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Review: CANT – Dreams Come True

Natasha Frost
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Review: CANT – Dreams Come True

Chris Taylor is playing with fire. A pity, then, that his debut release – out on Terrible/Warp Records – is so utterly lukewarm. I won’t start this review with a fussy pun about how CANT actually CAN, nor say this is not a Terrible Record. The digs have already been set up, and it is very tempting to be very scathing. That is not to say that this is a terrible record – terrible is a strong word, and this is not a very strong album in any sense – but certainly not one for the books. Actually, I was ready for this to be seriously great. A collaborative work between Taylor, Grizzly Bear’s baby-faced bassist (CANT are his initials), and syntheur extraordinaire George Lewis Jr. of ‘Twin Shadow’ fame, the press release enthusiastically informs me that the album was ‘mostly written and recorded in a week and a half in a bedroom’. With that knowledge borne in mind, and the rather naff title ‘Dreams Come True’ (unfortunately also the name of an equally underwhelming album from A Flock of Seagulls), it is simply too easy to be mean.

This is the kind of album that I feel I should probably like. It’s a little bit experimental (like Deerhunter, but worse) but not actually scarily innovative or unlistenable, comes from two artists who I like, has a silly name and involves a lot of synths. This will doubtless earn it a host of enthusiastic fanboys who will assure me that you just have to listen to it a little bit more, give it a chance to open up, that it is complex and interesting and wonderful and clever. I don’t necessarily think their faith in the dynamic duo is misplaced, just that this album fails to showcase the ‘good stuff’, favouring cluttered, avant-prog slow jams that blend into an admittedly dreamlike, forgettable blur. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but the phrase ‘must try harder’ does spring to mind. Fittingly, though, ‘She Found A Way Out’ does manage to bob to the surface – and suggests that, given just a little more time, CANT may yet deliver. 

From Europe with Love: Part Three

Joe Nicholson
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From Europe with Love: Part Three

So many friends have told me how much of an impression Florence has made on them, so it was with anticipation and a slight worry of being underwhelmed that I set off into the city. Being with friends who know a place already is a double-edged sword: it’s such a relief to have a guide who knows how to navigate the narrow streets (keeping a sense of direction proved desperately difficult at times!) and who know what is really worth a look. At the same time, however, you miss out on the thrill of discovering it all by yourself, falling upon things by chance. It is a relief to have a companion who knows where is a good bet for food: so many of the places open in the most densely visited areas serve low quality food at overpriced rates, and having somebody tell you where to find the needle in the haystack is really necessary for those on the student budget! A good option was the markets that open daily from the early morning. One of the highlights of the trip so far has been the fresh fruit- locally grown nectarines are dirt cheap and delicious, something lacking in the rocky little things you’d find in Tesco on St Giles! Walking around Florence in the daytime is impressive, and after spending a year in chilly Britain basking in the Italian sun is nothing short of luxurious (even if gelato becomes a basic human need after ten minutes).

There’s something so exciting about the city: the slight shabbiness of the streets and the ramshackle way in which piazzas open up to you, revealing priceless displays such as the Loggia, an open air display of sculptures based on Graeco-Roman mythological heroes. There is, moreover, a feeling of attachment to Florence that many friends have described to me: this sense of privilege that you gain just being there is signified by the brass boar fountain near the Mercato Nuovo, one of the main market squares, whose snout you’re supposed to rub to be sure of returning to the city (however awkward that sounds!). We walked south of the river, too, to find the awe inspiring view from the Piazza del Michaelangelo: the whole vista of the city opens up in front of you, from the top of the Duomo to the uneven terracotta-tiled roofs, row on row. We’ve managed, mostly by chance, to land a brilliant view of all of the cities that we’ve visited: definitely advisable for getting a sense of the whole area! Florence at night is equally enjoyable, mainly for the buzz of the nightlife: although, admittedly, it still seems full of tourists. We found out that the Ponte Vecchio, the world famous bridge that appears to be a street until you reach the middle, opens up to a lovely view of the river at night: there’s nothing like seeing the unique Florentine buildings shimmer in the still water by moonlight (quasi-poetic waxing lyrical is completely necessary here!)

After two nights in Florence, we moved on to Venice. We found our apartment eventually, riding the Vaporetta for half an hour through the lagoon- pretty as this vehicle sounds, it is, in reality, a horrific chugging craft that could induce seasickness at first sight. A friend described it eloquently as ‘a tin can riding on the waves of hell’. Nevertheless, it offers a unique view of the Venetian buildings: travelling through the lagoon feels totally surreal after a three-hour train journey! Our accommodation was in the Giardini area: suburban, yet on the canals and a mere fifteen-minute walk from San Marco, the main square. We were lucky to have the chance to escape the tourist/backpacker trail for a few days, and also had the opportunity to experience the living and working Venice. The beauty of the streets which are interspersed with the waterways is enhanced by the realisation that it is a real city, in which real people go about their day to day business. These smaller canals that we stumbled upon felt, to me, like the best sights on the whole lagoon. Despite the splendour of San Marco and buildings such as the Ducal Palace, being surrounded by tourists like ourselves became exhausting, and the experience of finding surprisingly elegant side-streets is rewarding: a definite product of the cliched ‘straying from the beaten track’ attitude towards travelling!

We did, nevertheless, experience some of the main attractions of Venice. The Doges Palace is open to the public as part of a ticket which is valid for all of the museums on San Marco, and aside from being an astoundingly opulent palace facing directly onto the lagoon offers much insight into Venetian history. This is something that I was never going to get away from, seeing as I am travelling with three history students, but it still aided us to have a sense of the background to the place. Some of the central areas of the city were, however, too involved in tourism, part of the reason why we felt that little bit uncomfortable. The Bridge of Sighs, for example (the famous bridge between the Ducal palace and the city prisons, where prisoners walked to their execution), was scaffolded and plastered with an abhorrent L’Oreal advertisement: appalling!

Leaving Venice meant leaving Italy: ending a leg of the trip in a country with which I had fallen even more in love! After a debacle in organising trains to Croatia in a horrendously priced internet cafe, we opted for a coach to Pula, where we had booked another apartment for the supposed ‘rest stop’ in the middle of our travels. It was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to pasta, cheap table wine and Venice, which seemed surreal to the last, and boarded a packed coach filled with teenagers going to a music festival on the Croatian coach, making our sleepy stay in the Pula apartment seem tame at best! It was, however, necessary- when we finally arrived to what was, in fact, a small house after a day’s driving in blistering heat, we all collapsed in a daze: twelve days of moving through different cities really drains you! Croatia seemed like a fiscal land of dreams after the expense of France, Spain and Italy, and we found some absolute bargains (that is, if our bewildered calculations of the Kuna/Sterling exchange rate were anything like accurate!). We were recommended a cafe/bar by our extremely welcoming landlady, the ‘Porat’ bar, in which we discovered beer for the equivalent of one pound forty for 0.5l and cevapcici, an amazing dish of small fried kebabs- a delicacy that will be missed! Pula, however, is a strange town: a mix of Italianesque Mediterranean buildings and roman ruins, such as an amphitheatre, and a tangible sense of being a post-communist country. Nevertheless, it boasts some scenic beaches, with warm water for once- a surprise for the Brit who remembers the icy currents of the English Channel: the rocks underfoot are like sandpaper, granted, but the bays near our apartment were the perfect places to head in the evening.

The rest stop over, we moved on to Vienna: another complicated journey (it became apparent that trains in Croatia are non-existent). Our escape plan took the shape of yet another coach, to Zagreb this time, where we waited three hours for a connection to Vienna. Enough time, then, to encounter several lecherous men eying up my companions in the station corridor- not the best atmosphere! Our last meal in Croatia was another dish of cevapcici, feeding our addiction in the station restaurant, which had to be bolted down following an agonising wait, leaving the train ready to depart before we were even on the platform. We made it, thankfully- speeding further into central Europe and having our passports and tickets checked around eight times each, looking forward to what Austria had to offer.

The Cherwell Guide to Oxford Cinema

Huw Fullerton
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The Cherwell Guide to Oxford Cinema

So you’re a film buff, new to Oxford with a desire to waste money on cinema tickets when you should be working? Well, that’s great! Here’s what Oxford has to offer.

The Odeon

Pretty much what you’d expect – it’s expensive here (£7.30 for a student ticket) but it has all the major releases so for most of your blockbuster fixes you’ll have to swallow your pride and bow to the corporate world of multi-screen cinemas. Still, seeing as it is Oxford, the cinemas are actually quite small and cute, located in the city centre. It’s also worth noting that there are two locations for the odeon, on George Street (which just has one IMAX screen) and Magdalen Street. This can be confusing if you book a film and turn up at the wrong cinema – they’re a little way apart, so if you haven’t left plenty of time it can lead to a mad dash to the other branch. Check your booking before you leave. Twice. 

Vue Cinemas

This multiplex (called the ‘Ozone) is a little further out, but it’s only a 30-40 minute bus ride and it’s much bigger than the Odeon, meaning a greater range of releases. Still, you’re not making a money saving here (student tickets are £7.65), and at the end of the day you could just get your mainstream experience with the Odeon.

Cineworld Cinemas

Again, pretty much what you’d expect from a big multiplex, but this one’s further out still (although only by a few minutes). This cinema does have the advantage of being slightly cheaper than the Odeon or Vue (at £6.20 for a student) so if you can get a cheap bus ride this could be the place for the cash-conscious cinephile.

The Phoenix Picture House

This is a great little place in North Oxford just up Walton Street, which may be a little out of the way for those living in the centre of town. However, for arts cinema you can’t really do much better than this – it’s full of character, shows loads of classic films and sells beer! The price is pretty good too at £6 for a student ticket (with a booking charge online). The one glaring issue with The Phoenix is that it has a very limited range of films, falling very much on the arty side of new releases. Depending on your tastes this can be more of a problem, but generally for the big films you have to go elsewhere (with some exceptions – I saw Black Swan here, and One Day is currently showing). Still, a lovely venue, highly recommended and constantly running since 1913!

The Ultimate Picture Palace

Located on Cowley road (pretty convenient if you live out there at some point, but otherwise it’s a bit of a trek for most students), this one-screen cinema is the oldest existing picturehouse in Oxford at one hundred years old (although it spent some of this time closed). The place is rich in history and character, but with no digital projector and only one screen the releases are even more limited than at the Phoenix (although mainstream films are often played here after they’ve closed elsewhere, which can be useful). Ticket prices tend to vary a bit here too, so it’s worth checking up yourself. All in all, perhaps a place more for the extreme film buff than the casual moviegoer, but still a great venue.

Magdalen Film Society

Magdalen College is lucky enough to be privileged with a cinema screen as well as all those deer, and they’ve done something quite special with it. A few times a week they screen back-to-back films based along a particular theme, for £3 entry including free wine and juice. There’s loads of films every week, so if you want to go for something a bit more long-term it’s £10 for a term, £30 for a year or £45 for life. You can find the listings online or on a flyer that’s all over the place, and although obviously the screenings are very limited it’s a good mix of popular stuff, classics and arthouse, and a great way to educate yourself a bit in cinema. It’s uniquely Oxford, and very worth getting involved in.

 

To be honest you’ll probably spend most of your time in Oxford consuming films from DVDs or online, but you really can’t beat the cinema experience and there are some great examples in Oxford that you should definitely check out while you’re studying here. Maybe once the fresher’s week parties have died down though, eh?

NB: Many of these ticket prices are taken from online websites, and as such the prices on the door may be slightly cheaper.

University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign

Phoebus Cotsapas
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University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign

A former Balliol student who appeared on last year’s edition of University Challenge has been made the target of a string of sexist online attacks.

Marine Debray, who studied English and French, is amongst several women to have been subjected to misogynistic abuse on the internet following their appearance on the show, notably Gail Trimble, who famously captained the Corpus Christi team in 2009.

The hate campaign launched against Debray includes a blog in which photos of male genitalia are pasted onto pictures of her. There have also been scores of posts on internet fora labelling her a “dumb blonde.”

“People [have been] saying that I wasn’t smart enough to be on the programme, and then there were quite a lot of comments about my appearance, in a sexualized way,” Debray said.

Debray joins other female University Challenge contestants who have spoken out against sexist responses to their performances. Jenny Harris, who was on the Emmanuel College, Cambridge team that won the show last year, was mocked for her “brilliant mind, fuelled by a pair of breasts.”

“An aspect of [this prejudice] is the idea that women shouldn’t be showing off how clever they are, where this is more OK for boys,” said Harris. 

ITV, which produces the show on behalf of the BBC, reportedly offers contestants support and advice in dealing with online abuse, despite the studio insisting that hate campaigns are “unusual.”

Such online attacks, however, are only a manifestation of the more widespread prejudice against women in our society, insists Yuan Yang, OUSU’s vice president and women’s officer.

“Cyber-hate campaigns are just one point on the spectrum of sexual harassment that over 68% of female students experience while at university. Nobody should be treated like this. Seen in this light, online harassment is not a laugh, but a serious indicator of a lack of respect for women on the part of some members of society,” Yang told the Cherwell.

According to Yang, OUSU is currently pursuing a long-term plan to rid the University and the city of sexual harassment both online and on the streets. Yet she insists there is more to be done.

“Although we are successfully working with the University to redress sexual harassment complaints procedures, this is not an issue for the University alone. To beat sexist bullying and sexual violence, we all have a part to play – we all have ownership of a culture that must change,’ she said.

Though initially concerned about the scale of the online abuse, Debray maintains that she has not let it affect her.

“What I tried to do was put that aside and try to move on with the positive comments.”

Speaking on behalf of Debray’s college, Balliol JCR President Stephen Dempsey said, “Balliol JCR is disappointed to see any abuse directed at its members, past or present and our full support goes to Marine. Nevertheless, we are extremely proud of the intelligence and character she showed both on  the show and in responding to these sensitive issues and of the fantastic example she has set to women throughout higher education and beyond.”

An alternate look at Freshers’ Week

Hugh Burns
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An alternate look at Freshers’ Week

Freshers’ Week is upon us again. It offers every new student in the University a chance to make friends with people they’ll spend the next three years trying to shake off, learn to navigate the city’s cobblestones while drunk, and decide for themselves which Oxford nightclub is the worst. But while this may be one of the most exciting weeks of many freshers’ lives, quite a few of the perceptions created during these seven days are unsustainable for most students, and risk being seriously harmful for some. Simply, Freshers’ Week is a lie — an event-promoter’s fantasy of an Oxford where the “fun” never stops. In fact, Oxford is no holiday camp, and while it may be satisfying to watch first-years’ bushy-tailed enthusiasm fade and be replaced with uncertainty, panic and eventual weary acceptance, we need to wonder whether we are setting some people up for a serious fall.

Freshers’ Fair might be where it all starts. The sight of hundreds of societies vying for new recruits is incredibly striking, and perhaps the first university- ( as opposed college-) scale taste of Oxford life that the new students have access too. And often, attendees of the fair will encounter activities or groups that they will grow to love and see as important parts of their university lives. Yet for all that, Freshers’ Fair paints a deeply misleading picture of what Oxford life is like. When you see dozens of super-active returning students singing the praises of their pastime of choice, it’s easy to imagine that every student here is like that, and that fitting your work around wine-tasting, cage-fighting and whatever other things take your fancy is no big deal. In fact, most societies are run almost entirely by a tiny number of zealots, and most students have little or no time for more than one extra-curricular activity. The sheer number of opportunities that are thrown at you in your first days at Oxford risks being overwhelming, and the message that a normal student experience must include heavy extra-curricular activity can be dangerous: nearly every returning student can probably think of at least one friend whose studies have been seriously hurt by her penchant for ultimate Frisbee or Union politics.

The story continues at night, when freshers are sold tickets and ferried to various terrible clubs in the vicinity of the city centre. The bizarre emphasis on the idea that we should “work hard and play hard” (or something similar) among certain students here might well give the impression of a group of people who, having been regarded as geeks at school, feel it necessary to prove that they were cool all along. While that’s understandable (I guess), it’s not a particularly good idea to tell students that going clubbing every night is a sustainable plan for the future — odd, then, that in the week that is purportedly all about getting people used to university life, this is exactly what happens.

Oxford is a stressful place. Some people drop out or fail. Many more spend a large proportion of their waking hours in a blind panic about their next tutorial, or this week’s problem sheet, or the fact that they didn’t understand a word of the lecture they just got out of. Tutors and the exam system already put students under enough pressure without their feeling the need to live up to a model of some perfectly-rounded wunderkind who takes academic, social and extra-curricular life in her stride without a worry. It’s not that partying or sports or societies shouldn’t exist at university — all of them can be a great part of the student experience. But the image of university life that Freshers’ Week portrays is deeply misleading. Sure, freshers usually aren’t stupid and realize that there’s a difference between 0th week of Michaelmas and the rest of the year. But when the gap between those two things is so pronounced, it makes settling in even more difficult than it is already.

Review: Bestival

Rachel Savage
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Review: Bestival

For the last festival of the summer, the forecast was rain. All weekend. So when three friends and I piled into a Ford Fiesta, to head south to Bestival on the Isle of Wight, we were well-armed with wellies, wetwipes and waterproofs.

 

But while the Great British Summer did not completely fail to disappoint, and by Sunday the inevitable mudbath had ensued, the sun actually shone for most of what was a wonderful weekend.

 

The Isle of Wight is a bit of a trek, so a smooth journey left us feeling quite smug. We’d figured out that rolling our bags in a caterpillar motion, rather than heaving the booze-laden rucksacks on and off our backs, was an efficient way to edge up the hour-long queue into the site. Light pollution meant pitching our tents in whatever space we could find was surprisingly easy. We even made it into the arena in time to watch Santigold tear up the Big Top.

 

The music was a pretty eclectic collection of dance, old-school hip-hop, indie, ska and pop.  Something for everyone, but enough to get the usual case of missing-out syndrome that plagues every big festival. While I managed to miss, amongst others, PJ Harvey, Frank Turner and Diplo, the crowd were up for all of the awesome acts I did see.

 

As headliners go Pendulum were probably quite good though I had too much gin to remember. The Cure had me sprinting from the portaloos queue to leap around to ‘Just Like Heaven’ with a complete stranger. The fact that Robert Smith now resembles an overgrown child who has spent too much time with his mother’s make up, and then walked the wrong way through a wind machine, had me worried about how some of my all-time favourite songs would turn out. The two and a half hour set did drag into self-indulgence in the middle, but enough classics were belted out to make it truly memorable. 

 

On Sunday night, Bjork was resplendent and bizarre with a giant orange afro topped by an enormous blue fin. She was backed by a female choir, and a head-spinning array of graphics that led my friend to comment that we were having geology and biology lessons. While the ethereal music got repetitive at times, the crowd were still hyped enough to leap around to ‘Independence Day’ at the end.

 

Other musical highlights included mainstage dubstep from Magnetic Man, a healthy dose of old school rap from Public Enemy, Robyn owning the stage in a catsuit and enormous platforms, and Village People getting tens of thousands of people doing the YMCA.

 

Bestival is much more than music though – it’s the only festival I know that so wholeheartedly embraces fancy dress. Everyone turned into ‘Rockstars, Divas and Popstars’ on Saturday. I did a passable version of 80s Madonna with the help of fishnets, black lace gloves and cardboard crucifix jewellery, but there were very impressive efforts – troupes of blonde teenage girls dressed as Kiss, numerous incarnations of David Bowie, and a tiny toddler turned into Freddie Mercury.

 

I loved the roller disco, though it may not have been the most sensible idea – my friend was on crutches for the whole weekend. 80s aerobics legend Mr. Motivator popped up on three different stages on Sunday exhorting all the able-bodied amongst us to get motivated. The Robin Hill Country Park left much of its rambling wooded gardens and adventure playgrounds open to get lost in. There was even a W.I. Tea Tent with a glorious panoramic view over the site.

 

Waiting for the bus to the ferry in driving rain at 7am on Monday morning, having abandoned my semi-collapsed tent after a wild, windy night, almost had me declare, “I’m too old for this!” But fortunately Bestival was enough fun to convince me that I’ll be putting up with tickets pushing £200, overflowing portaloos, the beginnings of trench foot, and not washing for 4 days for a few years yet.


Let Europe Shake – Part One

Aleks Klosok
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Let Europe Shake – Part One

Manchester United are intent on avenging their defeat in last year’s final at Wembley whilst their city neighbours and closest rivals Manchester City will be mixing it with the cream of European football for the very first time. Chelsea are ready for another tilt at the trophy which has so far eluded them on a number of occasions and Arsenal will once again be hoping to propel themselves into the later stages of the competition.

 

UEFA Champions League: Group A 

• FC Bayern Munich; MANCHESTER CITY; Napoli; Villarreal CF

 

FC Bayern Munich

Four-time winners and current leaders of the Bundesliga, Bayern have a proven pedigree in this competition. Suspect in defence despite the presence of captain Phillip Lahm, their main strengths lie in the final third. Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger are key in midfield whilst in form Mario Gomez will be key upfront. 

One To Watch: Mario Gomez

 

Manchester City 

Strength in depth and quality in all departments, Roberto Mancini’s men look in excellent shape to challenge Europe’s elite. Question marks persist in defence making Nigel De Jong’s defensive midfield role even more important. David Silva has been a revelation and Sergio Agüero and Edin Džeko are looking to continue their excellent form.

One To Watch: Sergio Agüero

 

Napoli

Under manager Walter Mazzarri, The Azzurri have emerged as genuine title contenders in Serie A. They have re-enforced their midfield this summer with the introduction of Swiss defensive midfielder Gökhan Ä°nler and Macedonia captain Goran Pandev on-loan from Internazionale. Marek Hamšík will be key to Napoli’s creativity alongside Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani.

One To Watch: Edinson Cavani

 

Villarreal CF

El Submarino Amarillo had a memorable debut season in 2006, losing in the semi-finals. The loss of Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla to Malaga CF this summer is a blow given the small nature of the squad. Midfielder Marcos Senna will provide experience with Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi undoubtedly a potent strike force. 

One To Watch: Giuseppe Rossi

 

UEFA Champions League: Group C

• FC Basle; S.L. Benfica; MANCHESTER UNITED; FC OÈ›elul GalaÈ›i

 

FC Basle 

Current holders of the Swiss Premier League and with a predominantly Swiss-based squad, Basle are relative newcomers to this competition. Midfielders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka are vey much the future of Swiss football and will provide the main threat. Leading all-time Swiss National Team scorer Alexander Frei could pose problems upfront.

One To Watch: Xherdan Shaqiri

 

S.L. Benfica

A club with a proud European football history, the Lisbon-based club look like finishing runners-up in this group. Fabio Coentrão’s departure this summer to Real Madrid for €30,000,000 has allowed the club to strengthen. Ezequiel Garay and Luisão are a strong centre-back parternship and keep an eye on Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel.

One To Watch: Axel Witsel

 

Manchester United

Runners-up in last season’s competition, Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking to roll over an unstoppable looking FC Barcelona. United have pace and dynamism with Ashley Young and Nani in midfield along with experience in the form of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand in defence. Rooney and Hernandez continue to impress upfront.

One To Watch: Ashley Young 

 

FC Oțelul Galați

The great unknowns in this year’s competition, the Romanian champions won their first domestic title last season. They have European experience in the form of the UEFA Cup. The team will look to emulate the success of their counterparts CFR Cluj who made a real impact in the competition in 2008.

One To Watch: Marius Pena

 

UEFA Champions League: Group E

• Bayer 04 Leverkusen; CHELSEA; Racing Club Genk; Valencia CF

 

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Runners-up in 2002 to Real Madrid and that Zinedine Zidane wonder goal, Leverkusen are certainly a handy outfit. Defensively weak, Leverkusen’s strength lies in midfield which includes veteran midfielder Michael Ballack, Swiss winger Tranquilo Barnetta and Simon Rolfes. Striker André Scurrile is another German sensation, partnered upfront by the highly rated Eren Derdiyok.

One To Watch: André Scurrile 

 

Chelsea

So near and yet so far has, in recent seasons, been the moral of the story for the Stanford Bridge outfit. André Villas-Boas demonstrated his European pedigree during his only season at FC Porto, winning the UEFA Europa League. Juan Mata will be pivotal in this season’s pursuit of European glory.

One To Watch: Juan Mata 

 

Racing Club Genk

Winners of the Belgian Pro League last season, Genk are one of the main players in Belgian football alongside the likes of RSC Anderlecht and Standard Liège. Their main threat comes in the form of Belgian midfield starlet and Chelsea target Kevin De Bruyne. Thomas Buffel will be familiar to Rangers fans.

One To Watch: Kevin De Bruyne

 

Valencia CF

Financial problems off the pitch in recent seasons have signalled the departure of key players David Villa and Juan Mata. Nonetheless, Los Che remain an exciting team to watch. Manager Unai Emery has carried on regardless and brought in genuine quality in the form of Victor Ruiz and Pablo Piatti.

One To Watch: Pablo Piatti

 

UEFA Champions League: Group F

• ARSENAL; Borussia Dortmund; Olympique de Marseille; Olympiacos FC

 

Arsenal

A fourteenth consecutive appearance in the Champions League Group Stages represents a terrific achievement for The Gunners. Despite a number of Deadline Day re-enforcements, Wenger’s team look lightweight. Per Mertesacker will add much needed European experience in defence alongside Thomas Vermaelen however they will once again be over-reliant on Robin Van Persie.

One To Watch: Aaron Ramsey 

 

Borussia Dortmund 

A revelation last season under Jürgen Klopp, the current Bundesliga Champions make a welcome return to the competition. The highly coveted Serbian defender Neven Subotić will be vital in defence whilst in midfield Jakub BÅ‚aszczykowski will be a threat down the wings with youngster Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa pulling the creative strings.

One To Watch: Mario Götze

 

Olympique de Marseille

Manager Didier Deschamps knows all about this competition having won it as the Captain of L’OM in 1993. César Azpilicueta is a talented attacking full-back whilst they are marshalled well in midfield by both Lucho González and Alou Diarra. Their attacking flair comes in the shape of Loïc Rémy and André Ayew.

One To Watch: Mathieu Valbuena 

 

Olympiacos FC

Despite being the most successful club in Greek football history, Thrylos have reached the quarter finals of this competition on just the one occasion. Centre-back Olof Mellberg will be familiar to fans of Aston Villa, however it’s their Spanish contingent of midfielders David Fuster and Francisco Yeste who’ll provide the greatest threat.

One To Watch: Kevin Mirallas

Twitter: @aleksklosok

The Fringe

Sophie Balfour-Lynn
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The Fringe

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Oxford locals clash with University

Dominic Parikh
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Oxford locals clash with University

Plans to build four new University buildings in Headington have run into stiff opposition from residents, as locals claim that the University is not doing enough to minimise the impact of this development on the surrounding community.

The £57m proposal, which won formal approval from Oxford City Council last week, would house the new Nuffield Department of Medicine and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, which are moving from London. The development will be used for research into medical conditions including dementia and arthritis.

150 staff are expected to work at the site, and residents are concerned about the pressure it might place on local traffic and residential parking. The Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association (DRARA) has been particularly vocal, telling Cherwell, “Hundreds of construction staff, and then permanent staff and visitors, will be free to use our streets as a car park”.

A particular issue for the Residents’ Association is the travel plan submitted by the University as part of its application for planning permission. They claim that it includes an inaccurate travel survey, under-reporting of on-site staff numbers, and unrealistic estimations of future falls in car usage, which mean that it is “not credible and, in parts, is misleading”.

Oxford University, however, categorically denies these claims, insisting that “The Travel Plan has been reviewed by the county council who agreed the assessment reflected the situation in Oxford.”

DRARA has criticised the behaviour of the body responsible for the project, the Oxford University Estates Directorate, claiming it has been “uncooperative in responding to residents’ requestlicens for help and information”.

In their submission to the City Council DRARA cites instances in which it felt that letters from locals had received delayed or unhelpful responses, and says that the affair “indicates that the Estates Directorate are not sympathetic to the problems experienced by neighbouring institutions and residents”.

The University again denies these claims, telling Cherwell in a statement this week, “It is University policy to consult widely on every planning proposal and this one was no different.” 

The spokesman for the University stressed that they have responded to local concerns. He said that certain key changes to the planned building work had been made after the public consultation, pointing out that “the building will be further from Old Road than was originally planned and the number of windows will be reduced.” 

He added, “We will continue to consult with interested parties to address any concerns as the process continues. We have tried to answer questions from residents and third parties during the process but in some cases the information to answer questions simply was not available.”

Both the local council and the University hope to avoid the congestion feared by local residents by implementing Controlled Parking Zones, areas which limit unrestricted parking to licensed vehicles (usually belonging to residents). These zones are commonly found in urban areas to protect local parking availability from commuters and visitors.

Oxford City Council told Cherwell that the planning committee “felt that [the potential for extra cars] could be alleviated”, adding that “immediate neighbouring roads have Controlled Parking Zones”.

The University pointed out that they have paid a contribution to the County Council, and that “The County Council and University have agreed that the priority for this money should be to implement Controlled Parking Zones near the Old Road site.”

A Fresher’s Guide to Packing

Grace Goddard
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A Fresher’s Guide to Packing

With only a few weeks left until the start of term, here are a last few nuggets of advice before you begin preparations to fly/flee the family nest, fresh-faced and filled with gleeful anticipation of the weeks to come; all handily paragraphed and subtitled for your reading pleasure.

Room.

First of all, unpack within three days. Of course, not having to pack again eight weeks later does have its merits but living out of a suitcase does not. And neither does finding the food package you know your Mum put somewhere midway through the term. Posters, photos and even the odd throw is just about acceptable but adorning your room with West African wall hangings, Thai banana leaf mats and Buddhist prayer flags will earn you a reputation as a Gap Yah crisis. Similarly, the rest of your college will not thank you when the fire alarm goes off after you’ve been burning incense. And no, leaving the window open won’t work (note— bring some kind of dressing gown to limit the damage of mid-shower fire alarm related incidents). Three sets of sheets can just about last you the eight weeks in an almost acceptable level of hygiene and will save you from washing them. Correspondingly, bring as much underwear as possible or, do as one of my friends, and just buy more as the term goes on.

Food Supplies.

Anything you have you will eat. After attempting to shop weekly quickly and repeatedly deteriorated into nights of consuming a week’s worth of biscuits whenever an essay was due in, I soon learnt to opt for more of a shopping basket to mouth policy. Nonetheless, the beginning of term provides your last opportunity to gather as much sun dried tomatoes, olives and bottles of your parents’ wine as can fit in the car before your diet deteriorates into Tesco’s donuts and kebabs. For these reasons bring fruit — it is also deceptively expensive.

Medical.

You will get ill. You will probably be constantly at least 30% ill throughout the whole of Michaelmas. And to avoid waking up hungover and feverish with lectures to attend and without sufficient medication, hot foot it to your nearest pharmacy and deplete their stock of uppers, downers and various types of pain relief. You will also probably consume more lemsip than you had ever imagined.

Fancy Dress.

Comical hats, onesies, and, for the boys, any women’s clothing you can lay your hands on will come in useful embarrassingly often. Face-paints are also a wise investment that can form the basis of almost all bop costumes, providing you have some brightly coloured clothes to form the rest of it. But then you will be laughing, as the rest of your friends spend £20 in the fancy dress shop. So don’t be afraid to go a bit Blue Peter; in this case paint, string, cardboard, scissors and glue will be your best friends. And, while, your costume will undoubtedly be less hardwearing than the shop variety it will be far more photo worthy and, when it comes to bops, everyone loves a trier. As for the girls, avoiding shop bought costumes frees you from the tyranny of outfits prefixed by ‘sexy’. ‘Sexy Pacman’ anyone? — a genuine find, I swear.

Other.

Don’t bother with extra books, course based or otherwise, you won’t have “spare time” and I can’t remember what “reading for fun” is. Non-work-time, as I like to call it, is pretty much filled up with activities (sports, drama and the like), drinking and box sets. It is also probably true that the larger and better your supply of the latter, the more friends you will have. Alternatively, secure these friendships through a comprehensive working knowledge of the BBC iPlayer and other such catch-up marvels. And, to finish off, bring something to pack your stuff back into at the end of term. Otherwise, you will end up carrying armfuls of clothes and carrier bags of toiletries to the car, cursing the naïve assumption that you would be entitled to leave your own belongings in your own room — damn those conferences. Don’t worry kids, there’s always second year.

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