impact student
Monday 14th January 2008 Volume 9 Issue 8 www.bathimpact.com
No Bones About It! BBC filming kicks off on campus. See Q&A (page 3) and an extra’s perspective (page 8).
Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk
FILMING IS underway on Bone Kickers, the BBC’s big new drama. What makes Bone Kickers really interesting is their choice of location – right here at the University of Bath. Created by Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah – the people behind Life on Mars – and Michele Buck and Damien Timmer, Bone Kickers tells the story of a team of archaeologists working at the fictional Wessex University. Julie Graham, best known as the eponymous Mary in William and Mary, leads the cast as feisty Celt Gillian. Julie is joined by Adrian Lester (Mickey Stone in Hustle) as Dr. Ben Akomfrah, a forensic expert who brings an objective viewpoint to the team. Also appearing are Hugh Bonneville (Iris) as the encyclopaedic but shady Professor Gregory Parton, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Spooks) as eager young postgraduate Viv Davis.
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Bone Kickers follows the team as they unearth lost artefacts and investigate the riddles of the past, often giving them clues to help solve the mysteries of the present. All the while, Gillian undergoes her own personal quest to find the greatest treasure in the history of Man – a quest which drove her brilliant mother insane, and which pits her against her rival, an arrogant TV historian, in a desperate race for glory. Director James Strong describes Bone Kickers as the “ultimate show”, bringing together a first-class crew to tell a classic detective story which explores our fascination with the past and the lessons we can learn from it. The University features prominently in the show, with filming taking place all over campus. “In many ways, it’s the heart of the show,” says Strong. Bone Kickers will be shown in April this year on BBC1, so keep an eye out for your Uni on TV very soon.
this week... Eat this and you will succeed. succeed Features, Page 8
Karl Kennedy y speaks.
Ourr Ivor becomes an MBE.
Ents, Page 15
Sport, Page 20
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SU Recommended for Investing in Volunteers Hayden Arrowsmith VP Activities & Development suactivities@bath.ac.uk
THE STUDENTS’ Union has been recommended to receive the Investing in Volunteers Award following a recent assessment. The three-day assessment focused mainly on interviewing those students who are involved in volunteering opportunities within the Students’ Union and those who volunteer in both the local and wider community. The visiting assessor commented on the students’ enthusiasm and knowledge of theircurrentvolunteeringactivities,which successfully highlights the depth and qualityofthevolunteeringopportunities and management that takes place within BUSU. Dave Austin, SU President, was pleased to be recommended for the award: “It has been a real team effort and the volunteers have been outstanding in
their support with the whole process. BUSU is proud to be amongst the first group of students’ unions to hopefully achieve this.” Dave added: “Most other universities only assessed their student community action or Rag groups, whereas we assessed all of the SU’s volunteer roles.” These roles include academic reps,unioncouncillors,volunteerdrivers, club and society committee members and volunteers through AWARE and the Volunteer Centre. Volunteer Coordinator Anna Boneham stated: “Being recommended for Investing in Volunteers has confirmed that we are following good working practices. It has enabled us to look at any gaps in volunteer policy and develop these areas with confidence. It is reassuring to know that the whole of the SU is following the correct procedures when managing such a diverse range of volunteer roles.” The IiV Award is the UK quality standardforallorganisationswhichinvolve
volunteersintheirwork,anddemonstrates anorganisation’scommitmenttovolunteer management. By ensuring that the SU is informing and inspiring volunteers we can hope that they pass on their enthusiasm and professionalism to those who benefit from their time and effort. An IiV panel meets in February to review our assessment and decide if BUSU should be awarded the standard. Following this, BUSU should be able to refertoitselfasanInvestinginVolunteers organisation. For more information on InvestinginVolunteers,pleasevisitwww. investinginvolunteers.org.uk
FreeEnterpriseattheUniversityofBath. SIFE is an international organisation for university students who are challenged to develop community outreach projects based on five key educational principles: market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business ethics. SIFE at the University
of Bath has had a flourishing first year and, with the passion and enjoyment shown by those students involved, this can only improve. If helping others and learning of new ways to combine business skills and community work is your cup of tea, then visit www.sifebath. co.uk
Student Wins Prestigious National Volunteering Award Hayden Arrowsmith VP Activities & Development suactivities@bath.ac.uk FINAL YEAR student Alex NicholsonEvans has won a national volunteering award for her work with helping homeless people. Alex established a project to improve the lives of people in Bath without a job and place to live by teaching them basic work and monetary skills. The project, LIFE 1:1, had a successful three-month pilot which has allowed one man to return to work and provided him with a place to live. After gaining support from homeless centre Julian House, Alex was able to pursue her innovative project and work with a homeless man to help improve his CV and job prospects. The good work will be continued in the future as LIFE 1:1 has recruited four student volunteers to mentor four homeless clients, so continuing its development into a very worthwhile project. Alex was presented with her award at the Higher Education Volunteering Awards held in London last month. The awards ceremony featured many awards for students and staff volunteers across the country in recognition for their contributions to helping others. Our congratulations to Alex! LIFE 1:1 is run through Students In
AWARD-WINNING: Alex Nicholson-Evans (left) with Roanne Wootten.
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Digging for Answers
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SOS Winners Announced
Josh Cheesman talks to Bone Kickers director James Strong and actor Adrian Lester, who plays Dr. Ben Akomfrah in the BBC drama on campus. impact: First question – how have you found filming at the University of Bath?
James: Well, this is our third day now of filming here. It’s certainly a lot quieter without all the students! The first time we came here to look around it was heaving with people, and we were worried about the practicalities of shooting here. But now it’s not so busy it’s great. Bath of course is a brilliant place to film the series since it’s so steeped in history. The University, on the other hand, is quite modern, so it makes a great contrast. Much of the show is set here, since the archaeologists’ lab is in the University. In many ways, it’s the heart of the show. We have renamed it Wessex University though, since we felt that it has a more historical sound to it.
impact: Will we see a lot of the actual University in the series, or will it be recreated with sets? James: You’re certainly going to be
seeing a lot of the University. We’ve done filming all over the place. We really looked to find those little nooks and crannies that make it a real place.
Adrian: Well, I certainly hope it’s as successful! What it does have in common is that it’s groundbreaking, well-directed, and brings together a lot of expertise.
impact: Adrian, could you tell us a bit about your character in the show?
James: That’s right. The cast and crew are from some of the best dramas in recent years, and we’re hoping that be bringing them all together we can make the ‘ultimate’ show, which will hopefully be very successful.
Adrian: I play an archaeologist, specifically a forensic archaeologist. He’s been described as a cross between a botanist and an archaeologist, since he’s an expert in chemicals and plants. He has close links with the rest of the team, but he doesn’t always necessarily get along with them. James: And they don’t always get along with him! impact: Bone Kickers has been billed as coming from the people behind Life on Mars and the new series of Doctor Who, both of which have been very successful dramas. Does Bone Kickers have a lot in common with those shows?
Referendum on SU ‘No Platform’ Policy Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk IT HAS been announced that the Students’ Union will be holding a referendum to decide whether the University of Bath Student’s Union should have a ‘No Platform’ platform, preventing those with extremist views from speaking publicly on campus. The decision is in light of an incident last year, when the Students’ Union voted against Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, coming to speak on campus. An Extraordinary General Meeting followed, where the majority present voted in favour of a ‘No Platform’ policy. On 29th October, the Union Council created a No Platform Policy Working Group, who drafted a policy. This was thoroughly debated by the Working Group and the Union Council, until 10th December when the Union Council met to discuss what had been done, and to make amendments to the policy, which was finally agreed upon. Since then, the SU’s Returning Officer, Ian Robinson, has received
Adrian: I think it’s also worth mentioning that archaeology taps into one of the most popular television elements, that of the detective story. Bone Kickers can be broken down to a detective story, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. James: One thing I’ve thought is that you’re probably going to get lots of students next year trying to apply to Bath’s archaeology department!
impact: As well as Bone Kickers, the fourth Indiana Jones film is set for release this year, as well as National Treasure 2. Do you think this will lead to a resurgence of interest in archaeology?
Adrian: If this were America, I’d bet that would happen.
James: It would be nice, wouldn’t it? I think there’s already a genuine interest in archaeology though. People love looking into the past, tapping into the truth behind myths and legends. There’s huge potential for storytelling there, as has been proven with things like The Da Vinci Code.
(Producer) Rhonda Smith: Unfortunately, no, you’re just going to have to watch the show. The only hint I give you is that the show covers all periods of time, and that history is now. That’s all I can say.
impact: Finally, is there anything you can tell us about the show that hasn’t already been released?
Andy Burton VP Communications sucommunications@bath.ac.uk OVER 2000 students completed the recent Student Opinion Survey and told us what they think the SU should be doing for them inthefuture. Thisisanexcellentresponse rate and the results from the survey will now be used to create a proposal on how we suggest doing what you have told us you want us to be doing. Keep an eye out for the proposal because we will be asking you if you agree with it before it becomes the new strategic plan for the SU. Three of the students who completed the surveyalsogotanextraChristmaspresent afterwinningtheexcellentprizesavailable to anyone who completed the survey. James Reynolds won an iPod Touch, Rachael Beck won a digital camera and Lola Oni won a Nintendo DS with a game. Unluckyifyoudidn’twinaprizethistime but thank you to everyone who completed the survey, we look forward to improving your SU in the way that you want us to.
Guppy Gets Flushed The New
Heart of Art Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk
100 signatures calling for a referendum on whether the SU should accept this policy. Robinson has thus published a timetable outlining how the referendum will be undertaken, which is as follows: - Jan 28th: Publish the proposal and dates for the referendum, seeking any alternative proposals within 3 days. - Jan 30th: Cease accepting alternative proposals. - Feb 1st: Publish the proposal, with any alternative proposals, and the arrangements for meeting(s) required to debate it. - Feb 4th: The open meeting; it shall nominate 2 agents who will be responsible for running the “Yes” vote campaign and the “No” vote campaign. - Feb 6th: The question and campaign material need to be finalised for publication. - Feb 8th: Publish the question and campaign material. - Feb 11th: Polls open on BathStudent.com. - Feb 15th: Polls close on BathStudent.com, decision published.
PRIZE WINNER: James Reynolds (right) with Andy Burton.
TIME’S UPPY FOR GUPPY: Bath’s infamous club night comes to an end. PHOTO: James Huelin Josh Cheesman News Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk RIP FUNKY Guppy, 2004-2008. Yes, that’s right, the University of Bath’s infamous Friday club night is coming to an end after four years of cheesy tunes, risque costumes and keeping the residents of Norwood up. Friday 25th January (the last day of exams) will mark the last ever Guppy, which will be commemorated by a special night featuring Ministry of Sound DJs. Students from all years are expected to turn out to give Funky Guppy a fond farewell. This doesn’t spell the end of Friday night festivities though. Starting 1st February, the University will have a brand new club night – Flirt! Andy Burton, VP Communications,
explained why the change took place, and what it entails: “Funky Guppy has been running successfully for several years now and students have told us that it’s time for a change, so on the 1st February we will be launching ‘Flirt!’. “Flirt! is the number one student night with branding that you may have seen at other Students’ Union’s around the country. With great music, themed decorations and Miss and Master Flirt! taking photos, the event promises to be the best student night Bath has ever seen. As well as the new branding we are also making some improvements to Elements and the Plug Bar including upgrading the lighting and sound systems. “Although some may be sad to see Funky Guppy go, Flirt! will be your bigger and better Friday night at the Union.”
AFTER MONTHS of searching, the University of Bath has finally chosen the architectswhowilldevelopthedesignfor the new interdisciplinary arts complex on campus. London firm McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) beat more than 80 othercompaniesandfourothershortlisted practicesinanationwidecompetitionheld jointly by the University and the Royal Institute of Architects in the summer. They will be in charge of designing the new arts complex for the University’s InstituteofContemporaryInterdisciplinary Arts (ICIA), which will include more performance space for music, dance and theatre,newgalleryareas,andmorespace and resources for teaching and research. “We were very impressed with the high calibre of the shortlisted teams, but MUMA’s proposals really captured the essence of what we were trying to achieve with this new complex,” said John Struthers, Director of ICIA. “Their concept is intelligent, attractive and flexible… The arts complex is a very exciting project, and one which will be a tremendous boost to the arts in Bath and the local area.”
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Comment
The ‘Clunking Fist’ Means Serious Business: Careful Dave, Gordon Brown is Back in Town
Hadleigh Roberts reviews Gordon Brown’s New Year Message and performance at PMQs. The Prime Minister has gone from Stalin to Mr. Bean and back again; he’s taking no prisoners. THE PRIME Minister is back in Stalinmode. In fact, based on his message over the New Year and his performance at Prime Minister’s Questions on January 9th, calling him ‘Stalin’ may have been an understatement; this time the Clunking Fist is showing no mercy. David “The Chameleon” Cameron chosetostartthesessionbyundercutting the new Nick Clegg, by stealing the Lib Dem Leader’s pet topic, ID Cards. It seemed like a good attack, but Gordon Brown turned it right on its head, nailing Cameron and showing another one of his inconsistencies; he said his ‘personal view’ was against identity cards, and yet he was forced to concede that he was actually in favour of them for foreign nationals. As Brown pointed out to the House, “I see his incursion into Identity Cards did not last long!” After another attempt at an offensive, Cameron was smashed down by Brown, saying, “Once again, all these pre-rehearsed lines, all these lines rehearsed in front of the mirror! Nobody knows what he thinks about the big challenges: not the country, not the party, and probably not even himself.” The House was cheering the PM on, “More! More!” Cameron remained silent for the rest of the session. The new agenda of Brown ideology is encapsulated in one simple idea; he wants to make ‘the right long-term decisions’. “For Britain, 2008 will be a
in a much better shape than that which Labour inherited from the Tories. At that time, inflation was 10 per cent and the Conservatives could not reduce interest rates, whereas inflation now is 2 per cent, and the Governor of the Bank of England was able to reduce interest rates. There were 3 million unemployed under the Conservatives, and Labour has created 3 million more jobs. Under the Conservatives, 250,000 people lost their mortgages and their homes were repossessed; there are 2 million more homeowners under Labour. Interest rates went as high as 18 per cent under the Conservatives; they have averaged 5 per cent under Labour. We face the global crisis with higher employment than ever before, and we face the global turbulence with low interest rates and low inflation. Of course, all these measures were fervently opposed by the Conservatives, so perhaps that is THUNDER BROWN: The former Iron Chancellor is on the offensive, starting the year all guns blazing. why they are in opposition. Brown has had quite a learning year of real and serious changes.” His are; rational calculation turned into and labelled him a control-freak, then curve due to the series of setbacks he reassuring theme is “steering a course devious manipulation, caution turned follow up with paragraphs calling him faced towards the end of last year. It of stability through global financial into indecisiveness, determination weak-willed and quick to abandon his seems unlikely that such unpredictable turbulence”, with this year destined to into dogmatism, long-term vision into principles. disasters will continure to befall the be “the decisive year of the decade”. inflexibility,seriousnessintoparanoia. David Cameron also tried to fight the government. Over Christmas, he has Evidently, the media has hated Brown Some of the psychobabble about his Prime Minister from an economic front, discovered that he is going to have since last summer, purely because he personality has been nothing short not really the wisest choice of topic, to tighten his grip. Whatever lies in refuses to play the PR game in the same of disgraceful and lamentable. It is considering Brown was also nicknamed store over the next few months, any way as David Cameron. His strengths almost amusing how some critics have “The Iron Chancellor” during his ten trouble will be met “with unbending are twisted into negative qualities, no complained that he is rigid, unwilling years at the treasury. determination” by the ruthless ‘clunking matter how essential to the job they to compromise, unable to cooperate The economy, to give some credit, is fist’.
Ratings for the Super Sarko Show: Monsieur Bling is Now Just Boring
Hadleigh Roberts Deputy Comment Editor FRENCH CRITICS have been complaining about how Nicolas Sarkozy has exposed his private life so openly. After just over six months, the President has already acquired several different nicknames; “Super-Sarko” after his hyperactivity in comparison with the reclusive Jacques Chirac, “Sarko I” after his absolutism, referring to his monarchical style, and “President Bling-Bling” after his high-society life style, and now “Speedy-Sarko” due to his new wedding plans. Indeed, the Sarko saga started three months into his presidency, where he upset the classic French left by choosing to holiday with an American millionaire, during which he, in a pirate fashion, pulled alongside and hopped aboard a boat containing a few journalists, and was furious, to say the least. Shortly afterwards, he caused yet more outrage by visiting the Bush family, but instead of the cool business approach taken by Gordon
Brown, Sarko was too friendly for the French. The leaking of his private life to the press has been an effective cover up, as currently French media are reforming into the post-modern western journals of the UK and USA, concentrating more in personality instead of policy, giving France its first celebrity president. For instance, Sarkozy chose the day of the first national strike against his
government to announce his official separation from his wife Cecilia. Now though, this may be starting to lose its effect, since recent polls for Sarkozy have been sliding. After his divorce announcement in October, the Sark-opera (as it is referred to in comment circles) has gone too far for the French, who have always had strong reservations about where to draw the line between private and public life.
His approval rating has dropped below 50 per cent for the first time since his election last May. The monthly CSA poll showed that 48 per cent expressed confidence the president, falling from 55 per cent in December and 65 per cent last summer. Those with no confidence rose seven points to 45 per cent, although, it has been argued that this slide is not solely based on his privatelife,buthisfailuretodeliverhis manifesto promises. France (as well as the UK) begins the year feeling anxious about the economy for 2008. Just over two months after meeting his singer and supermodel girlfriend and three months since his wife divorced him, Mr. Sarkozy is planning to marry Carla Bruni in early February. His display of this high-speed romance and his taste for le bling bling has thrown the tradition of presidential decorum out of the window. It is very different from not just the intensely private Charles de Gaulle, who believed that in order to lead; the president must maintain an air of mystery about him. Even Chirac, after his defeat at the
hands of the unions (a battle currently revisited by Sarkozy) retreated to the Elysee Palace and was rarely seen again. Ms Bruni has added a great deal to the Sarko-show. Last February she was interviewed in Le Figaro, saying, “Monogamy bores me stiff. I am monogamous from time to time. Love lasts a long time, but ardent desire only for two or three weeks.” Some newspapers have discreetly mentioned Bruni as une devoreuse d’homme (a man-eater) considering that former ‘close’ friends range from Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton to Laurent Fabius, the former Socialist Prime Minister. Segolene Royal, the defeated leftwing presidential candidate, has shown her usual tenacity, attacking Sarkozy by claiming that he had “undermined the independence and dignity of the presidential function.” Whatever the case, it is clear that over the coming months, whether the press are happy about it or not, The Super Sarko Show will definitely make compulsive viewing.
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Only in America: The Gold Medal of International Politics Will Go to... Hadleigh Roberts Deputy Comment Editor
THE QUESTION raised by every political commentator this week comes from America; will the USA elect its first black male, its first white female, or its fortyfourth rich white male, to the presidency? The answer is, of course, impossible totellatthisstage;thepartiesareinthe process of choosing their candidates. The one thing we can discern safely is thatthereasonthattheracehasstartedso early, and has been given so much media coverage, is because of the appalling current government. Now, Americans are so keen to get rid of George W. Bush, some members of congress are reviving calls to impeach the President (something that was ruled out months ago by Nancy Pelosi), while the public and media seems to have all but forgotten the loony lameduck president. There are 295 days to go though, which means about 42 weeks of campaigning. In the United Kingdom, there are a maximum of 3 weeks, by which time the nation is standing on a high ledge screaming “Someone please make the chattering stop!”
However, Europeans may be forgiven for assuming that the Democrats will win the presidential election, regardless of whether they choose Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton. This is a mistake though, as it was thought John Kerry could have won in 2004. While the Democrat Race is essentially a two-horse race, although John Edwards is a viable third choice, the Republican contest is much more difficult to predict. In the last few months, we have seen a huge comeback from John McCain (who won New Hampshire), Mike Huckabee has propelled himself from the fringe to the front (winning Iowa), while Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have started to slip away. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee, with all his progressive and modern views (he does not believe in evolution, thinks foreign people should more-or-less be imprisoned, and has equated homosexuality with necrophilia) resonated with Iowans. Huckabee was also joined on stage throughout the Iowa campaign by Chuck Norris. Now, readers may be forgiven for thinking that there must be another Chuck Norris, perhaps a professor of politics somewhere or maybe
even a lesser known senator; there’s no way he would take kung-fu star on stage with him in a presidential primary. I am afraid you are wrong. It is that Chuck Norris, the one from Way of the Dragon and who has the same birthday as I do (March 10th). While it is anyone’s guess in the long term, the second primary, New Hampshire, has confounded absolutely everyone, not justinthejournalisticcircles,butalsoon the campaign buses. On the Democratic side, it was thought that Obama would be proclaimed the overall victor, having already won the Iowa vote. Clinton though, having come third place in Iowa, was able to pip Obama. The analysts are working overtime. Never in history has every single poll been so dismally wrong; Obama showed a firm lead between the primaries, with no sign of slowing momentum. So the question is how did Hillary manage it? TIME Magazine lists about 30 different theories. The other question has been the focus of some commentators, and one important theory;canHillarycryherselftotheWhite House? One explanation for her win in NH
was her little emotional breakdown in a small cafe last Monday. A female voter has just asked her how she managed to stay so upbeat, which prompted a smalldisplayoftears.Usuallycriticised for being a witch, lacking humanity and compassion, it can be argued that this emotional outburst allowed her to endear herself to the women vote, a key demographic for Obama. The other explanation has been that younger and new voters, the cornerstone of the Obama support,failedtoturnoutinasignificant enough number. Everything is on the table; Prof. Jon Krosnick of Stanford University has another argument: That the order of names on the New Hampshire ballot - in which, by random draw, Clinton was toward the top, Obama at the bottom - netted her about 3 percentage points more than she would have had otherwise. European voters may find it hard to comprehend that thiscouldactuallymakeadifference,but around 40% of the voters who turned up were still undecided on the day. Political theorists have also tried to understand the Obama defeat with an old phrase known as “The Bradley Effect”
or in his case “The Reverse Bradley Effect”. It originates from a man named Tom Bradley in 1982 and his campaign to become Governor of California. Bradley was an African American and registered a consistent poll lead as the election approached, but then still lost. The idea behind the theory is that white voters try to make themselves look good by telling pollsters that they support a black candidate, when in fact they do not. The Iowa Primary was not a secret ballot, and so a voter’s choice could be seen by their neighbours. The population of Iowa is the third whitest in the country, so Iowans may well have supported Obama as a gesture, giving himthewin(hencethe‘reverse’effect). Conversely, as the New Hampshire choicewasasecretballot,itislikelythat voters claimed to vote for Obama and toldthistothepollsters,whileactually voting for Hilary. Still, do not assume it will be Obama or Clinton in the White House. The USA still has a firm republican base, itisimportanttorealisethatafterthe primaries, the real election will take place.
The End of an Experimental Decade Hadleigh Roberts Deputy Comment Editor THERE IS a reason that 2008 is predicted to be a year of change, it is because 2007 was also a year of change. It may sound paradoxical, but the fact is that the West has lost some of its greatest leaders last year, (although all three of them had a rocky final few years) and this year we will undoubtedly feel their absence in the return to more traditional politics. Jacques Chirac was the first to go, in May, when his presidential term expired. A man who has had an extraordinary career, and the second longest serving President of France under the Fifth Republic, (for those of you not reading MLES French, that means basically ‘since 1958’). Indeed, he would have been joint first with his predecessor, Francois Mitterrand, had he not served his first term, and then cut the length of a presidential term from seven years to five years.
“Le Bulldozer” (a nickname given to him by Georges Pompidou, another former French president, and used ever since) had a reputation for straighttalking and getting straight to the point; although he has also been dubbed “Chameleon Bonaparte” due to his ideological mixture. Although a conservative politician, he has actually kept a leftist foreign policy, namely keeping the Bush administration at a distance and saying ‘non’ to the Iraq War.
Chirac and the current president, Sarkozy, were once cabinet allies; however, towards the end of his second term, Chirac became ever more annoyed by him, actively sabotaging Sarkozy’s ambitions to become the next chef d’etat by appointing someone else as prime minister (the usual stepping-stone). He also became increasingly physically ill (at age 74 or so) and reports even suggest that he was very uninterested in dayto-day politics, and was actually just struggling to stay alive. Whatever the
case, his career in government has been stellar,especiallyconsideringitstarted in the 1950s. Tony Blair was next, in June, having resigned (under duress). Unquestionably agreatprimeminister,itwouldbealltoo easy to recite a list of his achievements, but his overarching influence was, like Chirac, his use of the “Third-Way” and ‘Triangulation’ to transcend the traditional left-right boundary. Nobody will forget his involvement in Iraq, of course, and when questioned he is unwaveringly convinced that he did ‘the right thing’. Although, in his final Prime Minister’s Questions, he hinted regret for his decision, “I am truly sorry about the dangers that they face today in Iraq and Afghanistan.” John Howard was the last to leave. Unlike Chirac and Blair, the Australian PrimeMinistersince1996leftunwillingly astheresultoflosingageneralelection. Having been vehemently monarchist, inactive over climate change and a
supporter of the Iraq war, he should go down as a Conservative hero; however, his government ground to a halt over his final twelve months, and has since veered dramatically to the left. Already, the Labour leader Kevin Rudd has signed the Kyoto protocol, announced a plan to remove troops as soon as possible, and Australia may soon by lucky enough to be able to elect its own Head of State. The Australian government failed primarily because John Howard began to destroy those people in the Liberal party (i.e. Conservatives) who were trained to replace him. He appointed peopletohiscabinetthatwerepolitically weak and poorly trained to handle their jobs properly. The collapse of his government could well happen again in the United Kingdom; I warned against Brown’s decision to keep such a small range of governmental talent in my article on November 26th: “Use Correct Change Only.”
Read impact? Think you could do a better job? We’re still looking for writers, editors, photographers, proof readers and web designers. Come along to one of our open meetings: every Monday from January 28th, 6:30pm, elements.
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Features
WHEN YOU think of psychology in the real world, what image springs to mind? A clinic waiting room with anxious families waiting for their appointments? A wealthy woman reclining on a therapist’s couch? Generally not the happiest of images. Okay, when the psychologists do their jobs well, those people walk out happy afterafewmonths,possiblyyears. Yetit can’t be denied that generally psychology is all about people’s problems, about how humans crumble under emotional pressure,orbiologicalabnormalities. All my textbooks say more about suffering than about joy. Each year, the leader of the American Psychological Association makes a speech detailing their hopes for the future of psychology. In 1997, famous psychologist Martin Seligman’s speech was a little different. Seligman actually criticised psychology for its dedication to mental illness, as opposed to mental wellness. He felt society
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How Many of Us are Shiny Happy People? Psychology student Rosanna Pajak explains why psychology is not all about problems. needs a psychology to complement the psychology of suffering: a psychology of the best things in life. Itstrikesmethatmaybethisisexactly what society needs: psychology to help the vast majority of us, not just the troubledfew. AsIstarttoplanmycareer, I look forward to providing remedial happiness for those who struggle with theirexistence,butwouldn’titbeniceto also help everyone else? All the people whodon’tmeetthecriteriafordepression or anxiety, but still are not always happy and carefree. Happiness is illusive, so many are still searching for it. So what have psychologists found in their explorations of life? Who are the happy people? One of my favourite studies looked at twenty-two winners of major lotteries, and found that they reverted to their baseline level of happiness over time, winding up no happier than twenty-two matched controls. Equally, research shows that a few years after their major accidents, paraplegics end up only slightly less happy on average than individuals who are not paralysed. So whether amazingly good or amazingly bad things happen to us, it appears to be human nature to eventually get ourselves back to an even keel. On a larger scale, it appears people in richcountriesarenotconsistentlyhappier than people in poorer countries. During the 1980s, the West Germans had double the incomes of the poorer Irish, who year afteryearreportedmoresatisfactionwith their lives. Plus the wealthy, even the top hundred wealthiest Americans, are only slightly happier than working-class folk. You only need to look at troubled
Extra, Extra! Read All About it! Hadleigh Roberts Deputy Comment Editor BEING AN extra is a very peculiar experience. In fact, I can say, with primary evidence, that the whole business of “being an extra” is not wholly dissimilar to what you might see ontheRickyGervaisseries. (Thatis,the first series, before his character became famous and stopped being an extra.) Essentially, the real feeling that comes from being an extra is one of very strong self-conflict. With one hand, the ego is stroked; an extra feels incredibly important and special, since there is a good chance of being on television for a short period of time, something that everybody secretly (or overtly) wants to do at least once. However, with the other hand, it is knocked for six; since an extra is the lowest rank on the set; less important than the straightness of an actor’s bow tie. In addition to this, it is important to note that there are indeed professional extras. These people, as Stephen Fry wrote years ago, are supposed to be called a “featured artist” or “background artist.” Nevertheless,whileonset,itwas self-deprecatingly amusing to be told by the director, “Don’t call yourself an extra. The real extras will get upset.” The whole experience is quite an identity crisis. When faced with an
extras job, the usual practice is to do as you are told when necessary, and spend the rest of the time is trying to be noticed on camera. If you’re lucky, the director will not see your extremely melodramatic face-palm or hear your exalted gasp. Of course, some people (including me) try to be in shot as much as possible (all right, particularly me). The key to being an extra is to remember just one thing: you are technicallyfurniture,butuseless,dueto thefactthattheactorscannotsitonyou. On set, it may be a shock to learn that the most important and glorious position of all is actually the man who brings the tea and biscuits.
Britney Spears or Amy Winehouse to see such unhappiness, despite having achieved the fame and riches so many of us lust after. Some good news: we can finally ignore everyone telling us these student years are the best years of our lives. You’ll be reassured to know it’s not a downhill spiral from now on! It appears that happiness is equally available to people at every age, and rates of depression, suicide, and divorce show no increase during the mythical midlife crisis years. Men and women are equally likely to declare themselves “very happy” and “satisfied” with life, but are prone to different sorts of misery: men are more likely to become alcoholics whilst women tend to ruminate and get depressed. So the big question is, are we happy? On the whole, it seems we are not. In 1957, 35 percent of Americans told the
National Opinion Research Centre they were “very happy’, but in 1991, only 31 percent said the same. Meanwhile, depression rates have soared, with between eight and twelve percent of our population being clinically depressed at any one time. One explanation for this is that our increasingly individualistic society suffers from impoverished social connections. As of 1993, twenty-four percent of us live alone, up from eight percent in the 1950s. Compared to 1960, the divorce rate has doubled. In fact, our Western cultures celebrate independence. How often are we told to be true to ourselves, and not to be (shudder) co-dependent on a partner? Yet if we remain single for too long we beat ourselves up and worry why nobody wants us – we can’t win. And this is the crux of the matter. At the end of the day, we are confused about
happiness. We have been brought up to viewitasaright,andareeagertopossess it. This can explain the rising divorce rates: unhappy marriages were the norm in the past, but these days people yell, ‘I deserve to be happy’ and run for the door at the first real bad patch. Yet on the other hand, our cynical, postmodern culture tends to scorn the pursuit of happiness as something shallow and superficial. In fact, most of us don’t really even know what happiness is. It’s easy to confuse it with a life uncluttered by feelings of anxiety, rage, doubt, and sadness, but is this it? Some say true happiness is far more like being content than the manic rush of falling in love. One psychologist takes it even further. Dr. Bentall from Liverpool University maintains that actual happiness is so unusual that it meets all reasonable criteriaforanabnormality,apsychiatric disorder with irrational thinking and a weak grasp on reality. Even Freud said that the best one could expect of therapy was a return to “common unhappiness”! Looking at society today, it seems to me that we need positive psychology more than ever. Look at your own life closely, and in the happy moments try to put your finger on exactly what is making you feel like that. You’ll soon realise happiness has far more to do with how you think about things, than with the things that are happening to you. The wayIseeit,happinessisawayoftravel, not a destination. You can spend your life searching for it, or you can sit back and enjoy the ride.
Food For Thought: Eat For Good Marks
In these stressful times of exam revision, Amira Fathalla has but two hopes for survival. ONE IS that our lecturers will all suddenly change their minds and cancel all assessments. The other is that our brains will manage to work that little bit extra, retain just a few more facts and figures, and not let us down when we need them most. As the first option – let’s face it – is just not going to happen, you may be interested in boosting your brainpower to help achieve the second. Certain foods have been scientifically proven to improve the brain’s performance at various things – such as memory, retainingandrecallinginformation,aswell as mental agility. And in the hope that thesewillworkforyou,here’saselection of brain and energy food. Nuts arewidelycreditedas“brainfood” as they are rich in protein and omegas-3 and -6. They are also a good natural energy food, and provide slow-released energy with a more sustained effect, as opposed to the short bursts you get from say, caffeine or energy drinks. So put down that Red Bull and get cracking on some nuts! But try to avoid salted ones – a high intake of salt can be really bad for you. Seeds have a similar reputation to nuts and are definitely a good brain and body food–linseeds,akaflaxseeds,arehighin
omega-3; sunflower seeds can be good for your memory; and along with pumpkin seeds(goodforthinkingskills),theyeven can be useful for relieving insomnia and mild depression. Oilyfishare another example of food rich in omega-3 (which by the way is also good for your nervous system), so go for fishlikemackerel,sardinesandthelike, unless of course you’d rather have some nasty cod liver oil capsules. Excuse me while I hold my nose! Wholegrain foods help keep those cogs working without too much creaking, and is easy accessible! Try wholewheat pasta(whichIthinktastesbetteranyway), wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals. It may just be me getting older but wholegrains are just so much more appealing nowadays! VitaminC (fromcitrusfruits,kiwisand strawberries,forexample),severalgreen leafy vegetables, and eggs are also good brainpowerboosters,soit’sagoodideato get a good mix of these in your diet. Finally, my advice is to steer clear of caffeinetabletslikeProPlus,avoidenergy drinks, and cut down on tea and coffee (a little...Icouldn’tlivewithouteither!) And a little chocolate certainly won’t hurt. Andyesit’snotfood,butalittleexercise won’t hurt; in fact, it’ll get more oxygen
to your brain and provide a good break from revision. Healthy mind in a healthy body, remember? A reasonable mix of a few of these brainfoodsisallyouneed. Asforactual revision, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that!
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Imagine...
...if we were to be overcome by another ice age.
MOST CONVERSATIONS at the moment seem to about the weather. Either we complain about the dropping temperatures, or we’re grumbling about the legend of a white Christmas. And, ever so ironically, as soon as the first rays of sunlight break through, we’re already fantasising about next year’s ski season. Granted,thecoldissomething to carp about, but imagine if the chill was more than a just short-lived misery. Imagineifwewere onthebrinkofanother ice age. (Dramatic music kicks in.) Perhapsit’saslightlycynicalprophecy, but imagine if these really were the last daysofbeingabletostepoutsidethedoor, withtheadamantbeliefthatUggbootswill keepustoastywarm. Accordingtoacertain person, who seems to have acquired the beliefthathelivesinourhouse,aniceage wouldn’tactuallybeasdrasticasIthink it would be. Apparently, it would bear the same effects as if we simply moved ourselves northwards a few thousand miles. Ithenaskedhimtoverifythetruth behind this fact. With the assistance of my dear cohabitant, Charlie, he battled with Wikipedia for a few minutes, before givingupandlistlesslyproclaimingthathe didn’t know… but estimates it to be about three and a half thousand miles north. I asked him where that would put us on the map. North Greenland, was the answer. Somewhere in the middle of the sea, or onablockofice. Theirconversationthen
moved onto whether the universe is flat. That’swheretheylostme. (Andtheydidn’t stopdiscussingituntilmyotherhousemate askedthemwhethersixchillieswouldmake the chilli that she was cooking them spicy enough.) Backtobusiness. Whatwouldthismean? Well,tostartwith,itwouldbe damncold. Idoubtthatwewouldbeabletostepouton thestreetwithoutabalaclavaandtherest ofthekitthatgoeswithit. Waitingforthe bus would adopt whole new connotations; afrenziedbattleforcontinuedexistence. I doubtthatanystudent,eventhemostwarmblooded amongst us, would be able to bear thenippinessofourhousesinOldfieldPark. Even taking a bath, an option I frequently rely as a means of regaining feeling in my numbed toes, wouldn’t ameliorate the agony of the frostbite. Theoretically,Ibelieveittobe possible thatwewouldadoptthehabitsofpenguins. By this I am referring to the custom of huddling to maximise the benefit of body heat. Perhaps the penguin-huddle would become the new popular pastime; not onlyaveryaffectionateactivity,butalsoa means of pure survival. Darwinism in its purest form. A more exciting option however, would beifweallturnedintopolarbears. Although I can never quite remember whether polar bears live in the North, or whether that’s penguins. Another puzzle to get my housemates onto…
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Scant’s Regard: Culture Vulture! YES, CHRISTMAS is over, but please humour me for a moment. Before I left France for the holidays I spent a couple of hours enlightening a group of French teenagers about the traditions of the English yuletide. Roast potatoes, peas, turkey, brussel sprouts…salivating as I happily scribbled the words on the board, I then turned to face the pupils onlytofind,astonishingly,thattheywere rather underwhelmed by it all. Turkey? brusselsprouts?Theyrepeatedscornfully. Apparently in France it is more normal to savour foie gras, salmon or oysters, finishingoffwith13desserts. Well,fine. Roastpotatoesandfoiegras. Thatmore orlesssumsupthedifferencebetweenthe EnglishandFrench. Down-to-earthversus sophisticated. Forme,thehumblepotato wins every time. Sophisticated does not alwaysmeanbetterandinthesphereofart, literatureandmusictheFrencharefinding this out to their cost. Recently an article appeared in Time magazine suggesting that French culture – in terms of the arts – was in decline. Understandably, it provoked indignant responsesincludingargumentsthatculture is about more than raking in billions of dollars at the box office. Besides, how can French culture possibly be suffering when even in a small city such as Aix-enProvence there are three cinemas, three libraries and galleries galore? However, the American writer also had avalidpoint. Withlecturescancelleddue tothebarricades,Iheadedofftothelargest
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. I promise to slip inside the eye of your mind and feel... well... bohemian like you, if you know what I meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaan. CAPRICORN (22 December - 20 January) They’ll try to make you go to rehab, just say no no no. AQUARIUS (21 January - 19 February) You’ll find confidence is a preference to the habitual voyeur, of what is known as park life. PISCES (20 February - 20 March) I bet that you look good on the dance floor. ARIES (21 March- 20 April) You’re the dandy highwayman that they’re too scared to mention. TAURUS (21 April- 21 May) I think you’re turning Japanese, I really think so.
CANCER (23 June- 23 July) You’ve got to lose yourself in the music, the moment. You own it.
LEO (24 July- 23 August) You are really fit, but my gosh, don’t you just know it. VIRGO (24 August - 23 September)
Features
Laura Scantlebury reports from Aix-en-Provence.
HOROSCOPE
GEMINI (22 May- 22 June) You’re trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money, then you’ll die.
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I’m not saying it was your fault, although you could have done more. You’re so naïve. LIBRA (24 September - 23 October) The love for what you hide, the bitterness inside, is growing like the newborn. SCORPIO (24 October - 22 November) Your fingertips are holding onto the cracks in your foundations, you know you should let go but you can’t. SAGITTARIUS (23 November - 21 December) Today is going to be the day that they’re going to throw it back to you.
library,themagnificentCiteduLivre,in search of something French that was - as mygrandmotherwouldputit-anicelittle yarn. Selectingseveralpromisingbooks,I glancedattheauthors’names. Theydidn’t lookveryFrench. Sureenough,thenovels were translations – mostly from English. Perhaps, I thought, there is some sort of subconsciousforcewhichattractsaperson tostoriesfromtheirownland,soIdecided to ask some French people what they were readingatthemoment. Onegirldescribed anovelthatsoundedveryinteresting. The author was Polish. No-one provided me with the name of a popular contemporary French author. Likewise, French television is packed with foreign imports – dubbed reruns of Friends, Desperate Housewives or the Spanish La Familia Serrano. Whilst it is possible to catch a decent French film in the evenings, other programme highlights include lengthy discussions about eggs and bicycles. It seems that the French are incapable of producing something interestingoftheirownforordinaryJean Bloggs. Inthe1980s,thegovernmentintroduced quotas to ensure that at least 40% of television and radio content was of French origin, arguably allowing airtime for music or programmes of mediocre quality. Yet thanks to our musicians, every French teenager can sing in English despite being unable to speak it. Even at the cinema, where France genuinely produces innovative culture, American
filmsdominate. TheFrenchculturalelite may dismiss such films as worthless and commercial rather than cultural, but the fact remains: people want to watch them. Why? Taking the recent The Golden Compass, for example, a film based on the firstofatrilogybyBritishAuthorPhilip Pullman, the answer becomes clear. It is a damn good story. TheFrench,however,areintellectuals. They prize convoluted, ground-breaking, sophisticatedstuff,broughtintobeingwith the aim of saying something important, culture that propounds the big ideas we all ought to be thinking about. They do not know how – and perhaps do not want – to appeal to the masses. Of course, sophistication has its place – provided that the other down-to-earth aspects of culturearenotneglected. ThisisFrance’s problem: too much foie gras and not enough potatoes or sprouts. So,istheirculturedead?Certainlynot, but maybe the French should take a leaf out of Shakespeare’s book and recognise thatappealingtoordinarypeopledoesnot make something intellectually worthless. There is nothing wrong with a nice little yarn that makes interesting observations along the way.
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Revision Week
Revision Fever!
And just to help everyone remember that there is a life outside The average person can concentrate for about 90 minutes, and of the library and revision, here are a few pictures of what Bath once the mind starts to wander, hours of valuable time can be lost Snow Sports got up to in their trip to Val Thorens last month! can be lost can be lost.
THIS WEEK most of us will be focused on one thing: revision. Most of us will have at least one exam in the coming weeks, and with Christmas and New Year safely dealt with for another year, it’s time to break out those books and start taking in some serious information. Obviously, the impact team have exams too, so we know exactly what it’s like. Here’s a couple of tips for making the most of the time you have to revise.
The internet is the biggest killer of revision time these days, with Facebook, BeBo, Myspace, BBC Sport, YouTube and the Bath Webmail System real time suckers. There are several groups on Facebook which have been created to offer support and condolences to people who have fallen to the temptations of, ironically enough, Facebook.
Pitfalls and Distractions
Bath Snow Sports in Val Thorens
Get Tuned In Listening to music during revision can be helpful, but extra care should be taken over the choice of song. Sean Lightbown (Co-Ents Editor): I would go for some ambient music; something without a strong beat that could get stuck in your head. Or maybe some Moby; something calming. Josh Cheesman (News Editor): Classical Baroque music is meant to increase your intelligence.
Find Your Peace of Mind
Adam Luqmani (Deputy Editor): Depends on what the work is; if I’m trying to finish something as quickly as I can, I listen to euphoria or trance. I really don’t recommend the radio, though; it’s too distracting.
Amira Fathalla (Chief Sub-Editor): Make sure you are in a quiet, comfortable place with plenty of light and definitely no telly in view! Try to have everything you need to work there with you, so that there’s no temptation to walk off and spend two hours finding a pen!
Jack Mitchell (Editor): I really can’t revise with music. Unless it’s something without words, like classical - or Moby.
Techniques
Work it Out
Chew gum during your revision session and then chew the same flavour in your exam to help recall facts and methods. This top tip brought to you by revered genius Carol Vorderman!
Isn’t it funny how the most mundane and boring distractions can suddenly seem incredibly interesting during the exam period? Anything which takes your mind off the heap of revision is bound to draw your attention; from Sudoku to 80s computer games!
Getting a breath of fresh air can’t be beat for ‘resetting’ and maintaining a high level of concentration. impact recommends Use flashcards to help memorise key facts, equations, going for a walk or even a run to clear your head for half an hour. diagrams and dates. Address card refill packs are perfect for Don’t tire yourself out, though! being exhausted will really affect this purpose. your concentration levels. And you don’t have to stop at that! Sing! Dance! Let your imagination help you to relieve stress.
So good luck with your exams, and with any luck, you will be able to take a few breaks and manage to enjoy your time off lectures. These kinds of things are really good for a quick distraction to take your mind off any frustrating work, but be aware of how much time can be lost!
Stick notes up around your house or flat in places you will see them frequently - on the bathroom mirror or on the tiles above the hob are a popular favourite.
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MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
Entertainments
Whistle While You Work...
YOU SEE, that’s the really evil thing about January exams. Before them you’re home for three weeks for Christmas, enjoying luxuries that earlier on in the year seemed like folly. Ironedclothes,reliablecentralheating, a meal that wasn’t either pasta or pizza (maybe even, dare I say it, home cooking?!) all became standard fare when we went back to our roots. It even gave me time to reflect on the past year, the good and the bad. Superbad came along and reminded us what teen comedy should be, and brought with a wealth of quotes and jokes which will have been told to death by now. ‘Control’ hit the mark as the tale of Ian Curtis’ life and death. Fans of Wes Anderson’s films couldn’t
grumble either with his Indian-roadtrip comedy ‘The Darjeeling Limited’. As ever, TV gave us another cracking American import in the ‘X-men without the costumes’ drama ‘Heroes’, and Ricky ‘look at my famous friends’ Gervais bowed out recently with a cracking Christmas Special of ‘Extras’. Gordon Ramsay, oh dear oh dear. In terms of music, Kings of Leon pretty much owned the Carling Festival and produced one of the year’s best albums in ‘Because of the Times’. The Klaxons also had a great year, making the jump from great pretenders to crown princes with ease. Oh, and we were all sick of Rihanna’s Umbrellaella-ella-ey-eyafteraboutthemillionth week it was in the charts. Check out
KINGSOF‘07: The Followills look a bit preoccupied to take the acclaim, though...
Single Hot Chip Ready For The Floor Out: 28/1/08 EMI ‘Ready For The Floor’ is the first single to be taken from Hot Chip’s forthcoming LP ‘Made In The Dark’, settobereleasedonthe4thofFebruary. Devoutfanswillalreadybefamiliarwith thislatestofferingthough,asapartfrom beingleakedallover the internet ithas been a regular of their live set for some time now. The song opens with a beat that is reminiscent of the sound one might find iftheydroppedoneofthosebiginflatable exerciseballsout of a 5 story apartment ontotheconcretestreetbelow. Which,to me, sounds like fun. And that is exactly whatthissongisallabout. Whilenotas initiallycatchyasprevioushit‘Overand Over’,ittakesafew more listens, which makes it equally as powerful. Even though Hot Chip are not known fortheirlyricalabilities,AlexisTaylor’s pseudo-falsetto vocals give the song the melancholy tinge which it needs to balance out the joyful pop beat; and it is this skill alone that sets Hot Chip apart from nearly all other dance music out there. All in all, a stunning way to kick off the New Year and get rid of all those depressing holiday withdrawal symptoms. HHHPP Ben Cohen Contributor
SAVE THE CHEERLEADER: Keep your bloody eye on her, then. Idiots. Phil’s year review a bit lower on this page. So now that we’re all back for January, what does the University do to welcome you into 2008? Bloody exams, that’s what. Like nothing else, they shake you out of a three-week period of semi-hibernation with hour after hour in the library, days trying to find books and the lingering thought; ‘thank god it’ll all be over in two weeks!’ So you might realise that for the above reason, and maybe because we are slightly lazy, that this issue is a little, er, light. However, it could be the case that you might find this one the best of the bunch so far. For one, us lot at Ents have managed to nab an interview with a bona-fide soap superstar and impact reader (Crikey, never thought I’d use them two together in a description) in the shape of Alan
Fletcher, aka Dr Karl Kennedy! Turn over to page 15 and have a peek. Apart from this brush with the A-list, it’s business as usual here. Ben Cohen gives his verdict on exTesticicles member Devonite Hynes’s solo project Lightspeed Champion, and Lucy Saunders enjoys a night at the Academy as Brazil’s CSS hit the South West. There is also the usual hotch-potch of single reviews and entertainment previews. Anywho I best be off; revision, degree, life prospects and all that. I may as well while I’m here. Good luck to you all in your exams and assessments. Sean Lightbown Entertainments Co-Editor impact-ents@bath.ac.uk
Film Preview Cloverfield Out 1/2/08 AFTER MONTHS of anticipation, teaser-trailersandborderlinefrustration, the monster movie which has everyone talkingfinallyhitsthebigscreen. The brainchild of Lost creator J.J Abrams, this is sure to be THE big blockbuster hit of the early year. In that case, you would’ve thought they could have enough money not to shoot the entire thing on a bloody home video camera.
Film Preview 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Out 11/1/08 OR FOR those of you who fancy a bit of art-house cinema rather than your popcorn fodder during the hectic times of revision, why not try this drama set in 1980s Romania? It centres around a woman assisting her friend to arrange an illegalabortion,andhasbeencollecting the awards thick and fast, including the prestigious Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Album Preview Hot Chip Made In The Dark Out 4/2/08 THE THIRD studio offering from the electro-pop pioneers. After recieving stacks of acclaim for 2006’s ‘The Warning’, we can only expect the dancefloorstobe filledtobebrimwhen this comes out.
That Was the Year That Was
Ents Co-editor Phil Bloomfield takes a look at the year ‘07 from an Ents perspective, and comments on a rather up and down annum... HURRAH! I made it through to 2008! With a minimum of typos, editorial gaffes and libel cases (though I’m still waiting for an angry letter from Angels & Airwaves to come through my door). 2007 has been exciting. That’s an understatement on my behalf. I’ve seen the good (Foals at Thekla), the bad (I still don’t believe The Blood Brothers have actually called it a day) and the downright ugly (Smashing Pumpkins at Reading). But what have I learnt? Hip Hop’s not dead - Aesop Rock and El-P both released two of the best albums of the year. Both signed to El-P’s Definitive Jux label, they’ve garnered near universal acclaim for their inventive production styles, whilst proving that big words and fancy metaphors aren’t just the premise of the indie boys. Oddballs Dalek released the compelling, dark and disturbing Abandoned Language LP. Wu Tanger GZA wowed me over at ATP with a surgical run through of his acclaimed Liquid Swords album, and Jay-Z came back from the grave with an album about a film. Neither’s British Music - Bristolian producer Burial’s Untrue took dubstep out of the basements. Foals made it cool to dance. In 12/8 time. The twee pop of Los Campesinos! made sure the rise of the cardigan and obscure band t-shirt continued unabated. Rolo Tomassi and
Meet Me In St. Louis showed we can do loud and fast and frenetic as well as anyone else, and I Was A Cub Scout and Blood Red Shoes make a strong case for two piece bands. MIA took her multicultural rap worldwide and Hot Chip proved that indie and dance are not mutually exclusive. But Rock Music possibly is - Well, maybe. Texans…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead get the award for most consistent live act - three times I went, three times I was amazed. The similarly deranged acts of Black Lips and The Horrors brought garage back. Again. Mogwai and Mono proved that vocals aren’t strictly necessary. And Japrock act Boris showed that what rock music really needs is a big gong and a drummer with a headset mike. The Theatre can be better than the Cinema - Midsummer Night’s Dream and Whipping It Up both proved there’s life in the old dog yet. The sold out tickets week in week out at the Theatre Royale and the film adaptation of The History Boys (ok, it was 2006, but I only sawitlastyear!)provesthattheatrestill has mass appeal. And thank god; when we look at this years ‘blockbusters’… Threequels- a bad idea? Spiderman 3 was bad. Ocean’s Thirteen was tenuous and pointless. Shrek 3 was funny. Pirates of the Caribbean seemed to take things a bit too far. The Bourne
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM: The exception that proves the threequel rule... Ultimatum was amazing. But my three top films of 2007 were all originals: Control, The Kite Runner and Letters From Iwo Jima. On the subject of cinema, we like the Little Theatre Cinema, a lot. Reunions aren’t worth it, or maybe they are - Smashing Pumpkins put a great big nail through their legacy with a dreadful performance at Leeds and an utterly appalling album. However, shoegazers My Bloody Valentine
have reformed for next year, with the promise of live shows and new material. But does that make up for the fact that the Spice Girls and Take That are still selling out shows across the country? And can that in itself detract from the fact that Portishead are back with new material? I just don’t know anymore…
Phil Bloomfield Entertainments Co-Editor
MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
Falling Off The Lavender Bridge Lightspeed Champion Out 21st January Domino
LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION is the alter-ego of Devonite Hynes, the former guitarist from now defunct spastic rockers Test Icicles. Now the last thing you expect from a man formerly called Dev Metal (his stage name during Test Icicles) is to delve into what can only be described as some kind of baroque form of country music. Or, as the Guardian are calling it, anti-folk. It really is quite the transition and shows that the originality flowing through Dev’s veins didn’t die with the Test Icicles. ‘GalaxyoftheLost’,thefirstsingle off the album, is a charming offering with a winding melody that you just want to keep winding up and up, but inevitably breaking point hits and the
song mellows out only for soaring violin to pick it back up. The lyrics are as bitter as the song is sweet, as Dev talks of drinking problems: ‘pourrrrrr meeeee another ginnnnnn,’ as well as the prospect of throwing up in other people’s mouths. Maybe this is what the Guardian was getting at with their anti-folk phrase. As you would expect, it certainly isn’t your ordinary country influenced offering, with song titles to the effect of ‘All the Shit’ and ‘Devil Tricks for a Bitch’ combined with some profanityridden lyrics. Dev is really showing his affection for hip-hop here, and surprisingly, all these influences merge into something that ends up working surprisingly well. The real highlight of the album is ‘Midnight Surprise’, a 10 minute tour de force that starts off sounding like the worst song that you have ever heard and ends up convincing you that it might in
IMPACT
Entertainments
fact be one of the best. With apparent influences from everything from rock to country to folk to hip-hop and even Disney music (‘I Won’t Say I’m in Love’ from Hercules, just listen!); this is the moment in the album where Dev topples off the lavender bridge. And withincreasinglyfranticacousticguitar and string arrangements, he hits rock bottom, which results in some swearing and singing: ‘Reminds me I’m alone,’ he informs the listener. So who needs the Test Icicles when there is Lightspeed Champion? Not me. This is the kind of album that one doesn’t get the pleasure of hearing terribly often, and 2008 might very well be a deservedly good year for Dev and his newfound alter-ego. HHHHP Ben Cohen Contributor
NOT FEELING SO CHAMPION: Devonite isn’t looking too friendly next to a tubular liqourice allsort. Cheer up, lad.
Single The Maccabees Toothpaste Kisses Out Now Polydor
IF YOU’RE a fan of the ferocious, painstakingly frenetic sound usually projected by this Brighton quintet like me, then ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ initially comes as a bit of a shock. Coming across as some kind of ditty bounded out six decades ago, you can almost imagine listening to this in some kind of post-war lounge; complete with a family of seventeen huddled around the LP player, conserving a thimble of tea between them. Yet, as ever with The Maccabees, repeated listens show this to be an utterly charming and seducing effort – no wonder Samsung saw fit to use this song for their recent advertising campaign. Luscious guitar strings compliment the superbly fragile vocals of Orlando Weeks, who croons about ‘doing things that lovers do’. This, interspersed with a second guitar which soars makes it something quite special, a song which when listening to it made me forget what I was doing momentarily and just listen. It is a complete and utter lullaby, a song, no doubt, that will put a smile on any faces whose ears it grace. HHHHH Sean Lightbown Entertainments Co-Editor
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QUIET WEEKS: Orlando’s more reserved than his usual self.
CSS Do Not Suck CSS, Metronomy, Holy Hail
Carling Academy, Bristol 6/12/07 CSS SUCK? Not the sort of welcome you would expect for the headliners of a gig at the BristolCarlingacademybutthisisexactly how CSS were received as they entered the stage on a soggy December evening. ‘CSS suck!’ echoed round the walls of the academy as the Brazilian sextet came on stage but it soon became clear, from the excitedcheersofthecrowd,thatitwasall just jolly banter. The weather did not dampen the spirits of CSS who kicked off their set with a great explosion of snow from the ceiling and some extraordinary giant Christmas present costumes which were soon ripped offtorevealthebandintheirfullglory.The lead, in a sparkly green cat suit, bounced aroundthestageseemingtohaveanendless amount of energy. The South Americans’ settoyedperfectlywiththeaudienceasthe released songs ‘Alala’ and ‘Off The Hook’ were saved until the end, maintaining the excitement and suspense of the crowd whilst making the most of the opportunity to promote all sides of their music. This is the second time I have seen CSS at the Academy, the last occasion being in February where they supported the Klaxons on the NME Rave Tour. Their live show was definitely more confident, probably owing to the fact the Brazilians were on their own tour with the freedom to really go for it with their performance.
CSS were supported by the new wave rock band Holy Hail from New York and theelectronicalternativeMetronomyfrom nearby Devon. Both bands performed confidentlyonstageattractingarespectably sizedcrowdforawarmupact. HolyHail’s music was like a more punky, downbeat version of CSS with hints of the sombre tones of Joy Division. I especially liked ‘CoolTownRock’,asongthatisdefinitely worth looking out for. The second, Metronomy, were not only intriguing to watch but also played a top qualitysetthatwas,inmyopinion,fartoo short. Their songs rely heavily on the use ofsynthsandbigbeats,insteadofvocals, creating sounds that had hints of Calvin Harris mixed with the darkness of the Klaxons. Metronomy put on an impressive performanceusingacombinationoflights, comical dancing (with salutes) and some stylish chest lights which they turned on and off with each beat they fired out. The Devonshire lads interacted well with the Bristol crowd who, in return, turned the dancefloor wild. Astheheadliners,CSSdefinitelylefta mark on the academy, especially in terms oftheirvisualperformance,butintermsof music,IthinkMetronomyaren’tfarbehind them. So my conclusion: a pretty good gig with all three bands definitely deserving their place on stage.
HHHHP Lucy Saunders Contributor
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MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
The Good Doctor
Richard Philpott and Caroline Rogers chat to the nation’s favourite Aussie about Neighbours, Xmas and the Hoff... WOW...THE CHANCE to interview Dr Karl Kennedy! That doesn’t come around every day. After finding out that we were to interview and write an article on Alan Fletcher - our most important piece of written work this year by far, we tried desperately to rack our brains for questions. Afterlimitedsuccessandasthe date got closer we were still a lacking on questions. A quick stop at the Huntsman beforehand got the list completed and the drinks certainly calmed our nerves. As we walked backstage past the recognisable Elements bouncers blocking the door, we felt like peasants about to meet our King – Dr Karl or Fletch as he is known to his most avid fans. In the small dressing room with bottles of Sambuca and what seemed like an unlimited supply of Bud, we met the legend himself. Fortyfive minutes later we finished up and went to watch the show. We left having felt as if we really got to know the real Alan Fletcher and not just “Karl from Neighbours”. After all, we must be best friends now – I have him on Facebook! impact:How do you prepare yourself before a gig? AF:I relax at the hotel and have a fifteen-minute vocal warm up. impact: What bands inspire you? AF:I really like the music from Kaiser
ChiefsandRazorlight.I’malsoreallyinto the recent quirky songs by the Fratellies and the Hoosiers. I would say Indie/pop rock. impact:What is your favourite song at the moment? AF: ‘Mountains of Never Ho’ by Scouting for Girls. impact: Do you prefer playing in a group or solo? AF:Definitely in a group as you have the full band sound behind you. Also everyone chips in and you don’t get so lonely up on stage. impact:So you’ve been in Neighbours for thirteen years, how did you land the role? AF:After attending stage school I auditioned for the role and was at first offered a one-year contract. impact: What character would you like to play if not Karl? AF:Stringray – he’s so bubbly and fun and I love the words that he comesupwith. Spiggin’ awesome! impact: Do you spend any time with a real GP to practice your role? AF:Yes, my next door neighbour is a GP who I ask about things I’m unsure on. impact: A question to test your medical knowledge... what is Mallet Finger?
IMPACT
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Entertainments AF: Grout? I don’t know... impact: So you’ve had quite a few career moves on the show... any more changes on the cards? AF:Well there is a big illness which Karl gets involved with, so he might have to stay a Doctor a bit longer. impact: Izzy or Susan? AF: Susan! She’s a more rounded person. impact:Which Neighbours character do you miss the most? AF:Joe Mangle (Mark Little) – he was really fun to work with. impact: Is there any Neighbours gossip you can share with Bath? AF:Well there’s a bad time for the
Kennedys ahead after a serious accident. impact: Do you love looking at the Facebook groups made about Karl? AF:Yes I love them. I check them often and really like the fun of them. impact: Do you see yourself as the new Hasslehoff? AF:[Laughs] yes the Hoff of Oz – that would be good! I guess so, I don’t take myself too seriously. impact:What do you put your success down to? AF: The chemistry between Karl & Susanhasreallymeantthecharactershave lasted. Some of the band success is from that of course. impact:What do you like most about
Britain/British people? AF:That even due to the awful weather everyone still wants to have a party! Also love the University communities over here. impact: Have you ever read impact:? AF:Yes,Iwasreadingitthisafternoon [He actually had a copy with him!] impact:Finally, do you see yourself challenging for Christmas #1 next year? AF:Well that is my lifetime aim - to writetheultimateChristmassongthatgets played every year, so we’ll see!
Richard Philpott, Caroline Rogers Contributors
ALLSMILES:Richard and Caroline meet student fave Alan Fletcher, proving impact is not just read by us mere mortals...
Single Kate Nash Pumpkin Soup Out Now Fiction Records WELL… FOR a change… Miss Nash has decided to discuss the subject of the opposite sex. If you’ve heard the album, you’ll sense the sarcasm in that statement! Although not one of the best songs on the album, this condemnation of the confusing nature of the male species is top quality. The tune includes everything we have come to expect from the flame haired beauty – unique, easy-to-relate-to lyrics, a bouncy uplifting chorus and of course yet another insight into the fascinating lovelife of the songstress! The little minx doesn’t want a boyfriend anymore as she repeatedly sings “I just want your kiss boy”. So even though I was slightly disappointed that she didn’t release ‘Birds’ instead – one of the most amazing, beautifully written songs I’ve ever heard (if you haven’t heard it, hear it) - this song still does enough to wow me. Sadly however, I am still no closer to answering the key question – why on earth is it called ‘Pumpkin Soup’? HHHHP Gina Reay Contributor SUPER-NASH:Flyingtotherescue;istherenoendtoher talents?
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MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
Arts
State of the Arts Music workshop: I Am The Mighty Jungulator Saturday 2 February, noon-2pm 3WN 2.1 Free admission, but places limited so reserve in advance
Artist’s talk: Curious Saturday 2 February, 2.304.30pm BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath £3, concessions £2.50
A CHANCE to work with media artist and Jungulator member Matt Olden to create a rich audio-visual artwork generated from sounds and images collected on a journey of architectural exploration across the University’s terrain. In this one-off intensive session, the artist combines his own samples with photos and video clips provided by students of the University of Bath. The collectedfragments,processedandmixed, provide source material for a performance by ‘I Am The Mighty Jungulator’ as part of ICIA’s first club night in Elements on Saturday 9 February.
LESLIE HILL and Helen Paris are artists working in performance, video and digital arts known for their edgy, humorous interrogations of contemporary culture and politics. Their work has been exhibited and published widely. Hill and Paris’ latest book, ‘Performance and Place’, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in March 2006. The artists show their three short films ‘Lost & Found’ (2005), filmed on location at Lost Property, Baker Street, the Black Country, West Midlands and Shanghai, China.
Lines of Enquiry 4: Work by graduates of BA Fine Art Drawing, School of Art and Design, Swindon College Until Friday 4 April, 10am-5pm ICIA Art Space 2 Free
through investigating drawing and its role in contemporary art. A diverse range of student work explores the place of drawing, in activities such as installation, site specific art, and new digital technologies, through to printmaking, painting and sculpture. This is a chance to view some intriguing work by students immersed in a culture of intense artistic enquiry. The University of Bath validates all Art and Design degree course at Swindon College.
Lines of Enquiry CURIOUS: I’ll say.
Clay & Photos Drop-in Clay Sessions Saturday 2 February, 11am-1pm or 1.30pm-3.30pm Studio 2, ICIA Arts Complex, University of Bath
One session £4 BUSU;Two sessions £7 BUSU EVER FANCIED trying your hand at clay? Learn some basic techniques, such as hand building and how to throw clay on the wheel to make pots. Participants can enrol on one or both of these friendly, relaxed sessions. Materials are provided. Book in advance to ensure your place or simply turn up and pay on the door.
University of Bath & Photosoc Student Photography Exhibition Until Saturday 16 February, 10am5pm ICIA Art Space 1 Free THIS LIVELY exhibition showcases selectedworksfromthisyear’sUniversity of Bath Student Photography Competition, organised by ICIA in association with Photosoc and the Students’ Union. With more than 300 entries, the quality ofworkishighandtheapproachisdiverse. The exhibition features work from three categories – landscape, documentary and portraiture, plus an overall winner from the staff entries.
Classes and Workshops - Come and Get Involved! GET INVOLVED in a variety of professionally-led classes and workshops in music, dance and visual arts. Classes and workshops are open to everyone and cover all levels and abilities. Music: DJ Skills, Bath University Big Band, Pop Vocal Course Dance: Contemporary, Street
Dance, Jazz Dance, Ballet, Urban Fusion, Tap Visual Arts: Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Life Drawing, Stained Glass Classes start this week! Booking open NOW. Sign up at ICIA’s Box Office (1 East 2.1) or call 01225 386777. Check out the website for further details: www.bath.ac.uk/icia
THE FOURTH in a series of exhibitions featuring work by talented new graduates of the BA in Fine Art Drawing at Swindon College. Students on this highly respected course develop an artistic practice
Happy New Year (man)!
WELCOME BACK to Bath! I hope you’ve had a nice winter break and aren’t too stressed about… well, you know what (I won’t mention the dreaded ‘E’ word). One thing that gets me excited in the new year is that the Oscars are looming. I’m not terribly fussed about the awards themselves, but their presence usually results in many fantastic films being released just before them. There are many great contenders for the best film category this year, notably Atonement, American Gangster and Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. Another film looking likely to pick up some awards is No Country For Old Men, the newest film by the Coen Brothers (which has me very excited indeed). There are performances to look forward to from our arts societies in the next couple of months as well. BUST are performing Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web in the Mission Theatre in February, and BUSMS are staging Godspell on campus in March. We’ve also got performances from ChAOS in February, and the Global Group and Malaysian & Singaporean Association in March. There are plenty of other activities happening; pop into ICIA for the new brochure which has more details. In the meantime, don’t stress too much; if revision is doing your head in, stick on a good film or, better yet, head down to the cinema to catch one of the new releases. My recommendation is No Country For Old Men, which is out on 18 January. I can’t wait!
society factfiles:
gasp
GASP (GOSPEL, A Capppella, Soul & Pop) is the hottest choir on campus for anyone prepared to make some noise! GASP sing at a great variety of events, including Abbey events, gigs in Gloucester, Bristol, Exeter and Cheltenham, a CD recording for Blacksmoke, supporting the London Community Gospel Choir in 2006 and of course our performance with Pee Wee Ellis in 2004.
bodysoc
BODYSOC IS Bath University’s Dance Society. We welcome anyone, any style and any level of dance. Bodysoc holds highly popular and successful shows, incorporating a great variety of dance and collaborating with other dance-oriented societies. Bodysoc also holds social events, trips to musicals and shows and is looking forward to hosting workshops.
Tom Newman Arts Officer
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MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2008
IMPACT
impact Rubs Shoulders With The ‘Bath Bullet’ Upneet Thandi Sports Reporter
FOR THIS week’s issue I interviewed Jason Gardener to find out more about how lifeafterretirementhasbeentreatinghim and to talk about his remarkable 14 year career in top level sport. Jason crowned his Olympic ambitions at the 2004 Athens Olympics when he won a brilliant 4x100m gold. His other achievements include bronze at the 2005 World Championships, 4 x 100m relay gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and silver in the same event at the 1999 World Championships. impact: How is retirement treating you Jason? Jason: At the moment it’s okay because I’ve had a nice break and I’ve allowed the bodytogetthatrestitwascryingoutfor. It’snicetowakeupinthemorningwithout assessingalltheinjuriesI’vebeencarrying, asIdon’thavearacetogetreadyfor. On theotherhandImissthecamaraderieofmy group,Imissthestructureoftrainingand working towards big challenges like the Olympics, but I’ve had a good career and am now looking forward to new challenges away from the sporting arena. I am currently working as a Sports Consultant for Youth Sport Trust, working on their legacy programme with the UK school games which is coming to Bath and Bristol this year. I also work as a Sports Consultant for Red Bull with their current athletes and looking for new athletes from Olympic sporttojointhebrand. Thecontractispretty exciting! Ibenefitedfromsponsorshipby Red Bull so I know a lot about them and obviouslythebrandisafantasticcompany to work for. impact: You are one of the UK and Europe’sall-timegreatsprintersandhave established yourself on a world stage. Looking back now, do you feel you’ve fulfilled your potential as a sprinter? JG: Yeah, I think one of my goals once I was coming through as an international athletewastofulfilmypotential. Ididn’t want to retire saying I could have been this,Icould’vebeenthat! Icannowlook proudly at my CV and be happy with all the titles I’ve won whether, it may be The Europeans, World’s, Commonwealth’s or Olympics, as well as my numerous British Championship victories and my best times. I ran under 10 seconds so I am very, very happy. My biggest performance in 100m was 9th in the Olympics, 7th in the World Champs and 6th in the Commonwealth so tobetop10inthoseeventswasafantastic achievement. impact: Who do you feel is the finest Sprinter you have competed with? JG: Linford Christie impact: As a clean athlete, did you everfeelyouwereatadisadvantagewhilst competing in your sport because drug use has become such a common issue? JG:Sadlyyes,andthebetteryoubecome asasportspersonunfortunatelyyouhaveto deal with lots of aspects which you never would have thought of when you were a young person coming through. It did
discourage me many times, but then I asked myselfwhyIchosetodothis. Ichosetodo itbecauseIenjoyeditandIwantedtosee how good I could become and now at least I know my times which I achieved are as good as I became.
fitness as an athlete, I recently read about Ricky Hatton over-indulging & compromising his health, have you always had the stance of following a strict diet during the competitive season and then letting yourself go when not competing?
“Never underestimate me!” A positive is that in Britain we really work against drug cheats and we have a big testing procedure and are trying to do the best we can to make sport clean. impact: What are your views on the new Drug Testing Policy for British athletes? JG:It’sadifficultoneisn’tit? Itprobably
JG:Iwouldn’tsaylettingmyselfgobut when you’re an international athlete you have to have to make enormous sacrifices and be very dedicated. I had to watch my dietalittlebitmoreintherecentyearswhen I joined my new coach because he’s strict on that, and on getting body fat measured. But I have a sweet tooth and when I’m off
BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS HIM: Upneet and Jason. sounds ludicrous that maybe, and we don’t know, maybe some athletes had their 3 strikesandtheywerebanned,andthereality isthatifthoseathleteshaven’tactually taken drugs. It doesn’t seem quite right, but we don’t know why it is that they’ve failed 3 tests. We know that people take drugs and they havebeenabletopassdrugtestsbecausethe testingsystemisn’tasadvancedasitneeds tobe. ThisisabigproblembutIthinkwe
training I like to go out with my friends, enjoy life and have some beers. impact: What went through your mind at the Olympics? JG: Um, I had lots of mixed feelings. To get yourself ready for a Championship you have to go through so many different emotions. Certainly for me to bring the best out of myself I needed to be nervous, I needed to feel excited. Ever since your childhood,thisisallyou’vedreamedabout
“You’ve got to enjoy what you do and not let anything discourage you.” areleadingtheway,andwehavetosendout therightmessagesothatathletes realisethat theyhavearesponsibilityandtheyhaveto let people know where they are so they can betested. Therulesaretherules,andthe majority of people in the UK are adhering to them, so an example has been made of the few athletes who haven’t. Hopefully this will get the message across. I really hope that sport globally can really clean this up because the problem of performance enhancing drugs is undermining the credibility of sport to such an extent that I think the public now always questions after a really good performance - asking whether it is was a legal performance, “Can somebody really perform that well?” impact: Talking about maintaining
and you’ve got here, but now you’re close tofulfillingyourdreamsoyoucan’tletthe occasion get to you, but at the same time you’vegottokindofuseittogetthebest out of yourself. The joy of winning Olympic gold was my dream come true and the reality of it tookagestosinkinandeventothisday,I look back and we did work very hard but if wordscoulddescribethatnightthenmaybe I would have been a writer! impact: Other than competing in your event, what other memories of the Olympic Games do you have? JG: I loved the Olympics, both Sydney and Athens. You just know you’re entering thebiggestsportingeventintheworld. The host nations are so happy to be hosting it and everyone is so friendly. Everything
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looks full of colour, full of spirit and happiness;thedifferentsports,aswellas seeingothersportsstarsyou’veseenonTV allmakeitsospecial. Iamlookingforward togoingasaspectatorandenjoyingallthe other side of things with my family. impact:Ifyouhadnotbeenanathlete, what career would you have chosen to succeed in? JG: I would have probably gone down the road of being a car mechanic because I wasalwaysintothatsortofathingasmost youngladsare,andIwasofferedatraining apprenticeship,butI’msogladIfollowed my passion, my sport instead. impact: What advice would you give to aspiring young athletes in the sport? JG: The most important piece of advice Iwouldgive-andthisisalwayssomething whichIlostsightof-isthis:whenyou’re caught up in sport as a professional you end up getting bogged down by a lot of thingsthataren’tgoingwell,likeinjuries or things you don’t like. You lose sight of the reason why you do it. The reason whyIdiditisbecauseIenjoyedmysport. You’ve got to enjoy what you do and not let anything discourage you. I guess this is what I am going to miss the most. I enjoyed competing; I liked being on that line and racing! TheotheradviceI’dgiveisthatifyou’re seriousaboutit,takeyourtalentasfarasyou can because I meet so many people that say “Icouldhavebeenasprinter,Icouldhave been an international athlete” and things like that, so take it as far as you can and once you’ve reached that level you can be happy and move on and not have any regrets or bitterness. impact: What are you looking to do away from the track in the near future? JG:Thingsarequitegoodforme,really. WhilstIwasanathleteIkeptmystudiesup, whichisimportantforsportspeopletodo. It isveryeasytoputallthatasidewhenyou’re doingwellinyoursport,butwhenyouhave bad times or you retire from your sport thentherehasgottobealifeafterwards. I studied Media at Bath Spa University and I envisage going down a media route in thefuture. Iamalsodoinglotsofsports consultancy at the moment and I plan to be coaching in a few years time. Away from Jason’s career I asked him a fewrandomquestionsfromhisperfectdate to his favourite pizza topping… impact: What do you do to relax away from work? JG: Family. impact:Whatisthemostembarrassing CD in your collection? JG: Um… ummm… oh… um… (I believe the answer to this question will remain a mystery!) impact: What would you say is your best attribute? JG: My focus when I want something and my bouncebackability. impact: What would you say is your worst attribute? JG: Probably the way my hips are set which causes me to run a bit open, which affects my turnover towards the end of a race. impact: What’s your favourite guilty pleasure? JG: Waking up with a hangover. impact: What’s your idea of a perfect date? JG: Wake up in the morning and going to the beach in the summer followed by dinner on the sea front with my wife, and theatre would probably be good as well.
impact: Who would you most like to be stuck in a lift with? JG: God! impact: What’s your favourite quote? JG: ‘’Never underestimate me.’’ impact: If you could be a cartoon character who would you be? JG: Road Runner. impact: What’s your perfect pizza? JG: Sloppy Giuseppe from Pizza Express.
IN BRIEF
AT THE beginning of December the Tai Chi Chuan Club entered the first ever interuniversity competition against four other universities. The Bath team was made up of five students entering into a number of events including Tai Chi hand form and pushing hands. This competition aims to be continued next year making it a regular feature. The Bath team did brilliantly, winning the overall trophy.
INAfriendlywithourlocalrivalsBristol, Bath University Clay Pigeon Shooting team has come out victorious, beating them with a score of 196 to their 184. Special mentions must be made to Lisa Thomas for a convincing win in the ladies’ classwithascoreof39outof50andalsoto EddyHirstforhissplendidscoreof40out of 50 to come top in the men’s class. Thishasputtheteamingoodspiritsin preparation for the BUSA competition in February.
BARBADOS AND Bath swimmer Andrei Cross achieved a qualifying time for the 2008 Olympics with a time of 1:03.64 for the 100m breaststroke at a meet in Slovenia. His time was a long course personal best and well within the B qualifying standard for Beijing of 1:03.72. He was a member of the University of Bath team that won the BUSA Short Course Championships title for the first time in November, when he set national short course records in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
OVER THE Christmas break student Janne Schaefer won her second gold medal of the European Short Course Championships¬ helping Germany to a world record in the process. The 26-year-old swimmer followed up her gold medal in the 50m breaststroke at the championships in Debrecen, Hungary, with gold in the 4x50m medley relay. Schaefer, who is studying for an MSc in Management at the University of Bath, swam the breaststroke leg for the quartet that took almost a second off the old world record. They came home in 1:46.67 to smash the two-year-old record of 1:47.44 set by the Dutch team.
sport impact
Covering the issues that matter to students
TeamBath FC Legend Ivor Powell Awarded MBE Adrian Dalmedo Sports Editor impact-sport@bath.ac.uk OVER THE Christmas break, while we were all fattening ourselves on mince pies and mulled wine, 91-year-old Ivor Powell was awarded an MBE for services to sport in the Queen’s 2008 New Year Honours list. The former Welsh international footballer, who played for Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool, has worked as a football coach at the University of Bath for more than 30 years.Toputthisinperspective,Ivor’s been working here at the Uni longer than Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has been out of nappies. Last year his role as the world’s oldest working football coach was officially recognised as a Guinness World Record. After receiving his award Ivor commented: “This is a real honour and a privilege. It was a big surprise when I got the letter. I’ve been in football for more than 70 years and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.” “I’m 91 and I’ve still got something left in me to give. I’ll stay in the game
as long as I’m enjoying it, and I’m really enjoying working with the lads at TeamBath,” he added. There are five characteristics a player needs, says Ivor, if he or she wants to succeed as a player. Aggression, determination, the will to win, work rate and consistency of performance. Born on 5th July 1916 in Gilfach Bargoed in South Wales, Ivor started his working life down the mines in South Wales until being spotted playing for South Wales League side Bargoed aged 17, and joined Queens Park Rangers. After signing his QPR contract Ivor promised himself that he was “never going down that bloody pit again!” During World War 2 Ivor spent time in India as an RAF physical trainer, and was to play 46 matches in 55 days for the Force’s football team, in an efforttokeep the troops entertained. During his time in India he was even introduced to Gandhi. It was while in India that Ivor forged a friendship with the legendary Sir Stanley Matthews. Their friendship became so strong that Sir Stan was Ivor’s best man at his 1943 wedding. ThreeyearsaftertheconflictendedIvor was transferred for a record £17,500 to Aston Villa (you couldn’t even buy Gary
SMILE, BOYS: Ivor with Matt Townley (left) & Steve Abbott (right).
Neville’srighthandforthatthesedays). Following his time at The Villains, Ivor became player-manager at Port Vale and Bradford. He also worked with Don Revie at Leeds United, before stints at Bath City and PAOK in Greece, before hooking up with the University in the early 1970s. It’sfairtosaythatIvorisaveritable legend in the world of football, and still commands respect today. While giving an interview for the Daily Mail, a young
athlete he had never met before came up to him in the STV to offer congratulations on his MBE. In 2004 Ivor was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame and was awarded his Guinness World Record onhis90thbirthday,andisstillactively involved with TeamBath FC as they battle for promotion in the BGB Premier Division (4 points behind leaders Kings Lynn with two games in hand). “The word legend is often over-used,
butthat’sexactlywhatIvoristous,”said Ged Roddy, Director of Sport. “Ivor has beenadedicatedservanttofootballforall of his life, and we’ve been lucky enough to have him working at the University of Bath for more than 30 years. “He’s one of the true characters in sport and he still has a real passion and enthusiasm for football,” Roddy added. “Successive generations of footballers at the University of Bath have benefited from Ivor’s experience and advice, and the current crop of young TeamBath players are no different. “Ivor is a real inspiration and this award is well and truly deserved,” he added. A final thought for you: When an infected toe was too painful to put a shoe over recently, he turned up for training in his slippers.
TRAINING-GROUND ENFORCER: Barking out instructions. All Photos: Phil Searle, Digitalscape/TeamBath
Jason Gardener Interview: Page 19
impact wants you! Get all your Sports Stories, Tournament Reviews and Match Reports to impact-sport@bath.ac.uk!