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The University of Bath Students’ Union Newspaper
Volume 11 Issue 13
Tuesday 11th May 2010
www.bathimpact.com
News in Brief Stay safe at night Police are advising women to avoid walking alone at night due to the suspicious activities of a man in a red car, who on two occasions stopped beside a solitary female student and invited them into his car. Anyone with information on the man, who is said to be white and in his mid 20s, with short dark hair, is advised to call Bath police on 0845 456 7000
Omar al-Bashir re-elected Sudan’s first multiparty election since 1986 has been held, and returned incumbent Omar al-Bashir to power. There is an international arrest warrant out for Mr al-Bashir, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. See page 6 for Chloe Wittet’s report Edinburgh Hitch participants pose in front of the castle which served as the finish line. See page 5 for the full report
Don Foster re-elected
»»Retains the seat he’s held since 1992 »»No clear winner nationally
Several questions were addressed from the floor, including one by Daniel O’Toole on tuition fees. This divided the panel: Richter felt it was “simply not affordable”. D.Kennaway
T
hough campaigning for the election had been going on unofficially long before the election date was set, April 21st marked the beginning of the campaign on campus, as 8W1.1 hosted a debate between representatives of the major parties standing in Bath. The proceedings began with a short speech by each candidate. Tory Fabian Richter’s was notable for not mentioning students once; he asserted that “Don has been fighting the Conservatives for years”, at which the incumbent finished his sentence: “and winning”. Hattie Adjerian’s speech appeared a little sinister in places: “If you want a future…Labour’s the vote to make”.
Foster countered that it had already been costed by the Lib Dems, who spelled out exactly how it would be paid for in their manifesto. He derided the NUS as “complete wimps” for fighting the rise in fees, rather than the fees themselves. Adjerian noted that the “very lowest income families don’t pay fees”, and spoke of her personal distaste for them, adding that her party was waiting for the conclusion of an independent review on the topic. There were heated moments: When Warrender claimed to be “the last businessman in Bath”, Richter objected: “you don’t live in Bath”. Warrender’s response was equally sharp: “neither did you until three years ago, when you were parachuted in from Westminster”. All parties were condemning of claims that it was a two-horse race, with Richter stating that “as one of the horses thus described, I’m certainly not using it in any [campaign] literature”. One audience member was incredulous at
this, shouting “that’s a lie!” While there were a few such moments of antagonism, with Green and UKIP representatives particularly belligerent, the debate ended on a note
“
I will keep the pound as our currency. That’s the change we need...
”
David Cameron in the third Leaders’ Debate
Model UN conference well-attended Bath MUN2010 went ahead on the weekend of April 16th. Despite the travel disruption, over 60 delegates took part. The conference was opened by Richard Guthrie, who gave a talk on the origins of the UN. The MUN society reports that “the debate was intense and the social events even more so”; they plan another conference in 2011. See pages 2-5 for more Union news
of consensus, with all participants emphasising the importance of voting, which was described as both a “democratic right” and a “responsibility”. On April 22nd, Fabian Richter and Don Foster were campaigning on the parade, and were asked to leave. Continued on page 3
Gig Cancelled A planned live music event on campus has been cancelled due to lack of interest. See page 3 for a full report, and page 30 for one contributor’s analysis of the situation
2
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
News
www.bathimpact.com
Students protest taxpayerfunded toxic fuel extraction
»»RBS backing polluting project »»Part of national week of action
A
group of students from the University of Bath protested last Wednesday against the Government’s failure to stop the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland using taxpayers’ money to back companies driving what they say is ‘the most environmentally destructive project on earth’ - Canada’s tar sands. Tar sands are a thick form of oil, and environmentalists are concerned that its extraction process could cause three to five times as much pollution as normal oil, destroy an area of forest the size
of England and Wales, and poison water supplies, leading to cancer among people living nearby. The students, from the Bath People & Planet group, began protesting on campus, distributing information and collecting names for a petition to be sent to local government and to our next elected Prime Minister. The group then headed to town and staged a ‘Climate Crime Scene’, complete with white jumpsuits and police tape, outside the RBS branch in the city centre. They singled out RBS because it was bailed-out by
the Government in 2008, and is now 84% taxpayer owned; the People & Planet society believes this entitles Britons to more of a say in what kind of projects their money is invested in. Justin Lee-Gammage, Chair of People and Planet at the University of Bath said: “If we don’t stop RBS-backed tar sands companies, we can’t stop climate chaos. There is enough carbon locked up in the tar sands to create runaway climate change in my lifetime. Taxpayerowned RBS should be financing green jobs so my generation can build a low-carbon economy, not
£45bn
Amount the government paid for its 84% stake in RBS
destroying our future.” The protest was part of a ‘national week of action’ around RBS’s Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday and was one of hundreds of similar protests across the country. The nationwide action had an immediate impact as the following day, RBS Chair Sir Phillip Hampton agreed to enter into dialogue with the leaders of several environmental campaign groups on the subject of tar sand investments. Students wishing to take action or find out more information are advised to visit www.peopleandplanet. org or www.toxicfuels.com, or contact Bath People and Planet Secretary Elsa Barratt (eb287@bath. ac.uk).
Questions raised over Sabbs’ accountability
»»Student Forum inexplicably postponed »»There are few ways of finding out what Sabbs are actually doing
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oncerns have been raised over the accountability of Sabbs after the planned ‘Student Forum’ was delayed. The forum, which the Sabbs are meant to hold twice a year, provide students a rare opportunity to voice their opinions on the performance of the Union and their elected officers. The postponement was met with little resistance by students, many of whom are unlikely to have heard of it, as it was not widely publicised; in fact the only information disseminated about it was a reference in a single email to students. This, and the fact that just over a quarter of students voted in the recent Sabb elections (which was actually a record high for the SU),
has led some to believe that students have little interest in, or understanding of, what Sabbs actually meant to do. Indeed, even those with sufficient time and interest to examine the relevant documents on Sabbs’ roles (http://twurl.cc/2uga) may find them unenlightening: most duties are defined extremely vaguely. For example, trustees are meant to “be...effective representative[s] of the Membership [and] to proactively seek feedback from Members”. To help measure this, their “Key Accountabilities”, have defined performance indicators – however, these are also vague and often hard to measure. For example, the SU President’s performance will be
measured by, among other things, whether “high numbers of students [are] engaged with on a regular basis” and there is a “good uptake and reception of campaigns”. However, if the Union decides
“
One of the safest jobs in the world One Sabbatical officer describes his position
”
that a Sabb is not meeting expectations, there is little they can do about it: elected officers cannot be fired by the Union, except in extreme circumstances (for example, if they commit assault or embezzle funds). Excepting this, there is only one way to remove a Sabb: a motion of no confidence signed by 2.5% of the student body, and voted for by 10%. This is rare; it has happened once in the last ten years. Most decisions taken by the Sabbs, competent or otherwise, pass by unnoticed, as students have
Student campaigns to keep blackboards
»»Has mixed support among staff
M
aths student Anthony Masters has mounted a vigorous campaign against the University’s planned renovation of classrooms, which will see all blackboards replaced by whiteboards. He argues that blackboards are preferable as they give greater visibility and some lecturers favour them. Over 200 people have joined his campaign via a well-known social networking site. He carried out a survey of lecturers’ views, and recieved some positive responses, for example from Barry Crittenden of Chemical Engineering (“The blackboard is a fantastic piece of teaching technology compared with not only the whiteboard but also death by Powerpoint. What is wrong with the blackboard? Do we need to fix it? Do we need to change because change is fashionable?”) and Lorenzo Caggiano of Pharmacy and Pharmacology (“I am
also strongly opposed to the University policy against blackboards”). However, not all feedback was supportive; Lauren Jones of ESML noted that “We have had students who are highly allergic to chalk dust”, while Jos Darling of Mechanical Engineering wrote “I consider it eccentric that you don’t consider whiteboards as an alternative to blackboards”, which cause “chalk dust in all the electronic equipment”. His tenacious campaign has made him known among the Union hierachs, who have endeavoured to promote it to the University, though without success, as the project to replace blackboards is already under way and cannot be stopped. Mr Masters is persisting nonetheless, considering it more an issue of accountability than anything else, as, he argues, students were not properly consulted about the change.
so few sources of information about their activities; additionally, those who do know first-hand how well each trustee is performing, the Union empolyees, have little power to do anything about those not meeting standards, and are expected not to give their opinion on the Sabbs’ performance. As a result, bathimpact has found it difficult to get impartial information on the Sabbatical team, and usually relies on that given by the officers themselves. The Sabbs check all bathimpact ar-
ticles before publication, and have the power to amend or withdraw those they dislike (though this year only potentially libellous articles have only been withdrawn). All this adds up to mean that students are not given nearly enough impartial information on Sabbs’ activities to be meaningfully “engaged with on a regular basis”. VP Communications Ben Cole gives his response to this article on the Sabbs’ page (23)
This year’s Sabbatical team respond to the news that this is the last issue of bathimpact
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
News
www.bathimpact.com
News in Brief Tickets for this year’s Summer Ball sold out in a record time of 142 minutes. They went on sale on Monday 26th April, having been available to graduating students for a week beforehand. The event will take place on Friday 5th of June, and is to feature the Pigeon Detectives, two casinos and a ballroom dancing tutorial. To correct our previous report on the topic, the Summer Ball is organised by the Students’ Union rather than the University. Recent graduate Jason Malone has won £1,000 for designing a more efficient means of distributing alcoholic drinks. The prize was organised by BANTER, the University of Bath Entrepreneurs Club. There were two runners up: Dominic Povey, for the Bath Soup Company, and Nicholas Carey, for designing eco-friendly notepaper. Following a request from the University, the Foreign Languages Centre is reviewing the provision of free language courses, which are currently available to all. Bath is the only university in the country to offer this. Monika De Lemos, Acting Manager of the FLC, told bathimpact that “we will not be making a recommendation to introduce charges but are considering some restrictions on, for example, the number of classes students can take free of charge”. She emphasised that no decision has yet been taken, and students and departments are being contacted for their views, and will be informed of any changes which are made. Several University awards ceremonies took place recently. As well as the Joblink, Sorted, and Student Employer of the Year awards, there were two ceremonies in which bathimpact featured: see p31 for full details. The Library is considering changes to the loaning arrangements which will make it easier for students to borrow 7-day loan books for the holiday period Full details are available at http://twurl.cc/2uo2 and http:// twurl.cc/2uo3 Win £50: Students filling in our survey on what they’d like to see in bathimpact next year will be entered into a prize draw, and the winner will recieve £50 - the survey is online at tinyurl.com/ bathimpact
Estates update »»Student Centre on schedule »»Many other projects planned for the summer
T
he construction of the new Student Centre is going as planned, and should soon pass into the ‘quiet stage’, where, because of exams, noise will be minimised. The ‘precast concrete’ floor of level three of the structure has just been installed, and should be visible to students passing the SU shop. Director of Estates Martyn Whalley told bathimpact that “overall we’re really pleased with the way it’s gone”; the building is set to be finished by Freshers’ Week 2010. Preparations are also being made to empty Norwood House, which will be extensively refurbished over the summer; some offices in levels five and six have already moved out, and the School of Health will be moving at the end of the month. Work on the refurbishment will begin in the first week of June, though scaffolding is to be set up beforehand to allow the project to begin as soon as the building has been emptied, as it is on a tight schedule. The contractors are ISG
Pearce, who have worked with the Uni for four years, and were responsible for the recent refurbishments of Quarry, Mendip and Brendon Court. They have also been contracted for the upcoming refurbishment of Cleveland Buildings, while ROK will refit John Wood, and Vivid Interiors Ltd are set to refurbish around fifty classrooms, providing new furniture, lighting and seating. Plans are also being put in place for the new East building, which will
£30m
Annual cost of building works on campus
house teaching space, including a 350 seat lecture theatre, and a bridge connecting this with the Student Centre. As part of this, the main campus bus stop is to be widened, and a third station may be added.
Election proves inconclusive Continues from front page This provoked much consternation, which, as always, was expressed via an ubiquitous social networking site: one student declared that “if the Sabbs decided this honestly [they] are the worst representatives ever”, only to be swiftly rebuffed by VP Communications Ben Cole: “this is actually the policy of the University not the SU”. He explained that “The University does not allow the public on to campus without permission... neither Don Foster [nor] Fabian Richter had this permission and as such were asked to leave. Various complaints were made about each of the groups campaigning today”. However, it was actually Ben Cole himself who took this decision, after consultation with the Uni: he explained that a communication breakdown had rendered some candidates confused about the rules relating to campus campaigning, and so, he felt, it would be fairest to remove all candidates until all were clear on the exact policy. One Postgraduate student complained that the decision “was a very short-sighted one... While I would want the University to be able to exercise some power in stopping an extreme canidate, such
as from the BNP, from using University premises, [it] seems excessive to stop mainstream candidates from campaigning. The shortsightedness comes about because when the University inevitably wants to call on the services of its MP, whether it be Foster, Richter, or whoever, do we really want them
3
Tiffany Page gig cancelled
»»Poor ticket sales to blame »»Little chance of further such events
A
planned live music event has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Tiffany Page was due to appear as part of an event known as ‘Ulive’, but student interest failed to reach expected levels, and it became known that the event may be cancelled. This provoked students to protest in the traditional way: by creating a group on a certain social networking website. The write-up said: “So we’re faced with a depressingly familiar situation. The SU tries to organise an event with a recognised musician coming to Bath and poor ticket sales mean its [sic] likely to be cancelled. So far this year we’ve already seen events featuring Krafty Kuts and Kid British suffer the same fate.” Not long afterwards, the SU announced the decision via that same social networking site: “We regret to announce we have had to make the decision to cancel the Tiffany Page gig due to poor ticket sales. We are sorry for those who brought tickets and wanted to at-
tend. Full refunds will be given! Thanks to everyone who helped campaign to support ULive on campus”. Fewer than ten tickets to the event were sold, and this cancellation, which cost the University £250, reduces the chance that further such events will be organised on campus.
to have uppermost in their minds the fact that they were not allowed to interact with voters on campus?” The University initially refused to allow candidates back to campus, but a lobbying effort by the Union proved effective, and candidates were allowed to return on April 29th. Fabian Richter made an appearance on Parade, as did representatives of Don Foster, though no other parties were seen, perhaps
a result of the uninviting weather that day. Seven days later, Bath went to the polls, and incumbent Don Foster was returned to office, gaining 56.6% of the vote, compared with runner-up Fabian Richter’s 31.4%. This represents a 5.8% swing from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats, though the party’s result nationally was worse than had been expected. The turnout in Bath was 71%, up 2.7% since
10 May- 4 JuNe www.BathStudent.com/entertainments
live sports Sun. 9th May Final day of League Matches TBC 3pm (Premier League) Sat. 15th May Portsmouth Vs Chealsea 3pm (FA Cup Final)
Club N ights Fri .21st May Beach Party @ flirt! 9:30pm-3am Fri 28th May St. flirt! 9:30pm-3am Fri 4th June Final flirt! 9:30pm-3am
Sat. 22nd May Play-off Final 3pm (Coca Cola Championship) Stade Toulousain Vs Biarritz 5pm (Heineken Cup Final) Inter Milan Vs Bayern Munich 7:45pm (Champions League Final) Sat. 29th May Play-off Final 3pm (Coca Cola League 2 ) Guiness Premier Final) Sat. 30h May Play-off Final 3pm (Coca Cola League 1 )
University of Bath Students’ Union
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
News
www.bathimpact.com
BANTER seeks committee members Students interested in business, or wishing to improve their CV are invited to stand as candidates in the upcoming committee elections of BANTER, the Bath University Entrepreneur group. Those elected will be involved in project managing the events and competitions that the organisation runs, and coming up with sharp, smart ideas for new ones. They will also get to network with people from top graduate recruiters (including BANTER’s sponsors Deloitte) and
gain hands-on business experience. The society is looking for talented, innovative, enterprising thinkers to build on the success of this year. The positions available are: Chairman, Secretary, Social Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Officer Full role descriptions and further information on the election can be found on the BANTER website www.bathstudent.com/banter/elections/
Bath put in good performance in Eight Task Challenge
»»One team was second of sixty »»The Uni was third overall
O
rowing club came second in the allmale category and in the all-female category respectively. ‘Nuts’ also won £250 for being the highest scoring first-year team and Bath’s ‘Mass Debaters’ came second in the same category. Then came the announcement of which teams had done best overall, regardless of the team members’ gender or year of study. With the winning team being awarded £1500 for their club or society and £1500 for their own pleasure the atmosphere was tense. Unfortunately Bath were pipped at the post for the top-spot, but ‘A Clammed Meteor’, competing in aid of the Snowsports Club, made up of Clare Fenwick, Ed Ter Haar, Emma Simmons and Thomas Saunders, finished in second place, taking home £600 for their club and £600 to share amongst themselves. A great day was had by all, with sunshine, a hog-roast, free hoodies and Lucozade galore! So why not get involved in next year’s event so that you too are in with a shot of taking home loads of money for you and your club? Jennie McConnell
n 24th April nine teams from the University of Bath travelled to Rutland Water near Leicester to compete in the ‘8 Task Challenge’. The event, sponsored by Grant Thornton, E.on, CIMA, GlaxoSmithKline, Enterprise Rent-a Car, RBS and FSA, pitted teams of four students from a variety of universities against one another in (yes, you guessed it) eight challenges. There was lots of prize money up for grabs and nearly all of the teams were competing in aid of their chosen club or society. The tasks included a 14 mile cycle ride, a three mile run and a canoeing circuit as well as five mental challenges. The teams were then given scores according to how well they had performed in the mental tasks as well as how quickly they had completed the entire course. With approximately 60 teams taking part, the University of Bath’s competitors were very successful. Bath came third in the University rankings winning £400 for the Students’ Union. ‘Nuts’ and ‘Team Legs’, competing in aid of Bath’s
‘A Clammed Meteor’ warm up for the challenge
5
Hitch goes ahead despite slight hitch
»»Volcano disrupted original plan »»Participants raced to Edinburgh instead
O
n Friday April 23rd, RAG’s annual Paris Hitch went ahead with only a minor change to the original plan: the participants were racing to Edinburgh rather than Paris. This was a result of the disruption to normal travel caused by the Icelandic volcano. Although it originally looked as though the event would have to be cancelled altogether, event organisers Vicki Jones and Amy Baker, along with a dedicated team of RAG volunteers, were able to ensure it went ahead almost as planned.
Thirty two pairs took part in the event, and all but one arrived in Edinburgh by 10pm on Friday; the last pair were unavoidably delayed,
£2,000
Amount the event raised
having been picked up by a woman who took them around Gloucester Cathedral, to pick up her dog, and meet her family. A less-fortunate pair were dropped off at a secluded
(and closed) service station, and had to walk for two hours to find a main road. One pair who travelled the whole distance by train were very surprised to find that they had been beaten by a team of hitchers. The event featured a variety of strange outfits, including a ‘cop and robber’ team, bees and Mexicans. One sartorially-challenged participant was reprimanded for public nudity outside Edinburgh Castle. Overall the event was considered a great success, and raised over £2000 for charity.
Edinburgh Castle, the Hitch’s finish line
Staff stranded by volcano
»»
Academics were stuck in Sudan and Canada
T
he flight ban applied across the UK in wake of the explosion of an Icelandic volcano stranded thousands, including several members of staff. Katherine Harbord was stuck in Sudan at a particularly unfortunate time, as they were having their first multiparty elections in 24 years (see page 6 for Chloe Wittet’s report). Postgraduates Peter Dowell and Richard Burke, both from the department of Mechanical Engineering, were in the USA presenting papers to the SAE World Congress in Detroit at the time of the eruption. The two, on hearing of the flight restrictions, “spen[t] a nail-biting weekend…trying to work out how
to stretch 100 dollars over a week and wondering whether Richard’s credit card would cover the hotel bills”. On the Monday, they contacted the University, who agreed
to pay the extra costs incurred, as they were on official business. The following Sunday, eight days later than originally planned, they were able to return to the UK, after an experience which they described as “frustrating”, though they praised the University for being “very supportive”.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
World
www.bathimpact.com
Homophobia: Africa’s newest disease? Chloe Wittet News Writer
A
wave of homophobia has spread across Africa recently. This new problem has caught the attention of the Western press when the body of a supposedly gay Senegalese was dragged from his grave only a few hours after being buried, in order to be thrown in front of his elderly parents’ home. Senegal, perhaps the most peaceful Western African country, has been home to violent acts against its gay and lesbian community. This came after photos of a gay wedding were leaked to the press, sparking a witch hunt which drove many fearful gays into hiding. Some who were forced to flee the country into neighbouring Gambia, were driven back out by its President who threatened that any gay Senegalese had 24 hours to leave the country or risk decapitation. This is not isolated to Senegal; homosexuality is illegal in 37 African countries. Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, recently declared that gays would not be included in the new constitution as he believed that homosexuals are worse than “dogs and pigs”. And South Africa, the only country that recognises gay rights,
has turned a blind eye to so-called “corrective rapes” on lesbians and attempts to force gay men into heterosexual intercourse. This renewed homophobia mostly stems from religious beliefs that homosexuals are abnormal or ungodly and is fuelled by religious leaders. Furthermore, some people have claimed that homosexuality is alien to African culture and that it was brought over by colonialists. Evidence from pre-colonial Africa exists to the contrary, though. Princes and soldiers in north-eastern Congo were allowed to take young male lovers. Pre-colonial African ethnic groups as-
Steven Monjeza, left, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a Malawian gay couple who face a lengthy jail sentence for marrying
Sudan’s elections: a first step Chloe Wittet News Writer
F
ollowing a year of delays, Sudan’s first elections for 24 years were held this April. President Omar al-Bashir won with a 68% majority, continuing his Presidency, which stretches back to 1989 when he took the reins of Sudan with a bloodless coup. Many felt that the elections were merely a way of propping an illegitimate government, a feeling confirmed when al-Bashir’s two major competitors dropped out of the elections and videos of ballot rigging popped up on YouTube. However, despite its many problems, the elections should not be totally disregarded; in fact they show promising signs of progress. After speaking with Katherine Harbord, a lecturer here at the University of Bath who observed the elections in Sudan, one can’t help but feel a sense of hope. Yes, she admits, the elections had a fair way to go before they could reach international standards. But international standards are unrealistic; expecting rural Sudanese voters to have photo identities, for example, is ridiculous. What should be noted is the amount of time and effort put into making these elections as open and fair as possible. In a country where literacy rate stands at around 20%
signed gay people certain traditional roles. Tribes in Burkina Faso and South Africa associated homosexuality with astrologers and traditional healers. A few tribes in Cameroon and Gabon thought that homosexuality had a medicinal effect. Colonialists are perhaps to blame, however, for creating prejudice against homosexuals. For example Portuguese colonialists criminalised homosexuality in Angola, British colonial legislators outlawed “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” in Uganda. Moreover the religions that appear to be fuelling this anti-gay
nationwide and where large communities have no mode of transport but their own two feet to get to the polling stations, which were often miles away, the turnout was extremely high. Every effort was made to help illiterate Sudanese people to cast their vote.
24
Years since Sudan’s last multiparty elections
For example, they would be accompanied into the booth with an electoral helper who would read out the voter’s options then note down the voter’s whispered choice. But of course, Harbord elaborates, this looks suspect, so then an independent moderator must accompany them, followed by the electorate observer and so on until the voter finds themselves declaring their vote to an audience of three people. Over the top, some would say, but these are the lengths to which the Sudanese people wish to go to make sure that their elections are respected, not only by their own people, but by the international community. A few hiccups are to be noted, however. There were many incidences of problems with voters not finding their names on the registers when they got to the polling station.
Some claimed that this was a deliberate move to stop anti-Bashirists from voting. The more likely explanation, though, is that it was a simple case of disorganisation and the person being sent to the wrong polling station. The YouTube video depicting an electorate commissioner smuggling votes into a ballot, another claim of rigging, has been pretty much discredited as a hoax. Once the celebrations by the Bashir followers were over, the Sudanese began to look onto the next stage in their move towards peace; the 2011 South Sudanese referendum which will determine whether the South wishes to remain with the rest of the country. Rumours are flying that the SPLM have increased their military capabilities with more professional
movement are the very religions that colonialists and Arab traders brought to Africa; Christianity and Islam. Obama recently reprimanded Uganda for considering the implementation of a death penalty for gays, a move which was met with uprisings and anger from their part. But perhaps Obama should look at his country in the mirror, as western
“
In Africa, what you do in your bedroom affects our clan, it affects our tribe, it affects our nation
”
Anti-gay pastor Martin Ssempa campaigns for gay rights get just as much funding as American evangelical anti-gay programmes. Although we can barely claim to be part of a perfectly tolerant culture ourselves, a change needs to be instigated in Africa. However, for change to be genuine and sustainable, a paradigm shift has to be incited by those who are now fuelling the fire - religious leaders. When and if this is going to take place, on the other hand, is a different question entirely.
weapons including aircrafts, and that mounting tensions indicate that war will break out once again between the North and the South. Despite what may come of Bashir’s renewed presidency, what one mustn’t forget is the immense step Sudan has taken to achieve free and fair elections. A special thanks ought to be given to the Sudanese voters who walked miles, waited hours and endured tough conditions to cast their votes. This election represents a large step towards democracy but, as critics have pointed out, they still have a long way to go until they can be officially called a democracy. Sudan has realised this, the question is; what will become of Sudan in the coming years and do we have to wait another 24 years for the next election?
Katherine Harbord
6
In Brief Tel Aviv, Israel: Two Israeli soldiers have appeared in court on charges of using a ten-year old Palestinian boy to handle objects they thought might be explosive during a three-week conflict in the Gaza Strip last year, referred to as ‘Operation Cast Lead’. The incident was filmed by a human rights activist, and many similar cases have allegedly been documented. One activist claimed that “The use of human shields in Operation Cast Lead was not so exceptional. By prosecuting two low-ranking soldiers, the military is trying to shift the discussion away from the big policies that came from high up in Cast Lead and which were wrong: permissive rules of engagement or mass destruction of property that had nothing to do with protecting our troops”. Abuja, Nigeria: President Umaru Yar’Adua died on May 5th after a long illness. He will be succeded by his Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, who had been Acting President since February due to Yar’Adua’s illness, and resultant absence, as he went abroad for medical treatment. Mumbai, India: Mohammed Ajmal Amīr Kasāb has been convicted of 86 charges, including murder, for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, which killed over 150 people. He has been sentenced to death by hanging; while India technically still has the death penalty, it hasn’t been used since 2004, and there is currently not a single qualified hangman in the country. Gulf of Aden, near Somalia: A Russian oil tanker carrying a cargo of about $50 million was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia last Wednesday; the crew locked themself in a ‘safe-room’ and made a distress call. This prompted Russia to send a warship to recapture the boat, which they did, taking ten pirates captive, and killing one. The prisoners will be tried in Moscow. Bangkok, Thailand: the Thai government have promised to hold elections in November, following a prolonged series of protests, which at times turned violent. The ‘Red Shirts’ were protesting at the current military government, which overthrew elected PM Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. Earlier this year Mr Shinawatra, who is in self-imposed exile, was stripped of half his wealth (about £1bn) by a Thai court, and was found guilty of five counts of corruption.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Opinion
www.bathimpact.com
7
Has your degree been devalued?
Anthony Masters argues that there are too many young people enrolling at British universities
T
he Higher Education sector is currently in the eye of two great storms: one concerning the unsustainable current model of funding, and the other about the erosion of standards. At the outset of the Lord Browne review, Steve Smith, President of Universities UK, said that “our universities must receive sufficient funding to remain world class and any changes to the current fee regime must also take account of the implications for widening participation”. Our own Vice-Chancellor stated that tuition fees returned the University's funding to “85% of the 1991 level in real terms”. The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 allowed 35 polytechnics to become full universities. Polytechnics were higher education
Bournemouth University passed second-year archaeology students despite their professor failing them institutions that awarded mostly vocational qualifications, but also had some undergraduate and postgraduate provision. Since most of the courses offered were vocational, these were often directly funded by the industries
Bournemouth University passed second-year archaeology students despite their professor, Paul Buckland, failing them. This episode was revealed in an employment tribunal, as Professor Buckland resigned after the University failed to reinstate his marks. This lack of academic quality has also been reflected in graduate employment figures. According to the
that required them, and so polytechnics needed less public funding than universities. The division between these two types of institutions was known as the Binary Divide. In response to the introduction of more universities wanting their share of taxpayer money, the Russell Group and the 1994 Group were set up to protect the interests of the research-led universities. This funding crisis was exacerbated by a steady increase in student numbers from 1992 onward; the Higher Education Act 2004 attempted to solve the problem through the introduction of tuition fees. As student numbers are projected to rise over the next few years, the Lord Browne Review will be subjected to the siren calls of a further rise in tuition fees. We have moved from an elite to a mass higher education system, and this has resulted in questions of the academic integrity of the post-1992 universities. For example,
74
Percentage of 2002/03 graduates in full-time employment two and a half years later
Higher Education Statistics Authority, only 74% of 2002/03 graduates were employed in full-time work two and a half years later, and of those with fulltime work, a quarter were in jobs that did not require a degree. From 1997 to the present day, the number of firsts awarded has nearly doubled, whereas the student population has increased by 30%. This disproportionate rise is indicative of a problem with standards which is compounded by the weak entry standards of some universities. A mass higher education system must also deal with having too many students. Students rarely do full-
time paid work during the term time, meaning that they're not paying taxes, but are taking about £6000 in loans for living costs. This is, of course, inevitable because of the time that a degree takes, but it means that for every student, the net cost to the public finances is about £9000 in both paid loans and unpaid taxes. Thus, the study of academicallyminded young people is not being offset by the labour of vocational young people, meaning that the return of this debt is completed many years afterwards. Our participation rate is simply too high (39.3%), driven on by an artificial target of 50%, and is above that of the United States of America (33.6%), Japan (36.1%) and the OCED average (34.8%). We also suffer from oversubscription to some courses, providing many more graduates than there are jobs available in certain sectors. There is the additional problem
that as the number of graduates rises, there is a subsequent fall in the 'graduate premium' (the difference in lifetime earnings between graduates and nongraduates). This has been estimated as £100,000 on average, and about £30,000 for the average Arts students. A British degree has had its worth eroded, in both financial value and as a symbol of academic ability. As 17 of the top 100 universities in the world are British, there is little doubt that Britain has a world-class university system. However, by dilution of the Higher Education sector, this status is under threat. It is our most pertinent objective to see the number of students taking academically-weak degrees fall, and thereby soften the blow to the rest of the sector. In order to achieve this, new universities whose standards offend the rest of the sector should return to their original purpose as a polytechnic or a teaching college. This will cut costs to the taxpayer, through a cut in funding to such institutions. This will in turn preserve the world-class university system. Also, by focusing funding on our best universities, we will help those universities to become even more prestigious. Furthermore, the reduction in student numbers will allow greater spending per student, thereby allowing us to attend our great University without paying tuition fees.
Hungry for justice: the scale of inequity Ivalyo Iaydjiev, of the Model United Nations society, argues that starvation is unacceptable in the 21st century
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very student knows what it is to be hungry, either due to financial concerns, lectures scheduled at lunchtime, or pure laziness. Some of us are obsessed with “5-a-day”s or counting calories, others just want something quick, tasty, and (preferably) cheap. News agencies bombard us with informa-
1 billion The approximate number of undernourished people worldwide tion about the levels of obesity in children and adults and the health risks involved. But what do we really know about hunger worldwide? According to the World Food Programme (WFP), more than 1 billion people, one in every six human beings, is undernourished,
even though there is enough food in the world to feed everybody. Emergencies, which we sometimes get a glimpse of in the news, account for only about eight percent of those who need help. What’s more, the numbers are steadily increasing despite the efforts of dedicated organisations and individuals. The worst hit areas include Asia and the Pacific, Near East and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, with women, children, and rural communities particularly vulnerable. So what’s hunger? The average daily amount needed to live a healthy active life is 2100 kilocalories. Daily undernourishment, however, means that the body slows down physical and mental activities to compensate for the lack of energy. This, in turn, has an effect on all other economic and social activities, as food is the first basic need which people seek to satisfy before taking any other initiative. Additionally,
undernourishment is the number one health risk as it reduces the strength of the immune system and increases the likelihood of contracting various diseases, from AIDS to malaria. This reflects further on the developing world as a whole, for which hunger is a serious economic burden which reduces the productivity of the population. The reasons for hunger are various – natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and storms; war, in which food is often used as a weapon; poverty; lack of key agricultural infrastructure such as roads or warehouses; and all this is further exacerbated by climate change, which hits particularly hard those already affected by natural conditions, but also fertile land in general. Eradicating hunger is the first of eight Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations. How can we help? First and foremost, by raising awareness of the
sheer size of the challenge posed by worldwide hunger, as well as of its consequences. The main organisation fighting hunger worldwide is the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which focuses on providing quick assistance in case of emergencies, develops sustainable agriculture and promotes food security, and provides expert advice. The WFP has over 90 million beneficiaries in 73 countries around the world. Additionally, there is a Face-
book group with almost six million members called “Feed a Child with a Click”. Of course, donations still make the biggest impact, directly helping those who need food most. Again, the WFP is the most effective way to deliver your contribution to the poorest areas of the world. One child dies every six seconds because of such a basic need as hunger. This should be unacceptable in the 21st century – and it is up to us to stop it!
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
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Opinion
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The sour taste of an Apple Michael Andrews Opinion Contributor
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ecently I’ve noticed a trend that seems to be growing amongst the students of this fine University, one which has affected me so much that I felt the need to let off a bit of steam. I am referring of course to the growing presence of posers with Macs in lessons. If you’re sneaking a read of impact in the lecture hall then take a sec to have a quick look around. Odds are that you’ll be able to see at
I do have several friends who have Macs and choose to use them for peaceful purposes least one person with their perfectly-formed white or silver machine with a glowing fruit on the back. Now, out of these people, how many of them are actually paying attention to what’s going on? I’d argue that figure would be a big fat zero. Alas, the draw of Face-
book, checking emails, looking for ideas for tonight’s dinner, etc. has proved far too great for them. This, my friends, is why I’m calling for a blanket ban on Macs in class. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way saying that ownership of an Apple computer automatically makes you evil, far from it. In fact, I have several good friends who own Macs and choose to use them for peaceful purposes (and of course I wouldn’t want this article to make them hate me forevermore!). What gets my goat is the people who love to parade their machines
in front of you right in the middle of class – focussing on a lesson is a lot more difficult when someone in your line of sight is looking up prices for flights and has flashing banner adverts constantly catching your eye as you write. Can it not wait until afterwards? Do you really need to be Facebookchatting with someone about who disgraced themselves the most at Weir Lounge last night? It seems to me that these people are oblivious to the irritation they are causing (at least to me) and are simply not showing respect to lecturers or their fellow students. If you don’t want to make the most of your £3000-plus a year education then that’s fine, just don’t bring me down with you in the process. But lamentably, it would seem that our complaints are lost on them, trapped as they are in a glossy white, ultra-lightweight world, lavishing praise on their machines in a fashion that would quite frankly make most gods blush. Some have become so attached to their poser electronics
that they simply refuse to put them away: in one of my French classes last week, a girl who shall remain nameless refused to turn off her beloved Mac whilst we were taking a written test. When our lecturer told her that using computers in class was only allowed if she had some sort of learning difficulty she chose to ignore this request and then pro-
Buying a MacBook is simply another acceptable form of snobbery ceeded to spend the next hour using a French-English online dictionary to help with her work. Perhaps this is what hits the nail on the head: buying a MacBook is simply another acceptable form of snobbery, like refusing to travel on easyJet or only drinking coffee that’s organic, fairly traded and has had every single bean carefully polished to perfection by cheery folks in Costa Rica – after all, not everyone can afford one (MacBooks
start at “just” £816 according to Apple’s website). Worshippers at the Church of Steve Jobs may claim that their laptop is simpler to use (one mouse button? I don’t think so), or that it’s even got Microsoft Office (like almost every other computer in the world), but these excuses don’t cut the mustard with me. Ultimately what it boils down to is people wanting to show off their fancy purchases, thinking that owning a Mac will help show that they are someone who is individual. In actual fact it proves that they are under the misguided impression that the product they buy helps define them as a person. But enough of the negativity it’s time for positive action. I think those of us who still stick to trusty pen and paper should reach out to our misguided compatriots, befriend them and perhaps even show them the error of their ways. It’ll at least give you something to do until you clear that virus off your computer… Michael wrote this article using an HP laptop. It didn’t crash once.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
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Opinion
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On the capitulation of the unique personality Horace J. Montague Opinion Contributor
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resenting yourself to others as something you are not, like assuming officialdom by donning a policeman’s outfit, like a conman feigning legitimacy or a criminal pretending to be law abiding by pleading innocence, is clearly nothing else but deception and dishonesty. I proclaim that anyone who, having arrived at university or any other environment, where there is a clear dominance of one social caste, and seeing themselves dissimilar to this model of etiquette, unashamedly reinvents themselves to fit in with this group, is committing an act of deception and dishonesty in league with those mentioned above, by presenting themselves to society as something they are most definitely not. When a person, seeing their prevalence, uses words previously unbeknownst to themselves, the most severe being ‘banter’ and ‘man up’, and wears clothes previously alien to themselves, the most severe being the
infamous gilet, they are revealing themselves as cowards. What sort of person is afraid to stand out amongst the crowd? Cowards. Who might be afraid to speak up against the majority? Cowards. Who follows the fashionable for reputational security? Cowards.
When a person wears the infamous gilet, they are revealing themselves as cowards Anyone who, having seen its popularity, purchased a gilet within an hour of arriving at university, will, at first, not feel so offended or exposed by reading this article. This is because this person gives supreme importance to the views of others, as demonstrated by their initial undignified transformation; and this article, being but one exponent of a conflicting viewpoint to their own, bears little weight against the multitude of people who are the subject of
imitation from the aforementioned character, who will unconditionally follow the fashionable opinion, relinquishing the ability to think for themselves. But the implications of this act of, not only social cowardice, but also spiritual injury, will eventually announce themselves to this character, who will in later life suffer from remorse at being so submissive to base societal temptation and being so servile to the opinions of other human beings. For clarity, I use the term social cowardice to mean one’s insecurity with their own personality: the cowardly fear of ridicule and alienation for being different, which leads them to deem it necessary to supplement their person with ‘essence of douche’; and spiritual injury referring to the harmful consequences to your own philosophy and happiness when you concede your faculty of free thought in favour of yielding to uniformity. It is tragic when a person relinquishes their natural self in order to adhere to the norms of others; it means the death of any variety of character. Imagine the conse-
Don’t follow the crowd, be the black sheep quences of a world without individual characters, where creative, independent thought is discouraged in favour of an unconditional uniformity of thought. Perhaps Martin Luther would have been more tolerant towards the corruption and sin of the Catholic Church; maybe Rosa Parks would have just alighted from the bus. There will never be advancement when our minds are stagnant, obstructed by putrid ignorance. I hope the reader can perceive the full implications of conceding your own personality. This is not to condemn those that are by
nature normal, but to condemn those who undergo a false transformation in order to be so. Those who are genuinely fond of gilets as an item of clothing are honest; those who sport a gilet for popular advancement are not. You are who you are; to be anything else is to be an imposter. It is downright cowardice. The abhorrence of this practice was well put by a certain man: ‘A vile and deceitful uniformity reigns in our customs, and all minds seem to have been cast in the same mould; without ceasing, common customs are followed, never one’s own lights.’
If you want peace, Britain, don’t prepare for war
Why economic woe and tiresome warfare may spell the end of over-ambitious foreign policy in Britain Martin Price Opinion Contributor
Flickr
Tony Blair at the Chilcot Inquiry stated that George W. Bush gave him an opportunity to opt out of the Iraq War, but Blair said no. He believed Britain had a duty to step in and intervene. Now it seems, Britain is waking up to reality. Liberalism is in part being replaced by pragmatism, just as it did after World War II with the start of decolonisation. The lack
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ast November when 7 ft Russian boxer Nikolai Valuev was comprehensively beaten by David Haye, it was all too clear that size is not everything, that giants can be conquered. In fact this is what Britain had managed to show for half a millennium, ruling the world first through naval prowess and then through victories in the two greatest wars ever seen. And yet it was these two wars that seemed to spark the beginning of the end of British imperial power. At its height, the British Empire encompassed a quarter of the world’s population and acquired the same proportion of world land mass. But when the effects of war produced economic turmoil, the Commonwealth countries were not slow in loosening the ties between themselves and their foreign rulers. Nowadays, the concept of Britain as an imperialist nation is somewhat laughable, as near total decolonisation and part-devolution of Wales, Scotland and
Britain differs from David Haye, in the sense that we cannot punch above our weight
Tony Blair had the opportunity to opt out of the Iraq war, but said no
Nowadays the concept of Britain as an imperialist nation is laughable! Northern Ireland has reduced an Empire to not much more than a single nation. Despite the lack of
territory and lack of global power that this proud and formerly prosperous nation currently yields, the most startling aspect is that in many ways, the British psyche has been extremely reluctant to change the way it views itself. Britain is still a heavily-involved player on the world stage.
of tangible and lasting success in Iraq and Afghanistan have made the public incredibly aware that the country cannot cope with the financial and human cost of war. A large unsustainable defence budget coupled with the changing nature of both war and enemy makes such conflicts largely unwinnable for a country as small as Britain. We differ from David Haye in the sense that we certain-
ly cannot punch above our weight. The main threat in the near future seems to be from Iran. With the possible development of nuclear weapons and significant influence over violent and oppressive political groups in the Middle East, Iran seems a threat to both regional and international stability. But there are no cries from Britain for war (most of them come from possible US presidential candidate-to-be Sarah Palin). Thanks to the economic crisis and unsuccessful warfare in the Middle East, the politicians are much more willing to listen to public opinion on these types of issues. The 20th century taught us that nationalism can be hugely successful in hiding important and fundamental impracticalities. Hitler aimed to achieve total European domination through a series of small and rapid lightning wars. Then came the conflict for total world domination, an ideological fight between communism and liberalism. Thankfully in Britain, nationalism appears insignificant and the military option is beginning to lose its place in British foreign policy altogether.
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
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The boredom of bingeing Nick Carraway Opinion Contributor
F
or many of those reading, clubbing and drinking probably form a core part of your social lives; you most likely celebrate significant events such as birthdays or the passing of exam periods with a night in town, use nights out to help new members of clubs or societies ease their way in, or just spend the afternoon drinking until you chunder everywhere in order to increase the general hilarity of your everyday life. Yet whilst wild, drunken orgies may well
When you’re doing it every week, you must surely start to question just how much of a hoot your headaches and mental blanks really are be exactly what you need to blow off steam every now and again (I count myself guilty), hitting town and drinking for the sake of it - week in, week out - as many students do is something that I am growing to find incred-
ibly tedious, as the routine ‘go to town, get drunk, go home’ not only gets stale quickly but also has very little value to offer your social life in the first place. For a start, there is the ridiculous amount of alcohol that some people feel compelled to drink on a night out. It grows tiresome to hear people use statements such as ‘I can’t remember anything’ or ‘I feel so rough’ as indicators that a night out has been amazing, as surely all they imply is that you have spent today feeling terrible and have no positive memories from the night before to justify this. It may well be nice to revel in the childish glee of knowing you were absolutely hammered last night every now and again, but when you’re doing it every week you must surely start to question just how much of a hoot your mental blanks and headaches really are. Experience has also slowly (and painfully) led me towards a rejection of the theory that alcohol helps spark healthy social interaction and bind people together. It’s true that a few drinks (note: a few) do help you lose some of those social inhibitions and make conversation flow a bit more
freely, but the party animal who ends up stealing the neighbours’ bins before referring to their host’s girlfriend as ‘fat’ wins few friends. To any sober witnesses of your drunken behaviour (who may include that attractive coursemate you’d never spoken to before tonight), loud, slurred and blunt rambling is also fairly unlikely to encourage further interaction with you. I feel that my previous drunken exhibitions, and the painful memories they have left me with, really do put
crowave. Finally, and I feel incredibly old for saying this, sometimes it really is a good thing just to be able to have a conversation with your friends more meaningful than hollering ‘Do you want another drink?’ in their ear. The
my forehead and sleeping on the bathroom floor. I feel like most of this shouldn’t really need saying, seeing as we’re all adults who’ve had plenty of time to get used to the idea that we can legally consume alcohol, but the conversa-
social occasions that I remember most fondly tend to involve friendly meals, sunny days having barbeques by the river and time spent doing some genuine bonding with my friends. What they don’t tend to involve is bruising
tions and Facebook statuses of those around me continue to endorse binge drinking as the be all and end all of human interaction. Yes, sometimes it can be fun, but is there really nothing better we could be doing?
My best memories involve friendly meals and sunny days having BBQs by the river, not bruising my forehead and sleeping on the bathroom floor me in an excellent position to recommend that others avoid making the same mistakes I have in this area; the housemates I have woken up at 3am would probably also agree, around about the time they’re peeling their cornflakes off of the inside of the mi-
Tuesday 11th May 2010
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Features Foreign Correspondence: How to survive a year abroad www.bathimpact.com
had. So I’ve decided to put together a little dummy’s guide, with helpful tips on the things I found the most difficult during my work placement in Paris and Erasmus semester in Rome.
Accommodation
Gina Reay Features Contributor
I
t has come to my attention that as I am finishing my Year Abroad, many of you will be embarking upon yours. Be prepared for a crazy year, full of incredibly good times, new friends and amazing experiences. However it will also be one of the most challenging years you’ve ever
Horoscopes
Finding a flat is hard. Finding a flat when you don’t speak the language fluently is even harder. Be prepared for a struggle when it comes to sorting out accommodation. Once you’ve found out where you’re going to be and for how long, start asking around. The earlier you sort it out, the better you will feel. For both my semesters I visited the cities before moving there and spent a fair few days apartment-hunting. You see some right states as well as a lot of flats you can’t afford. But everything will be OK in the end. If you’re doing an Erasmus, check out your university for posters and signs advertising flats and rooms available. If you’re going to Paris, the website FUSAC.fr is your best bet. Be selective, but accept you might be paying more than you would in Bath.
Madame Soufflé mme.souffle@bathimpact.com
Greetings from the heavens my star children. I am Madame Soufflé and I will traverse the astral planes in order to guide you through the year. Fear not; for Madame Soufflé will shepherd you through the darkest patches. Capricorn (22 Dec-20 Jan): “I was in Plymouth recently, and a 40-year-old black man asked me why a group of Australians tried to grind him up and put him in tagliatelle con sardines”. Aquarius (21 Jan-19 Feb): In the wise words of Arnold Schwarzenegger “gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.” Pisces (20 Feb-20 Mar): The stars tell me bad luck is coming your way. However, their message is slightly delayed as they’re about 1,000 light years away: bad luck is actually coming your way 1,000 years ago. Aries (21 Mar-20 Apr): Your lovelife makes great strides when you realise that if a woman has just been hit by a bus, she probably doesn’t want to go for dinner with you. Particularly if you were driving it. Taurus (21 Apr-21 May): Honestly, I wasn’t trying to kill him, I was just hitting him repeatedly on the head with a dumbbell while yelling “die, die, die”. Gemini (22 May-21 Jun): Election update: congratulations to returning MP Don Foster, who was last seen in Co-op buying a celebratory butternut squash.
Nights out I’m going to sound like your mum here, but here goes. Be careful! Remember that the nightlife culture abroad is very different to the British way of going on and you don’t want to find this out the hard way! Watch out for sleazy men (hell of a lot of them outside of the UK!), make sure you don’t go home alone and try not to drink too much (being ill so far away from home is not advisable!) Apart from that, have fun! Nights out are often the best place to practise speaking the language and making friends. Just be streetwise.
Language barriers No matter what level you are. No matter how many times you’ve been on holiday there. Living in another country is going to be tough. But once you get used to it, you’ll probably find your language fluency improving rapidly as you make friends and adjust to the culture and language differences. My tip is similar to Jim Carey in Yes Man… don’t refuse an opportunity. In my first week in Paris I was asked
Virgo (23 Aug-21 Sep): To answer your question, no it wasn’t a good idea to re-enact The English Patient as a porn film. And always ask permission before covering your girlfriend in Napalm. Libra (22 Sep-22 Oct): Race: it’s a black and white issue. Kilroy: it’s a sack of shite issue. Corpse dismemberment: it’s a Black and Decker issue. Scorpio (23 October-21 November): Your wife’s been unusually quiet these past few weeks; maybe there’s something on her mind... and maybe you should go to the basement and check she’s not dead. Sagittarius (22 November- 21 December): “Three wanted for sex attack” makes an interesting headline, but an unappealing classified ad.
some cities do student discounts on transport. Buses can often be a better option than the metro and a more en-
Foreign universities Erasmus can be a confusing experience. Some European universities aren’t quite as organised as Bath and you’ll realise how much you take our educational system for granted. But don’t be scared, just try and stay as organised as possible and stay on top of work. I had the impression that uni abroad would be a joke, but I’ve actually had to work pretty hard. It’s done wonders for my Italian though! Oh, and rule number one? Before you go, watch the film ‘L’Auberge Espagnole’ to get into the Erasmus vibe!
Public transport Finally, you might find yourself having to take a lot of public transport abroad; especially if you’re going to a big city. Try and get orientated straight away, sort out a monthly pass as it will work out cheaper and
joyable experience (in my opinion!) and don’t forget it might be a cheaper and healthier option to get a bike. Well there you go, my top tips from my Year Abroad. Good luck MLES students!
The Chronicles of Siânia
Episode 13: In which I attempt to not let the fear ruin my future but I won’t be dead. I reassure myself that my life will not end when I become an alumna (how old does that make me sound?) and that I can’t stay at university forever. But that doesn’t mean I can’t feel sad about it now. Luckily exams mean I am so stressed and busy that I haven’t got the time or the inclina-
Cancer (22 Jun-22 Jul): Breaking news: Eugene Terreblanche to be given an honourary degree by the Uni at the suggestion of one Mr. K. Woodgett “for services to colonial spanking theory and practice” Leo (23 Jul-22 Aug): Don’t let fear stop you getting that health problem checked out: I’m sure Dr Shipman isn’t as bad as people say.
to go rollerblading across the city. It was scary and difficult but a really good laugh, I spoke a lot of French and made some close friends. So get stuck in!
Siân Anna Lewis Features Editor features@bathimpact.com
I
tried very hard to think of witty things to write here but I’m too sad to attempt hilarity. University is ending and I am really really scared. Some of my (clearly more grown up) friends have adopted the “yes, but now there will be new challenges and we’ll grow as people and actually have some money to do things with, and also our kitchens won’t be breeding grounds for exotic types of fungi” attitude to the Great Beyond that is Life After Uni, but this does not wash with me. Oh no. Change is scary, I don’t need money because my student loan doesn’t count as real debt in my head, and I’m not the most hygienic person ever, so interesting blue mould is welcome in my house if that is the price I have to pay for not having to clean anything. I know, of course, that everything after this year will be okay. I’ll have a job and council tax bills,
I know, of course, that everything after this year will be okay tion to think of being a student as a pleasant experience. To be honest, being a student is currently giving me anxiety attacks and intermittently making me want to cry – surely having a 9-5 job is child’s play after this amount of torturous coursework/essays/exams? I feel like my parting shot in my last column should be some wise advice to the lucky people with years of dossing in front of them from someone who’s gone the studenty distance and is emerging on the other side. If so, my one recommendation for your happiness and personal growth would be: do it all. All of it. Don’t sleep. Don’t do work until the second semester of 4th year. Don’t do what I did and spend your first two years at Uni either asleep, getting drunk with your housemates and, well no actually that’s all I did. It was only this
year that I realised that I would never again be in the perfect place and with disposable fake money with which to skydive, surf, do fun runs dressed as a transformer, skinny dip in the cold, cold Welsh sea and help to edit a truly fantastic student newspaper (oh and actually do a bit of work in order to avoid disaster). Coming to University is the best thing I have ever done. So on that note, adieu! To all my fellow final years, I look forward to hearing about you all getting married, getting mortgages, having kids and all those other adulty things. To those of you with Uni years still ahead of you - please act irresponsibly while you still can.
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
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Features
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Food For Thought The Final Issue
By Elinor Huggett and Charlotte McCulloch
The Moon and Sixpence - Review
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aving walked past it almost daily and after hearing many recommendations, my incessant, yet subtle hints paid off and I was recently taken to the Moon and Sixpence for a small celebration. Smart yet relaxed, with an outside covered patio and a few more tables out in the open in summer, the restaurant is a veritable diamond in the rough (Aladdin). The restaurant is one of Bath’s best kept secrets, hidden under a stone arch off Broad Street. It has two separate eating venues; the main restaurant and the bar, the New Moon. We decided to go for the set menu in the New Moon (unfortunately we were not served by Edward Cullen, much to my dismay) which turned out to be very reasonably priced and delicious to boot. For starters Will chose smoked salmon, new potatoes, watercress and caper salad while I opted for the grilled goat’s cheese crostini, pecan, apple and cranberry salad. Similar starters to these could be found on the main Moon and Sixpence menu at over half the price of the entire set menu (so pretty good value for money). For
mains I went for the fillet of salmon, chive mash and salsa verde whilst Will, ever the carnivore, chose the leg of lamb steak, green beans, sauté new potatoes, olive, red onion caper and cherry tomato salsa. We enjoyed both the starter and the main meals immensely;
I would recommend the restaurant for a celebration if you’re feeling a little flush
Will’s steak was “one of the best he’d had in ages”, whilst my salmon was perfectly cooked and overall extremely well presented and flavoursome. Nevertheless, the restaurant fell down on the dessert, a small slice of cheesecake, no bigger than a credit card (at a push),
The Best in Bath for...
A sophisticated lunch: If you fancy a civilised bite to eat in Bath, don’t want to break the bank, but do want a nice atmosphere and a central location, look no further than The Metropolitan Cafe. They have a fairly short but very delicious lunch menu, as well as amazing cakes, great coffee and friendly staff.
A revision session: (or a game of scrabble) I may be biased, having worked there for a time, but I genuinely think there are few places as conducive to concentration as Jika Jika, with its large tables, airy interior and quiet ambience. And if you have either finished exams, or are lucky enough not to have any, check out its selection of board games. Afternoon tea: Obviously, this has to be the Pump Rooms. Maybe it does cost a small fortune, but there are few ways to feel more like you are actually in a Jane Austen novel. Something a little different: The more adventurous among you would enjoy Yak Yeti Yak, which serves delicious Nepalese cuisine. Although it doesn’t come cheap, I really recommend the outlay: I would describe the food here as like Indian, only better.
costing almost as much as a starter. The atmosphere was lovely and quiet due to the fact we were some of the only customers in the restaurant. Despite the waiter’s best intentions, I was slightly irritable at being brought the bill before I’d finished my wine, a sign in most restaurants that they want to clear the table for the next customers. My irritation was short lived however,
A slap up supper: For those nights when you really cannot face the stove, but the idea of a ready meal or takeaway fills you with horror, try Say Pasta. Its very reasonably priced, hearty Italian food will cheer you up no end.
The morning after: Sometimes, a good fry-up is the only solution. If this is the case, but you don’t fancy your local greasy spoon, inject some class into your hangover (if thats not a contradiction in terms) by heading for the Adventure Cafe. First date: I would suggest that if your prospective future lover is a bathimpact reader, you probably shouldn’t go to Banglo, because, despite its low lighting, relaxed atmosphere and fantastic food, it would show a tragic lack of imagination to follow the advice of the student newspaper’s food writer. A very cheap meal: It is the end of term, after all, so probably you will be short on funds: check out the incredible bargains on offer at the Beau Nash (formerly the Litten Tree, for those of you born before 1990). Being taken by the parents: I re-
as I ended up slightly tipsy and it was promptly forgotten. Along with how to walk. Aside from the small hiccough with the bill, I had a lovely evening and look forward to returning for an even bigger celebration: graduation (hopefully!) in the slightly plusher dining suite. I would highly recommend the restaurant for a romantic meal or celebration and if you’re feeling a little flush, or your family are down visiting, maybe try the main restaurant! ally loved the Moon and Sixpence, which was unpretentious and served really delicious food. I would recommend a glance at the Good Food Guide if you are after something really special. Cocktails: If your pockets are well lined, look no further than Opium, which serves a fantastic range of really quite unusual cocktails. Tea and cake The cakes served by the Tea Emporium are devastatingly good, and the huge selection of different teas is completely unmatched anywhere else in the city. Something a bit kitsch: Going to Hansel and Gretel was an experience unlike anything else in Bath, matched in surrealism only by the Christmas shop. The downstairs tea room sells strudel and other such German delicacies, and it’s brilliant fun.
For this, the last installment of our foodie adventures around Bath, we have decided to give you something a little different. Elinor will give you a quick round up of what she believes to be the best Bath has to offer, for any occasion, while Charlotte reviews the Moon and Sixpence and proffers an indulgent chocolate celebratory cake
Ultimate Chocolate Cake
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peaking of celebrations, as this is the last episode of bathimpact this term and my last ever article ( many of you may breathe a sigh of relief..) I thought a cake recipe to celebrate was appropriate. Now baking has never been my forté, I have neither the patience nor the inclination, preferring to nip down to the bakery/ supermarket/ patisserie (depending on country of residence) and buying it readymade. Saying that, I was always willing to help my mother when I was younger; by licking the spoon and eating the final product.. I digress. Therefore I am not going to pretend that I have made this cake, nor promise that it will work, (disclaimer) but it looks reasonably delicious and perhaps when I have a spare day, post exams and in blissful unemployment with nothing else to do, I may consider trying it. Butter up a round cake tin 20cm (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140 ºC. Break the chocolate in pieces, tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted don’t overheat. Alternatively - chuck it all in the microwave for a bit and mix it. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Now lick the spoon. And the bowl. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25 - 1 hour 30 minutes - if you
push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days. Congratulations
Ingredients: »» 200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids »» 200g butter , cut in pieces »» 1 tbsp instant coffee granules (optional- I don’t like coffee) »» 85g self-raising flour »» 85g plain flour »» 1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda »» 200g light muscovado sugar »» 200g golden caster sugar »» 25g cocoa powder »» 3 medium eggs »» 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp) »» grated chocolate or curls, to decorate »» FOR THE GANACHE »» 200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above »» 284ml carton double cream (pouring type) »» 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
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Features The Travel Bug: A weekend in Marrakesh Travel Byte www.bathimpact.com
£6) will get you a dorm bed at the very central Riad Zitoune youth hostel, with a view of the city’s old medina (www. hostelbookers.com). Grab a bite to eat at your hostel and call it an early night, but rise early the next day and take a stroll through Marrakesh’s old streets, marvelling at the workmanship of some of Morocco’s traditional traders. Make a pit stop for peppermint tea at the funky Café des Epices at 75 Rahba Lakdima (www. cafedesepices.net), or try their speciality spiced tea or coffee with a selection of irresistible home-made salads and sandwiches.
Chris Wotton Travel Contributor
F
ly from Bristol mid-afternoon on the Saturday with Ryanair, who regularly have return fares for £30, occasionally dipping as low as £12 – two flights a week, Tueday and Saturday. Easyjet also fly to Marrakesh from Gatwick, but expect to pay in the region of at least £80 return. Arriving into Marrakesh in the early evening, take the number 11 bus from the airport (60 Dirham, about £5) and check in to the easily reachable Hotel Sherazade (www.hotelsherazade.com), a beautifully restored old merchants’ house which has rooms from 190 Dirham (about £15) per night. On an even tighter budget, 80 Dirham (about
£94.00
total cost, including flights and transfers
Head back into town and hit Rue Moulay Ismail and Djemaa el-Fna for some retail therapy with a foodie twist – amongst everything else, hunt down gorgeous Moroccan tagines and unbeatable olives. Don’t miss a wander round the old city’s main square, the Djemaa el-Fna, either – it comes alive of an evening with all manner of storytellers and showmen, and is well worth a visit. Hang around here when hunger strikes, and head for any one of the street stalls that congregates – tuck into anything from couscous to stewed snails to sheep’s head! For something a little more to-order, try Chez Jack’line
at 63 Avenue Mohammed V in the Gueliz area, which serves Moroccan, Italian and French dishes (set menu 80 Dirham, about £6).
Hit the markets for retail therapy with a foodie twist: hunt down gorgeous Moroccan tagines and unbeatable olives On Monday, don’t miss the elaborate, once half-ruined Saadian Tombs (open between 8.30am and 5.45pm, except 11.45am-2.30pm; entrance 10 Dirham, 75p) or the ruins of the El Badi Palace (same opening hours; entrance 10 Dirham, 75p). Further north, the Museum of Moroccan Arts is worth a visit (daily from 9am to 6.15pm, except 12.15-3pm; closed Tuesdays; entrance 20 Dirham, £1.50). Having grabbed lunch at another
street stall, treat yourself to dinner at the very swanky-looking and super chilled out Terrasse des Epices, sister joint of the Café des Epices (www.terrassedesepices.com) - tuck into grils, pastas and salads from 85 Dirham (about £6.50) or jump at the daily special tagine, served with an entrée and a dessert for just 100 Dirham (about £8); if you fancy tickling the taste buds, try the classic Moroccan sweet cinnamon pigeon pie. End with a night on the town at the western-Algerian fusion club Diamant Noir, at the Hotel le Marrakech on Rue Oum er Bia – or head slightly south to try the Marrakesh branch of Ibiza club Pacha (www.pachamarrakech.com). See your weekend out in style, take some time to recover the next day and enjoy a relaxed few hours wandering the city before you head back to the UK on an evening flight that will have you into Bristol just before midnight.
Summer Dressing
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time to make use of those offers at the gym. Obviously, the classic summer item, the maxi-dress, is back. Remember, for those of you who don’t quite make the Kate Moss height requirement, small prints are best, they may even add an inch or two. If you’re into scruffy-chic, this season is for you. Rough tailoring is what
THE BUMBAG: A trend bathimpact would rather you didn’t sport, so we don’t have to make you feel bad by laughing at you.
A
t 13 hours 22 minutes, the 08.20 weekday service from Aberdeen to Penzance, on the tip of Cornwall, notches up the record for the UK’s longest single journey without changes - after spending the whole day onboard, you’ll pull in to Penzance just before 10pm. The fare’s one for the records, too - £196.00 for a single, dropping to £129.35 with a 16-25 railcard. With a couple of changes thrown in, meanwhile, you can spend more than a whole day heading from Penzance, Britain’s southernmost station, right up to Scotland’s Thurso, the northernmost station in Britain - with some hefty waits for connections included, the ride rocks in at anywhere between twenty-six and a half and twenty-eight and a half hours! crets of the modern woman’s world. The one drawback is that actually, the look tends to work best when empty. However, shoes with Perspex heels and platforms give the impression of us ladies floating on air. What more could we ask for after a year of struggling onto campus, flat shoes on feet, bags laden with books? And for hair? Bows. And lots of them. Oversized or tiny, cutesy or quirky, the list goes on, and on, and on… As for colour, white is right and looks best on brown skin, so girls, get fake-tanning.
Georgina Cotton on how to dress cool in the heat
hree weeks’ time and the end of exams signifies summer (whether or not the temperature has yet reached 15 degrees). So, what can we expect to be wearing during the dreaded season of leg-baring? Yes, you’ve guessed it, hot pants and boy shorts are back – with a vengeance. If hemlines could get any shorter, they just have. So now is the
What’s the longest train journey in the UK?
the fashion pack is looking for this summer. Frayed skirts and jackets, with material frills and spills will be admired in Vogue offices worldwide. For the adventurer in you, bumbags (yes, bumbags) and rucksacks are making a comeback. If you’d feel more like your granny than a fashion guru, then maybe avoidance is a safe bet. Plastic, on the other hand, in its trendy, accessorised form, will be unavoidable over the next few months. Ready to expose the sci-fi, Lady Gaga streak in you, Prada and Burberry have been showing Perspex clutch and handbags, exposing all of the se-
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Features
www.bathimpact.com
The secret diary of a
Steps to a sexcessful summer
SEXAHOLIC Via Donna Jenkins and Anna Kasari’s naughty minds.
Get down on it!
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hat song comes on the radio and you can’t hold back that cheeky smile as memories of a saucy encounter flood into your head and rush through your body. A feeling of pure satisfaction and then rolling over just to enjoy the moment; a moment of bliss shared to the sound of that perfect song. The Sexperts have done their homework and compiled a list of albums for you to add to your iTunes Between-the-Sheets collection, selected by you, Dear Readers. Whilst we were doing our research, we were delighted to find out that some of you had already taken the initiative and come up with a get down playlist. A bit of preparation goes a long way - you won’t have to put the moment on pause to select a new tune. You’ll avoid those embarrassing songs that come up on shuffle; since when did you have So Solid Crew’s ”21 Seconds” on your iTunes? The Sexperts love old school record players – could there be anything more seductive than the needle scratching the surface of your Otis Redding record whilst he caresses your body and you re-enact the scene from Dirty Dancing: ”these arms of mine... they are burning; burning from wanting you...
The Sexperts’ between the sheets favourites Joaquin Sabina – Nos Sobran los Motivos Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog Everything But the Girl – Like the Deserts Miss the Rain Shpongle – Tales of the Inexpressible Bonobo – Days to Come Tanya Stephens – Tanya Collection of Hits Bajofondo – Mar Dulce Led Zeppelin – Four Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City UNKLE – War Stories
which are happening around Uni, and am particularly keen to find out about new Facebook groups people have created. Indeed, I don’t find it at all trivial, and wish you could devote the whole section to social networking, with a particular focus on status updates giving details about things including, but not limited to: »» Eating a sandwich »» Using the toilet »» Going to the shops to buy something, but finding it’s out of stock I enjoyed the write-up on the tuition fee debate, which took a bold stance on a well-trodden is-
sue by printing a massive lie about a major political party on the front page, only weeks before a general election. I was also impressed by your News Editor’s use of question marks in headlines, which allow him to fill the rest of the article with pure speculation, without the use of any actual facts. Also interesting was the impassive voice: ie “concerns have been raised over...” and “some believe that”; not naming the person involved gives excellent scope for the noted journalistic technique of ‘making shit up’. I see a future for him writing for the Daily Mail, or if he wants to aim higher, sexually assaulting kitchen appliances.
Opinion: I found most Opinion articles interesting and wellinformed. One in particular sticks in my mind: ‘Why I’d like the world to be slightly different’, in which
ADVICE FOR THE GIRLS 1. Have a bikini wax: just do it. 2. Sun cream tease: ask that beach hunk to rub sun cream on your back. 3. Learn to surf: guys love a girl who can ride the waves. 4. Ask him out: single ladies, set yourself a target - don’t let the moment pass. 5. Go commando: leave your knickers at home and be sure to mention it.
ADVICE FOR THE BOY
Bob Marley - Legend Jose Gonzalez - Veneer Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
Our Editor-in-Chief gets some fan-mail
News: I like reading about things
For those of you who enjoy the alternative scene, one of our dear readers would like to recommend his personal favourite Rage against the Machine – Renegades. The Sexperts assume no responsibility for any acts committed whilst listening to “Maggie’s Farm”
The Morning After
A reader writes... Sir, I’m a big fan of your publication, despite the fact I am illiterate and dead. Here are some parts I’ve really enjoyed:
Bubbling Under
contributor Fumigation Vonk laid out his view that there are too many words in the dictionary, and that this was a bloody disgrace.
Features: While I find it charming that ‘Mme Souffle’ tries so hard to give accurate predictions for her ‘star children’, I must object on the grounds that none of her predictions have come true for me. Having read back in October that my neighbour would develop a tumour the shape of Guinea Bissau, I was shocked and dismayed when he decapitated my cat instead. I’m afraid I must also cast doubt on the accuracy of the food reviews. Having seen your glowing praise for one restaurant, I went there with my wife: at the door a waiter rudely told me they didn’t allow horses inside, so Flossie and I reluctantly ate in the beer garden; my soup was cold, and she said her hay was incredibly overdone.
Ents: I like to think I have a quite broad musical taste - I’ll listen to an-
1. Grow your hair: girls love that messy, beach-hair look. Grow stubble whilst you’re at it! 2. If you’ve got it, flaunt it: don’t be scared to show off your pecs in the park! 3. Throw that frisbee in her direction: and when you go and pick it up, catch her eye. 4. Buy her an ice-cream: girls love licking those ice lollies... 5. Take control of the barbie: girls love a man who’s in control of the meat... ything; from 15th century Gregorian chants to 16th century Gregorian chants. Thus I was disappointed at first to find the section reviewing a lot of bands I’d never heard of. However, I warmed to a lot of them, particularly the Belizian noise band ‘Vomiting in the Pet Cemetery’; I find their song ‘I Am Friends With Charles Taylor’ particularly moving, and the chorus, which contains no words, just the noise of a meat grinder being applied to Kilroy’s head, never fails to reduce me to tears. Equally, my eyes have been opened to the genre of ‘Straight up Boom Bap’; it resembles rap, but with fewer references to toothpaste. Most songs touch on important philosophical issues: for example, the difficulty involved in persuading a heron to accompany you to the toilet, or the existential dilemma which inevitibly occurs when you run out of sink de-greaser.
Science: I would never be so rude as to suggest that the Science Editor fills his section with extreme libel
Au Revoir!
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ear Readers, the time has come for us to part. It has been an incredible journey, from start to finish, through thick and thin, and we hope to end on a climax. When we committed to this, we weren’t quite aware of what we were letting ourselves in for – but no regrets (apart from maybe that ”puckered back door” comment). We are delighted to announce that Bath Cupids (our matchmaking alias) have brought together at least one happy couple this year, and hopefully many of you will have benefitted from our carefully compiled guides. Our mission was not just to help you on your conquests but also to provide entertainment - usually at our own expense. We hope you’ve shed tears of laughter while reading this column; we certainly have. It would be a great honour if some of you had been inspired enough to take on the responsibility to keep the University of Bath sexy during the next academic year, and provide the younger generations of bathimpact readers with saucy stories every fortnight. It’s been a pleasure. Keep up the sexy work! Love, the Sexperts x
and giant pictures of Josef Fritzl to cover up his lack of knowledge of science, but I would be happy to strongly imply it. Here are some things Prof Sci has said which demonstrate his ignorance: »» Being dead is not a real medical condition, and most people are ‘faking it to exploit the social security system’ »» Rick Astley was ‘a type of trilobite common in the Cretacious period’ »» If people were born aged 10, it would ‘save a lot on school fees’. »» ‘Lily Allen is a real person’
Sport: though this section is in general excellent, there has been depressingly little coverage of my favourite sports. I’ve long been an enthusiast of ‘hundred metre inbreeding’ and the ‘4x4 dog-strangling relay’, but, alas, have had to look elsewhere for news on these. Yours sincerely, Instability Lentil
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
Puzzle Corner
Puzzle corner - David Ruffolo
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he vision of an equitable future inside and outside the academy is critically dependent on reworking what it means to assume a sense of “I” - an agency that is subjectively negotiated. Reading students as queer uses queer theory to queer (hetero)normative “identity” practices in contemporary classrooms vis-à-vis identificatory practices and performative acts of classroom participants. This paper works towards disrupting binary discourses of identity — discourses that prohibit the realization of identificatory fluidity and mobility amongst classroom participants. In doing so, the individual becomes subject and identity becomes identification. The paper draws on notions of queer theory, subjectivity, identification, performativity, embodiment, and psychoanalysis to disturb the isms (i.e., racism, classism, sexism, ableism) that circulate in and around the academy in order to disrupt normative practices and disturb coherent “identities.” Reading students as queer supports subjective identifications that exceed normative ideologies and calls for all classroom participants, regardless of their positions as subjects, to embrace queer subjectivities that recognize and explore the mobility and fluidity of identifications — not fixed and stable identities — in order to stimulate social change and work towards a future that is equitable, not equal... The body is the primary site that queer theorists use to queer - disturbing, disrupting, decentering, and
destabilizing - dominant practices and assumptions that further minoritize the minoritized through binary conceptualizations of identity. This paper suggests that it is through the body that classroom participants can engage in radical practices that work towards equitable and democratic spaces. The fixed and stable nature of identities not only supports racial, gendered, sexual, ethnic etc. hierarchies, but also prohibits classroom participants from engaging in identificatory practices that are mobile and fluid — a concept discussed in the latter part of this paper. Butler (1990) uses the body as a canvas to re-work conceptualizations of identity in order to move forward and explore identifications through performativity... Last week’s solution: congratulations to Manifestation Hapforth, who translated Jacques Lacan’s statement for us: “Children can recognise their image in the mirror from an early age, which make them smarter than chimps. However, even chimps can tell that my recent essay on “Deconstructing in a Post-Dahmer World with Respect to Performative Concretisation Theory, Accounting for Paradigm Shifts in Pre-Shipmanian Modality, Using Dialetic Discourse as an Explanandum Phenomeonon”, is pretentious doggerel. It has often been commented that people would rather fart the Sistene Chapel out of their ear than read my writing, and this just proves that post-Fritzlian discourse... [continues]”
Sudoku
bathimpact
Crossword
Across
Down
3. Aid (4) 8. Prepared (5) 10. Study of organisms and their interactions (7) 12. Leap over (5) 13. Pathetic (7) 16. High point (6) 20. Relating to a name; Without adjustment of inflation effects (7) 22. True (antonym) (5) 23. Allowed (9) 26. Fast (5) 27. Reasonable; regulate (8) 28. Relations (3)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 11. 14. 15. 17. 18. 19.
XKCD
Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits from one to nine into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, and every 3x3 square. This one is easy, and you should be able to do it while driving.
Madman (informal) (5) Epidemic; harass (6) Rush (5) --- squash, large vegetable (9) Without predjudice (8) Court (3) Pope (7) Slow down (10) Touch indecently (5) Capital of Finland (8) [Door] handle (4) Cliff, promontory (8) Medical scan (1-3) Satisfy (6)
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21. Centre (6) 24. Rule (5) 25. Late (5)
Copyright xkcd.com. This one contains a subliminal message trying to encourage you to spend more time dressed as a pantomime dame in mourning.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Science
www.bathimpact.com
Alligators in New York Sewers Edward Johnson debunks some myths
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odern society is filled with rumours and fabrications that are spread via illustrious gossip. Just ask the Sexperts. We’ve all heard at least one juicy piece of gossip in our lifetimes, but sometimes you may hear something that just cannot be. Or can it? Such is the way with urban legends. There is a world of modern myths out there, and as it turns out some of them have some scientific basis. “Mythbusters already did that” I hear you mumble. True, that egghead and human walrus (much respect for Jamie’s moustache) have upheld and debunked a massive array of such legends. But then again they don’t write for BathImpact, so in lieu of our televised San Franciscans a small collection of modern
Five-second rule: doesn’t apply to the N-bomb
myths and legends (mostly) relevant to student life are summarised below. To make things really interesting, I’ve also created a few myths of my own in this article – see if you can find them.
1. “Grenade in a Mug” As students, we often find ourselves craving a quick solution. Google may provide rapid remedy for our academic needs, but the microwave could be called the students’ culinary saviour. We have become so notorious for our microwave usage that Heinz has released plastic tubs of beans designed specifically for microwave use. Our trusty revolving friend can also be used to knock up a brew, pronto. An urban myth with regards to nuke-box frolics appeared on the internet some years ago, where a young man uses a microwave to boil a mug of water so he can make an instant coffee. Upon returning to the mug after 5 minutes, our fellow sees no bubbles rising in the liquid. So he decides to pick up the mug and peer inside. In doing so, the water violently erupts all over our unfortunate hero resulting in 1st and 2nd degree burns to his hands, arms and face. Though unlikely, boiling water can unleash explosive results. A smooth-surfaced container may lack nucleation sites (irregular areas such as small bumps or imperfections) which prevents the formation of energy releasing bubbles.
Professor Science Professor: a friend of a friend at Durham Uni (8th best in the UK) recently tried to cool her room down by leaving the fridge door open; would this work? No. A fridge doesn’t create coldness, it pumps heat from inside the box out. Leaving the door open means the fridge is taking heat from the room and putting it back in the room. This is known, in technical terms, as pissing in the wind. Prof: I am sick of women constantly counting calories and worrying about eating an extra piece of lettuce. I am, however, interested to know how calories are counted for each type of food. Can you enlighten me? Yours, Sian Lewis In the nineteenth century a
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man named Wilbur Atwater decided to see how much energy various foods contained, using the only logical method: setting fire to them. He measured the energy given off, and then figured out how much of this was lost through excretion, presumably by setting fire to that as well. A quick calculation gave him values for the nutritional content of proteins (4 kilocalories per gram), carbohydrates (4 kc/g) and fats (9kc/g). These are approximately the measurements we use today, though they’re slightly off because he didn’t factor in the energy you use in digesting them. That’s why, though celery has around 80kc per kilogram, it takes more energy than that to digest. I’d also like to point out that the nutritional value of food can only be reaped by those ingesting it in the traditional manner, and vegetables introduced to any other
As a result, the water is able to become superheated in a microwave beyond 100°C as the excess energy cannot be released from the liquid. When the container is moved, the superheated water may suddenly come into contact with new found
50%
Proportion of Americans who are creationists
nucleation sites. As a result, a large quantity of bubbles are rapidly formed which creates a lot of steam that rapidly leaves the water – ending in the described disaster. Hopefully you won’t have experienced this – either you use a kettle (like most people), or if you have boiled water in this manner imperfections such as dirt, dust or chips in the container may have prevented superheating. This is a reason why anti-bumping granules are used in labs, and why you should use a kettle!
2. “Eternal Gummy” We’ve all heard the classic old wives tale about the perils of chewing gum – that if you swallow it, it becomes stuck inside you (either forever or for a certain period of time). Chances are you were told this by a friend or family member when you were younger, and a lot of adults still hold this anecdote as sworn truth to this day. This myth is so widespread that doctors are often consulted about future prospects after gum has been swallowed. Supposedly this perma-gummy part of the body do not contribute towards your ‘five a day’. Professor: Can belief in God be scientific? One would think that it would be very easy to test the theory that “none of the human orifices can comfortably accommodate a but-
myth arises from the small print on chewing gum packets, often containing the troublesome word “indigestible”. Fair enough: gum is not broken down by the digestive system. The simple truth is that swallowing chewing gum will not mean that you will be harbouring a blob of Wrigley’s finest in your intestines for the rest of your days. Essentially if gum is swallowed it is treated in exactly the same manner as most other things that are consumed – it goes in one end, and out the other. Except it’s a lot harder to blow bubbles the second time around. This is a classic cautionary tale about watching what you put in your mouth (calm down), not surprising that urban legends often come with a warning or lesson to be heeded – always check the backseat in your car, never talk to strangers, etc.
more of the food that touches the floor, the larger the quantity of bacteria that can attach. Potentially harmful bacteria such as E. coli don’t abide by this glorious rule. They will attach to food upon contact and start breeding from there on in. Unlike the myth, illness can sometimes follow with gastroenteritis (diarrhoea of epic proportions) and other nasties. Still, boys will be boys. There is one exception – spillage of a “beverage” is most definitely lickage. Urban legends like these above can provide some interesting and hilarious anecdotes, whilst often containing a cautionary message to behold. But please don’t believe everything you read and see – did you hear that looking at a monitor all day will literally give you square eyes? Or that 4 West was finished on time and on budget? Point proven.
3. “The 5-second rule” A popular cornerstone of lad culture, this “rule” has probably been put into practical effect by every man at some point in their lives. The “rule” states that if a piece of food is accidentally dropped onto the floor, it can still be picked up and consumed – as long as it spends less than five precious seconds on the floor. If picked up within the time limit, no ill consequences will arise. Sorry lads, but this myth is false. The same goes the variations of this legend – 2-second, 10-second, 5-minute... all debunked. Unlike cricket, when food hits the floor – it’s out, especially if you dropped large and moist pieces of food. The ternut squash”; one would simply have to find a willing volunteer by means of an ambiguous personal ad: (“Wanted: open-minded vegetarian”), and attempt the feat. However, not all humans are the same size and shape, and so it would be necessary to test every person in the world to conclusively
Josef Fritzl: unlikely to be put in charge of Amnesty any time soon
Five-second rule: doesn’t apply to actual bombs either prove the theory. This is not practical due to the high cost of travel. A similar line of reasoning led the legendary Karl Popper to simplify things. He said that instead of trying to violate the world’s population with vegetables to prove it can’t be done (I’m paraphrasing), one should try to find a single counterexample (and hire them as a drug mule). This would prove the theory wrong. So science progresses by weeding out false theories, rather than proving true ones. Thus, for a theory to be scientific, it should rule out at least one thing, so scientists can test it by trying to make that thing happen. As God is supposedly omnipotent, He could make anything happen. Thus, the theory that there is a God is compatible with any observable event, even the election of Josef Fritzl as head of Amnesty International (though one would have to question His motives). This makes belief in God unscientific.
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact www.bathimpact.com
Our Writers’ Picks Not sure where you’ll be going to get your annual dose of mud, sunburn and disgusting beer this year? Fancy a change now that Glastonbury is sold out and Reading & Leeds have gone back to 2001 (Limp Bizkit?!), or simply uninformed? Our writers pick five of the best across the UK and Europe ...
Annie Mac tops the bill at Beach Break Live
Beach Break Live 2010: Pembrey, Wales, 14th-18th June, £89 camping Winner of the UK’s best small festival in 2009, Beach Break Live is the UK’s biggest student festival, with over 17,500 attendees from universities all across the UK. Earlybird tickets have sadly sold out, but with a 2010 lineup including Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, Chase & Status, Plan B, Annie Mac and Vampire Weekend, this is still worth your money. There’s also more than music on offer: relax on miles of golden sand or try your hand at surfing, wakeboarding, kitesurfing, coasteering, parkour, Go Ape, Sphere Mania, horse riding, Celtic games, tobogganing and even a dry ski slope. Got to see: ANNIE MAC, THE FUTUREHEADS, VAMPIRE WEEKEND www.beachbreaklive.com/eastwood Recommended by Ross Taylor
Latitude, Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk 15th -18th July , £155 camping The lineup is maybe not as strong to these eyes as previous years, but the reports we’ve had of this laidback, friendly festival mean it’s definitely worth a look for those fed up of the ASBO-related anarchy of most UK festivals. The fact that there is much more than music on offer certainly helps: with some top-notch comedy, film, literature and even an appearance from Sadler’s Wells Ballet and the Royal Opera House could make this a welcome alternative for those wanting a little more than just a few bands, mud, sunburn and some warm beer. Got to see: (Music) Esben & The Witch, Dirty Projectors, Midlake, Zun Zun egui (Other) Rich Hall, John Cooper Clarke, Daniel Kitson, Adam buxton www.latitudefestival.co.uk/home/index.aspx Recommended by Philip Bloomfield
Old enough to know better rave titans THE PRODIGY headline BENICASSIM
The bathim Festiva 201
Catch the original punk rock poet JOHN COOPER CLARKE at LATITUDE
bENICASSIM, Bencassim, Spain, 15th-19th July, £150 camping Benicassim is located midway on the eastern coast and just hours away from the hot spot of Valencia. This festival will give you the never boring cliché of sun, sea and sand. Ditch your wellies, grab your factor 50 and your sunnies because Benicassim will hit you like Glastonbury on E. The bands are equally as good, with the likes of Hot Chip, The Prodigy, Dizzie Rascal, The Temper Trap and a personal favourite of mine, Two Door Cinema Club, heading the 2010 line-up. This, teamed with the glorious, unbeatable, cheap booze and the amazing abundance of showers (these are a godsend in the Spanish sun) will make it hard to return to the drab British music scene. In terms of tips for newbies: both of the campsites are excellent, but make sure you venture out of your comfort zone and take the train from Valencia airport, rather than the ‘Benibus’. It takes half the time, and is a third of the price. Otherwise, leave those unpredictable weather forecasts to the 16 year olds heading to Reading and have no worries by hitting the heaven of Benicassim. Got to see: All of the afore-mentioned, plus DJ Shadow, Public Image Limited, JJ, Gorillaz. www.benicassim.org.uk/ Recommended by Hazell Moore
Øya , Medieval Park, Gamblebeyen, Oslo, Norway , 10th-14th August c., £220 without accom. If you can get over the ridiculous pricetag, this has to be festival of the summer for the discerning music fan. Unfortunately, it’s unlikey bathimpact will make it out there, given the frankly obscene exchange rate. We’re reliably informed this is a small, comfortable festival. Which is odd, because the line-up is anything but: hip hop rubs shoulders with hardcore punk, classic indie and electronic oddness, and the thought of dashing between stages to catch Iggy & The Stooges after seeing Outkast’s Big Boi tear it up, before throwing ourselves headfirst into the Converge pit is pantwettingly amazing . Maybe next year, eh? Got to see: All of the afore-mentioned, plus Baroness, Raekwon, Motorpyscho, Trash Talk. www.oyafestivalen.com/pages/eng/1-news Recommended by Philip Bloomfield
ARCADE FIRE bring their polyphonic cacophony to Rock Werchter this year
Outkast member BIG BOI struts his solo stuff at Norway’s Øya
Rock Werchter: Haachtsesteenweg, Werchter, Belgium,1st-4th July, €188 camping Believe it or not folks, our British isles aren’t the only festival hotspots with star-studded line-ups this summer. . Located a couple of hours drive from Brussels in Belgium and with a very tasty line-up to go with, Rock Wercheter is one crème-de-la-crème , with over 80,000 attendees. This year’s mainstream headliners are pretty standard but my personal favourites include Phoenix, The XX, LCD Soundsystem, Yeasayer, Temper Trap, Delphic, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend and Florence & the Machine. Hell, if the music doesn’t do it for you, then the temptation of swinging by Amsterdam on your road-trip journey should definitively sway the balance of things. Got to see: An awful lot but ARCADE FIRE and PHOENIX are unmissable. http://www.rockwerchter.be/en/home/ Recommended by Alex Drake
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact www.bathimpact.com
Big mpact al Guide 10
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It’s surprisingly easy being Green Christabel Buchanan rounds up the best eco-friendly festivals Forget the typical boring exam-orientated chat and revision timetables, now’s the ideal time to start looking ahead to when life starts again. Dream of the days when you can lounge in the sun for more than half an hour without looking guiltily towards the library - get festival planning! Glastonbury tickets are long gone; most others are over-priced, commercialised and probably sold out. So, you’ve got to think of other options, but this time think smaller, greener and more intimate. Criteria for choosing, cost aside, must be, good music – of course – and might also include fun extras like cabaret, acrobatics and sensual massage?! Not overly crowded so that the performers are barely audible from your place at the back and movement between stages is inhibited by sweaty chests? Also not going to annihilate the land kindly lent out by local farmer or create enough rubbish between you to swamp every East Asian island? Trying to decrease your carbon footprint ready for that trip around the world thanks to new found summer freedom and lack of direction? If you are looking for any of these and are on a tight-ish budget, check out this list. Secret Garden Party
Secret Garden Party, Huntington, Cambridgeshire, 22nd-25th July, £142 weekend (a bit more pricey, but you’re paying for the thrills) go for surprises and self-emancipation - “brings people together by removing all barriers – you will do things you never thought you had the nerve or bombast to do.” Got to see: MR B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER www.secretgardenparty.com/2010/html/
Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons, Wales, 19th-22nd August £104 student weekend ticket. Sip on ales, beers, cider and cocktails and share a poem or two in science and literature tents! Don’t miss: EFTERKLANG www.greenman.net/ Green Man Festival
WOMAD
WOMAD, Charlton Park, Wiltshire, 23rd – 25th July, £125 weekend ticket - primarily a multicultural jamboree, this festival is small (and local) enough to encourage greenness with crafts and workshops too. Jump around to: CHUMBAWAMBA and clap along to TOUMANI DIABATE & SYMMETRIC ORCHESTRA www.womad.org
Croissant Neuf, Monmouthshire 13th - 15th August 2010, students only £55, go for lots of space, bendy people performing, bonfire chats and legendary lantern parading. See BEANS ON TOAST www.partyneuf.co.uk
Croissant Neuf
Small World Summer Festival, Kent, 27th-31st May, £50 for non-earners, fire show, run entirely on renewable energy. Listen out for mix of Balkan, Gypsy Jazz and Folk! www.smallworldsolarstage.org
SMALL WORLD SUMMER FESTIVAL 2000 trees festival, a farm in Cheltenham, Thurs 15th- Sunday 18th July, £50 weekend ticket – equipped with yurts and tipis and powered by locally-sourced chip-fat biodiesel! Watch out for: BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk/
2000 Trees
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
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International
Clementine Traynard from France I would vote Lib Dem, because I am tired of hearing English people saying they are not European. The EU is the best thing that has happened to this continent, but to work out it needs a full commitment from every member state. I think Nick Clegg is the best candidate to bring the UK back in the EU!
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If I were a Brit...
Just days before the country took to the polls in an election that would undoubtedly change the political makeup of Britain, Josie Cox asked international students at Bath Uni who they would cast their vote for if they were British citizens.
Svetlana Busygina from the Russian Federation Even if I had a right to vote in elections in Great Britain, I would not be voting for anyone at all! Personally I think that the election is like a circus, where the candidates are clowns, who are trying to attract the audience’s attention. I am not a part of it.
Can Tiryakioglu from Turkey Labour, because: »» I like their proposals of electoral reform that would cut MP numbers and bring about a Parliament with fairer representation »» The economy is currently fragile, and although Britain’s budget deificit is extremely high, this is not the time to pull back government money from the economy - that would lead to a collapse. Only Labour wants to keep the money in the system until economy is fully recovered, which I believe is the right thing to do. »» Their environmental policies are also sound; 40% low carbon electricity by 2020 and 400,000 green jobs by 2015 sounds good. »» Their NHS policy has the right priorities such as cancer care and it is a pro-choice policy which I like »» In terms of welfare, they propose a system that continues the tradition of social welfare that would benefit all.
Rita Casimiro from Portugal
If I could vote, I would probably vote for the Conservative party. In my opinion, the world economy needs a strong position and very different initiatives in order to recover from this deep crisis. The UK, one of the biggest economies in world, has this high responsibility, not only in the name of the world’s economy, but for the British people. For me, none of the other parties seem to have the strength required to solve the major problems, as I think the Conservatives do.
Student from Norway I would probably vote for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. As I believe there will be a hung Parliament after this election, the Liberal Democrats would either be a fresh breath in coalition with the Labour party or an important liberal equaliser to David Cameron and the Conservatives.
Student from Norway
Student from Bermuda
I would vote for the Conservatives and for David Cameron. I feel that he is the man who would best lead the UK into the future, looking at his economic and environmental policies.
If I could vote, my vote would go to the Liberal Democrats. After watching the debates and reading up about the different parties I feel like the Liberal Democrats have the most appealing and doable ideas for the country.
Student from India In the upcoming elections I would vote for Labour because I am a student and the Conservatives are planning to increase the tuition fees which I already find quite a lot.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
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International
www.bathimpact.com
What have we done? Your International reps’ 2009-2010 report:
Hao Chen ISA Chair s the first chair of this newlyestablished association, representing all the international students in the University, my committee and I liaised with the AWARE co-coordinator, VP Welfare & Diversity and the International Student Adviser to represent you over the past year. I represented you in the NUS International Student Conference in 2009 in Sheffield, together with the VP Welfare & Diversity, Scarlett. I attended the International Student Emergency Meeting on Immigration Policy with VP Education, George, in London, as well as the recent Nottingham NUS International Annual Conference. My role in the past year was
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to improve communications through different groups: cultural societies, exchange students, the Postgraduate Association and Global Group. I gave two talks at a Chinese students’ welcome meeting during orientation week, and addressed the ISA on how we could better serve the purpose
of representation. I gave a talk during societies training to raise awareness of what international students need and want. I also sit in the elections committee to oversee and ensure that your views on Sabb elections are delivered. We send out regular emails on opportunities at the University, and we cooperate with lots of societies delivering the message to international students. One example of this was the World Food Program fundraising campaign and the Bath Model UN Conference opportunities. We also promoted the 2010 British Council SHINE awards this year and we have one student who won the runner-up award. Very recently, we lobbied the FLC on continuing to provide the Japanese level 4 course for all students. We also worked on improving entertainment and integration.
Wafi Albedewi on the year in events
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s your event officer, I chair and coordinate all the ISA events for instance, Festival on the
Hill.
Communications: I attend ISA Executive Committee meetings regularly throughout the year and work closely with Hao and other committee execs. I also work with the AWARE staff and the VP Welfare & Diversity on the Festival on the Hill. In the past year, I developed relations with other Students’ Union departments, societies and groups to organise collaborative events. Direct the events: most of my job consists of maintaining and promoting a list of events (including externally or-
ganised ones) of interest and relevance to international students through the Publicity Officer and the ISA website. Festival on the Hill is the one that I put a lot of effort into. I coordinated with AWARE staff and all the other societies that we invited to get involved and raise awareness of the culture and diversity in University of Bath. The two weeks of festival included a Global Evening, Japan Night and movie nights showcasing different cultures. It was huge success, with many students actively involved. Election: I am also responsible for the promotion of ISA elections at the moment and respond to what students have asked for, on any issues related to the election campaign.
Ada Bakaj on diversity & equality
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iversity and Equalities: My role is to attend Equality and Diversity Networks and research international students’ issues and raise awareness. I have positively promoted equality and diversity within the SU, and widened the international student experience. Lead the annual International Student Forum: We held the International Student Forum for the first time, and we tried to connect with our international students on issues which particularly concern them. Examples include tuition fees, lack of information and communications within the whole population, along with integration with home students. Most students expressed that they would like to have more socials and that led to our end of year social in April based on the feedback.
Finance Committee: I sit on the Finance Committee and oversee the financial situation in the Students’ Union, as well as our own budget. As my course is Accounting and Finance, I found it extremely interesting and relevant. Awareness and support: I attend ISA Executive Committee meetings every month and have meetings organized by ISA with the publicity officer. My role also includes researching international students’ issues and raising awareness of them. I also carry out surveys on past events and develop campaigns and events promoting equality and diversity in partnership with other SU and University departments and with external stakeholders. My job also includes producing a report on international students’ issues and assisting campaigns.
Helena Norrgren on publicity
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ublicity: My role is to effectively publicise the group’s activities and to liaise with other committee members in order to produce appropriate literature. Also to ensure the group works to the Students’ Union rules regarding promotional material and contains authorisation stamps and expiry dates. I publicise the meetings, events, campaigns and work of the ISA. I contribute to bathimpact and encourage the publication of ISA relevant articles as well as other me-
dia groups in University. Activities Fair: I help co-ordinate the Societies Fair stand and positively promote the function of ISA and assembly meetings beforehand to assist the Diversity and Equalities officer in the forum or meeting. Representation: I attended ISA Executive Committee meetings on a regular basis and presented at the International Student Forum in the first semester.
Delegates at various international student conferences throughout the year
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Sabbs’ Corner
www.bathimpact.com
Sabb accountability... What’s that?
A response and explanation from your VP Comms Ben Cole
T
he criticisms raised in the news article (page 2) are important, and I am very happy to be able to take this opportunity to inform you, the students, of our concerns over this matter and explain what the problems are and what we are doing to fix them. Union Council used to be responsible for holding Sabbs to account. Union Council was removed as part of the Governance changes that you, the students, voted on last year. The responsibility for scrutinising Sabbs was then devolved to the subgroups that work closely with each Sabbatical Trustee. This is the first year that this has been the case and understandably, there have been teething issues. One of these is inherent in the structure: my
“
It’s not just a job, it’s a way of life
”
One Sabbatical officer describes his position subgroup is Media but I do much more than that - the other is a wider issue of communication and making sure that our members know how they can find out what any of the team are doing. The question of accountability stretches further than the subgroups; the author is correct in suggesting that not enough students are engaged with the SU. Not enough students know what the Sabbs do or even who they are. This is a situation that the Sabb team faces every year; how can you hold us to account when you don’t know who we are? In fact, analysis of our annual Student Opinion Survey reveals that the percentage of students that indicated that they knew ‘very well’ or ‘fairly well’ what the Sabbs were
meant to do, has risen from 50.6% in the November of 2007 to 59.2% this January. Whilst we will all agree this is still 40% shy of where it should be, the results show that our attempts so far have resulted in an increased awareness of the Sabbatical roles. The issue surrounding the Student Forum was also a good point. Under the new governance rules, we no longer have Annual General Meetings (AGM) and as such the Sabb team are not mandated to present a report. We do however have the provision ‘Student Forums’. These forums, which should be held twice a year, were intended to be based around a specific topic and assist the team in canvassing student opinion on said topic. As with the accountability changes, these forums are a work in progress. The first forum held this year was set up very similarly to an AGM, we presented a report and then took questions. On reflection, we realised that it was not particularly engaging for students, and re-evaluated the way the forums were structured. After a very busy start to this calendar year, we had not completed this exercise and had not chosen a specific topic to discuss and as such we pushed back the second forum. By the time you’re reading this, it will have happened been held and hopefully was a success; the theme was ‘Entertainment on Campus’. There are many areas that the SU needs to work on, communication with our members is most certainly one of them. However I think is unfair to state ‘students have so few sources of information about their [the Sabbs] activities’. Every Sabb has an open door policy, every Sabb has a phone number, an email address, a Facebook account and a Twitter page. A poster
was put up in every residential kitchen with the contact details of the Sabbs and these details are also mirrored on bathstudent.com. However it is not appropriate to suggest students come to us to find out what we are doing so we also publish our activities. We all try to keep our blogs as up to date as possible, we have a page dedicated to
Awareness of the Sabb roles has risen from 50.6% to 59.2% between Nov 2007 and Jan 2010 us in every issue of bathimpact and have this year provided two progress reports that have been sent out to all registered students. All of our meeting minutes are also published on bathstudent.com; these meetings include not only our internal meetings but also those meetings that we have with our student groups that are tasked with holding us to account. No-one in the team will claim that we do enough to talk to our members, in fact we are always looking for better and more effective ways of communicating with the student body and are more than happy to hear your suggestions. With regards to our control over bathimpact, we are Trustees of the SU and as such have legal responsibility for everything that happens including what is printed in it. Naturally we thus have to read everything before it goes to print. We would not, and have not, removed articles from the paper without consulting the editorial team and getting their agreement. Nothing about any of the Sabbatical Trustees or the SU has been withdrawn this year. In terms of our Sabb election turn
out, although only 27% of students voted last year, the national average for Students’ Unions is around 11%13%. Whilst our turnout still could be improved, it is clear that we are doing much better than our peers and hope to continue to increase our turnout Needless to say, every Sabb does their best, in fact one of our team recently said that it was much more than a job and more of a way of life. Our effort however should not be the measure of our success and we should be more transparent and more easily held to account by the student body. One of the things that this year’s team is suggesting to next year’s is a monthly update on progress to be sent out to all students. This will be in place for the next academic year along with some other suggestions on how to inspire more students to get involved with and become aware of what your elected representatives are doing. If you have any ideas, we are always more than happy to hear them! Feel free to drop into any of our offices in 1East, send an email to sabbs@bath.ac.uk or contact one of us directly.
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s this is the last bathimpact this year I figured this would be a fantastic opportunity to boast about what BUSU have accomplished this year! OK I’ll try to start at the beginning... (warning: deep breath required)... We started this year with last year’s team’s two successful campaigns resulting in a better bus service with the addition of a competing Wessex Connect and a Student Centre including necessary social space projected to be completed for the start of the next academic year. We are now working under a new Governance structure that has seen you guys at the forefront of decisions that matter to you. Freshers’ Week went off with a
bang, selling out in record time and had over 300 volunteers involved. Also it included, for the first time ever, a programme dedicated to postgraduates that was very well received. The Academic Rep elections have seen an increase in numbers both runnning for election and voting. We continue to lead the way nationally with various quality and environmental accreditations and awards and came runner-up in the NUS’s Students’ Union of the Year Award 2009. We have managed to retain our Silver Standard in both the Sound Environmental Impact Award (coming in with only 4 points short of the Gold Award), and the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative. Plug bar won one of only 8 Gold Best Bar None Awards nationally, proving exceptional work in promoting safe alcohol
retailing and student safety during club nights. On top of these awards we continue to hold ‘Investing in Volunteers’ and ‘Investor in People’ accreditations. Our student groups have also seen national recognition with LGBT coming runner up in the national LGBT group of the year award. Our entrepreneurial group BANTER ran a very successful Enterprise Week with 10 student groups drastically changing a shop in the city everyday for 10 days. The runners-up in the competition, the Bath Soup Company, have since developed their business idea and are now running a shop in the city for a trial run. The Business Plan Competition also saw a fantastic number of entrants and amazing business ideas with the judges from Deloitte having real difficulty choosing a winner in such a high standard
What will you miss most about being a Sabb? Dot - SU President As you guys have kindly elected me back in to my current position of SU President to represent you for another year, the biggest thing I am going to miss at the end of this term is the current team! (big cheesy smile!) Ben - VP Communicatons Helping students. It’s as simple as that. Whether I am working on improving bathstudent.com, structuring how we should communicate or sitting in University finance meetings; what I am doing has a positive and direct effect on student lives. I’ll miss that most! George - VP Education All of it! This has been one of the best years of my life, if not THE best. I have had the opportunity to represent my peers, influence University policy and improve the student experience. From the smaller, less contentious issues to the larger, national issues I have put all my efforts into representing you, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it! In short - I will miss everything about being a Sabb. Scarlett - VP W&D The sheer amount of responsibility and variation in the job I do. The one area of my role that I will particularly miss will be attending academic hearings where I represent students. I find this aspect of my job to be very rewarding and its great to have face-to-face contact with a student and help them to achieve the marks that they deserve.
Sabbs are directly accountable to students...
Your SU this year... busy busy busy Daniel ‘dot’ O’Toole SU President SUpresident@bath.ac.uk
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final round. After its successful pilot last year the Bath Award has developed further and we have seen over 200 students this year submitting for the employer seeking, extra-curricular accreditation. On the volunteering front, RAG week raised over £3,000 and even though that pesky Volcano stopped their normally strong fundraising Paris Hitch, the committee, on their toes, changed the destination of the Hitch to Edinburgh which has raised over £2,000 and still counting. I have only really touched the surface but I hope it gives you an insight into not only how much time and effort is spent by the Union developing services for you, but how much time and effort you put into your Union. Thank you so much and good luck in your exams!
Santa - VP Sport The variety and unpredictability that each day can bring. There are so many aspects to the job from motivating volunteers, to writing and maintaining budgets to presenting to hundreds of people that I have learnt so much in such a short period of time and been able to put it all into practice. Each day can change so much from what you had planned that each day is an exciting prospect and a real challenge. Rich - VP A&D The society and volunteering events - it is so impressive what students produce! I have thoroughly enjoyed attending and being a part of them since starting here 4 years ago, hopefully I will still be able to come along every so often to catch a show! Got a question for the Sabbs? send it over to sabbs@bath.ac.uk
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Entertainments The Good
Chris Morris’ latest project, Four Lions, a film about a group of bungling British jihadists trying to blow themselves up at the London Marathon, has been released, billed as showing the ‘Dad’s Army side of terrorism’. This might sound like an impossible task but only if you’re unfamiliar with Chris Morris. He last co-wrote the chronically undervalued Nath-
four lions: More like an ostrich and a turtle to these eyes
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an Barley in 2006 but remains most famous for his legendary Brass Eye series in the late 1990s: in that series he managed to make illegal drug abuse, animal cruelty and paedophilia hilarious. It’s playing at the Little Theatre, check it out.
Famous for incorporating New York jazz and swing into hip hop, Gang Starr had not worked together since their split in 2006 but fans had been hoping for a reunion. Guru had kept his cancer very private so his death came as even more of a shock. RIP
Rap legend Guru, from the influential hip-hop group Gang Starr, passed on after a year-long bout of extremely aggressive cancer.
In horrifying news, the louder, less talented half of the Gallagher brothers (formerly of Oasis, if you’ve lived under a rock for the last fifteen years or so… or the south) has announced that he will be producing a biopic of The Beatles. It seems that now he no longer has a band to bastardise the sound of the Scouse quartet (Revolver era) he will attempt to discredit their legend further. Luckily enough there has been no announcement of director, writer or cast. Although we at Ents have a horrible feeling Liam is ‘mad for’ one of the roles himself.
The Bad
& The Ugly Ents favourite Tom Waits has long had connection with theatre – he wrote 2002 album Blood Money for a production of Georg Büchner’s incredible play fragment Woyczek. Now Dutch theatre company Orkater have decided to produce a musical version of Richard III using some of the growling crooner’s tunes including the cheery little tune “The Part You Throw Away”. For future audiences Ents suggests that part being the ticket.
Don’t panic. The censored M.I.A. video for her new single ‘Born Free’ can still be seen online, just not on Youtube. Apparently, watching almost ten minutes of film depicting ginger people being rounded up and gruesomely executed by the military has been deemed unsuitable. Ents suggests that the pint-sized singer’s horrendous wailing over the images of ginger children being shot in the face is just as offensive. K.Passmore
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David Kennaway: Confirmed ginger and bathimpact Committee member, now in hiding
And now for something completely different...
Does the word bassoon make you think of monkeys? Is the only version of The Nutcracker you’ve ever seen a comedy YouTube video? Think minimalism is something you find in an Ikea catalogue? URB’s Cedric Sureshkumar explains why you should expand your musical horizons.
Blur’s Alex James tries his hand at conducting
S
o, the revision period is upon us and most of us are either getting stressed, procrastinating, or a combination of the two. How about a different tack this time around? Try listening to some classical music in the background whilst revising. Now, if you don’t know your operas from your symphonies, I am here to take you on a whistle-stop tour through just some of the wide range of classical music available, pointing out some key composers and some particular favourites of mine.
This is for those who don’t know their operas from their symphonies The earliest forms of what we refer to as classical music, which for the purposes of this article will be taken to mean primarily music produced using traditional orchestras and choruses from the western world, range up until the 17th century..Most of the music produced was in some way religious, as it was primarily the churches that
were able to gather significant groups of musicians and pay composers for their work. The Baroque era, stretching from 1600 to around 1760, was the first in which many of today’s standards began to take place. Many compositions from this era used the harpsichord and pipe organs, along with the violin family of instruments. The English composer Henry Purcell and Johann Sebastian Bach are both excellent examples from this era, along with Antonio Vivaldi’s famous composition suite ‘The Four Seasons’. Also of note is George Friedrich Handel, whose pomp and circumstance with brass instruments led to commissions from English kings George I and II.
Handel is ideal for those who love pomp, circumstance and brass During the Classical era, the piano was developed and the sections of the orchestra (strings/woodwind/ brass/percussion) were standardised. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , the premier composer of this era, wrote
Handel: Famous composer or poodle? You decide
over 600 works in his short 35-year life, and his influence on composers continuesn to this day. His most recognisable works include Piano Concerto No. 21 and the string quartet piece ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’. Another key composer towards the end of this era was Ludwig van Beethoven, whose ‘Moonlight Sonata’ and Symphony No. 5 remain among the most popular compositions of all time.
The late 19th century onwards is classified as modern or contemporary. Within this, there are many different styles which have arisen, including the late-Romantic impressionism brought to us from Claude Debussy’s extensive piano works. George Gershwin was heavily influenced by the jazz movement, which can be heard in his ‘Rhapsody in Blue’. Philip Glass on the other hand has favoured a more repetitive style of mu-
Finally, one of the most common uses of classical music of the last century are compositions for film, musicals, and now, video games. John Williams is one of the most celebrated film score composers of all time, having been nominated for 45
Contemporary classical is influenced by jazz, minimalism and tradition
‘Uncle’ Piotr Tchaikovksy The Romantic era spanned most of the 19th Century, during which the orchestras became bigger and grander. The more emotive feel was illustrated by a dramatic increase in the number of operas, with the overtures from Gioachino Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’ and ‘William Tell’ perhaps the most memorable from his 39 operas produced in just 19 years. Piotr Tchaikovsky is also particularly noteworthy for his three ballets, ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Johann Strauss II’s ‘On the Beautiful Blue Danube’ waltz is another example of the prolferation of dance music from this era,, and is one of my favourite.
sic, known as minimalism. His film score for ‘Koyaanisqatsi’, is perhaps one of the most famous examples of this. Benjamin Britten follows the more traditional classical form, with a wide variety of pieces from opera to chamber music. Britten’s ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ is a piece commonly used in musical educations, building on a piece originally written by Baroque composer Purcell.
Philip Glass: The secret of music is repetition. No, wait, that’s comedy...
John Williams: Didn’t star in ‘Flubber’ Oscars. His extensive back-catalogue includes the scores for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. and Jaws. Another composer, John Barry, was responsible for scoring 11 James Bond films, and has been credited with helping to influence the films’ distinctive style. Koji Kondo is a Japanese video game composer, responsible for many of the themes that can be found in the Mario and Zelda game series. Whilst a lot of the older compositions were limited to 8-bit ‘retro’ sounds, current iterations are full orchestral scores .Kondo’s ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ soundtrack really typifies this. If I have convinced you to explore classical music further than before, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised at just how much you recognise. Spotify is an amazing resource for classical music, so just get out there and jump onboard on a new musical journey!
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact www.bathimpact.com
Travelling at the speed of light
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Entertainments
Out of chaos comes the future
Jen Wallace gets to know the new, grown up, and more polished Dev Hynes
Alec McLaurin finds there’s still bark and bite to the UK’s best kept indie secret
Artist: Lightspeed Champion Album: Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You wo years ago Dev Hynes made a lot of guys and girls swoon with his whimsical album Falling off the Lavender Bridge. Formally a member of trash-rock band Test Icicles, Dev had gone his own way and produced a beautiful, melodic album of acoustic-folk poetry that also had quite an aggressive edge, as witnessed during his live shows. He could get crowds moshing, dancing and swaying all at the same time; quite an achievement. Now he has returned with Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You, produced with a little help from Ben Allen, who crafted the stunning Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective. The producer has somewhat reigned in Dev’s ambitious and overactive imagination (which could possibly be seen as emotional spewing) and together they’ve made an album of catchier, more poppy tunes that expand the musician’s capabilities with ukule-
Artist: The Futureheads Album: The Chaos feel sorry for The Futureheads. Their early success seemed to catch them off guard, as if they had to accept the hype and become the next replica, churning out indie hit after hit. Know to millions for their cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds of Love’, many missed the genius of their first album. Offering snappy, catchy guitar riffs toped with interplaying melodies, a mix of punk and pop, providing something new, something distinctly British, that no American teen pop-punk band could achieve. After a series of unsuccessful ventures with their previous two albums, The Futureheads looked like they where destined to slip away in the shadows, like so many before them, with their singular hit as a warm but forgotten memory. To say that The Chaos has brought
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We wouldn’t dare take the Mickey out of Lightspeed Champion les, organs, male voice choirs and more dark alt-folk country sound via jungle beats. ‘There is Nothing Un- Nick Cave in ‘Sweetheart’. There derwater’ features just about every are also the obviously-titled ‘Interinstrument available by its breath- mission’ tracks that sound more like less climax. a filmic score than anything else, There are shades of Morrisey- with ‘A Bridge and a Goodbye’ endstyle angst in ‘Marlene’ (by far ing the album on a note of poignanthe catchiest track on the album), cy which could be likened to an Air track. Dev’s grown up, but after reEmotional spewing peated listens it’s not necessarily a has breen replaced by bad thing. His lyrics remain as honcatchier tunes, made est and at times brutal as they once with every instrument were, but his musical capabilities available have evolved into a more polished sound. But maybe you preferred a Franz Ferdinand’s sharp riffs in Dev that was rougher around the ‘Madame Van Damme’, Queen’s edges... dramatic musical montage in ‘The Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You is Big Guns of Highsmith’ and then a out now on Domino
Drumroll, please
Alex Drake finds himself California dreaming listening to the debut effort from Brooklyn’s The Drums Artist: The Drums Album: The Drums
The Chaos is out now on Moshi Moshi
Building on strong foundations
Incoming bathimpact Editor Giny Reay lets her idol return with her piano into the little corner of her heart Artist: Kate Nash Album: My Best Friend Is You
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s the clouds gradually make way for summer and us English crack out our barbeques and swimsuits at any opportune moment, a very suitable soundtrack has come along. It takes the form of the much-anticipated debut album from The Drums. This American quartet who reside in Brooklyn, New York have been bubbling with hype for almost a year now but all of a sudden seem to be on the cusp of stardom. They are currently supporting Florence & the Machine on her UK tour and will surely fill up their own arenas in the years to come. Up until this summer, California has had an unofficial monopoly on dreamy surf-pop but that is all about to change with The Drums’ self-titled LP. The twelve songs on the album follow the same recipe, which means that there’s a good deal of continuity; but on the flipside, a bit of repetition also. The music has a sun-drenched feel and could easily date back to the 80’s due to its vintage feel. If you’re in need of a comparison, picture a blend of Vampire Weekend and The Beach Boys. The first official single, ‘Forever and Ever Amen’, also happens to be one of the major highlights on what is a very solid first album. It’s an unabashed pop song with a jaunty backing track
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them back from the abyss would be a bit generous, but it definitely brings back hope that they can achieve the sort of quality that made their first album so special. They’ve returned to the catchy melodies and aggressive guitars, basically what they do best. Single ‘Heartbeat Song’ is instantaneously hummable, if a bit simple; whilst their classic formula is upheld throughout the rest of the album with ‘Stop the Noise’ and ‘The Baron’ as noticeable highlights. Returned is the trade off in between energy and melody, multiple vocals and guitars - pretty easy to do really, but the Sunderland quartet manage to do it so well. The Chaos offers the possibility that The Futureheads can come back to something that was so misunderstood yet unique.
W The Drums’ drummer still isn’t allowed in the photo and a playful chorus. Next up, another popular song is one that has done the rounds on radio and Internet for a while now, ‘Let’s Go Surfing’. It’s got a catchy whistle-chorus along with a naïve, bittersweet element to go with. The surfer-esque theme takes one back to those perfect days by the seaside and bounces along happily. Finally, my personal favourite is the album opener, ‘Best Friend’, which is full of melancholic content but remains upbeat thanks to it’s giddy energy and swooning melodies. All in all, there is very little not to like about The Drums. Even though every track sounds so similar that the album could be merged into a 43-minute epic, there isn’t a weak point because it’s all so fun, catchy and summery. They are clearly on a quest for the perfect pop song, and they keep going down this route, I’m sure they’ll strike gold eventually. The Drums is released 7th June on Moshi Moshi
e all have a musician in our life who we seem to think is our slightly more artistic equivalent. You know what I mean. We listen to the songs and feel like the style and lyrics were written as a personal script to our life, finding parallels all over the shop. Whether it be Jay Z, Taylor Swift, Marilyn Manson, Bob Marley… there’s always one. Well this is how I feel about Mademoiselle Kate Nash. It’s been a while Kate, no word from you since your first album which was released back in the days of my A-Levels, we’re talking a good three years ago! ‘Made of Bricks’ was the soundtrack to my ‘School’s out forever’ summer of 2007. In fact I would go as far to say that I would place it rather highly in my top ten albums of all time. Fantastic vocals, unique style and simple yet lovely lyrics, Kate Nash dominated the Indiepop charts and made her way, with her piano, into a little corner of my heart which, after three years, I still haven’t taken her out of. Kate spent the sabbatical, touring, recovering from touring (which she herself has said was an extremely crazy, lonely and alcohol-fuelled experience) and then writing. The album is more mature than the last.
Kate Nash: better, older, wiser; still picks her nose though. Some songs are a little punkier than the last (‘I just love you more’), others more poetic (‘You were so far away’), others are in the same old bouncy piano fairytale style which I like to think personifies Nash (‘Paris’, ‘Pickpocket’, ‘Kiss that Grrrl’ are amongst my faves) Something which is noticeable at
This is a more mature record from a crazy redhead, but the bouncy piano style remains the second listen, Nash has matured as a person. Despite the childishness of ‘I hate seagulls’ which is reminiscent of the first album, the subject matter of the songs is less simple and more varied. In a review of the first album I stated that the main
tone of almost every song was ‘I hate men’ or a bitter ‘Why don’t you love me’. ‘My Best Friend is You’ has a more positive tone to love (autiobiographical singer/songwriter Nash herself is very much amoureuse with gorgeous Cribs singer Ryan Jarman) and happier song lyrics which altogether make for a happier listen (except for the dubiousMansion Song ) My musical heroine obviously isn’t to everyone’s taste. Like fellow singer/songwriter Lily Allen she can be seen as annoying and has been described as childish. I, however, think she is fabulous. This incredible second album just goes to show how talented this crazy redhead really is. My soundtrack to summer 2010 is already decided, how about yours? My Best Friend Is You is out now on Moshi Moshi
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
Arts Arts societies round-up Marcus Johns writes
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eing an active member of a number of arts societies and one of the Front of House managers for student shows has meant that I’ve been on the stage for half the shows this year and taking tickets for the other half. This, according to the people whom I answer to, leaves me in the ideal position to do a quick round-up of the year and remind you of all the gems put on by the arts societies that you must have seen, or – tragically and due to completely unforeseen circumstances – missed out on. Way back in October – the 9th to 11th to be exact – was Edges, put on by BUSMS, which followed two sisters and the men who entered, and left, their lives. Who can forget ‘Be My Friend’ (aka the Facebook song) or Nick Tyrell getting dressed on stage before having a rant at the sleeping figure of Carolina Garcia-Cox? Well, unless you weren’t there that is – in which case there’s no possible way to forget as you never saw it... This was followed, exactly one week later, by BUST’s production of All in the Timing. A series of comedic four short plays including ‘Variations on the Death of Trotsky’ and ‘Words, Words, Words’ – which happened to involve three chimps trying to write Hamlet and a number of scraped knuckles on the actors’ parts. Unfortunately – as I was sitting outside for
Performers tend to almost literally drag friends and family to the show this one – I didn’t see the show, but the laughter I heard indicated that those of you who were in the audience definitely enjoyed yourselves. Still in October was the first show in which Freshers could get involved. I am, of course, talking about Show In A Week. Involving exactly what it said on the tin, arts societies had one week to organise a variety of acts for a one-night show based on the theme ‘I love the 90s’. This year saw Music Soc get involved for the first time as well as the first-ever official launch party. As an Arts Executive member I theoretically was involved with the organisation of the event; however, as I hadn’t been elected yet, the thanks has to go to Ann Howell, Ana Rosemin and Eve Elwell. The events calendar then went quiet until the 9th-12th December when BUST put on their performance of Twelfth Night, cross-gartered
yellow stockings and all. Fortunately one of the people assisting with front of house was there two nights so I was able to see the show; which I found quite enjoyable, although the audience were rather sparsely scattered across the seating in the ALT. That Sunday also saw Ch&OS’s Christmas Concert in the ALT featuring the crowd-drawing, and pleasing, Bath Spa Band – the City’s brass band that is, and not one from the University which appears to be nearer to Bristol than Bath. Bringing in 2010 was the Ch&OS Recital on 20th February. Unfortunately this was one event which I completely missed; primarily due to a lack of organisation on my part; so can’t really comment on it, but was fortunate enough to hear a couple of the performances at a later date. The fol-
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Capacity of the ALT
lowing week saw Gravity Vomit’s Bath Upchuck, a whole day event involving workshops during the day followed by a professional show in the evening. This event was so popular that they had move the evening performance from the 200 seat ALT to Uni Hall, with an extra 100 seats, and still managed to sell it out. I’m pretty sure my ears were slightly ringing afterwards from the cheers and claps that went on during the show and I was sitting outside – all-in-all a very successful event. March was a busy month, with 4 major shows on. BUST performed Agatha Christie’s murder mystery And Then There Were None at the Mission Theatre in town in the first week; another show which I missed due to sitting outside, but got to deal with a friendly drunk member of the public – who decided that a building with an open door was a good place to hide from his friends in. Footloose, put on by BUSMS, was in the following week. With the largest cast for a number of years and the band being located in the arts barn rather than on the stage for the first – and only – time, due to it being knocked down next year, this proved to be an absolute triumph, selling out the ALT for 3 of the 4 nights thanks to, primarily, friends and family of the cast. The Sunday saw Ch&OS put on their Spring Concert at the Holy Trinity Church in Combe Down. Minibuses were available from campus to take performers and members of the audience there – an astute decision
bathimpact www.bathimpact.com as many people, including final years, have no idea where it is. Finally, just before the University broke up for Easter, BUST put on their final show of the year; ‘You Never Can Tell’ at the Museum of Bath at Work. This was comedy of errors based around Mrs Clandon and her three children who end up inviting their father – who is unknown to them – to lunch. I especially enjoyed the younger children duo, Suzanne Ipe and Putu
To make an amazing performance truly outstanding an audience is required Khorisantono, who played off each other particularly well – although, unfortunately, I missed most of the first half due to having to deal with an unruly drunk student. As I have – probably not very subtly – implied, to make an amazing performance truly outstanding an audience is required. There is nothing more depressing than to have worked on a show for months to find the audience barely fill half the auditorium, no matter its size. Unsurprisingly, the larger the cast, the larger the audience as the performers tend to almost literally drag friends and family to the show. Managing to sell-out 3 of 4 nights in the ALT may seem impressive, but when you think that to sell out 4 nights would require around 800 people to buy tickets and that the student population of the University is around 13,000... Well, you can do the maths... and I can assure you that you will get more enjoyment out of going to see a show for the price of a couple of pints than you would get out of the pints. Another thing which irks me is people who say that they’re going out that night so are busy – performances rarely finish after half ten and the cast quite often get to the state that they usually go out in and make it to a venue after a show. If they can manage it, I’m sure you can. Oh, and if you feel that you’re missing out on a ‘predrink’ with your friends, bring them along as well (or find some new ones in the audience!)
Agatha Christie, a BUST favourite
Ann’s final column...
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ey guys! (for the last time) I can’t believe it is the last issue of bathimpact already. Time flies – it really does. It seems like only a few weeks ago we had the phenomenon of Show in a Week, based around the theme “I love [the] 90s”. It was a sell-out in October - featuring performances from many of the arts societies as well as debuts from GASP and Music Soc. The next event on the Arts Exec calendar was the very first Combined Arts Societies Social at the Cider Festival. This turned out to be a great night, with arts members meeting people from a variety of different societies (some remembered this whilst others did not!) The very first Arts Variety Show as part of RAG Week starred a variety of solo and ensemble acts and the Sabbs doing an awesome dance. It helped contribute to the massive RAG week total collected and enabled stronger links to be forged between the Arts and RAG. I am looking forward to it next year. Lastly in the Arts Exec year we had the “Arts Extravaganza” which was supposed to be an afternoon of fun, singing, dancing, and juggling in glorious sunshine by the lake! The only hours of rain I think we have had so far were between 12 and 5 last Friday – ah well, at least Gravity Vomit had fun juggling in 6WS! In other arts news: Encore! Wow! It was a complete sell-out within the first day and 10 minutes of ICIA be-
XKCD
ing open. Amazing! The show was of a phenomenally high standard and had a 50+ strong cast and a wide variety of show tunes and genres. Next year get in there quick to grab a ticket. The Activities Awards on Thursday was a lovely evening in the Pump Rooms. Well done to all the award winners and all of the nominees for your energy and enthusiasm over the year. It really has been a fabulous year for the arts with many shows selling out, record numbers of arts members and an impressive standard of performance. I’ve had a fantastic year being your Arts Officer too and I just want to say thank you to you all. Next year I pass over to the lovely Simon King (current chair of BUST) who will do an awesome job I’m sure; he can’t wait to get started. Best of luck in the exams, have a fantastic summer and get ready for another year of fun. Ann
Copyright xkcd.com. We’re building up the number of these we include, which will hopefully one day overtake the number of Fritzl references.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact www.bathimpact.com
BLURB
Lewis Brimblecombe Station Manager, URB
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eing Station Manager of 1449 AM URB has been at times gruelling, stressful and even downright frustrating. But for the most part is has been a joy, taking stewardship over a part of the Union that has meant a lot to a lot of students over the years. URB’s successes this year stretch right back to freshers’ week and our Gig by the Lake; URB Unplugged,
Lewis Brimblecombe sums up a successful year for URB
which showcased some amazing new musical talent. The year has been packed full of events and involvement in all sorts of university activities, but a few personal favorites have got to be; The URB Alumni Event, Sabb Elections, Bombay Bicycle Club’s acoustic session, and URB’s hosting of The Student Radio Association Chart Show. Fundamentally, however, a radio stations is only as good as its membership, and I have had the pleasure of working with some incredibly talented and passionate students; producing content ranging from late night hip-hop shows (Liam Woulfe's Hip-Hop Show), to fascinating explorations of international music (Polished Music), in depth postmodernist critiques of the film Hot Tub Time Machine (The Culture Show), to shows seemingly based entirely around the band Journey (Don’t Stop Be-
lievin’- The Chris and Dom Show). It’s been one hell of a year; from a National Bronze Student Radio Award for marketing to the epic cross-collaboration we have done with the other media groups, to getting the opportunity to interview some amazing bands and celebrities, it has been an amazing ride. What does the future hold for URB? Well, aside from a whole host of projects planned for next year. The future of URB is down to you, members of the University Of Bath Students’ Union. If you ever thought about becoming DJ, all I can say is do it, get some training, get on air and get your voice out. If you want any more info about getting involved email urb-manager@ bath.ac.uk, or tune in any day of the week
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11. Scouting For Girls - This Ain’t A Love Song 12. Lady Gaga - Telephone 13. Professor Green - I Need You Tonight 14. Mumford & Sons - The Cave 15. Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses 16. MGMT - Flash Delirium 17. Kate Walsh - Do-Wah-Doo 18. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang 19. Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood 20. LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
CTV Zap
o, another year comes to an end for CTV. It has been quite an up and down year for us, with changes in leadership and scaling back on the projects were have been able to do. However, we have high hopes for next year. Our new committee have been elected, with Thomas Reis the new Station Manager to take us onwards and upwards! With the new Student Centre development, there will be more opportunities for our output to be shown, and new opportunities to increase our membership. If you have ambitions to get involved in the television or film industry, make sure you get in touch with us
and get on board for what promises to be a fantastic chance for CTV to grow, along with the rest of Student Media.
Triptych One of our members, Ali Abdul Rahman, has produced several films whilst a student at the University. Just before he leaves us for good, he has premiered his latest project, ‘Triptych’, a set of three short, interconnected films called ‘Trip’, ‘Ripped’, and ‘Tick’. If you missed them the first time around, your final chances to see the film screened here are on Tuesday 11th May in 5W2.1 and Thursday 13th
o f
B a t h
May in 5W2.4. Doors open at 7:15pm. Screening starts at 7:30pm. We wish Ali the best of luck in his pursuit of filmmaking, and thank him for all he has contributed to the rest of CTV.
Final Projects
Media
S t u d e n t s ’
U n i o n
m edia
Musings from the Media Officer
Lewis Brimblecombe presents the Difficult Breakout Solo Project Thursday 12-1
Every week, we compile a list of tracks from those our music team, presenters and listeners have been enjoying. This chart then goes on to form part of the national Student Radio Chart, which is presented by a different student radio station each week. Tune in Sundays 3-5pm during term times to hear who is going to be number one! 1. Plan B - She Said 2. Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish 3. N.E.R.D - Hot N’ Fun 4. Darwin Deez - Radar Detector 5. The Foals - This Orient 6. Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot 7. Biffy Clyro - Bubbles 8. Timbaland - Carry Out 9. Roll Deep - Good Times 10. The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song
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Cedric Sureshkumar Media Officer
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ell, I have finally managed to match Ann and get my own column in bathimpact, coming along with a bit of a redesign of the media page (even if it is the last issue of the year). Hopefully this is something that my successor Simon Budden will continue into next year. This year as Media Officer has been a very challenging one, requiring lots of motivation and different perspectives on the media operation than when I was just a member of some of the groups. However, I have truly relished the opportunity to aid media development. On the face of it, there appears to have been limited success and a struggle for membership, but the Media Executive as a whole has really helped to set good practice and improve the relationship between Student Media and the SU; something that will be felt for several years. One of our key initiatives over
the year has been making Student Media operate as a cohesive unit, banishing some of the group rivalry that has been present in recent years. To do this, we have started several long-term projects which focus on media collaboration, including a cross-media news team, and a website that will allows access to your student news, radio and television from the same place. In conjunction with this, we have given the media branding a bit of an overhaul, designing a new logo which represents all three groups, and links them much closer than they used to be. Part of this has been prevalent in the redesign of bathimpact - something which I was also involved in. Expect a range of hoodies and promotional media out in force at the start of next year! As we go to press, the second Student Media Awards have been held. These informal awards are a great chance for the individual groups to reward their key talent of the year, along with some more outlandish awards that recognise the fun and banter that goes on within media. It’s also the last cross-media social of the year: I’m sure it will live up to the hype of the previous ones! So, I leave you with a plea to get involved and discover the true potential of student media next year; if you are anything like me, you really won’t regret it!
Before we disappear over the Summer, we are putting together a few final videos, including some for the numerous awards ceremonies which are taking place at the moment. We also filmed the recent Guinness World Record attempt for most people ‘Singing in the Rain’, as well as the debate with local Parliamentary candidates last month. Don’t forget to come and say hello to us when we return with a bang for exclusive coverage of Freshers’ Week 2010! Catch Ali’s films Tuesday and Thursday this week, 7.15pm
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Entertainments Can I get an Encore?
www.bathimpact.com
Christis Katsouris
Fionnula Collins finds herself screaming for more ‘til her lungs get sore watching BUSMS’ end of year showcase Performance: Encore by BUSMs Venue: Arts Lecture Theatre Date: 3rd May
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he climax in the student musical society’s calendar, an afore claimed “one night extravaganza”, took place in front of a packed Arts Lecture Theatre last Monday night. One has come to learn with Arts at Bath not to set expectations too high, however Encore was of a high standard. What was so refreshing was to see a higher than ordinary representation of male singers, whose tenor and bass tones set the concert alight. Noted highlights from Act One included Tom Lewis and Adam McDonnell’s moving male duet of the ‘Sound of Silence’ from The Graduate, and ‘Superboy and the Invisible Girl’, performed so eloquently by Matthew Mellor and Alex Crossley. Having seen Monty Python’s Spamalot in the West End, I know how difficult it is to pull off the ironic and comical scores. More than any other, ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ requires intelligent timing and overacting, something that was conveyed in abundance by Andy Sidall and Charlotte Wimshurst. The toll of exhaustion as a result of weeks of rehearsals was clear in Pia Giraud’s
performance of Mama Mia’s ‘Lay All Your Love On me’. Unfortunately the chanteur’s strained larynx simply refused to reach the crowning notes of one of Mamma Mia’s many notorious tunes. However, what she lost in sound, she made up for with copious amounts of charisma, aided by the cunning choreography. The First Act was certainly one to follow, and Nicolas Tyrell’s dramatic solo rendition of ‘Close Every Door’
Comical scores are hard to pull off, but Charlotte Wimshurst and Andy Sidall manage ably didn’t disappoint. One criticism of Encore, and many previous productions, would be the lack of logic and flow in the show. Arguably the more solemn
pieces were interluded with the comic relief of upbeat songs such as ‘Cabin in the Woods’. However, perhaps a chronological sequence would have given Encore an edge, to be explained by the comperes. Another disappointing factor was the lacklustre and unconvincing comperes, whose mocking and humour was simply lost by congregation confusion. On a more positive note, the penultimate melodies most definitely left a sweet taste in the mouth. ‘He Lives In You’ (The Lion King), is tough enough with a 100 strong cast in front of a packed Palladium, and Alex Crossley most definitely succeeded with the aid of the Gospel and A Capella choir. Similarly, ‘One Night Only’ was a fulfilling finish. With the aid of some dramatic lighting and flashy fireworks, an Encore we indeed craved.
We’re going to assume yes, in the case of Alphabeat. For the second time this year, we sent a correspondent to see the Danes fill a venue with enough pop to make everyone levitate. Deputy Editor Josie Cox was front and centre for us this time around.
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bathimpact alumnus Matthew Hartfield gets down with the world’s forgotten boy from Detroit, catching a reformed and unrefined Iggy & the Stooges
A severe temporary bout of dyslexia failed to dampen an excellent performance by the members of BUMS
Do you want more?
Artist: Alphabeat Venue: Fiddlers, Bristol Date: 29th April 2010 nly a select few know that Alphabeat have the pride of being able to say that they turned down the offer of supporting the Spice Girls; a piece of trivia that would be surprising to hear in relation to most other bands, but not these Danish jokers. And that’s why it also didn’t surprise me that finding the venue of the gig was all but straightforward. In fact, it resembled more of a treasure hunt. Originally scheduled to kick off at the University of Bristol’s Students’ Union, it was later moved
Cookin’ Raw
to the cryptically named Fleece club. Upon my fashionably-late arrival, however, I was not met by tambourine-playing maniacs but a locked door instead. A piece of paper taped to the door informed me that it had been moved to a warehouse-flanked joint called Fiddlers. I arrived just in time to catch the tail end of a set by the rather unremarkable Pearl and the Puppets, a Scottish girl-fronted band unjustifiably compared to the likes of Regina Spektor and Dolores O’Riordan. Alphabeat hit the stage just before ten, and their show can best be described as a box of treats. Since
An Alphabeat show is like a box of chocolates. Except every song is a treat spending March and February providing the support act for Lady Gaga on the UK and Ireland leg of The Monster’s Ball Tour, the six Danes have been on tour with their own The Beat Is... show. The Bristol gig was the last stop on the tour but
they showed no signs of exhaustion, instead emanating more energy than a kid’s birthday party. The audience comprised a peculiar potpourri of schoolgirls, hen nights and everything in between. Despite standing right at the back, I was never more than a stone’s throw from the stage, giving the whole gig a very personal and friendly feel, and allowing me to dance as moronically as I liked without the risk of being ridiculed from behind. Granted, the music was no work of genius, but who cares when you’re having as much as fun you can have with your clothes on and surrounded by a hoard of underage GCSE/A-levelplagued kids? After a supercharged version of ‘Fascination’ as a worthy encore, the sextet left the stage to a roaring applause. Overall a splendid night out, leaving me feeling fabulous the next morning and ferociously surfing the internet for cheap flights to Copenhagen. Their next single, ‘DJ’, is due to be released in the UK on 31st May in time for becoming a potential soundtrack to any wild mid-summer party with a Scandinavian flare.
Artist: Iggy & The Stooges Event: Don’t Look Back: Raw Power Venue: Hammersmith Apollo, London Date: 2nd May
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ne expects many things on a good night out, however these generally do not include seeing a sixty-three year old’s penis. Yet this, perversely, only adds to the mystique of the evening: the sight of an ageing man performing a rock classic to perfection, and still managing to channel the energy of his mischievous younger self from thirty years ago. ‘Raw Power’ was a classic slab of grimy proto-punk from 1972, and the night offered a chance to hear the whole album live. Former guitarist James Williamson and onetime Minutemen bassist Mike Watt joined Iggy Pop to create a raucous group that performed to the starstudded audience. (bathimpact
On a good night out, one does not generally expect to see a sixtythree year old’s penis spied Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream, The Nightingales and Jarvis Cocker hanging around.) Any doubts that the band couldn’t deliver dissipated immediately as they walked on and immediately launched into the title track, followed by Iggy himself who wasted no time throwing his jacket off and spinning around like a man possessed. Bob Dylan previously sung about “the ghost of electricity”; this night bathimpact witnessed the howling spectre of lightning. Pitchperfect roaring guitars cracked out exciting riffs, powerful bass lines echoed around the hall and when things weren’t unusual enough, Iggy decided to fling himself into the crowd. The rumours that he has given up stage-diving are greatly exaggerated, it seems.
In fact Iggy’s stage antics could fill an article in itself. There’s no such thing as a standard performance when he’s around. In between songs he was always creating noise, whether it be slamming his microphone into the giant speakers to create walls of feedback, or asking audience members to invade the stage en masse just before an electrifying rendition of Shake Appeal. Towards the end his incessant gyrating caused his trousers to drop, at which point bathimpact saw Iggy’s cock. Even though the night was dedicated to Raw Power, that didn’t stop Iggy from exclaiming “Don’t stop now!” as the final chords to Death Trip rang out, signaling The Stooges to storm into a series of classic numbers. Time has failed to diminish their power: the rhythmic juddering of 1970 is still anthemic; I Wanna Be Your Dog retains its nihilistic edge, whilst Open up and Bleed manages to sound rousing yet absolutely terrifying. “When this album first came out, everyone said we were sh*t: now we’re old and gonna die” exclaims a rebellious Iggy just before the end of the set. This statement precisely sums up the energetic yet unpredictable nature of the night, and the ability for the group to buckle down and present raw, honest rock and roll, despite the all-surrounding hype. Events do not come more majestic then this, and thankfully there was not a car insurance advert in sight.
This is what Care in the Communty has brought us
Tuesday 11th May 2010
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Entertainments
www.bathimpact.com
The Wild South West Regrets, I’ve had a few... Josie Cox kicks off our summer reading book page with her musings on this country life memoir
Nick Hornby might not reach peak form in his latest novel, but there is enough of his trademark wit and humour to entertain most summer readers. Or so thinks Alex Drake Book: Juliet, Naked Author: Nick Hornby onsidering Nick Hornby’s novels usually touch upon the themes of sport and music whilst revolving around aimless protagonists, it’s no surprise that I’ve always had a fascination with the author. Whether it’s been on ‘High Fidelity’ or ‘Fever Pitch’, he has always managed to find the right balance between comical and serious writing by touching on the big questions, such as what it mean to be a man. His characteristically honest and humorous style has meant that he doesn’t receive the critical acclaim his writing style deserves but on his latest novel, ‘Juliet, Naked’ he goes some way to right that wrong. With his sixth book , the story encompasses the moribund fifteen year relationship between Annie and Duncan who are unfortunate enough to live in a dead-end seaside town up in the north of England. Annie spends her time as a museum curator whilst Duncan is a school teacher who so happens to have a
C Book: Cider With Rosie Author: Laurie Lee aurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie is one of those books I would have hated had it been on my compulsory reading list at school. I love it because I picked it up for just a pound in an Oxfam shop. It tells the enchanting non-story of a boy caught in a limbo between child-
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It’s an enchanting story that I would recomend to anyone who needs their eyes opened to the beauty of the South West hood and adulthood, going through all the ups and downs of romance, rebellion and sibling rivalry. Written in 1959, Lee’s first book
of a trilogy which also includes As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and A Moment of War (1991), vividly describes the Gloucestershire landscape - just a stone’s throw away from Bath. One of the only books which, in the depths of winter, was capable of reminding me that England isn’t grey and gloomy all the time, I would recommend it to anyone who needs their eyes opened to the beauty of the South West. The charm and wit of the first-person narrative is capturing and makes you either want to play in the forest, frolic through fields of corn, or simply drink enough cider to make you exceedingly tipsy: a must-read book for any armchair voyeur looking for a mini break in the countryside.
Life in Eccentric Times
Growing up can be a confusing experience, especially if you live in a castle and your family are crazy. Sian Lewis reminisces over a vintage Dodie Smith novel Book: I Capture the Castle Author: Dodie Smith
A charming but bittersweet story of a teenage girl growing up in an eccentric 1930s family ther, who has suffered from writer’s block for 10 years; her sister Rose, who pretends to be a whimsical romantic, but really wants nothing more than a man who will keep her in fluffy peach-coloured towels; and her step-mother Topaz, who spends her time trying to paint the mean-
A characteristically great combination of amaible wit, observation and pitch-perfect tone out to her because he couldn’t agree more with her harsh opinion. This
starts an unlikely online correspondence which leads to a real-life meeting and teaches the two of them about wasted time and motivation in life amongst other things. I certainly don’t think this is Hornby’s best novel to date but it’s a great example of how to combine amiable wit, sharp social observation and a pitch-perfect tone. Hornby writes excellently as expected, and whilst this isn’t a classic by his own high standards there are enough laugh-out-loud lines to make this a very worthy and enjoyable summer read.
Classic Controversy
Hazell Moore is on hand to wax lyrical about Nabokov’s contentious book about falling in love with a 12 year old girl Book: Lolita Author: Vladimir Nabokov
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I write this sitting in the kitchen sink” is how Dodie Smith (of 101 Dalmatians fame, but please don’t judge her by the saccharine-soaked Disney film) begins her charming but rather bittersweet story of 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, a teenaged girl growing up in the ‘30s in a decidedly eccentric family, living in a freezing, dilapidated castle buried in the English countryside. Cassandra (described in the book as ‘Jane Eyre with a touch of Becky Sharp’) is a bright and witty heroine who would hold her own against the tough youth of today, and her family includes delicious characters such as two dogs called Heloise and Abelard; Cassandra’s mercurial fa-
musical obsession with a reclusive 1970’s singer/songwriter by the name of Tucker Crowe. The unsuspected catalyst for the couple’s break-up is the release of a new Tucker Crowe record – titled Juliet, Naked – which Duncan loves and Annie hates. She airs out her thoughts with an online review and amazingly, Tucker Crowe reaches
ing of Crime and Punishment on a circular canvas, and communing with nature in nothing but leather boots. J.K Rowling said of it “This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I’ve ever met.”, and certainly Cassandra is not your typical teenaged girl; she is smart and brave and intent on sorting out her ailing family’s fortunes (to the extreme of locking up her stubborn father and keeping him prisoner until he starts a new novel) and trying to sort out her very complicated lovelife, including avoiding the adorations and horrifically bad poetry of an infatuated friend, and pretending not to fancy her sister Rose’s fiancé. The plot, which is written as Cassandra’s diary (in which she attempts to ‘capture’ the personalities of those around her) is sometimes a little silly, and Cassandra herself has moments of
naivety, but this doesn’t take much away from the plot of a family of oddballs, and the book is free of Austen-like romantic drivel. It was
It’s timeless in a way that modern books for young people are usually not also made into a film which is mainly charming but sometimes mislays the magic of the book, starring the talented Romola Garai (Atonement) and Marc Blucas (the hot one from Buffy). Although written in 1948, I Capture the Castle is timeless in a way that modern books for young people are usually not, and is worth reading by anyone of any age for the dry, wittily-written dialogue and characters, and by those who like to reminisce on the often mind-blowingly confusing experience that is growing up.
olita is in The Times Top 100 Books to Read Before you Die. That says it all for me - I don’t want to waste my time reading a trashy modern Mills & Boon on the beach, after all. This novel provides poetry even in the first paragraph; those first lines melt me completely. Not for some stupid romantic sentiment, but because of the beautiful alliteration, and the way it even reads like silk on the tip of your tongue. I find absolute love in that short first chapter, and this is why I recommend that you read it. Lolita is about a middle aged man called Humbert Humbert, who finds love in “pubescent” girls. He finds one particular girl - Dolores (aka Lolita) - particularly enchanting. However, this isn’t a book of a tragic retelling of child molesta-
A book full of beautiful alliteration that reads like silk on the tip of your tongue tion. It’s a story from Humbert’s perspective. Unique in its telling, it does not create a sense of empathy for the protagonist, nor does it make you feel disgusted in what he does. It’s also unique in the charac-
ter portrayal of Lolita, who’s sexually mature and precocious: she initiates the first move. The narration skips lightly over intimate scenes, which allows a focus on the emotions involved and making the prose elegantly constructed. It’s written with hindsight, allowing the reader to gain little hints about what happens in the end, which led to a lot of curiosity for me. The combination of diary entries, prose and retrospect offer variety that doesn’t allow you to become complacent with the novel. The book’s sentiments alter as Lolita gets older, which allows you to gain a fuller character development: I enjoy how your opinion on characters can change over the course of fifty pages. This novel is truly stunning through its quirky, poetic and enchanting love story that is appropriate even for the manliest of them all.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
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bathimpact
Entertainments
www.bathimpact.com
The year the music died
MusicSoc Chair Will Arnold investigates the lack of live music on campus after yet another cancelled gig.
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nother blow was struck to the future of live music at the University with the cancellation of Tiffany Page’s uLive gig last month. This latest failure of what calls itself ‘the ultimate live music tour circuit around UK students’ union venues’ might well be its last. For those of you asking yourself, what is uLive? Or what Tiffany Page gig? Well you might just be symptomatic of the problem, if critics of the event’s promotion are to be believed. For your benefit though: uLive
The two events scheduled for this year were both cancelled. is a confederation of Students’ Union venues that came together with the ambition to “present toplevel live music events for both students and the public alike, in great venues with great customer service and reasonable drink pric-
es.” Last year this saw prestigious acts such as The Automatic and Dan Le Sac perform at Elements. This year we’ve seen... no one at all. The two events organised, a Kid British gig back in October and the Tiffany Page gig in April, were both cancelled due to poor ticket sales. So why has it gone so badly wrong this year? Vocal critics of the events have cited everything from a lack of promotion to a lack of interest in live music from students. The calibre of artist has also been brought into question – Tiffany Page and Kid British have barely mustered up an album release between them yet. In truth though, no one really knows. From personal experience, the knowledge of uLive and these events amongst students does seem scarce. Nevertheless, Adrian Boreham – SU Bars and Events Manager – points out
Tickled pink
Laurence Whitaker enjoys four different shows at the Bath Comedy Festival, with somewhat mixed results.
bathimpact is reminded that wearing spandex can put anyone in stitches. Event: Bath Comedy Festival Performers: Wil Hodgson, Matt Rudge, Trifle Gahering Productions, Matt Tiller Venues: Various around Bath Date: 1st-11th April
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ith tickets going for around a fiver for most shows I thought I’d throw myself into things and saw four different shows over the course of the week. Monday night saw a confused and somewhat shambolic start as the venue ap-
parently forgot to open up, causing Wil Hodgson to have to make an impromptu move to helpful new host The Cork. Coping amicably with the situation he shyly took us through the story of his life condensed into an hour passing by the issues of racism, punk and good old fashioned pubs, providing plenty of laughs with a wonderfully refreshing dose of liberalism that left you feeling not only warmed with laughter but with hope for humanity.
that:“for Tiffany Page, we distributed 5,000 fliers, had posters all around campus, Bath Spa, and the centre of Bath, as well as a promotional team on the campus talking to people.”” Now you might find it surprising within all these valiant efforts,
There is an apathy for live music at Bath Uni for up and coming artists. there’s no mention of online promotion. An oversight? A memory lapse? A little bit of background research might suggest not. Take the Bath uLive Facebook page for example, there are a grand total of 94 people following this. The Elements page has the attention of just over 400 – a tiny proportion of the 10,000 plus students at the University (although not all of them use Facebook of course). Still, what about network effects? Why aren’t these 94 people
Next was the turn of Matt Rudge, who promised to deliver a performance all about his own need to understand what masculinity is…once he’d told us that he lacked any body hair at all and having seen his queasily floral shirt I understood where his self doubt over his masculinity came from. Right from the start he had my back up as he seemed to try and copy the Russell Brand style of humour only with a slightly less varied vocabulary and less sex appeal. However over the hour-long gig he warmed himself up and rustled up a few laughs. He definitely left me feeling glad I’d only spent a fiver but the ambience of the Little Theatre always creates a sense of occasion even when the enter-
His faux Russell Brand style had none of the sex appeal or imagination. tainment is lacking. Hoping for better things I ventured all the way out of town to the Rondo on Thursday night. For one night I’d abandoned the stand up in favour of a night of cabaret and theatre where the charity shop was brought to the stage by the trio Trifle Gathering Productions. Despite being
Dan le Sac & Scroobius Pip are just as confused as to why Bath Uni students don’t buy tickets for live music as everyone else. telling their friends about uLive? And then these friends telling their friends? Maybe there just isn’t enough interest. The promotional team at the SU has experienced an “apathy to live music at Bath Uni for up and coming (and new) artists.” This is reflected in some of the comments I’ve heard from students as well, who express the need for bigger and better acts if these events are to be successful. The fact is though, last year there were bigger and better acts
for uLive and that didn’t work either. Ticket sales for The Automatic gig last year, for example, were just 110 – a long way short of break-even targets. The Automatic might not be to everyone’s taste, but they’ve had top 40 singles and albums under their belt and are probably at the limit of what a 400 capacity venue like Elements can realistically afford and attract. In other words, you won’t get much bigger and better than that.
hauled up on stage to play a game where I competed to shuffle an after eight from my forehead to my mouth (I sadly lost) it was an enchanting evening; a wonderful and neatly imagined insight into the world of charity shop volunteers combining song dance and somewhere in the midst of it all was a beautiful love story. Perhaps the best thing about it was that it had me in stitches and yet I
mentioned) but on this occasion he just didn’t quite pull it off, although the enchanting intimate venue upstairs certainly helped him out and the almost burlesque rouge tints of the downstairs bar provided a lovely place to sip at a cold beer looking back over an esoteric but enthralling week of live shows.
It was a show both my Gran and I would enjoy. know I could have taken my ultrasensitive Gran to it and she’d have found nothing to grumble about. The final night’s entertainment for me came from Matt Tiller performing at the bohemian St James Wine Vaults just beyond the Circus. Proclaiming himself as a musical comic my anticipation was great and only rose when I saw the man, complete with a red velvet suit. However, throughout the evening he seemed to always be trying a bit too hard and in an effort to get an extra laugh; he’d often just end up ruining the material he’d prepared. There was definitely some great potential and he was a likeable man (although a mis-timed wink during a song about rape can’t go un-
Bath Comedy Festival starts on April Fool’s Day every year - be sure to get tickets in 2011.
Wil Hodgson: not just funny, also the cannibal from Sin City
Tuesday 11th May
bathimpact
Awards
www.bathimpact.com
bathimpact storms to victory (not that we like to boast)
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ith the end of the year fast approaching, the University of Bath has entered its awards season. The past few weeks have seen the excitement of the Arts and Media Awards, which once again took place in the Claverton Rooms, and
was an event thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended it. Undoubtedly a part of the reason why us money-grubbing students look forward to this event so much is not only the fact that the event includes a free meal and drinks, the prizes themselves come complete with a
Activities Awards Thursday 6th May 2010 Prize
Winner
Outstanding Contribution to the BUGS Community Most Improved Activity Group
bathimpact
Best Overall Society
CH&OS
Best Event or Activity
RAG - RAG Week 2010
Best General Society Event
BEST - International Economics Week
General Society of the Year
BUMUN
Outstanding Contribution General Societies
to Kate Brooks
Best Arts Event or Performance
BUSMS - Footloose
Outstanding Contribution to the Kate Aldridge Arts Arts Society of the Year
Gravity Vomit
Most Improved Volunteer Activ- SCA - Student Christmas Appeal ity Outstanding Contribution Volunteering
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to Hanna Wade
Best Volunteer Newcomer
Dave Whiting
Best Student Media Newcomer
Nick Hill
Student Media Group of the Year bathimpact
£500 cheque. As such, it was truly an evening to remember for the lucky prize winners, who included three of bathimpact’s very own members, Phil Bloomfield, Sam Foxman and David Kennaway in the media categories. The prize-giving was interspersed with performances from various arts societies, including the Chamber Choir, plus a highlights package of the vast and spectacular achievements of all three student media groups this year. The event was exceedingly wellattended this year by 160 people, including members of the University staff, SU representatives, Vice-Chancellor Glynis Breakwell and Chancellor Lord Tugendhat among noted presences. The head of Santander Universities UK, Luis Juste, was also in attendance, presenting the eight awards so kindly donated by Santander. The other six prizes were donated by supporters of the arts at the University. The full list of prize winners is available in the table opposite for your perusing pleasure. Activities Awards The second major awards ceremony took place in the glamorous atmosphere of the Pump Rooms at the Roman Baths in the city centre. This is the blue riband event of the awards year for the activity groups, and once again a crowd of over 150 people attended, all looking their best for the black tie event, although not all of the attendees managed to get as far as reading the dress code, and thus one turned up bearing the distinctly proletarian open collar look. bathimpact, fresh from the aforementioned successes at the
Arts and Media Awards, managed another two prizes, collecting Most Improved Activity Group and Best Student Media Group, both in the face of fierce competition, for all the nominees at the event would have been fully deserving winners. Other notable successes includ-
ed CH&OS, who won best overall society, BUMUN, Bath Model United Nations Society, who won General Society of the Year, and RAG, who picked up Best Event or Activity for RAG Week 2010. From a purely partisan standpoint, I would like to congratulate Nick Hill for winning Best Student Media Newcomer, a fully deserved honour.
Arts & Media Awards Monday 19th April 2010
Prize
Winner
Marjorie Vandelinde Prize
Ann Howell Dept of Physics
Peter Redfern Prize for Theatre
Simon King Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Wayman-Horne Prize for Visual Tim Holsgrove Arts Dept of Mechanical Engineering Alan Bramley Prize for Instru- Shaun Motiani mental Music Dept of Mechanical Engineering
Quayle Prize for Music
Martin Phillips Dept of Computer Science
Bishop Prize for Dance
Eve Elwell Dept of European Studies and Mod ern Languages
Santander Prize for Excellence Martin Phillips in Production Dept of Computer Science
Santander Prize for Creative Kirsty Goodman Leadership Dept of Biology and Biochemistry
Santander Prize for Arts Man- Lucy Collins agement Dept of European Studies and Modern Languages
Santander Prize for an Out- Shaun Motiani standing Artist Dept of Mechanical Engineering
Santander Prize for Excellence David Kennaway in Media Production Dept of Computer Science
Santander Prize for Creativity in Philip Bloomfield the Media Dept of European Studies and Modern Languages
Santander Prize for Student Me- Sam Foxman dia Dept of Economics
Santander Prize for Leadership Lewis Brimblecombe in the Media Dept of European Studies and Modern Languages
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
Sport
www.bathimpact.com
Fun and fundraising at netball tournament On Wednesday 21st April the Sports Association held the second Club, Society & Department Netball Competition in aid of Cancer Research UK. For just three pounds per player, teams including Biology, Volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee (last year’s winners) took part in a three-hour long tournament, competing for several different prizes. With several teams relying on the briefing before the tournament started to gain a basic understanding of how, exactly, netball is actually played, it was clear that the tournament would never be taken quite as seriously as BUCS. The sight of male players in skirts and mixed teams in the sort of bright neon outfits usually reserved for ‘rave’ nights out in town suggested that there were quite a few groups there for fun, and of course for a shot at the best costume award. In a result that wasn’t a shock to many, Netball took first place, seeing off Volleyball in an energetic final game. Gravity Vomit, the juggling society, dressed as various animals and
Hockey dressed as (mostly pregnant) chavs took the joint award for best costumes, while with their large and rowdy crowd, Chemical Engineering took the award for best supporters. The overall figure raised was a phenomenal £622. The event was organised in conjunction with paris2london.com - having ran 350 miles in 14 days to help beat cancer last year, Kaveh Fatemian is now planning to climb two mountains (with a combined height of over 11,500m) in the summer. Go to www. paris2london.com for more information. Emily Whittaker
Katie Rocker Chief Sub-editor subeditor@bathimpact.com
Superwoman’s participation was seen as unfair by some.
Bath beat Bristol in judo varsity
Tom Fowler Sport contributor students from Bath. 15 students from Bristol. 1 aim: to remain standing. No, not an inter-university drinking competition, but the 128 year old combat sport judo. Requiring a combination of quick reflexes, strength, stamina and agility to execute a hammering succession of attacks, landing your opponent square on their back, judo players come from a range of backgrounds. Some start judo to get fit, others begin supremely fit; in the Bath team the fighters range from a 52Kg Japanese girl, to an over 100Kg Rugby player. Together these 15 athletes make the recreational judo team, making history in the first annual Bath vs Bristol varsity; recreational team, because there
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In the Bath team the fighters range from a 52kg girl to a 100kg-plus rugby player is also a professional team. Team Bath judo is of a phenomenal level, a team of fighters train full time, in preparation for a place in the Olympics. To achieve this they have world class facilities and coaching, with a re-
The judo team with their shield after defeating Bristol 9-5. cent visit from Olympic gold medallist Kosei Inoue. It’s not surprising that no other universities will face Team Bath. Taking up the call instead are those not capable of bullet-time. For a long time BUCS has been the only event on the recreational teams’ calendar, with one or two recreational fighters accompanying the performance squad in dominating the other universities. As such, the squad was made an array of fighters, for some who have trained only for a couple of months it was their first fight, others have done judo for years, fighting in BUCS, county teams, and on the national squad. Still Bath’s team was in trouble, Bristol has a strong club, with ten times the number of regularly attending graded fighters,
One stick, one wheel: unicycle hockey provides thrills and spills Katie Rocker
Katie Rocker Chief Sub-editor subeditor@bathimpact.com
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ossibly one of the most surreal sports I’ve ever heard of, let alone watched, arrived on campus for a second time on Sunday - unicycle hockey. This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, taking rules from both hockey and ice hockey (plus adding some of our own) to create this unique game. Several members of the Bristol Severn Wheelers club visited the University, bringing with them spare equipment and many years of experience. The game is played using ice hockey sticks, a deflated tennis ball and, of course, unicycles. There are no official positions, so players tend to just chase the ball as fast as their frantically pedalling legs can carry them. It tends to become a bit of a medley as people rush for the ball; when it lands near the crowd it can be a bit daunting to have a group of unicyclists bearing down on you, sticks reaching for the ball. Despite the complete surrealty of the game, it proved to be very entertaining – Bath players were almost always overwhelmed by the
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Players fight to stay on their unicycle during the game. Severn Wheelers, but put up an
it can be a bit daunting to have a group of unicyclists bearing down on you excellent fight. Despite the enthu-
siasm - and the risks involved in falling off unicycles - no one was injured, including people trying the game for the first time. Unfortunately this was the last session of the semester, but hopefully they will start early in the new year, and with everyone’s summer practise under their belts, the
games will be faster and more fun than ever. If you are interested in playing or watching unicycle hockey - or even have an interest in learning to unicycle - make sure to join Gravity Vomit (who run the sessions) at the start of next year.
the Bath fighters would have to fight like Spartans to win. However with determination, and years of training, Bath pulled though to win, with some players delivering stunning debut performances, including a win in less than 10 seconds, giving a final score of 9-5 with one draw. Thanks to the Bristol team for coming down, and setting this in motion, and to world cup silver medallist Tom Reed for giving the shield. Bath team: Thomas Brown, Thomas Fowler, Alex Ridge Angus Maidment, Matt Scales, George Tianxiang Hu, Joaquim Ad, Danny Gregory, Nelson Hsieh, Laura Orme, Mizuki Nakamura, Liane Skyblue and Becky Pierce.
University win Combination Cup Steve Ballinger TeamBath Press Officer The University of Bath rugby team won the Bath Combination Clubs Cup for the first time, beating Trowbridge RFC 45-10 in the final at the Rec. The University of Bath team played some attractive rugby in outscoring Trowbridge by seven tries to two. Joe Heaver and Matt Garner both scored a brace of tries each, with Peter Morallee, Joe Ellyat, and Chris Lewis scoring one. Fly half Lewis, who also successfully kicked five conversions, was named man of the match. University of Bath rugby coach Aaron James said “We are really pleased withour win as we know from watching last year’s Cup final how committed anddetermined Trowbridge are. “The players were pleased with their performance and the quality of running rugby we played on the night. “We are a relatively unknown quantity and it’s a pleasure for our club and players to be involved in this competition again after missing the last year. Thank you to the Bath Combination Committee for their organisation and to Trowbridge for the game”
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Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
www.bathimpact.com Sport Snooker’s troubled present could mean it has no future Tim Leigh Editor in Chief editor@bathimpact.com
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f Alex Higgins was the original hurricane, than the scandal currently engulfing snooker means his namesake is doing his best to appropriate the nickname. Snooker is a sport that has been beset by allegations of match fixing throughout its long history, but the last few years have been particularly depressing for the many lovers of the game. Snooker is already battling problems with declining interest, hence the appointment of the man who claims credit for reinvigorating Darts, Barry Hearn, as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Recent problems began to surface with allegations concerning the irregular betting patterns in Stephen Maguire’s 9-3 win over Jamie Burnett in the UK Championship in 2008. The commentators at the time were left astounded by Burnett’s miss on the final black, raising already heightened suspicions concerning the validity of the match as a contest. World Snooker was contacted by bookmakers before the match, suspicious of the heavy betting on one ex-
act outcome – the 9 frames to 3 that was the result. Following this incident, Stephen Lee, the former world no. 5, was arrested earlier this year as the result of an investigation of irregular betting patterns by West Midlands Police and the Gambling Commission. Disturbing though these incidents undoubtedly were, they seem like small fry compared to the scandal which emerged two weeks ago. John Higgins, the current world no. 1, nicknamed “the Wizard of Wishaw”, one of only six players to win the World Championship on more than two occasions, was secretly filmed by News of the World
€300,000
Amount that Higgins allegedly accepted in return for throwing four frames.
reporters, apparently agreeing to throw frames for money. This is quite simply staggering. Higgins is rightly regarded as a legend of the game, and having watched the footage, freely available on
Recent allegations mean John Higgins is in a lot more trouble than a snooker behind the green. YouTube, the allegations would appear to have more than a little credibility. The response from Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney, is that they thought they were dealing with the Russian mafia and under duress, thus were simply trying to escape an unpleasant situation as quickly as possible. Whether this explains their reasons for being in Kiev in the
first place, a week after Higgins was dumped out of the World Championship by six times champion Steve Davis, is unclear. It would be premature to speculate too much about what this means for the sport as a whole, but three scandals in three years does not improve the popularity of an already troubled sport. I would hesitate to say the Hig-
gins scandal is equivalent to Usain Bolt being convicted of doping, but it is not that far away. Snooker, much like sprinting, is not in a position where it can afford these scandals. The potential growth of the game by the merit of having an Antipodean champion is in grave danger of being overshadowed by allegations big enough to destroy it forever.
Tuesday 11th May 2010
bathimpact
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Sport
www.bathimpact.com
Fun and improbable sun for snowsports at dryslope finals. The Snowsports club competed at Kings finals in Essex over the May bank holiday weekend, an event which was the culmination of four Saturday evening qualification rounds spent skiing, boarding and wearing silly clothing on a wet and windy dry slope in Wales. With heavy rain forecast combined with a 4AM start, it was a pleasant surprise to see an assortment of racers and supporters clad in their ‘Bathwatch’ (Baywatch with the ‘y’ crossed out) fancy dress, in high spirits, and most importantly, on time for the bus. We rocked up at the slope just before 9AM to the sight of Leeds Snowriders in full swing with their members shooting down an improvised water slide.. also dressed as Baywatch! Not letting this awkward clash ruin our day, we set up camp a short distance away and pretended we hadn’t noticed, lifted by the fact that
Ed Ter Haar
Thomas Saunders Sport contributor
A skier competes at the dryslope finals while the audience and other competitors watch. despite all predictions for the weather, the sun was shining! The day consisted of individual runs for both skiers and snow boarders as well as team dual-slalom events. Two of Bath’s skiers did particularly
now only
well, with Gemma Duckett and Simon Beckett coming 12th and 16th respectively. The ski team made it through the first round of racing, missing out on the final knockout stage by a small
margin. The snowboard team, weakened by illness, had to enlist the help of a random racer from another university who unfortunately proved to be less than committed, completing the course going the wrong side of
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every gate. The sun managed to hold out until we’d been knocked out and packed away, much to our delight, as we saw Bristol’s race team drenched by a torrential downpour.
impactsport Katie Rocker
Higgins scandal - the death knell for snooker? Sporting comment, p34
Now here’s something you don’t see every day - VP Activites and Development Rich Butterfield takes part in a spot of unicycle hockey. See page 33 for full report.
Mech Eng complete IDFC fairytale »»4-3 extra time win shocks Coach Ed
IDFC Final
Coach Education
3
Mechanical Engineering 4 (aet) Sean Lightbown Sport Editor sport@bathimpact.com
T
he form book was torn up once more as Mechanical Engineering completed a remarkable comeback against Coach Education to take the IDFC title in extra time. Although a bobbly pitch contributed to some scrappy play, a sizable crowd at the Sports Training Village was there to witness one of the most exciting and nerve-shredding encounters in recent memory. Having finished third in their group, Mech Eng took the hard route
to the final, beating Team Maths 1-0 in the last eight, and upsetting the winners of their original group MoLES 2-1 in the semi-final. Although Coach Ed won their group, the overall quality of the tournament this year meant their progress was far from easy. After defeating Sports Science 4-1 in their quarter final, they edged out Economics 2-1 after extra time to earn themselves a final spot. In the early stages of the game, it seemed that the final would prove one
Most teams would have collapsed. However, for Mech Eng, this was the start of what would be a remarkable game. too far for the Engineers. Some nervy defensive moments and ‘keeper errors
saw Education, playing with admirable consistency and threat, take a two goal lead. Most teams would have collapsed. However, for Mech Eng, this was just the start of what would be a remarkable game. Two excellent goals and a strong finish to the half saw parity restored at half-time with a 2-2 scoreline. Although the score reflected equality, it was an open secret who would be the happier team after the first 45 minutes. Nerves were apparent on both sides in the second half, as each player knew that one mistake on the uneven pitch could prove terribly costly. Equally, it would only take one moment of magic from either side to change the tie dramatically. In the end, it was a bit of both which led to Education retaking their lead. A brilliant run from the left winger into
the penalty area saw him through on goal. Albeit a very tight angle, an angled shot deflected off the ‘keeper and into the near corner of the net. As the Education boys celebrated, the crowd sensed that this time, the ‘keeper’s mistake may have proved fatal for Mech Eng. Indeed, it did seem the tide had turned completely to the team in orange. As Education increasingly passed the ball with confidence, Mech Eng cut tired, though committed, figures. How wrong. Mech Eng showed increasing threat on the counter. A corner swung in and was headed over, grazing the Education crossbar on its way. As the last ten minutes approached, a Mech Eng breakaway saw a ball cut back from the ball line to the Mech Eng striker, who placed the ball into the corner from ten yards. It was time for extra time.
The belief of the Engineers was now more visible than ever. Their ‘keeper, who had had a pretty awful game upto now, pulled off a remarkable save in the first extra period, clawing an Education header behind for a corner. As the pace and length of the game began to take its toll, Mech Eng’s determination to win came to the fore. A through ball caught the Education centre-back sleeping, a mistake which would prove costly. The Mech Eng forward steadied himself before calmly slotting the ball past the despairing ‘keeper. For the first time in the game, they had a lead to defend. Education responded, piling on the pressure. However, a more assertive ‘keeper and some excellent defending kept the orange tide at bay. As the final whistle went, scenes of celebration contrasted with utter despair. David had beaten Goliath, and he didn’t even have a slingshot.