ISSUE 11 SEPT 09 YOUR NEWS - YOUR VIEWS

the
DUNDEE UNIVERSITY STUDENT MAGAZINE FREE

In Our Name?
Dr Victor Skretkowiscz
Dundee University Students and the
English department mourn the loss of
Victor Skretkowicz. A passionate and
deeply inflicting tutor; his conviction in his
specialised subjects was like no other I’ve
come across either at University or at prior
education.
My first memory of Victor was of walking in
late to my first class with him as a second
year student. He greeted me warmly and
I knew immediately that I was a, forgiven
for being late, and b, would enjoy the
next semester. Dr Skretkowicz brought life
into his topics with ease; a difficult task
when you’re trying to impress Sydney’s
Arcadia onto your students! Every class that
semester was new and enlightening. Dr
Skretkowicz had a way of ensuring every
student got involved; whether with a cough
or a sly look one could be sure that he was
encouraging you to voice your opinion
and have an input. Indeed he liked nothing
more than sitting back and watching his
students put forward their own arguments
and leaving the debates to continue around
him.
For me, that semester developed a passion
for Renaissance Literature but it also taught
me impressive insights into literary geniuses
I had never looked at before. But the most
important impression left upon me was
from Dr Skretkowicz; he was known around
the world as the expert on Renaissance
Literature but here at Dundee he will not be
forgotten for the refreshing and invigorating
teaching styles he brought to the classroom.
He has been missed since his retirement
two years ago but he will continue to be
remembered in fondness by the many
students he left an impression on in his 30
years at Dundee University.
The DUSA Executive would like to pass on
our condolences to Victor’s family. Victor’s
family also requested any donations to be
made to Marie Curie Cancer Care and Motor
Neurone Disease Scotland
Rimple Palana
current affairs sport arts

Privatisation of Education: Keeping an Gigs: Brother Louis Collective pg27

eye on OUR education pgs 2, 4 &5 Reviews: Artscene pg25, Boylans Blog
Guantanamo: The reality of torture pg 3 pg24

9-21 32

features lifestyle travel

34
Rue de Jolie: Insanity in Paris pg 29
Hanney Interview pg.28

fashion regulars
We cover all the candidates in our

3
Election special edition.
pgs 9 - 21

thechat
Andy Kerr: Alasdair Forrest meets Andy
Kerr MSP pg22
Problems: Your problems solved pg7
Sports pages: Ultimate Frisbee and
Gaelic Football pg35
Edward Shallow: We meet the myth and
the legend to talk gameboys. pg34
Fashion: ReWork it! pg32

1
Contributors
Editor It’s been a
Natalie Coupar long hot
summer and
Assistant Editor now it’s 99
Graeme Thewliss degrees in
the shhaade!
Chief Sub-Editor Where ever
Emily Kane you’ve been
over the
Design Editor summer
Matthew Broderick we hope
Current Affairs Editor
you’ve had
a massive amount of fun, because it time
to get back to some serious studgying!
Features Editor
The first Magdalen of term has been a
Brian Eno
pretty hectic one and we’ve been kept
Entertainment Editor pretty busy. Make sure you check out the
Gary Glitter atricle on Megrahi and follow our guides
on flatmates.
Lifestyle Editor
Michael Barrymore
Sports and Societies Editor
Barry Davidson

Sales and Finance Director

Sir Fred Goodwin
Online Editor
Bill Gross

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 news : campus
V&A Closer To Opening
The V&A at Dundee will happen and will
be underpinned by a robust business plan
that maximises the cultural and economic
benefits for its local communities. That
was the Culture Minister’s message as he
announced the Scottish Government’s
support for the project today.
Mr Michael Russell MSP said the V&A at
Dundee project could make a considerable
contribution to the aesthetic, cultural and
economic regeneration of Dundee:
‘Dundee has made huge strides in
recent years and I’ve been struck by the
coordinated approach to regeneration
work in the city. This project could be a
dramatic new chapter in the life of Dundee
to position the city as an international art
destination and a thriving centre for our
creative industries.’
‘This Government has given the V&A
at Dundee project team a significant
commitment of support which will enable
them to move forward and maximise their
fundraising campaign. We will contribute
capital funding towards construction of the
physical space and the exact support level
will be confirmed once we are in a position
to set budgets for the next 2-3 years in the
next strategic spending review.’
Uni to Help West Bank Chidren
University to help West Bank children deal
with trauma
The University of Dundee is to help ensure
that children in Dundee’s twin city of Nablus
receive the appropriate assistance to deal
with the trauma of growing up in a region
regularly beset by war.
The University is one of the partners in
a project, led by the Centre for Applied
Research in Education (CARE) Ramallah, to
train school counsellors to identify, assess
and treat the symptoms of Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Grief.
Ian Barron, from the University’s School of
Education, Social Work and Community
Education, has been instrumental in
establishing the project to help children
in one of the world’s most conflict-prone
zones deal with traumatic experiences.
He was asked by CARE Ramallah for advice
4
‘There must be a sustainable long-term
future for this project and lasting benefits
for the local community and surrounding
area. Projections show that an additional
500,000 visitors could be attracted to
Dundee, along with the creation of up to
900 local jobs and an additional £5.7m
output to the Scottish economy.’
‘I firmly believe that the V&A at Dundee
has great potential to enrich and enliven
Scotland’s cultural landscape.’
Professor Pete Downes, Principal of the
University of Dundee and chair of the V&A
at Dundee project steering group said:
‘We are delighted by this strong expression
of support from the Scottish Government
for the V&A at Dundee project. We are
currently completing technical appraisals
on a number of sites on Dundee’s
waterfront and we expect to be able to
choose a final site for development by
October 2009.’
‘Over the next few months, we plan to
conclude a final agreement with the
V&A Trustees and establish a charitable
company through which we will conduct
a fundraising campaign and launch an
international design competition.’
about how to equip school counsellors with
the tools necessary to allow them to help
children who may have witnessed violence,
narrowly escaped death, or who may have
seen family and friends die as a result of the
long-running conflict.
Ian will evaluate the project to ensure its
efficacy and to inform future initiatives to
help children deal with the trauma of war or
disaster situations.
He explained that there were three main
symptoms of PTSD displayed by children
who have first-hand experience of conflict
or natural disaster. ‘The first is hyperarousal
- elevated levels of anxiety, panic or terror,’
he said.
‘The second is avoidance, which causes
them to avoid bomb blasts sites, places
where soldiers might be etc to the point
that their world closes in. Even their homes
become unsafe places. They may also
‘As the V&A at Dundee takes a step closer,
the firm focus of the charitable company
will be to drive forward fundraising from
a range of private and public sources to
secure Dundee’s place as a true hub of
creative appreciation.’
Mr Ken Guild, Leader of Dundee City
Council and Chair of the Dundee Waterfront
Development Board said:
‘We strongly believe that the V&A at
Dundee will provide a new cultural
paradigm for Scotland, enable us to build
an international reputation for cutting edge
art and design in Dundee that builds on
core existing creative strengths inherent in
the city and provide a unique and exciting
space that will attract new visitors to
Dundee as well as providing a wonderful
showcase for Dundee that all of our local
population can feel proud of.’
‘We look forward very much to working
closely with the Scottish Government over
the next few years to ensure that V&A at
Dundee becomes a world-class centre for
excellence in creativity’.
dissociate, a process which is part of body’s
survival mechanism and which sees the
brain switch off to the trauma and cut off
their feelings.’
‘The third aspect to look out for is intrusion
- flashbacks occur when the trauma is
hotwired into the child’s brain. Images can
be triggered by everyday events which are
similar in some small way to the original
traumatic experience’.
“A fourth symptom we must look for is
traumatic grief, which occurs when the
experience is so traumatic that the child
becomes stuck in the moment of trauma
and is unable to grieve.’
Ian is also a partner in another project led
by CARE aiming to help children in Gaza
deal with their traumatic experiences.
Entitled “Healing Trauma, Combating
Hatred”, the scheme has been developed
by CARE in conjunction with local
psychologists and takes into account the
specific needs of Gaza by working at a
community rather than individual level.
 news : local
No News?
>Lauren Bennie
Dundee is a funny old city during the
summer months. The ‘sunniest place in
Scotland’ neither has the feel of a city nor
that of a town. With the student population
off celebrating the copious amounts of free
time on offer, or earning every available
buck to survive Freshers ’09, local Dundee
news space tends to take a dive.
Do not be fooled. There are no less drug
rabbles or stealth stabbings on offer, it’s
just that the local papers have gala days
and farmer markets to report on. The
Dundonianbroadsheethasever-decreasing
space to deliver such gruesome events.
After all, we’d rather hear about the duck
race than the drug raid.
Brandon Muir Reports Criticised
Dundee West MP Jim McGovern, a familiar
face around the University’s Politics
Department spoke out last week about
the tragic case surrounding the death of
Dundee toddler, Brandon Muir.
The MP described communications
between those charged with protecting
Brandon’s welfare as an, “absolute human
tragedy.” However, he refused to describe
the case reports as a whitewash, a term
used by Brandon’s grandmother, Lorraine
Garty.
“It’s a total whitewash. Brandon would be
alive if those people had done their jobs.
My grandson is dead and all they seem to
Garden Centre Blaze
A blaze in Lochland Garden Centre outside
Forfar attracted a great deal ofattention by
passers-by the other week as smoke could b
e seen for miles from the area.
Police are investigating the matter further
and urge anyone who may have seen the
fire that took place around 2.30am on
Thursday 27th of August.
>Lauren Bennie
be interested in is covering their backs.”
Commenting on the reports, Mr McGovern
said, “I do have concerns with the findings
of the report, in as much as I believe there
were opportunities to prevent the assault.”
He added, “ I do not think it is a whitewash,
but it’s an absolute tragedy that the people
who are charged with looking after this
child’s welfare didn’t seem to communicate
with each other as they should have.”
A case like this most certainly calls into
question the actions of Tayside Police,
the NHS and Dundee City Council. At
a time when focus is elsewhere, the
>LaurenBennie
population of Dundee are somewhat duty
bound to intervene. At no point should
one put themselves at unnecessary risk.
Nonetheless, there is limited risk associated
with raising a voice. Had more individuals
raised their voice outside the City Chambers
or indeed in Bell Street, then the case may
have played out differently.
There needs to be more transparent
processes in place to deal with cases of
vulnerable children in Dundee. Why were
social workers unaware that Boyd and
Cunningham had criminal records? At
what point were they going to discover
that Brandon’s mother had abused heroin,
turned to prostitution and left Brandon in
Cunningham’s care?
Dundee West MSP Joe Fitzpatrick
acknowledged some failures of agencies
to work together while Shona Robinson,
Public Health Minister, added that, “key
agencies will need to urgently implement a
large number of recommendations.”
“We owe it to Brandon and his family to
have these implemented in full.”
Cunningham is now serving ten years for
culpable homicide. This month, his appeal
was denied.
5
 news : national
Ted Kennedy
It is with great sadness we write about the
passing of Ted Kennedy, brother of former
US President John F Kennedy, 77, after a
long battle against a brain tumour. Kennedy
was a giant of US politics, rated as one
of America’s ‘Ten best Senators’ by Time
magazine in 2006. He will be remembered
as one of the most effective legislators in
US politics. A staunch opponent of the Bush
administration, the Iraq war and prisoner
abuse scandal, Senate Majority leader Harry
Reid suggested: “The liberal lion’s mighty
roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall
never die.”
GCSE >EK
There have been record number of top
grade passes in GCSE results in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. This will most
liekly spur on comments that exams are
becoming to easy for students. However
by the same token, bad results do lead to
claims that schools are failing. With these
great results now in the books, and the
claims that University places are becoming
more and more difficult to obtain, it is clear
that higher education will become a vital
issue in the upcoming general elections.
The issue will increase in importance
as the students this year are the first to
be educated solely through a Labour
Government.
More Jobs Cut
Drinks giant Diageo are having to face the
wrath of local workers as they recently were
dealt the news that up to 900 jobs could
possibly face cuts.
However Diageo plans to offset workers
losses through the creation of a packaging
plant in Fife, which would in turn provide
somewhere in the region of 400 jobs to
prospective workers.
This flies in the face of recent Diageo sales
figures which record profit in the regions of
£2 billion and only a 3% drop in the market
despite a world wide recession.
4
The Future is Here?
Videos will appear in print magazines for
the first time on the 18th of September.
Entertainment Weekly in Los Angeles
and New York will feature adverts from
television network CBS and Pepsi. The
technology features a screen the size of
a mobile phone display, a chip which
can hold up to 40 minutes of video and a
rechargeable battery. The screens activate
when the reader turns the page and has
been likened to the Daily Prophet in Harry
Potter as stories and adverts are recounted
by magic from the page. Certainly more
Minority Report than Back to the Future…
Population Rising
The UK population has risen to an excess of
61 million, recent reports by the Office for
National Statistics have announced. this will
come as a worrying fact to a country who
are already beginning to feel the impact of
struggling food resources.
However for the first time in a decade,
changes in births and death rates have
had more of an impact than immigration
rates. This flies in the face of claims by right
wing parties such as the BNP and UKIP that
immigration is a rising problem in Britiain.
There are now 1.3 million people over the
age of 85 in Britain, which will inevitably
lead to additional strains on the NHS and
the state pension system. The last of the
“baby boomers” of the post war era have
>NT
reached retirement and the strains of such
a quick shift in demographics will be felt
most heavily on those who are beginning
to enter the world of work to find that taxes
are rising. This is excarbated by the fact
that many private pension schemes have
faltered in recent years, leaving many to
rely on the meagre state pension which
currently stands at around £74 a week.
Shadow immigration minister Damian
Green said: “These figures show our
population is still rising fast, even when the
recession is driving hundreds of thousands
of people to leave.
Snooker Loopy
Stephen Maquire and Jamie Burnett, two
professional snooker players from Glasgow
have been questioned by police due o
irregular betting patterns.
The allegations refer to a match that the
pair played at the Maplin Championship on
14th December last year.
The police are still investigating the matter
and are due to present a report to the
Procurator Fiscal’s office in due course.
Questionable betting patterns in sport
has been raised as an issue several times
already this year, with several football
players recieving fines for betting on their
own matches.
 news : infocus
Swine Flu - Media Scare? >Stuart Brown

The common pink, curly tailed, oinking indifferent once it has served its role.
technology savvy swine. Now, this is not a
piggie is a versatile producer of many I’ve noticed that I have been consuming
rant against the perception of an evil ‘mass
things. Pork chops, bacon sandwiches, or news stories in the same way. I am taken
media machine’ that is out to control us for
pigs trotter (if Marco Pierre White is cooking in by a headline, I digest the information
the good of its own endeavour. It’s more
for you). (the product) and then discard - unlikely
simplistic and realistic than that. The mass
to not be thought about again too much,
media is confined by its own seemingly
As I write, I am currently being advised by a fate of complete indifference and
infinite boundaries. It is the very fact that
the NHS to stay indoors and away from subsequently a total lack of importance.
mass media operates over a relentless 24/7
Joe public if I feel a sniffle. You see, pigs In order to make the product more
existence - which could well be seen to
also seem to produce a nasty flu virus that appealing and sell more, the shop counter
bring unlimited scope - that actually serves
has killed a number of people in Mexico of news - the mass media - has to bring
as the scenario that restricts the media’s
over the last few days. It is lamentable in its own type of deal. Just the same
substance and betrays it’s purpose. The
that anyone dies of disease anywhere in as a two for one offer on sausage roles.
advent of twenty four hour mass media
the world and ye gods’ know people So, make the news story that little bit
are dieing of an exhausting array of more interesting - like over hyping an
horrible diseases. However, there is obviously nasty disease that has yet
something about the whole swine flu to make a global pandemic impact.
scenario that I find hard to swallow. This is the sweetener, the billboard, the
This has something to do with another furniture sale. We go for it, we consume
product attributed to the humble pig. it and eventually, we once again shite it
out and forget about it.
Swine are also a provider of tripe
-this pig I speak of is the sort of little Swine flu is tripe. Believe me. If I’m
blighter that just keeps giving and wrong then may the good lord have
giving. Although I am more concerned mercy on my mucus-riven, sweaty soul.
with the steaming hot piles of tripe It is a product, no longer a reality. It has
that the 24 hour party media people been stripped of all substance by the
are serving. This tripe is a dish that’s mass media and put out to tender in
has brought about a culture that regards
served just a little too often and is leaving the swill trough for the piggies to munch
news not as fact for mass understanding or
a similar emotion in me that occurs when on, get what they need and then forget
mass acknowledgement but rather more a
I have been frequenting my local baker’s about it. We are the pigs that create this
case of mass consumption. The reporting
sausage roles a few times too many. In other swine and in turn we eat ourselves. It
of news is being taken so far out of context
words, it’s leaving me tired, bloated and is cannibalistic in the sense that we are
that it has become a produce than can be
slightly sick. In fact, scrap that. It’s making eating the parts of our existence that
consumed via many sources: television,
me quite angry (‘Ahh Shite... not again...’ I create notions of common-sense, senses
Internet or in print. There are no boundaries
hear you sigh - I’m not always on the verge of proportion and any idea of relevance. In
to this consumption, news can be accessed
of manic displays of grammatically poor other words, we eat our own brains.
at anytime and subsequently digested,
rage, it just seem that way).
processed and eventually defecated out
Think of a very real pandemic, one that
of the system by way of unconscious
Before I pursue this line any further I will has been around for decades. It was
indifference. This path is subtlely walked
offer you a disclaimer. Yes, I am fully aware consumed as a product at the time the
and is exactly the same as the journey of
that I am using a medium of the very thing shop counter was just being established.
consumption taken by a can of coke or a
I am going to be ranting against when I AIDS is killing people. It’s killing people
sausage role from the baker.
criticise the mass media . Blogs can be part every single day, without fail. However, as
of the problem or the solution and are a society we have forgotten about AIDS as
To take the consumer process taken by
a measure of the human traits I’m going its newsworthy status has been eroded.
food a bit further in comparision, if I walk
to mull over. Thanks for pointing out my We consumed stories about AIDS, got
past a baker and spot a sign with two for
stinking and overwhelming hypocrisy, but our feelings of satisfaction that we knew
one on the sausage roles you can make a
sadly I’m going to do it regardless and I’m about it and would do something and
very safe bet that I will grab the advertised
rather unapologetic about it in all reality. ultimately we forgot about it, moved on
product, digest, process and then consign
and consumed the next rave product - the
it eventually into both the bottom of a
The way I see it, is that we are being served next big news story.
toilet (hopefully) and to a fate of limbo. The
a large amount of very stinky tripe at the
sausage role, after it has been consumed,
hands of the mass media - or, if you like,
is disposed of and forgotten about. I am

5
 representation:
Year of Democracy
This DUSA led campaign will bring together
a far reaching group of people with one
common concept; democracy. What it is,
how it works, if it works; essentially, all the
issuessurroundingthetopic.Theexperience
will be a chance for everyone to have their
opinion voiced. Through the medium of
debates, talks and events we aim to raise
awareness to the subject of democracy.
Within the coming academic
year you can expect a number of debates
betweenstudents,staff,andexternalbodies.
We invite you to join in, have your voice
heard or just hear what is being discussed.
We will be bringing in guest speakers and
As it’s a brand spanking new session
at Dundee University, it’s time for the
Student Representative Council (SRC)
Elections, a chance for YOU to stand
up for your fellow students and make
yourvoicesheard.TheSRCcomprisesof
the DUSA Executive, School Presidents
and normal Additional Members
such as yourself who strive to further
improve the fantastic time to be had
at University by acting as an effective
student body.
In the past the SRC has played
an integral role in setting policy both
within DUSA and the University. We
hope to see this continue on into the
following year with the SRC also taking
on an active role in the forthcoming
campaigns. The SRC is your gateway
to make the difference for both you
and your fellow students. It is here
you can change your environment,
teaching and general services which
can only become better if you get
8
lecturers with a spectrum of views and turning into action so watch this space as we
opinions and you can also expect to see bring some festival fun to the Union.
democracy in action through a number of
DUSA/University led elections.
Democracyisofcoursesaglobalissuewhich
impacts many communities and societies
and we will be bringing in speakers to raise
awareness of democracy around the world.
We will be working with a variety of
international societies to bring to you a taste
of the global stance on democracy.
Which brings us onto the highlight
of the year. A Latin American Awareness
Campaign. During the first semester we
will be all things Latin American. Plans are
involved. The council is the pinnacle of The full job descriptions and the nomination
this Students Union and enables you forms are available on www.dusa.co.uk or on
to be represented with a voice that the VLE
resonates through the upper sections
of University structures.
Whether you’re a fresher, a
fourth year, or anything in between
there’s plenty of room for you on the
SRC and is a great way to get further
involved in student life and widen your
social circle, as well as enhance your
experience of University life.
Elections for the posts will be
held online on September 25th.
Nominations should be returned to
the Returning Office and Honorary
Secretary or the Executive Support on
level 4 of the DUSA no later than 12pm
on September 18th and should include
a 200 word election statement. Please
include along with this a photo of
yourself in an electronic format.
 Your New Life
Starts Here
By Emily Kane
You’ve stuffed your bags full of stuff
you’ll probably never want or use (Mr
Cuddles?) and said goodbye to all your
old school chums.
You feel distinctly grown up when you
tell your siblings that you’re off to uni
to make something of yourself.
You arrive at halls, eager to find out
who you’ll be staying with but a bit
concerned that they might all be total
1. People Are Strange
You are bound to make “friends
for life” throughout Freshers week.
Some of them will be the real deal
yet the majority of them? Pricks. For
some reason you’ll grow apart after
realising that the fact that you both
love Aftershock is no basis for a real
friendship.
2.Xtreme Dining
If you are living on your own for the
first time, you realise how good a cook
your parents actually were. Meals soon
became a thing of invention - who
knew that Mince Korma would taste
so good?! You’ll convince yourself that
the only to survive is to dine at every
restaurant in the city - it’s not, it’s a
quick route to poverty.
3.Bang Goes The Filofax
Those who are of the organised nature
may fare well in terms of studying,
but socially? We think not. You’re best
nights out will be spent with randoms
who’ll you’ll most likely never speak
to again, resulting in a trek to the 24
hour bakery. And a myriad of random
numbers in your phonebook.
nutters with weird hair and bad
smells.
So, what now? How do you make the
most out of the years that await you?
In order to protect you from the shock
that comes with uni life, us kind folks
at the Magdalen office have compiled
a wee list of what to expect.
4.The Anthem
It’s the one song
that got played
comtinually
throughout
Freshers week.
For my year it was
Chelsea Dagger
and generally involved everyone going
mental in mono like a proper bunch of
lager louts. Whatever song it is, choose
it wisely because it’s going to HAUNT
you for the rest of your life.
5.The “Tesco Bridge”
No matter how many times somebody
tells you that theres going to be a
bridge built from Airlie place to Tescos,
the fact of the matter is that it just isn’t
going to happen. So peel your lazy
bum off of that sofa and walk.
(Or just go internet shopping.)
6.Freshers Flu
It’s not Swine flu. It’s not Sars. It’s most
definitely not whatever other morbid
disease you’ve concocted from your
imagination in the hope you’ll gain
some sympathy from your otherwise
quite harsh flatmates that you thought
you liked at the start of the year but
realised they were all completely awful.
It’s Freshers Flu. And you’ve got it. Man
up, it’ll only last a week.
7.Societies
Oooh Freshers Fayre. What a lovely
shiny badge you’re giving me to bribe
me into joining your society. Sign me
up!
So you’ve been to Freshers Fayre and
yourover-zealousnesshasencouraged
you to sign up to Badminton, Debates,
Fencing, The Chocolate eating society
and even The Magdalen.
Oh aye. Two weeks later and you’ll be
on Season 8 of “Programme of the
Moment” convincing yourself that you
will attend a meeting eventually. Don’t
be a crazy. Sign up to one or two and
actually attend, you might like it.
8.Midnight Cooking
Please please please don’t cook a roast
dinner at 3am because you’ve had a
bit too much to drink. You will burn
your house down.
9.Afternoon Napping
This is the only way to survive your
hectic shedule. Preferably during
Loose Women, snuggle up with a
blanket and your flatmates for some
much needed shut-eye.
10. CLIMB THE LAW
Don’t say you’re going to do it, just
do it. Every student you meet will say
thats its a must (although half of them
will have no idea what your talking
about) and it truly is. The gorgeous
scenery, the multitude of buildings
that fill the landscape. Ok, I’ve never
been, but I will this year. Maybe.
9
 T he experience of a life time. All students
should make the most out of their
seemingly endless summer holidays, it
This month we’ve followed the travels of
Susan Cruickshank and Kathryn Hamilton,
two 3rd students who went travelling all
Start here ->
won’t be long until they have to say goodbye over Europe for five weeks via Interrail.
to them forever (unless you become a
teacher). Yet travelling is an experience
which takes months of planning and saving
so that you can make the most out of your
time away.
Over the next few months, The Magdalen is
going to speak to a whole range of students
who have travelled all over the world.
If you’re interested in talking to The Magdalen
about your travels, please get in touch by
e-mailing themagdalen@dusa.co.uk and put
Travel in the subject bar.

Day 32....
Reykjavik
Iceland
Whale watching seems to be a popular thing to do
here, so we jumped on the bandwagon and took a tour.
Now, had this been calm waters, and if we had seen
countless whales, I would definitely recommend it, but
neither of these happened. The water was splashing us
over the side of the boat, and running from side to side
trying to catch a glimpse of a whale, does not really do
it for me. What I spent the majority of my three hours
doing, was sitting beside a 12 year-old with a sick bag,
just incase! Kathers on the other hand had a ball, she
enjoyed running from side to side, chasing the fin of
the one whale that we saw. A visit to the Blue Lagoon
is a must, the feeling of being in hot water, whilst
outside in the rain still does not make any sense to us!

We would highly advise you to take some time out to

do your own tour of Europe. You will learn a lot about
yourself, how long you can stand with 20k on your
back, and if you go with a friend, you will learn a lot
about them, she makes weird noises in her sleep! You
may well be bankrupt when you return, but if you eat
in more than us - think it was twice over our 5 weeks,
2 meals a day – then you are guaranteed to save some
money.

Day 24....
Prague,
Czech Republic Out of all the old towns that we visited
over our 5 weeks, this was the best of an
awesome bunch. The best thing to do
was enjoy the sun! It’s far too warm to go
through town in the day, so night is the
best time to do so. If you don’t fly direct
Day 18.... into Dubrovnik, you can travel there by bus
from Split. Do not consider this journey
Dubrovnik lightly. 5 hours on a jam packed bus, with
Croatia no air conditioning, well, let’s put it this way,
I wasn’t feeling too grand at the end of the
10
journey – or 20 minutes into it!
When you arrive at the bus station,
you are more than likely to be
hounded by a large group of old
ladies offering you a place to stay.
We came off good with our choice;
right across the road, so no long
distance with the backpacks; and
air conditioning in our room, we
had to eat in there because the
rest of the house was too hot!
Day 1....
Paris, Île-de-
France, France

Day 4....
Interlaken
Switzerland
One of the most amazing countries we came
across for their landscapes. The views from
going up any of the hills are stunning, it
may take some effort to get to these views,
especially if you take the wrong road and cycle
up a steep hill for no reason, but it will all be
worth it! For travellers, the activities are a
must-do. Whether you choose canyoning, ice
climbing or bungy jumping, the experience is
one that you will never forget. And let’s face
it, what better way to get over your hangover
than a 50m abseil, a few zip lines, and some
continuous jumping into cold water?!

Day 11....
Salzburg
Austria

11
 health:
BE SAFE
Why learning the basics now could
save you a lot of hassle in the future.
W
hile some of you may be more
confident then others with personal
safety, it’s still important to have a
good grasp on how you can make nights out
and even your day-to-day routines safer. This
applies to both sexes. Men are twice as likely
to be the victim of a violent attack and 16-24
year olds are most at risk from violent crime.
National Personal Safety day is on the 22nd
of October, so there’s no better time to
reinstate the basics.
WHENATHOME
There are many issues surrounding safety
when it comes to the home. Living in a new flat
with people that you don’t really know can be
confusing especially in the first week when you
aren’t too sure who lives in your block.
1. When you arrive, try and take note of how
many people you are living with. What are their
names? How many other people share your
block? Is there a service button or can anyone
just walk in? All these facts are vital in making
sure you aren’t letting strangers into your
home.
2. If you are going out, write a note to let your
flatmates know when you’ll be home and how
they can contact you.
3.As you are entering your accommodation,
make sure that there is nobody suspicious
lurking around who may try and “tail-gate” you
into the flat.
4.Always, always, lock all your doors and
windows before leaving the building or turning
in for the night.
12
WHEN OUT
Whether you are going on a night out in
town or are just walking home from work, its
pertinent to be assertive and make sure you
know where you’re going and how long it will
take.
Plan Routes - Know exactly how you’re
going to get to your final destination,
sticking close to busy, well-lit roads if you are
walking.
Spare Change - Take extra money in case
you need a taxi or a bus. Always keep some
money aside for the end of the night for this Like your date...but at Wimpys
reason.
Look confident - Avoid listening to your
music or talking on the phone; this could
distract from dangerous situations. Walk DATING
assertively, even if you are lost.
Personal safety isn’t about taking the fun
Alarm - Personal safety and Rape alarms
out of everything you do. Instead it’s about
can be obtained from the welfare office
making sure you can have the most fun
at the university or can be bought online.
possible by staying safe. When it comes to
These are valuable in attracting attention or
dating and meeting people that don’t know
disorientating an attacker.
too well, it’s important to have fun whilst
keeping your wits about you.
Tell Someone - If you are going out on a
date, tell someone you know where you’re
going and what time you plan on coming
home at.
Come Home - If it’s a first date, avoid going
back to theirs or inviting them back to yours.
The chances are that you don’t know them
well enough to fully trust them yet.
DRINK SAFELY Instincts - Listen to your instincts. If your
date is creeping you out its for a reason. Avoid
It may sound pretty basic but it’s a fact situations which make you feel intimidated.
that those who have been drinking are far Protect - If you do decide to have sex - USE
more likely of becoming the victim (and the A CONDOM. If you don’t, make sure you get
perpetrator) of an attack. yourself to a GUM clinic as soon as possible.
CONTACT
1. Don’t mix drinks with drugs. It’s a bad
combination and can make you extremely
vulnerable - and that mix alone can lead to
fatality.
2.If you’re travelling home, avoid unregistered The Suzy Lamplugh Trust provides
or bogus taxis. brilliant information on personal safety:
3.Avoid potentially aggressive situations and www.suzylamplugh.org
watch your body language - if you appear For a broader range of safety issues
aggressive, you may attract unwanted check out:
attention. www.personalsafetyadvice.co.uk
4. Never, ever leave your drink unattended. No Dundee has brilliant facilities for sexual
matter how safe you feel in a club, bar or even welfare:
a house party, you can never be 100% sure of www.sexualhealthtayside.org
those around you. www.gaymenshealthtayside.org
5.If you do meet new people on a night out
and decide to bring someone home, make
sure you are safe and that one of your flatmates
knows your plans.
health:
J&J
Answering your problems in health
and welfare.
J anine Ewan and Julia Muszynski
are here to answer any worries
or problems you may have with
complete discretion. If you would like
to ask them a question please e-mail
them to:
vpsw@dusa.co.uk with Problem in the
subject line.
If you would like to ask a question, just
post one into the comments box on the
fourth floor.
J & J, my mates want me to take
ecstasy but I’m not sure if I should
try because I don’t want to get
addicted. Can I try it once without
getting addicted? Should I?
Anon, 17, West End
Don’t feel as though you have to try ecstasy
if it is something you don’t really want to try
and you know is wrong. Even though trying it
once is unlikely to make you addicted, it may
make you sick and there are deaths from it.
Remember it is a Class A drug and if you are
caught with it the penalties are serious. If you
are found to be holding a large amount you
can also be charged with possession with
the intent of dealing - which carries much
heavier penalties.
We know that people will experiment, but
anything can be put into ecstasy and it’s a
risk just not worth taking.
J&J, I have been smoking since I was
a teen and I have decided enough
is enough. I don’t want to carry on
smoking as I’m reaching my final year
at Uni and really am so fed up of it.
Whats the best way to stop?
Craig, 25, Up the Perth Road
This is a tricky topic and it won’t be easy
but if you are as determined then it is
achievable. The best advice we can give is
to go and make an appointment with your
doctor who is likely to refer you to a smoking
cessations counsellor or a nurse. They can
offer an assessment of your lifestyle and
provide advice on the best options available
to yourself. This is usually on going support
so resulting in meetings weekly or every
two weeks as a follow up to see how you
are getting on. Why not ask other people
you may know who have stopped? There
is always advice online on health pages
particularly the NHS website. Good luck and
we hope you see it through!
Thats bad enough to make
anyone quit!
J&J, Me and my flatmate who happens to
be a good friend fell out last night. I have
asked time and time again to do her share
of chores in the flat but she always makes
up excuses! She knows how busy I am
just no w with uni work and working part
time. Just seems unfair and I feel a massive
fall out coming along which I really don’t
want! Any advice?
Lucy, 21, Menziehill
DON’T FALL OUT! You say you are both good
friends, this is something that can be resolved.
First of all be calm and approach your friend
without any aggression involved, even if this is
a frustrating situation.
Sit her down and tell her how you feel. If this
gets you nowhere consider speaking to a
University member of staff. Peer Connectors
can offer support through drop-in sessions
where you can go and talk about how you feel.
Some peer connectors are trained to be peer
mediators which involves dispute resolution
and conflict management. Don’t hold back
though and don’t be worried about seeking
help. There’s nothing worse than leaving
situations and getting stressed out. Help is out
there!
J&J, I’ve been feeling like crap
for the past week or so and am
worried that it might be H1N1 flu.
Everyone’s saying not to go to the
doctors but that I need tamiflu,
how do i know?
Ben, 19, Douglas
There are many misconceptions about
swine flu. It is a serious matter, but it
important to make sure you are not just
the victim of a common cold. You don’t
mention any symptoms so the best
thing to do would be to research into
the symptoms. If you feel as though
you have all of them do not panic.
The World Health Organisation is now
advising that those countries with
adequate health care should not be
prescribing Tamiflu as a cure. If these
problems persist please contact NHS 24
on 08454 24 24 24.
J&J, I work out quite a lot and am
dead active in both football and
squash but I’ve lately been having
some mental heartburn. I don’t
live off junk food so why is this
happening?
Ryan, 23, Peddie St
Theres a number of reasons why you could be
getting heartburn. As a common a disorder
as it is - there are more than seven million
sufferers in the UK alone.
Heartburn is a digestive disorder which is
caused by regurgitation of stomach acid up
through the stomach into the esophagus. It’s
definitely not pleasant.
Try avoiding high-fat foods, large amounts of
alcohol and coffee and make sure you maintain
a healthy weight. After eating make sure you
avoid lying down for at least 2-3 hours and try
elevating the head of your bed when you go
to sleep.
If heartburn persists take an antacid to relieve
the pain. There can be obtained at most
pharamacists. However, if it gets unbearable,
please consult your doctor.
13
 science:
“Guardian of the Genome”
Uncovers More
Dundee scientists have furthered the cause
in finding out the functions of the p53 gene,
which is found in about 90% of all cancers.
30 years ago Sir David Lane, a professor at
the University of Dundee, co-discovered
the gene and found it to be inherent to cell
recovery. However it has been difficult to
link this gene with cancer due.
These new breakthroughs, done in
conjunction with numerous other partners,
have shown how the gene can activate or
suppress cell proliferation.
This in turn will allow scientists to
determine which drugs can help assist the
p53 gene and potentially control it’s levels
of activity. EK
Legal Highs to be Outlawed
The British government announced it’s
intentions to ban three legal highs - GBL; a
legal alternative to GHB, Spice: a cannabis
substitute and BZP; an alternative to
amphetamines. The news comes as two
more deaths have been related to these so
called “legal highs.” Home Secretary Alan
Johnson has been advised by the Advisory
Council on Misuse of Drugs that such legal
highs can be fatal when combined with
alcohol.CN
How to Mend a Broken Heart
A group of Israeli scientists have came
one step closer to finding a method to fix
the damage that heart attacks cause on a
person.
Using heart muscle a patch has been
developed which can reduce scarring that
the heart attack may have caused.
The experiment has shown that such
patches can actually improve the hearts
condition.
14
By increasing muscle quantity and New Crustacean Discovered
improving electrical impulses, the patch
has done much more than the scientists
initially expected. RB
Crop Yields at Tipping Point?
Through use of models and databases
of weather patterns, two scientists have
discovered that temperatures over 29
degrees celsius can have a dramatic
effect on crop yields in the U.S.
Wolfram Schlenker of Colombia
University, New York and Michael Roberts
at North Carolina State University, New Another species of the predatory
York, used a high-res dataset of weather crustacean class Remipedia has been
patterns from the years 1950 up until discovered in the Tunnel De La Antlantida
2000. near Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Typically, rise in sea levels or glacial melt Named Speleonectes atlantida after
are paid more attention to, however the cave system it was found in, the
food supply and security is an issue crustacean has long antennae instead of
which will undoubtedly become of great eyes, which it uses to search through the
importance in years to come. lightless void.
Usingameasureknownasa“degree-day,” The team consisted of scientists from
whereby the team analyse how many Texas A&M University and Pennsylvania
days are spent above the 29 degree mark State University in the U.S., the University
and how long for, the scientists have of La Laguna in Spain, and the University
found that yield of maize, soybean ad of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and
cotton typically drop by 0.6% for each University of Hamburg, both in Germany.
“degree-day” amassed.EK They were on a dive in the region when
they discovered the previously unknown
species of crusteacean alongside two
other new species of annelid worms of
the class Polychaeta.
The results of the cave dive are to be
published in a special edition of the
Springer journal Marive Biodiversity. KH
21st Century Multitasking
Powered By Watermelon
Those who frequently multi-task via
Recent studies have shown that the juice
different online media outlets - such as
of reject watermelons can successfully be
instant messaging, social networking,
fermented into ethanol, providing another
texting, e-mailing - do not pay attention as
source of biofuel.
well as some one who pursues one task at
Around 20% of all watermelons produced
a time.
are ploughed back into the field due
A study involving a 100 students found
to cosmetic imperfections and in turn
that those who frequently switch from
disposed of. Extraction of these juices
one outlet to another find it hard to
are economically viable due to the fact
concentrate and are easily distracted.
that there is still enough commercial
Previously, it was common thought that
demand for the nutraeuticals lycopene
those who could multitask - and do it well-
and L-citrulline which can be found in
were extremely talented.
watermelons. EK
Yet scientists could not find the “talent”
that multi-taskers were so skilled at and
in the experiments were continually
distracted by a piece they were told to
ignore. SC
 Assessor
RectorsAssessor
It doesn’t have a salary
or expenses for a second
home. But as students at
this university we do have
the chance to vote for it
every three years.
It is the prestigious role of rector of Dundee
University, currently held by Craig Murray,
the former British diplomat in Uzbekistan.
The rector is a rather ambiguous post
which holds no constitutional guidelines
bar the expectation to attend the
university court. This body is essentially
the government of the university, and as
such, the role of rector has significance
insofar that it is one the few directly elected
members to sit on the court.
An essence of vanity surrounds the role of
rector, a vanity that benefits both parties.
On the surface the individual will no
doubt complete interviews with local and
national media outlets, a smiley photo in
the broadsheets proclaiming their love
of the university, and what latest product
they have to push. This vanity allows the
university name recognition that in all
probability it would not have otherwise
received.
“A starting point
would be to have a
clear set of guidelines
enshrined in a
constitution”
The university has had a long line of high
profile rectors; the late Sir Peter Ustinov was
the inaugural holder of the post and has
given way to an eclectic mix of individuals
from breakfast television host, Lorraine
Kelly, to Stephen Fry. Politicians of various
hues have also held the office of rector.
Thepresentrectorsuccessfullycampaigned
in the 2007 election, and stated his
intention to stand again in 2010. But
what visibility does the rector have at
the university? Mr Murray’s record in
>By James Sloan
attending the university court is one to be
admired, his high attendance putting his
predecessors to shame, with Mr Murray
being in attendance at the majority of
meetings since beginning of his stint
as rector in 2007. Whilst this is the only
defined role of rector, and having gone
to great lengths to campaign in order to
get those all important student votes, Mr
Murray is not regularly seen on campus.
The rector is supposed to act as a key
voice for students, but how can the
holder do this, without actually knowing
what the students want? The rector’s
assessor, Mike Arnott is the individual
who runs the day to day business of the
rector. Whilst Mr Arnott is a regular to
attendee to the Students Representatives
Council, thus able to take a pulse on the
key matters from the student council,
ordinary students are still left without a
chance to question Mr Murray himself.
Open surgeries would be a helpful start
for both parties, allowing Mr Murray to
meet students face to face and hear the
issues concerning them, and what part
he can play. As it stands the post of rector
is disconnected from the mass student
population. Yet, come next year, Mr
RECTOR FACTFILE
Name: Craig John Murray
Career: Former ambassador to
Uzbekistan, tumultous career within
the Tashkent Embassy lead to
removal from post in 2004.
Since 2004, Murray has written
numerous articles against the “War
on Terror” and wrote a book in 2005
entitled Murder in Samarkand.
Recently ran as an independent
in the Norwich North by-elections
, losing to Chloe Smith of the
Conservatives.
Murray will wish to gather large swathes of
support from these very students.
A starting point would be to have a clear
set of guidelines enshrined in a constitution
in order to set a standard of which the
students can expect. The holding of open
surgeries at the university, would be a move
in the right direction. The role of rector is
unpaid, and it would be unfair to expect
the individual in the post to treat it as a full
time job, yet it is a role which should be
held accountable by the student body who
chose and voted to have him/her to that
position.
Perhaps now is the time to reassess what
students want and expect of their rector.
Conservatives.
Education: Paston School in North
Walsham, Norfolk. Went on to study
Modern History at the University of
Dundee, graduating with First class
Honours.
Other: During his time studying
at the university, Craig Murray was
President of DUSA twice and sat on
the SRC.
Cons: Needs to be seen on campus
more, not just in support of STW
movement.
15
 love music:
The
Hype
Machine:
Irreverent, Trend-Setting Bunkum
Our quest for the most bizarre and obscure
artists in the land gathered unparalleled
pace when Spotify was invented over the
murky summer months. We almost forgave
the Met office of their utter stupidity when
the continuous rain gave us at The Hype
Machine an excuse to avoid all social
contact and instead devour ourselves in
some truly brain-meltingly wondrous music.
Who better to share our findings with
than the ever-disparaging readers of The
Magdalen?
And so our quest begins with the fantastic
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Lead
by the illustrious Alex Ebert, this musical
consortium of nine (sometimes 13) earthy
hippies has resulted in some beautiful
music on a par with earlier Brian Jonestown
Massacre. Their debut album, Up From
Below was released through the mighty
indie label Rough Trade Records. “40 Day
Passion Pit
16
24
Dream” is one of the most perfect songs
to be created this year. Oh, how we love a
gush. (That was gush folks, GUSH.)
We’d be quite offended if you also hadn’t
noticed the welcome return of Wilco into
the musical fore. Their long anticipated
seventh album entitled Wilco (The Album)
has been like a snuggly blanket over our
festival-induced frostbite. The first single
to be released from the album, You Never
Know, has some classic imagery and spine
tingling acoustics not to even MENTION the
lyrics.
This is madness I tell thee! It seems that
bands have just sprung out in their
shedload this summer to distract us from
the misery that is our society.
There is simply not enough time to mention
the plethora of new artists and bands we
uncovered over summer, but we simply
must plug Brooklynites, The Drums.
Be sure to check out their new single, “Let’s
Go Surfing” which was recently on Steve
Lamacq’s Radio 6 Rebel Playlist.
Making major waves in the brains of The
Hype Machine are electronic minstrels
Passion Pit. Formed in 2007, they have
already featured on the BBC’s Sound of
2009.
Many of you recently may be loving “That
Golden Rule” (ooft! See what we did there?)
and it appears that the mighty Biff have
struck once again with their impermeable
riffs. There seems to be no stopping them,
which can only be a good thing.
Scanning the charts we have noticed that
a Mr Guetta and his accomplice are doing
very well in keeping more talented bands
such as The Big Pink or DJ duo Filthy Dukes
out of the scene – but that is how we roll
here at The Hype Machine.
We are not complete ignoramuses of all
things pop, no sir, we are just snobs in a
land where music gold is aplenty.
We’ll be here all year kids, making sure that
you can be first in name-checking bands
and artists which are destined to make
quite the impact.
The Factolator
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit Murder on The
Dancefloor was co-written with Brian Eno.
The Arctic Monkeys original line up actually
included Jamie Little, session drummer to
bands such as A1 and Boyzone.
Lady Gaga faced court action early on in
her career as there was another well-known
Lady Gaga from the Phillipines.
The soundtrack to the movie All Dogs Go
To Heaven was part-composed by Deborah
Harry, lead singer of new-wavers Blondie.
Barracuda sung by Heart is the only song
in the history of music to use the word
Barracuda.
Our Musically
Adapted
Social Challenge
Because all the good names were taken
We are challenging you - the reader - to a
musical duel. Each month we want you to
e-mail us with the bands and artists that
you’re digging at the moment.
Tell us why you love them, tell us why you
think they’re completely out of this world,
tell us what you would do if you saw said
artist. Would you pee a little? No. Perhaps
not.
We want to know if you’ve seen them live,
what were they like? Do your mates like
them?
Then here comes the social challenge part
- we are going to put a wee poll up on the
DUSA website with a shortlist of bands and
artists which most people have referred to
as their “pick of the month.”
What do you have to do? Vote, vote your
wee socks off.
Now most of you will be thinking, “what’s
the bloody point in that? I don’t want to
waste time pumping up the DUSA website
with hits, its a bloody con, it’s all a bloody
con to do with the system.”
Thats where you’re wrong mister. Forget the
system, forget the cons and the pumping of
Genre
of the
Month:
Bhangragga
Bhangragga is a style of music which
incorporates both Bhangra and Dancehall.
This particular genre was created by British
Asian producers on the Apache Indians
debut album.
Including dancehall “riddims” the sound
is percussion heavy and provides a strong
beat for one to dance along to. The genre is
lyrically Indian orientated, yet the vocals are
produced to snappier Dancehall style.
Bhangragga was first heard of in a wider
scale on the Apache Indian single “Boom-
Shack-A-Lak,” which was on the soundtrack
the DUSA website with hits (sorry what? ed)
and instead focus on the BIGGER PICTURE.
Once we spot a name that seems to
come up time and time again, the entire
entertainments section is going to work it’s
bum off to secure an interview with said
artist. You might all think this is a piss easy
task which a journalist of any calibre can
achieve, but we know you’ll make it nigh on
impossible for a new student publication
such as ours.
We’re not promising Frost/Nixonesque
interviews where we break down the
interviewee into tiny pieces, neither are we
promising that these people will even want
to see us. But hey, we’re going to try our
hardest, documenting our efforts along the
way.
We’re going to live to regret this, aren’t we?
Start e-mailing now to themagdalen@dusa.
co.uk and put Musically Adapted Social
Challenge in the subject bar.
Apache Indian
of Dumb and Dumber.
This sound is almost exclusive to British
music culture and can also be known as
Bhangramuffin and Bhangra-wine.
Myspace
of the
Month:
Stephen Budas
Internet Forever
“Good at songs, bad at fidelity” states
Internet Forever’s myspace page and it’s
not wrong. On first appearances the scuzzy
indie pop trio’s songs are so self consciously
lofi it would be very easy write them off as
scenesters chancing their luck to try play
some gigs for some other scenesters but
under the crackles and distortion there’s
some genuinely very sweet pop music to
be found.
Forthcoming single Cover the Walls, with
it’s boy-girl vocals, fuzzy guitars and gentle
casio keyboards, shows what the band do
best – simple melodies and simple lyrics all
wrapped up in a couple of minutes.
As to whether or not Internet Forever’s
songs would have the same appeal if their
recordings were more polished remains
to be seen but as they stand now they’re
brilliant, scuzzy, innocent, two minute pop
songs which are perfect to welcome in the
Autumn.
For fans of: Casiotone For the painfully
alone, Los Campesinos!, The Pains of Being
Pure at Heart
25
 take it as gospel:
Reviews &
Previews
The Music Bit
Miniviva Left My Heart In
Toyko
It’s being played all over the radio right
now to a great reception. Frankee and
Britt of Mini Viva are quirky popstresses
who’ve truly cottoned onto the current
wave of pop brashness which has taken
hold of the charts. With an addictive
chorus and almost sickly lyrics, it’s a song
you want to hate but you’ll find yourself
singing along to in the shower. Legendary
producer Fred Falkes has already has
mitts on it, we suggest you get yours on
this track pronto.
Due for release on September 7th.
Rating
The Movie Bit
Ingleourious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino
This riot of a movie tells the tale of a
Jewish-American platoon known as the
Basterds operating behind enemy lines.
Set in 1943 when the war is hanging in
the balance, the Basterds go on an all out
killing spree against the Nazis.
Starring Brad Pitt and Christopher Waltz,
this dark comedy is one of the finest
works to come from Tarantino in a long
time. Must see.
Rating
The Book Bit
Reheated Cabbage
Irvine Welsh
From the iconic Scottish writer who
brought us Trainspotting and Porno,
this collection of short stories will both
astound and amuse it’s audience. With
stories so brutally realistic that you’ll find
it hard to believe and others so bizzare
that you’ll have to read them twice just
18 to make sure you weren’t imagining
things. As with many of Welsh’s works,
Reheated Cabbage mixes dark humour
16
24
Ian Brown Stellify
Stellify is much more of a personal journey
for Monkey Business man Ian Brown.
Where his last record focused more on the
anti-war movement, this particular track,
and in turn, his new album My Way, is set
to be a return to the more bass ridden
records that he used to create years ago.
It’s true that Brown has grown up and this
reflective track works well by using hip
hop beats, synths and brass to result in a
mellow track.
Due for release on September 21st.
Rating
The Red Baron
Nikolai Mullerschon
Keeping in line with the war theme, this
film details the story of World War One
flying ace Manfred (The Red Baron) von
Richthofen. The plot shows how the
Baron struggles between the harshness
of the task he has been assigned and the
reailty of humanity that he has to face.
After shooting down a Canadian pilot, the
Red Baron decides to try and rescue his
enemy from the wreck, bumping into an
attractive nurse along the way. The film
is sadly too engaged in creating a plot to
suit it’s audience.
Rating
with an honesty that is so often lacking
in modern writing. Focusing generally
on a lower class character base Welsh
uses this not only as a means of social
commentary but as an amusing, rarely
used, point of discussion for his readers.
Reheated Cabbage introduces well-
known characters such as the infamous
Frank Begbie as well and a new host of
characters that the reader will learn to
love and despise. The master of creating
the anti-hero, for example Mark Renton
and Sean Williamson, Welsh once
Mini Viva
Black Gold Breakdown
This song just seems to easy. Black Gold
are a boy and girl duet from Brooklyn and
have already performed alongside acts
such as Panic at the Disco and Scissor
Sisters.
“Breakdown” has the construction of a
simple midi track, the layers are all too
easy to assume and the lyrics are over-
simplified. This is going to be a song
where the remixes (if any producer
bothers to touch it) are going to far much
better than the original.
Due for release on September 28th
Rating
The Hurt Locker
Mark Boal
Death is an ever-present possibility for
bomb-disposal experts in Iraq and this
recent film deals with harsh issues such as
morality when in combat. The film feels
authentic in the manner of which it’s shot.
It’s been tagged as an action movie yet it
has all the emotion and compassion to give
it that brutal edge of reality. Jeremy Renner
plays the wild bomb defuser with great skill,
ensuring that his character rarely comes
across as self effacing.
Rating
again confronts us with characters whose
actions we can feel sickened by yet at the
same time it is possible to empathise with
them. Although at times his stories may be
described as dark in nature there is still a
highly amusing feel to them all which never
fails to captivate the readers. The stories
contained within it still possess the charm
and appeal of his previous works and is
definitely a worth while read, especially
for those looking for a quick read they will
thoroughly enjoy.
Rating
DLS:
Dundee
Local
Scene
Local Bands
Ok so you’ve just moved here or you’ve
returned from your year away or whatever.
We hear you. You want to know what bands
you should go and see the area. You want to
know s’happenin in the local scene.
Well sad news kids.
The answer is this: the last year has been
pretty monumental for music in Dundee.
The Doghome shutdown lately, meaning
that now even more local bands will have to
find somewhere else to play.
Additionally, a great number of the bands
which were making it big last year are in the
process of making it bigger. Bands such as
The Law and Sergeant are tied to godawful
record companies which have made them
sign over all but their souls in the pursuit of
good music on the cheap.
Page 6 split last year and Luva Anna are
about as hard to track as Canoe Man (before
he got caught).
The View
Where does Dundee music stand now?
We still have Dave? and Rush Hour
Soul carrying the flag, as are numerous
other bands (that all seem to have that
bandwagon feel about them).
Further research has lead me to find that
The Trend have split up and new(ish) band
called the Twist have formed. How pleasant.
As with any music scene that’s given birth
to heavweights such as The View, it can
be easy to get into a stalemate of the
same kind of music and complete lack of
progression.
The next year will be interesting. We all
watch in vain and hope that Dundee music
can progress once and for all with the
support that it needs from both the media
and professionals.
The Law
25
The Megrahi Debacle
On the 20th August Kenny
MacAskill, the Justice Minister
for the Scottish Government,
announced his decision to release
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi
oncompassionategrounds.On31st
July 2001 Megrahi was charged
with 270 counts of murder for his
role in the Lockerbie bombing of
1988.
Megrahi Timeline
May 30th 2007
Tony Blair meets Colonel Gaddafi in Libya
for talks. The legal outline of a new prisoner
transfer policy is finalised hours before it
is announced that BP have won contracts
worth £500m in Libya. Blair acknowledges
that the issue of releasing Megrahi was
discussed but he made clear it was a matter
for the Scottish government.
July 2009
Gordon Brown meets Gaddafi during the G8
summit in Italy, at the time of writing details
of the meeting have yet to be released.
July 25th 2009
Megrahi asks to be considered for release
on compassionate grounds.
3rd August
Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis writes
to the Scottish government to explain that
there was no legal issue with Megrahi being
transferred under the prisoner transfer
deal agreed in 2007. In the letter he says
“I hope on this basis you will now feel
able to consider the Libyan application
in accordance with the provisions of
the prisoner transfer agreement” which
many interpret as an attempt to influence
government policy.
4th August
Peter Mandelson has a ‘chance meeting’
with Colonel Gaddafi’s son in Corfu, he
followed the meeting by saying that
there had been a ‘fleeting discussion’
about Megrahi; his spokesman said that
the subsequent decision by the Scottish
government was ‘entirely coincidental’.
written by Graeme Smith & Craig Paterson
5th August
Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill visits
Megrahi in prison.
12th August
It is leaked to the media that Megrahi is
likely to be released on compassionate
grounds.
18th August
Police exercise is carried out which involves
a convoy of blacked out vehicles travelling
from Greenock Prison to Prestwick Airport
which intensifies speculation that a
decision has been reached.
19th August
After 2 weeks of speculation Megrahi
formally drops his appeal.
19th August
Hilary Clinton reiterates US opposition to
potential Megrahi release.
20th Aug
Kenny MacAskill announces decision
to release Megrahi on compassionate
grounds.
22nd AugColonel Gaddafi thanks
Gordon Brown for the role he played in
‘encouraging’ the Scottish Government to
release Megrahi and praises MacAskill’s
decision.
• 24th Aug- MacAskill assures
the Scottish parliament that the decision
he made was independent of economic,
diplomatic or political considerations.
The UK government remain silent on the
verdict.
Asking Questions
If we buy in to this narrative then we have
to believe that these events happened
independently of one another, we would
also have to accept that the first ever Justice
Minister for the first ever SNP minority
government is putting his own job and the
popularity of his government at risk over a
decision which all polls suggest was unpopular
with Scottish voters (with a recent poll putting
support for the move at only 15%). We also
have to accept that a government that want
to hold a major constitutional referendum to
split the 300 year Union would risk jeopardising
this to release the man convicted of carrying
out the largest ever mass murder on Scottish
soil, having only served 8 years of a 27 year
sentence. Would any first term minority
government ever do this? It seems unlikely,
especially for a first term minority government
with such a revolutionary ambition as
independence for Scotland.

Ulterior Motives?
In any major decision a full-time cynic will
always seek to identify the beneficiaries of
the situation. In this case they are:
1.Libyan government - They have scored
a major PR coup and regained international
legitimacy over an issue they have been
pursuing for a number of years.
2.UK government - They benefit from
a potentially controversial appeal being
dropped and as a result negate the chance
that compromising documents make it
into the public domain. Economically the
move is being welcomed by a number
of British energy firms who are exploring
the lucrative gains they can make from
Drawing Conclusions
On the face of it the only actor who lost out
in this whole process would be the Scottish
Government. However, this simplistic
analysis misses the key point that the SNP
are a party of professional politicians with
a revolutionary endgame and a radical
history, are we to believe they would
risk so much? The conspiracy of silence
from the British government is consistent
with a cynical pattern of behaviour
which has frequently left them open to
allegations of financial interests in Libya,
yet this does not explain the actions of the
Scottish government. From considering
the evidence we can draw one of two
conclusions about their motives.
further integration with the world’s 9th
largest oil producer. On the day Megrahi
was freed Gordon Brown wrote to Gaddafi
hinting at the commercial links between
the countries “There are significant shared
interests at stake in our relationship and
I am committed to working with you to
achieve them” this point was supported
by Seif Gaddafi who told Megrahi “You
were on the table in all commercial, oil
and gas agreements that we supervised
in that period. You were on the table in all
British interests when it came to Libya, and
I personally supervised this matter. Also,
during the visits of the previous Prime
1.The SNP have been ‘bought off’ with
an unknown concession. This could be
new oil jobs for Scotland, or more likely,
support for either a constitutional change
to the devolution settlement or for the
independence referendum. Neither
of which would be difficult political
manoeuvres for Labour; remember “Bring
it on”.
2. Kenny MacAskill is one of the most
virtuous politicians to ever grace this Earth
and has put all self interest and political,
economic and diplomatic considerations to
one side to do something he believed to be
genuinely the right thing to do.
Minister Tony Blair.” This would also explain the
reluctance of Gordon Brown to comment on
the matter.
3.US government – through the
normalisation of relations they gain an ally in
the region and corporate America, like Britain,
has the inroad into the Libyan oil industry. From
a geo- political perspective it is also almost
certain that there will be strategic benefits from
a closer relationship. For obvious reasons the
US government had to oppose the move in
order to play to their domestic constituents.
If we are to believe the latter conclusion
then we have elected the most profoundly
honest political outfit in the world, this
does seem unlikely for a party who some
would argue sold their transport policy
to Brian Soutar. However, the former
conclusion could well be correct; the British
Government does have a vested interest
in the withdrawal of an appeal that would
be likely to draw unwanted attention to
a number of unsavoury practices and
policies on the part of British governments
both past and present. Yet as the initial
beneficiaries of such an appeal would no
doubt include the nationalists it would be
fair to suggest that there had to be a major
concession involved.
 “East end moron”
Tim From
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commented that publications
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however, brian eno
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craig from dundee

knows that the
y second bit of
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by Natalie Coupar
It was a match made in heaven. Take one
slightly hung-over broadcasting DJ and
mix with one extremely deadbeat student
magazine editor. The result? A series of
mind-shatteringly incoherent ramblings
about the work of the music legend that is
Brian Eno. If you’re wondering why on earth
we’ve devoted a whole page to Brian Eno
then the answer is this: the man is a legend.
When on the early morning show The
Magdalen suggested that Chris Hawkins
take up a page or two, resulting in an
international hunt for Brian Eno facts.
Chris Hawkins is the 6music DJ with a
difference. The difference being that his
twilight shows allow him to play a range of
music far more abstract and leftfield than
any of the other mainstream radio shows.
Our early morning conference led us to
discuss the importance of spreading the
gospel of Chris Hawkins. However, do
not be fooled by some of the incorrect
interpretations of the broadcasters life that
feature on his wikipedia. According to his
producer, Hawkins is not a devout Christian. Three show Freaky Eaters.
Regular listeners will confirm this due to his If you’ve decided to leave an essay until
capacity for swearing throughout the show the very last minute (or a student rag) and
(for those with sensitive ears: we wouldn’t are doing so particularly on Mondays from
worry too much about it, he’s got quite 0300-0700, Tuesdays from 0130-0700 or
good at stopping himself before he gets too Wednesdays to Fridays from 0030-0700
carried away). then be sure to tune in to the explorative
His wikipedia page does allow us to draw musical avenues that the “Hawk” provides
three conclusions from the life and works of for aural pleasure (insert your own quip
the broadcasting genius. here).
Firstly, that Chris Hawkins is quite clever. The truth that cannot be avoided though,
Not clever on a par with Stephen Hawking is that a legend such as the Enominator
but clever in a sense that he could probably really can bring the world together under a
talk his way out of a box. banner of respect for his life’s work.
Secondly, Chris Hawkins is quite the
talented journo. Having worked for the BBC
World Service, BBC Radio 2 and of course
the salvation station itself 6music, his
talents have also extended to the realms of
print and television.
Thirdly, we have deduced – via the medium
of wikipedia – that Chris Hawkins has had
a life long phobia of fruit and vegetable
which led him to feature on the sadist BBC
In May this year, “Problem-children,”“rootcauses”and“at-risk”young
people; the injurious statements which riddle

Tam Baillie was our headlines are just one example of how youth
policy has been converted into reason to demonise
appointed the role the young people in our society. Such buzzwords
detract from the much more important issue of
of Commisioner social inclusion amongst youngsters.
For too long, debate has been focussed solely
for Children and on school attendance and other school-based

Young People. In a
achievements. It is by these methods that political
parties continue to extrapolate ill thought interims,

tumultous time for which are in turn used to tackle youth policy, and
the quagmire it presents to politicians.

youth culture and When I was 14, I became heavily involved in fund-
society, we look at raising with my peers, with a view to building a
skate park in my community. We dedicated long
what politicians are hours to packing shopping bags, washing cars
and other well-meant deeds. Our Project leader
doing for young was a kind and enthusiastic man who provided

people today.
much guidance for our group, showing us how
to get grants and how to get in touch with our
community council. At the age of 14 I had to
present to our community council why we deemed
it necessary that a skate park should be built for the
use of my peers. Months later, the plans collapsed
when potential site after potential site was ruled
out for one inane reason or another. To this day,
that money lies dormant in a bank account. I am
now 21 years of age.

My dalliances with youth policy and the irrevocable

power of community councils lead me to further
investigate a wider scale of youth policy across
Scotland.
It can be easy to confuse youth policy with that of
education, crime or even family policy.

Youth policy concerns social exclusion and

inclusion amongst young people, the developing of
a sense of community through use of youth clubs
and the involvement of young people in day-to-day
democratic processes.
Debate needs to focus on instilling a sense of civic
value into young people – not excluding them from
our society because they are deemed to unruly.

The Scottish Youth Parliament was launched in

1999 with a view to provide a voice for Scotland’s
young people. Two Members of the Scottish
Youth Parliament (MYSP’s) are elected for each
Scottish Parliamentary Constituency, resulting in
a total of 146 MYSP’s. Additionally, there can be a
representative of a youth voluntary organisation
(two per organisation, a maximum of 54 MYSP’s).

This body presents two problems to youth policy

structure. Firstly, the SYP is a unique body and

Listen Up
is not replicated to council level, meaning that
grassroots issues will be harder to uncover. The only
other format of representation on a wider scale
for those in the age range of 14 and 25 is through
educatory councils such as D.U.S.A.
words by Emily Kane Secondly, those who are representatives on the
SYP will generally come from backgrounds
with crime as youth policy. Claire Baker needs to
whereupon they have had the opportunities
understand that by simply “tackling” social ills such
provided to them that are necessary for such
as underage drinking, she is doing little to mend
a commitment. This is not an argument that
the swiftly burning bridges between the Labour
hones in on or attacks those of a disadvantaged
party and its already demoralized youth.
background; instead, it implies that if one is not
aware of such a body, how can they possibly
As ever, the Scottish Conservatives put much
involve themselves with it?
emphasis on the role of the family in society. This
is of great importance for creating a sense of home
Yet we must not diminish the value of the SYP
and belonging for a child, yet at the age of 16, did
and instead look as to how we can increase its
we not all wish to be looked upon as adults able to
weight in society and provide a more credible
make our own decisions or at least be consulted in
solution for social inclusion amongst youths.
the decision making process?

This leads me to look at the Scottish

The Scottish Liberal Democrats 2007 Holyrood
government and in turn the Scottish Parties.
Manifesto placed young people with great
In 2003, the Commissioner for Children and
importance. Almost four pages were dedicated to
Young People (Scotland) Act was implemented.
a Future of Scotland Bill whereby young people
The Commissioner was assigned the role of
were made a priority. Schools would be turned
ensuring that the UN Convention on the Rights
into community hubs, there was to be a young
of a Child (1991) was adhered to. The current
opportunity fund and they even promised to
commissioner, Tam Baillie, recently commented
review the voting age for Scottish parliament and
in an interview with The Herald that he plans
local councils – with a view to lowering it to sixteen.
to roll out youth consultation groups across
A menagerie of other youth-pleasing policies
Scotland. This is where the idiom actions speak
scattered their manifesto.
louder than words will really be the judge.
But the Lib Dems rarely dominate the order of the
However, time and time again young people
day in Holyrood.
are referred to in relation to their school or
their parental upbringing – which Baillie is no
The Scottish National party promised in their
exception.
winning 2007 Holyrood Manifesto to deliver a
Youth Strategy to promote “better opportunities
His recent amendment to the Criminal Justice
and activities for young people.” They also
and Licensing (Scotland) bill was developed
supported reducing the voting age to 16.
alongside Justice secretary Kenny McAskill.
What became of these promises?
The amendment asked that when sentencing
perpetrators of crime, other factors such
Young people do not care for think-tanks or
as children’s rights should be taken into
talking shops. They do not want to know about the
consideration.
personal politics between parties that has them
hell-bent on outdoing one another.
Is this a good development in Youth Policy?
Instead, young people question why there is
Of course. Every child needs some parental
nothing to do in their area. They demand to know
guidance. Is it enough? Of course not.
why they are continually victimized in both the
press and government policy. Young people beg
When further examining the Holyrood
not to be ignored from decisions that will impact
manifestos of the main parties, one can find
their future. Above all, they are disgusted that
damning evidence that most parties only
society has been so blasé in assuming that young
feel the need to address those who have the
people simply don’t want to be involved in day-
constitutional right to vote.
to-day democratic processes. It is this inherent
problem that has led us into the knife wielding,
A party that stands well in eyes of young people
facebook-bullying, underage drinking culture that –
is the Greens. Its 2007 Holyrood manifesto
a minority of - young people involve themselves in.
pledged to; “ensure that young people are
meaningfully consulted on all decisions that
Isn’t it time that we listened?
will affect them, including areas such as
local planning, health and the environment.”
Additionally it urged the will to challenge
the demonisation of young people through
creating safe and affordable activities.
But the Greens do not dominate the order of
the day in Holyrood.

The Scottish Labour party has little or no youth

policy. One cannot include the derogatory
references to crime or youth involvement
The Magdalen us currently are not able to tell you where to
looking to fill the following post things to at this moment in
positions: time.
Assistant Editor However, our e-mail address is
Current Affairs Editor themagdalen@dusa.co.uk and
Entertainments Editor we’d love to hear from readers and
Travel Editor potential writers alike.
Fashion Editor
Science Editor
Sports Editor Kind Regards,
Head of Photography
Head of Design Staffless Editor
Chief Sub-Editor
Financial Director
Sales Director

We are also looking for writers

and photographers to work with
us on both an occasional and
permanant basis.

If you have any queries about

this current issue please mail
them to themagdalen@dusa.
co.uk with Dear Editor in the
subject bar.

The Magdalen is currently in the

process of moving office and so
30
Sport
Sport and Your Uni
>Barry Davidson
With another year of university on the
horizon anticipation builds for the months
of sporting action ahead, with around 44
clubs ready to start all over again.
Last year we at the Magdalen made a
concerted effort to follow some of our clubs
and document their success in national
university competitions, something we
believed had been overlooked in the past.
Those followed, included, Women’s Hockey,
Gaelic football, Volleyball and Ultimate
Frisbee.
We reported on achievements such as
the impressive winning run of the Men’s
Volleyball team, which by our February
issue had spanned 9 games without a
single set conceded. In addition we also
featured the Gaelic Football Clubs run to
the quarter finals of the British Universities
Championship before defeat by Liverpool’s
John Moore’s.
While highlighting the serious on pitch/
court action we also gave mention to the
pub crawls, flat crawls and club nights
which add a social dimension to the
calendars of the sports clubs.
The good news for you is that this year the
section is going to be bigger and better.
Now with four, yes FOUR, pages dedicated
to sport.
First years reading this article nursing their
fresher’s hangovers, while cowering in the
depths of their halls, may ask, why join a
sports club?, and even if we do want to join,
how the heck do we do it?.
Well.. its simples.....
The opportunity is there to try something
you may never have had access to before,
fencing or sailing for example. The chance
is also there for you to build on your current
sporting talent, with an opportunity (if
your really good) to gain international
recognition!. Most of all you are also
presented with the chance to become
involved in the aforementioned social side
of the clubs, meeting new friends, (or mibee
more!), on the way. Whether you are keen
to join for any of these reasons, or merely
the possibility of getting your name in the
Magdalen, this is your time.
Getting involved is easy. Merely stagger
along to the sports fayre during freshers
week and speak to the clubs, see what
they have to offer you, and tell them
exactly what you are looking for from your
university sporting experience. There is
something for everyone.
Getting involved in sport at university is an
opportunity to not to be missed...so...DO IT!.
If any sports clubs would like to be featured
in our extended sports section for this year
please get in touch and we will make sure
you get the publicity your club deserves.
SPL 09/10
>Graeme Thewliss
RANGERS
Continuity is the key word at Ibrox this
season. Rangers have seen plenty of players
leaving this summer, including former
captain Barry Ferguson and none coming
in, Walter Smith is clearly confident in the
squad he has assembled. The return to
full fitness of Kevin Thomson and Steven
Naismith should add strength to the
midfield and creativity up top.
Key Player: Kevin Thomson
Up and coming: John Fleck
CELTIC
All change in the East end of Glasgow as
Tony Mowbray takes over from Gordon
Strachan. A shaky start against Russians
Dinamo Moscow was quickly rectified seven
days later as Mowbray finally broke Celtic’s
European hoodoo away from Parkhead. A
bold attacking style paid dividends as wave
after wave of green and white finally broke
down a strong backline.
Key Player: Scott Brown
Up and coming: Josh Thompson
HEARTS
An uncharacteristically undramatic close
season at Hearts with no sackings or
outbursts from their chairman. There
appears to be quiet optimism from one of
last year’s great successes, Csaba Laszlo.
Some sensible signings, including the vital
striker they missed so badly last year, and
some consistency in the corridors of the
club seem to indicate the club will once
again challenge for third place.
Key Player: Michael Stewart
Up and coming: Gary Glen
ABERDEEN
A disastrous start for the Dandies in Europe
shows that Mark McGhee has a lot of work
ahead of him. With several players leaving
the club at the end of last season and an
early start against a well organised Czech
team in the Europa league, the result was
almost inevitable. McGhee’s defensive
worries seem to be exacerbated by the
reluctance of chairman Stewart Milne to
KILMARNOCK
invest in the club.
Key Player: Sone Aluko
Dragged into a relegation fight at the end
Up and coming: Michael Paton
of last season after a reasonable start,
Kilmarnock found salvation through their
DUNDEE UTD
new talisman and captain, Kevin Kyle. After
seven goals in eleven games last season,
Another season passed for United and
Kyle almost single handedly kept Killie safe.
another European spot missed. The
With the addition of Mark Burchill and the
departure of Willo Flood and the injury to
continually improving Craig Bryson, Jeffries
Scott Robertson left the midfield stretched
will be hoping for a less stressful end to the
and ultimately led to the forfeit of the
season.
hallowed European position. Levein has
Key Player: Kevin Kyle
once again strengthened with the signing
Up and coming: Ryan O’Leary
of wingers Jennison Myrie-Williams and
Danny Cadamarteri. Coupled with the
HAMILTON
continued progression of regulars from
last season, United clearly hope to push
Hamilton’s achievement last year should not
towards their European goal.
be underestimated, staying in the Scottish
Key Player: Scott Robertson
Premier League was fantastic. The cream
Up and coming: David Goodwillie
of Billy Reid’s crop of youngsters, James
McCarthy and Brian Easton have moved
HIBERNIAN
south and have left a large hole in the team.
However, the signing of the experienced
Hibs dragged themselves over the finish
centre half Marvin Andrews will allow Reid
line last year with the fans demanding
to build from a solid base.
a change from former player Mixu
Key player: Tomas Cerny
Paatelainen. The change came with the
Up and coming: John Paul Kissock
return of former player, John ‘Yogi’ Hughes,
who brought several players along with him
FALKIRK
from former club Falkirk. Yogi will have to
call on all his defensive experience to get
The third of Scotland’s entrants in the
the best out of a shaky back four following
Europa league found themselves outfought
the departure of captain Rob Jones.
by Liechtenstein cup winners FC Vaduz.
Key Player: Derek Riordan
Following on the Scottish football
Up and coming: David Wotherspoon
managerial merry go-round, former player
Eddie May takes over from John Hughes.
May will be hoping to hold onto prize asset
MOTHERWELL
Scott Arfield and fend off interest from the
nouveau riche Hamilton and various suitors
A summer of upheaval at Fir Park with
south of the border.
several prominent first team players
Key Player: Scott Arfield
leaving along with Mark McGhee’s will-
Up and coming: Ryan Flynn
he-won’t-he saga left many of the Fir Park
faithful fearing the worst. However, former
ST MIRREN
Stockport manager Jim Gannon has come
in and galvanised the squad. Focusing on
Gus McPherson seems to be getting
attacking energetic football saw a youthful
quite experienced at doing just
‘Well team put eight past Albanians
enough to stay in the SPL. Andy
Flamurtari in the Europa league.
Dorman and Billy Mehmet scored
more than half of St Mirren’s goals
Key man: Ross Forbes
last season so the fans will be
Up and coming: Paul Slane
expecting more of the same this
season. The departure of the Scott
 Sport
SPL 09/10 (cont)
more than half of St Mirren’s goals last
season so the fans will be expecting more of
the same this season. The departure of the
Scott Cuthbert leaves a hole at the centre
of the defence but Michael Higdon will add
more goals up front.
Key player: Billy Mehmet
Up and coming: Stephen McGinn
ST JOHNSTONE
A return to the top flight seven years
after their last visit, St. Johnstone seem
determined to stay. Holding onto manager
Derek McInnes in the face of interest
from West Brom and some competent
investment on the playing field should
bring results. A solid and no-nonsense
defensive style isn’t pretty, but will be
effective.
Key player: Kevin Rutkiewicz
Up and coming: Murray Davidson
30
West Ham vs Millwall
>Graeme Thewliss
Football hooliganism once again reared blatant disregard for authority and
its ugly head at Upton Park as West Ham the racist and personal abuse hurled
United faced off against Millwall in the at many of the players at Upton Park
Carling Cup second round. shows that there is still work to be done.
Growing up in the 1990s on the champagne Spare a thought for 20-year-old Jack
football of the SPL, I’m used to all seater Collison, who despite the loss of his
stadiums, a family atmosphere and father days earlier and the disgusting
little to no trouble at games. In the past abuse relating to it that he received
few years, I’ve expanded my horizons throughout the match, performed
and visited games in England as well as superbly and professionally. No young
braving the depths of the Scottish Football man should have to be treated in the
league. Places like Gayfield in Arbroath way he was.
and Station Park in Forfar were a bit of a
culture shock, but an all around fantastic
day out. Something I’ve never encountered
however, is large scale hooliganism. Upon
making the trip last year to follow my team
in Europe, I encountered the French Police’s
very visiblepresence.Seventyguysdressed
like Robocop sent a very strong and clear
message.
With this in mind, the scenes at Upton Park
felt more like watching archive footage of
the dark days of English football, where
fighting seemed to take precedence over
any football being played. There are serious
questions to be asked regarding the
wisdom that allowed the match between
two notoriously active and rival ‘firms’ to
take place at 8pm on a weeknight, where
many fans will have spent hours in pubs
around the grounds. It was clear to anyone
with common sense exactly what was
going to happen. Sports Minister Gerry
Sutcliffe suggests that: “We have made
great progress in tackling hooliganism in
this country and will not tolerate a return
to the dark days of the 80s.” and Lord
Triesman, chairman of the FA continues:
“Like everyone else, I was horrified and
appalled by what took place at West Ham.
If CCTV and other evidence can prove
who has caused this, then football and
the courts must take the strongest action
against them.” Neither man is wrong and
both sentiments are admirable, but why
were steps not taken before the game?
English football has come a long way and
the introduction of all seater stadiums and
the promotion of it as a family environment
have curbed the violence However, the
 >Barry Davidson

Ain’t sport at university great? Afterall where else

could you get involved in such an obscure sounding
game as Ultimate Frisbee? A game that is alive and
thriving here in Dundee.
Ultimate Frisbee is a mixed non contact sport which
can be played indoors or outdoors. The basics of
the game is that it’s played between two teams of
seven players and involves passing the ‘disc’ between
team members working the way up the pitch. They
then can score by entering the endzone, much like
American football. Somewhat bizarrely there is not
a referee overseeing the game, the players officiate
themselves. Imagine such ‘good nature’ at a football
match!
If in the vicinity of Magdalen Green on Wednesday or
Sunday afternoons you may see the team in training,
this is along with an indoor session held at the ISE on
Wednesday Evenings.
These training sessions, as well as being bloody good
fun, seem to have been extremely productive, illustrated by the team’s
impressive competitive record.
Club captain Issac Smith explains, “We have done fairly well in competitions
of late. We are currently ranked 3rd in Scotland and 10th nationally”.
On the national front the team are soon attending the Outdoor Nationals to
be held in Sheffield, 12 students will be making the long trip from Dundee
to compete against 15 other sides.
As with most of the sports clubs at the university Ultimate Frisbee also has
an active social scene. These off the field antics have included a ‘flat crawl’.
For those of you who may be slightly bewildered by such a phenomenon,
this involves plundering the flats of club members for their alcoholic
beverages, and in the process having a good night on the cheap.
All in all then if you fancy trying something different why not get in contact
with Issac and the crew?

Gaelic Football
>Alastair Bell

With the Scottish Championship firmly in their sight, the Men’s

Gaelic Football team are coming to the business end of a
highly successful season. After the disappointment of finishing
runners-up in the league, the team have put in some sterling
performances to reach the semi-finals of the competition. A
nail-biting encounter with Napier University ended in stalemate
earlier this month, and the two teams now await a reply in that
Scottish Championship semi final tie.
Team Captain James Searson is enthusiastic about his side’s
chances. “The competition offers a great chance for us to win
some silverware this year as we have beaten the remaining teams
in the competition during the league.”
The team also had a good run in the British Universities Gaelic
Football Championship, reaching the quarter finals before
succumbing to eventual winners, Liverpool John Moores
University.
Some brilliant individual performances in combination with a
great team spirit has been the recipe for success this season.
Special mention goes to team captain Anthony Kelly,
who has lead by example this year with some inspiring
displays. Defenders Gerry Reilly, Frank Duggan and Padraic
MacGiollaBhride have also all had excellent seasons. The hard
work and consistency of Conor Kerr and Matthew McAfee has
been another positive for the team, and new additions Ray
Magee, David Comiskey and Eammon McCann have also made a
big impact this season.
It has been an enjoyable year for the guys off the pitch as
well. Their Race Night in Ogstons Bar earlier this year was
a huge hit, raising funds for the club and proving to be an
entertaining evening for all involved. At the time of writing,
St Patrick’s Day was just around the corner, another massive
night on the team’s social calendar and eagerly awaited by
all. Pint of Guinness anyone?
Mention must also be made to the Women’s Gaelic Football
team.
Formed only this year, the girls had a great season and did
very well in qualifying for the All-Britain Championship held
in February.
The Magdalen would like to congratulate both teams
on their success, and wish the men all the best for the
remainder of their Scottish Championship campaign. 31