LSE Sanctuary on the Ropes

Way back in January we wrote about how the Media Group was facing some serious competition with several new student publications hitting Houghton Street. Well after that, things went rather quiet, didn’t they? The Gateway, a national student-run business newspaper is still publishing regularly, but the paper is frankly so boring that I can’t be bothered to keep tabs on it or write about it here. The Sanctuary, on the other hand, promised to provide an irreverent alternative to the Beaver with its emphasis on satire and arts coverage. But after the first issue debuted back in January, Houghton Street has gone wanting.

Well the Observer can reveal that the reason for this long break has to do (not so surprisingly) with serious troubles among the Sanctuary staff, including multiple resignations within the paper culminating with the chief editor’s departure last Friday. In an email to the Observer, new editor Ariel Elkin describes the paper’s current health as ‘deplorable’. Still, he promises that a new edition will hit the streets before the end of term, at which time the Sanctuary will be looking for a refuge in which to reconstitute itself for next year.

This Observer hopes that they are able to pull it together and put a paper on the stands, as any contribution towards breaking the stranglehold of the Media Group is welcome in my book. If anybody is interested in getting involved with the Sanctuary, their Facebook Group is probably a good place to start.

Party Director Davies Phones It In

LSE Director Howard Davies is a man of many talents – we’ve seen him chiming in at quiz nights, singing songs at cultural shows and cracking jokes at the UGM – but one of his greatest skills appears to be keeping himself in the public eye. Besides writing book reviews and chairing the Booker prize, it appears that Mr Davies also pens a regular monthly column for Management Today magazine (I know, it sounds terribly exciting). Sadly, however, it looks like this month Davies has really phoned it in, with his column focusing on a recap of the parties of the World Economic Forum at Davos.

You may recall that Davies showed off his new media credentials at Davos by keeping a blog for the FT during the conference. Although we chuckled a bit at some of what he wrote, at least we couldn’t criticize his work for its timing – the event was going on around him as he mused about the impact of the losses at Societe Generale or whatever.  But now more than a month has passed. Is a column about how Turkey hosted a party with whirling dervishes dancing on a covered pool or a report on the pots of foie gras that he consumed at exclusive parties really timely? Oh well, at least he’s secured his invitations for next years crop of corporate parties.

What’s On

The Grimshaw International Relations Club has pulled together quite a roster for its latest event in the Ambassador Series, with ambassadors from the nations of Afghanistan, Armenia and Serbia as well as the consul general of Canada and the chief diplomatic representative of the Palestinian Territories to the UK all discussing the issue of national integration. It looks to be quite an interesting discussion.

When, Where: Tonight at 6pm in the New Theater

If you think you’re one of those know-it-all smartypants, then you have your chance to prove your chops today. The first round of testing for the team to represent the LSE at the University Challenge will take place this evening in the Underground. If you’re interested, register by emailing su.gensec@lse.ac.uk

When, Where: Tonight at 6pm in the Underground

Now I know the idea of sitting in the Hong Kong theater discussing sex might not be the most erotic thing that you can think of, but just imagine the amount of psychological trauma that an evenings discussion with psychoanalysts Darian Leader and Susie Orbach can relieve (or uncover!). And seriously, your difficulty confronting intimacy obviously suggests some suppressed feelings about your mother and/or father.

When, Where: Tuesday at 6:30pm in the Hong Kong Theater