Gas guzzlers Antisocial? Five stars A day out in London Felix Business looks at the rising The Government plans to ban The bizarre I Heart Huckabees is Felix explores Notting Hill, price of crude oil, page 3 smoking in public places, page 7 a hit with Felix Film, page 22 page 17 The student newspaper of Imperial College ● Established 1949 ● Issue 1308 ● Thursday 2 December 2004 ● www.felixonline.co.uk Fun of the fair Last Wednesday, an estimat- Half of ed 1500 students attended Banker murdered close this year’s highly successful City & Guilds College Union Internship Fair. Imperial u NEWS page 2 to Imperial halls Showing mercy? students “Animal testing and factory By Ru pert Neate farming are just examples of our arrogance as human A wealthy city financier died to come beings...” and his wife was seriously uCOMMENT page 10 injured by two knife-wielding attackers on Monday evening. Rubbish revolution The attack took place in from “So, where are the recycling Upper Cheyne Row, Chelsea, facilities at Imperial – a cen- a few minutes’ walk from tre of excellence for envi- Imperial College halls of resi- overseas ronmental research? That’s dence in Evelyn Gardens. the question an increasing The couple were attacked By Dave Edwards number of people, both staff by two youths at their luxury Editor and students, are beginning three-storey town house. The to ask...” couple’s nine-year-old daugh- The proportion of overseas uCOMMENT page 11 ter discovered her bleeding students at Imperial College parents and telephoned the “could well go to 50-50 over Musical scientists police. time”, according to the Rector, Reviews of two recent con- John Monckton, 49, was Sir Richard Sykes. certs by Imperial College head of bonds management A report in The Telegraph orchestras. at Legal & General where, this week stated that Imperial uARTS page 20 according to The Times, he plans to increase the number controlled approximately of overseas students and The week in sport £26bn of assets. He died later postgraduates in an attempt Football, hockey, netball, the same night at Chelsea to raise funds. swimming and ultimate and Westminster Hospital. Universities currently frisbee, plus all the week’s His wife, Homeyra, under- receive around £5000 per year results. went intensive surgery and is from the Government for each uSPORT page 26 now in a critical condition. British and European Union Students in Evelyn Gardens, undergraduate, plus just over near London’s fashionable £1000 in tuition fees. Students King’s Road, are used to their based elsewhere, howev- upper class neighbours, but a er, are charged upwards of violent stabbing must come £10,000 to study at Imperial, as something of a shock. Police officers in Upper Cheyne Row, where a man was murdered on Monday night so increasing the proportion A Fisher Hall subwarden of these students would be told Felix: “In truth, I don’t subwarden added that stu- Commander of Kensington ing the area in the direction of of obvious financial benefit to think Chelsea is dangerous dents should feel safe and and Chelsea Borough Police, King’s Road at 7.30pm. Police the College. Since 2000, the – I believe the crime rate secure, especially as “Evelyn said: “I’ve got a community in believe the murder may have number of foreign students at Imperial’s Ultimate Frisbee is generally low, especially Gardens are now patrolled at shock. This is a tragic, tragic been a bungled burglary and Imperial has risen by almost team, the Disc Doctors compared to nearly every night by security.” murder.” are appealing for any wit- one third. other London region.” The Dominic Clout, the Two youths were seen flee- nesses. Sir Richard added: “Overseas students pay the full economic cost of their THIS WEEK education, unlike British and News page 2 European Union students. Business page 3 Council confusion over membership The proportion of foreign Science page 4 students will continue to Comment page 8 By Dave Edwards Tibbits “had been elect- ing the issue, without knowing throwing the results of that grow.” ed Ordinary Members of which of the students present ballot into doubt. He also claimed that over- Careers page 12 Two students arrived at Council”, according to the were elected members and Mustafa Arif, President of seas students were often What’s On page 16 Tuesday’s meeting of minutes of the previous meet- which were not. One student Imperial College Union, asked more capable than their Nightlife page 18 Imperial College Union ing, and claimed that they had asked: “How can this meeting for 24 hours to investigate the British counterparts, saying: Arts page 20 Council expecting to take up never been officially informed continue if we don’t know the issue and told Felix: “I want “If you take a candidate from Books page 21 Ordinary Member positions, of the mistake. membership?” to check all the correspond- the UK with an A in maths Film page 22 only to be told that they had The Council, the main gov- Mr Pearce said that if he ence and the transcript of the and one from Singapore with not been elected after all, due erning body of the students’ had been informed of the last Council meeting. No elec- an A in maths, the student Coffee Break page 24 to a counting error. union at Imperial College, error he may have stood in tion process is perfect – the from Singapore will probably Sport page 26 Sebastian Pearce and Tom spent almost an hour discuss- the recent re-run election, results are what they are.” be better educated.” Felix 2 www.felixonline.co.uk Thursday 2 December 2004 NEWS Issue 1308 Internship Fair Editor Dave Edwards comes to Tanaka Business Editor By John Collins dents, careers advice staff, Numaan Chaudhry alumni representatives and Science Editor Last Wednesday, an estimat- charities offering placements Darius Nikbin ed 1500 students attended in the third world were all on this year’s highly successful hand to advise students of Music Editor City & Guilds College Union their many opportunities for Andrew Sykes Internship Fair, which for summer work. the first time took place in Senior College staff, Nightlife Editor the College main entrance including the new Faculty of Simon Clark near the Tanaka Business Engineering Principal, Dr School and in the foyer of Julia King, dropped in to lend Arts Editor the mechanical engineering their support for what has Paola Smith building. become the largest Internship The entirely volunteer- Fair so far. Books Editor run Internship Fair, now in The C&G Internship Centre Martin Smith its third year, is an excellent Coordinator, second year opportunity for non-final- chemical engineering student Film Editor year undergraduates to meet Anne Baarup, said that she Alan Ng recruiters and organisations was delighted with the high Careers Editors offering a range of options attendence of both employers Cassandra Aldrich for students to obtain work and students, and has many Gabriella Silvestri in the summer. Engineering ideas on how to improve what firms, banks, professional is fast becoming CGCU’s service firms, research stu- most popular annual event. Felix Beit Quad Prince Consort Road London SW7 2BB Telephone: 020 7594 8072 Email: [email protected] Web: www.felixonline.co.uk Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711 Copyright © Felix 2004 Printed by Sharman and Company, Peterborough Students fill the foyer of the mechanical engineering building during the recent Internship Fair International interest A look at the week’s developments in Ukraine and Zimbabwe By Emily Gwyer who has strong support in who sees Ukraine as very def- NATO smacks of the Cold War, and ment officials or President the west (of the world and the initely part of his area of influ- says that whichever candidate Robert Mugabe. While the home political front country). ence and not America’s. they choose, the Ukrainians The newspapers were gen- has looked slightly start-of- The elections, in which the This was a favourite story must be the ones with the erally scathing about this, new-session petty this week official results were 49.6% to of The Independent all week, final say. They also point out especially after the attempt by (does anyone really care 46.6%, were criticised by the unsurprisingly as it focuses that Mr Yushchenko was part the Zimbabwean authorities about David Blunkett’s lov- international observers, and so strongly on international of the same government as to prevent the entry of sports er’s nanny, really?) there the results were denounced news. There were some amaz- the Prime Minister and so journalists into the country. have at least been some dra- by leaders around the world. ing pictures in the paper of the situation is not as clear The Independent compared matic goings on around the The result sparked off a mass protestors placing flowers in cut as one would like: “No the entry of the cricketers to world, not least a revolution. riot and close to a civil war the shields of the riot police, one comes away from this the simultaneous deportation So let’s ignore Westminster in which hundreds of thou- in a demonstration where game with completely clean of aid workers from the coun- for a change and look out over sands of protestors filled they wished to act peacefully. hands”. Although the situa- try, while The Mail called the the water. the frozen streets to barri- The Telegraph also devot- tion in Ukraine is far from matches the “tour of shame” The most dramatic, inter- cade Parliament and the ed a fair bit of space to the Viktor Yanukovych, current decided, it is thought that and said that the only rea- esting and unexpected story President’s residence until story, saying that “the crowds President of Ukraine there will be rerun elections, son they are going is to avoid of the week was that revolu the decision was debated by behind Mr Yushchenko are to provided both men say that financial damage to the ECB.