bathimpact Issue 6 by bathimpact

Ice ice baby Science, page 16

Celeb chic bite, page 10

bite, page 5

Monday 13th December 2010

www.bathimpact.com Arthur Chia

Volume 12 Issue 6

X-box anyone?

Inside bathimpact 4W Sit-In Last week students occupied the third floor of 4W outside our Vice Chancellor’s Suite. The VC spoke to the protestors asking for a discussion about funding cuts and her recent agreement to the proposals. For the full-length article flick to Page 3 of News

Kiwi lovin’

Tourists flocked to Bath over the last fortnight to visit the annual Christmas Market, with 129 wooden chalets adorning the streets of Bath

Fees: £9,000 »»MPs vote to raise tuition fees by up to £6,000 »»Bath MP Don Foster votes for the measure »»Disappointed students take to streets in London Gemma Isherwood bathimpact Reporter

n December 9th, 2010 the decision of 21 people changed the future of education. With this narrow majority, the coalition Government has voted to raise the cap on tuition fees in England to a high of £9,000 per year. The debate raged on in Parliament until the very last minute with MPs from all sides arguing for and against the cuts. The chamber started to fill throughout the day as

the time for voting drew nearer and nearer. Live streams kept the public up to date. Fewer than half of the Liberal Democrats’ MPs voted in favour of the Government’s proposals, and eight Conservatives also broke ranks to either abstain or vote against. Three ministers have resigned in order to oppose the proposals. After a lengthy debate the Government saw its majority almost halved when the vote went though. With 323 voting ‘aye’ and 302 voting ‘nay’ for the upper limit of tuition fees and exactly the same result for the lower limit,

potential university fees for 2012 students were brought to between £6,000 and £9,000. Bath Students’ Union President Daniel O’Toole gave bathimpact a run-down of the day’s events. Don Foster, MP for Bath, came out of Parliament at 1:30pm and was caught by a crowd of Bath and Bath Spa students and staff. Mr Foster went on to vote in favour of both the minimum and maximum caps on fees. Bath students gave the MP an ironic ‘end of campaign’ greetings card, asking if he realised that “Higher Education was going to be

damaged significantly by this?” saying that students hoped he would remember his pledge and remember what he had promised. Foster replied that he did care about the effects of the proposal on students in his constituency but it would be “more detrimental to the country if he didn’t vote for the plans”. The President asked Mr Foster what he had gained from the parliamentary talks prior to the vote concerning concessions and what assurances there were going to be for... Continued on Page 4

Jonathan Gleave, a bathimpact contributor, offers his comments on New Zealand in a lighthearted Survival Guide in this fortnight’s Comment section. To read Jonathan’s full article on his experience in NZ, turn to Page 5

Virtual insanity In bite this week, our theme is Virtual Reality, all things internet. Caroline Leak, our Features Editor, gets to grips with the internet, discussing everything technological from Wikileaks to Bieber Fever. For this article and many other exciting internet-related treats turn to bite, page 15

Golden Girl Ex-Bath Student and Olympic Gold Medallist, Amy Williams, has been awarded an MBE from the Queen.

For this article and many others, visit this fortnight’s Sport section from Page 24

Monday 13th December 2010

Editor-in-Chief Gina Reay editor@bathimpact.com Deputy Editor Hannah Raymont deputy@bathimpact.com Chief Sub-Editor Sam Foxman subeditor@bathimpact.com News Katie Rocker news@bathimpact.com Comment David James comment@bathimpact.com International Julia Lipowiecka international@bathimpact.com Science Sam Lewtas science@bathimpact.com Sport Joe Dibben sport@bathimpact.com

bite Editors Caroline Leach features@bathimpact.com Rowan Emslie ents@bathimpact.com Publicity Officer Julia Lipowiecka publicity@bathimpact.com IT Officer Jack Franklin it@bathimpact.com Secretary Nick Hill secretary@bathimpact.com Treasurer Rebecca Stagg treasurer@bathimpact.com Advertising Enquires Helen Freeman H.Freeman@bath.ac.uk 01225 386806

bathimpact Students’ Union University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY 01225 38 6151 01225 44 4061

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Don Foster speaks on fees Kylie Barton News reporter

ember of Parliament for Bath Don Foster took the brave steps onto campus last Friday 3rd December, to explain to over 200 students why he may have to break his pledge to vote against the proposed legislation to increase tuition fees. This came before his final vote on Thursday 9th December, where he supported the plans to raise fees. The evening kicked off with LibDem councillor Nick Coombes giving a very nervous introduction before inviting Don Foster on stage. An awkward pause was followed by half-hearted applause on which Foster commented; “that’s the only applause I will get

“

I don’t come to these meetings with a closed mind; I appreciate all comments Don Foster

”

tonight” – sensing he wasn’t in for a warm reception. The first heckle arose when Foster challenged the audience to put themselves in his position, the quick reply being “resign!”. He continued to describe the pledge, reminding the students that it in fact was twofold, firstly that he would vote against any increase in tuition fees and secondly that he would fight for a ‘fairer’ system. Foster argued that the proposed legislation allows him to keep to the second part by allowing “25-30% of students” from low income households to pay less overall than they do with the current system. He admitted that he is “stuck between a rock and a hard place” and is torn between his choices either to honour the pledge, abstain and please

his student constituents and risk creating a divide in government that could possibly lead to a general election and greater economic turmoil, or vote for the proposal that he believes is “a step in the right direction”. He continued by saying “whatever choice I make, I’m gonna piss off a hell of a lot of people”. The first question asked was why a constituency wide referendum hadn’t been offered, as it was suggested this would “seem to be the most democratic” way of Foster reaching a decision. The reply was that if this was done, it would prove problematic as to what issues warrant the use of referendum in the future. Many questions related to the query of how raising student debt could be beneficial for the economy, and the answer was that 75% of students who move on to earn a decent wage will end up paying more, “balancing out” the initial output of loans. It was suggested by an audience member that the Robin Hood Tax should be a way of raising revenue rather than placing the burden of the deficit created by a previous generation onto the

One student chose to start a walk out and encouraged other students to join him if they “cared about tuition fees” next. Foster stated that this was something he had “always supported” and that if he broke the coalition line on the issue of student fees then he may not have the chance to influence policy on key issues such as that in the future. Amongst the large audience was Social Sciences lecturer Hedley Bashforth, who pointed out that when Foster went to university it was free, which prompted the reply “I am an old fart”

Katie Rocker

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and “3% of my age group went to university, today there is 40% in attendance... it is not sustainable”. Later on Hedley also pointed out that after 18 years as an MP out of government, now in government Foster had his first opportunity to honour a pledge – a statement that raised the biggest applause of the evening. The evening became more heated as a student shouted “we came for a debate, not a lecture!” and a mini dispute took place amongst audience members with a response of “we are here to hear him speak!”. One student chose to start a walk out and encouraged other students to join him if they “cared about tuition fees”, around 30 students left the room. There was some contestation between remaining audience members as to whether this was beneficial to the cause, or in fact had an adverse affect. Foster muttered under his breath at this point suggesting that they were probably off to the find the bar. Many asking questions thanked Don Foster for his presence and had a degree of consideration for the uncom-

fortable position he was in. Some also pleaded with him to follow his heart and not what he is being told to do by his “Tory chums”, to which he assured that chums they are not. One student began his question by complimenting Foster on his choice of tie; “the colour [blue] really suits you.” Foster made a convincing and confident effort to defend the proposed legislation; he answered questions quite directly and kept assuring the audience that he was “being completely honest” with them. He seemed genuinely in a state of distress over his decision and was keen to “pledge” to the audience that he honestly didn’t know what he was going to do and that he would reflect on the opinions voiced whilst making his decision. “I don’t come to these meetings with a closed mind; I appreciate all comments even of those who left earlier to show the strength of their feelings”. Six days after his appearance, Foster was one of 323 MPs who voted FOR the rise in tuition fees. For the students who challenged him at the event, a very disappointing result.

Taking to the streets

U n i o n

m edia

The opinions expressed in bathimpact are not necessarily those of the bathimpact editors nor of the University of Bath Students’ Union. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct and accurate at the time of going to print, the publisher cannot accept any liability for information which is later altered or incorrect. bathimpact as a publication adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Conduct. Please contact them for any information.

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cores of students and residents braved the cold at 9am on Monday 6th December to protest outside Don Foster’s office. Daniel o’Toole and Richard Bidgood (Bath and Bath Spa SU presidents, respectively) met with the MP, asking him to sign one of two pledges - one stating that he would keep to the pledge he originally made to students and vote against fee rises, and one stating that he would break his original pledge and either abstain or vote for the proposals. Outside, the protesters waved placards and shouted chants including “Don, Don, shame on you, shame on you for turning blue” and the popular “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts”. Liberal Democrat councillor Nick Coombs (among others) handed out cups of tea and coffee to chilly protest-

ers, which were gratefully received despite mocking accusations including, “Don’t drink it, it’s poison!” from a witty protester. 10 minutes after the promised deadline, Foster emerged to boos from the crowd and a flurry of action from media, including bathimpact and Ctv alongside local ITV News. In a short speech he claimed he was facing a difficult decision, and as such could sign neither pledge. Despite questions and accusations he remained firm on this stance, as anything else would limit his ability to negotiate. As he retreated inside, students resumed their chants and marched to Kingsmead Square, where various impromptu speeches raised cheers from protesters. Police at the scene praised the peaceful nature of the protest.

Katie Rocker

Protesters voiced their anger outside Don Foster’s office

Monday 13th December 2010

bathimpact

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VC responds to student sit-in L

ast Wednesday was a crucial day in the fight against funding cuts and tuition fees rises. Students staged a sit-in outside our Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Glynis Breakwell’s office. This led to a public Question and Answer session from her after signing a letter to the Daily Telegraph supporting the government’s proposals. As well as protests in London and outside Don Foster’s Bath HQ last week, students were actively campaigning on campus against tuition fee rises, joining student occupations from universities across the country including Bath Spa, York and Leeds. From Tuesday to Thursday last

Board members have been fighting against funding cuts for a long time, but they accept that cuts will take place and they support the proposed measures week, Bath students occupied the third floor of the 4W building, opposite the VC’s Suite. Organisers and attendants of the sit-in were among the staff and students who attended the Q & A session with the VC, following her controversial political stance on the subject of Higher Education (HE) funding. That day, the VC had contraversially signed a letter along with 18 other board members from the University UK (UUK) organisation. The letter outlined that the board members have been fighting against funding cuts for a long time now, but they must accept

that the cuts will take place and support the proposed government measures to account for them. The letter stated: “Given the cuts, we believe that the Government’s proposals for university funding are reasonable and retain fundamentally important progressive elements.” It concluded with the message “We urge

Number of students that slept in 4 West

MPs and peers to support the Government’s proposals.” The news of our VC’s support of the proposals angered staff and students, including those who organised and attended the sit-in. Advertised on campus and set up as an event on Facebook, the sit-down occupation had over 130 online attendants with the aim of urging the VC to rethink her stance. As well as this, over 600 students signed their petition against the government’s proposals. Hannah Hoskins, one of the organisers of the sit-in, told bathimpact on Wednesday afternoon “the VC has walked past us a few times and this morning she asked us when she could have the opportunity to speak to us. We therefore arranged this evening’s discussion.” Hannah was one of 10 students who slept in the 4W building overnight in protest. When asked about her views towards Don Foster, Hannah said: “So many students all over Britain were convinced to vote for the Lib Dems because of their policies promising to try and abolish tuition fees altogether. They have joined the Conservatives

Student opinion

bathimpact asked some sit-in students what they thought of the VC’s responses during the discussion. Here are some of their views: Hector Mackie, one of the organisers of the sit-in, said of the discussion: “I am disappointed but not surprised. It is important to note that this will not stop here. We are going to rally together against the proposal. We will create a society on Facebook and the Students’ Union will be involved. We will think of something and the fight won’t stop here.” Robert Speak, a second-year Economics student who attended the sit-in: “I feel so strongly against the cuts. I am genuinely worried because I have a little sister and it is looking more and more likely that she will not be able to go to university. Trebling fees is absolutely crazy. I truly feel that it will increase the rich/poor divide, without doubt.” Tom Robinson, a second-year student and organiser of the event: “This wouldn’t happen in other European countries. I mean, there are alternatives. The Robin Hood Tax is not even being considered. I am so angry, cutting is not the way forward. The Vice-Chancellor is effectively lying to us.”

and ignored the reason many of their constituents voted in their favour.” Our Students’ Union President, Daniel O’Toole, supported the sitdown protest, saying: “As with any sensible, peaceful student led campaign, the SU is fully supporting and endorsing this sit-in, as long as this event remains peaceful and not overly disruptive.” Daniel, staff and students all took a break from their activities to meet with the VC for the discussion at 4pm that afternoon. All students and staff members were free to attend and the event had been announced on the University of Bath homepage two hours prior to this. Approximately 100 people attended the meeting, all with the common view that our VC had made a mistake by signing the letter to The Daily Telegraph and the overall opinion of the room seemed to be ‘why are you giving up?’. One student even shouted out during one of the VC’s explanations: “Why are you being so defeatist?’ Tension was high in the room and the VC responded to individual questions on why she had signed the letter before consulting with students and before the overall government proposal had been finalised. The VC’s message was clear “We have no other option.” She stressed to students that over the last 18 months she had actively fought against the cuts but now they are, more or less, inevitable. On being challenged about her position on fees, the VC claimed that she had said nothing since 2003. However as a Board Member of University UK she contributed to two reports in 2008 and 2009 by the Confederation of British Industry and UUK respectively, which both argued for higher fees. Our VC stressed that the government proposals to compensate for funding cuts are now the best option for UK Higher Education. “There is no Plan B” she reiterated time and time again. Her responses angered many. One optimistic female student told her “I really think you are underestimating the power and role of universities in this country” and others practically begged her to reconsider her stance saying “We don’t want you to be standing in front of us having this discussion, we want you to be standing with us.” The VC, although at times sympathetic and understanding towards the view of her spectators, said repeatedly: “I would prefer not to be moving into this new situation but in light of it, we will have to change the way we do things and we need to optimise these changes.” Students and staff were furious at this attitude and she was often interrupted. One of the sit-in’s organisers

said to her: “Do you not believe in free education?” to which she responded “The problem with the phrase ‘free education’ is that, in life, somebody always has to pay for everything that happens. ‘Free education’ is actually ‘public education’. Somebody has to pay for it. And now the question is, who?” The VC stood her ground the enervated audience eventually ran out of things to ask, disappointed by her stubbornness. The one positive element to come out of the discussion was a point raised at the beginning.

Students were upset that our VC had not communicated with students and staff, complaining that there had been no forum to express their views. The VC concluded in her final statement that she had taken this point on board. She finished by saying: “I hope that over the coming months we can work together to fight against other aspects.” So at least one issue that was brought to light was appreciated; the University needs to communicate more with students and staff on what issues they are tackling, to avoid this situation reoccurring. David Fawthrop

Gina Reay Editor-in-Chief editor@bathimpact.com

The students occupying the third floor of 4W last week

Nightline N

ightline is the listening service run by students for students. But what does this really mean? It means that anyone from the University can call 01225 383030 with any kind of problem and talk it through with a Bath University volunteer. It can be anything from worries about sexuality to homesickness, or problems with friends and family. They are also an information line - you can ask for numbers from places as varied as the medical centre and Domino’s. As they are run by students, for students, they always have you in mind. They are not an advice line, so they cannot advise you on what to do, but they do offer an important service. They will listen without judging and help you talk through your problems whilst giving you information and letting you know some of your options. They will encourage callers to make their own decisions but often talking it through with someone anonymous and disconnected from your situation can really help. The other side to Nightline is the volunteering itself. They are lucky to have a group of dedicated volun-

teers who make the service possible but they are always looking for new people to join. Next semester they will be doing another lot of training – this involves just one day of your time in which you learn more about Nightline and how to take phone calls. If you are interested in really making a difference to the Bath University community then please send your details to suadvice@ bath.ac.uk. The Advice and Repre-

Anyone from the University can call 01225 383030 with any kind of problem sentation Centre will pass your details on to them. Nightline volunteering can also contribute towards the Bath Award. So as well as doing something worthwhile, it is an easy way to clock up the volunteering hours. If you have any questions or want to know more, e-mail the address above and they will get back to you. They are open from 8pm to 8am, Wednesday to Sunday. 01225 383030. (The number is on the back of all library cards).

Monday 13th December 2010

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Thomas Reis As some students are kettled, others start fires and set off flares

the NUS were keen to emphasise that they neither condoned nor organised the missile-throwing miscreants. Wooden benches in Parliament Square were set on fire and two demonstrators were seen standing on top of the bonfire, watched by cheering protesters. Despite live reports from students on the scene that some fires were for nothing more than keeping people warm (as in previous protests when students were forced to remain in London into the night), police still reacted aggressively and treated protesters as criminals. Superintendent Julia Pendry said, “Those who come to London for a peaceful protest will be policed proportionately and appropriately. But those who are intent on committing crime will also be dealt with and they will suffer the consequences of their actions.” When news of the vote filtered through from Twitter and Facebook at around 6pm, students began chanting ‘shame on you, shame on you,’ and booing the Government. Several students interviewed by the BBC expressed their opinions and anger that the coalition had “lied to them and ruined their education”, heightening emotions and igniting forceful and violent actions throughout the capital from both protesters and anarchists alike. At 6:42pm, protesters were struggling to leave as the police continued to enforce the ‘containment operation’ despite the fact that many students were attempting to go home and the vote had been undeniably and irreversibly cast. Shortly after this, protesters began smashing windows at the Treasury Building and throwing missiles, eventually breaking through windows, writing graffiti on the walls and throwing smashed up pieces of concrete into the building and at police officers. Elsewhere near Regents Park a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall was attacked by protesters following the vote. The royal couple were unharmed in the incident. A statement from NUS president Aaron Porter reads: “This is not the end, and our protests and our work have sparked a new wave of activism which will grow stronger by the day. We stand ready to fight the next stage of this campaign together. Our future is at stake.”

A Don Foster placard burns in one of the many bonfires Thomas Reis

...students following the outcome. Mr Foster said that he took into account all that had been said and assured SU President, Daniel O’Toole that the concessions that had been put in place made the fee increase the best way forward. Mr. O’Toole finished by saying he hoped Don Foster could “live with himself… and the repercussions of this in five to ten years.” He pointed out that the votes were “pretty close in the end” and that if only 10 more MP’s had voted against the Government and one had abstained then that would have “done the trick”. Daniel and the various other supporters on the scene booed Don Foster as he walked away following the final statement, chanting “Don, Don shame on you, shame on you for turning blue” and, according to Daniel, echoing “all around the green in front of Parliament”. The President stated that at that point it was “probably clear that we had lost the battle with our own MP” but Bath’s students joined the rally regardless and continued to peacefully protest. Daniel said he was disappointed in the number of people there as the police had cut off access to the protest area from Parliament Square which was where the majority of the protesters had ended up. Many were stuck in Parliament Square; police cut off all exits just after the 12-strong Bath SU team exited London. On the phone to bathimpact, O’Toole told us “although I had not seen the extent of the damage and violence, I assume it was pretty overwhelming”. At the

rally, the SU team heard speeches from many opponents of the vote, including MPs who were voting against and various SU Presidents from across the country. Leading up to the disappointing cast of the vote, the song ‘Liar, Liar’ was played and a glow stick lit vigil was held as night fell and students waited. Daniel O’Toole said “I realised things are still going on… this is a day that we will never forget, it will go down in history books.” When asked what the next move for the SU would be, our President replied, “The fight will certainly go on”. Daniel stated that the next step forward was to “culture the disgust for Don Foster on the pledge he has now broken” and for this to be used in a campaign to get him to resign from his post. Parliament Square and streets surrounding the Palace of Westminster were packed with thousands upon thousands of protesting students, bringing the capital to a complete standstill. Some of the peaceful protests soon turned violent as tensions rose. Missiles, flares and snooker balls were thrown, barriers trashed and police attacked. Students were kettled, charged with horses and indiscriminately treated as violent by the Metropolitan Police. Seven or more were arrested in the process and there were 19 reported injuries across both sides. According to the Met, six officers were taken to hospital and many attacked. More violence occurred in the form of clashes between protesters breaking through barriers and the police; students on the scene said it was various groups of anarchists causing the trouble, and

Policemen after being paintballed by angry students Thomas Reis

Continued from Front Page

Thomas Reis

Lib Dem rebels fail to derail government plans for Higher Education

MP Don Foster spoke to Bath students about his decision

Monday 13th December 2010

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The future’s Bright

Comment Editor David James explains why getting yourself headhunted is the answer to the country’s happiness

heer up! Not only is it nearly Christmas, but Callme-Dave Cameron has just proposed a £2million survey, conducted by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), where he’s going to measure our ‘happiness’! Whilst these plans have been branded as ‘voodoo sociology’ by a vast majority of MPs, the Prime Minister wants the country’s success to be defined not by our national income, but the public’s general well-being. The results will then be compiled quarterly and an index formed to find out if Britons become more or less happy over time. Unfortunately though it’s not as if we have a whole lot to be happy about. We are all about to be slaughtered by George Osborne’s brutal budget, it’s freezing cold and The X Factor has still not finished. Students have got an even worse deal: higher tuition fees make bankruptcy a very real threat for some

and even when we have obtained our degrees, we may well be stuck in the dole queue anyway. Apart from all that things are just ticketyboo. Perhaps the largest contributing factor to student misery is the very real threat of remaining unemployed after graduation. Over 400,000 students are expected to leave education this academic year and be forced to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance; Vicky Harrison, a 21 year old from Lancashire, became so humiliated she actually took her own life because she couldn’t face another job rejection letter. So the PM can spend all the money he likes on this ‘happiness’ scheme, but he’s likely to get answers from the survey he doesn’t like. Universities minister David Willetts recently stated that students should cast off “old-fashioned” ideas about company graduate schemes and start their own business. Sound advice Mr Willets but that’s tough

when the UK economy is as battered and as bruised as Audley Harrison. Graduates could undertake jobs for which they are over-qualified, but I just don’t think we’d cut it as hairdressers and working at Starbucks day in day out would be a real grind. However don’t despair just yet because the number of graduate opportunities is actually beginning to rise. Xpert HR, a recruitment think tank, have found that 72% of companies are recruiting graduates this year and that figure is expected to rise by over 13% in the next five years. Yet with competition fierce, you need to have a little more than a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award on your CV. In fact, the best thing you could do would be to get yourself headhunted. The Bright Network (www. brightnetwork.co.uk) is essentially a careers version of Facebook. You can check out other people’s profiles, write status updates and be

invited to events by companies such as Citi Bank, Innocent Smoothies and John Lewis. Members of The Bright Network also have direct access to personalised careers advice from the Bright in-house consultants; who subsequently put on their own extraordinary events that frequently feature prominent industry leaders. It’s free to join (though a minimum of 320 UCAS points is required) and may well give you the foot-up to graduate schemes with companies such as Accenture, KPMG and Siemens. After joining Bright last year, I have been invited to networking events at the London headquarters of Goldman Sachs and Lazard, an advisory and asset management firm, as well as various interview

and applications workshops. The companies involved finance Bright, so these services are completely free to the network’s users, meaning that whilst tuition fees may sky-rocket you can gain access to careers advice for next to nothing. So whilst the rest of the student body may be plotting to lynch their local Liberal Democrat MP, I hope that the proactive amongst you will check out The Bright Network and gain the advantage for when that graduation date arrives. However my number one Christmas wish is that our generation of students makes it through to graduate schemes with the ONS or Civil Service and persuades Mr Cameron that such a naïve ‘happiness’ survey will be as futile as it is expensive.

A Pom’s Survival Guide to NZ How to make the most of your time in a country that has more sheep than people Jonathan Gleave bathimpact Contributor

eason’s greetings my fellow Brits. I am currently on placement Down Under in the sunny land of Aotearoa (New Zealand to non Maori speakers) and felt the need to offer my tips on how to survive in ‘the youngest nation in the world’. So, for those of you who ever end up on the right side of Australia, here’s how to make the most of it... 1. Forget all your vowels. They don’t exist here and as such, you will have no need for them. Everyone insists on pronouncing simple words such as ‘pen’ and ‘ten’ all wrong. E’s become I’s and I’s become double E’s, It’s all very confusing. When someone says, “Are you taking the piss?” try desperately hard not to laugh. 2. Throw away your shoes. No one wears them here and they seem to be an overrated inconvenience. My feet are now harder than one of Vinnie Jones’ turds. 3. Pack some pennies. An epiphany of financial genius came

Don’t mess with New Zealand’s Maori, they’ll eat you. No seriously to us in only our fifth day here. Their 10 cents look exactly like our 1 penny pieces. Fraud should not be condoned, but you could quite happily pick up a KFC snack box for ‘$3.40’ and in reality be paying just 34 p for it. For anyone with surplus pennies lying around - if you could send them to The Jon Gleave Charity Fund, Winifred Avenue, Auckland please - that would be much appreciated. 4. Remember the exchange rate. Apparently, Britain is still a global economic power (who’d have thought?) and as such travelling to New Zealand and convert-

ing your sterling into dollars will give you the false sense that you are rolling in the stuff. For every pound you get a little over two dollars. Do not make the mistake of thinking you are twice as rich as you are, as if anything you are probably, in actuality, twice as poor. 5. Stay out of the North. The far North of New Zealand is much like the deep South of America; full of locals sitting in the back of pickups, stroking rottweilers and hating everything foreign. 6. Pack two cameras. New Zealand has some of the best beaches

and scenery in the world: fact! The first camera is for taking pictures of this scenery. The second is for when you get sand in the first one and it breaks. 7. Pack a boxset. Take a boxset to keep you going, like How I Met Your Mother or Friends. New Zealand television leaves a lot to be desired. They show the occasional British show, but these consist mostly of Jeremy Kyle re-runs. After 2 months, this will drive you crazy. Never did I think I would miss the BBC. 8. Befriend the SPF 50 cream. Pretty self-explanatory this one,

Auckland’s UV rating is regularly 11+/11. It’s so intense they’ve just started inventing off the scale numbers apparently, which I’m pretty sure isn’t allowed, but oh well. It’s hot. Pack sun cream. End of. 9. Buy a car. I will never bemoan the orange bus again. Kiwi transport is dire. The bus stop says due to arrive at 8:20, your bus... well, you’re lucky if it turns up. The drivers regularly leave their cabs to run errands and go to the post office. 10. Make the most of it. New Zealand is by far the best place I’ve ever spent time in and hopefully my tips, as pointless and stupid as they are will help you to make the most of a trip (if you ever make one) to New Zizzle. Although there is one other thing I would dearly love to change about this country: someone needs to teach the barstaff here what a ‘pint’ is. Also, I’m sorry about the whole snow thing going on in the UK at the moment - anyways, hope you enjoyed my article, I’m just off to the beach.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Watching the X factor for good singing is like watching porn for good acting Jack Penrose bathimpact Contributor

id I miss something, or has TV really deteriorated within the last decade? In recent years, TV programmes have been less about news, scintillating dramas and laugh-out-loud sitcoms, and more about reality TV, boring content and allowing the public to have their say (now that’s a dangerous concept). With Big Brother having finished its final series (thank God), reality TV’s major powers in the UK are I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Strictly Come Dancing and the household polarising X-Factor. I don’t think I need to go into much detail on my views on these shows; I don’t particularly follow any of them dearly. Shows like I’m A Celebrity! are really asinine and banal, but draw audiences in to watch non-celebrities like Lembit Opik and Gillian McKeith compete with each other for who is the most desperate for fame. Big Brother was awful for mind-numb-

ingly uninteresting TV, and I’m A Celebrity is not much better. I appreciate that some people want to watch it, but I’ve got to question why! However with the introduction of Popstars, and it’s evolution into X-Factor (rightly lambasted in a previous issue of bathimpact by Gina Reay), we have seen a reality TV programme in which the contestants have some sort of talent which entertains us - at least in theory. The trouble is that, practically, shows where the public has a say don’t always end up well. I watched a singing contest where one of the top five finalists was a man called Wagner who couldn’t sing. People end up voting to corrupt the system rather than voting for the talented contestant (we had that from John Sargeant’s questionable progress on Strictly a couple of years ago). It is immeasurably entertaining to watch some performers like Matt Cardle absolutely nail it, whether it is on X-Factor, Strictly or Britain’s Got Talent; however, these are the same shows that brought us the likes of

Jedward… For that reason, I prefer to go back to basics and just watch things that are entertaining. Nowadays the TV market is a bit slimmer for quality programmes. If you want hardhitting dramas, then you have to go state-side and watch things like The Wire, or Mad Men (both excellent shows). There aren’t many really good comedies around and the same goes for across the pond too. After

Friends stopped airing, and Scrubs disintegrated into its ninth season, it’s clear to see that the quality of TV has suffered in recent years, and I can’t really blame people for watching reality TV instead. I think it’s important to remember that some of the best series we’ve seen didn’t try to force it, and they made the excellent decision of quitting while they were ahead. Shows like The Office, Fawlty Towers and

others will be remembered positively because, unlike some programmes (Lost), they didn’t churn out series after series of garbage. As for TV that I would recommend, I have heard good things about Mad Men, Spooks and House: all of which are high quality dramas. I can personally vouch for The Thick of It being worth your time (it’s refreshingly accurate and very funny), and the popular How I Met Your Mother provides a lot of entertainment through characters like Barny Stinson. If you are looking for a reality TV show that doesn’t use auto-tuning or require you to listen to Louis Walsh, I suggest you try Sky One’s Must Be The Music - it consists of musicians rather than diva-esque singers, and they write their own stuff, plus the judges are Dizzee Rascal, Jamie Cullum and Sharlene Spiteri (i.e. proper musicians judging musicians). Alternatively, you could just curl back up on that sofa and watch repeats of Friends to remind yourself of better times.

Why work your arse off for four years when you can become famous and win a degree?

bathimpact Editor-in-Chief Gina Reay has a lovely little rant about why Midge Ure doesn’t deserve a free University of Bath degree

ast week saw the ‘exciting’ news that singer/songwriter Midge Ure OBE will be awarded an honorary degree from our University. The announcement angered me so much and I am still fuming to this very moment. Midge Ure, a singer who is neither well known nor well liked by our generation, is being awarded a qualification for free, which us students work our arses off for. I have worked tirelessly for four years to ensure I achieve a 2:1 in my degree. I feel awarding celebrities a qualification is farcical and deeply upsetting. No matter who you are or what you have achieved in your lifetime, every individual should have to put in the same amount of work and effort in order to achieve a degree. It should not be a ‘prize’ that can be ‘won’. Especially by a, questionably talented, 1980s recording artist. The justification for Midge’s honoring was that he was a suc-

cessful band member of Ultravox and played a key part in the creation of Band Aid and Live Aid. Of course these are wonderful achievements, Live Aid raised hundreds of millions of pounds for extremely beneficial causes however Midge Ure has made a lot of

money in his life, why should he receive an ‘overnight degree’ on top of this? Bath-based Midge Ure has said that the award has ‘emphasised his feelings of belonging’. He also told graduates (who have just completed the average three to four

year-long journey it takes normal students to achieve the qualification!) to “follow your heart, do something in life you are passionate about, don’t do something just for the financial reward.” Easy advice from a man who has earned bucket loads and gained an

overnight degree from our establishment! Apparently: “The University’s criteria for the award of an honorary degree include: figures who serve as a role model for young people, figures who serve to make a statement about the University’s position on moral or ethical issues, and people with a local connection who have achieved a national or international reputation..” I do not know a single person at this university who would say that Midge Ure is their role model. Most young people have never even heard of him and everyone I’ve asked have said ‘Midge who?!’. So who’s next Bath? Geri Halliwell? Britney Spears? Chris Evans? The art of honoring well known figures with Higher Education qualifications is stupid. They should have to put the exact amount of time and effort in as we do. End of.

Monday 13th December 2010

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The flawed theory behind Theory Why Theory’s lack of popularity with students puts it in second place Andy Social bathimpact Contributor

uys, don’t be stupid, it’s not snowing. Amy Winehouse has just sneezed. Actually that’s a lie, it is snowing and forecasters expect it to last well into the Christmas season. In fact, it has been so heavy that staff at a North Yorkshire pub were trapped inside for nine days due to the building being engulfed by 16m of snow. It completely buried their cars and blocked many of the windows and doors of the isolated pub. It has even forced authorities to close the runway at Gatwick airport for two full days. However whilst the weather may be disrupting traffic everywhere, it has not deterred Bath students from enjoying their traditional boozed-up weekend. Student nights such as MyMyMy Mondays at Second Bridge, Kitsch at Weir Lounge and the regular happy hour, Score and Comeplay sessions at the Union’s nightclub Elements are as popular as ever. Many of these frequently sell out and seem to attract the student clubber with ease. However the

newly created night on campus, bizarrely named Theory, has suffered a number of failings that may slowly be leading to its demise. Elements is arguably the largest club in Bath with a capacity of near 1,200 people. During Theory’s official launch night, the student break-dancing society performed, new DJs were hired and the revamped nightclub enticed everyone’s curiosity. It sold out on that first night, though students were quick to express their grievances. A lack of bar staff, combined with the eagerness of new freshers to convert their student loan to jägertrains, meant queues to purchase drinks mounted to frustrating levels. Unbearably strict bouncers meant that if you so much as smiled when handing over your ID, you were deemed too drunk to enter. In order to gain entry they required you to drink a glass of water, though this must have been difficult if you are not allowed to get to the bar to order tap water in the first place. Furthermore prices remained unchanged from the train-wreck of a night that was Flirt! last year. It was no wonder that people

Now that’s what I’d call busy. This scene has become standard for Friday nights at Club XL

Not exactly packed with people. Theory’s events, particuarly the Big Bang Theory, have seen dismal attendances this semester The Sabbatical and Theory proquickly became bored of Theory and have since emigrated to De- motional teams also seem to be out light at Club XL. After a few snake- of touch with what students want bites in the Plug Bar, students flock from their nights out. When VP in their droves to Delight, taking Communications, James Huelin, advantage of the classic 3-4-£5 was quizzed on the merits of the jäger-bomb deal and comparatively Union’s new Friday night during cheap £2 cost of entry. Whilst The- an interview with 1449AM URB’s ory may now officially be the less Buzz news show, published previexpensive night, at the start of the ously in bathimpact, he explained year Delight proved to be cheaper that it was safer than club nights than Theory and as such has now in the city centre, more responsibecome the trend for Friday nights. ble and its takings facilitated the Everyone attends Club XL at the start of the weekend because they know they will meet their friends there. Hence Theory is still feeling the effects of its poor start, even as we approach Christmas. Furthermore students do not like to attend the same nightclub two nights in a row. Comeplay is the only student night in Bath that takes place on Saturdays, so if you could afford to go out on Fridays and Saturdays, you would attend Delight and Comeplay, not visit Elements on both nights.

Union’s other activities. Whilst this may all be very sensible, I’m afraid students aren’t afraid of the many “dangers” that lurk within this clearly crime-driven city and they aren’t interested in the fact that a non-alcoholic alternative costs just 75p. Students want relatively cheap entry and perceptive deals that make it cheaper to buy three drinks at a time. Whilst Facebook is not the only way to judge popularity, Theory demonstrates another poor performance as from just its second night onwards, the number of people stating they won’t attend outnumbers those who state they will. Therefore whilst the Union may be the cheapest, safest and most sensible night to attend this Friday; instead of raving on my own drinking low cost VKs in Elements, I’m going to be meeting my friends, enjoying a bustling atmosphere and attempting to see off three jägerbombs in a row as Delight presents ‘The Send Off’.

Your Country Needs You(r Child Benefit)

Why Europeans should thank their lucky stars that they’re not American Vasudevan Rajesh bathimpact Contributor

irst of all this is my personal opinion and I do not mean to offend anybody or mock the feelings of people. There have been 2 approaches taken by leaders of the world to pull the global economy out of recession. The first one is the American way of stimulating the economy and the second one is the European way of spending cuts and budget deficits. The American economy is in its worst shape in our generation. 9.3% of Americans, approximately 26.1 million people, are unemployed and there

are growing fears of a double dip recession. President Obama’s way of handling the economy has proven to be extremely ineffective and does not seem to have helped the average American. His idea of spending your way out of a recession is in my opinion the wrong way to go about it. In contrast the European way of using spending and budget cuts can be more useful in the future to set up a base for a stable economy. Although Europeans, especially the British, are annoyed with their governments’ spending cuts they should know that they are far better off cutting back now rather than spending more money and piling up more debt. If the British gov-

“I know all about Iran. I ran for Mayor and then I ran for Governor!” - Sarah Palin

ernment can bring its fiscal deficit down it will be a lot easier for it to contribute towards public welfare later. In contrast the American approach will potentially lead to very high tax rates and inflation in the future and could lead to problems that exist currently in Greece. The American policies are crippling companies from expanding and hiring people. Americans in general get far lower state benefits than the Europeans. A jobless American will go hungry within months if he/she does not find a job. But Europeans can last a year on their state benefits. Not to mention the universal healthcare system which is inexistent in America. Although technically

America seems better off now, the general situation of Americans has not changed much. The housing market and manufacturing industry are still way behind. Until these sectors improve the American economy will never get back to its position. In contrast the European policy of innovation in manufacturing and promotion of eco-friendly products has helped their core industries improve and hire people at the same time. The housing market is still far better off here. I am in no way supporting any government policy but economically certain policies tend to make more sense; so it is better to just wait and watch.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Don vs. the PrimaDonnas A minority of students yet again let their peers down and halt vital debate. Hannah Raymont Deputy Editor deputy@bathimpact.com

handful of clunky, slow, unreliable machines in a tiny classroom with sporadic opening hours), outstanding sports facilities as well as an abundance of clubs and societies. If Higher Education was entirely funded by the state, would you really get the same quality of overall experience? I doubt it. Foster emphasised that state funding should be concentrated on the early years of education, aiming to nip potential disparities in the bud as

on Foster is a brave man. Just over a week ago, at this very university, he attempted to defend his party’s “broken promise” on tuition fees in front of some 200 scornful scowls of embittered and disillusioned students. In this year’s General Election, the Liberal Democrats received a healthy chunk of their support from young voters and those already in higher education, who were wooed by the premise of tuition fees (originally introduced by the Labour government despite them also promising not to do so) being phased out altogether. However, now the Lib Dems have formed a government with the Tories, the mood has plunged from euphoric optimism to blood-boiling fury. Well, this at least among a proportion of students who have seemingly been whipped into a blind rage by the number 9 and three 0s next to it and not much else, all too many of whom tend to poison the debate with shouting, screaming and swearing, without looking at the Coalition’s proposals in more detail. So, onto the visit itself. Mr Foster started off by explaining the current course of action and justified his position exceedingly succinctly and professionally, marking himself as a clear natural at public speaking. He rightly pointed out that the new system is much fairer in particular to part-time students who may want to contribute to the economy by working while studying (as admittedly, a lot of fulltime students do as well), or, indeed, while raising a family, and that fees and loans will not have to be paid un-

“

I thought people were rather unfair on him; there was a lot of heckling. The walk out was petty and childish.

”

til a graduate is earning £21,000; this is well above the current threshold of £15,000. The new limit of £21,000, as well as much more reflective of what graduates should be expecting to earn annually after completing their degree, also illustrates the fact that the burden of repayment will fall on the broadest shoulders. Between graciously listening to and answering

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“It was a great workout (running up and down the stairs with a microphone).”

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Ann Howell, VP A&D

the vast majority of sometimes nonsensically-worded questions hurled at him, Foster also admitted that he was in favour of a “Robin Hood Tax” (wasn’t Robin Hood actually against taxation?) on banking transactions to help plug the huge deficit, and the inevitable banker bashing ensued, with many students incessantly blaming the (yes, reckless) bankers for the entire economic mess we are in, without pausing to think, that maybe, just maybe, that Higher Education funding was already a ticking time bomb waiting to detonate, as it quite violently did so little more than a month ago, and that the Government are finally facing up to this grim reality. However, Foster was keen to highlight that a potential tax on the 100 most profitable companies would be harmful to creation of new jobs and again hit the nail on the head when he stated that it was vital to get the economy back on track first and foremost so that more appropriate employment opportunities for graduates can be created. One thing I know from firsthand experience is that, with the graduate job market being so incredibly overcrowded, in every job application you make, you feel that no matter how hard you try, the statistics are

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Don enjoys public meetings and he is a talented speaker

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Cllr. Nick Coombes hopelessly stacked against you and that you’ll have to search way beyond the traditional employment sources in order to secure a steady income once your student loans stop clocking into your bank account. There is absolutely no point in sending more and more young people to university if there will be no vacancies that match their capabilities for them to step into at the end of it all. One student retorted that Foster, quite rightly, did not have to pay at all for his university education. Well, neither did my parents, and, on top of that, they got a state grant for the privilege. The huge difference between then and now is that, back then, no more than about 5% of the population went to university, while the figure corresponding to today’s student generation is over 40%. The reality is that the state simply cannot afford, especially right now,

to give out free university education of a high quality to that proportion of students without drastically reforming the system, and as the main beneficiary of a university education, the individual student themselves should be expected to make a sizeable contribution, or otherwise earn that contribution through a scholarship. Throughout this debate, there seems to have been notably little mention of other valuable routes of Higher or Further Education or training through apprenticeships. Shouldn’t we invest more in these alternatives that provide students with practical experience of the working world as well as the pride of earning their own money while they learn? One student argued the point that many other European countries seem to easily manage the funding of large-scale university education, therefore why not here in this country? I wonder if this student had ever stepped foot in a continental university. I spent a whole term at a publicly-funded one in Spain, and the lack of resources spoke for themselves. We would do well to remember just how damn lucky we are to have a 24hour library, entire library floors of computers (compared to just a small

soon as possible, and amen to that; the real educational inequalities start way before primary education gets underway. His talk was littered with admittances of him being “stuck between a rock and a hard place” and explanations of how differently politics works when in coalition, justifications for a “broken pledge” that were just not satisfactory for some students, who proceeded to stage a mass walk out. Although they may be angry to have their trust betrayed yet again by politicians or even embarrassed to have been naïve (like Don Foster admitted he had been himself) to believe that scrapping tuition fees altogether for a swelling number of budding undergraduates could have even been economically viable, our Lib Dem MP was effectively paid for his time and polite attention by an overwhelming-

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I share the anger of many people here but it was a good opportunity to listen to what he had to say.

”

ly rude and immature act of defiance. The pathetically puerile behaviour of some students, just like in the riots at Millbank, did nothing to further their cause and was a great shame after the intelligent questions and constructive debate driven by other Bath students. I thought we would have gone past throwing our toys out the pram stage by the time we get to university, or is the manipulation of students by the NUS and their protests as “ideological” as the education cuts?

Monday 13th December 2010

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Winter Season in UK Polished Music wins Award

taying in the UK for Christmas and New Year? Every year many Bath University students choose to stay in the UK for the holidays – to prepare for exams, travel in the UK or visit friends. ISA presents to you an ultimate guide of activities you can and should do during the festive period! The Pump Room has opened reservations for an exclusive New Year party, with a Champagne cocktail reception, four course dinner, live band and disco! More information can be found on www.bathvenues.co.uk/ christmas. Bristol Zoo will be presenting a fun Christmas program where, on the 20th and 21st of December, you will be able to meet and feed Santa’s reindeer, join in with carol singing, experience the enchanted Elf Hollow and make a Christmas wish at the wishing tree! Until the 9th January, Bristol will also be hosting a traditional Christmas skating rink in Quakers Friars, in Bristol City Centre!

Brighton will be hosting the traditional “burning of the clocks” ceremony on the 21st December! To mark the winter solstice, lanterns are made, carried through the city and then ceremonially burned on the beach as a token for the end of the year! And if you haven’t finished all your Christmas shopping, check out the Bicester Outlet village at the Oxfordshire countryside, with over 130 topname boutiques (including DKNY, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent) offering amazing savings of up to 60% off! Open Christmas day from 10am.-5 pm. For directions on how to get there from London as well as the full brand list, visit www.bicestervillage.com/! And of course, one of the best places to be for Christmas and New Year, is the England’s Capital, London. Live shows are expected at Trafalgar and Piccadilly, followed by the famous New Year fireworks! Not to mention the on-going parties of all themes through the holidays! Discover the schedule of the New Year’s Day parade at londonparade.co.uk ISA wishes you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Interview with Jan Czerbak, winner of the Student Radio Award for his specialist show Polished Music

Tell us a bit about yourself. What did you study at Bath? How have you found your time here? I did my A-Levels in a boarding school near Bath. I liked it here, so I decided to stick around a bit longer. Bath was also the only uni I visited before applying. I was studying Economics, but I spent most of my time on “other activities”. I was working part-time, I did volunteering, played handball and football, but joining URB was probably my best decision. How did you first get involved in URB Radio? I was thinking about radio for a long time, but never actually had the time or courage. Oddly enough, in my final year I did. I went to the Societies Fair, and signed up. It took me a few weeks’ time to get trained, I was given a keycard, and I could then spend every hour of my spare time in the studios. What have you taken away from being part of URB? I obviously learned a lot about presenting, radio equipment, editing software, but also about marketing. I managed to find a sponsor for my show and I could

then advertise something more than strange, foreign music. When most of the people in their final year of university think about jobs and marks, I was translating interviews and recording jingles. It did affect my academic results, but I realised that radio is where I really want to be. Congratulations on your award! Can you tell us a bit more about what the award represents? Student Radio Awards are an annual event, and most of UK university radiostations take part.

Entries are judged by radio professionals and over the years it helped many people get jobs in major networks. Because Polished Music was focused on artists from outside URB playlist, it entered the Best Specialist Music Programming category, and won gold. What’s next for you? Are you planning to pursue your interest in music and the media in the future? The sponsor of my award, BBC 1Xtra, might offer me work experience or a one-off show as a prize. If this actually happens, then we’ll see what’s next. At the moment, working professionally in a radio station still seems out of reach. For someone just beginning to discover contemporary polish music, where would you advise them to start? With internet access you can listen to almost every band in the world, so what you need is a “good-music filter”. If you’re interested in artists from Poland, you can listen to Polished Music on Mixcloud.com - with an electronic trio Kamp! and a pop-band Muchy. Both have songs in English and both gave great interviews for the show.

Snowbound and tipsy in Munich Laura Craine Foreign correspondent

Shine Awards 2011

Do you play an active role in Students’ Union and University life? Do you volunteer or have you been involved in a business enterprise initiative? Has your time at Bath University challenged you and contributed to your personal development? If you have an inspiring story to tell about your time studying in the UK, make sure you enter this year’s Shine! International Student Awards. It is an exciting competition that celebrates the achievements of international

students and their contributions to life in the UK. It’s easy to enter. Simply write a letter ‘home’ telling a family member, teacher or friend about your time in the UK and how it has challenged and excited you. It should talk about your involvement in Bath academic and community life, details of personal development, inventiveness and initiative that illustrate and underline new life-skills you’ve acquired while studying in the UK. The panel of judges – other students, education professionals and British Council colleagues – will choose the best letters to become shining examples of UK life for future international student. More details on the competition, the application and the prizes can be found at www.educationuk.org/shine.

was told that “Munich gets very cold, you’ll need a thicker coat” but I wasn’t prepared for cycling through six inches of snow to the train every morning in -5 degree temperatures. Furthermore, they don’t do grit in Munich. In residential areas, people are responsible for clearing the road they live on and the snow on public roads is pushed aside by snow digger machines that make a lot of noise and look like they could kill you if you got too close. This means that when you’re jay-walking, as I often do, you have to leap over the metre of snow that divides the road and the footpath. Great fun if you’re not in trainers. The wonderful thing about this time of year is experiencing real German Christmas markets, which are the model for those all over Europe, including our very own in Bath. Munich hosts numerous markets from the traditional candle and Christmas decoration stalls to the environmentally aware bohemian displays and “Pink Christmas” zone in what is known as Munich’s gay area.

Even better is the Glühwein (or mulled wine) that they sell at the markets and in most supermarkets for the bargain price of one Euro. Not only does it warm you up, two cups and you’re sloshed. The fact that Glühwein is so readily available at every Christmas market in Munich, which are all conveniently within walking distance of each other (if you’re willing to brave the icy conditions), has lead to a tradition of the “Christmas market crawl”, akin to the pub-crawl or bar-hop but with a festive twist. Whilst on a hunt for Glühwein

last weekend, my accomplice and I stumbled upon a German tradition that’s part of the ‘St. Nikolaus’ celebration. German legend has it that on the eve of the 5th of December, the devil is shackled and made to be Nikolaus’ slave. The devil, Krampus, takes naughty children and spanks them. This is what we witnessed on the streets of Munich: Strangers dressed in animal fur and devil masks spanking unsuspecting passers-by and children with whips. Political incorrectness gone mad! We decided to skip the Glühwein and went for a pint instead.

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Christmas Season in Blighty Seasons Confined to British shores over the festive season? bathimpact travel expert Chris Wotton goes in search of places to spend Christmas and New Year.

GREAT FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE - Cornwall The otherwise sleepy harbour town of Looe in south-east Cornwall, just an hour from Plymouth, might not be the first place you think of for a New Year’s eve party. But it has a reputation of its very own for end-of-year raucousness and the Sunday Times calls it one of the UK’s top four spots to celebrate. The streets, pubs and restaurants fill with revellers in fancy dress, drinking and partying until, and past, midnight - when some take a dip into the freezing sea! The atmosphere can be a little rowdy, so if you’re looking for a more relaxed way to see in the New Year it’s not going to be for you - but for something loud and brash, it could be just the ticket. Get there: It’s about a four-hour train ride from Bath Spa to Looe, connecting in Bristol Temple Meads or Westbury. Another change might be needed in Plymouth, depending on the train you take. Finally, change at Liskeard for the scenic (but slow) Looe Valley Line, just a single carriage on a single track that takes you right down to pretty Looe. Off-peak return £35.40; single journeys booked in advance start from £14.50. Note that trains will be busy on New Year’s eve, particularly on the final leg (you might be better arriving a day or two earlier) - there are also no trains on New Year’s day or 2nd January and there is also major disruption to many train services from Devon and Cornwall up to London at the start of January. Where to stay: B&Bs line Looe’s streets, but many book up well in advance of New Year’s eve, so you may have to try further afield. Meneglaze B&B (01503 69 227; www.looebedandbreakfast.com) has rooms from £63 per night, including breakfast and wi-fi. GREAT FOR CHRISTMAS MARKETS – Birmingham Now in its tenth year, Birmingham’s annual Christmas market is modelled on the original German Christkindlmarkt, imported from Frankfurt right up to the UK’s midlands. It’s Britain’s biggest and perhaps most popular Christmas market - expect Victoria Square to play host to more than one hundred and eighty stalls, all open only to German stallholders, piled high with gifts and everything from mulled wine, sausages and beers to sweets, breads and pastries. Look out for our favourites - marzipan-loaded stollen cake and iced gingerbread lebkuchen biscuits. When: 18th to 23rd December, 10am-9pm every day Get there: Take the train from Bath Spa to Birmingham Snow Hill, changing at Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street - expect a journey time of just over two hours. Off-peak return £29.50, or save £7.10 if you book in advance and travel at less popular times, leaving early and returning late. Get from Birmingham to central London in under two hours for as little as £4.60 when booked in advance! Stay over: Birmingham Central Backpackers (0121 643 0033; www.birminghamcentralbackpackers.com) has dorms from £16.00 per night and private rooms from £30.00 - rates include breakfast and wi-fi and there are books, DVDs, board games, a Wii and an X-Box available to use. There’s also a self-catering kitchen and a bar and coffee shop. GREAT FOR SNOW – Scotland Given recent weather right across the country, you might not need to go very far at all to see snow this Christmas - but if you want a flurry of the white stuff guaranteed, you can’t beat a trip north of the border to the Scottish highlands. Arrive in leisurely style - take the train to Crewe and then change for an overnight sleeper train to Fort William. Ten hours after setting off at high speed from Crewe, you’ll wake up as the train weaves its way slowly through countryside, with deers passing the window of your sleeper berth. Fort William is the place to be for peace, quiet and superb scenery while there are shops, restaurants and plenty more to do nearby. Get there: Take the train to Crewe, changing at Bristol and Birmingham Street, then take ScotRail’s overnight train, leaving Crewe just before midnight and arriving in Fort William at around 10am. The total journey takes almost fourteen hours but you’ll spend ten of those under you duvet on the train, and it’s a blissful way to travel. It ain’t cheap – a single ticket with your own berth starts from £152.35, plus you’ll need to get back from Scotland afterwards – but if you deserve a treat and fancy a splurge, this could be it. Stay over: You don’t take this long to get somewhere, only to turn around and go back. The Onich Hotel & Lochside Gardens (01855 821 214; www.onich-fortwilliam.co.uk) has rooms on a bed-and-breakfast basis from £29.50 per night, while rates at the Alexandra Hotel (01397 702 241; www.strathmorehotels. com)in central Fort William start at £79.00 per night for a double.

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Greetings the world

In Poland Christmas means a lavish meal with the customary 12 dishes, the breaking of oplatek (a flour wafer) with family and friends, singing carols at the dinner table and attending mass at midnight. It is a magical time filled with tradition: we start Christmas Eve supper only when the first star appears on the horizon, we place hay under the tablecloth to represent the humble stable where Jesus Christ was born and keep an additional seat in case a stranger in need of a warm meal might knock at the door. Unlike many of the other holidays which have been overrun by consumerism and popular culture, Christmas is still a very sacred and traditional affair in Poland and I hope that it stays that way. Wherever and however you might be celebrating the winter season, I wish you all Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year! Julia Lipowiecka, International Editor

COLOMBIA Christmas in Colombia starts on the 7th of December with the Candle Day [Día de las velitas] which represents the virgin’s immaculate conception. We light candles and place them in streets, porches and windows. From the 16th to the 24th of December, a daily prayer is made - La Novena. It is a time to be with family and friends as each day the prayers take place in different houses. On the 24th we celebrate Christmas. It is a family day where we have a late dinner that will last almost until midnight and then we open the presents around the Christmas tree at midnight. The 25th is a day of rest and a public holiday. Liza Ordonez GERMANY In Germany, or at least in Bavaria, Christmas is primarily about family time and good food! The day of the 24th is spent preparing the epic evening meal, decorating the tree, going to church or a Christmas market. At around five o’clock everyone gets changed into formal attire and the meal begins. This varies between families but mine usually has dear with German dumplings and ‘blaukraut’. The rest of the night is spent opening presents, going to church if you’re religious, having a few drinks, singing and many young people go out late at night. Laura Boeckeler

SWITZERLAND Christmas in Switzerland is celebrated on Christmas Eve, where families get together in the evening for a Christmas dinner. Quite often the meal enjoyed is the traditional “Fondue Chinoise”, where shaved meat is dipped in simmering broth and eaten with sauces. After the meal, all the children have to leave the room, as the “Christkind” (Baby Jesus) comes to bring the presents and puts them under the Christmas tree. Only when the bell rings are they allowed to enter again to open the presents. Eva Perrett ROMANIA Two elements can best describe a Romanian Christmas: delicious food and unique carols. At Christmas Eve supper several types of pork sausages, plum brandy and homemade pickles are requisite. We have ‘sarmale’, a dish made of stuffed pickled cabbage leaves, boiled slowly for hours and served with polenta, followed by roasted pork with red wine and, for dessert, ‘cozonac’, which is a delicious cake with nuts and raisins. On Christmas Eve, children usually go around houses and sing carols and get fruit, sweets or money in exchange. People dress as bears and goats in the countryside and sing special traditional songs. Andreea Alecsandru

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International

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True Shopaholic Heaven: Bangkok, Thailand

Eva Perrett takes us on the ultimate shopping spree - a tour of the colourful and abundant markets of Bangkok

angkok - city of sky trains, royal palaces and street food so deliciously spicy it makes you cry. But, to me, it will always be the city of shopping. After three months working in neighbouring Cambodia, where

the closest thing to a mall is a shop called “Pick up”, with guaranteed “copies number one”, I was definitely up for some serious retail therapy. And what better place to unleash the shopaholic within than Bangkok.Our first choice, of

course, had to be Pratunam Market, Thailand’s largest clothing market. The name means Watergate market in Thai, although I have no idea why - all I can see are shops, stalls, sky trains and malls. Despite the violent protests in

this area last April, the only hint of them is a burnt-down threestorey building. My colleague Juana explains that business was back to normal right after the protests ended, although many shops went bankrupt. Nonetheless, there remains a plethora of shops and stalls, each as wonderful and extra-ordinary as the next. A large part of them are manned by the most impressively dolled up lady-boys, who unfortunately aren’t too shy about telling European girls that the dresses they are selling will definitely be too small for our butt. More helpful was my friend, a former Dolce & Gabbana show organiser, who could spot beautiful items a mile away, especially after a respectable number of hours looking at eccentric Minnie Mouse-like dresses, when I began to feel the strange urge to wear one. Normalcy was restored over dinner in the nearby Central World Plaza, the third largest shopping complex in the world. Feeling distinctly culture shocked by the altitude of both the building and its designer prices, we decided to continue our shopping spree in Patpong Night Market. Energy

was soon was running low, however, so we ended the day by treating our male friend, who by then had lost the will to live, to cocktails in the magnificent sky bar in the State Tower. The next day was right back on track with a trip to Chatuchak Weekend Market, the undisputed king of Bangkok markets. It is divided up into areas according to the merchandise, selling everything from pets to furniture. After spending hours lost in the Goashirt section, we conceded that a map of the place would have proven very useful! Tired of fruitless bargaining - the great number of tourists that visit the market mean that prices are distinctly higher and the vendors not as keen on cutting prices - and getting lost, we moved on to finally get in some culture. A very relaxing idea is to get the boat along the Chao Phraya River to Wat Pho, the Buddhist temple said to be the birthplace of Thai massage. What’s more, Wat Pho also holds the 30 meter long, golden Reclining Buddha. This ultra-chilled out Buddha is definitely what a group of tired shoppers need to unwind.

Explore Latin American cinema - Film reviews

Central Station Director: Walter Salles Brazil/France, 1998 Natalia Pinazza bathimpact critic Central Station charts the story of Dora, a retired teacher who works at Rio de Janeiro Central station writing letters for illiterate people in exchange for some money. She then meets Josué, a poor nine year-old boy who has never met his father, but hopes to do so. His mother tries

to send a letter to his father through Dora, saying that she hopes for a family reunion soon, but not long after she is killed in a bus accident outside the train station and the boy is left homeless. Dora is initially reluctant to be responsible for the boy and sells him to a human organ harvesting organisation. After being made to feel guilty by a friend, she agrees to help him find his father, Jesus, whose last known address is in the northeast region of the country. Central Station is an unconventional road movie that tells a story of an adult who happens to be in charge of an unknown child. The oddly paired characters develop a bond that changes them profoundly, adding tenderness and surprise to the narrative. Fernanda Montenegro’s stunning performance here is modulated as Dora begins rediscovering herself in unexpected ways. An interesting aspect of this film is that none of the famous landmarks of Rio de Janeiro are shown. Instead, the camera focuses on the industrial landscapes scattered along the railroad tracks and the seedy apartments where Dora lives. Sertão (Brazilian backlands) landscapes, on the other

hand, are portrayed as serene places where people are friendlier. It is in the Sertão that Dora interacts with popular religion and lives a sort of a rite: a symbolic death and rebirth in her journey. Walter Salles’ direction distinguishes himself further in the discreet and intelligent way he portrays social problems in Brazil, ranging from corrupting police to trafficking of children. This film is available in the SelfAccess Language Centre on level 5 in the Library.

The Secret in Their Eyes Director: Juan José Campanella Argentina, 2009 Liza Ordonez bathimpact critic The Academy award winning El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) portrays the reality of living in Argentina during the 70’s, a period of fear and corruption fuelled by a dictatorship. The film tells the story of Esposito, a retired legal counselor who tries, through writing a novel, to find closure to parts of his life that have haunted him over time. The focal part of the plot surrounds his unresolved homicide cases and the sad story of unreciprocated love for his superior. Interestingly Campanella has directed numerous episodes of “Law & Order” and if the film were to be classified into a specific genre it would be a legal thriller. But the film transcends such labels and, in the course of solving the murder mystery that is at the key focus of its plot, it explores human nature and its many aspects: love, obsession, vengence and violence. Cam-

panella takes the audience through constant flashbacks and then back to the present, bringing the story of love, hatred, injustice and the desire for redemption to a climax. The audience experiences the corruption and violence seen during the period known as “los Desaparecidos” and its effects on contemporary Argentina, as well as engaging with a love story that transcends time. It is a finely wrought mystery with extraordinary performances that brings to live the reality, not only of a country, but also of human emotions. The film was presented during a Film Night organized by the Bath Latin American Network’s (BATLAM) activities this year. BATLAM also organizes other activities, such as Café Latino, an opportunity for everyone with interest in Latin America or the Spanish language, to come together in an informal and friendly environment. We also host several political, socio-economic and cultural events throughout the year. If you are interested in participating in any of the activities we organize please email us at lo211@ bath.ac.uk.

Monday 13th December 2010

Virtual Reality

How important is internet freedom?

Monday 13th December 2010

Editor Gina Reay editor@bathimpact.com Deputy Editor Hannah Raymont deputy@bathimpact.com

bite Editors Caroline Leach features@bathimpact.com Rowan Emslie ents@bathimpact.com Publicity Officer Julia Lipowiecka publicity@bathimpact.com Chief Sub-Editor Sam Foxman subeditor@bathimpact.com Advertising Enquires Helen Freeman H.Freeman@bath.ac.uk 01225 386806

bathimpact Students’ Union University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY 01225 38 6151 Printed by Harmsworth Press Ltd.

EDITORIAL Welcome to the second issue of bathimpact lite – bite, our newest addition to your newspaper. Our theme this fortnight is Virtual Reality. So much of our lives are spent in front of computer or TV screens, so we decided to take a closer look at just what we’re staring at and what impact that is having on our daily lives. We’ve got fascinating articles from a range of writers (which could include you) in this edition, all about how this technological dependency has extended to fashion, television, film, music and literature. Our lead article attempts to examine the Internet itself, a more challenging task than you might imagine and questions whether it’s a free as we think. Elsewhere in the magazine we have articles about everything from the rise of online shopping, to live music vs. Youtube. There’s no denying that these issues will affect us all in the years to come so if you have any thoughts on these issues or would like to write for us then please get in touch; either by using the email addresses on the left or by coming along to one of our contributors’ meetings which take place fortnightly. Search for bathimpact on Facebook for more information.

Contents Features

How important is internet freedom? Pages 2 & 3 Column: ‘slacktivism’ takes hold. Page 4 Facebook fever - a week without Facebook. Page 4 Foxy Knows: Gamer Rehabilitation. Page 5 Made in Bath - A Bath economics graduate 33 years on. Page 5 Never have I ever... Enjoyed shopping (for others). Page 6

The Guide

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How important is internet freedom? D

Written by Caroline Leach

o you remember what life was like before the internet? The chances are, if you’re a teenager, or in your early twenties, then you probably don’t. You’ve never had to organise a group event without Facebook, or research an essay without Wikipedia. Gone are the days (thankfully) in which we had to endlessly search through enormous tomes in the library to find the answer to one question. Now the information we need, and lots more that we don’t, is right at our fingertips. But how much do we actually know about this entity that we call the World Wide Web? We know at least, that it can make or break people and organisations. The uncontrollable rise of Justin Bieber and the unstoppable hurricane of Wikileaks and those infamous US embassy cables have taught us that. But how often do we stop to think about how powerful the internet is, and what it can do when left unattended? One of the many questions being asked about the internet is whether it should be censored, and how far that censorship should go. In China for example, internet access is already very restricted by western standards, with many news sites such as BBC News or Yahoo being completely off limits. It has also been alleged recently that cyber attacks on Google China were led by the government itself, in an attempt to sabotage Google’s activities and force them to censor their results. Google refused to acquiesce to their request. This commitment to the freedom of the internet exhibited by Google is an attitude shared by Wikileaks, the organisation which began to release the hundreds of thousands of US Embassy Diplomatic Cables at the end of November. Wikileaks was launched in 2007 as a portal through which sensitive or secret documents could be released. This was intended to prevent journalists from going to jail for publishing these documents which often hold classified information. Wikileaks justify their mission by referring to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 particularly. It states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” In 1948, when the General Assembly of the United Nations declared these universal human rights, they can scarcely have imagined the existence of the internet, let alone the scale and size of it now, just 70 years later. Would they still have stuck to their guns and included Article 19 in its entirety? Or should they have added some kind of disclaimer? “Except in the case of government documents” perhaps or maybe even “apart from when the US is involved.” The question is really whether the ends justify the means. Is Wikileaks a noble journalistic tool which can call governments and regimes to account for their misdeeds? Or is it a dangerous, subversive organisation which is endangering the lives of both politicians and private citizens?

Upcoming gigs, comedy, films and exhibitions near you.Page 7

Fashion Bath Style - Our intrepid photographer takes a look at fashion on campus. Pages 8&9 Fashion blogs are democratising how style gets stylish. Pages 8 & 9 Online shopping and the highstreet. Page 10

Music Live music beats Youtube. Page 11 The music industry is homogensised and it’s all the fault of the internet. Page 12

Film What’s the next step in cinema evolution? Page 13

Literature The Aleph of our times shows us just how petty we are. Page 14

Puzzles Crossword, Sudokus and the Cartoon. Page 16

The Bieb’s success is one example of the power of the internet

Monday 13th December 2010

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www.bathimpact.com Article 19, an independent organisation dedicated to protecting the right of free expression and which takes its name from the aforementioned declaration, has already declared Wikileaks to be the former. In a statement released on the 3rd of December, Dr Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, affirms that “Information is the oxygen of democracy”. In the statement, she also highlights the fact that “none of the released documents were classified as top secret”, and claims that they could have been released to the public anyway if requested through the US Freedom of Information Act.* Despite this, many businesses have taken the latter view, perhaps thanks to pressure from the US Government. A few days after the cables began to be released, Wikileaks’ host server Amazon bowed to political pressure and ceased hosting the site. Paypal have now refused to continue working with the site and Julian Assange, one of the founders of Wikileaks, has had his Swiss bank account cancelled and is subject to arrest warrants from Sweden. These charges are subject to some debate however as they refer not to Assange’s work with Wikileaks but instead allege that he sexually assaulted two women. He appeared in court in London on Tuesday 7th December and has been refused bail due to fears that he might travel to Switzerland in order to avoid the charges. Many prominent figures have questioned the validity of these proceedings, and Assange himself denies all charges. In a dramatic twist that testifies to the power of the internet, ‘hacktivists’ have recently begun attacking those companies who have sought to cut ties with Wikileaks and its founder. Those targeted include the Swiss bank that shut down Assange’s account and Paypal. One of the hackers was quoted by the BBC as saying that they were taking “a strong stance on censorship and freedom of expression on the internet”. All of this, from obtaining the documents, to releasing them, to them being seen by millions of people, would not have been possible without this network that we call the internet. This revolution in the distribution of information hasn’t been experienced since the invention of the printing press in the 15th Century. Johannes Gutenberg’s creation enabled the written word to be printed in mass quantities, when before it could only be copied by hand, a laborious process which kept the dissemination of learning in the hands of the few who could afford it. Gutenberg democratised the written word in the 15th Century and the internet has carried on his cause, giving people from all over the world and from every kind of background access to knowledge and information previously hidden in libraries across the land. However, an invention of such reach and with such massive consequences cannot always be wholly useful and it’s not just in the case of government documents that questions have been asked about where to draw the line. Individuals are being asked to question how much information they should share on the internet via social networking sites

Virtual Students Written by Anishka Gheewala

An incredible 60% of UK adults use the internet daily or almost everyday. I know I’m one of them, using the internet for TV, work, social networking and music but what do the following Bath students use cyberspace for? Amy Bowden I tend to use the internet for social contact, such as Facebook or Skype to keep in touch with people who don’t live near me, and to make it even easier, I have internet on my phone! Chris Turner I mainly use the internet for Spotify, a programme which enables me to listen to any genre of music I like while saving them on an easily accessible playlist. Elizabeth Plumb I normally use the internet for work as I find it easier to look up specific topics online, rather than reading hundreds of books to find the one thing I am looking for.

James Cook As a musician, I often need to look up chords, and without the internet, a lot of them would have to be played by ear.

Julian Assange: One of the founders of Wikileaks

and also through online banking and shopping. If you are using Facebook’s new profile then you are already showing the world, or at the very least those you deem to be your ‘friends’ (which, let’s face it, is a pretty loose term when it comes to Facebook), your home town, where you live now, what degree you do, your email address and your mobile number. That’s before we even get started on the pictures you’ve posted or been tagged in. Of course you are able to adjust how much of your profile the world can see, but the proportion of people who actually do this is woefully low. This is useful for those who want to indulge in a little bit of Facebook-stalking, but it’s also helpful for a criminal who needs an identity to steal. According to the Home Office identity fraud cost the UK economy £1.2 billion in 2008, and that figure is only going to rise unless we learn how to protect ourselves against cyber-criminals. Crime is probably one of those industries that has been helped the most by the internet. While traditional business models took a while to adapt to this brave new world, criminals were right there at the forefront of technological developments, ready to take advantage of those innocent souls who still believed in Nigerian princes with cash-flow problems. However, where most of the internet-based criminal activity takes place now is not on the internet that we see in our day-to-day lives. There is another internet. This one is sometimes known as the ‘darkweb’, ‘the deep web’ or, slightly less cryptically ‘the dark internet’. It consists of billions of sites, some not too savoury, that exist in this dark space beneath our normal everyday internet usage. These sites don’t show up on a Google search, and according to Michael K Bergman, an American academic and entrepreneur, the ‘deep web’ is “400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined world wide web.” This dizzying figure is incomprehensible to the average user of the internet, but to the Russian mafia it’s the place they call home. This ‘dark internet’ is most easily accessed by using a piece of software called ‘Freenet’ which is available to download for free from freenetproject.org. This enables you, after a rather tedious process of downloading and configuration, to view sites based on a range of topics, from the latest in film downloads to ‘porn for nerds’. The makers of the Freenet Project are vehement in their protection of what they see as the cornerstone of the internet: freedom of communication. According to the website, their software has been downloaded 2 million times and is used all over the world, but particularly in China and the Middle East where internet freedom is not assured.** For ordinary users however, Freenet does not seem to hold much allure, there are plenty of places to download films and music both legally and illegally on the normal internet and Freenet’s user interface is a little too slow and clumsy to use all the time. Whilst we still have the right to surf the internet largely without censorship, my vote would be to stick with the devil you know. However, if the enemies of Wikileaks do get their way and the internet becomes a less free place, then downloading Freenet might just be our only option. See you on the other side. * View this document for yourself at: http://www.freewordonline.com/news/wikileaks-and-the-us-embassy-cables/ ** Read more about this at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/26/dark-side-internet-freenet

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Column: ‘slacktivism’ takes hold T

Written by Cerian Jenkins

oday as I sat struggling to write a brain numbing essay about the economic factors of World War II, I turned to my old friend Facebook for some much-needed procrastination. Imagine my surprise and delight to find that I was now friends with, among others, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Super Ted and Paddington Bear. My head instantly flooded with happy recollections of simple times spent enjoying the delights of cartoons, writing in pencil and packed lunches. What this did not do was make me consider the issue of child abuse. In fact, I had to go to some lengths to discover that this wave of profile picture changing had any supposed purpose other than a nice walk down memory lane. It is, apparently, a member-started campaign which asks you to ‘change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same, for the NSPCC’ with the aim of ensuring that ‘… until Monday (December 6th), there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is a campaign to stop violence against children’. Excuse me, what? The claim that this is anything other than a faddish excuse to have some fun is, frankly, ridiculous. Chances are, participants spent longer thinking about which cartoon character to choose than the issue of violence against children. Oh yes, I’m sure many will cry that it raises awareness of the issue of violence against children, but when faced with the fact that around 80% of those on my friends list who changed their profile pictures neither made reference to the charity nor provided any explanation of why they were doing it, the argument falls somewhat flat. None of them even provided a link to the NSPCC’s website. I may seem to be a cynical, hard-hearted grump, but the fact is that this kind of ‘pat on the back’ slacktivism does nothing. If you want to make a difference, this is not the way. You really want to prevent child abuse? Get involved with a local community youth program, or give some of your time to volunteer at a non-profit organisation which works with disadvantaged children. Become a foster par-

ent or, if you are already a parent, take the time to talk to your kids about the issues of sexuality and their bodies. Or just donate 20 flipping pence to a worthwhile cause. But don’t change your profile picture and think you’ve done anything meaningful to prevent child abuse. The issue for me is that whilst it’s fine and dandy to have some fun reminiscing about our childhood, when it becomes a horrendous circle-jerk of faux-enthusiasm over somehow making a difference to the lives of others it detracts from the real efforts of people to help and makes a mockery of the problems faced by so many vulnerable children. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that some people didn’t have good intentions when doing this, or that it’s not fun. But if they somehow fool themselves into thinking that they have ‘done their bit’ by raising awareness then chances are these sofa-saints won’t do anything else to further the cause of helping children facing domestic violence. I am not denying that social networking and the internet has its place in activism; modern technology has an incredible amount of potential for helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Websites such as Justgiving. com provide a tool for grassroots fundraising and awareness which is not hindered by conventional geographical or social limitations. Mass mobilisation has never been so possible nor so simple – we only have to look at the Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’ to Christmas number one last year (in protest against X-Factor style manufactured garbage flooding the charts) to see how social networking sites can be successfully utilised. We can talk to people all over the world with similar ideologies to our own, and actually change this world for the better. But often, instead of contributing people choose to be involved in a mindless bandwagon ‘crusade’ which holds little or no value in the real world nor in the lives of those facing the problems. It may be that this will raise awareness, and the NSPCC may even see a temporary rise in donations, but we need to ask ourselves: is this really enough?

Rage Against the Machine and their no 1 single are an example of successful Facebook campaigning

Facebook fever

www.bathimpact.com

Written by Feli Bran

t is an established fact that Facebook’s main function is to cause students to procrastinate as much as possible. So with deadlines looming I decided to ban myself from this social network in the hopes that it would inspire me to be productive. It only took me a few days to realise how dependent I’ve become. I would love to say these days without Facebook made me more productive but the fact is that I found a number of other diversions. The first thing I had to do was block the website from my browser since I kept breaking my pledge by instinctively typing the address. After that, T.V. was my first choice, but unlike Facebook, there was no pretending that I was doing some work, or taking one of those 10 minute breaks that suddenly turn into 20. So, I decided to stick to the internet. At least if I was using my computer it would mean that I would be able to write my essay if I suddenly became inspired. Many different websites were consulted, mainly music and fashion blogs. When I ran out of ideas, I just kept opening and closing my browser; it got that bad. Besides, I had this nagging feeling of being constantly out of the loop. For example, as a consequence of this self-imposed Facebook abstinence, I started using my phone way more (I spent more during that week than I usually spend in a month). By the time the deadline was over I hurried back to find that everyone had a cartoon as their profile picture and that Facebook had introduced a new profile design. Yet, other than these relatively small changes, everything was still the same. I think I was half expecting to come back to discover something very dramatic or exciting and even some very concerned messages about my absence. Of course none of this had happened, but I still believe that I wouldn’t be able (and I’m certainly not willing) to go another week without Facebook. In a way, my brief period of abstinence proves that in the era of communication, social networks like Facebook have adopted a disquietingly major role in today’s society and living without them might be more difficult than we imagined.

Is this guy the reason you’re failing your degree?

Monday 13th December 2010

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Foxy Knows: Gamer rehabilitation Written by Sam Foxman

n Wednesday 8th December Panorama ran an investigation into the dangers associated with computer gaming and the addiction that some people can apparently (there is as yet no medical evidence on this) experience as a result of playing games. On the one hand it’s not surprising that people keep on doing the things that they enjoy but it wouldn’t surprise me particularly if certain games, particularly online games, could be addictive in the same way that gambling can be. There is certainly something satisfying in the feeling of achievement that one can get from winning at anything. Gaming addiction is bad and can probably happen, but no one sane is making the case that games are as addictive as certain chemical substances. So having established that they’re essentially safe (there is also some evidence to suggest that they’re good for you) we can leave aside this tedious debate about inherent moral tolerability. The more important issue is one of social acceptability. Computer games are, in some cases, more shameful than pornography. Obviously this depends on your tastes. There’s no doubt that my collection of games - principally sports games - is more socially acceptable than my browser history. For people with less niche top-shelf tastes this may well not be the case. Before the launch of bite, an article appeared in the ‘Entertainment’ section of this paper which reviewed ‘Fable 3’. This was a bold thing to review. Games, particularly games of this sort, are often thought of as quite the least socially acceptable form of vicarious living, and they remain either the object of derision or a clandestine pleasure. But

They don’t all look like this. Honest. people live vicariously in all sorts of different ways. There are those of us who have particular addictions to books or to film or to art or to any number of different pointless distractions. Sport is, essentially, pointless. What basis is there for getting a sense of satisfaction from putting a ball in a net or over a line or from any of the other myriad ways it’s possible to win points with balls on different sized

pitches? The rules are set up, you do stuff to conform to this more-or-less arbitrary set of rules, you win, you’re happy. It’s basically the same thing as gaming (granted without the physical health benefits). Fictional emotion is so much more moving than real emotion. That’s almost the point of it. Stories are intended to move the reader or the viewer. Some people engage in similar emotional manipulations, and they’re often the more interesting people to spend time with. All of us, whatever our particular perversion, love things that aren’t real. We love meaningless achievement and satisfaction derived from things that don’t really benefit us in any real sense. And that’s what some people get out of their time with computer games or online. Facebook’s not a bad example of the elision of the real and the fictional. It’s a nonsense medium in which everything that everyone says is public and it allows people to live their lives through other people, through photos or posts or statuses. Granted it is a bit more real than the world of computer games or sport or Gossip Girl, but it’s the same basic game. Facebook stalkers and computer gamers and TV watchers all share this pleasure, even though perhaps they don’t realise it. I have no idea why we have stigmatised something which is so commonplace and which so many people enjoy. More or less everyone likes a lovely bit of gaming, from those who spend six hours a day playing World of Warcraft to those who spend six minutes discovering that they are, in fact, still terrible at Mario Kart. So come out of the closet or cast off your preconceptions. They’re just like us. Only paler.

Made in Bath: a Bath economics graduate 33 years later Name: John Taysom Year of Graduation: 1977 Subject: BSc Economics Favourite student memory: Lying on the parapet of Great Pulteney Street watching a flotilla of hot-air balloons fly south over the city in the fading summer light.

Proudest achievement since graduating: Watching on Yahoo Finance the stock quote for Yahoo on its IPO day (the first day of trading on Nasdaq), derived from a Reuters quote feed for Nasdaq processed over a TIBCO communication link. (Trust me; you had to be there…). I was working for Reuters and led their investment in Yahoo when Yahoo had fewer than 10 staff, and I was on the TIBCO board and the Yahoo board up to their IPO. TIBCO then went on to its own IPO in part based on the value of the new market this demonstration of their technology highlighted. Favourite place/thing to do in Bath: driving in from the London road and seeing the city appear like a mirage takes some beating: once in the city the streets around the Abbey in summer are still a pleasure. Your time at Bath in 3 words: empowering; sociable; reassuring (I got terrible A levels and scraped in by writing sample essays on British Politics - and by choosing the least subscribed course available at that time, Economics and Government, and switching at the end of the first year) .

Written by Sîan Barnett During your time studying at Bath whereabouts did you live - on and off campus? Westwood; garret flat on Great Pulteney Street; and a splendid rambling flat on Grosvenor Place spread over the two upper storeys with amazing views south over open countryside. What extracurricular activities were you involved with and what did you gain from them? I spent a lot of time especially in the first two years at Corsham Art College with an old school friend and his crowd of artist friends. I gained an abiding passion for a certain kind of contemporary figurative art with its roots in the St Ives school. I have been lucky enough to make a small collection since then by artists like Jane Corsellis, Margaret Todd, Ken Howard, Susan Ryder, Guy Taplin et al. What was your first job after you graduated? Price Waterhouse London Group 1 audit. I applied. I never qualified, leaving part-qualified in 1982 to join Reuters which was then still a private company. What advice would you give to someone wanting to go into an IT/Technology– based career? IT is a huge and broad market: IT was once what ran the back-office - the change in the last 10 years is that IT is now what delivers the product proposition. The IT is in the product. This is true whether you are a doctor or a farmer. So in some ways we are all in IT based careers. I would read a few key books: ‘The fate of IBM’; ‘Crossing

the Chasm’; ‘The Empty Raincoat’; and think hard about what is happening to the specific part of the IT industry you are aiming at. Luckily, material science every 5 years or so changes the tentative equilibrium of how to configure an optimal IT solution so its unlikely that if you think a bit that you will end up in the equivalent of the Morris Oxford factory when the world is buying Toyotas. I would get some experience in a structured environment and then head for a promising start-up wherever in the world that happened to be. What does it mean to you to be a Bath graduate? The continued success of Bath is a real source of satisfaction to me: many of those who lectured and tutored me are still there - it is what they have achieved that is something quite wondrous in league table terms - and the new talent Bath can now attract is exceptional. When you think of it, it is a fantastic place to live and work and can stand comparison with any city in the world. Why do you think it’s important to stay in touch with your university and be part of the Alumni Committee? Being part of the alumni group is important because Universities can gain a lot from the experience of alums and alums can gain a lot from being in touch with the University and able to access some of its resources. It should be a two-way exchange. All credit to the Bath Alum outreach programme. They are doing a really great job.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Never have I ever... enjoyed shopping (for others) Written by bite’s sex and relationship Columnist

lack Friday has been and gone, symbolising the bleak reality that Christmas shopping season is well and truly here. Now, I love to indulge in presents for myself, but buying Christmas gifts for other people is always difficult. Having to part with my ‘hard earned’ cash all for an overpriced gesture of festive affection certainly doesn’t tickle my fancy. Buying presents for a lover is always problematic. My long-term boyfriend and I have taken to putting a limit on what we can spend this year, after Christmases and Birthdays of buying the most lavish and expensive gifts for one another. Usually it’s techy gadgets for him, jewellery and lingerie for me. Is that not the beauty of a special occasion for the 21st century couple though? He gets to spend the day downloading apps onto his new iPod touch whilst I admire the new glistening charm bracelet hanging from my wrist. Trust me; this is the best type of foreplay I have ever experienced. This year however, things are different. I can no longer rely on buying an expensive piece of ladture for my rugby playing beau. With a £50 limit, I don’t have much to play with and I’m determined to get it right. But what do I go for? Fifty quid could buy me an impressive lingerie two-piece and a pair of real Christmas stockings. Would that, accompanied with a sprig of mistletoe of course, be a good enough present? I have a feeling that unwrapping me

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would not go down a treat in front of the family on Christmas morning. How about tickets? Tickets ALWAYS go down better than a large glass of rose on a Saturday night, that’s for sure. I could book us in for a spa day? A rugby game (a sport the two of us can enjoy)? Or maybe even a music concert? The problem with tickets though, is that the pleasure is delayed. On many occasions, one can welcome this anticipation, but Christmas Day is a day for indulgence. I want something material to give my man, something he can unwrap and enjoy because, for once, speed doesn’t count. The art of buying the perfect Christmas present is not about monetary value. Gifts for a lover should not be oversexed up either (coming from the girl who still cracks up when she sees the ‘Santa’s Coming’ hat in Ann Summers, that is a hard admission to make!). Presents should be about the thought. I’ve found, that if you pay attention, you will pick up your partner’s most remote desires (fingers crossed, this will not mean the Babes of Hollyoaks 2010 calendar). Don’t just see December as a time to start thinking, always keep note of your lover’s interests, wants and needs. It’s likely that he’s already mentioned something he’s always wanted, and imagine the reaction when you actually give him it! Chances are, he’ll give you something great in return.

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publicity@bathimpact.com get involved bathimpact contributors meetings: Tuesday 14th December 2010 & Tuesday 10th February 2011 18:15 in 4E 2.4, see you there!

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The Guide

Monday 13th December 2010

They’ve made Jeff Bridges young again using (we may not have read this properly) witchcraft. Tron: Legacy is getting The Guide innapropriately excited. In public.

Music

Theatre/Comedy

Exhibitions/Film

The Bees - Thekla, Bristol - 14th December The sixpiece psychedelic rock group from the Isle of Wight will be sending out hippy vibes to audiences in the South West in all the wintry cold and snow. Although they are quite trippy, and you’d never accuse them of being a particularly hard hitting rock act, their tracks do have a fairly driving, bassy element to them that might just encourage the audience to get swaying and moving in their ponchos. Go for some lovely, hempy fun and a cheeky bit of dancing thrown in on the sly. Having said that, their newest album is said to be their mellowest offering yet so perhaps not. Handel’s Messiah - Colston Hall, Bristol - 18th December What December would be complete without a healthy dose of Handel’s beautifully grandiose choral tunes? The setting here is a converted and rather beautiful church which would make the classic “Hallelujah” refrain a little more impressive. Of course, it is rather impressive already but The Guide doesn’t want to have too much tunnel-vision. Get out of the cold and have your cockles warmed by some inspiring, Christmassy anthems that are practically guaranteed to leave you a little speechless. Which could only really be a good thing (as The Guide’s housemates would confirm). Wendy J Bassett - The Pavillion, Bath - 31st December Who doesn’t like country music? No one really, the only people who say they do not are just trying too hard to be fashionable and trying too hard, as we all know, is never cool. So why are you listening to uncool people? Listen to The Guide and go see this singer from The Legends of Country. Line dance like you’re at a barn dance in Montana. Go crazy. You could probably get away with wearing a cowboy hat. You’re not going to get many similar chances around these parts - take it. Hell, you could wear cowboy boots and a string tie. No evening including those things could ever be bad.

Swallows and Amazons - Old Vic, Bristol - 1st December - 15th January How do you make pirates any better than they are already? Have them sing songs. We’re not talking Somalian, gun toting pirates here, by the way, but the proper rum swigging, parrot keeping variety. This is a show brought to you by Neil Hannon, the man who has sold out the National Theatre for the majority of the last few years with Coram Boy and War Horse, so it is probably going to be a bit of a cracker. Did we mention that this is about pirates? Pirates. Herding Cats - Ustinov Theatre, Bath - 7th-18th December The Theatre Royal (including the Ustinov and The Egg) seems to be extremely interested in providing citizens of Bath with productions of plays by up-andcoming British playwrights: earlier this year we were brought Lucy Prebble’s The Sugar Syndrome, now we are being brought Lucinda Coxon’s newest work. Her previous efforts have received a storm of critical acclaim and enough attention to get her a film adaptation starring Nicole Kidman (The Danish Girl). Say you were there and that you knew all about her before she was completely stolen by Hollywood. Magners Funhouse Comedy - The Tunnels, Bristol - 15th December This is a pretty big collection of comedians all crowded into one night. Buzz comedians currently doing the comedy club rounds but not yet stolen by the bright lights of TV panel shows like Seann Walsh and Nick Page are coming near you. Both are widely hyped and very much potential national stars in the next year or so and you can see them and others for the tiny price of £6! Well worth it. Plus if one of them is a bit boring they won’t be on for hours and the next one up might cheer you up. It’s low risk. The Guide likes low risk nights out for very little cost.

Tron: Legacy - Odeon Cinema, Bath - 17th December Alternatively you can go and see this long awaited sequel to the kitsch 1980s Jeff Bridges classic (Tron) which has, finally, been recognised as the groundbreaking, fantastic film that it is. Disney have blown £170 million on the new film to ensure it makes as big an impact as the original, even going so far as to digitally create a young again Jeff Bridges. The Guide wonders how much it would have to pay to get this machine and install it in its living room. This is a dream that is worth anything upto £9 trillion. We could hang out with The Dude! White Russians all round. Burlesque - Odeon Cinema, Bath - 17th December This film stars erstwhile genie Christina Aguilera and more or less every gay man’s favourite ageing icon Cher. It promises lots of lingerie, singing and dancing so could prove to be the biggest gender crossover hit since, well, the last time there were lots of those things in one film (Moulin Rouge). Ever wondered if Christina Aguilera looks better than Cher when they’re both scantily clad? Obviously not, that would be insane. But Christina Aguilera scantily clad can only really be one thing… Boys, this is perfect girlfriend appeasing date material. The Guide’s got your back. In Between Art Festival of Live Art and Intrigue - Arnolfini Galler, Bristol - 1st December - 6th February This promises to be a rather incredible event. Over 75 events involving 130 artists from the UK and beyond will make up a breakneck programme of live, digital, sound, sculptural, architectural, dance, theatre and guerrilla works. Their exhibitions are always good. Go, get your mind blown by all the pretty things on display, then trudge back to University to get on with your revision. We won’t tell anyone, we promise.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Monday 13th December 2010

Fashion: Our brave photographer has a look at fashion on campus www.bathimpact.com www.bathimpact.com

Photos and interviews by Harriet Tangney

Rita Ding, Marketing Masters

Mina Momen (left), Seyedali Miri (right)– Both 1st Yr Pharmacy

Corrina Wilson, 1st Yr Mathematics

Max Lenthall, 2nd Yr Sports Performance

What will you be wearing this season? Hats. I have like eight different hats. Favourite shops? Topshop, Paul Smith, River Island. How do you choose your clothes? I look in Vogue and Look and look for things that are my style

Is your coat real fur? Mina: Yes, it’s rabbit! It’s vintage, my mum’s. Why would you want a fur coat from Topshop when you can have one no one else has? What will you be wearing this season? Mina: Fur - there is never a time not to wear fur! Also desert boots; not only for men but for women too.

Where do you like to shop? Urban Outfitters during their sales, charity shops, TK Maxx. Also I like vintage clothes because you don’t see someone else wearing the same thing as you, that’s embarrassing. It’s just a bit more interesting than just jeans and t-shirt. Current obsession? Dark chocolate Hobnobs!

Favourite shops? Well this jumper is from a charity shop. Vintage shops are my favourite. Why do you like vintage shops? I like that they are different. I don’t want to look like a mannequin out of a shop window. Any other vintage finds? Yeah my bag is, it’s my dad’s. He’s a bit of a nerd, so it’s like geek chic.

Fashion blogs are democratising how style gets stylish F

ashion blogging. You’re either going to love it or hate it. Chances are, either way, you’ve never really experienced the full extent of exactly what’s out there. From The Budget Fashionista to net-a-porter, every end of every market is covered by someone on the internet. And even if you reckon you’re pretty well in there with the fashion blogs, I’ll bet good money you’ve not heard of at least one of these. The Budget Fashionista, a blog by Kathryn Finney, was started in 2003 as an advice site on how to look good on a budget something I’m sure all of us struggle with a lot of the time. Yes, you WANT A Chanel J12 but that’s not what student loans are for. Since its launch way back when, The Budget Fashionista has attracted over 10 million visitors per year and asserted itself quite comfortably as one of the top fashion sites on the internet as well as being mentioned in several worldwide publications. The blog includes where to find the best deals, where to find sample sales, shopping guides and plenty of info on the latest styles. Admittedly the site is America-centric (let’s face it, what isn’t?) but it’s an excellent example of the way modern media has enabled us to share tips and tricks a little lower down the ladder than the diamond-encrusted catwalks of Milan. I suppose TBF is even a little high-end in some respects - ‘luxe gifts under $100’ might still be cutting it a bit fine for yours truly. Delving again into the plethora of fashion blogs (and shielding my eyes from anything Beth Ditto-oriented) I discovered fashionising.com. This blog, edited by Daniel P. Dykes, is a little more focused on pictures and inspiration which, as always, will be easy to emulate with a little imagination and a Topshop or two. It mentions various designers, both well-known and not-so, and has a pictures section full of nothing but street style and how-to-wear. All in all it seems much more global and accessible to the masses. There’s nowhere telling you what to buy, just a stream of fashion

Written by Gemma Hazel Isherwood

consciousness pointing out the trends, what everyone else is wearing and what sort of things the celebrities and designers are loving and hating this season. After all, their “mission is to inspire” us. Fashion blogging when insiders break loose is an area that has raised some debate. When the hard-done-by general dogsbody of the office leaks Vanity Fair’s latest front page or someone sneaks pictures of Vogue’s most recent fashion shoot - it all gets a bit Ugly Betty. The big question is, is this good or bad? That’s really difficult to answer. Do we appreciate not being ‘the little people’ all the time, who only know about anything when the magazines tell us, or do we like being part of the process? Does it matter if we see the content before the finished product? Surely in fashion you can argue that, even in magazine articles, execution is everything. So we’ve seen what shape of shoulder Baleniaga favours, we know what material Christopher Kane will be debuting on his S/S ’11 catwalk, does it matter? We don’t know how these things are going to be presented in the magazines, we haven’t actually seen the catwalks or clothing yet... I would say it mattered, though. It’s not fair for all the hard work that’s gone into fashion magazines to be cast aside by someone stupid enough to think they’re ‘educating the masses’ by letting us know what the fashion top dogs know. I’d rather be surprised by the finished product, start planning my next shopping trip, pick out the key pieces and enjoy something as new information which I wait for each month (yes, I subscribe, so shoot me )rather than seeing something on the shelves and thinking “Well... I already know that”. Firstly, fashion magazines would go down the drain: if we all know everything about this season already, why do we need to buy ELLE? So nobody buys it and they go bust. Then where does the information for leaks come from? I can imagine constant leaks being det-

rimental to the popular fashion industry because eventually nobody would have any idea what to do as there would be no primary sources for any of the much craved information. We would end up stuck in a hierarchical fashion world where, once again, only those with the privileges necessary know what’s what; where only Vogue tells us what to wear. I think we need the magazines as much as we need the little blogs, whether run by professionals or not, it’s great that we have such a diverse system that brings so many people together. Fashion is universal. The internet is universal. A combination of the two has yielded amazing results; we can find out everything we need to know about whatever trends we want, we can shop on a budget, we can shop with no budget at all, we can give advice and we can take inspiration. With the recent help of media like the internet, fashion is quite literally at our fingertips and we should make every attempt to use that to our utmost advantage. It can only be a good thing if styles and trends aren’t simply dictated by a few editors (step forward Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani) because, frankly, monopolising creativity like that goes against what fashion should be. Using your clothes and your style to make a statement about yourself is liberating and enjoyable, it can help to give you a sense of self and allow you to express yourself in a visual way. If, in doing so, you go against the whims of the fashion nabobs then you should not be derided for it. While bloggers might give us different incarnations of what is hot or what is not in a similar manner to the traditionally lauded fashion magazines, they generally encourage people to look good - no self proclaimed fashion forward blogger wants the high street to be filled with scruffy slobs after all. What they do is give us greater choice within the realms of what actually does look good on people. Now if only there was someway to get everyone to embrace stylishness that really would be a revolution!

Calling all Bath Fashionistas Are you a budding designer? Are you addicted to hours of seeking out that perfact bargain buy? Do you despair at the sight of thousands of identical outfits crowding the lecture halls of our dear University? Then we want you.We want all of you creative types to come out of the woodworks and tell us all what’s in and what’s out (although, of course, in the bathimpact tower we consider ourselves to be pretty snappy dressers...). • Do you follow all the fashion blogs the rest of us are far too indolent to get through? Then you should be giving us your insider knowledge. • Anyone out there who personalises their clothes or who, even, makes their own should let us know so we can photograph your achievments and you can give us all tips on how to do the same. • Appearing in these pages will be quite an honour. Do you think you’ll make the cut to join our style luminaries on this double page? Or maybe you have a particularly swish friend - the public deserves to know! • We are desperate for photos all over this section so if you want to get involved in the photography/design side of things we’re also really interested in getting your input. • Maybe some of you are a bit controversial and think fashion is a frivolous, expensive waste of time - tell us your reasons why. As ever get involved by dropping in to our office (Norwood Level 4), sending us an email (ents@bathimpact.com) or by accosting one of us in a public place if you happen to know what we look like.

Monday 13th December 2010

bite-bathimpact

Monday 13th December 2010

Fashion: Our brave photographer has a look at fashion on campus www.bathimpact.com www.bathimpact.com

Photos and interviews by Harriet Tangney

Rita Ding, Marketing Masters

Mina Momen (left), Seyedali Miri (right)– Both 1st Yr Pharmacy

Corrina Wilson, 1st Yr Mathematics

Max Lenthall, 2nd Yr Sports Performance

Fashion blogs are democratising how style gets stylish F

Written by Gemma Hazel Isherwood

Monday 13th December 2010

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Online shopping and the highstreet www.bathimpact.com

Written by Emily Roberts

Warning: Your boyfriend is unlikely to look like this even if you buy him a red suit

Vintage clothing shops aren’t like this! You don’t (always) have to rummage through piles of awful clothes

ver recent years, the popularity of online shopping has grown steadily, opening the retail market up to an ever increasing number of prospective customers. However, when it comes to fashion, is shopping online the natural progression for us Brits or the one trend we ought to curb? One of the online ‘giants’ is ASOS.com, the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer. ‘With over 35,000 branded and own label products available and over 1500 new lines added each week, ASOS.com is rapidly becoming the market leader in the UK online fashion world. The website is aimed primarily at fashion forward 16-34 year olds. As well as having sections dedicated to providing men and women with clothing inspiration, the website also caters to those requiring some assistance with their wardrobe. Moreover, the website has also capitalised on the fact that people are becoming more conscious of environmentally friendly clothing, including brands with ‘a social and environmental ethos’. Online retailers have also cottoned on (excuse the pun!) to the fact that many of us nowadays are interested in emulating the styles of the likes of Cheryl Cole and Robert Pattinson (ASOS, in fact, stands for ‘as seen on screen’). With the launch of Google’s Boutiques.com big name brands are brought even closer to their customers. Google’s new platform - which promises a UK launch very soon - will act as a fashion hub to direct customers to existing retailers. Its major selling point is that celebrity style icons/latest hot young things such as Carey Mulligan have set up their own “boutiques”, showcasing their pick of different lines. Customers can find the exact pieces and brands that they actually wear. The affordability of such items is another story, although with sites such as Boohoo.com providing relatively cheap prices, online retail really does cater to every pocket. A further advantage of online retail is that there is no longer a need to worry about snobby sales assistants and queuing endlessly. Plus you can order items from a huge warehouse so they’re much more likely to stock everything, not like your nearest pokey little H & M which inexplicably refuses to stock underwear or only does women’s clothing and you need to buy your boyfriend some vaguely presentable looking clothes. But with the same old websites dominating the market are they making fashion too predictable, too mainstream? Whatever happened to popping in to town on a Saturday with your Mum to have a good old rummage through the rails, is this process dying out in the UK? I asked fellow bathimpact journalist and housemate Gemma Isherwood, for her view: “I just love going out, window shopping, stopping off for a coffee... the whole experience - way better than sitting in front of a screen on your own! Shopping in the actual shop also means you can try something on, see if it fits, if it goes with something else and if it hangs right on your body. I’ve found some things ordered online look great on the screen but the reality isn’t always that great. It’s also really hard to find unique/ vintage stores online. There are several near where I live (luckily) but the few that have websites tend to be unable to list what they have in stock because it’s ever-changing and unique. I think focusing more on the internet would be a waste of time for vintage shops in a way. I’d rather go in and have the friendly woman at the till telling me all about the pieces available. It’s great to go in and find things that you know nobody else will ever have as well. I have a military winter coat from a vintage shop that I have, to this day, never seen ANYONE else wearing, and I’m always getting compliments about it. High street wardrobes are okay, but a few vintage pieces here and there make for a truly individual look.” The truth is, there is no easy way of knowing if you are getting a good deal or not when it comes to online shopping. My advice would be to search around and look for websites which look reputable and are reasonably affordable according to your price range. Or alternatively, just make like your nan and go to the shops to look for some hidden treasures not available online…the choice is yours!

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Monday 13th December 2010

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Music: Live music beats Youtube Words and pictures by Fabiana Giovenetti

he importance of the live music experience had been rising exponentially until the decline of the record market. If bands didn’t make people eat up a lot of mileage just to see a guitarist rolling around on the floor their future would be jeopardised - how would people know about them? These days, the importance of the ‘live experience’ has been substituted by online fame. Do you want to see the Muse performance of last summer at Wembley? Just go on YouTube, search for it and enjoy. There’s nothing wrong in promoting yourself through YouTube, sharing music videos and so, but it’d be unfair to compare a video with the experience of being nearly killed in the front row of a live concert. It’s no more just a way to self-promote for the bands, but also companies such as the ‘Universal Music Group’ are using it as a marketing strategy. Arctic Monkeys were the first able to demonstrate that internet could allow an almost unknown band to gain fame without the assistance of a record label. All you needed, back in 2006, was a MySpace account. Nowadays the market is more competitive and more strategies of advertising are available. Of course this increase of online sources is leading to the decline of the traditional ways of promoting, for instance live music. In 2006 the CD sales decreased exponentially, meanwhile the popularity of live music surprisingly rose. Gigs became, thus, the main way to make money for a band. This seemed a good compromise. Bands started popping up like mushrooms only to vanish a few months later. Everybody can ‘taste the fame’: the Justin Bieber phenomenon is indicative of that. I advise you to rise from your chair, log out of Facebook and experience some live music. Be stuck in the traffic in the rush hour, sing along with lots of fans like you in a crammed stifling room. I ensure you that this could be an experience you’ll be glad to report to your friends. To prove my point, I’m going to tell you about the delights of The Drums gig I went to on 26th November. All of us were enjoying the gig, The Drums included, until the fire alarm started ringing, at least. But let’s start from the beginning. The band formed by Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham has more than once remarked that they are “the Drums from New York”, even if they come from Florida. Their hit it’s called Let’s Go Surfing, but none of them have ever surfed in their life. Their first LP, “the Drums”, sounds like a bunch of fulsome melodies which undoubtedly blink at the Beach Boy legacy. I expected a bunch of indie guys, most of them too young to get a driving licence - expectation met - and an hour of catchy songs to be listened to simply waving my head just a little. This last expectation was definitely wrong. The gig began with a brief session by the “Two Wounded Birds”, a sixties related band that mixed surfing melodies and Tarantino-esque hits. “The Violens” followed with a bunch of new romantic songs, just in order to warm up the indie crowd that was cramming the Bristol Student Union. All the expectations, all the prejudices swept away as soon as Jonathan Pierce appeared on the stage. Take the surfing melodies and harmonious ballads on the LP and replace them dirty waves and nervous chords. Post punk deposed the surf pop legacy. Jonathan Pierce commanded the stage resembling a hyper version of Ian Curtis. Halfway through the gig the first notes of “Let’s Go Surfing” resounded in the room – another proof that they are not keen on predictable tricks like leaving the “big hit” to the grand finale. A whole wave of people were pushed to the crush barriers, but nobody cares; everyone was that concentrated on dancing. Suddenly, the fire alarm started ringing, somebody from the last row ordered us to evacuate the room for security issues. I’m sweaty, baffled and still jumping in the front row. A long queue is going out a little bit disappointed, but satisfied smiles are all over the place. This is definitely a good anecdote to start a night out but also the example that really proves my point. Live music gives you much more than some YouTube video; fire alarm included.

Going to gigs: how to have fun, get sweaty and rub your body against total strangers all in one night.

Videos on Youtube: how to get bed sores, square eyes and see thousands of ‘funny cats’ all in one night

Monday 13th December 2010

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The music industry is homogenised and it’s all the fault of the internet www.bathimpact.com

Written by Dan Eagles

he music industry is a business like no other. With a history of musical trends that seem to appear from nowhere, take over the world and then disappear as if never existing, the industry is nothing short of bizarre. Indeed, perhaps the only rational way to explain it would be in its cyclical elements. The 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, for example, will be forever remembered for its epoch defining stars - The Beatles and The Rolling Stones immediately come to mind as do artists like Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. These artists redefined music and became hugely visible public figures in a way that had never previously happened. The 21st Century has seen musical genres, most notably ‘indie’ music, becomingly increasingly homogenised with the lines between genres becoming more and more blurred. For instance ‘Pop’ and ‘RnB’ are, often, largely indistinguishable with artists like Rihanna or Beyoncé routinely being described as both. At the same time, the internet has transformed the industry into a virtual world of music downloads and unlimited public access to music being produced by anyone and everyone. ‘Desire On A Short Leash’, the new album by indie band ‘Guilty Hands’ will be released on in February 2011 and so gives a clue as to what the most up to date indie music is like and will be like for the next few months. The album is a product of slicethepie.com, a music website whose investors (the public) awarded the band £15,000 to record the album. Expressing the usual dark, depressive thoughts about the usual topics of broken love, jealousy and hidden lusts, the record is yet another indie album from yet another indie band. While its production is

somewhat a step away from the typical soft-rock clichés of casual guitars and drums, including the use of electronic glitches, strings, samples and synth baselines, the overall result is , sadly, the bread and butter of modern indie music. Indeed, even the superficial extras are generic. The album cover, a naked male torso covered in black, untidy, painted writing of the record’s title, brings back familiar feelings of the My Chemical Romance’s and Panic! At The Disco’s of this world. If the music industry does indeed work in cycles then generic indie bands such as these must surely be on their way out, along with their musical displays of misery and samey so-called passions. Surely they will pave the way for the more original, innovative and truly believable artists that must exist somewhere between the worlds of generic indie and corporate karaoke like the X Factor. Right around the corner is the next Miles Davis or Cole Porter or Prince, right? The problem is that this probably won’t be the case. See, back in the 50’s, and continuing through the 60’s and 70’s, there was no specific music genre or category that these artists needed to fill – there was less history and less tradition weighing down on it. Yes, there were genres, ‘rock and roll’ and ‘folk’ music for example, but there were never the plethora of bizarre sub-genres that bands and solo-artists are pidgeon-holed into like today. What exactly is the difference between darkcore, darkstep and darktech for example? Apparently, they’re all types of drum and bass, which, in turn, is a type of ‘electronic music’. Does any band actually need such terms

attached to them - is it useful for anyone? Fans of one artist were able to also enjoy another artist without having to worry about how society would perceive them. Moreover, in the prelapsarian age before the internet, artists were allowed the luxury of not knowing, and therefore not caring, what other artists were doing. Today, instead, the internet, mass media and global corporations define strict social types and musical sterotypes which teenagers and young adults must decide between. Of course this is the way they became million dollar industries in the first place, through the branding, stereotyping and dividing of society: this is the product for you, specifically, which means you’re practically under an obligation to buy it or else no other products will ever exist that appeal to you. This is why the 21st century has also seen periods of extremely generic ‘hip-hop’ and ‘r&b’ music in the western world, and why the late 20th century enjoyed such an addiction to boy-bands and girlbands. Perhaps what is more likely is that the industry will continue to move in waves, bringing the next popular music-type and therefore the mass fandom, social conformity and generic artists that come with it. I only hope that the internet will continue to enable artists of all types the opportunities to make music and be heard. And that these artists will not be labelled, manipulated and used for financial or commercial purposes, but instead contribute to making a more honest, believable and real music scene. Maybe, just maybe, our segregated society might also benefit.

Bob Dylan (left), one of the huge stars of the 20th century who commanded legions of adoring fans. These days he’d be pigeon-holed out of existence.

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Monday 13th December 2010

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Film: What’s the next step in cinema evolution?

A cinema full of hundreds of people wearing blind glasses, each with a guide dog and a white stick. It will soon become mandatory for cinemas to provide kennels.

Written by Dave Langdale

he technological advances we have seen over the last decade have been astounding. From the Nokia 3210 and 56k modems to iPhones and 50mb broadband, it is clear we are moving at an incredible speed. Yet, this dramatic gadgetry evolution is equally apparent in modern visual entertainment. In the last few years alone we have seen the introduction of high definition and 3D both within the film industry and in our homes. These feats of hi-tech wizardry have transformed the way we look at films and enjoy television, but what’s next? Where can we go from here? It’s hard to imagine what science boffins will dream of to replace 3D cinema. It’s reasonable to assume that we will plateau out now for a few years while the true potential of this format is realised. Yet, we had precious few months with HD before it’s younger and more attractive friend muscled in on the action, leaving HD to grumble miserably that, just because its pixels don’t hit you in the face, doesn’t mean it’s any less enjoyable - it’s what’s on the inside that counts. There is one crucial reason the step beyond 3D is so difficult to comprehend, and that is it has already been done - theatre. The only way things could become any more immersive than 3D is watching people act it out in front of you. Is this what we can expect then? That, instead of paying extortionate prices to sit in front of a huge screen while eating overpriced, mass produced confectionary, we will be offered the chance to watch Trowbridge’s amateur dramatic society muddle through Avatar 2 instead?

Maybe the appeal of cinema will increase exponentially if there is a real opportunity to be noshed off by Neytiri. Determined not to lose their piece of the pie, Hollywood may even create their own touring theatre company, specialising in high definition, 4D displays of action, explosions and public indecency. Thus, making it an ideal opportunity for writers to get real feedback on their creation as their lead actor is hit across the face with a bottle of Lambrini. Yet, if you scratch the surface, this seems a ridiculous notion. The high society types who frequent the theatre are unlikely to welcome the ‘great unwashed’, preferring to gut themselves on their falchion rather than sit next to anyone from the slums of Twerton, with their odd facial features and penchant for eating human flesh. Discarding this, the only real option for Hollywood is to take immersion to a level above theatre. Perhaps the live-action mazes seen at theme parks across the world are not simply an attraction reserved for people who like being grabbed by seedy men in the dark, but a real chance for big bucks. Being able to wander through the swamps of Dagobah, searching for Yoda, with R2D2 bleeping away at your side seems like a fantastic prospect – even keeping equal opportunities in mind, as vertically challenged people all over the world would be drafted in by the thousands. Even this, however, has a ring of implausibility. The ticket prices for a live action re-enactment of Star Wars, with its two hour long playtime and plethora of scene

and costume changes, would prove too expensive, and surely anything less than £50 a ticket would not cover the extraordinary amount of money and planning required to pull the whole film off four times a day. This means it has to be technology that must advance, rather than concept. The only avenue on the horizon available for this progression then has to be virtual reality - a technology which may be just around the corner. Imagine the idea of being inside your television, being able to look around and see every detail of the land being presented, and to interact with all of the characters in the way you would every day life. Not only would you be fully immersed in the environment, able to see and explore every corner of the world you’re put in, you may even have the chance to be a part of the movie. If this doesn’t cause a stir of excitement deep in your loins then you’re almost certainly better off with your M.A.S.H box set and box of Kleenex tissues. There would be nothing more intriguing, thrilling and mystifying than being inside a film, more so if the thin line between movies and gaming finally crumbles and we can be part of the action. Forget sitting in barely comfortable seats wearing blind glasses and chomping on over salted popcorn. Forget even waving your Wii remote round like you’re trying to pleasure an elephant. This form of entertainment will be available from your sofa, fully enjoyable as you sit bollock naked with a coke in one hand, an ice cream in the other and a McDonalds balanced on your balls. Forget everything you already know - this is the future.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Literature: The Aleph of our time shows us just how petty we are Written by Rowan Emslie

n Jorge Luis Borges’ short story ‘El Aleph’ his narrator finds an orb, about two feet in diameter, which contains everything in the universe – ‘a point that contains all other points’. By looking into it the narrator sees images from all around the world, scenes from the past and future, impossible things made real, anything he could want. He is overwhelmed by it and leaves, trying to forget it, but hears, years later, that the house it was in (where it lay unknown to everyone except him and the house owner) was destroyed and the Aleph with it. After an investigation he deduces that it was not the only one, there must be others, because, or so the rumours go, the Amr Mosque in Cairo contains a pillar that is said to house the entire universe within it: you can’t see it but, if you press your ear to the stone, some are able to hear it. It remains an impossible idea that believers know is there, so close but just out of reach. The Aleph represents infinity, an infinite amount of knowledge and size. In mathematics aleph numbers are ones that refer to values of infinity. The image of an orb that somehow contains the entire universe is similar to one of Borges’ favourite allusions; a description of God that is attributed to many different people, most often to the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Empedocles : “God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and circumference nowhere” Interestingly, the aleph is also the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet as well as being the first number – the ‘primordial number that contains all other numbers’ in

Jewish Kabbalistic teaching. It is sometimes associated with the ancient Hebrew folklores about golems (creatures created out of clay) in that they are animated by carving the aleph into their forehead. These stories are classic fables of humankind ‘playing God’, taking the divine power of creation into their own hands by mimicking God’s creation of Adam. Their creations, however, are clumsy and slow and unable to speak, proving that men are merely shadows of their creator. Introducing the myths associated with golems to the idea of omniscience (all knowledge) being something accessible to man seems suggests that Borges is leading us to a question - can humans be responsible with divine or heavenly powers such as omniscience? The reactions of Borges’ characters are mired in pettiness, linked with inconsequential feelings and ambitions: the narrator dislikes the owner so pretends not to have seen it so as to make him question his own sanity; the owner himself, with years of access to it, uses it simply to write a poem. Are we all so shortsighted? When I started thinking about this question the modern day equivalent of the Aleph seemed immediately obvious: the internet. Information of all kinds is available to anyone almost instantly. Quotes, pictures, facts, opinions, histories, conjecture, comments, likes, dislikes - all in different languages with varying arrays of grammatical sense or form, directed to a whole host of different audiences from all over the world. The information that we can get is just like that of the Aleph; it is

incomprehensible to many, jumbled together, on such a vast scale that to try and look at all of it is too much for one person to deal with. Google have just about the biggest internet presence out there what with their phenomenally successful eponymous search engine, YouTube and Gmail service (both of which are completely dominant in their respective fields). With their enormous position and size Google have indexed just 0.004% of what the internet is actually made up of (200 terabytes out of the total 5 million). So, in 2010, more than thirty years after the invention of the internet, we don’t know what 99.996% of the internet actually is. It is simply too large and convoluted that it is practically impenetrable, even with world leading expertise and enormous resources. When you give the ability to an individual person to access such a thing, understandably, they tend to stay well within the tramlines of petty banality. This is why Youtube is filled with videos of babies and cats in various positions and situations ‘being hilarious’. For instance a video entitled ‘Hahaha’, in which a baby laughs whenever the cameraman makes a noise, has over 149 million hits and almost 175,000 comments ranging from devastatingly insightful observations like “this lil guy sounds like he just came from the hooka and had a serious dose of HASH” to flashes of painfully intense personal reflection like “this reminds me of my godmother’s son”. Borges was probably more correct than he ever might have suspected.

Look! A small child AND a kitty!?!1 OMFG that is completely MegaLOLZ! AHAHAHA I bet she can’t pronounce some words. And that cat’s got a face!?!

Monday 13th December 2010

Puzzles Corner

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Welcome to Puzzles Corner! Handily placed on the back of bite, ready for your emergency coffee break. Perfect for de-stressing between coursework or revision sessions, and will keep your brain working too! The hard sudoku is much easier than the evil one set last week, hope it wasn’t too stressful!

Puzzles by Katie Rocker

Across

20. Wealthy, luxurious (7) 2. Overhead covering or 24. Digit (6) 26. Use (7) shelter (6) 6. Symbol indicating a 28. King Arthur’s sor cerer (6) footnote (6) 7. Horse’s headgear (6) 29. Unclear (5) 30. Question (5) 8. Window (4) 9. Nasty old woman (3) 32. Twitter message (5) 34. Lead (5) 10. Mock (5) 35. Large city (10) 11. Neck warmer (5) 36. Metallic Christmas 13. Anger (4) decoration (6) 15. Speak quietly (7) 37. Optimal; beat (4) 18. Kill (6)

Solution for last issue

Down 1. Small greyhound (7) 2. Sauce used with roast turkey (9) 3. Gift (7) 4. Walk (9) 5. Within hearing (7) 6. Ten years (6)

Easy

7. Christmas ornament (6) 12. Hide in fear (5) 14. Evidence (5) 16. Truthful (6) 17. Poke (4) 18. Hanukkah candle (7) 19. Interstellar gas cloud(6) 21. Lightning (11) 22. Able to read / write (8)

23. Dance style (6) 25. Scratch (car) (3) 27. Joke (4) 31. Useless (5) 33. Long narrative poem; awesome (4)

Hard

Monday 13th December 2010

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www.bathimpact.com Science Is Christmas spirit a So...you wanna pass your exams? Bruce Fanshawe looks at the implications on society of adopting drugs seasonal cure? to boost brain power and what to expect from a smarter human race

Robyn Brooke explains why it truly is the season to be jolly

he season to be jolly is approaching at the speed of a deer-drawn carriage. Although it’s been many years since I imagined non-existent sounds coming from the rooftop, and felt the wonder of discovering the empty sherry glass and mince pie case, there’s still plenty of magic left to light up Christmas morning. Mulled-wine fuelled euphoria and piles of presents aside; what is it that makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? It could be the promise of endless indulgence. Turkey, mince pies, eggnog, chocolate, none of your standard Christmas menu is particularly good for the waistline and you can guarantee there’s going to be a stampede to sign up at the local gym come the 26th. Research has shown that although you may pack on the pounds over the festive season, the pre-Christmas diet and resulting fitness craze afterwards are enough to fend off the worst of the bulge and leave us feeling guilt-free to enjoy that extra glass of champagne. There are sackfuls of evidence that suggest that throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into the festivities is actually good for our health. Getting together with family and friends, siblings and spouses may seem exhausting, sometimes irritating and leave our purse string feeling stretched but it’s all worth it. The University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Research on Families and Relationships suggest that a family’s identity, and even their sense of security, is dependent on how far we commit ourselves to the ritual of the annual blow-out. Some of the most interesting Christmas-based studies include one from Syracuse University who claim that if children with asthma ate Christmas dinner together as a family, they were less likely to be

No need to mull this one over hospitalised. Another study found that teenagers who were accustomed to big family meals were more grounded, and less likely to engage risky behaviour, such as taking drugs, drinking, smoking, as well as less likely to suffer depression. We instinctively know that when we do meet together, it’s important, no matter how infrequently the extended family gets together. We are social animals and our genes give us instincts for living in groups and cooperating with each other for survival and satisfaction. Our genes have propelled us towards living in family-based social groups. Even in our modern society, there is evidence that the unrestrained and uncensored gossip that goes on at family gatherings can be healthy and highly beneficial by making us feel secure. In the safety of their own home, we are constantly reassured that although terrible things may have happened, we’re okay and still a family. So what is the whole point of Christmas? Is it the giving? The family? Maybe mistletoe and wine? Personally, I think that the older we get the more we see the harsh truth of the real world, yet we still get one day a year when nothing else matters but what matters to us most. What I mean by this is, although we may miss the prospect of the chubby guy in a red suit leaving presents under the tree, we gain the value of what this season is truly about; and that is something unique and special to every one of us.

ognitive enhancement is the technical term for how brain function can be improved; hence your very presence at university is a journey of cognitive enhancement (with the exclusion of drunken nights out...). Cognition itself is primarily concerned with the way in which an individual is able to organise and process information from its surroundings in an attempt to instruct behaviour. An improvement in key brain functions such as how we retain information (i.e. memory) and how we perceive certain inputs in our environment are likely to have large benefits for society; the method by which we go about implementing this is more of a challenge. A key advantage of using drugs over conventional methods such as teaching to enhance cognition is that results present themselves far sooner that would be possible through years of learning. This is not to say drugs are a substitute for good teaching, but theoretically enable a streamlining of education. Needless to say that in an ideal world a drug with no side effects, is available to all, and costs very little would be extremely useful, however the debate over whether drugs should be used to cognitively enhance man largely centre on the ethical consequences. The key question to ask is whether or not you, the reader, would be prepared to stomach a legal tried and tested cognitive enhancing pill to attain greater academic strength. Cognitive enhancing drugs are scientifically termed nootropics, literally meaning to alter the mind. The daily use of caffeine by many is often an invaluable tool to kick-start or in some cases get through the day, improving both concentration and alertness. Caffeine itself is a stimulant which is able to cross the bloodbrain barrier and bind to adenosine receptors in the brain. Towards the other end of the spectrum a number of drugs have been used illegally by students to gain an edge over

their peers. One of these drugs is a stimulant known as Ritalin, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin will act to inhibit the reuptake of dopamine (a neurotransmitter – enabling communication between nerve cells) in the brain, meaning its effects act over a longer period. Dopamine is largely associated with the pleasure part of the brain reinforcing enjoyable actions, however it also has a number of cognitive functions. Ritalin in this case, dependent on the dosage, can be used to allow work without sleep for hours. University life is no doubt demanding: house parties, work, sex, socials, sport and the list goes on; with such a packed routine its no surprise that some students are more than tempted to make the most of their youth in the form of cognitive enhancers. To date no drug has been designed by a pharmaceutical company with the sole aim of enhancing the brain function of an otherwise healthy individual, most are drugs used to treat existing medical conditions, as is the case with Ritalin. Research into nootropics themselves is largely hindered by regulatory hurdles imposed on pharmaceutical companies – after all what problem is there to solve? For this reason the risk posed by cognitive enhanc-

ers on healthy individuals is largely uncharacterised, although addictiveness, loss of apetite, and anxiety have been recorded in a number of cases. Indeed you could be forgiven for thinking neuroenhancers are the holy grail of productivity (presently at least). The world is a busy place in which time couldn’t be more invaluable, it is therefore the power of cognitive enhancers to weaken our greatest enemy. The future looks set to be dominated by the debate over cognitive enhancers and their place in society is yet to be determined, but it can be seen that their use within certain pockets of society could be beneficial, for example with reasearchers and doctors. The possibility of scientific advancement at breakneck speed due to cognitive enhancement is likely to be groundbreaking. The key problems occur with misuse and availability for people, an imbalance in availability could for example produce deep rifts in society. What is needed as with most new technologies from genetic modification to nanotechnology, is directed unimpeded research with a focus to informing the general public correctly. For the time being however, relying on coffee, sleep and a good diet are the only (legal) ways to reach your full potential in the January exams. Good luck!

Polar bears are hitchhiking their way through climate change Robyn Brooke bathimpact Contributor

he future is uncertain for the largest land predators in the world, the polar bear. Increasing temperatures caused by global warming are threatening species of all kinds across the world, but those who are in real danger live in specialist environments like the ice caps. However, even in the face of extinction, polar bears have

shown an innate desire for survival through letting cubs hitch a ride on their backs. The reductions in Arctic ice have caused problems for the bears who, despite being excellent swimmers,

hunt and breed on top of the sea ice. As the ice continues to melt, it is likely that polar bears are increasingly going to have to swim for longer distances in freezing waters, which is a major concern for survival of their cubs. Young polar bears do not have a sufficient layer of fat to prevent heat loss and stop them getting cold if they are swimming in the sea for a prolonged period of time. Cubs are forced to cover these distances with

their mothers as waters surrounding scattered ice are prime sealhunting territory for the animals. This led to the need for a behavioural adaptation to help parents and cubs survive the substantial environmental pressures that threaten their survival. Thankfully such an adaptation has been spotted by the WWF-Canon Polar Bear Tracker Programme, who revealed polar bears carrying cubs on their backs while they

swim through icy waters. Travelling on the mother's back will mean the cub's body will be in direct contact with the adult's fur and a large part of the baby will be out of the icy water which will be vital in reducing heat loss and ensuring their survival in delicate early years. This phenomenon and ability to adapt their behaviour has shown that even with the demise of their habitat polar bears aren’t going without a fight.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Science

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Cynthia Kenyon and the A new weapon in the fight agaist AIDS philospher’s protein Sam Lewtas Science Editor science@bathimpact.com

t’s impossible to have made it to 18 years of age and not to have considered your own mortality, and Oscar Wilde certainly wasn’t the first to come up with the idea of eternal youth in The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the last hundred years, science has been moving forward exponentially. The latest generation of seekers after the elixir of life have made some pretty fantastical discoveries that, if correct, could soon lead us to extending our lifespan beyond that which is naturally possible, and could even lead to changes in the essence of what it is to be human. Cynthia Kenyon is one of these people, and an American molecular biologist. She has devoted herself to studying the intricate workings of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny creature about the size of this comma, a model organism which is commonly used to imitate and study the biology of ourselves and other organisms. In her laboratories, through very small changes in the DNA and with no other factors changed, she has cooked up some specimens which can live up to 8 times as long as another worm. Normally they live between 2-3 weeks, however some of her modified specimens can live beyond 140 days, though stretched this far they didn’t quite function as per normal. We’re not programmed to die, and we’re not programmed to age either, our DNA simply has nothing new to give us past our mid 20s, and our bodies slowly wither away, organ by organ, wrinkle by wrinkle until we find ourselves taking our last breath on this planet and pass into the unknown. Previous attempts to change the genes that control ageing in this worm led to a marked decrease in fertility, however, Dr Kenyon hoped to find a gene that would just slow down the ageing process, and affect nothing else. In a frenzied attempt at randomly changing single genes of its 20k

strong DNA, she stumbled across DAF-2. By modifying this gene, ever so slightly as to reduce mildly its activity, she found something big. With what must have been a building feeling of pure astonishment, she observed that these worms lived twice as long. Not only did they live twice as long – but her mutants aged twice as slow, remained fully fertile and reproducing for twice as long, and were more resilient to environmental damages, such as infections, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease (in those modified to express it); as well as her laboratory experiments, such as exposing them to hugely damaging hydrogen peroxide, extreme heats and even drying out. In essence, when they’ve reached 14 days, they’re only as old and as active as a 7 day-old. DAF-2, a hormone receptor, was found to inhibit daf-16 relocating to the nucleus. When the activity of DAF-2 is reduced, DAF-16 is unleashed and initiates the upregulating a whole bunch of host defences, more anti-oxidants, immunity mediators, changes in how they metabolise food amongst many more. Put simply, daf-16 is a fountain of youth protein that not only makes the worms live longer – but slows down the body clock making them stay young for longer. Can the same be said for humans though, I mean, apart from Earthworm Jim, worms are very different. Is it possible, that somewhere buried within the archives of our DNA, we too have this latent ability to stave off aging. Can we unlock nature’s secrets and be in mid-life aged 80 years? Well, yes, but to what degree we’re still uncertain, however very similar pathways exist in our DNA. When the worms had glucose introduced into their diet, the scientists saw that the activity of DAF-2 increase. They turned their heads towards the insulin receptor in humans, or IGF-1, and saw that it too linked to a fountain of youth protein – FOXO, and it responds in the same way. To use Dr Kenyon’s example, imagine when you are 40, you’re single, and you meet someone in a bar. They look the same age as you, act the same age as you, but when you ask how old they are they’re actually the same age as your granddad. Or imagine retiring at 65 and starting a whole new career, still full of youth and vigour, feeling only as old as 32. We can mimic the effects of the worms by changing our diet – not by the age-old method of calorific restriction, but by

Esther Osarfo-Mensah tells us about the pill that could save millions

The proof is in the pudding still sexy at 50 simply cutting most of our starchy and refined sugars out of our diet, instead of eating bread, eat broccoli, and make up the rest of the calories with good sources of fats and oils. In fact many of the old-age diseases are being linked to insulin resistance. In Alzheimer’s they believe that metformin – a drug which suppresses glucose being released from the liver, may actually reduce the chances of onset, and actually tackle the tau-protein tangles which are prevalent in it, improving the progression of the disease. Also, centurians – people who make it past 100, have been found more likely to have extra active phenotypes of FOXO. In the future it is not so farfetched that by simply swallowing a pill with our cereal, we could all benefit from the FOXO protein. Pretty soon, one way or other, we’re going to have to seriously tackle the issue that we’re living longer in society. The idea that all of us could live longer than nature has previously allowed will raise some serious issues. If we are staying active longer, we will be better able to prepare for the inevitable old age, but it must also be noted that nothing like this has been seen so far throughout history; therefore we will be entering into a whole new era. As John Troyer, from the Centre of Death in Society, University of Bath explains, the effects could be enourmous: “Death without limits is living without ends, and human mortality is that thing which makes us most human. Exponentially increasing life span isn’t so much about living longer as it is about redefining Homo sapiens.” The idea of growing old is upsetting at the best of times, but the implications of lifeextending research is very scary indeed, and the world 50 years from now could be quite different.

magine this. A pill that could significantly reduce your chances of contracting HIV. A dream, right? Something that some mug has drunkenly decided to type in a Wikipedia article right? Not so. A study conducted by researchers from The University of California at San Francisco and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown promise that could help us defeat this disease once and for all. HIV (Human Immunodefiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system by infecting white blood cells, leaving the body vulnerable to a wide range of diseases. It’s a debilitating condition that affects an estimated 33 million people worldwide, and has no cure despite its notoriety. HIV is difficult to treat as it is a special type of virus, known as a retrovirus. This means that it reproduces within the white blood cell, kills it, and then releases copies of itself into the blood stream that go on to infect more cells. Other white blood cells are unable to detect the virus’ presence due to its ingenious method of disguising itself as one of them. Additionally, the virus has a talent of being able to mutate very quickly into various strains. So, in the case of HIV, prevention really does trump cure. The pill, called Truvada, contains an antiretroviral drug that hinders the way that the virus replicates in the cells, thereby reducing the risk of infection. In the trial, involving almost 2,500 gay and bisexual men from South Africa, Thailand, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and the U.S., the group that took the pill had nearly 44% less new cases of HIV than the group taking the placebo. It’s important to note that the pill had to be taken daily, and the participants received regular counselling and testing for other STIs and STDs, as well as treatment for them. The participants found it difficult to be consistent with their intake, causing us to ask that if the men, in a controlled and supportive environment, found it hard to be consistent, how effective would the pill be in real life? Also, would mass producing a pill that notably reduces the risk of HIV contraction lead to a false sense of security and therefore a fall in the practice of safe sex? This would hamper our

fight against the condition, not aid it. The drug isn’t cheap either. Costs of between $5,000 and $14,000 in the U.S. mean that it would be tricky to allow it to be widely available, particularly to poorer areas of the world where the drug would be urgently needed. The pill isn’t the only new development that’s making the health and scientific communities sit up and take notice. Another trial that took place last year involving injecting drug users in Thailand has shown promise. Researchers tested a vaccine against the disease, which protected nearly a third of the participants. This year, research in South Africa has trialled a vaginal gel that includes an antiretroviral that almost halved the risk of a woman being infected with HIV by a positively diagnosed partner. The take home message from scientists however is that applying many strategies will be more effective in the fight against HIV than just one method. The use of condoms, regular screening, awareness of the HIV status of yourself and your partner, as well as the pill and other preventative approaches will give us the chance to end this 30 year crisis once and for all.

Condoms are still the safest method

Monday 13th December 2010

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Sahara battle for world power Simon O’Kane bathimpact Contributor

en thousand times the total power used by humankind falls on the Earth’s surface in the form of sunlight. But how can we convert this light into electricity that we can use? There are two methods for generating electricity from sunlight; photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar thermal power plants. Photovoltaic cells use a semiconductor (usually silicon) to absorb photons and use their energy to liberate electrons in the silicon from their chemical bonds, creating an electric current; this is the type of solar power most readers will be familiar with. Solar thermal power plants use mirrors to concentrate sunlight with the aim of heating water, oil, air or even molten salt to drive a turbine that generates electricity by spinning a permanent magnet, in a similar way to how fossil fuel and nuclear power plants work. Proponents of both of these power sources have their eyes on the most sun-baked area in the world – the gargantuan Sahara desert. Representing the solar thermal side is the German-headed Desertec Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a “global mission” to promote renewable energy production and distribution throughout the world, with a particular focus on harnessing solar thermal and wind power in deserts. Announced last year, their ambitious Europe, Middle-East and North Africa (EU-MENA) project involves linking up solar thermal power plants in the deserts of the Sahara and Arabian Peninsula with hydroelectric power from Scandinavia, geothermal power from Iceland

and wind power from various regions in order to provide for 15% of Europe’s electricity needs and even more of MENA region’s requirements by 2050. On the photovoltaic side of things stand the Japanese who, if national stereotypes are to be believed, are even more ambitious. In this case, the stereotype rings true – just last month Professor Koinuma Hideomi of the University of Tokyo claimed that his proposed Saharan Solar Breeder Project, also known as the Super Apollo Project, will aim to be able to provide for half of the world’s electricity needs by the same date of 2050. How, people ask incredulously? The main drawback of photovoltaic power generation is the high cost of the crystalline silicon required to make the panels. Sand, however, is made of silicon dioxide (SiO2). So if a single photovoltaic power plant is installed in a hot, sandy desert such as the Sahara, the energy harnessed can be used to extract silicon from the sand and thus manufacture more photovoltaic power plants and so on. In his YouTube video, Koinuma explains, “The total research expenditure will be 100 million Yen annually for five years, but that won’t be enough to complete the project… To train people, I think that, rather than just bringing well-understood technology from developed countries to developing ones and teaching people how to use it, it is important to do R&D together, right from the start, on technology that isn’t yet understood. Because technology hasn’t yet been established for making

silicon from desert sand, then using it to make solar cells, our aim is to work together from the basic research stage, so we can discover and nurture talented scientists and engineers in Africa.” True to his word, academics from universities in both Japan and Algeria are working as equal partners on the project in the hope others will join them. Both types of solar power generation have their advantages and

disadvantages. Solar thermal power generation can be done on a larger scale without the need for complex distribution networks, but cooling is a big problem in the desert where by definition water is scarce; although air cooling is an option, it can use up to 10% of the electricity generated. Photovoltaic cells on the other hand require comparatively no cooling, have much lower labour costs and outperform solar thermal in clouds or sandstorms. However, heat is much easier to store overnight than electricity – a big advantage for solar thermal. Although Desertec broadly approved of the Breeder project, they have publicly criticised their decision to use superconducting cables for power transmission. Superconductors are metals or metal oxides that, when cooled below what is called the critical temperature,

exhibit zero electrical resistance, meaning that no energy is lost to heating when electricity is passed through it – superconductors are widely used to make powerful electromagnets in devices such as MRI scanners. However, cooling down to liquid nitrogen temperature, in a desert of all places, uses a lot of energy and Desertec claim a nonsuperconducting alternative would be more economical. They plan on using high-voltage direct current (HVDC), which outperforms conventional alternating current (a.c.) power lines. Both projects aim to use some of the electricity generated to power desalination plants, with the longterm aim of being able to cultivate the desert. However, there are concerns that, even if the project is successful, it will do little to alter the present geopolitical situation; at best it will simply transfer power and wealth from one set of oligarchs to another, as Europe will still be dependent on other countries for its energy, many whose democratic legitimacy is questionable at best. Other criticisms include suggestions that the projects, being untested on this scale, would provide less value for money than investing in smaller-scale renewable energy projects closer to home, especially given the cost of transmitting power over such huge distances. Proponents of the idea believe that the need to limit anthropogenic climate change and our dependence on finite resources trumps politics and requires a truly internationalist mindset. I will say simply this – at least NIMBYism isn’t a problem out in the desert!

Night raver or day braver - What can your chronotype tell you? Robyn Brooke bathimpact Contributor

e students are often stereotyped for our unusual working hours, lack of sleep and general inability to get out of bed in the morning. But I’m sure we’ve all lived with someone who loves the early hours and greets you with a painfully cheery “Morning!” as you emerge sleepy-eyed for your 8.15 lecture. We all have naturally different biorhythms - innately cyclical processes, for example our sleep/wake cycle. We also have differing preferences for certain types of day – this is termed your chronotype, and scientists have demonstrated that this has a partly genetic basis. It’s thought that our various chronotypes evolved so that humans could watch for danger at all hours.

However, chronotypes do change throughout the course of your life; it’s well known that teenagers and young adults are more active in the evening, while older adults favour the mornings and generally need less sleep. Unfortunately for us night owls, morning types are generally viewed more positively. ‘Morningness’ is linked with conscientiousness, while people who struggle to focus during the day may be written off as lazy and undisciplined. Few people are even aware that morningness and eveningness are biologically controlled. Recent research has shown that ‘morning people’ may have the advantage in the working world. Christoph Randler, of the Heidelberg University of Education, has shown a link between

morning types and career success. In research focused on students, morning types tended to get better grades, and were better at anticipating and solving problems. They tended to be more optimistic and more proactive, thought to be because they had more time to prepare for the day. In many career sectors, and particularly in the City, important meetings are generally held in the mornings – it is the best time for decision-making. However, starting earlier can also mean you finish earlier, so there’s no reason why night people can’t accomplish just as much as morning people, at different times. There is increasing research defending the qualities of night people. A Spanish researcher has linked chronotypes to personality traits; early risers are likely to

be logical and analytical, whereas those that stayed up late were more imaginative and intuitive. According to Randler, night owls tend to be more creative, humorous and extroverted. Ok, so it’s good to see the sunshine, but night people have their advantages too – we need a balance of both types in the world. Although the vast majority of school and work schedules are suited to morning types, companies with predominantly young staff are increasingly exploiting “eveningness” by promoting flexible working hours. Only you know when you work best, so take advantage of your peak hours. However, you may be lucky and be one of those people who seem to be able to work 24/7 (Architects, I’m looking at you!).

Panda breakthrough Robyn Brooke bathimpact contributor

cientists in the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre in China have made a critical breakthrough in their bid to save the endangered Giant Panda from extinction. Following on from this it is hoped that pandas can then successfully be reintroduced into the wild. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca meaning “black and white cat-foot”) are members of the bear family native to the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China. Their numbers in the past few years have drastically diminished with only a few thousand now on the planet (both in the wild and captivity). This loss is mainly due to two reasons: loss of habitat and their notorious reproductive habits. Pandas eat predominantly bamboo (20kg a day), and so when bamboo forests are cut down to make room for housing and industry, it puts the panda at a bit of a loss. In many cases, in the event of habitat loss, pandas cannot get to new bamboo forests in time before they starve to death. The other main reason for the decreasing panda population is their myriad of reproductive obstacles. Firstly, female pandas are only fertile for 72 hours a year, and are only able to become pregnant in a 12-24 hour window of this time. Also, it was found out that pandas in captivity were ‘turned off’ and just didn’t want to mate. Male pandas have short penises, meaning that additionally pandas need a specific position in order to successfully mate at all. Research later found out that pandas don’t even have much of an idea what this ‘magic position’ is. All in all, the odds were stacked against the researchers in Chengdu, forcing them to get a bit sneaky. It is commonly known that when pandas do give birth, a high percentage of the cubs are twins. Unfortunately in the wild the adult usually concentrates on only one of the twins (it is thought this is because the mother lacks the necessary milk and energy to care for both) and abandons the other. In Chengdu, their moment of brilliance was to rotate both cubs between the mother and an incubator; fooling the mother into thinking it was caring for only one cub. This method has resulted in a 98% cub survival rate, meaning that efforts to introduce more pandas into the wild can now go ahead.

Monday 13th December 2010

bathimpact

Media

www.bathimpact.com University

Bath

Students’

Union

STUDENT

University of Bath Students’ Union

URB BLURB

14 4 9 A M

Our wonderful Student Radio Station 1449am URB wants to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas

m edia T Come Dine with Ctv Our amazing Campus Television Station Ctv have organised a televised Come Dine With Me competition. Three teams of two are taking part, the URB team, the bathimpact team and the Sabbs. Here are the photos from Dave and Nick’s turn to host...

he holidays will soon be upon us, so things are winding down here at URB, but to soften the blow of us leaving you during the festive period, we have made you a very special Christmas present. The incredibly talented URB Singers (including a few sabbs and bathimpact writers roped in to make us sound better!) have recorded for your aural enjoyment a version of The Pogues’ classic, Fairytale of New York, as you’ve never heard it before. Stay tuned to URB to hear this festive spectacular! However, if you want something a little more intellectually stimulating to listen to over the

University of Bath Students’ Union

Ctv

C a m p u s Te l e v i s i o n

he student protest against student fees continues, so does our coverage of this national event. A crew has been once again, send to London, to provide you with the latest footage on what’s happening. They will be shadowing Bath Spa and the University of Bath SU president all day. Also planned during the day is a crispy interview of Don Foster right before he is supposed to vote. Check out bathctv.com or watch us in the Student Centre. In other news, we are proud to an-

holidays, then URB has that covered too. On Friday 3rd December, Don Foster came to campus to discuss tuition fees with concerned students. If you missed our live broadcast, then you can download a podcast of the whole event; just go to our website, www.1449urb.co.uk and click on ‘Podcasts’. There you will also find Buzz, our weekly current affairs show, which features an exclusive interview with Don Foster, as well as all the news affecting us students here in Bath. From all of us here at URB, have a wonderful holiday! And remember it’s not too late to get involved in URB for semester 2!

Zap

nounce you that our brand new series Come Dine with Ctv has finally entered in post-production (editing). The last episode is going to be shot this Thursday where the bathimpact duo will be hosting the final dinner party. We will be having a premiere right after the inter-semester break: make sure you don’t miss it. On a final note, all the Ctv Commitee wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. We’re always looking for new members, so make it your New Year’s resolution to join us!

Monday 13th December 2010

bathimpact

Sabbs Corner

www.bathimpact.com

Let’s go a-hunting VP Welfare and Diversity, David Howells, gives you the low down on house-hunting

nce again we find ourselves at this special time of year again. As the long cold nights set in and the exams loom, students’ thoughts turn to the question of where they’re going to live next year. Maybe you haven’t yet thought about it, maybe you have, but either way I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the process. Moving into the private sector can be one of the most daunting and stressful parts of the student experience, but this need not be the case. So here are some handy tips, the first being my opportunity to take advice from that font of all knowledge, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: 1. DON’T PANIC - contrary to popular belief (often perpetuated by second year students who only believe it because they were told by third years), there is no shortage of housing in Bath, and if you don’t have a house by Christmas you will in fact be perfectly fine! 2. Wait for the accommodation housing list in February - the list is available from midway through the first week of semester 2, and contains hundreds of properties to suit anyone’s choices. Plus these properties are accredited, meaning they meet a minimum standard of living conditions that we recommend for all students. 3. Choose housemates wisely - the people you live with

James Huelin, our VP Comms, wishes students a Merry Christmas

Read these helpful tips if you want a happy house next year! will define the next year far more than the place you live. Make sure you actually want to live with them! 4. Pick a good number Four, five or six people houses are common, nine or ten are not. It’s probably better to have two nice five person houses than one horrible ten where you’re all together. 5. BE SELFISH - this is unusual advice, I admit, but trust me, its better to be selfish in your decisions than end up in a compromise you can’t stand for a year. 6. Don’t live with couples - Just don’t. Especially if they only got together two weeks ago. The break-ups will be messy. And this applies to those in couples too! 7. Where not what - The dream house might be out there, but if it takes you 80 minutes to get to campus you might find you don’t spend much time there. Plus,

if you like going out of an evening, think about how you might be getting home in future. 8. There’s always other options - most students choose to live with other students in houses. But if you want to lodge with a landlord or commute from Reading, the options are out there! 9. Get your contract checked - the staff in the Advice & Representation Centre (student centre level 3) will happily check any contract, so make sure you take it to them before you sign it. 10. DON’T PANIC - because some messages can’t be said enough!

ing and debating; from Afro Caribbean dancing to barbershop singing; Sushi making to Bulgarian food. There was also a film festival with discussions ranging from Romanian life and culture to human trafficking. This year, it’s YOUR opportunity to show case your tal-

can’t believe that I am writing a Christmas message already. It seems a bit cliché to point out the obvious, but I find myself wondering where this term has gone; it seems like two weeks ago that term started, and less than a month since we took office. Summer was full of training events which made that fly by, and since Freshers Week various projects, including certain national campaigns seem to have taken much of my focus. My fifth attempt for the Christmas message doesn’t seem to be getting any easier to write. My first draft tried to appeal to you all to seek out your optimistic side. With the all the gloom that seems to have splattered the papers in recent months, the fact remains that we as a society are still much better off than many others. I decided this is a line that we hear every year, and whilst it doesn’t make it any less true, my Christmas message could do better. Attempt number two tried to appeal to the charitable person in each of us, but then I realised that

among you will work hard without much prompting, so that was draft four out the window. So here I am, on my fifth and final attempt (because it is the Snow Ball in two hours and as much as I love you all, I would like to party as well!). Sat at my desk, I was wondering how to drum up the cheer to write you an inspiring Christmas message when I realised that I was joined by ‘Lifted’ who have their regular Wednesday choir practice down the hall. At one point they were, somewhat ironically, practising a melody that seemed to be an extract of Silent Night which repeated the line “In heavenly peace”. Smiling to myself I realised that I’d never noticed how nice it is to have what I can only describe as “heavenly music” emanate from the room down the hall to cheer me up and keep me company when I work late. And so continuing down that trail of thought I realised that encouraging you to all be grateful this Christmas was a nice sentiment to express, but more specifically, to be grateful for those that keep you

this isn’t likely to generate much of a response among ‘poor students’ who have to use what remains of their loans to fork out for Christmas presents for the family (and maybe the odd pint or two at all the Christmas drinks parties that we will undoubtedly gatecrash). The third and forth drafts followed the second one swiftly into the bin. Trying to suggest you keep the heating on over Christmas to stop frozen pipes sent me to sleep more that the Queen’s Speech (and anyhow, you’re students: saving money is your speciality) and it seemed futile to encourage you all to work hard for your exams over Christmas, as I know from first hand experience that the distractions of the festive season can prove too much for the big kids in all of us. And anyway, the more studious

company. For me, in work, the last month has been long, stressful and sometimes depressing, and yet outside work, some close friends have told me they have never seen my happier. I have made some special friends outside of work in the last month and without them I wouldn’t be half as happy as I am. Reading this I hope they know who they are, but either way I will be making sure they know how lucky I feel to have them around me at what can often be a very lonely time of year. I encourage you all to do the same this Christmas, whether it is family, friends, housemates, course mates or maybe its people you barely know, but don’t be afraid to spread a little festive joy. We could all use it. Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings to you all. James x

For more information, come to the Advice & Representation Centre or check out http://www. bathstudent.com/welfare/guides/ housing/

Many cultures, one festival

o you want to get involved in the fastest growing student festival in Bath? Are you involved in a society and want an opportunity to perform and share your talent? Want to play in multi-national sports matches? Looking for an opportunity to share your passion for global issues? The Festival on the Hill is a student run global event, hosted by the University of Bath Students’ Union. The Festival aims to be a celebration of talent and culture present at the University of Bath. It will also highlight the importance of awareness of issues which affect our world. Last year over 30 societies were involved: performing, playing, eat-

An ever so cheesy Christmas message

ent, your society or debate the issues that matter. We need your help to make it bigger and better. If you are interested in getting involved, as an individual, society, sports group or organisation please contact us at: sudiversity@bath.ac.uk

Monday 13th December

bathimpact

Activities

www.bathimpact.com

Ann’s Activities Round Up

ello and welcome to the first and last all-in-one Activities Column of 2010! I am excited to be returning to cover the action in the Arts, Societies and Volunteering areas of the SU. It is fantastic that for the first time ever, this year, it is not just the Arts that were granted regular slots in bathimpact but the Societies and Volunteering areas too! Also make sure you look out for these new features: A Day in the life of… and Explain your Activity. This new format we have is helping to bring the areas together even more and to let you guys know about all the fun that goes on in Activities! What’s been occurring? These last few weeks have been chockablock with a whole host of events taking place. I recently attended my first ever debate; the State vs Private (education) debate hosted by BUDS was interesting and expertly chaired by Hadleigh Roberts. I also enjoyed Whisky Tasting with the newly-formed Scottish Society. Music Soc had their Stars in their Eyes Sensation on 2nd December in the Green Park Tavern, with bands and soloists dressed as famous music stars. I was excited to attend the BEST (Bath Economics SocieTy) Tysom Lecture in the Assembly Rooms. SCA members braved the cold of December 2nd to continue with their Seasonal Celebrations Event. It was such a shame that the RAG Sleepout had to be cancelled due to severe weather last week. Students have said that homeless people still have to sleep out even when it is really cold in winter but part of fundraising is having fun and it is important to be safe - neither of which would have happened had the Sleepout gone ahead! 4th December saw BUMCC (Motor Cycle Club) raise £140 for a Children’s Hospice in Avonmouth on their Christmas Santa Bike Ride. The Salsa Society also took part in the first ever Birmingham University Charity Ball also on 4th Dec. The Bath Jets Cheerleading Squad performed fantastically in the Winter Wonderland Competition in London last Sunday! BUSMS’s second show of the year, Encore, was very well received. SCA held their annual Kids Christmas Party at Moorland Af-

ter School Club - well done to all involved! Ch&OS (Choral and Orchestral Society) had great success at their Christmas Concert in Ascension Church in Oldfield Park. The concert featured the Barbershop Group, GASP (Gospel Accapella, Soul and Pop Choir), Choir, Concert band and Orchestra. BUMUN (Bath University Model United Nations) ended the 2010 year with an event in HaHa bar. Exec News: In the Volunteer Exec the team are currently looking at holding an Alumni Weekend next semester! I have been feeding back to the Societies and Arts Executives all of the information on the various groups from their one to ones. The Arts Exec will be working on forging links with local schools as well as driving publicity for events. What have I been up to? I am working on the new Codes of Conducts for Arts and Societies. The changes that come through from these new policies will be implented in the new academic year. We want to make sure the loopholes are minimised and to help the development and regulation of Societies and Arts groups. I am working hard to improve the relations the Arts Societies have with the ICIA. I have also been talking to Zoe from Admissions about Societies, Arts and Volunteering groups having an exciting role as part of the Open Day in June! This means we can really show off what fantastic Activities we have in the SU. More details will be available after Christmas for everyone who wants to be involved! Storage is a big issue on the Societies agenda at the moment. I have been down to the Activities Store to free up some space. In March/April time we will be getting storage in the Student Centre. Also, remember the design of this bathimpact space is something we can have an input in!

Activities Calendar 15th December University of Bath Carol Service Doors open at 7pm – FREE Entry with donations to Julian House. Semester 2 Preview: 25th – 27th December – Scottish Model UN Conference - BUMUN (Model United Nations) 26th Febrary – UpChuck – Gravity Vomit – Founders Hall and University Hall 3rd March – Pharmacy Student Association – Annual Ball in the Assembly Rooms 12-19th March – Singapore World Model MUN Conference with BUMUN (Model United Nations)

New Society alert: FABU

ith a city housing a unique Fashion Museum and an endless array of both high street and designer shops and boutiques, the creation of the new Southgate shopping complex in town, and the trendy Milsom Street which was voted 2010’s ‘Best Fashion Street in the UK’ by Google; Bath is certainly on the map in the country for its celebration of high and distinctive fashion. So it was to some surprise that for such a fashion-savvy student body at this University, there was not already an existing Fashion Society. However, after a gruelling but successful affiliation process, the Fashion at Bath University (FABU) Society is finally here! The main focus of the society is to develop and introduce new skills and interests, getting students involved in a wide variety of opportunities such as fashion design, photography, journalism, styling, modelling and more. The society also plans to collaborate with other societies in the SU as well as fashion students from Bath Spa University. As well as hosting a variety of activities for members, the society plans to hold and be involved in a number of events over the coming year including trips both locally and across the UK, workshops from industry professionals, charity events and fashion events on campus including a proposed and upcoming ‘Clothes Swap’ where each person must bring an item of two of clothing that they are willing to swap with someone else. Not only is it free and eco-friendly but you bag a brand new outfit in the process! One of the main events coming up for the year that the society plans to be involved with is the annual Fashion at Bath charity show which is organised by the Bath RAG team and will be held on March 16th 2011 in town. It is always an amazing success and we are hoping to help in offering a number of volunteering roles in modelling, styling and backstage assistance. Further to this, there will also be an exciting collaboration with the African & Caribbean Society (ACS) to bring together a cultural-filled fashion show next semester. The society’s primary aim is to be diverse and open to everyone in displaying their personal creativity and skills. This means the society warmly welcomes both sexes, all races and all styles. Please note that you do not have to be a fashion diva to join! All that is required is an interest or curiosity for fashion, whatever aspect it might be. FABU currently has just under 30 members and is looking to recruit more so join now at bathstudent.com!

Explain your society:

BUDS

ath University Debating Society (BUDS) is one of the larger societies in the University. But why is this? Well it involves one of the only activities that human beings do well, arguing with one another! To vent one’s frustrations at someone else is a need we must fulfil. What happens at meetings? To start with, a ‘motion’ is decided by vote, for example in the past we’ve done - ‘This house would legalise prostitution’, ‘Men are better than Women’ and ‘We should invade North Korea’. This is then debated by four teams, two on proposition and two on opposition. Within each team there are two members who must argue either for or against the motion, by speaking for five minutes on why their side should win. At the end, a panel of judges decide on which team won the debate and give constructive feedback. This style is called ‘British Parliamentary’ and is used at university level debating, worldwide. Why debate? Debating is really fun! You learn a lot about politics, ethics and it often changes your opinion on issues. We hear many funny quotes as the speakers get passionate, such as “Our side has teeth! Their side doesn’t even have dentures!” We offer the opportunity to go to debating competitions. In the past we’ve competed at Oxford, Cardiff, Bristol, Durham, Reading, Exeter, LSE , and also abroad, such as Paris. This year we are hoping to go to Amsterdam! It also demonstrates to future employers that you have ‘communication skills’, builds confidence at public speaking, and is a fantastic for learning how to persuade people that you are right! How do I get involved? The society holds meetings every Thursday at 6:00 – 7:40 pm in 8W 2.15. If you are interested please do either turn up, or e-mail Fraeya Whiffin at fmw21@bath.ac.uk . Absolutely anyone is welcome at anytime of the year.

Dave gets cheeky with Clegg after the most famous debate of 2010

Monday 13th December 2010

bathimpact

Activities

www.bathimpact.com

Volunteering News

A day in the life of.. a BUSMS director

Naomi Mackrill Volunteering Publicity Officer

by Jack Penrose

Fabiana Giovanetti

eing a director is a lot harder than you’d think. You have to think of everything, and I really mean everything. My normal habitat is on stage, but this year I wanted to give directing a go. So I was delighted to be selected by the Bath University Student Musicals Society (BUSMS) committee to direct five songs in Encore. After you’ve decided your vision for the show and which songs you’d like to do, you then cast your performers following an audition process. However, there’s also lighting, set, images, blocking, teaching songs, music etc. etc. So what’s a day in the life of a director like then? Well, it’s a pretty normal day for me. I normally wake up at about 7 45 am, and I’m already thinking about the show - it’s like a sickness. My day continues as normal with lectures, but with one key difference - Encore-related ideas and moments of panic keep intruding my thoughts throughout the whole day. Then you have to consider rehearsals. I’ll have three rehearsals scheduled for each song at least. The rehearsals will be organised around when my rehearsal pianist can do it, followed by the cast, and then me. These have to be carefully orchestrated so as not to supercede lectures or other commitments.The first of the three rehearsals will be teaching the song and any harmonies they need to know. Once we have finished learning the song, we will move onto blocking, or directing the actors on what I would like them to do during the song. This can range from me asking them what they’d like to do, to me being very hands on and micromanaging the scene! Blocking can take 10 minutes, or it can take 2 hours to fully set the song. You also need to think about any dances you want to put in the scene. The third rehearsal is for running the song over and over again. Once you feel everyone knows what they are doing, it should be ready to go on stage. My day therefore continues with rushing around to help sell tickets, or get music printed off for the band, or get lighting and set requirements to backstage. It’s incredibly stressful at times because you have to devote so much to it. I’ll go to bed with the song still stuck in my head. Other things to think about are the technical rehearsal (which often takes upwards of 10 hours) to add to the show its lights, set, sound cues, microphones and sound checking – I have a lot of respect for the work Backstage do to make us look good on stage. It all takes a lot of time, a lot of patience and a lot of work to put a show together. On top of that, you are always running against the clock and climbing uphill to boot. In the end, when the lights go up, and the audience is there and you can just watch the show, it makes you feel proud for what you and everyone involved has achieved. BUSMS did a top job on making my vision materialise into something very special indeed. At the end of the day, you are only as good a director as the team working with you, and I’m very fortunate that my team were outstanding. Throughout Encore I had wonderful rehearsal pianists (Cara Ballingall , Caz Ashurst and Tom Lees - also the Musical Director), a super choreographer and producer (Sarah Hunt), a very talented cast and three excellent co-directors (Jordan Morrissey, Amy Williams and Iain Carson - also a rehearsal pianist) who made the show a really positive experience. The amount of support we got was incredible, with over 300 people coming to see it, so thanks goes to everyone involved for a great production. If you are ever thinking of directing a show, it’s definitely worth it. I’m really glad I did it, and it is a very rewarding experience. However, for the upcoming BUSMS’ production of Wedding Singer, I’ll be resuming my usual position: back on the stage, prancing around in more make-up than a man should ever wear.

“Mate, aren’t you bloody freezing?!”

n the last few weeks there was a lot going on in terms of the shoe box appeal. Thank you for all boxes received - you have helped make someone’s Christmas. Nibbles, squash, dancing, painting, juggling, presents and Santa; it must be a recipe for the annual SCA Kids Christmas Party! We’ve been working hard to put this on for some of the less privileged children in and around Bath to give them a really fun way to start their Christmas and it was, as always a rounding success! Well done to Ryan Fox for his fantastic organisation, right from the fundraising through to the final event and to everyone who volunteered. Planning a house Christmas Meal but not sure how to cook one? SCA are selling the complete guide to Christmas Dinner cook book on sale now from the Volunteer Centre (along the 1E corridor near the Activities Office), pop in today to pick one up and you may as well grab a shoe box while you’re there. Not sure what to get your friends for Christmas this year? RAG and SCA have collated Nearly Naked Calendar photos from various so-

The RAG committee with their Chairman’s Community Award cieties and sports clubs around the University and put them into a calendar for 2011. All the proceeds for the calendar are going into the RAG General Appeal and will be given to local charities at the end of the year so go on, show your support and buy a calendar for just £5 from the Volunteer Centre or selected departmental offices. On Monday 22nd November, Bath RAG committee were nominated for the Chairman’s Community Award 2010/2011 Young Volunteer Team and won a highly commended award in recognition of service to the community within Bath & North East Somerset. Every year Bath RAG run events involving members of the local public like the firework display in November and the Fashion Show in the

Assembly Rooms next March. Bath RAG raises most of its money for local charities. The ‘Big Four’ that are getting the funds from our four big events next term are Julian House, Sue Rider Care, Dorothy House and The Forever Friends Appeal. RAG is really excited to be seeing lots of new events beginning to take shape for next year. If you fancy running an event or collection to add to your CV, to do something good for charity or to improve skills like time management, teamwork and leadership to help complete the Bath Award, then come along to our weekly meetings in 1E 3.6. We are always looking for new volunteers to help get involved as the more people who volunteer to help, the bigger the difference we can make.

No more Encore any more Sam Foxman Media Officer spfoxman@gmail.com

t is an awkward task to review a show that only ran for a day, because you could reasonably be confused as to what the point of writing one would be. Why tell you how brilliant or how awful a show was when there’s no real risk that you’ll ever have a chance to see it? Good question. So it is with this existential dilemma that I went to the Arts Lecture Theatre on the evening of Sunday 6th December to see BUSMS ‘Encore’ review show. Jon Greenwell and Andy Siddall brought energy, fun and charm to the roles of the comperes. Their combination of awkward jokes, self-awareness and strange skits kept the audience entertained in breaks between the longer numbers. They could perhaps have been more natural, but they were, for the most part, original; gnome racing was a particularly inventive highlight. They were doubtless helped in this difficult task by the natural chemistry from the fact that if one were to squint hard enough, they might be brothers. The band, led by Tom Lees, were great all night. Musically this show was extremely tight. The depth of vocal talent was particularly impressive.

Nevertheless, there were some outstanding performances. Suzie Hance’s rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ was the most powerful and impressive performance of the evening; in a relatively empty stage she held the audience‘s attention throughout. Brian Murray and Pat Courtney moved the audience with ‘You’ll Walk With Me’, apparently giving my companion goosebumps in the process; I found it more than pleasant. ‘No-One But You’, performed by Leanne Home and ‘Mix Tape’ with Sunny Alsaker were two of the most complete, characterful performances of the night. Special mention should also be made to Nick Jones whose charisma helped to carry an interesting reinterpretation of ‘Stacey’s Mom’. The staging was relatively simple and unchanging, which helped with the show to flow more easily. The lighting and use of pyrotechnics was clever and not over the top. Choreography is a particularly difficult thing to get right with musical numbers. Too easily it can slip into being much too much, and equally, fear of that can make it all much smaller than it ought to be. For the most part, the choreography was very appropriately pitched. Amy Williams, Sinead Rocha and Sarah Hunt are to be commended for this. Particular credit should go to Sa-

Fabiana Giovanetti

rah, who not only choreographed, but also performed in ‘Take It All’ which, I am assured, was many gentlemen’s, and indeed perhaps some ladies’, favourite performance of the night. So… why bother telling you about all this? Why waste your time and mine telling you how impressive BUSMS’ Encore was? Why bother with any of this? The last of these questions is one which I find myself struggling with on a regular basis. It generally hits me somewhere around whenever I wake up and lingers until at least the second cigarette of the day. But in this case, you are wrong to try to provoke, in this article, an existential crisis. The point - to the extent that there ever is one - is to say that BUSMS were good. Musicals aren’t about existential crises or not knowing what the point is. They’re about relentless, directionless, infectious joy. And we could all do with a bit of that.

Monday 13th December 2010

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Sport Russia and Qatar must now keep to their World Cup promises

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The 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts have a lot of potential, but also still a lot to prove says impactsport’s Joe Dibben

FIFA President Sepp Blatter looks pensive in Zurich last week.

o Russia and Qatar are the respective hosts of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups - an unlikely result to say the least. Well, perhaps it is anyway: from the outside looking in, one might consider FIFA’s choice as risky, or maybe adventurous at best, but it is reflective of the way things are going in world football these days. I had a gut feeling that this could have been the result; after Sepp Blatter had broken new territory with World Cups in Asia and Africa for the first time, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that two fresh countries have been chosen to host the world’s showpiece football-

2030 The next year that England can realistically hope to host the FIFA World Cup ing event in 2018 and 2022 (but don’t trust me, if you look at Issue One from October you’ll find an article where I predict that England and Australia would win - they both received the fewest votes as it turned out). First things first though: naturally, as a passionate Englishman, last Thursday brought truly crushing disappointment. I was utterly convinced that England had the best technical bid, with the sleekest presentation and a truly global outlook when it came to discussing what the tournament’s legacy would be about. The result was, of course, absolutely gutwrenching; the fact that we will most likely have to wait until at least 2030 to bid for the tournament again (2026 will most likely be held in Africa again I would assume) is a truly desperate thought. But we need to be realistic here. There are 208 national football associations in the world, of which only 16 have so far had the privilege of hosting the World Cup (including England in

1966). There are many countries with a footballing heritage as illustrious as ours who still haven’t been hosts yet- let’s spare a thought for poor old Holland for example, who, after placing a bid for the 1934 World Cup, will have to wait even longer to host the tournament, after their joint bid with Belgium for 2018, like England, also fell by the wayside. Let’s not forget that they still somehow haven’t won the thing yet either, having lost all three World Cup finals that they have featured in (most recently to Spain in South Africa earlier this year). The point I am making is this: we may have indeed had the best bid by far, I’m not denying that; but there’s a waiting list. Let’s count ourselves lucky that we have the 2012 London Olympics, the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2019 Cricket World Cup to look forward to on our humble isle within the next decade. Much was made about whether the broadcasting of the Panorama programme investigating corruption within FIFA would have an effect on England’s bid - and it’s impossible to say for sure whether it did or not. I would certainly hope not, and I believe that FIFA may have gone for Russia and Qatar regardless of that anyway. FIFA and Sepp Blatter could both well be horrendously corrupt, but you can’t deny that Blatter, as President, has taken the tournament to new lands- this is something that surely should be considered as rather

positive, even if it is said while gritting your teeth. If there is corruption in FIFA, then England, which Blatter himself just before revealing the winning bid had proclaimed was the ‘fatherland of football’, should become a forerunner in finding out whether such accusations are justified. What about the winners then? To say that FIFA has gone with the two riskiest bids is certainly no understatement. Russia, if it can do everything that it plans to do, will be able to host a spectacular World Cup in 2018, of that there is no doubt. But that ‘if’ is a mighty, mighty large one: Russian football and society is plagued by racism and homophobia, the vast majority of its proposed stadia are yet to be built, and the quality of its domestic transport links is questionable to say the least- and that is all just the tip of the iceberg. If Russia can solve all of these problems, then they will host an excellent tournament- the Russians (and formerly the Soviets) certainly have a rich footballing tradition. The same can’t be said of the 2022 hosts, Qatar. The Qatari bid was truly unique, and will be one of the greatest World Cups ever if they can realise their plans. If you want to see what I mean then you should visit their website. Some of stadia (of which many will be dismantled and sent to developing countries after the tournament) that they are planning to construct are nothing short of breathtaking. Yes, Qatar has never qualified for a World Cup before, and yes, Qatar has a population equivalent to less than half the inhabitants of Wales, but this will not just be a Qatari World Cup; it will be a World Cup that will be cherished by the entire Arab world. I am utterly heartbroken to think that England won’t host the World Cup until I’m at least in my forties; the only thing that will go some way to making up for that disappointment though, will be both Russia and Qatar living up to their potential by staging two excellent World Cups, or - better yet- England actually winning it.

Qatar’s spectacular Doha Port Stadium will host games in 2022.

Chris Ashton scored a memorable try against Australia.

An autumn of mixed fortunes for England Jack Penrose bathimpact Reporrter

ast year I watched in horror as England turned in a series of uninspiring performances which led to some very poor results. Well, a year has passed and I feel far more confident that England are going in the right direction. A gutsy loss to New Zealand opened their autumn series in front of a Twickenham crowd that drowned out the Haka with its rediscovered voice (26-16 to New Zealand). After the All Blacks came the muchfancied Australian team. Compared with the year before, England were a totally different side. They played the sort of mesmeric rugby we thought only the Aussies, Kiwis and French were capable of. Chris Ashton’s second try will live long in the memory as the moment England frightened the rugby world once more (35-18 to England). A week later they played out a physical and brave victory over Samoa. It was a competitive test match in which local hero Matt Banahan scored a try and intercepted for another. England did not show the same spark, accuracy or precision of the week before, but they did close out a win against a good team (26-13 to England). Finally came South Africa – wounded by their previous loss to Scotland. Needless to say, the Springboks strangled and outmuscled the English. Aimless kicking, ill-discipline and horrendous errors were once again part of England’s vocabulary as they lost 21-11 to the world champions.

So, England can take several positives from their two wins out four; we looked credible against the All Blacks, supreme against the Aussies, passable against Samoa and inexperienced against the Springboks. All in all, I’ll take that from the distinctly average performances I have seen from England over the years. England ended their test series on a low with that defeat to South Africa, but there were many positives, and England can certainly build on this. The real unstoppable force this autumn was brought in by the All Blacks (it must have been their excellent training facilities in the STV). They won all their games and completed yet another “Grand Slam” over the home nations. Attention must surely be looking to the World Cup in New Zealand next year. I’d say if you want to have a cheeky flutter on the World Cup, I’d go for the All Blacks. Three simple reasons: 1) They are streets ahead of other teams at the moment, and have the ability to kick it up a gear in intensity. 2) Not many teams beat New Zealand in New Zealand. It is incredibly difficult to beat the All Blacks in their own back yard. As they are hosting the tournament: they are firm favourites (they won it in 1987, the last time they hosted it). 3) New Zealand normally choke at World Cups, but I don’t think the NZRU would accept failure this time. So, the smart money is on New Zealand, but if you are feeling brave and patriotic, you might as well put a cheeky bet on England too.

Monday 13th December

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Sport

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Revenge for Gladiators Sports Results & Fixtures

Bath Gladiators 85-72 University of Southampton Ioannis Costas bathimpact Reporter

aving lost at the death against Southampton earlier in the season, the Gladiators were looking for revenge. However, Bath froze during the first half as they battled to overcome both their opponents and the extremely low temperature infesting the Founder’s Hall. The visitors played penetrate-andpitch basketball, taking the ball as close to the rim as possible to either lay it in or pass out for the shot. Bath’s lethargic reactions caused them to rack up fouls swiftly - at the break the Gladiator’s had accumulated 14 to Southampton’s six. Numb fingers did not help on the offensive end as countless balls were lost by a combination of rushed passes and lack of grip. Furthermore, the team was ice-cold from beyond the arc - it took Tom Parker’s trey with 2:53 left in the second quarter for the Gladiators to record their first three-pointer. When Tom Janicot fouled out with 33 seconds to go for the conclusion of the first half and Bath trailing 32-41, the chances of taking the win seemed bleak. But this is basketball. “It ain’t over till it’s over” - and this game was twenty minutes away from the buzzer blowing. As the home team started to pump heat into the match, the crowd began to stir. García fought for rebound after rebound, Blankvoort and Parker’s en-

ergy reinvigorated the squad and by the time Ed Kirwan took a tremendous offensive foul, Bath had their game faces back on. A combination of hustle, intelligent play and putting the D back into defence resulted in Southampton being outscored 25-15 in the third quarter. As much as the visitors struggled to claw their way back into the game, they kept crashing into the solid shield formation put up by the Gladiators. The match seemed over after a Parker three-pointer followed by Kirwan’s hoop and harm 2+1 play, but Southampton still hung on. With 1:32 remaining and the score at 74-70, the opposition’s coach received a technical foul for abuse at the referee. After Rovira stepped up and sank both free throws (taking his tally to 22), the epic 85-72 comeback was sealed. Chairman and Most Outstanding Player (MOP) Tom “T.P.” Parker was ecstatic: “we entered the game at 50%, however, everyone came together. It was hard to lose TomTom [Janicot] but everyone did what they had to do”.

Marc Rovira (blue) in action.

RESULTS (1/12/2010): Badminton: Mens’ 1sts v Glamorgan University 1sts W 7-1, Mens’ 2nds v University of Exeter 1sts W 6-2, Mens’ 3rds v University of Bristol Mens’ 2nds W 7-1, Womens’ 1st v University of Exeter W 7-1, Womens’ 2nds v Bournemouth University 1sts W 7-1. Basketball: Mens’ 1sts v University of Southampton 1sts W 85-72, Womens’ 1sts v University of Winchester 1sts W 55-33. Fencing: Mens’ 1sts v University of Exeter 1sts W 135-93. Hockey: Mens’ 5ths v Univesity of Plymouth 2nds W 5-1. Lacrosse: Womens’ 1sts v University of Exeter 1sts L 16-5 Netball: 1sts v UWIC 1sts W 56-32, 2nds v University of Exeter 1sts L 47-37, 3rds v University of Southampton 3rds W 51-13, 4ths v UWE 3rds W 50-26, 5ths v University of Exeter 5ths W 36-13. Squash: Mens’ 1sts v University of Cardiff L 4-1, Mens’ 2nds v UWE 2nds W 3-2. Tennis: Mens’ 1sts v University of Exeter 1sts W 8-4, Mens’ 2nds v University of Gloucestershire W 12-0, Womens’ 1sts v University of Exeter 1sts W 12-0. FIXTURES (8/12/2010): Badminton: Mens’ 3rds v University of Winchester 1sts, Womens’ 1sts v UWIC 1sts. Football: Mens’ 2nds v UWE 2nds, Mens’ 3rds v Southampton Solent 2nds, Womens’ 1sts v Loughborough University 1sts. Hockey: Mens 1sts v UWE 1sts, Mens’ 2nds v University of Bristol, Mens’ 4ths v Cardiff University 2nds, Womens’ 2nds v Cardiff University 3rds, Womens’ 3rds v Royal Agricultural College 1sts. Lacrosse: Womens’ 2nds v University of Exeter 2nds. Netball: 2nds v UWIC 2nds, 3rds v University of Bristol 2nds. Rugby: Mens’ 1sts v University of Bristol 1sts, Mens’ 4ths v Bath Spa University 2nds, Womens’ 1sts v Abersytwyth University 1sts. Table Tennis: Womens’ 2nds v University of Exeter 1sts. Tennis: Mens’ 2nds v University of Bristol 2nds. To get your team’s match report in impactsport, please get in touch with the Sports Editor (jcd22@bath.ac.uk).

Response from Andy Crawshaw

“

In the last issue of bathimpact there was an article about the Men’s Hockey 4th team that needs explaining (Issue 5, Monday 29th November, ‘Mens’ Hockey 4ths voice training concerns’). The issue surrounding hockey and football not being able to train at the same time on the same astro is true, although it was a decision made by the sports department, not the Sports Association (SA). The two bodies then worked together to ensure that the hockey club didn’t lose the time completely and from the resulting outcome they have actually benefited from the issue. With regards to the coaching situation, the hockey club, like every other club, gets given a

budget by the SA and this budget gets partly given to coaching. The committee chooses which teams to spend the money on, and then allows club members to gain coaching qualifications themselves, which is done through the SA, who can then coach some of the lower teams. Kit, in itself, is a massive issue. It is not only the hockey club that have suffered from this problem; the university has recently entered a new kit deal with a company called Surridge and as with any new deal, there have been, and still are, teething problems. Surridge have agreed to come back to Bath next semester to work with the committees of all the clubs we have here. Further

details of the deal will be explained next term but in the meantime, if anyone does have any comments, positive or negative, please go to the forum on www.bathstudent.com/sport.” Andy Crawshaw, VP Sport

RESULTS- 24/11/2010: Group A- Economics 0, BUMS 1. Management 7, Natural Sciences 3. Chemical Engineering 2, Physics 0. MoLES 7, Sports Science 1. Group B- Chemistry 0, Pharmacy 3. Electrical Engineering 1, Coach Education 3. 1/12/2010: All games postponed due to frozen pitches. FIXTURES- 8/12/2010: Group A- Natural Sciences v Physics, BUMS v Chemical Engineering, MoLES v Management, Architecture v Economics. Group B- Team Maths v Mechanical Engineering, Biology v Computer Sciences. 15/12/2010: Group A- Physics v Architecture, Economics v Natural Sciences, MoLES v BUMS, Management v Sports Science. Group B- Computer Sciences v Electrical Engineering, Pharmacy v Biology.

MoLES captain Ben Lambert fires the ball into the box as his side threaten once again during their 7-1 win over Sport Science- the win was enough to see MoLES maintain top spot in Group A.

IDFC: BUMS back at their BEST

BUMS 1-0 Economics Jack Atherton bathimpact Reporter

ollowing a rocky start in the IDFC’s Group A, BUMS showed their fan (singular) what they’re truly made of with an impressive 1-0 victory over Economics (Team BEST). The game started at a high tempo with both teams pressing for an early goal. Only 15 minutes into the game, BUMS had to suffer a setback when captain, Mark ‘Welshy’ Jones, was carried off with a dislocated knee;

facing five months on the sideline, he promises to be fighting fit for the final. After a tight first half, the score remained goalless. Half-time saw the appearance of Harry Beal, subbed on for Owen Powell, who critics believe just didn’t have his head in the game without his leading lady on the touchline. The second half continued at a high pace with neither team taking advantage of some early chances and both goalkeepers looking seemingly unbeatable but then Beal expertly took the ball down following a long goal kick, his pace proving too much for the Economics defence as he was brought down on the edge of the box.

A ‘perfectly’ executed free-kick saw Ed Wood strike the ball into the bottom corner, putting BUMS into the lead. From then on, Tim Bromfield commanded the back four as they parked the bus and soaked up some heavy pressure from the BEST boys in the dying minutes, before the referee finally sounded the final whistle. Man of the Match went to Duncan Scrivens with a superb debut performance for BUMS. Want to get involved in refereeing in the IDFC for £17.50 per game? Contact Patrick Balling (pb318@bath. ac.uk). To get your report featured in bathimpact, please get in touch with Joe Dibben (jcd22@bath.ac.uk).

Group A

W D

GF GA

Pts

MoLES

Management

Chem. Eng

Economics

BUMS

Sports Science

Architecture

Nat. Sciences

Physics

Group B

W D

Pts

Team Maths

Coach Ed.

Mech. Eng

Biology

Chemistry

Pharmacy

Comp. Sci

Elec. Eng

Monday 13th December 2010

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Sport

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Flying start to the season for Team Bath Futsal »»Team Bath Futsal 8-0 Cardiff Cymru Futsal Club Joe Dibben bathimpact Sports Editor

eam Bath Futsal Club got their FA National Futsal League Midlands Division campaign off to a flying start with an 8-0 demolition of new boys Cardiff Cymru Futsal Club in front of a packed crowd in the Founders Hall. Bath were tactically a cut above their Welsh opponents and the win is a real show of intent by the team as they look to reach the National League playoffs this season, aiming to become national champions. David Jennings scored four of Bath’s eight goals, with Grahame Gardiner (2), Mark Ingram and Sion Kitson also getting in on the act. Rather surprisingly, given their 13-1 defeat by Chippenham in their inaugural National League game last weekend, Cardiff decided to go with a full court press early on in an attempt to really go at the hosts - this proved to be a mistake though. After a few early chances for Kitson and Parkes, it was Gardiner who would open the scoring for Bath on eight minutes; a quick throw from keeper Brendan Dix found Kitson on the lefthand side, who cut the ball back across goal for Gardiner to tap in at the back post. Within barely a minute Bath had doubled their lead as Gardiner’s clipped effort from ten yards out was

pushed onto the post by Cardiff keeper Kevin Green right into the path of Kitson, who was on hand to slam it home. Cardiff were struggling defensively by this stage and Bath continued to exploit the sizeable gaps that were available to them on the counter attack. Inevitably, a third goal came after 11 minutes; Kitson once again doing well on the left and again finding Gardiner at the back post for 3-0. Bath kept coming though and some very smart interchange play from Rob Yilmaz and David Jennings saw the former denied by Green. As was to perhaps be expected, Cardiff called a time out as they tried to regroup. Indeed, they almost got back into it on 13 minutes as Jafar saw his long range effort drift just wide of Dix’s right-hand post. Bath hit back yet again, however, as Jennings beat the onrushing Green to make it four on 15 minutes, before Mark Ingram made it five just a minute later, following up after Green had made yet another good stop. Incredibly, on 17 minutes, Jennings then made it 6-0, as Bath seemed to score every time they won the ball. The second half brought much of the same from Kitson’s side as Jennings completed his hat trick within a minute of the restart; an accomplished finish with his unfavoured right foot after a great through ball by Parkes. Cardiff were starting to show signs

Gardiner (bottom), Ingram (left) and Yilmaz (top) look to start another attack for Team Bath. of life though and should have got a goal back on 22 minutes but Nelson poked wide of second half goalkeeper Jose Lima’s post after a ball across from Church. Sensationally, Jennings then grabbed his fourth of the afternoon just a minute later, as Bath found the net for an eighth time. That was to be the final goal of the afternoon for Bath though, as Cardiff finally started to settle into the game; Lima had to deny Nelson on 25 minutes before Fabini saw his goalbound

Kickboxers fall just short against Loughborough Robert Dinsey bathimpact Reporter

ath University Kickboxing club narrowly missed out on a hardfought comeback victory in the away leg of the biannual Kickboxing Varsity Fight Night against Loughborough on Saturday night. After the first ten fights of the twelve scheduled for the evening, Bath went into the final two needing to win both bouts to retain the trophy they had won at home in May. Unfortunately they could only win one and shared the final four points, allowing their main rivals to regain the coveted trophy in front of over 450 people. Victory for Bath was always going to prove difficult after losing the first five bouts, conceding a 5-1 lead at the half time interval, with Bath’s only point before the break coming in the final fight as Women’s Captain Lizzie Brewer defeated her opponent with

Bath’s Sandrine Pierrat (l.) lands a punch during her fight. ease. Whilst Loughborough fought well and deserved their lead, they had some highly dubious judging to thank, notably in the second bout in which Sandrine Pierrat suffered the worst decision against a Frenchwoman since Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake for heresy, having battered her opponent all around the ring before losing on a split decision. Bath had to start winning after

the interval and club Chairman Peter Hachfeld did the job with a very good win in an extra round after his bout had been declared a draw. His superior fitness allowed him to finish off a tired opponent and pull Bath closer. The next two mens’ bouts went against Bath, however, and the Loughborough lead returned to five points. All was not lost though, as the final two fights were over two rounds and thus worth

effort blocked soon afterwards. The Portuguese shotstopper also had to be on his toes to parry away Dolman’s effort on 28 minutes. Bath almost rounded off the afternoon with what would have been a stupendous team goal; Kitson hitting the post on 33 minutes after a move that had involved all five Bath players. There was enough time for Green to test Lima once more after the ball had broken to him from a corner, but it was to be Bath’s day. Team Bath player-coach Sion Kitson was satisfied overall with the performance: “It was a great first half, and even if the second half was a little sloppy, we shouldn’t forget the many positives, as well as a few of the great goals we scored. We will look to iron out the errors in training ahead of the Newbury game.” Four-goal man Dave Jennings was also all-smiles at the final whistle: “Naturally I’m delighted with the four goals, although it was a shame that we went off the boil a bit in the second

half. It was a great performance overall though.” Cardiff keeper Kevin Green acknowledged that his side still had a lot to do: “We’ve had two tough games and we still have a lot to learn. Bath deserve credit for how they played though.” Team Bath: Dix, Lima- Jennings, Kitson, Scheben, Parkes, Yilmaz, Ingram, Gardiner, Bourdin. (Coach: Sion Kitson) Cardiff Cymru: Green- Carvalho, Mills, Nelson, Croft, Howells, Church, Dolman, Whippe, Falsini, Jafar, Fior. (Coach: Mark Morgans) Goals: Gardiner (8, 11), Kitson (9), Jennings (15, 17, 21, 23), Ingram (16)

double points, meaning enough points were available to tie for the lead, a scenario in which the winner of the last fight would keep the trophy. The first of those three fights was the final womens’ bout between Bath’s Stephanie Darvill and Loughborough’s Daniella Bright. These were the most experienced fighters of the night, both having a background in Tae Kwon-Do, but Darvill outclassed her opponent on her way to another eyebrow-raising split decision; one judge yet again seeing it Loughborough’s way, despite the fact that her opponent had spent more time diving to the floor than the average professional footballer. The comeback didn’t quite materialise, however, as the two headline

fights were shared, despite a heroic performance from Blaz Steblaj, who climbed off the canvas after taking an illegal blow to defeat his opponent. Loughborough took the one fight they needed and, with it, the Trophy. Bath Kickboxing Club Peter Hachfeld had this to say afterwards: “It was a fun event- like every fight night, there is always the pressure to perform and defend your university, but the club can be proud of all the fighters. My nose still hurts though. I’m surprised it’s still straight to be honest!” Bath will play host to the second leg in March or April of 2011 and hope to get a record crowd in to cheer them on to reclaiming the Trophy. Look out for more information in the New Year.

Team Bath followed up this win with a 6-5 victory over Newbury Futsal Club in their second league match. The win puts them second in the FA National Futsal League Midlands Division. Next up is a trip to face reigning Midlands champions Team United Birmingham on Sunday 12th December.

Monday 13th December 2010

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McGeechan and Irvine on campus Joe Dibben bathimpact Sports Editor

Lions legend Sir Ian McGeechan addresses the delegation at the STV last Tuesday.

Crossing the Code

ritish and Irish Lions legend Sir Ian McGeechan made an appearance at the Sports Training Village last Tuesday as the Lions announced a continuance of their sponsorship deal with First Cape Wines for the tour of Australia in 2013. McGeechan, who was knighted for his services to rugby at the beginning of the year, was Head Coach of the Lions in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009 and is currently the Performance Director at Bath Rugby. “Geech” was alongside former President of the Scottish Rugby Union, and all-time Lions top pointscorer, Andy Irvine as both looked ahead to the tour, which, for the first time, will incorporate a test against the Barbarians in Hong Kong. “We are already looking forward to a fantastic tour”, said McGeechan. “My life and my thinking have been changed just by having the privilege of being associated with the Lions and I think that there is already a lot of excitement looking ahead to an event that is still years away, which is quite incredible.” “Australia are going to be fantastic opponents and their performance against France (in which they won 59-13) confirmed that. I think we are

going to see young players coming through. From the Lions’ perspective though, it’s going to be about taking players who are on form and fit. That was certainly one of the things that helped us in 2009 because every single player was available from day one.” First Cape director Steve Rosser was also present as the deal coincided with the launch of a range of new lowalcohol wines. McGeechan was in full support of what First Cape were aiming to do: “Having major sponsors such as First Cape already in place is extremely beneficial to our overall preparation. I support fully what First Cape are implementing with their new range of low alcohol wines. They are setting down a marker about the qualities you would expect of sportsmen, universities, and the Lions themselves.” “Alcohol is a great socialiser but it should be in moderation. When the Lions have lost, sometimes, sensibly, it really can help to have a drink together. Likewise, socialising is of course a very important part of university life and I hope that this new range of low alcohol wines can help students in this respect.” When impactsport asked the great man whether he was looking forward to the tour in 2013, there could only be one response- “It’s going to be a fantastic tour, and already I can’t wait!”

Ben Whitney introduces the Bath Broncos, the University of Bath’s first-ever Rugby League team

or those of you who know very little about Rugby League, or perhaps nothing at all, the rules are very simple. Firstly, get rid of the scrums, get rid of the lineouts, take two players off each team, then increase the intensity, pace and physicality by fifty percent and you have yourself a game Rugby League. Oh, and you have to be able to count to six, six tackles that is. Yes at last, in the Rugby Union hotbed of the South West, where the 13-man-code is deemed to be a sport confined to the cold and relatively unknown darkness of Northern England, Rugby League has migrated to find a new home. Pioneered by second year student Ali Dawson, Bath University has established its first ever Rugby League team, the Bath Broncos, which, given their recent rampant performance against University of Wales Institute Cardiff, promises to blossom into a something special. The newly established Bath Broncos braved the snowy conditions (unlike the Rugby Union teams that week) to make sure their debut game against UWIC went

ahead. Despite the relatively arctic climate by Southern standards, the teams’ “Northern” contingent mutually agreed that postponing due to the weather (-3 degrees) was just, well, ridiculous... The game that unfolded didn’t disappoint and the twenty or so strong crowd that turned out to support the new outfit were in for a well drilled and physical display from Bath. Despite the infancy of the Broncos team, they showed qualities of a group that had been together much longer, with stand-out performances from player-coach Stephen Taylor, Matthew MacDonald and ‘Man-of-theMatch’ Max Holland guiding Bath to a convincing 28-1 win. On the back of victory, Broncos players Taylor and MacDonald were selected for regional representation, with many more invited to trial, which is testament to the potential quality of this young team. The Broncos have been given full support from the University and have more prospective fixtures against Exeter and Gloucester lined up for the near future. With a view towards the pro-

gression of the team, Ali and all the Broncos invite all students to come to training and try their hand at Rugby League, even if they have no prior experience. Rugby League at Bath University is a completely new concept and the more people who support it, the greater chance we have of extending the University’s sporting reputation by making Bath one of the strongest university Rugby League teams in the South of England.

Andy Irvine (l.) and Sir Ian McGeechan (r.)at the STV.

Bath Broncos line up before their first ever match against UWIC- the Broncos won 28-1.

impactsport

Did Sepp Blatter and FIFA make the right choice? Football, p24 Monday 13th December 2010

Inside impactsport Team Bath Futsal start with a bang Team Bath Futsal Club have recorded an 8-0 win against Cardiff Cymru Futsal Club and a 6-5 win over Newbury Futsal Club to give themselves a great start to the 2010/11 FA National Futsal League season. See page 26 to read a report of the Cardiff game

Broncos win inaugural match

impactsport’s Joe Dibben (l.) and the rest of the bathimpact team had a chat with British and Irish Lions’ legend Sir Ian McGeechan (r.) at the STV last Tuesday. Find out what he had to say and why he was on campus by turning to page 27.

Golden girl Amy Williams receives MBE »»Bath-based Williams honoured by the Queen Joe Dibben bathimpact Sports Editor

niversity of Bath-based Amy Williams was recently honoured with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list following her gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics earlier this year. Williams came first in the skeleton claiming the first individual gold medal by a British woman since Jeannette Altwegg in the figure skating in Oslo in 1952. She trained for her Vancouver challenge here at the university where the British Skeleton programme is based. “I was really proud and pleased

today,” said Williams afterwards. “It’s a lovely medal, it’s really pretty, and it’s going to go alongside my gold medal.” It was the first British gold medal at the Winter Olympics since the women’s curling team triumphed in Salt Lake City in 2002 and also the first individual gold medal for a British athlete since Robin Cousins took the figure skating title in Lake Placid in 1980. As well as having the honour of flying the Union Jack at the closing ceremony, Williams also enjoyed an open bus tour through Bath on her arrival back in the city. In June she also became only the fifth person since the Second

World War to be made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Bath. There could yet be more good news for Williams before the year is out; she has been shortlisted by the BBC for the Sports Personality of the Year Award for 2010. The award ceremony will be broadcast live from Birmingham’s LG Arena on Sunday 19th December. Amy will be going up against the likes of golfer Lee Westwood, heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis and England cricketer Graeme Swann. To find out more about how you can vote for Amy visit the BBC Sport website and click on the appropriate link on the left of the page.

The university’s first-ever Rugby League team, the Bath Broncos, won their inaugural match 28-1 against UWIC. See page 27 to see the report and find out more about the club

Crawshaw response Our VP Sport Andy Crawshaw replies to the article from the last issue which highlighted the concerns of the mens’ hockey 4th team. See page 25 to see what he has to say

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Amy Williams in Vancouver.

Do you want to write a match report for your team? Do you have something to say about sport at our University? Interested in sports journalism, design or photography? Or even just passionate about sport in general? Get in touch! impactsport wants to hear from people like you! Contact the bathimpact Sports Editor (jcd22@ bath.ac.uk) to find out more details about how you can get yourself involved and get your team, your views, your designs or your photography seen.