bathimpact Volume 15 Issue 03

bathimpact The University of Bath Students’ Union Newspaper

Volume 15 Issue 3

Your newspaper. Your news. facebook.com/bathimpact

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bathimpact

Monday 21st October 2013

University employees to walk out over pay rise offer Simon Rushton Editor-in-Chief

O

n 31st October, there are plans for a nationwide strike of higher education staff to take place. This will cover both lecturers and support staff, who are members of some of the countries’ largest trade unions: UNISON, Unite and the University and College Union (UCU).

Union members have voted to walk out over the offer of a 1 per cent pay rise for this year, due to claims by the unions that this has led to a real terms pay cut of 13 per cent since 2008.

Another factor that is forcing the strike action is the discrepancy in pay conditions between many university workers and those of the uni-

versity senior managers. Furthermore, UCU have calculated the average package for a ViceChancellor is £250,000 per annum (p.a). This is almost twice that of the Prime Minister.

Unite national officer for education Mike McCartney summarised his members’ views, saying “on one hand, you have highly paid ViceChancellors travelling the world extolling the virtues of Britain’s universities and drumming up overseas students and foreign funding, yet the staff that keep Britain in the top 10 of the world’s universities face reduced incomes.”

The unions have offered to back down from strike action, according to various conditions.

UNISON have demanded that all staff are paid above the ‘living wage’, which is around £7.50

per hour in regions outside of the capital. This is as compared to the minimum wage, which is currently £6.31 per hour. This will potentially lead to a wage increase of nearly £2,500 p.a. for staff.

The results of the ballots, which closed on the 14th, varied between union with support for strike action varying between 54.4 per cent support from UNISON members, and 64 per cent from Unite members. This industrial action is the first of its kind, as all three unions are attempting to increase the impact of a walk out by joining together.

The Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), the body that set University wages, have told the BBC that 40 per cent of uni-

science comment e 12

Nobel Prizes round-up

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Adam Jackson and Hazel Roberts explain the research which won this year’s series of accolades for contributions to science.

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‘Twas the morning before lectures

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Marsha Kabeleva takes a look at the seemingly mythical status of bus timetables, and laments the various travelrelated troubles facing all University of Bath students.

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US government shutdown comes to an end ~ page 5

versity staff will see an increase of pay of up to 4 per cent. The UCEA have also tried to justify the lack of a pay increase for the other 60 per cent, using a decrease in undergraduate applications since 2011 and the lack of government funding for higher education as factors. The government have also stated that university pay increases will not be allowed to be higher than that of any other private or public sector employees.

UNISON counteract this funding claim, arguing that “the cumulative operating surplus in the higher education sector is now over £1 billion and many higher education institutions have built up cash reserves.” Time will tell whether strike action will go ahead or not and what impact there will be on students.

bite

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A different view on that US shutdown

Check out page 7 of bite for an alternative view on what’s been happening over the other side of the Atlantic - also a thrilling news story on Bath’s landscape

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Monday 21st October 2013

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The pumpkins and the ivy I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year... no, no, not Christmas.

October. October is the current month, punctuated by Halloween at the end and a variety of awful types of weather throughout. It gives way to November, when we have Bonfire Night, and the weather (obviously) gets even nippier. Then, and only then, do we meander into December; the month of Christmas festivities, present-giving, snow, tinsel and trees (and arguably the best 1/12th of the year).

We’re telling you this because it has become almost alarmingly apparent that nobody seems to know when Christmas is. On campus, Fresh is selling mince pies and has been since the start of October. ‘So what?’ you might ask; well, the majority of them go out of date by the start of November. Before Bonfire Night, only shortly after Halloween - a great time to start thinking about eating mince pies, sure, but you shouldn’t be rush-

ing to finish a box before the pastry goes hard on the 2nd. So consider this a public service announcement: put the Christmas crap away and get it out again when the month starts with ‘Nov’.

Out of the campus bubble, Morrison’s are also guilty of the ‘food push’; last night there was a long Christmas advert, aired three times in two hours. It was encouraging people to spend more money now on their weekly shops in order to save £40 on a shop they shouldn’t be thinking about for at least another month.

Planning for your homemade Christmas cake we can understand; they are literally meant to last ages (alcohol is a preservative, three cheers for rum and brandy) but implying that we need to stock up on Yorkshire puddings and pigs in blankets in October is beyond ridiculous.

Town is falling victim to the early Christmas curse as well, with Urban Outfitters presenting a stall of ‘per-

fect gifts’ for the hipsters in your life and a selection of edgy books and outlandish incense stick holders (Ed: we love it really). Superdrug is also offering its Christmas deals, complete with festive red and gold signage all over the shop. Tiny presents on product labels adorn the shelves, but are there hair ties with pumpkins on them? An offer on orange and black nail polish? No. Christmas has come.

Our gripe at bathimpact is that Christmas is becoming less special. If something lasts for almost a quarter of the year, it doesn’t feel so exciting.

Eating mince pies for three months will end with vomiting.

In Bath, we think the only permanent festive fixture should be the one shop near the Abbey (which sells Santa paraphernalia all year round) because we can mark it down to a quirk of this wonderful city. Bonfire Night and Halloween are fantastic, too - surely the businesses in town

(and the world over) could focus on those first? Most students would likely be more keen to concentrate as dressing like ghosts and overdosing on soft drink alternatives before they need to worry about the Secret Santa for their house and whether the snow will endanger their journeys home at the end of term. The patriotism of Bonfire Night should be given more air time, too; who doesn’t want to celebrate a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament?

All in all, we think Christmas should pipe down a bit. We don’t need it right now because we’ve already got enough on our plates. Mass commercialisation isn’t going to help anyone when it’s forcing a now highly Americanised holiday down our throats over two months before the big date. It’s a big chunk of time and there’s plenty of other stuff going on in our little islands. Besides, we all know it’s only really Christmas when you see the Coca-Cola advert.

Fool me once, shame on you S

tudents of Bath, bathimpact comes bearing wonderful news from Liberal Democrat towers.

Nick Clegg has promised not to raise tuition fees to £16,000. We can hear you all sighing in relief.

Higher education funding has, of course, been one of the most divisive issues in this Parliament. We’ve had protests, resignations and the smashing up of Tory HQ. We all know how we’ve ended up here, so bathimpact aren’t going to regurgitate it.

However, let’s put Mr Clegg’s new promise into context. Lest we forget Mr Clegg’s 2010 position, which was that under a Liberal Democratic government, these fair lands would “Say goodbye to broken promises”. Pah. Yes, we have ended up with a coalition Government, so what we seem to get is compromise in smoke filled rooms (democracy in action, kids).

Nevertheless, the whole £9,000 debacle still to this day, with many of Bath’s student body now paying £9,000,

reeks. The Lib Dems, however rightly or wrongly are a party of the establishment now; they can no longer complain from the side lines, not fearing the consequences of what they say.

This latest promise could very well be some last minute tinkering to prevent annihilation in under two years time.

Political parties are never pure, and they will never be perfect. They will never keep all their promises.

Most of us grew up under Labour, who of course promised no tuition fees at all before being the ones to introduce them in the first place. This is not bathimpact calling people naïve to the political system, no; people should expect their politicians to keep to their word. The question is whether we should maybe should all take it with a pinch of salt.

Nick Clegg is different though, isn’t he? He played the political game and won. He seemed like the good egg who would keep all of his promises, but he let us down. The pill of £9,000

fees is always more difficult to swallow when a party seems to make out that free higher education is one of the founding and enduring principles it holds, like Labour and the NHS, or the Conservatives and low taxes.

Higher education funding is an absolute mess. As the UK government has cut the amount of money it gives to universities, they have in turn been forced to increase fees. To the credit of Clegg though, the £9,000 cap which the current government introduced was not recommended by the Browne Review (which said there should be no cap whatsoever).

Whatever the arguments over the fairness of the new system - as far as what you pay, when you pay etc – as far as bathimpact sees it, the hypocrisy of the UK government is clear.

What we have is a government that trumps on about the financial situation, the ‘national debt’, and the benefits of fiscal prudence but yet are willing to see generation after generation

of young people start their lives with a crushing amount of debt to pay back over the rest of their lifetime.

Perhaps this is why Mr Clegg’s £16,000 ‘promise’ seems so empty.

He’s ‘promising’ it in response to the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Andrew Hamilton, who has said that it costs £16,000 per year to educate each student. Professor Hamilton may be perfectly correct, but bathimpact would suggest that the burden to cover the cost of students should be placed back on the state – we are of course, as Mr Clegg’s mate, the Prime Minister likes to remind us, in a ‘Global Race’ which requires young people to have the best skills possible.

We are getting to a point in Britain where the state is shedding all of its responsibilities. It may be higher education first, but what’s next? bathimpact have a promise for Mr Clegg though that we will be keeping; we won’t be voting for his party in 2015.

Bath’s inglorious bustards W

e have an idea for a social experiment. What we’d like to do is gather a few people, hand them a piece of paper with the word ‘buses’ on it and ask them to shout the first few words they think of. We would bet good money that none of the responses would be particularly favourable.

This is interesting, considering the buses are a service that 90 per cent of people on campus use every day out of necessity. This generally means our complaints fall on deaf ears due to lack of options.

Bath has a very particular set of bus-related issues; we don’t suffer from a lack of them – the U18, 18, U10 and X18 run frequently, along with a

couple of extra services to student areas. Unlike previous years, the buses are at a consistent time to suit most people. This brings up one of the major problems people have been facing recently - sometimes buses noticeably don’t turn up. Twice last week, one bathimpact Committee member was stuck at the bus stop for an hour, waiting for two buses that never came and unable to move lest Sod’s Law. At other points, buses had driven past whilst not even being full, seemingly ignoring needful customers who have already paid to board the things for a whole year.

As a result, however, the buses have created a new issue for themselves; due to an influx of complaints

about the lateness, bus drivers seem to have become determined to squash as many people on board as physically possible. Imagine being packed into a gigantic, moving tin-can like you were a sardine, and then being asked to ‘please move up’ so more sardines can join the tinny hell. It’s not the kind of thing you want at twenty to nine in the morning. Or at any time of day, for that matter.

People in final year have been regaling bathimpact with horror stories about the way the buses were two years ago. It has been said on multiple occasions that the buses are far more frequent and (generally) more reliable than they were two years ago. As such, credit is due; the SU has been work-

ing hard to improve relations with the managers of the bus companies, resulting in a doubled frequency of the U10. This has been invaluable for people who live further out in Oldfield, an improvement if there ever was one.

What has been called for by some is the need for a price consensus.

The UniConnect service is generally cheaper than the First service, which means that their buses are much fuller and are the subject of the majority of the issues to do with the bus services at large. Any concessions are generally good, but the services still lack many of the things that we as students are primarily concerned with – mostly, how much it costs. Here’s hoping for more improvement.

The bathimpact team Simon Rushton Editor-in-Chief impact-editor@bath.ac.uk

Tomos Evans Deputy Editor impact-deputy@bath.ac.uk

Ben Hooper bite Editor impact-bite@bath.ac.uk

Helen Edworthy News and Comment Editor impact-news@bath.ac.uk

Tom Ash Features Editor impact-features@bath.ac.uk

Connor McGregor Morton Sport Editor impact-sport@bath.ac.uk

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

Gemma Isherwood Online Editor impact-it@bath.ac.uk

Poppy Peake Publicity Officer impact-publicity@bath.ac.uk

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

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

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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.

On the previous issue's front page we printed that “a lack of communication between accommodation and admissions resulted in the University having more students than it could realistically house”. We also printed that “admissions accepted too many late applications, clearing students and those who had Bath listed as their insurance university”. We have since been informed that these facts were not correct and apologise to the two departments.

Monday 21st October 2013

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expressimpact

Nothing has done more to damage America’s credibility in the world, our standing within the world, than the spectacle that we’ve seen these passing weeks.

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News Lite

updates & events

US President Barack Obama, on the 16-day government shutdown.

UPCOMING EVENT

photo of the fortnight

Windows has released an 8.1 update for its operating systems. The update includes a restoration of the start button, a new desktop mode which will let people entirely avoid the tiled interface, and new keyboard shortcuts to remove the need for onscreen keyboards when using both numbers and letters. The update is intended to capitalise on the growing popularity of tablets in response to the declining sale of desktop computers.

Fortnight in figures

9.2%

The price increase for domestic customers of British Gas

£123

The amount annual household gas bills are expected to rise

Talking Points

Open House Event. All University of Bath students are invited to join the new Chancellor and the Countess of Wessex, in a celebration of Bath’s research, students, and staff through a mix of exhibitions, performance, and participation.

Where: the STV When: Thursday 7th November, 12:304pm

NATIONAL A coroner has pleaded guilty to 24 counts of fraud, totalling £2 million. Mr Alan Crickmore pleaded guilty to stealing money from the estates of dead people, whilst acting as probate. Mr Crickmore had been stealing the money to add to his own ‘piggy bank’. A spokesman has said that Mr Crickmore will likely face a tribunal over his actions, and he was suspended from his post in 2010.

INTERNATIONAL Thousands of French schoolchildren have demonstrated their anger over the expulsion of foreign teenagers, one of whom was not granted asylum in France because of her father. The students staged protests from twenty secondary schools in Paris, and have demanded the sacking of Interior Minister Manuel Vallis.

UPCOMING EVENT Academic Rep Conference. A completely new event for all academic reps, undergraduate and postgraduate. The conference will be a training-style event, and will include both training and topical sessions.

Where: Chancellor’s Building When: Saturday 2nd November

LOCAL

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Bath and North East Somerset council has stated that there is no shortage of business for the 227 shops it has in its estate, as the city’s biggest commercial landlord. Of these 227, only five of the shops B&NES council owns have not been let. This is a 2.2% void rate, in comparison with the national average of 14%.

EDUCATION Leeds County Council bosses have had to step in after learning of a school in Roundhay, Leeds that has been letting children as young as eleven smoke on the school playground. The deputy director for children’s services stated that the council spoke with the school’s new head teacher after the smokers were found.

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‘Earn or Learn’ pledge put forward

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the change is part of an effort to reduce long-term worklessness.

Although these changes have not yet been made clear, it has been confirmed that the government is reviewing its policies for 16 to 25 year olds. Despite not setting out any definite ideas, Mr Cameron promised that the next Conservative manifesto would be written with consideration given to whether the option of spending a lifetime on benefits should exist at all. A Conservative source is quoted as having told the

BBC that the manifesto will definitely include some kind of pledge to end the immediate entitlement to housing benefit for young people. When questioned on BBC Radio 4, Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that policies were already being reviewed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Haywood, and that a report indicating his findings is due at the end of the year. This ‘Haywood Review’ is a government-led examination of the coalition’s strategies to tackle youth unemployment. The

party conference also announced plans to make the long-term unemployed take part in work placements, in order to continue receiving their benefits.

The Conservatives have been accused by Labour of having a ‘desperate’ lack of ideas, after Mr Cameron described a need to fix the economic ‘mess’ left by the previous Labour government. A Labour spokesman claimed that the Conservatives should be backing their ‘youth jobs guarantee’ should they want to get Phillie Casablanca

Jess Elliott bathimpact Contributor new policy suggested by David Cameron at the Conservative party conference in Manchester is being billed as a means of ‘preparing school leavers for a tougher world’.

The so-called ‘Earn or Learn’ pledge has been drafted in response to the latest figures released by the Department of Work and Pensions, showing that 1.09 million people between the ages of 16 and 24 are not in work, education or training. The aim of the pledge is to cut benefits for the under 25’s in order to push them into either finding a job or re-entering the educational system. Mr Cameron promised to ‘nag and push and guide’ young people away from a lifetime spent on benefits during a speech at the Conservative party conference.

According to the Prime Minister, ‘it is still possible to leave school, sign on, find a flat, start claiming housing benefit and opt for a life on benefits.

It’s time for bold action here.’ Mr Cameron used his speech to criticise reliance on benefits, declaring instead that we should give young people a ‘clear, positive choice’. There were, however, indications that there could be exemptions for people coming out of the care system, and possibly also for single mothers. Overall,

The ‘Earn or Learn’ pledge is being billed as preparation for school leavers for a tougher world

young people off benefits.

In addition, unions and charities have warned that benefit cuts could potentially harm the worst-off in society, thus having a negative effect on the life chances of young people. Charlotte Hill, chief executive of UK Youth, described the youths who need to claim benefits as both the ‘most marginalised’ and ‘most deserving’, suggesting that the new policy would have a serious negative impact upon the lives of these young people. A spokeswoman for the Prince’s Trust claimed that housing benefit can be a ‘lifeline’ for some young people, going on to express concern that removing such benefits would ‘make it harder, not easier, for young people to find jobs’. The director of policy at Centrepoint, Balbir Chatrik, warned that removing housing benefit may lead to higher levels of homelessness, and suggested a problem with the government ‘demonising’ young people.

During the Conservative party conference, Mr Cameron also used his speech to suggest that the government had plans to increase the number of technical colleges in the country. In order to improve vocational learning for young people, Cameron speculated having ‘one of those colleges in every single major town’.

Helen Edworthy News and Comment Editor

On 1st November, applications for the next round of Alumni Fund grants will be opened for a multitude of societies, sports clubs, activities, and academic departments. The applications will also be opened for students in need of scholarships or bursaries to aid their education. The University of Bath Alumni Fund works through the help of a network of donors, as well as through students who personally donate. The Alumni Fund also receives money through the sale and purchase of the Freshers' Week wristbands. The Alumni Fund has been actively raising money since 2004.

Through the academic year 2012-2013, the Alumni Fund was supported by 1660 individual donors and students, as well as through the employment of students in two annual 'telethons', during which time the employed students call donors from the UK, Europe and North America. The spring 2013 telethon saw the raising of the highest single campaign amount at £125,000, with the overall raised amount for the year being £280,000.

The fund supports a variety of different causes through its charitable giving. For example; in 2012-13, £315,000 was awarded for various grants, including £20,000 to sports clubs, £8000 to

various societies, and £100,000 towards the new Centre for the Arts, which has replaced the Arts Barn.

The fund also awarded £100,000 to the Student Centre in 2010, as well as giving money towards improved coaching and equipment for sports clubs including basketball, rowing, triathlon, and lifesaving. American football, canoeing, and sailing were also awarded money for new equipment.

As well as awarding money to student activities, clubs and sports, the Alumni Fund also awarded £150,000 to departments across the university in the last academic year, to aid research and to buy equipment. In the departments of physics and mechanical engineering, this money went towards research on the Leidenfrost effect, where an experiment was conducted to make water run uphill.

Research grants were also given to final year aeronautical engineering students, to enable them to build a human-powered aircraft, as well as to biology and biochemistry for research into stem cells. As well as this, the Alumni Fund is the body that pays for all of the coloured Freshers' Week t-shirts for each residential hall.

The Alumni Fund actively encourages people to donate at any time of year, whether they are current undergraduates, postgraduates, or people who attended Bath over thirty years ago.

Imogen Ware bathimpact Contributor Information of Bath’s £14 million ‘Sawclose’ development has been released this week, with an expected opening date of Summer 2016.

The highly anticipated new leisure quarter boasts a pedestrianised space aiming to remove most traffic from the Theatre Royal area, as well as al fresco dining experiences, a 148-bedroom hotel, and Bath’s first casino.

The casino has already been granted a provisional license by Global Gaming Ventures, with a 12 month deadline period. This means that the firm has until February 2014 to convert the provisional license into a premises license. The agreement terms include the formation of 80 full time casino jobs, with a council spokesman announcing: ‘A casino will bring substantial economic benefits to the area, including the regeneration of a part of the city centre.’ Bath’s first casino will take the place of the current Gala Bingo centre.

Developer Deeley Freed expects the project to create 116 jobs, whilst demolishing several buildings in the process. The extensive designs have been drawn up by Bath based Aaron Evans Architects, and will see the demolition of the kiosk, one and two Bridewell Lane, the Regency garage and the former clinic building. The Market pub will also close, and the northern rear extension to the Gala Bingo hall will make way for a new modern fourstorey building despite the hall being a Grade II listed building.

bathimpact

Alumni Fund Bath casino plans unveiled bids opened

Part of the development plan includes removal of car parks Planning consultant Chris Hays confirmed more than 150 members of public attended a summer exhibition on the plans, stating that ‘the proposals have been worked up and refined over a long period of time, with input from the Council’s technical officers, local interest groups and businesses, and the wider public. This process has been invaluable in ensuring that we put forward a development scheme that is sen-

sitive to the historic environment and a good fit with neighbouring uses. The scheme represents an important investment in Bath’s City Centre, rejuvenating a key central space and delivering new uses that will underpin Bath’s entertainment and leisure sector.’

A formal decision on the plans will be made in February 2014,

by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

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The United States of obstinence T

he United States Federal Government is tasked once a year with passing a budget before the 1st of October. This is a necessary task, otherwise the budget from the previous fiscal year ends, and the government loses its funding. Normal practice is for Congress to have failed to pass the new budget by this point, and what is instead passed is a ‘continuing resolution’ to allow the government to continue using the previous budget so that everything still functions as it was. This is generally agreed as being the best solution for when something hasn’t managed to pass.

However, this year the US Government failed to pass the ‘continuing resolution’. The two chambers of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) failed to agree on a compromise for a continuing resolution, with the Republican-led House offering a continuing resolution which defunded or delayed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as ‘Obamacare’ (passed in 2010, ratified by the Supreme Court, and having withstood over 40 attempts by the Republicans to repeal it). The Senate refused this compromise, on the basis that the continuing resolution isn’t meant for repealing the biggest healthcare reform the United States has ever seen. As such, the Senate removed this clause from their version, which meant the two houses couldn’t reconcile the bill.

This then led to a lapse in funding for the US Government, causing a

government shutdown to take effect.

The Republicans argued that the Democrats refused to negotiate on the issue, and they were being obstinate and stubborn. The Democrats argued in response that the Republicans were effectively trying to hold the government to ransom, and that they weren’t going to negotiate on this.

Presenter of ‘The Daily Show’, Jon Stewart, chose to comment on the situation, comparing it to a scenario where ‘everyone chips in to go to the store to get some milk, eggs and bread. But you don’t like eggs,

you think they’re a commie plot to socialise healthcare, but it’s an unfortunate part of living in a country of people who aren’t you. So you decide that you’re not going to buy eggs. And then people complained that they passed a law to buy milk, bread and eggs. The Supreme Court upheld that shopping list. So you decide to burn down the shop.’

Analysts at Standard & Poor’s have said on Wednesday that the shutdown has knocked approximately $1.5 billion off US economic output per day, with the total US nominal output last year being about $16 trillion. In two weeks of

the shutdown, the estimated percentage knocked off the US Q4 GDP was 0.6%.

However that isn’t the whole story. As with many countries, the US Government functions slightly beyond its means and runs a budget deficit, the difference between what they spend and what they take in in tax, but to do this the US Government has to be granted permission from the treasury to raise the ‘debt ceiling,’ the amount of debt they can have, so that they can continue borrowing.

However, on Thursday 17th October they would have reached Larry1732

Nicholas West bathimpact Contributor

The US Government has re-opened after 16 days of wrangling between the Congress and the President

that limit, been unable to borrow, and then been left with a $560 billion per annum (or $46 billion per month) gap in their budget, at which point the government would have had a choice between defaulting on its debts or immediately cutting spending by that amount, roughly equivalent of wiping out the entire defence department, two thirds of social security, or Medicaid, unemployment insurance, food assistance and veteran benefits combined.

What’s worse is that the way the treasury works, in that it’s almost all automated, it wasn’t clear if they could priorities bills or if they’d simply be paid in the order that they came in. This could mean that interest on treasury bonds might not have been paid, putting the US debt in default which could have crippled the global economy, as US bonds have always been considered rock solid.

Eventually, after much wrangling on the 16th - mere hours before the deadline - the Senate voted 81:18 and the House 285:144 to refund the government until 15th January and extend the federal borrowing limit until 7th February with the only apparent concession to the Republicans being the addition of more thorough income checks for those registering insurance exchanges. Barack Obama said on Thursday 17th, the day that the Federal Government reopened for business that the shutdown and threat of default had inflicted “completely unnecessary damage to the economy.”

Anthony Masters bathimpact Contributor listair Carmichael has supplanted Michael Moore as the Secretary of State for Scotland in a wide and shallow reshuffle of Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers.

The Labour party also reshuffled their team ahead of Parliament reconvening. Bath MP Don Foster moved from an undersecretary role at the Department of Communities and Local Government to become Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, replacing Mr Carmichael. Don Foster’s previous undersecretary role has also been taken by Stephen Williamson.

In reaction to his sacking, Michael Moore said he was ‘disappointed’, but that the retention of the United Kingdom was ‘bigger than any one individual or party’. Mr Moore said he believed those who wish Scotland to stay within the UK were ‘winning the argument’. Norman Smith, the BBC’s chief political correspondent, believed the change was due to David Cameron and Nick Clegg wanting a ‘more combative figure’ as Secretary of State for Scotland in the year up to the Scottish referendum.

Ben Sutherland

Coalition and shadow cabinets reshuffled

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In one of the biggest moves, Jeremy Browne – the popular Home Office minister – was sacked, with former Transport minister Norman Baker being installed in his place, and Robert Goodwill has taken the vacated position of Transport minister. Nick Clegg, writing to Mr Browne, wrote that it was ‘always very difficult to move colleague out of Government’, adding ‘I have always been keen that we provide the opportunity for as many in our ranks as possible to contribute their skills to ministerial office.’ The Taunton Deane MP said he was still supportive of the government, but

warned against ‘lapsing into transactional trade-offs and deferring decision-making’ Prime Minister David Cameron eschewed making changes to Conservatives in the Cabinet, but provided promotions and demotions in more junior positions. A number of Conservative ministers resigned over the weekend, anticipating this reshuffle.

Esther McVey has been appointed employment minister, rising up the ranks at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), and Mike Penning has been appointed Minister of State at the DWP. An-

drew Robathan takes Mr Penning’s role as Northern Ireland minister.

Sajid Javid, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, has also risen in his department, now being appointed as Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Conservative MP for Loughborough Nicky Morgan has left the job as assistant whip to replace Mr Javid as Economic Secretary at HM Treasury.

Anna Soubry has moved departments: from health to defence, whilst Jane Ellison has taken the position of undersecretary in the Department of Health. Amber Rudd, Gavin Barwell and Claire

Perry have taken jobs as assistant whips, as current assistant whips Karen Bradley and Sam Gyimah are promoted to Whips (Lord Commissioners). Weston-superMare MP John Penrose has also begun his job of assistant whip.

Mark Prisk has left the government, opening the Communities Minister position for Kris Hopkins, Conservative MP for Keighley. Liberal Democrat Baroness Kramer has received her first governmental job as Junior Transport Minister, as the Conservative MP Simon Burns drops out of government. Helen Grant’s former position as Junior Justice Minister has been filled by Shailesh Vera.

George Eustice has accepted the brief of Fisheries Minister, succeeding Richard Benyon.

Matthew Hancock has risen within the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), gaining the position of Minister of State for Skills & Enterprise, now working jointly with BIS and the Department for Education. Gavin Williamson is now the Prime Minister’s new Private Parliamentary Secretary. Desmond Swayne has been appointed as Senior Whip, whilst Baroness Jolly and Lord Bates are now whips in the House of Lords.

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The conspiracies of Norman Baker Anthony Masters bathimpact Contributor he appointment of Norman Baker to the role of Home Office minister has received avid press attention, since Mr Baker authored The Strange Death of David Kelly.

The 2007 book asserted weapons expert Dr David Kelly had not committed suicide but was

sible fact which shatters the ‘official’ version of events and leaving behind more sinister possibilities in its wake. In the JFK assassination the impossible facts were the time taken to fire three shots and the second shot’s trajectory – the ‘magic bullet’. The time between the first and third shots was actually 7.1 seconds, rather than 5.6 seconds, and forensic analysis of

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murdered by an Iraqi hit squad; their actions hidden by British spies. Both the Daily Mail and the Guardian are suggesting Baker should not be denounced as a conspiracy theorist, so it is worth examining what Baker wrote.

David Aaronovitch points out in his book Voodoo Histories that conspiracy theories usually rely upon a ‘magic bullet’, an impos-

Norman Baker has been appointed to the Minister of State Home Office in the recent reshuffle

Oswald’s shots showed they were quite probable.

Dr Kelly worked for the Ministry of Defence; an unauthorised discussion with BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan on Iraq intelligence dossiers led to Kelly being thrust into public view. Two days after potentially misleading a parliamentary committee, Kelly’s body was found in woodland near his home. Pathologists attributed his death to a severed left ulnar artery, atherosclerosis and coproxamol tablets.

Baker’s method is to assert, speculate and insinuate to the reader until probabilities are inverted; likely events seem inconceivable and very unlikely events become inexorable. The magic bullet is fired when Baker claims that it is ‘clinically impossible for Dr Kelly to have died at his own hand in the manner described’.

He provides five reasons to believe this statement: Kelly’s mental state, Janice Kelly’s health, his Bahá'í faith, the lack of a suicide note and the method itself.

Baker stridently asserts: ‘People about to kill themselves do not generally first book an airline ticket for a flight they have no intention of taking.’ Pop psychology rattles around this claim, vacuous without evidence, as suicidal people supposedly avoid future planning. Similar efforts are made with Janice Kelly’s health: ‘It is hardly likely… he would want to exacerbate matters in the worst possible way for his wife’. The relationship between Dr Kelly and

his wife are private, upon which Baker pontificates through false omniscience.

Kelly’s Bahá'í faith ‘strongly outlaws suicide’. It would be a wonderful world if religious adherents strictly obeyed moral commandments. Aaronovitch notes Baker neglects that the faith says a person who commits suicide ‘will be immersed in the ocean of pardon’. Baker states suicide notes are “very common”, yet the 2005 book Psychiatry, authored by Geller et al, estimates only one in six suicides leave notes. After Baker makes many insinuations about Kelly not being the suicidal ‘type’, he quickly brushes off that Kelly’s own mother had committed suicide. Baker states: ‘It is extremely difficult to kill yourself by cutting your wrists.’ This wasn’t the suicide method because it ignores the co-proxamol tablets, withdrawn in 2007 for causing 300-400 fatal overdoses each year.

From the ruins of this ‘impossible’ suicide Baker then relies on an unspecified number of unnamed persons ‘well-connected to the CIA’. He then uses this to construct his theory that Dr Kelly was murdered by an unnoticed injection of ‘succinylcholine or something similar’ from two ‘not very well-paid hired hands’.

It is undoubtedly true Mr Baker believes in a conspiracy theory surrounding Dr Kelly’s death.

Whilst it is easy, even necessary, to laugh about his appointment, this is a disturbing move for him to be moved to the Home Office.

Marsha Kabeleva bathimpact Contributor

W

ith the university term having now well and truly begun, and with everybody slowly coming round to the idea of early mornings and deadlines, one would hope that getting to campus would be a smooth and simple process.

However, one morning, after waiting 25 minutes for my 10:46 bus, it dawned on me that it had simply decided not to appear. It then also dawned on me that I would be missing my stats lecture and that the UniConnect buses were not running smoothly that day. Or, in fact, at all.

If you are not a Fresher living on campus, you will already be well acquainted with our bus system and the ThorpePark-esque queues witnessed at Brougham Hayes in the morning. Last year these were improved upon slightly with the introduction of the X18, which cuts the town part out of the route.

This year the U10 is now timetabled twice an hour, which is great news for those of us that live further from Oldfield

Park. Despite this, however, completely full buses far before town remains very much a problem for those within the town centre and beyond, and Oldfield residents continue to unnecessarily experience the nightmarish rush hour traffic jams while packed like sardines. Yet none of these issues take the cake for the most enraging and pressing transport complaint: namely, that the timetable appears to be as fictional as a Harry Potter book.

After my non-existent U10 bus debacle, the obvious thing to do (apart from going back to bed, hung-over and defeated) was to talk to my peers to see if they’d had similar experience with Wessex Connect. Maybe I’d been caught in a freakish accident involving an abducted bus driver?

Perhaps there was a flower show in Southdown that day and traffic was hellish? Not so; upon discussion it became obvious this was happening regularly, and to everyone.

People have found themselves waiting half an hour in town for a service that was promised every 10 minutes or having to walk up the hill after realising that hitchhiking would probably have more

success than waiting at Bathwick.

Paying for a taxi to an important lecture has unfortunately had to become an option following another U10 no show, which is the worst if you live far down the U10 route and have no other choice of bus.

One 3rd year sociologist commented that they waited 50 minutes for a bus in Oldfield, and after waiting for another bus in town ended up waiting another 40 minutes in town for a bus to campus. They also commented that the worst part was this didn’t even occur at peak time. Indeed, if any other business routinely provided such a poor service, people would simply stop using them and find a better alternative.

Maybe it’s because we’ve already paid £180 for an annual pass, or because we’re students (so obviously don’t deserve respect or the privilege of getting to our classes on time), or don’t have the time or the fitness of an athlete to trek from doorstep to the dreaded Bathwick Hill and upward. The point is, there is no justification for such a sorry bus service, and I really hope for all our sakes that they sort it out.

Preferably by 8:41am tomorrow.

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Monday 21st October 2013

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he other morning whilst pleasuring myself with British bacon and black pudding to the thought of the reanimated corpses of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, I was struck by a horrifying thought.

Immigrants have been sufficiently stigmatised thanks to The Daily Mail and The EDL, and gay people have been sufficiently stigmatised thanks to The Daily Mail and Christianity, but what about gay immigrants? Is it sufficient for them to be discriminated against for the two individual things, or do we need a combined prejudice.

Hatred squared so to speak. As I let my indignant fury guide my full English climax I couldn’t help but think something had to be done, and thankfully the government has answered my calls by asking asylum seekers to physically prove they’re gay before being accepted into the country.

A recent report by The Home Affairs Committee found that gay and lesbian people had been asked to provide evidence of ‘highly personal sexual activity’ in their application for asylum, clearly going far beyond a common sense process and straying into the realms of completely degrading.

The report stated that asylum seekers were facing ‘extraordinary obstacles’ in trying to persuade the judiciary of their case, a fact that gay rights group Stonewall has quite rightly con-

“

Regardless of context, the government deciding if a person is gay or not on anecdotal evidence, what films they watch, or what nightclubs they might visit is ridiculous. Your sexuality is a fundamental part of who you are as a person, and attempting to distil this into a few features and traits is an incredibly narrow minded approach towards the situation. To say you’re gay, therefore you must like X and Y, whilst enjoying Z, is exactly the type of stereotyping and persecution people will be trying to avoid in their own countries.

This is a relatively new change in process; the previous system had an emphasis on ‘voluntary discretion’ so that claimants could conceal their sexuality in order to avoid abuse, and should be overturned immediately. It further contributes to an overly bureaucratic and complex process which has resulted in a backlog of 32,600 cases remaining unresolved since 2011, whilst the number of applicants still waiting for an initial decision had risen 63 per cent since last year.

However, whilst this is an issue, the failure to treat applicants - many of whom are in vulnerable or dangerous situations - with a basic amount of dignity and respect by questioning them as if they are guilty of something is a far worse reflection on our border agency and government.

Sadly, this is only one instance of many Home Office measures that have come under fire recently, such as ‘The Racist Vans’ driving around areas

These individuals who might have been tortured, raped and even killed in their own countries are facing further prejudice and discrimination from our government

demned as ‘distressing’. These individuals who might have been tortured, raped and even killed in their own countries are facing further prejudice and discrimination from our government, thereby prolonging and intensifying an already complex and stressful process. How does it look when before people are even part of a society containing the likes of Tommy Robinson and Paul Dacre, they have to be personally and inappropriately questioned in this way?

Other claimants don’t have to go to such measures to prove their need for asylum, and when a person’s life may rest on the decision this discrimination becomes even more unacceptable.

”

of high ethnic diversity with the slogan “Go Home or face arrest” written on the side, as well as the sending of intimidating texts telling people to ‘Get Out’ (these texts have already drawn over 200 formal complaints from people receiving them incorrectly).

At best, these policies are clumsy blunders from an incompetent Minister who should be fired, at worst they’re racist and offensive policies from an incompetent Minister who should be fired. Britain has a strong tradition of granting asylum and it’s a shame to see it marred like this, but the real tragedy is the countless people who will suffer because of it.

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Immigration Bigotry

The island of Lampedusa is the southernmost point of Italy, and its closest neighbour is Tunisia

The gate to Europe

Alexandra Egan bathimpact Contributor n 4th October, Europe was saddened yet not shocked by the deaths of over 350 African migrants off of the coast of Lampedusa.

Seen as ‘the gate to Europe’, the Mediterranean island has witnessed many fatalities with the 17, 000 - 20, 000 people who have perished during the past 20 years.

Many African citizens embark on the dangerous journey across the tempestuous sea in overcrowded fishing boats and rubber dinghies, knowing that there is a good chance they will never make it to their final destination.

After a boat carrying hundreds of migrants caught fire about 1 km off the coast of Lampedusa, it capsized and trapped hundreds of people inside. There were 155 survivors who managed to be saved by the Italian authorities, but twice as many perished.

I was shocked when just over a week later, another vessel made it into the headlines after it capsized, carrying yet more migrants over from Africa who were attempting to make a new life in Europe. According to the Italian and Maltese authorities, 27 people died.

The majority of the migrants come from Eritrea, Somalia, and Syria. Lampedusa, being Italy’s southernmost point, is actually closer to North Africa than to the Italian mainland, and is seen as a gateway of possibility.

The paradox is whether the way to Lampedusa is either an idyllic channel to a better life, or a vast watery coffin. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat eerily

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describes the Mediterranean as a ‘cemetery’ at a news conference in the Maltese capital of Valletta.

This comes shortly after the most recent capsizing and further encourages a necessary EU response.

An interesting take on the events came in the form of Pope Francis, who described it as vergogna. Translated initially into ‘tragedy’, it possibly translates better as ‘shame’. The Pope’s choice of words is by no means mistaken, and implies that what has been happening in the Mediterranean is preventable. They also imply that we, as Europeans, should assume some responsibility for the tragic loss of life.

I think Pope Francis has a point. Something should have been done to prevent these kinds of tragedies or ‘shames’. What, however, will solve the problem?

I do not believe that a technical, hard-line response is the answer.

Neither an EU driven effort to tighten border controls, nor increased patrolling of the Mediterranean to prevent migration are likely to help the situation. This will inevitably drive even more people into the criminal and ever-growing human smuggling business as well as increase the number of dangerous attempts to cross the Mediterranean for a socalled ‘new life’.

I think the question we need to ask ourselves is why these people are willing to make the dangerous journey across to Europe and how we should respond from there.

We are presented with a humanitarian crisis that desperately needs addressing. As such, I believe we need a humanitar-

ian, European response to try and help these people who have been robbed of their country by dictators and tyrants.

What is difficult is how we should go about intervening.

Without trying to offend, I believe that there can be xenophobia within the UK concerning migration, and I do understand some of the worries people have. What I do not understand is peoples’ willingness to do nothing, spurred on by the assumption that it is ‘not their problem’. These situations are humanity’s problem at large, and the solution needs to go back to the root to be solved as soon as possible.

Perhaps to go about this, the EU and UN need to work together to institute a systematic process for relocating refugees from these impoverished countries to the West, in orderto decrease the number of unofficial crossings of the sea and to diminish tragedies like Lampedusa.

Another idea could be to tackle the root cause through a just settlement of colonial debts. Many of these countries were colonised and occupied by force, exploited of their resources and drained of any wealth by European nations.

As a result, many of these countries are now unable to be economically self-sufficient. At the same time, we need to ask the difficult question of when intervention becomes war. It is also widely believed that European countries cannot just open the floodgates to migrants due to their own economic and social reasons, and throwing money at the situation and expect it to get better.

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Ramiye Thavabalasingam

bathimpact Contributor fter a rather decisive win for the Christian Democrats in the elections last month, it seems clear that the German chancellor will be sticking around for a while yet. Which begs the question: is Angela Merkel really the most powerful woman in the world?

Merkel’s reputation across the globe varies greatly; in parts of the European Union, her name has become synonymous with austerity, with posters of her in Greece sometimes defaced with a Hitler moustache. However, it seems she is rather well received across Germany. Considering incumbent governments within Europe haven’t had the best of luck in elections during the economic crisis, the CDU’s landslide victory of 41.5% of the vote in September suggests that the German people are satisfied with the chancellor whom they often regard as ‘Mutti’ or ‘Mum’. Irrespective of how Merkel is perceived, she is certainly becoming a household name across Europe, if not the world.

But for a politician whose campaign slogan read ‘Keine Experimente’, or ‘no experiments’, is Angela Merkel really making use of all her power? Her role in global politics, particularly in Europe, may not be up for debate; but within Germany itself, one could argue her power hasn’t

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The most powerful woman in the world?

quite reached its potential. Hardly any of the aims outlined in her manifesto were actually accomplished last term. Arguably her only radical move so far has been her decision to close all of Germany’s nuclear power stations by 2022, and that was only due to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011. So it is difficult to describe the German chancellor as the most powerful woman in the world when her cautious approach limits her abil-

ity to implement change within the country she runs.

And let us not forget Angela Merkel’s stance on foreign affairs – the German chancellor’s recent position on the conflict in Syria suggests that her government is trying to distance itself from the issue, with Germany being the only European country at last month’s G-20 summit to reject a joint declaration on the Syrian crisis (although Merkel did eventually

change her position to a certain degree). This decision was heavily influenced by the upcoming election, with opinion polls showing that two thirds of Germans disagreed with an international military intervention against Syria. Germany seems to be reluctant to acknowledge its significance in global politics, and this attitude is limiting Merkel’s ability to use her power at an international level.

Regardless of Merkel’s position

in the world, there are several other female politicians in contention for the title of ‘most powerful woman in the world’, Dilma Rouseff undeniably being one of them. The Brazilian president has become a major power in the past two years, with the growth of Brazil’s economy now making the country a serious player in the global market. Rouseff is still in her first term in office however, so she is likely to become a leading woman in the political sphere, as long as she remains popular amongst Brazilians.

Other leading women in politics include: the managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde; Michelle Obama; and Sonia Gandhi, the President of the Indian National Congress.

Furthermore, if Hilary Clinton were to successfully run for US President in 2016 she would, most definitely, become not only the most powerful woman in the world, but simply the most powerful person.

Angela Merkel’s significance on a global level is undeniable; her leadership within the EU has kept the Eurozone together and prevented Greece from having to leave the Euro completely. Even if gender is taken out of the equation, the German chancellor comes second only to Barack Obama in the Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people and is the only woman in the top ten. Does all of this make her the most powerful woman in the world? Probably.

won the annual Confucius Peace Prize for Peacemaker of the Year based on his criticism of NATO’s military engagement in Libya.

While he is evidently unafraid of standing against the United States and the West, with regard to Syria, Putin’s role as the main supplier of weapons to Bashar al Assad’s regime should not be overlooked.

Assad, the Syrian president, has been accused of many crimes against humanity, and more than 110,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.

One might question why Putin is advocating peaceful diplomatic means while arming the aggressor.

The list of human rights abuses under Putin is extensive. Torture and other ill treatment are alleged to have taken place in his country, while forced and suspicious disappearances have been reported, in addition to the murder of a large number of journalists and human rights activists. Existing activists are at risk of harassment and physical intimidation. The neglect and violation of children’s and women’s rights are not uncommon, together with the discrimination against and murders of people of ethnic minorities, and the violation of gay rights, to name but a few. Furthermore, many will point to the violations in the wars in Chechnya and Georgia, with the Russian government failing to be held accountable for countless human rights abuses.

The LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersex) community has recently been subject to further risk of harassment and attack, due to Putin’s legislation banning the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors”, which has angered LGBTI and human rights communities all across the world, resulting in widespread international support for the Russian LGBTI community.

The clampdown on the rights to freedom of expression and associ-

ation was exemplified shortly after Putin’s return to the presidency in May 2012, when members of feminist punk group Pussy Riot were imprisoned after walking into Moscow’s main Orthodox Cathedral to perform a protest song entitled ‘Virgin Mary, redeem us of Putin’. Interestingly, many Russian officials, including the Justice Minister, have condemned the imprisonment of the women.

Putin’s efforts to block Western nations from intervening in Syria and to instead use diplomatic

means are indeed commendable.

If the Syrian crisis is resolved or even noticeably moves towards progression as a result of Putin’s efforts, perhaps he will be deemed somewhat worthy of the prize.

However, with a stained track record of human rights abuses and violations, if he does win it will irrefutably spark heated controversy more so than ever before, and the plausibility of the prize will no doubt be questioned. Could we possibly compare this man to the likes of Auug San Suu Kyi?

Hannes Grobe

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Marral Shamshiri bathimpact Contributor

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ussian president Vladimir Putin has been nominated for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination came from Russian advocacy group, The International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation, praising Putin for stopping Western nations from launching an air strike on Syria earlier this year.

President Putin’s name has been put forward as he ‘actively promotes settlement of all conflicts arising on the planet’, according to the advocacy group.

Indeed, the former KGB agent played a vital role in preventing Obama’s drive for military action against Syria; many argue that intervention would inevitably spill into the region and blow out into a larger scale war. Thus, Putin’s efforts and Russia’s use of the veto to restrain the United States from a strike should be viewed in a positive light.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a prestigious award for outstanding contributions to peace, undoubtedly the subject of controversies due to its inevitable political nature. Nobel Peace Prize laureates include Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Aung San Suu Kyi, and more recently Barack Obama and the European Union, both of whom were indeed subject to contention.

The nomination is not the Russian president’s first accolade for peaceful efforts. In 2011, Putin

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What has Putin done for peace?

Russian president Vladimir Putin, former KGB chief and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, takes aim

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Business

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Economics of... Freedom of Speech

Our acrimonious analyst takes a neoliberal look at expression ians alike opportunistically call for a review on media standards and an apology from the paper. Both of these things are wrong.

Freedom of speech is a valuable commodity, one which many people in the developing world pay a high price for. Whilst in the UK, journalis-

Tom Ash Features Editor f you read Tom Gane’s review in bite last issue, you will be aware that he and I were fortunate enough to attend a screening of Beeban Kidron’s ‘In Real Life’, a docufilm about the role of the internet on society, and the subsequent panel discussion. Despite the documentary’s very insightful evaluation of the social effects of the internet, the single idea that stayed in my mind above all others was that ninety per cent of the world’s data has been created in the past two years.

Such rapid growth does not come to pass without some serious investment from the private sector, and as such we can safely assume that data is a valuable and ultimately profitable resource.

Even if financial return is not immediately forthcoming, it is clear from the floatation and sale of social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter that investors perceive long-term economic benefit from the ownership of the internet.

If there really is any immediate return to be made from the big websites, particularly the social media giants which are free at the point of use, then it is by means of advertising revenues. In order to maximise the profits of advertising, it needs to be both targeted and relevant to the person viewing it. Thus a constant and com-

prehensive flow of user data has quickly become the lifeblood of any successful online advertising scheme.

With this in mind, it is perhaps most sensible to regard the purchase of social media sites such as Youtube, Facebook and (very soon) Twitter as the acquisition of immense, ever-growing databases. It is the users’ data which is the ultimate prize, rather than the website itself which collates it. This data can then be traded not just for straightforward financial gain but, more interestingly, for services and benefits in kind.

Software developers enhance Facebook’s offering through the provision of apps in return for the right to gather users’ information.

Google and other search engines have long since latched on; they offer improved presence in their search returns to websites, in exchange for said sites hosting the scripts which allow their trawling software to function. Google in particular is able to develop a very complete profile of internet users, using data gathered through their trawling activities combined with information from individuals’ Google accounts. If you have ever wondered how the adverts on Youtube seem so well personalised for you, it is because Google “literally know you better than you know yourself”, as one IT developer puts it in Beeban Kidron’s film.

Of course, this data is all legally

tic malpractice may receive a slap on the wrist and a modest fine, a journalist in Mexico may find their decapitated head hanging from a bridge merely for writing the ‘wrong’ thing about the ‘wrong’ gang.

In his book Frontiers of Legal Freedom, Richard Posner creates

the idea of a ‘speech market’, one which allows for the ‘very wide ambit for freedom of speech, even for unpopular and hateful opinion’. As any neoliberal will argue, free markets produce not just stability but also competition. One thing which makes democracies so great is the ideoChristian Guthier

The human mind is a cesspit of sordid and inappropriate thoughts which, if collected, would quite likely breach every taboo established in modern society. It is a basic instinct, for one reason or another, to act intolerant and cautious of outsiders; to think about reproduction and form impulsive judgements which may seem rational at first.

Thank goodness, therefore, that through increasingly heightened reasoning and social conditioning, we have developed the ‘filter’. This enables our brain to sift through any bad thoughts and efficiently produce ‘good thoughts’. My filter acts at a considerably lower level than the majority of people (perhaps even close to that of a sociopath), but most human beings have come to the conclusion that black does not mean bad, gay is not a perversion and immigrant does not mean stranger. There is, however, one institution that desperately needs to mature its filter to the level of that of the modern man. I am talking, of course, about the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail is one of Britain’s most influential ‘news’papers. With around 2 million readers and as part of a conglomerate worth almost £2 billion, the gay-bashing, Euro-hating, chauvinistic daily indoctrinates unsuspecting minds across the UK. The recent ‘Mailiband’ scandal has finally seen both politicians and civil-

logical competition which thrives in them. In the past year, I have written that the legalisation of prostitution, marijuana and cocaine should, at the very least, be discussed. In some countries, these ideas would see me imprisoned.

One question many will ask is how open this ‘speech market’ should be.

Should I be able to write something scandalous such as, I don’t know, ‘The European Union killed Diana’?

Many would argue no.

However, as an economist, it is clear that if we really want a real, competitive market, we should have one that is open to any idea. Look at my previous comment as ‘bad credit’; it is so far from the ‘terms and conditions’ of society that in the future I will no doubt be punished for it. If I make statements such as this, people will ignore me and I will, eventually, become ostracised by society.

My abuse of the ‘speech market’ has given me poor credit rating, and only by behaving will we avoid the negative consequences this brings.

People say or write stupid things.

You may even read this right now and think that I am flawed and perhaps I am. You may even decide to write a response. And you have that right! The Daily Mail is an abomination, but it is the price we have to pay for the glorious liberal market our tongues embrace every time we talk.

The global exchange in data belonging to a currency as well; a global, transnational form of capital that is not subject to tariffs, tax or exchange rates, and which can be cashed in or exchanged for other currency at almost any point.

Indeed, a group of savvy developers have taken this idea a stage further and created the virtual currency Bitcoin; the premise being that money only has the value

which we, as a society and market, place in it. This may sound a bit far-fetched but, given that currency such as sterling and euro is only secured against government promises (rather than against gold reserves), all money really consists of is numbers on a screen. With this in mind, are Bitcoin and other forms of data actually all that different?

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obtained; every time we use one of Google or Facebook’s services, we agree to their use of our data for commercial purposes. The information we provide is the price we pay for their product. This, combined with the inter-company exchange of information described above, means that data has not just taken on the characteristics of a market, but some of those

When it comes down to it, currency, like all electronic data, is just made up of ones and zeros.

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Monday 21st October 2013

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Science

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Scattering perceptions of particle physics

Emiley Mobley reports on cutting edge subatomic research in the UK formation to samurai helmet structure, hydrogen storage to spider silk: neutrons provide a non-destructive, atomic view into a wealth of materials.

The impact from the variety of research conducted at ISIS is immense and can even be applied to criminal investigations. In July 2013, scientists from the University of Leicester, ISIS and ILL (Institut LaueLangevin, France) joined forces to investigate new forensic techniques at crime scenes to overcome the fact that only 10 per cent of fingerprints taken from crime scenes can be used in court. Neutron scattering was used to form a technique which can visualise fingerprints by exploiting their electrically insulating characteristics, as the fingerprint asks like a mask, interfering with an electric current. This exciting new research made front page news on the BBC News Science section and also featured on the home page of the ISIS website: www.isis.stfc.ac.uk Neutrons have also helped to diagnose health problems with hopes of better treatments in the future. A team from Birkbeck College, London are in the midst of research concerning the mechanism by which atmospheric ozone formed by pollution attacks lung surfactant. Through the visualisation of interfaces at the molecular level, neutron scattering allows the Birkbeck team to look specifically at how ozone molecules target lung surfactant. They hope their results can provide better un-

derstanding of how to aid individuals with asthma, or cystic fibrosis sufferers, who are particularly vulnerable to exacerbated symptoms during summer when ozone poisoning is at its highest in congested cities.

Research at ISIS can also be weird, yet wonderful. Next time you spot a spider, think twice about squishing it, because spiders are more than just ‘eight-legged freaks’ that haunt the dark corners of your garden shed. The silk that spiders spin to make webs is a high per-

formance material, being weight for weight stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar, which is used in bulletproof vests. A collaboration between ISIS scientists and the Oxford Silk Group aims to look at how spiders, in particular Golden Orb Weaving Spiders, spin their silk. With the ability to stop a Boeing 747 at speed, if scaled up, spider silk is an incredible natural material made only from aqueous proteins at atmospheric temperatures. Using small angle neutron scattering

and silk proteins taken from the spiders, the scientists are studying at the molecular level how the proteins coagulate into a fibre. If the mechanism can be achieved, it opens doors for the manufacture of man-made materials which were never possible before.

So, the next time someone mentions particle physics, and you think of a blackboard full of equations on The Big Bang Theory, remember that there is so much more to it than most think.

Emiley Mobley

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urrounded by rolling fields and countryside, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire is home to the ISIS Neutron Facility; a world-leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences. The facility supports a large and diverse international community of 3,000 scientists from 30 countries across the globe, who use neutron scattering to explore the properties of matter – where atoms are and what atoms are doing.

How does ISIS work? To produce neutrons, a powerful accelerator system generates an energetic proton beam. The circular synchrotron at ISIS produces protons travelling at 84 per cent of the speed of light.

Firing bursts of accelerated protons at the metal tungsten target knocks out neutrons from the target’s nuclei – a process called spallation.

The neutrons are used by a suite of instruments, each of which is optimised to explore different properties of materials. When neutrons interact with the atoms in a solid or liquid sample, they scatter off the nuclei in a characteristic manner that depends on the atomic type, positions and movements. Angles of emerging neutrons from the sample tell us about the structure of materials and changes in neutron energies; as they pass through the sample, they reveal the motions of atoms and molecules within it.

But particle physics is only part of it. The areas of research at ISIS are incredibly diverse. From cloud

The ISIS research facility in Oxfordshire, where the neutron scattering experiments take place

Nobel Sciences: Chemistry and Physics

Recognising scientist’s world-changing research across disciplines

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he Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel ‘for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems’.

There’s a name for this work which has been largely kept out of the press releases, but is used almost universally by scientists in the field: “QM/MM”. Admittedly it’s not the most snappy moniker, but “Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics” concisely describes what these guys have really done.

The main things that most people know about quantum mechanics are that it is hard and that it is strange.

This is not a misconception. Despite having a theory that should contain all of chemistry, the mathematics is beyond what we are able to solve and there has already been a Nobel prize awarded in 1998 to Walter Kohn and John Pople for the development of usable approximations. So why another, and why so (relatively) soon?

Well, what is usable for one system is not practical for another. QM/MM applies “cheap” Newtonian mechanics to the less interesting parts of a problem, saving the major computa-

tional workload for key, active areas.

(Indeed, in the early days ‘computers’ were actual people.) This means that researchers don’t have to wait around for the power to be available for a complete solution, they can get a reasonable estimate early on and progress more quickly.

Nobel awards are rarely without controversy, and it is always difficult for committees to select the recipients who are ultimately representing a field. In addition, many have suggested that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry has become too dominated by biology. In this case, not only have biological applications been

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Adam Jackson bathimpact Contributor

emphasised, but some experimental chemists are apoplectic at the endorsement of theoretical methods.

To give some choice quotes from the comments section of chemistry blog ‘In The Pipeline’: “I’d rather see a Nobel awarded for masturbation, because it’s just as useless, but at least more interesting/enjoyable.” “a technique of essentially zero utility in pharma and almost no use outside pharma, which damages attempts to do real science by its patina of being ‘real’” “Nobel prize for an area that is oversold and often badly used. Sad, sad, sad.”

I suspect a lot of the provocation comes from the official Nobel press release: ‘Today the computer is just as important a tool for chemists as the test tube. Simulations are so realistic that they predict the outcome of traditional experiments.’

There are students at Bath (myself included) that can happily go through a Chemistry PhD without touching a test tube, so to an extent this is true. Still, it is a touch more misleading than we expect from such a prestigious institution.

The Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to Francois Englert and Peter Higgs. Annual prizes are usually expected to be topical; the

Oscars and the Turner Prize reward work displayed in the last year; whereas Nobel work (with the exception of the Peace prize) needs to have stood some test of time.

Confirming the existence of the Higgs Boson was one of the major scientific events of 2013. To paraphrase Richard Feynman: in science, you have to start with a guess.

From the guess, you make a prediction. If the prediction disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. The Higgs has stood up to rigorous testing over time. It’s still quite possible that it’s wrong, but we can now be very confident that we would be wrong in a way that includes something extremely similar to this particle.

If this Nobel Prize for Physics were awarded by the Peace Prize Committee, they’d give it to CERN. Much potential squabbling might be avoided, and a fine gesture made about scientific unity, but abandoning the Nobel model would upset even more people than it would satisfy. Englert and Higgs are two of many fine scientists to have contributed to this work, and a fierce debate remains over the name of the actual particle. But this debate did exist prior to the award, and surrounds every great scientific achievement.

The rest of us are simply here to celebrate and gaze in wonder.

Monday 21st October 2013

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Science

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SNAREs research wins Nobel Prize Centrum Neuropsychologii

Hazel Roberts bathimpact Contributor

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n 7th October three men were announced as the winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Physiology; Randy Schekman, James Rothman, and Thomas Südhof were each recognised for their individual major discoveries on the transport of components within cells. Their explanation of cellular transport is not just a triumph for fundamental biology; there are a huge number of diseases that can result from the failure of proteins to be transported to the right place at the right time. For example, cystic fibrosis results from a failure in the transport of CFTR protein. Abnormally thick and sticky mucus clogs up the lungs, which regularly becomes infected. Cell transport defects also cause a variety of leukaemia cancers, many neurological diseases, and some blood and bone disorders.

The transport ‘infrastructure’ that a cell uses is highly complex, since mammalian cells have many specialised sub-compartments, each surrounded by an impermeable fatty membrane. Proteins are all manufactured within one particular compartment called the ‘endoplasmic reticulum’ (ER), but need to be taken to different parts of the cell thereafter. Each protein that the ER manufactures will undergo internal quality control checks, before being exported from the ER ‘factory’ packaged within

a bubble of membrane that separates from the tip of the ER. The membrane bubble, called a ‘vesicle’, is carried along the surface of rigid cables that connect various parts of the cell together, like an internal railway network. The vesicles are delivered to their destination when they fuse with another membrane compartment.

If a single stage of the transport process stops working efficiently, it causes a ‘traffic jam’ of proteins immediately prior to the blockage.

Randy Schekman has used this to his advantage to discover the molecular machinery that runs the transport

process. By mutating yeast cells and selecting those with transport abnormalities (visible with electron microscopy), he has been able to pinpoint which proteins were crucial to the normal running of cellular transport.

For a long time it was a mystery as to how the cell can sort groups of functionally-related proteins together into vesicles, send them in the right direction and integrate them into the correct compartment. We now have a much clearer picture of how this works, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of scientists that go unrecognised by this Nobel Prize. James

Rothman, however, holds particular importance above all the other scientists for his outstanding work on the end stage of transport, where a vesicle fuses with its destination compartment. It transpires that this step has a built-in mechanism for checking that the vesicle has arrived at the right destination. A good analogy would be a key fitting into a lock, where both the key and lock are made of members of the ‘SNARE’ family of proteins. If the ‘key’ (SNAREs on the surface of the vesicle) does not fit the ‘lock’ (SNAREs on the surface of the destination membrane), the door

and tiny – thousands could fit sideby-side in a human hair – gives them exceptional properties. They are the ideal semi-conducting material to build transistors, the onoff switch at the heart of all electronic devices.

They may have been developed over 20 years ago, but as amaz-

ing a material carbon nanotubes are, they do come with their own particular challenges. For example, they tend not to be perfectly straight. To make them useful for electronics, the Stanford team had to find a way to grow nanotubes in neat parallel lines and make some of them ‘metallic’ so that they

conduct electricity at all times.

Currently all research efforts are focused on scaling-up the computer chips to 64-bits, while further reducing their physical size from about half the width of a human hair to 20 nanometres (1 thousandth the diameter of a human hair).

won’t open.

Thomas Südhof was also interested in this end stage of vesicle transport, known as ‘fusion’. With nerve cells, the most important act of fusion occurs when they transmit messages to other nerve cells. Many non-scientists have the impression that nerve cells in the brain transmit electrical signals, like copper wires in cabling.

In truth, while waves of electricity will flow inside a nerve cell from one end to the other, there is no electrical connection between neighbouring nerve cells. For a nerve cell to transmit messages to another nerve cell, it needs to release chemicals (neurotransmitters) across the gap (synapse) for the other cell to detect. As you’ve probably guessed, the chemical messengers are kept in vesicles that undergo fusion with the outer membrane.

Although the vesicles are kept very close to the membrane to save time, it is very important that they only fuse when an electrical impulse is received, otherwise they could trigger a signal where none was intended. Südhof discovered the molecular machinery that detects an incoming electrical signal (involving a spike in calcium ion levels), and translates it into the release of neurotransmitters into the synapse. Thus he has discovered how the timing of vesicle fusion is controlled with precision, allowing us to rapidly respond to our constantly changing environments.

Dear Professor Science, Nanotechnology, especially carbon nanotubes, has recently made it into the news more and more.

What is all the fuss about? - Albert Dear Nanotech-Newbie, Recent advances in nanotechnology research have produced small-scale miracle material: carbon nanotubes.

On the 25th September, researchers from the University of Stanford revealed the first computer made entirely of carbon nanotubes. ‘Cedric’ opens the door to a new generation of digital devices.

Conventional computer technology relies heavily on silicone parts; silicone is a finite global resource, so carbon nanotechnology has been developed with the hope to be a commercially viable renewable alternative.

Cedric does not have amazing specifications by today’s standards, only running a 1-bit processor at 1kHz. Basically, speaking in human terms, Cedric can count the fingers on his hands and sing the letters of the alphabet. But he is entirely made up of carbon nanotubes and he gets the answer to his maths problems right every time.

That is amazing.

Carbon nanotubes are hollow cylinders made of a single layer of carbon atoms bound together in a lattice structure. Being really thin

Darius N

Prof Science carbon creations Will nanotube research win our scientist his own Nobel Prize?

Aside from their application in computer technology, carbon nanotubes also have uses in a plethora of other fields, including fabrics, materials, environmental applications and renewable energy. Nanotubes have been explored for their potential use in solar panels, air-pollution filters, water and oil purifiers, waterproof and tear-resistant fabrics, and fire retardant materials, to name but a few.

Our very own chemical engineering department is heavily involved in nanotechnology for environmental applications, such as waste water clean-up and sea-water desalination.

The hollow, albeit very strong, structure of carbon nanotubes also allows for very exciting applications in medicine. They have been used to produce synthetic muscles and to provide bone scaffolding, allowing broken bones to restructure themselves and inhibiting inflammation. They also make a perfect vessel for transporting drugs into any part of the body. Placing a molecule of a particular drug inside the nanotube cage protects the drug until it reaches the site where it is required. This way drugs that may be harmful to normal body functions can be delivered in a much more targeted and safe manner to, for example, cancerous tumours. Nanotubes to revolutionise the world!

Monday 21st October 2013

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15

World

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One Young World - Special Report A few weeks ago, 1,300 young change-makers from 190 countries gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the second largest youthdominated event after the Olympic Games. I had the immense privilege to have been given the opportunity by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Bath to contribute to the One Young World Summit and to represent the United Kingdom as a delegate.

This annual event brings together ambitious young leaders from around the world to enable them to meet, share their ideas and make practical and achievable commitments to bring positive change to today’s world.

With the help of our high-profile counsellors, which this year included Kofi Annan, Richard Branson and Jamie Oliver to name but a few, we discussed, for three very full days, the major global issues the world faces today. Our particular fo- As the evening unfolded, a procescus during the plenary sessions was sion of high profile counsellors looking at six key themes: sustain- took to the stage, followed by the able development, human rights, incredible flag parade from each global business, governance and country represented at the summit. leadership, education, and youth The award-winning Soweto Gospel unemployment.

Choir sang the South African naThe summit was kicked off with tional anthem, and the host of the great fanfare on Wednesday 2nd night taught us some African dance October, as we proudly gathered moves and songs. Kate Robertson behind our flag bearers outside the and Dave Jones, the founders of largest stadium in Africa, known as One Young World, welcomed us all.

Soccer City. As we entered the ma- The excitement was beyond imagijestic African-pot nable. Then, Kofi looking stadium, Annan, the 7th which hosted Secretary-Generthe 2010 FIFA With the help of our al of the United World Cup, we high-profile counsellors Nations, spoke; were welcomed we discussed, for three followed by Sir by 8000 local very full days, the major Bob Geldof. Proglobal issues the world school children fessor Yunus faces today to the sounds of then took to the the traditional stage, telling us: vuvuzelas and “You are lucky African music. Before the event had to have been born in an age where even officially started, we noticed what was impossible is becoming that the Nobel Peace Prize Laure- possible. Each one of you is capable ate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, of changing the whole world. Feel was standing behind us all, at the that power inside of you and make top grandstand. As we all turned use of it.’ The crowd erupted with around to see him, he smiled and applause. waved at us as we cheered. It was The star-studded opening ceremoa surreal scene and, with so many ny ended with a dinner and an aftercountries represented, the name party for the delegates and returnOne Young World seemed to fit the ing ambassadors on the field inside moment perfectly. The atmosphere the stadium. That night I fell asleep was one of phenomenal excitement relatively early, knowing the intenas the night we were all waiting for sity of the next few days. was finally about to begin…

On the first official day of the sum-

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Jenna Loggeais

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Jenna Loggeais

Jenna Loggeais bathimpact Contributor

mit, we started off discussing edu- would indeed be the case when, durcation, followed by a discussion ing the closing ceremony, each one with Jamie Oliver on the food revo- of us wrote on a ribbon one positive lution. That morning, we also heard action we promised to undertake. both François Pieenar (Former These ribbons were all tied together South African rugby captain and as a symbol of our collective unity Invictus hero, played by Matt Da- as one young world and passed up mon) and Ahmed to the stage. If Kathrada (polieach ambassador tician, former sticks to his or apartheid activist On a personal level, her promise then and 27-year po- after having attended trust me, we have litical prisoner) the summit, I have dea real reason to cided to get involved in be optimistic and speak of their fighting against human confident about encounters with trafficking Nelson Mandela. the future of our This was without world. a doubt one of the On a personal levmost memorable moments of the el, after having attended the sumsummit, for we were all, including mit, I have decided to get involved the speakers, either wiping the tears in fighting against human trafoff our faces or trying very hard to ficking, an issue which transcends hold them in. The emotion in the all racial, religious and cultural room was staggering and did not die boundaries, and involves people down as the day, and the summit, in every single country around the continued. The following two days world, to the extent that there are were equally exciting as we spoke, more slaves today than in the entire discussed, listened and learnt from 400 years of the transatlantic slave our fellow delegates, ambassadors trade. It is estimated that 27 million and counsellors. An episode of the people are victims of this $32 billion Kofi Annan dialogue also took place trade. I will therefore be joining the at the Sandton Convention Centre Red Light Campaign, an organisain Johannesburg. Check this page tion which promotes awareness to listen or take part in any future and understanding of the sufferonline conversations with Kofi An- ing caused by modern-day slavery nan: http://dialogueslive.kofian- and helps survivors of trafficking nanfoundation.org/ through pragmatic means. The Red The incredible power of One Young Light Campaign is launching a new World lies in the fact that it surpass- initiative called the CubeMovement, es and goes much further than the which is a new and innovative social mere yet meaningful talks that take network designed to ‘enable global place during the summit. It enables chains of people to shed light on this these talks to be transformed into issue by ‘trafficking’ unique inforconcrete actions when newly gradu- mational cubes from person to perated ambassadors return home feel- son’. Fatima Bhutto, Arianna Huffing inspired. The facts and figures ington, Bob Geldof, Kathy Calvin, prove this statement to be true. KPMG’s Head of Citizenship Lord Since 2010, the lives of more than Hastings and One Young World 4 million people worldwide have cofounder Kate Robertson all have been impacted by the actions of One one of our cubes. You too can have Young World Ambassadors and I am one! Keep an eye out for our launch certain that this year’s summit will, in November. and I am sure already has, sparked For more information about the the idea of and laid the foundations Summit and the Cube Movement for many new initiatives, projects, please visit www.oneyoungworld. charities, social businesses and so org and http://www.cubemoveon. I was further persuaded that this ment.com .

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“Be the change that you want to see in the world. I have faith in you.

So go ahead and make the world a better place.”

“It is your leadership that we depend upon. All too often you are shut out from the discussions and decisions that will frame your country’s future and shape your lives. This might be defensible if the present generation of leaders were doing such a good job. But all around us, we can see bad governance.”

- Kofi Annan “When you’re scared, you have to be braver, and when you can’t be brave, be braver.”

- Anthony Jenkins, Barclays CEO “Politics is not a dirty game, there are only dirty players.”

- Ashish Damle, Indian Delegate “Any country that is not putting education first is leading to a dead end.”

- Emmanuel Jal, musician and former child soldier

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Monday 21st October 2013

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World

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Deep Web marketplace shutdown

Was the closure of ‘Silk Road’ a retrograde step in drugs policy?

Thomas Gane bathimpact Contributor

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ilk Road was probably the largest community in the world that was free of government reproach and control; bar the stock market of course, but that’s legal so it doesn’t count.

Set up in 2011, it quickly rose to prominence as the deep web’s premier anonymous marketplace. Bitcoin, TOR software and very diligent leaders wove a complex web that protected its users from prying eyes, allowing them to trade all manner of nefarious goods and have them delivered to the buyer’s doorstep via the Royal Mail. It was a lawmaker’s worst nightmare; the physical (or is it

virtual?) manifestation of what they feared the internet might become, and why those of a more conservative disposition felt the oppressive SOPA and PIPA bills were required.

After years of playing the virtual Al Capone, Silk Road was shut down on October 2nd and its alleged leader, Dread Pirate Roberts (real name Ross Ubrecht), was arrested under a host of charges that included soliciting murder.

On the surface it appeared a victory for the war on drugs, however in terms of fighting the domestic problems that are caused by drugs, the site could be argued to have been more successful than government policies. The biggest

drug-related problems are not strictly related to drugs themselves, but more the systems in place for their distribution and the consequent social issues, meaning cities such as Chicago are ravaged by gangs who are funded by the sale of drugs. This in turn allows for an increase in gun violence, prostitution, street crime and a host of other issues that would not be possible without the drug trade.

Silk Road and other sites negate the need for such gangs and systems for distribution, as the drugs can be sent directly from the producer to the user, cutting off the money and control systems of the middle man. Obviously it could be argued that dealers and gangs

were simply buying from Silk Road, which is a fair accusation and it is certain that many dealers will have done so. However, cartels are the main source of drugs for the larger organisation, which has created an even greater social crisis in Mexico.

The individual user also benefits, as the two biggest dangers most sensible users would face are coming into contact with such gangs to buy drugs and receiving an inferior product (in other words, cut with other drugs and chemicals) from them. Silk Road allowed the product to be delivered to the door, removing street crime from the equation, and the peer review system on Silk Road was apparently very well adhered to and led to most users receiving a chemically pure product, allowing people to be careful and scientific about their use. Consequently, it could be argued that Silk Road was a more effective tool in the war on drugs, or more correctly on the negative effects of the drug trade, than many of the DEA and CCA’s schemes, many of which are of questionable integrity and effectiveness (‘See that privately owned prison, get your piece today’ West, K., 2013). Furthermore, the less money needed to combat drug related crime, the more that could be spent on treatment and rehab for addicts and victims of crime, which has been proven by many studies to be the

most effective course of action.

Finally, for many Silk Road was more than just an eBay for drugs, it was an example of peaceful libertarian economics and values. People should have the right to do what they want with their lives and bodies, and Silk Road allowed them to exercise this right through a far superior system.

Aside from recreational drugs, an interesting example of this is terminal patients in Australia buying euthanasia drugs through the site. The sale of weapons and alleged murder for hire was regrettable (murder and guns aren’t cool, unless they are in movies or sanctioned by the government of course) and hopefully the sites that fill the void will better suited to combating the darker elements of the deep web. Hopefully this article has offered a slightly different perspective on the situation, and if in future the war on drugs was depoliticised, that is to say a system based on a scientific scale of harm and dependency, then a site such as Silk Road, albeit a more controlled and monitored version, could be a viable option. Regardless, with such an enterprise existing above the law for two years, making hundreds of millions of dollars in the process, it is doubtless that many new heads will spring from the decapitated corpse of Silk Road, however whether they’re hydra or roses is yet to be determined.

Embassy bombing suspect captured Nairobi bombing suspect tracked down by US after fifteen years on the run

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he 1998 United States embassy bombings may be a distant memory for some, but for the US government the approximately 220 people who perished need to be avenged.

On 7th August 1998, unknown to the innocent civilians working in the embassies, trucks laden with explosives blew up practically simultaneously outside the US embassy in Nairobi, killing over 200, and America’s diplomatic mission in Dar es Salaam, killing 11. Thousands were also injured and the majority of the victims were civilians.

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The US now has a main suspect for the massacres

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The US now has a main suspect for the massacres: Libyan citizen Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Rugai, who has adopted the pseudonym Abu Anas Al-Liby, was seized in a US raid in Tripoli, having been accused of links with Al-Qaeda and involvement in the bombings of

US embassies in both Kenya and Tanzania. With a reward of $5 million, Al-Liby has been on the US’s most wanted list for over a decade.

Al-Liby is accused of having actively participated in ‘visual and photographic surveillance’ of the Kenyan building in 1993, in preparation for the bombing as well as having ‘reviewed files’ on potential attacks on Western interests in East Africa. Indicted by a New York grand jury in 2009, 49 yearold Al-Liby is currently on trial and has pleaded not guilty to the accusations.

Despite the controversy the Libyan citizen’s capture has caused, US Secretary of State John Kerry defends the United States’ 5th October raid at an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Indonesia, stating that Al-Liby is a ‘legal and appropriate target’. Many in Libya, however, see the raid as a breach of Libyan sovereignty, and the Libyan government itself has demanded an explanation for the unprecedented US raid.

Al-Liby’s son believes that the Libyan government was involved in the capture of his father, after explaining that the gunmen he saw kidnapping his father looked Libyan and spoke in a Libyan dialect.

Al-Liby’s brother, Nabih, claims that his brother’s capture is an ‘act of piracy’ and that he is in no way responsible for the 1998 attacks.

The US launched a second raid in Somalia in an attempt to capture Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir, known as Ikrima, who is a Kenyan al-Shabab commander. Perhaps this also comes as a response to

the recent Kenyan mall massacre which left over 60 dead, serving as a reminder of the loss of life in 1998.

The Al-Shabab militant group actually claimed responsibility for the murderous rampage at the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi.

Somalian Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid commented on the attempted raid, stating, “Our

co-operation with international partners on fighting against terrorism is not a secret.”

The US thus continues its role as number one terrorist hunter and ‘defender of democracy’, with Kerry affirming that the US would never cease to “hold those accountable who conduct acts of terror”.

Daafeet News

Alexandra Egan bathimpact Contributor

US Secretary of State John Kerry maintains that the raid to capture Al-Liby was justified

Monday 21st October 2013

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Activities

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Will Lay bathimpact Contributor

Y

“

Freshers’ Week started for us months before

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months before, with planning and meetings going on throughout summer, both between departments and with the FWEMs. It is vital for us to establish what we need to provide and how the week should feel and appear to the freshers. This ranges from coverNick Hotel

ou may have noticed a number of people in black shirts around and about during Freshers’ Week with coils of cables, flight cases or, on occasion, stuffed toys and palm trees.

Supporting the week with lighting, sound, video, staging, pyrotechnics, rigging, set, power and more: these are the members of Backstage Technical Services the ‘Freshers’ Week Ninjas’ - so called by the Freshers Week Event Managers (FWEMs) on Twitter in the run up to Freshers Week 2013.

Freshers’ Week is a showcase for Backstage of what we can do in every department, and I’m hoping that over the course of a few paragraphs I can give you an insight into some of the fun that Backstage get up to during Freshers’ Week. From the kit we get to

use and sheer scale of the task at hand, to the larks and fun bits the audience don’t see, I’m going to be giving an Access All Areas view to life behind the scenes. (If you want the full tour, or just a chat about what we do, poke your head into our office in the 1 East corridor!)

Freshers’ Week started for us

Freshers’ Week, brought to you by Bath’s very own ninjas.

ing the basics, like making sure the stage is sufficiently large to fit the Chip Shop Boys on comfortably and how to power Zane Lowe’s DJ gear; all the way through to fine design points such as how to bring the theme for each night to life.

The week before Freshers’ Week is a preparation period for us, when we begin to check all our equipment is working, labelled up and ready to use as soon as we get into the venues. Despite owning a lot of kit ourselves, we still have to hire a lot in; this year we had a 40 tonne articulated lorry, two 7.5 tonne trucks and numerous vans of extra gear come in, beating any previous year’s record by some margin. To give some additional idea of scale, by Monday night we had installed nearly 10km of cable into the Founders Hall this year!

By the time the first freshers arrive on the Saturday morning, Backstage have already been in the Founders’ Hall for several hours, a good way towards having the power and rigging finished. By evening and the ‘surprise party’, just about everything is setup and heads of department can begin troubleshooting and fine-tuning.

The Lighting team work overnight, programming the lighting control desk which is operated throughout the week by members of our team. Although many of the lights are ‘intelligent’ they still require an operator to ensure they change colour, move and flash in time with the music.

bathimpact

Backstage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Backstage are the cogs that make the Freshers’ Week clock tick.

The sound system requires lots of careful listening to fine tune it so that every member of the audience hears what the mix engineer intends. This is a relatively subjective skill, because what one person thinks sounds great may sound worse to another, so a happy medium is eventually arrived at. Departments like Video, Rigging and Power are a lot more cut and dry with results – is this socket on? Is the video playing on that screen?

All hopefully yes, if the planning over the summer went well.

Throughout the week, Backstagers get to chill out a bit and enjoy themselves as they work, with chances to operate lights or sound, stage manage or simply help out as required. Just because Backstage are working during Freshers’ Week does not mean we don’t get into the spirit – the keen eyed would have spotted some of our antics - like the lighting operator at the Toga Party wearing

a black toga as he busked to Cassetteboy.

A question many people ask is ‘do Backstage get to meet the acts?’ The answer depends on who they are, and who you are to be honest – but for most of us it is unavoidable. For many of us, a chat with artists and managers is as much a catch up since last time as it is confirming technical setup details for the night with them. A novelty which soon becomes part and parcel, only hitting home when you pass a hyperventilating fresher panting “I touched Zane Lowe!” being calmed down by a member of Security.

There really isn’t enough space here to even scratch the surface on the fun and games we get up to during Freshers’ Week, let alone throughout the rest of the year – but next time you are at an event or club night on campus, see if you can spot the Backstage Ninjas at work.

ingly jealous that I couldn’t be on stage too.

For those who missed the show over the weekend (may rabid frogs rain forever on your heads), FEAR YE NOT! BUST will be back with a vengeance with our own adaptation of Darles Chickens’ A Christmas Carol from 5th to 7th December in University Hall. There may be fewer poo-dances than in this production (if you ever catch Ben

Cochrane as he dashes across campus, do get him to demonstrate his ‘funky-shitting-chicken’), but with ghosts galore, a beautifully vile Ebenezeer Scrooge, and a very oddly-named vagrant, it’s going to be a riot.

Now, enough from me I think.

Fare thee well darlings, dramatic salutations, shatter those lower limbs and remember not to mention the Scottish Play...

Louise Heavey bathimpact Contributor

A

t 4:30 am on 17th October, I staggered into bed (and when I say staggered, I actually mean it – I tripped over a suitcase lying on the floor and went flying). I was stone-cold sober, hadn’t been working in the library and didn’t have the last notes of a rock concert ringing in my ears.

Nor had I snuck out for a cheeky midnight liaison.

This begs the question: what on EARTH was I doing? The answer, for those of you who have had the dubious pleasure of meeting me at some point over my four years knocking around campus, is obvious – theatre. Or should I say, “Theatre, daaaahhling”.

Bath University Student Theatre (or BUST, as we prefer to be known... well, wouldn’t you?!) had our first production of the year over the weekend - ‘Boys’, a brand new piece of writing by emerging playwright Ella Hickson. Dealing with the ultimate university question – ‘What in hell am I going to do when I leave?’ – ‘Boys’ is a heady mixture of pathos and hysteria; an hilarious and drugfuelled race through tragedy and farce. Any production combining depression and suicide with Dis-

ney, sushi and shit is a demanding one! With a very small cast, chemistry has to be tight and performances confident in order to pull off the dizzying whirl without leaving the audience behind completely.

The tech rehearsal for the show – which ran from 17th to 19th October at the Museum of Bath at Work in town - began at around 9pm on Wednesday 16th. Several wonderful members and associates from Backstage Technical

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Bath University Student Theatre (or BUST, as we prefer to be known... well, wouldn’t you?!)

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Services had already spent a good four hours putting together a set, rigging lighting and setting up sound systems – essentially, turning water into wine and creating a theatre where one ain’t normally.

The cast were then brought up on stage to run through the show ‘cue-to-cue’ – meaning they performed only the parts of scenes that cue technical effects (which ranged from an exploding police

van to simple blackouts).

That done, the full dress rehearsal was underway by 23:30; by this point, Backstage had been tech-ing the Museum, and the cast had been running their lines, for just over 6 hours. Given that most of us are still suffering from the remnants of persistent Fresher’s Flu (I still think first years ought to be quarantined before being allowed to mingle with the rest of campus...) you can imagine how much we were already craving our beds. But “the show must go on” as they say, and go on it did. By just after 3am the dress was finished, notes on improvements were being given, and I was gradually picking my jaw up off the floor.

Now, I should declare my interests. I am the Chair of BUST this year, so my passion for the society and for theatre in general is absurd at the best of times.

However, I’m not so blinded as to think that everything we do is (to quote the show) ‘the dog’s fucking bollocks’. Most of it is, obviously – keep an eye out for us at ’Show in A Week’ at the end of this week, and at the RAG Zombie Apocalypse on Hallowe’en if you want proof – but this show really was a bit special. I found myself increas-

Louise Heavey

Boys BUSTing onto the stage

One of BUST’s nautically-themed productions from last year.

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Media

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Media are getting their geek on Ron Morrow CTV Station Manager he whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, and when you enjoy a few different things it’s always worth seeing what exists in the crossover. In my case, I love filming and I love video games, and so last year I helped Media and BUNCS (Bath University Network Computer Society)to set up a livestreamed competitive video game tournament, largely just to see if we could pull it off. With our first success under our belts, League of Legends: Best of the South West was born, and ready to come back for season 2 on November 23rd.

For those of you who don’t know what League of Legends

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is, it’s a team based video game where the objective is to slowly push towards your enemy’s base while kicking the crap out of their heroes along the way. Hell, I don’t even play the game, but the opportunity to share competitive gaming with the world is just too tempting an opportunity to pass up. After a summer of planning we launched online last week for team entry and sign up, open to any team of 5 from universities across the South West to test their mettle.

Last year we had 8 teams from all across the region come and compete, with the top 3 teams taking away medals for their hard efforts and the overall champions securing a £50 cash prize and a trophy for the captain. Combined with Riot Games, the creators of the game, offering in-game currency as prizes there is a lot on offer even if you get no further than the semi-finals. Even if you’re not interested in competing, it’s still good fun to come along as a spectator and hang out with everyone.

BUNCS provide games consoles for everyone to play on, and the tournament is displayed on a projector for all to see, and commentators to keep you entertained and informed.

By booking out The Tub in the Students’ Union, we can host

everyone and get ourselves set up and ready to present to the world. We use a similar layout to how we streamed to the screens in Founders’ Hall during Freshers’ Week (yup, that was us too), but on top of streaming to a projector we also create a professional(-ish) looking overlay for everyone else

watching online to see. We have a camera arrangement that allows us to capture everything from the crowd, the commentators, the presenter, the teams, and (a new addition to this year’s line-up of those involved) the analysts.

If you want to get involved then drop me a message at CTV-man-

ager@bath.ac.uk because we’re always looking for more people to get involved with filming and the technical side of things, or if you’re just interested in checking out the event then be sure to look up our website at BOTSW.co.uk for more information.

See you there!

for Best Student Radio Chart Show and Best Technical Achievement.

The results will be announced on 7th November, in a ceremony held at the indigO2 arena in London.

Jamie Lee became heavily involved in URB last year, starting with his own two-hour show, broadcast on Saturdays; subsequently, he ran successfully for the position of Head of AdMarket. Due to his presenting ability and overall passion,

he put URB in the spotlight with the first nomination. He was asked to host the Chart Show in May, for which we have likewise received recognition.

Finally, Jonty Usborne’s impressive commitment to the technological advances of the station has merited a nomination for technology.

Apart from his design of our radio player console (for which he was asked to deliver a presentation at

the National Student Radio Conference last year), he also designed an impressive back-end to the website, created to assist the presenters in the running of their shows.

In my humble opinion, this man is a wizard. I would just like to say congratulations to all those nominated and good luck at the Awards in November. Screw Flanders.

URB Station Manager James Thomas commented: “I am im-

mensely proud of the achievements of last year’s URB members, and I hope to continue our success into 2014.”

University of Bath of Students’ Union Media Officer added: “URB’s success in this year’s SRA nominations is a testament to the hard working nature and talent that pervade the station. This is another great accolade that URB can add to their collection. Bravo!”

A good month for student radio

Matt Reed URB Executive Producer n 1449AM URB news, there is a lot to report. The Student Radio Association announced their Awards nominations list on the 9th October, with URB receiving three shortlistings. Current Head of Advertising and Marketing, Jamie Lee, was nominated for best newcomer, and the station itself received further nominations

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England do exactly as we expected Simon Rushton impactsport Contributor

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fter two victories at Wembley, England have done what the whole of the English public would have expected the team to do, and qualify for the World Cup Finals in Brazil next year.

Roy Hodgson and England had one simple aim; entering the last two games knowing that only winning would be sufficient enough to get through, a situation that should have been simple enoughbut then England have a pretty serious track record of not performing against smaller teams, especially when there was a great deal hanging on it.

Hodgson, it seemed, had to be aggressive with his team selection- especially in light of a large amount of criticism of his playing style, but he pulled out all the stops bringing in Andros Townsend, who showed no nerves playing his first few games in an England shirt. Townsend joined forces with the on form Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney in a world class attacking force.

It seemed that England should have had no problem with overcoming the minnows that were

Montenegro, and the 4-1 score line seemed almost unattainable after a first half with lots of attacking promise, but also an astonishing and complete inability to hit the target. When Rooney scored just after half time, it was as if a nation breathed a sigh of relief. Hodgon’s words at half time seemed to turn the game around as England netted 4 goals including a fantastic long range shot from Townsend.

This comprehensive victory seemed to have gone halfway to crushing any criticism of Hodgson’s ability to play attacking football. Qualification, however, was a long way away as the far stronger Poland, who had nothing to play for, were coming to Wembley, with a large amount of support and lots of attacking power lead

by Robert Lewandowski, the infamous Borussia Dortmund striker.

The game was shaping up to not only be a test of England’s attacking form and goal scoring abilities, but also its defence, and tested Hodgson’s faith in a fairly out of form Joe Hart.

England started the game with a very similar attacking prowess, creating many chances, but failing to score. Set pieces, a sector where England has traditionally been

very strong, seemed to be the key.

Townsend’s driving runs down the channels led to a series of first half corners. These, however, failed to

create the goal everybody needed to calm the nerves and instead exasperated them further as the Poles looked very dangerous on

the counter attack.

Wayne Rooney one again lead the way, scoring the opening goal to set up a somewhat tense second half with memories of a traditional England sitting back and trying to eke out a 1-0 victory.

This seemed like this would be the case but in the 88th minute Steven Gerrard, chipped an oncoming Wojcieh Szczesny to book England’s place at next year’s World Cup. The question now for the Football Association bosses and the football supporting nation is: how far can England realistically be expected to go into the tournament?

The chances have been plentiful over the last two games but the final touch has been lacking all too often, something that will be essential in the later rounds of the tournament - where the solid defences of the likes of Italy will be hard to break down and chances cannot be left begging.

With over a year to go to the finals the young team should have time to mature during stints in The Premiership season (and a bit) and then in the future the perhaps finally the over ambitious targets set by the FA and the public.

The Qatari controversies continue U

ncertainty over the 2022 Qatar World Cup has gathered momentum in recent weeks, with misgivings raised over the prospect of fatigued players attempting to compete in sweltering conditions, as swathes of sweatdrenched supporters watch on in major discomfort.

The ensuing debate has centred around the possibility of moving the World Cup to the winter, and how this may fit with the domestic leagues. Whilst this would indeed prove problematic, the underlying issues have largely been ignored; the discussion should be reframed to incorporate a moral component; whether or not what is arguably the

pinnacle of global sport should take place in a country that rejects freedom and democracy.

It is abundantly clear that discussions over when the World Cup should be staged, or how to deal with the problem of the searing heat, have served as a smokescreen.

This has diverted attention from the pertinent question over how it can be appropriate for a country which bans homosexuality and where critique of the established order can result in imprisonment (Human Rights Watch, 2012), to host such an event. Doubtless the Qatari football authorities have sufficient money and resources to provide stadia with adequate cooling facilities for the competition to be held in summer; but in the context

of a questionable regime this seems somewhat irrelevant.

Additionally, a minority would argue that the bidding process may have been marred by a certain degree of corruption and bribery, with European officials influenced by their economic interests with Qatar.

The commercialisation of football has undoubtedly brought many benefits, but this cannot come at the expense of morality. Formula 1 faced a similar dilemma with the staging of the Bahrain Grand Prix amid vehement popular protest during the Arab Spring, it should be noted over security fears. The challenge facing the football community is, if anything, even greater. With the immeasurable global appeal of

the game comes an increased responsibility, extending far beyond the parameters of the pitch. It is simply not good enough for FIFA to promote tolerance and progressivism when evidently such values played no part in the decision-making process of where to hold the World Cup. The construction of facilities for the event has constituted the shameless exploitation of migrant workers, over 200 of whom have already died in the process. The International Trade Union Confederation predicts that “more workers will die building the World Cup Infrastructure than players will take to the field’’ (Guardian, 2013). It is beyond belief that such abominations can happen under

any circumstances, let alone under the noses of a major international organisation such as FIFA. Simply put, the liberal democratic West should not endorse a spectacle on this level without assessing the connotations. The spotlight should be on the best international sides in the game competing for arguably the greatest prize in their sport.

Amid such an unsavoury backdrop, this is frankly impossible.

Any adjustments made, such as the month in which the competition is staged, or the capacity of the stadia to cope with the heat are ultimately immaterial. Problems have already been created for an event which will not take place for another nine years, has caused more than its share of controversy. >>Zitona<<

Thomas George Brady impactsport Contributor

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Tom Ash impactsport Contributor

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ometimes it is hard to believe that Juan Martin Del Potro has only won one Grand

Carine06

Slam.

Even harder to believe is that, during a professional career that has spanned eight years and countless tournaments, he has never won a 1000 series event. Indeed, this year’s Shanghai Masters final is only the third such match that ‘Delpo’ has played in his entire life.

After a tough opening gambit against Kohlschreiber, which Del Potro only just survived (6-3, 3-6, 7-6), the withdrawal of the German’s compatriot Tommy Haas set up a quarter final encounter with Nicolas Almagro, fresh from his upset of 4th seed Tomas Berdych.

What could have been a tough encounter ended as a fairly onesided affair; despite Almagro’s best efforts, Del Potro’s cruised to a straight sets victory (6-3, 6-3).

Standing a full six inches taller than his Spanish opponent, the Argentinian was able to deliver fore-

hand after seismic forehand, emitting a wave of deep topspin shots that took advantage of Almagro’s one-handed backhand.

Topspin continued to be a key theme as Del Potro used his semi final opportunity to educate Rafael Nadal in the ways of the forehand.

Opting to trade ground strokes mostly to left-hander Nadal’s legendary forehand might seem like a risky move, but Del Potro’s height meant that the Spaniard’s favoured shots, which kick awkwardly high and probably end up somewhere around eye level for most people, were instead perfect targets for his 6’ 6” opponent to send rocketing back down the court.

Losing the first game of the match on his own serve did not bode well for Nadal, but having been broken early on in the set it was in the third game that Del Potro established his authority on court; a gruelling affair in which he set up a number of break points before snatching the last of them from under Nadal’s nose. Finishing that set in fine style (6-1), the

Marianne Bevis

Shanghai makes for tense tennis

third game of the second likewise proved to be key for the Argentine as it provided the break he needed to take the set 6-4 without going to a tie-break. Game, set and match, and off to the final with you, Del Potro.

Waiting there was the (D)Joker to Del Potro’s Dark Knight; Novak Djokovic, rampant after only having dropped one set all tournament (a tie-break in the quarter finals against Monfils, who he promptly proceeded to decimate). Boasting the best double-handed backhand on the circuit and an athleticism rivalled only by Murray’s, Djokovic was to prove a much sterner test than Nadal had been. This was the swansong of the Delpo forehand for this tournament; despite still being a potent weapon, Djokovic was able to keep the ball bouncing low to the ground, and thus at best Del Potro was only able to hit back

flat ground strokes for most of the match. And one does not simply trade ground strokes with Novak Djokovic.

Not, that is, without a great deal of running around, huffing and puffing. To give him his due, Del Potro put up a valiant fight. Despite Djokovic’s ability to come to the net seemingly at will, after a 1-6 thrashing in the first set Del Potro was able to claw his way back into the match with 6-3 in the second.

He was helped somewhat by inconsistent play on Djokovic’s part, but seized his chances with some truly majestic shots around court that had the crowd on their feet and the Serbian on his knees. With very little separating the two going into a final set tie-break, it was Djokovic’s athletic ability that perhaps won him the match; by working Del Potro hard on his serve, he denied him the chance to catch his breath,

and the resulting loss of concentration gave Djokovic the string of points to take the decider, and the championship, 7-3.

Despite not winning, however, Del Potro still has cause for optimism. He has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at the O2 in London. If Del Potro can carry this form into the competition and make the final, the points he would score could cause him to rise above Andy Murray and finish the season as 4th in the world, owing to the Scot’s withdrawal from competition. The race for number 1, however, is already over; Nadal’s presence in the semi-finals at Shanghai is enough to guarantee him the top spot, even without the points available from London, which get added straight onto his tally as he didn’t play last year. Djokovic, by contrast, has everything to lose as last year’s winner.

Connor McGregor Morton impactsport Editor amaica has had a spate of doping scandals over the summer, which has cumulated in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) launching an investigation into the Jamaican equivalent, the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO).

The investigation has been instigated due to the growing concern that many Jamaican athletes may have made their way through the net of drugs testing, due to the slackness of JADCO’s testing. The first signs of this came during the summer, in the wake of the world championships in August, at the Jamaican national championships in June - where five Jamaicans were found to have been using performance enhancing drugs, and have subsequently been banned. This included Asafa Powell, a former 100 metres world record holder, who is arguably even more popular among the Jamaican people than Usain Bolt. He was, of course the record holder before Bolt broke it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency was founded in Switzerland as part of the fight against performance enhancing drugs in sport. At the moment, the testing method in session is the ‘whereabouts’ method, which is basically the idea that every sportsman and sportswoman should have at least one hour per day where they may be completely randomly tested for performance enhancers, ideally meaning that noone will be able to evade detection if they have been doping.

Bolt himself has had no problems himself, never once having failed a drugs test, but the fact remains that if JADCO’s testing methods are found to be inadequate, he could find himself banned from any future competitions until it is sorted out.

The extent of the lack of testing is such that JADCO was basically non-functioning in the five months before the London Olympics of 2012, where Jamaica won eight of the 12 separate medals for the 100 & 200 metre sprint. In the run up to the 2012 games, most other countries were having random checks, in

accordance with the ‘whereabouts’ testing method. Howeverm JADCO only once performed checks which were not conducted as part of a competition in these months, and evidence suggests that JADCO hasn’t really upped its game since then.

There are of course also a few interesting arguments for the actual legalisation of doping. One of the most concrete arguments pointed to the inconsistency of the claims that doping should be kept illegal due to the fact that it is completely unnatural for an athlete to make themselves better with drugs, whereas no argument is made for banning athletes from training in different areas with various oxygen levels which obviously isn’t ‘natural’ either.

Though JADCO has been called into question, Bolt has been quick to distance himself from the doping scandal, noting that it may have set Jamaican athletics back a long way.

I hope for one that Bolt doesn’t get caught doping, I think a small part of the entire sport of athletics will die if he does.

Nick J Webb

Doping investigation in Jamaica J

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oreigners, who needs ‘em?

We do, actually, quite a lot.

Manu Tuilagi, Mo Farah, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Froome.

What do these people have in common? They all have penises, they are all incredibly good at what they do, they all represent England or Britain in something and have inspired the nation as individuals or standout players within the national team. They also all were born somewhere else. Tuilangi was born in Samoa, Farah in Somalia, Pietersen in South Africa and Froome in Kenya. So should these people be allowed to represent Britain if they are true Brits? Some say your answer will determine whether you are racist or not. Yeah, not laughing now, are we?

This topic has reared its racist head recently when England and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere posted on

Januzaj. He then backpedalled quicker than Chris Froome, whom he must also have a problem with, played in reversed by twatting, not a typo: “Just to clarify a few things.... again! Seems to be a trend in this country, poor journalism in my eyes! I wasn’t referring to Janujaz...”

And then: “I wish he was English! I’m sure most of you agree with me even if some journalists are trying to make me look bad....again!”

I wouldn’t even empathise with him if he had got his grammar right. So is this imbecile a visionary or a racist?

FIFA states that a player can play for a national side if one of the following is fulfilled: (a) He was born on the territory of the relevant Association; (b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the

Twitter, the following: “The question was should foreign players be allowed to play for England, and in my opinion I don’t think they should!”

Many people thought that this was in reference to his English teammate, Anglo-Belgian Adnan

Mo Farah is known to be very proud of representing the United Kingdom on the international stage

territory of the relevant Association; (c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of the relevant Association; (d) He has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the

relevant Association.

Janujaz fulfills the last point and so now, in the eyes of FIFA and the FA, he is as English as a Bulldog wearing a Union Jack Sweater called Bob. Many people are of the opinion, such as the EDL, that this is wrong and that only people who were born via the NHS to two British parents whose British Heritage dates back to when we were a collection of Druids near a magic rock and who have never left the country and so had to holiday in Devon each year in a caravan. Obviously, I have exaggerated a tad but it might not be a ludicrous as first thought.

If a non-English person plays for the national side then it may prevent someone who is actually English. Someone who grew up watching England play with their Dad and whose dream is was to play for England after they learnt that being a frog was not a viable career.

This non-English person however probably supported someone else when they were younger and who

probably only learnt how to speak English when they arrived, the fact that their tutors were their illiterate teammates really doesn’t help either.

On the other hand by allowing people who are not native to this country play for us, we are opening up a new wealth of talent. Take Manu Tuilagi, he weighs 17 stone and can run the hundred meters in about 11 seconds. Power like this is impossible for a British player to have, it’s all down to genetics – don’t quote me on that, I don’t do Biology.

If Manu Tuilagi had not been allowed to play then the win last year over New Zealand would have not ended the same way.

Mo Farah is Somalian by birth and he has accomplished the double doudle, a world’s first, representing Great Britain. In doing so he has cheered up what is usually a very depressed nation. If he had not been allowed to compete for us we’d all be that bit sadder.

Chris Froome obliterated the

Tour de France and Kevin Pietersen is one of the greatest batsmen to ever have donned an England Jersey. Without any of these people and countless others, many of our greatest sporting achievements might have not been our greatest achievements; they might just have been achievements.

So, where does this leave the racists? In my opinion anyone who represents a national team has to be proud to play for their country whether they are born there or not.

Playing for a country is the highest achievement for any athlete and so they should be proud to do so because they have reached the highest level possible.

If they aren’t proud then they aren’t going to do a good job and hence don’t deserve to play for the country especially if they were born there. I say foreigners should be allowed to play for England or indeed any country, as long as they want to. Plus Manu Tuilagi is quite good to have in the centre, so until he retires my opinion won’t change.

‘off-season’ including 6 foreign imports and English striker Natasha Dowie from arch rivals Everton Ladies.

Following these changes was the decision to turn full time with training sessions 5 times a week, taking them away from the semipro attitude of other clubs. A move to the new 13,000 seat Halton stadium in Widnes and the chance to join occasional training sessions with Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool squad were also added. Suddenly, it appeared Liverpool were taking the WSL seriously.

However, trying to get a whole new team gel immediately can be a massive challenge, so the start to the season was always going to be important for the reds. A 1-0 victory away to Lincoln ladies on the opening day was a positive start, but a 4-0 victory away to Arsenal in their second sent shockwaves through the league.

Things were still bright for Liverpool when Arsenal visited for the

return fixture on 3rd August. The game was moved to Anfield in another strong show of support from the club’s owners, but a crushing 3-0 defeat changed the complexion of league and suggested the reigning champions were going to reclaim their crown.

But the ‘gunners’ suffered successive goalless draws against Lincoln and Bristol, and were then handed a 3-point penalty for fielding an ineligible player in their 3-0 victory over Liverpool. Meanwhile, Liverpool themselves went on a run of 6 straight victories, leaving them 2 points clear of 2nd placed Bristol Academy ahead of the final round of fixtures.

Whilst Arsenal and Liverpool had been creating headlines all season, a young Bristol Academy side, who had won 8 of their first 10 fixtures, had stayed under the radar.

This form gave them the chance to take the league title of the final day and cause one of the biggest upsets in football history.

In a ground-breaking season for the WSL, it seemed fitting that the title would be decided on the final day. Liverpool Ladies needed just a point to take their first ever WSL crown, whilst the unheralded Bristol Academy required victory.

In truth, Liverpool dominated the encounter, and goals in either half from summer signings Louise Fors and Katrin Omarsdottier secured their maiden title.

The result was a fitting end to the season for Liverpool who had

been leading the table for the majority of the season. They also secured the most victories of any team, and scored 15 more goals than any other team throughout the season, with the league’s top scorer Natasha Dowie contributing 17 goals.

With the league coming down to the wire and new champions, this year’s superleague has been an overwhelming success, providing hope the game may now grow more popular in the UK.

sk8geek

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rphipps75

Ben Cochrane impactsport Contributor

rphipps75

Play for the country you’re proud of

Liverpool steal throne from Arsenal Michael Powell impactsport Contributor

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hilst the Premier League is flowing into full swing, the Women’s equivalent, the Women’s Super League came to its conclusion at the end of September with somewhat of a surprise. For the first time in 10 years, Arsenal Ladies failed to win the league, with Liverpool Ladies becoming this year’s champions following a final day victory over 2nd placed Bristol Academy, with Arsenal having to settle for 3rd.

But rewind just 12 months and the story was very different for Liverpool. Having finished bottom for the previous two WSL seasons, big changes were needed. Little did most people know, big changes were on the horizon. More money was invested into the club; starting with an overhaul of the background staff, followed by the appointment of manager Matt Beard, and then a revamp of the playing squad. 12 new players were recruited in the

impactsport England pull their finger out, page 21

Monday 21st October 2013

The year’s had a fine start

Inside impactsport Qatar’s debacle is causing a divide impactsport Contributor Thomas George Brady runs through both social and logistic problems going on with football in Qatar Page 22 has the full story

The tennis in the east is getting pretty heated impactsport Contributor Tom Ash delves into the tennis in Shanghai, and looks at the semis and the finals in depth Turn to page 22 to read it all

Connor McGregor Morton impactsport Editor

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he intake for all the sports clubs has pretty much come to a close, with swaths of new, fresh-faced players prepping themselves for sport (And then later prepping themselves in various ridiculous garbs

for Score) The initial taster sessions for the freshers - and other older students who fancied a bash now they realise university is basically the only way they’ll ever have this freedom to join in on a massive amount of sport ever again - got off to a pretty good start, with the sports lead-

Pedro Gomes

Marianne Gros

Doping in Jamaica ignites an investigation

ers exhibiting massive amounts of enthusiasm - enthusiasm that can surely only be seen in these people in the wake of the new school year.

As various competitions begin soon, everyone should be putting their full effort in, in order to stomp out Bath’s opposition… (But surely there’s still time for score, right?)

We at impactsport bid you good luck and here’s to a fantastic year of sport, partly because we truly wish for your success, but mostly because we like mocking our friends who study at other universities, who, as Bath is pretty damn good at sport, have far inferior sports teams.

Bath win futsal ‘el classico’ Will Bryan, 1st team member, talks about Bath’s victory T

he University of Bath hosted Loughborough Students on Sunday, in an eagerly awaited clash between arguably the two strongest challengers for the FA Midlands National League title.

Loughborough, having won their first 2 games of the season, were looking to gain an early advantage over Bath, who were yet to get their campaign away under the new captaincy of Jordan Guttridge.

In front of a packed Founders Hall, the match started at a furious pace; and with 7 British internationals on the court, the standard of futsal was exceptionally high.

Although Loughborough were dictating much of the possession, Bath looked dangerous on the counter attack. This soon bore

fruit, as Guttridge and Parkes braces put Bath 4-0 up. Loughborough pulled one back through Webb, but Ballinger played a one-two straight from the resultant kick-off to put Bath 5-1 up at the break.

Despite continued Loughborough pressure applied through using a fly goalkeeper in the second half, resolute defending from Bath kept the opposition at bay, and goals from Kitson and Canham ensured a well-deserved 7-3 victory.

The team showed excellent defensive focus throughout the whole game and displayed a clinical edge in front of goal on the counter attack.

Thanks must go to the supporters, a crowd of 75 that gave the match an excellent atmosphere.

Bath will hope to build on this victory away at Oxford in 3 weeks,

and ultimately look forward to challenging for the Super league in 2014. Next Sunday the team turn

their attentions to BUCS and a home match against the University of Gloucester.

impactsport Editor Connor Mcgregor Morton talks about the recent doping controversies in Jamaica, and their implications Turn to page 22 for more

Should non-Brit borns be able to represent it? impactsport Contributor Ben Cochrane launches a battle against the tyranny of those who would oppose the above notion page 23 has the full story

Liverpool takes the top spot in woman’s footy impactsport Contributor Michael Powell takes a look at the Women’s Super League results, and remains hopeful for a rise in its popularity page 23 has the full story

Get involved

Bath’s futsal team discuss tactics at their win over Loughborough

If you are interested in sport and want to contribute, then contact impactsport Editor Connor McGregor Morton (impactsport@bath.ac.uk) to find out more details about how you can get involved.

We’re always looking for writers, photographers, people to take part, or just all round sports buffs to help out. So, if you have a story you want to share, don’t be afraid to get in touch!

Flabber DeGasky

green

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Monday 21st October 2013

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bite Editorial: poison envy

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G

reen, green, green, green, green. The green, green grass of home. Claude Greengrass from Heartbeat. The word green generally conjures up nothing more than a thought of the colour; it’s pretty insignificant all year round, unless it’s St. Paddy’s day. But if you really sit and think about all the things this colour represents, it means so much more: greed (as in the colour of the infamous American dollar and the hold it has on the world economy – for now!); a topic which Helena discusses in the lead article on the next page.

How about the environment? The Green Movement is one of the most poignant and seminal movements in human history, a movement that is ‘potentially’ above us our needs, our wants and the good of mother earth (is it bollocks?). It’s really about self-preservation, for the most part. STILL. Since the Enlightenment, our thought seems to have been of an egocentric and epistemological kind, but now we are beginning to view ourselves as external of our beings and our social networks, from a perspective of our external collective being. In the future it could certainly make or break us, our existence, our everything.

And everything else that isn’t ours. Conservationism and environmental awareness, in a world with a post-industrial view of our effect on the planet, our ransacking of it, will be made ever more important in the future as the world’s population increases.

Green could also be a significant representation of the land of Nine Domains, the cradle of modern civilisation: China. The green precious stone jade, holds many very significant meanings, especially in China where it was being mined as far back as 6000BC. Many people associate

A nibble of bite Your snippet of what awaits you in this delicious portion of your favourite pull-out magazine

China with red, the colour heavily associated with Communism, the colour of their flag and a colour which could be associated with the opposition presented towards China and its infamy as a ‘human rights abuser’ (we won’t get into definitions about a western view of human rights).

So how about instead we look to the future, beyond our liberal framework of ideas, based on the rights of the individual, and look at the rights of all the poor helpless creatures below us in the food chain. Let’s use green to represent the importance of China as a key actor in the international arena, a nation with a heavy burden of duty of

“

From capitalist, wasteful society, we experience environmental degradation, and through education we realise the error of our ways

”

care for its environment, its animals and unique plant life.

In ancient China, jade, and her greenness represented goodwill, delicateness, beauty and also embodied the teachings of Confucius: courage, wisdom, modesty, justice and compassion. It’s a shame that in actuality, jade, like many rarities became a symbol of extreme wealth and superiority – again this is poignant, because of the hold it has on people’s aspirations in society, their greed as opposed to their care for their environment. People, espe-

cially in the ‘developing world’ in places such as China, will often rather strive to climb to the top of the jade ladder, recycling nothing along their 4x4 fuel-guzzling way.

In the ‘West’ the idea of protecting, and preserving our environment is becoming part of our everyday lives, it is becoming ingrained as a norm, a natural progression.

From capitalist, wasteful society, we experience environmental degradation, and through education we realise the error of our ways. So, using that logic, a pastiche of a Marxist idea, surely China is soon to start following, in fact, it already is. Nice one China. It saddens this rootin’tootin’ cowboy of an editor (just in case I was getting too serious) to see a lot of people just recycling for its fashionable qualities rather than to actually make a difference.

Take bags with you to the supermarket. Erm, stop buying stuff in packaging. And then feeling good about yourself for recycling it! Preaching. Preaching. Holier-than-thou.

Annnnd finally. Envy, which is often accompanied by or synonymous with jealousy, I would argue is the most destructive emotion going and is, again, often linked to the ideas above. Why wouldn’t we all get jade hungry and forget about the green, green grass of home when living in our skyscraper apartments, with garbage shoots that double as a slide or an adequate quasi-girlfriend disposal duct? So, green, then, are any other colours quite as poignant? Right now, I’ll argue NO. But have a think about it. Red, sure, it represents anger and war and blood.

Blue is associated with coldness, lifelessness and perhaps water, the giver of life. Yellow, Colonel Mustard. Enough said. Still. It’s no green.

On a final note. Purple.

This week’s theme is Green, not just the colour, but all that comes with it. If you want to hear about materialism, because, why wouldn’t you? then look no further than page 3.

Things... this week:

On page 6 and 7 you will find nothing but entertainment with some beautiful pieces on Luigi and Miley Cyrus. Who are obviously two of a kind.

If someone leaves their laptop open, don’t frape them, just change their desktop background.

On the centre page Jon and Adam take us back to 2003, reviewing some of their fave rock albums from history.

hipstermerkel.tumblr.com

Enjoy!

Will Smithing

Ever wondered what it would be like if Angela Merkel was an instergramming hipster?

Well, wonder no more.

Quotes from our heads

Album of the week:

“There would be fewer wars if women put-out more. Men would be busy all the time!”

“Pig. That assumes everyone is heterosexual!?”

“There’d be gay wars!”

“It’d just be a standoff with people going ‘You seriously gonna fight me in THAT?’”

Box by Danny Brown Without doubt his best album yet, Danny Brown gets ambitious with a cloud-rap-experimental first half (Purity Ring feature?!), and a straight-up trap-party second half - a splitpersonality album that reflects the nature of its creator. Everything from Outkast to Kid A to vinyl apparently inspired this album, lending it a freewheeling feel; despite the tense beats and dizzying pace. Brown’s they-just-let-me-out-of-theasylum bleat also lends the music a sense of humour even when the subject matter gets heavy, and he bookends the album brilliantly. An album of the year.

“Those arms feel large, that’s a good base for a Buffasaurus Rex” “I feel my freedom has been marginalised, where’s my scotch egg?”

Overheard on campus “Score can be more than just a night out, I mean, it’s probably more important than your degree - if you think about it.”

“Why don’t they sing about where they are on the bus in the FUCKING mornings?”

“I don’t see how he could lose a spade in 3West” “Wait, isn’t Architecture digging up dead things?”

Game of the week: Pokémon X & Y Nintendo have struck gold again with the sixth generation of Pokémon games by expertly blending newly revised mechanics and just the right level of nostalgia to create possibly the most enjoyable handheld experience since the original games.

Pokémon X and Y adds some 69 (hurr-hurr) new Pokémon to the roster, but players won’t find themselves swamped with enemies as the new additions are introduced evenly throughout the game. The biggest barrier to most is that Pokémon X and Y are only available on the previously undersold 3DS system, but with this release the system has gained enough traction to justify a purchase - this game is one you really don’t want to miss.

Monday 21st October 2013

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Loozrboy

-opoly, the worst suffix since -itler

This couple were pleased as they found out all they needed for a deposit was to own three consecutive streets. And you thought 10% of a mortgage was a lot. written by Helena Pierides

I

n the world as we know it today, money defines us, whether it be Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Yen, Pesos or Rupees. Thus, many argue that the world we live in is one of greed and materialism; one where our very reality is defined not by our personalities, our hobbies, our likes and dislikes or our faults, but by how many green pieces of paper we have in our wallets. It is sad really, even pathetic, that we have allowed for such a thing to happen. We have allowed for intellectual and spiritual thoughts to succumb to insipid materialism because we have deemed the latter more important. But, when did we make way for this to happen?

Was this notion of consumerism always a tenet of success and happiness, did we roam the wilderness collecting trinkets before we knew what trinkets were?

When one comes to think of it, it’s possible we’re not the ones to blame, considering that everything we see and hear around us comes from biased sources, there is no objectivity. For instance, certain braches of the media are constantly bombarding the public with almost utopian scenarios of the materialistic lifestyles of Hollywood stars, footballers, musicians and all the bling and crib sensationalist baggage they come with, which seem so tempting to the average person.

So, is it really our fault for letting greed take over us? Or are we subject the coercive forces of capitalist society? Either way, we need to be more responsible and take more control.

Some song lyrics, for example, are subliminally, or overtly, in this case bombarding us with the idea that money is what a person’s life must revolve around: “Ohhhh. All I see is signs. All I see is dollar signs. Ohhhh. Money on my mind.

Money, money on my mind” in Rihanna’s ‘Pour it up’ Similarly, TV reality shows such as Keeping up with the Kardashians have ended up being some of the most popular series on E! After the on-going routine of watching such sequels, who wouldn’t start being envious of the three sisters tanning in their D&G bikinis all day long, without a care in the world, on the roof top of some luxurious hotel overlooking San Francisco? Even the private lives of rich political figures, feeding on their tax-burdened societies, are being featured on such shows. So, has anyone thought that it might just be the fault of those at the top of companies, who are in a position of trust and power, who control our most fa-

vourite and quasi-solipsistic medium of ‘entertainment’? In any case, the media do not seem to be able to discriminate between recreation, aiming for the spiritual improvement of one’s character, and their trivial entertainment, which is increasingly nothing more than beautifying and projecting the money-oriented lives of people such as Hollywood stars, or corrupt political figures.

As a matter of fact, we’ve become so greedy and self-complacent that money seems to have lost its original meaning, as a means of useful and brotherly exchange between people.

Paper money has been conceived as a convenient means to

“

when they woke up the next day they found, to their dread, that about 50% of their money had undergone a ‘hair cut’

”

replace the barter of goods. However, it was never intended to be a commodity in itself which can be sold and can generate interest alone! And as if this was not enough, banks somehow managed to receive the right to create money of their own, out of debt, by having a ratio whereby a multiple amount of money can be produced out of thin air and lent out against a supposedly existing actual money reserve. The recent Cypriot financial crisis, for example, clearly depicts the basis of corruption on which the banking system functions: during the Easter holidays in April, some people routinely went to bed one night knowing that they had enough money saved in their bank accounts to live the rest of their lives with relatively ease. Unfortunately, when they woke up the next day they found, to their dread, that about 50% of their money had undergone a ‘hair cut’. Wasn’t the money legally theirs? Wasn’t it tucked away safely in their bank accounts? Yes. So, how did half of it disappear? And who stole it? This is exactly why during a boom your money may have one value but during a bust, it doesn’t, which leads to

the argument of money being virtual. In today’s virtual reality, banks are using an exponential formula which creates money on top of money, ultimately causing inflation. This inflation has now reached the extent that the few people who produce the money can get unbelievably rich, while the vast majority of others, just. Get. Poorer.

The money production system allows for abnormalities, like for instance the unrealistic prices of designers’ items, luxury cars, villas, etc., and it is really unfortunate that this little green piece of paper brings with it so much injustice, corruption, and devastation. It seems that the concept of materialism is gaining more and more ground in our so called civilised and developed countries. On the other hand, societies in the so called ‘developing world’ do not seem to aspire to such a lust for material possessions, like most of us here in the West do. Morals and values may still have the upper hand there and people in such countries may be criticized for being less intellectually astute compared to Western societies, but in all probability it’s their focus on family values rather than material goods which makes them happier than us. Plus, it’s hard to worry about first world problems when you don’t even know where dinner or the next bout of life without civil war is coming from, sociological studies have shown that children in money-deprived countries are much happier than those in opulent ones.

Finally, back on the topic of the economic crisis, which is actually a debt crisis, is critical for us, and perhaps it will encourage some sort of “a return to traditional moral values.”

(Bateman, 2000). Perhaps it is showing us that we have turned a naturally abundant and free life into a life owed to the banks. Everyone picks up a little silver shape, the banker hands out his little green sheets to the players and then the players start going round the square buying and selling. But, it’s a limited square and only half of them can win each time, until only the banker remains. Besides, this is why it’s called “Monopoly”, for all property ends up in the hands of a single person: the banker, and the nightmare begins when players desperately want to stay in the game and start borrowing these little green notes, building up the banker’s wealth each time. Also, who plays Monopoly? Play Risk instead… no, wait.

Monday 21st October 2013

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5

Bath Chilli Festival one hot event

Music

Travis_Simon

JD Hancock

craigCloutier

Martin Davies

Martin Davies

written by Svenja Bunte

The Guide: Arts

Hot chillies were accompanied by hot sunshine for last Saturdays inaugural Bath Chilli Festival. This proved to be the perfect afternoon to sit on the grass with a spicy Bloody Mary, recovering from delicious yet deadly chilli sauces, jams and other products, made locally in Bath and all over the UK. The most painful experience had to be the chilli lemon sherbet sold by owner of the Chilli Hut, Green Park Station. However, this was nothing compared to what the contestants of the chilli eating contest endured as they chomped and cried their way through 10 chillies of ever increasing heat, seeds and all. After a lot of sweating and even some vomiting on stage, the chocolate habanero (35 times spicier than a jalapeño!), proved too much for all but one of the competitors and a red-faced winner was declared. His spoils included £50, and probably the last thing he ever wanted to see again, a chilli plant. All in all, a great way to spend the first Saturday afternoon back at uni, and amazing to see that you can actually base a whole event just on a chilli.

Comedy

James Acaster: Lawnmower, 24th October at the Rondo Theatre, Bath. £10 for full time students.

Electric Swing Circus live, Friday 25th October at Moles, Bath. £6.00 for students

Free showing of Ender’s Game at The Little Theatre, Thursday 24th October.

Even the least dancey of people will find themselves intoxicated with this show, musically and visually exciting, electro swing Balkan gypsy beats, enough said – I’ll see you there.

To go to the free screening, you have to become a member of the E4 Slackers Club and show your student ID at the door.

For more details go to bit.ly/littleenders

Acaster is slow burning comedian, the kind that makes you smile rather than belly laugh, but it’s thoughtful humour and you’ll come away from the evening with a slightly different outlook, at least for a few hours

Wonka-vision escape from Zombie Island featuring Gentleman’s Dub Club and nine other great acts, Saturday 26th October at Bridewell Island, Bristol.

Ticket prices vary.

‘Show in a Week’, a collaborative Arts society event, is on Saturday 26th October There are 5 promenade performances at 4, 4.30, 5, 5.30, 6. They will be starting in University Hall.

Luisa Omielan: What would Beyoncé do? Wednesday 30th October at the Rondo Theatre, Bath. £10 student concessions

Looking for a place to get your Halloween rock on? (not boners) well, look no further, fancy dress is mandatory and this night will be WILD. Tickets aren’t too cheap, check online for varying prices.

All the arts societies get together to put on a show, in a week, including: BUST (actors), BUSMS (singing actors), Backstage Technical Services, Bath Fashion, BodySoc (Dance Society), BREAK, Chamber Choir, Choral & Orchestral Society, FolkSoc, Gravity Vomit (Juggling & Circus Skills), Knit Soc, MusicSoc, PhotoSoc, Salsa Society, Splat Art.

With her upbeat and slick delivery, Omielan addresses the deep and philosophical question on all our lips: What would Beyoncé do? Catch her sassy sell-out show and leave feeling enlightened.

Coasts playing live at Moles, Saturday 2nd November. Doors open at 7PM, £6.60 online Only a year old, this Bristolian band is making rapid progress touring Britain and building their fanbase. With a tropical sound and catchy tunes, there are worse ways to spend your Saturday.

Project wild thing, Sunday 27th October at the Little Theatre Bath. 3pm £5.60 Screen 2 A documentary looking at the sheltered lives of ‘the youth’ of today, according to many experts involved in making the film, the distance children go away from home has reduced by 90% in the last 30 years

The Krater Experience, Saturday 2nd November at Komedia, Bath. £10 for students with NUS Stuart Goldsmith, Pierre Hollins, Ryan Cull and Mark Olver hop on the stage for another great night of stand up. Boogey on down to Komedia’s Motown night afterwards that conveniently is straight after and included in the ticket price, groovy.

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Monday 21th October 2013

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Cyrious greenhorn or greenious?

I

think it’s safe to say that everyone knows of Miley Cyrus’ escapades and obsession with attempting to ‘shock’ the world. Her recent photo-shoot with Terry Richardson is the perfect example of how she’s clearly, trying ridiculously hard to get people talking and to have people paying attention to her.

Can you spell ‘extreme Daddy issues’? But, what annoys me is that now that she’s got this attention on her, now that she’s made people talk about her and want to know more about her motives, why can’t she say something worth listening to? The fact that she’s scantily clad is not interesting; there is no purpose behind it. She’s just a spoilt little rich girl rebelling against what, exactly?

Think back to Joséphine Baker, who managed to parlay a topless banana dance into liberation from Nazis and the civil rights movement. Or perhaps, think back more recently to Madonna: she was considered risqué and shocking. And maybe she was, but she came with a powerful message. As pop critic, Jon Pareles pointed out ‘Madonna brought out questions about religion and sexuality and power.’

Madonna’s provocations led somewhere besides ‘attention.’ Women like Miley, Kesha, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, who have all received attention, because we live in a world where sex sells, are not taking advantage of the fact that young girls are being influenced by them and they don’t realise that they have the chance to make an impact. They could bring forward problems that women face daily, purely because of their sex. They should be bringing issue of inequality to public forums, such as the face that women are still paid 30% less than men simply because they are women. Or the fact that 75% of the world’s illiterate

are women! They aren’t raising any interesting questions about the society we live in - all they are doing is trying to shock the public and get them talking. And does it work?

Yes, to a certain extent. We are all talking about Miley and that weird ‘thing’ (for lack of a better word) she did with that foam finger, but are we shocked? No. Do we appreciate her talent? No. Do we respect her? Probably not.

But, can Miley be wholly blamed? Who are the people really behind Miley losing her ‘goody-two-shoes’ image and gaining a twerk-dancing, nipple-bearing, tongue-sticking-outy, wrecking-ball-riding, slutbag-image? It seems as though, in reality, her management team has meticulously calculated her recent ‘bad and shocking’ behaviour to promote her new album ‘Bangerz’ – after all, any publicity, good or bad, is still publicity, right? And it’s clearly worked as Miley’s media exposure has increased five fold since the Video Music Awards (VMAs). Not too shabby for a four minute performance with a foam finger and a bunch of twerking bears, from a business standpoint it’s rather genius, but for your average Joe, not everyone can pull this off.

In order to be able to perpetuate this ‘shock-factor’ as the PR people do, they require someone with an ego that needs to be constantly stroked along with a desperate need for love and attention. Which is why you won’t see stars like Adele or Birdy falling for any of this sensationalist crap. But, should you want to follow in Miley’s footsteps, you’ll need balls as big as the one she is seen riding in her Wrecking Ball video. Personally, if Miley really wants to shock people she (or Rihanna or Kesha for that matter) should put on some clothes and enrol in university to study feminism. No one would see that coming.

JD Hancock

written by Sian Maria Morgan

My apologies to any deciples of the above politicians

They come over here, taking our jobs W

hen you think of Nintendo you think Mario; the tiny red plumber who jumps in huge pipes, gets jacked up on mushrooms, collects coins for no apparent reason and tries to destroy the entire turtle race.

Not to mention he completely abandons a promising plumbing career for some pretty blonde wench stuck up a tower. I mean, she made hardly any effort to equal the hard work of Mario, it is well documented that the tower had extensive fairy-tale literature, so at least making a Rapunzel like hair ladder would have been nice. The desire to save a pretty women is defiantly a real one, I even tried it once but apparently the bars on the windows, the giant body guard and the dogs I had to jump on, were to keep me out, not her in. Oh the laughs we had afterwards! She was a Mario fan too, so it all turned out ok. No charges, Score! (this should defiantly be a advert for Friday nights!) I digress. Mario. Mario is in all regards not real. So he doesn’t really matter, however Mario wears red and red is real, it has wavelengths and stuff it is also prime colour. It conjures images of adventure, passion, fire, blood, war, danger, monthly cycles and British colonialism. One can only imagine all of these things were at the forefront of Shigeru Miyamoto’s mind when he created Mario. What then was at the forefront of his mind when he created

Luigi, except of course Stonehenge, tentacle porn and broccoli, the three things on everyone’s mind? The answer to this is… probably not much. In the earlier Mario games he’s basically an alternate skin or a part of a cut scene, something you can inflict upon younger siblings to make them know they have no power over you. Later on in Nintendo’s history he turns up as a more gangly socially awkward character, and now he has quite a few original games like Luigi’s mansion and err… well. That’s beside the point, Luigi was never meant to be a main character, but I love him. Like a brother. From my 4th Italian mother, the resemblance is striking. Luigi is an underdog, he doesn’t bravely dash to his doom doing skateboard tricks and Parkour to impress women, nah, Luigi stays at home doing the plumbing, supporting his energetic show off brother financially and emotionally as he inevitably comes down from thinking he’s 30 feet tall shooting fireballs out his ass. No one should like Luigi, he’s not designed to be liked, but that’s what really makes him special, he isn’t a character that’s been forced down our throat after being squeezed out of the bejewelled asshole that the media market is. He is a character of real substance, created by accident; for all of life’s best things are both accidental and instantaneous, just like my child, and I love them both for all there unintentionally.

Lws & Clrk

Written by John Barlow

Hey I’m-a Luigi, I’m-a no.1. Are you though Luigi...You’re inferior to a mushroom

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Ben Hooper bite Editor

Y

esterday the Geological Institute of Traversing (GIT) released its annual report, this report detailed a recent and extensive comparative survey on Coronation Avenue and Bathwick Hill, two rather large hills in Bath, England. The findings of this survey are quite astonishing.

The research was initially suggested and carried out by the peakknoll-ben thinktank as a comparison exclusively between the two hills, this soon changed as satellites concentrating on the area had started to pick up more and more data that fewer and fewer people were climbing the hills, and those that were would stop before they reached the summit; this data was then compared with data showing that an average of 98 per cent of British students climb Kilimanjaro each minute.

This rise in numbers climbing the African ‘giant’ may or may not be specifically linked to this sudden fall in numbers climbing the two hills in Bath. One thing for sure though, they are contributing in some way. It was once the case that climbing Kilimanjaro was actually a feat worth writing home about, these days people are doing the same when they reach the summit of Bathwick,

except they’re not writing about the feat, they’re removing their irreparably damaged feet and writing a goodbye letters on their feet and mailing them home, instead. Those not brave enough to face the hill are doomed to stand at bus stops, FOREVER. So what’s causing this? Is it just down to sheer altitude and gradient? No, of course not.

People have been waiting at the bottom of Bathwick Hill and at various points on Coronation Avenue for decades, so what’s changed?

Well, reader, this isn’t one of those academic publications which is summarised by saying something like: ‘Emmanuel Kant didn’t really know, but he didn’t have syphilis, but he gave us some good ideas, we still don’t know.’ No, instead it ends, thusly: Wessex Connect, a well-known bus company and cheese manufacturer, have started a regular service going from, you’ve guessed it, Kilamunjaro basecamp finishing at the summit. This bus has also reportedly been spotted roughly once a day in Oldfield Park this month; the sightings however are still being treated as suspicious, but, if true, would rival the U10 in rarity.

So what about Wessex’s presence in Bath, is it true they’ve forsaken Bath and her residents

for the tiny Tanzanian tor? Is it true that they are creating a new service dubbed Q10 which will be picking up only 10% of all bus queues, regardless of quantities of people on the busses? Probably NOT but I think it’s a shit bus service. It makes me angry they make money from my suffering and they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. The more that busses fail, the more likely people are to walk to the top of Bathwick Hill, this might help decrease the number of posh twats climbing KMJ. Let’s hope so, because if someone else tries to triumphantly tell me they’ve done it, I’m going to drown them in a paddling pool full of shredded photos of myself, clambering through a mudslide in Tibet.

Beware of message asking for charitable donations to an individual or individuals, aiming to ‘climb’ Kilamunjaro this summer, or on some sort of gap ‘yah’ (year). If you find this is a genuine request and not spam, perhaps advise them on more worthy climbs, such as Bathwick. FYI the X18 is an entire wheel of cheese, ironically its wheels are made of regular bus material. Is that irony? More like blue steel. Mwah, turn left, also, you’d only have to climb Bathwick 39.23 times to equal the hight of Kilimanjaro.

nukta77

Kilimanjaro tourism on the up

A photo of a bus at the summit, shame it has a sky blue colour scheme

Thomas Gane former bite Editor

U

S Government Shut Down continued this week, with Republicans and Democrats unwilling to see eye to eye on a number of issues related to the highly anticipated release of Pokémon X and Y. What began as a standard Pokebreak (the 151st Amendment decrees that a week off is granted for Congress to complete new Pokémon games, with all Republican Senators receiving a copy of one and Democrats the other, the split is decided by the President who has dibbs over which Legendary Pokémon looks the coolest) has turned into a fierce battle that is costing the US economy millions of dollars every single day.

From what our reporters understand, the issue arose when most Republicans decided to pick Bulbasor as their original starter because it helps with the earlier gyms, despite the common knowledge that everyone who isn’t an over privileged, white, middle aged, piece of shit politician picks Charmander.

Whilst this neoconservative policy of rapid expansion did appear to be effective for the first few hours

of the game, Republican Senators soon found their progress slowed as they came up against resistance in more hostile areas of the region.

The poor treatment of their Pokémon also inspired a trainer and Pokémon insurgency in Kalos, despite the region historically being very diverse and conflict riddlen.

Republicans then attempted an unrestricted free trade policy amongst themselves which again allowed for immediate gain and rapid levelling up of many of their Pokémon, but as they failed to put the proper foundations and restrictions in place with the correct gym badges, the free trade policy has created Pokémon that refuse to obey their trainers and caused a mass collapse in many battles. When asked for comment, vice President Biden had this to say; “It’s this exact kind of short sighted and selfish policy making that caused the crash that we’re still suffering from today. They may have gotten away with it with the economy, this country and the rest of the world, but if they think they’re going to do it with Pokémon it’ll be over my dead body!”

After encountering these difficulties many Republicans refused to play the game and accused Dem-

ocrats of cheating by playing fairly, intelligently and treating their Pokémon with kindness. John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, had this to say, “Pokémon is clearly a game unfairly biased towards Democrats. It has free universal healthcare and preaches messages of understanding, diversity and tolerance. It’s completely unfair to expect decent, upstanding, racist, sexist, intolerant Americans to play a game so rooted in dirty communist ideals.

We, however, are willing to compromise. For example we think it’s only fair that Democrats give us all of their lawfully obtained Pokémon and badges or we will continue the Shut Down. Either that or everybody has to smash up their 3DS’ and nobody is allowed to play Pokémon ever again, because if we can’t get our way then nobody can”.

When we pointed out that this was stupid and childish, Mr. Boehner started crying and walked out of the interview after calling our reporter a “dirty fucking beaner”.

President Obama was unavailable for comment as he was busy trying to defeat the Elite Four, however he did show us his Level 70 Pikachu (nickname B-Money) and it was really, really cool.

borman818

A fools’ guide to the UShutdown

It’s hard to see what Obama was getting at, but Pikachu... so...

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2003 Rocked: A facebook.com/bathimpact

10. Damnation by Opeth

Starting with number 10, we have Opeth’s startling release Damnation.

After their more metal release with the stunning Blackwater Park, Opeth decided to depart from this style and go down a more mellow, progressive sound with this album, much to the despair of their ‘hard-core’ fans. Every metal band at one point had an album with 6-12 (depending on the album size) of their normal sound heavy hitting songs and then (for the sake of pace) would space these songs with more mellow, chilled and ultimately forgettable tracks that reminded ‘hard-core metallers’ that they had a skip-track button. What makes this album amazing is not just the 8 beautiful tracks (In My Time of Need is definitely the highlight - the mellotron in the chorus, oh my!) is the fact that the WHOLE ALBUM consists of the mellow, chilled (yet not at all forgettable!) tracks that other metal bands merely dipped their toes into. It was a bold move, it polarised their fanbase, yet ultimately broadened it.

Written by Jonathan Arc

1.

9. Happy Songs For Happy People by Mogwai

It initially feels wrong to put Absolution a the truth is that it trumps most of them b tracks, no redundancy; the lyrics are jus worthy. Ask the bass player of any indie/ play “Hysteria”, and they would make a pa they bought a fuzz pedal. Through this alb knowledge, promote and extend the influe As well as being a fantastic ride from start piece of work which has almost certainly h of rock music. Because it ROCKS.

The year 2003 was a pretty bleak year. The news was full of lies and death.

Rage Against The Machine were on hiatus in our hour of need. It was also time for Mogwai to make another album, and evolve a little further. The keyboards came a little further to the fore in this record, with eerie vocoders taunting us with their unintelligibility. Not until track 6 do we finally get some extreme dynamics and big riffs. As the opening song fades in, we drift to a melancholy, abstract place. Words are unintelligible and sounds are unnatural yet comforting. Retreating into Mogwai’s safe home we feel a little guilty, constantly reminded of those in the darkness outside.

8. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 by Coheed & Cambria

It is not very easy to follow the plot of a Coheed & Cambria record. The songs loosely tie into some kind of sci-fi epic, and while the words are pronounced clearly, the melodies they wrap around are so original that it is difficult to parse them correctly. Although widely seen as ‘metal’, I suspect it is only because the band wear black and have lots of hair. At heart the songs are built around pop/punk-esque riffs, yet the construction is so elaborate and the tunes so creative that it is ouwtright wrong to call them such. As well as an almost impossible-to-abbreviate title, IKS3 contains 21:13, which might just be the greatest bonus track in the history of rock music. Astonishing.

7. Elephant by The White Stripes

This album can boast the anthem of the year. That is, of course, the immortal Seven Nation Army. This album’s sheer success and major-label status belie its stripped-down minimalist sound and the sound of the 14 brilliant tracks on this album casts the image just like many a White Stripes music video: a guy with an amp and a guitar and a drummer. It’s remarkable how many similarly ‘stripped down’ garage bands cover almost every track on this album and never get anywhere close to reproducing the White Stripes sound that reached its height with this album. My highlight, definitely the chorus in The Hardest Button to Button: Meg White’s just wailing a 4-on-the-floor with a crash cymbal yet it sounds so powerful, I love it!

* Permission to Lan * Honestly this probably deserves to be in the m * Meteora (L * AKA “The last good * Dresde * Back when their reco * Get Bo * If you’re into garage * Get Rich or Die * Not really our thing * If you’re into hip-h * Viva Emptine * If you’re into modern d * WAT (L * If you’re into industrial

6. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead

Let’s get the criticisms out of the way first: Explosions The Sky did not invent this kind of music. It’s a little bit rivative, and wouldn’t exist without the fine work of Sl Mogwai, Sigur Ros et al. There’s not a lot of variety acr the record. Ok, done?

If you want to be in a post-rock band and make pre clean soundtrack-esque music, THIS IS THE ALBUM RIP OFF. There is a great deal of emotional range, and spite being ‘inoffensive’ and playable in any setting, it evo sadness, hope, longing, excitement, peace, pain, bli How? Good composition, that’s how! If you can do it wi string quartet, you can do it louder with guitars and drum

Monday 21st October 2013

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cher and Adam Jackson

2. De-loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta

Many have tried to describe this album in the past, many have failed. I can’t possibly explain the depth, the majesty, the sheer what-the-f**k-is-happening value, the lyrical content centred around a man’s mental journey whilst in a coma after over-dosing on rat poison and morphine, in a simple paragraph-long review. I can’t, I just can’t. When I think of my music collection now, I tend to put albums into two bins: The ones I listened to before and after hearing this album.

Dammit, I spent a month alone just listening to this album and NOTHING else when I first bought it. If I had to describe the Mars Volta, just imagine fusion, rock, math, rock opera and a snoutful of cocaine and you MIGHT be close.

They combined progressive rock with modern metal, but sound NOTHING LIKE EITHER, and this debut album just delivers with EVERY listen. It’s phenomenally long, despite being only 60 minutes, and that is its one drawback - listening to this album is exhausting. That’s why, after hours (yes we spent hours debating this), we eventually came to the painful decision to nudge this down to number 2. Favourite moment(s): the explosive second track Inertiatic ESP, the drums in Eriatarka. the emotional come-down in Televators and the mind-bending guitar solo in Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt. Listen to this album; it’ll change you.

3. Hail To The Thief by Radiohead Hail To The Thief is one of Radiohead’s less celebrated records; people tend to dwell on the musical breakthrough of OK Computer, and the increasing electronic presence on Kid A and Amnesiac. HTTT is the album where they brought the guitars, vocals and acoustic piano back to leadership - but the electronics are lurking just behind, and occasionally take over. The result is a record that’s a little more balanced and accessible than its immediate predecessors, but still diverse and expressive. More interesting are the themes; Radiohead’s earlier records examine abstract pressures, personal issues and societal trends. This is more targeted: misinformation, oppression, class divide. The title a not-so-subtle jab at the controversial US presidential election in 2000, they look at 2003’s political climate of spin and equate it to Orwell’s visions. A decade later, we have journalists being intimidated while the head of the NSA is found to have cheerfully lied at length to US lawmakers. Incredible that a record can capture 2003 so precisely and yet be so timeless.

ahead of more ‘sophisticated’ records, but by having no real flaws. There are no filler st about intelligible and far from cringe/alternative rock band a few years later to assable attempt -- it’s probably the reason bum and its predecessor, Muse openly acence of romantic music on the rock world. t to finish, Absolution is a popular and fine had a positive influence on the last decade

nd (The Darkness) main list but we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it.

Linkin Park) d Linkin Park album” en Dolls ord label still loved them orn (Jet) rock then you have this e Tryin’ (50 Cent) g but kind of a big deal! hop then you have this ess (Katatonia) doom metal you have this Laibach) dance music you have this

d Place (Explosions In The Sky)

s In t delint, ross

etty, TO deokes iss... ith a ms.

4. Effloresce by Oceansize Another debut album here. From the opening 30 seconds of this album you know you’re in for a sheer delight. The opening track “I am the Morning” probably charts out the dynamics for what’s in store for the next 75 minutes in its play-time: It’s optimistic, it’s beautiful, it’s gonna knock you over with some gorgeous choruses comprised of full and tasty megachords, and the rest of the album certainly doesn’t disappoint. One thing that sets this apart from many post-rock albums released at the time is that it’s vocals take center stage, which kinda rules the Manchester Uni quintet out as a post rock band (post rock of course being known for it’s simple instrumental melodies that tend to use vox as backing instruments). A personal favourite track … no screw it, they’re ALL amazing, I can’t even choose.

5. Self Titled by Fall of Troy Hey, any album this accomplished by a group of 17 year olds is worthy of any top ten list by far. The release of their self-titled debut album has since been over-looked with their kickin-the-face of a roaring album, Doppelganger. Doppelganger mostly updated the quality of songs released on THIS album, and Fall Of Troy’s energetically rough mathcore, with bizarre song titles, endlessly cyclic guitar melodies that can spiral into sheer cacophony, definitely transcends the amateurish production. Highlight of the album: the track “Wacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man’s Bones”, with the vocalist screaming “Load! Click! Shoot! Oh my god!” under a guitar riff that just splits the skull; this is a brilliant album that’ll leave you just a little bit breathless.

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Happy food feelings WOOHOO Written by Lily Morris

What you’ll need For the buns: • 2 packets ready-to-mix pizza dough (each of the size that will make an 8 inch pizza) • 180ml apple juice (or water) • 50g sugar H Edworthy

• ground cinnamon to taste • 1-2 apples (if using large apples, just one, if using small apples, use two; of the British varieties currently in season, I like Zari apples) For the caramel: • 200g sugar • 100ml milk

1. First, preheat your oven to 170 degrees (150 fan) and grease and line a high-sided baking tin – mine is about 8 inches square but you could use a similar sized round tin or loaf tin.

2. Mix the pizza dough mix with the apple juice in a bowl, and knead for 5-6 minutes. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 10-15 minutes, then chop the apple into small cubes approximately 3-4mm in size while you wait.

3. Once the dough has risen, knead it again and form into a rectangle roughly 8 inches tall by 12 inches wide.

4. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon across this rectangle, right to the edges except for along the bottom, where you need to leave about an inch clear. This will help the dough to stick to itself when you roll it up.

5. Distribute the apple pieces across the rectangle, in the same way as the sugar.

6. Then, make the caramel. Put the 200g sugar in a tall saucepan over a medium heat. Watch it until parts of it start to become liquid (for the first seven or so minutes it won’t do much at all but you still need to keep an eye on it). When areas of it become liquid, lift them (preferably with a silicone spatula) over the still-white sugar grains. Keep doing this until all of the sugar is liquid and golden.

7. Lift the pan off the heat, and a tiny bit of milk at a time, and stir like mad. Watch out: the contents of the pan will bubble up high! If parts of the caramel go ‘solid’ or you get bits stuck to the side of the pan, put it back on the heat and stir until they melt.

8. Once all of the milk is stirred into the sugar, you should have something that is recognizably caramel – well done! Now drizzle a little of it across the rectangle of dough, and then place to the side.

9. Roll up the rectangle of dough fairly tightly; it will look like a Swiss Roll. Then cut it into slices approximately one and a half inches wide and place them in your baking tin, cut side down, so that it looks like you have a tin full of snails.

10. Drizzle more of your caramel sauce across the top – don’t worry if you have some left over. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks and is great for making porridge more interesting.

11. Then bake your buns for 18-20 minutes. Cool just long enough for them not to burn your fingers, and enjoy!

Chorizo and butterbean hotpot

Lily Morris

50g chorizo 1 x 410g can of butterbeans, drained.

1 red onion, roughly chopped 1tsp vegetable oil 1 x 400g can or carton of chopped tomatoes 1 stock cube 2 tbsp tomato puree ground garlic and paprika to taste.

(

(

and 2 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, if you have them – a jar is relatively cheap and is great to add extra flavour to pretty much every dish involving tomatoes

(

You will need:

the kind that comes sliced and is next to the ham in supermarkets works well; just cut the slices into quarters

(

To serve two (or yourself two nights in a row)

What you need to do: Fry the onion in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes in the vegetable oil, then add the rest of the ingredients (a slosh of red wine can be nice if you have it, too) and bring to a boil. Stir for 2-3 minutes, then turn down the heat and let the pan simmer with a lid on for 10-15 minutes.

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Bath’s Best bites: A view of Coral Quay Café Lucy WIld

Written by Alice Tawell and Lucy Wild

This cake comes with free fork (non-edible)

Dear Readers, With the return of The Great British Bake Off, we’ve all gone a bit baking mad! Channelling our inner Mary Berry we went out on the streets of Bath to find some yummy treats to keep our student bellies happy. With this week’s theme being green we thought it would be nice to visit Coral Quay café, a small Fairtrade café just off New Bond Street.

Out of the menu on offer, we chose to sample the Montezuma Chocolate Heaven cake and The Turkish Courgette and Pistachio cake. The chocolate heaven cake fully lived up to its name and the Courgette and Pistachio cake proved that not all green foods are gross - our mother’s would be so proud! If cakes aren’t really your thing, then have no fear, the café also offers a wide range of other tasty Fairtrade drinks and savoury treats for you to enjoy too.

The Fairtrade theme runs throughout the café, with the walls covered in vibrant tapestries, mirrors and other trinkets that have all been ethically produced and are available to buy.

The world music being played will have you dancing in your seats, making the whole experience a real treat for your senses!

Ten points to Hufflepuff for cakes, chalk it up

So, if you fancy a break from all the hard work that we are all definitely doing, pop on down to this little gem - it’s only fair (see what we did there!). Alternatively, if town seems too far away, why not head over to 4 West café on campus and pick up one of their own Fairtrade treats - the brownies are a personal favourite of ours.

Happy eating!

Does this look liek a winking owl to you too?

With Love Alice and Lucy xx

A Pistachio cake to die for, or just, y’know, to eat

Don’t have a cow, man

W

hen I was younger, I decided I’d be vegetarian. Animals were adorable and I certainly didn’t want to be eating dear Buttercup (although as it turns out I should have been more worried about eating Clipclop or Horsey Mchorserson), so I told my parents that I wanted to stop eating meat, And this lasted for maybe a week, max, because I really liked bacon.

Since coming back to university for a second year (my first year was catered, so I didn’t really cook), I’ve had to start cooking for myself, and not wanting to give myself salmonella, I’ve been cooking Quorn rather than actual chicken and avoiding expensive, meaty treats like steak. It wasn’t until my second week that I realised, that I had inadvertently become allbut vegetarian. Eating meat is horribly inefficient.

In A-Level Biology (so I’m clearly a total expert on these matters), we were taught about trophic levels - things like producers (plants) and consumers (herbivores, then carnivores).

Thing in food chain terms, as each link eats the one above, there’s about ten per cent efficiency as a rule of thumb. So if a hundred units of energy goes into grass, a cow gets ten eating that grass, and we get one, whereas if we just ate the grass (or some other veggies) we’d only need to use about a tenth of the grass as we did before.

Let me throw some facts at you: 80 per

cent of the agricultural land in America is used to feed livestock, 50 per cent of the water in America is used to water that land. It takes 60 gallons of water to make a pound of potatoes yet almost 12,000 gallons to make a pound of beef. The production of meat creates approximately the same amount of greenhouse gases as the transportation sector alone, and you know what? We can’t afford to waste that land, we can’t afford to waste that water, and we definitely can’t justify those greenhouse gases.

So I decided that I was going to minimise my contribution.

Now, if someone offers me a bacon sandwich, I’ll probably say “sure” (it’d only go to waste if I didn’t), but I won’t eat meat when there’s another perfectly viable option. It seems as a society we’ve got this polarising view in our heads that you either eat lots of meat or you don’t eat any at all, omnivore is not an option. Princess Di or Jeffrey Dahmer. So we’ve got 3-8 per cent of the UK eating no meat and the rest eating unsustainable amounts. If everyone reduced the amount of meat they ate by 20 per cent, that’d do more than all the vegetarians combined.

I’m not trying to be preachy, I’m not trying to guilt you into making a major change to your life, I’m trying to remind you of the cost of what you take for granted and that maybe, just maybe, you could stand to go for the Veggie Supreme instead of the Meat Feast next time.

Space Ritual

Written by Nick West

Just moove your meat cravings aside and us and cows could live in peace ‘n’ harmony

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Spelling Bee harder than you thunk Writen by Jonathan Archer

Hugh Wren

T

he above is a comment recently read on a news piece on YouTube. It may not make much sense in context, but will make much sense in time.

Last week BUSMS put on a brilliant musical entitled ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’, which is a musical comedy set in a fictitious Putnam Valley Middle School centered around an annual spelling bee competition. For those who do not know, a spelling bee is an event where people are called to the front and told to spell a difficult word.

Examples include ‘Syzygy’, ‘Elanguescence’ and ‘Acouchi’ (one of many South American rodents brought to my attention). The obscurity of the event definitely captures this story’s charm: A spelling event held in a small town that isn’t even a national spelling bee can still yield even the most interesting and touching character stories - whether these stories are about an under-appreciated daughter, a defiant character looking to learn to live with the existence of mediocrity or even a community service attendee who’s saying what we in the audience are all thinking: Losing this really isn’t the end of the world, but there’s still a story to be had. This is where the quote above, which has found its way onto almost every small story on the news lately, comes into importance: Stories may pale in significance to others, but the importance and the humanity behind them is not lost.

Let’s talk about BUSMS’s performance: The pair of Suzie Hance and Tom Burgess certainly shone. I have a great ear for accents, and Burgess’ was just spot-on, with

Some of the cast of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee’ and others’ hands

perfect intonation that seemed to be carried over to the singing effortlessly. Suzie Hance’s rendition of I Love You (a song about parental absence, delivered with not just beautiful singing but with great acting!) was definitely a highlight; I was almost moved to tears!

Marcus Johns’ unscripted banter with the participating audience members was quick and sharp and Anna Hughes provided a really enjoyable performance that was vivacious and upbeat. The real star of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the word-play, which has to be excellent, given the story’s content. The little nuances, such as making Olive spell ‘Chimerical - meaning fantastic, or wildly fanciful’ whilst pining for her absent parents, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre recalling spelling ‘Segway’ whilst in the middle of a narrative segway and even the announcer constantly mispronouncing Barfée’s name as barfee tore from me a range of laughs that ranged from the silly to the sophisticated. Most notably, and most importantly, the content is rather even-handed. The community worker is a person underneath, not just a one-dimensional tough guy, Logainne’s two gay dads are just that - two dads - there are no unnecessary over-the-top worn out gay jokes. The scene involving Jesus Christ was even fair to both Christians and the visions of Christ thereof. As for BUSMS, I am eagerly awaiting their next performance, which I am told will be a smaller performance in November.

If you didn’t catch The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, definitely attend their future performances.

Bling is only skin deep

W

ith both of us being born and bred in the small Welsh city of Newport, comedy rap band Goldie Lookin Chain have been present in my life for a long time now. But like my relationship with Bath Spa students I’ve never actually seen them in the flesh. So a few weeks ago on a cold Thursday night I made the decision to journey from Bath to Bristol to finally right this wrong.

Playing under the waves of the River Avon in the boat and music venue of the intimate and somewhat legendary Thekla they were here to treat the Bristol GLC faithful to a greatest hits set and a massive party in honour of their tenth anniversary since forming in 2003. During this ten year career they’ve had chart hits and even played in the Millennium Stadium where they famously and quite hilariously dedicated their song ‘Your Missus is a Nutter’ to an, I imagine quite miffed David Beckham during a performance before a Wales versus England football match. Unfortunately though, recent albums have been filled with too many dud songs to mention and sadly they now risk being forgotten about entirely.

But coming on stage dressed head to toe in their trademark leisure wear and namesake gold chains they bounced around the stage with the energy of a band who’d just reached number one on the album charts. Not once did they ever take themselves too seriously and their infectious enthusiasm along with their sharp lyrics and excellent crowd interaction made for a very fulfilling gig for both the band and audience. The setlist never lulled and with crowd favourites “Your Mother’s Got a Penis”, “Soap Bar” and “Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do” all getting a run out, they had the boat rocking and in a proper party mood.

They’ll be playing Frome’s Cheese and Grain Theatre on November 9th and if it’s anything like their performance at Thekla it’ll be well worth going along to.

I mean you’re not going to witness a musical revolution akin to The Clash in the 100 club back in 1976 but what you will have is one hell of a good time and a smile that just won’t leave your face. And isn’t that what it’s all about?! Ten years on Goldie Lookin Chain remain (to coin one of their favourite phrases) ‘safe as fuck’.

CapnOats

Writen by Alexander Llija Coles

Above you see GLC milling about the stage, spouting thick urban dialect and promoting jewellery

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Monster don’t do Red Bull parties...

Written by Jack McLaren-Stewart

Ed Stogdale

ing up in anticipation of the expected headliners Bondax and Karma Kid. Epitomising the vibrancy of UK house at the moment, Adam Kaye and George Townsend, known commonly as Bondax, have come a long way from their origins in Lancaster, quickly rising to be amongst the most exciting artists in the UK scene. Producing soulful, accessible house music, the duo are certainly making something of a move into the mainstream with strong support from Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac. Their headline slot effectively blends house, soul, R&B and hip hop and it’s easy to see why they’re only going from strength to strength; expect to see and hear big things from them in the very near future.

The night’s real surprise however, took place in the smallest room. Hosted at the very top of the house by little known Cheltenham label Casa. The room ran well over capacity for the duration of the night and even the arrival of Bondax did little to dent the vast number of party goers crammed into the tiny room. The highlight came from Miles Denman, who’s hugely popular set even necessitated the arrival of extra door supervisors.

Red Bull aren’t the first to host an event like this, and they certainly won’t be the last, but somehow theirs feels different - any brand can piggyback a scene, put on a heavily branded event and claim to be cutting edge or pioneering, but very few define trends, push boundaries and change expectations in ...but if they did, they’d probably be similar, laden with race cars and hyper people the same way as Red Bull.

monster

W

ith the sheer volume of new balance trainers, acid wash jeans and ill fitting t-shirts on show you’d be excused for thinking you’d somehow stepped back in time to an early 90s rave.

Rest assured, you’re still in the year 2013 and this is just what it looks like to be part of the cool crowd. You might be wondering where you are though, and why you’re putting up with so many damn hipsters. Well, the event is one of a series of intimate house parties hosted by Red Bull with performances from local DJs as well as headline slots from some of the UK’s most exciting up and coming acts. Taking place in a student mansion (apparently they do exist) over three rooms, a total of 330 people congregated on the event to party until the early hours of the morning fueled by a concoction of great music and copious amounts of Red Bull.

Opening the main room (an unenviable task at the best of times) were Southamptonbased party starters Future Garden DJs. With a blend of classic and nu disco with tasteful and rythmic house music, the group got the night off to a good start despite a distinct lack of people. Next up were Bristol duo Bryan Longhurst and Ben Curtis, aka Mortal, playing a crowd pleasing selection of deep house and techno. More locals followed, with Pardon My French playing a great selection of deep and soulful house music with bits of classic disco.

Future Garden DJs hopped back on the decks after until 3am and room started quickly fill-

Sex Column: She-Hulk needs love too Written by Edie Bond

Green Sex: How to be ‘Eco-Sexual’

1.

Use sex for warmth: Now the winter nights are looming over us, getting warm is essential. But don’t turn your heating on just yet - have sex instead! Having sex under the covers is a great way to warm yourself (or more importantly your teammate) up as it naturally raises the body’s temperature. This will not only help to save the planet, but save you some money off your next electricity bill.

2.

Change your sex toys: Choosing a 100 per cent silicone vibrator is a better way of saving the planet as blended materials often contain plastic and non-recyclable fibres. The best way to find out whether this is the case, do the incredibly sexy thing of smelling the vibrator before you use it (do not try afterwards…) and if there is no smell, then it is probably 100 per cent silicone.

3.

Every day we are bombarded with different ways on how to save the planet, such as recycling, using bio-degradable resources, electronic cars, etc.

But what if you knew that you could actually contribute to combatting climate change by having sex?

Unfortunately, sex does contribute to many landfills and oceans being filled with junk and rubbish – condoms, sex toys and lubricant are all nonrecyclable, believe it or not.

By following these tips, you can make a difference in helping the planet and reducing your love-making carbon footprint.

Share showers: Why not make your daily love making part of your get-up-and-go routine as well? Sharing a sexy shower not only makes your wakeup call much kinkier, but you will be saving more water and energy - it’s a win-win situation.

4.

6.

Turn off the lights: A good one for the self-conscious! Not only is doing it in the dark better to imagine that your partner isn’t that weedy guy from your maths lectures, but in fact Ryan Gosling, it’s also good for the environment. Or if you really are dating Ryan Gosling, bring out the romance of the candle light (make sure it is organic, of course). This saves electricity and worrying about your orgasm face!

5.

Recycle your erotica or just watch porn online: Those dirty magazine lovers - you’re killing our planet! Unless you recycle them afterwards, of course, although you don’t want the bin men to find out that you’re into dwarves/cricketers wearing bondage gear… naturally, enjoying porn online is paper-free and is always a tree and money saving way of getting off.

Buy edible underwear: We’ve all bought people those candy style thongs and bras as a joke for a friend’s birthday, but these could be the answer to protecting the O-Zone layer. Eating your partners underwear as part of your sexual routine not only makes your sex life sweeter, but saves using your washing machine for those dirty undies later on - or throwing them away in some overclogged landfill.

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Ethical fashionism Written by Holly Narey

I

t’s not easy being green. It’s especially not easy being a green student; you have to pay for the privilege of a clean conscience. “Organic” and “Fairtrade” is no longer exclusive to your fridge and cupboard; it now also applies to your wardrobe. Even the purchase of something as natural-seeming as 100% cotton is funding a business that is taking over important natural habitats, leaking pesticides into water supplies and using potentially carcinogenic dyes. It comes to a point that we begin to ask ourselves whether it is really possible to shop ethically.

If it’s not damaging the environment then it’s probably endangering its workers. Remember the collapse of the factory that was producing clothing for Primark in April, which killed 1,129 people? Most of us probably remember vaguely raging on twitter for a few days and then vowing to never shop there again, until we forgot or realised we had no money to buy clothes anywhere else. Consumer apathy is a common phenomenon at this end of the supply chain, with words on a page and their extreme disconnectedness from our own lives meaning that they quickly fade into distant memory. We hand over our hard-earned (or loaned) money for things we want or need. We don’t see the faces of the victims of the chain until some terrible tragedy occurs, and for a few short days their faces are splashed across the news until some other, newer, shinier story comes along.

When we walk down the high-strweet there should be a clear option to not harm anybody with our purchase; causing the damage necessary to make profit

should not be the norm that we have to struggle to avoid, and while we can and should try our utmost to not be a part of it, responsibility should lie predominantly with the retailers.

Ethicalconsumer.org has ranked high-street retailers in order of their green rating, judged on a variety of factors. Bonmarche comes top with 14/20, but what student wants to shop at Bonmarche (no offense if you do, in fact, well done you, you’re better than most of us)? Top of those aimed at us youths is New Look Organic, with 10/20, which is not an impressive starting point. It quickly declines, with Topshop receiving 8, H&M 7, and River Island only 4. Primark receives a predictable 3.5, and the lowest scoring are, unsurprisingly, the budget supermarket clothes retailers such as George and F&F - really, how do they sell school uniforms for under £5?

In light of the increased level of coverage on their employees’ working conditions, many brands have been taking some positive steps. Some, including Primark and Tesco, have been carrying out independent safety inspections of factories, resulting in the closure of at least one unsafe factory. This has unfortunately been slow getting off the ground, and once the unsafe factories have been found it only leads to more discussion as to how they are going to fund improvements, as the money provided by the brands themselves is being found to not be sufficient.

Another factory in Bangladesh burned down just this month, killing nine workers and injuring fifty more. The factory was linked to Asda, Primark, Next

and Morrisons, among others, and was found to have missed out on essential safety checks. It’s a familiar story. It’s clear that even for their love of singing their own praises of how much they care for those who create parts of their garments (Primark’s website has a “Corporate Social Responsibility page, complete with image of flying butterfly), it’s unfortunately not the reality, and so while we wait for things to improve we have to shoulder more of a load of responsibility than we would like.

There is, of course, another way. It’s true for technology as well as clothing… but not so much for food; the only real way to ensure that your money isn’t causing damage is to buy second hand, and god can it be fun. There’s nothing more exciting than finding that gem for so little money it feels wrong, but you can still feel good handing over your money as one of the most economical ways to buy second hand is, of course, to use charity shops. Now, this is no new idea, as students I’m sure most of us are pushed to it financially at times, and a lot of us pop tags on a regular basis for fun, and it really is a lot of fun. It’s sadly the sort of thing that will fall on empty ears; those who may potentially buy their clothes in a thoughtful way probably already do, and the rest probably wouldn’t even read this article. If you have however, well done, I’ve got a secret just for you. Somewhere in Bath, at the time of going to print, there is a second-hand denim jacket for sale with a cat imprinted across the back. A cat. It could be yours, and you probably wouldn’t be hurting anything other than your own pocket.

Green things that you can wear Written by Harriet Tangney

I love dressing for autumn. There is so much opportunity for layering and exploring textures and fabrics. Surrounding myself with clashing layers of wool, leather and jersey is some kind of sick dream for me. Go forth and get involved with abstract patterns, quilting, embroidery, shiny fabrics and the all-important hatscarfgloves combo. A blingy necklace will always keep it fresh.

Topshop £65 Accessorize £15

Uniqlo £49.90

Accessorize £19

New Look £35

Next £20

Topshop £60 Miss Selfridge £45

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Horoscopes

Puzzle Corner

 Scorpio

October 23 - November 21

Have you watched The Scorpion King with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? If not, you should, have I mentioned it has Dwayne ‘The Rock’ JohnNovember 22 - December 21 son? Also this month, your taste and smell will Watching seventy be reversed. hours of cat videos will make you a better person. The next time you truly believe you can use the force it will work. You imagine a new super cool animal and draw it. Awesome.



Sagittarius

Capricorn



December 22 - January 20



Someone will compliment you on your knees, you will not be sure if they are being sarcastic. It will trouble you until the next issue of bite.

Aquarius

January 21 - February 19 HEY MUM, I’m a writer now!



Across 9 Dungeon whose only entrance is at the top (9) 10 Up to the time that (5) 11 Swanky; have romantic feelings for (5) 12 River forming the border between Texas and Mexico (3,6) 13 Completely ineffective, fruitless (6) Down 14 To kiss (8) 1 S port; G in the NATO phonetic alphabet (4) 17 Midday (4) 2 From the beginning (Latin) (2,6) 18 Slightly wet (5) 3 Two-wheeled transport (7) 19 Two-masted square-rigged ship (4) 4 Barren, desolate (5) 23 Christmas season (8) 5 Take back in default of payment (9) 25 Light meal eaten at 17 (6) 6 Pertaining to or containing copper (7) 27 Violent video game genre (5-2-2) 7 Verse of poetry (6) 28 Bother, irritate (5) 8 Depart in haste (4) 30 Tall military hat (5) 13 (US) Bottom; (UK) front bottom (5) 31 Art of stuffing and mounting dead animals (9) 15 Incite to action, urge (3,2) 16 Skilful writer (9) 20 Processing plant for e.g. oil (8) 21 Felt cowboy hat (7) 22 Antonio _______: Baroque composer and violin virtuoso (7) 24 Gourd used as a coarse sponge (6) 26 Resin used in adhesives (5) Arithmaster 27 Average, middling (2-2) 29 Children’s toy (2-2)

Pisces

February 20 - March 20 Alliteration alleviates allegorical assumptions… assumedly. Acrophobic alligators also attack Algerians; annoyingly asymmetry announces amoral amputation.

Alternatively arachnophoMarch 21 - April 20 bics assimilate asymptotes.

Do not disturb Rough Justice. More, More, More preacher man, I’m set on you.

A trick of the night? Robert DeNiro’s waiting… your Venus, your fire, your desire. A panorama of bananas invades your mind.

 Aries

 Taurus

April 21 - May 20

Gemini

May 21 - June 20 Your Friday will be just like the film Freaky Friday (starring Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis). Unfortunately your mother is a whore and your father smells of elderberries.

 In this week’s box of fun, I shall explore the meaning of life, invisibly...

Confused? I am too. Colour it in

 Cancer

June 21 - July 21 Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. You are the wall. Stay still.

Leo

July 22 - August 22 Once again the gods spread cheek, but to place cock in arse. You will watch Spartacus, blood and sand, you will enjoy it; you will quote it.

 Virgo

August 23 - September 22

You will decide to enact Lord of the Rings with a few close friends. You may fall out over the casting of Aragon and Gandalf. Your feet will feel awkward inside shoes. They feel trapped. Uncomfortable. RIP THEM OFF. September 23 - October 22 NOW. People hate your smile, it reminds them of dead puppies. Don’t smile this week, it’s too soon. Next week may be better.

Puzzles created by Dorian Lidell

 Libra

written by Flip-flop clad soup monster

J Benson

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SPOILERS!

Is this Skype?