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Monday 29th October 2007 Volume 9 Issue 4 www.bathimpact.com
How Much is Your 2:1 Really Worth? Degree Classification System Facing Major Revamp Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk
Bus late again? Students are sick of transport troubles: see News (page 3) and Comment (page 8).
AFTER 200 years of firsts, 2:1s, 2:2s and thirds, the traditional degree classification system may be coming to an end in Britain, as a new report has declared the practice “not fit for purpose”. The 76-page report, compiled by Bob Burgess,Vice-Chancellor of Leicester University, suggests that the current grades should remain, but be complimented by a new Higher Education Achievement Report (Hear), which will give the “fine-grained” details of a student’s education. This includes many elements already in use, such as the transcript of results students have been given since the Dearing report in 1997. A Personal Development Planning record, also suggested by the Dearing report is another possibility, serving as an account of “softer” skills such as communication and management. “People ask why, if the system has been in place for 200 years, is there a need to change?” says
Burgess. “When the current system was established, there was a tiny higher education system. We’ve moved from an elite to a mass higher education system.” These suggestions have been made in response to allegations of “grade inflation”. Recent findings have shown that 61% of students graduate with either a 2:1 or a first last year, compared to 55% in 2000. Further research by Mantz York, visiting professor of education at Leicester University, showed that much of the rise in the number of high-scoring students came from Russell Group universities. In fact, the number of 2:1s and firsts awarded by Russell Group universities rose by two percentage points each year from 1994 to 2002 in some engineering subjects – twice the rate of other pre-1992 universities. In languages, there was an increase of one and a half percentage points per year, compared to one in other universities. Other proposed solutions included splitting the 2:1 grade into a further two classes, introducing percentage averages (as is done
in the US), and simplifying the system to merely pass, fail and distinction. “The sector has indicated that there is no consensus over a different kind of classification,” Burgess comments. “We have listened very carefully, because it is important to go with the grain and introduce change with the grain. That’s why we’ve not gone for a wholesale flick of the switch. I don’t think it would be appropriate to the culture.” Several employers’ representatives have expressed their support for the new system, with some even going as far as to say that they would like to see Hear replace the current degree classification system completely. There are doubts, however. “If the classification doesn’t change, people will stick with that as the primary indicator of student achievement,” states York. “There will be more information in the transcript, but people won’t look there first.” The proposed changes, if adopted by universities, could be in effect as early as 2010.
In impact this week... Spooky: pumpkin-tastic Halloween recipes. Features, Page 12
Ka-boom: A Nobel idea. Science & Technology, Page 16
Oar-inspiring: Help student Jon win hi-tech goodies for us all. Fun & Games, Page 19
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Pitt Site Dropped by Bath Spa University Lucy Saunders News Contributor
AN OLD industrial site in South Quays, Bath has recently been at the centre of debate after a delay in the production of a flood risk assessment caused a halt in its development. The site’s ownership was hotly contested with £3 million plans being proposed by the James Dyson Foundation competing with Bath Spa University’s plan for a new engineering college. Bath Spa University were successful in their bid and, after winning the tender, aimed for completion of the college by 2008/9. The Environmental agency, however, have consistently objected to the use of Stothert and Pitt site for educational purposes due to its proximity to the river on the lower Bath Road. An environmental spokesperson said anything “planned had to integrate with other land use [in the area]” as “it is a flood plain” and flood defences would push water elsewhere. The environmental agency have been pushing for a flood risk assessment to be undertaken in the area since 2006 in order to provide a broader overview of the site for development which considers
HAUNTED HOUSE: Not the site in question. the likelihood of flooding from all angles and the impact on surroundings development might have. The time constraints of the production of the flood risk assessment caused Bath Spa University to pull out of the deal after interest on their bank funds was “not keeping pace with inflation in the building industry”. The council of BANES, however, have stated that “The project management has been and is the responsibility of the developers; the project management responsibilities include the provision and procurement of all necessary
Record-Breaking UCAS Figures
Students’ Union SU VP Activities and Development Hayden Arrowsmith SUactivities@bath.ac.uk 01225 383667 Societies Administrator Andree Peacock A.Peacock@bath.ac.uk 01225 38505
Advertising Enquires Helen Freeman H.Freeman@bath.ac.uk 01225 386806
Information The opinions expressed in impact are not necessarily those of the impact 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. impact as a publication adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Conduct. Please contact them for any information Printed by www.quotemeprint.com 0845 1300 667
planning requirements including any flood risk assessments”. The owner of the site, BANES, has now offered the site to the second highest bidder, the Dyson Foundation, and is said to be commissioning a flood risk assessment which, with the aid of the Environmental agency, should be completed by 2010. The council is currently in discussion with the James Dyson Foundation but will not publicly comment on these discussions until a position has been confirmed and agreed with both the Foundation and the South West Development Agency.
CROWDED HOUSE: The University of Bath takes on an ever-increasing number of freshers each year. Charlotte Towerton News Contributor A RECORD number of students will enter into higher education this autumn. Figures recently released show that 411,971 student applicants will enrol on courses in September; a 5.8% rise from last year and a 1.8% rise from the previous record of 2005. With figures dropping from 2005-06, the year preand post- top-up tuition fees, many predicted a continual trend in falling numbers. The fact that the increase comes a year after the introduction of top-up fees has left the National Union of Students (NUS), as well as many academics, baffled. Many had
predicted top-up fees would become a deterrent to going to university – it now seems that the reverse is true. The news has sparked rival reactions between the Government and the NUS. Ministers celebrated the figures released by UCAS as evidence that the top up fees are no longer a disincentive to attend University. Bill Rammell, the Higher Education minister, said: “I’m extremely pleased to see these recorded acceptance figures are in line with the... rise in applications seen earlier in the year.” He said the rise in applications justified the Government’s decision to introduce top-up fees of up to £3,000 per year. The NUS declared that the figures
were nothing more then mundane, and they were not a success to be celebrated. Wes Streeting, NUS VicePresident, said the rise this year was not large enough to meet Government targets. “The increase in the number of accepted applicants over the past two years has been just 1.8%,” he said. “While we welcome any increase in student numbers, progress has been too slow in the context of the Government’s 2010 target of 50% participation.” It is not so worrying that the target of 50% participation is not being reached. More concerning is that the government are aiming for such participation rates. University of Bath student Adam Palin had this to say: “The fact is top-up fees are a deterrent to students, regardless of what these figures show. Government targets of 50% participation in higher education are unfounded and unnecessary - it would be more efficient for secondary schools to do a better job in educating the masses.” Increasing numbers of students attending University will ensure the values of our degrees continually plummet – although Bath University’s good reputation does offer some comfort to its students.
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Making an impact on Westminster
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impact Editor Jack Mitchell attended a recent press conference at the House of Bath Academic Commons, where government ministers announced a Minister for Students and Shares in Nobel Prize a National Student Forum aimed at “giving students a voice in government.” A UNIVERSITY of Bath researcher was THE NATIONAL Student Forum is the main feature of a Student Listening Programme composed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), which will also include Student Juries and government Q&A sessions on campuses. The press conference, housed in the Palace of Westminster’s Grand Committee Room, was introduced by Gemma Tumelty, National President of the NUS, who pledged strong support for the scheme as “a new willingness on the part of the government and the new Prime Minister to engage students.” The floor was then left to DIUS Secretary of State John Denham and Lord Triesman of Tottenham, the first ever Minister for Students, to outline the proposals. Five Student Juries, each of around fifteen members, will be held between now and Christmas in London, Sheffield, Manchester and Bristol, and will “discuss issues which arise at all junctures of the student lifecycle, from application to graduation.” These groups will then feed into the National Student Forum, launched in January 2008 with the stated aim of “amplifying the student voice in Government”.
IMPACT IN DA HOUSE: Our Editor-in-Chief was at Parliament to get the scoop on the new government initiative The Forum, which aims to be “fully representative of the diversity of the student population and experience”, will meet at least four times a year and will itself contain fifteen to twenty members drawn from the NUS, the National Postgraduate Committee, the Mature Students’ Union, Skill (the national bureau for students with disabilities), the Open University Students’ Association and the British Council. Its tasks will be to use the work of the Student Juries to advise the government on students’ expectations; to provide a student perspective on emerging policy areas; to help evaluate the impact of existing policy on students; to initiate
discussion on areas of potential policy interest; and to produce an annual report of its findings to the government. Denham, himself a former Students’ Union President at Southampton University, hailed the development as “a direct mechanism for listening to student concerns.” “We should make listening to students a central part of our role,” he continued. “We won’t always be able to say yes, but we promise that every issue raised will be taken seriously. “This Student Jury will be your ordinary peers, the kind of people you study alongside. You can’t have a vision, as a
politician, that doesn’t involve talking to people and getting their opinions.” Asked whether the new programme would dilute or divert away the student voice from its usual protest-led stance, the MP replied: “Mass student lobbying campaigns tend to be focused on a small number of very high-profile issues. I think that what we’re doing complements the traditional range of student activity.” Lord Triesman, a former head of the AUT lecturers’ union, pledged to use his new position to genuinely influence government policy towards the student population: “We expect the Forum to feed through in a strategic sense to policymakers. This isn’t just a talking shop – we undertake to respond publicly to all of the recommendations. “This is another arrow in our quiver and let’s make full use of it. Students are among the best placed to tell Government what’s going right in the system and what needs to be done better. As the first Minister for Students I am committed that their voices are heard across Government, and I will make sure that we respond.” Although not drawn on what funding had been made available for the project, Lord Triesman stated that the sums involved were “substantial”.
UK Students Protest Lashing Parade Protest Against Death Penalty of Gays in Saudi Arabia Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk
Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk MEMBERS OF Amnesty International took to the Parade yesterday to convince their fellow students to sign a petition calling for the abolition of the death penalty. The protest was part of World Day against the Death Penalty, an effort to persuade governments worldwide to vote in favour of a UN resolution banning capital punishment. Although the death penalty was abolished in Britain in 1965, there are several countries around the world that still execute criminals, including the United States, Guatemala, most of the Caribbean and the majority of democracies in Africa and Asia. In 2006, 91% of executions were carried out in just six countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and the USA. The University campaign focused on three specific cases: Kenny Richey in the US, Behnam Zare of Iran, and Hafez Ibrahim of Yemen. Richey was convicted of arson and the murder of a young girl
in 1987, although further evidence has strongly suggested that he was innocent of all charges. Zare and Ibrahim were both sentenced to death for crimes they committed under the age of eighteen, despite the fact that international law states that no juvenile can sentenced to execution. Each of these cases had its own petition for students to sign, and there were also leaflets handed out featuring quizzes on the death penalty. “Basically, we’re trying to raise awareness of the death penalty and just how widespread it actually is,” said Mina Gavin, chair of Bath Amnesty. “Hopefully we can bust some myths today and give people a better idea of the truth about this brutal practice.”
THE SAUDI Arabian embassy was recently besieged by 50 students from various universities protesting about the country’s continuing discrimination against gay people. The demonstration was held as a response to the recent story of two young men sentenced to 7,000 lashes for committing “sodomy” in Al-Bahah, Saudi Arabia. The protest was organized by the NUS LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) campaign and supported by gay rights pressure group OutRage!, as well as members of LGBT Labour. Students came from universities all over the country, some from as far as Manchester, Salford and Hull. NUS protest organiser Scott Cuthbertson called on others to rally against the “continued criminalisation, imprisonment, torture and murder of LGBT people in Saudi Arabia.” As well as chanting and singing, a formal letter to the Saudi ambassador, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, was handed in,
calling for respect for the human rights of gay people in his country. The protest has come at a politically sensitive time, as the Saudi head of state, King Abdullah bin Abdul Azaz al Saud, is due to visit the UK on 30th October. Human rights activist Peter Tatchell criticised the lashing incident and Saudi attitudes in general. “As well as flogging and executing gay people, the Saudi leaders are guilty of detention without trial, torture and the public beheading women who have sex outside of marriage.” Tatchell was also critical of the British government, and their relationship with Saudi Arabia. “Labour sells the Saudi leaders arms and honours them with state visits. It refuses asylum to gay Saudis who flee persecution and seek refuge in the UK.” “Homosexuality is not a crime and LGBT Labour and others made our message clear that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans rights are human rights,” Cuthbertson added. “The Labour government has achieved near legal equality for LGB people in the UK, we must now work through the UN and international structures to support others.”
part of a team that won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Anil Markandya of the Department for Economics and International Development was one of the lead writers of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with former US Vice-President Al Gore. Professor Markandya worked on the panel’s Third Assessment Report, and was responsible for determining the costs of various methods to reverse global warming. Professor Markandya said that he was “delighted to be recognized for this major work,” and that he hoped the panel’s efforts “will help us influence policy on climate change.” Professor John Sessions, Head of the Department for Economics and International development, commended Markandya for his work. “On behalf of EID, I offer our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Markandya for his part in this wonderful achievement.”
Facebook Group Protests About Lacklustre Buses
BATH UNIVERSITY students dissatisfied with the term-time bus service run by First have taken their disgruntlement to Facebook. A group, titled ‘Not the first to be dissatisfied with First’, has been set up by Bath student Calliste De Marcillac as a place for regular passengers to air their grievances. The group currently has over 300 members. The group’s main page lists its main objections to First’s ‘Bright Orange Bus’ service, including crowded buses often passing bus stops by completely in the mornings, long queues at the university to go back to town in the afternoon and evenings, and the price of tickets. It states that once enough people have joined the group it will send an official compliant to First. A similar group, named ‘More Bright Orange Buses!’, has been set up by students of Bath Spa University.
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Revised Changes to Student Disciplinary Disciplinary Regulations Procedures Mark Humphriss University Secretary
SENATE APPROVED on 24th October the results of a review of the University’s disciplinary procedures which took place over the summer. The review was a recommendation of the Effectiveness Review of Senate, and was conducted by a group comprising the University Secretary (as Chair), the Head of Student Services, the Director of Computer Services, the Head of Security Services, the Student Accommodation Manager, the President of the Students’ Union, and the General Manager of the Students’ Union. We concluded that the University’s disciplinary procedures were largely effective, and noted that breaches of student discipline are not commonplace. However, there were a number of areas which needed to be looked at to ensure they were up to date, took account of changes in legislation, reflected the changing attitudes of society, and were appropriate to meet the needs of the University and its students. The review resulted in a number of recommendations, including: 1. Changes to the way in which the University deals with students found in possession of illegal drugs, by means of a new University Drugs Policy. This will result in a consistent approach to this matter being taken across the campus and student residences. It will reflect the seriousness with which the University regards the use of illegal drugs but is intended also to facilitate accessing support services. 2. A widened use of financial
penalties for breaches of student discipline, particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour; 3. Procedural changes which mean that in future: • Students who are required to attend a disciplinary interview or formal disciplinary hearing will be able to accompanied by either a fellow student or Students’ Union representative; • Academic departments will be notified of any written warnings or formal disciplinary action against one of its students; • The choice of whether a formal disciplinary hearing should be held before the Vice-Chancellor or the Disciplinary Committee will now be made by the University Secretary; • Certain breaches of discipline will be considered ‘spent’ after a set period of time. 4. Modest changes affecting how discipline is exercised in relation to the Library and by IT Services; 5. Greater autonomy for the Students’ Union in respect of its own disciplinary procedures; 6. Further work be undertaken in respect of student mental health issues, with a student capability policy being considered to avoid the need to use disciplinary procedures when a student cannot continue their studies for mental health reasons.
ITS 2AM on a Tuesday morning, you’re trying to sleep but the walls are shaking from the music next door. Familiar experience? Well it is for many residents in Bath. Students currently do not have a very good reputation as good neighbours. Recently I received a letter from a local couple, who are saving up money ahead of the birth of their first child, who told me they had their car vandalised by a group of students. The couple are immediately
News
Golf Course OffLimits
REMEMBER, IT’S STILL ILLEGAL: Possession of illegal substances is still very much forbidden on campus and elsewhere.
These changes are effective from 1st November 2007. Further information can be found in the paper considered by Senate, which can be found by following the link below: http://www.bath.ac.uk/ news/2007/10/25/student-discipline. html
FUNDAMENTALLY, THE changes agreed at Senate to the University disciplinary procedures are not in any way radical but they do represent a ‘tightening up’ in some areas with students having to take more responsibility for their behaviour both on and off campus. The Students’ Union was part of the review group which recommended these changes. The Students’ Union welcomes changes to the University’s drugs policy, which now represents a consistent approach right across campus. Police will now be called whenever illegal drugs are discovered unless it is clear that a class ‘C’ drug is involved and that a small quantity is involved. On the first offence, the University has the discretion to give only a written warning if the drugs are not in the most serious categories. However by the second offence formal disciplinary procedures will commence and if the student lives in University residences they will be required to leave their accommodation and pay the usual termination charge. A new central database will be introduced to ensure a coordinated approach when dealing with student misconduct. Written warnings will be copied onto the database and academic departments will be informed if one of their students has been disciplined whatever the offence.
Financial penalties for persistent anti-social behaviour have both been increased and widened. The University, at its own discretion, now has the right to impose financial penalties of up to £250. This includes those students who ignore repeated warnings regarding noise emanating from their rooms. Accompanying representatives at the disciplinary hearings themselves have now been limited to Students’ Union representatives and fellow students. This means that students can no longer be represented by their parents, giving students more responsibility for their own behaviour. It is important to note that the Students’ Union has its own disciplinary procedures which commence if the offence has taken place in the Students’ Union. Depending on the seriousness of the offence the student can also be referred to the University for them to take action under their own disciplinary procedures. There have been some modest changes to the interaction between the two separate procedures. Notably when the Students’ Union deems it appropriate to ban a student from all SU services and activities over a period exceeding three months, this decision will now be made in consultation with the University. Further information can be found in the paper considered by Senate, which can be found by following the link below: http://www.bath.ac.uk/ news/2007/10/25/student-discipline.html
£200 out of pocket to cover the excess for their insurance claim that exceeds £700. On top of this, they will also lose their no claims inevitably resulting in substantial increases in their insurance premium. Financial losses aside, the event has clearly upset the couple concerned and has wasted a lot of their time filling in claim forms and dealing with the police. To be fair, students get blamed for a lot of problems in Bath, but we all need to take some responsibility for our actions. Being a good neighbour is not a difficult concept. The majority of complaints received by the SU about students relate to noise
and bin bag collections. These two issues can be dealt with quite easily; keep the noise down late at night when heading home or when in your room and get to know when bin collection days are and make sure your rubbish only goes out on those days (you can actually be fined for having black bin bags outside your house on non-collection days). But being a good neighbour also means showing courtesy and respect for your neighbours. If you haven’t gone round and introduced yourselves to your neighbours yet, then do it! Making contact with your neighbours and proving you are an educated, sensible individual
rather than the layabout stereotype that exists about students, will really help your case if you find yourself having to deal with issues with them. Students should also be aware of the Student Action Line. It is a hotline that was set up so that residents could call to make their comments (good and not so good) about students. Each call is investigated and disciplinary action can be taken by the University, even for incidents off campus. So next time you are on your way home after a night out, spare a thought for the other residents around you who may be trying to sleep!
Dave Austin SU President supresident@bath.ac.uk
Good Neighbours Dave Austin SU President supresident@bath.ac.uk
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Dave Austin SU President supresident@bath.ac.uk
THE BATH Golf Club has reported a number of incidents following a spate of vandalism and theft. The Bath Golf Club (behind Westwood on the northern perimeter of the campus) has reported thefts of golf flags and bunker rakes. These thefts cost the Golf Course money; money which they are looking to charge to the University and thus money wasted that could have been spent on improving your student experience. The club has been friends with students for many years with our Golf Club using it as their home course and with discount memberships offered to students.
If you really want to head up to the Golf Course, why not go during the day and try your hand at a round or on the driving range?
Let’s all make an effort to ensure that these incidences do not happen again and relations with the Club remain strong. The Golf Course is off-limits to students, particularly at night and any student caught there will be dealt with by the usual disciplinary procedures. In order to retain the good relationships we have with the Golf Club, the University have found it necessary to implement ‘zero tolerance’ measures. If you really want to head up to the Golf Course, why not go during the day and try your hand at a round or on the driving range?
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What’s In Store For Gore? In an exclusive American Politics feature, Jamie Bryant discusses whether Al Gore will enter the presidential race again after his life-changing defeat of 2000.
AS GEORGE W. Bush prepares to enter the final year of his broken presidency, battle has already commenced in what is being anticipated as the biggest election race in history to replace him. In the red corner are the Republicans, looking to retain the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with heavyweights Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, and John McCain, Senator of Arizona. Meanwhile the Democrats, in the blue corner, have deployed the seemingly unstoppable Hillary Clinton, as well as Illinois Junior Senator Barack Obama. However the underlying question currently on the minds of millions is: will former Vice President Al Gore be climbing in with them? Gore is, of course, no stranger to the campaign trail, having lost so controversially on points back in 2000 to the current incumbent and his family’s connections. However, Florida aside, the real reason Gore fell at the final hurdle all those years ago was because of the then President: Bill Clinton. The Clinton administration had presided over an economic boom and the balancing of the federal budget. Normally, a Vice President running under such circumstances would have emphasised his connection with such an administration. Clinton’s personal scandals, however, made that approach more problematic for Gore. Even so, he should have involved Clinton much more heavily in his campaign considering that President Clinton’s approval ratings were in the high 60s throughout his final year in office – chips that are now being cashed in by his wife! That defeat changed Gore for the better. He instead dedicated himself to a larger cause, doing everything in his power to sound the alarm about climate change. That decision helped transform the way we think about global warming and carried Gore to a new platform, packing out his mantelpiece with an Emmy, an Oscar, and the Nobel Peace Prize in the process. The theorists say that with a significantly increased global profile and the connections that have come with it, a late entry with the opportunity to steal the early momentum from his rivals is just too good not to take.
There’s just one minor problem with all of this. The former Vice President just doesn’t seem that interested. He says he has “fallen out of love with politics,” which comes from both his general disgust with the political process over in the States, and the agony of that 2000 election, when he became only the fourth man in U.S. history to win the popular vote but lose the election. This is something he still refuses to discuss, even in private. With the weakening burden of failure and disappointment, he kept his trademark good temperament in check, living each day knowing he came so close, believing the Supreme Court was dead wrong to shut down the Florida recount, but never talking about it publicly, simply because he didn’t want Americans to lose faith in their system. That changes a man’s outlook forever.
He’s no longer selling himself these days; he’s selling a cause. Gone are the consultants dithering about, telling him how to be himself, gone are security restricting his movements. Despite all this, Gore knows it’s in his interest to keep the door ajar: “I’m not looking for it. But I guess I would know it if I saw it. I haven’t ruled it out. But I don’t think it’s likely to happen.” It builds curiosity, it makes the electorate think, and it keeps rival candidates on their toes, watching their backs for a possible stealth campaign that would really shake things up when inevitable doubts are cast over them as front-runners. Though if he were to get serious about running again, he would have to come to terms with his demons, and accept the possibility that he would be running the risk of setting himself up for another crash, as well as the personal strain attached. That prospect may be a bridge too far for a man who seems to have it all right now. “If he ran, there’s no question in my mind that he would be elected,” says Steve Jobs of Apple, “But I think there’s a question in his mind, perhaps because the pain of the last election runs a lot deeper than he lets most of us see.” There’s an even deeper issue here and with Gore, it’s always the deepest issue that counts. What’s at stake is not just Gore losing another election. It’s Gore losing his new lifestyle by returning to politics and in the process losing touch with the man he has become. Yet we mustn’t underestimate the enormity of the task in hand for a prospective bidder. The road to the presidency is a long and uncertain one, a battle of attrition, a marathon even. Once a ‘serious’ candidate has announced his or her intention to run, they must raise a $100,000,000 ‘buy in’ through funding by the end of this year, while simultaneously hitting the campaign trail in preparation for the state primaries which begin in January.
Unlike British politics there are no ‘party leaders’ in the US, just several contenders for each party’s official nomination, and it is the primaries where the Republicans and Democrats vote their respective nominees (some states hold caucuses which are more discussion-oriented as to where to place their respective endorsements, rather than a ballot of party members). Each state takes it in turn throughout the early months of 2008 to choose their main candidates for the overall election in November. The official nominees of the two main political parties are the ones who win the most states. The winners are then formally declared at their respective party’s National Convention around August/ September time. This is when every little detail becomes vital as we head into the ‘home straight’ – the battle for the federal vote. Rather than a simple populace vote for the nation, it is again individual states that must be won - just like constituencies and MPs win you seats in the House of Commons over here, it’s the number of states and their respective Electoral College points a candidate picks up that determines victory over there. Thus, each state is ranked in terms of its individual population and assigned points accordingly e.g. California will give a winning candidate 55 points, where as Alaska will give just 3. The candidate to pass the magic number of 270 Electoral College Points on election night wins the White House. Even if Gore doesn’t feel “compelled” to run, he has an awful lot of support willing him on to do so. Just two weeks ago, in the wake of his Nobel Peace Prize, the independent website www.draftgore.com (who are seeking to actively draft him into the race) took out a full page advert with the highly influential New York Times. In it the group issued an open letter to the former Vice President pleading that “your country needs you now, as does your party and the planet you are fighting so hard to save”. Their website now claims to have over 220,000 signatures and this is steadily increasing by the thousand. However true to form, Al and his advisers just keep batting them away: “Former Vice President Gore truly appreciates the heartfelt sentiment behind the ad, however he has no intention of running for President.” Still, the Democrats are refusing to give up, with the latest polls indicating levels of 17% support, just 3% short of Obama, but a seemingly unassailable 22% short of Mrs. Clinton. Then again, a June 2007 article in The Guardian cited a poll conducted in New Hampshire by 7News and
Suffolk University which found that if Gore “were to seek the Democratic nomination, 29% of Mrs. Clinton’s backers would switch to support him, so when defections from other candidates are factored in, the man who controversially lost to Mr. Bush in the 2000 election takes command of the field, with 32% support”. Not bad for someone who isn’t even in ‘the race’. So he quite clearly has the support needed as well as the potential for more, but can Al seriously compete with the huge war-chests of Hillary and Co? Well, along with taking his climate slideshow around the world’s lecture theatres, Gore spends much of his time with his many business connections in the industrial capital of Silicon Valley. Then there’s finding time to fulfill his obligations as a director on the board of Apple, being a senior advisor to Google and running his own TV channel. So all- in-all he’s not short of the green stuff or the connections to help plant him in The Oval Office. However it’s exactly this lifestyle the diversity of trades and the freedom that comes with it - that Gore risks losing if he re-enters the political domain. “He learned something from his very difficult time after 2000,” says close friend Eric Schmidt. “I think he got more comfortable with who he is. He had to go through a difficult personal transformation in order to achieve greatness. That sets him up for the next chapter. I have no idea what he’ll do. My advice is to do whatever he’s most passionate about. Because that is working.” One thing that strikes my mind is people’s immense fascination with Gore, myself included. He’s a
THE OVAL OFFICE: Comfortable? former Vice President who oversaw a successful period in America’s recent history, before becoming a defeated candidate for the top job seven years ago. A man who appears to be done with politics, and has instead made the successful transition into environmental prophet. A man whom the public want more of, want back in the mix, want to challenge once again. The people of America are so disillusioned with their current government - so sick of their economy entering recession, their foreign policy going down the toilet, their troops being eroded by religious fanatics, their civil
liberties being deleted - that they want a return to the good old times of pre9/11 and Gore is the ultimate symbol of how different it could all have been for them. But if Gore HAD won, how different would it all have been? They cannot go back in time and change the past, but they can sure as hell encourage him to show them how to rejuvenate a country in decline, to spread hope in places where there is fear and uncertainty. America simply wants to wipe clean the administration of George W. Bush – whose own approval ratings currently stand at 37% - and quite a few want his former opponent to give it a go behind the wheel. So in this ‘ideal world’ what would President Gore do? Well, on Capitol Hill last March, citizen Gore offered his ideas. He proposes an immediate freeze on CO2 emissions and a campaign of sharp reductions - 90% by 2050. To get there, he would eliminate income tax and replace it with a carbon tax, so the cost of pollution is finally priced into the market. After Gore presented these views, critics assailed them as costly, unworkable economy-cripplers. His reply: in a few years, when the crisis worsens, these policies “will seem so minor compared to the things people will be demanding them.” So what if he could take who he is now; the fully rounded and developed Gore, with all that he’s learned, and carry it back onto the campaign bus? Could he stay as he is, or would he fall back in line with mainstream manifestos? What if he launched a new kind of campaign, as an independent, liberated and raw Gore talking about what really matters to him – pollution tax and all?! But that’s just it though, he’s no longer selling himself these days; he’s selling a cause. Gone are the consultants dithering about, telling him how to be himself, gone are security restricting his movements. “There’s no question I’m freed up,” he says. “I don’t want to suggest that it’s impossible to be free and authentic within the political process, but it’s obviously harder. Another person might be better at it than I was. And it’s also true that the process is changing and that it may become freer in time. Obama is rising because he is talking about politics in a way that feels fresh to people ... But anyway, I came through all of that” - he waves a hand that seems to sweep everything away - the advisers pecking at him, the spin, the attacks in the media, his mistakes and regrets, the unspeakable Florida debacle. “And I guess I changed. And now it is easier for me to just let it fly. It’s like they say: What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” What would this Gore be like as a candidate? This Gore has moved on.
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MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Comment
Happy Halloween? I Don’t Think So. Emma Simmons speaks of eggs and pumpkins and puppy dogs’ tails (but no snails) in her description of what Halloween should be, but how this is very different to the messy reality.
OKAY, OKAY, don’t all label me the most miserable person on campus straight away. I mean, I love the festivities of 31st October as much as the next person. Who doesn’t have fond memories of carving out pumpkins at the dinner table and emptying your impressive hoard of sweets and chocolate (and the occasional orange from your well-meaning, but now least favourite, neighbour!) onto your bed for examination? Even now that I’m (unfortunately) past the age where it is acceptable to go ‘trick-or-treating’, I even look forward to the unrelenting ringing of the doorbell announcing the arrival of yet another group of excited sheets! However, there is a more serious side to Halloween, as it is becoming increasingly less about these things and more about providing a date on which ‘minor’ criminal damage or assault is acceptable. As a teenager it was not unusual for me to hear my classmates discussing which neighbour or teacher was going to get their house or their car “egged” during the night (and no, I don’t live in a rowdy city centre, but a fairly quiet area of Cornwall!). Egging, accompanied by littering, good old ‘knock-down-ginger’ and generally handing out abuse to people who do not give a ‘treat’, culminate to make Halloween one of the most damaging days of the year for the reputation of young people. I know that I hate the assertion by the older generations that there is a decline in the manners of young people compared to back in ‘their day’, but I also know
that I always feel a bit uncomfortable and ashamed of being a teenager when I walk around my village and local town on the morning of 1st November to see people, especially elderly people, out cleaning up the mess. It has reached such a dire state in some areas, such as Surrey, that shopkeepers have been instructed to ask young people about their intentions before selling them eggs and flour! In 2005, in Hartcliffe in Bristol, the sale of these products to under-16s was banned altogether in the run up to Halloween. Should this really be necessary? The number of police on patrol has to be increased, and when it is considered that (according to the BBC website), ‘nuisance crime’ increases by 20% around this time of year, we can see that this is a sad, but not unnecessary, use of police time. An online search, using the keywords ‘Halloween’ and ‘egging’ throws up stories of an American boy of 13 and a British girl of 14 who received severe damage to their sight after being hit in the face by eggs thrown from cars on Halloween. This worryingly shows that this is not a localised issue which could be eradicated by increased security in one town or city, but is actually a problem both here and in the US and also that some of these ‘eggers’ are old enough to be driving cars. Personally, I don’t think that someone who considers it a good idea to throw an egg from a moving vehicle, with the intention of hitting a child, can be considered to have sufficient decisionmaking skills to have a driving licence. In my opinion, the reason for the increasing criminal culture associated with Halloween is the fact that a lot
of these young people are never punished for their actions. ‘Egging’ is chatted about casually in the classroom and is no doubt arranged on MSN and the perpetrators never consider the possible consequences of their actions. They go out, vandalise people’s property, occasionally hurling abuse, then go home, safe in the knowledge that ‘everyone does it on Halloween’ and don’t give it another thought until next year when they will do the same thing again. Part of the blame has to lie with parents. I mean, do they really think that their darkly-clothed, hooded 15-year-olds are going out ‘trick-or-treating’ for lollies and Haribo? Parents need to be made more aware of this ‘nuisance crime
craze’ so that they can take appropriate action to stop their child becoming one of the trouble-makers. In the same way, schools and local police should be showing children and teens just how serious the consequences can be. I’m sure that if more of these young people heard that, in 2003, a pensioner collapsed and died after chasing away youths who were ‘egging’ his home, then they would perhaps think twice before going out this Halloween, egg carton in hand. The vast majority of these youths are not bad people, they are just bored, and if they were made aware of the fear and distress that they cause, along with being offered alternative forms of entertainment, they would most probably happily ‘lay down their weapons’. Perhaps ‘Halloween Balls’ could
EGGS: Let’s do this instead of throwing them. Much tastier. Use less oil, though.
be made annual events in secondary schools, or deals could take place at local cinemas for cheap Halloween movie tickets; there are so many methods of keeping young people from resorting to crime as a way of celebrating Halloween and our government, local authorities and schools just need to put some of these incentives into action. Whatever action is taken needs to be taken soon, as undoubtedly, on the morning of November 1st this year, there will again be stories of the people who have suffered this Halloween as a result of someone else’s distorted idea of fun. So, go out, buy a pumpkin and enjoy the parties (I know I will), but maybe just remind your younger brothers and sisters that it’s not ‘cool’ to terrorise neighbours or ‘egg’ people or property and ask them whether one night of ‘fun’ is really worth having a criminal record for? I’m sure that the three youths who were taken into custody following the death of the pensioner mentioned earlier would have an interesting answer to that.
Carroty ‘Chariot of Fire’ or Tardy ‘Wagon of Woe’?
In response to Josie Cox’s fabulous article in the last issue of impact, Marcel Oomens explores the complicated inner workings of the Bright Orange Bus’ morning timetable.
MAYBE JOSIE Cox was just unlucky, publishing her article on the Bright Orange bus service when she did, or maybe I just haven’t had the luck to enjoy the pleasantries of our “carroty chariot of fire”. But I don’t share her experience, the delight she gets from riding “our orange friend” on an idle Sunday afternoon. Instead, the sad service record of line 18 only helps to make my morning trip to University on a rainy autumn day even more grim. Josie probably was unlucky publishing her article in the week that saw an
investigation getting underway into alleged misconduct by First bus drivers in the Bristol area; the week that furthermore saw the most appalling service on record in this (still very young) academic year. Unfortunately even the weather in the days following the publication of her article turned sour and lots of us morning commuters were left standing in the rain. It is almost 8:30 on Tuesday and the rain is coming down by the bucket-load. I have arrived at Corn Street on line 14 with my flatmate. An orange bus has just left the stop so we queue up with the unlucky ones who didn’t make it onto the bus. This was the start of the most frustrating half hour since coming to Bath. We thought we’d be alright. After all we still had plenty of time and surely at this time of the day there are plenty of buses running between the bus station and the university. Moreover, there really weren’t that many people waiting in line. Fifteen minutes later, it’s now 8:45, another bus turns up - not one of those orange snakes that elegantly wriggle their
way up the hill but, by comparison, a rather small-looking purple and white brick on wheels. To our grief we quickly realise that we may not make it onto this bus either. By now the queue has grown to about a hundred people. Just as I put my foot on the bus, the bus driver asks me to stand back from the door and shuts it in my face. As we were now at the front of the line we had the opportunity to check the buses that call at the stop against the timetable. In the 40 minutes we were there, between 8:25 and 9:05, in the cold autumn rain, some ten buses should have called at the Corn Street stop. But we were still there, puzzled by the lack of buses. The queue behind us grows to several hundred people who all need to get to university by 9:15. Everybody gets a little annoyed when by 8:55 still no other bus has turned up. By 9 o’clock, there is still no bus and the crowd
sighs in resignation. That’s it, today the orange bus, yet again, won’t get us there on time. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t a recurring experience. But rather it is. It’s not just in the morning that students suffer. The same often happens between 17:00 and 19.00, when large numbers of people are waiting to get on the bus back into town. The contempt with which First seems to treat students amazes me; surely we’re one of their largest groups of customers in the area? Finally, at 9:05 and by a mindboggling twist of logic, three Bright Orange buses turn up all at the same time. My flatmate and I get on, we turn around the block, and find that the queue’s been cleared. But it’s all too little too late. We’re cold, soaked to the bone and we’re late, again. Students affiliated to the Bath Spa University Student Union have set up a Facebook group for people frustrated with the Bright Orange bus service.
Since reading about this in the Bath Chronicle I have found several groups dedicated to this subject. See http:// www.facebook.com. The University is currently looking for staff volunteers interested in keeping a diary about their experiences with the Orange bus service. For more information see http://www.bath. ac.uk/transport/transportarticles.html.
T-SHIRT: So, would you sport this?
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
IMPACT
9
Features
Rag: Raging into the New Uni Year Chiok-Sing Li Rag Publicity Officer THE OPENING of the new semester has been most eventful, with lots of new members, lots of money raised in collections and lots of pint glasses. After a storming sign-up session at the Commercial and Societies’ Fairs, Bath Rag managed to rouse up over 800 interested individuals for our events, raids and general feel-good silliness. It’s coming up to the date when we habitually celebrate the great Gunpowder Plot and this year is no different. On Saturday 3rd November, Bath Rag, in association with First, is hosting the “Bright Orange Family Fireworks” on campus where the night sky will be lit up with thousands of pounds worth of fireworks! The event is free for the 5000-plus spectators with food and drink marquees, a funfair, performances on stage, fire juggling and 1449 URB pumping out tunes from 6pm until 10pm. “This year’s event has a wider range of entertainment than ever before, so there should be something for everyone,” said Fireworks co-ordinator Katie Mabery. The event is a huge fundraiser by Bath Rag for local and national charities so donations of £2 per person are suggested to help raise more money than ever! As an extra
bonus, after the event there will be a Fireworks Afterparty in Elements with drinks offers and DJs, if you needed an excuse for a great night out. Best of all, it’s also free! If you would like to volunteer with Rag, you can become a Fireworks Marshall for the evening and help guide traffic, shepherd people and look important in a hi-viz jacket. It’s a nice, easy and fun way to start your volunteering, so get in touch with our organiser Katie Mabery on kem20@bath.ac.uk for more info. For those who like running or sadomasochism, the Bath Half Marathon is happening on Sunday 16th March 2008. It could be you with thousands of other runners and 13-odd miles ahead of you. If you would like to take up the challenge, Bath Rag can help you get a place by running for charity. We’ll try and pair you up with a charity of your choice or one of our local charities. Contact our Administrator Gareth on G.J.Wall@bath.ac.uk if you want to get involved. Our collections have been going exceptionally well this term, with lots of keen new members and some old favourites travelling to Newport and Taunton for Meningitis UK and Meningitis Research Foundation. They collected over £2000 in one day, which is amazing for a first collection.
Internet
This was achieved when a hardy group hit Swansea in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign and managed a phenomenal £2300! We collect all over the South West and beyond, for a variety of charities. If you want to see how you
can simply ask for £200+ off the public, email our Raids Officer Heather on he212@bath.ac.uk There’s a lot to do in Rag, so come along to one of our regular meetings every Tuesday at 6:15pm in 1 East
Intermission
3.6 or email us at rag@bath.ac.uk or on our website www.bathrag.com, or you can even phone us on 5052 from campus. Alternatively, drop into our office in the SU corridor. We’ve got you covered!
Featuring: Everything Too Soon
Deputy Editor Adam Luqmani’s regular look at the weird and the wonderful on the World Wide Web. This week, seeing as it’s Halloween, Internet Intermission takes a dark turn with a creepy look at ghostresearch.org. http://www.ghostresearch.org GHOSTS ARE always a difficult subject for me to take seriously. You are either a sceptic or a believer when it comes to anything paranormal. Of those people who believe, there are some who are naturally superstitious, while others actually experience something that changes their opinions. The major problem is, of course, that there is virtually no way of collecting proof of such happenings. Almost all of the “evidence” is recorded accidentally, and is noticed only later upon reviewing of the material. I’m talking about photographs with ghostly faces in the background, old cassette recordings (of course, it’s never digital) with a crackly voice which you can only hear with the volume on max; or very rarely, a ghostly video (although the other two are far more common). Now, as a sceptic, it would take some serious convincing to get me to believe that a misty splodge on a photo was a ghost, especially if this thing was posted to me with “ghost picture” enthusiastically scribbled along with the return address on the envelope. Let’s face it, deep down,
THE SHINING: or just sunlight? we all just want to be famous for something. Spotting a real, actual ghost would be a pretty impressive feat if you could prove it beyond reasonable doubt – just look at the effect that the Blair Witch Project had on 14-year-olds around the world back in 1999; and that was basically photo-faking on grander scale. Anyway, enough spraff. Ghostresearch.org is a website created by The Ghost Research Society (GRS), a couple of scientific types who wanted to prove or dispel the existence of ghosts beyond reasonable doubt. This plucky ‘Scooby gang’ is currently headed up by Dale D. Kaczmarek, who is
heavily medalled in the world of ghost tracking. His CV (viewable on the website, naturally) is overflowing with multiple publications, television appearances, and radio interviews. He is seen as one of the leading figures on ghostly goings-on. Perhaps the sad thing is that I wouldn’t believe them even if they came and flapped their evidence in my face. The fact that this little unit has been investigating the paranormal since 1977 without a single shred of concrete ghost proof so far, suggests to me that perhaps there really is nothing to be scared of. Seriously, guys, I think there’s just a point where you have to pack it in. Well, they haven’t, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing, either. Take a look at their “specialised devices” page, where they detail all of the equipment they use to detect their spooky quarry. They have spent thousands of dollars on high tech gadgets like their “Air Ion Counter” or their “Tritium-charged Compass” which operates in the dark…You may ask, where do GRS get their funds? Well folks, those of you who are enthused by ghosts and are whimsical with your cash can join the GRS on the website. $250 gets
you a lifetime membership and, as their site proudly proclaims, all new memberships include GRS badge, T-shirt and two back issues of Ghost Trackers Newsletter (last printed October 2001). You know as well as I do that your membership money will immediately be spent on a new set of high definition speakers so that Dale and his team of investigators can stare at each other in a darkened room listening intently to silent tapes, and staring for hours at blurry pictures of trees. Ghostresearch.org is scary, I admit, but perhaps it isn’t the ghosts that cause that discomfort!
FEATURES THIS week adapts to the Halloween-theme that seems to be unfurling on campus, in Bath and pretty much in any supermarket in the English-speaking world. If you ask me, the Halloween hype is being totally blown out of proportion by the marketing obsession of today’s bigwigs. As early as a few weeks ago, I was greeted by chocolate pumpkins upon my entrance into Sainsbury’s. As if that’s not enough, many of you have probably noticed that Bath has already been embellished with Christmas decorations. Someone is taking the idea of forward-planning a bit too much to heart. Nevertheless, impact’s Features, in the true spirit of a dead fish who always goes with the flow, has latched on to this premature craze and offers you ideal hints for perfecting your imminent Halloween party; Adam’s Internet Intermission takes us to the spooky corners of the cyberworld. The extent to which the psychology column links into this theme, is left up to your imagination; while my Imagine column gives you a petrifying image of a hypothetical world. Or maybe not. Whether you are turned on by the Halloween spirit or not, I hope that you survive the day without being subjected to any destructive supernatural forces. And I’ll take the opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas and Happy Easter too. Just in case I don’t get round to it later.
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MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Features
Feature for the Foodies: Living with Llamas up in the Sky James Dacey makes a successful attempt at being a travel Baby, It’s Cold Outside journalist, revealed in his account of working life in an Andean city. Daisy Meyland-Smith ONE OF the wonders of supermarket shopping is that certain items seem to be on offer all of the time. Like sausages. And Chicken. Ah, chicken! The staple food of so many students. When the air is balmy and Bath relaxes into its summer haze I like to marinate chicken breast in lime juice, then grill it and serve it with roasted sweet potatoes, tzatziki and chilli butter. Alas, it is far too cold for that kind of thing now (though a baked sweet potato sounds like rather a nice idea). But no fear. It is the time of year for hearty stews and casseroles, mounds of meaty pasta and mountains of fluffy, creamy mash. Make a whole batch of this stomachcomforting stew and either freeze it in portions or butter up your housemates... Chicken and cider stew with mash 1 kg chicken thighs, without bone, trimmed and cut into 2cm cubes. Thighs have more flavour than breast and will stay more tender. Do not be put off by their less attractive appearance. 1 ½ tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tbps dried) 1 tbsp oil 90g butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 ½ ish cups of apple cider (around 375ml) 1 kg potatoes
Pot of single cream (you need about 100-150ml for the stew, plus extra for the mash!) Season the chicken cubes with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil and 20g of butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Brown the chicken in batches for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan. Add the onion and thyme to the pan and saute for 2 minutes or so, until starting to turn translucent. Pour in a small amount of the cider, using it to remove any sediment, or stuckon brown bits from the pan. (This is called de-glazing and will add loads of flavour). Then add the rest of the cider. Return chicken to the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced (check occasionally and add water if extra liquid is needed). Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and boil until soft. (Tip: you could try adding extras to the potatoes, such as apple or celeriac). Remove from the heat and mash with the rest of the butter and enough cream to achieve favoured consistency. Stir the remaining cream into the stew and cook for another 2-4 minutes until thickened. Serve immediately, with the mash and some crisp vegetables such as green beans or a salad.
Ring-A-Ding-Ding
Ever fancied yourself as the Hunchback of Notre Dame? Matthew Butler explains that this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance. HAVE YOU ever heard the glorious, pealing sound of church bells and wondered what it’s like to ring them? Well, now is your chance to find out. The Bath University Bell-ringing Society is a new, active group of ringers that aims to get more students learning the ropes of the ancient and peculiarly English art of change ringing. Church bells are rung by people on the ends of ropes, one for each bell. There may be ten bells, as at Bath Abbey; eight, as at St Michael’s next to Waitrose; or six, as at the society’s own tower: St Matthew’s, at the bottom of Widcombe Hill. As the ringer pulls the rope, the bell swings round 360 degrees and the clapper strikes its side, producing a rich, sonorous tone. This technique allows us to vary the time at which the bell sounds, and although it is too limited to ring tunes, it does allow for the permutations of the bells to be changed in a series of mathematical patterns. We call these ‘methods’, which range from the very simple to the unimaginably difficult. As the ringer not only has to concentrate on striking his bell in the right place but also on following the line of the method, ringing poses a considerable intellectual challenge and is intensely
satisfying to those who master it. Since the main purpose of ringing is to call people to worship, it is primarily a service to the church. However, you don’t need to be a churchgoer yourself to join, and the bells are rung for many other reasons – such as for weddings (which are paid); to celebrate someone’s birthday; or even just for fun. It is also an intensely sociable hobby. After evening practices, it is the tradition to adjourn to the nearest pub for conversation over a pint. Moreover, when you travel around the country or even abroad, you will almost always be given a warm welcome when you visit a local tower, as I was during the summer when I holidayed in Washington DC and New York. Through ringing you can meet all sorts of new people and form a circle of friends who share a passion for this intriguing and rewarding art. If you find this ap-pealing (sorry), the Bell-ringing Society would be delighted to welcome you. In a few weeks you can learn how to handle a bell and ring in ‘rounds’ with the other bells; after that, you’ll be able to start tackling methods. If you’re interested, e-mail Heather Banyard at hcb22@bath.ac.uk or look at the society’s page on Bathstudent.com.
“SO WHY Peru?”, they kept asking. Well I guess it started with the Andes – those inspiring, sepia photos in dusty, old geography books. Then I discovered the music, the football and the revolutionary vibes of its strong, leftist political traditions. I wanted a taste of this. And so, armed with a TEFL certificate, I booked my flights and the adventure was set in motion. Geographically, Peru’s got the lot, being divided west to east into three distinct bands: La Costa (the coast), La Sierra (the mountains) and La Selva (the jungle). And they speak Spanish – a language I could actually get my head around. I decided to go to the city of Cusco, home of Machu Picchu – the breathtaking citadel built in the clouds by the mysterious Incas. After arriving, things happened very quickly. First there was the theft of my camera; taken from my bag on a night bus. To the amusement of my girlfriend, I was robbed on three occasions during my stay; she travelled without loss despite remaining on the continent for twice as long. There was no time for mourning this loss of snapshot memories because I soon moved in with Beatriz – my host mum. In those first few days, I remember feeling intensely happy but totally overwhelmed by the language barrier and Beatriz clearly loved to talk. In our first meeting alone, she covered everything from Peruvian politics to her Incan ancestry, to her favourite Mexican soaps. Didn’t she realise I couldn’t speak Spanish? This sensation of being thrown in at the deep end continued up until my first day of school. I met the English teacher and tried to explain the aim of my trip. She just smiled and told me to tell it to the kids. Yep you guessed it: in Spanish! My role at first was to assist by marking homework and using my voice to replace the annoying American cassette. One ongoing difficulty was the English teacher’s almost complete lack of English. I watched her conduct English lessons entirely in Spanish. I think she appreciated my help but never truly understood the concept of volunteer teaching. I realised this because halfway through each morning she would ask me if I wanted to take the rest of the day off for sightseeing. At first, I couldn’t understand her attitude but after a few weeks of witnessing the strife and turbulence of working life in Peru, I realised how she might find it strange for someone to voluntarily enter into this. The political situation in Peru is complex. The president Alan Garcia narrowly won the election in 2006 despite resigning, disgraced, from his first presidency in 1990 following record hyperinflation, wide-spread corruption and a Maoist insurgency. His latest election campaign was based on the slogan ‘I’ve learned from my mistakes’ but it’s clear, these
mistakes are still fresh in the minds of Peruvians and he was re-elected as ‘the lesser of two evils’. Earlier this year he proposed regulatory competency exams for all teachers where three fails could result in a teacher being sacked. Incensed unions claim this will undermine their political power enabling the government to ‘fire at will’. There was a series of strikes lined up with the prospect of a huelga indefinida: an indefinite strike. And it wasn’t just education workers who were unhappy, there were strikes planned in the health and transport sectors, and in July, Cusco would experience a Parot – a one day general strike across all employment sectors. Beatriz explained that many Cusquenans hold a general distrust of Lima – the capital and seat of government, seen to represent the chaotic, soulless culture imposed by the cut-throat Spanish colonists. Despite the political unrest, Cusco is a beautiful place with a welcoming culture. The things I loved most were the insanely bright traditional costumes, the breath-taking Andean scenery and the Cusquenan desire to party at any opportunity. It was also the little things. Like guinea pig being the national dish, the obsession with coca leaves and the Cusco bars with their free entry-free drink policy. And my home stay was great. Beatriz and her boyfriend Alfonso truly immersed me in Cusquenan culture - bombarding me with Spanish, treating me to various culinary delights (including guinea pig) and taking me to loads of colourful festivals. Importantly, my Spanish was improving and I was having much more impact in school. The kids were starting to accept my strange blond hair and funny accent and I was taking classes by myself. But the strikes were occurring more frequently now – almost weekly. One day I turned up to class and the teacher was a no-show. She was part of an extreme union sub-group who’d called the strike – she’d just ‘forgotten to tell me’. Without a lesson plan, I entertained the kids with a quiz before sending them home early. In the build up to July’s Parot, the
city seemed a little edgy and I was expecting grave faces and heated protests, but when the day arrived, it was very surprising. People seemed relaxed and poured into parks to play football. Apparently, football tournaments are something of a tradition during Parot days. For me, this response seemed to encapsulate something about the acceptance of Cusquenans stretching right back to the conquest days. In the 16th Century when Pizarro and his men invaded, it was the first time village folk had seen large horses backed by armoured men. The Spanish were cruel and brutal but these ‘blond giants’ were seen by some as gods that had come to show them a better life. The invaders also spread their religion through Jesuit missionaries. To make Christianity more accessible the Jesuits incorporated Incan symbolism resulting in things like snake-draped crucifixes and paintings of a guinea pig last supper.
A n d e a n s a r e adaptable. They will adapt to the modern world but only at their pace and without sacrifice of their core values.
When change is enforced in the Andes there is a natural resistance but people make the most of the situation. Andeans hold very strong traditions and a have a strong sense of their position in the ‘Pachamama’ or Mother Earth. I believe Andeans are adaptable. They will adapt to the modern world but only at their pace and without sacrifice of their core values. Surely this is something to commend. Following the Parot, talks between unions and the government broke down entirely and my work came to an abrupt end as the teachers entered into the indefinite strike. In one respect, my project in Peru ended in shambles, but in no sense do I feel short-changed by the experience. I wanted a genuine taste of South American culture and this is exactly what I got.
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
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MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Features
A Taboo of our Cruel Society: The Stigma of Psychological Disorders
This week, Rosanna Pajak touches on the taboo of psychological disorders. She discusses why we tend to fail to sympathise with mentally ill people, making them the butt of our jokes instead. ‘SERIOUSLY MATE, don’t go near him, he’s a nutter…’ How often do we hear such words thrown around casually? We use ‘psycho’, ‘nutter’ and ‘schizo’ to describe weird, unpredictable and scary people. As a result, psychological disorders are a double-edged sword. Sufferers are challenged not only by their disorder, but also by unjust social stigma towards mental illness. Admit it, we are generally uncomfortable with anything that is different, and anything we don’t understand. Statistically, up to 40% of us will suffer from a mental illness in our lifetime, but many people remain ignorant of the facts. It can’t be denied that things are better than they used to be. In the 18th century, the mentally ill were branded insane or possessed, seen as incurable and subhuman, and literally doomed to a life in chains. Many lived in terrible conditions, some were forcibly sterilised. Even just sixty years ago people were subjected to lobotomies and electroconvulsive therapy. Today we thankfully have a much greater understanding of psychological disorders. Research in 1999 found that most people identified genetics, stress and biology as contributing factors, and didn’t blame the individual. Yet research also found that nearly 80% of people with psychological disorders have received offensive comments or been treated as incompetent. Nearly
half had experienced discrimination in the workplace or when seeking employment. Clearly, society is hardly accepting the mentally ill with open arms. Even as recently as 2006, it was found that many people continue to attribute mental illness to personal or emotional weakness. Think carefully about the way you view people with depression… there is probably part of you that feels such people need to try harder to be happy, or to make changes in their lives. 49% of us think those with severe depression should ‘pull themselves together’, but depression is not so simple. It has also been found that most people are fearful about the potentially volatile nature of the mentally ill. That man that wanders down your street muttering to himself probably puts you on edge, so you try to walk past him as fast as possible. How do you consider alcoholics, drug addicts, or even anorexics? Many people blame such individuals for their disorders, but once again these behaviours are psychological in nature and incredibly complex. Amazingly, such opinions are not confined to the general public. Research found that medical personnel held negative attitudes towards people who overdose and towards people who suffer from anorexia, seeing them as more responsible for their disorder. A recent report criticised the medical services for not taking concerns seriously, putting
concerns down being ‘neurotic’ or to physical problems, and generally being unsupportive and inconsiderate to individual’s feelings. In Australia, where there isn’t a public health system like the NHS, it was only a few months ago that sessions with psychologists could be claimed back on medical insurance, illustrating how the medical profession appears to view psychological problems as trivial in comparison to physical. Saddest of all, it has been found that about half the people suffering from mental distress had experienced discrimination from their family and friends: being called names, not being taken seriously, being told to ‘pull themselves together’ and being dropped or avoided. Families often don’t know how to react after a crisis thus avoid the subject altogether, a definite indication of the stigma attached to mental disorders. So how is it that mental illness remains so easily dismissed, even openly mocked by society? 73% of people with mental health problems feel that coverage of these issues is unfair, unbalanced or very negative – it’s a good point. Consider the film ‘Psycho’, or ‘Halloween’. Lots of thriller or horror films depict a violent, frightening, mentally ill individual, and the tabloids regularly use words such as ‘psycho’ and ‘bonkers’, showing a total lack of sensitivity to people with mental illness, contributing to the misconceptions of the mentally ill, and
Scarily Scrumptious Specials Amira Fathalla uses the Halloween spirit as an excellent excuse for some bloodcurdling culinary treats. This will ensure that not only your drinks are chilling. HALLOWEEN FOOD at parties often consists of a selection of decorated biscuits and fairy cakes, which is quite fun – it’s the only time in the year when you can get away with dying all your friends’ teeth black with the icing spiderwebs you drew on your cakes. However, I’d really like to take things a step further this year, and come up with a spooky mix of weird and wonderful, healthy and not-so-healthy party treats. Eye-eye, Cap’n! What could be scarier than finding an eyeball at the bottom of your drink, or biting into the one graciously sitting atop your cupcake? You can make these eyes in any number of ways: Chop up dark chocolate into tiny chunks, place one in each mould of a round ice-cube tray, and pour melted and cooled white chocolate on top. Make sure the white chocolate isn’t too hot or it’ll melt the dark chunks, but then that may be the look you’re going for! Or try a healthier and slightly spookier type – use a melon baller to scoop out balls of green melon and push a small raisin into each eyeball.
You could also go for a cheesecake style one (not to use in drinks though!) using a basic cheesecake recipe and letting it set either in a round ice-cube tray with a blueberry at the base of each mould, or in a bowl first, then scoop the eyes out (ugh) with a melon baller. If none of these options sound easy enough to be worth having eyefuls of eyes in your kitchen, then you could probably just try making some by rolling thick icing or marzipan into balls and poking in raisins for the iris. Whichever type you choose, try using different-coloured fruit for the irises, like cranberries or blueberries, to add some variety. Another delightful treat, which is a little less fun but a lot healthier, is a black and orange fruit salad. Simply choose and mix any orange- and dark-coloured fruit in a large bowl, splash in some juice of your choice – orange, cranberry or apple, for example – and serve chilled. The choice of fruit you could use is endless – tangerines, oranges, mangoes and peaches for the orange, and blackberries, blueberries, and black grapes for, you guessed it, the black.
How about making your own toffee apples, and dipping them in a second topping, like hundreds and thousands, before the toffee cools? Or dip fully-cooled or store-bought toffee apples in melted chocolate and baby marshmallows. For mid-party nibbles, serve plates of orange segments half-dipped in dark chocolate, with little sprigs of mint to decorate. Whatever you choose to whip up, try and go the extra mile this Halloween, creepy (but edible) food will spice up any party. And remember, eye’ll be watching you!
STRESS: A key trigger for clinical depression.
making it seem acceptable to fear and ridicule mental illness. With such ideas filtering through society at many levels, it’s really no surprise that the mentally ill become isolated. They’re likely to have limited social interactions and end up being excluded from society on basis of their illness, regardless of their real nature – they are truly defined by their disorder. It also means people are less likely to seek treatment due to their own prejudice and fear of how others will react. If you found yourself struggling to cope, would it be easy to accept that you had a psychological problem and get help? It is likely that you would worry about
what people would think, that it might affect you’re employment, or that you may become dependant on drugs. This is a serious problem, as conditions can worsen without psychological help. In many ways, psychological problems remain the ultimate stigma: what people find it hardest to talk about. It’s an important issue for society, as this stigma is perhaps the main obstacle to a better life for the many hundreds of millions of people suffering from mental disorders. The public needs to be made aware of the reality of mental illness: to see that it takes strength and courage it takes to live with, and realise that it can be treated and managed.
HOROSCOPE Madame Soufflé
GREETINGS FROM the heavens my star children. I am Madame Souffle and I will traverse the astral planes and helicopters in order to guide you through the year. This week looms in the shadow of Halloween. Naturally, we will all be subjected to supernatural forces and will inevitably need Madame Souffle’s advice to maintain control over our hectic lives. CAPRICORN (22 December - 20 January) You’re going to find yourself this fortnight. But then you’ll put yourself down again and forget where you left you. AQUARIUS (21 January - 19 February) You’re going to finally understand that joke you were told last month and then laugh out loud at a really inappropriate time. PISCES (20 February - 20 March) You will pull a bloke I’ve had my eye on for a while now. Prepare to be destroyed in a frenzy of tarot cards and healing crystals. ARIES (21 March- 20 April) That yellow dress you’ve got makes you look fat. Get rid of it and go jogging each morning. Moo! TAURUS (21 April- 21 May) A comet will collide with the earth, throwing it out of orbit and destroying all of life on the planet, but it will only affect you. GEMINI (22 May- 22 June) I’ll just say this: watch out for that car!
CANCER (23 June- 23 July) You’re going to spill piping hot coffee down the Vice Chancellor. This may affect your time at Bath. LEO (24 July- 23 August) You’re going to have a surprise birthday party. It will be more of a surprise as it’s not your birthday for about nine months. It’ll be less of a surprise as I just told you about it. VIRGO (24 August - 23 September) You’re going to throw a surprise birthday for a friend only to find you’re about nine months early. LIBRA (24 September - 23 October) A Libra just broke up with me so I’m inclined to predict that you’ll die alone. SCORPIO (24 October - 22 November) A friend will tell you an important secret. Use it against them for your own gain. SAGITTARIUS (23 November - 21 December) The aliens that abducted you last month will find your wallet this fortnight and return it to you.
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Imagine...
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Features
Yank Yearns for Bath
This week, impact presents a feature concerning the Josie Cox is dazed and confused as reflections of an American exchange student on her to why no-one came up with this idea semester spent in Bath. Lauren Boston gives us an earlier: beds to make the University a insight into her memories of the Roman city. DORM room is a shrine to more conducive learning environment. MY Bath. A shameless, nostalgic, AS THE initial hype of beginning term gradually dies down, the falling temperatures and shortening days seem to have a more obvious effect on the student population of Bath. In the past few days I have come to empathize with those animals that are eager to hibernate for the winter. Through some strange phenomenon, my brain seems to be in constant lack of oxygen. At least that’s the way I explain my frequent spasmodic yawns, which always seem to occur at the most awkward of times; like when I’m trying to fool my lecturer into thinking that I am ridiculously intrigued in what he’s saying. Furthermore, from my observations I can conclude that I’m not the only student who seems to be spending more time fantasizing about going into the foetal position on the couch. In fact, I have come to realize that people are increasingly not only daydreaming about staying in bed, but converting wishful thinking into reality. The bus stops in Oldfield Park have never been a bundle of laughs when the bus is late on a Monday morning. Nevertheless, the first few weeks saw a distinct chatter regularly resonate from the yawning mouths of the fair few people who had decided to brave the morning. Now, three weeks into term, the “fair few” have reduced to a mere “feeble few”. On Monday morning three weeks ago, I estimate that I was accompanied by at least 15 people while waiting for the bus. This morning there were two of us; the distinct chatter solemnly absent. So what could possibly help us in this dire state? The answer is so simple that you may struggle to believe me: Beds. No need for four posters embellished with cashmere sheets from the wool of the rarest sheep in the Himalayas. No, just bog-standard mass-produced camp beds.
As a fresher, many of us will remember that the world was still ok. How many of us survived a mindnumbing 9.15 purely through the thought of subsequently being able to climb back into bed? Unfortunately, living on the other side of town puts a bit of a dampener on the whole story. When I am lucky enough to have a lecture at 9.15 and another at 11.15, with nothing in between, I must admit that the virtually impossible task of finding a free computer in the library is distinctly less appealing than the concept of being able to take a rejuvenating nap. Now comes the “Imagine” part: as a former avid member of the Volleyball team, I should be fundamentally supportive of the imminent opening of a Beach Volleyball court on the campus. Putting a different slant on the issue, let’s imagine that the court space were actually transformed into a giant camp-site-like sleeping area, where students could sleep after the laborious struggle of an 8.15. What about the threat of overcrowding leading to savage violence and fierce competition for a short slot of sleep? Even for this considerable problem I have devised a plan: nap points. That’s right; every student who attends an 8.15 receives 3 nap points, each point being exchangeable for 5 minutes of a sleep-slot. By attending a 9.15 you can gain 2 points, and a 10.15 still awards you with one cherished point. In this way, when, like tinned sardines, we are lolling in and out of the land of nod, we are not confronted with the same ferocious fight that we are forced to endure in order to get a place on the Bright Orange Bus. More sleep makes happier students. Love, peace, and understanding for all. Save the world. I’m off to write my business proposal.
ENTRANCE TO THE NEW BEDROOM: Fancy napping for Team Bath?
slightly over-the-top memorial; Union Jack flag included. And it makes me happy in the saddest possible way. The last column I wrote for impact was penned from the Northern slopes of Bath. Four months later I am back in the States, holed up in my college library and back to reality. My semester abroad was truly the best time of my life and the transition back to the good old US of A has been a reluctant one. Dealing with reverse cultural shock was something I did not anticipate when I flew back home in May. England and the United States may share the same language, but the similarities end there. What’s This Feeling?...Oh Yes, A Full Stomach. Take food for example. Europeans are thin for a reason, for they understand the concept of portion control. My red, white and blue stomach suffered most during a Spring break trip to Italy. After hours of walking without rest, my housemates and I wanted nothing more than a hearty meal, only to be presented with a serving of pasta that would have upset a small child. In a moment of true American gluttony, we once visited two gelaterias in a five-minute span. The notion of second helpings seems to be a foreign one for you Brits. On the final day of my internship at a publishing company, my co-workers took me to a Chinese buffet my boss had discovered. The rest of my coworkers were baffled by the idea of multiple trips to the salad bar, whereas I made my rounds at each station with ease, happy to feel full to the point of illness for the first time in four months. I wish portion control would have prevented any weight gain, but it only fueled my appetite late at night, as I engulfed jars of Nutella. Thirteen pounds later, I am back in the states with huge portions… and hips. Is The Car Actually Slowing Down? I must admit the imminent threat of death while crossing the street in England could be trying on the nerves. After being advised by the study abroad director to carefully look both ways, I was determined to avoid the title of first University of Mary Washington student to get hit by a bus in Bath. The one major intersection on the way to school each morning was always an ordeal, as I darted around double decker buses and cars that seemed to speed up at the sight of a pedestrian. The British may be polite in most circumstances, but the roads are your playground, and by God, you better respect that.
PULTENEY BRIDGE: Lauren’s treasured memory. After finally getting accustomed to a far more risky game of dodgeball, it’s odd to have cars once again stop and let me cross the street. The ease with which I can now walk the roads of Virginia is wonderful, yet a tiny part of me misses the chaos of Milsom Street. Bloody Hell, It’s Beeping Again. Every time I hear my Jack Johnson ringtone, I cringe just a little bit. I was glued to my cell phone before studying abroad, and questioned whether I could survive without it. And then I got to England and embraced my new freedom with open, Verizon-free arms. There was something wonderful about being completely cut off from the rest of the world if I wanted to, alone in the botanical gardens or Crescent without constantly screening calls. I have naturally welcomed my cell phone back into my life since May, and have even considered, with much care and consideration, purchasing a new ringtone. But for all its convenience, everytime I get a new call I can’t help but think about what I’ve lost. Personal Dignity Is A Plus. PreBath Lauren was a responsible, nearly straight-A student with a general regard for cleanliness, deadlines and self respect. Four months abroad, for good or bad, destroyed that persona and the return to my former self has been a difficult journey. The courses I took in England were on a credit/no credit basis, so for the first time in my life, getting an A didn’t really matter to me. As
travel plans and friends took over, my study habits quickly deteriorated. The low-point of my academic life came at the end of the semester, when, truly unprepared, I turned in a 30 page internship thesis held together with a hair clip. I am ashamed to say my school work wasn’t the only thing that fell by the wayside. Sleeping on a sheet and doing laundry no longer seemed necessary to me, and I ended up wearing the same pair of jeans from hostel to hostel for nearly a month without a trip to the washing machine. In my defence, nothing else fit due to an eating contest one evening in which I consumed 28 cookies in half an hour. I’m not exactly proud of my lifestyle in England, but for one semester it was nice to throw my responsible self to the side and just live. I have since reclaimed a little dignity, but it’s hard to accept that hair accessories at my college are just that, and not an appropriate replacement for a staple. Days To Remember. People ask me what it is I miss most about my time in England. Everything. My semester in Bath changed my life. In four months I saw more of the world than most people will in a lifetime, I fell in love with a city that feels like home, and I lived with six girls who went from strangers to my best friends and family. Aside from a dashing British boyfriend, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Which is why I am moving back to England after graduation. Bath, I’ll see you in May.
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MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Halloween Special Welcome, my minions, to the Great Halloween Special Edition Double Page! Allow me to introduce myself; I am Count von Luqmani. We begin with a classic cheap night’s entertainment, a themed wordsearch! We could have gone with sensible Halloween-themed words like WITCH and PUMPKIN, but we wanted something a little more original. Behold, a cunning list of words taken at random from the Wikipedia.com entry on “Halloween”... Mwuhahaha!
Halloween Jokes feature The poorest and most pun-tastic jokes have been hand-chosen for your enjoyment. Darken someones’ day with one of these howlers: Why are there fences around cemeteries? Because people are dying to get in. Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road? He didn’t have the guts. Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers? No, they eat the fingers separately...
Ye WYRDSEARCH of DEATH SIXPENCE EVIL CENTURY SOCIETIES MISCHIEF ELABORATE U Z Q E R F E B S K S G Z A H
Y A E E X O R C I S T F I E F
N L N B Z I G J R P Y C I Z E
L A R U T A N R E P U S T P I
T Z D E L A B O R A T E U N H
T B P K H S Z E I G M L Y N C
SCARE SUPERNATURAL RESULTED CALENDARS EXORCIST PEEL B I E C L D E T L U S E R E S
D H V N L W C F C G W K K R I
E Y I F Q R G B M A L V B A M
A F L K C H O O H A X N P C D
M R Y C E N T U R Y G S X S H
P R L N Z C A L E N D A R S W
U E S O C I E T I E S V O M K
Q F E L O E S I X P E N C E C
What do birds give out on Halloween night? Tweets. Why didn’t the ghost go the the Ball? He had no body to go with.
I J Y L P F B C D N M T R O K
Sometimes, Sudoku is just way too hard. If you wanted to have some fun working out the numbers and filling them in, then you can find billions of them on the internet and in magazines to rot your brain. However, I thought I would come up with a new, easier and ultimately more rewarding version. The rules for this special Halloween edition are simple! 1. Each row must add up to 54 2. Each column must add up to 54 3. Each 3x3 box must contain numbers which total 54 4. You may not use the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 or 9
66 6 6 6
6 6 6 6
6 6
6 6
6 6 6 6 66
Create the Perfect Carved Pumpkin
1. Using the big kitchen knife, cleanly cut the top straight off the pumpkin approximately 1/8th of the way down. Don’t throw it away, that would be dumb. 2. Pull out the seeds and the fibrous stuff with your hands, and with the teaspoon if you need to. 3. Use the ice-cream scoop to remove all the soft pumpkin flesh. You could keep it to make pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie or my favourite, pumpkin compost.
66
4. Draw out the design you want on the paper. Make sure it fits on the pumpkin surface by holding it up against the pumpkin a couple of times during the drawing.
6 6
5. Holding the design against the pumpkin, use the needle or cocktail stick to prick the pumpkin and outline the design ready for carving.
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6 6
6. Cut out the marked shape with the short knife. Try not to put any extra nicks in the pumpkin since this causes the mould to grow faster on the outside. 7. Whack in the tealight, bung on the top, and Robert’s your mother’s brother, you’ve got an old skool Jack-o-Lantern
Bobbin’ for Apples: A Pro’s Guide Bobbing for apples is wrongly seen by many people as a fun game. These people are obviously not pro. To become a pro, like me, you need to train yourself in the correct manner. When Halloween comes around, you’ll be able to annihilate the competition with your elite skills.
PREPARATION Every pro bobber knows that bobbin’ aint for kids. This is adult territory now. The most powerful asset a bobber has is his psychological advantage. You know that you have the skills to beat everyone else in a three-mile radius. You are just waiting for the chance to prove it. Get those abs in shape. I’m talking sit-ups and pull-ups. You can do sit-ups in the privacy of your own home. Always keep in your mind that the ultimate goal of a bobber is to annihilate the competition with your elite skills. Build your jaw muscles. Chew gum all day, or even better, chew rocks. Also, stretching and lifting excercises will help give you gain the width and power you need. Focus your energy. Buy an apple - golden delicious - and place it in your room, somewhere prominent. Allow it to slowly decay in your room. Stare at it for 14 minutes each day. As the apple shrinks, this activity will help you to shrink the task of bobbing in your mind. Focus, and achieve greatness.
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Halloween Special
Don’t take no jibber-jabber! Remember the key lingo involved in the sport.
A large pumpkin A sheet of A3 paper (or a roll of greaseproof paper) Thick pen or felt tip (or a biro if you can’t find one) A needle, cocktail stick or other narrow sharp implement Large kitchen knife Teaspoon Ice-cream scoop or other large spoon (the bigger, the better) Small paring knife (short, sharp 4-8cm knife) Tealight
Okay, that’s a lot of kit, but I reckon most of it can be scrounged fairly easily. The method is entirely straightforward.
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THE LINGO
You will need:
Method
Sudoku of the BEAST
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Bobber - that’s you, dawg, and anyone else who thinks they are up to the task of bobbin’. AJ - short for apple juice, this is the water in which the apples are floating. Plus saliva and apple juices. Mmm. Whopper - a big apple; too big to pick up easily (should be left, see below). Quickie - a small or otherwise easy-to-grab apple. Nibbles - apple with a healthy bite out of it already. These are good to grab onto early as they are easy to pluck. Leafers - an apple which still has a stalk or, even better, a leaf on it. These are gold and should be prioritised. Wet Willy - some kid with big ideas, who’s actually just a first-time bobber and ends up getting wet and embarrassed.
Remember: If someone tries to talk down to you, raise your game! Think back to the apple in your room and how you watched it decay. You can do the same to them in your mind. Call them a “second-rate bobber” or, if you’re feeling real nasty, call them a Wet Willy. Yeah! Now go out, brothers and sisters, and pluck some apples for the glory of Halloween!
THE SPORT So you’re ready. Your abs are like a brick wall, and mentally your mind is steeled. Your competition will be near. You must be thinking constantly, forcefully, annihilate the competition with your elite skills. There is no limit to what you can do in that barrel. It’s just you and the barrel. Look at that barrel. Get a good idea of the height. Check the temperature of the water, so you are prepared for the first phases. 1. The Plunge - this phase is the initial bending over. It is important to have those abs tuned up so you can hold over the water and take a good look at the apples for Phase 2. 2. The Choice - You need to choose which apple you are going to grab. Remember the key facts: smaller is easier. Be on the lookout for quickies, nibbles and leafers. These can be taken quickly to clear you some working space. Make a choice and go to Phase 3. 3. The Duck and Pluck - this is the part where you really show your training and skills. Open that jaw up wide, just like you trained, and clamp down fast on that apple. 4. The Lift - often a failing point of many beginners. Use your jaw strength with moderation - you don’t want to pulp that apple or it will fall out of your mouth. Use your abs to get a controlled movement away from the barrel, then make the drop and get ready to go to Phase 1 again.
RAARR: Brought to you by Count von Luqmani!
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Science and Technology
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Science & Technology News In Brief James Dacey Science Contributor James Watson: Genius? Racist? Misunderstood? JAMES WATSON of Double-Helix Nobel Prize-sharing fame has been suspended by his research group for comments made in an interview with the Sunday Times. Referring to black people, Prof. Watson is quoted as saying: “All our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really”. Following condemnation from both scientific and political communities, the British Science Museum cancelled a lecture he was due to give on Wednesday 17th October. A spokesman
for the museum said Prof. Watson had “gone beyond the point of acceptable debate”. A self-proclaimed ‘left wing freespeaker,’ the eminent scientist is no stranger to controversial comments. In 1997, a headline in The Telegraph read: “Abort babies with gay genes, says Nobel winner”. Supporters of Watson have spoken out in his defence claiming he is frequently misinterpreted. Artificial life in the next year SYNTHETIC GENOMICS, the artificial construction of organisms, could be commercially marketed within the next year. The venture is being led by American scientist Craig Venter at his private research institute in Maryland.
By combining chemically-formed DNA, the ultimate aim is to build and stitch together genes, chromosomes and proteins to form synthetic organisms. Initial applications would aid smallscale processes in the chemical industry, but ‘synthusiasts’ hope that one day synthetic organisms could tackle big problems like global warming (through production of green fuels) and the shortage of affordable anti-malarial medication. Concern is that by ‘playing god’, Venter could be creating a monster. Unlike other high profile technologies, synthetic organisms would, in theory, be easily reproducible, which could lead to ‘bio-error’ in inadequate laboratories. In response to public anxiety, policy experts from the Venter Institute, the Centre for Strategic & International
Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a report on October 17th entitled: “Synthetic Genomics: Options for Governance”. The report has been received with mixed feeling. One opponent is the Ethnobiology and Conservation Team, a US-based NGO committed to promoting global social well-being and sustainability. They claim the report is ‘focusing narrowly on safety and security in a US-centric context’. They add: “the report conveniently overlooks important questions related to power, control and the economic impacts of synthetic biology.” MRI scanners get the thumbs-up from Brussels IN A dramatic policy U-turn, the European Commission (EC) has delayed
Scientist of the Week: Alfred Nobel James Wilson Science Contributor ALFRED NOBEL received an excellent education and was lucky in that he was inspired by foreign languages, literature and the sciences. His interest in foreign languages greatly helped him in his well-travelled life, founding companies in ninety locations in twenty countries. He also obtained 355 patents in the fields of biology, electrochemistry, optics and physiology. In 1864, Alfred Nobel’s brother Emil was killed in an experiment connected with nitroglycerine production. Due to this and other similar accidents, nitroglycerin work was banned in Stockholm (where Nobel’s work was based), so he had to move his experiments outside the city. This paid off in 1867 when he patented dynamite, a mix of nitroglycerine and diatomaceous earth (a type of rock made up mostly of silica). This, along with the inventions of his contemporaries, drastically cut costs in the construction industry and gave him fame and fortune.
ALFRED NOBEL: No prize for love.
contributed to his decision to create the Peace Prize. He is chiefly celebrated for the prizes that in many ways show what he was like as a person. He was very enthusiastic about literature and science, and generally making the world a better place. Nevertheless, he seems to have been a lonely, melancholy man who was, as we can see from his advertising escapade, unsuccessful in love. Yet there is something else to remember him for: in 1881 he patented “a refrigerating machine to serve ice at home.”
In one of the more eccentric moments of his life, he advertised in a newspaper that a “wealthy, highly-educated elderly gentleman seeks lady of mature age, versed in languages, as secretary and supervisor of household.” He got an Austrian countess, Bertha Kinsky, who only worked for him for a week in Paris before returning to Austria to marry. However, she had a great effect on him and they corresponded for the last twenty years of his life. Her pacifism is thought by many to have
Guide to winning a Nobel Prize: 1. Don’t die! You cannot be nominated for an award after your death. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian political and spiritual leader, never received a Nobel Peace Prize, something that has been regretted by the Nobel Committee. 2. Do something ‘which confers a greater benefit to mankind’ in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Peace, or Literature. 3. Get someone or a group of people to nominate you. The people allowed to nominate varies from prize to prize, but all past winners of your prize can be nominators. From the nominations, a committee discusses each nominee until they agree that you are the winner. As a winner, you must give a lecture on your specific topic. You collect your Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on 10th December. Your prize is 10 million Swedish kronor (over £750,000), a diploma on hand-made paper and a medal of 18 carat gold, plated with 24 carat gold. Congratulations!
their directive to severely limit the usage of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners across Europe. The Physical Agents Directive was set to come into effect in 2008 with the aim of reducing workers’ exposure to potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation. If imposed, the directive could halve current scanner usage. Opinion within the medical physics community is that MRI danger is negligible but the benefits huge, and that the directive was reached from questionable research. Lobbying against the directive included a letter to the health secretary from Nobel laureate Sir Peter Mansfield whose pioneering research led to the initial development of MRI technology. The EC has put the directive on hold pending a four year review.
Science Shorts: AAAAH-ppendix Sally Nall Science Contributor
THAT MOST elusive of organs, the appendix, has since its discovery been viewed as an evolutionary cul de sac; an organ that has no use but has not been lost in our journey from tree-dwelling primates to city slickers. However, recent research from the Duke University Medical School in North Carolina may have solved the puzzle. Our useful gut bacteria help to keep us up and running and without them we would become very ill and maybe even die. In our closely-packed modern day societies we are never without exposure to bacteria, but in our distant past, when we lived less intimately with each other in small groups, it was much harder to replenish the ‘good’ gut bacteria that could be wiped out by large-scale infections of ‘bad’ bacteria. The appendix acted as a warehouse for ‘good’ bacteria because of its out-of-the-way location in regards to the rest of the gut. Destruction of the ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut could therefore be remedied by a mechanism whereby the appendix slowly released its stored-up ‘good’ bacteria back into the gut.
The Lethal Problems With Execution Liam Mason Science Contributor AS HE lay there, muscles paralysed, his consciousness faded away before the final administration of the most deadly component of the three drug lethal injection concoction; Potassium Chloride. Whilst normally painful, his previous injection of Sodium Pentothal had already placed him in an induced sleep. His passing is medically humane. Or so it was assumed. The case of Angel Nieves Diaz, a Puerto Rican criminal executed in a supposedly botched lethal injection in Florida in 2006, represents the ongoing American debate over the most humane way to end life. Diaz, having always maintained his innocence, had
toxic chemicals incorrectly injected into the flesh directly below the target vein, causing an agonising wait and second dose of chemicals before he finally passed away 34 minutes later. Witnesses reported a struggling Diaz, purportedly attempting to speak after the first dose. Some inmates also have very violent reactions to the injections. In 1992, Justin Lee May of Texas had an unusual reaction to the drugs and was seen struggling and attempting to gasp for air. Exceptional cases like these are examples of supposedly humane executions going badly wrong, and they are perhaps not the worst. In cases of lethal injection, research carried out by the University of Miami’s Department of Anaesthesiology suggests that at least
43% of executed criminals had blood concentrations of the first drug, a comainducing barbiturate, consistent with some degree of consciousness. In other words, some of the criminals executed by lethal injection were awake at the time of the final drug administration and could have possibly felt pain but been physically unable to move due to almost total muscular paralysis. In these cases, this would certainly fall under ‘cruel and unusual punishment’. Indeed, such cases could well be considered gratuitous torture. The suffering, however, remains eerily undetectable. Lethal injections are not the only executions that can be botched. Perhaps the most famously known case of a poorly executed beheading is that of Mary, Queen of Scots. As recorded by
Robert Wynkfield, the executioner took three blows to cut off her head; the first blow allowing blood to flow out at a high pressure into the audience. In the case of St Cecilia, who was executed in 180 AD as a martyr, a failed beheading led to her surviving a gruesome three days before finally passing away. Botched executions are perhaps increased in frequency by a reluctance of the medical profession to get involved in such affairs. With relatively untrained or poorly trained executioners, mistakes are bound to happen. Still, as people react to the same drug differently, not all reactions and doses can be gauged accurately. As a result of some of the cases mentioned, questions surrounding the death penalty have become more
pertinent. The US is now reviewing its own execution system, and the trend seems to be towards reducing the number of inmates executed. As recently as 2005, the US Supreme Court ruled that nobody under 18 can be executed. Those who would like to see executions abolished argue that the US is the only westernised democracy to still practice capital punishment. Still, there is significant debate concerning capital punishment across the world. The recent hanging of Saddam Hussein, for example, sparked a furor of debate about the nature of capital punishment. However, there is still a large amount of support for the death penalty and capital punishment looks set to remain as a hotly contested issue in the international arena.
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Science and Corpses
The Physics Behind the Supernatural James Dacey puts our minds at rest with scientific explanations of ghostly encounters. “AN IDEA, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.” CHARLES DICKENS FROM THE spirituality of religion to the haunting of Hamlet to the modern day cinematic thriller, ghosts have pervaded literature for millennia. The concept of the person within the person and the world of spirits are a part of global culture, but sceptical physicists think ghostly apparitions can all be explained logically using science. Feeling spooked could all be down to perception. Simple physical explanations could involve sudden changes in air pressure, a bright light from a car or a cold sensation due to drafts. People often talk about catching a glimpse of a ghost ‘in the corner of their eye’. This could be attributed to the strength of peripheral vision (PV) - the ability to see things outside the central gaze. PV plays an important role in the
perception of motion and it came from the primal need to detect lurking predators. But peripheral vision is more sensitive at night and can be misleading, especially when judgement is impaired by tiredness. People talk of feeling a ‘presence creep up behind them’. Electromagnetic waves flow through us every second of every day but we don’t feel a thing because there’s minimal interaction with us. However, when large fluctuations occur your body may detect the difference. A section of the brain at the back of the head known as the Angular Gyrus controls our perception of space. The Angular Gyrus is sensitive to electric fields and when stimulated by strong field variations our perception can get confused giving the feeling that a dark shadow is lurking behind us. The cause of field fluctuations can be linked to terrestrial sources like electrical equipment or changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. They can also be due to the Sun’s magnetic wind.
WOOOOO: Ghosts on campus. Fact: Ghostly encounters usually occur in the night. This could be due to the more chaotic nature of the Earth’s magnetic field at night time. As the solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere its magnetic component is twisted and stretched over the dark side of the Earth
causing more fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, and thus more reported ghoulish encounters. Then there’s infrasound. Frequencies below 20 Hertz cannot be detected by the human ear but can still be detected by the body. Infrasound can feel like a dark, gloomy presence and it can be
Spiders... on Drugs?
Visit Eden
Catherine Luckin Science Contributor HAVE YOU ever wondered what would happen if a spider was given drugs? Possibly not, but a few years ago a group of NASA researchers clearly had, so they decided to find out. So, following the general Halloween theme of this issue, the science team decided you may also like to know. The research involved common house spiders being given a selection of psychotropic drugs and then left to spin webs. The researchers found that the drugs had interesting and varied effects on the web-spinning abilities of these spiders.
Spiders that received a dose of caffeine could not string more than a few threads together in an entirely random fashion. SPEED: a hole lotta web. The spiders that tried to make a web whilst feeling the effects of Speed began with great enthusiasm, but apparently not much planning, resulting in a web ridden with large holes. CAFFEINE: I’m wide awake.
A NORMAL SPIDER’S WEB Surprisingly, starving these spiders of a home for a few hours may not have been in vain. It seems that the more toxic chemicals produced more greatly deformed webs, so it could be that spiders might be useful in testing the toxicity of new drugs. Whether or not this possible application comes to fruition, something can be learnt from this: be careful where you leave your coffee this Halloween, or you might leave a poor spider homeless for a while.
Professor Science Halloween Special Dear Ditornia,
Q. Dear Professor “Spooky” Science, If a person decided to indulge in a spot of vampirism, would they be able to survive on a diet consisting entirely of blood? Yours Faithfully, Ditornia O’Pike, 19, from Abu Dhabi
Strangely, I was unable to find any rigorous experimental evidence regarding the pros and cons of vampirism and, unfortunately, being a 100% vegan diplodocus, ruled out the possibility of self-experimentation. Nonetheless, I have endeavoured to create a well ‘researched’ answer as to the viability of this least balanced of diets! Because blood transports the products of digestion around the body, it is about as perfectly nutritious as any foodstuff can be. Various hunter gatherer tribes, including the Masai, regularly drink cattle or goat’s blood as a way of taking in valuable nutrients without having to slaughter their animals. The main nutritional problems associated with a blood-only diet are
generated by something as simple as a faulty fan heater. There’s a whole range of other possible explanations. People talk of seeing supernatural apparitions where others can’t. A condition known as Pareidolia causes the affected to recognise patterns in seemingly random distributions. If occurring in the wrong place in the wrong frame of mind, this could be an incredibly haunting experience. People have also reported phantom sightings during the blurry transition between sleep and wake, and viceversa. This conscious state is known as hypnogogic trance and we can all expect to experience at least one during our lifetime. So maybe physics can explain ghosts. Throughout history people have been haunted by the idea of the living dead, but could they be nothing but blips in the prevailing environmental conditions? The answer: I don’t know, but (sorry friends, can’t resist it)… The Truth Is Out There.
the lack of certain essential vitamins and minerals. Vitamins which dissolve in fat are not transported in the blood, so vampires would be lacking in vitamins A, D, E, and K. Restricting your diet in such a way would eventually lead to associated deficient maladies such as bone softening in the case of vitamin D. Although such a vitamin-deficient diet would mean Dracula would most probably be a fairly feeble chap, his most pressing dietary concern would be dehydration. To expel the high concentrations of salts and waste products found in blood, the Count would relieve himself of more water than his particular dietary preference could supply, leading to rapid dehydration. The negative effects of drinking blood would be similar to those of alcohol and, as well as spending a lot of time on the
toilet, vampires presumably suffer from permanent hangovers. So, to summarise, to subsist on a diet of blood, ensure you drink plenty of water and take regular vitamin supplements and you should be fine! Presumably this means that a sure way to spot Nosferatu is to look for the bottled water and chewable multivitamins scattered throughout his or her tomb! Yours Faithfully
PROFESSOR SCIENCE Got any questions for Professor Science?
E-mail them to: impact-science@bath.ac.uk
IN AN attempt to increase awareness of current environmental crises and the possibilities for a sustainable future, a group of Business Administration students are organising a day trip to the Eden Project on Saturday 3rd November. The Eden Project (awarded best British building of the past 20 years) consists of a collection of Bio-domes exhibiting over one hundred thousand plants from climate zones across the world, providing an entertaining and educational resource. The site has recently opened the doors of its newest attraction - The Edge - a “building because of climate change.” The Edge focuses on current environmental concerns, providing a fascinating insight into the ingenuity of those already surviving in the Earth’s harshest environments and the ambition which will be required to face today’s “difficult but not impossible circumstances.” The dome itself provides a workable example of sustainable architecture. It is from this exhibition in particular that the organisers hope students will discover a new found understanding of the challenge that is global warming. The trip will include a short talk by Eden Project staff on Sustainability in Business, which should prove useful for those taking environmentally focused courses. Tickets cost £15, which includes entrance to the Eden Project, and a coach ride there and back (leaving campus at 8am). If you are interested in going, tickets will be available outside the library on weekday lunchtimes until 2nd November or you can order them online @ http://bathtoeden. dknm.co.uk/. Contact Jenny Bell @ jb273@bath.ac.uk for further details.
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Fun & Games
Bath Oar Acrobat Leading Poll Adam Luqmani Deputy Editor impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk
website, www.kityouruni.com, where everyone can vote for their favourite trick. The trick with the most votes by 5pm on the 31st of October wins! I caught up with third-year Mech Eng student Jon Ford, who was approached on the Parade during Freshers’ Week to perform his ‘paddle’ trick. Men’s Polo Captain this year, Jon was proud to declare that he was “the fastest one in the club that year” at doing the trick, and that the Canoe Club had put him forward towards the cameras as their finest performer. He also divulged that the trick is a Canoe Club classic, performed by many members during socials down
at the boathouse. Jon then performed the trick, just for me, at the 25m pool. If I wasn’t already star-struck enough, I was then treated to a lesson from Jon himself in the use of the paddle! (I was rubbish and nearly buckled, but I just about made it through – go, impact, go!) Jon is currently leading by about 80 votes on the website, but that represents a slender lead in relative terms. Second-placed contestant Huw from Leeds is close behind with his, frankly, fairly impressive performance. So get yourself to the nearest computer and ensure that Bath Uni gets all this prize kit by casting your vote!
A smile for the cameras...
INTEL HAVE created a competition online called Kit Your Uni. The premise is simple – the most deserving university receives several thousand quid of Intel-powered stuff for their union. The way they have gone about the prize-rewarding process is thus: representatives for the competition visited eleven universities in the UK throughout September and October, and students were asked to perform a ‘party trick’ for the camera. The best tricks are posted on the competition
...a quick leg-over...
...the hard bit... ...and you’re done. Easy, really.
Rockin’ All Over the Campus... RockSoc is Back in Business!
Win Some Inspiration
Lawrence Hone & Nick Kassam THE INFAMOUS University of Bath RockSoc is announcing its proud resurrection under a new (and far more dedicated) leadership. Flying the flag for alternative guitarbased music, RockSoc aims to be a haven for all fans of rock, metal, and the like, at the University. The committee are aiming to secure cheap entrance to staple Bath alternative club nights ‘Discord’ and ‘Entropy’ as well as looking to secure similar representation for indie fans. We are also trying to form contacts with some promoters, and plan to arrange gig trips to Bath and Bristol. Membership fees will be channelled into the endeavours of the organisers to launch an ‘Alternative Ball’ in the summer, which has featured stellar live performances in past years, and will
hopefully yield the same again. The society was started several years back, and has seen success in that time. As well as bringing bands such as “Hell is for Heroes” and “The Hurt Process” to Elements, they organised alternative nights of their own at the University, and arranged transport to the summer festivals. Unfortunately, after a period of inactivity towards the end of last year, the society shut down due to the lack of a committee. Now it is an entirely new set of people – fresh blood, as it were – setting up for a RockSoc renaissance, with high hopes of becoming a fun and active society for members. If you’d like to find out more, and sample what is on offer, join the Facebook group for news, progress on reaffiliation, and upcoming social events. Your highway to hell: www. rocksocresurrection.tk
THIS WEEK, impact are offering readers the chance to win a free copy of ‘1000 Places To See Before You Die’ (Workman, RRP £12.99). This book has been the No.1 bestselling travel book in the UK for the last three years, and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. It is genuinely an ideal reference for students and graduates planning a gap year of travel. Author Patricia Schultz has a special knack for selecting places that matter the most, and these are 1000 of the most spectacular and unforgettable destinations, both on and off the beaten track. Now, we could just tell people to email in their names and we would give out the book to a randomly chosen entry – but we like to make things a little bit more complicated. We want entrants to send us a picture or a written (one-line) description of themselves and/or their mates reading impact in an interesting place or way. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy! In your bed, in your pyjamas, upside-down, while doing a sport… let your imagination run wild! The best entrant will be judged by the beautiful impact editorial team, and the winner’s name will be published in the next issue of impact – so grab those digital cams or notepads and get your entries in to impact-deputy@bath. ac.uk with the subject “1000 places competition”.
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Arts
Super Sonic Soundworlds Arts
Officer Goes Surfing
re:sounds Friday 2 November, 7.30pm ICIA Arts Theatre Tickets: £3 BUSU, available from the ICIA Box Office (1 East 2.1)
THE FIRST in a series of experimental music and sonic art nights in ICIA’s intimate Studio 1 brings an extraordinary line up of maverick music-makers. Charting new territories, these three composers develop unique soundworlds through sampling, improvisation and live performance. MATTHEW OLDEN creates amazing, evolving and interacting textures through his ground-breaking ‘jungalator’ audio-visual software, producing a truly immersive quadraphonic electronic soundscape. As a member of ‘I Am The Mighty Jungulator’, he has re-imagined Shostakovich in octophonic sound with The Philharmonic Orchestra, rocked the Science Museum, Tate Gallery and ICA. He is a regular ‘Big Chill’ contributor and winner of Diesel-U-Music leftfield electronic award 2004. THOMAS GARDNER, an electroacoustic composer, improviser and cellist, combines live performance with interactive electronics. In ‘Lipsync’
electronic responses are based on the vocalistations of the cellist. A founder member of the Ecosonic performing group, he is currently working with Turner Prize-winning artist Martin
Creed. ANDY KEEP explores the intrinsic voice of electronic feedback. His solo live improvisations create a dynamic and compelling harnessing
and good use of lighting, Gemma Bealing, the director, was able to open up the world of Howard Katz even on the vast expanse of black that is the stage in the Arts Theatre. The title character of Howard Katz was a challenging role but Joshua Pink started to show what he might be capable of up on stage. In some places the emotions and acting were a bit forced but I have a feeling that with more exposure on stage and a varied cohort of directors he could step up to some more challenging leading roles in the future.
There were some fresh faces in this production, perhaps those actors that have been overshadowed in the past and also some new members from last year. In places it was very clear that this was an amateur student production with only a few weeks of rehearsal, but bearing that in mind the polish of performance was exceptional. There were some actors who were still very wooden and unnatural on stage but with more exposure and training I look forward to seeing what BUST can produce this year.
of sound from pin-drop fragility to cascades of complex noise. A multi-instrumentalist and producer, he performed with David Byrne on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’.
Purring With Delight society factfile: After Katz Success Emma Kirkham
HAVING READ the play ‘Howard Katz’ by Patrick Marber I was decidedly worried about whether BUST would be able to take on such a challenging play. It wasn’t an easy choice to take on, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the production on the second night of its run in the Arts Theatre. The play is written in short scenes and the action moves quickly between many settings. With minimal staging
Get Your Shreik On! Arts Rep Hollie Sands explains the concept behind the fast-paced mayhem that is Show in a Week. AH YES… another year, another fantastic challenge for the Arts at Bath! For those unfortunates who missed last year’s ‘Best of British’ themed show, the concept behind Show in a Week is to organise, rehearse, publicise and execute a show in just one week (funnily enough). All the arts societies involved begin their hectic week on Monday 5th November, putting together their performances which are then revealed to you on Saturday 10th November, in a collaborative show for all!
Some of the works you will enjoy stem from Bodysoc, BUST, BUSMS, Gravity Vomit, Salsa, ChAOS, BUMPS and Capoeira, and there may be more to come! The top-secret theme, which we can now uncover, is very haunting, almost frightening: “Shriek in a Week!” We propose a terrifying theme which is set to really test the arts societies to the max. However, not only are the performers there to scare;the audience too are encouraged to get into the spirit and dress up to coincide with the theme!
You’d better watch out while seated as well, as you never know what’s lurking behind you… Tickets will be on sale outside the library from Monday 5th November for just £3. Alternatively, you can book them now through the ICIA box office on 01225 386777. If by any chance there’s a spare seat in the house on the big night, the price goes up to £3.50 on the door (still a bargain!). So get excited, start planning your outfit and wait in fear for “Shriek in a Week!”
backstage technical services
BACKSTAGE TECHNICAL Services is a group of students who provide technical expertise to other Students’ Union Clubs and Societies and event organisers in Sound, Lighting and Stage Management. The fact that we exist solely to assist other societies and members of the Union and University to put on events puts Backstage in a unique position within the Students’ Union. We are one of the largest groups of our kind in the UK. All of the big events (and most of the smaller events) are crewed by members of Backstage – all of the bands that appear in Elements; the experience that is Freshers’ Week; the Summer Ball; plays by Bath University Student Theatre (BUST); musicals by Bath University Student Musical Society (BUSMS); professional Arts shows by the ICIA; and many, many more. We work both on and off campus, providing lighting, sound, set design, pyrotechnic, stage management and event management expertise.
I’VE BEEN spending a bit of time recently perusing various arts societies’ websites. I’m a keen web designer myself, and I think using the web is a great opportunity to advertise your society, recruit new members and keep current members up to speed with everything that’s happening. As you probably know, BathStudent. com was updated this summer and it features new tools that can help societies create a stylish, informative homepage for themselves. Many arts societies use this currently, but there are others who go a little further and create great-looking external websites; examples include Backstage (http://www.bts-crew.com/), BLADES (http://www.bathlarp.org. uk/), BUMPS (http://www.nomoon. co.uk/), BUST (http://www.bustonline. co.uk) and ChAOS (http://people.bath. ac.uk/su6caos/). I’ve also seen that plenty of arts socs use Facebook as a way of advertising themselves and their activities. Clearly, the web is increasingly becoming a great promotional tool for societies. This was reflected in the fact that this year, society sign-ups have taken place entirely online through BathStudent. So if you want some help improving your society’s presence on the web, get in touch with Andy Burton, your VP Communications, and I’m sure he can point you in the right direction!
Tom Newman
Backstage run a training course which provides continuous training from basic to advanced level on a wide range of subjects. Sessions this year have included stage management, sound engineering, lighting design and pyrotechnics. For more information about Backstage either visit our website (http://www.bts-crew.com) or email the committee (bts@bath. ac.uk).
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Live Preview: Dizzee Rascal Academy, Bristol 6/11/07 THE PRINCE of grime looks set to bring the house down with his unsubtle blend of rap and eardrum exploding beats. ‘Dizzee’ is here touring with his third album, ‘Maths + English’, but be sure to expect classics like ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp’ and ‘Stand Up Tall’.
Live Preview: Simian Mobile Disco, MOLES, Bath 3/11/07 DISCO TIME at Moles, as the onetime Justice collaborators bring their trashy indie electro to Bath. They’ll be hoping to get the kids in the skinny jeans and the danceheads breaking up the place to their inimitable glitchy take on modern techno.
Album Preview: Gay For Jonny Depp- The Politics Of Cruelty THE DISTURBINGLY monikered NYC hardcore enthusiasts bring a whole new album full of full on screaming, shattered chords and filthy sexual references to your slightly fearful ears. Rocking out has never sounded so angry, splenetic and downright disgusting. Avoid if you think Muse are quite ‘heavy’.
IMPACT
Entertainments
Flu, Frights and Fires GOOD DAY, chaps and chapesses. It’s been a couple of weeks but it has finally got me - the notorious Freshers’ flu has hit harder than a Hatton left hook, and no amount of Lemsips or hot beverages will ease the congestion. Couple that with a rather shoddy fortnight for English sport, those of you like me, who proudly don the cross of St George, are without doubt in need of a strong pick me up. But with Halloween almost here, now isn’t the time to be lying in bed complaining about the sniffles. Some of you who are reading this no doubt will be attending, or have attended, Halloween Score, arguably one of the best club nights on campus all year, depsite a plethora of ailments. No sir, one must stand up tall and be counted, preferably whilst dressed as some kind of horror-movie monster or drenched to the bone in fake blood. Well, you wouldn’t want to look out of place now, would you? So, what has the ents team got in store for you during this fortnight’s frightening festivities and blazing bonfires? To kick off, we have a review of Radiohead’s new album ‘In Rainbows’ by the man from down under Ben Cohen, and on our film page debutant writer David Binder gives us the low down on
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THREE THINGS TO FRIGHTEN YOU THIS HALLOWEEN: Dark Water, The Grudge and Hard-Fi. the quintessential British gangster film, ‘Get Carter’. Meanwhile, yours truly went down to the Little Theatre to catch the Ian Curtis biopic ‘Control’, and kindly scribbled away my thoughts on these here pages for your delectation. We also have a bucket load of single, album, film and theatre reviews filling the column inches ready for you to sink your teeth. If the inane ramblings of our writers (especially Phil’s efforts) isn’t enough to cheer you up (like it was ever going to be!), then check out our previews of upcoming events to put the smile back on your face. Hopefully, there will be something there which will erase the memory of Stevie G’s glaring miss against Russia, and Wilko’s off-kilter boot against the Boks. As always, if any of you thousands
of students want to write or otherwise contribute to the ents section, be it writing, production or owt else, then don’t hesitate to come to the society meetings at 6.30pm in elements and have a chat with us. Alternatively, drop us an email at impact-ents@bath.ac.uk with your entertainment queries. Anyway that’s all from me. Play safely over Halloween and 5th November kids, and remember – if you throw the Guy Fawkes onto the bonfire and it starts to scream, be a good egg and take it back off. Sean Lightbown Entertainments Co-Editor impact-ents@bath.ac.uk
Single: HARD FI: I CAN’T GET ALONG (WITHOUT YOU) 12/11/07 Atlantic Records
IF YOU are a fan of Hard-Fi, I urge you not to listen to this record. ‘I Can’t Get Along (without you)’ is the second single from the eagerly awaited second album ‘Once Upon A Time in the West’. Frontman Richard Archer has managed to put together a tune which sounds more like a dodgy Christmas number one than an indie anthem. Maybe it’s the yawnfully unimaginative lyrics, the annoyingly repetitive chorus (I can’t get along without you, oh I can’t get along without you, oh… etc) or the bizarre combination of instruments used throughout the entire record, how this song has been nominated for Q’s Single of the Year is simply beyond my comprehension. Although the catchiness of the chorus will guarantee this song a place in the pop charts, I have lost my faith in this band whose sound has evidently gone from hard to soft.
HHPPP Gina Reay Contributor
Chasing In Rainbows Crack The Whip!
Contributor and spendthrift Ben Cohen believes Philip Bloomfield and Josie Cox get Radiohead’s seventh album has taken them a step in all political at The Royal Theatre... the right direction... IT SHOULD be noted, prior to reading this Alistair’s cutting wit fuels the scenes until In Rainbows Radiohead Out Now Independent ‘IN RAINBOWS’, Radiohead’s seventh studio offering, hit headlines world-wide for its truly unique method of release. Critics and consumers alike have been infatuated with the implications that letting the consumer decide what price to pay might have on the industry. But what about the music, I squeal, as everyone around me proudly exalts how much they paid and ponders what may or may not have been the ‘fair’ price to give. For the record, I, for one, forked out a solid 0 pounds, vouching student poverty and an inexplicably deep seeded cynicism of the band as my reasons; but that’s another story. Anyway, this latest offering has given me a rather pleasant surprise, and dare I say it, may have even hurled said inexplicable cynicism into more apathetic territory. Even with its unique method of release and lack of studio backing, ‘In Rainbows’ proves to be Radiohead’s most accessible album yet (oh the irony!). Instead of continuing along their album progression and striving for further experimentation and augmentation of the rock genre, this time round Radiohead have wisely taken a step back and consciously
aimed for simplicity. Most notably, there is more intent on creating hooks than in 2003’s incoherent ‘Hail to the Thief’, and arguably as a direct result of this, there is clear continuity between songs. Album opener ‘15 Step’ starts in a neat fashion with an intricate drum intro from Phil Selway, but this is merely a facade for what is really coming. The album doesn’t show it’s true colours until Jonny Greenwood’s gracefully melodious guitar lets its presence be known, stands tall, and takes us down the path that ‘In Rainbows’ is really heading. Many of the best songs on the album are focused around this unique relationship between percussion and melody. In ‘Reckoner’, the incessant percussion, when heard alone, sounds like a manic mix between afro-beat and classic jazz; but when fused together with the relaxing gait of the melody, the atmosphere is set for Thom Yorke’s distinctive wail. It is not all hook orientated though, as can be seen on fan favourite ‘Nude’, a song which has been on the cards for over a decade, and Yorke is at home on this ballad, complimented by rising strings and moody backing. The shortest song on the album, ‘Faust Arp’, is definitely not one to be looked over. The sweetly picked
RAINBOW’S TOO BRIGHT: Radiohead don shades looking for their 7th album. acoustic guitar is softened by the flowing delivery of Yorke’s repetitive delivery as he is ‘on again, off again, on again’, seemingly matching the music’s ebb and flow. Basically, the band now sounds more like a band. This may be because Yorke has already gotten all his depressing solo dilly-dallying out of his system and now feels better about himself, or it may even have something to do with the lack of studio pressure. Either way, here lies a truly cohesive album, which may not be the opus that many die-hard fans have been waiting for, but should please just about everyone else. HHHHP Ben Cohen Contributor
article, that contrary to the beliefs of the inhabitants of 30 Cynthia Road- “Whipping is not a contact sport”. Richard Wilson, he of One Foot In The Grave fame, reprises his frankly inimitable English grump Victor Meldrew, with a turn as a Conservative Chief Whip full of bombast and gruffness in a play concerning the intricacies and inner workings of ‘whipping’- whereby MPs attempt to rally wayward party rebels to their cause by hook, crook or book. Wilson doesn’t show his ruddy features until half an hour in, and when he does, it’s in a Father Christmas costume. Definitely not the nine o’clock news, then. However, this delay is not to the detriment of the production, in fact, it is to its benefit. The constant threat of his untimely entrance shapes the tension within the opening few scenes. The play is aptly steered by the fast paced antics of Owen Brenman and Will Beer as Deputy Chief Whip and Junior Whip respectively. Beer’s wet-behind-the-ears Barrow Boy seems initially a badly portrayed, overly stylised character. His gawky accent and salesmanlike demeanour grates on the audience, especially when placed next to Brenman’s superbly natural and smooth turn as Deputy Chief Whip Alistair. It becomes apparent, however, that ‘Tim’ is intended to be a nauseating individual with few redeeming features – every in-laws nightmare. The contrast between his avid personality and
the entrance of Wilson himself. There is a sadly lacklustre representation of the female news reporter by a quite frankly cringeworthy and wet Natalie Walter as “Maggie’, the ironically monikered ‘researcher’. Even her lack of talent fails to drag this splendid play down. The set is simplistic, and centres around a single room, which is worked well throughout by the director, who uses offstage to great effect with Wilson ‘whipping’ (quite literally) and grumbling offstage. The script is fantastic, even to someone who knows little about politics - there are plenty of sexually charged lines and sublimely sarcastic Meldrewisms dropped in. impact can’t even begin to try and name any - there were simply too many quotes to even think about referencing in this article. Overall a fantastic production, which sparkles with wit, ingenuity and simplicity. Oh and you finally learn why there might be 60 MPs in the Commons toilets at once. Which is good to know.
HHHHP
Philip Bloomfield & Josie Cox Entertainments Co-Editor & Features Editor
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IMPACT
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Entertainments - Film Frenzy
Impact Classics: Don’t Get Mad... Get Carter
In the first of our new Impact Classics Features, David Binder takes us back to 1971 and the birth of the British Gangster Film under Mike Hodges. Now behave yourself... GET CARTER is in more than one respect a ground breaking, pioneering film. Made in 1971, it was unique in breaking the mould of tired, sugarcoated and ultimately light British films common in the ‘Swinging Sixties.’ Right from the outset, the film exudes a unique style and darkness, thus setting a benchmark for any British Gangster film preceding it and which some would argue is still to be exceeded, quite a claim for a film made more than 30 years ago. This underlying dark and sophisticated style makes the film a compelling yet thoroughly enjoyable watch. And whilst it may lack the fast, slick pace and witty one liners of more recent Gangster films, such as Guy Ritchie’s offerings, Get Carter is unreservedly and rightly unapologetic for being a no-nonsense, dark and menacing Gangster film. In my view, adding witty one-liners would only diminish Get Carter’s hard-hitting impact on its audience, and thus it would not be the pioneering film it was destined to be. The main plot revolves around one Jack Carter who is searching for the killer of his brother, played quite
exceptionally by Michael Caine. Caine becomes embroiled in a murky criminal underworld of pornography and violence, led from one unsavoury character to the next, and is blunt and unrelenting in the pursuit of his brother’s killer. Caine’s Jack encapsulates the dark, intimidating tone of the film perfectly; and it is this performance that is the highlight of the film. Get Carter is arguably worth a watch purely for Caine’s performance. One weakness of the film is that the plot is a little slow in developing. However, the audience’s patience is rewarded as the tension, menace, plot and roles of each character are developed gradually. The audience’s attention is therefore required throughout; this is not a film that you can watch on a whim whilst undertaking other activities. Basically speaking, Mike Hodge’s film will reward you further if you dedicate your full concentration to it. Indeed, the ominous and shocking final scene presents an untimely reminder to the audience that Get Carter is not there just to entertain and fill you with a ‘warm fuzzy feeling.’ It is there to compel, perplex and to challenge you, and is all the better for it.
In summary, it can be concluded that even by today’s fast and flashy standards Get Carter more than holds its own and is an intriguing and worthwhile watch. It won’t dazzle you with spectacular explosions, or blow you away with technological wizardry, but it possesses a sinister and compelling quality that all films should arguably aspire to.
DREARY MACCLESFIELD, walking home to a tower-block flat. Taking in the scenery and thoughts as the grass he walks on leaves gentle stains on his flares. With Ziggy Stardust ringing in his ears and the sights and sounds of seventies pop culture occupying all areas of his brain, he enters his bedroom and lies down, for a blissful drag on a cigarette. The mop-haired stereotype of an adolescent we are introduced to at the start of ‘Control’ is not the Ian Curtis which one would think of. No selfloathing, no deep-seated depression, no tormented soul. We are introduced to an everyday teenager who could have come from any generation – alienated and loathing of the previous generation, immersing himself in his LPs and inner sanctity. The original and best rebels without causes. Yet the journey we are taken on of Curtis’ life, thanks to the brilliance of
David Binder Contributor
Ben Denton looks at all that Bath Film Festival has to offer, and discovers warped Czech films, documentaries about typefaces and, for some reason, ET... Bath’s celebration of Polish Film features many international award-winners, including Ashes and Diamonds, one of the finest achievements in European cinema, the story of a disillusioned, jaded young soldier (a sort of Polish James Dean) ordered to assassinate a Communist official. Acclaimed director Krzysztof Krauze also contributes two of his films: My Nikifor and Saviours Square, which both come highly recommended. Fans of the surreal will jump for joy at the inclusion of renegade Czech director Jan Svankmejer’s film Lunacy, a grotesquely funny horror film inspired by Edgar Allen Poe and the Marquis de Sade. Taxidermia, about three generations of a family that pee fire, speed-eat, and dream of self-taxidermy may also interest those with a penchant for the out-of-this-world. It was even weird enough to get a special feature in Bizarre magazine a few months ago! Bath debuts are also given to Spanish sensation The Night of the Sunflowers, a dark murder mystery which has made a huge impact on the continent recently. We also get treated to Penelope Cruz following up her acclaimed role in Volver when she is teamed Ralph Fiennes in contemporary French drama Chromophobia and for
Sean Lightbown loses his a little, when he goes to see the new Ian Curtis Biopic....
HHHHP
Cannes Bath Really Do It? FOR SUCH a small city, Bath punches above its weight when it comes to culture: this summer the indomitable Little Theatre hosted a dinner evening with Ken Loach and a Q&A session with cult superstar Quentin Tarantino. Cinema fans get another treat this November with the return of Bath’s annual Film Festival. Major features are arranged into three strands: an Artists’ Moving Image Exhibition, the Documentary series, and a celebration of Polish films. The AMIE strand features three contemporary art installations across the city, including Qana, a provocative collection of photographs from the Israeli assault on Lebanon in 2006, taken by Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin; and Matthew Barney’s Drawing Restraint Nine, featuring a soundtrack by his partner Bjork. The documentary series also kicks off in style with Air Guitar Nation and the 2003 Air Guitar Championships. Also notable: award-winning documentary The Monastery, concerning an eccentric aristocrat who wants to convert his castle into a Russian Orthodox monastery; and Helvetica – a strange film about the typeface.
It’s All Under Control...
TAXIDERMIA: bizarre. Portuguese speakers, we have Argentinian thriller El Aura. And for those of you who fancy something more familiar, there’s a special screening of ET: The ExtraTerrestrial! This is just a small taste of some of the delights on offer - venues across Bath will be showing films from across the globe in languages from Finnish to Egyptian. There’s also a competition for the best festival review running, so why not try your hand at being a film critic. Get out and spend some of that well deserved loan on some truly top-notch culture. The Bath Film Festival runs from the 1st to the 11th of November. Further information can be found at www. bathfilmfestival.org.
upset, I call everyone a c**t’) is played to perfection by Toby Kebbel. As Curtis’ epilepsy becomes more serious, and with the guilt of an extramarital affair hanging over his head, it is only a matter of time before the audience experiences the inevitable conclusion. It is a simple set up; a man in a room. Yet the skill of Corbijn and Riley draws us into the tragedy of the moment before landing the final blow, leaving the audience drained. At over two hours and with its rather unsociable content, ‘Control’ isn’t a thoroughly easy watch. In fact, I would imagine it is powerful enough that just one sitting will leave its key scenes floating around in your head for days. Overall, it is cinema at its most powerful; raw emotion and artistic invention clashing with each other head to head. In the case of Ian Curtis, we know the final result of this clash, and thanks to ‘Control’, we have the result delivered to us in a way which leaves me quite speechless. Whether you’re a fan of Joy Division or not, this is without doubt a biopic which is in a class of its own and deserves to be seen. Unmissable. HHHHH
debutant director Anton Corbijn, is a poignant, funny, but ultimately tragic portrayal of lost innocence and regret. Sam Riley’s portrayal of Curtis, from the fresh-faced schoolboy to the suicide-driven wreck, is a terrific success. He draws a definitive line between Curtis the family man and Curtis the rock star - a man torn between the unrivalled love of his wife yet committing to deadlock, or the escapism and freedom of his music coupled with its physical and mental strains. As the film develops from the opening scenes of him meeting his future wife, Deborah (who’s book, Touching From A Distance, is what the film is based on), we begin to see the emergence of the better known Curtis – the first workings of Joy Division, the first live shows, the bobbed hair all but cut down to a short back and sides. This is where the grainy black and white film and photographic expertise of Corbjin come into their own; as the light plays on the faces of the band, shadows intertwining as the front man screams out the lyrics. It gives the live performances, already brimmed with ferocity and energy, a sense of sheer beauty in production. Stellar turns are in abundance throughout the film. Riley aside, Samantha Morton’s portrayal of Deborah is potentially heart-breaking, as she sees the man she so desperately loves become a passive and empty husband. Slap bang in the middle of all this depression is Rob Gretton, whose comedic bluntness (‘Don’t be
Sean Lightbown Entertainments Co-Editor
Film Preview: Dark Water/The Grudge Little Theatre, Bath 31/10/07 A DOUBLE dose of Japanese horror for you on All Hallows Eve, thankfully without the Hollywood intervention. Hideo Nakata, mastermind of other Oriental horror classic, ‘The Ring’, adds to his reputation as the horror guru with ‘Dark Water’. On the other hand ‘The Grudge’, sans Sarah Michelle Gellar, takes the simple haunted house premise to another bone chilling level.
Film Preview: 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later Little Theatre, Bath 31/10/07 AND FOR those of you who prefer to have the crap scared out of you more domestically, why not catch two of the best UK horror films released in recent memory? Expect rage-doped zombies, jaunty camera angles and blood galore.
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
IMPACT
Los Campesinos!, You Say
10/10/07 Bristol Thekla
BEFORE LAUNCHING into ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ - a song as joyfully brilliant as the three exclamation marks suggest - Campesino-in-chief, Gareth mumbles into his mic that the next song will called ‘Creep’. Los Camp happened to be playing on the day that the music world went download crazy for ‘that’ band’s new release and the irony of the above proclamation was not lost on the crowd. Y! M! D! has become so much the band’s calling card that you could forgive them for considering it something of a weight around their necks, much as Creep once was for the Oxford boys. However, the slow build up and triumphant rendition that soon followed allayed any fears that they might drop it from their sets and start aping Autechre any time soon, and, as Gareth climbed back onto the stage having joined the fans in the cheap seats it was clear that this was a band still very much in love with playing their ‘hits’ before an adoring crowd. The (very) recent Cardiff graduates seem to be gathering quite a head of steam now that their finals are behind them, such that there was a definite celebratory feel and an acknowledgement of bigger things to come in the atmosphere at the gig. The presence of half of the band’s parents in the audience - presumably there to see their offspring off into the big wide world of indie rock - only added to the homecoming feel, and the band did their no doubt beaming elders proud. Despite the vast
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Foo Fighters Out Now Roswell/ Columbia
WHAT A way to open a new album; ‘Pretender’, the first track from the Foo Fighters’ new offering screams drama and has you hooked from the offset. ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace’ is the band’s sixth album, and with it comes the maturity of these rock music veterans. Dave Grohl’s trademark sound; from velvet softness to throaty screaming all in one song hasn’t lost any of its appeal on this record. The rock riffs of big guitars and thumping drum beats that hit a crescendo and then descend into a melodic softness characterise this album. It is hard to know whether the Foos will once again hit the dizzy heights of success that they started to enjoy after the release of ‘The Colour and the Shape’ 10 years ago – but then do they need to? Surely now it’s all about the music for them. Indeed, this record sees Grohl’s debut on the piano, adding to his ever-increasing list of musical talents. I guess you either have it or you don’t! Strong tracks such as ‘Erase/Replace’ are accompanied by the more mellow offerings such as ‘Long Road to Run’ and ’Statues’, producing an album of emotions. This is something that Foos are the masters of. Just the tone of Grohl’s vocals can change the emotion of a track from one minute to the next. ‘Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners’ was even written to pay homage to Australian miners trapped in a collapsed mine and who apparently requested Foo
Entertainment
Dark on Fire Turin Brakes Source Records Out Now
Party! We Say Die!
PRETTY TWEE: Los Campesinos! Photo: Jon Fisher array of instruments cluttering Thekla’s small stage they sounded remarkably tight, and the fact that both band and audience were below water level on a canal boat had no had no obvious negative effect on the sound. Ripping through fan favourites ‘We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives’, ‘Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks’ and obligatory ballad ‘Knee Deep At ATP’ – like Snow Patrol’s Run, according to Gareth – the band’s feverish energy eventually rubbed off on the initially reluctant crowd and by the end the sweaty throngs were bopping with gay abandon. My companion at the gig finds himself (incredibly) less enamoured with the band’s distinctive style of Twee Pop but, although far from converted he had to admit that they put on a decent show and, as the band proclaimed half way through their set: we were all winners for not having been to see Jack Penate. HHHHP Mike Davies Contributor Fighters songs to be sent down to them on MP3 players. Emotion indeed! Overall a standard offering from the band; I can’t see a real change from the days of ‘In Your Honour’, but a decent record nonetheless, with ‘Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)’, ‘The Pretender’ and ‘Home’ the stand-out tracks. HHHHP Katy Larkin Contributor
Applause Cheer Boo Hiss Land of Talk Out Now A&R/ One little Indian NOT KNOWING much about Montreal’s Land of Talk prior to sticking the CD into my computer, I was surprised to here a female voice pipe up over the spiky, Franz-Ferdinand-esque guitars in the introduction. Surprised in a good way. Even though I’m getting a little bored of the mockney ladies singing their hackneyed rhymes in an oh-sosweet and girly voice, they’ve become so de rigueur that when I hear a something a little different I almost fall off my chair. I like to hear girls full of bile and bite, not banality. Lead singer Elizabeth Powell lists PJ Harvey amongst her influences and she’s all the better for it, with a voice that oscillates from laconic to enraged. The gripping ‘Speak to Me Bones’ comes to a crashing end before moving onto the more sedate, slow-burner ‘Sea Foam’. ‘Summer Special’ and ‘Breaxxbaxx’ take
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OLLY KNIGHT and Gale Paridjanian have returned with this little spark of honesty in an industry fast becoming snuffed out by artists without a real agenda. Turin Brakes first enlightened us to their intricate and soul-inspiring wisps of acoustic with their album ‘The Optimist’ (2001), followed up by the invincible ‘Ether Song’ (2003), which grabbed ‘new wave’ Indy-lovers as a path-beater for chart success minus the gimmicks. The little-known third album Jackinabox (2005) sadly remained so for a reason; it stank of commercial aspirations. ‘Dark on Fire’ is an album with a question to answer: can Knight still, in his own words, provide that “special purpose” to his music and can he still make it matter? With this in mind I was optimistic. The opening track, aptly-named ‘Last Chance’, began as a trickle of sound, running into the soft strum of a guitar, then Knight’s echoing voice energetically chimed in… and I tuned out. I struggled to pay attention, as the voice hauntingly reverberated “don’t ask too many questions”. And I didn’t. Nor did I when ‘Ghosts’ kicked off with a forgettable chorus to rival some of Cliff Richard’s finest pop-floaters. I began to get frustrated. You see, I’d seen them only last year in Newcastle, where they’d knocked me for six with refreshingly things along quite nicely but nothing really sets my ears alight. ‘ Magnetic Hill’ is more of the same and I can’t hep but feel a little cheated after such a good start. ‘All My Friends’ picks the tempo back up but by then my interest is waning fast. ‘Street Wheels’ is just a little dull in terms of musical arrangement, perhaps not the best choice to play out on as it really doesn’t leave a lasting impression (interestingly, the bonus tracks are far stronger contenders). As the album title suggests, the end really doesn’t match the start. It just sounds like Land of Talk got all fired up then went out with a whimper rather than a bang. HHHPP Kate Hamblin Contributor
Good Bad Not Evil Black Lips Out Now Vice Records THE 60S are dead. Buried. Rotting underground like Jimi Hendrix’s pukesodden corpse. Problem is, no one told Black Lips that. Crawling out of the crypt with their mashup of scuzzy garage rock, doo wop and country, they are the visualisation of the dead souls from the sixties shambling out of their graves. Best known for their chaotic and frenetic life shows - which contain urination onto audience members, vomiting and homemade fireworks - Black Lips have always trrecord. Where’s the sweat and the bodily fluids to be found on a CD? Can you engrave adrenaline and unhinged self-
‘back to roots’ vocal quality, and captivatingly effortless talent for grabbing the audience by the balls. I prayed for anything to remind me of why I had asked to review this album. With a chilling electric riff ‘Stalker’ burst on, an eerie tune dedicated to the Facebook generation, the words ‘I am with you all of the time’ drifting to my ears like a busty mermaid’s warbling song to a sailor on the verge of an undesirable lifestyle change. Things had just got better. It continued with ‘Other Side’ proving the tingling breeze of Gale’s slide guitar wasn’t dead and buried. Then came the title track ‘Dark on Fire’, with a moving Starsailor-esque vibe the song slapped me in the face with a crescendo of feeling and an invincible chorus, and I remembered why Turin Brakes have come this far. Other highlights continued with ‘For The Fire’, ‘Bye Pod’, and a touching farewell to the CD in ‘New Star’. These simpler songs saved the album being flung out of my window in a purple rage; needless to say Turin Brakes work best as a ‘man and his guitar’ act, whereas this album appears to sheepishly don a tutu. The moving messages of change and inspiration, plus a flash of the old flame, are just enough to satisfy die-hard fans, but put simply the only thing this album will likely burn is your wallet. HHHPP Charles Stanton Contributor destruction onto vinyl? The snarling and leering tones of lead vocalist Cole Alexander, part Screaming Lord Sutch and part Iggy Pop, open the record with misogynism and sheer threat. “Well if you give your middle finger to the bloods and crips/ well you duckin’ from the blue lights/ Boy you better dip” he yelps over what sounds like a guitar being played backwards and upside down on “I Saw A Ghost (Lean)”. It’s a pretty mean statement of intent. Second Track “ O Katrina” will be recognised by fans of the band. A cleaner and janglier version than the original 7” incarnation, it makes up for its lack of snarl with a menacing blues bassline, some electric-shock guitar solos and some disconcerting background howls and hollers. This is an album which positively swaggers off the record, as expected from a band whose members include a man who wears a wig over his own hair, and another who has a full set of gold teeth. “Step Right Up” does exactly what it says on the tin, galloping through town with a guitar that sounds like a freight train. If that freight train had Johnny Cash drunkenly pissing off the back carriage. Yet whilst there may be only one track that misses the mark (“How Do You Tell A Child That Someone Has Died” is as clumsy as its title), it is slightly hard to pick standout tracks from the general mayhem. But who cares when you’re having this much scuzzy fun? I’m off to get me some moonshine and tip some cows, bro. HHHHP Philip Bloomfield Entertainments Co-Editor
Single: SIGUR ROS HIJÓMALIND/ STARÁFUR Out Now EMI Music
AH SIGUR Ros, Sigur Ros, Sigur Ros: what are we going to do with you? You’ve been with us for a good 13 years now and to be honest, it’s getting a bit repetitive. I mean, yes, the new single ‘Hijomalind/ Starafur’ is all jolly lovely and stuff; soaring guitars and strings along with the that’s-a-bit-too-high-pitched-for-a-bloke vocals. But you see guys, therein lies the problem – you come over from Iceland, do your thing and, well… it’s all rather samey isn’t it? Yes, OK, everyone loved ‘Hoppipola’ and ‘Olsen Olsen’, and they were really good, but there is treading familiar territory and there is taking the piss, you understand? HHHPP Sean Lightbown Entertainments Co-Editor
THE ANSWERING MACHINE LIGHTBULBS/ DECADENT 5/11/07 Regal Records THE SUMMER brought about a little piece of success for The Answering Machine. Having climbed up out of the thriving Manchester music scene they managed a few well received sets, most notably at Ibiza Rocks supporting the Dirty Pretty Things and Glastonbury. With Fogarty’s radio friendly guitar riffs and Colclough’s accented voice this 4-piece offer a well polished, pleasant but rather generic, indie-pop sound. The new single ‘Lightbulbs’ emanates this vibe. An energetic tune with good structure and well placed backing vocals. With this they have defining anthem, strong enough to lift them to greater heights. The other side allows bassist Gemma Evans to the microphone. ‘Decadent’ displays a calmer more melodic side to the band. However, the dreamy vocals and slower beat is uninteresting and a disappointment not representative of the mildly Boisterous style of The Answering Machine. The arrival of replacement drummer Ben Perry and the small hum surrounding the group seems to have given them a platform I assume they will build on. Currently supporting the amusing Rumble Strips on a fairly extensive UK tour, dipping into locations such as Sheffield and stretching from London to Glasgow the AM look to be breaking into the mainstream. This is a lively band with nice ideas but lacking in originality. HHHPP Daniel B. Nightingale Contributor
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IMPACT
Sports Association
Join the
at www.bathstudent.com/sports
and gain access to:
48 Sports Clubs For a full list visit bathstudent.com/sports
The Recreational Club A sports equipment loaning service
A Brand New Intramurals Programme check out bathstudent.com/sports/intramurals to find out what’s coming up
Wellness and Fitness Classes Access to four fitness classes and one workshop per week free of charge ON JOINING THE SA YOU WILL RECEIVE A HANDBOOK, MEMBERSHIP CARD AND A T-SHIRT IN YOUR INTRAMURAL ‘HOUSE’ COLOUR
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
IMPACT
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Sport
F.A. Cup Player of the Round Matt Townley with pupils from Beechen Cliff School, lucky beneficiaries of £500 worth of sports equipment.
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IMPACT
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
Sport
One Night in Paris Paul Jaggers recalls his experience of trying to get to the Rugby World Cup Final… and the carnage that followed. WE WERE two of the lucky ones! We had found tickets for the Rugby World Cup Final in Paris. The following is an account of perhaps the greatest weekend of our lives (despite the result). It was Friday evening and myself and my housemate Alex (better known as Morley) were ready to hit the road to Paris. As expected, we had a full car as it seemed half of England tried to head to Paris. So we set off, fully decorated with St George’s crosses taped on the bonnet and roof (which now won’t come off) and bunting and flags decorating the inside. We made good time to Dover and were greeted at midnight with an army flying Red and White (including a number of knights complete with chainmail and broadswords). A truly English invasion of France had begun. Soon after leaving Dunkerque, I was the only one awake and had to keep myself going with a continual stream of caffeine and nicotine. After a nap and quick shower we headed for the centre of Paris in search of our tickets. As we emerged on to the Champs Elysees, we were amazed at the number of different nations we saw represented. Not just English and South Africans but Kiwis, Aussies, Scots, French, Irish, Argentinians and even a Welshman. Whilst waiting for our contacts with the tickets to turn up at the Place de la Concorde, we got chatting to a couple of Kiwis and South Africans, sharing our experiences and just enjoying the atmosphere in the City. Our Kiwi
Jonathan Soderberg IDFC Chairman
THE INTER-DEPARTMENTAL Football Cup (IDFC) is the highlight and the most competitive part of the Intramural scheme, being the 11-a-side football tournament. It is now into its 5th year and as always, each department is starting to prepare to challenge for the cup. 16 departments and 18 teams are represented this year, which equals its ever highest participation from last year. The competition is extremely hard-fought, with a very good standard of players taking part, and has over the years promoted some fierce rivalries between departments at the University.
contacts turned up and we headed for a bar to complete the transaction. £1300 went across the table one way and 2 tickets came the other. We had them in our hands and it was a pretty amazing feeling. We ended up chatting to them for a couple of hours and sharing a few stories over a few beers. One thing that really struck Morley and me was the way in which rugby unites and unifies people of all nations. The way we were getting on with everyone, regardless of nationality and sporting pride: it was an experience, we both observed, that you would never see in football circles. As we parted ways with our new friends who had made our dream come true, we cracked open the bottle of port that we had taken with us, to celebrate having the tickets in hand. Little were we to know where that first sip of port would lead! As we approached the stadium, the feelings were overwhelming; a potent cocktail of awe, nervousness, excitement and port. We headed straight for one of the bars and as I pushed myself to the front, I turned to realise I was jostling with none other than International and Somerset-based referee, Tony Spreadbury. I was shocked to find out that he didn’t even get VIP treatment for the final. Behind me, Morley was chatting away to yet another English and International referee, Chris White. We enjoyed a beer with them and had our photo taken with them but to this day, I have no recollection of what we were actually talking about!!
The draw for the IDFC took place at the first captains’ meeting and the tournament is gearing up, starting Wednesday 24th October. Last year’s top four (Team Mathematics, Modern Languages and European Studies, Chemical Engineering and Education) were seeded and the remainder were drawn randomly into the two groups. It is looking like two evenly matched groups this year and from the outset it is very hard to judge who will grab the coveted play-off positions. Group stages will continue throughout the year and at the end the top 4 from each group will move into the play-off stage which will culminate in the Final at the STV main pitch sometime in April or May. Results, league tables and top scorers will
We then headed for our seats. The feeling that built inside us as we went through the gates and headed for the top tier of the stadium is impossible to describe. Our seats were behind the posts, just above where Cueto scored his try (and it was a try!), in the front row. Singing God Save the Queen at the tops of our voices will go down as one of the most emotional moments of our lives. As the game kicked off, there was a nervous energy all around us and it continued right through the game. However, along with those around us, we found a way to ease the nerves; when we had taken our seats, everyone had a coloured piece of A3 paper to wave in the air as the teams came out on to the field. We discovered that we could make paper aeroplanes and throw them off the top tier. I had soon established myself as the best engineer in our block and was being passed paper left, right and centre. I am pleased to report that my aeroplane went the furthest and if it hadn’t been for a late change of course, it would have landed on the pitch. As we watched the minutes tick down in the last ten, our hearts sank lower and lower and as the final whistle blew, there was nothing else to do but sob. Morley and I sobbed for a good ten minutes, I wasn’t expecting the strength of my emotions and they really caught me off guard. I hadn’t realised my passion and patriotism for the sport and watching us lose was a very bitter pill to swallow. There was only one thing for it; we headed for my mate’s bar and he was
waiting with two shot glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Now this is the point where I should tell you about our night out in Paris and the nightlife there. In truth, neither of us remembers much. My outstanding memory is of buying a kebab crepe and a cheesy hotdog and trying to give Morley the crepe once we were back at the hotel. His reaction was to rather aggressively launch said crepe at me and we found it the next day behind the door. I awoke on the Sunday morning to a scene of utter chaos. Morley’s girlfriend was there as she had joined us in the pub the night before. It seemed that Morley, during the night, had decided to get into interior design by giving the hotel room a more contemporary look. I’m not sure his terracotta offering of vomit really worked and the urine stains were just a bit too much! Needless to say, we got out pretty quick and began the journey back to Bath. The mood was subdued but still kept fairly well upbeat by the fact that Morley, in his decorating attempts, had rendered his trousers ‘out of order’ and was having to travel back with his St George’s flag wrapped around him like a skirt; a skirt which we later found out, on the ferry, to be see-through. Many people have questioned our sanity considering the distance we travelled and the price we paid. But how can you put any price on an experience such as ours? There is no doubt that this was a brilliant tournament that has really increased the profile of rugby on the world stage and with the successes of some of the so-called ‘minnow’ nations, I can’t see anything other than rugby continuing to grow. And as for England; well as Bruce Forsyth used to put it so famously, ‘didn’t they do well!’
be published in impact so you can keep up to date on how your department is doing, as well as match reports from the league. If you want more information, please contact idfc@bath.ac.uk. Group A BUMS Chemistry Computer Science Education Mechanical Engineering Pharmacy Physics Sports Engineering (BEAST) Team Mathematics Group B Architecture and Civil Engineering Biology Chemical Engineering Economics Economics 2 Electrical Engineering Management Modern Languages and European Studies (MoLES) Natural Sciences
middle distance athletes with potential. The scheme, which started in 2004, offers educational activities, training camps, races, and financial and medical support as the young athletes learn what it takes to realise their dreams. The coaches and athletes took advantage of the University’s excellent facilities to learn about rehabilitation from injury, something no athlete ever really wants to have to go through.
In Brief...
SUB.TV, who already have a presence in 95 universities in the UK, have launched a web interface to allow university sports teams to upload and broadcast footage from their fixtures over the Internet. The channel has received backing from BUSA president John Inverdale. “This is a fantastic development which will help to increase the rivalry between universities.
THE STV played host to Dame Kelly Holmes, 23 athletes and 14 coaches during the weekend of 13th and 14th October as part of the Norwich Union sponsored series of mentoring events for young female
UNIVERSITY STUDENT Mariana Agathangelou won the women’s doubles title in the opening round of the badminton HEAD National Elite Open Circuit. Paired with Gabby White, the unseeded pair defeated the number two seeds, and former TeamBath players, Rachel Howard and Heather Olver in three sets, after putting the number one seeds to the sword in the semi-finals. TeamBath player Carl Baxter, who was seeded number two for the competition, lost narrowly in the final.
Bath Rugby Win Again Bath Rugby Harlequins
25 10
Tim Leigh Sports Reporter
FLY HALF Chris Malone left the Rec to join Quins over the summer, so when the fixtures computer gave Quins the early season trip to Bath he must have had revenge on his mind. Alas, this was not the case at all, as Bath continued their excellent home form this season with a comfortable 25 – 10 victory. The home side started better, but the Harlequins defence was holding firm, and on nineteen minutes Malone missed another penalty, prompting affectionate enquiries from the crowd asking if he remembered which team he currently played for. The match was sparked into life on 28 minutes with the excellent Shane Berne opening his account with a penalty, followed two minutes later by a surprisingly rapid finish from the Bath lock Nick Short, who went over in the right hand corner to leave Berne with a tricky kick that the Bath inside centre made look simple. Bath added a second five minutes later; right wing Michael Stephenson running a good angle to score, Berne missing with the kick. Bath looked like they were cruising, but three minutes later a quick tap-and-go from Quins scrum half Steve So’Oialo on the Bath 22-metre line saw him cruise through a napping Bath defence to score under the posts. Malone duly converted to make it 15 – 10 at the break. Harlequins started the second half the brighter, Malone recovering from his earlier mishaps to slot a penalty on 46 minutes. For a while it seemed that Harlequins might stage a comeback, for they enjoyed long spells of possession but good defence from Tom Cheeseman and the superb Jonny Faamatuainu kept them at bay. Berne kicked a penalty on 52 minutes, yet Harlequins continued to have the lion’s share of the territory but could not convert it to points, and on 63 minutes Berne wrapped up the match with a try and conversion close to the Harlequins posts. The result leapfrogged Bath over Quins, and into second place in the Guinness Premiership, and left Quins winless at the Rec for over 5 years. The game also saw the culmination of the ‘Tash War’ that had been gripping the players for the last couple of weeks. Follwing a fan vote Shaun Berne walked away with the trophy, awarded for his glorious handlebar that would have made a Texan proud. The players’ efforts raised over £2000 for the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, which raised a fan-tache-tic (I’ll get my coat) £165000 last year.
MONDAY 29TH OCTOBER 2007
IMPACT
Sport
FA Cup Dream Lives On... TeamBath 1 Weston-super-Mare 0 Marcus Haydon Sports Reporter THE TEAMBATH football team are just one more win away from the FA Cup first round following a narrow victory over local neighbours Westonsuper-Mare at Twerton Park. An own goal by full-back Barry McConnell was the deciding factor in a tense affair with the students showing little sign of their lower league status. The opening to the game was a scrappy one with the best early opportunity being Gary Warren getting above Super Mare’s former TeamBath keeper Ryan Northmore to head onto the roof of the net from a set piece. Northmore was called into action again just a few minutes later as he was forced to palm away a Josh Llewellyn strike after the striker did superbly to control a Matt Townley cross. Llewellyn then turned provider as his excellent hold up play and pass set up Ben Thomson whose shot flashed just wide of the post from the edge of the area. The pace and directness of TeamBath’s attacking trio of Llewellyn, Townley and Thomson was causing Super Mare more than a few headaches. It took more than half an hour for Super Mare to register their first notable attempt at goal; dominant centre half Craig Rand heading wide from a Ryan Harley free-kick. TeamBath responded well though with Smith, Green and Townley all going close
before the break. It was a very strong half of football for the home side with Matt Townley particularly impressing on the right wing. The second half started in a cagey fashion with Weston-super-Mare clearly having received the hairdryer treatment from their management at the interval. Llewellyn’s pace continued to cause all sorts of problems and it was only because of the excellence of Super Mare defender Rand that he was kept under wraps. It was a surprise then that he was replaced by Adi Adams on 64 minutes, however it took only a few seconds for the substitute to decide the match. A long ball forward was knocked down by Canham into Adams’ path, and his driven shot cannoned into the goal off the unfortunate Barry McConnell to give the students the lead. It was no less than they deserved given the number of opportunities that they had created. The goal spurred Super Mare into action. University goalkeeper Darren Chitty was forced to push away an Aaron Wilson shot before Ben Thomson had to clear a shot off the line from the resulting corner. The visitors
HANDS OFF! Townley in action.
went close again moments later with Gareth Hopkins’ bullet header going just wide after an accurate Dean Grubb cross. The game was now on a knife edge as Super Mare’s increasingly attacking mentality left gaps in behind for TeamBath to hit them on the break. The visitors threw everything forward in an attempt to force the tie into a replay but it was to no avail as TeamBath remained resilient in defence to hold out for an impressive victory. Following victory against Weston, TeamBath travel to AFC Hornchurch, a side of comparative standing in the football league pyramid, with Sean Canham set to make his 100th start for the side. The team are definitely up for the game, as Sean commented. “We’re really looking forward to the game. Everyone is buzzing and we’ll give it our best go at getting a positive result.”
Photo: Phil Searle, DigitalScape/TeamBath
Sara Bayman Interview... match to establish where we stand and test ourselves against Mavericks. impact: Are you a close knit team? SB: Yeah, I think we’ve always had a reputation of being a really tight team and that’s what’s made us different from all the other franchises because it’s not just a group of players but it’s a group of really close friends, so yeah you see us tearing up Score together.
Continued from Back Cover SB: I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do well. The England players go away at the beginning of November for the World Championships and we lose 6 of our players. So we’re hoping to do ourselves justice and obviously playing for TeamBath you have that pressure of people expecting you to win and every team comes out against you wanting to beat you. impact: You’ve defeated Mavericks twice in the Super League; do you feel prepared for them this year? SB: I feel the first match of the season is going to be a tough one especially because it’s going to be away. It’s always nice to open with a home game. It’s going to be tough but we need this
impact: You’ve achieved a lot in your sporting career and have made a mark internationally, what advice would you give to young aspiring netballers? SB: The main thing is to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it you will never want to train hard enough and push yourself far enough. It is important to work hard and do your training but if you’ve got friends in the sport and enjoy it, that is the kind of thing that gets you out of bed to go to training every morning. impact: What are your future ambitions in your sport? SB: I would love to go to a major championship with England and from now focus on the Commonwealth Games in 2012 and make myself established in England as well as TeamBath. impact: Do you have any rituals before a match? SB: I am a bit of a freak to be honest! I don’t have a set routine for how I put my kit on but if
it feels wrong I have to take all my kit off and start again by putting my right sock on and then the left. If I leave it and it feels wrong then we’re definitely going to lose according to me. (Bless her!) impact: What do you do to relax away from Netball? SB: I love watching live music, going to gigs and chilling out with my friends. I like shopping and am also trying to learn how to play the guitar but not very successfully at the minute. impact: What’s something that keeps you going everyday? SB: Chocolate. impact: Do you sing in the shower? SB: No. impact: What do you least like about yourself? SB: I can be very messy. impact: What’s your favourite guilty pleasure? SB: At the minute it’s probably the Leona single. It’ll get you! impact: What’s your idea of a perfect date? SB: I think it would probably be some good food and then go watch a band and have some drinks.
27
BUSA Results Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
Badminton Men’s 1sts
8-0
Portsmouth Men’s 1sts
Badminton Men’s 2nds
6-2
Swansea Uni Men’s 1sts
Badminton Women’s 1sts
6-2
Imperial College London 1sts
Badminton Women’s 2nds Basketball Men’s 1sts
7-1
Swansea Uni Women’s 1sts
54-84
University of Glamorgan 1sts
Football Men’s 1sts
3-3
Uni of Southampton 1sts
Football Men’s 2nds
2-2
Uni of Gloucestishire 1sts
Football Women’s 1sts
3-0
University of Bristol 1sts
Golf 1sts
3.5-2.5
Buckinghamshire Chilterns
Hockey Men’s 1sts
3-3
University of Bristol 1sts
Hockey Men’s 3rds
2-2
Uni of Southampton 2nds
Hockey Men’s 4ths
0-1
Swansea Uni Men’s 1sts
Hockey Women’s 1sts
3-0
University of Bristol 1sts
Hockey Women’s 2nds
1-2
Uni of Gloucestershire 1sts
Hockey Women’s 3rds
2-5
UWIC Women’s 2nds
Lacrosse Women’s 1sts
10-9
University of Exeter 1sts
Netball 1sts
84-22
Uni of Bedfordshire 1sts
Netball 2nds
33-38
University of Exter 1sts
Netball 3rds
40-33
University of Winchester 1sts
Netball 4ths
29-23
University of Exter 3rds
Rugby Men’s 1sts
10-30
University of Bristol 1sts
Rugby Men’s 2nds
28-7
University of Exeter 3rds
Rugby Men’s 3rds
30-3
University of Plymouth 2nds
Rugby Men’s 4ths
50-0
UW Lampeter 1sts
Squash Men’s 1sts
5-0
Uni of Bath Men’s 2nds
Squash Women’s 2nds
4-0
Uni of Gloucestershire 1sts
Table Tennis Men’s 1sts
13-4
University of Brighton 1sts
Tennis Men’s 2nds
6-4
University of Exeter 2nds
Tennis Women’s 2nds
7-3
University of Exeter 2nds
impact: What’s your favourite quote? SB: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan. impact: If you could be a cartoon character who would you be? SB: Hey Arnold! He is cool! impact: What’s your perfect pizza? SB: Pepperoni. impact: Who was your last text from? SB: You. impact: Would you rather be – a pirate or a cowboy? SB: I think I’d rather be a pirate. Swords are the way forward, guns are old season! TeamBath is home to the UK’s first full-time High Performance Netball programme. The athletes and programme are under the leadership of New Zealand former international player, captain and coach, Lyn Gunson and now Director of Netball. Tickets for all home matches are on sale at the STV at £4.50, and for a full fixture list head to the netball section of the TeamBath website at www. teambath.com.
Futsal comes to Bath Uni
THE UNIVERSITY of Bath will play host to English international Futsal on Monday and Tuesady (29th and 30th October). Two friendly games are scheduled against Andorra in preparation for England’s FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in February. This isn’t the first occasion that England have played at the STV, being on the wrong end of two heavy defeats against Belgium in 2004. In a nutshell, Futsal is a five-a-side version of the Beautiful Game, played indoors and with a smaller ball weighing 30% more than a regular one to encourage quick passing, movement and control. The sport is massive in South America; players like Kaka would work on their skills as youngsters before moving onto the full pitch. It’s also big in Spain, and some of this interest has clearly rubbed off on neighbours Andorra, as England manager Graeme Dell explained. “They’ve been playing the game for almost 50 years while it’s very new to players in this country.” Graeme is definitely of the opinion that we’re going to be treated to a decent game. “Futsal is based around speed, movement and skill, so you have to be quick-thinking while making sure your tactics are spot on.” Monday’s game kicks off at 7pm, while Tuesday’s is at 5pm, and for both matches Students can get FREE entry, with adults paying £3.
sport impact
BUSA Results - 27 IDFC - 26 TeamBath FC - 27 In Brief - 26 Rugby - 26 Futsal - 27
Covering the issues that matter to students
Netballers to Start Superleague Defence Upneet Thandi & Sian Hogan
ALL SMILES: The squad posing before the start of their title defence.
Astroturf Hockey Pitch Finally Open ASTROTURF PITCH one, which had remained closed since before the start of term finally opened last week. The refurbishment of the pitch was carried out in conjunction with England Hockey and TeamBath Buccaneers, jointly funded by The University and Sport England. The delay had caused much disruption to University Hockey, as BUSA matches had to be moved until the work was complete. Delays were caused by the quality of the playing surface, which was initially not flat. This has now been corrected and the 10 University teams can now benefit fully from the facility.
PITCH ONE: In full use from last weekend.
M a t t To w n l e y presented with his FA Cup Player of the Round Award. TEAMBATH PLAYER Matt Townley was presented with his player of the round award last week, following his six minute hat-trick in the second qualifying round against Moneyfields. Part of his award was £500 of sports
equipment, which he has donated to his old school, Beechen Cliff here in Bath. Assistant head teacher Kant Mann came to campus with a couple of pupils to receive the donation, and he was obviously elated. “We’re delighted for Matt and delighted to receive the equipment. We’ve followed Matt’s career with a keen interest as he’s an ex-pupil. He’s had a fantastic couple of months and we hope it can be repeated this weekend.” TeamBath’s recent cup form continued last weekend, this time in the first round of the F.A. Trophy, a competition open to all teams in the non league game. TeamBath overcame a Taunton Town side by the single goal, scored on 29 minutes by that man Townley, before being substituted after 83 minutes of the game. (See also Page 25)
THE NATIONAL Superleague Championship 2007/8 gets going this week and TeamBath Netball are geared up to perform, deliver and cruise past Mavericks, the side they beat in both finals to date, in their opening match away on Monday 29th October. TeamBath are Netball’s Superleague Champions for the second time after defeating Mavericks 53-45 and successfully defending their title earlier this year. The triumph crowned a 24match unbeaten run for Team Bath who have won all of their Superleague encounters this year. To find out more about TeamBath’s Super League preparations and life as a high performance athlete, we recently sat down for a chat with leading star Sara Bayman. Sara is a talented and committed England and Teambath Netball athlete, who graduated from Bath University with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science this year. Her position on court is wing defence, centre. Born in Wigan, she got into Netball at the age of 9 and excelled in the sport whilst at school. She rose through the ranks and has now emerged as a one of the top players in the Senior England Netball Squad. Sara was awarded The Tugendhat Trophy for Sporting Endeavour at Bath during the Blues Awards ceremony earlier this year. She has also won gold at the BUSA Championships, Silver at the World Youth Championships in 2005 and the 2004 Super Cup with TeamBath. During discussions, I bombarded Sara with a series of questions: impact: How did you get into Netball? Sara: I started playing in primary school and carried it on through high school. I competed in what was called the county system which is when I got selected for the England trials. I feel the older you get the more serious it becomes! impact: How has your preparation for the new season been like this year? SB: The training has been good this year. We’ve had a few practice matches. We went to Cornwall to play Wales and then played against Celtic Dragons over here. Our team has a new look this season with a lot of new and young players joining so we’ve been training hard to try and get that team fusion back. impact: As reigning Super League Champions do you feel under pressure to retain your title? Continued on page 27