Finds of the Month 5

Literature & Theatre 6 Explore the Gothic Horror Genre

Fashion 8 Re-use Your Summer Wardrobe

Politics & Economy 10 Bank Bonuses – The economy under spotlight

Film 12 Love Actually? Or Love Actually Not? – Our film buffs review the classic

Music 14 From Madonna to Johnny Flynn – Review of the month

Creative Writing 16 ―The Utmost Horror!‖ - Read our gothic horror inspired pieces

Sport 18 Strode‘s Sport – A run-down of the season so far…

Issues & Opinions 19 Is drinking ruining our ability to live?

News & Events 20 Get involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Comic Strip 22

dddd

NEXT MONTH :

FREDDY CLAPSON IS THE….

AGONY UNCLE!

SEND YOUR PROBLEMS TO US NOW at:

www.strodesnewspaper.co.uk

Dear Readers,

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but, finally we’re here! After much nagging, rushing around and, as you’d guess, writing, we’ve finally bought you a college magazine: S.I.N – Strode’s Independent Newspaper! Now I know, if you’re anything like me, that you’ll currently be skipping through this page without much interest and going straight to far more entertaining stuff we have so I’ll try and be short - S.I.N is more than anything for students. All the contributors have spent lots of time head scratching to think of things that interest all of you so – forget having a student bulletin disguised behind pretty pictures and bright colours! The other day I got asked what I wanted this webzine to be. In a rather inarticulate way I said that after seeing so many doddery school magazines that serve no other purpose that to act as a newsletter with uninteresting articles on the recent success of the school Christmas fair I want to create something that gets rid of all that rubbish and treats students as what we are: intelligent, creative and dynamic individuals. I hope that it will less provide opportunities for the college but more for the students, personally, to develop their writing skills and for those reading it to really get involved in discussions and debates on topics from the serious ones to the obscure! So get involved….Join our forums online at www.strodesnewspaper.co.uk and get talking!

Ros Wilks Editor –in-Chief Xx

FRESHER’S PACK

Potentially the best deal you’ll

see from the AMAZING Lush,

these fab goody boxes were

made especially for Fresher’s

Week and are only £10! There’s

three different ones to choose

from – ‚The De-Stresser‛, ‚The

Big Night Out‛ and ‚The

Morning After the Night

Before‛ – and with an

estimated £30 worth of goods

it’s worth it. But be quick!

They’re only on sale till the end

of the month….

www.lush.co.uk

FINDS OF THE

MONTH

Decole Small Plastic Container

Trigger memories of your

childhood with this cute Red

Riding Hood patterned lunch

box -

£5.50 – www.artbbox.co.uk

Inflatable you, Mitsubishi Colt,

Canvas Bags.....

Aussie, song-writing, supremo

Tim Minchin’s witty music has

won over the hearts of the British

public – Go and see what all the

fuss is about and remember

tissues – you’ll be crying with

laughter....

He’s starring at the Hammersmith

Apollo from October 23rd –

October 25th

Tickets are still on sale for £20

www.timminchin.com/gigs/

For any of you interested

in textiles take a look at

Crafty Ribbons + Buttons

– From dinosaur

patterned ribbon to

dragonfly buttons there’s

a whole range of bits and

bobs to add sparkle to

any clothing…

www.craftyribbons.co.uk

"You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as

I once did; and I ardently hope that the

gratification of your wishes may not be a

serpent to sting you, as mine has been."

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

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This Month: GOTHIC

For English courses, we students are told to read widely around our set texts. But where to begin? There is so much out there, even within a single genre – Wouldn‘t it be great to know not only what sort of thing to read, but what we might actually enjoy and won‘t take until next Christmas to finish? Wish to know more? Your SINful guardian angels are here to help – reviewing and guiding you to great reads (and away from those which may, well, waste your life) With the upcoming Gothic week, (don‘t miss your chance to dress up in your finest Gothic wear—anything from Victorian corsetry to black capes)lets sink our fangs into some juicy Gothic, with reviews of some of the shorter reads:

The Yellow Wallpaper

By: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

A tale that proves the power of Gothic writing;

a world of such instability, even Wallpaper can

be rendered absolutely bloody terrifying…

Usefulness: ****

Enjoyment: *****

Heavy-going: *

The female narrator, suppressed by her

husband is confined to a room, in which she

constantly studies the grotesque yellow

wallpaper. She notices that the 'two bulbous

eyes stare at you upside down' and believes that

the smell in the room is like 'the colour of the

paper'. She becomes convinced that imprisoned

behind bars in the wallpaper is a woman,

desperate to escape but her fear results in her

creeping and hiding wherever she moves. The

narrator begins into believe that she is in the

same position as this woman, causing her

growing obsession to rapidly increase her

descent to madness...

Christabel -By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This incomplete (though still rather long)

masterpiece of a poem, by that most tortured

Romantic soul, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, tells the

tale of the curse on the beloved and pious lady,

Christabel.

Usefulness: ***

Enjoyment: ****

Heavy-going: ***

Wandering away a desolate, moonlit night, out of

compassion and wonder, she ‘rescues’ a mystical

damsel in distress, Geraldine, installing her in her

bedchamber. Yet all is not well. Behind this beautiful

façade, an evil lurks, making the dogs groan, the

flames fitful. Christabel, in presenting her new

companion to her father, Sir Leoline in the morning,

finds Geraldine to be the daughter of a long-

forgotten friend of her father’s and one he thus

accepts with affection. It is as she weaves her way to

the Sir Leoline heart that visions press upon

Christabel, where only she can see the horrifying

snakelike form of the maid. But only enraged to her

entreaties to remove the lady, her father is kept

enthral by the maid, and who knows what horror is

to before them? Coleridge it seems did not…

Pathos in the Gothic Genre

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HORROR

The Raven - By Edgar Allan Poe

Perhaps, his most well known poem, The

Raven, (indebted popularity-wise to a certain

Simpsons episode) is deliciously Gothic. The

incessant repetition and claustrophobic rhythm

dramatically build the underlying tension and

quicken the racing of the heart (the narrator

and the reader’s!). The word ‘Nevermore’

seems of more significance and fearful intensity

than any before under the poem’s spell,

shattering the security and sanity.

Usefulness: ****

Enjoyment: *****

Heavy-going: *

Enclosed by the storm raging outside, one man

sits alone in the dark of his room and mourns

his lost love, Lenore. Unsettled by a rapping at

his chamber door, and filled with fear, he

allows the entrance of a raven of lordly mien,

who endlessly taunts him with but one word

‘Nevermore’. His uneasy smiling dismissal soon

dissolves to shrieks and psychological torment

as the word gathers greater meaning. Yet, can

he escape such a demon? What even is this

mysterious Raven? ….

The Tell Tale Heart – Edgar Allan Poe

Poe here skilfully crafts a resounding voice of

insanity and evil.

Usefulness: ****

Enjoyment: *****

Heavy-going: *

Direct and accusing the narrator opens by

challenging the reader on his supposed judgement

of his sanity ‘why will you say that I am mad?’

Yet in his frantic and excitable attempts to seem

otherwise of course ironically presents himself to be.

Amongst this nervously stilted, hyphenated prose, he

boasts of his skill and highly unsound motivations for

murder, creeping in upon an old man every night and

watching, tormenting him (and the reader) with

fearful suspense. The victim’s pitiable attempts at

self-reassurance, that there is no need to fear, work

conversely to rather build our terrible expectation.

The old man is murdered, for the crime of having a

slightly creepy ‘Evil Eye’, poor fellow. The police

arrive, nearly fooled, before the sound of the corpse

begins to echo through the narrator’s disturbed mind

forcing a (naturally highly self-indulgent) confession.

The great Ancient Greek

philosopher Aristotle argued

that the purpose of tragedy

was to generate pity and fear

in the audience. His reasoning

is that through feeling these

emotions, we purge them

through ‚catharsis‛. This then

should stop us repeating these

actions (being nervous, self-

destructive wrecks) in our own

lives. Yet the era of Greek

tragedy is long past, so one

may wonder how Aristotle’s

argument may be applied to

the more modern Gothic

genre? Terror should be a

fairly obvious emotion to

register in the Gothic genre. It

is the supernatural or exotic

that arouses fear, whether it is

Frankenstein’s wretched

creation, the sinister Count

Dracula or a loose orang-utan

on the rampage (Poe’s ‘The

Murders in the Rue Morgue‛).

It is these figures that pose the

greatest threat to the other

characters in the text, and

humanity in general.

On the other hand, who we

feel pity for in a Gothic text is

often far less obvious. In Mary

Shelley’s Frankenstein’, the

monster is an intelligent,

eloquent being, whose

speeches on his loneliness are

far more emotive than Victor

Frankenstein’s despair. The

latter is the neglectful parent

to the former, and there is

almost as much disgust at

Frankenstein’s irresponsibility

as at his creation’s barbarity.

‘The Rime of the Ancient

Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor

Coleridge poses another

problem in that the Ancient

Mariner clearly commits a

crime. One can wonder,

however, whether the

Mariner’s punishment is

suitable for his crime. It is

somewhat akin to having both

your hands chopped off for

stealing a chocolate bar from

Budgens – something that

would evoke pity in most of us.

Applying Aristotle’s

arguments to texts written

hundreds of years later is

really just self-indulgent fun,

but it is interesting to see how

we relate to characters who

experience the unbelievable,

just as a Greek tragic hero

suffers incredibly.

Chris Webb

We all know student life doesn’t leave much left in one’s wallet. And with the recession I’m certain the bank of mum and dad has officially closed shop for the foreseeable future and shipped what’s left of it to an offshore bank account. At the moment in the fashion world it’s all about reusing, where Roberto Cavalli can afford to send his models down the runway in sultry, swishing, summer dressed constructed from the finest vintage fabric, we haven’t all got these kinds of privileges, so my mission: take you’re Autumn clothes right trough to next spring/summer. That’s two seasons for the price of one; it’s almost as much value for money as Tesco value chocolate (the lunch for people who forget their wallets!) Rach Hale

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Re-use your

GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS – One of the most popular items of clothing these look great at any time of year – by teaming with a simple coat or jumper these can work perfectly in autumn or winter. Layering’s a big trend at the moment so get some thin grey and white t-shirts and long sleeve shirts to put underneath. Use chunky jewellery and scarves to add

spice to your outfit.

Thankfully, the new collection of ‘birthday’ pieces edging its way onto the High Street is far more reminiscent of sixties siren than those pink pyjamas you had when you were 6. (Oh the joys of the nineties…) Miss Selfridge has a Warhol-inspired print racerback vest that would look great teamed with pretty much any usual printed vest fare, particularly black or darker denim. For the slogan lovers there’s a bold ‘Looking For My Ken’ design too, with the option of another vest top or cropped

Apart from the usual sea of Coca Cola and Sid tees, some may have noticed on a recent trawl of the (less mainstream shelves of the) high street that Barbie mania seems ‘randomly’ to have to have hit us. If you find yourselves asking why the face of this antithesis of alternative has suddenly been stamped on your slogan shirts – the world’s most famous plastic doll has turned 50 this year (suspiciously looking about 5years younger than when she was first conceived.) Either way, despite those awful sickly pink connotations, at the ripe old age of 50 she does truly embrace Vintage – and looking back at some of the dolls and outfits of the 60’s, you may even be surprised to discover that she debuted some of the pieces in your wardrobe.

tee. Topshop is in on the trend too (though why it chose to reincarnate Barbie in the pyjama section, it is unclear). However, their oversize white ‘Dreaming of My Ken’ tee looks pretty out of place - and there is even a hint of nu-rave in a ‘Plastic Fantastic’ cropped shirt. The birthday girl’s even been lurking in Jane Norman and d2 Jeans – from the latter is the cheapest item of the collection, a versatile vintage print logo tee for £10. So why not make a statement and sprinkle some nostalgia into that pile of Stones tees. You probably won’t get away with it when her 60th rolls round…. Alex Slotwinski

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summer wardrobe

Are You A Barbie Girl?

DENIM SKIRT – Despite generally worn in the summer revamp yours for the winter with a wooly jumper, some thick tights and some high boots. For summer, it’s the perfect opportunity to show off your legs with some cute ballet pumps or sandals – wear a t-shirt covered by a shirt or cardigan in the spring months.

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A Multi-Ethnic BNP? The British National Party

is never one to shy away

from public confrontation

and yet again finds itself in

the midst of controversy. It

has presented itself as the

ambassador for the

indigenous British peoples

since its very founding,

however this may very well

be about to change.

The UK‘s equality

watchdog, ‗The

Commission for Equality

and Human Rights‘ has

argued its case in the

Central London County

Court for a multi-ethnic

BNP. The party has always

restricted membership to

indigenous British ethnic

groups, however the CEHR

has argued that this is in

breach of the Race

Relations Act and has

threatened to take further

legal action should the BNP

refuse to yield to their

demands.

The party chairman Nick

Griffin MEP, who was not

present at the hearing, has

agreed to suspend all new

membership applications

and to present a revised

constitution to a meeting of

his party members next

month. This may prove

problematic for Mr Griffin,

who will have to persuade

hard line party members

that this is in the best

interests of the BNP. If the

party refuses to adopt the

change in its constitution, it

will most certainly face

legal action from the CEHR

and with a general election

just around the corner in

2010, the party cannot

afford to fight a major legal

battle which could see it go

into bankruptcy.

Many may question what

the CEHR hopes to achieve,

it seems unlikely that many

people from ethnic

minorities would want to

join a party that is

inherently discriminatory

towards them. John

Wadham of the CEHR told

BBC News that this is

missing the point, ‗The law

is for everyone, this is not a

political issue for us, the

key issue for us is the

lawfulness of their

membership criteria.‘

The Race Relations Act has

been in force since 1976, so

the question must be

begged, why has no legal

action been taken until

now? The BNP believes

that the court case is an

attempt to bankrupt them

and in an article on its

website as brandished it as

an ‗hysterical attack‘ on the

party after its recent

electoral successes. BNP

spokesman Chris Roberts

told BBC News, ‗If we

want to be in the electoral

process, which we do, and

we are being forced by the

establishment to change our

rules then we are going to

have to change them.‘

However he stressed that

the core principles of the

party will not change.

A change in membership

policy is not likely to

transform the British

National Party into a

charismatic, agreeable and

electable force to be

reckoned with. However

what is certain is that the

change is coming and the

consequences it will bring

for the party and its

members will become

clearer after the hearing in

January of next year.

Hollie Wright-Selby

Why do these elections matter?

It is widely known that students or young people don’t really care for general elections and politics in general

and why should we? All we students seem to do is go out all night and make a disturbance and not care

about what politicians are saying, like whether inheritance tax should be increased or if the state pension age

should go up. Most students stick to the sentiment “How does it affect us?” However, there is a general

election coming up before we leave college this summer and it’s worth readjusting that mantra. Yeah, I know

politics hardly presents the most exciting face – most politicians are either old and wear tweed or have the

kind of demeanour that your dad going through a midlife crisis would have trying to “get down with the kids”

But the fact is that no matter what age or situation politics will somehow affect your life.

Do you have a part time job? The different parties have different policies on what the limit of the tax-free

income should be, with the Lib Dems once saying they wanted the tax-free allowance to be increased to

£10,000. Want to go to university? Some parties want to increase tuition fees, while others want to remove

them all together. Yeah, Politics may look boring but they make decisions that will affect you now and in the

future, so look at their policies and make sure you vote for what you want in this general election – Freddy

Clapson

gdsgds

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“Where have all the lefties gone?” It was once understood that the Tories didn’t like the students and the students didn’t like the Tories. The Conservatives have everything that students ought to despise: a phobia of spending on education and a leader with the sort of sleazy charisma that makes Peter Mandelson look like Mother Theresa. It seems, though, that times are changing – at Strodes at least. Everybody here is a Conservative. What’s going on? Admittedly the South East is home to the most rabidly Conservative populace in Britain; but there must be some more liberal people out there somewhere. Clearly this is a balance that needs to be redressed. Since the Labour Party are evidently too busy despairing over their leader and the Lib Dems are too busy trying to remember the name of theirs, I feel I ought to give it a go. If you’re a first year, you ought to worry about what the Tories might do to school funding when George Osborne is left alone with a pair of scissors and a draft of next year’s expenditure plans. If you’re a second year, you ought to worry about what the Tories will do to university places and unemployment figures. The Tory-biased Confederation of British Industry want to cut grants for students from poorer backgrounds, and the Conservatives look set to do just that. Meanwhile, if David Cameron is allowed to make the spending cuts he is gleefully eyeing, there is a real chance we could plunge back into recession, potentially destroying millions of jobs. So come on people! Let’s get some sense and Don’t Vote Tory! Tom Newham

A bit more than a year ago the

rug of economic prosperity

was unceremoniously tugged

from under our feet in a short

period that shook our financial

system to the core. When in

his first pre-budget report

Gordon Brown made the anti-

prophetic claim that he would

bring an end to ―the damaging

cycle of boom and bust‖ the

markets seemed to believe in

him. What followed was a time

of remarkable global economic

growth and prosperity.

You can then understand the

shock when our banks crawled

from their mighty marble

offices in the City and begged

our governments for aid. The

bubble had burst and the tax

payer picked up the bill.

Journalist for the Guardian,

Simon Jenkins says tax payers

have given the banks half a

trillion dollars over the past

year to keep them afloat. On

21st September 2008 one bank

alone, Goldman Sachs, cost the

American government $1

billion in emergency funds, in

what economist, Joseph

Stiglitz called ―Socialism for

the Rich‖. One year on

Goldman Sachs look set to pay

out the biggest set of bonuses

in the company‘s history.

According to the Guardian,

the Wall Street firm is making

£21.5 million of profit every

day. The company also

publishes a $3.19 billion

quarterly gain, a rise of 268%.

Barring a major economic

meltdown the 5,500 members

of staff in London‘s Fleet

Street can look forward to a

£430,000 end of year payment,

the highest figure in the firm‘s

history.

Liberal Democrat Treasurer

Vince Cable commented, ―It‘s

farcical that so soon after the

reckless greed of bankers

brought the world‘s economy

to its knees, we are seeing a

return to business as usual‖.

This twisted scenario seems to

be a case of taking from the

needy and giving to the greedy,

with the executives playing a

backwards and miserly parody

of Robin Hood & his Merry

Men.

Jason Ellar & Chris Webb

Gluttonous Banks Treat Themselves to Big

Bonus Bonanza

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What do you think Since its release in 2003, Love Actually has become a Christmas Classic. Whether you cried, laughed or gagged, the chances are you’ve seen it – So our film reviewers gave their opinion: Was it Love Actually? Or more Actually Not? [Jack] - So, Love Actually – One of Richard Curtis’ biggest blockbuster hits and a Christmas movie filled with love and comedy – I think it’s a film that appeals to both sexes even with its heavy love related topics – there’s enough romance yet, in typical Curtis Style, just when you’re about to throw up, you’ll find yourself roaring with laughter...

[Abi] - I think it’s funny. Yet I hated it at first cause it felt like it was trying to do too

much the whole proving love can exist everywhere.... Meh mushy... but as a Christmas film I

love it. [Mel] - It’s too British though. It couldn’t just have a guy and a girl that fall in love, it had to be all British and “clever” by making the relationships all complicated and bla bla blaaaa. I get what you're saying, about it being a Christmas film - But that’s all it is for me – The only time I want to watch it is a Christmas when I’m more tolerable of the lovey dovey stuff...In addition to that the actors aren’t even that brilliant

[A] - Well....It has lots of little okay actors...It didn’t go for the big Hollywood stars.... kind

of like its carrying itself on names that used to be big. [J] - Ok, excuse me are you actually telling me that Alan Rickman is a bad actor? Or Liam Neeson? Or Emma Thompson? [M] - Hugh grant is the only really well known actor, and he isn’t all that great. Let’s face it he can play one of two characters and his part was not that big part really... [A] I wouldn’t class Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson as big names - they’re

not huge household names – they’re supporting actors in most things they. [J] – But all have participated hugely in large scale films. Like Liam Neeson in ‘Schindler’s list’ [Spielberg, 1993] and ‘Taken’ [Morel, 2008] and Alan Rickman in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ [Reynolds, 1991] and ‘Harry Potter’ [Columbus, Cauron, Newell, Yates, 2001-09]

[A] – But aside from all that for me, I think it takes itself too seriously at times it’s a

romantic comedy but with say ,the guy who cheats, that goes too deep for what they’re

doing

[J] - Ok I get your point. I agree with that, but they do touch on very hard subjects. I do think that for it to have the 'yes everything went right' feeling it needs to have all of the deep stuff to make the viewers empathise [M] - Mmmm I see what you mean but still, I feel like you have to concentrate too much on the plot otherwise you get lost. For a feel good Christmas film it’s heavy... [J] - That is a fair point, the fact that there is so many stories going on at once means its also a little too long for my liking, I stay interested but it just goes on a bit.

[A] - Yeah but despite that... it’s such a happy feel good film =) so it’s worth watching

right?

Not everything went perfectly but I think you can’t deny it’s one of those classic movies

that’s gonna be around for a long while.....

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? CARRY ON THE DEBATE ONLINE…..

Jack Wierenga, Mel West, Abi Crowe

UP!

An overweight wilderness explorer, a dog with a thought translator and a

female bird named Kevin – sounds like Pixar’s latest family fun movie. Docter

is the man responsible for directing Pixar’s 10th full length feature; and

seeing as this is their final new film in production before going back to the

drawing board; the pressure’s on. With ‘Toy Story’ 1 and 2, ‘Monster’s Inc’ and

‘WALL-E’ already under his belt, Pete Docter takes on the job of directing his

own screenplay about 74 year old Carl Fredricksen, who decides that, in

memory to his wife, he will head off to the forgotten Paradise Falls. However,

instead of flying there on a plane, he follows their childhood dream of moving

their house there by attaching thousands of balloons to his roof. Along with

his, well, different new friends he sets off on his journey and learns to move

on and love life. I’m not going to lie; I cried. But for every tear, there are ten

laughs and even the occasional moral. This film really covers the whole

spectrum of emotions and it works. I laughed, my 3 year old brother laughed

and the 40 something year old guy sitting in front of us would not stop

laughing. This film really is captivating and the best that Pixar has created

since, ‘Toy Story’!

Les choristes

Pierre Morange [Jean - Baptiste Maunier] successful composer discovers a

diary kept by his old teacher Clement Mathieu [Gerard Jugnot] and reminisces

the events of his childhood…

The troubled and abandoned boys that attended ‚Fond Le Tang‛ boarding

school were quite literally by meaning, at ‚rock bottom‛

The fresh faced new supervisor at Fond Le Tang, Clement Mathieu, was

thought to be just like any other, just to teach them, or to be their next

mocking instrument. However, he used to be a music composer so once he met

the boys at Fond Le Tang he revived his composing and organised the boys into

a choir. Pierre Morange was the star of the choir as he had the most haunting

and beautiful soprano voice. This was where the young boy’s musical talent

was discovered so he was very thankful to Clement Mathieu.

Les Choristes, directed by Christophe Barratier, 95 minutes of sheer French

genius.

A delicately written film that conveys many emotions as you watch it. The

beautiful French classical music played throughout the film adds to the mood

so well and really reflects the main part of the story, the choir. There are

elements of romance and humour in the film as well which adds more depth

to the story. The only part that can be criticised about this film is the ending,

because you don’t want it to finish!

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of... Love Actually?

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From Madonna to Johnny

Oh Madonna, Madonna... the leotards, the strange lover called Jesus, the use of your daughter in one of your videos, in which you bump and grind all over the place... the list would be a mile long by the time I’d finished the things I can think of off the top of my head which make Madge, in some eyes ‘controversial’ and ‘fresh’ and in others, quite simply....what was that work Elton used? For me, the ‘best of’ Madge lies in her 80’s classics. You can’t really beat a hefty bass line and synth combo - especially ‘Into the Groove’, the soundtrack to Desperately,

Seeking Susan. Other classic ballads on the 2-disc compilation include Vogue, Like a Virgin, Material Girl, Holiday, Crazy For You, Borderline and Like a Prayer. If you have never danced to any of these songs, I don’t think you can say you’ve danced. Later tracks like Hollywood and Hung Up, although still much loved by our generation, somewhat lack the original groove of Madonna’s prime. Also included on Celebration are two new songs – one of which is a collaboration with Lil Wayne, called Revolver. It sounds a bit like a rubbish

Britney song and is kind of reminiscent of ‘If You Seek Amy’ yet it’s somehow sounds very radio-friendly and will be a definite hit if released. The other new song is ‘Celebration’, which we have all come to know and kind of love. Although it does sound like a really awful club record to begin with, it has a catchy chorus and is probably one of the best of Madonna’s new songs. All this said, at the lyric ‘feel my temperature rising’, I couldn’t help thinking ‘yes love, get used to it - It’s a common symptom of menopause.’

TRANSGRESSIVE RECORDS 5TH ANIVERSARY @ UNION CHAPEL

Madonna - Celebration By Claire Hubble

The night of the 26th

September 2009 marks

the 5th anniversary of the

formation of

Transgressive Records.

Having released

offerings from the likes

of Mystery Jets, The

Young Knives and Foals

to name but a few, you

would expect the line-up

of their birthday show to

be nothing short of

extraordinary. Although

most of the bands on

tonight‘s bill are

relatively unknown,

there is no doubt that

they still live up to the

expectation.

Dan Michaelson and

the Coastguards get

proceedings underway

with a set of beautiful,

low and raspy folk

songs. It‘s just a shame

they have to battle

against the sound of late

arrivals finding their

seats.

Mechanical Bride, AKA

22 year old Lauren Doss,

has the audience

spellbound with her

experimental take on

modern folk music.

Without a doubt, the

highlight of her set is the

haunting ‗See Worlds‘

with its light, whirlwind

vocals and glockenspiel

accompaniment.

Jeremy Warmsley‘s

well-balanced blend of

indie, electro and folk is

a treat for the ears.

Despite walking head-

first into a microphone

and having to deal with

various technical

problems, his set is a

thorough success.

they have to battle

against the sound of

late arrivals finding

their seats.

Mechanical Bride,

aka 22 year old Lauren

Doss, has the audience

spellbound with her

experimental take on

modern folk music.

Without a doubt, the

highlight of her set is

the haunting ‗See

Worlds‘ with its light,

whirlwind vocals and

glockenspiel

accompaniment.

Jeremy Warmsley‘s

well-balanced blend of

indie, electro and folk

is a treat for the ears.

Despite walking head-

first into a microphone

and having to deal

with various technical

problems, his set is a

thorough success.

thorough success.

Graham Coxon quickly

proves that ex (?) band-

mate Damon Albarn isn‘t

the only Blur member to

have forged a successful

career outside of cheese

farming - his endearing

stage demeanour and

unquestionable skill

providing an interesting

and versatile set, although

a few more distinguishable

melodies wouldn‘t go

amiss.

Despite the high quality

of all of tonight‘s acts, the

cheers and wolf whistles

that greet ‗the next poster

boy of the nu-folk scene‘

as he steps on stage

confirm that singer-

songwriter, multi-

instrumentalist and

thinking-girl‘s heartthrob

Johnny Flynn is the act

that most have come to see.

His set consists of a perfect

balance between the poetic

and heartfelt laments of debut

‗A Larum‘ and the harder

edged material from his as yet

untitled forthcoming album

(due this spring). Despite a

slightly forced but admittedly

charming style of on-stage

banter, Flynn always manages

to appear confident in his

musical performance, and,

with crowd favourite ‗Tickle

Me Pink‘ finalising a

triumphant set, the folk starlet

leaves his audience with the

feeling that whilst they may

have just witnessed some

truly great music, the best is

still yet to come.

By Lucy Alker and Bethany Edwards

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Flynn: We review them

Two Dancers, Wild Beast‘s

second album, leaves out the

edgy, juttering Franz-

Ferdinandisms of their debut for

the leagues of reverb and delay

that have recently dominated the

likes of Fleet Foxes‘ and Foals‘

debut albums. Yet Wild Beasts

offer something far more

eccentric and off-kilter in their

stunning arrangements.

Vocally and lyrically Wild

Beasts are fantastic - Tom

Fleming‘s sonorous tenor

perfectly counterpoints Hayden

Thorpe‘s melodramatic falsetto,

which has so defined their sound.

The latter‘s amazingly

alliterative and assonant lyricism

runs like poetry, and what poetry

best examples of this being the

album‘s two best songs. „Hooting

& Howling‟ sees Thorpe

conjuring up a scene similar to

one from West Side Story. Tom

Fleming‘s voice suits his

Casanova role in „All the King‟s

Men‟, a dizzying maypole dance

of lechery and libido.

Yet behind this chauvinism is a

delicate fragility found in the

tear-strained tale of desertion,

„Two Dancers (ii)‟. It is this

juxtaposition, this knowing irony

that makes lyrics like “a bovver

boot ballet”, not just bearable,

but even comical.

Two Dancers is a thoroughly

accomplished and cohesive

record. Everything feels

essential. While, on initial listen,

Thorpe‘s voice appears bold and

dangerous, he uses it far more

subtly in this more mature

record.

So crawl through the

runs like poetry, and what poetry

it is! The band tells stories of the

male „Underbelly‟, the two best

examples of this being the

album‘s two best songs. „Hooting

& Howling‟ sees Thorpe

conjuring up a scene similar to

one from West Side Story. Tom

Fleming‘s voice suits his

Casanova role in „All the King‟s

Men‟, a dizzying maypole dance

of lechery and libido.

Yet behind this chauvinism is a

delicate fragility found in the

tear-strained tale of desertion,

„Two Dancers (ii)‟. It is this

juxtaposition, this knowing irony

that makes lyrics like “a bovver

boot ballet”, not just bearable,

Two Dancers is a thoroughly

accomplished and cohesive

record. Everything feels

essential. While, on initial listen,

Thorpe‘s voice appears bold and

dangerous, he uses it far more

subtly in this more mature

record.

So crawl through the

undergrowth, smell the dark,

dank earth at your fingertips, the

billowing campfire underneath

the clear night sky, and join Wild

Beasts‘ deliciously lascivious

party.

For fans of: Foals, Patrick Wolf,

Born Ruffians

but even comical.

Two Dancers is a thoroughly

accomplished and cohesive

record. Everything feels

essential. While, on initial listen,

Thorpe‘s voice appears bold and

dangerous, he uses it far more

subtly in this more mature

record.

So crawl through the

undergrowth, smell the dark,

dank earth at your fingertips, the

billowing campfire underneath

the clear night sky, and join Wild

Beasts‘ deliciously lascivious

party.

Wild Beasts – Two Dancers

By Chris Webb

Beep Beep! Coming through!

Move over! Yeah You! It’s

Dizzee Rascal in his Mini

Cooper, racing to the top with

his fourth studio album

‘Tongue N Cheek’ and he’s not

stopping for anybody. Just as

well, because in 2009 Dylan

Mills has gone from being the

cheeky Prince of Grime to

being the mischievous King of

the Number One without a

single blemish, let alone a

bump; and after a summer of

Dizzee madness which has been

literally Bonkers, the future is

screaming Go Go Go!

The album continues down the

exact same road as his

previous: full of energy, full of

powerful

production and full of witty

lyricism capturing the cheeky

persona of Dizzee perfectly.

And that’s definitely what

‘T&T’ is all about: cheekiness.

He doesn’t talk about the harsh

life or about making it in the

music business as he has in all

previous albums. Because he’s

made it. And he’s loving it.

‘Money, Money’ demonstrates

this perfectly as he sums up his

new life: ‘money money, girls

girls, cash cash” Nothing more

and nothing less is said on this

honest and fun track, but never

fear the shock factor is still

here, and you do not get more

shocking than ‘Freaky, Freaky’

which is so unbelievably crude

that even for Dizzee’s

standards, sends your mind

spinning. What makes this song

(which despite the content is

very catchy) so laughable is

that it is followed by ‘Cant Tek

No More’ where Dizzee

condemns the government and

the congestion charge. How on

earth are you expected to take

anything seriously after that!

But that jus sums up the

album: humorous, lighted-

hearted, crazy and egotistical.

In other words: Dizzee Rascal.

The man is flying on the fast

lane and I for one would not

want to get in his way. Now

that would be bonkers.

Dizzee Rascal – Tongue ‘N Cheek

By Alex Mason

In keeping with Gothic week the Creative C

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Time stops for no man.

Fortunately, time is gracious enough to stand still for me. When will I take you? Soon, I think. I am never wrong. I smell Life as she decays, and time her departure with divine accuracy. I am permitted to savor her scent; but never touch until she is ready. I stick to this rule like blood to a corpse. That's why I'm good. There is only one Death. For those who choose to look at me, I am not feared; merely accepted… Somewhat reluctantly. When the time is right, I gently tug Life away, in that blissful, unaware state between sleeping and wakefulness. I carry her like a baby in my arms. I kiss her goodnight. Some Lives are decayed long before I take them. They scream, like a human brat screaming for her mother. They make me sick. I wish I could rip out their throats myself, if it shut them up. They prefer to live in self-loathing; loving life and fearing death, but hating life and embracing death too much to crawl out of their piteous existence and do something about it. They offer me their Life as some kind of perverted gift. Their last words never reach their lips, but rather stick in their throats never to be spoken: What the hell took you so long? Yes. I can see you now. Your scent whistles through the wind in wisps so faint that only my nostrils detect them. I know you, beautiful soul. I sense your presence with every hollow, humid beat of my heart. The sky will be orange when I take you away. Kirsty Capes-Edwards

He stands there, high above the ground, pain and torment written across his

once innocent face. He feels the anger growing inside him, like an unwanted bastard child. He looks around, and sees images that remind him of a better place, a happier place. Now, the memories are tainted, as he realises that things were not quite what they seemed. A misplaced trust and now happiness is dead. Photographs, souvenirs, memories are strewn around the floor, ripped into a thousand separate pieces. They were of a time long ago. He doesn’t want to do it, but he sees no other way out of it. He cannot run, and he cannot hide. He knows that they will always be watching, waiting. Tears fall silently down his face as he adjusts. This isn’t a test, there are no second chances. He looks down at his naked body, bruised, battered and violated, and screams as loud as he can. He knows that no-one is coming to save him. This is it. He steps forward. Phillipe Bosher

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writing team present some horrific pieces!

Sickness in the marital bed – Hazel Edwards

Revolving loosely in its socket

Your roving eye on me did land

My picture shivers in your locket

The light it sinks as in quick sand

‘Oh silence that incessant moaning!’

Grandfather chime for me the hour

‘Weeping wind oh quit your groaning!’

The walls grow taller, I sit, I cower.

Sickness it wears an ugly mask

Contorts features beloved with feverish strain

Sucks away that ruby juice of life too fast

Till the final knell, beginning – no – end of pain

A Poem Because of a Life and a Lie (Temperatures and

Equivalents) – Jessica Goldsmith

Tick,

Tock,

Tick,

Tock.

Waxing and waning of the clock.

All of the apples in an uneven line,

A single thought to get to school on time.

Evanescent reflections,

Deep unsettling within, it is presumed.

An inability to progress,

A gift to digress.

But no shoes to climb it.

Gaze fixed on an unknown place

Between the eye and the cold floor.

The boiling kettle,

The blaring radio,

Crackle of wrappers.

Too loud; too chilling,

Too late for crying out.

A protruding nose, a silent mouth.

It’s all about the hoops as we hit a new season of Strodes Sports. The Basketball team is the star so far having cruised to the finish line in their first game winning 87-80 then followed it up with a crushing 69-32 score in their last game. They are currently the only unbeaten team in the college and with great efforts from senior players such as Theo Simms hopefully the lads can keep it up. In contrast the Rugby team has had a poor start to the season this term with two early defeats. With a new influx of first year players there is great potential in the squad this year, with new players such as Lewis Carmen, the Rose brothers and James Ball making big waves in the team already. The squad narrowly lost out to Tiffin’s in an epic encounter in the Daily Mail Cup which captivated a large crowd but unluckily resulted in the home team losing 22-19. The team has now been placed in the Daily Mail vase and recorded their first win, a staggering 79-0 against Isleworth and Syon recently. The rejuvenated Football team have experienced considerable success so far with some improved performances on last year. So far they have racked up 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses. Although the Stats do not add up, with healthy competition for places this year it has created a whole new atmosphere amongst the players and they are currently running three teams. Under new P.E teacher Mark Hughes the Girl’s Football team is probably the team creating the biggest buzz. With strong numbers and several new players of a high standard we hope to look forward to some exciting developments. In their first game of the season they narrowly lost out to TASIS 5-4 Finally we move on to our Netball team who struggled last season with not many recorded victories but their fortunes have been completely reversed this term. Although they recorded a home loss to Godalming, the team led by Deya Lidster and Rebecca Oldham have fought back, stealing two on the bounce victories. They eased past Bishop Wand winning 21-7 and won a hard earned 27-14 victory against Woking. Let’s hope the girls can put themselves in a good position for taking the league title later in the year. Strodes Sport has a growing reputation and a special mention needs to be given to all the new athletes who have outdone themselves in helping to create a new competitive streak amongst the teams. We hope to see continued success as the year goes on and get Strodes on the winning path. Phil Roser and Gareth O Brian

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‘What did you get up to this weekend?’ one of my friends asks another. ‘Oh, I got so smashed… Words cannot DESCRIBE how smashed I was.’ I stand by listening with the infinitesimal amount of interest that I can summon. What if they asked me? Oh, you know, I sat at home, read, went and bought some books, played with a girl and her disabled sister who my family were looking after. No. I didn’t go out and get drunk. This is the thing that I fail to comprehend. How can these people drink, every weekend, to the state of not remembering what they did for the majority of that time? How do they have the energy, and the money, to do this once a week? I can remember when I was one of these kinds of people, up to the end of summer; smoking whenever I could get the money to buy some Mayfair once I was sick of B&H Silver; Stealing drink from my parents stash. I thought I liked the way it made me feel. But throwing up outside your friend’s tent at half-three in the morning was going too far. What was I doing? What had I achieved all summer? Nothing. I’d smoked and drank a hell of a lot and ruined my relationship with my parents. I didn’t feel alive. Why can’t people have a good time without forcing alcohol into their systems every week? There’s so much that young people can do, but people seem committed to drinking themselves into oblivion. It’s not helping anyone. You what? Have to have a drink to loosen up and have a nice time? To be more interesting? Do you realise what that means about you as a person? Pretty boring. What does it do to your self-confidence? Are we going to be the generation that forgets to ‘feel alive’? Jessica Goldsmith

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Breast Cancer Month

October is breast cancer awareness month and as this is a

highly relevant issue for both females AND males, we at Strode’s Independent Newspaper thought this would be an opportune moment to remind all of you how you can get involved with this worthy cause. With someone being diagnosed with breast cancer every 11 minutes it is more imperative now more than ever to aid the research into this potentially fatal disease. Events run throughout the year to raise funds to aid research and save lives, some even closer than you might think: On Sunday 15th November a five kilometre walk is taking place starting at Runnymede Memorial Park in Egham itself! Fancy dress is welcome, with a prize being awarded to the person wearing the best fancy dress outfit, and also to the person who raises the most amount of sponsorship money. And as the saying goes, every little does help; over the past ten years breast cancer death rates have fallen by almost a fifth and almost two thirds of women diagnosed with breast cancer today are more likely to survive for at least twenty years due to public donations and fundraising. Ultimately, the goal is to beat breast cancer by 2020, but this cannot be achieved without our help, whether it is ten pence donated in a charity box or by taking part in the aforementioned walk in Runnymede Memorial Park. Whatever it is, we urge you to get involved to make the vision of beating breast cancer a reality! For more information on the Runnymede Autumn Walk visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/breastcancer and click on events. Katie Marshall and Chelsea Render

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Egham Airtrack The Airtack will offer huge benefits to a lot of Strode’s students. The plan is to build an extra station in Staines, as well as a train that connects from Staines to Windsor and a direct train to Heathrow airport. The problem Strode’s students have with its construction is the implication that barriers will be down 40 minutes out of every hour causing major traffic. “People like me who travel from outside of surrey are going to find it hard. At some point we have to either cross over the level crossings which are going to be affected to get into college or have to tackle a horrible roundabout. Either way, we're going to be stuck in traffic for a good period of our journey and as a consequence be late for college.” – Deya Lidster, Law student Letters of complaints were to be submitted to the Secretary of State by before 18 September 2009 which means plans are officially going ahead. Now our only hope is to find a resolution to the traffic the Airtrack will cause. The citizenship classes at Strode’s college have been taking a stand, signing petitions and writing letters to the council. One citizenship student, David Hunt, has set up a group on “Facebook” to raise awareness to the cause. “I wanted to try and get the knowledge out there to all of the students from Strodes, other people from around Egham and even over the world. We’ve had people from America who have joined the group. I want people to know about the track and its disadvantages as well as its advantages and unite people to put a reasonable solution to its problems in action.” – David Hunt, Citizenship student Because it is too late for the Airtrack to be stopped going forward, various organisations are demanding the council to build either a bridge or a tunnel as a solution to the problem. This could benefit our town and make it even more accessible than before. Sarah Hughes

By Alicia Britt