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14 November 2014 thegryphon.co.uk

Jasmine AnderssonEditor-In-Chief

•Headingley Taps ‘trashed’ • ‘They act like they’re untouchable’

Members of Leeds University Union’sRugby Union society have taken part in acontroversial social that saw them causehavoc across the city.

An army gear-clad group of the so-ciety’s members took part in an OtleyRun on Wednesday night, which sawthem ‘cover’ the Headingley Taps in eggs,smash a window of Storm Jameson halls,and excrete in front of Charles Morris res-idences.

A manager of The Headingley Tapssaid: ‘They trashed the place.

‘They were fine when they were get-ting their drinks, but once they got whatthey wanted, they turned.

‘They began jumping up and downon furniture, and some tried to rip downour licensing signs. I told them off, andthey just ignored everything I said.

‘By the end of it, the walls were coat-ed in egg. They had thrown them. Thecartons were left on the floor for the staffto pick up.’

Concerned by the group’s behaviour,the public house rang other bars in thearea to warn them of their antics. TheOriginal Oak also served the societymembers, saying that they ‘did what theywanted.’

One staff member said: ’We’ve dealtwith their behaviour before, and we’re oneof the only places that will. They don’thave any common courtesy. They con-stantly try to urinate in our pint glasses,and leave us to clean it up. It’s beyond ajoke.

‘They act like they’re untouchable.No other society behaves like that here. Ihave not once heard them say thank you.They don’t understand that we’re actuallydoing them the favour.’

The sportsmen then proceeded to setoff several smoke bombs in DevonshireHalls, resulting in several fire alarms ring-ing around the site.

Devonshire’s warden, Darron Dix-on-Hardy, said:

‘The incident that happened was dealtwith by the duty Sub-Warden and NightPorters and I am acting on their reportsto ensure a proper investigation can takeplace and the correct action taken.’

Reportedly leaving a trail off eggs inthe Hyde Park corner area, the group lateremerged on campus, defecating in frontof Charles Morris Halls.

One member of the party then brokea window on the seventh floor of theStorm Jameson residences, leading himto sever his achilles tendon to the bone.The person in question is currently hos-

pitalised.Charles Morris Halls refused to

comment on the incident.The society is also under fire for their

recent conduct at Varsity, which saw somemembers throw drinks at international stu-dents as they tried to enter part of the sta-dium, leading them to run off after some ofthe group chanted ‘no girls allowed’.

It has been reported that the society’sbehaviour is under strict review. Allegedly,the group’s conduct will be reassessed overthe Christmas period.

Controversial rugby societysocial causes chaos

Photo: Anna Lawson

Storm Jameson HallsEXCLUSIVE

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Contents2

14.11.14

Tweet of the Week

Editor’s Letter

Editor-In-Chief ~ JasmineAndersson

Associate Editors ~ PhilMann, Ste Topping

News ~ Abla Klaa, CharlotteMason, Jake Hookem

Features ~ Ruby Lott-Lavinga, Brigitte Phillips

Comment & Debate~ Philipa Williams, EllaHealing

Science ~ Alice Hargreaves-Jones and Michael Owen

Sport ~ Adam LeRoux, PeterWhite, Alex Bowmer

Head of Photography ~Sam Broadley

Photographers ~ LucieEngland-Duce, AliceGreenfield, Will Stanley,Anne Wyman and SamLewis

Illustrator ~ Danny Wilson

Designers ~ Frazer Sparham,Ben Sandin and SophiaKossoski

With just six weeks left until Christmas, the an-nual showcase of cynical marketing has returned tothe nation’s television screens. From the same oldCoke ad to the Famous Grouse’s familiar strut, everycommercial break is now jam-packed full of giftideas and retailers’ pleas for the viewer’s custom.

John Lewis, the flag bearer for tear inducingcynicism, has gone down the same pulling-at-the-heartstrings route as usual with the story of ayoung boy and his favourite toy penguin, Monty.The penguin becomes lovesick - his jealous stareaimed at various couples enjoying the build up tothe holidays - and so the child receives a femalecompanion for his favourite toy on Christmas Day,Mable. Tears a-plenty follow for the viewer, and forthe unsuspecting real life parents too, who now facethe inevitable begging for a toy Monty/Mable/bothfor Christmas.

(Un)fortunately for them, John Lewis has goneall out in 2014 with an accompanying gift set, con-sisting of 41 Monty and Mable themed stocking fill-ers for the entire family. Cuddly penguins will setyou back at £35 each, and that’s before the twoare joined under the tree by the storybook Mon-ty’s Christmas (£8.99) and the pyjamas (from £16).That’s the kids’ christmas sorted then, but there’salso cufflinks, a onesie and slippers for the olderMonty fan in your life. Remarkably, John Lewis hascreated a money-sapping brand based on a televi-sion advert, just in time for another Christmas in theera of austerity.

Perhaps even more remarkable though is thatthis ploy isn’t the most grossly cynical advert on thebox this year. That accolade goes to Sainsbury’s.The supermarket giant is cashing in on the cente-nary of the First World War - a tragedy that endedthe lives and devastated the families of over 16 mil-lion soldiers - with its rendition of the 1914 Christ-mas Truce. The advert was made with the supportof the Royal Legion, a point made at the end of thethree minute epic, but it appears as an afterthoughtto prevent this type of criticism.

Rather than promoting peace or supporting ourtroops, the message is one about giving gifts (inthe ad, the British soldier donates his Sainsbury’sbranded chocolate bar to a German). The sentimentleaves a bad taste in the mouth - one worse thanown-brand confectionary - as the viewer realisesthe purpose of the advert is the same as any other.It seems the cynical marketing bandwagon has nolimits, and companies will use any tool possible toget customers to part with their cash at this timeof year.

Ste ToppingAssociate Editor

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-Charlie Webster, TVpresenter, on resigning as

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Photo of the Week - Sam BroadleyThe University of Leeds commemorates its former students who lost

their lives fighting for their country.

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

News 3

Stephen Sutton honoured by Coven-try

Teenage cancer fundraiser StephenSutton is to be awarded an honorary degreeby Coventry University.

The 19-year-old student, who died fromcancer in May, raised over £5m for TeenageCancer Trust.

The award recognises his outstand-ing contribution to highlighting cancer inyoung people. Stephen’s mother Jane col-lected an MBE on his behalf this week.

Charlotte Mason

Aberdeen to buy castle for homeless

Students at Aberdeen University havelaunched a campaign to buy a £6mmansion to house asylum seekers.

They argue that the 38-bedroomScottish castle should not ‘become anoth-er playground for the mega rich’ and theywant to see the building go to good use.

The group hopes to raise the moneyon a crowdfunding site by Christmas.

Charlotte Wilson

Harvard secretly photograph students

Harvard University is facing backlashafter secretly photographing students inlectures.

The footage was taken as part of anexperiment to measure attendance. Re-searchers did not inform staff and stu-dents, claiming this would have causedbiased results. Harvard professor HarryLake said it should not have been donewithout the consent of students.

Charlotte Wilson

Topshop mannequins criticised

A Hull University student sparked aTwitter campaign calling on Topshopto use more diverse mannequins.

Becky Hopper posted a photo,which has been re-tweeted over 10,000times, comparing the legs of her sizeten friend to those of a supposedly sizeten Topshop mannequin. The photowas accompanied by the hashtags of#poorbodyimage and #irresponsible.

Elli Pugh

Campus Watch News from campuses around the world

Students in the Edward Boyle Librarywere disrupted by a water leak last Fri-day.

The water damage occurred ataround 1:30pm on Friday 7th November,near the lifts on the first floor level, level10.

A student using the library at thetime described witnessing a ‘large gushof water which came pouring from theceiling, just above the lifts’.

Library staff hurried to fetch bucketsand anything capable of containing the‘heavy flow’ of water.

Suhail Dhanji

Eddy B takes a leakMore than fifty brainboxes have gone

head to head for the change to representLeeds in the next series of UniversityChallenge.

Students were questioned on subjectsas diverse as chemistry, politics and an-cient mythology.

First-year Philosophy student MaddyWatt said, ‘The tryouts were really inter-esting and a lot more relaxed than I orig-inally thought. The questions were hardbut that was to be expected’.

Union Affairs Officer Bradley Escor-cio told The Gryphon, ‘It’s great to see so

many students jumping at the chance torepresent Leeds on the UK’s biggest quizshow. It will be a tough job narrowingthem down to the final team but I’m ex-cited to see how far they go in the com-petition!”

The highest scoring five will go to thesecond round likely to be held next week.It is hoped they will then be invited toaudition for the TV show.

Leeds last appeared on the academicquiz show in 2011.

The forty-fourth series of UniversityChallenge will air next April on BBC Two.

Valeria Popa

University Challenged

Dapper Laughs pulled

Leeds University Union’s Socialist Stu-dents found themselves at the forefrontof popular opinion as it was announcedthat the UK Tour of ITV2’s controversialpresenter, Daniel O’Reilly, has been can-celled.

Mary Finch, the coordinator of theRape Is No Joke Campaign started anonline petition earlier this week, ask-ing the O2 Academy in Leeds to cancelO’Reilly’s upcoming stand up show ‘TheFull Length Tour’, which was due to takeplace in February of next year. This is onthe back of Mr. O’Reilly’s controversialITV dating advice show ‘Dapper Laughs:

On The Pull’, which was said to trivialiserape.

The petition, which had already ac-cumulated over 80 signatures before theofficial nationwide cancellation was an-nounced, argued that O’Reilly’s TV show‘featured him sexually harassing wom-en in public, as if this is acceptable, andeven funny’.

The news comes just days after Car-diff University’s Student Union becamethe first venue to ban the controversialITV personality, after a petition was setup in response to his derogative attitudetowards women and accusations of glo-rifying rape.

Mr O’Reilly appeared on Newsnight toapologise for his actions on the show, cit-ing that his ‘attempt to push the bound-aries’ and he got ‘carried away’.

Jasmine AnderssonEditor-in-ChiefGreg Whitaker

Online News EditorIzzy Bourne, 19, a first-year Fashion

Design student, witnessed the leak whilstin the library and recalled the staff ‘rush-ing about, trying to find anything to holdthe water in.’

The leak was caused by a damagedcistern in one of the toilets. It was fixedwithin an hour of being reported.

A University spokesperson told TheGryphon,

‘Apologies to those students whosework was interrupted by the leak in theEdward Boyle Library. The incident wascaused by a problem with the plumbing,but this has now been rectified.’

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

News4

David Miller caseclosed in Thailand

British detectives investigating the mur-der of Leeds student David Miller andfriend Hannah Witheridge in Thailandare to return to the UK, having complet-ed their work ‘as far as possible’.Police flew out last month followingconcerns about Thai authorities’ han-dling of the case.David Miller, a Civil Engineering studentat the University, and Ms Witheridgewere found dead on the Thai island ofKoh Tao in September. A post-mortemexamination found they had died fromhead wounds, with Mr Miller also having

suffered drowning.It is thought Metropolitan Police officerswere concerned about the verification ofDNA evidence of suspects and allega-tions of mistreatment.A Metropolitan Police report said, ‘De-tectives from the UK who are currentlyin Thailand reviewing the investigationinto the murders of Hannah Witheridgeand David Miller have completed theirwork, as far as possible.’‘They will now be returning to the UK tocompile their findings. The police teamwish to thank the Thai authorities forfacilitating the visit’.Two Burmese migrant workers allegedlyconfessed to the killings, although Thaipolice have denied rumours that themen have since withdrawn their confes-sions. They could face the death penaltyif found guilty.Officers will now compile a report intotheir review of the case.

Emily Willson

Undergraduatesuccess rate rises

Victoria’s Secretpetition goes global

Lecturers risk paycuts over boycott

A campaign led by three Leeds stu-dents against Victoria’s Secret’s contro-versial advert ‘The Perfect Body’ has at-tracted global media recognition since itsstart up last month.

Students Frances Black, GabriellaKountourides and Laura Ferris formeda petition calling on the world’s leadinglingerie brand ‘to apologise and take re-sponsibility for its unhealthy and damag-ing message’. The petition has success-fully amassed over 32,000 signaturesworldwide since.

The campaign’s success has drawnmuch attention to debates around wom-en’s image and gained coverage from

international medias such as France24and US Today.

In an update to the petition site, thestudents wrote, ‘Victoria’s Secret havechanged the wording on their websitefrom ‘The Perfect ‘Body’’ to ‘A Body ForEvery Body’. This is amazing news! Wewere not notified by Victoria’s Secret orthe press about this, we found it out our-selves.’

Despite this, Victoria’s Secret havenot contacted the students or issued anapology. Frances Black said, ‘We find thisdisappointing and (personally) I think it’srather shameful and embarrassing of VSto not engage with a topic that has hadso much world wide press coverage andsupport’.

© Frances Black

Abla KlaaNews Editor

Undergraduates are performing betterin their degrees than recent alumni.

The percentage of students achiev-ing a first-class degree has risen steadilyfrom 15% to 22% over the past five years.

Students who graduated this yearachieved more First and 2:1 degrees onaverage than five years ago. The numberof Thirds has also fallen.

A Freedom of Information Request byThe Gryphon found that the percentageof students achieving a first-class degreehas risen steadily from 15% to 22% over

the past five years.Over 58% of students graduated with

a 2:1 this year, the highest percentage inrecent times. Less than 1% of studentsachieved a Third.

It is thought the changes reflect a na-tional improvement in degree classifica-tion, as Russell Group universities such asLeeds aim to recruit students with higherA-level grades.

The Higher Education StatisticsAgency claims that the number of stu-dents achieving a first-class degree hasrisen from 11% in 2005/6 to 19% last year.

Charlotte MasonNews Editor

The University has warned lecturerstaking part in the ongoing marking boy-cott that they could face pay deductions,as industrial action against proposedpension cuts continues.

Staff and employers have failed toreach an agreement since discussionsbegan last Thursday.

President of Leeds University’s Uni-versity and College Union (UCU) MarkTaylor-Batty told The Gryphon, ‘TheUniversity has threatened to remove25% of the salary of any member ofstaff participating in the boycott, whichmembers of staff are seeing as a puni-tive measure’.

In a statement, a University spokes-person said, ‘Any decision on pay de-duction will be informed by the impactof the industrial action on the work ofthe University, in particular its impact onstudents. We are keeping the positionunder review, but we hope that we won’t

need to deduct pay.The news comes as several universi-

ties across the country threaten to dockthe pay of staff taking part in industrialaction, some up to 100%.

Members have agreed to move toa new, proposed scheme on the condi-tion that staff receive a more generousmonthly benefit after retirement. Howev-er, tensions continue as employers wantto impose a salary cap on this allowance.

It was confirmed this week that De-cember graduations should proceedas planned, despite UCU claims that‘thousands of submitted essays are nowstalled’.

The University statement concluded,‘We are monitoring the impact of theaction closely and will intervene as nec-essary to protect student interests and tomaintain our reputation for high stand-ards in student education’.

Charlotte MasonNews Editor

© YEP

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

News 5

Charlotte MasonNews Editor

Dentist investigated over student death

Sex attack suspectrevealed on CCTV

Police are investigating whether aLeeds graduate who died last year wasthe victim of a dentist now suspended forallegedly breaching hygiene standards.

Amy Duffield died in August lastyear, the same month she received treat-ment from Desmond D’Mello at his dentalpractice in Nottingham.

Around 22,000 former patients of MrD’Mello have been advised to take bloodtests for HIV and hepatitis because thealleged lack of hygiene may put them atrisk of infection. It is said to be the big-gest NHS patient recall in history.

The General Dental Council is look-ing into claims by a whistle-blower whosecretly recorded apparent medical mal-practice. The footage is believed to show

Mr D’Mello failing to wash his hands be-tween patients, reusing disposable glovesand failing to sterilise equipment.

A spokesperson for NottinghamshirePolice said, ‘We are making further en-quiries, on behalf of the Coroner, intothe death of a woman in August 2013.The 23-year-old had received treatmentat the former Daybrook Dental Surgeryearlier that month. Detectives are nowworking to establish if there are any linksbetween the death and the dental treat-ment she received’.

Former Leeds student Amy Duffieldwas admitted to hospital with flu-likesymptoms and heart palpitations in Au-gust 2013. She later died of viral acutemyocarditis.

Amy had recently graduated in Inter-national Relations from the University.

Police have conducted enquiries into

the death of another woman who alsodied in August last year after visiting MrD’Mello’s surgery. No evidence was foundwhich related her death to the treatmentshe received there.

A Care Quality Commission inspec-tion in July, which was prompted by thewhistle-blower’s footage, found that MrD’Mello also stored equipment in a stafftoilet.

The report said, ‘This posed a riskof these items coming into contact withbody fluids which may be contaminated.This risk had not been identified by staffat the dental surgery and no action hadbeen taken to minimise it’.

Questions are now being asked as towhy authorities took four months to acton the inspection’s findings.

In a statement, Amy’s mother Sharonsaid, ‘I have nothing but admiration

for the superb care given to Amy bythe NHS in the last days of her life. Theydid their very best to save her, but itwasn’t to be. We will of course be inter-ested in the findings of the investigation,whatever the outcome, but it won’t bringAmy back’.

Desmond D’Mello has been suspendedfor 18 months while a full investigationtakes places into the allegations.

An investigation has been launchedinto the serious sexual assault of a stu-dent who was targeted after a night-outin the Union last Friday.

Police have released CCTV images oftwo men they want to trace in connectionwith the incident, which took place in ahouse in the local area.

The 19-year-old woman had met themen in the Union after becoming sepa-rated from friends in the early hours ofSaturday morning. The three went to anearby house, where she was subjected

to a serious sexual assault.Detective Constable Tony Thewlis

of Leeds District CID, said, ‘We urgentlyneed to identify these men and I wouldurge anyone who recognises them to con-tact us immediately’.

A Union spokesperson said theyhoped someone would recognise one ofthe man from his distinctive t-shirt print-ed with the words ‘Brooklyn’.

The Union has not been able to dis-close further details about the incident asan investigation is ongoing.

Officers are urging anyone with infor-mation to contact DC Thewlis at EllandRoad via 101 or call Crimestoppers anon-ymously on 0800 555 111.

Charlotte MasonNews Editor

The Union has agreed to support con-cerns that the trolleybus scheme ‘couldmake cycling in Leeds dangerous’.

A Better Union forum last monthpledged to back opposition from theLeeds Cycling Campaign on the groundsthat the project does not take cyclists’needs into account. A public inquiry intothe proposed £250m trolley bus schemeended this fortnight.

Speaking to The Gryphon, the Un-ion’s Community Officer George Bradleyexplained, ‘If the scheme is put in place,the Leeds Cycling campaign thinks thatcycling sharing a bus lane would be moredangerous than what’s currently in place’.

However, the Union has no officialstance on the project and will ‘lobby toget the best deal for students’.

If approved, a segregated roadwaywould be built to accommodate the to-tal nine miles of track along Otley Road,joining the city centre to Headingley andleading to a park-and-ride site at Bod-ington.

Leeds City Council claims the trol-ley-bus scheme would reduce journeytimes, support the local economy and

provide a quieter alternative to otherforms of transport.

However, Leeds Cycling Campaigntold the recent inquiry, ‘Not all cyclistswill be happy sharing their space withNGT, which will be a very quiet articu-lated vehicle’.

The Campaign added that the trolley-bus may block an access lane to Moor-land Road and Woodhouse Moor, withstudents cycling to and from Universityrequired to use an alternative route forturning manoeuvres.

Leeds City Council spokesperson Col-in Dickson told this newspaper, ‘Wherecyclists will share lane with NGT and/or buses, the lanes are designed to beat least 4.2m wide. This width is suffi-cient to allow vehicles to overtake cyclistswithout passing into other lanes’.

Second-year French and German stu-dent Emily Bagshaw said, ‘As a cyclist, Iwould feel intimidated if I had to share abus lane’.

A Union statement described the pro-ject as ‘one of the biggest changes totransport Leeds will see in coming years’.

The trolleybus scheme has now beenput forward for consideration by thetransport secretary. If approved, con-struction is due to begin February 2017.

Emily WillsonCharlotte Mason

News Editor

Trolleybus could ‘makecycling dangerous’

© Telegraph

©WYP

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

News6

The Digest.Breaking down the stories that matter.

Arrests made over plot to kill Queen

Four men have been arrested for in-volvement in an alleged terror plot to killthe Queen. Officers believed the menplanned to attack the 88-year-old mon-arch on Remembrance Sunday when sheappeared at the Albert Hall. Last Friday,counter-terror police detained the men,aged between 19 and 27.

The conspiracy was reportedly uncov-ered following suspicions raised duringroutine surveillance. Earlier this month,senior MPs and police officers said therewas likely to be increased security at theRemembrance Sunday commemorationsamidst fears of a terror attack on Britishsoil.

Emily Willson

Cameron backs EU referendum plan

Prime Minister David Cameron haspledged to continue with plans for an EUreferendum, rejecting claims that a votewould harm the UK economy. At a recentconference, Cameron announced plans tosecure investment in the British economy,despite fears a referendum would be badfor business. He also said he would tight-en immigration controls. It is feared thatthe prospect of a referendum could detercompanies from seeking to expand. BothDeputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg andLabour leader Ed Miliband argued thatthe UK would be better off remaining inthe European Union. A referendum is dueto take place in 2017.

Emily Willson

Kidnapping of students lead to riots

Members of a drug gang responsi-ble for the kidnapping of 43 students inIguala, Mexico have allegedly admittedto killing dozens of students ,accordingto reports. Outrage has erupted acrossthe country following allegations of thetown’s Mayor Jose Luis Abarca links toorganized crime.

It is believed that four Leeds stu-dents are currently on their year abroadin Mexico.. The University told TheGryphon, ‘We are in contact with theinstitutions and will, of course, be indirect contact with our students shouldthe situation develop further.’

Abla Klaa

Life for pupil who murdered teacher

Sixteen-year-old Will Cornick hasbeen handed a life sentence for themurder of his teacher Ann Maguire inLeeds. The student admitted stabbingher seven times in the back and neckat Corpus Christi Catholic College inApril. The court heard that the teen-ager, who was 15 at the time, killedMrs Maguire before returning to hisseat and commenting, ‘good times’.He must serve at least twenty yearsin prison. The judge chose to waiveCornick’s previous right to anonymitydue to his age, stating that it was inthe public interest for his identity to berevealed.

Emily Willson

Jasmine Andersson ©12th November 2014Memorial Service for Trisha Lad

Students gathered in memory of TrishaLad, second-year Biochemistry stu-dent at Leeds who died tragically lastmonth. The service in the Union foyerwas led by Leeds University ChaplainRev’d Kim Chan.

©Radio Sweden©theguardian ©nydailynews©HuffingtonPost

©Sam Broadley

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

News 7

Why are you running to be anMP?

It’s been in the back of my mindfor a long time. Having been interestedin politics since a young age, it’s notnecessarily a big change for me. Peoplemay be surprised but I think as alecturer, you have to be comfortabletalking to a big room of people andbeing the centre of attention so I thinkthere are some skills that I can transferto being a politician. People enteringParliament are getting younger andyounger so if I’m going to do it, then Ishould go for it this time and see whathappens!

“I want a fair societywhere there’s an equalopportunity for people toget on in life, no matterwhat their background is”

Do you have any experience inpolitics?

When I was at Liverpool University,I was a member of Labour students

and we helped on the successful Wirralsouth by-election. The party after wasso exhilarating that I kind of caughtthe bug! Apart from a five-year breakworking in Canada, I’ve been a Labourmember since I was fifteen. I’m runningfor Shipley because I know it reasonablywell, and I feel that it’s quite a winnableseat. If I don’t get elected, I think I wouldprobably want to stand again in 2020.

What do your students thinkabout you running?

I don’t think many of them knowyet! I hope they’d be please thatsomeone in a relatively normal jobis running, as far as being a sciencelecturer can be classed as a normal job! Ifeel that you don’t need to be a solicitoror a trade unionist or labour partyofficial to become an MP.

How will your background inscience help you as an MP?

It depends on whether I get elected!But during the campaign, I will focuson the NHS and how it shouldn’t facefurther privatisation. If I enteredParliament, I would focus a lot onscience. I think a lot of MPs have to

vote on scientific issues such as frackingwithout having any prior knowledge andscience is entering public debate a lotmore, especially around health. I’d alsospeak up for more money for research,especially in the north.

“The parties often tendto have very conventional

ways of doing thingsthat... it can all be quite

boring”

What do you make of the currentrelationship between politics andstudents?

People aren’t really members ofpolitical parties any more, not in thenumbers they used to be. It’s tendedto become the people who are reallyinterested in politics who still join,rather than becoming a normal thingthat a lot of people do. I think partof it is the parties often tend to havevery conventional ways of doing thingsthat aren’t all attractive to people. Itcan all be quite boring. When I was astudent, there was political apathy and itcertainly wasn’t cool to be a member ofa mainstream political party like Labour.However, the Scottish referendum

showed that if there’s an issue thatreally engages people, then different agegroups get involved and they’ll vote.

What do you think are themain issues facing students at themoment?

At the moment, it’s not clear whatLabour’s policy is. Ed Miliband hastalked about a graduate tax but there’sno official announcement. The Lib Demspromised they would scrap tuition feesand they’ve gone up so they’ve lost theircredibility. I would say that you cannottrust the Lib Dems as they let you downlast time though.

How are you planning to attractvoters?

I’d ask them what kind of countrythey want to live in - do you want fairtaxes and investment in public servicesor do you want to live in a countrywhere there are tax cuts for the richestand cuts in public services? I wanta fair society where there’s an equalopportunity for people to get on in life,no matter what their background is.

The Gryphon spoke to Pharmacology lecturer, Dr Steve Clapcote who is campaigning tobecome MP for Shipley

Lecturer to MP: ‘It’s been at the back of my mindfor a long time’

Hugh Baillie-Lane

©Charlotte Mason

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

8 Features

Loren Snel

For many Dutch Antillean or Surinamese people, theDutch holiday of St Nicholas can be problematic. Asevery school, retailer, and television channel indulges inthe festivities, you will find St Nicholas and Black Peteeverywhere. Any parents or children wishing to avoidthe tradition, wishing to escape it, will surely fail.

Black Pete features heavily in the ‘Entry of StNicholas’, a festival occuring in Mid November, whichfeatures Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) and his variousPetes arriving into town on a boat, and then paradingthrough the streets giving candy to children. The entryof St Nicholas’ signifies the day he arrives by boat fromSpain together with his Black Petes. Every Black Petehas a certain ‘characteristic’, with Petes such as PresentsPete, Finding The Way Pete, and Reading Pete.

Dutch author Robert Vuijsje told newspaper Trouwabout how he asked his only black primary schoolclassmate whether he had been called Black Pete andwhat he thought about the festival of St Nicholas. Theanswer was negative. ‘I was bullied at school,’ saida participant in a Black Pete survey performed bynews service Een Vandaag, ‘I was called Black Peteand slave. No one showed any understanding when Iobjected.’

Comedian Quinsy Gario also mentioned on hisTumblr about his mother being greeted at work with‘we wondered where our Black Pete was hiding’. It isthese remarks and incidents that makes the festival ofSt Nicholas not a holiday but a horror to many.Gariowas a salient instigator of the anti-Black Pete cam-paigns that sparked the current national debate.

Accusations regarding the holiday’s racist charac-ter and reference to the Dutch slave trade are howevernot new. In 1982, as a response to the addition of redlips and golden earrings to the look of Black Pete, theDutch Surinam community began campaigning for aSinterklaas celebration without reference to slavery. In2011, Gario demonstrated against the holiday duringthe entry of St Nicholas in Dordrecht, wearing a t-shirtreading ‘Zwarte Pete is Racisme’ (Black Pete is rac-ism). His campaign attracted many followers, includingDutch celebrities, with many of them now wearing hist-shirt.

Black Pete was also met with an international slat-ing. Last year, UN officer Verene Sheperd labelled thetradition as a return to slavery. A UN investigation intothe nature of the holiday in July of this year deemedthe festival of St Nicholas racist, outdated, and recom-mended that Dutch education had to actively pursueteaching the Dutch colonial history. ‘Ignorance feeds

hate, we have seen that in the past,’ said Shepherd.2014 seems to have gone down as the most suc-

cessful year for the Black Pete opposition. Official planshave been made to change Black Pete’s skin into avariety of bright colours, and to modify his subservi-ent character as well as the lyrics of some traditionalSinterklaas songs. Yet ignorance, or whatever otherforces are at work, does indeed seem to be feedinghate. Many Dutch people object to the ‘slander’ of theirtradition. ‘It knows such a long history after all,’ said anolder woman to Een Vandaag upon hearing that theDutch supermarket Albert Heijn would remove BlackPete from their televisionadverts, ‘People from out-side shouldn’t be botheredby it.’

According to a surveyby Een Vandaag in which28,000 people participated,83% of the Dutch are opposed to changing Black Pete’slooks. For many Dutch people, Black Pete has nothingto do with racism, and is instead a beloved children’scharacter. ‘Why would you remove such a piece ofcultural heritage?’ asks one woman to Een Vandaag.To fight its removal, the festival of St Nicholas has been

placed on the National Inventory Intellectual CulturalHeritage. ‘We want to prove Black Pete is not a stere-otype in its current form,’ said a spokesperson of theDutch Centre of Culture and Intellectual Heritage, ‘Plac-ing it on the Inventory is a supporting argument to us’.

An argument put forward by lawyer Jan Visser innewspaper de Volkskrant stated that the Black Petedebate is encouraging racism rather than fighting it.‘If Black Pete were prohibited, it would make sense forthe vast majority of Dutch people who have no prob-lem whatsoever with the tradition to once again turnagainst the Dutch people of colour,’ said Visser, a state-

ment which insultedDutch ethnic minori-ties, and ignored themany of them whodo not find Black Peteoffensive. Visser saidit would mean no

Dutch person would be able to look at a Surinameseperson and not think of how they ‘ruined the party’.

Vuijsje compares the Black Pete struggle with anunhealthy relationship. ‘A wife asking her husband tostop doing something because it hurts, and her hus-band answers by saying “What I do is not hurting you

Zwarte Piet: Santa’s Dutch, Black SlavesThe Dutch national holiday Sinterklaas is now under international scrutiny. St Nicholas, an oldwhite saint who hands out presents, has a servant by the name of Zwarte Piet. Despite obviousconnotations with the slave trade, many traditionalists are striving to keep the character alive.The Gryphon examines the controversy of ‘Black Pete’ in a multicultural Netherlands.

Quinsy Gario and Kno’ledge Cesare wearing a T-shirt with ‘Zwarte Piet is racism’

Ignorance feeds hate, we haveseen that in the past

Tumblr: Zwarte Piet Is Racisme ©

“““Ignorance feeds hate, we have

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Features 9

and I don’t care what you think of it, Iwill continue”’; an analogy that seemsapt in light of other Dutch racial issues.When the Dutch version of chocolatemarshmallows known as Negerzoenen(negro kisses) was rebranded Kisses.Manyobjected,sayingthere wasno offensein an oldconfection-ary name.WhenDutchglossymagazine Jackie described pop star Ri-hanna’s style as ‘Niggabitch’, the formalapology stated that it had been ‘a badjoke’ and that the magazine had meantno harm.

Luckily, a growing 13% of main-ly young and highly educated Dutchpeople understand the offence andwould like to make a change to theappearance of the Black Pete character.

Popular Dutch website Geen Stijl wrotean article titled ‘Of Course Black Peteis Racism’, and many Dutch journalistsand politicians have openly supportedchange. The official entry of St Nicholasin Gouda will feature both Cheese and

Cookie Petes.Vuijsje is

hopeful andbelieves thatthe Dutchpeople are atthe brink of amonumentalturn in Dutchhistory. ‘Forthe first time,

white Dutch people realise they live ina country with fellow countrymen whocome from a different background, whohave different opinions and feelings andlook at things in a completely differentway.’ After talking to his former class-mate, Vuijsje realised that it was not theway he experienced certain things thatmatters, but the way that black peopledo.

I was bullied at school. I wascalled Black Pete and slave.No one showed any under-standing when I objected

Wikimedia Commons ©

A Brief History of Zwarte Piet

1850Teacher Jan Schenkman (1806-1863) creates BlackPete, a black young man and squire-like assistantof St Nicholas. Before this time, St Nicholas wascelebrated without him.

Black Pete is now being referred to as Peter andlooks older.

Initially Black Pete is not portrayed as child friendly.He owns a birch rod and threatens to stuff naughtychildren in his gunny sack.

St Nicholas still has only one squire. Black Pete stillowns a rod, but also hands out candy to children.He does not have an afro nor golden earrings.

During the first official entry of St Nicholas, sixSpanish nobleman and six Black Petes are presenton the steamship. In reality, the Black Pete men areSurinamese sailors from another ship in the sameharbour. The story goes that they were cold andasked St Nicholas whether they could join in on theentry. Ever since St Nicholas has had multiple BlackPetes.

Mid-twentieth century, Black Pete‘s angry dis-position disappears and he gradually becomes achild-lover. Scaring children was considered irre-sponsible from an educational point of view. BlackPete becomes a funny and happy servant. He owna gunny sack, but is filled with candy. Some ofthem now have afros.

In the 80s, Black Pete’s way of dressing becomesmore vibrant. Some of them wear golden earringsand red lipstick. The Dutch-Surinam communitycriticise the celebrations for its ‘racist characteristics’.The community starts campaigning for a St Nicho-las celebration without Black Pete.

St Nicholas now owns a huge number of BlackPetes. A lot of them have their own separate tasks.There is a Buying Pete, a Warehouse Pete, a Wrap-ping Pete, a Show the way Pete and a Head Pete.Their looks remain the same.

Comedian Quinsy Gario demonstrates against thewhat he considers racist character of Black Peteduring the entry of St Nicholas in the town of Dor-drecht.

VN-researcher Verene Sheperd calls Black Peteracist. Because of this, the Black Petes do not weargolden earrings anymore, as they would refer to theslave trade.

The mayor of Amsterdam announces more changesto the look of Black Pete. A quarter of them willbe white with soot-stained cheeks. His subservientcharacter changes; he will be a ‘CEO’ to St Nicho-las. During the entry in Gouda there will be eightCheese- and Cookie Petes.

1859

1885

1930

1934

1949

1982

2004

2011

2013

2014

““

standing when I objected““I was bullied at school. I was

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Features10

‘And you’re going to do it for the rest ofyour life?’ asked my friend.

‘What?’ I said, slightly baffled.

‘You’re going to be a vegetarian for therest of your life?’ he said.

‘I hope so. That’s all I can hope for, isn’tit?’

The rest of my life seemed like a verylong time.

Stoic and assured that givingup meat was the right option fora multitude of reasons, the entirejourney began on a less moralis-tic note. When my Head of Yearwielded a notepad to collate yetanother meal list for the prom, hestarted asking if I had any ‘funny’dietary requirements. Funny satoddly with me. Spending my teenlife as an awkward and ganglyindividual operating in a sportscollege with the worst GCSE PEgrade the school had ever had,laughs came my way more oftenthan most. It was with that inmind that I decided to be abso-lutely hilarious and inform himthat I was a vegetarian.

In reality, there were severalvalid reasons to stop eating meat.As someone who would never beprepared to slaughter an innocentcreature, it was somewhat hypocriticalof me to purchase beef mince in a nicelypackaged tray without thinking of the

consequences. Over 56 billion farmedanimals are killed every year by humans.More than 3,000 animals die every sec-

ond in slaughterhouses around the world.These figures do not even include fishand other sea creatures whose deathsare so great they are only measuredin tonnes. These statistics alone wouldmake the most hardened carnivore curlup in a ball, never mind a character whocries at some of the more petty theftsdisplayed on Crimewatch. Although I feltpowerless in the face of such a system-atic operation of brutality, I was assuredthat at least I was doing my part in say-

ing no to something that was so oddlystatus-quo.

Midnight visits to the fridge were notmade. Drunken kebab stopouts were notmy thing. Gelatine was a dour note on asweet packet, and even certain tooth-pastes had to be avoided. Everything andanything contained an element of meat.Relatives would buy me leather satchelsfor Christmas. I had an existential crisiswhen an ex-boyfriend bought me myfirst pair of Dr Martens. Others wouldforget to mention goose-fat swimmingpotatoes that they were feeding me, andone friend thought it would be hilariousto throw a piece of meat at me everytime we went in for our weekly Subwaylunch. I slowly began to ascertain thatbeing a vegetarian itself wasn’t exhaust-ing - it was the attitudes that came withit.

Although it can veer into the anecdo-tal, it is worth noting the social pressuresof opting to be just that little bit ‘funny’.Adam Richardson of 8 Out Of Ten Catsfame once said, ‘Yeah I’m a vegetarian.People don’t like it. Do you know why?Because people think that being moral isa way of saying that you’re better thanthem.’ Every single day, without fail,someone had something to say about adecision that was made by me, for me.Endless ‘jokes’ became echo chambers

of eyeball rolling, passing my ear, neverto be processed. ‘Ethical reasons’ becamea precursor to an essay for every keenpasserby who wanted to know a littlebit more about the person who said noto the bacon, regardless of my apparentsocial behaviours that said there couldn’tbe anything less I wanted to talk about.

The end came in an effete combo:exhaustion, popular opinion and exis-tential apathy. I am incredibly irritat-ed by the fact that I was an anaemicvegetarian. Every single time I informedsomeone that I was tired -- and I spentseven years of my life being tired -- Ifelt that biology had reigned triumphant,claiming me for instincts that my sicklyconstitution failed to properly handle.After taking the most perverted graduateoption available and campaigning to beEditor of this beloved newspaper, I found

myself with a chicken salad meal dealin my hands three times during the fierytorrents of campaigning. I never oncemade it to the till. The sentiment alonewas enough.

Once these sentiments were consoli-dated with graduate life, I found myselfentering a zone in which consistency ofany kind was a mere byline in an oldyearbook. As friends come and go, citieschange, and the people you love moveaway, an arduous transitional process

is made that meansthat sometimes, youjust have to be a littlebit less hard on your-self. Lost in the gulf ofthe process known as‘growing up’, testing thewaters became an affairof self-affirmation; aquest to track downwhat pieces of yourselfreally are relevant.

So, if you ask mewhether I’m going toeat meat for the restof my life, the answeris uncertain as the oneabove. Attaching our-selves to an ideology isan impressive feat thattakes courage and con-viction, and we shouldaim to support what webelieve is right. However,sometimes it is okay to

test the waters. Humans are humans, notbastions of ideology. This period, that

I’m living in, right now, is just made thatlittle bit easier through the presence ofbacon and chorizo wrapped dates.

We meat again: vague-etarianismEditor Jasmine Andersson talks returning to meat after seven years of being a staunch veggie

I had an existen-

tial crisis when an

ex-boyfriend bought

me my first pair of

Dr Martens

I slowly began toascertain that beinga vegetarian itself

wasn’t exhausting -it was the attitudesthat came with it

““I slowly began to ““

that came with it

“““I had an existen-

The Simpsons ©The Simpsons ©

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Comment 11

sponsible for her own actions, and alsothe safety of her unborn child, then bydrinking and harming her baby, shehas, in effect, failed.

However, it is arguable that she can-not be attributed full responsibility forher actions if she was suffering from al-coholism. This, then, raises the question:who exactly is responsible?

The foetus itself has no legal rightsas it cannot survive independently ofthe mother. Once the baby is born, how-ever, it gains legal status as a person. A

baby can be taken away from an alco-holic mother’s care, but a foetus cannotbe removed from an alcoholic mother’swomb. As the state has no power to

“”Comment

Alcoholic mothers need help, not prison

US midterm electionsDaniel Levy investigates what themidterm elections will mean forObama’s government

Foetal Alcohol SyndromeSamuel Lewis looks at whyalcoholic mothers should be givenhelp, not a prison sentence

Dapper LaughsEleanor Pugh discusses why DapperLaughs represents the growing UK‘lad’ culture

The responsibility of a motherfor her unborn child seemsto be an undisputed fact in

our society, and, recently, a question hasbeen posed as to whether the mother ofa child born with Foetal Alcohol Syn-drome (FAS) can be punished by law forexcessive alcohol intake whilst pregnant.The child in the case is now aged sevenand living with a foster family, and themother accused of a ‘crime of violence’in court, for drinking up to ‘half a bottleof Vodka and eight cans of strong lagera day’ whilst pregnant.

The idea that ‘if you drink, yourbaby drinks’ is extremely emotive. Theamount of alcohol consumed by themother in this case is certainly shock-ing. However, building a legal case toprosecute her for her actions is not pro-ductive - the mother had for a long timesuffered from alcoholism, something weaccept as a disease, an addiction. Thison its own is generally looked upon withsympathy and compassion, and is alsogenerally thought that the addict is ulti-mately only hurting themselves. This israrely the case.

Alcohol is, of course, a drug, anddependence upon it should not beviewed any differently to any other formof drug addiction. In this instance, sym-pathy is being drawn away from themother, who normally would be seen asa victim, due to the fact that she waspregnant.

The responsibility that society attrib-utes to mothers for their own child, par-ticularly when in the womb, is thoughtof as a sort of common sense. It seemsbeyond doubt that the pregnant motheris ultimately responsible for the child’swell-being- this appears to be the basisof the prosecution. If the mother is re-

help the baby before it is born, the sug-gested solution to this in this case is tocriminalise drinking whilst pregnant- ifthis were so, we are essentially accept-ing a dual responsibility for unborn foe-tuses between the state and the parent,with the judgement of the state able tooverride the judgement of the mother.

This is why bringing the law intothis matter is so complex, messy and,ultimately, not the answer. Of course itis evocative to demand justice for thechild, and to assure that no child needsto be born with FAS. It is another thingto suggest that pregnant women havedifferent and diminished rights to otherpeople; rights that can be so easily over-ruled by the state.

It would seem backwards and un-necessarily punitive to prosecute some-one for being an alcoholic in any othercircumstance. This case seems to giverise to a snowball of consequences. Ifwe can prosecute for harm done to achild before it is born, what does that

mean for abortion laws? If we can pros-ecute a person for having a disease likealcoholism, do we then have grounds toprosecute someone for becoming preg-nant who has a different disease?

Of course this is merely conjecture,but in a society where we consideraddiction to be beyond an individualscontrol, it seems draconian to prosecutesomeone for it. Certainly, this case high-lights that something has gone terriblywrong, but it is not with the justice sys-tem.

More needs to be done for peoplewith any form of addiction, and treat-ing them as criminals does not help.It is terrible that the child now has tolive with FAS and the developmentalissues that brings. Rather than devolveinto knee-jerks of prosecution after thedamage is done, more time and moneyought to be invested with health work-ers and councils to help people with se-rious addiction, so that this kind of casenever occurs again.

Alcohol is, of course, a drug,and dependence on it shouldnot be viewed any differently

to any other form of drugaddiction

““Alcohol is, of course, a drug,

””addiction

Marking boycottRod Ardehali on how the markingboycott should stir up our support,not resentment

Samuel LewisCinema and Photographycs13sl@leeds.ac.ukCinema and Photography

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

12 Comment

As we reach the middle of term andthose bitter, cold Leeds nights greet usagain, students everywhere are alreadyfully immersed in essays, exams and thenew John Lewis Christmas advert. Thishectic time of year means that many maynot have heard of a significant disputebeing fought between vice-chancellor SirAlan Langlands and Leeds University ac-ademics over a proposed change to theirpension scheme.

Academics from Leeds have nowjoined York, Sheffield and Imperialamongst other ‘pre-92’ universities in in-itiating a university wide boycott whichwill directly affect the whole student pop-ulous. Lecturers are keen to stress that thisis a boycott and not a strike. While lec-tures and seminars will continue as usu-al, members of the union will now ceasemarking or setting assignments until thedispute is resolved. The knock on effect isthat midterms and submitted assessmentswill not be marked, and that familiar

On Monday 10th November,ITV released a statementannouncing the axing of ‘On

the Pull’, the show created by and star-ring ‘comedian’ Dapper Laughs - realname Daniel O’Reilly. Yet despite thenumerous triumphant proclamationsposted across a variety of social media,the axing does not actually mark anymajor successful development. It is in-stead signifies the mere removal of onesingle output of the ‘lad culture’ Britainis alarmingly openly accepting.

We have to question why our socie-ty is so open to sexist, degrading formsof intimidation; the reason lies behindthe guise of ‘banter’, a term thrownabout between ‘lads’ as a means to of-fend each other, and everyone else, forthat matter. This is why the flip sideof the Dapper Laughs debate bafflesme: it simply stretches no further thansheer, narrow-minded idiocy. His inno-cence apparently lies behind the excuseof comedy. Yet why should the mere

game of ‘What Do I Need For a 2.1?’ willbecome even more clouded.

UUK intend to make significantchanges to the pension scheme which ac-cording to the UCU (University and Col-lege Union), will lead to “the loss of thou-sands of pounds every year”- changes thathave been described as “devastating”. Onelecturer, who asked to remain anonymous,stated that he hoped the action “stressesthe seriousness of the situation we findourselves in”.

In response, a student wide email from

Vivien Jones, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor forStudent Education, stated that she was“extremely disappointed that the UCU hasdecided to take industrial action”.

And so here we are - stuck in themiddle. The sole bargaining chip of pan-icked professors. We have unions andvice-chancellors locked in battle, as if try-ing to demonstrate modern Marxist theory

Supporting boycott is supporting securitythrough avant-garde interactive teaching.

So whose side should we be on? Wellit doesn’t take a big leap of logic to real-ise that most academics aren’t in it for themoney. As someone who previously spenta short amount of time at a ‘newer’ univer-sity, whose lecturers could be described atbest as lacklustre, here at Leeds we haveat our disposal academics at the forefrontof their fields, with students at the fore-front of their concerns.

The University staff I’ve met are hard-working, engaging and passionate abouttheir subject. That may not be the casefor you, but it has been the case for meand many others across my programme.It probably isn’t the most glamorous job,and not every lecturer has the Brian Cox‘star’ quality to make the primetime TVcrossover, but that doesn’t mean they don’tdeserve security. To initiate such drasticactions offer a clear indication that ourlecturers have been backed into a corner,and ultimately it is our responsibility to of-fer them our support. If paying 9k a yearfor our studies was bad enough, then justimagine if the standard of teaching thendropped too - leaving us deep in debt butwithout the justification of a world class

degree.And that’s exactly what our degree

is - world class. The QS World Univer-sity Rankings places Leeds in the Top100 globally. We didn’t get that place byhaving a top quality gym or by serving arange of local ales in Old Bar. We got thereon the strength of the research our aca-demics produce in their respective fields.Take that away and our global standingis weakened. Without satisfied staff, theentire institution of the University ceasesto function as well.

Maybe I’m naive but I don’t believeacademics would stop doing a part oftheir job unless they felt they had noother choice. Whilst our Vice Chancellorreceived a reported salary of £313,000in 2010/11, plus a 5.1 per cent increase insalary this year alone, it’s fair to say noteveryone is feeling the squeeze. So whileit would be easy to direct our anger at ourtutors, we need to offer them our collectivesupport. The sooner they get the securitythey deserve, the sooner we can get backto complaining about their harsh markingand early office hours.

Elli PughHistoryhy14emp@leeds.ac.uk

Dapper gets no Laughs at alltriviality of entertainment justify theintimidation of women? Dapper Laughshas previously been filmed shouting“are you moist?” and “get your gashout” to female strangers on the street.He has also stated that “she’s gaggingfor a rape”, to a member of the audienceat a stand-up show.

For anyone wanting to view the sex-ist abuse that Dapper Laughs encour-ages, look on Facebook or Twitter atthe responses by his supporters to thosewho are arguing the same line that anyintelligent human being would. A se-lection ranges from “Just another fem-inist student” and “Dappa is the man.Think you skets wanna calm down”, tothe more crude comments of “Fuck herright in the pussy dapper mate” and

“She must be on the blob”. Most shock-ingly, some of these vile commentshave racked up hundreds of likes, andsupport has even spilled over into day-to-day life. When Cardiff Universitystudent Vicky Chandler petitioned tocancel Dapper Laughs’ performance ather SU, she was recognised on the streetby men who shouted phrases such as“are you moist?” at her.

As for resistance, the mass an-ti-Dapper support is the only form ofhope we have against ‘laddism’. As wellas Vicky Chandler’s successful petition,44 comedians have signed an open let-ter branding Dapper “entirely sexist”.In addition, over 68,000 people signedthe petition to remove Dapper Laughsfrom the platform allowing him to emit

his influence onto our screens. I do notdeny that it is still a victory. The sheeramount of support in favour of the ax-ing proves this is not a small minorityof people without a sense of humour,but a genuine public outcry big enoughto sway the decision of a body such asITV. But the victory is small. ITV stillmade the decision to broadcast misog-ynistic ‘comedy’, and such broadcastingstill influences and encourages the lad-dish culture that is disgustingly fester-ing in the UK.

So thank you Dapper Laughs. Thankyou ITV. Thank you for contributingyet another openly misogynistic formof encouragement to a society that al-ready degrades women to humourlesswalking vaginas in the name of ‘ban-ter’. I am in quite a desperate state ofhopefulness that the mass response tothe issue has sparked an anti-misog-ynistic revolution, so the next time asexist fool attempts to gain some lime-light from devaluing one half of theworld’s population, such attempts willbe quickly quashed.

It probably isn’t the mostglamorous job in the world,but that doesn’t mean they

don’t deserve security““It probably isn’t the most

””but that doesn’t mean they

don’t deserve security

Rod ArdehaliPoliticspt12mra@leeds.ac.uk

Dapper gets no Laughs at all

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

13Comment

68,000people signed the

petition to have DapperLaughs’ show axed

1 in 3women report drinking

when pregnant

69Senate seats lost by theDemocrats since coming

to power in 2008

US elections mark new instability

The inevitable has happened:in his final midterm electionPresident Obama was reduced

to lame duck status as the GOP tookthe Senate and added to their majorityin the House of Representatives. Theseresults are not unexpected but a fun-damental question still stand: how willAmerica be governed with a Democratin the White House and RepublicanCongress?

For the most part we can expectAmerica to look much as it did duringGeorge W. Bush’s final years in office forthe next two years: politically stagnantand unproductive. Then and now theUS’ economy was on shaky ground, theincumbent president’s foreign policywas wildly unpopular and Congress wasdominated by the opposition.

Although new Majority Leader ofthe Senate, Mitch McConnell, was quickto reach across the aisle and assurePresident Obama of his willingness topromote bipartisanship in the upperchamber, this is unlikely to achievemuch of real substance. At 72, Mc-Connell is a wise elder whose voice islikely to be drowned out by the youngerupstarts within his party. Senators TedCruz and Rand Paul have been constantthorns in the Obama administration’sside and there is no reason to suggestthat they will cease being so. Both mayhave presidential ambitions for 2016,and although neither have formally an-nounced their intentions to run, the extrapublicity generated by noisy anti-ad-ministration grandstanding can hardlybe of harm.

Likely to join them is Iowa’s newSenator: Joni Ernst. An antidote to theGOP’s alleged “war on women”, Ms. Ernstran on the platform of being a Midwest

farm girl who could be counted on toslash away Washington’s excesses.

The star of this election, Ms. Ernstwas until recently a virtually unknownState Senator in Iowa. How she will riseto the challenge of Federal representa-tion remains to be seen. She could beanother Ted Cruz: a reactionary whoseknee-jerk response to any new proposedadministration spending is righteousfury and filibustering. Alternatively, herunique combination of skills and lifeexperience could feed into the Senate’sbusiness with President Obama ensuringthat both her constituents in Iowa andAmerica as a whole benefit from anynew legislation. It should not be forgot-ten though that Ms. Ernst was backedby the Tea Party movement, whosecandidates are not exactly well known

for their pragmatism or bipartisanshiponce elected.

For President Obama, the priorityshould not be on pushing through newreforms but protecting and entrenchingthose that are already in place. TheSupreme Court will be crucial for this.Although somewhat conservativelyinclined, the current Roberts Court hashardly been a major hindrance for socialreforms such as Obama and a wideningacceptance of gay marriage. As long asa liberal Associate Justice does not leavetheir office, then the current balance ofpower there is unlikely to change. Theuse of executive orders to circumvent ahostile Congress are also a possibility,and can be expected to become morecommon in the next two years thanmuch of the previous six.

But having said all of that, allthe above pales in comparison to theongoing debate over the possibility ofsending a second Clinton to the WhiteHouse. Although as of now unan-nounced, Hillary’s presidential ambitionscertainly exist. Once they are an-nounced, then this round of speculationcan end and a new one will begin: thistime, will she be able to capture theWhite House?

Daniel LevyMiddle Eastern Studies and Politicsdanieljacoblevy22@gmail.com

Frances Black ©

commons.wikimedia.org

Middle Eastern Studies and Politics

14Debate

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Is society finally standingagainst street harassment?The issue of street harassment has returned to the media’s attention with a series of YouTubevideos chronicalling women’s experiences in different cities. Responses have been mixed, somecalling for change and others stating that catcalling is a ‘compliment’. So do we still have a longway to go, or is society really beginning to take a stand against street harassment?

Iremember the first time my friendsand I were catcalled on the street.We were walking home in our

school uniforms when a lorry driverhonked his horn loudly at us.

This experience was terrifying, butwhat was inspiring was the fact that mymale friend walking with us shouted andcursed after the driver, demanding toknow how they dare treat his friends thatway.

Since then, I’ve seen countless menand women stand up for each other, andthemselves, when faced with street har-assment. The matter is debated on na-tional TV when we would have once castthe matter to one side and disregarded it.

As recently as the 1980s, adverts per-petuated a myth that being whistled aton the street was the ultimate compli-ment for a woman, a sign that you hadsucceeded in becoming the pinaccle of

No

Eleanor HealingYes

Debate

world and is still not her fault or respon-sibility. The recent YouTube videos show-ing women’s experiences in New York andAuckland show a marked societal differ-ence between certain cities.

We must celebate the fact that wom-en are finally free to walk some streetswithout harassment, but not ignore theplaces in which women are most at risk.If we can create a culture as adverse tostreet harassment as New Zealand, thenwe can drive for the same attitudes else-where in the world.

Women are still catcalled on the streetevery day, but thanks to a change in ourattitudes and the drive for better treat-ment of women, the whole culture ofstreet harassment is becoming complete-ly unacceptable, rather than somethingto ‘shrug off’.

Becky Shortt

feminine beauty. Today, no advert likethat would survive on our screens. Thenumber of complaints from an increas-ingy attentive and engaged audiencewould ensure it was removed as soon as ithad been aired.

There is still a long way to go, thefact that violence and harassment againstwomen is being met with such outcry is apositive change. So-called comedian Dap-per Laughs has had his ITV show can-celled after complaints about rape apol-ogy, and it is becoming the norm now tospeak out against misogyny, rather thanmake excuses for it.

Women are now being taught to standagainst street harassment, when yearsago they would have been told to ‘takeit as a compliment’. Men are also beingrecruited as allies in this, and many givetheir voices willingly.

However, we must not ignore those

who still claim that street harassment ismerely intended to ‘compliment’ women,and that misogyny is a big, laddy joke

rather than blatant misogyny.There is still much work to be done.

The violence that can ensue when awoman dares to turn a man down, orstand up to her harassers is symptomaticof a culture of aggression that ‘innocent’catcalling perpetuates.

Women have been murdered for re-fusing the advances of men, meaningmany will live in fear of being catcalled.A woman’s experience with harassmentoften depends on where she lives in the

Catcalling has been in the newsthis week after a video docu-menting a woman’s experience

of street harassment on a single day inNew York went viral.

Numerous news shows and websiteshave posed the question of whether it’s aform of sexual harassment or if womenreally enjoy getting positive attention onthe streets.

Many have tried to claim that whenthey comment on a woman’s appearance,they are simply trying to be nice. Maybesome are. Nonetheless, they are playinginto a social norm which objectifies andoften intimidates women.

Catcalling is not about compliments,it is about expressing power. If telling awoman to smile is just a random act ofkindness, why don’t men do it to othermen? What it really is to tell a woman tosmile is to tell her that she is not perform-

ing her role in society well enough – she isnot being attractive, available, and cheer-fully able to ‘take a compliment’.

If it isn’t about power, why do men of-ten get so aggressive when women rejectthem? In the video, the woman ignores aman telling her that she’s being “acknowl-edged for being beautiful” and is told “youshould say thank you more’”

It’s not enough to have your personalappearance and demeanour commentedon by a total stranger when you’re justminding your own business – you haveto be grateful for it too. At another point,a man asks her if they “cant be friends…nothing?”. But it clearly isn’t about friend-

ship. Why would you want to makefriends with a stranger who is purposeful-ly ignoring you?

Steve Satagati, the author of ‘Code ofHonour’ and ‘The MANual’ tried to claimthis week that women wouldn’t mind if allof the compliments came from attractivemen, and that if women felt intimidatedby catcalling then they should carry agun.

Others have also taken the fact thatwomen often politely smile at people whoapproach them to be proof that wom-en really like catcalling. But in a societywhere women can be attacked or evenkilled for rejecting men’s advances, is itany surprise that women sometimes feignappreciation?

In Detroit this year, a woman calledMary Spears rejected a man’s request forher phone number. As a result, he shother. In Oxford last year a student named

Jeanne Marie Ryan was punched in theface seven times for trying to stop a mangroping her.

Women are conditioned to be cau-tious of male attention because you neverknow when a polite ‘no’ could lead to ver-bal or physical intimidation and abuse.

There’s a time and a place for compli-ments. Obviously it can be nice to be told,politely and by someone you know, thatyou look nice today. But being told it byrandom people in the street, often in anaggressive or sexual way, reinforces thefeeling that women are there to be lookedat, not appreciated as people.

As Jessica Williams argued on TheDaily Show, ‘since going to work is nota performance, we’re not looking for ap-plause’.

In Detroit this year, awoman rejected a man’s request

for her phone number. As a result,he shot her.““ In

””r.

The fact that violence andharassment against women is

being met with such an outcry is apositive change.

””ge.““ Th

Illustration: Danny Wilson

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Crossword 15Current Affairs crossword

The week’s affairs in black and white squares

As glamourous as ever, just follow the clues below

ACROSS:

2. Convicted rapist at centre of footballing controversy

5. Retailer which released its much-awaited Christmas ad this week

6. European Arrest - MPs furious over deal to vote on this

8. David Moyes’ new football club

9. Inquest into this 1989 tragedy reached its 100th day this week

10. Former Newsnight Economics editor who ranted about banks

DOWN:

1. Comet landing robot

3. Controversial comedian axed by ITV

4. Bared (nearly) all this week for cover of Paper magazine

7. Jazz musician whose funeral was held this week

Last issue’s answers are available online

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Science16

Last week saw the tragic crash ofVirgin Galactic test plane SpaceShipTwo,a commercial vehicle designed to flypassengers to the edge of space. Theplane broke up over the Mojave Desertwhen the aerobrake system activated tooearly, killing co-pilot Michael Alsburyand seriously injuring the pilot, Peter Sie-bold. The Gryphon honours the memoryof Michael Alsbury by taking a closerlook at the space tourism industry, wish-ing Peter Siebold a healthy recovery.

‘Space tourism’ is a modern term,coined to assist ambitious companieswith future plans to offer commercialflights into Earth’s orbit for a hefty fee.There are several companies such asBoeing, XCOR Aerospace and SpaceXcurrently working on space tourismprojects, but Virgin Galactic remains themost famous.

Virgin Galactic is a British commer-cial spaceflight company within the Vir-gin Group, founded in 2004 by RichardBranson and Burt Rutan. The companyhopes to provide suborbital spaceflightsto space tourists, suborbital launchesfor space science missions, and orbitallaunches of small satellites. While theidea behind viable space flight is an ad-mirable one, it is hard to be as supportivewhen viewed from a social perspective.

Virgin Galactic tickets cost up to£150,000, with the company havingcollected over £50 million in deposits so

far. After the accident, 20 of the 700ticket holders cancelled their flights butthere is still high demand with a waitinglist boasting the likes of Brad Pitt, Ange-lina Jolie, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.Looking at Virgin Galactic’s star-studdedwaiting list of the super-rich begs thequestion: could space tourism become asocial divider?

The ticket price alone is enough toensure that only those with a high levelof disposable income can afford one.Of course, the cost of space travel willdecrease with time, but unfortunatelyspace flights still - and always will -require a hefty amount of fuel, meaningthere is a limit to how far those costs canfall.

Consider the recent blockbuster‘Elysium’, which saw the upper echelonsof society living high above the Earth ina Utopian space environment with therest of the population left behind on thesurface of the planet. While this situa-tion was exaggerated for the purposesof Hollywood, it now doesn’t seem sofar-fetched to claim that space aboveour planet is in danger of becoming theprivate playground of a very select few,living (literally and figuratively) aboveand beyond the rest of society.

Virgin Galactic has also drawn atten-tion from environmental agencies whichcriticise the implications of space flightsregularly burning up large amounts ofrocket fuel in the atmosphere. Aero-planes already produce large amounts

Space tourism: a magnifying glass onthe growing inequality inflicting society

Evan Canwell of gases which contribute to climatechange so the introduction of anotherfuel-hungry, greenhouse gas emittingform of transport can’t be defended froman environmental standpoint.

Since the incident, Richard Bransonhas pledged to find the cause of thecrash and remains dedicated to carryingon the progress towards viable spaceflights. This endeavour has alreadyclaimed the life of one pilot and seri-ously injured another, therefore this is

a decision not taken lightly. However itis a decision that will ultimately benefitthe human race; the world would be adifferent place if the pioneers of flighthad cancelled the development of theaeroplane because they saw it as a formof transport that was too risky. Perse-vering with the development of projectslike Virgin Galactic brings humanity evercloser to the prospect of exploration ofthe stars and other worlds – a pertinentjourney for the future generations of ourplanet.

©© Business Insider Business Insider

SpaceShipTwo Flight Plan

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Science 17

Cosmetic surgery is a very hottopic in the news at the moment– whether it concerns the almostunrecognisable Renee Zellweger, KyleJenner’s ever expanding lips or KimKardashian’s infamous rear-end. Mostarticles superficially focus on the moraldilemmas implicated with surgery – i.e.these celebrities are supposedly amongthe most beautiful and successful peoplein the world, but are still made to feel asthough they aren’t quite good enough inthe public eye, resulting in undergoingpainful (and sometimes risky) proceduresto feel confident. However, the sciencebehind the procedures, and the scientificimplications, are rarely touched upon.

Botox, as of 2013, is the mostpopular cosmetic procedure worldwide.It is derived from the neurotoxinBotulinum, produced by the bacteriaClostridium botulinum. There are 7types of botulinum toxins produced:A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Despite thetoxin being lethal, minute quantities ofseveral different types of toxins (Type A:Botox, Dysport and Xeomin, and typeB: MyoBlock) can be used cosmetically.The toxins are used to paralyse themuscles in an individual’s face, reducingthe appearance of wrinkles.

The facial paralysation occursdue to the injection of Botox intothe neuromuscular synaptic cleft(the extracellular space between twoneurons), where the neurotoxin is

absorbed into the neurone. Once ithas entered the neurone, it cleaves aprotein known as SNAP-25, whichnormally enables vesicles to release theneurotransmitter acetylcholine. Thisneurotransmitter would usually diffuseacross the cleft, bind to post synapticreceptors, and stimulate contractionof the muscles. The cutting of SNAP-25 prevents acetylcholine release, andtherefore prevents muscle contraction.

However, it has recently beenacknowledged that – whilst many sayBotox increases their confidence in theirappearance – certain unconsideredpsychological effects may occur. In1884, William James and Carl Langederived the theory that ‘motion isemotion’. Common sense suggests thatthe physical display of our moods (e.g.smiling, frowning, crying) is a result ofour emotion. For example, if we see awild bear we feel afraid, so our heartbeatrises and we look scared.

However, James and Lange suggestthat these events occur in a differentorder: we see a bear, our heart rate rises,our face looks scared, and it is this thattells our brain that we should feel afraid.Scientifically, an external stimulus evokesa physiological response, which causesyou to feel an appropriate emotion.Whilst the theory has been criticisedmany times, it is extremely difficult todisprove.

How does this theory link to Botox?Well, if the feeling of emotion is causedby physiological changes, then the

Botox: All fill and no thrillreduction of these changes in the facialmuscles may possibly dampen thefeelings of emotion. Plastic surgeonswould argue that this is a good thing –the lack of ability to frown will reducefeelings of disappointment or depression.

This theory can be extended tosuggest that ‘Botoxed’ individuals maystruggle to empathise. Empathy isoften considered to be displayed by twopeople’s micro expressions mimickingone another: these are our brief,involuntary expressions which show ourunconscious emotions. The mimicrycarried out by the listener stimulatesa signal to feel similar emotions to theteller of the story, allowing empathy.

A recent study carried out by Drs.David Neal and Tanya Chartrand forSocial Psychological and PersonalityScience compared the identificationof emotions by an experimentalgroup (16 recent Botox patients) and acontrol group (individuals who had notundergone Botox). This occurred by theviewing of 36 different photographs,and the selection of the emotion beingconveyed by the photograph, out of fouroptions. On average, the experimentalgroup got 70% of answers correct, whilstthe control group got 77%. Whilst thisis not an overwhelming difference,it does support the idea that Botoximpairs emotion recognition, which thisstudy generalised through the ability toempathise.

Hilary Robinson

Philae Probe

Landing

Alice Hargreaves JonesScience Editor

On Wednesday humanity madehistory as Philae landed on thesurface of comet 67P.

The robot probe is now stableand sending pictures, however thereremains concerns about its batterylife.

Upon landing, the solar-poweredprobe bounced around 1km backinto space before settling backon the surface of the comet.Unfortunately, this landing was 1kmfrom its intended target site, sittingin the shadow of a cliff.

Philae arrived at the icy cometon the back of Esa’s Rosettasatellite after a 10-year, 6.4 billion-km (4bn-mile) journey, whichreached its climax on Wednesdayafternoon (GMT) with a seven-hourdrop to the surface.

Pictures taken by Philae show itis pressed up against some form ofa hard wall. The telemetry receivedfrom the probe indicated it is sat ona slope, or perhaps even on its side.Certainly, one of its three feet isn’tin contact with the surface.

Due to it’s current position, theprobe is receiving around 1.5 hoursof illumination per 12-hour rotationof the comet. It is believed Philaewill not have sufficient batterypower to operate in its present statebeyond Saturday.

Team engineers are nowexamining methods to re-orientatethe robot to gain maximum lightexposure, however the currentpriority is to acquire as muchinformation as possible about thecomet.

Regardless of what happensin the next few days, the missionis already assured of its place inhistory.©The SugarHub SugarHub

The surface of the comet, seen from Philae© ESA

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Sport18

James CandlerRugby Union

In some respects it was a weekendof unexpected upsets and in othersone of ‘same old same old’ as the 2014autumn internationals kicked off lastSaturday.

Whilst Ireland and Scotland wereable to upset the odds with impressivewins against South Africa andArgentina respectively, both Wales’southern hemisphere frustration andEngland’s ensuing battle to once againbeat the All Blacks continued.

England began strongly, with theiraggressive rush defence right from theoff acting as a statement of intent forthe rest of the match and a blisteringtry from wing Johnny May with onlyfive minutes on the clock. Thesepositive displays were shortly followedby another attacking threat in theninth minute, which failed when MikeBrown failed to take a fine pass from animpressive looking Kyle Eastmond.

New Zealand made the most of theirlet off as Aaron Cruden was somewhatdubiously awarded a try, which

possessed more than a subtle whiff ofa double movement. Despite CourtneyLawes being subbed due to concussionhalfway through the first half Englandremained physical for the remainder ofthe half and were able to maintain animpressive physicality which saw themhold a 14-11 lead at half time.

Following a promising start thesecond half seemed all too familiar forEngland fans as New Zealand tore thedefence to shreds just five minutes intothe second stanza, leading to a wellworked try from man of the match,Richie McCaw, who continued to provehis invaluable worth as the gameprogressed.

The uncanny resemblance to pastEngland defeats against the All Blackswas added to by some poor positionalkicking from Danny Care, who despiteundeniable pace and tenacity, wassomewhat agreeably substituted forBen Youngs with 20 minutes to play.After an unexploited 10 minute sin-bin period, which saw New Zealanddominate possession and territory,Charlie Faumuina scored a pivotal tryin the 71st minute and seemingly took

England fall short in autumn international

Marquez eases to MotoGP championship

the game away from England, as theiraggressive rush defence was penetratedwith frustrating ease.

Despite this, England demonstratedencouraging resurgence, grinding outa penalty try in the dying moments ofa match which had, until then, seenEngland as the worryingly ill-disciplinedside.

The mood to adopt it seems, isone of cautious optimism; Englandappear to be very nearly ‘there’ andcertainly capable of competing at the

very highest level. This week certainlypromises to be exciting for rugbyfans, as Scotland look to build uponSaturday’s impressive performanceby testing themselves against the AllBlacks and Wales will no doubt wishto end a period of Southern hemispherewoe by beating a dangerous Fijian side.However, perhaps most tantalisinglyboth England and South Africa willboth be hoping to put their defeatsbehind them in what is sure to be abruising, breath-taking encounter.

Sunday’s race at Valencia wasthe final round of the 2014 MotoGPchampionship season, and what aseason it has been for 21-year old MarcMarquez, who secured victory threeweeks ago in Japan.

Back at the start of the yeardoubts were raised as towhether Marquez couldretain the title he wonin his rookie year in2013, especially whenhe broke his right leg ina crash six weeks beforethe season started. Thismeant that he had virtuallyno time to test the new RepsolHonda machine he would beriding.

These doubts were soon putto one side however; with a poleposition and race victory in the firstrace in Qatar, it was clear that Marquezhad lost none of his blistering pace from

his winter crash. No one foresaw thatthis pace would continue for as longas it did. By the end of Round 10 inIndianapolis, Marquez had achieved anastonishing 10 consecutive race victories,eight of these starting frompole position, and

leaving the rest of the field struggling tokeep him in sight.

A fourth place in Brno ended theyoung Spaniard’s historic winning streakhowever, and with the realisation that

Marquez was, in fact, a mortal afterall, he lost the psychologicaledge that he had over his

competitors.A crash in San

Marino handed therace victory to

MotoGPlegend

Valentino Rossi, a record 18 years afterhis first win in 1996. A poor decision tostay out on dry tyres at Aragon whenrain began to fall highlighted his relativeinexperience in premier class racing,despite his successes.

Second place in Japan was enoughfor Marquez to secure the title for asecond consecutive season with threeraces remaining, and his victory atthe final round in Valencia was theend of an incredible year for a youngracer who looks to dominate the sportfor many years to come. Other racersfinished the season strongly, with the35 year old veteran Rossi finishingsecond in the championship with 295points to Marquez’s 362. To put this intoperspective, Rossi won the championshipin 2004 with just 304 points, which

goes some way to explain theconsistency he has achieved.

Next year will be a season towatch, with riders knowing theywill have to push themselves to the

very limit in order to beat the youngSpanish sensation.

Tom KingMotoGP

The Guardian ©

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Sport 19

All Blacks hunting Four Nations glory

Nancy GillenFootball

The FA Cup returned last weekendwith the prospect of some potentiallyfamous shocks.

Whilst the modern, corporate gamecan leave some fans feeling cold,the first round of fixtures providedsupporters with moments of true FACup magic,

The weekend’s opener produceda classic shock, as non-leagueWarrington (the lowest-ranked team inthe competition) beat Exeter, a team100 places above them. If that wasn’tenough to reignite a sceptic’s love of cupfootball, the scorer of the winning goalalso works as a plasterer.

Non-League sides provide FA Cup shocksOther highlights of the round

included Conference North sideWorcester City beating Coventry Cityof League One 2-1, the team that hadpreviously won the competition in1987. Coventry manager StevenPressley described the defeatas ‘one of the worst in theclub’s history.’

Blyth Spartans fromthe Northern PremierLeague, the 7th tierof English football,also made it into thesecond round aftercomfortably beatingConference sideAltrincham 4-1.The Spartans are

no stranger to an FA Cup run of course,after reaching the third round backin 2008/09 after victories over both

Shrewsbury and Bournemouth andeven went as far as the fifth roundback in the 1970s.

League Two team Portsmouth,who lifted the trophy in2008, were nine minutesfrom suffering an upset

against Conference clubAldershot before DannyHollands managed to nod

home an equaliser toforce a replay and

spare the blushes ofthe Portsmouth

players.Other teams

through to the second round of the cupinclude Bradford City - who came frombehind to secure their place againstYorkshire rivals Halifax - ScunthorpeUnited, Chesterfield, Colchester,Gateshead and Wrexham. MaidstoneUnited and Stevenage will play againafter a 0-0 draw, with the same scoreline in the Notts County and AccringtonStanley match also producing a replay.

The draw for the second roundhas produced some tough fixtures forthe lower league teams. UnderdogsWarrington and Worcester faceGateshead and Scunthorpe Unitedrespectively, both away from home.Their fans can only hope for even morethrills and surprises, the type of whichyou can only get in the FA Cup.

Peter WhiteRugby League

The rugby league season comesto a close on Saturday with defendingchampions Australia and their arch-rivalsNew Zealand facing a bruising encounterin search for the 2014 Four Nations title.

New Zealand enter the final stageunbeaten in their three games so farin the competition and they will beconfident that they can claim theirsecond Four Nations trophy after theycomfortably beat the Kangaroos 30-12 inBrisbane at the end of October. However,the Kiwis will be wary of the worldchampions and will certainly not be

getting carried away after just scrapingpast England last weekend.

Despite some commandingperformances in their three games, thereis no place for Steve McNamara’s menin Wellington. After their controversialdefeat to Australia earlier this monthin which a last-gasp Ryan Hall try wascruelly ruled out, they pushed NewZealand all the way last Saturday but felljust short despite a late flurry.

McNamara has since vented hisfrustration about coming so close toglory, but throughout the tournamentthere have been vastly encouraging signsabout this young England side. LeedsRhinos winger Ryan Hall extended his

record try haul to 24 in just23 appearances, while anexciting, explosive brandof rugby has been presentthroughout the campaign.With some exciting talentsuch as Dan Sarginsonand Joe Burgesscoming through theranks, England’sfuture certainlylooks bright.

While ourboys preparefor the longjourney home,the attention

of the rugby league world now turns tothe final between the two highest rankedteams in the sport. New Zealand skipperThomas Leuluai is set to miss out witha shoulder injury and will be replacedby Issac Luke in the side’s only change,

while Australia coach Tim Sheenshas stuck with the XIII that thumped

Samoa 44-18 last Sunday. While abreath-taking

match isanticipated, it ishoped that thegame befits the

occasion that willmark the last rugbyleague action of 2014.

England looking to past Slovenian testDaniel Nixon

Football

Having cruised through their groupso far, England play host to a high flyingSlovenia side on Saturday.

Following their victory overSwitzerland last month, the Slovenianspose potentially the greatest threat toEngland’s hopes of clinching top spot.They sit a rosy second in group E withsix points - three behind England. TheThree Lions, however, will certainly behoping for a victory that would taketheir record in the campaign to fourwins on the trot

Despite the importance of the game,

pre-match build up has once againconcentrated on the condition of theWembley pitch. Last week’s Americanfootball match seems to have leftthe field in an unacceptable state.England coach Roy Hodgson hasexpressed his disagreement with thetiming of the game and has statedthat he is angered by FA officials.However, if England can’troll the Slovenian teamover comfortably at home,something is surely significantlyworse than the condition of the pitch.

Captain Wayne Rooney is set tomake his 100th cap for England -something which has flown round in

a blink of an eye. There may also be astart for new boy Saido Berahino. The

Baggie has been in supreme formthis season and after having scoredseven goals so far this year, he has

truly earned his Englandcall-up. In fact, so far

this season the

young starlet hasscored more goals than

Rooney, Danny Welbeckand Rickie Lambertcombined.

After disappointingattendances at the last

two home games against Norway andSan Marino, FA officials claim a crowdof over 80,000 will be present this timeout, a statement that seems hard tobelieve after the disappointment of thesummer’s World Cup. Perhaps the top-of-the-table clash is just too temptingfor the country’s population.

England head into the match asstrong favourites as they look to keeptheir handsome qualification runalive, within which they have not yetconceded. A win would see the homeside sit six points clear at the top ofgroup E, which even at this early stagewould all but seal qualification to the2016 European Championships.

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Sport20

Last weekend 40 Leeds Snowridersmade the journey up to Edinburghfor the British University Dry SlopeChampionships (BUDS), the firstnational competition of the year. The

Championships proved to be the mostsuccessful competition in the club’srecent history, with the squad takinghome more BUCS points from this oneevent than they have done in the lastfive years combined.

Friday saw strong performances fromChris Debonnaire, Lucy Plenderleith,

In a week that puts sport intoperspective, as thoughts turn to thosewho died in battle to protect theircountry rather than the celebrity iconswe look up to today, I tested my arm atKrav Maga.

Krav Maga in itself offers up a newperspective to sport; whereas somesports might be joyous in celebration ofvictory and others may be great as partof a team, Krav offers something more- Krav has the ability to save your life.

With 810 crimes reported withinHyde Park and Headingley in Septemberalone, skills picked up in Krav sessionscould well be what saves you if youever have to deal with an attack.The art of self-defence is somethingeverybody should do given the chance,as the manoeuvres learnt will stay withyou for life.

Take the first drill as an example; asimple exercise hitting pads it may looklike, but learning to position yourselfeffectively to catch your opponent off-guard makes it a more testing practice.If you go in with the ‘gunslinger’

approach - as I was said to have- you won’t be as effective as ifyou strike your attacker moreaccurately.

Although it tests youphysically, it’s worth it, and it reallymakes you think about scenariosyou may face when you aren’t inthe comfort of a sports hall inThe Edge. Learning to escapea headlock was anotherchallenge in thesession, somethingthat could happento anyone aftera few too manyJägerbombsin Fruity or anargument with aneighbour. Within foureasy steps you’ve escaped theheadlock and can get yourselfout of the situation; a turn of thehead to stop the choke, turn of thebody to stop the attacker moving,a hit to the crown jewels to loosentheir grip and finish off by pushing

your opponent’s momentumback by pushing their head

back by the nose.From there you

may be

thinking you now finish off the attacker,but Krav isn’t like your other martialarts where you try to defeat youropponent with violence. The aim is, ininstructor James Walker’s own words, ‘tomake a bad situation less bad’. So afterthe quick fire moves stun your opponentyou can scarper, because you neverknow if your attacker has a weapon or

mates lurking round the corner.Compared to other sports I’ve

tried, there is a huge feelingof accomplishment aftercompleting a Krav Magasession. Not only had I testedmyself physically and gainedfitness, it was confidenceboosting knowing you can

protect yourself if there wasever a situation that requiredit. If you get the chance, getyourself along to a sessionon Thursday nights 8-9pmat The Edge, I couldn’trecommend it enough.

Snowriders shine in season opener

Wastelandski ©

Try something new with Adam LeRoux

Amy Young, Emily Pocock, Pete Wyatt,Chris Rushton and Simon Venn in theindividual slalom events. The team’sfirst success came in the board teamslalom, where Leeds claimed fourthplace following good work from GillianFinnerty, Ben Cosway, Jake Hauser andRowan Hargreaves. Finnerty and Cosway

then went on to qualify for the final ofthe slopestyle.

Day two kicked off with the giantslalom. Again, Leeds’ skiers producedsome great results with Finnerty andJake Hauser progressing to the finals ofthe big air.

In the ski dual slaloms, the secondteam were knocked out quickly by avery strong team who eventually madeit to the top four. Leeds’ first team madeit all the way to the final eight, butwere knocked out by Manchester in ahard fought and very close race. Bothteams are showing huge potential forthe rest of the year with several big racecompetitions coming up.

The close of the competition onSaturday night saw some big resultsfrom the freestyle team. Hauser finished11th in the big air, Cosway finished 10thin the slopestyle and Finnerty ran awayfrom the competition to take home goldin both competitions.

This great performance demonstratesthat things are looking really good thisyear for both the racers and freestylers.

Andrew NessLeeds Snowriders

Got a sport for Adam? Email sports@thegryphon.co.uk

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Sport 21

On court two Charlotte Humfreyfought well in her match with RachaelHamp, despite losing 3-0. Hamp was astrong and accurate player, and Humfreybattled well with some close rallies. Next,Joelle Fry had a similar match with heropponent Kimran Bajwa. Fry played somestrong and well-placed shots but Bajwawas also playing well, moving Joellearound the court and leading Bristol to awin which gave them a 2-1 advantage.

The atmosphere was tense as Leeds’number 1 Sam Ward went on court withthe team 2-1 down and number 2 JessWatson being held 1-1 in a close battle.Watson held the pressure brilliantly - hervolley boasts and precise drives put heropponent Katie Lloyd under stress anddespite losing the third game, she foughtback tirelessly to win the fourth and fifthgames to take the overall score to 2-2.

It was now all down to team captain

Leeds’ fightback squashes Bristol’s hopes

Sam Ward to bring home a Leeds win.Ward played confidently, taking control ofthe T and achieving a well-deserved 3-0win. This meant that Leeds won 3-2 and

now find themselves in the top half ofthe Premiership division. This was a greatresult and a truly fantastic performancefrom all five players.

A thrilling local derby saw Universityof Leeds 2s knocked out of the Cup byLeeds Beckett 3s after extra time.

Uni dominated the opening 20minutes of the game, but couldn’tconvert any of their chances. They wenton to rue this as Beckett then openedthe scoring ten minutes later with agoal that came completely against therun of play. Uni heads consequentlydropped and they struggled to regain

the form that they had shown in theopening periods of the match.

The Gryphons went into half-time1-0 down, and the frustration wasevident amongst the players, who knewthat they had been the better team inthe opening half. The beginning of thesecond half mirrored the end of the firstas Beckett came out firing, looking toextend their lead, and they duly did soon 50 minutes. Uni keeper and captainGaby Noe pulled off some wonderfulsaves to keep her side in the game, andthe rest of the team seemed inspired byher performance. They got a goal back

Wednesday at the Gryphon Centresaw the women’s squash 1s play theirmost important match of the seasonso far against the University of Bristolto determine whether they would beplaced in the top or bottom half of thePremiership division. Some fantasticsquash saw Leeds narrowly beat theiropponents 3-2, meaning that theyare now ranked as one of the top fouruniversity squash teams nationally.

Anna Davies kicked off the day withher 1st team debut against Sophia Keenand her strong serve took her to an easy11-0 win in the first game. She continuedto play with precision, dictating the matchand achieving two more quick wins 11-2and 11-0 respectively.

Sara MerchantWomen’s Squash

Leeds Uni 1s 3-2 Bristol 1s

Cup heartache at hands of arch rivals

Sam Broadley ©Sam Broadley ©

Kayley DickinsonWomen’s Football

Leeds Uni 2s 2-5 Leeds Beckett 3s

This week saw many cup fixtures forthe Uni sides, with mixed success acrossthe board.

The rugby union 4s made the mostof their weak opposition by strolling toa 60-10 victory against a poor LeedsTrinity side. A more difficult fixturewas in store for the hockey 2s as theytravelled to Hull to face their first team,and although the Gryphons haven’t

mustered a victory in the league this yearthey came away from Humberside with awell-earned 3-2 victory.

In the league, the men’s badminton 1sare still searching for their first win of theseason after defeat to Liverpool 1s whichleaves them rooted to the bottom of thetable.

The women’s lacrosse 1s are findinglife similarly difficult after promotion tothe Premier North division this year andan 18-1 defeat to league leaders Durham

on 65 minutes through a superb lobover Beckett’s keeper from the edge ofthe box. This seemed to lift Uni’s spiritsas they continued to push forward.They began forcing Beckett into moremistakes as the match wore on, andtook advantage of one of these on the75th minute to draw level.

Following this, Uni were the betterteam and had several opportunitiesto put the game to bed. They failedto capitalise however, and a thrillinggame went to extra time. At this point,the fatigue of both teams was evident,but they continued to battle hard for

compounded their misery.Things couldn’t be more different

for the netball 2s, as they added to theirthree game winning streak in the leagueby thrashing Salford 1s 62-24 in thecup. Strong shooting performances byClare Steele and Sarah Hayne saw theGryphons ease comfortably into the nextround.

The performance of the week has togo to the netball 5s after an amazing85-0 victory against Teesside 3s; the

girls were superior in every single area ofthe pitch as they eased to victory.

Attention now turns to next weekand the men’s volleyball side will belooking to continue their unbeaten startto the season at home to Newcastle,whilst the men’s fencing team will alsobe looking to remain undefeated in atough clash with Liverpool 2s. Match ofthe week has to be the Varsity rematchin the rugby union as the Gryphons lookto avenge their defeat at Headingley.

BUCS review: Strong week for Gryphons

each other, with neither side willing togive up. Early on in extra time, Beckettscored with a superb strike from theedge of the box. Following this, theyadopted a more defensive formation,which paid off as Uni’s chances werelimited. The game continued to be end-to-end, but Beckett were now in theascendancy and scored two late goals toput the game beyond a wonderful Uniteam. Captain Gaby Noe spoke afterthe match of how proud her players hadmade her feel from start to finish; thissense of pride was fully justified by theperformance.

Adam LeRoux

Sam Broadley ©Sam Broadley ©

22 Sport

The Leeds 2s are through to thenext round of the BUCS NorthernConference Cup after recording animpressive victory over Sunderland’s1st team in the table tennis, winning12 games to Sunderland’s five, andshowing real skill in doing so.

The afternoon started off well forthe Gryphons, when the Wearsideoutfit turned up with only three playersinstead of the required four, meaningthat Leeds were already 4-0 up beforethe fixture had even started, providingthe team with an extra boost ofconfidence.

The team of Bobby Crossley,Reza Kalantar, Harry Morris and MattHazelwood then went on to dominateproceedings in a calm and assured wayto ensure their progression through tothe next round. Crossley powered to

Nancy GillenMen’s Table Tennis

Leeds Uni 2s 12-5 Sunderland 1s

victory against all of his opponents andthe other Leeds players all managed towin at least one of their games, withmany notable victories in straight gamesoccurring throughout the afternoon.

However, despite the initial forfeitwhich set them on the back foot,the Sunderland players did not giveup and showed real perseverance toeither run Uni close or win a gamethemselves and grab a point backfor their team, which they managedseveral times. Nonetheless, the Leedsplayers’ superiority still shone throughand managed to mostly overcome thisresistance.

The most closely-fought andentertaining contest came right at theend in the final game, when the fixturewas rounded off with a doubles match.The Sunderland duo facing the Leedspairing of Crossley and Hazelwood putup a good fight, and were determined togain another point, but were beaten 3-2in the end after an excellent encounter.

This topped off a brilliant afternoonfor the University of Leeds 2s, and itis hoped that the team can bring thatperformance into the next round and

progress even further. For now, theteam’s attention will turn to next week’sleague fixture away to a competitiveSalford 1s side.

The University of Leeds netball 1sfell short against a tough Manchesterside in a game that could have goneeither way.

A high scoring match was on thecards from the off after Manchester’shigh speed saw the ball travel straightthrough to the semicircle and into thenet within the opening seconds of thegame. Leeds came straight back withthree goals, unfazed by the intimidatingheight of their opponents’ defence.Patience proved a successful techniquefor Leeds, winning them valuable spaceon court. However, stern Manchesterpressure left little chance for goaldefence Gray and goal keeper Potteras Manchester scored six goals in theclosing minutes of the first quarter.

Leeds came out fighting at thestart of the second quarter and startedto focus properly. The Gryphonsonce again used their patience totheir advantage, with dummy passesand long balls across the semi-circle

confusing Manchester’s defence.Determination and high quality netballput Leeds ahead at half time with ascore of 20-18. Falling just short of awin has been Leeds’ downfall in recentweeks, yet another close score lefteverything to play for.

Leeds got off to a strong start inthe third quarter with goalshooter Crosbie scoring inthe opening minute. Cleverpassing in the semicirclebetween Crosbie and goalattack Horridge avoided theissue of Manchester’s heightadvantage, with expertlytimed passes bringingfurther goals.

Returning to the courtfor the final quarter, neitherteam was ready to giveup. Leeds showed theirfitness as they kept up withan unusually fast-pacedgame set by Manchester,but it was to their creditthat they slowed the gamewhen in possession of theball. Playing high up the

court was a risky strategy for Leeds,as they pushed closer to Manchester’sattacking third. Manchester began tolook stronger and stronger and mistakesfrom the Gryphons gave them severalchances to break away, bringing a finalscore of 47-31.

The result proved an unlucky

Leeds meet their match in netballloss for Leeds, who looked like a wellput-together team, remaining focusedon their own performances despiteaggressive play from their opponents.The side must now take these positivesinto their next match at home toLoughborough 1s as they look to gettheir season back on track.

Anne Wyman ©

Sunderland seen off in cup clash

Charlotte StonesNetball

Leeds Uni 1s 31-47 Manchester 1s

Sam Broadley ©Sam Broadley ©

Sport 23

THEGRYPHON.CO.UK

Sam Lewis ©

Adam LeRouxWomen’s Basketball

Leeds Uni 1s 40-77 Newcastle 1s

Results

Badminton 1s (M) 3-5 Liverpool 1sBadminton 2s (M) 7-1 York 2sBadminton 3s (M) 0-8 Sheffield 2s (Cup)Badminton 1s (W) 2-6 Birmingham 1sBadminton 2s (W) 6-2 Liverpool JM 1s (Cup)

Basketball (W) 40-77 Newcastle 1s

Fencing (W) 129-122 Manchester 1s

Football 1s (M) 3-0 Sheffield 3s (Cup)Football 2s (M) 3-2 Huddersfield 1sFootball 4s (M) 3-2 YSJ 2s (Plate)Football2s(W)2-5(AET)LeedsBeckett3s (Cup)

Hockey 1s (M) 0-5 Durham 1sHockey 2s (M) 3-2 Hull 1s (Cup)Hockey 5s (M) 0-10 Northumbria 1s (Cup)Hockey 1s (W) 0-3 Durham 1sHockey 5s (W) 3-2 MMU Cheshire 1s

Lacrosse 1s (W) 1-18 Durham 1sLacrosse 2s (W) 17-2 York 2s (Cup)

Netball 1s 31-47 Manchester 1sNetball 2s 62-24 Salford 1sNetball 3s 46-39 Keele 1s (Cup)Netball 6s 85-0 Teesside 3s (Cup)

Rugby League 1s 48-18 Liverpool JM 1s

Rugby Union 2s (M) 36-8 Lancaster 1sRugbyUnion4s(M)60-10LeedsTrinity 1s (Cup)

Squash 1s (M) 4-1 (12-6) York 1sSquash2s (M)0-3 (4-9)LeedsBeckett2s (Cup)Squash3s(M)3-0(9-1)ManchesterMet2s(Cup)Squash 1s (W) 3-2 (14-8) Bristol 1s (Playoff)

TableTennis 2s (M) 12-5 Sunderland 1s (Cup)

Tennis 1s (M) 12-0 Chester 1sTennis 2s (M) 12-0Sheffield Hallam 2s (Cup)Tennis 1s (W) 8-4 Manchester 1sTennis 2s (W) 4-8 Liverpool 1s (Cup)Tennis 3s (W) 2-10 Durham 5s (Cup)

Volleyball (W) 3-1 Huddersfield 1st (Cup)

Waterpolo (M) 16-5 St Andrews 1sWaterpolo (W) 8-14 Sheffield Hallam 1s

Newcastle stay unbeatenas Leeds suffer heavy loss

Leeds

24

13

5/14

Stats

Defensive Rebounds

Offensive Rebounds

Free Throw Success

Newcastle

11

7

9/17

The women’s basketball team’spromotion dreams suffered a majorsetback this week, after a dominantdisplay by visitors Newcastle saw theGryphons fall to a 75-40 defeat.

Leeds’ season had started brightlywith two wins out of two, but defeatlast week to Bangor and another hereleaves the side in third, having played agame more than the two teams abovethem.

Newcastle came into the gameunbeaten, and it was clear to see why;right from the off they put the pressureon Leeds, sinking a three-point attemptseconds after the tip-off. Within the firsttwo minutes the visitors had established

an 11-4 lead, but an exceptional three-point attempt from Poppy Jenner keptthe hosts within touching distance.

A Newcastle timeout followed, andfrom then on they never looked back.The Tyneside outfit were much moreeffective with the ball in their handsthan their opponents, springing fromone end of the court to the other withinseconds. This fast-thinking approachwas ultimately what led to Leeds’demise, as a hard-fought basket forthe Gryphons would be cancelled outalmost immediately.

Before the half-time hooter hadeven sounded the deficit was already20 points, as the visitors capitalised onerrors by the home side with clinicalfinishing.

Newcastle were moving the ballsuperbly once they reached the top of

the key, with KellyRobinson pulling thestrings. To make a no-look pass seem so easyshows the immensetalent she possesses,and Newcastle madethe most of herquality, as a lot of theplay seemed to go

through her. The Leeds defence wereunderstandably drawn to Robinson,but her quick hands almost alwaysmanaged to find a free teammate for ascoring attempt.

With the half-time score 37-19 theGryphons weren’t completely out of it,and a few early baskets from SophieJordan saw the home side close the lead.Leeds must have been hoping the smallsize of the Newcastle squad would workin their favour as the half went on, butdespite only having two substitutes thevisitors pushed on throughout the thirdand fourth quarter.

As the Gryphons got more desperatefor points, it played right into theiropponents’ hands, as with each missedattempt they broke and added to thelead. Isobel Johns was instrumental inthe game plan, as her excellent closedribble control would time and timeagain carve through the Leeds defence.

Some cheap baskets towards theend added a bit of gloss to the scorelinefor Newcastle, although it is hard tosay they didn’t deserve their win here.Leeds, meanwhile, will be looking toregain their early-season form and gettheir campaign back on track whenthey face Lancaster next week.

14 November 2014 thegryphon.co.uk

On a sunny autumn afternoon atWeetwood, Leeds football men’s 1s foughttheir way past a dogged Sheffield 3s toprogress to the next round of the Cup.

After a cagey start, with both teamssolid at the back and cautiously testingeach other’s midfield, Leeds graduallybegan to take control after around 20minutes. The midfield were regularlyspraying the ball out to the wings, andstriker Danny Cunningham was buzzingaround up front, causing the Sheffielddefence all sorts of problems. After twothumping Mike Stockdale headers frominswinging corners which just cleared thebar, Uni scored that all-important first

goal after 31 minutes.A ball through midfield eventually fell

to Cunningham around 35 yards fromgoal, with only the two centre-backs tobeat. Accelerating into the penalty area,he twisted and turned past the defendersto find a yard of space before clipping avery neat finish past the Sheffield goalie,who had no chance.

Instead of then keeping it tight in the15 minutes before half-time, Uni lookedkeen to go and get that second goalwhich would surely end the game asa contest. Stockdale, Cunningham andwinger Archie Christie were all takingthe game to Sheffield, but were justunable to produce that final pass or shotthat was needed to double the lead. Half-time arrived with the score at 1-0, butwith Uni well aware that a slip-up in the

second half could be fatal.The Gryphons started the second

half well, with the defence constantlytaking the ball off the Sheffield forwardsand then starting attacks, meaning thepressure was soon back on the ever-busyopposition rearguard.

It was ironic then that the vitalsecond goal came from a Sheffield set-piece. After the cross was cleared outto a Leeds forward, a slick and pacycounter-attack brought the play right tothe edge of the Sheffield box, where aneat through-ball from Stockdale sentChristie one-on-one with the keeper.A controlled, curling finish into the farcorner did the rest and made it 2-0.

From here on Uni had the relativelysimple task of seeing off a Sheffieldattack that worked their socks off, but

Leeds progress after convincingNorthern Conference Cup victory

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Euan CunninghamMen's Football

Leeds Uni 1s 3-0 Sheffield 2s

failed to pose any serious problems tothe Leeds defenders. Alex Davies was ingood form at the heart of that backline,and they made sure that there wereno late scares for the home side. TheGryphons were also looking good onthe break, with several late substitutescombining with 10 minutes to go andsetting up a late third goal. A ball acrossthe six-yard box caused havoc amongstthe Sheffield defence, and with thedefender facing his own goal, an attemptat a sliding clearance went horriblywrong.

Although Uni perhaps lackedthe fluency up front that they havedisplayed at various other points in theseason, Leeds were easily good enoughto beat a lower-league Sheffield 3s, andadvance to the next round of the Cup.

•Away trip to Bangor awaits for victorious Gryphons in last 16• Danny Cunningham continues great goalscoring form

Carlotta Grimaldi ©Carlotta Grimaldi ©

Giant killings and

Cup never fails to