TEDx 2012 report:
http://www.cherwell.org/cherwelltv/culture/2012/11/14/report-tedx-oxford-2012
Blog Page 1598
Report: TEDx Oxford 2012
Report extra: doing hard sums with Professor Arthur Benjamin
http://www.cherwell.org/cherwelltv/video/2012/11/14/report-extra-mental-arithmetic
A decade under the influence
This year marks the tenth anniversary of The Cribs as a band. Many of Cherwell’s readers will no doubt find this a surprisingly long time given that the Wakefield trio have been something of a staple to us throughout our teenage years. Originally formed as a three-piece in late 2001, the Jarman brothers have been the soundtrack to many an adolescent rebellion. The fact they are now ten years old as a band only serves to highlight that we are no longer rebellious teens.
“Ten is a big number; it sounds pretty daunting”, observes Gary Jarman. Although a decade is undoubtedly a long time, The Cribs remain philosophical about it in the context of their own lives. “It’s funny,” says Jarvis, “because sometimes I think it can’t have been ten years, but before this band was in my life I hadn’t travelled, I hadn’t done anything really. So in some ways I can’t believe that I’ve only been as worldly as I am for ten years. It feels about right.”
The Cribs have been prolific in their album output and released their fifth record, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, earlier this year. However, it was their fourth album, the more polished Ignore the Ignorant, which grabbed headlines owing to the fact that they became a four-piece, adding legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to their number. With his history of making pop rock, critics and fans alike presumed Marr’s influence was behind Ignore the Ignorant’s slicker sound.
This is something which the band, now without Marr, find slightly irritating. As Gary Jarman explains, “Johnny was encouraging us to be more punk because he wanted to be in a punk band. That’s why he joined us. I think that, if anything, he was trying to pull us towards that kind of stuff and I was trying to pull it in the other direction. It becomes a little bit frustrating for people to assume that we would kowtow to what someone else in the band wanted.”
After an amicable split with Marr, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull saw a return to the rawer sound of The Cribs’ pre-Marr albums and with it an almost audible sigh of relief from their more hardcore fans. Whilst the band members are slightly peeved that this is how they have been perceived, Ryan Jarman comments happily, “It seemed like people connected with this record. Almost like we were coming back.”
Now in their thirties, the question of how long The Cribs can credibly continue as an energetic punk rock band is becoming an increasingly pertinent one, as they “really can’t imagine being onstage doing it in the same way forever.” The formation of Ryan Jarman’s new band, Exclamation Pony, would suggest that the band wants to develop and vary its musical production. In Gary Jarman’s view, “Punk’s really limiting. Really incredibly limiting.”
Whilst Gary Jarman likes “the idea of the name continuing as a recording project” the end of The Cribs may happen sooner than later. Ryan Jarman reveals, “There are definitely plans to do some things next year, but as far as looking beyond that, we haven’t really done that.” If The Cribs do break up next year it will be something like the end of an era. They have matured from their early, raw rock records to producing more complex songs, just as their fans have grown from angst-fuelled teenagers into something resembling adults. Perhaps to end now would be fitting.
Review: Rust and Bone
Every now and again a film comes along that makes you feel everything the characters feel and makes you experience every single moment with them as they experience it. Rust and Bone is very much one of those films. This sense of feeling is primarily owed to the focus in this film on the visual. From the bloodied tooth spinning ominously on the ground to the lonely image of the wheelchair- bound lead actress, this film is nothing if not emotionally demanding. The movie is actually in French, the mother-tongue of lead Marion Cotillard (Inception, The Dark Knight Rise, La Vie en Rose) and far from being an arduous subtitle-reading session the language barrier does not in any way bar enjoyment of the film, in fact it evidences the power of the visuals.
It could be said the main theme of this film is the idea that some of the most beautiful things in life are often also very dangerous. This is portrayed brilliantly through the two main characters Stephanie and Alain. At the start of the film we meet Alain who has obviously fallen on hard times with his son Sam on his shoulders, thumbing a lift. Then Stephanie is introduced looking somewhat worse for wear on a night out. The orca trainer is in love with her job but it quickly becomes clear that outside of work her life is not as fantastic as it seems. On this night out Stephanie crosses paths with Alain who has moved in with his sister and found work as a bouncer. The meeting is brief and it is the sense of reality in this film through the use of random acquaintance which makes it so believable and so powerful. This method of film-making can be compared to the ‘cold, hard facts of life’ presentation of hits like The Fighter, directed by David O. Russell, and The Wrestler, directed by the mighty Darren Aronofsky.
The main event is the horror of the accident suffered by Stephanie whilst leading an orca show. This leaves her waking up in a hospital bed only to discover her legs have been amputated. This is the point where Cotillard comes into her Oscar-winning own showing her true acting credentials to deliver what is arguably the best dramatic scene of the film. This is not to overlook Schoenaerts (Bullhead, Black Book) who plays the angry, complicated and struggling Alain with so much depth of character the scenes involving the two are incredibly intense. Young actor Armand Verdure is also important to mention as his turn as Sam is extremely promising with his character leading to yet another amazingly dramatic scene at a frozen lake which is jaw-droppingly tense.
What director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, The Beat That My Heart Skipped) has done is raise the movie-making bar. It is not often a film of such depth (of characters and emotion), reality and visual effect sweeps across our cinema screens. This movie definitely puts its audience through the emotional-ringer but it’s well worth it. Prepare to alternate between staring wide-eyed and hanging on to the edge of your seat as despite the emotional rollercoaster, Rust and Bone will leave you speechless.
Why secession in Mali matters
On 17th January 2012, as the western world basked in self-congratulation over the Arab Spring, violence broke out in Northern Mali. By April a variety of rebel armed groups controlled most of the North, declaring it an independent state of Assawad. Yet this little commented upon event is not some afterthought to the Arab Spring, but a profound and long term challenge to Saharan and Western security. Not only does it have the potential to become more general Saharan unrest, but among the armed groups active in Northern Mali are Ansar Dine, MOJWA, AQIM and Boko Haram, all stated Islamist groups with links to Al Qaeda. The crisis in Mali has the potential to become a significant threat in the region and to the UK.
The roots of this crisis are to be found in the decolonisation of the Sahara through the 1960s. As North and West Africa were partitioned into sovereign states, the nomadic Tuareg people found themselves divided between Algeria, Niger, Burkina, Libya and Mali. Nomads became minorities in new states and found themselves marginalised from political life and unable to move freely across borders. These dissatisfactions were expressed by prolonged periods of uprising affecting several Sahel states throughout the 20th Century. Tuaregs and other ethnic groups have taken this opportunity to assert demands for an independent state. Contagion is a real possibility, with common Saharan dissatisfaction shared across borders and between ethnic groups, meaning this unrest could well snowball to neighbouring states.
The development of a rebel movement, with Islamist and Saharan elements, represents a substantial threat to the security of a number of West African states, including Niger, Chad, Burkina, Algeria, Libya and Nigeria. Consequently ECOWAS, a regional political union, has been active in pushing for an international intervention to retake the territory as quickly as possible, reducing the threat of the rebellion spreading to other territories. These calls have been mandated by the UN security council, with promises of logistical and political support from both France and the USA. However messages have been contradictory about the degree of commitment for the various partners, with Algeria dragging its heels and substantial concerns over the quality of Nigerian and Malian troops earmarked for a possible counter offensive.
However this rebellion is threatening beyond the Saharan region. While a Tuareg rebellion, intent on developing a Saharan state, would have profound regional security implications, the growing strength of militant Islamist groups provides the real global threat. The secessionist movement, the MNLA, has clashed repeatedly with Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine and MOJWA in North Mali. Iyad Ag Ghaly, a skilled and pragmatic leader, has united these Islamist groups, gaining the upper hand over the MNLA. The spread of this rebellion across the Sahara potentially creates a vast stateless area, with considerable access to supplies and arms for Islamist militants with consequent security implications.
While the downfall of Gadaffi has removed the nomads’ most potent political ally, the turmoil across North Africa has allowed access to a wide range of weaponry and experienced military personnel from other theatres of conflict. Despite ongoing uncertainty over the degree of unity among the Islamists, if history is any guide, these secession movements will be difficult to extinguish. The prospect of a prolonged conflict in the Sahara not only raises the possibility of a humanitarian crisis in an already resource stressed area, but an enhanced chances that Western powers will be involved. A combination of weak local armies, kidnapping of hostages and the need for air power to control the desert make some form of Western involvement increasingly likely. Secession in Northern Mali therefore provides the possibility of a widening Saharan conflict, creating an open stateless space with significant access to arms, and as such representing a significant security concern. With current commitments in Afghanistan winding down, it is possible that Britain will find itself facing another spate of terrorist activity and military entanglement in the Sahara.
View From A Blue: Max Denning
Could you introduce OUSSC for those who aren’t aware of it?
OUSSC is the university Ski and Snowboard club. It is often confused with Varsity Trip but we are a separate club. Of course, we all go on the Varsity Trip, compete and enjoy Val Thorens but we also organise a number of other trips throughout the year including cross-country skiing, ski touring, summer race training, attending the university championships and of course weekly training a bit closer to home.
How does the varsity competition itself work? Is this regarded as the main event in the skiing calendar?
The varsity competition has two events: a slalom and giant slalom. Each event is made up of two runs. Giant slalom is faster and has flagged gates whereas slalom is slower and more turny with single flexible gates. The most important thing in racing is speed preservation and generation. For both races, each team sends down a team of 6 skiers, alternating with Cambridge. As with any Oxbridge sport varsity is the biggest event on our calendar as nothing is more important than to ‘FTT’. Unfortunately as the Varsity Trip takes place in one of the first weeks that ski resorts are open, this would cut our season rather short, so we try to get out and do some other events as well!
Is it all about racing? If people want to get involved do they have to have been racing for years to have a hope of making the team?
No, as with Varsity Trip, although there is a strong racing component, there is also a strong social side to the club with a number of socials and holidays for both the seasoned pro and beginner alike. There are no joining requirements and we welcome everyone. Beginners may want to get in a couple of lessons before heading to the slopes at Milton Keynes whereas the Blues may simply want to hone their skills prior to the varsity races. The annual cuppers event has already occurred this year, in fact around 30 non-regular team skiers attended to enjoy the slopes of Milton Keynes with their friends.
Is there a lot of pressure on those varsity races? I imagine it’s very competitive…
Losing is not an option. The varsity ski race is the oldest annual ski race in the world.
Could you describe a little more the mental process you go through leading up to and during a race? Is there a conflict between the individual nature of the racing and the team element?
In many individual sports, including skiing, the most important thing is to finish a race as fast as possible, in others it is to jump as high or as far as possible etc. The aspect that makes the Blues ski racing more interesting is that only the top 4 times count towards the team score and for a time to count an individual needs to make it through 2 runs without falling, crashing or being disqualified. This is harder than it sounds. When you are going for it there is a surprisingly high crash rate – meaning that not only is there pressure to ski fast but also to be consistent/reliable/safe, a balance which few skiers achieve. It has been the case in many blues races that the first 2 skiers out of the start gate have fallen, leaving a lot of pressure on the remaining skiers to finish.
Other than that, where and who do you race?
This year we are hoping to have an exhibition race against a french university based in lyon. After shoeing the tabs and the frogs we will then set our sites on the university championships over the easter vac.
How are blues awarded in skiing? How prestigious are they?
It is a discretionary full blue sport, meaning half blues are awarded to everyone on the 1st VI. To earn a full blue, you will have to have a top 5 finish at BUSC (the university championships). Alternatively you have to have skied to around 130 FIS (federation internationale du ski) ranking points, the equivalent of national team standard for an 16-20 year old.
What does training involve?
Everyone on the first team will have been ski racing long before they got to university. For some this means a season on their gap yah when they taught part time and trained part time, for others it simply meant ‘sacrificing’ every christmas and easter holiday to go and train since the age of 13. Although skiing frequently is not the worst eventuality in most peoples minds it is worth pointing out that the racers will have been up most mornings at first light and will have to go out wind, rain or snow with little vin chaud to blunt the cold. It is important to maintain leg strength so the best skiers all do a secondary sport when in england to maintain fitness. In addition to fitness sessions, certain members of the team do cycling and others (sadly) row.
Quidditch flying high
**Cherwell Tries: Quidditch – June 2013**
Quidditch is certainly one of Oxford’s quirkier phenomenons. How did a sport from Harry Potter become a sport in reality?
Well it all started off being played in America at Middlebury College, before being picked up by the Ivy League universities like Harvard and Princeton. Since then it had spread across America to the point where they have over 200 teams now, so it’s all very serious now: they have multiple tournaments on weekends and have hosted six world cups. This year is really when Quidditch as a sport spread overseas and an Oxford team was formed, by pure coincidence, at the same time as the organisation “Quidditch UK”, which co-ordinates between established teams.
In terms of specifically in Oxford, it started off quite spontaneously. My friend at Oxford Brookes challenged me to a match, which I accepted and so I formed the rest of the team. In the end we played Teddy Hall, and the inaugural match became Worcester verses Teddy Hall, although I remember Worcester getting hammered!
We played two matches, and those two teams came together to create the Oxford team, which exists now. Ever since then, we’ve grown rapidly. It’s so difficult to estimate numbers, but we always have enough for two practice teams. In terms of how I personally got involved, it was really a coincidence! I had absolutely no dreams of starting a Quidditch team when I came to Oxford. When I did get involved I only intended it to be just a couple of matches. But as I started playing I really got into it.
What is the weekly training schedule like for an Oxford Quidditch player?
So we play every Saturday at 12:00, and we also hold Wednesday training sessions for the really keen. To become a good Quidditch player, it will probably take a term to get into the game and to really understand rules and strategy. There are, after all, 4 balls, the snitch, the quaffle and two bludgers, in play at any one time and keeping all this in mind at the very start if often difficult. Having said that, you don’t need to have a grasp of the rules before coming up: it’s quite easy to learn as you start playing.
So you have a university team and inter-collegiate matches?
There are both. Some colleges have enough players to make full teams. My college, Worcester, sometimes is one but this varies: we certainly had enough last year for a team. University College are very serious about it, and can field three teams. If we have enough college teams, then we will look to expand this. However as I said, the focus is mainly on the Oxford team and I think that’s good because it gives a community atmosphere to the sport around Oxford: whenever I go to a social event or just on my bike around Oxford I see people who I know through Quidditch which is always nice.
Do you play other universities?
Yes, our upcoming match on the 24th November is against Reading, and then the big one is the British Quidditch Cup. I think we are probably going to win it because we are one of the biggest teams in the country and also biggest in the actual size of our players too! There are about 20 teams in the UK at the moment, so hopefully at least half of those will be at the tournament. I think it’s very much a growing sport, it’s growing in France so at the end of the term we are actually going to be touring France, rent a mini-bus and play the French team.
In the Harry Potter books, Quidditch is played on flying broomsticks. Obviously (and sadly) we can’t do this in real life, so how does the sport work?
You don’t fly obviously, but you have to keep a broomstick between your legs throughout the game. In general the rules are pretty much the same as in the books, although capturing the snitch is worth far less than the 150 points you get in the books, as this would make it unfair in reality. The snitch is also not a flying ball obviously, but a impartial player dressed in gold. The interesting thing about him is that he can run wherever he wants around Oxford while being pursued by both teams, so isn’t confined to the playing area of University Parks! The beaters throw bludgers at players, and if you are hit by one, you have to get off your broomstick, run back to touch your hoops, and then you are able to come back into the game.
It sounds really strange, but Quidditch is not as related to Harry Potter as everyone thinks. Obviously a lot of people who love Harry Potter love Quidditch, and we have lot of Potter fans; but I’m the captain of the team and I’ve read four of the books, but I play Quidditch for the sport itself. I think Quidditch is definitely a sport in its own right. We are loosely affiliated with the Harry Potter Society, just because it makes sense, but at the same time, I wouldn’t say we are a close part of it. In terms of sport
What are some of your favourite moments playing the sport?
There are so many! We once played snow Quidditch last year, where the spectators would throw snowballs at us while the match was in session. We were fortunate enough to play on a UK team in a tournament between Canada, USA, France and Australia in Oxford. It was particularly memorable for me, because I was the UK’s top scoring chaser!
Is it quite a social sport?
We do a bar crawl once every two weeks, and we do the whole crew date thing. We have played drinking Quidditch once, where both captains have to down a pint before playing the match, which made it a pretty interesting match
Exeter dominate JCR Premier League
Magdalen hosted St Catherine’s in the 5th Week of the JCR Premier Division, with both teams looking for an important victory in much contrasting circumstances. Having conceded 9 and thus scored 0 so far, the home team were desperately in need of a win to kick-start some kind of turnaround to what has proved a disastrous start to the season. Catz, on the other hand, were looking to keep the pressure up on first-placed Exeter with another 3 points.
The game started as a scrappy affair, with Catz unable to assert control due to dogged harassment from the Magdalen midfielders. As the first half drew to a close the Catz pressure mounted but Magdalen coped admirably, particularly with the aerial bombardment from Kevin Weiss – Catz’s answer to Rory Delap.
Eventually, in the second half, Magdalen resistance was broken: Joe Davies got round the defence to slide a square ball across to a predatory Chris Lambert, who tapped into an empty net from 3 yards out. 20 minutes later Davies got the reward his endeavours deserved when James Gibson floated a perfect cross into the box for the Catz striker to head home.
The result leaves Catz with 9 points from 4 games, sitting in second place behind Exeter, who continued their perfect start with a 3-0 win against Wadham. Magdalen remain bottom, but they should take heart from a gritty performance that shows there’s still hope of avoiding relegation.
Premier Division pace-setters Exeter continued their impressive start to the season as they stormed to a comfortable 3-0 victory over defending champions Wadham. Despite the absence of influential ex-captain and centre-back, Chris Bennett (denied the chance to break his personal scoring duck stretching to 1060 minutes), Exeter produced another resolute defensive display to ensure they enter their crunch Cuppers tie against Worcester next week full of confidence.
The first half was a tight affair, with Exeter shading the early exchanges as Blues player Ben May crashed a 35-yard strike against the crossbar via the keeper’s fingers. Adam Halewood then created a couple of chances but a cross eluded strike partner Charles Cooper and another effort was prodded wide. Wadham’s best chance came just before the break but birthday boy Jack O’Mahoney was alert and tipped an effort onto the post.
The referee was keen to start the second half quickly and it was Exeter who were fastest out of the blocks. Ten minutes after the break, assist king Manesh Mistry took his personal tally for the season to 12 with a cross that found Cooper who then beat the approaching Wadham keeper to the ball and nodded it into the open net. Wadham created occasional chances on the break but the new centre-back partnership of Dale and Sandy Clark held firm.
Exeter were denied a strong penalty shot when Halewood was fouled in the box. However, soon after, and only 15 minutes from full time, Ben May kept up his impressive record of scoring in every game. An incisive through ball from Cooper allowed May to casually round the keeper and a defender on the line to seal the win.
Exeter fans will be hoping this impressive victory gives their team vital momentum for next Friday’s mouthwatering Cuppers showdown, giving themselves a great chance of an historic double.
They are certainly in a very strong position at present, especially with the much-anticipated Lincoln verses Worcester match being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Magdalen hosted St Catherine’s in the 5th Week of the JCR Premier Division, with both teams looking for an important victory in much contrasting circumstances. Having conceded 9 and thus scored 0 so far, the home team were desperately in need of a win to kick-start some kind of turnaround to what has proved a disastrous start to the season. Catz, on the other hand, were looking to keep the pressure up on first-placed Exeter with another 3 points.
The game started as a scrappy affair, with Catz unable to assert control due to dogged harassment from the Magdalen midfielders. As the first half drew to a close the Catz pressure mounted but Magdalen coped admirably, particularly with the aerial bombardment from Kevin Weiss – Catz’s answer to Rory Delap.Eventually, in the second half, Magdalen resistance was broken: Joe Davies got round the defence to slide a square ball across to a predatory Chris Lambert, who tapped into an empty net from 3 yards out. 20 minutes later Davies got the reward his endeavours deserved when James Gibson floated a perfect cross into the box for the Catz striker to head home.
The result leaves Catz with 9 points from 4 games, sitting in second place behind Exeter, who continued their perfect start with a 3-0 win against Wadham. Magdalen remain bottom, but they should take heart from a gritty performance that shows there’s still hope of avoiding relegation.
Premier Division pace-setters Exeter continued their impressive start to the season as they stormed to a comfortable 3-0 victory over defending champions Wadham. Despite the absence of influential ex-captain and centre-back, Chris Bennett (denied the chance to break his personal scoring duck stretching to 1060 minutes), Exeter produced another resolute defensive display to ensure they enter their crunch Cuppers tie against Worcester next week full of confidence.
The first half was a tight affair, with Exeter shading the early exchanges as Blues player Ben May crashed a 35-yard strike against the crossbar via the keeper’s fingers. Adam Halewood then created a couple of chances but a cross eluded strike partner Charles Cooper and another effort was prodded wide. Wadham’s best chance came just before the break but birthday boy Jack O’Mahoney was alert and tipped an effort onto the post.
The referee was keen to start the second half quickly and it was Exeter who were fastest out of the blocks. Ten minutes after the break, assist king Manesh Mistry took his personal tally for the season to 12 with a cross that found Cooper who then beat the approaching Wadham keeper to the ball and nodded it into the open net. Wadham created occasional chances on the break but the new centre-back partnership of Dale and Sandy Clark held firm.Exeter were denied a strong penalty shot when Halewood was fouled in the box.
However, soon after, and only 15 minutes from full time, Ben May kept up his impressive record of scoring in every game. An incisive through ball from Cooper allowed May to casually round the keeper and a defender on the line to seal the win.Exeter fans will be hoping this impressive victory gives their team vital momentum for next Friday’s mouthwatering Cuppers showdown, giving themselves a great chance of an historic double.They are certainly in a very strong position at present, especially with the much-anticipated Lincoln verses Worcester match being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.