you’re a northern And who would be your fantasy
lad going on Corrie, it’s bigger than leading lady?
Hollywood for people up north.
They don’t say ‘when are you get- I like Natalie Portman but I tell you
who I really like, Zooey Deschanel,
you getting on Corrie?’ It’s all they you know who she is?
ever used to say to me as a child so
it’s a really big deal.
500 Days of Summer?
at Mixcloud, with Suce_Ma_Beat
switching to podcast format in the
UK available at mixcloud.com/
Suce_Ma_Beat.
It’s not just the DJ’s who are talented
at NSR, one keen listener has written
a poem about the radio station:
If you go down to NSR today, you’re
in for a big surprise,
If you stream up NSR today, it
surely won’t fail to arouse,
For ev’ry year that ever it’s here,
NSR will gather listeners of ev’ry
ear,
This year’s the year we’re having
our picnic (so don’t miss it you
cynic!)
Get on and survey NSR’s co dot uk
and I assure you it won’t dismay,
There’s lots of marvellous reviews
to eat and wonderful sessions to
play,
A brand new logo and podcasts
galore, we have reached a standard
worthy of uproar,
--musical interlude--
No longer beneath the trees where
nobody sees, you can win the game
of hide and seek (as long as you
promise to take a peek?)
radio highlights
In New Music We
Trust Live
Thursday 7pm, BBC R1
Radio 1 broadcasts live from Newcastle-upon-Tyne
as part of In New
Music We Trust Live. The whole
show is dedicated to rock and indie
music with Zane Lowe and Nick
Grimshaw presenting their shows
from Geordieland in front of a live
audience. Sunderland-born Futureheads
and indie-band The Courteeners
will be performing alongside
Chapel Club and Frankie and
the Heartstrings.
The Arts Show With
Claudia Winkleman
Friday 10pm, BBC R2
Claudia Winkleman features a preview
of the 82nd Academy Awards
which will take place on Sunday 7th
March.
British nominations for this year’s
Oscars include An Education (Best
Picture); Colin Firth (Best Actor for
A Single Man); Helen Mirren (Best
Actress for The Last Station); and A
Matter Of Loaf And Death (Best Animated
Short).
Yeah, I like Natalie Portman but
I’m in love with Zooey Deschanel. I
and over. It’s amazing. You know
who she’s married to?
Erm, no.
The lead singer from ‘Death Cab for
Cutie.’ I know this because I Googled
her.
(Laughing) That’s quality.
I was a little bit gutted when I found
out she was married, obviously
I’m never going to get with Zooey
Deschanel, but there was still that
small chance. Now I’ve got less of a
chance than ever.
Hotpot?
Betty’s hotpot because it’s tradition
really, but Roy is a legend.
Home Planet
Tuesday 3pm, BBC R4
Home Planet is back with a new
series. The show, which tackles
questions about the world and
our interaction with it, covers
have been decided by listeners’
suggestions. Subjects can range
from random questions about
something in a listener’s garden
to huge global issues and listeners’
hypotheses. Listeners can
email home.planet@bbc.co.uk
with their suggestions.
The Now Show
Friday 6.30pm, BBC R4
The award-winning sketch show,
The Now Show, returns to R4 for
its 30th series on Friday. Starring
comedy legends Hugh Dennis
(Mock the Week) and Steve Punt
(Rockford’s Rock Opera) is a mixture
of stand-up, sketches and
songs based on the week’s news.
Listeners can answer the weekly
Audience Question online at
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/nowshow
and see previous popular
answers.
Cilla’s dead
Joe Mellor
Columnist
After the least romantic Valentine’s
Day since I heard my mum and
dad ’at it’, I watched Take Me Out.
I had watched it a few weeks ago,
and let’s be honest, it’s impossible
not to like. It’s a dating show
anchored by Paddy McGuinness
(a bit like sex text Vernon’s older
brother). A single man is lowered
into the studio in a lift and
is confronted by 30 bloodthirsty,
sexually charged women.
All of them would look at home
in the Yates on Blackpool Prom-
the passing taxis. They are very
chummy with each other, a bit like
the Deal or No Deal contestants but
a bit more sinister, like they sexually
assaulted the Chippendales on
a hen-do and it’s their dirty little
secret.
Each girl has a light and they turn
it off if they don’t like him. In the
previous weeks a ‘plump’ lady
called Rian steadfastly refused to
let her lights go out (I nicknamed
her Morrissey, after one of his
famous songs, look it up). She
would have ANYTHING. She got
nothing.
I turned on the show and to no
surprise after my three week absence,
there she was. In my lonely
state of mind, I felt a connection
with her, we were kindred spirits.
I mean, I wouldn’t touch her with
yours, but we could become pen
friends or something.
To my horror Rian’s malaise
from weeks of rejection meant she
turned the light out pretty much
before the next victim had appeared
on stage. Will they keep her
on forever until she is so old she
wets herself due to the vibrations
of the lift? The men have to walk
about a bit and show a ‘talent’
their muscles).Then we watch a
video by family and friends (generally
their mum).
The show is fantastic but it has its
faults. Paddy has various infuriating
catchphrases; ‘no likey, no
lighty’, ‘see you in a piddy paddy
poo’, and ‘see you in a ticky tocky
two’. I mean, who are the script
writers, Class 2B at West Jesmond
Primary? At one point Paddy
called out the next contestant with
the cry of, ‘let the vinda see the
loo’. I‘m not being funny but after
that vile introduction, I doubt Zac
Efron would get a date.
Personally I would love to see
the male version of Take Me Out.
An obese woman is airlifted into
the studio. She just about manages
to roll herself onto the stage.
No lights go out. She shows them
her special skill; it’s burping the
national anthem. No lights go out.
The video shows her day job working
in the abattoir back in Solihull.
No lights go out.
And do you know why? Because
it is the chance to have a free drink
and get your leg over and if someone
has to do it, it may as well be
you. In this show even Rian might
get a date.

34 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Culture Puzzles
crossword
ACROSS
1. American singer who sang ‘River
Deep’, ‘Mountain High’ and ‘Proud
Mary’ (4-6)
8. Latin: Lamb of God (5, 3)
10. Reveal (7)
13. That is to say (abbr., Latin) (1,1)
14. Eager; passionate (6)
16. ‘Some like it ---‘ (3)
17. Wenger’s football team (7)
19. Swedish homeware store (4)
20. Female name; short prayer (5)
23. Remark with a double meaning
(8)
24. ---- Romeo (4)
26. Metal spike used to attach things
together (4)
28. Relating to the home (8)
30. Common time has four of these
per bar (5)
31. Coca ---- (4)
32. Tough material made from
cowhide (7)
35. Found in adipose tissue in animals
(3)
37. Unconventional or unusual (6)
39. Film about an alien starring
Drew Barrymore as a child (1,1)
40. Novelty feature (7)
41. Reigning champion would be
puzzles
The Courier
Crossword wins a free beer and burger at The Hancock
this (8)
42. Communication device that
receives images (10)
DOWN
picture phrase puzzle
Use the pictures to come up with a phrase, thing, place or
1. Hard (5)
2. Addictive substance in cigarettes
(8)
3. ---- name (computing) (4)
4. Floating sea platform (4)
5. An extra song at the end of a
performance (6)
6. Form of poem (3)
7. Victorian novel by George Eliot
(11)
9. xs, s, m, l, xl etc. measure this (4)
11. Girls name; Song by The Zutons
(7)
12. Quantities of nutrients and
vitamins needed to stay healthy
(abbr.) (3)
15. A source of power or control
(American) (5, 6)
17. Solutions with a pH value below
7 demonstrate this (7)
18. ---- Gallagher (4)
21. TV station that transmits ‘Desperate
Housewives’, ‘Friends’ and
‘Rude Tube’ (7-4)
22. Game played with cues (7)
sudoku
25. Word formed
from the initial letters
of other words (7)
27. A thought or a concept(4)
29. City art (8)
30. Opposite of ugliness(6)
33. London Art Galleries (4)
34. A device that prevents speech (3)
36. Voucher you can exchange for
goods (5)
37. Style of writing on computers (4)
(3)
Answers to last week’s Crossword
Puzzles Editors: Ned Walker and Suzi Moore - courier.puzzles@ncl.ac.uk
weird words
What is the true meaning of this word?
BLOVIATE
1. To speak pompously
2. To feel bloated
3. To sing in a warbling manner
word puzzles
Use your brain to come up with the word or phrase hidden
in each picture
column, each row and each of the nine 3×3
boxes contains the numbers 1-9 one time each.
For the completed puzzle check the next
edition of The Courier
wordtrail
Track the girls’ names through the grid.
You should use all of the letters in the
grid but only once
ned’s number cruncher
Keep you brain in shape by trying to complete these sums
as fast as you can without using a calculator
EASY
20
Times
-6 ÷7 itself +21 ÷5 x17 -16 =
MEDIUM
69 ÷3 x7 +8
Square
3/7 of
root
x6 +20
this
=
HARD
42
Square Halve Cube
+9 x4 -60
root this this
÷12 =
answers
Picture Phrase Puzzle: Stankonia (Out-
Kast), Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones),
Tapestry (Carole King), Moby Grape
(Moby Grape). Common Theme - All in
Rolling Stones top 500 albums list.
Ned’s Number Cruncher: Easy - 69, Medium
- 42, Hard - 18
Word Puzzle: Bad Back, Keep In Trim,
Lost For Words, Dr. Dolittle, Painless
Operation, No Idea.
Weird Words: 1. To speak pompously
Wordtrail: Sophie, Imogen, Holly, Katie,
Helen, Charlotte, Victoria, Sally.
Solutions to last week’s Sudoku

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 35
Sports Editors: Paul Paul Christian, Christian, Jamie Gavin Jamie and Gavin Tom and James Tom - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk
James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk
Intra Mural’s sporting success story
Dominic Pollard speaks to Denis Murphy, the man behind Newcastle University’s IM sports programme
On Wednesday afternoons at Newcastle
University all academic activity
ceases whilst sport takes centre
stage.
However, the minority chosen to
represent the select number of University
teams merely skims the surface
of the large number of students
who take part in University sport.
The Intra Mural sports system continues
to be a growing success story
within the University. They offer all
students the opportunity to get involved
in a wide variety of different
sports and activities over a range of
ability levels.
Earlier this week I had the chance
to speak to Denis Murphy, who has
performed the role of ‘Participation
and Events Manager’ since 2005.
He is responsible for the organisation
of as good a level of sporting
participation as possible amongst
the students of Newcastle University.
When speaking to Denis, himself
a keen sportsman, his passion for
sport and enjoyment for his job becomes
quickly evident.
He said that he “always wanted to
work in sports” in one form or another
and that his current role within
the University’s sports administration
team suits him perfectly.
He plays golf off a handicap of
seven and also ran the 800m for Ireland
when he was younger. It was
through athletics that Denis was
able to secure a place at Loughborough
University, renowned for its
sporting pedigree. This gave him
the opportunity to get a degree in
PE, Sports Science and Recreation
Management.
When he graduated in 2001 he
went on to work for Loughborough
for six years as a facilities manager
before moving to the North East
when he married his Sunderlandbased
girlfriend.
He then took the position of Participation
and Events Manager
when Fraser Kennedy moved on to
Performance Sports Manager. It is
the Intra Mural Sports programme
that is the basis of Denis Murphy’s
responsibilities.
The Intra Mural leagues cover a
multitude of different sports includ-
rugby union, netball, hockey and in
the summer months even volleyball
and cricket.
There are various other health and
available for individuals in addition
to team sports.
This allows both male and female
students of diverse interests and
abilities to get involved in a sport or
activity to suit them.
In total there are around 2,500 students
that take part in Intra Mural
sports and roughly 1,700 sporting
shows not only the popularity of the
leagues but also what a well managed
programme it is.
To host such a great quantity of
matches there needs to be a high
level of organisation as well as the
Tough tackling: Dyslexic face Barca as another day’s drama unfolds on a Wednesday afternoon at Longbenton, one of the hubs for Intra Mural football
necessary resources available.
The University meets these requirements
with pitches and facilities at
Heaton Sports Ground, Cochrane
Park, Longbenton and Close House
as well their own Sports Centre, to
name but a few.
Murphy and his team organise for
coaches to transport the students
from the University to Close House
- a network of eleven different rugby
and football pitches several miles
outside of Newcastle where the majority
of the Wednesday afternoon
Intra Mural football and rugby union
matches take place.
aid and referees to be on site, and
has taken the initiative to ensure
that one player from each Intra Mu-
the start of the year.
The referees consist of University
students who are part of the Refereeing
Society, a society introduced
by Denis Murphy, or they are NFA-
this, in November 2009, a group of
The Intra Mural sports programme
allows people to get involved in aspects
of sport other than the playing
of it.
Referees, medics, photographers
and journalists all attend the matches
and as such it provides an effective
means for these individuals to
gain valuable experience in their
Through its slick organisation, and
the wide variety of sports and activities
on offer, it is clear why the
Intra Mural set-up is such a popular
success. Murphy stated that it is
the “drama and excitement week in
and week out” that has contributed
to the positivity the programme has
generated.
For anyone who watches an Intra
Mural match this will soon become
evident. Even though it may
not involve the sporting elite of the
University, the passion and commitment
of the individuals on display is
Cheeky Hurricanes Ladies and feel Titans
reach the Intra Loko-motion
Mural Cup final
> Page 36-37
> Intra Mural Football, page 40-41
clear to see.
It goes without saying that the reasons
for participating in the Intra
Mural organisation extend beyond
a desire to play sport.
These team sports and the group
classes and activities come with the
inevitable social element as the postmatch
antics seem to motivate some
individuals perhaps more than the
matches themselves. Win or lose,
on any given Wednesday evening,
students rehydrating after another
Nevertheless, it is still out of a
passion for sport that people and
groups get involved in Intra Mural
sports.
Through the bad press that students
and university life in general
seem to be receiving these days, the
Intra Mural organisation stands as a
beacon of positivity.
Denis stated that he “loves working
with students” and wants to
try and “give the power back to the
students” to make the Intra Mural
system as enjoyable as it can be for
them.
As such, Denis and his team are
looking to introduce new initiatives
such as hall sports leagues which
would mirror the successful college
sports programmes that are run at
universities such as Durham and
Loughborough. Another key area
they wish to expand on is to try get
more female students involved in
Intra Mural sports.
These ideas are working towards
his overall goal of increasing the
range of sports and participation
levels and to continue to build on
the success of the programme which
contributes to the “great tradition of
sport at the university”.
The Intra Mural sporting programme
is an undoubted success
story for Newcastle University. It
encompasses large amounts of students
in a wide variety of sports
and activities and, despite Mother
Nature’s best efforts of late, the success
of the programme looks sure to
continue into the future.

36 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Sport
Year of the Panther
continues after
seals thrilling win
Intra Mural Football Division Three
Sex Panthers
Aftermath
Jonathon Taylor
at Longbenton
4
2
In the only game of the third division
to go ahead due to the abysmal
leap-frogged Aftermath in the table
the previous week and so it was al-
Panthers broke the deadlock on
outstanding Aftermath keeper with
a penalty miss the previous week
It was end to end stuff for the majority
of the game but it was Aftermath
who claimed the next goal
ing
the gaffer with a tricky team talk
Aftermath were the happier team
leaving the pitch having bagged an
equaliser despite offering very little
in terms of attempts on the Panther
The second-half continued with
pace and dogged battles com-
Panthers failed to clear and the ball
was sweetly struck into the bottom
lenced
the chirpiness of the Pink
starting receiving more of the ball in
the second period and was taking it
past players until he was cruelly cut
-
In return for several counts of
-
by Mundy to pull the ball back to
Panthers were on top now and
launched a wave of attacks on the
-
-
Aftermath were never out of the
game and it was a special goal that
Clapham received the ball in the
Aftermathers and curled a 25-yard
goalkeeping performance could do
nothing about it and he made his
Panthers cruised home to victory
and Chris Morton nearly added to
the lead with a stunning 25-yard
effort that dipped and cracked the
-
to gain anything with the Panthers’
Things are looking rosy for Panthers
who have turned their season
around and are brimming with con-
to admire the resilience of the Pan-
Turner keeps double dream alive
Intra Mural Rugby Cup Semi Final
Cheeky Ladies
Larrikins
Jonathon Taylor
at Cochrane Park
23
0
Last Wednesday saw the Cheeky
Ladies keep their dream of winning
a league and cup double alive after
a dominant display against a disap-
The newly-crowned league champions
were strong favourites to
-
The game started late with the
Redhall pitches deemed unplayable
-
This consequently saw a comical
scene of the ‘blind leading the
The subsequent half an hour delay
in the sub-arctic conditions will not
Park was eventually given consent
The search for a suitable pitch
proved to be the most exciting part
match riddled with errors and indis-
rikins
back-rower sent into the sin-
The Cheeky Ladies began to domi-
an impressive break from Captain
transform such an advantage into
Turner successfully slotting a close-
The game’s only try quickly fol-
ple
of counter-attacking rugby by
kicked the ball the entire length of
ritt-Drake
impressively collecting
After a half that lacked any degree
went into the break with a comfort-
cant
improvement needed by the
Larrikins in order to set up an excit-
Such an improvement failed to ma-
conceding a ludicrous number of
The reluctance of the referee to
show a yellow card for such persistence
only encouraged such indis-
match lacking any sense of coher-
cessfully
slotted three penalties
A further two penalties mid-way
through the second period further
rubbed salt into the Larrikins’
The Larrikins did end the game in
pressure being exerted by the under-
After a number of quickly-recycled
inches of forcing their way over the
D. RAWCLIFFE
The full-time whistle was music
with the poor conditions frustratingly
proving a considerable hin-
Ladies can now look forward to the
with a potential victory being the
perfect way to bring the curtain
down upon a massively impressive
Ladies favourites for clash of the Titans
Colin Henrys
The Intra Mural rugby season
draws to an exciting conclusion this
Wednesday as league champions
Cheeky Ladies look to complete the
ing
to the league title and amassing
They’ve already beaten Titans once
It would be unwise to write off
them rise to second in the league
they went into the New Year look-
they more than matched the much
showpiece of this season’s two form
-
and the previous encounter between
Cheeky Ladies’ captain Muchie
there is an air of excitement sur-
looking forward to a monumental
sure that we are the ones drinking
we are very happy with our progress
and especially with the fact that we
would like in the league and therefore
the cup is where we have made
a formidable team and they ham-
None the less we will be up for a

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 37
Sport
D. RAWCLIFFE
Intra Mural Rugby Cup Semi Final
Agrics
Titans
Colin Henrys
at Cochrane Park
10
23
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Women’s Basketball
Leeds Met 1sts
Newcastle 1sts
Jen Bennett
71
40
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

38 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Sport
T. MANN
Pulling together: Newcastle’s men’s eight came fourth in their race, but the highlight of the day came in the men’s quad where the four-man team of Ed Ford, Andy Corrigan, Mason Durant and Murray Wilcoic took gold
Fantastic four rule the waves in golden
day for Team Newcastle’s rowing stars
Jamie Gavin Sports Editor
Newcastle’s rowing club secured
their most successful ever BUCS
Head result at the weekend after
the University.
The highlight of the day came in
the men’s quad, when Ed Ford,
Andy Corrigan, Mason Durant and
Murray Wilcoic took the gold medal
Durham.
And there was success elsewhere
as the men’s four, women’s eight
and intermediate men’s eight all
won silver medals.
The team braved below-freezing
and snowy conditions in Peterborough
to gain a number of other no-
the men’s coxed four, and fourth
men’s eight and women’s four.
the new Hudson four boat, named
after former boat club member Ross
Moodie, who died tragically last
summer.
“Moodie Blues”, donated by Ross’
family, was instrumental to win ten
Newcastle bettered their 2009 tally
their status as one of the best institutions
in the country for rowing.
The result comes after months of
hard training under Head Coach
-
team’s work ethic as the key to their
success.
“The success we see is the fruit of
in terms of the size of the team, and
“Their commitment to the training
-
came to University.
“It’s a great result for all the stu-
mising
the academic side.”
-
the rowers, some of whom conduct
between nine and 12 training sessions
a week.
“Once again the rowing club have
achieved at the highest level of Uni-
the women’s eight gain a silver
medal, after a sluggish start to the
season.
BUCS regatta in May.”
Mixed fortunes for badminton club in double Leeds duel
Badminton Round-Up
Newcastle 1sts (M)
Leeds 1sts (M)
Stephanie Ferrao
6
2
After crashing out of the BUCS
men’s side were overcome by visitors
Leeds who cruised to a comfortable
6-2 victory.
Newcastle’s Daniel Puttick went
the game to three ends.
Chevasco’s court movement and
skilful backhand shots gained him
the second end at 21-14.
Allen quickly regained his com-
forced
errors in the third end, Leeds
claimed the last end 21-8.
ends with a 21-16, 21-16 victory,
winning one of only two games in
the match. Following the set-backs
in the singles, the scores stood at 3-1
to Leeds.
In the men’s doubles, Newcastle’s
Adam Attaheri lost out to Leeds’s
court communication, Lodge and
and James Robson couldn’t muster
the same strength against Leeds,
away against Nottingham, things
of relegation becomes increasingly
likely.
Newcastle 1sts (W)
Leeds 1sts (W)
6
2
In contrast to the men’s side, the
ease after a crushing 6-2 win.
The home side started out with the
advantage as Leeds only brought
the visitors though, their singles
ny
Ward 12-21, 18-21.
-
side Durham, the defeat was a shock
for Ward who throughout the sea-
-
end, narrowly losing a hard-fought
over line-callings.
second end, losing 16-21. This left
the teams locked at 2-2. Newcas-
with a 21-3, 21-10 win.
Dixon and Turner went on to win
21-18, though they allowed the visi-
unenforced errors.
Kirstin Miller and Madeline Harrison
worked together to secure a
against the seconds at 23-21, 21-11.
With the match ending in a 6-2
win, the women’s side are looking
ham
Trent in the second leg of the

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 39
it is now results that matter
This one leaves them agonisingly
largely undeserved defeat to an im-
But whilst the home side were well
-
-
-
solation
for a Newcastle side who
couplet of games which will decide
team action – Deledicq threatened
-
the centre saw the classy Swainston
-
when the winger played a neat one-
But it was the home side – against
the run of play – who opened the
Royals temporarily switched off to
-
replied with a spell of pressure and
cut inside and placed his effort from
-
-
-
The game was a more even affair
-
-
search of the all important third
And it should have gone to the
-
But the game turned after the Royals
were unsettled a few minutes
-
-
It was enough to disrupt the visi-
centration
within minutes of the re-
The Royals failed to muster anything
in response over the last
tle
– stretched in their pursuit of an
equaliser – were opened up at the
ers
at a time when the squad is run-
they travel to league-leaders Shef-
Flood of action as Lawrence steals show at Muay Thai night
Sport
Royals’ injury woes mount after cruel defeat
Men’s Football
York 1sts
Newcastle 1sts
Jamie Gavin Sports Editor
2
1
J. HARDCASTLE
Sarah Cotterill
Saturday night lived up to all the expectations
with excellent perform-
tory
and Newcastle University Thai
Stealing the show was Lawrence
-
-
as he completely overpowered his
opponent from Team Phoenix in
exhausted after only two rounds
destroyed his opponent with a low
Sam Bhatt persevered through a
Although his comfort zone is to
-
displayed their fantastic technique
and the efforts they had put into
against Cassie from Manchester
third round in which Cassie told her
continued and despite a sterling
an entertaining evening that showcased
the wealth of talent within
rored
at upcoming events for the
-
versity
and a full-contact Muay Thai

40 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Sports Editors: Paul Paul Christian, Jamie Jamie Gavin and Gavin Tom and James Tom - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk
James - courier.sport@ncl.ac.uk
Eight-page Stan
Calvert results
pull-out inside
Record-breaking Newcastle
surge to Stan Calvert glory
University crush Northumbria to claim historic third successive Stan Calvert Cup
David Coverdale Editor
In an historic day for the University,
Team Newcastle humiliated Northumbria
by a record score of 83.75
points to 32.25 in the Stan Calvert
Cup.
The landslide victory makes it an
unprecedented third consecutive
Calvert win for Newcastle and gives
them their tenth victory in the competition’s
17-year history.
The University’s domination was
apparent throughout the entire
day’s proceedings and the overall
scoreline was a more than fair re-
this year’s contest.
In fact, the only the only thing
Team Newcastle failed to beat on
the day was the elements, with the
showpiece rugby union match at
weather conditions that swept the
North East over the weekend.
The abandonment meant that it
was Newcastle’s netballers who
were left to crown a memorable day.
They more than delivered, recording
a 57-37 win over a formidable
competition as Newcastle’s Vice-
Chancellor Chris Brink presented
the trophy to Team Newcastle’s ec-
indoor arena at Gateshead Stadium.
Tyas had herself competed in the
netball earlier in the day as part of
the victorious third team and was
overcome by emotion as she lifted
the cup for Newcastle.
She said: “I’m so proud, I couldn’t
be prouder of everyone who has
taken part today. I’m just so happy
that we’ve won.
“The massive margin of victory
makes it even sweeter because some
can now say that if the rugby had
been played the result would have
been different.
“Massive congratulations must go
to everyone who has been involved
and a huge thanks to all of the hard
work that everyone has put in over
the last term and a half.”
Already with a stunning 28.5-5.5
there looked little doubt of anything
but a Newcastle win as news of
in throughout the day.
A surprise triumph for Newcastle’s
women’s volleyball team was
University did not look back with
the rowing and hockey clubs securing
a clean sweep of the points, and
women’s rugby producing one of
the shocks of the day.
The event was never a contest and
Team Newcastle had all but secured
their third successive Stan Calvert
Cup by 4pm that afternoon.
Performance Sport Manager Fraser
Kennedy said he was “over the
moon” with the result and praised
the spirit shown by Newcastle’s students.
Kennedy said: “Our organisation,
A. WILSON
commitment and determination has
to win, determined to win three in a
row.
“The clubs have been organised,
they’ve done what I’ve asked them
to do and it’s showed in almost eve-
“Looking at the results, that’s a
comprehensive victory.”

THE
COURIER
Stan Calvert Cup 2010
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Clean sweep for
hockey club
Page 4
in monumental win
Page 5
Athletics makes
Gateshead debut
Page 7

2 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
SPORT
Brave thirds undone
by early Poly strike
Men’s Football
Newcastle 3rds
Northumbria 3rds
Graham Matthews
at Gateshead 3G
0
1
Despite dominating proceedings
throughout, Newcastle were beaten
by a Northumbria goal inside the
The cold, wet conditions that led to
the main rugby match being called
off were present here, but the game
still went ahead on the 3G surface.
Newcastle kicked off, starting
brightly but it was Northumbria
game, took the lead.
A slight defensive error led to
Northumbria’s speedy striker being
allowed to sprint through the defence,
getting one-on-one with the
keeper, and slotting home the only
goal of the game.
This early goal seemed to slightly
unsettle Newcastle allowing Northumbria
another few chances.
Newcastle’s goalkeeper Weston
Murau’s kick missed the ball and it
fell to another Northumbria striker
who shot well wide of the open
goal.
Minutes later and centre back
Adam Gamble made a brilliant
headed clearance off the line, heading
against his own crossbar.
After that things picked up for
Newcastle, James Ripley having a
few excellent long shots saved by a
Northumbria keeper who played a
massive part in keeping his team in
the lead.
Ripley then crossed to Luke Hammett,
setting him up perfectly for a
volley, only for him to smash it inches
past the wrong side of the post.
The second half was mostly
dominated by the Royals, but they
though there was a lot of good passing,
tackling and created chances.
Ripley received the ball out on
the right, cut inside and his cross to
the near post nearly went in, only
for Northumbria’s keeper to palm
it wide. The resulting corner led to
a Newcastle header being blocked,
followed by a shot from the rebound
also being blocked from close
range.
Northumbria’s best chances of the
half came from two free kicks. For
rau got down low to his left and for
the second he managed to brilliantly
tip it over to keep Newcastle’s hopes
alive.
With only 15 minutes left Newcastle
made a substitution and switched
to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation
hoping to turn some of their chances
into deserved goals.
mental in the centre for the Royals’
- skilfully took it past two Northumbria
players only for his shot to
be saved.
Nearing the end of the game Newcastle
continued to push forward in
search of a much deserved equaliser,
Ripley having another good
shot tipped over by the opposition’s
keeper, but it was not to be.
At the end of the match Newcastle’s
stand in captain Ed Houlton
commented on what was a nearly
match for the Royals.
“It was one of our best performances
of the season with a lot of
good passing and movement.
“Obviously we’re disappointed
with the result, some of their lads
were even saying we were the better
team.”
No joy for football club as Royals
fail to return Stan Calvert points
Men’s Football
Newcastle 1sts
Northumbria 1sts
Jamie Gavin
at Gateshead 3G
0
2
While the Stan Calvert presentation
passed off close by, the Royals were
left to ponder what might have been
after three back-to-back defeats.
After Northumbria sealed narrow
victories in the seconds and the
failed to salvage their pride as they
succumbed to a disappointing 2-0
defeat.
Northumbria displayed a cutting
edge that the Royals lacked, and
this ultimately proved to be the difference
between the two sides on a
bitterly cold night in Gateshead.
The full blooded encounter was
highly eventful, including a sending
off and a 15-minute break fol-
but even when Northumbria were
reduced to ten men in the closing
stages, Newcastle failed to create a
clear cut chance from open play.
Their best spell came in the opening
half hour, when a series of good
moves saw them pepper the Northumbria
goal with long-range efforts,
with striker James Swainston and
the tricky Martin Hill going close.
It was Hill who provided the main
outlet for Newcastle, and the winger
got the better of his man on two
occasions to deliver the ball into
the area, however a solid-looking
Northumbria back four cleared their
lines well, and proved to be highly
resilient throughout the encounter.
Northumbria looked increasingly
dangerous on the counter attack,
and they had a goal disallowed on
the 20-minute mark after a quick
break resulted in a neat throughball.
However, the strikers’ run was
marginally mistimed, and the lines-
With just less than quarter of an
light failure halted the Royals’ momentum,
plunging the arena into
Men’s Football
Newcastle 2nds
Northumbria 2nds
Colin Henrys
at Gateshead 3G
And Newcastle looked decidedly
sluggish after the break in play, allowing
Northumbria to grab the
impetus.
A breakdown in communication in
the Royals defence allowed the ball
to bounce on the edge of the area,
and a well struck volley from Northumbria’s
centre forward forced a
It was from the resulting corner
that Northumbria grabbed the allimportant
opening goal. A well
delivered left-foot cross was sent
in towards the near post, and their
striker stole half a yard on his marker
to poke home.
Newcastle regained their composure
almost immediately and looked
to press once more, but half time
soon ensued, leaving the Royals in
need of a second half turnaround.
But despite having the better of the
possession after the interval they
failed to capitalise. Swainston was
put through by Mike Forrest with 20
cent last-ditch tackle thwarted the
striker as he was about to pull the
trigger.
And with the Royals growing increasingly
desperate, they threw
Despite dominating for large parts
of the match, Newcastle’s secondstring
were left to rue a very poor
start to each half as Northumbria
clinched a 5-3 win at Gateshead.
The Royals twice found themselves
half a fantastic strike by Ed Tizzard
was to count for nothing as the Poly
held on to gain the two Stan Calvert
points on offer.
The game started fairly evenly,
with Newcastle playing some good
football, but constantly looking vulnerable
to their opponent’s counterattacking
style. Indeed it was from
one such attack that they fell behind.
Joe Baker headed clear the initial
danger, but a well-weighted
through-ball found Northumbria’s
an easy tap-in.
Frequently struggling to win the
50-50 challenges, it soon got worse
for the Royals.
kick, but only succeeded in managing
to loop his header beyond the
despairing dive of his own goalkeeper
and into the top-corner.
It was a goal that many a striker
would have been proud of, but instead
the Marris House bad-man
was left with his head in his hands,
and Newcastle with it all to do.
They responded well, Chris Musonda
had a shot saved and strikepartner
Tizzard shot wide from a
Against the run of play though,
Northumbria added a third; another
from the left-hand side.
Once more Newcastle responded
team-move.
Musonda received the ball and
passed to Mike Peace on the right-
by the onrushing Rob Thackwray.
A second arrived just moments
later as Elliot Connolly whipped in
a dangerous free-kick.
The Poly defence couldn’t deal
with it, and Joel English took full
advantage by stabbing home from
close-range.
Half-time curtailed The Royal’s
started disastrously. A Northum-
A. WILSON
men forward at every opportunity,
coming agonizingly close to an
equaliser when defender Phil Nelson
hit the bar from a corner with
just ten minutes left.
A Northumbria winger was dismissed
for dissent soon after, but
this only served to further galvanise
an already determined side, and
they extended their lead in the dying
seconds when a counter attack
caught Newcastle short at the back.
A fast-paced break saw a striker
to race through one-on-one, and he
reach for the Royals .
Spirited seconds suffer after lacklustre start
3
5
off the wall for their fourth goal,
and when a high-ball was poorly
dealt with in the Newcastle area,
turning the ball in at the secondattempt.
Throughout the second-half Newcastle
created good chances. Musonda
shot wide after a good-turn, and
Tizzard missed a glorious chance
after collecting the ball on the leftwing
from a throw-in. The striker
cut inside but his curling shot,when
wide.
Tizzard’s goal more than made-up
for his miss though. Controlling the
ball some twenty yards out, he unleashed
a powerful left-footed strike
into the top-corner to renew hopes
of a comeback.
It wasn’t to be however, as time
ran out for the Royals.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 3
Memorable win for women’s rugby stars
Women’s Rugby Union
Newcastle 1sts
Northumbria 1sts
Ellie Robinson
at Houghton-le-Spring
10
0
When the Newcastle girls arrived
at Cochrane Park on Sunday, they
were prepared for anything. Anything
– except a cancellation.
Due to their positions in different
BUCS leagues this was the only
chance to face each other; a fact that
only added to Newcastle’s drive
to win. With Newcastle the underdogs,
it had been 4 long years since
they had secured a victory over the
poly.
When the decision to cancel was
announced it was apparent that
Newcastle were not submitting to
Northumbria’s totally willingness
to go with cancellation and return
to their sofas to munch pies, served
to aggravate the Newcastle girls further.
Contacts were called, favours
were asked and promises made as
a pitch that was playable, and get
there.
Houghton RFC was settled on the
game was a go. With all the planned
pre-match preparation disrupted,
and with usual Coach absent, Captain
Hannah Bassirat brought team
Newcastle together with minds set
on winning.
With Northumbria unable to compete
at the rucks, thanks mainly to
Flanker Sophie Rogers dominating
the breakdown area, Newcastle
attack, aided by the superb play of
scrum half Nadia McPhearson. After
15 minutes in their 22, the hard
a crash ball from Grace Holmes
and strong hand-off of No. 8 Araba
Chintoh found the Royals between
the posts.
The Nubiles remained strong until
the half time whistle with great
communication from Cessie Green
despite the poor conditions. Fran In-
a well timed pass put winger Charlotte
Kitchen into space to make half
the length before being put into
touch.
When the half-time whistle blew
Newcastle were still on the attack,
and Northumbria had yet to make
an impact on the game.
Inspiring words from stand-in
coach John Fenn sent the girls out
for the second-half determined not
to throw away their lead. Forwards
Helen Martin and Sam Ireland both
exploited any weakness in the defensive
line and kept the Royals
moving forwards.
Substitutions in the pack made
a huge impact and Newcastle had
spent the majority of the half in
sight of the try-line, just unable to
capitalise on their position. But patience
eventually paid off with Livvy
Coombs out stepping the defence
to score and seal the result.
mixture of emotions amongst the
Newcastle girls was evident; tears,
screams and songs rang out as the
supporters joined their club members
on the pitch for
Newcastle wished to thank
Houghton RFC for their help and
hospitality, stand-in ref Kieran
Hutchinson, and the army of supporters
who trudged to Durham to
back their team and to show that
commitment will always rule over
cash.
Director of Rugby John Fenn reserved
special praise for his side afterwards:
“It was an exceptional performance
by all concerned produced an
amazing result of 10-0 win, which in
my opinion should have been 25-0
such was the dominance exerted by
Newcastle.
“Not a tackle was missed, not one
of our players took a step back. It
was a whole team and squad effort
support from the touch line.
“I was proud to be there to support
my girls in this incredible game and
totally impressed with their endeavour.
“To see the Poly slink off depressed
was magical, to see my girls
party with pride and passion was
delightful, and provide some drinks
for them after their efforts was the
best £50 I’ve ever spent.”
Poly demolished as Owls cruise to victory
Men’s Rugby League
Newcastle 1sts
Northumbria 1sts
Kev Davey
at Druid Park
40
6
Following an unprecedented
sponsibility of bearing the University
standard was left to NURL in the
showcase Stan Calvert match-up.
The Owls went in to the game with
the worst possible preparation after
facing national champions Leeds
Met the day before in the BUCS
cup.
With the teams’ focus squarely on
Stan Calvert that match ended in
defeat, yet fortunately injuries and
exhaustion failed to stop the march
of a full strength death machine.
The match took place on the Druid
Park 4G pitch and it was clear from
the kick off that the unconventional
surface suited Newcastle’s attacking
style.
By the 15 minute mark imperious
skipper Michael Ward had
crossed twice following typically
shrewd running from Stunning Ste
Moorcroft.
Northumbria seemed shell
shocked throughout the opening
exchanges as Mighty Ducks-esque
Bash Brothers Jo Robinson and Dan
Caparros-Midwood upped the ante
with some brutal hit-ups and bellringers
in defence.
Veteran winger Kevin Davey soon
capitalised on their hard work with
a brace of tries; both coming from
Ward passes and his trademark ‘Cyber-Goose’
step.
The Newcastle onslaught gathered
momentum as the bemused Poly
with their innate idiocy manifesting
itself in disturbing howls and vacant
defending.
Liam Mcgee soon took advantage
of the confusion with his sublime
running from the right Centre leading
to a try.
NURL comfortably saw out the
remainder of the half keeping
their city rivals pointless. Coach
Rob Jones master plan was paying
dividends as Northumbria simply
couldn’t handle the Owls early attacks
out wide.
Following the interval, the Poly
played with a renewed vigour yet
tained attacking impetus. Their
coach, and the manager of the Ireland
International team, Andy Kelly
had no doubt berated his side for
their lack of aggression.
Despite Northumbria’s best efforts
the pattern continued with morbidly
obese NURL prop Will Winter hurtling
in to his opposite number with
his languid frame, causing almost as
much damage as the foul stench of
vomit on his breath.
Following this early ascendancy
T. NEWBATT
P. DIXON
NURL’s rhythm was severely disrupted
as pivotal loose-forward
Ward suffered a match ending
thumb injury.
Though the team lost some structure
the inspirational leadership
role of Ward was ably stewarded
by Sam Boyd from fullback. Boyd
added a forward’s workload to his
normal duties but was still typically
resplendent with his kick returns
from the high ball.
With NURL’s continuing dominance
the Northumbria team began
to resort to basic one-up rugby and
by the increasing imprudence of
their fans.
Their uncouth manners were the
polar opposite of the sophisticated
behaviour on show from the Flâneur
supporters in the NURL bandstand.
With 20 minutes to go the game
turned in to somewhat of a stalemate
until Northumbria crossed the
whitewash with their only points of
the game. The cynical try may have
been awarded by compassionate
reasons for the referee but it was
soon cancelled out by a darting score
from man of the match Hooker Rob
Seagraves.
points of the game with Moorcroft
hurtling over the line following a
remarkable break from Mcgee and a
third victory in a row in the Stan
again cementing their league dominance
in the city.

4 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
SPORT
Rossiter leads Royals to Calvert victory
Men’s Hockey
Northumbria 1sts
Newcastle 1sts
Charley Wright
at Coach Lane
3
6
A thrilling encounter between the
A. WILSON
captain Ian Rossiter
overcame a head
injury and six stitches
he obtained the
previous day to lead
victory over
Northumbria at
Coach Lane
an illegal obstruction on the goal
Women’s Hockey Round-Up
Katherine Bannon
at Longbenton
Crossing sticks: Newcastle overcame Northumbria at Coach Lane in all three Stan Calvert matches on another victorious day for Team Newcastle’s hockey club
lost concentration in the stunning
Following the thirds lead it was a
Ladies complete clean sweep for hockey club

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010 5
A. WILSON
Unbeaten netball club shine at Gateshead
Netball Round-Up
Newcastle 1sts
Northumbria 1sts
57
37
Kathryn Jones
at Gateshead Stadium
Newcastle 2nds
Northumbria 2nds
33
31
Newcastle 3rds
Northumbria 3rds
Good Knight Northumbria as basketball girls triumph
Women’s Basketball
Northumbria 2nds
Newcastle 2nds
40
61
Joanne Smith
at Gateshead Stadium
34
29
Newcastle 4ths
Northumbria 4ths
38
38

6 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
SPORT
Poly edge tight
swimming duel
William Jolly
at the City Pool
Newcastle University were narrowly
beaten three and a half points
to two and a half points by Northumbria
in the swimming contest at
the City Pool on Thursday night,
individual and team performances
on show.
The women’s freestyle relay got
Newcastle off to a winning start in
narrowly beaten into second.
Thereafter Northumbria took control
with wins in both 100m individual
medley events, most of the
50m sprints and a few of the 100m
events, despite good efforts from
Lauri Simkiss in the women’s 50m
and 100m breastroke and Caroline
Brady in the women’s 50m and
100m backstroke.
There were also close races in the
style with Steve Addison and Graham
Donald just being beaten at the
Fencing Round-Up
Ed Bailey
at the Sports Centre
For the last few years Northumbria
Men’s fencing have had one of the
best squads in the country, packed
with international fencers. This
year it seemed as though they had
a weaker squad with only two international
fencers.
First up was Sabre, Newcastle got
off to a good start with Pat Navein
taking the initial lead, then Ed Bailey
came on and had one of the
matches of the season against Stevie
Fenwick, an Irish international, to
grew and with a few nice hits from
Rob Walker Sabre was in the bag 45-
37 to Newcastle.
Next up was Foil which Newcastle
knew would be challenging,
Northumbria were threatening to
stroll to a comfortable victory.
Newcastle then staged a comeback,
with comfortable wins in the
women’s 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle
for Amy Jesset. The women
to some fantastic underwater work.
Captain Steve Addison led the
narrow win. William Jolly then took
both the 100m and 200m freestyle
comfortably leaving Newcastle with
a chance to close the gap on Northumbria.
The women’s medley relay staged
style leg to win thanks to a fantastic
the men’s medley relay could not
match the Northumbria team.
But Newcastle University, who
could have been heavily beaten, put
Northumbria from taking all six
points.
D. RAWCLIFFE
On your guard: Newcastle’s men’s fencers narrowly lost their tie at the Sports Centre
Fencers share Calvert spoils
the match was close. Smiley Dave
started well, with some great hits
also from Pat Navein. Foil timed out
with Newcastle going up 42-41.
being Northumbria’s strongest
weapon. With Newcastle needing
35 hits to win the match started off
tentatively and Northumbria took a
big lead.
Smiley Dave got some sneaky hits
Dan Grant versus the Epee specialist
Matt Stewart. Dan took the game
to him but unfortunately it was not
enough and Newcastle lost 45-25.
Overall Northumbria won 122-112,
leaving Newcastle defeated, but
proud of the performances and coming
so close to a Northumbria upset.
Newcastle women beat Northumbria
135- 118, which was a fantastic
result. Leaving the points split between
the Poly and Newcastle.
Duel in the pool: Northumbria claimed three and a half points to Newcastle’s two and a half in an enthralling contest at City Pool
Uni cricketers recover to
stump Northumbria
Colin Henrys
at Newcastle Cricket Centre
A rare below-par performance by
the Newcastle Men’s Cricket First
Team was the only black mark on an
otherwise impressive Stan Calvert
performance at South North.
Two crushing victories for the third
and second team looked to have set
up an important whitewash, but the
ets in the day’s showpiece.
Craig Barrington’s third team
the Newcastle Cricket Centre. Needing
to set a good momentum, they
didn’t disappoint. Barrington (24)
and opening partner Charlie Davey
just 25 balls.
Although slowed momentarily by
the loss of a few quick wickets in the
middle overs, Newcastle powered
Amassing a further 48 runs from
the last three overs, thanks largely to
the day, and good batting by Davey
ished on 148/4.
Any hopes Northumbria had of
chasing down the massive target
were extinguished almost immediately.
Barrington mowed down the
stumps from mid-off to run out the
opening batsman with the score on
just two.
Although they recovered to post
wicket, economic bowling from Barrington
(0-21), Cooper (2-32) and
fresher Will Robinson (0-24) in the
middle-overs put paid to any hopes
of a Poly victory.
The three combined to concede
just 20 runs in four overs, Cooper
following this by grabbing his two-
some 35 runs in arrears.
match, the Newcastle second-team
did even better.
John Anderson removed the opening
batsman for a duck with the
third ball of the game, and followed
this up with a wicket in his second
over, thanks to a smart stumping by
Cowan. Anderson bowled his allot-
as Northumbria struggled to 30/2 at
the halfway stage.
Things soon got even worse for
them too, as Toby Raper took undoubtedly
the catch of the day,
diving backwards to claim a stylish
two-handed effort as the ball
dropped awkwardly over his right
shoulder.
David Fagan’s two wickets, one
clean-bowled and the other courtesy
of a good catch by Chris Childs
countered a late attack by the lowerorder,
and another good stumping
by Cowan, this time off the bowling
of Sam Eaton left The Poly all out on
just 78.
With such a small target to chase,
Newcastle were able to cruise to
victory. Fagan (27*) and Childs (18)
both hit the opening bowler for six,
overs. The game was wrapped up
with over a third of the allocated
twelve overs still remaining, Cowan
nudging the winning runs.
a clean sweep of the six Stan Calvert
points available.
unable to achieve the same powerful
start as the other two teams and
were restricted by some tight bow
Opener Tom Ullyot was removed
cheaply, and although Alex Rousak
M. MISKINIS
(21) and Joe Austin (25) recovered
to post 43 for the second wicket, the
run-rate was nowhere near as quick
as it needed to be.
In addition Austin should have
been caught on 17, but the despair-
served only to reveal a horrendous
star-shaped tattoo on his shin, to the
amusement of the vocal Newcastle
following. Austin made the most of
his reprieve, hitting the next ball he
faced for a big six, but it was a rare
highlight in a poor batting display.
Rousak was out in the following
over, slapping the ball straight into
mid-on’s hands, and a terrible mixup
between captain Ashwin Kapoor
and Ali Barrowman led to the latter
being run-out shortly after.
This sparked a terrible batting collapse,
from 68-2 to 71-5, and only a
sensible knock from last-man Richard
Stanyon (13*) enabled Newcastle
to reach a more respectable 86
before they were all out.
The total was below-par but certainly
defendable, a feeling which
increased when Stanyon dismissed
the Northumbria opener with the
score on just two.
Despite their good start though,
Kapoor’s side were unable to mirror
played by the opposition.
A bad dropped-catch off his
own bowling by Barrowman, and
a missed stumping by the captain
himself off Ullyot’s bowling,
summed up the poor display.
For the loss of just one more wicket
- a run-out - Northumbria gently
eased home with an over to spare to
record a deserved four-wicket victory.
While they will no doubt be pleased
successes, Newcastle may well rue
allowing their rivals to claim two
points of their own.

THE COURIER Tuesday 2 March 2010
7
Tennis team serve whitewash to Northumbria
Men’s Tennis
Newcastle 1sts
Northumbria 1sts
Joe Mellor & George Binsted
at the Northumberland Club
10
0
The Northumberland Club in Jesmond
was the setting for the men’s
tennis segment of the Stan Calvert
Cup.
Following Newcastle’s loss to
Northumbria in the same competition
last year, revenge had to be taken
and without question it was.
The team which comprised George
Binsted, Nick Macann, Alex Newell,
Mike Williams and Jakub Vachal
on paper looked very strong and
so it proved. Newcastle destroyed
Northumbria 10-0 without dropping
a single rubber.
As the rain lashed down onto the
roof, the result left the Northumbria
boys looking washed out. The
Northumbria side - that plays in
a league above Newcastle - were
schooled by a Newcastle side hungry
for victory.
The format of the match was two
doubles and four singles matches,
One point was awarded for victors
of the doubles and two for the winners
of the singles competition.
The doubles match was a race to
eight games and the singles was a
best out of three sets format. Highly
rated Alex Newell and Jakub Vachal
Binsted with team captain Nick Macann
the second pair.
After a slow start for Newcastle’s
ing the form that has made them
such a potent doubles partnership.
Alex Newell’s remarkable lob on
break point required a mention, but
not to be outshone by his partner
Jakub’s huge forehand, which was
too big for Northumbria to handle
(8-4).
The second pairing of George Binsted
and Nick Macann renewed
their understanding on court and
raced into a 3-0 lead. Nick Macann
- not known in tennis circles for his
volleying ability - today found inspired
touches at the net on numerous
occasions.
George’s serve for a change clicked
and provided part of the platform
that allowed for the second pair’s
victory over Northumbria, after a
brief wobble coming through 9-7.
Two points were secured and the
Newcastle men had their tails up.
Three of the singles were closely
contested, but unfortunately for the
Northumbrian number one he came
up against Alex Newell in imperious
form and was thrashed 6-1, 6-0.
Newell’s performance was effortless,
he left the court without breaking
a sweat. The same could not
be said for his opponent, who also
broke a racket for good measure.
Over on centre court, Jakub Vachal
showed his pig-headed attitude in
the face of defeat.
victorious; winning the next two
sets 6-1. Nick Macann who brings
new resonance to the phrase ‘grinder’
pulled off a typical performance
6-2, 7-5.
The veteran Mike Williams playing
in his third Stan Calvert match
could not tarnish Newcastle’s performance
and played very well and
come his opponent.
A player who is sometimes criticised
for being sluggish around the
court was gazelle like in his movement
on this occasion.
As the Newcastle side smashed
volleys the Northumbria players
smashed rackets. The Northumbria
Newcastle men would not be intimidated.
If anything the attitude of the opposition
galvanised the Newcastle
side. The broken rackets will be
Northumbria team may take a lot
longer to heal.
A special mention must also go
to the team’s coach who has put in
many hours throughout the year
and this victory is a culmination of
his and the team’s work.
A. WILSON
Smashing victory: Royals reign supreme on the court at the Northumberland Club
Lewis Tatt
at Gateshead Stadium
International Stadium hosted track
Calvert.
Following on from last weekends
cross country, which was utterly
dominated by Newcastle, the athletics
looked extremely promising.
There were predictable victories
in the women’s shot putt, with Katy
Wilson throwing a new personal
best of 11.46m, and in the long jump,
with all-round athlete David Dempsey
leaping an impressive 5.96m to
help take the points.
Amy Richards was close to her
personal best in the high jump with
1.60m, but perhaps the most excit-
jump, with Lee Tinnion seeing off
some extremely tough competition
to win with a new PB of 1.85m.
Judging by the ease with which
Lee cleared the height there will no
doubt be much more to come.
Going into the track events Newcastle
looked set to dominate, with
Briony Harris leading a Newcastle
1-2-3-4 in the women’s 1500m and
winning in 5:12.
The men’s race saw elite athlete
Chris Parr strolling through to win
in what was for him a leisurely 4:08,
closely followed by Lewis Tatt to secure
another Newcastle victory.
Club president Amy Wrigley
looked a class ahead in the women’s
400m, winning by a huge margin
and coming dangerously close to
her personal best with 60.7 seconds.
In the men’s 400m Northumbria
were completely outclassed, with
a dominant combination of David
Dempsey, Will Steel, Martin Ferguson
and Adam Kidson.
On the line: athletics entered the Stan Calvert fray at hair-raising speed on Sunday
Steel looked set to win but Demp-
metres to secure victory by the narrowest
of margins. Both athletes ran
51.4 seconds, an extremely impressive
performance given the adverse
weather conditions.
The biggest victory of the afternoon
was therefore unsurprisingly
the men’s 4x400m relay, with 800m
runner Andy Richardson being
subbed in and running a split of 51.5
to help the team to win by almost 15
seconds.
To give credit where it’s due,
Northumbria had some strong athletes.
However, having adopted
top multi-events coach Ed Griss at
A. WILSON
the start of the year Newcastle displayed
a depth of ability not previously
seen in the club.
Although the Stan Calvert track
on the day, this simply sealed an
emphatic victory for the Athletics
and Cross Country Club as a whole,
especially after last weekend’s performance.
The success of the event and the
excellent team spirit of everyone
involved - despite the cancellation
of the Rugby and the poor weather
conditions - surely suggests athletics
should become a regular and
exciting feature of Stan Calvert in
future years.
Cross country
on Town Moor
Jamie Gavin Sports Editor
The inaugural Stan Calvert cross
country event ended in a resounding
triumph for Team Newcastle
as they secured victory in both the
men’s and women’s contests in
emphatic style.
Newcastle also claimed individ-
races, marking a memorable day
for the University’s athletics and
cross country club.
The event, held on Town Moor,
was hailed as a success after 44
athletes competed over the 5km
course, braving the cold conditions
to bring home the all important
Stan Calvert Cup points.
Newcastle’s Ross Floyd took the
men’s race in a time of 15:45, all
of 44 seconds in front of teammate
Lewis Tatt, and a full minute
in ahead of third placed Andy
Young from Northumbria.
It was a similar story in the women’s
race, where Caitlin Lloyd and
Briony Harris sealed a one-two for
Newcastle in times of 18:48 and
19:07 respectively. Laura Space
came in third for Northumbria in
a time of 19:33.
effort from the University’s athletes,
who were able to clinch 13
of the 16 top eight places on offer,
which meant for overall scores of
26-10 in the men’s race, and 30-6
in the women’s.
Newcastle also boasted a superior
turnout to that of their rivals,
bria’s 16, in an event which looks
set to feature as part of Stan Calvert
in future years.
The club will now set their sights
on a repeat success in Sunday’s all-
where athletics is set to feature in
Cross country captain Olly Wood
was understandably delighted
with the clubs performance.
“It’s a deserved win for the team
as they have all worked hard in
training to reach this level.”
“I am incredibly proud of the
team, it’s been a fantastic year
for the club and this has the been
icing on the cake. We expect the
same level of performances on
Sunday as the rest of the Athletics
team compete - and I’m sure they
will deliver.”
Performance Sport Manager
Fraser Kennedy was also pleased
with the way events unfolded at a
chilly Town Moor, as he presided
over the newest addition to the
Stan Calvert Cup - an event which
he had spent many months planning.
“This was a great achievement,
not just for Team Newcastle but
for the Stan Calvert event as a
whole.
“It was very well organised and
will be a regular feature in the
years to come - it will undoubtedly
go from strength to strength.”

8 Tuesday 2 March 2010 THE COURIER
Historic day for heroic Team Newcastle
Results
Sport
American Football
Athletics
Badminton - M 1
Badminton - M 2
Badminton - W
Basketball - M 1
Basketball - M 2
Basketball - W 1
Basketball - W 2
Cricket - M 1
Cricket - M 2
Cricket - M 3
Cricket - W
Cross Country
Fencing - M
Fencing - W
Football - M 1
Football - M 2
Football - M 3
Football - W 1
Football - W 2
Golf - 1
Golf - 2
Hockey - M 1
Hockey - M 2
Hockey - M 3
Hockey - W 1
Hockey - W 2
Hockey - W 3
Lacrosse - M
Lacrosse - W
Mountain Biking (DH)
Mountain Biking (XC)
Netball - 1
Netball - 2
Netball - 3
Netball - 4
Rugby League - 1
Rugby League - 2
Rugby Union - M 1
Rugby Union - M 2
Rugby Union - M 3
Rugby Union - M 4
Rugby Union - W
Rowing - Beg M
Rowing - Beg W
Rowing - Senior M
Rowing - Senior W
Skiing
Squash - M 1
Squash - M 2
Squash - W 1
Squash - W 2
Swimming - M & W
Table Tennis - M 1
Table Tennis - M 2
Table Tennis - W 1
Tennis - M
Tennis - W 1
Tennis - W 2
Volleyball - M
Volleyball - W
Score
Newc 52-0 North
Newc 4.25-5.75 North
Newc 5-3 North
Newc 2-6 North
Newc 6-2 North
VOID
Newc 63-70 North
VOID
Newc 60-43 North
Newc 85-86 North
Newc 80-78 North
Newc 143-114 North
Newc W/O
Newc 2-0 North
Newc 112-123 North
Newc 135-118 North
Newc 0-2 North
Newc 3-5 North
Newc 0-1 North
Newc 1-10 North
Newc 3-5 North
Newc W/O
VOID
Newc 6-3 North
Newc 5-2 North
Newc 4-0 North
Newc 6-1 North
Newc 4-2 North
Newc 2-0 North
VOID
VOID
Newc 11-10 North
Newc 18-3 North
Newc 57-37 North
Newc 33-31 North
Newc 34-29 North
Newc 38-38 North
Newc 40-6 North
VOID
VOID
VOID
VOID
VOID
Newc 10-0 North
Newc 1-0 North
Newc 1-0 North
Newc 1-0 North
Newc 1-0 North
Newc 5-0 North
Newc 4-1 North
Newc 3-0 North
Newc 3-1 North
Newc 0-5 North
Newc 2.5-3.5 North
Newc 6-11 North
Newc 12-5 North
Newc 5-0 North
Newc 10-0 North
Newc 7-3 North
Newc 6-2 North
Newc 3-1 North
Newc 3-0 North
NEWC
2
4.25
2
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
2
2
2
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
2.5
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Points
NORTH
0
5.75
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
2
2
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
3.5
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTAL 83.75 32.25
As a result of exceptionally bad weather over the weekend, and
despite great efforts to re-arrange matches, the programme of events
for the annual Stan Calvert Memorial Cup Competition had to be
curtailed. As the competition involved so many last-minutes
programme changes and different venues it will take some days to
tickets will be dealt with from Monday 8 March.
Final word on Stan Calvert 2010
Jamie Gavin Sports Editor
While the weather washed away the
possibility of a Sunday showdown
in the rugby union, other sports
had the opportunity to shine over
the course of the Stan Calvert programme,
and shine they did.
From the ski stars of three weeks
ago, to the netball club’s heroics on
Sunday night, Newcastle University
delivered the sort of performance
that will live long in the memory.
As has been the case in the two
years prior to Sunday’s demolition,
there have been magical results to
turn the tide – and they seemed to
come in abundance this year, with a
whole host of clubs defying the odds
to bring home vital points.
A. WILSON
The result - the like of which has
never been seen in the event’s 17-
year history and will most probably
never be seen again – signals the
University’s intent to remain not
only a proud academic University,
but also a sporting institution to be
reckoned with.
Whilst Northumbria throws vast
sums money at its sporting clubs
and facilities, the sort of passion
Newcastle displayed across the
board is something that cannot be
bought with cash, and the University
continues to rise to the occasion
and pull out all the stops when it
matters.
But what now for the Stan Calvert
Cup? Newcastle are embarking
on new ground, but is their dominance
a temporary phenomenon in
what has been an otherwise highly
competitive history of competition,
or are they set to rule the roost for
years to come?
Only time will tell, but heads will
undoubtedly roll at Northumbria,
and their new sports centre will
open without the Stan Calvert trophy
on display – a dent in the pride
of an institution that thrives on its
sporting prowess.
As Northumbria’s investment continues,
Newcastle’s organisation
and drive will become ever more
important in the coming years.
Future staff and students will have
a tough task to live up to the challenge
set by the sporting stars of
2010.