Volume 16 Issue 2

bathimpact The University of Bath Students’ Union Newspaper

Volume 16 Issue 2

Your newspaper. Your news. facebook.com/bathimpact Marco Bond

Policy Exchange

Monday 6th October 2014

Adrian Miles

Emma Watson: a game-changer for feminism? ~ page 8

Don Foster talks tuition fees Ramiye Thavabalasingam News & Comment Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk

D

on Foster, Member of Parliament for Bath, has said he still does not regret his decision to vote in favour of increasing tuition fees to £9000 in 2010. In an interview with bathimpact’s News and Comment Editor Ramiye Thavabalasingam, Mr Foster spoke of his views on tuition fees, as well as the state of student housing in Bath.

“There has been a break of trust, which I have apologised for, but it was the right decision in the circumstances – I would do it again,” the soon to be retired MP told bathimpact.

The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, who has

served as Bath’s MP for 22 years, is set to retire in advance of the 2015 general election. In 2010 Mr Foster joined the majority of his fellow party members in voting in favour of raising university tuition fees to £9000 per year, despite a pledge to scrap them altogether being a key part of the Liberal Democrats’ election manifesto that year. When asked whether he had any regrets about his career, and over the tuition fees decision in particular, Mr Foster said, “My only regret is making a promise that would never have been fulfilled,” adding, “I wish I never put myself in this position”.

Mr Foster argued that the Liberal Democrats broke their 2010 manifesto promise to scrap tuition fees in order to “secure the sta-

science

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Homelessness on the rise in Bath ~ page 4 bilisation of the economy,” arguing that “the stronger the economy, the more jobs for graduates,” and that “To end university with no job to go to is pointless.”

He went on to say that students have “moved on from tuition fees” and that this is “healthy”.

However, whether or not the Bath’s new Liberal Democrat candidate Steve Bradley can still rely on the student vote despite the party’s never-forgotten U-turn on tuition fees can only be determined at next year’s election.

With recent campaigns against proposed student housing in Newbridge by local residents, the issue of the insufficient housing for a small city with two universities naturally arose during the interview. Mr Foster described the

politics

10

3D Skin Printer wins James Dyson Award

e pag Referendum result raises questions

Suzanne Clare looks at one of the winning designs of the James Dyson Award. Engineering students from the University of Toronto have designed and are now testing the scientific breakthrough.

Vishala Ramswami talks about the constitutional challenges bought about by the referendum and how a NO vote has fundamentally changed the way politics in this country will be done.

e pag

situation as a “chronic shortage,” proposing that “we should increase the amount of purpose-built student accommodation”.

When asked whether or not Bath students should receive a greater maintenance loan in keeping with the high cost of student housing in the area (as is the case for students in London), Mr Foster told bathimpact, “The moment we start having differential loans, things get screwed up. Increasing the maintenance loan will just give students more money to spend on limited housing”.

With the removal of the cap on student numbers and a deficit in student housing within Bath, only the future will tell how the small city will cope with this paradoxical situation.

bite

Voyages into the unknown

es pag

4-5

Connor Morton tells us about his travels across the North East of the United States, giving us the ins-andouts of his favourite places in Boston, New York, and others.

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Monday 6th October 2014

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Editorials

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UK needs younger voters V

oter turnout for the Scottish referendum was incredibly high at over 84%. This is 29% higher than the turnout at the 2010 General Election (65%) and a pretty gigantic 133% higher than the turnout at the 2014 Local Elections (36%).

A referendum over one individual issue is always easier to coherently argue and the issue was rooted in national identity which is a subject that often invokes great passion. However the sharp increase is still notable, especially amongst young people following the landmark decision to let 16-17 year olds vote.

It has long been claimed that young people are far more apathetic towards politics in general, leading politicians to target

older generations who are more likely to vote and more likely to have conservative views. This in turn leads to elections being more conservative and less representative of the general populace than would otherwise be the case. Whilst Lord Ashcroft’s postelection survey suggested this by claiming a 71% yes vote from 1617s, he only collected data from fourteen 16-17s and a YouGov poll from the night actually suggested a 51% No vote from this age group. This is a slight swing towards the Yes vote than the national average (although whether a Yes vote was actually progressive is a different editorial), but the tight margins indicate that 16-17s were not simply swayed by emotion or what their parents

said, and did properly participate in the referendum.

If we are asking young people to make lasting decisions about their future careers at age 16 and allowing them to consent to sexual intercourse to legally begin a family, then surely it is patronising to prevent them from voting.

By doing this we simply perpetuate the idea that politics is for people who know better than you and deter people from getting involved. There are obviously other things with an 18+ legal age limit, such as drinking and smoking, but we assume that most of you reading this who wanted to smoke and drink as a teenager did so before the legal age. Young people are placed under so much pressure in school with increased tuition fees

and workplace competition that they are being forced to confront certain eventualities at a younger age compared to previous generations who had free university education and a pretty much guaranteed job at the end of it. For these people to then tell the new generation that they know what they want and need more than they do is, in the opinion of bathimpact, completely condescending.

There are many issues with political participation and representation in this country; class, gender and race being chiefly among them. These must not be forgotten and should be constantly worked towards rectifying; however the successful inclusion of 16-17 year olds in the referendum is a step in the right direction.

Red card for sexism in sport W

hilst most people’s eyes were hooked on the Scottish Referendum, another important vote was taking place on the same day north of the border. This time the ‘Yes’ vote won with the R&A (Royal & Ancient) members voting to accept female members for the first time in its 260 year history. More than 85% of voters were in favour of this dramatic change with many women now to be fasttracked through the membership system.

However, burning questions still remain. Why has it taken until late 2014 for the R&A to accept female members? And why is sexism so rife in sport?

Due to the natural difference in physique between the two genders, males and females have separate competitions in the majority of sports. This is widely accepted and understandably so as men are naturally stronger and quicker, something which encourages a quicker-paced game with bigger contacts.

However, the men’s version usually receives much wider publicity and much better pay for its leading stars. TV companies are

widely criticised for this with extensive coverage of all men’s competitions, whilst women’s sport is shown very rarely. Looking deeper though, as fans we are the main culprits for this inequality. Premier League stadiums are always full and supporters even flock to watch lower league games. Other male sports including rugby, golf, cricket and darts are also well attended. On the other hand, women at all levels often play fixtures in empty stadiums. With this vast difference in demand, is it really a surprise that TV companies decide to predominantly show male sport and as a result create such a gap in wealth between the top stars? Therefore, like any successful business model, it is the link between supply and demand which has led to these massive differences in coverage and wealth. bathimpact believes that where sexism is a more prevalent issue is in sports where women are able to compete on a level playing field with men but still find it hard to break through.

Despite the equal ability of men and women to be jockeys, the majority of the top names are all male and many skill sports such

as shooting still separate males and females.

Another huge issue throughout the world of work, but particularly in sport, is the ability of women to get to top managerial positions.

In British football, the University of Stirling became the first senior club to appoint a female manager when Shelley Kerr was given the role in August 2014. Yes, a University team who play in the Scottish Lowland Football league are the highest profile club to have a female manager. Throughout Europe, the issue is just as bad with Helena Costa, manager of French Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot the highest profile female manager on the continent.

The apparent lack of trust is a multi-sport issue too. Many eyebrows were raised when Andy Murray appointed Amelie Mauresmo as his coach earlier this year. Although nobody was brash enough to say the exact words ‘but she’s a woman’, many appeared to base their questioning of Murray’s choice on this fact. But why should this matter? What difference does it make if your coach is a man or a woman? Yes, men are stronger and faster, but the abil-

ity to read a game, do research on opposition and hold training sessions has no link to type of gender.

The problem lies with competitors as well as observers though.

Last month Gala León García became the first female Spanish Davis Cup Captain. However, instead of fully supporting the new captain, Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle questioned the appointment of Garcia on the basis that she “hasn’t had a background in the world of men’s tennis”. Toni Nadal, Nadal’s coach, was also quoted as saying “she is a person that doesn’t know men’s tennis, because men’s tennis isn’t the same as women’s tennis”, demonstrating the underlying suspicion of females in elite level sport. While some of Nadal’s comments may be a fair observation, the fact that many men coach female teams is often overlooked. bathimpact believes that this shows there is no difference between the two genders in managerial ability and the sexism that currently holds women back from achieving their goals of reaching the top managerial posts needs to be addressed by the associations in charge of each of their respective sports.

The legality of social media L

ast week Peter Nunn, the man who abused and threatened Labour MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, via Twitter, was imprisoned for 18 weeks.

This is a high profile conviction in an area that is still very new and controversial, and adds another element to the discussion of how we apply dated laws to new formats such as social media.

Creasy was targeted after she supported the high profile campaign to put a picture of Jane Aus-

ten on the £10 note. This drew opposition from Nunn who sent Tweets such as; “You better watch your back, I’m going to rape your arse at 8pm and put the video all over”, to the MP. He was convicted under Section 127 of the 2003 Communications Act, which outlaws messages of “a grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character”. bathimpact feels that this conviction is completely legitimate as Nunn’s Tweets were horrifically vulgar and his argument that he was just exercising

his right to freedom of speech and ‘satirising’ the issue of online trolling is ridiculous at best. bathimpact believe that more so called ‘trolls’ should be prosecuted in clear cut cases such as this, whilst we also feel women are being more frequently targeted in misogynistic attacks (for example Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism Project) and hope that this conviction may go some way to stop this.

However, it is worth noting that applying a law from 2003, years before Facebook and Twitter were

even invented, can be difficult in 2014 when we are communicating in ways that were difficult to even conceive a decade ago. This instance will provide examples for future cases to go by and we hope that it will lead to more convictions of dangerous and offensive individuals, but we should also be careful not to jump to conclusions on a platform where intended meaning is not always clear and should perhaps push for the laws concerning online communication to be updated.

The bathimpact team Matt Powell Editor-in-Chief impact-editor@bath.ac.uk

Benjamin Butcher Deputy Editor-in-Chief impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk

John Barlow bite Editor impact-bite@bath.ac.uk

Ramiye Thavabalasingam News and Comment Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk

Alexandra Egan Features Editor impact-features@bath.ac.uk

Michael Powell Sport Editor impact-sport@bath.ac.uk

Pedro Gomes Photography Editor impact-photo@bath.ac.uk

Thomas Gane Online Editor impact-it@bath.ac.uk

Connor McGregor Morton Publicity Officer impact-publicity@bath.ac.uk

Siân Maria Morgan Design Editor impact-design@bath.ac.uk

Elliott Campbell Media Officer su-media-officer@bath.ac.uk

Advertising Enquires Helen Freeman H.Freeman@bath.ac.uk 01225 386806

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

Please contact them for any information.

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expressimpact

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Emma Watson speaking on behalf of the HeForShe campaign at UN headquarters.

updates & events UPCOMING EVENT

photo of the fortnight

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It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals.

News Lite

Pasu Au Yeung

A photo of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, taken by photographer Pasu Au Yeung. The protest, which received its name from the use of colourful umbrellas as a shield against the riot police, began at the end of last month, with pro-democracy activists of all ages peacefully occupying the city. Protesters argue that promises to elect the region’s chief executive by universal suffrage by 2017 have been broken, whilst Communist party officials have pushed for any candidates to be vetted by an official party committee. Neither side is willing to give in, with no end in sight for the demonstration.

Autumn Careers Fair. A great opportunity for both undergraduates and postgraduates to find out about jobs, placements, work experience and graduate schemes. Over 130 different employers, large and small, will be on campus, ranging from local businesses to large international corporations.

Where: STV Netball courts When: Thursday 16th October, 11am-4pm.

NATIONAL The UK’s economy grew by 0.9% in the second quarter of the year according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is an increase from a previous estimate of 0.8%, making the country’s GDP 2.7% higher than it was at the peak of the economic crisis. Despite this, the value of the UK’s imports continue to exceed the value of its exports.

INTERNATIONAL The United States is to keep armed forces in Afghanistan for another decade, with a new bilateral security deal permitting US and Nato troops to extend their stay to ‘the end of 2024 and beyond”. The Bilateral Security Agreement allows the US to continue to train Afghanistan’s 350,000-strong security forces.

figures of the fortnight

3,091

The number of people who have died of confirmed, suspected or probable cases of Ebola

LOCAL

The amount of rainfall in the UK last month, making it the driest September on record

41% 3% perceived

real

graphic of the fortnight

In his new book, ‘The Establishment and how they get away with it’, Owen Jones looks at the public’s perception of various issues, from immigration to benefit fraud.

This particular graphic looks at the cost of social security and how much of it the public believes goes to the unemployed versus the actual percentage that is received.

19.4mm

Follow us on twitter @bathimpact

Bath’s very own Mary Berry has been voted fourth in a poll run by Hungry Horse asking people which female celebrity they would have liked to have had as their grandmother. Dame Helen Mirren topped the list, with Dame Judi Dench and Queen Elizabeth II also beating the Bakeoff queen to the top three. As for dream grandfathers, Sean Connery topped that list.

HEALTH David Cameron has promised to increase GP access to seven days a week by 2020.

The Prime Minister said, “People need to be able to see their GP at a time that suits them and their family.” The proposal has received criticism from the British Medical Association, who worry that this may not be the best use of limited NHS resources.

UPCOMING EVENT GULP Lecture: Escape - How not to make a living as an artist. Chris Dobrowolski, Associate Artist at the University of Essex, talks about how he made his way as an artist despite the world being considerably indifferent towards his work.

Where: 8 West 1.1 When: Wednesday 5:15pm.

5th

November,

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Monday 6th October 2014

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Siân Maria Morgan Design Editor impact-design@bath.ac.uk

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n the past year the Genesis Trust has been regularly dealing with more than 50 people a day. This is a 20% rise year-onyear to its service which is run from vaults underneath Bath Abbey.

So why is the number of roughsleepers rising so rapidly? It has been noted that changes to how benefits are paid and family breakdowns are the two top contributing factors that have led to the increase. However, people who do not want to go back to their home towns tend to ‘float’ from destination to destination and with Bath being in the higher bracket of earning potential, they find they can earn more here than in other British cities.

Having said that, the fact that the majority of councils will only help homeless people with a genuine link to the area means that many of these people find themselves facing the same dilemma – where to sleep and keep warm.

Interestingly, Paul Solly, director of Genesis Trust has stated that despite being more practical in terms of helping those in need move into accommodation or accessing drug and alcohol services, they find that the success rate is not high; many are still moving on and continuing because their mindset is more about survival rather than moving

Adrian Miles

Homelessness on the rise in Bath

Local charity Genesis Trust deals with more than 50 people per day during their drop in sessions dangers of handing money directly ers for food or accommodation. To forward.

With that in mind, what should to people on the street due to the support this campaign all you have we do when passing a homeless fact that we could be fuelling a to do is text KIND20 £3 to 70070; person? Do we give them money drug or alcohol addiction. Organi- a great, new innovative way to help or ignore them? Ignoring them sations such as The Big Issue, Ju- those in need without actually aidseems to be the harshest but kind- lian House and the Genesis Trust ing an addiction.

It is incredibly important to fix est thing you can do to them. A are involved in the campaign and campaign has been launched to have stated that although the pub- this issue before Bath gets a repustop giving money to Bath’s beg- lic’s generosity is appreciated it tation of being ‘easy to beg in’, esgars. The ‘Your Kindness Can Kill’ could be better to donate to char- pecially as residents of the city are poster and leaflet initiative aims ity. A new voucher scheme is being constantly being faced with aggresto steer money to city charities in introduced by Julian House and sive beggars. If it is not addressed, order to help homeless people. The Genesis Trust in which homeless the situation could get out of hand.

Perhaps it seems harsh to atcampaign underlines the potential people can exchange the vouch-

tempt to ‘clean up’ the streets of Bath, but there needs to be a distinction between those who have become homeless because they have been laid off and have fallen victim to the consequences but are attempting to rebuild their lives, and those who are choosing to beg for a living.

Ian Duff was made homeless five years ago after losing his job.

Now he sells the Big Issue and has said that he has experienced firsthand the aggressive natures of certain beggars in Bath and notes that there are some who earn up to hundreds of pounds a day from unsuspecting well-meaning passersby. With cafes and baguette shops giving out free food at the end of the day or with the soup run at St Michael’s Crypt, these people do not need to beg for money or food.

Furthermore, a Julian House client has said that he has begged in the past to fund a drug habit and even added that he was so intent on finding the next hit that he would ‘literally say anything’ to get money.

With the percentage of homeless people increasing annually it is evident that something needs to be done to remedy the situation. Moves are being made to help those in need but it is clear that as the public we need to stop giving money when we get stopped on the streets. We are not helping, we are facilitating.

Feeling a bit chilli? Let’s go solar Benjamin Butcher Deputy Editor-in-Chief impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk

O

n Saturday 27th September, the University of Bath campus played host to the annual Bath Chilli Festival, a get-together of chilli enthusiasts and cultivators. The day-long festival marked the final day of Bath University’s Freshers’ Week as students and members of the general public gathered together to celebrate the South West’s growing chilli and spice economy.

The day culminated in the traditional ‘chilli eating’ contest, a competitive food eating tourna-

ment which ended in sweat, tears and a triumphant Jonny Bonnet, who managed to nibble the tip of a Dorset Naga chilli.

The contest saw the brave competitors start with the subtle taste of the jalapeno pepper, before moving onto the scotch bonnet, ending with the homegrown Dorset Naga.

Spectators watched in agony as the contestants forced the chillies down with no incentive whatsoever. Libby Wright, a University of Bath student present at the event said, “I might have tried the first one, but as they went on I had to cover my eyes as most

Both students and local residents took part in the annual festival

of them looked like they were in complete pain”.

Zachary Rigler, another spectator, said “with family from India, I was fairly intrigued but they were ‘out-spicing’ even the bravest members of my family!”

The fair gave local and national companies the opportunity to advertise their products ranging from chilli seeds to curry spices with the opportunity for visitors to sample the goods and test their ‘spice’ resistance at the same time. Samples on offer ranged from the mellow tang of the Chile de arból pepper (20,000 Scovilles, the scale used to measure spice) right up to the punishing kick of the Carolina Reaper, which measures at around 1.59 million Scovilles and is arguably the hottest chilli in the world.

The festival had the vibe of a county fair with plenty of local music acts, sideshows and food outlets on offer. The event attracted a large number of local residents and their families who took advantage of the sunshine and family-friendly atmosphere.

The festival also saw a number of curious freshers, keen to indulge themselves in the fiery chilli culture.

Also taking place was the Great Bath Curry Competition, with twelve local caterers supplying one hot curry and one mild one.

Ramiye Thavabalasingam News & Comment Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk

T

he leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Paul Crossley, has decided to loan £500,000 to the renewable energy firm Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE) to help fund the Wilmington Farm Solar Array. This decision has been backed by the Resources Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel but faces criticism from the Conservative party.

“The council is supposed to be transparent, but in this situation it wasn’t,” Tim Warren, leader of the panel’s Conservative group said. There were issues surrounding the fact that no other companies were given the chance to bid for the loan, though Mr Warren did describe BWCE as an “honest, genuine company” and believes that they are “trying to help the communities.”

According to the council’s decision details, however, BWCE is the “only organisation delivering such projects in B&NES, with a community benefit model, and with a current pipeline of projects that can be delivered in time.”

Bath and West Community Energy plans to install 9,000

solar panels at Wilmington Farm, just off the A368. The total cost of the project will be £2.6milion, with BWCE having already contributed a further £500,000 towards this target.

The firm is hoping to contract for project commission in December this year, but still require £1.6million to be able to start the scheme. If this money is not raised in time the project will not be built.

If, however, the project is successful, it will contribute to the ‘decarbonising’ of the national grid, reducing carbon emissions by 1,150 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

“The project would provide sufficient electricity to power over 600 homes, and help to meet our core strategy targets, as well as promoting community participation,” Liberal Democrat councillor for Bathwick, David Martin, stated, adding, “it’s interesting to note that the same sum invested in domestic solar panels would only power 200 homes, due to economies of scale.”

The £500,000 being given to BWCE is just half of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Green Investment and Job Opportunities Fund, with hydroelectric power schemes also attracting the council’s cabinet.

Monday 6th October 2014

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Nathan Hill bathimpact Writer oris Johnson has recently written of the ‘utterly nuts’ Conservative MPs who are defecting to UKIP. In his piece for The Telegraph, Johnson acknowledges the similarities between his party and UKIP stating that, “we think that the system of unrestricted mobility between 28 countries needs to be re-thought, and there needs to be a reform that gives sovereign governments the ability once again to control who is coming into their country”.

I have always found this strange that Conservatives, who work so vigorously to defend free-market economics, subscribe to a common European market but deny the right afforded to goods - free movement - for real human beings. Such is the twisted philosophy that sees profits as more important than people.

Yet this rise of UKIP is worrying because, whereas the Tories have been rather socially liberal under David Cameron, UKIP is altogether more virulent. This is a party which opposes gay marriage, which suggests a flat rate of tax despite its consequences for inequality, which promises to scrap the Human Rights Act. Not to mention UKIP’s ridiculing of green energy, instead proposing the increased use of fossil fuels. Nigel Farage even idolises China in this department, as if a country drowning in

B

man-made, carcinogenic smog is something to aspire to.

It seems that the centrist moderation of David Cameron is cleaving his party atwain - but it has long been known that Cameron is too moderate for many of his party members. There’s always some right-winger arguing that progress is not being delayed quite rigorously enough, that not enough life rafts are being torn from the poor. To these people Nigel Farage has provided some hope, becoming somewhat of a messianic figure for those with traditional conservative views - and perhaps UKIP has always been an inevitable consequence of the dominance of centrist politics. Not only has the party provided an option for those who feel the Conservative Party has become too weak in realising its right-wing ambitions, it has also engaged many disenfranchised voters who do not identify with the Tories’ snooty aloofness, their air of Etonian privilege. In short, UKIP has engaged that most paradoxical of groups, the working-class traditionalists.

Yet there are interesting questions to be raised here. Firstly, if centrist politics have caused this rebirth of the right, why has this not occurred for the left? Whilst UKIP gained 11 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) in the last European election, the Green Party gained just 1, and their share of the vote actually fell from that

Thomas Gun

Defection should lead to reflection

Two Conservative MPs have defected to Nigel Farage’s party within the past two months alone Perhaps more immediately im- of grimmer pastures. of 2009. Of course one can only speculate as to the reasons this portant is the effect that growing Yet we must remember that the disparity was seen, but the most UKIP support will have on the up- lack of proportional representalogical explanation seems to be coming general election. Splitting tion in the UK makes the threat that UKIP have received a dis- the right-wing vote may lead to the of a Conservative-UKIP coalition proportionate amount of media Conservatives failing to achieve a rather less imposing. Currently attention of late, even if much of majority of seats in the House of UKIP have no seats in the House it has been negative. Conversely, Commons and, if UKIP’s share of of Commons, and even a considas Green MP Caroline Lucas has the vote is also significant, a coali- erable increase in their percentstated, it is difficult for the Greens tion of the two warring parties may age of the vote will probably not to garner media support because be necessary. This would appear change this, because the diffuse they are unapologetically anti-big almost as a physical manifestation nature of UKIP’s voter base is also business (or at least the horrific of the persistent division in David its weakness in a first-past-thestrain of big business which has Cameron’s party, and he would post system. So there may be no flourished under the aegis of the be forced to work with those who need to cancel your holidays to Conservative Party). have fled from his party in search Europe just yet.

Katie Bruce bathimpact Writer

W

orking as the UK correspondent for an American helicopter flight school, I often have our UK potential students from Britain asking why they should make the effort to travel all the way to Florida just for a helicopter licence when there are plenty of very prestigious flight schools right here in the UK. Honestly, it does seem counter intuitive when I tell them: “well, it costs much less to learn over there”; mainly because there are all of the other extra costs involved. International flights, accommodation, normal living expenses; they all add up to a fair amount.

So why tell them that it costs less? Because the actual flight training expenses amount to roughly two thirds of the cost of the same amount of hours training they would get in the UK. No matter which qualification they are planning to train for, they will have to train for at least 45 hours in total. This is just for a private license. The one third of the cost saved by flying in the USA more than covers 6 weeks accommodation, flights and other expenses.

Some training facilities, such as

Ndunruh

Flying through the American skies

Pilot training is signifantly cheaper in US, despite travel costs my school MaxFlight Helicopter probably splurge on a first class Services in Orlando, often have ticket with British Airways. Nothagreements with local hotels to ing prepares you mentally for the send students to stay there for a stresses of flight training better than a free glass or two (or maybe discounted price.

On a separate note, if they were a bottle) of champagne on your to do the 150 hours required for journey to the Sunshine State.

There are many reasons why a commercial helicopter license, a student could have saved more I have chosen to fly only in the than enough to fly out a family USA. The price is a big factor, but member, upgrade their hotel and my main reason is the different

attitude to aviation. In the UK we barely have any airspace which isn’t either a military zone or nerve-rackingly close to an international airport. As a consequence of this, every single aircraft has to be tracked at all times and in constant communication with air traffic control. To compare this to the USA, there is a vast amount of space; I have flown for twenty or thirty miles without speaking to a single soul. Now, for me this is a big plus because I find it liberating and relaxing, but a couple of our students at MaxFlight find it slightly disconcerting, which is understandable given that literally nobody knows where you are. However, if this does bother a student we can always request flight following from the local air traffic control.

The serious downside to training for a private pilot’s licence in the USA as a UK resident is the fact that the licence a student obtains is normally issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA). To fly in the UK they would have to first convert their licence to one issued by European Aviation Safety Agency, ( EASA).

This requires 100 hours in total, so another 55 hours on top of the minimum needed to get the

licence in the first place! This is a huge contrast to how the situation works the other way around.

An EASA licence converts straight to an FAA with no problems.

As a commercial pilot, however, the conversion from FAA to EASA requires only 15 hours, which you can study for in the USA for cheaper. So if a student was positive that they definitely were going to continue training towards a commercial licence, the benefits of flying in the USA are extremely relevant. The weather pattern in Florida is also much better than that of the UK for intensive training, with 300 sunny days a year.

In my opinion, there is no choice to really be made. I’m given the decision between the two following two situations: I can live at home, with my parents and my cats, stay in my comfort zone and let Daddy pay for obscenely expensive flight lessons so I can fly in the UK in bad weather with barely any open space. Or: I could earn money working for my flight school so I can train for my commercial in the summers, then move over to Florida into adventure territory and fly every day wherever I so desire in the sun and heat.

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The perils of idolising the famous T

when wanting to think the best of a person you don’t know can become a bad thing. When wanting to defend a celebrity you like the idea of (and what you know of them is generally what you assume they’d be like in your head from what you know of them) becomes you defending them from any and all criticism despite the overwhelming evidence that they do problematic things and hurt people by doing it, this is when you need to take a step back and evaluate the reasons you

like them. There have been a few stories recently of well-known people (be they singers, sportspeople, voice talent) doing bad things to people who are meant to not only be able to trust them, but actually be able to love them without fear of how it affects their own lives negatively. Without naming names, I’m sure anybody reading this can think of a couple of these examples.

There has been backlash, but what almost seems to steal the spotlight during most of these examples is BenSherman

Helen Edworthy bathimpact Writer here’s a 95% chance that if you’re reading this article, there’s a famous person that you admire. Yes, even you, reader who just thought to themselves ‘not me, I’m not really into celebrity culture’. I would bet real, actual, Iearned-this-from-an-actual-paidjob money that everybody has at least one famous person, be that an actor, singer, artist, sportsperson, policitian, what have you, that they admire and like to keep up with the career of. As such, I would then make the point that this famous person you keep up with is also someone you’d like to defend from criticism even though you don’t actually know them, and this isn’t actually a bad thing. Wanting to think the best of people is, in general, a very positive thing; thinking the worst of people right off the bat is not only stressful and unnecessary, but can make you feel negative and then affect other parts of your life.

Positivity is a good thing, and that much isn’t really up for dispute.

However, when positivity wanders into the realms of naivety, and especially harmful naivety, that’s

Hollywood is often seen as the home for our celebrity addiction

the backlash…from the backlash.

Too often, when someone does something problematic, their fame itself becomes an issue. People are too quick to explain why the fame itself drove them to do it, or why their high profile should give them a free pass from having to explain themselves, apologise, or hey – even appear in court instead of carrying on with their normal (for them) lives. But by far the biggest issue is when the problem itself is minimised, or the victim of the incident is belittled or disbelieved because those who are in adoration of the perpetrator blindly defend them because the incident is not in fitting with the idea of this person that someone has created in their head. The problem is that, no matter how much you think you know this person, no matter how much you like their work or their life or how they appear as a person, you never really know who or what they’re really like, or how much of it all is an act.

Let me make myself clear; I don’t think blind adoration is an easy thing to avoid. I recently had the chance to see my favourite band in the entire world, and I was more

than taken in by their antics on stage; throwing hearts at us fans, telling us how much they love us and how grateful they are for us.

They do this show so well and have been doing it for so long that in order to NOT feel like you know them like they’re a personal friend who would never do anything to hurt you would feel like a lie. But the fact is, this is something they are paid to do, and however real it may be, it still sells their albums and their concert tickets.

The point I’m making is this: it’s okay to think the best of people, and it’s okay to love something wholeheartedly if it makes you happy. What is important is that, when the person who creates the work you love does something that doesn’t make people happy, it’s a good idea to take a step back and think about why these other people are hurt. More often than not, famous people do bad things because they take for granted that they have the power and status of their fame that they can afford to fall back on.

In that case, it’s even more important that the victims have regular, non-famous people to be on their side.

Constantina Tagopoulou bathimpact Writer

E

arlier last month, the media went mad about Emma Watson’s powerful speech on feminism and gender inequality in the context of the launch of the “HeForShe” campaign.

“HeforShe” is an organisation dedicated to gender equality and women empowerment, and the campaign aims to promote and achieve that by urging men to openly speak out against sexism in solidarity with the women’s rights movement.

“I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too – reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves.”

Going from the Harry Potter girl to an Ivy League graduate to U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, Watson managed to attract the attention of a global audience. On the following day, a famous Youtuber uploaded a fulllength video of Watson’s speech, which gained more than 2.5 million views in less than 48 hours.

Watson’s speech not only called for action from males, but clarified a never ending misconception about feminism in general: “I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has

become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive.”

She went on underlining the issue that men suffer from gender stereotypes too and in the end everybody would benefit from an equal world: “We don’t want to talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are. When they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive, women won’t be compelled to be submissive. If men don’t need to control, women won’t have to be controlled.”

“I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less “macho”—in fact in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years of age; eclipsing road acci-

“

Men don’t have the benefits of equality either” Emma Watson

dents, cancer and coronary heart disease…Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.”

Although the speech was characterised as “game changing”, it has raised a series of harsh criticisms, mainly for Watson’s highly feminine appearance, her nerv-

Marco Bond

Emma Watson: a game-changer?

Emma Watson became UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July before launching her viral campaign ous delivery, and her heterosexu- for debate, shaped public opin- this opinion gains such great and ality. A number of extreme press ion and, last but not least, clari- sudden popularity. However, this releases have been published like fied some points about feminism speech may be the beginning of a an online article entitled “Emma that the majority of people have new era; it may work as a stepWatson should SHUT UP, all this never thought about in such great ping stone for a fight towards a depth. abuse is HER OWN FAULT”. better and more equal future.

Gender inequality and femiOthers claim that she ignores Equality among sexes is a matthe issue of intersectionality by nism became a core topic in peo- ter that has been sought after for mentioning matters that affect ples’ everyday discussions. Being many years, but until both men more priviledged, white, middle a young celebrity and actress, and women work towards an end class and Western women.

Emma Watson managed to suc- to sexism, it can never come to By listening to the speech and cessfully deliver her message to be a reality. Women suffer from by shuffling through the Inter- a broad audience; people of dif- discrimination and violence day net pages regarding opinions ferent backgrounds, age, gender, after day and it is time to put an and thoughts towards Watson’s professions, ethnicity, everybody end to this. words, I have concluded that de- that knows her and loves her So let’s take this opportunity spite the negative criticism, the from her Harry Potter movies. and bring about change. And as speech has successfully achieved People tend to be judgmental Emma Watson proposed, let’s ask its goal. It delivered a message, and harsh when a strong opin- ourselves – “if not me, who, if not gained popularity, raised issues ion is heard, especially when now, when?”

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Monday 6th October 2014

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Politics and Society

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Referendum result raises questions

Vishala Ramswami looks at the constitutional crisis in lieu of the vote move towards ‘English votes for English laws’. This provoked wide-range criticism.

There has been condemnation from Labour that the Tories are indulging in cynical manipulation of the constitution to further their own political interests. There have also been accusations that Cameron was reneging on his promises to Scotland by effectively ensuring that Scottish MPS would only have second-class status in the English-majority House of Commons.

Critics have pointed out that the effectiveness of such reform is highly

had previously rejected the idea of increased regional autonomy, but postreferendum Britain is an altogether altered political landscape. If these city-regions are to become reality they will add further tiers of complexity to the already fraught situation.

But it isn’t Britain’s future alone that has been thrown into uncertainty after the referendum. There are separationist movements across Europe – in Flanders, in Northern Italy, in Corsica, in the Basque and in Catalunya – and many of these have derived strength from the referendum, regardless of the ‘No’ result. The Catalan movement has already chosen to mimic Scotland by calling for a referendum of it’s own (albeit a non-binding one that has not been recognized by the Spanish prime minister).

Meanwhile Matteo Salvini, a member of the European Parliament and head of the secessionist party in Northern Italy offered his congratulations to Scotland. “Thanks to the referendum, from today the Scots will have more strength, powers and money. Thank you Scotland, a splendid example of democracy, participation and pride”, read a post on Salvini’s Facebook page.

But it is not the sessionists alone who seek to capitalize on the growing resentment in post-recession Europe: UKIP, the French National Front and Freedom Party of Austria have all made great strides thanks to populations that have become disillusioned with the central establishment. And this disillusionment looks set to define British politics in the future.

questionable, since England will still remain the dominant majority in matters of British interest and this is unlikely to satisfy the Scottish (and the Northern Irish and Welsh) populace.

Thus, it has become clear that there will be several challenges involved in drafting constitutional reform that manages to satisfy both the Scottish and the English voters, as well as meet the approval of all the major political parties.

Cameron will have to deal not only with the Labour party, which is

reluctant to lose the advantage of it’s popularity in Scotland, but also with the Scottish National Party, which has experienced a surge in popularity and is now the country’s third largest party. Nicola Sturgeon, who is tipped to replace Alex Salmond as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP once famously said “I felt the sense of disempowerment that came from having a Tory Government we didn’t vote for”. Sturgeon has clarified that she does not plan to call for another referendum in the near future but she does add that her party’s many new members are impatient for the changes promised to them.

In addition to the devolution of powers to Scotland, there also persist questions about granting an increase in sovereignty to Northern Ireland and Wales. The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland states that it is happy for the status quo to continue whereas leaders of the coalition government between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru demand that Wales is granted as much new power as Scotland instead of being relegated to ‘second-rate’ status.

Furthermore, the referendum has given strength to demands of greater autonomy for English regions (many of which have greater populations than Scotland) with Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg favouring the creation of city regions that have tax-raising and spending powers. The North-East

Final results of the referendum were 55.3% NO and 44.7% YES

will result in a staggering decline in the amount spent on each student’s education as well as alterations to loans and fees to accommodate a higher number of students. This grey area has prompted Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the UCU Lecturer’s Union to add “Higher education is not something to be piled high and provided on the cheap.”

Various government spokesmen, however, have defended the policy, stating that reducing limits on student numbers will ‘remove the cap on aspiration.’ The Department for Business innovation and Skills are selling the proposal as an investment in young people, a vote of confidence that is hoped will boost the economy as well as galvanise so-

cial mobility for those less well off.

The Higher Education Policy Institute has taken a rather cynical view, publishing a report which suggested the new proposals are an “aspirational policy” to be spun out of the coalition’s propaganda machine in the run up to the general election.

Wendy Piatt, head of the Russell Group universities, has also ques-

“

[It] is evident that the UK is in the throes of seismic political change”

Barbara Carr

T

he recently concluded Scottish referendum was one of the most momentous events in contemporary British history. Even as the question of the United Kingdom’s future is temporarily answered, the referendum’s repercussions are only beginning to unfold.

What is evident is that the United Kingdom (and indeed, the European Union) is in the throes of seismic political change, with what was formerly considered fringe lunacy fast becoming mainstream reality.

The astounding turnout for the Scottish referendum, a record-breaking 84.5%, discredits the notion that the British voter has become apathetic. Instead, it reveals the deep-seated discontent with the current political scenario. This is a simmering frustration that cannot be assuaged with debates on house prices and benefits alone. There is restlessness for more significant change, and the electorate demands to be engaged on far more portentous matters.

The Scottish referendum has served to expedite this need for farreaching change. In the lead-up to the vote, Cameron made lavish promises to the Scottish voter, pledging to fasttrack devolution of powers over taxes, over welfare and over spending.

However, immediately after the referendum, Cameron qualified his promises by insisting that the Scottish devolution would happen alongside a

Harry Brennan bathimpact Writer

T

he current coalition is not the most popular government amongst students, nor is it particularly popular in general, due to the sweeping measures of austerity it has implemented in a bid to drag the country out of recession. It has, to a certain extent, succeeded in doing this. However, the titanic raise in the cost of tuition fees, a policy originally opposed by the very man who now holds his seat as Deputy Prime Minister, is still a sore spot for many students.

A large majority of students would agree that they have been somewhat let down by government and Nick Clegg.

The proposal to remove limits on the number of student places in England has been met with some scepticism by representatives of the student community. The policy is to be implemented from April of 2015 and could produce a 20% increase in the number of undergraduate students in England. The Higher Education Policy Institute has challenged the proposals and warned that they would put a “severe strain” on University budgets. The institute’s director, Nick Hillman, said, “One critical outstanding question is how the policy is to be paid for.”

The impetus of an extra 180,000 students in English Universities

Thomas W

Changes to universities controversial

Current and prospective students are also concerned about allocation of space and reources

tioned the sincerity of the government’s new idea. Commenting on the Institute’s report she cautiously warned “While the policy is admirable in its intention to widen access, the government needs to clearly spell out where the extra funding will be found and introduce robust quality controls.”

There is certainly something invidious in implementing policies that will undoubtedly stretch university budgets in a period of supposed austerity. The proposals supply something that is not in demand. Come A-level results day, universities begin desperately searching for prospective students to fill vacant places. Research suggests that, without limits on student numbers, there will need to be more recruitment of students from within the European Union. The resistance from the student community against the new proposals is something to be supported. Although the scheme may well have its benefits for the economy and the government, it will almost definitely be to the detriment of the student, which the policy claims to be investing.

These proposals will result in English students either taking on even more debt or receiving a substantially lower standard of education, whilst students in Scotland and other EU countries will be getting their degrees for free.

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Monday 6th October 2014

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World

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United Nations to save the world?

I

n his opening speech at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York in September this year, President Obama labelled climate change as an “urgent and growing threat” that “has defined the contours of this century dramatically”. Obama then went on to highlight the success of the United States in reducing its pollution by more than any other nation on Earth in the hope of encouraging other UN members to follow suit.

From the 22nd to 28th September, the UN’s Climate Change Week took place in New York and began with the ground-breaking summit hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. At the Summit, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) claimed that scientists are 95% sure that humans are exacerbating climate change, which aimed to highlight the affordable and feasible solutions available allowing a move to cleaner, more pliant economies.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, invited world leaders from the government, finance, business and civil society sectors to the 2014 Climate Summit held the 23rd September in order to stimulate and spur climate action.

The Summit aims to promote the reduction of emissions, as well as the strengthening of climate resilience and the mobilisation of political will for a meaningful legal

agreement in 2015, which is due to take place in Paris, France.

A hundred heads of state and governmental bodies’ took the opportunity to reaffirm the need to take urgent action to limit global temperature to rise to less than two degrees Celsius. They also assured that taking action to reduce emissions could be achieved without damaging prospects for economic development and efforts to fight poverty. The Secretary-General closed the summit by boldly stating “history is made by action

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Ministerie van Buitenlandese Zanken

Scarlett Clark bathimpact Writer

[Climate change] has defined the contours of this century” Barack Obama

and now we have seen that the world is ready to act.” Ki-moon alluded to intensifying droughts, warming oceans and methane plumes that are billowing out from beneath the ocean floor and poisoning the planet.

Much has changed since the 2009 summit held in Copenhagen, which failed to show much development. According to Christina Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC we have progressed a lot in the past four years and the shift already to a lowcarbon world has been the greatest opportunity we have ever had.

Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has also remarked upon the need for greater environmen-

Ban Ki-Moon has made it a personal goal to reach an accord on climate change next year in Paris tal cooperation, both on a national end of 2015 through a wave of new activities as well as the high proand international basis. strategies, such as those aimed at file meeting taking place this is The Summit marked the larg- issuing green bonds and shifting one issue that would have been est such meeting of world leaders assets to clean-energy portfolios. hard to ignore. Driving Climate on climate change in history and The participants present at the Change is their objective and praised its accomplishments. As- Summit wanted to highlight the since 2009 there have been over sistant Secretary-General, Robert new measures which included an 250 events hosted by organisaOrr, advisor to Ki-moon, noted announcement from the insur- tions, governments, companies that “now the Private Finance has ance industry, representing 30 and universities. Climate Week is come off the sidelines and onto trillion dollars in assets and in- Britain’s largest climate change the floor for the game”, major vestments committed to creating campaign, inspiring new methods investors are now seeing the op- a climate risk investment frame- in order to create a more sustainportunities that green technology work for industry-wide adoption able future. Each year, half-a-milcan generate. Financial institu- by the end of 2015. lion people attend 3,000 events tions, commercial and national David Cameron emphasised in Britain’s biggest ever environbanks, insurance companies and the importance of the meeting to mental occasion and this year pension funds promised to mobi- be held in Paris. He announced Greenpeace protestors have taken lize more than 2 billion dollars in that Great Britain over the years over a freight train en route to a finance for climate action by the has more than doubled its solar power producing; enough to power a million homes and have History is made by accreated the world’s first Green Intion and now we have vestment Bank. seen that the world is The event also drew in a numready to act” ber of celebrity advocates including Leonardo DiCaprio, the capable of preventing Russia Ban Ki-moon United Nation’s newly appointed from being physically involved Messenger of Peace. At the Sum- coal power plan. in the Ukrainian crisis, in spite mit he addressed world leaders, All in all, on the day, several of all the sanction threats made encouraging them to fully address European countries announced by the international scene. Furclimate change, “the greatest chal- that they would pursue the target thermore, the situation with lenge of our existence on the plan- of 40% greenhouse gas reductions regards to the Islamic State has et”. However, this said, it has been over 1990 levels. China said they been ruled critical for several reported that this year he has tak- would reduce carbon intensity, inmonths now, and yet it seems en at least twenty trips across the crease the share on non-fossil fuas though ISIS continues to run nation, flights to and from Brazil els and raise the forest stocks and rampant, in many countries for the World Cup, as well as nu- see its total carbon dioxide emisacross the Middle East. merous flights from New York to sions peak as early as possible. InThere is, however, reason to Los Angeles and back and trips dia announced it would double its hope that the United Nations around the world to promote his wind and solar power production will be able to positively act tolatest blockbuster Wolf of Wall by 2020. Georgia has said that wards the climate change issue; Street. The award-winning actor they are working to become carfocusing on the idea that envistressed how much of a concerned bon neutral by 2050. Costa Rica ronmental protection policies citizen he is and that it is now a said it would use 100% clean encan also enable our economies question of our own survival. ergy by 2016 and Chile said it was to thrive, along with assurHe may be at fault in certain ar- aiming to green 45 percent of its ing member states that these eas with regards to air pollution, energy by 2025. A major declarachanges are in their long-term however we cannot fault his com- tion on forests was signed by 27 national interest, may achieve mitment to the environment. He governments and more than 100 the much-needed international has installed various solar panels, companies and organisations. We cooperation. Additional attenowns an electric Telsa Roadster must question though whether clition should be paid to emerging and also considers global warm- mate change is an issue we truly countries, notably China and ing the number one environmen- think of solely in September. How Brazil, who have become some tal challenge. many events throughout the year of the biggest actors on the inMeanwhile, thousands of are we holding? It may be pushing ternational scene. Ultimately, marches paraded through Man- forward, as global citizens howthe key is convincing everyone hattan streets last Sunday. The ever, we should ensure that the that climate change is a pressClimate Group convened the sixth same effort is made on our part ing issue that concerns each Climate Week and with 120 event possibly daily. and every one of us, today.

UN: fit for purpose?

Marianne Gros bathimpact Writer ith an event as important as the UN summit on climate change, traditional questions with regards to the United Nations and its effectiveness are being asked once again: is the United Nations moving forward in finding solutions for the environmental problem?

Climate change is a current issue that is does not bode well for the world today, particularly with regards to national economies. It also shapes the political ‘scene’, such as with national elections when concerned civilians expect their future leaders to take action concerning this pressing issue. Nevertheless, climate change and other environmental issues linked to it are too often considered to be the problems of tomorrow and many, especially in more fortunate parts of the world, struggle to see how the environment could be more important than other immediate issues like unemployment or national debt.

Is it reasonable to assume that the problem solely lies

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within public opinion? It may be better to examine the institution itself to try to understand why climate change debates and solutions that are proposed seem to go nowhere. Yes, the United Nations hold a Climate Change summit every year, but lately, and one could argue that it has been the case since the disastrous Copenhagen Summit back in 2009, the Summit just looks like a fancy conference where political leaders and celebrities meet to make inspiring speeches.

It could be argued that if UN summits are so ineffective, it is because in the end national interest comes before international cooperation. The United Nations may have everyone’s best interest ‘at heart’, but it is constantly shot down by individual states. Ever since its creation in 1945, we have seen that the Veto enables the most powerful countries in this world to prevent decisions from being put into action if the latter are not in the national interest.

Forget the last few decades, the past few months alone are a clear example of this controversy. The United Nations have proven in-

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Monday 6th October 2014

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World

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Made in China: the future of India Marco Scozzafava bathimpact Writer

he Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has announced a series of deals with India aimed at increasing investment and boosting economic prosperity in the two countries. The deal also hopes to promote closer partnership between the two Asian countries, an economic force to be reckoned with in the region.

Initially, China pledged $12 billion to India, but this was later increased to $20 billion over a period of five years. Rumours continue to circulate that the Chinese investment may even increase to $100 billion, possibly extending the agreement between the two powers.

The Indian government, led by newly-elected prime minister, the 64 year-old Hindu Nationalist Narendra Modi, warmly welcomed China’s interest in the country. Modi’s economic programme includes huge industrial projects such as factories and bullet trains in order to develop the Indian economy to a level equal to that of its neighbours as well as in the hope of improving Indian infrastructure.

It may seem odd that two Asian heavyweights would co-operate in this diplomatic manner, especially when you consider India and China’s relations in recent years. For

example, in 1962, the two countries engaged in an intensely fought war over the Himalayas which ended in a crushing defeat for India. Considering that the war is still remembered in many Indian communities today, it is surprising that such a partnership would be welcomed by the government in such open arms. More recently, New Dehli accused the Chinese of making incursions into India and the Tibet crisis continues to drive the two countries further apart. Political tensions between the two rivals are not non-existent and further complicate any idea of partnership between the two, political or economic.

So what are China’s intentions behind this huge economic investment into their Asian rivals? Is it merely an altruistic attempt to further their neighbour’s economic development, or is there an underlying reason with regards to their willingness to help?

Like with most political manoeuvres, the fundamental motive behind China’s investment is power. India is the world’s second most populous country with a large quantity of human and natural resources. With their investment, China hopes to gain a strong foothold in the Indian economy and reap the benefits of their vast capitals in the future. China is not simply giving India money so it can improve its economy and

Beca Harries bathimpact Writer he Mexican Drug War has turned into a violent battle between the national police and the dangerous drug cartels.

Mexico has been rocked by an ongoing drug war, which has become infamous both internationally and within the country itself.

During the past seven years little progress has been made to combat the drug cartels that rule the country who dismiss both authority in the form of the police force and public safety. To highlight the ruthlessness and the power of the drug cartels, one only needs to remember the tragic deaths of its victims, such as with the murder of two police chiefs who were shot down in public and various civilians caught in the crossfire of rival cartels.

The response to drug cartel crimes has differed in the past year to previous years, as vigilante groups and security forces have united for the first time against their powerful members. Through this strategy, President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government has achieved more victories this year, with the assassinations of three key drug lords, than it has in the past seven years. As well as these deaths, the Mexican police force has managed to arrest the world’s most-wanted drug lord and for-

mer leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin Guzman, more commonly known as Shorty, in February this year. It appears to have been a successful year for the government and its struggle against the violent cartels. This could partly be due to the participation of the vigilante groups that have begun operating throughout the country in the hope of eradicating the dangerous drug cartels that threaten the safety of Mexican civilians.

The vigilante group known as Tierra Caliente, constituting of a group of farmers, have begun an offensive against the Knights Templar cartel in the Michoacan state after claims that the cartel had been terrorising both the townspeople and them themselves with both extortion and kidnappings. The federal forces were deployed after Tierra Caliente took control of several towns and invited the vigilantes to join the security forces and work together to crackdown on the criminal drug cartels throughout western Mexico. Vigilante groups such as Tierra Caliente could prove to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to eradicating the drug cartels from Mexico, now that they are collaborating with local police forces. It is, however, important to reflect on whether a new, just-as-powerful drug lord will replace another once assassinated or arrested by police or vigilante

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GCIS

China to invest $20 billion in Indian infrastructure over five years...

President Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi haved sealed the deal between China and India between the two countries remain high due to the on-going political dispute in the Himalayas and those against Chinese investment remain wary of Chinese companies and investors operating in India. Even members of the government, such as India’s Trade Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, want to ensure that India maintains a firm hold of its possessions and resources and not let them fall into Chinese control.

The deal is beneficial for both China and India; it is, however, difficult not to see a more Chinese-dependent India in the not-so-distant future.

infrastructure; it is investing in its own future.

Other countries have also been attracted to India in this way. Japan has also looked to invest in their fellow Asian country and the United States have wished to strengthen their presence in Asia since the end of the Second World War, and particularly during Obama’s presidency. In fact, Modi is set to meet with the President in order to discuss America’s involvement within the Chinese economy, suggesting that Modi is allowing fellow world leaders to compete against one another in order to get the best deal possible

for India.

Furthermore, China is looking to access the Indian labour market. India is China’s largest trading partner with trade exceeding $70 billion and that continues to grow at an increasingly rapid rate. However, India’s trade deficit to China is a whopping $40 billion. With the Chinese investment, India will essentially become “China’s factory”: a low cost labour hub making products for the Chinese whilst acting as a dumping ground for cheap, manufactured goods.

Because of this, not everyone in India has shown great support for the Chinese investment. Tensions

groups respectively.

It is important to consider whether or not the removal of drug lords is effective in stemming the drug cartels’ power, such as with the recent assassinations of suspected drug lords, Enrique Plancarte, Dionicio Loya Plancarte, and Nazario Moreno, commonly known as Kike, El Tio and Nazario respectively. The three drug lords headed the notorious Knights Templar cartel, a branch of the former La Familia michoacana cartel that mainly traded in marijuana and methamphetamine in Western Mexico. The other branch was formed after the La Familia michoacana cartel disbanded, as the rest was dissolved by authorities.

The most recent drug lord death, that of Aquiles Gomez whose body was found recently

by Mexican police forces, was one of the main leaders of the cartel and suspected to be the brother of Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, also leader of the cartel and one of the country’s most-wanted drug suspects. The police and vigilante groups have teamed up in the hope of locating La Tuta, the golden grail of drug lords. Tuta’s arrest would be a great step forward for police who have been struggling for years to make a dent in the violent world of the drug trade.

With regards to the war against the drug trade, the Mexican gov-

Marijuana is one of the drugs that make up cartels’ enterprises ernment has claimed that its ficking and extortion, as well as number one priority is to dis- pipeline oil theft, concerning large mantle the powerful drug cartels conglomerate oil businesses operas opposed to preventing drug ating in the region. What is clear, trafficking as a whole. Mexican however, is that Mexico is finally authorities also believe dissolv- taking steps towards liberating ing the drug cartels first would be the Mexican people from violent more effective than targeting the repression and control of the carbigger, more general problem of tels by attempting to tackle the isdrug trafficking and would actual- sue of the drug cartels head on. ly also help contribute towards its The battle against the drug cardissolution too. The cartels have tels is not an easy one, but for the also now extended their criminal first time ever, its victory appears enterprise to involve businesses promising in light of this new colsuch as prostitution, human traf- laboration.

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Brett Levin

Local Zorros take on drug cartels

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Business

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Economics of... NHS cuts wreak havoc repression

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him, that capitalism gives all humans the opportunity to excel, but when push comes to shove, Marx – looking at the satanic mills and squalor bought about by the Industrial Revolution – concluded that, ultimately, the class we are born in, is the class we will die in.

Smith’s notion has become the embodiment of the American Dream, the idea that anyone can make it in the United States regardless of background. But according to a project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, 42% of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. This is hardly the American Dream as envisaged by the Founding Fathers, but whilst the economic system is difficult to break, we must also ask if it is actively fighting against the poorest in society.

The statistics are similar in Britain; with just the five richest families in the UK owning more money than the bottom 12 million combined. It could be argued, therefore, that in a country, already famous for its immobile class structure, that any policy – whether Conservative or Labour – which reduces spending on social mobility is a form of economic repression which will only increase the plight of the poorest.

Humans need investment in order to achieve their greatest amount of productivity. Like machines need to be regularly updated to achieve their greatest potential, human beings need to be healthy, educated and happy in order for them to contribute fully to the economy as a whole.

By failing to support those on the margins of society unable to entirely support themselves, we are creating a market of unfulfilled potential and fuelling repression by economic means.

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othing controls the masses better than a nice, little bit of repression. Are those Muslims getting out of control? How about banning the hijab? The gays acting a little bit overconfident? Producing a draconian and apocalypticsounding ‘sodomy’ law will help chink away at their in-your-face pride. The working-class asking a little bit too much? Why not take away a few of their lifelines like health and education! Repression is easy if you think about it and with the Scots now bonded with at least another generation of British tyranny, I’ve been thinking about how economics can play a role in ensuring control of those haggis-eating, binge-drinking Celts.

To be honest, I don’t have to look far. Just at a few bits of paper my ancestors bought over from Poland. It was the stamp limiting my grandfather to ‘Ghetto benches’ in public spaces or his rejection from the civil service because he didn’t identify as Catholic. Repression economics are easy; they simply involve excluding any said group from certain portions of work or benefits.

Even more subtle is the social alienation of a particular people which, in turn, weakens their ability to fit into our economic system. But maybe the persecution of Jews in 1930s (pre-Nazi, by the way) Poland is too obvious an example.

Whilst subjugating a certain ethnicity or nation might be relatively easy, putting down an overlapping, diverse group whose only shared identity is income is slightly more difficult. Above my desk are the economic bibles of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and its antidote, Karl Marx’s Das Kapital. Smith claims, and to a great extent it is easy to believe

“Workers of the world unite, all you have to lose is your chains”

Rob Cole bathimpact Writer he Washington-based Commonwealth Fund’s recent assessment of the NHS in its report on world healthcare systems stated that: “The United Kingdom ranks first overall, scoring highest on quality, access and efficiency.” Since its inception, the NHS has practically become the quintessential British institution; something that British citizens are a part of, and should remain, incredibly proud of. The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics celebrated the NHS for all of the world to see. However, it is hard to believe that the NHS has been classified as number one when avoidable tragedies such as the death of Sonia Powell are able to happen.

Mrs. Powell tragically passed away whilst waiting in an ambulance 36 minutes after arriving at the Morrison Hospital near Swansea, unable to be seen by a doctor due to an overflowing A&E unit on the 17th of September.

One of Mrs Powell’s granddaughters released a statement blaming NHS cuts for her grandmother’s death, citing lack of communication between hospitals and lack of facilities as the main causes of overcrowding in A&Es across the UK. The root of these problems is more down to the freezing of funding, increasing only in line with the rate of inflation, as the NHS has been protected against direct budget cuts under the Cameron administration. A budget freeze may work in a textbook, but

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with increased demographic pressures due to an ageing population, and rising drug prices, the NHS faces a £2 billion funding gap for the 2015-2016 financial year as it struggles to balance efficiency savings with high quality service provision.

One way in which the Department of Health has attempted to making savings within the NHS is scrapping the 1% yearly wage increase for NHS staff in line with cost of living rises, freezing general staff pay rises for up to two years.

Incremental wage increases have been maintained, but this creates an imbalance in salary increases as it is necessary to pass through salary points to get a wage rise, thus staff at the top of their salary bands get no wage increase whilst others do. This lack of fairness in wage structure, allied with expecting the same amount of staff to do overtime and deal with more patients, has led to Unison calling for strike action, backed by 68% of medical staff, for the first time in 32 years. Given the ethical considerations of strike action by medical professionals, this is not a decision that has been taken lightly. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt continues to refuse to meet with Unison officials, a move that will seem irresponsible given the potentially disastrous implications of a strike as Britain commences the autumn and winter months. Unison say that they are working to ensure that any strike action does not affect frontline services, but when staff are already being asked to

work overtime, this seems unlikely. A fairer solution to the salary concerns of medical staff would be to reinstate the 1% annual pay rise, and scrap imbalanced incremental payments, which tend to reward experience as opposed to ability. This would in turn discourage strike action that currently appears likely to take place.

The NHS is something that the UK should indeed be proud of, but it must not be treated as a kind of sacred cow. New long-term funding needs to be allocated if serious budget cuts, which would directly impact the quality of care provided, are to be avoided. Other tragedies like Sonia Powell’s death must be avoided at all cost in the future, and such long-term funding may help to prevent such incidents.

Matt Tee of the NHS Confederation has called for a 10 year funding settlement, to create a sense of certainty so that local health authorities can plan without the prospect of having to change tack at short notice. With the certainty that a long-term funding guarantee would bring, the NHS could guarantee staff the pay that they deserve, which would prevent strike action and make necessary efficiency savings that would not affect frontline services. By integrating this with a new focus on preventative and localised healthcare, which would relieve pressure on overcrowded hospitals, the NHS would be able to continue to provide the high quality service that has made it the model envied by the rest of the world.

No more Phones 4u

Michael Aroean bathimpact Writer ast week, the distinguished mobile phone retailer Phones 4u went into administration with plans to close 362 stores across the United Kingdom resulting in a loss of an estimated 1,697 jobs. PwC informed that 720 jobs are to be reta ined to assist with the closure of the company over the coming months.

Before going into administration, Phones 4u had a £1billion turnover with more than 700 stores and 5,596 employees.

There are several possible reasons for the dissolving of the mobile phone retailer. Earlier this month, Britain’s two biggest networks, Vodafone and EE, withdrew their products, acting as a catalyst to the company’s demise. Vodafone alone accounted for 20% of Phones 4u’s revenues and profits, and with this lost revenue, the private equity group BC Partners, which owns Phones 4u, was forced to close the business.

However, it is possible that something sinister underlies the closure of the company. A possibility is that Phones 4u’s owners, BC Partners, could have predicted its downfall; the nature of selling mobile phones is inherently risky as companies de-

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pend on a small number of suppliers, such as EE, to provide handsets and pay commission for contracts sold.

Initially, network suppliers needed the selling skills of retailers to increase customer base. However, these suppliers are slowly decreasing their commission to retailers due to thinning margins in the mobile phone industry, as suppliers now choose to sell online as well as sell mobile phones through their own chains of stores. In addition, BC Partners could have maintained relationships with the network retailers and helped Phones 4u to get back on its feet by opening up more stores across the UK; since 2011 they have opened 700 stores to the public.

However, most of the Phones 4u stores are under contract with Dixons, the electrical retailer and the company’s future was already going south when Dixons announced the merger with Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u’s competitor, in February, which resulted in a 20% loss of retail network for the mobile phone retailer. This combined with mounting pressure to deliver returns, forced Phones 4u to borrow £200m to pay BC Partners’ dividends and to finance losses. With total debt of £760m, four times its earnings,

before tax, Phones 4u had limited choices when deciding its future.

The company was therefore unable to propose commercially-viable contracts to the network suppliers, leading to departures of both Vodafone and EE. Officially named the worst retail casualty in the UK since the demise of Comet in 2012, the future of Phones 4u is indeed bleak.

EE promised to buy 58 Phones 4u stores to save 350 jobs while Vodafone promised to buy another 140 stores, saving a further 887 jobs.

The merged Dixons and Carphone Warehouse will take on the 800 staff who worked at 160 Phones 4u sites within Currys/PC World stores.

These deals have afforded approximately half of those who were to lose their jobs security for the future. Unfortunately, the other half’s professional future is uncertain; as is the future of bondholders as most of Phones 4u’s £760m debt will be cancelled. A proposal by the bondholders for a debt-for-equity swap in order to keep the business running is deemed unrealistic by the administrator.

An uncertain future for those involved with Phones 4u, but a new chapter for Vodafone, EE and Dixons-Carphone Warehouse.

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Science & Technology

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Prof. Science: Act your age, not your shoe size

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mong the Diplodocus community, humans are said to be relatively intelligent beings and their big complex brains take a lot of time and energy to develop. Humans are extra special in that they only have two legs that they need to walk on. Bipedalism has forced the pelvis to adapt slightly, so the birth canal is now too small to allow a fully developed brain in a human’s big head to pass through. Hence, much of the brain development has to occur after birth.

Human children are real slow growers, especially in comparison to your closest animal relatives.

Homo sapiens spend around twice as long in childhood and adolescence than chimpanzees, gibbons and macaques. Ever heard of the expression “big kid”? Maturing at such a leisurely pace clearly has a cost; longer childhoods require greater parental investment with higher chances of the offspring perishing before they reach sexual maturity and reproduce. Scientists have so far been stumped by the question “why does this happen?”

Perhaps human brains are so energy-hungry that they deprive the rest of the body of vital fuel that humans need for development. All that thinking comes at a cost for the human race. Now a study at Northwestern University in America has found some evidence to support this hypothesis. The anthropologists leading the study have gathered brain scan data, such as glucose uptake and brain volume, and compared these with body growth rate. They found that body growth slows when the brain consumes high levels of glucose. The brain seems most energy hungry in young children. At this stage in development the brain consumes more than 40% of the body’s total energy expenditure – that is nearly half of a child’s energy everyday!

No wonder it needs so much delicious human food. The child learns so many new things each day that the brain cell connections are made at a maximum rate.

The expression of having “a brain like a sponge” suggests that human spawn are not as stupid as they may look. The sponge-like charac-

vera kratochvil

Our savvy scientist explains why it takes some people so long to grow up...

Humans take longer to grow up than other animals due to the high-energy demand of our brains teristics of their brains means that a super-mature mind in a super- of connections enable it to acquire the essential skills to be a comthey use up a lot of energy and so small body, for example. the energy available for the rest of Today’s complex society requires petent human being in a modern the body is limited. Consequently a high level of social intelligence, society. Although some humans childhood body growth must slow flexibility and the ability to learn still manage to be as incompetent in order to compensate for the and adapt quickly. To become a as ever. This may take longer for unusually high-energy demands productive member of society a some, and while physically maof the developing brain, as all the child must learn complex, cultur- ture, some people may never reach child spawns’ other important ally determined behaviours, such full emotional maturity and keep a body parts are not dedicated as as language. Learning and build- childish streak in their personality. much time. Some people may have ing the brain’s intricate network Big kids!

Printed skin for burn victims The iBend 6 Plus ,

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n this year’s James Dyson Award competition, there were over 600 entries from 18 different countries. Participants vying for the international design award were asked to design a device that solves a problem. Although many innovative designs were submitted, the winning designs were few and far between. One of the lucky winning designs included a 3D skin tissue printer developed by University of Toronto engineering students Arianna McAllister and Lian Leng.

The PrintAlive Bioprinter is a major step towards increasing the survival and recovery rates of burn victims. The printer is able to produce imitations of the epidermal and dermal layers of human skin and could potentially be used to help close the wounds of severe burn victims in order to promote recovery. The 3D-printed grafts of human skin have proven to be successful in improving wound healing in immune-compromised mice. The next stage of testing involves larger grafts in pigs, which, if successful, McAllister and Leng hope will lead to human clinical trials commencing in two to three years’ time.

The impressive design is able to print the complex multicellular structures that make up the skin; a special cartridge had to be designed, as the different skin cells require different environments.

The cartridge consists of small channels filled with skin cells and the specific hydrogel environment they require. The different

cell types include keratinocytes, the most common cells in the epidermis, and fibroblasts, which are important in maintaining the structural integrity of connective tissues. Both cell types are used for the two different layers, along with their specialized hydrogel; these are kept in two different channels. Each layer is released in liquid form, which combines with another liquid that causes it to solidify into a gel as it leaves the printer. The two layers are then printed together, one on top of the other, in the specific order needed to create the desired patterns.

The PrintAlive Bioprinter is revolutionary with regards to current burn treatments available.

The printer will print new skin for burn victims far faster than existing methods which is important as patient survival is inversely proportional to the time required for wound stabilization and coverage. Culturing skin cells to grow enough to be ready for grafting can take up to 14 days, which is slow in comparison to the 3D skin tissue-printing device. There

Subhashish Panigrahi

Suzanne Clare bathimpact Writer

Will printers be used for burns?

are a range of limitations with existing skin grafting technologies; substantial tissue donations from the patient themselves are required and therefore limits the applicability in cases of severe burns where significant tissue donations are not possible.

The 3D printer, however, does not have any limitations with regards to how much skin it is able to print. It also reduces financial cost due to its efficiency, as scientists are able to localize high concentrations of human cells rather than homogeneously populating the entire sheet, reducing the number of cells required by up to 75%. Furthermore, allografts can increase the chance of infection through transmission of pathogens from donor to recipient and may also cause patients to reject the graft, resulting in scarring and complications. Skin grafting procedures require the removal of skin from a donor site somewhere else on the body, which can prove to be a painful process for the patient, since it forces their body to heal a secondary injury on top of the first. The PrintAlive Bioprinter, however, does not carry such risk, as it is able to work independently of grafts, meaning that future burn victims will not experience any more pain or scarring as the skin will not be grafted from a donor site somewhere else on the body.

For winning the Canadian stage of the award, the team at University of Toronto will receive $3,500 to help further develop the technology. This 3D skin tissue printer could prove to be the future for burns’ treatments.

Nick West bathimpact Writer he release of the iWatch and iPay along with the brand new iPhone 6 proved to be exciting for the many Apple users of the world.

However, the excitement quickly turned into disappointment after two scandals rocked the company’s reputation.

The first of the two has gone relatively unreported considering the severity of its connotations.

The nickname ‘Shellshock’ alludes to a breach in the Bash shell of all Linux and UNIX based operating systems, including Mac OS X; the bug in OpenSSL that could permit a potential hacker to read the contents of an effected device’s memory. In response to concerned consumers’ queries about ‘Shellshock’, Apple has insisted that the risk of their Mac OS X is minor, releasing a statement to the public stating “The vast majority of OS X users are not at risk to recently reported Bash vulnerabilities. Bash, a Unix command shell and language included in OS X, has a weakness that could allow unauthorised users to remotely gain control of vulnerable systems. With OS X, systems are safe by default and not exposed to remote exploits of bash unless users configure advanced Unix services. We are working to quickly provide a software update for our advanced Unix users.”

However, the technology giant has taken into account consumers’ concerns and repaired the Bash shell to eliminate the

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vulnerability, hopefully eliminating any future problems that may arise from ‘Shellshock’ and putting consumers’ minds to rest.

However, one issue that will not be going away any time soon, affectionately referred to as ‘Bendgate’ or ‘Bendghazi,’ concerns Apple’s brand new iPhone, the iPhone 6 Plus. Whilst most mobile phones are flexible to a certain degree, Apple’s new iPhone appears to lack in flexibility in comparison to its competitors. This flaw is due, in part, to its thin design, as well as its aluminium body, which does not go back to its original shape after being bent.

However, the non-profit testing company, Consumer Reports, claims that the fears concerning the malleability of the iPhone 6 Plus are “overblown” after conducting independent testing on the product. Using a compression-testing machine, Apple performed a ‘three-point flexural test’ to the iPhone 6 Plus amongst several other phones and found it was as prone to bending as its competitor HTC’s HTC One M8. Consumer Reports concluded “While not the strongest smartphones on the market, fears of a serious structural design flaw in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus seem overblown. Nothing is indestructible; we expect that any of these phones should stand up to typical use.” It is therefore unnecessary for iPhone 6 Plus users to rush back to Apple stores if they are worried about their phones being more prone to damage than they should be.

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Monday 6th October 2014

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Activities

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Lucy Woodcock Societies Exec Publicity Coordinator

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he SU Fête and the Activities Fair that took place on Thursday 25 and Monday 29 September respectively, aimed to showcase some of the fantastic opportunities available to both freshers and returning students at the University of Bath. From Media to RAG, from Wine to Curry Appreciation, from Enterprise to LGBT, there was a whole host of enthusiastic societies for all students to try out and join.

The sounds of an energetic drumming performance from the Bath University Asian Students Society kicked off proceedings and crowds soon began to build.

Throughout both days, students were entertained with some fantastic performances, including a stellar rendition of Spring Awakening’s ‘Mama Who Bore Me’ from Heather Kirk of BUSMS and the hip-hop head spinning moves of BREAK, the audience certainly got a good taste of the talent that the various societies have to offer.

The day not only offered musical and energetic physical performances by societies, but also other society activities. Students sampled the homemade Kalo Prama from the Cypriot Society, which suitably translates to ‘good stuff ’. Other students altered the

dubstep beats of the Computer Science society’s sound system by inputting different beats per minute values into a complex looking sequence of numbers.

Not only were both events enjoyable for freshers but also for the committees, who were able to meet new potential members and promote their societies throughout the two days. “The SU Fête was an ideal opportunity for us to meet potential new members, the SU officers dropped by too and we even got to meet Sydney the Fish.

In all it has been a brilliant two days for promoting the society and our upcoming events.” Corinna Hornwall and Madeleine De Geer, ScandiSoc explained.

Issy Holmes from BodySoc added “We had a fantastic time as a society, the turnout blew us away and we were thrilled to get over 200 signups! The atmosphere was amazing and we all had a great time dancing along to the music acts on stage and chatting to other societies.”

Alex Mulchrone, representing the Politics Society also reiterated his happiness with the turnout at the Activities Fair in particular.

“We were thrilled with how interested the freshers were in getting involved with our planned General Election debates and the exciting trip to Budapest. A good start to what will hopefully be a great

Pedro Gomes

Societies have something for everyone

year for the society.”

It was fantastic to see how much work all the committees

put into both events, the stands looked excellent and a good time was had by all! A big thank you to

all those who made the event possible and signed up for societies this year.

Golden Bodge Brothers are in town Hollie Christian-Brookes Executive Producer CampusTV

The best feature films often require months of production, AList actors and a million dollar budget in order to be a notable success. However, thanks to the National Student Television Association (NaSTA.tv), CampusTV has found a way to make, what they consider to be, an Oscar-winning entry in a day with no budget and a bunch of students looking for methods of procrastination.

Every year, NaSTA.tv has its annual awards and conference weekend and, as part of this, student television stations from across the country get involved with The Golden Bodge. NaSTA.tv sets this film challenge with teams receiving three criteria to feature: a theme, a genre and piece of dialogue. Teams usually have between three and four hours to produce their masterpieces, of which a winner is eventually picked.

This year, CampusTV had to produce a Sci-fi music video that featured the definitive line from eighties box office hit Dirty Dancing “Nobody puts baby in the corner”. Needless to say, the three-minute feature was a diverse and creative venture that involved CampusTV’s previous Head of Production and the Chair of Comedy Writ-

ing Improvisation and Performance Society dancing like robots in tin foil explaining why their child, that was a microwave, was in the corner. If you want to watch what could arguably be pitched as Beyoncé’s next music video, then you can do so at http://tinyurl.com/pfr9oly The bizarreness of the Sci-fi video is the beauty of the challenge, as nobody quite knows how exactly it will turn out. Following the robot success, CampusTV decided to incorporate the challenge into this year’s schedule meaning that students can get involved and have a go at producing, directing, editing, scripting, filming or acting in their very own ‘bodge’.

If students are worried about not having any experience, that is perfectly fine. CampusTV will provide training in any area of filming, although probably not the acting side as that’s BUST’s job, and will answer any questions or help ideas to become actions. CampusTV will be looking to form a few teams so if you fancy it – give it a go!

The ‘bodge’ will take place on Sunday October 5 meeting at 12pm in 1East. For further information, please send an email to CampusTV, at the following address: ctv-manager@bath. ac.uk

Benjamin Butcher Deputy Editor-in-Chief impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk

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et in the 1960s, Blood Brothers tell the tale of two boys (played by Felix Newman and Ben Atkinson) separated at birth after their mother is unable to support them both. Whilst one brother is raised in the impoverished background of his birth, the other is adopted by a wealthy women who hands him a privileged upbringing.

The two meet by coincidence later on becoming best friends and ‘blood brothers’ in the process. The story then follows them as they get older, detailing their relationship and its gradual deterioration.

Bath University Student Theatre (BUST) are doing a production of the tale and bathimpact went to a rehearsal to catch up with the two directors, Jemima McLean and Janna Chapman, to talk about what we can expect from the performance.

Why did you decide to choose this play?

Janna Chapman: It is obviously a very well-known story, whether you know the play or the musical. It will hopefully appeal to a lot of people with its diverse themes and humour.

It’s a play I know that I have loved since a very young age.

Jemima McLean: Yea, me too.

It’s a really funny play, but doesn’t stray from being incredibly impacting.

Which one of those themes

do you think most encapsulates audiences?

JC: The trade-off between humour and tragedy almost. For much of the play, especially when the ‘blood brothers’ come on, there is this energy which is really amusing, but when the tragedy does come out they play so beautifully together.

JM: The two had been ‘brothers’ before in another production. We didn’t know that when we did the casting, but when they’re on stage they have such a phenomenal relationship.

Who else should we watch out for during the show?

JM: I think Becky Moreton, who plays Mrs Johnson – the boys birth mother - comes out really strong and she has quite a depth to her as an actress and you find yourself getting more and more attached to her.

There’s also Charles Craven who plays Danny – their brother and he’s really good too. It’s a small role, but a very impacting one.

How are they finding balancing the comedy with tragedy?

JC: I think the humour breaks the tragedy up…

JM: especially for the boys,

who have a lot of comedy early on.

There’s a lot of really funny scenes nearer the beginning, but breaking this up are the horrendous choices their mother has to make which only worsens as the play goes on.

JC: We have the narrators almost haunting the boys as she gradually goes mad. We are using our own methods, including puppetry, to almost visualise and empathise this madness.

Interesting. So you’re planning your own unique twist on this play?

JC: We hope so. We’re approaching with a lot of naturalistic and physical theatre.

We’re trying to draw from more obscure practitioners of theatre, hopefully moving away from the more traditional approach done on this particular production. Hopefully it will be a different play for those who have seen it before.

JM: Exactly, it’s the same play but with a few added twists.

Blood Brothers will show at the Museum of Bath at Work from 16th October until the 18th. Tickets cost £5 for students and are available through the ICIA website.

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Monday 6th October 2014

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facebook.com/bathimpact Sport Fortnight Review SU Disability Sport Coordinator Alice Walker talks about

Disability Sport at University

some of the opportunites available for students at Bath SU Sport

Alice Walker Disability Sports Coordinator

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his year is shaping up to be a fresh, exciting year for disability sport at Bath.

The date for a bigger and better DISABILITY SPORTS DAY has already been set for the 8th November 2014. The day invites students and the community to come together and try a range of disability sports from wheelchair basketball to goalball and adaptive rowing to wheelchair tennis. Taster sessions will be spread all across campus and will be running between 10am-3pm.

Several Paralympians will be attending the event, including sprinter Ben Rushgrove.

Ben supported the event last year and this time he will also be giving a talk on the day. Absolutely everyone is welcome and if your club wants to get involved please get in touch with the Disability Sport Coordinator Alice Walker – aew33@bath.ac.uk.

More big news is that the university has become a regional centre

Disability Basketball played at the 2013 Disability Sports Day for Wheelchair Basketball. This is a fantastic opportunity as it means the university gets its own set of wheel-

chairs and own coach for sessions.

Free sessions will be running from 4pm-5pm every Tuesday from

Racing comes to Bath H

ave you ever wondered how to build a Formula One car? Well now is your chance to find out.

The University of Bath will be hosting some very special visitors this October, shedding some light on how a car gets from concept to track. Students will have the chance to attend a free presentation including a Q&A session from the legendary Al Peaseland, Head of Technical Partnerships for Infiniti Red Bull Racing. This opportunity is something that the Team Bath Formula Student crew is very excited about.

Formula Student is an engineering competition that challenges students to design, build Yannick Simon

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he last two weeks in the sporting world has once again supplied us with plenty of drama and controversy.

An incredible week-end in the Premier League saw only Arsenal of last season’s top seven managing to register a victory with surprise defeats for Liverpool, Man Utd, Spurs and Everton. Some normality was restored the following week-end, but these results just go to show how unpredictable top-level sport can be.

In the league cup, Arsenal suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Southampton, whilst the longest penalty shoot-out in the competitions history was required to separate Liverpool and Middlesborough, with the reds finally prevailing 14-13.

In the WSL, Liverpool Ladies beat Birmingham Ladies 2-1 following an 89th minute winner from the kick-off by captain Fara Williams. The opportunism was overshadowed though when the referee admitted after the game that he hadn’t actually blown his whistle for play to be restarted.

Meanwhile league leaders Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 to defeat to second-bottom Notts County.

These results leave Chelsea, Liverpool and Birmingham separated by just two points with two games of the season remaining.

Li Na surprised the tennis world when the former world number one announced her retirement with immediate effect following an injury-plagued season. The Chinese superstar has transformed the game in her homeland and the search now starts for a new heroine for the country’s tennis fans.

Andy Murray won a tournament for the first time in 15 months, but only after he caused a stir following an ill-advised tweet supporting Scottish independence. The Scot later retracted on his comments claiming he was still fully behind the British Davis Cup team. However, for a player that has achieved so much but still received limited backing from a sceptical public, the tweet was illadvised, at best.

The F1 Singapore Grand Prix was another thrilling event with a safety car midway through the race spicing things up nicely and meaning Lewis Hamilton had to overtake Sebastian Vettel to secure what had appeared to be a straightforward victory. The win gives Hamilton a three point championship lead after title rival Nico Rosberg had to retire with electrical issues.

Bradley Wiggins secured his first road world time trial title with victory on the 47.1km route around Ponferrada. The Brit beat reigning champion Tony Martin by 26 seconds on a hilly course in the North of Spain with Dutchman Tom Dumoulin finishing third.

and race a single seat racing car.

Over 800 teams from around the world are involved in the competition, and 80 teams compete at each event. Team Bath Racing is the University of Bath’s Formula student team and since their inception in 2000 they have established themselves as the fastest team in the UK. The next goal is to become champions in the Global formula student events which will be held in Germany and Austria this year. 2014 Team Manager and engineering undergraduate Tom Peirson-Smith said, “We are really excited about the chance to host Red Bull Racing here at Bath.

It’s an invaluable opportunity to talk to a team that has trans-

formed from nothing to dominating the top level of motorsport. I hope to get some insights that can help us to make the next step to winning our global events outright.”

A race winning performance on track is only possible with the dedication and commitment of a highly skilled team, coupled with the latest in technology and systems. Therefore Al Peaseland will be giving students a “behind the scenes” insight into this fast paced and exciting environment.

Anyone can attend this free lecture, but it is subject to the 300 seat capacity of the room. To find out more about the lecture visit www.teambathracing.com.

the 7th October in Founders’ Hall.

These sessions are for everyone so come along and try something new – you may find it will change your life!

The university are also looking to run coaching qualifications for Wheelchair Basketball – so if you’re interested please let Alice Walker know.

Also shiny and new this year is the role of Disability Sports Coordinator. As well as running the Disability Sports Day, the coordinator is here to support clubs, offer inclusive sport and signpost individuals to sporting opportunities that suit them. Clubs already involved include volleyball who are offering seated volleyball sessions every week and Dodgeball who are running tasters of goalball.

So there will be lots to offer this year and you will all get involved to make sport at Bath even more inclusive. For information about any of the above or to get involved, contact Alice Walker at aew33@bath.ac.uk.

Pool has closed From back page Sports Pass where necessary and we are now working with Aquaterra to provide a discount for leisure pool users.”

The refurbishment is aimed at installing one of the state-ofthe-art legacy pools from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will improve the facilities on offer at the Sports Training Village.

Whilst improvements are always welcomed and the SU have done a very good job in minimising the effect of pool users, the closure is still very frustrating for individuals who will not be given transport to travel to alternative pools like sports clubs and therefore will be greatest affected by the lengthy closure.

We must also remember that the University of Bath is an institution that will remain popular for many years to come. Therefore, planning for the future is essential and whilst it is unfortunate for the people who are currently studying at the University and will be affected by the closure, the improvements should have long-lasting benefits which future students will be able to enjoy. This means the Students’ Union standpoint is fully understandable and the efforts to minimise inconvenience felt by current students and clubs will hopefully be successful.

Monday 6th October 2014

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Sport

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IDFC returns to Bath University Henry Milton Inter-Departmental Football Coordinator

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f you thought that the 2014 FIFA World Cup was the most highly anticipated football competition of the year, then think again! This October sees the return of the largest recreational sport on offer to students at university, with the Inter-Departmental Football Competition (IDFC) kicking off again. For those of you who are unaware of IDFC, it is an 11-a-side competitive recreational football competition which is comprised of two leagues of department football teams.

Last season, both leagues produced thrilling entertainment for

both those involved and those that follow the competition. Economics were eventual toppers of division one despite temporarily losing their ‘FTSE’ midway through the ‘second quarter’ and falling behind Team Maths, who despite giving ‘100%’ were unable to finish top of the ‘y-axis’. Occupying the other end of the table, the ‘gravitational pull’ of division two proved too strong for Physics to fight and with Sports Science ‘cramping up’ one too many times, they joined them in the relegation zone. Despite ACE ‘architecting and building’ a fantastic squad, topping division two and replacing the two relegated teams are Education Football (now S&SS

Action from last years Inter-Departmental Football Competition

Players from each of the IDFC teams line up for a photo alongside coordinator Henry Milton Football), who ‘taught’ IMML a harsh lesson after they ‘managed’ to lose two consecutive games at the end of the season, leaving them in second place.

This season looks to be another exciting one, with it being as unpredictable as ever. S&SS football have managed to keep hold of most of their strong outfit which won them division two last season but it is yet to be seen whether their ‘sassy’ brand of football will do much damage in the top flight.

Biology have lost some key players

from their squad to placementyear and Economics have also lost a number of men, so does this mean that Maths can ‘calculate’ a table topping year? Division two will also be an open league with ACE’s squad still being ‘structurally sound’ and BEAMES potentially playing some ‘electrifying’ football. So it really is all to look forward to!

You can get involved in IDFC, to play, coach or just watch and despite its competitive edge, the competition welcomes anyone and

everyone who wants to be involved in some capacity. So why not play, coach, train or just cheer on your department next Wednesday?

You can also follow the IDFC season with weekly reports on the facebook group ‘University of Bath IDFC’ and for more information just contact IDFC coordinator Henry Milton – hjm36@bath. ac.uk – or your relevant team captain which can be found on http:// www.bathstudent.com/sport/ clubs/Football/.

Photos by Rachel Dickerson

Basketball on the rise Bath Handball Filip Lekovic impactsport Contributor

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will offer options for you to vote on through the facebook page ‘Bath Basketball’. Therefore, make sure to stay in touch with everything that is going on.

If the club is successful in the Citi challenge, then the leftover money received will go towards delivering free coaching and playing opportunities to underprivileged children in the local community. Voting can be done via an online form which will be shared on the facebook page from October 1st and club members will be around campus campaigning for this so keep an eye out for them!

If you enjoy playing basketball, then there has never been a better time to join in than now. For more information about the club visit the basketball page bathstudent.com where all the relevant details are posted.

Lydia Baxter

he University of Bath basketball club has always been known for delivering a great time for its members, not only on the court, but off it too. Never more so has this been the case than in the year ahead.

Having received alumni backing to install three brand new state of the art mounted basketball hoops in Founders Hall by the end of the year as well as working with the Student Union to get a brand new playing surface in Founders Hall over this past summer, the club now has the necessary tools to compete against the finest basketball programmes in the country. These great new facilities are not only for top BUCS teams but also for anyone that wants to get involved! This will be the first year in which the club

will dedicate itself to running an Inter-Halls league so that everyone can enjoy playing week in, week out, as they wish. There is expected to be a large involvement from both new and existing students in this league which will hopefully have excellent prizes on offer for winners and runner ups.

Basketball was one of the three student groups selected to compete in the Citi challenge this year, and the society with the most votes in the month of October will receive a total grant of 1000 pounds from the investment bank Citi. Through this challenge, the club is seeking funds for great prizes such as a PlayStation 4 or new laptop for the InterHalls victors. If the club is unable to win the challenge, then it has pledged to put money towards an amazing prize for the Inter-Halls league itself. In such a case, the club

The University of Bath basketball team while on tour in Amsterdam during the Summer of 2014

The University of Bath Handball Club on Parade during Sports Day Chris Bosley and women’s first teams have impactsport Contributor appeared in the finals every year he University of Bath since 2007 and always finish in a Handball Club was found- highly ranked position. This ined in 2007 and has grown cludes last year’s campaign which every year since with the London saw them both reach the quarter Olympics in 2012 helping the club finals and also finish high in their become one of the fastest growing respective leagues. The club’s plan at the University. The Handball is to continue having this success Club have three teams including a and build the second teams to Men’s 1st and a Women’s 1st who make them as competitive and both play competitively. There is successful as the first teams.

The club is one big family which also a Men’s 2nd team who play regular mixed friendly games so hosts regular socials throughout that everyone can play and gain the year and welcomes in all playsome experience. As well as the ers, no matter what your level of league, all players are invited to ability or experience. If you want attend the National Champion- to try a new sport, join a competiships in Birmingham and the fi- tive team or just fancy having a laugh with friends, you can go and nals in London.

As the club has grown, so has get involved in the UK’s fastest the level of success. The men’s growing sport.

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Red Bull to visit University of Bath page 22

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IDFC back again - p.23

Michael Powell impactsport Editor impact-sport@bath.ac.uk

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he University of Bath is well renowned for having some of the greatest university sports facilities in the country. The incredible opportunities available were even one of the major factors in my decision to study at Bath. A large multi-purpose gymnasium, a 400 metre athletics track alongside jump and throw facilities, an Olympic size swimming pool, indoor running track, many AstroTurf and grass pitches and numerous sport courts are all accessible to students. Additionally, there are massage treatments rooms

and a sports injury clinic which sports clubs regularly use. Many Olympic and Commonwealth athletes and medallists have benefitted from these facilities in recent years and the Australian Rugby team will be using Bath as a base when they stay in the UK for the Rugby World Cup next year.

However, one of the most popular of these facilities amongst students, the 50m swimming pool will now be closed until spring 2015. Refurbishments and upgrades to the pool were always planned, but were supposed to start over the summer. Instead, work was delayed and the pool finally shut for users on Friday 19 September, just one day before freshers started arriving in

Rachel Dickerson

Swimming pool shut until 2015 Bath, maximising the impact for university students.

The pool closure will have greatest impact on individual students who want to go for a recreational swim. However many of the University’s sports club also use the pool. When asked about the closure, the Water Polo club said “the SU have done a lot of work and we have training space elsewhere”. The club also said that “[we] went to see our replacement pool today and we are happy”.

If the clubs who are most affected by the closure are satisfied by the rearrangement then we must give the Students’ Union credit. The SU are there to look after the needs

of Bath students and on this occasion have clearly done a lot of work to minimise the impact felt and to ensure that Sports Clubs remain at the upper echelons of the University rankings.

The Student s’ Union opinion on the matter was that “With the pool refurbishment underway, the efforts of the Students’ Union have been focused upon mitigating the impact of this work on our students’ experience. We are aware that the refurbishment will cause inconvenience, but we have been given good reason why the work cannot be postponed. As such, we have secured alternative facility access for our student clubs for the period of the closure, a discounted Turn to page 22

basketball

handball get involved

Basketball club receives improved equipment

Handball continues to reap London 2012 rewards

impactsport’s Filip Lekovic discusses the new facilities the basketball club have received, their upcoming Citi Challenge and the introduction of a new Inter-Halls tournament which anyone can get involved with.

impactsport’s Chris Bosley talks about how the handball club has continually grown in popularity since its introduction in 2007 and how the London Olympics has helped this popularity to continue.

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We’re always looking for writers, photographers, people to take part, or just all round sports buffs to help out.

So if you are interested in sport and want to contribute, then contact impactsport Editor Michael Powell (impact-sport@bath.ac.uk) to find out more about how you can get involved.