The Gaudie 18th October 2010

The long-awaited Browne Review into higher education funding in England has been savaged by student leaders north and south of the border for making students plug the gap left by the government’s draconian cuts to public spending. The review, carried out by former BP chief Lord Browne, recommends the lifting of current caps on tuition fees which could lead to some courses costing £12,000 per year in fees. A Westminster Comprehensive Spending Review, due this week, is widely expected to cut higher education funding by 80% and many have suggested Lord Browne’s plans are designed to leave students to pay the price for government budget reductions. Robin Parker, President of Aberdeen University Students’ Association, said “The UK Government is basically asking the next generation of students to foot the bill for devastating cuts to Higher Education.” Tuition fees in England are currently capped at £3,029. However, Lord Browne recommends that a tuition fee of £7,000 a year “is roughly equivalent to what institutions will have to charge to maintain investment at current levels based on our assumptions”. Under the proposals graduates would also pay back loans at a much higher rate of interest. Aaron Porter, National Union of Students President, said “Lord Browne’s dangerous proposals are clearly out of touch with the public mood and would put our future at risk. The Government must now rethink this review to ensure the fair and sustainable funding of students and universities that recognises their central importance to our economy.” “It is quite clear that the proposals attempt to mask a predicted 80% cut to the teaching of university courses and represents the end to publicly funding degrees in England. I have said it before and will continue to state, students will not settle for paying more for their education and receiving less in return.” The proposals could have a knock-on effect in Scotland because by reducing finance from Westminster through the Scottish grant. This would leave institutions north of the border facing competition from betterfunded English universities and Scottish students would face the same fees regime if they followed a degree course south of the border. Robin Parker said “These plans if implemented will definitely lead to increased pressure to bring back fees in Scotland, something which must of the public and most politicians in Scotland believe would be a disaster for our educational tradition. We’ll expect local politicians to stand up for local people and local students and vote against these proposals.” Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable also suggested that Scotland’s funding model is unsustainable and should be replaced with a similar one to what is being proposed in England. His comments were predictably rebuked by the Scottish National Party who have campaigned vigorously against the introduction of tuition fees in Scotland. A spokesman for Scottish Education Secretary Michael Russell said “Mr Cable would do better than lecturing Scotland, because he has enough on his hands dealing with the situation in England in reconciling the proposals in the Browne report with the stance the Lib Dems took in the election campaign and which many Lib Dems continue to take in opposing tuition fees.” He stressed there was a FREE www.gaudieonline.com Inside this edition >>> GAUDIE The Aberdeen University Student Newspaper 18th October 2010 Est. 1934 SuDoku is back! Perfect for killing the last twenty minutes of a lecture that never seems to end. Contact the editors with your puzzle ideas. page 2 Trump degree controversy One of Aberdeen’s most controversial figures awards an honourary degree to another. NEWS, PAGE 4 How to lead a healthier life Johanna Faust gives her guide to leading a healthier life style, from eating well to having a positive outlook. life & Style, page 8 Students Asked to Plug Higher Education Funding Gap Stuart Hewitt News Editor Continued - Page 4 “Students will not settle for paying more for their education and recieving less in return.” Aaron Porter, NUS President Commonwealth Gold for Aberdeen University Student, Kay Copland Sport page 15 Social Network: Reviewed on page 10

2 Gaudie 18th October 2010 Gaudie Editorial Editorial Team Editors: John Braid, Joseph Blythe Head of Production and Photography: Leo Stockford News: Naomi Mills, Stuart Hewitt Opine: Jonathan Kerr Life & Style: Johanna Faust Arts: Anne-Claire Deseilligny Listings: Aaron Murray Sports: Ryan Ross Featured Columnists: Fanny Johansson, Eoin Smith, Xander Brouwer Advertising: Ross Brechin Editor-in-chief: Robin Parker Address: The Gaudie and ASR Office, Butchart Recreational Center, University Road, The University of Aberdeen [email protected] EASY MEDIUM HARD SUDOKU Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I couldn’t help but notice that so far this year the Gaudie has been missing the SuDoku puzzles which were one of the highlights of the newspaper last year. Is there any chance you could recontinue the publication of these magical number puzzles? Anon We are pleased to bring back SuDoku to Gaudie this fortnight! We can’t yet offer any prizes, but what better reward is there than successfully filling in a grid with the digits 1-9? Dear Editors, Would you please be so kind as to sort out the Gaudie site on the AUSA webpage, ASAP? The ‘latest edition’ as defined by that page came out on the 17th of November 2009, and the newest edition in the archive section is from February 2010. There is no information about deadlines for the submission of articles. The emails to the different section editors can only be found in the printed version of Gaudie, nowhere on the AUSA page, nor the facebook page. As we live in a world of technology, this is where possible future contributors would go to get information about these things. Therefore, in order to increase the number of contributors, thereby possibly raising the level of articles in the newspaper, it would make sense to actually inform people about how, when and where to contribute. F.M.J. Updating the AUSA page with information to help potential contributors get in touch is definitely on our to-do list. We take your letter as further incentive to get the job done and we hope that come the next edition, the matter has been resolved. Hello my dear friend! Are you all right? I am the most very romantic lady! I’m that girl with whom you feel comfort and happiness. I hope to meet my beloved man. I’m a lady who can give much love and kindness to my beloved man. It’s you? Yes! http://ekaterina500.pochta. ru/equpuzox.html Let’s meet in the on-line chat? Tanja Nwinfo What do AUSA plan to do with this abandoned squash court? Hello and welcome to another late edition of the Gaudie! This fortnight we have mostly been ill with the freshers flu and spending nights in airports, as well as struggling to fill space in the paper once again. Of course it wouldn’t be the Gaudie without a couple of missed deadlines and a whole lot of last-minute work, so we’re sure you won’t hold it against us. Besides, we’re putting this paper together in our small corner of the shared office with ASR, with only 2 working computers and a handful of people trying to make it all look good. As we type there are loud bangs and crashes coming from the former squash court next door; our own brand of investigative journalism (getting up and looking through the window) reveals that the noise is being produced by a couple of skateboarders, kickflipping all over the empty room. Now we don’t like to come across as bitter, but what’s the use in having a massive empty room next door when we could have a useful and spacious office in there? Being relegated to a corner of the ASR studio, with fewer functional computers and working space than we had at our Hub office last year just doesn’t make for an ideal newspaper-producing environment. In the past half an hour, it seems as though twenty odd people have gone into the apparently small ASR studio. Whether or not we are about to be subjected to their version of a clown car is unclear. Not only have ASR been given more space than us, but theirs appears to have been installed with Time Lord technology as well. However, we’re doing our best! For all those wondering, we elected a new online editor last week, meaning that our website and online presence should be in better shape by the time this paper comes out. Something could be running well at Gaudie? We’ve probably spoken too soon. Gaudie: why not fill space with Aberdeen Uni’s very own space filler? Photo: Stuart Hewitt Joseph Blythe John Braid Gaudie Editors Do you have a complaint? A suggestion? Or maybe you, like dear Tanja, just want to express your feelings? Email it all to: [email protected] Contact us Whilst Robin Parker holds the title of Editor-inChief, he does so only for legal reasons; as a paid, elected, representative of the Aberdeen University Students’ Association. With the exception of libellous content, the editors have final say over what is printed and what is not. We voluntarily adhere to the Press Complaints Commission Code of Conduct (http://www.pcc. org.uk/) and aim to provide a fair and balanced reporting of local, national and international affairs. We are always anxious to correct any mistakes that may occur during publication. If you find any errors, please inform the editor by email or phone.

News 18th October 2010 Gaudie 3 [email protected] AUSA Climate Change Project held an event on Sunday October 10 for the Global Day of Doing, a campaign of British origin fighting for emissions cuts of 10% by 2010. The project, run by students and partly funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Fund, has been working hard around campus to promote environmentally sustainable living. They not only run a successful VegBag scheme but also take care of the garden on Dunbar Street and much of the recycling within the Butchart Centre. The day, which included the planting of trees and shrubs, was successful as Jamie Peters, the coordinator of the Climate Change Project commented: “the day was a great success in terms of practical action taken to reduce our carbon footprint.” This first part of the event and a cooking workshop, taking place at Hillhead, was followed by a lunch which was made with organic and locally sourced ingredients. Peters: “What was also exciting was that people were getting to know each other, learning new skills and having loads of fun. I guess things like this are no longer ‘green’ or ‘environmental’ projects but more mainstream and things that everyone takes part in. We are really looking forward to seeing more students get involved and add some more skills to their CVs and have fun!” Participant Zoë Foster agreed: “It was great to see so many people come along to help the project too. The team effort and general mood throughout the day was amazing! It was a very worthwhile experience and I would jump at the chance to do it again.” Later that day an energy audit was held, assisting students in living a more environmentally friendly life. As closing event of the day the world premiere of ‘Beyond the Brink’ took place on campus that evening in partnership with the United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC). If you want to get involved in future projects of the Climate Change Project go online and join their Facebook page: http://www. facebook.com/ausaclimatechangeproject. Climate change project springs into life Xander Brouwer US style variable fees proposed in Scotland S ome of Scotland’s most prestigious universities are backing the intro- duction of a contro- versial ‘variable-fee’ system which would see students paying higher fees depending on the institution and course they pick. All of Scotland’s 21 higher education institutions are also poised for the first time to unanimously back stu- dents paying a contribution to their education once they have graduated. It was revealed yesterday that several universities are championing the variablefees option behind closed doors, led primarily by the older institutions such as St Andrews and Glasgow, as the sector tries to find a way to plug the growing funding gap. Newer institutions oppose variable fees, as potentially they would not be able to charge as much as their an- cient counterparts. However, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland’s top-ranked insti- tution, is also believed to be against variable funding. If introduced, students studying longer, technical courses, such as medicine and bioscience, would pay more to meet the higher costs asso- ciated, compared to an arts or humanities student, creating a market-driven sector, simi- lar to that in the US. Critics say variable fees would discourage students from lower-income families from applying for expensive courses at prestigious univer- sities, creating a social and educational divide. Student leaders said they accepted that graduate con- tributions may be necessary but criticised variable fees, claiming they would lead to “a two-tier system based on ability to pay”. Aberdeen University Stu- dents’ Association president Robin Parker said variable fees were “not the fair Scot- tish solution which the Scot- tish Government should be looking for”. He said: “We might be pre- pared to look at some form of contribution from graduates, but only if and when they see the full economic benefit of their degree, and only if wid- ening access and access based on ability to learn are at the heart of the system.” It comes as Education Sec- retary Mike Russell invited university and student rep- resentatives and his political rivals to talks next month to find a “uniquely Scottish” so- lution to university funding. The Scottish Government will publish a green paper on the future of higher education funding before Christmas and hold a public consultation next year. Tuition fees were abolished in Scotland in 2000, while the graduate endowment scheme that replaced them – requir- ing students to repay part of the cost of their course once they left university – was re- moved in 2007. The Scottish Conservatives have come out in favour of a variable system, with educa- tion spokeswoman Liz Smith arguing that fees should be set according to the length and nature of the degree “to retain high standards and drive up competition”. Trump causes a stink with degree from Wood One of the most con- troversial figures in Aberdeen has been awarded an honor- ary degree by another of the North-East’s most divisive personalities. Friday the 8th of October saw US billion- aire Donald Trump awarded an honorary doctorate in Business Administration by Robert Gordon University principal Sir Ian Wood. The decision to award the degree has fuelled contro- versy on an already divisive issue in the North East of Scotland, namely the Ameri- can tycoon’s plans to build a £750 million world class golf resort on the Menie Estate at Balmedie. Like Mr Trump, Sir Ian has divided public opinion over his £140million city gardens project in Aberdeen, which would involve building a street-level square over Un- ion Terrace Gardens, the Denburn dual carriageway and the railway line. University chancellor Sir Ian Wood said the degree was in recognition of ‘’your visionary world-class golf in- vestment which, in spite of a vocal minority, is widely wel- comed by the people of the north-east of Scotland’’. In the wake of the an- nouncement of the impend- ing ceremony a flurry of protest was sparked across Aberdeen, with former Prin- ciple Dr David Kennedy handing back his own hon- orary degree, describing the decision as “an insult to de- cent people everywhere”. However, Sir Ian said unpopular decisions had to be made to ensure the region had a future once North Sea oil ran out – or the area would be left with “no jobs and no young people. It might seem a bit black and white but that is my prime driving force, both for Union Terrace Gardens and why I think the golf development is the right thing to do.” However protest group, Tripping Up Trump, handed in a petition to RGU on the 6th of October with 6,500 signatures in opposition to the University award- ing Trump the degree. The group also claim that only 13% of Aberdonians support the golf course construction. TUT held a demonstration march on the Menie Estate last Saturday to reiterate op- position to the resort. Whilst Scottish National Heritage analysis concludes the construction will sub- stantially damage habitats at sites of scientific importance within the Menie Estate, there are the possibilities for both positive and negative outcomes for the people of Aberdeen and the student body as well. The Scottish Trump Inter- national Golf Course is set to create 1100 permanent jobs and stimulate the Scot- tish economy to the tune of £50million a year. Although students may benefit from the creation of extra jobs in the nearby area other stu- dent interests could be ef- fected, possibly including the annual Minival student beach event held in the same area of Balmedie sand dunes as part of the golf course. Trump, who describes the development as having “the potential to be the greatest golf course in the world”, is currently considering run- ning for the US Presidency in 2012. Whether you support Trump’s plans or oppose them, undoubtedly you will have an opinion, email your opinions to gaudie.opine@ abdn.ac.uk Gavin Tagg Stuart Hewitt Wood gives hard shaft to The new academic year’s first AUSA council meeting has taken a record four and a half hours with intense debate and many procedural votes. New Council Chair Sean O’Rourke commented that he hoped that this would not discourage new members from returning next month and that the meeting “showed the technicality of the process.” However, the fact that fairly simple motions took so long to pass is the reason why some argue that AUSA has to change its governance structure. The main argument being that the flow of the meetings is too complicated for most students to understand without a lot of effort, while AUSA wants to increase involvement of students. The goal to represent students seems to become increasingly difficult for the Student Association to accomplish as fewer students are willing to spend so much time only trying to understand the system. Robin Parker, student President argues: “When we are spending far longer debating about whether we should be providing a discount for people to bring their own cups to a cafe, […] than debating how we get the government to get more money into students pockets or what the SA should be doing this year, it shows how out of touch our primary representative body is with what students real concerns are.” Despite the fact that council was lengthy, a few decisions were taken that will have a direct effect on mainly sports clubs but also societies. All minibus drivers are now required to have disability training for the use of the bus with wheelchair access. AUSA will also be introducing a carbon offset for all users of the minibus, based on miles driven with the vehicle. The way in which either of these policies will take effect will be determined in the next few weeks by the Executive Committee. Council also agreed that the NUS campaign “Education: Not Free, Not Fair” will be the priority for this year. President for Education Megan McHaney said “I’m pleased that the council has passed the motion. It’s absolutely crucial that students understand that the cuts to public spending that the government is planning on making are neither necessary nor beneficial.” The passing of this motion means that over the course of the year AUSA and its participating members will fight the decisions of the UK government to decrease public spending on higher education. The first of these campaigns kick off on the 23rd when AUSA travels down to Edinburgh for the “There is a Better Way” demonstrations. All students interested in participating should contact AUSA National Demonstration coordinator Gordon Maloney or Ms McHaney for more information. Governance debates drag on at Council Xander Brouwer Volunteers help plant trees at Hillhead Zoë Foster

News 4 Gaudie 18th October 2010 [email protected] Enterprise Thursdays are an exciting new project launched through the joint ef- forts of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) and Ab- erdeen Business Enterprise Society (ABES). Its first meeting saw 35 of Aberdeen’s budding business students gather to watch the classic blockbuster ‘Wall Street’ accompanied by free pizza. This hospitality has paid off as since its Launch numbers have risen continuously. Now into their fourth week, Enter- prise Thursdays are already showing signs of success there have been collabora- tions between like-minded students towards making their business dreams a real- ity. Through rounding up lo- cal entrepreneurs, university alumni, external stakehold- ers and resources from vari- ous university departments the venture hopes to inspire and invigorate Aberdeen University students. Each week there are differ- ent events and competitions; last year saw a guest appear- ances by Rachel Enlaugh from Dragon’s Den fame and Fraser Doherty , the 21-yearold SuperJam multi-millionpolitical consensus in Scotland against tuition fees and added the SNP Government would, in December, publish a green paper on university funding.Mr Cable also came under fire at Westminster last week after telling MPs the UK Government would support the Browne review. Opposition to raising tuition fees was a central pledge for the Lib Dem election campaign. To Labour taunts, Mr Cable said the Liberal Democrats had accepted their opposition to graduate contributions was simply no longer feasible in the current economic climate. However, the proposals remain just that until the coalition can force a Bill through parliament. It is suggested as many as 30 Lib Dem MPs – including former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell – will vote against the proposal. The Coalition majority is 83, so 42 rebels are needed to defeat the Government. A National Union of Students clip of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg’s fervent pledge to oppose raising tuition fees has become a viral hit on the web in recent weeks and student leaders are keen to ramp up pressure on Lib Dems to honour their election promises. Robin Parker said “We are going to be putting a lot of pressure on Malcolm Bruce (MP for Gordon) and Robert Smith (MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) to face up to their pledge on higher education and I encourage students to write to them too.” AUSA are supporting demonstrations in Edinburgh on the 23rd of October, on public service spending cuts, and in London on the 10th November a National Union of Students demonstration against cuts and fees. Free/cheap transport is being organised and students wishing to travel should contact [email protected] Continued from front page A former Aberdeen University student has been killed after being abducted in Afghanistan where she was an aid worker. Linda Norgrove, who graduated with firstclass honours in Tropical Environmental Science in 1996, was abducted by insurgents as she travelled in a convoy of two vehicles in Kunar province on September 26th. In a statement on the University website, a spokesperson said “The University of Aberdeen is saddened by the death of former student Linda Norgrove. She was an outstanding student and our thoughts are with her friends and family at this sad time. Plans for a new 199 room student a cco m m o d a t i o n complex at Hillhead have been unveiled by the University. Although planning permission is yet to be confirmed the development, due to be completed by September 2012, will likely be situated behind the central building and is envisaged to cost around £5.2 million. Leith Forsyth, Director of Campus Services at the University, said: “This new building is a welcome addition to the portfolio of accommodation available on our Hillhead campus and marks the next phase in the University’s strategy to provide a range of affordable accommodation to our students.” Mr Forsyth also tried to calm fears of a repeat of disruptions which took place during refurbishment works last year. “We would try to contain any disruption as far as possible, we have learned much from the recently completed refurbishment programme, but it would likely be the residents of Wavell House who would be most affected by any building works but as there are voids within our accommodation they could be transferred if they so wished.” A three-carriage Scotrail train has been dubbed the ‘University of Aberdeen’ in honour of research carried out by the institute in conjunction public transport corporation FirstGroup. Sir Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup and Senior Governor at the university, said: “It will travel all over Scotland, so the university’s brand will be seen throughout the country.” University principal Professor Ian Diamond said: “My hope is that as the train passes through cities, towns, villages and the countryside throughout Scotland, it will remind people that Aberdeen boasts one of the finest universities in the world.” A significant milestone in the construction of the new university library was celebrated last week as the last concrete was poured by new Principal Sir Ian Diamond. Professor Diamond, principal and vicechancellor of the university, took up a shovel to carry out the traditional “topping out” ceremony, which also celebrated construction reaching the top of the building. Before laying the last bit of concrete, Prof Diamond said: “Hopefully, it will be an inspiring place not just for our students but for all of the community. It’s the first iconic building built in Aberdeen for many years and one we are justly proud of.” Construction work on the building began in August 2009, and workers are currently erecting the library’s striking glass facade. University officials have revealed they are to spend a staggering £380,000 moving the entire stock of the Queen Mother Library to the new flagship library. There are 1.2million titles in its libraries, of which 200,000 are rare texts. There are 4,000 manuscripts, some dating back to the 12th century, and a significant collection from the earliest days of printing. Head librarian Chris Banks said: “The collection is worth no less than £20million – but many of the items are priceless, because they are unique. It is going to be a huge task moving everything.” The nine-level library is expected to open in September 2011. The existing Queen Mother Library was built at a time when there were around 4,000 students, compared with the university’s roll of around 14,000 today. Enterprise Thursday’s spark a bright idea Naomi Mills News Editor Sir Moir Lockhead, Robin Parker, Steve Montgomerie and Sir Ian Diamond with the “University of Aberdeen” Winners of the Money Making Awards: Champagne all round! Photo courtesy of: Enterprise Thursdays’s aire and this year hopes for even more inspirational talks. In an interview with Kevin Laing, one of the SIE’s in- terns who helps with the projects running, he laid out his own aspirations for the programme, stating “We aim to connect entrepreneurial students to one another and inspire students to think out- side of the box and do some- thing different, whether that be starting a new business or taking steps to become more employable.” Kevin believes that this kind of initiative is essential as, “While educators and re- searchers work hard to re- form universities from within by embedding enterprise in the curriculum, independent student-led events such as Enterprise Thursdays in the Hub supports, trains and con- nects.” He went on to say, “With youth unemployment at a record level and graduates facing unprecedented com- petition for the all-too-few graduate jobs that are avail- able, it is essential that stu- dent’s and graduate’s skills, employability, and business creation potential are devel- oped if we are to avoid a ‘lost generation’ of long term un- employed graduates.” Enterprise Thursdays take place every Thursday on the 2nd floor of the Hub at 6:30- 8pm. If you would like to find out more please email: [email protected] Students asked to plug Browne hole News in brief Stuart Hewitt

5 Opine editor: Jonathan Kerr [email protected] 18th October 2010 Gaudie Opine Fact: free press is a very important thing in a democratic society that bases its values on equality. Fact: offending others is to be avoided because it often does more harm than good. Fact: these facts are both used as arguments in debates about censorship. I'm sure any sane person would agree with these facts, but when it comes to drawing the line between what to censor and what not to censor it seems to be easy to err on the side of caution. An article was taken out of the last edition of Gaudie, because the pictures of naked women accompanying it were deemed to be inappropriate and possibly offensive to the members of the readership. The article was about Charlie le Mindu, a designer/wigmaker who raised eyebrows (shocking is impossible in the fashion world these days) at London Fashion week by having his models naked in an attempt to bring the focus on the hair, not the dress. This raises some interesting debates about fashion statements in general, but taking the article out completely is not protecting the Gaudie readership, it is robbing us of the opportunity for healthy debate. To me this is taking censorship too far, and belongs in the category of mollycoddling. I would hate to think that I'm being overly protected and shielded from material that yes, may offend me, but may also contribute to the clarification of my opinions on various matters. What is the point to a newspaper that only prints articles that are highly unlikely to raise any debate? It would be refreshing to find something printed that gets people engaged, that raises questions, that gets the students together and gives them a chance to form an opinion! I understand that Gaudie (and/or AUSA) has the duty to keep any offensive material out of a publication that is supposed to be representative of the entire student population. However, choosing to take out pictures of naked women because they could be deemed offensive by those who do not feel like reading the article they accompany is the journalistic equivalent of Health and Safety making kids wear protective spectacles when playing conkers: it's just a hassle and you can't guarantee that no one will get hurt even with the protective gear. Are we really that fragile that we need someone to watch over everything we are subjected to to make sure nothing even potentially discussion-raising gets to us? Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't debate and discussion part of what we are supposed to learn at University? Ed: It was the Gaudie team who pulled the article, on the reccommendation from Robin Parker (Student President) and other members of the Executive Committee. That’s why we’ve included a comment from the Welfare Officer, Jenny Batty: “I felt that this piece, although it appeared to be questioning the appropriateness of this fashion design, in general incorporated the sexual objectification of the women in the images under the guise of fashion and that women are objects and need to be designed. Our concern was that the images would make female students look at them, recognise the potential cultural significance and realise that they don’t look like that. This article reflected the way in which the fashion industry objectifies women, which sends out a much more powerful message to women than an article in Gaudie would. I didn’t think it was appropriate for the student newspaper to be following in the footsteps of the general media in this way and why this designer needed to be given our time. I think women’s liberation issues are still relevant in today’s society, women aren’t equal yet and therefore I feel that it is vital that as a Students’ Association we recognise this and that our activities do not encourage any discriminatory behaviour towards our members. Even the cuts suggested in the Browne Review are set to disproportionately affect female students, with the suggestion that public investment is focused on courses such as science, maths and IT which women are less likely to study. Also women will be immediately hit by the gender pay gap of 15% on graduation, meaning it will take much long for women to pay back the rise in fees which is suggested.” The Rights and Wrongs of Censorship An article pulled from the last Gaudie included pictures of naked models. Malin Sigfrids explains why this sort of censorship is wrong. Anger is such a difficult word to use. It implies rage and it implies dislike. So I wasn’t angry at the Lib Dems. I was….. Post Browne report, it seems that the Lib Dems have lost themselves. Acting like a child in a supermarket who has been told to get beans, but ends up grabbing the closest thing to him (in this case, humble pie), the party seems lost and confused. After months of chastising other parties for not opposing tuition fees, the Lib Dem HQ scraps the idea. Now, they are not the first party to go against an election pledge (by a long way!) – the Conservatives are cutting the defence budget, after proclaiming in their manifesto that they would do more for our brave boys and girls fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And do we all remember when Blair said that maybe this could be the first generation that might not go to war? Ha. We may laugh now, and we will probably laugh later as well. In fact, wait. Let’s laugh. It’s good to laugh, and it helps. And after the laughter has abated, something confuses me. Why make a pledge that one can’t keep to? We’re in a recession (or we may be out of it… who knows), and there is a suggestion to give out free education, funded by…. The… Government? Maybe in Utopia. I mean, it’s almost like they never meant it, but not quite…. Almost, but not quite. For me, that pretty much sums up the Lib Dems – almost, but not quite. They almost, but not quite became a big success story. They almost, but not quite got what they wanted. I admit I halfheartedly supported them in the general election, and whilst my faith in Clegg may have sunk like the Titanic, (I’m still debating whether my heart will go on), we must remember that it’s Clegg and Cable and a few others who have caused the sad news, and not the many Lib Dem MPs who have gone against what they said. But, let’s not blame the party, let’s question those in the party who “sold us out”; please ask those why who went against what many voted for, why they did it. We can tell them exactly what we mean. Too many people blame, and nothing else. So many will leave it at ‘pointing the finger’. My friends, onwards and onto the proverbial tannoy system, tell the Lib Dem child where the beans are (maybe get it to spill them on what happened?). They’re a party, and if they are to improve, then they need constructive criticism. One may very well be tempted to tell Cable to focus more on what his voters want, and less on his thinking up something that will trump “Stalin to Mr. Bean”, but that’s not going to do much. We need to continue to tell them where to go, and most of all, GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE; see if they’ll grow (up). Because that’s what the Lib Dems seem to be – childlike in that they’re almost, but not quite, grown up enough for power. Let’s see how they’ll cope with this. Almost but not Quite: The New Lib Dem Motto? Leo Stockford Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Lend me a fiver! ARGH! It’s that time of year again. You’ve made it through the trains, the motorways and very nearly made it through Fresher’s week. Now to sit back and wait for the loan to come in. Is it today? Is it tomorrow? When can I buy food, and more importantly, when can I buy that pair of jeans that have been looking at me since August? The days tick by and you begin to wonder – have they forgotten me? No, they can’t have forgotten me. S#!@ They’ve forgotten me. Here comes the horrible sinking feeling. What can I do? You’ve squeezed your parents for every penny – to the point where they’re beginning to claim you’re adopted – and the overdraft is maxed out. Then the frantic phone calls to Student Loans, sitting through what seems like hours of gentle rock as you’re reminded every few minutes that your phone call is still very, very important to them. It’s very comforting to know how valued your call is when you’re counting out your 10p Tesco super noodles to make sure they last the week. Eventually when you do get through to George, Glenda, Graham, or whoever it is that has been dealing with the sea of penniless students coming their way, it’s usually far enough into the day that they’re not going to be the most understanding. “You forgot to sign form 41b”, “Someone from the Glasgow office forgot to process your application”, “It’s not our department, you have to ring up somebody else”. None of this really helps you pay the rent. If you are in serious trouble and the part time job at union square won’t cover it then you can go to the University and request to withdraw from the Hardship Fund, a support fund created especially for cases like yours. The fund is intended as a short term solution, offering small non-repayable grants to students in times of need, so do not expect the Hardship Fund to be a long term pay day. What you will need to do is go Student Reception and ask for an application form for the Hardship Fund, fill it in, and hand it back as soon as possible. Visit www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/ tuitionfees/support.shtml for more details, and most importantly – do not panic! Remember that there are other people in the same boat as you – even handsome writers for the student newspaper. “This piece incorporated the sexual objectification of the women in the images under the guise of fashion and that women are objects and need to be designed.” Censored: one of the images cut from the last edition of Gaudie Gavin Tagg

This week’s fury is directed towards cyclists. Not all cyclists, understand; unlike certain students here I do believe global warming is a problem and that cycling to and from uni is helping to reduce the emissions which are warming up the planet. However, for all the good they do, if I step off the pavement once more and into the path of a cyclist who seems to be either a) red-green colour blind or b) just a completely obnoxious arsehead I will destroy all forms of two-wheeled transport. Cyclists are road users, and like other road users, they must follow the rules of the road. It seems mad that if one puts an engine onto a pushbike, the owner becomes a little more idiotic when overtaking but also gains the comprehension that a red light means “Stop now,” rather than “Stop if you feel like it.” If you are a cyclist who is currently feeling a little guilty and uncomfortable, good. I hope you are, from this day forward, a paradigm of cycling politeness. And if you ignore it, then I shall track down your silly toy and snap the spokes off and stab you in your stupid eyes with them. Lord Browne, formerly of BP, has advised removing the cap on tuition fees in England and Wales. He believes universities should be permitted to raise fees to up to £6,000 per year without question, but after that should begin paying a levy to the Government – presumably as a thankyou for allowing them to rob students blind. Now, there are two horrifying possibilities if these reforms are pushed through the House. 1) Better unis will charge more. The most comprehensive list of “good” and “bad” universities is published by the Times, part of the News International stable, owned by Rupert Murdoch. Thus, indirectly, Rupert Murdoch will control tuition fees. 2) Becoming a doctor could set you back about £28,000. Sorry, that’s just the interest you’d pay on your loans. Once you add up all the bills, you’re looking at £110,000. As an indication of how much money that is – imagine you were given a stack of pound coins, and a Sharpie. Every coin you initial you can keep. Assuming you can do one every five seconds, and assuming you don’t stop to sleep, eat, or use the bathroom, it will take you just less than a week to initial all the coins you’d need to pay for this degree. The Liberal Democrat elite can barely be seen this week through the haze of burning rubber as they U-turn on their pledge to students. Vince Cable has been the first to turn his back on the pledge he signed; it probably won’t be long before Nick “Dave” Clegg joins in. It must be noted that there is considerable backbench unrest over this; according to reports, about 30 Lib Dems are considering revolting over this issue. So perhaps there is hope. I sat through the Student Council last Monday, and for any of you readers who like to be bored to the point of tears I urge you to join a committee and get yourself to the next council. For myself, four hours of discussion on the minutiae of everything relating to student life, down to the placement of the tips jar in Alfie’s, was enough to make me seriously consider just staging a coup and ruling with an iron fist. (Anyone interested in a tyrannical takeover of the Students’ Association should vote for me at the next Sabbatical elections in May). At the last AGM several motions were passed – I’ll pause here so you can snigger at the idea of motions being passed – which the Student Executive (the Sabbatical Officers, paid by the Students’ Association) have decided (in their infinite wisdom) to completely ignore. Bear in mind that the Exec are paid by us. They take money from the Association that could be used to make Butchart prettier, or to lobby the Government, or to explore space. Is it really so much to ask that they, in return, do as we (as a democratic body) ask them to? Instead, they come up with a Plan of Work that the Student President affirmed “[they] would get on with anyway, regardless of whether or not it was voted through this month or the next.” You know what – forget what I said about tyranny. It already happened. Opine [email protected] 6 Gaudie 18th October 2010 AUSA SPORT IRON MAN 24th OCTOBER ULTIMATE TEST OF FITNESS 1K SWIM - 6K ROW - 10K RUN FREE TO ENTER ENTER AS TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL WIN - 4 TICKETS TO SU PUB CRAWL FLYERS AVAILABLE AROUND CAMPUS, FORMS ON THE BACK FILL IN AND HAND INTO SPORTS UNION OFFICE ASV The Thoughtless Grinding of Gears Really Grinds my Gears Jonathan Kerr Opine Editor

No bull. Graduate Programmes All degree disciplines We close for applications once we are full. To secure a place at KPMG, be sure to apply early. To find out more head straight to: www.kpmg.co.uk/careers Straight talking from KPMG. Aberdeen 355 x 268 +3mm 10/9/10 16:17 Page 1

Your education is an investment into your future. You work hard long hours in achieving your academic goals, but are you caring for your body and mind in the same way? 1 Go for regular medical check ups. ‘This is your first investment in future health’, says Dr. Albert Hagedorn. Most importantly if you have symptoms don’t ignore them. Denial or hope that its nothing, will not make it go away! It will take very little time out of your schedule to get it checked out. Make sure your vaccinations are up to date. 2 Take care of your skin. Wear sunscreen, or better yet wear a hat and hang out in the shade. Our skin is the largest organ, it breathes and absorbs just like any other organ. Ladies just think about all the chemicals you are absorbing through your skin with all the creams and powders. Less is more. Skin cancer is the most common cancer; you can take the right measures to protect yourself now. 3 Stop smoking. We are in the wonderful young years where we think we are invincible. That is false. When experts say smoking kills, that is the truth. You are not doing anything good for yourself when you smoke. Nor are you helping your neighbor, second hand smoke it is just as bad. 4. Be optimistic. Depression can slow down all your metabolic processes. Getting into a funk can happen to the best of us. It’s how we handle the blues that makes us strong. Healthy thoughts equal healthier life style. 5. Easy on the alcohol. Over the years you can easily damage your liver, and you won’t even notice. Liquor has a lot of calories, these build up fat in the liver leading to cirrhosis, a preventable cause for an early death. 6 Regular exercise. If nothing else then this. Dr. Donald Erickson from the Mayo Clinic says regular exercise will benefit your physical vigor, cardiovascular system and mental alertness. Try interval training, dance classes, find friends to work out with, find what works for you and makes you feel good. 7 Take vacations. Taking time to relax is vital. It will allow you to slow down and appreciate your loved ones, the world, and give you time to ‘smell the roses’. Finding the right things that help you rejuvenateing from life’s stresses and make you happy can actually help you live healthier and longer. 8. You are what you eat. Do I really need to explain this further? 9 Realize that following these steps up to you. You have the power to take action; no one can do it for you. It is difficult to change habits and mind sets but once you get in a rhythm you will find that it has become a new part of you. No, you’re not mistaken you probably have heard them all before. They are so easy and obvious. So why not follow them for an easy investment into your longer, healthier future. We spend a third of our lives doing it but nobody knows why. Some people, such as teenagers, appear to need loads of it while others, such as Isaac Newton, can get by on just 4 hours a night. How much we sleep appears to depend on our age, lifestyle and culture. In Mediterranean cultures, siestas (a short nap usually taken in the early afternoon), are an integral part of life. With afternoon temperatures soaring to around 40 degrees, midday naps are a perfect way to escape the heat. Napping at work is improper in the UK, but in Japan dozing off anywhere from Parliament to local businesses is allowed. It’s called inemuri, which literally means ‘to be asleep while present’. In Japanese society, inemuri is seen as exhaustion from working extremely hard and those who practise it appear committed to their job. It is a period of very light sleep, from which the sleeper can easily awake and know what’s going on around them. Sleep has baffled scientists for centuries. There is no apparent medical reason for sleep, however too little and we begin to suffer serious health problems. Some say it allows the body to recuperate from the day’s work whilst others suggest sleep is essential for brain development. A study carried out by the University of Warwick suggested that people who slept for less than six hours each night were 12 per cent more likely to die before the age of 65 than those who slept the recommended eight hours a night. However, as we get older our sleeping habits change and by the time we’re 50, we’ll find that 6 hours is plenty. So, invest in rest! The return is huge- improved memory, reduced stress and above all a youthful glow! And If by chance you dose of during class inform you professor about inemuri, they will be impressed to know that you were actually present and of course such a hard worker! My Top 5 Scary Films Rosalind Stevenson The scariest day of the year is fast approaching and what better way to put you in the mood than the 5 scariest, hair raising, shiver- down- the spine films... Don’t forget the popcorn! 1Halloween No 31st of October would be complete without it!. Even though it was made in 1978, it’s a clear winner of films that will make you scream. 2Psycho Best known for ‘that shower scene’ but it is a must see. Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece is excellent and the black and white effect makes it even scarier. 3The Exorcist An absolute classic. How the child actor wasn’t scarred for life is unbe- lievable. Definitely have the pillow ready for this one. 4Scream A fantastic film for mak- ing you jump, scream and cower behind the pil- low. Unless you’ve seen Scary Movie in which case it’ll seem a bit amusing. 5The Ring Sold more than two million copies on DVD when it was released in the States. Great film unless you’re a horse lover. If hiding behind a pillow all night isn’t your thing, don’t worry! There are always Sex and the City or Friends box sets! Happy Halloween! Think there’s an even scarier film out there? Then let us know! The Science of Sleep Anisha Sood Gaudie 18th October 2010 Life & Style Life & Style editor: Johanna Faust [email protected] 9 easy steps for a longer life Johanna Faust Life & Style Editor Don’t Worry: Be happy! In what has been a revelatory couple of weeks for astronomers, a planet has been discovered in a nearby star system that might be capable of supporting life. Orbiting around a red dwarf star, planet Gliese 581 (pronounced ‘Glee-za’), is a rocky world three times larger than Earth. It is also known as ‘Zarmina’, after the wife of the astronomer who detected it. Five other planets have already been found in that solar system, but what is remarkable about this one is that it is located in the so-called ‘Goldilocks zone’ – the area around a star where water can exist in a liquid state. If we use our solar system as an example, we have three planets that are close to the habitable zone, namely Venus, Earth and Mars. The problem with Venus and Mars is that they are just outside this area and so are subject to extreme temperatures. Venus is so hot that any water that was once present has now evaporated, whereas the only traces of H2O on Mars are locked up in ice. Earth, on the other hand, is at the right spot for us to have oceans, lakes and life as we know it. The Gliese 581 system tells a similar story. Up until the detection of Gliese 581g, two planets had been found at the edges of the habitable zone with the equally imaginative names of Gliese 581c and 581d. Professor Steven Vogt, the University of California astronomer whose team discovered the planet, said: “Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say that the chances for life on this planet are 100%. I have almost no doubt about it.” While Professor Vogt may have no doubts about the nature of this world, another team of astronomers have killed the buzz somewhat by announcing that they cannot even confirm the existence of Vogt’s planet. A group of Geneva-based researchers using the exact same telescope as their American colleagues - HARPS, a spectrometer attached to a 3.6-metre telescope in Chile – have found no trace of a planet whatsoever. Yet, it should be noted that Vogt’s team also used data taken over a period of eleven years from HIRSE, another spectrometer on a 10-metre telescope in Hawaii. Both sets of data were then used to detect Gliese 581g, which means that any attempt at independent confirmation needs to do the same before we have conclusive proof of this intriguing new world. This planet is just right Aaron Murray Gliese 581g: An Overview • Located twenty light years away from Earth (120 trillion kilometres) in the constellation Libra. • Orbits its star every 37 days. • Mass is three to four times greater than Earth. • Surface gravity believed to be 1.1 to 1.7 times that of Earth – it could support a dense atmosphere like ours. • Predicted to have been tidally locked – one side of the planet always faces the star, just like our moon does with us. Submit your top fives! Have an original idea for this column? Send it in to: gaudie.editor@ abdn.c.uk 8

It may remind you of Robbie Williams prancing about in ‘Back for Good’, it may remind you of Del Boy, or it may even remind you of a herd of sheep, but shearling is massive this season. With the Aberdonian winter fast approaching the need for a good coat is imminent and there is no bigger flavour of the season than a nice furry jacket. Burberry Prorsums’ Autumn/Winter collection was full of wool, as well as Marc Jacob’s amongst others; shearling was shown as being well and truly back for good. Collections seem to be including more and more nostalgia, with Farah, Crombie, and Henri Lloyd all giving a nod to the past, this winter we will be seeing shearling coming back into vogue, and there are several ways you can run with it. TOPMAN offers a continuation of last season’s denim delirium with its Navy Borg Collar Denim Jacket, which at £60 is cheap enough. However, the fact that it is navy means that it can be hard to mix with colours like black and brown, so you will effectively have to stick to a much more rigid hue than would be possible with a lighter shade of blue. Luckily Levis offer a jacket lighter in colour, more versatile, and - although at almost twice the price (£115) - Levi’s Sherpa Denim Jacket isn’t too far a stretch if you’re looking for something a bit more chic. If you are one of those who don’t like the idea of sporting a denim jacket, then shearling is also available in the shape of an Aviator jacket. Reiss’ “Haines Off Black Jacket” is a good example of what will be going on with this take on the trend, but at £395, is it really worth it on a student income? Luckily H&M offers a black leather shearling jacket for £35, and honestly, you couldn’t tell the difference. If black isn’t your colour then have no fear as TOPMAN’s Brown Contrast Trim Aviator, which comes in at £160, could be the right option for you. If you’re going to go for either interpretation of the trend, the best option would be to wear it with a T-shirt and jeans (preferably not matching the denim of the jacket!) The main thing to point out is that denim and leather will be common features again this season, because it’s all about being ‘The Man’. Another repeat-trend for this season will be the woodcutter, that’s right, lumberjack, this means checks, worn jeans and walking boots, but again the coat is essential. A good example of this is the Junk De Luxe Hills Lumber Check Jacket, which ticks all the right boxes and costs a cool £120. I myself would go for something a bit more like Junk De Luxe Hastings Faux Sheepskin Coat, which is available for £180 at ASOS. This is a bit pricey, and you would have to take a dip into your student loan to pay for it. The earthy colours evoke that sentimental feeling that this look is all about, and it is much more versatile than the previous examples I gave, and probably much warmer! My own jacket is similar to this one; it’s a fully woolen lined dark green pea coat, and was given to me by a friend. How much was it? £15. Which just goes to show that, with a look like this, if you’re willing to search around, because it’s retro, it can be done on the cheap (try looking in vintage shops or websites such as www.rokit.co.uk) This look is all about knowing and repeating history. Depending upon which take on this trend you’re going for, I would suggest wearing shearling with a checked shirt, trim jeans/joggers or chinos, thick socks and walking boots combining everything! Remember, this is just a nod to the past, so don’t jump fully in. Life & Style 18th October 2010 Gaudie [email protected] Ah the shoe. No university closet (or bedroom floor) is without them. I take my hat off to the person who invented high heels, and who deserves sainthood. Millions of people wear heels or flats and even the men wear brogues or loafers, not forgetting a good pointy-toed shoe. For me, a pair of shoes completes the outfit. Going out for a night out requires a fabulous shoe that looks great. Just don’t forget the comfortable flats to walk home in. My flatmate introduced me to a fantastic website which sells pumps with flexible soles. You can roll them up so they’re the same size as your phone! No more carrying around a large tote bag- it’s now possible to take a clutch instead. As I’m writing this article, a certain someone pops into my head. Who could love shoes as much as me? All you girly girls will have probably already guessed it - ...Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. The character played by Sarah Jessica Parker is constantly in heels and she’s an idol for shoe lovers. She has proved that running in 4 inch heels is not only possible but easy. Warning: before you trade in your slightly scruffy but comfy trainers, I would not recommend this as breaking an ankle is pretty easy and people in A&E will laugh when you try and explain you were running in heels. However, don’t fret if sky scraper heels aren’t your thing, the shoe designers of today have ensured you can still look chic. There’s the kitten heel, the court shoe, the Mary Jane, the sandal, flip flops (ONLY for summer), wedges, and every girls favourite: the pump. That’s not even including shoes for specific purposes like dancing, skiing, hiking or running. If you need further proof of how amazing shoes are, look at films. Who could forget Dorothy’s red pair that sparkled in The Wizard of Oz or the delicate glass slipper from Cinderella? No one, that’s who. Even going to the ballet and seeing the shoes that embraced the dancer’s elegant feet by a long, silky pink ribbon is mesmerising. Christian Louboutin with his trademark blood red soles, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo are some of the favourites among celebrities but even high streets offer a HUGE variety. For example, Dune, Schuh, Kurt Geiger, Zara and even H&M and Primark sell these works of art that we could pay through the roof for- if we weren’t all poor students of course. So, whether you’re a boots person, a killer stilettoheel wearer or just a comfy pair of Converses, we’re obsessed with shoes! And let’s be honest, feet aren’t very attractive or nice to look at so we wrap them in leather, suede, rubber or fur. Decorate them with tassels, laces, straps, bows or zips and you have la pièce de la résistance. Enjoy. “Are you ready boots? Start walking!” Rosalind Stevenson For Girls! Or the Lads with shoe fetishes! Any of you that are familiar with the Wagamama restaurant chain will know that it is almost always mobbed. Finding it packed wall-to-wall and with a massive line of people snaking out the door was often the case whenever I felt like going in Glasgow, much to my disappointment as the food is excellent and the shifting crowds gives it a fun and bustling atmosphere. Described as a “Pan-Asian inspired noodle restaurant”, Wagamama prides itself on fresh ingredients and fast service, meaning that despite the queues to get a seat, you’re not often left waiting for very long. Their latest restaurant has just opened up in Union Square, and much in the tradition of my experience with the Glasgow chain, a massive queue greeted me at the front door! However kudos to the staff, they were very attentive and kept coming over to remind everyone that they would be seated as soon as possible. And so it came to pass, as within 10 minutes my companion and I were sandwiched between a couple enjoying a date and a boisterous group of guys filling up before the Scotland game that evening. Quickly we had a couple of beers in hand and were considering which of the generous selection of dishes to pick from. Unimaginatively plumping for the chicken katsu, with a side of gyoza, I was surprised by how quickly the dishes arrived, despite the waiting staff being rushed off their feet by the crowd of diners. They always found the time to ask how the meal was going, and were able to work the room so effectively that nobody could complain of poor service. The dishes themselves were delicious and, perhaps surprisingly for light Asian food, really quite filling. It was all I could do to find room for the dessert! Price-wise, the £56 bill seems steep, but £20 of that was for the fairly expensive Japanese beer, so at around £30 for a filling meal for two, it does represent good value for money. Taking their slogan “Positive eating + positive living” I ended up with a very positive evening (apart from the Scotland result). Positive eating and positive living at Wagamama Joseph Blythe Food & Drink Whilst getting free hot chocolates from CU mem- bers: Guy 1: Do you think Jesus drank hot choco- late? Guy 2: Yea, I reckon with marshmallows. Two guys walking past in the hub: Guy 1: It really sucks. Guy 2: Yeah I know, Guy 3: I really dont know why they wont let us do their makeup anymore? Boy: So how are you and your boyfriend? Girl: Oh, well he has trust issues. Boy: Really? Girl: Yeah he found out I might have feelings for someone else. ...Boy: Do you? Girl: I don’t know, I’m going out with him on friday and I will see. Philosophy Lecturer whilst dimming the lights: It’s more fun in the dark. In the hub at lunchtime: Girl: I really like re- lationships now. I wouldn’t go back to just having sex. Girl on the high street: If he’s not tall, gangly & ginger then i’m not interested. Girl: How will the exams go? Boy: Its going to be a walk in Seaton Park. Girl 1: My Words Of Wisdom One page. Two words... “Do him.” From a fellow law student: “Having a favourite EC Treaty is like having a favourite STD!” “Having a favourite EC Treaty is like having a favourite STD!” Overheard at Aberdeen University Shear Look Conor Riordan 9

Paul Conroy is a blue collar American contractor working in Iraq, but when his convoy is ambushed by insurgents he awakes to find himself buried alive, deep underground within a coffin. The film opens in darkness as our protagonist slowly comes to realise that he is trapped on all sides, sand is seeping in through every crevice and his supply of oxygen is dwindling. Armed with only a Zippo lighter and a half charged mobile phone to contact the outside world he finds himself in a race against time to stay alive and raise $5 million to secure his escape. Director Rodrigo Cortes presents everyone’s biggest nightmare, throwing the audience down into the cramped wooden shell along with him for good measure, as for the films entire 90 minutes, which unfold in something approximating real-time, we never leave his side. While watching a man lying in a box for an hour and a half could understandably seem like an unwise investment of your time and money, Rodrigo Cortez’s direction takes the deceptively simple premise and through inventive filmmaking turns what could have been a dolorous, one punch line joke into an engrossing and nail biting Hitchcockian thriller. Chris Sparling’s imaginative script sparkles with one liners and using phone conversations to expand the story, he creates a heart-thumping filmic universe within this small wooden frame. As the only character we meet during the course of the film, Ryan Reynolds, better known for his romantic and comic roles, deserves credit for his mesmerizing performance as the coffin-bound contractor Paul Conroy. He attacks the role, portraying the spectrum of human emotion within a limited space and effectively conveying the utter panic and raw anxiety of a man struggling for survival. The film is often horrifying, but to call it a horror film would be to do it an injustice. This high-concept thriller taps into our most primal fears and achieves in the pit of your stomach scares that could trump any amount of blood and guts. The camera is unflinching and the film is often sadistically uncomfortable but overall, Buried is a visceral event, better experienced than described. Many will find the film’s scope too limiting, but for those who can stomach the sheer, hyperventilating brutality, Buried is a rewarding and exciting trip which will leave you gasping for air and resonate long after you leave the cinema. Michael Lockhart likes this. The Social Network tells the controversially biographical founding of the social net- work Facebook in 2004 at Harvard Univer- sity. Based on the book, The Accidental Billionaires By Ben Mezrich; The Social Network is told in a series of flashbacks, the film follows founder Mark Zuckerberg (Zombieland’s Jesse Eisenberg) as a brilliant, but socially awkward computer science student who desires more than anything to gain prominence in the elite Ivy League establishment that is Harvard. The film flows flawlessly from the setting of two lawsuit proceedings years after the initial found- ing of the company. The plaintiffs’ arguments form the intertwined, behind-the-scenes story of one of the world’s favourite websites. The heart of this film however, lies in the tur- bulent relationship between Zuckerberg and his best friend; co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Originally CFO, Saverin finds himself increasingly getting left behind in the race for the first million Facebook members. I found myself both pitying his character and wondering the ex- act reasons of why Zuckerberg cut him out of the equation. Playing the role of the innocent-devil is Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the founder of failed music-sharing site Napster. Parker ‘s motives in regards to the website aren’t immediately clear which makes his character seem so sinister. I per- sonally don’t think I could stay in a room with him for more than a few minutes. He is wickedly persuasive, and leaves Zuckerberg helplessly starstruck, as proven by the fact that Saverin’s demise begins the second Parker walks in the door. Viewers learn the lesson that being sued for in- tellectual property theft is worth it, provided you launch the product first. Acting wise, special consideration goes to Eisen- berg who gives Zuckerberg a cringe-worthy awk- wardness. A real progression can be seen from the earliest scenes where he can get so obsessed with an idea that it overwhelms those around him, to the court scenes years later, where in one of my favourite lines of the film, junior lawyer Marilyn (Rashida Jones) tells Zuckerberg that he’s not a bad person, but is trying too hard to be one. Overall I think this film was absolutely terrific. It took something so well known to this generation and gave us the history we never knew. While at some point or another we might have heard that ‘oh, the guy who founded Facebook stole the idea,’ or ‘Facebook was sued,’ we never really questioned or really looked into it. It’s kind of ironic, for a site that we pour our friends, pictures, and secrets into; we really knew nothing about it until now. Yes, Facebook could have flopped. But it didn’t because of Zuckerberg. He nurtured it; gave it everything it needed, even if it meant cutting ties with the person closest to him. How many of us would be willing to do that? It’s an interesting concept, because we will never know until we have something that can grow into a multi-billion dol- lar organisation in our hands. It sounds exactly like being a parent; but in this case, a parent who is in charge of 500 million chil- dren. Does he mind it? I don’t think so. Because in the words of Mark Zuckerberg, “I’m CEO, Bitch.” As you might have noticed when you turn on the TV, or when you watch the (less??) brutal comments of Simon Cowell of the new performances of X Factor on You Tube, an essential and fundamental element of our survival is back on. Yes I know, you could not live without it, but don’t worry, the Vampire Diaries are back and monopolizing our Tuesday TV night. The new season of Vampire Diaries started last week and hit the public with its new twisted drama. After I watched the first episode and saw the promo for the upcoming episode, I noticed that, beside still being completely and utterly in love with the sexy Damon Salvatore, this new season is becoming like a Twilight Saga version for TV screens. Is Stephan Salvatore becoming the new Edward Cullen? Not really, and thanks for that because personally I could not stand a more broody and all sex frustrated Stephan, and since Damon has softened up a little bit, it would have just become the vampire version of East Enders. No thanks!!! Season two, as in Twilight, is bringing some hot werewolves in the picture as Tyler’s uncle, Mason Lockwood, comes back for his brother’s funeral and to be with his family. No chance that in this series, Vampires and werewolves would happily coexists, but will Mason adapt the Jacob Black’s way of life or he will become the new villain in the series? And talking about villains, Katherine is back and of course there is more drama in Mystic Falls. She kisses Damon, who apparently she never loved; she stabs Elena’s father who had not been softened up, even by a death experience; she goes around town claiming that she came back for Stephan; she turns Caroline into a vampire. Things are getting crazier in town and honestly I don’t know what we could expect to see in the next episodes and probably we could see some unexpected relationships that we might have thought impossible. I do believe though that certain things won’t be that drastic, like our favourite witch which now is at crossroads and she seems pretty much close to cross the line to the dark side, but I doubt she will. As I, and many others, won’t be surprised that Jeremy becomes part of the Saltzman and the Salvatore’s’ Scooby gang. Despite knowing that this might turn to be a Twilight adaptation for TV, I am looking forward to seeing how this season will evolve, and from what the writers had let us know in the last New York Comic Con, many questions will be answered and the public will have a chance to see the characters and their relationships in a new light. The Vampire Factor is back, and now the only dilemma that we have to solve is: Team Twilight or Team Salvatore? The Vampire factor Sundays, 8pm-9pm ITV 2 Chloe Paramatti Buried Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jose Luis Garcia Perez, Robert Paterson, Stephen Toblowsky Robin Smith Buried not a nail in the coffin for horrifying movies 10 Gaudie 18th October 2010 Arts Arts editor: Anne-Claire Deseilligny [email protected] film. The Social Network The Social Network Directed by: David Fincher Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

S ufjan Stevens has al- ready shown himself to be more than any mere songwriter or performer. At 35 with 6 full length albums and many more E.P’s and early experi- ments under his belt, Stevens is well established as a composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. His previous work has on many occasions veered toward the conceptual, but ‘The Age of Adz’ is an intensely per- sonal album. Gone are the intricate strings and banjos and cacophonous trumpets of ‘Illinois’, the album that launched him into the some- what mainstream: whilst the tremulous flutes and beauti- ful guitar work remain, they are now enshrined amidst drum machines, synthesiz- ers, samples, and the other detritus of electronica. The stripped down open- ing number ‘Futile Devices’ gives no hint of the immense follow up ‘Too Much’ (the first single from the album). Initially it is somewhat a shock, to have the rural idyll and quaint idolized middleAmerica visuals and sound bites of ‘Illinois’ and ‘Michi- gan’ replaced with sci-fi al- bum art and what must be walls of electronics. However, such incredible care has been taken with the arrangement of each song that the haunting vocals and hurried guitars are perfectly offset by synthesizers and all sorts in a way never before achieved. The finale ‘Impossible Soul’ is a full twenty-five minutes long, and the album has the feel of an opus rather than an airport novel. Stevens is an author, and whatever instrument(s) he is currently playing you can still feel his distinct style. In many ways the album is reminiscent of ‘Enjoy Your Rabbit’, an instrumental al- bum from early in his career, though ‘The Age Of Adz’ is far more accomplished. It is still Sufjan, still epic sweeping vistas of noise and earnest lyricism. Just be prepared to put your preconceptions of what he is capable of to one side. Tru- ly I can’t recommend this enough, but be prepared to give it some time and a few listens. Out now in all good music stores. The eighth album from Scottish poplegends Belle and Sebastian is all you could have hoped for and more. Since 1996 they have garnered international critical acclaim with their unique brand of melodic and soulful pop music, mixing wistful lyricism with an ever evolving musical style, the true heirs to the C86 generation of tweeand indie-pop. With ‘Write About Love’ the band take the style they have perfected and expand it to tell eleven stories about love;, be it the love for a man, a woman, a song, or simply the past. Album opener ‘I Didn’t See It Coming’ builds from a fairly inauspicious beginning into a righteous wall of sound, adding layer upon layer of vocal harmonies and instrumentals to create an immersive anthem of a song. Throughout the album the band showcase their remarkable ability to compleiment each other, seamlessly making their way through each song with the kind of arrangement and cohesion most bands can only dream of. Norah Jones makes a noteworthy appearance on ‘Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John’, where her sensual vocals contrast brilliantly with Stuart Murdoch’s, and Carey Mulligan makes a brief appearance in ‘Write About Love’ providing some rather nice backing vocals. Overall the album is a gem and for any other band it could be a crowning achievement. In their illustrious back catalogue it stands out as the most technically impressive album to date, with many individual songs that will stay with you. For Belle and Sebastian it’s more than just another collection of pretty, intelligent, well written and well played songs; it’s a culmination of all of their raw talent honed and perfected through years of playing, writing, and maturing. Buy this now in any decent music store (only £8.99 in One-Up on Belmont Street) or have a listen to ‘Write About Love’ on Myspace for an idea of what all the fuss is about. 18th October 2010 GAUDIE 11 [email protected] Arts Belle & Sebastian on form with 8th Album Belle and Sebastian Write about Love Ian Green music. Sufjan a long way from Illinoise Sufjan Stevens The Age Of Adz Ian Green J immy Eat World have long been known for uplifting rock anthems, sweetened by Jim Adkins soft voice, and open, honest lyrics. And from the start, Invented does not disappoint those who expect exactly that. The opener, “Heart Is Hard To Find”, starts off sounding like a garage acoustic jam between friends, but by the time you reach the first chorus, the song unravels into a mesmerising tapestry of strings, tambours, and eventually some saccharin xylophone hits. It serves as a great template for the rest of the album. It is more honest, and at the same time more self-assured, giving the lis- tener assurance that they are in safe hands here. Next comes the lead single, “My Best Theory”, which is powered by an intensely catchy riff, and a powerful, chugging bassline. It’s another in the assembly line of Jimmy Eat World Fist-Pumping Anthems - this is a song that will stay in your head, and release itself into your consciousness when intoxicated. Another early highlight is the fourth track - described by the drummer Zach Lind as “dirty disco” - “Higher Devotion”. We know it sounds like the name of a Christian band, but the song couldn’t be any more different to that. It’s ass-shakingly catchy to the point of almost being sordid, with the bassline and high-pitched vocal melodies in the chorus making this a number to remember. File under “sexytime choons”. A staple of any Jimmy Eat World album is the ballad: the number that will be insanely quoted by the younger and more emo- tionally impressionable fans, and loved by the older, more appreciative fans. On this album, we potentially have their best. “Cut” is possibly the saddest song they’ve written, (which is saying something). The composition and structure is alarmingly simple, but once again Jim Adkins’ delivery makes it so much more than that. “Yeah, I loved you boy//But I’m not cut for this no more,” even made this stone-hearted re- viewer want to cry. The album ends with a triple-whammy of greatness, starting with “Action Needs An Audience”, in which guitarist Tom Linton takes lead vocal role (something which he hasn’t done since “Blister”, from 1999 al- bum “Clarity”). It’s probably the angriest song on the album, which is something it needs after a glut of “heartfelt” subject matters in the previous songs. Another hard-rockin’ song for the setlist to please the drunks, I guess. The last two tracks are probably the best, as they continue the long-held Jimmy Eat World tradition of having an “epic” album closer. Well, here we have two of them: the title track, and “Mixtape”, which com- bined make up almost 14-minutes of the album. “Invented” is the more demure of the two, although it does crescendo into a singalong bridge with a great set of lyrics. “Mixtape” starts off with some subtle elec- tronic drums, and eventually grows into a brilliant closer. Vocal harmonies, pianos, strings, and horns all add to the song, and bring the album to an appealing and pow- erful close. If you went in expecting another instantly infectious and catchy album like “Bleed American”, you will not get it. If you went in expecting “Clarity 2.0”, you will not get it. With “Invented”, we have more of an evolution than a revolution. It is their most honest, grown-up, and self-confident al- bum; one that will please both old die-hard fans (like this man right here), and gain some new ones as well. A solid effort, lit- tered with memorable hooks, melodies and superb lyrics, “Invented” is another step forward for the elder statesmen of Ameri- can emo-rock. Jimmy Eat World grow up Jimmy Eat World Invented Gavin Murray Last Tuesday saw the Kodo Taiko Drum- mers descend upon the city of Aber- deen, audibly unleashing hundreds of years of Japanese tradition into the Music Hall. The result formed an experience spanning both cultural and temporal bound- aries. The word “Kodo”, bearing the literal mean- ings of both “heartbeat” as well as “children of the drum” communicates the elite drumming troop’s mission statement as they deliver their unique brand of theatrical dance and percus- sion-based performance to all corners of the globe. Over the past thirty years the Kodo Taiko drummers have brought their show to five continents, and since the mid-eighties have embarked on a continuous tour named the “One Earth Tour”. The Kodo performance brings together cus- tomary Japanese folk pieces combined with several original compositions written by con- temporary classical composers, such as Maki Ishii and Shinichiro Ikebe - not to mention pieces by the Kodo themselves. With arrange- ments encapsulating both poise and strength performed on the large, iconic Taiko drum, the show is an aesthetic spectacle not to be missed. The authentic costumes and instru- ments used are brought to life by the choreog- raphy incorporated into performances. Following a few of their more somber pieces the mood of the venue was lifted with a spot of audience interaction in the form of a call and response refrain, which judging from the standing ovation they received went down ex- tremely well. If you fancy witnessing the sonic phenom- enon of the Kodo, catch them on their return to Scotland on Saturday 23rd October to play the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Student tickets are now on sale at a discounted price via the Usher Hall website (www.usherhall.co.uk/ concerts). The Kodo Taiko drummer experience Jessica Cregg Kodo Taiko show is sonic Once a year there is an event in the mu- sical calendar that surpasses all others. No, not Glastonbury or the Mercury Prize… I’m talking about the Eurovision Song Contest! Joking aside, Euro- vision has played a big part in European culture since 1956 and, whilst it may be considered a bit of a laughing stock here in the UK, there are many countries that take it very seriously indeed. Last week saw the an- nouncement that 2011’s final is to be held in Dusseldorf, who fought off fierce compe- tition against Hamburg, Ber- lin and Hannover to host the event in Germany, who won this year’s competition. But should Great Britain take Eu- rovision more seriously? It has been over a dec- ade since the UK last won, when Katrina and the Waves stormed the competition with ‘Love Shine a Light’ in 1997, and surely we are due a comeback. Our ability to produce world-beating musi- cians is unquestionable, but it appears that the stigma and ridicule surrounding Eurovi- sion entrants (the horren- dously out-of-tune Jemini, anyone?!) puts many major artists off. Not even the vic- tory of Finnish rockers Lordi in 2006 seems to be able to sway our talent. There have been many sug- gestions as to who should represent us in 2011. One camp suggests that Andrew Lloyd Weber should give it another crack; it was he, after all, that steered us towards our highest placing in recent years back in 2009. Then there are those that would like to see comedy virtuoso Bill Bailey flying the flag for Britain with his unique brand of surreal music. Perhaps he could play some Belgian jazz in a tactical voting strategy. But why choose one or the other? I propose a compro- mise: a Weber-Bailey collab- oration. The result could be nothing other than a glorious triumph. So, Eurovision fans, you know what to do: Rage Against The Machine became Christmas number one all thanks to the internet. Get onto your blog or your Face- book (or your Bebo if you’re 12) and shout out; if Rage can do it, so can we. Eoin Smith Musings on Music

Walter Trout has an impressive biography by any standards. Long serving in the role of sideman, Trout has played with the great such as John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat and John Mayall. It’s only regrettable Trout’s performance in the Lemon Tree on Thursday night only represented an un- inspired caricature of the acts associated with him. The performance very much put Trout at the centre of things and throughout the show he seemed set apart from the rest of the group. Al- though totally acceptable as a heavy rock vocalist, Trout’s delivery became grating through lack of variation and although a supremely talented gui- tar player, the extended solos that ubiquitously featured throughout the set provided a test of en- durance more than anything. Trout and his band of follicly challenged ac- complices laboriously ploughed through one generic blues rock number after another, the mu- sic’s lack of personality being its most prominent feature, one song merging into the next. It says much about the performance that the musical highlight of the evening was provided by the vocal talents of Trout’s rhythm guitar player when he took over on a verse of ‘Common Ground’, drawing attention to the sketchy nature of Trout’s singing up to that point. Despite the performance playing out as flaccid and uninspired, the reaction of the mostly mid- dle aged male audience demonstrated the de- mographic of Trout’s music. In spite of the hard rock formula and irrelevant feel of the evening, the calls for an encore outlined clearly the thirst among the audience for what Trout was provid- ing. Generic hard rock, complete with phallic gui- tar solos, will keep its place in the world as long as respectable middle aged men keep Iron Maiden T-shirts tucked away, ready to be deployed the next time a guitar legend makes an appearance. Trout: uninspiring and uninspired Michael Sheils Mcnamee Music On the first floor of the Aberdeen Art Gallery, where the Glasgow Boys, French Impressionists and masters of Realism usually hang, a group of tiny, ivory Scandinavians have claimed their territory. The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked is a relatively small but wonderfully informative and surprisingly entertaining exhibition. Discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in the West Isles of Scotland, the seventyeight figures made from walrus ivory and whale teeth date from the late twelfth to early thirteenth centuries. Unlike most archaeological finds, the story of their discovery is almost as much of a mystery as the story of their origin. The long held story is that Calum Macleod, or ‘Calum of the Stumps’, found them in the sand and took them to the local minister for fear they were pagan idols. From there, they were taken to Edinburgh, and sixty-seven of them eventually found a home in the British Museum while the remaining eleven headed to the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. The pieces themselves are a highly expressive bunch: the seated king grips his sword and stares unblinkingly at his opponent; the knight hovers on his steed ready to charge; the bishop (a new member of the chess set at this time, in honour of the high status of Archbishops and the importance of their patronage) blesses the proceedings, and the queen rests her head on her hand as if the game was just a little boring to her. If they look familiar to you, as they did to this reviewer, it’s probably because a replica set of Lewis Chessmen starred alongside our favourite boy wizard in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. A selection of these beautiful pieces is now touring the country, along with other artefacts from the same period such as Viking swords and Norse jewellery. There are also artefacts said to be from the same hoard, mostly pieces from other board games, including a Viking game called Hinefatafl which you can learn to play on one of the boards at the side of the room, along with backgammon and, of course, chess. If you fancied something a little grander, however, there’s also a super-sized chess set on the ground floor by the fountain. The exhibition runs until the 8th of January next year, and is accompanied by a lecture by Dr David Caldwell, Keeper of Scotland and Europe for National Museums Scotland on the 11th of November at 7pm in Cowdray Hall. There are also some more creative events, like the chance to change yourself into a chessman by making your own sword, shield, crown or helmet on the 21st and 22nd of October, 11am -1pm at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Culture reviews of all kinds are full of sentiments like ‘You can really see van Gogh’s emotional struggles in his paintings’, ‘Gauguin’s need for primitive culture and hate of urban life created the imposing atmosphere in his later paintings’, ‘Lady Gaga’s music (and choice in clothing) is an expression of her views on society’. What I’m wondering is, when did the product of the creative process become second to the creator? The world of visual arts offers several examples where the character, sexual orientation, possible mental illnesses and other random quirks have taken over in the analysis of their artworks. Example: Vincent van Gogh. Vincent van Gogh is thought to have suffered from epilepsy or schizophrenia, or both, he had massive fallingouts with his friends, mutilated his left ear and eventually managed to kill himself. This has led to numerous analyses of his paintings ending with the conclusion that the distorted perspective, the decaying sunflowers and the crude and slightly jagged brushstrokes are all proof of the oppressive, dying, jagged mental world he was living in. This sounds like art that belongs in a psychologist’s research folder along with the Rorschach tests, not in people’s living rooms. When I used to tell people I didn’t really like or understand van Gogh I always got a long lecture on his mental health as an explanation of how brilliant he was. It never really convinced me. Shouldn’t a work of art be able to stand on its own without having to be explained? If he was such a brilliant genius, why does his work need an explanation? I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, but it took a brilliant episode of Dr Who to make me appreciate Vincent’s way of looking at the world, and the scene that did it had nothing whatsoever to do with his mental illness. It feels degrading to use Vincent’s personal problems as a way of justifying his art, as you do when you explain the disproportionate body in a drawing by saying it was drawn by a child at the age of five. Sometimes I wish I knew less about the context of art than I do. It would be so freeing to be able to look at what is considered great art with fresh eyes and be allowed to judge it based solely on what is in front of me. I guess I’ll just have to find myself an art virgin to drag along to galleries. Or just take my mother. Fanny Johansson Featured Columnist Van... Who? Bishops, Kings, and Queens visit Aberdeen Jennie Bancroft Exhibition review Mudhoney gig gives us blood, sweat and alcohol F eelings of sympathy and loss at the potential of what could have been surround Mud- honey in abundance. Maybe not from the band members them- selves, but from anyone who didn’t care about Kurt Cobain and thought that Nirvana did nothing but steal the spotlight from other, more talented bands- Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees, and of course, Mudhoney. Being the band that in- spired Cobain in the first place, only to be surpassed by him, must be depressing to some extent. Howev- er, the band does themselves great credit by retaining a sense of hum- bleness- their ability to play a small venue like the Tunnels in Aberdeen and hold it in the palm of their hand speaks volumes about their contin- ued dedication to their art. After two mildly entertaining but ultimately forgettable opening acts, Mudhoney took the stage to an al- ready tense and ready to go audi- ence. A few notes of gritty, urban aggression and all hell broke loose. I got to spend the entire evening shielding a female friend from a relentless onslaught of shirtless, sweaty moshers who seemed intent on colliding head on with every sin- gle person in their vicinity. While this did eventually get a little grat- ing, the band’s energy carried the show forward, demonstrating their experience and confidence in a small, direct venue. Overenthusias- tic crowd-surfers were directed to- wards the back of the crowd by the band, saving the local security from penetrating the wall of sweat and testosterone that was the audience. Banter was kept to a minimum, un- fortunately, and it did almost seem as if the band felt a bit bored- a per- ception that was discarded during their last set, when frontman Mark Arm discarded his guitar in order to romp around onstage like a psy- chotic squirrel. Although the setlist did start melt- ing into itself, standout tracks like Into The Drink and the amazing live tune Touch Me I’m Sick were worth the wait alone. After the show, I managed, with the help of my com- panions, to infiltrate the band’s dressing room and ask Mark for a statement, a quote to remember the gig by. A bit drunk, he proceeded to shout through my tinnitus the fol- lowing ode to musical integrity: “We don’t really have a statement, man, we’ve got no fucking propa- ganda or anything. We’re just here to fucking rock and roll, man, to have a good fucking time. That’s you’re mother-fucking statement, right there!” Bedazzled by the eloquence of the above exclamation, I was unable to protest when their pompous man- ager chucked me out of the dressing room, where I discovered that I had run out of money and was forced to head home in case sobriety was to suddenly strike. Still, it was a damn good gig. Elias Eiholzer-Silver Music 12 GAUDIE 18th October 2010 Arts [email protected] round-up.

ww Listings [email protected] Spotlight Thrill The World 2010 Saturday 23rd October 12 noon - Bon Accord Centre 12am - Priory Global world record attempt for most amount of people performing the Thriller dance. Brought to you by the UoA Dance Society, wearing their best zombie costumes. Oxjam - The Takeover Saturday 23rd October Tunnels, Cafe Drummond, Blue Lamp Charity music festival featuring a wide range of local bands. £5 ticket = access to all venues. Available from One Up or wegottickets.com. Societies Events Amnesty International Protect The Human Party Thursday 21st October @ 9pm Hillhead Gym Black and White-themed party to celebrate AI’s achievements over the past 50 years. French Society Movie Night Thursday 21st October @ 7pm Macrobert 051, Kings Showing of ‘Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain’. Free pizza! Celtic Society Heat The Hoose Ceilidh Friday 22nd October @ 7.30pm The Blue Lamp First ceilidh of the year, supported by the famous Iron Broo ceilidh band. AUSA Sports Union Iron Man Sunday 24th October @ 10am Kings Pavillion A test of endurance - 1km swim, 6K row, 10K run. Are you man enough? International Society Intersoc Ceilidh Sunday 24th October @ 8pm Elphinstone Hall If the Celtic Soc ceilidh hasn’t satisfied your dancing feet, come to this one too! Featuring the band Danse Macabre. Biomedical Science Society Careers Talk with Dr Derek Scott Monday 25th October Taylor Building A36, Kings Unsure about what to do with your medical science degree? Come along and be enlightened. Agricultural Society Beerienteering Wednesday 27th October @ 8pm Starts at The Bobbin Pub race competition. Cinema Paranormal Activity 2 Vue Cinema Released Thursday 21st October Suspenseful horror sequel. Burke And Hare Vue Cinema Released Wednesday 27th October Grave-robbing comedy starring Simon Pegg. Saw 3D Vue Cinema Released Thursday 28th October Seventh film of the slasher franchise. Easy A Vue Cinema Released Friday 22nd October High school movie based on the novel The Scarlet Letter. Intellectual Pursuits Sound A New Song - Sound Festival Sunday 31st October @ 2.30pm St. Machar Cathedral Choral performance with chamber choirs from the universities of Aberdeen, St. Andrews and Edinburgh. CafeMed - Finding The Culprit Monday 1st November @ 6pm Suttie Centre, Foresterhill Campus Short talks about how pathology can help both forensic science and the fight against superbugs. Part of National Pathology Week. Free admission. Crisis in the Universities? The case of fifth-century Alexandria Monday 1st November @ 7.30pm Regent Building Lecture Theatre Egyptology lecture with Professor Charlotte Roueche from Kings College London. £3 admission fee. Monday 10am - Hazel’s Awesome Show 11am - Julius 12pm – ASR Daily Show 3pm – Eoin and Emma’s Mixtape 4pm - Jack and Nick 5pm - Championship Vibes 6pm - Celtic Society 7pm - ASR Official Gig Guide 9pm – AU Electro Propaganda Tuesday 2pm - That European Guy 3pm - Meg’s Moments 4pm - Gary Marshall 5pm - Electronic Battle Weapons 7pm - SRA - Super Randy Ashleigh 8pm - The Thomas Show 9pm - Big City Lights 10pm - DJ Turbofresh Mixes Wednesday 10am - Day Release 11am - The Fever 2pm - The MJ Show 3pm - THE GAUDIE SHOW 4pm - The Steel Mill 5pm - Blue Velvet 6pm - Ezy Ryder 7pm - ASRock 9pm - Mosh On The Radio Thursday 10am - Alphabetty Spaghetti 2pm - Shifty Rocker 4pm - Ricky and Holly Show 6pm - Grill The President 7pm - Octopussy Gets Wet 8pm - Awesome Euan’s Show of Doom Friday 10am - The Post-Apocalyptic Boogie 11am - Patchwork Radio 2pm - Johnny Whitehead 4pm - Time For Thomas 5pm - Ibiza Show 7pm - Audio Rehab Sessions http://www.flickr.com/photos/best2buygames/4766060925/sizes/m/in/ photostream/ Music/Gigs Mothership presents M.A.N.D.Y. Saturday 23rd October @ 11pm Snafu House/techno DJs. Tickets £15. Port Royal + Ten + Sumisu Mi Sunday 24th October @ 8pm Peacock Visual Arts Electronica. £6 advance, £10 on door. Buddy Holly and The Cricketers Sunday 24th October @ 7.30pm Aberdeen Arts Centre Theatre Buddy Holly tribute act. Tickets £13. The Answering Machine Friday 29th October @ 8pm Cafe Drummond Tickets £6 from One Up. 6 Day Riot Thursday 4th November @ 7.30pm Cafe Drummond Folk pop. Tickets £6 from One Up. Listings Editor: Aaron Murray Theatre The Producers His Majesty’s Theatre Wed 3rd - Sat 6th November Production of the hilarious Broadway musical. HALLOWEEN LIQUID Aberdeen Students Charities Campaign Halloween Ceilidh Wednesday 27th October @ 8pm Music from Ghillie Dhu and prizes for best costumes. Tickets £5 from Butchart/Hub. Octo Neon Halloween Thursday 28th October @ 10.30pm You know you want to bathe in Satan’s swimming pool. Plus 10,000 free glowsticks! Halloween Night Party Sunday 31st October @ 9pm Free entry before 9.30pm, £6 after. TIGER TIGER Octopussy Halloween @ Tiger Sunday 31st October @ 10.30pm The crazy folks at Octo invade Tiger for an evening of spooky shenanigans. TUNNELS Too Ghoul For School Friday 29th October @ 11pm Free entry if undead and wearing your school uniform. £3 otherwise. Terror In The Tunnels Saturday 30th October @ 8pm Voodoo magic show. £6.66 entry or £13 for 2 SNAFU Halloween Party Saturday 30th October @ 11pm More details TBA. Weekly Radio Guide http://www.impawards.com/2010/easy_a.html http://w w w.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16057503397 1061#!/photo.php?f bid=1287213879 142&set =a.1270605343939.34733.1794045387 18th October 2010 GAUDIE 13

14 Gaudie 18th October 2010 Sport Sports Editor: Ryan Ross [email protected] Love at first sight for Valentine and Martial Arts More often than not, sport sections in newspapers are dominated by the following of a few sports, namely football and rugby. Which is understandable due to their relative size and popularity. But across the world and more specifically our campus there are many other sports that grip the interest of different people. Hopefully, this section will aim to follow a different sport each fortnight to see how the sport works, what can be gained from your participation and how to get involved! Plus an unfit, unprepared, lazy student will be attending their training sessions to get a feel for each club. This week I looked at the ARFC, or the All-Round Fighting Club, known in the world of martial arts as ‘Mixed Martial Arts’ or ‘Kyokushin Budokai’. President Stanislaw Swiecicki started the club to reflect its growing popularity in the world. MMA is a combination of martial arts brought together as one type of competition. So on Tuesday I went along to the ARFCs training session. At this time of the year, the team and coaches (being pretty new to the AUSA) are just trying to get people interested and introduced to the club with the view that committed members will develop as the weeks’ progress. (So it’s as good a time as any to get involved!) After a pretty tiring warm up, the coaches get you to find another unfit newbie to battle the next hour out against. With your newly found opponent you take part in three different types of training which help you develop as an all round fighter. The coaches teach you to use ground combat moves, more complex combat moves and sparring techniques that could really benefit you in the right situation. This club isn’t your conventional student based club, in fact it’s taught by professionals that literally have decades of experience behind them, and you get a feel for that in the training. I got the impression that teaching was done at a steady pace throughout the weeks which meant that you can develop your moves into an extensive repertoire. Stanislaw claims that: ‘We teach our students the techniques required to compete in the MMA format, but we’ve also got elements of self-defense and – most importantly – budo, a fighter’s ethics. Many people are confused by the name of our club and they come asking whether this is a MMA club or not. This is my answer: the core of our martial art is fighting. We will not teach you anything that is unrealistic and we detest the fake mysticism some people out there try to sell to their students instead of proper techniques that can be used both in the ring and beyond it.’ This club is led by professionals that compete and can help you learn how to be a fighting machine! Or just to learn self defense and a little more confidence when alone or just out with friends. So if you want to get involved the team says ‘… all you really need to start is determination and a comfortable t-shirt and shorts. We train at the Sports Village every Tuesday at 7pm and every Thursday at 6.30pm.’ Or you can get in contact with Stan himself at s.swiecicki.07@aberdeen. ac.uk James Valentine Sports Features Writer MMA: not one of Aberdeen’s more conventional clubs A chat with Aberdeen’s Ian Garioch Jenny Drummond sits down with the 400m Runner, Ian Garioch, to get an insight as to what it takes to be successful in his sport, and finds a personal side to this intriguing athlete. Jenny. What year are you in? Ian. “I am in fourth year studying Geogra- phy and Geo-Science” J. Do you enjoy your course? I. “Yes I do quite enjoy it. My favourite part is definitely the field trips as I get to travel to different countries in Europe. I spent time in Italy in the summer on a field trip which was fantastic.” J. How do you manage your studies, training, competitions and travelling? I. “The key is organisation. I have definitely improved since first year as there is a lot to manage. Planning ahead is important so I make sure I eat at the right times before training. This is crucial in or- der to keep up my perform- ance.” J. Do you get to lead part of the usual student life? I. “Yes. Occasionally, so I make the most of it when my coach allocates my holidays. I enjoyed some nights out dur- ing Fresher’s week this year. I do go for long periods with no alcohol and late nights al- lowed so it is really refreshing to have a fun night out with friends and maintain my so- cial life.” J. You were awarded the John Robertson Sports Scholarship. How has this benefited you? I.”I received the award when I was in second year for a year. It allowed me to go to Portugal to do warm weather training which was fantas- tic. I also train on occasions with Linford Christie in Lon- don along with athletes such as Martin Lewis Francis. It is so important to travel in order to compete at the high- est level and the award really helped with this. The university bursary has supported me financially with flights for travelling to events whether it is competing in England or in Amsterdam. Scotland is very small and therefore travelling to events is essential.” J. What are your long-term goals? I.”My main aim is to medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Not many people get to compete in such a high calibre event in their home country and to do well would be fantastic. Thereafter, I am setting my sights on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.” J. What is your favourite hobby outside athletics? I. “I play the piano and guitar. I find it a great way to relax particularly as they are dif- ferent from university and running.” J. What did you think of the Scotland football match on Tuesday? I.”I am an avid football fan. I was actually at the game and I have never seen Hampden like it! I can’t believe they came back from 2-0 down against such a good side as Spain but it was so gutting that they lost in the last eleven minutes.” J. The Gaudie sports section enjoys a debate about Andy Murray. What are your opinions on him? I. “I think he is fantastic!” J.”I agree!” I.”He is so passionate and patriotic. I think it is great that he doesn’t seem to care what people think and just gets on with his own thing. He will definitely win a grand slam!” J. If you weren’t an athlete what would you want to do? I.”I would definitely be a footballer. I loved it at school as I played for the school team but didn’t tell my coach as she didn’t want me to get injured.”

18th October 2010 GAUDIE 15 [email protected] Sport Robert Gordon’s trumped again by Aberdeen I n the week that Don- ald Trump was awarded an honorary degree by Robert Gordon’s Univer- sity, it was fitting perhaps, that the RGU Rugby team looked as unconvincing as the American businessman’s toupee. This can be the only explanation for what hap- pened prior to the match. Kick off had been sched- uled to begin at 3pm, how- ever due to issues with the pitch it began at 2.30pm. But Aberdeen University (AU) weren’t told this un- til five minutes before and weren’t able to prepare suffi- ciently. Away from the pitch side politics, it was certainly a day for rugby- no wind, a thin Aberdeen drizzle, over- cast and quite soft under- foot. In the first five minutes, it certainly seemed that the lack of warm up had affect- ed the Aberdeen side. RGU dominated the beginning of the game and a string of er- rors led many in the crowd to think that RGU may spring a surprise. This idea, however, was firmly put to bed by the 8th minute when a fantas- tic pass from the centre by the Aberdeen No. 8 to the winger, who was allowed far too much space by the RGU defence. The winger slipped through the wide gaps to score a stunning first try. A failed conversion didn’t dampen AU’s spirits, and, leading 5-0 it was clear they were up for a fight. Aberdeen began to turn on the flair; an incredible “over- head” pass from the Scrum Half to the Fly Half, almost produced a second try. But the RGU defence just man- aged to close up and prevent a second try in two minutes. Fifteen minutes in, RGU weren’t venturing out of their half and were frus- trated. After several fouls against them, Aberdeen retaliated and RGU’s No.8 needed treatment. The ref- eree spoke to both captains and caution that the next player to commit an offence would be punished. Aberdeen’s next trie came in the 20th minute. Aber- deen broke from a ruck and powered across the line to go 10-0 up. RGU were display- ing a worrying lack of con- fidence. The referee helped Gordon’s out however, as he awarded a dubious penalty which they duly converted. RGU began to battle back and won another penalty. The halftime score was RGU 9-13 AU. The atmosphere in the two camps couldn’t have been more different; RGU were upbeat and ready to take the game their oppo- nents. Aberdeen needed to recover and declared that they were ready to, “explode the other team apart.” This seemed to be the case and not three minutes in, another basic error by RGU led to an easy try for Aber- deen, scored by the flanker. With the conversion, the score was 20-9 and RGU, de- spite all the positive talk at half time, seemed sluggish and disinterested. Aberdeen pressed on, and an amazing piece of skill on the right flank by the winger, who received an excellent pass, slid his way through the defence and scored a wonder try bringing the score to 25-9; RGU looked to be out of the game entirely. Robert Gordon’s pulled a try back after countering from a lineout and making the game appear more even, instilling some pride in their team. With 20 minutes to go, it appeared RGU were going to take the game to Aberdeen. Andrew Bowie Rugby As Trump takes glory in his ceremony, Aberdeen take glory in the Pitch. Where it counts. I started my job in July, with a month handover with my predecessor Christine Duncan. It was not long before I realised that money, or the lack of it, would be the biggest threat to maintain, let alone improve the role and success of Sport in the University. The Sports Union’s budget is set by the Student Association. In turn their funds come from the University. Although the University maintained the same level of funding for the Student Association as a whole, after a meeting in late July, the Association’s allocation for the Sports Union was reduced by £18,000. Worse was to come. The University, recognising the benefit of Sport, had recently allowed the Sports Union to apply for a discretionary grant. This could not be guaranteed but last year the Sports Union received £50,000. However, against the background of the impending Higher Education cuts it was likely such a grant would simply not be available. Because it was a grant and not actual annual funding, the argument that this is a “£50,000 cut” is simply not true. I spent a lot of time applying for other grants, seeking sponsorship, and working on fundraising ideas. I then decided to approach a major figure, the Secretary of the University, and arrange a meeting to present a funding proposal. My proposal was for funding of £30,000 and I gave a detailed breakdown of how this would be utilised. £21,000 would go towards BUCS Representation, £5,000 would be allocated to Coaching, and £4,000 to representing the University with BUCS events such as the World University Golf Championships where four of our members attended last year. My presentation was treated sympathetically and it was clear that the University were supportive. In the meeting the proposal was approved and immediately activated through the University Accountant. The simple but important point from this is that I, representing the Sports Union, went to the University, asked for extra funding and was successful. The University deemed it to be a worthy cause and one which they would support. The £30,000 is a permanent additional funding – and far better than a temporary one-off grant of £50,000. It would give the Sports Union more financial stability and allow us to plan for the future. From having £68,000 less than the previous year’s budget, the opportunity to be only £38,000 less was I felt a brilliant result especially when we could provide our members with the same level of support that we did last year. Unfortunately the funds are paid via the Student Association, offering them the temptation to try and use part of the money to fund other parts of their budget. For example the minutes from the meeting on Tuesday 6th October reveal that Robin Parker stipulated that he required £4,000 of these funds to go towards the National Demo. However, we know that £3,000 of that amount has already been provided for. In short the money which the University has paid to support the Sports Union is to pay for other Student Association schemes under the guise of supporting the National Demo. The National Demo is a NUS event. The University already pays an affiliation fee of £37,500 to the NUS. Why can’t they be more supportive of their own cause? When, at the beginning of the year, I approached the AUSA to explain the Sports Union’s dire financial situation and asked for their help – none was forthcoming. Now the onus is on Robin Parker; if he wants more money for certain projects then he should go out and source them himself and not seek to divert funds intended to support and promote Sport. It is unfortunate that I have to write to justify money raised by Sport to remain in Sport when this week has seen the amazing success for the University of Aberdeen, and the Sports Union, with Kay Copland winning at the Commonwealth Games. Well done Kay, we are all proud of you. Aberdeen 34 Robert gordon’s 14 This years commonwealth games were, as always, an impressive display of the Sporting world’s elite. Australia dominated the league tables with an impressive 177 medals; 76 more than its runner-up India. The end to these weeks of sporting spectacular always leave it’s spectators longing for more, but this year more than ever, Scot’s everywhere are ecstatic for the arrival for 2014. The following four years hold amazing opportunity for British sport with the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow. Scotland managed to bring home 9 Gold’s, 10 Silver’s and 7 Bronze’s which is a fairly impressive result for our nation of 5,194,000 compared with its Victor, Australia’s, population at 21,431,800. Aberdeen’s Very own Robbie Renwick won a Gold in the 200m Men’s Freestyle Swim and Hannah Miley took the Gold for the Women’s 400m Individual Medley. Despite the wins Scotland underperformed by 3 medals in comparison with the 2006 games, thus the pressure is on for Glasgow 2014. The hand over from Deli saw a display of everyday Scot’s dance and perform a colourful abstract display of tartan and flags. Glasgow’s architecturally Interesting Armadillo was recreated in an imaginative use of inflatable silver cylinders, which morphed into Scotland’s internationally Famous Loch Ness Monster. With the performance came the excitement for Glasgow 2014. Here’s hoping Scotland’s city of battered mars-bars can do a better job of containing those naughty athletes than Delhi’s drains could. Scotland finish in top ten Naomi Mills Commonwealth Games At the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this month, Kay Copland, of Aberdeen University, blasted her way to a gold medal. Copland was competing in the Women’s 50m rifle prone pair’s with her partner Jen McIntosh, also from the Aberdeen area. Kay is captain of the University Rifle Club’s small bore section and studies Music. Copland and McIntosh finished the event drawn with England’s team with 1169 points; however, they secured the gold by scoring a higher “x-ring” count. Speaking after the event Copland said; “The wind was tough and I was saved by my team-mate. I couldn’t get it right but we’ve won gold so it doesn’t matter.” The duo also managed to secure a bronze in the women’s 50m rifle 3 position pairs. Copland emphasised just how special this achievement was; “It is such an incredible achievement – it makes me very proud that a Sports Union member, a full time student and a club captain can strive to not only compete but succeed amongst the best.” She remained modest as well; “I try not to think about what’s going on and just shoot to the best of my ability.” Copland’s achievements are incredible and to think that a student has been able to go to New Delhi, claim Gold for Scotland and then return to carry on her studies is just remarkable. Congratulations Kay. Copland Shoots for Gold Drew Leitch President for Sport A quick word from the Sports President Ryan Ross Sports Editor Team Scotland: finished with an impressive medals tally

Gaudie 18th October 2010 Sport Sports Editor: Ryan Ross [email protected] Thirds rise to the challenge to claim draw against Seconds University Colts came close to pulling off a surprise victory over the strongly fancied Strollers in this pulsating encounter at Balgownie. Only an 89th minute equaliser from the impressive substitute Craig Dempster saved the Strollers from a shock defeat. In truth a draw was a fair result but the Strollers certainly left it late. It was cruel on the Colts who had controlled the first half and Captain Kenny Gilmour commented after the game that conceding the late goal ‘made the draw feel like a defeat.’ Gilmour was able to field a team that was almost unrecognisable from last season’s disappointing campaign and one or two of the new faces were hugely impressive – Ross Williams in particular put in a man of the match performance from the right hand side of midfield. Strollers’ Captain Fraser Bremner raised eyebrows by playing midfielder Kyle Thomson up front in a 3-5-2 formation and it has to be said that the gamble backfired as the Colts seized the initiative straight from kick off. It took them only two minutes to take the lead as they caught the Strollers cold. A long ball over the top of a static defence was collected by Williams who fired it through goalkeeper Ian Anderson’s legs. The Strollers looked shellshocked as their opponents celebrated. The match was always going to be fiercely competitive and a strong early challenge from Michael Higgins summed up the nature of the contest as the referee failed to exert his authority. The Strollers were struggling in the early part of the match as the Colts missed a couple of decent opportunities to extend their advantage. However against the run of play they managed to get themselves back on level terms. The ball broke to midfielder Ross McIntosh at the edge of the area who slotted it low beyond Colts ‘keeper Ronan Jackson-Platt to the delight of the home side. Determined not to let the goal affect an otherwise impressive performance, the Colts fought back and should have re-taken the lead when centre half Cahal Dignan missed with a free header from six yards. Despite missing that sitter, the Colts were looking dangerous and an excellent counter attack resulted in Josh Arthur putting them in the lead. Williams found Arthur with a superb long cross-field ball controlling it and rifled a shot past Anderson. Trailing at half-time, Bremner demanded an improved performance from the Strollers and he certainly got it. The second half belonged to the Strollers, as they dominated possession and probed for the equaliser. Meanwhile the Colts sat further and further back as they looked to preserve their lead and see out the game to record a famous win. It looked unlikely that the Strollers had the guile to find a way past a resolute Colts defence until the introduction of Dempster from the bench. He immediately fed a great through ball to Bremner who was guilty of a glaring miss when faced with the goalkeeper rushing out. High, wide and not so handsome from the Captain. The chances were coming thick and fast for the Strollers who had a shot cleared off the line by defender Matthew Main and a Higgins’ strike ruled out for offside. The pressure paid off late in the game when Dempster thundered a header back off the post before slamming the rebound past the despairing Jackson-Platt. The Strollers’ bench erupted and the relief was evident. With only minutes remaining the dejected Colts had to battle hard against a side now on the ascendancy and were no doubt relieved to hear the final whistle. Bremner acknowledged after the game that a draw was a fair result and declared himself content with the 2nd half efforts of his side. However, he expressed frustration at his team’s slow start and commented that ‘we can’t keep giving ourselves an uphill battle’. No doubt both the Strollers and the Colts will take positives from the match and look forward to their next fixtures against Glasgow 3rds and Stirling 3rds respectively. Calum Beattie Football Strollers (2nds) 2 Colts (3rds) 2 Whilst Aberdeen University’s second and third football teams were battling one another, the firsts were engaged in a five goal thriller away at Stirling, disappointingly finishing on the wrong side of a 3-2 score-line. They take on Edinburgh at Hillhead on Wednesday 20th October. Aberdeen University Men’s First Basketball team take on Stirling at Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV) on the same date as they look to get their first points of the season on the board. They lost their opening fixture, also a home tie, against Glasgow, 72-95. Men’s hockey firsts suffered a similar fate, losing 5-2 at home to an impressive Edinburgh side. They have a week off from the fixture list and will surely be looking to use the time as a chance to regroup before taking on Dundee in a week’s time. It wasn’t all doom and gloom though- The Women’s First football team are top of League 1A after gaining a point against Edinburgh in an exciting 3-3 encounter. They remain unbeaten after beating Dundee 2-1 in their first match. The women’s first hockey team scored an emphatic 5-0 victory over Edinburgh to get their season off to a flyer. Finally, the Men’s Male Table Tennis club continue to find life in league 1A difficult. They lost heavily for the second match running, 2-12 to Stirling. Round-up Won Drawn Lost Graph of the Fortnight Liverpool’s fortunes seem to go from bad to worse, compounded by a dismal 2-0 defeat to fierce rivals Everton last Sunday. This chart sums up their league season so far, in which they have lost 4 games, drawn 3, and won 1. Lost Drawn Won A brief look around the AU sports clubs... Closely fought: the Colts did their best to snatch a win but in the end couldn’t quite get ahead. Photo: Calum Beattie LINE UPS Strollers: Anderson, Ellis, Farrar, Higgins, White, Hogan, Johnson, MacIntosh, Ransley, Bremner, Thomson. Subs: paterson, Abadi, Dempster, Fruish Colts: Jackson-Platt, Cruickshank, Barnett, Dignan, Main, Gilmour, Williams, MeddSygrove, Delaney, Arthur, Sotil. Subs: Higgins, Thomson, Frepp, Mountford