Volume 16 Issue 6

bathimpact The University of Bath Students’ Union Newspaper

Volume 16 Issue 6

Your newspaper. Your news. facebook.com/bathimpact

Is it time to put an end to Band Aid? ~ page 6 Bath Bus Company

Bath Film Festival introduces F-rating ~ page 4

Zero Emission Resource Organisation

Sailko

Monday 1st December 2014

‘Pooblic’ transport lands in Bath Hollie Christian-Brookes Head of News Editorial Board

T

ravelling by bus is no longer a waste thanks to a local transport company.

Introduced by Bath Bus Company, the world’s first Bio-Bus was launched and is currently being used to transport people from the city centre to Bristol airport. The bus is fuelled by biomethane gas which is generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste. According to engineering director Collin Field, it is estimated that around 10,000 people will use the bus on a monthly basis.

The initiative has been supported by GENeco; a company within and run by Wessex Water. GENeco have provided the processing needed to transform the waste into the gas required to power the bus. The company has also recently hit the headlines by being the first to introduce gas, again created by human and food waste, into the national gas grid network.

General Manager for GENeco Mohammed Sadiq told local newspaper Bath Chronicle, “Through treating sewage and food that’s unfit for human consumption we’re able to produce enough biomethane to provide a significant supply of gas to the national gas

world

network that’s capable of powering almost 8,500 homes as well as fuelling the Bio-Bus.” It is said that it takes only five people to generate a tank of the gas needed to fuel the bus and that, from this tank, a journey of around 190 miles can be achieved. The potential of biomenthane is so great, that it is predicted a bus load of passengers equate to fuelling a return journey from Lands End to John o’Groats which is around 1326 miles.

The introduction of the Bio-Bus is also particularly significant as 2015 approaches and brings with it Bristol’s reign as European Green Capital.

“The timing of this initiative could not

politics

be more appropriate,” said Mr Field. “With so much attention being directed towards improving air quality generally, the public reaction to the appearance of this bus on a service between a World Heritage City and an airport will further focus on the potential for this particular fuel.”

The Bio-Bus has also attracted national interest with both the BBC and The Guardian covering the story as major headlines.

What do you think? Should the Bio-Bus replace the existing services we have to and from campus? Tweet us in your thoughts @ bathimpact or e-mail impact-news@bath. ac.uk

bite

e 17 pag The Dragon economy starts to slow

e 10 pag Sobriety Bracelets to combat crime

e pag Spoof News: Police admit to racism

Vishala Ramswami looks at how the rise of China has slowed down in recent times and the sustainability of its rapid pace of growth has been called into question.

Eleonora Monoscalco looks at the pros and cons of introducing sobriety bracelets in England and Wales, considering 90% of night-time arrests are alcohol-related.

Thomas Gane notifies us about the Met Police’s newest policy of telling the truth in an aim to rebuild their tarnished reputation.

13

2

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Editorials

facebook.com/bathimpact

The motives behind rioting A

n hour and a half after the verdict not to indict Darren Wilson, the policeman who killed Michael Brown, was announced, Killer Mike, a black rapper from Atlanta, broke down on stage in St. Louis. He was performing with El-P, a white rapper from New York, as part of Run the Jewels, a group known for their ferocity and intensity.

In a speech before the show he cried as he told the audience he had two sons, one twelve and one twenty, and he was terrified of them suffering the same fate as Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and so many other young black boys in America. He said the group usually walk out to Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ but that today he didn’t feel like a champion.

He expressed his solidarity with those protesting peacefully in the streets of Ferguson, but also paraphrased Martin Luther King in saying “I also give thoughts and prayers for the people who cannot hold their anger in, because riots are only the language of the unheard”.

Following the decision there

were reports of rioting and violence that was considered worse than when the protests began at the time of the shooting in August. Whilst bathimpact does not condone the use of violence in political action, and this is political action, we also feel that in situations where violence does occur, those perpetrating the acts should not be immediately condemned by the media and the public.

As a citizen of a state you enter into a political contract with the state and its government. In return for protection and provisions from the state, hospitals, schools, police protection for example, you agree to conform to the laws of the state and the outlined punishments that occur when you break these rules. It is in no way an absurd statement to argue that the state has broken the contract in regards to the Michael Brown shootings, or in the shooting of twelve year old Tamir Rice in Ohio last week. If this is the case then those who feel akin to Michael Brown can have no trust of the state for representation or protection and do not

need to obey the rules or participation guidelines set out by the state. Under these rules rioting becomes the only viable political option for the unheard and rather than condemn the rioters outright we should look at the reasons behind their decision.

This point of view however requires high levels of self-scrutiny that very rarely sells papers. Just look at the recent Free Education protests in the UK; 10,000 students marched in London in an event that was almost entirely peaceful, yet even liberal publication like The Guardian whose columnists would often argue in favour of the march, led with the headline ‘Student protest over tuition fees ends in scuffles with police’. Eleven arrests were made on the day, that’s 0.01% of protestors, yet the violence was the headline rather than the real story being 99.99% of over 10,000 young people attempt to peacefully make a point about the fact the older generation are lumping them with decades worth of debt and declining job prospects. If the phone hacking scandal taught us

anything it’s that links between the media, police and politicians are too cosy; how many editors are going to want to disrupt this favourable balance?

Our media is very quick to report on instances of police stifling protests in foreign countries, where the governments can be classed as the ‘other’, but when the possibility that we are the ‘other’ arises we tend to shirk away from it. Obviously it’s preferable to be peaceful and try to use democracy and thought to articulate a point, but it’s worth considering that very few instances of real social change have occurred without a few moments of shattered glass.

Martin Luther King springs to mind, but they killed him when he was thirty nine and if twelve year old black boys are being killed by white police officers forty six years later, has much changed?

So whilst bathimpact does not condone or recommend violence, we urge those reading reports of it to question the motivation of both the protesters, and those writing and producing the articles.

Christmas ad battle begins T

his time of year always leads to a build up towards Christmas, and nothing encourages the holiday rush more than the constant Christmasrelated advertising that you see on your television set. We’re so enticed by the prospect of Christmas ads that we even go as far as to seek them out - the popularity of John Lewis’ ads of Christmas past (the snowman of 2012 is our personal favourite) has resulted in many us waiting in anticipation for this year’s advert to be released, and John Lewis has yet to disappoint.

Yet here at bathimpact we have grown concerned over the extent to which companies are

willing to go in order to win this battle of Christmas ads. The Sainsbury’s advert in particular has irked many commentators, with its portrayal of the Christmas Truce of 1914 being considered as ill-conceived. To exploit the hundredth anniversary of a war which saw around ten million military deaths, as well as the death of seven million civilians, is disrespectful to say the least.

To trivialise such a significant part of modern history just to support this simplistic notion of Christmas spirit merely glorifies the concept of war. The reality which we only catch a glimpse of in the advert - is that the chances of those two soldiers surviving

the next four years were slim to none. Yet Sainsbury’s supermarket still felt it was acceptable to novelise such a serious event in time. Despite its endorsement by the Royal British Legion, the true intentions of the ad are pretty clear: persuade the public that Sainsbury’s is the place to go for all your Christmas shopping. bathimpact believes that it is unacceptable to use images of World War One to promote a company, as it reduces the efforts of millions of conscripted soldiers to an advertisement for a supermarket.

To make things worse, the supermarket then continues to utilise their Remembrance/Christmas ad by actually selling the

fictionalised chocolate bar that the British Tommy sneaks into the German soldier’s pocket in the advertisement. Thankfully, all proceeds go to the Royal British Legion, but that still does not make up for the fact that Sainsbury’s will most definitely be profiting from this advertisement in other ways.

Of course there will always be a bit of rivalry between shops during the Christmas period, but the use of such a horrifying part of world history to win this advertising battle is going too far. bathimpact is all for Christmas spirit, but that doesn’t mean we should be using the war dead to show it.

Beating the stress this year

I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year. Deadlines, exam preparation and dissertations, all done to the constant crooning of Micheal Buble’s Christmas album. It is a tough fact of university life that the season associated with passing out on the sofa after gorging through half a tonne of turkey is also the most stressful. I know very few people who won’t, at some point, indulge in a few days of festivities; be it Christmas, Hannukah or general merriments. But for some, the season can become overbearing.

It is not anecdotal to suggest that Christmas and the holiday season is a trigger for depression and anxiety. For some students, this might well extend past the month of December into the

January, with some not quite feeling themselves until the days get brighter again. It doesn’t help a lot of people who already suffer feelings of inadequacy, stress or sadness over the period to be drowned with work and deadlines.

Even at bathimpact, our most optimistic of editors can be seen with a frown on their faces at this time.

But we also believe that we, as a student body, are in this together and should work hard to make the season bearable and enjoyable for everyone.

For those of you who this feeling of uneasiness resonates with particularly strongly, it is important to remember that you are more equipped at the University of Bath than you will likely be for the rest of your life. Not only

does the University offer counselling and advice on stress, but they excel in it. For more information about the services the University offers, contact Tommy Parker – the Students’ Union Community and Welfare Officer – at SUCommunity@bath.ac.uk.

Mental health problems are often ignored and belittled by people who don’t understand them or, even worse, not acknowledged by those who have them due to the stigma attached. However, a loss of appetite, lack of focus and feelings of helplessness in even the most basic of conversations are serious side-effects of these illnesses. Understanding that these feelings don’t have to be a norm is important.

Tackling the tenuousness of the

season is a collective effort. If you feel like you know someone who is suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety, offer them some comfort; a cup of tea, a walk, a hug or conversation. Approaching someone about these issues is difficult, but suffering from them alone is even worse.

The holiday season has long been associated with exacerbating these symptoms; short daylight hours, pressure surrounding Christmas and an extra-heavy workload are part of the problem, but not the entirety of it. So this Christmas, get on with your work and have some fun with friends and family, but also look-out for those suffering during this difficult time; it is, after all, the season of giving.

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

www.facebook.com/bathimpact @bathimpact

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

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.

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

News

facebook.com/bathimpact

3

expressimpact

“

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a meeting in Istanbul about women and justice.

updates & events UPCOMING EVENT

The number of homeless people in England has risen for 3 years in a row with 185,000 currently affected. Crisis is a national charity dedicated to ending homelessness in the UK, focusing on helping them by delivering lifechanging services and campaigning for change. Crisis provides education and support for homeless individuals to help kick-start their lives. It strives to change society’s perspective and attitude towards homeless people. Every year they organise Christmas for homeless people by providing a bed, shower, clothes and a dinner for the festive day and you can donate to this cause by sponsoring a homeless person to have a merry Christmas for just £21.62 through Christmas Appeal 2014 at crisis.org.uk.

Pedro Gomes

photo of the fortnight

“

You cannot put women and men on an equal footing. It is against nature.

News Lite

The proportion of students who plan to live abroad once they have completed their degree

78%

The percentage of students expecting to achieve at least the living standard of their parents

graphic of the fortnight

Since the appointment of Scotland’s first female first minister last month, Nicola Sturgeon has formed a cabinet with an equal gender balance, with five women and five men holding ministerial positions within the government of the Scottish Parliament. This graphic compares this balance to that of the UK cabinet, which is 77.3 per cent male, with just five out of twenty-two cabinet positions being held by women in Westminster.

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

3rd

December,

NATIONAL Scotland ‘should set its own income tax’, the commission on devolving power has said. The Smith Commission has recommended that the Scottish Parliament should set Scotland’s income tax rates and bands, and that a share of the VAT should be designated to the Scottish Parliament. The commission also suggested that 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote in Scottish elections.

INTERNATIONAL The US town of Ferguson saw a series of riots last week after a jury decided not to bring charges over the recent killing of the black teenager Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, a white police officer.

More looting and vandalism has been reported after this announcement than on any night in August, the month when the teenager was killed.

figures of the fortnight

22%

Plague, pestilence, conflict & global pandemics. Professor Sir Roy Anderson will be discussing the role played by scientific analysis in the study of pandemics, looking at how we could predict, measure and control future epidemics.

Follow us on twitter @bathimpact

LOCAL The construction of a solar panel farm near Bath has been halted by the council after it was discovered that the company building it began work without planning permission. This comes after the Wilmington Farm solar energy scheme received a £500,000 loan from the local authority.

EDUCATION Degree apprenticeships have been launched to increase hi-tech skills. Young people will now be able to gain a full honours degree whilst earning a wage and without paying any tuition fees through a scheme backed by government. The new Degree Apprenticeship qualifications will start in the digital and software field next September.

UPCOMING EVENT Small Business Saturday. Several of the independent shops in Bath have joined forces to encourage Christmas shoppers to buy local this weekend - buying from one independent seller may reward you with a free gift from another! For more information visit: smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com Where: Bath City Centre When: Saturday 6th December.

4

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

News

facebook.com/bathimpact

Annayah Prosser bathimpact Reporter he Bath Film Festival created waves internationally this month, by introducing an ‘F-rated’ strand for films which have female leads, discuss women’s issues, or have a senior figure in production who was a female.

Seventeen of the forty two films shown at the festival were given such a rating, and the rating has been hugely popular across the film industry, and international media platforms.

The rating comes as a response to the ‘Bechdel Test’, a current test used to examine gender parity in film. This test has very few requirements: the film must have at least two named women in it; they must talk to each other; and this talk must be about something other than a man. Starting out as a joke in a feminist newspaper, the rating is broadly used by feminists to examine popular films, and to the dismay of critics, only 53% of films made between 1970 and 2013 passed the test. Even worse, this is especially concerning in children’s films, with ten out of fourteen Pixar films failing the Bechdel Test.

The Bechdel test is commonly

Sailko

Bath Film Fest introduces F-rating T

The ‘Bechdel test’ is used to examine gender roles in film, with films able to earn an approved F-rating. used because it seems incredibly perfect. It is argued that the Bech- test is too simple, and therefore simple, and almost a given that del test sets far too low a boundary excludes films with few characters, most films would have two female for feminist film making, and that or an incredibly strong, but incredcharacters who talk to each other a truly feminist film should strive ibly isolated female main charabout something other than men, for much more than just including acter- such as Sandra Bullock’s but this is not the case, and is a two characters who don’t speak character in ‘Gravity’. In addition, the film festival asserts that genshocking way of pointing out the about men.

The ‘F-rating’ is the first of its der parity both on and off screen lack of gender equality in the film industry, and indeed the general kind to be introduced within a should be considered, as currently media. However, just because the Film Festival, and as a result it has only 16% of all directors, producBechdel test is the most widely been making waves internation- ers, writers, cinematographers, used, it does not mean that it is ally. They argue that the Bechdel and editors are women. In the last

five years, 95% of films released by major US studios were directed by men. In addition, only one woman has won an Academy Award for directing, in the 86 year history of the awards (Kathryn Bigalow for the Hurt Locker in 2010).

However, films that encourage diversity in gender representation tend to make more money, with films with just 21-30% diversity making over double those with only 10% diversity at the box office. Equality sells, and the introduction of the F- rating at the film festival highlights this. In the words of the organisers: “equality benefits everyone, men as well as women”. Lexi Alexander (an Oscar nominated director) supports this statement “there is no lack of female directors. But there is a huge lack of people willing to give female directors opportunities.”

The introduction of the ‘F-rating at the Bath Film Festival has sparked viral conversations about gender equality in filmmaking.

With many writers suggesting that the rating should be rolled out nationally, time will tell whether this simple rating will, and indeed can, truly make a difference to the state of gender equality within the film making industry.

Ramiye Thavabalasingam News and Comment Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk David Cameron has had to clear up some comments he made concerning the cost of flood prevention in Somerset.

The Prime Minister had previously made a ‘money no object’ pledge in terms of sorting out the flood issues within the county earlier this year, but has now retracted his statement, saying that his pledge had only been for the time and not future troubles.

“What I said about ‘money no object’ was in the crisis phase: That money was no object, that you should spend what is necessary to protect homes and to help people and that is exactly what happened,” Mr Cameron said on a visit to Dyson last month.

According to John Osman, leader of Somerset County Council, the county needs a £2.65 million ‘bridging’ grant in order to kickstart the first year of the twenty year Flood Action Plan, which involves investing in flood management and infrastructure solutions.

Mr Osman recently wrote to Liz Truss, secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and local government minister Eric Pickles, asking for a new Somerset Rivers Authority to have precept-raising powers to the fund this plan thereafter.

This idea has gained support from the Prime Minister, who said, “We’re absolutely committed to the flood defences that we said would go ahead.”

“In terms of the new proposal for the new Somerset Rivers Authority, we have put £20 million into Somerset to help with the start-up costs, and we look forward to making further progress with this excellent proposal and excellent plan,” Mr Cameron added.

Earlier in November Labour’s

“

We’re absolutely committed to the flood defences that we said would go ahead” David Cameron

shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle MP raised concerns over preparations for this upcoming winter in Somerset, with the party saying that the chance of a catastrophic flood occurring in England within the next twenty years is around ten per cent. This would cost in excess of £10 billion in damage.

Maria Eagle argued, ““There is no doubt that flood risk management has gone backwards under this Tory-led government.

“Ignoring the evidence on climate change has led to the government making the wrong choices. It has taken a short-term approach when a long-term one is needed. We know that David Cameron’s climate failure will put an extra 80,000 properties at risk from flooding in the next Parliament.

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

I

t is Christmas again, and with Christmas, in Bath at least, comes the Christmas market.

At time of print the market will have already been going for four days- it starts on Thursday the 27th- but in case you haven’t gone this year so far (or indeed, ever if you are a fresher) here’s what to look out for and what to expect.

The Market in Bath has grown larger and larger every year recently, and now boasts over 170 different chalet-style stalls located on the square by the abbey, and winding around by the bus-stop, by the cobbled Abbey green by the light-draped hanging-tree and spilling out into the high-street. (In case you were wondering, it is called the hanging tree for the reason you thought it might be.)

Amongst the rabble of people, the market will bring the festive feeling back to you. With the masses of stalls selling myriad gifts of all shapes and sizes- something is sure to catch your fancy.

Amongst the stalls there are food stalls, which range from traditional favourites like nuts and mince pie to things like German sausage (because after all, what’s more Christmassy then Germany?) along with this, there are others, such as fancy cheeses for you to ‘test before you buy.’

Drink isn’t short here, either, with the mulled wine flowing, and expensive (but delicious) specialty spirits, because what gets one in the Christmas spirit more than spirits? For the

MichaelJBanks

Floods to cost Christmas Market begins

Bath’s annual Christmas Market will be open until 14th December second year running there’s also an the surrounding area, and over 60% ‘Après-ski’ themed bar, where one of these gifts are handmade in the can whet one’s whistle after a long UK- as the Market has a “tradition of being distinctively British.” trawl through the Christmas stalls.

It’s not all about the stalls, howevAll this - not to mention the massive amounts of gift stalls, pretty er, as there’s the dazzling merry-gomuch any kind of trinket or piece round in the centre of the high-street of jewellery or body care product (don’t pretend you don’t want a go) one can imagine is sold here, so the and there’s also an ice-rink for us place is ripe for gifts for Mum and adults to actually have a go at.

All in all, unless you suffer for Dad- you’ll surely find something if you’re not yet prepared for Christ- agoraphobia, you’re going to have a mas at home. Over 70% of these good time at the Christmas market stall-holders come from Bath and in Bath.

6

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Comment

facebook.com/bathimpact

Is it time to put an end to Band Aid? Roberto Di Paola bathimpact Writer

all of this; but it seems to me that fragmentation and a reversion to ancient ethnic groups is not the way in which to deal with these problems. The people of our small island share in a common history, culture and language. Separation, looking inward from the outside, harbours division and resentment.

Sticking together as a country in the face of these problems is surely favourable to dissolving ourselves.

I sincerely hope I do not live to see

the day that Britain ceases to exist.

A perverse result of the Scottish independence result was that the Union, rather the being strengthened, has now come under yet more pressure of separation with people on all sides demanding devolved power to their tribe. People should perhaps not be so quick to defend people’s patriotism when it encourages the reinstatement of borders that have not existed since the time of Elizabeth 1st.

Zero Emission Resource Organisation Geldof’s hit Christmas single went straight to the top of the charts despite growing criticisms arguably be less bleak. Bob Geldof righteous celebrities have used it nating activity.

An additional criticism con- did not help himself when this as a tool for self-promotion and publicity. This is especially the cerns the wealth of these indi- point was put to him on an incase for half-celebrities such as viduals. If they were so concerned terview with Sky News last week, Joe Sugg and Alfie Deyes (*cue about the crisis, why not make a instead using unnecessarily crude readers googling as to who the large donation themselves to a language to avoid answering the hell these non-entities are*) using charity, like Oxfam, who is active- point at hand.

Furthermore, the ridiculously the track as a device to increase ly engaged in West Africa, fighttheir ‘profile’. Take the music ing Ebola on the ground. Perhaps short-sighted and dim lyrics used video for example, which featured if they had all paid their share of in the song help put its credibilthe artists walking into the studio. taxes instead, such as One Direc- ity on the same level as that of I mean, I don’t know about you, tion (who channel their profits Ed Miliband attempting to eat a but I find watching people walk through holding companies in bacon sandwich. For example, I through a door to be a really fasci- Ireland), then the situation would think that the estimated 380 mil-

lion Christians living in Africa will have realised that Christmas is around the corner. Moreover, I can safely predict that the trekkers presently climbing Kilimanjaro will be able to confirm to us that there is indeed snow there.

Finally, reports suggest that the majority of people affected by Ebola have actually been Muslims, therefore rendering the whole theme of the song pointless. Even Emeli Sandé, who appeared in the song, said that the whole thing needs to be re-done, this time with more input from African singers themselves.

All in all, the simple principle and idea behind the single is a healthy one: raising money to tackle the Ebola crisis should be strongly encouraged and repeated. However, the release of this Band Aid 30 single is not the way it should be done. Celebrities have jumped at this opportunity to engage in shameless and opportunistic self-promotion. Instead, we should not be afraid to engage with them and openly criticise what they are doing. Like I said earlier, criticising the single is not criticising the principle of giving to fight the Ebola crisis. Instead, what we are doing, is opening up people’s eyes to the fact that there are numerous other channels that they can use to help fight the Ebola crisis, which in fact, would actually be far more effective and beneficial.

T

here has been a lot of controversy over the past week surrounding the release of Band Aid 30’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?, of which the proceeds are going towards fighting the Ebola Crisis plaguing West Africa. Quite a bit of criticism has been levelled at Bob Geldof, who has organised all Band Aid efforts since the original in 1984. Discussing this amongst friends since the single was released, I find myself increasingly agreeing with the criticism. I firstly must state, and I believe here that I can speak on behalf of a vast majority of those supporting my viewpoint, that criticism of the track are in no way suggesting that less money should go towards dealing with the Ebola crisis. Instead, the criticism being levelled at this effort is that there are far better, more effective and considerate ways in which money could be raised. This row was ignited when Adele, who, one must admit, has somewhat disappeared off the face of the Earth in the past year or so, criticised the latest Band Aid effort for numerous reasons, instead choosing to make a private donation to the Oxfam campaign for the Ebola crisis.

One of the main reasons as to why I have distaste for the release of this new Band Aid effort is due to the fact that an array of jumped-up, egotistical and self-

Don’t be so quick to defend patriotism

L

ast month the Labour MP Emily Thornberry made a terrible blunder in showing her contempt for the “common man.” In the run up to the Rochester and Strood by-election – which was won by UKIP’s Mark Reckless - Mrs Thornberry tweeted a picture of a “white van man’s” home. The picture of an England flag draped house revealed Mrs Thornberry’s true feelings about the local constituents. The fiasco resulted in a fierce backlash of comments online and her eventual sacking. Michael Heaver, a UKIP spokesman commented on the affair saying, “If you don’t want snobby Labour MPs knocking on your door ahead of May’s election, stick an England flag up.” Despite the clear implications of Thornberry’s tweet she has since tried to defend herself by saying, “I think people are having a go at me because I am an Islington MP. People are just showing their prejudice about Islington.” The nerve of this desperate statement is almost laughable, as well as ironic.

It was she who showed her prejudice, and not the other way round.

However, I must confess that I also share a distain for the flying of the flag of St George, not for the people who fly it, but rather for the inward looking nationalism that it can rep-

resent.

Since the Second World War Britain has been a country in decline. It is fading away, on life support. I have always thought of myself as British first and English second, as have many other English people. This idea is becoming less and less popular. With Scottish nationalism gaining support, devolved power in Wales and now even talks of a new English Parliament or Assembly, the thin threads holding Britain together are in danger of dissolving. There has recently been a bizarre renaissance of small nationalism and regionalism.

This is most obviously manifest in Scotland, but even Cornwall – the county in which I used to live – is having a go. Cornish people are now classified as an ethnic minority group comparable to the Scottish.

Where does this desire to retreat into small islands of solitude come from and why is it increasing?

This form of nationalism appeals to the basest, most tribal prejudices of people and is incredibly easy to rally amongst the discontented, especially at times of economic hardship. When things aren’t going their way people feel let down, unrepresented. They run back to their tribes in order to selfishly defend their own interests while ignoring those of other people, in the same country, who may

well feel the same. I can empathise with these people in as much as I understand why they feel this way.

They are unrepresented by a government that declare the economic crisis is over and that living standards are going up, despite no evidence for it. They are alienated by a European Union that they do not fully understand, the mass immigration that alters their communities and threatens to subvert their own monoculture. I understand

THOR

Harry Brennan bathimpact Writer

Emily Thornberry MP’s recent blunder highlights the growing tribalism of British culture today

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Comment

facebook.com/bathimpact

7

The red tape on political students Charlie Owen

Cameron Jeffrey Wells bathimpact Writer

O

ver the last month, the University of Bath has seen an influx of political apathy from all corners of the University: student and executive. The political campaigning season is swiftly approaching for student elections and what keeps me frustrated is the rampant regulation and moronic bureaucracy that suffocates the students who actually get elected.

It is no secret that overindulgent regulation, such as excessive rules or guidelines of any business can weaken its innovative instinct, possibly even destroying it. For example, the financial industry has always been extremely sensitive to superfluous regulation, given that capital can move so rapidly. Given the University of Bath’s current type of management, this comparison is not as farfetched as believed.

Of course appropriate regulation can actually strengthen an industry or political system, as was the case with the recent financial crisis. However the current political situation within the University of Bath is unbearable. The university has tried to solve every conceivable problem to the student, fail-

Students are becoming more political as the election approaches, but is the SU supporting them?

These idiotic behaviours can be ing to recognize that many of the run by a group of pragmatic, realproblems we face are a result from istic guys, who genuinely have the seen with the impoverished effort previous political solutions. The students’ interests at heart. Howev- displayed, involving the recent naproblem, for the most part, reso- er despite this, the current body of tional demo in London. This was nates entirely with the issue of ‘big executives has not accommodated another example of the university’s government’ within the Students’ the needs of the politicised student. mindless bureaucratic system, set Union, in which the overreaching There have been several incidents, up to keep the student voices at system attempts safeguard every many undocumented, whereby the bay. The Students’ Union failed to aspect of the Students’ Union re- executive has not been able to ac- promote the march on the grounds gardless of the effect on natural in- commodate students’ needs due to of health and safety, which is a poor an increase in political over-regula- effort to say the least. Yet again, it novation and ingenuity. is not a fault from the executive’s The current Students’ Union is tion.

Liam Gowing bathimpact Writer n a speech to parliament on 17th November, David Cameron warned that a dark winter is coming for the global economy. It is no secret that the Eurozone and Asia are struggling, but the UK economy has been doing rather well of late with growth at 3% and ever-falling unemployment. The Prime Minister has declared, however, that “red warning lights are flashing on the dashboard of the global economy”. So does he have a right to be worried? Or are darker forces at work here?

With the general election only six months away it is safe to assume practically everything that David Cameron says has some form of hidden agenda behind it. While he cannot deny that the global economy is struggling, it is his explanation for and solution to it and that reeks of political manipulation. His explanation?

That it’s nothing to do with him or his austerity measures. His solution? Do nothing. Or more accurately “stick to our long term economic plan”.

In this regard, Mr Cameron is stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the election looming he is fully aware that he cannot renege on his economic plan for fear of being labelled a hypocrite but he is also conscious of the fact that he cannot sit back and hope that a stuttering global economy will not affect the UK. And so he has resorted to politics. By announcing that the world is strug-

gling but he will change nothing, the Prime Minister achieved nothing of any substance. That is, other than ensuring that if the worst comes to the worst then the electorate know that any hardship they face is not his fault.

But is he entirely blameless?

Not entirely, no. The countries struggling most currently are those that implemented deficit reduction plans similar to the UK. Germany staggered by on 0.1% growth in the third quarter while Japan entered recession on the day that Mr Cameron warned of the future. The Germans’ staunch commitment to reducing debt has left them on the brink of a recession that would cripple the fragile European economy. Meanwhile in Japan the economics of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have fallen apart. Upon his election in December 2012, Mr Shinzo launched an ambitious plan to lift Japan out of a 20-year battle with deflation. Billions was pumped into the economy and by mid-2013 it was once again strong. It is at this stage that Mr Abe decided to join his Western counterparts and start reducing sovereign debt. He announced the first tax rise in Japan for nearly 20 years. Implemented in two phases, sales tax is to rise from 5% to 10%. Since the first phase was introduced in April 2014, the Japanese economy has experienced two consecutive quarters of negative growth and has entered recession.

Both of these countries made a grave mistake and David Cameron may have just joined them. They

personal political preferences, but rather a problem of over-regulation from the university system in which we study. The university most certainly has a systematic problem, but the university system also is showcased by the inherent problem of political red tape. Recently Bath Labour Students were denied to book a room within university campus due to its hereditary lack of affiliation. The pragmatism was evident from the current SU Activities Officer, as he proceeded to offer other problematic routes into booking a room. The current state of affairs within the University’s system is completely ridiculous, where a politically active group of students cannot hold a meeting within the university they attend.

If the University of Bath truly cared about what students were passionate about, they would cut this unnecessary red tape.

The real problem here lies within the incessant system that the University itself has created, not the executives we have elected. If there is no intervention from either students or the executive, the problem of over-regulation will most likely dismantle and consume our Students’ Union.

I

DFID

‘Winter is coming’ for the economy

Mr Cameron has said that “red warning lights are flashing on the dashboard of the global economy failed to recognise the importance future. When they were hit with fragility. of confidence. Faced with a strug- a sales tax, the Japanese people Confidence is a delicate comgling economy and the threat of faced a fall in real income and so modity and must be treated with deflation, German companies stopped spending. respect. As the UK economy has As the UK election approaches, begun to recover, Mr Cameron have matched their debt-fearing government and have stopped in- polling shows that the economy has hit it with his damning predicvesting. This is a worrying devel- is a declining issue for voters. tion of the future. In the same way opment in such an export-reliant This recent announcement by that confidence breeds more coneconomy and its crumbling in- David Cameron is an attempt to fidence, talk of doom often leads frastructure is an apt metaphor bring it back to the forefront of to doom. That is, if anyone pays for the state of confidence in the voters’ minds and cast doubts attention to it. The best way to country. In Japan, Mr Abe made about whether a Labour party still avoid the dark winter awaiting us the error of acting too swiftly. As haunted by the financial crisis is is to embrace the Christmas spirit Japanese companies benefitted capable of leading the country and spend, spend, spend. Resting from the recovery, rather than in times of economic fragility. on our laurels and watching the passing the higher profits on to However, in playing politics and nights close in won’t get us anyworkers in the form of increased remaining stubbornly supportive where, despite what Mr Cameron wages, they retained the extra in- of the austerity plans, the Prime may think. Besides, who even liscome, lacking confidence in the Minister may have worsened this tens to politicians anymore?

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Politics & Society

facebook.com/bathimpact

9

Sobriety Bracelets to combat crime Eleonora Monoscalco explains what the bracelets will do for justice

“

Alcohol-related crime causes misery” David Cameron

tonshire areas. These bracelets, often tagged to the ankle, weigh around 5.8oz and are almost impossible to remove. They record people’s alcohol intake by measuring their air and sweat emissions from their skin every half-an-hour. When suspicious levels of alcohol are detected, the data will be automatically sent to a base monitoring station, and the police will eventually intervene. The

system is currently used in different states across the US, such as South Dakota. A well-known celebrity to fall victim to such tags is “The Parent Trap” and “Mean Girls” star, Lindsay Lohan.

The reduction of alcohol-related crimes is absolutely necessary, as statistics reveal that up to 90% of nighttime arrests by police in this country are alcohol-related, costing the taxpayer an estimated £20bn a year in England and Wales. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Bernard Hogan-Howe, stated back in 2011 that “it is important for us to use technology and use these preventative measures around the two areas of alcohol and drug-related crime”.

In any case, it must be said that the 2014 London scheme is slightly different to the first project, which used to give people the choice of wearing a sobriety bracelet rather than going to prison. On the contrary, Cameron has now announced that the Conservative Party will give judges the power to use alcohol abstinence orders if they were to return to power in the next elections. In other words, alcohol and drug abuse offenders would no longer be able to refuse to wear the bracelet.

On the one hand, people supporting the use of the sobriety bracelet that forces offenders to not consume alcohol for a long period of time will probably have positive, long-lasting effects on the wearer. Furthermore, the reduction of offenders going to

The Conservatives will introduce sobriety bracelets to combat alcohol-related crimes in the UK jail will in turn cost the taxpayer less. once the offenders’ penalties come to with the bracelets, 84% did not go On the other hand, many regard an end, the criminals will easily start near any alcohol. Of those who did, only 2% did it three times or more. the sobriety bracelets as a bad thing. drinking again.

It has been pointed out, however, The Wayne County scheme resulted Among them is Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, Eric Appleby, who that the use of such bracelets would therefore in huge cost savings: while labelled it “a populist measure’’, as only be by people who are not de- monitoring the bracelets only costs well as “a punitive measure”. In his pendent on alcohol, but who were $8 a day, an entire day spent in jail opinion, it is unrealistic to rehabili- drunk at the moment of the criminal can cost up to $70.

This potential law has its pros and tate such offenders through use of act. Furthermore, the measure is exthe sobriety bracelet and expecting pected to be a success after witness- cons, like many do. Whether such a them to change their habits in four ing some of the positive American measure will effectively reduce alcomonths’ time is unreasonable. Ap- statistics. In Wayne County, Michi- hol-related crime is to be determined pleby, amongst others, believes that, gan, among the first 975 people fitted in the coming years.

reduce violence in the region. EU ministers recently met in Brussels to further discuss sanctions on proRussian militants as well as Russian officials. During the meeting, the Ukrainian foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, expressed concerns for the security and welfare of not only the Ukrainian people, but also of the entire EU, were sanctions not to be applied against the Russians.

Unsurprisingly, the council was unable to reach a consensus when deliberating on appropriate response

to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

In addition, the responsibilities of the EU as an institution for regional cooperation facing the Ukrainian crisis were brought up during the G20 summit in Brisbane last week. Barack Obama met with EU ministers to reaffirm his belief in the necessity of sanctioning Russia for violating international law, an unsurprising stance taken by the North Americans. Obama, amongst other representatives, mentioned that it was the union’s duty to reprimand such be-

Logan

T

wo weeks ago, Prime Minister David Cameron announced at the G20 Summit in Australia that US-style “sobriety bracelets’’ would be introduced in England and Wales against people guilty of common assault, public order offences, and criminal damage under the effects of alcohol. The maximum imprisonment time for these people will be 120 days. He stated that “Alcohol-related crime causes misery for millions of people every year and costs our country billions of pounds. While overall crime has fallen under this government, we need to do more.”

However, this proposal is far from new in England, dating back to 2011 and it being tested already in some London, Cheshire and Northamp-

The EU a failure over Ukraine crisis Marianne Gros bathimpact Writer

T

Ssolbergj

he current political situation in Ukraine has once again received considerable attention from the media, as casualty numbers continue to rise, reaching over 4,000 according to the last casualty report on the conflict, despite attempts to enforce a cease-fire that date back to September.

The crisis raises some serious issues, particularly for the EU as the organisation has thus far failed to

The European Union has been criticised recently for its failed policies implemented in Ukraine

haviour and hold Russia accountable for its actions.

For some time now the EU has been pressured by the US over international security issues, and it never looks good to be lectured publicly by a major world leader such as Obama at such an important international conference, especially with the EU’s desire to counterbalance US hegemonic power on the international scene.

However, with events such as the Ukrainian crisis, it seems to be incapable of acting efficiently without the help of their North American allies when it comes to conflict resolution.

EU policies have essentially been reaction-driven by events and not by a concise long-term consideration of the issues that have led to the conflict itself. There is far too much hesitancy towards disciplining member states, particularly when this concerns big political actors such as Russia.

The Ukrainian crisis is affecting the EU’s reputation because it reveals incoherence within the organisation thus leading to a lack of tools and resources to effectively resolve conflicts – not just in Europe, but also all over the globe. The declining popularity of the EU following such events has attacked its political legitimacy as an effective institution. Furthermore, it does not help that Russia appears to be unaffected by western sanctions

and warnings; Putin denies any allegations of its annexation of Crimea essentially equating to an invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader is convinced that the situation is just another attempt from the West to lessen Russia’s sphere of influence in Europe, and that these sanctions prove to be yet another a feeble attack on the country’s economy.

Nevertheless, the EU’s imposing of sanctions on pro-Russia rebels and Russian forces might do more harm then good. It has been argued that the solution to Ukraine’s situation is rooted in a reassessment of its relationship with Russia, and the direct line of communication between Kiev and Moscow. There is reason to believe that the so-called ‘sanctions’ will amount to nothing if civilian security reforms are not undertaken in Ukraine. The country’s demography is made up of ethnic minorities, a fact that needs to be kept in mind whenever policies are drafted and implemented.

As there is an undeniably long history of tension between Russia, ex-soviet territory and western countries, it is worth noting that all efforts to reach stability in Eastern Europe should be based on peaceful cooperation amongst nations, through discussion and consensus rather than by force.

10

Monday 1st December 2014

Politics & Society

bathimpact facebook.com/bathimpact

Social media feminism strikes back

F

eminism and social media have a mixed relationship at best, and while the internet has provided many individuals with the ability to learn more about the movement, it can also be a hotbed of misogyny and what are, for many people, harmful and triggering statements.

This is perhaps best illustrated in the recent ‘gamergate’ phenomenon, where ‘gamers’ took to social media under the guise of enabling discussion about ethics in video game journalism, to harass female game developers and journalists, based on the rumour that a romantic relationship had led to positive coverage of a developer’s content. These attacks on women, while rooted in the cyber world, also left many in fear of their physical safety, as their personal and private details were released online, in a process known as ‘doxxing’.

Social media misogyny is dangerous, and is easily popularised and spread. Numerous users of social media platforms such as Vine, and Youtube have been investigated for sexual abuse allegations, and have been widely criticised for their misogynistic actions. The infamous Youtuber Sam Pepper is known for

releasing problematic content; in the past he has kissed random women on camera without their clear consent, and recently released a video wherein he touched women on the street, once again without their consent. Dapper Laughs is a far more publicised example of this behaviour, and he has been widely criticised for releasing content that trivialises and humorises instances of sexual assault and rape.

However, as recent events have demonstrated, social media feminism is striking back. After gaining 68,209 signatures, the change. org petition resulted in the Dapper Laughs ITV show being cancelled. In addition, this petition resulted in outcry across many forms of media, culminating in a Newsnight interview in which Daniel O’Reilly publicly renounced his ‘character’ and Dapper Laughs is now, hopefully, retired for good. In addition, social media has helped to increase awareness of sexual violence and abuse, with the recent project by Emma Sulkowicz entitled ‘Carry that Weight’ to spread awareness of lack of prosecution for rapists particularly in American university settings, and resulted in coverage by a number of British newspapers.

Harry F. Banks

Annayah Prosser takes a look at the world’s social media misogyny

Social media is a tool widely used to empower feminists around the world in the fight against misogyny The recent viral video ‘Ten hours of place for anyone to discuss any issue, also provides a new forum for discusWalking in NYC as a Woman’, now and while this is resulting in a higher sion wherein everyone’s point of view has almost 37 million views, and has prevalence in misogyny and prejudi- is equal. Though it may not always prompted discussion on the reality cial behaviours in online forums, it is seem this way, social media provides of street harassment for women on also increasing education regarding an opportunity for everyone to share national media, as well as throughout matters which are usually ‘swept un- their opinions and experiences. In many social media platforms. der the carpet’, such as sexual abuse, providing this platform, it is clear Social media is a medium that is misogyny and LGBTQ+ rights. It is that social media can be a hotbed less regulated than traditional media, clear that there is a long way to go for change and education, and the and as such it is becoming a platform in reducing internet misogyny and influence of social media on the trafor the discussion of issues that might abusive behaviour, but while these ditional spread of information might not normally get mainstream media behaviours are prevalent, it is impor- well define our generation for years coverage. Social media is becoming a tant to remember that social media to come.

How long can culture control Cuba?

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

O

utside the colonial town hall, with its peeling white paint and general decay , something very peculiar is happening. It is a characteristically roasting hot day and two black men dressed completely in white are carrying what appears to be a smoking human head on a red velvet plate. One of the men is wearing a tall, busby-style hat which a fellow bystander reliably informs me is made entirely of human hair. Before long, the head-shaped object is placed on the floor and a soft, but quick rhythmic drum beat begins. Further groups of white-clad men and women join in and, as the beat increases in volume, they move faster and more vigorously.

The men are from the santeria religion, a merge between West African spiritual groups and Roman Catholicism, and the event is the Fiesta del Feugo, an annual festival carried out in Santiago de Cuba to celebrate Caribbean and Latin American culture. This particular exhibition of Afro-Caribbean culture would soon be joined by Mexican mariachi bands, Brazilian salsa groups and, naturally, a dozen different dance, music and spiritual groups from across the extraordinarily diverse island of Cuba.

This display of celebration belies the well-known mantra within the country: ‘el cubano no vive, el cubano sobrevive’. The Cuban doesn’t live, the Cuban simply survives. In fact, all across Cuba – festival or no festival – the idea that they do not live seems far-removed from reality. From the

Whilst Cubans survive there is a growing belief they cannot live; can this system truly sustain itself? rum-sipping youths on Havana’s ma- of this has been a state synonymous Cuba. Experiencing the wonders, and lecon to the Cienfuegos bars releasing with hand-outs, authoritarianism inequalities, created by Raul Castro’s ‘mini-capitalism’, they are increasingmelodic trova ballads into the air, the and dependence.

The revolution did come with ly disenchanted with the revolution. country appears entrenched in a conJesus, a young, underemployed some highly publicised success stostant mood of festivity.

These celebrations are often a fa- ries which continue today. Cuba is taxi driver from Santiago de Cuba, çade for the real tribulations faced by second only to Argentina in Latin is anxious at first but, after a couple so many Cubans, albeit a façade far American literacy rates and the state of minutes, begins to reel out tales of greater than in any other Latin Amer- maintains 10% of spending on edu- gross incompetency from the regime. ican country I have visited. The reality cation. In 2006, a Newsnight special When I tell him that Cuba has a reis that Cuba is falling apart, not just report concluded that the country’s markable reputation in healthcare economically but politically, and the renowned healthcare system – which he reminds me that doctors are paid culture is increasingly the only thing produces similar health statistics to around 20 Cuban Convertible Pesos its great antagonist, the United States (CUC) – about £15 – a month and holding the cracks together.

The Revolution is in its 55th – is one of the few reasons the Castro that no matter how many doctors they have, no matter how profesyear, a fact of which Cubans are re- regime continues to be on top.

But these successes are beginning sional their prognosis, it appears that minded every day through regular TV announcements and billboards to wane as a wider picture of Cuban they only ever have one medication smothered with propaganda. It was development emerges. It is one of a to prescribe. He throws me a packet a revolution which saw hundreds of state which is complacent and not of brown pills before sticking up his thousands flee to America, the estab- bothered by the finer details, typi- middle finger and saying ‘fuck the lishment of Marxist-Leninist regime fied by the attitude of “you may not politics’. He smiles: “Five years ago, I would’ve gone to and the relinquishment of property, a have text-books, but at least you’re policy which the state has only recent- at school”. More worrying for the jail for saying that to a tourist.”

Cuba is still officially a socialist ly began to retreat on. The outcome regime are the views of the young in

state, but the growing inequalities are only too clear to see. One of Havana’s exclusive nightclubs charges 10CUC entry (half a doctors salary) and is filled with the sunglass-wearing, young middle-class. These are the lucky few in Cuba; the children of the military, the musicians, the entrepreneurs manipulating Cuba’s new opportunities.

Cuba has, incredibly, become a country where a busker can earn far more than a teacher or a doctor.

For the rest of Cuba, dependence remains. It is, however, an increasingly unsustainable dependence which is hindering any productive development in the country. State subsidies continue, but food still costs too much. Aid for the most vulnerable is still handed out, but it is increasingly less. We heard one story of a man whose house was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy who was given 500g of screws to build a new one, but little else. Socialist rhetoric is still rife, but Cuba’s Gini coefficient rose from 0.21 in the late 1980’s to 0.42 a decade later.

Cuba’s young did not live through the indignities of the pre-Revolution.

For many years Cuban’s have lived in the belief that although things might not be perfect, they are certainly better than they were. Now, the youth want change from what they have always known. The system is imperfect and the vibrant spirit which has always sustained Cuba is no longer enough. They want the shoes, the car and the lifestyle to go with it. With small increases in economic mobility emerging, Cubans no longer want to survive-they want to live.

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

15

Science & Tech

facebook.com/bathimpact

Harvard to stop people from ageing Becca Muir bathimpact Writer cientists at Harvard have discovered that over-expression of a simple molecule could prevent or even reverse parts of the ageing process. Is the science plausible, and at £30,000 a day, is this medical research truly in the best interests of everyone?

A world without cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cardiovascular disease only seems possible in science fiction. “We might take a little pill at breakfast, and this would wade off the diseases of ageing” smiles David Sinclair in his recent TED talk. Placed in Time Magazine’s 2014 list of the world’s most influential people, this eminent geneticist certainly has momentum behind his ‘anti-ageing cure’. Sinclair believes

(a molecule which is invaluable during hypoxia, but troublesome in excess). As we get older, this cross-talk becomes noisier as SIRT loses its ability to control HIF-1 alpha. This leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Mitochondria are central to our cells well-being, and so their degeneration has catastrophic effects on our bodies.

As scientists elucidated this pathway, it became clear that SIRT under-expression might be easily fixed through NAD+ supplementation.

By using animal models and finding they could make two year old mice appear six months old, Sinclair and Co. gained enough confidence in their findings to test on humans, with very positive preliminary results. As NAD+ is naturally produced, it is thought to be unlikely to Patrick

S

that it is engrained in society that we get old and die, so we don’t realise that we can fight against it. An easy cure for a multitude of diseases seems far-fetched, however evidence is mounting supporting these claims. Ageing is a complex process, but he feels there may be a single solution that will be available in our lifetimes, and it does not come cheap. Realistic estimations are at $50,000 a day.

So how does the molecule work?

You may remember NAD+ from A-level Biology; the oxidised molecule in the Krebs cycle can be used to produce energy in the mitochondria.

This versatile coenzyme also regulates SIRT, a protein which helps the nuclear and mitochondrial genome communicate peacefully and clearly, by stabilising HIF-1 alpha

Researchers at Harvard have discovered a potential solution for the issues caused by ageing

have detrimental side effects.

Sinclair has faced criticism, however, from other members of the science community; disease is an umbrella term for a wide variety of ailments, and finding a single cure seems reductionist and absurd. He could be underestimating the complex gene interactions that underpin the ageing process, notably the role of telomeres. Telomeres protect the end of our chromosomes, but are depleted with each cell division. When they are too short, the cell cannot replicate DNA fully, so the cell becomes inactive. It is unclear if telomere length is a cause of or just correlates with ageing, but it does provide evidence of ageing being more than under-expression of a molecule.

What is interesting about this research is the hype surrounding the easily-administered nature of the drug. Research into preventing the ageing process has already discovered something that perhaps is inconvenient to admit and implement, lower calorie diets are better for us. Apart from the obvious that carrying excess fat is harmful, a mountain of research concludes that SIRT1 and other pathways regulate autophagy, the recycling of damaged cell components. Experiments show that lifespan in mice are increased when autophagy is activated during chronic calorie restriction. When we eat a large hamburger, this switches off the expression of SIRT. Does it say something about the western ethos that researchers feel we would rather try and self-medicate than to diet? Or perhaps they are simply catering to pharmaceutical demands?

In a society where we could effectively buy youth, what would the

implications be? It is unlikely that this cutting-edge medicine would be subsidised. With a £2bn shortfall expected in 2015, it is hardly the golden age of the NHS. According to the 2014 Global AgeWatch Index, there is still considerable health inequality within the current generation of older people. If rich octogenarians weren’t just heinously advantaged in lifestyle, but also had the sharp mind and strength of a 25-year-old, would this just increase the gap between the rich and the poor? Sinclair seems to emphasise that by taking this pill, we could lead happier and more productive lives, as if happy and productive are synonymous or complementary terms. Scientific progress is affected by political and socio-economic motives and therefore the language around this ‘cure’ is laced with this productivity ideal, which may not truly have everyone’s best interests at heart.

In his TED talk, Sinclair says that the way we investigate disease is wrong – instead of looking at diseases on an individual level, we should take a holistic view of the body. As ‘ageing cures’ develop into real possibilities, it is also important to consider biomedical research in the wider context of our interconnected lives. Take Genetic engineering, for example, a contentious topic because of the obvious sinister connotations. It is vital that we examine all emerging science with the same scepticism, or we could really create a world we do not want. With these amazing cures, we need to critically think about what it could mean for every section of society. We can forget, that like our bodies, our society is not always immune to dangerous things.

Professor Science: Noah’s ark?

E

veryone knows the tale of Noah’s ark, in which a magical procession of animals, two-by-two, marched onto a massive, regal-looking, wooden ship to survive a gigantic horrendous storm of 40 days and 40 nights. So whether life on an ark is really possible is an interesting concept for a scientist like me to contemplate.

There are some real-life examples of arks protecting life for future times.

One such example is actually a boat, too. In 2011 a small, opentopped fishing boat was swept out to sea by a tsunami raging around Japan. It spent two years drifting along the currents in the Pacific Ocean and was finally washed ashore in the state of Washington, USA. The boat was filled with water and more remarkably an entire ecosystem. Scientists studied the individuals found on the boat closely. Most of the 30 different species are only found in Japan, including mussels, fish, sea cucumbers and crabs now over

4,000 miles from home. They also found some fish that were less than two years old. So he either jumped on board along the way, or was born on the boat.

This remarkable ecosystem traveling the world reveals how animals and plants might have been able to colonise islands and continents far from home. Being swept out to sea, tiny capsules of life with enormous luck to survive against all odds become new colonisers of barren lands.

But arks do not have to be boats or ships. Modern-day arks take on many-a-form.

Seed banks around the world store millions of plant seeds of thousands of different species.

The Millennium Seed Bank at Kew, Surrey, currently holds and protects 13% of the world’s wild plant species and aims to increase this to 25% by 2020.

This is a safe store in case of extinction in the wild. The conserved seeds are also used for research into agriculture, forestry, health and ecosystem repair.

Ceinturion

Our trusted scientist looks at the story of this magical boat

Scientifically, could life really Other arks are zoological and botanical gardens. They not only display a huge range of animal and plants, but also do important conservation work around the world.

A somewhat more unusual

have been sustained on an ark for forty days and forty nights? ark are online databases, such as GenBank and BRENDA. These gargantuan biological databases contain a vast amount of information. They not only enable ongoing research, but also serve as a safe storage place for genetic in-

formation for future generations of scientists and researchers.

So, arks are not only a tale, they really are possible and do exist around the world. They may just not always have that same magical flair as Noah’s ark.

16

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

World

facebook.com/bathimpact

Vishala Ramswami bathimpact Writer hina has been the world’s fastest growing major economy since 1978, when it embarked on a series of reforms that were characterised by increased receptiveness to foreign investment, privatisation of state industry, investment in infrastructure and easing of state control.

The remarkable growth that this reform catalysed has been the most important economic story of our times. In the past thirty years, China has lifted more than 500 million people out of poverty, a hitherto unprecedented number in world history.

Earlier this year, China once again became the world’s largest economy (by purchasing power parity), a position it had previously enjoyed for several centuries until the industrial revolution established the dominance of the West.

However, the rise of China has slowed down in recent times and the sustainability of its rapid pace of growth has been called into question.

For several years, China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew consistently at annual rates of around 10%, but GDP growth fell to a five year low of 7.3% last quarter, down from a previous World Bank estimate of 7.6%. Following Goldman Sachs’ forecast last month, the World Bank has also cut down growth forecasts for the next two years, from the official government target of 7.5% to 7.2% and then 7.1% respectively.

These figures might still seem respectable, especially in comparison to developed economies that are struggling to achieve far lower growth rates. Indeed, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted these revised growth figures as ‘the

C

new normal’ and the Chinese government does not seem likely to provide any substantial incentives to revive the faltering growth rate.

But the slowdown needs to be taken in context. First, it is worth remembering that China’s GDP per capita is still low, at $6,800 per person as compared to $53,000 in the USA and $39,000 in the UK. For China to become a developed nation in the near future, it is vital that it maintains high rates of growth until its income levels are far greater. Developed Asian economies like Japan and South Korea, for example, sustained accelerated rates of economic growth until they had achieved a far higher GDP per capita.

Also of concern is the fact that China’s economic slowdown is due to alarmingly high debt that currently stands at 251% of its GDP, and continues to accrue at nearly double the rate of GDP growth. In most countries, such high levels of debt would have been disastrous. But in China, the risk of economic collapse is contained by the fact that finance is still heavily state-regulated and the government is likely to provide generous bailouts in order to pre-empt financial catastrophe.

Adding to China’s woes is its floundering property market. Accounting for 15% of China’s GDP, the property market has experienced a steady fall in prices over the past year with supply outstripping demand and desolate ‘ghost town’ developments being left entirely unsold. This has been primarily attributed to the Chinese government’s measures to control house prices by imposing limits on buying second homes and increasing down-payment requirements.

bseplus

The Dragon economy starts to slow

China has been the world’s fastest growing major economy up until recently when its growth slowed China’s manufacturing and Yet, despite all the gloom and Commodity producing nations, export sectors, key drivers of its who are largely reliant on China’s doom surrounding its latest growth growth, have also experienced a demand for coal, iron ore and steel figures, China’s prioritisation of slowdown due to reduced demand amongst other resources, would be structural reforms over extreme ecofrom the USA and Eurozone. The the worst hit. These include coun- nomic growth is largely commendagovernment hoped to offset a drop tries as diverse as South Africa, Chile ble. The Chinese cabinet proclaimed in exports with increased domestic and Australia, all of whom consider that it would “let restructuring and demand for manufactured goods, China as a key export market. Coun- reform play an active role in stabithereby making the country more tries with a current account deficit lising growth”. New policies aim to self-reliant. Unfortunately, lack of would be especially vulnerable to reduce pollution and unsustainable real estate activity has caused a drop withdrawal of Chinese demand. Con- energy consumption, allow for more in domestic demand. This has only versely, the fall in commodity prices transparent financial transactions served to exacerbate the slowdown. due to decreased Chinese demand and cut down on corruption. Soon Government initiatives to increasing could benefit other emerging econo- after this announcement, the cabinet accountability and reduce corruption mies such as India and Turkey, which pledged that it will not allow growth have further deterred manufacturing are also net commodity importers. rates to fall drastically. growth.

The government has unveiled The Chinese slowdown could have The repercussions of China’s ta- worrying repercussions for the EU as ‘micro-stimuli’ such as targeted inpering growth story extend beyond well. China is Germany’s third most vestment in infrastructure and tax its borders. China is not only a key important trading partner and it has rebates for small companies. In the driver of growth in Asia, it is also previously exhibited a voracious de- coming years, striking this delicate the world’s largest trading nation in mand for high-end German exports. balance between commitment to goods. For several countries, China is But faltering growth could cause reform and support of economic their most important bilateral trad- Chinese demand for German goods growth will be crucial not only for ing partner and a slowdown in the to fall, adding further fuel to worries China’s sustainable development but Chinese demand will be a cause for that Europe’s economic powerhouse also for economic health of its many could be heading back into recession. trade partners. concern.

Colombia halts FARC negotiations Ministerio TIC Colombia

Gaia Caramazza bathimpact Writer

A

product of the Cuban revolution, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) are a terrorist group currently roaming the jungles of Colombia. These rebels re-define the term ‘drug lord’; an estimated 50% of the cocaine distributed world-wide has the FARC stamp on it. They have the reputation of being the richest guerrilla movement and would like to be known as the fighters for the large masses of poverty in Colombia.

The ‘proletariat’, as Karl Marx would call them, include the thousands of working class people earning less than the minimum wage in Colombia. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have a Marxist-Leninist ideology, with a strong hatred for imperialism and neoliberalism, and strive to establish an agrarian society. The Human Rights Watch estimates that 30% of recruits are minors.

Over the years they have managed to rouse the attention of the media by kidnapping individuals and demanding ransoms to fund their

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos suspends peace talks with the FARC terrorist group crusade against the capitalist establishments.

The group has recently managed to make the headlines by kidnapping General Ruben Dario Alzate, as well as another military official and a civilian. The general and his entourage were disembarking from a boat on a river near the city

of Quibdo, where they were heading for a visit to a local energy project, prior to their kidnap. This act caused the Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, to suspend peace talks with the FARC group, shattering the attempt to end fifty years of war between the Marxistleaning group and the government.

The nations of Cuba and Norway assisted the Colombian government during the negotiations before they were called off.

General Alzate was the highest official ever to be held by FARC, and some call the swiftness of the agreement to release the general suspicious. Other attempts of the

rebel group to join peace talks were seen as a mere strategy to re-group and re-arm itself rather than genuinely attempt to come to an agreement with the Colombian government.

In prior peace talks, the group had agreed to stop kidnappings in exchange for ransoms but refused to stop kidnappings of military personnel as, in the eyes of FARC, they are still considered a fair target. Now the group are discussing a possible release of the hostages in exchange for a secession of military actions as numerous troops were deployed in the Colombian province of Choco. The group had given the co-ordinates of where they would have released General Alzante, President Santos stated in a tweet. “The area has been taken over by the army, with troop deployments, aircraft over-flights and security measures that restrict the free movement of the communities who live there,” states a statement released by FARC regarding the recent kidnapping, reflecting the mistrust that has carried this conflict to the fifty-year mark.

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

17

World

facebook.com/bathimpact

Chris Knutsen bathimpact Writer hina is already Australia’s top trading partner, with a two-way trade of more than $150bn AUD in 2013. Commerce between the two has thus far been dominated by resource and commodity trade; Australia providing raw materials needed to fuel the huge growth of the Chinese economy in recent years.

The inter-dependancy and cooperation between the two will deepen with the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed in Canberra in recent weeks. The FTA is a result of nearly 10 years of negotiations, indicating the time it takes to design these intricately detailed, mutuallybeneficial international trade agreements. The result was, predictably, hallmarked by compromise.

China will open its markets to many Australian agrarian, service and resource industries by gradually reducing tariffs and removing barriers to trade, whilst private Chinese firms will enjoy more access investing in the Australian economy. However, Australia did not secure tariff reductions on key commodities such as: rice, wheat, cotton, oilseeds and sugar. Furthermore, state-owned enterprises, which are the main source of Chinese investment, will continue to be subject to scrutiny

by Australia’s foreign investment

C

board, Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB); such conditions the Chinese wanted removed.

The agreement follows in the footsteps of other free trade agreements made by Australia in 2014 with the likes of Japan and Korea.

According to Australian Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, the negotiations “concluded a powerful trifecta” that offered “phenomenal opportunities” for business in the country. Robb explained that Australia was also looking at potential FTAs with India, Indonesia and the Gulf states in the future.

This pragmatic approach to expanding free-trade is a promising development in the eyes of many, such as those of HSBC Economist Paul Bloxham commenting that the deal “should help to support Australia’s great rebalancing act, from mining investment led growth towards the non-mining sectors of the economy”.

The FTA means unhindered access to large, rapidly growing markets for a wide range of Australian firms, from producers of infant milk to accountancies.

Another winner in the FTA agreement are the burgeoning Chinese middle class, who with their growing disposable incomes will be able to enjoy greater access to desirable Australian consumer goods like wine, meat and even education.

Aspects of the agreement have

Bidgee

China and Australia deepen relationship

Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has signed a Free Trade Agreement with China in Canberra been called into question by some. bat climate change and got caught implications of which will only be The full detail of the FTA has not up in expensive international legal seen in ten years or possibly more, been made public, but it may include disputes.The fact that the FTA was as trade barrier removal is a gradual a provision for investor state dispute negotiated in secret also concerns process. A deal will also still need the settlement (ISDS), which essentially many, who think the Australian approval of the Australian parliaallows large multi-national com- government has not been subject ment, but it looks likely to get the go panies to sue governments which to proper scrutiny in making agree- ahead. This FTA is an important step change regulation that in turn harms ments that have a huge impact on in an ever globalising world with the their investments. This could have the nation. two countries forging closer ties and big implications if, for instance, the In principle, there will be plenty together building a more prosperous government changed laws to com- of winners with this FTA, the full Asia-Pacific region.

Mexicans hold protests worldwide bathimpact

Ricardo Velazquez Leyer bathimpact Writer

T

he start of the Mexican Revolution is celebrated every year on 20 November. Back in 1910, that day marked the beginning of a 10 year struggle for justice and equality that transformed Mexican society. Despite important achievements obtained during the twentieth century, inequality remained extremely high and corruption was not only not rooted out of the political system, but it eventually grew as the government privileged the capitalist development of the country and private and public interests became intertwined.

Historical social injustices, aggravated in recent decades by neoliberal reforms that have stagnated economic growth and triggered a rise in rates of both poverty and inequality, make up the background to the wave of crime and violence that has spread throughout Mexico since 2006. Indeed, these internal factors and the corruption of the political and judicial systems have coalesced with external ones, like the unlimited supply of weapons and demand for drugs from the United States of America, to trigger a surge in levels of crime and violence that have, in turn, generated an unprecedented human rights crisis in Mexico’s recent history. This has led to tragedies within the Mexican population.

The University of Bath has held its own peaceful protest to demand an end to the violence in Mexico Crime and violence always hurt the most vulnerable. Rural and indigenous communities, groups of Central American migrants crossing the country on their way to the United States and poor urban neighbourhoods have suffered the most. This disproportionate suffering is to a large extent due to their marginalisation and social invisibility within a system of institutionalised inequality and corruption. In fact, the kind of transgressions to which they are

subjected to, are not only those infringed by criminal gangs and drug cartels, but also from political institutions and state authorities themselves.

On September 26, a group of students from a rural teachertraining college from a town called Ayotzinapa who were collecting funds for a trip were attacked by the police for apparently disrupting a political event of the mayor’s wife in the neighbouring town of Iguala in

the State of Guerrero. Six people were killed by the police during the attack and 43 students ‘disappeared’, presumably after being handed to local drug bosses from Mexico’s infamously brutal and ruthless drug cartels, with whom the mayor and his wife allegedly had strong ties.

The government has embarked on a search for the 43 missing students but according to Amnesty International the response “has been biased and incomplete, fail-

ing to challenge the entrenched collusion between the state and the organised crime which underlies these grave human rights violations”. The same could be argued for the government’s actions to fight crime and violence since the crisis began almost a decade ago.

The wave of crime and violence caught Mexican society by surprise, even with its turbulent history. It seems that the brutal events of recent weeks have finally awoken the Mexican people with the likes of the disappearance of 43 students coming into play. Demonstrations have multiplied throughout the country and in many cities of the world. To demand an end to violence, crime and corruption, a Global Action Day in support of Mexico took place on the same day that the Mexican Revolution is commemorated. In this context, the Mexican community of the University of Bath and its friends expressed their solidarity with Mexico and their belief that as it was imagined more than a century ago, only the construction of a more just and equal country will bring the peace that the Mexican people want and deserve. For this reason, we firmly believe that raising awareness and inciting public discussion about these issues, both within the country and with the international community, are fundamental for such end.

18

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Business

facebook.com/bathimpact

Economics of... Land of class division Giving

Mike_Flemming

a lifeline for many local, niche stores and businesses. All in all, families spend around £868 each on the various accoutrements we are led to believe are necessary; I mean, you have to celebrate it the way they do on TV, right?

Others have argued that the consumerism is, on the other hand, a bad thing. Well, economists do at least. Joel Waldgofel calls the holiday season “an orgy of value destruction”. He calculated that spoilt kids and adults alike devalue the gifts they receive by around 20%. Think about it: we’ve all received an ugly jumper or a useless electronic item and all but discarded them.

But for many, Christmas presents are investments in relationships. The gifts we buy for one enough, in behavioural economics, represent ‘signals’. If I buy one person an ill thoughtout pair of socks and another a framed photo of us in a diamondencrusted picture frame, I am clearly more interested in capitalising on that personal investment (no, not necessarily sexual, but this might be one motive).

And, of course, the gifts we give have ‘receptors’; the person we present the gift to. So, stop and think: what do you want to signal through your present, is it an investment you need and how will it be perceived?

And, so we come full circle to the sodden battlefields of Belgium, 1914. The solider gives his Jerry nemesis a chocolate bar shipped in from Sainsbury’s. The gift is touching, both the signal and reception are clear. If this did happen, in some form or another, it symbolises what Christmas could be about: giving something away that means something. But it means nothing now. Christmas is now linked pure behavioural economics with big, market economics and any sentiment surrounding the season has been wrapped up and sold to the highest bidder. Bah Humbug!

Christmas is the season of family love and, of course, giving

The South Bronx remains one of America’s most deprived areas sulted in the collapse of the econ- gions of the country. The increase omy and the financial slump for so of income in the bottom and midmany of the poor in New York. The dle tiers of society would lead to South Bronx is mostly occupied by higher education of the workforce, immigrants, predominantly His- which in turn would improve an panics from Mexico, the Domini- individual’s ability to improve ecocan Republic and Puerto Rico who nomic status. This would reawaken travelled to the States with hopes of the concept that America is a ‘land of opportunity’. living the American dream.

However the future remains The distance between these two regions is a testimony to the dra- uncertain and there are fears for matic contrast between the rich and the future amongst the poor of the the poor in the States today. It has country. In the Bronx, in St Ann’s become near impossible to recover Church, Rev. Martha Overall worfrom poverty in the US. Despite the ries of the impact a Republican fact that food prices continue to government with its extensive climb, the minimum wage stays at government cuts could have on its lowest, (roughly the equivalent the poverty stricken families of of £4.00). Without food stamps America, of those scraping by. The the poor would starve and the use aggressive Democrat vs Republiof food stamps in the US has risen can debate has become the very by 75% in the past four years; now definition of America - polarized by money. covering 15% of the population.

“It’s social Darwinism. It’s peoTaking steps towards healing the divide lies in reducing the ple being pitted against people. wealth of the top 0.01% of the pop- I also believe it is un-American. ulation through taxing and increas- I don’t believe this country was ing the minimum wage of those liv- founded on a sense of every man ing on the poverty line, as well as for himself. It was founded on compublic spending on the poorer re- munity.”

Aran Gnana bathimpact Writer Three cases witnessed at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in November have led to the landmark ruling that employers should incorporate overtime pay when calculating holiday pay for their employees.

Until very recently, under UK law, employers were only required to pay their staff basic pay while on holiday. However, cases between three companies and their employees have resulted in the tribunal making an interpretation of the EU Working Time Directive, which the UK adopted in 1998 (EU law overrides national law). The tribunal took its lead from a series of recent rulings by the European Court of Justice that employers should take into account ‘normal remuneration’ rather than ‘basic remuneration when calculating holiday pay. This meant that compulsory overtime should be considered by employers.

Many employees would undoubtedly view this judgement as beneficial. The Head of Legal Affairs at Unite, Britain’s larg-

est trade union, Howard Beckett, echoed this view “This ruling not only secures justice for our members who were short changed, but means employers have got to get their house in order.”

However, from an employer perspective, getting their house in order could cause problems by increasing the wage bill. This could ultimately be detrimental for employees if employers decide that they need to lay off some workers in order to keep their wage costs under control, which is the argument put forward by many business leaders. The Institute of Directors has even gone as far as saying that this new ruling was a “timebomb” that could “wipe out small businesses”.

The consequences of this ruling certainly does not seem to be confined given that it is estimated that one-sixth of those currently in employment get paid for overtime and that the Federation of Small Businesses found that 400,000 firms could be affected.

However, it is worth noting that there will be a limit to how far back a claim to the right holi-

Scott Lynch

C

hristmas, 1914. Tens of thousands of boys and men are in France, numbed by death and increasingly sceptical that the war they were promised would end by the New Year would drag on for the foreseeable future.

They had seen friends die and been tortured by images of unimaginable horror. Then, on Christmas Eve, the faint echoes of ‘Stille Nacht’ could be heard floating across no-mans-land, allowing a brief moment of reflection and an escape from war.

The story of the Christmas Day football match is, in my opinion, one of the greatest stories of hope for humanity; men trained for war overcome by the season of giving and friendship. The oneday event masked what would become one of the greatest massacres in history.

Of course, one hundred years later, and the event has been repackaged and reframed for the modern day interpretation of Christmas and the commodification of the season. Not only have Sainsbury’s successfully tugged on our heartstrings (see: John Lewis), but managed to capitalise on our collective mourning of a national tragedy. We will forever link that story with that blue chocolate bar (on sale now) and a supermarket in dire need of customers.

The linking of sentimentality to products is obvious, whether it’s our desire to be greener or memories of family, there is an advert or branding designed to exploit it. Christmas is particularly ripe for that: not only have they found that part of your brain that makes you long for Christmas Day and the opening of presents, they have exaggerated it.

The consumerism surrounding Christmas is, in one way, a good thing. Around £29 billion was spent in 2012 on everything ranging from turkeys to tinsel, trees to toys. Big supermarkets profit, as does the High Street and internet. And of course, it is

Beca Harries bathimpact Writer ife should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class and circumstances of birth.”

This is the definition of the American dream according to writer James Truslow in 1931. Today, America has the fourth most uneven income distribution in the world with the top 3% of the population holding 54.4% of all wealth, whilst the bottom 90% scrape by with a meagre 24.7%.

The ultimate example of the economic polarization of American society could be the contrasting neighbourhoods of New York City. New York’s Upper East Side is known worldwide as the plush hotspot for many romantic comedies and the location many celebrities choose to spend their lives and their fortunes. On the other hand, New York’s South Bronx is one of the poorest areas in the USA with one of the highest crime rates. The statistics are shocking, considering that these contrasting neighbourhoods are barely a mile apart, 10 minutes on the number 6 subway line, separated only by the muddy waters of Harlem River, but simultaneously worlds apart.

To walk the streets of the 14th and 16th districts of New York is to experience the inequality first hand. The people living in these districts differ so greatly; they are separated by education, job prospects, health, race, class and most of all opportunity. It seems unfair that the very people that monopolize the rich side of town are the ones whose reckless behaviour re-

L

Overtime for holidays? day pay entitlement can be backdated. Employees will not be able to claim more than three months after the last incorrect payment.

Although this is arguably only a consolation for employers, it is still important because it saves them from having to face a long list of claims from 1998, when the Directive was adopted, and onwards, which was a major concern before the outcome of the tribunal. Hence, one employment lawyer from the law firm Pinsent Masons, described the ruling as a “one-all draw” between employers and employees.

Nevertheless, it seems that we are only at the beginning of this issue. The Government, who were against the idea that overtime should be included in holiday pay, has set up a task force to assess the impact of this issue on businesses and how it could limit the negative effects. Furthermore, there is a possibility of an appeal on this ruling being lodged to potentially both UK and European courts. It appears that this will be an ongoing battle between UK and EU courts over the coming years.

20

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Activities

facebook.com/bathimpact

Ron Morrow Station Manager CTV-manager@bath.ac.uk

T

CTV

here are many ways a film can be produced in this day and age. There’s the big budget Hollywood method where you spend years planning, writing, shooting, and creating 90 minutes of explosions, all the way down to 6 second Vine clips. Somewhere in between all that though exists the 48 Hour Film Challenge (48HFC),

a task recently undertaken by two teams at CampusTV. The great thing about the 48HFC is how compact it is, giving people the chance to work intensively across the weekend and see something through from start to finish.

Normally the film process is split apart into a million different pieces and people only work on their specialities, but in an environment like this everyone chips in to create something together. However, it’s

far easier to start with a jumping off point, so each group receives a set of randomised criteria, which in this case was the following: Team 1 Genre: Horror Prop: Playing cards Character: Daniel Jensen, Engineer Line of dialogue: “Life, it’s bigger than you” Team 2 Genre: Romance Prop: Torch Character: Corey Odel, Butcher Line of dialogue: “I’ve said too much, I’ve said enough” Feel free to take a moment to think about what you could make from those. A short story that you can script, shoot and edit all in the space of a weekend; It may sound tough, but everything is cool when you’re part of a team, and I was blown away by what people were able to create in such a short time span. In the end, the two films made were titled “Pa-

CTV

Making a blockbuster in 48 hours

CampusTV members hard at work editing their masterpiece If you’re interested in film protience” and “A Butchered Heart” respectively. The latter of which is duction at any level then come get currently on our YouTube channel involved with CampusTV! Next sefor you to enjoy (YouTube.com/ mester we’ll be running more film BathCTV), and unfortunately the challenges, including the 5 Hour former suffered a last minute editing Film Challenge for beginners and error. Such is the possibility when it those who want to try their hand at a new part of the process. comes to working under pressure!

Christopher Harvey bathimpact Contributor

Sustainable has become the ‘buzzword’ for ‘environmentally-interested companies’ over the past few years. Its common usage in business, social media and within our own university seems to have caused people to forget its true meaning.

Technically speaking, “sustainable” means “able to maintain at a certain rate or level”.

While all efforts to improve awareness and become environmentally friendly are applauded, we at the University of Bath should strive to be part of an institution which is at the forefront as opposed to the tail-end of progress, not just settling for “that will do”!

At the moment unfortunately, the latter is very much the case.

So to turn that trend around our SU Activities Officer, Freddy Clapson, has launched a plan this year to enable students to make a change for the greener.

The aim is to unite all environmentally-minded students who want to take action and offer input on how we can make our campus and community a better, greener place.

The Green team has meetings every fortnight to discuss current plans of action and help individuals draft up new schemes by helping them to pitch ideas to the wider community.

One of the larger events taking place this year is Green Week, during semester two. A whole week will be dedicated to promoting new initiatives and ideas to help other students become more environmentallyfriendly while saving money and time in the process!

“No Meat Mondays” – Veg-

etables are surprisingly good and extremely cheap and much less energy intensive to produce and maintain! Have you tried a 5-veg lasagne?

“Travel light Tuesdays” – For a lot of students who live near the bottom of Oldfield and around to the foot of Bathwick, walking or cycling is a free, healthy and a quick alternative to taking the buses especially during peak traffic and weekends.

“Waste not Wednesdays” – From food to old jumpers, the first stage of recycling is to “Reuse”, have you considered turning old t-shirts into pillow cases and the like before throwing them away?

“Turn out Thursdays” – Lights, showers and taps. It may sound obvious but the stray appliances you leave on all add onto the bills, quicker than we’d like!

“Fossil Free Fridays” – Our campus now has the largest array of Solar Panels in the area, but we should always be pressing further to help offset our carbon footprint!

One of the worst parts about our University is the lack of information about already existing initiatives which are talked about during the meetings. Did you know that security provides bike locks for you and that there is a plastic bag bin inside of the big fresh (next to the tills)?

For more information about current services and future plans to support environmentally friendly activity on your campus, like the “Bath SU Environment” and “Bath University Green Team” Facebook pages where you’ll find the details of everything that’s going on!

CathSoc

A Green Team Get to know CathSoc

Members of CathSoc gather together regularly to relax and recharge in body, mind and faith Jason Saldanha bathimpact Contributor

C

atholic Society, known as CathSoc is one of the SU’s Faith and Cultural societies.

As the name suggests, CathSoc isn’t a society of a group of religious people who only worship God on Sundays.

We are a bunch of liberal minded people who come together to relax and recharge in body, mind and faith. If you are a Catholic, interested in religion or want a friendly group of people to socialise with, then CathSoc is the society you want.

CathSoc organises activities both religious and non-religious around the year to register faith and receive peace from the line of duty. Every Sunday during term time we celebrate the Holy Mass at 12.30pm with Father Bill OSM, at the Chaplaincy on Campus. International masses are held each semester to relish and appreciate different cultures of Catholics in Bath and to savour some delicious dishes from all around the world with a bring and share. We were glad to have had the presence of Bishop Declan at the International

Mass on 9 November. To strengthen our faith in Mother Mary we conduct rosary every Friday at 1.20pm in the Chaplaincy on campus.

The two of the biggest events organised by CathSoc every semester include the Ceilidh and the Retreat.

The retreat is a weekend spent away from the busy life at a distinct place like Nympsfield to rejuvenate your faith in God and cognise new people. Retreats are filled with diverse activities. Religious activities like Adoration, Holy Mass, Stations of the Cross, talks and Reconciliation often accompanied by Father Bill and also fun filled activities like board games, outdoor walks, sports, and the amazing Werewolf game. The food is always one to be cherished; either cooked by the nuns or self-cooked assigning duties. Altogether, Retreat is that much required break from the stress of everyday life to introspect oneself and return with happiness and peace. Unfortunately to the ones interested, the retreat this semester was conducted in October but the next retreat will take place next semester in March.

Ceilidh is a traditional Irish and Scottish social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. A joint ceilidh along with Folk Soc was organised this semester on 8 November at Claverton rooms. It was a night full of fun with dancing to the tunes of the musicians and guidelines of a caller.

CathSoc also conducts weekly socials and events on Thursdays with religious and fun activities on alternating weeks. Religious activities include Patricians meetings, Taize prayer, Adoration, etc. and the ECC (Ecumenical Chaplaincy centre) at St. John’s is often used for ping pong, film nights and other socials.

As much as CathSoc holds a deep contact with faith and religious beliefs, we also encourage social activities. We believe in prayer through complete devotion with a pure heart and mind that can be achieved with all the events we organise. Being in CathSoc develops you as a person and helps you make friends for lifetime. Check us out online at www.bathstudent.com/socs/societies/CathSocCatholic.

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact facebook.com/bathimpact

Fencers weekend at the STV Michael Powell

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

T

he BUCS Fencing 20142015 Premier South Division finally got underway on the weekend of Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd November with all 6 teams descending on the Fencing Salle in the STV. The division consists of the Men’s 1s from Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial and Bristol and the format has changed from the usual weekly BUCS fixtures due to the Oxbridge universities not having Wednesday afternoon free for sports.

Each fixture consists of the three different fencing techniques, epee, foil and sabre and the first university to 45 points wins the discipline. This means that it is possible to win two of the three formats but lose the overall match, so having a well-rounded team who are successful is all three is essential.

The Bath team was led by Club Captain Christopher Hay, but there were only 7 fencers taking part throughout the weekend meaning that some of them had to fight in more than one discipline. On the other hand Oxford and Cambridge

A Bath fencer fighting during their opening set of BUCS fixtures were both able to bring a full quota their 5 man advantage to come out of 12 fencers, giving them a dis- on top at the end of the weekend tinct advantage as everyone was and take a lead in the current taable to focus on their best fighting ble. However a loss to UCL on Saturday means that the Londoners technique.

Cambridge made the most of are not far behind and means that

the whole league is extremely tight after the first round of fixtures.

Bath’s weekend saw them lose to Cambridge on Saturday but the home fencers recorded a fantastic victory over Oxford on the Sunday.

They also recorded a victory over Bristol but lost in a close fight with UCL to leave them in mid-table.

The standard of fencers was extremely high and many had been competing at the Fencing Commonwealth Championships the week-end before. There were a range of nationalities on show throughout the weekend with fencers who had competed for Australia and China as well as the home nations.

All six teams will do battle again in the new year when they travel to Imperial for another weekend filled with fencing. At the end of this, all of the teams will have fenced each other twice throughout the year and the final table will be determined, with the bottom team being relegated. This bottom spot is currently occupied by Bristol, but they will be putting up a fierce fight to try and avoid the drop so all of the teams will once again need to be on top form in London.

Tom Cawse team and bronzes for the women’s impactsport Contributor curling team and Jenny Jones in the he year of 2014 has delivered women’s slopestyle snowboarding.

Also, in February, the six nations many sporting moments that will live long in our memo- began. In a close championship, Ireland won by points difference over ries.

In January, the year started well England, who claimed the triple for a Swiss tennis player; not Roger crown by beating Scotland, Wales Federer but his compatriot Stanislas and Ireland. The Seattle Seahawks Wawrinka. The Swiss tennis player won the 2014 Superbowl with a 43-8 served up victory in the men’s Aus- victory over the Denver Broncos at tralian Open, his first grand slam ti- the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

March saw the Winter Paralympic tle, and Li Na claimed the women’s championship, in the same year Games follow on from the Olympic she sadly retired due to knee injury Games in Sochi. Russia again topped the medal table but six medals problems.

The Winter Olympic Games in gained Great Britain a 10th position Sochi, Russia occurred in Febru- in the medal table. This included the ary. The games were held on the first ever gold for Britain in the ParaBlack Sea coastline, making them lympics with visually impaired skier the warmest on record. The climate Kelly Gallagher, a graduate from this certainly helped the host nation as University and another SPOTY nominee, winning gold in the women’s Russia finished top of the medal Super-G. Jade Etheringtable above Norway ton won an amazand Canada. The ing 4 medals games were (3 silver and also the most 1 bronze) successful also in the for Great visually Britain impaired in 90 skiing years, and the w i t h men’s British wheelathletes chair curlwinning 4 ing team medals in also added a total. They bronze to Great were gold for Britain’s medal Bath resident and Atos International tally.

BBC Sports PersonalIn April Pineau De Re won ity of the Year (SPOTY) nominee Lizzy Yarnold in the women’s the 167th Grand National by five skeleton, silver for the men’s curling lengths from Balthazar King whilst

T

Danilo Borges

2014 Sport Recap - Part 1

Mario Goetze scored the winning goal in the World Cup Final Bubba Watson won his second Mas- time. Also, in May, Maria Sharapova ters title at Augusta. The ICC World beat Simona Halep to the French Twenty20 in Bangladesh came to its Open title, and Rafael Nadal remarkconclusion with Sri Lanka defeating ably won his 9th French Open in 10 India by 6 wickets in the final and attempts, beating Novak Djokovic in the World Snooker Championships four sets the final.

The FIFA world cup began in Bragot underway at the Crucible in Sheffield where Mark Selby went on to zil in June with England crashing out after finishing bottom of group D claim his first world title.

May saw the conclusion of the and failing to win a match. A month domestic football season with Man- after it began, a Mario Götze goal in chester City claiming their second extra-time won Germany the Jules premier league title in three years Rimet cup for a fourth time, beatafter edging out Liverpool, who were ing an Argentinian team containing gunning for their first title in 24 Lionel Messi 1-0 in the final. Also, years. Saracens stormed to the Avi- in June, Novak Djokovic won the va Premiership, topping the table by men’s championships at Wimble9 points and then winning the Pre- don, and Petra Kvitova claimed the miership final by beating Northamp- corresponding women’s title. As well ton Saints 24-20 at Twickenham. as this, Martin Kaymer claimed the The 24th May was also a good night second golf major of the year by winfor another SPOTY nominee in Lis- ning the US Open by a remarkable 8 bon, as Gareth Bale helped Real Ma- shots.

For the review of the second half drid beat local rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final, with of 2014, visit our website www.

Sergio Ramos scoring in the dying bathimpactblog.wordpress.com in seconds of the game to force extra the coming weeks.

21

Sport

BUCS Review from back page with a thrilling 54-53 against Gloucestershire being the perfect remedy after the disappointment of losing 72-24 to Southampton 1s the week before.

The lacrosse team also had battles against Exeter, but it was their Devon counterparts who came out on top with defeats for the Bath Men’s 1s and the Women’s 2s. The Table Tennis team readdressed some of the balance with the Men’s 1s claiming a 9-8 victory over the Exeter 1s whilst the Squash Men’s 1s beat the Exeter 2s 4-1. The Squash Women’s 1s better their male club mates result by securing one of the results of the fortnight by beating Southampton 17-0.

The Men’s half of the Rugby Union club enjoyed a successful fortnight of results with the Men’s 1s scoring 8 tries in a 4822 demolition of Bristol and the Men’s 3s beating Exeter 20-18 in a nailbiting encounter. The Men’s 4s secured two victories, scoring 5 tries in a 29-5 victory over their Cardiff counterparts before beating Bristol 3s 24-14. The Men’s 2s recorded the best result of the fortnight though by beating St Mary’s 1s 82-0.

Whilst the majority of sports were battling against other universities, the hockey club were faced with three inter-club battles. All three fixtures were incredibly tight affairs that finished 1-0 with the Men’s 2s beating the Men’s 3s 1-0, the Women’s 3s defeating the Women’s 4s and the Men’s 5s causing an upset with victory over the Men’s 4s. This result sees the 5s move level on points with the 4s at the top of the Western 3A league and completed the perfect fortnight for the team after they beat Cardiff 2s, 4-2 on flicks in the Western Conference Cup in week 7. The Women’s 3s also doubled up by thrashing Bath Spa 1s 15-0 in the cup, narrowly beating the Men’s 2s 14-0 victory over Cardiff 6s.

A much closer fixture saw the Men’s 1s Volleyball team win 2-1 at Swansea whilst the Men’s 1s cricket agonisingly lost 117-116 to Exeter 2s.

Like many of the other clubs, Bath’s golfers and baskeball players both had a mixed fortnight.

The Golf team secured a 4-2 win at Hartpury College but then suffered a narrow 3.5-2.5 defeat to Bournemouth, whilst the Men’s Basketball 1s won 51-45 at Oxford after losing 104-37 at the University of East London.

There are just two weeks of BUCS action remaining before the Christmas break, but many Bath teams are facing home fixtures in this time, so make sure you head around campus give them the support to bring home more BUCS points for the blue and golds.

22

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

Sport

facebook.com/bathimpact

Riding to victory line Touch Rugby victorious Zoe Kennerley Sport Exec Web and Publicity Coordinator

T

Holly Clemens Sport Exec Sports Reporter

Zoe Kennerley

he University of Bath Riding Club have enjoyed a busy schedule right from the start of this semester with the trials for teams taking place in week 2 seeing well over 25 people competing for places on the four teams. The riding club currently has two BUCS teams who have in recent years been very successful with the 1st team finishing in the top 4 at Nationals two years in a row. A development squad also exists to act as a feeder for the BUCS teams in future years and they compete in a friendly league with other universities in the south of England.

The friendly squad kicked off the competition season with 2 matches, one in Brunel and one in Gloucester. The team used skill and experience to take away the win at both with all of the Bath riders being placed individually. The squad will continue to compete throughout the year competing for points in order to win the league.

The 1st team started their BUCS campaign in the middle of November by facing the University of South Wales and Cardiff Met at home. Bath took the lead after the dressage, with beautiful tests coming from all 4 members of the team. The show jumping took Bath even further into the lead with every team member receiving the highest mark on their horse.

A member of the Riding Club’s development squad at Gloucester The final result saw Bath win by a staggering 100 points over second place – an incredibly impressive score for a championship match.

Bath took the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th individual places and with this season looking set to be an exciting one, watch this space for more news and hopefully success from the riding teams.

The recreational side of the club has also got off to a flying start with lessons happening every week at Warminster Saddle club, from beginners to advanced jumping groups there is something for everyone. It’s never too late to join in the fun, contact studentriding@ lists.bath for more information on how to get involved.

of their home pool at the University. Therefore, it was good to see if all this effort was paying off and breeding success.

The overall team performance saw Bath claim 2nd place behind Loughborough, with 277 points.

There were some outstanding individual swims over the weekend with Jay Lelliot, fresh from his exploits over the summer at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games, winning both the 1500m Freestyle (winning

this by over a minute in a time of 14.58.67!) and 400m Freestyle.

Matthew Johnson, who has been training with NTC at Millfield, also had success, winning the 400 Individual Medley (I/M). There were also fantastic swims from some of the freshers with Alexandra Kaye coming 3rd in both of the 200 I/M and 400 I/M, Stephanie Reynolds claiming third with an excellent 100 Backstroke (having sprained her ankle only a few days before!) and Rebecca Swales securing some excellent Breaststroke results, coming 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 50m with personal best times. There were other first year successes with Will Harrison coming 2nd in the 200 Backstroke (weeks after suffering a broken foot) and Anna Hopkin performing heroics in the 50 free, coming 3rd in a very close final with just over a second separating 2nd and 10th.

The relays also brought success for the Bath swimmers with the Girls freestyle team (Anna Hopkin, Katherine Shaw, Rebecca Marshall and Anne Bochmann) gaining 2nd place and the Girls Medley team (Stephanie Reynolds, Rebecca Swales, Anna Hopkin and Rebecca Marshall) coming 3rd.

The Boys team also had success in

The 1st of November saw the 1st South West University Varsity for Touch which was held in Exeter. There were teams representing many universities including Southampton, Bristol and Exeter with a total of 13 teams competing for the right to be called the premier University Touch team in the South West.

Some people reading this may not have heard of this sport before, but it is one of the most rapidly growing sports in the UK, and is a variation on Rugby.

Touch is 6-a-side played with 3 boys and 3 girls on the pitch with rolling subs, and requires players to be fast, agile and highly skilled.

Due to injuries and illnesses, Bath turned up with 12 players for 2 teams, the Panthers and the Hakws, meaning that each player was going to have to play every minute of every game - which is unheard of. Both teams played with outstanding teamwork and dedication with the Panthers narrowly losing 2 games by 1 try in the group stage. They did however record a very convincing win which meant that they were entered into the plate competition. The Hawks went from strength to strength and won

3 games from 3 in their group, soundly putting themselves into the cup semi-final. This meant everything was to play for in the knockout stages.

The Panthers put up a great fight but unfortunately went down to Southampton in the plate semifinal. Meanwhile the University of Bath Hawks faced Exeter 1st team in the semis, and came back from 2 points behind to claim victory. This truly outstanding performance led them to come through and progress to the final.

With no subs the Hawks (plus 1 or 2 of their 1st team) were starting to tire going into the final against Exeter 2s who looked energetic and determined to cause an upset. However in the end Bath's superior playbook, structure and knowledge of the game prevailed, and after playing every minute of every game, the University of Bath Hawks were crowned champions of the 1st South West Varsity Touch tournament.

The success was an amazing achievement for all of the players and showed huge promise for the year ahead. Bath are also due to host the Annual UK Universities Touch tournament on March 7th and the team will be looking to retain their title. Make sure you go down and take a look!

Paddy Ham impactsport Contributor he University of Bath Swimming Club performed superbly in its 1st major competition of the year at the BUCS Short Course Championships at Sheffield in the middle of November. The Swimming team have been through a rough few months with training sessions being relocated to Monkton Combe and Bristol at 5/6 o’clock in the morning due to the redevelopment

Laura Shephard

T

The Bath swimmers claimed 2nd place behind Loughborough

Laura Shephard

BUCS Short Course Championships

A Bath swimmer in action at the short course championships the freestyle relay (James Clark, ming and Chris Alderton provided Miles Munro, Jay Lelliot and War- excellent coaching in the lead up ren Cannon) and in the Medley to the event and provided support relay (Will Harrison, Luke Spain, and guidance for all of the swimJay Lelliot and Warren Cannon) mers over the weekend. The team both getting 3rd place finishes will look to keep this momentum against some very strong teams. going and build on their success There were other fantastic throughout the year. swims across the weekend with For more information on the lots of PBs being achieved and University of Bath Swimming this was a really good acid test for Club, you can visit their bathsthe next competition at the BUCS tudent webpage at www.bathsTeams Regional Round Gala in tudent.com/sport/clubs/SwimNorwich. Coaches Mark Skim- ming/.

Monday 1st December 2014

bathimpact

23

Sport

facebook.com/bathimpact

W

and ready to go. The game started well with Bath in the lead and holding their positions. The home side hit back and at half time the score was 3-3 so everything was to play for. With some wise words from the team captains Mimi Barr and Holly Clemens, the ladies started the next quarter more determined than ever.

The team work paid off and in a nail biting final minute, the University of Bath Ladies finished on top with the final score of 7-6. Despite recording a win the team have lots of things to take forward and work on. The team were looking forward to the yesterday where they were taking on 3 games in 3 hours. It was sure to be a test of endurance and full results of these fixtures can be found online.

The fun didn’t stop there for the ever growing Water Polo club of 75, with the Men’s 1s starting their BUCS season off with back to back games against Southampton at Bath’s current home pool of Millfield. Again with a full team and many spectators decked out in blue and gold, the men’s 1s played a good game Michael Powell

Holly Clemens Sport Exec Sports Reporter eek 8 finally led to the start of the BUCS season for the Water Polo club with both Ladies and Men taking to the stage. The sport, which is described as a big family, has spread its name around campus with the #pololove hash tag, and are more than excited for the busy few weeks of tournaments.

The first BUCS game was for the Men’s 2s and with a full team and a bus of supporters they set off to Swansea in pursuit of a win. In what can only be described as a tough and close game, the boys played well and put in a fight, narrowly missing out with a final score 109. Captain James Sawley said that ‘the gents have learnt some valuable lessons from this match; putting in some decent training over the coming weeks will help us to come out on top next time’.

The Ladies 1st team then took to the stage with an away game against Southampton. The committed and dedicated team left Bath for a late game but in high spirits

Michael Powell

Water Polo record early victories

Bath Men’s Water Polo 1s shared the spoils with Southampton in back-to-back fixtures at Millfield Overall water polo have had an but they couldn’t quite hold back ible improvement in teamwork but Southampton’s attack and the first also communication and positivity. incredible start of the BUCS season game finished with a final score of At half time the team were still on and with numbers for both train11-5 to Southampton. This wasn’t top and the fitness of the boys was ing and socials being higher than going to stop the Bath side though starting to show through and create ever, they are set to have a good and after a motivational speech cracks in the Southampton defence. year. Good luck to all those in the from Captain Josh Smith, the sec- In a tense final quarter the boys teams for upcoming fixtures and if ond game was underway. The team held-on and at full time the score you want to get involved in Water talk had worked wonders and the was 5-3 to Bath, an incredible win Polo email studentwaterpolo@lists. bath.ac.uk. men showed not only an incred- for the team.

Dry Slope Champs 3:Thirty Club Ciaran Ashton impactsport Contributor

O

the club’s freestyle captain Alex Kelly. Longden and Cooke both looked confident on the kicker throwing down rodeo 5’s, 540’s and 700’s.

Unfortunately neither qualified for the finals. Freestyle captain Alex Kelly went big with super man front flips and rodeo 5’s. However he also didn’t qualify for the finals.

In the female races were the club’s president, Ellie Pocock, and new racer Alice MacAulay. Both girls threw themselves down through the gates and both finished in the top 10 against over 150 other female racers, an extremely commendable effort. wastelandski

n the 8th of November the University of Bath’s snow sports team travelled up to Edinburgh for the British University Dry slope Championship (BUDS).

Members from the club competed in ski slalom, giant slalom (GS), Boarder cross, board slalom and dual slalom for both ski and snowboarders.

Bath’s snowboard team faced stiff competition from Cardiff, Harriet Watt, Loughborough and Manchester but they battled extremely hard and were able to win every race. The

race team was made up of Jack Constable, the clubs chair; Dan Ivory, another committee member; Vejiko Mladenovic. a keen racer at Bath for the last two years; and Sonny Rymer-Fleming the clubs ex-president and board captain.

This results meant that the team retained their title of champions from last year and brought home gold once again in dual slalom and saw all four individuals qualify in the individual slalom but miss out on the border cross.

Competing in the big air were skiers Greg Longden, Adam Cooke and

Snowsports freestyle captain Alex Kelly in action at the Dry Slope Championships in Edinburgh

Zoe Ashman impactsport Contributor tarting from next semester, students at the University of Bath will have more chances to play sport.

These new opportunities are thanks to £93,686 of National Lottery funding from the Sport England’s University Sport Activation Fund.

The University of Bath is one of 62 universities to benefit from more than £11 million of funding which is aimed at getting nearly 195,000 more students becomining active by playing sport.

The 3:Thirty club at Bath has driven a comprehensive recreational sport programme which offers students an alternative to BUCS and has dramatically increased student engagement in sport.

In the next three years, fund-

S

ing will aim to encourage students currently not participating in sport to get active and this will be achieved by offering opportunities for students to improve their health and lifestyle by providing a broad range of activities that are inclusive, informal and focussed on fun.

In order to reduce barriers to participation, ‘Pop up’ days will appear around campus which will take activities to students and use unconventional venues and techniques.

The 3:Thirty Workforce Development Officer, Zoe Ashman, will be hosting a discussion about the new 3:Thirty activities on Thursday 4th December at 5.30pm in room CB 4.7.

Students wishing to be involved in the project or propose an idea should attend to help shape the next three years of delivery across the University.

impactsport

Water Polo finally join the BUCS frame page 23

Monday 1st December 2014

BUCS success continues for Bathletes Michael Powell impactsport Editor impact-sport@bath.ac.uk

T

he University Bath’s finest athletes have once again been showing their skills on Wednesday afternoon’s with results seeing Bath move above Edinburgh into 5th place in the BUCS table after week 8 of this semester.

One of the star performers so far this season have been the Badminton Club, led by their Men’s 1s who now have an incredible 48-0 record after 8-0 victories over Southampton and Oxford. The Men’s 2s have also recorded six victories from six matches to leave them top of the Western 1A league

with the Men’s 3s in second. The Women’s 1s are also undefeated following 7-1 and 8-0 victories away to Southampton and Exeter whilst the Women’s 2s remained just 2 points behind Bristol 1s by thrashing Cardiff Met 1s and Gloucestershire 1s. The top two sides will meet at Bath this Wednesday (3rd December) in a match that could decide the destination of the title.

In football, the Men’s 2s made it 4 wins from 4 without conceding a goal with a hardfought 1-0 win away to UWE in the Western 3B league. The Men’s 3s continued their fine form with a 4-0 league victory over Southampton following derby day success against Bath Spa 2s in the Western Conference Cup.

riding

The Women’s 2s secured a pair of 4-0 victories against Cardiff and Southampton to remain top of the Western 3A league, whilst the Women’s 1s eased past Gloucestershire 5-1. However the Men’s 4s suffered a home defeat to Southampton 3s which saw Plymouth 2s replace them at the top of Western 4A league after they recorded a 5-3 victory away to Bristol 3s. The Men’s 1s also had league disappointment, losing 1-0 to varsity rivals Exeter despite beating Cambridge 2-0 the week before to move 6 points clear of the basement club.

The Men’s 2s Tennis also maintained their 100% start to the league season with comfortable home victories over Cardiff Met 1s and

snowsports get involved

Riding Club enjoy busy semester

University of Bath Club take part in BUDS

impactsport’s Zoe Kennerley discusses the evnts the Riding Club have been competing in so far this semester including an incredible 100 point victory for the 1st team in their opening BUCS fixture of the season.

The University of Bath’s Snowsports Club made the long trip to Edinburgh to compete in this years British University Dry slope Championship (BUDS). impactsport’s Ciaran Ashton writes about their fortunes.

e pag

22

Bristol 1s whilst the Men’s 1s matched them with a 10-2 victory at Oxford followed by a 12-0 whitewash at Exeter. The two Women’s team both recorded convincing victories in week 7 followed by dramatic draws in week 8, the 1s in another clash with Exeter and the 2s against Cardiff Met. Yet another Bath team boasting a 100% record so far this year are the Netball 3s, they’re run being extended to 6 games with a 42-28 cup win over Bournemouth 2s and 3419 league victory away to Plymouth 1s. The Netball 1s were also involved in close encounters with a 42-32 loss to Cardiff 1s followed by a 47-41 victory against rivals Exeter. The 2s managed to provide even more drama though Turn to page 21

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

e 23

pag

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.